#this was FOR the rebecca girls so glad they brought that back even putting aside any potential tedbecca implications

[rebeccasbiscuits]

Not quite yet up to coherence about that episode!!

[marvel-ousnesss]

Hand in Hand

Pairing: Harry Styles x reader

Summary: Y/N and Harry the night of the Brits.

word count: 2806

masterlist 

A/N: I wrote most of this on my phone so sorry for any typos or mistakes. Lots of love 💜💜💜

“Y/N, Y/N!”

You approached the source of the storm of voices with a wide grin on your face. You still couldn't hide the thrill that your fans brought you, nor you could stop yourself from just hanging with them for a bit. You ambled through the red carpet exchanging smiles and posing for selfies until you reached the end of the path.

When you stepped inside, you greeted a few other people who had arrived at the event and went to freshen up a bit so you could pose for some photos.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and grinned widely. You felt like the girl singing covers in her room, yet here you were, attending your first-ever music awards as a nominee —with one of the best albums of the year under your arm.

As you made your way back from the restroom, you felt a presence behind you. Before you could turn around, they spoke.

"Well hey, fancy seeing you here.” Harry's voice was raspy, tinted with mischief.

You stopped, turned toward him with an amused half-smile.

"Right back at you,” you joked back. “Do you come here often?"

He exhaled a fruity laugh and smiled at you, finally allowing his gaze to drift down onto your figure and then back to up to meet your own. "You look… wow."

He made you blush with almost no effort but you were quick to cover it up, doing your best to get rid of the tension that seemed to constantly glide around the two of you.

"Well, don't you look 'wow' yourself", you smirked.

It had been going on for a few months now; flirting here and there, hanging out at parties, and even a few dates which you had tried to keep out of the spotlight. Nevertheless, headlines hadn't stopped gushing on about 'the newest, freshest face of the industry' and the 'beloved, eclectic Harry Styles.'

Looping your arm around his you subtly prompted him to continue walking toward the awaiting cameras, where you were headed before bumping into him. He obliged, smoothly guiding you through the crowd of crew members, press, and artists.

After a moment of hesitation, his hand traveled to the small of your back. When you felt his tender fingers against the silk of your gown, you lifted your head to look at him.

"So, what’s the game-plan for tonight?”

“Y’know how ‘t goes,” he explained. “Step one: performance, step two: get hold of all the tiny statues, step three: world domination.”

You laughed, but insisted, “really, how’re you doing; ready?”

Even if he seemed to be perfectly collected, you knew that tonight’s show had his head spinning. This was gonna be his first live performance of the year, and, to be honest, you thought it was admirable that he decided to go through with it after what had happened that weekend.

“‘m just a mess of nerves and excitement right now. Tonight needs to be brilliant.”

He didn’t wanna talk about Caroline’s death and you were ok with it, so you didn’t push on the topic.

“I’m sure it’ll be. The whole album’s just amazing; and, you know, the guy who sings it isn’t that bad either.”

He chuckled lightly, then sighed, “just hope I make it justice.”

You smiled, “you will.”

That’s when you found yourselves between the gray wall upholstered with logos and brand names and the army of photographers equipped with cameras of all sizes.

You both faced them and quickly displayed your best angles.

Offering a smirk as he fixed the collar of his blazer, Harry asked, “what ‘bout you, eyes on the prize, I assume?”

You turned around with grace, so that the back of your outfit was visible, then faced the cameras over your shoulder.

“Well, yeah,” you sighed dramatically. “But, to be frank, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep them there with you looking so dashingly handsome.”

His eyes widened for a second and he let out a ringing laugh, his cheeks reddening slightly. It was truly a beautiful sight. However, no longer than a moment later, he concealed the gentle blush with a snort and a devious grin, which he directed at the cameras.

“I know ’m irresistible, love,” he smirked. “And I hate to tell you this, but I‘m ‘a be professional tonight, no funny business.” His tone was dripping with feigned seriousness.

"Your loss," you flipped your hair.

_______

You guided Y/F/N to the table where your team had been placed. Being honest, she was thrilled to be there with you, but also quite surprised that you had honored the promise you both made back in middle school. When you had first told her about your YouTube channel —after a fair amount of bugging on her part—, she had shown complete support and joked about being your date to the met gala. But, as the met was still clearly out of your league and you had missed the Grammys because of your mom’s birthday, here you were.

She already knew your manager so you introduced her to the rest of them before taking a seat, ready to enjoy the rest of the evening.

The first few minutes were full of laughter and conversation. When the event officially began, you watched the presentations with a gaping mouth and cheered hastily when every award was presented.

Before you knew, it was already time for Harry’s performance. You bit the inside of your lip when he climbed upstage, effortlessly rocking a lace jumpsuit that gave a deific, but simple air to him.

“Can’t believe you turned that down to bring me,” your friend whispered to you.

“Seriously?, my first ever-awards were something I needed to share with you, dork.”

“Awww, friend.”

“Aww”, you mocked, then hit her shoulder lightly. “Shush, let me listen.”

Everything happening on stage was truly breathtaking. You mouthed the lyrics as your gaze followed his every move. His eyes were full of stars and his voice was so flooded with emotion that it made chills run down your spine.

“I’ll rip his throat out with my teeth if he ever fucks up.”

Those words somewhat pulled you out of your daze-like state. Part of you wanted to ask her what she meant, but it was no use. For her, you were an open book, so you didn’t even try to hide how bad you had fallen.

Only with a glance your way, Y/F/N managed to catch the way in which your eyes twinkled when you looked at him and the way you blushed ever so slightly when she brought him up.

You tried to conceal the impact of her words with a sip of your drink, to which she responded with a smug wink.

The following half an hour or so went by uneventful. You nearly fainted when Lizzo performed, and it didn’t get better when you discovered she was but a few tables away from you, next to where Harry had been placed. A couple of categories where presented and the moment you dreaded the most arrived.

