#kids are pri and anna

[chococustard]

sometimes a family is you, your dads, their mom friends, the kid they picked off the streets, an ex god, and a melusine

[kristannafever]

Second Chances - 2

Kristanna Modern AU Rated: Explicit WC: 4769

Chapter Index

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Kristoff walked into the crowded coffee shop and spotted her head of copper hair right away.  It was like that at the bar the other night too.  She had struck him initially with her beauty, and he certainly recognized it again now.  Only this time he was guarded. 

She’d been watching for him and waved as soon as they made eye contact.  Kristoff went over and sat at the other side of the table that was against the window.

“Hi, Kristoff.  Thank you so much for meeting me.”

“No problem,” he muttered, adjusting his large frame on the uncomfortable metal chair.

“I took the liberty of getting you a coffee.  Please tell me if I didn’t guess right and I will buy you whatever you want.”

Kristoff blinked and looked down at the cardboard cup he just realized was sitting on his side of the table.  Slowly he reached forward and pried the lid off.  “It’s black?”

“Did I guess wrong?”

He looked up and was met with some of the widest and most gorgeous eyes he’d truly ever seen.  “No, actually.  This is how I take it.”

Anna visibly relaxed in her seat.  “Oh good.  I wanted to have it ready in case you just want to hear what I have to say and then bolt.”

He found himself smiling.  What the hell was it about her that was so… charming.  “Thank you.  And don’t worry, I won’t be that rude.”  He winked, trying to take some of the tension out of the situation that she was clearly feeling.  What he did not expect, was the delightfully beautiful pink hue that immediately spread out over her freckled cheeks as she smiled back at him.

“I deserve that,” she said through a bit of a nervous giggle.  “So I will start out by saying I am deeply sorry for all those awful things that I said to you.  You absolutely did not deserve that and I was way, way out of line.”

“It’s okay, Anna.”

She shook her head forcefully.  “No.  It was not okay.  I was thinking back and you did nothing at all to provoke me being so mean to you.  As I said, I have-”

“Issues?” he finished for her.

She nodded and looked down at the table, blush deepening.

“Well, you aren’t the only one,” he offered.  “And I get it.  We all have those moments when we just have too much on our plate and we maybe don’t act…”

He was fishing his mind for the right word when Anna said it for him.  “Appropriately?”

He nodded.  “Yeah.”

“So, is it safe for me to assume that you accept my apology?”

“I do.”  He smiled.  “And I really appreciate you giving it to me.  But please don’t worry about it too much.  I have thicker skin than you think.”

Her demeanor relaxed further.  “I can’t thank you enough.”  She sighed.  “I was actually a little worried that you weren’t going to show or something.”

“Hmm.  You assume a lot, don’t you?”

He’d meant it as a quip like the one he used earlier, only it got the opposite reaction that he was expecting.  She frowned and averted ger eyes.  “One of my issues,” she muttered.

“Anna, I am sorry,” he said softly.  “I was just trying to kid around.   I try and make jokes when I’m nervous.  One of my issues, I guess.”

She looked back up at him and the side of her mouth turned up in a soft smile.  “You’re nervous?”

“Um, yeah.  A little,” he said, running his hand through his hair.  “I really don’t date much and sometimes I struggle to think of the right thing to say to someone when it’s one on one.  When in doubt, I make a joke.”  He gave her a sheepish shrug which elicited a bigger smile from her.

“I do that too sometimes.  And if I’m honest I was nervous to meet up with you today again after…” her voice died off with her smile.

He reached across the table and patted her forearm that was resting on top of it.  “It’s fine.  Water under the bridge now.”

Kristoff retracted his hand, curious that Anna watched it as he slid it back to his side of the table.  Then her eyes met his, sincere and beautiful.  “Thank you.”

“So, uh,” he cleared his throat gently, “how do you take your coffee?”

She lit up.  “I love these Caramel Macchiatos.  So good!  I don’t like too much extra floof in my coffee, like all these added pumps of syrup and whatnot, but this one has caramel, which is delicious of course, and whip cream and who doesn’t love whip cream.  And if I have a plain coffee of course I put cream and sugar in it, I don’t think I could drink it black.  Too bitter for me.  I barely like coffee enough for the taste, you know?  Which is silly because coffee beans smell sooooo good!”

The more she talked the more his smile widened, and their conversation carried on to other things, which was exactly what he’d been hoping for when he met her at that bar the other night.  Someone who was real and honest and easy to talk to.  And it did not hurt that she was absolutely stunning. 

They ended up just talking about anything and everything for the better part of an hour and Kristoff found himself thinking he was going to do something that he had no intention of doing when he headed to the coffee shop that morning to meet her. 

He waited for a natural lull and went for it.  “So, Anna, I have to ask if maybe you would like to give a first date a second go?”

She blinked at him.  “Despite what I said, you would give me a second chance?”

It was his turn to blush.  “Well, I’ve had a good time talking with you.  If you are interested, I’d like to take you to a proper dinner?”

Anna was still for a moment and then slowly nodded.  “I would like that.  But only if you allow me to pay for the meal.”

Kristoff smirked.  He really liked her.  “No way.  I have a rule I always pay on dates.”

She shook her head at him, a real smile spreading over her face for the first time.  “Why do I feel like you are going to be trouble…”

His eyes narrowed playfully.  “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Anna was nervous.  Holy Hell was she ever nervous.  She paced her apartment shaking out her hands, trying to calm her rampant anxiety.

She did have a wonderful time talking to Kristoff.  In fact, he as the first person she actually felt herself opening up to since her ex had left her.  Aside from her disastrous first impression, he was the first man that she didn’t have immediate reservations about, and yet he was also the first man since her ex that she worried about actually disappointing for real should they begin to start dating.

Grinding her teeth, she cursed her asshole ex for the millionth time.  She’d flip flop with having courage – lacking it way more than having it – and every once in a while, she’d look at herself in the mirror and tell herself that she was pretty, smart, and that her dirtbag ex had no idea what he was talking about.  Then memories would flood her mind of him being lackluster in the bedroom and she’d remember that there was a reason for saying the things he had said.

Her buzzer scared the living hell out of her and she rushed over to the intercom to let him in.  It wasn’t long while she took deep breath after deep breath until he was knocking at her door.

Anna opened it with what she hoped was a natural smile and was met with a bouquet of flowers.   “Oh, Kristoff.  Hi.”

He smiled.  “Hi.  Got these for you.”  He offered her the flowers. 

Anna took them, even though she didn’t feel like she deserved them.  “They are beautiful.  Thank you.  Come on in.”

His cheeks went pink and he stepped into her apartment as she went into the small kitchen directly across the front entrance to fill a vase.  She thought she had one under the sink but it wasn’t there.  Puzzled, she looked up and spotted one on top of the fridge pushed to the back.  Rushing over, she was about to pull a kitchen chair to assist her when he loomed over her.

“I can grab it,” he offered, and reached up to pluck the glass off the top of the fridge.

Anna looked up as he moved, impressed all over again with the size of the man.  She had never been out with anyone of his stature.  He was so broad and thick in the neck it was not a hard stretch of the imagination to think about what the rest of him might look like, and heat spread through Anna’s core in a way that was very foreign to her.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her the vase.

“Thanks!” she squeaked, and went to the sink to fill it with water, ignoring the way her body was suddenly tingling to be so close to someone so imposing.  And hot.

Anna resisted the urge to run her head under the cold water and set the flowers in the vase.  Kristoff was waiting patiently and she rushed to get her shoes on so that they could leave even though he wasn’t giving her any inclination that he wanted her to hurry.

His truck was very clean, like him.  He was in a similar outfit as the first time she’d met him.  A button up shirt with some dark jeans and black Adidas.  Anna was glad that she’d opted for a similar look.  She was always comfortable in jeans and a sweater, although she’d chosen a pair of ankle boots to be just a little bit taller.

They chatted as they drove.  Anna learned that he was in construction and she told him that she worked reception at a local publishing company, which led to asking each other questions about what their jobs were like and before she knew it, they were at the restaurant. 

It was an Italian place, dimly lit and romantic.  She had to wonder this sudden change of first date location from that of a crowded Pub.  Maybe that was his way of meeting on neutral ground before?  Anna was thrilled that he had given her another chance and maybe he was showing her more of him since they’d had their talk at the coffee shop.

They were sat at a table for two tucked away in the corner so that they could talk without too much noise.  The place was packed, and it was ideal for them to be able to hold a conversation.  Which they did remarkably easily.  He was such an easy guy to talk to, Anna found herself thinking of things that she knew she should not.  Like what a body like his would feel like pressed against her own.  She may be bad at it, but she was still a flesh and blood woman who wanted things.  Needed things.  It wasn’t until this handsome and massive man appeared in her life that she realized just how much she needed them.  How much she had been missing them.

They got to know each other a great deal, and when Anna found herself in his truck being taken home after he had insisted on paying like he said he was going to, she had to wonder how she was going to end the evening.  Did she want to kiss him?  Hell yes.  Was she nervous?  Extremely.  Did she think she was unworthy of a man like him… Yes.  No.  Maybe?

He parked on the curb and whisked himself out of his seat to get her door.  He’d done the same thing at the restaurant, actually telling her to wait as he got out.  It was old fashioned and cute as hell.  Was there a chance that maybe Kristoff would be acceptable of her naivety in the bedroom?  Would he be someone who could teach her the ways of lovemaking?

Anna felt herself hoping and praying that this was not going to end in a disaster as she rode up the elevator and walked down the hall with him to her apartment.  

He paused, stepping back to give Anna room when they reached her door.  “I had a really nice time, Anna.  Thank you.”

Her cheeks lit up.  “Thank me?  No I think I need to thank you for giving me a second chance.  I had a really nice time too.  Great time.”

He smirked.  “Mine was actually great too.”

Anna blinked at him, heart hammering away in her chest.  She had no idea what to do next.  She wanted to kiss him, badly.  Would the fact that she was bad at it turn him off?  His eyes regarded her while she stared at him stupidly.

“Would you like to go out again sometime?” he asked softly.

She nodded quickly.  “Yes, I would.”  Would you though?  Even though you know you are going to disappoint him?

“That’s awesome.  How about next Saturday?”

“Sure, sure.  Sounds good.”  Anna was practically vibrating with indecision and worry.  Was he going to kiss her?  Was she going to kiss him?  Would he hate it?

He smiled slowly.  “Can I ask that we take this a little slow though?  I really don’t want to rush into anything.”

Her entire body relaxed.  “I would like to take it slow too.”  Relief washed over her to know that she was going to have some time to figure things out before she was faced with the potential problems that would arise with her complete lack of sexual prowess.

“May I give you a hug goodnight?” he asked.

Is this man real?  Anna nodded.  “Of course.”

She tried not to sigh too much into the hug when he pulled her body against his, but it was hard to restrain.  The sheet size of him made her feel like she’d might have to hold on for dear life if they were ever tangled together in the sheets. 

He let her go after a moment and did a little bow.  “Have a good night, Anna.”

She bid him a goodnight as well and shut the door, turning and leaning her back against it.  “Wow,” she whispered to her empty apartment. 

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Kristoff regarded himself in the mirror by his closet.  “What do you think, Sven?”

He turned to the grey tabby cat who sat on the edge of his bed, looking at him with his curious feline gaze. 

“Is it too much?”

Sven lifted his front paw and began licking it. 

“I’ll lose the tie.”

The cat ignored him. 

“Okay, yeah, lose the tie.”

Kristoff yanked the knot loose and whipped the tie off his neck.  This was stupid.  He’d already taken her to a romantic kind of place.   What he needed to do was take her on something that was fun.  Like a movie or bowling. 

He worried that he had overstepped in the reservations that he had made.  What was it about her that made him just want to dive in like they had known each other for months instead of weeks?  He had no idea, and he had a lot of time to ponder it on his way to pick her up.

Without flowers this time, she greeted him at the door, slipped on her shoes – heels this time – and followed him out into the hallway without asking him in.  Not that it mattered.  She was still absolutely as stunning as last time, only in a knee-length black dress.

They made small talk as they drove and Kristoff soon pulled up to the tiny hole in the wall place that he was deeply familiar with.   It was something he initially figured would be a while before he showed her, but with Anna things were different.  Everything was different. 

Nervous, he got out and hurried over to her door to open it.  She gave him a brilliant smile and he offered her his elbow as they walked up to the restaurant.

He knew the inside like the back of his hand because he’d grown up here.  It was his parents’ restaurant, and before he’d gone off to get his ticket for constriction, he worked almost every job there was in the place, including that one time he had to take over cooking.

They walked to the Matre’d, and to the man’s credit, he did not give away in his mannerisms that he knew Kristoff very well.  He was there as a customer, after all.  They were greeted and then seated at the best table in the place, a two-seater that was tucked into a little alcove beside the gas fireplace that afforded the little eatery a very romantic feeling.

