#her biggest regret is that we never actually put the story out anywhere

[chrisrin]

re-discovered an old homeschool project i did with my mom when i was 10 years old where we wrote a full on 3-act story script for the second season of my littlest pet shop series "Sun Pack" aka warrior cats but with wolves.

i re-read it and it actually genuinely fucks still. here are some guys from it <3

[nerdzzone]

Once Bitten - Twice Shy

Summary: Raising a child is hard. Raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars is even harder. And raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars who you’re not actually in a relationship with is even harder still.

One of the challenges of sharing custody is sharing holidays which is something that Whitney Taylor found herself struggling with in the December of 2019. The prospect of spending Christmas without her son was dismaying, but the complications that come with the alternative might be even harder to face.

Chris Evans x OFC

Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, liked or commented on this story! I appreciate the support. 

This was the entirety of my original plot, it was just supposed to be a one shot when I started writing it, but it took on a life of it’s own. There’s quite a bit more to come now so I hope no one is too disappointed by the way this ends! I’ve started working on the sequel and have it all mapped out, but I probably won’t post it until it’s mostly finished like I did with this one. So, keep your eyes peeled and please let me know your thoughts!

Part Two

—-

Part Three

26. 12. 19

Waking up, it took a few moments for the memories of the night before to come back to me. When they did, I was filled with relief that I was alone and Chris was no where to be seen. My head throbbed, partially from the alcohol I'd consumed and partially because of the regrets that were filling my mind.

How could we be so stupid? So reckless? How could we risk everything that we'd built for Grayson just for a few moments of relief? How would I be able to push my feelings for Chris aside again after sharing such intimacy with him?

It broke my heart to make the decision to be friends the first time we found ourselves in this situation, how could I be foolish enough to put myself through that again?

I turned my head and groaned into the pillow, a much more distressed, melancholy groan than the ones leaving my lips the night before. I felt like an idiot and I was dreading facing Chris.

After taking another moment to chastise myself for my bad choices, I checked my phone to see the time and was shocked. It was already almost nine thirty and I hadn't heard a peep from the rest of the house. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't have time to mope around in bed, puzzling out what to do.

So, I took just enough time to decide that I needed to make a quick exit before getting up to get myself ready to leave.

 -

  When I got to the kitchen, it was surprisingly quiet. None of the men or children were anywhere to be seen as Lisa, Shanna and Carly tidied up the dishes from the breakfast that I'd missed. Apparently, there was another snow storm forecast to start by the early afternoon and everyone had headed out into the snow as soon as they'd finished eating to start shovelling so that we could all leave before it hit.

I was relieved by their quick action because even if I had to shovel the whole driveway by myself and then drive home in a blizzard, I was not sticking around for another night.

Lisa had tried to convince me to let her cook me breakfast, but my stomach was in too many knots to even think about food. I politely declined and settled for a banana and a cup of coffee, chatting with the women as I ate. It distracted me for a while as I tried to shut off some of the noise in my brain, but once I was finished, I knew I had to face the music and head outside.

By the time I got out there, Chris, Scott and their brother-in-law were already halfway down the driveway which was an impressive feat considering how long it was. I waved to them as I put my bag in my car before heading towards where the children were playing in the front yard.

"Mama!" Grayson cheered as I approached them. "Look! We're building a snowman!"

I looked at the sloppy pile of snow they were assembling and smiled.

"Wow, I can see that! Great job, guys!"

He grinned as he ran over to me and threw his arms around my legs. It was a feeling that never got old and I leaned down to squeeze him closer, trying to ignore the wave of guilt that washed over me. He was the most important thing in our situation and we'd lost sight of that.

"Can you help us?"

"Of course," I nodded. "But I need to go talk to your daddy real quick, okay? Then I'll be right back."

"Okay!"

With that, Grayson bolted back over to his cousins to continue their little project. They were so good with him, including him in their games and activities despite his young age and I was happy that he had such good role models to play with. Leaving them under Dodger's watchful eye, I took a deep breath and headed down the driveway to Chris.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Scott shouted over, the first to notice me coming their way. "Thanks for getting up so early to help us shovel the driveway."

I laughed at his sarcasm and stuck out my tongue, but when he shot me a knowing wink, I felt my cheeks burn. Of course Chris would tell him. I should have expected it, they were as close as brothers could be and Chris was always open with his family.

But it just made me feel worse about the conversation I was about to have as I went over to Chris. Luckily, he was on the opposite side of the driveway to the other two. At least that would give us a modicum of privacy.

"Hey, good morning," he grinned. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," I returned his smile, though mine was much more forced. "Thanks for letting me sleep in."

"Grayson wanted to wake you up at breakfast," he admitted, looking over at our son as he spoke. "He was worried that you'd be hungry when you woke up and there would be no more food left."

I couldn’t help, but laugh at the thought of his concern.

"He's too sweet, but I appreciate you stopping him," I admitted. "I guess I was tired out after last night."

"Last night," Chris smirked. "Last night was..."

He trailed off as he tried to think of a word to describe it, but my smile disappeared entirely as I could tell from the look on his face that we weren't reflecting on our little incident in the same way. So, I beat him to the punch.

"Last night was a mistake."

My words hung between us for a moment and I knew, from the way that his jaw dropped slightly as if I'd just slapped him across the face, that he wasn't happy with what I'd said.

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" He protested once my words had sunk in, keeping his voice low enough that no one would be able to overhear. "You're saying that it meant nothing to you?"

I really wished we weren't outside with so many watchful eyes around, but this conversation needed to be had and at least this way I'd have an excuse to keep things brief.

"I'm saying that it shouldn't have happened," I clarified, my voice wavering slightly as I questioned my own confidence in my words. "We've worked hard to keep things as stable as possible for Grayson and that's what we need to stay focused on."

"So, you just want to pretend that it never happened?"

My heart felt like it was in a vice. I didn't want to pretend it never happened. I wanted to be with Chris, I wanted us to give it a shot, but I knew that it wouldn't work. I was nothing compared to the women that Chris usually dated and when it all fell apart, Grayson would be the one stuck in the middle. It wasn't fair to him.

But that knowledge didn't make it any less painful when I nodded my head.

"I think that's for the best."

Chris scoffed, looking down at the snow as if he couldn't even stand to look at me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run away or cry and throw myself into his arms so I settled for simply standing there quietly, waiting for him to say something.

It felt like an eternity, but after a minute or two of total silence, he finally spoke.

"Just let me make sure that I'm getting this right," he started, looking back up at me with such an intensity that it made my eyes swim with tears. “You really have no feelings for me at all? Because if you feel even a little bit like I do then you couldn’t possibly think you’re making any sense right now.”

I swallowed hard, trying to come to terms with the situation that I found myself in. A situation where Chris could be standing in front of me, telling me that he had feelings for me after all these years that we’d been determined to be just friends. It would have felt like a cruel joke if there wasn’t so much hurt in his eyes, so much fear that I was about to reject him. Fear that proved to be entirely justified when I finally got my emotions under control enough to answer him.

"It doesn't matter," I told him softly. "It's not about what I feel or what you feel. We have someone more important to consider."

“That's bullshit!"

I flinched at the harshness of his words and his raised voice as Scott shouted over a reminder about language as the kids weren't very far away. I could feel the tears still filling my eyes, but I knew I had to stick to my guns.

"It's not bullshit," I insisted. "It's the right thing to do."

"But you said yourself, he's starting to notice that things are different," Chris pointed out, his voice thankfully much softer than it had been moments ago . "Why not take the chance to give him a normal family if that's what we both want anyway?"

"Because it will hurt him more if it doesn't work out."

"Hurt him?" Chris questioned, his scowl deepening. "Or hurt you?"

Both of us. 

The truth was that I was worried that Chris would hurt me just as much as I worried that our decision would hurt Grayson, but I could handle the risk to myself if it was my choice. I couldn't handle our son being collateral damage.

I could feel Chris' gaze locked intently on me, but I couldn't lift my eyes to meet his. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold onto my argument when the decision I was making wasn't even what I truly wanted. I needed this conversation to end before I let my guard down and made anymore stupid choices.

"We can't talk about this here, Chris."

"Well, when will we talk about it then?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I need to think."

Chris shook his head as a sigh fell from his lips. He looked defeated.

"Alright."

I took that as an end to the conversation and turned to walk away, but I'd only made it a few steps when Chris called out to me again.

"I care about you, Whitney," he told me as I looked back over my shoulder. "This wasn't nothing to me. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to make this work."

That only made me feel worse as I had done it without such noble intentions and with doubt still plaguing my mind. I felt cowardly, but I couldn't bring myself to answer him as I looked away and continued on my way back towards our son.

 -

  I stayed outside, playing with the kids in the snow, until the driveway was clear. Once my car was free, I scooped Grayson up and said my goodbyes.

"Be good for your dad, okay?"

"Okay, Mama!" He smiled, pressing a big, sloppy kiss on my cheek. "I love you!"

"I love you too, buddy. I'll see you in a few days."

I put him down and waved as he ran back to follow his cousins who were heading inside. 

Turning back to my car, I  wasn’t entirely surprised to see Chris leaning against the hood. However, I was surprised to see that the scowl that had been firmly on his face since we talked had eased somewhat and I was even more surprised when he pulled me into a hug as soon as I was close enough.

"Drive safe," he warned me. "The roads still look pretty bad."

"I will," I nodded, easing myself out of his grip. "And I'm sorry, Chris. I really am."

"Don't sweat it." He shrugged, but the dejected look on his face did little to assure me that he accepted my apology.  "We'll talk soon though, right?"

I nodded and stepped back, moving to get into my car as Chris moved away from the hood.

He stayed there on the driveway, watching me as I turned the car around and waving as I drove off until he was out of sight.

I felt exhausted and heavy. There were tears brewing in my eyes as I turned onto the road, just as they had been when I drove these streets on Christmas Eve as I was taking Grayson to dad's house and thinking I would be spending the holidays alone. It was amazing to me how I managed to escape the sad, bleak Christmas that I had been anticipating at that point, and yet still somehow managed to come away feeling just as lonely.

And it was amazing to me that I ever let myself think that raising a child with Chris Evans wouldn't be emotionally draining as long as we weren't in a relationship. At this point, it seemed to just make things harder, but I knew that one day both of them would thank me for the sacrifice I was making right now.

I knew that it was the right decision for all three of us and one little slip up, one lapse in judgment and will power, wouldn't derail all the hard work that Chris and I had put in to co-parenting our son.

Or, at least, I hoped with all my heart that it wouldn't.

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms part 2

Part 1 <-

Yang:Okay Weiss, your turn.

Weiss:What!? Why me?

Blake:Because you’ve been bouncing in your seat all through Yang’s story. You clearly want to gush about your kids.

Weiss:Pffft, What!? Nooooo, a little. Hehehe I can’t believe I’m that obvious. *smiles*

Ruby:Aww look at you, I never believe Weiss Schnee could look as warm as campfire.

Yang:And wearing mom jeans!? Little jealous that you still look completely gorgeous. Why does mom energy make you prettier?

Weiss:What can I say? I’m great. As far as my universe goes, I argue that I’m the strongest mom!

Blake:Such a bold claim.

Weiss:I carried twins! *points to self* this body handled two buns in the oven!

Ruby:Couldn’t be me. *shutters* I’d sooner loose an eye. Speaking of eyes, your scar has a friend. Got this whole upside down cross basically.

Weiss:Oh that? That’s uhhhh- how would I even explain this?

Yang:And your hair! It’s short!

Ruby:Yeah you’re just a surprise all over.

Blake:Guys, let her start from the beginning!

Ruby and Yang:Oh right. *covers mouths*

Weiss:(Yep, they’re the same sisters anywhere.) Thank you Blake. Now then...a good starting place? Well I suppose I could lay the ground work of Jaune and I getting better acquainted. It was about two weeks into reaching Atlas. Winter learned I got impaled and berated me not giving any kind of thanks. Since I had waited so long to do so, words wouldn’t do for her standards and she made me take him to a proper dinner. I think it was that night we actually talked openly to each other. A piece of me was annoyed at first because I thought he’d get the wrong idea again. But...he didn’t. He was just happy to spend time with me. That’s when I realized he had changed a bit *red* and apparently I changed too. Sigh, because that annoyed feeling was actually me forming a crush.

Blake:Looks like you changed more than he did. I think we can all agree that we’re pretty rough to deal with at Beacon in the beginning?

Yang:Hell yeah!

Ruby:Preach! Hehe, but it meant you grew the most too.

Weiss:Hey! You’re all assuming that I was terrible! Who knows, I could a Saint compared to your Weiss. Maybe I was a sweetheart at Beacon.

RBY:.....

Yang:Were you?

Weiss:*red* I’ll never tell.

Blake:(That’s just a no...) Two weeks into Atlas huh? I bet feelings raged whenever the whole place was under attack huh?

Weiss:W...What attack? Barely anything happened in Atlas.

Blake:Excuse me?

Ruby:Pfft what? You’re joking right? There wasn’t any threat of things falling out the sky or war threats?

Weiss:No? We showed up, put the relic in vault, and took time fortifying things while planning with Ironwood. The most exciting thing was a grimm wave and two of Salem’s goons showing up at a ball, but we handled that.

Ruby:....I...that’s...oh my head.

Blake:So what you’re saying is time in Atlas was a piece of cake?

Weiss:Well I had to deal with my father and and a lot of other family drama so I wouldn’t say it was cake. It was actually very stressful.

Yang:Well I think we found the massive shift between worlds. Atlas was different. I would say I dealt with anything like falling kingdoms. Atlas for me was one long Mission Impossible sequence. Espionage, jail break, fake deaths, but please continue with your love story.

Weiss:You sound a little envious. Anyways there isn’t too much of anything to tell in that part. Dates, fighting together, sibling healing, I was disowned publicly, Penny was being amazing-

Blake:You were disowned?

Ruby:(Penny is...alive? Huh, well, imagine that?) .....

Yang:*whispers* You okay Rubes?

Ruby:Yeah, processing. Hey Weiss? Not to control the narrative or anything, but how is your Ruby exactly? I get the feeling she’s quite different from me somehow if things like the adventure in Atlas are different.

Weiss rubbed her chin. She could tell the Ruby in front of her was pretty perplexed by the differences so far. In fact, Weiss could tell mentioning Penny made them all flinch a little. It was safe to assume they all hadn’t heard that name in a very long time. It made her feel a little bad. Did she somehow get a more ideal world?

Weiss:I think I might be able to answer that if you could humor me by getting a little further into my world’s reality? I don’t know how but I do get a since the two of you might have a key difference.

Ruby:I’m all ears.

Weiss: Blake, I’ll circle back to being disowned a little later. It’s one of the biggest reasons I am who I am now. Let’s see now, ah, the plan. After Atlas was infiltrated it was hard to save face to the rest of Remnant. That was until the world learned about Salem. It was a secret that was doing more harm than good at this point. On that day, our journey really began for us. Team RWBY wasn’t just four girls and their friends. It was one of four four girls commanding troops, organizing meetings, rallying others. We were the face of a revolution: along with JNPR of course.

Ruby:The world just...believed in Salem?

Weiss:There were plenty skeptics, but it’s harder not to believe it. Pen- our winter maiden, showed off magic. Then the others on our side followed the example. We had two relics to show off from the start, and a variety of ways to explain questions throughout history that nobody could answer before. We gave humanity’s suffering a face. People were more than eager to cling to it. From that point it was hard for Salem to make a move that wouldn’t give further validity to our story.

Ruby:An army huh, lead by us?

Weiss:Yep, mainly you when it came to the battlefield. You were anxious at first and definitely made moves that you regretted. But...after some time and experience, you stood tall in front of dozens to give a speech the night of the final battle. I still get chills. There wasn’t an eye that wasn’t on you. A person who didn’t want to march into battle with you. I don’t think I ever seen you more sure of where you were meant to be.

Ruby:Is that so? Hmm, I think...I think I get it now. Your Ruby must’ve stumbled quite a bit, but had people by her consistently. It was other’s strength that enabled her to get stronger. How old was she when the war was over?

Weiss:It ended on her twenty first birthday.

Ruby:Makes sense. An army isn’t made in a day. Plans and caution for everyone involved. A united force like that sounds like a thing Oz dreamed of.

Weiss:Actually, it was. My world beat Salem by gaining the relics. The gods witnessed the effort the world put in and stripped her of immortality. It was actually thanks to you that Salem went peacefully. Instead of damning her to a cruel fate, the gods let her pass on to her kids per your request. After that, gods and magic came back. Both are still mysterious. The gods are hard to find and there’s only one person born with magic so far.

Yang:Magic is a thing there!? That’s so unfair! Just imagine me with more fire!?

Weiss:Like you need it!? You’re already like a generator. Life after Salem wasn’t any calmer really. Terrifying grimm lurked where their could, an entire new way of life had been dropped on society, and even the world itself seemed to react. Weather has been more intense as of late. There was a lot things to keep people busy. Ruby being her usual self, started hunting. Blake used the momentum of faunus and humans working together to further her equality agenda, and Yang helped both of you out.

Yang:Look at me! I’m a great girlfriend and sister!

Blake:*mumbles* There at least.

Weiss:Yeah. Oscar and Penny decided to embarrass more of normal lifestyle, mostly. Penny went back to being protector of Mantle, but had way more free time to be a normal girl. Both of them had gotten really close over the years and eventually married.

Ruby:*wide eyed* Awwww, good for them! I always had a feeling those two would hit it off.

Weiss:They weren’t the only ones. You may have been busy, but you always made time for Whitley. The two of you were dating since our original trip to Atlas. There wasn’t a problem that either of you didn’t come to me for. You know hard it is to navigate other people’s relationships when you’re lost in your own? The blind was leading the blind. Worked out though. You were probably the prettiest bride out of all of us. Then again, you went ours and literally took notes.

Ruby:Hehe, that sounds exactly like something I’d do. You haven’t talked much about the charmed life after the war for you.

Weiss felt her face heat up. She placed her head on the table as if she gave up on something.

Yang:Yeah! Give us the scoop!

Weiss:Charmed isn’t what I’d call my life exactly. I was disowned, completely cut off. Even though I made my own mark in history, it’s not like people were gonna roll out red carpets. The world had to rebuild, and I needed a roof over my head. Thus began the modest life of Weiss Schnee, owner of a two bedroom Argus apartment. Fancy clothes a food were no more. Just clearance sales and two for one. Honestly, I didn’t hate. But that’s mainly because I wasn’t living alone.

Blake:Jaune?

Weiss:Living back home was just as unappealing for him as it was for me. That and the fact that I couldn’t cook for shit was concerning, to say the least. Moving in and splitting rent just made sense. We weren’t dating yet technically, but.....it didn’t take long for the relationship between us to...expand.

Yang:I cannot believe a Weiss Schnee finally caved to tall blonde and scraggly. I should be jealous, but I’m strangely proud of Jaune’s achievement. It’s like the first time I lost to him. I was upset, but man did he work for that win.

Weiss:Took about a month before all of you had learned just what the living situation was like and man did you three let the teasing begin? *smiles* it was fun though. If I had to wrong about something then I’m glad it was about me not thinking a person is reliable. Especially since they’ve bailed me out of trouble many times. Normal life had its pitfalls. We were constantly working to pay rent. Sometimes one of us had to work harder. Getting sick was disastrous, of long term assignments. What’s the relationship I have with Whitley in the other worlds?

Ruby:Casual. The two of are always throwing ideas back and forth to help the company.

Blake:The two of you are fine. I’m not too sure how much you actually hang out, but you both are pretty snarky whenever you’re together.

Yang:Thick as thieves. That man was always shifting money and finding sneaky ways to let us know when important things popped up.

Weiss:Good, that’s really good. *exhales* I can’t count the times he sent money without father knowing. I’m glad we reconnected. Without his and everyone’s help, I don’t think I would’ve managed. Especially when mom died...

Ruby:Oh. I...I’m sorry to hear that.

Weiss:It’s bound to happen when you drink the way she did. But yeah, didn’t handle it any easier. Between that and stressing over money, I really got overwhelmed often. I was very glad I didn’t live alone. Even if I didn’t want to talk about things, Jaune was always there to listen. I think it was around that time I realized just how in love I actually was with him. He makes me happy. That idiot must’ve known how much of a weakness I had for him. It was only a few months later that he proposed.

The simple memory of Jaune asking her under a street light on a cold yet peaceful night, made Weiss’s face a healthy shade of red. A gentle smile was all she could make thinking about it. A smile that left everyone stunned. They had never seen Weiss look so warm. So genuinely filled with love, happiness. To think she was once called Ice Queen? This one really did look like an Angel. Weiss quit daydreaming and got a little embarrassed.

Weiss:Uh, sorry! I guess I little mushy there. I’ve been told I’ve gotten pretty sappy through the years.

Blake:I think that’s beautiful.

Yang:Seriously. I’m...speechless really.

Ruby:A hardworking Weiss that struggled making ends meet. I gotta say that you look good doing it.

Weiss:Yeah well, that time has passed. My father got sick and in an attempt to “clear his conscious” or whatever he was feeling, he put me back in the family. I only saw him once when he was on his deathbed. Truthfully, I don’t visit my parent’s grave. I wanna say old emotions don’t get stirred up, but there’s certain feelings towards people that just can’t die I guess.

Yang:That’s fair. Who knows, maybe you just need a decade or two?

Weiss:Hehe, perhaps. However, before I got my fortune back, I was granted an either better one. Two in fact. That sly knight of mine managed to overachieve like he always does and give us a boy and girl.