Celeste was flawless on stage, and you couldn’t be happier for her. Yet, as you listened to her song, your brows were glued in a frown and the corners of your mouth seemed to weigh a ton. It was time for the rising star award, and then came international female solo —to which you had been nominated.

You turned your head to the side when you heard the scratching of a chair against the floor, and offered a quivering smile to Harry, who had not so discreetly sneaked to your table.

“Hey,” he mumbled, taking hold of one of your hands under the table.

“Hey.”

Celeste’s speech, which ended before you would’ve wanted, was followed by Sporty’s introduction to your category. You tried to stay positive as the nominees were announced.

Y/F/N managed to dodge Harry and get her hand on your shoulder. She gave him an awkward attempt of a smile, then looked at you. “You got this.”

You nodded at her words but, not so deep down, you knew this wasn’t gonna be your year.

“I’m so excited, they’re all so brilliant,” Sporty began.

Harry’s grip tightened on your hand while she opened the envelope, and you barely heard him mumble, “come on.”

That’s when the winner was announced. Billie’s name echoed through the speakers across the place and your face fell for a few seconds.

You were quick to recover and clapped just as eagerly as you had for the rest of the winners, but the smile plastered on your face quivered a bit as you swallowed a wave of disappointment.

That changed when she got to the stage, that’s when utter pride kicked in. While Billie said a few words in acceptance of the award, Jack Whitehall made his way to the table and squeezed a chair between you and Harry. You let out a snicker as he clumsily tried to sit comfortably, then you moved a bit back.

He was given his cue by the camera guy and began.

“Congratulations, to Billie Eilish! Now, I’m just so excited to be here with this power couple who, for some reason, are not officially a couple yet.”

"Glad to have you."

His eyes drifted between the two of you, then settled on Harry. “Harold, you’ve been coming to the brits for 10 years. Not to make you feel old.” Then he looked at you. “Y/N, on the other hand, this is your very first time here.”

"Yup," you chuckled. "Total newbie."

“Sorry for the stock question, but how’s it feeling so far? Kidding, we don’t wanna talk about that, do we? I bet you’ve already got at least five rehearsed versions of the answer to that question.”

You snorted.

“Let’s get to the point here.“ Jack leaned closer to the table, to which you responded by mimicking his posture. “Ever since the ‘Up All Night’ era, when Harold here was just a lad with his little bow tie and a mop on his hair, he’s been a ladies man.

Harry scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

"And, as such, he can only be paired to someone like you,“ he pointed his finger at you in mock accusation, “my dear Y/N, who has been leaving a fair share of lads and ladies’ hearts broken —including my own— ever since your very flare-up on that strange platform which somehow houses both Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ and your phenomenal album ‘Tears of Blade’. However, putting my broken heart aside, I wanna Know… you didn’t come as each other’s date, why’s that?"

Harry took a sip of his drink, "I tried, but she turned me down."

Jack faked shock. "Should I get my hopes up then?"

"Oh no, none of that."You shook your head. "I just brought a friend tonight."

His mouth opened in realization, then he smirked, wiggling his brows. "Not to intrude, but… a special friend of yours or a friend friend."

You threw your head back, laughing, then said, "Jack, this is Y/F/N. Y/F/N, Jack."

"Hi." She stretched out her hand, which the host gladly took.

“I like the way your hand fits in mine,” he gushed.

——————————

You struggled to stay awake in the car to your place, your eyelids didn’t seem to be obeying you anymore and your head was feeling too heavy for you to lift. Harry chuckled when he looked at you, bringing you closer to him so you could use him as a pillow. For the rest of the ride, he quietly hummed to the music playing and did what he could to ignore the feeling of numbness that was beginning to invade his arm.

You woke up when the car stopped and raised your head, scanning your surroundings. When your gaze met Harry’s, you smiled. He grabbed your purse and helped you out of the car, then you both took the lift to your apartment.

"Make yourself at home," you said, taking off your coat and shoes.

"Thanks, love." He hanged his blazer on the rack by the door, together with his vest and the purple pashmina that adorned his neck.

After changing into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, you made your way to the living room and found Harry, neck deep into your fridge. That's when you recalled you hadn't done any grocery shopping.

"Tell me if you find something, my fridge's just sad to even look at," you jested, standing behind him.

"S'not that bad. I mean, carrots, beer, tortillas, we could do wonders out of this," he scoffed, still looking for something worth looting.

After no avail, he closed the door.

"Or… we could order pizza."

He chortled, "Y/N/N, we ate like an hour ago."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

He sighed, letting himself fall to the couch in fake exasperation. "Woman, you’re a bad influence." Now, that was a yes.

You giggled when he ended up sitting on the floor, then taunted, "worried your Gucci suits won’t fit you anymore?"

"Ha-ha very funny." Harry settled on the floor, grabbing one of the decorative pillows.

"C’ mere," he patted the spot beside him.

"The couch’s right there."

"So?"

"So?" you mocked, "you come here." You clumsily sat on the couch, but he grabbed your ankle and pulled you to the floor. You let out a squeal but, taking advantage of the boost he had given you, managed to place yourself on top of him, caging his body between yours and the couch.

You were about to gloat, but he placed a hand on your waist and used the weight of his body to push you back, turning the cards.

"You got me where you want me, what are you gonna do?" When you spoke, your voice came out quieter than intended.

Harry's hand found the hem of your shirt and he began tugging it faintly, brushing your skin ever so slightly. He looked at your lips for a moment, then your eyes.

"'Ve got a few ideas-" his words were drowned by the doorbell ringing.

"Fuck," he groaned, head burying in the crook of your neck. Your fingers curled around his silky locks, then you mumbled, "I have to get up, you know."

