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creativeashproductions · 3 years

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Shattered Hearts // Luke Patterson

Summary: The teenage years are supposed to the best time of life but not when fate has other plans for Sunset Curve. Not feeling well reader stays home while Luke prepares for the performance of his life at The Orpheum. Shit hits the fan hard and the fallout ensues.

Warnings: Swearing, death, hospital, cancer (type is not detailed) angst, and fluff.

Words: 2.3k

Requested: @lolychu

A/N: I didn’t go into detail about the kind of cancer because I didn’t want to, I want it to be as general as it could. I’ve never gone through it or had someone close go through it so it could be wrong and I apologize for that. Broken heart syndrome is REAL by the way.

Masterlist

Los Angeles, 1995

There are articles of some medical mysteries that can’t fully be scientifically explained, such as when someone dies in excellent health following the death of a loved one. The scientific term is takotsubo cardiomyopathy, but the world knows it merely by Broken Heart Syndrome. It was a day that was supposed to be the greatest of your teenage years, but the day couldn’t have gone any worse.

First, you woke up with an incredibly high fever and newfound bruises. Pain in a wrist out of nowhere but you wrote it off. You had plans, and illness wasn’t scheduled for the day. Your boyfriend and his band had gotten their big break, well their almost big break. Today was the day Sunset Curve would perform at The Orpheum, and you were gonna be backstage cheering them on.

Luke made his appearance at your house in the morning before early rehearsal, and you managed to convince him you were feeling okay. He went on to their studio, and your mother drove you to the hospital in fear.

Life was an asshole. While you waited for test results pale against the hospital sheets, an ambulance rolled in. Carrying three bodies that would go to the morgue for positive confirmation of death. You wouldn’t know for a full day, Luke’s parents too grief-stricken to call you and that’s okay.

“Mom?” You asked as her form caved in on the floor near your hospital bed, “Mom!”

Her eyes filled with so much pain brought you fear and concern. With a struggle, she came closer to hold your hand tightly and spoke brokenly the fate that would snatch you.

“Baby, you don’t have the flu.”

“That’s good? So just meds and we can go home?” You asked heart clenching as her eyes closed tight and you knew whatever the doctor had told her after pulling her out of the room wasn’t good.

Couldn’t be good with the slump in her shoulders, the pain in her eyes and the guilt coating her every word. Mom wasn’t a housewife; she wasn’t a flower in need of protection, but she never kept something from you. Always said it straight and as it is.

“Sweetheart, they’re gonna move you to another ward.” You knew deep in your heart the news had to be the worst because Mom wasn’t telling you the whole story. Finally, she broke down, “The doctors got the results back as soon as they could. The fever, the bruises, and the broken wrist have a reason. You have cancer.”

Cancer. A word that sealed your fate. It left you reeling in shock. It shattered your dream with just one single name. Couldn’t be seen but made its presence known. The coming hour was spent with the specialist detailing the type and a tentative treatment plan he wanted to initiate immediately.

A nurse escorted your mother out as the orderlies and nurses prepped you to be moved to a new room. Knowing you were in good hands, your mom walked to the main doors for fresh air only to be astounded at the sight of Mitch and Emily Patterson. Equally shocked, they came together.

“Emily?” Your mom spoke, looking carefully at the parents of your boyfriend. She wondered how the Patterson’s had found out, “Did someone call you?”

“No.” Emily spoke with a numb voice. Your mom took a step back, understanding that one could only react that way for one thing. Something had happened to the Patterson teenager.

“Luke isn’t here, is he?” Your mom asked, turning to look up at the tall building of the hospital, “Y/N, hasn’t had a phone. She only found out, but Luke hasn’t been with you-“

“The cops came,” Mitch spoke tucking his upset wife into his arms. He was equally as grief-stricken and bitter, but he had to be calm for his wife. They wouldn’t get anywhere if one of them couldn’t get answers.

Your mom gasped, “No.”

“I always knew that band-“Emily’s own sob cut her words off as her knees threatened to buckle. Your mom helped lead Emily into the emergency room before she jogged off to join you but not before turning to the Patterson parents.

“We’ll meet up. Discuss why we’re all here.”

Being told you had cancer and then informed your boyfriend died all in one night was the most painful thing you had to live through. It was weeks of screaming, invasive procedures and therapy sessions. Your father came from his business trip to Dubai as soon as he could and didn’t leave your side.

A painful six months rolled with cancer stealing your hopes and a fucking bad hotdog taking your dreams away. Nothing made you curious. Nothing felt worth living for.

Not the realistic watercolour tattoo your parents let you get of Luke’s blue guitar you loved so much. It seemed to have a terminally sick child made it practically impossible to say no to, so you got a tattoo of your favourite lyrics of Sunset Curve.

In pretty font, it said ‘When all the days felt black and white. Those were the best shades of my life’ just like it said in Now or Never. One of your favourite songs, you got the privilege of watching Luke create.

“Mom, can I have a popsicle?” You asked from your bed. Eyes barely open as she nodded off her chair, “My mouth is dry.”

“Of course.” She nodded, leaving the room with a kiss on your forehead. Both of you mumbling I love you just in case. You felt like your clock was close to the end, so every word had meaning.

It was a good day so far; you hadn’t had to press for more pain medication like the last couple of weeks. You had managed to turn to stare out the window at the pretty sky. Your eyes fluttered shut completely content that this was it.

Your mom returned to a room with doctors and nurses trying to resuscitate you with your father screaming. No one could figure out if it was the cancer or the broken heart syndrome that killed you first. Your death was a double blow to Luke’s parents the most, along with Reggie and Alex’s own parents.

Los Angeles, 2020

So much had changed since you died in 1995. Phones had changed, and buildings were torn down. You changed as well too. In relief physically, you had changed from the gaunt, skinny, pale patient to the girl you had been before the diagnosis.

Your hair now looked as healthy as it had been before you had cancer and you weren’t gaunt looking. You were looked just like you did a few months before you got diagnosed and you hoped so since you were dead. It would have sucked to be dead and beyond ugly.

“Do you think she went on to have a family?”

You kept your attention on the waves crashing the beach content to watch the waves doing the same movement they had since the beginning. You paid no attention to the group walking by. Not until one tripped over you landing in an awkward heap.

“Ouch!” The voice hissed. Your eyes flicked down to Reginald fucking Hastings’s blue eyes in pure shock. You scrambled away from the teenager with a sharp scream that pierced the ghoul group.

“Jesus.” You grumbled pushing the little sand that had stuck somehow to your body made of air.

“Oh my god. I think I just summoned Luke’s girlfriend.” Reggie hissed towards the equally astounded members of former Sunset Curve and current Julie and the Phantoms bandmates.

“No, you idiot we’re dead.” You spoke, taking a deep breath in, “After not seeing you for five years I thought you passed on. I’ve been travelling around America and Canada. Something felt like I needed to come home.”

“When did you die?” Alex questioned sadly when you were quiet. His sad blue eyes unable to leave your expressive face, he hoped somehow you had lived to your 90s and died to come back youthful.

“It’s wasn’t harm-“

“No, Luke. I don’t think I’ll ever positively know what happened, but the night you guys died my life ended as well.” You revealed sitting back, letting the three boys join you for an intriguing story to them. Luke wasn’t hesitant in grasping your hand in his, “Funny enough your bodies were being unloaded in the morgue while I was being told by my Mom, I had cancer. The battle was hard but short.”

“Cancer?”

“Our love story was destined to be tragic, whether it be cancer or a hotdog.” You told the teenage guitarist to experience in the afterlife to be gentle about it. The three boys flinched from the indifference, “Have you visited your parents yet? My parents are home for a few weeks.”

“My neighbourhood was torn down. Alex doesn’t know about his and-“

“-I’ve seen my folks once so far.” Luke finished playing with your fingers, “You say our love story was tragic, I say it would be tragic if we hadn’t had the chance in life that we did.”

You nodded your head, “Where have you guys been?”

All three boys took their chaotic turn in describing their last meal to Reggie tripping over you with the belief of walking through you. They were in a band with a lifer who made them visible to the public when playing music together. You told them that your parents would choose a destination from your dream travel journal; you would follow them on the adventures.

Slowly you met Julie who put up a distance as she acclimated to having the girlfriend of her crush around always. Julie couldn’t help the feeling of jealously when Luke focused on the teen ghost girl. She couldn’t even hate you! You were so lovely and welcoming to the girl with respect for boundaries, in fact, you were exactly the girl she would have been friends with. Julie loved Flynn, but she could be over the top and dramatic sometimes.

“Good rehearsal. I’ll meet you outside.” Luke spoke, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. You nodded before walking through the white, painted barn doors.

Everything put away properly; Luke was quick to meet up with his girlfriend for their date. Alex noticed the stare by Julie. He had seen it for the past few weeks since you were introduced to the passionate musician with a beautiful voice.

“I’m really sorry, Julie.” Alex softly told the sad Puerto Rican girl yearning to hug the teenager but alas his ghostly body couldn’t allow it.

“Did I have an honest chance before she came back?” Julie asked. Her doe brown eyes bringing Reggie’s attention to the conversation at hand.

“No.” Reggie answered this time solemn with his blue eyes holding no mirth or childlike glee, “Luke’s been in love with her for years. She’s his all or nothing.”

“I didn’t have a chance between them, and I don’t want you between them either. It’s not a nice place to be even if I was mutually breaking up with his as well.” Alex soothed the live girl yearning to physically comfort her but alas that damn hotdog ruined everything.

“Luke also said when the first big payment came, he would marry her. He wanted to give her the wedding of her dreams.” Reggie unintentionally rubbed the salt in Julie’s wound on the topic of her tragic love story.

Julie learnt to deal with the pain of seeing Luke, so in love and happier than before you had reconnected. In her fashion, she had hidden a new box for her thoughts that was so well hidden the boys would never find it. It was filled with papers that progressively got less romance angst.

“I’m just saying,” Alex spoke, raising his hands in the air after another one of Luke’s emotional rants on the loss of things in death. Such as marrying you.

“Dude, we’re dead, and our ghost connections happen to either be our band, Willie or a very questionable sketchy vintage magician.” Luke snapped slouching on his couch sulking as you were spending time with your family no matter how oblivious they were to your presence.

“I’m ordained.” Willie supplied sitting next to the blonde drummer who had easily swayed from Caleb to the good side again. At the group’s looks of disbelief, he continued, “I was bored! Took some art classes too. It won’t be the average wedding, but you could still call each other spouse.”

“I can check local clubs for wedding dresses. Flynn can easily put together music and Alex can find a venue.” Julie piped up, avoiding the sympathetic look from Reggie, who still thought the teenager had feelings for his bandmate. She no longer did.

“You can use one of your rings on a chain as well. Maybe hold off on getting a ring until we get money from the band.” Reggie gave his input, earning himself a proud expression from Alex; an expression the drummer rarely was able to give his friend.

“I guess I’m proposing.” Luke beamed already thinking of ways to make his proposal special, not like being ghosts wasn’t already impressive enough.

It wasn’t the ideal wedding, but it honestly didn’t matter as long as the two of you were able to vow yourself to each other. It no longer mattered on the details other than you two.

Tag List (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!)

@safehavenmuse @siennanoelle01 @whiterose291 @mell-bell @blackhood5sos @ficrecsideblog @ifilwtmfc @deadpoolgirl23 @crappy-unicorn @sunsetcurve-h @elioelioeli0 @lovesanimals @popcrone818 @lolychu @deepsleepnat @tenaciousperfectionunknown @aunicornmademedoit @just-a-writer-here @simp4reggie @parkeret @faithiebrock01 @overlyhypedup @differentsoulrascalsalad @aesthetic-lyss @versaceapa @carleywhittaker @lostgirl219 @itsalexx21 @elllaoo4 @merxxleighann @mediocremunge @fantomlovesjuke4ever @dpaccione @oswin05 @kaylinfayezink @aberette13 @faithie-brock-gillespie01 @eharvey0218 @overlyhypedup @benstormy @auriandthepussicats @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @whothefuckstolemykeds @kcd15 @siriuswvrld @princessvader15 @xoxbloodreinaxox @heimdoodle @joshy-obx @lovesanimals @oopsiedoopsie23 @am3l1a-24 @flying-solo-without-you @jaskiers-sweetkiss @lostrandomfangirln @must-be-a-weasley-92 @jatp-holland @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch @dxlanhxlland @dasexydevitt13 @ifilwtmfc @arianagrandes-things @kinda-really-lost @marinettepotterandplagg @ssprayberrythings @morgandamrose @thedarkqueenofavalon @zukoshonourr @crybabyddl @spooky-season-bitch @kcd15 @morganayennefertyrell @magnet-girl @all-in-fangirl @kinda-really-lost @tenaciousperfectionunknown

#luke patterson imagines #julie and the phantoms imagines #luke patterson x reader #charlie gillespie imagines #jatp luke #jatp fanfic #jatp #caitsy and ash productions

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peacfullyinsane007 · 3 years

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Where s/o has an accident and is stubborn (MHA Scenarios)

Summary: Reader gets into a car accident and hurts their leg badly, below is the reactions of the 4 boys (Dabi x Reader, Hawk x Reader, Bakugou x Reader, and Deku x Reader) while they care for reader while also having to deal with their stubbornness

A/N: This is my first ever time doing one of these so bear with me haha, please enjoy!

Dabi

Would come back to your apartment after being gone for a few weeks to see you laid in the bed with a cast on your leg and immediately think the worst.

Dabi wouldn’t show his worry, he would remain completely stoic while you explained what had happened to your leg.

“So I was driving and this idiot didn’t stop at the light T-boned me, it was crazy!” You would say with a soft giggle.

Dabi would become very agitated that you thought it was something to giggle about but would just interalize it since he hated yelling at you (but you wouldn’t know since he is not that expressive.

Dabi would take advantage of you being on bedrest to mess around with you, loving that there was no chance you would run away or any chance you could escape.

Dabi would take care of you, but in very small ways like putting water beside the bed and doing small things around your apartment when you were asleep so he wouldn’t be caught.

When you start to move around, Dabi becomes frustrated with you not listening and just resorts to punishing you in the bedroom. He would never show his actual worry about you moving around.

When your legs grow sore from punishments, there’s nothing left but to show Dabi affection which often makes him awkward because he doesn’t know how to react when you are affectionate.

You would hold him and kiss his scars, which he would take silently and sometimes he would turn things into something a little more frisky.

Deep down he enjoys the gentle caresses, you know that but you know it would throw him for a loop if he ever found out that you could tell when he was enjoying your company even when he would try to remain stoic.

Izuko Midoriya

Would answer the phone as soon as you called, taking a break from patrol, and rush to the hospital--only thinking the worst.

Izuko would barge into the room interrupting the doctor having sprinted all the way to the hospital. He’d be practically in tears when he takes in the cast on your leg.

He wouldn’t even let you explain what happened as he wraps his arms around you to hold you tight, thinking the worst about what happened.

Izuko would hold you tightly and for hours until you asked him to stop because you were getting too hot and he was holding you a little too tightly for your sore body.

After being released from the hospital, he would dote on you endlessly and he even took a break from his hero business so that he could dote on you full time. There is also no use in telling him to go back to work.

Izuku would do anything you even mentioned, even if it was just something you wanted to get done in the future.

Izuku even pulled out a cookbook and put on your apron to make sure you were eating right so that your leg would heal nice and strong.

During this time, you would fall more in love with Izuku and would try to give him extra love to make up for all the extra he was putting out.

“You-you don’t have to!” He would blush profusely when you would do something for him like offer to watch his favorite movie or let him pick out the snacks. You loved watching him get flustered (a pure bean).

Eventually you would try to walk around, your ass becoming numb from all the laying around you were doing. Izuku protested a lot, but he wanted to let you have your freedom since you were stuck in the apartment for a while.

Katsuki Bakugou

Bakugou wouldn’t take your first call while he was patrolling, he would send you straight to voicemail and then plan on giving you a firm yelling at when he got home. You knew that patrolling was serious and needed his full attention.

Bakugou would come home from patrol to find the apartment dark and you nowhere to be found, making him annoyed that he had to call you--you should be home waiting for him.

“I tried calling earlier!” You say, “You sent me straight to voicemail. Anyway, I got into an accident and my leg is broken--”

Bakugou would hang up and immediately go to the hospital, his anger rising to the forefront of his mind while he tried to think of who would hurt you.

It would take a minute for you to get him to calm down before you’re able to tell him what happened which would still involve him trying to get the name of the guy who caused the accident so that he could personally break his leg.

After asking a bunch of questions about the other driver, he would work himself up again and you would have to calm him down all over again.

He would try to act tough around you but would fret about your leg when you went to bed, worrying that everytime you moved you would hurt your leg. Bakugou would also be scared to hurt you further so he would distance himself from you as much as he could and treat you like you were made of glass.

You would eventually be the source of annoyance for him as you would begin to try to do things yourself.

“You’ll hurt yourself!” He hisses as you would try to do some normal tasks around your apartment.

You roll your eyes and carry on, eventually hurting yourself proving Bakugou right. You would pout at his smug expression as he watched over you like you were his prisoner all the time.

He’d still go to work, but it was like he knew when you were trying to get up and move around because as soon as you would try, he’d stroll right in and sit you back down.

Hawk

Is always on his phone at work, staring at pictures of you that he had collected when he would get the call.

Hawk would space out during the call, thinking about coming home to you and you running your fingers through his wings like he loved. He would snap back to reality when you mentioned the broken leg.

“You have to be more careful, little bird.” he would say as he walked out of work, not even bothering to tell anyone where he was going as he made his way to the hospital.

You huff on the other end, “Sure, Hawk, I’ll be careful when it wasn’t my fault.” You snap annoyed and in pain.

Hawk was a little airheaded when it came to you besides when it came to unimportant things like naps with you and you holding him close. Hawk spent 90% of the time you spent together demanding cuddles and to be held.

When he got to the hospital, he kissed you tons and crawled into bed to hold you. You weren’t sure if it was for your comfort or because he wanted to cuddle.

