#i hate making two parters the second part ALWAYS gets like half the notes of the first one | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

moonlights-inkwell · 4 years

Text

And Me Wearing Your Clothes

Jaskier x Reader

Word Count: 5,992

Summary: A creature in the woods is killing village girls in the woods, but to keep you safe Jaskier volunteers himself, and one of your dresses as bait instead.

A/N: This one probably needs some level of explanation. So, Joey wears a dress on the cover of The Horror and The Wild, and it has lived rent free in my mind since I first saw it so I had to get around to writing Jaskier in a dress eventually. Also, I know I’ve used Little Miss as a pet name for the reader in fics before, but don’t know if I’ve mentioned that it’s because of the song Little Miss Why So, which the title is also taken from- Just in case anyone was wondering where the fuck I pulled that from.

There’s some mild smutty elements in this too. No explicit smut in this chapter, but this is gonna wind up being a two-parter anyway, so you’ll get the explicit stuff later. It’s worth noting that this is chronologically the first part of my whole series with Jaskier, at least so far- so sorry for any confusion.

When Geralt had informed you that there was a job in a village not far from where you had set up camp, you had been more grateful of it than you would admit out loud. Villages mean inns, taverns and a chance to sleep on something that isn’t dirt, but the way the white-haired man looks at you lets you know this won’t be as easy a job as you could hope for.

“Small village, no inns or taverns, less than a hundred and fifty or so people- less by the day.” He sighs and heaves himself off of Roach to sit on a felled tree by the fire.

“Less by the day?” You raise an eyebrow. Little places such as these tend to have smaller problems, thieving little creatures, the occasional Doppler; but Geralt’s words make it all too obvious to you that the diminishing population isn’t just because people are leaving for somewhere that actually has a place to drink.

“They say there's something in the woods.” He says, as if that’s all the explanation that you require. It takes a second of looking at him pointedly for him to realise you need more information than just that. “Sounded like an Aswang from what they said. Been snatching up local girls, sucking them dry and leaving the bodies to be found come morning.”

Talking to The White Wolf is a Sisyphean struggle; so often it's like drawing blood from a stone, but on the days he decides to speak you can barely understand what he's saying. Not for the first time, you consider simply pretending to know what he means, to act sage and wise, but think better of it all too quickly.

“The bloody hell is an Aswang?” A fair question in your eyes, but the man sighs. You think, on occasion, Geralt forgets that just a few years ago you were just a barmaid with a love of brawling, not some monster hunter with dreams of Glory. Not that there’s much glory in your hunts, just bruises and wounds, limps that last too long and perpetually sore back, even if the occasional song comes from it.

“A type of vampire.” He clarifies. “Dangerous. Normally have a taste for pregnant women and baby blood, seems this one has a taste for any woman it can get its hands on.” That makes your blood run cold. Travelling with the Witcher and his Bard has been the first time in your life where you’ve been free from the limitations of your sex, but the way those amber eyes are watching you now has you suddenly all too aware of yourself.

“A taste for women? Why, Geralt, that’s a very tasteful way of describing yourself in a brothel.” A voice pipes up from behind you, causing you to jump. Jaskier. You thought him still asleep, he'd slept poorly the night before, but if the tiredness lacing his voice is any indication, he's only recently been roused.

“Not now, Bard.” Geralt growls out, but the bard just chuckles and gets to his feet, leaves crunching underfoot as he walks up behind you and settles at your side, a hand pressed to your lower back. Warm, especially through the thin material of your blouse.

“Oh, Geralt, a smile won’t kill you.” He trills and in spite of how serious you know the situation to be, your lips turn up in a far too easy smile. It does just as quickly though, when you realise that Geralt is still looking at you.

“...You want me as bait.” It comes out less as a question and more as a statement as your own eyes meet amber. Geralt doesn’t say a word and you look down. It’s not meant as an insult, and you know that, but it stings none the less; hurts to be asked to be less useful on account of having a cunt. He's asking you to make yourself weak, it’s a request that should be seen as an honour, a few minutes of acting like something you aren't to spare the lives of those girls in the village, but instead it leaves a sour taste in your mouth- like talking a gulp of milk only to discover it's curdled on your tongue.

The hand at the base of your spine rises quickly and rests on the curve of your back as Jaskier seems to realise what you just said.

“Bait?” He sounds as incredulous as you feel. “For what?”

“Vampire.” Geralt says crudely, “It's it targeting women.”

“And you want to send Little Miss in there as bait?” Jaskier snaps back at him, fingers curling into the fabric of your shirt as if you'll be plucked away without a second’s notice. This, this concern is all too welcome, and you glance at Jaskier from the corner of your eye. His clothes are still crumpled from sleep, but he's pushing himself up to his full height as if he expects that to intimidate a Witcher. It’s a foolish endeavour, but gods how you appreciate it.

“She can handle it,” is all the response that is given, which only sends the man beside you into further ramblings.

“She can handle it? She could fucking die, Geralt!” His voice raises, and you're quite sure he’s forcibly making his voice lower to try and sound less emotional about this. “You want to send her in, I’m betting almost completely unharmed, to act as a lure for a blood sucking creature of the night!”

You should feel insulted, to be talked about as if you aren’t there, but now you’re far too focused on the hand resting on you to focus on much else. Early spring's chill is still in the air, making the bard seem warmer than be likely is; and which is the cause of the goosepimpling of your skin is a mystery. Since the bard and yourself started your... entanglement, even the lightest most mundane touch has seemed like lightning crackling through your body. Entanglement is one way of describing it. Really, all that has happened has been kissing- the sort that start as barely more than a brush of lips and don't stop until it turns to heavy breathing and you removing yourself from the situation before you can do something you may regret.

He's always been a mother hen, flapping about to stitch whatever wounds he can and forcing you to seek out healers when he feels it more extreme than a simple slice, but you've no doubt that this concern is coming from a more selfish place than simply wanting you safe. The grip of your shirt is all the confirmation you need.

“It only attacks women, Jaskier.” Geralt growls out slowly, as if teaching an especially slow child. “And unless you’ve a secret to share, Little Miss is the only woman we have.” The pet name comes out in a patronisingly saccharine tone that makes you turn your eyes to the ground.

“I would sooner go out there in a dress myself than let you put her in harm's way for no good reason!” Jaskier shouts back at him, sending your eyes up to meet the Witcher's, when you catch sight of something rare. A smile.

This is a bad idea.

Awful idea. Terrible. Quite possibly the worst idea that the three of you could have come up with, and the fact that Geralt is allowing it to go forward is a mystery.

Well. Not a mystery. Geralt, for all his attempts at stoicism and claims of emotionlessness, has a sick sense of humour: and a chance to humiliate the Bard who interrupts his silence with every passing second must have been more tempting to him than you ever could have anticipated. You, on the other hand, were less keen. Especially when informed by Geralt that Jaskier would need to borrow your only dress for this humiliation tactic. It had taken an hour and a half for it to be taken from you, and it was only really able to be taken because Jaskier had pulled you into a kiss unexpectedly, causing you to drop the dress to wind your arms about his neck. A genius manipulation, really. Should have seen it coming.

It'll never succeed though

Jaskier is perhaps more attuned to his feminine side than many men; His love of scented bathing oils and ointments for his hands, fine clothes and penchant for the dramatics spring to mind, but there's no way that he could be mistaken for a woman unless this Aswang has incredibly poor eyesight. Sweet smells and minor theatrics do not a woman make, even in a borrowed dress. You sit by the fire pit, poking, poking, poking at the burning logs with a long enough stick that you don’t risk your hands with each jab.

Geralt won’t even let you help him set up the trap, and all at once you’re reminded of your girlhood; how the boys in your little home town had allowed you to play knights and dragons with them, only to have you act as Princess. You had always hated it, sat stock still and aloft chairs stacked like a tower for hours while the boys would tumble around fighting each other, roaring and crawling, stabbing and calling in their presence until it was finally time to rescue you- always long after you had grown resentful of your place waiting. You wanted to nothing more than to pick up one of those wooden swords and take part properly, but every time you had asked you had been told that there are no female knights, only princesses. You would always run home to your mother to complain only to be tapped lightly on the nose and told what an honour it is to be picked as a Princess, and given a bowl of peas to de-shell for supper. It didn’t feel like an honour then to sit around feeling useless, and it doesn’t feel any better now. The only respite that comes is from the jabbing and stabbing of the logs.

“I think they’re dead, Little Miss.” Jaskier speaks in your ear, sending you to the ground in shock. The self-pitying had ensured that you hadn’t heard him coming, and he laughs. Chuckles that drip honey have you look up at the bard, ready to curse him for frightening you, but the words wither away on your tongue. Your lip trembles and you drink him in.

With you on the ground, he looks so much bigger than he already is but that isn’t what has you tongue tied, no, not at all; it’s the dress. It’s white, and you always thought it made you look sickly, but on him it’s almost otherworldly, like something you might see on a god, flowing in a wind you hadn't felt before he reappeared. It’s beautiful. He's beautiful. The fabric clings to his pectorals and tapers in at his waist and you realise something that has never struck you before: Jaskier is muscular. Not to the extent of Geralt, but muscular none the less, the muscles of his arms thickening as he crosses his arms across his chest, which only accentuated the sculpture of his pectorals and the dark thatch of hair visible from the plunging neckline of the gown. Tanned skin all but glows in the light of the flames, given richer colour by the stark and almost holy white gown, giving him the illusion of something more than just your bard; some manifestation of Apollo, youthful and beautiful, still grinning that boyish grin, looking for all the world both like he has spent his whole life lounging about and spent it in fields to develop those muscles. Logically, you know he must be muscular, spends his days walking across the continent, carrying bags and bedrolls and whatever can’t, or won’t, be carried by Roach but it catches you off guard. You've always considered him a dainty flower of a man, always singing, always strumming, but now you're confronted with the reality of the situation, Jaskier is all sinewy muscle and dark hair and truly, you’ve no idea how patterned doublets and a lute have kept this reality a mystery to you. He’s beautiful, always beautiful, but this is something else entirely. Beauty implies something entirely understandable. This is otherworldly, incomprehensible in how it makes both so much and so little sense all at once. Your throat is dry and you take a deep gulp of air and struggle to find the words to say and settle on a soft little,

“Oh.”

“Oh?” He smirks, eyebrow raising as he offers out a hand to you. “Does it not look nice? Do I not look like a delicate lady in need of protection?” He teases, skin around his eyes crinkling with his grin.

“You look better in it than I do.” Your voice comes out weak, and he smiles and tugs you to your feet once you take his hand. “Though you are perhaps the hairiest delicate maiden around here.”

“Don’t do yourself a disservice, Dear Heart.” He says tenderly and cups your cheek, leaning down to press a kiss to the corner of your mouth. He calls that space Your Kiss, as if a kiss is a part of your body rather than something people give each other. “You look beautiful in everything and anything- and nothing.” You raise an eyebrow at that, smirking slightly at the comment. “Not that I know what you look like naked! Not that I haven’t thought about you like that, unless that makes you uncomfortable-" He rambles, cheeks flushed a pretty sort of pink, so you lean in and peck his lips.

“It looks much better on you, Dandelion.” You say decidedly, settling on the balls of your feet. “Though I rather think it isn’t complete.”

“Is that so?” Jaskier asks and watches you as you scramble through your bag and pull free two small pencils before settling yourself on the ground and tapping on the log. It takes a second, but he does sit, eyeing the pencils like they might be weapons. “Are you going to stab those into my feet, so I walk in a womanlier way?”

“...Is womanlier even a word, Bard?” You tease, trying desperately to avoid the hand attempting to swat at your head for questioning his obviously superior understanding of language. “And no. Not at all, they’re cosmetics.”

“Cosmetics?” He repeats and watches you as you grab one of the pencils and a dagger, carving at the wood until it is sharp enough for you.

“You do understand women put products on their faces to look prettier, don’t you?”

“You don’t,” He snaps back at you, indignant that you would even question his understanding of the fairer sex. “You’re all bare and natural, and look all the prettier for it, like a rose.” A hand moves forward and cups your cheek, you can feel every callous and scar that riddles his skin. He’s trying to avoid you putting the makeup on him, but just for now, you allow yourself the indulgence. It’s only dusk. Geralt said that the plan won’t need to be enacted until close to midnight and he has yet to even return from his setting of the trap; a little time to take pleasure from something as simple as the man who kisses you having a hand on your cheek. “Beautiful, fresh like a daisy and lovelier than the month of May...” He continues, hand shifting a little forward so that his fingers bury themselves in your hair, causing you to lean towards him, head shifting into the touch- reminding you all too much of the little cat who used to come begging for scraps when your mother and you would eat outside in the warmer months. It’s a strange thing to catch your attention so, but now that the thought has entered your mind, you cannot help but wonder if your mother has been feeding the tiny little beast in your absence-

“Little One?” Jaskier says gently, snapping you free of your thoughts, you’ve no idea how long you’ve been thinking, but it was clearly long enough that the man before you has noticed it.

“...Yes?”

“I asked if I could kiss you.” Can I kiss you? Although you’ve never been someone with much interest in the romantics, you’ve never so much as kissed a man before you met Jaskier, you’re quite sure that men don’t normally ask if they can kiss you. Most that you’ve seen interacting with women simply crash their mouths on their partner’s, breeching their mouths with their tongues like they’re stabbing a creature that means them harm. But Jaskier asks. He means to ensure that you are always completely comfortable with his touching you, to make sure you know that if you have no interest in this contact that it will stop. He won’t push. It’s enough to make your lips turn up in a tiny little smile and you nod, leaning towards him and resting hands on his knees, lips puckered tight and eyes falling shut, and he chuckles. “Melitele, Dear Heart, relax your lips, you aren’t trying to pierce my lips with yours.” He lets his thumb glide across your lower lip, causing you, quite instinctively to relax your lips. “There we are.” A rush of pleasure overtakes you, making you shiver and heading straight to your core. Simple praise is all it takes from him to make you unsure of yourself, and want to do anything to please him, so when he pulls you up gently and settles you on his knees, you do so without complaint, and as if as a means of rewarding you, kisses you softly.

In the months since the two of you have begun this not-quite courtship you’ve grown more accustomed to kissing him than you ever would have anticipated. It happens so often that it’s almost strange to you. He kisses you as a means of waking you, kisses the back of your hand to reassure you, kisses the back of your neck when he passes you, hell; you’re more than a little sure he kisses you sometimes just to annoy Geralt. It feels so natural to you now, to have his mouth on yours, moving languidly like the rest of the world does not exist. He kisses like he’s afraid he might hurt you, all gentle touches and reassuring rubs of thumb against flesh. He knows that you’ve never so much as kissed a man before him and seems to take some pleasure in that- not in the kind of way that the boys at home seemed to when talking about deflowering some virginal girl, but in a way that he seems to enjoy teaching you something about intimacy, or at least this version of it. He acts for all the world like some sort of teacher, gently reassuring you when you go wrong and guiding you back on track, and you preen under the attention. He never pushes, never asks you to do anything you don’t want to do, and it’s far more appreciated than you will ever say, even if in the last few weeks you have found yourself wanting... more.

His lips are wind-chapped but somehow soft, and press into yours so softly, hand curved around your cheek and guiding you to tilt your head slightly, so you follow his lead, reciprocating the kiss as sweetly as you can, winding fingers around his wrist to hold it in place. The kiss is chaste, with no sign of moving beyond just the plush push of lips on lips but still, this position makes it feel more intimate than it has any right to; sat on his legs, your own parted and on either side, and the dress makes it more intimate still. In his doublet and trousers, the only warmth you feel from him while kissing comes from his hands and face, but now with so much skin exposed it’s seemingly coming from all around you, seeping through the fabric beneath you, from the arms extended in front of you, from a heart beating so close but so out of reach. The fire roaring just behind you is hardly helping the situation. Jaskier hums softly against your lips, little more than a vibration, but it makes you smile. Even when kissing he makes noise; he cannot bare to be silent, relish in the sounds of nature, no, he simply must make noise. It’s lovely really, such consistency is hard to find, especially on the road, but Jaskier is consistent. It takes a little more bravery than it should to swipe the tip of your tongue across the seam of his lips and the movement seems to shock the bard, who ceases his kissing for just a second before opening his mouth slightly and dragging his tongue across your own. Normally you would wait for him to deepen a kiss but with him looking the way he does, and the overwhelming need developing between your legs, you cannot continue this lazy sort of kiss as you normally might. No. Now, you need something more than this innocence. So, you shuffle closer to him, legs tightening around his and both hands moving to wind around his neck, fingers curling into the soft hair at the nape of his neck. Your own bravery seems to have inspired some in Jaskier too, so he wraps his arms about your waist and pulls you even closer still, tongue lathering over your own before his teeth drag across it and then bites gently. It makes you shiver, letting out a quiet moan which brings a moan out of him too. Not too long after that he pulls back and heaves a deep breath while you pant, head tilting back.

“That was new.” He laughs, fingers tracing circles into your back.

“What can I say? That dress really does look good on you.” You respond with a chuckle before leaning forward again, this time to mouth at his throat. You feel Jaskier gasp before you hear it, the skin of his neck going taut beneath your lips.

“Dear Heart,” He starts, and the pet name does nothing but make your heart race, “If you don’t stop soon, we’re going to have a... well, an issue.” He stammers out, and you pull back immediately, eyes wide with worry. Had you been too intense in taking your own pleasure from this situation that you had missed some clear hint of his that he was uninterested in going further? He goes to such painstaking lengths to ensure your comfort and you feel like you’ve encroached on his.

