#carol overreacts to tv

[maxislvt]

Paradise From Hell

Summary: One grave mistake from your beloved manager lands you on one of the most notorious dating shows on the planet. You try your best to huff and puff your way through the season you'll be trapped in the house, but it seems fate had other plans for you. Stuck between your ex and a potential lover, will you survive?

Warning: Shitty girlfriends, awkward boyfriends, discussion of break ups, drama, not much this chapter tbh.

A/N: Sorry to all my Carol lovers, because she is not too kind in this but it's okay because every story needs an antagonist to some extent. Also major props to @cultofelizabetholsen for sending me this wonderful request and kicking off this amazing series!! i had so much fun writing this and can't wait to continue it :) hahah no I totally didn't repost this because I forgot the tags teehee

Series Masterlist

"No, absolutely not. I just won't do it!"

Your manager sighed and put the contract back in the crisp manila folder. "You're overreacting! It's just one season of a dating show. Plus, after you-know-who, your romantic life needs a little kick!"

Your manager meant the world to you. Keeping you booked, busy, and well paid. She was a sweet woman, but someday she had the dumbest ideas on the planet. Signing you up for a dating show without warning because you refused to go out and get a partner — was definitely one of her worst. By no means were you entirely above the world of reality television, but you would like to think you were better than being on some dating show. Big Brother, Master Chef, hell, even Survivor Island wasn't off the table for you! But some random start-up dating show? Not.

"No way! Burn it, rip it, and throw it in the trash can, whatever it takes to get me off the call list," You demanded. It sounded bitchy for your standards, but you couldn't believe your manager would betray you like that. "If you want me to go back to reality tv, that's fine! I'll do masked singers again — but I'm not going on a dating show." Before your frustration turned to genuinely ugly anger, you stopped yourself. You turned away from your beloved manager and gave yourself time to calm down. "I'm sorry, that was very rude."

"That's quite alright. We all have our moments."

You nodded slowly before speaking in a much calmer tone. "Thank you, but can you please terminate the contract? I'm really not up for this kinda thing." The stiffness of your spine decreased as you watched your manager flip through the pamphlet. However, the uneasy look on their face brought it right back. "What's wrong?"

"The termination period ended three weeks ago…and you're supposed to be ready to go by the middle of next month," Your manager mumbled while slowly closing the packet. "...I'm so terribly sorry."

"I'm going for a very long walk."

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Three hellish layovers, two weird introduction videos, and now one of the lamest parties you had ever been to before. You weren’t much of a party animal to start, but a half-assed masquerade by a pool wasn’t ideal for anyone. However, you refused to sour the mood with bitterness, so you decided it would be best to settle down at the bar. One copper mug filled with Moscow Mule because only the best alcohol could prepare you for the hell you were about to face.

“That’s a strong drink for a lady like yourself,” An oddly posh voice said from your left.

You turned your head and looked up. There wasn’t much that stood out about the man in front of you. That was mainly because of the mask that covered his facial features, but the trunks clinging to his waist were rather plain compared to everyone else’s. “Well, a strong drink to combat some strong feelings,” You said before taking another sip of your drink. The longer you looked at his mask, the bigger your impulsive urges got. “Did they let you pick this mask?” Without even thinking, you flicked at the elongated nose and giggled.

The man cleared his throat and stood up straight. “Um, no. I was the last one here. This was all they had left.” The shyness radiated off him in waves. You almost felt bad for just being the cause of it. “I came over because you seemed a bit—”

“Alright, party people, gather around!”

Before your masked friend could finish his sentence, your lovely show host arrived.

You turned your head and any hope left of having a peaceful time on the show immediately disappeared. “Loki,” You said through gritted teeth. Of course, it was him. Why would any random show host have access directly to your manager? Everything made sense. The shady contract, the lack of information on your castmates, and even the shitty masquerade party. “Is this secretly the first season of another show you’re hosting, or is this exactly what I think it is?” You already knew the answer.

“It’s what you think it is,” He proclaimed before clapping his hands together. If his personality wasn’t so charming, you would hate him.

You drowned out the rest of his lovely introduction. You’d heard it a million times before. Ex on The Beach, Loki’s new reality TV show about finding new love or falling back into an old love. The show wasn’t awful. It was just extra drama you didn’t want in your life. True love couldn’t be found on some dramatic TV show for millions to watch for entertainment. Even then, the chances of seeing your ex were gut-wrenchingly terrifying. It was better to die alone than ever try finding a partner here. Death itself would be better than getting back with her.

“Alright, beautiful people! Mask off!”

You were the first to rip yours off, eager to get to the house claim and room you could hide in for the rest of the show. At least you wouldn’t have to share a room with someone else. Your eyes scanned over the people you’d be sharing a house with. Some of them you knew. Tony Stark: the playboy coming from old money and had a strange thing for cars. Thor Odinson: A heart of gold with the best intentions. Peter Quill: Calls himself Starlord, insists he didn’t steal from The Weekend, and is a bit of a try-hard. Monica Rambeau: A welcomed surprise for you, your best friend since preschool, and definitely the only person you would trust through the whole thing. “Moni!”

“Y/N/N!”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Would you two like to explain how you guys met?”

You never expected to have your first confession this early in the show, but you were thankful it was with your best friend.

The smile on your face never faltered. “Of course, but I think most of the people watching us already know it.” Your body moved in sync with Monica’s as you mirrored the excited movement of her hands. “When we were in preschool, my mom had actually forgotten to bring some of my school supplies. Obviously, not having crayons is the biggest deal in the world because you’re stuck with the shitty community crayons.”

“Fortunately for somebody, my mom gave me a sixty-four pack of crayons with the sharpener.” Monica wrapped her arms around your shoulders as you hugged her. "We were kindergarten married and we almost have a kindergarten baby!"

"So, did you two get kindergarten divorced too?"

"Oh, yeah it was a mess," You replied and dramatically pushed Monica away from you. "Someone wasn't up for sharing their rainbow goldfish so, I called things off since she didn't care about me or my well-being!" A fit of laughter filled the studio as you and Monica continued to ramble on about your rocky kindergarten relationship. Then suddenly you straightened up and made a serious face. "We got back together a week later because she got me a stuffed zebra from the zoo."

"Our romance was actually incredibly toxic!"

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

After the ground rules and expectations were laid out, you were quick to enter the house. With Monica close by, you were less averse to the whole situation. Still not interested in romancing anyone, but calm enough to at least play nice. The abundance of groceries in the communal kitchen made that incredibly easy. While everyone else mulled over the potential list of exes and new partners, you decided to brush up on your culinary skills.

"I really hate to bother you, but I believe we talked at the party earlier."

Your ears wiggled as you struggled to recognize the voice behind you. "Ooh, yeah you're the guy with the long-nosed mask! Sorry about the flick, couldn't help it," You giggled before turning back to the dough ball in front. Having a conversation wasn't exactly on your radar but he seemed nice enough. "You're Vision, yeah? I thought your little introduction video was cute."

His face went red and he nervously fiddled with the buttons on his t-shirt. "Oh, um thank you. Felt a little uncomfortable reading so close to the ocean. They promised me it would be okay but it slipped out of my fingers and straight into the second the cameras cut off," He punctuated his sentence with an awkward laugh. It became less awkward once you began laughing with him. A joke didn't do much to deter his tense spirit, but he was intent on carrying on the conversation. Unfortunately for Vision, you'd caught the eye of nearly everyone else on the show and they weren't going to lose you to some bumbling book nerd.

"Oh, it appears we have a little chef on our hands," Natasha said as she leaned against the kitchen countertop. As if it was as easy as breathing, the woman stole your attention away from Vision. Mainly because it was that easy. A crooked smirk, smooth voice, and finger quickly heading for the bowl of brownie batter in between you two — you were hers in not even half the time. "Awe come on, just one dip?"

You shook your head and pulled the bowl further away from Natasha's excited fingers. "Absolutely not, other people have to eat these and I'm not letting your little jogger fingers ruin it for everyone else." Though you wanted to stay firm in your no, it seemed Natasha had puppy dog eyes far too strong for your heart and you conceded faster than you denied her. "Fine, find me some pretzels and chocolate chips and I'll let you lick the spoon!"

And just like that, Vision was pushed to the background and practically forced out of the kitchen. It was like that every day for a week. He'd approach and suddenly everyone in the house wanted to show you something. Tony rambled about his tech company. Natasha needed a cheerleader while she worked out. Quil spent hours showing off all the places he traveled. Monica seemed to be the worst of them all. The others clearly had romantic intentions, but Monica seemingly just didn't approve of him. She never said it in his presence, but it was clear as day. A week had gone by and he hardly even got one conversation in.

As if his luck couldn't get any worse, The first three exes arrived shortly after. Competing for you with the other housemates was hard enough, three more would be impossible.

The group made their way down to the shore and sat on the beach chairs laid out for them. Of course, you and Monica shared one and Thor was able to wiggle his way onto the tiny bit of space left over. Then there was a human brick wall between the two of you. As Loki blabbered on about love and rekindling old flames or making new ones, Vision found his eyes wandering to you.

"Well, let's give it up for our first ex, Steve Rogers!"

The group whistled and cheered as a beautiful blond man made his way out of the water. Everyone seemed rather pleased by the man in front of them. Well, everyone except Tony. "Back in the water Blondie, no one wants here!"

"I don't know, Stark, I definitely have to disagree with you on this one," Thor joked before nudging your side. "So, what caused you two to break up? I just need to know before I start making some moves."

Steve laughed just as boldly as Thor spoke. A perfect match. "Well, Tony just couldn't let go of his playboy habits. There's nothing wrong with it, but I just didn't want that for myself," He said calmly. Despite his attempts at being professional, he was clearly caught off guard by the staring. "I'm looking to give Tony a second chance but if he doesn't want it, I'm willing to move and find someone new!" Steve was cute, but your eyes were already wandering to the woman riding from the waters behind him.

"Lovely ex number two! Wanda Maximoff," Loki shouted excitedly as she gestured to what was easily the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen.

Her swimsuit was a bit more modest than what the other girls wore, but you were more than capable of apprenticing the view. The one-piece covered her stomach but her toned arms and plump thighs made your head spin. You didn't care how obvious your staring was, Wanda was hot and you needed to take all of it in as best you could. As if you weren't roped into her web of beauty and confidence already, she looked back at you. It felt like magic. Some mysterious force dragged your eyes all the way up Wanda's body until you locked eyes with her. It only took one look into those perfect emerald orbs for every defensive measure you put around your heart to absolutely crumble.

"Well, go on. Introduce yourself to your potential suitors!"

Wanda smiled. It was easily the prettiest smile you'd ever seen. Bunny-like teeth poked out at her bottom lip and slightly crookedness made it all the more endearing. "Well, I'm Wanda Maximoff and I'm Vision ex-"

"You pulled that?"

A fit of laughter broke out amongst the group but you were quick to shut it down. A swift elbow to Thor's side and coughed loud enough to signal everyone to lighten up. Your attention shifted back to Wanda. "So, um, what happened," Thor asked, still clearly in disbelief.

"She wanted to go see…," Vision mumbled the last bit of the confession and turned his head. Whatever he was trying to say must've been embarrassing. Vision blushed a lot around people, but you'd never seen him so red before in your life. "God, just tell them what happened. They've wounded my pride enough this past week," He grumbled.

Wanda shook her head. "We just weren't working out. He wasn't willing to cut it off officially but I just wasn't going to wait for him. When my other ex offered to show me her puppies, I just went over there without thinking." She laughed as she spoke. It was a wonder Vision had any chance with her in the first place, but she clearly over him at this point in her life. "I just wanna move on from here. If I meet someone, that's great. If I don't, then I just don't. No big deal." She shrugged and stepped to the side. Wanda had hardly spared Vision and glance. Her attention was on. Neither of you believed in love at first sight but there was something between the two of you.

"Who do you think is telling the truth," Monica whispered to you and Thor. It was more a yell and Vision definitely heard it, but not a single one of you was concerned about his feelings at the moment.

"I think it's the truth, but the sad truth," Thor said through a near obnoxious burst of laughter.

That something seemed to be one of your biggest mistakes, considering you recognized the dirty blonde hair before she even fully got out of the water. "No, go back in the water and drown! Right now, go away!" You carelessly flapped your arms before turning to bury your face into Monica's shoulder.

"Awe come on, we didn't end on that bad of a note. Did we?" Carol smiled at you and stretched her arms, as if she expected you to run up and hug her. She awkwardly let them fall when she realized you weren't budging from your seat. "Well, I'm Carol, but if you're my special someone — you can call me Vers!" She threw a wink your way but you simply returned it with an unimpressed furrow of your brows. "I'm hoping to get back with Y/N, but if that doesn't work out I'll accept getting some real closure."

You huffed out in response to that, but decided to not cause more of a scene.

"Well, I think we should give our exes some time to talk. The rest of you head back up to the house."

You shook your head and quickly stood up. "Nope, no need. I've got bread to put in the oven!" Before anyone could object, you hopped out of your seat and began the walk, well run in your case, up to the house. You could already hear Carol shouting after you as you walked back up. It didn't make any sense to you. Why would she agree to come back to you? She broke up with you. You weren't upset about that by any metric but that wasn't going to make living with her any easier.

Carol was quick to follow after you but you were intent on ignoring her. "Come on, baby. Don't be like that! What happened to 'me and Vers?' I just want that back." Her hand reached out to grab yours, her grip needlessly harsh. "Just gimme another chance, please? You love me," She said as she attempted to pull you closer. For years that was how she got you. Twisted your words and then threw them in your face. You'd be hopeless against it.

But you were a lot stronger than that now. You snatched your hand away and stepped away from her. "I loved you, Carol. As in at one point I used to really care about you, but I just don't anymore. Meaning I don't want anymore of that 'me and Vers' stuff. I just wanna be myself for now." Despite your bold words and attempt at sounding strong, you cracked. Carol was everything to you at one point and anger alone wouldn't be able to separate you two.

Carol tensed up, clearly confused by your sudden lack of affection toward her. For as long as she'd known you, you'd been nothing but a pushover. Just something waiting to be taken advantage of and used by other people. You should've been thankful she was trying to take you back. Better her than someone who didn't give a shit about you. "Okay, you're still upset. I get that. I'll be here until you're ready to come back to me," She said with pride that she had absolutely no reason to be holding.

To say Carol struck a nerve was an understatement. She'd struck your entire nervous system but you refused to give her the satisfaction. She didn't deserve one. You took a deep breath through your nostrils and turned around. "Have fun waiting," You whispered before making your way up to the house again.

Though you were strong enough to not blow up in Carol's face, that energy needed to be released somewhere. You wouldn't dare risk exploding at your roommate. Unfortunately, the only thing you were comfortable with harming at the moment was the unused pasta dough you'd saved in the fridge the night before. The poor ball was ruthlessly slammed and folded against the counter for what could've been hours until someone was bold enough to snap you out of your anger-fueled trance.

"I'd hate to step on your toes here, but I think you've kneaded the dough more than enough." It was Wanda. Her accent was foreign to your ears but the sound of it was almost enough to melt your stress away entirely.

You cleared your throat before your mind could wander any further. A sigh escaped your lips as you held the dough up above the counter only for it to snap in half almost immediately. "I promised everyone pasta for dinner tonight, but I guess we'll have to do takeout." You got ready to throw the ball in the trash only for Wanda to guide your hand back. Normally, you'd be averse to sudden touch — especially after the grip Carol subjected you to — but Wanda's was soft. It was like you were as fragile as porcelain.

Wanda gave you a soft smile and slowly grabbed the ball from your hand. "I'm sure we can do something with this. You worked hard on it, there's no need to throw it out!" She quickly wrapped the ball in plastic and gently placed it in the fridge. "I can help you with the sauce and stuff while you redo the pasta. Teamwork makes the dream work!"

You couldn't help but giggle at Wanda's excitement. "I think that'd be wonderful, thank you," You said, just barely controlling your excitement enough to speak. Carol never entertained your interest. Monica tried her very best, but she was a mess in the kitchen. You both agreed it was best to keep her as a mouth to feed. It seemed you and Wanda were about equal in the kitchen and it made cooking all the more enjoyable. The two of you talked about nearly everything you two could think of while dinner was being made. The pasta dough had to rest a bit before being rolled out and cut into noodles so you decided to help Wanda finish the sauce.

Wanda smiled as you stood next to her in front of the stove. "I'm sure you don't wanna talk about it, but what's the deal with you and blondie over there," She asked and gestured her head toward Carol's direction. Respecting privacy was important, potential suitor or not. However, Carol had a mean stare and it hadn't left the back of Wanda's head since she approached you. "I get the feeling you want nothing to do with her, but…"

You leaned your head back and caught a look at Carol's face before she could twist it into a fake smile. What must've been your fifth sigh in the last hour escaped your lips. "We broke up six months ago and I haven't talked to her since," You said whilst shaking your head. Though you hadn't talked to Carol since you broke up with her, her tactics remained the same. "Don't even worry about her, she's only puffing her chest out because she thinks you'll take me from her." You cringed at the mere thought of "belonging" to Carol in any capacity. You were almost embarrassed you even dated her in the first place.