Blake:I got a sneaking suspicion that you weren’t upset?

Weiss:Not for one second! I love my babies. My darling little Nick and Summer Schnee. One named after our grandfather, and Jaune and I are both really thankful for all that Ruby has done for us, so our daughter got named Summer. It meant a lot. My Ruby...she can’t have kids, or I should say getting and staying pregnant is extremely difficult.

Ruby:...*sniffling* These aren’t tears by the way. Just dust.

Weiss:My Ruby cried.

Ruby:Oh I bet! That’s some powerful stuff. Probably ugly cried too. Someone please say something? *misty eyed* Fuck, man that was a lot. *puts hood up* give me a sec, please keep going. *holding Yang’s hand*

Yang:Weiss, weren’t you a little scared about your living situation?

Weiss:It was a weird thing. We talked about having a family before hand. Money was always a concern, as well space; but I also knew that I did want to have a family of my own one day. So when the day came that the nurse told me I was pregnant, I should’ve been more worried. I wasn’t. All I felt was joy. Maybe it was because I had faith we could handle anything. We did have you all to help. Yang, you might as well be a superwoman honestly. You have been so amazing throughout my life.

Yang:Aye! I really love this other me.

Blake:What about me?

Weiss:You remain the most sensible person in my life and I thank you for it. Everyone else is crazy.

Blake:Yeah that’s pretty on brand. *smiles*

Ruby:Picture please?

Weiss gladly pulled out her scroll and showed off her children. It was quick to see both of them had gotten their father’s dorkiness. They stood in front of the camera playfully winking and were pretending to take a bite out the gold medals they had around their necks. It was crazy how much Summer looked like her mother, but clearly had Jaune’s eyes. Her brother on the other hand had the Schnee eyes and messy Arc hair. The two looked like barrels of fun. Then there was the man himself, Jaune Arc. He looked from the one in Yang’s photo. His hair resembled his days traveling to Haven and he was clean shaven, but he was noticeably healthier. It wasn’t even a physical thing much, though he did look good. He just seemed more vibrant.

Yang:Mine is cuter.

Weiss:Yours looks like your dad with the scruff.

Yang:Can you not?

Blake:How old?

Weiss:Sixteen. Little devils want sports car. I’m not dealing with that. Nick is really good at figure skating and is the oldest, so he’s the heir. Summer decided to be a little like her mother and pursue singing. Doesn’t have my voice though, but her range is better than me. I’m jealous. Both of them are always pretty decent in a fight if I do say so myself. Sigh, they grow up so fast. They still have a lot of growing to do though. Teenagers...

RBY:Preach...

Ruby:Everything okay though? Nothing too tough going on?

Weiss:Can I lie and say yes?

Yang:Hey I unpacked my baggage. Unload yours.

Weiss let out a large sigh. She looked at her kids lovingly, but had a smile that seemed...somber. All of her energy was brought down a bit and it showed.

Yang:Umm if it’s too much-

Weiss:It’s fine. It might be a little therapeutic to talk about it. Personally, I don’t I’m doing all I really can do. When they were very young, we all took a trip to go skating at a frozen lake. While I was there I found this strange ice dust that I’ve never seen before. Nick and Summer had gotten into a fight and by accident, Nick set off the dust. The shrapnel from it hit everyone, but Summer had it the worse. I’m talking it was lodged in her in multiple places. Not to mention the blast sent her flying into the water. I was hit so hard that I nearly blacked out. Thankfully, Jaune was the furthest and dove into the water while I managed to get Nick. He avoided a lot of it due to distance and was winded more than anything.

Ruby:Christ...

Blake:How young?

Weiss:Five. We rushed so fast to the hospital as soon as we could. The dust in Summer was freezing her until Nick activated her semblance and most of the shards got used up. Still, Summer ended up hospitalized for almost a year. Surgeries, comas, seizures; it was difficult to put it lightly. That picture doesn’t show it but she has puncture scars across her body, and a slight scar under her jawline she covers with makeup. That dust, though highly dangerous, it also healed her eventually. Summer had virtually no chance of survival. Not even counting the organ damage, that water should’ve put her into shock. But...she made a full recovery, on paper.

Yang:On paper?

Weiss:Several years later, Summer came in contact with the dust again and she...changed. Her eyes looked like mine, her light blonde hair went white, and she went mad. Her scars glowed with the dust that was still in her system and Summer started attacking everyone. I saw my twelve year old just use ice that was cold enough to burn. My extra scar is from me trying to restrain her. In the end it took my gigas pinning her down before she came to her senses. Summer had no memory of it. She said all remembered was feeling cold and hearing her own laughter. It wasn’t long after that it kept happening. Any time she got cold, this other...thing would come out. It eventually called itself Shiva.

Blake:Shiva? So...it’s a multiple personality?

Weiss:We don’t know. There’s so many inconsistencies. We got her checked up by the best and every test was normal. Her brain looks normal. But any time Shiva comes out, her blood turns blue and all she wants to do is hurt us. Shiva and Summer are even aware of each other now. There’s almost no day where Summer doesn’t hear Shiva in her head, wrestling for control. Between that, people at school who hate her, the scars, everything; Summer has become pretty reserved. She barely wants to go to school and she’s depressed most days. Nowadays she doesn’t open up about it outside of therapy. I...I can connect with her. Not in the way that matters.

Yang:I...shit, I don’t know what to say to that.

Weiss:That’s okay, few do. We’ve gotten good at preventing situations that get Summer cold but it’s through trial and error on something we know nothing about. Even with how far we’ve gotten, there’s a looming fear in everyone’s heart. Make no mistake though, that doesn’t stop any family from loving her with everything, but the mental strain of it all is more than anyone should deal with. Nick is kind soul. He blames himself for this and is constantly doing all he can to be there for everyone and put on this brave face, but he suffers inside. For a time, he went to therapy. Your sister almost killing you is a visceral experience. Getting him to sleep and take a break is like telling a fish not to swim. He is pretty open about this though, which helps a lot. It’s just...how do convince somehow they’re good enough when they think they’re not?

Ruby and Blake:You can’t....

Weiss:Exactly. It’s so...*tearing up* How am I failing at helping my kids worse than my own mother?

Yang:And that’s where I draw the line. *stands up* Now I can’t begin to fathom dealing with a a situation like this, and what I’m about to say is gonna be a little hypocritical but I really don’t care. Weiss, the last thing you are is a bad mother. I could tell immediately from the way you are that there hasn’t been a single as a parent that you haven’t made a choice without your kids in mind. I get feeling like there’s a gap that disconnects you from there; but the fact you keep your arms stretched out to bridge it makes you mother of the year in my eyes! Don’t believe for a second you’re a bad mother. Your the gold standard!

The room filled with silence for a moment. Weiss felt a lump form in her throat as she fought back tears that she eventually had to wipe away. She tried letting out a small laugh, but with it came more tears that ran down her face. Weiss couldn’t tell if it was from Yang’s words, or the stress. All she knew was that right now, she felt very thankful for being here.

Weiss:Damn it Yang, making me cry is something you’ve always been good at. Maybe that’s why I look up to you so much?

Yang:*red* Y-You what?

Weiss:My Yang, I downplayed just how much I adore her. Her daughter, Veronica, she’s got her fair share problems that stresses Yang out, but I never see her stop trying to connect with her. Even when she’s sad it’s like it’s only for a second, then you’re trying twice as hard. It’s amazing. If I’m being honest, and this is embarrassing, but I kinda picked up a mother from you. You’ve always been a bit motherly.

Ruby:She’s right.

Blake:Mom energy since day one.

Yang:Really? *rubs head* I was just being myself. Never really thought about it. Now then, wipe those tears! It’s upsetting that you look pretty why you cry. Meanwhile I look like a hot mess, and not in the fun way.

Weiss:*wiping face* Oh please, I don’t wanna hear that from someone who’s never needed make up. Those genes of your went to Veronica. Kids a genuine beauty. She’s just angry all the time.

Yang:Yeah that sounds appropriate... Weird to think I have a daughter that’s not Yujin. Wish I could see her.

Blake:Me too. Though I think I’d be overwhelmed seeing all my different kids. I’d probably want them all.

Ruby:My hands are full with ones I have and I wouldn’t say I’m juggling them well, so I don’t need other kids from universes. I’d be so stressed.

Weiss:Especially if they’re violent.

Ruby:Yeah, that would bad....

Weiss:Phew, I do feel a bit better. Even though I said all those things, my family still had good times. It’s not tense and we joke around like everyone else. As a family, we’re happy. We just have shit we gotta sort through.

Blake:Rich or poor, life has certain things that hit everyone. Is Jaune doing well.

Weiss:Yeah, he gets through to Summer pretty well, and he’s typically calm when it comes to giving guidance. He had his fears, but that’s why I’m here. We confide in each other.

Blake:May you and everyone else find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ruby:Hey Weiss. Does....actually, never mind. Forget it.

Yang:We both know that’s not happening. Spit it out.

Ruby:I was just about Shiva. I’ve encountered weird things in my world, but this is unique. I was wondering if you have any positive experience with her.

Weiss:Not a single one. Here since of enjoyment in the displeasure of my children is a thing we disagree on. Though....her eyes, they do throw me off. For some reason, they don’t match her joy.

Blake:Maybe that part is still Summer. Eyes are the window to the soul and all that jazz.

Weiss:Maybe? I hope the kids are okay right now. I wonder what they’re up to?

xxxxx

Summer:WHAT’S UP VALE!!!!!!!!

A massive crowd screams “what’s up Summer”in excitement. Flashing lights and chanting fans’s voices make the sold out venue shake with their passion. Summer can only bask in it. There’s no better feeling than when she’s on stage. She looks to herself excitedly. This one was extra special. Nick comes out on stage with a base around him and a second microphone.

Nick:WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!!

The crowd chants louder. Summer responds by starting a rift on her guitar. She faces Nick with a smug look. Yes, having him on stage is always a joy, but that didn’t mean Summer wanted him hindering or stealing the show.

Summer:Well look who’s here!? Atlas’s favorite son! Think you’re ready to play with the kids up here. This isn’t your normal stage.

Nick smiled. He responded by playing the bass and letting the audience speak for him. Summer was chessing fool. Slowly she bopped up and down, urging him to do the same. It wasn’t long before they in sync. Drums, piano, and other background musicians began building up the tune as planned. The twins whipped around to face the crowd.

🎶Get down! We won't let you go!

This time, can you bring us down?

Back up! fly far through the sky

BLACK ROVER!

Let's go! All together now

And at last this world can't slow us down

For now, let's dye it all in black

BLACK ROVER!🎶

The two stood back to back...

🎶As more join and stand beside me,

The void doesn't feel so empty!!!!!

I know there is much more in store

Let's open that door -!🎶

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw Summer doing the same thing. This was gonna be one for the books. Jaune watched from backstage with one of the stagehands.

Stagehand:Should we tell them to save their energy? This charity event is six hours.

Jaune:Nah, let them have fun.

[chubbyreaderwriter]

Weightless

Hellboy (2019) x Chubby/Plus Size Reader

Prompt:  Can I ask for Hellboy X reader where the reader has a strength kink and just loves being picked up, but because they’re usually heavier they don’t get it that often, but then Hellboy just picks them up like they’re weightless 🥺

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: swearing, implied smut

Masterlist

You sighed as you watched the main actor on the screen lift up the girl and twirl her around. You wished you could be picked up like that but all the guys you’ve ever dated were the size of your thigh and while you had a great time with them, you really just wanted someone who could at least pick you up. It was the most embarrassing thing in the world to ask someone to pick you up and they couldn’t do it because you were so heavy. After it happened once, you learned your lesson and hadn’t asked anyone to do it ever again. 

You sat back on the couch and sighed again, gaining the attention of your roommate, Alice. She perked up from where she was sitting at the table, “Hm? What’s up?” You shook your head, “Nothing, I’m fine.” Alice, happy to have an excuse to stop doing her homework, got up and walked over to the couch to plop down next to you, looking you in the eye, “After living with you for almost a year now, I can tell when something’s up, so go on tell me.” You looked down at your lap and thought about whether you wanted to tell her or not but you realised that Alice was not a judgemental person so you should feel safe to tell her anything, especially after she told you her own secrets. 

You kept your head down so you weren’t looking her in the eyes when you told her, “I just want to find a guy that can actually pick me up, like how they do in the movies and stuff.” You looked up once you didn’t hear anything from her in a while and you just saw her smiling at you, “What?” She shook her head, “Oh nothing, I just think you’re being silly, there’s lots of guys I know that could pick you up easily, I bet you’re not as heavy as you think.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes, “Yeah right, if you think they can pick me up, send them my way please.” You got up and headed to your bedroom, deciding to call it a night and go to bed. Alice grinned and muttered to herself, “Okay, I will.” 

The next morning, you found yourself being woken up by a very energetic Alice, “Come on (Y/N), you have to get up, I’m going on a trip and you need to come with me.” You groaned and rolled over, “Why do I need to go? Get another friend to go with you, I wanna sleep.” Alice whined, “Please, you know you’re my only female friend, come with me~” You turned to face her again, “Why do you need to bring a female friend? You’re not trying to force me to go on some weird double date again because you know what happened last time.” 

Alice rolled her eyes, “No, it’s just there’s two guys and me and there’s bound to be more police guys when we sort everything out so please, I need a girl friend to help me get through it. I’ll pay for your snacks on the way there and back.” Finally deciding that you had nothing better to do, you slowly sat up and Alice grinned in victory, “Okay, dress comfy but cute and be quick, there’ll be here in about twenty minutes, love you~” 

You watched with an open mouth as she practically skipped out of the room to sit and wait for Hellboy and Ben to get here. You hurried to your joining bathroom to have a quick shower before you picked out your clothes from your wardrobe. You decided on a light grey tank top, black leggings, white running shoes and an oversized denim jacket. You quickly tied your hair up, not bothering to do anything with it and you didn’t have any time for makeup so you just grabbed your phone and purse and put them in your pockets before walking out of your bedroom. You walked into the living room to see Alice stood there with the infamous Hellboy and a guy with a scarred face. You assumed he must be Ben, if Alice’s stories were anything to go by. 

You nodded your head at them in greeting, “Hey, I’m (Y/N), I’ve heard a lot about you both.” Hellboy was the first of them to step forward, stretching out his normal hand, “Alice told us about you too, you’re very beautiful, I mean, no! Not that you’re not beautiful, cause you are, but - I just-” Alice cleared her throat, “We’ll follow you guys outside huh?” Ben nodded at the both of you and lead Hellboy outside. You blushed and Alice laughed since they were gone, “He really likes you huh? I’ve never seen him act like that before.” You looked away, “Stop it, you’re gonna make me blush.” Alice smirked, “You already are~”. 

You pushed her shoulder and she laughed as she made her way outside, letting you leave the flat before locking the door with her key. You two walked down the stairs to a large black van. You were a little skeptical but this was starting to be one of the most exciting experiences you ever had so you didn’t question it. You sat down on the empty bench, facing Hellboy who was sitting opposite. You looked to Alice but instead of getting in with you, she winked at you before closing the doors and went to get in the passenger’s seat next to Ben who was driving. 

You played with the sleeves of your jacket in the silence before you heard Hellboy clear his throat, making you look up at him, “Uh, I’m sorry about before, I’m not good at making first impressions.” You blushed from the memory of his words, “No, it’s fine, I thought it was sweet.” Hellboy noticeably perked up and sat straighter in his seat, “Oh, that’s good then. So, how come you’re living away from home?” You shrugged, “I just thought it was time to start living independently, can I ask where we’re going?” 

Alice, who had been listening in on everything you two said, turned around in her seat, “We’re going to the mansion to do some research, I told you this silly.” You stared at Alice with an open mouth, was she serious? Had she just tricked you into hanging out with her and two guys all day? You knew it, it was some weird double date again. You would’ve started an argument with her had it not been for Hellboy looking at you. You grit your teeth as you sat back, looking down at your lap. This meant that Hellboy’s chest was in view since he wasn’t wearing a shirt and you had to look away before you started blushing again. You couldn’t help but notice that he looked strong enough to pick you up and you had to immediately stop that train of thought before it became obvious what you were thinking about. 

It seemed to take forever until you reached the mansion and you waited for Alice to open the doors of the van before you got out. There was a lot of security around and it made you feel a little uneasy until you felt Alice linking her arm with yours as you walked inside. The four of you walked for about ten minutes before you reached a huge library, it had to have been the biggest library you’ve ever seen and from a quick glance at some of the book titles, not any old library either. 

Alice turned to face the three of you, “Okay we need all the books you can find on trolls, I’ll take Ben and start from the far right section and you take (Y/N) and start from the far left section.” Before you could even say anything, she was already dragging Ben away from you and Hellboy. You were going to kill her when you two got home. You looked at Hellboy, “I guess it’s just us then.” He stared after Alice and Ben, “Yeah, I guess so huh? Well, come on, I’ll show you where to start.” 

You really felt like a lost puppy following Hellboy around the library, it was very intimidating once you saw how big it actually was. The shelves were so high that it felt like they were going to topple over you at any moment. Once you reached your designated area, you started to look for anything to do with trolls but you were having trouble since half of these books were written in languages you couldn’t even recognise. When you finally spotted a book, it just had to be about ten shelves above your head. You looked side to side and when you saw that Hellboy had gone somewhere else, you tried to jump up to reach it but of course, you weren’t anywhere near. 

You continued to jump despite knowing that you weren’t going to reach it. Hellboy, who was just over in the next aisle, heard soft thumping noises and your grunts and was curious to see what you were doing. When he saw you jumping he shook his head. He chuckled to himself before walking over to you, “Here let me help.” You didn’t realise what he was doing until he had already lifted you onto his shoulders. You gasped as you felt yourself being taken off the ground. You bit your lip as you felt his hand on your thigh to help keep you up, “Can you reach it now?” Remembering what you were doing beforehand, you looked in front of you and picked out the book, “Yeah, I got it.” 

You felt almost disappointed when you felt yourself being lowered back onto the ground again but you handed him the book. He looked over it, “Good job, I’m sure this is exactly what Alice was looking for. Hey, you okay?” You knew you were blushing pretty hard, you could feel how hot your face was, but you couldn’t help it. You had a strange but familiar feeling in your stomach from what just happened and you replied with, “mhm” not trusting yourself to speak just yet. 

Hellboy wasn’t convinced though and pushed a little more, “Are you sure? Oh, I’m so stupid, I should’ve asked to lift you up, I’m sorry if I overstepped-” “No, I liked it.” You bit your lip and covered your mouth as you regretted blurting that out but you didn’t want him to feel bad. Hellboy paused as he looked at you, “..oh, I see.” You looked down, fearing the tone in his voice was a bad sign but this meant you couldn’t see him stepping towards you until he lifted your head up so he could kiss you. You gasped but fuck it, you weren’t going to deny that you wanted it so you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. 

Hellboy took that opportunity to grab your thighs and lift you up, wrapping your legs around his waist. You pulled back to whisper to yourself, “This is so hot.” Hellboy chuckled, having heard you, “What are you talking about?” You bit your lip, “It’s hot that you’re strong enough to pick me up.” He looked confused, “What do you mean? You don’t weigh a damn thing.” You couldn’t help but smile, “Really?” Hellboy nodded, “Of course, you’re like a feather, weightless.” His words turned you on enough to pull him back into another kiss, not that either of you were complaining. 

...

Ben and Alice looked at the tie hanging on Hellboy’s locked bedroom door, turning to each other. Alice grinned, “I think we’ll call this a job well done, don’t you?” Ben grimaced, “I just hope he’s not a one for sharing details, that’s not an imagine I want in my head.” Alice rolled her eyes and pulled Ben away from Hellboy’s bedroom, making her way out of the mansion and back home, she figured you would be spending the night elsewhere. 

[ehbunnehsblog]

So someone made this post I thought was really cool and I wanted to answer it the person who made the post goes by @buh-beep so please go give that post a like and follow them with all that said here are the questions

1. What is the oldest doll you own?

Probably my Beautiful Crissy doll from 1968 although that may not be the date for that exact doll she is pretty old. She was made by the company ideal.

2. What is the doll you got most recently?

My Bratz Collecters Yasmin from 2018 by MGA. When I lived with my mom she bought her for me I think she gave me a card and we got it. I don't have her or any of these dolls anymore since I don't live with my mother for personal reasons.

3. Favorite Type of Doll?

Hands down Bratz. They have been my absolute fave since I was a little girl and i still love them their fashion, makeup just everything really is iconic and I really believe that they might have the same impact as Barbie once I get older. Now if we talk about favorite lines? That will have to be for another time.

4. Least Favorite Type of Doll?

Pinkie Cooper. It's cute I had one but I was just not interested in the dolls sadly I definitely think it was an interesting idea though and its probably perfect for some people I just never knew where she would fit in with my other dolls. Also when I saw my cousin and his ex they had stuff for me and for some reason I could only take two things home and my mom sorta had me take her home when I could have had a Hannah Montana doll so rip :p

5. How many dolls do you own?

Zero now rip but honestly idk. I had mostly Bratz and sorta collected but now I might genuinely try to collect them.

6. What is a doll you had and wish you still did?

Tan Bratz Passion 4 Fashion Cloe. I still really wish I kept her but I was going through this dumb phase where I just stopped caring about my dolls and we had this science project in school and I did mine on hair dye and dyed her hair using some fruit or something and gave her away. If anyone knows where I can get her (hopefully for cheap) please tell me I really loved her she was also one of my friends absolute favorites.

