#this always makes me feel a bit like I am in Arnold's room from Hey Arnold! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thegirlwhowrites642 · 2 years

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He wasn't sure why

Summary: Harry is not very good at brooding when Ginny is around. (summer 1996)

HBP missing moment

Canon Complaint

Read also on AO3

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The sun shone on The Burrow, a perfect day for a fly, but despite his best efforts, Harry didn't seem able to shake the terrible mood he had woken up in. His last days of summer appeared destined to be clouded by what he had seen in Knockturn Alley. He knew that Malfoy was up to something shady, and Ron and Hermione dismissing his concerns wasn't helping him get the mystery out of his head. Was it really so difficult for them to trust him? Before he could spiral once more in the unfairness of his best friends' skepticism, the door of Ron's room opened and Ginny stepped in, her hands behind her back and her mane of long red hair framing her freckled face.

"Hey," she greeted him softly, her tone cheerful, and yet he could read it in her bright brown eyes that she was there with a purpose, Ginny always seemed to do everything with a purpose, constantly sure of herself, a never wavering rock.

"Gin, what are you doing here?" he asked unable to not let a corner of his mouth quirk up. Before he could register what was going on, Ginny was seated near him on his camp bed, their backs against the wall, their shoulders touching, and a warm sensation invaded his body. Whatever she had been hiding behind her was covered by her freckled creamy legs. He trusted that she would eventually show him what it was.

"I'm your new brooding buddy." she brought up her chin, her vibrant eyes boring into his. "I must confess I was initially a tad mad at you for depriving me of one of my last opportunities to annihilate you on a seekers match before we go back to school,"

"You'll never beat me, just give up," he couldn't help but point out smirking, but she went on unfazed,

"But then I realised I was missing the unique opportunity of witnessing the master of the brooding process at work, and so here I am!" her arms opening theatrically.

"I'm not brooding,"

"Sure, very convincing." but she didn't insist and a comfortable silence fell upon them. Even if he had been brooding, and that was still extremely arguable, Harry could've not imagined going back to his previous emotional state. There was something about Ginny Weasley... he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He suspected, if he were honest with himself, that it had always been there, but now that they were, finally, proper friends, it was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore it. All he knew was that it seemed particularly difficult to sulk when Ginny was around.

"Fine, maybe I was brooding," he admitted after a while.

"You don't say,"

"But just a little bit," the sound of her laughter filled him. Her shoulder bumped into his.

"Let me guess, it has something to do with the three of you disappearing while we were at Fred and George's shop," he supposed he should have been more surprised by her seemingly omniscient knowledge.

"I just..." she gently grabbed his arm and a sense of calm washed over him, he sighed, "I saw something that reminded me that as soon as we step out of the Burrow my biggest worry won't be reminding you of who is the superior seeker." matching grins were gracing their faces, yet her eyes carried a deep comprehension and not for the first time, he felt like she could read his mind.

"We did have a pretty idyllic summer, didn't we?"

"The very best," he confessed while memories of the two of them sneaking out at night for a fly, teasing Ron, making fun of Bill and Fleur, and talking about everything from the most serious topics to the silliest ones, invaded his mind.

"I have a surprise for you," she announced immediately affecting him with her enthusiasm despite his arm feeling suddenly cold by the loss of contact with her hand. "This is Arnold, Arnold the Pygmy Puff." a bundle of purple fur was placed right in front of his eyes, and he recognized the little animal Ginny had taken from her brothers' shop. "I've finally named him, I wanted you to be the first one to officially meet him," he wasn't certain of why that was and he even less understood why this need of hers made him so giddy but before he knew it, the little creature was in his hands and he was petting him. Then he fully registered what she'd said.

"Wait, you said you called him Arnold?" he couldn't stop laughing.

"Yes! It's a great name!"

"Gin, be honest with me, do you secretly hate animals? First Pig, then this?"

"I'll let you know, Captain Know-It-All, that Pigwidgeon means small creature, it's more than appropriate as a name for him. And Arnold, well, it's an anagram for Ronald. I did kind of steal from Ron the opportunity of naming his pet," she shrugged refusing to look at him as if the idea of showing care for her brother was something to be ashamed of.

"So, you like playing around with words?" Harry thought he should've realised, she had written him a poem after all.

"I-" and as she looked at him he noticed two things. One was that for the first time in years, he was witnessing an authentic Ginny Weasley blush and the other was that she was silently asking him to keep whatever she was going to reveal between them, "I like words, well, to be honest, I like writing."

"You write?" he wondered if it would ever come the day she stopped surprising him.

"Yeah..."

"What do you write? If you want to tell me,"

"A bit of everything," she said caressing Arnold, an action that brought her to press her front against his arm, for some reason he felt his neck warm-up, "Sometimes when I listen to Quidditch matches, I write an article about it like I was a journalist or something, I know it's stupid,"

"It's not stupid,"

"I mainly write personal thoughts and stories, though. I had stopped for a while because..." fragility suddenly showed itself in her entire body language.

"Because of Riddle." he realised, before he could stop himself he grabbed her hand in his, their fingers interlaced without hesitance, his thumb brushing her soft skin, and he felt her relax.

"Yeah, I think starting to write again was part of healing," while he listened intently, he became vaguely aware that despite them having done this all summer long, it was not normal for him to be so comfortable while having this type of conversation. But this was Ginny, it was just different with her, he could not imagine talking like this with anybody else.

"When did you start writing? I didn't know about it,"

"Oh, I was seven, Mum and Ron knew, but after a while, I think they forgot. I kind of stopped talking about it, it was almost like a secret," he couldn't help but observe how secrets seemed to surround Ginny. Her passion for Quidditch, the diary, her writing, her true personality... for a second he felt resentful, shouldn't he have been able to know her for longer? Why had she hidden from him for so long? It was not fair. "I think it was because at the time all my stories were about..."

"About?" he asked encouraging her by squeezing her hand, Arnold meanwhile was still producing delighted noises, loving the attention given to him by Harry's other hand. But Ginny did not answer, and when he finally looked at her, he saw her expression completely frozen in panic. He wondered what was the matter, then it hit him like lightning.

"No!" and he laughed like never before, "Please tell me he had a little adorable companion named Ginny!" her head snapped towards him.

"How do you-"

"Come on, do you really think I would forget my first encounter with the Ginny Weasley? First of September of 1991, King's Cross station. I remember her being quite taken with this dashing bloke known as The Boy Who Lived," he was never letting her live this down.

"I hate you!" she groaned burying her head between his shoulder and his chest.

"So, what were we up to? Did we defeat any dragons with a sword or-?"

"Shut up!"

"So definitely some dragons, did we have some cool talking animal? I've always wanted one. Maybe I should get a pet snake, I can actually talk with them after all..."

"I'll let you know that my Harry would have never made fun of me! He was a real gentleman, much funnier too, he never brooded,"

"Well, maybe his Ginny was more likable,"

"Hey! I'm extremely likable in any version!" her head lifted, and their noses were nearly touching, he was sure that her grin was matching his.

"Will you let me read them?" he surprised himself when his voice came out in a husky whisper.

"Never," if they hadn't been so close, he wouldn't have heard her.

"Come on, they are about me!" she rolled her bright eyes.

"They are about The Boy Who Lived, I didn't even know you wore glasses,"

"Maybe you should write a new one then,"

"And what should happen?" she was so close, and yet so far away, he felt like he was losing his mind.

"Well," he started licking his lips, "maybe Harry and Ginny should-"

"Harry!" they jumped apart, Ron had entered the room, and the raven-haired boy tried to suppress the thoughts of what the Harry and Ginny of the story should've done, what was wrong with him? "Oh, Ginny you are here too, perfect! Quidditch?" the other two nodded, "Great, we'll meet outside, I'll go convince Hermione to join us." and with that, he was out. For the first time in years, silence with Ginny wasn't comfortable, and he wasn't sure why.

"Er, I just- thank you, Gin." she looked at him, her cheeks held a rosy color. Was she blushing?

"For what?"

"It's pretty difficult to brood when you are around,"

"Oh,"

"I wish, I wish I could be there for you like you always seem to be for me," at his words something in her eyes changed, they were blazing.

"You are."

"You don't need to lie,"

"I'm not," a mischievous smile appeared on her lips "and if you stick around maybe next time you'll pay attention to what you're doing,"

"I will." he didn't think it would ever again come a time in which he didn't pay attention to Ginny Weasley.

#ron has the wrost timing #harry potter #ginny weasley #hinny #harry x ginny #ginny x harry #harry and ginny #halfblood prince missing moment

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futurewriter2000 · 3 years

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Little Secrets - pt. 3

A/N: I had been writing this for days but I really love the idea of where this is going. Lol. Also, I would like to thank @barkermarkersharker for the lovely idea that I just had to use. Also, this will be more than a three part I guess.

Your father has been dragging James on all sorts of social gatherings all week. He has been excited but also exhausted. He had come home only to eat and sleep, except on Wednesday. That day he went hiking with Sirius before collapsing into his bed.

A rough week for James Potter but it was Saturday and he will soon be home. Sirius and you had been getting along well. You haven't been holding any sort of grudge towards James but you had your moments where you mentioned some sort of remark of the whole keeping you a secret thing.

Now that he is free this week, he can finally help you and Sirius bond.

He came home with a smile on his face, excited that his week of torture was over. He dropped his bag on the hall and ran up stairs. He barged into his room to find Sirius but he was nowhere in sight. He than ran into your room and you weren't there either.

His brows furrowed, his lips turned down and he ran back to the kitchen. "Hey mum." he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed a fry from the bowl. "Where are Sirius and (y/n)?" he asked, sitting down on the chair and looking at the porch, thinking he will maybe see them there.

"Well, they're at the beach, honey." his mum said, furrowing an eyebrow at him. "I thought they told you?"

"No." he replied, a bit disappointed at the answer.

"Well, it was all last minute. (Y/n) woke up earlier than usual and at breakfast both with Sirius decided to go to the beach with some of her friends." she smiled, thinking to that morning. "You and your father were already gone but you two should have seen them together. We were all laughing so hard this morning. They even invited me to come but I said no because what would me be doing there at the beach with all them youngsters." she continued to smile brightly. "They were both so persistent that I really thought they wanted me to come- do you think there could actually happen something between them?" she asked out of curiosity, looking at James.

James however, choked on his fry and started to cough. "What?"

"Sirius and (Y/N). They seem to get along so great. Like they're meant for each other and I wouldn't mind Sirius becoming my son in law. And imagine what gorgeous babies would they have together."

"Oh! Mom!"James stood up, laughing but feeling horrible inside. "Please, stop. (Y/n) is not a wizard and Sirius is. Even if they do get along, they are both meant to live in two completely different world." he started to get a bit agitated, pouring himself a glass of lemonade.

"We all live in two different world, James. If it wasn't for (y/n), your father and I and you wouldn't know about certain, amazing things about Muggles."

"Yeah but!" he turned around, raising his tone and opening his arms to explain something he couldn't even explain to himself yet. "No. No... they're not..."

"I think there is something between them." your mother smiled, meanwhile James only glared at her. "You don't get along with a person that well and think of it as just friendship."

But you liked girls! - James wanted to scream but knew he couldn't have outed you to his parents. You've always preferred girls over guys, anyway. He only remembers one guy from your whole life that you had had an interest in. All the others were girls.

You can't with Sirius. He's... and you are just not right for each other. Just not!

Your mother could see the injustice James felt in his bones right now. He was frustrated with the idea of you and Sirius together. She tried soothe the tension in the air, turning to James and telling him. "Why don't you go to the beach as well? Meet (y/n)'s friends."

"I already know them mum." he pouted.

"You know of them, James. There's a difference. There's nothing wrong with having Muggle friends."

"I know it's just... what am I supposed to tell them if I can't mention magic at all? Like what do Muggles even talk about?"

"There is more to life than just magic, James." was all what your mother said back.

---

James didn't dress much to the beach, since it was quite windy, as per usual. He wore his usual white jeans with a brown belt, white T-shirt and a jean T-shirt blouse with rolled sleeves. He was walking through the beach to find you and Sirius but the two of you were running around like two wild beasts, laughing so loud he could spot you from a mile away.

You were piggy back riding Sirius and he was running from towards a small group of friends. There were another couple, racing the two of you.

The two of you obviously ran. If Sirius was anything athletic, he was fast. That boy ran from every single Prefect, Head Boy, Head Girl, Professor, wolf-Remus, odd forest monsters and Filch in that school. Of course, the two of you won.

He threw himself, and you, on the blanket, both rolling and laughing as well as cheering.

"HELL YEAH!" you raised your palms in the air as Sirius high-fived them both.

"Why are you panting? I was the one carrying you and running."

"Hey, this was a two people effort. I was your moral support up there." you smiled and all of you laughed before Sirius eyes darted to the approaching figure and his smile suddenly fell, then rised up again.

You turned to look and saw your brother approaching the whole lot of you with a faint smile.

"BROTHER!" you jumped to your feet and ran towards him.

"Don't hug me! Don't hug me!" he started to avoid you by running backwards and putting his hand up. "Stay away from this fit."

"Really?" you glowered at him, then kicked sand at him.

"You rat!" he shouted and started to chase you, grabbing you around the waist and lifting you up.

"PUT ME DOWN! NO! NOOOO!!!" you screamed and laughed at the same time because you knew what he was about to do. "You'll wet your shoes!"

"Not if I throw you." he laughed.

"You don't have the strength."

"But I have magic." he grinned and you gasped.

"You prat! You wouldn't."

"Ready?"

"Please don't. DON'T! JAMES!!" he was getting closer to the water, laughing.

"You'll get to clean the dishes for the whole month and the bathroom when it's my turn."

"A WHOLE MONTH?!" you exclaimed. "Hell no! Throw me into the sea. I don't care." you stopped resisting and he let out a laugh, taking a few steps forward and just dropping you into shallow water.

---

You had returned back, completely wet and cold. You grabbed the extra blanket from the ground and plopped yourself down, glaring at him.

"I will murder you when we come home and I will bury you next to Minki."

"Then you'll really have to clean the dishes and bathroom every month."

"I don't care." you turned your head dramatically, before laughing with him.

"Here." said James and gave you his red sweater.

"Thanks." you said ,grabbing it, taking your wet shirt off and putting it back on, later taking off your soaked bra under it. "Thank God, it's summer." you praised under your breath, leaning back on your arm and looking around, seeing both of your friends making googly eyes at your brother.

"So how was the meeting Jamie?"

"Dull." James mimicked your position. "Sooner than later, you realise that all the gatherings and the meetings and the parties have the same system. Talk about old friends and family first, turn to business and end with something like; we'll keep in touch."

"You had your fun then." Sirius smiled but looked at you when he did.

"Any lassies you caught your eye on?" you asked, looking at your friends from the corner of your eye.

"If you didn't come with dad on these gatherings, what makes you think other lassies did?"

"A question, brother. No need to get fussy about it." you said as you wanted to change the subject but Sirius caught you to it.

"OH MERLIN! A PIG!" he shouted and got on his feet. "It's a pig!" he started to jump excitedly.

"Sirius don't you even think about it..." you said but he was already running towards it, scooping the baby pig into his arms and starting to pet it. An old man approached him and the next thing you knew, Sirius was giving the man money, over-excited for the little pink being in his arms.

He ran back to the group and lifted the animal in his arms. "I got a pig!" he said like a little boy who had got himself his first toy.

"Oh my, God."

---

"I like the name Arnold." you said as you continued to pet the little pig next to Sirius, cooing at him.

"For the thousandth time. HER name is Treasure."

"I'll call you Arnold." you said at the pig as it smiled at you and bumped her nose at your fingers.

"Treasure!" he pulled the pig closer and kissed her forehead. "Don't you listen to her, Treasure. She wasn't the one who took you in, she doesn't get to name you." he glowered at you and you stuck your tongue out at him.

Meanwhile James was walking behind the two of you this whole time. Your mother was right. The two of you did get along great, even better than usual and he felt excluded from his two best friends.

And the worst part was that the two of you didn't even notice it. The two of you didn't notice how miserable he was- that was such a selfish thought. He should be happy that the two of you were getting along.

He was arguing with his mind.

"So, Jamie!" you ran back to him and wrapped your arm around his. "You are the tie-breaker. Arnold or Treasure?"

James let out a laugh. "How about Mum-will-kill-you-two?"

"Don't be buzz kill, Prongs. It's Treasure because I had found her and she is the biggest treasure in my life."

"He's turning into mum." James whispered to you but loud enough for Sirius to hear him and narrow his eyes at the two of you.

"Oh, darn. Dad's got two of them now." you started to joke.

"Hope Euphemia won't get jealous." James continued as the two of you snickered.

"Dad's gonna go bankrupt. Has to buy another ring. Should we call you mother now, Sirius?" you raised an eyebrow at him.

He put the pig down and pointed at the you and James. "Treasure. Attack!"

But Treasure just sat on her bum and gave Sirius googly eyes.

"Awww!" he scooped her back up and waddled her. "We should go shopping tomorrow." he smiled at the two of you. "I want Treasure to keep up with fashion."

"Buying her a leather jacket and a curly, black hair wig?"

"Don't you listen to her. You've got pretty pink hair." he kissed her forehead and went into the house.

"You have some weird friends, Jamie." you shook your head.

"They're not weird. It's just him... that's a bit extra..."

"I can still hear the two of you! I am NOT extra!"

---

James has become more fond od Treasure through the evening. He was sitting on his bay window, looking through at the distance where the field stretched into the distance. Treasure was lightly snoring in his lap as his hand was caressing her tiny head into sweeter dreams.

Treasure started to breathe a bit harder during her sleep, so James lightly opened the window and let the summer breeze wash over her. It was almost as that little pig's mouth curved into a thankful smile. Despite the fact how much everybody disagreed on the pig becoming part of the family, James was really thankful for this lovely little being in his lap. He always had a feeling about animals. Even Minki, his mother's old cat, seemed to crawl onto his chest when he was laying and purr over his heart. Mother said it was a miracle because Minki never liked anybody, not even your father or you but through the years, she got a bit softer for everybody.

"Tell me what's on your mind and I'll tell you what's on mine?" James heard Sirius say from the outside.

His attention wavered from the pig to the voices bellow him. He completely forgot his room is right above the porch but he didn't intend to listen.

He heard you laugh and then stop to pause. He knew that pause. "You know today was the first day I saw James jealous of me." you let out a laugh and James furrowed his eyebrows at your statement.

"I wasn't jealous." he whispered to himself. "Was I jealous?" he asked the sleeping pig on his lap, than thought back to today and concluded. "I was maybe a wee jealous."

"How do you know he was jealous?" Sirius asked and you smiled with a roll of your eyes.

"It doesn't take a mind reader to see this." you snorted, than pulled yourself on the fence as you usually did. "Plus whenever he's having angry thoughts the space between his eyebrows furrow and he looks extremely tense. I keep telling him that that is his tell but he never listens."

You were right. You do always tell him about his little tells but he just does them subconsciously.

"I remember before I turned eleven, James would constantly make me jealous by telling me about magic. How he started showing his magic abilities when he was seven and I was ten but didn't even show a tad of it." you started and your voice started to quiver a bit. It was when you started to show your rawest side. You didn't much open up to anybody but when you did, you really went into the most deepest parts of yourself. "When we found out I was a Squib, James stopped with the whole teasing but it was too late, you know? He had already told me about Hogwarts and given me such expectations to be sorted into the same house as him or a Hufflepuff. He loved Hufflepuffs... and I remember crying when Dumbledore told me and my parents that I can attend Hogwarts for magical knowledge but will never be able to preform it. I can never forget the disappointment in my father's eyes. He was so shocked that I was a Squib, it was his reaction that made me cry so hard that day." you continued, speaking in a calm, controlled voice. "I didn't want to stand out in Hogwarts so I said I don't want to. James told me I could still go to Muggle schools and become more magical and successful even if I'm not a wizard and that gave me hope." you smiled and James mathed your smiled from another room, still listening. "Though it always bugged me- the whole Squib thing. We came from such a powerful wizarding family and I was the one who got born without it."

"It happens even to the best of families, (y/n)." Sirius tried to reason but you only smiled. "It happened to my family as well... but... she married a Muggle so... it sort of made sense..."

"Exactly. Both of my parents come from powerful families, that's why it didn't make sense to me and I couldn't understand why nobody did any more research. They all just accepted it."

"But you didn't?"

"No. I didn't." you replied determined. "It didn't make sense to me. It was like a whole family line with black eyes and black hair and black skin existed and all of a sudden a ginger with blue eyes and fair light skin was born to that family. And I know it happens in family but not in this family, you know?" you tried to explain. "And I know James and I are different from each other, thank God. It makes sense because my father's side of the family are all alike, which is from whom James takes it from but my mother's side is diverse, that's why our physical features are so different. Genes. Those genes make sense but magical genes? Wizards marrying wizards in my family and it just didn't make sense to me. I couldn't let it go."

"The stubborn gene." Sirius tried to joke and James snorted at his comment.

"I was always jealous of James. I just never showed it but then I was in London with my friends- it was a school trip- and there was this psychic."

"Oh no."

"I know what you're thinking but let me explain!"

"Muggle Psychics are such a skam."

"Let me explain you broom flying shit."

"Alright. No need to get mean." Sirius backed off, meanwhile James was holding his laughter in the other room.

"Psychics feed off an energy and vibrations. Yes, some are skammers but there was something different with this woman. When we locked eyes through the window, I got this odd shiver down my spine and something about her eyes... it felt so real...

'++ You were standing in front of store and it felt like it was only you and the store in this world. Your friends were nowhere by but that was the last thing on your mind. You had been there and the store and the mere nothingness of the world.

You opened the door, they jingled and spread an odd athmosphere on your body. You didn't know whether you felt anxious or free. Perhaps the feeling of freedom gave you a bit of anxiety as well.

"Come in, child." you heard a voice from another room and before you even took a step, she was already in sight.

She was leaning on the wall, dipping her tea bag into the boiling water. She wasn't like those psychics the television represents. She wore a long dress that was tight around her waist. She was in a nice form and you couldn't figure out whether she was 30 or 40.

"I'm 52." she answered your question before giving you a pleasant smile with beautiful teeth and making her way into another room. "I know, I don't look like it much but that's the power of magic." she continued to say, poking her head out of the room and grinning. "But you would know everything about that, wouldn't you?"

You felt something swallow you but you gathered your thoughts quickly. "Unicorns, fairies... all of them live in my backyard, yes." you said as you also made your way to the room, letting your hand brush the colourful crystals hanging on a silver chains.