“Kristoff, this place is lovely,” Anna said quietly after the waitress had given them menu’s and told them what the specials were.  She must have been a new hire because Kristoff had never seen her before.

He nodded.  “It is.  It’s my favourite place.”

Her eyes widened excitedly.  “It is?  What’s good here, then?”

He shrugged one shoulder.  “Pretty much everything.  The pasta is all home made, the steaks are always cooked the way you want them, and despite the fact that we don’t live near the ocean, the fish is always fresh.”

Anna seemed intrigued and eagerly looked down at the menu.  Kristoff held his in front of him and watched her.  He didn’t need to look at the menu; he had come up with half of it.

“I can’t decide,” she mumbled to herself, eyes still scanning the page and the corner of her lip pinched in her teeth.

Kristoff couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth.  The way she’d been so clearly distraught over how to end their first date spoke volumes to him about some of her self mentioned issues, and he really did want to take it slow with her.  For him just as much as her, because Anna was the first woman he’d been out with in a year that he felt he could have something with.  Except, those soft lips of hers… he had to admit to his more primal side that it was going to be hard to take their time.

Anna set the menu down and looked up at him.  “I really don’t know.  There are so many things I want to try.  What are you having?”

“Whatever the chef feels like making me.”

Her eyebrow raised.  “You know the chef?”

“I do.  He’s my dad.”

Her eyes widened.  “Your dad?”

He nodded, smiling despite himself.  “Yup.  This is my parents’ place.”

Anna set the menu down slowly.  “Oh, that’s… wonderful.  It’s a very nice place.”

His smile faded to see that there was suddenly tension in Anna’s movements, like she was nervous.  He realized then that to her this was not taking it slow.  It had never crossed his mind that she might take it that way.

“It’s not like we’re here to visit,” he said quickly, setting his own menu down.  “I just like coming here to eat.  The food is excellent.”

“Oh… yes, I am sure.  Of course it is.  This is...”  Her mouth floundered without words.

He let out a deep sigh.  “Anna, please don’t read anything into this.  I feel comfortable here, and I just wanted to share it with you.”

A slow smile spread on her face and she began to relax.  “Okay.”

He smiled back and the waitress slid up to their table.  “Can I get you some drinks to start?” she asked.

“Um…” Kristoff looked back to Anna.  “You feel like some wine?” he asked.

“Sure.” 

Kristoff ordered them a bottle of red and said that they would take an order of their bruschetta to start.

“Excellent,” the waitress said, committing the order to memory.  “And would you like some more time with the menu for your entrées?”

He was about to ask Anna if she wanted more time when a thought occurred to him.  “Do you mind if I order?” he asked her.

She shook her head.  “Not at all.”

He turned back to the waitress.  “Can you please tell the chef to prepare us whatever he would like this evening?”  She looked at him a little confused, so he cleared the air.  “Don’t worry, he’ll know who’s asking.”

The waitress took the menus as Kristoff handed them to her.  “Alright.  I will have the wine and appetizer out to you shortly,” she said, and walked away from the table.

They started to talk about something random – Kristoff couldn’t remember how it started, only that Anna had said something to get the ball rolling – when the topic of conversation naturally turned to their previous relationships.

“So your sister told my sister you haven’t been in a date in a year?”

He nodded.  “Yeah, I tried but the dating scene is kind of awful so I had to give up for a bit.  I was in a serious relationship that ended badly.  You were too, I hear?”

Anna’s cheeks flushed with pink.  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and he could see this was directly linked to one of her ‘issues’.   “Our sisters spilling our secrets huh?”

Kristoff chuckled. 

“Yeah,” Anna continued.  “Three years and one day he tells me he’s been seeing other people and we were done.”

He frowned and felt genuine anger that that had happened to her.  “Wow.  That’s awful.”

She nodded.  “How did yours end?”

He sighed.  He thought back to having to end it with his high school sweetheart.  She had never desired to get married as her parents had a brutal divorce, and at the time Kristoff didn’t care one way or the other, as long as they planned to have kids some day.  Which she said that she did.   Then when the timing seemed right, she wanted to wait another year, then had excuse after excuse after excuse.  She became increasingly hostile every time Kristoff would bring it up and then one day he realized that he hadn’t asked in nearly two years and there was a gaping hole in his heart that was missing the family he’d always wanted.  He didn’t even bother asking her one last time.  He ended it instead.

“You were hurt?” she asked quietly, and he realized he’d gotten lost in his own thoughts. 

He nodded.  “Eight years.  I was with her for eight years.  Then one day I realized that she was never going to commit to the things she said she wanted with me.  I had to move on, and it was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

Anna was quiet for a moment.  “Can I ask, what it is that you wanted?”

He looked at her, wondering if he should say something so early into their relationship.  Although, he supposed it would be good to get it out there.

“I wanted a family,” he said simply.  “She said she did and then kept putting it off.”  He shrugged.  “I just had to move on when I realized she had changed her mind.  Clean break.   And I didn’t tell her that it was the only reason.   I just didn’t want her saying she did want kids to try and salvage the relationship, you know?”

She didn’t answer, only nodded with understanding as the bruschetta he’d ordered was placed on the table.  They both helped themselves and began eating without a word.  It wasn’t until the plate was half finished when Anna broke the silence.

“That certainly sounds like a hard break up.  Probably more on you than her.”

That surprised him for the fact that it was absolutely true.  He nodded slowly, heart ramping up. 

“It kind of makes me glad I only wasted three years with my ex,” she said.  “Eight years is a long time.”

“It is.  And… you know, I do still want a family.”  He left it lingering and knew Anna picked up on what he meant right away by the way her eyes widened as she stared at him.

“Kristoff… I…”

He reached across the table and put his hand on her arm.  “Anna, I’m not asking you to tell me right now or anything.  I just wanted you to know.  If you don’t want a family, I don’t want to waste your time.”

She visibly swallowed and turned her eyes to her glass of wine.  “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve known I wanted to get married and have kids.  And… I still do.  I just… I am having a hard time picturing it for myself right now.”

“I understand.  And I’m sorry, I did not mean to spring this conversation on you tonight.”

She laughed nervously.  “You didn’t, we just kind of got there, didn’t we?”

He agreed.  There was something in the way Anna reacted that he feared there was more to her breakup than she was letting on.  It made him angry all over again to think of someone mistreating her.

*****

Anna had the leftovers sitting in her lap as Kristoff drove her home.  The meal had been excellent; surf and turf, with a side of pasta in a creamy lemon sauce.  And Kristoff had paid for it, chuckling that he knew his parents would always let him eat free, but to him it was a business and he a customer, so of course he was going to pay the bill.  If he went in the back door to just mooch in the kitchen though, he told her with a wink, that was a different story. 

He’d gone into the kitchen to say goodnight to his parents, leaving a relieved Anna at the table.  It felt a little too soon to her to meet his parents, and she was glad all over again that Kristoff wanted to take things slowly. 

He parked on the street outside her building and shut the truck off.  She expected him to get out but he remained still behind the wheel.  Anna was about to grab her own door when he looked to her.

“Would it be okay if I asked why you you’re having a hard time picturing a family for yourself?”  He looked over at her, eyebrows furrowed with worry.

It gave Anna pause.  “I don’t know,” she stammered.  There was something in the way he was looking at her that gave her the feeling that he perhaps figured out more than she had wanted him to know. 

“He really hurt you, didn’t he?” he asked quietly. 

She couldn’t look him in the eyes anymore and turned them down to the cardboard box in her lap.  She had no idea what to say to him.  Instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat unable to help thinking back to what her ex had said to her.

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Anna.  I hope you know that I am not like that.  I could never cheat on someone.”

Anna nodded down at the leftovers, tears forming despite the fact that she did not want to cry.  Then a moment later the cool night embraced her skin and she looked over to see that Kristoff had her door open and was holding his hand out to her.  She took it, and let him help her down to the curb.

They walked into the building and rode up the elevator in silence.  Anna was thankful she had reigned in her tears and that she was able to turn and finally look at him when they stopped at her door. 

“Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Kristoff.  Your dad is a fantastic cook.”

He didn’t say anything at first, he only looked at her like he was trying to figure something out.  Then he tilted his head to the side, appraising her closely, as his hand came up slowly and he cupped it to her cheek.

Anna’s eyes went wide and her body instantly coiled with tension as soon as he touched her face.  She stepped back and his hand instantly let go. 

He lowered his arm slowly, his face morphing with understanding as she looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Then he pursed his lips, said goodnight, and disappeared down the hallway.

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[fictitious-fluff]

This was written in 2021. (Old Fic) Just posting it to log my progress as a fic writer

-

The One and Only

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Pairings are in the tags

Masterpost

Logan had never ever understood how tickling worked. Of course he knew how it worked, study wise, but he never got to experience it before. The others had tried to tickle him before but it was useless. Logan figured it was because he was more of the logical side, thus he wouldn't be able to feel these sort of things. Though, he could feel pain, like when he gets paper cuts. However, Patton wasn't buying it, everyone had to be ticklish... Right? At least one spot, just one! He had never seen Logan's real laugh or smile. Only a smirk or two, that's all. He was determined to see a real grin from Logan. This resulted in random sneak attacks from Patton, trying to find a spot. But as expected, no reaction..nothing. Day by day Patton was loosing hope but he still wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Popcorns' ready!" Roman shouted as he walked over to give a princey bow to everyone, giving them their popcorn in the process.

Logan and Virgil rolled their eyes as they took the popcorn. Roman then plopped himself next to Patton and Virgil, joining all 3 of them in watching Frozen 2. Logan however, wasn't watching the movie as usual. Instead, he was reading a book about the movie. At the scene where Elsa's mother was singing "All is found", Patton jumped out of excitement because kid Elsa and Anna were just too cute! In the process Patton's arms brushed ever so slightly against Logan's arm (the part between the inner elbow and your hand). This made Logan jerk ever so slightly, but enough for Patton to realise it. Logan was fully aware what just happened from everything he had known about tickling. This made Logan's heart race. He didn't want to be squirming or making a fool of himself in front of Patton, let alone the others! He had seen how it affected the rest before and he knew he had a reputation to keep up. A usually formal and serious person giggling? No way. He couldn't allow that to happen. However something about that light sensation felt oddly nice.

"What was that kiddo?" Patton questioned, his eyes glistening with excitement.

"Nothing Patton, just hit an exciting page. That's all. " Logan stated while having the same look, while in reality he was freaking out yet weirdly excited too.

Virgil turned and smirked, "You sure teach? I have a lot of experience when it comes to recognising people getting anxious. You seem pretty anxious to me right now"

"Stormcloud's right Logan, I can see that grip getting tighter on that book." Roman added, also smirking.

For once Logan had nothing to say. Not wanting to continue this conversation, he just rolled his eyes and went upstairs, a small blush starting to spread across his face. Although Logan tried to act cool, everyone already knew, and there was no denying it.

The next day Patton had woken up early because he was really excited. He had seen the blush on his face and had immediately recognise that look. He had experienced it before as well as seen Roman and Virgil act that way. However when Patton tried to unlock the door, it appeared to be locked. Logan was cleaver enough not to leave his door unlocked but Patton had a trick up his sleeve. He went down to the living room and took a paper clip from one of Logan's paper clip drawer and pried it open so that it was almost like a small, long pole. Patton quietly sprinted upstairs and carefully wiggled the paper clip in the lock of the door knob. "Click" Success! The door had been unlocked. Now it was time to wake up the sleeping beauty. Patton twisted the door knob and open the door slowly. Patton's heart pounded excitedly as he saw Logan in the perfect position possible. Logan was on his bed, one arm drooping down to the side , the other next to him. Patton slowly crept towards Logan and grabbed Logan's arm very gently. He then started to trace light circles around Logan's arm. This caused Logan to start smiling in his sleep. The sight was absolutely adorable. Deciding to get down to business, he started to scribble in random patterns across Logan's arm.

"Wait, Pat-TTOOONNN WHAHAAHAATT AARRHAAAHAHA YOAHHAHAAA DOHAAA-" Logan shrieked frantically, shocked from the sudden and immense sensation coming from his arm. As he started to comprehend the situation, his laughter became less frantic and more.. Joyful? He hated and loved every second, he didn't really understand why or how but he did.

"Aww what's wrong LoLo, someone's ticklish? Not gonna lie kiddo you're really cute when u laugh." Patton cooed.

Logan shook his head, a light blush spreading across his face as he tugged at his left arm. His legs frantically flailing everywhere.

After about 30 seconds Patton decided to use what he bought. Patton gave Logan a small break and started digging into his pocket and pulling something out. Logan giggled from the phantom tickles as he tilted his head towards Patton and saw what he brought.