He grumbled something else, but you pushed him off you.

You received the pizza and locked the door, proceeding to put the cardboard box on the marble counter. As you cut the tape with a small knife, Harry joined you in the kitchen. Stepping behind you, he placed his hands on your sides and a kiss on the line where your neck met your shoulder.

"Patience is a virtue, Harold," you teased.

"Don't care."He rested his head on your shoulder but his hands carried on with the feathery strokes.

Just then, you opened the box and swiftly turned around, giving him a quick peck before stepping out of his grasp.

"Help yourself," you instructed while grabbing two beers from the fridge.

After giving him one, you took hold of a slice and walked toward your previous spot on the living room floor. "Don’t know bout you, but I’m starving."

Harry followed with the box in hand, after settling once again, he placed the box between the two of you and grabbed the remote control.

You shook your head and scoffed, "all that wailing and you're just as hungry as I am."

"Not my fault that the bloody doorbell killed the mood." He took another bite.

Three beers per head later, as the credits of Dirty Dancing rolled up the screen, the pizza had been discarded long ago. You hummed to the credits song as your head rested on his lap, enjoying the feeling of his hands playing with your hair.

"Thanks for tonight," he mused.

"What d'you mean?" You adjusted yourself so that you were looking up at him.

"Just, you know, "he hesitated, finding the words. "You made sure it was a great night."

Your mouth opened in realization before you smiled, lifting one of your hands to his cheek. “That's what 'm here for." Then you sat up, and joked, "besides, 's only fair to admit that, for a business night, it was fun."

"You break my heart, love" he sighed, "all your business partners get after parties like tonight’s?"

"Nah," you avowed, "just the cute ones."

"I'm relieved, then." He pulled you to him by the waist.

You beamed, throwing your head back, "you're unbelievable."

When you straightened up, after your laugh died down, his gaze found your lips once more and he leaned in. "Can I kiss you?"

Your hands moved up to the back of his neck and, without a word, you pressed your lips to his.

Requests open!

[petri808]

Happy Halloween!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

*Bonus Halloween chapter* it’s longer than normal (2k)

The biggest party in Tokyo was for a western holiday called Halloween, and the streets surrounding the heart of Shibuya that Saturday were literally crawling with a million young adults in every kind of costume you could imagine! Most of the revelers had no idea as to the origins of this holiday. All they cared about was dressing up and having a good time, including Lucy and her friends who’d dressed up as their favorite manga characters from Eden’s Zero. The businesses lining the streets in the area were used to the onslaught and welcomed it because it meant a nice chunk of revenue, while authorities did their best to control the crowds.

The group started off with Lucy, Levy, Erza, Gajeel, and Gray, but over time as others showed up or they ran into more friends, the groups numbers ebbed and flowed. Gray was the first to take off to meet his girlfriend Juvia, and once Natsu was off of work and joined them, Lucy and he split off to cruise by themselves for a while.

“Wow it’s so eerie how much you guys look like Shiki and Rebecca!”

“Thanks Mira,” Lucy blushes.

“Tch, I may look like the guy, but I’m not as dopey as him,” Natsu retorts. “He’s taking too damn long to make it official with Rebecca.”

“Don’t mind him,” Lucy giggles, “Natsu ships Shicca hard. But it’s even funnier to watch him and Gray argue over Weiszmura.”

“That’s because Gray is a blind bat who won’t admit they match!”

“Okay,” Mira laughs, “put the canons away. Are you two gonna check out the BUMP party at Womb nightclub?”

“Maybe a little later.” Lucy answers for them. “I heard they had some decent bands this year, but I’d rather go somewhere a little smaller like Sonidos.”

“Oh, yeah? Lisanna’s boyfriend Bixlow is the DJ there tonight.”

Lucy looks to Natsu, “we definitely should stop by and say hi.”

“Agreed.”

“Well it was nice bumping into you. I need to meet up with Laxus so you two have fun! I’ll catch you later!” Mira waves as she rejoins the flood of passerby’s.

Natsu takes Lucy’s hand and the couple continued walking around with no real destination. They stop in open stores to browse or grab yummy-looking finger foods from street vendors along the way. Despite the chaos around them, this was turning into a nice reprieve from their daily lives. It was already 1 am, but from the amount of activity going on, it was easy to lose track of time.

“Look, look,” Lucy points while dragging Natsu with her. “Photo booth!”

“Aww, really?” He whines, though the smile never wavered on his face.

“Yup!” She pulls him in and fishes out a bill from her wallet for the machine.

“Chi-zu!”

The pair chuckle and pose for the five shutter clicks. Each pose varying until the last one ending with a kiss from Natsu and genuinely surprised expression on Lucy’s face. It wasn’t their first kiss, but this would be a memorable one. For a few seconds as the machine printed out the slip of photos, Natsu holds her gaze, sweeping his thumb gently along her flushed cheek. There was a sense of intimacy in these confined booths where many a couple had hidden away from the public for this very kind of very moment.

“Thank you,” he smiles, eyes soft and pure of appreciation.

“For what?” Genuinely unsure of the reason.

“Giving me a second chance. These past few months have been the happiest times of my life and it’s all thanks to meeting you on that train.”

“I’m really glad too,” Lucy smiles sweetly. “Really... really glad,” she breathes out as she moves in to kiss him again.

“Excuse me?” A loud knocking sound stops them. “There’s other people waiting to use the machine!”

“Whoops. To be continued,” she gives Natsu just a quick peck and the pair get out of the booth. They apologize to the next group in line and race off hand in hand, laughing. That had been exhilarating!

