#this can’t be worth it. but then again bad press is all tumblr staff knows

[cainshitincorporated]

I have GOT to know what the click-through rate is on the fox nation comedy special ads on tumblr of all fucking places. Please show me the data tumblr

[msilwrites]

Troll (Odd Women Series) - TWO

A/N: So I mentioned earlier that I am tired of women falling for jerks, who destroy them, hurt them, dominate them and all the negative tropes there are, and these women don’t even stand up for themselves. Which is why I wanted to create a series of short stories about female-leads who have self-respect, and who stand up to chauvinist, arrogant, misogynist men.

Also, guys, do you have any situation in a romance book you’ve read that you have hated (you know, with an assholic male lead?!), so I can make a story out of if and so that our Female Lead, Ingrid can ruin it! Please please suggest me some! 

You can message me directly or comment and let’s talk about it.

WARNING: It’s not what you think it is...so if it isn’t your cup of tea, there are other stories in tumblr you could enjoy. 

Genre: Satire/Humor/ Comedy

Ingrid Hawkes- is an original character

This character was highly inspired by ‘Fleabag’ and ‘Lauren Cooper’s’ wit!

This story is also connected to the previous -  INSOLENT (Odd Women Series) - ONE   But you may read it on its own, as these are series of one shots.

                                                           Troll

“Good Morning, Ingrid!” Bailey, her chaffeur/butler greeted her as she headed to the small driveway of the house.

“Good Morning, Bailey!!” she tried to suppress a yawn because it was unlady like, but it came out nonetheless. “Have you had your breakfast?” she enquired. She had this belief that no one should start their day without eating.

“Yes of course, I had breakfast in the kitchen earlier,” he said as he held the door of the Black Rolls Royce Ghost for her.  “How about you? you look tired?” Bailey asked in concern.

Oh... I haven’t had my tea and coffee yet...” she said, showing her freshly brewed coffee inside a small metal container. 

As soon as she entered the the Ghost, she immediately poured herself a cup of  coffee to give herself a kick in the morning, and sipped it in one go. After that twisted the container cup closed and leaned against the bespoke upholstery of her car. 

Understanding his master’s habits, Bailey puts on the calm morning playlist. Classical Music! And in no time, Ingrid fell into her daily pre-office short nap.

                                                         ********** 

Tom’s quick pre-office nap was disturbed by the car suddenly coming to a halt.

“Hey!!” his chauffeur rolled down the window and yelled at the black Rolls Royce who had cut in front of them at the building’s driveway.

The driver of the Rolls Royce apologized by alighting out of the car, and waving and mouthing to them the word ‘Sorry’.

Tom’s chauffeur, Murray, sighs, letting the misdeed go, as he parks the car behind the Rolls-Royce. It was still early in the morning, and it was important to start the day right.

Tom often wondered which building tenant owned the black Rolls-Royce that seemed to send someone to work every morning and pick them up every evening. He never cared before because he had other things to worry about, moreover, he never gets the chance to see the passenger because he would leave immediately before he gets the chance to find out. 

He waited inside his car for the passenger of the Rolls-Royce. He was curious who it was as the car is a C-Class and not anyone could just buy it. So his eyes widened in disbelief when the chauffeur of the car in front of them opened the passenger and the most unexpected person alighted out of it. None other than, Ingrid Hawkes. 

That rascal can afford a Rolls-Royce and a chauffeur and yet, she can’t pay her meal at the restaurant?!

Tom clenched his fist and gnash his teeth recalling the past incident. His date was ruined, and the woman backed out of their relationship. Moreover, after the date, the waiter had charge him double and informed him that his friends told restaurant staff the he will be paying for their meal. 

After the incident, Tom tried to look for Hawkes to confront her and collect whats due. He even tried looking for her in their department’s floor, unfortunately, she couldn’t be found. Either the staff are helping her hide or that woman is a damn ‘Houdini’.

He watched as she alighted out of the car, carrying her usual , shoulder bag, an umbrella like cane and something that looked like a small lunchbox, as if she was going on a field day instead of working. 

She walked towards the automatic glass doors of the building, and headed to the lift lobby.

Tom, alighted out of the car and caught up with her to the lift lobby. 

Ingrid pressed the close button of the elevator when a hand from the outside, prevents it from doing so. The doors opened in full only to reveal the devil himself, Tom Hiddleston.

“Hello, Hawkes! I finally caught you!” he said sweetly, and his smile looked murderous as Ingrid’s eyes widened in horror.

                                                        ********** 

Ingrid didn’t know how? she always went to work a little early because she had the ability to. Moreover, no one is still around at 8:15 in the morning. Especially Tom, the CEO, who comes at 9:30. What she didn’t expect that the person she had been trying to avoid would be able to catch her off-guard.

She sighed as she entered Tom’s large office, and felt like a student in the headmaster’s office, caught and brought there for disciplinary actions. 

“Sit!” Tom says sternly, as he pulled a chair adjacent his large table. Behind his seat is the morning view of London, with the gleaming river Thames. It would have been a spectacular view, if not for the fuming man right in front of her.

She quickly sits down and gets herself ready for confrontation.

“Do you think that was funny, Hawkes?” he began, as he roughly pulls his chair and unbuttons the coat of his suit as he sits down.

“What’s funny? I haven’t even told a joke?” she said innocently, but it irked Tom, this woman’s dry wit was in a whole different level.

“Hawkes! You can afford a Rolls Royce and a chauffeur to drive you and pick you up after work, and yet, you can’t even pay for your meal at the restaurant?!” he exclaimed. 

“Oh... that was my morning carpool... you know? carpool sharing with the ride hailing app?” she says, pointing the app on her phone, showing it to Tom as if he was an idiot. Of course, it was a lie. She didn’t want anyone finding out that she has her own chauffeur who takes her to work in a C-Class car. But since she has been caught, she needed an excuse.

“I know what that is! if you can afford the luxury of carpooling in a C-Class car! Then why couldn’t you afford to pay for your meal at the restaurant?!” he sighs, as he slowly loses his cool.

“ Well... carpooling is cheap...” she reasoned. “The fact that I’m ‘carpooling’ is the answer to your question,”

Tom holds up his hand, motioning for her to stop talking. “Enough, I would require you to pay the money that you owe,” he goes straight to the point as talking to a troll like her was pointless. 

“Huh? can’t you just let me go, Sir? and just consider this as an act of charity?” Ingrid smiles, blinked her eyes and brought her hands together as if she wanted to pray.

Tom narrowed his eyes at her.  He doesn’t need the money at all , but he didn’t like ‘daylight robbery’. Getting outwitted by this troll does not sit well with him and his pride. “Pay it...” he said coldly.

“ But Sir! Isn’t it said that ‘Do good and good will come to you’ !” she reasons.

“Pay it...” Tom repeats, standing his ground.

“ Help thy brother’s boat across and lo! thine own has reached the shore!” the hindu proverb was her next response as she beamed at him.

“Pay it...” Tom repeats himself once again.

“Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven, Don’t you want to go to heaven, Sir?!” she said, sounding like a bible missionary.

“Pay it...” nope, he was not going to lose this.

“Don’t you want to go back, after they threw you out, Sir?” 

“After what?!!” his brows furrowed.

“After they threw you out, Sir?” she grinned as she emphasized the last part.

Tom’s eyes widened in disbelief, realizing what Ingrid had been trying to imply. She was implying that he was the fallen angel who became the devil. In fact, she was indirectly calling him the devil!

“Enough!!” he slams the table and Ingrid’s heart almost jumped out. Unfortunately, it didn’t deter her.

“ A man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world...” was the next thing she spewed out.

Tom exhales, his knuckles gripping the sides of his office chair.

“To give happiness to others is a great act of charity sir!” she adds.

“Hawkes... you don’t need charity,” he answers, gritting his teeth.

“But I’m destitute, Sir!” was her quick reply.

“ If you’re so destitute, stop carpooling and take the TUBE! and use the carpooling money of yours to pay me...” he declares.

“But I can’t, Sir!” 

“And why can’t you?” he leans back as he looks at her, waiting for the next nonsense that she spews out.

“ Because I have an underlying condition, Sir!” she claims.

“And what underlying condition is that?!”

“Falling asleep on shoulders, I don’t want to go to jail for molests, Sir!” she said pleadingly.

“You’re ridiculous!” he declares, exasperated. 

“Thank you, Sir!” was her simple reply.

Tom glares at her as if trying to burn a hole on her head. Having enough of her nonsense, he decides to give her an ultimatum. “Pay it... or I’m sending you to jail. For your information, running away without paying the restaurant and having me pay for your meal is a crime!” Tom excluded the idea of firing her. No, he didn’t really want to fire Ingrid. There was no reason to, as she seemed to be a good worker, her direct supervisor didn’t have anything bad to say about her. Besides, firing her looks like an easy way out for her, and there was no way he was going to let this troll win.

Ingrid sat up straight, and thought for a while. “But I have no money sir...” she reasoned.

“Here we go again...” Tom sighs, as he brings his palm into his head. “Then what do you have? take your wallet out!” he said, pointing to the table.

Ingrid feigns sadness as she took out a small purse. Tom watches her as she puts the wallet on the table and took out its contents one by one. There was 30£ cash, and 5£ worth of coins.

“That’s my lunch and dinner money, Sir...” she said, her face contorting into something like a sad mime.

“Take everything out!” he scolds her, ignoring her plea.

“Oh!” she exclaims, as she takes out her Foodhall Card, “This has 80£!!” she claims.

“Continue!” he said grabbing the card, and pointed to her wallet. 

“I have a 20£ gift cheque from Harrods” she adds, showing it to him which he quickly snatched.

“Uhhmmmm...” she continued digging “Does my Nando’s discount voucher count?” she said,taking the voucher out and showing it to him, which he quickly snatched as well and reads it. It was a buy one get one chicken free with a drink. To be sure, he tried to check the expiry date which is a few months from now. He might be wealthy, but it never meant he didn’t like discounts or free things.  

“Do you have more of these?” he asked, pertaining to the Nando’s voucher.