“An issue?” The words come out shaky, and you try to shift yourself back from him, but he holds you still. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to upset you-”

“You haven’t. Gods, Dear Heart, I think you could stab me, and I would still thank you.” He says, still rubbing those reassuring circles into your back. “You’re just. You’re...” Jaskier stops and seems to deliberate his next few words, “You’re exciting me, that’s all.” That makes you blink. He doesn’t look all that excited to you, if anything he just seems to be riding the same high he always is after kissing turns a little more passionate, pupils blown wide and lips pink and plush from kissing, but he doesn’t look excited. Your confusion must be visible because Jaskier sighs, muttering something under his breath before his hand creeps higher toward your shoulder blades. “You’re making me hard.” He says, the words said carefully as if afraid he might upset you.

“Har- Oh. Oh!” Realisation hits you all at once and your eyes dart down to his lap, suddenly seeing the tent in the dress that certainly hadn’t been there when you first settled on him. It was mere centimetres away from your core when you were kissing him, and you hadn’t even noticed. It’s the first time you think you’ve ever seen someone be hard, even if it is completely covered up, and the knowledge that it was you who has done this to him fills you with pride. You’ve never really considered yourself the kind of person to have that kind of power over a person, you only ever really feel powerful in a fight, but the feeling overtaking you now feels like power. With nothing more than a mouth and tongue, you’ve affected him in this way. "I wouldn’t call that an issue.”

He blinks at you, lips slightly parted and he looks you up and down. For the first time, you wonder if he’s thinking of other trysts, where it was him in shirt and trousers on top of some woman in a dress who is falling apart at next to nothing. It should leave a sour taste in your mouth, but the feeling of power is more overwhelming than any insecurity.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, Little Miss.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

“You’ve never seemed interested in... progressing.” He’s being careful not to say anything he thinks might offend you. Jaskier is never one to mince words, but your virginity seems to have him somewhat uncomfortable when it comes to what language to approach sex with. You aren’t a child, and used to work in a tavern, you’ve heard all too many terms for sex; shagging, fucking, making the beast with two backs, a labour for Venus, but Jaskier calls it Progressing. Like it’s travelling, moving from one destination to another, from kissing to something else entirely. It’s quaint coming from a man who you’ve heard sing songs about receiving hand-jobs. “I don’t want to push you into anything you might not be comfortable doing, Little Miss, I don’t want you to feel pressured by me or this or anything-”

“I’m interested in progressing.” You cut him off, a little too eagerly. “Truly, I am. I just. Haven’t done anything like this before. So, I wasn’t sure how to go about it, you know. I couldn’t just... I don’t know. Ask you to take my virginity.” Jaskier chokes a little at the words.

“I wouldn’t be taking anything.”

“But I do want you to.”

“I don’t mean in terms of... not wanting to. I do. Melitele’s tits, I’d crawl over shards of glass just to put my mouth on you, Darling. I just mean, I wouldn’t be taking anything from you. There’s nothing to take. You would just be someone who has been intimate instead of someone who hasn’t. You don’t lose anything.”

Your heart, something in the back of your mind says coyly, you’ll lose your heart to him if you allow yourself to be breeched by him, he’ll take it unknowingly and not be able to give it back to you. Each step, each breath, each blink and each song, he will have your heart entirely and there will be nothing you can do to have it returned. He’s had so many lovers before, it’s unlikely he’ll give his heart to you in return for you giving him your own- and it won’t be because he’s cruel or unfeeling, it will be because Bards give their heart to anyone who hears their song, and there isn’t enough of it left for you. He’s entirely enough for you, but you will never be entirely enough for him.

“If I lose nothing by it then why are we discussing it instead of... progressing?” You have to bite down on your tongue to keep from saying shagging. Fucking. Anything but this dance around what it is that the two of you clearly want.

“Because I want you to understand.” He says, and it sounds like a plea. “I want you to know that you don’t lose a thing, and I want you to be doing this because you want to do it, not because you feel like you ought because I’m hard or because you feel you owe it to me. I want you to do this because you want this, and because you want me.”

Because you want me. It makes you falter for a second. Of course, you want him, you wouldn’t kiss him if you didn’t. Your heart aches at the thought of someone kissing or sleeping with him and not wanting him, using him and discarding him afterwards.

“Of course, I want you, Jask.” Your voice is little more than a whisper.

“I mean it, Little Miss. If I do this, I won’t want for another person in my life, I won’t be able to not think of you, and if you’re doing this out of obligation and not because you want me, it will kill me.” He continues, the hand on your back moving up still until it’s buried entirely in your hair, twisting and feeling about your scalp like the answer to every question he will ever ask is written in your hair. “If this is only for once, I cannot do it. It would kill me to know how it feels to be inside you, to feel at one with you, and know you don’t ever intend to do it again. I care far too much for you to do a thing like that.”

“Jaskier...”

“I admit, I have a... reputation for leaving a string of not-quite-crying lovers behind me, but I cannot add you to that list. I won’t. And I refuse to spend the rest of our days together writing melancholic songs about how I want you, desire you, crave you, only to know you only have eyes for others, I would sooner-”

You can see by the impassioned look in his eyes that he has so much more to say, but can’t bear to hear anymore, for fear of fooling yourself that the beautiful man in front of you loves you. So instead, you reach down and wind your fingers around his member and relish in how his words choke to a halt and he lets out a sweet sigh.

“I don’t want to sleep with you once either, and your former lovers and I have nothing in common. For one, I’m not married, and two, I want you Jaskier. Not reprieve from some small pricked husband. I want to have sex with you because I want you, I care about you.” I love you; your mind screams the words you don’t dare say. It’s enough though. Enough for Jaskier to smile and move both hands around your waist once more and gently lay you on the floor beside the fire, hair fanning out like a halo among leaves and grass.

“I. I had intended this to have a more romantic location.” He admits to you as he parts your legs and settles on his knees in the space he has made. “Some inn, where I could strew some petals about, draw you a bath, sing a song.”

“I don’t need petals or poetry or baths.” You smile at him, but he shakes his head with an affectionate smile,

“It’s not about need, Darling, it’s about what you deserve. And you deserve to be treated like a princess.”

“In that dress I rather think you’re more the princess out of the two of us.” Out of the dress too. You’re rougher than any woman should be, and if your mother could see you now, you’d be pulled by your ear off to be told how good and proper ladies dress and behave- you find yourself covered in monster gore more often than you would like to, and have taken to wearing darker colours so that the dirt on them doesn’t show quite as much, but Jaskier with his sweet voice and fineries? He’s a crown away from being a prince, the sort who appear in every story you were told as a child who could fix any maiden’s problems with a kiss that would end in happily ever after.

A cough draws the both of you from each other and you turn your head to see Geralt and realise the light purple sky of dusk has been replaced with the near pitch of somewhere closer to when your plan needs to take place. He looks as uncomfortable at finding you as you feel at being caught. You feel like a child whose mother has caught you doing something they expressly told you not to do, and the fear of whatever comment he shall make keeps you from laughing at the mental image of Geralt dressed as some mother, in a drab old dress and dirtied up apron, flour dusted about his face, still world weary and with his swords strapped to his back.

“...Aswang will be here soon.” The Witcher says, and you’re grateful he’s decided not to address what he had walked in on. “We need our... beautiful woman to be wandering in the woods.” He gestures with a movement of his head to Jaskier to come towards you, and the bard does, albeit slowly, remove himself from the spot between your thighs. Geralt’s stoic face might be enough to fool most people who don’t know him, but you can see the mirth in his eyes. He’s glad he called Jaskier’s bluff on the dress, this story will never make its way into a song for the sake of Jaskier’s ego but will be brought out by Geralt at any and every ball that he is dragged to from now on. His fictional tale of the Bard being castrated by an unfortunate kick to the bollocks by an Ox as a child will now be replaced with an honest account of the esteemed bard Jaskier having volunteered himself- seemingly at random- to serve as bait in a dress for a very dangerous beast. You think he’s never looked more beautiful than he does in the dress, but Geralt very clearly sees it as funny. Men are strange. It’s just a dress, and a dress that makes him look far more attractive than any fine suit or set of armour ever could, so what is so funny about it. The Witcher says your name and you look up at him and nod. “Stay here.”

“But-”

“Hopefully the ‘fair maiden’ is enough to get the Aswang. If it sees an actual woman, it’ll attack it and not try to attack him. I’d prefer not to have to carry your corpse back to your village. It would be a long journey.” He’s being facetious, at least you hope, but you nod anyway. “We shouldn’t be too long.”

“Stay here, it’ll all be over soon.” Jaskier tells you, smiling that disarming smile he uses to try and charm more coin from locals.

“But the memory of you in a dress will live on.” Geralt says, unable to keep the smirk from his face, which makes Jaskier’s face morph between anger and confusion quickly before settling on incredulousness.

“No one is to hear of this Geralt. Geralt! Do you hear me? No. One. Geralt!” His protests increase as the White Wolf begins to trek back into the thicket of trees, Jaskier following behind him and shouting all the while.

“Jaskier!” You call to him, and the complaints die as he turns to face you. “Please, please be careful.”

“I promise, Dear Heart. I will be fine.”

Somehow, you don’t quite believe him as he disappears into the trees to join Geralt at his trap, leaving you alone with only the fire and the moon for company. Eyes turn up towards the full, round beacon of light, the only break in the darkness overhead with no stars to join her. You aren’t religious, and don’t believe in worship or prayer but now, tonight, you close your eyes and breathe deeply. You trust in the moon more than you trust Geralt and Jaskier not to take any unnecessary risks,

“Please keep him safe for me. Please.”

#jaskier imagine #jaskier x reader #jaskier x you #jaskier smut #the witcher imagine

111 notes · View notes

withcolebrock · 4 years

Text

Night Changes- Baby Brothers Part 1

Summary: Y/N goes into labor when something goes wrong.

Night Changes Masterlist

Warnings: descriptions of labor/pain, swearing, angsty stuff, lmk if I need to add more

Word Count: 3,956

Author’s Note: Sooooo HIIIII this is been a long while in the making, I spent two weeks writing this and I honestly low-key hate it but this little two parter is needed to help complete the rest of the series so ahhhh yeaaaa. This also took sooo long bc I was contemplating killing Y/N, anywayyyy I hope you guys enjoy this angsty piece hehe. This is my Gif!!

For the last two months Y/N had been on bed rest due to her pregnancy becoming dangerous for herself and the babies. Throughout the start of the pregnancy her blood pressure was getting too high for her doctors’ liking. Even at the start of her pregnancy, her body always felt different. She was sick all the time, no matter the time of day. Her body was always in pain. Her experience was a complete one-eighty from her pregnancy with Serenity.

Colby had spent most of the past nine months doing everything he could to make sure Y/N didn’t even lift a finger. He drove Serenity to school, soccer practice, helped her with her homework, set up the nursery, and filmed for his channel and his channel with Sam. He was tired and stressed out all of the time, but all he cared about was how Y/N was doing. Of course she hated watching him do that to himself, but he promised he was doing alright.

Today was the day they were finally going to meet their little boys. Her doctor’s had decided to induce labor on her due date instead of waiting for a natural birth.

“Ren, Remember Uncle Sam is picking you up from school today,” Colby explained while he held shifty eye contact with his five year old girl sitting in the backseat. Her eyes were as bright as his and her hair had a slight curl to it.

“Why?” she asked quietly as she kicked her legs dramatically back and forth against her carseat. Colby shook his head lightly as he shifted his gaze back to the road.

“Because Mommy is having the babies today, remember?” Colby explained, his eyes shifted to the rearview mirror briefly looking towards Serenity. She gasped dramatically as her mouth fell wide open. Colby smiles widely as he lets out a soft chuckle.

“Really?!” The mispronounced word leaves her little lips as another loud gasp falls from her lips. Colby nodded dramatically, pulling into the pre-school parking lot. “No way!” she continues as she jumps excitedly in her car seat.

“Yes way!” he gasped as he slowly pulled into a parking spot. He took off his seatbelt while turning his body to face the backseat.

“Can I come with you?” she asked innocently while crossing her arms over her chest. Colby tilted his head slightly letting a pout fall to his lips.

“Renni, you’ll have more fun with Uncle Sam and Aunt Kat, I promise.” he smiled sweetly pretending not to see the dramatic frown to her lips, “Now unbuckle,” he spoke as he pulled the car door open. He slammed it shut and turned to open the backseat door. He leaned his head inside of the car, looking down to his curly haired daughter.

“I can’t, Daddy, Daddy help,” she groaned while pushing against the buckles several times. Colby pursed his lips forwards as he brought his hands to the buckles, unbuckling her with ease. She swings the belts over her shoulders as she hops out of the seat quickly. She jumps down from the car while reaching for Colby’s hand. Colby took a hold of her Barbie backpack and handed it towards her. She pulled the bag over her small body and continued walking with Colby.

~~~

He pushed open the door to his house while scrolling through his Instagram feed. He shut the door behind him as he continued walking through the house. He shoved his phone into his pocket as he pulled open his bedroom door. Colby lifted his eyes from the floor, glancing towards the bed. “Hey Love, how are you feeling?” he asked as he walked over to the bed slowly. He rested his hand onto the headboard while leaning down closer to her.

“I’m mad at you,” she commented while furrowing her eyebrows. Colby pursed his lips forward shaking his head slowly while his gaze shifted over her features. She frowned up at him while brushing a few pieces of her hair away from her face. “You didn’t let me say goodbye to my daughter,” she sassed, Colby half smiled while his eyes looked her features up and down.

“You needed to sleep, Babe,” he said while lifting her chin up lightly. She furrowed her eyebrows as she scowled towards him. “We can FaceTime her later, my love,” he explained watching her features soften. His lips curled upwards as he admired his wife, “How are you feeling?” he asked again sitting beside her on the bed.

“Like I’m carrying two watermelons in my stomach,” she sighed, Colby stifled a laugh as he glanced down to the big belly. He reached over and rested his hand over her baby bump. “I’m tired, Bub,” Colby titled his head, his eyes softening as he nodded lightly.

“I know,” he leaned over and pressed his lips against hers briefly, “Almost there, Love, then we will have three babies,” he raised his eyebrows and smiled widely.

“Don’t remind me,” she joked while leaning her head against the pillow. She placed her hands on top of Colby’s, Silence fell between them as they were both feeling the little movements from her babies.

“Speaking of babies,” he spoke suddenly as he pulled his hand away from her stomach. He looked down at his wrist and sighed, “It’s about time for us to leave,” he stood up from the bed and held out his hands for her to grab.

“You don’t even have a watch on, Colby,” she let out while taking a hold of Colby’s hands while swinging her legs slowly off of the bed. He shushed her playfully as he held her hands tightly helping her from the bed. “The bags are in the nursery, I’ll meet you in the car,” she said, walking towards the door as cautiously as she could. Colby stood still while watching her waddle away from him. He stifled a laugh as he exited their room. He began walking towards the nursery only two doors down from their room.

He pushed open the door to reveal the baby blue nursery. Each crib reads the names of the babies above them. It was mainly to help them remember who is who during the first few months of their lives since they are identical twins. The two seperate hospital bags were lying beside each other labeled with the babies' names on them. He quickly grabbed the bags and headed out of the room.

He headed towards the garage double checking everything in the house, making sure they had absolutely everything they needed. He placed both of the bags into the trunk before he headed to the driver seat. He started the car while looking towards Y/N. “Are you ready, Love?” his tone was low as he adjusted the music playing from the radio. She nodded her head as she clenched her jaw. Nerves began to take over her body as she took in a long slow breath.

Colby began pulling out of the garage and started heading towards the hospital. Y/N eyes widened as she asked, “Did you tell Serenity that Sam is picking her up?” Colby nodded his head, “What about that she may spend the night there?” he nodded his head again. “She’s going to think we are forgetting her,” Y/N said softly while she rested both of her hands onto her stomach.

“Y/N, Love, she's not going to think that,” Colby held shifty eye contact with her while he continued to drive. “You should’ve heard how excited she was for the babies. Apparently she’s been talking about it for months to her teacher and the class,” Colby tried his best to calm her nerves.

It was something the doctors were worried about already. Her blood pressure was constantly higher than what they would have liked. Now with the stress on the body and the anxiety the doctors are worried that Y/N could fall into distress and so could the babies.

“But Colby, we will have to spend more time with the twins and she’ll be sad that we aren’t paying attention to her. I just don’t want our little girl to be sad,” she rested her head against the headrest, shutting her eyes briefly.

“Baby, we’ll figure it out as time goes on, okay?” he spoke softly as he reached for her hand, squeezing it lightly. “We are just going to take it day by day,” He slowly began running his fingers along the top of her hand.

The drive to the hospital was quick and easy, they found a parking spot close enough to the front entrance of the hospital. Colby immediately jumped out of the car heading straight to the trunk. Y/N pushed her door open and began climbing out of the car slowly. Colby slammed the trunk while walking towards Y/N, she shut the door behind her and leaned her body against it. “Ready?” he questioned while raising his eyebrows, throwing the bags over his shoulders. She took in a long breath before nodding.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered as he leaned forward pressing his lips to the top of her head. She started walking towards the front entrance of the hospital, Colby walked slightly behind her watching her every movement.

~~~

The checking in process was a lot less longer than they thought it was going to be. As soon as they walked up to the nurses station in the labor and delivery unit they were placed in a room. While she was changing into a hospital gown, Colby was laying down on one of the sofas FaceTiming his mom.

“How is she doing?” she asked over the phone. Colby ran his fingers over his lips as he glanced towards the bathroom door.