Hawk would take care of you, doting over you until you eventually began to try to walk around.

Hawk suddenly changed his demeanor, he became bossy and had threatened to tie you to the bed a few times.

“Little bird!” He shrieked upon waking up and finding you hobbling into the bathroom with clothes in your hands. “You’re going to hurt your leg more if you don’t let me help you.” He huffed.

You let him help you shower, he became a little distracted while helping you wash up and almost let you slip and fall, putting pressure on your bag leg.

You cried for a solid hour after it happened, not even the pain meds helped with the ache in your leg. Hawk apologized over and over and tried to rock you (while still naked and soaking wet) to make you feel better.

Finally, when you began to feel better Hawk made you food and forced you to eat it. He cooed and called you a good little bird the more food you ate. Sometimes you felt when Hawk gave you a lot of food, he was trying to fatten you up for something.

Hawk would eventually get into a lot of trouble because he never told anyone what he was doing, having to go back to work while also having to put his phone in ‘lock up’ so he would actually do his job.

#hawk x reader #dabi my hero academia #dabi x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #deku x reader #izuku midoria x reader #mha scenarios #bha scenarios #mha hawks #mha fluff

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fruitless-vain · 2 years

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Day 60:

Two month mark aaaayyyyyyy! I’m mentally 90% clear from my delightful trauma concerns which is very very nice. Feeling like more of a team with Sham. At this point my general consensus about him is that he’s a non-reactive pretty social dog. Can be nervous on first greetings, just slow moving and cautious, but as soon as he determines a person or dog is friendly he turns in to a chaotic social butterfly. With people his manners are pretty good at this point, doesn’t jump up on you unless you’re actively engaging him in that sort of play and he may jump up if you have a particularly smelly plate but he won’t touch you, just stand up a distance away. His prey drive is a little bit bonkers at the moment but is looking like he’ll be decently easy to work with in that regard once we get the foundations more settled. He bounces back from fearful experiences well but any desensitization and counter conditioning fear methods need to be taken extremely slow. Overall just a dopey puppy trying to figure out what’s safe about city living.

We’re on to full high protein kibble and adding a smidge bit of the freeze dried raw now. He’s LOVING it eating meals faster than I’ve ever seen him do. Morning routine is excellent with letting him out to pee and him bringing himself back inside, comfortable with the door closing, and getting breakfast afterwards.

Got a good look at this incision today and it’s looking perfectly healthy and starting to heal up. Not feeling too bad about having him jog around a little bit in the back yard. His last dose of pain meds was yesterday so we’ll see how much moving he actually wants to do once that wears off. We got most of the energy out before the meds should’ve worn off so he was passed out the rest of the evening.

Got a good round of coming back inside outside of meal times. Trying to break that connection where he thinks coming inside = play time over. So I stood on the porch and waited for him to come up the stairs, give a treat then throw a toy back to the yard. Gradually moving until we were coming inside and doing the same thing. Took a long while but he did start gaining enthusiasm for the game.

Did a tiny bit of recall outside just for the consistency and practice. He was very speedy and responsive even with a neighbour dog barking it’s head off. Very happy with that!

Did a tiny bit of fetch in the yard, slooooooowly understanding the concept 😂 he’s having fun though.

Integration going good. Yoshi got many smooches through the gate again and she didn’t seem to mind. She’s been so confident going nose to nose today! The only bit of fear I saw was when his cone got caught on the gate and made a massively loud sudden bang. Even with that she just looked at him, took a half step back to sniff the cone then went back to their sniff.

#sham recap

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #424

“got no superspeed, but i’m running this town”

What is the first line in the song you are currently listening to/last listened to? "I’m running out of time; I hope that I can save you somehow.” Are you an easy lay? Not in the slightest. What was the last reason you cried? Life and how inexplicably I'm failing at it. What’s hurting you right now? More like what isn't. Do you remember important dates? Only some. I'm awful with numbers. Do you own anything with the Playboy Bunny on it? No. Do you own a bean bag chair? No. Have you ever played Gamecube? At a friend's house. Have you ever played with toy cars before? Yeah, with my nephew. He LOVES monster trucks. Have you ever touched a caterpillar? Oh, definitely. I loved picking them up as a kid. What is your favorite kind of salad? Just plain 'ole iceberg lettuce with ranch, really. Are you any good at Ping-Pong? Holy hell no, I SUCK. What was/is your high school mascot? A firebird. Can you make cute little animals by folding paper? God no, I'm awful at origami. Like, I have zero concept of how to do it. What kind of music do you like? Various types of metal and rock. Do you like apple juice? Yeah. Do you like to draw? It's funny, like I do love it, but I barely ever do it because I get frustrated when I can't get what's in my head onto paper. What do you put on your french fries? Generally ketchup. How many people can comfortably sleep in your bed? Two. Do you want to have a big family in the future? I don't want kids, just pets. Probably a lot of pets. Is Vegas one of your must-see places? No. Pet rat: yay or nay? I've had multiple pet rats and I adore them. I've come to find I'm not the best at keeping rodents because changing the bedding so much sucks ass, but nevertheless they are fantastic pets for people who don't mind the maintenance. Would you call yourself a writer? Written any stories lately? Yes. I haven't written in a while, though. I just have absolutely zero motivation to RP. Are you good at reading people's body language? I probably overanalyze it, really. Ever threatened somebody and actually went through with it? I don’t threaten people. Does holding newborn babies scare you? Extremely. I feel like they're made of thin glass. Piercings: yay or nay? I LOVE piercings. They add an interesting touch to your appearance and to me just (usually) look super cool. There are very few piercings I don't like. Do you have a collage of pictures in your bedroom? No, but I want to make a motivation board very badly. Favorite Nicholas Cage movie? Ghost Rider. Were video games better in the 1980s, 1990s, or the 2000s? Why? '80s games bore me honestly, but I love some '90s and many 2000s games. I've got to say ultimately newer games win, because of graphics increasing immersion (no, I do not whatsoever believe graphics are everything or always make a better experience), voice acting improving immensely, etc. Have you ever watched The Beverly Hillbillies? Yes! Mom loves it so I used to watch it a lot with her as a kid. I'd still watch it. Did your mother ever sing lullabies to you when you were younger? Yes. Are you ready to get out of this town? I HATE THIS TOOOWN, IT'S SO WASHED UUU-UP, AND ALL MY FRIENDS DON'T GIVE A FUUU-UUUUUCK god hell yes get me the fuck out. Do you know anybody that is pregnant right now? Quite a few. What are you listening to? "Superluv” by Shane Dawson. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? No. Does your father have any facial hair? Yes. Did your grandparents teach you anything? My maternal grandmother, the only one I really ever knew, taught me I'm a disappointment, pretty much. And a bitch. Do you want/have a Bachelor’s degree? It'd be nice to have one, but I don't, and I'm not pursuing it again. I've wasted enough of my parents' money. Are you into superheroes? Who’s your favourite? Not seriously, but I enjoy them well enough. I like Spider-Man. What did you have for dinner last night? Mom ordered Mexican. I had two shrimp and cheese quesadillas and rice with cheese. Do you think you look similar to your siblings? No. Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity? Did you like it? Yeah, it's fun. Do you know your best friend’s middle name? Yes. Are you close to your father? I am. Have you ever had a serious conversation with your dad? Yeah. Would you rather have long or short hair? I enjoy having short hair way more. Who did you go/plan on going with to prom? I went with Jason twice. Have you ever been to a debate and speech tournament? Hell no, and I never would. Arguing makes me cry lmao. Are you someone who enjoys stand-up comedy? Yep. What’s one thing that scares you about living alone and being independent? A lot of things do, but one thing in specific that I fear is that I let the house become cluttered and messy. I'm so shit at cleaning, especially when I'm depressed. It's why my own bedroom isn't even fully decorated, and we've lived here since I wanna say last November. If someone offered you an all-expenses paid trip to one European country, where would you go and why? Germany, 'cuz I enjoy the culture and would love to try some foods and visit places. Have you ever won anything on the lottery? No. Are you interested in the World Cup? I couldn't possibly care less. What’s the longest time you’ve ever been on a plane for? Idk. Do you let your hair dry naturally or do you towel-dry it or blow dry it? I use a towel to dry it some, then let it really get the job done naturally. How many of the Harry Potter books have you read? None. Who last gave you their number? When I posted on Facebook about going on a mental health hiatus, my good friend Alon messaged me her number if I ever needed to talk. I was really thankful. Are you often the last one to understand a joke? Honestly yeah. I'm slow to grasp a lot of things. Your first black eye: Did you give it or get it? Never gotten or given one. Have you ever slept in a tent, indoors or out? Yes to both. Are you mad right now? I'm annoyed, but not mad. Are you allergic to nuts or dairy products? No. Has anyone ever called the cops on you? No. Do you ever actually drink milk alone? Yeah, I love milk. Do you have a sensitive gag reflex? It is EXTREMELY sensitive. What was the last situation to upset you? I'd rather not talk about it. Have you ever had an online argument? I have been heavily active on the Internet since I was like, 11. Maybe younger. I have been in plenty. Are you at risk for any medical issues? A lot of heart problems run in my family. I'm also suspicious I may develop diabetes, which also runs very heavily in my family. What were you doing at 7:00 a.m.? Surprisingly, I was asleep. Do you own a robe? No. What would you consider your life to be? A wreck. What is your favorite mark of punctuation? I like question marks. Who knows your biggest secret? Nobody. Do you think anyone has feelings for you? Probably not. How do you know? I just doubt it. I'm so unlikable right now. Could you go a day without eating? I don't think I could. I do not react to stomach pain well, and that includes when I'm hungry. How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now? None. What’s your favorite drink? Strawberry Sunkist, but I don't allow myself to have it. I will DESTROY a can or five of it. Who was the last person that texted you? My mom. What are you craving? Nothing really right now. What was the first thing you ate today? An everything bagel. What was the last type of meat you ate? Pork. Have you taken any medication today? Yeah, I take some prescription meds in the morning and at night. Have you ever been to Hawaii? No, but that'd be cool. Do you know anyone who has diabetes? My mom, for one. Have you ever made a boy cry? Sadly. Who are you talking to? Nobody. Do you think you’ve ruined your chances with someone? Absolutely. Your parents split; would you want to live with your mom or dad? My parents are divorced, and I stayed with Mom. Would you strongly prefer to go out with someone of your own skin color/racial background? I couldn't care less. For you personally, is abortion an option in case of an accidental pregnancy? For others, absolutely. It's your right. For me myself, it's possible, idk. If I was God forbid raped, I probably would have an abortion. If I accidentally got pregnant in a healthy relationship, I'd probably have a "too bad, so sad" outlook where I'd suck it up and go through with the gestation because having sex and risking pregnancy was my own decision. Even if I'm pro-choice, I think I'd feel too guilty aborting, especially with the child being someone's I love. Is it a requirement that you communicate every day with your significant other (via phone, text, in person, whatever)? IF I had an s/o, no. I like to, but sometimes you just want space. Are you fetish-friendly? I'm not gonna lie, some fetishes are just too fucking weird for me. I TRY not to judge, because I doubt you can actually help fetishes, but I inevitably do sometimes. If you're asking would I engage in fetishes because my s/o liked them, possibly, but it would really depend on what it is. Have you ever cosplayed? No. I think cosplay is really cool, though. Do you support the exploration of outer space? If yes, would you consider taking a trip into space, or even to another planet? As creatures who crave knowledge and understanding of our universe, I do support space exploration, but I do NOT believe we should be spending as much money as we do on it. Taking care of the planet we're actually on is far more important imo. I wouldn't personally go to outer space. Is it okay for men to wear makeup? What’s your opinion of male crossdressers? It's totally okay! Guys with makeup can be super attractive. Crossdressers, too. Go for it. You’re in a new relationship and your partner admits that they have had 14 sexual partners. Does that sound like a lot to you? For me personally, yes. I don't even know if I'd date someone with 14 past sexual partners, honestly. I would admittedly question their loyalty. Would you let your children under 13 watch movies with full nudity? No. If someone asked you, “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” would you know the answer right away? I would. What is your opinion concerning strip clubs? Not my scene at all, but so long as you respect the dancers, whatever. You do you.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''superluv'' by shane dawson

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thiscrimsonsoul · 3 years

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{out of paprikash} Sorry, guys... HUGE mood drop tonight. Below the cut if you want to know why, but... yeah. I’m hoping that once I start answering asks and things I’ll slowly pull out of it and be up to working on drafts, but I’m not making a lot of promises. I’m just so frustrated and tired. I will at least get the asks people sent in done, that I can promise.

I’ve been on a waiting list to get a vaccine for 8 weeks now. I’m immunocompromised, but apparently not enough for my state to care, so I’m considered to not be in any category that needs the vaccine soon. So I’ve just been waiting. My 70 year-old father just got his second shot, and my 90 year-old grandmother will get her second shot soon, but I haven’t even gotten my first. They’re starting to go out and do more things and enjoy some pre-pandemic niceties, but I’m still holed up in the house like I have been for a year, only going out for doctor’s appointments, to go to the supermarket, or to pick up prescriptions. Being overwhelmingly sad, bored, and hopeless every day just seems to be my new normal now. It hurts to be left out of things they’re doing, but with the meds I’m on, I’m at higher risk to get lots of things, including covid.

What’s really annoying is that my grandmother doesn’t care at all to be careful about not bringing covid home to me and my dad. We told her she couldn’t get a haircut when all the salons were closed, but she wanted one anyway, so she left the house, walked down to someone we didn’t even know, went in this person’s house without a mask, and had her cut her hair. Then came home and was so proud that she did it, throwing it in my face like see I got it done anyway even though you tried to prevent me from doing it. She also then told me the woman wasn’t feeling well and “had a cold or something.” I was livid, and I let her know it. I told her she could kill me if she gave me covid right now. Her response? *shrug* “Oh well.” I was like no, not oh well, take this seriously, wtf?! She then went on about what a nice job the woman did and how happy she was to “get my haircut finally.” I was like “yeah, grandma, I guess that’s worth me dying over.” She laughed. LAUGHED. And she doesn’t even have her second shot yet, and today she told me she went out and talked to some people and pet their dogs. All things we’ve told her she is absolutely not to do. She waits until we’re not home and then goes out and does all the things we’ve told her not to do. Basically she’s told me that I’m not to tell her what to do, and that she’s going to do what she wants because she’s 90 and entitled to do whatever she wants. *throws up hands* I don’t feel safe with her living here, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s my dad’s house and his decision, and I can’t afford to move out.

I became eligible for the vaccine a week ago and have been waiting to be contacted and told that I’m allowed to finally make an appointment. Now, when my dad and grandmother were contacted, it was super easy for them. They had their pick of sites and vaccines, and were able to conveniently go to a site that is within walking distance of our house. Welp. I got my email today, and that site was not available. Nor were any sites close by. I’m in the high risk group for the J&J vaccine, so I don’t want that one, and my grandmother and dad got the Pfizer-Biontech one and haven’t had any side effects, so I really want that one. Well... if I want to get that one, the closest place they were letting me make an appointment was 67 miles away. Basically an hour drive. The rest of the sites were maybe 20 or 30 minutes away and were offering the Moderna vaccine, but they were limiting it to local residents only, so I couldn’t even sign up for those. My choices are... to drive two hours round trip, which I can’t really do right now because I have a chronic illness that causes me a lot of pain in my legs, or to continue to just wait and hope for this list of places to change. I don’t even know if it will.

I just kindof lost my shit a little. Had a good cry. My dad only had to wait four weeks for his first shot. My grandmother? Two weeks. From the time they signed up. I’ve been waiting 8 weeks, and I still can’t even go because I’m not being offered the same options they were. Why am I not being given the same opportunities that they were? I would just say well maybe that super close site ran out, but it’s mega-vac site run by the National Guard. It’s huge! They have plenty of vaccine. So wtf. And if you go to their site, it says there are appointments available, yet when you click on the link, all it does is give you a form and then tell you you’re on the same list I’ve already been on for 8 weeks. That’s not what happened for the rest of my family and I’m just feeling very excluded and left behind. My family is starting to put the pandemic behind them and I can’t do the same. They’re moving on without me. I don’t blame them for that, I’m happy they’re vaccinated, but it still doesn’t feel good.

I know I shouldn’t feel this way and it kindof makes me a bad person to complain at all, especially given that there are a lot of people in the world who don’t have access to the vaccine at all, but it’s hard when it’s been a solid year of depression and being in the house (not that I wasn’t depressed before... it’s always been a struggle for me), since my place of work will not even permit me to physically go to work until I’m vaccinated, and the rest of the family is happy and relived that they’re protected and going out and doing things and I’m just sitting at home... waving goodbye... telling them I hope they have a nice day. It hurts. Every day I have to double-mask when I go out, wearing an n95 and then a cloth one over it, because if I get covid I could die. And today in the supermarket I almost passed out because it was a really humid day and I legit couldn’t breathe. But I have to do it. Because no vaccine. I went to pick up food today, because for some reason that’s still my job even though I’m the only one not vaccinated, and the restaurant made me stand right by the door as all these unmasked people walked by. One guy coughed right in my face and I almost had a panic attack right there. And I’m frustrated. And so, so tired of this pandemic.

So... I’m deciding to wait and hope that a closer appointment that I’m eligible for becomes available rather than drive two hours. For now. Maybe at some point I’ll just decide to do the trip and take a lot of meds and frequent breaks while driving and hope for the best, but right now I’m hoping something else opens up soon. If you’ve read this far, I’m really sorry for wasting your time with this rant, but also thank you for caring enough to read it.

#{ out of paprikash } ᵒᵒᶜ #{sorry for the rant}#{i just needed to get that out}#{i got my hopes up so high when I got the email}#{i thought yes finally here we go}#{and then........ crash}#{nope sorry just kidding}

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eleanorbloom · 4 years

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Relighting the spark. Part 03.

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Tesse Sterling)

Word Count: 3.4k

Warning: Bit of angst and cursing.