“Uhhh... I have burger coupons? and a raffle draw ticket I -” she paused thinking if she should detail about it, but it was too late.

He quickly takes those two from her hands, as she looks down in sadness. Burger discount coupons are useful, as burgers are his guilty pleasures along with Nandos. The raffle draw ticket says that she has won a coffee maker from the Selfridges and is supposed to collect it within the month. He smiled. Despite her nonsensical and troll behaviour, Hawkes appears to be pragmatic, thrifty  and loves discounts. And that’s the part Tom got definitely right about her. Oh, he is definitely going to enjoy using her vouchers!

“Anymore?”

She tried to peek through her wallet, and shook her head indicating no, and narrowed her eyes in frustration.

“Hawkes!!” he yelled trying to catch her attention. Not believing her

“This is extortion!!” she accuses him, raising both her hands.

“Hawkes!!” he calls her out.

“I said, there’s no more!” she swears.

“Out with it!!” he demands.

Ingrid sighed, as she reluctantly took out the last thing she had. A card with stamps that were almosts complete, and if she were to complete it, she’ll get a freebie at the store.Tom grabs the card and reads through the instruction at the back.

He nods, and opens his drawer to hide the card. “I think these are more that enough...” he says, crossing his arms, and leaning against his chair. It was definitely more than enough, especially with the coffee maker she won at a raffle draw. “I hope that you have learned something out of this...” he says sternly. That should teach her a lesson not to mess with him.

“Would you pass me back  the change, Sir?” she asked.

“What?!” 

“The change, sir?” she repeats.

“Why should I give you a change?!”

“But you said it was more than enough, so would you give me the change back?” she implores, putting her hands together as if she was praying. “ We can check the amount of the stuff I gave you, and deduct the extra--” 

“No!” was his quick answer. “I thought you would have learned your lesson!”

“Of course, Sir, I have learned my lesson...” she says meekly.

Tom nodded and was about to dismiss her until.

“That you’re a loan shark, Sir! ” she continued.

“A what?!!” he said in disbelief.

“I learned that you’re a loan shark, Sir,” she repeats.

“GET OUT!!” he shouts as he points to the door of his office, obviously wanting her to get out of his office.

“But I haven’t gotten my change, Sir!” she adds.

“I SAID OUT!!” he repeats not wanting any more of this repetitive nonsensical conversation with this troll.

“ Oh, alright, about that, can you give me a ride home? My curfew is 9am” she grins.

“OUT!!” he shouts louder this time, really pissed off with how shameless and thick-skinned this woman is.

“On this day, the lord has sent down his decree, ‘get out’ he commanded and out we shall get,” she says and bows before him, as if she was the queen and then quickly runs out of the door before Tom can say anything.

The Next Part of this story is here;  A Bitter Pill (To Swallow) ( Odd Women Series) - THREE 

A/N:  I will be editing this because I probably have made a number of grammatical errors. I hope you enjoyed the story. FYI. It will be a series of one shots.                                                    

Also, guys, do you have any situation in a romance book you’ve read that you have hated (you know, with an assholic male lead?!), so I can make a story out of if and so that our female lead, Ingrid can ruin it! Please please suggest me some! They are welcome!

[acefrogmonarch]

Headcanons pt. 3

To get thus out of the way. I feel like Hinata wouldn't have as much pressure in the next life. Sure she might compete in the same things like Neji.

But wouldn't be ridiculed about it because she was very honest about it with her father.

Lunch - High school

Itachi sometimes skips college or his police academy and just sits on campus with them. He brings enough for everyone if he remembers them. But it’s fine because both Neji and Itachi text each other and plan ahead, just in case.

No one notices that these seniors are having lunch with sophomores. But then again, everyone looks like a senior in that group to the student body and staff.

The cafeteria was their place in the winter because it was too cold to go outside. Every other season was set outside in the courtyard. They have a place deemed “theirs” and refuse to share it with others. Absolute will fight anyone that goes near their table.

Naruto does football but only quarterback because he’s there to only throw.

He has a ‘dog’ named Kurama and always plays frisbees with him. Because it feels like throwing a shuriken. Naruto does tricks with them. Like throwing two at a time and trying to go the other direction but it never works out.

Sasuke does Track. Other things like Hurdles and long jump.

Naruto, at some point: So sasuke runs from his family and his gay problems.

Tenten versus Lee in any Martial arts. Usually mixed, but if they want any specifics, tae juan do is a good stress reliever, for Tenten.

Competitive archery Neji and casual archery Hinata. Neji also does Kendo along with Hinata; She still presses flowers in her journals.

Sakura would definitely be in S.T.U.D.C.O. like office aid, student rep, or any sort of authority position. She was left spiker until she became the Ace of the Volleyball team. Tried to do softball and hated it, then she joined the mixed baseball team and loved it.

Ino would definitely have been in every single program, at least once. Orchestra first, band next, Choir sometimes, did gynanism for fun. Hates cheerleaders, does step team.

Sai is a punk as bitch for any art club. All if not most of his artwork are in the library hung up.

Shikamaru hangs out with juniors that have a steady supply of marijuana. But he also enjoys a good cigarette more than marijuana because that shit fucks with him.

Choji hangs out in the culinary hallway with his girlfriend Karui, because she aspires to be a chief. The culinary teachers also know Choji because they let him eat the leftovers and he suggests new and exciting flavors for them. It’s usually good but sometimes there’s a bad batch.

Kiba would be like the kid you go to or one of the kids that has a side business, within the school. Like he has snacks, school supplies, or marijana. He’s your go to guy.

Kiba has Akamaru as a service dog within the school, since he cant sneak him in without being spotted. He was approved with a doctors note.

Shino likes computer programming. The essence of computers and how smoothly a program could run makes him feel accomplished and so happy. And when he finally gets it? Oof. Euphoria. 

He sometimes does web coding for fun and fucks around with his tumblr page.

Shino and Shikamaru both have a mutual respect towards each other. Because Shikamaru has this uncanny ability to find bugs and crash games on PC.

Naruto surprisingly built the PC for him, he manually updates new parts and makes sure everything is good to run. Shino makes mods for his games, like GTA V, Minecraft, GMod.

They stream it sometimes and it's just great content for themselves.

It used to be San Andreas but the game kept bugging out all the time, so they updated to V.

Sometimes both Naruto and Hinata dip the group during lunch to visit their little siblings. By blood or not, they both deeply care about their younger siblings. Naruto goes through the forest to visit Honomaru. While Hinata goes down the grave path and enjoys the creeks, nature around her.

They both end up at the same school regardless of how much it takes the other to get there but they both enjoy seeing the faces of their respected siblings. And it’s all worth it in the end.

Their missing hands.

Sometimes when Naruto is away in College he completely forgets that his right hand is perfectly fine and not at all gone, damaged, or artificial. So he just doesn’t use it until someone questions why he couldn’t grab something and they point out his arm.

Shikamaru: Why can’t you use your hand?

Naruto: Huh? What are you on ab-

Naruto finally notices his arm and lightly squeezes.

Naruto: I thought I lost it in the war.

Shikamaru: Wha-

Naruto: But I got my brother back. Where’s sasuwuke?

Shikamaru: Naruto, you saw him just yesterday.

Naruto: Yesterday! Why didn’t he visit me today?

Sakura: He’s a block away, Naruto. How about you visit him?

Naruto: That asshole! I thought he was still at the Wave village?

Sakura: No you idiot, he just sent a letter last week, he’s in the Sound now.

Again, once out of the trance, both are very confused. 

Hinata and Sasuke marry. Well almost. Both Sasuke and Hinata are very private and didn’t want to tell anyone about the engagement but have spent a couple of months planning. And when the subject of her wedding dress came up.

Hinata: How about a kimono, like before?

Sasuke: Huh?

Hinata: Yeah, like my wedding with-

Sasuke and Hinata look at each other and realize that they were about to marry the wrong person.

Hinata: D-do we continue?

Sasuke: I mean we don’t have a date, and the invites aren’t out yet. No one knows about this and we aren’t exactly marrying because we love each other.

Hinata nods in understanding and sighs deeply.

Hinata: Then who am I supposed to marry? And what am I supposed to do with the ring?

Sasuke: I don’t care as long as I get my sword.

Hinata: Yeah, whatever you want teme.

Hinata immediately realizes who she was supposed to marry and so does Sasuke.

They call up a certain pinkette and blonde and set up a meeting.

Hinata, still knowing her gentle first, from memory and will abruptly start training. If everyone tries to stop her, she takes it as a challenger and will fight them. She stops once Neji is there.

Hinata Hyuuga or Hinata Hyuga. She often calls the wrong punctuation for the Hyuga estate.

It's changed to only one u.

Since Hinata’s mother, Hana, is alive, they didn’t set a garden in her honor.

Hinata: Where’s mother’s garden?

Ko: Her what?

Hinata: Her garden, because she died.

Ko: U-uh, Hinata-sama.

Hana comes out to see what is taking them so long: What sweetie?

Hinata looks at her mother and smiles softly. She looks around again and tries to look for her training trees.

Hinata: Where’s my tree?

Neji follows soon after: What tree?

Hinata softly smiles but looks at the bow and arrow that is in his hand. Having come back from training, Neji is still in his gear and sets Hinata out of her trance.

Tiny Hinata misses her flowers. She does replant her garden but she also scared the ever living crap out of anyone because of her ominous message before.

Neji and Hinata accidentally outing each other's sexuality. While at the mall, they both notice an attractive couple and look at them approvingly. Then they turn to each other and nod their head in understanding.

Hinata: The Girl, right?

Neji: The Boy, right?

Now they often tease each other about boys and girls alike. Sasuke is often caught up on the teasing.

Since it’s mostly done in sign language and he can’t help when he notices the straight face that Hinata makes when she signs. “Gay sex” and points at Sasuke.

Neji curses and walks away, then Tenten, Lee and Hinata are following Neji like ducklings. All signing "Gay sex" Sasuke is losing his mind.

BI hinata and Neji.

Family reunions with the Uchiha!

