#sweet pea saw this pretty boy one time and decided it was on marriage

[wolviecore]

Toni: I feel like Jughead would actually date you if he knew it was an option and not a demand.

Sweet Pea: Ohh, okay. I'll let him know.

-

Sweet Pea @ Jughead: So you can either date me, or I can date you. There's your options.

[some-cookie-crumbz]

h,,,huwumi,,,kiss in the snow,,, add fan kiddos if you wanna uwu

Cute domestic Huwumi fluff??? On MY tumblr dot com blog??? As it should be! 

Days where Keigo was off to stay with the kids were some of Fuyumi’s favorites. The twins were going to be seven soon enough and spent a good majority of their days in school, and Isamu had officially started preschool, but Hibari had just hit two years old three weeks prior. When a sitter was needed, Rei was always excited and eager to offer to take any or all of her grandchildren. And, while less enthusiastic, Enji could be relied on when necessary. But none of that was the same as the thought of her husband doting on their children. There was something about knowing that Keigo would be there all day with Hibari and then picking the boys up once they were done with their days that brought her a sense of peace and put an extra pep in her step.

It was why she walked in the door with a smile, though it faltered slightly at how quiet the house was.

She had stayed a little bit after to finish some grading, knowing that it would be a good few hours between dinner and bedtime routine before she could resume, but had anticipated the usual enthusiasm levels. The twins were always eager to play some mischievous and rowdy game the second their homework was completed and Isamu flocked to her as soon as she was in sight. “Keigo? Kids?” she called out as she put her shoes away and swapped into her slippers.

After a moment she heard loud, high-pitched squeals coming from the other side of the house. She was quick to make the trek to examine, seeing the door to the backyard thrown wide open, cold gusts starting to creep in. While a full-fledged storm was far from kicking up, a light snowfall had started up. In the doorway was a bundled mound of blankets. She couldn’t help but smile as she reached out and gently pushed at the top of the bundle, revealing a mess of dark red hair and startled gold eyes. “Oh, Mom! Welcome home!” Reo said, shifting to lean closer as she moved to kneel and press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m a little surprised you’re this close to the outside, hun,” she mused. Reo had inherited a stronger variant of Fuyumi’s ice Quirk - deemed Dry Ice by their family pediatrician - but had a ridiculous aversion to the cold. It wasn’t a situation of him lacking a resistance to it, either. He had a higher resistance to the cold as was the norm for temperature based Quirks like that. Somehow, someway, her eldest son had just decided that snow wasn’t his speed. Which she understood and respected, but this left her a bit baffled.

“I was helping Dad get Hibi dressed for the snow and then I wa-Bwah!” His explanation was cut off as a snowball came flying out of nowhere, pegging him straight in the face. He scrambled to wipe the flakes from his face and off his blanket cocoon. "KAITO!" he shrieked.

His blonde haired twin stood out in the yard, pointing with one gloved hand while the other arm was wrapped around his own stomach, cackling like mad. "Holy cow! I got you right in the face! Best day of my life!"

"So you've chosen violence... Very well! RrraaAAAHHHH!" And with that battle cry, Reo came scrambling out from his blankets and charged for his brother. Fuyumi briefly considered chiding him for leaving his blankets in the doorway and charging out without a proper coat but opted against it. Instead, she moved the blankets further inside, stepped out herself and closed the door behind her.

She spotted Keigo over by the large oak tree in the corner, his back facing her, Hibari's bright pink wing mittens just barely visible over his left forearm and Isamu hovering in the air just beside his father. While he wasn't an expert yet, Isamu's wings were large enough for him to hoist himself into the air for a good but short bit. She moved along to join them, briefly glancing over to watch as the twins tussled about in the snow a few feet away. "Birb! Dada, birb!" Hibari's voice cried in delight and wonder, quiet chirps coming from where she pointed.

"There's a lil birdie in there, Daddy!" Isamu gasped in quiet awe, fluttering up just a bit more to get a better look.

"That's right, buddy! It's a little sparrow. They're wintery birds, just like Hibi," Keigo agreed, tilting his head down to nuzzle his cheek affectionately against the toddler’s in his arms. Fuyumi giggled at the excited squeals he got for that.

"That's part of why Daddy calls Hibari his little sparrow," she chimed in, grinning wider when they turned to face her.

"Mommy!" Isamu gasped. He dropped back on to his feet and rushed over, arms looping around her waist as best they could and burrowing into her. "I missed you, Mommy."

She smiled and shifted to pick him up, settling him on her hip. "I missed you, too, Isa," She pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning her attention to Keigo.

“Hey,” he hummed, stepping closer to pull her close and kiss her. She hummed happily and kissed back eagerly, letting one hand slide up along the shoulder of his coat. When they pulled back, she blinked to dislodge a few snowflakes that had snuck past her glasses. “How was your day?”

“It was fine. Glad to be home, though,” she mused, leaning forward to give him another quick peck. She beamed when she saw how his feathers ruffled a bit from the quick affection. Even after years of marriage and four children, she still found how flustered he’d get to be achingly endearing. "Hibari's wings doing better today?"

He nodded and gently bopped his hip to bounce the tot, causing her to giggle. "They're still pretty sensitive but it’s still been going down. Today the sensitivity waned enough for me to be able to touch them gently, and she seems to be kinda starting to gain more mobility over them. Should probably be able to start doing those exercises the specialist was talking about in another couple of weeks," he hummed, chuckling as Hibari reached out to grab at a snowflake that drifted by. “Since she was in higher spirits today, I figured a little time in the yard would be fine, get her some fresh air. Little miss isn’t exactly fit to be cooped up all day.”

Fuyumi smiled as she reached out a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair back under Hibari’s hat. “That’s true. She’s such a curious baby bird, isn’t she?” she mused. Hibari, despite being nearly two, had already proven that her curiosity was vast. So many times they’d had to stop her from getting into somewhere or something she shouldn’t be, eager to point and let out a little questioning noises.

Hibari giggled at the affection before perking up and glancing over Keigo’s shoulder to watch as Reo flipped Kaito over his shoulder, clearly intending to throw him into a nearby snowman, only to be halted by a small flurry of red feathers swarming them. “Boys, keep the rough housing down. We don’t need any emergency room trips tonight,” Keigo said patiently. His feathers shifted to grab Kaito and put him back on his feet properly. 

Reo huffed. “He started it! I wasn’t doing anything and he threw a snowball at me!” he yelped, pointing at his twin.

“Kaito, you know how Reo feels about the cold. Be respectful,” Fuyumi chirped in.

Reo flashed a smugly satisfied grin at his twin, who responded in turn with a raspberry. “I’m going inside and crawling back into my blankets! And I’m not coming out until it’s time for donburi!” With that announcement and another small huff, he began marching his shoe-less self back inside, swiping at his crimson locks to dislodge some of the settling snowflakes.

“Coward!” Kaito called after him, trying to toss another handful of snow at him but instead only succeeding in slipping. He would have hit the ground if Keigo’s feathers hadn’t been lingering about, just in case.

“Kai so silly!” Hibari giggled, peering up at her parents.

“Yes, he is,” Fuyumi hummed before looking back over to Keigo. “So donburi tonight?”

“Ah, yeah. I wanted to do something that shouldn’t take me too long to prepare and would be warm, considering the kids were all mostly outside,” he explained. A gust of wind picked up around them, causing one of Keigo's wings to shift and curl around Hibari to protect her better.

She still visibly shuddered and pushed closer to him. "'S bbbbrrrrrr!" she squeaked.

"It's very bbbrrrr, sparrow. Let's all get inside and I'll make some warm, yummy dinner for us all," he said. He glanced over at Kaito, who was reaching again for a handful of snow, but dropped it when he realized he was being watched. Keigo slowly quirked an eyebrow in amusement as their second oldest started the slog to the patio, clapping his hands together to remove the remaining bits of snow from his mittens. “Thanks for making a better choice there, buddy.”

Kaito grumbled something in response as he marched his way up, then shrieked when Reo suddenly leapt out from around the corner, grabbing his brother and starting to drag him further in. Hibari gasped before starting to squirm. “Daddy, down! Gotta help Kai!” she squeaked frantically. Fuyumi giggled as Keigo set her down, watching as she waddled as fast as she could through the snow to follow after her two oldest brothers. “Reo meanie! Stop!”

Isamu whined quietly in Fuyumi’s hold before shifting himself. “You want me to let you down, sweet pea?” she asked.

“Wanna make sure Hibi doesn’t hurt her wingies,” he mumbled, carefully moving with her to stand on his own. “Reo-Nii and Kaito-Nii play too rough sometimes.”

Keigo smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair affectionately. “You’re a great big brother, you know? Looking after your little sister like that,” he praised. Fuyumi felt her heart skip at the shy smile he gave his Dad in return, little feathers fluffing up a bit, expression and stance near identical to her husband’s just a few minutes before. Isamu was the most reserved of their children, seeming to take quite a lot more from Fuyumi, Rei and Shoto, but there were little ticks that were so much his father’s it always lifted her heart.

“Thank you,” Isamu chirped quietly before perking up at a loud squeal from inside. They weren’t sure which one of his siblings it was making the sound, but he was following after them with one good flap from his wings. “Y-You guys, hold on! We gotta get our snow stuffs off first!”

She watched as he disappeared inside too before turning to look at Keigo, watching him disappear with a fond look in his eyes. “They’re really great kids, aren’t they?” he asked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

She smiled wider and reached up to set both her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her fully. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job,” she hummed, leaning up to kiss him again as yet another frigid gust whipped around them. He looped one of his arms securely around her waist as he deepened the kiss, one hand coming up to gently stroke her cheek. When they pulled apart after a second she giggled and indicated towards the patio with a tilt of her head. “Shall we?”

“Always,” he purred back, flashing her a grin that was sincere and warm, chasing off the winter chill much better than her coat certainly did.

[theangriestpea]

Crowned : one

Summary: Two blonde princesses, two dark-haired princes, and one plotting marquess. Lily is in love with a secret admirer. Shanna doesn’t want to ascend to the throne. Jughead wants to spend the day writing poetry. Sweet Pea would rather be out on his horse. And Reggie just wants to be king. <ao3> <masterlist>

Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC, Jughead Jones x OC

Word Count: 5k+

Warnings: none!

Part One: Betrothed

“Shanna, Lillian, I have an announcement.” The King said with a broad smile. The two blonde girls looked up from their plates. Shanna had a mouth full of food as Lily was picking up a piece of meat with her fork.

His eyes glittered with excitement, “as of a week ago, you are both of age. And you know what a princess’ duty is when they become adult women.”

Lily dropped her utensil as Shanna nearly spit out her food. They knew this was coming, but not this soon.

“Shanna, I have promised your hand to Prince Forsythe of the Southside Kingdom.” The King said, observing the displeased look on her face with amusement. “And Lily, you will be marrying Prince Sweet Pea, also from Southside. This is to help solidify the bond between our two kingdoms. Our alliance is rocky at best and in order to prevail against any future war with Greendale, then we will need a combined army.”

Lily sat back in her seat at the news. “Really daddy? Arranged marriages? Isn’t that a little barbaric?” She was less than happy to be marrying the boy that she merely only saw as a friend and nothing more.

Shanna went back to eating, trying to ignore the disgust pooling in her stomach. “It is barbaric. I’m not marrying Prince Jughead. He’s a weirdo.”

“Shanna.” He said, his voice sharpening, “it’s not a negotiation. This weekend there will be a royal announcement during the annual summer ball. All of the nobilities in Riverdale will be there. Including your betrothed.”

“Okay but why does Lily get the cute one? They’re both princes.” Shanna grumbled as she stabbed a carrot angrily.

The King tried not to roll his eyes at his oldest daughter. “Because Prince Forsythe is the heir to the throne. Since you are the first born, you will marry him. Why are you protesting this so much? You knew this was inevitable.”

“I thought you’d hand me off to Reggie, not Jughead. Duke Mantle was driving a pretty hard bargain.” Shanna replied. Of course she had known she wouldn’t get to choose who she married, but the Mantles had been trying for the throne for years now.

The King snorted, “Please. The duke’s son was never a contender for your hand. Everyone in the kingdom knows how he treats that boy. I can only imagine how he’d treat you.”

Both girls let out sighs of relief. It had been rumored in the Northside Kingdom that one of them would be married out to Reginald Mantle and the thought made them both want to vomit.