"They're all around you, you know?" she smiled and you furrowed your eyebrow at you. "Fairies I mean but they only appear if they want to, that's why you've never seen them. They don't want to appear."

"Alright?" you sounded doubtful.

"Come on, sit."

And you sat.

She sat across from you and opened her hands on the table. "Go on. Give me your hands. You didn't walk in here just to stare at me."

And as soon as you gave her your hands, you felt this magnetic pull towards this woman. It was something you gave her and it was something she gave you back.

Her eyes were closed but the way her lips pursed together and eyebrows furrowed, you knew she was a bit confused. "Oh dear..." she mumbled under her breath but regained her posture and mind. "What we're doing right now are exchanging energies darling. The Universe is responding to it, giving me a download. Whether you believe in the Universe, the energies, vibrations or the Law of Attraction, it does exist. You cannot fight it. It simply exists." she continued to explain and you listened. "Your inner child is in need of healing- I see you still haven't moved on from something that had caused a massive change in your childhood..." she opened her eyes a bit. "Magic?"

"I... I don't have magic."

"Oh, honey. You don't need to move a feather to have magic." she gave you a loving, caring smile. "We all hold magic inside of us. You just have to believe in it."

And it was in the way she spoke that she gave you a large amount of hope. All the anxiety was gone- as if it never existed. You just wanted to stay in there forever.

"I also see you've been troubling yourself with a question for a long time and I'm here to give you an answer..." ++'

"What did she say?!" Sirius exclaimed in anticipation. He was really invested in this whole story, meanwhile you had to take a moment to breathe.

"Well... in the beginning when she said "Oh, dear..." she was referring to the black magic I carried inside all these years." you tried to smile but it squeezed your heart. "I don't have it anymore. I washed it off a year ago but what really made me upset was that if I washed it before I turned eleven, I could be a witch myself." you looked up, trying to show him that you weren't affected by talking about this, though clearly you were.

"What do you mean?"

"When my nana was alive, on my mother's side, she always forbid people to come when mother was pregnant with James and when James was just a baby. When they did come, she would sage the house and search it from head to toe because people could have left omens or something that would do something to a child. Despite the fact that she was a wizard, she was extremely superstitious. At least, that's what mum told me. It annoyed her a bit." you paused. "She died not long after James was born and before I was conceived and Nora, the psychic told me that nana has been protecting both of us from the other world but she couldn't protect me in this world like she had done with James."

"Meaning what? Somebody did black magic on you?" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows meanwhile James was listening up there, just as confused.

"Nora talks to the spirits, and she talked to nana. Nana said that my father's auntie was the one, attempting to put black magic on James but was unsuccessful. Then tried again with me... bringing a whole tea set as a present and Nora said that teas have an enormous power, whether we know it or not. It can heal you but it can also sicken you- herbs an all."

"Yeah, I know. I've been taking Herbology with agony but still listened to it."

"The tea set was cursed and whenever my mother drank from it I would consume the black magic that came with it. It created a blockage for my magic and when I turned eleven, it finally did its job by never letting me use magic at all." you smiled but a tear rolled down your face. "She told me I could still have magic, you know? If I removed the black magic, I'd remove the blockage but there was a catch."

"What?"

"I'd become an Obscurial." you looked at him and his eyes dawned with a loss of hope. "I know, I was disappointed as well. I didn't want ot be an Obscurial and I had already created the Muggle life, accepted it and loved it- so I gave up on magic. I didn't want that kind of magic. I wasn't desperate like I was when I was a kid but still it hurt.- She told me how to get rid of the black magic completely and I had followed every step. I felt lighter afterwards, like something has been lifted off my shoulders. I didn't know I was carrying something so heavy all my life but I felt fantastic after it."

"Did you tell your parents or James?"

"No." you shook your head. "I didn't want to burden them with this knowledge and they already accepted the whole Squib part of me and I got closure as well... knowing that I wasn't picked out of the family. I was just a wee unfortunate." you smiled, looking up at the stars. "Nana said through Nora that she'll always protect us- all of us and she told me that I should try to find my own magic in the world, how special I was and all of those things. Some days, I really do feel like she's with me. Sometimes when we eat together or the days I sit here and look up at the stars." you laughed. "It sounds a bit crazy but-"

"No...it doesn't." Sirius said as he took your hand in his, smiling at this magnificent woman in front of you.

James already closed the window. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He knew your father's auntie was a bit odd but to do black magic on her own family is just fucked up.

He needed to know something. He needed to go to the attic.

Meanwhile you and Sirius were still on the porch. Still so wonderfully living among the stars. You jumped down from the fence and leaned back. Whenever he would touch you, you felt a rush of emotions go through you- those anxious butterflies banding together in your stomach and trying to burst free. Your cheeks would heat up... and whenever Sirius was close, this close, you would even get afraid of what he might do next.

Flirting was one thing for you; fun and easy but when it came to real feelings, that was when you were a complete mess.

Sirius was standing close to you but he didn't touch you. "All that talk about energies..." he started, breathing a bit heavily as he was getting closer to you. "Does that mean we exchange it too?"

"Yeah." you replied with shallow breathing.

"And when I touch you like this..." he said, taking a hold of your hand and lifting it up a bit, interlocking his fingers with you, then looking deep into your eyes. "Do you feel it?"

"I feel it..." you replied, staring into his lips, marvelling at their beauty as your whole body would pulse.

"And now?" he asked, placing his other hand on your hip and pushing you gently on the wooden pillar.

"Uh..." you swallowed thickly as your heart rate started to beat abnormally. "I feel you..."

He pressed his forehead onto yours and started to close the gap between your lips. "Good..." he growled a little and pressed his lips onto yours. His body, hot, pushing you against the pillar, meanwhile his hand on your hip squeezed you tightly, releasing a pleased whimper from your lips. His strong arms would wrap themselves under your thighs and lift you up until they were wrapped around his waist. His kisses deep and passionate caused your head to swirl. Your fingers dug into his curls and tugged on a little, causing a satisfied smile to appear on his lips.

He would pull away for a moment, gaze into your eyes than to your every feature. He would start to remove your hair from your cheek, just to take a closer look at you. You were amazed by his strength. He was holding your whole body weight with one hand that it only made you feel more attracted to the man.

Than before you knew it, something fell on the floor in the living room, making the both of you jump and look who had just caught you.

"Oh, bloody hell!!" Sirius gasped. "Treasure, what the hell?" he looked at the pig as the pig happily jumped towards him.

"I think she's a bit jealous." you giggled, meanwhile Sirius scooped the little being into his arms.

"Does this look jealous to you?" he turned her towards you and the pig was simply enjoying the little belly rub, smiling at you as well and trying to sniff you.

"I still can't believe my parents didn't allow me to have a fish but allowed you to bring a whole pig home."

"I think you're the one jealous." he raised an eyebrow meanwhile you rolled your eyes.

"I could never be... especially of this gorgeous little piggy." you rubbed her belly as well as she let a few pleased squeeks.

"I thought Prongs was babysitting you?" he tol her. "We shall find him, shan't we?"

---

However, James was sitting in the dark attic, surfing through old boxes of his grandparents things. Especially his nana's, which he regretted a bit when he pulled out old lingerie.

"Oh, ew..." he quickly threw it away. "I did not need to know that." he surfed through the old box, finally finding what he has been looking for...

#sirius black #sirius black imagine #sirius black x reader #james potter #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #marauders #marauders x reader #marauders imagine #marauders imagines #remus lupin #remus lupin imagines

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smegdwarf · 3 years

Text

But Who Could Love Me? (Rimmer X Reader) - Chapter 2

A/N: ..........👀

Warnings: Eh not really

Summary: Pretty much just giving Rimmer the love he deserves ☺️

It was no surprise that your new found friendship with Rimmer lead to teasing and wind ups from the rest of the crew but you being you, you took it on the chin. Something Rimmer admired you for.

“So let me get this straight? You’re friends with Rimmer now?” Lister asked, mischief in his voice.

“Is that a problem?” You replied, your eyes not leaving the book in front of you.

“No no...” Lister paused for a second “It’s just a bit weird”

“Well I am weird Listy!” You looked up with a smile.

“Ain’t that the truth” Lister laughed as you stood up “Where is his royal smegness anyway?”

“Working which is more than I can say for you Lister!” You smirked before flicking Listers nose and leaving the room.

“Ow you smegger!” You heard him shout after you.

You knew without putting too much thought into it where Rimmer would be, after all someone had to make sure Red Dwarf was running smoothly and headed in the right direction ...although he may not have been the best choice.

“Good Afternoon” You smiled as you walked into the Dwarfs navigation room, Rimmer quietly making his way through the book he was borrowing from you “Enjoying the book?”

“Well I was until they brought in a love storyline” Rimmer screwed up his nose “What’s wrong with a having a good story without love?”

“Is love really that bad?” You laughed a little as Rimmer’s eyes met you with a dead stare “Anyway...”

“What brings you here?” Rimmer asked putting the book down, maintaining friendships was always a challenge.

“Here, the dumb snack dispenser chucked out two bars when I only paid for one” You smiled as you placed the extra chocolate bar down next to the book followed by some almost inaudible jabbering from the snack machine just outside the door “Now it’s giving me back chat”

You’re little escapade with the snack dispenser brought a small smile to Rimmer’s lips as he let out a soft laugh while the snack machine outside continue to lose it.

“Hey buddy, you chucked out two snacks instead of one not me” You shouted out of the door at the machine.

“You didn’t have to take the second one” The snack machine was clearly up for a fight.

“Shut it or I will unplug you!” You threatened the machine as Rimmer laughed behind you “Am I really about to throw punches with a snack machine?”

“Apparently so” Rimmer smiled, still tickled by your snack fight.

“Well if it keeps you smiling” You shrugged with a smile “So what’s the plan for today?”

“I ...erm ...no plan yet” Rimmer stuttered, it would honestly be a miracle for him to accept your kindness without almost having a full blown panic attack.

“Ok well give me a shout if anything changes, there’s a few things Kryten wants me to take a look at” You smiled as you went to leave.

“Erm I’ve been meaning to ask ...what exactly is it that you do?” Rimmer was generally curious as you had never confirmed exactly what your position on your old ship was but you also couldn’t help but feel that Rimmer also didn’t want you to leave just yet.

“I’m an engineer” You smiled leaning against the door frame.

“What kind of engineer? Snack machines? Drink machines?” Before Rimmer wouldn’t even look at you and now here he is trying to hold a full conversation.

“An engineer engineer, I’m trained to fix anything that’s broken”

“C-can I help?” Rimmer asked innocently.

“I’m sure there’s a chicken soup dispenser that needs fixing somewhere” You smiled with a wink “Come on”

Rimmer didn’t know whether to groan and glare or smile and laugh at your dig, settling with a playful glare and a soft ‘you little smeg’ as you made your way to Kryten.

“So where do you need me to start Krytes?” You asked the mechanoid enjoying mopping the floors of the ship far more than anyone ever should.

“Oh of course, this way ma’am” It was only then when Kryten looked up from the floor he was cleaning that he realized that you wasn’t alone “Excuse me ma’am but are you aware Mr Rimmer is standing behind you?”

“Yes Kryten, he’s going to help me” You laughed as Kryten pulled a face of worry “Don’t worry it’ll be fine Krytes”

“Yes of course, this way” Kryten walked on a head.

“Bloody gimboid!” Rimmer muttered.

“Lister corrupted him, you know he can’t help it” You smiled as Rimmer’s shoulders relaxed and all tension left his body, you clearly had a stronger affect on him than you thought.

“Don’t you need tools?” Rimmer asked, noting your lack of a tool box or trolley.

“Who needs tools when we’ve got Kryten” You smiled as you patted the droid on the shoulder “He is basically a walking multi-tool ...no offense Krytes”

“None taken ma’am ...you are technically correct” Kryten gave you a smile only a droid can give.

“Let’s get fixing shall we?” And with that you took off to fix the many, many issues on Red Dwarf.

A few hours later and you were joined, in Rimmer’s eyes, by an unwanted visitor. Despite working away behind a soup dispenser you knew exactly who it is was without looking.

“What’s going on here then?” You could tell Lister was grinning, making a clear point about you and Rimmer working together “See we don’t even need to set it up anymore”

“Set what up?” Rimmer asked completely blind to what the boys had really been up to the moment you glitched to the ship.

“Just ignore him” You grumbled from behind the dispenser, rattling a pipe “Hey Arnie? Could you move the dispenser nozzle over for me please?”

“Ok” Rimmer replied quick and short as he did as you asked, apart from Kryten as soon as you were joined by either of the remaining crew Rimmer would instantly withdraw, almost too scared to even speak incase Lister would pick him apart or even worse he’d upset you., after all the filter between his brain and his mouth was faulty and he was much more aware of it with you around.

“Perfect!” You smiled at Rimmer from behind the machine as you triggered the machines cleaning system, a projectile wave of old chicken soup chunks covering Lister “Well that might explain why it wasn’t working?”

“YOU BLOODY SMEGHEADS!” Lister stormed off in a huff, presumably to the nearest shower.

“Have fun!” You called down the corridor after him as Rimmer broke into laughter “Two can play that game Listy!”

“Was that actually the problem with it?” Rimmer asked referring to the machine.

“Oh no, as soon as he opened his mouth I thought you know what would make him look better? Old chicken soup chunks!” You laughed as Rimmer looked at you almost in awe.

“You’re perfect” Rimmer let slip as he laughed, catching himself almost instantly attempting to covering it up.

“Arnold?” You replied surprised, for Rimmer that was the last thing you were expecting to escape his mouth.

“The prank!” He stuttered “I meant the prank was perfect”

“Come on, Kryten will almost be ready with dinner” You smiled, sparing Rimmer from more embarrassment than he was already feeling as his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink “I’m starving”

“Erm you’re a hologram, holograms don’t eat?” Rimmer pointed out, his smile slowly returning.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t feel hunger, let’s go!” You smiled as you walked off ahead, a soft chuckle from Rimmer travelled down the corridor.

Arriving back at the crews quarters The Cat and Lister were already digging into their dinner, the usual vindaloo.

“Your dinner ma’am” Kryten smiled as he placed the pasta dish down in front of you.

“Thanks Krytes, it looks great” You grinned at your plate.

“See Listy, I told you other food existed besides vindaloo curry” Rimmer grinned as he sat down at the table continuing on with his book from earlier earning a not so subtle groan from Lister.

“Hey pretty lady” Cat scooted his chair over to you, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Don’t even think about it” The Cat had made it his mission since you got here to try and ‘win you over’ but no matter how many times you turned him down he was reluctant to give up.

“Oh come on” Cat tried again, you noticed Rimmer watching you from the side of his vision behind his book.

“You need to back off before all 9 of your lives flash before your eyes” You said sternly enough that he eventually moved back.

“Obviously you’re not interested in the Cat or Kryten ...so what about me?” Lister looked up from his plate with the devil in his eyes.

“Why has my love life suddenly became topic of discussion?” You sighed as you tried to continue eating, Rimmer had completely stopped reading as he hid behind his book.

“Well would you?” Lister pushed a little more.

“I wouldn’t no” You replied bluntly as a grin formed on Listers face.

“What about Rimmer?” You choked on your pasta as the words left Listers mouth, Rimmer completely frozen behind his book.

“Just because there is a woman on your ship doesn’t mean one of you has to sleep with her?” You shouted as you dropped your fork, a loud clang radiating through the room as the metal hit the plate.

“It’s just hypothetical, you don’t have to date any of us” Lister pointed out.

“Lister shut up!” Rimmer growled, sensing your anger.

“Damn right I don’t” You stood up in a huff “Why do men never think with their brain?”

And with that you stormed out, leaving your dinner unfinished and you not quite sure where you were storming off too.

Realizing the only place you could really escape without being bothered was your room. Asking Holly to lock the door before throwing yourself in your bunk. It’s times like this that made you glad you chose to have your own quarters. Who knows what kind of hell would ensue if you hadn’t? You knew in their minds the boys probably didn’t mean it to be harmless but you weren’t standing for it ...and for that matter neither was Rimmer, it wasn’t much but he did try and get Lister to stop.

After losing yourself in a book for a couple hours you decided to go hunt down a snack machine, after all you had abandoned your dinner earlier. It would be your luck though that you didn’t have enough money on you, your foul mood insisting you take a hit on the snack machine but before you could an arm in a blue sleeve appeared over your shoulder to place a coin into the slot.

“Here” Rimmer said softly but still managing to scare the life out of you ...well metaphorically.

“Bloody hell” You grumbled as you held your chest, you maybe a hologram but holograms could still have heart attacks.

“Sorry I didn’t meant to...” Rimmer panicked.

“It’s fine and thank you, you didn’t have to do that” You managed a smile as your snack hit the bottom of the machine.

“Sorry about earlier” Rimmer’s eyes shot to the floor.

“It wasn’t your fault Arnie?” You looked at him a little sad, he didn’t do anything wrong and yet he was still taking the blame “Please don’t blame yourself”

“If you want I can get Kryten to make you another dinner...” Rimmer started to blabber “It’s not a problem”

“Arnie it’s fine” You smiled, placing your hand on his shoulder and feeling him instantly relax.

“The boys are having a game night, if you want to join?” Rimmer asked

“Erm I think I’ll pass this time” You spoke softly “I’m not really in the mood”

“Yeah me neither ...I best get going though” Rimmer turned to leave.

“You know you don’t have to go to game night...” You hesitated to see if he’d pick up on where you were going.

“What?” Rimmer froze, as far as he was concerned he was dreaming and he’d wake up any moment.

“You’re more than welcome to keep me company for the evening... if you want?” You smiled as Rimmer mulled over your offer “Come on”

You couldn’t help but smile at the sound of the footsteps behind you, pleased that Rimmer had chose the option that would make him happy and instead of going with what everyone else was doing so he didn’t feel left out. Rimmer had only seen your quarters from the door as you swapped over books for him, this time he was actually inside, looking around and taking in all of his surroundings.

“Excuse me while I change” You said calmly.

“Wait what?” Rimmer panicked, completely forgetting in that moment that you were a hologram and only focusing on the ‘change’ part of your sentence.

“Comfies please Hol!” You asked the computer as your blue uniform changed to leggings and an oversized jumper “Ah much better ...maybe you should try changing into something comfier?”

“I don’t think I have anything like that?” Rimmer spoke quietly, you were clearly distracting him.

“Holly, find some comfy clothes for Rimmer please?” You asked Holly again.

“Don’t look!” Rimmer exclaimed.

“What?” You laughed.

“I’m know I’m a hologram but don’t look while I change” Rimmer chuckled.

“Alright fine I won’t look” You laughed as you covered your eyes “Go on Holly!”

“Oh god this feels weird” Rimmer looked over his new clothes, black jogging bottoms and a blue jumper and even you couldn’t deny how soft and sweet he looked as he stood in front of you confused.

“Good weird?” You smiled as you sat down on your bunk.

“Too soon to say” Rimmer was completely occupied by what he was wearing to notice you had sat down.

“Hey Holly, is there anything new to watch?” You asked as Rimmer stood next to your bunk “Well sit down then”

“Are you sure?” It was clear he was nervous, it had been a really long time since he’d had any interaction with the opposite sex and even when he was alive it wasn’t something he was particularly experienced with.

“Yes” You laughed softly as you patted the spot next to you gently “Please sit down”

“You know if the others find us they’ll rinse us?” Rimmer sat down next you cautiously, as far he was concerned this was all some sort of elaborate joke and you were going to walk away or tell him to leave.

“Oh I have a plan don’t worry” You smiled as you looked over at the screen “Holly?”

“Yes Y/N?” Holly replied.

“Could you make sure the door is locked please? ...oh and see if you can get one of the scutters to bring up some snacks too please?” You made your demand, a sweet but nervous smile lighting up Rimmer’s face.

“Bob should be up in a few minutes, shall I tell him to leave your delivery outside the door?” Holly asked.

“You know the drill Hol!” You grinned.

“Something tells me you’ve done this before?” Rimmer raised his eyebrow, his hands resting in his lap.

“Well I need an escape from the rest of you sometimes you know” You teased “Well the other 3 anyway”

“You chose me over them?” Rimmer looked at you confused as the scutter tapped the door outside.

“I suppose I did” You smiled as you went to retrieve the delivery, turning back round to see a smug and rather pleased smile on Rimmer’s face “Hey no need to be a smug git ...or I might have to start calling you Ace?”

“Oi?” Rimmer shot you a glare as you sat back down.

“I’m joking” You laughed a little, picking up the chocolate bar Rimmer had got you earlier, breaking it in half and offering it to him “Here...”

“Erm thanks” Rimmer smiled as he took the offer.

“You’re welcome ...Holly start the film!” You asked the computer and that was it.

From that moment on movie night with Rimmer became a regular thing, you had both agreed not to speak a word to anyone else. After all you didn’t want everyone invading your space and for Rimmer, although he would never admit, he didn’t want to share you with anyone else. Arnold Rimmer was starting to feel something he’d never really felt before.

#red dwarf #arnold judas rimmer #arnold rimmer #arnold j rimmer #Rimmer #arnold rimmer x reader #Rimmer x reader #red dwarf fanfic #holy crap it fits in one!

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johnsbleu · 3 years

Text

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader chapter 94

warnings: none! hold my hand masterlist

The sand is soft on your feet as you walk down the beach, and you stop and pick up a seashell to look at in your hand as you sit down. Even though the sun is coming up and scorching on your face, you smile as you close your eyes and take it in for one last time. You get up and walk down to the water, watching the waves crash over your feet, then you cross your arms and look up at sun streaking the sky orange.

“Hey,” John calls out, and you look over your shoulder at him, “I was looking for you. This is the second time you got up early and came out here, freaks me out when you’re not in bed.”

You chuckle as you reach up to kiss him, then you lean back against his chest when he wraps his arm around your waist, “Sorry, I just wanted to watch the sun one last time.”

John holds you tight in his arms and buries his face in the crook of your neck, “It’s been a good week, peach.”

“It has been,” you tilt your head back and smile, “Thank you for this. I didn’t realize how much we needed this until we got here. We really needed some time away after those stressful two weeks.”

“Well, you deserved a honeymoon. We can’t get married and not have a honeymoon.” John chuckles as he lets go of you, then he sits down in the sand and reaches for your hand.

You sit down next to John and nod your head as you look back at the sunset. You take a deep breath and let out a small laugh when you look over at John, and he furrows his brow and grows curious.

“What?”

“We’re married now, so it’s okay for me to ask things I’ve always wanted to ask, right?” you ask as John nods. “Okay, so, when you were…working, did you have a saying or something?”