Since there was no big massacre, everyone sort of lives and drives everyone up the wall with their attitude.

Sasuke can’t handle them so he brings Naruto. And everyone kind of loves Naruto, so they accept him as an honorary Uchiha.

Adult life?

Because I get that Hinata and Naruto married at like 21 and had boruto a couple of years later. So I really want Hinata to have followed the same feeling except a couple of years earlier. Same with the other girls and their pregnancy months. Because that’s hilarious. 

Neji and Tenten finally get together and him not dying. Just the potential wholesomeness about that makes me happy.

No one knows who the fuck Rock Lee hooks up with. Like he dips for 2 years and comes back with a baby named Metal. Tenten is super worried because Rock has a kind of pure innocence to him, in regards to sex.

Tenten: Did you get roofied? Are you okay? How did you end up with a kid?

Rock: What’s a roofie? Is that a drink?

Tenten: Kind of, but don’t worry about it.

Neji: What’s with the kid?

Rock: He’s my son, say hi Metal!

Metal is a baby and gurgles at them. They are very shocked, but not surprised. Because it’s Rock Lee. A musclehead that doesn’t want to stop training.

So anything is possible

Childhood ?

Naruto has his parents, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Obito, Rin and many others. In this life but one time when he woke up to the house being empty, he just started crying.

16, very confused and just sits for about an hour in one spot holding his crystal necklace. His Mom walks in with groceries, with his Father right behind her carrying more groceries.

Naruto: Oh thank god, I thought you guys died again.

Kushina: What, no, never again! Right Dear?

Minato: I’m not going to sacrifice myself again anytime soon, if that’s what you’re worried about.

Breaking out of the trance, they question themselves and their memories. More so, their past life.

Sasuke abruptly hates Itachi and sometimes tries to kill him in his teenage years.

Sasuke: You bastard! How could you do that to our clan!

Itachi: Foolish little brother. You still haven’t caught up to me.

Sasuke is in a kenta stance but nothing is in his hand and itachi is very confused as to why he is staring at Sasuke with his hands in a very weird hand symbol.

[chrsitophwaltz]

MICKEY MEETS FC BAYERN (PART 1/4)

for the entire houston clownery experience click here

psa: excuse my face and the pic qualities. up until this happened i haven’t really taken pictures of myself (less than 10 in the past two years for family and work purposes and NEVER selfies) and when you meet people you’ve only seen on TV in a very unexpected circumstance, then don’t expect your brain and motor functions to work 100%.

okay. i posted part 1 of this a few days ago but i’m gonna redo it again to flush out the details. before i start, know that i arrived in houston wednesday afternoon. my original flight back home was scheduled sunday after the game (i booked my flight and lodgings months before like a good binch) but since bayern clowned again and announced the full detailed schedule really late, and put ALL the major fan stuff on SUNDAY, i grudgingly rebooked and extended one more day. how much that one extra day cost me will haunt me for a while but hey, it was more than worth it! of course, i didn’t know it would work out like that at first...

the hotel reception was around 6:30-7 pm on friday so we went there a few hours earlier to get good spots. met up with The Niko Thirst Gang (big shoutout to @screamingoranges, @saquonbrkley, and @simplyirenic! it was great meeting y’all hope we could do it again sometime) and waited patiently in the houston heat and humidity outside the hotel. finally the team bus arrived and got my shirt signed by boa, fiete, benji, leon, and thomas! made a post about it here and i also have the full reception video if y’all wanna see!

but being the greedy thirsty binch that i am, i wasn’t satisfied at all. thiago and niko weren’t there. the coaching staff were the first to go down and hansi flick, dr. broich, and even Witch Doctor™ müller-wohlfahrt were there, but NOT niko. after the bus left and all the other entourage cars were off, i was about to rage outside the hotel bc i was really banking on seeing niko that day and taking a pic with him there (my blood pressure had been raging for 4 hours and then to be let down just like t h a t...). apparently he and thiago went straight to nrg stadium from the airport for a press conference. and guess what? NRG STADIUM WAS JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM MY PLACE 💀💀💀

anyway, come saturday and it was game day! i was so pumped since my seat was five rows behind the bayern bench! y’all know what that means: unlimited firsthand access to peak drama!!! i also had this huge ass sign asking for niko’s bottle sdhfsdjfh. the game was great (bc we beat madridies and it was just really exciting all the way) and i saw stuff that we normally don’t get from TV (e.g. ALL the angry niko antics, leon changing into his kit on the bench, etc.) at one point niko finally looked at my direction while drinking from his bottle and i’m pretty sure he saw my sign but he just kept on drinking sultrily from that goddamn bottle sjadhksfksdfdk i hate him!!!!!!!

after the game i was feeling pretty let down and desperate bc i know sunday was the team’s last full day in houston and i didn’t want my extension to be for nothing. the practice session and paulaner bbq were invite-only events (ugh) and the mall meet-and-greets won’t have niko or everyone else in them. so i set my alarm, went to bed, and decided to try my luck by randomly going to the hotel again to see if i can get something. i had no idea if it was gonna work or not. it was a shot in the freaking dark.

sunday morning. 8:30 am. i went out armed with a sharpie, my cardboarded jersey, a pack of gum, and two bottles of water.

my uber drove me to the hotel entrance and i even got the whole five star welcome sjdhfsjdfbjkds

hotel staff: ”hi! welcome to the post oak hotel!”

me: “oh lmao i’m not actually a customer i’m just here to see if the team’s still here. have they left for practice yet?”

hotel staff: “oh no problem at all. they’re still here they just finished breakfast i think”

me: “oh cool i’ll just wait here then”

hotel staff and some guy in a bayern audi fcb tour polo shirt: “it’s so hot here, though. don’t you want to wait inside?”

me:

me: “............i can do that? am i allowed in?”

bayern guy: *shrugs* yeah sure. i’ve seen you around before anyway (nice guy talk for: i know ur stalking them lmao)

just like that.

i’m in. i made it.

u n s u p e r v i s e d. totally no barriers whatsoever. with full blast A/C too!

cue happy lil me, relieved to be out of the houston heat, entering the hotel and chilling in their nice plushy seats. (if y’all have cash to burn, it looks like a real good hotel too if you get to houston sometime). i kept on looking over my shoulder bc i still can’t believe they just let me in like t h a t. i tried to make myself look as harmless and innocent as possible and saw some of the training staff milling around and chatting in german (for a moment i thought i was back in munich it was so surreal). at some point, a very sleepy and very casual javi martinez in slides came up to the reception and i nearly passed out. he looked over at me and i waved and said hi and raised my shirt (signal if he wants to sign). he shook his head no and gestured to reception and i was like “oh sure no problem!” (i was trying not to freak out even if i was sad ok)

i’ve been trying to kill time by screaming here on tumblr until about 10-15 minutes later i heard the huge ass team bus pull up out front. a few moments after that, it all started.

i saw the kitmen carrying stuff to the bus and greeted them “guten morgen!” they were so cheery lmao (idk if it’s bc they just had breakfast or bc i greeted them in german). then i saw dr. broich and hansi flick come out in their training gear (both looking hella tanned sfnsjfjsdfn) and greeted them both again. dr. broich waved, said hi, and went straight to the bus but i was able to flag hansi down for an autograph. in my excitement (he was my first catch of the day!) i forgot to ask for a pic ugh but oh well

me: “thanks hansi! and welcome to bayern!”

hansi: *handing me back my shirt and trying (and failing) to put my sharpie back in its cap* “oh, thanks so much!”

after hansi went on his merry way, i saw dieter nickles (the press conference guy) and asked him for a picture and autograph too.

me: “hi dieter! can i please have a photo and an autograph?”

dieter: “are you sure? i’m not a player...”

me: “haha i know but if it’s all the same to you...”

he seemed pretty chuffed that i knew him and happily signed and took pictures (score #2!)

that was it for a while (they were the early birds) until giovane elber himself came out. i freaked (i love him) and tried to keep my voice from shaking when i asked him for the standard photo and autograph. in my haste, the first was pretty blurry and against the light but giovane, angel that he is, was like “oh no that’s bad. let’s try again” and maneuvered me to another angle. success! i luff u, giovane ;__;

then The Voice of the Allianz Arena himself came out. i semi-shouted “stephan!” and startled him that he nearly dropped his coffee snbfsdbfsdfsb. while he was signing my shirt, i asked him if he could give me a lil soundbite and HE DID! he sounds exactly the same as he does on TV during games omfg

the younglings started to come out too. i missed a few of them because they went out in a group so i was only able to flag down sarpreet and ron. oh well! they cute af! go bayern babies! grow up and save us from clownery!!!!!!

(ignore the pen in my mouth i was multitasking lmao)

after that, the ground started to shake (just kidding) bc Big Uncle Nik was there! after i got his autograph (a very simple N.S. lmaooo) , we tried to take a picture. i say “tried,” because i’m 5′3 (and 1/2....on a good day) and he’s built like a fuckin skyscraper. in the end, since he was so nice and realized it was hopeless, he bent down to my level so we could both fit in the frame sdhfbsdjfsbdfjd COME ON SÜLEEEEE

then Pure Angel Baby Fiete came out! i already got his autograph and had a pic with him in the hotel reception, but hey, one more can’t hurt! lemme tell y’all: he looks like an angel, and IS an angel. he’s always so game for photos and even said thank you after we took the pic and i’m like “um???? no, thank YOU!!!” he laughed and i cried lmaooo

also, javi finally showed up again. i raised my pen and phone and he was like “oh sure! yeah!” my brain was fried from Beautiful Athlete Overload that i forgot NOT to take a pic from that cursed angle. javi looked like he was in a hurry though so i didn’t even try to ask for a better pic. oh well, at least here he looks like he came down from heaven (he really looked like he did huehue)

(tumblr has this stupid 10 photo per post limit thing so stay tuned for more pics in part 2!)

[irphanfic]

Moonshot - Chapter 1

Hello! So I my new fic is going to be chaptered. I know it’s a bit complicated to read a chaptered fic on Tumblr, so I will provide you the ao3 link in every chapter in case you want to read it there.

