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#it means don't bend yourself into knots to please people
agrarianradfem · 3 years
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hey
i wanna be a proud radical feminist but i feel like that would force me to reject trans ppl and that would essentially make my life hell bc ive seen the shit they do ppl they disagree with
ive read all this shit about how terfs are a hate group and think men bad women good and are racist and colonialist and shit and it makes me think twice bc i don’t wanna be part of a legit hate group but i also dont wanna be part of a group of ppl who say “thats so gender” when they see a haircut they like and i definitely dont want to be part of the right like at all
am i a nazi for believing elliott page is still a woman? am i fucking crazy? like ive been having legit mental breakdowns over this and secretly reading terf groups at night for weeks now and now whenever i see a trans person i freak the fuck out on the inside and sometimes i start hyperventilating and i see them fucking everywhere bc i live on a college campus
i tried to bring it up with my counselor like “i don’t really get trans ppl and i dunno what to do about it” and shes like “me neither” but thats all it has ever been bc im scared im gonna be wrong and bad if i say more
i was a huge fucking hp fan as a kid and my mom gave me a hogwarts mug for christmas and i cant even look at it bc i just think of jkr and what happened to her
pls help me im so sorry for dumping on u
My first question is: what do you mean by proud? Do you envision yourself wearing tshirts with phrases like "The y chromosome is a defect" out in public? Because while such shirts might be funny (and fun to wear among friends), that's not what it is to be a radical feminist. Neither is posting radfem quotes to your public facebook or instagram, or anything else publicly confrontational. Instead, being a proud radical feminist is spending your time helping women. I like volunteering for food pantries/food banks/food rescues. Women and children are the most likely to be food insecure, so helping with food distribution fits well for me. But maybe something else is closer to your heart - like domestic violence shelters, rape crisis hotlines, mentoring female children, etc. Alternatively you could go into a job that helps women, like social work or medicine. Or you could become a foster parent who takes in girls, become a child advocate or doula. None of direct action really requires anything to do with trans anything. The number of trans people you'll run into is relatively small, and you're helping women and girls no matter how they feel (and people deserve to be helped anyway). I don't care if a trans woman comes for a food pantry volunteer position, or to pick up food at a distribution event. I'm not there to decide who is 'worthy' of giving their time or receiving help. And none of that is publicly confrontational like pins, shirts, and social media is. You do have a problem with trans people, clearly, since you're having psychological distress just at seeing someone who is or reads to you as trans. You've got to work on that. You cannot dictate the actions of others. And it's straight unhealthy to freak out at just seeing someone walking around minding their own business on campus. Students trying to get a speaker banned for transphobia is a problem, your dormmate from another floor walking to class is not a problem. You aren't a bad person for recognizing that Page and other trans people remain their biological sex, or believing that trans identity is a harmful backlash against feminism, or that porn is driving a lot of male transition, or that homophobia (for lesbians/bi women) is a driving force of transition. This is just recognizing the immutable fact of biological sex. Feeling bad for this recognition is something to work on - it's tied to women feeling guilt for every little thing. Let go of your guilt. My advice: LOG OFF. Reading radfem posts online is causing you real problems, and making you distressed about random people. Not good. Take a break. Realizing something is harmful for you, or that you have a limit that you've crossed is an important aspect of growing up and coming of age. Part of being mature is realizing what your limits are. And congrats, you've found a limit. You need to spend time reconnecting with the real world. Treat this like a good thing, something you've discovered about yourself that you now know going forward. Working on healing from this internet overload is a sign of maturity. Log off. Second: Do something directly useful that is meaningful to you. Ask other students for volunteer opportunities. Ask your counselor. Google for your area. See if there's an office for volunteering that can help you. This is related to logging off in that it reduces that amount of time you can spend online, and also introduces you to more people in real life. This helps develop nuance in your actions with others. Expands your understanding of where other people are coming from. And hopefully you can make some more friends. Be proud to be a feminist by helping women. Third: This is the hardest thing for many women: let go of your guilt and strengthen your backbone. Don't be afraid to be disliked. You aren't going to be able to please everybody. Enjoy your HP mug and if someone says something snide just say that the books were important to you and still are. Don't apologize for yourself. Don't feel guilt that you aren't living up to someone else's idea of what you should think about something.
And work on not imagining that everyone is watching you and trying to monitor your thoughts. That way lies serious paranoia. If no one says something to you, no one cares. Imagining the anger/disappointment/etc of others towards you is harmful behavior - you can't read minds. When you've healed, you can set boundaries and re-engage with some radical feminist literature. But I'd say give yourself AT LEAST 6 months away. And then really consider if it's going to be healthy for you to return or not. And if you do decide to return, engage not with twitter/tumblr/facebook/instagram, but with actual texts. Read Woman Hating. Read Invisible Women. Read a book about women in your field of interest. Texts that aren't just concerned with trans identity. You would have to build an understanding of radical feminism outside of transness, because no only is radical feminism about far more than trans identity, but without a foundational understanding of where radical feminism is coming from you can more easily once again fall down the rabbit hole into thinking that trans identity is the only thing that matters, etc. Delete your tumblr, your twitter. Lose your login info for your social media. As condescending as it can sound, it's nonetheless good advice: Go outside.
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rreyie · 3 years
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k. (eren j. x reader)
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summary; you're well aware by now that your feelings of eren have blossomed into something more than a fuckbuddy. but you're not quite sure if he'll agree.
content warnings; smut (18+), fingering, oral (f. receiving), vaginal, unprotected sex, unestablished relationship, degrading, use of pet names, creampie, slight dumbification, hurt at the end i’m sorry.
word count; 2.2k
a/n; the fic that has been sitting in my drafts for 2 months has been completed! anyways i’m sorry i’m advance
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you're well aware by now that eren jaeger isn't just a one night stand you had a week ago. you couldn't quite call it a friendship now, but perhaps fuckbuddies- or people who banged on the low with no strings attached.
well, you wouldn't say you didn't have feelings for him by now. you couldn't tell if it was his mischievous personality or his nine inch long dick, but there were certainly more than platonic feelings on your end.
you two had met when armin, mikasa and eren bought a house to rent out for college. you were a friend of mikasa's and had nowhere to go except to the house they rented, so you moved in. you and eren clicked almost instantaneously, as if you were best friends your whole life.
the sexual tension between you two was inexplicable. and you both knew it. and that's why one day, eren chose to make his move when you two were watching "finding nemo: blu-ray dvd edition" on the couch in the living room.
you two fucked during the scene when the little red-headed girl was terrorizing the other fish. but you two don't talk about it. all that mattered was that it was good sex- and by good, you meant really. fucking. good. you had no clue how he gained all this experience, but that didn't matter either.
now you were here, nearing the end of your sophomore year. this little rendezvous with eren had lasted five months now. you two definitely fucked often- sometimes sucking him off while he was studying for is psychology course, other times bending you over the bathroom counter with a death grip on your asscheeks.
this time he had walked into your room while you were clicking away at your laptop while you sat on your bed, doing your best to study for the exam you had next week. he didn't say a word, just laid down on the bed next to you and stared up at the ceiling.
you tried your hardest to ignore him, but your train of thought was lost when he cleared his throat unnecessarily loudly as if you couldn't already tell that he was right next to you.
you shut your laptop in defeat, and turned your head over to eren, a smile ever so slightly curling on his lips. you were unamused at his behavior.
"yes, eren?" you ask, eyes locking with his jade orbs. he clearly hasn't slept in a while, telling from the dark circles under his eyes, contrasting his somewhat tan skin. his brown hair was in its messy bun like normal, tied up sloppily with some baby hairs poking out here and there.
"dunno", he responded. "just seeing what you're up to."
"mhm? well, that sounds like bullshit to me, mister jaeger", you scoff. "you always come in here and make yourself at home when you're horny."
eren sighed, and sat up from his position. "fine, you caught me red handed. but i know you're as horny as i am."
"...you're right", you admit, before he flips over so he's on all fours and crawls over so he's in front of you. the several rings that adorned his fingers glistened in the ceiling light above, his grey sweatshirt hanging loosely around his body. though what he always wore was so simple, he never failed to look breathtaking in it.
tugging at the waist of your sweatpants, eren growled a "take it off" before you slid your hands down to your waist and did as he told you, leaving you in your panties. you didn't wear nice ones today assuming you weren't going to be fucking somebody, but here you were.
the rest was done by him as he pulled down your panties, breath hitching at the sight of your wet cunt. eren licked his lips hungrily.