John laughs as he furrows his brow, “What?”

“Ya know, like ‘shaken not stirred’, or oh, how about like, ‘hasta la vista, baby’?” you say, putting on the worst Arnold Schwarzenegger accent imaginable. “You know, when you’d kill someone, did you have a catchphrase or something?”

A loud laugh rises from John’s chest as he shakes his head, then he looks up at you and continues laughing, “No, I did not have a catchphrase. Should I have had one?”

“Woulda been kinda cool.” you tease, then you look over at him and smile, “You’ve mentioned a man named Marcus only once since we’ve been together, and that was a very long time ago when we were on our second date.”

“Yeah…” John nods as he looks at you.

You shrug a little, holding his gaze, “Do you…do you ever wanna talk about him or anything?”

John rubs his right hand over your back as he smiles, then he looks out at the sun, “Not really, but not because I don’t want to tell you anything. I just…don’t really know where to start.”

“I get that,” you scoot closer to him and smile, “But you could start anywhere. I just like hearing you talk about your past because I feel like sometimes it makes you feel a little better. I know there’s still some part of you that worries I’m going to leave when I learn certain things, but I never would. I don’t know if you know it or not, but…I’m kinda obsessed with you, so I’m not going anywhere.”

“Kinda obsessed with you too.” he smiles, leaning over to kiss your forehead. He inhales deeply as he looks at you, then he rubs his thumb over your cheek, “I know he’d have loved you. He’d like how you put me in my place every now and again.”

You laugh quietly, nudging his stomach, “Gotta keep you in line, Mr. Wick.”

“He’d be happy to know I settled down again.” he says, nodding his head, “He told me that I’d find my way back to that life I had, and I did. It just got a little better when I found it the second time.”

“Me?”

John laughs as he nods, “Yes, of course you, sweetheart.”

The two of you look out at the sun rising as you listen to the waves crashing against the beach, and you lean over to rest your head on John’s shoulder. You close your eyes as he wraps his arm around your waist and rubs your back, and you smile when he kisses the top of your head.

“What do you think you’d be doing if we hadn’t met?” you ask, looking up at John, “Still working?”

“I don’t know,” John answers, then he looks over at you, “Maybe, but probably not very often. I am old.”

You laugh as you nudge his shoulder, “No, you’re not!”

John chuckles and gives you a wink before he looks back out at the ocean, “I don’t know what I’d be doing. Probably trying to just…live a normal life, but I’d be lonely; I wouldn’t have you.”

“I’d like to think you’d have met someone.” you shrug and inhale deeply, “Maybe someone around your age who you’d get along with. Maybe she’d have kids of her own from a previous marriage, but you wouldn’t mind. You’d like being with her since she’s around your age and you just get along. The two of you don’t get married because you’re still a little broken from losing Helen, and she’s cautious because of her previous marriage -- he fucked her over. The two of you are together for a few years before you ask if she’d like to move in with you, and she says yes. You’re happy and content, and so she is.”

“You…put a bit a thought into this.”

You laugh as you look up at him, “Nah, I just came up with it.”

John laughs as he shakes his head, “I don’t think I’d be with anyone at all. I didn’t really plan on being with anyone else. I went out on dates, but I wasn’t looking to settle down again. Not until I met you.”

A smile spreads across your face when John reaches for your hand and rubs his finger over your ring, then you look up at him and smile as he continues.

“I went out on dates to pacify Jimmy and to get him off my back, but it was never my intention to meet someone to spend my life with.” he says, shaking his head before he looks at you, “But when I walked outside and saw you that day, everything changed. I tried so hard to work up the courage to introduce myself to you at the bookshop, but fuck, you scared me.”

You laugh, “Me? You were scared of me? I can’t ever get over that.”

“You scared the absolute shit out of me because when I looked at you…” John laughs as he looks at you, “I felt something I hadn’t ever felt before.”

“Is that a good thing?”

John nods his head and smiles, “It’s a great thing. I just wanted to be the perfect man for you, the perfect husband and dad, and I just wanted to make you so happy.”

“You do make me happy.” you lean up to kiss him, lingering above his lips for a moment, “You’re an amazing husband, and you’ll be a great dad!”

“I wouldn’t have dated again if it weren’t for you, I truly believe that.” he whispers, and you smile as you look up at him as he gazes at you adoringly, “You’re the only one who I want, you’re the only one I could ever imagine being with.”

You tilt your head back and smile, “I’m glad that we met.”

“Me too,” he smiles, leaning down to kiss you. “What about you? What would have happened to you if we hadn’t met?”

You hum as you look out at the ocean, then you inhale and shrug, “Well, I’d probably still be working at the bookshop, but if we hadn’t met, you wouldn’t have bought it and it would have closed. So, I’d probably have gotten a job in Oyster Bay somewhere. I guess I might have met someone, but I don’t think I’d be married at this point. To be honest, I wasn’t really ready to date either when we met, but…”

John smiles, “You felt the same as me when we met?”

“Yeah,” you furrow your brow and laugh when you realize, “Yeah, it was like I just looked at you and saw the man who was going to change my life. So, if we hadn’t met, I think I’d maybe be seeing someone, but I wouldn’t be happy. Not like I am now. Not like I am with you.”

“Jimmy and Tess wouldn’t have met either, and we wouldn’t have our cute nephew.” John says, and you nod. “Wanna know what I think you’d be doing if we hadn’t met?”

You laugh as you nod, “Of course. I mean, I offered up a whole life for you.”

“You’d still work at the shop because I would have taken over it either way, but you’d hate me because I’d schedule you to work all the time just so I could see you. You’d probably tell whoever you were seeing that you hated your boss and you wanted to quit, but I’d nearly beg you to stay.” he says, and you start to smile. “You’d be happy with someone, and he’d treat you good, but then something would change for you one night when I ask you to stay behind and help me restock the shelves.”

You gasp, leaning in for more, “What?”

John chuckles, “You’d look at me differently. You’d realize that you were in love with me.”

Scoffing loudly, you playfully shove John, then you pull him to sit back up, “So, you think that no matter what, we would have found our way to one another?”

“Absolutely.” John nods as he wraps his arm around you, “There’s no way I wasn’t meant to be yours.”

You hold John’s gaze for a moment as you tear up, then you laugh almost in embarrassment, “God, that was so sweet. I think I was always meant to be yours too.”

Holding you tight in his arms, John looks back out at the sun that’s slowly rising higher, then he leans down to kiss the top of your head when you scoot closer to him.

This past week has been absolutely amazing with John, and you’re pretty sad that it has to end. You wish you could stay longer, and the two of you even talked about staying an extra few days, but with so many holidays coming up, it’s best that you get home so the employees can take some time off.

You tilt your head back to look at John, then you lick your lips as he leans down to kiss you. You get up to sit between his legs, then you lean against him and watch the sunrise one last time.

Walking into your room, you put your suitcase on the bed and open it, then you head into the bathroom to make sure you get all of your toiletries. John is folding a pair of jeans when you come out of the bathroom, and he gives you a smile when you look at him.

“You’re quiet, peach.”

Letting out a small laugh, you nod your head, then you shrug, “Yeah, sorry, just thinking about stuff. Wondering how much food has gone bad in the past week at home. We’ll need to go grocery shopping. Also I was thinking about this the other night, our pool is heated, right?”

“Yeah,” John nods, still keeping his gaze down on his folding, “I’ve never used it in the fall and winter though. This was the first time I’ve used our pool. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe we should get a thingy…you know, one of those things that goes over the pool.” you wave your hand back and forth as you try to find the word, then you snap your fingers, “Like a hard pool covering. If we have a baby, we need to get a cover on that pool. They could fall in the pool and drown, or fall in and crack their head open if there’s no water in it.”

John looks up at you and widens his eyes, “Baby, I know you hate this, but calm down. Take a few steps back.”

“Sorry,” you close your eyes and sigh, “I’m spiraling.”

Walking over to you, John sits down on the bed and reaches for your hands, “What’s going on?”

“I’m just overthinking and getting in my head.” you say, then you shrug, “Our house is like one big massive deathtrap.”

John laughs as he pulls you between his legs, “It’s not, baby. We’ll get the baby gates all set up before the baby is here, and then we’ll make sure that we get those rubber caps for sharp table corners.”

“I don’t know why I’m worrying. I’m not pregnant.” you say, sitting down in John’s lap, “I’m still not pregnant.”

Cupping your face, John leans up to kiss you, “Well, it’s not like we didn’t try this past week.”

You chuckle as John tickles the crook of your neck with his beard, then you lean back to look at him, “Thanks for this past week, it’s been an absolute dream.”

“It’s been a great week.” John whispers, holding your gaze as he moves his hand up your thigh. He cocks his eyebrow up and smirks, “One last time while we’re here?”

You laugh as you get up and move your suitcase, then you lay down on your back, pulling John on top of you, “One last time.”

The flight back home hasn’t been too bad, and you’re just sitting in your seat trying to do a wordsearch while John takes a nap. He’s back in the bedroom, but you’re sitting in your seat and looking out the window as the clouds pass by. You should be home shortly, maybe another hour and a half, and you’re feeling a little sad about going home.

You sniffle quietly as you look out the window, then you look over your shoulder when you hear the bedroom door open. John rubs the sleep from his eyes as he shuffles out to you, and you quickly wipe away the tear on your cheek.

“Not so fast,” John says, immediately perking up and sitting down next to you, “Are you okay?”

“I am,” you nod as you look at him, and he reaches over to rub his thumb over your chin, “I’m just sad that we’re going home.”

John furrows his brow a little, “You weren’t sad a little bit ago, you were excited to go home and see everyone.”

Taking a deep breath, you look up at John and exhale, “I’m just worried about going home, and the honeymoon is over, so…”

Nodding his head, John shifts in his seat and leans his elbows on his knees, “You know how you always get upset with me when I say I don’t deserve you or good things?”

“Yeah,” you nod, “That’s because you say it all the time, and it makes me sad that you don’t see yourself like I see you.”

John cocks up his eyebrow as he looks at you, and you nod as he reaches over for your hand, “I know you’re worried about the honeymoon fading, but it’s not going to. I’m crazy about you, and that won’t change.

“I always get like this when we’re leaving from vacation. I know we’ve only been on two, but I was like this when we went home from Italy too. When you go on vacation, you spend a week in this…fantasy world. There’s nothing around to spoil it, no responsibilities, no one around to bother you. Just me and you. You kind of forget that the rest of the world exists. You just want to live in that, in your happy little bubble. But coming home, that can all change. Things get in the way, jobs become your main focus again…”

“Baby,” John grips your hand tighter and shakes his head, “I am so sorry that someone in your past made you feel like you weren’t good enough, like you’re going to be tossed aside after a few months, but I promise you that that will not happen with me.”

You nod tearfully as you look at him, “I know. Trust me, I know that, but sometimes I just…”

“Get in your head.” John nods, then he lets out a small laugh, “Can’t say I’m not the same way.”

Reaching over, you place your hand on John’s cheek and give him a soft smile, “I know you love me, and I’ve never felt more confident about something in my life. I just worry sometimes, and when I do, you’re always there to give me a pep talk.”

“Always.” John leans over to kiss you, then he looks down at your wedding ring, “And I’m happy to do it -- I really am. This past week has been so amazing with you, but I can’t wait to get home and love on you there.”

You laugh quietly as you blush, squirming a little under John’s gaze, “Love on me?”

“Yeah,” he nods, leaning over to kiss your cheek repeatedly while he hums loudly, “Lovin’ on you every day for the rest of my life.”

You wrap your arms around John’s neck and close your eyes, leaning your forehead against his, “Thanks for being my best friend, John.”

“Thanks for being mine.” he whispers, leaving a kiss on your forehead.

Even though you were sad to leave your honeymoon, you’re so excited to finally be able to sleep in your own bed again. You called Tess the moment you landed, and the two of you planned to have a girls night while John and Jimmy watched some game on TV that Jimmy has been looking forward to. Finn is with his grandparents for tonight, so Tess is a little more than happy to be able to be kid-free.

You’re just relaxing for now until you go over there, and you’re unpacking your bags so you can wash your clothes -- somehow you not only packed your clothes, but you apparently packed sand. You watch as sand falls out of the pocket of a pair of shorts, and you reach in to find a seashell tucked into it.

“Did you do this?” you ask, holding up the seashell when John comes out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

John furrows his brow as he walks closer, then he laughs, “Oh, yeah, I stuffed sand--”

You watch as John widens his eyes and grins, and you roll your eyes, “Oh, I’m well aware that you stuffed sand in my pockets.”

Moving back to your suitcase, you hum to yourself while John gets dressed, and you smile when he walks over to kiss you. Sighing a little, you sit down on the bed and hold up your swimsuit -- you really miss the beach already.

“What are you and Tess doing tonight?” he asks, walking off to the bathroom to brush his hair.

“Uh, she just wants to hear about our honeymoon, so we’ll probably just chat.” you shrug, looking up at John as he comes out brushing his teeth, “I’m sure she’ll tell me about the shop and what everyone was up to while we were gone.”

John nods, “Yeah, Jimmy and I are watching some game, I guess.”

“I miss Bleu. I can’t wait to see him in a bit.” you smile as John nods, “He’s gonna piss everywhere when he sees you.”

“I miss him,” John laughs, then he walks into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth, “Are you going to shower?”

You stop just as you grab your towel, and you hold it up when John comes out of the bathroom, “I was just about to hop in after throwing some laundry in.”

“I’ll do it for you.” John smiles, leaning down to kiss you, then he pats your ass as you laugh. “I think I’m gonna head over to Jimmy’s a little early. Maybe after I throw these clothes in.”

Tilting your head back, you smile at John, “You miss your baby, I get it. I’ll meet you over there after my shower.”

“See you in a bit.” he says softly, leaning down for another kiss, “Love you.”

You smile as you watch John walk out of the room with a bit of pep in his step since he’s gonna be seeing Bleu, then you laugh and turn around, “Love you!”

After being on vacation for the past week, you’ve kind of forgot how cold New York is. You planned on just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but as soon as you step onto the front porch, you turn around and grab your sweater.

Mill Neck is always so beautiful in the fall since the trees have such a great variety of colors, and you gasp a little when you remember the annual apple festival should be soon.

You open the door to Tess’ house and smile, expecting them to be in the living room, but it’s empty. You take off your shoes and set them aside, then you head downstairs when you hear laughter. Once you turn the corner, Tess hops up and squeals as she runs over to hug you.

“Hi! Hi!” she hugs you tight and rocks you back and forth, “How are you? How was your trip? Oh, my god, did you get even more gorgeous while you were gone?”

You laugh as you put your hand out to slow Tess down, then you set the gift bag aside and hug her again, “Hi, I’m good. Our trip was amazing, and no, I don’t think I got any more ‘gorgeous’ while I was gone.”

“Disagree.” John says, and you stick your tongue out at him.

“John, on the other hand, look how tan he got.” you laugh as you poke his arm, “He’s got so many freckles from the sun.”

Tess pulls you to the couch and smiles, “Tell us about your trip. John hasn’t said anything this whole time because he knew you’d want to tell me.”

You sit down next to John and smile, “It was so good. Our little house was so cute and sweet. Our bed was positioned so that we could literally watch the sunset from our bed, but we didn’t -- we went out to the beach every night and watched it. The first day there was so good, we just hung out obviously.”

“The second day was rough.” John jokes, and you laugh as you nod. “This one was hungover like no one’s business. She shot up in bed and ran to the bathroom, so I followed behind her because I just knew. Got her back in bed, then…well, it was my turn.”

You laugh as you reach up and pat his cheek, “Poor thing. I’ve never seen John sick before. We just took turns throwing up all day. One after the other.”

“It was a good trip though, right?” Tess asks, and she cocks up her eyebrow a little.

John wrap his arms around you and hugs you tight, “It was a great trip.”

“We got you two some things!” you say, grabbing the gift bag and handing it to Tess.

You watch as Jimmy and her look through the bag, and he laughs and reaches over to high five John when he sees the bottle of Caribbean rum. Tess furrows her brow when she pulls out two bottles of hot sauce, then she looks up at you.

“Ooh! Turks and Caicos hot sauce.” you close your eyes and smile, “So good. John grilled some chicken for us one night, and we put some hot sauce on it. So fucking good. John had heartburn after, but it’s so good.”

Tess laughs as she looks at John, “Did she tell you to lay on your left side?”

“Yeah,” he nods, ruffling your hair, “Barely got the sentence out and she told me to lay on my side.”

“And it worked, didn’t it? Your heartburn went away.” you say, and John nods. “Exactly. Works every time.”

Tess holds up a little box and smiles when she pops it open to find a necklace with a little camera pendant on it, “Oh, my god. This is so cute. Thank you.”

“We wanted to get everyone something; there’s a cute little onesie in there for Finn too.” you say, then you look over at John as he gets off the couch. You lean up to kiss him before him and Jimmy head upstairs, and he leans down to kiss you again.

“I love you,” he whispers as he holds your gaze.

You nod, leaning up to kiss him again, “I love you too.”

Tess smiles when you look at her, then she looks at Jimmy, “Let us know when the pizza is here.”

“Will do, babe.”

You look over at Tess as the boys head upstairs, and you smile when she moves closer to sit next to you on the couch. She wraps her arms around you and hugs you tight, leaning her head against yours.

“I missed you so much, babe!”

“I missed you too.” you laugh, looking over at her, “We definitely have to go there sometime. Our house was pretty small, and it only had one bedroom, but there was another house right next door that was empty. The beach was so beautiful, and god, I just didn’t even want to come home.”

Tess smiles, “So, you two have a good honeymoon?”

“We did. We made a lot of memories. Our first day there,” you widen your eyes and smile, then you lean closer to whisper, “We had sex on the beach.”

“Shut up!” Tess squeals, then she leans closer for more details.

You laugh and shake your head, “I was surprised by how much I loved it -- not the sex, obviously, just the whole ‘on the beach’ part. I figured I’d hate it because sand would be everywhere, but it wasn’t. John and I drank way too much, both took way too many shots of tequila, but we laughed and danced the whole night in our house, then we both passed out.”

“What else did you two do?”

“Uh, well, day two sucked so we just laid in bed and watched TV. The next day we were both feeling better, so we decided to explore a bit. We grabbed some lunch at this beachside restaurant, but the only problem with going to an island is that they mostly serve seafood, but they did have plenty of chicken and pasta too. Oh, and everything is spicy, so John was in heaven. We went paddleboarding, which was…hilarious because John fell about ten times, and I was worried about sharks the whole time.”

Tess laughs loudly and looks at you, “Well, you’re home in one piece.”

“Yeah, no shark bites.” you laugh, then you inhale deeply, thinking about what else you and John did, “We went mini golfing one day, we went to this little island that was locally known as Iguana Island -- that was fun. Iguanas all over.”

“It sounds like you had a lot of fun.”

You nod as you look at her, “We did. We made so many good memories and had so many good laughs. I’m still bummed that it’s over. We just had so much fun there, and we were just in our little bubble.”

Tess nods, then she turns to face you more, “I won’t lie, I was worried about the honeymoon fading once Jimmy and I got home, but that didn’t happen at all. Whoever says that that’s a real thing is full of shit. Obviously it was different for Jimmy and I because when we got home, we were expecting a baby, but now you and John are going to be trying for a baby.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, then you let out a small laugh, “John already gave me a pep talk about it when he realized I was crying on the flight home. I know he’s crazy about me, and I’m just as crazy about him, but I still worry.”

“I get it.” she nods, then she smiles when you look up at her, “Do you think you got pregnant?”

You smile and shrug, “I have no idea, but we had sex every day, well except for the day we were sick. We’re seriously trying, so fingers crossed. I mean, John and I are already pretty sexual but now that we’re trying to have a baby, it’s…crazy.”

Tess laughs, “Well, trying is half the fun, right?”

“Pizza’s here!” Jimmy yells, and you and Tess both head upstairs.

Gasping loudly, you lean down and hug Bleu when he runs over to you, and he licks your face non-stop until John pulls him off of you. His tail is wagging so fast that his whole body is shaking, and he leans up to lick John’s face.

“He missed his mom.” John laughs, and you lean over to kiss Bleu’s snout again. You lean down to pet Sadie, then you walk over and sit next to John on the couch.

Taking a bite of your pizza, you sit back and listen while John tells Tess about how drunk you got on your second day, and you playfully roll your eyes when he looks at you.

“It was nice to see her so carefree and relaxed after those two weeks we had with my lab results. She was dancing around and laughing non-stop,” John laughs, nudging your chin, “It was very cute.”

“Okay, you’re one to talk.” you point at John as you look at Tess, “He gets so giggly when he’s drunk. Oh, and corny! Like ten times worse than he already is! He was so smiley and giggly, and we danced and laughed all night. We had a lot of fun. Made lots of memories.”

John takes a bite of his pizza and laughs, “I think it’s safe to say we won’t be drinking for a while though.”

“Oh, definitely not.” you shake your head and widen your eyes, “No drinks for me any time soon.”

Jimmy opens a bottle of hot sauce and sprinkles some onto his pizza, then he takes a big bite and nods his head, “So good.”

“I think we should all go back there sometime. Maybe a family vacation next summer or something. I mean, it’s always nice there, so I guess it doesn’t matter when we go.” you shrug, and Tess smiles.

Tess clears her throat a little and gestures to you and John, “You two probably fucked each other’s brains out, so think you made a baby, John?”

John nearly chokes on his pizza, and he pats his chest a little as he coughs, “I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“She’s Tess, what else would you expect?” you laugh as you look at her, “I don’t know, but we’re hopeful. If it doesn’t happen, we’ll just keep trying. No pressure on us. ”

“No pressure at all.” John smiles as he moves your hair away from your face, “We both know how much we want a baby, but we’re not going to get stressed out about it. It’s going to happen when it’s meant to.”

You smile as you look up at John, “Exactly.”

Taking a deep breath, John looks over at you and cocks up his eyebrow, almost like he knows something you don’t know. He starts to smirk when you scrunch your eyebrows and look at him, then he lets out a small laugh.

“What?”

“Nothing.” John laughs, taking a bite of his pizza, “You just promised me something when we got home, and tonight is the perfect night for it.”

You look over at Tess and scrunch your eyebrows more, trying to remember what you promised him, then you look back at John and laugh, “Sex?”

“Nope.” John shakes his head and smiles. “It’s something all of us can do. Actually Jimmy’s wanted to do it for a long time.”

Jimmy perks up a little and smiles, “Wait a minute…”

Looking over at John, you shake your head as you laugh, “Whatever promises I made while I was drunk do not count.”