Anyways, you can always search ‘’moonshot - chapter (insert chapter number here)’’ on the tags and it will show up.

prompt:

summary: Phil had a feeling that this Friday was going to be different.

That didn't mean he was ready to meet his favourite baseball player, Daniel Howell, while he was cleaning the windows of a building.

or the au in which Phil is a shy window cleaner and Dan is a famous baseball player. This is their story.

words: 2k

no trigger warnings

read on ao3 - (x)

Chapter 1: First Meeting

Phil had a feeling that this Friday was going to be different.

He had to admit he was used to his monotone life of cleaning the same windows almost every day, watching the same dull curtains that didn't allow him to ''spy'' into the fancy living rooms of the people that lived in the building he worked in. Sometimes, some neighbour would forgot to close their curtains, and it didn't take long till they noticed Phil and dragged the long fabrics across the large windows. It always made Phil giggle when they started shouting at him without even considering that he couldn't hear them because of the thickness of the window glass.

With a sigh, he rearranged his uniform, put on his earphones that were connected to an old pocket radio and got on the elevator like metal platform which would take him through the floors of the high building.

Once he had reached the top floor he noticed something wasn't right. The maroon curtains that had been there a few days ago weren't there anymore. Actually, there weren't any curtains now and he could clearly spot a few brown boxes around, as if someone was moving in.

Phil, the curious person he was, didn't think twice about it and leaned in a bit, trying to take a closer look into the flat. He was admiring the great and spacious kitchen and living room when suddenly the front door that was across him opened and made him jump a bit when he saw a dark but recognizable silhouette entering the room.

It couldn't be. No. Was that Daniel Howell who was distractedly speaking on his mobile phone? The famous Dan Howell that was one of the best baseball players of the country? No. It couldn't be. But then, the person took some steps forwards, letting Phil clearly see his profile, his signature smile and defined nose clearly in sight, finally recognizing the brown curly hair that was often hidden under a black cap. Yep, it was definitely Dan Howell. There was no doubt now.

Phil took a deep breath and calmed himself as he processed whatever was happening. He and his brother were great baseball fans, especially of Dan's team, 'Rocky Planets'. They were one of the best teams on the league right now and Dan Howell was one of their star players.

Phil still hadn't gotten the chance to see them play at the stadium. His brother Martyn had been lucky and won two tickets last year and had offered Phil to come with him, but he let him take his girlfriend Cornelia instead, who was also a big baseball fan and that way Martyn could impress her by taking her to a game.

Anyways, Phil made sure to follow every game on TV. He had to admit that Dan was one of his favourite players. He loved the way he played, he was so determined and driven by it it was impressive. Also, he liked his interviews too. Dan showed his cleverness in them, his responses always correctly answered and making sense in every sentence he said. Oh, and he was attractive too. Like really attractive. But it wasn't important, even though Phil had to admit he wouldn't mind getting hugged by those toned arms while he looked into his brown eyes. No, not at all.

Without noticing, the window cleaner continued admiring the way the brown haired gesticulated with his free hand, rapidly speaking words on the phone Phil couldn't really hear. He was mesmerized by the way his rosy lips moved, sometimes curling up in a soft smile, making Phil copy it, really loving this new soft side of the baseball player which people who loved the sport weren't actually used to see. Phil was so deep in thought that he only startled when Dan looked into his direction, making the brown haired jump at the surprise of finding Phil there, just standing at the other side of the window staring at him.

The window cleaner realized that he was coming across as a crazy stalker so he quickly averted his gaze down to his shoes at the same time his cheeks turned pinkish, embarrassed at what had happened. Was then when he spotted the cleaning products and tools he was supposed to be using and picked one of the bottles and a squeegee, not even looking at which product it was and sprayed a bit on the windows, trying not to make eye contact with the person that was surely looking at him.

Phil walked through the platform working as fast as he could. Spray and clean. Spray and clean. He worked as if he was on autopilot.

He reached the last window and was about to spray again when he came face-to-face with Dan Howell once again, who was apparently done speaking on the phone.

The brown eyed lifted his hand and made a sign to Phil, as if to wait to spray the product again. Phil, unable to look away, just nodded and lowered the bottle and squeegee to the floor as he saw Dan leave running through a door that was at the far end of the living room, only to see him come back a few seconds later with an A4 sized notebook and a black sharpie, who didn't loose a second on taking off the lid of the marker with his teeth and quickly scribbling something down on the notebook, leaving Phil as confused (but at the same time surprised) as he had ever been; but it faded away when Dan turned the notebook around so Phil could read what he had written down.

 'Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Dan and you?'

The blue eyed shyly smiled at Dan's intentions, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks at the fact that the real Dan Howell wanted to know his name. Phil, knowing that he didn't have any paper and pen around, leaned a bit and breathed on the window, a small foggy spot starting to create, where, after thinking quickly so it wouldn't fade away, he traced his name in big and clear capital letters, trying and succeding in writing them in the correct direction so Dan wouldn't have trouble reading them.

 'Phil?'  Was the next thing the blue eyed read on the notebook to which he nodded repeatedly, giving Dan the confirmation he needed.

Phil saw how Dan started writing again on a new blank page, stopping mid-sentence to take his phone from his front pocket as it probably vibrated with a notification (as Phil could only guess); brown eyes widening before putting the device back into his pocket and starting to write again.

 'Nice to meet you Phil. Have to run off now, sorry!'

Phil just shrugged and waved him goodbye as he tried not to show his disappointment, even though he was a bit sad he couldn't keep ''talking'' to Dan anymore. He saw as Dan left the notebook and sharpie on the coffee table by the window that was the only thing (apart from the glass) separating them before the brown haired waved back at him, running towards the door he had gone through earlier only to see him appear again wearing a black denim jacket.

The window cleaner didn't even have time to get back to work as he saw Dan walking towards him again, only to pick up the notebook and sharpie again and opening it on a new page, starting to rapidly scribble down something more, but not letting Phil read it straight away.

Phil watched as Dan left the notebook open on the coffee table, not even giving him time to read anything as he felt a tap against the glass, making his gaze lift up and make eye contact with the chocolate coloured eyes, which blinked a few times before offering Phil a cheeky wink; a gesture that made him blush for like the third time that morning. But before he could even respond, Dan was rushing out of the front door, looking back at him one last time with a smile.

Phil deeply sighed as he saw the front door close, only to remember that he still had a message for him.

''I hope to see you around my windows more often. You are quite a view ♥'  

By the time he had made it safely back to the street a deep blush was still visible on his face.

_______________

''C'mon, can't you be faster?'' Dan groaned in the empty hallway as he waited for the elevator to come all the way up. Why did he decide to buy an apartment on the last floor? The views of the city had been one of the reasons for sure, but was waiting for the elevator for such a long time worth it?

After seeing the shy window cleaner of the building he was sure his friends wouldn't mind if he arrived a bit later than he often was.

The 'ping' coming from the elevator alerted him of its' arrival and by taking a step and getting onto it, Dan pressed the last floor button before getting lost on his thoughts again.

''Does Phil know who I am?'' was the first thing Dan muttered to himself. ''I just wanted to be nice to him but probably scared him with my forwardness?''

Dan had to admit he had been quite surprised (and at the same time scared) when he had found him there, standing outside; but the black haired man rapidly reacted by reaching to pick up some bottle and gave Dan the hint that he was only the window cleaner of the building. The way he turned and started cleaning as he didn't have any other purpose in life was a sign.

He had to admit he kept staring at Phil and his movements, almost hypnotized by the repetitive way he was cleaning the windows.

That was when he got probably the dumbest idea he had ever had. Dan didn't know any of his neighbours yet, and probably knowing some of the staff that worked in the building wouldn't be bad either...

''Yeah, Dan, you should totally introduce yourself to a stranger by writing down on a notebook since he cannot hear you scream from inside the room. That will work! It will make him feel comfortable and not totally awkward!'' That was how he found himself in front of a stranger who had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. It wasn't after a few seconds later when he noticed the black fringe, which really made his sharp cheekbones stand out. Wow, he really was something. But that was not the point. Not at all.

The baseball player face-palmed himself literally as he recalled what he would have looked to Phil now. Dan was sure that in Phil's mind he was probably named something like 'Crazy tall guy'. Oh God. Could this be any worse?

One time he wanted to be nice and he came across as a mad man. Great.

But, wait a minute. Phil didn't pull any weird faces when he read the first message. The brown haired had noticed Phil's shyness at first but he didn't seem so bad after it. He had even introduced himself!

''Maybe my last message scared him...'' Dan had to admit he didn't hold back often. If someone was cute, he would tell them. If someone was being rude, he would tell them. This time he thought Phil was... beautiful. Yeah, that was probably the word for it; so he told him. Maybe not with the exact same words but he did.

Dan just sighed. He could only hope for the best now.

''Let's just hope he shows up again on Monday'' was the last thing Dan could say as the elevator had reached the last floor with another 'ping' echoeing in the hallway as the doors slid open, giving him the hint that he had to get out now if he didn't want to get scolded as if he was a child for arriving late.

Chapter 2

[quinzelade]

By No Constraint (chpt 72)

SS x Danse

Chapter List

Thanks to my amazing beta, @waiting4morning, for her wonderful work!

Tumblr has apparently changed its linking rules, meaning I can no longer externally link my FFnet or Ao3 accounts if I want my story to show up in the tag search on tumblr. If you want update alerts, please search ‘quinzelade’ on either of these sites and follow me there.

This is the final ‘main’ chapter. Next week is the epilogue.

Major Brotherhood/Danse spoilers.

–

Family Ties

–

Michelle Cooper was a mess. She lay curled up in a bunk at the top of the ship, thin and unwashed, her hair greasy and unkempt. Her face was pale, her eyes blank and unseeing, staring past Quinn, who was crouched down next to her.

“Did you hear what I said?” Quinn asked, giving Michelle’s shoulder a little shake.

Michelle flinched and snapped her gaze to Quinn, blinking slowly. “What?”