Lucy’s heart was still racing even though they were long gone from the photo booth. She and Natsu had been taking things extra slow because of her earlier concerns. Aside from dates and a few kisses here and there, they’d never gone much further and she wondered who was the one holding back. Was it really her or was it actually him because he was too nervous to lose her? Tonight... in that booth... if they weren’t in public... her body flushes wildly just from the thought of it. Okay, so maybe she’s been dying to take their relationship further. Maybe not sex— yet, soon, or maybe... ‘argh! Not now!’ Lucy scolds her libido. But a make out session was a very tempting idea!

They check out Lisanna and Bixlow for a short time at Sonidos, before briefly hooking back up with Levy and Gajeel for some crepes. That’s when Levy quietly informs Lucy that she’ll be crashing at her boyfriend’s house instead of going back to the dorm. “You know... for some privacy,” the girl winks at Lucy. “Hint. Hint!”

“I-It’s too soon for that! W-with us,” her tips burn with lies through each syllable.

“Pfft, you can’t lie that you’ve never thought about it.”

“No... not all the way...”

“Uh-huh. Well, do whatever,” she winks a second time and stands up to leave. “See ya in tomorrow night.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

“Why are your ears all red?” Natsu asks Lucy.

Lucy stiffens up. “N-Nothing important.”

“Oh... okay,” he smiles. “So whatdya wanna do next?”

“Actually, I’m kinda getting tired already.” It was after 3 am and they’d been out and on their feet for over seven hours.

Natsu sighs relief. “Me too! I just didn’t wanna ruin your fun. Shall I take you home?” He squeezes her hand with a smile.

“Yes,” she returns the squeeze, “and if you’d like you can spend the night— I-I mean since you’re tired and all! I’d just feel better than making you back track.”

“I’ll behave, I promise.”

The couple ride the train the short distance between Shibuya and Shinjuku to where Lucy’s dorm is located, cautious of the other riders on the train. Even though alcohol is not allowed on the streets during Halloween, it didn’t stop people from getting drunk and few creepy peepers kept looking at Lucy. But luckily, the train wasn’t very packed despite the holiday because the Shibuya party wasn’t over till 4am and they beat the end rush. On the way, Natsu texts his roommate out of courtesy, only to find out that Gray and Juvia were already at the apartment. Figures. Well it was a good thing he wasn’t walking into that situation! Even if nothing happened, just watching Juvia fawning all over Gray wouldn’t have been appealing. Once they arrive at the dorms, they make sure no one had followed and proceed inside.

Lucy leaves Natsu in the small living room as she changes out of her costume and into something a lot more comfortable. He was lucky the men’s costume was still semi-normal and he only had to remove the jacket and goggles for comfort, but the black hair dye will wash out in a week. She then grabs them a couple bottles of melon milk tea before joining him on the couch. Thank goodness, they didn’t have school, or he didn’t work the next day.

“That was fun,” Lucy curls against his arm with a yawn. “So, tiring though.”

“I haven’t been to Shibuya’s party in a couple of years, but it sure hasn’t changed,” Natsu chuckles. He leans his head against hers while threading their fingers together. “Totally agree on being tired. It probably wouldn’t be as bad if I hadn’t worked too.”

A companionable silence falls over the couple for a few minutes and after some time Natsu assumed Lucy had fallen asleep resting on his shoulder. He would have stayed in that position till his ass was numb if it kept her relaxed. This beauty queen deserved it and more, and he meant every word he’d told her earlier. The second chance had become a cosmic wish come true and he’d be damned to let anything ruin this between them.

“Hey Natsu?”

“Yeah Luce?”

“Do you think we could pick up from where we left off... in that photo booth?”

He swallows hard. It was one thing in the heat of the moment, but quite another to put aside his nerves now that they were so relaxed. This was a different kind of intimacy and much more intimidating to say the least. A private apartment without anything or anyone to interrupt or stop two consenting adults from going too far... and the last thing he wanted to do was something wrong! A regretted decision would destroy everything built up until that moment. But he couldn’t tell her no either!

Sensing the turmoil, Lucy sits up and turns his face towards her. Her instincts were probably on point earlier about his anxiety. “We don’t have to, if you’re not ready, but I wouldn’t mind making out with you... just a little.” She adds in the goal as a way to allay his fears. And it works. Lucy immediately feels his shoulders relax again. She gently caresses his cheek, her eyes zeroing in on his lips. “I just… like kissing you Natsu.”

“I’ll let you direct then, a-and if I start going too far, just stop me. I won’t get mad, I just...”

“Shh, I know,” she smiles, “and that what I like about you.”

Lucy closes the gap and steals his lips, starting slow, then adding pressure behind it. Her hand slides behind his head, fingers weaving into his messy hair as she tilts her head to deepen the kiss. Their tongues tease and test, mouths molding together as teeth clack gently the further, they push each other’s oral boundaries. She could still taste some of the sweetness of the crapes lingering.

His own hands stay glued, one with fingers twined in her hair and the other to Lucy’s side, just below the rib cage. Natsu loses himself in her kisses, they were so soft and sweet, a little adventurous as she ran her tongue once over his canines and giggled. That brought a grin to his lips and a straight arrow through his heart. He wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet, but he loved Lucy. His heart knew it and that’s all that matters, so when the time is right, he’ll tell her, but not yet, he knew she wasn’t ready for that level.

Natsu’s so lost in the kisses he barely registers additional heat against his chest as Lucy’s hand has found its way under his shirt. It wasn’t doing more than simply resting against his pectorals, but it was much further than he’d expected her to venture tonight. Every few minutes her fingers would lightly curl against his skin or move slightly up or down, sending little shivers over his skin. As far as he was concerned, she could do anything she wanted to him as long as it was her choice.

It surprises him when Lucy starts to press forward. At first one of his hands moves to keep from falling back onto the couch, but her sudden whine triggers him to let it happen and the next thing he knows Lucy is using him as a bed. So, he wraps his left arm more firmly around her body to make sure she doesn’t fall off.

Lucy lifts her head to look Natsu in the eyes. “Is this okay?” She questions him. “Am I too heavy?”