“She’s really nervous for this one,” he started, “I don’t know if it's because it's twins, or that she’s worried for Renni. I mean it’s probably both but, Mom, I don’t know what to say to make her feel better,” his mom was quiet on her end for only a few seconds as she stared towards her son on the phone.

“Well, she’s been on bed rest for months and now she’s finally going into labor, that’s scary. And she has a daughter who’s a ball of energy, that’s going to be hard to bring in two small babies into the mix. But, just make her feel comfortable, baby, that’s all you can do.”

Colby sighed as he glanced towards the bathroom door, “Yeah, I’ll try, but I gotta go Mom. I’ll keep you updated,” he said while he smiled towards the phone, “I love you,” he said before he ended the call. Shortly after Y/N walked out of the bathroom, holding her clothes she changed out of. He stood up and walked towards her reaching for her clothes. She gladly handed them towards him, as she continued walking towards the bed.

“Alrighty guys, I’m Nia, I’ll be your main nurse for today,” Nia said while she walked into the room dragging a tray table full of different needles and a few other things to help monitor the labor. Y/N slowly sat down onto the bed while smiling politely towards her. Colby gave her a small wave as he walked towards the side of the bed. “I’m just going to need to get a few testing before we start the induction process,”

She began taking a hold of a few different monitors and began placing them around Y/N chest to monitor her heart rate. Nia continued putting on all of the monitoring devices onto Y/N while asking questions about the babies and their family life. “So do you guys have any other kids or are these guys your first?” she asked as she began drawing Y/N’s blood.

“We have a daughter,” Colby answered while glancing towards the clock on the wall. Serenity wouldn’t be leaving school for another four hours. She asked a few more questions about Serenity, complimenting them about her name.

“Okay,” she smiled widely as she pulled her gloves off of her hands, “It’ll be a couple of minutes before we can start the induction process, we have to wait for the blood work to process and yada yada. But you guys just relax for a while, if you guys need me just hit that little red button,” she took the tray and left the room quickly.

Colby pulled a chair closer to the bed, sitting down beside her. “She’s peppy,” he whispered while widening his eyes briefly. She stifled a laugh as she arched her back lightly. She hissed in pain as she slowly adjusted her body on the bed. Colby's smile faded lightly as he watched her. “What’s wrong?” he asked innocently as he looked her body up and down. She placed her hand behind her back while she tilted her head towards him.

“I’m okay,” she whispered as she gazed into his eyes. He leaned his body forward while he rested his elbows on the mattress.

“Are you sure?” he breathed while his lips fell into a pout. She nodded while the corners of her lips curled up slightly. He leaned forward slowly, as his gaze flickered down to her lips. A grin forms to his lips as he rests a hand onto her check, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. “Let’s have some babies, yeah?” he whispered against her lips. A small chuckle falls from her lips as she leans her head against the pillow.

~~~

It had been six hours since the induction process and the labor process was slowly becoming worse than the process was with Serenity. She squinted her eyes shut as she tightened her jaw. She quickly began squeezing Colby’s hand as another contraction started. “Another one?” Colby asked as he straightened his body, she nodded softly as her other hand wrapped around the railing on the bed. “You’re doing so good,” he whispered while he pretended not to feel anything from her hands.

Suddenly, Colby’s phone began ringing. He pulled it from his pocket seeing Sam’s name written over the screen. “It’s Sam,” he commented as he slid his finger across the screen, “Hey,” Colby whispered as Sam’s face came onto the screen.

“How’s it going?” Sam asked. Serenity’s voice was loud in the background alongside Kat’s.

“It’s been rough, but she’s pushing through, How’s Ren?” Colby smiled towards Y/N while glancing back towards his phone. Y/N slowly released her hand from Colby’s as the contraction slowly began to ease.

Sam laughed lightly at the question, “She’s Renni, that’s for sure,” he commented. Colby and Y/N chuckled as the words left Sam’s lips. “She’s about to eat some Mac and Cheese with dino nuggets. Which Kat and I are gladly going to eat as well,” Sam showed the boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese alongside a bag of dino nuggets into the frame. “Here, you guys can talk to her,” Sam commented as he shuffled across the room handing his phone to the little girl.

“Mommy! Daddy!” she yelled through the phone. Colby handed the phone over to her. Y/N beamed as she stared at the phone screen. “Did you have babies?” she asked.

“Not yet, Renni, but soon. How are you doing?” the conversation lasted only for about five minutes before yet another contraction had started. Y/N did not want Serenity to see her mom hurting, so she quickly handed the phone over to Colby.

“Alright, Baby Girl, we have to go,” Serenity started whining on her end of the phone, “Ren, please be good for Uncle Sam and Aunt Kat, we love you,” Colby said while smiling softly.

“Okay,” she huffed while frowning, “Love you,” she replied while Colby had ended the call. Colby sighed as he shoved his phone into his pocket. A few seconds later, a few nurses, alongside Nia, and the midwife had entered the room.

“Alright, Momma, let’s have a look,” the midwife, Chloe, had said while putting on gloves. She sat down into the stool while helping Y/N place her legs up. Y/N kept her gaze towards Colby, she found comfort just looking into his eyes for only a second.

“So good, Love,” he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair. She rolled her eyes playfully as she smirked. Chloe smiled as she stood up from the stool removing her gloves. She motioned one of the nurses to get a pair of new gloves. Colby and Y/N stare at her expectantly.

“It looks like you are fully dilated, Y/N,” she smiled towards the two of them. A nurse walks towards her holding out the gloves, waiting for Chloe to put them on. “We are going to get started right away, are you okay with that?” she smiled widely as she began walking towards the stool. Y/N’s face paled as she turned her full attention towards Colby. Her eyes scanned his features as he smiled widely with his cheeks flushed red.

Colby nodded reassuringly as he shifted his gaze towards Chloe. “The next contraction, you are going to start pushing,” she rested her hands on top of her knees as she waited for the contractions to start.

~~~

“I can’t-I can’t do this anymore,” her head fell against the pillow as she took in a rushed breath. Her lips trembled as her eyes teared up more.

“You got this, Love,” Colby whispered in her ear as he pressed his lips against her cheek briefly. She shook her head as a sob left her lips.

“No I can’t, it hurts-I have to stop, please I can’t,” she cried out, each breath leaving her lips shorter than the last. Colby didn’t know what to say as he ran his hand along her back soothingly. His gaze shifts towards Chloe sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes furrowed together angrily.

“Yes you can, Y/N. You’re almost there, one more push,” Chloe smiled reassuringly as she rested her hands on top of Y/N’s knees. “One more,”

“You said that last time!” Y/N cried out as she continued shaking her head.

“I know, I know, but I promise you this next one, will do the trick,” Chloe spoke as the next contraction started, Y/N took in a long shaky breath. She began pushing, as she cried out again in pain. “Almost there, look at that!” she cheered as the little boy was finally born. Loud cries left his mouth, “Okay, okay, you have a baby boy!” After cutting the umbilical cord she walks away from the bed carrying the little boy towards one of the tables.

Colby smiled widely towards Y/N, “We have a baby boy,” he raised his eyebrows as he ran his fingers through her hair. Y/N breathing started to quicken as she gasped for air. Reaching for his hand, she squeezes it a few times. Colby’s eyebrows furrowed together as he shifted his gaze down to their hands. Nia walked over to the bed, glancing towards the monitor and towards Y/N several times.

“Something’s wrong, Co-Colby something’s-,” she gasped as she tilted her head back against the pillow. Colby’s face lost its color as he stared towards Y/N. A few nurses took over Chloe’s spot of taking care of the new baby boy, while Chloe moved towards Y/N.

“Put oxygen on her,” she pointed towards the mask behind the bed while glancing towards the monitor, she brought out her stethoscope and began listening to her heart. A nurse placed the mask delicately on her and then backed away. She nodded a few times before wrapping it around her neck. “Start her on an IV drip,”

“Doctor,” Nia had said softly while holding a phone against her chest. Nia was already a few steps ahead on what Chloe was planning on doing. Chloe looked back towards her and nodded.

“Tell them it needs to be ready when I get there,” she commented as she stepped away from the bed, “Prep her for the c-section,” Several nurses started working together to prepare her. “Colby you need to step back,” she commented as she started walking to where he was sitting. Colby shook his head several times as he kept his gaze towards Y/N.

“No, no what’s going on?” he asked angrily as a few nurses rested her hands onto him and lightly pushed him away from the bed. “No, stop-”

“Colby, your wife is in distress,” Chloe rested her hand onto his arm trying to calm him down. “Her heart is overworking and she isn’t getting enough oxygen,”

“What does that mean?” his voice cracked as he fought off his tears. Within seconds Y/N was starting to be wheeled out of the room, “Where are you taking her?” he stumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“We have to do a c-section to get the baby out because he isn’t getting enough oxygen,” she explained, “We have to get him out soon or we can lose them both,” Colby’s eyes widened as he rubbed his eyes several times.

“What the hell are you still standing here then?!” he yelled, throwing his hands in the air. She smiled weakly as she started heading out of the room heading to the OR. He stood still for a while as he stared towards the spot on the floor where the bed was once at. He quickly wiped his eyes avoiding the tears that were about to fall down onto his cheek.

“Mr. Brock,” Nia walked into the hospital room while taking slow steps towards him. Colby blinked several times as he shifted his gaze over to her, “Would you like us to call someone to sit with you,” Colby shook his head while he pursed his lips.

“Uh, no, I’m good,” he forced a smile.

“Come with me, I’ll show you where you can wait,” she motioned towards herself as she continued walking towards him. Colby nodded as he followed her out of the room.

His phone started to ring in his pocket as he sat down on one of the waiting room chairs. Pulling it out, he noticed his Mom’s name written on the screen. He sighed as he answered the phone. “Hey! How are you guys doing? Any babies yet?” she chripped. Colby took in a shaky breath as he stared at his hand.

“Uh-um, yeah but uh-” he stuttered as he wiped his hands across his lips.

“What’s going on, Love?” her voice became tremolous as she listened to her son.

“She’s not okay, Mom, she’s-I don’t know, Mom what do I do?” he cried into the phone.

“Okay, okay, calm down, tell me what’s going on,” she asked calmly. Colby tried his best to explain the situation but he was at a loss for words.

“I could lose her, Mom,” His body began to run cold as he whispered the words. His mom stayed silent for only a few seconds as she thought about what to say next.

“My love, you will not lose her, she is going to be fine,” she tried to reassure him. Colby sighed while he stood up from the chair, “Colby,” she said softly. He hummed in response while began pacing. “Have you held your son yet?” Colby stopped dead in his tracks as his lips quivered.

“N-no, so much had happened, I uh-”

“Colby, please go hold your son,” she paused, “Babies have all the answers,” Colby nodded his head but didn’t respond right away. He pulled his phone away from his ear as he walked towards the nurses station.

102 notes · View notes

quickspinner · 4 years

Text

WIP Report

Because there’s gotta be someone out there saying Quiiiiiiick noooooooo why are you posting so many beginnings when you have so much unfinished work out there? (It’s me. I’m saying it.)

SO. I’m a bit in the weeds for sure and there is definitely some internal screaming going on here. 😆 Mostly, what happened is that a bunch of fandom events happened and I tabled what I was working on to do those, because fandom events are fun! It’s nice to connect with other fans for a bit! Buuuuut I got kind of ambitious and bit off considerably more than I could chew with a few of those, so now I have a bunch of unfinished works hanging out there. So let’s go through the list of shame. (Note: every author has their own process and I am by no means judging anyone else for time between updates or how many stories they have going at once. Just me. I am judging me very much, because my process says “this is BS, Quick.”)

Here For You. I still owe two prompts for this and they are for near and dear friends who I known won’t hate me for sitting on it so long. Part of the problem is that this was fueled by NY special rage, and eventually I cooled off. Also, I had to go and decide to do a two-part finale that got all plotty and...yeah. I get hung up when I try to do plot instead of useless fluff. It got set aside in favor of the various time-sensitive things I got involved in.

The Magic of You. This was part of a little internal secret santa that the LBSC group did, and it didn’t really have to be a two parter, but it was always intended to have a second part. Honestly, I tried to finish this one off last week because I thought it would be easy, but instead I wrote several thousand words that I ended up throwing out and I ended up back at square one. It’s in time out to think about its sins (or its inability to get to the sinning, which was really the problem last week, how hard is it to make two people fricking kiss, geeze) (not that hard actually because I wrote like four different confessions/smooches but none of them actually worked in the story).

Guard My Heart. This was my LBSC Valentine’s exchange fic and y’all. I tried and tried to make this be no more than a three-parter, and everything I wrote for it felt like a complete infodumping copout. I might as well have just written “And then they realized they were in love and they smooched a lot” and called it a day. So I have finally given in and I’m letting it be what it wants to be. I’m really pissed about it though. So, yeah, this one is going to take a while, because while I have a lot more of the later-on stuff written, I tried to skip a lot of the early stuff, so now I’m working through the buildup that I should have just given up and written in the first place. Sorry, Mal. (I should know better, every time I get a prompt from her it turns into a monster)

Indelible. I debated over posting this one; Ver would have understood if I was late with her bday gift, especially since I’ve been working on this fic so long. But, when I reviewed it, it’s well over half finished, and I think posting once a week will give me enough time to rewrite the ending (I wrote the ending early on, and then changed a bunch of stuff as I wrote, so the ending I wrote doesn’t work so great anymore).

Beautiful Dreams. I dream of the day when I can get back to this fic. 😂 I was a little stuck when all the “stuff on a deadline!” hit, and it fell by the wayside again, but it’s not dead, and I’m hoping the break (again) will help me get the ball rolling again when I get back into it.

So that’s where we are, and that list is giving me anxiety. 😆 I don’t like having this many things rolling at once (at least not where people can see them and are waiting for them). I’m going to do my best to get it under control. You can still expect to see a few one shots and sprint fics pop up, because everybody needs a break sometimes (and I have like four people I wanted to write birthday fic for and just didn’t have time, so I’ll be wedging those in here and there). I definitely won’t be taking on any more prompt months or exchanges until I get my house a little more in order here!

#wip report #quickrambles #sorry y'all #le sigh #i regret nothing though #it was all a lot of fun

16 notes · View notes

youcouldmakealife · 4 years

Text

Stephen/Gabe, Jared; first impressions (pt 1)

For the prompt: Stephen PoV of the new winger?

I am apparently incapable of finishing a SOTM right now; either I’m stuck or I blink and it becomes a multi-parter. This is also like 10% Jared and 90% Stephen and Gabe bickering.

Stephen’s paying attention on trade deadline day. Of course he is; it’s literally his job to. But it’s maybe not his job to dive into stats and replays and game write-ups about Jared Matheson as soon as his trade to Vancouver’s announced, because it takes about two seconds of reading for Stephen to know with some certainty he’s been brought to Vancouver to play on Gabe’s right side.

“You do love me,” Gabe says, when Stephen imparts his extensive research to him that night to try to cheer him up. He knows Sami was one of Gabe’s best friends on the team. Trying to distract himself a little too, because Sammy’s girlfriend Mila is smart and savagely funny and has a knack for bringing bottles of wine that win the taste tests and Stephen’s going to miss her.

“He sounds like he’ll be a good fit with you and Dmitry,” Stephen says.

“Fuck I hope so,” Gabe says. “I can’t deal with any more line shuffling this year.”

He seems a lot happier after his first practice with the new liney, practically whistling when Stephen comes home, giving off ‘ask me about my day so I can tell you about how good it was’ vibes Stephen can feel before he even gets his coat off.

“Went well, then?” Stephen asks.

“Went really well,” Gabe cheerfully confirms, following Stephen into the kitchen. “I think you’ll like him.”

“If I even get to meet him before he gets injured,” Stephen says.

“Stop talking about the non-existent curse,” Gabe says. “It makes me nervous.”

“Why would it make you nervous if it didn’t exist?” Stephen says.

“Hedging my bets,” Gabe says. “If the hockey gods do exist, we’ve clearly already done something to piss them off, better not make it worse.”

“You don’t believe in god but now you believe in the hockey gods?” Stephen asks.

“Hedging my bets!” Gabe says.

Stephen snorts.

Stephen’s in the middle of an expense report when he gets interrupted by the front door opening, multiple sets of shoes hitting the floor in the front hall. It’s possibly his least favourite part of the job, and something he tends to leave stuff out because it isn’t worth saving a receipt to expense a thirteen dollar meal three weeks later. Him and Gabe are literal millionaires, it is not his priority, but accounting always freaks out at him if he doesn’t, like he isn’t saving them money by leaving things out.

That and an impending four hour drive mean he’s not particularly impressed when he sees two heads peeking out from behind Gabe, one unfortunately very familiar, the other he’s only seen in pictures.

“Hey, you’re home,” Gabe says.

“Have to drive out to Kelowna for the game,” Stephen says. “So did a half-day.”

“Forgot about that,” Gabe says. “Stephen, Jared, my new liney.”

“Enjoying the cursed line?” Stephen asks Jared sweetly.

“So far no curse?” Jared says.

“Don’t talk about the curse,” Dmitry says, voice hushed, like they’ll wake it up if he talks about it any louder. “It makes it more powerful.”

Stephen thinks he knows where Gabe got his hedging his bets from. He rolls his eyes. “On that note, enjoy your curse,” he says, closing the laptop and standing up. “Nice to meet you, Jared.”

There are dishes in the sink, dishes that should not be in the sink, and Stephen puts down his laptop down on the counter with a little too much force before he transfers them to the dishwasher, yells at Gabe about the mess.

“Those are literally yours, Stephen,” Gabe yells back. “I loaded the dishwasher after dinner and I got breakfast on the way to practice.”

