#old maroon 5 slaps

[salvatoraes]

rissa's comfort list !

comfort food(s) : mashed potatoes, mint chocolate chip ice - cream, my dad's homemade meatballs, anything chocolate tbh.

comfort drink(s) : coca - cola, iced coffee, strawberry lemonade, hot chocolate, shirley temples. ( don't care how old i am, they fucking slap )

comfort movie(s) : titanic ( don't judge me lol ) , scream, nightmare before christmas, tangled, moonrise kingdom, princess & the frog, how to lose a guy in 10 days, jennifer's body, toy story, guardians of the galaxy 2, ready or not, star wars : return of the jedi, the parent trap.

comfort show(s) : friends, the vampire diaries ( i guess :/ ) , gilmore girls, adventure time, bob's burgers, superstore, how i met your mother, one tree hill, brooklyn nine - nine.

comfort clothing : over - sized shirts, hoodies & crewnecks, leggings, uggs, stretchy shorts.

comfort song(s) : she will be loved by maroon 5, betty by taylor swift, favorite crime by olivia rodrigo, small worlds by mac miller, the way you make me feel by michael jackson, make you mine by madison beer. there's definitely more but i can't think rn lol.

comfort book(s) : looking for alaska, catching fire, a court of frost & starlight, the outsiders.

comfort game(s) : fortnite, disney's dreamlight valley, mario odyssey.

tagged by : my love, @untales ! tagging : @klaeus , @nuks , @malka-lisitsa , @poetarum , @fairyetales & you reading this, steal it <3

[a-lil-random-artist]

The Willoughbys Ghosts (The Willoughbys AU)

Chapter 3: Shopping / The past

The next day, Grace is still asleep in a library and still relaxing on a books with pillow until she woke up. She yawned softly and had good dreams and a peaceful sleep, She decided she had to check what time it is until she realized it was 11:34pm. "*Gasp!* Oh no, I gotta go to the grocery store!" She replied before she quickly got up and got herself ready to go buy some food. After getting herself ready, she gave seeds to her pet parrot and a parrot said goodbye to her "Bye bye, owner!" "See you later, Maroon!" Grace ran down a hallway before she quickly slid down a stair handrail like a slide from a playground or nostalgic places.

"Oh, I better not be trapped by those sticks adults..." She said to herself, quickly grabbed a purse until The skinny tall mustache man blocks her way infront of her "And where do you think your going, Dear-" Grace then slapped across his face so hard after pulling out a fish from her back "Out of my way, Fish breath!" Grace shouted, and she stole Father's coat to take her opportunity. "I'm borrowing this!" She replied as she took off through the winter experience. "HEY!!! MY FATHER'S OLD COAT!!!" "I can't knit!" After Grace took off, her shoes turned out into ice skating because there's a lot of icy down cities and streets. She quickly went through down a street and got through crowds who were busy watching the phones on the internet.

"Ohh, it's cold..." She whispered and occasionally kept going so she should never give up, The temperature is getting colder and colder, Grace had to get through this and pushing a bunch of crowds through. Arriving at the store, Her shoes turn back from the ice skating shoes, and she has to make sure her feet don't get pain anymore. She headed down the food area before she mostly bought some lobsters, potatoes, carrots, chicken, juices, and the final one, Cheese. After broughting a food in a cart, she is ready to get herself home, and she has to check out some food so she can make sure she doesn't want to steal it or commit a crime. "I wonder if the skinny adults are getting mad at me for stealing father's coat..." her mind replied, but the employee told her it would be 25.99$. "Sure thing, ma'am." Grace pulled out a 25 and 5 dollars each before she gave it to the worker until...the robber burst in the store. "EVERYONE PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND YOU WORKERS GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY!!! AND I'LL PULL THE TRIGGER IF YOU MOVE!!!" He shouted, and Grace is no longer putting up her hands up ."Erm, actually, I am not going to put my hands up, to be honest." "I TOLD YOU ALL TO PUT YOUR HANDS UP AGAIN, AND ESPECIALLY YOU, KID-" Grace went snapped, she ran towards a robber quickly and hung around him to gripped tightly "Don't you EVER call me again."

She quickly grabbed a grocery bag and tied it around his whole body and pose him dead like a mummy from Ancient Egypt. The robber is all tied up all over a body, and everyone stares at Grace, who is tying him up into like a mummy. Grace looked down at the robber in serious tone, she looks back at the worker who is still holding a tag and her expression are also shocked "I'll take...this...Have a good day...oh and, make sure you called the cops on this stealer." She chuckles and carries a bag of groceries were she should mostly get herself back to the old fashioned house down a cities and buildings.

In minutes later, she opens a gate before she enters in, but she feels guilty because she wrapped grocery bags around a robber like a mummy. "*Sigh* I'm a criminal lady..." She shook her head, and then she continued to head straight down towards a old fashioned house.

Once she got herself home, she noticed a skinny adult mustache man stood in front of her way, he does not honestly look happy, He was furious. "Oh, you dare you disobey me and stole my father's old coat, haven't you, young lady?" Grace stands bravely, she looked serious and only to defend herself so she wouldn't get a weak link "Walter, you should have to me go through this outworld experiences, You have no idea why you kept me like a Prisons like this, Especially your eldest son "Tim" you were only one locked him in a coal bin like victim prison." Father expressions went shocked. How did she know his real name? Is it because she guessed it or she knows? "How in the world do you know my real name?" Walter asked in little fear "Oh, you'll find out what I knew your name, Walter Willoughby." Father's eyes winded terrified, the voice and music background started, and Grace eyes glared at him like a Plague had begans in Egypt.

(You may skip it to 0:52)

"Alright, that's it, young lady! I had EENOUGH for being stubborn to face me! Have you learned nothing!?" "You weak link, Skinny neck" Grace called him "That's Enough I told you! If you say it one more time, I am going to sent you. To the coal bin!" He pointed at her, but the disturbing terrifying thing was he is going to send her a Coalbin like Tim got. Grace looked up and down with attitude way until she called him again "Dolphin looking lips-" "I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS-" BONK!!! BAMM!!! Father ended up getting bonked by someone and made him knock out cold. The dizzy birds fly around his head, and Father had no longer moved or responded anymore. Grace looked over until she realized it was Barnabies and Phoebe who knocked him out with Wooden Sledgehammer while Phoebe is the one holding a old fashioned toy crossbow "B-Barnabies? Phoebe? Why did you guys knock him out for?" She asked in surprised.

Barnaby B: Threatened you

Barnaby A: Still looked Aggressive.

Phoebe Willoughby: I think daddy is trying put you in the basement, isn't he?

Grace couldn't help, and how did Barnabies snuck behind him and knock him out cold? Grace had no idea why they both knocked him out like that, but she decided she had to go over a kitchen. In minutes later, she is cooking dinner, and she already placed a redish-pink yarn on both lobsters known like Father and Mother willoughby while she is singing about Freddy Fazbear's music box. After she boils water, She took off a yarn from Lobster before she play a lobster "🎶I took her wig off, and she went into the GREAT WHITE SHARRKKK🎶" After she put a lobster in the boil water and kept cooking a stove, she made the explosive flames like a Volcano exploded so hard. "Ohhhh ahhhhh..." She smiles with a wide open. Her mirror eyes have a shade of fire who looked at the devil. Her shadows are even same exact thing, and she looked like a devil, but no, the disturbing fact is that she had a real form among her. Do you wanna know why her shadow looked different? Oh, I'll tell you, I'll tell you what happened in the back of her real past instead of a Willoughby version.

An 1 year ago

In Duluth Minnesota, there was a young clown lady named "Leah" (known as Leia) but instead of leah, it's hard to remember those sound about Leia, same sound as Princess Leia from Star Wars, eh? Well, I'll continue this story. It's obviously very sad and tragic to her. Leah the blue clown female figure who left from her adopted family and she have to get herself through, back to her real Family for what her parents left her and her little brother named "Logan" alone in this different of Minnesota are Maplewood. Duluth is looking far away from Maplewood, Minnesota, right? Apparently, Leah's torso can be exposing ribs, and she hasn't eaten dessert for a days during traveling through the long walk in Frozen to Duluth. "I'm not hungry...I gotta get to my...Family in reality..." She said in starving ways, her legs can be get weaker when she walks every day in hours and she still finding her family because she have to forgive them for leaving them off. "M-Mom? D-Dad?" She called out for them from a shivering tone, and the worst thing was her parents nowhere to be founded down a Duluth towns and cities. Her expression turns out Anxiously and she must complete herself to arrive her family until she could eat and drinks. "Leah?" Someone called out to her.

Leah slowly turned around and noticed someone was following right behind her until it must be... Leah's great best friend. Leah's great best friend name "Theodore" whose skin is mostly black. He wasn't trying to get her back to the Adopted Family, He wanted to join her side so she could get them back together. "T-Theo? What are you doing here...?" She asked in shivered way before Theodore quickly ran towards her. "Oh thank god, leah...where in the world have you been, little man?" "Theo, you're supposed to take care of the cartoonist...Prototype Warners... but how long when you've been walking by the way...?" She asked in the shivered way "Well... its been like 55 hours since sometimes I sleep or take a drink so I can have my energy. But come on, we gotta find your parents to get back together." Theodore quickly carries her on his muscular back, he looked so strong when he carries her on him. Leah quickly hung around him before Theodore started to take off "Do you know we're you're family went?" Theodore asked and gave his jacket to Leah. "I-I don't know... maybe my family just went to different places, right?"

I guess it's hard to find her family, her phone is no longer turned on, which is exactly dead, and she hasn't charged it ever since she got out from her adopted family. "Well, could you track your family?" "No...Its just getting worse because my phone just died during traveling..."

In hours later, "We're almost close, little man..." he said in a little shivered way "Theodore, You should put your jacket on if it's cold..." she replies "No thanks, I'm going to keep going." He said and ran down through the streets "Dang, but are we deaduzz, tho?" "Sadly." During hours later, they arrived at the hotel and heard Leah's parents chatting someone in the hotel room "who are they talking to...?" Just then Theodore whisper and snuck the hotel room to see what's going on, Theodore and Leah (leia) noticed that someone is obviously familiar before. It was Cindy and Caden, those twins identical d ifferent genders witches which even have dark skin, glasses, and orange hair. "Is that Cindy and Caden...?" Leah quickly hushed him, making sure she doesn't want him to distract them both and Leah's family. They both said, "If we found leah (leia) wandering among an outside street or next to the any other places, we will find her and bring her to the New Wonderland home. We both will have to make sure we should have to talk to her when we bought her to her new home." For what they both heard them saying they're to have find them, Theodore realized they're both going to find Leah (leia) to bring her back to the New home. "Wait, Theo, where we going?" She whispered. "We gotta get to my aunt house, since we haven't seen eachother for years."

After getting to his Aunt house

Theodore explains to her aunt and uncle for what happened but Auntie can't believe why would they bring her back to the New Wonderland home like a Orphans. Leah (leia) carefully hold Theodore's baby cousin and rock him for a bit "Umm, miss blueberry clown, Are the twins witches going to find out if your inside my mommy's house?" Theodore's little cousin ask before Leah (leia) glances at her. "Well, I hope not. I hope they both wouldn't find us around in this town, Shanyqua. " She replied and kept cradling Theodore's little baby cousin "Right... So uhh, m-may I carry my baby brother when you turned into skeleton?" "SHANYQUA!!!" Theodore's middle cousin shouted and quickly carried Shanyqua as a back ride "What? What did I do?" "Quit distracting your baby brother, you know your baby brother sleeping!" "But Parker! The baby is pretending to asleep!" "He is sleeping, don't just try to carry him, you're going to dropped him down on a floor." Theodore's auntie call out to her "Kids, what did I tell you not to fight?"

Once they're gone, Leah (leia) looked down and see a baby open his eyes, smiling with reaching his chubby hands to her "*chuckle* Little Tommy, Are you trying to pretend to be sleeping and being a trouble maker?" She smiled with holding a baby. Little Tommy smiles and yawned, but he's trying to reach his chubby hand to her blue clown nose, thinking it must be a food. Theodore looked at them both with his heart filled with love until... someone knocked the door. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM! "Cindy and Caden here, open up the door." Oh hell naw, they're back again! Theodore quickly put on his jacket, and leah quickly leaves a baby on a couch gently. "We gotta go." He replied.

When Theodore's auntie opens the door, she recognized there's was a both identical siblings who are known as Cindy and Caden "Oh hello there! Is there I can help you?" "We're looking for a missing child." Caden replies, and it makes her confused as well. "Oh, um...W-Which one-" Suddenly, they heard a window shattered through, causing them to get caught by the sight. "Bye." She quickly shut the door. Theodore ran down a forest so they both could get out through this "Theo, wait! My legs are weaker!" Theodore quickly carries her up before they ran down fast. "Its them! Get them!" They both heard someones shouting and glancing back of them until it must be identical twins back again "Don't worry, we've gotta get through this before its too late." Theodore said, taking the opportunity to ran off from both of them. Leah's hand feels her claws growing, and the sight of a scars on her legs and arms glows red, she could feel pain until her limbs and arms grews even worse. Theodore could feel heavy around her until... She transformed into the beast.

Theodore let out scream but she place him on her back before she has to get going "Woah! Hey! Leah! (Leia)" He shouted, leah didn't get attention to him, she's kept running away in the forest as fast as possible.

When they recognized there's a separate river cliff called "Rouge River", She quickly jumped over to another cliff and let it out roar, showing a sky of a Red Moon with Beast shadow surrounded.

Back in Reality

Grace is all set up the foods and she couldn't help but something seemed you didn't even know. Grace grabbed her hair slowly and pull it out until...It reveals as Leah the blue female clown. Leah is the only one who were pretended to be as Grace Willoughby. She have to make sure she doesn't wanted get caught by a Willoughbys Parents or a Children. Apparently, she put her wig back on and turned back to her Willoughby form "Gracie! Are you coming?" Phoebe ask. The dinner is finally served.

Phoebe Willoughby (The OC) is belongs to @lilmizzbeebee

[charlesandmartine]

Saturday 13th April 2024

Another beautiful day so on good advice we made our way to the old harbour in time to see the fishing fleet return at 10.00am. Apparently when the boats arrive, 6 resident stingrays also appear. Huge they are: as tall as a man. Sadly there was no sign of either, so we followed the second bit of advice from our landlady and walked along firstly the boardwalk and then the beach for as far as our Start-Rite shoes would take us. The sun shone and the pastel colours of the beach and the sea were stunning. What a fantastic part of the world this is! An angling club was having a bit of a competition; rods and lines were everywhere. It seemed that most members were policemen so hopefully there was no crime in these parts today. Occasionally a cry went up and officials had to verify a catch. We witnessed a sand shark being landed. Wasn't huge, but apparently it counted. After a flap or two on the sand it was ceremoniously returned to its watery home. Also in abundance on the beach were an invasion of Portuguese Men of War left high and dry, marooned for all time by the receding tide. I might mention also the snake, but identification was difficult.

We checked again on return to the harbour for the presence of stingrays but once again we felt let down by their absence. I'm told the fishing fleet may not have gone out due to the turbulence at sea, therefore stingrays remained buried in the sand, as they do.

After luncheon, following yet further instructions from the landlady, we again put the VW through its paces with specific attention this time to suspension on unmade-up roads, and then in full Virginia Woolf fashion, 'To the Lighthouse'. We clambered up all 71 steps within it to view the light and walk the balcony, perhaps despite the concern of the girl in the ticket office who seemed to have doubts we might make it up and down safely. We could see she was much relieved when after 20 minutes or so her charges returned none the worse for wear despite the inclination of all the steps and ladders required to negotiate. Installed 1st March 1849, 31m high, at a cost of £15,871 with a 400W bulb that flashes every 5 secs, the lighthouse has a range of 31 nautical miles. It was esigned by Col.C Mitchell, Surveyor General of the Cape Colony in a style of the Pharos of Alexandria in Egypt. Well with a design of that provenance it should have fixed the problem for good, however on 16th November 1982 in a terrible storm, a 45m Japanese trawler, Meisho Maru No 38 hit rocks close to the lighthouse so hard it broke up and is still there. Well, I guess there's always one isn't there? All of this is bang on the Southern most point in Africa, named Ponts de Sao Brandao by Bartholomew Dias the well known Portuguese Mariner when he happened to pass by on 16th May 1488, and marks the official position where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. Both sides look the same to me but I'm sure the fish know the difference. That name didn't stick too long because it was renamed in 1502, Capo Das Agulhas meaning 'Needles' after the sharp looking rocks nearby. Now since 1972 just called Cape Agulhas for short. The exact location has been a bit of a discussion issue since 1836, so recently the International Hydrographical Organisation waded in and said that's it, not discussing this any more it's slap bang on the longitudinal line 20°E. End of.... Oh ok then....

Talking of fish, we then went to the Trattoria for a superb lemon sole fish supper. Well, I had that but Martine thought some form of pasta would be preferable. Very nice it was too. We had a bottle of SB on ice back at the motor pool to wash it down with. Great day. Tomorrow we move further along the Garden Route coast.

[nightguide]

so i took advice from, Taylor Swift (like i hardly do but i make good look of it anyway (as i am) that my albums (i set up) is a modal schemes like what i know astrology is capable of, so now i had to jump from OUOHIM to 4 albums later (1-5) and it's capable knowing greek energies knowing me anyway, that i feel that remorse for my true self (how she activates her identity) is multi-tasking and that you're capable of (like Spectrum is a project i prepared before OUOHIM promos finalise with a sexy bow from the past, so i decorate that with what you know and what the world of (singers/musicians/writers) give actors a follow through (who i rep) and it's circle before i know the official release of OUOHIM is going to put rest on (how Taylor shuts herself up (it's her rarity to walk like her (she rich physically and i'm rich metaphysically (she got dough hut more than i got mo' hut (greek til another universe says its me (we knew)

so here is who i rep (against but for me):

OUOHIM: THERAPISTS

SPECTRUM: EROS IN PISCES BENEVOLENTS

MY INNER VOICE, THE PROTECTOR, THE VILLAIN: DESI WOMEN

LIKE I NEVER NEEDED ANYONE: JOAN WASSER

SHUT UP: LINNA (LIN-NA) FROM CREST' END. (DERILECT. THE LIBRAN AQUARIAN SUN)

til now she modified my identity is why i am who i am why i am (The Beatles is historically pondered upon til found by historical trace, like i don't make the rules, so i thought i was going to man up, David Bowie (man of the stars), Elvis (orion eagle wintours, the devil himself), Lady Gaga (bitch prism olympics (chroma) and The Beatles was last to none if i thought if i was Jeff Buckley sex symbol to a meiter dome resonance to their lyrics torturing the sweetest concubine (i am a hero because of the (The Doctor)

and here is how SHUT UP is sexually charged compared to my highest self (i am going to get back to Just Dance olympics to sexually forge tarot cards by expenditures in Hollywood making me and Jonathan Groff a true equal (i am why they let me (Beatlesmania is their prime time in news channels sexualising a guitar in why they hated it to found mercy in the man who shot Lennon and Mitski lifely of a new wife letting their son go (making me an oddity with the world of my father before me (family status) and primevera 60's being the luxe of a car drive getaway is America in their eyes (is sexually inhibited by the force to feel and go)

i am the bullied kid.