7. What does your wish list look like?

A lotta Bratz mostly but that would be a very long list so to save you the details two of the series I want are the Tokyo a Gogo dolls, Formal Funk and Flashback Fever.

8. Prettiest Doll you Own?

Honestly have no clue all of them are gorgeous but I think one of my prettiest is definitely Rock Angelz Sasha I would love to own more Sasha dolls shes so gorgeous.

9. Ugliest Doll you own but love anyways?

I don't think I own any ugly ones really just ones that had messed up hair so I don't really have anything to add here. Actually hmm maybe my first edition Cameron and Dylan Bratz dolls they are still cool though.

10. Cutest Doll you own?

Either my Barbie Peek a Boos or my Mindy Mint Chocolate Chip Yummyland doll. I love Bratz but I really wish I saw more cutesy but fashionable dolls I believe they should bring back Yummyland dolls they smell so dang good and because kids love slim maybe they could add a small bottle (in a shape of a drink) that smells nice too? Idk lol.

11. Biggest Doll you own?

A Barbie doll that is I believe 28" in size after that I would say my Beautiful Crissy Doll and than my Yummyland doll.

12. Smallest doll you own?

All of my Barbie Peekaboos and Polly Pockets. Since Polly came back I think Mattel has the perfect chance to bring back Barbie Peek a Boos. They are pretty small so I kept them in a basket I am used to the size of Bratz I find them easier to hold over Barbie Peek a Boos or Polly's.

13. What doll in your collection is worth most?

Hmm probably Beautiful Crissy tbh I wanted her because when i was in grade 8 i watched these old vintage commercials on YouTube and i saw her and i just thought she was one of the most gorgeous dolls. I don't have her now because again shes at my moms but I don't think I could sell her shes just really cute and I think dolls from that time and older are special and tell a story and show a different time.

14. Doll you will never buy and why?

Lamilly and American Girls. I know these dolls especially American Girls are very popular for a lot of people but I am not really into dolls that are supposed to be like me I like fashion dolls mostly or really cutesy dolls. I think American Dolls are pretty iconic in their own way but I just can't see me owning one and for Lamilly same deal I feel like its trying to put down other dolls and make Lamilly seem superior and I just don't dig it. I don't like Barbie's a whole lot but I dislike like Lamilly I think it's a good message but it just feels meh? Idk other dolls I will never own are Blythe's I have this thing with dolls with eyes like that and I think it would probably spook me a bit.

15. Strangest doll you own?

Pinkie Cooper hands down. Again she just doesn't fit anywhere and shes so odd and really stands out from the others not that that's always a bad thing but as someone who is mostly into Bratz, Monster High and Ever After High she just doesn't go anywhere although she would probably fit in maybe with the EAH dolls. Another is probably the big Barbie like I didn't want her I just got her as a Christmas present one year and yeah that's that.

16. Biggest Doll Related Regret?

Giving away that Cloe doll I will always regret that also almost wanting to sell my Bratz and not bringing my dolls with me when I left my moms and went to my dads. Also I just wanna say my dad is the coolest and one day we had a nice convo about toys and stuff it was pretty rad.

17. What's the most important aspect of a doll in your opinion?

I just want to say I absolutely love this question this is the main reason why I wanted to make this post. I believe the most important aspect is if the owner finds joy in that doll because if you don't we wouldn't have so many people collecting dolls and dolls wouldn't be sold. I think dolls are very important and can build up good skills. Another important aspect is if you can pose the doll and depending on if it's a fashion dolls is if it has good clothes and good fabric all of these are so important but as long as people find joy that's the most important.

18. What's your doll related pet peeve

People are gonna hate this and I apologize but I find it difficult to watch or look at people changing the dolls like not in clothes changing but repaints it's cool and some of them are absolutely gorgeous but sometimes I have a bit of a pet peeve of them mostly because I am so worried that I will never find those dolls because people use them and repaint them. Their aren't many Bratz repaints though so I don't get bothered too much and when they do repaints they make the faces so pretty and I would love for MGA to use some of the screenings some of these people use because they look so good.

19. When did you start collecting dolls?

This might be an odd opinion but I think that anyone can be a doll collector even if they don't mean to be like for me I don't call myself a doll collector but I sorta am? Even though I never meant to be but now I do want to collect but it started with Bratz when I was young but now I want to take it a bit more seriously.

20. Have any doll related stories?

Well I never first fought anyone I was way too young lol but I do have two good stories number 1 is on Christmas a few years back my grandparents before they both passed bought me a Holiday Yasmin doll from 2007 don't know how they found it but they did and I loved that doll but again at my moms rip another one is one Christmas I got two of the same Bratz Cade dolls and for the longest time I thought it was Dylan because the doll looked exactly like Dylan does in the movies and shows lol! I might go into more stories on my dolls because there are a few that I really like.

With all of these questions answered I will once again ask people who see this to go like and follow @buh-beep who made the original post. This was intended for doll collectors I believe personally I don't call myself a collector but as someone who loves dolls I thought this would be fun and it really was if anyone wants to this I suggest it. Its really fun and I like sharing this stuff with you guys.

☆With all that said I hope you liked this post. Please give me a follow i post a lot of stuff like this☆

[killiansprincss]

Never Forget You ch. 15

Season 6A Canon Divergence.

Emma is happy. Finally happy with her parents, son and boyfriend. But this happiness is taken away from her when the Evil Queen curses her and turns her into a toddler.

Heartbroken and angry, Killian and Henry run away to Neverland to wait for Emma to break her curse. But when she does break it and comes looking for them 25 years later, she soon realises this Neverland is very different now it is no longer under Pans rule.

Will she be able to save Henry and Killian in time, or will this new ruler of Neverland keep them hostage forever?

Chapter 15 of my Neverland fic is here, I hope you enjoy it! Leave a comment if you liked it, they mean the world every comment I get :) AO3 Link

Previous chapters 

Verena was worried about Cecelia. This was a dangerous plan to begin with, even before Hook and Henry’s family came for them. She’s proven that she will do anything to make sure the two of them stay on the Island. The Echo Caves were a dangerous torture device, once used to drive the darkest secrets out of fairies, so they could be exiled or executed. And she feared this was exactly what she planned to do.

Verena was worried, no, scared for what her sister was doing. She was afraid for her life, if she stayed by her side she could end up dead, if she betrayed her she would equally end up dead. She needed a way to help Henry’s family while making Cecelia think she was helping her.

_____

She watches the family as Cecelia does. Cecelia thinks Verena is watching them in the same way she is, searching for a weakness in them. She’s a smart fairy, but also very passionate about what she wants so could be willing to let a few pieces of information slip from her mind.

“Anything new?” Cecelia asks one morning.

Verena shakes her head, “Not at the moment. They’re mainly talking about their lives, what’s been happening in their land over the past 25 years. But I’ll keep watching, there may be something in here we can use.”

And then it hits her. She’s watching the boys grandparents talk about their journey, they had been through a lot during the Enchanted Forest with corrupt Kings and Queens. But there was one part of their story that stuck out.

A sleeping curse.

Verena knew of her sister's plans for the pirate and the boy. And if she could give their family time, time to defeat Cecelia, she would keep the pirate safe under a sleeping curse, that way Cecelia would not be able to touch him. Her sister would be defeated, and then Emma, if she loves him as she says she does, she will wake him up.

Verena doesn’t tell her sister of her plan, afraid she will do it herself with some sort of twist. No,she does this independently, and will show her sister the outcome.

____

Despite never being the biggest fan of Hook to begin with, he was his daughter's true love. And he had shown countless times how far he was willing to save her, and Emma for him. They all went to hell, the Underworld to save him. So it shocked him when Emma told them he was sleeping with the fairy. There was no way he would do that, he knew how much he loved his daughter.

“I think I need to have a little chat with our Pirate. Find out his intentions.” He tells his family. He wanted to speak to him alone, find out the truth about him.

Emma doesn't even bother to stop him. She’s still angry, hurt and upset with Hook. Nobody stops him.

/\/\/\/\

If there was one thing Killian Jones associated with Neverland, aside from Pan and the fairies, it was Rum.

Rum in some senses had been his only companion during his years in Neverland. When he had handed Bae over to Pan many years ago, he greatly regretted this decision every day and it haunted him. So he turned to Rum, and he drank it every day to make him forget what the horrible consequences of that decision was. He couldn’t run away from his problems, he was in Neverland and needed the eternal youth it provided him with, so Rum could help ease his mind and put those worries to the back of his mind.

He doesn’t sleep. He made that mistake enough times to know it’s a bad idea. In his first days of Neverland before he met Emma he would see Liam. And if he didn’t see Liam, he would see Milah.

“Killian. Killian.”

He kept hearing a voice, it sounded an awful lot like his brother. But he knew better than to think his brother came back to life.

Except he kept hearing it. He opened his eyes to see Liam Jones standing in front of him.

“Liam?”

“Little brother what are you doing?” His voice was hoarse and bitter.

“Liam? Is it really you?” He was shocked to see him just walking around like it was nothing.

“Of course it’s me you bloody bastard! What are you doing with your life, little brother? This isn’t what we planned.” He was angry with him, that was sure.

“I’m sorry. Liam. You died. I messed up. I can’t trust the Navy, they killed you. I had to avenge your death.” It was true what Liam was saying, this wasn’t Killians plan-they planned for Liam to captain the Jewel of the Realm for a few years with Killian as Lieutenant until Killian would Captain his own ship one day. They would sail under the Kings Realm as the Jones Brothers, 2 of the finest Captains their kingdom had seen.

“Pirate, Killian? Really? Pirates were our worst enemy, and is that Rum? After all your talk of Good Form? The moment I’m gone, you become a drunk pirate?” This wasn’t Liam, or at least the Liam he knew once.

“You’re not Liam are you? What are you? Demon reveal yourself?” He could tell it wasn’t him by the way he spoke about his choices. Yes it wasn’t their original plan, but he wouldn’t judge his decisions so harshly considering what happened. And he would never call him a drunk. Never.

The demon was revealed to be a shadow. The shadow demons would take the form of another to try and trick you, or reveal dark desires. He learnt that the hard way when Pan when he revealed a dark secret about Milah.

“We wouldn’t want poor Bae finding out his mother’s darkest secret now do we?” Pan taunted him, he was unsure whether it was 50 years into his time in Neverland or 200.

At the time he had no idea how he found out. “Captain you can’t be so foolish as to speak to every shadow demon you see. O matter how many times it appears as Bae’s mother.”

When he realises it was just a bloody demon and not actually Milah's ghost or spirit, he goes back to his ship and drinks as much rum as it takes until he passes out.

Passing out from too much rum had become a regular occurrence for Killian, and slowly turned into a habit. The only way he could get through the days and nights which along with the time moving differently that had turned into a blur.

When Killian arrived back in Neverland with Henry, he told himself he wouldn’t use rum like that again. But that changed when he realised the shadow demons were Neverland speciality, not just Pan’s.

He sees Emma. He’d recognise her face anywhere, her blonde hair loose, green eyes shining as they always did, and her red jacket.

“You left me.” Emma grumbles.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry love. I didn’t know what to do.” He apologises and apologises to her, but she won’t hear his cries or his pleas, she just keeps repeating

“You. Left. Me”

It takes a while for him to understand that this was a demon. The demon looked so like Emma, and he so wanted to see her, to bring him home.

But that was a long time ago. 1,000 years could’ve passed, that’s how Neverland works. And the only thing that could help him see past the demons was Rum. And lots of it. Neverland had an unlimited magic supply of the stuff so it was an easy fix to his daily problems. Especially after what happened with Eli, he couldn’t bare to look at his brothers face without feeling an enormous sense of guilt, so he would drink and drink and wake up the next morning with no clue what happened. It was best this way, just drink the pain away.

He pushes Henry away too. And he hates himself for it. But the poor lad looks so like his mother, he’s only reminded of the blasted reason they’re here every time he looks at him. He came aboard the Jolly one day with his ever present smile and boyish grin, ever the positive lad. He tells him to get off his ship, raising his voice at him.

“I-I don’t understand.” The poor lad trembles.

“I want you off my ship. Don’t ever come back onto my ship without a direct invitation from me first.” Killian snaps at him. He cringes at the memory, but he was angry once again at the universe and he took it out on Henry who was a painful reminder of the woman he lost.

Emma would be ashamed if she knew how he had been treating him, he made a vow to protect him and he had broken it. He’d done worse than broke the vow to protect him, he banished him from the only familiar place on the damn Island.

He only sees Henry in the Lost Ones clearing each night. They don’t ever say more than a few words to another at first. But then as time goes on in Neverland, and Henry forgives him, well he doesn’t outright say he forgives him, but he asks how he is. Henry knew better than to ask about his mother, Henry was having his own awful dreams of her, he knew it would only be worse for Killian. They keep their distance but Henry knows Killian isn’t okay, he notices how he drinks and drinks, each night, sometimes he will sit down and say nothing the entire night except mumbles which Henry can’t make out. He drinks his flask of rum, some nights he even has 2 flasks.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“Emma that you?” Killain asks as he hears a knock on the door to his hut.

“Sorry to disappoint.” Oh it was Dave, “She’s not coming.”  

“I didn’t sleep with Cecelia. I don’t know what she showed Emma, but I swear on my life that nothing has happened since I returned to this blasted Island.”

“I know.” David knew, he knew fairies, especially darker fairies were unpleasant creatures who created a web of lies and deceit to fulfil their desires.

“You do?”

The Prince nods at his once almost son in law. “You love Emma, I see it. I saw how it broke you when she was cursed. You ran away to Neverland, with Henry to protect him against seeing the person you both love not recognise you. The place that is filled with your own personal demons and nightmares. You came because you love Emma. I’d do the same for Snow.”

Killian breathes a sigh of relief, “you have no idea how much it means that you believe me. I just wished there was a way to show Emma.”

“You know what she’s like, stubborn as hell.” David laughs. “Give her some space. She’ll realise soon enough that the fairy is messing with her. Just stay on our side and we can figure out how to defeat -“

He is cut short as he senses movement outside Killians window.

“Verena!” Killain says as he and David grab their nearest weapon as the fairy poofs in front of them.

“I’m so sorry. I swear I’m on your side, my sister has much darker plans for you so this is something I have to do. If the woman you love truly feels the way you do, then she’ll wake you.”

One moment Killain is pointing his sword at the fairy dressed in red, and the next moment he suddenly feels sleepy and hits the ground as slumber.

“What the hell did you do to him?” David asks, sword pointing at the fairy.

The fairy clicks her fingers causing the Prince to fall to the ground,

“I’m afraid it’s for the best.” She whispers as she takes the Pirates body and disappears in a puff of red smoke.

[dalekofchaos]

My critique of the Sequel Trilogy Lightsaber duels

My biggest problems with the Sequel Trilogy are the blatant rip off and unoriginality, no clear plan at all, lore breaking bullshit, lack of worldbuilding and poor executions of great character concepts. In this post, one of my My biggest gripes with the Sequels is the terrible Lightsaber fights.

The only good duel in my opinion is Finn vs Kylo Ren. This feels raw and powerful. A hardened soldier who has just became familiar to Lightsaber combat vs a trained dark side warrior. Despite Ren's years on training, though, Finn puts up a good fight and is able to hold his own before having his back sliced up. But.....that's what kills the fight for me. Finn's injuries. If this were in the first 6 movies or anywhere in the EU, Finn would be in a wheelchair or in a bacta tank for life. And guess what? A movie later and Finn’s injuries are never brought up again or treated with any severity.

Like Finn’s injuries, Finn’s rivalry with Kylo Ren is dropped for no reason whatsoever and never mentioned again. Finn and Kylo Ren are narrative foils, yet after TFA it’s dropped??? From the start they have been prominent foils to each other: dark from light and light from dark, both in the First Order but in drastically different positions. And Kylo too obviously has strong feelings about his defection. I also believe that Finn is the awakening in the force that Kylo and Snoke felt. Perhaps that is why Kylo focused on Finn and is so angry about him. Finn is also the first person to use the legacy lightsaber and is the first to actually fight Kylo. TLJ could've focused on Finn and Kylo being  narrative foils having a force connection and Kylo wondering why Finn would switch to the Resistance while Finn wonders why Kylo joined The First Order and  Rey standing in the middle of it all wondering with the new realization that her family has a mixed past of good and evil and her questioning where exactly does she belong? The way at the height of tfa when Kylo Ren rejected Han Solo’s offer for redemption and killed him he looked over and noticed Finn. Like they both locked eyes and in that moment was a surge of emotions between them— shock (and some fear) on Finn’s end, and anger on Kylo’s as he shouts at Finn that he’s a traitor— and those circumstances set Finn and Kylo up to be the dynamic for the sequel trilogy. They were foils, and the trilogy had the potential to truly expand on that and see their development in a final standoff/rematch at the very end. But it was wasted, because why have good movies.

Rey vs Kylo Ren. This duel was bullshit from start to finish. Okay, I don't care how force sensitive she is. I don't care that she downloaded Kylo's abilities in the interrogation. ANd I don't give a fuck WHO she turned out to be related to. If you are thrown into a tree, you are gonna be out for at least an hour. I will hand it to them that it feels like a genuine fight, but it just feels cheap when Rey won. It also doesn't make it any better that Kylo's injuries doesn't force him to wear the helmet at all times, his facial wounds are non-consequential. Rey has no prior training. Never held a lightsaber. Rey fighting off thieves with her quarterstaff is not the same thing, it is understandable that Kylo was struggling because of his injuries, but Rey didn’t struggle against Kylo. Even Luke struggled with Vader and Anakin struggled with Dooku. What should have happened is as it looks like Kylo is about to win, Chewie from the Falcon fires his bowcaster to keep Ren at bay and both Rey and Finn make it to the Falcon. This way we can keep Kylo Ren strong and show Rey struggling to overcome Kylo. It will also show This is how powerful he is when injured, so imagine him at his peak. Instead we get a pointless fight instead of Rey and Finn just escaping Starkiller base while Ren collapses due to injuries and Rey beating Kylo served no purpose(the end goal to destroy Starkiller Base was already accomplished) and helped derail their villain of the trilogy.

The Throne Room Duel. Everyone knew that Rey and Kylo would kill the Praetorian Guards. This is a fight with absolutely zero stakes. It's one thing if Rey and Kylo dueled Snoke himself, that might be a good fight. But come on, did anyone REALLY think they would lose? There is no tension in the scene and it is pointless. Kylo Ren and Rey are fighting a faceless a group of guards that we know absolutely nothing about and have literally no purpose in the entire story except for this one fight. We know neither of the characters are going to die because these are just faceless red shirts and there is still like 30 to 40 minutes left of the movie. Terrible editing takes away any enjoyment one might have with the fight choreography, if you've got to literally photoshop out the bad guys weapons in post production to not look stupid you might need to recoreograph the shot. There are multiple times where Rey, Kylo and the guards are just doing motions and actions because they look cool but serve no purpose but to look cool. Kylo stabbing the ground? Pointless. Rey twirling her rave stick around while someone falls behind her, pointless. Not even once do we see them displaying their powers is what cheapens the fight. Kylo Ren is powerful enough to freeze a blaster and a person in place and Rey herself unlocked Kylo’s powers, so the two of them could have easily ended the fight sooner than it was dragged out. Kylo is powerful in the force but he SERIOUSLY could not stop a Praetorian Guard choke holding him and Rey struggled with a guard? Rey and Kylo were stronger in TFA and are just made weaker in the duel with the Praetorian Guards. Kylo could have frozen half of the guards and Rey could have mind tricked the other half into killing the frozen guards and Kylo and Rey could have finished them. They are masters of light and darkness, but they are made weaker. The throne room scene is a symbolization of everything wrong with the movie. It’s all flash, but no substance and the more you think about it, the worse it gets.

All this duel makes me believe is that Rey and Ben should’ve both switched sides in TLJ. Rey gives in to the dark side and Ben returns home. Rey is the most Sith like character if you obey the rules of George Lucas for Light and Dark sides of the force. Ben Solo is more Jedi like throughout the movie until the end. Let me explain. Rey throughout the sequel trilogy has given in to her passion and anger. In the end of TFA Rey gave in to anger and hate to defeat Kylo. and in TLJ she is shown to use anger and hate throughout the movie. She is shown to as Yoda put it “take the quick and easy path to the dark side” gives in to anger and hate in almost every scene before she boards the Supremacy and gave in to the temptations of the dark side water cave. Her dark side actions in TROS speak for itself. Ben is calm and clear minded like a Jedi, he even wants to cut all ties to attachments like a Jedi. Everything we were told of the Jedi and how disciplined they are, Ben displays that in TLJ until after the Throne room fight. Hell, EVEN THE THRONE ROOM FIGHT SUGGESTS THIS. Think about the fact that Ben really does not move or even engage. He just stands there and dodges and swings once when the guard rushes him. Contrast that to Rey, who is clearly being more aggressive with her lightsaber and attacking rather than just being passive. How again is Rey the Jedi and Kylo is the dark side force user in this movie? They’re fighting in the exact opposite way they should be. Rey fights for the kill while Kylo gets a glancing blow in the armor in the opening fight. Their style of fighting in the Throne Room with the Praetorian Guards really suggests that they should’ve switched sides. What they should have done is have Ben realize that Snoke was evil and shows regret for his actions and turn to the light. While Rey feeling betrayed by Luke and the revelation of her family turns to the dark. This would not only be unexpected but would even rival Vader’s “I am your father” twist. And it would logically follow what we’ve seen of these two characters leading up to this point. Rather than just out of the blue Kylo turns angry and irrational and Rey is calm when Ben was calm and rational throughout the movie and Rey was full of anger and hate throughout this movie. You have them follow an arc that makes sense for their individual personalities. Ben is always calm, but he felt betrayed by those on the light, but he comes to realize that betrayal was an incorrect perception and he desperately wants to make amends to Luke and Leia and therefore he should rejoin what he knows in his heart is good. While Rey is full of passion and anger and as that builds up and she realizes that even the great Jedi Luke Skywalker is a disappointment and her family abandoned her, she knows the only person who can live up to her own expectations is herself and that self-centered attitude leads her to the dark side. That would make sense and we would have something to fight for, save Rey from herself or stop her.

Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. Originally, I thought they were gonna have Luke first send the Walkers’ turboblasts right back at them and use the force to bring down the transports, TIEs and the shuttle and then toy with his nephew like Vader did to him and leave Kylo Ren in defeat and his ruined fleet. In a way he did(minus the ruined fleet), but it took away any tension away by having Luke just be a force projection. He wasn't there. His moment with Leia and 3-PO doesn't feel genuine anymore. And the "duel" if you can call it that is just bad. Luke doesn't have his Green Lightsaber and their blades do not clash. A Jedi is all about defense. But a Jedi will also fight in self-defense to defend others. The argument that Luke did the "most Jedi thing ever" is bullshit. A Jedi will stand up for what's right and face the threat. Instead Luke pulled a practical joke and died pointlessly. I mean if he instead pulled the X-Wing out afterwords and told R2 "Come on R2, we've got work to do." I would forgive that and then we could've gotten a genuine master and apprentice relationship between Luke and Rey and a proper reunion between Luke and Leia. But no, he has to die of force exhaustion. If Palpatine, who uses the force like crack didn't die of force exhaustion, then why did Luke?

The duels in TROS are all equally terrible. Not once did I felt any excitement between Rey and Kylo's duels as I did with Finn and Kylo from TFA. Every Lightsaber duel is forgettable. The fight in Ren's Quarters is just bad. The fight on the Death Star Ruins is just terrible. It's like they both got high on deathsticks and could barley remember that they are both trained with a Lightsaber. Fighting in ruins surrounded by water SHOULD BE EXCITING! But they did everything in their power to make this duel boring, mediocre and lackluster. They act as if they are swinging bats, not Lightsabers. Lightsabers aren’t baseball bats, stop treating them like they are!  

The worst part is that THIS was the final Lightsaber duel of the Star Wars saga. A huge step down if compared to Obi Wan vs Anakin in Mustafar and Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker in the Emperor’s Throne Room, which unlike the previous prequel, had awesome shooting and use of the soundtrack, also being very lengthy.

Then we get the Luke and Leia flashback. The ONLY well choreographed fight scene is a fucking flashback.

Then Ben Solo and the Knights Of Ren. Again, we know the Knights are gonna die. If JJ Abrams bothered to characterize the Knights, then yes they might've had a chance, but like the Praetorian Guards, they exist for background and die pointlessly.

Of Course we don't get to see Palpatine duel wielding his twin Sith Lightsabers and fighting Rey and Ben, cause JJ mr I hate the Prequels can't give the fans any decent Lightsaber fights. Instead of Palpatine facing Rey and Ben in an epic climatic final battle, we get Palpatine killed by his own lightning.

The fights in TFA is adequate at best. TLJ is meaningless. TROS is absolutely terrible and forgettable.

John, Daisy and Adam deserved better choreography than they were given. There's no excuse for the lackluster duels we see in the ST, whether from Rey, Finn or Kylo.

One of the biggest complaints for the Prequels is Lightsaber fights is "they are too choreographed" and anyone who believes this is an idiot. What? You wanted Jedi in their prime to slap sticks like old people? You wanted them to fight like drunken hobos? One of the best things in the prequels was finally getting to see the Jedi finally go all out in some awesome lightsaber duels. The Jedi should be masters at Lightsaber combat. Fight choreography is a good thing. Look at the duels in the prequels. You can like or hate them but the duel between Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon and Maul was great. As was Obi-Wan vs Jango, Yoda vs Dooku and every duel in ROTS. Even The Clone Wars had great fight choreography. There was more planning and choreography in The Clone Wars S7E10 than in the whole sequel trilogy.

Seriously, why wasn't Nick Gillard contacted? He is the main reason why the Lightsaber duels in the prequels were so good. I don't care if too many Lightsabers were a big complaint amongst the Prequel haters, the duels were good. So instead of great fight scenes, you traded great fight choreography for mediocre baseball bat fights?

The choreography is not the issue alone. There is no emotion. In TFA. Starkiller Base was already set to blow, so the fight was pointless. In TLJ there is no emotion at stake for the Throne Room fight and the Resistance already got away prior to Luke's pointless death. Rey vs Kylo doesn’t even matter because the characters HAVE THE SAME GOAL. Both want to get to Exegol via a wayfinder before the duel and both get to Exegol with a wayfinder (or memory of it) at the end of the duel. While Kylo gets redeemed, the duel wasn’t necessary for this part as Leia just needed to talk to him and then give him the force induced memory. The only thing this proves is that Rey is not a Jedi because she gives into anger and blind rage to start the duel.

The duels in the prequels and originals had themes, emotion and meaning. Not just that but they looked damn impressive and was the spectacle that helped made Star Wars, Star Wars.

There isn't any good musical scores for any of the Lightsaber fights either or at the very least, nothing memorable. Nothing as iconic as Duel Of Fates, Battle Of Heroes and the Throne Room fight in ROTJ. I don't remember any themes in the Sequels and that's a problem.

And it doesn’t help that these duels have no meaningful deaths either. A bunch of faceless guards and Luke (through indirect means) are the only deaths via a duel. But this is what happens when you hide the mentor archetype on an island and have the hero and villain go at it for three films.

The Lightsaber duel is no longer an emotional spectacle and a grand duel to the death. It's a bunch of idiots high on deathsticks fighting pointlessly and fighting for absolutely nothing. Rey fights like a Sith but she's a Jedi. Ben fights like a Jedi but is leading the First Order? They don't matter anymore and the duels in the sequels are the most forgettable thing about them.

[idreamofplaid]

Christmas Promise

Summary: Dean reached a point in his life where something has to change, and he finally makes a decision about his future. 

Characters: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 2594

A/N: For the purposes of this series, pretend Cassie and Lisa didn’t exist. 

A/N 2: This is Part 4 of Dean’s Christmas Carol. I originally planned on this being the last part, but as I wrote the story a Part 5 materialized. Read Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. 

Dean drove all night to get to her. He put down the windows and let the wind blow into the Impala. The music playing on the tape deck didn’t do much to calm his nerves. Everything reminded him of her. They had listened to these same songs together when he had taken her driving in Baby, which really meant they’d ended up in the backseat. She had loved his car, and he loved her even more for that. It was just one more reason he knew she was perfect for him.

It was the carefree memories he tried to keep in his mind. The vision of the future Charlie had shown him was too painful to think about. Y/N had always been so upbeat. She was optimistic and believed the best could actually happen. Dean couldn’t stand to think of her giving up and being alone, settling for hookups with some jerk who didn’t come close to being good enough to be anywhere near her.

The question was, did he deserve her? He was the one who had left her after spending the best months of his life with her. She had made his heart feel light in a way it never had. Monsters didn’t matter when he was with her, and she made him feel hope when he would have thought that was completely impossible. 

Zeppelin lyrics poured out of the speakers, and Dean tried to think of a way to tell her who he was, to explain to her why he’d gone when the only thing he’d wanted was to be with her always. If she slammed the door in his face, it would be understandable, but that wasn’t her way. 

She would listen to him. Dean knew that. He would at least have a chance to tell her what he wanted her to know, and once he did; it would be up to her. She would have the chance to decide for herself that he should have given her in the first place, but had he been wrong? That was a long time ago. He didn’t know the things then that he did now, and he sure as hell didn’t have the experience killing things that might intend her harm. 

He trusted himself and his ability to protect her more now. Back then, demons were the biggest challenge he’d faced; and they had only been low level demons in the grand scheme of things. If Dean could face God and Lucifer and come out on top, whatever else came his way, or hers, now; he could handle. That was, if she’d give him the chance; but he knew he at least had to try. He knew now that doing nothing was one regret he couldn’t live with.

When Baby turned onto the familiar street where Y/N’s coffee shop was located, Dean took a deep breath. What if she wasn’t there? What if she was? He pulled up by the curb in front and got out of the car. The morning was cold, and he blew his breath in his hands to warm them. He couldn’t see her inside. It was early still, maybe the shop wasn’t open yet. It had to be; this was where people got coffee. Of course it was open. Dean knew he was stalling. C’mon, just open the damn door. What’s the worst thing that can happen? She can hate me for what I did to her, and I can hurt her more than I already did.

Dean gathered his courage and pushed the door open. A bell jingled as he walked inside. So much for buying himself a few more seconds to get himself together. Y/N came walking out from a back area of the shop that Dean knew she used for storage, or at least she used to. There was a big smile on her face. “Come on in, get out of the cold and have…” 

She stopped and stood perfectly still when she saw him. Dean’s heart started beating faster, and he searched for the right words. What he said was, “Hey, Y/N.”

“W...What are you…? Dean?”  She put the bag of coffee she was holding down on the nearest table, and walked closer to him. Her hair was longer than it had been when Dean saw her last.  It was pulled back, but he caught a glimpse of the loose braid that fell halfway down her back. There was very little makeup on her face, just enough to allow her natural beauty to shine through. She was wearing jeans and a simple black t-shirt with a plaid shirt over it that looked like something she might have borrowed from him. No one would have described her as glamorous, but there was nothing she could have done that would have made her more attractive to Dean.

She still took his breath away. “I wanted to see you, Y/N.”

Y/N picked up the coffee again, walked behind the counter, and poured the beans into a grinder. The noise delayed her response for several seconds. She emptied the freshly ground coffee into one of the espresso machine and turned it on. This was her normal routine, and she answered Dean like he hadn’t disappeared from her life fifteen years ago. “Why did you want to see me?”

Dean walked up to the counter to be closer to her, but it was still between them. “There are things I never said to you, things I need to tell you because you deserve to hear the truth; and I can’t live with you not knowing anymore.” His words were falling out in a jumble. Dean hoped he was making some kind of sense to her.

Y/N didn’t leave her spot by the espresso machine. The aroma of a rich French Roast filled the air. Dean recognized the smell; he hadn’t forgotten what she taught him about coffee. “O...Okay, then why don’t you tell me whatever it is you came here to say.” 

“Is it alright if I sit down?”

Y/N waved her hand at a bar stool. “Sure. Go ahead.”

“The way I left things...that wasn’t...I didn’t…”  Dean shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to leave you, Y/N.”

Y/N’s eyes dropped to the counter. She didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to the espresso machine and filled a cup. Dean decided he was going to have to talk to her back in order to say the things he came here to say. Her braid swayed as she drank, and Dean focused on that while he spoke.

“There were things you never knew about me, Y/N. Things I thought it was better not to tell you. I was involved in some dangerous stuff, and I didn’t want it following me to you. The reason I left was to keep you safe. I thought it was the best thing, but now I know I should have told you everything and given you the chance to decide for yourself.” 

Dean paused and scrubbed his hand down his face. Tears had gathered in his eyes, and they were threatening to fall. “I came here because you deserve to know the truth if you still want to hear it.”

Y/N had put down her cup, and she was grasping the edge of the counter. She turned slowly now to face Dean. “Tell me. Tell me what you didn’t tell me then.”

Dean made a fist and tapped it against his mouth a couple of times and took a deep breath. “This is going to sound crazy. It is crazy, but it’s my life.” He looked directly into her eyes with the most serious and sincere expression he could muster. “I hunt monsters.”

Her eyes didn’t leave his, and she didn’t say anything. Dean couldn’t read her expression, so he went on. “Just about everything you can think of is real, and I kill it. Vampires, werewolves, banshees, ghouls.” 

“Monsters? You came here to tell me you hunt monsters?” She leaned back against the counter and looked him over. “Have you been drinking?”

“No, Y/N. I haven’t. I’m completely sober. I drove all night to get here. From Kansas. I live there now with my brother. He hunts monsters too. We have a headquarters there, a home base.” Dean ran his hand through his short hair not knowing which way he should go with this next. “I didn’t want any of the insane crap I deal with to affect you, to hurt you, so I left; but I promise I didn’t want to go. Nothing has ever hurt me so bad. Still hasn’t.”

He was all in now, so he was just going to go with it. “I think about you all the time, Y/N. I never stopped thinking about you.”

Y/N folded her arms across her chest. “You didn’t get married?”

“No, there’s never been anyone I’ve had the guts to say this to, never been anyone I wanted to come clean with. I never let anybody know who I really am, Y/N. I came the closest with you, and I want to tell you all of it. You’re the only person who ever made me think about the future, about the rest of my life, about spending the rest of my life with someone. I still think about it.”

Y/N walked around the bar and came closer to Dean. “I don’t know what to say. Is there something else you haven’t told me?” 

Dean weighed his options. Where did he start? Angels? Demons? The Apocalypse? Which one? Y/N walked closer and reached out to touch Dean’s face. “Doesn’t matter. I still think about you too.”

It happened fast, and it happened naturally like no time had passed at all. Dean put his hand on her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her. He felt her arms wrap around him. His tongue glided over the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth to him. All the years melted away in that kiss. Dean was young again, young and in love. 

They kissed each other for a long time, and when they finally pulled away; Dean cupped her cheek in his hand and once again memorized her face. He could feel her breathing, and it was the happiest he had been since he last held her. She whispered to him, “Come upstairs with me?”

Silently, he nodded; and she put her hand over his. Y/N led him up the stairs to her apartment where they had first made love so long ago. The furnishings were different, but the place still had all the coziness that told Dean it was her home. Everything about it said it was hers from the braided rugs on the floor to the handmade ceramics. 

Dean took her to the four poster bed covered with what looked like a handmade quilt. She took his hand and pulled him down to the bed with her. They sat on the edge, and he watched her bring her braid over her shoulder. She pulled the hairband from the end of it and placed it on the nightstand. Then she took her hair in her hands and started to separate the strands she had woven together into the braid. When she was done, she spread her hair around her shoulders. 

Dean watched her every movement, entranced by being so close to her again, the intimacy of it. He lay her down on the bed and kissed along the line of her cheek and down her neck then moved his mouth back up to hers. She sat up and took off her plaid shirt along with the tank underneath.

Under it, she was wearing a plain white cotton bra, and it was the sexiest thing Dean had ever seen. He brushed his thumb lightly along the line of the cup; he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes at the feel of the soft skin on her breast. He kissed her cheek while he continued to touch her. “I missed you so much, Y/N.”

He was still wearing all his Winchester layers, and she pulled at his jacket trying to get it off. Dean kissed her cheek again. “I’ve got it, baby.” He treated her to a private striptease, taking off first the jacket and then the flannel he was wearing beneath it. When he lifted the hem of his t-shirt revealing his chest and stomach, it was her turn to suck in her breath. 

Dean reached behind her, unhooked her bra, and slipped the straps down her arms. “You are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He kissed her softly, his tongue circling hers and exploring every part of her mouth. She sighed into his kiss, but then pulled away and buried her face in the side of his neck. 

Dean’s hand went instinctively to the back of her head. “What is it, sweetheart?” 

“I thought about this so many times. I imagined you coming back and saying you still wanted me. I can’t believe it’s happening.”

He cradled her head in his hand and kissed her temple. “It is, baby. I’m here, and this is real. It’s always been real.” He was so close now; it was hard for her to breathe. “Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to do this.”

She abruptly lifted her head. “No. I want to. I need to. In case you….”

Dean put his finger under her chin and lifted her face up so she was looking into his eyes. “It’s not going to be like that. I’ll never leave you again. My heart broke when I left you. It’s been broken ever since...until now.”

“I trust you, Dean.” The sweet forgiveness in those words was more than Dean had dared to hope that she would give him. 

In return, he was going to give her everything he had in him to give. “I promise I won’t hurt you.” He unbuttoned her jeans and eased the zipper down. Dean flattened his hand against her stomach and pushed it down slowly until it slid beneath her panties. He brushed his fingers through her folds, and his eyes locked onto hers. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”

His fingers found her clit, and he rubbed it until she arched beneath his hand. “That’s it, sweetheart. Let me take care of you.” She came on his hand with his name on her lips. Dean held her through the aftershocks until her breathing slowed then he finished undressing her and himself.

He wrapped one arm under her and supported his weight on it. With his other hand, he brushed her hair from her face. Dean kissed the corner of her mouth then looked into her eyes while he pushed himself inside her. He was still for a few seconds then he pushed in deeper and waited again, giving her time to adjust to him. 

Her body was tight around his shaft; he could feel her stretching to accept him. He threaded his fingers through hers and held her hand as he started to move. She let go for him, and he did the same for her. Dean breathed into her with his kisses while he moved inside her. When she climaxed, her walls tightened around him, and he came with her. 

Dean lay on top of her, panting for several seconds, before he rolled to his side and pulled her into his arms. She rested her hand on his chest and made little circles with her fingers. Her voice was a whisper. “I wish we could always be like this.” 

Dean ran his fingers through her hair. He would find a way to give her that. “We can always have this, Y/N.” Dean stopped combing his fingers through her hair and got very still. “There’s something else I haven’t told you, something I need for you to know.” He kissed her hair and inhaled the sweet smell of flowers that lingered on it. It calmed him and gave him the courage to tell her what he’d been holding inside for more than a decade. “I love you, Y/N.”

Everything Forever: @gambitwinchester @princessmisery666 @onethirstyunicorn @peridottea91 @logical-princey @emilyshurley @beenlovingromansincedayoneish @fangirlxwritesx67 @waywardbaby @atc74 @ledzeppelinsbonzo @shaniquacynthia @mariekoukie6661 @tumbler-tidbits @67-chevy-baby @fandom-princess-forevermore @terrarium-jpeg @emoryhemsworth @crashdevlin @heycasbutt @jules-1999 @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @cosicas-cuquis @sammyimpala-67 @queenoftheunderdark @dean-winchesters-bacon @mrs-meghan-winchester @timelordy-fangirl2 @sweetness47 @hobby27 @awesomesusiebstuff @kickingitwithkirk @becs-bunker @gh0stgurl @sandlee44 @supernaturalgrandma @lonewolf471 @sea040561 @dawnie1988 @maddiepants @volleyballer519 @outcastedangel @iknowwheremytowelis @wendibird @kdfrqqg @lizette50 @daisymoder72 @sorenmarie87 @oldfreakything

Dean/Jensen Love: @deansyahtzee @flamencodiva @deanwinchesterswitch @waywardrose13 @feelmyroarrrr @winchesterxfamilybusiness​ @focusonspn​ @akshi8278​ @ladywinchester1967​ @sgarrett49​ @wingedcatninja​ @coffee-obsessed-writer​ @adoptdontshoppets​ @team-free-will-you-idjiot​ @ellewritesfix05​

Dean’s Christmas Carol: @moron225

[hirvitank]

Waste + 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I knew Death of the Outsider was coming, and as the Outsider was my favourite character I really wanted to explore the theory of him becoming human—the game hadn’t been released yet so we had no idea how it’d actually end, just that Billie and Daud were working together to kill him. Since the Outsider functioned as a sort of moral compass, I was very curious to try and imagine how his canon characteristics and biases would translate into a human version of him; how would he experience the world? How would he come to terms with such a humbling existence? Where did he come from and who was he? How would he cope with his own mortality, human emotion, the consequences following his choices in the Void? And most importantly; how had his being the Outsider affected his humanity? There was so much I wanted to see explored, things I feel the previous games hinted at but never elaborated upon. I wanted to write a psychological sort of story where we’d really be able to feel and experience whatever passed in his mind, and I tried my best to use my knowledge as well as my own experiences—flaws I either observed within myself or others, ideas, thoughts and feelings influenced by bias, depression, trauma, etc. When in art school, most of my inspiration came from the transience of things; my fear of death. I really wanted to take the subject and explore it through the eyes of someone previously immortal.

2: What scene did you first put down?

I think it was the original ending I wrote down first. I was supposed to write towards a particular scene, but somewhere along the way I’d decided to discard the idea entirely and opt for a happier resolution. I originally intended for the Outsider to die in the end, both to explore the feelings of those around him, as well as his own emotions accepting such a fate. I wanted a way to embrace death, as well as an output for all my bitterness regarding the subject; my anger at the ‘unfairness’ of it all, as well as my own trauma. I wanted to express loss, and in a way try and reveal the beauty of it. In the end, I had already found a way to deal with grief, and I also felt these characters deserved more; the fairness of fiction

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

That’s a REALLY difficult pick haha (does this mean literally a single line, or like a paragraph?). I’ll just share one of my favourite parts, because I can, and because it’s even more difficult to pick a single line from such a long story and I’m honestly horrible at making choices:

I heard the whispers of rats all around me, tiny feet scampering through the pipes; Billie’s gift tucked inside my shirt. My bare feet light, making little noise—as if I wasn’t really there. Perhaps I wasn’t. Perhaps I hadn’t been anywhere for centuries.

Up the stairs, cold stones. The walls decorated, grand and lavish. Empty corridors and lingering traces of hushed whispers—the guards had left their posts. She’d be there. How would that have made me feel? How should that make me feel? Almost, getting closer. My heart pounded in my ears, lungs greedily begging for more air, more—more. I felt like running. Strong currents of energy coursed through my veins, vibrated through bones and tendons. If I lost control, would I explode in a million pieces? Would the energy burst out and take my body apart, like the Void tearing into reality?