There’s ketchup on the edge of one of them, and Gabe hates ketchup with a strange amount of passion with the one specific exception of in his KD, so Gabe might be right. Stephen angrily rinses off the ketchup evidence.

Stephen’s always annoyed when people come into his space without an invitation, and Gabe’s mournful expression when he follows him into the kitchen reflects that he is well aware he’s in trouble.

“I forgot,” Gabe says.

“To do the dishes,” Stephen says.

“You know those are yours,” Gabe says. “Sorry I forgot.”

Stephen is committed to pretending they’re Gabe’s dishes now.

Gabe leans over him to grab plates from the cupboard — Stephen has been trying to get him to give up and just eat takeout from the box it’s in as man intended for a literal decade, but it’s a losing effort — presses a kiss to Stephen’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” he repeats.

“It’s fine,” Stephen says. “Don’t leave those plates in the sink when you’re done.”

“I won’t,” Gabe says, and sneaks one more kiss to the side of Stephen’s head before he retreats to the dining room and Stephen retreats to work in the office. Well, the room that has a desk that Gabe probably uses more than Stephen does, but it’s still ostensibly his office.

He sorts through receipts, wonders if expensing a two dollar double-double is petty enough to get accounting off his back about expensing everything. He decides to do it, and thankfully by the time he’s done Gabe’s the only cursed hockey player in his house.

#fic snippet #SOTM #stephen petersen #gabe markson #dmitry kurmazov #jared matheson

120 notes · View notes

marmolady · 4 years

Text

Growing Pains: Part Two

PART ONE PART THREE

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Post-ending. For Liv and her mothers, Taylor and Estela, a turbulent period of transition is afoot. Set primarily in the distant future of 2033.

This was only going to be a two-parter, but this installment got so long-winded I split it. So, you can look forward to Part Three soon-- and art for the second and third parts as well.

Word Count: 5636

WARNINGS: Mentions of transphobia.

More Liv fics here: Livita, Teething Problems, Milestones and Memories, Mutual Comfort, All That Matters

Reviews and reblogs are hugely appreciated!

Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn, @mrsmontoya, @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, @quinnkellys-wife, @greengroove

San Trobida, 2006

The scratch of her pen on the notebook was not enough to keep the voices in the room next from reaching Estela’s ears, even muffled as they were. She’d pause to concentrate; math wasn’t her strong point, it tended to require a lot of hard thinking, and she’d catch a few more snippets of conversations she knew very well she had no business hearing. Whether she was supposed to or not, she always kept an ear out for her tio’s voice, or his name being mentioned. How could anyone expect her not to? Of course she’d want a heads up if something was planned that would take him away for days at a time. Sometimes the people who left on these missions didn’t come back. Tio Nicolas had a very important job to do, and it made Estela proud, but she was forever holding her breath, waiting to hear whether her uncle would be on the front lines or safe at home. All strategy talk soared straight over her head, but she knew what it meant when Nicolas was called to action.

Then came the voice that Estela had been waiting to hear. Immediately, she scrambled to put her things together, ready, so ready to go home.

The door creaked open, and her mother was standing there.

“Estelita, I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, a little breathless, as though she’d been rushing to get to the secret house. There was no doubt in Estela’s mind that she had been. “I had some important things to sort out with my manager. No doubt it will be worth it, but I hate leaving you here.”

Estela jumped up, already set to go, and gave Olivia a one-armed hug. “That’s okay. I managed to get most of it finished without help.”

With a sigh, Olivia kissed her daughter’s head. “We’ll finish it off together tomorrow, I promise. But for now, I think we could both do with just putting our feet up. Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

Having slipped through the hallway quietly enough to not disturb anything important, the pair drove off into the night. It had to be getting on for nine by now. Dinner had been a slapped-together rush, as it always was when Nicolas had to go out in the evenings. Estela knew her mother would’ve taken a break for something to eat at work, but probably when they got home, they’d share some cocadas and hot chocolate. As per tradition. Estela noted the clear agitation in her mother’s demeanour; it seemed that Olivia could really use cocadas and hot chocolate tonight.

“Are you okay, Mami?”

Olivia grimaced. “I really don’t like you being at those meetings. I know you’re in a separate room, but a kid your age shouldn’t be exposed to-- it’s just not right. The fact that I let it happen at all, I-- I’m sorry, mija.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’m fine.”

“Fine isn’t good enough. You deserve better than that.” Olivia looked to her daughter with the fondest of smiles, though guilt shadowed her features. “It took a bit of negotiation, but I’m changing around my shifts at work. I’ll be going in for five--”

“In the morning?”

“It won’t be for a few weeks yet, unfortunately. But this will work better for all of us. I’ll be finishing when I’d usually be having lunch, leaving my afternoon free to do your lessons. Early mornings mean nothing to me if I get to be with you.”

Then Estela was smiling back. “It’s gonna be like every day is half a Mom day off. I’ve missed hanging out with you; it gets kinda lonely.” It wasn’t Tio Nicolas’ fault. The work he had to do was important; it would change San Trobida forever. Spending quality time with the tag-along ten-year-old couldn’t be a priority.

“I know. And I’ve really missed you too. I feel as though you’re growing so much, and it’s passing me by. Now, we’re going to be a team. Together, you and me are gonna kick elementary school in its ass.”

Estela burst out giggling. Unlike Nicolas, her mother only brought out the unsavoury language on special occasions. So… she was stressed but… feeling optimistic? That things were going to get better?

“I think Tio taught me some moves for that.”

Olivia rolled her eyes with an affectionate scoff. “I’ll bet he has.”

______________________

USA, 2033

Estela lay in bed with her eyes closed, though expectation of getting back to sleep had long since passed. There was little point anyway, Liv would be up at the crack of dawn, as she always was before the reunion trip. For the time being, there was nothing to distract Estela from her thoughts, just the gentle sound of Taylor breathing beside her.

Drowning in thought seemed to just be Estela’s state of existence these days. Liv needed her to come through, to magic up way to ease her through the turbulent period of preadolescence. It had been a heavy burden on Taylor as well, and it was all Estela could do to try and relieve it-- it certainly seemed to her as though Taylor could well be suffering from post-partum depression, and what she didn’t need was any guilt. In the end, Liv had handled the baby Michael situation like a champ; she’d given him a cuddle on his first day in the world, but then was happy to return to something close to normal. In her own loneliness, she’d been the snuggly little rock that Taylor had so needed. Estela had done her best, of course, but it was hard to shake the feeling that she just couldn’t do enough for either of them.

That was going to change. That year, when they went to their reunion on La Huerta, they wouldn’t be coming back. Between herself and Taylor, there had been so much back and forth about how best to get Liv through the next couple of years to high school, but in the end, they’d kept coming back to home-schooling. Liv needed a break from the social stresses of being shut up with dozens of pre-teen kids all day. Taylor needed to reconnect with herself as a mother. And she, Estela, wanted to hang onto her little girl, to hold her tight and make the most of what should be the best years of their lives; after all, you could never know just how precious those years would become.

Taylor rolled over with a muffled groan, her face registering surprise as Estela’s eyes flickered open.

“Hey,” she said. “Given up on getting back to sleep?”

From the sound of Taylor’s voice, she too had been wide awake and lying there in silent thought for some time herself.

“Mmm… the same as you, I’m guessing.” Estela reached and stroked a stray hair from Taylor’s face. “How are you feeling?”

“I… well, tired.” Taylor chuckled darkly. “You know, the usual. But, on top of that… my stomach’s so full of butterflies I could throw up.” She leaned her face into Estela’s touch, seeking comfort, reassurance. It was a subtle movement, tiny, but there was no doubt that it had been read and understood, for in seconds, Taylor had been swept into a close and warm embrace. She squeezed back, hanging on as if for dear life.

“It’s weird…,” she choked out. “I never thought I’d feel like this before a reunion. I’m almost dreading it. Part of me just wants to see everyone-- but I’m terrified of what I’ll feel when I see Michael again.”

Estela pulled away just enough that she could press a kiss to Taylor’s forehead. “I’ve got you,” she whispered. What more did she even have to offer? She couldn’t make this easier. In the weeks since the birth, they’d kept their distance. Taylor hadn’t been up to anything more than the briefest of visits prior to Jake and Sean returning home with the baby. The step about to be taken was huge. This was a full week of close proximity, with emotions running wild all over the place. She kissed Taylor again, and again. “I’ve got you.”

“It’s just been so hard. I feel like I’ve just about clawed myself out of the slump, but what if I take one look at him and I crash all over again? I can’t run away from this-- I know that will only make it worse in my head.”

“The option is always there, okay? If we get to the airport and you can’t do it, taking care of yourself first isn’t running away.” At the look of protest she received, Estela added, “I know, I know that right now, we’re going with ‘plan A’. You’re going to get through this, mi amor. From the moment you step onto that plane, you’re gonna have the world’s best support network right there. So, whatever this brings up for you, whatever it is you need to feel, you can feel it and know we’re on your side.”

Taylor heaved a sigh. “This will be good for me. Of all the things I’ve had to face… this shouldn’t be so scary.”

“Well, we’re out of practice. Tell me the last time you had to face down a heavily armoured pack of mercenaries? Or a sea monster with control over the weather?”

The sigh became a snort of laughter. “True. It’s no damn wonder we’re going soft. I’m pretty sure the scariest thing I’ve had to deal with in the past ten years was that time I thought Liv had come home from school with headlice.”

Estela gave an exaggerated shudder. “Joder. Even the thought….”

Taylor giggled into her wife’s shoulder, and relaxed there, letting the tension flow from her body. “I love you,” she breathed.

“I love you too.”

For a little while, they held one another, then all too soon came the tell-tale thumping of kid footsteps.

“I swear she gets earlier every year,” Estela chuckled against Taylor’s temple. “When is she gonna turn into a teenager that we have to drag out of bed with a mechanical crane?”

“Ugh, I know.” Taylor couldn’t help but smile. Recently, she wasn’t sure how she’d have dragged herself out of bed each day if it hadn’t been for Liv. She sat up. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

____________________

Liv bounced her way down through to the departure lounge at Northbridge airport, leading her three cousins in a merry dance.

“Can you see them?” Immy cried out. Four-and-a-half, she was the slightly younger of Aleister and Grace’s twin girls.

“Immy, inside voice, please,” Grace urged, following behind the excitable children with a trolley.

Attempts at calming the horde were all for naught when they turned the corner to find Zahra and Craig waiting for them, their flight having come in some hours before.

“Eh, look who it is… all the l’il brats.”

“Chyeah, it is!”

Craig hoisted Liv into the air as she squealed.

“We were trying to keep them all calm, what with this being a public airport and all, so thanks for that.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Liv laughed. “I’ll save most of my jumping up and down and yelling for when we get there.”

“For the pool party!” Craig hissed under his breath.

Zahra was scowling. A friendly scowl, her friends knew by now, but a scowl nonetheless. “Have I ever told you people how stupid it is that we all drag our asses back to Northbridge each year rather than just fly to Costa Rica from wherever the hell we are? No?”

Taylor pulled Zahra into a crushing embrace. “It’s tradition! Just like my great, big Reunion Zahra Hug! One of only, what?-- three-- scheduled Zahra Hugs I get each year!”

When she managed to extricate herself from Taylor’s embrace, an then another one from Liv, Zahra’s attention was caught by young Immy, who appeared to be twisting herself up like a pretzel next to the walkway out to the Jake’s plane.

“Uh, you all right there, pipsqueak?” Zahra asked, just about managing not to smirk at the exaggerated runner’s stance the small girl had taken up.

“I’m getting on the plane first,” Immy proclaimed. “That baby’s gonna be up the front, so I won’t be. And Reggie says you’re more likely to survive a crash up the back. I’m not dumb!”

“Ha. No, you are not. Saving seats up the back for your parents, or can we join you? Between you and me, the pilot’s a walking disaster.”

“Hmm.” Immy stood up straight and looked Zahra and Craig over. “If you’re smart enough to come to the no-baby, no-dying seats, you can sit with me. Mommy and Daddy know about natural selection; they’ll understand.”

Craig’s mouth fell open. “Ice cold.”

Zahra sniggered appreciatively. “Craig,” she said, as Immy returned to doing stretches beside the walkway. “If anything happens to Aleister and Grace, we’re keeping this one. Kid’s going places.”

A short distance away, Taylor was oblivious to any jostling for positions on Jake’s supposed ‘death-trap’. Sean had come around the corner, grinning broadly and pushing a small pram. The world seemed to slow. Taylor knew Jake was calling out a greeting, but she couldn’t make out a word.

Sean approached, and greeted Taylor with warmth enough that it roused her from her anxious stupor. “Taylor, hi. It’s so good to see you again-- come here!”

She’d needed that hug. She buried her face in Sean’s chest and exhaled. It’s okay. It’s okay. “It’s so good to see you too.”

“Aaand, here’s L’il Captain Cranky.” Jake the pram closer. “Looks like you caught him in a good mood. Must be a special occasion.”

Taylor felt her heart skip a beat. Her mouth was suddenly dry. There he was. Tucked up in the pram, swaddled into a cozy bundle… fuzzy hair surrounding his calm face. She felt Estela’s hand on her shoulder, a quiet gesture of support. But maybe… maybe she was okay?

“Hey there, little man!” she purred, reaching to stroke a chubby cheek. “I can’t believe how much he’s grown already. Nice work, Top Gun.”

“Aw, shucks. I do my best. Haven’t got him flying a plane yet, but we’ve got time. You wanna hold, Princess?”

“If I won’t disturb him?”

“Nah, course not. If anything, it’ll get him more settled before the plane. Believe me, y’all are gonna want to pray this good mood lasts.”

“Hello….” Taylor’s voice shook with emotion. For so long, she’d feared this moment. Having that little baby in her arms for the first time since leaving the hospital. The distance had been for everyone’s benefit; certainly she wasn’t emotionally ready for a good while after the birth. This was okay, though. This was just her being cuddly Auntie Taylor. She was looking at that baby and was just damn proud that she’d been able to give her friends such a precious gift. When she looked at at Michael’s fathers, she was grinning from ear to ear. They were so happy. “Guys, he’s just… amazing. And I can’t wait to see his two daddies in action.”

“What, you’re flying all the way to La Huerta just to watch the competitive diaper changing?”

“Can I give him a pat?” Liv piped up, peering over her mother’s arms at Michael.

“He’s not a dog, weirdo,” Reggie teased.

Liv brushed off her cousin’s remark, and gently stroked the baby’s leg. Since he’d gone off to live with Jake and Sean, her insecurities had faded dramatically. Looking at Michael gave her warm, fuzzy feelings, but she was sure this wasn’t what having a sibling felt like. This was just another cousin, albeit an extra special one, having been a visitor for so long.

Sean watched quietly, his eyes full of affection. This would be one reunion trip that he’d never forget.

“Liv, if you like, you can have a cuddle with him on your lap when we’re on the plane.”

“Ooh! Yes, please!”

Then, Michelle and Quinn made an appearance, with six-year-old Isla and two-year-old Conor in tow. And of course, they made a beeline straight for the growing crowd around baby Michael.

“Hey, Meech! Meech!” Craig called out.

“You’ll be lucky,” Zahra scoffed. “We all know these people are suckers for babies….”

________________________

La Huerta, 2023

Her arm wrapped around the little bundle on her chest, and Estela’s arm wrapped around her shoulder, Taylor walked proudly out to the central rotunda in Catalyst Village, where the group had gathered for brunch-- not breakfast, for some of the number had desperately needed a sleep-in after the night before.

It was not a new thing for Taylor and Estela to join their fellow Catalysts-- their family-- for reunion festivities, but this was something different. What they were sharing now was themselves at a most monumental turning point, vulnerable as they tumbled into some wonderful unknown. Holding onto her baby daughter and stepping out into the sun, Taylor couldn’t feel any trepidation for what lay ahead, she was simply ecstatic.

There was a cacophony of gasps and coos, oohs and aahs as they approached, all eyes going straight for the tiny person Taylor was holding.

“Hey,” she said, unable to repress the grin that was fast spreading across her face. “Do you think we might have room for a new member of the gang?”

Estela was beaming, alight with elation and love. “Everyone who hasn’t met her yet, this is Liv. Olivia Andromeda Montoya. Our little girl.”

Quinn clapped her hands to her mouth. “Oh, you guys! She’s divine! Oh my god….”

Taylor walked over to Grace, who had little Reginald perched upon her hip.

“Would Reggie like to say hi?”

“I think Reggie would love to,” Grace said softly, smiling at her young son’s wide-eyed expression. He certainly didn’t meet many babies living on La Huerta. “Look, honey! Who’s Auntie Taylor got? Who’s this?”

“Buh-buh-buh?” Reggie reached out a chubby hand and patted the blanket.

“See, Reggie?” Grace cooed. “This is the baby from Tia Estela’s tummy. This is baby Liv.”

“Ih.”

“That’s it, sweetheart. Nice and gentle.”

“Good boy, Reggie,” Taylor said. “Looks like this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.”

One of many. Taylor knew it as she did the rounds. Their family welcomed Liv with the joy of close relatives, as if she were theirs, born into the fold and taken with open arms.

The baby stirred, and Craig made a sound of a higher pitch than anyone present had previously thought possible, which promptly earned a glare from Estela and made baby Reggie, now sitting on Aleister’s lap, burst into tears.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, you idiot!” Aleister hissed, as he tried to placate his son.

“Um, Craiggers, I think Estela would prefer it if you didn’t make the baby want to crawl back up the hole she came from.”