Wanda's arm smoothly snaked around your waist and pulled you close until your hips were touching. "Well, I'll happily play bodyguard if it means keeping her away from you," She whispered into your ear. A bold move, but the results were effective. The height difference between you two wasn't much to write about, but it was an advantage she'd happily abuse if it meant seeing the adorable tint on your cheeks again. Wanda could almost feel the heat radiating off of your face. It heavily outweighed the intense glare your ex was giving her from behind. She leaned in closer to your face.

For a moment, you considered leaning in. You swore of finding any love in this forsaken house, but god Wanda was so pretty and it was only a few centimeters between the two of you. For a moment, you tilted your head forward and just took in Wanda's scent. The smell of vanilla and cocoa butter had lulled you even closer to her. You were so close to her. Just one push forward and that'd be it. However, it seemed the timer had other plans and completely ruined the moment. You cleared your throat and turned around to handle the pasta dough and cut off the timer. "I'm gonna, uh, work on this over here. Just watch the sauce for me."

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

A frustrated grumble left your throat as you made your way down the confession corner. You hadn't been called down nearly as much as the others, so you were a bit confused. You plopped down the stool and swiveled it from side to side before settling down. "Can we be quick, Mr.Strips is gonna get cold." You yawned and stretched your arms.

"We just wanted to do a check-up on how you feel."

You sighed. "I'm doing alright. I'm happy to see Monica moving on, I like baking a lot now, but I still don't think anyone has caught my eye just yet." You shrugged and got ready to stand up, but stopped when you noticed the monitor in front of you. A groan slipped through your tightened lips and you sat back down. "Is there anything else?"

"So how are you and Wanda getting along?"

Caught red-handed. After she arrived, you and Wanda hit it off almost immediately. If you weren't forcing Monica to cough up details about Darcy, you find yourself comfortably wrapped up in Wanda's arms. Maybe she found a book to read or a new recipe to try. Either way, you really enjoyed being around her. It wasn't like that, was it? You shook your head and straightened up. "Nothing is going on between us, but I really do like her company." Like was an understatement, but you weren't up for feeding into the situation given. Maybe Wanda didn't like you at all and secretly wanted Monica. Maybe she was just bored. There could've been a billion reasons why Wanda was hanging around you. You didn't want to get your hopes up.

You were much too tired to catch the knowing glance the cast behind the screen shared, but you were thankful they let you go quickly. If you had only heard what Wanda said about you moments earlier.

[cate-eblanchett]

( t e x t @julimargs ) you can show me how you fain’t on demand in my arms -- cold seems like an understatement, i just dislike how empty my bed is. Moi? Je pensais que tu ne demanderais jamais, chérie.. 😉 my favourite place and my favourite girl, i’m there. 

( t e x t ) oh no, grumpier ? it’s gotta be the pre pre teen creeping in. hide. How is it, that whenever he lose’s his jacket, i find out from you.. only to accuse me of being such a thief!? i only steel the jackets he grows out of, and that’s another thing he keeps doing, growing. I know it’s only been a couple weeks, but that boy is taller. He miss’s his family, as do I.

(Text) we would be a good couple with all the drama and overreacting. Do you think we could start a career as tv stars in soap operas? I think we would be so good! ;) see? That’s why I need you by my side. I need someone that speaks French… in my ear. Do you want to be my date to watch Carol? It’s embarrassing watching myself but it can’t be too bad if you are next to me.

(Text) god! I thought I still have three years before that phase! I think it’s because she is missing her favorite person. I don’t know baby, I don’t make the rules. Jackets and you get along. Not my fault.

@julimargs

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Submitted:

That’s why disaffected members (David, Margaret, Diana, Harry) attach themselves to the rising tide of modernity and try to use it to improve their positions. The traditionally-minded members (Victoria and Albert, Elizabeth, William) overreact the other way, then the cycle starts over again.

This, in connection with the comment yesterday about the spouses/inlaws who married in (Albert, Queen Mum, Carole) bringing discipline and good PR, is interesting because in many ways you could say that they (esp if you include Philip, Diana, and Kate) have in fact brought in a lot of modernizing* to balance their tradition-heavy royal spouses. But unlike the disaffected spares, the spouses try to marry (sorry) the modernity with tradition. And they are most effective when they amp up the traditional aspects – Albert and Christmas; the Queen Mum during WWII holding the home front, Kate and fashion, and the kids and their clothes, for example.

(*Albert was the force behind the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 (industrial revolution), Queen Mum as a commoner and mother of a future Queen who took a leading role in encouraging the country during the war, Philip and the TV documentary, Diana a much more hands-on mother than previous mothers of heirs and spares, etc.) 

Also interesting – King George and the Queen Mum never seemed at all sorry or guilty about cutting off David and Wallis the way they did at all – no HRH for her, banishing them to the Bahamas, not allowing their return to the UK without permission. But the current Queen has felt all sorts of guilt, first with Margaret, then Andrew, and now Harry, even when she had her mother and husband around to actively play bad cop to her good cop. She could have easily bowed out to let them deal with things, but she always came back in to tidy up and soften the blows to play “happy families”.

_____________________________________________________________________

Very good points. Thank you. Albert and Philip were pretty aggressive modernizers too. However, they did it strictly within the framework of the family. Maybe that’s the distinction. David, Margaret, and Harry all sought to go outside the family to court an alternative source of status.

[insanityclause]

When the veteran actress Felicity Kendal dismissed stalking as something her profession simply had to put up with she may have won admiration in some quarters for her matter of fact ‘un-PC’ attitude.

But the threat faced by her fellow performers has become so serious that their union has for the first time felt the need to issue a set of guidelines to help actors protect themselves from obsessive fans.

Equity has warned that far from being the sort of minor irritation suggested by Kendal earlier this year, it in fact has an all too “distressing and life changing” impact on its victims.

The union warns TV, film and stage actors are particularly vulnerable because their visible public profile lends some fans to convince themselves they enjoy a special “connection” with the target of their obsession.

Performers have reported stalkers lurking outside their home or workplace and pestering them with unwanted gifts, notes and photographs.

The number of performers wanting advice about dealing with stalking has gone up since the #MeToo revelations, as actors have grown in confidence over talking about sexual harassment in the industry.

Among the actors stalked in recent years has been Keira Knighltey, whose stalker left her terrified to leave her north London home before he was detained at a psychiatric hospital indefinitely in 2017, and the Coronation Street star Kym Marsh, who was sent pornographic material through the post.

As part of its advice Equity has warned performers who fear they are being stalked to turn off GPS and location tagging on their mobile devices which might allow their movements to be tracked; record unwanted telephone conversations, answer the phone by saying ‘hello’ rather than giving their name and not show emotion in the face of a stalker.

Urging victims of stalking to report the matter to the police immediately, Equity advises performers to keep a diary of any incidents and save text messages, emails and screenshots as evidence.

The guidelines, which are being distributed online and to the union’s branches, also advise actors who receive even non-threatening letters or gifts to keep them as proof of unwanted contact.

“If any of these items contain frightening or upsetting messages, again do not throw them away and handle them as little as possible. It is important that you pass these items to the police,” it states.

Earlier this year Kendal was criticised after saying that although she had experienced stalking by a number of fans early in her career, actors who found it too distressing should simple give up the profession.

The star of The Good Life and Rosemary & Thyme said of being pestered by stalkers:  “I think everybody did in those days. It was just a couple of people who came to every show and then they followed me home and they were always outside my house.

“It wasn’t serious, though. One of them was quite a sweet guy. Perhaps he was just lonely.

“Some people might be traumatised by that, but I think: ‘Well, don’t be an actress then.’ It goes with the territory to an extent. Obviously there are limits beyond which it’s frightening and terrible.

“You don’t want to be shot and you don’t want to be dragged into the bushes, but I think you instinctively know as a human being what the threshold is.”

But the guidelines, which were produced after several Equity members in its East of Scotland branch reported feeling threatened and intimidated by the obsessive activities of some fans, state: “If you are being stalked you should take action as soon as possible. Victims often delay because they feel they may be overreacting or that they may have encouraged the stalker in some way; or that they will be blamed for the situation.

“Remember you are not to blame for your stalker’s behaviour and you are not alone in having to deal with this experience.”

Matt Hood, Equity’s Assistant General Secretary, told The Telegraph: “Since the #MeToo revelations we have seen an increase in members wanting advice regarding stalking. The majority of our members are performers and it’s clear that their public profile, through television, film, stage or in clubs makes them more vulnerable to stalking than the average working person, plus the line between performance and person can become blurred.

“Our new guide aims to give our members the tools and confidence to report stalking, which is a very distressing and in some cases life-changing situation.

Although reports of stalking trebled last year, prosecution rates have plunged, according to government figures, with only around 25% of cases reported to police resulting in stalkers being charged with a crime.

BETH RYLANCE: 'There’s a part of me that will always be looking over my shoulder'

Beth Rylance, the comedy actress and star of Ministry of Curious Stuff and Sick Note, was stalked by an obsessive fan who first began pestering her on Twitter.

The man, who would tweet continually about her, reply to all her posts, call her his “woman” and post videos of her, then turned up on the doorstep of her London home in December 2014.

Rylance was left terrified.

“The panic was overwhelming and immediate. I screamed in terror, then slammed the door and ran upstairs and called the police,” said the 28-year-old. “When the police arrived he was sat on my doorstep, tweeting about me. ‘When you get over your shock, why don’t you come back down and we’ll go for coffee?’ he’d written.”

The man was arrested and eventually put on trial, where he claimed he had a secret relationship with the actress.

He was found guilty of stalking and harassment and given a two-year-long restraining order, preventing him from contacting Rylance, who first made her name in School of Comedy.

“I know I was one of the lucky ones: I got a conviction. Far too many victims of stalking don’t get any justice,” she told the BBC. “Even though I’m moving on with my life, there’s a part of me that will always be looking over my shoulder. Stalking changes you - and it changed me.”

EDDIE REDMAYNE: 'She left us distressed, unsafe and deeply unsettled'

Eddie Redmayne was stalked by a German translator stalker who bombarded the actor with love letters. Gaby Stieger, 49, was even convinced she had been married to the Oscar-winning actor in a previous life.

During her five-year stalking campaign the mother-of-two hung around the park near Redmayne’s Southwark home, tried to touch him when he was there with his daughter and spied on him through the window while he undressed.

During Stieger’s trial in 2017 the 35-year-old actor told the court how her face would “contort with rage” when she spoke about his wife Hannah Bagshawe.

Stieger first met Redmayne after seeing him on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden in 2012.

The following year she began visiting the set of The Theory Of Everything and trying to get Redmayne to pose in a picture with her.

She also followed him and his wife to a carol service at Eton College in December 2013.

The stalking continued and in August 2017 Stieger approached Redmayne outside his house, while he was with his baby daughter, and tried to touch his arm.

Stieger, who had moved from Germany to London to be near Redmayne, admitted one count of stalking involving serious alarm and was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was also banned from having any contact with, or coming within 200 metres of Redmayne or his immediate family.

In a statement to the court Redmayne, 37, the star of The Danish Girl and the Fantastic Beasts series, described the distress Stieger had caused him and his family, saying: “I always try to be open and friendly as support (from fans) is what gives me a career.

“I deeply regret having met Gaby Stieger - she harassed myself and my family intermittently over five years, leaving us distressed, unsafe and deeply unsettled.”

I went looking for info on Eddie Redmayne’s stalker when thinking about Sam’s legal stuff, and found this article from last year about Equity giving actors advice on dealing with fans.

[natasha-lightwood]

(i hate this so much BUT here's 1.7k of carolmaria fluff, english isn't my first language so sorry for any mistakes, happy new year)

Maria was stressed. It was just a matter of time until she was gonna give birth to her daughter and the room wasn't ready yet.

The furniture should've been there two weeks before, but apparently the supplier had a problem and she was stuck with an empty room and a mental breakdown over fucking furniture.

Maybe she could convince Carol to go live in a cave. No one expected you to have furniture in a cave. Just something to make a fire. And a pillow.

If she didn't get her double leaf closet soon she might actually start to consider it.

"I can hear you thinking. I'm trying to watch TV" Carol said with a monotone voice.

Maria stopped pacing around the room to glare at her. She raised an eyebrow from her spot on the couch.

Stupid eloquent eyebrows

"This is a total tragedy," she declared

"You know this isn't healthy, right?"

"No, this is terrible, an absolute disgrace," she stressed "and you don't understand"

"I think you're overreacting" Carol shrugged.

Maria gave her a more vicious glare. If looks could kill. "I'm not overreacting," she hissed "it's you who can't see the problem, but sure blame it on the pregnancy hormones"

"It's just furniture!"

"It's not just the furniture!" she suddenly yelled. "It's the fact that I couldn't even give her a proper room. She isn't born yet and I'm already disappointing her" there were tears forming in the crinkle of her eyes, her voice a bit unsteady. She pressed her palms on her eyes and took two deep breaths. There was no more anger in her, at least not for Carol or the damn furniture supplier. She was just so tired.

All her fears, all the terrors she pushed down during the nine months were coming back and she couldn't breath, couldn't think about anything other than the fact that she was gonna give her daughter a lifetime of things not ready and not good enough (she was not enough) and that everyone - her mean colleagues, the other future moms at the prenatal course, her parents - were right all along and she was just blinded by her own egotistical desire of being a mother-

When she looked up, Carol had lost every trace of frustration and sarcasm and she was giving her that kind, concerned look destined just for vulnerable moments like that. Maria softened a bit too and she felt her heartbeat go slower. The effects those brown eyes had on her. It never ceased to amaze her.

"Come here," Carol whispered, patting the spot next to her lightly.

Maria managed to drag herself to the other part of the room and sit, slowly, carefully, next to her girlfriend. She was pretty agile even though it was her ninth month of pregnancy, but sitting and getting up still took effort.

Carol took her hand and kissed the back lightly, before starting to massage her shoulder blades. She knew exactly where Maria kept all the stress. Of course she knew.

Maria left out a pleased sigh while the other girl's thumbs moved in circles. She was so good at this, it was insane.

"There, relax, sweetheart" she pressed a soft kiss on Maria's temple.

"Now, want to tell me what is going on through your head?" she asked gently, not stopping her soothing movements.

"It's just- Carol I don't think I can be a good mother" she said

"Bullshit" she interrupted.

Maria shot her a warning glance and Carol offered an apologetic smile. She gestured for Maria to go on.

"This kid deserves someone who can give her anything she wants. She deserves not to wait. She deserves stability and safeness and a someone who isn't going to leave her in the middle of the night because of a life threatening mission. She deserves someone who can give her a good life, a normal life" the lump in her throat felt unbearable.

"Hey" Carol moved a lock of hair behind her ear "You're going to be a great mother. I know it, Maria. This kid," she laid her finger on Maria's belly lightly "Is going to grow up surrounded by love. We are going to give her so much love. And that's all she'll need to be happy"

Maria scoffed. "There's about 20 people I know that would disagree completely"

"Then I'll punch them all in the face" she stated. Just like that. As if it was the logical conclusion to someone making her feel unhappy. And she meant it. Maria couldn't help but think, this is the woman I wanna grow old with.

She was truly gone.

"Even my parents?" she asked weakly, with a sort of bitter humour. It was meant to be a joke. It didn't sound like it.

"Especially those fuckers" Carol said, with false innocence. She smacked her shoulder and shot her a disapproving glance, but the smile spreading on her face didn't make it look believable at all.

Her relationship with her parents had started to go downhill when Maria introduced Carol to them a second time, this time as her girlfriend and the woman she was gonna raise her daughter with. Her mother had cried. Her father had left the room without a word. Losing their approval and support had been an heavy blow, but they made their choice and she eventually came to peace with that. They loved her, but they didn't love all of her and there was no place for someone who couldn't accept the best thing that had ever happened to her in her life.

Carol had taken her on the top of a cliff that night and told her to scream in the void and wait for the echo.

"Say it. Come on. Scream it" she had asked, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm Maria Rambeau and every part of me is beautiful" she had said.

"Louder!" Carol had laughed.

"I'm Maria Rambeau and every part or me is beautiful!" this time, her fists had been clenched and her voice had not trembled.

When she looked up she noticed Carol had her brows furrowed and then her jaw set in that stubborn look of hers that meant whatever crazy, insane thing she was thinking of, she had already decided she was going to do that.

"Carol…?" she started

Carol suddenly got up with her shining eyes set on an undefined distant point. She looked at Maria.

"Wait here" she told her.

"Wait- what- where are you going?" Maria asked in disbelief.

"Just wait!" Carol yelled from the door before taking her coat and hurrying out of their shared house.

Maria continued to stare at the closed door.

***

Carol came back about an hour later, her cheeks rosy for the cold weather and her hands behind her back.

"Where the hell were you?" Maria asked, too confused by her girlfriend's behavior to be annoyed.

Carol's eyes were full of excitement while she revealed what she was hiding.

She squinted. "A bucket of paint?" this really didn't answer any of the thousand questions in her mind. She was getting less and less sure of Carol's mental stability. Maybe she had the flu and was being delirious. Her cheeks were rosy after all.

