#everybody clap and cheer for tina!!!!!

[flaine]

GLEEFUL PAINTBOX PROJECT | Tina Cohen-Chang

“My name is Tina! Tina. Cohen. Chang.” ↳ insp

[br1ghtestlight]

tina and zeke in this chapter are not flirting and not NOT flirting but a secret third thing (making everybody around them uncomfortable)

[official-weasley]

Meant to Be (Charlie Weasley x OC)

What happens when Bill brings home a girl and Charlie is completely awestruck by her?

WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol, cursing, nothing besides some adorable Charlie & Bill bonding 🤗

Chapter 17

Charlie

It's been a few weeks since Rhylee and I fought. It didn't make matters better for us but at least she has been coming to work on time and we can function properly as a group. The only time she spoke to me alone was when she told me that the Ministry sent her the date of the trial.

I offered to accompany her but she declined immediately. I didn't press the matter further as I saw I was getting nowhere. She had her good days but the bad days outweighed them. I felt sorry for her and even more, I felt helpless. I didn't know how to help her even though I still wanted to.

I know she needed help. She needed someone to talk to her. This was getting way out of hand and the feeling I got that all of her behavior had a deeper meaning behind it grew stronger. She kept disappearing the second we finished work Merlins knows where and I ran out of places to search for her.

Did I feel like giving up?

No.

But did I have a choice?

I don't even know anymore.

I thought about talking to Bill about it but I couldn't see how he could help me. He would just say that I should tell her how I feel but me being in love with her can't fix whatever she is going through.

I miss her so much. It's the strangest feeling when she is standing a few meters away from me, pretending to be deep in work, clearly preoccupied with her thoughts, and I miss her. I miss her energy and her spark and love for work and dragons. She lost all of that and it seems as if she is only drifting further away. I was genuinely afraid for her but I just didn't know what to do.

I have never been in a situation like this with a friend before and I don't know anyone who has. I don't know if this was because of her prick boyfriend or because of the trial, even though she told me it went great and they are waiting for the date of the next one. I hated that I couldn't figure her out. That I couldn't read her mind and do something about her sorrow.

—

I woke up one morning from what seemed like another sleepless night. I know that I shouldn't beat myself so much over this and move on with my life. Everyone was telling me to do so but I can't. When you love someone as much as I love her, you don't just let them go, you fight for them.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I moved the curtain that was keeping my bedroom dark and looked outside. Cloudy. Why is it never sunny on my day off? I laid back down and stared at the ceiling. What can I do? Where can I take her to make her smile? Just for a second if I can't get more out of her. How can I make her talk to me and make her trust me on a level where she would tell me what is making her so miserable?

A knock on the door made me lift my head. I got up and went to grab some pants. Did I miscalculate? Was I supposed to work today?

I stopped in the doorway of my bedroom and covered my eyes with my hand. Even though the sun was hidden behind clouds the brightness of my living room still hurt my eyes. Someone knocked again.

“Coming!” I announced myself.

Give me a break whoever you are.

I opened the door and swallowed my words. It was Bill, with the biggest grin plastered over his face. He was holding something behind his back. I take it all back. Merlin, was I happy to see him!

“Bill! What are you doing here?” I gestured for him to come inside.

“I took the liberty to write to Peter to see when you have a day off.” I didn’t think his grin could get any bigger but it did. He revealed two bottles of Fire Whiskey from behind his back. “I think it’s time we celebrate me being engaged!”

“I thought the day would never come!” He stepped inside and I closed the door behind him.

He walked over to the kitchen table and placed the bottles down.

“I know I wrote it in at least three letters but damn Bill, congratulations!” I pulled him into a hug and tapped him on the back twice. “I am so fucking proud of you!”

“Thank you!” He bowed his head for a second, thinking he could hide the fact that my complement made him blush. “Now,” he clapped his hands together, “how about we get absolutely hammered!”

“I thought you’d never ask!” We each took a bottle and without even getting ourselves a glass we sat down on the sofa.

“So, what’s up with you? How are your children?” He smugged.

“They’re great. Can you believe that Aami is now fully confident about jumping in the air?” I said proudly.

“I knew you could do it! Any signs of him willing to fly?” He took a sip from his bottle.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.” “But he’s happy and healthy, right?” Bill asked.

“Yeah. It’s a she actually.” I laughed. “Tina miscalculated something.”

“Aww, you got yourself a girlfriend, Charlie!” He beamed at me.

“Who would’ve thought! It’s a miracle!” I joked.

We both fell silent for a few moments and I decided to take a leap of faith and tell him about Rhylee. I was getting desperate and the feeling in my chest, the feeling of me being helpless was killing me.

“I have to tell you something.” I took a swig. “You remember the party in August?” Bill hummed to indicate he was following what I was saying. “I slept with Rhylee.”

Just saying it out loud in front of him made me want to gulp down the entire bottle. I hated that my wireless broke down as it was suddenly too silent for my liking.

“I knew it would happen!” Bill jumped in his seat, turning to me. “I am proud of you little brother. Finally making a move.”

“She told Nick.” I lifted my hand to stop his excitement.

“You’re joking?” He frowned.

“And he said that he would forgive her as long as she stops talking to me.” I sighed.

I was not drunk enough to have this conversation.

“And let me guess…” Bill pinched his nose. “She did and she’s still with him.” I simply nodded.

“Charlie, why am I only hearing about this now?” He raised his voice at me.

“Because I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone what happened between us and I never thought it would go this far.” I answered truthfully.

“This far?”

“I don’t know what’s going on with her, Bill. Usually, I could read her like a book but I just can’t seem to figure her out. She distanced herself from everybody. She doesn’t talk to any of us. She lost weight which means she’s not eating and she always looks as if she’s on the verge of tears.” I don’t think one bottle of Whiskey’s going to be enough for me to ignore the aching feeling in my chest.

“Charlie, you have to tell her how you feel. She can’t stay with him. Nobody deserves to be so woeful.” He took a sip of his Fire Whiskey and melted into my sofa.

“I can’t, Bill. Would it be strange if I say that I think she’s enjoying her suffering?” Bill lifted his head, a puzzled look on his face.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Charlie.” Bill shook his head in confusion.

“I didn’t think about it at first. But I know she’s not happy with him and it doesn’t make any sense why she would stay. I have been going at it in my head for weeks.” I clinked my bottle against his to remind him that he’s is not drinking nearly as much as I am.

“Do you think he has something on her?” Bill asked.

“Like blackmail?” I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I don’t even think this has anything to do with him.”

“I am not following you, Charlie.” He blinked at me.

“Trust me, I know it doesn’t make any sense. But something has to be going on with her and it’s killing me that she doesn’t want to talk to me about it.” I pressed my fingers into my eyes.

“So you did try and talk to her?” Bill wanted to know.

“Of course I did. I try every day but to no avail. She completely shut down, Bill.” I ran my hand across my face.

“I still think you should tell her how you feel.” He pursed his lips at me.

“Bill, we slept together twice…” I lifted two of my fingers. “Don’t you think she would know by now?”

“Charlie, no offense but you slept with quite a lot of girls.” He lifted his eyebrows at me, a smirk on his face. “Perhaps she thinks that she’s just another…”

“Don’t even go there.” I put my hand over his mouth. “It wasn’t just sex Bill and she knows it. I don’t know how to explain it to you and I am not sure I want to with the way you are looking at me.” I rolled my eyes.

“Okay, okay. Only you know what really happened.” He tried calming me down. “Look, if you still feel as you described to me when you came to see me in London and you think she feels the same, you have to do something about it, Charlie.” He put his hand on my shoulder.

“I know this isn’t a fairytale and she might be having other problems so love can’t fix everything but I know you won’t stop until you get to the bottom of this. I know you care too much to do so and I still think she will leave that Nick guy and end up with you, one way or another.”

“So you’re saying to just be patient and keep nagging her until she tells me what’s wrong?” I summed up what he was saying.

It was practically what I was doing already.

“I guess. I am sorry I can’t be of better help.” A sad expression painted his face.

“It’s okay. Just talking to you about it helps.” I gave out a weak smile.

“Now, can we stop being so miserable and drink faster and talk about something more cheerful.” I raised my bottle in the air and he followed my lead.

Even though he briefly explained it in his letters, Bill finally got the chance to tell me how he proposed to Fleur. I thought I was going to cry, it was beautiful and it came as no surprise that she said yes before he even finished his cheesy speech about how much he loves her.

They were planning on having the wedding next August and Bill expressed his annoyance about mum not liking his fiancé. I don’t know why she is so against her, can’t she see her son is happy?

I remember when Bill brought Rhylee home and mum was over the moon to meet her, why does she think now that Fleur isn’t good enough for him?

I visited them a few times when they invited me for dinner and she was just lovely and nothing but nice. I was confident that mum would have to come around sooner or later. She can’t stop Bill from being with the love of his life.

We emptied our bottles sooner than we would like to admit and it became evident that Bill is sleeping on my sofa tonight. Somewhere, halfway through our bottles, it dawned on us that perhaps it would be a good idea if we ate something.

Cooking while being tipsy, especially Bill, whose cooking skills missed his genes, was the funniest thing I have done in a while. If anyone would be watching us, they would think we were insane and would be waiting with their wands in their hands, ready to extinguish the fire that was bound to erupt sooner or later.

It didn’t surprise us that we burnt both the meat and the potatoes but due to how drunk we were, we didn’t care much for the taste.

When we moved our party back to the living room, Bill thought it would be funny if I would have to name every single girl I ever slept with. He was crying, laughing so much. I, on the other hand, was getting a headache thinking hard about the few girls I took home over the years, as I simply couldn’t recall more than a face.

“Next time I need to bing more bolles.” Bill’s tongue was giving him away of how drunk he was as he picked up his empty bottle and looked through the hole to see why nothing was coming out.

“Seriously, how didn’t you think of this sooner?” I was surprised that I could still speak normally.

Perhaps, I should start drinking less.

“Oh, shit!” Bill suddenly stood up, his hands cupping his face, eyes widened as if he just remembered something really important. “I fogot, Chalie!”

“What did you forget, Bill?” I couldn’t hold in the chuckle that was tickling my throat.

The way he spoke was just too funny.

“I fogot to ask you!” He pointed his finger at me, still standing up. Barely, but he was standing up.

“Ask me what?” I encouraged him, ready to get on my feet and grab him in case he would begin to fall.

“Will you…” He hiccupped. “…Charles Weasley…” He got all dramatic. “Be my maid of honor?” I burst out laughing.

What in the bloody hell was he saying?

“Only if I can wear a pretty dress.” I joked and pulled him back on the sofa.

“Wait…” He scratched his forehead, staring at the wall opposite us. “That doesn’t sound right.”

“It sure doesn’t.” I couldn’t stop laughing, he was the center of the party when he was drunk.

“Bill, are you asking me to be your best man?” I knew what he was asking me before and I couldn’t believe that he was.

We were best friends and we got over what happened between us but this was still a great honor to me and I was too drunk to be so emotional right now so I decided to mess with him a little.

“Yes!” He exclaimed and lifted his hand for me to give him a high-five. “Will you, Chalie?”

He leaned his head against the sofa and looked at me. His expression serious all of a sudden, waiting for my answer. He seemed nervous. He couldn’t possibly think that I would say no.

I stood up and picked up one of the Fire Whiskey bottles from the coffee table. I placed it in front of my mouth as if I was about to speak into it and looked him dead in the eyes.

“I, Charles Weasley,” I started in a dramatic voice, “will be your maid of honor, William Weasley!” Bill started clapping as if he has just seen the best performance of his life and I bowed as he continued cheering.

I sat back down and I couldn’t help but grin when I saw how happy it made him. Of course, I would love to be his best man. It might just be my biggest achievement besides being a Dragonologist.

I woke up in my bed the next day, surprisingly without a headache. I found Bill sound asleep on the sofa. I wasn’t so sure, he’s not going to have one so I decided to be as quiet as possible and I took a shower. I made him some breakfast and coffee and the smell of eggs finally woke him up.

Bill didn’t drink as much as I did. His job was more serious than mine so he didn’t have that much time to unwind and have some fun. I was glad he had the opportunity to do so with me.

He left after breakfast, trying to convince me again to talk to Rhylee and tell her how I feel. I told him I will think about it even though I already knew I won’t do it. Ever since I started falling for her, I imagined I would ask her out, take her for a hike and have a picnic with her and tell her how I feel.

I know I might be a fool, but I still had hope that we might end up together. I couldn’t help myself. I know it would destroy me if I knew there was no chance of us being together and I just couldn’t think about that.

[notyourdayrdream]

Summer’s Almost Over (So Come Spend it with Me)

Tan Hands and Tan Lines Day Four Side A: Tenacious

read it here on AO3

By the time Blaine pulled up to Tina’s house, the sun was already beginning to set past the horizon. They were gonna be late.

When Rachel invited him to her fourth of July barbecue a week ago, he had actually been excited. He had only met a few of the New Directions, and they were nice, but this time he was hoping to win them all over. It was summer, and their show choir rivalry was over for the year. Besides, he was dating their teammate, and that had to count for something.

As the date grew closer though, he felt that familiar knot in the pit of his stomach. Blaine knew how important the group was to Kurt. They were his second family, and their approval of him would mean a lot. He couldn’t screw this up.

So Blaine made the best peach cobbler he could, wrapped it in tin foil and set it in the passenger seat of his car. Of course he didn’t have to bring anything, but first (or second) impressions were everything. He settled for a more casual look, an open graphic button down and dark green swim trunks. He gelled his hair down only a little, knowing it would probably wash out anyway.

And he told Tina that he could drive her there. Apparently, he would pass her neighborhood on the ride to Lima anyway. She didn’t have to know he got hopelessly lost trying to find her house.

She was one of the club members Blaine hadn’t officially met yet. They talked briefly at prom for his performance, but that was it. She seemed nice, if not a little stand-offish around him.

He tapped the horn twice, and it took another minute or so for her to come out of the front door. She had on a long black skirt and a black bikini top. Kurt did mention that she liked the color.

“We had to bring something?” She said instead of a hello, sliding into the passenger seat and setting the cobbler in her lap. “Ooh, it’s still warm.” Her eyelids were covered in sparkly blue eyeshadow, eyeliner perfectly winged.

“No, um. It was just the…nice thing to do?” He offered, feeling suddenly self conscious about the decision. She nodded and pulled out her phone, typing at a rapid speed. They pulled out of the driveway and back onto the main road in relative silence.

They just passed the ‘Welcome to Lima!’ sign when Tina exclaimed, “Oh! I made you this.” She pressed a bracelet into his wrist, which he grabbed at the next stoplight.

It said his name on it, spelled out with alternating black and white beads. The band was made of thin red rope, and there were tiny bird and bowtie pins attached. It was a friendship bracelet.

While Blaine was stunned to silence, Tina rushed to explain. “I just thought, y’know since you’re dating Kurt, you’re basically an honorary New Directions member.”

“I made one for everybody, I think they’re starting to catch on,” she added with a wink.

“You made this?” Blaine squaked. He slid it onto his wrist before making a right at the intersection. There were ties on the end, and after some adjustments it fit snugly.

She shrugged. “Yeah, well Kurt had some say in it too,” Tina said. Blaine’s heart swelled, because of course he did. “But I made the bowtie charm out of some recycled plastic.”

“Thank you so much, Tina.” Blaine grinned at her. He saw her pale skin blush out of the corner of his eye.

“He really cares about you,” she said, tugging at her own bracelet. It was lime green, popping against her various shades of black. “I mean, he cried when he came back to McKinley, he missed you so much.” Blaine grinned at that and filed it in his mind for things to tease Kurt about when they were older.

“He told me that you saved his life,” she continued.

Blaine gasped quietly to himself at that. He never knew Kurt was hurting so bad. To say that he saved his life meant a lot. It meant everything, actually.

“So if you ever hurt him, I’ll kill you.” Tina made a slicing motion at her neck, deathly serious. “Or burn your bowties, whichever hurts more.” She laughed at her own threat, and Blaine couldn’t help but laugh too.

Once she sobered up, Tina messed with the radio until ‘Love on Top’ by Beyoncé blared from the car’s speakers. They glanced at each other, eyes gleaming with an unspoken challenge of who could do the most modulations.

By the time the car pulled up to Rachel’s house, they had talked their way through all of the released Marvel movies. Tina ranted about how Thor was hot, dyed eyebrows and all. They exchanged numbers and made plans to watch Captain America on opening night.

They were just under an hour late, the sun replaced by the moon and stars. A few porch lights were still on, and cars pulled into driveways after long days at work. Still, Blaine could hear a pounding base coming from the backyard. He opened the back gate for Tina and stepped onto cool concrete.

“There you guys are! We were getting worried!” Rachel cried, wrapping Tina and then Blaine into a hug. Quinn followed behind and took the dessert from his hands. Rachel shouted to the rest of the group, “Tina and Blaine are here!” Everyone waved and cheered, Puck clapping him on the back as he walked by.

“It’s okay, we had a lot of fun.” Tina smiled and wrapped an arm around Blaine’s neck. And yeah, he realized, they really did. Between singing along to the Top 40 radio station and talking about the ridiculous things both of their boyfriends have done, he hadn’t even noticed that his anxiety about the night had left him somewhere along the highway. He had made a friend without having to put on some sort of mask.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. “Could I have my boyfriend now?” Kurt said from behind them, feigning annoyance. Tina poked his ribs before sliding off and crouching above Mike, who swam over to her.

Blaine felt the blood rush to his face at the sight of his boyfriend with no shirt on. His pale skin was wet and his blue shorts clung to his legs. Yeah, they’ve made out quite a few times, but they never went past second base. He never knew Kurt’s arms did that when he moved.