A/N: Hello darlings! A few weeks ago Chahnaz invited me to do a collaborative fic with her and Georgia, and after weeks working on it, I’m finally posting it! It’s cheeeeesy, a little self-indulgent amd maybe experimental, but I think I made justice to the previous work the girls did.

I hope you like it!

Part One was written by @brycelahelalover

Part Two was written by @lahamseiroshoe

Taglist: @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @aylamreads @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop

_____________

Tesse sat on the first bench she found in the locker room, feeling her stomach quivering. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that something that had hoped—dreamed— for years.

But there was only a way to find out.

She sauntered towards her locker, changed her scrubs into a pair of blue jeans, a peach shirt, and a caramel jacket on top. Her hands were trembling while she was zipping it up. Then, she exited to the main entry and waited a few feet away from the doors.

A couple of minutes after, she heard a "hey” behind her back.

“Hey”—Tesse answered, her voice barely a whisper.

“So, did you think about my plan?”

After the kiss, she felt confused and slightly regretful for being so weak, because there were so many things both had to say. And as if ten years hadn’t passed, he could read her like a book. He proposed her to go to his place to have a proper talk without noises and intromissions.

“Yeah, and I accept.”

“Your favorite dish is still luau stew?”

Tesse froze. The question had been thrown so out of the blue, and with such specific information that it took her a while to process it.

How he could remember that? she thought.

“Y… you still remember?”

“Yeah, practically the 90% of the time it reminds me of you, if it’s not always, but I don't want to brag.”

He gave her a charming smile that made Tesse melt more than she already was.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes? No? I actually hate it now?”

“Oh, that.”—Her cheeks flushed—"Yes, it is still my favorite”

“Cool, because near my place there is a Hawaiian restaurant I wanna try.”

He pulled out his phone and after a few touches he took it to his ear

“Goodnight, I would like two luau stew… Takeout… Great. By any chance do you have strawberry mochi? Really? Cool. Yes, two, please. Bryce Lahela. Thank you. I’ll be there in twenty, good night.”

He pocketed his phone into the inner layer of his jacket.

“All settled. I hope you don’t mind I imposed my dinner election.”

“I don’t. I actually had been wondering if there were any good places here.”

“Yeah, me too. When I arrived last week, I tried one downtown. It was great but could’ve been better. Maybe I just got used to my favorite at Stanford.”

They took the train and chatted about their day, trying to avoid more uncomfortable topics. It still felt awkward. Tesse was having a hard time trying to accept that after years of wishing, Bryce was by his side, and would probably be back as she always dreamed.

“And how’s your family?”

“Fine, I think so. My dad’s applying for parole for good behavior, I think. Keiki is 15. But I haven’t been there since… a lot.”

“How much?”

Tesse saw how the tension invaded his whole body, as he started to scratch the back of his head.

“I don’t know, I…I’ve been busy with med school.”

“You haven’t seen her in all this time?”

He didn’t reply, but it wasn’t necessary.

“Bryce! She’s your sister, you can’t abandon her like that.”

His cheeks blushed and she could see the guilt in his eyes.

“This is our stop”—He announced, taking a few steps towards the door. Once the train stopped, they got off the train.

“Why you haven’t gone with your family? Your sister must be needing you, Bryce.”

“I’ll never forget my parents for what they did. They destroyed my life, Tesse. My life at school, even at college was a nightmare because of what they did. Hell, I left you because I wanted to protect you from that. I just can’t see them.”

“But Keiki has nothing to do with that, she was a kid, she is a teenager now, and must be living the same hell you lived, and you’re the only one who can understand her”

Bryce swallowed hard, his eyes sparkling. The thought of her suffering just like he did... It was too much for him.

“I’m sorry, I have no right to talk to you like that”

“That’s not true. You are the only one who has the right because you know how much she means to me, it’s just… I know what I’ve been doing it’s awfully shitty, but it’s different when somebody else says it.”

Tesse took his hand and caressed the back softly.

“I’m sorry, I know this is difficult for you.”

Bryce nodded and then they walked in silence, each one with their own demons, regrets, and questions.

After a few minutes, they got into the restaurant.

“Good night, takeout for two, please. Name’s Bryce Lahela”—He informed as they both reached the dispatch counter.

“Two Luau and mochi?”

“Correct”

The man behind the counter handed the bag to Tesse while Bryce took out his credit card. After a few seconds, the man handed him the receipt and Bryce folded it to put it in his wallet.

“Thank you, good night.”—Both Tesse and Bryce said before going back to the entry.

After a short walk, they entered the building. The façade showed a modern building, but it could be said it had been built about ten years ago.

“Heavens, nice place”—She said looking around the living room, decorated with a modern and sleek style, but it wasn't ostentatious.

“Make yourself comfortable” —He invited, taking off his jacket and shoes. Tesse did the same.

Then they sat in the table and started eating, sharing memories of the countless times they had luau stew for lunch at school, at his place, at hers… at their spot, even.

“Mmmhh this is so great!! It’s almost as good as the stew my tutu cooks”—She says, with satisfaction both in her words and her face. (A/N: Tutu: Grandma in Hawaiian)

“Yeah, it’s delicious. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, anyway.”

After a few seconds, Tesse stared at him, smiling brightly, forcing herself to forget all the pain, all the rage she had feeling for a few hours, and just enjoy the moment with him, before she would be back to her senses.

“God. I missed you so much. I can’t believe fate put us together.”

Bryce slid his hand in the table to reach hers.

“Me neither. I wish it would have been sooner, though”—He let out a breath, melancholy in his eyes.

“Maybe, but you should know everything happens at the right time, Bryce.—She assured, now her taking his hand.—Maybe before this moment, we wouldn’t have been as ready or healed as now. If we really are, of course. We have a lot to talk about yet.

“Yeah.”—He looked at her, thoughtfully and then continued—“What I said earlier is true. I regret all the pain I caused, Tesse. I regret pushing you away because I knew you wanted to be there for me, but I thought I was protecting you.”

Tesse just listened to him quietly, assimilating all the words and gestures that would make her decide if he was really sorry and he was being honest and sincere about what had happened all these years.

“I realized too late that you were stronger than I thought. You were stronger than me even. I just ended up hurting you anyway, and maybe worse than what I was trying to protect you from.”

“Yes, because I never cared what people said, Bryce. I knew you, I knew you had nothing to do with what your father had done, and that was enough for me. People would always talk, but I only cared about you.”

“I know. Tesse, I’m so, so, sorry. There’s no day that I didn’t think about you and the pain I caused on you.”—He shook his head—"I… I tried to move on, but your memory always haunted me. No one was enough compared to what you gave me and how you made me feel.”

“It… It happened to me too. I never got interested in anyone after you. When you left it was like something inside me turned off. Like a bulb light had broken inside me. Some guys gave me a sparkle, a twinkle, but nothing more than that. Nothing like the light, the fire I felt with you. And… that I felt when I kissed you this afternoon.”

“Tesse...” — He whispered incredulous.

“Bryce, I’ve never wanted anything more than to be with you again. Seeing you here makes me forget everything that happened, but I know that someday, even in an hour or tomorrow, it will hit me again, and I don’t wanna hold grudges on you, feel resentment out of the blue, and ruin what we could have.”

“I know. I know this isn’t gonna be easy… But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to have you back, Tesse. Whatever it takes.”

“I know this sounds kind of… torturing, but would you tell me how has been these years for you? The good, the bad…”

Bryce was nervous, but he had promised Tesse that he would do anything to have her back, and if she wanted him to tell her how the last ten years have been, he would give her that.

He started telling her that after he moved to California, he never returned home, and hadn’t been in touch with his parents for all the hell the put him through but he usually called Keiki for her birthday, but not more than that.

Bryce also told her that most people he met at Stanford knew he was the son of a criminal and had a hard time trying to not let it get under his skin. He accepted that everything would have been easier if he had had her, she would have found the exact words to make him feel better, and her presence would have been enough to ease his pain, but he had to live with his decision, his mistake.

He told her about some girls he met and dated, but even the coolest and greatest girls never made him feel like it was supposed he had to feel. It never felt the same as with Tesse. He felt empty all those years, always feeling something was missing but he couldn’t be sure if it was her who was missing or if it was just the guilt haunting him even after all these years.

The moment he saw her he knew it has always been her who he wanted.

Once Bryce told him about his last two years, they served the dessert on the couch, talking more calmly about what had happened in the last two days, how shocked both were, and how incredibly awkward is life giving second chances.

“Do you want some more?”—Tesse said playfully, with a strawberry mocchi on her hand, and bringing it to his mouth. He took a bite looking at her invitingly. His lips brushed her fingers and Tesse bite her lips at the feeling. That was the impulse he needed to took her by the waist and pulling her into his mouth and kiss her. Both had been wanting it since they met outside Edenbrook.

It was like the mochi had turned on the sweet mode because, after a few minutes, they started sharing sweet looks, soft smiles, and somehow they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“You have no idea how much I missed you”—He whispers in her ear, while Tesse had her arms locked around his torso, and Bryce was just stroking her hair, feeling the silkiness of her locks.

And Tesse was feeling so peaceful, she couldn’t ask for a better place to be at that moment.

Then they would stare at each other in silence, observing eyes, noses, freckles, lips, chins, as if trying to remember how they were and if all this was true.

But then, they realized that it wasn’t only about that. They were knowing each other again. As adults, not as the teenagers they were in Maui. Because their faces, bodies, minds and maybe hearts weren’t the same they knew once.

As Tesse changed through the years, so did he. Bryce wasn’t the boy with a timid smile and long hair, who wore leather jackets and rode a motorcycle.

He was a man with a styled haircut and highlights in his locks, giving his tanned skin an irresistible shine. And he was dressing like someone who never was a rebel in his youth. And his eyes, his dreamy eyes just showed all the pain and loneliness he had lived in all these years.

Important parts of their characters had been changed too. Some defined, others accentuated and some others were just part of their grown-up, but not part of them anymore. Bryce had confidence she never had seen in him. The hell he lived at college forced him to show the world how worthy he was, that no one could undermine him for what his parents had done. But knowing him as she knew him back in school, she new that sensitive Bryce was still there, and all the flirty, self-assured looks Bryce shows to the world was a shield to his scars.

The Bryce that didn’t talk about his feelings was still there, she could tell, even he had opened to her just know. She had mastered the art of making him open more than ten years ago. She had the key, and even after all these years, the lock was the same.

They had changed, but they were the same in the essence of their cores.

The same old innocence in her heart that made her stomach flutter every time he looked at her, every time she felt his lips on hers. The same sweetness in his heart, that made him look at her like she was heaven, and show her with gestures and caresses that she still was the one.

She still could make him feel an adrenaline rush every time she kissed him, and he still could steal the same silly laughs from her with his shenanigans.

They still had their own small world of tender looks, of amused smirks, of winks and funny faces where time hasn’t passed, and they would laugh just like when they were foolish teenagers in love.

Ten years had passed, but their hearts had saved all those treasured memories to keep them alive until they would meet again, when their hearts and minds would be open and understanding enough to accept each other back in their lives, despite the mistakes and the pain. Because it was true, no one ever hurt her as Bryce did, but no one could make her feel like him neither. Even if she tried to believe otherwise, she knew no one could love her as he did. And if he was willing to make her happy and never let her go again, all those years of suffering would worth it.

“How is possible to feel the same way as before, even if we are not the same people?” —She asked, lost in his amber eyes.

“Maybe our love never changed. Maybe love it’s like home. You could change, you could grow up, but every time you go there, it feels the same and it feels right.”

“But you… you never came back home, how could you know how that feels?”

“Because you are my home, Tesse. When I kissed you this afternoon I knew. I knew why I felt so hollow and never could do anything to change it.”

She felt a light getting warmer inside her, her core enlightened. But it wasn’t a twinkle like she felt before with other guys. She had her own floodlight inside her.

And that warmth is what lulled them in that moment. They stared at each other what it seemed an eternity, observing their features, their sparkling eyes, their lips until they met again in a sweet and comfortable kiss. One of many.

She woke up in the darkness, startled. Tesse didn’t know where she was. After a few moments, she remembered her last few conscious moments cuddled with Bryce on the couch, resting over his lap while he was stroking her hair gently and they were just chatting about everything and nothing, just like old times.

Was it true or was it a dream? She felt panic that it all had been a dream, and the reality was a nightmare where Bryce wasn’t back in her life.

Suddenly, all her fears were gone as she heard a deep breath a few inches from her ear and his arms were still secured around her.

After a few moments of hesitation, she tried to move slowly to get up from the couch.

“What are you doing, Tesse?”

“I… I should get home”

“You don’t have to go. Stay.”—He said in a raspy voice.

She felt stiff. For a moment she felt nervous that Bryce would want to try things she wasn’t ready to try yet. They were adults now. But if Bryce knew her like she used to, he would never push her to do something she didn’t want. Besides, there was nothing bad about wanting to sleep together. They did it countless times in their adolescence.

“Okay”—She finally muttered.

“Let’s get to the bed.”

Bryce guided her to his bedroom with a king-size bed and two nightstands; a desk full of medical books and two doors, the first one to a walk-in closet and the second one to the bathroom. The room was clean just as she thought it would.

“I’m gonna use the bathroom”—She said, sautering towards the second door, holding her purse on her hand.

She looked at the mirror while she was brushing her teeth, trying to comprehend all that had happened in the last hours. Bryce Lahela was back in her life. She could have him if she wanted, but it wasn’t a decision she could make now or in a few days, it would take weeks and even months before she would feel ready and free of grudges and pain to finally make a choice. And for that, she had to be brave, take a step forward and try. Maybe things in her life would finally be happy for her.

There was only one way to know.

By the time Tesse was back, Bryce was with shirt and bottoms on and had already opened the bed and turned off the lights, just a tenuous light over the nightstand was on.

“I thought you would want to change into something more comfy” — He said pointing out a par of bottoms and a shirt.

“Thank you”—She said, and then he went to the bathroom.

Tesse changed her clothes into the white shirt and a red bottoms. It looked bigger on her, just like ten years ago, or maybe bigger. Bryce was a bit taller and very muscled compared to what he used to be, so he probably was using one or two sizes bigger.

Then she just laid down in bed and waited anxiously for Bryce to come back to the room.

“Are you comfortable or do you need another pillow?” —He asked, standing in front of her.

“I’m okay, but I’ll be better when you’re here with me.”—Just that small gesture made all her anxiety go. He was the same Bryce Lahela she had fallen in love ten ywars ago. How that could be possible?

He chuckled, amused.

“You’re so cute, Tesse, you know that?”—He said, laying by her side and taking her in his arms.

“I think so, you used to tell me that a lot.”

“And I don’t plan it to be different now.”

“Aww”—She glanced up at him and brushed her lips into his. Then he locked his eyes into hers, smiling tenderly.

“I just want to hold you as much as possible, so I can believe this is real.”

“I hope all this is real. Would be a real nightmare if I wake up one day and you’re not here, and you’re not sorry and you never really cared after you left.”

“How could I not be sorry? How could I not care about you, Tesse?”

“You wouldn’t be the boy I loved. The man I love.”

“Precisely. I’m just an idiot who pulled you away, but I always cared.”

He rested his lips on her temple.

“Bryce?”

“Yeah?”

“I really hope this works.”

“Me too, Tesse.”

And they would make their best to do so.

_____

#bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #bryce x mc #bryce x casey #bryce #open heart #open heart choices #playchoices #choices #oh choices #choices stories you play #choices fanfiction #Oh fanfic #fanfic #open heart fanfiction

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withabackpackandcamera · 3 years

Photo

Third Time’s The Charm! Iceland Summer 2021 Trip Reflections

Though slightly different in feel and activities when compared to previous trips, this latest installment of Iceland travels was fun and productive in its own way.

When I helped plan this trip with Minh, because it was my third time to Iceland, it was important that I was able to visit and see places and do things that I hadn’t done before so that I could at least experience novel things, which can sometimes be difficult if you visit a country so many times. So it was a balancing act between letting others choose places they wanted to go, even if it meant that I had to revisit a ton of places, and choosing new places that I wanted to go. Of course, a lot of the places I asked to visit (because I had never visited them before) were time-consuming trips that led us to beautiful places located in difficult-to-get-to areas. And those characteristics made it slightly difficult to convince others on the trip that these places were worth the trouble. Or to convince myself that in our tight schedule, it would be worth it to spend a lot of time driving somewhere just to see one thing.

It’s always a little difficult (as I have learned more and more over the years traveling with my family) to travel the way you are used to traveling (i.e. solo or with only your partner) or want to travel when with others, especially your older parents, or with people who prioritize things that you don’t necessarily prioritize. These differences always lead to arguments or tempers, especially when people are tired or sleep deprived, especially for us on this trip. But at the end of the day, despite the messy mood in the car from time to time, Cynthia and the family genuinely enjoyed this trip to Iceland. Which, at the end of it all, is the most important thing.

And the success of our Iceland trip was really due to a few things.

Volcano chasing. Despite the unpredictability of erupting volcanoes and weather conditions in Iceland, we were fortunate enough to check off “active volcano eruption” from our life bucket lists. The biggest reason I decided to plan a trip to Iceland was to see the volcano. And luckily, not only were we able to see the eruption at Geldingadalsgos once, we were actually blessed with great conditions and were able to make it 2 for 2 in terms of successful trips to the erupting volcano. Not everyone who has attempted to see the erupting volcano/vent can say that.

Beautiful, non-rainy Icelandic weather. In Iceland, you can never predict the weather you’re going to get the next hour, the next day, throughout the next week. It’s always so unpredictable. And when the weather does turn sour, it turns horribly sour. Luckily for us, this trip was blessed with beautiful weather the entire 10 days we were there. We barely got even a sprinkle of rain on this trip. The wettest we probably got was at Dynjandi. And the windiest it got was our hike to the volcano on our first day. Otherwise, we were super lucky. It’s rare that you enjoy an Icelandic road trip with 80-90% of the time there filled with sunlight from the never-setting sun.