"I-- I thought that maybe you'd like to paint her room. To feel useful. So it wouldn't feel so empty. We can do it. Together"

Maria gaped at her for a solid minute and Carol's expression started falling. "O-or not. If you don't want to" her smile twitched nervously "I should have asked you first, I know, but you know how impulsive I am, I just thought maybe- actually, scratch that, it was a stupid idea I don't-"

Maria crossed the room in a heartbeat and threw her hands around Carol's neck, almost spilling some paint. In all honesty, she couldn't care less if she stained the fucking parquet in that moment.

"Thank you," she whispered "Thank you so much" her voice was breaking and she was trying to communicate the utter adoration she felt with her hug as if the proximity of their heart made it possible for her emotions to go directly into Carol's, but it wasn't enough, nothing would never be enough to make her understand how much Maria loved her.

"So" she wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes "let's get to work"

***

Two hours later she stood proudly in front of the blue-painted wall and she was so lost admiring her work that she missed Carol's mischievous grin.

Fatal mistake.

She gaped at the blue stain on her shirt and then raised her head, a devilish smirk replacing the former surprised expression.

"Oh, you want war?" she picked up the paint brush from where she left it in the bucket "then war it is!" she threw some paint straight on Carol's face who gasped in mock-outrage, bringing a hand to her chest to add to her dramatic act.

They went like this for a while, until Maria suddenly realized how to get the upper hand.

She let the paintbrush fall on the floor and picked up the whole bucket instead, advancing threateningly, batting her eyelashes in faux innocence at Carol.

"No. No, no, no" she backed up quickly.

"Not so bold now, are we?" she asked when Carol's back touched the wall she held up her hands in a pacifying gesture and Maria poured the whole bucket's content on her, painting her blue from head to toe.

Everything was quiet for a moment until Carol opened her eyes. She still had that smirk on your face.

"Hug me, Maria" she made grabby hands at her and tried to catch her while Maria ran away giggling.

"Hug meeeee!" she sing-songed until she managed to reach her and hold her tight.

A moment later they were both on the floor, and indecent amount of blue paint covering their bodies and they were laughing like they haven't done in a really long time, getting the floor all messy, a mess they would have to clean up later.

Maria thought that, if someone asked her where she wanted to be, the only answer she'd be able to give would be: right here, right now, with her.

[s-horne]

15. “Yeah, well, if you weren’t so drunk, maybe I would” (Steve/Tony)

“My God, are you ever going to kiss me? We’ve been dancing for months, Steve; put me out of my misery already.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so drunk, I would.”

“Well, that’s perfect,” Tony murmured into Steve’s neck, pressing closer into Steve’s embrace and relishing in the feel of Steve’s hands around his waist. “You can kiss me now.”

“What did I just say, Tony?” Steve sighed. Steve should never sigh around him, Tony thought absentmindedly as he took a deep breath of Steve’s heavy cologne and exhaled thankfully, he should always be happy. “Not whilst you’re drunk.”

“I’m not,” Tony said, his brow creasing. When he heard Steve give a slight scoff, Tony pushed himself up to stand straight. “Hey, seriously, Steve. You know I’m not drunk.”

“What?”

Tony squinted and leant a little closer, Steve leaning back to counteract the movement. There was a definite air of confusion about Steve and it was clear in his eyes that he was having trouble believing Tony.

“I’m teetotal,” Tony said flatly. “Did you – how did you not know this?”

“What?”

“I don’t drink.”

Steve blinked. It was clear that he wasn’t quite sure what to say, except “ever?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yes, ever. Come on, Steve. You’ve worked at the company for years. Did you never think it was strange that I hardly ever come out for works drinks when you pick a bar, or on the times that I did I only ever drank a soda?”

“Huh,” Steve muttered. His hands were still on Tony’s hips, muscles flexing as he thought. “I guess I just assumed that there was something in the soda, you know, or that you had a meeting the next day. You’re a very busy man.”

Tony smiled bitterly. “That I am, darlin’. But no, I don’t drink. I haven’t touched a drop since Rhodey had to pick me off the floor in the second year of my first degree. I was a total mess back then, trust me. Out nearly every night and then stumbling back to the dorm at all hours of the morning in various states. Most of them dreadful. How I even passed my classes, I’ll never know. It was awful, Steve, really.”

Tony swallowed and dropped his gaze to where his fingers were rubbing over the lapels of Steve’s jacket. It really was a lovely material – Tony was going to have to find out where Steve had bought it. It provided a wonderful distraction as well; Tony didn’t often like to talk about his wilder younger days, but some people were worth remembering it for.

“You’d have hated me so much. Most people did, and I was definitely not the sort of person that an upstanding member of society such as yourself would have gone for.” Tony quirked a cheeky smile and was pleased to see that Steve returned it for a moment before he looked back down at his fingers.

“I was just so young and being released into college was my first real taste of freedom. I’d never known anything like it. I went crazy with the independence quite often, too often, but that time I really pushed it too far. Rhodey just completely freaked out.” He took a deep breath and lifted his gaze to Steve’s. The way that Steve’s mouth was hanging open, his lips parted wide enough to catch flies as he stared at Tony in horror, would have been funny if it wasn’t so heart-warming. It meant that Steve really didn’t know.

“It was at a frat party. God, I can still remember it even this many years later. I hadn’t come home by the time Rhodes had gotten up to go to his first class and he, well he said that he ‘had a feeling’ that something had happened to me. Turned up at the house and, yeah, he was right. I was… well. It wasn’t a good sight, trust me. Rhodes took one look at me before screaming at everyone there. The stories are still going round campus, even now. Rumours of the crazy guy who broke into the Cappa House and broke a window, a TV, everything including the President’s nose. I’m still not quite sure how much of that was actually true, but it’s safe to say I wasn’t invited to another party on campus.”

“What happened?” Steve’s voice was soft and he took a tiny step forward, almost subconsciously. Tony felt his shoulders relax a little and he swayed into the touch.

“Rhodey took me to the emergency room. Don’t know how long I was in for – Rhodes hates to talk about it, so don’t ever ask him. I always play him up for overreacting, but granted, I did nearly die so I guess he did the right thing. It happened three more times after that before he got through to me. I was just such a stupid kid and yet he stood by me for so many years. I owe him my life. When I finally realised what an idiot I was being, I ran straight to him and begged him to help me. Begged him to drive me to rehab and lock me away until I could stop the binging and the drinking until I was sick.”

“And he did?”

“Yeah,” Tony said quietly. “He did. The best facility in the state and he didn’t even go to my parents to pay for it. Dad found out somehow and sent the money, – with the condition that it was never spoken of in public, mind you, – but Rhodey and Mama Rhodes were prepared to fund it out of their own pockets. From the day I went in, I promised him I’d never drink again from then on.”

“And you…”

“Never did again. Well, never did from about a year later, at least, when I finished the programme. Sixteen years and counting,” Tony said proudly. It was the one thing in his life that he felt okay for puffing up his chest about. His company had been through and achieved a lot, but that stint in rehab was one thing that he had done all on his own and he carried his chips with pride. “I don’t miss it, either.”

“So what happened tonight?”

“I’m just tired,” Tony said with a soft smile, twisting his fingers into that truly gorgeous material stretched over Steve’s chest. “When I get overly-exhausted, my body acts like it’s drunk. Always has, ever since I was a kid. Jarvis, our housekeeper and the man who basically raised me, used to think it was so funny to have this little six year old tottering around like a drunken man, stumbling and slurring. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m out like a light.” He paused and sniffed his collar. “And Carol dropped nearly a full beer down my back in the bar, which didn’t exactly help. That’s no doubt what you can smell. Clint isn’t exactly steady after a couple, either. Scary that he’s my head of security, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry, Tony,” Steve started contritely, looking like he wanted to sink right through the floor. “Oh, God. I had no idea. Tony, I am so sorry, so–”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.” Steve finally pulled his hands away from Tony’s waist and stared at him imploringly. “You’re clearly very proud of your sobriety – as you should be – and for me to accuse you, well.” He shook his head and swallowed. “It was out of line.”

“You didn’t accuse me,” Tony said. And it was true. Tony had had a lot of people try and drag him down over the years or throw his sobriety in his face. He’d had people try and get him to drink by spiking his sodas and he’d had people try and blacken his name by insisting they’d seen him with a glass of whiskey in his hand, or smelt beer on his breath. Steve wasn’t like that; Steve could never be like that. “You didn’t know. I’m not sure how, but you didn’t.”

“I should have known. It’s no excuse. We’ve known each other for a long time, we’re…” Steve trailed off and hesitated for a moment before a light blush crawled up his cheeks. Tony couldn’t help but be charmed by how seriously Steve was taking it all; at how angry he seemed at himself about the whole misunderstanding.

There was another long moment where Steve’s anguish was written all over his face before he took a deep breath and reached out to take Tony’s hand in his. “You were right. We are friends. We’re… well. You should know these things about the people you love.”

It was Tony’s turn to be the one with his mouth hanging open and he gaped for a moment. There was a long silence until he shook himself back to the present and squeezed his fingers around Steve’s, his mouth curving up. “Well, then. Now you know. And now you should kiss me.”

Tony leant forward but Steve jerked his head back at the last second.

Tony’s face fell. “Oh. I’m sorry. I thought – I guess I misread the signs. It’s just that, you said… God, I’m sorry. Please forgive me, Steve.”

With some effort, Tony rolled his shoulders back and stepped away from Steve. It was back to being cordial and Tony swallowed as he brought out his business persona. “I’ll talk to Pepper in the morning. I do hope that you can overlook this and continue with our company, but I totally understand if–”

“What? No, Tony. Stop… please.”

Tony’s expression fell even more, totally crushed by the sudden turn of events. He’d screwed this up remarkably well and now he was going to find another brilliant, qualified, talented Head of Marketing and Pepper was going to kill him. Not to mention the whole loosing-Steve-thing. Damn. “Of course. I’m so sorry. Pepper will draw up the papers tomorrow and you’ll be offered the most comphren-”

“No, you fool,” Steve cut in and reached out to take Tony’s hand again and yank him closer, sliding his arms around Tony’s waist. “I want to kiss you. I want to do everything with you, you brilliant, brilliant man.”

“But?”

“But I’ve been drinking tonight,” Steve said, regret colouring his tone. His hands linked together at the base of Tony’s spine as Tony slid his hands up Steve’s chest. “Sixteen years sober, Tony; that is amazing and you’re not going to throw that away for one kiss.”

Tony smiled and jumped up onto his tiptoes to press a kiss to Steve’s cheek, trying to stamp down on the swooping in his stomach. “Well, then. You’d better come and find me tomorrow morning, hadn’t you?”

[thee-seb-stan]

Middle of nowhere

Author: @thee-seb-stan

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x wife!reader

Warnings: fluff mixed with a poor attempt of crack/humor, implied smut, language (slightly, just a word or two)

Word count: 1.600ish

Summary: It’s been a long and exhausting year for Sebastian, shooting and promoting many of his movies with almost no rest at all. So Y/N decides to surprise him with a small trip over Christmas somewhere quiet. 

A/N: This was written for @jpat82 ‘s ‘J’s Marvelous Holiday Party Challenge‘ and my prompt was number 27 aka “And where do you think you're going?” “To go shovel the driveway again, or fall on my ass, gravity will decide.”. The prompt is bold in my work. Thank you for letting me participate and enjoy! Also, remember that feedback is always appreciated! ♡

→ Go back to my main masterlist ←

“Honey, I love you but I’m not so sure about my safety with you behind the wheel when it’s snowing outside.”

“Oh, shut up, Stan,” you squeezed his thigh as the man, who owned your heart, sat in the passenger seat, blindfolded and slightly terrified.

“Both hands on the wheel, please,” he grabbed your hand, his warm hand being in contrast with how cold your hands usually were, especially in winter.

A small laugh escaped your lips as you watch Sebastian overreact to your driving, knowing he only did it for fun but there was a part of him that was partly scared. Mainly because he knew what kind of driver you were.

It was just a few days ‘till Christmas and Seb couldn’t stop and relax for a moment. The whole year, you two were apart most of the time with Sebastian travelling around the world, shooting a few new films and promoting the ones which were soon to be released, the only contact you had was through Skype or FaceTime, which wasn’t satisfying enough.

So when he came back home to New York, you were already waiting with two plane tickets to Montana where your parents owned a nice cottage in the middle of nothing. The perfect place for you two to relax and get Sebastian’s mind off.  However, Sebastian only knew you were going somewhere, never actually being told where to exactly.

“We’re here,” you smiled and parked the car in the small garage attached to the two-storey wooden house where you were planning on spending at least a week so Seb would relieve some of his stress before the Christmas Eve would come because you had to leave, already having plans on spending that day with Seb’s mom.

“Okay, you can take off the blindfold, honey,” you reassured the brunette who clumsily got out of the car, almost tripping over his feet in the process, and was now standing next to you in front of the front doors.

Without a second, the thin black material was pulled off of his eyes, which were wide with surprise as he took in the house before him.

“What is that?” he couldn’t help but ask while you handed him one of your luggage, already making your way to the doors.

“My grandpa bought it when I was a baby, gave it to my parents as a congratulations gift and now we rarely use the house, mostly because we don’t have much time to hang out in here.”

As you opened the door, a big hall was revealed with doors leading to the kitchen and the living room. The whole place had wooden walls decorated with pictures your family painted over the years, the house was rather old-fashioned than modern, the only modern things were the TV, a notebook and surprisingly good wi-fi.

“Also, when there’s a snowstorm, it becomes impossible to leave, making this a perfect trap,” you added as you turned around to see Seb standing in the doorway, mouth open wide as he took the sign in.

“And did you check the weather to be sure we won’t get stuck?” he asked after a few seconds, putting down your luggage. The black long coat he was wearing was covered with small white dots from the snow falling outside, a few snowflakes decorating his fluffy slightly long hair and beard he grew out over a few months.

You couldn’t help but stare at his beauty, wondering how a girl like you could get this lucky. It was hard for you to wrap your head around it.

The luggage you were carrying fell with a light thud as you walked to Seb, dusting off the snow from his shoulders and giving him a quick peck on his cold lips before you opened his coat and hugged his torso, hiding your arms in his outwear to warm yourself as his arms snuck around your back to bring you closer.

“No,” you mumbled against his chest, “there wasn’t a snowstorm in ages, so…”

→ The next day ←

The living room was filled with a scent of cinnamon and apple, quiet Christmas carols playing in the background as you sat on the couch clad in the red pyjamas with small reindeers all over the pants, leaning against Sebastian as you sipped the hot chocolate, looking at all the flames dancing with each other in the fireplace.

His hand was placed on your tummy underneath your shirt, his soft touch drawing small circles on your skin, raising goosebumps all over your body.

“Remember when you said there wasn’t a snowstorm in ages?” he whispered in your ear before kissing your earlobe.

Both of you looked at the big window, which almost created a glass wall. Everything outside was white, snowflakes falling from the sky, created another layer of snow blanket on the doorstep.

Seb was already outside twice today to shovel the driveway a little so it was possible for you to go from the house to the garage in case you needed to drive away. Unfortunately, with how much snow was coming, it was impossible to drive and none of you wanted to risk it.

It was close to five pm when it started to be dark outside. Seb and you stayed cuddled whole day, he occasionally going to get rid of the snow in the driveway or making you something hot to keep you warm as both of you relaxed and slept through most of the morning and afternoon.

Your husband stopped drawing circles on your skin and gently laid your half-conscious body on the couch, letting you sleep as he rose to put a few logs into the fireplace to keep the room warm. Then, he went to put on his coat, taking the shovel from the corner.

“And where do you think you’re going?”  you mumbled against the pillow, opening your eyes to see Sebastian dressed in his black coat, hand already on the handle.

“To go shovel the driveway again or fall on my ass…gravity will decide,” he smiled at you, showing a bright set of teeth.

“You forgot something,” your voice filled the quiet pause as you rubbed your eyes, looking at your man who immediately walked over to you, bending over and pecking your lips.

“You call this a kiss?”

He couldn’t help but laugh a little at you, lying there underneath a thick blanket, your left ring finger decorated with a small but beautiful silver ring with a small diamond in the middle. Sebastian couldn’t wish for someone other than you, a woman who would do anything for him as he would die for you too. He still didn’t believe how lucky he got with you, to have you by his side, supporting him, loving him.

His lips were warm against yours, but his hand felt cold against your cheek as he cupped your face, your lips melting into each other’s as he slipped his tongue in your mouth, a small moan escaping you as he explored your mouth, your tongues dancing with each other in a passionate dance.

As he pulled away, your mouth chasing his as he stood back up but not before giving you another quick peck on lips.

“That’s what I call a kiss,” you mumbled and smiled, looking up at his tall figure towering over you.

His cheeks became pink with your compliment as he smiled at you, turning around to go shovel the driveway before it was too dark.

It took you not even three minutes before you heard a thud, then shouting and after a few seconds, Sebastian barged back inside, his whole back covered in snow as he took his coat off, running his hands through his hair to get rid of snow there.

A laugh escaped your lips as you watch him. He instantly looked at you, a small crease between his eyebrows.

“Did you know it was drizzling overnight? It’s like an ice rink outside.”

“I know.”

You watched him go over to you, taking the blanket away so he could sit down. He took your ankles and brought your legs over his thighs, massaging your feet covered in thick socks your grandma knitted you.