“Hi. You look, I mean…” When words failed, Blaine opted for kissing him quickly on the cheek. Kurt rolled his eyes fondly and took his hand, leading them to a lawn chair.

“How’d it go?” He asked, whipping his dripping wet hair back off his forehead. He wrung his hands together as he waited for an answer.

“Awh, you’re nervous,” Blaine teased.

Kurt huffed but didn’t deny it, instead rolling his eyes for the second time that night. “Be quiet and answer me.”

“How am I supposed to be quiet and answer you?”

“Blaine.”

“It was fine, Tina’s great.” He threw his wrist into Kurt’s view. “She made me this.” Even though they had only officially met an hour ago, Blaine felt the need to brag about her handiwork.

“Yeah well, Tina’s tenacious about these things,” Kurt muttered, fixing the collar on Blaine’s shirt. His own bracelet dangled off his left wrist. Without looking too hard, Blaine spotted what looked like a tiny slice of cheesecake as a charm. Tina would have to teach him how to make those.

“I heard she had some help,” Blaine whispered, setting his hands around Kurt’s waist to pull him closer.

“Oh yeah?” Kurt smirked. His eyes darted up to his boyfriend’s eyes then back to his lips in a sort of triangle. They both leaned in and began to close their eyes, until they felt water hit their thighs.

Santana splashed them again with water from her pool float. “Ewww, get a room, Leprechaun Gays!” They flipped her off in sync. She cackled and pushed her sunglasses off her face. Blaine was starting to understand the faces Kurt made whenever she was mentioned.

Kurt chuckled behind his hand. “Okay, let’s go get some food before it’s all gone, you know how Finn eats. Mercedes’ dad made burgers.”

Blaine shook his head and layed on the chair. “Can we just stay here for a bit?” He made grabby hands at Kurt, even if it was totally embarrassing.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked, but still nuzzling into his chest. Height difference be damned. “Did Tina say something to you?”

Blaine kissed the top of Kurt’s head. “Nah. I just really love you is all.”

[autumnleaves1991-blog]

Day 5: “Thanks for lending me your jacket.” - Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia

A/N: Okay I understand Christmas is over but I still had to finish the 12 days of Christmas challenge and I skipped over day five and never came back till today! Here is day five written for my fellow Santi lover @itspdameronthings​. 

Thank you for reading, reblogging, commenting, and liking! 

Pairing: Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia x Single Mom Reader 

Warning: 18 + for language, single mom, kids

My Masterlist 

Day 5: "Thanks for lending me your jacket." - Santiago 'Pope' Garcia

 The door to the ballet studio slams open, and Frankie hustles inside with his four-year-old daughter Mia in tow. The other moms all smile at him as he shuffles her off to the other children, and she gets in line and starts warm-ups. He wipes the sweat off his forehead and readjusts his hat falling down into the seat next to you. 

"What did I miss?" he asks, and you laugh. 

"Well, Minnie's mom was talking about how she caught her husband sleeping with the nanny. But, she isn't going to say anything because he had her sign a prenup, and she would get nothing. Oh, and Peter's mom has been talking nonstop about her upcoming surgery. Apparently, you lean toward him conspiratorially, "she is getting some new," you gesture across your chest, and he laughs. 

You and Frankie had met six months ago when you both enrolled your daughters in dance class. Being the only single parents and the only ones whose daily life wouldn't be on an episode of Wives of Orange County, you, two, had bonded instantly. You had even been out on a date, but it quickly became apparent you were just meant to be friends. Your daughters had connected instantly and become best friends. Mia and Harper were inseparable.

"What about Tina's mom? Did she get the nose job?" he asks, looking around the room, and you laugh. 

"I think so; it's their nanny again," you point over at the strict-looking woman reading a magazine in the corner, and he nods smiling. 

"So," he claps a hand over your leg, "Are we still on for the tree lighting thing this weekend? The kids perform at seven, so I thought we could all meet up for dinner at the Brewery down the street like five-fifteen or so." 

"Yeah, that sounds great! Harper is so excited about dancing for a crowd, she is turning out to be quite the diva." 

"I know what you mean; Mia is the same way! I was wondering...would you mind if Mia's godfather joins us on Saturday? He's in town from Columbia for the holiday and is going to be staying with us. I've been talking about you, and he says he wants to meet his replacement." 

"His replacement?"

"Oh, he is fully convinced that I've replaced him with you as my best friend," he chuckles. 

You laugh, and both of you get glares from the other dance moms. "That's fine with me. What's he like?" 

"Well...how do you describe Pope, well his name is Santiago, but I've been calling him Pope since the Delta Force days. He is loyal, hardworking, and a complete and total slut. I bet you fifty bucks he will flirt with you the whole night." 

You snort, "With me?" 

"Come on, you're gorgeous. Honestly, you are just his type."

"Yeah, all except for one little issue," you point towards your daughter, who smiles at your brightly as she tries to do a pirouette. 

"Oh, that won't deter him at all; he loves Mia. I'm sure Harper will have him wrapped around her finger too by the end of the night." He smiles at you, and you nod. 

"Okay, I guess I will have to meet this friend of yours and see if he's worthy of the title." Frankie looks at you, quizzically, "Oh sorry, the title of the best friend, it has to be earned." He laughs, and you both hush as the teacher looks at you both sternly, causing you to erupt in a fit of giggles, Frankie digging his elbow into your side as he covers his smile with his hand. 

The week passes quickly, and it's the weekend before you know it. The Brewery's parking lot is packed, and a light dusting of snow lies upon the ground. You pull Harper from her car seat, and she babbles away at you about everything. The change in temperature from the outside to the inside is stifling, and you loosen your scarf, cursing under your breath about forgetting your coat. The red dress beneath it shimmers in the light, complete with black leggings tucked into your black boots. 

"HARPER!" a shrill voice screams from across the room. Your daughter takes off across the room and into the arms of Mia, who is jumping up and down. You smile at the two and make your way over to the table, hugging Frankie. 

"Where is this so-called best friend of yours?" you tease, moving into the booth across from him. 

"Oh, Pope went to the restroom; he should be back in a few minutes. Why? Excited to meet him?" he teases, and you smile. 

"No, just curious, I wonder if-" the words die against your lips as you watch the most beautiful man come towards your table. With salt and pepper curls, clean-shaven, soft juicy lips, and the darkest expressive brown eyes that twinkle in amusement wrapped up in a dark tan wrapping. 

"Holy shit," you whisper under your breath, but of course, Harper hears. 

"Mommy! Swear jar!" she sings, grinning at you, and you glare at her before watching the man slide in the empty chair across from you. 

"So this is the famous Y/N that Frankie won't stop talking about. I must say his words do not do you justice; you're stunning," he holds a hand out to shake, and when you touch, the electricity crackles, and you quickly withdraw your hand. 

His smile fades, and he just watches you. You could get lost in the depth of his eyes, and Frankie coughs loudly to break the tension. You look away and turn to Harper, figuring out what she wants for dinner. The waiter comes a few minutes later, and you all order. The girls get Mac N cheese and chicken nuggets, knowing them they will end up sharing all the food. 

"Uhm, I will take the jalapeno cream cheeseburger with the black bean patty, please, and the House Amber on draft please," the waiter takes your orders and walks off. 

You try really hard not to openly stare at Santiago, but he doesn't take notice, never taking his eyes off you. "So, tell me about yourself," you take a sip of your beer and finally look at him, his lips turned up into a wide grin. You spend most of the dinner conversing with Santiago while Frankie keeps the two girls occupied. You don't miss the not so subtle wink he sends your way as you almost choke on your beer. 

"Are you okay?" Frankie comes around and pats you hard on the back. "You're flirting," he teases quietly next to your ear, and you hiss at him to shut up, glaring. “You owe me fifty bucks,” he laughs. 

He grins triumphantly as he retakes his seat and checks his watch. "Okay, everybody, we got to get going over to the tree lighting. Girls, finish up and get your coats on. "I'll get the bill tonight." 

"Frankie! I can pay for myself-" 

"I insist," he says, putting a hand to his chest, "come on, girls. Ah, don't look at me like that; you can get the next one." Harper hugs you before grabbing Frankie's outstretched hand and going to pay. 

"Are you two dating?" Santiago asks bluntly. "Or fucking?" 

You laugh, "Uhm, no, Frankie really just is my best friend. We tried going on a date once, and it was like dating my brother." 

He chuckles, "yes, I can imagine that would be awkward. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, are you single?" 

"Why do you want to know," you rise and grab your purse, and he stands to offer his hand. You look at it and then back up to see the small smile on his face. Taking his hand, he intertwines your fingers and leads you outside. You look and see Frankie and the girls already halfway to the tree lighting, and you grin at Frankie's not so subtle matchmaking skills. 

"Looks like they left without us," Santiago laughs, tugging your hand into the crook of his elbow and taking off at a more leisurely pace. You shiver as light snowflakes begin to fall. Cascading the area into a winter wonderland. He stops walking and shrugs out of his thick overcoat, and hands it to you. 

"I can't take your coat," you try to refuse, but he grabs your arm and puts it on you like you would your daughter. "I…" the argument dies on your lips as he gives you a playful glare. "Thanks for lending me your jacket." 

"Now, you're just going to have to keep me warm." You laugh together, and he retakes your hand and intertwines your fingers. "So about what I said earlier? Are you seeing anyone?" 

"Would I be holding hands and flirting with you all night if I was? Do you think I'm that type of woman?" He quickly throws his hands up and shakes his head no. 

"No, no, that's not...I just, shit, I am fucking this up, aren't I?" 

"No," you chuckle, "But I'm having fun watching you try. Frankie told me you were a huge flirt, and I should watch out for you. I like what I have seen so far, and you are incredibly handsome with a nice butt. So yes, I am single. Now, what are you going to do about it." 

You both arrive at the tree lighting and look for Frankie, who waves you over near the doorway to the community center. He smiles at you, both seeing your hands intertwined and raising one eyebrow. "The girls are with their instructor there going to go on in about ten minutes. Also, remember that Frankie is the perfect name for a boy." 

Santiago punches him in the arm, and Frankie laughs. "Shut up, Frankie," you scoff. "I'm going to go get some hot chocolate inside. Do you want anything?" 

"I'll come with you," Santi follows close, still holding your hand as you wait inside for hot cocoa and cookies. "You asked me what am I am going to do about it?" 

You nod, looking at him, "Yeah, and did you decide?" You take a step forward as the line moves. 

"Yes, right about now," he dips you, and you give a little yelp as he plants his lips onto yours. His lips are warm and soft, and you melt into the kiss as the small crowd cheers around you. When he brings you back up, you feel lightheaded and swoon a little, but he catches you laughing. "Sorry, the moment was just too perfect," he points up, and you smile at the mistletoe hanging overhead. 

"Well, wouldn't want to waste perfectly good mistletoe," you kiss him again, and he responds. Running his hands over your waist as you wrap your arms around his neck, deepening it. 

"Excuse me? Are you still in line for hot chocolate?" An older man taps Santi's shoulder, and you break away giggling, burying your face in his neck. 

"No, sir, I think we're going to skip the hot chocolate; I got something sweeter right here." 

The older man blushes before moving around you, and you both burst out laughing before he kisses you again. The emcee from outside begins the program, and you shout, running and dragging Santi behind you. Frankie looks at you both and just shakes his head laughing. "What's so funny?" you ask. 

"Nothing, I just never realized that red was your color, Pope," he teases, and you look at Santi, shocked before you laugh and quickly grab a wipe from your purse and wipe it off. You wipe off your own lipstick, and both men watch, amused. 

"What now?" you huff. 

"Why are you wiping off your own lipstick?" Frankie questions smiling.

"Oh, I am kissing him a lot more before this night is over. The last thing I need is the Spanish Inquisition from my daughter about why the nice man from the restaurant is wearing my lipstick." Santiago's lips turn up into a smile before he kisses you again, and you pull back smiling at Frankie, who has his mouth agape. 

"I am really looking forward to kissing you more, but can I also take you out for dinner tomorrow night? Maybe Frankie can watch Harper?" Frankie nods, agreeing with the plan. 

You kiss him again as the ballet music starts, "I would really love that." 

Taglist: @oldstuffnewstuff​ @yespolkadotkitty​ @heythere-mel​ @justanotherblonde23​ @artsymaddie​ @anetteaneta​ @lunarthoughts​ @aellynera​ @lucifer-​ @houseofthirst​ @phoenixhalliwell​ @chicken-ona-stick​ @josepedropascal​ @letoartreiides​ @revolution-starter​

[jugxbets]

ALS Chapter Two continued pt 1

Alex scoffed. Jughead noticed.

"How about you? Everything okay with you and that new girl?" He asked.

"No. She's a spoiled, bitch who'll whine if she doesn't get what she wants." Alex coldly said.

"Oh, so you hate her because she's just like you?" Jughead teased.

She playfully nudged him and laughed. "Shut up."

When she heard Moose say that Kevin was with him, she turned around to look at him to give him a wink. He nervously smiled in response.

Then she looked back at her table. Their assignment was to dissect a dead frog.

"And what are suppose to learn from doing this?" she asked, disgusted.

"I have no clue, but should be an easy A, smarty pants."

She laughed.

Then the 'living mannequins' interrupted.

"So, if you're here, does that mean you're smarter than Archie?" Ginger asked.

Alex blinked.

"What does it matter?" She shrugged.

They shrugged. "So are you guys like a thing?" Tina joined Ginger on her '21 questions' game.

Alex blushed while Jughead shuffled in his seat awkwardly.

"U-uh, no." Alex shook her head as she chuckled.

The girls smirked.

Their attention then went to Cheryl, who was cutting open a frog a little more aggressive than needed.

They gasped when they saw her stab it and move the scalpel down its body.

That caused Alex and Jughead to glance at Cheryl with their brows furrowed.

The class went on.

Jughead and Alex messed around most of the time but got the assignment done.

It was time for them to go to the rest of their classes. Most of them had the same schedule.

Then it was lunch time. Betty, Kevin, Alex, and Veronica were walking across the football field with their lunches in their arms.

"So, what did Moose want?" Veronica asked, taking the words out of Alex's mouth as she was about to ask the same thing.

"Oh, my god, I don't even think he knows." Kevin admitted.

The girls giggled.

He went on to talk about Moose. Alex was annoyed by the fact at how everyone was forgiving Veronica so quickly.

"Okay, well, I ship it." Veronica chuckled.

"Well, of course, you would. You're a big city girl with loose morals."

Alex snickered. She loved how shady Kevin could be.

Then he continued to talk about Moose.

"...part of me wishes he would just stay in the darn closet." Kevin absentmindedly said.

Alex cringed. Probably shouldn't have said closet, she thought.

It got awkward real fast. Especially when he tried to clarify that he didn't mean a literal closet.

Alex went around the table to sit next to Archie.

"Archie!" Veronica basically shouted.

Alex glared at her.

"Any new material you wanna try out in a very forgiving audience?" She asked.

"Not all of us are forgiving." Alex pointed out with a smirk.

Veronica's face went blank.

"I..." Archie began to protest.

"Please?" Veronica pleaded.

"Would you? I'd love to hear it." Betty said as she put in her best smile.

Alex sighed. She desperately wanted to change the subject.

"Give me the guitar." Alex said as she put her hands out.

"Why?" Archie questioned as he passed it to her.

"I'll play, you sing." She said, strumming the guitar. It threw her off.

"Okay, first of all, this is out of tune."

He chuckled. She tuned it and made Archie proceed with his song.

He grabbed his journal. "I'm still working on the lyrics, so..." he made sure everybody knew.

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it." Alex said, ready to play.

She began strumming the guitar. Archie started to sing.

He barely got through the chorus when Alex noticed that Betty was crying.

Kevin and Veronica clapped when he finished.

"Betty, are you okay?" Alex asked concerned.

Then everyone else looked at her.

She let out a humorless chuckle.

"I'm supposed to say, 'yes.' That's what the nice girl always but.." she said, as her voice broke. She got up. "No, I'm not. I want to be, I thought I could be. But it's too much, too fast."

"Archie.." she sobbed.

"Betty.." Archie sympathetically said.

She walked off.

Alex nudged Archie. "Go after her, idiot."

He put his journal down and did what his sister told him to.

Both Kevin and Alex glared at Veronica. It filled her with guilt.

"Guys, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" She desperately asked.

"Until Betty believes you." Alex hissed.

She put Archie's guitar down and stormed off.

She went inside. She wandered down the empty halls. Everyone's lunch period was at this time so no one was really present in the hallways at the moment.

Her mood changed when she walked by Jason's locker. It changed from mild anger to complete sadness. It was surrounded by cards, candles, and flowers. She tried not to let her feel any kind of sympathy for the Blossoms but it was hard to do that now that it's been clarified that he was murdered.

She sighed heavily as she thought about him.

She continued walking towards her locker. She needed her books for her last class.

"You miss me?" She heard a familiar voice say.

She turned around only to see Chuck.

She smiled. "Of course."

He reached in for a kiss, which she returned. He pulled her closer to him by her tiny waist.

He pushed her against the lockers gently.

She grunted when her back hit the cool metal. She smirked while her lips were still intertwined with his.

He pulled back, still keeping her body in place.

"Come to my house later?" He smirked. "My dad'll be working late."

She hesitated to answer. She knew what he wanted and she wasn't sure she was going to give it to him.

It had only been a few weeks but she was crushing on him hard. He told her he felt the same but that they couldn't date because his father wouldn't allow it with it being football season and all. So he convinced her to keep their "fooling around" a secret.