"Since you've never experienced this before, I think I should make this even better by introducing my little friend" Patton smirked as he pulled out none other than an electrical toothbrush. Logan's eyes widened, trying to pull away as the brush inched closer. When it finally made contact with Logan's arm, oh he had lost it. His hands clenched, legs kicked, trying to stop the tingling feeling of the devastating brush. Logan started shrieking, snorting and laughing uncontrollably, things he thought he'd never be capable of, until now.

"Did you just snort Logiebear? That was adorable!" Patton squeeked in amazement.

"Look at those two, teach's smile sure is something." Virgil said. The laugh coming from Logan's room had woken Roman and Virgil up. The two were now standing at the door watching as Logan thrashed and screamed.

"Something extraordinary, kind of like yours stormcloud." Roman commented. Virgil nudged him on the shoulder, a blush forming as he looked away from Roman.

Roman snickered "Hey, it's true, Patton would agree."

Logan then started wheezing and that was when Patton finally stopped.

"Had fun there kiddo?" Patton asked, rubbing Logan's arm. Logan shook his head, his blush deepening.

"Oh come on I know you did, you didn't even try to stop me with your free arm." Patton joked.

"hnrgh.. I guess I did enjoy the experience of gargalesis.." Logan mumbled, showing his softer side to Patton.

"Uh.. Logan? Do you want to cuddle? If you are ok with it of course." Patton questioned.

Logan gave a heart warming smile and opened his hands. "I welcome you with open arms Patton."

Patton happily jumped onto Logan, afterwards realising something. "Was that a pun?"

A chill ran down Logan's spine as he realised what he said. "Uhm. Not an intentional one, please do not ruin this moment for me Patton."

"Ok okahehey" Patton giggled as he layed on Logan. The both of them stayed like this for a while to say the least.

[astra-galaxie]

"He had it coming! He only had himself to blame! If you'd been there, if you’d have seen it, I betcha you would have done the same!" - Summer Queen

Biographical information

Full Name: Summer Queen

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Polysexual

Status: Incarcerated

Age: 30 (season 3)

Birth: 1986

Race: Human

Nationality: American

Origin: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Residence:

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Chicago, Illinois, USA (formerly)

Profession(s):

Dental Assistant

BDSM Dominatrix

Family: Heather Queen (aunt)

Partner(s): Emil Gunnarsson (boyfriend) (deceased)

Affiliation(s): McMurdo Station

Profile

Height: 5'5" Age: 30 (season 3) Weight: 135lbs Eyes: blue Blood: AB-

A dental assistant by day and a dominatrix by night, Summer has tanned skin, blue eyes, colourful makeup, and long blond hair that she clips away from her face with a pink claw clip. She wears black scrubs and a blue parka.

As per her suspect appearance in Death Below Zero, it is known that Summer has survival training, eats ice cream, and is in contact with penguins.

Synopsis

Summer was the killer of her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Emil Gunnarsson, in Death Below Zero.

Before moving to Antarctica, Summer worked as an assistant at a dental office in Chicago. But her true passion wasn't caring for people's teeth, but rather something more… Sexy. When not working as a dental assistant, Summer operated a private BDSM club that served exclusive, high-paying clients.

She was the head dominatrix but had others who worked underneath her. They would bring people's sex fantasies to life, and there was someone for almost every type of fetish. Her business was good, and the clients always came back, including Emil.

Summer met Emil when he moved to the USA for a new life. He lied about what he went to prison for, claiming his ex-wife planted drugs on him to get him arrested for possession so she could divorce him, take their kids away and move in with the man she'd cheated on him with. Summer's business thrives on not asking too many questions, so she never pried further. As Emil continued to see Summer for her services, she began offering him private sessions, enjoying the man's high pain tolerance and listening to his beautiful screams.

When Summer moved to Antarctica to assist the dentists, she discovered that Emil's ex-wife Anna was the station manager. Since Summer had been led to believe that Anna was the villain of the marriage, she contacted Emil to tell him she'd found Anna.

Emil soon joined Summer at McMurdo station. And while the two continued having fun wherever they could, Emil schemed to get revenge. Summer offered to help him, but he refused, saying he needed to do it alone.

But even with all their sexy meet-ups, all was not well for the pair. Since Emil was so focused on his revenge, he grew annoyed at Summer for her constant presence. He ordered her to leave him alone, but Summer is not a woman who takes orders from anyone. The two fought, ending with Summer slapping Emil before storming out.

Later that night, hours after the fight, Summer went to Emil's quarters to see if he was ready to beg for her forgiveness. But the pilot was nowhere to be found; however, she did find his laptop left open and his emails on the screen. Curious about why Emil was so high-strung, she scrolled through his recent emails. And what she discovered filled her with rage.

She found emails between Emil and a few of her highest-paying clients, claiming he was going to buy her business and was looking for them to endorse him. Emil detailed his plans to take over her club and turn it into a brothel, making her and the other dominatrixes weak little whores.

There was no way Summer would allow Emil to hurt her or her girls. So she confronted him in the storage room to tell him he'd never succeed and she would make sure of it. Emil laughed and tried attacking her, but Summer knew all his weaknesses. She knocked him out with a paint can and tied him to the crates.

Emil woke up as Summer was prying his mouth open, but the man couldn't scream for help. Emil was helpless as Summer forced him to drink paint, and his stomach and lungs quickly filled with the foul-smelling liquid. He soon drowned from the paint, and Summer made sure to leave marks on him by beating him with the paint cans.

It would be during his murder investigation that Summer would learn the truth about Emil and Anna's relationship. She was shocked to find out he had abused and nearly killed Anna when she was pregnant. She couldn't believe the monster Emil was, and while she felt like a fool for loving him, she was proud that he couldn't hurt anyone like how he hurt Anna.

Summer was disappointed in herself for getting caught but was even more disappointed that the sexy, golden-eyed agent wasn't interested in her. But while she didn't catch the agent's eye, Summer knows she will be able to get lots of new playmates in prison. All she needs now is to get her hands on a guard's handcuffs…

Story Information

First appeared: Death Below Zero

Trivia

An old coworker of mine inspired her. And yes, I did not like this coworker. We celebrated when she left

Not really, but we were VERY happy to see her go!

I put her hair up with a claw clip because; I swear, every dental assistant, nurse, etc. I know puts their hair up with one of them!

Her name, Summer Queen, is a reference to the Snow Queen

Her quote is a line from the song Cell Block Tango from the musical Chicago

MyFaceHasNumbers (Ticcory) suggested that I make Summer related to an old OC (Heather Queen) to whom I had unintentionally given the same surname. So I made Heather Summer's aunt

Disclaimer: Character design was created using Rinmarugames Mega Anime Avatar Creator! I have only made minor edits to the design! Background courtesy of CriminalArtist5

Links to my stories:

The Case of the Criminal (Ao3/Wattpad) Killer Bay (Ao3/Wattpad) Where in the World are the Killers? (Ao3/Wattpad)

[sit-studyabroadblog]

L’histoire -

Mardi dernier, j’ai visité la Medina à Tunis avec quelques amis. Après notre cours, nous avons pris le TGM (le train entre Tunis, Gammarth, et La Marsa). En arrivant à la Medina, nous avons du marcher dans la Rue Habib Bourguiba. La rue était très animée, il y avait des Tunisiens qui prenaient leur pause déjeuner et les touristes qui se promenaient sur la rue. Nous sommes entrés dans la Medina à l’entrée par [la porte de la mer], qui avant la colonisation Français était l’entrée de Tunis. Une fois dans la Medina, nous étions bombardés par les senteurs des bonbons et des épices et des cries vendeurs. C’était un dépaysement complet de la ville nouvelle, mais c’était une scène vivifiante. Dans la Medina, les rues sont un labyrinthe qui serpente. Il serait très facile de se perdre dans les rues et les boutiques.

J’ai trouvé une boutique qui vendait les plus beaux tapis berbères. Il y avait un tapis orange que j’aimais le plus. Je voulais acheter le tapis, mais il n’y avait aucun moyen que je peux l’acheter, c’était trop grand et trop cher. J’aurais pu négocier, et le vendeur était très génial et enthousiaste, mais je savais que je ne pouvais pas payer un prix juste. Néanmoins, j’ai parlé avec le vendeur et il m’a dit que les tapis sont tissés par les femmes berbères.   

Le blague -

I am not sure if this is technically a joke, but during my visit to the medina, I noticed that “PUB-elle” is written across all the words in the medina. This is a play off of the french word, poubelle (the word for trash can). I tried to research why PUB-elle is written on all of Tunis’s poubelles, but could not find any information. In french, the word “pub” is an abreviation for publicise. It could be that this is an advertising joke: part of the cities efforts to encourage people to use trash cans rather than litter. I’ve been asking around for conclusive answers, but with no success. So, while I’m not yet sure if this is technically a joke, it makes me giggle when I see poubelles in the Medina.

Baby talk -

I am very lucky to be the only student with a toddler in my homestay; it has made my time here so much fun. However, it is not always the most conducive to learning Tunsie. I learned this pretty early on when I would try to speak with cab drivers and vendors just to get met with blank stares. Apparently, I have been learning baby tunsie, which just like baby english, includes a lot of mispronunciations and mixed up words. As it turns out, habibi is not the word for milk in Tunsie; that would be halibi.

It’s fascinating to watch a toddler in Tunisia start to learn language. From a young age, kids here are often exposed to Tunsie (and other arabic dialects), french, and sometimes english. That means they are speaking and understanding words from all of these languages, and often using each language in just one sentence. My host sister loves to sing happy birthday, and she’ll frequently sing in Tunsie, English, French, and Egyptian Arabic. Sometimes she’ll sing in one language at a time, but more often than not, she mixes the 4 languages together. It is very different from the US, where kids typically grow up around just one language. 

Anna

march 2023

[kayr0ss]

Lunchbox

[LWA, Diakko, Married, Fluff, Feelings] AO3

Summary: She wondered if she'd ever feel as loved as she was before. A small little thing was enough to remind her.

--

“Don’t make it hard for Anna now, darling.”

“But it’s itchy!” Diana whined, squirming under Anna’s attentive care. She was getting ready for her first day at school—both terribly excited to learn and see new places but a bit scared at the thought of so many other people and kids.

Would they be nice to her? She hoped so. She knew not everyone was as nice as her mum. They all treated her special, but it was so… distant and odd. It was like people were afraid to be near her, no matter how polite they all were.

She wanted to giggle and play in the mud and have sleepovers with her friends like she’s seen in story books!

Her mother was working on the kitchen counter. It was different every time mum made her meals. Sure, the chefs knew how to cook anything and everything under the sun, but this time it was mum’s food! And just for her!

She loved that she still took time to do little things like this, even with all the busy grown-up business she always had to attend to.

Bernadette was slicing apples—her favorite—and smiled when she looked at Diana from the corner of her eyes. “You look adorable.”

She scrunched her nose. “This dress is weird.”

“It’s a uniform—your other friends will be wearing the same thing.”

“We all wear the same thing?”

“Mhmm,” her mother hummed. She walked towards Diana carrying the ornate lunchbox she had prepared. “So we’ve got bagels with cream cheese, ham, and some apples. Promise you’ll finish your food?”

Diana flashed her a toothy grin. “I promise!”

“You’re growing up so fast,” Bernadette brushed away a lock of stray curls. “Now come here. Give me a hug before I send you off to Carter.”

“Heehee!”

“And don’t forget your lunch!”

“Yes, mum!”

“I made it just how you like it.”

--

“Mother?” Diana mumbled, eyes bleary and out of focus while she slowly blinked herself awake. She didn’t recognize the room she was in—not immediately, anyway—but soon she saw little fixtures of familiarity: photos on the shelf, a sweater hanging by the foot of their bed, the familiar red sheets.

She was still adjusting to the new home she and Akko moved into.

On instinct, her arm reached out to the other side of the bed. It was empty, and while her memory was quick to supply that Akko would be out early for errands, she found herself missing her (newly-wedded) wife quite dearly.

It was an odd. She hasn’t dreamt about her mother in a long while. A quick glance to their bedside clock let her know that she’d have to rise soon though. She had an important presentation to attend to.

She went about her morning routine feeling a bit out of sorts.

The dream seems to have set the tone for her day, making her steps heavy with yearning. She supposed she longed for the feeling of being known the way her mother knew her—in acts as simple as getting ready for the day ahead. She rolled the end of her tube of toothpaste to squeeze every bit out like she was taught as a child then wrung her damp hair in a towel that twirled clockwise twice over before tucking the tip behind her head at the nape.

Old habits taught with love from ages past.

