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lefinohohohohon · 3 years

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DCKZ (Diluc, Childe, Kaeya, Zhongli) Idol!AU Genshin Impact

DCKZ HOW THE GROUP WAS FORMED:

DCKZ is a fanmade k-pop group based on Genshin Impacts's character " Diluc, Childe. Kaeya, and Zhongli as an idol group in an Idol AU.

Character design belongs to @veechu (please check it out and give them love)

Some of the headcanons I used for references came from Erica's comment on "ventiffin"'s youtube video:

Link: (195) Pov: 4NEMO & DCKZ are having a rap battle | a playlist - YouTube

and Yajle Gaite on riko's youtube playlist: (196) attending a dckz concert – a genshin playlist - YouTube

P.S Diluc & Kaeya's part is longer since their together.

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Childe:

Ajax or as he was known currently with his fans because of his various song covers "Tartaglia" had just finished tidying up his recording room to attend his practice session at the gym for MMA, as he was placing his spare clothes on his duffle bag, he took a quick swipe at his phone buzzing with notification at his latest cover.

A sweet genuine smile carved at Childe's face as he reads a thousand messages on his post as he was savoring the joyful and thirsty comments as well as memes about him a message from an unknown sender appeared on his screen curious, Childe tap on the email sent to him when he reads who was the sender he was both thrilled at the same time skeptical.

'This couldn't possibly be true, can't it? No way?'

he thought to himself, eyes wide open, body shaking of nervousness and excitement. He took the hand that had covered his mouth in a shock away and took a deep breath gulping down a breath he had not noticed he was holding

"Okay, Ajax just chill. . . just chill man, you still don't know what the message is about don't get ahead, Oh Tsaritsa what should I do?" he told himself and slowly exhaled before continuing to read the rest of the content

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"Greetings, Tartaglia!

On behalf of Geo Ent. we would like to express our desire to have you as one of our new talents. Currently, Geo Ent. has been looking for new trainees for a new idol group, your recent crack cover had made the Geo ent. scout you, the company believes that with your talents and charisma you will be a great asset to Geo ent as one of its rising stars.

If you have any clarifications regarding our offer, you may call us at XXXX- XXX-XXXX or email us with this email address at any given time and if you prefer to personally talk you may visit us at "Golden Pavilion, Liyue" we will cover your travel expense and accommodation for the duration of your stay regarding our offer.

Thank you and we hope your decision will be in our favor. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Katherine

Geo Ent.

Talent Scout Manager

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A scream from his room interrupted Ajax's family, everyone looked atop the stairs as heavy footsteps hastily descend upon the living room where everyone was eating snacks, Ajax who was still ecstatic at the email he had received hugged his siblings tightly and kissed his mother on the cheek before taking Teucer his younger brother and tossing him gleefully in the air the younger boy happily cried "higher brother, higher!" Teucer said

"Hahaha, of course, anything for my little brother" he laughed while catching Teucer.

"Hahaha, You're beaming, there must be something good, да?" Ajax's father commented as he chuckled at his son's antics when he gets excited

"My, my you seemed to be happy Ajax, did something happen?" Ajax's mother commented as she continued to watch the brothers lovingly, upon hearing his mother he threw Teucer one more time in the air before catching him and placing him down safely on the floor with their other siblings, Ajax smiled toothly at his mother before nestling down between his mother and father who sat on the sofa clasping each of their hands on his as he breathed steadying his excited heart.

"I received an email from a company" he started trying to assess his parents

"Oh? From who? Is it a sponsorship from that brand you want?" His mother inquired knowing too well that his son was already famous to have some sponsorship from different companies.

Ajax chuckled, he knew his family will be shocked at the news he was about to tell them "Hmm, better" he teased eyeing his father this time to see his reaction

"Better, huh?" His dad started then a twinkle of surprise resurfaced on his father's eyes as he made a deduction "Don't tell me? Are you serious Ajax?" His father continued as he assumed what could be better than having sponsorship from a company

"They're hiring you? What company? No! wait! don't tell me it wouldn't be any regular company who will message you especially with what you often do. . . so it has to be-"

Before his father could even continue Ajax, answered for him "Geo Ent. invited me to be one of their new talents for an idol g-"

Before he could even say everything else, Ajax was clamored down by his siblings who were listening and his father on the sofa congratulating him.

"Congratulations son! I know you had it in you, especially since you have my face, hahaha!"

"Congratulations! Big brother!"

"Big brother will be famous soon! Will you be cosplaying as Mr. Cyclops too?"

"Big brother is talented so of course they want you to be their talent!"

"Now, now I haven't given them their answer which reminds me I have to call them now to- uh, mom?" Ajax called after noticing that his mother standing on the other side of their house pulling what seemed to be a bunch of large travel luggage.

"Ajax, dear, do you think these pieces of luggage will be enough for your things while you stay in Liyue, or do we need to buy more?" Her mother probed and all he could Ajax do was laughed at his excited family.

"Let me call them first"

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Diluc & Kaeya:

A selca here, a selca there, and of course a selca of his favorite brother should also be included in his latest insta, though Kaeya wished that Diluc would smile more at his pictures of him, he always looked aloof

"Can you please try to smile at least once, when I take your picture?" Kaeya whined mumbling that his brother's good looks are wasted with his unchanging face

"I would if you stopped placing unnecessary caption on my pictures and for the last time Kaeya, stop drinking! It's the middle of the day" Diluc retorted eyeing his brother's various drinks placed neatly all at once on the VIP lounge they are currently staying at in "Cat's tail".

'He's not going to drink all of this, is he?'

Diluc thought to himself innocently before his brows started scrunching a moment later at the possibility of it happening, after all this is Kaeya he was talking about, his self-proclaimed wine/alcohol-connoisseur brother Kaeya.

He sighed exasperatedly plopping his head on the velvet backrest of the chair he is currently sitting on his back facing his brother

"Why am I with you again?" He asked out loud asking himself more than his brother who he accompanied, he often wonders to himself what made him go along with Kaeya's wine tasting adventure despite disliking alcohol himself.

"Because you're my big brother and you love me and despite your nagging, you wanted to make sure I enjoy what I'm doing safely- does that answer your question"

"Yeah, that's right because I care too much about you that's what big brothers do" Diluc mumbled back while patting a cat on his lap that has somehow managed to make it thru their private lounge. Kaeya grinned all too knowingly at his brother recording their conversation live secretly to his followers on insta with the camera facing his brother's back, he's sure Diluc will kill him if he saw what he was doing but for now, while he's still alive, he'll savor his brother's words. He might be too mischievous but he sincerely appreciates Diluc's love for him despite their constant petty fights.

"Kaeya, just promise me you won't- huh?" Just as Diluc was turning to face Kaeya he noticed his brother's phone and his shit-eating grin plastered on his tanned brother leaning one arm on the velvety lounge chair suddenly he felt the want to strangle someone to death.

"Aww~ <3, mind repeating that? My followers are crying over your message"

The cat who was sitting on Diluc's lap leaped out of the other male sensing the impending danger that is about to happen in the lounge.

"KAEYA. . . . .. . !"

"Well, that's it for now my followers! Pray that'll be alive after this! Bye!-"

"KAEYA!"

was the last word Kaeya's followers heard before the live ended.

"Please come again!" The hostess Margaret said as the two good-looking brothers left the establishment with one looking aloof once again arms crossed over his chest while the other looked scruffy following behind the older red-head male sighing

"Must you waste good alcohol? I was looking forward to tasting those!" Kaeya felt dejected after not having even a sip of any of the cocktails he ordered, he glared dagger at Diluc

"It's for your own good, I told you, too much alcohol isn't good for you" Diluc sighed not even looking at his brother as they walked to the street, he was specifically trying to find Good Hunters to order chicken skewers for Kaeya since he knew his brother is upset.

"I haven't even got a single sip! And I paid for those"

"Of course you should, you ordered them after all," Diluc said eyeing the shop across from them, he waited for Kaeya to be on his side before patting his brother's back to led him to cross the street, Kaeya huffed while walking and looking at his brother dead in the eye he can't believe he paid for nothing

"But I didn't break the glasses why did you use my card to pay for those as well?"

"To maximize your card limit so you can't pay for anymore cocktail"

"What. . .?!" Kaeya couldn't believe what he was hearing, he won't be able to drink any at all, tears started forming on his visible eye quickly and sniffing could also be heard a second later, Diluc turned to look at this brother with crocodile tears he sighed again for the nth time today

He can be so melodramatic sometimes and I'm an idiot for always indulging him

He thought brows knotted together as he waits for Kaeya to deliver his 'guilt-ridden' lines he often uses at him to get his way, his brother is too good at mind games

"H-how could you. . . I thought you love me as your younger brother maybe you really-"

"-STOP"

". . ."

"sighs* first let's get you some chicken skewers, I know you're really upset even if you don't really show it and when we get home I'll make you some death afternoon"

"Really? Aww! Thanks Luc! You're really are the best big bro! hehehe" And as quickly as Kaeya summoned his tears as quickly as it also disappeared across his face replaced with his infamous shit-eating grin knowing he got his way again, he patted Diluc's back as he quickly makes his way towards Good Hunter to order chicken skewers, he'll order a few to eat at Good hunters and order some more to bring back at the mansion he'll have to convince Diluc as well to give him sparkling wine to make his fruity chicken skewers he's sure his brother wouldn't mind.

Just as Kaeya was placing his order, Diluc sat at one of the open tables on the veranda and waited for his brother when he noticed a bobbed-cut black-haired woman staring in their direction, Diluc paid her no mind thinking that the woman was probably one of Kaeya's follower on insta waiting for Kaeya to return to have a photo ops with his brother

"Hey, Luc! You don't mind if I ordered some chicken skewer to go, right?"

speak of the devil, Kaeya nonchalantly walked back to him all smiles this time as he took his seat parallel to his brother "Sure, whatever makes you happy. . . by the way" Diluc leaned forward arms still crossed as he placed them atop the table "Kaeya I think that woman is one of your-"

"-She isn't" Kaeya responded strongly as he places one of his arms above the table cradling his chin on his palm looking at the counter to see if his chicken skewers are ready

"Oh, and how do you know? You haven't even looked at her?" he rose one incredulous brow at his younger brother. It always amazes Diluc how Kaeya can be quite perceptive of things when it's convenient for him.

"Because that woman has been following us since we left the Dad's office this morning"

What?!

A look of disbelief flashed on Diluc's handsome face at the realization and knotted his brows later at his brother's words

"If she's been following us since the beginning" Diluc emphasized, "why did you tell me only now?" He sighed closing his eyes trying to alleviate the incoming migraine he's about to have, he tapped the table with his finger waiting for Kaeya's explanation, his brother is preceptive he wouldn't be so careless especially since the two of them are well-known sons of the world-famous wine-tycoon Crepus Ragnvindr it is bond that there will be people who are after them either to do them harm or to gain something from their family.

"Relax, she doesn't look dangerous or to be more precise she isn't with someone dangerous though we'll have to verify that once she talks to us"

And just as Kaeya spoke, the woman who had been tailing them stood from her seat and politely approached them

"Good day gentlemen, may I take some of your time?" she stated with a polite smile looking at the two brothers

Diluc only nodded in acknowledgment while Kaeya gave her his fan-service smile

"Of course, please have a seat you must have been tired waiting for the right time to approach and talk to us, aren't you? You should have just come forward instead of stalking us, you do know that's a crime right? I can report you easily to the police but of course, that'll depend on your reasons" With a friendly facade, Kaeya warned the young woman openly of what he can do if he finds anything about her intention dangerous, the young woman was surprised and at the same time embarrassed for looking like a suspicious person, well she could understand their apprehensive behavior towards her, she was after all following them since the beginning.

She cleared her throat and offered her hand to formally introduce herself "I apologize if my action seemed suspicious to you Mr. Diluc and Mr. Kaeya it's only for my line of work. I'm Katherine by the way"

The brother's looked at Katherine's extended hand before looking at one another assessing Katherine's words, Kaeya took her hand first smiling while Diluc just watched, his brother is better than him when it comes to conversation especially to strangers

"Yes, it's indeed suspicious for an unknown young woman to follow and even know something about us, so tell me what kind of job stalks people? I haven't read anything of that sort from the classified ads or is it that the government legalized stalking, hmm?"

Okay, Diluc takes it back, his brother is definitely not good at normal conversation Kaeya's better at interrogating he has forgotten his brother used to be in the military. He should take over before Kaeya makes the young woman even flustered as she was already.

"What my brother is trying to say is to please explain to us why were you following us, I apologize if we're a bit apprehensive with you but I guess you already know why we're like that so if you wouldn't mind, we'd like to hear your reason"

Seeing the window of opportunity to be heard, Katherine immediately blubbered the purpose of her stalking the handsome brothers forgetting the tell them about the company and whatnot.

"IwasscoutingyoutobepartofournewIdolgroup!"

". . . " ". . .huh?"

was the only response of the brothers

"I-I mean, the two of you are already well-known and has a great number of fanbase on insta, the company was looking for new talents such as you two when we saw your insta stories of Mr. Diluc performing a jazz song on a piano and Mr. Kaeya's guitar cover the higher-ups decided to make an offer to the both of you that's why I was following you"

". . . I . . . see"

". . hmm"

Again, the brothers only looked at her with doubt, Katherine could already see on their heads she was being labeled as a 'scammer'

Embarrassed and unable to bear the brothers piercing doubtful gazes, Katherine hastily stood from her seat

"A-anyway, now that I have said what I needed to say, please excuse me and thank you for sparing me your time, i-if you have any doubts about my offer you can visit us at "Golden Pavillion, Liyue" though she was embarrassed, Katherine made an effort to politely offer her business card before fleeing the scene leaving the brothers confused and curious at the same time, the brothers looked at the business card left to them and looked at one another

"It's a scam," the two of them said in unison they deduced, however, the two of them were still curious, Kaeya was about to reach out to take the business card when his name was called up from the counter of Good Hunters for his chicken skewers, Diluc still looking at the business card left by Katherine gave Kaeya his card to pay for his order and take-away when Diluc was left on the table alone, he took the unique looking card and swiped his thumb on the high-quality bronze gold-like colored business card written on its front was Katherine's name and her position as a Talent Scout Manager and other contact details but nothing about the company.

"an Idol, huh" he breathed still eyeing the card, a longing gaze swept across his handsome face as recalls a childhood dream he once had to be a musical performer just like his deceased mother, he recalls his earliest memories of his mother playing the piano while he sang, his father Crepus listening to the mother-son duet with the proudest and happiest look a father could ever have and even when his mother died, Diluc continued to play for his grieving father, music made it less painful for the both of them and made it easier for them to remember the happiest time with his mother.

The first time Diluc thought of being a musician was when he met Kaeya, compared before his brother was frail and timid not like the confident flirt and perceptive- bastard he is now. When Kaeya was first brought to their mansion at the winery his brother had trouble sleeping, being plagued with nightmares night after night, worried, and unable to bear Kaeya's suffering he took his younger brother to the music room one night and sat him comfortably with one of the chairs as he plays one of his mother's pieces hoping it will help his little brother when he finally finished playing he was surprised to find his brother sleeping soundly on the chair and since then, every night Diluc would take Kaeya to the music room and make a pillow fort together so they could sleep comfortably after Diluc finishes playing the piano and just like every night Kaeya would be asleep on his part of the bed Diluc would tuck his brother up, however, that night was different someone else has already tucked Kaeya on their self-made pillow fort

"Dad, you're home," Diluc said as he stood up from the chair and made a beeline towards his father, hugging the older male as Crepus knelt to received his son's affection.

"I wanted to come home early since I heard Kaeya was having trouble sleeping but I guess you already took care of it, huh?" Crepus chuckled as he ruffled his son's fluffy red hair"

"Of course! I'm his big brother, I need to protect him, heheh" Diluc beamed at his dad proudly with a toothy smile "Dad, I want to be a musician just like mom so I can play the pieces she composed and also help Kaeya sleep better! Kaeya needs to sleep a lot if he wants to be big as me so I'll play the piano for him every time he has a hard time sleeping"

Crepus chuckled at his son's determination and admired his reason, Diluc was always warm-hearted just like his deceased wife "Thank you Diluc, you're really a great big brother to Kaeya"

For years Crepus and Kaeya had been supportive of his dream of becoming a musician until that one fateful day of his 18th birthday, His father, Kaeya, and their acquaintances prepared a birthday party for him at one of their many branches worldwide in Angels Share located in Mondstadt he was excited not only because he's at a legal age now but because he also received a letter of acceptance to one of the prestigious music school, he knew Kaeya and his Dad will be thrilled at the news, however, everything from that day had been a nightmare for him It was the day he learned the truth about his father's health condition and Kaeya's reason why he was adamant about going to Khaenri'ah.

That day on his 18th birthday everything changed, the father he once thought was healthy was sick and the brother he thought who wouldn't hide anything from him was keeping a secret.

"Kaeya, why didn't you tell me dad was sick! I thought there was no secret between us?! And why am I only hearing about your trip to Khaenri'ah now? What are you planning on doing in that place?! You're barely legal!"

"sigh* Just focus on becoming a musician Luc, you don't need to concern yourself with me going to Khaenri'ah as for dad's health he made me promise not to tell you because he knew you will act like this"

"To hell with how I act! I deserve to know what's happening to my family. Tell me the truth Kaeya!"

In that instant, on his 18th birthday, Diluc's dream of becoming a musician was left focusing solely on the family business, he also made sure that Kaeya will finish his military training and become an accomplished Brigadier General at such a young age just like his brother's dream. Kaeya's dream shouldn't be compromised because of his family's business, Diluc always thought Kaeya should deserve better but after 4 yrs of only serving his bastard of a brother retired from his position the moment he was back from establishing a branch in Khaenri'ah stating he missed him and the taste of wine and prefers to work as a wine-connoisseur instead. With years apart he didn't even know Kaeya started playing the guitar to fill the silent hollow covering their mansion when he stopped playing any instrument, though they weren't as close as they used to 4 yrs ago, they're trying their best to live as brothers.

He was still reminiscing about the past when he heard Kaeya's voice near him

"Want to check it out?" his brother probed as he took his seat a platter of chicken skewers placed in front of him and another bag to take home, Diluc didn't answer and simply placed the unique looking card back at the table saying nothing

"I'm curious as well Luc, let's go" Kaeya insisted after taking a graceful bite of his skewer

"You already said it yourself, it's a scam why bother?"

"Yeah, but I mean there is nothing we could lose by checking it out and if it's really a scam then I could just report it to the guys back at the military, I'm still a military officer you know"

"A retired military officer" Diluc corrected, Kaeya paid his comment no mind and insisted "Come on Luc, let's try it out, you've put a hold of your dream as a musician for a long time now, I've become a military officer just like my dream, Dad's health is alright and you already succeeded in opening a branch in Khaenri'ah so, what's holding you up?"

Diluc sighed, Kaeya is right everything's fine now, except for him, he guessed it's about time for him to fulfill his dream, Diluc sighed once again but this time it wasn't due to annoyance from his brother but rather he sighed of relief of finally letting himself accomplished his dream

"Fine, let's check it out" he finally answered

"Great!" Kaeya cheered "You heard him loud and clear right, dad? We'll visit Liyue soon"

What? Dad?! Since when did Kaeya had been talking to dad?