"Um, I'll have to see. I might have homework, so..." she trailed off.

He chuckled. "You can say no if you don't want to."

"No, I do." She nervously chuckled. "I'll go. After cheer practice.”

He smiled. "See you then."

He pecked her on the lips before walking off.

She went back to her locker and closed it.

Weatherbee snuck up behind her.

"Alexandria."

She gasped as she turned around to face him.

"Yes?" She responded.

"Can I talk to you about your brother for a moment?" He asked.

"Uh, sure." She said as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Let's step into my office."

She nodded. He lead the way.

She had just been there this morning, what did he want?

He cleared his throat once they were sitting across each other.

"Has Archibald been acting weird lately?" Weatherbee got right into it.

Alex was taken back by his question. She raised an eyebrow as she tried to recall.

"No, not that I've noticed." She shrugged.

"Hm." He hummed. "Do you think he might know anything about Jason's death?"

Alex hesitated to answer. Every time she asked or talking to him about it, he would get weird and quickly change the subject. She covered for him out of instinct

"Uh, no." Her brows furrowed. "What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure out the whole situation, is all."

Alex nodded. "I think we all are."

"Agreed. Thank you for your time. You can head to class." His hand gestured towards the door.

She nodded and headed out.

She went to her last class. She couldn't concentrate though. She had too many questions to ask Archie. Was he a suspect?

She spent the whole period thinking about it.

Then it was time for cheer rehearsal. Cheryl seemed very stressed and overwhelmed.

Alex did what Cheryl asked her to in order not to get into a fight with her. Alex helped her choreograph the squad, like agreed.

She thought the whole dance was good, but she felt like something was missing.

"You're right about that, little Andrews." Cheryl said as she observed her squad from a far.

The only reason she obeyed Cheryl's demands was because she would rather do that than to listen to Veronica and Betty argue.

"Stand down, vixens." Cheryl interrupted. "And listen up."

She went on about how the squad was letting her down.

She mentioned that everyone's attention would be in her and that they would be waiting for her to breakdown. She said she wouldn't.

"..I need start power, like Alex here, suggested."

"Well, I didn't real—" Alex began.

"I need the Pussycats." Cheryl cut her off.

"Stay loose and limber, ladies, while I make a call." She shouted.

Alex went to a corner, that Veronica and Betty happened to be in. She took a sip of her water and began to stretch.

She heard Veronica talk about how psychotic the way Cheryl was grieving was. Betty shaded her by saying she wasn't putting on an act, implying that Veronica was.

"For the record, I only went into that closet with Archie, so that Cheryl wouldn't."

Alex rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but overhear their already sparked up argument. She thought about interjecting but she didn't want to hear any more of Veronica's lies.

"It is not my fault he doesn't like you." Veronica snapped.

"If that's what you were thinking.." she quickly added.

The rest of what she said, Alex sort of agreed. She was still a bitch though.

Their argument got more heated by the minute until Cheryl interrupted them.

Alex kept minding her own business while she stretched.

She overheard Betty inviting Cheryl to get mani pedis and blowouts after school. That was to purposely get under Veronica's skin.

Then they walked off.

Veronica turned to Alex.

"You wanna yell at me too?"

"Do not start with me." Alex warned.

She sighed.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I overheard. I agreed with most of the things you said. But again, you did NOT have to go into the closet with Archie. Even if Cheryl went in with him, she would be angry at her, not at you."

Veronica nodded. She rubbed her face with her hands in frustration as she groaned.

"Just give her time. You're forcing it." Alex mentioned.

Veronica nodded.

Rehearsals ended. Alex checked her phone. She had a message from Chuck.

From Chuck:

Can't wait to see you.

She smiled.

She grabbed her stuff and headed out the doors.

She began walking to Chuck's house. It wasn't that far but it wasn't as close as her house was.

She arrived and rang the doorbell.

He greeted her and welcomed her inside.

They headed up to their room where they began the making out on his bed.

They've gotten to this point before but she always stopped when she feared it would go too far. This time she wasn't sure she cared.

His hand, that was on her thigh, started to wander up her short shorts. She whimpered at his touch.

Their session got hotter by the minute.

He started yanking her shorts down.

Alex stopped kissing him.

"What are you doing?" She nervously asked.

"Don't worry." He kissed her neck. "I'll be gentle."

She hesitantly nodded and continued to kiss him.

When he took her shorts off, she starting pulling at his shirt. He took the hint and pulled it off, reconnecting their lips as he got it off.

He was on top of her. Her legs were spread out, whereas he was at her entrance. She felt his bulge as he occasionally pressed himself against her. The contact would make her whimper, wanting more.

She took her shirt off as well. Her hands trailed down to his belt and zipper as she unbuckled and unzipped his jeans. Her hands ran along his very visible bulge. He moaned softly when he felt her petite hands where he needed her the most.

She was a bit nervous because he was quite big. She decided she didn't care and proceed to pull his underwear down, not taking them off completely.

He took her panties off and finally, he placed himself at her entrance.

They both moaned softly at the contact.

"You're so wet." He grunted as he kept pressing himself against her.

she moaned in response. she was shaky and kinda nervous because they were going to fast but she didn’t wanna ruin the moment.

"Do you want it?" He seductively asked, as he placed his arms on either side of her head, kissing her neck.

"Y-yes." She breathlessly moaned.

"Tell me. Tell me you do." He continued to kiss her neck.

"I-I want it. I want it so bad." She said with so much lust and need in her voice.

He gripped her waist with both of his hands and gently, like he promised, placed himself inside of her.

Her brows knit together as she felt all of him inside of her. She let out a loud moan once he was all in.

He snapped his hips back and forth, meeting hers. Her breaths were ragged and short. He was grunting the whole time, which turned Alex on more.

His hand ran along her stomach and starting rubbing her clit, causing her to moan louder.

"What's my name?" Chuck suddenly grunted.

Alex just moaned in response.

"I said," he said, grabbing her in a light chokehold, "what's my name?" He growled.

She swore she could've melted in his grip right there and then.

"C-Chuck." She moaned

Chuck moaned as he kept going, and faster. He was about to finish and so was she.

"Scream it." He demanded.

She was getting closer and closer with every stroke he made.

One last stroke and she screamed his name. That made him finish right there and then as well.

He rested his forehead against hers, trying to catch his breath. She was breathing quick too.

He extracted himself from her and laid beside her.

Alex was still trying to catch her breath. She knew she would be sore after this.

Chuck pulled his underwear and jeans up. He zipped and buckled them back up.

Alex sat up and started putting her clothes back on.

"You were great for your first time." Chuck admitted.

o-oh. he thought it was my first time.

Alex chuckled nervously and went along with it. "Thanks, I guess."

"Are you sore?" He asked leaning in for a kiss, which Alex gave to him.

"A little, but I'll be okay." She chuckled once again.

"Alright. Do you think you'll be good to walk home?" My dad's gonna get here soon." He casually said as he put his shirt back on.

What? That was it?

"U-uh, yeah, I guess so.." she stammered.

Chuck laid back down and pulled out his phone to go through his socials.

"Cool." Was all he said.

She got her bag and left.

She was sort of limping when she was walking but it went away after a couple of blocks.

She couldn't help but think that Chuck just used her. She felt her eyes well up with tears. She decided to fight them and not let them stream down her face.

She took a deep breath, and told herself everything would be okay.

She got home and saw Jughead, and Archie having a little argument outside.

"What? What are you gonna do?" Jughead asked, tempting Archie.

That was the only thing she overheard.

"Uh, is everything okay?" Alex carefully asked.

"Everything's fine." Archie didn't hesitate to answer her question.

Jughead just glared at him. They didn't break eye contact once.

"O-okay." She shook her head. "Hi, Jug."

"Hi." He bitterly responded. The bitterness wasn't intended for her but it came out that way anyway.

Then Fred stepped outside.

"Hey, Jug. Coming in?" Fred offered. "We got take-out from Pop's."

"He was just leaving." Archie answered for him.

"Archie." Alex scoffed.

Jughead scrunched his face up and walked away.

Archie went inside and Alex followed.

"Why are you home so late?" Fred asked Alex.

"I had cheer practice." She lied.

"I was just with Veronica." Archie said as his brows furrowed.

She stammered. "Oh- uh- with Cheryl. Just Cheryl. She asked me to help her choreograph so.."

Archie narrowed his eyes.

"And what the hell is up with you?" Fred continued to ask Archie.

"Nothing. I lost my appetite." Archie said, walking out of the kitchen to climb the stairs.

Alex scoffed and followed him.

She barged into his room.

"What the hell, Alex, knock fir—"

She cut him off. "Why have you been acting so weird?"

It caught him off guard.

"Why is Weatherbee asking me if I think you know anything about Jason's death? Hm?" She hummed when she got no response.

"A-And you're fighting with Jughead now? I mean seriously, what the fuck is going on?"

He looked away, shameful. “I-i don't know what to say to you.." He finally said after a moment of silence.

Alex let out a humorless chuckle. "Of course. That's perfect. That's just the fucking cherry on top."

She stormed off and went into her room, slamming the door. She felt betrayed because she kept covering for Archie whenever he needed it and there was something he wasn't telling her. Something is going on, she knows it.

She threw herself on her bed and screamed in frustration into her pillow.

Then something hit her. A thought: Chuck didn't wear a condom.

"FUCK!" She screamed into the pillow.

She sat up and starting to come up with a plan. She needed a plan b pill. Asap.

She thought about calling Betty, to ask her to get it for her but she knew she wouldn't. If her mother found it, she would kill them both.

Then she thought about Kevin but he's the type to blurt things out. She couldn't let him know.

There was no way she would ask her dad or Archie, or even Jughead.

It came down to one person.

She dialed their number.

Alex? I think you got the wrong phone number.

"N-no, i dialed it correctly. This is Veronica, right?" Her voice sounded shaky.

"I could really use your help.." Alex's voice broke.

what happened? Are you hurt?

“Nothing like that.. can you just do me a huge favor?”

[antics-pedantic]

DYNAURA!!: Pilot Part 4 [FINALE]

Later that weekend, we met a Capybara and a Tortoise.

          But not just any capybara and tortoise. These two were standing upright, walking on two feet. Capybara Joe had on a sweatshirt, baggy pants and boots. Botticelli the Tortoise wore a terry cloth headband and wristbands. We caught the two walking down the street as they began their day, in advance of the Herculean Class Wresting Federation show later that night.

          “Yea, that’s a wicked move that is, Botti.” said Capybara Joe, with a New Zealander’s accent. His features were lively and animated. He practically exuded friendliness to the point it was like a slight superpower. Botticelli was playing a quick bit of hop skotch, some children having drawn the squares for it on the sidewalk. Joe and Botti played a round before getting to a couple of errands.

          “Oop. Ah—close one! Yipes!”

          Then it was Joe’s turn. He wasn’t quite as balanced as Botticelli, whose features seemed more subdued, like a simple smiley face. But nonetheless, Botticelli did a little cheer routine for Joe, even as Joe tripped and fell midway into his turn. Tapes actually suffered a similar fate (laughing all the while) and I couldn’t help but be sucked into the thrill of it myself, before we made it to the hardware store.

          “Botti an’ I have been here in the city for a real lengthy length amount o’ time we have. Yup!” said Joe, pushing a cart while Botti double-checked a list of tools they’d need to fix some things at the HCF show. “I’ve been somethin’ like a town crier, handin’ out flyers and whatnot. But concerts and shows? I hype ‘em up like nobody’s business. Get people coming in and pow! Box office is popping, and then everybody snags the mad dollars! Party time.”

          Botticelli just nodded at Joe’s words in agreement.

          “Yea, Botti’s actually one of the talent. Fights all sorts! Like Incredulous Cephalopod and Cuttlefish Cutie, Taria of Atlantis, Cap’n Payback, Prizefighter Shine, even this wolfman feller what started up recently who ALSO works at a lovely eatery we call the ‘Palt ‘n’ Sepper!’ New favorite place to go.”

          Botti rubbed his tummy and Joe laughed, following suit.

          “Oh, Prizefighter—That’s our good pal Rex! We hang out most with him. I mean, we hang out with everybody around downtown, but Rex is our bro. We practically gave him the welcome tour when he got his apartment ‘ere in Multy-plecks. Multiplex? Yea, we’re in the neighborhood together. ‘S all good.”

           The usual venue for the HCF was a large assembly hall or gym of some sort that was used for other functions. The HCF rented it, so everyone involved with local shows had to pitch in.

          “It’s not what most people would call a ‘real’ job,” said Joe, getting to work on the audience rows. “Seating arrangements being as they are and all. You’ll get no respect settin’ up foldin’ chairs, even as darn near fillin’ up the room is the objective. Then there’s the merch table, concession stands… I hear we’re gettin’ a slushie machine wheeled in this time. Budget’s allowed it this night.”

          We found Botticelli nearby, opening up cardboard boxes and arranging them neatly for whoever would handle sales here. There were lots of t-shirts to go around, and Botti was ecstatic to see a plush toy resembling a minotaur. Tapes had immediately put down some money for a shirt, and a foam finger that said: “ATLANTIS OR BUST!” in support of Taria.

          People were starting to pour in, and that meant the warm-ups would have to give way to the openers. Tapes and I had caught some interviews here, but I’ll get back to those at a later point. Which brings us to the acts: The first of which, was an improvised match between Botticelli and Curious Kunoichi. Kunoichi wasn’t quite as strong as Taria or Rex. Neither was Botticelli, but he still worked out enough that he had the advantage on our ninja friend. Thusly, it was up to the Curious Kunoichi to handle direct combat in an indirect manner.

          The first few hits that connected were primarily in Botticelli’s favor. Kunoichi was parrying strikes where possible, managing to score a couple of kicks that sent the tortoise’s shell flying into the ropes. His rebound was a slingshot move, as Botti retreated into his shell and became a veritable cannonball. For anyone else, the match would have been over. But not for the Curious Kunoichi: Botticelli had stumbled on the ropes by chance. Kunoichi would use them by design.

          The first dash found our shadowy hero landing her feet on the top and middle ropes, moving in an arc that would launch her not directly into Botticelli, but just over him. A downwards palm strike from above kept him from jumping up to properly intercept. And before he could get his bearings, Kunoichi had repeated the maneuver from the opposite direction. Before Botticelli knew it, the Curious Kunoichi was on the other two sides of the square wrestling ring. Her agility eventually gave way to a perfect storm: The audience could no longer tell what direction she was bouncing off of. Botticelli followed, his own honed senses unable to keep up now that they had been effectively scrambled. And when Kunoichi had let up and Botti was ready to resume the battle, she had vanished. We caught her leaping from a corner post, dropkicking the fighting tortoise and then pinning him down for the referee to step in and make the three-count. Kunoichi had won the opener! And then Botti got up and hugged her. She returned it, and they climbed out of the ring.

          Then, Taria climbed in, and took a microphone.

          “This one’s for YOU, Curio!”

          When the Curious Kunoichi had turned around to see the next match being set up, we’d caught her blushing.

          “And tonight, I—the champion of Atlantis, shall end the reign of THIS BOO BOO BEAR!”

          In the corner opposite from Taria stood Towering Tina, who was using her powers to jump up to a height of fifteen feet tall. No more, no less: enough to look impressive, but without getting too big to still move around in the ring. Taria was the strongest one here right now. The only thing that seemed to save Towering Tina was that her height and range gave her more options for maneuvering and leverage. It meant that any time that Taria grappled with her, each had a way of counteracting against the other. No impenetrable gates to stand in each other’s way: Now it was a war of attrition, of stamina and craftiness. In that sort of contest, both could find a way to attack and retaliate in equal measure.

          Taria went in wish a rush of chops and elbows, before putting Towering Tina into an armbar hold. But Taria couldn’t get a good grip: Towering Tina’s stance was intentionally awkward, which in turn threw off Taria’s own posture. The Atlantean blinked at the thought that her victory wasn’t assured. And then a boot reached right up to her face and knocked her into a corner post.

          “Ooh! Uh… sorry!”

          Taria was seeing stars as Towering Tina apologized. Tapes pointed off to the side at a water cooler whose lid had popped off. The water within had a light blue glow to it as it levitated out by mystical means. And then Taria proceeded to shoulder-check Towering Tina, the levitating water hydrokinetically reshaping itself into the shape of a narwhal: The horn looked imposing, but in reality it was made of a purely cosmetic stream of water for fear of lethal injury. The rest of the body on the other hand, was absolutely bearing a grand weight, like a battering ram.

          And it still wasn’t enough.

          Towering Tina had been beaten to June, maybe even into December. For all intents and purposes Taria’s raw strength and hydromagic had the advantage over Tina’s one ability—even over her developing fighting skill. Tina had only figured out how to do a piledriver correctly last week. And still, she’d had the advantage: She’d come to the match appropriately rested and hydrated. A little anxious, but she’d gotten one over Taria, who had been ready to gloat from the beginning.

Just when Taria thought she was going to pin Tina, the giantess slipped out of the attack, Taria’s own water construct colliding into her in its final moments of active use. And to top it all off, Tina had used a german suplex to pin Taria for the count.

          “That was AWESOME!” exclaimed Taria. “You have got to let me teach you a thing or two later, Tina! You’re gonna be one of the greats!”

          “INDEED!” chimed in Tapes. “MANY UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF REDIRECTION. YOU SHOULD TRY JUJITSU, OR AIKIDO.”

          “Really?!” said Towering Tina. “I didn’t think I’d get this far!”

          And Kunoichi welcomed them both. As did Rex.

          “Rex!”