“And you didn’t care to stop me?” he looked at you, mischief evident in his eyes as they ran over your face with a small grin on his bearded face, “y’know I’ll want something as a reward for busting my ass out there, right?”

As he said the last sentence, his whole body hovered over yours as he kissed your neck quickly, his left hand grabbing your hip underneath the blanket as his right hand secured his weight.

“No,” you signed, enjoying the feeling of his lips on your skin, “wanted to see how good you were at skating.”

“Y’know,” he mumbled between kisses as his head dipped lower, now kissing your collarbones, “I don’t skate at all.”

“Yeah,” a small moan erupted from your lips as he gently bit at your exposed skin, his hand sliding underneath your pyjama shirt, resting on your ribcage.

“I’m gonna need something to calm me down now, my ego is bruised,” Seb said between kissing and nibbling your skin to which you couldn’t hold yourself anymore, this time much louder moan escaping your lips as you tangled in his fluffy hair, allowing him to take you right there on the couch in front of the fireplace in a wooden house in the middle of nowhere with Christmas music in the background.

[appro880]

Tribute to a Queen!

Diahann Carroll, Pioneering Actress on 'Julia' and 'Dynasty,' Dies at 84 

Pioneering and Oscar-nominated actress Diahann Carroll, who broke network television's color line, died Friday after a bout with cancer, her daughter said.

She was 84.

"Carroll was a consummate entertainer and beloved icon whose career spanned nearly seven decades," her daughter, Suzanne Kay, said in a statement. "She paved the way for many and never allowed anyone to limit or define her."

Carroll was the star of "Julia" which ran for 86 episodes on NBC between 1968 and 1971. She played a nurse named Julia Baker who was raising a young son on her own following the death of her serviceman husband in the Vietnam War.

It was a groundbreaking show, marking the first time an African American was cast as the star of a show in a role other than that of a servant.

There had been other black actors on scripted TV before, most notably Ethel Waters as the star of "Bulah," which ran for 78 episodes between 1950 and 1953 on ABC. Waters played a maid in the comedy.

And on "Star Trek," Nichelle Nichols' Lt. Uhura was the Enterprise's chief communications officer, though she was still in a supporting role to William Shatner's Capt. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock and DeForest Kelley's Dr. McCoy.

Carroll said she embraced her lead "Julia" character because she stood out as a self-sufficient, confident African American woman.

"There was nothing like this young successful mother on the air," Carroll once told PBS. "And we thought that it might be a very good stepping stone."

The show had some critics who believed it didn't realistically show the daunting social and economic struggles African Americans faced at the time.

“They said it was a fantasy,” Carroll recalled in 1998. “All of this was untrue. Much about the character of Julia I took from my own life, my family.”

But even in the time of her show, Carroll worried out loud if a "superhuman" African American character might obscure the daily struggles faced by the black community.

“For a hundred years we have been prevented from seeing accurate images of ourselves and we’re all overconcerned and overreacting,” she told TV Guide in a December 1968 cover story.

“The needs of the white writer go to the superhuman being. At the moment, we are presenting the white Negro. And he has very little Negro-ness.”

he won a Tony Award, in 1962 for best actress in a musical, for "No Strings."

In 1974, Carroll was nominated for the Oscar for best actress, for her work in "Claudine." The top honor that year went to Ellen Burstyn for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."

She was inducted into the TV academy's Hall of Fame in 2011 in honor of her television career that included four Emmy nominations for work in ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and NBC's "A Different World."

Generation X television fans might know Carroll best for her work on "Dynasty," the long-running prime-time soap opera.

In 74 episodes of the show, Carroll played the glamorous Dominique Deveraux, a half-sister of family patriarch Blake Carrington. Her battles, even physical tussles, with Blake's scheming ex-wife Alexis Carrington, played by Joan Collins, were among the favorite scenes of "Dynasty" fans.

"Diahann Carroll walked this earth for 84 years and broke ground with every footstep. An icon. One of the all-time greats," Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay wrote on Twitter. "She blazed trails through dense forests and elegantly left diamonds along the path for the rest of us to follow. Extraordinary life. Thank you, Ms. Carroll."

New York native Carroll was born Carol Diann Johnson in the Bronx on July 17, 1935, and raised in Harlem by her subway conductor father and homemaker mom. She attended New York City's famed High School for the Performing Arts.

Actress Debbie Allen, a star of both the big screen and TV versions of "Fame," about the performing arts high school, said artists will sing Carroll's praises "forever."

"Diahann Carroll you taught us so much," Allen wrote on Twitter. "We are stronger, more beautiful and risk takers because of you. We will forever sing your praises and speak your name."

The 6-foot-tall beauty became a model for Ebony magazine at age 15 before her stage, TV and movie career took off.

She was married four times, to talent manager and music producer Monte Kay, retailer Fred Glusman, editor Robert DeLeon and singer Vic Damone.

Carroll is survived by her daughter, Kay, and grandchildren, August and Sydney.

[littlebitwriter]

MCU X-MEN SPECULATION & PREDICTIONS

This is what I’m thinking and hoping the future of the X-Men franchise within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be like and I’m going to try and delve into different predictions I have.

We know for sure that Wolverine is the character that Marvel will cast immediately which I don’t know for sure if it was from producer Lauren Shuler Donner, I don’t know for sure I’m definitely no expert and not a credible source I’m just speculating and going off of rumors. I don’t know if that means he will be confirmed to be in the first X-Men film.

One of the most different ways Marvel could do it is make it a film about the core original five X-Men. Which I find to be the obvious way that Marvel could do something different. Since those characters in particular were so shafted and a lot of others were across the franchise. Here if you choose this direction you can start smaller and if there has to be Wolverine you could be set up in the background of the film, maybe.

Wolverine is over done but is still such a great character. Wolverine is such an inherently cool and interesting character and I think Wolverine is overdone but I do still think he is a great character. Even though there are some X-Men movies without him he’s still so synonymous with X-Men. I also think with whoever they cast it’s going to be awhile before people will dissociate him from Hugh Jackman. Marvel Studios has always for the most part been smart with casting but I have a strange pick for Wolverine even though they will most likely stick with an unknown. With a new actor Wolverine, I would like a much more comics accurate tale where he’s shorter and scrappier.

I think that X-Men now more than ever is the franchise for this culture nowadays. They are the persecuted minorities stand-in metaphor I think Marvel can do a really relevant and I understand you can’t do the first five X-Men because reportedly Marvel wants a very diverse cast for their rebooted X-Men. So I think they should go for something like the straight-up classic ‘Giant Size’ X-Men team where you all of these different people all around the world. Also it’d be great since we never really had all those characters together like Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus.

With both Deadpool and X-Men being under Disney they may do a Deadpool and X-Men that may speak to each other more. While he is still kind of doing his own thing in a separate universe. Deadpool would be carried on from where he is regardless and they would poke fun and make references that Deadpool knows about the Disney buyout of Fox and things of that nature. Since Deadpool is such a breaking the fourth wall character. So his integration into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fairly simple.

With the X-Men’s integration into The MCU I find the most likely scenario as to how they will be integrated is that mutants will have always existed. They also may retroactively say that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were actually mutants where they will go back and say mutants have existed this whole time. Which would be pretty much a straight up retcon since you know how they got their powers but it really wouldn’t be the first out of the many continuity discrepancies and retcons from across the MCU. Where you could say Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver has the mutant gene in them and they were sort of predisposed to it. The MCU will say there have always been mutants and they’ve been in hiding. Maybe all the mutants they’ve been in the Savage Land (which would be awesome!!!!)

In terms of casting this is MY DISNEY-FIED MCU X-MEN! With a mix of Giant-Size lineup, Pryde of The X-Men and the 90’s Animated Series.

Millie Bobby Brown as Kitty Pryde

I’d like to see Kitty Pryde especially because I love Kitty Pryde and I would make her our eyes-in focus character into the X-Men universe. I’d do something like Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men meets a more serious take on The Pryde of The X-Men cartoon. Also Kitty Pryde hasn’t been well represented on screen and I like her in Days of Future Past (2014) but she still doesn’t get to do enough. Also Millie Bobby Brown is such a talented young actress if you've ever seen her performance in both seasons of Stranger Things as Eleven you know what I’m talking about. I think she’d be a great Kitty Pryde.

KiKi Layne as Ororo Munroe/Storm

I think Storm has been severely shafted in the X-Men films. She’s underrated and underutilized and it is of course important to have her in here because she is a minority character but not only that she is tremendously underrated and deserves the right to have her fair due. Also she will be older and one of Xavier’s first students because of her romantic relationship with T’challa/The Black Panther. Also Kiki Lane’s performance in If Beale Street Could Talk was great so I think she’d be a great Storm.

Logan/Wolverine

My casting for Wolverine is Zac Efron. In comic book casting traditions if this were real life people would’ve protested and demanded for Zac Efron to not be Wolverine. However this isn’t first time people have overreacted about casting look at the reactions to Michael Keaton, Heath Ledger, Ben Affleck etc. You don’t know until you see him in action. He may not be the most comics accurate Wolverine but Zac Efron isn’t 5’2 he’s 5’8 but he’s shorter than Hugh Jackman who is 6’2. Since it is Marvel Studios I’m sure they will go out with the classic yellow costume and the mask and maybe even the orange and brown suit. I understand why people despise this choice but you never know until you see Zac Efron grow mutton chops in that classic costume smoking a cigar calling someone “Bub.” That may have the potential to win people over.

Scott Summers/Cyclops

Cyclops will be the leader of this team of X-Men, I’d like to see his costume look very 90’s or very much like the 80’s or even modern look. I think Logan Lerman would be a good choice he’d be one of Xavier’s first students which is why he’d be a bit older, he will already be established on the team just like all the other X-Men outside of Kitty Pryde. He’d be very much classic Scott Summers there’s threads and hints of him growing into where he is in things like Morrison’s New X-Men or Whedon’s Astonishing. Setting up a true comic book accurate Scott Summers.

Jean Grey (Maybe???)

I don’t know if Marvel should right out the gate do Jean Grey and I don’t know if they do the Phoenix the third round this time. But I’m very much at a Marvel can’t do no wrong stage in the MCU so maybe third time's the charm. Also since it’s in MCU they can touch upon the cosmic stuff with the Shi'ar empire and Lilandra which will be cool. I think Emma Stone would be a great Jean Grey, it will seem a bit meta to have her in the role since she was Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise but she’d be a great Jean Grey. Maybe a more reserved, anxious but still witty Emma Stone sort of Jean Grey. I think she’d be one of Xavier’s first students which is why I cast her older.

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler

Timothee Chalamet I think is a great pick for Nightcrawler. Personally he is one of if not my favorite X-Men character and with his Oscar nomination for Lady Bird I’m hoping he can manage to pull of my favorite often misunderstood mutant.

Professor X

Daniel Day Lewis is an actor that makes for a perfect Professor X and with his role in Lincoln as former U.S. Abraham Lincoln he is such a dedicated actor that his performance as Professor X could wind up there next to Patrick Stewart himself and many other greats.

Magneto

Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond May soon be over but that won’t stop him from joining the MCU as the villain Magneto. Daniel Craig would make for a damn good villain in the MCU and what villain is more perfect than Magneto!

FUTURE X-MEN PROJECTS I WANT TO SEE…

As far as spin-offs outside of Deadpool. Since there was that Kitty Pryde movie Brian Michael Bendis was Writing or that Jamie Madrox movie I guess those aren’t happening with the Disney buyout. There’s still potential for that Deadpool X-Force spin-off and other X-characters can still get there time to shine in their own spotlight solo films.

I think a Gambit/Rogue solo film would work and I’d like to see a connection with Rogue and Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers since they have a tremendous history in the comics. I would love an X-Factor TV series on the Disney+ streaming service based on the Peter David run that’d be great!

-LittleBitWriter (3/5/18)

[caroloftheshells]

compiling all the least tonally indicative netflix descriptions i can find

[angevon]

Souyo Nov Writing Challenge (prompt list)

Day 23: Christmas

Links

AO3

ffnet

DW

an overly white american christmas souyo

Edit: oh yeah it takes place in Days Without Nights universe

After a long, long day of retail hell, Yosuke came home to this.

Have a holly, jolly Christmas~~~

As soon as he heard it, he screamed. His scream was so loud it probably carried to the Ito family residence all the way down the road.

Soon Souji was rushing in from another room. "Yosuke?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

It's the best time of the year~~~

"Why," Yosuke growled, drawing his fingers down his face like claws. "I listened to this crap all day at work, so why, why, are you willingly playing it here!?"

Say Hello to friends you know~~~

"Because..." Souji said slowly, "it's Christmas?"

"I don't care, I don't want to hear it!"

Souji watched him for a moment without blinking. Then he nodded his head. "Okay," he said.

He headed into the kitchen and soon there was blessed silence. Yosuke sighed in relief. The migraine he had wouldn't go away soon, but this would help.

Souji returned with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry," he said. "I just wanted to set a mood, since it's Christmas and all."

"No, I'm sorry," Yosuke said, shaking his head. "I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Rough day?" Souji moved around him to help him take off his heavy winter jacket.

"Yeah," Yosuke said, shrugging out of the jacket. "You don't need to know the details."

"You can tell me anyway. You know I'll listen."

Yosuke flashed him a brief smile. "Maybe later."

He tried to step forward, intending to head to the bedroom and get changed into something more casual, but found Souji hugging him around his waist.

"Souji?"

"What can I do," Souji said, "to get you in the holiday spirit?"

"Uhh... Do I really need to be in it? I mean," Yosuke rushed on to explain, "we're Japanese, we don't really do Christmas—"

"Daaaaad!" called Kichirou, and a moment later the boy joined them at the entryway. He was wearing a Santa hat that was a little too big for his head and some cheesy holiday clothes.

Seeing how Souji was hugging Yosuke, Kichirou quickly joined in by hugging his dad's legs.

"Welcome home, dad..."

"Thanks, Ki-kun," Yosuke said, "but uh... can you two let me go now?"

Kichirou stepped away only to tug on his hand. "Come on, Dad, look what me and Uncle Seta did today!"

Kichirou led him into the living room, which was suddenly decorated in all manner of Christmas. It hadn't been this way this morning. Pictures of cartoonish angels with trumpets were on the wall, bell-patterned streamers hung from the ceiling, a 2-foot tall fake tree stood next to the TV, which was covered in blinking lights, and the couch had a red and green throw over its back.

"Do you like it?" Kichirou asked.

Stunned in his surprise at the sight, it took Yosuke a moment to answer. "Uh, it's great," he said. "I can tell you two had a lot of fun."

"We baked cookies, too," Souji said, walking into the room with a bowl in his hand. Yosuke noticed then that Souji was wearing an ugly-as-sin green sweater with a cat on it with text that said, of course, 'Meowy Christmas.'

"Uh, yeah?" Yosuke ventured. Come to think of it, the house did have a nice homey baking scent in the air.

"Yeah!" said Kichirou. He reached for the bowl in Souji's hand. Souji 'nuh-uh'ed at him and held the bowl out of his reach, making him pout.

"Let your dad have some first," Souji said. He offered the bowl to Yosuke.

Yosuke peered inside and found red, green, and white frosted ball cookies. "What, are these a different type of strawboball or something?"

"Mintoballs?" Souji said. "I don't know, I didn't really think of a name. They have peppermint in them. You see how they're striped, like candy canes?"

"Oh, that's different," Yosuke said, taking out a green one. The striping wasn't done that well, making it look more marbled than anything. It was probably Souji's first time making them.

"It might be too minty," Souji warned.

Yosuke shrugged and popped it into his mouth. The taste was strong and nostalgic somehow, though he couldn't quite place why.

"So, uh," Yosuke said after finishing the cookie, "it's Christmas but uh... I mean, I didn't get you guys anything, like gifts." He glanced at the little tree, noting that there were a few boxes under it.

"That's fine," Souji said. "I didn't warn you that we were going to celebrate or anything. It's our first Christmas together, though, so I thought we should at least get into the spirit and decorate."

"Geez," Yosuke said, feeling more than a little embarrassed. "You're so cheesy sometimes."

"Speaking of cheese," Souji said. He left for the kitchen and returned with a tray of cheese bricks and sliced meat. He put it on the low table. "I got this cheap at the grocery store. I think they were trying to get rid of them. Sit down and let's snack out!"

Yosuke took a seat and speared a cheddar block with a toothpick.

Kichirou took a seat on the floor and peered over the selection. "We need crackers!"

"Oh, right," said Souji. "Be right back!"

Nibbling on the cheese, Yosuke mentally shook his head. He hadn't expected this at all when he'd come home. Honestly, after that stressful day at work, he'd planned to take some headache meds and conk out. But now his raging headache was just a faint pulse at the back of his head. It might even go away by the end of the night.

Maybe all he'd needed was some love and festivity.

Kichirou had been munching on a cheese block too. He made a face and tossed his half-eaten block back on the table. "That one's gross," he said.

With a curious frown, Yosuke speared it and put it in his mouth. "Oh," he said, chewing thoughtfully. "It's Swiss cheese."

"Blech!" Kichirou said with extravagant overreaction.

Yosuke tossed a mintoball at him. "Here, get the flavor out of your mouth with this."

"No way, Dad!" Kichirou said. "Minty cheese? That's even worse."