4WD and Waterfalls. The biggest difference between this trip and the two previous trips I took to Iceland was having a 4x4 car. Especially in the summer, having a 4x4 car in Iceland does wonders for travelers who are into nature and photography. Because we had a 4WD, we could drive comfortably and fast on gravel and dirt roads without feeling like our tires would die or we could mess something up. And because we had a 4WD, we could drive up mountain F roads and get to and see places that none of us had ever seen before, providing us, especially me and Minh, with brand new landscapes to view and capture. To be able to get off the main road and drive into the less-traveled interior of Iceland was amazing and something that I will do every time I go to Iceland going forward, weather and season permitting. And even though we didn’t get to see a ton in the highlands, the few things we did see were totally worth paying for 4WD!

Meeting up with friends in Iceland. On any international trip, it’s always awesome to be able to find time to meet with friends on your trip because it’s very rare that 1) you have friends in another country you can reach out to and meet up with and 2) you have friends from the States visiting somewhere at the same time as you are and whose itinerary intersects with yours, especially in a place like Iceland. For us, we were fortunate to not only meet up, eat with, and hike with our very good friends from Colorado, Maggie and Ben, but to also randomly run into Bryce Kam, a Stanford tennis class buddy, and his wife Ruby in the streets of Reykjavik. On top of that, despite a loaded schedule, we were able to successfully meet up with three groups of local Icelandic friends that I had kept in touch with over the years. Thorsteinn and Thordis. Sveinn and Kristin. And Kristin. It’s hard enough to find time in people’s busy schedules to meet up. But when you’re on a tight schedule yourself, it speaks volumes to how great your friends are when they make time to see you. So very thankful for my friends in Iceland and all over the globe who are always willing and excited to meet up when I visit!

Lodging Options. For the most part, we had great and comfortable relatively budget-friendly lodging options while in Iceland. Though we moved from place to place pretty frequently, we were able to enjoy ourselves in relatively comfortable AirBnBs, cabins, guesthouses, hotels, and suites at every stop along the way. And not only were the rooms comfortable, but the non-AirBnBs served great breakfasts. And the AirBnBs were conveniently located for downtown city explorations.

Traveling with Money. Traveling with money makes a huge difference in how comfortable you are on a trip and, sometimes, how much fun you can have on a vacation. And we definitely had fun while being relatively comfortable on this trip. Because this was the first time the now-fully-employed little kiddos planned and spent money on a family trip. With a financial cushion, we paid a little more to stay at nicer places. We ate nicer meals without feeling like we had to cut corners and be cheap to save money. We rented a 4x4 automatic midsize SUV, which is much more expensive than the regular cars we usually rent, which allowed us the opportunity to see new areas. And Cynthia and I were able to do an impromptu horseback riding trip without feeling like we were breaking the bank and emptying our wallets. And compared to how I traveled to Iceland as a poor pre-med student in 2013, this experience was totally different because of the financial flexibility that I earned for my hard work over all of these years.

Of course, with all the good parts of the trip listed above, there were aspects of the trip that I wish had been a bit better. I wish the lighting, the skies, and the overall photography conditions were better. Even though you have almost 24 hours of sunlight, sometimes, that’s not necessarily a good thing for trip-limited landscape photography. I wish the eruption in Geldingadalir and Fagradalsfjall was crazier with cool-looking lava waterfalls and lava streams and lava spews the two times we went so that my photographs would have turned out awesome-r. But unfortunately, it only started getting really cool about a week after we left, with the volcano now way more active (in spurts) and now overflowing with lava rivers and lava waterfalls carving their way through the dark landscape and dark nights. I wish we had maybe 5 to 7 more days in Iceland. If we did, we could have slowed things down and spaced out our driving a little more so that we didn’t feel like we were driving most of the day. With more time, we would’ve been able to sleep in on more days. With more time, we would’ve been able to fit in some of the sights that we skipped due to time constraints (though part of the trip’s time constraints was due to something we couldn’t have predicted or planned for). And with more time, we would’ve been able to spend more time in Reykjavik soaking up the city life and meeting up with friends without having to stuff it all into a 24-hour period.

But at the end of the day, we made the most of our trip, saw spectacular things, had fun with the family and with friends, and made it home safely. You can’t really ask for anything more than that when going on a slightly last-minute trip during the COVID pandemic with older parents and with Cynthia working remotely and making a huge trip out of the original idea of solo volcano hunting. Nothing is perfect but at least we all had a great time and came home with great memories and photos to share!

And to end my trip reflection, just a quick word/phrase dump of things that I’ll remember most from Iceland v3:

Erupting Volcano/Vent With No Name. Geldingadalir. Fagradalsfjall. Highland Waterfalls. Zooming with 4WD. Midnight Sun. Gravel Roads. Cynthia Half-Days. Colorful Puffins. Chasing Waterfalls. Short and Stubby Horses. Sunrise and Sunset. Friends. 2021 Kia Sportage. Myvatn. Friendly Locals. Good Food. Homecooking. Restaurants. Sleep Deprivation. Engagement Photos. Third Time. Fjords. F Roads. Right Heel Pain. Photos Galore. Midnight Volcano Hike. COVID-19. Mom and Icelandic Names. Windy. Lupines. Hikes. Free Delicious Breakfasts. Trip Delay. Pandemic Travels.

Trip Superlatives

Best Waterfalls:

1. Haifoss

2. Sigöldugljúfur

3. Dynjandi

4. Svartifoss

5. Hrafnabjargafoss

6. Aldeyjarfoss

7. Kirkjufellsfoss

8. Skogafoss

9. Seljalandsfoss

10. Goðafoss

Best Photo Opps:

1. The Geldingadalsgos Eruption

2. The Colorful Puffins at Borgarfjörður eystri

3. The Icelandic Wildflowers Everywhere

4. Vestrahorn at Sunrise

5. The South Highland Waterfalls (Haifoss and Sigöldugljúfur)

Most Incredible Views:

1. The Geldingadalsgos Eruption

2. The Lupine Fields in South Iceland

3. The Colorful Puffins at Borgarfjörður eystri

4. Dynjandi Waterfall and Cascade

5. The South Highland Waterfalls (Haifoss and Sigöldugljúfur)

6. Fjord Views in the East Fjords

7. Sunset/Sunrise Skies

Best Hike:

1. Erupting Volcano/Vent-Viewing Hike at Geldingadalsgos

2. Dynjandi Waterfall Hike in the Westfjords

3. Svartifoss Hike at Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park

Most Underwhelming Sights:

1. Asbyrgi Canyon

2. Aldeyjarfoss

3. Vestrahorn at Sunset

Best Accommodation:

1. Sel Hotel Myvatn in Myvatn

2. Our AirBnBs in Akureyri and Reykjavik

3. Black Beach Suites Outside of Vik

Best Homemade Meals:

1. Huy’s Icelandic Hot Dogs for Lunch

2. Modge Podge Leftovers Mi Xao for Dinner

3. Hot Sausage/Egg/Bread for Breakfast

Best Restaurant Meal:

1. Lunch at Salka in Husavik

2. Dinner at The Restaurant at Sel Hotel Myvatn in Myvatn

3. Dinner at Strondin Pub in Vik

Best Accommodation Breakfast:

1. Breakfast Spread at Sel-Hotel Myvatn in Myvatn

2. Breakfast Spread at Malarhorn Guesthouse

3. Breakfast at Guesthouse Nypugardar

Best Dessert/Bakery:

1. Pastries at Sandholt Reykjavik on Laugavegar in Reykjavik

2. Soft-Serve Ice Cream at Ísbúðin Akureyri

3. Orange Cheesecake from Blaa Kannan Cafe in Akureyri

4. Pastries from Kristjan’s Bakari in Akureyri

Best Road Trip Snack:

1. Savory Snacks (Chips, Chex Mix)

2. Fruit Snacks

3. Pastries and Baked Goods

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lambourngb · 4 years

Note

Duty of Care and /or Gravedigger’s Union

I did Grave Dancer’s Union - a nod to my 90s love of Soul Asylum here.

Duty of Care was another torture Michael fic- I wrote it pre-season 2, when I thought the love triangle was going in a particular way. I don’t know if there’s still an appetite to season 1 au stories? There’s some season 1 characterization of Alex ahead, particularly in regards to Jesse.

Here’s what I had - some of which already appeared here before Last Year’s Wishes ate my brain.

****

“Can’t believe Maria is still wearing the pendant of alien poison around her neck while she dates your alien ass, Guerin..” Kyle commented watching the decay values multiply as Liz titrated pollen into the samples.

The current theory on alien resurrection, and it said a lot about his life that he had competing theories on alien-involved resurrection, was that their ability to manipulate energy changed based on their needed life skills at the time of adolescence. Michael had been separated from his siblings young, and needed to develop defensive skills. The defiant and pained look on his face when he explained stopping an item being hurled at his head at the age of 7 was a needed survival tactic courtesy of foster homes he had passed through kept Kyle from questioning any further.

Isobel had through her mother Ann’s never-ending dinner parties and charity benefits, found comfort in seeing and knowing what was meant under the sugary sweet words of adults around her. Being a small child paraded around adults who were charmed by her blonde hair and blue eyes meant she had the most exposure to social events while Max hid in his books.

Finally Max had anointed himself as a fixer early on in their life. He had taken responsibility for Michael being left behind, and had tasked himself to protect his sister afterward. The defensive use of healing fit with his offensive ability to kill in the service of keeping those he loved safe.

At the most basic level, it was all energy from synaptic responses in brain waves to manipulating molecules to move or stop an object. How a pollen interrupted that energy use could theoretically solve the problem of how to jump start an ability.

“You think you might get around to telling her the big secret anytime soon?”

The mask over his mouth and face did little to block the glare Michael shot at him. “Shut up Valenti.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s Maria. She is a card carrying member of the ACLU and the Nature Conservatory. I had to bail her out of jail last year during an ICE protest. She’s not going to turn you over to the government.”

“Kyle!” Liz scolded, “We talked about this. Agency. It’s up to Isobel and Michael who knows. I already broke that with you.”

Michael ran a gloved figure over the counter absently. “I hate secrets, okay. This isn’t any fun for me, especially considering how many people already know. I went from having just Max and Isobel, to basically the whole graduating class of New Roswell High in on it. A lot of loose lips.”

The habit of 20 years of paranoid silence was probably a lot to try and break with a new relationship if that was the basis of it. There was a good amount of slack that Kyle could extend to Michael, including trying to be understanding when he started up with Alex’s best friend in the wake of Max’s death, but exclusion of Maria from the secret felt wrong to him.

He couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind lying to someone that he wanted to be in a relationship with, and he had a feeling that it wasn’t because of worries that she would tell someone about the aliens living in Roswell. While he couldn’t outright call Michael an asshole on Alex’s behalf, he could poke and prod him when the opportunity surfaced.

“You should look at this way Guerin, that larger circle means if something does happen, you’ve got more back up than just Isobel, with Max being out of commission.”

“Oh yeah, so if the government disappears me to a black site, you’re going to ride to my rescue?”

“Yes.” Kyle replied seriously. “I wouldn’t be alone either.” The name Alex Manes went unsaid, but from the brief wince on Michael’s face, he knew exactly who was being referred to obliquely. Scored hit again.

“Well as fun as this discussion is, I’m going to take off. Iz and I have practice plans.” Michael slipped his hat on, and tucked the stool away. “Liz, call me if you have a breakthrough on nullifying this stuff. For a rare flower, there sure was a lot of it stockpiled in Noah’s cave.”

“Sure thing, Mikey.”

“Valenti, make sure she goes home to sleep and eat at some point. I don’t want to have to put her in a pod next.” He ducked out of reach of her hand, laughing at the offended look she sent his way.

“Far be it for me to agree with him, but he’s right. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends and the middle between rebuilding your lab, researching Max’s healing power, studying this pollen, not to mention working at the diner. We should make time for something else, like a drink or a movie. Recharge.” The past month since Max’s ‘death’ brought back the manic energy burst from solving the issues with the depowering serum. From one catastrophe to another, it was barely time to recover before the next happened.

“I know, I just. I need to stay busy. It’s so quiet without him.” Liz stretched and started to tuck her last slide away into the cooler. “But I think I am done today, if I work anymore, I’ll just be making mistakes.”

Kyle slipped on his coat and held the door. “Not that I don’t believe you leaving on your own volition, but let me walk you out.”

“Lucky for you, I’m too tired to be offended.”

Kyle kept his hand on her back gently steering her through the hallways. The third shift was on at the hospital, and he winced to think about his own upcoming shift at noon tomorrow. Balancing football, his pre-med studies and his social life in Michigan taught him valuable life skills in working on short sleep, but even the hours of residency had no competition on his current life of alien lab work and tracking down government funding of a black ops prison project with Alex. When he mentioned a night off, he wasn’t only including Liz in that need.

Inhaling the cool night air, he calculated if he made it home, heated up a meal, and fell asleep promptly there was the opportunity for 6 good hours of sleep before meeting up at the bunker to check in on the data mining project Alex was running.

“You know, you should go a little easier on Michael.”

“I thought everyone in this town was in love with Max Evans, but apparently it’s Guerin.” Kyle retorted sarcastically.

Liz bit her lip at the mention of Max before sighing softly. “I’m serious, Kyle. He’s really messed up right now. I was actually shocked he was somewhat sober tonight.”

“I’m not going to be petty here Liz, and mention the obvious that we are all really messed up right now. I get where you’re coming from about their need for secrecy, but Maria really deserves better. I’m not her best friend like you are and Alex was, but I’ve been here in this town with her. She was there for me after my dad died, and she supported my mom’s election for sheriff. With Mimi getting worse, she deserves to have someone to count on, not someone who is lying to her, and by extension, making all of us lie to her as well.”

“Alex was? Past tense?”

He arched his eyebrow in disbelief, “I guess I am going to be petty tonight, but seriously Liz? Have you talked to Alex lately? Every time Maria comes up in conversation he puts his best ‘Baghdad was a little warm and I was just doing a job’ face on and repeats to anyone listening how happy he is for them. Guerin messed him up, and worse, took away from him one of the few people he lets himself drop that soldier bullshit front he has.”

Liz sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I know the history with Michael is a little complicated, but we don’t always get to choose who we fall for and who we don’t. Love is messy. It doesn’t color inside the lines and follow any of the rules.”

“Maybe you’re right about that, and maybe there’s no avoiding the heartache. I do believe though that you can choose whether or not to be a dick about things, and Guerin not telling Maria is a dick move and it’s got consequences.” Kyle unlocked his car, and opened the passenger side with a gesture. “Our sister doesn’t have many friends, and he’s robbing her of one right now. Rosa lost ten years because of aliens, don’t you think that’s enough loss for all of us?”

“Do you know how annoying you are when you’re right? I’ll talk to Michael, better yet, I’ll talk to Isobel about letting Maria in on the secret.”

He slid into the driver’s seat, smiling across to her. “Tomorrow. Tonight, what’s left of it, is for sleeping.” He turned the ignition, and stopped, as the headlights came up illuminating the familiar green Chevy sitting across the lot from them. “That’s Guerin’s truck.”

“He left before we did, what’s it still doing here?” Liz ducked out of the passenger seat and ran toward the truck without waiting for an answer. Kyle swore softly, untangling his hand from the ignition to follow her. The truck looked undisturbed, no sign of the occupant. Liz reached for the driver’s side door, testing it, and gasped as the door swung open. The ever present black hat slipped off the dash into the floorboards.

There were three things Michael prized above all others, his truck, his cowboy hat, and his sister. To leave two out of three unprotected was highly out of character for him. Kyle turned around the parking lot, scanning for signs of him.

“Kyle, look,” Liz grabbed his arm and pulled him down toward the wheel well of the truck. Gleaming silver in the light , tucked on top of the tire tread, was a syringe needle with a depressed plunger.

“That’s not good.”

She stuffed her hand into her pocket and withdrew a spare latex glove to wrap around her fingers as she lifted the syringe from the tire. She peered closely at the vial, a sickly yellow liquid film thinly coated the inside. “I think someone took him, and without testing it, I’m guessing this is some sort of knock out drug based on the pollen.”

Kyle reached for his phone, mentally saying goodbye to the idea of sleep anytime soon. “I’ll call Alex, you call Isobel. And I don’t know, I guess call my mom? I mean, we usually call the police when someone gets abducted.”

Liz thinned her lips, holding the needle with one hand as she dug out her phone with the other. “I don’t think you can call the cops on the government, which I’m guessing that’s what we are dealing with since they knew how to knock out Michael.”

The government, or more specially it was probably someone related to Project Shepherd. Kyle sighed, holding his phone to his ear. It rang once, before he heard, “What’s wrong?”

He pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure he had called Alex and not the psychic alien sister, “How did you know something was wrong?”

“You’ve called me twice in the last three months, once to tell me you put my dad in a coma and once to tell me about Max. You’re a texter, even though I explained it’s easier to keep things secret if you call. So again, what’s wrong?”

Kyle slowly walked back toward the hospital. He should have volunteered to call Isobel, because this was not going to be easy. “It’s Guerin.”

“Is he okay?”

“We don’t know. We think someone took him. Liz and I found his truck at the hospital, unlocked. It looks like he got jumped by someone who knows how to incapicitate him.”

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

Kyle wasn’t surprised to see the call disconnected. It was a forty minute drive from the cabin to the hospital if someone followed the speed limits.

***

“It’s Guerin.”

Alex was somewhat aware that he must have replied. He was in his SUV and away from the bunker, before he’d registered that the call had ended. He could only be thankful that today had been a ‘pull day’, rather than a ‘push day.’

Alex could divide his days into two motivations, he either wanted to be as far from town and the chance of running into someone he knew (Michael) or he wanted to be close in case something happened that he could help fix (for Michael). The cabin was isolated enough that only Kyle made the trip from Roswell, but not in recent memory with the pace of lab work and hospital hours. Alex could comfortably avoid reality with his laptop until the second feeling took hold. The Project Shepherd bunker was an easier location to reach Isobel or Liz from when the inviatble call for assisting an intoxicated Michael came.