          There he was, clapping for his friends. He’d arrived quietly, about mid-way into the Curious Kunoichi’s match when he’d caught up with all of us. Taria had almost broken his back with her sweeping hug. Botticelli and Capybara Joe were bouncing with joy.

Rex pulled out his phone. He scrolled through it for a while. But he held it up, and pointed at the video of the Enforcers messing up at flirting terribly.

“Your handiwork?” he asked the Curious Kunoichi. She just nodded.

“It’s… It wasn’t the biggest hit, but it hurt them for a change.” said Kunoichi. “They get in the way of my work, y’know? Just dealing with active threats. Pragmatically.”

“Was it pragmatic to feature this bit?”

Rex gestured for all of us to lean in. It was of NecroMaster flirting with one girl. Then with another nearby under the nose of the first. Before getting caught and ditched  by both. Kunoichi actually laughed out loud at that one.

“My reaction is testament—heh ha!—to its EFFECTIVENESS, Rockwell.”

“And to our friendship. Thanks for that.”

Taria had jumped in and wrapped her arms around both Rex and the Kunoichi, giving them noogies.

“Radical! We’re all feeling stuff!” sang Taria. “You gonna wrestle too, Rex? We’ve been waiting for you to jump in on this!”

“Aw, I dunno… I’m not feelin’ it tonight.” mumbled Rex. But the others wouldn’t hear it. They’d started chanting his name, even as the rest of the crowd focused their roar on the next match. The strikes, the grappling, the slams and wins. There were a few places where Rex still found some joy. And this was one of them.

There was a slight shockwave as one of the contenders was sent flying into a corner post. But before their opponent could pull them in for a pin, Rex had climbed up and forced them out of the ring. The crowd booed at the move, calling Rex a kill-stealing glory hog. But here, Rex could roll with it. There was an act structure to follow. It made sense, and he could go home after his co-workers complimented his moves and vice versa.

“That’s far enough! I owe Kangaroo Boxer here one for taking down the Mighty Minotaur.” spat Rex. The contender he forced out of the ring was one of the oldest acts the HCF had—the Kangaroo Boxer’s mask had worn out, floppy ears. His gloves were still made of old brown leather, made well before the 1960s when they introduced the classic red gloves (easier for the eyes to follow when watching).

“Haha! A regular heel I see!” spoke Rex’s opponent, cheerfully. “I’ll make you eat those words, my boy!”

Rex raised a brow.

“Wait a minute. I’ve never seen you around here before. Who are you supposed to be?”

The newcomer had a painfully wide grin, with the pearliest, whitest teeth. Shining bright hair and chiseled muscles. The crowd seemed to love him though.

“I am the one who will restore peace to honest and hardworking citizens, like we had in the good old days! The ultimate hero: The Better Man!”

That earned an immediate punch from Rex. The Better Man had stood in place with his hands at his waist, confidently. From there, Rex started punching with all he had. Both hammering fists swinging independently, before combining to try for an axe-handle blow. To the audience clamoring over each other, the Better Man appeared unflinching.

“You’re misguided! I like to offer second chances to everyone, but some made the choice to be irredeemable! We must protect from them that which is inherently good in this world to—”

“Aw, can it ya crumb bum!” thundered Rex, with a left hook clean across the Better Man’s cheek. “I’ve heard your talk before. And it’s all a load of bunk!”

“What’s so wrong about believing people are naturally inclined to progression?!” barked back the Better Man, grabbing Rex by his fists, and crushing them in his grip. Rex was doing all he could not to let the pain tear through his body. He had to stay on his feet.

          “Idiot! Doing the right thing is an active choice!” said Rex, leaning forward to meet the Better Man eye-to-eye. “It’s a willingness to change!!”

          “How unforgiving! So much for tolerance. I thought you were a hero too.”

          “It’s plenty forgiving! The only criteria is that you can’t keep willfully hurting yourself or others! And if someone doesn’t stop, you GOTTA fight. For liberation, against oppression! Even if they’re polite and they make everyone think you’re rude--”

          Rex pushed himself back up to his full standing height. And then he put all of his hyper-strength into a spinning motion, smashing the Better Man into the turnbuckles of a corner post.

          “—You gotta STAND UP!!”

          The relief we could see on Rex’s features from having his hands freed from the Better Man’s grip was contrasted against the tremendous willpower it took to fight through the great pressure and pain just a moment ago. He slumped over, his hands on his knees as he huffed. Trying to catch his breath.

          “CAPITOL CRUSHER!”

          But the battle wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. The Better Man’s forearms were up as he performed a flying crossbody attack. Rex raised up his own forearms in a flash, sparks flying like celebration fireworks as their superpowered limbs met like clashing greatswords for the modern era.

          “DECLARATION OF DESTRUCTION!!”

          When Rex heard the Better Man’s terrible cry, he rocketed upwards. Rex’s aura providing the propulsion as the Better Man jumped up to pursue. They zipped around the space above the ring like rival fighter jets in an aerial duel—the Better Man bouncing off the ring ropes whenever he fell back down, always careful to avoid falling to the mat outside the ring and being disqualified.  

          Rex was doing loop de loops and changing altitude at the drop of a hat. Trying to avoid chokeholds and elbow drops that would send him down. Eventually, the Better Man simply anticipated Rex’s flight path two steps ahead of him—bouncing up to goad Rex into flying one way, before falling back to the ropes to jump again into the new path. And then the Better Man brought his hands together for a thunderclap that shook up the crowd. Left them hooting and hollering, eager to see a finale.

          Later, I’d spoken to Rex about this moment. He said the fall reminded him of when he botched his biggest jumps as a kid. Making it up to the Earth’s Mesosphere, maybe the Exosphere on nicer days and catching a fleeting glimpse of the stars before going crashing back down. The shock of landing on the ring mat would have been called luck by others, but with the damage dealt it was just about over. Rex seemed to feel that way as his eyes shut. His body still ached, keeping him awake just long enough to hear the words:

          “DON’T GIVE IN!”

          It’s now that I want to cut to the people Tapes and I had met. Because it wasn’t just Taria and the Curious Kunoichi. It was Capybara Joe, Botticelli, and some of Rex’s neighbors.

          “Why are you asking?” said Irina Kiselyov, an elderly woman giving us a glare. She had raised up her cane threateningly. “Is GOOD boy, that Rex! Helps Irina always. Carries Irina’s entire piano up to apartment with no complaints, unlike good-for-nothing son-in-law of mine, Timofey. You slander Rex and your ass is being the grass!”

          “NEVER. HE IS A FRIEND.” Interjected Tapes. Irina just let off a happy huff.

          “That is adequate answer.” said Irina’s sister, Anichka. “Until then, enjoy the thrashing and the bashing. Irina and I never miss a show! Is like letting the stress out constructively.”

          The two older women laughed together, causing Irina’s granddaughter Lyonechka to sigh.

          “They always get an extra ticket just for me, so I can’t speak up too much right now or they’ll scold me… But yes, Rex is a lovely—err, wonderful neighbor to have. I’m just glad there’s one more person my own age to talk to when my family gets to be a bit… you know!”

          “Oh I am knowing!” faux-gasped Anichka. “Sneakier than ninja girl. Shame on you!”

Next, we caught up with a small boy who had come out to the show. He was recovering from a black eye, would only answer to the name of “Fiery Bryan,” which he said was his hero name. We later ran into his parents, who identified him as Bryan Dhakal. Bullied at school, and recently suspended for getting into a fight.

          “I always go to see his fights!” said Fiery Bryan. “Rex fights the hardest and he never lets anybody push him around. And then I’m gonna be a fighter just like that, but even stronger!”

          “Really? You want to be like Rex and Taria and all of them?”

          “Yeah I would! You’re looking at the future king of the ring right here.”

          We also ran into the clerk from the convenience store at the beginning of this whole thing.

          “I always turn out for my boy!” said the clerk, who went by Lenny. Several others behind him were cheering too.

          “Friends of yours?”

          “Friends and other clerks.” said Lenny. “It’s people like Rex and Taria and the Kunoichi running around that make us feel safer walking home at night. Plus they’re loyal customers to boot! That’s why I always keep an extra taquito on the roller, or something like that. It ain’t much but we wanna show we care.”

          “Actually, I was a robber once myself.” said Janey, one of the crowd that Lenny came in with. “Not proud of it or anything. I was desperate to pay the bills, and I actually ran by Lenny’s store when Battle Bear was chasing me. Sure enough, I ran right into Curious Kunoichi and Rex, and they covered for me while I hid. Kunoichi gave me some cash, I bought some candy and then I talked to Lenny and now we’re friends.”

          “I used to work in the same warehouse as him!” laughed a fellow named Kwame Owusu. “Actually, we were the ones who helped him out. He used to get mixed up putting some of his orders together at first. The older guys there laughed at us a lot—I mean, we joked too, but they liked making jokes about us most. Still, when somebody broke something—in their body, it was Rex there yelling at the supervisor for not calling an ambulance. Poor kid got fired taking a co-worker to the emergency room himself. So I come support the wrestling show, yeah?”

          “There was like… This one REALLY cool time once.” started Capybara Joe, sitting criss-cross on a folding chair next to Botticelli, who was hanging upside down off of the commentator’s table. “What’s that Botti?”

          Botticelli gestured a bit, going as far as sign language to explain certain bits.

          “Oh, right! Yea, it was when Rex first moved into his flat—into the apartment. And we were there when he was right and quiet-like. We tagged along and showed ‘im the proverbial ropes we did! Around the neighborhood, here to the HCF shows and other odd jobs… I can’t lie to ya though: real challenge. Poor fella was all tightly wound-up, thinking he couldn’t afford to open up and all that. But he warmed up and melted all the ice away… includin’ an ice cream sundae I was sharin’ with Botti once, ha!”

          Botti just shook his head.

          “Aw, of course. None too fun, but y’know what was fun? When you lads bent steel rebar into pretzel shapes and such. Or the time the arcade got flooded so’s Rex carried the cabinet machines outside while you fixed up the big leak.”

          Botti smiled at the thought, before glancing warily at Joe.

          “Where was I during the arcade flood? Well, I’d decided to play a round of Streets Fightin’ 3 seein’ as the machine was outside! And maybe a round of Triassic Park, the one with the wild pixelated graphics. That’s a classic, Botti.”

          These were some of the more vocal locals we could get in touch with. But they spoke volumes to who Rex, Taria, and the Curious Kunoichi fought for. But it was enough to get Rex back onto his feet, catching the Better Man. Rather than let all that momentum go to waste, Rex threw him down to the mat, knocked off his feet by the impact, before splashing down onto his opponent for the three-count.

          “Look!”

          The larger audience’s booing and our cheering traded places. The Better Man had touched the ropes! He was still in the match, and the count no longer mattered. That allowed the Better Man to get back up just when Rex thought it was over.

          “DON’T GIVE IN!”

          There were those three words again. Every time it was spoken, Rex moved. The audience called for the Better Man to be the stronger, and to justify his ideals in the process. But those three words for Rex told him to keep fighting, and his body did. Haymaker punches, roundhouse kicks and body blows. Tackles and tiger powerbomb slams, lasers shooting from his hands and his eyes. Trading attacks, blocking and parrying. The Better Man was hard-pressed to keep up.

          “Y-You’ve fought perfectly fine, for all your bragging!” laughed the Better Man, before his grin became a toothy frown. “I know it’s noble and all to keep fighting no matter what, but… you’re dragging this out much longer than it needs to go on.”

          The Better Man inched closer. Rex kept his hands up, steadfast in his defense.

          “Just drop it, boy. I’m as good as they get! Why waste your potential defying the proper order of things?”

          Rex didn’t respond like he would have before. He was shaking with pain, made weary and punch-drunk by this dire enemy. All he could find it in himself to do was stand for as long as he could, but he was slipping. Uncertain of himself. Until Tapes passed a microphone to a hooded woman we’d never seen before. Or at least I hadn’t seen before: Tapes later told me he’d seen this person around the city on occasion, always from a distance.

          “Because his name is Rex!” cried our mystery speaker. “When you chose that name, you also chose to care—with all your heart! Even for an old supervillain like me… So get up, and knock this bozo’s lights out already!!”

          “Look at that! You’ve confused broken people into thinking they’re righteous!” said the Better Man, reaching out with both hands to grab Rex. “This is the end!”

          But the end never came. Rex’s hands firmly clasped onto the Better Man’s forearms with crushing strength. And then Rex let loose with a powerful right hook!

          “EUGH!” cried the Better Man. “Well. No matter! One good punch before you go down is—”

          But then from the left came another hook. Rex had broken into a Dempsey Roll! Each strike faster and more precise than the last. And then it began to incorporate all different kind of hand strikes. Then elbows, kicks and knees! A hundred explosive strikes all simultaneously, locking the Better Man in place until the final strike. Which in this instance, was a clothesline! Rex’s bicep connected with the Better Man’s neck, finally bringing him to the ground.

And then Rex fell over. The Better Man didn’t get up. Neither did Rex. The referee declared it a tie, much to the disdain of the audience around us. But some of us who stood by Rex tonight all got into the ring to carry him out of there, away from the trash being thrown at him. We followed, and when he recovered they raised him up high for all to see.

Taria gushed about the night’s matches to a worn-out Rex, who was set ever so gently onto the sofa. It was quiet for a time. Eventually there was a tap at one of the windows from tossed pebbles. Tapes and I opened the window, and we saw everyone outside: Seated on stoops or standing on the sidewalk, looking up at us—at Rex’s window.

“Hey, what is giving?” demanded Anichka. “Where is our winner?”

“HE RESTS.”          

“Then tell him to get up as soon as he can!” said Irina. “Lyonechka has sent Lenny and Janey’s lot with list of ingredients. This is a time for celebration!”

“Babushka, be patient!” pleaded Lyonechka. “It’s only been a couple of hours.”

“Then be a dear and bring him up the first bowl, yes?” said Irina. “Then once everyone is returned perhaps there can be some dancing!”

Rex stirred from his haze. I got him a glass of water, and he was up on his feet slowly. Taria and Kunoichi’s matches were also intense. And watching Rex’s match left them a bit drained too. They looked like they could use the meal. And especially some praise for a change.  

          The landlord had run into us. As well as Lyonechka, who had come bearing a couple of pots if the others were unable to come outside. And that landlord of Rex’s certainly pitched a fit, having spotted us bringing in the battered heroes. Of course, Tapes stepped in first:

          “VILE ONE! NO TRUE VIOLATIONS HAVE OCCURRED ON THE HOUSING AGREEMENT—LEAVE IT!”

          “No, YOU leave it!” spat the landlord. Before I—”

          “You’ll what, Pomelo?”

          “—I-I’ll…”

          The landlord froze in his tracks. Normally Pomelo would have continued his tirade, even against Rex. But the stern look offered by not one, but three rough looking super heroes had scared off the little man. And there we were: Lenny had convinced me to join the dancing alongside him and Timofey. Lyonechka, Botticelli, and Capybara Joe directed Rex to sit on the stoop and take his big helping of dinner. And everyone else followed along as street performers from nearby joined in on the impromptu festivities, providing music for everyone to move to. Spirited discussions, even if they were about mundane daily things or exceptional developments.

          “This is it.” said Rex suddenly, when I sat near him for a moment.

          “What?” I asked. Rex just chuckled as Tugboat happened over nearby, Lyonechka giving him a bowl of his own and a pat on his fuzzy little head. Tapes did similarly. Botticelli found himself in a heated round of checkers with Capybara Joe. And the Kunoichi was trying to remember how to play a violin one of the street performers had shared with her.

          “This is what I’m thankful for. What I fight for.” said Rex. “I wanted to just say it outright at the beginning but… I had trouble finding the words, y’know? And this sorta thing doesn’t happen often enough that I can point at it. Not just partying but like Miss Kiselyov put it. A celebration for something really nice.”

          This entire biographical account started off detached and “professional.” Like many, the phenomenon of the superheroes seemed like another mere staple of modern life. Worsened by more recent feats of celebrity. But here now, was a reminder of what it meant not just to be a superhero, but to be a person and treat others with that same dignity. Even if the universe could be so vast and cruel, there were so many things, so much life within it that against nature, were incredibly weird. And also tremendously affectionate. With my approval, Rex gave me a pat on the back.

          “Do you and Tapes have enough for your project?” Rex asked me at last.

          “I guess enough. Don’t know who would accept it at this point given its unflattering perspectives… not that I won’t still get it out there somewhere. It’s the truth, and that’s what Tapes and I stand by. But there are still some questions I have, some stones left unturned… like who was that mystery person that spurred you to finish the fight? Nypardian culture? Maybe we could get more exposés going on about the Enforcers, the works!”

          Rex just nodded.

          “Tell you what: Once I catch up with those things myself, you and Tapes will be the first to know about it. Until then, this is plenty to work with.”

          “Alright, fair enough.” I accepted for now. “… Well. As we come to a close, do you suppose you could tell me about your old alias? Introduce me as if you still called yourself by that title.”

          Rex set his bowl aside, and hopped up to his feet, seeming a bit fresher than hours just prior. With his left fist, he started with a skyward uppercut, bringing that fist down.

          “Emissary of everyone under your heel…!!”

          An underhanded right-hand swipe to the left side.

          “Prizefighter… Shine!”

          And then he pointed both hands to the right side. There was a brilliant flourish of his welcoming blue aura.

          “And that’s the point I’d warp the costume onto myself in a spectacular transformation, like they do on TV.” said Rex. “Now I just raise my aura a little more prominently.”

          “SENSATIONAL SIGHTS!” proclaimed Tapes. “THE RETURN OF PRIZEFIGHTER SHINE?!”