A silence befell them. Shanna and Lily merely picked at their food while their father ate normally. They were both too angry to have their fate decided for them at the young age of eighteen.

Bile rose in Lily’s throat as she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she’d never find out who had been leaving her little love notes around the castle. How she’d never be able to marry someone that truly loved her and not just for her status. She quickly stood up, leaving in a rush before vomit could escape past her lips.

Worried about her sister, Lav jumped up and followed after her. The King let out a disappointed sigh, continuing to eat his meal in silence.

Shanna quickly caught up to her sister, having just emptied her stomach into one of the many potted plants in the hallway. “Lils,” She said softly, pulling Lily’s hair back out of her face as she leaned over the large pot. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”

Lily sniffed back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She just felt so overwhelmed from the news, not knowing how the rest of her life was going to play out. “I got another letter today.”

“You did?” Shanna asked curiously, having not known that. The past few months Lily had been finding love letters addressed to her by an anonymous writer. “What did this one say?”

The younger princess sat back on her heels and took a deep breath. “That my eyes shine brighter than the emeralds in my tiara.”

Lavender held back a gag. “That’s so cheesy.”

“It’s so sweet!” Lily said, burying her face in her hands. “And now I’ll never get to be with him. I’ll be stuck with…with Sweet Pea the rest of my life. You know he doesn’t have the capability of writing love letters. He doesn’t have a romantic bone inside of his giant body!”

“Romantic? No. But sexy? Yes.” Shanna said with an amused look, “can’t imagine Jughead being any good in bed.”

Lily shot her a frustrated look, “how would you even know what good sex is? You’re a virgin.”

Shanna stiffened before she shrugged, “I can imagine. And the chambermaids say that the younger prince is much more…endowed.”

“Lavie, just because you want to be with a man that warms the bed of every of-age woman in the two kingdoms, doesn’t mean that I want to be.” Lily replied, clearly aggravated.

“I don’t want to be with him!” Lav protested, “I don’t want to be with anyone! I just want to be able to live my life without some man telling me how to do it.”

Lily pulled her hands away from her face and sighed, “Jughead wouldn’t tell you how to live your life, Lav. He’d let you rule as an equal.” She seemed almost disappointed that she wouldn’t be the one by his side instead.

Lav helped Lily up, grabbing her upper arm gently to get her back on her feet. “You know I don’t want to rule, Lils.” She said in a quiet voice. “I just want to ride Persephone off to some neutral land to just live out my days in peace with someone I love. No more corsets that are so tight that they crack my ribs. Or dresses so big that I can’t even sit down comfortably. Or only being able to eat certain foods with certain utensils. If I want to use my soup spoon for ice cream, then I can because no one is hovering over me telling me that it’s wrong and improper and that I’m less of a lady for doing so. And Christ, no more crowns!”

Lily offered her a sympathetic smile. Lav had always complained about becoming queen. She didn’t want the load of responsibility of hundreds of lives on her shoulders. However as first born it was her fate to ascend. Lily on the other hand, wouldn’t mind it so much. She had a knack for leading people. More so than her sister did.

“I know, Lav. Maybe if we find who wrote the notes, we can just run away together.” Lily said with a small smile.

Lav shook her head, “That’s your fantasy, Lily. Not mine. Thanks though.” She let out a sigh. “Let’s get some sleep. We have our fittings tomorrow for the stupid ball.”

|\/\/|

“Introducing Princess Shanna Elizabeth Owens of North Riverdale and Prince Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third of South Riverdale.” The royal announcer’s voice boomed over the crowd as a Lav and Jughead stood arm in arm at the top of the grand staircase. They descended slowly in time to the soft music that played. On their lips were forced smiles for appearances as photographers took their pictures.

Their engagement had just been announced. Lavender felt like she couldn’t breathe under the choke hold of her corset. Jughead was just trying to keep his mind off of a certain other princess.

Once they were at the bottom, the spotlight moved back to the top. “Introducing Princess Lillian Elise Owens of North Riverdale and Prince Sweet Pea Jones of South Riverdale.” They repeated the walk down the staircase. Although Sweet Pea clearly had the most difficult time of keeping a smile on his face. More than once it slipped into a look of annoyance. Settling down was not something he wanted to do any time soon.

The four took their places on the dance floor. A new song played, one upbeat enough so that they could glide around in well-timed circles. Shanna did her best to not look totally bored, using her muscle memory to keep in step with the prince. Jughead noticed how distracted she seemed, especially when she laid eyes on Duke Mantle’s son. Her bright eyes seemed to darken considerably in an emotion he didn’t know her well enough to discern.

Lily was looking up at the dark prince who stood over a foot taller than she did. Unlike Shanna, Sweet Pea wasn’t bothering to hide his boredom. He hated dancing, he hated balls. The only thing they were good for was getting to bed a beautiful girl in an equally beautiful dress. The young princess’ eyes were focused on him but he could tell her mind was elsewhere. She was smiling but it wasn’t genuine. Clearly she wasn’t happy about their engagement either.

In fact, none of them were.

All four of them had been lectured on the importance of this alliance. The Southside needed food for their people. They needed funds for their army and to repair damaged roads as well as old buildings that needed renovation. Jughead had a duty to his kingdom as the next ruler. The Northside had money. Money that would fix all of the Southside’s problems.

The Queen of Greendale had been threatening war with the Northside for ages. The tension and strife between the two kingdoms was palpable. What the north had in money and riches, they lacked in manpower. They needed soldiers that were expertly trained in combat and soldiers that were capable of teaching their techniques to their own. The Southside offered that.

The Northern King had two daughters and the Southern King had two sons. It was an easy solution to both of their problems. The bad blood between royals was quickly drained.

The dance ended and both couples separated maybe a little too quickly. The girls both curtsied in mock appreciation for their partners. Lav made a beeline for the punch bowl that she knew to be spiked. It was Marquess Mantle’s signature move at any Northside ball.

Prince Forsythe moved to Lily, a soft smile on his face. “May I have this dance, Princess Lillian?” He asked, holding out his hand to her. Lily gave him a tentative look before grabbing his hand, nodding her head. She wasn’t sure why the first born prince would want to dance with her.

Deep down Lily wanted to go hide in a dark corner and try to look over the crowd to figure out who had been writing her notes. She didn’t care if it was a commoner or a member of the guard. She just wanted to be with him.

Jughead took her out back onto the dance floor and grabbed hold of her hip in his free hand. He held the other hand up so they could get into position to follow the music. He led her gracefully, letting her twirl in time with him.

His eyes glanced at the glittering tiara sitting neatly on top of her fair hair. “The emeralds of your tiara are shining very brightly under this light.” He said in a tone that only she could hear. She wore her green jeweled tiara in special hopes that her admirer would notice and say something. She had hoped and prayed that he’d make himself known. Suddenly it had all become clear and her swollen heart seemed to burst.

The man writing her beautiful poetry on embossed parchment was the same man set to wed her sister. She stopped dancing abruptly, pulling out of his reach. Jug watched her curiously, having wondered what her reaction might be to his compliment.

Lily picked up her dress so it was a few inches off the floor before bolting away from him, through the crowd of dancers, and out of the ballroom. Tears pricked her eyes but she willed them not to fall until she was alone and out of sight.

Meanwhile Shanna was drinking her cup of alcoholic punch. She was right in guessing that Reggie was going to spike it. He was so predictable. Her eyes moved to the towering figure next to her. His dark hard had to be gelled neatly in place to keep from getting into his eyes. Her mouth suddenly went dry.

She quickly found her nerve and quelled the butterflies in her stomach. “Poor Lily has to marry a troll.” She said, loud enough for Prince Pea to overhear her. He turned, eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Too bad Jughead has to marry a dwarf.” Was his reply, making her huff indignantly. Before she could say anything back, Marquess Mantle walked up to them.

“Your Highness, may I have this dance?” He asked with a petulant smile on his lips. He glanced at the prince as if to size him up. Sweet Pea let out an annoyed snort before going back to his drink.

Shanna took his outstretched hand, allowing him to guide her to the dance floor as a slow song started. She held back a groan as Reggie put his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him.

“Don’t you think this is a little inappropriate, my Lord?” Shanna asked, not even hiding her disdain as her hands went to his shoulders. “I am engaged to Prince Forsythe now. Or did you forget?”

Reggie just smiled, something cruel and sinister that made her stomach drop and heart jump with anxiety. “For now, Princess, but you forget. I know your secret.”

She tried pulling away from him but his grasp on her was too tight. “Reggie, you’re not telling the king what we did. You’re not telling anyone. You promised.”

“Right, I promised.” Reggie said, his tone alluding to the fact that his word had just been a joke to him. “You promised me the crown.”

“Please, it’s not my call.” Shanna said, trying to act like she wasn’t trying hard to get away from him. “My father decided that the Mantle heritage was best left out of the royal line.”

The young lord didn’t seem too pleased to hear that. His hands tightened around her. Shanna was sure that the only thing keeping her skin from bruising was the tough exterior of her corset. The steel boning protecting her delicate flesh from his biting touch.

At the refreshment table, Prince Sweet Pea seemed to notice the distress the princess was in. He watched carefully, his dark pupils honing in on how tense Reggie’s hands seemed to be.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Reggie hissed between clenched teeth. “The King thinks some Southside trash Prince is better? A Jones?”

Sweet Pea had come behind Reggie, overhearing his insult to him and his brother. He wasn’t really a Jones, not by blood. The King and Queen had taken him in at a young age. Still, the Joneses were family to him and he did not make light of someone insulting them or the kingdom in which they ruled.

“Excuse me, Lord Mantle, but I believe that trash prince is going to be King of Riverdale while the best you can ever hope for is the title of Duke.” Sweet Pea said proudly as he stood to full height. He used the handful of inches in difference to his advantage.

Reggie, wanting to save face, quickly let go of his captive. “Your Highness, I didn’t know you were right there.” Shanna took a step back, giving Sweet Pea a look that was a mix of relief and aggravation. She was sure she could have handled it herself.

“I was going to ask the princess if she knew where her sister was.” Sweet Pea said, lying. He had seen Lily run off during her dance with Jughead. He assumed Jug just confessed his feelings or something sappy like that. His romantic antics made Pea nauseous on numerous occasions.

“Lily’s not here?” Shanna asked as she looked around. “I thought she was with Prince Jughead.” Sweet Pea watched as she ran to the other Jones boy. He was speaking with a few other Lords, pretending to be entertained by whatever drivel they were going on about.

Sweet Pea looked at Reggie, glad that she had gone. “If I catch you speaking like that about my brother, your future king, or my kingdom again, then I’ll make sure your family is stripped of their sovereignty.” He said in a low, serious voice. His frame loomed over the somewhat shorter boy with a fiery look in his eyes. “And if you lay a hand on a princess like that again, I’ll do something even worse.”  

Reggie looked flabbergasted as Sweet Pea turned around and went to find perhaps a conquest for the night. It wasn’t often he was this far North. Most of the women here were new to him. He could use another notch in his bedpost.  

Meanwhile Lav was interrupting Jughead, “Prince Forsythe, can I please speak with you privately?” She asked, trying to not feel too much concern. Jug nodded towards the men he was talking to before allowing Lavender to pull him away.

“Thanks for that. I was pretty sure they were about to torture me with more advice on how to keep a mistress.” Jughead said, wondering what was up but also knowing it couldn’t have been that serious.

She gave him a frustrated look, both at the thought of him having a mistress and him not taking her concern seriously. “Where is Lily? You were dancing with her, where did she go?”

Jughead shifted his weight in an attempt to quell his nerves. The girls were very close, if she had perceived that he hurt Lily in any way then she’d probably lash out at him. Not that Jughead couldn’t take some verbal abuse, he would just rather not make a scene on the night of their announced engagement.

“She ran through the double doors halfway through our dance.” Jughead stated calmly, looking off into the direction where his favorite princess had disappeared too.

Lavender’s brow furrowed as she stared at him, “she ran? What did you say to her!?” Her voice raised enough to cause a few nearby nobles to give them curious looks.

The prince let out a soft sigh, “I merely said that the emeralds in her tiara were shining very brightly.” He didn’t know if Lily had shared his notes with her sister, but he had assumed that she had. It wasn’t a secret how close they were. They weren’t exactly known for having a lot of friends outside the castle.

Shanna’s hazel eyes widened, “you…you?!” She stammered, trying to put together the pieces of information she was receiving. Jughead was the one writing the notes? How?