Who was I?

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

Honestly impossible to pick, I’ll just take this monologue:

“Anton Sokolov: sire to 14 children, but a father to none. A brilliant mind at a terrible cost, enlightenment in exchange for the dark depravity of the soul. Fingers that turn the times into a revolution of progress, the same fingers that touch upon women as they do the cold inventions they craft. Objects close to his heart—objects from his mind.

“The stench of alcohol in his bed, his clothes, his skin. Liquors and paints; on the canvas, dripping from his fingers, in the eyes of the beggar he found in the flooded slums of a place forsaken. The stench of rot still fresh on his teeth as he smiles at young Emily Kaldwin and tells her: ‘Don’t worry dear, here in the tower you are safe.’ Don’t worry dear, for I know the truest evil lies not within the high walls of Dunwall but within my hands and mind, within the flooded basement where a woman screamed and bled until she hung her head and closed eyes from which the dark paint still leaked—forever.

“The human body—like clockwork—taken apart in exchange for coin, for valuables. But those things Anton Sokolov values most lay outside of his intellectual grasp; for all the reasoning in the world he is but a cold, lonely man in search of a higher purpose that is but a lie of his own twisted imagination. A delusion of grandeur.

“How does it feel? One’s biggest regrets are but feelings of little consequence. The true disease is the sickness that allows one to enact true consequence on an innocent in the name of a self-prescribed fate. But I suppose that’s the curse of boredom. That, is the curse of your brilliance.”

5: What part was hardest to write?

The first chapter! There’s nothing more difficult than a set-up imo; establishing characters, pacing, setting and feel. I had a vague idea of where I wanted to go, but there was still so much I didn’t know that I had a hard time choosing how and where to start. I think it’s one of the most heavily edited chapters, just because I didn’t have a clear grasp on the characters or plot yet. (Also smut, oh lord help me)

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

There’s the original ending, and I did at one point start on a companion fic to explore Emily’s pov, but decided I better focus on finishing the original instead.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

The fact that it’s finished (hurrahhhh!!), and the themes and subjects.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

My own sense of humour, I always cringe reading my own jokes so I can only hope it hits with others—I genuinely have no idea, and it’s hard at times to figure out where to draw the line.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

WELL IM GLAD U ASKED!! I’ll try and keep this short, but these are some of the songs that carried this fic, not even exaggerating.

1. Lover Don’t Leave, Citizen Shade

2. Happy Life, Roland Faunte

3. Painting Roses, Dresses

4. ID, Charlie Allen

5. High Tops, Del Water Gap

6. Love Song for Lady Earth, Del Water Gap

7. Battle Cry, The Family Crest

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

EVERYTHING. I had literally no idea about writing, apparently. I’ve had no classes in literature, nor have I ever been taught the common rules when it comes to writing. I got to learn most of it thanks to my friends who helped edit (shoutout to @onewhoturns again), and through trial and error. I absolutely loved the experience of it, and I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned, and all I will continue to learn in the future. It’s given me the basis for my own original writing which I’m trying to pursue, and which I hope will someday become reality.

Thank you so much for these! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed answering every single one. ♥

[peachywise]

nullify

an umbrella academy fanfiction // klaus hargreeves x reader 

- part 6: the beginning of understandings || part i ⋆ part ii ⋆ part iii ⋆ part iv ⋆ part v ⋆ more to be released 

- synopsis: It was finally time to meet the bringer of the apocalypse– a petite girl wrapped up in a blanket drinking tea. Totally chill. Nothing unusual about the situation at all. At least Klaus was consistent with his irritating commentary.

- note: my bad sorry i haven’t updated in so long!! but i’m back! and since season 2 is now out, please just note that this story is my own continuation of the story after season 1. also, i am no longer doing a tag list. honestly i just can’t be bothered, and i’m sure most of the blogs have changed since the last one for this series. i post on ao3, so you can subscribe to the story there!! 

link on ao3 

_______________________________________

Okay. So you were going to face the person who allegedly caused the apocalypse. No big deal. This was just a normal day, and she was just a girl. Albeit one who had undergone pretty severe trauma in her life, but hey. Nothing you couldn’t handle with a pleasant smile and a cup of tea, right?

Maybe the tea was a bad idea. But you felt like you needed a peace offering. Something to break the ice before asking someone who was relatively a complete stranger, “I think I can contain your powers, so why don’t we try? Also, why don’t you move into my apartment for the time being? I promise the occasional cockroach that comes out the drain won’t do any harm. It would be nice if he paid rent, but I can’t complain.”

Yeah. Just a normal day.

An abrupt tap on your shoulder and Klaus’s breath tickling the side of your neck forced your eyes away from your previous stare down with the white bedroom door, and any and all courage you’d built up to walk in quickly dissipated.

“Hey, you think if this whole—” his voice caught on a sharp intake of breath as he tried to find his words, his hands rolling, “trying to convince my sister to not start the second apocalypse by moving in with you thing doesn’t work out, I can still crash there? You can’t begin to imagine just how stifling it is here. I don’t even think Five has changed out of his little uniform in a week, let alone had a shower. You smell so much better. Like vanilla with a bit of stale coffee and deep-seated cynicism.”

Turning your face fully towards his, your noses almost touching by how close he had leaned in, you kept your expression passive. And then you tipped your hand to let half of the scalding tea fall over the lip of the cup and on his bare feet.

As Klaus jumped back, hopping between his feet and hollering a string of “ow, ow, ow,” you took a small step back and replied with a drab and mocking, “that has to hurt.”

Klaus gave a curt laugh that was almost lost, given his teeth were clenched in pain. “You know, I don’t know if I like your violent style of foreplay.”

“You’re making it very clear why Vanya destroyed the world in the first place, Klaus,” you responded, voice raised. “You haven’t even experienced just how sadistic I can be. I can turn around right now and just let her cause the second apocalypse again.”

“How original of you, threatening to leave. What is it, the tenth time already? Maybe if we’re all lucky, you can get a couple more in before dinner!”

“You know what’s original? Your desperate need for attention because you never got any from daddy as a kid. I’ve never seen that before-“

The door opened in front of you, and someone’s soft cough had you and Klaus both turning in their direction.

Allison Hargreeves.

“Are you guys done?” She questioned, a tight impatient look crossed on her features. At a loss for words, partly embarrassed now that you’d raised your voice, you tried to find anywhere to look but her eyes. Your gaze ultimately got caught on her neck, and the healed, puffy scar raised on her skin. Right. They’d mentioned Vanya had injured Allison. Pretty horribly at that. You remembered what you were nervous about in the first place.

“Allison, this is Y/N, though they will reply to trouble or travel-sized Satan just as well,” Klaus offered, slipping past his sister, who stood fully in the frame of the doorway.

Reaching behind to scratch your neck, you forced a timid smile on your face and gave a small wave with your free hand. “Hey. Nice, uh… place you got here.” Totally casual. “Very clean.” Not awkward at all.

Allison snorted. “Uh-huh. Nice to meet you. Let’s see if this was all worth it, shall we?”

Straight to the point. You could respect that. Nodding, you kept the nervous smile on your face as you walked past her after she sidestepped away from the door. You didn’t really know what you were expecting. Part of you thought the room was going to be some weird pit of despair. Dark and broody, like it was supposed to set the scene for some comic book character about to delve into their villain origin story.

But nope. It was just a standard bedroom, very well lit, white linen, clean carpet. The only thing that really stood out was the sunny yellow blanket wrapped tightly around a petite frame huddled on the single bed, a sky blue polka dot teacup clutched in both of her hands.

Well, now you didn’t feel so bad that you’d poured out basically all the tea you were going to give Vanya on Klaus.

“I’m guessing you’re Vanya?”

No shit, she was Vanya. You literally knew what she looked like.

You shuffled your feet awkwardly as the girl’s eyes flickered up to you. You still had the teacup in your hand.

“I brought you this, but I… spilled a little,” you commented off-handily, moving over to set it on a small side table.

Klaus made a notably shocked look. “Is that what you call a little?”

Vanya nodded her head once, her tone quietly gruff as she added, “we could hear you through the door.”

Allison offered a very helpful, “I’m sure the whole apartment floor heard them.”

Klaus, unable to contain himself from continuing this rally of comments, added, “well, it’s not the only time my screams have woken up someone next door. Certainly won’t be the last, God hoping the world doesn’t explode again.”

All three of you groaned. Good to know you weren’t the only one exhausted.

“It’s nice to meet you, Vanya. Did they explain to you why I’m here?” You asked, moving closer to the girl in question.

Vanya’s eyes glanced quickly over to Allison, who nodded her head in encouragement. She then turned to look at you once more and gave a slight jerk of her head in affirmation. Despite what had happened between Vanya and Allison, you could see the trust between the sisters. You might have gotten the story of what happened three months prior, but obviously they had worked out some stuff. At least a little bit. “Yeah. Yeah, Five uhm, gave me the gist of it,” Vanya replied, her voice still quiet with an edge of hesitance.

“It really works,” Klaus stated, looking at you with a joyful look. “Not seeing Ben’s ugly mug for once…” he pressed his hands to his heart and contentedly sighed, “it was the biggest blessing one could have given me.” His serene mood quickly dissipated as he looked to an empty corner and bit out a tight, “zip it, ghoul boy.”

“I don’t know,” Vanya carried on, as Klaus and presumably Ben continued to have an argument in the back. “Our powers are different. I don’t know if I want to take the risk of using it again in case it doesn’t work.”

You sighed, and Allison brought her hand up to nervously to chew on a nail. Moving to sit on the edge of the bed, you tried your best to settle the situation. Yeah, the money you would get for this would be nice, but you could tell this all went beyond that. It was important. You knew they wouldn’t have just let you into their inner circle if it wasn’t.

“I get it. What happened was awful, but you aren’t in that place anymore, right? Panic makes you do stupid shit. You aren’t you when you’re in such a crisis. That doesn’t mean you don’t take accountability for those actions, but the you sitting here isn’t actively trying to blow up the moon and cause the end of the world.” Peering over to Klaus, who stood grumpily off to the side, you asked, “it was the moon, right?”

His attention quickly fixed on you as he replied back, “oh yeah,” making a sudden explosion movement with his hands and horrible sound effects to go with it.

Allison’s blunt, “Klaus,” was enough to quickly shut him up.

“But I could panic again,” Vanya pleaded, her hazel eyes cutting in their pain. As stable and as comfortable as she appeared now, you could recognize that constant fear that must have lived in her. You knew too much about regret. You could see that in her eyes.

“And that’s where I come in. I can stop that. But we have to try first to see if it can work.” Reaching out a hesitant hand, you placed it on her knee still covered with the blanket and offered, “this power is inside you whether you like it or not. I don’t have perfect control over mine. I wish there were things I had done differently.” People you could have saved. People who you accidentally hurt. “You tried suppressing it, but that only made it explosive once it was actually let out. We can try to make it so you can live with it. Even if you don’t use it, at least you can control it.”

Vanya bit her lip and drooped her head, her hair falling in curtains around her face. You were curious about what her thoughts were. The furrow between her brows tensed and untensed in a way you knew her answer to the proposition was continually changing.

“Vanya, I’ve gone the self-destructive route to try and drown the voices out,” Klaus chirped up in the silence, his compassionate tone odd to your ears. From the corner, he strolled past you and rested a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “But I’ve never experienced quiet so fully until they put their field around me.” Soft eyes met yours as he added, “I never thought it was possible. It’s all I ever wanted.”

Holding his look for a moment, you weren’t quite sure what to say. You’d never really been… praised for your gift. Whenever you tried to use it to help someone else, you’d get called a freak or something worse. Any other time, it accidentally (well, purposefully sometimes) harmed someone. You could tell Klaus was sincere. Listening to the voices of the dead so much must be harrowing. You never really gave much thought about spirits and their presence, but for all you know, there could be multiple in the room with him at any moment. Always in pain. Always sharing that with him.

All you could manage to offer in response was a gentle smile before you tipped your head back to look at Vanya. “You don’t know me. I can’t ask you to trust me to do this. But why don’t you stay with me for a bit anyway? Klaus will be there, and you can come and go as you want, the others too. I’ll show you a couple of things I can do with the force field, and when you’re ready to test it out, we will. This is in your hands, Vanya. You’re in control.”

That’s all people like us could ever want. Control. Certainty—

Understanding.

“I already called sharing the bed with Trouble, just so you know,” Klaus said.

Although, it seemed your understanding clearly had its limits.

“If you did that, I would have to burn my bed so I didn’t get fleas. How about I get you a nice doggy bed instead?”

That got a grin out of Vanya, and when Allison added, “I think a flea repellent collar would be a wise investment as well,” her smile grew a little more comfortable.

“very funny, really, ” Klaus muttered.

“Okay. I’ll come with you,” Vanya finally conceded, reaching over to set her cup on the nightstand. “I’m— I don’t think I’m ready to try it out yet, but I guess if I do lose control again, having you there will be a good safety net?”

“We’ll all be your safety net this time.” Allison’s tone was earnest, remorse and care wrapped up on one. “I promise.” She sat on the bed and Vanya gently rested her head on her shoulder.

Whatever had gone on with this family, whatever tragedy had occurred in the past or with the current ordeal, seemed to be mending. You were kind of in awe staring at the scene. You had never known this kind of support since your father, and even then, you were so young that your memories of those feelings of comfort had faded. You lived alone. Didn’t really have any lasting friendships. You had the old couple across the hall who you played cards with at least once a week— though you were pretty sure they cheated every single time— but that wasn’t even close to what the Hargreeves had.

Family.

Standing back up, you heaved in a heavy breath. “I’ll leave you to pack,” you offered with your best shot at a cheery smile despite the sudden growing muck (jealousy, sadness, regret) festering through your veins. “Would you mind if I use the bathroom?”

Allison started to talk, offering you directions before Klaus interjected, “I’ll show you where it is.”

You were going to argue that you were perfectly capable of managing directions in the single apartment, but he placed his hand on your back and was quickly ushering you out of the door and down the rest of the hall.

“You really okay with doing this?” His questioned jarred you, eyes widening as you stepped away from his touch.

“Klaus, are you kidding?” You shot back, your exhaustion entrapping your exasperation in one low, breathy air. “I didn’t see you caring about that when I had originally said no multiple times.”

“You didn’t have that,” he stalled, struggling to come up with words as he haphazardly waved his hands in front of your face, “that look before. You looked sad when Vanya said she would come.”

Ah. You thought you’d shielded your face away from what you had felt. Strange that he would pick up on it. “It’s fine, Klaus. I want to help.”

Klaus didn’t look so sure, but he was also resigned enough to accept that answer. It was the truth anyway. It was a brief second of allowing yourself to feel bad. We all had those. A desire for something else someone has, for love, for care. But maybe this situation would help. Helping someone else, someone relatively similar to you, given the fucked up freak birth that messed up all their lives, would give you a sense of purpose.

“Can I ask you something, though?” You said, biting the inside of your cheek in a sort of nervous gesture.

“Yeah, sure,” Klaus prompted, curiosity lowing his eyebrows as he slightly tilted his head.

“Did you mean what you said in there? Did my blocking your power really help you that much?” You just needed to know. He looked so earnest, almost… desperate to experience it again. You felt seized by a sudden warmth. You just wanted to experience that again, whatever that was. To feel like you had done right.

“Trouble, you have no idea how much that helped. I meant what I said,” his tone turned almost affectionate, his eyes almost pleading with you to believe, “It really is all I ever wanted.”

And suddenly, the warmth that you hoped would have a growing familiarity in your body came back. However, there was something else there, nagging at the back of your consciousness, that you couldn’t quite grasp. It almost felt like concern or empathy, but there was something more. Despite Klaus’s kind words, there was an undercurrent of sadness to them. The man in front of you, who sometimes seemed so much younger and fragile than what he was, had been through hurt. You could recognize it. You had the moment you had met him and all the Hargreeves. But you were finally beginning to fully comprehend what his particular sadness was.

“It’s horrible to have been forced with a burden that could probably do so much good, but we just haven’t been able to see it.” You murmured, speaking your thoughts out loud without really meaning to. “All of you guys were forced to do good with your powers. Be the good guys, get the bad ones. That in itself was another burden just on top of it. You were kids. You never got to experience normal lives and have your powers adjusted to fit normalcy. I guess I’m lucky in that regard.”

You didn’t really know what you were saying. Just looking at Klaus’s face and the emotions you couldn’t read had you spewing words so freely that surely he must have thought you to be the erratic one now and not him.

“Sorry,” you laughed lightly, trying to break the tension. “I guess I’m just trying to say, if my power can do good by helping you guys out, then I’m happy. Whenever things get too noisy, just let me know and I’ll try and drown it out for you. Maybe just… living for a while, not stressing about your next plans, will help too.” You could try to provide some sort of normalcy in your shitty little apartment, with shitty cable, and an even shittier view.

“I’ll do that,” Klaus’s voice was so quiet you barely caught what he had said. “Thank you.”

Averting your gaze to the floor, you rubbed the tip of your nose with the back of your hand and stood in silence for a few moments.

“So uhm. Where’s that bathroom?”

“Oh, shit! Ah, yeah, just down the hall and to the right off the kitchen,” Klaus laughed, tension easing.

“What, not going to lead to it?” You teased.

“No, I think you can manage pretty well,” he smirked, before walking off into one of the adjacent rooms, probably to go pack.

What a shame. You’d probably have to burn all his clothes before they touched your carpets, now that you thought about it. You know, because of the fleas and all that.

[7wanderingpaws]

⭐️⭐️ Since you're doing this i wanted to know a directors cut about "Quit your life" and "mess we made" my 2 fav stories 😍💕

Oh my dear!! ❤️❤️ these two!!! This will be long again, because I can never shut up about MWM and QYL!

Director’s Cut: Mess We Made

This will have several parts because…because.

You looked back, making out Baekhyun's features through tears. “Let go,” you snapped, trying to shake him off.

“Where are you going this late?!”

“Anywhere is better than here with you! I cannot stay with you, Baekhyun!” you shouted, finally yanking him off harshly enough so his hand slipped.

You slammed the door shut and Baekyhun was met with silence. Throwing a single, helpless gaze at his friend was enough for Chanyeol to nod and move. “I'll go after her,” he reassured Baekhyun who seemed to be on the verge of mental breakdown.

Baekhyun just nodded, watching Chanyeol leave and hoping you wouldn't actually break up with him.

This part = two things. First is obvious: characters are fighting which was quite rare up until this point. It’s a huge fight, because they both know the separation is coming. I loved writing this; passionate argument in which both of them are right, though Baek more than OC. We can, time and time again, see OCs selfishness, her wanting Baek just for herself, her wanting him to be next to her even if she would be married to another man, tying Baek down. Totally unfair, and Baek speaking up about this fact makes OC even angrier. I love it, they love each other. Sparks fly, and the line between love and hate is thin. Thankfully, it never came to hatred.

Second thing is sth no one ever talked about. It’s so minuscule but I think it’s so cool and important. Chanyeol is a great friend. A simple look from Baek and Chanyeol knew what he had to do to help out his friend. Even if it meant chasing the “princess” girlfriend he secretly didn’t like much because the relationship was ruining Baekhyun. We all need that one friend I think. Also, Baek cares about OC so much, he wouldn’t want her to leave the house in such a state, even though they just had one of the biggest fights ever.

“Mr Kwon, please meet my daughter,” she introduced you before continuing, “and this is Mr Kwon Minheob, your fiancée. Greet him properly!” she ordered but you didn't even process what she said.

Standing frozen, your arms were about to let go of the bouquet you just received were it not for Baekhyun who was fast enough to get the flowers out of your grasp. “Oh, that's great news! I'll take these for you!” he exclaimed with a smile and you looked at him with pure horror in your eyes. “Congrats by the way! I will miss you as my classmate!” he added and quickly bowed to your parents. “I'll see you around someday!” And with that, he turned and left.

In that instance, many things were swirling around in your brain - complete, utter shock, overwhelm, fear, heartbreak. What did Baekhyun just do? Why did he say that? And where was he going-

This this this 😭 Baekhyun who loves OC so much- literally bailed when he found out his girlfriend whom he loved so much was meeting her future husband. He understood the situation; he could always read OC’s family better than OC herself. He was always prepared, he would do anything that would help preventing issues/trouble/punishment for his girlfriend. Baek is quite out of this world kind of boyfriend in this story. And this scene right here spoke volumes about him.

Director’s cut: Quit Your Life

”Choose your fighter, hot cheeks.”

You were in a run down warehouse, cautiously walking in between empty cages. Huge, emptily cages. Cages for humans.

“Don’t worry,” said Suho, the boss, as he was casually leading you around, his hair combed back, revealing a handsome forehead. You figured he must be rich. “This isn’t some sort of dungeon for torture, nor psychos. Although, I have to say the one we are looking for is closest to being one,” he snickered, his small nose wrinkling with the action.

Well, that made you... not happy at all. Spending time with someone borderline crazy was not what you needed when you were already facing danger in your mundane life.

“So he won’t like, throw me in the pit and bury me alive right?” You tried to joke expecting Suho to follow you, but he gave you a side look.

“I’m not here to guarantee something that is out of my control. If he deems it correct, you might as well expect to sniff the daffodils from under.”

“You are charming.”

“It’s also called honest.”