          “It’s not…” Rex paused. He thought about the old alias. At that exclamation Tapes offered. And he just let off a devious little grin. “…time yet. I wanna make it look cooler! I’m fightin’ for creatures big and small alike, y’know.”

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

[thehargrovewhore]

forbidden fruit 🍒 | billy hargrove [18+]

summary;

in which a religious girl - gets acquainted with billy hargrove, the newest resident of hawkins.

warnings;

religious reader. swearing. drinking. slight smut. smoking. oral [f receiving]. dirty talk. & soft billy.

author's note;

this is long as fuck, sorry 😭 there is going to be a part two, and maybe it'll develop into a mini series? ugh idk

okay so this is written from a third person point of view, but i couldn't think of a name so i'm using the y/n insert.

so, whatever your name is, there ya go 😊

tags;

@hargrovesprincess @sioxxskywalkerxx

---

this was such a stupid idea and she knew it. pulling at her leather skirt, that barely came to her trembling knee's, it's inevitable that a feeling of harsh regret quickly swallowed the girl's entire body whole.

her mom and dad, who were both in bed and asleep, had the impression that their daughter was over at debs, who was another goody two-shoes, and church-going girl.

that was a blatant lie. instead, she had decided to make her first party appearance at tina's halloween bash.

halloween was absolutely forbidden. although it was her favorite holiday, besides christmas. horror movies? nope, those are the work of lucifer himself. dressing up in some slutty costume for the night? nope, that means you're the town harlet.

these were just a few examples of the ridiculous rules she has had to follow. now that y/n was almost 18 years old, it was getting unbearable being so pure and inexperienced.

in her mind, there was nothing sensational about her. she has a mess of wavy brown curls, that cascaded down her back and nearly reached her bottom.

her skin was tan due to her mother being hispanic, and a set of killer green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight, were courtesy of her father.

there was nothing outstanding about her on a daily basis, she was no sharon tate, but tonight was a different story.

nancy wheeler spent hours on end making her look like a supermodel, and she did an outstanding job much to the disdain and impatience of steve harrington.

she was adorn in an outfit that would give her parents a heart attack and shoes that were about to break both of her ankles if she tripped over one more red solo cup.

she was dressed as a sexy kitten, which is something she has been wanting to do for years now. but, she has never gotten the chance until now due to her extremist parents.

being from an all girl catholic school and only dating boys from her church, male attention was hard to come by. she even noticed a few of the girls checking her out as well.

being the center of attention wasn't a reality in her world, and she didn't know how to handle the sudden change in the way people looked at her.

cat calls and loud whistles surrounded her. and some guy even pulled away from a makeout session with his girl to stare at y/n while she walked past them looking for steve and nancy nervously.

did she look ridiculous, is that why she has everybody's attention all of the sudden? she began to feel conscious about her body being so ... exposed, and needed a drink.

she wasn't a student at hawkins like these people were - and could hear them all whispering about her. trying too figure out who she was, or even who she came with.

it distracted her from the path ahead; and she slammed into an unnecessarily muscular chest.

"oh my gosh, i'm so sorry!"

the impact caused some beer from his can to slosh out all over his exposed chest that was only covered by a leather jacket. though, his chest had already been glistening with sweat.

his hair was a mess of blonde curls and he had sunkissed skin. his blue eyes left her completely smitten, along with the little smirk sitting constantly on the corner of his lips.

when they made eye contact, the room seemed to slow. she was completely speechless, upon the sheer sight of such a captivating person. he was a walking, talking sin.

"don't worry about it, angel."

angel. he just called her an angel. she could feel the deep heat rising to her cheeks upon his little nickname for her.

his voice was deep, brooding and sensual - which caused her heart to flutter maddeningly and her cheeks began to flush cherry red, which only seemed to spur the boy on.

she watched as his eyes, now more dilated and dark than they were a couple seconds ago, scanning over her outfit while his tongue darted out to run across his bottom lip.

she didn't know what to say to him, and opted to twiddle her thumbs while looking at the ground anxiously.

she didn't talk to boys much. especially; not to boys who looked like him. it was like he was fucking photoshopped, everything about him was the depiction of wet dreams.

his aura was oozing masculinity and it did intrigue her to the point of no return; she had to get a taste of this boy.

"i don't think i've seen you around before. because if i did, we would've already known each other pretty well."

his remark made her giggle and she looked back up at his ocean blue eyes, heart hammering within' her chest. what if this was just a joke? what if he was just toying with her?

she didn't know how to flirt. and she wasn't going to run the risk of looking like a total dumbass in front of him.

"i go to the catholic school, so i don't think you have." she giggled, noticing the mischievous glint in his eye at those words, and suddenly he took one large stride closer.

he got a cigarette from his back pocket, lighting it with a zippo. she wanted to ask him for one, but opted to chew on her bottom lip nervously, while watching him intently.

"religious girl, huh? i must say if i knew catholic girls were dressing this way now, my ass would've been in church, a long time ago." he charmed, smiling and showing off a set of perfectly white teeth.

"actually, they don't. this is my first time dressing like this, and my first time coming to a party." she confessed. now, those words sounded more pathetic, when she said them to someone other than her close friends and family.

"i'm billy hargrove. nice too meet you,"

"i'm y/n. it's nice too meet you as well, billy."

he took another step closer, and now she could feel the heat radiating from his sun-kissed skin.

billy extended his large hand out for her to shake; and as she did, billy pulled her even closer. this time their chests were almost touching, and y/n opted to bite on her lip.

he brought his thumb up, running it across her bottom lip seductively, snagging it from in between her teeth. at this point, she felt like she could faint from the simple touch.

"stop biting that lip, angel. you want a drink?" billy asked, and she nodded quickly, needed something to make her feel a little more confident. he led her through the crowd, trying to ignore everyone's glares and whispers.

they approached a table with various types of alcohol. its now dawning on her that she has never gotten drunk and didn't even know what type of drink she would like.

"i've never drank before, so you can pick." she blushed. its embarrassing being so pure. and she was scared that lack of experience in just about everything would turn him off, and make him walk away from her in a fit of laughter.

but, he didn't walk away from her. instead, billy smirked and scanned over the choices. he reached for everclear; which was his first drink and poured a small amount for her to sample.

she took it from him, gulping it down, her face scrunched up and eyebrows furrowing at the bitter taste. he grinned in amuesment, taking the cup from her and pouring. billy, who knew she was lightweight, did not give her much.

which she appreciated, because her legs were warm, and head was swimming already. billy watched her, smiling as she finished her second cup. she went to get another, but billy slapped her hand away.

"in moderation, alright? don't need you puking or passing out. everclear is some strong shit." he inquired, downing a shot of everclear himself, gazing at her intently.

"thanks," she laughed feeling a little bit dizzy. just as she is gaining the confidence make a move on him; the voice of one of his very loud friends had interrupted her attempts.

"hargrove! we got the keg ready, so let's do this shit!" billy looked over his shoulder - smirking at the boy dressed up as the karate kid, before turning his attention back to y/n.

"come with me, let me show you how it's done." he boasts before holding his hand out, which she happily took. their fingers interlocked, sending shockwaves down her arm & straight down to her toes.

they walked out to the backyard, where tons of drunken teenagers surrounded the keg stand, ready for a show. it felt like being in a movie and billy only made it more than surreal and elevating for her.

the loud rock music, the endless cheers, and the sound of drunken laughter and idiotic comments filled the cold air.

she watched from the sidelines while he was crowned the new keg king a title previously owned by steve harrington for the past three years in a row.

she found herself very interested as to how this man can consume that much beer without puking. billy must have been doing this type of thing for years.

the crowd counted along, herself including until billy was done by the count of 42 and the crowd erupted with glee and approbation.

he got up and let out a masculine yell of victory as all the beer he spit out began dripping down his chin and chest.

she found herself clapping along with others, only adding to his ego boost. the alcohol in her system, along with the cheers of those beside her, made this moment euphoric.

billy shoved a cigarette back in his mouth before walking back to where y/n was standing; slinging his arm around her shoulders and pressing her into his side as they went back into the completely packed house.

"that's how you do it, hawkins! that's how you do it." billy concluded while she was practically beaming beside him.

once inside, she followed billy through the crowd to toilet paper that was hanging from the ceiling. she laughed and grabbed some from above his head -- wiping some of the beer from his sleek chest, tempted to touch his tan skin.

"did you enjoy the show, angel?" billy beamed, leaning in so he could move a piece of hair away from her face. she did want to kiss him right then, but her nerves convinced her otherwise yet again.

"yes i did, congratulations on being the new kegking." she smiled, and wiped some beer off of the side of his mouth.

"king in the streets, and in the sheets, doll." he winked and grabbed her hand once more, leading her over to tommy, who was giving steve harrington and nancy major shit.

"we got ourselves a new keg king, harrington." tommy has now announced loudly followed by another boy making a snide comment at steve who had taken off his sunglasses and stared back at them angrily.

the tension between the two boys was overwhelming, so y/n opted to tug on his leather jacket and distract him. its clear that billy was imposing his new role as alpha male in hawkins onto steve, who used to run the town.

as nancy walked away from the scene, clearly annoyed, it was time for y/n to get billy's attention off of steve before a fight breaks out. that was the last thing she wanted.

and quite frankly she was already missing billy's attention and irreplaceable touch.

"billy, do you wanna go back outside with me?" she spoke and was desperate to get billy away from steve, someone would get seriously hurt over nothing, if she didn't.

he nodded, not once taking his eyes off of steve, backing up and wrapping his arm around her once again. and she could feel steve's gaze burning into her back, hateful and judgemental.

she grabbed two more cups of alcohol on their way out and made sure to find a spot away from the crowd, at a table with an ashtray so billy could smoke his cigarette.

she felt the drunken anger radiating from him. he needed to calm down, and she knew just the trick for that.

there were two chairs, but he instisted that she sit on his lap. he was asking her questions about her life, and what her religion entails. billy was genuinely curious about her.

"so, you really can't date unless their from your church?"

"yeah. it's stupid considering everyone there is hideous."

billy chuckled pulling her back against his chest. his other hand was sitting contently in the waistband of her skirt, and the tips of his fingers played with the hem of her panties.

this simple action was turning her on endlessly. billy, with his smug ass self, knew exactly what he was doing to her, and the change in her breathing indicates that fact.

as she finished the last of her drink, it was time to make a move. she was done acting like some nervous school-girl.

which she was, but that was entirely beside the point. she wanted billy to know that these feelings aren't one-sided; that she wanted him. it was time to act on those feelings.

"do you want to go back inside, angel?" billy asked, while his voice seemed to suddenly drop an octave, now sultry and low. did she want to go back inside? absolutely not.

she got off billy's lap, a look of disappointment crossing his features for a split second, before straddling him. his reaction was pure shock, his eyes widening before a grin etched itself across his handsome face.

she didn't give him time to say anything, instead she had leaned forward and captured his lips in a heated kiss. her first real kiss, full of fire, and it was breathtaking.

billy's cigarette was dropped on the ground, forgotten, as one hand came up to grip her waist, while the other laced itself into her hair, tugging her closer against him. she felt his hard-on, and could tell that his size wasn't small.

his tongue ran across her bottom lip, asking for entrance, making her jolt. she obeyed nonetheless, opening her lips slightly and inviting his tongue into her mouth. the feeling was strange, but the best type of strange imaginable.

her hands were pressed flush against his chest, slipping underneath the leather jacket to rest on his stomach. the boy beneath her began to bite her lip, making her whine.

she has never been intimate with anyone and he was now taking over her senses. all she could feel, hear and taste is billy hargrove. was this all a dream? it certainly felt like it.

overwhelming her with the taste of his tongue, and the feeling of his hands groping her ass through the leather skirt. his hands were rough, calloused, and was enough to make her completely weakened.

billy then grinded her against his hard on, and the skirt let him get easy access to her dark red underwear. her hands flew up to clasp his shoulders, nails digging into his skin.

"we don't have to do this, alright?" he comforted, sensing that she was having second thoughts. but she wasn't. the pure bliss billy was supplying was something that she did not want to end anytime soon.

"i want this billy, i really do. please?" she whispered as her hands began to run up and down his chiseled chest.

billy's control slipped away in that moment - and then he picked her up while she giggled in his arms, before taking her to the secluded spot where his camaro was parked.

she laughed as billy fumbled with getting her in the back, closing the door behind him with his foot and set himself in between legs. y/n was nervous, she didn't have a damn clue what she was doing, but she felt safe with him.

he captured her lips again, taking control and shoving his tongue back in her mouth while his hands wandered up & down her untouched body, stopping at her exposed hips.

his touches were soft and tentative, careful not to cross a boundary and scare her away. billy knew that she has not been touched like this before and it only thrilled him more than he was before.

she leaned into his touch; and felt herself growing heavy adoration for the fact that he is being so gentle & patient with her.

billy leaned down to press kisses along her jawline, down to her neck, where he sucked at the sensitive skin. then, a surge of white heat flashed through her body, she arched her back against him and moaned loudly.

his hands slipped under her bra, before his fingers began to tentatively graze over her nipples. billy pinched them and tried to focus on her reaction to see what she liked. it was starting off sensual, he was being careful with her.

and when it earned him another moan, he knew. having a person touch her like this was foreign and intoxicating. its like all her morals were being thrown out the window, she would do anything as long as it meant that he kept going.

"do you like that, angel?" billy whispered in her ear, sliding her shirt off and un-clipping her bra. her breasts were out and showcased to him, a growl falling from his lips. she is stunning in his eyes, untouched and radiating purity.

she nodded, unable to find words and moaning as billy took her left nipple into his mouth, suckling gently. she weaves her fingers through his blonde locks, bringing him closer.

the action was sending little jolts of electricity down y/n's entire body, her toes curling, as billy's tongue flicked over the hardened bud. her core was aching at this point and it was vital that billy touch her already before she bursts.

her hands wandered from his hair down his chest, feeling the rippling muscles, making him groan. one hand stayed on his abs, while the other ran over his clothed hard-on. it seemed to spur his movements on as he thrust his strong hips into her touch, making y/n grip his dick a little harder than before, which he seemed to enjoy.

billy suddenly released her nipple, growling, placing little kisses down the valley between her breasts. all of her life, she was taught to think that this is repulsive. when in fact it wasn't repulsive, this was amazing.

he stopped to bunch her leather skirt around her waist, and his fingers traced her folds through her panties. the moan that left her lips afterwards only served to make a raging hard-on form within' his tight jeans.

he moved her panties to the side feeling her stiffen. she is now exposed to someone for the first time, and could not read his mind. she had no clue what he thought about her and more specifically, her most private area.

"look at that pretty little pussy. you're so wet, angel." billy, who knew what his words were doing, slid a finger gently down her slit, parting her folds, and blowing cold air onto her sensitive clit.

she whined, arching into his touch, his name falling from her lips. all the times that she has touched herself, hasn't felt near as good as this did, and billy hasn't even started.

when he latched his lips around her clit, throwing her legs over his broad shoulders, she almost screamed.

his tongue flicked quick circles around the tiny nub, then switched back to sucking gently, watching while her face contorted in pleasure. he groaned at the sight, sending a series of vibrations straight through her clit.

"oh! please don't stop, it feels so good." she whimpered as one of his thick fingers began to probe her entrance. it's a quite different sensation that she welcomed. bucking into his hand, the finger casually slipped inside her pussy.

she groaned at the feeling, having fingered herself before but with him, it was a completely different experience. he pushed inside of her until his finger was knuckle deep, he was sure to gage her reaction and make sure it didn't hurt her or make her uncomfortable.

"what a good girl," billy marveled huskily; watching the way her pussy stretched around his finger. she took his finger-fucking like a champ, and he was loving this.

his finger knew exactly what to do. rubbing right against her g-spot with slow strokes, curling upwards and feeling her inner walls contracting tightly.

"billy! right there," y/n gasped, moving her hips along with the increasing rhythm of his hand, he was hitting her spot with expert accuracy.

it wasn't going to take much for her to cum, especially with the sounds he was making. like, he gets more out out of this pleasurable experience than she does.

he began sucking on her nub harshly and the pace of his fingers became relentless, one large hand coming up too keep her squirming hips down on the seat.

he slowly added another finger, curling them both up into her spongy g-spot. billy was determined to give her a real and genuine orgasam, which would be her first one. in his mind, this was his way of staking a direct claim on her.

the speed of his fingers, and the feeling of his tongue working together in harmony made the coil snap and soon her legs were tightening around billy's head.

"fuck yes! oh my god, billy!" she cried out feeling that coil in the pit of her stomach snap, clenching around his thick digits violently, her legs trembling as the high she has just experienced made her feel exhausted.

"did that feel good, baby?" he whispered darkly -- coming back up to her face and slipping his tongue into the warm confines of her mouth so she could taste herself.

"that felt amazing. what about you? aren't we going to do it now?" she asked unashamedly, trying to reach for billys pants but he wouldn't allow her to touch him. y/n was the definition of confused. why didn't he want to fuck her?

"another night, okay? i just wanted to make you feel good tonight, doll. we don't need to rush anything." he cooed & she felt herself melting into the seat upon his kindness.

"are you sure?" she whispered - watching as billy put her underwear and leather skirt back into place. "i'm positive, angel. that's only if i can see you again, though?"

"of course you can see me again." she retorted, placing a little kiss upon his lips while he lit up a cigarette. "then it's settled. i don't want to take your virginity while you're still drunk." he comforted, pulling her into his broad embrace.

she sat with him for a little while listening to music and talking. she even tried to drag off his burning cigarette, but instead had a coughing fit, to which he chuckled at her and lightly teased her about.

"told you babe, it's harsh."