Suddenly anger overcame her and she shoved him, “do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” She said, her heart swollen with pain for her sister. “You can’t tell my sister you want her when you have to marry me!”

Jughead didn’t budge, her force not nearly strong enough to set him off balance. He frowned as he looked down at her. He hadn’t realized how his admittance would affect either of them. Clearly he was wrong in outing himself. “I’ll make it up to you,” He said, confusing the reason for why she was so upset.

“Don’t make it up to me,” Shanna said in a low voice so no one else could hear her, “make it up to her.”

With a twirl of her dress she was turned around and marching into the direction where her sister had gone to. She knew exactly where she was hiding.

Lav went to a cupboard in the kitchen that they used to hide in when they were young to get away from their nanny and now more often times, their father. She could hear her quiet sobs behind the door.

She opened it slowly, peeking inside to see Lily with her knees up against her chest, crying so hard that her shoulders were shaking. “Lils.” Shanna said softly, crawling in with her and shutting the door back so they’d have privacy.

“It’s him.” She mumbled into her arms, “He’s the one that’s been sending me notes. I can’t believe it. I found him and he’s engaged to you.”

Lav couldn’t sit next to her because of how narrow the space was. She sat in front of her instead, in the same position with her knees up. “I know.” Lav said softly, “it was cruel of him to tell you. I made sure to tell him so.”

Lily was quiet for a moment, “no, I’m glad he did. It is better than guessing for the rest of my life.” She sniffed back snot that had built up in her nostrils, playing with the hem of her dress to distract herself. “What are we going to do?”

“You know I don’t care about Jughead, Lily.” Shanna said cautiously, “I don’t want to marry him any more than you want to marry Sweet Pea. He can write you all the love letters he wants, it doesn’t hurt me. Sometimes…I just wish someone cared about me like that. Then again that would make this all that much harder so it’s probably better that no one does.”

Lily wiped her eyes, hoping to fix her running makeup in the process. It didn’t help much. “Do you think…dad will reconsider?” She asked, “Maybe he’ll let me marry Jughead?”

Shanna was quiet, thinking it over. “I don’t think so.” She said truthfully, causing more tears to fall down her sister’s face. “Because I’m first born. I have to be queen. I don’t want to be, you know how shit of a leader I am. But…he’s a traditionalist. I don’t think there’s any use in even asking. He’ll just get mad. Maybe even call the whole thing off, in which you’d never get to see the prince because he’d be king of an enemy state again. I’ll have to marry Reggie. Please…God please, do not make me marry Reggie.”  

“I wouldn’t do that to you. You know that.” Lily replied with a frustrated sigh. “So you don’t care if me and Jughead…”

She shrugged, “do what you want. It’s not like I love him. I’d share anything with you. Even a husband.”

A ghost of a smile made its way across Lily’s lips.

|\/\/|

Shanna walked into the royal stable, letting the servant know that she’d be going out for a ride to clear her head. Her knees still hurt from being cramped into the cupboard with Lily almost all night. They spent the time hidden away from guests, giggling and talking about their future dreams that didn’t include their betrothed.

All she could think about was how much her sister must be hurting. It caused her to toss and turn all night as she tried desperately to find a solution. She didn’t have much success in thinking of anything.

The princess looked up, seeing the black head of a stallion peeking out from over a stall door. He snorted softly when their eyes connected. “Oh? Who are you?” She asked, the dark thoughts disappearing from her mind as she walked up to him slowly, not wanting to startle him with her excitement.

“Did daddy buy me a new horse and not tell me?” She asked, reaching out to let him sniff her hand. He leaned his head out further, and Shanna put her hand delicately on his snout to pet him. “Maybe an engagement present? What’s your name, huh?”

“His name is Hades. And he’s not your present. He’s my personal horse.” A sharp voice came from behind her. Shanna’s hand didn’t leave the horse as she looked over her shoulder to see the tall, dark prince. He looked strange in fitted jeans, t-shirt, and old boots. He looked the opposite of royal, in fact.

Hades made an annoyed noise when Shanna pulled her hand away from him, as if he missed the contact immediately. In contrast, Shanna was wearing full riding gear. Tight pants, jacket, a nice pair of boots, hair braided back, and even a pair of riding gloves hanging out the back of her pants.

Sweet Pea refrained from letting his eyes sweep over the skin tight pants that showed off her rear perfectly. He also didn’t look at how small her waist seemed in the way the jacket was tailored to fit her form…at least he tried not to. “I’d rather you not touch him.”

She gave him an offended look, “please. He wanted me to touch him, practically begged me to come over and get him a pet. Didn’t you, Hades?”

Hades seemed to nod his head, much to Sweet Pea’s chagrin. Shanna grinned. “You just wanted attention from a beautiful girl, huh?”

Sweet Pea forced his way between them. Hades nuzzled his back between his shoulder blades, making him to take a step forward closer to the princess. She gave him a skeptical look. “I didn’t peg you for an animal guy.”

“I’ve raised him since he was a foal. I watched his mother give birth to him. He’s not just some gift my father gave me because I bitched about wanting a pony.” Sweet Pea said angrily.

Shanna’s eyes hardened. “Are you trying to say I don’t care about my horses?”

“They’re just trophies of wealth to you.” Sweet Pea said hotly. “You and every other royal girl in the kingdom across the continent.”

“Excuse you, but you don’t know a thing about me.” She snapped angrily, “you don’t know my feelings towards my horses in the slightest. I may not have watched Persephone being born, but she is my everything. How dare you insinuate that I only see her as a toy and not a living creature, you stupid troll!”

She stormed over to the stall a few doors down, opening it and leading out a pure white horse. Persephone forced her head into Lav’s arms in an attempt to comfort her. She wrapped her hands around the horse in a gentle hug. “Looks like Dooley got you ready for me already.”

“You don’t even saddle your own horse?” Sweet Pea asked condescendingly. Shanna shot him another angry look as she led the white beauty out of her stall by her reigns.

“I do. Sometimes the stable hand gets wind that I’m coming and does it for me to get in my good graces. I’m future queen. Something like that goes a long way in my kingdom.” Shanna replied, her voice hotter than fire as she mounted Persephone.

Sweet Pea got the necessary tack needed to go for a ride himself. “I bet you don’t even know how to ride properly.”

Shanna looked down at him from on top of her horse. “What to bet?” She asked, her voice blossoming with a dark threat that was looming over Sweet Pea’s head. A threat he couldn’t ignore.

“A race.” Sweet Pea suggested, putting the saddle blanket on first. “To Sweetwater River. Winner has to clean the loser’s horse stall.”

“Fine.” Shanna said, having never been able to back down from a bet. “I’ll be waiting outside for you. Then we can start.” She guided her horse outside the stable doors, listening to the sounds of Sweet Pea mumbling incoherently to his steed as he saddled him up.

A few minutes later Sweet Pea joined her, lining Hades with Persephone. The two horses eyed each other, nickering at one another happily. The riders looked at one another, begrudging the fact that their horses seemed to be getting along a little too well.

“On the count of three.” Shanna said before counting down. Once she hit one the two dug their heels into their horses, sending them into a gallop.

The two raced neck in neck. Naturally Hades had more power being male, but Persephone held her own. At least, until three quarters of the way through, she started pulling back.

Shanna knew she wasn’t tired. She had raced her like this before against other horses for fun. She could easily make this trek. However, her mare insisted on slowing down despite her urging her to keep going.

Sweet Pea made it to the edge of the river, slowing down his horse and turning him around to see his opponent. The white mare trailed behind the black stallion. She shook her head and let out a whinny as she got to the river.

Displeasure ran across Lavender’s face. Her eyes narrowed in frustration. “That wasn’t a fair race. She wouldn’t run.”

“Don’t be a sore loser.” Sweet Pea replied in a bland tone. “Just admit that I’m the superior rider.”

“I’m not admitting shit.” Shanna spat back, turning Persephone around to be in line again with Hades. The horses nickered to one another once more. “Persephone, stop fraternizing with the enemy.”

Sweet Pea scoffed as he motioned for Hades to start the walk back. He started at a slow place to help him cool off. Shanna followed after him to do the same. “Want me to brush him down too since I’m cleaning up his shit?” She grumbled after him.

“I’m not letting you touch my horse.” Sweet Pea replied, not even turning his head to look at her. “You won’t do it right.”

Shanna reached over and pet Hades’ rump defiantly behind Sweet Pea’s back. “I know how to take care of a horse, you ass. God, I can’t believe my poor sister is stuck with you.”  

“Yea. Too bad Jughead will never care about you.” Sweet Pea said back, successful in his attempt to hurt her. No, her husband would never care about her. Not in the way he cared about her sister.

Sweet Pea heard her sniff and looked back at her, “you going to cry now?”

“Shut up!” Shanna snapped back at him, pulling Persephone away to take a different path back to the stable. “You’re insufferable!”

Once alone Sweet Pea leaned over, rubbing Hades’ neck affectionately. “Don’t go catching feelings, boy.” He warned him. “That mare is nothing but trouble.”

((Top image by @the-gargoyle-queen ; bottom image by @lilhemmo))

[idombledore]