“I don’t mind,” he smiles at her, “but are you comfortable? I could shift us over so we’re more on our sides.”

“That would be great. Just felt like snuggling more.”

He kisses her lips. “Works for me.” Natsu then adjusts their bodies carefully until Lucy’s back is resting against the couches backing with her head on his shoulder and chest. She wraps her arm around his torso and huddles close to his frame, while their legs are slightly tangled together. “Comfy?”

“Mmm hmm,” she nods her head against his chest and closes her eyes.

Natsu kisses the top of her head, bringing a smile to her face, then wraps his left arm over to rest his hand on her shoulder and cuddle her close. “Goodnight, Lucy.”

“Mmm. Goodnight, Natsu.”

Eight months ago, the only thing Natsu thought about was a career and now after that fateful train ride he knew his new goal in life had to include the blonde next to him. Lucy felt so perfect in his arms and oh, if only he could wake up like this every morning for the rest of his life, well than he’d be the luckiest man on the planet. With a smile of his own, he closes his eyes and lets the cadence of her heartbeat lull him to sleep. This was a very happy Halloween indeed!

Just to give an idea this is Shibuya on Halloween: I’m so sad I didn’t get to see it this year like I was supposed to ;-; but Natsu and Lucy got to have a little fun in my place lol.

Also a warning, the story gets much more angsty after this for several chapters 😅

[fullmetalscullyy]

the way it was - chapter 15

summary:  what if riza never went to war?  riza hawkeye has just married the man she loves. six months into their marriage, an unexpected surprise stops her from following roy to the military. a canon divergence au that explores what might have happened had riza been unable to join the military. there will be plenty of family fluff, angst, and royai.

rated: m | warnings: no archive warning apply

chapter 13 | read on ao3

1914

well this is life in colour

today feels like no other

“Hello, Riza,” Gracia Hughes greeted warmly, hugging the host tightly after stepping into her home. “How have you been?”.

“I’ve been well, Gracia. Thank you for asking. What about yourself?”

“The same,” she smiled, glancing down at her daughter, who had just tugged on her hand to get her mother’s attention.

“Mummy?” Elicia asked. “Where’s Mia?”

Riza smiled at Hughes' daughter, and Gracia smiled at her eagerness.

“She’s inside, Elicia,” Riza revealed, crouching to her level. “Let me take your jacket and you can go in and see her if you like? She’s in the living room with Uncle Roy.”

Shortly after her birth, Maes and Gracia had asked Roy and Riza if they’d like to be the godparents of Elicia. They both readily accepted and returned the favour with Mia. The titles of aunt and uncle came along shortly after that, and it stuck.

At that piece of information, Elicia’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “Okay!” 

“Aunt Rebecca is already in there too,” Riza announced as she eased Elicia’s coat gently off her shoulders. Elicia’s eyes lit up even more. She was a big fan of Rebecca.

“Yay!” she clapped happily.

 “I love this jacket, Elicia. It’s very beautiful.” She beamed at her Aunt Riza. 

“I picked it out myself. I like the flowers on it!” she exclaimed.

“You have very good taste.”

Elicia’s eyes positively sparkled, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink in her pride.

“Head on through, Honey,” Riza gestured. “They’re just in there.”

Elicia was a very confident child, not much phased her, however she tentatively walked to the living room and peeked through the door to see who was there waiting for her. When she spotted Roy, her posture straightened, and that confidence returned.

“Uncle Roy!” she cried happily, running into the room.

“Thank you for inviting us,” Gracia added once Riza had straightened to stand.

“Thank you for coming. I appreciate it, especially after having to reschedule.”

The Elric brothers were out of town for longer than anticipated and then Roy and Riza had to move to Central, so the dinner party she’d arranged with Maes was quickly forgotten about and put on the back burner until they were settled.

“Of course,” Gracia announced. “I wouldn’t miss tonight for the world,” she smiled warmly. “I brought some wine for the three ladies,” Gracia announced.

Just then, Maes opened the front door and entered the hallway, shivering from the cool spring air outside, but sighing in relief from the sudden warmth.

“It’s getting warmer out there, so that’s something!” Maes hugged his arms tight to his body to warm himself before shrugging out of his jacket. “Riza!” he cried with a grin, enveloping her in a tight hug. “How are you?”

“I’m well, Maes,” she smiled. “And thank you for the gift, Gracia. I really appreciate it… but, I won’t be able to drink it tonight, unfortunately. It will just be you and Rebecca on the wine tonight,” Riza revealed, her eyes sparkling as she watched the two of them furrow their brows. Gracia was the one who reached the conclusion first, but Maes was not long after her. 

“Are you pregnant, Riza Mustang?” Gracia gasped. Riza nodded vigorously. “Oh, my goodness. Congratulations!” Riza was enveloped in another tight hug by Gracia. Maes joined in as well and the three of them embraced happily in Riza’s hallway.

“Another bun in the oven, huh?” Maes asked, kissing Riza’s cheek. “Congrats! Where’s Roy?”

“In the living room,” Riza told him.

Without another word, Maes entered and shook his hand. Riza watched as Roy stood and Maes pulled him into a tight hug. Roy smiled, clapping his back in thanks.

“I’ll take this out of your way then,” Gracia announced, placing the bottle of wine back in the bag she’d brought with her. “We can save it for after the baby is born. How about that?” she grinned.

“I would love that. Thank you.”

“Would you like any help in the kitchen?” Gracia offered.

“No thank you, I’m all right. Make yourself at home,” Riza offered, showing her through to their living room where the excited chatter continued now that Maes was in on the secret that she was pregnant.

There was another knock at the door, followed by hushed voices, so Gracia excused herself as Riza approached the door.

“Brother, stop fidgeting,” a rather metallic sounding voice stated sharply.