"wet? already? what are you, some kind of whore?"
when you only looked at him with doe eyes, he rose his voice. "well? give me an answer, slut."
his very words made something awaken in your core, and you responded with a "y-your whore, eren."
eren nodded in satisfaction, content with your answer. "you're learning."
in past experiences, you had been quite a brat to him- as he would say. constantly going up against what he wanted, trying to dominate him. but every single time he ended up pushing you back down and pounding you into the nearest surface, making you state exactly who you belonged to. but since you were being good this time, he relented.
dipping a cold finger into your folds, he collected the juices that wetted the outer lips of your cunt, savoring the warmth it provided him in contrast to his hand. in response, you jolted at the cold temperature, only for eren to hold you down by the waist to prevent too much movement.
working his fingers inside your impossibly tight cunt, he pushed in one, swirling it around in an attempt to find your sweet spot- in which he succeeded. with a hum of approval, he pushed through another finger past the bit of muscle and into your walls, placing it in the same spot the other finger was. curling his digits around that spongy spot and placing the gentlest pressure upon it. letting a pathetic whimper escape your lips, eren is quick to stop what he's doing and reach for your panties.
"w-what are you doing?" you croak, voice weak from the recent stimulation.
"shutting you the fuck up", he snapped back in response. balling up your pair of soaked panties, he stuffed them in your mouth, making you gag a little. he only smirked at the fact you were struggling. "you're just too fuckin' loud. if armin and mikasa weren't downstairs i would let you have at it, but we've gotta keep this a secret baby."
resuming what he was doing a minute ago, he moves his mouth closer to your cunt, ever so gently wrapping his lips around your delicate little clit. your hips bucked upwards as he put his two fingers in their previous spot, pumping slowly in and out.
you're only able to mumble in approval as his pumping turns languid and rough, and before you know it you're already feeling that knot that's all too familiar in your stomach. you yelp into your balled up panties that occupied your little mouth, the sound coming out muffled. erens brow raises as he removes his fingers from your fluttering cunt.
you're about to mutter something in disapproval, but eren starts talking before you. "i told you to stay quitet, princess. what don't you get about that? are you that stupid whore i thought you were? yeah, i thought so."
"'m not a stupid whore", you say, making your statement clear even though there was a piece of fabric in your mouth.
"then show it", eren demands as he slides his fingers back in, his thrusting become too quick for you to resist an orgasm, but still staying quiet so he would let you cum.
you gush all over his fingers, creamy white liquid coating his fingers as he pulls out, and places his fingers in his mouth, licking off the substance. you're reduced to a panting mess on your bed.
"that tired, are ya?" eren mocks you. "too bad. i still've got a hard cock and you're gonna take care of it." he isn't wrong. his print is easily visible in his grey sweats, at its full length and glory.
"more", you pant out. "want your cock, can handle it, eren..."
"i know you can, princess", he coos as he practically rips down his pants and boxers at the same time, exposing his hardened and flushed cock. the tip was tinted red, a few veins protruding through the skin on the side. he had a pretty cock indeed.
"bend over", he commands. shakily, you comply and get on all fours so that your head is near a pillow in case your legs give out. "that's'a girl."
you can feel him come up from behind you, and rub his warm tip over your cunt, making a shiver run down your spine. his size never failed to make you at least just a little bit nervous, it always hurt a bit when it went in but he prepped you well enough that it would slide in easily.
with his right hand, he grabbed the sturdy frame of the headboard, and with his left, started to push his cockhead into your tight little hole. you squealed as you felt his flesh enter you slowly, but soon sheathed his whole self in with one thrust.
"fuck- you're tight", he grunted, and removed his left hand so it was now gripping your ass. you could feel his fingernails digging into the supple skin, likely leaving red crescent marks. after eren took a deep breath or two, he started his movements. and he didn't relent.
the pace he was moving at was almost dizzying, making you let out a few high-pitched wails. his balls slapped up against your behind, lewd noises of skin on skin filling the room. he held onto the headboard, making the bed shake and creak with every new thrust he took.
"eren, eren, eren", you mumbled, completely cockdrunk by him. "more, more please".
eren smirked, his hair starting to fall out of his bun. "liking that? i knew it, you're just a whore. begging for my cock like always, just like the slut i've always known."
his words were mean, but they made you clamp around his dick, making him release a stuttered moan. were you perhaps sick for liking the way he degraded you? you didn't know and didn't care.
"s' good, 'ren", you gasped, wanting him to keep calling you these names and degrading you down to the bone. you would never let any man talk to you like that- only eren could, he did it the right way.
"i know baby, i know", he purred. "m' gonna cum, you gonna cum with me?"
"y-yes!" you shriek, feeling your second orgasm creep up on you, making your stomach do a somersault. "please 'ren! make me cum! need you filling me up!"
eren gave a dark chuckle, and threw his head back into a moan. your orgasm hit you like a truck, the pleasure taking over your entire body and making you shake uncontrollably, squealing into your pillow as your legs gave out. eren knew this was coming, so he removed his right hand from his headboard and put both of his hands under your legs to hold you out as he rode out his high. he jackhammered into you, balls tightening as the knot in his stomach finally snapped, making his cum spurt out of his tip and into your cunt. you were left immobile and speechless, drooling into your pillow as he pulled himself out and let his semen leak out from your hole and all over your sheets.
after he finished panting, he looked over to you. "you good?"
"mmph", you mumble, eren barely hearing you. you meant for that to be an affirmation.
he flipped you over so you were on your back, your sweatshirt still on your body. he cursed himself for not removing it, but there was always a next time. he smiled at your state, knowing he fucked you that good.
“you did good, princess”, he grinned, and pulled up his boxers again, and searched for his phone which he left somewhere in the room.
“eren”, you ask. “where are you going?”
“there’s a party at jeans dorm tonight. you going?”
you sigh. “no, studying for the exam. i need to pass it, maybe i’ll go next time.”
eren nodded, and walked out the door. “thanks again.”
staring up at the ceiling, you wondered how eren could always treat the fact you two fucked on the regular so casually. he always went around and flirted with other girls at parties, but never took them home.
well, it was now or never that you were going to make your move.
you grabbed your phone from your nightstand and unlocked it, your home screen being a photo of you, eren, armin and mikasa all huddled around the couch for a movie night. you opened your messaging app, and clicked on erens contact. this is where you began drafting your message.
| You: um okay hi eren! so thanks for today, it felt really good as always. but i was wondering if maybe you would want to take things further? we can go out to dinner thursday night if you’re free :)
reading it over once before sending, you pressed the blue button that sent the message to him. it took two minutes for him to read if.
the three dots in a bubble popped up on his end of the conversation. you internally panicked, wondering if this was the right choice.
| erennn: i mean don’t we fuck? don’t get me wrong u cool but i mean idk man
your heart quite literally froze at the sight of his message. the dots popped up again, and you held your breath waiting for an answer.
| erennn: so like fuckbuddies basically, that’s all i want rn so uhhhh yeah 💀
this was the exact moment you felt your heart physically sink. fuck, now you’ve embarrassed yourself. would he think your weird?
wanting to act calm and unaffected by his answer, all you wrote was one letter.
| You: k.
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jawritter · 4 years
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Twelve Days Of Christmas
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Chapter 9
Summary: Dean never realized that Y/N missed Christmas until he turned off an annoying Christmas song on the radio on the way home from a hunt, now he will make it his personal mission to give her the Christmas he misses so much, and if he plays his cards right, maybe he will give her what he has wanted to give her for so many years, himself.
Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader
Written For: @spnchristmasbingo​​​​​​​​
Square Field: Sledding
Word Count: 1334
Warnings: Fluff, mild language, brief mention of John’s A+ parenting.
A/N: This is to help me catch up on my SPN Christmas Bingo card lol Chapter 10 will post tomorrow! I knew chapter will post every day until Christmas! I know I’m insane lol. This is a real time fic collection and all mistakes will be my own! Please do not copy my work! Hope you all enjoy these!!
**SERIES MASTERLIST** **MASTERLIST**   **BECOME A PATREON**
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You stood at the top of the snow-covered hill, flat sled in hand, and watched as two teenagers boarded the sled next to you, sliding down without hesitation. 