“Yes, that would be preferable,” Estela growled.

Liv grumbled, her face screwed up in protest.

“Sorry, mija. You’ll learn to love these people, trust me.”

“You really think so?” Craig asked jovially. “Thanks, Estela! I’ll babysit for you anytime.”

Quinn chuckled. “I hope you realise that there’s going to be some heavy competition for babysitting privileges. Bubba’s gonna be spoilt rotten!”

Taylor could feel it. From every one of her friends. Liv was their family, and they loved her.

Baby girl, you are so, so lucky.

___________________________

La Huerta, 2033

Finally, home.

Taylor didn’t know if she’d ever been more ready to step foot back on La Huerta, but from the moment she stepped off the plane, she felt lighter in herself than she’d done in weeks.

It became clear very quickly that she wasn’t alone in that sense of relief. As if by magic, her effervescent Liv was back; the cloud that had been hanging over her head unable to follow into what was the family’s sanctuary. Liv had been seated next to Quinn and Michelle’s daughter, Isla, through the flight; the younger girl all but talking Liv’s ear off. Then, once they’d hit the beach, Reggie and the twins had joined them, and play had come effortlessly. Now the intrepid adventurer she was meant to be, Liv was accepted and wanted; in her element with people she could trust. And Taylor felt herself letting go. For this shining time, she didn’t have to worry about her daughter at all.

Feeling that her loved ones were contented, far more so than she'd seen them in months, Estela wandered over to join Aleister on the beach. She settled down in the sand beside him, looking over the children as they splashed about in a sparkling sea.

“This is nice,” she said, stretching out her body and feeling the sun’s rays. All this fresh air and sunshine, she knew, would do them all good, especially her wife. “I’ve missed this. I think we all have.”

“How is Olivia? Since the, er, unfortunate incident?”

“Well, school’s been harder. Actually, it’s been absolutely horrible. But it’s done and finished. She’s not going back there. I’m just so damn relieved neither of them got hurt. I never thought it would be Reggie getting in a fight.”

For several long moments, Aleister silently watched his son playing in the waves, swinging his little sisters around in his arms and flinging them into the water. Reginald wasn’t a fighter; that he’d been pushed to violence spoke volumes of just how much that school had failed him-- and Liv, who’d valiantly had his corner, oblivious even to what had triggered the outburst.

“For the longest time, Reggie wouldn’t say what the fight was about. We could both tell that whatever it was had hurt him terribly. What we learned after several long talks…. The other boy had been saying things about Erin. I don’t know the details, nor do we want to, but they were cruel.”

Estela’s eyes had grown wide, then hardened with outrage. “Oh, shit. God, poor Reggie.” She shook her head, anger bubbling up inside her. How the hell was this still happening? How dare they? “Did the staff know exactly what happened?”

“At the time, no. Reginald refused to repeat what had been said. By the time Grace and I found out it was so long after the fact that when we brought the information to the school, they let it slide. To say I was fuming….”

“And these people are expecting you to happily enrol the girls at this school when that’s the care given?”

“Our thoughts precisely.” Aleister’s expression softened as he looked out to the beach. In the shallows, his daughters were jumping over small waves as they rolled in, and squealing with laughter. “I won’t have her be made to feel alone. This is all… new. For her, for us… she needs to feel safe to develop into a self she’s comfortable with. When you told me that you were taking Olivia out of school, my immediate gut reaction was fear. For Reginald.” He scoffed. “How utterly ridiculous that I should feel as if my son would need a bodyguard in his own school? And the more we’ve talked, it has gotten all the clearer that what we have in place isn’t working. We set up our main bases of operation on La Huerta and in San Trobida. The only reason we came back to the States was for the children’s education. Grace would have happily stayed in our La Huerta home; for so many years it was our sanctuary, the place that allowed us the freedom to truly grow. I think….” He hesitated. “If you don’t return to the States, it is likely that we will join you. As you say, it’s only matter of two years, or even one, before Reggie and Olivia will be changing schools as it is. We want to have that time with him. And for Erin… it’s time she needs to grow into herself.”

“Wow. That’s big… that’s huge. So, you’re just going to stay on La Huerta?”

“Perhaps. Certainly, in the short-term it is the ideal solution. But when we do enrol the children in a mainstream school, well… we’re considering moving the family to San Trobida in the future.”

Estela felt certain her eyes must have near popped right out of her head. “You would move to San Trobida?” With your transgender daughter? The initial wave of something close to panic subsided. The southern parts of the country were, these days, refreshingly egalitarian. Reforms had been sweeping under the democratically elected government, and the free San Trobida had embraced a fast-moving shift towards social equality. They weren’t talking about the same country that she attended school in some twenty years ago. “You’re… you’re serious?”

“I’m sorry, have you mistaken me for the type of person who uses humour to diffuse serious conversations? Yes, I am serious. I’ve seen first-hand what has been happening there, in no small part thanks to the mountains of our father’s fortune that you’ve quietly invested, and I would proudly see that growth continue.”

It was true; Estela’s home had come so far. The pull never lessened; nowhere else save for La Huerta could give her that same feeling. But growing up with ‘we’ve got to get out of here’ hammered in had lasting effects, as did the horrifying violence witnessed. How much would it take for her to believe in a new, better San Trobida? If it was just herself and Taylor, it’d be different, but they had Liv. It was why testing the waters with home-schooling between San Trobida and La Huerta had looked so promising.

“My mother wouldn’t recognise it,” she admitted, shaking her head. “She would have gone back to the university in San Trobida City, I’m sure of it. She’d help it get back to its former glory. We probably would have stayed in Las Rocas-- I can imagine her face if I could tell her it’s now part of what they’re calling ‘the Costa Libertad’! Maybe… maybe she’d have said I should stay.”

“If you don’t mind my saying, I’ve always thought you’d do what you saw fit, and to hell with what anyone else advised. Certainly, that’s been my experience.”

That made Estela chuckle. “I think I’m used to being more sure. Don’t worry; I haven’t lost my pig-headedness. I can still dig my heels in like nobody’s business.”

“That, I have seen for myself. But it is wise to have an open mind and get some balanced perspective before that stubborn streak of yours rears its ugly head.”

Estela bit her lip. If Liv flourished during time spent in San Trobida in the next year of home-schooling, it really would be hard to leave, especially if Aleister and Grace’s family were considering immigrating.

What more could you wish for?

“I’ve been resistant… for a long time,” she said, thoughtfully. “But every time I go back, San Trobida is looking more and more like somewhere we can be happy and safe. You know, Livi is my tio’s sun and his stars. I want her to have him there for her the way I did, the way he wants to be there for her. It is… hard to shake the fear, though. If I misjudge it; if I put too much hope in my home and she gets hurt or…. I don’t know if I’m too broken and traumatised to be rational about this.”

“And what does Taylor think?”

“Taylor would live in San Trobida. It’s simple to hop to and from La Huerta. That’s good for her; to be that close to Diego now he’s there almost permanently. She wants to be a bigger part of the forward momentum for young queer people. But, she worries. I know I’ve influenced that.”

“I feel that’s fairly inevitable,” Aleister conceded. “If there’s one thing I’d give Taylor, it’s that she’d very emotionally perceptive.”

“Yes, that’s her. I’d rather she didn’t take on board all of my baggage, because, let’s face it, that’s a whole lot of shit to carry. But if she wasn’t so empathetic, she wouldn’t be Taylor.”

“If we were to take Taylor and Olivia out of the equation, where would you want to be?”

Estela grumbled, damn well aware that Aleister knew the answer to that.

“I’d want to be home,” she said simply.

“You never were one for straight answers. Do you know how many headaches you’ve given me over the years?”

“Isn’t that what little sisters are for, hermano?” Estela laughed. Aleister had been forced to develop some amount of patience with her; by her reckoning, it had been good for him. Certainly it had put him in good stead for handling his more obtuse children, namely Immy.

“Like I said, we’re going into this with some flexibility. We don’t know what will be best for Liv, for all of us. We can start here, spend some time with Diego, then live back with my Tio for a few months. Then, I dunno, maybe travel around the world a little bit, expand Livi’s horizons. But down the road…. If settling in San Trobida is the direction you want to head in, that will be one hell of a pull for us.”

It’s just about decided it. That’s gonna be us. Our family. Our home.

#playchoices #endless summer #estela montoya #estela x mc #liv montoya #olivia montoya

8 notes · View notes

spnfanficpond · 5 years

Text

January Angel Fish Awards

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations and make sure you’re signed into Tumblr or your URL won’t show. (If the form asks for your name and email address, then you’re not signed in.) If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle or Mana to check and make sure we got your submission.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE THE FIRST ANGEL FISH AWARDS OF 2020!

Cabin Fever (a long oneshot) by @slytherkins was nominated three times!

I said all of this in my reblog, but this is FUCKING GOLD. It depicts life with chronic pain so beautifully, I read most of this with my heart in my throat. Have tissues, heed the warnings, but definitely read this! - @mrswhozeewhatsis

Tara is the Queen of Angst. She never fails to break my heart but this fic was something else entirely. I always feel like her stories could be canon and this is no exception!! Dean was exactly how I imagine he would be, Sam too. Without giving any spoilers: the scene setting - I was there, I could see them preparing dinner, sat around the table eating, I felt the coldness of the snow.

The raw emotions were sublime, I cried with Dean. I felt I could feel his pain, I was with him every step of the way, I felt his desperation. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. - @princessmisery666

O. M. G. I don’t expect anything less than incredible when I read Tara’s stuff, but this is on another level. The angst is painful (literally, sometimes), the detail is exquisite. She put heart and soul into this, and it shows. And as always, her Dean is spot-tf-on. Tara’s a brilliant writer, and this fic is amazing. ❤❤❤ - @risingphoenix761

Nominated by @manawhaat

Satin (oneshot) by @wingedcatninja

This fic has some out of the box, vulnerable, sexy, surprising Dean feels! I went into it expecting one thing and what I got was so different from what I could have imagined, but it was so wonderful and refreshing to read!

Next Year (series) by @wingedcatninja

Holy crap, the intensity and control in this fic is astounding. It’s so palpable from start to end and this is only the first fucking part. Seriously stellar and surprisingly reverential.

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

For Better or Worst (ongoing series) by @stunudo

There’s so much mystery and intrigue in this series and I just can’t stop wondering how it’s all going to work out! Sam made some kind of deal to save the world and the deal involved marrying this woman and getting out of hunting. But what was the deal, exactly? And where’s Dean? And who is this woman? What about Cas and Jack? I’m so freaking hooked and I can’t wait to find out!!

Nominated by @princessmisery666

Love You To Death (series) by @negans-lucille-tblr

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not into AU’s but this had me hooked from the beginning. I hate Y/N, I hope she gets whats coming to her, but I also so desperately want to be her, which is a testament to the wonderful writing of both Lisa and Bee. I can’t wait to see how this one unfolds.

These two together are a force to be reckoned with.

Nominated by @deanwinchesterswitch

One And One Make Three (series) by @supernatural-jackles

This series was absolutely stunning, beautifully written, and an amazing rollercoaster of emotion. Jen handled some very sensitive subject matters with grace and wit. It has ALL the feels; I cried, laughed, and loved right along with the characters.

Nominated by @flamencodiva

Skeptics and True Believers (series) by @d-s-winchester

I love this story! It had me on the edge of my seat when I read through the master list. the way she wove the story together made me happy for the ending to the story!

Good Things (series) by @crashdevlin

This is Part one to four parts of writing GOLD! Cassie knows how to completely put you in the story and envision what is happening.

How Do You Spell Forever? (series) by @kittenofdoomage

This is part one of a four parter and OMG! Can I say that this is sweet and cute and full of A/B/O goodness? because this is! and it should be read and shared!

Nominated by @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish

Heathens (series) by @pink1031

Why: I have been 1000000% hooked on this story since the first chapter was published. It’s a little bit twisted, a little bit wrong, a whole lot dirty, and a whole lot of amazing writing! At the time of this submission, the last chapter is in progress (don’t get me started on the fact that it’s ending D:). It is without a doubt, one of the few stories I stop what I am doing (life permitting) and read the new chapter when I get notified. READ THE WARNINGS CAREFULLY THOUGH, this is not a story for the faint of heart or those that get squicked out (is that even a term?). But if you like dark and dirty, this fic will absolutely be your jam.

Nominated by @risingphoenix761

My Home (oneshot) by @kittenofdoomage

Short and sweet, but it got me all choked up. To repeat what I said in tags, bless this fic and the hands that typed it.

Feels Like The First Time (oneshot) by @stusbunker

This gets better every time I reread it. Sweet and sexy and kinda touching. Any time I need a Samwitch fix, I come back to this one. ❤

Nominated by @lovetusk ( @fictionalabyss )

Turning Into Butter (oneshot) by @thing-you-do-with-that-thing

Lets be honest with this one, shall we? We’d ALL get that distracted by a half naked Dean.

Please Don’t Go (oneshot) by @sorenmarie87

Dawn tested out her Angsting abilities in this Adam x Reader fic, and I’m hoping we get to see more of it. Like why is Dean so angry? I NEED TO KNOW!

Someone You Loved (oneshot) by @ne-gans

So glad ne-gans is now part of the pond because now I can nominate this beautiful thing that made me cry.

Nominated by @impala-dreamer

Stupor (oneshot) by @dontshootmespence

The hottest hot to ever hot in the hottest way possible - SOULLESS!DOM!SAM!! I ded. Very hot. Much smut. Very good.

Hurt So Good (oneshot) by @alleiradayne

This was tasty. Pun intended. I have such a biting thing and Sam would be so amazing. Yes. Devour me, Winchester!! Loved it.

Nominated by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters

Isn’t That My Line (oneshot) by @princessmisery666

I went into this one intrigued by the concept and I got even more than I was hoping for. A little twist I didn’t expect here, a perfect ending there. Amazing.

Control And Release (series) by @thecleverdame

I just needed to bring this one back. Started rereading the entire series and it’s still as amazing as the first time I read this masterpiece.

Photographs and Gasoline (oneshot) by @ne-gans

Always gotta check the new pond member list when I’m making my rounds. Found this fic and fell in love. It’s absolutely heartbreaking but I loved every second of it. Guess if I have to torture myself, I prefer to do it with beautiful writing like this.

Nominated by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Smokes and Sex Toys (oneshot) by @wayward-and-worn

This is delightfully fucking filthy. But that’s not all; Dean’s characterization is SO DEAN - flirty yet straightforward - it reminded me of the scene with the bartender in Defending Your Life, I love the simple yet creative premise, and I adore that it’s left open-ended.

Sick Day - @fangirlxwritesx67

Viv wrote this for me - it’s true - but that isn’t the reason I’m nominating this; it’s because this is so warm and comfortable and just feels like Dean. Like I actually felt like I was in his lap while I feel asleep reading this. (Also, check out my girl’s other works. She’s fairly new but balls to the wall and bursting with ideas and words for just about anyone.)

Nominated by @slytherkins

Isn’t That My Line (oneshot) by @princessmisery666

Short. Sinful. Sexy. It’s like a smutty snack that hits the spot. (And so does Dean.)

Nominated by @kittenofdoomage

What Goes Bump In The Night (series) by @saxxxology

A phenomenal series, historic and dark, with all the fantastic detail you’d expect from Saxxy and more! Please heed the warnings though!

The World Doesn’t Know (oneshot) by @negans-lucille-tblr

A wonderful little smutty J2 fic, for those who enjoy that fantasy.

Marked (series) by @there-must-be-a-lock

I’ve only read the first chapter so far, but hot damn! This is a spectacular start to a promisingly dark series. AND The Right Spot - a smutty smutty follow up to another oneshot that literally made me sweat.

Just Like A Pill by @princessmisery666

The angsty sequel to In Spite Of What My Heart Says and you should totally read both parts, just keep tissues by you in case of heartbreak!

Nominated by @focusonspn

House Of The Rising Sun (series) by @kittenofdoomage

I’ve never liked BDSM themes too much but, OH MY GOOD!! This series is AMAZING!! It even has a sequel: The Ones You Love. Go and read it, you won’t regret it.

Yes, Sir (series) by @evansrogerskitten

Ash must be tired of me praising this fic but I can’t help myself, it’s one of my favorite series ever and deserves this recognition. This is a series that every John girl out there should be reading RIGHT NOW. It has everything! Smut, fluff and a tiny bit of angst and drama.

Good Vibrations (series) by @impala-dreamer

At first I wasn’t sure if I should bring this fic here because all the drama I heard it existed about it but, then I thought it twice, and I came to the conclusion that this fic definitely deserve to be part of these awards. This piece of writing was the first (after Dear John, I have to admit) that actually made me cry. It’s dark, it’s sad as fuck, it’s damn well written, and makes you easily get inside the characters and feel what they’re feeling. That being said, if you’re thinking of reading it, please HEED THE WARNINGS.

Take a Drunk Girl Home (oneshot) by @amanda-teaches

This fic is so beautiful and so well written that I promise you even can end up tearing up a little, but it’s so worth it that you won’t care a bit.

Nominated by @emilyshurley

His Property (series) by @negans-lucille-tblr

I freaking love this series to the point that i binged the series (and it’s sequel, Yours) in a single day.

Just Me & My Baby (oneshot) by @deanwinchesterswitch

Can’t get over how adorable it is.

Guns and Ribbons (series) by @myinconnelly1

What can I say Dean Winchester deserves all the love in this world and so does this series.

I Can See Clearly Now (oneshot) by @katehuntington

I can’t. I don’t have words. This is perfection.