How to lose 30 kilos in 6 months and love every minute

Part 1 > Revelation in France Three years ago, my wife and I decided to call time on our marriage. It was a sombre final chat in the kitchen, sharing the last bottle we might ever share. We were sad but it made perfect sense. We’d tried. My wife said she’d move out down to her parent's house in the country and she asked me what I'd  do, I picked something random from the top of my idiot head and said “Spain.” “Spain?” she said and “Spain” I repeated. No idea where it came from. Maybe I just wanted my departure to be more triumphant, a little more exciting than moving in with parents. Whenever we’d have a fight, that’s what she’d do. I'd run my consultancy for twenty odd years and over that twenty odd years, my role had evolved into taking clients to lunch, dinner, shows and spectacles.  Nice if you can get it but it took its toll on my fitness. By the time I drove off to the Channel Tunnel, I was eighteen stone and I hadn't played a meaningful game of football in years. For some reason, a revelation always hits me a while after the event, more autopsy than eureka. Something that seemed so clear suddenly fogs up in deference to the new truth. Of course she was right, idiot. You always knew that. “If you can’t respect your own body,” she said. “How can anyone else?” And there it was. Respect your body. Respect your mind. Fitness. Breathe new air. Everything is going to change. If my automated blurting of “Spain” was taking me to Spain, then let it be Spain. I would return  triumphant, slim, toned and sleek and everyone would say how awesome and happy and better-without-her I was. I was more than halfway from Calais, driving to a small French town called Île de Ré, an island off La Rochelle on the West Coast. I remember the exact spot because the signs had shown their first direction to Le Mans. From that sign, 300km shy of my target, facing three more driving hours, I lost a lump of time I can’t account for. The next thing I knew there were signs for La Roche Sur Yon. I remembered it from my planning stage because it was pretty close to where I was headed. The sat nav confirmed I was suddenly only an hour from Ile de Rey in what seemed like a blink. I couldn't tell you why it happened and I have no idea what, if anything, I was thinking in the missing time. What I can tell you is the clarity on the other side. My new start. My new energy. My mission. Maybe the universe had supplanted a new person into me. Maybe it took me time to reboot. It felt like it. At that moment, I couldn’t possibly have imagined anything else. I’d booked a little room overlooking the harbour at Le Colonnes. I was soon checked in and I unloaded laptop and cables to start the mission I hadn't quite fleshed out yet. 6 foot 1. 18 stone. I fumbled my finger over the Body Mass Index chart, into the blue, sailing past green and into the orange, and just before getting into the red, there it was. My number. My target. 32.  I was actually clinically obese. I needed to be 24 to fit into that little green zone of health and fitness. 25% of my bodyweight was surplus. This was a holy **** moment as I pulled back from the screen. I closed the laptop and swore foulness on that 25%. My mission had shown its numbers and my plan had started. That night would be the finest French cuisine a man can enjoy and the next day, everything would change. Part 2 > Mission Planning I woke up remembering Le Skipper in the harbour, the fillet steak with crushed pea purée and dauphinoise potatoes that would serve as my turning point.Something I wouldn’t deserve again until my mission was accomplished. I was still buzzed. Normally, revelations are flushed with the first order of the day but not this one. The morning  after a revelation is a test of human willpower. If you fold at such an early point, there is literally no hope for you. If the stakes are this important and you fold, you, my son, are an idiot. As one lady said to me more than once, “It’s not a rehearsal, boy.” I wasn't sure if I was still an idiot or not yet as all manners of sweet and savoury things greeted me in the  breakfast room at the hotel. Bacon, eggs croissants, jam, cheeses and hams, but hang on, my eyes focused on something else, like they were being moved by another force. The fruit section. Normally I'd  be starting a three course mini marathon under the guise of getting the day some energy. Today though, I took a little bowl and filled it to the top with melon and orange, mango, cherries and all colour of things and I sat down with orange juice and looked over at big people and little people, busy people and relaxed people. I knew I was on a different level to them, just for now, in the light still shining on me. Your willpower gets a serious shot in the arm. I had more research to do about the exact food groups I'd  need but I knew this was right. Then the first glimmers of insubordination popped up briefly and reminded me that I had a fallback and that fallback was called lunch and every day I had a fallback plan to the next meal. Maybe fruit wasn't enough, surely a bit of bacon and cheese? No, fuck off, I said, turning a head or two in the dining room. I gestured an apology and then I smiled at the last cherry in my bowl. I munched that little cherry up. There would be no bacon or cheese. Those dark little glimmers were crushed and squished and left pleading as I got up and left the room. I was smiling as I approached Bordeaux. Today's destination was about six hours over the Pyrenees to Pamplona in northern Spain. This is where they do the bull run every July. Basque country, and the Bordeaux signs told me I was about a third of the way there. The night before had included two bottles of Fitou. Le Skipper was quiet and the staff had time to chat. After dinner, I was pretty much the only punter there so they wrapped it up and took me to Bar Kokot with their Austrian Rum. So, there hadn’t been time to do the work I needed but what a fine farewell to my old life. Yet another sign flashed my licence plate and said I was going too fast and I anticipated a box full of speeding tickets waiting for me whenever I got back to London. But I didn't care. I couldn't wait to get to Pamplona and get the laptop out, make my plan. A few hours later I was in my room at the Pamplona Catedral Hotel doing just that. I already knew how much weight to lose. Thirty kilos, almost 5 stone. One of the first results, I found out about the Okinawa diet. Okinawa, a little island off the south of Japan has the longest living humans on the planet. Taxi drivers are ninety years old and still dance. People eat whatever grows near them and that’s it. One photo I saw was of an elaborate table. You could sit about ten people round it. The table was a tea making machine. A few strips of bamboo were hooked up to an inlet and brought mountain spring water into the table. Most of the water would trickle out and continue down the mountain, unsure of why it had been put through the bother,  but when you turned a little handle, the water would be diverted around a spaghetti of pipes and on towards the bowels of the table. It would slip and slide through channels lined with fresh tea leaves and elements gradually heating it up as it travelled. Turn one of the eight  little taps under the  table edge and you have a steaming cup of the freshest tea. So, the fine people from Okinawa told me how you could eat perfectly well and get everything a body needs. And you didn't need meat or anything processed to do it. My first culinary casualties. I also learned that my whole eating schedule had been wrong all my life. The best way to do it is to eat small but eat often. I'd  been so proud of myself some days when I was too busy to eat anything and had six tons of dinner at about 9pm. Wrong. The body is a sensitive little baby. If it doesn't get fed often enough it throws its toys out the pram and truly believes it’s starving. It then converts what you do eat into fat, sensible storage for a rainy day when maybe you do starve. How a brain can fail to tell a body that it’s ok, no-one's going to starve is beyond me but apparently it does. So, by the time I'd  showered and got ready to see what this former bastion of the Roman empire had going for it, I had successfully mapped out my new diet. And it was all the stuff I like to eat anyway. I'd  start with some fruit, in deference to the first successful morning. Then give it a couple of hours and a little low fat cottage cheese on a wholewheat crispbread, and a few crushed walnuts sprinkled on it. Before what was probably the main mini meal of the day, about two o'clock, it was exercise. My wife’s brother had told me the body prefers to exercise then eat as it’s still burning, rather than the other way round. Maybe A little tuna steak with bok choy, a bit of spinach, greek yoghurt and some kidney beans or chickpeas. Amazing things chickpeas, fibre and protein all in one little pill. It wasn't a problem designing these mini meals, the problem was there was too much choice. If you're going to have pasta, have wholewheat pasta. If you're going to have rice, have wild rice or brown rice and not too much of either. Your 5 or 7 a day is so easy to achieve and better. Let your milk be zero fat milk, let your greens be asparagus, broccoli, kale, spinach, artichoke, sprouts and bok choy. Eat nuts, almonds, walnuts. Eat pulses. Kidney beans, chickpeas. Prefer fruits of the forest over others, raspberries, blackberries and the like. Loads of antioxidants. And let your booze be anything but beer, predominantly white wine and a glass of red a day comes straight from the doc. All the stuff I already knew. Lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic. Jesus I could do a meal planner for a month without getting bored.   This was going to be tasty. I could still love my food but carry that aloof grin that comes with a man shedding timber and having fun doing it. I'd  know exactly how many calories came with each mini meal and how much exercise to do to burn them off. The laptop was closed up and my phone map and I set off to explore Pamplona. The city is called Iruna in the native Basque language and there was an ever-present but subtle show of the independence from Spain the Basque people had been after for a long time. Basque flags were draped over balconies and stuck on cars but a local told me, do not take a flag out in public or you’d get carted off. One local comedian had added a bit of graffiti to a low wall, poorly translated as “Anything but a free state is just a load of bulls.” Back in the hotel room, I tackled the exercise aspects. Swimming would always figure, especially in Spain, but what else? Running can be high impact, shin splints and the like. It would be rowing. It’s got everything, loads of muscles getting tickled gently, great cardio and hang on here we go, I can get a machine for the house for a couple of hundred euros. I'd join a kayak club or some such but winter was on its way and even the Spanish winter doesn't lend itself to being in the sea. And that was it, a meal for all moods and occasions and an all year round exercise regime. When it was too cold to swim, double up on the rowing. Just make sure you get in some form of water as soon as you finish exercising to loosen up your muscles. I also learned how little anyone should need a gym (apart from my little rowing machine of course). We really do have everything we need around the house. First of all, a running machine? What? Just run around the block. If you want to run uphill, run uphill. Muscle tone is also important. If you’re shedding tonnage, you want the tonnage that’s left nice and tight. Push ups, pull ups, weights, dips, pec toning, ab toning and your core. You can pull up on anything, a couple of chairs, backs together, get your balance and you’re away. Climb something. I'd  start slow. An hour on the rowing machine, weights and core stuff and finally fifteen minutes of laps in the pool. It was all mapped out. That evening, I sat down in a little restaurant I’d spied earlier, down some steps to a little square, live jazz music in the middle. The menu didn’t have much of the stuff I needed and I’d definitely give the “grosse crevette” and “assaulted pasta” a swerve.   I wondered if this would be a problem going forward. I remembered many menus and I wasn’t sure many of them were fit for my new purpose. But then I saw the celery and walnut salad. Fine, little glass of chablis to go along and everything was still on track. Part 3 > Execution The next day around four o'clock, I arrived at my final destination. A little town called Javea, a hundred kilometres south of Valencia. Look at Spain. There’s a little nose about two thirds down the east coast. Tip of that nose. That’s us, pressed against the sea by the mountains. It felt like its own little island.   First priority after wandering around was the supermarket. Go get the super foods. My place was in Cabo la Nao right up on the point near the lighthouse. My mission hadn’t been created when I booked it, but with my new mission head on, the remoteness of my location would be a good thing. When I went outside to get back in my car, I was reminded it had just carried me from London to south east Spain. Over those 1800 miles, the front of the car had accumulated a second skin of unfortunate insects. Insects of all shapes, colours and sizes had become one single cloak of wonder food for any bird that took a fancy. And they did. A feeding frenzy was underway and even this one approaching human and a mystery cat that seemed to appear from nowhere couldn’t scare them off. They each had an allocated section of bodywork to pick at and they did well but still couldn’t get it all off. The earlier casualties were part bug, part Audi. The nearest supermarket was down in the Cala Blanca bit and was called Consum. It was the strangest supermarket shop I'd  ever done. A hundred euros of good healthy stuff. I'd  never put walnuts in a shopping cart. But I carried the same internal smugness of someone whose every passing minute is making them healthier than everyone else. It was a hot day and I knew if I didn't get it all fridged up quick smart, for the whole six months here, there would be a sea bass, salmon, octopus and monkfish essence in my car. The pool was warm enough not to have to thrash around like a perishing salmon and it was my first test of where I was fitness-wise. It was a fifteen metre pool. Breaststroke was the best all round stroke for  what I was after so I took off up and down. I'd  have to do this for at least 30 minutes every day so how close was I? I managed about 15 minutes and thought it was a good start for day one. My own salmon was ready to go under the grill and I was hungry. Baby steps. The house and garden had to provide me with my makeshift gym. Soon, I had two sturdy wooden outside chairs back to back for pull ups, a couple of buckets from the gardener’s shed filled with pool water. The rest would need no props. The push ups over there next to the pool and that little wall would do the ab stuff. Suspend myself on it and hold myself there for ten seconds, ten second break, repeat until knackered.   I had a little go at all my disciplines. The props held up just fine and my routine was set. There was only one thing missing and it would be the majority of my cardio workout. The rowing machine.   In five days time, it would be on my doorstep. I carried on with my eating regime and stepped up the swimming and workout aspects and on day five, the rowing machine arrived. It was lovely and orange and it went right where I hoped it would, between two columns on the terrace. Then I suddenly realised, apart from the supermarket on day one, I hadn't been out yet. The days had been formed around my mini meals and exercise and going out didn't sound as healthy as staying in. But I had to prove to myself I could carry on the mission in or out. That night, I did go out, met some nice folks, Lee and Tracey from Southend and a drummer called Hector, saw a band and drank white wine and had lubina a la plancha,  grilled sea bass, asparagus and a few slices of grilled aubergine, every so slight drizzle of local honey. My taxi got me home at a reasonable hour and I got out without that heavy feeling I’d get when I went out back home. Always too much beer and always too much red meat. I took a quick stroll round my makeshift gym and my new rowing machine and then slept better than I had for ages. Tomorrow, a full programme for the first time. The rowing machine soon got me sweating. The readout was like trying to wish away the miles in the car, watching calorie after calorie clock away, minute after minute. The machine was fine, nice and easy, smooth strokes, keep your back straight. Pretty soon I'd  done my hour and I took a break for water. The weights and pull up and everything else was becoming faster and I was doing more of them. By the time I got into the pool, I was feeling muscle burn and my heart felt reawoken. With the help of a great little tool called Supertracker, I had it all mapped out. Today I would eat 1200 calories and  burn off 2000. And so it was for the next couple of weeks. The cats started popping in to see what this strange noise was an hour every day and soon they stuck around for some cheeky tuna and I had one or two pusscats to talk to while I worked out. The hour a day on the rower needed a bit more entertainment than the readout. By now I knew my pace and you just have to finish the hour come what may. Being in my own head was amusing enough but I needed a bit more autopilot. The laptop was enlisted to provide comedy shows and every so often, this Spanish course I was taking. The hour started to go by like the missing time I'd  felt in La Roche Sur Yon. I was doing more miles to the hour, I was doing more laps in the pool and I was looking forward to every stage more and more. Pretty soon though, the pool became unswimmable so I got a wetsuit but that only really extended it a few weeks. My regime changed and I doubled up on the rowing. My daily meal plans were sometimes not planned, just cobble together the right food groups in the right quantities. Some of the taste combos were worth jotting down, others didn't really work but still, the scales in the bathroom were starting to show results. I'd got down to 100 kilos from 108 in the first 3 weeks. I couldn't believe the progress. I was never hungry, I felt great and the pounds were escaping with ease. I'd have this done in a few more weeks. I started a weight chart and logged as much as I could, something to be proud of. Then the rate of weight loss slowed. I checked the scales. How could doing exactly the same thing every day cause a different result? I changed the scales so that it seemed more of a dramatic reduction. A bit more research told me the scales were fine, the programme was fine. It’s just the first bit of weight drops off you because you're reducing your water retention. After that, you work just as hard for half the initial result. And don't forget, the programme is increasing muscle mass as well, which weighs more than fat. That's fine. So be it. This was the realistic rate. Months not weeks. And I was enjoying it. I was enjoying succeeding, winning. This wasn't so hard. A couple more weeks went past and still the pounds tumbled. Sometimes the reductions were erratic, same programme, 2 pounds off one day, half a pound off the next. I didn't really need to know why as long as the weight kept dropping. The thing was, I had been looking at myself in the full length mirror by the door every day after my workout before the shower and I still didn't look any different. I knew all the machinery and logic associated with my mission couldn’t all be wrong at the same time so I was pretty sure there would be a decent reason for it and so there was. What you’re doing initially is sorting out your core. That’s where you’re losing the initial weight and water. Your core is what’s getting beefed up and fit, out of sight. It made sense enough to a layman but you still like to see changes. And then it happened. My jeans had been feeling a little looser than normal for a few days and then I realised I needed the belt in another hole. There it was, the first sign. I couldn't confirm it from the mirror but this was incontrovertible. Maybe it was something psychosomatic in my head showing me something, but soon after that, I started to see some definition around my middle, not so much abs per se, just prepping the ground for them. The pounds kept shedding off my weight chart. I will freely admit, I did have one or two blowouts, the need for a kebab and a cold beer, and I knew the numbers would show it, but I was now not actually fitting into trousers and shorts and some shirts looked like nightdresses. I needed healthy persons clothes. I have never felt so happy about an impending cost. I looked good, like I did in my 30s. By the time four months had passed, my target of 80 kilos remained and I was only a couple off at 82. I had two months to drop that and I knew I would. I looked at photos of me in london 6 months before and it was incredible. I looked like a different person altogether. I looked tired, heavy, dreading the next flight of stairs. Warning. This is a pivotal moment. When you’re ahead of the curve and bossing it, its easy to entertain the notion that you can ease off a bit. Physically, you’re probably right but don't do it. It changes your mindset from achieving something to already having achieved it but it’s not yet achieved. Rabbit and the hare. Achieve it first, then reward yourself with easing off. I hit my 80 kilos with five weeks to go and the next five weeks kept me there. It was done. I'd  smashed the shit out that 25%. It was gone. I took off from Valencia and landed at Gatwick requiring second glances at my passport photo. Yes, folks that really is me,  just an awful lot more of me. By the time I wandered down the street to the pub, I'd  already decided I wasn’t going back to the UK for good. Spain was my home now. My mission, my new life was born on the French highways and realised in the Spanish mountains. I wasn't even really thinking of the reaction I’d get when I walked in. I didn’t need reactions. I knew what I’d done. Me and my water buckets, pussycats, rowing machines, the glorious island of Okinawa and singing, dancing Spain. The reaction was complete astonishment. Not just someone telling you you look well. This was holy **** across the board. My choice of a pink leather coat to mark the occasion drew its own conclusion but I was stronger and fitter and more vibrant in mind and body.  And I looked it and we all knew it. Life’s new plateau had been reached with a simple regard for my own well being. A respect for my only asset. And it was simple, inspiring and very enjoyable.