"you snake. . . " Diluc mumbled under his breath looking at his giggling brother who managed to manipulate him again, he heard their father's hearty laugh from the other end "Thank you Kaeya, make sure Diluc's wish comes true, alright?"

"Of course, dad, anything for my big bro that's a promise" Kaeya looked at his brother adoringly as he told their father however before Kaeya could end the call, Diluc took his phone and left a clear declaration of his new dream and goal.

"Don't worry Dad, I'll make sure to fulfill my dream- becoming a musician along with my little brother"

"what. . . ? Why am I involve in this?" Kaeya whispered over the phone

"Because I've had a different dream this time, performing with you, didn't you say you'd do anything for your big bro?" Diluc stated as a matter of factly "Or are you just saying that, maybe you never meant it and hated your big bro-"

"-Alright! Fine I'll audition with you" Kaeya couldn't believe Diluc copied his guilt-ridden strategy, he should be more careful now around his brother until now he only thought it would only work on Diluc and not back-fired at him

Over the phone, Crepus was laughing loudly at his sons' exchanged, he was happy, joyous even knowing that his two pride and joy are still getting along despite the rift that had happened between them.

"Alright, do your best boys but just in case bring someone else with you, it'll put my heart at ease knowing you two are safe, will that be alright?"

"of course dad," the brothers said in unison, laughing at one another.

The following day at the Golden Pavillion, Katherine who was busy checking any response from the talent she had scouted was abruptly called by the receptionist because of a commotion at their company's lobby. Upon reaching the said lobby Katherine was surprised to see a lot of black-suited men guarding every corner of their building looking for anything suspicious when one of the black-suited men noticed her, the man straightforwardly asked her without reserved "Excuse me ma'am are you, Katherine?"

"uhh. . . y-yes! Why did I do something?" Katherine asked nervously racking her brain for any memory that would warrant her for an arrest of some sort but as soon as she saw a pair of good-looking men walking her way, she recalled one of the brother's threat

"- You should have just come forward instead of stalking us, you do know that's a crime right? I can report you easily to the police but of course, that'll depend on your reasons"

No way! Is she going to be arrested for stalking Crepus Ragnvindr's sons?!

Oh, God, I was only scouting them, I didn't mean to do anything illegal!

Katherine silently prayed as the group of men parted to make way for the two young men, contrary to what Katherine imagined of disdain from the brothers because of her scouting, The two looked friendlier than before, the younger brother Kaeya if she remembers even smiled and waved at her calling her but she shouldn't let her guard down, compared to the older brother Diluc who looks intimidating is less of a threat compared to Kaeya.

"Oh, Ms. Katherine we were looking for you!"

"y-yes? H-how can I help you" she answered in surprise, readying herself for any possible threat the younger male may speak

"We're here to discuss your offer from last time, does it still stands?" Diluc the older brother inquired and for a moment, Katherine felt she was dreaming or is this another ploy to threaten her because they misunderstood her scouting them, she was silent for a minute or two before Kaeya probed her

"Hmm, Ms. Katherine?"

"Ah! Y-yes? I'm sorry I was spacing out" she started still frightened at her surroundings "I'm just overwhelmed with. . ." she looked around her and to the black-suited clad men in the lobby ". . . with this. I was expecting it'll only be you two to visit our building" she explained while the brothers only looked at her understanding what the young woman meant, it could really be intimidating to be surrounded by a lot of bodyguards, however, Kaeya snickered despite trying to apologize profusely at the scene they made

"pfft. . hehehe I-I . . . hehehe . . .we're so sorry if that's what you felt Ms.Katherine but you also have to understand our side, you left immediately after saying your piece without any explanation and your business card doesn't even give any hint about your company" Kaeya explained

"WHAT?!" Katherine spoke, now that she recalls she indeed forgot to tell them because of Kaeya's threat

"We sincerely thought it was a scam and just decided to check the place you mentioned, we just took some extra precautions just in case, I hope you understand, hehehe"

"I-I. . . yes alright, I understand, t-then are the both of you auditioning or just one of you?"

The brothers looked at one another, a knowing smile grazing their handsome faces as they answer Katherine in unison.

"Both of us, if you don't mind"

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Zhongli:

He was taking his usual stroll in the city trying to relieve another stressful day at work, he had no destination on mind letting his feet take him when he noticed a bunch of freshly picked Qingxin flowers being displayed in the flower shop, Zhongli seeing the flower made him stood in place, a look of longing for someone was reflected on his amber-golden eyes and for a moment he felt the wind blew gently at him swaying his long tied hair

'Oh yeah? Let's see who sings better? You may have that deep alluring voice but I can sing better than you! heh"

'I hope I can see the two of you perform soon! I wouldn't miss it for the world'

"Is it that time already?" he asked himself looking at the clear blue sky above him smiling although with a hint of melancholy, without another word Zhongli purchased a bunch of Qingxin flowers thanking Hu Tao for reminding him of his wallet and as if the wind were guiding him, Zhongli walked where ever the wind blew and before he knew where he was heading he found himself listening to a sound of a harp playing in the distant the soft melodies flowing in the air made him stop on his tracks and a vision of young woman sat with the harp playing covered his eyes

". . . Guizhong?" he mumbled one hand reaching out to the phantom image of his long-gone lover and a second later he felt himself walking towards her mirage only for him to realize his mind was playing tricks at him again. He stood in silence a prick of pain throb his chest slowly growing to his whole body, he covered his handsome stern face with his free hand and heaved a deep sigh not to recollect himself but rather to shake off the incoming tears in his eyes.

'I really love listening to your voice Zhongli, when you become famous don't forget to sing for me, okay?'

'I'll always be by your side to support you so don't worry about me '

'you worry too much Zhongli, hehehe I may be small compared to you but I can take care of myself, just focus on your dream you made a bet with Barbatos after all'

Try as hard as he can, the emotions insides him betrayed him and a tear slowly cascaded his face at the memory of Guizhong and his time with her, he felt bittersweet at the memory. He was able to achieve what he wants but the person he wants to show his achievement was no longer with him.

How ironic but we can't all have the good things in life can't we?

He thought as he carefully wiped the remnants of his tears across his face and composed himself again before walking once again to give the flowers to its owner.

As Zhongli walked the pavement towards the cemetery where Guizhong's tombstone lies he noticed a smaller male sitting in front of her laughing to himself as he lifts a goblet of what seems to be a wine to the air

"I hope you're happy there dear, our beloved stern-face brutish blundering buffoon finally decided to uphold our bet, heh - though I might say it took longer but don't worry the wait is worth it so please keep watching over him, alright? He's. . . . well, busied himself with others after you were gone can't blame him, you were precious to him" the smaller male said as if he was talking to a person, he leaned back admiring the clear blue sky a soft breeze of the wind passed as if it was agreeing to what he had said earlier about Zhongli not realizing that the male in question was just standing a couple of feet away from them his looming shadow cast over the shorter male as he approaches and a look of disdain clearly pasted on his face.

"Oh, so I'm stern-face blundering baffoon, huh? Oh, how convenient that there's stone here, you wouldn't mind me hitting you with it won't you Barbatos?" Zhongli sarcastically said tossing the pebble in his hand in the air up-down, up-down like a warning as he eyed the man

"hahaha, did I say that? I wasn't actually talking about you rather -"

"huh, save it, Barbatos" The taller man sighed "though I'm surprised to find you here I heard you are busy with your pre-debut" Zhongli threw the pebble to the ground to the relief of Barbatos and sat next to the smaller male offering the Qingxin flower and a short prayer wiping away the dust and dirt that littered her tomb

Hello, love it's been a while since I lost visit, I hope Barbatos, Xiao, and Ganyu has been keeping you company for me

He told her silently before he looked back at the shorter male eyeing the wine on his goblet

"Osmanthus?" Zhongli probed

"The one and only I know you like this stuff and what better way to taste it on the day you finally accepted Geo ent.'s offer, heheh" Barbatos chuckled as he poured another goblet to Zhongli and another in a smaller cup to Guizhong's tomb.

The two men sat in silence neither tasting the wine and just relishing the peace between them before Barbatos cut the silence

"Guizhong's case. . . it's finally closed, right?" he asked carefully, knowing it's a sensitive topic to his friend

Zhongli only nodded as he gracefully took a sip of the precious wine in his goblet

"I'm glad Guizhong finally had justice . . . she wouldn't have it if it weren't for you I'm sure she's thankful for you up there"

"I need to see to it that I closed her case, I wouldn't have peace if I allowed the criminal who wronged her not be punished" as Zhongli said that Barbatos noticed that somehow Zhongli was able to find peace- though a bit of longing hangs from his face from to time it's better than seeing his old friend looking desperate and empty

Barbatos sighed, "yeah, you've been busy. . . even becoming a lawyer heheh~ so, I guess I have to be careful with my words now, huh? or I might have a court order" he jested knowing all his friend's activities in the past couple of years and why Zhongli only accepted the Geo ent.'s offer despite being scouted for several years

Zhongli was busy chasing and fighting the court for Guizhong's murder busy enough that his friend grew a bit distant from his relatives Xiao and Ganyu, that was the only reason why his friend became a lawyer and Barbatos doubts his friend will seriously take any more clients after this case was closed, after all, he wouldn't have accepted Geo ent.'s offer if he's serious about his law career, right?

"Don't worry yourself, this will be the first and last case I'll handle" as if reading his mind, Zhongli responded clearing any doubt from his friend "though, if you break any contracts, I wouldn't mind suing you. .. . you still recall our bet right? A rematch who's a better singer? I'll be upholding that against you, Barbatos" Zhongli chuckled after taking another sip of the wine

"Of course I remember, heh! And it's not Barbatos call me 'Venti' now that's my screen name"

"I see. . . that's better compared to being called 'Barb' or 'atos', Xiao's also debuting with you. . . correct?" Zhongli asked remembering that his younger relative becoming close to his friend while he was busy with his law career.

"Yeah, we have 2 other members joining, you know Aether from ABYSS right? and then there's Kazuha Beidou's protege from Inazuma, You better prepare yourself Zhongli with my group we'll definitely crush you on our rematch, heheh"

Barbatos or as he would like to call himself now 'Venti' jokingly threatened his old rival to which Zhongli paid no mind and just smiled at him

"I doubt that"

"Oh, aren't you confident? Lemme guess you're being grouped as well? I thought they offered you an exclusive solo contract?"

"They were, however, I asked them to change it mainly because I'm already old and youths prefer something more trendy and younger appearances and I believe we would lose to your group when it comes to charisma and looks"

Zhongli finished explaining before he felt his phone vibrated the company number of the Geo ent. flashing on his screen unexpectedly, it was too soon for them to call him regarding the other members. He stood from his seat and dusted off some of the dirt on his pants

"I'll see you around Barba- I mean 'Venti' they're calling me"

"Don't sweat it, I'll look after Guizhong for a while before I head back and the next time we see each other it should be on stage, remember that, okay?" Venti called over as Zhongli started walking away to answer his call giving him one final look.

When he was finally out of earshot, Zhongli answered the phone the familiar voice of Katherine the talent scout manager greeted him

"Hello, Mr. Zhongli, are you available today for a meeting?"

"I am, what is the meeting all about?" he asked

"It's about your other bandmates, they're here, and we would like for you to get to know one another before proceeding with the formation of your group,"

At her answer, Zhongli saw a young woman was standing beside a plum blossom tree smiling at him the words the woman mouthed made him smile before her mirage disappeared along with the breeze.

'thank you & congratulations Zhongli . . .'

"Mr. Zhongli?. . . will you be available sir?"

Katherine's voice brought him back from his trance, he took a second or two before responding a smile evident in his voice.

"yes, I would love to meet them"

#genshin impact #genshin childe #genshin zhongli #genshin kaeya #genshin diluc #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact diluc #genshin impact zhongli #genshin impact childe #genshin impact idol au #genshin impact dckz #genshin dckz

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coreastories · 4 years

Text

A Royal Exclusive: The King of Corea bares his heart in a flash interview

Their Majesties stunned us by dropping by without notice. The menacing SUVs and luxury sedan seemed to roll in out of nowhere

While we were all holding our breaths disbelieving the impossible, the king and queen themselves stepped out of the car, shook hands with us like they weren’t royalty, and announced an exclusive interview, if we’d have them

Oh wouldn’t we!

They picked the perfect day for it: our office was absolutely empty because we were moving

This author bemoans the complete lack of furniture for Their Majesties

My staff wondered if this was intentional and a part of security measures

If we had furniture, the arrival of Their Majesties would have been delayed; the Royal Guard would have done an initial sweep of every nook and cranny first

As such, in our empty office, Their Majesties were in and out in 30 minutes

It was glorious to interview the royal couple.

This author did have to scream in the powder room for a minute before composure returned

The king’s chair in the photo: We had three of these portable chairs left in the back room

Making everyone’s hearts flutter, the king took one look at the chairs and the queen was not allowed to sit in it. Too unstable

Instead, the queen’s Unbreakable Sword Jang Mi-reuk fashioned a seat for the queen in the corner of the studio

I swear the entire office shivered with glee, dear reader. The king is just breathtakingly adorable in his protectiveness of the queen.

And all that that implies!

This is an interview with the king. While the queen was also present, she didn’t participate. She only listened and sort of melted in her makeshift seat whenever the king made the sweetest, most adorable answers.

We saw her trying valiantly to stay stoic, almost looking annoyed, but at some point gave up and gave our photographer the chance to snap this sweet photo.

This author can’t blame her!

This was obviously a calculated--and very smart--move on the part of the Royal Court and Royal Public Affairs Office, to deflect the interest on the newly-revealed Lady Seo-gyeong, the queen’s identical twin sister.**

And indeed, this will be all everyone will talk about for weeks to come.

Without further ado, here’s my interview with His Majesty, the King of Corea.

Q. How did you and Her Majesty meet?

I was violating traffic laws. She handcuffed me and took me to the station.

This author is stunned again.

Q. This was in Seoul?

Yes.

I’m afraid this author decided to move onward with more delicious details in case our time was cut short, dear reader. But handcuffing in Seoul is already enough to fuel your imagination, isn’t it?

Q. Are you truly friends with the Prime Minister now?

The Prime Minister is an excellent leader, an excellent person, and I’m glad of her growing friendship with the queen.

I wanted to ask if the Prime Minister still flirts with him, but this author is not a columnist for nothing, dear reader. I’ve been trained to be observant. And my observant eyes noted Captain Jo Yeong and pretty much all the Royal Guard glaring at me. So I removed my questions about the the king’s history--or lack of-- with the PM.

I must say that I also have the highest regard for Her Excellency.

Q. How do Your Majesties start the day?

Hmm. Shower. Cooking. Breakfast.

Q. And how do Your Majesties end the evenings?

(with an amused face) Shower. Cooking. Dinner.

Q. What are Your Majesties favorite foods? Let’s narrow that to meat dishes.

I like fried chicken. Her Majesty likes a variety of dishes and is only opinionated about her drinks.

Q. Yes? What is Her Majesty’s favorite drink?

Soju and beer.

As far as this author could remember from all events and public appearances, there was no soju and beer ever seen in the queen’s hand. Then again, perhaps the queen doesn’t drink in public.

Q. Your Majesty, we do need to ask, are we expecting a royal prince or princess of Corea?

We are told not to confirm nor deny that.

Q. Oh no?

You’ll know anyway.

Indeed we would!

Q. Why doesn’t Her Majesty wear wedding and engagement rings?

She doesn’t wear them in public. It’s too ingrained in her to keep her hands clear and ready to punch someone.

The queen snorted at this. Indelicately.

Q. Are Your Majesties safe now? Are there still threats from the traitor’s followers?

Thankfully none at present and hopefully none in the future. We’ve been blessed in that regard, too.

Q. Yes? Can you elaborate on this blessing?

We were blessed by God to meet and stay together. God made sure our paths would cross and stay intertwined.

Q. That is very cryptic, Your Majesty. Can you say more?

He made her my zero. I was trapped in a square root and she helped me escape.

Well, that was just more cryptic, wasn’t it?

Q. Say the first thing that comes to mind: what do you love most about the queen?

Her smile and her spirit.

Swoon.

Q. And what does Her Majesty love about you?

Ahh. Well, you’ll have to ask her that. She has told me I know how to joke in difficult situations and that’s why everyone in the palace loves me. She reluctantly told me this, so I assume she loves that about me, too.

This author has the feeling the king diplomatically gave that answer so the queen doesn’t combust in her seat. She was very red in the face.

I sense an inside joke or reference only the king and queen would know about.

Q. What is something you adore about the queen, something we won’t see or notice at all because we don’t live with her, but something we can watch out for in her public appearances?

(The king looked at the queen and seemed to assess his answer for several moments.) She often misses her coat pockets. It takes her three to four tries to find it.***

At this point I had to fight very hard not to make any undignified noises. We all miss our pockets, but it’s adorable that the king watches his queen so closely and finds this little thing adorable.

Q. In Mr Jang’s Instagram photo of Your Majesties, he said something about you getting panicky-- this was connected to you and the queen waiting for food, I believe. Can you tell us about that?****

Not much to tell. The queen is terrifying when she’s hungry.

We very quickly offered Her Majesty refreshments, but she assured us she was fine, shooting a, well, adorable glare at the king.

How many times has this author used the word adorable in this article? I’m still out of breath. They are adorable.

We asked if the queen can also answer a few questions, but that was the end of the interview.

Apparently the king is protective of the queen to an extent that she was to be shielded from potentially wobbly chairs and questions from chroniclers like myself, even in the presence of scary, fully armed Unbreakable Swords and members of the Royal Guard with ultra-fast reflexes.

We look forward to the Queens Day when they’ve promised press meetings.

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

** See A Royal Twin: Meet the Honorable Lady Seo-gyeong

*** This is true. Someone made a hilarious video compiling all the times Jeong Tae-eul tried to find her coat pockets during scenes or filming lmao this fandom is amazeballs

I’ll edit this post with it when I find it again. Off the top of my head, she did this again in Episode 16 while she and Gon are examining the phone booth.

**** See Royals Spotted: The Unbreakable Sword Has Insta!

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction

#CoreaNews #CoreaFiction #i couldn't resist these photos #adorable #kim go eun #lee min ho #jeong tae eul #lee gon #the king: eternal monarch #the king eternal monarch #TKEM #tkem fan fic

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inmyarmswrappedin · 3 years

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Episode 13! Yes, I’m aware I have missed several days’ worth of recaps, I will try to go back and do them all before this season is over. For now, enjoy Aisha getting into even more trouble.

So, aside from not having access to my PC for a couple days, one reason I haven’t yet written recaps for the other episodes is because I was so incredibly disappointed with Aisha. Specifically what she told Chanel at the party she and Liya hosted. In my mind, I was the Tyra Banks “we were all rooting for you” meme lol. Up until that point, I had more or less seen where Aisha was coming from, but it felt so unfair for Aisha to attack Chanel like that, when Chanel has done Aisha so many favors.

It’s not that I thought it was out of character for Aisha to say that, but I also hadn’t thought Aisha saw Chanel like that. So I needed to stew in my feelings and, before I knew it, I missed a couple more days lol.