She needed to get her act together because today’s presentation was no less than a summit discussing the regulation of magic in urban areas. As much as Diana loathed the posturing and politics, the movement was too important to ignore and shirk from. Thankfully Andrew would be there. He was a little annoying at worst, but unwaveringly loyal at best.

Half an hour and an exquisitely-tailored dress suit later, she walked out to their living room. It was still bare—boxes littered here and there waiting to be unpacked. It was the first time she was truly left alone in this place, and Akko’s absence was perpetuating the soft melancholy that gripped her all morning. She wondered if she could wait until Akko was back before leaving but dismissed the thought. Too risky. Her mother always said: “fifteen minutes early is on time, and on time is late.”

Maybe she’d talk to Akko about it later. She always knew what to say—what to do. She made her way to the kitchen, amused at how lived-in it looked compared to the rest of their house. Of course.Unpacking was a weak deterrent against Akko’s persistent need for food.

She scanned their cupboards for her favorite tea, hoping to soothe the rawness of her disposition. She was anxious and on edge, like a child feeling ill-prepared for her first day of school again.

While looking for her favorite mug, she spotted a curious box on the kitchen counter.

There was a little note on top, written in Akko’s tell-tale scribbles.

‘Don’t even think about going to that meeting hungry!’

She gently pried the lid open and—oh.

Bagels and ham.

She really shouldn’t have been tearing up at the sight of a lunch box, but it was nothing short of miraculous how Akko could so easily chase away the tendrils of sadness, how quickly she could fill the longing that creeped back into her life from the hazy memories of a dream.

There was a sliced apple tucked to the side.

‘Good luck, I love you—'

It made her chest feel warm and full to bursting.

‘—I made it just how you like it. – A’

Everything was going to be okay.

-

fin

-

A/N: Hello! I like food, one shots, cute girl, and Diakko

[shredsandpatches]

(1) You reblogged something the other day that my brain won't let go of. I fully admit to knowing next to nothing other than what you reblog and comment on about Richard and Anne (I follow you for content other than that) but this post struck a chord in me. It was discussing Anne's barrenness; the failure of her childlessness. And it's just ... how do we know she was the barren one in that relationship? Richard didn't have any children so why is the blame on her shoulders?

(2) Other than it's traditionally the woman's fault. Am I missing something?

No, you’re totally right--we don’t know exactly why Richard and Anne were infertile, or whose problem it was; there’s no way of knowing because it seems pretty likely that Anne was the only woman Richard ever had sex with. Usually you’ll even see historians point that out, just in passing, that there’s no evidence that Richard was fertile, and in fact, some more recent scholars argue that Richard was much more concerned with how their lack of children reflected on him as both a man and a king. 

Katherine Lewis has argued that Richard’s emphasis on his devotion to Edward the Confessor, who was believed to have had a chaste marriage (although historians of his reign don’t think he actually did), was meant to imply that he and Anne had done likewise. Kristen Geaman’s work has proved pretty conclusively that Richard and Anne didn’t have a chaste marriage, an idea that was always pretty improbable (they were both very conscious of their lineage and knew that they would need an heir to the throne), by bringing to light a letter Anne wrote to her brother, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, around 1384, which may suggest that she had a miscarriage around that time, and certainly demonstrates that she was optimistic that she would have a successful pregnancy in the future. So they were definitely trying -- Geaman also analyzes an apothecary bill from 1393–94, the last year of Anne’s life, and concludes that, based on the medicines she purchased, she was probably still trying to conceive at the time of her apparently sudden death. If she did have a miscarriage (or more than one, but that must remain speculative*) it’s possible that the problem was on her end physically, and that she could conceive but not carry to term -- this may be supported by the fact that most of her (full and half) siblings had only one child or none at all, while Richard’s Holland half-siblings had lots of kids -- but that still doesn’t make it her fault, and clearly Richard didn’t hold it against her.   

Geaman’s dissertation devotes a lot of time to arguing that Anne probably wasn’t seen as the one to blame for the lack of an heir, and that Richard’s contemporary critics, during the reign and certainly after his deposition, would probably have placed the blame squarely on him for his immaturity and unmanliness** -- although there are other scholars who see the generally lukewarm treatment of Anne in the chronicles as a sign of her “ambivalent legacy” (a term used by Michael Hanrahan in his reading of Chaucer’s Clerk’s Tale as being focused on Richard and Anne’s lack of an heir; there’s also a good article by Anna Duch where she addresses why Thomas Walsingham, specifically, might have resented Anne, although it reflects much better on Anne than it does Walsingham). She follows Lewis in arguing that Richard was probably unnerved enough by this that after Anne’s death he wanted to imply that he and Anne had had a celibate marriage and thus prove his manly self-control, but concedes that any efforts made in this direction were not successful among his contemporaries (although they certainly worked on historians centuries later). I really love her work on Anne as queen and historical figure -- she is pretty much the go-to person for scholarship on Anne as a person rather than as a symbolic cultural figure -- but I’m not sure I’m convinced by the “Richard pretended to have a chaste marriage” argument for that basic reason; the primary audience for it would have been people who had been close to the couple, who had an unconventionally companionate marriage for the time period, built an island resort palace with unprecedented levels of privacy, and were actively trying to conceive to the degree that they sought medical intervention. (And it’s worth pointing out that @nuingiliath has suggested to me that perhaps Richard might also have wanted to protect Anne’s legacy by presenting her as a holy virgin rather than a barren queen, if Lewis’ and Geaman’s speculations are true.)

All that said: you do have a lot more attention paid to infertility by scholars/historians who are talking about Anne, and I think a lot of this is based on a) as you said, the unexamined assumption that infertility is the woman’s fault physically, and b) the assumption that infertility is the woman’s problem and that it’s the queen’s only job (except warrior queens like Isabella of France of Margaret of Anjou). Christopher Fletcher’s book on Richard and medieval masculinity goes so far to call Richard and Anne’s marriage a disaster, despite its incredible success on the personal level, because of their infertility. But queenship studies in the last couple of decades have made great strides in examining the role of queens beyond providing heirs -- which, of course, was part of the queen’s job, but not the entirety of it -- whereas fertility isn’t really represented as an issue for men most of the time, and I definitely hope that’s changing.  

*It’s what I do in my fictional writing, but I wouldn’t be able to support it in something scholarly. They’re different interpretive practices, obviously.

**You still sometimes get this today, like in Lisa Hilton’s book where she argues that Richard wasn’t mature enough to consummate his marriage to Anne, or John Bowers’ work where he argues -- based entirely on readings of Chaucer, like Chaucer would have known what was going on in the king’s marriage -- that Richard and Anne had a celibate marriage because Richard was using piety to hide his horrible deviant gayness. These people can fuck right off. You also sometimes get authors who argue that they had a celibate marriage on Anne’s initiative and in imitation of some important Bohemian royal saints, although nearly all of the saints in question had celibate marriages after having children, which is why Anne was able to exist in the first place! She would certainly have known this, and would not have had a chance to give up marital relations because she died childless while still of reproductive age. Anyway scholars who suggest that a celibate marriage was Anne’s idea seem to think it gives her more agency, like a sexually active married woman who wanted children can’t have agency. 🙄

[themidnight-ghost]

Try

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Anne Boleyn lost everything when she accidentally resurrected Henry VIII. Now it's all up to her to fix her mistakes, but hopefully, she won’t have to do it alone.

Anne Boleyn was usually a heavy sleeper. She slept and continued sleeping until around 10 am when Jane would practically drag her out of bed. But tonight, on Cathy’s floor, Anne was restless.

Earlier, the 2nd and 6th queen had a heated discussion about who would sleep on the floor and who would sleep on the bed. Anne refused to go anywhere near Cathy’s mattress until she’d made things right with everyone, and they both knew Anne didn’t deserve the treatment she was getting anyway. Cathy eventually gave up and pulled out a book.

Now, the Boleyn girl was tired yet unable to sleep - everything was a distraction. Cathy’s rhythmic breathing, the occasional taxi which sped past the open window, the drunk shouts of men walking home from the pub down the road and of course, Anne’s thoughts.

Eying the open window, Anne thought back to a time when everything was okay. She’d spend hours on the roof with Anna talking about their inner demons and the guilt they felt. For Anna, it was surviving and having a good life. The 4th queen always thought she shouldn’t be the one crying. As for Anne, it was more to escape the prying eyes of her family and country; they all painted her as a failure.

Anne was the quietest she’d even been as she tiptoed over the floor and past Cathy’s papers so she could reach the window. Upon arrival she pried the latch open and slid under, grasping onto the ledge as she made her way towards the highest point. Anne let the occasional whisper-curse slip from her lips as she adjusted her footing amongst the tiles. It was harder not being in the attic.

Reaching her destination, Anne propped herself against the sloping walls and drew her legs close to her chest, hugging herself. The air was fresh and pure like it was filtering through a fan, Anne gazed up at the stars with longing and a spark of hope in her eye. She enjoyed being alone with the moon shrouding her face. It helped her make sense of her thoughts and contemplate her actions, or in this case, the rising feelings she had for Catherine Parr.

With or without Anna, Anne remembered when she wrote poems about Cathy once she discovered her feelings. Anne never imagined that it would work out, though. They were reincarnated Tudor queens who had been previously scared by love but found comfort in each other. Cathy was the only person who succeeded in breaking down her defences and the only queen Anne had a real connection with when dismissing Katherine.

According to history, the whole thing was bullshit. But you should’ve seen Cathy’s face when Anne kissed her after their performance at The Olivier awards and opened up to the writer about her feelings. The youtube clip had been watched 13 million times and the gasp from the audience when Cathy finally nodded and admitted that her feelings reciprocated always made Anne chuckle.

“Boleyn?”

Anne squealed at the arrival of another person and quickly tensed up when she realised it was Cleves.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Anna’s tone wasn’t malicious; instead, it was quite humorous, and the 4th queen chuckled as Anne fumbled for an answer.

“It doesn’t matter.” Anna sat beside Anne before looking up at the stars, “I figured it was only a matter of time before Cathy smuggled you into the house again. She couldn’t stop asking about you - it drove Jane bonkers. How long have you been here, anyway?”

Anne was taken aback at Anna’s hospitality, “It’s my 2nd night here.”

“Weird that-” Anna hesitated, “Cathy stopped mentioning you about two weeks ago.”

“She found me living on the street and decided to help by giving me money. Eventually, she couldn’t hide it anymore and started talking to me herself.”

“The street? Jane said you were in Malibu with henry?”

“Malibu? You have to be shitting me!” Anne scanned Anna’s face for any sign of a joke. “I left that wanker the moment he wouldn’t stay true to our deal. The plan was to resurrect the kids for the good of everyone else, but he bolted. When Jane kicked me out, I went looking for him so we could continue our deal. I found him in a local pub, running away from everything.”

“Damn, Jane really hates you.”

“Are you serious?” terror traced Anne’s face, “I always thought that was a stage act?”

“Oh, it was. But now, Jane really hates you.” Anna responded nonchalantly.

Anne froze. Jane hated her? Anne may have done some terrible things, but she never wanted to hurt anyone and surely didn’t want anyone to hate her. These people were her family! To know Anne caused them pain was an unbearable thought, and the Boleyn girl could feel her walls crumbling. Let’s just say there was a reason for the cuts on her wrist.

“Do you hate me?” Anne’s voice cracked, and she pressed her nails into her biceps to stop her tears.

Anna stopped to contemplate the 2nd queen’s question. Unfortunately, this pause was too long, and Anne's walls tumbled.

It started when a tear-streaked her left cheek and Anne cupped her mouth to prevent her sobs echoing into the night and waking the other queen’s. With all boundaries gone, Anne turned and cried into her friend’s shoulder,

“Am I a bad person Anna? Please don’t hate me.”

“What the-” Baffled by the sudden emotion-explosion, Anna pulled the 2nd queen closer to her chest, “You’ve never been a bad person, babes. And I could never hate you.”

Anna was never good at comforting anyone and often referred back to her own experiences. However, she had always been there for Anne before and wasn’t stopping now.

“Besides, I’m technically the bad one here; I couldn’t stop Kat from hurting herself.”

“Kat hurt herself because of me?” Anne’s heart broke before falling further into her stomach, giving the Boleyn girl a sick feeling of guilt and sorrow, “I’m the villain in this story, not you.”

“Woah,” Anna turned to face the 2nd queen, “Don’t say that, you didn’t mean to hurt her!”

Anne curled into herself, “But I still did! It being an accident doesn’t change anything!”

“Anne, listen.” Anna held Anne’s face, so they looked into each other’s eyes, “There isn’t a villain here, just a bunch of kids who made mistakes.”

“But I-”

“The thing with us is that we’re not bad people. A bad person is someone who deliberately causes harm or pain to others. You may be painted as a bad person to some, but it doesn’t mean you’re genuinely a bad person. Mistakes happen. Get over it and start living your life.”  