[soraegeeks]

Review: Happenstance

Happenstance by Merrywetherweather AU: Royalty, Omegaverse Main relationship: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku Status: Ongoing, 13 chapters currently

Official summary:

When Katsuki was just a child, his mother, the King of Lucia, took him to enact diplomacy with the Midoriya's, the royal family of the neighboring country of Tayloria. After that day, his fate was sealed, his marriage arranged to the Midoriya's elusive omegan child.

At the age of twenty, he leaves for Tayloria again, this time, to finally wed his fiance and cement the allyship of the two kingdoms indefinitely. Only, his fiance turns out to be the child he had met on his very first visit, a naive, idealistic young prince who wants nothing to do with marrying the prince of Lucia.

Good thing he just assumed Katsuki was only part of his fiance's entourage.

An arranged marriage between two princes aob au where Katsuki tries to abide by Izuku's desire for a natural romance to develop without letting Izuku know his true identity.

A review of this story is LONG overdue. (Halfway through writing my original thoughts I decided to scrap it. I didn’t like the way it was flowing so let’s try this again.) Happenstance is a take on the classic prince disguises his identity to get his partner to see him for him. Izuku is a hopeless romantic who hates arranged marriages and Katsuki just wants to fulfill his duty as a proper heir.

In the beginning, we meet a young Katsuki who wants nothing to do with some LONG trip that his mother, the King of Lucia, has brought him on. He’s precocious as expected and doesn’t understand why the kingdom of Tayloria is so different than his. I love this telling of Hisashi as a gentle spoken man who doesn’t talk down to kids. He leaves a big impression on Katsuki but sadly this is the only time we hear of his character while he’s alive. Katsuki gets to leave the pomp and circumstance of the diplomacy meeting, all of the monarchs discussing the arranged marriage, and explores the grounds. It was so cute to see how fascinated Katsuki was with the greenhouse and his struggle to get to it. And his description of little Izuku was so adorable comparing his face to twinkling stars and constellations.

Years pass and we’re introduced to a 20-year-old Katsuki returning to Tayloria ahead of his wedding. He’s still jaded and wants to get the whole situation done with. We meet his best friend and right-hand man Eijirou, a hopeless romantic who thinks this may work out favorably for Katsuki. Eijirou hoped that Katsuki would fall in love with his betrothed but yeah we’ll see about that. He tries to use Katsuki’s parents an example of an arranged marriage that turned to love and I cackled when Katsuki described them as “two chucklefucks.” It’s been a while since I’ve heard that word. Enter an adult Izuku who is NOT going to take this arrangement lying down. Evidently, he has a history of literally RUNNING from suitors and everyone in the kingdom. I laughed so hard when Izuku came barreling down the hill running from the guards. Like a rabbit being chased at a greyhound race. But in this case the guards were more like slow dachshunds. LOL “That’s right. The prince is escaping again.” AGAIN?! GUFFAW! Oh yeah, at this point Katsuki realizes that the little boy he met years ago was the prince AND his fiancé. He had no idea that he was engaged to a man and not a woman. Well, that’s an interesting revelation. HA! After Katsuki tracked him down I enjoyed the canon reference of him threatening to burn Izuku’s notebook.

Not knowing who he is, Izuku confesses to Katsuki that he doesn’t want to be forced to marry. He wants it to be left to fate that he falls in love with someone. Katsuki thinks he’s ridiculous but decides to keep his identity a secret after Izuku pretty much talks trash about him to his face. He pretends to be “Kacchan the aide.” Izuku was being bratty and that wasn’t really necessary but hiding? Eijirou tried to warn him that it was a bad idea but Katsuki knows all, right? Yeah, ok.

Throughout the story Izuku bad mouths Katsuki based on the rumors he’s heard and assumptions not realizing that he’s badmouthing him to his face. Katsuki is not the type of prince Izuku expects and Izuku DOES make a lot of assumptions. That’s definitely a trait of an over thinker. *raises hand* I like how Katsuki slowly uses his position as fiancé to ease some of the restrictions the Queen has placed. Izuku had really never been out of the castle gates until he was 14 and then not again afterward because a mishap. This really stunted Izuku’s worldview and makes him feel like he’s a captive in his own home. Poor thing runs to feel some sort of control.

Izuku is a ball of foolishness from pretending to be a heavy drinker and causing the kitchen staff to lose “their collective shit” at the lie to falling from his second floor room during one of his escapades. Katsuki is injured in a fight against road bandits (League of Villains sighting) so when they visited the healer Chiyo she assumed that Izuku was the one injured. And the guards even had a bet on who would get injured first, Izuku or Katsuki?!  BWAAAAAAA “You make it sound like I’m some harbinger of misfortune!” *snort*

At this point in the story Izuku has no idea that he met his betrothed when he was younger and that he left a lingering impression on him. The trick of rolling up his sleeves to hide his dirty sleeves and putting the word “fate” into his vocabulary.

The brotherly pack love between Katsuki and Eijirou runs parallel in the story. Eijirou constantly teases him telling him that he is sweet on Izuku. And he scented Katsuki after his injuries were treated. So brotherly, so manly.

Speaking of family, it’s is a big thing for Izuku. I found it interesting that both Izuku and his father smelled like lilacs. I wonder in what other ways is he like his father. After his father’s death he avoids his mother in fear that his scent will remind her. Depriving both of them of the connection that they need. The description of the castle’s third floor seems so familial. I could see Izuku spending a lot of time there hiding away from kingdom duties.

Slowly, Izuku comes to form a friendship and a sense of trust with “Kacchan the aide.” They go into town together and Katsuki helps him through a panic attack. Katsuki escorts him to see his swordmaster Toshinori and spars with him to help him with his sword work.

A repercussion of Izuku being cooped up is that he knows very little about his secondary gender. He doesn’t realize that is his inner Omega is falling for “Kacchan’s” inner Alpha. In the aftermath of Katuki’s injury, Izuku didn’t understand that his Omegan urges were telling him that he wanted to comfort Katsuki. And he wasn’t okay until they scented each other. He had no idea that he was going into heat while sparring with Katsuki or that Katsuki had triggered a nesting response after giving him a book. It was adorable when Izuku took over Katsuki’s bed and buried himself in his comforter because his scent was soothing.

The two of them start to have feelings for each other and EVERYONE can see it. Flirting during dancing lessons, Katsuki finishing a borrowed book to prove to Izuku that he cares, scenting Izuku and kissing his knuckles, and the seduction and ALMOST kiss in the greenhouse scene was beautifully done.  As much trash as Katsuki talked about Izuku, Katsuki was really bored out of his mind while they were both on house arrest. Toshinori even noticed that Katsuki was a bit sweet on Izuku. The old gardener, who is my new best friend, poked fun at Katsuki about love at first sight. I wondered if he had been around years ago and witnessed when Katsuki and Izuku first saw each other. Eijirou was on the money when he said “I think you and your fiance really are well suited. Like two batshit crazy peas in a pod.” *snort* I loved that the two of them snuck out into town to go dancing. Izuku had an opportunity to just be FREE and in love.

The happy times could only last so long. In courting the flighty prince, it became obvious that Izuku was becoming endeared to “Kacchan.” And therein lies the problem because Katsuki let it go on for too long. He let many chances to tell Izuku the truth slip and when Izuku found out of course he’s absolutely heartbroken and felt betrayed.

We’re a week away from the wedding and left at a cliffhanger. How will Katsuki fix what he broke? I’m excited to read how the story continues.

[orangenfrottee]

Sweet Water River (WIP, 1/2?)

Sometimes, fire wasn’t the best solution. But it was the first anyone in Riverdale thought of. Things were already pretty out of control when everything started happening at once.

This picks up where chapter fourty-five left us and was meant as a short one-shot. It’s currently at 4000 words and could grow depending on feedback. It still needs some edit work.

Characters: Meant to be full cast. More or less in order of total screen time so far: Betty, Toni, Ethel, Fred, Cheryl, Pretty Poisons, narrator!Jughead, Archie, Veronica, Jellybean, Kevin, Evelyn, Sweat Pea, Fangs, Pop, Ricky, Reggie, Hotdog, Penny, Penelope, Juniper, Edgar, Jughead, FP, Nana Rose, Polly, Hal, Dagwood, Vegas

Relationships: Mostly gen with current canon pairings: Cheryl/Toni,  Archie/Veronica, Kevin/Fangs, Reggie/Veronica, Betty/Jughead, past Archie/Josie (mentioned), Edgar/Everyone (somewhat mentioned)

Tags: crack treated seriously, the farm, arson, fire, Serpent Laws

Warnings: canon typical insanity, canon typical self-harm, canon typical drug use, fire, religiously motivated plural marriages, original names for so far unnamed members of the Pretty Poisons, tiny bit of made-up backstory for Toni

Sweet Water River

An alternative chapter fourty-six.

Our story about the small town Riverdale, known as the Town with Pep, took another weird turn. Turns out sometimes just one time too many can have enormous consequences. This time it was as if a single domino stone was tipped that wasn’t meant to and suddenly the whole town fell.

It seems like all of us had this unhealthy fascination with flames. Again and again, it boiled up and over. Maybe the first time it showed its insane face was all the time back then, when we were still young and innocent kids. The weird boy lit a match and believed that was enough to burn his elementary school down to the ground. It wasn’t, but the police took his prints anyway, worrying about a possible arson career in his future. A couple years later, the Southside Serpents tried to set the Riverdale High ablaze in a petty act of revenge but were stopped just in time. These were the times we failed and no flames started licking wallpapers, wood or stone. But with time, we all learned.