I think a part of this season has to do with Aisha stretching her wings a bit. In episode 1, Emrah tells Aisha she has to live life. And every time Aisha tries to do that, someone ends up seeing her and snitching to her brother. I feel like Aisha really does admire Chanel, despite what she said. She liked Chanel’s earrings, and when Chanel gave them to her, Aisha wore them to a date with Emrah. Aisha was clearly disappointed when Emrah didn’t care for the decor at Chanel’s flat. And right before she was an ass to Chanel, Aisha was telling Emilio about how much she liked them. I think Aisha is struggling with wanting more autonomy, being denied that autonomy, and feeling like she couldn’t be like Chanel even if she tried (because of Emilio’s rejection).

But anyway.

Aisha goes to work, and runs into Chanel. Chanel appears to be chill with Aisha, which tbh, scares me more than if she were mad. Is she faking being chill and plans to get even with Aisha later? I really hope not. Anyway, Chanel says Aisha didn’t need to switch shifts to avoid her. Aisha then stutters through an apology, says she didn’t mean to call Chanel a [gendered slur], she was very drunk and annoyed with Yusuf.

Chanel’s like, cool, but adds that she really dislikes the way people just throw that word around. I want to cry lol, Chanel is the best character on this show. Like I honestly can’t tell if she’s really just let bygones be bygones, but at any rate, she’s 100% right. In luv with her.

Someone calls the smoothie shop. It’s Emrah, increasingly running out of apps to contact Aisha from and becoming more desperate to do so. He tells Aisha he didn’t lie about working at a Kiwi (a Scandinavian supermarket chain) and Aisha can see for herself right now. Son... Don’t call people at work, that’s a stalker thing.

Aisha actually does go to the Kiwi in question, and Emrah is indeed there stocking shelves with a co-worker who quickly assesses the situation and realizes he’s not wanted there. Aisha, not unreasonably, tells Emrah to quit calling her at work. Emrah says he hasn’t explained everything yet. I’m like, we’re running on day 3 of Emrah saying Aisha has to let him explain. Like at this point we’re not going to hear the whole story until the last couple episodes, I bet.

Aisha essentially tells him there’s nothing to explain, because Emrah is a ghetto rat from Stovner and that’s all he’s ever going to be. He doesn’t have a diploma, and he’s only ever going to end up in jail again and again and again. And like, outside of everything else, that’s such a horrible thing to say, and to decide about someone, that no matter what they do they’ll never amount to anything. And when it comes to Emrah specifically, it’s heartbreaking because we know that Emrah has a ton of potential, he’s both smart and clever. I haven’t watched 18, so Idk how he got involved with Bigmac, but someone shouldn’t have his entire life derailed because of a fuckup when they were a teen.

Emrah asks Aisha if she’s done telling him off, because after that, he’s done with her. And Aisha’s like, “good!” But even as she’s leaving, you can see she’s regretting what she’s said. This is hard for Aisha too of course, because she’s clearly in love with Emrah, but she feels she can’t commit to him because of what her family and friends will do or say, as well as because of her own expectations for herself.

Back at home, Aisha is checking insta and she notices Jamilah posted something sad and captioned it 💔. I’m going to guess she broke up with her bf, most likely because as a result of Aisha’s outburst. Gotta love when shit piles up on the main as a consequence of their own actions lol.

Yusuf chooses that moment to burst in, and he’s all, “now people are saying they saw you kissing a dude in Stovner!” Like, for me it’s clear that Yusuf doesn’t necessarily want to control his sister, but dudes in his circle think he should and are giving him grief about it. The answer is that he should tell people to mind their own business, but I realize this is way more easily said than done.

Aisha asks why she can’t be kissing a boy if she wants to, and Yusuf says that she shouldn’t if she’s not serious about the relationship. So, of course, Aisha says the relationship is serious. The relationship that she just broke off. GIRL... Yusuf says if it’s serious, then he wants to meet the guy. No, you don’t want to meet the guy, Yusuf, lol. Aisha says she’s still grounded. (It’s really funny recapping this after having skipped a few episodes, so I haven’t covered why Aisha is grounded yet lol.) Yusuf says he’ll work it out with their mom, so Aisha is allowed to go out and Yusuf can meet this boy. He leaves, and Aisha’s like, “girl...” at herself.

#17 nrk

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seriouslyhooked · 4 years

Text

Feels Like This (Part 8)

Emma Swan is a once lost girl who is now making good. She has made a way in the world for her and her young son, Henry, and after years of hard work, Emma is in her last stretch of schooling for the career she’s always wanted. Unexpectedly, she finds herself in a tiny nation no one’s ever heard of for her last year of study. She knows nothing about the place except that it’s beautiful, has a world-renowned child life program, and is filled with possibility. Meanwhile, Prince Killian is hardly happy with the title he received at birth. As the second in line for the crown, Killian has long tried shaking his royal duties. He built a career in the royal navy, and has stayed out of the limelight, but his ship has been called to port indefinitely at the request of his brother, the King. Fate (in her many forms) brings Emma and Killian together and the resulting fic is a cute, fluffy, trope filled romp featuring heart felt moments, a healthy dose of insta-love and an assured happily ever after. Story rated M and will have 12 parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! So I was writing this chapter before and during the angst of posting the parade chapter, and I want to just say, that while I knew many of you would be stressed, I imagined this chapter (and chapter 7) as a healing remedy. This is filled with first date fluff and cuteness and also some more needed disclosures between Killian and Emma. it represents a real beginning, and hopefully you’ll all enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Anyway, without further ado, here goes!

Okay, Emma, don’t panic. It’s just Killian. You like Killian. Actually, you really like Killian. And yes, he might be a prince, but that doesn’t have to mean so much when you think about it. A date is a date. Sure you haven’t been on one in years, and certainly not with a man you actually cared about. But it’s fine. It’s so fine. You got this. It’s not like he’s taking you to the palace for the date. Oh Jesus, he’s not taking me to the palace is he? I know he said he wasn’t but –

“I can practically hear you overthinking things through the door, Emma. Cut it out!” Anna scolded with her ever present affection laced into the sharp words. The censure snapped Emma’s focus back into the moment and reminded her that time was ticking, and she had others waiting on her. “Now come on, we want to see your dress, don’t we Henry?”

“Yeah, Mom. Open up!”

Anna and Henry’s headed back down the hall, and Emma heard their footsteps loudly thumping in a purposefully dramatic way. They hadn’t even waited for her reply, they just commanded her to get a move on. Emma smiled at their antics, despite her flurry of nerves, and looked back to the mirror one last time. She smoothed out the lines of the delicate dress she’d chosen for tonight, recalling Killian’s promise that they would have complete privacy and no expectations. With that assurance, she went with something pretty and yet still comfortable. Her chosen sun dress reflected the seasonal heat they’d been experiencing, but the pretty pink color was not her usual choice. It was different, but it felt special, and as she’d been choosing from the hordes of outfits Anna and Elsa offered when they arrived, Emma couldn’t help remembering Cecelia’s words at the center’s picnic. She’d said pink was for princesses, and though Emma by no means thought herself a princess, she wanted to feel a bit surer of herself in a not so normal situation.

“All right, I’m coming out,” Emma announced, swinging the door open and heading out for the big reveal.

Elsa, Anna and Henry were all gathered by the television, plotting out their movies to watch and snacks to consume while she and Killian went out for the night. Emma was so grateful to have new people in her life who would give up their one night off from work to help her care for her son, but when she tried to thank them, Elsa and Anna waved off her gratitude as unnecessary. Already they considered her a ‘dear friend’ and they were thrilled to spend more time with Henry. Henry was equally excited, but when he knew this was happening so Emma and Killian could go out, that excitement was compounded. He’d loved every minute they spent with Killian yesterday, and he’d reaffirmed that all day long. Henry had also been very clear of his approval and his want for Emma to give this a real chance.

When she came into view of her friends and her son, Emma felt a bit of lingering uncertainty, but it faded in the sight of everyone’s reactions. Elsa and Anna were so expressive, both of them clapping and smiling immediately.

“Oh, it’s perfect, Emma, just perfect,” Elsa said happily while Anna gave her own assessment.

“I really thought you should go with something more formal, but you were so right. This is the one.”

Emma smiled at the thought and looked to Henry. The softness of his expression made her throat tighten unexpectedly, and in seconds she was ready to cry. He looked so sweet and filled with adoration, and then he said the most beautiful words that always made a mother truly happy. “You look beautiful, Mom.”

“Thanks, kid,” she said, gesturing for him to come over. He ran to her, giving her a big hug that made her teeter slightly on her wedged shoes. She held on tight though, cherishing this love from her son and taking strength from his love for her. “You sure it’s really ok?”

“Killian’s not going to know what hit him,” Henry agreed with a grin. Then that smile faltered and Emma grew worried.

“Everything okay, Henry?” her son nodded.

“Yeah, Mom. Everything is great. You know I like Killian. He was so cool yesterday, and he makes you happy. I saw that.”

Emma couldn’t disagree. Even with all the unknowns and the questions and the hurt yesterday she had been happy. Spending time with Killian and Henry together had been easy and fun. It felt natural, and she’d loved that. It scared her, but she wanted it, and that was part of the reason she’d chosen to forgive Killian and still try despite everything that happened. Still, she felt there was something Henry wasn’t saying, and she waited her son out to see if he’d tell the full truth.

“You deserve this, Mom. I know you’re nervous still, about getting back out there after what happened with my Dad,” her heart stopped. They rarely ever talked about Neal, but when they did Emma always worried. Her priority was Henry and she never wanted him to feel like he was missing something. But in this moment, Henry quickly put those worries to rest. “But this is different. Killian is not like that.”

“You seem pretty sure about that,” Emma said, trying for lightness in tone, but not quite getting there.

“I am sure. You always told me to follow my gut, and my gut says that Killian is good for you. Good for us. Don’t you think?”

“I think…” Emma said, weighing her words carefully. Because yes, she did think that might be the case, but it was still very early on in whatever this relationship was, and she didn’t want to build up hopes too high for her or her son. “I think that I am excited for this date. So, what does that tell you?”

Henry grinned. He looked poised to say more but then a knock sounded at the door. Emma’s stomach flipped in anticipation and all the butterflies came back full force. Oh god he was here. This was actually happening.

“Look at that,” Anna said gleefully, gesturing to her watch. “He’s three whole minutes early. Someone’s certainly eager.”

“Anna,” Elsa said, chastising her sister, but only in jest. Elsa then came to stand and took Emma’s hands as a means of reassuring her. “You got this Emma. You can be totally certain we’ve got things handled here. Your only job is to go and have a marvelous time, okay?”

“And then report back all the details to us later,” Anna said. Elsa rolled her eyes, which made Emma laugh in spite of her anxiety, and then smiled.

“Any and all detail sharing is up to you.”

“Thank you. Both of you,” Emma said to Elsa and Anna. “Now Henry, you be good, okay?”

“You got it, dude,” he said sticking his thumbs up and quoting a show from her childhood that he’d taken to as a kid when it was on constant reruns. She laughed again, and allowed that laughter to carry her to the door. She didn’t give herself a chance to second guess, she just went for it, and then she saw Killian on the other side and she was spellbound, caught in a web of how handsome he looked.

“Emma.”

His voice sounded out in a deep rumble, gruff with feeling as his eyes took her in. She barely noticed though, distracted as she was by his outfit. Damn, it should not be legal for a man to be that hot. He was that perfect mix of formal and casual, and she momentarily forgot her audience. In fact, she forgot about everything except Killian, and by the time her eyes met his again, he was smiling this sinful smirk that lit her up inside. Crap, he’d caught her ogling him, but when he stepped towards her and filled the air around her with the scent of him she was lost again. She wanted to melt into him right now, but he held back, teasing her but never quite following through.

“I’ve no intention of waiting to the end of the evening to taste you, love,” he whispered, low enough that only she would hear. “But at the present moment we’ve got an audience, and I won’t put you through that.”

Emma nodded, thinking he meant Henry, Anna and Elsa but then she looked over his shoulder and saw the detail he’d had to bring. She blushed at the fact that she’d forgotten herself, but Killian didn’t give her any time to linger in that. Instead he took her hand in his gently. She assumed they’d leave straight away, but he surprised her by asking how Henry was.

“He’s great actually. Elsa and Anna are already spoiling him and I haven’t even left yet,” she said and Killian’s amusement was so genuine it touched her heart. “Do you want to say hi before we go?”

“I would love that,” he confessed and Emma brought him inside, realizing too late that this could be the equivalent of bringing him to the Spanish Inquisition. Her kid already asked a lot of questions, but with Elsa and Anna here, there was simply no way of knowing what would be asked or said. As if he could sense her worry, he squeezed her hand lightly and pressed a reassuring kiss to the top just before they came into view of the others.

“Hey, Killian! I didn’t know you were coming in. I hoped you might, but then Anna said people on dates get all heart eyes and stuff, whatever that means, and maybe you might forget.”

“Couldn’t possibly forget you, lad. Not when you introduced me to the world’s best pizza.”

Henry’s smile at that and his easy hop up from the couch to slap Killian’s hand had Emma absentmindedly rubbing at her heart. She watched the two of them catching up on the day, and also saw how easy Killian was with Anna and Elsa. Both of them lobbed a few sassier questions or comments his way, but he handled it all with grace, and every time he looked back at Emma, which was often, he had a smile on his face, like he was genuinely glad to be here, jumping through all these hoops.

Finally, after a a little visit with all of them, Killian made their excuses, while still keeping their end destination a secret. He offered Emma his hand once more and she took it, following him as he lead her out her front door and to the car. With sure and steady movements, he handed her inside carefully, acting every bit the gentleman. He then came around to the driver’s side and only when they were off and driving did she realize how not normal this must be.

“So what did you have to do to convince Jefferson to let you drive?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Killian said honestly before flashing her a smile. “He’s a smart man. He knows a losing battle when he sees one, and any iteration of this date where I sacrifice alone time with you is definitely a losing battle.”

Emma loved that he’d made this clear, and through the rest of the ride they talked and fell into an easy pattern together. It wasn’t long before they’d reached their destination though and Emma gawked when they pulled up to the magnificent, high, wrought iron gate.

“I thought you said we weren’t going to the palace,” she said, stunned at the size of this place. From the outside it looked like a castle, at least to someone who’d only ever lived in cramped apartments (at best) her whole life.

“This isn’t the palace. It’s another of my family’s estates. Actually, if you want to get technical, it’s mine.”

“Yours,” she said, dumbfounded, but entranced as they were let through and she looked at the stone façade. It was beautifully crafted, and maybe it was smaller than a palace might be, but it was a gorgeous home on a sprawling bit of perfectly manicured land. In a word it was intimidating, but she couldn’t deny the beauty, or the immediate charm of the place.

“Aye. I haven’t spent much time here though. I’ve always been home with my family when on leave. Historically if I so much as mention leaving, my Gran gets cagey and my mother grows quiet, two things you do not want to happen.”

“Bad signs?” Emma joked, and Killian nodded.

“Most definitely. Now though I don’t anticipate any push back.”

“What’s changed?”

“Everything.”

The way he looked at her when he said that told Emma so much. He was talking about her and about them. She felt a flare of heat and appreciation at his affirmation. Knowing he took this seriously made her happy even if she was still not ready to fully jump in. But it begged the question, did his mother and grandmother know about them? Did his brother? What did they think? Did they approve? All these thoughts ran rampant in her mind until Killian drew her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Immediately any worries fled and she was just here, with him, in this glorious moment. It felt just as good as she remembered, and she loved the taste of him and the feel of his hard body against hers. Emma never felt more secure or safe than she did in his arms, and she didn’t ever want to draw back. Fear was never on her radar when she kissed this man. She was simply free, free to be herself and to believe in something greater.

“I told you I couldn’t wait for the end of the night,” Killian said, his words a low warble that brushed against her skin when they broke apart. Her eyes opened and she took in his sexy as sin smile and felt her heart skip a beat. Damn this man for being so distracting. He was just so smooth and effortless, but underneath that swagger there was some not so hidden insecurity. He could be this and still be vulnerable with her, and that helped Emma feel like all of this was that much more real.

“Who said you needed to?” she quipped, teasing him with an almost kiss of her own and a soft nip at his lip. He growled and she pulled back, chuckling lightly. “Actually, on second thought, a little waiting never hurt.”

She should not have taken so much pleasure at his groan, but he respected her wishes, taking her hand and leading her inside. His hold on her was sure and strong, and she followed him, intrigued by a place she’d never seen the likes of before. The walkway inside was immaculately gardened. The cobblestone was ancient and even, and the vines along the walls were green and full and bright. There were flowers in the hedgerow, and the glass of all the windows glinted with the remaining sunlight. It was a gorgeous façade, and she was eager to see what beauty lay inside.

Walking into the manor home, Emma was struck by the design and the aura of the place. This home was pristinely kept and yet classic in all ways, but where Emma expected sterile, spacious garishness and overblown luxury, she found none. The mood inside was warm, there was plenty of natural light thanks to all those windows, letting in the dimming summer sun, and historical accents that blended with much more modern fare. Room by room she tried not to gawk at how beautiful it all was. It was wild because it was so different, but there was so much she liked, and so many parts of the house she saw and actually desired. It was a royal getaway but it was still a home, and that was beautiful. Thankfully they did not go on a full tour. That would have been kind of mortifying, and a reminder of how truly different their lives were, but what she did see was stunning. She could imagine Killian here, and for a moment she allowed herself to think if she would like it here and if Henry would too.

But she was getting way ahead of herself. She shook away the thoughts as they entered the kitchen, and once they were inside, she saw the first unkempt part of the house to date. It wasn’t messy, per se, but there were ingredients out and utensils and things for cooking. Actually, it looked like someone had already cooked half of a meal. Some things must be in the fridge, but there was enough on the counters for Emma to be curious. Yet there was no one in the house that she’d seen so far. The staff, Killian informed her, had all been given the night off. The only people on the property were his detail and they were at the gates. This was a secured place so aside from regular rounds, there would be no one walking about, and Killian assured her no one would be in earshot or view of either of them. She looked at Killian quizzically and he explained.

“I thought I might cook you dinner tonight, love, but then I realized, as a relative novice, some parts may take too much time. Between reading the recipes and consulting the videos I found online, it was a rather long process. So, I got what I could done earlier before picking you up. I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

“Killian, you didn’t have to go through all the trouble,” she said shaking her head. No one had ever done anything like this for her. Certainly not someone who had so many other calls on his time and attention.

“It wasn’t any trouble, love. And I hope, when you find out what exactly is on the menu, you’ll be pleased.”

Emma didn’t know what she was expecting him to feed her, but his menu, as he put it, was a mix of elegant refinement and casual things that showed his attentiveness. He had a few courses mapped out, and most were unfamiliar and native to the Montennaran coast, but every one smelled delicious and tasted even better. It was a languid pacing, with Emma offering to help and Killian insisting he could do this. This left her to relax with a glass of some of the best wine she’d ever tasted, and gave the two of them space to talk, all while Emma took in his determination and sheer power of will. He was a beginner in all of this, and some elements took a bit more time because he was new to them, but his carefulness and attention told her so much about him, and all of his patience was well rewarded.