"Here," Souji said, returning from the kitchen and placing a tray of crackers next to the meat and cheese. "This'll do the trick." Kichirou took three crackers and put them all in his mouth at once.

Souji joined Yosuke on the couch and turned on the TV with the remote.

"Oh, oh!" said Kichirou through a mouth full of crackers. He swallowed then continued, "Are we gonna watch it now?"

Yosuke glanced at his son curiously, then looked at Souji, who was nodding.

Souji smiled at Yosuke. "Kicchan told me you can quote this entire movie from memory."

"Oh my god, I know exactly what movie this is going to be..." Yosuke began to grin. "It's your first time here with us but you sure know our family holiday tradition."

"I haven't seen this," Souji said. He leaned back on the couch and pressed the play button on the remote. "So this is going to be fun."

Yosuke couldn't wipe the grin from his face as the opening to the Featherman rendition of 'A Christmas Carol' began to play. Kichirou grabbed a blanket and joined the men on the couch, snuggling himself comfortably between them.

"You know," Yosuke said, "when this first came out, Ki-kun watched it every day for a week straight. Sometimes twice in a day."

"Umm," said Souji hesitantly. "Nice?"

Yosuke chuckled, knowing Souji didn't care for Featherman. It was a surprise he was willing to watch this with them now, but he figured Kichirou had probably begged him for it, and no one could resist that.

Kichirou giggled, and then the movie finally started. Both Yosuke and Kichirou simultaneously said the opening line: "Black Condor was not a humbug. But his heart told a different story..." The narrator followed just a fraction of a second later.

The movie was just as ridiculous as Yosuke remembered, but sharing it with Souji made it different. Despite his professed disinterest in Featherman, Souji got into it, asking Kichirou what was going on. Kichirou explained it as well as he could, but without the full lore, Souji was probably missing half the story. It didn't matter. They had fun anyway.

And then they were at the cheesy finale.

"A Christmas without love... is not a Christmas at all," Yosuke and Kichirou quoted.

"The end," Yosuke said after. "What'd you think, partner?"

"That was pretty cute," Souji conceded.

"Yeah!" said Kichirou. He looked up at Souji. "Can we watch it again?"

Yosuke saw the mischievous glint in his son's eyes and almost laughed. Oh, he knew Souji didn't care for Featherman. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Maybe," Souji promised cheerfully. "But now... it's about time for bed, hmm?"

"Already?" Kichirou made a pouty face.

"Let him stay up a little more," Yosuke said. "It's Christmas, after all."

"Yay," Kichirou cheered. "Oh, can we have hot chocolate?"

"Good idea," said Yosuke.

"Is this another Hanamura family tradition?" Souji asked as they headed into the kitchen to make the drinks.

"Nah," Yosuke said. "But we can make it one, along with your mintoballs."

Souji smiled at him, and Yosuke had a feeling that was going to be a promise.

The hot chocolate was just what a cold night asked for. Kichirou put too many marshmallows in his, leaving him without much to drink, and Souji put a mintoball in his to give it a minty flavor. Yosuke didn't get fancy and just drank his straight.

They were enjoying their drinks in the living room when Kichirou said, "Dad, I think... you should look out the window."

"Huh?" Yosuke looked towards the window. Since it was night, there wasn't much to see except the outdoor lights from the home across the street.

"No," Kichirou said. "Go over to the window, and look out." He grinned. "You too, Uncle Seta!"

Yosuke glanced at Souji, who was hiding a smile behind his hand. He knew what this was about. Yosuke didn't, though, so he just shrugged and followed Souji to the window.

He looked outside, straining his eyes. Maybe Ki-kun and Souji had made a snowman or something out there? He couldn't see anything of the sort.

Souji tapped his shoulder. Yosuke looked and found that Souji was was pointing a finger straight up. Yosuke followed the direction it was pointing. Right over the window, someone had put mistletoe.

Yosuke began to say "Really?" but then Souji was kissing him, sealing the words forever. The faint taste of mint was left on Yosuke's lips.

"H-hey," Yosuke protested when Souji drew back, his face warmer than the hot chocolate had been.

Souji's eyes were half-lidded, his smile serene. His hands held Yosuke's lightly between them. "Merry Christmas," he said.

"Yeah..." Yosuke said. "Merry Christmas."

They looked into each others eyes for a long moment, hardly blinking.

"Was this Ki-kun's idea?" Yosuke murmured. "The mistletoe?"

"You know it," Souji murmured back.

Yosuke ignored his son's giggling as he moved in to kiss his partner again.

[ryesnatcher]

Windows

This is my entry to Hannah’s Classic Criminal Minds Quote Challenge! @reiding-and-writing

Pairing: Emily Prentiss X Reader

A/N: This fic has gone through so many changes which is why it’s so late, it was originally a different pairing, and it’s a lot different from my usual writing style. It’s also based off of a poem of the same name by Carol Ann Duffy, I can’t find it online to share so hmu if you want me to scan the poem or type it up!

Quote: “I wish psychopathic killers would be a little more respectful of our weekends, too.” 

Word Count: 3444

Surrounded by warm light, the sound of a tv distant in the house, hearty meals long since ate whilst their smell still lingers, red wine on your lips as you look to the flowers growing in the box outside your window. Forget-me-nots, pushing through the hard soil, their buds twisting as they search for the light. Standing behind this window you watch them grow, but after moments or years, they begin to wilt. Helpless, you push at the window, forced to watch as the petals fall and their stems crumple.

Then you wake up. Left tangled in sheets and bathed in the odd feeling of regret.

“What am I suddenly feeling remorseful for the plants I’ve killed over the years?” You ask, leaning against the counter and looking across to your friends.

“You know, forget-me-nots traditionally symbolise love. If you’re seeing them wilt maybe you’re subconsciously worried about your inability to salvage and maintain relationships.” Reid spoke first, barely missing a beat. You have to laugh at his words. Sure enough they were true, your most recent attempts at dating had been pitiful at best.

Yet even so, the bitter taste of spiced cherries and heavy oak still lingered just out of reach. And as you lean against the counter, a cup of crappy coffee in your hand, you can practically taste it again.

“Maybe it’s just irony?” Emily adds, stirring her coffee.

“Or a disturbing way to show my lack of gardening knowledge?”

“Actually, the window suggests that you may be a voyeur to relationships, gardening probably doesn’t have much to do with it.” As Reid speaks, you and Emily share a look, eyebrows raised over your cups of coffee.

“And somehow, that is more disturbing.” The three of you begin walking back to your respective desks. The coffee giving you the added incentive to begin dealing with the paperwork and cases piled on the side of your desk.

And the more you tried to focus on the case in front of you, the harder it became to think of anything other than what Reid had said. You were sure that window boxes filled with prissy flowers was a life you didn’t want. Who’d takes a job at the BAU wanting picket fences and a consistent sleep schedule? Admittedly, you did miss the intimacy those relationships brought. The safety of knowing there’d be somebody waiting for you to come home.

“You know dreams don’t mean anything right?” Emily pulls the file you’d forgotten about from your hands, closing it as she sits on the corner of your desk.

“I know. Just can’t get it from my head.” You pause as you look up to her, “I’m overreacting I know.”

“Since when did you care about this sort of thing anyway?”

“Since never. But I guess it would be nice?” Shrugging, you lean back in your chair. Cringing at your words. “Never mind, I take that back.”

She laughs softly, the light catching her hair as it falls forward on her shoulders. “Yeah, we’ve all been there, Y/N.” You’d never considered before just how odd your name sounds on her tongue, like Latin it spills out almost natural to the language, ringing with its foreign sounds and all the same, burning at your cheeks. “I’ll let you get back to work.” Standing up she hands you back the file, tapping you on the leg with it before leaving, heading towards her own desk. Your thoughts caught in a toss up of post-dream stress and watching her leave Sure that you catch a faint colour to her cheeks, your hands absently leafing through the pages of the file, knowing that sooner or later you’d have to look away.

The weekend had slowly crept up on you. Amongst piles of paperwork and cases, half-hearted nights out coupled by cancelled plans and half drowned excuses. Soon the dream felt almost forgotten, faux memories of red wine and warm nights no longer the cause of tangled sheets and excessive sweat.

But somehow. Someway, it had ended up here.

Sat across from a man with little table manner, your lips pressed to the edge of a wine glass (the contents you’d been assured was very expensive. Despite it resembling a floral vinegar) you listened to him recite the exact figure he’d earned that very month. A heavy sigh hanging on the edge of your glass.

You’d spent at least forty minutes deciding on whether to have your hair up or down, and another half hour on whether to go with the classic black dress, or a flirty red. In the end the choice hadn’t mattered.

From the moment you’d arrived it had been a constant commentary on the exhibition of his life. Reciting his annual income, repeating the various destinations he could go just for lunch. And as he (yet again) began to tell you of the fortune his job brings him, filling his sentences with contradictions. Your phone begins ringing, the sound both irate and blissful interrupting him and giving you the perfect excuse to leave.

“It’s work, I have to go.” Glancing at your screen you shove your phone into your small bag as you stand up.

“Oh come on, you’ve hardly even finished your wine.” Removing the premature napkin from his collar and tossing it to the table, he waves a hand to your glass. “I’m sure it can wait. Just finish your glass and we can -” Ignoring his words you finish the rest of the glass, pausing for a moment as you pull out a few notes to cover your half of the meal, placing them under the glass before walking away.

Even if the date had been disastrous, and even if he had reminded you of why you do this job. It was hard not to feel just that little bit irritated. The taxi there carrying you past the comforting lights of families tucked in for their evenings, tv’s playing as meals cook, and lovers hold each other in tender arms. Tonight may have been a bust, but what if it hadn’t? How were you supposed to build a life on unfinished dates and forgotten meals?

With a huff, you push open the doors to the conference room. Giving a small smile as you shrug off your coat. Cheeks flushing as its instantly followed by a reprimand of whistles, “Look at you baby girl, you on a hot date?”

Facing Morgan, you shake your head, “All I wanted was one, one night off. Am I asking too much? Am I reaching for the stars here?” With a sigh, you lean forward and pick up your file, waving it around as you speak, “Do I ruin their weekend activities? Do I crush their love lives? No. I stay in my lane, and I do it during the week.”

Emily laughs as you sit down beside her. “Yeah, I wish psychopathic killers would be a little more respectful of our weekends too.” You shoot her a look, a soft smile breaking your irritated demeanor.

The moment instantly gone as you begin. Garcia introducing you all to the case, flicking through the images. The marred reds of your dress struck in dissension to the horror filled images in front of you. The acts numb to your eyes as you listen, and soon enough you were sat by the window of the jet, your head leaning heavy in your hand as the events of the night replayed over and over.

“So, how was the date?” Turning your head you’re met with her expectant look, her dark eyes practically afire as she speaks, Emily pushing a coffee in front of you.

The smile you’d begun to reserve solely for her melting easily to your lips as you accepted it. “I’m not all too sure that he wasn’t a psychopathic killer.”

“That bad huh?”

You pout, “The entire thing was just egos on parade. Oooh look at my nice car. Feel how expensive my suit is. Do you know how much money I make a month?” You mimic his voice, your heart lifting as she laughs. Thankful that at least you had somebody to laugh with. “Honestly, it just feels enough to just give up.”

“You shouldn’t” She looks as surprised by her words as you. “You’re a catch, any guy, any person would be lucky to have the chance.”

Smiling at her words you lean towards her, nudging her with your shoulder and her giving her a grin. “I never knew Emily Prentiss had a soft side”

Rolling her eyes, she laughs all the same.

The next few days were spent too focused on the case to even think about the dream that had once again made its reappearance and for once you were grateful that cases took away the chances of sleep, replacing it with a steady flow of coffee and haunting images. And for the most part it worked just fine. It gave you a chance to focus on what you loved.

But when the case drops cold and Hotch insists you all need to look with fresh eyes. It sends you slumped over the uneven table of the hotel room. The case spread out beside cold coffee and empty take out meals. Boredom and irritation growing as you look over the same images, again and again.

Hotch was right. Too much of one thing is blinding. You needed the space and air to reevaluate. The case and profile that is, and as you squint to the profile you close the file, pushing your seat back under the table and reaching across the cramped space to toss away the cold coffee. A soft sigh leaving your lips as you step into the hall, following your footsteps along the dated carpet and giving three light knocks to 237.

If you’d taken the time to ask yourself, you wouldn’t have been able to come up with an answer as to why you’d chosen her door. She was a floor above you. You’d passed four other of your colleagues doors on the way here.

Even if subconsciously it had felt natural to arrive at her door. As soon as you’d knocked you were rocked with regret. Realising she could be asleep or busy, or unavailable. Instinctively you take a step away from her door, a moment away from turning away as the door clicks open. Emily, stood in her slacks and giving you a peculiar smile as she leans against the door.

“Y/N? Is everything okay?” She glances down the hall, instinctively assuming the worst.

“Of course, everything’s fine. I just needed to get out of my room.” You admit, touching her arm in passing as she steps to the side, welcoming you into her room.

As far as it goes, her room was similar to yours. The same layout, same crappy hotel art plastered in their ikea frames, the case spread out over the small table. But hers accompanied by a drink stronger than coffee. The smell of heavy alcohol diluted in the air as you glance over her notes. Aware of her eyes following you around the small space.

“Do you want a drink?”

“Sure.” Walking over to the open window, you glance out to the lights covering the vast landscape. Cowering in the velvet skies as they switch between on and off. Night air pulling in the smell of rain on concrete, whilst the sound of a distant radio carries itself between your conversation.

Emily hands you a mug, picking up her own as she leans on the wall beside you. “You sure you’re okay?”

The cheap whiskey burns as you force it down, but not as much as her touch does. Her hand gentle and soothing, yet fire on your skin as she fights for your attention. Her cheeks as flush as yours.

“I’m fine, Emily. This case is just...draining?” She nods in agreement, sipping from her glass.

“Did you hear back from the wine creep?” She asks, the both of you laughing softly.

“Unfortunately yes. He went on a spiel about women leading men on.” As the laughter between you fades, Emily finishes her drink. Watching you in sincerity as she builds the courage to speak.

“Have you considered not...dating normal people.” She hesitated as she spoke, clearly regretting finishing her drink so soon.

“Wine creep was normal?”

“You know what I mean Y/N”

“What like from our team?” You joke,

“I mean, you’ve got to admit having somebody that understands your hectic work life, and knows how draining this job can be sounds like it’d be a good fit.”

For a second you're slightly taken aback by the sincerity that she'd taken your joke.“I never really thought of it like that.” You tilt your head as you play over the idea. “But you know, you don’t shit where you eat. If that gets messed up, so’s your friendship and work life. Plus I’m sure it’s a harassment case waiting to happen.” Emily pulls her hand from your arm, the cold night air suddenly harsh in her absence, the urge to reach back across to her almost impulsive.

“But you could make it work.”

“If it was the right person maybe. But I don’t think that risk even seems worth it.”

“But how would you know if you didn’t take that risk?”

You were at a loss for words. Not for lack of a reply or response. But from the intensity in the dark of her eyes. The way they looked to you in search of truth, almost exposing the murmur in your chest. As close as you are to Emily, it was rare for you to ever see the trust and vulnerability she showed in that second. Fidgeting hands and lost eyes.

And for a moment it stops. The world at a stand still as the radio outside pauses whilst the breeze goes silent. The space between you closing. Leaning closer and closer. And for a foolish second you believe that this it.

The moment over as Emily clears her throat, pulling away from you and leaning across to shut the window. Her perfume almost overwhelming as you hold your breath. The voice of a radio host disappearing against the window frame.

“What the hell was that?” Dry and accusing she avoids your eye. “You can’t just try that after saying it’s not worth it. Saying that I’m not worth it.”

“Emily I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Mean to what? Kiss me? You can't keep changing your mind on where you stand with me. You can't say it's not worth the risk then make a move. It doesn't work like that.” She shakes her head. Moving away from you and crossing her arms, speaking quietly this time. “I think you should leave.”

Looking back, that night seems almost dreamlike. A cold light filtered by a window miles in the distance. Inappropriate as you looked to the ligature marks fresh on the newest victim, harsh under the florescent light of the coroner's office.

“Y/N?”

“Hm?” You look towards Reid, his voice ringing as he looks to you in concern, suddenly realising that you’d somehow managed to look over everything he’d been saying for the past five minutes. “Sorry, uh yeah the ligature marks aren’t consistent with the other victims.” You nod.

“You know, aside from cultural values dreams aren’t a reliable source of information. Even of our own minds.So uh you shouldn’t be worried about your dream.”

Smiling softly you look across to him, “It’s not a dream I’m worried about Spence.”

Scrunching his face he followed you out of the office, pushing his hands into his pockets as he matched your pace. “What are you worried about then?”

You considered not telling him, telling him to mind his own business or passing it off as a simple worry. But he knows Emily as good as anyone. “I fucked it up with Emily. Like this was exactly what I meant when I said that it’s a bad idea. I misread the situation and now she won’t even look at me.”

Pausing, he frowns as he considers it for a moment. “Y/N, you ignored her feelings for months, I don’t think that she pictured you two together after you insulted her.”

“Emily already told you?” You shake your head as he gives a solemn nod. “I didn't insult her.”

“Perhaps not purposefully,” He begins following you out of the coroner's office. “Have you apologised?”