ROSE WINE: SEXUALLY TELLING CHARLIE CARBONE HOW ITS LIKE TO HAVE A CHILD KNOWING WHY I LET THE STAR MEADOW GO (MY ARTS IS SAVED BY A LUXURY, I'M COOL)

EIDEN: MYSELF AND I (THE STARS KNEW WHY (I AM LABOURED BY TREASON, NOT FAULT)

MAYBELLE: UNDERNEATH THE WEATHER (OLD, BUT GOLD)

QUARTZ: DICK IS MAYHEM BUT HER PLEASURE (WHY I LOVE THE ARTS OF GETTING BEATEN UP)

SHIFT - EM BAILEY: NEUTERED PLEASURE OF A SEXUAL OLYMPIAN AND KNOWING THE COSMIC LIBRARY IS STILL A HOVEL TO THE EONS OF SATYRED PLEASURE (EVER-SENSE)

LOSE: THE BASTARD THAT. CRIED. DROOLF (TAYLOR BILES)

GANGNAM: I HIT MYSELF HARD (SAME PERSON) CRYING OF THE ARTS IS A BODY OF A N*GGER.

FIFTEEN: THE BAND (LINNA) SUCKED BACK. (TIME DAY OF THE 2010'S (IS)

REXORZ ROCKETS: BITCH SLAPPED (RIAZ'S MENDLER)

GLADIUM STADIUM: HE IS ALL ABOUT.... (NOTHING)

VIRGIN TOWER RESORTS: CROP TOP EMERGENCY (MAKKAH)

CARPE NOBLE: 10TH DOCTOR WAS THE MAN OF HIS THING TIL I GAVE UP HIS GUITAR (WHAT?)

DENIS DIAZ: GHUSFHUF ANNUALLY. (YOU KNEW)

SPIN TRIX: TEXTILES RESORTS IS A BITCH TO FLICK NOW (WHY SHE'S ALWAYS THERE)

GARNET SCARLET: JANUARY PRICK. MAROON WAS HIS NAME, AND I WORE IT (I GOT POWERS NOW, BUT I STILL RECIEVE (ONLY FAN LETTERS) FROM HER WHEN SHE WORE IT (BRACES)

LUMLEY’S 2011 ESCORTS: JOANNA'S CAIRO (SU. ENDED THERE (GLEE CAST FELT IT)

SIKH PRINCE: CASH BACK. GOLD WAS GHOUL'S SILVER (I'M LANCELOT) NO BOY FRIENDS. (SHOUT OUT TO LEE)

AFFECTIONATE LITTLE TROUBLEMAKER: SWEET MAGENTA.

THE BOYFRIEND AT SEPTEMBER: IT'S HOLD UP - DEMI LOVATO BRUISE TRAUMA BURN OUT (NOT ALLOWED)

IS NOT HIM: 11TH DOCTOR (SHUT UP). I DID NOT KNOW MORE (HE WAS THE LAST, BUT I'D GIVE UP LILY JAMES TO HURT HER (ACTUALLY DOES)

FUCK HIM OUT OF SPACE: YU AND WHO? (LIFE OF A COWARD IN A DESI JEDI DREAM: SCHOOL FIGHTS AND A PICKY WHITE DRY SNOT TATTOO AT THE CORNER (ENGLISH PERIOD) FDUCK OFF

EISHA: EVERYDAY I EARNED IT (MK11 (?) 11:35 SCORES AT

TRAMPZLACED BRA INTERNET: GIRLS CHANGING ROOM (SAGGY BRAGGY BRA'S NO VICTORIA (HEH?) SAMEYA FUCKD OFF. EARNED THAT (SEX SYMBOL IN THE EAST, THATS WHY I DID NOT GET RAPED)

SHE DID NOT.: IT'S IN MY NAME.

FUCK THE GYM: I LOOK GOOD WEARING ENGLISH CLOTHES (LIMITED) OW, I HEARD THAT (ONLY TIME I NEVER GET TO PAY MEMBERSHIP TO WEBSTER'S ALIAS LIKE I'M AMERICAN TO SEVERANCE (TV SHOW BYPASS MONOPOLY TO SAY 'I EARNED THAT. *iN a bRiTiSh aCcEnT* FUCKKKKK OFFFFF*PH*)

RUSSIAN LEADER: THIGHS LIKE THAT. (TO ME RN. THIGHS LIKE THAT (DOLIREZ RAPES FOR FREE: CONSPIRACY FRYES LIKE THAT) FAT BITCH (CHUCK)

HERO: SHE IS ALL DAY. LIKE 3PM TO 4PM RAPED THAT (BAG REP. HONESTY, IT'S ALL BOOKS. (BITCH, LIKED THAT)

DOORS: MY MOM IS A D*

SCINEARIO: NOSTALGIA? F******* (WHY I DID NOT LIVE: VICTIMHOOD ONE PASS (WHY THE FUCK IS SHE SO HARD TO AFFORD LIKE IM A MAN (FCK OF SAJEADDD)

ENDED ME, AGAIN: ZOE LEWIS IS FULL OF SHIT (LIMEWIRE)

SHUT UP: ITS IN MY NAME, IM PORNOGRAPHIC AND I'LL PROVE YOU LIKE A SHIT STAIN

PRINTZ SCTICK: RADIO SOFTWARE HALAL. HE MANNED IT, BUT WHAT? (NO, HE MANNED IT (FATHER. BUT ME OKAY, HA!)

NO POINT, SHE HAD IT ALL: YOU CAN'T DO NOTHING TO CHANGE BACK TIME (BRUNT AGAINST THE MINUTE MEN (TENET KAMIKAZE)

YT.: WHAT? FUCK YOU, I KNEW YOU CAN EARN GAINS ANYWAY (MY FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE HAS A TYPE) FUCK YOU. *THEY KNEW WHY*

NUCLEUS: SCIENCE LESSONS GIVING ME SQUEEZE (THEM BOYS DID THAT (REACT TO ME, WHAT THE HELL IS IN THE STARS (I MOCKED THAT (BLIEPRINT BIYCH) DID THAT. (LITTLE DOLLAR TO THE 14/15 YO KISSING YT. ASS)

THAT.: YOU KNEW.

CORNER PRIME: WHAT THE FUCK IS IN PAKISTAN THAT YOU DID NOT SKIP (YOU BRUSH PORN WITH YOUR GRANDDADDY ALGORITHM METRICS (IT'S IN TAYLOR'S TIMES (SORRY) THAT YOU PRAYED AND HOPE (THAT I STILL FUCK UP OLD AGE LIKE A METRO. (YOU HOE'D THAT (P IS SILENT)

TREK TRACKS: GNOSTIC ALLAH (SCREAMS)

BITCH IN LAMBO’S CHRISTIAN: LATER ON I FUCKED THAT. (RED SEX)

HEEL ME DID IT ICON: JOAN WASSER'S LINNA. (THE INVENTOR CALLED ME 'THE ONE' (YOU CAN SEE IT)

12: WHEN I ENTERED FIGHT CLUB

DERILEKT: SCAB LIKE THE GRAZE ON THE BRITISH WALLS YOU'LL KNOW MY NAME (YOU LIVE LIKE A PAKI YOU SAID U HATE (UR A BITCH NOW)

MISS SCATT: FASHION ETHICS IS A DICK CUM SQUAT (CLASSROOM GYMNASTICS (HIYA!)

LIBRUN: WEIGHT IS GAME. FAT NESS IS GOODNESS (SHABAASH (THAT GIRL IN BRECON YR 8 (GAME)

FAT TUNE TELLER: TOP 40'S LIKE I'M SWAYZE TO PIXIE LOTT I MAMA DONE THE BEATLES PRIME IS MY JUDGEMENT BGT THEY LET ME AND I WON (GAME IS THE SOUL SILHOUETTE TO ADELE THAT SHE CRIED FORTNITES A TIME DIZZEE RASCAL RAVE CHANGER PARTIES DOWN AT GANGNAM (UK DID IT FIRST) AND I WAS THERE (SHE WALKED OUT A LEG.END.)

MISTER WANNABE SONGWRITER: ITS IN MY ECHO.

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN: FULL VERSION OF SELENA'S WET SUB-TEXT (BACK WHEN FREEVIEW WAS REP)

LINNA, THE BAND.: ART IS SELDOM WISDOM (GTFO WITH THAT REPORT CARD TRAFFIC BASTARDOM (THANKS)

BEATLES ANTHOLOGY SUBTEXTS: MR. HOWES WITH THE 15TH DOCTOR WORLDWIDE (ENDING PITBULL) TO CRIMES LIKE A SITH MEETS FORTNITE JEDI (DEADLY HEM)

COLDPLAY: THE VIRTUAL RENNAISSANCE OF THE WORLD OF TEENAGE LINNA TAKING BRECON ON (THE WONDER): PACABELS CANON FINI-MORTEM.

BREXES: IT'S SEXIER ON. THAN OFF (RUNS OVER FLEABAG GEN. SINGER SONGWRITERS LIKE A CASH COW (AT LEAST SIMON APPROVES ME)

CLOTHES SHOW, THE WORLD TOUR: YOU DON'T KNOW EXPERIENCE IN MY EYES (FREEFORM DOLLA. THE WORLD OF WALL STREET IS HIDDEN THERE WHEN I'M OUT THERE SCOUTING (HAD A GR8 TIME THO)

NEON JUNGLE RIVIERA: FIRST BAND IS BAD SAX (GRACES LIVED ULTIMATUM (I AM BAND GIRLIE AFTER ALL)

BARRY M. MONOPOLY: SEX NY. MONOPOLY (AT IT'S EARLIEST (FELT GOOD ABOUT IT THO.)

COACH HOME RIVLORA: THE VYBS OF A DEMONIC SCHOOL TRIP STREETS LIPA OUT OF HAWAII (FUTURE BEST FRIEND)

WEST M. FUCK YOU: YET THESE EXIST. (BULLIED KID IS SUDDNELY A FORTUNE TELLER (DYSPRAXIA)

SWEET.: ENDS THE HUM. EUROPE (BITCH)

HEAD OF HOUSE DETENTION (GOLD CERTIFICATE): THE BEATLES IF I NEVER SEEN THEM (WHO?)

[cringeandunbased]

Old maroon 5 SLAPS

[onlinealiasnu]

music in narnia - pt.1

there’s a special place in my heart—a place that none will ever match up to, no matter how extravagant or extraordinary or magnificent or, well, you get the deal. and i’m sure it’s not just me with this same yearning feeling for a place that’s so mundane yet so tender in memory. this place isn’t just a static one; it’s like narnia—if you get the reference. it’s the feeling that encapsulates all the magic in the air and the snow under your feet. narnia is that feeling, not the closet from where it came from.

it’s just that. not the belt parkway—the physical place of origin—but the feeling of spending summer nights in a car under bright lights speeding away in an old honda civic. it was this feeling—windows rolled down, 99.1 fm turned all the way up on the radio, and the cutting humid breeze slapping the sides of my face—that made up my “special place.”

i don’t exactly remember how my family got in this tradition. well, to take a step back, this was barely tradition, as i rarely spent time with both my parents in the same room due to the nature of their work. so riding in my dad’s car became a tradition within my head, a special place where i was surrounded by my entire family and was in the company of a lulling state of mind where nothing else mattered.

my dad would announce for us kids to keep the house out of trouble, as he packed up his things and slipped on his running shoes. almost always, my sister and i perked up, eyes glistening and legs excitedly skipping, and all that nonsense. we knew the implication of our dad leaving at exactly 10 p.m. on monday nights. this meant our mom was finally done with work and he was heading out to pick her up, all the way from one borough to the edge of another. 

noticing our excitement, he would ask us who wanted to tag along in his adventure and my sister and i never hesitated to say yes at the prospect of us staying awake past our bedtime. throwing on thin sweaters and our nike sneakers, we rushed out of the house to claim our seats in the car. like always, i sat on the right side in the backseat, a spot i’d proclaimed to myself and only myself after one day of revelation. we would forget to put on our seatbelts, to which our dad would lightly scold us for. we would try to peek our heads out the window as he pulled out the driveway and began driving towards the freeway. my sister would go on and on and on talking about anything and everything her mind came across (which happened to be everything in the whole world apparently from the sheer amount she would talk). my hands would trace the impurities and stains across the window as my cheek rested against the cold pane of glass. i would grip the two handlebars of the front seat’s headrest, pulling myself closer to the front and peering through the gap between the headrest and seat to admire the sea of red taillights staining my view. then, it would start raining and we would quickly roll the windows back up, still managing to get splashes of rainwater on our faces. we would ask our dad to turn the radio up on songs we hollered our voices out to, songs that we knew and loved by our hearts. as the rain pattered against the windows, songs like maroon 5’s “sugar” blasted against the drum of the water.

still, the real fun didn’t begin until our drive back home, after agonizing minutes of waiting for her to wrap up and join us in the car. she would tell us she was done, but that soon turned into almost done and another five minutes and then another twenty minutes. we would groan and complain until she actually finished cleaning up and closing up shop then complain about our hunger when she got in the car with us. on those nights, when we left for home close to midnight and the only places open were the gas stations and shady motels, we opted to buy a huge bucket of popeyes fried chicken home to satiate our hunger. pulling out of the drive through, my sister and i could barely repress the growls of our stomachs and were forced to keep our hands away from the food so we could wait till home to eat.

here, marked the most important turns of our drive. from my mom’s workplace to our house was a 45 minute stretch of driving that was filled with endless singing, bickering between my sister and i, and our parents grunts of exhaustion waiting for our energy to wear out. we hollered to “mirrors” by justin timberlake and solemnly sung along to “sparks” by coldplay. we clutched our chests and sung low to ed sheeran’s “thinking out loud” while dancing along to any bruno mars song that came on. it was this moment that was euphoric: karaoking along to the songs on the radio as we raced past the pier on the freeway, going 65 mph and feeling as though time would never stop.

[infinitegalahad]

SHE WILL BE LOVED (Floyd Talbert X F! Reader)

Summary: Floyd drove for miles and miles, and still wounded up at the same door. Every. Single. Time.

Word-Count: 6.5k

Warnings: Slight mention of smut, past mentions of abuse/ rape

A/N: Based off of the Maroon Five Song. Not gonna lie, there old stuff is salvageable and can go hard, Overexposed is a great album. I have a love and hate relationship with this oneshot. I should be sleeping because I have to wake up at 7:50AM tomorrow but like...Floyd Talbert, am I right? Also, I'm working on dribbles. My inbox is acting strange so if you sent in anything, please send it in again, thank you! Hope you guys enjoy!

Taglist: @tvserie-s-world @easy-company-tradition @liebgotttme @50svibes @ricksmorty

Masterlist | Add yourself to my taglist!

Women say men are all the same; A gentleman, at least what Floyd Talbert considered him, proves women wrong.

Floyd Talbert knew he was no good. He didn’t consider himself a playboy , even though he charmed a new girl every week and possibly took them to bed, but he definitely knew how to play the game. Heck, his friends called him the master of the game. Girls back home and Europe loved it when Tab would break their young hearts with his dashing smirk. Every week, he’d have a pretty lady or two hanging off of his arms, giggling and smiling at anything he did or said. It boosted his ego even bigger than it already was. What was there not to love? He got whatever he wanted, when he wanted, and he always was satisfied in the end.

Guys wished they were him and any girl he could get his hands on simply adored him. Floud Talbert was like Hercules, but more conceited and naive. He was too young for marriage and too old for foolish games. He liked the flamboyant lifestyle he lived, it kept him on edge. Besides, who would Floyd Talbert, the one, the only, change for?

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“Busy night?” You questioned, leaning against the counter, overlooking the packed bar. There was soft jazz in the backing music, singing, dancing, and loads of drunken men. Most of them were Americans. Alborune had been hosting the Paratroopers in the quaint little town. On the weekends, the pubs would turn into total clusterfucks, at least according to your boss.

Your boss looked at you and shrugged his shoulders, throwing a towel over his shoulder. “Unfortunately, and a lot of damn drunks,” He cursed. You looked behind him, seeing the American soldiers sloppily dancing with the local girls and even some of the waitresses. You could see the soldiers, their breaths of beer and hands grasping the waitresses' backs and butts, spinning them around as swing music played in the black. You had worked in a pub and knew how these relationships ended; divorce or after an awkward one night stand. Unfortunately, you had experienced the two of those more times then you could count on your fingers. Not wanting to get hurt, you made it official that you were here to do your job, make drinks, and serve the men. Nothing else and nothing more.

You bit your lip, letting out an inhale, “Another Friday night at the pub.”

“Jus’ be careful, you hear me?” Your boss warned. He was like a father towards you; an old man with sweet eyes. He always made sure the waitresses in his bar weren’t being harassed in the pub. “And whatever you do-”

“Don’t get yourself into trouble,” You repeated as you tied the apron onto your hips, “I know. ‘S not like I’ll be getting into it anytime today, or at all.”

At the bar you worked at, most of the waitresses were the most beautiful women you had ever seen. They looked like they belonged in Hollywood with their soft curls, red lips, and large breasts. They were always either chatting up a storm with a Paratrooper, giving a paratrooper a motorboat, dancing with a Paratrooper, or sneaking with a Paratrooper to the back of the Pub. It was because they were beautiful on the outside, but not within. The men weren’t smart enough to see that. All they desired was a pretty girl to use and then dispose of the next day. It occasionally made you a tad bit jealous. You knew how childish it was, but you wanted to be that girl who was loved not only for her looks, but her personality. Loved for who you truly were. But you reminded yourself that it was better if you kept yourself out of the limelight.