“I’m not, Al,” another replied. They both sounded so young.

“You are, I’m watching you do it. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“I’m not nervous,” the boy spat.

“It’s just the Colonel,” a female voice replied, her voice hushed.

“I know who it is, Winry,” the boy grumbled. “And I’m not nervous!”

Riza opened the door and was slightly taken aback when a large metal suit of armour filled her vision. The metallic voice gasped as the door opened, promptly straightening in posture as he saw Riza. That must be Alphonse. Next to him stood a small teenager. His long bangs covered his forehead, dropping down towards his eyes. Matching his fringe, was a long braid that extended down his back. Edward. The girl though, Riza didn't know. Her long blonde hair was gently brushed to the side in the spring breeze. In her hands she clutched a basket with a cover over it, and from the door Riza could faintly smell cooked apples.

She’d learned about everything that had happened with Edward and Alphonse Elric. Edward was wearing a red jacket and gloves, but Riza caught a glimpse of his automail underneath the cloth. She knew Alphonse was a soul bonded to this suit of armour before her. Riza was fully aware they’d been the victim of human transmutation, but seeing them both before her now made the news hit home even harder than it had before. Edward still looks so young. It was a horrifying thought, and Riza’s heart sank a little. They’d been even younger than they were now when they performed the taboo. 

Ever since she’d discovered what had happened to them, Riza just wanted to give them both a hug. Roy had told her his plan to keep what they did a secret in exchange for Edward’s loyalty to his cause, but he also revealed that he would hate it if the top brass ever found out what happened to them. Alphonse would be taken away and studied while they tried to figure out how it was possible. Edward would be kept under close watch and wouldn’t have as much freedom to go out and travel the country to find out what happened to them both. Roy liked to gripe about how much of a headache Edward gave him, but she knew he cared for the two boys, and Riza couldn’t think of a better person to look out for them both. She was glad they had Roy’s support behind them.

Pushing down her strong maternal instinct for the moment, Riza smiled at the trio warmly. “Hello Edward, Alphonse. Come in,” she beckoned. Stepping aside, they both entered her home.

Despite the hushed conversation she’d heard before opening the door, Edward did look rather nervous, but he stepped forward and inside the house. Alphonse ducked carefully and stepped inside, filling her hallway, but managed to clear the ceiling with enough room to move comfortably.

“Good evening, Mrs. Mustang,” Alphonse greeted.

“Hello…” Edward greeted, unsure on how to proceed. It felt like he wanted to say something, then stopped himself. “Mrs. Mustang,” he finished sheepishly. Riza smiled at him, appreciative of his manners. Obviously, it would take some time for them to get used to it.

 “I do apologise,” Riza added as the girl entered after them. “But I don’t believe we’ve met before. Roy didn’t mention your friend here,” Riza announced kindly.

“My name is Winry,” she replied. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Mustang.” She shifted from foot to foot for a moment. “And sorry for turning up unannounced,” she fretted. “Mr. Hughes said it would be all right,” she explained.

Riza waved away her concerns. “The more the merrier,” she replied. There was more than enough food to go around as well, so an extra guest was no problem for Riza. “It’s a pleasure to meet the three of you,” she greeted. “And please, Riza is fine,” she insisted. “Everyone is in the living room just now.” Riza directed them to the correct door. “Would you like a drink?”

“Just water, please,” Edward replied.

“The same for me,” Winry requested politely.

“N – Nothing for me please, Mrs. Mus – I mean, Riza,” Alphonse stuttered.

“It’s all right, Alphonse,” she soothed him. “Roy told me what happened to you both.” Edward’s spine straightened, his face was stricken. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer you instead.”

“That’s – That’s okay, Mrs. Mustang. Um, I – I mean we – would really appreciate it if…” Alphonse trailed off.

“If you didn’t say anything,” Edward finished. His eyebrow twitched in irritation. Given his relationship with Roy, something told Riza that Edward was annoyed at him for letting their secret slip.

“Don’t worry, boys,” Riza reassured them. “I’ve known about you two since before you got your automail, Edward.” The pair of them shared a look. “I’ve hoped for a while that I’d be able to meet you someday. How are you both? Are you all right?”

They shared another look. They were surprised by her concern, but her maternal instinct wouldn’t rest. At every mention of those boys, Riza couldn’t help but think about her own daughter, and how she couldn’t bear the thought if something like that happened to Mia.

“We’re… okay. Thank you.” Edward seemed genuinely surprised and his thanks were sincere.

“If there’s anything you need, just let me know,” Riza smiled, showing them the way into their living room. They were greeted warmly by her other guests and Riza left them to it, entering their kitchen.

“I brought something along with me,” Winry announced shyly as Edward and Alphonse entered to speak to the other guests. “I baked an apple pie.”

“Oh, Winry. Thank you so much. I thought something smelled delicious. Would you like to bring it through?”

Winry nodded and followed her to the kitchen.

“Just put it wherever you find a space,” Riza told her. “I can’t wait to dig in.”

“Thank you. I hope it’s all right. Edward loves it, but I think he’s a little biased.” She chuckled, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Riza smiled knowingly, recognising that look.

“I’m sure it will be perfect.”

“Would you like a hand with cooking?” Winry offered.

“I’ll be fine, but thank you for your offer. Go through and enjoy the company. I’ve got things handled in here.”

“Okay, thank you, Mrs. Must - I mean Riza.”

*          *          *

Riza busied herself with cooking dinner, oblivious to what was happening in the rest of her house. She heard laughter in the background as she worked, and it made her smile. She was pleased everyone was getting along. Growing up, she’d never had a house as warm of this. She never thought she ever would. To hear such happiness emanate from her living room as all her guests enjoyed themselves made her heart warmer than any fire could.