“You should hate me?”

“But I don’t.” Anna brushed her hair back with her hand, “And you shouldn’t either.”

With that, Anna of Cleves slid down the roof and back into her room, leaving Anne alone under the stars.

With no more tears left to cry, Anne felt empty. She didn’t intend to disclose everything to Anna, but it did feel good to get everything off her chest. She briefly closed her eyes in silent prayer and wallowed in the silence, palming the roof tile to pass the time.

‘I want to tell you everything, all the words I never got to say the first time around. But you are just a fool to keep pretending that you love me so even if I said anything, It wouldn’t matter.’

☁️ Anna was not qualified to deal with an emotional outburst at 3 am but honestly neither am I. Comments and Kudos are always appreciated. x ☁️

[yourdeepestfathoms]

We All Still Die (part two)

[The Walking Dead AU]

Part 1

sorry about all the chapters so far being Really Short. it’s not like me to write only two thousand words :/

Word count: 2113

TW: Blood

-----------------------

-Bloat-

In an instant, the powered down hockey table on one side of the ski lodge was cleared and the child was placed upon the top of it. Jane bustled over, moving a bit too fast than Aragon would like, and began barking orders, already rolling her long sleeves up. A flurry of motion stormed around her.

  “What happened?” Aragon demanded.

  “W-were you bit?” Kitty stammered.

  “Where did she come from?” Maggie asked.

  “Who is she?” Maria joined in on the questioning.

  “Everyone be quiet!” Jane roared, making them all jump. “Cathy, get some water!”

Cathy nodded and scurried off to the well outside the ski lodge. Jane turned her head back to the patient, her jaw set firmly. Instead of bothering to try and remove the stained hospital gown the girl was wearing, she just took a pair of scissors and cut down the middle. When the fabric was parted, a small gash on the girl’s forearm was revealed, the edges inflamed and crusted with infection.

Candles lit up around the lodge, thanks to Maria dutifully lighting them. Aragon handed Jane a bottle of clear liquid labeled only by a crude sketch of a cross on it and then another bottle that smelled faintly of alcohol when opened. Jane flushed out every inch of the wound on the girl’s arm with the clear liquid, then drenched the whole length with the second liquid. The reddish-brown fluid streamed down the girl’s bare chest and abdomen, along with the bubbling of the blood that got washed out by whatever was in the first bottle. The young stranger whimpered in her half-daze.

  “Shh, shh, little one,” Jane murmured softly, but didn’t touch. She kept her hands in the air like a surgeon and, indeed, Aragon saw that she was holding a needle and stitching. “Anna,” She eyed the woman hovering nearby, “Come here, will you please?”

  “What can I do?” Cleves asked, stepping over.

  “Grab a candle and angle the glow on her belly. I need more light.”

Cleves nodded and then retrieved a candle, doing as he was told.

  “Cathy, hold her wound shut for me. And Catalina, keep the child calm. Distract her if she starts to get worked up.”

The close candle was necessary, but the light of the other fires was growing, too, flickering helpful warm yellows and oranges over the girl’s pale face and down her exposed body as Aragon, Cleves, and Cathy situated themselves in a comfortable position. Unlike Jane, this was clearly a first time for all three of them.

Before the outbreak, Jane had been a veterinarian at the animal hospital in her city. One of the best, too. She may not have been a human doctor, but she knew how to sew wounds and treat infections, and she was trained to not be bitten by things, so she was a very valuable asset to the group.

Jane bent over the child and started the stitches. The girl gasped and jerked out of her daze, looking to the source of the pain and finding a woman she didn’t recognize at all.

  “It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay,” Aragon said softly. Jane is hovering over the girl, waiting, letting her get her bearings and settle. “We’re not going to hurt you. You’re getting stitches.”

The girl looked up at Aragon, and Aragon saw that her eyes were a startling moon silver color. They were so pale that she may have mistaken them for the glazed blankness of Walker eyes at a distance.

Then, the eyes fluttered shut. Aragon could see a light sheen of sweat developing along her nose, cheeks, and forehead. 

  “Child, stay awake.” Jane ordered, noticing somehow, even though she was supposed to be stitching. She swiped away an oily lock of the girl’s sun-bleached blonde hair that was sprawling into her work zone.

  “She’s just resting.” Aragon said, a little defensive, but when she earned a hard look from Jane, she opted to obey the professional and lightly shook the girl’s good shoulder. The girl shuddered too much, jarring Jane’s meticulous work and making the woman lean back to mutter obscenities, something Aragon thought she would never hear.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” The girl sobbed, sensing the frustration around her. “Don’t hurt me... Please don’t hurt me… I’m sorry…!”

At the “don’t hurt me”, Aragon and Cleves exchanged worried looks. 

  “Nobody is going to hurt you, sweetheart,” Aragon said. “You’re safe.”

  “D-don’t send me back, please…” The girl babbled on, panting as if she were stricken with a burning fever. “Please, please, please… C-can’t go back…”

  “Calm her, Catalina.” Jane ordered, readying the needle again.

  “You are not in trouble, dear,” Aragon said, softening her voice to a more velvety tone. She lifted a hand and stroked strands of sweaty blonde hair out of the girl’s face. “Just stay calm. Don’t move.”

The girl’s strange, wide eyes looked up at Aragon again, then she nodded ever so slightly. Her head flopped over and she glanced around blearily before grunting in pain.

  “Where did you find her?” Cathy asked Cleves, glancing up from the puckering wound she was squeezing shut.

  “Down in the forest,” Cleves answered. “Anne and I killed that one Walker you saw and then she came staggering out of the trees. I have no idea where she came from.”

  “N-no bites?” Kitty stuttered, stepping over. She was very pale and looked like she was going to faint.

  “No bites.” Cleves confirmed.

  “Strange that she was wearing a hospital gown,” Maria observed, sidling over to watch the wound treatment. “How far is the nearest hospital?”

  “We’re out in the middle of fucking sticks,” Maggie said. “So probably pretty far.”

  “Swear.” Kitty said softly.

  “Sorry.”

  “There’s no way a kid this young could survive out there on her own,” Anne said. “Look at her. She’s barely older than Kitty.”

Aragon gazed down at the child, and could confirm that she had to only be twelve or thirteen.

  “She has to have a group around here.” Anne went on.

  “What if they think we kidnapped her?” Maggie worried. 

  “Maybe they won’t,” Aragon said. “I mean, we are sewing up her wound.”

  “Yeah, but still.” Anne said. “You know how people are nowadays.”

Suddenly, the girl gasped as Jane pulled the thread through. She let out a sob, her eyes screwing shut as tears spilled free.

  “Only a little more to go. Keep her awake.” Jane directed to Aragon.

  “You’re okay, darling.” Aragon whispered to the weeping child. “It’s almost over.”

For a while it was just silence broken by the occasional noises- the fire cracking, one of the group member’s murmuring, the wind blowing, the child’s whimpers and rapid pants. If the girl were to squirm, Aragon would always stroke her hair and shush her gently.

Finally, Jane clipped off the end of the stitches. They were expert-level precise.

Before anyone can say anything, however, the woman is moving again. After cleaning her hands of the child’s blood in a basin, she retrieved a wet rag and began washing off her patient’s arm, then wrapping it with some torn fabric.

  “There,” Jane finally said. “The hard part is over.” 

In an instant, she was moving again, feeling the girl’s rib cage and stomach, pursing her lips in deep thought as she did so. She checked her legs and neck and other arm, and Aragon saw smaller cuts, bruises, and whited out scars in jagged patterns splattered across areas of her grimy pale skin.

  “She’s starving and malnourished,” Jane rattled off, not looking up from where she was kneading the sinkholes in the girl’s belly. “Dehydrated, too. She’s also suffering from exposure. She must have been outside for awhile.” She examined the girl’s feet, which were so cut up and blistered that simply standing on them must have been excruciating. “She’s got some cuts and bruises from being out in the woods, but nothing as bad as her arm. She must have gotten caught on something or maybe attacked.” She pried open one of the girl’s eyes, earning a weak whine of protest. “Exhausted, sleep deprived, over exerted… She’s going to need some rest and a meal, or at least some water, as soon as possible.”

Aragon nodded. “So she’s going to be okay?” She asked.

  “Yes, I believe so,” Jane answered with a small smile. She waved Anne to come pick the girl up. “She can sleep on the couch, that way she can be comfortable and close b--” Suddenly, she gasped in horror. Anne looked down and then cussed loudly, unceremoniously dropping the child back onto the air hockey table and eliciting a sharp yelp of pain. Aragon was about to demand what the hell they were doing when she noticed it.

The bite on the back of the girl’s shoulder.

  “Oh fuck!” Anne yelled, bringing her hands to her head. 

  “Sh-she’s bit!” Kitty screeched, looking ill and horrified at the same time.

  “You said there were no bites!” Maggie cried.

  “We didn’t see it!” Cleves reprimanded.

  “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” Anne was muttering, pacing back and forth. “I can’t kill a kid!”

  “I’ll do it.” Jane said and pulled out her revolver, aiming for the girl’s head. All the warmth and care that was in her just a few seconds ago was now gone, replaced with stony coldness.

  “Jane, no!” Aragon grabbed Jane’s wrist and pointed the gun away. “You can’t do this! She’s just a kid!”

  “She’s bit!” Jane said, looking at Aragon is disbelief. “I just wasted some of our medicine and a needle and thread on a girl who’s just going to turn.”

  “Jane, you can’t kill a child,” Cleves said.

  “Yes she can!” Maggie said. “She’s not a child anymore, Anna. She’s a monster. And you know what those things do.”

Kitty whimpered and began to cry. Anne rushed over to her and pulled her baby cousin into her arms.

  “Maybe it’s not a Walker bite?” Cathy suggested, although there was doubt in her voice. “It looks a little old. Maybe it was just an animal.”

  “I know what animal bites look like,” Jane said, shooting a glare at Cathy. “We need to protect our group, and the best way to do that is by getting rid of the threat.” She raised her gun again, but Aragon shoved her arm back down.

  “We’re not killing her.” Aragon growled.

  “Are you fucking serious?” Maggie gaped.

  “We’ll chain her up,” Aragon went on, ignoring Maggie’s protest. “And we’ll gag her. If the fever sets in, then we can put her down, but until then, nobody touches her.”

There were scattered agreements and disagreements, but nobody actually tried to oppose the plan. Cleves went to grab the chains, while Aragon walked into the main office to retrieve the gag. Jane stormed in after her.

  “What’s going on with you?” Jane snapped. “Why are you letting her stay? Why didn’t you let me shoot her?”

  “She’s a child.” Aragon said.  

  “She’s bit. Just like I said before.” Jane clarified. “You know what we do with people who are bit. We put them down. That’s always been our rule!”

  “She’s just a kid.” Aragon said, and there was a growl in her voice. She narrowed her eyes at Jane. “What’s gotten into you? Do you just want to blow this girl’s brains out or something?”

  “What’s gotten into ME?” Jane scoffed. “You were out there loving all over that kid like she was your first born child or something! What was that all about? Using pet names and stroking her hair—you don’t even know her name!” 

  “Jealous?”

Jane clenched her jaw and growled. “She’s a stranger.”

  “She’s barely older than Kat!” Aragon reprimanded. “She’s wearing a hospital gown, Jane. No shoes, no bra, no underwear, no weapons. What possible threat could she bear to us?”

  “She’s going to turn and kill us all! We’re all going to die because you want to keep some stray in our home!” Jane yelled.

  “We’re already dead, Jane.” Aragon hissed lowly. “We’re all time bombs just waiting to be bit and infected, so what makes you any different? You’re as dangerous to us as I am and as that girl is and as everyone is! We’re all monsters. And it’s only a matter of time before the muzzle comes off.”

A moment of silence descended upon the two.

  “What about our baby?” Jane asked, setting her hands on her pregnant belly.

Aragon looked at her, picked up the refined iron gag from inside a drawer, and said, “It’s not mine.”

[culper-spymaster]

Band of Brothers:S1-Ch20: Saying Good bye

“Benjamin, how could you let him go in that church?” Ben glanced over at Caleb guiltily, but other than that, remained silent.

“Father, don’t yell at him. I wanted to. I wanted to help. I didn’t do a very good job.”

“Maybe your father is right, Ben. Maybe we should have kept him a little more at arm’s length from this whole situation,” Caleb said hesitantly.

“What situation?” Nathaniel pried.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with any of the mess you kids are involved in, would it?” Zipporah asked.

Summary: After being injured by Simcoe, Ensign Baker has rushed Levi to the Tavern to be tended to by Anna and Zipporah. It is here, amidst blood and pain, where he says his goodbye to his family.

Once again, I must thank @tallmadgeandtea​ for reading all my chapters and all her feedback.