“I knew you’d say that, which is why I made you sign a piece of paper.” he laughs, taking out his wallet to show you. He unfolds a blue piece of paper and holds it up to read, “I, Y/N Wick, promise to let my husband, John Wick, take me out driving.”

“Oh, shut up!” you grab the paper and laugh loudly when you see your signature in black pen.

John smiles when you look at him, “Your cute little signature right there. You promised, baby.”

Groaning loudly, you jokingly slap the piece of paper on John’s chest and sigh, “Fine! Fine, we’ll go.”

“This is gonna be fucking awesome.” Jimmy laughs, and you playfully glare at John as he smiles.

Even though you trust John more than literally anyone in this world, you’re beyond nervous to actually go driving with him. Of course you won’t be driving, but you’re still so fucking nervous. John is an amazing driver, and he always makes sure to keep it at a good speed when you’re in the car with him, but you have to admit that you’re a little scared.

John looks over at you and smiles as he reaches for your hand, squeezing it a little as he pulls into the airport parking lot. The sun is beginning to go down, so you’re sure you won’t be here too long. Thankfully.

“Can I just watch a few times first?” you ask, and John nods his head and smiles. You lean over to kiss John’s cheek, then you get out of the car and stand back a little, and you smile when Tess gets out too.

“I’ll stay with you.”

You give John a small wave as he drives away, then you bite your lip nervously as he revs his engine and quickly speeds away. Exhaling quietly, you look over at Tess to see her with a huge smile on her face as she watches John whip his car in every direction, and you look over and laugh when Jimmy yells loudly.

“I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be.” Tess laughs, then she gestures to John’s car, “He’s a good driver, he wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

You nod as you take a deep breath, “I know, and I trust John. It’s not that I don’t trust him, it’s that you can lose control at any given moment that scares me.”

John pulls up in front of you and smiles, “Ready, baby?”

“Maybe you should go one more time.” you say, gesturing for Tess to get it.

“Oh, sure, let him kill me first, right?” Tess jokes, then she reaches out and nudges your shoulder when you look at her in horror, “I’ll be fine!”

John smiles as Tess gets in the backseat, then he looks over at you and reaches out for your hand, “She’ll be fine.”

You give John a smile as he begins to drive away, and you keep your eyes laser focused on his car as he swerves and spins around the lot. You smile when you hear Tess and Jimmy both laughing loudly, and you almost feel a little excitement to try it out yourself.

John’s tires skid across the cement as he swerves around an orange cone, and he revs his engine and speeds down to the edge of the lot where he quickly pulls a 360 and turns around. He playfully taps the horn as he drives back over to you, and you shake your head and laugh when he smiles at you.

Pulling up in front of you, John smiles and looks over at Tess as she moves her hair away from her face and laughs loudly, then he looks at you and raises his eyebrows.

“Ready now?”

“I think so.” you say quietly as you pick at your nails nervously.

John opens his car door and moves the seat so you can get in the back with Tess, then he looks at you as you walk closer to him. He places his hands on your waist and smiles tenderly at you before rubbing his thumb over your cheek and leaning down to kiss you.

“You’ll be fine, baby. I won’t let anything happen to you.” he whispers as you lean your head against his chest, then he rubs your back and watches as you get in the car. He gets back in and looks at you in the rearview mirror and smiles, “You’re gonna love this. I’ll take it slow.”

You feel Tess reach over for your hand as she smiles, and you look up at John through the rearview mirror to watch his face. The moment something goes wrong, you’ll know since you can read John’s face pretty well. He furrows his brow a little as he steps harder on the gas, and you immediately bury your face in your hands as Jimmy and Tess scream loudly with laughter.

“Hell yeah!” Jimmy screams when John goes a 360, and you hear John laugh.

The air smells of burnt rubber as John peels through the lot, and it jerks you around the backseat even though you’re wearing a seatbelt. You realize that you’re starting to laugh so you sit up a little and look at Tess as she laughs and smiles at you.

John finally stops the car and sits up to check on you, “You good?”

“I’m so fucking dizzy.” you laugh, and you smile when John reaches back for your hand. “But I won’t lie, it was a little fun.”

“Do another 360, man.” Jimmy says, and John looks at you in the rearview mirror for permission.

You look down to make sure your seatbelt is still on, then you laugh as you look up at John again, “Let’s go.”

#john wick imagine #john wick x you #john wick x reader #fic: hold my hand #i hope yall like this!!!#i gotta run and do about 9398490 other things but yeah i hope u all enjoy!!!#also i think if i was reader i'd have puked in the car with john but she's built different fjdsklf;sj

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peterpanouat · 4 years

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| Jerome x Reader | Heart of Darkness | Part 7 - Finding His Queen |

I do not own the characters of DC or of Gotham this is strictly for recreational purposes. Do not reblog unless you leave my credit. my work is protected under the creative commons license.

Here is the new update I hope you all like it! Feel free to leave me some feedback as well to tell me if you like it or dislike it. I love hearing from you all <3

Also if you want to be tagged in the updates I post shoot me a message and I can add you to a tag list.

Tag List: @sophiyaaaaay

After she left Edward in the room, Harleen went and found Jim and waited for them to go home. It was a bit odd just how happy she seemed to be ever since leaving Edward’s office. Jim shook his head of those thoughts before seeing Lee and then they started walking towards the car. They headed home for the day and when they got back Harleen helped Lee with making dinner.

It was rather odd that she was so happy and even Lee could sense that as well but she knew that she had to be rather careful. So with that Lee put a smile on her face and turned to Harleen. “What seems to have gotten you in such a good mood? Did you and Nygma close another case?” She asks before stirring the pasta sauce with the spoon and then tasting some of it.

Harleen was rather lost in her thoughts as when she had heard Lee asking her a question. “Sorry, what were you saying?” She asks as she strained the pasta and placed it into one of the serving bowls while humming one of the tunes from the circus.

Lee repeated her question and caused Harley to shrug her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I am finally just letting go of the past and accepted that I need to move on.” She lied before continuing with the fantasy of hers. “I think that maybe I should become a psychiatrist, help people who can’t help themselves, you know? Help those just like you and Gordon.” She explains.

“I know that I have been Nygma’s apprentice for a while and I think that maybe I should look into going to school? Do you think that there would be a way to make that happen?” She asks curiously, knowing that Lee felt bad for her and wanted to help however she could. Maybe if she had the proper knowledge on how to get what she wanted, she could get back her Jerome.

Lee nodded her head, “I think that we can figure something out for sure. I am glad that you are starting to see the bright side to things.” She tells her, causing Harley to smile. The rest of the night goes rather well for the three of them. They spend some more time bonding and Harley starts to fathom for maybe just a second that if she had a family, this is what she would want it to be like. She pictured herself and Jerome with kids of their own and fell asleep with those thoughts in her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day, the three of them had gone to work as they had before but this time it was different. There was something different. Harley wouldn’t know however because she was too preoccupied with Edward and coming up with a plan to really know about what was taking place. So when Lee and Jim were told of the escape of the Arkham patients and learned who was on that list, they knew they had to tread carefully.

“Should we tell her?” He asks Lee before turning his attention to Harley and Nygma who were having a conversation across the precinct. Lee shook her head, “We should at least give her some time to be happy. We can tell her later tonight. There is no way that they would come to the precinct. There has to be someone else behind their escape.” She reasons with him before the captain gets everyone’s attention.

“Attention everyone. There is some news that I would like to share. The mayor has been kidnapped and that needs to be our number one priority right now. We need to find him immediately. In other news, Jim will be lead on finding those that have escaped Arkham. Jim if you could brief everyone on what happened, I will assemble a team to find the mayor. That is all. Thank you.” She tells them before dismissing everyone.

The announcement from the captain immediately caught Harley’s attention. When Jim was briefing the team on who had escaped, he kept a careful eye on Harley to see her reaction but it was rather hard when she was still keeping herself mostly to Edward. Turning to Edward, she took a deep breath. “Maybe we need to enact your plan sooner than we thought. If he is out, that means he will be coming to get me. I know he is.” She tells him.

“Well then I guess we just have to be extra prepared for when he arrives don’t we?” He smirked before seeing Jim walking over after the briefing had finished. “Looks like you got some company headed this way.” He tells her before she turns her attention back to Jim and putting on a fake face.

“Hey, I know I should have told you about it when it happened but we didn’t want to ruin the mood yesterday. Lee and I think that with Jerome back, we should take you up on that offer for you to go back to school. The sooner we get you out of here the better.”

“You think that I should go to school while Jerome is out of Arkham? What if he tries to find me?” She asks in concern. Jim shakes his head, “He won’t find you. I will make sure of that.” He tells her before she nodded her head, “Okay I trust you.” She tells him before grabbing her things. She turned back to Edward before whispering something into his ear. “I will be back soon, just text me if you need me.” She smiled before heading off with Jim to assemble some of her things together for the trip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had finished gathering her things and Jim had the bus that was to take her somewhere disguised as a school bus in hopes to keep her identity under wraps. The trip was going rather well until she felt the bus stopping abruptly. When she heard the gunshot ring out, she knew that there was trouble. She also knew that Jim had made sure it would be hard to trace her location but apparently that wasn’t enough.

Seeing the familiar face down the aisle, she could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. “Jerome…” She said more to herself. “Now, I am sure that you all don’t know how hard it was for me to find this bus but I am looking for someone in particular. If she agrees to come with me willingly everyone will be fine, otherwise I will just have to well….burn it to the ground.” He smirked as a playful smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Oh my dear Harley, come out come out wherever you are.” He coos as he makes his way through the bus with the gun still in hand. She couldn’t stop the wild pounding in her chest as his steps got closer and closer to her but she knew deep down that she was still angry with him. “There you are darling. Time for us to make our great escape.” He purred as the strange men started to cuff the other girls to the seats on the bus.

Harley scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You really think that I want to go with you after you slept with that whore? Do you think that I am stupid or something?” She hissed, “I am not going with you. I would rather burn with the bus.”

Jerome lets out a more than dramatic laugh when he hears her words before putting on a serious face. “Oh come on Harls you can’t be serious. You know that she was only saying that to get under your skin. I never slept with the whore. She was throwing herself at me even though I told her I already had a girl waiting for me when I got out...but look we can discuss this once we get out of here. Regardless, you are coming with me.” He tells her. “Now if that is by force or of your own free will that is completely up to you.”

Harley had thought about how much she had missed him and dreamed of a moment when he would come back for her. She was his missing piece and she knew that. “Jim would never let you get away with this and you know it.” She tells him as she got up to go with him. Jerome let Greenwood spray the bus down with gasoline before Jerome and Harley exited the bus. Jerome had her handcuffed to himself so she couldn’t leave his side.

Greenwood emerged from the bus right as the cops were arriving. Jerome held Harley close and started firing shots at the cops before he spotted Jim. Jim told the cops to hold their fire before trying to talk some sense into Jerome but it seemed Jerome didn’t really care to hear it.

“Look Jimbo, I will always be grateful to you for watching after my Harls but I think we have been away from each other long enough and it’s time for us to spend a little quality time together. Lit em’ up.” Jerome smirked before pulling Harley with him to the truck. Greenwood hopped in as well but Arnold stayed behind to light the fire as they started to drive away.

Harley was quiet for most of the drive and given how she didn’t really have much room in the front seat for all four of them, she still tried to distance herself from Jerome even with the handcuffs on. “Come on doll, don’t be like that. Everything will be explained when we get to the penthouse.” He reassures her.

#jerome valeska #jerome x reader #jerome valeska imagine #jerome valeska x reader #gotham imagines #gotham #cameron monaghan #jerome valeska imagines

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vincent-g-writer · 3 years

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The Silver Screen Savant, pt 2- the Meh, the Bad and The yikes.

Hello Writers!

Last time here on Starry Starry Write, I talked a little about Autism in the media and my personal experiences therein. Today, I’d like to go a little broader, and tackle the topic from a macro perspective.

In recent times, you’ve probably heard “Representation Matters” oft repeated. Especially in prominent talking spaces like social media. But what does that mean, exactly?

Why “Representation Matters,” and how.

The short answer:

Diverse representation in media tells us that everyone has a place in the world. That everyone’s story matters.

The long answer:

It’s no secret that we begin engaging with media at a young age. When I was growing up in the 90’s and 00’s, TV and video games were often the babysitters of my peers. I was one of the few kids in my neighborhood whose parents weren’t divorced. The kids I knew? Not so much. Most of them were raised by single parents, grandparents and of course-the boob tube. I personally prefered books, when my mom wasn’t yelling “it’s too nice out to be holed up in that dark bedroom!”

Now, don’t mistake my preference for some kind of intellectual superiority. I watched plenty of TV too. Besides, books aren’t magically out of the equation. Printed material is our oldest form of media. And- often just as problematic. Though I will say- I saw a much broader range of people on covers adoring library shelves than I ever did titles on a TV roster. But, I digress. The point is: for many of us, consuming media begins at an early time of our life. And that’s where the problem starts. Even in my childhood, where The Magic School Bus, Hey Arnold, and Sesame Street showed people of all kinds, I can point to many that did not. Especially not people like me. Which did me a grave disservice. I didn’t know I was on the spectrum for a long time, and when I finally found out, I was horrified, thanks to what I had seen on TV.

Because media is not only a wonderful way to learn about people that don’t look, act or sound like us. It also informs our ideas of who we are, and what we can be. Whether we like it or not: it shapes how we understand the world. And it doesn’t stop with Childhood.

Time Changes Much, but not all.

Things are better now. Well, a little bit, anyway.

As an adult, I see more people like me on the screen nowadays. Which is nice.

Ish.

Why “ish?” Well…

Frequently, these “noticeably different” characters (read: Autistically coded) are branded “NOT AUTISTIC!” You heard it here first, folks! That one character (insert your favorite) is Totally Not Autistic. Despite being written in a way that gives every indication otherwise.

*Facepalm*

Now for some examples, which we’ll call the “Meh,” “The Bad” and the “Yikes.” For “fun,” we’ll also go into the off-air perceptions of the characters.

The “Meh.”

First on the list is Dr. Spencer Reid, from CBS’s “Criminal Minds.”

Dr. Reid is the youngest member of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, having joined at the age of 22. He holds three B.A degrees in Sociology, Psychology and Philosophy, as well as three Ph.D’s in Engineering, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

He also has the social skills of a limp dishrag. Wait, what’s that? High Intelligence + Low Social Awareness? Hmmm…Then there’s his restrictive behavioral patterns, obsessive interests, and general “quirkiness!” that we could talk about. But let’s hear a quote from the actor who plays him, Matthew Gray Gubler:

“..an eccentric genius, with hints of schizophrenia and minor autism, Asperger’s Syndrome. Reid is 24, 25 years old with three PH.D.s and one can’t usually achieve that without some form of autism.”

Hoooo-boy. I could go into all the things wrong with this, including why the term “Asperger’s” is both horrific (TW: Eugenics,Ableism, N*zis) and harmful. However, today we’ll simply leave it with the fact that this term is no longer applicable, having been reclassified in 2013 as part of Autism Spectrum disorder.

The “Bad.”

Next up, we have Will Graham, from NBC’s Hannibal.

Like our first example, Will works for the FBI. He’s a gifted criminal profiler with “special” abilities, namely hyper empathy, which allows him to reconstruct the actions and fantasies of the killers he hunts. He’s intellectually gifted, hates eye contact, socializing, and prefers to spend…most of his time…alone.

Oh dear. Haven’t we been here before? But, I mean, he doesn’t have Autism! The show runner says so!

For Will Graham, there’s a line in the pilot about him being on the spectrum of autism or Asperger’s, and he’s neither of those things. He actually has an empathy disorder where he feels way too much and that’s relatable in some way. There’s something about people who connect more to animals than they do to other people because it’s too intense for whatever reason.

You can’t see me right now, but I’m cringing. A lot. This is just…ugh. I mean, for starters, I know a handful of autistic people who struggle with hyper empathy, which can make social situations overwhelming and hard to navigate. In fact, I happen to be one of them. Plus, there’s a cool little thing about how, frequently, people on the spectrum more readily identify with animals. But, y’know. Who am I to say? I’m just someone, one of many, who’s dealt with this my whole life.

Now, onto the “Yikes.”

*sigh*

And finally, we have BBC’s Sherlock, a modern adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s renowned “consulting” detective, and probably the most famous fictional character of all time.

Now, I’ll start by saying that the BBC incarnation is not the first to be Spectrum labeled. In fact, Sherlock was my childhood hero, and the first “person” I saw referred to this way. My aunt, an avid reader herself, casually remarked to a friend “I’ve always wondered if Holmes is Autistic,” after I came yammering on about how fantastic the books were. Had I not been champing at the bit to get back to my reading, I might have asked her what that meant.

I also believe this fandom driven speculation is why many detective type characters (see above) are often coded as Autistic, intentionally or otherwise.

In this New York Times article, Lisa Sanders, M.D. describes Holmes traits:

He appears oblivious to the rhythms and courtesies of normal social intercourse — he doesn’t converse so much as lecture. His interests and knowledge are deep but narrow. He is strangely “coldblooded,” and perhaps as a consequence, he is also alone in the world.

Now, before we go any father, let me take a moment to defend his creator. During the time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first created his most famous work, Autism was not known. That isn’t to say it didn’t exist. We’ve always existed. In fact, it’s now believed that the Changeling Myth, a common European folk story, was a way to explain Autism. In one telling (there are a few) children displaying “intelligence beyond their years” and “uncanny knowledge” were imposters, traded out by Fae creatures for offspring of their own. Children believed to be “Changlings,” regretfully, often came to a bad end. A chilling reminder that the stories we tell impact our real lives.

So while Autism was at least somewhat recognized, it did not become its own official diagnosis until 1943.

Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes was first published in 1892. Now, as a writer who often draws from my personal reality, I imagine Doyle probably “wrote what he knew,” which is to say, acquainted with one or more Autistic people, he used them as inspiration.

On the other hand…

BBC’s Sherlock first aired in 2010. And while one might argue that the writers simply capitalized on the Autistic fan-theory, or took already available traits and exaggerated them for their version… they left a lot to be desired. Autism aside, this new Sherlock is…well…an asshole. Narcissistic, abusive and egocentric (to name a few) he sweeps his caustic behavior under the rug of “high functioning sociopath,” and blytly ignores the consequences.

Which is a major problem. Because while doing this, he’s still “obviously” (at least in the Hollywood sense) Autistic. In my previous post, where I said some characters are “too smart™, and logical© to ever have feelings, friends or empathy,” this is what I meant.

This is bad. We’re looping right back to Representation Matters. Bad representation, and the navigating of such, is just as important for writers to think about as good representation. Maybe even moreso. Because bad representation paints real people into cardboard, stereotyped people-shaped things. It otherizes. And it’s harmful. You would not believe the people I’ve met assume I’m not Autistic because I’m not an egotistical jerk. Why? Because they watched, you guessed it, BBC Sherlock.

Confession time:

Now here’s my little secret:

I love all of these characters. They are some of my favorite on tv. Why? Because for good or ill, I recognize myself in them. Finally, I can turn on the TV, and see myself. Or, somewhat, anyway.

My favorite character out of this list? Loath though I am to admit it… Is Sherlock. See, what those well meaning folks didn’t know (the ones who say I’m I’m “too nice,” to be Autistic) is… well, if we’re being honest, I wasn’t always nice. A few years ago, I was that guy. I was a jerk because I thought I was the smartest person in the room. Which is really not a good look. In fact, sitting down and watching the first season of sherlock, (around three or four years after it came out) made me realize how much of a jerk I actually was.

There are other things there too. Things that tie me to all these characters, that I didn’t list. But that’s for another today.

For now, I’d like to add a caveat or two:

1) I’ve watched all the shows listed above, and adore them. As I mentioned, Sherlock is my favorite. He’s also the one I’ve watched the most (Repeatedly, in fact. Whoops.) and I recognize it’s not all bad. In the end, he learned to treat people better (somewhat) and certainly became more human over time. And, there are other deeply problematic elements of the show I’d like to tackle, eventually.

*cough* Queerbating! *cough*

2) I’m well aware that the above cases are all thin, white, able bodied, “straight” males. But I chose these characters for a couple of reasons. One, they’re the most prominent type on TV. Again, we loop back around to representation, and why we need more positive, diverse examples of it.

And finally-

3) In my last post, I mentioned I’d give some “good” instances of Hollywood Autism trope. But I didn’t exactly do that. Partially, because half way through, I thought…perhaps…I’m not the best to judge what might be a good Autistic character. I mean, I’m sure someone will read this and think my current aforementioned characters are fine. Heck! They might even argue my perception here, and say the characters are just fine. I accept that. In my life, both on and off the page, I recognize that I cannot, should not (and don’t want to) speak for an entire community.

Because of this, I cannot tell you how to write a “good” Autistic character, or what media is “acceptable.” I can’t even really tell you what a bad character is. Sure, I have a lot of opinions about it. But- if you’re on the spectrum and like and identify with the above? That’s fine. I mean, even with all the problems I noted (and some I didn’t) I certainly do.

On the other hand, if you’re a writer, and you want to write a character from this (or any, for that matter) community you aren’t part of, I caution you.

Do your research. Preferably from multiple credible sources.

Talk to people on the spectrum about what it’s really like. (Though try to steer clear of asking for emotional labor.You could, say, hop on reddit and ask the community there, for instance, which is a no pressure way to obtain potentially decent info.)

Finally, whatever you do, remember this-

Autistic people can look like anyone. We can act, and think and be different, like anyone. We are real, living, breathing people. Not robots, not sob stories, not tropes. People. So if you write about us, write us like people. And your work will be all the better for it.

-Your Loving Vincent

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rimmers-swimming-certificate · 4 years

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Red Dwarf fanfic - Trouble Sleeping

Words: 2872 Rating: Gen Characters: Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer Summary: On Lister's first night out of stasis, and Rimmer's first night as a hologram, both of them have trouble getting off to sleep.

Lister sighed to himself and rearranged his blanket for the tenth or eleventh time, pulling it up over his shoulders and then back down to mid-chest level. He rolled over, and then back again. Nothing was comfortable, not his bed, his pillow, or the temperature of the room. He had lost track of how long he had been trying to get to sleep.

He rolled back over onto his side, and stared out into the room. “Rimmer?” he said. “You still awake, man?”

The silence from the bunk below him told him that either Rimmer was asleep, or Rimmer wanted him to think that he was asleep. Lister sighed. He gave his pillow several hard punches in an effort to flatten out some of the lumps. It had never been lumpy before. Could a pillow develop lumps over the course of three million years? He didn’t think so. Maybe it was a different pillow, one from storage. He supposed Holly might have had the skutters remake his bed before he came out of stasis.