Quinn bit her lip. She had avoided going to Cade to ask about Michelle’s condition, because she didn’t want another prolonged goodbye with Carson. Everything that needed to be said had been said. Quinn couldn’t do it again. But Michelle was clearly in a bad way. Quinn had heard the rumours, how she’d been taken off active duty and given time to recuperate, to no effect. Instead, Michelle was deteriorating.

“Josh,” Quinn repeated gently. “I’m leaving to do work in the Commonwealth. Josh asked to go with me. If he went with me, it would be unlikely you’d see him again. I know this is a hard thing for me to ask you, but Josh wants it, and I think in the long run—”

“Take him.”

Quinn stopped. She gawped at Michelle Cooper, the speech she’d prepared to convince Michelle to let Josh go collapsing to dust. There was a long silence while Quinn tried to get a hold of herself. Michelle Cooper returned to staring at the wall.

Eventually, in a strangled voice, Quinn managed to say, “You’ll never see him again, Michelle. Are you sure?”

“I can’t look after him,” Michelle replied, not bothering to meet Quinn’s eye again. “I can’t even look after myself. It’s for the best.”

Quinn had expected more of a fight. Now she hadn’t got it, she was at a loss what to do. She studied Michelle for a moment and then said, “Do you want to say goodbye to him?”

“No.”

Anger rushed through Quinn like wildfire, and it took everything she had to hold her tongue. Instead, she gave a nod she was sure Michelle couldn’t see, stood up, and left. Quinn wasn’t going to waste her time on such a pathetic, selfish—

She breathed hard through her nose as she stomped through the ship, her mind racing. How could anyone be so disinterested in a child? Even grieving, Michelle still had a responsibility to Josh, still had to set the example and keep herself together.

The look on Josh’s face when he’d pleaded with Quinn to take him with her surfaced in her thoughts, and she felt a stab of guilt. The desperation, begging her for an escape. The despair when she said no. She’d had no idea. No idea it was this bad.

The disgust coursing through her was near overwhelming. She just couldn’t understand how little Michelle cared for Josh. He was reliant on her for love and support, and instead she just moped in her bed, with no thought for anyone but herself.

As Quinn seethed, she slowly became aware that her anger wasn’t entirely directed at Michelle. Sure, she was furious with Michelle, but there was something else too. It needled at her, scratching her with guilty memories until the wounds bled with self-loathing.

This could have been her. It nearly had been her. This was what Charlie faced that night, when she’d drank herself into oblivion. Scared enough to traverse a dark and dangerous wasteland for help. Scared enough to reach out for Danse.

Never again. Never again.

Danse had saved her. Saved them both. He was everything she wasn’t: calm and controlled. Thoughtful. Responsible. He really was her better half, brought out the best she could be. She loved him.

Quinn swore there and then to remind him of this fact when they were reunited. She didn’t tell him enough.

For now, though, there were more important, pressing things to deal with. It didn’t take her long to locate Josh, questioning the staff on the ship, as well as the other squires. He was in his room.

This was news to Quinn, who assumed that the Coopers slept in the open bunk space with the rest of the soldiers. But as it turned out, only Michelle lived in the shared bunks. Josh lived in a ‘family room,’ as had his parents when they’d been alive. The idea of three or more people being crammed into one small living space while the officers had their own private accommodation annoyed Quinn a little, but she decided not to dwell on it. Soon it would no longer concern her. At least they’d let Josh keep the room for the time being.

She knocked on the door and heard the sound of scuffling from within, followed by light footsteps. The door opened and Josh peered around the edge, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Can I come in?” Quinn asked.

“No.” He went to shut the door again, but Quinn jammed her foot in the gap. She heard him snarl and lean on the door, with little effect.

“Go away!” he grunted, opening the door and slamming it on her foot repeatedly. “Just...go away!”

“Squire Cooper!” Quinn snapped, and despite himself, Josh stood to attention.

He blinked, surprised at himself, and then glared at her. “What?”

“I have some questions for you. On your mother and father’s lives, I need you to answer them truthfully.”

Josh’s face paled, before slowly tinging green at the mention of his parents. “What kind of questions?”

“I’d rather talk in private. But whatever you answer, I’m not going to tell anyone else. This will stay between us. I promise. Now can I come in?”

His face darkened, but after a second he stood back in a silent invitation. She strode inside, her eyes trailing around the room. There were three beds, two of them pushed together, and another in the corner. The decor was sparse, one peeling Fancy Lads snack cakes poster on the wall, and a bookcase crammed with medical journals and old, classic novels. Next to the makeshift double bed stood a gleaming rifle—well cared for, but clearly old. Quinn wondered if it still worked.

“My mom’s,” Josh said sullenly, walking to the double bed and standing in front of it, as if trying to shield it from Quinn’s eyes. “My dad gave it her when they first met. She never wanted to take it out but always cleaned it.” He cast his eyes to the floor.

Quinn kept her distance. She was already intruding on a sacred place, and she didn’t want to impose any more than she had to. But it could all be worth it with some care and a bit of luck. Quinn took a deep breath. “How do you feel about synths?”

“Weapons of the Institute that will cause the destruction of humanity,” Josh said at once. His speedy reply betrayed the rehearsal behind the statement.

Quinn folded her arms, glaring at Josh until he reddened and dropped his gaze. She stared at him a little longer, and then said, “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not—”

“Don’t lie to me, Josh. I know how your mother felt about synths, and it wasn’t that.” Quinn wasn’t entirely sure if this was true—after all, Vivian Cooper had only ever defended Danse to Quinn—but the tone of their last conversation suggested she’d never seemed particularly threatened by synths. Quinn was banking everything on this assumption.

There was a long beat of silence, and then Josh shrugged. “I don’t really see anything wrong with them. My mom said they can’t help how they’re made. My dad used to look mad when she said that, until...until Paladin Danse died.”

Quinn’s stomach turned. “What happened when Paladin Danse died?”

Josh’s face crumpled, and she remembered that he used to idolise Danse. Josh bit his lip before saying, “Mom told me that Paladin Danse was a good man, even if he was a synth. She didn’t think he was a traitor. She said he probably didn’t know.”

“What did your dad say about that?”

“He...he didn’t say anything. But he didn’t look angry, either. Just sad. I think he agreed with mom but didn’t want to talk about it.”

Quinn’s heart suddenly felt light. This was what she had been hoping for. Maybe not a perfect opinion, but the foundations for acceptance. Vivian and Stephen did right by their son, it seemed. But she had one more question.

“How do you feel about ghouls?”

Josh scowled. “They’re gross. And dangerous.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, like my mom said, they can go feral. Eat you! I mean, I know synths kill people too, but the Institute is gone now, so they can decide what they want to do. But ghouls will always be like that. They’re monsters.”

Well, she was never going to get everything she hoped for. But it was more important that Josh tolerate synths, what with Charlie and Danse. And if Danse himself could learn to accept ghouls over time, then Josh could too. Adults were far more stubborn over bad habits and beliefs than children.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Josh,” Quinn said, straightening up.

Josh looked surly again. “Fine. Can you go now?”

“Sure,” Quinn said. But as she turned to leave, she glanced over her shoulder and added, “Or...you can come with me.”

Josh drew in an audible breath, his mouth slightly open. “What?”

“I spoke to your Aunt Michelle and Elder Maxson, and they both said if you want, you can come with me.”

“Don’t,” he whispered, going pale again. “Don’t prank me. This isn’t funny.”

Quinn smiled. “No prank. We can leave as soon as you pack your things.”

Josh stood as still as a statue, staring at her. His bottom lip began to tremble, and then suddenly he burst into tears. He ran to her, throwing himself at her. Quinn crouched down and held him tight.

“Go on,” she said into his ear when he eventually calmed down a little. “Go get your stuff.”

Josh broke away from her and nodded, wiping fruitlessly at his streaming eyes, before picking his mother’s rifle up and setting it carefully on his bed. Then he got onto the floor, scrambling under the frame and pulling out a box.

Quinn stood in silence for a while, watching Josh collect the little he owned. Whatever Danse said, this was still a risky thing to do. There were so many things that could go wrong. A high potential for her to lose everything. But like Danse insisted all those months ago, if Quinn could change her decision, would she? If the answer was ‘no,’ then she had done the right thing.

The look on Josh’s face was all she needed. He was coming home with her.

--

Danse picked up the Brotherhood flag off the floor, letting the fabric run through his fingers. He’d left it until the very end, avoiding the moment where he’d inevitably regret his disrespect towards it.

Brotherhood, through and through.

It didn’t matter how much he hated their methods, their betrayal of him, or the consequences of their dogged mantra...he was Brotherhood. He was a soldier. And he still cared about them.

Danse sighed and closed his eyes, kneading his forehead with fists still clenched around the flag. This was why he’d sent an encrypted message to Haylen so she could stay in contact with him. Why he’d packed up everything into his Brotherhood armour. He hoped Quinn would forgive him for leaving the new set behind. There were too many memories. Too much blood and pain and friendship trapped in the old, rusted plating.

Thinking of Quinn was sombering, though, and slowly he lowered his hands, letting the flag trail at his feet. Was Quinn alright? When would she be back?

As if on cue, the elevator rumbled to life. Danse quickly stashed away the flag in the compartment of his armour and clambered inside, before picking up his rifle. With any luck, it would be Quinn. But if not…

To his great relief, it was Quinn. And she had a companion with her.

Joshua Cooper stopped dead as he saw Danse, gripping at Quinn’s arm. Even from this distance, Danse could see the boy’s knuckles had gone white. His eyes were wide and fearful, and he stared up at Danse with great trepidation.

Danse set down his weapon on the nearby table and got out of his armour, trying to set Josh’s mind at ease. It seemed to work, and Josh slowly let go of Quinn’s arm, though he still looked apprehensive. Josh glanced at Quinn, who gave a small smile and gently pushed him forward.

“I...I knew your parents,” Danse said gruffly. “Worked with both of them for years. They were fine people. I’m...I’m sorry for your loss.”