"oh shut up. you're harsh."

after he took her home, blasting metallica in the car, billy helped her to sneak back in her window, so she wouldn't fall and wake up her parents. before closing her window; she leaned over the ledge and gave him a sweet kiss.

he was going to go home & jerk off to the image of her orgasming in the backseat.

"i'll see you tomorrow, angel. sleep tight."

"goodnight, billy. don't forget to park down the road."

billy nodded, smirking and watching while she closed her window and light pink curtain.

even then - he didn't leave immediately. he just wanted to kiss her again. to feel her come apart underneath him. it's unusual for him to be so smitten. but y/n sent chills down his spine with her unparalleled beauty and kindness.

this girl is going to be the death of him, that much is for sure.

[lighterandpaper]

Wedding Party

Photo by @geetanjalkhanna

For as long as it rained, McGregor watched them. Eventually they had to go about their lives and try to ignore the horrifying alien bug-cat. But they could always sense him, even when they were in their rooms, and he couldn’t see them. 

Anna becomes plump and dreads the day. 

“We got painkillers!” Soren says. 

“No, I want natural. I want this child to experience as much humanity as possible,” she says. She clutches George.

Laurie goes out at night and watches the reaper. When the clouds part for a moment, his iridescent exoskeleton glimmers in the light of the multiple moons. They stare into each other’s eyes, and she knows there is consciousness. One night, she falls asleep, and when she wakes up, an ache in her neck, McGregor is curled up and sleeping. She hurries to take a note: They also sleep.

One night, Anna goes into labor. Laurie is watching McGregor and sees Tina come out of her room and rush to Anna's. Tina stops Horatio from entering at the door, and Laurie thinks she’s fine to stay where she is. 

The screaming lasts for hours, and it pulls McGregor’s focus. Laurie takes a note.

The child is born, covered in bloody towels. They call her Fate.

The rains come and go, and then come and go, and then a couple more times. 

Today is sunny, and McGregor doesn’t come out in the sun. They are hanging out in their normal spots. George is speaking, but he’s not telling a story at the moment. 

“Humanity is too strong for a pandemic to wipe them out. Even if it killed 99% of them--and that is the worst of the worse case scenarios--they will rebuild. One hundred years is plenty of time. Think of what humanity accomplished in the hundred years between 1940 and 2040. We went from blowing each other up to a space age. 

“Our voyage to Eden will be in history books. They will know about us, and they will count down the days until they can bring us home,” George says. His beard and demeanor are fully Gandalf now. He points to the sky. “They will arrive right there, come eighty-some years, and all we have to do is wait for them.”

George lets the words land on everyone. Tina, Horatio, and Anna all bask in them like cats in the sun. Anna holds her child against her with a handmade bjorn. Soren is sitting cross-legged with his face to the dome. 

Laurie sits next to Henry, her hair a little unkempt, chin on her knees, dullness to her eyes. 

“How long have we been here?” she asks Henry. 

He carefully places his new metal sculptures on the floor and looks at his watch. “12 years, Earth time.” 

Laurie lies down. 

Henry stops what he is doing and puts a hand on her. He sits with her for a long time. 

A few days later, everyone is eating breakfast. Under Laurie’s eyes is gray, and she is approaching the table with her tray of food. 

Henry looks at Tina, who nods. 

“Laurie?” Henry says, standing. 

She looks up as if she was somewhere else in her mind. “Yes, Henry?” she says. 

He drops to one knee. Laurie’s expression changes from numb to awestruck with only the flicker of her eyebrows. She shakes her head “no” as if she can’t handle it. Tina jumps up to grab the tray from her hands, and they automatically go up to her mouth. 

“Will you marry me?” Henry asks. He pulls out a ring he crafted from his metal. The gem is one of the yellow pieces of exoskeleton that she found outside. 

She nods, tears in her eyes.

He jumps up to kiss her, and everyone else claps and cheers. 

“I made more vodka!” George says. Everyone cheers again. 

Not wanting to leave anyone out, Laurie says, “No ceremony! We’re married now. I love you, Henry.” Henry smiles and nods. “Let’s party!” 

That night, they get so drunk that Laurie passes out, Tina throws up in a crate, and Soren tries to do a back flip and almost breaks his neck. 

“I just want you to know...” Horatio slurs to Anna. “That I love you.” 

“Everyone can tell!” she says back, laughing. They both laugh. 

“Everybody listen to me!” George says. When heads turn, he doubles over laughing. They laugh too. 

“I barfed in a thing,” Tina says, coming back to the group. 

“That’s it. Let it out,” Soren says, laying on the ground. “That’s like a you thing that you say...” 

“Ohh,” Tina says. “Do you need an ambulance?” 

Soren laughs. “Nah, I think I just broke my neck.” 

“Lemme help...” Tina says. She picks him up and they stumble to the room. 

“Ohhhhh!” Anna says, pointing. “There’s....something.” 

“I’m gunna be the only person alone,” Horatio says, pouting. 

“Aw,” Anna says. “There, there.” She slaps his back clumsily. She turns to George. “Can we go to barf--I mean, bed?” 

The next day, they all avoid eye contact. 

[princessgracekelly1956]

Daily Mirror - 16 June 1958

William Hickey joins with Photonews

For once let’s look closely at a single week-end... when a big name captures the kingdom

This Super Sinatra ‘rocks’ the Rainiers

MONTE CARLO, SUNDAY

This has been Frank Sinatra’s week-end in Monte Carlo - the swingiest, zingiest affair since that famous “swell party” that climaxed his film “High Society.’ And his Hollywood co-star Grace Kelly was the leading lady of this Wow of a Week-end under her new billing of Princess Grace of Monaco.

The excuse, if excuse were needed, was last night’s world premiere of his latest film “Kings Go Forth.” But this was the least exciting part of this Riviera fiesta that by tea-time yesterday had transformed this near-deserted little principality into a sun-drenched rendezvous for a thousand stars and celebrities.

By plane, car, and train they arrived, some having flown direct from Hollywood to support this giant of show business. And their journey was lavishly rewarded by one of the greatest song shows anyone here had ever heard.

At the gala supper after the film Sinatra left his seat next to Princess Grace and bounded on to the stage. He ran through a dozen of hid best-known numbers while the princess sat, hands clasped, eyes gleaming with excitement behind her spectacles and a smile curling the corners of her mouth.

In the huge, hot room of the International Sporting Club, with its waterfront decor, I could have heard a diamond drop as the 40-piece orchestra led into “When Your Lover Has Gone.”

Laughter in Mandalay

Then the mood switched to laughter as Sinatra ad-libbed his way through “The Road to Mandalay,” embroidering Kipling’s original with lines like “There’s a Burma broad a’settin’.” and “The cat gets a crazy thirst.”

After this one Sinatra must have noticed the puzzled look of Prince Rainier, who several times leaned across the table decorations to ask his wife for a translation into ordinary English.

For before going into “All the Way,” Sinatra hitched his trousers and said: “Sorry, I don’t speak enough French to explain all the words, but if any of you don’t understand just speak to the cat next to you and she’ll help you dig it.”

After three-quarters of an hour Sinatra finished with a tremendous beat-up of “The Lady is a Tramp,” leaped off the platform, and sloped back to the table where the Rainiers were leading the cheers and cries of “Encore,” “Bravo,” “More.”  

He had promised it would be “a swingin’ night,” and there was an “I-told-you-so” look in his twinkling blue eyes as he acknowledged the tumult with a loose wave of his hand and a triumphant smile.

She whispers in his ear

As he sat down to gulp a drink, Princess Grace whispered in his ear. Two seconds later he was back on stage, gripping the mike and saying; “That was supposed to be it, but I’ve a request from our lovely lady of the evening. We haven’t rehearsed this but here is ‘You Make Me Feel So Young.’”

Then, turning to the musicians who were fumbling for their parts and looking confused, he chuckled: “Just read, boys. Don’t get nervous! But if you ‘blow’ this you are, out of the team.”

This was Sinatra - casual, confident, uninhibited to the point where he almost goes too far were it not for his enormous charm.

INTRODUCTION

To introduce him Noël Coward had broken off his conversation with Somerset Maugham. He said: “He is one of the great artists of our time. His taste is impeccable - I have never known him to make a false move.”

The gala party didn’t start until nearly midnight - the film had started nearly an hour late. So everybody was in a “let’s eat” mood when they got to the supper tables.

But the shouts of “Service, please,” and “Champagne” died into a breathless silence as the Rainiers came down the stairs.

Applause for the Rainiers

Princess Grace looked warm and lovely with a new crisp-curl short hair-do, rose-pink lipstick to match her high-necked gown of faille, a white mink wrap, and a spattering of diamonds and pearls that somehow looked discreet, although the stones were huge.

Everyone clapped as the prince, in a dinner jacket, guided her to their table, where the rest of the party - including Tina Onassis, Frank Ross and his wife, better remembered perhaps as actress Joan Caulfield, and Arthur Krim, head of United Artists - was waiting.

Sinatra’s date the Marquise de Portago - sat at another table with the Peter Lawfords.

Curt Jurgens and his constant companion Simone Bicheron were there. Lex Barker in a white dinner jacket, had just flown in from Rome. Mr. and Mrs. Howard Keel, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Wilding, Mai Zetterling, Delphi Lawrence, Adrienne Corri and April Olrieh from England, laughed at the gay tables.

Don Loper, from California, was squiring Betty Furness, who wore a flue-brush wig for some reason.

The real king of the party

But there was no doubt that even in the presence of his royal friends Frank Sinatra was king.

As people congratulated him on his film performance, he said: “It’s strange, I know that film so well by now - but I cried.”

This was Sinatra - the man with the tender heart who does many kindnesses that are never known.

Mrs. Ross, who has known him for years told me: ‘He’s a paradox. Although he talks like a gangster he is a truly gentle man.

‘He always works in reverse - if somebody wants him to behave this way or do a certain thing he will do just the opposite. It’s his game, and you have to play it his way.”

Certainly it all worked out his way last night.

A date at dawn...

The Rainiers danced till 3 a.m. Then at dawn today Sinatra invited a few friends back to the suite she was sharing with the Lawfords - a suite I had left at 6 a.m. yesterday. He was in an exuberant mood. “That Grace is just adorable,” he said. “And her prince is really charming.

“Do you know, he went out of his way to say ‘Thank you for having us - it’s been such a wonderful evening.’ Man, it was a gas, wasn’t it?”

SEA FOOD

I had joined him on Friday at an eve-of-premiere party in the open air at a sea-food restaurant at Cap Martin.

Sinatra, co-host with producer Frank Ross, sat with Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lawford at a table a little apart from the main group - which included Hedda Hopper, Leonard Lyons, Ludwig Bemelmans, and Earl Wilson.

He played the perfect host, until, hemmed in by serenading guitarists and flamenco dancers, he decided he’d had enough.

“Let’s go back to town,” he said. “I hear there’s a big crap game going on at the casino.”

There was no big dice game, but when a few late-nighters straggled into the casino bar he stood drinks until 2 a.m. yesterday and then took some of us back to his suite.

The man who likes company

While his records played softly in the background, he drank Bourbon whisky, defined a “broad” as ‘a “loveable dame,” and wandered out on to the balcony to describe the thin crescent moon cradling a star as “a ring-a-ding version of the Turkish flag.”

We argued about where an entertainer’s private life begins and ends. “I left Rome,” he said, “because everywhere I went someone stuck a camera in my face.”

This was Sinatra - the man who loves company in the small hours, who sits up all night and sleeps all day.

THE SINGER

Some wit has remarked that Sinatra’s is the only place you wear a black tie and take sunglasses.

When I left at 6 a.m. yesterday the sun was up looking like thunder out of Mentone ‘cross the bay.

But The Singer was sitting alone taking off his shoes with one hand and trying to get some jazz on a transistor set with the other.

A cigarette for a baton

Next time he appeared was around 5 yesterday afternoon to rehearse the band specially flown down from Paris.

In an open-neck orange shirt, white linen jacket and dark trousers, with his straw snap-brim hat tilted sometimes back, sometimes forward over his eyes, he drilled the musicians in every nuance of the arrangements while waiters laid tables, electricians tested lights, porters humped in flowering plants, and 50 flashlights blinked from the wings.

With a cigarette for a baton he raised his arms and spread them wide to indicate the full surge of a crescendo.

With arms crossed or hands stuck in pockets to prevent, I suspect, the trousers sliding right off his slim hips, he whistled or beat time with his foot for two hours - but always with a curious stillness that never wasted gesture.

After “Moonlight in Vermont” he nodded “C’est bon” and gathered up his music. He had an hour before he was due at that premiere.

This was Sinatra - the perfectionist who, though he plays no instrument and cannot read music, has developed his own incomparable technique for songs with a snap or songs with a sigh.

[klaineanummel]

Story of My Life 7/24

Kurt reflects on the past twelve years of his life, coming to realize that one man in particular has affected him far more than he ever thought he would

Welcome to day seven of my @klaineadvent fic, written for today���s prompt, Genuine. I... don’t think that I filled the prompt very well. It’s like... a bit of a stretch. Oops?

WARNINGS: Kurt/Sebastian (sorry to those of you who liked Adam!), some Blaine pining related angst at the end.

Oh, I keep forgetting to mention this, but please make sure you are keeping an eye on the dates for each part. It’ll help with situating when this is happening. I’m hoping to make a timeline soon that’ll state everybody’s birthdays and what ages they are at which points in the story. 

Hope you all enjoy, and see you tomorrow!

Attachment   |   Bucket |    Collapse   |   Drink   |   Example   |   Fraction   |

Read on AO3

October 15th-16th, 2014

“This is so pathetic.”

“Tell me about it. They’ve just been sitting there for days.”

“It’s really sad.”

“I’m glad you called me over, this is really something else.”

“They aren’t even eating ice cream or crying, they just… sit there.”

“I think Rachel has gone completely catatonic at this point. Hold on, let me check something.”

A flash goes off, and Kurt can’t ignore his friends any more. “Can you three fuck off, please?” he asks, turning to Cooper, Tina, and Elliott, aiming his dirtiest glare at them.

“He lives!” Tina cheers.

“Hard not to when you three won’t stop nattering over there about how pathetic Rachel and I are.”

Elliott is the one who comes close, sitting on the edge of the coffee table and leaning forward. “Kurt, you know I love you, but you have to admit, this is getting kind of pathetic.”

“I will admit no such thing,” Kurt says, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling his legs up onto the couch with him, trying to get away from his friend.

“Come on, Kurt. It’s Friday night and you two are sitting in your sweatpants, staring at literally nothing, like zombies.”

“We’re heartbroken, and misery loves company.”

“Please,” Elliott rolls his eyes, causing Kurt to scowl. “Adam left almost two months ago, so you have no excuse, and Rachel,” he turns to her, and Kurt looks too, finding his friend still staring vacantly ahead. “You already knew that Brody was a douchebag, so these two weeks of moping is really over the top and unnecessary.”

“Brody was a douchebag,” Cooper chimes in, and Kurt sees Tina elbow him.

“Listen, I can mope as long as I want,” Kurt huffs. “Adam was the love of my life, and he barely gave me any warning before jetting off to England to fulfill his dreams of leaving his boyfriend in the dust.”

“He was not the love of your life, come on, Kurt,” Tina says, coming forward and sitting next to Elliott. “Yeah, he was your first serious boyfriend, and he was a great one, but love of your life?”

“He may have been,” Kurt says, turning away from them as much as he can. “I guess we’ll never know, since apparently going back to England was more important than making things work with me.”

“That’s not fair, Kurt,” Elliott butts in. “He got a role on the West End. Granted, it was ensemble, but still. That’s basically like getting a role on Broadway.”

“Fine, but he could have told me about it beforehand. He could have told me he was auditioning, so that I would have some warning, and he could have asked me if I wanted to try long distance instead of just abandoning me.”

“I know, Kurt. You know how I know? Because you’ve been a broken record about this for almost two months now. It’s time to get off the couch, get out of the sweatpants, and move on.”

Kurt scowls. “You’re a terrible motivational speaker, Tina.”

“No,” Rachel suddenly speaks up, making everybody turn to her. “No, she’s right.”

“What?” Kurt stares at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

“She’s right. So is Elliott. Adam left a while ago, and I already knew Brody wasn’t good for me. We’re wasting our time, and dragging everybody down with us. It’s time to move on.”

Kurt stares at her for a few moments, and she stares right back. Her eyes are filled with more emotion than he’s seen since she showed up at their apartment two weeks ago with a bag and the words, “He cheated,” on her lips.

“We should go out,” she continues when nobody else speaks.

“Go out?!” Kurt practically shrieks as Tina pumps her fist and says, “Now you’re talking!”

“Yes, Kurt,” Rachel says. “We should go out. It’s Friday, we’re all single, and we deserve to have some fun. Let’s go dancing.”

Elliott and Cooper hoot in agreement, and Tina claps her hands, excited. Kurt stares at Rachel for a few more second, then sighs.

“Fine,” he says. “But I’m not having any fun.”

“Then you’ll miss out,” Tina says, cackling. “I’ll call Sam and Mercedes and let them know.”

“I’ll call Quinn,” Elliott says.

Kurt frowns, turning to him. “You still talk to Quinn?”

“Yeah, all the time,” Elliott replies. “Ever since I made friends with you I’ve been more invested in actually keeping my class-friends around, and Quinn is cool.”

Kurt does remember enjoying the project he and Quinn worked on in the class they shared during the fall semester. He nods, then says, “You better warn her that I’m not going to be any fun.”

“Oh, trust me, she’ll know as soon as she sees your face,” Elliott says, smirking at Kurt. Kurt flips him off, but then forces himself off the couch and to his room, finally changing out his sweatpants for some skinny jeans.