Please REBLOG, KUDOS, and COMMENT

Check it out HERE

[recentanimenews]

Pretty Series' Latest Installment Waccha Primagi! Adds Four More Characters

    In addition to the protagonist Matsuri Hibino (CV:Chinatsu Hirose) and her wizard partner Myamu (Riko Koike) who were introduced last month, the official website for the Pretty Series' new installment Waccha Primagi! has announced four new characters - Hina Yayoi and her partner Chimumu, Remon Kokoa and her partner Kyaron.

    Hina Yayoi (CV: Aya Uchida) - A third-year junior high school student who attends a strong Primagi school. She has a passionate and straightforward personality, and is admired by younger students.

Cimumu (CV: Rie Hikisaka) - Hina's wizard partner. For some reason, she always looks elated and doesn't get along with Myamu, Matsuri's partner.

      Lemon Kokoa (CV: Anna Suzuki) - A second-year junior high school student who is shy and tends to get nervous. She is a Primagi otaku and very knowledgeable.

Kyaron (CV: Sunao Yoshikawa): Lemon's wizard partner. He is polite and serious, but inflexible.

        The Pretty Series is an animated series based on an idol-themed kids amusement game co-developed by Takara Tomy Arts and Syn Sophia. Its first TV anime Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream started airing in April 2011, then was followed by Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Future (2012-2013), Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live (2013 - 2014), Pripara (2014-2017), Idol Time Pripara (2017-2018), and Kiratto Pri☆Chan (2018-2021).

  As part of a project to commemorate the 10th-anniversary of the series, the new TV anime Waccha Primagi! is set to premiere on the TV Tokyo network in October 2021. It adds a new element of "magic" to the Pretty Series'  original concept of "song, dance, and fashion." As with the previous installments, Tatsunoko Production and DONGWOO A&E co-work on anime production, Junichi Sato, who has worked on many popular anime series, such as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Ojamajo Doremi, and Sergent Keroro, serves as the general director. 

    Anime "Waccha Primagi!" story:

  Primagi, it's entertainment created through song, dance, and fashion! There's a secret to the stage that sparkles like magic. Yes, it's really "magic"! The protagonist, Matsuri Hibino, is a first year junior high school student who longs for Primagi. Matsuri, who loves Primagi, dreams of competing in it someday. Then, she is scouted for Primagi by Myamu, who suddenly appears. The two of them work together to beat their rivals and become the top of Primagi! 

    Key visual:

    Announcement PV:

    Source: Takara Tomy Arts press release

  © T-ARTS/syn Sophia/TV Tokyo/PM Production Committee  

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu

[duggardata]

Not sure if you’ve answered this before, but who has a faster pace? Anna or Priscilla, Pris seems to be popping them out quicker. I’m assuming she got married after Anna though since she has less kids

Childbearing Race: Anna Duggar vs. Priscilla Waller (vs. Esther Shrader)

Good Ask!  As of June 25, 2020, Anna (Keller) Duggars’s Procreative Pace—or, Average Spacing, Excluding Firstborn—is 1 Child Every 732 Days (24 Months).  Her sister Priscilla (Keller) Waller’s Procreative Pace is 1 Child Every 652 Days (21.4 Months).  Obviously, Priscilla’s Pace is markedly faster—80 Days Faster, to be exact.  (Note—Anna has one spacing that is adjusted for a loss; however, the effect isn’t major.  If we ignored the loss, her Procreative Pace is 740 Days.)

You didn’t Ask, but I’ll add...  Anna and Priscilla are both outdone by their older sister, Esther.  After 12 Children, Esther’s Procreative Pace is 1 Child Every 569 Days (18.7 Months).  Doing the math...  She’s 163 Days Faster than Anna and 83 Days Faster than Priscilla.

There’s a commonly–held notion that Keller Women are incredibly consistent in their child spacing.  This is supported by the data, especially for Priscilla...  Her SD is only 68 Days!  All three of them are in the Top 6 for Most Consistent, and Priscilla is #1.  Here’s the Top 6—

68 Days   Priscilla Waller

72 Days   Courtney Rogers

78 Days   Joy–Anna Forsyth

89 Days   Erin Paine

95 Days   Anna Duggar

101 Days   Esther Shrader

Remember, a lower number indicates consistency.

[redthreadoffate]

magical music [matt simmons]

relationship: matt simmons x female!reader

warnings: none (aside from matt not being married); mistakes here or there

request (anon): hi! can i rq a matt simmons x reader? i’d prefer if she wasn’t related to reid bc that implies that the reader is white and i’m not white. the prompt would be that the reader is a musical therapist consulting on the case who helps out a young kid during the case and after Matt asks her out? thank you!

notes: i am in no way saying that my understanding of musical therapy is correct. i’m an educational psychology student and i have been to a psychologist and psychiatrist but i am in no way a musical therapist. please forgive me for any mistakes i have done as i am not entirely sure if i did my research correctly (i really did try). :(

summary: you’re working with the bau to help a little girl, anna, calm down

Her name was Anna. Eight years old. Being the only kid who was able to escape she was placed under the protection of the FBI. Her parents had been notified and were with her every second they can.

“What do you like to do?” you asked her.

You have been brought in to help the young girl. Anna was a musical prodigy and the BAU had requested a musical therapist to help her calm down to be able to relieve some memories of the place she was captured in to help out the ones left. “Maybe she’d respond to music,” her parents suggested. “Get her to play the piano, that always helps.”

“Piano,” she replied. The large instrument was sitting in front of her. She had yet to touch it. “I like to play the piano.” You were in the hospital, on the ground floor where the piano lay for those who want to play and somehow lift up the spirits of those around them.

“Will you play it for me?”

She shook her head. “He would play it for me.”

You leaned forward. “Who? Who would play it for you?”

“Mr. Candyman.” She looked at you with a worried expression. “He might come back for me if he hears me play, Ms. Y/N. I don’t want that. Please don’t make me play. I’ll be good, I promise.”

You nodded your head. “I won’t force you to do anything. He will never get you again, Anna. The FBI is here to protect you. And so are your parents. You’re safe now.”

She nodded her head slowly and whispered a quiet ‘thank you’. You looked back at the agent with you and he frowned but allowed the nurse to take the little girl back in her room. You sighed as you watched her retreating little figure disappear into the corridor.

“It’s only the first try,” Agent Matt Simmons assured you, “when we think she’s ready, we’ll try again.”

“But what about the kidnapper? Won’t it be too late?” you wondered, panicking a little.

“While we work on this part, the rest of the team are still trying their best to gather as much information as they can. We still have a chance to catch the guy even if we’re still here.” He shrugged. “That’s the way it is, Ms. Y/N.”

You bowed your head a little. “I see. But just a quick check on how things work around here. You’ve got a psychotherapist waiting?” He nodded and you did as well. “Good. I can only do so much. I’ll do my best to get her to relax for us. But as soon as she does, you have to bring her straight to the other therapist. We don’t know how long her relaxation will last due her traumatic experience.”

“We’ve got it all covered, Ms. Y/N. Don’t worry.”

You smiled. “I’ll be going back to my office, Agent Simmons. Just call me when you need me.”

“Will do, Ms. Y/N. Thank you for today.”

He watched you leave the ground floor and into the elevator. When the doors closed, you heaved a heavy sigh and leaned on the wall. Not only were you nervous about being on the case, it was your first time helping with a crime after all, but you couldn’t help but have a slight crush on Agent Simmons.

‘Stop it, Y/N,’ you thought, ‘you don’t even know if he’s married. And anyway, your first priority is to help with the case. Not be attracted to the agent.’

You reached your floor and enter your clinic a few doors down. You sit on your chair and begin to leaf through the files that the Bureau had allowed you to read to help them out. So far, you’ve only gotten the file on Anna, her family background which included her musical talent, and what they have gotten on the unsub’s modus operandi.

This was your first time reading something like it and you couldn’t help but imagine all the gruesome happenings that the unsub could be doing. ‘Those poor children,’ you began, ‘I need to do my best to get to Anna. Why does it feel like their lives depend on me?’ You shook your head. ‘Maybe it does.’

During the second day, there was a tiny bit of hope..

You were having a nice, friendly conversation with the little girl. You were talking about artists and songs, who her favorites were. And although she had an interest in the classics, you can’t help but be amused by the fact that she enjoyed modern day pop more. It’s not the first time that you’ve heard of this scenario, but you loved how talkative the girl actually was. Maybe she had warmed up to you.

“I like Ariana Grande,” she told you. “The Way is my favorite. I also like Lourde. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the songs that my older sister grew up with.”

“And what’s that?” you asked, genuinely interested. You loved music and being a musical therapist and helping out those in need were just a big plus. “What songs did your sister grow up listening to?”

“Late ninetys and early two thousdands. She memorizes a lot of them. She especially loves Westlife.”

You grinned. “I love Westlife, too. Nicky is my favorite.”

“She likes Shane. But my favorite is the Backstreet Boys. Nick Carter is so cute.”

“I agree,” you said with a nod. You heard Agent Simmons laugh softly and you blush as you realized that you may have sounded like a teenager when you agreed with Anna. You can’t help it, though, Nick Carter was really cute.

But what was more important is that you believed that this was your chance to let Anna feel as though she was safe.

“Which one is your favorite song?” you asked. “My personal favorite is What Makes You Beautiful.”

She gasped. “Oh I love that! I heard that while watching Princess Diaries with Emma.”

“I liked that movie,” you remarked.

“But my favorite song of the Backstreet Boys has got to be I Want It That Way.”

You chuckled a little due to the reminder of the cold opening from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. “You are/my fire…” you started.

“The one/desire…”

‘Yes, keep going, Anna.’ “Believe/when I say….”

“I want it that way…”

‘Almost there.’ “Tell me why…”

“Ain’t nothing but a heartache…” Then she began to laugh. She was already pretty but she looked even cuter when she genuinely happy. “That was fun.”

“It was, wasn’t it? I haven’t sang that song in awhile.”

She giggled. “Emma would have loved to join.”

You sat up straighter. “How are you feeling?” Meanwhile, you’re feeling a tad bit excited at the progress.

Her laughter died down and she shrugged. “I’m okay.” She looked at the piano and cast her eyes down.

“What are you thinking about?” you pried.

“Just the piano,” she replied. “I miss it.”

“So what do you wanna do about it?”

“I wanna play the piano…”

“Do you wanna play now?” You were getting much more hopeful by the second. You always were excited when something new comes up from one of your patients. You would jump up for joy inside, heart leaping as you realized that there was some sort of progress. But outside, you would always remain cool, calm and collected. “Do you wanna play for us, Anna?”

She shook her head. “I’m tired, Ms. Y/N. I think I’ll go take a nap.”

You made sure not to show how disappointed you were. You nodded your head and the nurse waited for permission from Agent Simmons. Her parents looked at him with sorry expressions on their faces.

Once they’ve left, you groaned in frustration, forgetting that you weren’t alone in your office.

“Are you okay, Ms. Y/N?” Agent Simmons asked.

You frowned. “We were so close.”

He gave a small smile. “You did your best. Hopefully they’ll allow us to see her again tomorrow. I have a feeling it would be the day.”

You didn’t mean to look into his eyes, but you did anyway. You didn’t reply for a minute and he looked at you worriedly. You snapped out of your thoughts and pouted. He laughed lightly and you immediately pursed your lips. “I sure hope so, Agent Simmons. I really do hope so.” And you looked at the corridor that Anna had disappeared to then back at the black, sleek piano just a few feet away from you. “I hope so,” you repeated softly.

The next day, despite Anna’s parents already having second thoughts about whether she should continue with the musical therapy to help with the case, it was to everyone’s relief when the young girl began playing with the instrument that she once loved.

You sighed, finding solace that you finally got one thing right.

That day, you were talking about her achievements. You pretended to not know much about her background as she spoke.

Both her paternal grandmother and father were pianists as well, and when she began playing along with them they decided to teach her; first it was for fun then after awhile, they realized her potential and began teaching her professionally. She won many school talent shows since the age of three. Then her parents received news that a scholarship was waiting for her in a prestigious school.

That was where Mr. Candyman took her.

When she hit the final note, everyone applauded. You smiled at her and gave her a standing ovation. Anna seemed unfazed by the fuss over her, she was grinning from ear to ear, just like she always does.

“How are you feeling, Anna?” you asked when she walked back to you.

“Thank you,” she said. You smiled. “For telling me to face my fears.”

Before she ran to the piano earlier, the two of you had been talking about crowds and first days. You figured it was a good time to tell her that it was best to face her fears, and you hoped that what you said would reach to her fears of playing the piano again.