“Rimmer?” he tried again.

He was answered by a fake snoring sound from the bottom bunk. Low and quiet, and not at all like Rimmer’s usual, high pitched and nasal snore.

Well, that answered that. He was definitely pretending to be asleep. “I know you’re awake Rimmer. I know your snore; that’s not it.” Lister gave his pillow another thump. “Hey, can a pillow get lumpy if you leave it laying around for three million years? What’s yours like?”

There was another long silence from below him, followed by a weary sigh. “You don’t know my snore,” Rimmer told him. “Because I don’t snore. You snore, Lister.”

Lister shrugged. “More than one person can snore,” he said. “Anyway, if you don’t snore, why’d you think that pretending to snore would make me think you were asleep?”

“Because…” Rimmer hesitated. “Shut up, Lister.”

Lister grinned to himself. He might be dealing with the horrifying revelation that the human race as he knew it was extinct and that he was probably the last of his kind, but at least he could still annoy Rimmer. “So, what’s your pillow like?” he asked. “Is it lumpy?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Rimmer told him. “I’m dead, remember? Holograms can’t feel lumpy pillows. Or anything at all, actually.”

Right. He hadn’t forgotten, not really; he just hadn’t thought of it like that. Lister sighed, sat up in bed, pulled his legs up to his chest luggage locker style, and wrapped his arms around his knees. “I can’t sleep,” he said.

“Yes, I noticed,” Rimmer told him.

Lister sighed. “I never had trouble sleeping before,” he said. “Never. I mean, I’ve slept in places most people would find impossible. Like this one time when I was about seventeen, I woke up after a night out, laying on top of a hedge.”

“Lister, I’m trying to sleep,” Rimmer told him.

“You know those privet hedges people have around their gardens? It was about six foot tall. I still have no idea how I got up there. Getting down wasn’t easy either.”

“Lister…” Rimmer said, warningly.

“And I slept in a luggage locker on Mimas,” Lister continued. “Six months in the tourist terminal, never once had trouble getting off to sleep. In fact, the only time I’ve ever not been able to sleep is when you used to play those stupid ‘learn while you sleep’ tapes all night.”

“Lister, shut up,” Rimmer told him.

He did, for a moment. Sitting up on the bed, he glanced around their quarters. It wasn’t dark in the room. It was never completely dark anywhere on the ship; there was a constant low level of illumination maintained twenty four hours a day, emergency lighting, so that the crew would always be able to see to get where they needed to be, in the event of a catastrophe.

Somehow, Lister doubted that having a good view would have helped any of them when a disaster actually occurred. He was glad of it now though. He didn’t want to be alone in the dark.

He shivered. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” he said. “They’re all dead. Everyone I’ve ever known. Peterson, Kochanski, all my mates back on Earth. I always figured I’d see them again, you know? I mean, as far as they know… knew, I just disappeared on that pub crawl around London. They all probably died of old age still thinking I’d gotten so drunk I’d fallen in the river or something.”

“I doubt that,” Rimmer told him. “To be honest, I doubt they thought about you at all after a couple of years.”

Lister frowned. “Oh, great. Thanks a lot.”

“Only being honest,” Rimmer told him. “I don’t mean to be cruel, but I can’t imagine your disappearance having such an effect on their lives that they lay on their deathbeds thinking about you.”

The worst part was, Rimmer was probably right. They hadn’t been close friends. Not really. They had been the kinds of friends that he called upon when he needed someone to help him go out and get absolutely shitfaced. It didn’t matter. They were still his friends, and they were still fellow human beings. “Still, they’re all dead,” he said again, more to himself now than to Rimmer. “Everyone.”

“Yes,” Rimmer said unsympathetically. “I am capable of retaining information I was told less than a day earlier, you know. You don’t have to keep banging on about it.”

Lister hugged his knees a little tighter under the blanket. He wanted to stop thinking about it, but he couldn’t. A part of him felt as though he shouldn’t. After all, his species had died. Something as enormous as that shouldn’t be pushed aside in his mind so he could get a few hours kip. He leaned his head back until it bumped heavily against the back of the bunk. “Come on, man.” he said “Talk to me. Distract me for a bit.”

“I am talking to you,” Rimmer insisted. “Unfortunately. Look, I don’t mean to be insensitive, but can we do this in the morning? I want to get to sleep, too.”

“Do holograms even need to sleep?” Lister asked.

“Of course they… we…” Rimmer broke off and hesitated. “Well, need? I’m not sure, actually, this is all very new to me. Want? Definitely. It’s been a rather stressful day, and I’m tired, not to mention I want to get a head start on my revision tomorrow.”

Revision? Seriously? How could he even still be thinking about…

“Oh no! I can’t make a revision timetable,” Rimmer added, sounding suddenly distraught. “How am I supposed to revise without a revision timetable? You’ll have to make one for me. Now, I wouldn’t normally let anybody else touch my watercolours, least of all you but under my strict supervision, maybe…”

“Rimmer, the whole human race is dead, doesn’t that bother you? Not even a little bit?”

There was a pause, then, “Nope. The human race wasn’t all that great, Listy. In fact, I daresay the universe is better off without them. Anyway, let me tell you, there’s more than a few people that I’m not mourning right now.”

“What?” Lister asked him. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe what he was hearing.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Rimmer continued. “I mean, I’m not saying I’m glad they're dead, well not exactly. Well… okay some of them I might be a teensy bit glad they’re dead. But all I’m saying is, if I had to die, there’s a few people that I’m glad died too.”

Lister shook his head. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely. Are you telling me there’s nobody whose death you’re secretly celebrating?”

Lister thought about it. There were one or two that he wasn’t exactly broken up over. Tim or Tom or Tony, or whatever the smeg his name was, Kochanski’s ex, who had stolen her back from him, sprung to mind, but he didn’t deserve to die. None of them had, and definitely not like that. He shook his head. “No.”

“Nobody? Not even the captain? That stupid fat git that sent you to stasis?”

Lister shook his head again. “If he hadn’t done that, I’d have been awake during the accident and I’d be dead too,” he said.

“Exactly,” Rimmer told him. “What an idiot. I’m never going to forgive him for that. Never.”

“Rimmer, everyone we’ve ever known is dead, are you seriously telling me that you don’t care?”

“Everyone including me.”

“Yeah,” Lister frowned. “I know that.”

“Are you sure? Because you keep going on about Petersen, and Kochanski, and various people that you haven’t even spoken to since you were last on Earth, and you’ve not once expressed a single word of grief for my passing. ‘Boo hoo, everyone I knew is dead.’ How do you think I feel? I’m in exactly the same boat as you, you know. Only I’m dead too, Lister. I woke up this morning to find out that I died three million years ago, and you’re just ‘me, me, me’. Stop being so selfish.”

Lister opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. He wasn’t going to get into that discussion again. Yes, Rimmer was dead, but the hologram of Rimmer was very much still there, which to Lister’s mind meant that it wasn’t the same thing. Even if he would have mourned Rimmer -- and he liked to think that he would have, a bit -- he certainly couldn’t do it while Rimmer himself was sitting in the bunk below him, complaining about being dead.

But on the other hand, he supposed that to Rimmer, the situation must feel very different. Lister couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be like to find out that you were dead. The whole thing just wouldn’t compute in his head. Suddenly, he felt a very unexpected, and very unwelcome, stab of sympathy for his bunkmate.

“Holly,” said Lister. “Lights.”

Wordlessly, he dropped down from the top bunk, taking the blanket with him, and landed barefoot on the cold floor below. He sat down at the table, facing Rimmer. “Okay,” he said. “I get that it sucks. I’m sorry you’re dead too, Rimmer.”

“Well you don’t seem very sorry,” Rimmer told him.

Lister rested his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands. He was tired, he was mourning not only the human race, but also the life that he had been denied; the family he had been going to build with Kochanski, the farm on Fiji, the future he had imagined for himself. In the blink of an eye -- or what felt like the blink of an eye -- it was all gone. And now Rimmer wanted him to put on a show of grief for him too.

He just didn’t have the energy right now. “Why don’t you read those books Holly gave you?” he suggested. Holly had provided Rimmer with a series of books -- pamphlets really -- in holographic form, on the subject of how to cope with the fact of your own death.

Rimmer screwed up his face in distaste. “They won’t help,” he said.

“They might. You don’t know ‘til you try.”

“I did try, you gimboid,” Rimmer told him. “They’re nonsense. Full of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo about the nature of being. ‘I think I’m thinking, therefore… something something something’. I’ll tell you one thing, I’m almost a hundred percent certain that whoever wrote them wasn’t dead. It’s ridiculous, getting a living person to try and explain death to the dead. That’s just typical of the living, Lister. Absolutely typical.”

Lister shrugged. “Well, if he wasn’t dead when he wrote it, he is now.”

Rimmer smiled at that. Actually smiled. “Good,” he said. “Serves him right.”

Sometimes, Lister thought there was something very wrong with Rimmer. Actually, no, he thought that most of the time. At this particular moment in time though, he was still too preoccupied with everything else to think too hard about it. He slumped in his seat.

“Look,” Rimmer said, “If you’re having trouble sleeping, why don’t you get up and find something to do? Laying there thinking about it isn’t going to help, is it?”

Lister sighed. Technically, he supposed Rimmer was right. “I’m too tired,” he said. “Just because I can’t sleep doesn’t mean I don’t need to. Anyway, what is there to do?” He didn’t think Rimmer would appreciate him playing his guitar. Besides, it would be hideously out of tune after three million years. It was probably going to need restringing.

“You could get started on tomorrow's tasks,” Rimmer suggested.

“Tasks? What tasks?”

“The list of tasks I’ve compiled for you,” Rimmer explained.” I haven’t been able to write it down, of course, but it’s all in here.” He tapped his temple to indicate the list held within his head. “The ship hasn’t been properly serviced for three million years, I think it might need a once-over. Don’t you?”

Lister stared at him, trying to work out whether Rimmer was joking. The entire time he had known him, he had heard Rimmer try to make exactly one joke, and it hadn’t been funny. No, he decided, this wasn’t a joke. Rimmer wouldn’t joke about maintenance. “Rimmer,” he asked. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Me? What’s wrong with you? Are you seriously telling me that you could stand to live out the rest of your life on a ship filled with badly stocked vending machines?”

“Yes, of course I…” Lister broke off suddenly. “Wait. What?”

Rimmer nodded in a self-satisfied looking way. “Yes, didn’t think of that, did you? All those snacks you like to hoover up between curries. Everything will be out of date. So far out of date in fact, that it probably disintegrated to dust eons ago. We need to replace it with things from storage, they will have been preserved, so…”

“No,” Lister shook his head. “I mean, the rest of my life? You really don’t think we’re going to make it home?”

Rimmer froze. Slowly, the satisfied smirk on his face faded away to be replaced by guilt. He sighed. “Look, I didn’t mean to say that. It just… slipped out.”

“But you don’t, do you?”

“Well…” Lister could almost track the thoughts going through Rimmer’s head as his expression morphed from ‘oops, I shouldn’t have said that’, to ‘maybe I can convince him it was a joke’, to ‘let’s just drop the pretence and be honest’, settling finally on something between the two. “Honestly? No. But that doesn’t mean anything. If you’d asked me before I died If I ever thought we’d end up in this situation, I’d have said no to that, too.”

Would anybody have banked on this particular scenario? Somehow, Lister doubted it. He decided to drop the subject; it wasn’t like he particularly wanted to dwell for too long on his chances of getting home, or he might start to come around to Rimmer’s way of thinking. “Yeah, fair point,” he said, and stifled a yawn.

“You need to sleep,” Rimmer told him. “Listen…” he hesitated as though he were mulling something over. “I tell you what, how about we hold off on the vending machines for tomorrow; take a personal day? We’ve both had a bit of a shock to the system. It might be good to take a bit of time.”

Lister nodded. That sounded like an excellent idea. Not that he had been planning on restocking the vending machines tomorrow anyway, but at least now he wouldn’t have to contend with Rimmer nagging him about it. “Good idea,” he agreed.

“And Lister, look,” Rimmer added. “I know things seem pretty grim right now.”

Lister nodded, and waited for the other half of that sentence. When it didn’t come, he nodded again. “But?” he said.

Rimmer frowned. “But what?”

“It sounded like there was going to be more to that. You know, like, ‘I know things suck right now but they’ll get better,’ that kinda thing.”

“Well, maybe they will,” Rimmer told him. “I mean, if nothing else, I suppose we’ll probably get used to it.” He shuddered. “What a horrible thought.”

Rimmer was terrible at this. Lister sighed, got to his feet and began to head back to bed. Even if he couldn’t sleep, he would probably get more rest laying staring at the ceiling than he would sitting there looking at Rimmer.

“Oh, Lister,” Rimmer said.

He paused.

“You can have my pillow if you want.”

“What?”

“You said earlier that yours was lumpy, I don’t know if mine will be any better, but swap them and give it a go, if you like. It’s not like it’s doing me any good anyway.”

Lister hesitated, caught off guard by what almost seemed like a kind gesture. “Okay, thanks,” he said. It was worth a try.

“And Lister,” Rimmer added as he climbed back into his bunk.

Lister grunted a reply as he arranged his blanket over his body and placed his head on what actually was a much more comfortable pillow.

“Things will get better,” Rimmer assured him.

“You think?” Lister asked.

“Oh yes, absolutely,” Rimmer said. “After all, they couldn't possibly get any worse.”

#red dwarf #red dwarf fanfic #my fic #dave lister #arnold rimmer

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aeromuses · 4 years

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Ch. 2 Valentine Blues (A Hey Arnold Fan Fiction)

Previous Chapter.

“Across, through the loop, a little adjusting, a little tug AAAND - perfect!”

Despite his previous Valentine blues, Arnold now had a patient, almost smug little smile on his face, upon looking back at his reflection in the mirror, holding onto his tie as confidently as he could, before reaching up to graze his fingers through the ends of his cornflower hair like they were a comb, making sure it stood up straight. He was proud of himself for remembering the way Gerald had taught him to to tie a tie last summer, unlike his cooky grandfather, who he appreciated more than anyone, but who was also just a little too old to remember things like tying a tie.

“Maybe Gerald was right and...all I needed was that nap.”

Maybe tonight there will even be someone as dateless as I am. Yeah, that’s the spirit.

Meanwhile...

With Helga’s phone buzzing uncontrollably, nearly vibrating off the end of her bed, she was getting ready as quickly as possible. Of course she was lucky to have a dad who ran beepers, but God were they LOUD when they wanted to be, just beeping all over the place.

“Gee whiz, Phoebe, just a second!”

Doesn’t she know that i’m getting ready? The words ‘Arnold’ and ‘dance’ didn’t register in her little miss smarty pants brain?

In spite of everything however, Helga answers nonchalantly, resting her Bob’s Beepers cell phone between her ear and her shoulder. She was in a pretty decent mood after all, despite the slow burn of nervousness that she had grown accustom to when it came to Arnold related things. “Helga G. Pataki.” Always, always professional...

Putting her multi-tasking skills to work, she yanks a collection of hanging dresses all to one side, nearly stepping inside of her stand in closet that’s filled with pink to the rim, until she finally finds the one perfect dress she’s looking for, reserved all the way in the back. “Aha! Yeah, you were saying Phoebe?”

Cheap brush dipping into her semi-stale mascara, getting to the good stuff at the bottom of the half-way goopy bottle, she begins to doll up her eyelashes, listening intently. “Uh-huh...oh, criminey! Phoebe, do you have any high-heeled shoes that I could borrow? I just...for some reason, I just can’t seem to find my other heel!”

Meanwhile, on the other line...

“I will be there in exactly 1 minute and roughly 30 seconds, Helga. Already fully prepared and on my way. Remember the last time you dressed as Cecile? Well if I remembered correctly, I recall you reporting that you lost one of your heels that exact night you wore them, and well...since then I’ve been keeping an extra pair under my bed, just in case. That’s precisely what i’ve been trying to tell you this entire time. So sorry for all of the phone calls, I just HAD to reach you, you see...”

“Oh, wow.” Phoebe really was impressive. How did she do it? Well, there was no time to question that. However, at the end of the other line, she could somehow hear her friend smile before saying, “I know you would do the same if it were me in similar circumstances with Gerald...not that I would ever land in said circumstances myself, but well...you get what I mean. It’s the very least I could do Helga.”

Did I really leave my shoe behind that night?

Helga’s memory, suddenly coming up foggy as she pondered this question. She was feeling so many emotions that night, that she had forgotten how she had even gotten home all on her own in the dark, probably wanting to head straight back before Arnoldo noticed anything too characteristic of the girl behind the mask.

“Phoebe, you really are too good to me. Just come on in, okay? Bob is watching TV downstairs and Miriam is passed out.”

Smiling to herself, she hit the ‘end call’ button. She was actually pretty excited to see Phoebe, and even go to the dance together. Sure, Geraldo was still a total geek, but he wasn’t half bad for Phoebe she supposed. As long as he didn’t mean funny business! Everyone knew that they would be talking to ol’ Betsy if that were ever the case.

Hearing a light 3 knocks on her parents door down below, despite her insisting that Phoebe just barge right in, she knew that was indicative of her friend’s arrival, which meant soon, very soon, Cecile would be making her way to P.S. 118.

BACK AT THE DANCE

“See, Arnold? This ain’t so bad.” An optimistic Gerald chimed in, as he and his best friend leaned beside the punch bowl. “They’ve even got your man playin’-”

“Dino Spumoni.” They both said in unison. “Yeah, you’re right Gerald. I don’t know what I was thinking, moping around back there. There’s more to dances than just...girls, I guess. Take this punch bowl, for instance. It’s not entirely bad once you get past the tartness...it’s actually, actually pretty good for-”

“Couldn’t help but overhear you enjoying that punch, Arnold, Gerald? I’m happy you like it! It’s homemade, straight from Sheena’s kitchen! Gee, we must have spent about an entire hour making it the other night, isn’t that right Sheena?”

“Oh, yes!” The hippie-looking girl replied just about as squeakily as Eugene, only more relaxed, her usual content smile on her face, before nodding and grabbing another refill of punch.

“You were saying Arnold?” Gerald had a look of amusement on his face, as Arnold sheepishly tugged at his collar, laughing unhumorously, a bit nervous now about tasting Eugene’s punch, despite having decided long ago that him being a ‘jinx’ was just all in his head.

“Yeah, right.” Arnold only smirked, his eyelids suddenly drooping over his eyes, the way they always did, drifting off to the sound of Dino Spumoni’s music. Before he knew it, he was off in his own world, the chatter of the children around him simply fading away as he melted into a putty of relaxation. The entire room felt like a boat, rocking back and forth in a gentle swing, as Arnold’s creative mind processed the tune filling up the auditorium, each musical note causing him to drift away farther.

That is, until...

“C-Cecile?”

From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn-

“Hey, ARNOLD. Hey Arnold!”

“Huh?” His head whipped around for a moment, confused. As Gerald was speaking to him, he could have sworn he had heard Harvey the postman speaking in his low, mature tone. “Hey Arnold, you still got those Valentine’s Blues?” He had heard the voice say, before snapping right back out of it, and once again hopping back to reality, a very concerned looking Gerald staring at him.

“Cecile? Who’s Cecile? You mean that pen-pal from France from a couple years ago? The one I took to get hamburgers?”

“Yeah! Wait, yes, but n-no. I saw her, right there Gerald!” He exclaimed, pointing to where the blur of pink had flashed before him. “But not Cecile-Cecile...Cecile! The other Cecile! I mean...it’s confusing.”

“ARNOLD, snap outta’ it. What would Cecile be doing here, on Valentine’s day? We live in America, remember? And say what?” He exclaimed, simply worried for his pal. He couldn’t explain how much it really freaked him out when Arnold pulled stuff like this. It was like, inside his head it made sense, but on the outside it didn’t look good at all.

“Gerald, I can’t explain it any better than you can. I was drinking Eugene’s punch, just listening to Dino’s music, and the whole room got all...weird, and-and-”

“Whatever you say, Arnold...whatever you say. Hey, i’m gonna go grab a slice of one of those cakes and bring it over to Phoebe. She likes the lemon meringue best. You gonna be alright? Maybe lay off that punch for a while...” Gerald couldn’t help but snicker, wondering how anyone would let Eugene participate in making the punch for the whole grade to begin with.

Meanwhile, Arnold was still trying to piece things together. Phoebe? Since when did Phoebe walk in here? Didn’t she always come in with...Helga? Just her name alone, causing an almost involuntary shutter to wash over Arnold. Thinking of Helga was still, well...a little awkward, just like it had been running into her the other day.

It was strange though, that Phoebe would walk in all alone. She wasn’t exactly the type to walk or ride all the way to school by herself. And yet he had just seen her, stepping through the entrance way alone. Or was that the same time he saw Cecile walk in?

Arnold blinked a few times, rubbing his forehead as if to correct his thought pattern, only even more confused than before. Well, it wasn’t exactly his business anyway...and Phoebe would be okay now that she had Gerald to escort her. He had always had this habit of watching over others, making sure that they were getting along okay.

With a sigh, he stared down at his cup of punch, watching his funny, semi-distorted reflection before tossing it into the nearest garbage hiding underneath one of the impressively set up tables of snacks. He had to admit, this year the decorations were looking much better than the last. It was almost like the place was set up to take place in France or something, with all of the Paree related designs.

Just then, it was nearby that he heard Rhonda Wellington speaking to Nadine and Peapod kid, a look of satisfaction on her face. “I stayed up ALL night, just designing this entire area. I would say it’s the best dance to date, since the most popular girl designed it.”

At that, Nadine nodded, half-smiling, half-smirking to herself, just happy that Rhonda seemed to be placing her energy into something creative. A moment later, they all threw their heads back and laughed dramatically. “Quite impressive, miss Wellington...quite impressive.” Said Peapod kid.

Well, I guess this was it. Without a date, he would just stand here and observe, watching everything and everyone around him as he often tended to do, just letting the evening unravel, allowing himself to space out just a little bit, all the while the lights turned down low, only a small flicker appearing.

But wait...

Another flicker, and another...

Soon those same soft flickers were washing over the dance floor in an array of tiny hearts, a slow tune playing to paint a pretty picture. In the center of the dance floor, Arnold couldn’t believe it. No one else was paying attention, all in their own little world at the snack bar or getting their picture taken, leaving this one, singular spot secluded, just for the two of them.

“Cecile?”

“Ar-nold.” There came that interesting accent, causing a small, nostalgic smile from Arnold himself.