Much as he’s loathe to admit it, his friends are right. He already feels better.

*

The club they attend allows people over eighteen and under twenty-one in, though they’re forced to wear bright red wristbands. Elliott, Rachel, Tina, and Quinn all smirk at Kurt, Cooper, Mercedes, and Sam as the bouncer puts on their wristbands, giving them all stern looks as he does.

“I hate this,” Cooper grumbles as they walk into the club. “I feel like a toddler.”

“Whatever, I already knew this was going to blow,” Kurt replies.

“Oh, come on,” Mercedes loops her arm through Kurt’s. “You’re telling me you’d have more fun lying around at home then out with your friends?”

“Or at work,” Kurt says. Since Adam left, he’s practically buried himself in work, to the point where Isabelle has had to ask him to take on less hours, wanting him to focus on his schooling as well. “I’d be there right now, actually, but Isabelle doesn’t let me stay past nine, or on the weekends anymore.” Her far-too-concerned, “This is only supposed to be a part-time job, Kurt,” rings in his ears, and he shakes his head.

“Well, I think you’re lame, and a party-pooper, so I’m going to dance with my boyfriend, and you can come join us if you feel like being less of a downer.”

She disappears onto the dance floor, leaving Kurt and Cooper awkwardly standing by the bar. He glances around and sees that Rachel, Elliott, Quinn, and Tina have all disappeared, too.

Cooper is looking around, then seems to land on what he’s searching for and says, “Hey, I’ll find you later, okay?” before running off. Kurt watches him disappear into the crowd, assuming that he’s going to try and dance with Rachel. He shakes his head, knowing his friend is headed for definite heartbreak.

He walks over to one of the few empty barstools and hops onto it, calling the bartender over and asking for a Coke. The man nods, glancing at his wristband, and grabs him a can. Kurt pays him right away, then pops the can open, ignoring the glass the bartended places next to it.

“You look like you’re having fun.”

Kurt turns to see a man around his age (with no wristband) standing between him and the person on the barstool next to him. He’s tall, with sandy brown hair and green eyes that seem to be staring right through him.

“What gave me away?” Kurt asks, inconspicuously placing his hand over the top of his hand.

The man shrugs. “The fact that you came in with like, ten other people, but instantly came to the bar instead of going out to dance.”

Kurt raises his eyebrows. “You noticed me come in?”

The man smirks. “You’re surprised by that?” He drags his eyes over Kurt’s body.

Kurt blushes and takes another sip of his drink. Despite his reluctance to come out tonight, he has to admit that this feels nice. Being noticed like this. Being approached by a total stranger.

“I’m Kurt,” he decides on, extending a hand to the man.

The man chuckles, but takes his hand. “Sebastian,” he replies. He keeps his hand on Kurt’s and says, “What are my chances of you saying yes if I asked you to dance?”

Kurt looks the man over. He’s attractive enough, tall and slim, and his grip on Kurt’s hand is firm, which his father always told him was a good sign. “High,” he says.

The man raises an eyebrow and gestures to the dance floor. Kurt nods and sets his almost-empty Coke can on the bar, letting Sebastian lead him onto the dance floor.

Maybe coming out wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

*

The following morning, Kurt wakes up with an arm slung around his waist and a warm body tucked into his own.

For a moment he forgets, allowing himself to cuddle closer to the man behind him. Then, his eyes widen as he remembers that Adam is in Essex.

This isn’t Adam.

He turns around, his memories of the previous night confirmed at the sight of Sebastian sleeping behind him. He tenses, eyes wide, then ever-so-carefully extracts himself from Sebastian’s hold. Sebastian doesn’t seem to care much, turning over and continuing to sleep without a problem.

Kurt pulls some pyjamas on quickly, disbelief running through his entire body.

He had a one-night stand.

He can’t even blame it on the alcohol, because neither he nor Sebastian drank last night. He can’t blame it on anything other than recklessness and impulsivity.

Oh, god, his friends are never going to let him hear the end of this.

He tip-toes out of his room and heads to the kitchen, wanting to get away from his room and the strange man in it. He freezes, though, as soon as he enters the kitchen.

Because sitting there, in the breakfast nook, across from Cooper, is Blaine.

“Kurt!” the boy grins and hops up, hurrying to Kurt to give him a giant hug.

“Blaine,” Kurt says, hugging him back carefully. “You’re here!”

“Yeah, I wanted to surprise Cooper, and Mom has a bunch of meetings here this weekend, so here I am!”

“Surprise Cooper? Why?”

Blaine frowns, glancing at Cooper in confusion before looking back at Kurt. “Because it’s his birthday?”

Kurt’s eyes widen, and he turns to Cooper in shock. “Oh, my god. I totally forgot your birthday.”

Cooper waves a hand in dismissal. “It’s fine. You were otherwise occupied,” he winks at Kurt, who blushes at the implications. “Speaking of which—”

“So when did you get here?” Kurt interrupts, shaking his head discreetly at Cooper.

“Just a few minutes ago, actually,” Blaine says. “Mom dropped me off and then had to run to a business meeting. We’re all going out for dinner later.”

“Sounds fun,” Kurt says. “Make sure your mom stops by before you two leave. I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“Of course,” Blaine says. “Or, you could join us for dinner! I’m sure mom wouldn’t mind.”

“No, no, I can’t impose. What kind of friend would I be if I crashed his birthday dinner after forgetting it was his birthday?”

“A shitty one,” Cooper says, and Kurt nods in agreement. “Though I know how you can make it up to me.”

Kurt shakes his head again, worried about what Cooper might say. “Oh, yeah?”

Cooper nods. “You know your friend Quinn?”

“Yeah?”

“So, I totally made out with her last night, and I’d love it if you gave me her number.”

“Oh,” Kurt’s eyes widen, totally surprised. In all the time he’s known Cooper, he’s never seen him so much as look at a girl other than Rachel. “You… Wait, what?”

Blaine squeaks, and Kurt glances down, wondering if the subject of his brother making out with a girl is uncomfortable for him. Instead, though, he finds him staring behind Kurt, and Kurt turns to see Sebastian standing behind them, pulling his sweater over his head.

“Hey,” he greets once he’s fully clothed, then moves toward Kurt and pulls him in for a hard kiss in one fluid motion. Kurt is so shocked by the action that he doesn’t even close his eyes, staring just past Sebastian’s forehead, wondering if the ground can just swallow him whole.

When Sebastian pulls away, he says, “I have to go, but you were a pretty good fuck, so I left you my number.” He winks at him, then heads to the apartment exit, waving over his shoulder and calling out, “Call me!”

Kurt stays frozen where he stands even after Sebastian leaves. He doesn’t want to turn around, isn’t ready to see the look he knows he will find on Blaine’s face.

“He’s forward,” Cooper says, and Kurt winces.

“Is he, uh,” Blaine clears his throat, and Kurt shuts his eyes. “Is he your new boyfriend?”

Kurt groans quietly and, hesitantly, shakes his head.

“Oh,” Blaine says, and Kurt forces his eyes open, turning around hesitantly.

He was right. Blaine looks like he just saw someone kick his puppy.

Kurt sighs and walks over to Blaine, wrapping him up in another hug. Blaine clings to him instantly, and if anything, it just makes Kurt’s heart break more.

“Hey, what do you say the three of us go get breakfast at the Spotlight Diner?” Kurt asks, staring at Cooper pleadingly over his head. “I think Sam is working, and I have to see how he’s holding up after last night.”

“That sounds like a great plan,” Cooper says. “Blaine, you okay to wait while Kurt and I change?”

Blaine nods against Kurt’s shoulder, then slowly extracts himself from his arms. He smiles hesitantly and Kurt smiles back, heart somewhere in his throat.

Cooper and Kurt leave the kitchen together, and as soon as they’re out of Blaine’s sight, Cooper says, “Jeez, dude. Talk about the worst time to have your first ever one-night stand.”

Kurt groans and says, “I know, Cooper. Trust me. I know.”

Part Eight: Health

[silverynight]

Auction

Newt plays nervously with his tie and gazes back at Tina with a scared, desperate look on his face. She shakes her head, it seems she feels sorry for him, but Newt notices how she's trying to hold back a grin. Maybe Tina is as cruel as her sister after all. "Why are we doing this again?" He turns to Queenie, who looks beautiful with the pearl dress; she gives him the most mischievous smirk. "Because we want to raise money for the wampus shelter, sweetie," she reminds him. "You asked for our help because you said you didn't have any money. You agreed to this, my darling." "I thought we were going to auction things!" He protests. "Not people!" Queenie caresses his curls and fixes his tie for the second time. "You make it sound like we're trafficking with humans. It's just a dance and a date." "Okay... but why me?" The uncertainty in Newt's voice comes back and the wizard bites his lip, trying to calm himself. "No one's gonna make an offer for-" "First of all, you are lovely and I know a few people that want to date you... among other things that maybe I could explain to you later, but-" "Queenie!" By the way Tina cuts her sister off and the blush on her cheeks, Newt knows he's not the only one uncomfortable. The witch rolls her eyes. "Fine. What I'm trying to say is that you're attractive, honey. You're cute and I'm not the only one who thinks like that. So don't worry, I'm sure we're gonna raise so much money with you. And second, but not less important, you are the most interested in this, Newt, therefore you have to participate." Newt sighs, because he knows she's right. "Fair enough," he mutters. Still, he doesn't believe her, he has returned to New York just two weeks ago, there's no way he has catched anybody's attention. "Believe, honey, you have. In fact, I'm pretty sure we're going to have one very interested bidder." Newt looks at his shoes and thinks about the wampuses instead. He wants everything to end as soon as possible. *** There are five wizards with him; a few aurors, a lady from the muggle department, a man that works in the cafeteria and Seraphina Picquery's personal assistant. They all look very confident and excited. Newt looks at himself, feeling weird in the suit Queenie chose for him. She says he looks great, he's not sure about it, he has never pay too much attention to fashion, he just wears clothes that are practical for the work he does and that protect him from the weather. He misses his coat. They all are over the stage, standing in a line for everybody to see them. There are more people than he thought it would, so many Newt can't recognize anyone. He knows there are a few members of the Ministry, and thank Merlin his brother is not among them because he wouldn't allow him to do such thing. He knows some of them are aurors that work for Theseus and he seriously hope they don't tell his brother. At least he can't see Mr Graves. Maybe he's home by now; Tina has told him the Director doesn't enjoy balls that much, but he goes because he has to. He's glad, because the thing is... Mr Graves makes him feel... odd. Nervous, well, it's true he finds him attractive, but that's it, the man doesn't speak to him, only when he has to and has this intense look on his face every time Newt catches him staring at him. He knows... he's sure the Director doesn't like him at all. He's so immerse in his own thoughts he doesn't notice when Queenie walks next to him and puts her wand on her own throat. "Good evening, everybody!" She greets happily. "I hope you're having fun." There's cheers and exited screams from the audience. Newt can't help but laugh, because they all look so different and relaxed when they're not at work. He imagines Mr Graves frowning, he probably is wishing​ to return to work. He giggles, but this time he covers his mouth. "But if you're not having fun, don't worry because the night will become more interesting from now on!" She continues and smiles brightly when the crowd claps. "Just look at the beauties we have in here, all of them are waiting to dance with them all night long and have a romantic dinner afterwards. How does that sound?" More cheers from the public. Newt narrows his eyes for a moment when he recognizes Picquery laughing and clapping with the rest of them and marvels at how relaxed she looks. She seems to be talking with someone and pulling them closer, but Newt doesn't see them. He stares a few seconds more, curious, but he's distracted by Queenie's​ voice. "The bid starts at 50 galleons!" She smiles, walking towards a witch whose name Newt believes is Amelia. Newt watches as every man and woman are sold. And waits for his turn, of course Queenie would make him the last. "And now... Our lovely magizoologist. He's the new MACUSA's worker. He has a very attractive English accent, lovely freckles all over his cute face and he's very intelligent." "Queenie!" Newt protests, embarrassed. "Oh, I almost forgot that he blushes prettily! The color on your face matches with your curls now, honey." Newt covers his face, but Queenie takes his hands off. "It's okay, honey," she assures, taking her wand off her neck so Newt's the only one that can hear her. She pats his back and Newt relaxes under the touch. "So we start, as always, at-" "200!" Newt gasps and feels his cheeks burning. He recognizes that deep voice; the people starts spreading to let the wizard in the dark suit approach the stage. Everybody looks shocked and confused to see the Director of Magical Security standing with a determined look on his face. Newt stares at him and realises Graves is smirking at him, there's something dangerous sparkling in his eyes. Then Graves, the most powerful auror in America, winks at him. And Newt shivers. He feels like he's melting. "We have 200 here who-" "250!" Tina shouts. She's trying so hard not to look at her boss and it seems that's the right choice because the Director is glaring at her. "300!" Abernathy offers, before Graves can open his mouth again. "500!" Graves growls. He's looking around like he'd fight anyone who dares to offer more. Newt avoids his eyes. He can't believe what's happening. Why is the Director acting like that out of the blue? They barely speak! "600!" Fontaine yells. "700!" Newt's​ almost sure he has seen that auror before, he looks a bit too much like one of Theseus' friends. "1000!" Nobody says anything after hearing that number and Graves looks smug. There's a fierce smirk on his face as he waits for Queenie to declare the inevitable. "Sold to the enthusiastic wizard in the black suit," she says, even though everyone knows that's Percival Graves. *** "Winners, you can come and claim your prize now!" Queenie announces, once the bidders signed a couple of documents. Unlike everyone else, Graves apparates on the stage in front of Newt and startling him in the process. The auror caresses Newt's cheek before taking him by the waist and pulling him closer. Newt gasps, surprised, but his breath is stolen by Graves' lips and it takes him just a few seconds to recover himself and kiss back. "Why?" He breathes when he pulls away, the Director groans and tries to reach his lips again, but Newt shakes his head, asking the question one more time. "I've wanted to do that since I met you," Graves confesses, grinning. "And I've wanted to ask you on a date, but you always were with auror Goldstein, I thought you two were a couple." "We're not," Newt says. "I'm glad," Graves leans closer. The smile fades away and Newt wonders if he has done something wrong. "I know I can take you to dinner, but I don't want you to do anything you don't want to so if-" Newt gives him a peck on the lips. "I'd love to have dinner with you." "Actually, I believe you owe me a dance first," Graves pulls him even closer. "You're right. Lead the way, Percival."

[adalbertosoos-blog]

The sale price was not released

Peak flu season can start as early as October and run through May. The best time to get a flu shot is as soon as it's available, usually in September or October. It takes about 2 weeks for the vaccine to take effect. Staff at the Greene Turtle in Fells Point didn't do anything special to market the soccer tournament nfl jerseys. While soccer made appearances on the bar's televisions, workers made sure to tune in baseball as well. "We have about 15 TVs, so we certainly always have to have our Orioles on," said co owner Jill Packo..

cheap jerseys Dudley acknowledges his work required only a small fraction of the knowledge that orthodontists have. And he isn't accepting any requests to make plastic aligners for the people who contact him. Instead Dudley, who is set to graduate this spring, has interviewed with 3D printing companies that were intrigued by his project..  cheap jerseys

cheap jerseys Some popular teams from the 1930s included the Boston Celtics, Harlem Globetrotters, New York Renaissance and the Philadelphia SPHAs. Great women players from this time included Babe Didrikson and Alline Banks Sprouse. Women basketball rules were modified because it was generally thought that basketball was too rigorous a sport for women.  cheap jerseys

"They've got a four day window to get through a protocol each day. If they get a headache on the second day they've got to go back to the first day. For a guy like Matty https://www.cheapjerseys18.com, if he's not cleared by Tuesday he'll be no good. Vumoo might be perfect fit for your needs. Huge Collection of latest hollywood moviebrowse thought genres. Free Signup or registration.