They stopped to share each plate together, and those moments felt especially intimate. They were seated close together, with barely any space between them, sharing each dish and enjoying each other’s company. Of course it was only a matter of time before that closeness got the better of them, but every time Emma thought they’d give in to the crackle of heat between them, Killian would say there was another course left. He’d press a gentle kiss to her cheek or her neck or her lips and be back up cooking once more. Now it was time though for the final course and she was eager to see what he had lined up for dessert.

“So let me guess, this dessert is going to somehow factor in those Montecarri things right?”

“What makes you say that, Swan?” Killian asked, amused at her question, but giving nothing away as he pulled some items from the cabinets. She was so distracted by his smirk she didn’t take stock of what he was gathering.

“Well this has been essentially a culinary tour of this country, and I hear Montecarris are the specialty to end all specialties. Seems fitting to include them.”

“Perhaps it would have been,” Killian hedged, his expression now the tiniest bit unsure. “But I actually had other plans.”

Emma was about to ask what they were when she looked down at the ingredients he’d brought out. Marshmallows, vanilla ice cream, and wait – was that chocolate chip cookie dough? If her eyes did not deceive her, that was chilled dough of a totally American staple, which also happened to be her favorite baked good bar none.

“Okay, I’m intrigued, what are you making?”

“Can’t you tell?” he asked curiously. “It’s your favorite. Well unless I’ve misunderstood.”

Killian explained his intention to bake these cookies and then to move outside to use the outdoor fireplace. He produced two perfect roasting sticks for marshmallows, and suddenly it dawned on her.

“Cookie s’mores,” Emma said in awe. They were her favorite summer treat, and as she looked closer at the dough she could see that there were graham cracker flakes in the mixture. Holy cow, he’d really done his homework for this one. “But how did you know?”

“My first week at the center, you were caught up in the children’s favorite game,” Killian said, alluding to how the kids loved to ask all of the adults about their favorite things. It had apparently been a staple since the older kids watched The Sound of Music. Now all of them loved compiling lists of favorite things as well as a list of things to try and to dream of one day seeing and doing. Thinking back though, Emma couldn’t understand how he would remember something like this. It was weeks ago, and it was such a small moment, but from her handful of words he’d created a road map to something thoughtful and perfect just for her. “You told them about this particular delicacy, and they were fascinated, as they are by damn near everything you say. I’ll admit, I had some trouble sourcing these graham crackers, though. They’re not a staple around here, but a lieutenant of mine from the navy can get anything from anywhere so I called in a favor.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Emma admitted. She found it hard in this moment not to cry, and the reasons for the feeling were all good. She was just a bit overwhelmed at how much he’d really been paying attention and how serious he was about making her happy. And it was working. She felt so good being with him, and for the first time in her life she was scared in a relationship, not because she didn’t want to trust, but because she didn’t want to let go.

“Perhaps you should save any declarations one way or another until after they’re made?” Killian teased and she knew he was looking for a smile, but she couldn’t just stop there. Instead she moved around the counter and pulled him in for a kiss, showing him how much this gesture meant to her in the scheme of an already beautiful night.

“Bloody hell,” he muttered when they came up for air. His eyes were filled with admiration and want, and she could see he was barely holding back, even as his cursed words sounded more like a prayer than anything else. Emma grinned and let out a low laugh as she ran her fingertips along his jaw.

“I think it’s safe to say that I love this, but just in case there was any doubt…” Emma said, and she purposefully left her meaning ambiguous. To him he might think it was just the s’mores she was discussing, but it was actually so much more. She loved being with him, on this date and just in general. She loved this snapshot he’d provided at a perfect quiet moment. And she loved the passion and the hope this man brought forth in her life so often. Despite yesterday’s uncertainty, she felt firmer in herself and in this new relationship than she ever had, and that was thanks to Killian and his kindhearted ways.

“You’ll never know what it means to me to hear that, love,” Killian admitted and she smiled at him once more. “I only hope you like the rest of the evening as much as you’ve enjoyed all this.”

And as they finalized things here in the house to make the rest of their dessert out back, Emma knew that she would enjoy whatever was coming down the pike. Because with Killian at the helm, she could have total faith in what was coming, and that feeling of safety and excitement that had been with her all evening would continue in the best and most wonderful way.

…………………

Sitting beside the outdoor flame, watching Emma laugh in the flickering fire light as she tried not to set her marshmallow ablaze, Killian knew he had never been more at peace.

Tonight was a revelation, just as many of his moments with Emma had been, but this was different. This time, Emma knew he was a Prince, and though he saw her eyes widen at the ostentatious gates and the vastness of this house, she never made him feel different or otherized. It may not be her norm, but there was no judgment from Emma or expectation. She had rallied and clearly chosen to be herself despite all of this, and that allowed him to do the same. It was a remarkable feeling, and a pleasure he never believed he could have as long as he lived here in Montennaro.

For the past few hours, Killian had done his best to memorize each moment. He kept tabs on all of Emma’s words and expressions. She was touched by his cooking for her, and though he was somewhat overwhelmed by all the things that could go wrong, she seemed to have complete faith in him. She also cherished all of their closer moments together, and he felt her wanting and the way it mirrored his own. There was so much brimming underneath the surface, a tantalizing knowledge that their chemistry was bound to combust sooner rather than later, but still he held back, savoring Emma the best way he knew how and trying to treat her to the perfect first date that she deserved. He wanted to carry all these little pieces of this evening with him for the rest of his days, even while dreaming of making a million more memories like this in the weeks and years to come.

Tonight had also solidified his hope for a future with Emma. He had known for some time that that he was in love with her. Interest and infatuation grew surely towards love early on for him, and now he cared for Emma in a way that would outlive his time on this earth. There was no denying how connected he was to her, and how enduring this bond he felt was becoming. She had his heart and his hopes tied so effortlessly around her, he stood no chance at getting either back again. But seeing her here, in his home, and in the place he was expected to build his future, changed something, taking things even further than they’d been before.

For the first time Killian could imagine Emma with him in his world. He could see a path for them to meet in the middle and to carve out a life they both could love. He had duties and responsibilities as Prince, some of which would require Emma’s participation if they continued to be together, but he would fight tooth and nail to give Emma everything she wanted and deserved outside of royal expectation. He couldn’t give her a fully normal existence, but he could give her love, support, and opportunity. He knew she’d want to work with the Institute still, and likely do even more for children all around the country and the world and he’d see to it that she could. He’d move mountains for her to help her feel fulfilled, because all he needed to feel that way was her. She was his home and his purpose, first date or not, and he prayed that someday she could see a home with him here. If not, he didn’t know what he’d do. All he knew was that living without her was not an option.

“You’re making that face again,” Emma said and Killian looked to her, grounding himself in the feeling of his hands on her lithe form as she turned their sugary treats until they were a perfect toasty brown.

He’d had his hands on her as much as he could tonight, and he was addicted to the feel of her. He did not know how he could go another day without touching her. Even a few hours felt too long a stretch. Emma soothed him and excited him at once, his heart raced but his demons stayed away. Feeling so much and having those feelings be good was something he’d never known before, but yes, sometimes worries crept in. He couldn’t help fearing that somehow she would leave him, and his hands were tied at the moment. He couldn’t tell her everything he felt so early on, but he’d never feel fully comfortable until he could. Still, the way she looked at him, like she knew him even better than he knew himself, should terrify him. Emma saw into his soul and could read him fully, scars and all. But instead of running from the attention like he did with anyone else, he was filled with pleasure. To know that she cared and that she was in this with him meant everything, and that eased the pain of his thoughts and worries being so obvious.

“What face is that love?” He feigned ignorance, though he knew exactly what she was getting at.

“The one you get when I’m leaving, or when you’re worried that I will,” Emma said, pulling out her golden treat from the fire and offering it to him. He absentmindedly took it as she continued on. “You had it yesterday at the parade, and then before we talked. Sometimes you get a version of it at the Center when it’s time to say goodbye, or when our tasks take us different directions for the day. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s a pretty persistent expression.”

“I’m not a fan of being parted from you,” Killian admitted and Emma looked at him with a softness in his eyes that spoke to understanding.

“That makes two of us. But luckily we’ve still got time, right?”

We have forever, he thought to himself but he bit the words back as he nodded and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

From there they managed to create Emma’s favorite summer sweet, and he had to admit that it was delicious, especially when he tasted it on Emma every time he stole a kiss. It was decadent but simple, and though s’mores were not a custom here in Montenarro, he felt young again. Like a kid in the summer months. It was peaceful and rejuvenating, and he wanted to extend that as much as he could.

“What are your thoughts on stargazing, love?” he asked, and Emma looked surprised before casting her eyes above.

“I haven’t had much chance to do it, honestly. We’ve always been city people so the light makes it hard to see. But out here… wow, I didn’t realize just how much you can see.”

“This is nothing,” he said, standing up and tugging at her hand. “Here, let me show you.”

As they left the stone walkway, Killian grabbed a nearby lantern, lighting the flame so they’d have enough light to guide their way. With languid steps the two of them walked from the fireside down a path in the back greenery. It was dimly lit with tiny lights along the path on the ground, but by now the sun had long since set and the night was out around them. Only the pale yellow glow of their lantern cast anything substantial enough to help them see. Emma held his hand tightly, and he checked to make sure she was comfortable. Her expression, even in the dim light, told him everything he needed to know. She was excited for this, and unbothered by the darkness they needed to get through to see the sea of stars.

Soon enough they came upon the back villa, a structure meant to house any guests, which had long been dormant. Since Killian was not here, he’d had no visitors, but someday he hoped that would change. What the house did boast, however, was something essential for stargazing, and he was glad he’d had the foresight to pull it out before Emma’s arrival.

“Wow,” Emma said when their seating area came into view. “That’s some telescope.”

“One thing you’ll learn about my brother is he does nothing by half. I mentioned the stars once when home for a deployment and the next day this was in my rooms. I had no real need of it at the palace, so I had it brought here. Needless to say, it’s a bit more powerful than anything I might have expected.”

“Henry would love this,” Emma said and Killian warmed at the mention of her son. Her boy was special to be sure, and even though he’d only met him yesterday, he knew Emma was right. Henry would take great joy in learning about something like this, and Killian felt a strong need to be the one to teach him how.

“He’s welcome any time, love. You and he both. You know that.”

Emma nodded, running her fingertips across the telescope thoughtfully. Killian knew she was thinking of that possibility, and he saw no signs of discomfort on her face. She just appeared to be thinking about what that might be like and what it would mean to bring her son to this place. Eventually Emma looked at him again, and when she did there was a light in her green eyes not provided by the lantern or the nearly full moon. It was something else, something warm and wonderful. A moment passed where there was so much left unsaid, but then she smiled and asked him to show her what to do. He was eager to do so, finding with relative ease all the big constellations and visible planets on this clear, summer’s night.

“Which constellation means the most to you?” Emma asked. He noticed that she hadn’t asked which one was his favorite. She had purposefully worded her query with the intention of understanding him. Tonight they both wanted to learn as much as they could about each other. It had been a theme throughout dinner and beyond, and for the first time he felt able to give that openness to someone. She may not realize how much this particular question meant, but he wanted to share it all the same.

“Aquila,” he replied, aiming the telescope to where it should be in the inky night sky. It took a few moments, but he found it sure enough, and he passed the scope to Emma with careful fingers so as not to move the lens. She took it in, looking at the stars, some brighter than others. She wouldn’t be able to see the design, or the lines that star maps always filled in, but that wasn’t important. It was the story behind this choice that mattered.

“It’s beautiful,” Emma said quietly. “What does it mean to you?”

“Aquila is the eagle constellation, part of the Herculean star systems. You can see the wings up top, and the bulk of the body below,” Emma nodded, her eyes staying trained in the telescope, giving him a bit more time to rein in his feelings before carrying on. “Aquila has long been associated with warriors, and so being in the navy, that connection always drew some attention. But it’s not the only fighting symbol. It’s not the strongest or most dominant. Most people who know of stars appreciate the constellation, yet cite others as more impressive or important.”

“But not you,” Emma said, looking back at him and coming to sit beside him on the outside lounger. Her hand came back to his and she gave a soft squeeze, pushing him forward.

“My affinity for this particular constellation has to do with the number in the grouping itself. There are ten stars in the assemblage.” He took a steadying breath and said the rest. “The same amount of sailors I’ve lost on my watch.”

Killian took another pause, steadying himself as the faces of those soldiers graced his memory. Despite the effects of time, he remembered each one of them, and sadly he vividly recalled their passings too. None had been easy losses, almost all had been in active combat, and most never had real resolutions. The killers got away, or were untraceable. There was no avenging these fallen brothers and sisters, there was only forward motion. Survival dictated they all carry on, but Killian’s heart required that he carry the fallen with him. He would not let them be forgotten. Indeed, the smallest thing he could do was see them in the stars each night.

“On a ship or on deployment, there are lots of open spaces. The night sky is a constant. Clouds may come, and so does fighting, but if you live through the day, the stars remain. They teach all sailors in the royal navy about the stars. Navigating by them might not be necessary anymore, but it’s a skill we’re expected to harness. The stars were also familiar. I had gazed upon them as a boy, not so unlike tonight. Liam and I used to enjoy such things, in the summer especially. For a long time, when I saw the stars, I thought of home. I thought of my family, and I took strength from that.

“But as much as the stars were a comfort, they were also witness to some of the worst moments of my life. When I experienced real fear and real loss in the field the first time, it was dark out, the peak of night, where stars are brightest. We were ambushed, a number of us were wounded, and we lost a life. Lieutenant Smee was nearly finished with the service. He had three weeks left, but death doesn’t respect such things.”

As he remembered that first lost, Killian still felt the weight of that realization. He’d known going into the service that risk was a part of things, but it made it all so much more real to have someone die in front of him. At that time he couldn’t understand why things happened that way, and he’d felt completely unmoored from any concept of a higher power. If endings were arbitrary and life came crashing down so unexpectedly all the time, what did that mean for the rest of them? What were they fighting for? And was any of it worth it?

“The next night I couldn’t sleep. I felt too much guilt,” he explained, looking down at Emma’s hands on him and using that as a lifeline in these murky feelings from his past. “We were sleeping and a man was dead, a family was broken, a dream was erased. I looked at the stars all night. This time I felt my ties back home and I also saw the scars I was forming. But even still, every night thereafter I looked at them. Loss came at any time, under the night sky, in a rainstorm, or in the blazing sun. Every time it did, I added a face to see. Soon I had enough to merit picking a specific group. At one time I prayed I would never come to need Aquila, and when I did need it, I prayed to never need another. Ten souls lost was ten too many.”

By now Emma was wrapped up beside him, her embrace having grown more supportive as he continued on, and despite the weight of the memories, he didn’t feel overwhelmed. There wasn’t darkness in full. It was like the sky tonight. There was deep, obscure patches, but light overall. That’s what Emma did for him. She lit him up and made his world so much brighter in the process. It also helped that as he continued on, telling stories of the people he’d lost she never flinched. She sat there calmly, attentively, and supportively. She held him, and when he felt he could say no more tonight she looked at him, with unshed tears and true affection that helped him feel like everything might be okay.

“That was the first time you’ve told anyone any of this, wasn’t it?” he nodded. She curled up closer to him, quietly telling him that she knew how much that meant.

“Aye, but it won’t be the last. I’ve made arrangements to meet with a naval counselor. I never intended to, but today I made the call.”

“What changed your mind?” she asked, clearly glad for his choice but holding off on her opinion.

“You,” he said honestly. “I would really like the chance to be in your life, Emma. You and Henry both. I hope I’ve made that clear by now, but I need to know for myself that I can give you everything I want safely. I still have nightmares and bad moments. I have scars as you now realize, and I want to understand them so I can be better for you, and for me.”

“You’re already more than enough, Killian.” Again she cupped his face, looking at him with what could only be described as love. Whether it was said or unsaid, Killian knew that Emma loved him, and that she was proud of him, despite everything he’d seen and done. It humbled him to feel that, and he knew he could never go another day without it. She was everything and so much more. “As someone who has needed help for my own demons though, I know how good sharing your stories will be. I used to be so afraid about being enough for Henry, about messing him up because of what I’d been through. I know you know the basics, but the truth is I was in more than a dozen placements in sixteen years, and that kind of constant change and upheaval and rejection takes a toll on a kid.”

Killian could not imagine how anyone could meet Emma and not want to keep her. To think of all the places that she’d landed that didn’t fight for her, that didn’t realize what a good and honest person she was made him sick. He knew she’d been through agony as a child, but he never imagined it could be so bleak.

“When I finally split, I still couldn’t find roots, no matter how hard I tried. I was desperate for them. I had no money and nowhere to go. I just… wandered. I’d have given anything for a family or even just friends, but I didn’t trust anyone enough to really let them in. I just needed to survive, and I couldn’t get to a stable enough place to feel like I could take a breath, never mind live a real life. Neal was the first person who helped me, and I made an exception for him. I let him past my walls, and I trusted in him.”

It wasn’t easy to hear Emma speak of a past love, but the look in her eyes told him there was no lingering emotion for this man he knew was Henry’s father. She may have loved him at one time, but that love was now gone. There wasn’t anger or hurt either, there was just calm, like she’d already made peace with every part of this sad story.

“It was good between us for a while, and I was young and I wanted to love and be loved. As soon as I let him in, that was it. He had my loyalty and my heart. I’d have done anything for him. I thought he could be that connection I was needing, but my desperation clouded my judgment. I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. I knew he wasn’t always on the right side of the law, but he always did right by me. I could see past his choices because he loved me and because he did these things for us. That’s what he always said, ‘I’m doing this for us.’ He also never involved me, and he made me feel protected. The world was a rough place, but we’d make it through. He’d get us through, that’s what he said. By the time I realized what kind of man he really was though, everything had gone wrong. He got caught stealing all sorts of shit, and he ran. Not only did he run, he tried to set me up for what he did to get the heat off of him. I almost went to prison. Not jail, but prison, for grand theft.”

Killian could understand more and more now why she had felt extra sensitive to the differences between them. As a Prince, his life and the lives of his loved ones would be under scrutiny always. She probably worried he would hear this and resent it, but he never could. He was livid at the fact that a man had ever hurt Emma this way, that he’d been coward enough to let her take the fall. But he was stunned at her perseverance. Somehow she’d gotten through that, and he was awed by the strength such growth must take.

“The only reason I was let go and my arrest was never recorded was because a good Samaritan called into the cops and provided my alibi. I had been in the park all day, studying for the last of my tests I needed to pass my GED. She and her dog were out there and the dog got off leash. I helped her wrangle the little guy at the same time as the robbery clear across the city. With her testimony they had nothing on me, and they realized they were going to charge me with something I had nothing to do with. I was let go, but yet again I was left with nothing. I had to start over again and it was so hard to do. Then a few months later I realized I was pregnant with Henry. I was so scared. I really didn’t think I could do it, but my state sponsored counselor ended up being a great help. She got me on the road to making things better, and she helped me see the circumstances of my life were out of my control. She said something I thought was unique, but it’s something I hear Anna say to the kids all the time at the center.”

“All you can do is the next right thing,” Killian echoed, and Emma nodded.

“I don’t think I always get it right, but I try to, and looking back I can honestly say that I’m proud of the last ten years. It wasn’t always easy, but we are here and here is…” Emma’s face colored with a soft, thoughtful smile and he could tell that she was thinking of her boy and how their life together was. Killian couldn’t help but feel tremendous pride in Emma and awe at all she had done. She was truly a survivor, and it was clear that the choices she’d made since then had all been guided by a want to do right by herself and by her son.