I love Suho’s character in this story. Sadly he appeared only for that one scene but I loved it!!! While writing him, I really felt that impact he has on the OC as well as the shifting authority towards Baekhyun when he tried to tell him to stop his antics. I tried to portray the real life Suho in a way - after all, Baekhyun drives him crazy all the time 😃 and! The Suho in this story was purely based off of the vibes I got from him in Obsession MV. Just loved this entire scene!

“Baek, meet your new salary.”

“I have a name,” you reminded and tried not to flinch when said Baek suddenly stood up, his movements sharp, collected. Very smooth. He made a few steps towards the bars of the cage, his lips stretching only on one side of his face, giving him exactly the nickname he wasn’t supposed to have. A psycho.

“Who is this salary? Put a name to the number.”

“I hope if I say a lot it shows just enough for you,” you replied, not avoiding eye contact that he had yet to reciprocate.

“You’ll have one job only,” interrupted Suho, pushing his hands in the pockets of his expensive dress pants. “Protect her at all costs.”

Baek looked up at you and, for the first time, your eyes actually met. It was then that you spotted his aura, the dark, lethal shade of red sending chills down your spine, giving you a hard time not to physically shudder. If his whole persona didn’t already confirm it to you, it sure as hell did now.

“Hmm, seems like we have a connection, my lady.”

This part is super confusing. We don’t know whether Baekhyun can actually feel the soulmate aura. In this scene he casually mentions the connection 2x. Later on he will bring it up again. There could be a possibility Baek could see other peoples auras too. It was never confirmed but this gives a hint; it only enhances his mysterious, hidden character. Either way I loved him in this scene; wicked, funny, playful, a little flirty and smooth. I don’t think there is a part of Quit Your Life that I didn’t love writing. If anything, I regret not writing more!

Ask Game

[ripley95]

Echoes of Old Embers

Chapter 13

Pairing: F!Shepard/Kaidan Alenko

Rating: T

Chapter length: 3.7K

Story Synopsis:

After surviving the war, one of Shepard’s biggest regrets was rejecting Kaidan at Apollo’s. Fate has a way of bringing Jane and Kaidan back into each other’s lives. A misunderstanding with his family makes Kaidan and Shepard relive old history and question where they stand.

Link to Chapter 1 on AO3

Chapter Synopsis:

Shepard goes to find Kaidan in the wine cellar. They’re forced to finally have a much-needed discussion.

Read to Chapter 13 on AO3

Tumblr Links:

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14

Read the chapter here below the cut:

Shepard made her way through the grass towards the house. Dew was already collecting in the cool night air and her feet were getting wet through her open-toed shoes. Her dress showed more skin than she was accustomed to and goosebumps were starting to develop thanks to the chill. She finally reached the sliding door to the kitchen and stepped in. The house was still dark thanks to not having been in use since the afternoon, except for a light coming from the open door leading down towards the cellar that was attached to the kitchen.

She hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing that part of the house for herself yet, everyone had been so busy. Kaidan and Ada had both told her that the cellar was down there, though, housing what was left of the family wine.

She slowly made her way to the door and looked down the staircase. It was longer than she was expecting, barely any of the actual cellar was visible from up at the top. It was apparent that Kaidan was probably still down there since the lights were still on, so she started to go down the steps. Suddenly, she remembered how close Ada had been to hearing their semi-private conversation the previous day, so she decided to shut the door behind her. As she got closer to the bottom, she noticed a chill in the air that was getting more and more noticeable as it started prickling the hairs on her arms. She remembered Kaidan telling her that it was imperative to keep the cellar cool in order to maintain the best quality, and she was definitely feeling it. Her attire did nothing to help warm her, her goosebumps getting worse, but she was sure she could stick it out for one conversation.

She passed a larger metallic door at the bottom and took a better look around now that she could see more. It was bigger than she had imagined it would be—rows of casks, and more rows of actual bottles being stored on special shelving units. Everything was cast in a dim, warm glow from the low voltage lighting overhead. It could have been rather quaint and cozy had it not been for the cold temperature that was nipping at her flesh.

She looked around a bit and couldn’t see him or even hear him for that matter. If he was still down here, he was doing an excellent job of being quiet.

“Kaidan?” she spoke up, loud enough that the entire room should have been able to hear it.

She heard a clacking noise and an “oof,” coming from a couple of rows over. She moved towards the sound.

“Kaidan?” she asked again, a little softer this time.

He stood up in front of the shelf he was looking in, rubbing the back of his head. He must have been hunched over in search of the wine Ada sent him down here to look for and got startled by her calling out for him.

“Oh,” he said, sounding slightly dejected, “hey, Shepard.” He was rubbing the back of his head in pain from hitting it so hard.

“Are you okay?” Shepard asked.

He relaxed his arm back down to his side. “Yeah. Just a bump. Don’t worry about it.”

Shepard nodded at that, glad that he wasn’t hurt at least. “Uh, so, I saw you run away earlier. I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Shepard said, lacking her characteristic confidence.

He looked down towards his feet, silent for a moment. “Yeah. I’m fine,” he said in a way that sounded like he wasn’t even sure of that, himself.

Shepard took that as a clue that he probably didn’t want to talk about it. She wasn’t about to force him. Besides, she was here for her own reasons anyway, and that was to tell him she was going to leave in the morning. Though, now that she was confronted with the reality of it, she didn’t want to say it. She knew that would be the last step to saying goodbye, maybe forever, but she couldn’t keep going this way anymore, so it was for the best.

“Um, so, listen,” Shepard said, garnering Kaidan’s attention. “I’ve decided that I’m going to leave tomorrow. After breakfast.”

“Oh,” he said, sounding somewhat surprised. He looked up from his feet then. “Do you have anywhere to go?” His question was laced with genuine concern. Something she should have expected from this whole idea.

Shepard fidgeted with her hands a bit, wanting to avert his gaze worse than she ever had before. She’d never felt so flustered and unsettled in her life, and that was saying a lot.

“I’ll think of something. I just think it’s for the best.”

Kaidan looked back to the wine rack, not so much out of having a purpose. Shepard suspected it was more for wanting a distraction.

“Ah. Okay,” was all he muttered and it pained her. It was what she wanted after all, but she wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction. Something must have happened to make him withdraw so much and let her go so willingly. She supposed it told her all she needed to know, though.

They were silent for another moment, neither of them knowing what to say.

“Well,” Kaidan finally said. “Mom asked me to come down here to find a bottle of wine for Libby and Derek, but I sure as hell can’t find the one she’s looking for. We should probably get back to the party. Don’t want people wondering where we escaped off to,” he said, not even looking at her as he brushed past her.

He made his way over to the staircase, Shepard following closely behind. He went up a few steps quickly before finally looking up to the top of the stairs when he stopped dead in his tracks. With one hand on the rail, he turned back to look at her.

“What?” she asked, concerned.

“Did you close the door?”

She looked at him, slightly concerned for where this was going. “After your mom almost caught us talking in the living room yesterday, I just wanted to make sure we’d have some privacy.”

He rubbed his forehead in frustration before running his fingers across his jawline, the prickle of stubble only just coming through, making that scraping noise.

“We’re locked in, aren’t we?”

“I don’t know,” he said, making his way up the stairs. Shepard opted to stay at the bottom, crossing her arms, waiting. “The last time I was here, the lock was broken. It was on my to-do list to check while I was here this time, but we’ve been so busy. I haven’t had the chance to check it yet.”

As he got to the top, he fiddled with the door handle. It was another one of those old-fashioned doors that Shepard wasn’t used to, though, this one seemed a lot more solid than the other doors in the house. It wouldn't be an easy one to break through, even if he was willing to do that to his mom’s door.

“I’m not sure how people function like this anymore,” he said, trying to rotate the handle more. “Everything’s attachable to an omni-tool these days. One wave of the wrist and doors open by proximity. But no, my parents kept putting off upgrading, saying they wanted to maintain the rustic look. It fit the property better,” he said with a bit more frustration as he huffed out in exasperation. He weaved his fingers through his hair, looking towards the handle. “Of course, they didn’t mind automating the tree pruners, but this is the hill they chose to die on. If they had just updated, I could have hacked our way out of here.”

Shepard still didn’t know what to say, the chill of the air made her goosebumps even worse. She grazed her hands over her arms, trying to transfer some heat over herself.

“Do you have a bobby pin or anything?”

“What, you know how to pick a lock like that?” she asked, looking at him incredulously.

“Do you have any better ideas?”

He had a point there. Luckily, she did have some. She pulled one out as she went up the stairs to meet him. He took the pin from her hand, and turned around to fit it into the keyhole. He moved it around and jiggled the handle. It was all uncoordinated and filled with frustration.

He stood up and huffed out, making his irritation evident. “I don’t know what I’m doing here, Shepard.”

“I don’t suppose you keep any tools down here? A crowbar? Anything?”

He looked down at the floor. “I wasn’t talking about the door,” he said before turning around and brushing past her to go back down the stairs. “Though, yeah, I don’t know what I’m doing there either.”

The words struck her off balance. She watched him momentarily before she started following. He went to the back corner of the cellar and took another close look at the wine rack he was studying earlier. He was acting like he was trying to find something specific.

“What did you mean by that?” she asked, the curiosity unbearable.

“Nothing. Let’s just drop it,” he said, sounding more upset with himself over it rather than her asking.

He ended up randomly choosing one of the bottles. He then went over to the counter and pulled out a drawer to find a corkscrew. He quickly opened the bottle, tossing the opener on the counter, and took a chug right out of the bottle.

“Here, you want some?” he asked, after he finished, handing her the bottle.

She took it, but didn’t take a drink. Not yet, anyway.

“Dad set up this whole cellar to act as a bunker if the Reapers hit after the attack on the Citadel. I’m pretty sure it’s the only reason my family made it out of the war okay,” he said, moving towards a cabinet beside the counter, opening it to look at the contents. “Thanks to that, he put signal blockers throughout the whole ceiling. Even if we were to try to call anyone or send a message through our omni-tools, I don’t think any of them would get through.”

“What about your mom? She was the one that sent you down here. She’d have to know that something must have happened if you don’t make your way back to the party, right?”

“It’s possible, but I wouldn’t count on it,” he said, shifting through the cabinet some more. “It’s her daughter’s wedding. She’s busy having fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if we might have to wait until morning when everyone’s having breakfast and hope that people can hear us banging on the door from the kitchen.”

That didn’t exactly instill much confidence.

“The one good thing about dad turning this into a bunker is that there’s plenty of supplies still here. Even a couple of sleeping bags,” he said as he took them out of the cabinet and brought them over to an empty space up against the wall. He rolled them out for both of them to sit on. “May as well make ourselves comfortable. Even if we’re not here all night, it’s probably going to be a while,” he said, turning towards her before he had a chance to sit down. He noticed that she hadn’t taken a sip of the wine and held her arms in a way that suggested she was cold. As he examined her more, he saw that she was covered in goosebumps. “Oh, I didn’t even think of the temperatures down here. You must be freezing. I can turn it up a bit, but I probably shouldn’t tamper with it too much.” He took out his omni-tool and made an adjustment before he took his jacket off. “See, another thing I can do with an omni-tool. I don’t know what they were thinking with that damn door. But here. Take this. Hopefully that will help a bit, too,” he said with a smile, offering his jacket.

“You really don’t have to do that. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Shepard said, appreciating the chivalry, but not wanting to add another kind gesture from him on top of everything else to make her feel even more guilty.

He kept his arm out, insistent on her taking it. “Come on. You know I’m basically a human furnace.”

She did know that. She usually ran cold, herself. The brief amount of time they did spend together romantically, she always woke up curled around him, seeking out that warmth.

“I’ve been so hot all day. You’d practically be doing me a favour at this point.”

“Well, in that case, how could I say no,” she said with a forced smile. She exchanged the bottle of wine for his jacket and put it on. Damned if she did, damned if she didn’t, so she may as well have the extra layer.

When she was finished, Kaidan decided to sit down on the sleeping bag. He took a swig of the wine, and patted the area next to him, signalling for her to join him. “May as well get comfortable.”

She was hesitant for a moment, but figured he was right. They could be in for a long night. Her leg was already starting to bother her from all of the dancing earlier and it probably wouldn’t do any good to make it worse by standing around awkwardly, so she moved to join him. As she sat down, she stretched her legs out and crossed them at her ankles, wrapping the jacket tighter around herself, trying to contain any heat. The chill already felt like it had settled in her bones, so it wouldn’t be easy to warm up with that being her starting point.

Kaidan took another swig of the wine, and passed it over to her. She stared at it, having half a mind to think better of it. As much as she was looking forward to alcohol earlier in the evening, this particular situation was bad enough without being inebriated. Against her better judgement, she decided she may as well join him, otherwise it might be a really long night.

She took a swig from the bottle, savouring the flavours, almost surprised by it. Clearly, the Alenkos took this part of their family business seriously, seeing the investment they made in this cellar. Still, she didn’t expect this kind of quality. “Damn, Kaidan, this really is good.”

He smiled at that. “You know I had nothing to do with it, right?”

“I guess that makes sense,” she said, taking another swig before handing the bottle back. “Well, kudos to your family then.”

“I’ll be sure to let them know you said so,” he said with a small laugh.

He drank a bit more of it before putting the bottle down beside him. He rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. A silence settled between them—one of many as of late. Shepard stared at the casks in front of her, not knowing what else to say at this point. After everything that had happened, maybe silence wasn’t the worst thing anyway. She folded her arms in front of her, pulling the jacket tighter. Kaidan let out a big sigh next to her, prompting her to look back at him.

“I miss you, Jane,” he said softly with a tinge of sadness behind it.

She looked back to him, speechless by the admission. It gave her a surge of hope. Did he mean romantically? Maybe she was overreading the situation. They hadn’t spent time together like this since the Normandy, after all. Maybe he just missed their friendship. Still, though, that hint of sadness behind his words made her feel like it was more. She still worried whether that really mattered, though. She planned to get back into combat when she was deemed ready for active duty. The possibility of dying would always be real in her line of work. That’s what they signed up for. But somehow, the state of things felt a little less bleak than they used to. She no longer had the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. That risk of death didn’t feel like an absolute finality anymore, not like it did during the war. Did they have to be destined to live an entire life away from each other just for a chance?

Kaidan rubbed his forehead then. “I said that out loud, didn’t I? Don’t worry. I’ve been picking up the hints. I think you’ve made it pretty clear that you still just want to be friends. Forget I even mentioned it.”

He must have gotten insecure from the silence that passed while she was in thought. She eyed his hand that was in his lap now, too tempting not to reach out. She gently slid her own palm underneath his and intertwined their fingers. Was she really doing this? This whole trip, she’d been telling herself she needed to keep her distance. She fought so hard to maintain that, but now she was giving into herself so easily. Holding his hand was as invigorating as the day he showed her around the orchard, except this time, it also held hope.

“I miss you, too,” she said quietly and genuinely.

Kaidan looked to her with questioning eyes as though that was the last thing he was expecting her to say.

“What?” he said, mouth slightly agape like he was still trying to understand.

“I made a mistake,” she said, finally admitting it, hoping that this was the right decision. She stuck to her guns for so long that this admission also felt like a mistake. But nothing could be worse than living in denial anymore. Not when he was here giving her an opening for a second chance. She looked down at their joined hands, not able to look him in the eye. “At Apollo’s. When you wanted to get back together. It hurt me more than you know to reject you back then.”

“Then why?” he asked, a hint of sadness behind the words. It sounded like his heart was ripped out of his chest, and it was enough to make her cringe slightly. She finally realised that no matter what she had done, trying to protect him or not, it had hurt him all the same.

“I couldn’t do it to you again,” she said, still not able to look at him.

“Couldn’t do what?”

“Couldn’t die. Couldn’t leave you like that again,” she said, biting the edge of her lip. She felt like she could cry from the year’s worth of regret she was carrying. “I was so sure I was never going to come out of the war alive.”

Kaidan let out a sigh. He turned to her then, gently clasping her cheek and turning her head to face him before resting his forehead against hers, eyes closed as she leaned into it.

“I wish you’d talked to me. Given me a choice,” he said, brushing his thumb over her cheek softly. It made her jaw tingle in a way she had missed. “Even if that did end up happening, all I ever wanted was to spend whatever time we had left together. That hasn’t changed. I tried moving on from you, but I can’t. You’re it for me, Jane. Not being with you wouldn’t have made it any less difficult.”

She let out a sob. She’d been so foolish taking matters into her own hands. He was right and she would have felt the same way had the roles been reversed. It didn’t matter that they weren’t together, she would have been just as lost and destroyed without him if he had died. Why had she thought it would be any different for him?

“I’m sorry,” was all she managed to get out without her voice cracking.

That prompted him to move his hand down to her chin and prop her head up a bit more, separating their foreheads, making her look at him.

“It’s okay. Let’s not dwell on what we can’t change. We’re both here now.”

She gave the subtlest of nods, agreeing with the sentiment. They looked at each other for another moment before they both leaned in close enough to share each other’s breath. They paused as though they had waited so long that galaxies would implode if they took that final step now. Thoughts of wasted time, and wondering if this was real filled the seconds they stayed like that in anticipation. Finally, Kaidan pulled her in the rest of the way. Their lips grazed gently before pulling apart ever so slightly. It was so familiar and missed.

They both smiled at the thought.

“Jane,” Kaidan said, prompting her to look at him seriously. “I want to be a part of your life, no matter what’s in store. I want to be there for you in your moment of need. I want to be there for the good and the bad. I want it all, no matter how long that might be,” he said softly.

“I want that, too,” she said, looking at him more genuinely than she had ever looked at him before.

He smiled at her with a look of elation at those words. “Let’s never let time pass us by like that ever again,” he said, caressing her cheek.

She nodded slightly. “Never again,” she agreed.

She leaned into him, their lips brushing more firmly this time. She brought her hand up to graze the back of his neck, her fingers twined through his hair. She missed that. It was the perfect length to brush her fingers through. Silky and smooth. She used it as a way to draw him closer with more hunger, her fingers clasped at the back of his neck gently. Her heart pounded with adrenaline and relief and for the first time in a long time, she felt joy. Kissing through smiles and heavy breathing, it was pure and utter bliss.

For the first time, she thought, ‘I hope this lasts forever.’

[warandpussy]

omg PLS talk more abt ur 12dole!

sure! link

fyi I barely remember writing this, all i remember is that it's super weird i suppose the point is it's about being lonely. i love s10 for the way it slows down, gives the doctor a home base, a time to breathe. but i also love how, with that, he has to deal with the demons in his head scrabbling at the door; he can't ignore them any more. like. his wife just died. so this fic was like, i want to explore that loneliness and that grief.

to be clear, it's also about the doctor getting off with a decapitated robot head.

i'll put this under a cut

The Doctor stares into the mirror on the wall.

It isn’t – it’s not something he likes to do. It’s uncomfortable, he thinks, to observe the evidence of a long life carved into a face. To confront the evidence of age and time passing, old regrets scoring delicate lines over the brow, the cheeks, beneath the eyes. He considers his reflection and swallows the lump in his throat.

It’s with a trembling hand that he reaches out to his glass counterpart, feeling that even a touch of his skin will send it shattering to the ground at his feet, that a press of his fingers against something that isn’t even him, not really, could break him apart. You’re lonely, you’re lonely, his brain cackles at him, and it sounds like –

In the end, it’s just cold, smooth. Nothing.

He runs his finger over the image of his lips, lets himself slip into memory, lets himself remember being touched there. Allows himself the indulgence of it. A wicked grin; a puff of curly hair; ‘hello, sweetie.’

so we start here. you ever been so lonely you just touch your own face to imagine someone else doing it? yeah. i guess the doctor feels like someone who never really gets to process any of this a lot of the time, because one series will end with a tragedy, and then the next one will just pick up on the next adventure. but if your wife died, you got trapped in a university with a woman who hates (?) you and a bitchy robot, you'd probably have some issues.

i wanted to start it here, on his own, because that's the thing, really. he's alone. or he feels alone. and it's a bit dramatic and over the top because when you're miserable that's what you do. the world is falling apart. i'll be alone forever.

the next scene is him and Nardole, and it's like, a drastic shift in tone

“How’s the new head working out?”

“Oh.” Nardole reaches up a hand and pats at his ample cheek. “Quite well, actually, sir.” He strokes his neck a little, tracing a light finger underneath his collar where the seam in his skin is. “Much more efficient processing power.” He gives a little self-conscious cough. “I’ve been having new ideas every fifteen minutes or so.”

“Wonderful,” the Doctor tells him, picking up Rachael Simmerton’s essay on – faith and free will, apparently – and pretending to read the introduction. It’s not, of course. Heavens above, he doesn’t need Nardole having ideas. He’ll have to fix that in a later upgrade. “That’s – fab. Great to hear.”

none of the above is coming through. he's masking it, of course he is. the worst thing about being lonely is that you can't say you're lonely, otherwise people will know how lonely you are - and isn't that to most pitiable thing. no - best to.. uh.. snog a robot head, apparently.

i wish that was how it worked in real life

i really like this scene for the banter between him and Nardole. they're so awful together. I love them.

Nardole pushes himself up with his elbows and stomps over to the Doctor’s desk. He jabs a finger in his face. “Rude. That was rude.” The Doctor shrugs. “You’ve been in my room before, and it was fine.”

“There were pants on the floor.”

“I was in the shower!”

“Ugh.” The Doctor shudders again, deliberately meeting Nardole’s gaze as he does. “Don’t remind me.”

“It’s my room, I can leave my pants on the floor if I want to.”

“My spaceship,” the Doctor reminds him. “And I don’t make you pay rent.”