Cheap Jerseys china James Cameron's movie epic 'Avatar'; has been released alongside a game of the same name. However, don't write this one off as just another rush release movie game just yet. Cameron's vision for the movie came four and a half years prior to its release which left plenty of time for game development.  Cheap Jerseys china

nfl jerseys Think part of the issue is I not sure the other leagues understand Las Vegas as we have come to understand it, he said. Are 2.1 million people in Greater Las Vegas. They are, for the most part, not what you see on the strip when you go there and visit for a weekend.  nfl jerseys

The arrival of the Orioles and the concurrent rise of the Baltimore Colts allowed Baltimore to forge its own sports identity in the 1950s. By the '60s, the Senators and the Redskins were the ones pining for respectability. The Colts had superstar quarterback Johnny Unitas.  Cheap Jerseys free shipping

wholesale jerseys from china Wendy Tankard, who lives in North Carolina but came back to Harford County to watch the game with a friend in Bel Air. She said she and her friends Tina, Rod, Maggie and Gage Reynolds got to Dick's shortly after it opened and "there weren't too many people there when we got there, but it got real busy real quick. The atmosphere was awesome people were cheering," she said.  wholesale jerseys from china

cheap nfl jerseys Experience has taught me that knowing my audience and "owning my talk" are the two most critical factors to my success. This makes complete sense but few speakers take time to survey the audience or have a real strategy for "owning their talk". Both are relatively simple processes but often overlooked.  cheap nfl jerseys

cheap nfl jerseys He's just a regular, normal guy,'' Dodd said. He doesn't act like a big superstar coach, even though he is. What I liked best, they didn't just try to show me a good time, take me to parties and do all the kind of stuff you hear about https://www.netcheapjerseys.com. It's a major issue here in Arizona, Kerr said. Much bigger than a basketball game. It doesn't mean we're crafting a new immigration bill.  cheap nfl jerseys

wholesale jerseys "The full time employees were a great group of guys and welcomed me like I'd worked there for years," Malaska remembered. "I traveled around Danbury with them cutting grass, weed whacking, picking up garbage, even working on Rogers Park and the baseball fields. It gave me an opportunity to see a lot of your beautiful town and my co workers were a great source of entertainment.".  wholesale jerseys

SubscriptionsGo to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your:My Profile"Today, on behalf of my family, our partner David Thomson, and our entire organization, I am excited beyond words to announce our purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers," said Mark Chipman wholesale jerseys from china, chairman of True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd.As soon as the announcement was made by Chipman, thousands of fans shouted, cheered, clapped, whistled, popped champagne and sang the Stompin' Tom Connors anthem The Hockey Song at two main party places in the city: the famous intersection of Portage and Main, and The Forks marketplace.Portage and Main was shut down to traffic for a couple of hours as an estimated 1,000 people gathered there."NHL, welcome home. It's great to have you back here, it's great to have you back here where you belong," said a beaming Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger at the press conference."We missed you and we're going to make it work forever now that you're back."Mayor Sam Katz and former Jet Thomas Steen lead the conga line at The Forks to celebrate the NHL's return to Winnipeg. ((Marjorie Dowhos/CBC))The sale price was not released, however numerous reports leading up to the announcement have pegged it at $170 million, including a $60 million relocation fee."It's a fantastic day for the city and I'm hoping, you know, for decades on, everybody will get to experience the NHL and the economic impact and the wonderful pride that comes with being a city that has the best of the best," said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz.While the NHL's return will have obvious economic benefits, that's not all it offers, he said."One thing that you can't measure is the feeling https://www.cheapjerseysqa.com, the wonderful feeling that Winnipeggers and Manitobans will have today with the return of the NHL after a 15 year absence," Katz said.Winnipeg has been without NHL hockey since the Jets moved to Phoenix and were renamed the Coyotes in 1996."In the spring of 1995, I was very fortunate to become closely involved in community efforts to save the NHL team Cheap Jerseys from china.

[graciedroweuk]

Real Weddings: Christina & Michael’s Rustic Winery Wedding

Christina and Michael were wed in an outdoor service and celebrated by a reception at the moody Tooth and Nails castle and vineyard in Paso Robles, California. Continue reading if you want to see the gloomy and details in their rustic winery wedding that is gorgeous.

The Details

Writer’s Name: Christina Groom/Partner’s Name: Michael Venue(s): Tooth and Nail Winery in Paso Robles, California Wedding Date: July 23, 2016 Bridal Gown Designer: Casablanca Bridal Florist: Tina Mclane of The Grand Bouquet Florist Photographer: David Pascolla Photography Videographer: Cory Williams of Surreal Wedding Films Cake: Paper Cake Events Wedding Coordinator: Kim Walker of Tooth and Nail Winery Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Sorella Vita by Essense of Australia Honeymoon: Europe! Barcelona, Madrid, Florence, and Venice–an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip Makeup: Amanda Olson Hair: Tiffany Farino

The Story

Our wedding day was the day I could ever imagine with. I can go on and on about how much fun it was and it made us feel, however I will attempt to limit my words, as long as it will be.

Therefore that it could reflect our style as a 18, Michael and I purchased and chose our décor. We wanted our wedding to be classy but amazingly fun for this to have a lot of the elements of a wedding, and while still representing our style as a couple.

Details are everything, and we needed our details to have meaning behind them. Our signs, guestbook, photos, boards…what we purchased and generated are all pieces of décor that we intended to hang in our home–truly reflective of the commencement of our own lives as a married coupleof

We wanted the afternoon to be elegant, romantic. We also wanted all the elements of their décor, and wedding to become reflective of the style of our style and the venue.

The venue itself is magnificent. Moms and the girls got ready in a castle which had the bridal suite, and the gentlemen got prepared from the major castle’s library. Our service was on the roof overlooking the mountains of Paso Robles, the vineyards, the moat, and the reception place. The backdrop for our service was incredible, and the bridal party took photos up top after the service concluded. Our reception was dipped on the rear and front terrace, and out in the Amor Fati room, overlooking the moat and the vineyards. Amor Fati is Latin, and it means “love of fate”; it’s used to refer to an attitude in which one sees everything which happens in one’s life as great.

Michael and I did a good deal of those designing, placing, and buying. We had a whole lot of fun creating our vision for the distance. Our terrific occasion planner, Kim, and Nicki, her assistant, were very helpful and wonderful to use; they created the day incredible and helped us with everything.

We adored the wood signs we discovered, which matched the gorgeous wooden tables. We love the distressed appearance of timber — so many elements tied in with that, but there were elements of the venue we didn’t want to shed with décor and information. The steel seats matched one of our wedding colors–gray. I made a lot of ourfitting as the venue wasn’t only a castle but also a winery.

The bridesmaids’ gowns were my favorite color: Tiffany blue. Their sneakers were lace wedges, moving with the subject of the winery, and the cognac color matched the groomsmen’s shoes and straps.

The flowers were white and blush pink while hinting at the romantic atmosphere we wanted to present, to tie the colors. We also integrated succulents to the figurines and the bouquets. My parents happen to be avid gardeners, and our family’s running joke is that I’m the only person. We wanted the flowers to stand out to accent the service space, as we’d bigger flower arrangements put in addition to wine barrels to create an altar space, and we also wanted them to complement my wedding gown, the bridesmaids’ dresses, and the tables. We had our flower boxes created, stained to match the color scheme, also stenciled to state “Michael and Christie” with our wedding date in a heart at the end. They looked lovely!

Also, we wanted family/friends and all of our antiques who took flowers to be able to watch our love grow, and to plant the succulents when they went home, from our wedding to get a memory card. We also had seed packets for all of our guests that had wildflower seeds in them so that they could plant them at home and remember our blossoming love, and family, and also to watch our love increase and don’t forget the true, pure beauty of loving and being loved.

One of the elements of our service was quite individual to us–we had two wines out of Tooth and Nail and performed with a wine service of wine blending to signify that the blending of both lives into one. Our two lives, combined into a life such as the 2 wines were represented by this service. The drinking of this wine indicated that that the commitment we chose to live our lives. When two or more genuinely characterful types are mixed together, and complement each other, then the result should be more interesting than any component that is single-varietal. The exact same holds true of us.

We wanted everybody to love themselves, and wanted to celebrate our marriage with our friends and family. We had the best day of their lives, and we had been surrounded with the best people. We could not have been more happy.

What were your favorite or most memorable elements of your wedding day?

It is impossible to choose a favorite facet of our wedding day. Seeing Michael’s face when he first saw me, and walking down the aisle with my dad, will be.

Our entrance was also entertaining–Michael frees me up over his shoulder and ran out the doors while everybody was clapping and cheering.

The addresses given by our bridal party members along with the address by my daddy were personal and so unique, and I am quite glad I have a video of their words that treasure and I get to keep .

Michael left me. It was so sweet, and emotional for me to read and open before our service. I will cherish it always.

From spending the afternoon with my mother, my women, and my mother-in-law to driving away in our limousine to our oceanfront suite and getting prepared, the afternoon was absolutely magical.

Really, the afternoon went by much too fast and was incredible. The part was knowing I was marrying my very best friend, that the best friends and family surrounded us, and that our families were that we were joined as household.

Is there anything  you would have done differently?

A couple of things I wish I would have done differently…

I want Michael and I would have had the time to move around to every table and at least been in a position to say hi to everybody and personally thank them. Between photographs after the ceremony, then the grand entrance, trying to scarf down nonetheless appreciate dinner when each course was served, being whisked off for sunset photos, and then coming back and then moving straight into the toasts and then the dances, we didn’t get to move around to visit with our guests because we’d intended. I’m still bummed we didn’t get a opportunity to do this–I didn’t get to talk to a lot of guests that I would have loved to be able to hug and chat with, but that is the character of the wedding day, I guess. It was active and we had a tight schedule!

I wish we would have originally intended and booked the venue for longer. We ended up extending the wedding reception another hour because after all the events were over and we all had the time to dance and love ourselves, we (and others) were having so much fun, and we all didn’t want to leave!

I would also attempt to become less stressed out and revel in the practice of preparation, even during the difficult parts as well as the bumps (and I had my fair share of those!) . But I wish I would have just loved every element of every moment.

Have you got some advice for future brides?

Enjoy the Procedure! It’s said over and over again, but if I could go back, I would attempt to be stressed out and simply enjoy the procedure, bumps and all. Make sure that you remember that although the day effort to put together, and is crazy, you do it to celebrate that you and your friend are connecting your lives indefinitely. It’s a party which shouldn’t possess the meaning behind it be lost. Ensure that you take a few minutes during your wedding look at your wedding at everybody to step back, and understand how much everybody loves you–they are there to celebrate your marriage! That moment is really monumental. Make sure to delight in spending time with your husband, also–don’t let all the other aspects and particulars of the day remove from the goal of observing: your own love.

There will be wedding entry! You have (probably) spent the better part of a year preparation this incredible day, and it’s probably going to be one of the best days of your life. Missing your wedding day is perfectly normal, especially if it’s, as you view it, your ideal day (that is amazing!) . Be sure to appreciate your timethe love and that the fun doesn’t stop simply because the wedding is over! The very best is yet to emerge.

~~~

Want to see your wedding featured on Weddingbee? We would love to feature you, in the event you had a fun wedding! Have a look at our Actual Sunset submissions page.

Save

Save

The article Real Weddings: Christina & Michael’s Rustic Winery Wedding appeared first on Weddingbee.

The post <p>Real Weddings: Christina & Michael’s Rustic Winery Wedding</p> appeared first on Welcome to weddings-in-portugal.com.

from network 4 http://www.weddings-in-portugal.com/real-weddings-christina-michaels-rustic-winery-wedding/

[weddingsinportugal]

Real Weddings: Christina & Michael’s Rustic Winery Wedding

Christina and Michael were wed in an outdoor service and celebrated by a reception at the moody Tooth and Nails castle and vineyard in Paso Robles, California. Continue reading if you want to see the gloomy and details in their rustic winery wedding that is gorgeous.

The Details

Writer’s Name: Christina Groom/Partner’s Name: Michael Venue(s): Tooth and Nail Winery in Paso Robles, California Wedding Date: July 23, 2016 Bridal Gown Designer: Casablanca Bridal Florist: Tina Mclane of The Grand Bouquet Florist Photographer: David Pascolla Photography Videographer: Cory Williams of Surreal Wedding Films Cake: Paper Cake Events Wedding Coordinator: Kim Walker of Tooth and Nail Winery Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Sorella Vita by Essense of Australia Honeymoon: Europe! Barcelona, Madrid, Florence, and Venice–an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip Makeup: Amanda Olson Hair: Tiffany Farino

The Story

Our wedding day was the day I could ever imagine with. I can go on and on about how much fun it was and it made us feel, however I will attempt to limit my words, as long as it will be.

Therefore that it could reflect our style as a 18, Michael and I purchased and chose our décor. We wanted our wedding to be classy but amazingly fun for this to have a lot of the elements of a wedding, and while still representing our style as a couple.

Details are everything, and we needed our details to have meaning behind them. Our signs, guestbook, photos, boards…what we purchased and generated are all pieces of décor that we intended to hang in our home–truly reflective of the commencement of our own lives as a married coupleof

We wanted the afternoon to be elegant, romantic. We also wanted all the elements of their décor, and wedding to become reflective of the style of our style and the venue.

The venue itself is magnificent. Moms and the girls got ready in a castle which had the bridal suite, and the gentlemen got prepared from the major castle’s library. Our service was on the roof overlooking the mountains of Paso Robles, the vineyards, the moat, and the reception place. The backdrop for our service was incredible, and the bridal party took photos up top after the service concluded. Our reception was dipped on the rear and front terrace, and out in the Amor Fati room, overlooking the moat and the vineyards. Amor Fati is Latin, and it means “love of fate”; it’s used to refer to an attitude in which one sees everything which happens in one’s life as great.

Michael and I did a good deal of those designing, placing, and buying. We had a whole lot of fun creating our vision for the distance. Our terrific occasion planner, Kim, and Nicki, her assistant, were very helpful and wonderful to use; they created the day incredible and helped us with everything.

We adored the wood signs we discovered, which matched the gorgeous wooden tables. We love the distressed appearance of timber — so many elements tied in with that, but there were elements of the venue we didn’t want to shed with décor and information. The steel seats matched one of our wedding colors–gray. I made a lot of ourfitting as the venue wasn’t only a castle but also a winery.

The bridesmaids’ gowns were my favorite color: Tiffany blue. Their sneakers were lace wedges, moving with the subject of the winery, and the cognac color matched the groomsmen’s shoes and straps.

The flowers were white and blush pink while hinting at the romantic atmosphere we wanted to present, to tie the colors. We also integrated succulents to the figurines and the bouquets. My parents happen to be avid gardeners, and our family’s running joke is that I’m the only person. We wanted the flowers to stand out to accent the service space, as we’d bigger flower arrangements put in addition to wine barrels to create an altar space, and we also wanted them to complement my wedding gown, the bridesmaids’ dresses, and the tables. We had our flower boxes created, stained to match the color scheme, also stenciled to state “Michael and Christie” with our wedding date in a heart at the end. They looked lovely!

Also, we wanted family/friends and all of our antiques who took flowers to be able to watch our love grow, and to plant the succulents when they went home, from our wedding to get a memory card. We also had seed packets for all of our guests that had wildflower seeds in them so that they could plant them at home and remember our blossoming love, and family, and also to watch our love increase and don’t forget the true, pure beauty of loving and being loved.

One of the elements of our service was quite individual to us–we had two wines out of Tooth and Nail and performed with a wine service of wine blending to signify that the blending of both lives into one. Our two lives, combined into a life such as the 2 wines were represented by this service. The drinking of this wine indicated that that the commitment we chose to live our lives. When two or more genuinely characterful types are mixed together, and complement each other, then the result should be more interesting than any component that is single-varietal. The exact same holds true of us.

We wanted everybody to love themselves, and wanted to celebrate our marriage with our friends and family. We had the best day of their lives, and we had been surrounded with the best people. We could not have been more happy.

What were your favorite or most memorable elements of your wedding day?

It is impossible to choose a favorite facet of our wedding day. Seeing Michael’s face when he first saw me, and walking down the aisle with my dad, will be.

Our entrance was also entertaining–Michael frees me up over his shoulder and ran out the doors while everybody was clapping and cheering.

The addresses given by our bridal party members along with the address by my daddy were personal and so unique, and I am quite glad I have a video of their words that treasure and I get to keep .

Michael left me. It was so sweet, and emotional for me to read and open before our service. I will cherish it always.

From spending the afternoon with my mother, my women, and my mother-in-law to driving away in our limousine to our oceanfront suite and getting prepared, the afternoon was absolutely magical.

Really, the afternoon went by much too fast and was incredible. The part was knowing I was marrying my very best friend, that the best friends and family surrounded us, and that our families were that we were joined as household.

Is there anything  you would have done differently?

A couple of things I wish I would have done differently…

I want Michael and I would have had the time to move around to every table and at least been in a position to say hi to everybody and personally thank them. Between photographs after the ceremony, then the grand entrance, trying to scarf down nonetheless appreciate dinner when each course was served, being whisked off for sunset photos, and then coming back and then moving straight into the toasts and then the dances, we didn’t get to move around to visit with our guests because we’d intended. I’m still bummed we didn’t get a opportunity to do this–I didn’t get to talk to a lot of guests that I would have loved to be able to hug and chat with, but that is the character of the wedding day, I guess. It was active and we had a tight schedule!

I wish we would have originally intended and booked the venue for longer. We ended up extending the wedding reception another hour because after all the events were over and we all had the time to dance and love ourselves, we (and others) were having so much fun, and we all didn’t want to leave!

I would also attempt to become less stressed out and revel in the practice of preparation, even during the difficult parts as well as the bumps (and I had my fair share of those!) . But I wish I would have just loved every element of every moment.

Have you got some advice for future brides?

Enjoy the Procedure! It’s said over and over again, but if I could go back, I would attempt to be stressed out and simply enjoy the procedure, bumps and all. Make sure that you remember that although the day effort to put together, and is crazy, you do it to celebrate that you and your friend are connecting your lives indefinitely. It’s a party which shouldn’t possess the meaning behind it be lost. Ensure that you take a few minutes during your wedding look at your wedding at everybody to step back, and understand how much everybody loves you–they are there to celebrate your marriage! That moment is really monumental. Make sure to delight in spending time with your husband, also–don’t let all the other aspects and particulars of the day remove from the goal of observing: your own love.

There will be wedding entry! You have (probably) spent the better part of a year preparation this incredible day, and it’s probably going to be one of the best days of your life. Missing your wedding day is perfectly normal, especially if it’s, as you view it, your ideal day (that is amazing!) . Be sure to appreciate your timethe love and that the fun doesn’t stop simply because the wedding is over! The very best is yet to emerge.

~~~

Want to see your wedding featured on Weddingbee? We would love to feature you, in the event you had a fun wedding! Have a look at our Actual Sunset submissions page.

Save

Save

The article Real Weddings: Christina & Michael’s Rustic Winery Wedding appeared first on Weddingbee.

The post <p>Real Weddings: Christina & Michael’s Rustic Winery Wedding</p> appeared first on Welcome to weddings-in-portugal.com.

from Welcome to weddings-in-portugal.com http://www.weddings-in-portugal.com/real-weddings-christina-michaels-rustic-winery-wedding/