You had begun your shift, taking orders and rushing to the counter to make two full trays of beer in your hands. The night was so far going well. A few of the men had hit on you, but it was nothing new or special. You simply ignored it, doing your mundae little schedule.

Rosie was one of your co-workers. She was everything you wished to be; pretty, bubbly, and got everything she wanted. Every week, Rosie would wrap another Paratrooper around her finger. However, she began to play their game as well. Rosie took pleasure in twisting the mind’s of the Paratroopers and breaking their hearts, finding entertainment in it. She was a tease and took great pride in it. As much as you wanted to be her, seeing the Paratroopers have drinking games and even fights over her hand in “marriage” or “too see her glorious caboose”, you stopped and questioned yourself with emotion and logic. Was she truly happy doing this? Was she trying to fill a void in her life? Was she more of an object then a woman? Was it moral of her to break hearts as well?

You saw Rosie sitting next to a young Paratrooper as they made out passionately, hands traveling across each other's bodies. You couldn’t help but look and see their burning desire and hunger for each other. Rolling your eyes, you walk around the crowded bar, the strong smell of Alcohol and vintage jazz pleasing your ears. Every table was full, and as much as you dreaded it, it was your job to go around and ask what the men wanted.

You approached the first time and put on a counterfeit red smile, tilting your head as you chirped to the men. They all turned to you, half smiles and tired eyes, begging for more alcohol. You simply took the groups and wrote down their orders, going from man to man until you reached the end of the table.

“And what would you like?” You asked, preparing your pen and pushing it against your tiny notebook.

The man at the end of the table was conversing with her friends. He first turned his head, greeting you

with his big hazel eyes. You observed his boyish features of ruffled golden hair, a babyface, and lightly tanned skin. Sure, he was handsome, but so was every other man in this bar. He looked at you up and down, a smirk forming at the edge of his lips before he turned his whole body around to face you. He leaned on the edge of the table and simply stared at you, like he was in awe.

“You,” He spat, earning a laugh from all of his friends.

Through your smile, you grit your teeth. “As If I’ve heard that one a million times..” It was a lie, that was the first time you had ever heard that in a while. You weren’t pretty enough to be noticed, but this time was apparently an expectation. “Do you want me to get you a menu?”

You pointed his finger at you, “Like I said-you.” He stood up and smirked, holding his hands out. “You-me, I think we’d make a pretty great match.”

“How would we make a great match If I’ve known you for less than a minute?” You questioned, raising your eyebrows. “I could be mean.”

“Oh, come now. You're gorgeous, I’m handsome.” He persisted. Great, not one of these. “Besides, I like challenges. Just be warned, I always win them miss…” He hesitated on your name before continuing, “Your name, doll?”

“Your order?” You said as you tapped your pen against your notebook. His little nickname had your cheeks flush a little. Thank god the pub had been litlety dimmed. “Please?”

“A beer and your name, please.” He politely requested. “I don’t believe I’m asking for much.”

You looked at him with a sarcastic and puzzled expression, “Why do you care so much about knowing my name? You seem like the type who would forget by the next morning.”

His friends made “ohing” noises like middle schoolers like a teacher would reprimand one of their friends. The cocky bastard let out a chuckle, flashing his pearly whites in a cocky smile. “Well, it depends. You’re feisty-I like it. Since it’s gonna be a while before we have anything going on between us, I best thought I’d make us familiar with each other. It’ll take some time for you to fall for me, but when you do, you’ll be lucky.”

This man could not be for real. It wasn’t a man, but a boy. But on the outside, he was so god damn handsome. He looked like a homewrecker, but god damn, he did a good job of being one. Your boss's word’s of staying out of trouble were lingering from your mind now, and so quickly.

“You’re not gonna shut up until I tell you my name now, are you?”

He shook his head, “Where’s the fun in that, dollface?”

You wrote down his order for beer and then looked up, a smirk, “Y/n. Now you?”

“Y/n, a good name for a good girl. I’ve met a lot of y/n’s, but none like you. They fell into my arms like flies, but you aren’t like that. Just yet,” He joked, earning an eye roll from you. “It’s only fair If I tronduce myself, Sergeant Floyd Talbert,” He gave you a quick salute before relaxing, ‘But you can call me Tab, your boyfriend, or that silver fox that swept you off of your pretty little feet.”

“I think Tab will be good. Just try not to forget my name now, even though my expectations aren’t very high.” You sassed. He gave you an air kiss and you simply gave him a side eye, holding the tray and notebook to your chest as you ushered back to the counter to retrieve Beers. As you prepared them, you thought about Floyd Talbert. There were thousands of men like him. Good for nothing players who were too damn handsome for their own goods. Floyd Talbert was the type of man your parents would warn you to stay clear of since their middle names were trouble in all capitals.

But if he was so bad, then why was he so good to look at it?

Back at the bustling table, Floyd had kept his eyes on you. He watched your eyemove, like a hunter with its prey. He saw you converse with other waitresses, turn down compliments from other paratroopers, and do your job. He wasn’t one for formality, especially in the dating fields. It wasn’t what he was accustomed to doing. By now, the two of you would’ve been in the back of the pub, faulting to get your clothes off of each other for a wuckie. But you were different, you were a special case that Floyd knew would take a lot of investigating,

“Why’d you ask for her name?” Malarkey asked, knocking Floyd out of his trance. “You say it’s not good to ask for a dame’s name. You know, to make it easier.”

Floyd didn’t look over at Malarkey and simply stared at you, filling the large drinks with beer. He pulled on his lip, slumped on the chair. He always knew the answer for everything, he always had a solution.

But this time, it was different.

Floyd had gone into one of the bathrooms with a waitress, who simply smirked at him. Her whole face had trouble written her face, and so did he. She had red lipstick, bedroom eyes, and the nicest rack Floyd had ever seen. He knew from that moment that he would use his words to woo her. After a brief conversation of aggressive flirting, her and Floyd headed to the bathrooms with the blonde, angrily took their clothes off, and fucked. It was quick and there was not a single word spoken between the two. Floyd loved the attention and girls he got, but he never got a relationship or word out of them. He only cared for their looks, which even he knew was shallow. But it was all he knew how to do. If they seemed happy, so was he. But inside, was he truly happy with this lifestyle he lived? Did he like leaving a girl heartbroken the next morning with no goodbye? Did it make him happy?

And yet, he never asked for her name or had a small conversation with her. After they finished, she simply cleaned herself up and left, acting like nothing had happened. Floyd acted like that too, it was easy to put on a facade. He brushed back his ruffled hair and looked at himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw on the outside, but what did he like on the inside?

He still thought about the girl who had served him, y/n, who was not like his other targets. Y/n rejected his advances and twisted his words, which even Talbert found entertaining. He didn’t know this girl very well, but he wanted to. Flirt with her and talk to her, heck-even have a drink with her.

His hyperixation with Y/n wasn’t going to be ending anytime soon.

--------

So Floyd did what he did best-he kept coming back to the Pub. He would come with the men from Easy Company, and sometimes on his own. There he’d find y/n, who’d roll her eyes as he’d walk over and make another “amazing” attempt at flirting. His comments weren’t very creepy, after all, he was a gentleman. You had seen him around the bar before, but never learned his name. You always saw him as the handsome player with a blonde or brunette on his arm. Sure, he had that classic boyish look every girl and guy wished or wanted, but under all that hair gel and his pristine uniform-was he doing it all for his own pleasure? Did he think of women as toys he could throw away the next day, just like had been before? So you did what you did best-keep your distance and roll your eyes at his remarks.

But everytime he walked in and the doorbell would ring, signifying his presence, your hand would grasp against the cloth you were holding to wash down the bar counter..

Floyd kept his promise and kept being persistent with winning your heart. He’d walk in and lean against the counter, saying your name like a sweet singsong. You’d serve him a drink, and he’d tell you about his day and occasionally flex his muscles. At first glance, Floyd seemed a boorish boy; the one who’d brag how he’d conquer multiple women like they were countries. You knew boorish men all too well, and didn’t need another one to increase your pessimistic view on romance.

While much has Floyd loved to boast about himself, he also loved to talk about you. He always complimented your outfits, asked about your day, and even scared off the creepy paratrooper’s who’d get too close for comfort. When Floyd would talk to you, he’d look directly into your eyes and respectfully listen. And he remembered the tiniest of details, such as your little daughter or your neighbor, an edlery women, who’d pester you about marriage and cooking.

“So, how’s Ms.Walsh?” He asked as you placed a Beer in front of him. He had a shit eating grin on his face, so you already knew where this was going. “Did you tell her about your new man?”

You shrugged your shoulders and played it off, “Much to your dismay, I did not. I’m still single.”

“Funny that you say that, y/n. Next time, tell her that you have a very handsome and strong Paratrooper with a dog. I think Trigger will like Poppy a lot.” Floyd boasted as he kept his eyes on you, leaned against the counter with your arms crossed. “Poppy will get used to Trigger, just like us.”

Every Time he’d throw a remark at you, you’d throw it back with a tint of sarcasm. You had learned how to play his game, but occasionally loosened up. Floyd wasn’t a bad guy at all, his ego was big, but he didn’t have any cruel intentions when it came to you. He treated you like a human, with feelings and emotions. He always asked about your day, how you were, made you feel better when you were sad, and did anything to make you happy. So you broke out of your ice a little and did what he did to you in return; show him kindness. You’d finally sit with him at the bar if it wasn’t busy and talked to him.

It was hard to deny, but as much as you hated it, you were falling in love with him. It was hard to resist him, his words were as smooth as silk. Whenever he’d see you, he’d call out your name and would make sure everybody knew you were his-or at least that’s what you thought. The girls you worked with in the bar tried to flirt with him, but much to your surprise, he would push them all away-just for you. All of his attention was focused on you, and only you.

You were beyond conflicted. Your head was telling you to simply be friendly and civil, but your heart was leading you to pursue this romance. You were torn between logic and emotion. One part of you loved him, one part of you hated him. You hated the way he made you feel, think, blush, and do things. Floyd was taking over your life, whether you liked it or not. Whatever you and Floyd had going on was no longer on thin ice. The two of you were deep in the water scuba diving, together.

The bar was busy at night, but tonight was different. It was less busy than usual and much quieter. The ambience was peaceful, soft souls playing in the background with the warm lights dimmed. Your manicured nails tapped at the counter as you observed the setting; some paratroopers drinking, a paratrooper cuddled with a fellow girl in town, and a waitress casually conversing with the costumors. Only a few more hours and you could finally return home with little Luna, nestled in your warm bed, alone and safe from the cruel world.

The little bell on top of the door had rang, alerting the whole bar of a new customer. You turned your head and bit your lip upon seeing the incoming danger. Great, your shift had just become a whole lot more entertaining.

Floyd was donning his new uniform, cap and gelled hair. He strutted across the bar to you, knowing that he was handsome. He knew he was hot shit and wanted to make sure everybody knew. He came up right to the bar counter and leaned against up.

“Miss y/n��” He greeted in his boyish voice, looking up and down at your figure as he usually did. He stopped at your face. You never wore makeup, and if you did, it was barely noticeable to the naked eye. However, Floyd noticed you looked different tonight. You had a bright shade of red on your lips, a light rogue pressed onto your cheeks, and a soft eyeshadow to match your (y/e/c) eyes. It was soft, just like Floyd perceived you as. “Are you wearing makeup?”

You nodded and looked down, feeling your heart skip a beat. You tried to snap back at him, but your body forced you to look and not embarrass yourself. “Yes. I suppose I try something new, to make myself look somewhat put together.”

Floyd looked puzzled at your response, “Put together? You always look gorgeous, I don’t know what you mean.”

Keeping your gaze down, you were finding it difficult to be around him. The room got darker and you felt a cold sweat overcome your body. You weren’t asking for his sympathy. Of course he saw this and found another way to flirt with you. You refused to give him the satisfaction he wanted, even though you did enjoy his kind words. You shook your head, “You don’t have to lie, Floyd.”

“I never lie. Look at me, y/n,” Floyd stated as his fingers tipped your chin up. His grasp was as light as a feather. The two of you made eye contact with each other. His fingers rested on your chin for longer than you both expected. His long fingers slided away as he caught a glimpse of your face so close, noticing all the little features about you. “You’re beautiful, without all of this and with this. I don’t know if you could deny it. If a man doesn’t find a dame like you gorgeous, then they must need glasses.”

You looked at him and back down, scrambling to find your words. Romance was something that you hated. It should have made you feel happy and left you with a good relantishop, but instead you were left with broken hearts and scared. As much as you wanted to love and be loved, it was hard to. You were scared of getting hurt again but Floyd Talbert made you reconsider. And your mind was stubborn. You didn’t want to reconsider, all you wanted to do was stay in your old ways and be alone. But how long were the two of you going to play this game of cat and mouse? How long could it go on?

Every time Floyd tried to leave you, he always ended up back at your door, hoping you’ll finally open up to him; by either literally opening her door or letting him into her heart. Floyd’s way’s, the small and big things, illustrated his dedication to winning your heart. Floyd was willing to drive for miles to end  up with you, and he wished you would appreciate his effort.

“Well, I guess you need glasses then,” You smirked and turned around to fix Floyd a beer, his favorite drink. He always liked the glass to be half way since he wasn’t a real drinker, he was more of a social one. You had picked up on that after befriending him. But was he a friend? Someone who you were in love with? What was he to you, and what were you to him?

Placing the beer in front of him, you attempted to walk away, but Floyd even knew you weren’t getting away that easy.

“Sit with me,” He requested, patting the empty barstool next to him. You opened your mouth to protest, but he already beat you to it, “Nobody’s here. Just one drink, and I’ll leave you be.”

Rolling your eyes, you walked over and towards Talbert to sit across from him. Instead of patting the barstool, he was now patting his lap with a look of lust and humor. Knowing that he was teasing you, you chuckled and sat on the barstool.

“Okay, you have me now.” You said as you put your hands up, ‘Why do you want me here?”

“I wanna know the pretty dame behind all of the makeup,” Floyd responded as he pulled on his lower lip, “Tell me about you. Home, your cat, everything.”

“One minute you want to marry me, the next you want to know my life story…” You replied as you also leaned onto the counter, “If you want to know so badly, then you go first. Tell me your life story.”

And so Floyd Talbert did. He told every little detail he could about himself from his family, Kokomo, his love for fishing, his four brothers-basically, his whole life story. Floyd had no problem openly sharing his problems with the world, especially you. He was fine telling you about his dad not being present, working odd jobs in high school, not attending college-he was ok with it. He accepted and loved himself, as you could clearly see. You on the other hand couldn’t understand how open he could be with himself, in relationships and in general.

The hard front of Floyd’s boot gently kicked your heel, his toe caressing against your bare ankle. A chill was sent up your spine as you looked up at him, straightening his back.

“You seemed so interested that you started drooling,” He commented, a smirk on his face.

You gave him a puzzled expression before you could notice the sticky sensation at the corner of your lip. Groaning in embarrassment, you looked for a napkin to wipe the drool from. Before you could find a napkin, Floyd had grabbed a handkerchief from his breast pocket and grabbed your chin gently, wiping the side of your mouth. He held you like you were made of glass, easily broken by a little infraction, which was partially true.

Once Floyd removed his fingers, he handed you the handkerchief. “Here, for you.’ He slicked his honey hair back, “Some ladies would kill for that.”

Hearing the comment, you rolled your eyes and shoved it into your apron. “Hardy Har Har, thank you.”

“Ok, enough about me. What about you?” Floyd said as he scooted his chair towards you, resting his arms on the counter with his chin gliding against his palm. “I’d like to know more about my dame.”

You looked at him and back down, biting your lip. A sarcastic comeback crossed your mind, but somehow you couldn’t spit out the words. The possessive word made you freeze in place as your grasp tightened around your drink. Nobody had called you in years.

“I’m no one’s,” You stated, taking a long sip of your drink, “I’m boring. I grew up in Albourne, always have been here. I have a daughter, I like to read, smoke, I-”

“I know that, but I want to know what’s in here.” Floyd pointed a finger at your head and heart. It was sweet, and even adorable. As much as you wanted to give into his warmth, the ice that surrounded your heart began to freeze.

“Come on, darling. Don’t play so hard to get, I know it’s not easy. Just loosen up a little for once. I can tell you that I’m stubborn, just like you. I like a challenge, and I always win,” Floyd cockily stated, which only pushed your buttons. The closer he scooted his chair towards you, the more you felt like screaming at the top of your lungs. “Stop being so scared and jus-”

“My goddess gracious, shut up!” You exclaimed loudly, burying your hands in your face. Floyd, respecting your wishes, shut up and was left speechless, his face contorted. What had he done wrong? He hadn’t touched you at all.

“You know, I’ve been with guys just like you. Total flirts, sleep with whoever they want and do whatever they want. They don’t care, just as long as it doesn’t affect them. God forbid If a woman does that, she’s considered a whore,” You ranted, “Guys like you are bad news. You treat us like objects that you can use and then throw out the next day. I know this game-you don’t care about me or my feelings at all, do you?” You looked away from him, holding back years, “After all, you said you wanted honesty, so there.”

Floyd was shocked at your sudden rant. He considered you sweet and quiet. This was the most he had ever heard come out of your mouth. Normally, he wouldn’t be moved by these things since they never occurred. This was his longest “flirting avvenire” he had experienced in years. His heart broke at your words. Being ashamed of himself, he attempted to fix what had been broken.

“Y/n, that’s not what you think. I know I’m like that, and it’s no excuse. But you’re…” Floyd stopped and let out an exhale with a red face, “different. When I first looked at you, I thought I died. I haven’t talked to any other dame since-you’re the only one that matters. I think about you whenever I’m not with you. Y/n, I think I lo-”

You let out a dry laugh, “Yeah. You may talk to me, make me laugh and say the sweetest things...but how many other girls are you doing that to? How many other girls have you shamed for being your property? How many girls have you slapped for looking at another man for less than a second? How many other girls have you forced yourself on and left them with a child you never wanted? Tell me, I’d love to hear.”