The hill was higher than you expected. Normally heights didn't bother you. You'd flown plenty of times in your life. You'd even done a little rock climbing. This seemed very high. Maybe it was the sun glaring off of the snow that made it feel higher than what it actually was? 
Dean's hand came down heavily on your shoulder, and you turned to see his emerald green eyes staring down at you. His freckled face was slightly red from the cold.
"Ready Sweetheart?"
You gave him a short nod and dropped the sled to the ground. You were a hunter for fucks sake. You weren't about to let a little snowy hill be your demise. 
Once you had dropped yourself into place on the sled, Dean dropped down behind you; wrapping his arms securely around your waist.
A swarm of butterflies was set free in your stomach at the feel of his solid body behind your own, even threw the jackets and things you were wearing to stave off the cold. 
It didn't take much of a shove from either of you to get the sled moving. Dean's laugh pierced the air behind you, and you never wanted it to stop. It was the simple things about him that made you the happiest. Like the deep laugh, you rarely got to hear on a normal basis. 
"Come on, let's go again," he said, getting to his feet before helping you to your own before grabbing the sled. 
There was an almost childlike excitement on his face. There was no way you could have said no to him.
This was the first time Dean had ever been sledding, and as you prepared to go down again, you could see just how much Dean had been robbed as a child. 
John never bothered to take the kids sledding, or do any other fun activities with them. It was always his work, his obsession. It wasn't fair to them then, and it wasn't for now. It made Dean hard and turned him into the little grunt, the soldier, John's perfect little punching bag. 
You lost count of how many times the two of you had gone up and down that hill. When you were both finally so tired and cold you were both shivering, Dean decided to call it a day, but you had more fun than you could remember having in a very long time.
"I know it's late afternoon," Dean said as he climbed into Baby's warm interior. "But I could really go for some breakfast for supper." 
"Oh man, that sounds amazing," you agree, smiling at him as he pulled onto the main road and headed towards the little Waffle House that was just about three miles from the cabin the two of you were staying at.
Once you were both inside the warm restaurant, a cup of steaming coffee in hand, and your orders placed, you looked over at Dean who was looking through his text messages as he waited on his food. 
He looked ten years younger than he did when the two of you got here a few days ago. He was more relaxed, almost like a huge weight had been pulled off of his shoulders. It was the first time you could ever remember Dean being this at ease. You didn't want to go back to life once Christmas was over. You wanted him to have this all of the time, not just for a few days out of the year. 
"Sammy and Eileen are going to take a few days to get her moved into the bunker before we get back," he said, putting his phone away into his pocket, and reaching for your hand across the small table. "So when we get back we will have more people living with us again. It's been too quiet around there lately, it will be a nice change."
"So you're okay with a couple of newlyweds hanging around after they tie the knot, being disgustingly cute all over the place?"
Dean laughed in spite of himself, his thumb making little random patterns on the back of your hand. 
"Well, we will just have to be as annoyingly cute. Give ‘em a run for their money,” he said with a wink. 
A deep blush crept its way up your neck and all the way to the tips of your ears. So there was hope of him still being this close to you after you got home to the bunker? 
"I love it when you do that ya know?" 
"When I do what?" you asked him.
"Blush, it's adorable." 
Well damn if that didn't make it worse, and you hid your face in the bend of your arm. Dean reached across the table pulling your arm away from your face. 
"Don't hide from me pretty girl." 
Before you could respond the waitress appeared with your food, and Dean's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning as his pile of food that appeared in front of him. 
"So, day 6, what did you think?" he asks, mouth stuffed full of waffles, looking more adorable than a grown man ever had a right to.
"I loved it, it's been years since I'd been sledding."
Dean smiled into his coffee as his eyes stayed trained on yours. 
"Good, cause I was a little afraid by now you would be ready to get rid of me," Dean said, eyes still locked on yours. 
"What! Hell no! In fact, I don't want to leave!"
The confession slipped out before you could stop yourself. To your surprise, Dean looked relieved. 
"You know," Dean said, shifting nervously in his seat. "This doesn't have to end when we go home. I mean, we can still, ya know, spend time together."
The shock must have shown on your face, because Dean scrambled for his words as he reached around the food that was still sitting in front of the two of you, grabbing your hand in his. 
"I mean, that's only if you still want to spend time with me. If you haven't noticed, I really, really like you Y/N."
Your mind was reeling. Sure, Dean had kissed you, a lot by now, but you had refused to look too far into it because Dean Winchester, "doesn't do relationships." You were inadvertently trying to protect yourself from impending heartbreak, and you hadn't even realized that until now. 
"Dean, I thought you said...I thought l…" 
Words failed you, but Dean seemed to catch on to where you were going. 
"I know, I said I don't do relationships, but baby things have changed. Chucks gone, Jacks in charge, things are as they should be. I don't have a big target hanging over my head anymore. Being with me isn't a death sentence anymore." 
You swallowed hard, your heart was hammering against your rib cage like a jackhammer. 
You had always dreamed Dean would notice you, would want to be with you, but you would never let yourself hope it would ever happen. 
"Baby, say something, please."
You blinked hard and nodded your head. "I would love that Dean, but only if you're sure you want this."
Dean smiled widely, leaning across the small table and capturing your lips in a sweet kiss that had your toes curling in your boots. 
You could almost feel the shift in things between you and Dean, like a promise, or a bond that was formed. It was something you could cling to, almost tangible. As real as Dean's hand that was laced in yours as he made his way back to your little side of Heaven for the night. 
He had always had your heart, but knowing you had his? That was the best Christmas present you could ever get and by far the most precious.
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Forever Tags: 
@deandreamernp​
@forgetthisbull​
@miraclesoflove​
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Series Tag List: 
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is0gild · 4 years
Text
Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 25
Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC
Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.
Word Count: 5,952
FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER
Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!
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Feet? Pacing a hole in the floor.
Teeth? Chewing my thumbnail to the bloody nub.
Hair? Down and in open rebellion, unwilling to be braided even if its very life depended on it.
Door? Rapping with a soft knock from the other side.
Probably should go answer it.
Crossing my bedroom, I threw it open to find Lea standing there. I frowned up at him and said in complete and totally one hundred percent seriousness, "Let's run away together, right here, right now."
"Guh…" he blinked down at me, eyes wide, face seemingly still a bit red from all that sun he'd gotten out on the yacht earlier today. "...uh-huh, yeah, okay."
"Good!" I spun around and walked away, leaving the door open behind me for him to come in. Wringing my hands together and eyes darting about wildly, I went on, "We're going to need snickerdoodles. Lots of them."
"Snickerdoodles. Sure," he said slowly as I heard the door click shut. "Quick question: Why?"
My dress swished about my knees as my pacing resumed and my trembling fingers went back to my hair, once more trying to braid it. "They're Kai's favorite. Obviously."
"Oh obviously," he nodded, standing off to one side, hands on his hips as his eyes followed me, back and forth, back and forth. "Remind me again, Kai is…?"
"The butler. Keep up." My braid snagged. It was all wrong. I furiously tugged my hair free and started over again. "He'll be the first to come looking for us, so we need to take him out."
Lea pursed his lips to one side, eyes squinting. "...with snickerdoodles. A butler's one weakness. Like a moth to the flame, powerless to resist."
I stopped in my tracks, narrowing my eyes up at him. "...are you making fun of me?"
"Who, me? No, I would never!"
Holding him with my scowl for a second more, I at last relented with a nod and a huff before going back to patrolling the length of the rug. "Good. This is very, very serious business and is not to be taken lightly."
"Absolutely, the most serious," he agreed in earnest. "So the snickerdoodles…?"
"Will be used to leave a trail like breadcrumbs to lure Kai into my wardrobe where we'll then knock him unconscious, tie him up and lock him inside, giving us a good head start before anyone else realizes we're gone."
He was rubbing a curled finger over his lips, doing his damnedest to keep a straight face. "Right, sure, sure. It's so clear now, I dunno why I didn't think of it myself. I mean, c'mon, it's the only sane thing to do."
"Exactly!" No, no, that braid wouldn't do at all, it was a crooked mess! Growling, I yanked it out and started over yet again. "Then we can escape out my window. There's no trellis or anything to climb, but the drop's not far. Only thirty, maybe forty feet."
"Psh," his hand batted the air, "that all? No sweat."