Well, except maybe Roy’s. He always managed to make her feel safe, loved, and happy. To this day she couldn’t believe her luck. The attractive, brilliant, and overall incredible Roy Mustang had fallen in love with sad, lonely, and plain Riza. Sometimes she’d wondered if it had been out of pity, especially after they were first married.

Her father had asked Roy to take care of her on his deathbed. That request still bewildered Riza because Berthold had never shown love or care to her after her mother's death. It was as if he’d forgotten about Riza completely. Riza wondered if it was out of guilt, but didn’t hold out much hope for that reasoning. He probably only wanted Roy to protect her body, not her as a person. After all, she’d been turned into her father’s own personal notebook. The research on her back was more important than Riza.

Being the gentleman he was, Roy had asked Riza to marry him. Riza had often thought it was only because he’d felt it was his duty, but she hadn’t wanted to tie him down like that. So, she questioned everything, because how could she be loved so much by him? It had to be an act. It had to be. He was young, and did the thing he thought was right. In the first few weeks Riza had been waiting for him to come to his senses and leave her, realising he’d made a mistake tying himself to her so young. Her father had drilled it into her that she was useless every day. How could someone so useless be loved by him? Slowly, Roy had chipped away at her walls and broken them down. Riza couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy in her childhood.

Then, the bomb was dropped when he’d been called up to serve in Ishval. She’d been loved and cherished for six months, then he’d been roughly pulled away from her. He was going off to war. He could have been killed. Coupled with the hormones from her pregnancy, Riza had spent many days, not just nights, sitting in a depressive state, tears tracking down her cheeks. That was when she was at her lowest.

Rebecca dragged her out of that somewhat. She was taken on days out. They went shopping for Mia together to prepare for her birth. These trips led to lunches out or teas in coffee shops. Before Riza knew it, it was time for dinner. Rebecca invited her around to her apartment for dinner more often than not. Riza had been too tired from their busy days to make it home. Sometimes Rebecca drove her back to her cold, lonely apartment, but Riza always preferred sleeping at Rebecca’s. It helped to have some company.

“Hello,” Roy greeted as he kissed her temple, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He broke her from her ruminations, but Riza wasn’t going to complain about his more than welcome affections.

“Hello, you,” Riza smiled, looking over the timings on the recipe sheet in front of her. She set the kitchen timer for twenty minutes then relaxed against Roy’s chest. The last thing was being cooked and in twenty minutes, the food would be ready to serve. This was the first time she’d ever hosted a meal and was slightly nervous. She just wanted everything to go well.

“How are you doing?” His arms slipped from around her waist while Riza turned in his grasp. They settled on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’m fine.” She was a little bit tired, but not enough to put her off hosting for the night. 

“Let me know if you need any help, okay?”

“I will Roy, don’t worry.” She kissed him softly. The grip on her waist tightened in response. “Everything is fine through here. What about through there?” she nodded towards the living room.

“Surprisingly, Edward Elric is good with kids.”

“He’s a kid himself. Why wouldn’t he be?”

“Because he has a terrible attitude that stinks to high heaven?”

Riza scoffed. “Only to you. He was perfectly polite when I met him.”

Roy grumbled under his breath, a scowl forming on his face.

“Maybe if you weren’t so hard on him, he would be nicer to you.”

“I have been nice,” Roy stated defensively. “I gave them the freedom they needed, didn’t I?”

“Followed by a smug look and a snarky comment, no doubt,” Riza teased.

Roy’s scowl deepened but Riza just laughed at him. She pulled away, moving away to cut the last of the carrots.

“Go back to entertaining our guests,” she dismissed him with an amused tone. “And try not to make Edward throttle you.”

Roy snorted. “I can’t make that promise,” he muttered.

Riza entered their living room with an amused smile. Laughter made its way through to her and she wondered what was so funny. Roy was scowling at Hughes – what was new there – while everyone was laughing, most likely at Roy’s expense.

“And then he was knocked flat on his ass,” Maes stated loudly before guffawing, while Rebecca joined in with him. Edward was cackling away while Alphonse’s laugh was slightly nervous, like he felt he probably shouldn’t be laughing. Gracia just smiled, but her attention was on her daughter and Mia. Riza’s heart melted at the sight of Winry sitting on the floor, Elicia in her lap, and Mia by her side as they played with Hayate.

Mia wasn’t laughing, though. Elicia was giggling because everyone else was, but Mia’s face fell as she looked up at her father, then around at everyone in the room. Riza watched as she climbed to her feet, rushing over to Roy. 

“That’s okay, Daddy,” Mia reassured him. She wrapped her arms around a surprised Roy’s neck. “You’ll always be my hero,” Riza heard her whisper in his ear. It was spoken quiet enough that the rest of them didn’t hear over their laughter, but Riza was standing behind the couch Roy was sitting on, so she heard every word.

Roy wrapped his arms tightly around Mia. “Thank you, Mia Bear,” he whispered.

“Dinner is served, everyone,” Riza announced. Eagerly, their guests made their way to their dining room. Riza hung back and waited for Roy and Mia. He’d hoisted her into his arms and was carrying her through on his hip, rather than walking with Mia by his side. Hayate walked dutifully by their side, looking up at Mia as they walked.

The whole night was a hit. The drinks flowed and all the food was gone by the end of the night. Most of them went back for seconds, stating it was too good to only have one serving. Riza thanked them sincerely, touched. On the inside she was beaming with pride.

“I told you Riza was an amazing cook,” Roy announced, kissing her cheek. She turned pink at the compliment and went back to eating Winry’s apple pie without saying a word.

“Her cooking is to die for,” Rebecca announced, helping herself to a third plate, unashamed.

“Riza, my dear, you’re an absolutely wonderful cook, however no one holds a candle to my Gracia,” Maes winked. “Sorry.”

“Winry’s apple pie is great too,” Alphonse piped up. “Edward tells me its the best he’s ever tasted.”