Floyd listened to your words carefully, analyzing them. The thought processed on his head, and instead of looking offended, his face softened. He looked sad and pained. Even though you had said a little, Floyd could piece together your past. He felt like an idiot for not knowing. No wonder you were cold and distant. From what it seemed, you had been not only physically abused, but touched without your consent and forced to take care of a child you didn’t want. Floyd felt terrible for you. It was no longer a game anymore, it was serious.

“Y/n...I’m sorry. I never knew. I feel like an idiot for not knowing. I’m not like that. I’d never do something like that I-”

“You sound just like him. All of you are the same. You put on a fake little smile and say sweet little things,” You ranted as you pushed yourself out of the chair to walk out. Floyd cursed under his breath and followed you right out, “Then bomb, under your control.”

“Y/n-”

Slamming the door open, your feet angrily stomp through the mud. You don’t care if you're sinking. You don’t know where you're going, but you want to be as far away from Floyd as possible.

You turned around and pointed a blaming finger at his chest, “Don’t interrupt me. You're so damn manipulative. From the minute you sat down, I could see that you wanted me in your bed. My biggest mistake wasn’t falling for you, it was thinking you had fallen for me.”

Floyd didn’t say anything and watched you turn over and run a hand through your neatly done up hair and makeup, which both became unruly.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized. Floyd walked over and grabbed your hands in an attempt to win you back, “I know it’s cheesy, but you're changing me. I tried to move on, but I can’t. Just let me help you. I can be whatever for you. A friend, a lover, anything. I had no idea what you had gone through. Can you let me inside so I can help you?” He was serious, this was no joke to him or you, “Let’s stop this game of cat and mouse. Honesty is number one here.”

You threw his hands away and began to back away, black tears streaming from your caked face. The nice outfit, soft hair, and pretty dress all for him. It was blind ignorance. How dumb you felt and looked.

“Goodbye, Floyd.” Is all you said before you hastily turned around and left him alone. You could imagine his gorgeous face, all heartbroken. Deep inside, you hated doing this. Breaking hearts, just like Floyd did.

But you and Floyd were different. He was the archer and you were the prey in the big scheme of things. In your world, to prevent history from repeating itself, it is better to be safe than sorry.

-----------

You always left your door unlocked. Albourne was home, you had  never left in. You knew your neighbors well enough. They liked you and your bubbly little daughter enough. Whenever you’d come home from work, she would run up to your feet and smile at you. Her smile would remind you of the man that shattered your heart, but there was something special about Poppy. She was not his, but yours, the light in that dark relationship. You made sure she was loved every single day and put her happiness over yours.

Another girl had taken your shift for the night, which made you relieved. You had a whole day to yourself, and Poppy. It was an indoors day due to the heavy rain. You accomplished from cleaning with the help of Poppy, some reading, and a game of princess and dragons. You were the dragon and Poppy played the role of the princess, and her stuffed animal the prince. The way she played the prince triggered the thoughts of Floyd.

After cleaning up, Floyd would infect your mind like a parasite. After you had bid him goodbye, you hadn’t seen him since. You had seen his friends at the bar and around town, but not him. Why did you miss him? You made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with him. You couldn’t stand being hurt again, even if a part of you, just a tiny one, considered feelings.

When Poppy had drifted off into a nap, you decided to go check out the rain. The garden you had built outside was weighed down by the heavy amount of train. You slowly walked into the rain as you felt your hair stick to your face and the clothes on your body become all moist. It was like taking a shower, it was beautiful. Closing your eyes, you tilted your head up and let the rain pour down your face and body.

The rain suddenly stopped falling into your mouth and clothes. Confused, you had thought it stopped raining. You opened your eyes and instead of a gray sky, you were met with the black top of an umbrella, being held by none other than Floyd Talbert.

“What are you doing in the rain?” He asked casually as he put a hand on your waist, walking with you to the cover of your house. He was drenched too, but you were soaking wet. “You’re gonna get sick.”

You blinked a few times to make sure what you were seeing and hearing was real. You stuttered and pointed at you, “Floyd...oh...I...how did you..?”

“Waitresses at The Pub. I got worried, I didn’t see you at the pub.” He explained not to sound stalkerish, “I looked everywhere for you because I needed to talk to you. Please, I know you hate me, but before I go, I might not come back. I rather tell you then die with it.”

You had forgotten there was a war that Floyd was a part of. He would soon be shipped off to Europe and be gone for forever or an indefinite amount of time. His hazel orb’s begged for your attention, and you were finding it hard to resist.

“Since you’re here...I suppose it’s only fair.” You accepted, “Go on.”

“I was thinking about what you told me, and it made me think too. I used to not do it a lot, until I met you,” He admitted, “Y/n, I know it’s crazy, but I could’ve sworn I died when I first looked at you. My heart stopped and I didn’t know what to say when you came over to me. You were sweet, quiet, and drop dead gorgeous. No other dame mattered to me, only you did. When I was with you, I only thought about you and what you wanted to do. You’re in my dreams and thoughts when I’m not with you. I think about you a lot, and...I love you, angel, as crazy as I sound.”

“I know what you’ve gone through and I’m sorry. But, I want to help you. I want to make you feel beautiful and loved. You know I’m there for you in whatever way you want, as a friend or a lover. I’m always a door away, and you know that y/n. But I love you more than anything in the world, and I want to show that to you in whatever way I can.”

You didn’t know what had triggered the kiss. Maybe it was Floyd’s speech, the hand on the small of your back, or his wet uniform. You didn’t respond with words and leaned in. Floyd didn’t protest and dived right into the kiss, his hands wrapped around your waist and back for support. The girls at your job were right, he was the best kieer you had ever met. He was gentle with you, his plump lips felt like heaven on your lips. It was a genius and heartfelt kiss. He could taste your lipstick and you could taste his cologne after the two of you had far gone.

There the two of you stood, wrapped in each other's arms as the rain poured down onto you.

You looked up and grabbed Floyd’s hand, nudging your head. “I’ll get you some warm clothes. I can make you a drink, if you please. Tea, coffee, anything.”

Floyd walked right beside you and pulled you in close for warmth. He planted a kiss on your wet hair, “You?” You looked at him with that motherly glare, which earned you a giggle. “You did say anything I wanted.”

“Well, I guess I did,” You raised your eyebrows and smiled. You leaned into his shoulder as you walked back into your little cottage, Floyd holding you close to his side.

You ended up serving him Tea. Poppy had woken up from her nap and followed Floyd around like a dog, believing that her wish of a father had come true. Floyd was intent on making Poppy’s dreams come true. Poppy would rave about the stories she wrote as you sat on Floyd’s lap, a blanket sprawled on your lap. His hand would play with the ends of your loose hair as you leaned in his chest, a soft smile on your face.

You had made dinner for three instead of two that night. As you cleaned the dishes, Floyd had read Poppy a story and sent her to sleep. He promised her that the next time he came over that she would get to meet Trigger and walk him. After Poppy had fallen asleep, Floyd came back to the kitchen and carried you to your room. The two of you got rid of your dirty clothes and left them sprawled on the ground, jumping into the bath with each other. He made sure that you were pampered that night as he washed your body and hair, massaged your back, planted kisses on your body, complimented you every other second, and did thousands of little things that would make a girl go head over heels. He took you to your bed and wrapped you in warm blankets and even made you a cup of tea. He knew he was going to get in trouble, but he stayed behind with you and cuddled with you until you fell asleep for “warmth”. It was cliche, but you absolutely loved it. Floyd’s radiance and warmth had melted away that icy barrier.

And with that, Floyd truly made you feel loved once again.

[bumbleblurr]

ok y'know what. Sharing my blurrbee (and blurrbee related) playlists bc i finally rearranged them so they're presentable

[fadedredrose]

MIDNIGHTS FIRST IMPRESSIONS

1. Lavender Haze - hmm it's pretty but probably won't be my favourite

2. Maroon - Love this!!! Lyrics are very old school Taylor. Very RED.

3. Anti-Hero - This makes me laugh out loud. I love how vulnerable and twisted it is and yet how there's still a twinge of humour threaded through. It has a slight 1989 feel to it.

4. Snow on the Beach ft. Lana Del Ray - I was waiting for this the most after Midnight Rain. This kind of ambient, floaty vibe is my favorite genre of Taylor Swift. It's very pretty, a cloudy white stained with a dark blue streak down the middle.

5. You're On Your Own Kid - The lyrics of this one didn't quite meet the mark for me. But I'm really feeling the beat. And the bridge slaps. Has a starry whirlwind feel to it.

6. Midnight Rain - I was waiting for this the most!! And did it disappoint? From the first beat, NO. Whatever I was expecting, Taylor served even better in this. Easily the best one on the record so far.

7. Question...? - The lyrics are so old school pre-RED era Taylor wrapped in an older Taylor persona. The staccato bridge never fails. This is a jam.

8. Vigilante Shit - I was wrong. I think this is my no. 1. But then I've always been attracted to darker, Rep style songs. I'm claiming Vigilante Shit as Rizzie's Choice from Midnights. I was expecting this was how all of Midnights would sound, but I'm cool with just one song too. Taylor, I'm gonna need a full album with this vibe one day PLEASE.

9. Bejeweled - Another banger! This one is for when I'm alone riding down empty city streets at night in winter after a rowdy outing with friends.

10. Labyrinth - Every TS album has an underated gem that only the fans enjoy. I have a feeling it's going to be this one for Midnights. It has a very This Love/You're in Love feel to it. This one's for all the die-hard romantics.

11. Karma - A Banger! I can imagine belting this out loud with my best mate at a shiny party clutching chilled glasses of coke with confetti surrounding us. This will climb the charts. An instant hit. I can't wait to memorise the lyrics to this first.

12. Sweet Nothing - I am absolutely in love with this. This one's for R and my mum. :)

13. Mastermind - The lyrics are the most relatable. 🤣 I can't deny I've done similar things in my past. The beat is brilliant too. Lyrically, this wins.

Conclusion - I was expecting Midnights to have more of a Rock vibe, but I don't think Taylor's ready to quite move on from Pop yet. The seventies vibe has hit the bull's eye; I can imagine the crowds swaying to the beats and little experimentations she's incorporated. After the slow era of Folklore and Evermore, I know most people are going to appreciate this quicker style. For me, I know I'm still a RED-reputation-Folklore-Evermore girl, but there are a few songs from Midnights that are going straight to my personal favorites.

Top 3 - Vigilante Shit, Sweet Nothing, and Karma.

[teenuniformsports]

I scared so much.

I was sitting in some sort of an English pub or café. It was pretty cold but not so much, a bright day not typical for East England autumn. I traveled thousands of miles just to get here, to make a dream come true. Sitting in a table for two, alone waiting for my Sir, Daddy, Master... you name it. As soon as I got of the airport, I changed for the outfit he instructed me to wear: skinny, simple and black suit with a purple tie and my hair fixed. I was told to wait in this place, not looking at my phone or up. I mist stare at my tights or reading a book under the table unless someone approaches me directly. Me and sir was planning this for months: he started to educate me and teach me how to be a good boy, how should I really needed to be educated when I was younger. I dreamed about this moment for at least 3 years. The exact same moment, when I accidentally got my head up from my book, I saw him. Middle aged man, in a formal suit and looks like a real old dad: professional and manly. “You were told not to look up boy.” “Sorry sir” I replied .

��Don’t talk without permission, I thought you know that” I got a little bit panicked. “Calm down boy” I drank water, what a boy should drink while we talked about each other, mostly me about myself and what I want to do for the next months and a half. “What’s in your suit case boy?” He asked. “My boy suit, some pairs of shoes, and my previous adult outfit sir. along with bath and hygiene stuff sir”.

“Good boy, you understand that you won’t see most of your belongings for the next 7 weeks boy?”

I knew that he knows about our safety words and my limits but I still was scared and excited from what he will do to me.

“Go to the toilet and change to your boy suit boy”

I did as he said. I got with my suitcase to the toilet, opened it and changed with sir outside of the door. My boxer briefs was changed for traditional Y Whites. My long black skinny pants gave away his place for grey shorts that got down only 1-2 inches below my crotch, leaving almost my hole thighs bare and without any cloth covering it while highlights my buttock. I replaced my black jacket in a school jacket matches to my long, grey-maroon socks and my new maroon tie. I asked sir quietly: “Sir?”

“Yes boy?”

“May I ask sir a question?”

“Yes boy”

“What shoes I should wear sir? I have 2 pairs sir”

I was already with my school shoes and I had also my Roman sandals. It was cold already.

“Wear your sandals boy”

I putted my sandals on my pulled up knee socks. Finished. I got out of the toilet with my head facing down. I was ashamed. A grown up young man looks like someone at least 4-5 years below him. My legs god cold. My feet looked strange in socks and sandals. We got out and I suffered some weird looks. Sir took my suitcase and got it to his car while I stood there quietly looking down at my sandaled feet. My legs were frozen compared to my 3 layered body. I got into the back seat as he told me and looked through the window, like a child. We drove abound 15 minutes to a some kind of a small department store. I got out of the car only after sir did so. Sir stopped me before we got into the store: “Until we’re done, your name will be William, a proper name for a good boy. Understood?”. I nodded.

“Good boy” he replied and slapped my butt cheek.

We entered the store and I realized where we are: school shop.

“Boy we have many things to do today before we get home. First we are going to buy you your clothes here, than there is another shop and another one.

We entered the store. A smell of old wood stood there and hinted about the era that has gone in education. Sir talked with the seller so I can’t hear what is going to happen. The two of them approached me:

“Boy, take down your clothes and leave your underwear on.” The seller said.

I did as he ordered

“Good boy”

I stood in place for over than two hours measuring 6 pairs of shorts that were pretty similar to the pair I had: short and tight. 3 grey ones, one beige one navy and one black.

After that I was measured to get me the shirts best for me in white. 3 ties and 8 pairs of knee high socks. Two jackets and three sweatshirts and one bow tie. Ofcourse sir bought me underwear just like I wore.

“Leave your socks on boy”

The seller said.

He led me and sir into a different room with tens types of school shoes from all kinds.

Sir said something to the seller while I was sitting in my uniform and socks. A few minutes after the seller came back with few shoe boxes. I tried t bar sandals, Roman sandals, school shoes and formal shoes.

There was one box left with a pink sticker on him. All the other boxes has blue stickers and I got suspicious.

What is he going to do to me?

The seller got out of the box a pair of girl flats.

“What is this?!” I accidentally said

“Boy... I said no talking until I say you can, you will be punished for your rudeness”

“Sorry sir” I answered

“Shut up boy or I would punish you harder”

I stopped talking and looked at my bare thighs.

The seller got me my shoes and checked them. It must be a big size for girls shoes, I thought to myself.

“We finished here boy, wait for me near the door”

Sir and the seller talked and summed up the purchase.

After a short drive we arrived to a small store with a covered front window.

Sir and me got entered and a lady started talking to sir.

I could hear them talking:

“He’s new here.... he’s my..... yes 14..... that will be a great idea....”

I looked around and saw pictures of guys in Scottish kilts and I understood what is about to happen next.

Sir approached me and said

“Get undressed, everything.”

My legs started to shake while I got off my uniform and folded it on the chair.

The lady came back with a lot of stuff in her hands.

A few moments later I was covered with a skirt, shirt, tie, sweater and a jacket along side with knee socks and formal shoes.

An hour passed with some adjustments while I wasn’t wearing underwear.

“It was a pleasure” the lady said after we finished, “see you later!”

I was tired and shamed to walk in the street full of people in shorts and long socks.

We were back in the car and arrived the last place. A sign showed we were in a dancing academy.

We got in while some girls and one boy seemed 13-12 of age stared my weird outfit.

A lady got me and sir into an office.

Sir started talking:

“This is William and he’s 14. I want him to train in ballet while he’s in town for the next weeks. Do you have lessons for him during the day and the afternoon?”

I tried to hide my shock. That’s wasn’t the plan for my next 2 months. But I couldn’t do anything.

Sir continued talking “he is during the day and he will be glad to have daily private or group classes”

The teacher answered: “yes ofcourse, he can do private lessons in the mornings everyday, and continue to learn in his group age in the afternoon or he will have some other private class from Monday to Saturday.”

I wondered what sir is planning. I was worried about how things are evolving.

I was looking at my thighs and wasn’t listening to sir and the teacher’s conversation. Sir slapped me in the back and said “come on boy”.

We got out of the academy and turned into a dancing wear store that was located near by.

Once again I was alone there only with a seller and sir that watched me naked wearing ballet uniforms and dancing gear. I was ashamed and exhausted. Walking around the city with my uniform attracted some attention.

[the-red-mafia]

The Dinner Party

Zaeor finally shows back up at the mansion with a mission, one that the majority of the mafia finds...wrong. When he forces them to go on the mission anyways, things start to go south. Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 3734

A week after “The Repairs”

The dining hall was filled with noise as Thorn weaved through the crowds of guests. They carefully dodged small children jumping excitedly next to their parents, somehow managing to balance the tray of appetizers on its hand. 

“Damn, I might have a career in waitressing if this Red Mafia thing goes south,” he muttered under his breath. 

“Not the time Thorn,” Velvet’s voice came into Thorn’s ear from aer comms, “Remember, you’re on the lookout for Elizabeth.”

“I know, I know,” Thorn replied, rolling their eyes. 

“And keep an eye on Maroon too,” Mad added, “They have a tendency to get kidnapped on undercover missions.”

“That was one time!” Maroon whispered angrily into their earpiece. Laughter came from the other side of the comms. Solana lightly slapped the back of Velvet's head. 

“Hey!” Velvet called out in protest, “What was that for?”

“You’re distracting them, get off comms.” Mad laughed and muted Velvet’s microphone. 

“There you go, I’ve saved you all from Velvet’s incessant nagging,” The droid said. Thorn chuckled. 

“Velvet says to get to the kitchen Maroon, apparently the waitresses are preparing to start serving the food,” Solana stated, “Also Velvet is very mad at you, Mad.”

“Isn’t that ironic,” Mad joked. Thorn looked across the dining hall to where Maroon was stationed. The younger teen had a dark look on their face as they started to drudge towards the kitchen doors. Thorn knew why. 

“Are you guys sure this is the only option?” It whispered. Mad sighed. 

“We’ve been over this a hundred times, Thorn, yes.”

“But- what if it goes wrong? What if we got the dosage wrong? What-”

“Thorn, cut it out,” Solana came through on the comms, “You’re going to psych Maroon out, drop it.”