"Then we can just hop in your car and- gah!" Seriously, what was wrong with my hair?! Why wouldn't it braid?! Was it broken?! I snarled, raking my clawed fingers through it over and over again, threatening to rip every last damn strand from the very roots and-
"Woah there, easy now," Lea said calmly, catching my hands in his and forcing them to be still. His firm grip was warm and soothing. "Why don't we just take a breather for a sec, huh?"
Glaring down at my feet, I just answered with a noncommittal shrug. Good enough for him, it seemed, for he was now guiding me over to my bed where he took a seat on the edge, drawing me down to sit beside him. Still holding my hands and tracing light circles along their backs with his thumbs, he tucked one leg up beneath him so he could turn to better face me.
"Now before ya rip yourself bald, why don'tcha just leave your hair to me while you tell me all about whatever it is that has you ready to book it for the hills?" Setting my hands down in my lap, he started to bring his up but they faltered midway towards my face, fingers curling slightly. "...may I?" he asked quietly.
I hesitated for a heartbeat before giving a single nod and turning away from him, sweeping my pale platinum locks back over my shoulder. There was a brief pause before I felt it. His long fingers stroking my hair, slow and gentle as they combed through it, carefully smoothing out whatever tangles I'd worked it into in my anxiety and frustration. It made my scalp tingle pleasantly and my eyes fluttered half closed.
"So talk to me. What's up?" I heard him ask.
His breathing, low and soft behind me, had a comforting rhythm to it and I swear I could feel a faint warmth radiating from his nearness. It settled my nerves somewhat as the nice little tugs and shifts to my hair continued. Tucking in my lower lip, I muttered, "I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Do what?" he pressed gently.
"Any of it!" I blurted out with a grimace. "My parents. The talk with them. This… this unbearable wait for the talk with them. My grandfather. The silent, angry death rays he keeps shooting out his eyes at me." The words were tumbling out of me faster and faster. "Anna. The way she won't talk to me. Why won't she talk to me?! What could possibly be wrong? What could I have possibly done? And then- and then there's the party! It's going to be a nightmare! A disaster, a-"
"Shh, it'll be okay." His voice was tender. Just hearing it loosened the knots in my stomach somewhat and eased my shallow breathing. His hands continued to thread my hair and I felt the bend of his finger brush against the base of my neck, causing a weird feeling to creep up my spine and making me shiver. His hands stilled momentarily, but then they set about their task once more, his tone even softer now, "Just… one lil party. Nothing to worry about. No big deal."
I puffed out a shaky breath, "But it is a big deal! Because it'll be a big party! Huge! Ginormous! So many people are going to be there, and I don't do people. I don't, I just… I can't! And these aren't just any people. Oh no, these are my relatives. Relatives who were at my wedding. You know, the one that didn't happen because I snuck out a window? They're all going to be staring at me and… and talking- no, whispering about me and treating me like some sort of, I don't know… freakshow. And just… what does one even wear when they're the friggin' social pariah of the soirée? What do they do with their hair? Their stupid, stupid hair that won't even-"
"Breathe," Lea told me.
A command, but a gentle one at that.
I scrunched up my face, but inhaled deeply and held it for a few seconds, closing my eyes and instead focusing on the sensation of his hands in my hair. Why was I even letting him do this? I hadn't even questioned it. But... it really was quite… pleasing, I'll give it that. I couldn't remember the last time I'd let someone touch it like this. Surely, not since I was a child. Surely, it'd been nice then too, but not quite like this. Not in the same way. This… I couldn't quite put a name to this… to the small tickle of a feeling blossoming inside my chest…
Sensing I had relaxed somewhat, he spoke again, "First of all, your hair's not stupid. In fact, pretty sure it has a PHD and graduated valedictorian. And I already told ya I got you covered in the hair department, so just put that outta your head, 'kay? Don't even think about it. Second of all, you'll wear whatever the hell you want to this dumb party and look like the goddamn belle of the ball and if anyone tries to talk shit, I'll knock their teeth out, got it?"
That earned him a tiny snerk from me.
"We don't even have to stay long," he said as his delightful ministrations to my hair continued. "We'll drop in, make an appearance, give gramps his birthday spankings or whatever, then ditch the place. Third of all, your sister will talk to you when she's ready. All you can do is let her know you're there for her. Fourth of all, your gramps and those lil death glares of his? Can go fuck themselves. Fifth of all-"
"How many more of these 'of alls' do you have?" I felt one corner of my mouth quirk.
"Shush, I'm on a roll here. Now where was I...? Ah! Fifth of all, this talk with your folks? That's all it is: a talk. Just words. They have no power over you, not anymore. And I'll be there to back you up the whole time. Anna too, I'm sure. No matter what's going on with her, she knows you need her. And if you don't like what your folks have to say and if they won't listen to you, then that's it. We can just leave. End of story."
I rolled my eyes with a flat, "Simple as that, huh?"
"Simple as that," he murmured, sounding a little distracted by his task. "Sixth of all… hm… never mind, there is no sixth of all. Covered everything with the first five. Any questions?"
My nose crinkled as I bit back a grin. "...would you really knock one of my relative's teeth out?"
"In a heartbeat. Send those pearly whites flying so high n' fast, they'd be like shooting stars across a night sky."
I pressed my folded fingers to my lips, muffling a little laugh. "Well, I suppose brutally assaulting other guests is certainly one excuse for ducking out of the party early."
"Good point," I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'll keep that in my back pocket in case of emergency."
Just then, another knock came at my door. Gosh, I certainly was popular lately. I don't think I'd ever had so many visitors to my bedroom as I'd had over the past two days. I stood up to go answer it, hearing what suspiciously sounded like a small, almost inaudible sigh from Lea as my hair slipped free of his grasp.
Pulling the door open, I smiled when I saw who it was. "Mattias. It's been too long."
The man was tall and had friendly brown eyes lined with faint crows feet. His hair was short, frizzy and black that was just starting to show the first signs of greying, with a matching goatee to frame his grin. Bending at the waist into a tiny half bow, he greeted, "Little Miss Elsa. My, how you've grown."
Smile widening, I turned to find Lea had joined me at my side. "Lea, this is Mattias. He works for my grandfather." I actually had no idea what Mattias's exact job title was. Was he Grandfather's personal assistant? His bodyguard? His driver? His privately owned assassin? Okay, I was just joking about the last one… I think. Maybe he was all of the above. Or maybe none and he was actually something even more secretive and mysterious. All I knew was that Mattias had been under Grandfather's employ since I was very little and whatever it was he did or didn't do, he'd always treated me with nothing but kindness.
"Ah," Mattias breathed as his gaze shifted to Lea, eyes crinkling as he offered his hand, "and you must be the new paramour I've been hearing so much about."
Lea shook it, one side of his mouth twitching up. "All good things, I'm sure."
"All… verbose and fervent things said with great gusto," he tactfully replied.
"They usually are when it's me those things are about," Lea snorted.
Tipping my head to one side as I regarded Mattias, I asked, "Was there something you needed of me?"
His hands clasped behind his back. "I was actually looking to borrow your young gentleman here with regards to tonight's festivities."
"Oof, sorry man, I'm flattered, but already got a date for the evening," Lea said as he slid an arm around my shoulders.
"He's funny," Mattias declared brightly. "No wonder your grandfather is so… opinionated about him. But no, I meant I'm here to take you out in preparation for the ball."
Lea cocked an eyebrow. "...oh! You mean 'take out' as in get me snazzy new duds so I can get all dolled up for this lil shindig?"
Mattias's face fell suddenly stoic as an eerie calm came over him, "Or 'take out' as in make you disappear, never to be seen or heard from again." His hushed words were punctuated with a long, uncomfortable stretch of silence where I began to wonder if I actually hadn't been too far off with my assassin guess. But then he abruptly burst out into booming laughter, making both Lea and me jump. "I'm just kidding! My wife Halima says I need to lighten up and joke around more." Now he seemed to become a bit bashful as he asked hopefully, "How am I doing?"
I exchanged a brief glance with Lea, who then gave a weak chuckle. "Great! You'll have 'em all rolling on the floor during amateur hour at the comedy club." Reaching for the doorknob, he slowly started pushing it shut between Mattias and us as he called out a chipper, "Now, I'm just gonna close this for a real quick sec here, be right back!" As soon as it clicked shut, Lea gripped my arm as he hissed, "Do not under any circumstance leave me alone with that guy!"