In the Heat of the Night (series) by @evansrogerskitten

Nominated by @impalaimagining

Goals (oneshot) by @atc74

Okay. It's been a long time since I've found Sam smut that really gets me into it. This though - it's a whole different level of wonderful. I love the way it explores a woman finding and embracing her own sexuality, and the frustration that can come along with it. It's obvious how much effort and research and actual planning went into this. My favorite kinds of fics are those that draw from real life experiences, which I think it what makes this one so special. And the end? Yes please!

Nominated by @fangirlxwritesx67

Everything (series) by @there-must-be-a-lock

I can’t even talk about how great this J2 x reader series is without incoherent fangirl flailing. It’s wildly creative, sharply well written, and absolutely panty-melting filthy! And then just when you’re so hot and bothered that you can’t see straight, *boom*, it’s sweet and intimate and loving. I don’t think there’s a series out there I’ve read this many times!

Hark and Hush by @thoughtslikeaminefield

This is a luscious, dark and twisted fairy tale about Dean and the spirit of the Big Bad Wolf. It’s written so vividly that you can see and smell and taste the whole story. Sexy af, of course, and so intense- take the warnings seriously!

The Kind of Girl You Like (series) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

To me, MJ will always be the Queen of the Winchester threesome and this series shows exactly why. Smoking hot story about the brothers sharing a sub that quickly unfolds into something complex and beautiful. The last chapter especially is written with so much emotional depth- the first time I read it, I was swearing and crying and smiling all at once because it was so well done! Just the best!

Nominated by @supersassyprobablysad

How You & I Will Be (series) by @katehuntington

Hey so I wanted to do an angel fish award nom for Kate for her How You & I Will Be fic. In 5 parts she not only developed believable characters but by the end I was ugly crying (and I don’t cry a lot so that’s saying something). The ending feels totally necessary too, not like it was just done for shock value. Anyway I love it, it’s the best I’ve read in a long time.

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

As with the BFAs, these are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

#afa masterlist #angel fish awards #spnfanficpond #spn fic rec #spn fanfic #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fic #fanfic #spn fan fiction #spn fanfiction #supernatural fan fiction #supernatural fan fic #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #fic rec #supernatural fic rec #spn fan fic

80 notes · View notes

doing-all-write · 5 years

Text

Sneak Peek!

HELLO! Life has been crazy and I appreciate your patience while I work on Don’t Be a Baby part 2! I’m very excited with how it’s coming along, it’s 17K and I’m not even halfway done with it (L M A O) soooo this mayyy become a three part series!! (or a four parter but don’t hold me to that)

ANYWAY, all this to say I wanted to give everyone a little sneak peek of what’s to come in part two so HERE YA GO!

Tag List: @itsabenthing @lil-brown-nb @vroboat @mrhoemazzello @gwendolyns-stacy @alliwantfromyouistomakelovetome @desperatelytryingtosavemyself @jonesyaddiction @xtrashmammalstefx @radiob-l-a-hblah

Bright.

That was her first thought as her eyelids fluttered open and immediately closed upon being assaulted by blinding white light.

For a wild second she thought she had gone to heaven.

"I know what you're thinking. Is this heaven? No. It's not. Because if this were heaven I'd be smoking a fat blunt, drinking the finest gin and on a beach somewhere where no living person could bother me. People like you."

Scraping was heard as a chair was pulled closer to where she lay. The voice that spoke was drôle, making her wonder if this man ever took anything seriously. And also if he could read minds.

"Pretty good stunts you pulled out there. You learn that shit from watching Black Widow too many times?"

Silence. She tried to keep her breath steady so maybe he would think she was still asleep.

"Sweetheart, i just saw your eyelids crack open a second ago. There's no way in hell you dropped back off to sleep that quickly."

"Shouldn't I be dead?" It felt like her vocal cords were two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. The sound that was expunged from her throat was a dry husk.

"You should be but, like Chase, I have more money than God and a crack team of experts. One of whom happens to know exactly what was in that vial and the antidote for it. You've been stable and asleep for three days now."

He saw her eyebrows twitch, which he figured was the most reaction he would get out of her at this point.

Keeping her eyes closed was easier for her to digest this information and to keep her poker face intact. The voice sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

"Is he-?"

"Dead? Yeah. A half dose of a lethal poison most people can come back from, but a bullet right through the skull? Much like Humpty Dumpty, we can't exactly put that back together again."

She felt her lips twitch and scolded herself for letting any emotion show through.

"He deserved it."

"I know. And you deserve to use your skills in a better way." Her body stilled, her breath stopped for a beat and when it resumed again, the monologue continued, "I have...fuck I hate sounding like Samuel L. Jackson but I have a team. And we could use someone like you."

Another scraping sound, the soft rustle of fabric moving as the voice sounded like it was coming over her, "Think about it. And I'll contact you.” His footsteps getting further away when they stopped suddenly,

“And don't worry. I always keep my promises."

Her hands clenched, the veins popping out as those five words washed over her like a cold shower.

The clenched hands were all the reaction he needed.

Hearing the door close she un-clenched her fists, part of her wondering why he had said those words exactly, when her fingertips brushed against a piece of card stock.

Waiting an extra beat or two to make sure whoever was there had really left, she cracked open an eyelid. Noting that the room was empty except for her and the medical equipment standing guard around her, she pulled the card up to eye level.

But it was blank.

#billy #ben hardy #billy!ben #6underground #6u #6 underground #ben hardy fanfic #ben hardy one shots #ben hardy fluff #ben hardy angst #skywalker #sky walker #6U!Ben

27 notes · View notes

findmeinpops · 5 years

Text

FindMeInPops’ 12 Days of Ficmas: Day Six - A Cynic’s Christmas (Part One of Two)

Part Two is here.

It’s that time of year again where I try to pump out a drabble or one-shot for each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas! I have a couple already written but some of them will be written by prompt and on request - I have a prompt list that I’ll reblog now, if you want to take a look - so bare with for any editing errors! Enjoy, my loves, and have a happy festive season :)

And quick note, if anyone prefers AO3, the link to my 2019 12 Days of Ficmas collection is here. x

Prompts:

No. 40 - “Wait, you’re not going home for Christmas?”

No. 13 - Person A hates Christmas because they’ve never had a good one. So Person B goes all out to make this the best Christmas for them.

Ship(s): totally platonic Sweet Pea x Female!Reader

Rating: T (for swearing, please correct me if I’m wrong)

CW(s): cynicism, making light of deceased family, alcohol, swearing

Reindeer Games: Blitzen - Holidays

A/N: this is going to be a two-parter, folks. It’s going to be a long-un’ and I had not a lot of time to write both parts before this went out. Enjoy x

Y/N sighed, flopping back onto her bed, hands spread wide over her head in despair. Her mother had asked, no, demanded that she come ‘home’ for Christmas like she had done every year for the three years she had been at university. And, like every year, Y/N truly did not want to go but did not have a worthy excuse to give her mother for why she had to stay in the apartment she and Sweet Pea rented near her university campus.

“Just don’t go.” Sweet Pea told her, sat on top of her desk despite there being a perfectly good chair not even one metre away. “You don’t want to go, you never want to go, but you force yourself to go for no other reason than to torture yourself. Just don’t go.” He shrugged, switching his phone off and instead choosing to watch Y/N argue with herself for the tenth time that day, just this time she was surrounded by piles of clothes.

“My mother forces me.” She corrected before releasing another over-dramatic sigh, if only it were as simple as Sweet Pea made it seem.

“Your mother doesn’t force you, she’s not even in the country. What’s she going to do? Fly over here and drag you back to California by your ear?”

“Please, my mother coming to England?” Y/N sat up, knocking a pile of dresses onto the floor. “She would not risk the weather, especially not in December.” She dramatically emphasised ‘December’ - a winter in England was considered the devil by Y/N’s mother. God forbid the temperature gets below ten degrees.

“She’s English.” He stated with his signature emotionless tone and expression.

It had taken a month after he moved in for Y/N to get Sweet Pea to show anything that nearly resembled a smile. Now he did not hold back his emotions much when he was just around her, when they were in public was a different matter, but Y/N learned that emotionless was just his default expression. Just like her default expression was a friendly, approachable smile.

“She is but she took one step into California and never looked back.” Y/N stood up, beginning to pace through the center of the room. “Literally, she had all of her stuff shipped over before the end of the first week.”

“You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet.”

“The floor’s wooden.” Y/N stopped in front of him, an eyebrow raised.

“It got you to stand still didn’t it?” He jibed, raising an eyebrow back.

“Oh shut up.” She began to pace again, her hands clasped and her fingers worrying one another.

“Would you please stop?” Exasperation began to leak into his tone with maybe just a hint of genuine concern.

“I do not want to go. I hate her. I love her but I hate her. I do not want to spend Christmas with her. Y’know,” she stopped again, hands still clasped, “she will expect me to move there by the end of the two weeks. She will be surprised if she does not find my boxes at her front door by the second of January, taking into account holiday shipping delays of course. Y’know...” and she began to pace again.

Having enough of her meltdown, Sweet Pea pushed himself off of the desk, striding over to Y/N and grasping her by the tops of her arms.

“For the love of God, stay fucking still!” He exclaimed, releasing her arms but fixing her with a pointed glare. “I’ve told you so many times, just stay here. We can just get pissed and watch telly.”

“Wait, you’re not going home for Christmas?”

“All my family are dead.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. Sweet Pea always went for shock value, loving to watch the way people squirmed when he emotionlessly announced that his entire family was dead without warning, and it worked for the first three times with Y/N - she wasn’t a sociopath after all. But after two and a half years of living in close proximity with Sweet Pea, she was now completely desensitised to his antics.

“I know that but what about your friends? Or just having Christmas in your hometown?”

“My friends all hate me and my hometown is a dump.” He countered, taking a few steps back before lifting himself onto the desk again - she had given up on reprimanding him for it a while ago.

“Well I know that’s not true,” she paused, “the first bit anyway - goddamn Riverdale is falling apart.” Y/N had visited with him once and, after seeing the photos of how the town used to look, was horrified at how it had been left to run itself into the ground. The local diner was the most heartbreaking, now empty and ripped apart. The trailer park on the outskirts, where Sweet Pea had lived, was one of the only parts still standing, the gang he was born into going strong but simply did not have the funds to rebuild the town to its former glory. Unbeknownst to Sweet Pea, Y/N had every intention of donating a hefty sum of money in a few months when her trust fund finally came through.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “It’s fine, Y/N. I’m happy to stay here. Christmas is an awful time where companies milk the world dry, the rich thrive, the poor are miserable and everybody pretends to enjoy themselves whilst Uncle Sam gets completely drunk and vomits all over the Christmas turkey.”

“Well,” Y/N started, used to Sweet Pea’s eternal cynicism, “the rich do that all the time, not just at Christmas, we can try our best to save the world but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you shouldn’t let that stop you from having an awesome Christmas.” Then she gave him a pointed look. “Plus, you don’t have an Uncle Sam because, as you love to remind everyone, he’s dead.”

‘Touche’ was all that Sweet Pea offered in return, allowing his legs to swing slightly over the edge of the desk.

“So what are you actually doing for Christmas?” Y/N persisted. “Are any of your friends staying back? Can you celebrate with them?”

“I don’t have any friends.”

“You have me.”

“And you’re going back to England.”

Y/N sighed. When Sweet Pea was in one of these moods, getting answers was like trying to get blood from a stone, and he was usually determined to force her into his negative view of the world. Most of the time he would be somewhat of a pessimist, particularly in front of strangers but, as with the expressionless facade, the constant pessimism and cynicism faded somewhat as the pair established a friendship. However, when he was in one of these moods, he would argue black was white and that the world was evil and everyone should die, just to watch you get frustrated.

“Are you seriously not doing anything for Christmas? I can stay, if you want?” She offered.

“If you really don’t want to go, then don’t go, she can’t force you, but don't stay for me. Christmas sucks, it has always sucked and it always will, there’s nothing that can be done about it.” He stated matter-of-factly, shrugging again.

“You hate Christmas?” Y/N asked dumbfounded. She guessed she should have known this already, what with his shitty childhood, she could understand the reasoning but to hear him actually say it seemed to shock her. She herself was an avid Christmas fan, to be best friends with an anti-Christmasser was a bizarre concept.

On the first of December, Y/N had gone to the local Christmas tree farm and bought a six-foot tree to sit in the apartment entranceway. She knew she wasn’t going to spend Christmas in the country but she needed her home to have some element of festiveness, even if she would not be here on the actual day to appreciate it. Sweet Pea had persuaded her not to decorate the entire house as ‘what’s the point in spending so much on decorations when you won’t fucking be here’.

What he had not yet grasped though, is Y/N had too much money; she was one of the lucky ones, or unlucky, depending on how you see it. She came from a long-line of rich, white, upper-classmen and so when her mother gave her a £2500 weekly allowance, on top of paying for necessities and the upkeep of their apartment, she would not struggle to afford to deck out the whole place as she wanted. Half of the allowance already went to local charities but anymore than that and her mother began to ask questions. Her mother looked down on the poor, or anyone who could not afford to have a solid gold toilet; she was a horrible person with no empathy and it was for that reason that Y/N did not want to spend her festive period at her estate in California.

“Yes, I hate Christmas.” He stated. “For all of the reasons I just told you.”

“I’m staying.” She decided.

“Okay.”

“I’m staying and you are going to have the best Christmas ever.” She crossed her arms defiantly whilst her mind was already organising a list of everything she needed to do and get to make this the greatest experience for Sweet Pea. It was the afternoon of the twenty-third, but with her expertise, she was fairly certain she could get it done.

“No, Y/N, plea-” Sweet Pea tried to protest but was already half-defeated.

Anyone who knew Y/N knew that she was a force to be reckoned with once she had her mind set. It would take gale force winds or perhaps the apocalypse to stop her.

The idea was kind of sweet, Sweet Pea supposed, but involved far too much time and money being spent for only his benefit. Plus, he knew how her mother was and she would more than disapprove of her daughter spending so much for no true reason.

“Sorry, I can’t seem to hear you.” Y/N exclaimed as she ran from the room to where her handbag sat on a table beside the tree in the hallway.

“Y/N!” He called, following swiftly after her.

“Still can’t quite hear you!” She cried, pulling open the front door before stopping and turning to shout back to Sweet Pea. “I’m heading out for a while, don’t wait up!” And with that, she was out the door, shutting it with a slam, leaving a very confused Sweet Pea in her wake.

#riverdaleevents #blitzen: holidays #southsidearchive #riverdalereindeergames #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea x female!reader #riverdale #findmeinpops 12 days of christmas #harry's creations and additions #harry's word creations

13 notes · View notes

taesbetch · 6 years

Text

02| Its Better Now

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst Hybrid!AU

Summary: Finally having her life together Y/N decides she wants to help out any way she can. When she hears about a hybrid bust she signs up to foster knowing that the shelters are filling up fast. What she doesn't expect is the “aggressive” and “cold” hybrid boy to wriggle his way into her heart.

Word Count: 1.7k

“Yoongi!” You called as you examined the ripped-up pillows in front of you. After a long day of work, you wanted to come home and relax with your hybrid, but instead you stood in front of your couch looking at the mess made by a bored Yoongi.

It wasn’t the first time he had done this.

In fact, it wasn’t even the second. Whenever he would get bored his energy always got directed to your poor couch cushions and not one of the multiple toys you had bought him.

You even purchased a few large teddy bears for the exact purpose of destroying them.

Yoongi sheepishly shuffled into the room, his ears flat against his head as a soft blush spread across his cheeks. You sighed as you placed your hands on your hips trying hard not to scowl the boy and scare him.

“again?” you asked in shock as your hand pointed to the disastrous living room.

“You didn’t even hide the evidence” You added with a frustrated chuckle.

“I’m sorry” he whispered as you started picking up fluff.

You watched him carefully. His pupils were shaking as his hands gripped the edge of his jumper nervously.

You noticed how often he did this whenever he was in some sort of trouble. You admit it was adorable, but you didn’t want him feeling anxious over every little thing he did.

“Yoongi, its okay” you cooed as you made your way over to him. His eyes lifted of the ground to look at yours, studying your expression to make sure what he was hearing was correct.

“i-its okay? You don’t hate me?” he stuttered quietly, his voice cracking as you planted you hand on his head.

“Of course, not you silly monkey” You said as the boy whined.

Scratching his ears, you smiled as his whining turned into purring. You puma hybrid had done a complete 180 from the first time you brought him home.

From a timid and cold boy to a soft and shy pile of mush. This was now your life, coming home to ripped up cushions and a guilty hybrid, but you wouldn’t have it any other day.

“I’m so sorry, I just get so bored when you’re not home. You usually don’t have to go in so often, its weird without you here” he confessed.

You smiled at the boy before sighing deeply. You knew it’d be hard for him when you took up the new project at your company, but it wouldn’t be long til he had you all to himself again.

“I know bud, hey why don’t you come with me tomorrow! I have to overlook a photoshoot, it’ll be boring but at least you’ll be with me?” you suggested, his eyes lighting up at the words, come with me.

“really? I can come with you?” he asked, a smile appearing on his face. You nodded as a laugh made its way out of your body.

The boy was happy just being with you and if bring him to work was what it took to save your home and keep your hybrid entertained then so be it.

“we leave tomorrow at 8am” You said before walking to the bin, mentally putting cushions on your shopping list.

Yoongi sat, fully content with just watching you help around the photoshoot.

You would often feel bad about leaving him alone, so it was nice to bring him along. As you approved a list of items, they needed to include you looked towards your hybrids whose eyes were stuck on you.