“Trust me Thorn, no one wants to do this. If there was another option, we wouldn’t be doing this,” Mad said sympathetically, “Just keep watch on the kitchen doors and be ready to go assist Maroon.” 

“I know the plan.”

Zaeor had arrived at the mansion that morning with a mission, the first one in 5 weeks. While his arrival was a surprise it wasn’t unexpected. The mission? Poison an 8 year old. 

“What?!” Mad yelled, “There’s no way-”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Zaeor said, remaining calm, “You guys will be administering a small non-lethal dose of Brimstone to Elizabeth Montoya. It’ll be enough to allow you to trap Yuo and get the location of Mika.”

“Who now?” Maroon asked, “Who are those people?” 

“People you don’t have to worry about,” Velvet said hastily, causing the whole team to turn to look at her.

“But-”

“You don’t need to know Maroon.” Mad sighed. 

“They’re evil people, a lot like Unor,” the droid said. A chill went down Maroon’s spine at the mention of the C.E.O. 

“There’s more Unor’s?” Thorn exclaimed. Zaeor nodded solemnly. 

“You guys will need to infiltrate the Charity Gala tonight. I’m sorry about the short notice but I just found out Yuo is attending. It’ll probably be best if someone goes undercover to place the poison in Elizabeth’s food.”

“Welp, guess you’re up Velvet,” Mad said. Velvet rolled her eyes. 

“Actually, I think Velvet should stay on the sidelines this time.” Velvet turned towards Zaeor. 

“Huh?” Zaeor sighed. 

“You’ve been spotted by multiple people over the past few weeks during your…shenanigans. In fact you were in the news just a few minutes ago. Getting recognized will only complicate matters.” 

“Then who are you sending in?”

“Maroon.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Thorn asked, “You’re doing what?” 

“Maroon is the most experienced in sneaking around out of all of you, excluding Velvet but we already covered that.”

“I’m experienced?” Solana mumbled under their breath. 

“In hand-to-hand combat, yes. But we’ll need you later on in my plan.”

“What exactly is your plan?” Thorn asked, narrowing aer eyes at the god. 

“Maroon will go undercover as one of the servers during the charity gala. Before the meals are served, they will slip a vial of Brimstone into Elizabeth Montoya’s food. As the guests mingle after they eat, Maroon will lead Elizabeth, who at this time will begin to get nauseous and fatigued, to a back room where Velvet and Solana will be waiting. Velvet, I think you know what you’ll do from there.”

“Why’s Solana there? Velvet replied, “I can handle it.” 

“I know you can,” Zaeor began, “But we can’t afford any mistakes and you’ve never been the best at hand-to-hand combat, which Yuo is known for. With Solana there if things go south they can help you keep Yuo in control.” 

“And why the hell do we need to poison a child?!” Mad interrupted, crossing their arms. Zaeor turned to the upset assistance droid and gave them a soft smile. 

“Mad, I know this whole plan goes against your programming but trust me when I say it’s necessary,” he said softly, attempting to calm Mad down. 

“Why is it necessary?” Mad persisted, “Why is it necessary to endanger a child that isn’t even involved in this?” 

“She is involved,” Velvet said, leaning back in their chair, “Trust me when I say that in these families everyone is involved.” Mad looked at the teen before shaking its T.V. head. 

“You confuse me Velvet,” they muttered, “I’m guessing that you’ve been in a similar position as Elizabeth and yet you’re totally ok with possibly killing her. Think about it: How different would your life have been if-” 

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Velvet growled, standing up out of her chair and slamming her hands on the table. 

“Sit down, Velvet,” Zaeor commanded. Velvet looked at him and then sat back down while sending a glare towards Mad. 

“How is Elizabeth related to this Yuo guy?” Solana asked. 

“They’re siblings, half siblings technically. Yuo took custody of Elizabeth after her parents died a couple months ago and he really cares for her. It is the only way to guarantee that he’ll listen is to get to her.”

“And this is why we don’t get attached to people,” Velvet said sarcastically, folding their arms. 

“Velvet you know better than to say that,” Zaeor said, a frown on his face as he looked at the team’s leader, “Attachments are an important part of working as a team.” Velvet looked as if they wanted to argue but stayed quiet.  

“Does everyone understand the plan?” Zaeor asked, smiling.

“I’m going with Maroon,” Thorn declared, crossing its arms. Zaeor narrowed his eyes.

“Thorn, I don’t think-”

“Why not? You didn’t work me into that little ‘plan’ of yours anyways.” The god looked at Thorn before sighing.

“Fine, I’ll make the proper adjustments. It will probably be better for Maroon to have help anyway.”

“Great, I’m glad we agree,” Thorn said through gritted teeth. 

“I still don’t like this plan,” Mad muttered. Velvet rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever Mad, this is what has to happen.”

“There’s always another way.”

“..No there’s not?”

“Mad if it makes you feel any better,” Zaeor began, “I’ve carefully calculated the dosage and the chance of Elizabeth’s death is close to zero.”

“But it’s not zero, is it?” Mad demanded, “Because you can’t guarantee that an 8-year-old doesn’t die.”

“I’ve killed younger,” Velvet commented, earning exasperated looks from Mad, Thorn and Maroon. 

“8-year-olds are executed all the time on my home planet, sometimes sacrifices need to be made,” Solana added. Zaeor nodded. 

“I hate this plan as much as you guys do-”

“I don’t hate it,” Velvet interrupted. 

“That’s because you’re a soulless bastard,” Thorn spat out. Zaeor stared at Velvet, who just shrugged. 

“I mean-”

“As I was saying,” Zaeor interrupted, cutting off Thorn and Velvet’s argument, “The charity gala begins at 6pm and it’ll probably be best to get there early to scout the area and allow Maroon and Thorn to begin blending in. I suggest leaving at around 3 or so as it’s an hour long trip.”

“We’ll leave in an hour,” Velvet said, standing up, “Suit up everyone.” The shadow god stared at Velvet. 

“Uh..Velvet? It’s only 10 am,” he commented. 

“So? I want as much time to scout and prep.”

“I think 6 hours is a bit too much prep time.”

“There’s never too much prep time Zaeor-”

“Umm, Velvet?” Maroon stuttered out, causing the entire room to look at them, “Is there, um, anyway I could get more time to, uh, mentally prepare here?” Maroon was looking at the floor, rubbing their hands together nervously. Velvet looked at the kid with a hint of sympathy in her eyes before sighing.

“Fucking fine, we’ll leave at 3. I’m going to my room,” the assassin mumbled, walking out of the room. Zaeor let out a small chuckle before standing up out of his seat. 

“Well, that’s settled. I wish you all the best of luck, you’re dismissed. Except for you, Maroon. I want to talk to you privately,” the god said, smiling at the youngest, but technically oldest, mafia member. Maroon remained seated as the rest of the mafia exited the room. Thorn gave Maroon a reassuring smile as they walked behind them. Once everyone had left, Zaeor stood. He walked behind Maroon and put a hand on their shoulder. Maroon flinched slightly and Zaeor gave them a reassuring smile. 

“Maroon, do you know why I wanted you to be the one on this mission?” The horned God asked. Maroon shook their head.

“Because of your powers, kiddo!” he said cheerfully, “Your mushrooms are often poisonous and therefore you have experience with lethal substances. Velvet does too but uh…we’ve already been over why she can’t.” Maroon nodded, once again rubbing their hands together nervously. 

“Maroon, I know you’re nervous. That feeling is valid and you’re not alone. Everyone wishes this wasn’t how it has to be but we have to be prepared to do bad things for a good cause.”

That’s rich, Maroon thought to themself, but nodded anyway.

“That’s the spirit, kiddo! Now where did I put it…” The god rummaged in his pockets, looking for something. Eventually he pulled out a vial about the size of a glue stick. It was about half-way full with a liquid that glistened in the sunlight that came through the giant window at one end of the conference room. Maroon couldn’t pinpoint a single colour of the liquid, as it seemed to shift colours based on the angle the viewer looked at it. This quality reminded Maroon of a type of beetle they’d seen in a book a few days ago. Being from the 1800s, Maroon didn’t know much about the current time and relied on Solana, Velvet, and books taken from the Mansion’s library to learn things about the new world they’d basically just entered into. Zaeor turned Thorn’s chair towards Maroon and sat down. The god held out the vial in the palm of his hand for Maroon to see.

“This,” he began, “Is Brimstone. Am I correct to assume that you’ve never seen it before?” Maroon nodded slightly. 

“The poison itself is pretty safe when ingested by adults and those without pre-existenting respiratory issues, but it’s skin contact that is painful. Painful blisters quickly form on the place where contact was made. These blisters are also itchy, so the subject makes it even worse.”

“Wait, why is that the poison you chose? It sounds non-fatal.”

“Well you see, Maroon, that is what Brimstone does to those without pre-existing conditions. In these people, when Brimstone is ingested the blisters form inside of the subject’s esophagus and digestive system. These blisters pop easily and cause internal bleeding and fill the lungs with blood.” Maroon stared in shock at Zaeor.

“That’s…that’s horrible! Why is that what you chose to use?!” Maroon demanded. 

“Simple: it’s one of the most well known and well studied poisons in the universe. There is an antidote and clear recovery plan for those who are hospitalized for Brimstone poisoning and it is referred to as fax dolor in the medical community.”

“‘Torch pain’,” Maroon translated, earning a smile from the god of shadows.

“Does Velvet know you speak Latin?”

“No, sir.”

“Oh, don’t call me sir. That feels weird,” Zaeor chuckled. Maroon laughed nervously along with him. 

“Anyways, here’s the vial,” the god said, handing over the glass prison of poison, “I’ll be giving the antidote to Solana to administer to Elizabeth after Velvet does their thing.”

“What does Velvet need to do?”

“None of your concern.” Maroon wanted to push the matter, but realized it would be a pointless venture. The mushroom maniac stared solemnly at the vial in their hands, lost in thought about their mission. Zaeor sighed and stood up out of his chair.

“Welp,” he began, “I should go talk to Solana. Good luck, I’m sure you won’t let me down.” Maroon watched as he walked out of the room. After a few moments, Thorn walked into the meeting room once more. “Hey Maroon,” he started, “You doing ok?”

“I don’t know.” Thorn walked over and sat in its chair once more. 

“That’s fair. But I’ll be with you every step of the way, ok?” Maroon smiled slightly at their friend.

“Thanks, Thorn.”

“No problem. Anyway, do you wanna go to the living room? This chair is so goddamn uncomfy.” Thorn said, trying and failing to get comfortable in the meeting room’s chairs.

“Y-yeah lets do that.” Maroon and Thorn got up and walked through the mansion to the TV room.

“C’mon, I think the DVR recorded some Johnny Darlington reruns.” Thorn called to them, patting the seat next to him

“Why didn't you lead with that?” Maroon said, hopping over the back of the couch. Thorn chuckled and grabbed the remote, clicking it onto the show.

“Maroon, I gotta ask: why do you like Johnny Darlington so much?” Thorn looked at their fungal friend. After thinking for a few moments, Maroon sighed.

“I suppose it's because… he always succeeds in his endeavours,” They said, pausing for a moment. Thorn looked at them expectantly as they leaned their head on aer shoulder.

“No matter how hard the mission, he always succeeds. I suppose that I use him as my sort of…” Maroon gestured wildly as if trying to conjure the word from thin air, “role model? Especially in this job where one slip up, one mistake, could cost people their lives, it's a good aspiration to have.”

“Dude, you’ve put too much thought into this advertisement campaign for a shitty arcade, pizza place thing,” Thorn stated, chuckling. Maroon sat back up and stared at their friend. 

“Wait, what? Johnny Darlington is an advertisement campaign?” 

“Wait, did you seriously not know?” Thorn said, “You have got to be the smartest idiot I’ve ever met, and we’ve both met Fawn.”

“You’re messing with me, there’s no way.” 

“I swear I’m not, here I’ll ask Mad,” Thorn yelled, “Mad! Can you come in here?” 

“What is it, Thorn?” Mad said as they walked into the room. The robot had their cooking apron on, as it had just started making lunch for the group.

“Johnny Darlington is an advertisement campaign right?” Thorn asked, gesturing towards the episode that was currently playing on the T.V..

“Yep! It's an ad campaign for Admiral Wilde’s Pizza and Arcade Complex, founded in 2240 by Admiral Wilde. It suffered because of some scandal about the amount of kids who went mis-”

“Ok, ok, jeez, I just wanted to prove it to Maroon. I didn't want a history lesson, Wiki-Bot,” Thorn said, interrupting the robot’s sentence.

“It's scarily similar to FNAF!”

“You said this last time, no one knows what that is!” Thorn yelled.

“You people are all so uncultured,” Mad mumbled as they turned to walk back into the kitchen. 

“‘Back in my day’-” Thorn said mockingly.

“I hear that!” Mad called from the next room, causing the two teens to burst into loud laughter. Maroon listened as Thorn and Mad kept bickering between the rooms. Their conversation was almost enough for them to completely forget about their upcoming task…almost. 

Maroon took a shaky breath and pushed open the kitchen door. It was busy, of course, and no one batted an eye when they entered. They looked like just another server, after all. 

“Ok Maroon, there should be a door at the end of this room on your left. That’s where they are prepping the kids’ meals,” Mad dictated through comms. Maroon absorbed the scene of the stainless steel chaos and quickly found the door Mad had described. They dodged countless cooks as they made their way to the back and slid through the door. The room was empty, except for dozens of bowls filled with spaghetti.

“Talk about carb overload,” Maroon mumbled, “Mad, how do I know which one is Elizabeth’s?”

“I have a chart with how they’re organizing the meals, give me a sec.” Eventually Mad guided Maroon to a dish colored a light baby blue color. Maroon stood over the spaghetti with one hand in their pocket, holding the vial of Brimstone. The teen froze, staring down at the bowl for several seconds.

“Maroon?” Mad asked, “Are you ok? What’s going on?”

“I…I…” Maroon stuttered. 

“Maroon, it’s going to be ok. None of us want to do this but we have to. And plus, the chances of Elizabeth dying are very low.”

“I-I know but-” Maroon paused. Their vision went blurry, as if they weren’t wearing their glasses. The noises of the chaotic kitchen seemed to fade and Maroon heard a ringing in their ear that drowned out all other sound. They could hear Mad talking into the comms but they couldn’t make out what the droid was saying. Their breathing quickened and Maroon placed a hand on the table to steady themself. Moments passed and Maroon’s breathing became more and more labored. Suddenly, a hand appeared on Maroon’s shoulder. They looked over to see Thorn looking at them worriedly. Thorn gave them a reassuring smile and held out aer other hand.

“Here, give it to me,” they said, “I’ll do it.”

“W-what?”

“Give me the vial, I’ll put it in the food.”

“But…”

“Maroon, I’ll do it.” Maroon stared at Thorn and pulled the vial out of the pocket. Thorn took the vial and opened it. 

“Which one is it?” Maroon pointed at the blue bowl. Thorn nodded and began pouring the colorful liquid into the spaghetti. In a few seconds the vial was empty and Thorn let out a sigh. 

“Thank gods that’s over,” he mumbled, shoving the vial into one of his pockets, “Come on, let’s-”

“Hey, you two! Newbies!” A loud, booming voice yelled from behind them. The two teens jumped slightly and quickly turned around to see a slimmer man in a tuxedo standing there, arms crossed. They were insanely tall, taller than Maroon. They had a scowl on their face as they glared at the duo with a glare on level with Velvet’s.

“What the fuck are you doing standing around? We’re starting to serve! Grab those trays and go deliver them!”

“Yes sir!” The two teens quickly grabbed the trays and walked out of the room and through the kitchen once more. Maroon’s breathing had returned to normal and they put on a fake smile to keep their cover. Thorn followed suit and the two parted ways once they entered the main eating hall. The patrons were all seated at the table smiling and laughing and talking to each other. Thorn quickly realized that it had Elizabeth’s bowl on its tray. They tensed up, almost dropping the tray because of it. Thorn walked around the table, handing out bowls according to the seating chart that was placed on one of the trays. The only bowl that remained was Elizabeth’s and the only child was a bubbly, natural red-head sitting on the seat in front of where Thorn stood. 

“Is that mine?” The girl asked happily, “It looks so good! Thank you server-person!” Thorn’s smile wavered as they set the bowl in front of Elizabeth, who promptly grabbed a fork and dug in. Thorn quickly turned on aer heels as tears began to form in aer eyes. The rest of the mission went by smoothly. Maroon led the sickly Elizabeth to where Velvet and Solana were waiting. Thorn then passed the pre-written note to Yuo, who was sitting at the head of the table. He had brown hair and bright purple eyes that were unnatural for a human. Then again, was he even human? Thorn successfully lead Yuo to the room where Velvet quickly took over with her sword. Solana quickly administered the antidote to a now unconscious Elizabeth. By the time the elf had finished, Yuo began to cause some commotion and swung a punch at Velvet’s head. Solana rushed Thorn and Maroon, with Elizabeth in tow, out of the room to place Elizabeth back where someone could find her. Before long the Red Mafia met back on the Umbrella and began heading back to the mansion. Thorn guessed that Velvet had ended up killing Yuo, due to the amount of blood on their and Solana’s uniforms. The ride back was quiet, no one really addressed anything from the mission. By the time they had returned to the mansion, Maroon was already asleep. Thorn carried them to their room while everyone else retired to their rooms for the night. 

It was about 7am when Velvet sat down and turned on the news, as they typically did in the morning. 

“Good morning everyone, I am sssssssadly ssssstarting thisssss morning’ssss broadcast off with a ssssssssickening sssssstory from last nightssssss Beuata Charity Gala,” Kelly Mogusse muttered, a solemn tone in her voice. Velvet stopped trying to open their energy drink and put their focus on the T.V. screen. 

“I am devassssstated to report that Yuo Montoya, C.E.O. of Markla Incorprated, hasssss been found dead with multiple sssssstab woundssss and a ssssslit neck. Authoritesssss sssssussspect foul play but are refusssssing to releassssse any information at thissssss time,” Kelly reported with a slight sniffle.

“Heyyy, I did that!” Velvet said, a smirk on their face, “Way to go me.” She returned to opening their drink until the news told her something that recaptured her interest. 

“Shortly after Yuo Montoya wasssss found dead, hissss sssissster, Elizabeth  Montoya, also died after the gala due to complications with food poisoning.”