“Here is…?” Killian hedged, wanting to hear her put it into words. Now her eyes met his and they flickered, turning warm and sultry.

“Here is proving to be better and better, in no small part because of you.”

It was difficult to tell which of them started the kiss they shared then, but Killian savored every moment of it. They were out there together, under the stars and enjoying the quiet peace here away from the world. He wanted to get lost in it, to hold Emma tight from this point on and never have to pull back. Before their evening began he’d already envisioned his future lay with Emma, but now he could see it all here. The two of them together, choosing each other, building a life. Henry was here, and maybe someday other children. He’d be with his family, but they’d live on their own. He didn’t know how, but he felt that he could. He could craft a story for them here, and he just prayed that Emma felt inclined to do the same. Her actions tonight stoked that hope, and the taste of her kiss and the feel of her hands on him revived anything that he’d lost in his recent journey back through the past. Soon enough he was restored, feeling better than he ever had, and content that after so long he truly had found everything that he wanted.

“I wish this night never had to end,” Emma said wistfully some time later. Her lips swollen from their interlude and her golden hair bearing a slightly different shape from where his fingers had twined through. She was more beautiful than ever, here under the moonlight and in the lantern’s golden glow. And though they’d done nothing more than typical first date customs would allow, Killian would never know. He’d never felt so satisfied, and he shuttered to think of what he’d feel when they truly came together.

“I feel the same, love, but I promise – ehrm rather, I hope – that it won’t be the last.”

He shouldn’t have been so presumptuous as to assume she’d want another date with him. Of course he felt her desire and her want to be with him, but this situation was different than most other couples giving things a try. Perhaps she would realize she didn’t actually want to date a prince, undeniable attraction be damned. But God if she ended this then –

Before his thoughts could spiral, Emma pulled him for another searing kiss, one that left no room for outside worries or despair. There was only Emma, and god she was a wonder. He was dizzy from her by the time they broke apart, and his heart lurched at the seductive smile she tossed his way.

“Any chance you’re free on Tuesday?” Emma asked, filling his heart with relief before adding an even sweeter sensation directly thereafter. “Henry’s going straight from camp to dinner at a friend’s house but he’ll back for dessert. We’re having…” she trailed off and blushed and now Killian was too curious to be polite.

“What is it love?”

“Apple pie and ice cream.”

“How endearingly American.”

“I swear we’re doing our best to immerse ourselves, but sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants,” she said with a shrug and he chuckled, running his hand along her cheek and watching her green eyes darken with the immediate interest that flared once more.

“I can think of nothing I’d like more than to see you and Henry again, love. Dessert sounds divine, whatever is on the menu”

“And dinner?” she asked, licking her lips and making him want another taste even though he’d had one just moments ago.

“If you’ll place your trust in me, I have just the spot in mind. It’s in the city, and we’ll be assured of total privacy.”

“Perfect,” she whispered, leaning into him as they stood and as he took her hand, leading her down the outdoor path once more.

And though it hurt to say goodbye when he drove her back home, so much so that Killian couldn’t bear to say the words, opting instead for a ‘See you soon, Swan’ and a final stolen kiss, he was comforted in knowing that this night was not the end. Instead, it was a beautiful beginning, one his instincts told him would lead him to the best moments of his life for now and always.

Post-Note: So there we have it – another CS first date in the books. I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter. For me it was a real relief to write this, both because I wanted to get to this moment, but also because I crafted it in the midst of a maddeningly busy part of my program. The good news is I have moved to my final stage and successfully passed, so I’ll soon be out of the thick of my crazy time consuming studies. Still, I may be sporadically posting for a little bit as I settle into my new normal post-school. All that being said, this chapter helped me destress and surround myself in fluff, even while dealing with some harder issues in Emma and Killian’s pasts. Please rest assured that Emma and Killian move forward from this moment with nothing but hope and good vibes. My plan for this fic has always been about 12 chapters, and I think I will land right there when all is said and done, and I promise to get back to this fic as soon as I can. In the meantime, I appreciate all of you so much for your continued support and kind words. They mean so much to me and I carry them always. Thanks again and hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

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borisbubbles · 5 years

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ESC2019: Preshow #26

26. LITHUANIA Jurij Veklenko - “Run with the lions” SemiFinal 2, #12

youtube

Come on, come on, get those feelers out. 😈

Entry Analysis

In a bizarre fluke of fate, Lithuania has become my favourite countries of the Baltics for three years in a row O__O. I can hardly believe myself! In this year it’s mostly because Latvia and Estonia sort of suck, and not because of Lithuania’s own merits though. 🤐

Actually, the thing I like most about the entry is the Artist Formerly Known As Jurijus: Jurij Veklenko. He is BY FAR the hottest guy in the year for me (😍) and appears to have an irritating, but well-meaning and humorous personality (😍😍), who is also a notable Gay-curious Icon (😍😍😍) and voiced Lolita Zero’s ‘Get Frighten’ (😍😍😍😍) and who is an obnoxious insta whore on top of that, posting covers of other ESC entries, in all of which he is ‘miraculously’ shirtless (😍😍😍😍😍) I’m mean, I’m bloody sold? Shut up and take my unmentionables!!

The song however... eh. It doesn’t nearly set my world on fire in the same way Jurij ~as a human~ does. It’s okay. Some parts are *really* good imo. It has cool verses, I enjoy the empowering message (especially because it’s an implied LGBT Support Anthem: ‘We got a love that can’t be caged’, mhm)

However, “Run with the lions” is let down by one of the most weaksauce choruses in this year. I know people complain about “Roi” and “Wake Up” but... “Run with the lions” unravels at the first chorus, and never recovers. As MUCH as I would a love which can’t be caged, I must let my feelings out and state that I’m only lukewarm to this entry as a whole 😭

NF Corner

I didn’t exactly follow Eurovizijos Atranka this year, but I did not need to! I’ve heard good things about it but there was ~ONE~ entry that gave me my fix w/r/t Lithuanian cravings.

I am of course... not talking about Monika Marija 🤭🤭🤭 Honeys, this is year three of my tumblr blog, you should know my taste by now and she ain’t it. 🤭 I will give “Light On” credit for tackling the unusual topic of PHYSICAL HEALTH problems, aka whichever medical condition Monika almost DIED under O__O. Bonus points for creativity and for looking like Fievel Mousekewitz I guess.

No, my favourite was ALEN MOTHERFUCKING CHICCO, D’UH!! A cosmic entity so radioactively homosexual he farts rainbows. During the three times this genderfluid fairy blessed us with his gaiety, he cosplayed as a paralysis-curing elf (complete with wheelchair prop lmfao), HIM from the powerpuff girls and a diamond-studded folk hero, 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍

youtube

I WILL SAVE YOU

IT’S MY FORTUNE

I WILL ALWAYS LOOOVE YOOOO

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

DON’T LIVE IN A BLUUUUUUR

DARE TO LOVE

AND I’LL BE YOUR CURE

Don’t be afraid of healing, this feeling is REAL!!! (DAYUM)!! Needless to say, we would be discussing THIS song at a much, MUCH later date had it actually WON ATRANKA but the world isn’t ready to be cured just yet 😭.

Qualification Odds: Borderline (Disadvantaged)

Lol I have to remember I’m discussing Jurijus here, but okay, back on track. My assessment for Lithuania’s chances is a bit all over the place: First off, this semifinal should be an easy qualification on paper: Jurijus is a cute guy who sings well, and all of Lithuania’s Allies (Latvia, Azerbaijan) and diasporia havens (UK, Ireland, Norway) are present, with only Poland and Estonia being stranded in the other semifinal.

However, this is where “Run with the lions” and its weak chorus come to gnaw at Lithuania’s qualification odds: Lithuania find themselves hopelessly outclassed by better songs in their half of the semifinal which target the same demograph. Russia have a better coming out anthem. Romania have a better dark poprock song. Their draw, which pits they right between Malta (a dark horse) and Russia (a possible Semi winner) is very, VERY unfortunate as well. If you’re between two strong songs, you need at least keep pace with the level of quality and Lithuania does not. Q. So, tl;dr: while Lithuania should theoretically be able to gather enough points for qualification, the only vote they really have are the built-in diasporia votes and that may not prove enough. If this were another country, this would be considered an easy NQ (or at least BL in case of Sweden or Russia). Jurijus needs to hope that one of the other BL countries, specifically Albania and Malta bomb out. Sadly for him, Jonida Maliqi doesn’t do mediocre. Sorry JuriPoo. 😭

Projected placement: 9th-12th in the semifinal. If he qualifies, 20th-25th in the Grant Final.

Link to the masterpost

#Eurovision 2019 #Lithuania #Jurijus #Jurij Veklenko #Run with the lions

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puckmanhq · 5 years

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HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?: part one of two

WHO: Noah Puckerman & @berrytobias ( feat. @alipucks )

WHAT: surprise hangout

WHERE: Toby and Aliyah's place

WHEN: June 28, 2019 @ 1:00 am-ish - June 28, 2019 @ 8:30 am

WHY: Puck needed to not be at home or on ihq property so he opts to surprise visit his sister at her place.

WARNINGS: excessive drinking and non descriptive nudity

ABOUT 1:00 AM ON JUNE 28, 2019

Well, shit. Puck thought as his sister walked off to her room, her middle fingers the last thing he saw before she completely disappeared. "Fucking charming." Ha, I got the last word. Less than a second later the sound of an opening door before, "Fucking dumbass." One final door close and now it was painfully quiet. Puck started bouncing his knee, looking around like he'd never seen the inside of an apartment before. See, now he was just chillin' in the room with Tobias and honestly, he'd never really hung out with him, even though he was technically family, as Joey's uncle. Guess they just didn't have the much in common. Probably should have got the fuck up and taken his tipsy ass home but he really couldn't be bothered. So instead he looked over at Toby, "Beer or tequila?" He asked as he poured himself a shot, ready to pour another.

“Fuckin’ traitor,” Tobias mumbled. How could Aliyah leave him right now? They weren’t even halfway through their movie. It’s not like it was-- Tobias checked his phone. “Shit,” he exhaled gently. “It’s later than I thought it was.” Which, if that was the case, why the hell did Aliyah let Puck inside in the first place? Tobias rubbed his eyes, still red from the makeshift hotbox in the bathroom earlier, and dismissed his own question with a shrug. Nope. Practical thought just didn’t exist when it was past midnight and you were still high as fuck. Tobias slowly turned his head towards Puck, interest finally piqued by his presence and the classical conditioning of the promise of alcohol. “Well, shit. If you’re pouring, then whatever cost the most.”

"Tequila it fucking is then." Pouring a second shot he handed it to his unlikely drunking buddy and riased his own glass. "To whatever the fuck this night's gonna be." Clinking his glass against Toby's, Puck did the classic frat boy table touch before throwing it back. Feeling the familiar burn, he chased it with a swig of beer before pouring himself another one. Already feeling the temperature rising which caused him to pull at the collar of his tank before leaning forward to place his beer on the coffee table. Looking at the screen he couldn't even remeber what they were watching. "Dude, you look high enough to hear colors right now." He said as he took off his hat, because really was it 78 degress in here? "And what the fuck is this movie?" He asked handing the younger man another shot.

With an exaggerated wince, teeth bared and all, Tobias placed the glass down. His technique was amateur, greedy even. But thankfully he didn’t have to smell and savor the damn thing. He just had to throw it back and accept that clear liquor was a foul ass invention. He drew a line with his eyes from the bottle to his empty drink, and gave Puck his best DJ Khaled impression. “Another one.” Condensation was already pooling around the base of their shot glasses, and the coasters they should have been using were sitting in a neat pile off to the side. Tobias exhaled warmly, shrugging off his signature denim jacket, before running a hand through his hair. Toby and Aliyah’s AC had been fucked for about a week now. The superintendent was taking his sweet ass time (as usual) in fixing it. Tobias hit at his sternum with a weak fist to break up the burn. “Oh, that?” He pointed at the screen. “It’s that one movie where that dude’s chest gets caved in and bites this other guy’s hands off?” Tobias started giggling. “It’s real great when you’re high,” he sang. “A classic.” Tobias’ cat, Mercutio weaved around Puck’s legs, purring happily. “He likes dudes,” Tobias spoke earnestly, before snatching up the bottle of tequila from the coffee table. “I’m pretty sure he’s gay.” He took a gulp. Or two. Or three. “It’s so fucking hot. Are you hot?” Toby handed the bottle back over to Puck. “I’m hot as hell.” He wiped at his forehead with his arm. “You can stay and roast but--” he pulled his shirt over his head “--I’m not trying to die in my own apartment.”

Raising an eyebrow at the description of the movie they'd been watching, Puck shouldn't have been surprised. Aliyah was definitely into some weird shit and somehow she was pulling that off in a cool way and honestly Puck had never been more proud of a sibling. Looking at Toby, he assessed him, trying to decide if he was cool or not. On the one hand he quoted DJ Khaled and couldn't take a shot of tequila with looking like someone was feeding him fire. On the other hand, he quoted DJ Khaled and took a shot like he was eating fire. So, unclear where he was on the Noah Puckerman dopeometer. "You and my sister really found each other." Standing up for no apparent reason just to immediately sit back down, it was definitely approaching 'fuck it' levels of intoxicated, which is where any potential impulse control peace-ed the absolute fuck out. Looking down at the cat, Puck smirked, "Don't blame 'im, I'm fucking hot. Good taste, bro." And then he tried to bro fist the cat and Puck could swear he could hear the thank god you're pretty coming from the little dude. Hearing that it wasn't just him burning the fuck up made him want to facetime his brothers just to flip them off, because fuck you guys clothes are dumb when you're drunk. Standing up, and this time with purpose, Puck pulled out his phone because obviously his magic mike ass needed music for this moment. Turning up his phone after picking Hot In Here by Nelly, he removed his tank in a very aesthetically pleasing and manly way. Alright, so what really happened was, his drunk ass picked Metro Station's Shake It and as he went to take off his tank with one hand it got stuck and ripped and he just kind of through it to the ground and then he winked like a jackass. "Gotta give 'em a show." But who the fuck was he talking to? Oh, right, the gay cat, naturally.

Tobias’ laughter slipped past his teeth and fingers. “Dude, I can totally see why you get so much play. You’re amazing,” he slurred. Tobias’ giggles died down, but the ache in his cheeks remained as the room tilted. “I can almost see why Lucky slept with you.” Toby squinted. “Where are my glasses?” He patted over his face. Sheer force of will would definitely make his vision clearer. “Do you ever think that, like, your eyes are so blue because you’re sad?” Toby cradled his head in his hands,hoping his over-saturated sponge of a brain wouldn’t leak out of his ears. Every blink was heavy, every movement slowed-down to an unbearable rate. “Fuuuuuuuuck. That weed was too strong.” Sweat slid down his back. “I have no idea how--” Tobias undid his belt ”--Aliyah is sleeping through this. I’m about to off myself.”

"Almost?” Puck said momentarily alert. “I’m the most fuckable.” As if to prove himself, he removed his pants, swearing feet weren’t usually this fucking difficult to get through a damn pant hole.Now, he was just standing there in his stripey boxer briefs vaguely gesturing at himself to accentuate his point. Honestly, at this point sounds were muffled and everything sounded kind of far away, maybe that’s why he was hyper focused on the younger man’s mouth. Not that he was secretly a master at lip reading, but when you’res drunk you’re pretty convinced you’re the master of everything. Picking up his phone again he pulled up his camera and started recording before standing stupidly close to Toby and making the camera lens face them, because there was no fucking way he was capable of remembering the invention of the fucking front facing function. Throwing his free arm around the taller man’s shoulders, he pulled him in close before tuning his face toward him. “You ever seen what happens when Ali gets serenaded?” He asked pausing for a moment letting a drunken smile creep on his face and he handed Toby his phone. “I think we oughta find out.” Honestly everything that happened next was..... something that never needs to see the light of day.

8:30 AM ON JUNE 28, 2019

Tobias whined, refusing to open his eyes. “Why are there such things as hangovers,” he spoke groggily. His cheek was stuck to warm skin, a slow heartbeat making a tender home inside his ear. He was too comfortable to move, but Mercutio’s timid cries were annoying as fuck. “And why does my mouth taste like literal ass?” Finally lifting up, Puck’s heavy arm slid from around his form. Toby’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” Suddenly launching himself into space seemed like the best out, but then he spotted Aliyah, standing smugly in front of the couch. “I… this isn’t what it looks like.” His voice was thick with sleep (and hopefully nothing else). “Pretty sure there’s a valid explanation for...” Tobias examined the crime scene. His and Puck’s clothes were strewn about the floor and the entire bottle of Tequila from last night was empty. He wiped the drool he left on Puck’s chest, nausea bubbling in the pit of his stomach. No matter what Toby said, he didn’t know what happened, and that meant there was a lingering possibility that Puck’s dick had been in or around his mouth. Or worse. “Please don’t tell anyone, Al.”

ALIYAH: Pulling a mess of curls back into a messy bun, Aliyah had been staring at the rather amusing sight of a blanket covered, naked, hardcore cuddling Puck and Toby. "Oh that's totally on what the fuck, bingo." She said to herself as she got her phone out to take about 15 different pictures. Seriously contemplating posting a couple on insta. Making a mental note to create the WTF?! bingo card for real, Aliyah watched as her best friend stirred to life. As he looked at her, she raised an eyebrow, listening to his pleas and getting way too much of a power trip out of it. "You know I don't talk to people." Grabbing her thermos of espresso she bent down to flick Puck's nose until he opened his eyes. "I'm going to work." Then she was gone.

PUCK: Smacking the hand away from his face, he slowly opened his eyes, and all he could really see was a combat boots moving further away. Shit, the IHQ pride games or whatever is today. He thought to himself, not even noticing the second body lying with him, he sat up ready to get up before he finally realized there was a whole ass person on him and out of instinct he caught them around the waist. Just like that he could feel them breathing, his sight was clearing up and soon the dark head of hair and skinny frame were starting to form a face in his mind. "Fuck." Moving Toby off of him, he stood up, some discomfort in the Puckzilla region. Looking down he noticed all the clothes strewn everywhere and the cause of his dickcomfort (if you will). "Why's there a sock on my dick?" Adjusting it he looked for his underwear. "Why the fuck is it so scratchy?"

#ihq:discord #a. discord #discord. tobias berry #p. tobias berry

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melmothblog · 7 years

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Ask Responses - MISC

Hi! I absolutely love following your blog! It's become something I look forward to daily! This isn't exactly a ballet question but more about your social media+blog .If I'm not mistaken, you own both @tsiskaridze and @_melmoth accounts right? My question was why you chose to make two separate accounts on insta but keep one page for tumblr. Also, I wanted to know what made you choose tumblr over other blogging platforms. I ask as I'm also a blogger and am looking to branch into other platforms.

Thank you so much!

@_melmoth is my personal account. I’ve had it since way before the whole Tsiskaridze business began (about) two years ago. I started the @tsiskaridze instagram because, among other reasons, I felt that Nikolai needed proper representation on social media. I later created this blog as an extension of the instagram, but it has since grown and evolved into something much bigger. At one point I realised that I had to re-name and re-brand (I’m actually in the middle of a huge process of consolidating all of my online activities, and renaming this blog is part of that).