The first to succeed was Cheryl Blossom. After she burned a book full of pain with her cousin Betty Cooper, she torched her childhood home Thornhill down to its foundation walls and rid our hometown of its horror house. Later, Betty tried to do the same to her childhood home but forgot to drench the building in gasoline before letting the candle fall. While the house survived, Betty learned. And the next time an occasion arouse, she recruited me, Jughead Jones, and together we set my childhood home aflame. We stayed after to watch the flames over a couple of Pop’s milkshakes.

So, you see, things were already quite out of control when everything started happening at once.

*

Archie Andrews couldn’t take his eyes off Veronica Lodge. With Josie McCoy gone and their relationship ended the way they did, there wasn’t really anything keeping him away from Veronica anymore. They were endgame, weren’t they? So, when they came way too close to kissing again, he crossed the last few inches. They kissed.

Reggie Mantle saw them.

*

Ricky DeSantos was angry. Kurtz stopped contacting him, again, and he was on his own, again. Ever since his older brother Joaquin had to leave Riverdale, he was left on his own. Again and again. As much as the Serpents kept repeating their rules, they never seemed to apply to him. Wasn’t a serpent’s family to be taken care of in the case of death or imprisonment? He never was taken care of. He always ended up alone.

That was why he gladly joined Kurtz’ plot to scare the young Jones girl and show her how fake the Serpents were. No one cared about their families. But that plan failed and he was left as alone as he was before. Hands in his coat pockets he walked further down the streets, wondering what to do now, when his hand made contact with a matchbook he took from the diner. The Serpents didn’t deserve a headquarter. But fire was pretty.

*

Kevin Keller wanted his family with him at the farm. He heard about Josie just taking off at a blink of an eye to tour the states with her father and decided, that if he wanted his father and Sierra with him, he had to act soon. He excused himself from dinner at the farm and went home. Finding the home deserted, he unlocked the front door and sat down in the living room and waited. Surely, they wouldn’t be too long.

*

Ever since joining the farm, Fangs Fogarty did everything with Kevin Keller. When Kevin excused himself from dinner, so did he. He missed his Southside Serpents just like Kevin missed his Dad and stepfamily. He went to visit their campsite and found Sweet Pea and Hotdog at the camp’s fireside. He was glad he got to see Hotdog again. He missed that dog.

Hotdog lifted his head, when he heard the well-known steps of Fangs and gave a happy bark. Sweet Pea looked up from the pan of beans he was heating over the fire and gave a small smile.

“Hey Fangs! Glad to see you back! Hand me another of those cans, I’ll make us some grub.”

Fangs smiled. He missed this. He grabbed a can of kidney beans and opened it on the way to the fire. Handing the can over, he patted his lap to get Hotdog to move to him, wanting to get pet.

“I missed you Sweet Pea. You should come and join us.”

*

At the same time, Betty Cooper hid behind some bushes in the snow and peered into a window of the old Sisters of Quiet Mercy and watched the farmies at their joint dinner of drugged goatmilk, savory muffins with their self-grown magic mushrooms and other weird concoctions.

She was waiting for an opening. She wanted one last shot at saving Juniper and ending this crazy cult for good.

*

Ever since she, Dilton and Ben had gotten so into Gryphons and Gargoyles, everything fell to ruins. Her best friends were dead, she was put on suicide watch, suffered seizures and was sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy where her delusions were fed instead of cured. Only saved by a friend, Ethel Muggs spent the last weeks trying to get her life back in order. It wasn’t easy. Her mother wasn’t happy she just fled the Sisters but obviously also didn’t want her daughter drugged. So, she went into helicopter mode. Ethel wasn’t allowed to do anything outside of school but come home straight after her last lesson. No clubs. No school musical. Still, most days she was just picked up right at the school gate. Twice a week she met with a psychologist.

She was healing, but somehow, she felt like something still held her back. Something she had to finally let go to become better. She had to take care of the bunker.

*

Edgar Evernever was a controlling puppeteer and while she did what she had to; Toni Topaz hated every minute of it.  She felt horrible at how she had to betray Betty’s trust after she plotted with her to get the poor Juniper out, but Edgar and his first wife Evelyn knew about it. They had her phone bugged and half the school were their spies. Someone had seen her walk into the bureau of the Blue and Gold and Edgar and Evelyn obviously were able to put one and one together. She hoped she could give Betty a sign, but she knew there were cameras in the corridors and just couldn’t do it. If she failed at proving her loyalty to Edgar, she’d had to leave and Cheryl would be all alone with them.

She felt sick watching Cheryl partake in the goatmilk and the other drugged foods, and she felt sick partaking in them herself. Sometimes she ringed for sanity. She kept seeing her dead mother in the flickering lights in the drowning chamber and repeatedly heard her dead father’s voice advising her to be careful. She clung to Cheryl and the truths she knew. The farm was a cult. Her parents were dead and so was Jason Blossom. She had to keep Cheryl safe. Edgar Evernever was a puppeteer, but she was no puppet.

*

Fred Andrews was at home, cooking dinner for himself and for Archie. Then the phone rang and Mary surprised him with a call. He was always happy to hear her voice. Listening to her chat, phone held between his ear and his shoulder, he finished cooking and split the food on two plates, making sure to give Archie an extra helping of proteins and greens, to ensure his son had a good sized and proper meal he just had to heat up when he came home later tonight after his boxing practice

Taking his plate in hand, he moved to the living room where he sat down on their couch, setting the plate in front of him. Mary was still going on about shenanigans in her law firm, that made him smile. Chewing a piece of cauliflower, he absently lit a couple candles, to give the room a warmer tint.

*

Reggie was livid. He did everything for Veronica. He drove over the Canadian border once a week to get illegal alcohol for her illegal speakeasy. He robbed her father’s illegal drug factory for her. He robbed his own father’s car dealership for her. He got his car taken for her, he got beat up for her, he got shot for her. What for? She held him at arm’s length, only letting him near, when she was lonely, constantly letting him know he was only a replacement, calling him Archie and brushing him off whenever she didn’t have need for him.

He was done with Veronica Lodge and her stupid speakeasy.

*

Jellybean Jones, angry, at her mother who just left town without giving her a good explanation and the rest of her family for always having so much to do and never spending time with her, did what Betty Cooper failed at. After emptying one of Hal’s left-behind canisters of gasoline between the stairs and the living room, she lit a match at the house entry, threw it behind her and left the building. Feeling the heat behind her, proof of her accomplishment, she stood at the road and wondered for a moment where to go now.

Behind her, the Cooper House burned.

*

Veronica Lodge smiled at Pop and thanked him for the takeout order he just finished for her. It was her rare night off and she would be spending it with her Archiekins.

*

Penelope Blossom hugged baby Jason Junior close to her. Riverdale only brought her pain and death. This time she would do it right. She set the baby into a car seat and grabbed her last bag. The two of them would leave the town tonight.

*

Ever since first Cheryl and soon Toni joined the farm, the Pretty Poisons were just abandoned like last week’s trash. But the Poisons weren’t letting them just get away with that. Grabbing bats and pipes, they sat on their bikes and rode towards the Blossom Estate, Peaches at the front. They would trash their stupid poolside that lured them in.

*

Penny Peabody left Riverdale the day of the fight between her and Gladys Jones. But she wasn’t done with the town, so she didn’t go far. Once her informants let her know Gladys was gone, she was back with a simple plan. She set the Riverdale High ablaze.

*

Polly Cooper put Juniper to bed, sure the special goatmilk she gave her before bedtime would ensure she slept through the night. After, she joined the other farmies for the trek into the woods, where they would light a huge bed full of coals and walk across it. It was always a special treat.

*

Chuck Clayton had everything, then Veronica Lodge stepped into his life. And boom, he was left with ruins. When he managed to build up the tiniest bit of a new life, chance happened. He got too close to his art teacher’s daughter, and now he was being kicked out of the program. He lost everything, again. And who’s fault was it? Veronica Lodge’s. He would make sure she lost everything, too. Grabbing some canisters full of gasoline from the back of his truck, he started setting the Penbrooke on fire.

*

Hal Cooper was dead. Killed off in a freak accident during a prisoners’ transport. But most of all Hal Cooper was angry that someone had the atrocity of trying to use him, the Black Hood, the serial killer of Riverdale, as a chess pawn. But he wouldn’t be one. He was better at this game then Hiram Lodge. He’d take the asshole out. But first he would set his biggest fault right. He should have never sold his baby, the Riverdale Register, to that horrible man. He’d rather see it burned to the ground. Tonight.

*

Angry at Rosemary, a girl working at the Maple Club, for overcharging him, the random dude emptied his reserve canister of gasoline from his car in the lobby of the Five Seasons and lit a match from a matchbook complementary to the services at the Maple Club.

*

Archie Andrews was at the boxing gym El Royale getting some training in while waiting for Veronica bringing take out from Pop’s, when one of his boxing members from the juvenile detention center came running in.

“The Gilded Gloves last week was a set up! And I have proof that Hiram Lodge was behind everything!”

He snapped. Hiram Lodge was guilty of pretty much everything. Angry at himself and the stupid gym, Archie trashed what he could and set the rest on fire.

*

Kevin has been waiting for way too long already.  He missed dinner, but he was unwilling to miss the farmies’ nighttime activity in the woods. It was his favorite, walking across burning coals. He acted on instinct and set the old wood structure of his childhood home aflame. If they couldn’t keep living in their house, they surely would come live with him at the old Sisters of Quiet Mercy, right?

*

Fangs didn’t understand. Why didn’t Sweet Pea want to join the farm? Was it their campsite that held him back? It was winter and way too cold to live outside. Fire would surely help them be reborn. He grabbed one of the bigger sticks they used for firewood and flicked the embers and burning wood pieces from the firepit out and towards some of the tents. They immediately caught on fire.

“What the fuck?! Fangs?!”

“You need to join us Sweet Pea, Serpents. There is nothing left here for you now. Come with me, to the farm. All of us. All our Hotdogs. Joaquin. Midge. They’re all there.”

Fists flew.

*

Having waited hours in the bushes for all the farmies to leave, Betty opened the badly closed window with a crowbar. Creeping through the long corridors, she made her way up to the same room Toni led her into. Juniper was fast asleep. Betty picked her up and held her close. This time she would succeed. Holding her firmly she walked the same way back, out of the window and back to the car she parked just out of sight. She placed Juniper securely into a baby seat she just acquired that day.

She went to the back of the car to get some of her father’s extra canisters of gasoline she liberated from the Joneses’ garage. Hurrying back to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, she dumped those through the still open window and threw a match. She knew this probably wasn’t enough to rid Riverdale of the stain that was this building or its history or the farm, but her priority was Juniper. She ran back to the car and drove home to Elm’s Street. Whatever came next, she’d need Jughead.

*

After their laced dinner, it was time for another session of walking through coals. It was cold outside and her girlfriend forgot to take her warm coat, so Toni gave Cheryl her own and went back for the other one. Just inside the door, she heard a soft voice coming from the kitchen.

“It’s going to be okay now, Juniper.”

Was that Betty? She’d love to check but couldn’t risk anything being caught by the cameras. She grabbed Cheryl’s coat from a hook by the backdoor and left.

*

Ethel Muggs emptied another canister of gasoline into the bunker. She was sad to see it go and sad it probably wouldn’t be enough fire to actually destroy the bunker, just its interior. Still. Throwing the empty canister in, she lit one of the matches she got from Pop’s Chock‘lit Shoppe and threw it in. At the same time, she started running. She wanted the bunker gone, but she wouldn’t burn with it.

Soon she had to acknowledge that while the fire might not be enough to destroy the bunker’s walls, it was enough to catch the trees and brushes around the bunker on fire.The wind helped it spread quickly.

She ran faster through the snowy woods. Thankfully she knew the area and the fastest way to the road. She was lucky. Just as she reached the road a car came near. The window was let down and Betty screamed at her to get in the back while she stopped the car.

“Ethel? What the hell happened here?”, Betty closed the window again, to save Juniper from any ash and put the car back to driving once Ethel was safely inside.

*

Reggie Mantle was back at La Bonne Nuit. Entering through the backdoor, he made it downstairs without being seen. It was the rare night off, so the place was empty. He wanted to trash the place, but seeing it, made it harder. This place has been so much work. He trashed some of the glass ware and started to empty the high percentage alcohols onto the seating areas and the tables. He dropped a lit match from one of Pop’s matchbooks they had everywhere and left.