“Is that really you? Am I...imagining things?”

“I...are you happy to see me?”

“I...don’t know, Cecile, it’s just-” His thoughts speaking for themselves, it wasn’t as though he weren’t happy to see Cecile, just confused more than anything.

“Arnold, dance with me.” She almost whispered, attempting to hide the desperation in her tone.

“I...I can’t. Not until I, know who you are.”

“What...what do you mean?” And there it was, that soft tone that came out from under Cecile’s accent every so often, that made Arnold all the more intrigued, but also suspicious, and most of all, curious.

“Cecile, how did you even get here?”

Despite Arnold’s previous claim, he had found himself placing his hands on her upper waist, where it was proper to dance, as her shaky arms nervously lowered onto his shoulders, following suit, while the hands of said shaky arms were lowered, trying their best to remain graceful sitting atop his shoulders, just barely brushing his neck and hairline.

And that’s when they began their dance, Arnold’s eyebrow raised, reminding Helga of the April Fool’s Dance, just a tinge of embarrassment coming to her cheeks. “I...like I said, I can’t tell you who I am.” Her voice plain as day, Arnold was peering into her eyes, searching... just searching.

Then, suddenly, just as quickly as the curiosity had arrived, it had also disappeared, his expression dropping to a relaxed smile, eyelids drooping downward in all of their half-lidded glory, for the girl before him. “You know, it’s been a while since i’ve seen you Cecile, and i’ve...grown up a little since then. You may even say, I forgive you for what happened.”

Forgive me? Was he being serious? Helga’s thoughts screamed to her from under her veil. God, Arnold thought he was such a noble steed! So far along his own moral compass to realize that she didn’t exactly need his APPROVAL or rather, forgiveness for what happened. What WAS he so SMUG about anyway?

Not realizing her hidden personality coming out to say hello, however, amongst her coupled secret thoughts of judgement, she murmured out sarcastically. “Oh, wow, thanks.” Only to retrace her steps both mentally and physically, seeing as she involuntarily began backing up with her dancing heels as well, nearly tripping backwards.

It was then, without realizing, that they were suddenly doing the tango, the music having switched up a notch as a new musician took up the stage. “I, I mean-” She sputtered out, but it was too late. Arnold had that dreaded smirk on his face and he was taking her all over the dance floor, gripping her waist and wrist so very tightly as they danced in union, dipping her back and causing her to nearly have a heart attack.

“Monsieur!” She squeaked. “Too fast - you’re going too fast!” If she wasn’t too careful, she was sure she would end up punching Arnoldo’s lights out. What could she say? He just brought it right back out of her, I guess, with his infuriating little mind tricks. And she thought she was bad. Is this how he had treated Lila, and all the other girls? Well no wonder he was dateless! Criminey!

“Don’t do the tango back in France, huh?” Arnold had no idea what was going on with him, but he just couldn’t stop. He knew that Cecile wasn’t who she said she was, but why was he feeling so...just so, like he had to do this? Had to get BACK at her somehow?

But his thoughts of course were interrupted, by the speechless look on Cecile’s face, looking almost as though she were crying out for help, as her eyes wandered off to the snack bar far behind them, searching for her best friend, Arnold just barely noticing this behavior, as his eyes wandered with her own.

PHOEBE....PHOEBE, SAVE ME!

Back on the other side of the bar.

“Did you guys hear something?” Came a peep from the short, dark-haired girl.

#hey arnold fanfic #hey arnold fanfiction #helga #arnold #helga pataki #arnold shortman #helga x arnold #arnold x helga #arnold and helga fanfic #shortaki

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taizi · 4 years

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the wrong end of a very long tunnel

king falls am word count: 2106 poetry borrowed from straw house, straw dog by richard siken

read on ao3

and you wanted an adventure, so i said have an adventure

The car smells like Jack. He always forgot body spray on his mad rush out the door in the morning so he took to keeping a can in the glovebox. Sammy sits in the driver’s seat with a death grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles standing out like strings of pearls. In the passenger seat is the packed bag he found by the front door months ago.

It was months ago. It took that long to negotiate a way out of their contract at the station. And maybe Sammy was hoping for a miracle, hoping for a late-night phone call or the sound of a key in the lock. If he waited a little longer, dragged his feet, Jack would make his own way home.

But Sammy is sitting in a car that smells like Jack, with a bag in the passenger seat where his boyfriend should be, and his phone in the cup holder with the GPS waiting on his first move.

It’s a hard move to make. Sammy is a coward. He wants to go back inside. Back into their house, even though the mail is on hold and the gas and water has been shut off. Back into the life he and Jack built with each other, for each other.

But this is the only way back. Leaving now is the only way to go back home.

Jack, Sammy thinks.

He presses the clutch and shifts into first gear. He doesn’t slow down until the fuel gauge is on empty, seven hundred miles away. Then he pulls into the first gas station off the interstate and has a quiet panic attack.

It’s only for his benefit that it’s quiet, really. To keep some semblance of control. He could have made a scene if he wanted to. It’s one o’clock in the morning in the Middle of Nowhere, Northern Oregon, and Sammy is alone. He could fall to the ground and scream and be long gone before some unfortunate morning employee came in and checked the CCTV.

Jack, he thinks. He doesn't scream. He gets out to pump gas.

i don’t really blame you for being dead but you can’t have your sweater back

His apartment isn't quite ready for him. Real estate market isn't exactly booming in King Falls, but the landlady wants a chance to clean the carpets. The last tenant had cats. So Sammy has a handy excuse to stop in at the only motel for a hundred miles, to smile as he introduces himself as the new radio personality, make small talk, ask about the town. It's very scenic, the drive up was beautiful. You must get a lot of tourists when the weather's nice. Have you seen any new faces around here lately? Anyone new come through?

No, the grizzled receptionist said, just you.

The motel room smells like stale cigarette smoke and mold. The walls are an ugly puce with a wainscot that might once have been white. The comforter on the bed is stiff and over-starched. Sammy sits down on it with Jack's bag. He didn't bring any of his own things in from the car. He falls asleep with his nose pressed into the collar of one of Jack's shirts. It's the only way he can fall asleep.

It's easy enough to assimilate into town. Easy enough to adopt a persona that would assimilate into town. He could play the aggressive shock jock well enough for work, but he felt like an understudy in a role that wasn't really meant for him. Felt like being back in high school and taking a friend from homeroom to the prom because she was a girl who understood him and the pictures would be what their parents expected.

Sammy has always known how to be what people expected. He's always known how to play his cards close. There's too much at stake to get sloppy now.

Ben Arnold is a bright, lively person. King Falls is home to him. He knows the ins and outs of every weird and unsettling corner. It's on the tip of Sammy's tongue to ask— hey, where would the best place be to start looking for a missing person? Can you give me a reference number for the paranormal abductions section of the local library? The love of my life is gone and your creepy, hungry hometown is to blame, so tell me, Ben, what does it do with the people it eats? Where does it keep its food?

Sammy doesn't know how to have that conversation without sounding insane. Without going insane. So he doesn't have it.

He'll do this on his own.

Jack's shirts don't smell like Jack anymore, but there's still a can of body spray in the glovebox. Sammy only uses it sparingly, when he's afraid he's forgotten what it smells like.

On a rainy morning, when Sammy is giving Ben a lift home from the station because they drove in together the night before, he points Ben toward the glovebox for some napkins to dry his glasses with. After a moment of rooting around, Ben makes a suspect little "ooh" sound— his curiosity is a monster Sammy is doing his very best to tame— and comes out with the body spray.

"Don't," Sammy says. It comes out quick, but not sharp, and Ben's head tilt is confused, but not hurt. "Just don't want to waste it," Sammy adds with an easy smile, eyes on the road. He puts out a hand for it and Ben surrenders it without a fight. It's just body spray, it's not worth the conversation they're having about it. "It's hard to find."

"It says Bath & Body Works on the sticker," Ben laughs, "but whatever, weirdo."

And Sammy could say actually—

Do you have a minute?

Can I tell you something?

But instead he drives them down the mountain, arguing about breakfast, taking care on the turns. Ben's glasses are smudged and his smile is lopsided and bright. Sammy has never been able to protect anyone but himself, but he drives differently when Ben is in the car.

you are a fever i am learning to live with, and everything is happening at the wrong end of a very long tunnel

It doesn't feel right to not want to be at his apartment, pouring over the complicated notes Jack left behind that Sammy doesn't know how to read, smoothing out a wrinkled map with half a route traced in blue pen and pretending like this time he'll see something there he didn't notice before, this time he'll figure it out.

But the longer Sammy spends here, the closer he comes to admitting what a part of him knew all along.

He isn't getting Jack back. He isn't going home again. Home got taken away, home is gone.

"Havin' a rough night, are we, bud?" Ron asks. Sammy doesn't know where he came from.

He's laying on his back across the hood of his car, a bottle of liquor clutched in hand. It's a clear night, and there's hardly any light pollution out on the edge of town. Maybe that's why Sammy drove out here. Maybe he just wanted to look up and see something beautiful in this godforsaken place. It's half past one in the morning, and by now Sammy would be deep in Sweetzer Forest, doing his usual pointless run around before booking it up to the station for the show, always a few minutes late.

But at midnight on the dot, his phone helpfully reminded him of Jack's birthday tomorrow. He checked the notification at a red light. Then he pulled into the parking lot on his immediate right and got out of the car, because he didn't trust himself to drive at that point. The only 24 hour convenience store was a few blocks away. He bought a half gallon of whatever was nearest the door.

"I'm fine," Sammy says. He's pretty sure he says it. It's so practiced by now that he can't imagine he would have said anything else.

A calloused hand works the bottle out of Sammy's fist. Ron leans his hip against the side of the car and takes a swallow. The first drink had made Sammy cough, but Ron's face doesn't change.

"Shelled out for the good stuff tonight, I see. Special occasion?"

"Yes," Sammy says firmly.

Of course it's special. Jack's birthday is always special. They go out to dinner and they get extraordinarily drunk and they stumble home together and climb into bed. Jack is warm and solid, and he lays an arm across Sammy's waist in a way that makes Sammy feel— held. Jack makes him feel held.

And Sammy isn't the type of person who could make someone feel like that about him, but he tries. He makes breakfast, he remembers how Jack takes his coffee and how he likes his eggs, and hopes it at least comes close.

"I forgot what day it was," Sammy goes on, and then he starts crying.

He'll blame the drinks later. He'll say he just can't hold his alcohol. It'll be sort of a running joke after this. Sammy never lives it down.

But for now, the driver's side door pops open, and the cabin light goes on, and the warning chime starts up because the keys are still in the ignition. Ron roots around for a minute and then returns to Sammy with his phone and a napkin from Paulie's.

Sammy takes the napkin, not sure what he's supposed to do with it. Ron asks for his PIN, and Sammy tells him, "It's today." Ron takes his wrist and directs the hand with the napkin in it up to his face.

Oh, Sammy thinks, and wipes his eyes while Ron makes a call.

Some interminable amount of time later, the car rocks a bit as Ben climbs up next to him on the hood. He scoots around until he and Sammy are shoulder-to-shoulder, marooned in a parking lot under a staggering array of stars.

"I'm playing a Best-Of compilation," Ben tells him. "I was working on it for your anniversary, but I'll come up with something even better by then." He turns his head, glasses going crooked and pressing into the bridge of his nose. Beneath a mop of dark curls, his eyes are familiar. People don't usually look at Sammy like that. He's not sure what it means. "Come on, dude. Come with me. Let's ditch your car for the night, okay?"

He winds up on Ben’s couch, bundled under the comforter from Ben's bed. Ben finds Legally Blonde on TV and stays up to watch it with him, and Sammy falls asleep in the first ten minutes.

He dreams of Jack, but for once it isn’t a nightmare. He doesn’t wake up gasping. He dreams of Jack’s face, of his hands, of his smile in the morning. He’s awake between one breath and the next, a slow rising up out of the dark.

Someone is singing ABBA in the kitchen, where there is the distinct smell of breakfast burning.

"What in the fresh hell are you doing in there?" Sammy croaks.

"Hey, look who's up! You look fresh as a daisy, Sammy." Ben's obnoxious good cheer seems louder than usual, pounding between Sammy's ears like a hammer, but that might just be the dehydration talking. "Come and eat.”

This isn’t why Sammy came to King Falls. This isn’t what he’s supposed to be doing. He's harboring secrets and taking advantage.

But there’s a plate of lopsided eggs and toast and slightly blackened bacon in front of Sammy, and a cup of coffee and the caramel vanilla creamer he’s taken a liking to that Ben keeps stocked in the station. The kitchen is warm, and comfortable, and bright with the sunlight coming through the window above the sink.

“Is it okay?” Ben asks, sitting across from him. “You always get your eggs over easy at Rose’s.”

Sammy pulls the hair out of his face with the hair-tie on his wrist. The end result makes Ben laugh, and Sammy picks up his fork.

“Of course it is, Ben. You’re the best.”

The first bite tastes like guilt. The second one tastes like way too much butter. The third one tastes like home.

you can sleep now, you said. you can sleep now. you said that. i had a dream where you said that

#king falls am #kfam #sammy stevens #ben arnold #jack wright #my writing #kfam fic

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my-hetero-side-just-won · 4 years

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Fan fic time! Ok! So, I feel this fic defiantly has more of an actual story than others if that makes any sense. Like, more of a conflict and solution. It’s a little sappy at the end with a bit of angst, but I hope you enjoy it!

Our Secret

“Do you like boys, Kevin Price?”

Shit. Kevin looked in disbelief at Nabulungi. How should he respond to that? He wouldn’t really mind if Nabulungi knew, but he was standing in the doorway and could feel the other missionaries staring at him from the couch.

“Of course not!” Kevin smiled and tried to appear convincing.

“Really? Because I saw you and Con—“

“Alrighty then!” Kevin quickly walked out and shut the door behind him and Nabulungi. “What did you see?!”

“You and Connor McKinley walking and holding hands—“

“But that’s just like a friend thing, all friends do that.”

“And then you kissed his cheek—“

“Oh, that? No no no, you have the wrong idea. You see—“

“And then he grabbed your tie and pulled you into a kiss, and then you started making out and—“

“Ok, and that’s enough of that!” Kevin rubbed his temples. “So, you saw Connor and I on a walk? Then you came to the mission hut to ask me about it, in front of all the other elders?”

Nabulungi smiled. “Yeah!”

Oh boy. “Well, yes I am dating Connor. But please, I beg of you don’t tell anyone. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course!”

Kevin sighed. “Ok, you’re going to come into my room, and we’re going to talk. Then, we’ll explain this all to Connor when he gets back from the village. Ok?”

“Ok!”

Kevin grabbed Nabulungi’s hand and led her across the hut to his room. He shut the door quickly behind them.

“I like your room!” She took a seat began to bouncing on Kevin’s bed.

Kevin smiled and sighed. What the hell was he going to do?

•••

“Hello everyone!” Connor said cheerily, closing the door behind him. “So, how have you all been—“

Connor was interrupted by Kevin’s head peeping out of his room.

“Hey, Connor, can you come here?” Kevin said, urgency in his voice.

“Sure...”

Kevin disappeared into his room, leaving Connor confused. What was happening? Why couldn’t Kevin leave his room?

He was about to open Kevin’s door when he heard one of the other elders talking.

“Isn’t Nabulungi still in there?” Nabulungi? What was she doing in the mission hut? In Kevin’s room?

Connor opened the door and found a distressed Kevin sitting on a bed next to a content looking Nabulungi.

“Hi Connor!” Nabulungi smiled and waved.

“Hey Nabulungi...what are you doing here?”

Kevin looked at Connor. “She saw us. Walking. And...you know.” Kevin put his head in his hands.

“Oh...Nabulungi would you mind if I spoke with Kevin for a moment?”

“Ok!”

Connor motioned for Kevin to follow him across the room.

“Connor, what are we going to do?!” Kevin whispered nervously.

“Take a deep breath, it’s all going to be okay.”

“How the hell will this be okay?! We’re not ready. I’m not ready. I just—I don’t know what to do Connor, I’m scared, and I—“

Connor put his hand on Kevin’s face. “Hey. It’s alright. We’ll just explain the situation to Nabulungi. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Kevin sighed. “Ok. It’ll be okay. It’s fine. It’s alright.” Kevin tried to calm himself, but his attempts weren’t working too well. Everything felt too overwhelming right now.

Connor took Kevin’s hand in his and walked towards Nabulungi.

“So, Nabulungi, you’re probably a bit confused about why Kevin locked you in here and refused to let you leave over something seemingly insignificant.”

Kevin squeezed Connor’s hand and blushed slightly, avoiding eye contact with Nabulungi.

“Well, let me explain to you what’s happening.” Connor continued, glancing at his boyfriend to make sure things were okay, “Kevin and I are dating. You see, the other missionaries here are aware that I like guys, but none of them know I’m dating Kevin because Kevin’s not quite ready to tell them yet. But that’s alright. I just have to keep things secret until he’s ready. But now you know our secret, and that gave Kevin a little panic attack. So, could you do us a favor and not tell anyone about us or what you saw?”

Nabulungi looked from smiling Connor to uncomfortable Kevin, who had his eyes on the ground.

“Of course! I won’t tell anyone, I promise. I’m sorry Kevin, I didn’t mean to worry you. I didn’t understand this was such a big deal—“

“No, it’s not your fault Nabulungi, you don’t need to apologize. Thank you.” Kevin smiled at Nabulungi.

“Well, I think I’m going to go to the village. Arnold said he was going to be there all morning teaching and planned for us to hang out in the afternoon. But I’ll see you later!”

Nabulungi wrapped Kevin and Connor up in a big hug. Kevin’s eyes met Connor’s, but he quickly looked away, causing Connor to smile. His boyfriend could be so confident and cocky. Seeing him so flustered was strangely refreshing.

Nabulungi walked out of the room. Kevin took a big sigh and sat on his bed, putting his head between his hands.

“I’m sorry, Connor. I just— I don’t know why I did this. It was stupid. All the elders are going to think I’m crazy. I overreacted I know, but—“ Suddenly, Connor grabbed Kevin’s face and kissed him.

Kevin blushed slightly from the sudden action. “Wow. Con, you’re—“ Kevin cut himself off at the sight of his boyfriend, who despite just confidently kissing Kevin, was blushing more than ever.

Kevin laughed. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Please don’t feel bad about this whole coming out scare. I totally understand where you’re coming from, and, heck, if I weren’t out and that happened to me I probably would’ve reacted way worse.”

“You would’ve just had a whole breakdown in front of Nabulungi and explained everything from your first gay thought to the walk she saw us on.”

“...ok, so I would’ve reacted a lot worse—”

“And then you would’ve come up with some whole elaborate plan to convince the other elders you weren’t gay and dating me and it would completely fail, so then you’d have a break down in front of the other missionaries and you’d explain everything from your first gay thought to your elaborate plan to convince them we weren’t dating and—“

“I think we get the picture, Kevin.” Connor blushed.

Kevin smiled, but it quickly faded. “I don’t know, Connor. I’m scared. What if Nabulungi tells Arnold? What if the other elders ask us what happened? What if everyone finds out? I’m not ready, I don’t know what to do, I’m worried, and I…” Kevin swallowed.

Connor carrassed Kevin’s face. “Kev, relax. I know you’re worried, but—“ Connor had to stop. Kevin was on the verge of tears. Instead of continuing to try to work through this with words, Connor pulled Kevin into a hug.

“Let it out, Kevin. I know this is new to you.”

And Kevin did. He allowed himself to sob in his boyfriend's arms. Eventually, Kevin pulled away, a snot faced mess.

“Thank you, Connor. I’m sorry, it’s just been a lot lately…”

“I understand. Things can be hard when you have no one to talk to, but I’m here. You can always come talk to me.”

Kevin smiled and pulled Connor up onto his lap. He gently kissed Connor’s cheek. Connor smiled and wrapped his arms around Kevin’s neck.

He looked at Kevin’s face. Gosh, his boyfriend was the epitome of cute...and, if he was being one hundred percent honest, hot.

Connor blushed at his own thoughts.

“What?”

“Nothing…” Connor snuggled up against Kevin’s chest. When they were together it felt like nothing else mattered. Not Connor’s fears of his family, not Kevin’s worries of coming out, and certainly not the group of confused missionaries right outside the door.

#mcpriceley #ah another fic posted at midnight #as usual #this one's different but i like the plot #hetero-side fics #Book of mormon

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lovemesomesurveys · 4 years

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*Following the trend and re-taking and responding to my very first survey on here from December 2014...SIX years ago!*

Are you attracted to the last person that kissed you? Sigh. Very much so. <<< Wow, that was when I was all in love Joseph. I’ve long since moved on.

What did you do yesterday? I’ve been on break for the past week and I can honestly say I haven’t really done anything. It’s been kinda nice. <<< Back when I was in school and doing something with my life and had breaks to look forward to. Now I’ve been on break since 2015 and doing absolutely nothing. Anyway, yesterday I slept in past 3PM, had my coffee, checked social medias, played Animal Crossing, watched a few episodes of The Gilmore Girls, had dinner and chilled with my mom the rest of the night while watching another special on the ID channel (they’re doing a different one every night all this week).

Something you really want right now? Hmm. I don’t really want anything at this exact moment. <<< I’d love for this hot, gross, miserable weather to go away and to just fast forward to autumn.

What were you doing an hour ago? Making this side blog. <<< Awww, can’t believe I’ve had it for six years now. An hour ago I was scrolling through Tumblr and listening to ASMR.

If you could seek revenge on someone would you? Nahh. I’m not revengeful. <<< Yeah, I’ve never been a vengeful person.

Does any part of your body hurt right now? Nope. <<< Yes.

Did anyone see you kiss the last person you kissed? Sighhhh. It’s been like two years since I’ve kissed anyone. I feel so deprived of any affection. The situation with me and ~him is complicated. Isn’t it always? <<< Ohhh boy, it most certainly was. Ha, if I felt deprived then imagine six years later.

Can you recall the last time you liked someone? Yep. Right this very second. I more than like him at this point, but like I said. It’s complicated. <<< It was such a mess. I don’t know why I allowed it to go on as long as it did. :/ I should have known nothing was going to change. Since that time with Joseph, I fell in love with Ty and I thought that was actually going to lead to something, but surprise, surprise it did not.

Would you ever get a tattoo? I want to. I’m just a big ol’ baby. <<< Yep, still am. I highly doubt I’ll ever get it done.

Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now? HA. That’s funny. <<< *Spongebob transition thing: Six. Years. Later.* Still single!