Seeing Maria meant seeing Michael in the evening hours, and it was strange to resort to in his post-service life the habit of a decade before; lying and hiding himself in every interaction. His calendar had a weekly reminder to join Liz and Maria at the Wild Pony for a beer, usually scheduled early enough that Michael was still at Sanders working, but late enough that the automated work emergency text to his phone could reliably give him cover for an exit.

Psychic as she was, Maria always let him go with a pained but relieved look. It wasn’t her fault that he was still in love with Michael. It wasn’t her fault that Michael wasn’t in love with him. Neither he nor Maria had so many friends that they could afford to lose one, but neither was fooling the other that the relationship hadn’t changed in the aftermath of her dating Michael.

This wasn’t his first go around with unrequited love.

He’d survived Brendon Urie, and he wasn’t ashamed to have been a sixteen year old pouring over fan meet and greets on livejournal before hitting the road with Rosa to see Panic at the Disco in Albuquerque just after school let for the summer. He might have mapped out Los Angeles coffee shops to busk at after he turned legal and could escape west to be a musician, coffee shops close to Silver Lakes and Encino neighborhoods to be organically discovered by his crush.

He had survived his fourteen year old obsession with Kyle, that lasted until it was safer to love unattainable rockstars versus the childhood friend now high school bully. He could laugh at himself for thinking that Kyle had turned on him because he felt the same way but just didn’t know how to articulate it outside of shoving him against the lockers and jeering at him in gym class.

Unrequited love that had once been returned was a higher bar to clear than a fan fantasy or a childhood crush, but then the sins Alex carried were deeper and more lasting as well. More than a ruined but now healed hand and a discarded scholarship, he had the murder of Michael’s mother to carry. He would survive Michael not loving him, he was reasonably sure of it. He wasn’t sure if he would survive something happening to Michael because of the Manes family legacy.

Someone knowing how to subdue and take Michael pointed to his family’s involvement.

He didn’t bother with the visitor’s desk at the hospital foyer this time, walking purposefully toward the elevator and wing where Liz’s new lab resided. The door opened to his touch, revealing Isobel hovering anxiously near Liz’s shoulder as she swabbed a syringe.

“You made good time.” Isobel greeted.

“I hacked the traffic lights.” Alex informed, setting his laptop case on the lab table, and popping the case open. A few keystrokes and he was inside the hospital network and probably breaking a dozen federal laws of privacy.

Kyle closed the door, and shook his head, “Seriously?”

“No. I was at the bunker.” He brought up the internal security logs, noting visitors and elevator access. “So what do we know?”

“Not a lot,” Liz replied, her gaze fixed on a spread of swabs and slides. “I’m trying to pull as many samples as I can from this syringe so I can analyze it. There looks to be a reservoir of 3 CCs. My original serum required a dose of at least 6 CCs to incapacitate, so whatever they used was more concentrated.”

“Hopefully less lethal,” Isobel observed. “Are you in the hospital network already?”

“Just what’s linked to the internal wifi signals. I’m going to need access to their security office since it appears the actual camera footage is on a closed circuit.”

Kyle pulled out his ID badge, “I can take you there, but how are you going to get the guards to let you look at the footage? I can still call my mom and make this an official police investigation.”

Alex dug into his pockets for a thumb drive, and then turned to Isobel, “I’m hoping you can influence the guard into letting me download the footage. If you can’t, then we will need to bring the sheriff into this.”

Isobel tapped her forehead knowingly, “If I can’t influence the guards to let you in, I can at least make one of them think he left his car unlocked or his coffee pot plugged in.”

“Let’s go then. Michael has been missing for at least an hour.”

Kyle tapped his badge at certain checkpoints, opening the electronic doors as they headed down to the security room. Alex made a mental note to scrub the ID tags once they were done, on the off chance someone was curious about the movements of a doctor who should have been long off duty.

The windowless room was covered in screens and held one guard boredly sipping his coffee while he watched a television show on his phone. There was a chance they didn’t need a psychic to gain access, but it was probably better safe than sorry.

Alex moved quickly after Isobel held the security guard’s mind in hers and slide behind the desk to call up the footage on the parking garage. Mindful of time, he plugged in his drive and started transferring all the raw data from the camera recordings. The antiquated hospital computing system did nothing to soothe the anxiety.

Long experience working with poor computing power and broken infrastructure while deployed in Iraq was the only thing that kept his inner impatience off his face. Touching the mouse or tapping his fingers never moved data faster.

Finally the file clicked over complete, he slid back from the bank of monitors, and nodded to Isobel. The security guard took a deep breath and look around briefly before picking up his phone and restarting the television show on his app.

The door clicked shut as the three of them hastened back to Liz’s lab. His hip barked at the hurried extension he placed on his body. With the clock ticking, the discomfort slipped into the box marked ‘to deal with later’. Once the drive was inserted, it was a matter of minutes to set up a scan for vehcile traffic entering and exiting the hospital parking lot.

Liz dug out a bottle of acetone for Isobel, who accepted it with a small smile and then nodded over to the laptop. “I hope you are having more luck with the security footage, than I am having with this drug.”

“I grabbed everything from the last 72 hours, just in case. It’s possible someone followed Michael to the hospital,” Alex balanced carefully onto the stool, keeping the weight off his prostetic. “I would have found a less populated area for a snatch and grab, but maybe they were worried about Michael’s powers and if so, then likely they scouted the view points of the cameras before they made their move to minimize their exposure. At least that’s what I would have done, if I had discarded the open road or home as possible targets.”

“Well we all know what a paranoid and careful asshole you are, Alex.” Kyle observed, working on a second set of samples.

“I try not to repeat my mistakes.”

“Like Caulfield?” Isobel asked pointed.

A sharp stab of pain went through him at the reminder. As if the prison ever left his mind for a moment these days. “Yes, like Caulfield. I should have found a more covert way to gain information than assume it was abandoned. I should have realized my dad had more going on than surveillance on Roswell.”

Kyle touched Alex’s shoulder with a comforting clasp, “At least we know he’s not personally behind this. Master Sergeant's main nurse likes me, she would have called if something had changed.”

Alex stayed silent, knowing that his next task would be gaining access to the long term rest home in Santa Fe where they had transferred his comatose father after he had attacked Kyle. There had been initial protests regarding the forged records until he had pointed out the other option had been to kill Jesse.

The classic body Chevy truck flashed on the screen with the timecode marking it as Michael’s arrival at the hospital. Alex paused and marked the frame for reference, then eased through the later clips watching for his exit. There were two cameras concentrated on the parking lot, one at the entrance/exit, and one with a long panoramic view of the lot, primarily to ward off a car thief or would-be mugger. It was grainy in grey scale, but at least he could be thankful that Michael drove such a distinctive truck. The task of finding an unremarkable Honda Prisius would have been daunting.

His hand stilled as he paused the footage on the slow but unmistakable swagger of a figure striding away from the hospital entrance toward the parked Chevy. Michael’s black cowboy hat hid his face but even absent such an identifiable marker Alex was sure could have picked out his body in a sea of others without question.

Michael reached his truck with no issue, unlocking the driver’s side door. His hand swept off his hat and casually tossed it into the front seat of the cab. Behind him, in the next parking aisle a nondescript panel van, a door opened slid open and a glint peeked out. Michael reached behind his neck, his body half in the truck and slapping at the skin there.

Alex inhaled sharply, fear and dread rising. It was a terrible thing to watch knowing it had already happened. Two figures dressed in plain dark clothing emerged from the van, and started toward the truck. Michael’s body half fell from the cab, and curled around the front wheel. Alex watched as the two effortlessly brushed off the weak struggles to fight their grasp of Michael’s shoulders, tugging him backward to the waiting van.

His body was tossed without care into the back, the door sliding shut blocking the last view of Michael. The two men split up from the van, circling around to the front doors. Alex numbly clicked on the frame, saving it, and switched over to the second camera focused on the entrance.

Watching his brother Flint calmly pay the ticket machine was not much of a surprise at this point.

“Kyle, I’m going to need you to call your nurse friend to check on my father.” He was proud that his voice was calm and even, despite the rising sickness within. “The good news is, this wasn’t a government issued black ops team that took Michael.”

“And the bad news?” Isobel prompted.

“It was personal, which means they aren’t as invested in keeping him alive.”

* * * *

[Isobel details their mental bond. That it feels blank]

“I was always closer with Max. I don’t know if it was a twin thing or being raised together, but Michael was always harder to connect with until recently. We’ve been practicing so much together, he started to take up a bit of space here, “ she patted her chest. “Not enough to fill the void where Max was, but enough that I could tell if he was happy or if he was angry. Strong emotions only came through. Lately it was a lot of anger but he wouldn’t tell me what was going on… “

“And now? Do you feel him now?”

Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. “It’s empty. Blank. Like it was when we kids before he moved back to Roswell. I think he’s still alive, but he feels very far away, or very weak.”

[Alex waits patiently for the call. He thinks this is going to be an exchange of Michael for his dad, until he realizes his dad is not at the long-term care facility any more]

[Round table discussion at Max’s house to figure out what Jesse wants. Isobel finds out more about the shared past of Michael and Alex- and Maria shows up at the end looking for Michael]

“It’s been 2 days, why hasn’t your dad called with his demands? Is he not reading from the classic villain script this time?” Isobel wondered bitterly. “What is with your family, Alex?”

Kyle injected, “We don’t know that Sergant Manes is involved.”

“Don’t we? He disappeared from the nursing home just before Michael was taken. It seems pretty convenient timing to me.”

Alex pressed his fingers under his eyelids to relieve the building pressure. It had been a long two days of nothing after he received the call that the psuedonmyn he had checked his dad in unrder was no longer a patient in the long-term coma ward in Sante Fe. The staff was calling it a miracle that just after a devoted son had prayed at his bedside, he had woken up. Alex knew it was anything but divine intervention to have Jesse awake and free in the world.

“Isobel is right, this has Dad written all over it. Somehow Flint found out what had happened and woke him up. It’s been two days because I’m guessing he is still weak from the inactivity.”

Liz stirred from her claimed spot on the couch, cracking an eyelid. “What makes you think there’s going to be a demand, Isobel? Manes has what he wants, a new alien to test and torture. If you look at the research side of things, the aliens in Caulfield were all weak and elderly, and Michael’s a healthy 28 year old. Whatever fucked up weapon he was developing might need a younger test subject.”

“Now there’s a comforting thought.” Kyle muttered.

“I don’t think it’s research. This still feels personal to me. Michael still has an offensive power to defend himself with, the softer target would have been Isobel if he just wanted an alien to grab.”

“Gee, thanks Alex. Come closer and I’ll show you what I’ve been working on and see if you think I’m still a soft target after I turn your skull into crushed bone.”

***

Alex’s fingers were numb, as he pressed in his code to access his Whatsapp account. Waiting in his inbox was an unknown number and a video attachment. He abruptly dropped into the deck chair as the video opened to his worst fear made real.

Michael’s left eye was swollen shut, blood staining from the corner of his forehead, dripping down his cheek bone. His arms were stretched high above his head, disappearing out of frame. His shirt was missing, and there were sluggishly wounds striping over his shoulder and licking across his collar bone.

The camera turned, Michael blurring out of view. The monster that starred in seventy percent of his nightmares filled the screen. “Hello, Alex. I was hoping to keep you out of this, son, but this creature is being very uncooperative.”

Off screen, he heard a weak, “Go fuck yourself, Manes. I keep telling you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jesse nodded to someone out of frame, and Michael screamed in agonizing pain. Long hiccuping gasps for air puncuated another softer, “fuck you.”

“Like I said, uncooperative. When we last saw each other, you had something that belonged to me. Jim Valenti stole it from our base, and refused to tell me what he had done with it despite my best efforts at persuading him.”

Michael cried out again, choking on a soft sob. Alex forced himself to watch, drinking in every detail for his later plans.

“With N-38 gone, I can’t hurt this thing the same way I did dear old Jim so I’ve had to get creative. Electricity just makes some of them stronger, but good old heat and sharp still work on them. We both know you can break its bones with enough force.” Jesse turned, pointing the camera toward Michael again, focusing on the dangling bare feet. “There are more bones per square inch in the foot, than anywhere else in the body. I am telling you this so you don’t doubt my resolve. This thing is relatively harmless for its kind, and I’m willing to return it to you in more or less good condition, if you bring me what Valenti stole. Let me know what you decide to do.”

The video cut off.

****

There was an expected role to play, like there always was when Jesse Manes was involved. Once it meant peppering his speech with ‘yes sir’ and ‘sorry sir’ and toning down his clothing in hopes of escaping his fists, and when that proved futile, it went in the opposite direction with makeup, nail polish, and piercings.

For all of his proud talk about the service, his father never served anywhere but stateside. His knowledge of tactical defense and enemy counter measures were likely twenty years of date, and Alex was counting on his father’s pride from keeping him unaware of the technology shift. The set up of the Project Shepherd bunker confirmed that.

He tucked his personal side arm into his thigh holster, securing to his left leg and reached for his secondary weapon to slip into his boot strapped to his prosthetic. The weight of the kevlar and vest registered briefly on his shoulders before it slipped into the blank shroud that had enveloped him as soon as he heard Michael’s cries. Knives and a pair of percussive grenades weighed down each side of his pockets.

A floorboard behind him creaked, his gun cleared the holster before his mind caught up on who would have followed him to his cabin. It was a little concerning that the sound of a vehicle hadn’t registered until now.

“Whoa, don’t shoot.” Kyle lifted his hands, halting abruptly. He took in the dark clothing, combat hardware and the array of weapons spread on the cabin’s table. “I guess we are going full cliche today, good to know.”

Alex dropped his arm away, resecuring his gun. “Then you know what I’m going to say already.”

“Humor me, then. This is a trap, Alex.”

“I’m well aware.” Alex flipped open a black case and pulled out his phone and laptop. Carefully he pulled out three silver discs, and a pair of jeweler’s glasses. He sat down in the chair, slipping the glasses on to peer down at the discs. “I’m going anyway.”

Kyle sighed, aggrieved. “Well I did promise Guerin if he got his ass kidnapped by the government, I would come to his rescue.”

Alex didn’t look up from his work, pressing a small pin on each disc. “You’re not going with me, Kyle.”

“I know this face is distractingly handsome, but tell me you remember all the time we spent on the range together as kids. I can shoot a gun.”

“Shooting a paper target is different from shooting at a human being.” Each disc beeped softly, then went silent. He pulled the glasses off with a satisfied smirk, “Besides, I need you to come with the cavalry. These are military grade GPS trackers that I’ve linked to my laptop and my phone. Once my father sees I’m there without the piece of the ship, he’ll take me to Michael so he can teach me a lesson.”

“What makes you think your dad won’t find these trackers?”

“I’m sure he will, but I’ve got a back up plan on that as well. My father has underestimated me my entire life. He thinks I am weak, that my emotions and desires cloud my judgment. He’s going to see he was wrong.”

“Alex.” Kyle hesitated, struggling for a moment before taking a seat at the table. He gently laid his hand on Alex’s wrist, stilling the other man. “We all want Guerin back safe but I want you to consider for a moment that your father is right, that your emotions are clouding your judgment. Because what I’m seeing right now is kind of freaking me out, dude. You’re dressed from head to toe in black ops murder gear with GPS trackers, which I didn’t even know you could buy, talking about going in alone, guns blazing, against your dad.”

“I got them on Ebay.”

“That’s what you’re choosing to focus on?”

“What are my other options, Kyle? He’s got Michael. He’s had him for two days, and there is exactly zero chance he doesn’t want both the UFO fragment and Michael.” Alex wrenched his hand away,. He inhaled deeply and pushed down the swell of thoughts of what had already happened to Michael in two days.

“I agree, but back when I laid him out with barbiturates in our bunker, you and I had a discussion about killing him. I seem to remember we decided against that.”

“No, Kyle, you decided against it and I went along with it. Which was clearly a mistake. This has been a long time coming, okay? He brought this on himself when he took Michael.”

“I knew there was no talking you out of this. I just don’t want you to do this alone.”

* * *

The lights were all on at the formerly known as Evans-Bracken residence, now just Evans.

“You look like you’re ready to storm the castle.” Isobel commented, before pushing the door open and turning back into the house. “I still haven’t felt anything from Michael. He could be dead, and all of this would be pointless.”

Alex winced and acknowledged the point before pushing the thought down. “He’s not dead.”

“How do you know? Your so-called cosmic connection?” She sipped from the glass in her hand, the scent of chemicals wafted to him. It was clearly not water.

Gently he wrapped his fingers around her hand, guiding the glass away before resting it on the table next to him. “Maybe, but in reality, if he was dead, my father would have taken someone else as leverage and he would have taunted me with my failure to protect Michael.”

****

[ So as you can see it needs a massive rewrite to fix my characterization- but I still like the plot of Jesse taking Michael for the ship piece- especially since the show fumbled on this so badly in 2x10-2x11. ]

#oh man early hiatus fic has a feel don't it?#Anonymous

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bqstqnbruin · 4 years

Text

Helplessness and Good Food

I still can’t spell that man’s name wow. I also got my cap and gown and hood today from SJU and it’s just hanging on my closet door mocking me about the fact that I’ll never get to wear it, but at least it was free right?

But this was requested and here we are me still having more requests that I LOVE! Just ignore the fact that the title sucks ah

_______________________________

“Babe, I know you’re in pain, but I have practice in like ten minutes. I’ll be by as soon as I can with everything I’ve needed when I’ve had surgery.” You hear Matt running on the other end. He was definitely late to practice; you could picture him sprinting through the city on his way to Warrior just to get there in time so he won’t be scratched next game. “For now, Samantha is there to help you, and we’ve coordinated it so she doesn’t have to leave for work until I’m back. There’s even some overlap where you’ll have both of us waiting on you hand and, well, knee.”