Scoffing, I crossed my arms, "You're being silly, he's a very sweet man."
"Oh yeah, seems real nice for a psychopathic killer who could probably murder me seven different ways with a Tootsie Roll."
"He said he was kidding."
"Precisely what someone trynta off me would say," he muttered, glowering at my door.
My eyelids drooped, "Also precisely what someone who wasn't trying to off you would say. Besides, it's a good thing Grandfather sent him to assist you with this. I was so busy stressing out about myself, I completely forgot you probably had nothing to wear for tonight. What would you have even done, just shown up in jeans and a t-shirt?" I shook my head in amusement.
To that he just looked down, scratching a spot behind his ear with a soft, "Heh."
I stared blankly at him. "Oh my god, that's exactly what you were going to do."
"In my defense, it was gonna be one classy t-shirt."
"...the kind with a cartoon tux printed on the front?"
He grinned big, "Yeah! How'd you know?"
My finger pinched the bridge of my nose as I released a grumbling sigh. "Just go with Mattias so you can get fitted for a nice suit. Please."
"What about you?" he reached over, lightly rubbing my arm. "You all good now?"
"I'm… better now," I hugged myself with a small nod. "...you always seem to know just what to say to help calm me down. Thank you." I turned away, heading towards my vanity, "And thanks for-" I stopped as I looked in the mirror, my hand going to my blonde strands. My reflection frowned back at me. "Wait… you didn't even do anything with my hair." I narrowed my eyes on him, "Were you just playing with it this whole time?"
"Er…" he grinned innocently, rubbing at the nape of his neck and averting his gaze. "...no?" I fixed him with a dull look. "Seriously! I braided it!" One of my eyebrows arched. "Then I… unbraided it. But only to try a few other things with it, honest! Purely for research purposes! And it all led me to one conclusion. The results are in and it's unanimous: you should wear your hair," he rapped his fingers along the edge of my vanity in a drumroll, "down!"
I tilted my head slightly to the left. "...down?"
"Mm-hm! It's simple! It's bold! It's-"
Once again, a knock sounded at my door. "You two do remember I'm still waiting out here... right?" came Mattias's muffled voice from the other side.
With a tiny huff in my throat, I started pushing Lea back towards the door. "Will you just go with him already? He won't kill you, I promise."
"Fine, but if ya haven't heard from me in an hour, you come and rescue my sorry ass, got it? Oh, and El?" he dug in his heels, stopping us both as he brought his hands up to squeeze my shoulders with a smile. "About tonight, just… you do you. Whatever makes ya comfortable. Forget about what anyone else might say or think, 'kay?"
I stared back at him, searching his eyes for a second before looking away as I bit down into my bottom lip. "...I'll try."
Seemingly satisfied with that, Lea reached out to twist the doorknob and pull, greeting Mattias with, "Alright, cowboy, let's get this over with." Trailing his fingers down my arms to my hands, he took them both in his and raised them to press a kiss to each one, murmuring, "Until this evening, min kjæreste."
...I really shouldn't be surprised at this point that he had yet to run out of pet names.
I'd have to ask him what that one meant later.
Which, you know, was a totally crucial and vital piece of info to have before adding it to the ever growing mountainous stack of vetoes.
With that, he stepped out into the hallway where Mattias grinned and gave him a hearty slap on the back, forcing a grunt out of Lea as he closed the door behind him. I snorted quietly before moving back over to my vanity mirror, absently running my fingers through my hair as I stared at my reflection once more.
...down, huh?
...I think I could make that work.
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"Well, well… don't you look a vision?"
"Thank you, Mattias," I smiled softly, resisting the urge to self-consciously hide behind my bedroom door. "You're looking rather dashing yourself."
He stood a little straighter, his hand smoothing the crisp lapel of his suit. "I do what I can. And I got your young man looking quite dapper as well, if I do say so myself."
"Speaking of, where is Lea?" I looked about the corridor, but it only further confirmed that Mattias had come to greet me at my door alone.
"I left him to await you in the foyer." He offered me his arm, "Shall I escort you, my dear?"
Taking a quick glance back into my room to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, I then nodded and closed the door behind me as I stepped out into the hallway, tucking my hand into his elbow. "Please. Lead the way." As we began to walk, I told him, "Thank you, by the way. For getting Lea ready and presentable for the evening."
"Was only doing as your grandfather asked of me," he brushed off. "I suspect he doesn't want him drawing anymore undue attention to himself than absolutely necessary."
I hummed a small laugh at that, "I think that may be a lost cause there."
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, grin widening. "...that boy of yours really won't stand a chance, you know. He'll be a goner the second he lays eyes on you."
"Stop, you're embarrassing me," I ducked my head to hide the faint blush creeping into my face as my fingers idly twisted at my diamond fringe earrings. Wearing them may have been a bad idea in retrospect as they were too tempting to fidget with in moments of anxiety. They dangled all the way down to my shoulders, which were bare in my floor length, high neck halter dress that was backless and a shade of midnight blue with subtle shimmers in the bodice - another garment that, like my beachwear, had just been left behind to gather dust in my wardrobe here long ago. My hair was sideswept, cascading down in loose curls in front of my right shoulder.
"If memory serves," Mattias was saying conversationally, "I don't believe you ever went to such lengths to look even half so stunning for your last suitor."
My face grew hotter as I muttered, "You must be mistaken."
Why would I put any more effort into my appearance for tonight than I had any other previous outings that had been with my ex? I had no reason to. Not for Lea. Not for the guy who was only a friend and merely just pretend dating me as a favor to help me out of a tight spot. Of course, Mattias wasn't privy to that last bit.
"Perhaps," he said lightly, falling silent for a few steps. Then, "Or perhaps it is just another small piece to the big mystery surrounding why he is your suitor no more."
The corners of my lips turned down. "...he and I weren't right, Mattias. This life, this world," I gestured to the expensive dress I was wearing, to the mansion walls around us, "...none of it was right. Not for me, anyway. I tried to pretend it was, tried to play the part for years. But I couldn't, not anymore. That's why I had to leave." I hesitated, eyes downcast. "I… don't really know what is right for me. I'm still trying to work that part out… but I feel like I'm much closer to figuring it out now than I ever was before when I was only living to please my parents."
He didn't respond right away, seeming to ponder my words for a moment. At last, he glanced over at me with a warm smile. "My father used to have a saying: Just when you think you found your way, life will throw you on a new path. Don't give up, take it one step at a time and just do the next right thing." Mattias pat my fingers curled around his arm, "It may take a while, but I know you'll sort it all out. You're now on the path you were meant to be on. In time, I'm sure your family will understand that as well."
I returned his smile with a tiny one of my own. "I hope so… thank you, Mattias."
"Of course, my dear." We at last came to a halt at the top of the stairs. "Now I leave you in the care of your gentleman caller who should be just at the foot of the-" he faltered mid-sentence as he looked down into the foyer, eyes growing round. Then he heaved a sigh, dragging a hand down his face as he grumbled, "...I swear he wasn't like this when I left a moment ago."
I followed his gaze to spot Lea on the bottom step. He was leaning with one elbow propped against the banister, eyes lowered as he inspected his (still pristine) black nail polish, so he hadn't noticed us yet. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing what looked to be a very nice black tux, so he should have made quite the debonair picture. Key word: should. However, his tie was undone and draped loose around his neck, his suit jacket was off and slung over his shoulder by his free hand, and the sleeves of his white button-up were rolled up to his elbows.
The cherry on top? Brace yourself, because there were actually two. The first was there was a small white stick poking out of the corner of his mouth as he sucked on something. Was that a lollipop? Pretty sure it was a lollipop. A friggin' lollipop. Why? Just… why? As for the second, I'll give you a few hints: they were pink, made of cheap plastic, perched on the bridge of one's nose, and utterly ridiculous. That's right: the heart sunglasses were back, making their encore performance on Lea's face.
Somehow, I got the feeling Grandfather would not be amused.
Just a hunch.
"Good luck with that," Mattias told me under his breath with a low snort as he walked off, presumably to go on ahead to the party.
My eyes fell on Lea once more, my fingers coming up to brush along my grin before I started to descend the stairs. "No," was all I said, though a laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it.
He glanced up at the sound of my voice, eyebrows bouncing as he smirked around the lollipop, surely with some cocky wisecrack just at the tip of his tongue. Instead however his gaze met mine and he froze, his eyes widening as all that came out was a, "Nnn…?"