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Uhh. Probs my mom yesterday when she called from work. <<< My mom yesterday when she called from the store.

Who was the last person you talked to in person? My brother. <<< Yep.

What plans do you have for tomorrow? Coffee with Amanda. Maybe get some more Christmas shopping done. Hopefully! <<< Omggg, back when I had friends and actually did stuff! ha. And aww, Christmas shopping. Wow, going out and doing things back when we weren’t going through a worldwide pandemic. Presently, I don’t have any plans for tomorrow.

Has a friendship ended recently that you wish had not? Not recently, but yes a friendship has ended that I wish had not. <<< All my friendships ended a few years ago...

What are you listening to right now? Hey Arnold. <<< An ASMR video.

What happened at 9:00 am today? It hasn’t been 9am yet, but I imagine my ass will be on the couch scrolling through Tumblr and watching tv. Exciting stuff, guys. <<< Ha, you won’t catch my ass up at 9AM anymore. I’ll be sleeping.

Ever given your ALL to someone who walked away? Yes. I put my heart on the line and they walked away. Awesome. <<< Yepppp. Twice.

Have you ever kissed the last person you texted? Nooo. <<< Just on the cheek.

Do you and your last ex hate each other? Nah. We don’t talk, but there’s no hard feelings. <<< Same.

What are you afraid of? Life. Death. <<< That sums it up quite well. Short and precise.

When was the last time you were sick? Always. <<< True. I’ve also been getting this gross nauseous feeling that comes and goes that hits at random. As for a virus or something of that sort, I had a cold back in April.

Are you one of those people who are always cold? No. Although, I am right now. <<< Nooo, definitely not. I’m someone who seems to be hot a lot of the time. Like now. I wish I was cold.

Where are your biological parents? In their room. Sleeping. <<< That’s where they are now, too. I swear they haven’t been there since then. ha.

Do you have any summer plans yet? I wish. It’s still awhile away, though. It could change. <<< There won’t be any summer plans this year.

Do you tend to waste a lot of money? On food. Always. <<< I don’t spend much on food anymore, actually. I’ve gotten better about my online shopping, too. I’ve been better at saving money these days than I used to be.

Last thing that you said out loud? “Goodnight, Jon.” <<< “Goodnight.” I’ve pretty much always done my surveys at night, so.

Do you have trust issues? It’s not really trust issues. I just have a hard time opening up in general. <<< Still have that problem. I keep a lot to myself. I’m not at all open like I am on here.

Do you think this year will be better than the last? This year is just about over, which is crazy. I always hope the next year will be better, but there’s always something. <<< Omg. This survey was done in 2014. The next year I graduated UC and shortly after that is when things started going downhill. :/

What are you doing? This pretty much. My tv is on, but it’s background noise. <<< Same, but I’m also listening to an ASMR video.

Are you a jealous person? Yes, but not like psycho jealous. You probably wouldn’t even know it. <<< Yeah. I haven’t felt jealous in a longgg time, though.

Do you think age matters in relationships? Well, yes. To an extent. <<< Yep.

When was the last time you got a haircut? I think maybe back in July. Or a little before then. I’m trying to grow out my hair now. I’m over short hair. <<< My hair was so short then, but now it’s down to my butt! I just got a couple inches cut off back in February.

Do you know anyone that smokes weed? Tons of people. <<< Yep.

Who is the last person you rode in a car with? Mom & brother. <<< My brother.

What is one thing you’d love to happen tomorrow? I’d like to get more Christmas shopping done. My plans for that are still up in the air. I can’t believe Christmas is already next week like wth??? That went by SO FAST. <<< Uhhh, perhaps get Wingstop for dinner.

Did you sing at all today? Yes. <<< Not so far.

Do you look more like your mom or your dad? My mom. <<< Yeah, that hasn’t changed.

Where will you be 2 hours from now? In bed asleep. <<< Right here in bed, probably reading for a bit.

Are there any stressful situations in your life? A few. <<< A lot.

Are your lips chapped at the moment? Nope I’m good thanks for asking. <<< Ugh, yes. I keep licking them because I have fans blowing on me all day.

When you met the person you now love, what happened?: Uh well we met through a mutual. Nothing happened right away. He pursued me first after awhile, but I wasn’t interested initially. Boy did that change. <<< I don’t understand why he did that. He was never interested in really pursuing anything with me, but sure made me think that and I fell for him. He knew how I felt about him and he kept playing me. ANYWAY, I don’t currently love anyone in the romantic sense.

Did you realize anything today?: No, but it’s early. <<< Not so far.

What do you need right now?: Sleep probably. <<< Yeah, I definitely need that.

What’s your favorite food?: Mongolian BBQ. <<< Man, I was obSESSED with Mongolian BBQ for the longest. I miss that. D: I can’t eat spicy food anymore, sadly. Ugh, it was SO good. My favorite food now is garlic parm and lemon pepper wings from Wingstop.

How are you feeling today?: Just kind of whatever. It’s 1 in the morning. <<< Hot and tired and blah.

What is your biggest fear?: Life and death. <<< We went over this already in this survey...

Describe your looks to us: Ugly? Ha. I don’t know. Look at my avatar. <<< Yeah, look at my avatar.

Have you ever woke up next to someone and wanted to puke? UH no I can honestly say I have not. <<< Nope, thankfully.

What are you listening to right now? Degrassi. <<< An ASMR video still.

Are you afraid of death? Very. <<< Yes.

Do you open up to people easily? No. It takes a lot. <<< I’m still that way. Even people I’m close with I still struggle with that.

Do you miss anyone? So very much. <<< There’s always a few loved ones I’ll miss that have passed away.

What are you going to do tomorrow? I feel like I’ve been asked this a billion times. <<< For real, we’ve been over this.

Does any part of your body hurt right now? Noooo. <<< Yes.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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karaxreds · 5 years

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Confession - Trent Alexander-Arnold

Your feet felt so heavy as you made your way to his house, you knew that they're probably all feeling down just like you but they surely didn't feel as bad as he did.

You were finally facing the front door of their house, letting out a small breath pressing your finger against the doorbell's button.A few seconds later the door was thrown up and you were met with the familiar blonde woman.

"Oh, hey darling!" His mom greeted you with a wide and warm smile.

"Hello there." You returned the smile, she quickly pulled you into a tight hug before she finally releases you.

"I am so glad you're here, Love." She said, closing the door behind her as you stepped into the Arnolds' household.

"I actually didn't want to show up until tomorrow but Tyler rang me a few minutes ago." You tried to explain.

"I know." She nodded, "I told him to call you, I know you landed last night as well but he's just being you know..."

"Overreacting." A new familiar voice spoke, making you roll your eyes playfully. "Hey, Beautiful." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around you.

"Hey, Ty" You hugged him back, Tyler was worried about his brother. It's nothing new though, Trent always isolates himself when he feels bad about himself or about someone, he just tries to bottle it all inside of him.

"He's not overreacting." You argued,"He didn't talk to you?"

"Nope." He shook his head, "Just a few sentences, he went to training this morning and then came right back to his room."

"He didn't leave it at all?" You asked, both of your eyebrows raised up.

"Like I said just for training." Tyler repeated, gesturing with his hands around.

"I don't think it's just about the game." His mom spoke from beside you.

"Yeah, he won't even talk to me." Tyler shrugged.

"What makes you think he'll talk to me ?" You tilted your head, sending him a questioning look.

"He's your best friend, maybe there are things he doesn't tell me and tells you."

"Seriously, Ty." You narrowed your eyes, "What could he be not telling you?."

"That's what you're here for, Love." He smirked, "Go and try to talk to him please."

"Okay." You sighed, nodding your head.

"Thank you, hun." His mom caresses your arm and you just give her a small smile.

"Where are-"

"Dad and Marcel are both taking a nap." The older Alexander-Arnold answers before you could even ask the question.

You finally made it upstairs, lifted your fist and knocked softly on the door.

"Ty, just go"

You turned the doorknob and opened the door anyway, the worst scenario was him being naked in his room and you were hoping he wasn't, preferably wearing his boxer since you're already seen him like that a million of times.

"Hello, Champion." You gretted, giving hin one of your best smiles, you walked in making sure to close the door behind you."I am not a champion." He sighed, shaking his head feom side to side.

"I am sorry, but last time I checked you were European Champions." You raised your hands up in the air, trying to cheer him up. "What are you doing here, anyway?" He asks rudely, still sitting down on his bed with the phone in his hands.

"To see you, obviously." You replied, "I've called you multiple times but it seems like you were ignoring me on purpose." You crossed your arms against your chest, looking at him angrily.

"I don't want to talk,Okay?" He snapped, rolling his eyes.

"Trent, it's okay to lose a game." You sighed, sitting next to him on the bed."You don't get it." He scoffed, shaking his head from side to side. His eyes never meeting yours. "It's not just about the fact that we lost, I played awfully."

"Not!" You immediately argued, "You were great, I was there and yo-"

"Don't lie to me, I know I had a horrible game." He cut you off harshly.

"Trent." You sighed, scooping closer to him. "You had one bad game so what? It's not an official competition anyway."

"Of course you would say that." He laughed humorlessly, "It wasn't you who disappointed thousands if not millions of fans yesterday."

"I am sorr-, Disappointed?" You cried, "That was a friendly game, Trent. You were clearly the better team, it was just hard luck. Didn't go your way with the penalties." You shrugged.

"It's not just about yesterday's game." He shook his head, "We literally lost almost all of our preseason games."

"So? It's preseason for a reason right?" You raised an eyebrow, "That means you'll get to learn from your mistakes, To know where it went wrong and try to fix it whether it was the defending or the attacking or whatever the hell the coach think it was! you've got one of the greatest coaches in the world, Trent. Just imagine how lucky you are to work with him."

"I know." He whispers quietly, as he plays with his hands his eyes still not meeting your face.

You suddenly stood up and made your way toward the high shelf in his room where he placed all of his individual trophies.

"Look at all of these, man." You smiled proudly, "You've won so many trophies based on your individual performances, the ones at the academy." You said, your hands stopping in front of the ones he's won at the academy, "The ones with the senior team! And oh look! Your golden medal! Champion of europe." His eyes scanned every single trophy on the shelf, there were over six trophies and medals.He stood up walked toward you, his eyes finally meeting yours, a small smile finally appearing on his rosy lips.

"You love that one, don't you." He smirked, as his eyes went up to the small photo at the end of the shelf.It was a picture of the two of you, taken a couple of months ago in Madrid he was holding the Champion's league trophy and you were wearing the golden medal, both of you smiling at the Camera. Tyler was the one who took that picture.

"You've got it framed!" You exclaimed, your eyes lightening up.

"Of course, right next to the ones with my teammates and my family." He nodded.

"I love it, I'll get one too." You spoke, your eyes still glued to the pictures.

"So Tyler told me that you came to London yesterday." He quickly changed the subject, "Why didn't you come down, to see me?"

"I was actually in a rush, we booked a flight just an hour after the game so we couldn't miss it." You tried explained.

"We?" He frowned his eyebrows, probably wondering who's we.

"Yeah, came with James and the others." You said with a casual shrug.

"James." It felt like he spit out the name, like it was venom.

"Yes." You nodded.

"Seems like you two got really close these past few weeks." He muttered out, he watches you roll back your shoulders.

"He's just being a really nice friend."

"Friend, is that so?" He said, in an accusing tone.

"Yes, he's been a great friend." You repeated, putting an emphasise on the word friend. "He's been helping me with my master registration and stuff."

"What is he? Your personal driver." He snickered, slidding his hands on his shorts' back pockets.

"Nope, he's just being an amazing person and a great friend not just with my college related stuff." You added, looking up into his chocolate brown eyes you adored so much.

It seems like the words have triggered something in him, you watch his eyes darken, anger raising up inside of him.

"Oh and what other stuff? Such as him getting into your pants?"

"Wha-" Your eyes widened, "What the hell are you talking about? And even if I do why should it bother you so much?"

"Oh, so he does?" He suddenly started raising his voice, making you even more angrier.

"I am sorry but do I ask you about all the girls you've been spending your holidays with?" You finally blurts out, your heart started to race and you just wish you could take it all back.

"Wha-what girls? How do you know?" He asked, his jaw almost hitting the floor.

"So it's true,Right?" You laughed, placing your hands on your hips. "And you dare ask me about James. "

He stood there, looking down at you quietly for a few seconds before he let out a loud sigh.

"It's not the same thing."

"Yeah, I know. James is just a friend, your girls weren't." You pointed out, your eyes piercing into his. "What does this have to do with everything anyway? Why do you care so much ab-"

"I don't want anyone to play with your feelings." He softly says, taking a step closer to you. "You're too precious."

"Sounded like you were jealous?" You spoke,it sounded more like a question. "Are you?"

"No." He responded a bit too quickly which made you smirk.

"Sure." You nodded, "Not that you have to anyway, he's got a girlfriend."

"He does?"

"Yes and she was with us too." You shrugged casually.

"Oh yeah?, that's cool, t-that's great." He smiled widely, "I am glad he does."

"You're my best friend, Trent. No one's ever going to take your place."

And you suddenly watch his face fall off at the word friends, it hurts you too to say those words sometimes but it was the truth he was only your best friend.

"Best friend of course." He muttered under his breath but you somehow heard him. "Maybe I don't want to be your best friend anymore."

"W-what?" Your heart starts racing as the words leave his mouth.

"Maybe I want more." He mumbled, his hands going up to your face gently placing them on your cheeks. "I don't care about all those girls like that, I really tried to but I couldn't."

"Couldn't what?" You mumbled back, your eyes looking at his lips.

"Couldn't get you out of my head." He finally admits, "It has always being you on my mind, for months now. I don't know if I can."

"Trent...what are you talking about?"

"Babe, I think I am falling in love with you." He whispered, his hands softly caressing both of your cheeks.

You eyes widened at his confession, you were frozen, no words came out of your mouth. You just stared at him in complete shock, and his eyes scanned every inch on your face.

"I-I-" Before you could say anything, he leaned in and suddenly there no more space between the two of you. He placed his lips against yours, giving you no time or chance to pull away. You felt your stomach twirling as his lips perfectly moved against yours, you felt him grin through the passionate kiss as you responded back.You both pull away trying to catch your breath, opening your eyes finally staring at him and you couldn't help but smile.

"I am not sorry for that, though." He whisperes against your lips, "I l-" You cut him off this time with another sweet kiss, both smiling into it, your hand moving up to his neck sliding into his hair.

"Hey, lads!" A loud sound suddenly echoed through the room, from behind the door making the two of you jump up in surprise.You watch with wide eyes as the door was thrown open and the older Arnold's figure appearing. "Oh, sorry! Am I interrupting something ?" He smirks at the two of you.

"No" you say while Trent says "Yes"

You turn your head and sent him a glare, and he just rolls his eyes at his brother.

"What is it Ty?"

"Ma's calling you down, dinner's ready! And you're staying love!" He said, then just like that he disappeared leaving the door open and he gives you no time to respond. "So..." Your best friend says after a few seconds of silence.

"So..." You repeated a small shy smile on your lips.

"That was kind of..."

"Amazing." You nodded, looking down at your feet shyly."Hey, don't." He whispered, lifting you chin up with his fingers. "No need to hide those pretty eyes, Love."

"I know."

"Let's have dinner with the fam then we'll discuss this, yeah? Maybe do a bit more of what we just did?" He smirks once again, which made you hit him lightly on his chest. "Come on, baby." You could feel your insides twirl when the word rolled out of his mouth, he usually calls you babe but now that little word sounded so different.

He intertwined his fingers with yours, bringing them up and kissing the back of your hand then the two of you happily made your way downstair with wide smiles on your face and Trent just knew that his family will be thrilled to see you like that, especially his older brother.

#football imagines #football one shot #footballers imagines #footballers #footballers one shot #imagines #liverpool #liverpool fc #one shots #football #trent #trent alexander arnold

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the-gemini-systemii-blog · 5 years

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Memories from our headcanon...

A BTAS sequel where Scarface meets Peyton Riley... Originally typed out in a chat on Discord so it’s a little choppy but the boss did his best!

Arnold Wesker is the original ventriloquist and scarface is a "haunted" ventriloquist's dummy you will find out soon for a fact that he is haunted

Arkham Asylum is steadily being renovated as a treatment center for the mentally ill

and they were in OK hands but it was still called "Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane" at the time

Big sad feels from the Boss, hearing that name

I'm a Virgo, by the way

my birthday is September 22nd 1993

"I was extremely disabled, without my ventriloquist. He brought me to life... But I had my own mind. My own dreams. I'm not speaking out loud anymore, by the way. I'm communicating my moving my lips with my tongue."

(I'm gunna speak in parentheses by the way so the boss can tell a story!)

Oh, thank you! I got real depressed thinking back on Arnold and the Asylum and to cheer me up Peyton went upstairs to work on my puppet. He has a button eye now, and I got to meet Joanne, our staff member at the supportive housing where we live now... I slur like a drunk, haha, but Peyton’s going to be a great ventriloquist. We're gunna make it big.

It was still about making it big, back then, about three years ago, I was still with Arnold in Arkham Asylum. It was about making it big in my tiniest wood grains. But the immediate fight was much harder. I needed to prove I had rights. We were in therapy, and Harleen was saying "You think you'll still be Scarface without Arnold?"

I remember banging my fiist on the table. "I want to try!" I said.

"Give me the puppet, Arnold,” she said.

Arnold splutters. "This man... is very fragile... he does not believe..."

"ARNOLD!" she sais.

He bows his head and hands me to her. She does some dopey man voice, it's hard to resist with my iconic dummy, and says "Hur durr, I'm Scarface!"

Arnold says "Try... opening your mind... a little..." And as I turn my head to face her... as she turns the dummy around... she starts to get a really creepy feeling inside. She gets a really good look into my eyes. I'm a posession spirit, and albiet weakly, I managed to posess Harleen Quinzell She takes the dummy off her hand, shaken, and her hand is stiff and white. Arnold takes me back, and I sigh, thinking it was useless. Thinking her mind was too strong. Knowing what happens next. They put my puppet into miniature restraints and walk me and the ventriloquist down the hall to our room. They lock me in. They don't do that anymore. But the doors were locked back then.

I guess I should talk about me and Arnold, even though those weren't happy times. I'm staring out the door. He's quiet. He has asked, in the past, Do you want to talk, scarface? And I always bark "Quiet!" I think he's a curse. I should have treated him better. But I needed brains. I was staring out into the hallway And the guards start teasing me...

"Should we inject the dummy?"

"Haha which one's the dummy?"

I've heard it a million times.

There's a new guy though, he's a little confused, but he's read my file. I'm a patient too he says "Hey, he's locked in, shouldn't we take him out of his restraints?"

That depends on who's on duty. Jonathan Crane is very kind but often, we're restrained for hours. I'm just lucky they couldn't fit a straightjacket on my dummy. And they start talking

teasing

all kinds of ideas

they talk about taking me away from Arnold

about passing me around among the guards to see if I can break out

I want them to

I want them to so bad

but they're too scared

I feel my face --it's wood. The jaw moves. The eyes blink. But I feel a sneer. Usually when I become overcome with emotion, it bleeds into Arnold but this time it isn't Arnold sneering; it's Harleen. I see her in my mind's eye and then I hear her voice. My heart leaps.

"HEY! You dopes clear out! I got therapy with this one! " She’s running down the hallway with an empty sack over her shoulder. I press my hands up against the glass.

"Sorry Arnold," She says, "Your cellmate has a private session."

I can't quite describe how I experience reality when I'm posessing someone

her hands over my wooden body I'm very aware of my form but I can feel her breasts bounce as she runs

I knew from that moment that I wanted a woman to come into posession of me

"Alright" she says, propping me up and looking into my eyes. "You can stop that."

I'm silent. Playing dumb. "Creepy doll..."

She closes my eyes and puts me in a bag.

The next thing I know, I'm on my back, and there are fireflies in the air. My eyes are going crazy, my jaw is opening and shutting. I put up a hand to steady myself and say "Arnold, are you drunk???"

One of the dark silohuettes puts a finger to my lips and says "She's only a child."

And that's why I can't tell you what happened in the garden

they say I'm not allowed to access the memories I made while posessing Poison Ivy's daughter

her name was honeydew or raindrop or something like that

and they said that I had been a dryad in a past life

my name was Woody Vines

They made my wood green again, and I got past life memories... strolling through poison ivy’s garden. I wore a brown fedora then. I walked with a cane.

bunch o' hoodoo ... maybe it's true

either way they wanted to get me personhood

but the best they could do was to drug arnold with the same coctail they used on Harv and Batman to bring the alternate personality out and dominate the mundane controlling personality, to supress Harvey and Arnold and Batman’s civilian identity, whoever that is

it involves fear toxin, but I don't know any more than that I was transferred to the care of Jonathan Crane, who stopped restraining me and told me that he believed Poison Ivy to an extent and that at her request, if my dreams of finding a new ventriloquest didn't work out, my dummy would be laid to rest in the garden and Arnold and I wrote out extensive offers and contracts, but we couldn't get me independant personhood in the end... and I'm ashamed of this... I agreed to be sold as an object

I talked to Jonathan

I wanted a clean slate

someone I could mould and train

a woman,

and I made my wishes known to some of my old mob connections, but it didn't work out at first

Arnold wanted his money's worth

the debate on weather or not I was an independant person had only driven up my publicity and my price tag and I got sold to someone sleasy from America's Got Talent who visited me for several sessions in the asylum, where he insisted he didn't want me restrained. I remember crossing my legs unsteadily as he tries to get his hand up my back. My stomache in knots, putting his stomache in knots. He probably didn't expect to be frightened. I was very nervous, and I could tell he was shocked.

His first words to me were "So the rumors are true... you do have a mind of your own."

And I said "Could you say that again where the press can here you please?"

He never told me his real name. Only his stage name. Burt Laughingstock. When I scoffed he shook his finger at me and said “names had power “Scarface...”

“Woody...” I said. “We’re offstage.” I loved having a real name. I’m leaving out a lot of legitimate rehabilitation I went through in Arkham. I was so tired of being tied to Arnold’s fears and repressed violence, and that name, Scarface, I don’t hate it, but he’s a character. I tried to make the best of it. But the first show he took me on turned out to be some kind of tell-all Behind-the-laughter crap, and when I found out... I bit his finger off.

Little did I know, the sap had several documentations of his sound mental health and non-violent history, and he said if the dummy turned out to be evil, he wanted it destroyed. But Dr. Crane came through for me, saying that I hadn't committed an executionable offence. I looked like hannibal lecter when they brought me to court with Burt as my ventriloquest... strapped to a board by my hands and legs... cage around my mouth... but I didn't struggle... I knew I had my personhood argument in the bag... and I like being feared.