[by-nina]

Sunday

AO3 | FFN Royai Week 2021 | Day 2 – Serene Rating: K+ Genre: Romance/Fluff Word Count: 1,640

A/N: Dedicated to my good pal @candidhart, whose big and sexy brain first came up  with the idea of Royai playfighting in bed. Song inspiration: "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. Enjoy!

Roy reaches for her in search of comfort. His slow, trembling fingers brush her hair away from her face and behind her ear, and he releases a deep, tense breath. He is now relaxed as well, maybe even enough to go back to sleep and keep soaking in her warmth for another hour or—

"AHH—!"

———

When he wakes warm in his bed and entangled in a woven blanket he has owned most of his life, Roy knows at once that it is Sunday morning. While he is half-asleep, he doesn't question the unusual weight on the other side of the bed, or the way his body is curved to make room for company that he isn't used to having. It takes another moment for him to remember that this isn't right. This isn't something he had planned.

This simply isn't done.

His eyes snap open, and what he sees before him is a perfect painting right out of his dreams. His confidante, his Lieutenant, his Riza, sound asleep in the sunlight that comes in from the window behind him. It's a wonder the sun hasn't blinded her awake. She is a wonder. Her hair shines in the light like pure gold, draped over her bare arm which looks deceptively gentle at rest—all of her does.

"Serene" isn't a word that Roy (or anyone, really) would typically use to describe Riza Hawkeye. In this moment, it's the best word he has. Even her breathing is so quiet that he would have missed it under the faint birdsong outside his window if he weren't paying attention. He shifts the slightest inch closer to hear it better; he thinks he catches her heartbeat as well.

Roy is no fool. He knew just as well as Riza did that this was bound to happen eventually. What else could their heartfelt conversations and comfortable silences have led to? What other consequence is there for trusting each other so wholly that they've needed to be careful not to give too much of themselves in doing so? And yet the foregone conclusion does not negate how he feels right now, and all that is is nervous. Every part of him shakes down to the bones; every noise rings in his head in spite of his quiet bedroom.

Nervous because in spite of the evidence before him, this couldn't possibly be happening, and goodness knows what situation he will actually wake up to once he comes to his senses;

Or because this is real, and he truly is lying next to Riza, and she has never been like this with him—or (he selfishly hopes) with anyone, for that matter—and no matter how blissful the moment is, it will end, and they will never allow themselves to make the same blessed mistake again;

Or perhaps because Roy has never cared for anyone like he cares for Riza, but what will she think? What will she say? What will she be like when she wakes up and finds that they have crossed the line they swore to never cross, that they have risked everything that they have devoted their lives to?

The thought terrifies him.

Roy reaches for her in search of comfort. His slow, trembling fingers brush her hair away from her face, behind her ear, and he releases a deep, tense breath. He is now relaxed as well, maybe even enough to go back to sleep and keep soaking in her warmth for another hour or—

"AHH—!"          

Next thing he knows, he is on the floor with a throbbing cheek, and Riza is sitting up on his bed, eyes wide and alert, panting, holding up his blanket against her body with the same fist she had decked him with. It takes them both a second to realize what has happened. Then Roy winces as he falls back, leaning limply against the side of his bed, and the expression on Riza's face turns into one of panic and concern.

"Roy—Colonel! I didn’t mean to—"

Riza scrambles off the bed and leans in closely to check the damage. She pushes Roy's hand away from the bruise now forming on his cheek, exclaiming—"Did that hurt? Are you all right?"

Another moment passes before they realize that she hasn't let his hand go. Their eyes meet—or, Riza's eyes meet Roy's, because he hasn't looked away since she came up face to face with him. Her expression changes again, this time displaying shock and disbelief over what they had done. She withdraws from him, pulls back her hand.

"I'm sorry," Riza breathes shakily. "This was a mistake. We shouldn't have let this happen. You and I..."

Roy has been afraid of this as well. He has carried the fear with him long before they even came dangerously close to breaking all the rules. And although the mistake has long lingered on their horizon, it's the prospect of losing Riza because of it that he cannot fathom. Even now, he is afraid that he is already losing her before she has even put any physical distance between them.

And so, he smiles.

Riza stares at him disbelievingly, apprehensively. "What are you—"

Then she half-screams, half-laughs as Roy attacks her sides, fingers running and jabbing playfully from under her arms all the way down to her hips. It never occurred to him that Riza could be so ticklish, but wherever his hands go, she seems to only cry out more loudly. She has fallen to the ground, defenseless—almost as startling as his new discovery. Then she's kicking in the air involuntarily, pushing him and thumping away at his shoulders and arms without quite hurting him. Roy begins to crack up as well.

“Roy Mustang!” Riza yelps amid gasps of breath and laughter, “I swear I’m gonna—!”

“You’re gonna what, Hawkeye?”

In one swift motion, Riza catches him by the wrists and flips him over, straddling his belly to pin him down with his back on the floor. Roy pushes, but Riza quickly goes for his ribs—now he is the one in raucous fits of laughter, writhing and twisting as though it will hide the ticklish parts of his body out of her reach. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots one of his pillows perched on the edge of the bed. He makes a grab for it, but Riza is quicker than he is, and suddenly she is alternating between smacking him with the pillow and tickling him wherever she can touch him.

He is helpless between the pillow and her hands, but not for long—“Stop—I’m warning you—!”

Roy reaches for the small of her back and the back of her neck all at once, and the effect is instantaneous. Riza flinches and shrieks and she's distracted enough to drop the pillow. He takes the chance to pull her down towards him. His fingers drum against her body, eliciting her laughter, and then he rains kiss after kiss on her neck, then her ear, then her cheek. Riza giggles at each turn, then slaps the floor repeatedly to signify surrender, to get him to stop. Soon, she gives in; she kisses him right back.

Roy doesn't quite remember how he held Riza the night before, or how he kissed her, but he'd die before he forgets the way she is now. Riza is dressed down to her underwear and one of his old shirts, hair undone and untamed. Her lips are sweet and passionate against his, beautiful with the smile she wears, and he loves her like he has loved nothing in this whole world.

At long last, they break away from that blissful silence. First, they exchange a glance, then they smile tentatively, like they've just realized for the first time what they feel for each other. Roy reaches up to Riza and tucks her hair behind her ear. She strokes his unbruised cheek gently with her thumb.

"Good morning, beautiful," he says softly.

"Good morning.”

Riza kisses him once more, then slowly rolls off and lowers herself onto the floor next to him. He pulls her close so she can lay her head on his chest. As she does, she reaches across him and grasps his free hand tightly. Roy feels her heartbeat through their clothes, and he knows that Riza’s mind is wandering; she isn’t quite there with him now. He gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

After a while, she says, "Was that you trying to get back at me for punching you?"

“I can’t even court-martial you for that when you and I are clearly guilty of a graver offense.”

Riza lets out a short, dry laugh. "So what was that about, then?”

"I couldn't be sure at first that you were actually lying next to me, and that I wasn’t dreaming. It seemed too good to be true." A pause. His voice drops to nearly a whisper. “I want to keep waking up like this—next to you, hearing you laugh. Even if it's... complicated, even if there's still so much ahead of us, I've decided that I don’t want us to worry about how we can get through this. I don't need to worry as long as I have you."

Roy can tell that she spends the following moment deep in thought. There is hesitation in her breath, a slight tension in her shoulders. Then, Riza slides her fingers between Roy’s, pressing her entire body into his by the slightest inch. He knows the way she thinks; this is Riza standing still in the eye of the storm, struggling to navigate their quiet in search of serenity. But to Roy, there is nothing to be afraid of, because if there’s anything he knows from the way she has stood by his side all this time and from the perfect way she fits into him now, it’s that Riza isn’t going anywhere.

She asks much later, "Should I make us breakfast?"

He turns and buries his face in her hair, already half-asleep again when he responds.

"Stay. It's Sunday. We could just stay here a little longer."

[antihero-writings]

Before it Kills You Too (Ch2 Snippets 1, 2 & 3)

Fandom: Lore Olympus

Chapter Summary: When Hera gets into a car accident after a fight, Zeus has a moment to ruminate on their relationship. Written using the song “Wait” by Maroon 5 as a prompt.

Character Focus: Zeus

Please note!! This is the previous Ch2 snippets I posted + a new snippet (the new snippet starts with “I would venture to guess she was driving too fast.”)

I’ve been having trouble with this chapter for a very long time, so I’ve decided to post it snippet-by-snippet, because that seems like the only way I’ll successfully finish this fic. 

While this should be as close to the final version as it can be, anything in this snippet is subject to change when the full chapter comes out. (And, hey, to that end, if there’s anything you think needs to be edited here, please kindly let me know!!)

Im really excited about this snippet!! Definitely one of my favorite parts of the chapter!!

Thanks again SO much to those who support this fic and want to read more!! The fact that you want to read more really does mean the world to me!! I appreciate your kind comments so much!!

I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a comment and/or reblog!!! I’m not kidding when I say that makes my week!!

Tagging some folks who’ve shown interest!! @jayyy007 @autumnmoon21 @sunsetsofanemoia, @lynnie51 @what-the-fuckaroni @masquejj

And please do let me know if you’d like me to add you to a taglist for this fic, or message you when new snippets/the next chapter come/s out!!

Chapter 2 Snippets 1, 2 & 3:

Hera was standing in the crowded meadow, surrounded by her friends, laughing that girly little giggle full of sunshine that just about made Zeus’ heart ooze in a puddle out of his chest.

Her blue dress made her eyes look like two shimmering sapphires.

“Have I seen her in a dress that color?” Zeus inquired excitedly from behind the bushes.

“How can we know what you’ve seen?” Aidoneus muttered. “With you creeping around, you might have seen her naked for all we know.”

Zeus punched him in the arm, (lightly).

“I don’t think she’s worn a dress that color!�� Posiedon bubbled.

“Thank you, Posiedon. At least someone can answer a question.”

“I think she looks like the sea on summer day.” He put his hands on his face, them sliding slowly.

Zeus eyed him. “Alright, keep it in your toga, Little Green Man.”

“Should we really be here?” Aidoneus muttered. “We weren’t invited.”

“Oh come on,” Zeus stood up, putting his hands on his hips. “Who wouldn’t want to see the King of the gods here?”

Poseidon grinned and stood up behind his brother. “No one!”

“Hestia, Demeter… assorted sane people.” Hades muttered as he stood to follow.

“If that’s sanity I’m glad I’m insane.” Zeus trilled as he strutted up to the entrance.

A cute pink nymph—(rather well endowed in the chestal region—not that he noticed!)—greeted them at the archway.

“Oh! Zeus!” She flushed and bowed. “It’s an honor. Welcome!”

“Why it’s an honor to meet you, my lady.” He kissed her hand, and she giggled. “See?” he turned to his brothers. “They’re delighted to have us.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling.” Hades muttered.

Hera was closer now; she smelled like summer, and she looked like it too. Poseidon was right about the ocean thing; she practically shimmered as she spoke with her friends.

“I’m gonna go talk to her.”

“Wait—!” Hades was soon swallowed by the crowd.

Zeus scooched behind her at lightning speed. One by one her friends began to take notice, their eyes widening.

Hera took a step back and would have tripped in surprise if he hadn’t caught her.

“Careful there, you might fall, Birthday Girl.”

“Oh, Zeus!” She looked up at him, the back of her head hitting his chest, “hi!”

That golden smile.

“I made you something!” As she spun to face him, he produced a little carving of a bird from his pocket. (And, no, he didn’t make it).

“Oh!” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, gently taking it from him, “It’s beautiful!”

All his responsibilities and stresses melted away with the sight of that smile, and he forgot there was anyone else at the party…in the world.

(…He wished he saw that smile anymore.)

Zeus’ chair was spinning empty at his desk before his assistant could say another word—

And Olympus wept, distant peals of thunder rending the sky into pieces.

Lightning crackled and cackled through his hair, creating violet tracks through the air, as Zeus sped through the sky.

It was freezing, and people were staring, but he didn’t care.

All that mattered was getting to his wife.

“My you look stunning.” Zeus sidled up behind his wife, running his fingers gently along her arm. “Is that a new dress?”

“New as that girlfriend of yours.” Hera grunted.

His eyes widened with shock, his voice with an indignant undertone to it. “Is something wrong?”

She paused a moment. He could see words fluttering behind her lips—(like they did so often, too often)—the words Yes you did something wrong, how can you not know?

He knew she wouldn’t believe him when he said he didn’t mean to hurt her.

“You weren’t invited,” she said softly.

“Not invited? Me?” He put his hand to his chest, like the thought of him ever not being welcome to somewhere was absurd. “To what?”

“The party, you nitwit!” She whirled around, her hair nearly whipping him in the face. “You just came barging in like you owned the place!”

“Well…to be fair—”

He stopped short at the look in her eyes, like two blue-hot flames.

He knew it was taking her a great amount of effort not to slap him.

“Do you know how long I’d been preparing for that?! How long it took me to get everything just right? I told you, but you never even listened, did you? And then you just barged right in!”

“Why are you so upset? What’s so important about a party?!”

“They were my friends.” Her gaze softened, and her tone became more serious. “They were—” Until she cut herself off, and her expression hardened as she whirled around, her hair billowing behind her.

“Bunny, wait!” His tone was softer too.

He wished she’d just turn around. That he could say sorry.

Was it really so hard? He should have started there.

Had he ever apologized for that?

He was always doing that; barging in where he wasn’t welcome. The world was his, yes but…he had to concede there were some parts of it he ought not just barge in on.

When he burst into the hospital, however, they wouldn’t dare tell him he wasn’t invited, wouldn’t dare tell him he couldn’t see her.

“Where. is my. wife?” Lightning slammed into a lamppost just outside the front door, shattering its glass box, and making the light spark, the rain pounding at the window like rabid dogs.

The desk clerk looked like she was about to pee out of sheer fear.

“Sh-sh-she’s not out of surgery yet, your majesty...I understand you want to see her, but I can’t let you…until-until they’re finished.” She was practically vibrating. “I assure you the moment she gets out, we’ll notify you.”

Surgery? He wanted to demand. She’s the queen of the gods, how could she be in surgery?

Electricity sparked in his eyes, trailing throughout his hair. He could say I demand you let me see her. He could say I don’t care! She’s my wife, and I’m not waiting! She’s fine! She’s the queen—she’s my queen—she won’t be hurt from a little car accident!

But there were some places he ought not just barge in on… and the surgeons room was probably one of them.

The lightning let out a sighing crackle, before he closed his eyes, his hair falling back upon his shoulders. It was then that he noticed he was dripping wet from head to toe. He sighed himself before muttering something like a garbled “I understand, thank you.” And turning to sit in the lobby. Behind him the desk clerk’s coworker held her to keep her from fainting.

He snapped his fingers, drying off, so as not to get their nice, barf-colored carpet all wet. Once he sat down in a chair—(the cushions didn’t have any cush to them)—a kid in the chair across from him scooched away.

He could have that kid lightly charred if he wanted.

Instead he settled for a nice glare, and reached over to pick up last month’s—(or maybe it was a few months ago)—issue of  “Goddess weekly” listening to the rain die down to a drum.

The same old gossip. Usually if he picked one of these up he’d check for any news he ought to be aware of. You know, as the king. Not to mention the ladies weren’t unappealing. Now he flicked through without seeing any of it.

Speaking of ladies, there was a nymph sitting across the room from him, her skin blue, her ears down, and a cute little half smile. She surely wasn’t in here for anything serious. She kept glancing from her own magazine to him—but not in a nervous way. If he wasn’t mistaken, she wouldn’t be opposed to a session of hide-the-German-sausage.

If he wanted he could take her there in a darkened closet in the hallway. It wouldn’t take long—(if it didn’t need to…or it could take all night). That would be a nice way to relieve the stress bubbling in his body.

—Someone was laying next to him, her skin smooth, practically glowing. There was rather a lot of it exposed.

She turned over, her eyes fluttering open, a small smile creasing her features as she rolled onto his chest, tickling his chin with her fingers.

“I had a wonderful time,” she twittered, and he practically purred, staring into those big blue eyes, glittering like river stones.

He pushed her green hair behind her ear.

“Is that all? I’d like to think a night with the King of the gods would be more than merely ‘wonderful.’”

She giggled. “No no, it was much more than wonderful! It was spectacular! Mind-blowing!” She threw her arms in the air.

“That’s more like it.” He grinned—

When was that again? Two years ago, or two days ago?

It could have been either.

Had he apologized for that?

Would it have mattered if he had? Would she have forgiven him? Would he have stopped?—

Bile rose in his throat, and he dove his nose so hard into the magazine he almost smacked himself with it.

His wife was bruised and bleeding, and potentially worse in a nearby room, at the mercy of some quack holding a scalpel and a few comforting words…and here he was thinking of betraying her for the…

How many times had it been now?

He threw the magazine back on the table and sank in the chair till his head was nearly on the bottom cushion, his lip flapping his he blew out a breath, making his hair fly up a little.

The kid and his mom got called, and seemed glad of a reason to leave.

After a healthy dose of moping he pulled out his phone. After checking fatesbook and playing a few games he decided it was time to open his messages.

He didn’t want to be alone. He wanted some sensible and non-conjugal company.

He scrolled through and clicked on a name.

A number of old conversations sprinkled the page, often detailing Zeus asking about getting together and the correspondent saying they were busy.

He thought a moment about what to say—(a rare occurrence for him)—before deciding any vague requests would probably get ignored, so he simply decided the boldfaced truth:

Hera’s been in a car accident. She’s in surgery.

“WHAT?!” The word was spoken aloud—and very loudly at that.

Hades was standing in front of him. If the king being here wasn’t enough reason for weird looks, this outburst had sent more than a few eyes their way.

Zeus did a finger wave at the nymph, before he grabbed his brother’s arm, whisking him off to a less crowded hallway.

The only thing here was a vending machine, and a few overly picturesque pictures of trees.

“How did this happen?!”  Hades shout-whispered.

“I would venture to guess she was driving too fast.”

“I could have gathered that myself, thank you very much!” Hades was clearly trying not to shout. “What was she doing?! Where was she going?!”

Zeus rolled folded his arms. “Does it matter?”

“Sure it matters! Well at least it’d be good to know!”

“…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?! What do you mean you don’t know?! She’s your wife—!”

“I said I don’t know!” he kicked the vending machine.

The air shattered and reformed itself.