I chose tumblr because it had a larger and a more active community. I experimented with Blogspot, LiveJournal and Wordpress in the past and I knew from experience that those platforms won’t give me what I need. I wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible and I wanted people to be able to share my posts. Tumblr seemed perfect. The only problem I have with Tumblr is the lack of a comments section but otherwise it’s the best platform I’ve worked on.

I'm curious, I've read you mention Maria Khoreva's "maturity" multiple times (I'm a big fan of hers so I keep an eye out when you mention her name!) Is your assessment that she is a very mature dancer/individual for her age solely based on her Instagram posts, or do you know her personally or have heard from other people?

I think we can all agree that Khoreva is in a league of her own as a student, but I was actually referring to her emotional maturity, behaviour and intelligence. I’ve formed by judgement mostly from her posts (as well as an impromptu interview I saw once) but I have also had several interactions with her.

I found Nijinsky's diary to be interesting but sad. I haven't read it ages but the part where he's out alone on the bench in the cold really makes me upset. I also read the unedited English translation which lost a lot of the rhyming in his poems. Of course, it isn't really the best book about his life. I would recommend his sister Nijinska's book called Early Memoirs if you're interested in more info about his dancing/works/life. It's massive & contains a lot of info as well as photos :-)

Out of curiosity, did either of the two editions of the diary you’ve read contain Nijinsky’s letter to Diaghilev (part of the fourth notebook)?

I’m reading “Early Memoirs” now. So far so good. I’m actually a lot more fascinated with Nijinsky’s childhood and the time he spent at VBA than his subsequent career.

d i s c l a i m e r

#qa #personal #maria khoreva #khoreva #nijinsky

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cosleia · 7 years

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Karnival of Blight: The spectacular failure of Kylo Ren’s “luxury music festival”

Gwendoline Phasma, staff reporter

April 28, 2017

After months of speculation, Karnival of Knights has proven itself to be the disaster that many had warned it would be.

The high-end music festival, touted by organizer Kylo Ren as “Coachella for influencers and young elites,” was to have taken place this weekend and next on a private island in the Bahamas. My Chemical Romance was set to headline a roster of approximately 40 bands that fluctuated wildly as the event approached. A pass to the full festival was priced at $12,000, with VIP and other experiences available for additional fees. Organizers promised chartered jets from Miami to the Exumas for every guest, and a treasure hunt across the islands had been planned, the grand prize being a strip of beach on a private island.

Kylo Ren considered the event part of a branding strategy for his foundling tech company, Knights of Ren. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he expressed excitement at the prospect of finding potential investors among his guests. “It’s gonna be great,” he said. “The best way to get people interested is to throw them a party.”

But Karnival of Knights was plagued by logistics issues and controversy from the moment it was announced. Rey Ridley, an events coordinator hired in early March to wrangle talent, quit after just four days on the job.

“It was a disaster,” she said. “There was no money to pay the talent. There was no project coordinator. There was no plan to build the stages. No one was taking care of the details. They didn’t even have me sign an NDA.”

Thursday afternoon, just before the festival started, My Chemical Romance announced they would not play the event after all. “We’re not sure we would have what we need to put on a proper show,” the band said in a statement.

Upon arrival to the Exumas on Friday, festival-goers found only partially constructed stages. The luxurious glamping tents that had been promised as accommodation were in fact disaster relief tents. Gourmet meals were to have been provided; guests were instead served sandwich bread, processed cheese and side salads. Beer had reportedly been ordered, but it never arrived.

Armitage Hux, founder and CEO of tech company SKBase, chronicled his experience of the event on Twitter.

Armitage Brendol Hux I™. Founder, engineer, and CEO of @SKBase. Technology you can SKBelieve in. Insta: @abhi Email: [email protected]

Armitage B. Hux I (@ABHI) Apr 27 I’ll be out of the country today until Monday attending Karnival of Knights, which promises to be an extraordinary event.

Armitage B. Hux I (@ABHI) Apr 27 It may also be an historic bit of deception.

Armitage B. Hux I (@ABHI) Apr 27 Honestly, I’m expecting the worst.

Armitage B. Hux I (@ABHI) Apr 27 If I fail to return, I’ve arranged for my holdings to be reinvested in SKBase.

If he expected the worst, why did he go at all?

“If it had worked out, it would have been the most important event of the year,” Hux told me. “Perhaps the decade. To not be there for that would be unthinkable. And either way,” he added with a rakish smile that produced crinkles of mirth at the corners of his bright green eyes, “it was a great opportunity to get my company some exposure.”

Hux got a taste of what Karnival of Knights would be like before he even left the country. In Miami, the private charter jet he was promised turned out to be an economy seat on American Airlines. “I’m rather tall, so the flight was horribly uncomfortable,” he said, leaning back in his chair and stretching his long legs straight out to demonstrate.

Upon arrival, his luggage was nowhere to be found. Attendees stood scattered around the festival site aimlessly as recorded music thumped in the background. School buses, not luxury vehicles, shuttled people between the grounds and the city of disaster tents. A hastily constructed concierge stall stood empty.

As Hux was “wandering listlessly,” as he put it, he came across a notebook that seemed to belong to a festival organizer. One page included a grocery list of snack food. One listed other necessities such as cigarettes and flashlights. But amidst the strikingly superficial logistics notes, which included questions that likely should have been answered months before the event took place, there lay a few intriguing pages that hinted at who the true owner of the notebook might be.

“Consumer Analysis,” read a heading on one page. “Assess key sociodemographic factors and predict what might affect purchase decisions.” Another page featured a to-do list with the line item “Complete our corporate application.”

Once night fell, Hux was reunited with his luggage. Two festival workers, Dopheld Mitaka and Peter Thanisson, hurriedly dug designer suitcases out of a giant shipping container and tossed them into the crowd.

“It was embarrassing,” Mitaka told me in a brief phone interview, “but I wanted to finish quickly so I could get out of there.”

After securing what he could of his luggage in a tiny locker with no lock, Hux made his way to the dining tent, unaware that celebrated caterer Lando Calrissian had pulled out of the festival weeks before. Hux’s frame of mind at that point can perhaps be best illustrated by this tweet:

Armitage B. Hux I (@ABHI) Apr 27 And now I have sand in my Cole Haans.

By this point, many attendees had given up on the festival, piling into buses and vans and heading for the airport. Hux followed suit, shortly after trashing his “pitiful” dinner in a nondescript white plastic trash can he sarcastically captioned “Luxury garbage area” on Twitter. He would later regret throwing away the meal, as attendees were left waiting for a flight out of the Bahamas for hours with no food or water.

Both weekends of the festival have been officially canceled. An apology message has been posted to the event website, karnivalofknights.com, taking the place of the vivid, evocative beach and concert photographs that had advertised “the time of your life.”

At time of writing, Karnival of Knights was still working to fly its attendees home. Kylo Ren could not be reached for comment, but he made a brief statement on Twitter.

Kylo Ren (@renmaster) Apr 28 I truly apologize but this is NOT MY FAULT. @ABHI I want my notebook back.

This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever written. It is obviously inspired by the Fyre Festival fiasco. Please note that I did change some details, so don’t take this as an accurate reporting of what happened at Fyre. All names and likenesses used in this fictional account are used for parody purposes only and do not represent the actual people or organizations.

#why did I write this lol #star wars #kylux #(well sort of)#modern au #fanfic #my writing #fake news article

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lauraramargosian · 4 years

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The Nurse and GI provider who saved my life.

“Becoming a nurse is one of the most selfless acts a person can undertake. In a society of so many different races, cultures, customs, and beliefs, nurses are a universal gift to all, and the dedicated work that they do and kindness they deliver on a daily basis should serve as a reminder of the fundamental humanity inside us all. “ – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nurses and honest, caring providers do not get enough credit for what they do on a day-to-day basis.

When you’re not feeling well and end up at a check-up, or worse, an Emergency Room with nurses and doctors who treat their patients exactly as though you’re at the DMV… it makes for a totally bad experience.

Further, have you ever met someone who enjoyed being a patient in the hospital?

It freakin’ sucks and it doesn’t help when doctors obviously truly don’t care about their patients…who knows, maybe they used to but we’ve all had one Primary Care or even specialist who didn’t seem trustworthy or willing to figure out x problem.

The beginning of my life-changing moment was pretty harsh and the providers I worked with caused a severe infection that altered my life until the end.

The Nurse and GI specialist who saved my life went the extra mile, every single day.

Most importantly, as a woman who worked in the medical industry, it was easy to see the strength they had within the first 5-minutes of our introductions.

Damn, that’s rare, right?

Well, in 2012, I spent most of the year with chronic bowel problems. We’re talking going to the bathroom between 6-10 times a day, progressively, I got worse and tried having a colonoscopy done by a GI specialist at Intermountain Health Care.

As always, the results came back normal, but this specialist missed something far more important than a diagnosis of ulcers or autoimmune diseases (which she also missed) due to careless follow-up and negligence when using their system for communication.

Self-Image can feel so damn humiliating.

Unfortunately, anytime I sent an electronic communication, she would just respond with, “try this diet,” or “just take your pills.”

Nonetheless, one morning a few months later, I had the urge to call a clinic in Magna, UT after reading a few reviews online about specific practitioners, nurses aids and overall clinic quality.

They had a couple of specialists, but luckily their share details about each of their providers, which brought a “relatable sense,” to my situation.

I was off to see my second GI specialist, and who I feel is the literal best gastroenterologist in the entire state.

In fact, Dr. Radwin is one of the only doctors who can perform a double-balloon procedure with ease, skill, and patience. ( https://ift.tt/36Q9MLy)

What is a Gastroenterologist?

Martin I. Radwin is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont School of Medicine, followed by an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of Boston. Dr. Radwin then completed a Fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Radwin has over 30 years of experience.

A Gastroenterologist (GI) is a physician who specializes in diseases of the digestive system, also called the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Honestly, I had very low hopes because of all the doctors prior to visiting Exodus. But I literally met Batman and his side-kick nurse Robin (Georgia Cordova), she’s a valuable person because she cares and works very hard for her patients.

It’s easy to assume due to the fact that not only did they successfully find out I had antibiotic-associated c.diff (which happens when you use too many antibiotics and get an infection in your intestines, which can literally kill those with weakened immune systems or the elderly).

Together, we spent 6-months battling the C.DIFF due to the fact that my body relapsed 3 different times.

Imagine, waking up from a completely healthy body, 115lbs with a perfect 18% body weight, which slowly made you 99lbs with no energy to even get out of bed.

Regardless of how bad I felt, these two made sure I was taken care of and seen as often as needed even within their little Instacare.

In Jan 2012, I visited the Insta-care 21 times, I had to buy medication that cost over 400-dollars plus due to my relapses.

Eventually, we kicked C.DIFF’s ass… but something was still wrong. I was now going to the bathroom more than ever before, so we proceeded to do a stool test and saw that the C.DIFF was in fact gone and according to my symptoms, this specialist was able to perform multiple colonoscopies, a pill camera, and a double-balloon to confirm my an official diagnosis.

“You have Crohn’s disease 75% of the way down into your small intestine.”

Little did I know, my life changed that day, I laughed and said: “just Crohns?”

Yep, I googled so I had some ideas as did my husband. I had no idea what a battle this would become in my life.

In fact, this demon made took a very harsh emotional toll on my health but the team kept me strong.

Dr. Radwin and Georgia Cordova helped saved my life, my emotional health and they are still working hard to put my disease into remission.

What defines a good medical provider, nurse or specialist?

The US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health shares in great detail what it takes and most can agree with these qualities.

Respect people, healthy or ill, regardless of who they are

Support patients and their loved ones when and where they are needed

Promote health as well as treat disease

Embrace the power of information and communication technologies to support people with the best available information, while respecting their individual values and preferences

Always ask courteous questions, let people talk, and listen to them carefully

Give unbiased advice, let people participate actively in all decisions related to their health and health care, assess each situation carefully, and help whatever the situation

Use evidence as a tool, not as a determinant of practice; humbly accept death as an important part of life, and help people make the best possible arrangements when death is close

Work cooperatively with other members of the healthcare team

Be proactive advocates for their patients, mentors for other health professionals, and ready to learn from others, regardless of their age, role, or status

Proudly, I have to say that EXODUS Healthcare has some amazing providers, so be sure to check them out and if you’re experiencing GI issues and live in the State of Utah, it’s worth the drive, their team doesn’t give up on you, trust me, I’m an active patient, working hard on remission.

Oh, and let’s think about it this way, I have a new normal, and I still have to work, finding out the name of your disease is one thing, living with it is another… emotionally you grieve, it’s difficult to be positive but with a good team, you can achieve anything, and that’s why I feel as though they have the absolute best providers, at least the ones I have been able to see and talk with…

Most people get online to write bad reviews, it’s time for a good one, and one that teaches you exactly what to expect in a good provider.

Remember your health always comes first, so be sure to stay positive and be honest with your doctors, they are there to help.

Thank you to the Exodus Healthcare team for never giving up on my health or disease.

Blessed be.

The post The Nurse and GI provider who saved my life. appeared first on Positive Celebrity News and Gossip.

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sheminecrafts · 5 years

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Zuckerberg misunderstands the huge threat of TikTok

“It’s almost like the Explore Tab that we have on Instagram” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in leaked audio of him describing TikTok during an all-hands meeting. But it’s not. TikTok represents a new form of social entertainment that’s vastly different from the lifelogging of Instagram where you can just take a selfie, show something pretty, or pan around what you’re up to. TikToks are premeditated, storyboarded, and vastly different than the haphazard Stories on Insta.

That’s why Zuckerberg’s comments cast a dark shadow over the future of the Facebook family of apps. How can it beat what it doesn’t understand? He certainly can’t ignore it. Facebook’s copycat Lasso has been installed just 425,000 times since it launched in November, while TikTok has 640 million installs in the same period outside of China. Oh, and TikTok has 1.4 billion total installs beyond China to date.

TikTok

Casey Newton of The Verge today published two hours of audio and transcripts from two internal-only all-hands Q&As held by Zuckerberg at Facebook in July. His comments touch on the company’s plan to fight being broken up by regulators, especially if Elizabeth Warren becomes President. He thinks Facebook would win, but on resorting to suing the government, he says “does that still suck for us? Yeah.” Zuckerberg also describes how Facebook is working to launch a payments product in Mexico and elsewhere by year’s end as Libra deals with regulatory scrutiny.

But beyond his comments on regulation, it’s his pigeonholing of TikTok that’s most alarming. It foreshadows Facebook failing to win one of the core social feeds that its business depends on. Perhaps his perspective on the competitor is evolving, but the leak portrays him as thinking TikTok is just the next Snapchat Stories to destroy.

Zuckeberg’s Thoughts On TikTok

Here’s what Zuckerberg said about TikTok during the internal Q&A sessions, (emphasis mine):

So yeah. I mean, TikTok is doing well. One of the things that’s especially notable about TikTok is, for a while, the internet landscape was kind of a bunch of internet companies that were primarily American companies. And then there was this parallel universe of Chinese companies that pretty much only were offering their services in China. And we had Tencent who was trying to spread some of their services into Southeast Asia. Alibaba has spread a bunch of their payment services to Southeast Asia. Broadly, in terms of global expansion, that had been pretty limited, and TikTok, which is built by this company Beijing ByteDance, is really the first consumer internet product built by one of the Chinese tech giants that is doing quite well around the world. It’s starting to do well in the US, especially with young folks. It’s growing really quickly in India. I think it’s past Instagram now in India in terms of scale. So yeah, it’s a very interesting phenomenon.

And the way that we kind of think about it is: it’s married short-form, immersive video with browse. So it’s almost like the Explore Tab that we have on Instagram, which is today primarily about feed posts and highlighting different feed posts. I kind of think about TikTok as if it were Explore for stories, and that were the whole app. And then you had creators who were specifically working on making that stuff. So we have a number of approaches that we’re going to take towards this, and we have a product called Lasso that’s a standalone app that we’re working on, trying to get product-market fit in countries like Mexico, is I think one of the first initial ones. We’re trying to first see if we can get it to work in countries where TikTok is not already big before we go and compete with TikTok in countries where they are big.

We’re taking a number of approaches with Instagram, including making it so that Explore is more focused on stories, which is increasingly becoming the primary way that people consume content on Instagram, as well as a couple of other things there. But yeah, I think that it’s not only one of the more interesting new phenomena and products that are growing. But in terms of the geopolitical implications of what they’re doing, I think it is quite interesting. I think we have time to learn and understand and get ahead of the trend. It is growing, but they’re spending a huge amount of money promoting it. What we’ve found is that their retention is actually not that strong after they stop advertising. So the space is still fairly nascent, and there’s time for us to kind of figure out what we want to do here. But I think this is a real thing. It’s good.

To Zuckerberg’s credit, he’s not dismissing the threat. He knows TikTok is popular. He knows it’s growing in key international markets Facebook and Instagram depend on to keep user counts rising. And he knows his company needs to respond via its standalone clone Lasso and more.

Lasso

But while TikToks might look like Stories because they’re vertical videos, and TikTok might algorithmically recommend them to people like Instagram Explore, it’s a whole ‘nother beast of a product and one that may be harder than it seems to copy.

To crystallize why, let’s rewind to Snapchat. With the launch of Stories, it started to blow up with US teens. Facebook’s attempts to clone it in standalone apps like Poke and Slingshot never gained traction. In fact, none of Facebook’s standalone apps have succeeded unless they splintered off an already-popular piece of Facebook like chat and users were forced to download them like Messenger. It wasn’t until Zuckerberg stuck his clone of Stories front-and-center atop Instagram and Facebook that Snapchat’s user count went from growing 18% per quarter to shrinking. There, Facebook used the same strategy laid out in Zuckerberg’s comments — push its good-enough clone in countries where the original isn’t popular yet.

But Facebook was fortunate because Stories really wasn’t that dissimilar to the content users were already sharing on Instagram — tiny biographical snippets of their lives. Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel had originally invented Stories as a vision of Facebook’s News Feed through the lens of an ephemeral camera. All users had to know was “I take the same videos, but shorter and sillier, posted more often, and then they disappear”. The concept of Instagram and Facebook didn’t have to change. They were still about telling friends what you were up to. Choking off TikTok’s growth will be much more complicated.

Why TikTok Is Tough To Clone

TikTok isn’t about you or what you’re doing. It’s about entertaining your audience. It’s not spontaneous chronicling of your real life. It’s about inventing characters, dressing up as someone else, and acting out jokes. It’s not about privacy and friends, but strutting on the world stage. And it’s not about originality — the heart of Instagram. TikTok is about remixing culture — taking the audio from someone else’s clip and reimagining the gag in a new context by layering it atop a video you record.

That makes TikTok distinct enough that it will be very difficult to shoehorn into Instagram or Facebook, even if they add the remixing functionality. Most videos on those apps aren’t designed to be templates for memes like TikToks are. Insta and Facebook’s social graphs are rooted in friendship and augmented by the beautiful and famous, but don’t encompass the new wave of amateur performers TikTok elevates. And since each post to the app becomes fodder for someone else’s creativity, a competitor starting from scratch doesn’t offer much to remix.