A mob lawyer came through for me and got me off on misdemeaner battery, with the heartrending defence that I had been sold to Burt as property when I had requested an open-minded female aide. They paired me up with a female cellmate as a favor to Sean Riley, and that's how I met Peyton Riley... and that's how I ended up where I am today (That's the end of the boss's story!) Yeah, that's the end of my story.

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vincess-princess · 5 years

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Am I a Monster?

hi everyone i’m not dead and even still writing! this was written as a request for @prettyboysixx1974 and spent some time in my drafts (two months uh-oh) before i finally got down to finishing it. sorry camryn, i promised it’ll be smut here, but it turned out that it would be extremely out of character, so i decided to not include it. i hope you’ll still enjoy it though :) ah, and meet my new amazing, lovely beta-reader @polska-tankietka !

Fandom: Guns N’ Roses Author: @arnold-layne Rating: Teen Relationships: Izzy Stradlin\Axl Rose Word Count: 2475 Tags: sex worker\client au, minor violence, unholy thoughts

A meeting with a pretty red-headed hooker makes Izzy ask himself a very important question.

“How much?”

“Depends on the type,” the redhead closed his eyes and blew out a puff of smoke. Izzy couldn’t help but look at him, curling his thin, delicate lips around a cigarette. He’s never seen such a pretty hooker. “Oral, handjob, blowjob, classic?”

“All at once.”

The redhead’s eyes widened in surprise, but only for a second. “That will cost you a pretty penny.”

“So nice of you to care about my finances,” Izzy grinned, making a direct eye contact with the guy until he gave in, blinked confusedly and looked away. “No need to worry, I could afford ten hookers like you, if I wanted to.”

“I gotta check that you won’t screw me,” snapped the redhead in return, “and you don’t look rich. Show me the money.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. And you haven’t told me the price yet,” Izzy reminded.

“20$ for oral and handjob, 30$ for a blowjob and 70$ for a classic. 120$ total. You pay half up front,” the guy said it so quickly, that he either was incredibly good at counting or created all these numbers right away especially for Izzy.

“Don’t you think you value yourself too much, boy?” Izzy said only for the sake of saying something, already reaching for his wallet. “You are going to lose all your clients with a price list like this. Here is your half,” Izzy passed him two dirty dollar bills, which the guy instantly hid in his jacket.

“So nice of you to care about my income. Show me the other half,” the redhead demanded, relaxing a little only after Izzy showed him another two dollar bills. “Alright. Are you gonna rent a room or do you have an apartment? There’s a nice hotel down the road…”

“No, we are going to my place,” Izzy interrupted, reaching for the redhead’s shoulder to guide him towards his car, but he shrank back, not allowing to touch him. The hooker got a grip on himself the very next moment, but it was too late.

“Hey, what the fuck? I wasn’t gonna hit you or something!” Izzy frowned at the redhead. God knows he had never treated his whores badly, but if this one was going to avoid even a harmless contact, like a fucking virgin, he wouldn’t be fun at all. “You’re a newbie, aren’t you? That’s why I haven’t seen you here before?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I used to work in another part of the city.”

“Why did you move then?”

“The police,” he said dryly, this time allowing Izzy to take his arm, and followed him to the car in silence. This boy was a tough nut to crack, and Izzy wouldn’t even bother with him, preferring to find a more compliant hooker, if the guy wasn’t so incredibly, astonishingly beautiful. He should be standing on stage, not on street corners. Izzy found himself thinking with some kind of compassion, but quickly shrugged these thoughts off – the guy chose it himself, after all.

“What’s your name, by the way?” he asked while starting the car. The guy cast him a strange look, but answered, although reluctantly:

“Axl. Without ‘e’.”

“Nice to meet you, Axl without ‘e’,” Izzy said carefully, watching Axl’s facial expression. He expected a negative reaction, but, to his surprise, Axl smiled.

“Still better than ‘Axel’.”

“It doesn’t sound like a real name,” apparently, Izzy hit too close to home, because Axl pursed his lips in irritation.

“Now it does. Yours?”

“Izzy.”

“Did your parents want a girl?”

“No.” Izzy slammed on the accelerator and, accompanied by screeching of the tires and Axl’s almost as high-pitched shriek, he drove onto the road.

***

“Ten hookers?” Axl said skeptically, having walked through the door after Izzy. “It was them who had made such a mess here?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Izzy said, putting his arm around Axl’s waist and guiding him to the room. “If you have a problem with it, you can clean up here yourself.”

“Another 100$ dollars - and I’m at your service,” Axl replied playfully. He seemed to finally relax, but Izzy could still feel the tension in his body as they walked across the room, side to side, and sat down on the couch.

“Alright,” he grinned and pretended to reach for his wallet.

“What the… oh shit, you almost got me there,” Axl laughed shortly, and Izzy realized he was enjoying this sound more than he should’ve. “I wish I could do the same.”

“What ‘the same’?”

“To say absolute bullshit with such a serious face.”

“Bullshit?” Izzy frowned. Axl immediately tensed up and tried to move away, but Izzy didn’t let him go, grabbing his arm and dragging him closer. Axl raised another arm, intending to push him away, but Izzy caught his wrist and pinned it to the couch.

“Let me go!” Axl freaked out, and tried to kick Izzy and wriggle out of his arms. It was a pure miracle that Izzy managed to keep a hold of him. But Axl was almost as strong as him, and it was only a matter of time before he would manage to break out. “Let me go, fucker!”

“Shut-” Izzy actually let go of his arm - and slapped him in the face with such strength that Axl almost fell off the couch. He stopped screaming and hid his face behind his arms in a quick, protective movement.

“-up,” Izzy finished calmly. Axl was breathing rapidly behind his improvised protection. Izzy couldn’t see his facial expression, only eyes shining from under his fingers, watching carefully his every move. Izzy wasn’t going to hit him again, but this alarmed reaction irritated him too much. Did he really look like such a violent monster in this hooker’s eyes?

“Stop this,” he ordered, trying to keep his voice emotionless. “If you behave, I’m not gonna hit you again.”

Axl hesitated for a moment but finally lowered his arms. “Y’all always talk like that.”

“Like what?”

“Stop making a fuss, I ain’t gonna do you anything bad,” Axl imitated mockingly. “Guess what happens next? Something bad.”

Anger rose in Izzy’s chest, its warm wave sweeping through his head, slowly driving him to losing his temper. “Haven’t you ever thought, that if you learned how to talk with clients, you wouldn’t have so many problems? It’s no doubt they beat you up. Nobody likes being talked to like that. It’s not sexy.”

“Oh yeah, poor guys, who don’t get a boner fast enough,” Axl carefully touched his cheek, that was slowly turning bright red. “Do you have the same problem?”

“What? No!” Izzy felt an almost uncontrollable urge to slap him one more time. He was growing more and more tired of this pointless conversation.

“Su-ure,” muttered Axl and recoiled in advance, expecting one more punch as a punishment, but Izzy made a great effort not to do it, instead he got up and headed towards the kitchen.

When he came back with a bottle in hand, Axl narrowed his eyes and asked with suspicion.

“Are you gonna get drunk?”

“We’re gonna get drunk,” Izzy corrected him. “You’re obviously no good when sober, so maybe a good drink will make you friendlier.”

He expected Axl to refuse indignantly, but after a second of thinking, he nodded. “Okay.”

He took the bottle and, without even reading the label, opened it and took a long gulp. “Night train,” he stated. “You said you can afford ten hookers at once, and you drink Night train?”

“No. You drink Night train.” Izzy came back to the kitchen and returned with another bottle. “I drink Jack Daniels.”

Axl opened his mouth, looked at the bottle Izzy was holding, then at his own one – and closed it without saying a word. The first sip Izzy took from his bottle tasted like a victory.

To the “a lil’ bit tipsy” stage and a half-empty bottle, Axl got in a matter of minutes, having chugged it in four or five big gulps. It seemed to have a good effect; Axl’s shoulders weren’t so tense under Izzy’s touch anymore.

“Why don’t you drink?” Axl asked suspiciously, looking at Izzy’s almost full bottle. “If you don’t wanna, give it to me!” he reached out to grab the bottle, but Izzy quickly raised it in the air. Axl didn’t insist on having it and switched to his shitty drink again. “Then drink,” he demanded. “I don’t want you to be sober while I’m drunk. You - clients - are always like that.”

“Okay, okay.” Izzy pretended to take a sip. “Everything for your pleasure, baby.”

“We haven’t got to that stage of our relationship yet.” Axl smiled slyly.

“Aren’t we going to skip it? I mean, we met an hour ago, and already are drinking together.” Mentioning that, with hookers the last stage was usually the first one felt like a bad idea. Moody one-night stands that expected anything else except a bottle of wine and a good sex usually drove Izzy mad. But with this one, he was ready to wait for a little longer.

“Yeah, probably,” Axl agreed, his smile fading away. “We could as well move to the final stage right now,” he said in such a tone that Izzy understood immediately doing this would be no good.

“Calm down, sweetheart, I’m not in a rush. Take your time.”

“Baby, sweetheart… who do you think you are to call me like this?” Axl muttered, but his facial expression softened. When he turned to his bottle again, Izzy poured out some of his Jack into a vase near the sofa. Flowers in it had been dead for a long time anyway.

Axl held his almost empty bottle to his face, looked at Izzy through the remaining liquid and giggled. Izzy rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help smiling as well. Drunk Axl was definitely more pleasant than the sober one. What kind of hooker even goes to work sober? Izzy had never seen a single one of them sober before, and he had seen a lot.

He glanced at inner sides of Axl’s arms. Blinked in amazement and outright stared.

There were no needle traces. At all.

He could as well snort shit, Izzy reassured himself. Or smoke. The guy seemed to be relatively new in business. Maybe he just didn’t get to heavy drugs yet… no, for sure, he didn’t. It was all still ahead of him.

Axl sighed with unexpected sadness and put his head on Izzy’s shoulder. Izzy froze in his place, feeling a strange, warm wave going through his whole body. That was only the arousal and nothing else, he tried to convince himself. It couldn’t be anything else.

“You alright?” Izzy asked, his voice strangely hoarse.

“Yeah.” Axl’s hair fell on his face, but he didn’t try to brush it back. From the corner of his eye, behind these loose, red strands, Izzy could see Axl’s green eyes. Greener than any he had ever seen before, and he knew Axl looked right at him with these unnaturally green eyes. ”Night train’s kicking in. You’re not that bad of a guy, y’know,” he changed the subject so unexpectedly that, at first, Izzy didn’t believe his ears.

“That’s Night train speaking, isn’t it?”

“Dunno.” Axl frowned. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’m in two minds about you.”

Izzy held the bottle up to his face, made a huge sip and hugged him. Axl raised his eyebrow but didn’t pull away. It meant that Izzy was doing everything right – so far.

Maybe he finally found the right tactic.

“Wanna some Jack?”

“Wh- Seriously?!” Axl jumped a little. “What was that fucking ‘you’re-drinking-night-train-I’m-drinking-Jack’ show?!” His eyes were sparkling with indignation.

“Well, I needed to show you who calls the shots,” Izzy was somehow absolutely sure that this was the right thing to say. He already realized that Axl didn’t like dishonesty. “But since you need it more than I do…” he offered Axl the bottle. Axl glared at him for a few more seconds, but then sighed and accepted it, the corners of his lips lowered with disappointment.

“You’re right.” He took a big sip – too big, he must have realized after he choked on the liquid and spit almost everything on his black tank top with ‘Twisted Sister’ logo. “Shit… well, it’s already black.”

Izzy tried his best not to laugh but didn’t make it. Now it was Axl’s turn to roll his eyes.

They sat in silence for a while, Axl quietly eliminating the remaining whiskey, and Izzy watching him secretly. The speed with which Axl was getting drunk alarmed him. At this rate, it wouldn’t take him long to drink to the point of passing out, and Izzy didn’t want that.

“Slow down,” he said, gently taking away the bottle from Axl’s weak fingers. “If you pass out, we’ll have to postpone it till morning.”

“Don’t lie to me,” muttered Axl, following the bottle with his eyes but not trying to reach it. “You’ll only be happier if I pass out. Won’t have to follow the rules.”

Izzy felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Anger again rose in his chest.

All evening – all fucking evening - he tried to follow these goddamn rules. And for what? To be accused of enjoying fucking unconscious bodies by the same hooker he’d been courting all that time, who he’d been trying to make as comfortable as possible, suppressing his own desires?

Axl shifted, moved his head away from Izzy’s shoulder and curled up on the couch near him.

Izzy could feel his already half-hard cock in his pants, being like that for so long that evening it almost started to hurt. He waited all that time. From the moment he saw the beautiful hooker on a street corner, a hooker with soft red hair, delicate face, thin wrists and a cigarette between his fingers, a hooker with no typical boredom in his eyes and weariness on his face, a hooker that seemed alive and thus so much differed from all the others he had ever seen. Now this hooker – no, not like that. Now Axl was here, in his flat, on his couch, half-passed out from all the alcohol Izzy poured into him, completely at his mercy.

Fuck it, something snapped inside of Izzy, and he leaned over to Axl and covered his lips with his own, pushing his tongue inside his mouth. Under the pressure Axl parted his lips and let Izzy in, but his tongue seemed cold and lifeless. His eyes were empty. Jack Daniels had done its job well.

Even through the drunken blush on Axl’s cheeks Izzy saw the reddening trace of his own hand.

“Shit,” Izzy stopped the kiss and buried his face in Axl’s neck, desperation twirling inside of him.

He couldn’t do it to him. He just couldn’t.

#izzy stradlin #axl rose #guns n roses #fanfiction #izzy\axl #straxl #sex worker!au #sorry i've been inactive these months were tough #and will likely be inactive till the start of winter holidays because exaaams #but i've been writing all this time #inconsistently and in short amounts but i did #now this is the longest fic in english i've written #it was supposed to be a smut oneshot but it turned into something philosophical-angsty with pg rating #unfathomable are the ways of god #i'm posting this instead of preparing for my sociology exam on friday #or doing my homework for tomorrow

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frederator-studios · 6 years

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Bryan Caselli: The Frederator Interview

Bryan Caselli is a Storyboard Artist, Writer and Renaissance Faire enthusiast. Following tenure on top-notch cartoons including Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Sanjay and Craig, ‘twas our good fortune when he set sail to Costume Quest as co-Executive Producer, with a treasure trove of story skillz in tow. Here, Bryan provides his advice to young artists, fav things about Costume Quest, and remarkably realistic take on a 17th century Swashbuckler and his Mer-Lassy.

When did you know that you wanted a career in animation?

My friends and family were alway super supportive of my drawing when I was little, but I got really focused on art in high school. I had an amazing teacher named Kevin McGovern who encouraged me to apply to the California State Summer School for the Arts. CSSSA was a four week residency arts summer program on CalArts’ campus featuring many different disciplines. I studied in the animation department, and it was like I finally found my people. After those four weeks, I knew I wanted to work in animation, and I wanted to go to school at CalArts. There was no turning back.

(Every day is Halloween for the CQ crew! But this day was actually Halloween.)

Where are you from, and how did you chart your path to CalArts?

I'm originally from Sacramento, California. It's a legitimately sized city, but it still has a small town vibe that's warm and welcoming. I applied to CalArts straight out of high school, but didn't get in on my first try. I actually didn't apply to any other schools. My plan was to just apply again the next year, but my mom secretly applied for me to CSU Sacramento as a somewhat, "What if he doesn't get into CalArts for ten years?" worst case scenario backup plan. After swallowing the tough pill of not getting into my dream school, I took a collection of figure drawing, portrait drawing, painting, and art history classes at both Sac State and Sac City college. I didn't stay long enough to earn a degree. Luckily, I was accepted into CalArts the following year.

How did you decide you wanted to storyboard and write?

I got into animation thinking I wanted to be a character designer. It seemed to be the most glamorous position at the time, but I found out quickly that you have to be an exceptional draftsman to do that job, which I'm not. I fell in love with the story department in my 3rd and 4th years at CalArts. I had some awesome teachers who really set me on the path that I'm on now.

What do you love most about the job?

I can't get enough of stuff like mythic structure, archetypal symbolism, and fable storytelling. I really get excited by just how universal storytelling is. It can connect you with anyone. That's easily my favorite part of my work.

What was your first job in animation or art, and how’d you land it?

I interned on Regular Show. I actually went in to interview for a different show, but on my way out, I ran into Ben Adams, the Regular Show character designer and my former classmate. He told me to blow those other guys off and come work with him. He introduced me to Regular Show's Producer, Janet Dimon, and we really hit it off. She offered me the position soon after that. At the end of my internship, I pitched the storyboards for my student film, Scout Wars. After the pitch, someone from development came up to me and said, "You need to pitch this upstairs." That's how I got my second gig.

youtube

The show was never produced, but getting paid to develop my original concept that early in my career really set in stone my desire to run a show of my own some day. I even got to work with our future Costume Quest Art Director, Ricky Cometa, on the development poster. After that, I did about a year and a half of full-time freelance, which eventually lead me to work with the creators of Sanjay and Craig on some of their punk side projects. I really liked working with those guys, so when they asked me to come on Sanjay, it was an easy choice.

That’s awesome. Was Sanjay the first show you wrote and boarded for? How is it to work on a board driven show?

Yep, Sanjay was the first TV show that I got to write and storyboard on. Both writing and storyboarding is really demanding, but it's also really rewarding. Nick Bachman (Costume Quest's previously interviewed Supervising Producer) was my Storyboard Director on Sanjay, and we really clicked as a team. Sanjay and Craig was a perfect show to be board driven because it was super cartoony and there were very few rules. It was a great opportunity for board teams to have their specific voices heard. When you watch an episode of Sanjay and Craig you can pretty much spot which teams did which episodes from a mile away.

How was writing on Star vs the Forces of Evil - is it board driven too?

Writing on Star was an awesome change of pace coming off of Sanjay. Daron Nefcy was a great leader to work for, and I became really close with my fellow writers. It was board driven, which made the transition from storyboarding to outline writing a lot more of a doable task for me. I was comfortable in that kind of production pipeline and pretty much knew what would be expected of me as a writer. The coolest part about working on Star was that it was a seasonally arcing, somewhat mythic story. It was so cool to get to craft a large story over multiple episodes. I took a lot of lessons learned writing on Star and brought them with me to the writers' room on Costume Quest.

Is it odd being a bit of a ~star~ yourself, considering you have a whole fan page and everything?!

Oh boy, having a fan wiki page is a strange feeling. It's really cool to be apart of a show that has such a passionate fanbase, but honestly I don't want to be a star. Star Butterfly is the star of Star.

You’re Costume Quest’s co-Executive Producer. What does the job entail?

Being the co-EP on Costume Quest means I, along with the rest of our leadership team, am responsible to supervise just about every stage of production. From writing to storyboarding, animatics to art, voice acting and voice casting, logo design, score, sound effects, the list goes on and on. I got to script a handful of episodes. Nick and I storyboarded the first episode. Occasionally I do some (very rough) first pass character designs. I also draw story board punch-ups and animation redline revisions on the episodes I direct. I direct the first story of each of Costume Quest's two part episodes, and Nick directs the second story. Beyond that I mainly keep my eye on the larger narrative of the show, making sure everything is tonally consistent and the story threads line up. If every person that works on this show is making one tree, I try to make sure the forest is working as a whole. I do my best not to force any artist to execute their assignments exactly as I would have, but instead, encourage them to showcase their personal artistic voices.

How have you enjoyed working on Costume Quest, and what do you like most about the show?

Working on Costume Quest has been my favorite gig yet. I am really grateful to Will (McRobb), Kevin (Kolde), and Eric (Homan) for bringing me onboard. I'm super proud of how much the show grows across the first season. The scale, the emotional stakes, and the world building just get bigger and bigger with every episode. Beyond that, having the chance to lead a team has been incredibly rewarding. Our whole crew is so talented, and they are all so supportive of the show. It has really meant a lot to me to learn that these people, who I respect tremendously, are happy to come in to work every day and are proud to help tell this story. I can't overstate how good it feels to know I have a creatively and professionally satisfied crew.

Do you have a favorite character on CQ?

I love all four of the main kids, but my favorite character really is Norm. I always say that he's a cross between Fred Flintstone and Santa Clause. He's such an emotionally vulnerable character, and he's got some great reveals attached to his backstory. Fred Tatasciore also does some incredible voice acting as Norm, so if this show only gets one award ever, it should go to Fred's performance.

Since developing Scout Wars, have you gone out pitching other original ideas?

I’ve pitched Scout Wars and a handful of other show ideas around to the big studios, but when Costume Quest came about, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to learn everything I needed to about the responsibilities of a show runner—without the added emotional pressure of having the show be about my childhood, or my relationship with my father, or whatever. I have a handful of ideas in my back pocket that I'm eager to start pitching again whenever Costume Quest comes to a close.

What are your favorite cartoons?

Not including the shows I've worked on: original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman the Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Doug, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob, Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Archer, Flintstones, the Peanuts specials, and the original Power Rangers gets a non-cartoon honorable mention because the the influence that show had on me and Costume Quest is pretty undeniable.

What is your advice to people who want to write and/or storyboard for animation?

Study the craft as hard as you can. It's not about networking, or Internet likes, or whatever. If you get as good as you possibly can at the craft, you'll be golden. Take any job that will hire you. Once you get any position anywhere, if you show everyone you work with just how dedicated you are, people will take notice, and they'll want to help you.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really love hosting backyard BBQ's and parties at my place. My friends tease me that I'd rather they come to me than I go anywhere else pretty much 100% of the time. You can find me most Sunday mornings at any of the LA flea markets with my girlfriend, Madison, looking for more knick knacks to put up in our place. Also, I take my Renaissance Faire costuming pretty seriously. Yearly upgrades are planned months in advance. My mom always sewed my Halloween costumes growing up, so costumes somehow became a thing I really like to do. I guess it's fitting that Costume Quest came my way.

Have anything to say to future fans of Costume Quest?

Watch it again! We did our best to set up, pay off, and foreshadow as much as possible in the season so it would be fun to rewatch. There are a lot of little easter eggs in there. I hope fans enjoy it. ☆

No doubt, they will. Thank you for the interview Bryan, and for your fantastic work on Costume Quest! Follow Bryan on Instagram.

- Cooper ☆

#The Frederator Interview #costume quest #star vs #star vs the forces of evil #sanjay and craig #frederator #cartoon #nickelodeon #disney #animation #writer #producer #interview #artist #new cartoon #costume #cosplay

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