Zeus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice softening. “I…I don’t know.”

Two sides of him warred. One wanted to shout at Hades. He expected him to know where she was at all times? Oh yeah, that would go over well with her. What kind of helicopter husband would he be then?

And yet, it felt wrong for him not to know. Like some sort of failure. She was his wife. Shouldn’t he? Shouldn’t he have asked? Shouldn’t he care?

Hades’ gaze softened.

“I upset her.” Zeus murmured. “We got into a fight.”

Hades leaned against the wall. He was probably resisting the urge to say he could have gathered that too.

Zeus leaned his head forward onto the glass of the vending machine, his hair falling to the side, his reflection vaguely eyeing him.

“We got into a fight and she…I hadn’t even realized she went for a drive.” He paused, observing the chocolate and chips sitting in neat rows in the machine. “Do you think she liked Twyx?”

“Huh?”

“Do you think she liked Twyx?”

Hades pondered it a moment. “Probably. She tends to like things with caramel in them.”

Zeus smiled wryly. “See? I didn’t even know that.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to ask her all your burning questions about her favorite candy flavors very soon.”

“That’s not the point.” Zeus whispered.

Zeus was feeling a little off-kilter.

He nearly fell into a three-thousand drachma vase.

Okay, make that a lot.

The sound of heels on the staircase. The white one they’d painted for that one event…what had they been celebrating again?

His hazy gaze made her glitter even more than usual.

“Have I ever told you that you’re like the sea on a summer’s day?” Zeus’ voice came out blurry. He put his hand in his hair, trying to look sexy, you know, like the kind of guy you’d wanna forgive.

This was met by her hair slapping him in the face as she walked by him. She paused a few steps below him, turning.

“Is that alcohol I smell on your breath?”

“I may have had one—“ He hiccuped, “or five, appletinis.”

“And this is what? An intelligent conversation you’re trying to have?” She folded her arms over her chest.

“Actually,” he held up a finger. The action made him feel off-balance so he leaned against the railing, trying to land in a sexy pose. “There is something I wanted to say.”

“You’re barely coherent when you’re sober, at least spare me until then.”

He rolled his eyes—(and made himself feel even dizzier).

She turned to go back up the stairs.

“Wait!” He shouted.

She stopped, looked over her shoulder, eyes narrow as a cat’s. “What?”

“I-hic!” He covered his mouth as if embarrassed. Clearly emotion was dangerous. “I wasn’t trying to get wasted! I just-hic!-needed more than three or four to say this.”

“Oh yeah? Spit it out Grape Sorbet.” She folded her arms over her chest.

“I’m…” he held on to the railing for support. “I’m sorry.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

“You…You were right.” He took a step closer.

“About what?” Her breath bated.

“I just…I didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t…” He looked away. “I couldn’t tell you sober.”

“About what?” The words had a rough edge to them, her chest heaving with breath.

Ah. She knew. She knew what he was going to say, even before he said it.

“I…I did cheat on you.”

“Wh-What?” Her eyes tinted red…but there was so much hurt in the word.

Fear and shame rose in tandem like ocean waves, threatening to bowl him over, and he realized that the truth wasn’t going to help at all. But all he could do was let it pour out of him.

“You-hic-You asked if I was with-hic—”

“Stop.” She covered her mouth as if to keep the worst words from spilling out, tears welling in her eyes.

“But I—”

“I said stop!” Her voice rang through the room like something shattering.

Maybe something was.

Her heels against the stairs, fast and sharp, and away.

“Wait!”

Turn around please, let me apologize, let me explain, I won’t do it again.

He threw up in the vase.

“Daddy? What was that all about?” The small voice made his blood run cold. “What did you cheat at? Were you playing a game?”

Zeus turned, horrified, to see Ares, hiding behind a crack in the door.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at her.” He breathed. “It was stupid, really.”

Hades put a dollar in the vending machine and punched in a number.

“People say all kinds of things when they’re angry. Doesn’t mean you’re bad, just means you’re people. Which…” Hades looked him up and down, adding under his breath, “I wonder about sometimes.”

“...You must think I’m a terrible husband.”

Hades grabbed two chocolate bars and handed one to his brother.

“I think you need something sweet, maybe a little hydration, and some rest.”

Zeus unwrapped the bar and took a bite, not really tasting anything.

After a moment Hades sighed.

“It’s not so simple as that.” Hades said between bites, “I don’t necessarily think there’s such a thing as a ‘terrible husband’ or ‘the best husband.’ I…I don’t even think there’s such a thing as good and bad people. There’s just…people. There’s just husbands. But there are rules that come with being a person, and/or being a husband and…” he paused, trying to choose his words carefully, “you don’t always follow those rules.”

Zeus fell back against the wall, looking at the floor, denials dying in his throat.

It was raining.

No, actually it was pouring. And thundering. The lightning was like cracks in a collapsing sky, and Zeus’s gut was twisting like the snakes on the head of a gorgon.

“What? You-you think you can just undo this?!” Hera’s words were biting. “It’s done!” Her laugh was wry and sardonic, like an ache in her throat, red tainting the blue of her eyes. “You can’t just fix something like that! Once someone cheats at the game no one else just keeps playing!”

“It was a mistake! One stupid night!”

“One stupid night, huh?! Then how do you explain this?!” She held up his phone. The pictures. The…Oh Gaia.

The snakes in his gut bit down, and he bit his lip looking away. He hadn’t known she knew about that.

“You’ve got it all wrong! That was just—!”

“I thought you were different!” She bit off his excuse, the anger cracked, and the pain was bleeding through, and he wasn’t the only one making it rain: A tear fell down her face, then another, her mascara running black along her cheeks. “You made me smile, you made me laugh! You saved your brothers from your father. And I thought we could make a kingdom—a world—together!” She shook her head, grimacing, trying and failing to keep more tears from falling. “I thought we could be something!”

“We are! We have! I just made a mistake! I—!”

“No, Zeus.” There was a finality to her tone.

Tears streamed down her face now. He hated it when she cried. She didn’t do it often, and whenever she did he was ready to smite whoever hurt her but…he’d hurt her worst of all.

“I thought you were different. But you’re—“ the words were like an antique vase, riddled with cracks. “You’re just another bad guy.” She punched him in the arm, and the vase broke, the defiance into pain. She punched him in the arm…but it was weak and far too soft, and that’s how he knew she was really hurt; she could bring the sky down on him if she wanted.

She looked down at her hand, twisting her wedding ring with a finger.

“I’m staying with a friend tonight.”

Her wedding ring tinkled on the floor.

As she turned and walked away the word rang out like he was hoping his voice alone could rewrite his sins and bring her back:

“Wait!”

She didn’t stop, didn’t turn, didn’t make any indication she’d even heard him.

“Please…Please just wait.” These were soft.

He fell to his knees on the marble, scooping up her wedding ring and enclosing it in his fingers, holding it to his forehead, and trying not to bring the sky down upon himself.

He’d seen her angry. He’d seen her sad. But this? Seeing her break for him…was so much worse.

It reminded him too much of another time. Of a scar on her stomach. How she broke herself just to be his.

—(And he wondered, for a fleeting moment, if it would have been better if he had been the one to break.)—

“There you are!” Said a voice. “You can come see her now,”—a cleared throat— “your Majesty.”

*

Notes: Aright, so this chapter had a few things I was unsure about I thought I’d ask about here!

1. Does anyone have any other clever play-on-words for candy brands? I feel like Zeus would know that she likes caramel in general, so it’d make more sense if Hades said “she likes [X similar candy] so she’d probably like Twyx.” But Twyx is all my brain came up with and I don’t even know that it’s all that good XD

2. I’m aware that the gods don’t call each other “people” they call each other “beings.” However, Hades’ lines don’t have as much impact with “beings.” Did the fact that I used “people” stick out too much? Should I change it to “beings”?

3. I know Ancient Greek wedding ceremonies are different from ours, and they might not even have wedding rings. But that image was so impactful for me I decided to use it. Should I remove it? Or did you find it impactful?

Please let me know if there’s anything you felt was inaccurate to their characters!!

Thanks so much for reading!! 💕💕

[paintingtownsblue]

thanks for tagging me @goldenevermore :)))

interview tag!

rules: answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better

-nickname: most people don’t call me by a nickname but i looove them, i mostly get em which is super cute but there was one girl that called me emmy, that was also super cute i really don’t care tho lol

-pronouns: she/her

-star sign: pisces, and if u know me well, it is very evident in my personality

-height: like ALMOST 5 foot 7 in, very close

-time currently: 6:53 pm

-when is your birthday: feb 25, which is kind of boring but the full thing like 2-25-2005 looks cool so it’s fine

-favorite bands/groups: i’m honestly not a massive fan of bands butttttt one direction, haim, pentatonix, and old maroon 5 songs all slap so

-favorite solo artists: um taylor swift if it isn’t obvious but other than that i looooove halsey (they go by she/they pronouns now 🥰 also i cannot wait to see her baby), i love fletcher sm, ariana grande has a killer voice and i’ve seen her live she was sooo good, and i bop hard to like early 2010s pop stuff like lady gaga, katy perry, rihanna, kesha, yk anything of that particular vibe my taste is definitely a bit basic but that’s okay. :)

-song stuck in your head: right now it’s jesus take the wheel because i started singing it out of the blue during class today and it just wouldn’t go away... idk.

-last movie watched: ummm i haven’t watched anything in a while it might’ve been ww84, it’s not very good and it’s very long dont waste your time

-last show you binged: the good place, i’ve seen it twice i think? they know how to make actual good taylor swift jokes lol.

-when you created your blog: maybe october of last year? i don’t know, i know i didn’t post until november tho

-last thing you googled: uhhh i was looking up the dates of the zodiac signs cause i don’t remember them all and i was making sure that my cousin is an aries. yeah.

-other blogs: this is it. this is me. sorry.

-why you chose your url: ummm idk honestly just cause it has a nice ring to it and i love ma&thbp

-do you get asks: yes. it is all thanks to @likediamondsinthesky-13 and @catnipevermore i love you guys

-how many people are you following: 979. 😬 i was following 840 a couple days ago idk what happened but umm.. yeah

-how many followers do you have: 284 but i feel like i had 200 like a week ago it’s going up kinda fast uhhh hey guys :,) i love u all

-average hours of sleep: on school days, probably like... 4 or 5 average but on the weekends like a solid 12

-lucky number: 9 and my best friends lucky number is 13 and ever since we’ve been friends it’s started popping up more so that’s interesting

-instruments: i love the piano and i’m trying to get better every day i just cannot read music for the life of me and i tried learning guitar but idk and i really wanna get my nails done long 💀

-what i’m currently wearing: just plain black leggings with a green sweatshirt i got at a soccer tournament

-dream job: anything where i could create and/or play music would be so so fun but i also love to draw aaaand if not something artsyyyy i would like working with animals in whatever way possible

-dream trip: travel down the north american west coast, from british columbia down to la. ugh that would be the dream, i’ve done something similar before but not to that extent

-favorite food: i love salmon sooo much but also just anything chocolate

-favorite song: call it what you want by taylor swift

-top 3 fictional universes you’d like to live in: umm that’s hard i cant pick 3 but i wanna know what the fuck is happening in narnia

20 is too many so i’m just tagging: @likediamondsinthesky-13 @catnipevermore @folkloredeluxe @nineteeneightyninetour @kasuallykrool @patch-up-your-tapestry and i was gonna tag @/album5track2 but u stole her from me 😡

[labellerose-acheron]

The Acheron Cottage -- aka Swynlake’s Burrow

This is a REBOOT of the first in a series that one day may be complete but also may never be complete. As most of you know I’m like a huge #spatial person in my writing, so all my character’s houses/apartments/living spaces are really well mapped out in my brain? And I thought it’d be fun for people to see. (And a good reference for those who may RP in those spaces at some point.) 

And since we just did a whole plot where Hades and Belle renovated their house, I thought I would update their floorplan! (Also, because I’m super obsessed with this magical house.) 

@trip-downtheriverstyx, @lou-bonfightme

Overview:

The Acheron cottage is now a 3 ½ (from 1 ½) bath, 6 bedroom cottage that was built in the 1700s sometime most likely and finished renovations in late June of 2021. Due to the fact the house is now four floors, taller than most of the trees in the area, and most of the surrounding houses are only 2 floor simple farmhouses and cottages, it sticks out a bit in the landscape, not to mention its haphazard leaning-tower of Piza style architecture. The new floors look like they were just kind of slapped onto the original house. (Think the Burrow.) 

It is on 5 acres of land and backs up against the woods. There is a small stable and pasture on the land, as well as a large garden. It’s located in Southwest Swynlake, a few minutes walk from the local stable. There are neighboring farms, but they’re far enough away to not really count as proper neighbors.

Assume that all walls that are not covered by windows or other things (like closets) are full of books. The walls alternate between painted wood paneling and stone. Floors are wood except for the mud room, which are stone. The garden is shown in every photo, in order to orient yourself with which way the rooms are facing. 

Residents: 

Belle Acheron, Hades Acheron, Toulouse Bonfamille, Opal Acheron, Aidan Acheron, Bellamy Acheron, Arthur the ghost, other ghosts, chickens!, Philippe, Angus, the Black Shuck, Victoire, Vincent, Honoré, and Lord Voltaire Scalington, Destroyer of Universes.

**note: pictures in the aesthetic are to give an overall #feel of the house, but don’t necessarily indicate the exact furniture/decorations/floorplan. the floorplan, on the other hand is not quite to scale but i did the best i could.

1. Entryway

When you first walk into the house on your left is a row of hooks (made out of various odds and ends), on which to hang jackets. To your right is a little table and a mirror, probably plants added (thanks, Toulouse.) The hallway is wide but short and opens up into the living room area. The stairs are directly across from the front door. You can also see all the way through into the kitchen from the entryway.

2. Living Room

The living room is the most spacious room in the house and has remained so, even though other parts of the house were expanded. There is a large window seat beneath the front window. Two chairs and a couch are situated near the fireplace, which is dressed in the original brick, these are new pieces of furniture. It was painted a very pale, fading yellow, but now is painted a pale blue. Furniture is cozy and neutral colors (couch is a coffee colour and leather to prevent staining, chairs are a nice maroon colour, picked out by Lou with Hades’ influence). Lots of blankets (because Belle gets cold easily) and books along all the walls. A carpet is laid down beneath the couch/chairs. 

These days, there are a few family portraits in spaces on bookshelves and above the mantel: one from Belle and Hades’ wedding, of the just the two of them and one of the whole wedding party; pictures of the children and with Toulouse, of course. Also, a picture of Belle’s mother has a place of importance among one of the shelves. There is also a picture of Persephone reading with Vincent in her old room. There is also evidence of children: toys and such littered about. It is rarely ever fully clean, no matter how fuitally Hades tries. The living room–as well as the rest of the house–is home to several clocks–on walls, on shelves, etc. Belle’s father was a clockmaker and Belle and him used to fiddle with the broken ones–made them tell time backwards or too fast or only every other hour. Belle and Hades’ chess table moved from the mudroom into the living room, near the fireplace. There is almost always a game in progress.

If one has a keen eye, they will notice there are no logs by the fire, nor soot in the fireplace. Yet, often, an eerie blue fire will be burning in it during the colder months.

3. Kitchen

The kitchen was the room that increased in size the most. The wall where the stove is was knocked out and pushed backwards to shift everything to the left. It now boasts copious counterspace, as well as a large island that is usually cluttered with mail and children’s things. Refrigerator, stove, oven, no dishwasher (which is probably the bane of Hades’ existence since Belle hates doing dishes and Lou doesn’t know how.) Cabinets are cherry wood; some are refurbished, and the new ones were made to match the originals. 

Window over the sink looks out over the horse pasture in the distance (a few meters from the house.) Big, gorgeous window overlooking the garden in the “breakfast nook” area. Dining table is a cherry wood to match the cabinets and has eight matching chairs. Usually, the chairs are pushed to the walls, except for ones that are needed. This room is home to the only clock that is not digital that works in the entire house. It’s on the window ledge above the sink and was the first clock that Belle ever fixed by herself.

4. Mudroom

Where Belle always comes in from her horse rides, the door of which leads out into the garden and beyond. This is where winter clothes are stored and muddy shoes are piled by the door. It has a stone floor and is generally the coldest room in the house. The laundry machine and dryer are in this room. It used to be where Belle and Hades played chess. Now, their chess table can be found in the living room. 

5. Guest Restroom

There is a new bathroom in the mudroom, for guests and the family to use conveniently. (And for Belle to clean up when coming from outside, Hades loves it.) It is just a sink and toilet but it is much better than making everyone go upstairs when they come over.

6. The Garden

The garden was neglected for a long while, since it was Belle’s mother’s. Originally it was full of just rose bushes, but many of them had died due to neglect (whoops). Persephone managed to save a few but the ones that couldn’t be, she and Belle (with the help of Haku) ripped them out and replaced them with different vegetables and flowers. It has a low brick wall around it. It backs up almost right to the woods. It is now Toulouse’s space and he will make it beautiful, with roses and other flowers and different fruits and vegetables. The opening at the top of it leads down to the pastures and off to the right of the garden is where the woods are.

7. Hallway

There is really nothing special about the hallway. It’s actually quite blank. There are more bookshelves though, which used to make the hallway a bit of a tight squeeze but they had to expand the wall in order to include stairs going up to the third floor, so it is more spacious now (though, not by a lot.) 

8. Toulouse’s Room

This room used to be Persephone’s. It is currently Opal’s. However, it will, one day, be Toulouse’s, so I am going to describe that set up. 

As you can see from the floor plan, there are copious amounts of plants in his room. He probably has very nice silky sheets--a dark green, maybe, with green walls. He has a long bookshelf among the far wall. On top of this is Voltaire’s tank. Probably a few paintings hung up and a dresser. The door that looks like it goes to nowhere? Oh, yeah. That’s his ever-expanding magical closet. It is a walk-in and is spelled to expand the more he needs it to. It exists now, but it has a child-proof magic lock on it so that Opal cannot get into it, lol. There is a cat tower for Honoré, though both of the cats hang out in Lou’s room, because Vincent is used to it too bc it used to be Persephone’s room. 

There is a dog bed in the corner for Victoire, though she usually just sleeps with Lou, if Hades isn’t staying the night with him. 