“Not since last night. She couldn't even look me in the eyes this morning, how am I meant to fix this?”

“Give her time.” He suggests, slowing his pace to face you. “It’ll take more than one misconstrued act for you to ruin it with her.”

Eventually the case came to an end. A happy victory for all involved. But you still lingered on the kiss that could have been. Caught up in the lull of distant radios and the dark eyes of Emily Prentiss. But since, things between you two had been on edge. Neither of you quite sure how to approach the other.

For a week you both dodged the other. Loitering at your own desks, waiting for the other to leave the kitchen before getting your own coffee, avoiding the lifts in favour of avoiding awkward conversations. Every now and then, you’d catch her looking your way, or she’d catch you doing the same. A tango of four left feet.

Staring at the bottom of your glass, your eyes glazed as you watch the same episode repeat for the third time that week. A half arsed meal stewing in the oven and wafting smells of a life that isn’t yours into every corner.

Then three knocks on your door.

Ignoring it for sake of convenience you look back to the screen, watching the commercials run before the knocks sound again. Then again.

Letting out a heavy sigh you climb off the sofa, muttering curses to yourself as you open the door. Emily stood in the dim lights, holding up a bottle of wine and a smile you’d missed.

“Hey you” Speaking quietly, barely letting your voice touch the walls. Scared she may disappear.

“We need to talk.” She insists, looking past you and into your apartment. “Can I come in?”

Nodding, you step aside closing the door behind her and following her into your kitchen. “Emily I shouldn’t have -”

The cork in the bottle pops, silencing the conversation as the spiced oak lingering with cherry and plum, stains the air around you. “I put you on the spot, Y/N. I don’t know what I expected.” She roots around in your cupboards, finding the glasses and filling them both before handing you one. “Plus you were right. One thing happened and we didn’t speak for a week. We let it get in the way of our professional lives.”

“But that was my mistake…”

“And I checked. There’s at least six different rules against it.”

“Emily, I made a mistake. But I was searching for a life that just isn’t mine. I like the unpredictability of our job. I can’t have a life that’s catching the same train every night. It's better as cancelled plans and things left unsaid. I wouldn’t know that if it wasn’t for you.” You turn the stem of your glass in your hands. “I need somebody who knows what it’s like. Who can fight for herself and still be there to soften the blow. This week without you has drove me crazy. And it’s taken me this long to realise it but I need you.”

“Do you even think we could make this work?” She asks, putting her glass down beside her.

“It’s worth the risk.”

In a dream you’re surrounded by warm light. The sound of a tv distant in the house, hearty meals that had long since been ate, whilst their smell still lingered. Red wine on your lips as you looked to the flowers growing in the box outside your window. Standing behind this window you watched flowers grow, then wilt. Helpless.

But, as you sit surrounded by warm light, the hum of the tv playing distant in the apartment, red wine on your lips, a bottle half finished but not abandoned on the table. A cat curled up in your lap, resting alongside the work you’d both promised not to bring home as you look on to Emily, leaning against the back of the sofa as she speaks in hushed tones, your eyes aching with exhaustion but the smile in your cheeks refusing to let you look away.

[smileyisawesomeable]

BECAUSE @pk-hellfire MADE ME Louis was very tired of fake farmers trying to get into his pants. Just because he was a country music millionaire didn't mean he was gonna marry any two-bit hack who thought riding bareback was a sex position. YeeHawmony, Cowboy Mingle, and Wranglr were terrible sites, meant for wannabe riders and people who didn't know how to stick a seed in the ground, let alone grow it. Plus, nobody believed he was The Louis Tomlinson™ and when they did, they only dated him for money. Gay cowboys were hard to come by, and Louis gave up on his dreams of marriage and love, raising his own children along with cows, chickens, and horses. Niall was sick of him whining about his need for a down-home boy, so he went searching all over the internet for a way to find an authentic farmer dating site. Louis was losing hope, and his song writing went as dry as his love life. Zayn, his manager, was worried about Louis's well being, so he joined Niall on late-night searches and calls to obscure dating services. When asked who they wanted to sign up, the reply of the famous star's name made workers hang up. How was Louis supposed to find love as a cowboy in this high-tech world? Finally, 8 months after Louis's last album released, his phone rang. At 2:27 in the morning, three hours before he had to be awake, he found his solution. Niall screamed into his ear, despite being twenty yards away in the guest ranch, wanting him to get on his laptop and search up Farmers Only. He told Niall to fuck off, and go to bed. But because he was so desperate, and somewhat sleep deprived, he picked up his laptop and clicked on Google. Seventeen minutes later, he fell asleep on the keyboard, spelling his name Lou Tinson and submitting his form. Right at 5:30 the rooster crowed, awakening Louis with a start. His laptop slipped out of his arms in his sleep, laying closed on the floor, completely forgotten along with the night's events. A morning of chores, including but not limited to cleaning the pig pen, gathering eggs, brushing horses (2), and checking the cows and fences, made his back ache and had his heart screaming in loneliness. After lunch, Louis had to do house chores, and found his laptop on the floor for a reason he didn't know. Out of curiosity, he opened the lid and stared at the screen in disbelief. There was his blurry picture, and his email, but the wrong name posted on a profile he didn't remember making. He had no idea how to handle the idea that a "fan" had broken into his house, took pictures of him, and posted it without him even waking up. Louis finally snapped to attention, called Zayn and Niall, demanding that they come over immediately to help him, no explanation given, just a plea for help. When they came, Louis begged them to check the cameras he installed after fans found out his address. Niall was confused, but this wasn't exactly unlike his best friend. Zayn was sketched out, running to the living room, flipping the TV on and reviewing last night's video log. Nobody in, nobody out. Nothing. "Lou, what are you so worried about? Your house was dead last night," said the thick, Bradford accent. Louis turned around, opened his laptop, and showed them his crazy screen most likely filled with requests to get muddy. Once Niall saw, he died laughing. He showed Louis and Zayn his phone record, and explained the situation to the perplexed boys. Zayn finally understood and began to laugh with Niall, reading the profile of "Lou Tinson" and laughing at the endearing, yet slightly misspelled, biography. Louis thought they were evil, laughing at him in his sleep deprived haze, but he had to follow along when he realized how badly he'd overreacted. After the boys left, back to their daily lives, Louis continued to clean the house, ignoring his constantly pinging laptop. It seemed every cowboy wanted a taste of the beautiful, yet blurry pictured boy. Finally, his chores were done and his curiosity, for the second time that day, got the very best of him. With a sigh, he lay on his couch, armed with popcorn and a can of coke, ready to laugh at the ridiculous things people had offered him. He turned Netflix on to the cutest Christmas carol he could find, ready for the fast-approaching season. In the time it took for him to get the movie on, his laptop chimed eight times. He stuffed his mouth full of popcorn, and pulled up the minimized tab. There were 63 messages. All from the same person, a Hal Stiles. His photo was just as low-quality as Louis's, biography so similar he could only laugh. Hal loved fishing, biking, riding horses, and he mentioned that he had his own little farm close to Holmes Chapel. Hal seemed perfect for Louis, but 63 messages in the time it took Louis to clean his property? He seemed desperate. REALLY desperate. During this inner monologue, his screen showed two new messages. Louis though it may be best to actually read the messages before making a decision, because his momma raised him right, to never judge a book by its cover. The messages were poorly written, looked like his drunk texts: U r cute nd i like u Ur hair is prety Can u ride horses?? I need a new daddy Jeez, this guy didn't seem to beat around the bush. Hal seemed like a funny guy, though. There was determination in his many texts, and a Louis could only imagine how easy it would be to start a conversation. Before he could stop himself, Louis was sending a message: Are you always this forward or was there a big hoedown last night? A message came almost instantly, giving a phone number. Louis was perplexed but he wanted to see where this was going. He texted the number his "name" and said hi with a smile. Then he waited. Louis never got the message he was hoping for, but instead, two movies and half a beer later, his phone rang with an Hal's number. Immediately, Louis picked up. A young voice screamed in his ear, a dog barked, and a deep voice screamed about the tickle monster. What had he gotten into? Finally, Harry realized that his phone was on, and he was being listened to, because he picked up the phone, with a rush of apologies. It had only been 4 minutes, and the person on the other side was more amused than angered. "You're fine, love! But your name is Hal right?" The deep voice laughed. What an odd day. First his daughter, taking his phone to text weird people, then this. Weird caller with no clue of his actual name. "No, my name is Harry. But, not to be rude, who are you?" Louis was lost. "I'm Louis. I texted you earlier, after you gave me your number, remember?" "Umm, no. I don't give out my cell number normally. My daughter plays on it. I think you have the wrong number?" Hal, or Harry, replied with a confused voice. "Wait," he added, "Are you on Farmers Only?" Then the voice sighed. "Yes, I signed up for it last night. Why?" Lou replied, ready to hang up on this drunken mess. He sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for a reply. "My daughter. Well, my daughter is special. She loves to sign me up for things. She's only six, but she thinks she can set me up. I caught her messaging someone today and I think it was you." Harry sounded close to tears, sighing between every few words. "When this sunk in, Louis found himself laughing, a sound that made Harry's heart leap. It sounded warm and comforting. "That's fine, mate. I was a little confused at the forwardness of you "needing a new daddy" anyways," Louis finally joked, wiping tears away from laughing too hard. There was an audible gasp on the other side. "Trust me, she's 6. There is no way she would mean it that way!" Luna was as special as the character she was named after, always up to something Harry had to solve eventually, but he wouldn't have it any other way. "Look, Louis. I really didn't mean to get your hopes up because I'm not ready for anything serious, but you seem like a nice guy. How about I make this up to you with drinks? Friday night?" Harry said, ready to make this unfortunate event to the poor bloke on the other side of the line. "Y'know what, Harry? That sounds mighty fine."

[muffindragon227]

I’ll Keep Your Secrets Safe - Ch. 17

AN: All I can say is I have some of the best readers ever. Seriously so many of you reached out and just sent me some love and I can't thank you enough. So as a way of saying thanks, I'm currently just finishing up chapter 19 and the next chapter the Christmas party kicks off, so I wanted to ask you all if there's any character cameos you'd like to see, or maybe something funny/fluffy you'd like to see happen. I can't promise all of them will make their way into the next chapter but I've got New Years Eve to write as well so let me know. Characters, Christmas tropes, small ships. I'll see what I can cook up. ;) This chapter is dedicated to Nap Team Captain on ff.net.

                              Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

"Silver, what are you doing?" Ur hissed.

The sounds of shuffling feet followed, and Juvia frowned and nuzzled deeper into the warmth beneath her, pulling the blanket up to block out some of the light. She was exhausted and not nearly ready to wake up.

She recognized the distinct click of a phone camera coming from the direction Ur's voice had. Somewhere to the left.

"Don't take pictures of them." Ur continued to reprimand him in a harsh whisper.

"But They look so cute, when am I ever gonna get a chance to catch Gray like this again?" Silver cooed, his own voice kept low as well.

Juvia wanted to turn around, to move away from the noise, but she was tightly sandwiched in her place. One eye flickered open and she took in Silver and Ur standing in the doorway whispering to one another, and then she looked down and became aware of the bare chest her head was resting on. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she pieced together exactly where she was.

She slammed her eyes shut again and tried to even her breathing in an effort not to bring attention back to herself.

"Well you got your picture, now we should wake them up before Lyon gets up and sees this." Ur said.

"Oh come on, let them sleep," Silver replied.

"Are you crazy?"

Juvia's heart hammered at Ur's words. Ur was right, Lyon would flip out. How late was it?

How much time did she have?

"Ur it's barely seven, Lyon's gonna be asleep for at least another few hours, and Juvia's got to be exhausted. She probably didn't sleep well last night and that's why she ended up back down here." Silver rationalized.

Juvia let out a long breath, feeling herself relax.

"Down here, on a couch, with Gray. They could have slept on separate couches. Why are they cuddled up together like that?" Ur demanded, her voice raising a little.

Gray stirred slightly beneath Juvia, and his arms tightened about her waist. He didn't move though, and his heartbeat and breathing were still deep and steady. Juvia envied him a bit for his ability to sleep through this.

"I think you're overreacting a bit," silver said. "They're both clothed and Netflix is still running on the TV. They just fell asleep watching movies. Nothing sinister is going on"

Ur sighed. "I guess, it just feels weird that she's here with Gray and not Lyon."

"Yeah, well, Lyon isn't exactly easy to wake up, and I highly doubt she came looking for gray, he was probably just here when she came down."

There was a pause in their conversation and some shuffling but Juvia kept her eyes closed, not wanting them to know she'd been listening.

"Look, we'll let them sleep till nine. I'm pretty sure Juvia will be up by then and if they're not then we'll wake them."

"Okay, I suppose you're right this time." Ur conceded

"Can I get that in writing?"

"Don't push your luck," Ur chuckled.

"C'mon. I'll make you coffee." Silver said

Their feet padded away, growing distant along with their voices.

Juvia forced her eye open and confirmed they were no longer present. She tried to will herself to sit up, or even open her other eye, but she was warm and comfortable. The pillow she'd been using had disappeared, and her neck was a little crooked but the steady sound of Gray's heartbeat acted as a lullaby.

Her eyes dropped and she struggled to reopen them. She ought to get up. She knew it would be in her best interest, but she didn't want to move, and the knowledge that silver would wake should she sleep too late made it all the more enticing.

Just one more hour, she hadn't slept well for most of the week and it was catching up with her. Another hour, just to help keep her lucid.

She shifted and snuggled deeper, moving her head to a slight more comfortable place.

Gray hummed and his arms tightened again as she shifted, holding her close. His heartbeat thumped in her ear, her eyes closed and she felt her body relaxing again as she drifted of.

She'd get up soon. Just one more hour.

Juvia found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. She was aware the room was bright with light filtering in through the window, and of the muffled sounds coming from the kitchen. Mostly she was aware of Gray. Of the sounds of his breath and heartbeat, of the warmth of his skin pressed against her, of the faded woodsy smell of, what she assumed was, his cologne.

It was these things that keep her from truly waking. They lulled her back in every time she tried to will herself awake and off the couch.

Her eyes were closing and she was losing the battle for wakefulness yet again when she felt a staccato vibration right against her stomach.

Her eyes shot open and she lifted herself up and away from the buzzing as Gray stirred and squirmed, his hand sliding down between them to reach for his pocket.

He frowned as his hand brushed against her and blearily opened his eyes, blinking up at her.

She watched as his eyes widened and his cheeks flushed a brilliant red as he seemed to clue into their positions.

Her own cheeks felt warm, and she found herself running a hand through her tangled mess of hair, in an attempt to tame it into something remotely presentable. Why that hadn't occurred to her sleep addled brain before now was a mystery she was cursing.

Another round of vibrations pulse between them, and she looked down to where his hand was frozen in his pyjama pocket. "Aren't you gonna get that?"

"Right!" Gray jerked his hand out of his pants, fumbling the phone as he attempted to receive it before the call ended.

He finally managed to get a hold of it and swiped his finger over the lock screen, then brought his phone to his ear. "Yo," he greeted.

Juvia was surprised when she heard the the voice that responded.

"Fuck, were you still sleeping?" Gajeel asked.

Gray blinked and pulled the phone down just enough for them both to see Gajeel's name written across the top of the screen. Gray frowned before hesitantly returning the phone to his ear. "Uh, yeah…."

Gray paused and waited, but got no reply. "So, what's up?"

There was another long pause before Gajeel sighed. "I've been tryin' to get a hold of Juv's but she's not answering her phone, neither's Lyon. Just wanted to check in; make sure she was holdin' up. I was hoping you might actually be up and know where they're at."

Gray glanced at Juvia. "She's fine, actually. She's right here if you wanna talk to her."

Juvia felt her stomach drop.

"What?!" Gajeel screamed.

Gray jerked the phone away from his ear and winced in pain.

"Why the hell is she there with you?" Gajeel's voice boomed.

Juvia grabbed the phone before Gray could protest or think to respond with anything else incriminating. "Calm down, and stop screaming. You're freaking out over nothing."

"Nothing!" Gajeel crowed. "I try calling you and get no answer, and then I call Gray and find out you're just waking up with him. How the fuck is that nothing."

Juvia rolled her eyes.

Gray is staring at her, white as a sheet and wide eyed with panic, clearly having finally caught up and realized what what he'd said had implied.

"It's nothing, because whatever you've cooked up in your head isn't what happened. We just passed out together, on the living room couch I might add, so get your head out of the gutter."

"That doesn't mean shit with you. You honestly expect me to believe the living room couch is off limits to you? You, the girl Jose caught fooling around on the kitchen counter." Gajeel sneered.

Juvia's cheek flushed bright red, as Gray raised an eyebrow at her. Clearly he heard that. She smacked her palm over her face and attempted to breath through the embarrassment and fought for calm in order to dissuade Gajeel.

"Clearly not, but I'm telling you nothing happened. I woke up from a nightmare, I came downstairs, Gray was down here watching movies, we talked, had some hot chocolate and ice cream, then proceeded to watch the Aliens trilogy and passed out at some point. That's it, that's all," Juvia said through gritted teeth.

"You had a nightmare? What about?" Gajeel asked, quickly switching gears with this new information.