Nardole rolls his eyes. “Good thing, too, given you don’t pay me at all,” he says, and trundles irritably into the TARDIS.

So yeah, the Doctor gets Nardole to bring out one of his spare heads (it's a whole thing, there's a cupboard full of heads, they have some kind of shared memory drive, the old ones go a bit insane the longer they're detached from the body).

It’s a little disconcerting, having your cyborg assistant’s decapitated head on your desk, but at this point the Doctor has seen enough of Nardole’s body, given all the upgrades he’s had to do over the past seventy years, that it doesn’t faze him. He’ll end up seeing a lot more, most likely; they’ve still got over nine hundred years still to go. This doesn’t faze him either – certainly not as much as it would have done back when they’d first been stuck here, uncomfortable in their stillness, squabbling with each other just to pass the time.

The first time he’d had his hands in Nardole’s chest, sometime in the late nineties, tinkering with the artificial heart he’d had installed, Nardole had asked him why he even bothered.

“Can’t have my manservant dying on me, can I?” he’d muttered, irritated at the question.

“Oh, is that what I am?” Nardole had bitched.

Covering his face with his welder’s mask, the Doctor let out a snort. “If you shuffle off this mortal coil, Nardole, I’ll have to hire a new assistant. I can’t be bothered.”

“Let me be clear, you're giving me eternal life so that you don't have to hold job interviews?”

“Yes.”

Nardole had looked at him for a long time after that, uncharacteristically silent. When the Doctor was done, he’d grabbed his wrist and squeezed, before standing and making two cups of horrifically sweet tea. The Doctor had drunk the lot.

i was talking about this the other day with you. i guess i tend to think there's a real power in delay, in writing. when the real scene is going on, but then the characters trip into a memory. the Doctor's nervous about what he's going to do (and, in a doylist fashion, the reader doesn't KNOW what he's going to do) so by pausing the 'real' scene and tripping into this memory, we get to hold off on that reveal for a little longer

but we also get to explore the Nardole and Doctor dynamic. which is, here, one where they bitch and squabble with each other, but they still obviously deeply care for one another. #married.

Carefully, he probes behind the left ear for the on-switch, flipping it over with a slight press of his finger. It takes a moment, but the eyes flutter open and the mouth pulls itself up into a tiny smile. The smile drops off his face when he sees who’s holding him up.

“What do you want?” Nardole snipes.

he's such a bitch i'm obsessed with him

The Doctor sighs, and buries his face in his arms. “In the past, it was always – adventure, fun, heat-of-the-moment, explosions, running, kissing,” he mumbles. Nardole grunts at the acknowledgement of it. “Now,” the Doctor goes on, “now I just sit here.”

quarantine vibes.

no, but seriously, quarantine vibes. when i wrote this in february i was working the most gruelling, horrible job i've ever had in my life, and also i was in lockdown AGAIN and i couldn't fucking go anywhere or do anything fun. my whole life just became this awful job, that i did sat at my desk at home. i'd get off work, go lie in bed and cry, and then go back to work. now i just sit here indeed.

“Main Head said he was talking to you lot daily,” the Doctor says. He gives him a look.

Nardole puffs out his cheeks. “For a few minutes, sure. But it’s not like we get on.”

“You are exactly the same person,” the Doctor says, exasperated.

me @ me

(sorry this isn't going to just be all me laughing at my own jokes)

yeah. so they make out. there's like, negotiation on what Nardole (Spare Head One) is going to get out of this deal - he wants to go outside (mood) and he wants sweets and tea (bigger mood). he also doesn't want the Doctor to fall in love with him (uhhhh biggest mood??? i feel like if the Doctor falls in love with you you're doomed to a horrible ending).

“Guh,” Nardole says, and the Doctor pulls him off, lips tingling. Nardole’s face is red, which is interesting from a technical point of view – no blood, how does that work? – but the Doctor finds he doesn’t really care to think about it at the moment. He feels suffused with life; that empty cavity in his chest at least partially filled in, something present that had been missing.

The body is made to touch, after all.

for this i really need to insist on something. this is sci fi, nominally, but i DON'T CARE about the science. i really don't. why is Nardole's face red? how does he have spit? i don't care!!!!! i don't care about worldbuilding. i think, personally, for me, the "science" part of science fiction is just about finding a way to heighten a concept to reflect back something about the real world.

also i feel like it makes it more doctor who the less i give a shit about the science but that's by the by.

i guess this is like. THE scene. the scene of the fic. the point of it.

“I can’t believe you’re taking me with you to visit her,” Nardole says, scathing. They’re wandering through the grounds, as promised, the Doctor clinging onto the ears and holding out the head in front of him.

The Doctor snorts. “You’re not coming in with me.”

“What?”

He gestures at the sports bag he’s got slung over one shoulder. “I’ll chuck you in here.”

They walk past a clump of students who are chattering among themselves. They don’t even balk at him carrying an extremely lifelike head around with him. None of them have. Nardole had said it was because he was ‘super old’ and that young people don’t even notice he exists unless he’s looking frail and delicate next to a traffic light. The Doctor had frowned but hadn’t been able to dispute it.

Still, he makes Nardole hold his expression very still whenever they’re near other people. He’s got a whole story planned out in case he does get asked.

“Professor! Professor Doctor!” some enterprising young thing would say, jogging up. “What’s with the mannequin? It looks just like your assistant!”

“Ah,” the Doctor would say, stroking his chin like he had a goatee – he’d done that once in front of Missy and she’d told him he looked very refined, and offered tips for growing one – “you see, I’m planning a lecture series on death masks in Ancient Greek culture, so I’ve been experimenting with plaster casting.”

“Oh, how fascinating!” the student would say, fluttering their hands in front of their chest. “I’ll have to sign up!”

The Doctor would nod dismissively and stride away as if he had something important to go to. Nardole would almost certainly grumble about the Doctor saying he was dead, but he’d not have a leg to stand on – ha – because he was a robot and therefore had never even been alive. (Well – maybe he had… the Doctor didn’t really remember Nardole’s backstory – River had explained it once while they’d lain together in bed, but he’d zoned out, staring instead at the fine whorls of her ear).

Anyway, no one has asked yet, but he’s prepared if they do.

again - delay, so important here. the Doctor and Nardole (Spare Head One) are walking round and about the grounds on one of Nardole's requested walks. the Doctor is Not Doing Great, but he's trying to fake it. he gets triggered into a memory where Nardole calls him "super old", and then, almost as a defence to that, imagines a world where the students (who are ignoring him) all come fluttering up to him and admiring him in that way that he likes.

that's not happening.

It’s one of those cold spring mornings where the sun casts its light over the world in a glittering array, bouncing off dewdrops, shattering through windows. The air is sharp and bright, bracing the breath, probing his lungs with its chilled fingers. Everything teetering on the verge of too much. Too bright, too cold, cutting like a knife.

I'm really proud of this paragraph. I was trying to imagine how you would describe like, beautiful weather, on a day when you felt like shit. it's "glittering" "shattering" "sharp". it "probes him with chilled fingers" - it's invasive, harsh, awful. and it triggers another memory.

The last time he’d been out, alone, on a morning like this, the Doctor remembered, he’d embraced this muchness, let it fill him up, let it consume him. He’d thought it was the only way to feel touched again. Not by a person, but by the world. Then he’d berated himself; so pathetic, so maudlin. People don’t owe you their touch. It’s enough to have felt it at all. Enough to know.

Greedy, he’d thought. Insatiable. Selfish.

He falters by the sycamore tree, dropping Nardole lower. There’d been a cat here.

There had been a cat that had rubbed up by his legs, purring. He’d been so bright, so lonely. He had it picked up, holding it upside down so he could rub gently at the soft hot fur of its belly. It had let him, for a moment, lax in his arms, blinking, squinting up at the cold sun. Then, it had wriggled and squirmed, saying let me down, let me down, and he had thought, oh, not even you?

Not even you, he had thought as he set it down again, not even you want to touch me, and it had scurried off, heading to the cafeteria where the students likely would give it scraps of bacon sandwiches and drop pieces of cheese into its pleading mouth.

“Sir?” Nardole says quietly.

"not even you want to touch me"

like, that's the whole point - what he's been circling around this whole time. he came up with this crazy coping mechanism (snog a robot head, let's not forget his solution was to snog a robot head), but it doesn't fix the root cause which is that his wife is dead and his friend/enemy is locked up and he's lonely

anyway. they go to visit Missy (Nardole zipped up in a bag the whole time).

“What’s with the bag?” she asks. “Not seen that one before. You joined a basketball team?”

“Tried that once,” he tells her. “Got kicked out.”

“You thought it was netball, didn’t you?”

He huffs a breath through his nose, smiling again. “I thought it was netball,” he admits.

Missy purses her lips, eyeing the ceiling. “Makes sense,” she says. “It’s a net, and a ball. Honestly. I would understand it if they were chucking balls into baskets.”

“Football has a net too,” the Doctor says.

“And tennis.”

“I might just start calling every human sport ‘netball’ and see how angry they all get.”

Missy frowns. “I thought I was here to learn how to be nice to the wee humans.” She raises her eyebrows, tilts back in her chair. “You’re a bad example, you are.”

This is what they do now, this talking without really talking. Lots of words that say nothing at all.

he wants to connect with her so badly, but nothing they say has any meaning. they're just talking, blandly, about what's in front of them. they're there, together, but there's no connection. you can be lonely even when you're with other people

then Missy plays the piano for him (and there's NO duet, which as I'm sure you know, means that there is NO INTIMACY)

sex joke:

When the Doctor gets back to his office, Nardole is reclined in his favourite armchair, reading a saucy magazine. The Doctor peers over his shoulder.

‘HIS SECRET SEX SPOTS’, the article screams, ‘HOW TO PLEASE YOUR MAN IN THREE EASY STEPS’.

“Why are you reading that?” he asks before he can stop himself. Nardole looks up and fixes him with a look. “Actually don’t tell me.”

“I’ve got a boyfriend.”

The Doctor blinks. “What about Sharon?”

Nardole sighs loudly. “Haven’t you heard of polyamory?”

“Your spare head hasn’t told me about a boyfriend.”

“Oh!” Nardole says, narrowing his eyes. “Is that why you wanted him? To gossip about my comings and goings?”

“I definitely don’t want to know about your comings,” says the Doctor.

sorry i promised not to just laugh at my own jokes but honestly why else would i be here

they do this for a while. then Bill catches them.

“What are you doing?!” someone squawks.

Instinctively, the Doctor surges up and flings Nardole’s head clear across the room.

It’s Bill, standing in the doorframe, backlit by the light from the corridor. She’s looking at him, her face a picture of pure shock. Horrified. “Did you behead Nardole?”

oof. poor Bill, she goes through so much.

she drags Nardole to the office, and

He swings his feet back to the floor, turns to the two of them. Three of them. “You know,” he starts, “that I have been alone since my wife – left me.”

“Died,” Spare Head Nardole supplies.

Bill’s mouth drops open. “You’re married?”

Main Head Nardole elbows her. “He was.” He spins the photo of River on the Doctor’s desk around, making as if to grab it, and the Doctor is suddenly furiously, furiously angry. He slaps Nardole’s hand away.

“Do you mind!” he snaps, and clutches River’s picture close to his chest. His breaths are coming harsh and ragged, his throat tightening again. “I have been alone,” he says at last, “for seventy years. Alone in this office, in this building, in this city.” He puts the picture frame back on the desk, focusses on straightening it out, puts it perfectly in its place. “So yes,” he says, and breathing is coming easier now, “we came to an agreement. Me and him.” He gestures to Spare Head One.

“Him and me,” Spare Head One says.

“I see,” Bill says after a moment. The Doctor has hopes that that will be the end of it, that these two might piss off now, but then Bill ruins it by continuing to speak. “So you’re lonely.”

he can't even say it, that's the worst thing. he can't even say "she died" because it hurts too much. easier to say she just left. easier. better. because then maybe she'd come back.

Nardole doesn't let that happen though. he's someone that just like... says things, as they are. he just says it. she's dead. Bill's the same. you're lonely.

she's dead, you're lonely.

honestly wtf would the Doctor do without these two.

Bill goes like... you literally have a girlfriend locked up downstairs just talk to her for heaven's sake

Bill snatches up Spare Head One, who lets out a small squeak, and turns to the door. “How about we just go and get everything sorted out? Communication’s what it’s all about, you know!”

yeah Bill! comminication IS what it's all about

the problem with her plan - which is, as far as I can tell, "get the two weird Time Lords to speak to each other, maybe" is that she forgot to account for Missy being as weird as shit as well

Missy cackles. “Of course he doesn’t.” She whips the mango off the shelf and plunges her hand into the base of it. “That’s because he’s here!” And with a dramatic spin, she whips out another Spare Head from inside the mango.

“What was he doing under there?” Bill asks, baffled.

Missy rubs her nose. “Well,” she says, pointing at Spare Head One, “he offered.”

“So you fixed him,” Bill says, “and then you just shoved him under a thing on a shelf and – left him there?”

“No,” says Missy. “I bring him out from time to time.”

Bill frowns. “What for?”

Missy’s painted-red lips spread into a wicked smile. “Kissing.”

Bill blinks at her for a second, and then rolls her eyes. “Jesus Christ,” she says. “You two deserve each other.”

there's like... symmetry to it, right? synergy. they were lonely, there were some spare heads floating around, why not have a snog

OBVIOUSLY their problem is that they don't TALK to each other, they don't acknowledge their pain and they just like... cope, in the worst possible ways. but also i think it's funny so that's why i did this

the mango is obviously a reference to my other missydole fic, where Nardole gets his head stuck in a mango

obviously

THEN we get to the REAL weird bit

“Doctor,” she says, voice low, and hands him the head. “Kiss him for me?” The Doctor chokes on his own spit. “I want to watch.”

The Doctor turns his eyes to Nardole, who twitches his forehead in a way that might mean might as well, or might mean get away from me. Slowly, he leans in. Nardole’s eyes get big and round, but he doesn’t say anything, and as their mouths touch he lets out a soft sigh. The Doctor pulls away again and turns his head back to Missy. He raises an eyebrow. “Happy?”

“Very much,” she says, and plucks Nardole out of his hands.

“No, sir, don’t let her!”

“Oh,” Missy says, nostrils flaring, “I fix your head but I’m not allowed a little thank you kiss?”

Nardole narrows his eyes. “Only if you fix me, too.” He sniffs, and darts his eyes over to Spare Head Two, who sits still on the piano watching them all silently. “Like you did him.”

“Done.”

“Oh fine then,” grumbles Nardole, and she presses a dry, almost chaste kiss against his lips. When she pulls back, he has the impression of her lipstick all over his mouth.

“Your turn again,” she says throatily, and passes Nardole back to him. The Doctor leans in again and licks the lipstick off his mouth, smearing the red between the two of them. Missy leans in and whispers in his ear, breath hot, while he does, “It’s almost like you’re kissing me, by proxy, isn’t it?” He grunts, and kisses Nardole harder.

They part with a slick sound, and the Doctor eyes Nardole’s mouth with satisfaction, the faint pink stains all over his lips. He runs a finger over them. Missy leans over, and as the Doctor turns his head she kisses him on the corner of his mouth, pulling back with an irritated scowl.

"You were aiming for my cheek, weren't you?" he accuses.

“Give him to me,” Missy says, and he complies. She stands, Nardole clutched close to her chest, and wanders over to the piano stool which opens to reveal a full tool set. She grabs a screwdriver, and starts fiddling around in Nardole’s neck.

“Oh, we’re done, are we?” the Doctor says, trying not to sound petulant, and not really succeeding.

She gives him a disdainful glance. “Wanted more, did you?”

look i just want things to be awful and horrible for them all. like these are literally such rancid vibes. i think it's funny.

(oh, another note - in my FIRST publishing of this fic, did the Doctor and Missy kiss? no. did you come sobbing into my DMs about it? yes. did I write an entirely new bit just for you? yes)

i think. there's probably a version of this where they talk more. they open up to each other more. but i liked this more quiet, subdued version, where Missy fixes the other head, and it's more about what's implied than what's outright stated. i mean, yes, i love a good love confession, but i think there's almost something more intimate about this quiet understanding.

they've kissed, she's fixing something.

he knows things are going to be okay.

and, last words to the Doctor and Bill:

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” she says. “I’m sorry. You can – obviously, you can do what you want.” She swallows. “I didn’t know about your wife.”

Oh. The Doctor puts the essay back on the desk, and opens his arms. Bill burrows into them, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s okay,” he murmurs. “You didn’t know.”

“How long?”

“We’re time travellers, it’s difficult,” he deflects. She doesn’t say anything, but pulls back and gives him a look. “About seventy years.”

Bill smiles sadly. “That’s a long time,” she says, “to be alone.”

The Doctor looks down at her hand, and holds it in his own. He smiles at her. “I’m not alone,” he says. “Not any more.”

YEAH

i guess that's sort of explicating what was implied in the previous scene. he's not alone. he's got friends. he's got a plethora of spare heads. and he's also got Missy.

i think OBVIOUSLY i wanted this story to be funny and silly and wild and i wanted the Doctor to have a really embarrassing time snogging a robot head, but i also was really trying to say something about what it feels like to be lonely, and i am like, genuinely proud of it. i think it's probably one of the best things I've written.

i wrote it at a really horrible time in my life, like i said, and i don't really remember writing it for the most part. reading it back was actually like.. good. which is honestly so nice.

like, i wrote this for like two people (hi), and myself, and it's very much my brand of humour, which is that it's funny but it's also sad because i think funny hits harder when it's balanced on the knife edge of tragedy.

SO. YEAH.

~~fin~~

[marvel-ousnesss]

The pirate and the witch (part one)

Pairing: Harry Hook x daughter of Narissa!reader

Word count: 2477

Summary: Y/N, an orphan VK who was taken to Auradon at a young age, returns to her old home by request of the crown prince. However, things tend to go south at the Isle of the Lost. 

Warning: Mild cursing 

A:/N: Okayy, here goes nothing. This is my first fic and I'm really excited about it. Comments and feedback (and title suggestions 'cause I suck) are appreciated. I think the whole story might have five or six parts which I'll be posting ASAP. 

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE DISNEY DESCENDANTS CHARACTERS NOR THE SANDERSON SISTERS. All credit goes to the creators, writers, and producers. Same with the HP charms, credit goes to J.K Rowling. 

Part two       Part three         Part four       Masterlist

I can’t believe I agreed to do this. Of all places, it had to be the Isle of the Lost. I look at the empty sky as I waltz my way through the lonely, and dark alleys; desperately trying to forget that the clock is about to strike midnight. 

Even though I’m currently in one of the scariest places that I can actually think of, I pay attention to every detail as I walk. Particularly, I notice the poor construction of the buildings and the few people that I see asleep against walls or trash containers. Every minute that goes on here makes me wanna go back, yet I’m motivated to help make this a better place — or, at least that's what I tell myself. 

Last week, my friend Ben approached me after a meeting he had with his father. He wouldn’t stop talking about how terrible the conditions at the Isle are and insisting on doing something about it before the preparations for his coronation. So we talked to my parents, the king and queen of Maldonia, and concluded that we needed to see the situation first hand to come up with a good set of solutions. But, given that Ben’s parents would never let him go, I begged mine to allow me, arguing that I could blend in, being a VK myself. 

I grew up in Auradon, and not on the Isle, because my mother died years ago, in another realm. According to Fairy Godmother, she was one of the most dangerous villains ever seen, and one of the evilest. Yet, instead of abandoning my on the Isle, like most would have done, —and after some arguing between royals— the king and queen of Auradon allowed Queen Tiana and King Naveen to raise me as their daughter; but I never forgot the piece of The Isle that runs through my veins. 

By this, I mean my magic. According to my parents, my mother was a very powerful witch. So, when I turned twelve and officially celebrated eight years on Auradon, I asked the king and queen for permission to learn magic; which they granted, under very specific parameters. 

Since my powers have a dark nature, or so says Fairy Godmother, she asked the three forest fairies, Fauna, Flora, and Merryweather, to tutor me at their cottage —this being the only place where I’m allowed to use my powers. 

….. 

I arrive at the small loft —or should I say hideout— that the royal guard of Maldonia had prepared for me, and take off my black cloak, setting it on the bed, right next to the few notes I have taken. Finally, after the longest day that I’ve had in a while, I let myself fall on the firm bed and drift off to sleep. 

Woken up by the sound of my alarm, I get up and get ready, repeating the steps of my plan like my life depended on it —who knows, it may. 

Fairy Godmother warned me about the gang rivalry that has been going on for a while and told me about some VKs who have shown to be the most dangerous. 

The one she talked about the most is Mal, daughter of Maleficent. Apparently, she is the leader of the most feared squad of the Isle; which happens to be formed by none other than the children of Jafar, Cruella de Vil, the evil queen, and well, Maleficent. 

Aside from them, the headmistress mentioned the pirate crew that hangs near the docks, which is the biggest competition for the so-called ‘Core Four’. It’s most known members are Uma, Ursula’s daughter; Gil, son of Gaston; and Harry Hook, Captain Hook’s son (obviously). According to my notes, Uma is the captain and Hook is her loyal first mate. 

I should be fine, as long as I stay away from their little gang battle. But, being as stubborn as I am, I decide that being part of this will be the ultimate Isle experience. 

I do my best to blend in as I stroll down the market and grab a few things, earning a few glares and weird looks as I pay for them. I don’t like being the center of attention, so I put on my hood and avoid all eyes. Preparing to head back, I grab a small bread loaf from a stall to my right and, when the woman behind it is about to protest, I hand her a few gold coins. 