However, you also realized that much like your other patients, you couldn’t force them to do anything. Yes, they were there to get better but you can only do so much. This girl was kidnapped, along with other kids, and she was able to escape but not without the expense of being traumatized. You remember how she refused to do anything except cry when they first got her.

“You’re a brave girl, Anna,” you told her softly. “So so brave.”

She smiled.

Agent Simmons appeared beside you and squatted to be able to talk to Anna directly. “Are you ready to talk to Ms. Katie?” he asked. He looked up to her parents and you see them give a nod of approval.

“Yeah, I guess,” she replied. Then she looked at you and said, “I’m going to miss you, Ms. Y/N.”

You smiled. “Thank you for being with me, Anna. I’m very glad to have met you.” You patted her shoulder and her parents whisked her away. They looked back at you and Agent Simmons and mouthed ‘“thank you” before heading towards the corridor, two agents following them.

After a minute or so, you turned to Agent Simmons and said, “I suppose my job is done for now.”

He gave a half-smile. “I suppose so.”

“Did I do well?” you asked worriedly.

“You did a wonderful job, Ms. Y/N.” He smiled.

“Thank you,” you said, smiling back at him. You sighed and clutched your bag which was lying on the seat beside you. “I better go, Agent Simmons. If you ever need me again, you know where to find me.”

When he didn’t reply, you bowed a little and began to walk away but he called your name softly and you turned around to face him once again.

“Yes, Agent?” You tilted your head to the side. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“Two things,” he said. “One, call me Matt.” Your heart began to thump faster. “And two,” he paused, “when all this is over, do you, maybe…wanna have dinner with me, Ms. Y/N?”

You couldn’t help but smile. “That’s sounds lovely, Matt. And you can call me Y/N, no need for that ‘miss’ ‘miss’.”

He grinned and held out his phone. “I think I’d rather have your personal number than the one in your calling card.”

You laughed and punched in your digits before handing out your phone to him. “Maybe I need a caller ID so I can answer your properly.”

It was his turn to put in his number. After a minute of planning, you two headed your separate ways.

In two days, he had called. “Does Italian sound good to you, Y/N?”

“Definitely,” you replied.

And so, that very same night, you put on your best dinner date clothes, fixed yourself up a little bit more than usual–which you scolded yourself for–and waited for Matt to pick you up.

The doorbell of your apartment rang and you looked at yourself one more time in front of the mirror and smiled. “You go, Y/N.” You brisk walked to the door and outside is Matt holding a bouquet of flowers. “Hi,” you said.

“Hey,” he replied, smiling. “For you.” He handed you the flowers and you thanked him. You had asked him to wait for you as you ran into the kitchen to get a vase and fill it with water. When you were done, he asked if you were ready to go.

“Since the first time I saw you,” you answered, blushing.

He grinned. “Let’s go then.”

[razieltwelve]

Exile (Final Rose)

Anna folded her arms across her chest. “I’m sorry, Diana, but we have to kick you out of the group.” Behind her, Rikku, Yuffie, and Neo all nodded in agreement. “This just isn’t working anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Diana asked.

Anna sighed. “When this group was first founded, it was with a single purpose: to complain about tall people.” Again, Rikku, Yuffie, and Neo all nodded in agreement. Neo, in particular, was nodding with great enthusiasm. “Unfortunately, you just don’t fit in anymore.”

“Why not?” 

Anna’s eye twitched. “Diana, let me ask you a question. Are you currently looking down at me?”

“What are you... oh.” Diana snickered. “That’s right. I finally got my growth spurt, so I’m not short anymore.”

It was true. Over the past year, Diana had gone from being a scrawny, tiny ragamuffin of a teen into someone who looked a great deal like her mom, albeit not quite as tall yet. 

Anna’s eye twitched again. “Yes. That’s right. While the rest of us appear to have stopped growing, you have shot up like a weed. As such, you no longer qualify for membership in this exclusive group.”

“Are you just bitter because I’m not short anymore, but you’ll all be short forever?” Diana was handling this most delicate area of inquiry with all the subtlety of an avalanche. “Because I can totally live with that since, you know, I’m finally not tiny.”

Anna’s face contorted. “We are not bitter. We just don’t think it would be appropriate to have someone as tall as you in our group. It just wouldn’t be right.”

Diana tried to keep herself from laughing and failed miserably. Ignoring the glares she got from the other four girls, she just gave in and laughed her ass off. “Oh, this is too good. Now, I finally understand why Averia used to tease me about my height.” Diana straightened and then reached over to pat Anna on the head. “It’s all right. I wouldn’t want to intrude. After all, I’m no longer as short as the rest of you. I suppose I’ll have to hang out with the tall people from now on.”

“...” Anna’s jaw clenched. “Yes. I suppose you will.”

“Farewell, my old friends,” Diana said, waving dramatically. “I shall always look back on the time we shared with great fondness.” She smirked. “Or should I say that I will always look down on the time we shared with great fondness.”

Anna took a deep breath to calm herself. It didn’t work. “Diana, has anyone told you that you can be utterly insufferable.”

“On this particular issue? Yes. Many people have.” Diana put her hands on her hips and loomed to her full height. “But, you know what, I could get used to being the tall person in a room. The view is so much better from up here.” She smiled benevolently. “I honestly don’t know how you short people manage - oof!”

Anna tackled Diana to the ground. “Stop teasing me about being short!”

X    X     X

“So... let me get this straight,” Claire said as she pried Anna off Diana. The princess could no longer reach Diana, but that didn’t stop her from kicking one leg out and hurling her shoe at her teammate. “Anna is trying to murder you because you literally outgrew the club full of short people that you formed to complain about tall people.”

“That’s right.” Diana caught the shoe out of the air. “Anna just can’t deal with the fact that I’ve outgrown her in both a physical and figurative sense.”

“Keep talking,” Anna hissed. “You’re just digging your grave deeper.”

“Could you stop trying to break free?” Claire asked. The other three had decided to simply stand back and watch. Apparently, any ire they felt toward Diana was outweighed by the amusement they derived from watching Anna try to murder her. “Honestly, this is what I get for trying to help.” She shook her head at Diana. “The next time I see someone trying to kill you, maybe I should just keep walking.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault that Anna is sensitive about her lack of height. I mean, you’d think she would have outgrown her shortcomings by now, but I guess you can’t always live up to your ideals - gah!” Diana ducked as Anna somehow managed to kick her other shoe at her.

“Let me go right now,” Anna growled at Claire.

“Not happening,” Claire replied flatly. “And, please, stop struggling. We both know that you’re not getting free until I let go.”

“I am a princess.”

“Yes, and you look like you’re about to bite me in a bid to get free.”

“Would it work?” Anna bared her teeth. “Because I am totally willing to try.”

“Nope,” Claire replied. “I’ve got enough Aura to reinforce my arm. The only thing you’d do is hurt your jaw.”

“I see.” Anna went limp and then tried to wrench herself free. “Rikku, Yuffie, Neo, help me!”

“Nope,” Yuffie shook her head. “This is way too fun to interrupt.”

“It’s okay.” Diana patted Anna on the head and then jerked her hand back to avoid Anna’s teeth. “One of these days, when you’re a big girl, you’ll understand that sometimes, you just have to accept that some things - like your height - stay the same but others - like my height - change.”

“Your cousin won’t be around all the time.” Anna scowled. “And when she finally let’s go of me...”

“Yes, yes, you’ll have your revenge.” Diana shrugged. “I think I can handle your revenge, Anna.”

“We’ll see.” Anna did her best to cackle malevolently. Unfortunately, her awkward position - held off the ground by Claire - made it come out as more of a ragged wheeze. “You’ll pay for this, Diana. Believe me, you’ll pay for this.”

X    X     X

Author’s Notes

Diana really did shoot up like a weed once she reached a certain point. This was due to Ragnarok finally completing all of the groundwork it had been doing, freeing up the resources necessary for Diana to finally begin growing like a normal person. As a result, Diana went from being the shortest person on her team to the tallest in the span of a year. By the time she turned eighteen, she was the same height as Fang and was an inch taller than Lightning and Averia. She did not accept her ‘victory’ with good grace. Oh no. After years of being the short one and being teased about it, she mercilessly teased both Lightning and Averia, which resulted in her running for her life and using Fang as a human shield. She almost died, but it was totally worth it for her.

Incidentally, when Anna and Claire have kids, Anna is inordinately pleased by the fact that her kids end up taller than Diana’s kids (those Snow height genes are very powerful). Sure, it’s not like she ‘beat’ Diana, but her kids being taller is the next best thing... at least until her kids start asking her why they’re so tall and she’s so short.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here. I’ve recently released two stories, Attempted Adventuring and Surviving Quarantine, as well as two audiobooks, Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems and Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire. If you like humour, action, and adventure, be sure to check them out.

[stephanieritaclark]

Whumptober 2020 - Day Five

No 5. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?

On the Run | Failed Escape | Rescue

I used “rescue,” but I’m not entirely certain it counts. It’s also way shorter than I had expected it to be.

“The Freezer”

Aaron frowned at the sound of thumping. He followed the sound, and to his horror, he found the industrial freezer door barricaded.

“I’ll be right back!” he shouted to whoever was hitting the door.

Aaron rushed around the restaurant in search of anything to help him pry off the wooden slats nailed to the door. He tried to think who had been on schedule that day. There had been Anna and Chris, and the new kid had supposed to come in for training. He had seen no one out on the floor.

Aaron found a hammer in the proprietor’s office, and he rushed back to the freezer. He pried off the wooden slats, and he yanked open the heavy door. The person beyond the door wore a face of rage, unrecognizable under the blood splattered all over him.

Aaron’s heart hammered in his chest as the person leapt forward, hand gripping his shoulders, and the man’s mouth clamped around his throat.

Click here for the full master list of my Whumptober shorts.

I am also writing a full length novel using these prompts. You can sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date and to receive a free fantasy short story. Click here for the newsletter.

[bapyess1r]

Amphetamine

WARNINGS: drunken behavior, cursing, age difference, use of substance, slightly heated

CHAPTER 4

Talia’s POV

I left the house very excited to see my best friend. I had so much to tell her, so much to show her, and so little time to do it. I drove myself to the airport almost ready to hope out of my seat. These were the feelings my therapist once told me to savor. I took a deep breath and let the good feeling warm throughout my chest, gripping my steering wheel as I turned into the pickup lane. I parked the car, not bothering to turn the car off and climbed my car to sit on the roof, hoping to spot my tiny friend better. And in a matter of minutes, there she was carrying her bright purple suitcase, a jacket in her arms. She spotted me and screamed her head off, scuttling toward me with her arms wide open. I hopped off the car and ran to squeeze her tightly. Suddenly, I felt whole again. “Oh fraaaand! I missed you!” She squealed, brushing her long black hair off of her face. “I can’t believe it’s only been a month!”

“I know! Time flies. How’re the boys?” I asked, grabbing her suitcase and putting it in the backseat. Tulio and Jay were two other friends I was very close with in New York. The four of us were inseparable in school. There was never a bad moment with them.

“Tulio is currently a barista and freelancing. Jay is a voice actor now. He’s working on a kids show that's coming out soon.” She informed me as she got in the car, buckling her seatbelt. “Is the ABC still open? I wanna get us a bottle of something good!” She cheesed, nodding her head suggestively. It wasn’t too late so we had time to stop by.

While I drove, I noticed the sky growing darker and dark as Anna told me all about what was going on back home. She didn’t miss a single detail. And our behavior around each other didn’t change. Still horrible, still encouraging each other’s bad behavior, still laughing at dumb people doing dumb shit. We stopped by her hotel to put her suitcase and things in her room. “So what am I walkin’ into with this whole block party deal?” She asked me as we walked the hallway and waited for the elevator's arrival. I don’t know why but my stomach flipped and my mind immediately went to Sam. I blushed and covered my face, laughing away my nerves. Her eyes widened as she playfully and repeatedly hit my arm. She knew me all too well. “Biiiiiitch! Who is he?!” I took a deep breath and waited to board the elevator before answering.

“His name is Sam.”

“Oh, Sam…” she called dramatically clutching her chest, making me laugh. I pushed her off me and hid my face again.

“DILF vibes.” I groaned.

“Oooo an older gentleman! Okaaay! Okay sis!” She hyped me up to the best of her abilities. As the short elevator ride came to an end, I began fidgeting around for my cigarettes as we walked toward the parking lot. “Does he know you like him?” She pried.

“I fear he has an inkling…” I answered scrunching my face. I hadn’t even admitted to myself that I was into and now I was saying it out loud.

“Then make it a big splotch of ink, bitch! Tell him! Let it be known!” She said enthusiastically, throwing her arms all over the place. I laughed as I attempted to light my cigarette.

“He plays in the band I told you about…”

“Is he the guy that wasn’t there when you started playing with them?” I nodded.