You laugh at his attempt at a joke, “I’ll see you later. Have a good practice. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” you hear him say on the other end, practically hanging up the phone before he can say it out of panic of being late. You try to shift yourself to a more comfortable position, which was hard given the complete immobility of your left leg. You had messed up your knee because of dance when you were younger, putting off the impending eventual surgery that you would need to get it fixed. Then you were out for a run, the first part of your normal workout, when you weren’t paying attention to where you were going, colliding with someone and busting your knee, much worse than it had been before. Matt and Samantha insisted you go see your doctor, only for him to tell you that you need reconstructive surgery because you tore pretty much all of the ligaments in your knee.

Trying to adjust yourself took at least twenty minutes before finding a position that didn’t make you writhe with pain. It was your first week at home and you still weren’t used to navigating your apartment without use of your leg.

“Hey, what do you need?” Samantha says, coming into the living room with more pillows, as if the four that were under your leg already weren’t enough as it was.

“Use of my leg?” She tries as hard as she could to adjust the pillows without sending pain through your leg. It didn’t work, but you know she was trying.

“Did you take the meds the doctor told you to take?”

“Yeah, this morning, but he also said try not to take them often, so I don’t want to take more until I go to sleep tonight if I need to.” You struggle to reach for the TV remote, hoping that you can put on a movie or something on Netflix to take your mind off your leg. It was just out of reach on the table in front of you; moving anymore to get it and you would be in pain for the next twenty minutes while you tried again to readjust yourself. “I’m so helpless!” you shriek as you give up.

“Well, yes, but at least now you have an excuse.” Samantha gets up and hands you the remote.

“Very funny considering I noticed that since I haven’t been able to vacuum, the floors are much messier now.”

“Touche.” She plops down on the chair, probably trying to think of the last time she even used the vacuum. “What time is Matt getting here?”

“Uh, his practice ends in about four hours? So in four and a half assuming he showers?” you tell her, trying to find a good movie to put on, “What should we watch?”

“How about that Ted Bundy movie. The one with Lily Collins and Zac Efron?”

You find Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. It was one of your favorite movies; you had seen footage of Bundy before and the way Efron mirrored Bundy’s mannerisms was mindblowing to you.

By the end of the movie, you were ready to pass out, even though it was morning. “I haven’t actually slept well since before the surgery because of pain, so if I can fall asleep like this, I’m going to,” you told Samantha about halfway through the movie, feeling your eyes close then. You must have actually fallen asleep because you wake up with Samantha gone and Matt sitting on the floor, his head right by where your shoulder was on the couch. You mess up his hair doing your best to sit up so he can at least come sit up on the couch. “Hey, babe.”

“Hey, there, sleepy,” he says, pushing himself up on the couch, you lay your head in his lap, “How are you feeling?”

“Hurt. Helpless,” you pout.

“I know, Y/N, but you’ll feel better soon.” He runs his hand through your hair, letting your eyes close as he does it. “In the meantime, as I said, Samantha and I are here to literally 24/7. One of us will bring you something to make you feel better every day until you are as good as new.”

“Really?” you ask, your eyes lighting up, “Materialism at it’s finest. What did you bring me?”

“Well, today, some of the guys and I chipped in and got some stuff that we like to have after surgeries. So Torey got you a copy of Holes, which he said is his favorite book, Marchy got you a copy of Tales from the Locker Room from the 2011 season, I’m thinking because he’s on the cover,” he says, laughing, handing the two books to you, “Charlie got Chef Keith to make you the Dark Chocolate Sweet Potato Almond Butter Brownies that he loves and he’s like 90 percent sure you would love, too. Then Jake got you Oreos, Zee got you some Caramel Apple Spice and Egyptian Licorice Teas, which, I’m not sure why.” He keeps pulling out item after item from the bag. He apparently told the entire team you were having this surgery and literally every single one of his teammates must have gotten you something to keep you occupied during the time you were useless.

“How’d you even manage this?” you ask, sitting up so carefully so that you don’t irritate your knee. “The boys must love you.” You have to twist yourself around so that you can give him a kiss on the cheek, causing both of you to burst out laughing at how awkward it was, “I hate having half of me stuck in one place!” you whine.

“I know, I know. But trust me, the boys love you more than they love me. Jake would rather have you as a teammate instead of me.”

“So what you’re saying is, if we break up, the guys are keeping me and getting rid of you?” You lay your head back in his lap, getting comfortable again.

“Let’s not talk about us breaking up, and just go back to watching some TV. Try the cookies that Stephanie made, Patrice says she’s a great baker.”

“What kind are they?”

“I don’t know, he told me the French name and I don’t know.” He starts to laugh taking a bite of the cookie himself, “but fuck they’re good!”

“You,” you start laughing so hard you end up lifting your head from his lap slightly, “are getting crumbs all over me, you pig!” You brush the crumbs off of yourself, praying that Samantha actually vacuums so you don’t have to.

You spend the rest of the day just relaxing. Anything you needed, Matt got up so carefully and practically sprinted to get it to you; more water, he got it, your phone charger, he got it; something from your bedroom, he got it.

“What time is Samantha getting home?” he asks after you watched Perks of Being a Wallflower. It was getting close to dinner time, and it was a little weird that she wasn’t there.

“Uh, I’m not sure. Let me check my phone, maybe she said something?” you reach for your phone, still needed Matt to give it to you like Samantha had earlier, “Yep, she said she’s going to be home late. Probably after 7. Shoot, she was making dinner.”

“I’ll do it! What was she going to make?” he jumps up, sending you sitting straight up and pain rushing through you. You try to hide the distress from your face, not wanting to make him feel bad in any way for wanting to help.

“Babe, you’ve never cooked for me before. Help me move my leg from the couch to the table so I can sit up properly?”

He helps move the pillows to create a mountain under your leg. It felt so much better than having to stay stuck laying down on the couch like you had been the entire day, “Have I really never cooked for you?”

“No, we always order out.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” he says, running into the kitchen to try to figure out what to make. “Why do you have no food in here?”

“Maybe Samantha was supposed to pick up stuff for dinner on her way back from work?”

“Nope, I found some stuff!” he calls as you here clanging in the kitchen, hopefully, the noise of him trying to get pots or pans out of your cabinets.

“Babe, don’t break anything!” you yell to him. You don’t need him cleaning up knowing that he’s horrible at that, and knowing Samantha won’t vacuum for who knows how long. He doesn’t answer, and all you can do is stress watch episodes of The Office that you’ve already seen at least ten times already.

Samantha eventually comes home before Matt is finished cooking. “Oh, my god. What happened here?”

You look around at the mess you didn’t realize you and Matt had made. “The boys made me a care package and I guess Matt got a little crazy with throwing things on the ground?”

“What’s that smell?”

“He’s making dinner.”

“Oh no.”

“I know.”

“He’s never done that before!”

“I know!” The two of you squeal like giddy school girls, laughing after about how ridiculous you sounded. You and Matt were serious, but he had never cooked for you before.

“If it tastes good, keep him.”

“Well, I would hope she would keep me even if it weren’t good considering this mess is my fault. You need me around long enough to clean up.” Matt is balancing a bowl of food on his arm, another plate in each hand.

“What is this?” Samantha looks at the bowl that Matt set in front of her, obvious disgust on her face.

“Chili.”

“We had beef here?” you ask, turning to Samantha.

“I didn’t buy it and you haven’t been shopping in months.”

“Should we be scared?” you turn to Matt, a look of fake fear on your face that only makes him laugh.

“Will you try it first?” Matt begs.

You and Samantha look at each other, the fake fear turning into real fear. Where did the beef even come from? You hold up a spoonful of the chili, “Count of three?”

“Oh, come on!” Matt says.

“One, two, three.” Samantha counts down, both of you shoving the food in your mouths at the same time, immediately spitting it out.

“I love you,” you say, shoving the bowl at Matt, Samantha getting up to run to the kitchen and get rid of her bowl, “but that is God awful.”

“I’m ordering pizza!” Samantha yells. You can hear her opening the trash can and dumping the rest of the chili. “Whoever goes to get the pizza is also bringing the trash out, Matt.”

“Is it that bad?” he asks, looking upset as he takes a mouthful of his dinner. “Ok, yeah,” he spits it right back into the bowl, “That is horrible. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, babe,” you take his face in your hand, kissing his cheek, “You tried. You failed, but you tried.”

“I love you. I wish I was better for you, especially now.”

“You’re perfect.”

“Perfect or not, he’s taking this out, and getting the edible food.” Samantha comes back with the trash bag, dumping Matt’s bowl in too before tying the bag and handing it to him. “Go.”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Matt yells as Samantha practically throws him out the door.

“You can still keep him.” Samantha jokes.

“I will,” you say as he comes back, plopping down on the couch with the pizza, giving you and Samantha each a slice. “Ugh, good food!” you draw out as Matt rolls his eyes at you, a smile spreading across his face.

#matt grzelcyk #matt grzelcyk imagines #boston bruins #boston bruins imagines #bruins #bruins imagines #hockey #hockey imagines #nhl #nhl imagines

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razorblade180 · 4 years

Text

Twin Snowflakes pt19: Skill, Sickness, and Skirts

Four hours into the day and no incident at school. So far so good, Summer thought to herself. It was pretty weird to be at school knowing Nick wasn’t around. The two never really saw much of each other anyways, but it was weird nonetheless. Summer sat quietly in the nurse's office with papers on her lap and a text book in her hand; the typical set up. Classroom temperatures and an abundance of not so nice peers made for a very dreadful school environment most days. It wasn’t all bad. Quiet time for most of the day was nice. Nobody or no one to bug her. Until the door swung open and Veronica disrupted the vibe.

“Yo Princess.” The girl said in a good mood. Veronica actually didn’t sound insufferable right from the jump. That nickname was still annoying though. “Do I have to pay you to use my name regularly?”

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I don’t care about your money. It will never influence me. Eliza said I might find you in here. I thought she was joking but I should’ve known this is totally a thing you’d do.” Veronica looked around the sterile environment, devoid of anything interesting. “I’m supposed to be nice to you, but it’s shit like this that brings my opinion of you crashing down.”

“Whatever.” Summer groaned, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like it was high to begin with. Why are you even in here?”

Veronica took a seat on the bed next to her. She reached for one of those sticks nurses pressed down on people’s tongue and started scratching her nails along the edges. “For you obviously. I gotta be around a student council member and Eliza is taking a test. PE is your next class isn’t it?” The stick finally snapped from the friction. “Might as well try and be active and see the school. Being in one room all day is boring.”

Summer didn’t like anything she just heard. The worst class with Veronica? Why was life this cruel. She was a good girl, yet a trail came day after day to test her. “Umm you should rethink that. Valerie is in my class.Plus it can get annoyingly loud.” A cheap deterrent but Summer had to try something.

Veronica shrugged. “So? I’ll just stay away from that jock. Also I’m no stranger to crowds and microphones. That’s my life too, remember? I know how to adjust accordingly.

Summer frowned as she gathered her papers. “But-” Veronica put a finger over her lips to silence her. The girl slowly removed said finger and started putting Summer’s stuff away.

“We can make this suck, or we can make it tolerable. Let’s just both try not to step on each other’s toes and get through 90 minutes together, fair?” Veronica put Summer’s thing over the petite girl’s shoulder then got her on her feet. The slightly forceful push out the door made Summer yelp? “Why are we leaving now!?”

“Because I can phase us through the locker room door and get us changed before anybody shows up.”

“W...wait, you care about things like that? But you’re so….” Summer leaned further back to press against Veronica’s boobs. “Filled out.”

Veronica hit the girl on the head. Summer couldn’t help but notice the slight blush that appeared. “Don’t be so dense.” Veronica protested. “Just because I’m hot doesn’t mean I like stripping down to my underwear in front of others. And honestly, what’s with everyone and tits!?” She ranted, clearly passionate about the subject. “Nothing is fun about back pain. I also don’t need a bunch of entitled snobs staring at my ears and tails like I’m an exotic zoo animal. Changing early avoids most of that.”

“You eventually have to change again though.”

“I don’t have any classes so I’m not in a rush. I’ll just wait for everyone to leave or change someplace else.” Veronica looked at Summer annoyed. “Can you start actually walking or am I going to have to keep pushing?” Summer leaned forward and out of the way. She wasn’t expecting Veronica to hate changing almost as much as herself. They really did share a similar annoyance towards school. For different reasons of course. Kids looked at her scars and snickered. If Veronica felt like a zoo animal, then Summer felt like a freak show at a circus. That’s what those stares felt like anyways. Summer took Veronica by the hand and sped up.

Veronica jolted. Being grabbed like that was a pet peeve.“Hey! What’s with the pulling!?” Summer looked back at her and stuck her tongue out. “Don’t be pushy if you can’t take it. We’re gonna take a shortcut. It’s not like you really know where you’re going anyways.” Veronica mumbled under her breath. Admittedly she had this coming. Veronica had no choice but to listen.

xxxx

Back at home, Weiss was having her own set of problems in the form of her overzealous son. She had just walked in on him out of bed and reaching for his sword. Granted, he was looking leagues better than he was this morning, but that’s what medicine does! It didn’t mean he was actually better! Weiss put down the tray holding his lunch and medicine. “Am I going to have to get the black wig?” She crossed her arms and gave him the infamous mom look.

Nick gulped. Bleiss wasn’t a person to bargain with. “Let’s not be hasty hehehe.” His nervous laughter made his voice crack slightly. “I’m feeling so much better and staying in bed all day is boring, so I thought some light training…”

“That’s partly why you’re sick!” His mother exclaimed. “Your body needs proper rest.” Nick pumped his fist in the air and boasts, “My body has rested! I’m an Arc after all.”

Weiss remained unconvinced, giving him a look of judgement. Nick let out a defeated sigh. “Come on mom, I have to do something. I feel like I’m right at the cusp of a breakthrough. King of the Hill is mine this year, I can feel it.” Nick looked at his hands with excitement and frustration. He wiggled each finger before clenching his fist. “I just need to push a little more. Somehow.” He looked at his mother who was still judging him.

Weiss could tell he wasn’t bluffing, and neither was that video from the physical exam. What Nick did was beyond impressive and exceeded what she was doing at his age. It was also rocky as hell. There were multiple areas in his fighting style that needed severe ironing out. “It’s moments like these I think karma is playing with me. Winter had a difficult time reeling me in whenever I wanted to train too.” Weiss laughed a little, remembering those simpler times. They weren’t all fun and games but she cherished them wholeheartedly. “If you’re going to train then I’m going to be overseeing it and you’ll follow my rules.”

Nick’s eyes lit up like fireworks. “Seriously, the two of us!? Aren’t you busy?” Weiss shook her head. “I’m here taking care of you aren’t I? If we’re doing this then you should know swordplay isn’t the focus. You sir need to pay more attention to glyphs.” She pointed at him in shock. “I can’t have a son of mine slack off in a technique that’s built into his very DNA.”

It stung a bit to hear that but that’s because she wasn’t wrong. Nick knew compared to everyone else his glyphs were lackluster, especially to Summer. Her combinations and skill made him think she was constantly going through dust ratios in her head like an encyclopedia. “Well then, that took the wind out of my sails.” He slumped over.

“Practice makes perfect. Meet me in the garden in half an hour. Eat and take your meds before then.Also wear something warm.” Weiss said as she left.

“Yes ma’am.” Nicholas flopped onto his bed. At least it was better than doing nothing at all.

Thirty minutes went by in no time at all. Nicholas approached his mother wearing warmer clothes than his pajamas. He had chosen to wear some sleeping thermals over lounging sweatpants while his upper body was warmed by a thick gray hoodie. Normally the cold wasn’t a problem, but being sick made things a little harsher. The two stood on one of the four walkways that made the giant square garden. In the middle was a decently sized hedge maze that was surrounded by tea tables and various kinds of foliage. Apparently this was his grandmother’s favorite spot. Tea wasn’t her beverage of choice though. If it was then maybe she wouldn’t have drunken herself to an early grave.

Nick shook away the depressing thoughts. Weiss was doing the same by the way she briefly zoned out until Nick moved. He clapped his hands together. “So, what’s on the agenda?”

“Your video tells a lot about you. Constructing swords is a skill you don’t need to work on. It’s clear you got that down.”

Nick smiled proudly. “I didn’t get the nickname Gilgamesh for nothing.”

“That name also tells everyone just how bad you are at long distance and anything that isn’t directly connected to swordplay.” Weiss pointed out.

His smile turned sheepish, the pride snuffed out. “So I’m guessing that’s today’s lesson?”

“You’re half right.” Weiss grabbed his blade, Mort Froide, and placed it in his left hand. She was lucky her son was ambidextrous. His passion for dual wielding was to thank for that. She positioned his left foot forward and his right foot back; adding a slight bend to his left leg. “We’re going to put your body in positions that are normally opposite to what you’re used to. Do you know why?”

“Versatility? That way I can do sword and semblance skills with either hand?”

“Not only that, but to strengthen them and let you feel the difference in performance. Naturally you’re right handed, which means casting glyphs and swordplay is inherently going to be better on that side. Casting glyphs for you usually involves your left. It’s made it well trained, but it also means you’re rarely performing them as strong as you could be. Make a wall with your right and then with your left.”

Nick extended his middle and pointer finger while flicking his wrist up. A generic glyph formed in front of them in a second that was wide enough to cover both of them. He switched to his left to try the same. The delay was about a second longer and half of Weiss’s body was exposed. Not only that, the glyph looked slightly dimmer. He had never noticed the difference.

“Woah….who knew?”

“Your sister.” Weiss jabbed at him. “Not only is the size and speed different, but I guarantee that right handed casting can take and deal more damage. A helpful tip for Valerie. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a subconscious amount of effort and aura going more into the left one too, but you’ve done it for so long that I doubt the difference is hindering you. Just something to keep in mind.”

Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster and slipped in lightning dust. “Our swords, like any other weapon, are conduits for our aura. Using our semblance with them is second nature and having both hands to perform glyphs by having them on the sword provides more power behind it. It’s not always viable unfortunately.”