Josh nodded, his bottom lip trembling. But then he squeezed his fists and any sign of upset disappeared. “My mom didn’t think you were a traitor. She said you were too nice. Too…” Josh fumbled for the word, “noble. That you wouldn’t betray any of us.”

“I didn’t,” replied Danse, the feeling of gratitude towards Vivian Cooper making him near dizzy. “I didn’t know what I was, and when I found out…” He shot Quinn a nervous glance. “I tried to make sure I was executed for it. Quinn convinced me otherwise. And I’ve kept my distance ever since, to make sure I didn’t pose a threat to the Brotherhood again.”

Josh considered this. “The Institute is gone, right? That means you’re safe. Because they aren’t there to try and control you anymore.”

Danse looked pained, but he nodded. “That’s right. I’m free.”

Josh raised his eyebrows at Quinn. “Is this why you didn’t want me with you, ma’am?”

Quinn went red. “Yeah. I didn’t know how you’d take it.”

Josh nodded solemnly. “Sensible.” He shifted his backpack and smiled. “But I’m glad you decided to trust me. Let’s go.” He stared up expectantly at them. No questions asked. No concerns. He talked like a soldier but accepted like a child.

Quinn and Danse looked at each other.

“Yeah. Let’s go,” she said, smiling at him.

“Quinn, wait, I…” The guilt was needling Danse now, so he could barely breathe. “I’m taking Brotherhood armour with me. I can’t leave it behind. I just…”

“Too many memories?” Quinn asked, and he nodded. “I thought you might. No big deal.”

Danse blinked at her. Didn’t she understand? “But you risked your life to get me the new set.”

“We can come back for it another day.”

“But what if it’s stolen?” His voice sounded childish, persistent. Danse cringed a little, but she clearly wasn’t getting it. She needed to know exactly what he was giving up, and reprimand him in turn for treating her gift so…

His thoughts cut short as Quinn got out of her own set of armour, emptied its contents, and walked across the room with her arms full. She approached Danse’s X-01 series, packed it up with her things, and then climbed inside. Danse stared at her.

“Your armour is important to you,” she said, her voice sharp behind the helmet’s sound filter. She strode over to him and patted him on the shoulder, almost knocking him over in the process. “Not enough space for all three of us at once. We’ll meet you up top.”

She held out her metal plated hand to Josh, who frowned. “I’m not a baby, ma’am.”

Quinn laughed. “Fair enough.” She gestured for him to follow, and they walked into the elevator together.

The doors closed.

I love her, Danse thought dimly to himself, overwhelmed by her gesture. She acted as if it was an easy decision—and maybe it was for her—but Danse could barely think for his gratitude.

I love her. I should tell her more often.

--

The scowl on Charlie’s face spoke volumes. He sat on the sofa, surrounded by comics, eyeing Josh with blatant dislike.

Josh looked equally wary. Quinn and Danse had explained to him on the way that Charlie was a synth. This seemed to unsettle Josh, but he didn’t comment on it. Now he was staring at Charlie like he was a bomb about to go off. Quinn didn’t blame him. Josh could quickly adjust to seeing Danse again, because he knew him, and because his parents had been open minded. But Charlie was an unknown quantity: uncertain...unsafe.

“Danse, why don’t you get Josh settled?” Quinn said pointedly. Danse nodded and ushered Josh into the next room.

“Why is he here?” Charlie hissed at once, in a tone that suggested highest treason. Quinn knew what he was thinking. She had brought another child into their home. Replaced him. This needed to be stopped before it truly got started.

“His name is Josh and he’s staying with us from now on,” Quinn said, before adding forcefully, “I don’t want to hear it!” as Charlie made to argue with her again.

She crouched down next to him and waited until he met her eye. He looked a mixture of furious and upset. She kept her voice low as she said, “Honey, you are my son. Nothing will change that. But I couldn’t leave Josh behind. His parents were murdered...and it was my fault.”

“How was it your fault?”

“I didn’t get to the fight in time. I let people down.”

“So you’re feeling guilty?”

Quinn winced. Nothing like the honesty of a child. “Yes. I am. But I’m also responsible for him. If his parents weren’t dead, he’d have somewhere to go. Family to be with. The least I can do is try to look after him, make sure he’s okay. But I need your help to do that.”

Charlie fidgeted. “Does he know I’m a synth?”

Quinn nodded. “He knows, and I think he’s a bit nervous. You’re the second synth he’s ever met, and…” An idea hit her, and she quickly seized it. “And you need to show him that synths are just normal people. That’s the only way things are going to change, by showing other people that synths are nothing to be scared of.”

“I’m just a kid,” Charlie said with a frown. “Why do I have to do this?”

“Because…” Quinn sighed. It was a good question, and the answer was unfair. “Because kid or not, you are a synth. You are always going to have to defend yourself against people that don’t know any better. Danse is the same. So where better to start than with someone your own age? You never know—you might make a friend.”

“I don’t want a friend,” Charlie replied moodily, folding his arms. “I don’t need a friend.”

“But Josh does. So please try. For me?”

Charlie pouted.

Quinn decided that was as good as she was going to get. She kissed Charlie on the head and stood up. She could talk about it again later. For now, better to see how Josh was getting on.

Danse passed her in the corridor, mumbling something about sleeping arrangements and disappeared out of sight. Quinn walked into Charlie’s room to find Josh sitting cross-legged on the floor, slowly unpacking his things.

There wasn’t a lot. A few pieces of uniform—some of which Quinn suspected had belonged to his parents, judging by the size—a couple of books, scrap that had been cobbled together into little statues, a rolled up poster, and a very battered action figure with a missing arm. Josh looked up as Quinn entered, and quickly stowed away the toy.

Quinn smiled. “You’re allowed toys here, Josh.”

“Oh.” Josh pulled out the toy, which Quinn recognised as Grognak the Barbarian, and set it down on the floor. “We were allowed them, but…”

“The grown-ups would tut about it?”

He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Well I won’t tut about it.” Quinn indicated to the stacks of comic books and toys she’d managed to salvage for Charlie. “You’re a kid.”

Josh’s eyes went wide. “Are they all his?”

“Yeah,” said a high voice behind them. Quinn turned to see Charlie hovering in the doorway. “What, never seen a comic before?”

Josh shrank away a little and shook his head. “No. Not this many.”

“They didn't keep comics on the ship?” Charlie edged closer, frowning.

“Some of soldiers kept them, and Proctor Quinlan had a lot. But the squires…” Josh shrugged. “Elder Maxson selected us so we could learn. Playing was a bad thing. A distraction of duty.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “That's stupid.” He walked past Josh, eyeing the Grognak figurine on the floor, and began sifting through his precious collection. He unearthed several Grognak issues and tossed them to Josh. “Here.”

Josh picked them up, his mouth falling open in shock. “Wow!”

“Not to keep,” Charlie said quickly, shooting Quinn a nervous look. “Mr. MacCready gave me them. But you can borrow them for a while.”

Josh stared at Charlie like he was a god descending from the heavens. Charlie blinked after a few seconds of awed silence, and then turned slightly red, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. He pointed to a colourful issue with a scantily-clad woman on the front—Why am I letting him read these things again? Quinn wondered—and said, “Start with that one: The Legend of the She-Squid. It’s the earliest issue I have.”

Josh nodded and opened it, but his brow furrowed almost instantly. “Wait, who is The Vixen?”

“Oh, that’s one of Grognak’s nemy—nemming—nemma—” Charlie peered at the front page of the comic, and then carefully said, “Nemeses. I think that means they fight each other and stuff. But he has a crush on her too. They kiss sometimes.”

Both boys pulled a face, caught each other’s eye, and then giggled. Charlie walked over, sat down next to Josh, and picked up another comic, advising Josh read that one after he was done with the She-Squid adventure.

Quinn left them to it. They didn’t even look up as she slipped away. She made her way back towards the living room, feeling a bit more settled. With any luck, there wouldn’t be any more issues, aside from typical sibling squabbling.

As she came back into the main part of the house, Quinn noticed Danse had already begun to unpack things from his armour. The Brotherhood flag was hung carefully on the wall. Quinn smiled. He still had a lot of baggage to work through, and she’d be with him every step of the way.

As if on cue, Danse tottered back into the house with a grunt, lugging a bed behind him. Quinn ran over to help him get it through the door, and then set it down in the living room. Danse wiped his forehead, panting, and gave her a grateful smile.

There were light footsteps, and Charlie poked his head from the corridor. “What are you doing?”

“Bringing a bed in for Josh,” Danse huffed, leaning against it. “Not sure where to put it yet, though.”

Before Quinn could say anything, Charlie replied, “Oh right. Put it in my room. Then Josh can look at my comics without taking them anywhere.” He disappeared back down the corridor, and a moment later Quinn heard him say, “So they took you on missions with them?”

“Yeah,” Josh replied, his voice muffled by the walls. “I’ve seen a super mutant up close. They’re really big.”

“Are super mutants like ghouls?”

“Kinda. They eat people too.”

Well, they seemed to be getting along at any rate. Quinn let Danse catch his breath while she absent-mindedly looked about the room. Her eyes fell on the flag pinned to the wall for a few seconds, before she glanced back at Danse. He had noticed where she’d been staring, and was now scarlet.

“I’ll take it down if you want,” he blurted out, moving around the bed in such a rush he tripped over the frame and nearly fell over. Quinn held out her hand to stop him, her palm on his chest as she bit back a laugh.

She looked up at him, trailing her fingers from his chest to his neck, before finally resting it on his cheek. “It’s important to you,” she said, tracing his lips with her thumb, “so it stays.”

Danse made an odd noise in the back of his throat and suddenly pulled her close. The kiss was long and tender, the stress that had plagued them since the day they’d met falling away. Danse pressed his hand to the small of Quinn’s back, while she wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting to break apart. But they did, and they stared into each other’s eyes, oblivious to all around them.

“I—” they both said at the same time, before fumbling apologies and urging the other to speak first.

Danse laughed and ran his free hand through her hair as he kissed her forehead. “I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Dragging me from rock bottom and making me see my own worth. Showing me I am capable of standing on my own two feet...and that there was a life after the Brotherhood.”