I think he might have been trying to echo my 'no' there. But apparently a two-letter word was one more letter than he could currently handle.
I reached him, stopping on the step just above the one on which he stood. Fighting my grin now, I lifted my hands to remove the heart-shades and folded them shut. Then I held them up before his nose as I reiterated a firm but gentle, "No."
Lea just continued to stare at me, lollipop dangling from his slack-jawed gape and this close to falling out. "Nnn…"
My, how articulate he was this evening.
With a small huff through my nose, I set the glasses aside on the banister. Then I reached to take hold of the ends of his tie, flipping them up in front of his face with another, "No." With that, I set to work tying it for him. To be blunt, I actually kind of hated that I knew how to do this. It was just such an archaic and outdated practice, the woman fixing the tie for the man. But someone had to do it and part of me suspected Lea wouldn't even have the first clue how.
I could sense his eyes on me as I folded and looped the strip of fabric. I did my best to ignore it along with the heat I could feel creeping up the back of my neck now. What didn't help was when his hand slowly drifted up to start toying with the curled tips of my hair. Hitching my chin and stubbornly avoiding his gaze as I put all my focus into the tie, I murmured, "You know, you can quit it with the goofy lovestruck act. Mattias is gone, there's no one here to see it."
Coiling a pale tendril around his finger, he didn't speak right away and for a second I wondered if he had even heard me. Then came a hushed, "...you're beautiful..."
My heart jolted and my grip faltered, fumbling the tie and screwing it up. My eyes darted up to meet his, which were soft but also mixed with… something that was too intense and I quickly looked away again. With a little scowl, I started over with his tie, muttering, "Fine then, keep it up. See if I care." Hastily finishing the bowtie in silence, I hazarded a second, more cautious glance back up at him, frowning now. "...wow, you really fried out there on the yacht today, didn't you? Ever hear of sunscreen?" I asked, reaching a hand up for one of his super red cheeks.
He snatched it just as my fingertips had barely brushed along his skin. Then he blinked, finally knocking it off with the dazed routine as he released my hand so he could instead rub at the nape of his neck with a small chuckle. "Nah, I… I'm fine. I think it's just something funny with the, uh… the lighting in here, making me look burned when I'm really not. Yeah, that must be it!"
I gave him a dubious squint before looking down at my palm. Odd… I looked just as pale as ever under this light. Shrugging it off, I then stretched a hand out once more, this time to pluck the lollipop from his lips, accompanying it with yet another, "No." I caught a whiff of a very familiar scent and both eyebrows shot up my forehead as I looked at the candy. Then I held it up to him, "Is this why you smell like cinnamon all the time?"
His head rocked back slightly, one corner of his lips slowly turning up. "And how, pray tell, are you so intimately aware of what I smell like?"
My shoulders stiffened as just about every last bit of blood I had in me rushed straight up to my face. "I… well, I wouldn't say I'm intimately- I mean, that is... well, you're always hugging me and just, you know… i-it's kind of hard not to- It's not like I'm trying to- Not on purpose anyway, it just sort of… I just…"
The wicked curve to his lips widened further. "Yes? Do go on."
I narrowed my eyes on him. "Nevermind. Where did this thing even come from?" I asked, scrunching my nose up at the lollipop before looking for somewhere to get rid of it. I settled on tossing it into one of the two large urns decorating either side of the base of the staircase. Shh, no one would ever have to know.
He shrugged, still not wiping that stupid grin off his face. "We stopped at a place on the way to the tux fitting."
"And Mattias let you? He should've known better," I sighed, now tugging one of his sleeves down to his wrist with a tad more force than necessary and buttoning it.
"What can I say? I can be very persuasive."
I just gave a noncommittal "hm" as I straightened and fastened the other sleeve as well. Then I snagged his folded jacket from where he held it slung over his shoulder, lifting it with one more lightly chiding, "No." I began helping him shrug back into it.
A little tsk escaped him. "You're certainly a fan of that word right now."
Concentrating on getting his left arm into the other sleeve, I deadpanned, "And you're certainly a fan of finding every way imaginable to make me say it."
He snerked at that. Then, "Huh. Guess there's a first time for everything. Usually the ladies are trynta take the clothes off me, not the other way around."
My gaze snapped up to meet his with every intention of giving him the full blast of my withering stare. Instead I froze, expression blank at the sight that greeted me.
That of a lollipop stick once more jutting out the side of his tiny smirk.
I blinked. Then looked to the urn. Then back at him. My eyelids drooped. "Just how many of those do you have?"
His smile stretched from ear to ear. "Picked me up a whole pack! Gotta feed the addiction!"
I sighed, shaking my head before eyeing him up and down with a frown. "...where are you even hiding them all?"
Lea bent forward, the tip of his nose brushing against mine as his eyes hooded and he whispered, "Care to search me and find out?"
An icy grin pulled at my lips and I told him, "No." There's that word again. Confiscating this lollipop as well, I struck it up in front of his face and continued on in a deadly sweet tone, "If I catch you with another one of these tonight, I'll make you choke on it."
"You promise?" he waggled his eyebrows at me.
I scoffed, flinging the candy into the other urn. There. Now my parents had a matching set. My attention returned to Lea as I tipped my head to one side, giving him a final glance over now that I had him all put back together. "...you actually clean up rather handsomely. You know, when you're not being a total clown."
"Hadta do it," he puffed up his chest and tweaked his bowtie. "If you had been struck by the full might of my studliness in a tux right from the get go, you would've straight up swooned and come toppling down the stairs. Hadta ease ya into it for your own safety. You're welcome."
"How thoughtful," I rolled my eyes with a soft snort. Then I retrieved the heart-glasses from the banister once more, slipping them into a pocket on the inside of his jacket. "Now I'm giving these back to you since I know they're your new favorite toy and I'm trusting you not to put them back on at the party, okay?"
"Scout's honor," he chirped, holding up three fingers pressed together.
"Good," I smiled, straightening his lapels and smoothing my hand over his button-up to clear any creases. "Your shenanigans the other night in front of my parents and grandfather were one thing, but this party is something else entirely. You can't just-"
"El," he interrupted me, bringing his hand up. I almost thought it was going for my cheek, but it seemed to hesitate and shift over at the last second, giving my shoulder a squeeze instead. "I'll be on my best behavior. Count on it."
I nodded. "...thank you." I realized my hands were still smoothing, even though any wrinkles there may have been in his shirt were long gone.
Jesus criminy, Elsa, stop pawing at the man's chest already!
Quickly retracting my hands, I cleared my throat as my smile turned a touch awkward. "Right. So then… to the party?"
"Absolutely," he grinned, taking my hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm. He then led me down the last couple of steps and over to a corridor off on the left, striding with confidence.
I followed him wordlessly for a few steps. Then, "Do you have any idea where you're going?"
"Not a damn clue!" he said brightly.
With a tiny laugh, I informed him, "It's back the other way."
"Going the other way!" he announced, flipping us into a u-turn and marching off in the opposite direction.
Once we were on the right course, it wasn't hard for Lea to figure out where the ballroom was. He just had to follow the sound of the classic string music and murmur of voices drifting from the party. It wasn't long before we were approaching a massive set of double doors beyond which all the merrymaking could be spotted in glimpses.
That's when I started to hear it. The blood rushing in my ears. Every step closer to that entrance made my insides shrivel tighter and tighter, my breathing more rapid and shallow. Just outside the threshold, my feet stopped moving altogether.
Lea halted beside me, looking over at me in concern. He brought up his other hand to cover my own that was clutching at his arm, not saying anything. I didn't need him to. I just needed a minute to steel myself. Closing my eyes, I forced air into my lungs in one long, slow inhale through my nose. Then I released it just as gradually, feeling my nerves settle somewhat.
Was I ready for this?
No. Not even close.
But this was about as ready as I was ever going to get.
I looked up at him with a small nod. With that, we made our way inside.