“I know. Making the quantity and quality of swords around me helps when I do the stance you taught me. The one where you kneel and stab into the ground.” He twirled his sword once before taking a knee, piercing the ground as a demonstration. “I have the fundamentals understood. It’s the concentration I’m lacking I guess.”

Weiss agreed. “Believe me, it’s challenging. You can get to the level of focus, but you take too long to reach that point. Which brings us back to our lesson today. She handed him vials of lightning and fire dust. “You’re going to practice a practical technique, and an impractical one. The first one is time dilation.” Weiss could see her son’s face turn to despair, making her laugh. “Haha don’t worry, I’ll help you through it.”

“Mom we’ve been down this road before. It ended with me constantly getting shocked. I didn’t even pull it off.”

Weiss remembered that day. Nick couldn’t touch anything with static cling for hours. “Hey you’re a little older now. Asking that much of you was definitely on me. If you can learn to use it, then your swordplay automatically becomes better. Quick attacks are already your forte. Having this without Summer’s help will elevate you. Especially if you’re dual wielding.”

Nick couldn’t deny any of that. Time dilation was a move that would be perfect. Too bad he sucked! It was one of the few things he had no progress in. It was essentially the beginning of deep diving of advanced glyphs. “What’s the second lesson?”

Weiss pointed to the maze. “The infamous candle test!” She said b like an announcer almost.

It was one rough reveal after another. “No! I’m going to burn everything!” Nick wasn’t being a defeatist, but realistic.

The candle test was the epitome of a fire hazard. It was a difficult way of working on control and concentration to an obsessive degree. The objective was to light the candles set up on the inside of the maze as fast as possible by using their semblance. At novice level, a person goes through the maze lighting them one by one. That way control was the main focus. A step above that is to stand in the center and send tiny embers to each candle. That requires more concentration on directing the fire while controlling the output from the very start. A level beyond that was to do it from the balcony. That way you can see all the candles, but now you have wind to worry about. The flames needed to be strong enough to reach the candle while being perfectly on course so plants burn. Finally, there was lighting all the candles from the ground level from the outside of the maze. Nick could only get through the first two levels. Summer does the fourth option for fun…

“Mom, there’s no way you’re expecting me to do option four well, right?” He cautioned. “You’ll be putting out a lot of fires.”

“That’s fine. That’s what practice is all about. Repetition will make it easier because I’ll keep the candles in the same area I always do. Even if you get marginally better at this, then you’ve progressed more than you will realize.” Weiss rested her hand on Nick's shoulder. It was relieving to know that her child could still act his age. She probably shouldn’t be happy to see him nervous, but she was. “Think of it like this. Let’s say you can get past level three of the candle test in about three minutes. A level of control and concentration that swift will make everything you can already do faster.” Weiss put her sword down and held her hand palm up. A glyph suddenly formed then burst into a flash of light.

Nick closed his eyes briefly. Only to open them again to see a Sphinx the size of himself standing next to his mother.

“It’ll also bring you steps closer to everything you can’t do yet.” Weiss petted her creation. “That thing you did with your gigas is really impressive. It would be a tragedy if you couldn’t pull it off in intense, solo combat.”

Now he was fired up. He still wasn’t entirely sure how he pulled off what he did during the fight with the Paladin, but he did know that it would be a game changer if he could call upon it at will. If he could even be a fourth of what he was that day then he’d have a useful crutch. If getting to that point meant doing what he was bad at, then there was no time for whining. Nick placed a vial of lightning dust into the hilt of Mort Froide. “Let’s get to work then! Valerie won’t know what hit her!”

xxxx

“Why am I so bad at this!” Nicholas shouted off of the balcony. He had been doing the candle test for about two hours now. Time dilation was tricky but the basis of it was something Nick had the hang of, so they switched gears to this. A thing he couldn’t handle even if he had extra arms.

Weiss finished putting out the flames on the slightest burnt maze. At least it was warm enough outside to not need a coat. Both of them had switched to tank tops. “Give it one more good try, then we’ll take another break.” She encouraged enthusiastically. “Don’t worry about speed right now. Focus on concentration and control.”

“Okay…” Nick took a deep breath and got back into position. This time with his sword in his right hand. He raised it to the sky to make a fire glyph then brought it down in front of him.

“Might want to angle it a little higher. Have it arch through the air.” Nick followed hire instructions accordingly. He had twelve candles he needed to light . All in separate spots. The middle of the glowed brighter as a flame ignited. It grew more and more in size before the flame wrapped around itself to make a fireball. Concentration. Nick pulled his sword back and assessed his targets. He split the fireball into twelve smaller ones that went to the edge of the glyph like a clock face. This was control.

Beads of sweat ran down his from the heat and training, that was more rigorous than he thought it would be. “Aim and….” Nick thrusts his blade forward to send them flying. All twelve were on track this time thanks to Weiss’s advice, but only eight of them landed on their targets sadly. The other four fizzled out half way there. The boy groaned, irritated with his progress. Weiss could understand that. Between her family and Jaune, there wasn’t a soul around who didn’t strive for perfection in training.Nick went to raid his sword again but it was quickly pushed down by Weiss’s.

“Uh uh, break time.” She tossed him a towel for him to wipe his face, and screamed if he needed to. She did i that sometimes in moments like these. On the bright side, nothing was on fire that shouldn’t be. “I know this won’t mean much coming from your mom and all, but I think you’re doing pretty well.”

“What are you talking about?” Nick said, wiping his face clean of sweat and ash. “That means a lot. You’re the best at this mom.” He smiled which made Weiss smile. “Maybe I can ask Summer for insight when she gets home.”

“While you’re at it you should probably ask for singing practice with her since she talked you into a duet.”

Nick shuddered at the thought. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m not well enough to deal with the critiques of an idol that loves the stage more than breathing.” Summer was a nice girl most of the time. Not to mention reserved, but that changed drastically when it came to singing, Veronica, Shiva, and the heat of battle. Maybe it had something to do with adrenaline? She did enjoy snowboarding after all. “I think I’ll practice singing with you instead. It’ll be less trouble.”

“You’re just afraid of greatness.” Called out at Sumner from behind them. Her folks turned around in shock to see her standing there. “What? Lose track of time? Schools over.” Her attention was brought to her tired twin. Summer did not expect him to be training on a sick day, nor did it make her feel good about how she spent her time. Yet again, Nick was slowly widening the gap between them. This time it was in something she was good at. “How many candles?” She asked, mainly to boost her own ego.

“Eight. Not nearly as good as you.” He said in earnest. “Mind showing me how it’s done?” Weiss handed Summer her sword hilt first.

Great, now she felt a little guilty. Here she was happy to have a leg up on him and he praised her without reason. Summer grabbed her mother’s sword. “No offense Nick, but I can’t put how to do this into words. I just...get it.” She peeked over the edge to see the candles, then stepped back far enough to not see them at all. A fire glyph formed in front of her and with a flick of her wrist, one huge fireball shot up into the sky. It reached over the middle of the maze before bursting into twelve flames that landed right on the candle. Summer gave back her mother’s sword and walked away feeling accomplished. “Just keep at it!” She shouted.

Nick grabbed the tip of his towel and grunted into it. “No effort at all. It’s like she waved it like wand and the rest worked itself out.”

“I hope you know that you don’t have to reach that level of fluidity? Summer has a knack for glyphs the same way you have one for swordplay. Not that either of you are particularly bad at either if I do say so myself.”

“Hard to say that after today.” Nick mumbled, looking at the lit candles. “Hey? If Summer is so good at this then why can’t she summon more than a limb or two?”

“Well to put it simply, summoning requires a lot more than skill. Passion, need, you gotta put your all into it. You’ve done it before. Both of you did at the exam. What were you feeling?”

“Good question.” He sat down and crossed his arms, reflecting on the moment. “Desperate? I stopped thinking about myself and the test for a moment. All I wanted to do was make sure Valerie and Summer were safe, then poof. Next think I know I’m in armor.”

“Anything else?” Weiss was intrigued. She must’ve rewatched the final five minutes of that video at least a dozen times by now.

“Well after they were safe I wanted to end the fight as fast as possible. Huh, I wanted to win no matter what. Then I blacked out.”

Weiss has done that before. She couldn’t count how many times it’s been her vs a grimm that had hurt a teammate and all she wanted to do was strike it down. “I want you to keep that feeling in mind for awhile. Try and understand those emotions so you can use them whenever.”

“I’ll try. Who knows, maybe one day I can win a match against you.”

“Ha! Graduate from an academy first and become a pro first.” Weiss ruffled her child’s wild hair, making him laugh. “Don’t expect me to hold back either. You’re getting everything. From dragons to behemoths!”

The two kept laughing and enjoying their time together that they didn’t even notice Veronica had entered the room. A piece of her didn’t want to interrupt. Not just before seeing Nick laugh was pretty freaking adorable, but because both of them were way more in shape than she realized. Nick was still growing so that made sense, but Weiss!? Veronica wasn’t sure if she paid attention to Weiss’s arms but. They were cut! No wonder her own parents gush over her. It was hard to believe she pushed out twins. Veronica also took note of the lingering embers and fire dust in the air that surrounded the mother and sun. She’ll try to remember it for her fire and ice clothing design. Could be useful.

Veronica finally spoke up. “I take it you’re feeling better?” Her voice finally catches their attention.

Both of them look at her then gasp. Veronica stood before them wearing a white and blue cheerleader outfit. The skirt altered colors while the half shirt was white with blue stitches and Nick’s school name on the chest. The girl swayed side to side with pompoms in her hands. A smug smile spread on her face as her ears and tail bounced to her little dance.

“Sup!” Veronica sang, enjoying the reaction. Weiss and Nick looked at each other, then back at her. “I was gone for a day!” Nick exclaimed. “How did all of this happen?”

Veronica snickered, thinking about gym class. “I’ll tell you about it later.” She spun around for fun.

“Having fun?” Weiss smiled. “I guess today wasn’t like yesterday?”

“Nope!” Veronica cheered. “Are you feeling better? I can tell your breathing is still a little shaky and your heart rate is off.”

Weiss went back into mom mode. “Nick, are you still exhaust- uhh Nick?” The boy didn’t respond. He had spaced out watching Veronica. It took a minute to realize but the moment Veronica noticed that his gaze was on the swaying skirt and torso, her face got a little more smug. Not to mention red. Weiss bopped her son in the head to snap him back to reality. “Whatcha looking at?” She said with a smirk.

Nick’s brain finally started working again and noticed the faces staring at him. He immediately turned red and looked at the ground. “Sorry, I totally didn’t mean to...ya know.” Their laughter only made him redder.

“Well what do you know? The knightly prince is just like any other high school boy. Honestly if it weren’t for Valerie I’d assume you swing the other way sometimes.” Veronica joked, catching Nick off guard.

“Hey! Who would think that?”

Weiss rubbed her chin. “You do complain and avoid so many other girls.”

“Don’t agree with her! You did the same with rich boys!” He countered. Nick then remembered his mother had told him that she’s flirted with her own teammates countless times. “Actually...forget what I just said.”

“Yeah you were about to set yourself up.” If Weiss had her black wig then she wouldn’t think twice of letting certain escapades with Yang and Blake slip. Just for a good laugh. “Seriously, you okay?”

“Totally, can we keep going? I wanna try just a little longer.”

Veronica spoke up again. “Actually I was hoping to steal you away for awhile. I still need actual measurements for your clothes. If that’s not a problem. Summer already did hers.” She added for extra effect.

Weiss thought that was a good day. “I don’t mind cutting the lesson short soon. Give him like another twenty minutes. In the meantime you can unwind for school.” Veronica’s eyes got big. “Okay!” She did a backflip and phased through the floor where she should’ve landed. Suddenly it made sense how she might’ve been put on the team. Harriet lives for flare. A confident gymnast that always lands on her feet and is pretty well known would add to the tournament festivities while potentially beating out the school cheer teams.

“That woman really likes winning.” Nick thought to himself. “Alright, back to the grindstone!” He stood up with renewed vigor. Or whatever you would call a second win whenever you had a cold. He had twenty minutes so he was going to make them count. “That outfit would go to waste if I lose. Can’t have that.” There was something about the way he thought that made Weiss happy. He might be her child, but phrases like that were very Ruby like. He was just so sweet and turning into a fine young man. She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him and hold him close. “I love you so much.”

Nick’s face was turning red again as he hugged his mother. In truth he could spend the remainder of training time like this in complete satisfaction. “I love you too.”

xxxx

Across the manor, Yang was paying her daughter a visit. Or least she intended to, but somehow she wound up peeking through the crack door of Vee’s room as the girl admires herself in the cheerleader uniform; doing generic poses and the occasional giggle. That came to an end however when Yang was caught in the mirror reflection with a cheeky smile on her face.

“Gah! Ma!!” Veronica said flustered beyond belief. Yang could only let out a hardy laugh as she entered the room. “Sorry not sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She said, hugging her embarrassed daughter. Yang was actually surprised Veronica let her hug her on the first try. Usually Yang’s arms would pass right through her.

“Well well well, somebody is in a good mood, and for obvious reasons.” Yang tugged at the uniform. “And you said nothing good would come out of school.”

Veronica playfully rolled her eyes. “Okay fine, today was pretty alright. Happy now?”

“I’m happy you’re happy.” Yang kissed her cheek and stared into the mirror with her. “We didn’t talk much after you came home yesterday or this morning. Holding up? Careful not to eat too much meat.Not that I mind, but you’ll be upset with yourself if you do.”

“Yeah I know. I’ve been pacing myself today. I’ll probably have a salad or something for dinner. Haven’t figured it out.”

Yang took it upon herself to sit at the edge of Veronica’s bed while her daughter started putting school stuff away. “You know I bet Nick would find it interesting to see the difference between starved and apex.”

The comment made Veronica cringe. She wouldn’t know how to feel if anyone saw her like that again, let alone Nick. “Let’s not test that theory. Acting like that in Atlas of all places wouldn’t do well for human and faunus relations. Speaking of which…” She pulled out her scroll and tossed it to Yang with a tab of herself on it.

Yang read the headline. “Menagerie’s Favorite Daughter Spotted in Atlas.” The picture itself wasn’t recent. It was Veronica on top of a car with a megaphone during one of many protests. Yang liked this picture a lot. Veronica had a fist raised in the air as people chanted with her and waved signs against an intense sunset. She looked powerful. “I guess they know now. Not that they wouldn’t with all the help you’re providing for the twins.”

“That’s true. I just don’t want people hassling me. I’m here to do my own thing, focus on my designs. Spend time with Nick…” she mumbled that last part. Yang heard it anyways. You would think a faunus with amazing hearing would know how to whisper. “How much does Nick know about your situation?” She asked.

“Are you referring to my physical situation, or my social one?” She hated that she had to clarify. Technically Veronica could think of three, but mentioning the third one would be a long conversation she didn’t want to have with anyone. She had it handled anyways. “Socially, I haven’t said anything much. Physically, I clarified things you told him behind my back.”

Yang had managed to forget about the part where she did that. “Oh yeah? I guess that’s a decent amount.”

“Not even going to deny that last part?”

“Nope!” Yang put her hands behind her head and walked around a bit. This always helped her think. “I’m not gonna apologize either for being concerned either. My options were your crush or the girl you’ve argued with since you were four. You don’t confide in me with everything and gods know that I couldn’t ask you to tell someone. You’d throw a fit!”

To say her options were limited was an understatement. Veronica could see that. It still felt invasive.Then again, that’s what parents are. “Point taken, even if I don’t like it.”

“Glad you can see it my way. Letting Summer know would be nice too. Friends knowing your struggles can be therapeutic.”

“We’re not friends.” Veronica aggressively stated, a slight amount of attitude came. “Being friends with a girl like her would only piss me off. I’ll be civil and nothing more!” She scoffed. Yang threw up her arms in jest. “If that’s what you want. I suppose I’ll settle for Nick knowing.” A devious thought came into her mind. “Better hope he doesn’t ask about heat.” Yang wasted no time bolting out of the room as Veronica got a deep blush and started shouting, her mind flustered.

“He doesn’t have to know about that! And you better not bring it up!!” That conversation didn’t have to exist. Those answers will be kept to herself even if it meant gluing her mouth shut. After that remark, Veronica desperately needed to cool off. Time for a shower.

xxxx

Turns out twenty minutes wasn’t that much time for Nick to make any further improvements. Disappointed, he walked down the hallway towards Veronica. He hadn’t been in that room since she showed up. He assumed it had to look like a boutique by now. Nick turned the counter and bumped into his sister unexpectedly on the way there. Summer had ditched the uniform in favor of an oversized ‘Boop!” shirt and sweatpants. Her studio headphones hung around her neck while her hands held two journals and a pencil. Nick knew this attire. Summer was in what he called, ‘Lyrical Mode.’

“Writing a new song?” He tried to peek at the journals but Summer pulled them closer to her chest. “Yes, and so much more.” She stated defensively. “Oscar thought I should try expressing more of my, let’s say inner feelings. I’m not really sure how it will be received though when it’s done. Piecing it together lyrically has been rough.” Summer looked down to read what she had and sighed. “Fortunately this one is more for me. Tournament wise I have a few ideas of previous covers people might like.”

Nick could tell Summer was deep in thought about this. She wouldn’t win awards if her choices in music weren't meticulously planned. “Well if anyone can pull off this halftime show and make it amazing, it’s you. But I hope you remember that we’re still in the tournament; can’t burn before our matches.” He reminded her as he chuckled nervously.

Summer pursed her lips and studied that chuckle. “Don’t worry, I won’t wear you down. Just get healthy and work on relaxing your jaw when you hold a note.” Summer patted his shoulder and went on her way. “Dad and I will be in the music room.”

“Hold on!” Nick shouted. “How did Veronica get a cheerleader uniform?”

Summer laughed. “Haha! I’m sure she’ll want to tell the story.” Now Nick was even more interested and sped off to the room. Summer stopped and turned around. “Wait, Veronica just got out of-” Summer didn’t speak fast enough.