That means a TikTok clone would have to be somewhat buried in Instagram or Facebook, rebuild a new social graph, and retrain users’ understanding of these apps’ purpose…at the risk of distracting from their core use cases. This leaves Facebook hoping to grow its standalone TikTok clone Lasso which TechCrunch scooped a year ago before it launched last November. But as we’ve seen, Facebook struggles growing brand new apps, and that effort is further hindered by its increasingly toxic brand and sheen of uncoolness. Nor does it help that Facebook must divert development resources to comply with all the new privacy and transparency obligations as part of its $5 billion FTC fine and settlement.

The Next Feed

Facebook’s best bet is to assess the future value of the ads it could run on a successful TikTok clone and apply some greater fraction of that grand sum to competing directly. It’s already made some smart additions to Lasso like tutorials for how to remix and the option to add GIFs as sections of your video. But it’s still failing to gain serious traction in the US. While typical TikTok homepage videos have hundreds of thousands of Likes, the top ones I saw in my Lasso feed today received 70 or fewer.

I had Sensor Tower run some analysis comparing TikTok with Lasso since its launch last November, and found that Lasso gets 6 downloads for every 1000 for TikTok in the US. Some more stats:

US Total Downloads Since November: Lasso – 250,000 // TikTok – 41.3 million

US Downloads Per Day Since November: Lasso – 760 // TikTok – 126,000

Average US Google Play Social App Chart Ranking: Lasso – #155 // TikTok – #2

Beyond the US, Lasso has only launched in one other market, Mexico in April, where it’s been faring better but could hardly even be considered a competitor to TikTok. They won’t even coherently fit together on a graph. Facebook needs to lean harder into Lasso:

Mexico Total Downloads Since April: Lasso – 175,000 // TikTok – 3.3 million

Mexico Downloads Per Day Since November: Lasso – 1,000 // TikTok – 19,000

Zuckerberg may need to find a coherent place for TikTok style features inside Instagram and potentially Facebook. That could be another horizontal row of previews like with Stories and/or a header on the Explore page dedicated to premeditated content. Certainly something more prominent than a single button like IGTV that still no one is asking for. One opportunity to best TikTok would be building a dedicated remix source browser into the Stories camera to help users find content to put their own spin on.

Facebook will also need to buy out top TikTok creators to make videos for it instead, and even quasi-hire some of the most prolific video meme or challenge inventors to give users trends to jump on rather than just one-off clips to watch. Its failure to offer IGTV stars monetization has led many to ignore that platform, and it can’t afford that again.

If Zuckerberg approaches TikTok as merely an algorithmic video recommender like Explore, Facebook will miss out on owning the social entertainment feed. If he doesn’t decisively move to challenge TikTok soon, its catalog of content to remix will grow insurmountable and it will own the whole concept of short form performative video. Snapchat’s insistence on ephemerality makes it incompatible with remixing, and YouTube isn’t nimble enough to reinvent itself.

If no American company can step up, we could see our interest data, faces, and attention forfeited to an app that while delightful to use, heralds Chinese political values at odds with our own.

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technicalsolutions88 · 5 years

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TikTok

Zuckeberg’s Thoughts On TikTok

Here’s what Zuckerberg said about TikTok during the internal Q&A sessions, (emphasis mine):

Lasso

Why TikTok Is Tough To Clone

The Next Feed

I had Sensor Tower run some analysis comparing TikTok with Lasso since its launch last November, and found that Lasso gets 6 downloads for every 1000 for TikTok in the US. Some more stats:

US Total Downloads Since November: Lasso – 250,000 // TikTok – 41.3 million

US Downloads Per Day Since November: Lasso – 760 // TikTok – 126,000

Average US Google Play Social App Chart Ranking: Lasso – #155 // TikTok – #2

Mexico Total Downloads Since April: Lasso – 175,000 // TikTok – 3.3 million

Mexico Downloads Per Day Since November: Lasso – 1,000 // TikTok – 19,000

If no American company can step up, we could see our interest data, faces, and attention forfeited to an app that while delightful to use, heralds Chinese political values at odds with our own. If only Twitter hadn’t killed Vine.

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hotfitnesstopics · 6 years

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Here are all the answers to your questions via Instagram on running, eating, red hair, dating, cross training and more! If you have a question leave it in the question box in the Run Eat Repeat Instagram stories or below in the comments! I broke this out into 3 videos – so it’s part 1 of 3, 2 of 3 and 3 of 3 in IGTV and here. Questions and Answers from Instagram * Answers are in video on IGTV * * Or on the Run Eat Repeat Facebook page * Instagram Questions 4 – video 1 of 3 IG Questions 4 (1 of 3) – click here to watch Q: Who takes your insta post pictures? RER: My mom, lil brother, a friend, stranger… or I use a tripod. Q: If you couldn’t run… what exercise would you do? RER: Cry. Q: Will you be a guest on my podcast? RER: Yes. Q: What do you do to train when you’re injured? RER: It depends on the injury… but I did non impact cardio when I was injured. Q: Have you ever had a stress fracture? RER: I don’t think so?? Q: Do you carry some form of ID when you run? RER: Fail! I used to but dropped the ball on this. I used to be so good about taking ID on a long run and I used to have a Road ID on my shoe laces… but I don’t now. Q: Core work suggestions for people who hate core work! RER: Okay! I’ll get on this! Instagram Questions 4 – video 2 of 3 These questions are answered in video 2 of 3. IG Questions 4 (2 of 3) click here to watch Q: I also have hypothyroidism… When you first started running, did you feel extra fatigued? A: I started running before I realized I had thyroid issues so I wasn’t super aware of how running affected me. I couldn’t tell if I was more tired or if the medication impacted my energy level. I do realize that long distance running can be hard on your body, energy and potentially can impact your health (including thyroid and adrenals). Q: How do you stay motivated to get out there and run on your own? RER: I really love it. I also think it’s important to make it easy and fun! Set yourself up for success by planning it out, having the right gear, rolling with a set back, doing what you can when you can. If you need motivation consider signing up for a race and getting a training plan so it’s a part of your schedule. 1. I think a big part of it is – I enjoy it. 2. It’s a part of my routine. I wake up … change into running clothes … (make iced coffee – bathroom – update Instagram – other random things) … then go for a run! Q: I need your eyelash game! What’s your secret? RER: Thanks!! I get a lot of questions IRL (‘in real life’) about my lashes. People ask if they’re fake or lash extensions… nope! I don’t know how to put false eyelashes on or I probably would! Maybe not… I’m lazy. Anyway. I swear by this mascara – the fat tubes that are yellow or hot pink by Maybelline are the best! Not the little pink tube – the bigger one. The best mascara overall is Maybelline Volume Express The Colossal in the yellow tube Mascara for volume / thickness : L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara for thickness at the base of your lashes: I think this brush is great for putting mascara at the base of your lashes so they look thick and your lash line looks defined even without eyeliner – Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara Instagram Questions 4 – video 3 of 3 IG Questions 4 (3 of 3) click here to watch Q: Speed work – should you really do it on the track instead of street? I’m nervous because I’ve never ran on the track. RER: You don’t have to… it helps with speed work, especially shorter distance speed workouts. But if you don’t have access to a track you can make it work somewhere else. Running on a track is great because you don’t have to watch the distance on your watch and can focus on your effort and hitting your goal times. But if you have somewhere to run that’s flat and measured out accurately – use that. Q: So did you ever pick a walk in song for WWE? RER: Nope! I can’t decide! Q: What running shoes do you suggest for people with high arch? RER: Go to a running shoe store and get fitting for the best shoes for your body and needs. It’s better to prevent an injury or any discomfort before you have to deal with treating it. So, getting fitted and getting suggestions on the kind of running shoe you need is a really good idea. I like Road Runner Sports – it’s a chain of running shoe stores in California and they fit you and have you run on a treadmill that has a camera set up behind it near your feet to see how you run. They assess your foot shape – including arch and your foot strike. From there they’ll be able to suggest what kind of running shoes you need. Bonus: Use code RUNEATREPEAT to Save 20% when you sign up for their VIP program (that offers discounted prices on everything in store) or Save 10% without sign up. Some exclusions apply, see site for details. Check out Road Runner Sports here for gear and to see if there’s a location near you. Q: Do you ever cross-train? RER: Yes… about twice a week I do strength training. Q: Who won the Lexus Lace Up Irvine giveaway? RER: I announced it in the Instagram stories – and another giveaway is coming soon! Q: What’s the longest you’ve gone without racing? RER: Hmmm… maybe it’s right now actually! I’d guess 3 or 4 months? Q: How can I get toned arms like yours? RER: Strength training! If I do upper body strength consistently I can feel a difference for sure. ] Q: Random but how often do you wash and cut your hair? RER: I cut or trim my hair about 3 times a year. I wash it every 3 days or so… I talk about it in more detail (my hair washing schedule and products I use) in my last instagram question and answer session. Check out this video for details on my hair washing dirty secrets. Q: Margarita or Sangria? RER: Yes please! Q: Are you still doing Invisalign? What happened with that? I’m doing it too. RER: Yes! Just finished and got my retainer!! Q: Are you dating anyone? RER: Yes. You can watch all the videos on the Run Eat Repeat IGTV channel Got a question for me? Leave it in the comments or Leave it in the Question Box in my Instagram Stories!! The post Questions on Running, Food, Instagram and other stuff… video appeared first on Run Eat Repeat. from Run Eat Repeat https://ift.tt/2AHdCfc via IFTTT

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seriouslyhooked · 5 years

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Lost Souls and Reveries (Part 14)

22 part AU written for @cssns. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12. Story available on AO3 Here and FF Here. Banner created by the amazingly talented @shipsxahoy!!

Killian Jones is a wolf shifter without roots, without plans, and without a pack. He’s a rogue, someone humans should avoid and shifters should be wary of given his lineage. But one night years back set him on a path he didn’t realize he was taking, a path leading to a future he is destined for. That future is tied up in one woman – a human named Emma Nolan. Together Emma and Killian will find not only answers, but a love that’s truly fated. But will love be enough to set them free, or will past demons win out in the end? (Answer: love always wins – I am writing this so despite some tiny pockets of angst it’s basically a fluff-filled insta-love fest). Rated M.

A/N: Hey everyone! Oh my God it has literally felt like forever since I posted, and I took such a long break away from the story that I kind of forget where the heck we were. If you’re like me, read the last few chapters and you’ll remember in no time. If, however, you’re like some of my other readers who have been rereading because you are desperate for an update, well honey, we finally have one! In this chapter we are coming to the promised dinner from last chapter. I have been waiting a long time to include more tangible Snowing and CS scenes, because I love a story where Emma has her parents and then her parents get to meet and mess with Killian. Throw in the fact that we have Elsa and Anna, as well as Ruby and Granny and it’s truly a grand old time, at least in my book. This chapter is packing a lot of fluff, because I think we all need it quite honestly, but there’s a bit of a twist coming again. I know, I know this story is getting to be so twisty, but I think you guys will like where things are going and I can’t wait to see your responses! Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Fear was a funny thing.

For Emma there were a number of things in her life right now that justifiably sparked fear in her heart. The first and most obvious was the physical threat on the horizon. Killian’s brother was en route to Storybrooke and they didn’t know what he wanted. It was hard to imagine Liam was coming with good intentions, and as such, they all had the space to be afraid. Then there were other more mundane things that could cause her all kinds of anxiety, since Emma was, in fact, a worrier. These included things like whether Anna and Elsa would be okay with everything they’d learned today, or whether she and Killian would find their way to a more ‘normal’ life. She wanted that, but it just didn’t seem like that calm and serenity was coming any time soon and that was taxing to say the least. But somehow tonight Emma didn’t have the capacity to fixate on Liam’s potential wrath, or the future that fate was bringing her way. Instead, all she could focus on was the immediately impending chaos that would descend when her parents, her best friends, Killian, and his family were all under one roof.

“Maybe we should come up with a panic phrase,” Emma declared suddenly as they were on their way to the Nolan residence for dinner with Elsa, Anna, and Ruby in tow. “You know, in case we have to get out quick.”

“I’m sorry love, I’m unfamiliar with that term,” Killian responded, a touch of humor lacing his voice.

“You know, a panic phrase,” Emma said, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders as she explained herself. “It’s like the stranger danger term your parents give you as a kid so you know if you can trust a random adult or not. Ours was ‘operation mongoose’ but don’t ask me why because I have no idea where it came from.”

Looking at Killian, Emma could tell she wasn’t making sense. Her anxiety about this evening was causing her to blabber on about things with less coherency than she would like, but Killian remained patient and did his best to piece together her thoughts. “Uh, well in that case no, can’t say I’ve ever had one of these panic phrases before.”

“Well it’s simple really. It’s basically a safe word, so in this case if my parents get too crazy and we need to leave we have something to say as a signal that we got to get going.”

“Emma, I realize this is a big step, and I know your parents are… involved so to speak,” Killian said, totally underselling her parents’ investment in her life and her business. “But I assure you there won’t be any cause to leave. I might not know your parents well, but I do know they mean no harm.”

“Mean no harm and do no harm are different things,” Emma muttered, and she could hear her resigned tone of defeat as she said the words aloud. Without even looking at Killian she knew he was on the verge of laughter, but instead of her mate’s sound of amusement filling the air, it was Anna who broke into giggles.

“Oh come on, Emma! It’s going to be fine. You two are already mated right? So what’s the worst that happens? Your Mom pulls out those terrible photos of us from middle school and your Dad threatens that he’ll kill Killian if he ever hurts you.”

“Do either of those possibilities sound fun to you?” Emma asked and Anna immediately grinned so Emma amended her statement. “If you were me, would you enjoy a night like that?”

“Probably not,” Anna agreed, “And my Mom definitely didn’t have the balls your Mom does or the blunt way of asking things, but come on, Emma. We all know Killian’s never going to hurt you so it’s a non-issue. Besides Ruby and Granny have the dirt on Killian so it’ll all be even in the end.”

“What have you told them, Red?” Killian asked his cousin and Ruby smiled like the cat that caught the canary. This made Emma lighten somewhat, because whatever Ruby had it had to be good.

“Oh nothing much,” Ruby claimed coyly. “I’m still saving the best stories. Don’t want to run out of those too early.”

Killian groaned at his cousin’s words and because it was such a relatable outburst, Emma immediately took delight in it. She found herself laughing in spite of herself. Thank God she wasn’t in this alone. Knowing Killian had family who gave him grief too (even if it all came from a place of love) was a relief. No one would ever match her parents’ level, but at least she wasn’t in this alone. And by the way that Killian was watching her relax into her laughter Emma knew that Killian didn’t care about her finding out any of his embarrassing stories. His blue eyes told her everything in that moment, and the most important thing was that all he wanted was for her to be happy. With him she always found a way to be so, and it was only a love like this that could ever induce her into subjecting herself to this familial torture.

“Is it bad that I actually feel better knowing you’ve got stories too?” Emma asked and Killian shook his head as he pulled her in closer to his side. The feel of his body pressed against hers was hot but familiar. It made Emma feel safe even as she felt electrified, and the anxiety of before began to dissipate as contentedness took its place.

“No, it’s not. Anything that makes you feel better is something I cherish, love.”

“God, I know it’s a miracle you guys found love and everything but sometimes its just so…” Ruby trailed off, but Elsa and Anna were quick to fill in.

“Sweet?” Elsa asked.

“Adorable?” Anna replied.

“I was going to say ‘extra’ actually. I mean come on. Who says stuff like that?”

Emma bit back more laughter as Elsa and Anna went beat for beat with Ruby about what love should be like and whether Killian’s words were romantic or over the top. But whatever assessment they came up with in the end, Emma wouldn’t really care. The only thing that mattered was how she felt about Killian, and every time he made confessions like that it soothed her. Killian enriched her life and made her braver than she’d ever been. She was confident and comfortable in the love they were building together, and she loved his sweet words, even the cheesy ones.

“I dream of a day when they all find another amusement to preoccupy themselves,” Killian murmured to her, drawing Emma’s eyes back up to him. He had light in his eyes and she could tell he wasn’t taking their talk seriously either. “It might help if Elsa or Anna found someone to love too.”

“Oh God don’t let my mother hear you say that. You’ll be recruited for her matchmaking in a hot second.”

“I can think of worse things to do than showing other people the way to love,” Killian said and Emma agreed with him.

“And what about Ruby? You don’t think she wants love?”

“She does,” Killian replied. “But my cousin is particular. It’s going to take quite the person to stack up to her expectations.”

“I heard that!” Ruby said, though a human wouldn’t have been able to and both Emma and Killian laughed.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Killian emphasized. “If you’re going to love someone you better make sure they’re perfect for you.”

“Aww, he thinks Emma’s perfect for him,” Anna said and finally Emma rolled her eyes.

“Okay enough. I mean seriously, we’re about to be with my parents for at least three hours. Can’t you give us any peace?”

Anna and Ruby agreed that they would and Emma shared a knowing look with Elsa. Her best friend never gave Emma any real problems about things like this. It wasn’t her way and Emma appreciated that, and she knew she could trust Elsa to keep the others in line. Still the teasing had done wonders to distract Emma from her worries about this evening, and unfortunately, as quiet descended on the group, they cropped up again.

“I know you have a lot of feelings about tonight, Emma, but I can hardly wait to finally see where you grew up.”

“Well the wait is almost over,” Emma said with a smile. Her house might not be nearly as palatial as Anna and Elsa’s but she did love it so. She’d had such a perfect childhood for so long, and it wasn’t until Neal had gotten sick that things took a turn. Even since then things had gotten better, and that house had always been a part of the good times in her life. “Think you can handle it?”

“I hardly think it’s the house that’s hell bent on bringing trouble, love,” Killian joked and Emma swallowed harshly despite knowing that he was only kidding. “Nothing to fear on that score though, Emma. There’s no force in this world that could keep me from loving you.”

“How do you always say the right thing?” Emma asked, as they stepped to the front door and Killian grinned back at her in a way that sent a bold shiver of delight through her whole being.

“It’s a gift.”

“Okay love birds, you’ve got about five more seconds before we have incoming,” Ruby stated, clearly having heard everything as they approached Emma’s parent’s door. “Three, two, one.”

At the exact mark the door swung open, but Emma was surprised to see it was her Dad and not her Mom standing there. “Thank goodness you’re early. Your Mom might have said seven but she...”

“Never means it, I know,” Emma said, filling in for her Dad as she gave him a hug. “I was surprised she wasn’t pacing by the windows yet.”

“Granny’s been a good distraction. She keeps talking about you and Killian and how shifter happily ever afters work.” The comment was benign, but then Emma watched her father’s face pale as he looked to Elsa and Anna. “Uh, I mean, well -,”

“Don’t worry Mr. N, we know the deal,” Anna filled in merrily. “People turn into animals and then they fall in love with your best friends. We’ve got it.”

“Or sometimes your best friend is the shifter,” Elsa offered nonchalantly, and Emma smiled, knowing that she hadn’t mentioned that to Elsa so her friend must have picked that up through her own magical intuition. “Like Uncle Lance.”

“Yup. Can’t wait to tell him you girls all know now. It’s gonna make the summer barbeque pretty interesting,” her father said as he led them all inside, shutting the door behind them.