Juvia hesitated, glanced at Gray before swallowing down her anxiety. There was no point in backing down now, it was time to just lay it all on the line. "About my mom and dad, that night and then the accident. Only it switched to Carol when I tried crawling into the front seat. She was passed out from ODing and I couldn't wake her up."

Gray's hand found hers, and gave it a small squeeze of reassurance, and she squeezed his back.

There was a long pause on Gajeel's end before he let out a long sigh. She could almost picture him scrubbing his face with his hand. "Shit. That sucks. You okay?"

"Yeah, it sucked, but I'm doing alright. Like I said, Gray was up and he looked after me. Made sure I had lots of sugar and then willingly watched horror movies with me as a distraction so I'm good."

"Well good. I'm glad someone was there for ya. Gihihi, It was a good choice, going and seeking him out instead of just waking Lyon up." Gajeel teased.

Juvia rolled her eyes at the insinuation, and glared at the couch cushion in his absence. She could feel Gray's eyes on her, and see the smirk playing on his lips out of the corner of her eye. "It wasn't like that. I came downstairs and he was already there. Not much I could do about it."

Gray scoffed and leaned back against the armrest, crossing his arms over his chest and pouted.

Gajeel chuckled knowingly. "Uh huh, sure."

Juvia felt the heat returning to her cheeks and a quick glance at Gray let her know he'd noticed the change. She bit her lip and shifted positions, pulling her legs out from under her and letting them drape over his and onto the coffee table. "Whatever. So when are you getting here?"

The self satisfied smirk was back on Gray's lips and she shot him a quick glare to express her disapproval.

"Uh, yeah, about that. That's actually why I'm calling. Listen, Levy's grandma has invited us to lunch, and we've tried getting out of it, but-"

"Don't worry about it," Juvia interjected with confidence, despite feeling the initial pangs of disappointment. She took a deep breath and shoved them down, waiting as the line continued to remain silent.

Finally, Gajeel spoke up. "You know it ain't that easy."

Juvia sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know it isn't, but I swear I'll be okay. It's not that bad, and everyone here knows at this point so I'm in good hands. No one's gonna push for anything today, and I'm sure once Lyon's up I'll be coddled for the rest of the day, so go to her grandma's thing. I get it, I'm not upset. A little disappointed, but I can get over it. Just means you're coming later right?"

"Yeah, we'll still be there. I'll grab the pizza on the way," Gajeel said

"So then we're good."

"Yeah, I guess we're good. Not that I have much of a choice."

"Nope, you really don't. Don't want to be the boy that made her skip her grandmother's on Christmas."

Gajeel scoffed. "Yeah wouldn't want that." There was another pause before he spoke up again. "Hey, put Gray back on the phone, will ya?"

"Sure…." Juvia slowly relinquished the phone, holding it out for Gray to take.

He grabbed it and she scooched closer, determined to listen in, in case Gajeel decided Gray still needed an earful about them sleeping next to each other.

"Sup?" Gray greeted, glancing at Juvia questioningly as she perched beside him.

"Listen Fullbuster, I need a favour," Gajeel started.

Gray raised an eyebrow and glanced at the phone warily. "Uh, okay…. Shoot."

"Look after Juvia for me today," Gajeel instructed.

Gray blinked and glanced back up at Juvia. He only hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, of course. You got it."

Juvia quirked an eyebrow at him, but Gray had already looked away and was sitting up on the couch. He stretched briefly before tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder, and stood up, heading towards the desk in the far right corner. "So anything I should know?"

Juvia blinked, she was tempted to follow him, so that she could know exactly what Gajeel would list but froze as she watched Gray fish out a pad of paper and grab a pen. She frowned, feeling like he might be taking the whole thing a little overboard. But at the same time it was kinda sweet.

His brows were furrowed in concentration as he jotted down a few things and would nod along to whatever it was Gajeel was saying. Finally he grabbed the phone back in his hand and looked over the list once more. "I think I got it all. We'll see you when you guys get here. Yeah. Kay. Bye."

Gray hit the end call button and stuffed his phone back in his pocket before turning back to face her. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back for a moment before letting it go and having it fall back across his forehead.

Juvia waited for him to say something, but the silence stretched between them, as they continued to stare at each other. Finally she swallowed and let a small smile curl up onto her lips and uttered a simple "thanks"

After all, for all that she thought he might have gone overboard in making a list of need-to-know's in order to take care of her, it was nice to know that he cared about her, and that he wanted to look after her.

Gray shrugged, averting his gaze, but a small smirk tugged at his lips. "Well, as you kinda pointed out, I shouldn't just do someone a favour cause I know they'll return it. I should do it because it's the right thing to do, So I'm trying that out."

Juvia frowned, trying to remember exactly when she said something like that. It sounded a little bitter to her now, though she supposed it was true. It took a moment before it clicked. The argument in the food court finally coming back to her, and her rebuke of Gray's lack of action towards Lyon.

It surprised her that he remembered that, and more importantly that he took it to heart. She'd been really harsh towards him that day, and he could have easily taken something negative from her rebuke. Most people would have. Instead, he understood exactly what she was trying to say, and was now seeking to prove he'd gotten the message.

She smiled at him brightly.

Gray smiled back and reached out, offering her his hand. "Come on, let's go get you a tea and some breakfast."

Juvia placed her hand in his, blushing as she did, and let him pull her up off the couch and into the kitchen to join his family.

When Lyon woke to an empty bed there had been a moment of panic. He'd been hoping to wake up with Juvia, and bring her tea in bed, to have a moment to talk about how she was feeling and just plan their day. Of course, he hadn't communicated that to her so he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that she'd gotten up and gone downstairs ahead of him. He didn't expect her to sit up there waiting for him to wake up, but he had hoped that maybe she would have woken him up.

He quickly put aside his own feelings and headed out into the bathroom to quickly fix his hair and wash his face before heading downstairs. He paused at Gray's door, frowning over the fact that it was ajar, meaning Gray was already up. That in itself was odd, because Gray usually stayed up until all hours of the morning and normally had to be dragged out of bed, but it was also the second morning in a row he was awake before Lyon.

A small part of him hoped that maybe Gray had gone out to another friends, but he had a feeling he knew what had caused Gray to get up early. His step-brother's attentiveness to Juvia bothered Lyon, and not just because he was worried about them hooking up if there was a mutual interest. Lyon was starting to realise that he felt a bit jealous of the way they were connecting.

Which was ridiculous, absurd, and completely irrational. There was no reason for him to be jealous, he was Juvia's best friend, he'd known her longer. No matter what, Gray wasn't going to just come in and take that away from him. And yet, that's what he felt. It's what drove him to lash out last night.

He took a deep breath, and soaked the washcloth with cold water, before wiping it over his face. The cold helped clear his mind and bring him back into focus. He needed to get a hold of himself, and shelve it; at least for the day.

Taking a deep breath he steeled himself, and headed downstairs. He froze in the doorway leading to the kitchen, as he realized his entire family was already congregated there.

Silver was cooking, and his mom was perched on a stool to the left of the stove, nursing a cup of coffee and supervising.

Gray was to his right, and much to Lyon's shock, was chopping vegetables according to Juvia's instructions. Or at least, he was trying to.

Juvia let out a huff of frustration and reached over to grab the knife only to have Gray swat her hand away.

"Stop it, Gajeel said you're not allowed to cook today. You're supposed to be relaxing," Gray said, before returning to slicing the red pepper in front of him.

"I am relaxing, you're just not doing it right-"

"I'm chopping vegetables, how can I do that wrong? They're cut into tiny pieces that's what's supposed to happen," Gray complained.

"They're not even," Juvia protested.

"So?"

"So they're supposed to be. It's not that hard, just let me show you." Again Juvia reached for the knife, only to have Gray hold it out of reach.

Lyon frowned at the scene.

Juvia was clinging to Gray attempting to reach the knife, and he was holding her around the waist to keep her from being able to reach any higher. There was a stupid smirk on his face as she struggled against him, and he couldn't help but feel like Juvia was just being playful, rather than actually frustrated.

It made something in the pit of his stomach churn and twist.

Ultear appeared beside him, having left her place by the coffee maker, and handed him a cup of coffee. "You look pissed."

Lyon grunted his assent.

Finally Silver grabbed the knife from Gray's hand. "That's enough of that, you're gonna hurt someone if you keep it up."

"He's right, Juvia just sit down, we'll live with uneven vegetables for a day, you can show him tomorrow," Ur said.

Gray grinned triumphantly as Juvia fell back onto her stool, and stuck his tongue out at her, causing Juvia to pout in response. He was about to go back to chopping when his eyes locked on Lyon and he froze.

Juvia followed his gaze and blushed when she saw Lyon. Her eyes darted between the two of them nervously.

"Ah, look who's finally gotten up and decided to grace us with his presence," Silver teased, flashing Lyon a brilliant grin.

"Good morning sweet heart. Did you sleep okay?" Ur ask.

Juvia seemed to recover herself, and was quick to hop off her stool and come greet him with a hug. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Hey, good morning."

Despite the storm of unpleasant emotions trying to surge up within him, Lyon couldn't help but smile and hug her back. He pulled her close and held her a little too tightly, for a little too long. "Morning," he murmured, pulling back a bit to smiled down at her. "You should have woken me up. I've missed precious doting time. Do you need a refill on your tea?"

"Um, sure," Juvia replied, letting him go.

He noticed the reluctance to do so, as well as the nervous look on her face, as her eyes shifted back to the kitchen island. His eyes followed her gaze, and found Gray and his parents looking equally uncomfortable. He turned back to her, and cocked his head to the side. "What's up? I feel like I'm missing something."

Juvia licked her lips and took a deep breath. Her hands wrung together in front of her. "Well, it's just-" she paused, and looked up at him, meeting his gaze. He could see the fear gathering in her eyes.

He turned back towards her and placed his hands over hers, stilling the fidgeting. He gave her a light squeeze of reassurance, and nodded for her to continue.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you. I know I should have, it's just, I ended up passing out on the couch last night, and so I was already down here, and-"

"Juvia it's fine, I was just teasing," Lyon said, attempted to halt her rambling. He offered her another smile to ease her worry.

Juvia bit her lip and shifted from foot to foot.

Lyon sighed and brushed his thumb across her knuckles. "Something else?"

She took another deep breath and held it. "I ended up passing out on the couch with Gray," she announced in a rush.

Lyon froze as the words sank in. He stared down at her, and that awful feeling returned ten fold. He dropped her hands and straightened. He could feel all eyes in the room on him, tense and waiting for his reaction. "Oh."

Juvia's eyes widened, and she stepped forward placing a hand over his. "Nothing happened. I swear, we were just watching horror films, and I was exhausted, and we must have just passed out. I swear. I only came down because I had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep."

Lyon's head whipped up to stare at her. "You had a nightmare?"

Juvia bit her lip and nodded.

"Why didn't you wake me up? Was it about your family?" Lyon demanded.

Ultear rolled her eyes and placed a hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Dude, breathe, give her a chance to answer."

Lyon took a breath and nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up, I wasn't really thinking, and you're not exactly easy to wake. I just headed downstairs hoping to get a cup of tea. And I'll tell you about the dream later okay? You're just waking up and I'm trying not to think about it to be honest." Juvia said. Her hand fell from his and she wrapped her arms around herself.

Ultear rubbed circles into her back, and Juvia let out a shaky breath.

Lyon forced himself to relax, and let the tension out of his body. "Okay, that's fair." He paused then added a "sorry" for good measure.

Juvia shook her head. "Don't be, I get it."

He nodded and forced a smile to his lips. The gnawing feeling had subsided a little, though it still itched and tingled, reminding him he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of Juvia sleeping next to Gray, but he decided to put it aside. Today wasn't about him, it was about her. He shouldn’t make too big of a deal out of Gray comforting her, especially if he wasn't there to do it himself.

He took a breath. "So tea refill?"

Juvia smiled at him and nodded. "Please."

He smiled back, and this time it felt genuine. He grabbed her mug from the island and carried it towards the kettle and hit the button to get it to boil.

Ultear leaned against the counter beside him pouring herself another cup of coffee. She shot him a look, and Lyon frowned, unsure exactly what he'd done to piss her off, but she quickly looked away, and returned to watching the rest of their family as she sipped on her coffee.

Juvia sat back down next to Gray, but instead of returning her attention to him as well, she turned to smile at Lyon.

Tension lingered in the air for a moment, before Silver elbowed Gray. "Hop back to it, those vegetables aren't going to chop themselves. And be quick about it, you gotta keep up."

Gray rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips as the room filled with laughter, and a few jeers. Even Lyon joined in, taking the free shot while he could. Everyone settled back comfortably and Lyon soon joined Juvia by her side.

It wasn't an ideal start to his day, but he'd had worse. There was still plenty of time to dote on Juvia and he wasn't going to miss another minute of it worrying about Gray.

Lyon's fork clattered against his plate, and he leaned back rubbing his overly full stomach. "Mmm lunch was amazing Dad."

"Definitely one of your better meals, even if the peppers and onions weren't very uniform," Ultear teased, grinning in Gray's direction.

Gray glared back at her. "I'd like to see you do better."

"Now, now. Can you not start? It's been a relatively peaceful meal for once." Ur said.

Ultear shrugged, and Gray sighed, but nodded.

Juvia hummed in contentment and reached for Lyon's plate.

Lyon swatted the back of her hand before she could grab it, causing her to frown at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

Juvia rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Clearing the plates?"

Lyon shook his head and gave her his best disapproving mom look. "You know you're not supposed to do that.”

"Seriously? I can manage clearing some plates and putting them in a dishwasher, I'm not that fragile," Juvia complained.

"Nope, Lyon's right," Gray interjected. "Gajeel said absolutely no chores, and that's a chore."

"But-"

"You heard him, Gajeel's orders." Lyon grinned at her, and chuckled when she glared back at him, before starting to collect the plates.

Before he could take them into the kitchen Gray had hopped up and was coming around the table. "I got it, you keep an eye on her."

Lyon quirked an eyebrow at him, but handed the plates over. It was more than a little obvious that Gray was trying to curry favour, Lyon just couldn't figure out if it was with Juvia or him. It made sense that Gray might be acting out of guilt, and part of him wanted to believe that maybe Gray meant it when he said he was trying to make amends; but another part of him caught the way Gray looked at Juvia, saw how attentive he was to her needs, and knew that there was something more going on there.

It's was weird though, being around both of them, it was easy to slip into friendly banter and forget about everything else. It was easy to work alongside Gray where Juvia was concerned instead of constantly butting heads.

Lyon reached out and threaded his fingers through Juvia's as he continued to contemplate the complexities of their little dynamic with Gray, while she chatted with Silver, Ur and Ultear.

Once Gray was seated back at the table Ur straightened, and cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"Alright, it's time to get down to business, the party is tomorrow and there's still way too much that needs to be done so I'm going to need you kids to help out. Silver and I are going out to pick up food and supplies. While we're gone I was hoping the rest of you could handle decorating the house and the tree."

Ultear groaned and laid her head down on her forearms, one hand gestured loosely between Gray and Lyon. "Ask your sons, that's usually their job."

Gray and Lyon both shrunk under Ur's scrutiny, but hesitated to commit themselves to helping, instead glancing warily towards Juvia.

Ur let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "She doesn't need both of you playing mother hen, I'm sure one will suffice."

Lyon had to admit, he was eager to decorate the tree and help with the decorating. It had always been his favourite part of the year, but another quick glance at Juvia and he knew he needed to sit this one out. "Sorry Mom, I promised Juvia I'd spend the day with her as payment for going out to Magnolia last night, so you're stuck with Gray."

Ur rolled her eyes at his comment, but he could see her fighting back a smile. "That's fine, Gray's actually done just fine the last two years. I'm sure it'll be beautiful, and I'll be happy so long as it gets done."

Gray puffed up at little at the praise, but his eyes lingered on Juvia.

Lyon wrapped his arm about her shoulder and pulled her close, locking eyes with Gray from across the table in the process.

Gray held his gaze for a moment, and Lyon thought he might argue about the arrangement, but the moment passed and he deflated, turning to Ur. "No worries, I've got it covered, at least it means we won't have to live in some tacky green and red hallmark card for the next couple of weeks.

Lyon scoffed, and shot a glare at Gray. "Uh huh, cause there's a lot of other options right?"

Gray just rolled his eyes and got up, heading through the kitchen, towards the mud room to fish out the decorations.

Lyon knew he ought to just stay seated and ignore him, but something was nagging him about Gray's comment and finally he cracked, and got up and followed.

He frowned as he entered the room and his eyes fell on the boxes of decorations. "What are those?"

Gray frowned at him, confusion mapped across his face. "The Christmas decorations. What are you doing in here? I thought you were going to spend the day with Juvia?"

Lyon felt a sliver of guilt, but pressed on, ignoring Gray's jab. "Since when?"

Gray's face screwed up in confusion, before a look of understanding took over. "Since you left."

"Why did we get new decorations? What happened to the old ones?" Lyon demanded, a surge of panic running through him.

"Relax, there in here too. And we didn't get new decorations, I did. Everyone forgot about decorating the year you left and when I realized that I decided if I was gonna be the one doing it I wanted to do it my way." Gray explained, while dragging the Christmas tree box from the closet.