*

When Mary ended the call, Fred stood up to bring the phone back to the station and froze in front of the window. The neighbors’ house was burning. With great presence of mind, Fred grabs their fire extinguisher and runs outside without putting the candles out first and without closing the door behind himself. An unlucky gust of wind brings the curtains too close to the flames. Vegas barks and runs outside, knocking against a side table on his way, starting another fire in the room. Within seconds the whole room is on fire.

Outside Fred has eyes only for the burning Cooper/Jones House and the small girl at the front door, that seems so lost and frightened. He runs over and holds her close.

“Jellybean? Are you okay? Where’s Jughead? And your father?” He tries to steer her away from their house to his and sees his own house nearly as merrily aflame as the other.

*

Toni and Cheryl were trading coats and kisses at the coal side when Kevin joined them.

“I think my dad and Sierra will be joining us at the farm soon.”

“That’s great Kevin. And you’re just in time to be witness to the newbies’ coal walk, too. It’s a magnificent night. Ma Chérie will be completing her initiation. Wasn’t your boyfriend supposed to as well?”

Toni let Cheryl banter with Kevin and concentrated. It was true. Tonight, she had to complete her initiation. She was supposed to be ready. She had to be. For Cheryl.

*

It’s not the first time for Pop Tate to hear the fire alarm at the Shoppe, nor is it the first time he smells smoke. Deliberately calm Pop tells his customers to stand up and leave the diner in an orderly fashion. Being the good man that he is, he makes sure all his patrons get out safe and sound and follows behind. Outside he asks for someone’s phone and calls the fire department. Just then, looking at his Shoppe, he realizes it’s really on fire.

*

Veronica Lodge was never shocked, so she chose to be angry instead. After she gave a short and anonymous call to the fire department about the burning El Royale, she zoomed in on Archie.

“What the hell happened here? Did you just set the building on fire? Archie? That’s stupid! This place isn’t even insured. Do you know how much money you’re just burning for nothing?”

Veronica wasn’t happy with the proceedings at all. And she wasn’t in the mood to listen to Archie’s explanations.

“Let’s go back to Pop’s. Maybe we can hide behind some milkshakes and think of something to do about this.”

They didn’t come far when they met the first scared person fleeing from the Pop’s.

*

“What the hell is going on tonight? How can the whole town of Riverdale just be on fire?”

Jughead and FP Jones were at the police station to pick up a couple of loose ends left over from Kurtz’ apocalypse and to make it easier for FP’s deputy to take over the position of sheriff for the time being, when suddenly all their phones started ringing at once.

“Pop’s and the Maple Club give matchbooks as freebies. Plus, fire = pretty. I’d say it was just a matter of time.”, Jughead answered between phone calls. When he saw Jellybean’s name light up on his mobile phone, he answered immediately. “Jellybean?!”

It’s a man’s voice on the line. “Jughead, she’s fine. She’s with me.”

“Mister Andrews?”

“Yes. Listen, both our houses are on fire and I can’t reach the fire department-“

*

Polly saw the flames first. It must be a good sign for their coal walk tonight. The newly joining farmies were surely blessed.

*

Peaches and the Pretty Poisons were just done trashing the poolside that now, in the winter, hadn’t been looking that inviting in the first place. The ruins of Thornhill loomed dangerously above them, so they decided to smash in the couple of greenhouses they could see on the premises.

“Girls? I guess we’re done her. Let’s go.”

They were just wanting to turn back, when the wind turned and they saw the thick smoke coming from Fox Forest and the town center. The fire must be huge. And it moved towards them. They needed to leave. Walking back to their bikes, she realized old hag Penelope Blossom never left the barn she stayed in to scream at them to leave her property. There weren’t any lights there at all, even her car was gone.

But there were lights in Thistlehouse. With Cheryl and Toni at the old Sisters of Quiet Mercy, was Nana Rose all alone? They couldn’t just leave her behind to fend for herself, she was half blind, couldn’t walk and has been welcoming all of them into Thistlehouse with hot tea or cocoa whenever they needed a little bit of grandmotherly advice.

“Change of plans. Amaranth, Quinoa, check on Nana Rose. Make sure she’s ready to leave. We can’t bring her on our bikes. Barley, Rye, make two teams and check the sheds, barns and the rest of the estate for other wheels. The fire’s coming this way. We have to leave asap.”

*

Toni was halfway across the coals to her Cheryl who was waiting for her with love and adoration plainly on her face and arms open in wait for her. Two more steps. One. Then her naked feet were finally back in the cold white snow and her girlfriend’s arms tightly around her.

“I knew you could do it, my TT. I’m so proud of you. Now we can all get married to Edgar on New Year’s.”

Reveling in her girlfriend’s tight embrace, Tony was terrified to even think of her feet. Or the new deadline of horrors Cheryl revealed. Looking up to blink away tears and check if Cheryl was really alright, she noticed the thick smoke in the sky. That must belong to a huge fire. A fire.

“Babe? Is the forest burning?”

*

The only car the Pretty Poisons found was the Blossom Twins’ red convertible. It would do. They helped Nana Rose, who was so excited about their little nighttime adventure together, to sit on the front passenger seat and placed her chair in the back. Peaches slid in the driver’s seat, signaling to the other’s to get going. They were riding to safety now.

*

Evelyn was the first to act. She clapped her hands twice and rejoiced at how all her sister and brother sheep immediately stopped what they were doing and looked towards her and Edgar for guidance.

“Brothers and Sisters, it seems our night has to be cut short. Please follow us.”

And the sheep did. They left the coals as they were.

TBC

I hope you enjoyed? I’d really apreciate feedback of any kind.

Also, I don’t think anyone will die, but pretty much everything will burn.

[neckdeepinchicagosadness]

Life: An Update

I think it’s about time that I put the last 8 months or so into words. It’s been one hell of a roller coaster. Warning: it’s really long and parts can be triggering. 

I guess I’ll start back at the beginning of May. I had jUst finished my spring semester with  decent grades, and I had to move out of my dorm for the summer. At this point i had decided that I was done with dorm life and wanted to move into a house or apartment with a friend (we’ll call her Lindsay for anonymity). She and I began house hunting but her lease didn’t end until June. So technically at this point i was homeless. She let me stay in her apartment while we went house hunting, but we decided not to sign onto anything due to funds, and timing. I was about to head to Albuquerque to spend a month visiting my family that i hadn't seen in a year (I had to miss Christmas that year because marching band had a bowl game that we were required to attend). It made sense at the time just to wait the two months. So we shared a room for a month until I left. 

Once in New Mexico, i finally got the chance to unwind from the semester. I got caught up with my family, and met one of the coolest people i know. She’s literally my only friend in NM right now (working on getting more though). The month flew by between hiking, camping, smoking a lot of really good weed, exercise, and getting my two tattoos, and buying my first car. It should also be said that my girlfriend (lets call her Dani) and I took a month away from our relationship at this point because of distance. She was studying abroad in canada, and I was well, still in NM. I didn’t end up hooking up with anyone in this time, but took it more as a chance to look at what i wanted in my life. Things seemed pretty clear then. little did I know that when I got back to Louisiana i would be stepping into the worst 6 months of my life. I left Albuquerque at the beginning of July, and drove my Honda Element 1200 miles home. 

The day i arrived back, i found myself homeless once again, but at least I had a car. I had been communicating with Lindsay about where we would be living. Apparently I didn't make my return date clear enough to her, even though i told her i was driving back two days prior. When i arrived, I was met with anger about my lack of communication, and berated with excuses about how she didn't have the money to find a new place with me, and that her family wanted her home. I could have just been told these thing earlier, but instead they were screamed at me the second i got back, and I was kicked out of her apartment. i had been keeping my things there over the month, and had to move them to my girlfriend’s parents house (they had a guest house they let me use as storage). Her excuses were valid however, and i understood that our plans weren’t going to work out and that was okay. The same result could have come without the anger though and I was hurt on the first day back. Not much of a homecoming. 

From there I began to panic. I was more homeless than before. I had to couch surf for about 2 weeks between friends and felt like a complete loser and burden on everyone around me. I had to find a place. I began searching for 1 bedroom apartments within my budget. I guess i should mention now that my parents had been in a financially tight spot since I left for college and i was essentially on my own. They really couldn't help with rent as they could barely make their own. Anyway,  I really couldn't find much until a friend of my Dani’s gave me a tip on a place that was on the same property he lived on. A 1 bed 1 bath for 500. I could have made that work, but i saw the 2 Bed 2 Bath that was also on the property for 800 a month and was drawn to it. This house would become my living hell for the next 3 months or so. Here is where some backstory is needed.

Back in late March or early April, i met a friend who shared my weed smoking pastime, let’s call her Shelly. Shelly is a short, strong, proud black woman with a rough family history. She was also my dorm neighbor. Shelly, Dani, and I became fast friends. At some point in the semester, Shelly had to turn to selling her weed to make her school payments. One day at her dorm, her suppliers came through. Lets call them Jack and Amy. Jack and Amy were a couple, and had recently found out that amy was about 2.5 to 3 months pregnant (yea, three months). They too were climbing out of homelessness but for reasons they didn't exactly make clear at any time. Dani and I were hesitant to become friends with them, as they were drug dealers. Jack was a twitchy, skinny white boy who liked to talk out his ass. He would talk like he knew how everything worked, even when many times he did not. And he would never admit he was wrong. If you corrected him his response was always “well that's what i meant.” Amy was a sweet, short white girl, who obviously loved Jack. She was funny and nice. Two peas in a really fucked up pod. I would only see them here and there. I never really reached out to them. That is until I saw that 2 bed 2 bath for 800 a month.

Now without roommates to make the rent cheaper i reached out to Shelly. Dani’s parents wouldn’t let us move in together unless it meant we were moving towards marriage. We had only been together for a year and a half at this point and I just wasn’t ready for that level of commitment. Shelly was excited about the house but making 400 dollars a month before utilities was tough for both of us. She thought of Jack and Amy and we both thought, well shit with 4 of us in the house we could make rent super cheap. Amy was 7.5 months pregnant at this point. Me being someone who sees the good in people, then decided it would good to give these two a chance to get on their feet. So we all agreed to get this house and work together to lift each other up. Sounds like a dream right? Well it was. 

We moved in at the end of July. Things seemed to be going well. Jack and I began working on the garden, as it was COMPLETELY overgrown. The house looked so nice. The bug problem was being handled. Jack and Amy didn’t have jobs, but they had decided to give their future child up for adoption. They knew they were not in a position to raise it themselves. This may have been the only good decision they ever made. They made their rent money from selling drugs (which i kept telling them to stop doing) and assistance from the adoption agency. Shelly was also between jobs and selling drugs. It became a weed trap house. The house was in the sketchy part of town and strange things would happen here and there. For example, one night we had a meth addict who was super high try and wander onto the property. When we stopped her (armed with gardening tools) she told us that we shouldn't talk to her because she spoke with ghosts. She was also trying to break into an abandoned house behind ours. The sound of gunshots and police sirens was commonplace. But out little island seemed to be separated from this most of the time (besides the time we found squatters in the still unoccupied 1 bedroom next to us). 

Then things began to take a turn for the worst. Shelly one day went to make a drug deal with one of her clients who suspiciously didn't come all the way into the property, but back in at the end of the driveway. When she went to make the trade, they gave her counterfeit (poorly counterfeit mind you) money and drove off with the product. This left a sour taste in Shelly, Jack, and Amy’s mouths. I mostly had the feeling of “we are now in danger” but kept my mouth shut.  I told them never to make deals with anyone they didn’t know super well. They brushed me off like i was dumb. 

Literally later that evening, Shelly had another client pull into the driveway but they didn't get our of their car, which again seemed odd. Jack, Amy, and I watched out the window nervously while Dani was doing her own thing in my room. Amy asked me to go check on her slyly while getting something out of my car. I agreed and went outside. Jack and Amy for some reason followed after me. As i was searching my car i felt a shift in the vibe right before Shelly screamed out “He’s got a gun!”. I froze only thinking of if Dani was somewhere safe. Shelly ran behind Dani’s car, her rent’s worth in weed already gone, while jack charged the car, screaming “What the fuck?! What the FUCK?!” what the fuck is right. Like what the fuck was he thinking?? Was he trying to get shot. As jack ran back to Amy screaming “She’s pregnant!” (an excuse that would become commonplace) the car peeled off out of the property. Shelly was sobbing behind Dani’s car. I had to scream at her “Get in the house....IF YOU DO ONE THING RIGHT NOW IT IS THAT YOU GET THE FUCK UP AND IN THE FUCKING HOUSE!!”. We four bolted into the house. My heart was racing but i was oddly calm. I went to Dani, i gabbed her and hugged her tight, and explained what had just happened. Jack and Amy were in their room shaking and crying. Shelly was in her room crying as well. All i could think was that those people come back for our lives. I got Jack, Amy, and Shelly in one spot and told them “you are done. Done with the selling, done being unemployed, DONE.” They just nodded in agreement. I then demanded they get into Dani’s car and we dropped them off at Shelly’s dorm that she still had due to her contract not ending until the end of that month. 