9. Belle’s Room

This room used to be Belle’s, it’s the room she grew up in. However, right now it is currently the twins’ room. However, one day it will go back to being Belle’s, so I am going to describe that set up.

A bit more spacious than the other room (but not by too much) Belle’s room is equipped with a closet, though it isn’t that big, as well as bookshelves all along the walls. There is also a reading nook in one corner with a window seat in it that Maurice built for her (which is why it’s in such a kooky spot) and it is probably Belle’s favourite spot in the whole house (after her secret office). The walls were repainted in a splendid sky blue. Her bedsheets are blue with little flower designs on them. Belle actually doesn’t spend a whole lot of time in her room, except for when she’s getting ready for bed. And I’d say she sleeps in Hades’ room probably 2 nights a week tops, but usually less than that, tbh. 

10. Bathroom

Just your standard bathroom, nothing fancy about it. I assume Belle’s house runs on well water and it takes forever to get warm, which is the bane of everyone’s existence, especially Toulouse. This will mostly be his bathroom in the future, as Belle will take baths and such in the master bathroom.

11. Master Bedroom (Hades’ Room)

Biggest room in the house. It used to be Belle’s parents, and then Belle’s father’s. It has been Hades’ ever since he moved in. It is the neatest in the house because Hades is a tyrant about that and so even Belle’s things must be cleaned up. There’s a bedside drawer on either side of the bed, each has their own matching lamp. I imagine the bedsheets are like, extremely boring actually, like legitimately just white or a pale gray. There is also a space in this room, probably by the window, with arm chairs and a little table, where there is a chess board set up so Belle and Hades can play here too. 

On the main dresser at the top, there is a jewelry stand for Hades’ various necklaces and bracelets. There is also a watch stand. 

The walk-in closet is also extremely neat; Hades has an entire shelf for shoes which is neat of him. 

The door that looks like it goes to nowhere? Oh, yeah. That’s Belle and Hades’ secret office. More on that in the section below. ~~

12. Master Bathroom

This only gets its own shout out because a) it is where Opal was born, b) I wanted the secret office to be #13, lol, c) I have a few headcanons about it. Mostly that Belle still uses it to do most of her nighttime routine stuff, because I feel like her and Hades probably have a groove going at this point and I think it’s cute. Also, she takes a lot of baths, so she’s in there all the time. She gets ready in the hallway bathroom in the morning though, since she gets up before Hades.

It is ALSO very neat, very clean counters lol and there are lots of skin products neatly arranged in drawers. He probably cleans up every morning after Belle from the night before, lmao. (Though, she DOES respect the bathroom as His Space and cleans up after herself, just...not to his standards.)

13. Belle and Hades’ Secret Office

It has a special rune on it that locks it unless you know the way in and can disappear if you want to hide it. Inside, Belle and Hades have hidden some of their more precious artifacts and books, things that they don’t want to get into the wrong hands. 

The tan couch from the living room has been brought up to it, since it was getting far too small for the space downstairs and Belle didn’t want to get rid of it since it held so much sentimental value to them. The window looks out over the garden below, though it doesn’t actually exist to be looking out into the garden. From the outside, you cannot see it at all. It simply doesn’t exist. 

Most everything in it is new. There is a lovely circular oak table in the middle, with matching chairs, and bookshelves surrounding all available walls. The desk labeled A is Hades and the desk labeled B is Belle’s, and they are both oak to match the table and custom fitted to the room. There is also a cabinet next to the couch that has a vault-like magic’ed drawer where they can hide things.  

14. Bellamy’s Room

Eventually, this room will be Bellamy’s when the twins stop sharing a room by the time they’re about 13/14. Until then, it will be used The smallest of the three upstairs rooms. Some people might assume that Bellamy got it by default because he is technically the youngest, but he’s actually quite fine with it. He is the most like his mother when it comes to his living spaces. AKA -- he is a squirrel and likes his cozy little nest that is much messier than either of his siblings. He’s that person that puts clothes in drawers with one hand while reading with the other. 

15. Opal’s Room

Eventually, this room will be Opal’s. She’ll probably move up there when she’s like five or six, idk whatever the appropriate age would be for a kid to be more or less self-sufficient in the regard of going to sleep/getting up. In the meantime, it will probably be Lou’s because it looks out over the garden. Which means she will probably get a lot of leftover plants from him because he won’t want to disturb them. 

It is probably like a nice soft purple color or something right now. Opal constantly changes it. She repaints the room at least once a year and gets yelled at by her parents for rearranging her furniture at 2am sometimes. Also, the armchair in her room is the rocking chair that was in her nursery. 

16. Aidan’s Room

At first, this room will be both Bellamy and Aidan’s because it is the biggest of the three upstairs rooms. The bed with the book on it is Bellamy’s and the one that is empty is Aidan’s. They don’t mind sharing really and I imagine won’t get in lots of arguments about things. 

Because they are mediums, they both stay up late though they know not to disturb their parents or they’ll earn their wrath so they learn early on how to solve their own problems if they are getting on each other’s nerves. Their room is probably painted a nice pale yellow. Their biggest argument is probably closet space, because I could see Aidan being a fashionista and encroaching on Bellamy’s space and him getting annoyed about it. 

17. Children’s Bathroom

It’s a bathroom? I don’t know. There are probably lots of fights about who gets to use it first in the mornings and people taking too long. Though, there are other bathrooms that people can use. I imagine there are mornings where one of the kids just marches into Hades’ room like ALL THE BATHROOMS ARE TAKEN, I’M USING YOURS! 

What I’m saying is that privacy is an issue in this house, lmao. Yes, they expanded, but everyone is still living on top of each other.

18. Library

What? I thought there were books all over the house? Why do they need a library? 

Because there will always be more books in the house! Also, they needed another room to escape for anyone in the family who might need it. Feel like Bellamy will haunt it most often as he grows older, but Belle will go there too rather frequently. She likes to be surrounded by books. There is another chess table here (yes, that makes three.) Sometimes, Hades and Belle will sneak off to the library just to play a game of chess without being disturbed, because they don’t keep one in the office. (The office is for working, the library is for relaxation.) 

It is probably quite small actually and with a low, gabled ceiling. Floor to ceiling bookshelves all the way around the walls. 

19. Toulouse’s Studio

Unattached to the rest of the house and above Hades’ garage, is Toulouse’s art studio. To get in you have to climb a spiral iron staircase. On the west side of the studio are floor to ceiling windows that look out over the forest. On the south side of the studio is another large window (though, not floor to ceiling), that looks towards the house/the garden/the horse pastures beyond. Beneath this window is his desk. To the left of his desk is a long workbench with several stools where his woodworking and other projects will be. 

His favorite spot to paint is the place with the stool and empty easel, near the large floor-to-ceiling windows. There are also multiple plants in the room, scattered throughout. The couch actually pulls out into a bed, though it is rarely used. Sometimes, if Lou is in one of his moods, or if he just gets stuck on a project, he will stay the night in his studio.

This is Lou’s space and Belle/Hades rarely go in it, except to fetch him for dinner or whatnot. Sometimes, though, Opal will join him in it. She is the only one brave enough to put up with Lou when he’s in a bad mood and doesn’t want to be disturbed. It is also where she goes when she gets in fights with Belle and Hades, lol. Lou is the indulgent parent and everyone would rather she ran away to Lou’s art studio than to like...the wilds. 

[rockthistowninsideout]

Never Too Late For A Leap Of Faith

Part 1

(Part 2)

Five times Taichi only feels the presence of Digimons and one time he actually meets them (again).

Words: 2126 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Tags: 5+1 Pairings: Taichi Yagami/OC, Sorato, Jyoumi

Inspired by this youtube video talking about how the end of Kizuna fits into the narrative of the Epilogue in 02, posted by TheDigiKnow. It’s in my opinion a thorough and yet personal analysis.

   When there was a baby’s cry from the labour room, Taichi broke down in tears. He’d been pacing to and fro in the hall leading to it, but only after his wife Kana had dislodged some knuckles in his hand by holding it too tight during a contraction and he had to be treated for it. Afterwards he hadn’t been allowed in again because, and that was something he didn’t like to admit, he had been on the brink of fainting before Kana’s force had jerked him back to consciousness.

    A nurse stuck her head out the door and smiled. “Congratulations, Yagami-shi, you have a son!”

   Taichi wiped away his tears, smile a little lopsided, and entered the labour room. His wife Kana, whom he had met at a diplomatic meeting three years ago, looked pale and drained, but smiled broadly. She mopped her sweaty brow with a neckerchief, pushed her long black hair that looked a tad greasy after her exertions behind her ear and leaned forward to receive a kiss from Taichi. Then she pulled away the duvet that had been drawn over her to reveal their newborn son. He had chestnut brown hair just like Taichi but his mother’s bulbous nose and when he opened his eyes they were a startling clear blue.

   “Most children have blue eyes when they’re born”, the nurse explained. “They’ll darken over the course of the first year.”

     Taichi hadn’t said a word yet, he was too transfixed on this small bundle of life that he helped to produce and that he was now responsible for. That realization suddenly felt heavy on his shoulders but when he looked into Kana’s soft yet endearing black eyes, the very eyes he’d been mesmerized by from the very beginning, he felt the weight ease.

   “Do you want to hold the little egg?”, Kana asked and lifted the bundle towards Taichi who’d been instinctively forming a cradle with his arms.   Something at the back of his mind stirred to life, something about a green yard full of cribs with colourful eggs, the way it never had before when the word “egg” was mentioned, but Taichi didn’t give it any notice. Tears were running down his face again as he watched the miracle before him. With a scratchy voice he whispered “Hello Hotaro, welcome to the world.”

   The first days were reserved just for them so the three could get to know each other. After the tiredness of being born had worn off, Hotaro was a very awake child. In every sense. He had trouble sleeping through, which caused Taichi, suddenly becoming self-conscious about his appearance, to use Kana’s concealer. She had taken a year off from work while Taichi went back to the office after three days. His colleagues welcomed him with a round of applause, a light blue greeting card, and a big stuffed and, for some reason, snow white teddy bear. As he looked the bear up and down, suddenly a cold breeze swept over him and gave him goosebumps. He immediately knew how he would name the bear.

     “I am Frigimon”, he muttered under his breath.

***

   Hotaro loved Frigimon. He had accepted the name without hesitation, affectionately calling him Friggi, and never going to sleep without him. Once Frigimon had entered the Yagami household, something had shifted within Taichi. Usually he was highly alert in his meetings but now he started dreaming away. Dreamt of a tram that didn’t need rails, of an island ruled by an evil bat-like looking creature, and vending machines in the middle of nowhere.

     He also started dreaming away at the kitchen table when having dinner with his family. At some point he was so far gone that it needed a gentle slap on the shoulder by his wife. When he looked at her questioningly, she said “Muchomon”.

   He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

   “Muchomon was my Digimon partner. He vanished when I was 24 and had just finished my degree.”

   “You were a DigiDestined?” Taichi’s eyes went wide as saucers.

   She nodded. “It’s been a while but since you brought Frigimon here the memories have boiled up again. You should talk to your friends again, and more than just at their birthdays and about irrelevances. I thought you’d been so close? To be a DigiDestined, and having fought numerous battles, welds together – for life.”

   Taichi took a deep breath. He kneaded his hands. He hadn’t wanted all this to happen – to let the contact cool down or even freeze. It had just happened. Because. Because of life, he guessed. At some point work and his little family had become more important than his long-term friends. He didn’t even know how many children Sora and Yamato now had!

   He banged his fist on the table.

   “Dad!” Hotaro exclaimed frightened. He had never seen his father so agitated. Immediately, Taichi regretted his outburst. He had never wanted to scare his son, become violent around him. And now he had. Because of his own shortcoming. “I’m sorry, Hota”, he quickly said, tearing at his hair. He got up, walked around the table, and lifted his son in the air.

   “It’s okay”, the four-year-old said, gently touching his father’s face. “Can you let me down, please?”

   Taichi complied, a bit confused.

   Hotaro took his hand and led him to his room. “Sit down, Dad. I’ve found something while playing in the attic a few days ago.” He handed him a box which Taichi instantly recognized, and his heart ached. He didn’t need to lift the dusty lid, sprinkled with little fingerprints from his son, to know what was inside. But he did it anyway. Coming to light was a round pair of goggles and a smouldered Digivice. He only noticed he was crying when the first tears hit the Digivice, just like they had done many years ago when Agumon had to say goodbye.

   For good.

   Or so he had thought. But Digimons were reborn. He had witnessed that many times. Maybe it just hadn’t been the right time until now.

   He lifted his head to look straight into his son’s open, curious, beautiful face. When also Kana had been a DigiDestined, then maybe their child should also supposed to be one. Or no, no he shouldn’t. He should choose if he wanted to become one.

   They had been thrust into this world without having been asked first. They had had to come to terms all on their when they’d been mere children and the forces who had chosen them had never offered much aid. He wanted this to go differently.

   He noticed that Hotaro held up Taichi’s phone. Koushirou’s name was on the display, it was already dialling. “Call him”, Hotaro said. Taichi shook his head. That kid was much smarter than was good for him.

***

   “Oh!! It’s soo good to see you all again!”, Mimi exclaimed, as excited as ever.

   Taichi had to dial down the volume of his computer as the audio overmodulated. But he smiled, genuinely, because he felt just the same. Before him, the screen was split into five segments, all filled with bright smiling faces.

   “Jou, come over, they’re here now!”, Mimi called, her face turned away from the camera. In the background there suddenly was the sound of glass crashing on a tiled floor, followed by a stream of swear words. “Jou, I told you not to swear in front of the kids!” She turned back to the screen. “I’ll be back in a minute.” With that, her segment got empty.

  Her friends chuckled. “I see you were cleverer”, Taichi pointed out to Sora and Yamato, who were sitting together in front of the camera and holding their two children on their laps. Their son had inherited Sora’s maroon hair while their daughter was as flaxen-haired as Yamato. They were both visibly bored, wriggling about on their parents’ laps trying to grab office supplies that were clearly not toys in their vicinity.

  “I’m not so sure about that”, Yamato remarked, dryly as ever, as he pulled a stapler away from his son’s hands.

  “Dad, have you seen my hockey stick?”, someone called in the background of Koushirou’s screen segment.

  He sighed. “I thought you put it in the cabinet beside the shoe rack. You know, where it’s supposed to go.”

  “I did but it’s not there. And Yui and her mom will be here any minute to pick me up for training.” The voice grew whinier and more urgent.

  Koushirou bowed apologetically to his friends. “I just have to help my daughter.”

  Meanwhile, Mimi had reappeared, Jou and their two sons in tow. “Hiroshi, Sasuke, say hello to Mom and Dad’s friends.” Mimi nudged them a little forward.

  The older one, taking remarkably after Jou with his blueish-black hair and the glasses, hesitated but the younger one, sporting a daring chin-long bob with a middle parting, grinned and brightly said “Hi, I’m Sasuke.”

 The DigiDestined greeted him back with a laugh. “Say Sasuke”, Taichi started, “does your mom and you go to the same hairdresser?”

  Sasuke looked at him in surprise. “Yeah, but how do you know?”

  More friendly laughter.

  “My brother’s good at guessing, is all”, Hikari remarked, absentmindedly fastening her hair-clip. She wore her hair the longest it had ever been but subconsciously she itched for a cut. But her daughter always said that she looked so nice with the long hair even though Rika couldn’t stand long hair herself. Hikari had even caught her once as she had cut her middle brown hair with kids’ scissors.

  “Oh, I see”, Sasuke said, tilting his head. “But you don’t look like siblings at all.”

  “Sasuke!” Jou turned red in second-hand embarrassment. “Sorry, my son can be a bit blunt sometimes.”

 “I wonder whom he has that from”, Takeru mused, hand held on his chin as if he was pondering a very difficult question.

  “I heard you are a writer”, Hiroshi suddenly said, nervously adjusting his glasses.

  Takeru’s expression turned smug. “And a pretty successful one at that.”

  “Yeah, but Dad thinks you’re exaggerating at times.”

 Jou turned even redder. “That’s… that’s not what I’ve been saying!”, he sputtered. “You just sometimes spend a little too much time on one detail.”

  “That’s not what you said, Dad!” Hiroshi turned to his father, affronted. “I’m not a liar!”

  “Of course not, my dear”, Mimi said soothingly. Then she leaned in closer and whispered “Sometimes adults don’t like the truth very much.” Louder did she say “Why don’t you two go and get your guinea pigs to show our friends, mmh?”

  “Oh yeah!” They bounded off out of the frame.

  “And where’s your kid?”, Yamato asked his brother.

  Takeru shrugged. “At band practice. Don’t know where he got the musical talent from but he certainly has some. And no, Yama, he hasn’t gotten it from you. Because he’s better.”

  Yamato dramatically inhaled. “You didn’t say that!”

  “I’ve got a round of witnesses who can confirm that I just did.”

  “Sorry Takeru, my connection was a bit wobbly for a few seconds. You said something?” Taichi asked suspiciously innocent.

  Takeru shook his head. “And you call yourself my friend.”

  Before anyone could reply to that, Koushirou plonked himself down on his chair breathlessly. “I’m back!”

  “Did you find the hockey stick?”, Sora asked, glad about the diversion. She had already feared that the mood could be slipping.

  Koushirou nodded solemnly. “Yes, just in time. And it was actually me who had misplaced it because I had cleaned out the cabinet and didn’t put it back.”

  “Tststs, Kou. I hope your daughter doesn’t have to put with too much.”

  Koushirou shook his head. “Of course not. Being a single parent isn’t easy but we have a cleaning   lady who comes in two days a week and I can bring Koyuki to my parents if need be.”

 Yamato muttered something under his breath which earned him a jab in the ribs by Sora. “In this house we don’t judge”, she breathed into his ear, only audible for him.

  He reluctantly nodded.

  “These are Tom and Jerry”, Hiroshi and Sasuke announced, diverting the tension once again.

  Taichi chuckled. “They don’t look like a mouse and a cat to me.”

  “We weren’t allowed to have a cat and a mouse”, Sasuke replied.

 “You wanted a mouse?” Sora could hardly hide her laughter.

  “Unbelievable, right?” Jou seemed to shiver just at the thought of having a tiny and cunning rodent in the apartment. And a slightly dumb but very persistent cat chasing it.

  Takeru laughed, too. “Most certainly.” Then he leaned forward. “But have we just come together to get to know your pets or is there a more pressing matter?”