“He plays guitar and he sings and even though haven’t heard it my god am I ready to but I’m so NERVOUS.” I blurted out before taking a long drag. “Fuck I need a drink…” That’s when she boldly grabbed my breast.

“Shit, bitch, I forgot the champagne!” She said and I cackled. “I’ll be right back!” She ran off performing her signature grandma speed walk.

“Alright. I’ll be here.” I said unlocking the car doors, sitting sideways in the driver’s seat. I looked up at the stars beginning to come through the now black sky. I huffed wondering what I was gonna do about Sam. There was no way my Godfather would let that slide. Not that it mattered to me. I was a grown woman. I did as I pleased. That’s when I felt the buzz in my back pocket. It was Marcel.

Marcel: Where are you? We’re about to start playing and Sam is looking like a nervous puppy

I felt a smile crack on my face as I read the last line. I couldn’t imagine Sam acting like everything wasn’t cool. He seemed so put together to me. I texted back, letting my cigarette hang from my lips.

Me: Im on my way!! I’ll be there soon. Good luck !

If anything, it was good that we’d show up late. Sam could sing without being worried about my opinion and I’d see him full force when I get there. “He’ll be alright.” I said aloud to myself as Anna returned, drinking said bottle already. She pouted as she looked at my face and held the bottle out to me.

“Take a sip. We’ll finish it before we go watch the band. That way you won’t be so nervous to see him! Also you’re gonna have to point him out to me. I’m ready to see this man.” She said, rounding the car to hop into her seat. I looked at the bottle and took a big but quick sip before turning into my seat correctly and giving her the bottle back. I slammed the car door and off we went to the block party.

By the time we arrived into the neighborhood, people were out dancing already, their children playing in the nearby park. I noticed the block was full of cars so I just pulled behind one and parked with a large sigh. I could hear the band playing already and I instantly became anxious. Anxious to see Sam, to hear him sing, to watch him play, to just be in his vicinity. I let out a loud frustrating grunt and my friend gave me the biggest smile. “Oh my god you really are nervous! Here! Drink bitch.” She told me, passing the bottle and almost dropping it. She was definitely tipsy. I giggled and actually relaxed enough to start drinking. “Is there anything else to drinky drink at this shindig?”

“The band bought plenty.” I said before taking a long sip. The beverage warmed my chest up so much I took off my tye dye shirt and tossed it in the back. I was just gonna go with the bralette from the combination of alcohol and Florida heat. I shook every part of my body with a random sound to release the tension that had been building, fluffing my hair as I did.

“That’s right, bitch. I see you. Get cute, sis.” She said aggressively sipping the champagne.

“Let’s do this…” I said, opening the door and slamming it shut.

Anna leaned over the car to pass me the bottle again and grabbed my hand, beginning to dance her way to the block party with a bright smile. Now that I was out of the car, I could hear the music more clearly. And even more so, closer we got to the party. Sam’s voice coming through strong and powerful as they performed Whisper to a Scream by the Icicle Works, sending shivers up my spine. I tried to move my feet to the music but I knew as soon as I laid eyes on him, it was over for me. The street became lined with tiki lights and string lights in the shape of pineapples. Somehow, the smell of wood for the bonfire being burned already comforted me. When we reached the end of the street where the band was, my breath was taken away. He stood front and center, clad in a tight white v neck, black shirt rolled to expose his strong forearms, veins bulging out from playing, and the best fitting jeans paired with his usual dirty boots. His hair was falling out of place from performing passionately, a thin layer of sweat covering his forehead. Instinctively, I reached out for Anna and took an extended sip of champagne as I watched him. She looked at me with wide eyes and laughed. “Woo bitch…” I sighed, nearly shaking from how good he looked. “The one singing…”

“Sam?!” She exclaimed, running deeper into the crowd of drunk people dancing to get a better look, forgetting to let go of me. She dragged me right in front of him. And at the right moment he looked up and locked eyes with me. And almost like on the spot he began singing to me. I swallowed hard as he sent me a brief smile and wink. I could see his shoulders visibly dropping and loosening up. He was relaxing. Which was more than I could say for myself. “That’s Sam? He’s hot! Hell yes. You needed to fuck him like… yesterday.”

“Bitch I met him yesterday!”

“Your point?” She said putting a hand on her hip with a sassy expression.

“I mean… because he’s older I’m sure he’s more old school about that stuff.”

“I never try to understand what goes on in a man's head but that man wants to fuck. And real bad.” She said, reassuring me also tipping the bottle near my mouth upwards to make me drink. During the break in the song, Sam noticed the situation and smirked a bit trying to control his laughter onstage.

Throughout the night, Anna and I managed to find more booze. Boy….the trouble. We were now, drunk off our asses, shaking our hips and bobbing our heads to the music. Between songs, Sam would sip on a glass or three of scotch, watching me with intent and a hint of lust. The sexual tension was thick enough to cut with a butter knife. My friend would bring me back to earth sometimes when I was on another planet lost in this man’s performance. When his song was over, everyone clapped and he took his swig of scotch again. He waved everyone’s applause down enough for him to speak. “So… some of you know that we have recently acquired some new vocals for the band.” He began. I knew where this was going and I wasn’t prepared for it at all. Anna looked at me and snatched my beer out of my hands, pushing me forward. “My uh…. my guilty conscience is kickin in and I have to say it wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t get to sing a little something tonight. Would you guys be down for that?” And the neighbors cheered.

‘Well shit…’ I thought.

“Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for our new vocalist Talia Aaron, everybody.” He said easing off the mic and clapping. The band hollered and encouraged the situation. With all the strength I had, I tried my best not to fall or trip over the wiring as I approached the stage. The band leaned in listening for my split second song selection. “Nice of you to join us.” He smirked before leaning in and whispering in my ear. “I showed you mine, now you show me yours.” I was absolutely shaking as I tried to think of a song. Not from stage fright but literally just smelling the cologne Sam wore. I had not a clue what to sing until Marcel caught my attention. He threw me that bright smile and winked. I knew exactly what he wanted me to sing. I nodded.

“Black Velvet…”

“Great choice.” Sam winked and it shot right through my heart.

“Here’s to hoping I don’t fuck this up!” I said stealing Sam’s glass and finishing it for him in one gulp. He blinked in surprise and laughed to himself.

“You got this Tali!!!!” I saw Anna yell and my neighbors all cheered. I smirked, adjusting the stand and bringing the mic to my lips with a nervous smile. With a nod of the head, Sam kicked us off with that classic riff and Marcel’s bass line sat right where it needed in me.

“Ok y’all. I hope you don’t mind if I just…. Feel this liquor for a minute…” I said softly as the opening of the song played, tapping my foot and rolling my body to the beat.

“Take yo time girl!” My friend cheered as I played with my hair, feeling my oats and finding that comfort zone. That’s when I began to sing. The moment I opened my mouth, I could see Sam staring at me in my peripheral. I was shaking my hips slowly to the music, letting my body sing the song as well, easing into every word and belting out every note; the raspiness in my voice adding a soulful tone to each verse. I stroked the stand, somewhat using it as a pole. And the entire time, his eyes never left my body. It was a very sensual performance even though I didn’t mean it to be. That was the liquor talking. The neighbors cheered and the band performed two more songs after me before joining the block party themselves.

After receiving praise from the drunk older women (all of which were definitely trying to get into bed with him), Sam locked eyes with me as he grabbed a beer from the cooler and nodded towards our designated smoking spot. I grabbed Anna by the wrist and brought her forehead to mine. “He’s calling me over, what do I do?!” I panicked and she repeatedly hit my arms, squealing as she turned me around.

“Go get your man, bitch! Go! Go, go!” She said, suddenly catching Marcel’s eyes. He winked at her and she gave me a mischievous smile. “I think I found a boo, too….” she said, waving at him as I grinned, heading towards the cooler to grab a beer myself and following Sam’s trail.

The docks were dark and the street lamp nearby hadn’t turned on yet. All I could see was his tall figure in the moonlight, smoke dancing in the air around him. Nervously, I pulled out my source of nicotine and walked over to him, my heeled boots making a sound that stood out from the sounds of nature. He turned to look at me as I eased up next to his large frame.

“You didn’t play any Billy Idol!” I said poking him in his strong chest. He rubbed the spot with a laugh.

“Actually I did. You were late.” He said with a lopsided smirk.

“I wouldn’t have been drunk enough anyway. Right now though?! I’m extra toasted.” I chuckled trying everything in me to not be that drunk girl randomly kisses someone. But boy was he making it hard for me.

“Oh yeah? Started early, I see. I’m getting there. But just a warning:” he leaned down to my level, our noses almost touching. “You might be in trouble.” He took a drag of his cigarette and a sip of his beer, returning his gaze to the moonlit waters. ‘Fuck…’ I thought, biting my lip. “What did you think of the show?” He asked me.

“You were amazing!” I blurted almost immediately, taking a sip of beer and pulling on my own cigarette to hide my eagerness but I don’t think it worked. He smiled to himself and I stood in silence for a moment. “How’d I do?” I was almost afraid to ask.

“It was uh… very sexy… if I may say so myself.” He said, his eyes never leaving the water. “I love your voice. Marcel made the right call adding you.”

With that, we continued to talk about upcoming rehearsals and how it would work with my job. He understood that as he had to take off often for his job. We somehow ended up not leaving each other’s side all night and getting drunk together with the band and my best friend. We danced and played field games, ate food. You know, wholesome shit. As the block party came to a close, we still didn’t wanna end the night. So we moved the party to Sam’s, just us. Anna was in a corner with Marcel as he flirted with her, showing her how to play bass. She shot me a fangirl smile and I grinned at her from across the room, sitting on the kitchen counter as Sam leaned on the other opposite of me. We had all gone from drinking beer to drinking whiskey and this cup was sending me over the edge. I felt loose and not as uptight as normal. I crossed my legs and rested myself on the bar behind me, looking into his hazel eyes as he spoke to me about his adventures with his brother and family. I couldn’t believe he really went to all of these places and almost died every time. It sounded so exhilarating. And for a moment, he grew silent, his eyes running up and down my figure as I sipped on my Jim Beam and soda. “What?” I asked nervously, writhing under his strong gaze. He walked over and uncrossed my legs so that he could stand between them. He stared into my eyes as he moved a strand of hair from my face.

“You look so good…” he mewed, his forehead resting on mine now as he cupped my face with a large, calloused hand. I leaned into as his thumb ran across my lower lip. “God, I could kiss you right now…”

“Why don’t you?” I responded almost instantly, caught up in the tension of what was happening between us.

“Don’t tempt me, little girl.” He said, pulling me closer by the back of my leg, gripping it for dear life. I took a long sip of my drink, letting the ice sit on my lips for a while before wrapping my arms around his neck and grazing them over his own. The coldness against his warm lips made him shudder as my free hand played in his hair. I let my tongue dart across his lips, sending him over the edge enough to wrap his arms firmly around my waist, pressing his lips to mine. He moved slowly against me, both of us heavy breathing over each other. My fingers graced the tattoo on his neck and he took a deep breath, deepening the kiss. He moved his lips to my jawline, then to my ear. I giggled flirtatiously as I his lips travelled to my chest and back up again to the other side. I could feel him smile against my neck as he paid extra attention there, his hands roaming my thighs, hips, and back. As I bit his lip, he laughed nervously and pulled away. I was taken aback.

“Did I do something?” I asked, suddenly panicking. He placed a hand on my cheek and gently stroked my skin.

“God, no! That was… incredible. I just… I don’t wanna hurt you…” He said in a whispery tone as a slow tune played in the background. “And it’s so soon. I wanna make sure this is what you want first.” He was very considerate of me. I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. We had only just met 24 hours ago and here we were making out like we’d known each other forever.

“We’ll work on it.” I said biting my lip. He gave a low frustrated growl before kissing me once more.

“Man, I like kissing you though…” he chuckled before kissing me again.

Eventually, the night did have to come to an end. I had taken off my heels and leaned on my friend to walk home, Sam trailing us to make sure nothing happened to either of us. As we made it to the front door, I unlocked it and sent my friend to my room. There was no way I was driving tonight. I turned to look at Sam in the doorway as my friend crawled the stairs. “Drink some water and eat something before bed. That way you won’t wake up with a hangover.”

“This isn’t my first drunk night, Mr. Drake.” I said rather loudly. It was like I had cotton stuck in my ears, everything was so quiet now. He chuckled at my current drunken state and leaned against the wall. He bent his head down, grabbing my waist with a single hand and guided me to kiss him for a final time tonight. It was sweet and passionate.

“Goodnight, princess.” He said lowly, kissing my cheek before walking across the street to his own home. I smirked as I drunkenly stared at his ass in those jeans, nodding in satisfaction as I turned to close the door and join my friend for the night.