“Everything I helped you with, you deserved,” Quinn said, cupping his face with her palms as she kissed him again. “You make me a better person just by being yourself. Things aren’t so hard when you’re around.”

His cheeks grew hot at this, but he smiled all the same. “I love you.”

Quinn leaned against him and closed her eyes, smiling as Danse rested his chin on the top of her head. She snuggled into his chest and said, “I love you too.”

Danse squeezed her, but then they both looked up running footsteps came up the corridor, and Charlie and Josh ran into the room. Both boys halting, staring at Danse and Quinn, and then Charlie pulled a face.

“Ugh, Mom!” he exclaimed. “Dad! Gross!”

There was a long pause as Charlie’s words settled. Everyone looked from Danse to Charlie, both of them going scarlet.

“Um…” Charlie fidgeted, glancing between the two adults. “Do you mind if I call Mr. Danse that?”

Quinn and Danse looked at each other, and almost at once there was an unspoken understanding between them. Quinn turned back to Charlie, smiling. “If you’re comfortable with that, honey, then it’s fine with me.”

“And me,” Danse said, nodding.

Charlie looked delighted. “Cool!” He turned to Josh. “Come on. Let’s go play with Dogmeat.” He gestured to a beaming Josh, and the two boys ran from the house. Seconds later, their laughter and Dogmeat’s barks filled the air.

All Quinn’s worries about Charlie and Josh dissipated. She turned to Danse with a smile. “I think we’ll be alright.”

[owfemslashexchange]

Fanfic Exchange for rtfmx9

Hello there! My name is Allie and I got to make a gift for you <3! I didn’t have any prompts, just that you like Pharah and Mercy, they’re actually one of my favorite couples so I was very excited to write something for you. I also made you a cover you can use in Facebook or Tumblr or just keep it, I hope you like it! As for the fanfic, I hope you don’t mind a little angst, I’ve been recently obsessed with witches and Witch Mercy is one of my favorite game skins so I got inspired to write up something for you.

I hope you enjoy it!

 Love,

Allie.

From @missvadner (alliekenway) to @rtfmx9

____________________________________

The Witch gazed upon the full moon, the air was cold and damp, autumn was over and winter was nigh, and every passing moment meant stepping closer to achieving her means, to finally conclude what she had spent ages looking for, studying, preparing… it had passed so fast, losing her. They were together one moment, holding hands, walking around the mountains, far from the world that judged them, far from the pain.

And she knew about pain, she had her full share of it, an immortal life tends to do that you know? You end up lonely, even when you meet people who end up taking a part of your life, who end up becoming a reason to continue living the life that seemed so lost, who bring up just enough hope to make your smile true. Who, even if for a moment, make you forget how hard it is to be human. But ,it’s all the same, for, in the end, you are left alone again, this time though there’s a huge hole in your soul you know you can’t cover because that special person is not there anymore. And it makes you wonder if it was even worth getting to see them. But the faint memory of a touch, a kiss or a hug make it worth it, no matter how hard the pain is, there’s still hope, and that’s something not even the darkest days could vanish as long as she kept her memories. It’s a shame memories don’t bring people back, back from the undeserved and spontaneous death. It just makes it a teeny bit easier to tolerate. But when you’re meant to live forever, just how bad is it to long and hope for once at least? And that’s where she stood, looking at the stars, the full moon and seeing life run by her, all the pain and suffering she had lived through going before her eyes, all the hate, the love, the joy, the sorrow… it was all there before her. 

Back in her village; no girl should know what she knew. It was inappropriate for a woman to keep knowledge of the human body, such a scandal that was. The years went by and she made no change even, people started pointing fingers, calling her names, they were scared, she held a strange sort of power they couldn’t explain and it froze them in place, she was not like them; an educated, beautiful and young woman was living amongst them.

Then the fire came, it began near the woman’s house after the worst storm the town had seen. Some people say they saw the woman casting the light from the rod she had, that she cast a curse on them for not being accepting, those were the good rumours, the worst ones stayed she had stayed for years and fed on the souls of the young, the fire caused by the lightning was her way of accelerating the process and ending the village, to cleanse if from the souls she considered impure. What lead to this belief was the unfortunate ending of the town Governor, who died during the storm and was later found badly burned in her arms. She claimed she knew how to heal him, how to help, but the town knew tragedy had befallen since she arrived and so she was casted off to live on the woods, only to be visited by the town people who needed to be rid of nasty sickness or even women who had to rid of an unwanted child. It killed her inside to assist in this but it was the way she managed to live, to eat, she gave a service only, not believing in what she did, she just did it. And that is what had resulted of her, the hermit, the lone woman, the witch in the woods. 

Years went by and she was soon forgotten, not even the sick visited anymore, if she was lucky, she got a thirsty passenger through the woods looking for refuge, she’d get a short conversation and then she’d be left alone again, as the traveller ran afraid once they recognised who she was, the Witch. Seasons passed, the falling leaves being the only company she got. Days and nights grew larger and she drowned herself in her own studies, learning the extent of her own powers, knowing just how strong she was and waiting for the right moment to move on with her life, some place where she wouldn’t be taken for granted nor called a ‘Witch’. She knew the ways of the human body from anatomy books, the ones she got from her father when she was but a child. The human body was fascinating, it was a vial of life, every inch of a human being was something full of mysteries and she was determined to find the answers to move into a big city and help people the way she knew she was capable of helping. 

She now has dreams, hopes, and something to live for, something to keep her going on, to help her cope with that immortal life of hers. 

But it all changed one day.

It was a stormy, summer night, one of those she dreaded since she spent all night up looking for buckets to place under leaks on her roof, and she always thought on fixing the roof but she needed to go to town and, in the end, it was not worth the talks and attention. She could prevent water from getting on her floor but looking for dripping water in a dark night was hard, especially when candles kept being blown off by the wind that threw the windows open. But this particular night there was an unexpected surprise. The door pounded, filling the small cabin with the sound, the Witch looked at it and held to the staff laying on the table, she held it with both hands and stared at the door, taking a deep breath when she heard the insistent pound again. She walked to it, and, with a trembling hand, opened the door to find a hooded, trembly figure before her. 

The figure rose, meeting her eyes and the woman couldn’t hold a surprise gasp. 

The visitor was another woman, her skin was brown and her eyes were dark as her hair, she was soaked from the storm.

The woman instantly opened the door and greeted the traveller inside, she stared at her and closed the door the moment she walked in and pulled the hood off; her hair was ebony black and fell down her back up to her shoulders, she had some ethnic hair ornaments, she was clearly from some far away place.

“Thank you for letting me in.” The traveller’s voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts, her eyes moved to meet the stranger’s and she smiled softly.

“It’s all right, I have no heart to leave you out in a storm like this.”

She suddenly remembered the buckets picking the leaks, she could hear the water dripping and they possibly needed to be emptied already but she was far more interested in hearing the woman, who just stood still, as if waiting for any sort of instruction before acting, she seemed calm but alert, her eyes were so dark they appeared to be pitch black, and she looked fierce, determined, strong.

“Not many people open their doors for my kind.” She said in a strong accent.

“I’m not like many people.” The woman replied, the traveller smiled in response. “I am Angela.” She said and stretched her hand, the other woman took a moment before holding it and grasping the offered hand, Angela stared, waiting for a reply, she was concerned that at hearing her name the stranger would go, she had no idea how far her name had reached.

“My name is Fareeha.” The traveller answered and pulled the hood off, revealing her attire. She was wearing a soaked worn out shirt and pants, she pulled her hair to a side, and pressed the hood to the wet shirt, Angela’s eyes examined her thoroughly, starting from the dark locks of hair falling on her face to the curve of her shoulders, her chest, her abdomen. She was built, as if she were a worker of some kind, she was carrying with her a small bag, basically nothing, how long had she been travelling for? 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Fareeha.” What took her to say such words at that moment? She had no idea, it was probably her loneliness, having someone to talk to felt good, maybe she hoped for a friend, for someone who would keep her company. “I was about to make dinner, care to join?”

“If I may, My Lady, I am very hungry.”

“Please, call me Angela.” She interrupted, a soft smile drew across her face as the woman looked up to meet her sweet, blue eyes. 

Was she honest? This Angela? She seemed to care, the moment she brought a new attire to switch the wet clothes, when she guided her near the fireplace to sit to warm, she did seem to care. She didn’t get much of that, not with her condition. Being a woman from the far desert lands was not well received with people, they looked down on her and no one offered even a slice of bread for a hungry traveler. But this woman, Angela, she did seem to care. She was being real. 

They sat down to have dinner that night, not even thinking on the possibilities, on what feelings would grow between them. Fareeha was grateful, Angela was glad. 

Summer storms faded and autumn came, with it, the falling leaves and chilly winds announcing the soon to arrive winter. Fareeha had stayed, as Angela asked. The roof was now fixed and she taught the woman how to hunt and fight. Angela taught her about her studies and Fareeha listened attentively, interested to understand, but she mostly accepted the lessons because she saw a glimmer of excitement in Angela’s eyes whenever she started explaining. She cared for Angela, if she hadn’t received her that night, the storm would have gotten the best out of her. And Angela cared for Fareeha, for she now found someone who accepted her for who she was and actually stayed and seemed to mind her.

Autumn flew by, winter came, cold, damp wind hit Fareeha’s face the moment she stepped out to find wood to keep them warm, she took a deep breath and shuddered, suddenly the memory of the desert sun came to her; working under it, her mother hoping to find a better life for her than that of a slave, so she embarked her when she was only a child. Since then, she had travelled around the world and survived as she could, blaming her mother for her faults, for abandoning her instead of teaching her how to survive out there. She did everything on her own and she never minded. How different would her life be if she had stayed? Still working under that horrible sun, feeling the rough sand on her skin, the slap of the whip… 

“Is everything all right Fareeha?” She heard Angela’s soft voice calling to her and she looked up to find the cabin’s entrance before her, she had walked over there carrying the wood, lost in her thoughts. Angela hurried and took some logs in her arms, she dropped them and groaned, Fareeha couldn’t help but chuckle at the frown that appeared on the woman’s face, she had a hard time with heavy work and Fareeha had volunteered to do whatever was necessary to help fix the cabin or keep them comfortable, Angela would keep to her studies, cook for them both and teach Fareeha means to get food easier, where to hit the animals to not waste the best meat, and, of course, heal her wounds whenever she hurt doing something. That was the life they had, and they were good, they felt at peace. 