Lyon glared down at the offending decor. "What, exactly, was wrong with the decorations we had?"

"They're tacky," Gray said with a shrug.

"Tacky," Lyon sputtered. "They're traditional! And a lot better than these I might add. I mean blue and white snowflakes? Really? That's so overdone." He continued, gesturing to the assortment of bulbs and lights at his feet.

"Yeah, cause green and red isn't?" Gray shot back.

"That's different, those are the colours of the holiday. They can't be overdone." Lyon stated, matter-of-factly.

"Whatever. I'm decorating, that means I can do what I want." Gray said, leaning down and grabbing one of the boxes and hefting it up. He started carrying it out to the den where they usually set up the tree.

Lyon followed, hot on his heels.

"Besides, everyone's liked it the last two years, I've gotten a shit ton of compliments." He called back to Lyon over his shoulder.

"So? I always got compliments too, they were probably just being nice to you."

Gray rose an eyebrow at Lyon. "I'm old enough that they're not going to be worried about hurting my feelings, you on the other hand, were a kid. Pretty sure if any one was getting the pity compliments it wasn't me."

"Well, I think you're wrong. My decorating is on point and I think we should put it to a vote."

"How do you plan to do that?" Gray asked.

"We'll each get a side of the tree, most votes get to decorate the house." Lyon proposed.

Gray's eyes narrowed and he seemed ready to agree, then he shot Lyon a smug look. "I would, but there's just one problem."

"And what would that be?"

"You promised your girlfriend a whole day of horror movies."

Lyon faltered, and the smile fell from his face. He'd almost forgotten all about that. He frowned and sighed. He hated the thought of letting Gray win by default, because he was sure he'd win, but Juvia did take priority.

"Hey, what are you two arguing about now?" Ultear asked, wandering into the den with Juvia in tow.

"Nothing," Lyon muttered.

Gray smirked. "I was just showing Lyon the new decorations and telling him about all the compliments I've been getting for them. He wanted to compete to see which style was preferred, but well, I reminded him he's got prior obligations, and promises to keep."

Juvia raised an eyebrow at him. "That's sweet of you, but I really don't mind if he wants to decorate. If I'm honest, you two have been smothering me for the last two hours and I could use a break."

Lyon perked up, and looked at Juvia, trying to see any signs of hesitation. "You know you don't just have to say that. I did promise to watch horror movies with you, and I fully intend to keep that promise."

Juvia nodded and smiled at him. "Oh, I know you will, but it doesn't have to be right this minute. It's better to watch movies in the dark anyways."

Lyon's face lit up and he wrapped Juvia up in a tight hug. "I love you, I love you, I love you." He planted a firm kiss on her cheek before sprinting off towards the mud room in order to pull out his decorations.

"Okay we're heading- Woah!" Ur cried as Lyon almost barrelled straight into her.

"Sorry Mom!" he called, hopping around her and returning to his mad dash.

Gray stalked into the room behind him, and grabbed another box from the floor as Lyon managed to drag a large box from the closet.

"What are you two doing?" Ur asked.

"Decorating," Lyon grunted, hefting the box up and following Gray back into the den.

Ur followed behind them, a worried look written across her face. "Both of you?"

"Yep, we're gonna divide the tree in half and decorate it in our own styles, and you're all going to vote to see who gets to decorate the rest of the house." Gray said, setting down the box with ease and moving to go grab another.

Ur held her hand up and fixed him with a stern look, halting him in his tracks.

Lyon let out a huff as he straightened after setting down his own box and turned his attention back to his mom.

"This is not happening. You two are not turning decorating our house into a competition." Ur insisted.

"But Mom-" Both of them cried in unison, then turned to each other with a scathing glare.

"No, no buts. I thought you were spending the afternoon watching movies with Juvia," Ur said to Lyon.

"Well-" Lyon started

"I don't mind." Juvia interjected. "To be honest this is kinda interesting."

Ultear cackled, and draped an arm around Juvia's shoulder. "That's the spirit! You get comfy on the couch, I'm gonna grab some wine and snacks."

"What?" Ur exclaimed, "No, no wine. This has not been agreed to."

"Oh, come on Mom, let them duke it out. You said you'd be happy no matter what, so long as it was done for you," Ultear said.

Ur shot Ultear a reproachful look.

"She's got a point, you did say that dear," Silver said with a wide grin plastered on his face as he walked into the den from the kitchen.

"Not you too. We don't need to different sets of decor throughout the house." Ur said.

"It won't be," Lyon said. "Just two sets on the tree and then the winner gets to decorate the house in their style."

Ur frowned, but sighed when she noticed everyone looking at her expectantly. "Fine, whatever. Just don't destroy anything."

A chorus of cheers echoed through the house.

Ur rolled her eyes, and headed for the door, not wanting to witness the catastrophe that was about to unfold. "We'll be back in a couple hours!"

"'Kay." Ultear said.

"Bye Mom!" Lyon exclaimed and waved.

"Drive safe," Gray called out.

Once she was out the door Lyon was back to retrieving boxes.

Silver smirked, and clapped Gray on the shoulder as he made his way to the door. "Make me proud kid."

"Will do," Gray called out, with a wave.

Ultear grinned at Juvia. "Get comfy girl, this is gonna get good. I haven't watched them compete at something in over six years!"

Juvia giggled at Ultear's enthusiasm and plopped down onto the couch. Both boys were rushing about, piling more and more boxes into the room. It was a bit weird, sitting there in the midst of the chaos, surrounded by Christmas everywhere she looked. There was a time when it would have been unbearable, but in that moment, it really wasn't so bad.

Juvia had to admit, she was more than amused at how seriously the boys had taken the challenge presented to them. Most people would have said they were going overboard, but Juvia admired tenacity, no matter what the reason for it, and both of them had it in spades.

Once they'd finished piling boxes into the den they'd actually worked together to assemble the tree. Ultear had been in charge of the music, but had quickly abandoned the effort as the two of them had argued repeatedly over what to listen to, and complained loudly when the other's choice was being played. In the end, Juvia had taken over, with the rule that the music being played had to be Christmas themed as that seemed to garner the least amount of bickering or complaints.

And so she'd spent the last half an hour going back and forth between Gray's traditional choices and Lyon's pop renditions. Currently it was Lyon's choice, and he'd decided to put on a show with it.

"What a bright time, it's the right time, to rock the night away," Lyon sang, He was right in front of Juvia as his hips swayed to the music. "Jingle bell time, is a swell time." He turned and smacked his ass. "To go riding in a one-horse sleigh."

"Ah! Lyon stop, get your butt out of my face!" Juvia shrieked, amidst a chorus of laughter, as she planted her foot against his ass and tried to shoved him forward.

Lyon caught himself before he moved far, and planted his hands on his knees and began twerking his way back toward her as he sang. "Giddy-up jingle horse pick up your feet. Jingle around the clock."

He swiveled his hips right above her lap and Ultear let out a whistle and Gray shout out cat calls.

"Mix and a mingle and a jingling beat. That's the jingle bell, that's the jingle bell, that’s the jingle bell rock!" As Lyon ended the song he dropped into Juvia's lap, arms spread wide in a typical tada fashion.

She would have been more annoyed, but the room erupted in laughter and applause and truthfully she found it more funny than anything. The wine Ultear kept feeding her was probably helping in that matter.

Plus the little stunt seemed to diffuse the remaining tension between him and Gray. The two of them laughed together, as Gray hauled Lyon off her and they returned to decorating the tree. It was a gaudy monstrosity at this point; half covered in red and green ornaments, with big red bows, and candy canes, while the other half was blue and silver ornaments, with white snow flakes, and icicles dangling. The only thing uniform about the tree was the white lights.

Juvia sighed and returned to queuing the playlist. She'd been good about keeping their preferences even, but after a bunch of searching she'd finally managed to find what she was looking for, and grinned. "Guys, I don't suppose you'd be okay if I played some of my music for a bit?"

"Uh…." Lyon tensed and turned to look at her, apprehension written across his face.

Juvia did her best to look innocent.

"Sure." Gray replied, with a shrug, still focused on hanging icicles from the tree.

"I don't know…." Lyon said, still eyeing Juvia suspiciously.

Gray frowned and glanced at Lyon. "I don't see what the big deal is, so long as she sticks to the rule, which is that it has to be Christmas music, then it can't be that bad."

Lyon bit his lip glancing between them.

"Geez, you hate her music taste or what?" Ultear asked.

Juvia giggled, "I have a bit of an eclectic taste in music. It's kinda all over the place."

"Well I say go for it, so that's two of us, and Lyon's supposed to be pampering you for the day, so he can't really complain too much, so I think you're in the clear," Ultear said.

Juvia grinned. "Awesome."

"Oh boy," Lyon muttered. "Don't say I didn't warn you two."

Ultear rolled her eyes, and Gray scoffed.

Juvia hit play, and the soft chime of jingle bells started forming the background to the song, and Lyon stared at her in confusion, before looking pleased at her choice. Finally a choir of singers softly began to sing.

                                  We wish you a merry Christmas

                                  We wish you a merry Christmas,

                 We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

The jingle bells dropped out, distorting into heavier background music, and Juvia let her grin turn devilish as Lyon's shoulders sagged in resignation.

This time the voices were louder and more rough.

                                 We wish you a metal Christmas,

                                 We wish you a metal Christmas,

                   We wish you a metal Christmas and a happy New Year!

Drums erupted and a heavy electric guitar wailed.

                                                      YEAH!

Ultear stared at her in complete shock and Gray dropped an ornament as he practically jumped.

Juvia laughed as he spun around, giving her the most perplexed look. "You're into heavy metal?"

"Yep," Lyon replied for her, heaving a sigh.

"Seriously?" Ultear asked, raising her voice to be heard above the music. "You don't exactly seem like the type!"

Juvia responded by raising her hand in the air. Her fingers formed the sign of the horns and she banged her head along to the music. She caught Lyon rolling his eyes at her, but he sent her a small smirk anyways, and to her surprise, none of them complained.

[defectivegembrain]

pride month asks: 8, 10, 12, 17, 18, 27, 28

Thank you, this is really interesting, and I’m sorry it took me a while to get to this! Under the cut because it got long.

8. how do you feel about lgbtq roles in media? Well obviously I think we need more of them, but also better quality. Like, don’t just write to a stereotype, but it’s okay to fit some stereotypes, as long as it’s not their whole personality… just write people. Also more diversity, like more explicitly bisexual or pansexual characters, more trans characters, asexual/aromantic characters, etc. And no more dead lesbians. And we need more lgbtq actors playing these roles.

10. who has been your supportive idols in your self-discovery? Daaamn this one’s hard to answer without getting embarrassed. Okay so I used to be super into the band tatu. You know, the two girls who kissed for a gimmick, pretended to be gay? Yeaaaahhh. I was a teenager, feeling lonely and confused, and I came across their music and was like, yeah I can relate to this. Also Lena was freaking gorgeous. And I was heartbroken and it took so long to accept that it wasn’t real, but for a while it genuinely helped me not feel so alone. And I don’t necessarily blame the girls, because they started at a young age and their producer was sooo dodgy. But yeah, that was a phase I went through.

Another person who really influenced me was Ani DiFranco. Listening to her music taught me a lot and helped me cope with hard times. And I also went through a phase of obsessively seeking out lgbtq writers and such. Like, I read a lot of Carol Ann Duffy, read about Christina Rossetti’s (probably romantic) love for Susan Gilbert, one time I spent an evening reading an entire transcript of Oscar Wilde’s trial just because…history. History I’m connected to.

12. what sort of advice to have you lgbtq teens? Well, I’d want to say that it’s okay to not be sure of things. Take your time to find your label, or if you don’t want a label, that’s okay too. People love to tell lgbtq teens they’re just going through a phase. Sometimes that’s true, but they shouldn’t assume, and even when it is, it doesn’t mean the current feelings aren’t meaningful and important. It’s okay, you don’t have to know everything now. And if you do know, people should respect that too. This should all be on your terms.

Coming out should as well. Please don’t do it before you’re ready. You have no obligation to be out, and people who pressure you to do it are wrong. Please try to stay safe. If you’re still dependent on your parent or guardian, and you think they might remove that support, please try to wait until it’s safer to come out. I know it’s often hell in the closet, but you don’t want to open the door to a worse hell.

Internalised prejudice of various kinds take a lot of time and hard work to fight against, they may always be with you, but they can get better. Some things that have helped me are meeting other lgbtq people (even just online, making jokes among ourselves, that thing where we call good and neutral things gay instead of bad things, reading about internalised prejudice so I can be more aware of it when it happens, and just reminding myself that it’s okay to be this way. It’s good. Diversity is wonderful. It enriches humanity and the world. You’re not bad for being different.

Also, I know this is getting long, but this is important: please try not to fall for queerbaiting. I know sometimes it’s unavoidable. I did it for years (see above lol), and now I just don’t believe things will be canon until they are. I know that sounds cynical, but it’s easier occasionally being pleasantly surprised than getting hurt over and over. Please, the TV writers who slip in gay jokes and constantly hint but brush off questions about it, they’re not your friends. I’m not saying don’t watch that stuff or don’t enjoy your ships and headcanons, I still do that stuff too. But don’t depend on that when there are canon lgbtq characters out there, and writers who do care.

17. what’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to lgbtq characterization in media? Honestly? It’s the subtle stuff, like when they get to exist, but don’t get to be the main characters, or don’t get relationships or as much screen time or as relevant plots as the cis straight characters. Like at least when things are obviously offensive I can ignore that thing, or complain very clearly about it with less chance of being told I’m overreacting. But when a media thing has representation but there’s just something off about it, and it’s like come on, I know you can do better, it’s so frustrating.

For example, in Warehouse 13, Jinks is a good, well-developed character, but most of his relationship stuff happens off-screen. It’s the same with their version of H.G Wells, she’s a woman and it’s mentioned she’s been with both men and women (although they never actually say a sexuality of course). You see her with a man, but then when she’s with a woman it’s only mentioned and never seen. This is not done with the straight characters.

18. what’s your favorite parts of lgbtq characterization in media? Couples being cute together!

27. any tips for heterosexual and/or cisgender people on how to handle lgbtq events/news? Don’t make it about you. Don’t say things like “what about straight pride”. If you’re cis and straight, you can still go to pride and gay bars and such but be respectful, and recognise that it’s primarily not your space. And that some places are going to be exclusive to our community, and that’s not “heterophobic” or “cisphobic”, it’s just necessary because we are marginalised and are often not safe to be ourselves. This also applies across the community. Like, I’m cis, and that means trans stuff isn’t about me. I can listen and support trans people, but I can’t go into their spaces or claim I know how they feel.

And like, this applies across the community too: be open to criticism. Don’t just say “well, I’m an ally” and think that means anything you do or say is fine. Just because you intended something to be supportive doesn’t mean it is. Like, with lgbtq news, once example is when steps are made in marriage equality, and someone goes like “yay now (insert slash ship) can get married!” Yeah, don’t do that. This is about real people, and that trivialises it. Just because you support marriage equality doesn’t make it okay. I know you think you’re just having fun, but this is serious to us.

28. what’s the most annoying question you have ever gotten? “If you get a girlfriend, can I watch?” And I’m fairly sure he didn’t mean watch us hold hands and declare our love. Guys, don’t do this. Not even as a joke. Our sexuality is not for your consumption.

[courtneysmovieblog]

Mini Reviews: “John Wick” is the best damn Keanu Reeves movie ever

I had better luck with cool movies on TV than I did with cool new trailers for this months.  Let’s get started with the one in the title:

John Wick: Screw The Matrix, this is the best movie Keanu Reeves has made since Bill and Ted!  And it provides us with an awesome new litmus test: if a person thinks that he “overreacts” about the mob guys killing his puppy, this person is someone you should not even know.  Now I might actually want to see the sequel -- except his new dog better not die this time.

The Young Victoria: Emily Blunt shines as one of England’s most renowned monarchs.  This one also has a cute dog -- but don’t worry, he doesn’t die.

The King and I: Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic musical about the King of Siam (Yul Brynner) clashing with the English schoolteacher (Deborah Kerr).  One of Brynner’s best performances, and proof that even ill-tempered bald guys can be attractive.

Annie (remake): “Little Q” is adorable, but I didn’t like this so much.  Cameron Diaz is no Carol Burnett.

School Ties: In the 1950s, a Jewish newcomer (Brendan Fraser) to an elite boarding school faces bigotry from his WASP classmates.  This one of those movies that’s good, yet makes you furious at the same time.  I know it takes place in the 1950s, but the degree that those boys took anti-semitism was just disgusting.

Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No-Good Very Bad Day: I read the book when I was a kid, and this movie changes A LOT.  It was cute though.

The Book of Life: A refreshingly original animated film where a deceased aspiring musician (voiced by Diego Luna) journeys through the Mexican underworld to reunite with his true love (voiced by Zoe Saldana).  It was definitely worth all the hype you heard about it two years ago.

Lucy: I guess this will have to do for a Black Widow until Marvel finally gets the stones to make it.

Beaches: Yes, I saw the Lifetime remake, but trust me, this original one with Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler was way better.

The Musketeer: Another version of The Three Musketeers, and guess what?  This one sucks too!  Almost as dumb as the Logan Luhrman one!