The place was crowded and full of people rushing around. Your co-worker sam had been running back and forth, greeting Yoongi when she could as she handed you files after files.

Smiling at him before returning your attention back to your work your co-worker noticed how attentive he was.

“You should bring him along more often” she smiled as you signed the paperwork.

“I thought he’d be bored here too, but it looks like he’s doing okay” You said as you passed her the pen.

“I think it has something to do with company. My first one taehyung was a little sceptical until I got my second one. I think when they have another hybrid with them, it calms them down.” She stated.

“interesting…hey, do you think I could bring Yoongi over? Maybe having other hybrid friends would help?” you asked her.

The two of you had been over to each other’s houses before but it had mainly been for work.

“yea of course you can, I’m sure they’ll get along just fine” she smiled before heading of with the files.

You nodded your head excitedly as you looked back over to Yoongi thinking about what kind of hybrid friend you should get for him.

The end of the day came quicker than you thought it would.

Yoongi was a bit hesitant at first but once you told him it would make you happy, he was all for it.

As the two of you drove in silence, you felt the eyes of your puma burning into the side of your head.

“yes?” You giggled as you turned your head to him for a brief second before turning back to the road.

The sun was glowing brightly and even though you looked at him no longer than a few seconds you noted how honey his eyes were in the sun.

“nothing” he whispered before he turned his head towards the window watching the cars coming from the opposite direction.

Arriving at your co-workers house your mind immediately thought of the perfect family home.

Her lawn was perfectly cut, the house was white and radiant, surrounded by flowers of all kind, neatly organised into perfect sections. If she didn’t open the door holding a tray of freshly baked cookies, you would be disappointed.

The two of you walked up the pathway to her door, the welcome mat giving Yoongi uneasy vibes.

Knocking on the door you shot Yoongi a reassuring look, whispering that he’ll be fine.

“hey!” She said as she ushered the two of you inside.

“Hey sam” you smiled still shocked at how utterly clean and put together her home was.

“This is my dog hybrid taehyung and my cat hybrid Namjoon!” She chirped as the two hybrids lined up in front of you, smiling warmly.

“Its very nice to meet the both of you! im y/n and this is my puma hybrid Yoongi” You said as you placed your hand on his back, giving him a pat of encouragement.

Yoongi gave a half smile to the two hybrids before grabbing your hand and shuffling closer towards you.

As you and Sam watched the boys play on the x-box you spoke of fluff such as the work and personal lives but as you watched the interaction of her two hybrids you couldn’t help but the urge to get Yoongi a friend strengthening.

“I know this really cool shelter that let your hybrid and the one you would like to get bond before you take them home” She said out of the blue.

Seeing your shocked face, she smiled at you before saying anything else.

“For Yoongi. A friend? Your clearly keen on the idea” she said as she sipped her tea.

“mmm, I am pretty keen on the idea…do you mind sending me the info. Yoongis a very picky hybrid so that shelter sounds amazing” You stated as she nodded along with every word you said.

“of course. If you were to get another one you want to make sure they’re a perfect match for Yoongi” she added.

You hmmed in agreement as you looked back to the three hybrids having a ball of a time. Getting more excited at the idea of your family getting bigger.

The playdate was nice for both you and Yoongi, you got to get a better idea of what life with another hybrid would look like and Yoongi got to make more friends.

As the two of you waved good and drove off, the car was filled with the same silence it was on the way here.

“Did you ha-“You started before being cut off by an angered Yoongi.

“I can’t believe you want to replace me, you said you didn’t hate me” he huffed in anger his eyes welling up with tears.

Shocked you pulled over the car, making sure that what he said was actually what you headed. Turning your head, you looked at Yoongi in complete disbelief and he folded his arms looking away from You.

“Yoongi, where is this coming from? I would never want to replace you, I love you to death you silly puma” You argued, your eyebrows knitting together.

As cars rushed past you Yoongi slowly looked at you, tears running down his face.

“you love me? Really? Do you mean it?” he said his voice quaking.

You cooed as you wiped his tears away, your heart breaking at the fact that he thought you didn’t want him anymore.

“Then why were you talking about getting another hybrid?” he asked with a pout.

“For you! a friend. I thought you could use one” you sighed as you ran your hand through your hair.

“i…I don’t want one” He whined his eyes exposing his lies.

“are you sure?” You asked slowly, narrowing your eyes at him.

“No, But…I don’t want one right now. I just want you to love me and only me. No sharing of your affection” He said before pouting cutely, grabbing your hand.

You giggled before giving his ears a scratch.

“well okay then, for now, its just you and me” You said before pulling away from him and starting the engine.

As you drove home you heard the soft purring of your hybrid from beside you. you heard him whisper something, but your ears couldn’t quite make it out. You shrugged it off as you looked forward to the future with you and your lovely hybrid Yoongi.

“Just you and me” he had repeated before turning to the window, the smile on his face wider than any smile he had made before.

i know its short but sis there wasn't even gonna be a second part and now its a three parter so cut me some slack. the next one will be a little longer but not like a regualr 5k post AIGHT. lots of love, taesbetch xxxx

587 notes · View notes

parfaitwaffles · 5 years

Text

Finished my HUGtto! Pretty Cure rewatch! And what can I say than I’m a totally different person that I have been last year. While I have come to like HUGtto with the final few episodes last year, I’ve totally come to adore the season as a whole! And I am glad that I did this rewatch.

Over all, I think HUGtto! Pretty Cure is a season that needs (at least) a second watch as there’s so much happening in the season that it’s hard to get it all at first. Maybe, after rewatching for a third time, some things will get even clearer, who knows. Fact is, that many things, that didn’t make sense for me during the first watch, made sense and were well done as I rewatched the season. Of course, since I knew the show, there was nothing new for me and I knew what would happen, but it is not always a bad thing? After all, I really enjoy watching Pretty Cure seasons for more than only one time! Don’t ask me how many times I’ve watched Fresh Pretty Cure, Yes! Pretty Cure 5 or Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo! Just like these seasons, I can see myself go to watch HUGtto! Pretty Cure in the future, if I need something nice to watch (same goes for HaCha and Go! Pri btw).

Note: I ended up typing a lot. Imma add a Keep Reading instead! :)

But as it always is, with everything you like, there are things you don’t like. It is always like that, and with HUGtto as well. For one thing, I didn’t like the short comings of several characters, such as Ruru for example. She might have gotten a lot of episodes with Emiru, but these were mainly to tell her “liking someone is okay, even if you are different than them”, which is not bad, but since she always got the same lesson, it felt like Ruru didn’t get much of development after she became a Cure - until Traum appeared at least. Their interactions were always funny and pure. I love them!

Saaya’s development may have been rushed and at some point maybe forced, but she had her share of episodes where she slowly developed a new dream, which was wonderful in my opinion. Now, she didn’t really have a lot of episodes were she was the main-main-centered character, but she did develop in some other filler episodes that, if you think about it, are actually Saaya episodes. And I do not have to hide the fact that I love Saaya’s development very much.

I know a lot of people didn’t like Homare’s crush being her second plot, but I personally wasn’t bothered by it that much - during the second watch. I also hated it during the first watch. However, now I realized that this plot was well done. Whether you ship mouse and girl or not, the point is not the shipping, it is the strength that one gains. Homare’s arc is supposed to tell the kids that falling in love is not a bad thing, and that if your love is not returned, you can still be strong - just be cause you cry doesn’t mean that you are weak. Sometimes, lifting a secret is better for yourself than holding it back.

Emiru on the other hand, has gotten quite a lot episodes, in which she developed from her “It’s dangerous nanodesu” self into a girl, on which others can rely and which will never hold back her dreams - in other words will never stop playing guitar because that’s what she likes to do. While Emiru had a lot episodes, I think the least Emiru-centered episodes actually showed anything new. Emiru sure is a cute girl (praise my MaCherie doll) but she has gotten a lot of focused episodes, when she was already well developed and that, in my opinion could have been used on something else. But Emiru is fun and her faces are always entertaining, so nothing to complain here. (The best development still goes to her bro, though. Sorry Emiru)

And Hana--- I don’t know what to say with Hana. I love her - but I have already loved her and her development during the first watch. But imma be honest, with all stories that end with the pink character being the centered plot point; Hana has done the best job, as HUGtto wasn’t all about Hana from the beginning and Hana just simply deserved to have this final showdown with George (which I admit had to watch a whole of 3 times to finally like it, cuz it is - in fight terms - really lame. It’s more impacting based on the things that are said). For people who aren’t sure how Hana developed: Hana started off as a girl, who had been shamed by her old classmates and thus has been questioning herself a lot. Once she even wondered if “cheering on others” was the only thing she could do. But thanks to her experience, she could grow over her past self and fully accept herself with her strengths and weaknesses. - Or at least that’s my impression of Hana’s development.

I don’t know how to say that, but all the people that have talked with me about HUGtto once before know that I like Criasu, as a villain organisation a lot. I like how in detail Criasu as a whole is (and the fact that the main villain is basically the economy. Thank you Toei xD). My favorite villains of the season where the first three that were purified - or defeated, in Daigan’s case (it was over in 5 minutes) -, even though I’m not that solid on Charaleet, but he was funny from time to time, so I’m not complaining. (See that? Throw in some good humor and you got me) I think the problem Criasu had was the fact why I love it so much - every villain had their own reason to stop time. Each of them have their own story - but because of that... Each story had to be developed, and we hardly got the time to see the stories of all employees of Criasu, which is why, especially Listol and Bicine got almost nothing, and I can’t really say that I care much about Gelos, which is sad, since I do think she is an interesting character (JinJin and Takumi on the other hand.... eh...). And - I know that was never the goal of HUGtto as he was supposed to be somewhat a mystery - I wished we had learned a little more about George. Because, ... you know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it? I feel sympathy for him and it’s weird but I do. Still no excuse to be a creep.

Glad that everyone of Criasu got somewhat like a new life. It is really refreshing and I like it when the defeated villains don’t just disappear.

Ah- actually, you know what? I wanted to continue with the episodes that I didn’t like as much (or at all), but since I’ve started with “I wished we had known more about”, I need to add in, something I kept complaining about the whole rewatch: I really wished we had known more about Cure Tomorrow. I never knew I liked Cure Tomorrow so much until I found myself complaining that we never even saw Tomorrow fighting. I guess, yes, it was not her story... but still! It would have been so cool! Better than the Minna wa Purikyua anyway...

Fure Fure Hugtan, may your future be bright.

So.. where was I? Oh yeah, with the episodes I didn’t like as much. I am surprised to say that there weren’t many, which I really didn’t expect, since I expected the second half to be a lot worse than the first was - the first half was better but the second still wasn’t a total mess. Among the 49 episodes we had, there are a total of 8 episodes which I didn’t enjoy, which didn’t have good pacing, where the built up was missing etc.

Rules were; if the episode upsets me, it will be added to the list. Some episodes were better, some were the worst, for the story of HUGtto, in my opinion. But before I tell you what I thought was missing in/wrong with the episode, please note, that I really didn’t like how the Cures got the attack Minna de Tomorrow! The episode itself was good! But the whole Mother Heart thing was just too rushed in my opinion. This should have been a two parter. So in case you wonder why you don’t find the episode on my list: I did enjoy it and did think it was a good episode - until the Mother Heart stuff.

20: Cure Macherie and Cure Amour! Hooray hooray! The Pretty Cure of Love!

(I’m actually one of the people who think it had been better if HUGtto had stayed a 3 Cures team. But that is not the reason why I’m not happy with the episode). I love you Emiru, Ruru, but I just didn’t like how you got your powers. ... It’s not that you didn’t deserve it, but... I have an issue with Mother Heart in general - they should have explored the whole Mother Heart plot a lot further. “Miracles happen”, yeah, but do miracles excuse a story to be rushed? IMO, this either should have been solved differently, or should have been a two parter as well.

But luckily the next Twin Love episodes were good stuff! So welcome to the team Cure MaCherie, Cure Amour!

28: Catch That Heart? Hooray Hooray! Mogumogu!

I... have tried to explain my problems to my friends when I watched it, but I just cannot get it in words... Imma try again. So the episode... is a mess. Papple’s appearance was unnecessary but it rescued the episode. Whoop Whoop! Great comedy. I do get and like the message they tried to deliver. And Emiru and Ruru’s talk was very touching. But just .... the WHOLE way they delivered ... the episode as a whole...

I have got nothing to say. Next!

(Btw. the message I understood was that you don’t need to change yourself to make others like you. Being yourself is the best thing! And it doesn’t matter if you are different or not.)

34: The Great Detective, Kotori! The Big Sister Investigation!

Kotori!! Precious bean has become the third member of Team Yell! --- I mean Cure Yell-san fanclub. While it is an over all good episode idea... I didn’t think it was well done. I don’t know myself what was bad again or what could have been improved, but since it is HUGtto, it probably had pacing problems. And right now, I wished we had seen more sisterly moments between Hana and Kotori.

LOOONNGG SIGH The crossover disaster

Actually two episodes, I take it as one. Just... you know? They did really interrupt the flow of HUGtto’s story. And I really think they were not good for HUGtto at all. But we gotta advertise the 15th anniversary movie. Fine, fine, let’s get going.

(ARGH PIKARIO. DON’T HYPE ME)

41: Emiru's Dream, Shout It From Your Soul!

(looks at notes: “had many good parts though”)

I suppose I liked the fun elements the episode had, like how everyone tries to talk to nyanko face Emiru or how everyone reacts to her. And the Emiruru talk was very touching (it always is very touchging) but I suppose I didn’t like watching it.

No, actually, I did struggle putting it on the list, as it was a good episode for Emiru, but I felt like something was lacking, even if I can’t put it in words. Much like Emiru lost her voice that episode.

Best point of the episode goes to Masato though. May his jokes rest in potatoes.

42: One Yell For Another! This Is My Cheer!

(pls don’t hate me dear fandom)

Cure Infini was a great step in Pretty Cure history, and I will never act like it wasn’t!! The thing is... I was missing the built up towards Cure Infini. Yes, we had the one episode where Listol confronts him and then at the end of episode 41 we saw Henri fall. But that was all. I would have loved to see a little more built up towards this. I never asked Toei to put Henri in a car accident.. dear god Toei... just maybe... even earlier let Henri have obvious struggles.

But looking at what we got, it was just too rushed for me, and Cure Infini had deserved better. Maybe even join Criasu for a little and then break free from it and become Cure Infini. Just... something!

45: HUGs For All! Merry Christmas☆

How to improve the episode: Take away the whole stupid “Santa falls from the Sky” thing and we are good. Thanks.

Long review, one thought: HUGtto! Pretty Cure is a good and very emotional season with amazing characters (minus JinJin and Takumi... though they were funny in the Christmas episode) and a touching plot! It also helped me a lot with having faith in my future... something no Pretty Cure season could have done since Yes! Pretty Cure 5 (please note that the first time I watched Go! Pri was in 2018. But Go! Pri also helped me a lot).

I hope that everyone can also look forward to the future. Stopping time is an impossible thing! You may never see the next episode of Pretty Cure if you do!!

With that said, Fure Fure Everyone!

#precure #pretty cure #hugtto precure #review

25 notes · View notes

ellaenchanting · 5 years

Text

Beguiled Recap

Every year writing these gets harder. Because I can only go to con about once a year it ends up feeling less like a normal convention and more like visiting a town where you grew up. There are so many people to see and they've often changed so much since you've last seen them. People have broken up, people have gotten closer, people have gotten more connected to the community at large, people have started or ended a conflict, people have exciting changes in their real life, people have joined, people have brought their friends, some people aren't there. You’ve drifted apart, you’ve drifted together. It's dizzying taking in the new dynamics and just feeling really connected and disconnected at once. There are quite a few hypnofolks that I would happily spend an entire weekend with one on one so it's hard to split time and attention to connect to everyone that I really, really want to spend time with. There are always a ton of people who seem awesome and who I would really like to know better but probably never will. So many hypnokinksters are magnetic to me- I try not to get pulled so hard that I end up drained of energy or time or behave unkindly to folks I'm already committed to*.

It's a balance.

I fuck it up.

We all do- there's probably no way to be connected meaningfully to a plethora of people and not fuck up the balance of time and energy. But- one of the things I'm most happy about from this weekend is that I got to spend at least a little time with a bunch of people who I feel connected to and who I really care about. I hope others had a similar experience (as loose and fast and chaotic as it all can be).

TMI ABOUT MY FUCKING FEELINGS (aka the skippable part):

- I’ve had a rough 2019 in terms of mental health and I was really worried about con leaving me worse off (like it did last year). I was trying to be really mindful about eating and sleeping enough as well as not over-committing myself. I had the full range of difficult experiences and emotions for bits of time- tired, lonely, rejected, jealous, angry, sad, guilty, ashamed- but I never quite felt like I fell into a hole that I couldn’t get out of. I had a bit more fight in me this time. I don’t know quite where that came from but I’d take riled up over despair any day. I generally only really get to hang out with hypnokinksters once a year - I’m glad I could fight to stay present for it.

-I felt more toppy this con than I have in a while- sometimes in low-key ways and sometimes in ways that felt much more aggressive than I’ve experienced in a while. I’ve had a lot of times recently where topping felt inauthentic and hard- like I was pathetically pretending at something I’m not talented enough to achieve. (Hell, I felt like that for most of Heart of Texas.) It’s hard to reconcile the helplessness of depression with a good confident hypnotist headspace. It was nice to get back into an extended toppy groove this weekend. Thanks to everyone who was nice to me around this and who was excited to see that side of me.