Fareeha smiled and knelt, holding the fallen logs back to her arms and she poked her tongue out. 

“I’ll take them inside, it will be much faster than to wait for you.” She teased as she looked to Angela, who stood with both hands placed on her hips and stared frowning.

“I can try, you know.” Fareeha shook her head.

“That’s all right, I’ll take these inside to start the fire.” Angela sighed but agreed, she opened the door and signalled the woman to step inside.

It took a while for the cabin to warm up, it wasn’t until after dinner, far after the sun fell, where they felt a slight comfort from the aching cold. The women sat before the fireplace, Angela wrapped around the fur cover, Fareeha rubbing her hands together, placing them before the fireplace. Both were silent, the only sound in that night were the wind, blowing through the windows and the crack of the fire on the wood. Fareeha closed her eyes for a moment, the thoughts she had earlier suddenly came back to her; she remembered her mother turning her back as she got in the ship that took her to a distant land, the hard times of her travels, the starving, the thirst, the pain… she sighed and turned to face Angela, she smiled softly as she looked at her; the blonde, long hair covered her face, her hands, not as strong as hers but soft and nimble, were holding to the cover wrapped around the slim figure. She looked beautiful next to the fire, her blue eyes reflecting the dancing flames, her lips slightly parted, breathing in, trying to retain the heat. Her stomach dropped as she saw the blonde woman brush her hair behind her ear to go back to that same position she had before. That slight movement, that second of action… 

Fareeha crawled towards Angela, holding the covers she had on her and placing them over the blonde’s shoulders, Angela looked at her, her brow furrowed, that same expression she made when she didn’t approve of something. Of course she wouldn’t want to leave Fareeha without covers, but Fareeha, on the other hand, felt she would survive and she could give Angela something if she thought the night was too cold.

But Angela responded by taking the cover, slowly moving until she was sitting near Fareeha, she wrapped the cover around both of them and leaned her head to rest to the woman’s shoulder. Fareeha looked down to Angela, she kept facing the fire before her, her eyes slightly closed. The wind behind them knocking on the windows, the fire crackling, flames still going high. Fareeha’s arm wrapped around the woman’s shoulder, the blonde sighed and moved closer, her figure now pressed to Fareeha’s. Angela sighed deeply, the warmth from the other woman’s skin was pleasant, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, noticing a faint scent of wood, it felt nice. To suddenly feel Fareeha’s fingers wrapped around her shoulder, stroking to bring heat, she smiled, her eyes still closed.

And she then looked up for a moment to find those dark eyes staring down at her. Her heart skipped a beat, her eyes travelled down to the woman’s lips and she took a deep breath, her hand moved to the woman’s cheek, brushing the dark lock of hair behind her ears. Fareeha’ eyes smiled at her, Angela closed her own eyes and leaned forth, pressing her lips against Fareeha’s.

The kiss took her by surprise, Fareeha nearly gasped as those rosy lips pressed to hers, they were soft, inviting. She held Angela’s face, the covers sliding off their bodies and she kissed her back. Angela wrapped her arms around Fareeha’s firm waist, pulling her closer, she wouldn’t let go, she couldn’t. After so long of finding a meaning to life, this felt good, this felt right. 

Fareeha’s hands travelled down the woman’s body, reaching her back, she pulled her closer, feeling the blonde’s chest pressed against her own and pushed her face back for a moment. Angela smiled and brushed her nose against her cheek, her neck, placing soft kisses around the collarbone. 

Angela stood up suddenly, Fareeha shuddered, missing the warmth. She examined the blonde woman as this one undid the laces on her back, pulled her corset off slowly. Fareeha sighed deeply and bit her lip, her eyes focused on Angela’s hands, their swift movement. She stood before her, caressed her face with a hand and stared right into those deep, blue eyes; she found the much wanted approval and moved her hand to the gown lace, fingers slowly untying it. Angela shuddered but stared right to the woman’s dark gaze, pulling the gown off her shoulders until it felt down to reveal her bare chest.

Fareeha stared in awe, the cold suddenly seemed to have vanished and all they had was them, that moment. And they both felt, for the first time in their lives, happy.

The memory of that night was one that made her the happiest, that made her hope it would be well, that the nightmare she was now in would soon be over and they could go back to seeing each other next to the fireplace; tasting her lips, feeling the calloused fingers going on her skin gracefully. The warmth of her lover and the heat of the moment, since that night, it was more than just the joining of two bodies, it had been the joining of two souls, separated by cruel time for so long, but finally together. She kept that night in her memories, reliving it with every fallen snowflake, with the crack of the fire and the howl of the wind. If she tried hard enough, she could feel Fareeha holding on to her, but she’d then turn to find her gone, and then pain returned to remind her she was alone.

The moments after that night were magic, they both smiled, they both lived, they were happy together, they found that piece of life they were missing. And it felt like they could vanish from the world and it wouldn’t matter.

But they never thought on what would happen if only one of them went away. What would the one staying behind would feel. For, you see, it wasn’t allowed for a woman to fall for another woman. Just as it wasn’t allowed for a woman to know as much as Angela knew.

Someone spotted them out in the woods, hunting for the day’s food, they caught a rabbit and headed back to the cabin, unknowing of what would fall upon them. They skinned the animal and chatted as they ate dinner, Angela held to Fareeha’s hand, the woman stared at the blue eyes and smiled, they laughed and talked on going out after winter passed, packing what they could and go out on the world.   Travel around it and collect knowledge, Angela dreamt of the big cities where she could put to practise the notes on human bodies, to help needing people from sickness. That was their dream, to find those who needed aid in their lives and bring to them joy, to bring hope.

If only destiny wasn’t cruel and decided to knock on their door that same night. It was Fareeha who answered, and before she could even speak, she was being restrained by four men. 

Angela stood rapidly, the plates on the table shattering as they hit the floor from the sudden movement, she rushed to the door, demanding an explanation, the men pushed her away, she rushed once more to them. They pulled Fareeha out the house, covering her mouth as they could, trying to hold the woman tight as she kicked to be released. A large group stood outside their cabin, their sanctuary, Angela ran to the men, pulling them away from Fareeha. A large man punched her, the blonde fell on the dirt and sighed, her chest feeling heavy, uncertain, this was a bad dream, it had to be. She looked to Fareeha, who was getting tied to a post, she screamed Angela’s name, the blonde was on the verge of tears, Fareeha stayed strong, looking at her beloved, her eyes set to find Angela’s blue gaze. 

The blonde woman rushed to her once more, getting a slap from one of the women in the group. Torches and smoke filled the area, she couldn’t see full faces, only what the fire showed, making them eerie figures in what was her darkest hour. She stood once more, running towards Fareeha, when she felt strong hands around her arms, pulling her, grasping her tight, it hurt but all she cared was pulling the woman out of that pillar. They were throwing sticks underneath, Angela sobbed, she looked to find Fareeha’s eyes and shook her head, desperately trying to release the clutches men held over her, she stared at Fareeha once more, tears falling down her face, she cried her name, hoping that would be enough, she cried and cried, her eyes swollen but never leaving Fareeha’s. The crowd behind chanting, screaming, roaring: “Burn the demon!“ 

Burn the demon…

But Angela felt desperate inside, she felt useless, she needed to save Fareeha, she needed to release herself. She pushed and pushed but they wouldn’t let go. She heard Fareeha call her name and looked up to her; the dark hair fell to her sides, those dark eyes still smiled at her like they always did and her lips turned to a side smile as she spoke, secure, firm, calm: “I love you Angela.”

Then it was darkness, and the warmth of the fire on her skin.

Angela looked up to the bright, full moon and sighed, a couple of years fell down her face and she pursed her lips. She had spent years trying to find a way to see her again, to bring her beyond just her memories, she wanted Fareeha back to her and tonight, was the night. The staggering wind blew on her face, she closed her eyes and breathed in, stretching her hand before her as the first snowflake fell on her palm. It was time. And she was more than ready.

She went inside her cabin, her hair fallen on her face, her eyes tired from endless nights reading. A ‘witch’, they called her. A witch they’d get. One willing to do whatever it took to bring the lover they had ripped off her hands back to life, just to see her at least one last time.

She grabbed her staff and walked before the fireplace, her fingers brushing the pages of the large book she kept in front of the fire. She looked down, the memory of that night still imprinted within her. She closed her eyes, focused on Fareeha’s arms around her, her lips over hers, their legs entwined in what seemed a practiced choreography, the sound of her name coming from her throat as they climaxed, the way their bodies forgot the cold and fell together curled before the crackling fire. 

Angela chanted the words she learned, tears fell down her eyes as the scent of wood came to her, Fareeha’s scent coming to memory, she wanted her, she needed her. “My servants never die.” She chanted and closed the large book, the flames growing larger, as if responding to the words, the wind howled stronger, the windows wanting to shut open, hitting against each, fire crackling and candles off from the swirls of wind the slightly open of windows let in.

Then everything went quiet. Angela fell on her knees to watch the flames lower to nearly die, the cabin suddenly falling to darkness. 

And then, a thud on the door.

Angela looked towards it and stood, moonlight poured in through the windows, giving her the path to the door. She walked slowly, determined, holding her tears back. A shuddering hand pressed to the handle and she twisted it, her stomach dropping and she then opened to find a hooded figure standing before her, soaked from what looked like a storm, she felt her heart skip a beat as she held the figure’s chin and lifted it slowly, her eyes wet in tears and she sighed, right as the figure before her replied with a smile and a soft caress before speaking, with that strong accent, that firm and confident voice: “I’m back.”