Nick didn’t stop to think about knocking first. He simply walked in on Veronica wearing a shirt, only a shirt. If Nick thought the skirt was distracting then this was a full blown diversion. The purple shirt stopped right around her thighs and showed off her toned legs. Any movement could easily start showing a bit too much. The two teens said nothing; they just stared right at each other in shock. Nick slowly backed away while closing the door, then started walking away.

Summer shook her head at her idiot brother. “I know it’s our house but how’d you forget to knock?” She didn’t get an answer. He waved her off in embarrassment of his foolish screw up.

Veronica came running out of the room, black shorts appropriately around her person. “Wait!” she got down all fours and pounced once across the hallway, diving right through Nick and blocking his path. His blush was as red as her own. “I walk around like that at home, but I’m not home, so… oops.”

Nick couldn’t believe it. Why was she apologizing!? “No no, that uhh, that one’s on me.” He stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Knocking was invented for a reason. Sorry.”

“It’s cool. Well I mean it’s not cool! But you know I uhh...it’s not like I’m…” Veronica had no idea what she was saying. “Mad, I’m not mad” her tail pointed back to her room. “Anyways, ready?”

“Y-Yeah hehe.” Step by step they eventually made their way through the hall again at a good pace. Summer could only write in her other journal, then one made for her feelings.

“Journal entry number 117: Some days it feels like I’m the least awkward person in the room. A very staggering feat to say the least.”

Part 18

#rwby #rwby au #rwby twin snowflakes #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #summer schnee #veronica belladonna #nicholas schnee

9 notes · View notes

bscully · 4 years

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I see a lot of people praise caska for being an amazing female character but I kinda feel like she’s written like a bad joke about women (looses battle because period, too emotional, told her role is to comfort guts, etc...) she doesn’t get much time to really shine as a fighter either bc she’s constantly being saved of course I love her and will always defend her but do u think she’s actually written well as a girl? I feel like I’d be lying if I praised her for it

Hello and thanks for the ask!

No offense but I mean…

Let’s put it into perspective. There is a reason why Casca during the Golden Age was written the way she was, and I don’t think it’s necessarily bad writing. Some (questionable) views about women were expressed that way, but I’d like to think that’s more because of the time the Golden Age was written in, rather than because of malicious intent.

During the Black Swordsman Arc we were shown how Guts handled those who were weak: He absolutely detested them.

During the Golden Age we were shown how he dealt with other’s weakness (Casca’s) and also *why* he hated the weak during his Black Swordsman Arc days: During the Eclipse, the Hawks all died because they were weak, and Casca was violated and lost her mind because she could not defend herself either. (The irony of this is that both of these things all happened because of his best efforts to save Griffith, boyo was too distracted)

Black Swordsman Arc

Guts generally was very contempt towards those he considered weak, and also especially towards other men, e.g. Vargas whom he just let die. Another time someone weaker than him died, it was the priests’ daughter, who was slaughtered by evil spirits. He also felt remorse killing her possessed body, even then and also vomits later on (he always vomits when he hurts a child or girl, see Adonis, see killing the fire children in the lost children chapters). In the page below, bottom panel, you can see white sprinkles which I believe are tears.

He then goes on to say how he cannot bother to crush ants below his feet when he walks. That was his way of dealing with the sadness, getting someone who is weaker than him killed because of him. His love-hate relationship to weaker people was also shown to us by his interactions with Theresia: in some way, he did save her here from falling off the ruins. But she had to hold onto a sharp blade so she wouldn’t fall.

Guts was hurting someone who he would love to protect, and he also hated himself for it. He made Theresia go down the very same path like he did because revenge is the only way to give her something to hold onto after losing everything.

It reminded of his own suffering, losing the Hawks and Casca. At least, this is the conclusion I made when I read the Golden Age and then look back to the Black Swordsman arc.

Golden Age

When Casca was later introduced during the Golden age, IMO Kentaro Miura wanted to show us how Guts usually treated people. As it turns out, Guts does want to protect and make sure people are safe. He also listens to them trying his best to meet their expectations. In other words, he was not always an asshole. In regards to other people’s weaknesses, his treatment of Casca was still rough in the beginning, but at the very least imo, well-intentioned.

Now you can critique Miura for his display of Casca’s womanhood. I am personally not particularly bothered by it, especially if this situation is a set up for romance in the first place. Of course the protagonist is going to take note of another character’s feminity if the author plans to hook them up. Guts was confronted with Casca’s female problems (periods) and what we were shown is that Guts, while he may have had his preconceptions about women too, still is understanding of their struggles AND their weakness.

Like… he first gets upset at Casca, but then acknowledges that she doesn’t have it easy, dealing with her own problems and emotions at times (Casca is a VERY emotional personality, too, but usually she has more self-control than this).

If anything, this bit right here displays Guts’ willingness to change his mind, his capacity to understand others and also help them in the process. Empathy, compassion, y’know? Something he lacked during the Black Swordsman Arc (this here happens right before Vargas is being beheaded):

That being said, I don’t think Miura actually thought that women being emotional is a negative thing when he wrote this, but he may have been affected by negative (cultural?) bias.

In the face of that weakness, Guts tries to help Casca out where he can and be supportive of her, e.g. by protecting her from Adon and his men - the 100 Man slayer scene was basically Guts protecting Casca’s womanhood from thirsty mercenaries, while she COULD NOT defend herself as effective because of her state (and he does that DESPITE of Casca throwing a knife at him earlier). This theme also repeats during the Eclipse, however, here he could do nothing but watch in his own helplessness.

Also let it be said that Miura’s potrayal of Casca’s period isn’t too far off, because periods CAN knock you the fuck out like that. My last one was absolutely devastating and I wouldn’t have survived without taking pain meds. So can periods affect your capacity to fight? Yes, they definitely can. You also gotta consider that Miura is male, and males *usually* do not know the effects of periods in detail unless they confronted themselves with it; also consider the Golden Age was written in the 90s, so that topic wasn’t prevalent for men at all.

Contrast & Comparison as writing tool

Miura also set up a nice contrast by adding in a particularly sexist character: of course I’m talking about Adon.

Adon calls Guts a fool for protecting someone at the cost of his own well-being, and the way he talks it’s like saving multiple women and exploit them is normal and acceptable.

But: Guts is literally taking multiple arrow shots for Casca and does not ask for anything in return. (It’s also interesting to note that through Adon’s mockery Casca realizes what Guts is doing for her) Now, you could argue that Guts is still a sexist asshole, however, at least in comparison to Adon, Guts still appears like the good guy You can critique the ideas about women, how their prejudices and problems they struggle with are depicted, yes, and imo it is valid critique, too. But creating comparisons by showing how differently the characters act or think in the same scene is still an effective way of story-telling.

What Miura later did with other female characters, like Farnese or Schierke, was to “mature up” his writing. His tools however, stayed the same.

More examples comes to mind:

Guts leaving the Hawks

When Guts leaves the hawks, Griffith, Guts, Casca and Judeau all hold monologues, depicting how differently they think. While Casca and Rickert view the Hawks as family, Judeau still considers them a mercenary band, and Griffith treats his subordinate Guts like a possession and has no inhibition to kill him if it meant he would either not leave or not join another faction and potentially become his enemy. I wrote about this in more detail here on my website

Conviction Arc Farnese

The contrasting happens again when Miura makes Guts meet Farnese for the first time. He was captured by the Holy Iron Chain Knights.

Farnese treated Guts pretty badly: she whipped him out in a desperate attempt to assure dominance, then threw him outside into the cold so he would eventually freeze to death.

When Guts takes HER hostage, they switch roles. Surely, he is being rough to her, but at the same time, is saving her multiple times, e.g. from falling to death or evil spirits.

This is the same writing tool used, just filled with different ideas. Miura’s writing itself hasn’t changed.

Casca is not powerless

Also Casca indeed is capable of defending herself. She is NOT always being saved. Even when being pursued after escaping from the 100 Man Slayer Scene, she gave the pursuing mercenaries a hard time, e.g. ramming a branch into one of the merc’s eyes. In that scene, it didn’t look like Casca was losing, she just got herself out of a dangerous situation and leaps to grab her sword! Only THEN we see how a volley of arrows interrupts the fight. Does this look like a Casca to you that is about to lose? It doesn’t to me. She could have easily defeated the other two pursuers all by herself.

Casca, NOT GUTS, later defeated Adon all by herself and she was at a disadvantage too (think the poison dart).

Even during the Eclipse she dealt the final blow to take down the apostle that killed Judeau. She is not being depicted as powerless at all. She always seems at a disadvantage, struggling against all odds, and *still* is victorious. Guts acknowledges the strength it takes for her to do what she does, and that’s why Guts is helping her as much as he can.

Now you could STILL say “omg but that’s still sexist”, but eh. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging someone else’s struggle, celebrating them for pulling through despite of all the obstacles, and also willing to help out, but I’ll keep that politics stuff for another post. Stuff like this can go wrong yes, but in either case and as far as I am concerned, Guts is not trying to be patronizing or strip her off her independence in any way.

However, Casca’s strength does have limits and her full strength was not shown to us either, but I’d like to think that’s mostly because she is more a side-character and didn’t have much chance to shine during the Golden Age. I really really hope that will change with future chapters.

TL;DR Just because an author expresses outdated ideas or ideas you disagree with, does not mean it’s bad writing.

#berserk #casca #guts #golden age #ask #analysis #Anonymous

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embarrassingsmartphonegame · 4 years

Text

Moving In - Nik Ryder x f!MC

Summary: “You know, most people exchange phone numbers before they move in with together.” “Most people also haven’t been brought together by fighting a murderous bag of bones. Also you already have it...” “Wait what?!” Leah moves in with Nik officially after Chapter 5 of Anything. It goes exactly as expected.

Warnings: two people who bicker almost as much as they love each other, some swear words, kissing, mention of trauma and alcohol, overall pretty light-hearted

“How-” Push. “Much-” Push. “Clothing-” Push. “Do you own?!”

Nik liked to think of himself as physically strong (and he would say he had the abs to prove it). But just how can one box of clothes be so heavy? He was huffing and puffing the entire walk from the moving truck and into the Graveyard Shift, especially when they had to go up a flight of stairs to get to his--no, their apartment.

“I own a normal amount of clothes. Maybe you just need to work out more,” Leah teased as she put down her own box effortlessly on the floor of the living room, stopping to stretch her arms over her head. She had to admit her Fae power of super strength came in handy sometimes and she was thankful that she was now able to summon it even when it wasn’t an emergency.

He snorted. “Chasing monsters keeps me plenty fit, thank you very much. But you sure do own a lot of clothes for someone who loses them like you do.”

Her cheeks burned at the memory of their reunion. “I had to prove it was me!”

“That was really your first instinct?!”

“You complaining about that?”

Nik chuckled and pulled her by the waist, nuzzling her neck. “You know I would never, darlin’.”

Leah rolled her eyes and pecked him on the lips. “I come back and agree to be with you and since then it’s been ‘rook’ or ‘babe’ or ‘sugar’ and now ‘darlin’’. Is that why you’re called Nik...because you’re a...nickname type of guy?”

“Shit, rook; was just tryin’ to be romantic here,” Nik groaned as she laughed a little too hard at her own joke. Any exasperation instantly dissipated once he heard her laugh; he missed it the past three months. She kissed him again, enjoying every moment.

“I know. I just love teasing you.”

“Lil’ shit.”

“Ah, another one, Mr. Nic--hey!” Leah shouted out as Nik suddenly wrapped her up in a bear hug, swinging her around. Her shouts soon turned into laughter, and soon the small apartment was filled with the sound of both of them laughing.

Nik finally put her down on the counter with his hands still on her hips. She rested her forehead against his, still in slight disbelief that she was moving in with him. It was only one week before that she crash landed back into his life, and after they talked things out and survived yet another attempt on their lives (he owed her his life...again), she decided to move to New Orleans for good.

The thought of it as their apartment still felt weird to them both; but it was his idea for her to move in with him. Nik remembered giving some half-assed excuse about them being both business and personal partners so it only made sense financially...he ignored that dark voice in his head irrationally sneering at him that if he took his eyes off her for even one second she would disappear again. Leah agreed with his staunch assessment, if only to curb the fear that this was all another weird (but wonderful) dream and she was actually alone in Wyoming. She frowned at the thought of her old life. Nik noticed the pensive look on her face.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

The corner of her right lip quirked upwards without amusement as she shrugged. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to move in? After I’ve been probably the biggest pain in the ass since we met a few months ago?”

“First of all, it was my idea for you to move in; no offense but we’re technically unemployed until a client hires us and I’m in a better position from whoever hired me to protect you,” Nik answered, actually hoping that his honesty wasn’t too offensive. “And second, you’re a pain in the ass...but you’re my pain in the ass and you had your reasons for everything. I love you just the same, okay? So no saying you can’t live here unless you really don’t wanna.”

“I do have student loans to pay off...” Leah grinned. “Gotta love your definition of romance, babe. This pain in the ass loves you too!”

Satisfied and sneaking in one last kiss, the woman jumped off the counter. She tied her hair and rolled her sleeves up. “Now let’s get unpacking!”

After a few hours of them unpacking Leah’s things, bickering, and randomly making out (“We’re never gonna get anything done like this, rook!”), the two Nighthunters stood in their now shared bedroom, about to finish up. Nik took out the last piece of clothing: a very familiar velvet, royal purple dress with a gold body chain to go with it. He held it up to her, brow quirked mischievously.

“Any chance I could see you in this again?”

Leah collapsed the last box and put it in the pile with all the others. Her eyes moved to the dress that cost more than half her wardrobe. “Still can’t believe you picked that one out. If we sneak into Persephone again, maybe...”

“How about on a date? A real one.”

“You asking me out, Ryder?”

“What’s it look like, Mendoza?”

She couldn’t help the silly grin on her face, as if she was suddenly a teenage girl talking to her crush for the first time. “I accept. Would this be technically our first date? Because I don’t know whether to count us running from the Bloodwraith...”

“Yes, a real date, rook. But no promises that monsters won’t try to attack us or anything, sorry,” Nik responded, hanging the dress up in their shared closet space.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She smiled brightly and took a seat on the bed. “We’re really doing this backwards, huh? You know, most people exchange phone numbers before they move in together.”

“Most people also haven’t been brought together by fighting a murderous bag of bones.” Nik turned to her and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “Also you already have it...”

“Wait what?!”

Nik took a deep breath before speaking again. “First, I wanna say I’m so sorry for this; I shouldn’t have contacted you when it was clear you didn’t wanna talk to me. Katherine offered me your number one night after I asked about you and I wanted to be selfish and take it.”

“So...you called me while I was gone?” Leah asked, her eyebrows coming together in confusion. “But I don’t remember you calling...I mean I had dreams you did a few times, but those weren’t real.”

“Well, one of them wasn’t a dream,” Nik went on. “It was nighttime and you picked up the phone slurrin’ drunk. I remember asking if you were safe, and you said you were home.”

Leah’s cheeks burned and she put her head in her hands. “Oh my God...I really don’t remember anything from that conversation. This is so embarrassing! You must’ve thought I was such an idiot!”

“No, you have nothing to be ashamed of, rook.” Nik cautiously sidled up beside her, resting a hand on the small of her back. “I’m so sorry I didn’t respect your wishes. I’m the wrong one here.”

Leah didn’t pull away, but she also couldn’t look at him. She tried to remember anything from the past three months that didn’t involve alcohol; she could count them all on one hand. “I...I really had a problem. I have a problem. I know that moving and being in a relationship won’t fix everything, but it’s hitting me that I need real help.”

“And I’m with you every step of the way.” He pulled her into a hug, letting her rest her face into his shoulder. “I meant it when I said that I’m with you...”

“To the bitter end,” Leah finished, her voice breaking at the last word. Nik tightened his hold on her, an aching in his chest as he remembered that he once kept that promise; but he never anticipated it to be her bitter end. He closed his eyes and relished in the warmth of her body against his, blocking out the memory of her cold, pale skin and still heart. Eventually he loosened his hold and tilted her chin up to look into her eyes.

“All the ragged parts of me...stitched back together when I’m with you,” he murmured only for her to hear. “I only want the same for you.”

Leah pulled him in for a warm, tender kiss. When they pulled away, a serene smile graced her features; Nik could swear there was something magical about her smile.

“I love you, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings us,” she said, her voice strong and hopeful. Leah could feel her sunny disposition returning day by day, and it showed.

“I love you too, rook.” Nik pulled her to lie down beside him, their fingers intertwined. “What do you wanna do tonight? No jobs. We can go out or stay in, and I promise no snake tequila for either of us.”

Leah snorted and sprang up. “I say we stay in tonight in our apartment. Takeout?”

“You read my mind.”

“And there’s a reality show I’ve been meaning to catch up on...” Leah was already making her way to the living room while Nik followed. She babbled on about how it was a show where an American and a foreigner have to get married within 90 days for a special visa and that itself is, of course, where the drama begins and this season was especially dramatic and blah, blah, blah. Nik snorted at how invested she was in the show while they looked at food places.

The two Nighthunters spent the entire night snuggled up on their couch, talking and eating and canoodling. Leah sighed in satisfaction as sleep eventually took over them, her head resting on Nik’s chest. She finally felt like her life was going somewhere, and all that mattered was that they were in it together.

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A/N: I hope you like yet another fic of me refusing to let these two go onto the next installment just yet! Okay in reality I’ve been writing the first chapter of that and am almost done but med school got weird and my mental health took a dive and COVID-19 happened and blah, blah, blah. Bonus points if you know exactly what reality show Leah is talking about! Any and all comments are greatly appreciated, and I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy 💗

Permanent tag list: @furiouscloddonutpeanut @inlovewithrebels @mistressofspiesxenia

Nightbound tag list: @saivilo

Anything tag list: @samara-rani @god-save-the-keen @xxdangerouscapri15xx

#nightbound #nik ryder #nik x mc #choices fanfiction #choices #playchoices #choices: stories you play #nik ryder x mc #phoebe writes choices

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