A Jangled Tangle of What I Did (In Roughly Chronological Order):

My con was much more about connecting with individuals than doing big public things that would make an interesting recap. I'm going to write some details below but they'll be really vague. If you think I'm talking about to I probably am. :) :

-Topping is for Everyone was so good. Excellent participation and beautifully given. I’m so happy about how it went- and would love to actually join you next year (if you want to do it again).

-Playing around with visual hallucinations and just hanging out for a bit during a con that I know was busy for you. Hopefully helping a bit? I’m happy for all of the positive things you experienced this weekend and all the support you received. :)

-Thank you for the picture. It's beautiful. :)

-A rude interruption of my nap. Harumph. :P Clearly I hated it.

-Not bringing nearly enough clean clothes.

-Femme flirt had some problems this year but I'm still very happy about it as an event and grateful to everyone who came out. Thank you to @daja-the-hypnokitten and @sex-obsessed-lesbian for co-organizing.

- I've already talked to you about this scene but- I like you so much. :) Light sensitized touch (especially lip touching) and just the perfect tone. Also fun with blankness. Additionally- lots of random little talk and play throughout the weekend. You're the best and just being around you always fills me with happiness.

- Thanks for letting me cuddle with y'all. :) Sorry I was half-asleep.

- Demo bottoming for Setting Your Subject Up for Success. I've been through this class 3 or 4 times now and have learned something every time. It's such a useful class and so well taught. @sex-obsessed-lesbian has an amazing style that I always really really enjoy.

- Getting lunch and catching up.:) Also getting some time to do mutual "I like you" trances and play with rope. (Rope! Who knew you were so kinky! :P ) Also co-topping! Twice! :) That was fun. I know schedules are weird and you've got a lot of stuff going on but- I want you in my life as much as you're reasonably able to be there? Don't be a stranger. :)

- Also- hey thank you for thinking of me as a co-top! I enjoyed it a lot- and you have lovely reactions. I hope your weekend ended up being everything you hoped for. It looked like you were having tons of fun! :)

- Fear Play Lounge- I never thought I'd be particularly interested in doing fear play but the opportunity came up to join a fear play group before con and- apparently I've been storing ideas because all of a sudden I could think of a ton of things I wanted to try. I still don't think of fear play as being particularly sexy, necessarily, but kind of fascinating and really fun to think about logistically. (I may have a logistics kink.) Had a very sexy Killing Eve inspired scene, did kind of a two parter brain parasite/helpless passenger thing (HOOOOOT- you were a beautiful partner), and did a Madoka Magica-inspired soul gem scene. All were VERY fun- some of the favorite things I did at con with fabulous scene partners. I also loved watching what other people were doing and their mutual creativity (like in the “bugs on the floor” scene). Thank you to everyone from the lab for making such a cool atmosphere and especially to my scene partners for letting me experiment with something new.

-More unexpected co-topping was unexpected! But nice! (Not always co- but- sequential topping?) I'm sorry for crashing y’alls time together (I didn’t quite realize that’s what I was doing)- but was really glad I got to spend more time with both of you and do some light casual trancing. Y'all are cute. :)

- Nice deep trance with some fun cleverness around finding My Unconscious. Have I told you recently how much I love your voice when it gets soft and gentle like that? Mmmm. Also hot mirror things with a little bit of switchiness. Love you. ♥️ You're incredible.

-Dinner and a scene :) Thank you for finally letting me take you out. And- hmmm- boots. Deconstruction. Fuzzing out the unimportant words and thoughts. That thing where you do something so attractively that I have to see it over and over again. So grateful for you and your trust and your friendship. Thank you. (Also for Tuesday morning was an additional, unexpected hotness. Don’t think I haven’t gone back and reread or that I don’t have plans. It doesn’t really matter which thoughts are originally mine and which are originally yours when yours will all eventually be mine anyways, right? )

-Didn’t think so

-You probably shouldn’t think about that too much either, hmm? <3

- Killing Eve things again! That was my second scene with no hypnosis (you know, -ish) and it was different but really exciting to do. You’re devastatingly hot. Still trying to decide between doing and being done to- being a switch is confusing. :P Thank you for asking me and for taking time for me and for trusting me with something a little dark-feeling (and also for the beautiful dress). Let’s do more of all the things, yeah?

-It was lovely seeing you look adorable in pretty dresses all weekend. I was so happy about our gentle and fun Sunday morning scene. I really liked your happy purr- and I had a happy purry feeling myself after we were done. Thank you! :)

-Don’t Drop Yet was such a fun class to participate in. I’m glad that I actually made it this time. Y’all are great. :) I still haven’t figured out quite how resistance play works for me as a bottom but it’s a fun thing to explore.

- Teasy fuzzy handcuff things were really fun. :) I didn’t do a lot of concentrated bottoming during con (see above re: headspace) but I’m glad I got some of that time in with you. I also appreciate your care and concern later in the weekend. Things work themselves out- but I appreciate you thinking about me. I won’t tell anyone how sweet you are (who doesn’t already know). :P

-Thanks for going to dinner with me. :) I did genuinely enjoy hearing your thoughts and theories. Also- I think i owe you a text message and an amnesia rant (which I also apparently owe to @daja-the-hypnokitten and @spiralturquoise). Thank you for taking out the time to spend with me.

- @sebsteerpike- I really like talking with you. I just want to note that here. Consider it officially noted. :)

- Sunday night didn’t turn out exactly like I planned, but the positive side of that was that I got to see a socialize with several people I hadn’t really seen all weekend (and some since my first con). Also got to be a “victim” of my own breast induction (and see it done way better). Also had someone tell me I would make a wonderful vampire- which is the True and Proper way to flirt with me. Thank you. :)

- Thanks for lunch on Monday. Like I said- it was an absolutely perfect way to end the con. And- I’m so so excited for you- both the adventures you've had and the ones you’re about to have. :)

- Thanks for letting me hang out a bit in y’alls room on Monday. You’re both lovely. Also re: sliding into my DMs- yes please? I know mutual time/energy is a thing (especially during con) but- could be fun. :)

- @ultinath made me blush randomly all weekend. Again. I am working up an absolutely devastating counter-flirt that you will be helpless against when we next meet. Beware.

-Concom did an amazing job. I don’t know Tumblrs but- thanks! :)

-If I saw you this weekend, you added to my experience and I really valued the time we spent together. This is a not-at-all comprehensive list but: @ab0ut---blank, @andsleep @arihi, @brainbound @bylineloislane, @carneggyblog, @dancercoder, @daja-the-hypnokitten, @darthkyra @enscenic,@hypnoricebunny @hypnoobiwan @lily-ackerman, @kitty-sylvie @jungle4566@minddiver @hypno-moon-gazer @mr-ackerman, @ragezdasta @sebsteerpike, @sex-obsessed-lesbian @spiralturquoise @silentstream9@ultinath @zanydanger @a lot of y’all in the fear play room that I don’t know the Tumblrs of @also a lot of you femme flirters @everyone I’m leaving out. Thank you for being in my life.

*And "committed to" does not just mean romantic here but- generally if we interact frequently I'm committed to our relationship in the way that we have it

#beguiled #also I loved the Bewitched theme #a theme after my own heart

45 notes · View notes

daleisgreat · 3 years

Text

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season Seven

youtube

-Finally, after three years of watching mostly one episode a week, I have finished my re-watch of all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation (season seven trailer)! I am thrilled to present my final entry here chronicling my adventures with the crew of the Enterprise! For the final season I was able to slightly bump up my viewing habits and mostly stuck to watching two episodes a week, and thus I was able to make faster progress on this final season! Somehow, my horrendously outdated Samsung Galaxy S7 phone has managed to barely limp along this entire journey with me, and the gloriously awful pics featured throughout this article are courtesy of that wonderful device. -Season six wrapped with an enticing cliffhanger to “Descent” where Lore managed to work some sinister sorcery to recruit a squadron of Borg and hack into the code banks of Data (Brent Spiner) in order to recruit him to join his cause. Season seven had a great kickoff to resolve this new threat, and had a satisfying conclusion at putting an end to Lore once and for all. I would rank “Descent” on the higher end of TNG two-part arcs, as the Lore/Borg/Data combination proved to be an intriguing antagonist to see how they would be dealt with.

Picard is ready for combat on the left, while falling ill on the Enterprise leads to crew members tripping with some wild illusions on the right! -I was a little bummed to see a complete lack of appearances from Whoopi Goldberg in her role as Guinan in the final season. I am presuming it must have been scheduling conflicts as she has always been in high demand, especially around this time just a couple years after her Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost. Whoopi would return as Guinan in two of the four Star Trek movies based on TNG cast.

-A pair of recurring characters that did return for their final episodes this season are Michelle Forbes as Ensign Lt. Ro Lauren and Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher. Ro is fresh off tactical training for an important undercover mission that conclusively decides her fate with Starfleet as she would never appear in another Star Trek series or film again after this. According to my research I was surprised to learn it took a last minute agreement with Forbes within a week before filming to get her to reprise her role as she was starting to distance herself from the brand after initial plans to make her a mainstay on Deep Space Nine fizzled. Wesley Crusher’s final appearance had a better payoff in “Journey’s End” where during a vision quest he finally is deemed ready by a previous guest character, The Traveler (Eric Menyuk), to join him on a mystical journey to see Wesley fulfill his supernatural potential. I had no idea they were going to payoff these vague promises The Traveler alluded to in Wesley way back in season two, so big props to the cast and crew making that happen! -Other past recurring characters returned, but only to see them casted in middling-to-disappointing episodes. This is the case for Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) in the head-scratching “Genesis” episode that has the Enterprise staff fall victim to a virus that de-evolves them into various primates. The love-or-hate mother of Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Lwaxana (Majel Barrett), has a major sendoff in her final episode where we learn all about her tragic backstory.

-Speaking of mediocre episodes, season seven has a bit more than previous seasons. A two-parter sees Riker and Picard go undercover to form a fake mutiny to sniff out a Vulcan double agent, and while it is not terrible by any means, the whole arc seems bloated and the second episode feels unnecessary. “Phantasms” is as bizarre as the dreams Data (Brent Spiner) has in the episode, but Data later has a redeeming character episode in “Inheritance” where he meets his mother…..then later hits another stumble in “Thine Own Self” where his radioactive experiments causes a planet’s population to become seriously ill. I will give season seven the benefit of the doubt for the noticeable bump up in lackluster episodes because several of the bonus interviews own up to this and attribute it to the cast and crew being spread thin with the final season of TNG, the second season of Deep Space Nine and being in pre-production of the first season of Voyager and the upcoming movie with the TNG crew, Generations. -The holodeck’s sendoff in TNG, “Emergence” is a decent affair that sees the crew go aboard the Orient Express to solve the mystery of how the holodeck becomes self-aware. The episode had a few promising moments, but could have been better. While I enjoyed the quality of holodeck episodes overall in TNG, from what I understand the holodeck episodes greatly suffer going forward and falls victim to holodeck malfunctions and sexual fantasy tropes.

Worf once again has a strong set of character-focused episodes this season. You have not lived until witnessing Worf adopt a cat for an episode, and experience a birthday party time-loop. -Worf (Michael Dorn) has one of the strongest slate of character episodes this season. Seeing Worf being a curmudgeon at his birthday party was pulled off to perfection! “Homeward” is a feel-good family episode where Worf resolves his rocky relationship with his foster brother, Nikolai (Paul Sorvino). The best Worf-centered episode is saved for last where he trains Alexander (James Sloyan) in the arts of becoming a Klingon warrior with the help of a mysterious Klingon friend.

-A couple other episodes that made strong impressions on me this season are “The Pegasus” and “Lower Decks.” In the former, Terry O’ Quinn of Lost fame, appears here as a higher-up from Starfleet to track down the lost USS Pegasus, but Picard (Patrick Stewart) eventually discovers a grand cover-up that has an enticing way of finding the truth of what Quinn’s character is hiding. “Lower Decks” is entirely focused on the background Ensigns and ancillary characters like Nurse Ogawa (Patti Yasutake). The last couple years saw the streaming service, Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) launch a Star Trek: Lower Decks animated series with the very same premise, and if you are a fan of the cartoon, you owe it to yourself to track down this episode as its source material. “Interface” and “Bloodlines” are both strong episodes dealing with long forgotten family members. The former has Geordi (LeVar Burton) risking his life with prototype tech to save his mother (Madge Sinclair), and the latter deals with Picard’s surprise of finding out he had a son (Ken Olandt) from a decades-prior relationship.

-Now to the moment of truth, it is time to cover the final two-part episode, “All Good Things…” The series finale naturally focuses on Jean-Luc as he finds himself constantly time-warping between three different time periods to solve a new challenge bestowed onto him by none other than Q (John de Lancie). I loved how they brought it back full-circle with one of the time periods emanating from the same setting as the original pilot episode of TNG where Q puts the then-newly assembled Enterprise crew on trial. The cast and crew hold nothing back for the final episode with an enthralling narrative as Picard pieces together Q’s final challenge, and has an emotional final scene where after seven seasons, Picard finally joins his crew for a round of poker. -Here is the paragraph with my obligatory kudos to the countless hours spent remastering TNG in HD for the BluRay set. I am not a video-phile and cannot immaculately explain with the proper tech verbiage on how they did it. All I can say is the staff painstakingly made it look like they shot it today, and it does not have any of the old fuzzy standard definition effects that would happen when forcing an SD resolution onto an HD set. Just watch this indicative video that overlays the remastered HD transfer over the SD version to see for yourself. I will also give yearly props to the podcast, Star Trek: The Next Conversation which chronicles every individual episode of TNG and has served as the best supplementary listening material to get the most out of every episode for me. The podcast took a hiatus during the pandemic, and only recently picked up again and are only a couple episodes into season seven as of this writing, so I will pat myself on the back at catching up to them when I was nearly a season and a half behind them when I started from the beginning of TNG.

-You guys know I love covering the bonus features, and season seven of the BluRay is absolutely jacked with them with previous bonus interviews and specials, and all new HD extras. According to my notes, it all added up for just over five hours of bonus materials, and that is not including a handful of commentary tracks on selected episodes. Going over each and every piece of bonus content will kill me, so instead I will highlight the handful that I got the most out of: -----Captain’s Tribute (16 min) – Stewart gives loving testimonials to the cast and crew. A lesson he learned from a dialog with Michael Dorn and LeVar Burton was a key takeaway here. -----In Conversation: Lensing ST: TNG (42 min) - This one is a new HD extra aimed at special effects enthusiasts where a roundtable discussion with camera operators and directors of photography reunite to talk shop of the many highs and lows of on the set production. While a fair amount of trade vernacular went right over my head, they provided ample context and their enthusiasm for their craft is irresistible!

I know it is asking a lot to dive into the many hours of bonus interviews, but nearly most of it is incredibly insightful and well worth your time! -----Starfleet Moments & Memories (30 min) – Awesome feature showcasing the camaraderie and humor between takes that indicates a true sense of friendship among the cast and crew. -----Closed Set: Tour of Real Enterprise (11 min) – The Okundas give a private, narrated, tour of the Enterprise filled with fun facts like how the set for sickbay gained a reputation among cast and crew as “nap-bay.” Every person should have their own nap-bay! -----Journeys End: The Saga of TNG (45 min) – Original 1994 TV special hosted by Jonathan Frakes celebrating the end of an era. ----Sky’s the Limit: Eclipse of TNG (89 min) – Three part special with part one primarily focused on the cast and crew having a lot of projects on their plate the final year and lovingly throwing shade at Picket Fences for stealing their Emmy award! Part two interviews various directors of episodes about their process, and Seth McFarlane shares a special moment he had with a fan on how the show saved their life. The third part interviews a lot of the cast on how they felt the show wrapped, with a couple highlights being Sirtis not being fond of the Worf/Deanna courtship, and Patrick Stewart remarking when asked about future projects that he would consider them, but thought they would ultimately be unnecessary. This was obviously recorded several years before Stewart would return as Picard in the current Paramount+ series, Picard.

-Suffice it to say, the extra features do not disappoint! As I foreshadowed above, there is an apparent dip in quality this season overall compared to the high bar set from seasons three through six, but I will cut the cast and crew some slack since they were seriously overworked during the 1993-94 season. There are still many excellent episodes though as I dissected above, and a terrific series finale that puts the best damn bow they possibly could on the TV series. Thank you so much for joining me on this ride over the past three years and bearing with me on my never-ending entries covering the series. If you missed out on previous entries, click here to see all my previous season recaps of The Next Generation, or click here to continue my journey with TNG crew with my reviews of all the Star Trek motion pictures.

youtube

Past TV/Web Series Blogs 2013-14 TV Season Recap 2014-15 TV Season Recap 2015-16 TV Season Recap 2016-17 TV Season Recap 2017-18 TV Season Recap 2018-19 TV Season Recap 2019-20 TV Season Recap Adventures of Briscoe County Jr: The Complete Series Baseball: A Ken Burns series Angry Videogame Nerd Home Video Collections Cobra Kai – Seasons 1-2 Mortal Kombat: Legacy - Season 1 | Season 2 OJ: Made in America: 30 for 30 RedvsBlue - Seasons 1-13 Roseanne – Seasons 1-9 Seinfeld - Final Season Star Trek: Next Generation – Seasons 1-7 Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle Superheroes: Pioneers of Television The Vietnam War: A Ken Burns series X-Men – The Animated Series: Volumes 4-5

#star trek #Star Trek TNG #picard #data #Patrick Stewart #Brent Spiner #jonathan frakes #gates mcfadden #Marina Sirtis #levar burton #Michael Dorn #Wil Wheaton #whoopi goldberg #dwight schultz

0 notes