Dani and I sat in the car in silence until I told her “say what you need to say.” “I told you so” was what she told me. And i couldn’t stop laughing. Because of all the things she could have said or done, she said “I told you so”. Not “we’re through” not “Fuck you.” I told you so. And she was right. She did warn me not to get involved with these people. And i didn’t listen. We drove to Baton Rouge to spend the night with a friend. Somehow we ended up having an NSFW adventure of our own that night. I guess we were living the day like it could’ve been our last. 

And life went on. It went on getting worse. In the weeks that followed our brush with death, Shelly fell into a deep depression. She stopped taking care of herself. Stopped showering, cleaning her bathroom, stopped eating or doing her part around the house. And she couldn't pay her rent. On top of that everyone involved, myself included, felt a strong resentment towards her for bringing what happened to the house. After a certain point we all agreed that she had to go. We told her she had pack her things and leave. She wasn’t happy about this but she went along with it anyways. She would go on to spend the semester at her parents home, and would get a job quickly. It seemed as though she learned her lesson and got her life together. We actually hang out here and there now. But i keep my guard up. 

This is where the abuse really begins. For maybe 2 weeks things were great in the house. We would cook together, have fun together, bring Amy to her doctor's appointments (they didn’t have a car), and support each other. Then Jack began to have these mood swings. We would wake up and he would just scowl at us, not saying a word. He’d go outside and work in the yard, but angrily. If I offered to help he would either say nothing and ignore my presence completely, or would snap at me. He would be this way all day. The next day he’d be fine. One day after Dani had spent the night, she decided to help out around the house by doing the dishes before we left for class. Our dishwasher was a piece of crap that wouldn't actually wash the dishes. Dani didn’t really know the extent of this though so she loaded the dishes, ran it, and put them away. Later that day she and I got paragraph after paragraph from Jack and Amy about how we never helped around the house, how the dishes were disgusting, and that Jack would do all the dishes from then on. We said we were sorry and that it was fine if Jack wanted to do the dishes. We began to keep the rest of the house in better shape, sweeping the floors and picking up after them. We would leave the dished for Jack. And they wouldn't get done. Until one night he decided to do them, at 3:30 in the morning, as loudly as possible, slamming pots and pans into the sink, waking Dani and I up so that we knew he was doing them, but that he wasn’t happy about it. When we tried to talk to him about it, he would give us the cold shoulder. This sort of behavior would continue.

At one point Jack demanded that Dani and I take better care of the house and that by the end of every night he wanted the dishes done, trash taken out, garbage picked up around the house, bathrooms cleaned, and floors swept. But he didn’t tell us this as though he and Amy would be helping, just that Dani and I had to do it. So back to dishes it was for us. At another point they asked us to use the other bathroom rather than the one we shared between our rooms because their room was small and they could hear us every time we used it and it would wake Amy up cause she was sensitive being at this point 9 months pregnant. She was about to pop any day. So we agreed and moved our things into the other bathroom. We continued to have these communication problems, but my phone had broken so anytime there was a problem, Jack and Amy felt it was appropriate to berate Dani with texts while she was in class. She would come to me sobbing as these texts were unreasonably rude, saying things about how we don’t understand what it’s like to be having a kid (as if that had anything to do with how we kept the house), that we aren’t home enough, how we are ungrateful for the things they do for the house. I remind you the reader that these dicks still didn’t have jobs. Another note I believe is important to add. The month before, Jack and Amy didn’t have their rent money because it had basically all been stolen, and Dani out of the kindness of her heart, lent them 500 dollars to pay their rent and utilities. I now know that she didn’t do this for them, but so that I wouldn’t be out of a home again. Finally one day Dani had enough of Jack’s shit and told him, if he has a problem to wait till we got home, or to message me. Jack didn’t take this well and began to ignore Dani at every change. Amy would defend Jack’s actions saying that “oh he’s just a virgo, and he’s just like that” but those were shitty excuses. She would apologize for him, but that never satisfied me, because he didn’t take responsibility for his own actions. 

Finally the day came where Amy had her kid. We drove them to the hospital and made sure they were all good. After the entire adoption process, they were given 4,000 dollars for giving their child away. Money that should have gone to a car, rent, and utilities. its mid October or so by this point. It continues to get worse. By this point, Dani is nervous to ever come over, or spend the night at my place. Jack and Amy, after their return home have began to do nothing productive. They would sit on the couch, play video games, smoke weed all day, and clean nothing. The dishes piled up out of the sink and onto the counters. At this point we had already done that amount of dishes 3 times a week if not more. When we asked Jack about when they would help we were told “We just had a kid, you don’t understand” as if that got them off of chore duty. 

In the background of all this Dani had been getting her paperwork done to spend a semester in Paris. As a going away gift she wanted to get me a comfort animal as my anxiety began to skyrocket because of the living situation. My grades were suffering, and i even had to drop a class because of the lack of sleep i would get from their passive aggressive midnight cleaning sessions. Eventually, Dani and i began spending our weekends at the animal shelter looking to adopt this beautiful calico, Lovey. After weeks of visiting, we decided it was time to take her home. We talked to Jack and Amy about the cat, and how it would not only be good for me but also for Amy’s post-partum depression. They thought it would be a good idea too and agreed. Then one day they told us to “stop talking about the cat until we know when it’s coming home” so we did, and when we knew we told them. I brought the cat home on a friday. She was a nervous cat, and hid the entire time i had her. That tuesday while i was at class, i received a wave of texts on FB about “how [we] don’t understand what its like to give up a child and that the cat only reminds us of our kid. How could you bring this animal home when you're never home (i was always home after class and work mind you) and it just makes Amy sad and suicidal.” and while he was right that we’d never know the pain of giving a child away, their mental health was not mine or Dani’s responsibility. But they went on berating me about the cat, until they told me that “we just can’t deal with the cat around. We just cant”. They were telling me to take her back, without saying the words “take the cat back”. I arrived home, and pulled the cat out from its hiding place, sobbing the whole time as she meowed at me. All i could say was “i know lovey, i know, i know, i know. I love you, i know”. i couldn't stop crying as i put the cat in her carriage, and drove her to the shelter. My heart wouldn't stop hurting for days. 

When I got back to the house, jack was (finally) doing the dishes. I got in and told him “i’m moving out soon.” i had had enough. But they’re master manipulators and got me to stay after we had a shouting match about how I was going to put them out on the street again. I wasn’t. I was going to make sure they had someone who would make sure they could keep the house, but all they could scream was “fuck you you're making us homeless again, how could you do this. You made a commitment and you're just scared to see it through” I made a commitment to not be homeless and be happy. Not to be psychologically abused with cold shoulders, passive aggression, and guilt trips. When they said “well what about the cat you just got (with a fucking rude tone)” I told them i had already brought her back that day and that was why i had had enough. They began to swear up and down that that’s not what they wanted me to do, but they were liars and i knew it because when i was on the ground sobbing about it amy told me “well, maybe now you sort of know the pain we feel about giving our kid away”. Fuck that. What a fucking shitty thing to say. It makes me furious just to write about it. But still i told them i wouldn't leave them stranded. I continued to stay at the house until i got our utility bill for 350 dollars in electricity alone. The house was no longer affordable with just us 3 in there now and them having no jobs. On top of the fact that going there would send me into panic attacks. When rent came that month, they barely had it, even though they told me they had 2000 saved just for rent and utilities. But they didn’t. They spent it all on video games and weed. All of it. And I know they actually got 4k for the adoption because i held the check in my hands. 

These bastards became emotional and financial parasites on me and Dani. We would have to pay for food for the house while being miserable in what was supposed to be where we get away from the daily stress of school. I had already begun looking for a place at this point, and Dani would stay in her dorm. We tried one last time to attempt to make things better for us. It was a wednesday in october, maybe a week before Halloween. We walked in after class to find Jack and Amy tripping on LSD. We thought to ourselves “ok fine we’ll just let them be” and we went in our room to discuss dinner. Amy came to our room to say hi, and let us know that we were welcome there, and that they were okay. Jack from across the house then called us into the game rooms they had made while we weren't there (they moved all the furniture including the couch into the office room right next to theirs just to spite us a few days before), saying “hey come smoke this weed, y’all need it more than we do”. it was funny and sounded inviting. When we entered the room however, it was anything but. Jack was shaking on the step up to his room, holding his hand in a gun shape to his head (think Kim Pine in Scott Pilgrim) saying “you need to get out Leo, you need to just get the fuck out of my face”. he then got up to charge me, and i threw my hands up and back out of the room. Dani was behind me and we ran to my room. We could hear Jack screaming “GET OUT, GET THE FUCK OUT, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO GIVE UP YOUR KID GET OUT!” Amy tried to reassure us that it was okay and that he was just tripping really hard, but it wasn't okay. Their weed dealer passed through, and then Dani’s friend (who was our neighbor who tipped me about the place) came by to drop something off to her. While he was talking to us Jack kept screaming through the wall at us saying “YOU WOULD RATHER BE ANYWHERE BUT HERE. FUCK YOU”. He was right, i did want to be anywhere but there. I was barely standing my knees were shaking so much from fear. I honestly believed Jack wanted to hurt me and Dani. So we gathered our clothes, and left for Dani’s dorm. The second i was in the car i told her “that’s it, the next time we come here its to move out” 

I waited a few days till Jack and Amy wanted to talk to me about what happened. They said they didn’t remember anything of that night so i told them what happened and that because of their actions i cannot stay there. They understood at first, but as it sat with them after our conversation, their understanding turned to anger. They tried to tell me that the District Attorney said that i wouldn't be able to break the lease. They were dead wrong as there was an entire section of the lease dedicated to how to break the lease, and it said that I would either have to pay the rest of the year’s rent, OR find someone to take my spot. When i literally copy and pasted this part and sent it to them, they told me i couldn't just make them live with someone i chose. I told them tough shit i actually can. I then e-mailed the landlord about what had been happening and that i was giving my 30 days move out notice. He told me to find someone to take my place and i agreed. 10 minutes later he emails me saying “i just spoke to the other residents, you can just consider yourself off the lease.” 

I felt free.

I forgot to discuss how through all of this Dani was severely sick. She came down with a cough that turned into viral bronchitis in September, and her tonsils became so swollen they had to be removed. Her surgery was just after the child was born, and she was out of commission for 2 whole week. I was essentially her caregiver as her parents didn't want to do it. This put a decent level of strain on our relationship as it was all happening at the same time. 

i felt the weight lift off my shoulders finally. I moved my clothes into Dani’s room and a few days later, my friends helped me move my things into a storage unit. I would spend the rest of October (like 5 days) and all of November in Dani’s dorm while i house hunted. 

But then Dani and I began fighting. Alot. She began to act manic, and would freak out every time something didn't go to plan. Her calendar is her life, and that fine, but it got to a point where she would essentially have to write me into her schedule. Everyday we would fight about small things, until i asked her “have you stopped taking your anxiety meds?” She looked so disappointed in herself because i was right. She had stopped, and it was apparent. She got back on her meds and things got better, but with the end of the semester approaching we had to start having another heartbreaking conversation. We were breaking up when she left for Paris. We decided that this was what was best for us in coming months, as i need to be present where i am and getting back on my feet as an adult, with no help. I had become dependent on Dani for emotional and financial support over these months and i felt like a bad boyfriend. On top of that, she would be across the world, and i don't want her to miss out on any part of her experience while she’s there, because she's thinking and worrying about me stateside. We both agreed that this is what’s best and that we will look at our future together or apart when she return. We are both taking these next 6 or so months to self explore. I love her very much and I want her happiness. I will miss her so much as I do already, while i visit my family in NM for the holidays. 

It should also be said that Dani and my mom helped my find the coolest 1 bedroom 1 bath studio right next to my campus, and I have already signed on and started moving in. I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me, and how i grow when i have my own space where i can follow my passion of music, without the fear of judgement of my roommates.

Here’s to 2018. Truly a new year new me scenario!