“Oh Lance already knows,” Emma’s mother announced cheerily as she walked in with a beatific smile. “I told Gwen a little while ago. I forgot one of the ingredients in her chocolate soufflé recipe and I filled her right in. God I love walkie talkies.”

Elsa and Anna laughed as Ruby and Killian looked at Emma with confusion. Again, Emma was amused at how even Ruby seemed to be stumped. Apparently witchy visions didn’t involve her Mom’s somewhat childish antics.

“Mom and Aunt Gwen talk all the time. They joke that they’re sisters separated at birth and as such they have all sorts of time to make up for. But it was a lot of calls. Like so many calls a day that Dad and Uncle Lance used to tease them that walkie talkies would be more efficient. Then for Christmas last year Neal and I had an idea – or really Neal did. I just funded it. He found these walkie talkies online that create their own frequency and that can cover super large distances. I think they’re for the military? Anyway, we got them for Mom and Aunt Gwen as a joke, but now they use them all the time. The gift backfired.”

“I’d use it right now if she and Lance weren’t having their date night,” Emma’s mother said, waving the walkie talkie that was clipped to her apron. “But there’s always next time. Anyway, thank you all for coming. You must be Ruby. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Knowing Granny it’s all bad,” Ruby said with a sly grin.

“And all true,” Killian quipped, leading Ruby to playfully punch his arm.

“No she had only good things to say, about you and about Killian.”

“Where is she exactly?” Emma asked, knowing Granny was supposed to be here.

“She’s on soufflé watch,” Mary Margaret announced, and this prompted a skeptical look between Killian and Ruby. “What? What’s so funny?”

“You said they were chocolate right?” Ruby said, biting back her laughter.

“Let’s just say Granny has very few weaknesses, but the main one is chocolate. I hope you’ve made extra since she’s very likely tricked you into trusting her with those treats.”

“I heard that!” Granny said, coming from the kitchen with her hands on her hips and an unamused look on her face. Her eyes were lit up with humor however, and then she admitted the truth. “And I’ll have you know I only had one, and I ran it by Mary Margaret first.”

“Wow, seems Storybrooke has had a positive influence on all of us,” Killian said easily and Emma felt herself warm at the way he spoke about her home.

“It has a way of doing that,” Emma’s mother said as her father came around to kiss her temple. “Now come on, dinner’s ready and I have just about a million questions.”

Taking a seat at the dining room table that Emma had spent nearly every important holiday gathered around, it was nice to see how natural all of this was. Everyone found their spots organically, and when Killian pulled out her chair like a gentleman, helping her into her seat, Emma was touched. She knew the gesture didn’t go unnoticed, but Emma avoided looking at any one else. Instead she looked to Killian, taking an extra boost of comfort from his subtle nod and upturned smile.

“So…” her father finally said, drawing Emma and Killian’s attention back to the table. Her Dad only looked at them a moment before deferring to his wife. “Do you want to do the honors?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” her mom said happily. As Mary Margaret rose back up from her seat, Emma watched Ruby whisper to Anna.

“What’s happening?”

“It’s like grace. Before every meal they say what they’re thankful for. Neal started it.”

“He did indeed,” Emma’s mother said, and Emma watched as her mom’s eyes grew a bit misty. It certainly wasn’t getting any easier for her having Neal away at summer camp, and she could tell her mom missed her brother fiercely. “But we continue it even when he’s not here, and tonight we have so much to be thankful for.

“We have new friends and new family,” her mother said looking to Granny and to Ruby. “It has been a pleasure meeting you both and to welcome you into our home. I know there’s so much more to learn and to hear and Emma will tell you I never met a story I didn’t love.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Emma joked and everyone chuckled together.

“But more than that, I can sense you two will be good for us. You’ve already brought so many good things, which leads us to our next grateful thing. We are grateful for Anna and Elsa and their new journey. It’s been a tough few years, but you girls,” Emma heard her Mom’s voice break, a sign of how much she loved her friends as if they were her own children. “You both have blossomed into such wonderful women. Your family would be proud. We are proud, and wherever this new magic may take you, we know it’ll be exactly where you need to be.”

“Yeah it will,” Anna said, reaching her hand across the table to take Elsa’s in a sisterly sign of affection.

“We’re thankful that our children have their health. We’re thankful that Neal is so happy, that he’s making friends and expanding his mind. He’s being challenged and engaged and he’s finding out more and more about himself. His old scars have all but healed, his light continues to shine so bright. There’s nothing in the world he can’t accomplish.

“At the same time our Emma has found her happy too. It’s a new kind of happy. Beyond having purpose, it’s the happiness only available through love and hope and belief in something more. With Killian she has found her match, a match we very much approve of, not that you needed our approval. But rest assured, this doesn’t mean we can’t still have a little fun. Your father and I haven’t honed these interrogative skills for nothing.”

Emma didn’t know whether to groan aloud or duck her head in embarrassment, but when Killian’s hand squeezed hers tightly she looked at him instead and she saw his subtle smile from before had grown into a full blown grin.

“Whatever you guys have got, I can take it. Anything for Emma.”

“You sure about that?” Her Dad asked and Killian looked to him and nodded.

“Yes sir, I’m sure.”

A moment of comfortable silence elapsed where her Dad gave Killian his own silent show of approval and then Emma realized that her Mom was supposed to be talking. But when she looked over to the other end of the table her Mother’s tears had fallen.

“I’m sorry, I know I know. It’s just…”

“It’s just that life right now is good, and we have a lot to be thankful for.”

The words from her Dad were agreed to by everyone at the table and with their pseudo-prayer said, dinner was served. It was just as excellent as Emma expected. Her mother was actually a great cook, and the company was awesome in the end. It took a little getting used to that their dinner conversation would include things like shifters and spells and such, but Emma was delighted to find that her mother wasn’t as prodding and extensive as she expected. In fact, she only saved those extra exploratory questions for Emma and Killian, and Killian, luckily, managed to take on every one. By the end of the meal he seemed to have won her parents over even more, and Emma was so happy and carefree she had actually forgotten what brought them all together in the first place. Only after dessert was cleared away did Emma realize she needed to talk to her parents about Liam and the potential danger ahead, but her father beat her to the punch.

“We know already, Emma,” her Dad said quietly as she helped him clear the table. The two of them were back in the kitchen, away from the others who were conversing over coffee. “Granny told us about Liam, and then Killian called me while you were with Anna and Elsa.”

“He did?” Emma asked, completely surprised by the revelation and her Dad nodded.

“He did. He said he was sorry to not come speak to me directly but he didn’t want to let you out of his sight. I agreed that that was for the best. In the mean time, I can’t think of anyone that’s better to protect you than Killian.”

“Really?” Emma asked, feeling a wave of surprise that her Dad would hand over the reigns of a job he’d taken on her whole life. She didn’t often need protecting, but her father had always been her greatest champion. For him to allow Killian to step into that role was huge.

“Really. And it’s not just because he’s stronger and faster than I will ever be, but because he loves you, more than life itself,” her Dad said, stunning Emma with his honesty and acceptance.

“He does,” Emma agreed, her heart filled with so much love in this moment. Love for her Dad and for Killian, two men who both cared so much for her and who had always shown her that she was theirs to protect and to embolden. “But did he explain it all Dad? We could be in real danger. I know Killian will do anything it takes if it comes to that, but -,”

“I want you to know that it’s all going to be okay, Emma,” her Dad said as he put a hand on her shoulder, something he’d done many times through the course of the years. “I’ve talked to Graham and to Tink. We have some elements put in place already for would-be hostile shifters. And I’ll call your Uncle Lance in the morning and get him and Gwen here ASAP. I thought about maybe sparing him the headache, but you know him. He’ll be livid if we leave him out of anything that could be considered a good story.”

Emma wanted to laugh at that because it was honestly funny. She could picture Uncle Lance now, bemoaning a fact that he missed a good fight and whining (but still in a loveable way) that he was left out. But this wasn’t some party that people weren’t getting invited to. This was a potentially dangerous and more than hostile situation.

“I never wanted any of this to happen. I never dreamed that we might be in danger, and I know Killian didn’t either.”

“There’s no need to explain, Emma. You love each other and you’re bonded. His danger is your danger and vice versa, but that also means your family is his family. No one has to go through this alone. We’re all stronger together, and I would never let anything break this family apart. This is a battle we can fight, and not all battles are like that.”

“I love you, Dad,” Emma said hugging him quickly and taking comfort in his firm embrace. She knew he was thinking back on Neal being sick and how helpless that moment was. Emma hoped it wouldn’t actually come to fighting Liam. Maybe this was all being blown out of proportion, but she knew her Dad was right. They had better chances of beating someone who wanted a physical fight than they did of an unknown disease. They’d been through hell before, and they could all do it again.

“And I love you, Emma,” he said, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head before stepping back. “But we should get back now. Your mother has missed you something fierce. Best to give her as much time as possible tonight so she doesn’t start stalking you tomorrow.”

With a shared laugh, Emma and her father headed back to the living room where everyone was seated. With one last kiss to her father’s cheek she took her spot by Killian on the couch. Immediately his hand found hers and she felt so at peace, and though she knew her parents eyes were watching her closely over the next hour of the party, Emma didn’t care. She knew they had their approval and best wishes, and that was perfect as far as she was concerned.

“You know, Ems, I don’t think you’ve given Killian a proper tour,” Anna said, the mischievousness of her intention seeping through in her tone.

“Well technically I haven’t given Ruby or Granny one either,” Emma quipped, expecting the subject to drop when she did, but it seemed not only Anna was in on this little attempt.

“Actually your Mother showed me around earlier,” Granny said with a wry smile.

“And I have the witchy all-seeing thing happening so I don’t really need tours,” Ruby said. Emma looked at them all, waiting to see if any of them would break, but they all stood strong, unyielding in their want to give Emma and Killian alone time.

“Right, well we’re all still visiting. Killian can look around any time. It’s not like he’s going anywhere,” Emma insisted and it was her mother who interjected.

“We know that, but still it would be rude not to give him the tour, honey. Go on – it won’t take you long and I’d hate to have to ask your father to do it.”

“Hey! I give great tours,” her father insisted and though Emma agreed she hopped up immediately, not wanting to subject Killian to an undisclosed amount of time with her Dad if they didn’t have to.

“Of course you do, Charming.”

“Quick, before they hurt themselves with the plotting on our behalf,” Emma whispered to Killian who chuckled aloud as he rose with her, following her out of the living room and towards the rest of the house.

“It’s crazy how one second they’re testing us and the next they’re trying to get us alone,” Killian mused as they walked through the study and then her parents’ library on the first floor. “I hardly know what to expect at any given moment.”

“I wish I could say that will change, but with my family it probably won’t. I love them, but they just love to meddle. It’s in their blood.”

“Which technically means it’s in your blood too, love, yet I never seem to see you interfering in such ways.”

“Maybe I just haven’t had the chance yet,” Emma said, pulling Killian towards the stairs so they could see upstairs. The action made her heart flutter. She’d never actually had a guy up here before, and all through her teen years she’d thought about it. Other kids were sneaking away with high school sweethearts, but Emma felt like she could never even try. Her parents were vigilant with a capital V and because of that Emma always knew it was best to play things safe. “Who knows, maybe when Elsa or Anna find someone I’ll be just as involved.”

“Somehow I don’t doubt that, love,” Killian said with a grin. “So this room was yours then.”

“How could you tell?” Emma joked, what with the girlish white canopy over the bed and the pale yellow color on the walls. There were also all sorts of books, most of them about animals, and trophies from her days running track and cross country.

“It feels like you here,” Killian said definitively. He moved forward, looking about on the tops of her dressers and tables. He gazed at every picture and item that she’d kept here. It was kind of a time capsule here, with the person she was at eighteen essentially frozen in place while still being surrounded by items from her younger days. But where she could have been embarrassed, she found she was totally comfortable with Killian seeing all of this.

“Did your room at home feel like you?” Emma asked, curious about his life abroad. She knew a lot about it, about the running and yet also how Killian felt safe there for so long. But she never asked for details like that, and she found herself now wondering what a snapshot into Killian’s youth would have looked like.

“It did to an extent. But it never held much significance to me. The house was important. It was the place my mother made for us, but my room… well I haven’t thought of it in a long time.”

“Sorry to bring up bad memories,” Emma whispered and Killian turned, approaching her and taking her hand in his.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Emma. The memories aren’t bad, not all of them. If anything you’re doing me a favor.” She looked into his eyes, searching for clarification. “You remind me that so much of my past was good, despite everything, and that as lost and broken as I’ve felt, I had everything I needed before. I have memories just as worth preserving as the ones worth forgetting.”

Emma felt a surge of pride at Killian’s words, not just because she was proud of him and his growth since they’d met, but also because she was happy she was making a difference in his life. Killian deserved to have the best and to access the good that he’d seen without the pain of the bad that had taken much of it away. If she helped him to rejoice in what was in any way she was overjoyed, and as he took her more fully into his arms, his hands drawing gentle but thrilling that feeling only grew stronger.

“So I hate to ask, but I can’t seem to help myself. Did you ever… I mean did anyone ever…”

“The only guests in this room were my family and Anna and Elsa,” Emma said, understanding what his question was going to be. She couldn’t help but smile at his jealousy of a boy who never existed, and when he looked so relieved at her confession she laughed aloud. “Tragically this room never saw much action.”

“Well we could change that, love,” Killian said, his eyes moving from hers down to her mouth. She could see the hunger there in his gaze, and as she watched him wet his own lips her heart fluttered and the gnawing sense of want low in her gut grew louder and louder. “We could pretend, just for a few moments, that our pasts aren’t what they were. We could pretend we’d met sooner, that we’d found each other all those years ago.”

“And let me guess, you’d have been the kind of boy who climbed up terraces to get the girl?” Emma asked, her voice going breathy as Killian’s hands moved across her body. She took a few steps towards the bed, and Killian immediately followed.

“If you were the lass up in the tower then yes, I’d have been exactly that kind of boy.”

Emma allowed herself to imagine what it would have been like. As a man Killian was gorgeous, and she knew as a teen he’d have stolen her breath away. The attraction they had now would still have been there, if just a little more awkward and bumbling. But it was a beautiful dream, to think of finding one’s soul mate so soon. She found herself craving that fantasy, and she pulled him down for a kiss to live it out if only for a moment. The two of them tumbled to the bed, but Emma noticed how quiet the action was, no doubt thanks to Killian’s shifter graces. It turned her on to no end, and she began to lose herself, forgetting where they were and why they were here. All she knew was she wanted Killian and she never wanted to let go. She wrapped herself around him, and lost all track of time. He always took her to this totally new place, and tonight was really no exception.

“I think we would have had a real problem if the fantasy were true, love,” Killian said when he finally pulled back from the delicious moment they were having. The words confused her and she blinked up at him only to find him smiling down at her thoughtfully, his fingers running through her hair as he gazed down at her. “I suspect I would have been here far too often. With an enticement like you up in this tower, nothing could have kept me away.”

“I’m sure my father would have loved that,” Emma joked and Killian grinned, his eyebrows wagging mischievously as he pulled her back up to a standing position and quickly straightened out the scene of the crime. He helped her pull her dress back to where it should be and then adjusted his shirt accordingly.

“Speaking of, I believe your father’s patience is wearing thin. I can hear pacing downstairs. What do you say we put him out of his misery?”

“Good call,” Emma agreed, taking one last look at her room and then accepting Killian’s hand as they headed back to the hallway. “But this is not over.”

“No it most certainly is not,” Killian agreed, pressing one last kiss to her lips before they descended the stairs and returned to the rest of the group who all gave them knowing looks. Killian remained unfazed by them, but Emma could feel a blush creeping over her cheeks. Still, she took her seat again on the couch, unwilling to let the attention get to her.

“Did you two have a nice time?” her mother asked and Emma tried to respond but Killian took the reins for her.

“We did. You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Nolan, one that’s clearly housed a remarkable life for your children.”

“Well thank you, Killian,” her mother said, clearly touched by the compliment. “That’s very sweet. I’m sure you and Emma will do the same someday soon.”

Emma inhaled so sharply that she almost started choking on air, but her mother’s grand statement had been even more badly timed for her father, who was taking a sip of his night cap. He began coughing immediately, his eyes almost bugging out of his head at the comment, but where everyone else looked concerned, Emma’s mother was not. “Oh come on, David. I was just teasing. I know they’ll do things in their own time. No one’s rushing anyone.”

“Good,” her Dad said when he finally caught his breath. “But please, let’s keep all future ‘teasing’ to moments when I’m not drinking, shall we?”

Everyone laughed and her mother agreed. “Sounds like a deal, Charming. Now why don’t you come sit down with me? I just convinced Ruby and Elsa and Anna that we should play some sort of game and I know how much you love charades. You can be on my team.”

Emma’s father smiled and moved across the room, but before he reached her mother a knock sounded at the door. Immediately the shifters went on red alert, and Emma guessed that Granny and Ruby had fallen into the same sense of comfort that Killian was prone to while in Storybrooke. It was hard to take shifters off guard, and with Ruby it should be even harder, but it had been done just now to none of their liking. Her Dad, however, didn’t seem worried in the slightest as he moved to the entryway. Only when he’d opened the door did she hear his inhale of breath and immediately Emma looked to see who it was, not believing her eyes when her gaze landed on the unannounced guest. She blinked a few times, stunned into silence and spell bound by the scene before her. There was no way. Like seriously, no way.

“Oh David,” the woman said, her voice filled with emotion and her big eyes filled with tears. “It’s really you. I found you. I finally found you.”

Instinctively, Emma’s mother stood up, moving to her Dad as the woman pushed forward and hugged him close and when she did, their new arrival was obscured from Emma’s vision. In that moment Emma told herself there was no chance that this could be who she thought it was. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her, but when they pulled back Emma saw her again and she knew she wasn’t mistaken. While this woman had never been here in all her life, Emma had seen this woman before, in a photo on her Dad’s desk at the clinic. But though so many years had passed since that photograph was taken, this woman stood here truly untouched by time. Somehow a ghost from the past was here with them tonight, and Emma was unable to fathom how anything like this could possibly be happening.

“Emma, love, who is that?” Killian asked, his voice on edge and his hands on her in a protective hold. She looked back to him, sensing his panic and his dislike for this uncertainty, and she reached for him, still not knowing what to say. She turned back to the rest of the room, and she found that the others were also looking at her for an answer, but Emma felt like hers couldn’t possibly be right. Still she said it aloud, hearing how crazy it sounded, but knowing despite all reason that her guess was correct.

“I think… I think it’s my grandmother.”

Post-Note: So I’m guessing most of you are looking at the screen you’re reading this on thinking ‘uh, what did she just say?’ and honestly that makes a lot of sense. This is a pretty out of left field thing, but I’ve known since the beginning that David’s story and his family aren’t as cut and dry as they’ve seemed. Not only do they have hunter lore and that background, but there are other things clearly at play if his Mom can potentially be back here. For those of you who don’t recall (and who aren’t going to read through thirteen chapters for Easter eggs), all we’ve heard of about Ruth was that she’s in a photo on David’s desk and that she reportedly died in childbirth. But not to worry, next chapter will address those questions of what the heck is happening, and you’ll see how this story line fits into other ones I have been weaving together throughout the story up to now. Anyway thanks so much for reading, and I really hope that you’ve enjoyed!

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