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Author's Note: I was originally going to put this build-up to the party AND the party itself all in the same chapter, but it just got TOO long for a single chapter - and that's coming from ME of all people, so that's saying something! So hope ya'll don't mind this slightly shorter update chocked full of fluff xP Anyhoo, Mattias made his cameo this chapter, yay! He was one of my faves from F2, such a sweetheart with his own moments of awkwardness :3 Minor fun fact: I had just finished playing TWEWY for the first time before I started writing this chapter and had been introduced to Koki - a character in that game that's basically an Axel-clone, at least in the sense that he's a redheaded kinda-sorta villain that's bursting at the seams with snark… guess which TWEWY character turned out to be fave xD Anyway, Koki is never seen without a lollipop the whole time, so the stupid thing with the lollipop this chapter got its inspiration from that xP Other minor fun fact: Elsa's dress is very, VERY loosely based on her dress from the Olaf's Frozen Adventure short - just get rid of the fur, sleeves, and back and turn it into a halter top and presto! Beautiful xD Also, her hairstyle is based off of some early Elsa concept art by Brittney Lee for the first Frozen movie (I’ll reblog it here some point soon!) and I just think the art is gorgeous and I had to use the hairstyle cuz oof… Ice Queen is pretty, yo!
Next chapter, Gramps' B-day Bonanza is officially in full swing! What new lil misadventures might the night bring? Who else might make an appearance? Will everything go smoothly or will there be trouble brewing at the ball? And just where IS Lea really hiding all those damn lil lollipops? Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!
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jamkookies · 5 years
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° Bon Voyage °
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• Part VIII •
Stay
~
"No you don't."
"What?"
"You felt the need to say that because I've been taking care of you, that's all."
He gives you an incredulous look, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you feel bad for me and you said that so I could feel better," you say.
He grips you by the the straps of your tank top and pulls you to him.
"Do you really think I would do that? Take pity on you? Is that what you're saying?!" he growls into your face.
You're taken aback by his sudden outburst. He looks angry, but his fingers are gentle and the proximity of his face to yours is anything but hostile.
His eyes keep staring at your lips.
"I've felt like this for five god damn years, but you're just too stupid to notice anything."
Jungkook's breath tickles your face as he struggles to get the words out of him.
"I love everything about you - the way you look, the way you act, the way you you scrunch your nose when you're reading, the way you tend to put other people's needs before your own.."
His expression softens a little and his hands abandon your shirt to cradle your face.
"I love you, Y/N and nothing can change that."
Your vision turns blurry because of the tears threatening to spill.
Your lips quiver and you're just about to say something back, when a rustle of leaves makes you both freeze.
At the edge of the hollow, a man's feet appear.
You and Jungkook flatten against the wall, him protectively shoving you against his back, even with his injury.
The man's feet are illuminated by the moonlight, roaming around the entrance of the hollow, but making no attempt to get in.
He hadn't seen you.
You hold your breath, terrified to let out even the slightest sound.
The wet leaves under his feet crunch every time he makes a step and it feels like a clock ticking closer and closer to your doom.
Another pair of feet join him.
"Did you find anything?"
"No. But they can't have gone far. Not with that injured leg of his."
"If Jungkookie dies, I will kill you."
The man chuckles.
"You're in no condition to threaten anyone. I could shoot you in the head right here and no one would ever know."
"But you won't," the girl says." You need me to get your money."
"For now."
"For now," she echoes.
They both pivot and walk away in opposite directions.
You can hear the steps getting further and further, till the sound gets lost in the breeze.
The rain had stopped for some time, you notice.
"That was close," Jungkook whispers.
You wanna say something.
Anything.
You wanna scream to the world that you love him so much to the point where it hurts.
But you don't.
The words get clogged up in your throat.
So you just put your arms around his torso and give him a back-hug.
Leaning your head onto his back, you can feel the vibrations reverberating through his whole body when he speaks in a low voice.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?"
You just squeeze him tighter.
"That's more than enough, then." he says.
He puts his hands on top of yours and starts making circles with his thumbs.
You just stay like that, in silence, enjoying the company of each other's arms.
* * *
He'd fallen asleep.
The exhaustion must have finally gotten to him, you think to yourself, as you feel his weight on your front body.
He hadn't removed your hands from his torso, hadn't even moved an inch, but just let himself relax till the tiredness had eventually knocked him out.
You scoot back and let his head drop onto your lap.
His longish hair falls into his eyes and you move them out of the way.
You trace his face with your fingers, lingering on every edge.
Beautiful.
He was beautiful.
His eyes shoot open.
"Like what you see?" he says.
You huff a laugh and your shoulders shake with the action.
"I do, actually." you answer.
He grins immediately.
"What exactly do you like the most about me?"
You are about to give him a sassy comeback, but you give up halfway.
"Everything."
He looks a little taken aback, but continues nonetheless.
"What about physical features?"
"I like your scar." you say and your fingers immediately find the flaw on his left cheekbone.
That small imperfection was what made him perfect.
"Wait, you actually like that?"
You nod vigorously.
"What else do you like?"
He was really enjoying this.
"You have a nice... umm..physique."
His eyes narrow at your words.
"Be more specific."
"Oh for heaven's sake, you have nice thighs, god damn it! There, I said it!" You shout in a whisper.
His smile goes on full-bloom.
"No funny comments, no snarky comebacks... Wow, there really is something going on here."
"You look pleased as hell."
"I like to be appreciated."
"You literally have millions of fans doing that every single day."
"But I wanted to hear it from you, though."
You look at him pointedly for a while, then release a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll stop." he says quickly and lowers your hands to his lips to kiss them.
Oh goodness.
He was just making it worse.
Goosebumps flare all over your body and it's the best you can do not to shiver.
"I should check your wound." you say with a forced air of nonchalance.
"Jumping right into the good stuff, aren't we?"
You tug at a string of his jet-black hair.
"Ow, ow.. sorry, sorry." he whines.
Your hands reach for his thigh, untying the strip of cloth with delicate hands.
This is not good.
It had started to get swollen, its corners red and puffy. If you didn't clean it fast, the infection would spread even more.
"I'm gonna go get some water." you say, already rising to your feet.
"With those guys wandering around the forest? Absolutely not."
"Your wound is infected. I have to clean it."
"It's too dangerous."
"You're gonna lose your leg."
"Better than losing you."
Your words falter in between your lips.
He grips your calf and looks at you behind his see-through bangs, doe eyes begging.
"Stay."
You had to go. You couldn't just leave him in this condition.
"Please." he adds.
You release a long sigh and get down to your knees, his eyes never leaving yours.
"We should get some sleep." you whisper. " We're leaving at dawn."
He offers you a bunny smile and envelopes you into his arms. You put your hair on his chest and just lay down together, savoring the warmth of each other's presence.
* * *
Eight minutes.
You had been counting non-stop, waiting for the sound of his steady breathing, the signal for you to do what you had to do.
You had to make sure he was really asleep before you left.
He was never gonna forgive you for it.
You knew that very well and you still proceeded to detach his hands from your arms, being extremely careful not to wake him up.
Thank God for his habit of sleeping like a log.
Soundlessly rising to your feet, you tip-toe your way out of the hollow. The ground is wet, the constant dripping of the water from the branches soaking it thoroughly.
First, you had to find something to fill up the water.
You scan the trees and bushes, looking for any decent-looking leaves.
There.
A few feet from you a shrub is in full bloom, its green, wide leaves hanging around it like a crown.
You pluck off a couple, careful not to rip them apart.
Wrapping them into a half sphere, you put them under a dripping branch and wait for it to fill up.
This was gonna take a while.
And the constant thoughts about having to let Jungkook on his own, unprotected, didn't make it any easier for you.
You prayed for him to be safe, prayed they wouldn't find him.
Drip drip drip.
The anxiety threatened to swallow you whole, all kinds of thoughts jumbled into your head in a disarray.
You look at your improvised bowl and notice that it's filled to the brim.You bend down to pick it up but the eyes staring at you in the reflection of the water make your breath hitch in your throat.
Then, something hard smashes into your skull, rendering you unconscious.
* * *
You open your eyes to semi darkness, dawn ready to spill its light on the top of the trees.
Your head pounds harder than the last time you got drunk with the boys.
The things you would give to go back in time...
There's none of that now.
Nothing except for the feeling of exhaustion weighing down your lids, your body an utter wreck.
There's a wetness at the back of your head. The feeling of something trickling down.
You know it's blood.
The terrible ache on your head was proof enough.
You look down at your body and almost scream at the sight.
They've tied you up against a tree, the rope digging into your wrists.
"Finally up, I see." you hear a voice nearby.
You turn your head from side to side, trying to locate its source.
The man is sitting on the ground, grinning at you like a psychopath.