Then, I abandon the market, unaware of the two sets of eyes that I have on my back, those belonging to a certain Arabian young thief and the son of Cruella de Vil. 

I become aware of their steps lurking behind me when I’m a few blocks away from the market, so I walk faster and then I find myself running from them. I manage to keep them quite far until the two of them jump their ways to the ceilings above me. 

I curse Fairy Godmother for not telling me about Carlos’ talent with parkour. She said he was dangerous because of his way with technology, nothing more. Yet, here I am, running from a thief and a thirteen-year-old geek who happens to be a fucking ninja. 

I run and run, without looking up or behind me. I’ve always been pretty active, so I lose them after a few minutes. Nevertheless, I don’t stop running and continue in whatever direction my feet are taking me. 

…… 

I should’ve taken a right. That way, I would’ve arrived at my place ten minutes ago; but my dumb ass decided to take a wrong turn so I ended up in the Sanderson sisters’ hut. And, just before I turned on my heel to make an exit, I find the three awful witches standing right in front of me, displaying wicked and hungry grins.

—What have we here?— inquires the redhead, — seems like today’s our lucky day, sisters. They’re both a teeny tiny bit big, but that’s what you get here. Kids are running out these days. 

I try to run but my feet fail me, and I feel an electric shock running through me before blacking out. The last thing I hear is a chorus of excited voices singing ‘double food delivery, double food delivery,’ and a strong thunder of psychotic laughter. 

I wake up in a small, round cage that hangs from a bronze chain, next to a boy who I recognize as a member of Ursula’s daughter’s pirate crew. What’s his name? Henry, Howard, Helio? Harry, the first mate, that’s it! Anyway, I look around for a possible exit, but find nothing but the front door, which is right next to the cauldron and the three witches —who remain oblivious to me being awake. 

Minutes go by and they remain carried away by whatever they are brewing; at least until my cage mate decides to wake up all grumpy. 

—Hit my nappeer, them howling witches…— he grumbles, trailing off; but it seems enough to draw their attention. 

With wide eyes and wicked grins, they make their way to us with their arms intertwined. When they are close enough, the youngest takes a look at us and licks her lips and the raven-haired one pushes her nose against the bars and sniffs us, sighing in content when she’s had her fill.

— They’re so cute, Winnie, can we keep them, pretty please?— she asks, jumping in her place a couple times. 

—You can play with them until the potion is ready, but not a second more. Do remember, — she sing-songs. — Youth and beauty, beauty and youth. 

—Hear that? We’re gonna have a good time!— States the ebony-haired witch, as she pokes Harry, who’s still semi-conscious, with a wooden stick. That seems to fully wake him 

— Oi, watch it!— he hisses while trying to dodge the harmless, yet annoying tip. He doesn’t have much success due to the lack of space, which amuses me a bit.

—Ooh… a feisty one! — grins the blonde one. —Too bad we can’t keep you, handsome; it would’ve been delicious. 

The look on her face seems to be full of physical hunger, but I detect a not so faint tint of lust in her demeanor. The reason why, with those words and the witch’s obvious intentions, my face contours in disgust, which I immediately regret. 

—What’s your problem, dear one— she says, as she surrounds the cage, — don’t like me talking ‘bout your little boyfriend like that? Didn’t mommy teach you to share?—. When she’s right behind me, she sneaks a bony hand through my hair and grabs a fistful, to which I reply with a groan. 

As she is about to continue the teasing, Winnifred calls her sisters. 

—We can’t feed them the potion yet — she scowls.

—Well, duh… my playtime hasn’t finished— replies the blonde. 

—no, Sarah, were missing the knotgrass, the fluxweed, and the rat foot— clarifies the third sister, with her pointy nose buried in the cauldrons aroma, — it hasn’t turned green yet. 

—At least one of you isn’t completely dense. Come on, sisters, off to the market we go. 

As if on cue, they head to the door and close it behind them.

A faint ‘don’t go anywhere’ is heard from outside, followed by another chorus of wicked laughter. 

…….. 

—Gaunnie hook ‘em— spits the pirate, stretching his arm in a miserable attempt at grabbing the hook that lays on the floor beneath us. 

I shrug, and then proceed to peak my nails, — Might wanna get out of here first, Hooky. 

—Any ideas on how, lassie?— he asks between gritted teeth, growing impatient and tired of failing at hook fishing. 

— A few, actually, but the sight of you in front of me, struggling like that, is quite lovely and entertaining. 

With my comment, his demeanor changes completely, becoming cockier and self-assured. This, although he’s still desperately trying to recover his signature weapon. 

—Then come to the docks with me,— he smirks, as he changes positions to find himself sitting in front of the lock, and begins picking it with a rake that he had inside his left boot, — we’ll get hammered with me crew and, you know, keep the heid. 

As he works,  his nose wrinkles, his brows come together in concentration, and his lips tighten in a thin line. 

 —As tempting as that sounds, I do have things to do.

It would be convenient to go with him. Ben and King did me specific instructions for my little trip, and this would make it easier. However, it just wouldn’t be my type of scene. I feel like I’ve had enough ‘new experiences’ for a few years, maybe.

—Aww, lass, ya hurting my feelings,— he fake pouts and, to no avail, tries to use a different rake. 

 —Feelings? Didn’t see that one coming,— I mock, gently pushing him to the side, and claim my turn with the tricky lock. 

He’s about to complain, but I shush him and close my eyes. Due to the wards placed on the Isle, my magic is significantly weaker than it is on Auradon, but I can concentrate enough to channel it thanks to a locket that the king gave me for emergencies. 

I grin as the cage opens itself, and immediately jump down, followed by my slightly shocked companion. Before he can, I grab the hook by the handle, and point the tip at him, just to swiftly turn it around for him to grab. 

With his hook safely in his hand, he approaches the table and grabs a book, together with what seems to be a shell necklace. Then, he catches up with me outside the front door. We walk in silence for a few blocks, given that there is only one way out, and he breaks the silences that lingered between us. 

—So, you know me name, yet I don’t know yours— he glances at me with curiosity and caution, —ain’t fair, lassie. 

—What can I say, Hook, you are quite famous around here. I, on the other hand, am quite a lone wolf.

—Haven’t given me an answer yet, doll face,

— Name’s Y/N, daughter of queen Narissa.

—Y/N,— he tries it out, —and how come you have magic?

—Let’s say I found a loophole in the barrier. 

—Uma’s gonna love this, — he says, giving me a smirk. 

—Assuming I go with you, that is. I said I had things to do — I quirk a brow at him. 

Before he can reply, we hear three sets of boots approaching us in a rhythmic pattern. It can only be them. 

— Shit, — grumbles the pirate, then he grabs my arm and pulls me behind him and into a dark corner. 

We remain silent as the steps die down, and then continue walking. 

—Now that was close, thanks Harry,— I say, patting his left shoulder. 

—Ya know how to properly thank me, lass,— he shrugs. His cockiness is beginning to become annoying but, to be honest, I cannot say that I don’t enjoy flirting. So, I decided to follow his game. 

—Kind of sad, really,

— Away on, dollface, the hell ya mean by that? 

I give him a sigh and shrug, — I just thought your game was better. Can’t believe that you sway every girl off her feet with a thick accent and a smirk. 

— I did just save yer little witchy ass. You’re a buck eejit if that ain’t impressive. 

— Not a ‘buck eejit’, whatever that shit means. — I chuckle dryly, — I’m just not gonna fall for your oh so great pirate act. 

He shrugs, seemingly unbothered, — same here, doll, mysterious past ‘n shit gets boring real fast.

— Yet, here you are, still following some like a lost puppy. 

Between flirting, bickering, and some laughter in between, we arrive at the corner that connects the docks to the way to my place. 

— As much as I enjoy your gentlemanly antics, time to part ways. 

— You’ll come to the ship tonight, I know it. 

— You know, you’re not even my type, Harry— I claim. 

He is kind of my type, you know? Handsome, witty, cocky, and fun to be with. Not totally boyfriend material, but maybe just for a good time; a rest from Auradon’s Perfect Peachy Prince wannabes. 

Without a second glance, I start walking to the building I slept in but, before I’m out of view, I hear him say,—You do one me one, little witch,— and I grin. 

— See you ‘round, Hook, — I reply over my shoulder. 

[glitterberrysims]

MEET THE CREATOR- PART 2 The Personal Questions

I decided to split my Q&A up, so this will be more personal questions that other simmers have sent me, whereas the previous post is more to do with cc and my sims journey. Read Part One HERE. These questions have been asked by other simblrs and simstagrammers <3

Q. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I think I would like to go somewhere I haven’t been yet, such as New Zealand or Australia. But then I would love to go back to Dubai again or Los Angeles. There are so many possablities. At the moment my partner and I are discussing going to Japan in a few years and going to Kyoto and Oaska. But that’s a long way off. So we will see! 

Q. Where have you travelled to?

Prepare for a list! So I have travelled to the states (I have been to Chicago, Atlanta, Florida, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas and San Diego.) I have also been to Vancouver and Calgary. In Europe I’ve been to Prague, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Spain, Gibraltar,  Portugal, Denmark, Croatia and Greece. I have also been to Saint Petersburg, Abuja (Africa), Dubai, Tel Aviv and Shanghai. Perks of the job! 

Q. When you was younger, what did you want to do?

I think for the longest time I wanted to be a vet. But then I my dog was really ill and I just remember thinking ‘I couldn’t put a dog down’, so I gave up on that. Then I wanted to be a forensic scientist- as I watched way too much NCIS and related to Abbey way too much. I still think it would of been neat if I stuck to that path. Apparently I wanted to be on stage too, my mother has too many videos of young me dancing on stage on holiday to Abba or Britney Spears. I never thought I’d become a flight attendant, as I was scared of flying up until I got the job. 

 Keep reading for more Q&As! 

Q. What would you say is your best feature? 

I would say my eyes, because that’s what I get complimented on a lot. I remember doing my flight back from Abuja and a passenger gave me a compliment letter (a document that passengers can fill out if we’ve given them great service) and he basically wrote a paragraph about my eyes being pretty.. I didn’t include this letter in my end of year review though. It was also the first thing my boyfriend’s mother commented on when I first met her. 

Q. What is your biggest fear?

Recently my biggest fear is being alone. The world is in a weird time right now and I fear losing people and being alone. I’ve already lost one person due to the pandemic and I don’t want to lose anyone else. So yeah, my biggest fear currently is being alone. 

Q. What do you regret?

There are a lot of things in life that I regret, but at the end of the day that is life. You do things you regret and it makes you stronger. My main regret was leaving my cabin crew job in January 2019, it was a job that I loved. But as many of my family tell me, I had to leave due to health issues. I had a massive pain in my ears everytime that I flew and I felt so fatigued. I also need to think on the more positive side, if I didn’t leave my job in January, I wouldn’t of met my boyfriend in the February.

I tried to create me as a flight attendant ^^ @melonsloth​ for the hat! 

Q. What is your biggest accomplishment so far? 

Learning how to make CC! That is probably a sims related one. But other than that, I think becoming a cabin crew member in a major airline is a big positive and climbing a mountain in wales. But that is is for now, hopefully the future has a few things planned for me. 

Q. What would you do differently if you could go back in time?

I think I would of accepted an offer to do another college course after my original one. I did travel and tourism at first and completed that on my target grade, but then I signed up to do sciences and turned the offer down because it meant two more years in education and I wanted some time to be me. So I wish I never turned that down. But again, my life wouldn’t of turned out this way if I did that, I probably wouldn’t of been to the amount of places that I’ve been to. Now I am looking at trying to get in to teaching if I can. 

Q. What got you into creative writing?

I have always loved writing. I like creating stories and planning them out. I have yet to actually complete one. I often think of them when I’m suppose to be sleeping and forget to write them down, so then I just forget them. I did have one the other day about a Space adventure type thing, but I don’t know enough about space to write it. Maybe a bit of research will help. 

And Finally...

Q. For someone who wants to get into the simblr community, writing a blog or making cc, what do you suggest?

For this I really do suggest being patient and don’t copy others! I also feel like you should always be nice to others and respect their opinion. If they don’t want to collab with you, then take that and don’t keep pressuring people. I’ve found it too often when I’ve said no to someone because I am too busy, to then have over 5 messages in ten minutes asking why. 

With creating CC, practise! Don’t release something that you aren’t happy with. It’s best to learn and grow. 

[emily-strange]

Second Chances

Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in this story :) means so much. I just wanted to note that this story won’t be “look how awful Abigail is”. I have too much love for her to do that! Everything has a reason.

Tagging @porkchop-ao3​ @redeadepression​ and @lucacangettathisass​ who asked but if you’d like me to stop let me know :) <3

For the premise of this story, Jack is a little bit younger. I just can’t hurt that boy’s feelings!

Summary: You’re Sadie Adler’s 18 year old daughter who was visiting from school when the O’Driscoll’s attack. How will you cope with gang life and your increasing feelings for someone who, on the surface, isn’t up for grabs?

Pairing: John Marston x female reader

Warnings: Swearing, Mention of Blood

Chapter 2

Arthur was true to his word. He took you into Valentine with the other girls and even lent you a bit of money to get some new clothes, which was greatly appreciated. You’ve been wearing a dress lent to you by Mary-Beth and considering you were wearing a nightgown when Dutch and Arthur found you, you really couldn’t complain. But having the chance to get back into a pair of jeans was amazing.

So kitted out in some new clothes and borrowing Arthur’s rifle, you both went hunting. Which was a great success. In one trip, you already had enough money to pay back Arthur and you had the feeling he was impressed.

He spoke to Dutch who agreed to let you out of camp on a trial basis. You weren’t particularly happy about being dictated to about your comings and goings, but this gang did save you and your mother so you decide to just go with it. For now, at least.

That was about three weeks ago.

And now you’re riding into camp (after being away for almost two days with Charles) with quite a bit of stuff for Pearson and some money in your pocket. Most of which is for camp but at least you can take your mom to town and get her a few things. Treat her to some new clothes and essentials.

“Hi mama” you say approaching her after delivering the meat and pelts to Pearson. Unfortunately, your mother was where you left her. Sitting by the campfire, just staring into the flames. She wasn’t doing well.

Your mothers always been a strong woman, she didn’t take crap from anyone. So, when Colm’s men attacked that horrible night, she became ruthless. Almost feral. You’d never seen such rage. If only there’d been less of them, maybe you all would’ve stood a chance.

But you can’t think about that. No, you need to be strong for the both of you now. She kept you both going during the long, horrible days and nights with the O’Driscoll’s. Now it was your turn to do the same for her.

“How’re you feeling?” you ask softly sitting down next to her, rubbing her back. Her eyes are red and puffy, they look so sore.

“How’d you think she’s feelin’?” Abigail bites, appearing out of nowhere to stand opposite you with her arms crossed, “Her husband’s gone and her only child is gallivanting around fer days on end!”

You were stunned into silence.

By the time your brain caught up with your shock, your mother had hurried off crying. Followed closely by her new best friend.

What the hell? You think to yourself. Totally confused.

You took a moment to watch Abigail hug your mother by her lean-to and fury took over.

How dare she! You scream internally.

You throw yourself to your feet and storm off into the trees, making sure to put as much distance between yourself and the camp without actually leaving the area.

You make it to a secluded part by the cliffs edge and without stopping your fast pace, you pick up the biggest stone you can see and throw it off into the open cavern below.

Oh God. You think. What if there are people down there?

Having had the wind taken out of your sails by the mere thought of hurting a passer-by, you edge closer to the side of the cliff. Hoping to peak over the top without being seen.

You move slowly…..

Slowly…..

You peer a tiiiiny bit over the edge, when….

“You know there ain’t no one down there, right?”

You jump back from the edge and squeal. Actually squeal. You turn around to see John sitting under the shade of a big tree reading a large book.

“Oh my God. John!” you gasp holding your chest and laughing, “I didn’t see you.”

“Nah didn’t think ya did.” He smiles back.

You hadn’t really seen much of John the past couple of weeks, with you keeping your head down and him doing the same. He looks so much better than he did. His scars are healing well.

“Wanna…..talk, about it?” he asks somewhat awkwardly, gesturing to the spot next to him on the ground.

You sigh loudly and smirk at his attempt at comfort. You nod and walk over to the tree, sitting down with a very unladylike thud and grunt.

“Just….people.” you smile at him.

“People are tha worst” John replies quickly making you giggle.

You rub your forehead and John hums.

“You do that a lot ya know.” You glance up in time to see him gesture to your forehead.

Looking up at him you’d say he almost looks….concerned.

“I get a lot of headaches…especially when stressed…everything’s stressful” you answer with another sigh before looking him dead in the eye and laughing, “Anyway, you been watching me John Marston?”

John lets out a gruff laugh and holds his book to hide his face before groaning, “Ahh pleaaase don’t call me that.”

You giggle again.

“What!? It’s your name?” you can’t help but increase your laughter at his bizarre request.

He moves the book and slumps back against the tree behind him.

“Don’t remind me. S’the only thing I hear.” He huffs out.

That’s when it clicks.

“Abigail?” you ask quietly and he nods.

“And Arthur. And Dutch. God an’ Hosea. But he says it with more disappointment than the others.” He explains and you nod along, letting him know you’re listening.

He looks so sad. So pale and drawn out.

You then remember the very, very, brief conversation those weeks ago in his tent.

“John…can I ask about….the ‘Jack’ of it all? You know, what you mentioned before?” you say quietly and almost regret doing so when his face falls even further. If that’s at all possible.

You’d tried to get some information from Arthur about the whole situation but he didn’t shed much light on the subject. He seems to have his own issues with John. You stopped your line of questioning very quickly once he started questioning you back about why you wanted to know.

Being nosy didn’t seem like a very good reason.

“He’s. He’s not mine.” John says looking you in the eye without a hint of anger or uncertainty.

“But you, had a…relationship? With Abigail.” you ask choosing your words carefully and he scoffs.

“If you cn call it that. We hada thing yeah. But we weren’t….together. Not really. She was still workin’…..in camp n outta it. The timin’s don’t add up. I know people think I’m dumb n maybe I am but….I’m not that dumb.” He says and finishes with a humourless laugh.

You don’t really know what to say. So you just nod. Silently letting him know he can carry on if he wants.

“I love her….but it’s not that kinda love you know?” You don’t really know, having never been in love, so you just stay quiet. “Anyway. Boy ain’t mine. Can’t be. But she’s said he is n that’s that. Guess she figured Dutch woulda believed any of the others if they said it weren’t theirs. N’ if it were some customer from a saloon then well…..she did what she hadta do I guess.”

“But have you told anyone all of that? Like, Hosea?” you ask feeling instantly stupid when he laughs. He catches the drop of your eyes and promptly stops.

“Sorry, I weren’t laughin’ at you. Its just real obvious you ain’t never been ina gang.” he smiles.

How have you only just noticed how nice his smile is? Your face heats up but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“Moment she told me, I went ta Arthur. He’s like ma brother. Was like ma brother. He told me it was time ta be a man…..but hows that fair!?” he said raising his voice a bit and without meaning to, you flinch.

That he did notice.

He cleared his throat, “Sorry.”

“No it’s fine.” you say quickly, making sure he knows he didn’t do anything wrong, “You’re allowed to be upset.”

“So’re you ya know. About, ya know, what happened.” There’s that awkward attempt to comfort again.

You nod and bring your knees up, holding them to your chest, taking a long deep breath.

“Not sure that’s true you know.” You sigh, looking out into the blue sky. Trying to remember when things weren’t so sad. John just looks at you with confusion.

“I mean. Have you seen my mother? She’s a wreck. Of course she is, who wouldn’t be? But. We can’t both fall apart. She kept everything together for such a long time….she deserves her time to grieve. I can wait.” You say hoping to convince yourself as well as John.

You sit with John in a comfortable silence for about 10 minutes when you hear his name being shouted in the distance. It’s hard to tell but it’s a good guess to say that it’s Abigail.

“God dammit” John groans and rubs his face a bit too hard, causing one of his scabs to shift and a small amount of blood to rise to the surface, “Shit.”

You put your shirt sleeve over your palm and shift closer to John. You go to touch his chin, to guide his face to look at you but like you earlier, he flinches.

For a brief moment you both just look at each other.

Without saying anything you reach forward again and this time he lets you gently pull his face forward. You ever so gently dab at his face, getting rid of the visible blood spots. All the while his eyes are closed.

When the shouting gets a bit louder you pull back but, as you do, John seems to follow after your hand. Before he quickly catches himself and opens his eyes.

“Thanks” he says before coughing and looking anywhere but at your face, “Guess I should get back before she sends out a search party.”

You smile softly, “I’m sure she means well. Just worried I guess.”

John finally looks you in the eye and nods, grimacing from his leg wound as he stands up. Book in hand. You remain seated.

“Ya know, I uh, come out here quite a bit. No one from camp seems ta walk out this far.” He says looking down at you. You find yourself completely at a loss of how to respond so you just nod and say ‘okay’. He laughs a bit to himself and turns to walk into the trees before stopping and turning back briefly to you, “Maybe see you here again then.”

John doesn’t wait for you to reply before walking into the trees, away from camp again. You figure he must be doing a loop around so no one sees what direction he comes from.

You roll your sleeve back up and make a mental note to wash it before anyone sees. You don’t need to answer questions of how you have blood on your clothes but no injury.

You move into the spot John was in so you can lean back against the tree and watch the sun get lower and lower.

Before you know it, you drift off to sleep.