"You know, she told me to kill you." he continues. "Get rid of you as fast as possible. But I didn't. I figured out I could easily sell you to the highest bidder with just a phone call. That Jungkook guy isn't the only famous one here."
You give him a look of disgust.
He keeps talking, unbothered by your indifferent behavior and gets in front of your face.
"So what I'm gonna do now is go get the car by the side of the road and then we'll go on a little trip, right sunshine?"
You spit into his face.
He flinches, hands reaching to wipe it off.
Then he slaps you so hard across the cheek, you see stars.
It stings like hell but you refuse to let out a sound, letting the anger build up inside of you instead.
He stands on his feet then storms off.
Bastard.
You'd never wanted to kill someone so badly. However the feeling of enragement gets replaced by raw panic.
What had happened to Jungkook?
Was he alright?
You hoped he was still asleep, safe from the clutches of these maniacs.
"Jungkook..."
"You called?" a voice is heard behind your back.
Two hands reach for the knot, trying to undo it.
Then Jungkook appears in front of you, sweat clinging to his forehead and a limp on his leg.
But he was okay.
He was safe.
You jump into his arms, squeezing him as hard as you can.
He does the same, pain and exhaustion all but forgotten.
"I'm so sorry." you say, voice muffled by his chest. " I didn't want to leave you alone but I had to."
"It's alright." he whispers. "I'm fine."
You breathe him in, letting his scent calm your nerves for just a second.
"We still have to go. He will be back soon."
You nod and grab his hand.
Ignoring the throbbing pain on your head, you sling his arm across your shoulder, letting yourself bear his weight.
"I'm alright, don't worry." he says and retreats his arm back.
You both sprint into a run and you know the pain on his thigh is killing him, but there's nothing you can do.
There's no plan.
You just run for your lives.
"Faster!" he gasps when he hears steps behind you.
It's the girl.
She has a gun in her hands.
You speed off, dragging Jungkook with you.
This was not gonna end well.
You had been caught up in between two fires. It was just a matter of time before you both got captured again.
The trees start to get rarer and rarer until a flowing creek appears in front of you.
It does not have a smooth flow.
The stream rushes fast and the rocks create whorls at every corner.
You don't stop.
It is now or never.
"Jungkook, I -
A shot rings in your ears and a terrible pain blooms on your shoulder.
The words don't make it out of your lips.
He doesn't let go of your hand and you fall into the water, dragging him with you.
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tarotmum13 · 6 years
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Tarot Lessons for Beginners Part 2
Link to Part 1: https://tarotmum13.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/tarot-lessons-for-beginners-part-1/
Hello my lovely students! I trust that by now you have at least a basic understanding of the structure of Tarot and have gotten to know your cards!
Don't worry if you still get stuck on some meanings - happens to the best of us! You will improve with practise.
And you can continue to work on your tarot journal so don't panic if you haven't written about every card as yet. I know it can be daunting to have an empty notebook in front if you, so for those of you who prefer working in a pre-planned format, here are some options for tarot journals you may like, but there are also lots of online resources that will allow you to print off pages for free!
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Have you all found a deck you enjoy working with? I suggested some good starter decks in the first part of our lessons, but here are some more options for you:
The Vivid journey Tarot; The Sasuraibito Tarot; The Bonefire Tarot; The Mystical Tarot; The Anna K. Tarot; The Animal Totem Tarot; The Wild Unknown Tarot
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Don't be affraid to branch out to decks that look a bit different from the Traditional Rider-Waite. The main thing is that you like the style and the artwork! If you have any questions regarding certain decks, mentioned here or not, feel free to ask!
The first thing we are going to do now is tackle some more of those pesky Tarot Myths.
We've all heard them! We already talked about having to be given your first deck (no, you don't!) - now what else have we heard?
You have to sleep with your deck under your pillow to bond with it - please don't, you won't be comfortable and your deck could get damaged! By all means: put it on your bedside table if you like! But really, just handling your deck, looking through it, shuffling it, practising spreads, pulling daily cards, etc. is plenty to build up a connection and infuse your cards with your energy.
Nobody can touch your cards - Rubbish! They are your cards, you decide! I wouldn't let my little girl play with them when her hands are sticky and grubby, but if she washes up: why not?! Some people worry about the cards getting "contaminated" with bad energy... well, how many "bad" people do you read for? It's totally cool if you choose to let someone look through your cards, let them shuffle the deck before a reading or, more common: just let them cut the deck after shuffling. It is also totally cool if you don't want them to touch your cards. Up to you!
Whilst on the subject of "bad energy" contaminating your cards - don't go over the top with extensive cleansing ceremonies! Remember: when you are completely cleansing your cards, your own energy infused in them will get cleansed too! You might notice your deck being a bit unwieldy afterwards as you two get readjusted to eachother! In my opinion, keeping a clear quartz or selenite crystal with your cards is enough to keep it's energy clear and vibrations high. Blue kyanite, smoky quartz, rose quartz and amethyst are good choices too! You can add other crystals that feel right to you as you see fit. 3 knocks on your tarot deck after a particularly draining reading will shake off some unwanted energy as well. Or putting your deck in order (good way to check if any cards have gone missing) and reshuffling extensively works too. If you do want to do more to balance your deck's energy, leave it on the windowsill in the light of the full moon overnight, make a circle of salt around your cards for the day or pass the cards through some incense smoke. But really, you do not need to do these things as often as you think!
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Keeping your cards wrapped in silk: this is a lovely tradition, but again: keep them anywhere you want! I like to knit or crochet little pouches for my deck, this allows me to put some knot-magic in to it (I just make the pouches with the express intent of keeping my cards safe and happy!). I do suggest using some sort of cloth when laying out your cards, just because tables may be sticky or to prevent your cards from sliding all over the place. Silk, cotton, wool,... doesn't matter. Just pick something you like! Even a clean kitchen towel works!
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Also, going through the process of preparing your space, laying out your cloth and maybe your favourite crystal, helps you get in to the right frame of mind for doing your reading. I also like to add some little things that make me happy when I look at them: my favourite Buddha statue, a little Goddess effigy, a rock or feather my little girl brought in that day, my painted element-pebbles,... anything you want! Not necessary, but again it is all part of preparing your sacred space!
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Offending your cards: people often worry about Tarot being angry or upset with them for not being treated properly. It's very nice to treat your cards with respect, but remember: in the end, they are just cardboard!!! YOU are what makes the magic happen! Please, look after yourself and treat yourself with respect first!
I tend to treat my cards in the same way as I would treat a nice art book: keep them clean, safe, dry, try not to bend them and don't throw them around! The cards are a tool to bring out your intuition and subconscious knowledge - a very nice tool, but a tool none the less.
Tarot can take a few knocks, has a sense of humour, does not hold a grudge and just wants to help you find what you are looking for! Don't worry about Tarot, she's fine! Worry about yourself! Before a reading, wash your hands, drink some water, do a self-check and deal with any issues you may notice: eat if you are hungry, drink if you are thirsty, put on cosy socks if you are cold, open a window if you need some fresh air,.. once you are comfortable, the magic can start to flow without distraction.
Okay, moving on: I promised you some good tarot books last time - books that give you clear, easy to understand card meanings and some extra advice on how to use them. Tarot is a never ending quest and you're never too good at it to read a bit more!
Personally I like Madame Pamita's Magical Tarot ~ she has a nice way of letting you "meet" the cards and teaches you how you can use the cards for affirmations and Manifestation.
The Guide to The Everyday Witch Tarot is also very good. Bringing the cards to life with a sense of humour but not skirting around serious or difficult messages.
Other books you might like are: The Easy Tarot Handbook; Understanding the Tarot; The Modern Witchcraft Book of Tarot; Llewellyn's complete book of Tarot; 21 ways to read a Tarot card; Tarot interactions.
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You do not have to go out and buy a heap of expensive books though, there are so many great online resources! Biddy Tarot is great, you will find just about anything you need on her website. Also, another tip for saving some cash: using a Tarot App can provide you with heaps of information! The Fool's Dog has a lot of apps for different decks and some of them, like the Everyday Witch Tarot, have the full guidebook included! So a €4,50 app will give you access to the deck, card meanings, extended information from the book and a lot of spreads!

I hope you have found some useful ideas in this lesson - in part 3 we will look at a few exercises you can do with your cards to further increase your understanding and explore the possibilities tarot has to offer.

See you soon!

Xxx

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