Riza watched, trying to hide her laugh as Edward’s face turned scarlet and Winry’s cheeks were dusted pink.

Edward coughed in response. “Yeah, it is,” he muttered quietly in response. “It’s really great.”

“Let’s not compare and contrast,” Gracia announced, keeping the peace. “The meal was wonderful, Riza. Thank you so much.”

A chorus of thank yous sounded around the table.

Riza noticed Alphonse was writing in a notebook under the table. Not wishing to embarrass him, she kept it quiet, but Mia noticed, to her chagrin.

“What are you writing, Alphonse?” she asked, eyes wide and curious.

“Oh! Um…” He sounded embarrassed. Riza opened her mouth to tell Mia to leave her questions for now, but Alphonse continued anyway. “It’s a journal I like to keep.”

“What’s in it?”

“Mia? Let’s leave questions for later, okay?” Riza told her gently.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Mus – I mean Riza,” Alphonse piped up. “Um, it’s a journal of all the food I’m going to eat when… I feel better.”

Mia was too young to understand that Alphonse had lost his entire body and Riza appreciated the teen stating he wasn’t eating because he didn't feel well, rather than revealing he had no mouth. Mia took it in her stride and nodded without further questioning.

“Brother tells me all the things that are particularly delicious, and I take a note of them in here, so I remember to try them when I get my body back,” Alphonse elaborated.

The table awed at his kind statement. Riza felt tears welling inside her eyes. Alphonse was incredibly sweet for saying it, and she was touched.

Roy squeezed her knee in comfort. “That’s lovely of you to say, Alphonse,” Roy told him.

“Yes,” Riza stuttered, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Alphonse stated happily. “We’ll make sure to come back so I can try your food. If that’s all right, of course?”

Roy grinned and patted her knee again under the table.

“That would be lovely,” she smiled, blinking furiously. “Thank you.”

*          *          *

“Um, Mrs. Mustang?” a nervous voice asked as Riza washed the dishes in the sink. 

Turning, she saw Winry standing in the doorway.

“Hello, Winry. Is everything all right?”

She nodded. “Sorry, it just didn’t feel right to leave you to clean up by yourself.”

Riza chuckled. “That’s not a problem, Winry. You’re our guest. I wouldn’t ask you to wash dishes with me anyway.”

“Would you mind if I helped?”

“If you insist,” Riza smiled, handing her a dish towel. “I wouldn’t mind the company either.”

“I…” She trailed off, biting her lip as she took the towel from Riza’s outstretched hand.

Riza paused for a second, expectantly. Winry obviously wanted to ask her something, but couldn’t quite form the words. 

“Take your time, Winry,” Riza reassured her as she continued in her task. Soap suds were up to her elbows as she made her way through the mountain of plates they’d used at dinner.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead. I’m all ears.”

“Do you… worry about the Colonel a lot?”

“All the time,” Riza replied simply.

Winry nodded and Riza saw her swallow. “How do you deal with it?” Her voice was extremely quiet as she wiped the water off the plate and gently placed it on the counter.

Riza paused, cocking her head in thought. She wouldn’t lie to the girl and say it was easy, because sometimes it wasn’t.

“He’s in a position of power, and in the military. He could be called out to war at any moment, but I think I would worry about him all the time regardless of that fact.”

“What do you mean?”

“I love him,” Riza elaborated. “And when you love someone so much, you worry about them regardless of where they are in their life. Are they happy? Are they healthy? Are they doing okay? I feel the same way about Mia as well. I just want my family to be cared for and happy, so focus on that.”

Winry nodded, picking up another plate. She was silent as she absorbed Riza’s words. The two worked together quietly as Riza waited for Winry to move the conversation further.

“It’s hard,” the young girl whispered.

“I know,” Riza replied sympathetically.

“I… Sometimes I don’t even know where they are. The last I hear from them, they’re in East City, then a few days later they show up at my door, broken.” The plate hit the countertop harder than Winry intended, and the teen jumped. “I’m so sorry,” she stammered.

“Winry, it’s okay. Why don’t we have a seat?” Riza suggested gently. This was obviously not a conversation to be held over washing dishes.

Letting out a breath, Winry nodded in agreement.

In that same moment, Riza caught Roy walking through with two empty glasses in his hands. He opened his mouth to talk, but stopped when he saw Riza’s urgent glare. Behind Winry’s back, Riza motioned for him to stop and leave. Mouth parted in surprise, he spun on his heel and left the two of them alone.

“You worry about them a lot, don’t you?” Riza prompted once they were settled at the dining table.

Winry nodded. “They’re my best friends,” she whispered. “I don’t want to lose them.”

Riza could more than sympathise with that.

“I don’t want to wake up one day and… find out they won’t be coming home.”

“I understand completely. I’m the same with Roy.” Riza eyed Winry carefully for a moment. “You love them, don’t you?”

Her face turned bright pink. “I - I - They’re my friends,” she stuttered.

Riza knew better. There was a deeper connection between the three of them. Perhaps it stemmed from what the brothers went through. Winry had revealed over dinner that she was an automail mechanic, and being Edward’s oldest friend it didn’t take Riza long to connect the dots. Winry had been the one to attach Edward’s automail. She’d seen him and Alphonse through their traumatic past and recovery.

“It’s never been easy,” Riza began, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. “Especially with Roy in the military. I won’t lie and say it has been a breeze, because I do worry every time he leaves for work. However, I trust him. Even though I can’t be with him to make sure he’s all right, I trust him to look out for himself and I know that he has a solid team behind him. So do Edward and Alphonse. Remember that.”

“I’ll try… but…”

“It’s easier said than done, I know that. Do you feel helpless every time you see them struggling?” Winry’s head lifted, expression perking up. “Do you want to help, but don’t know how?”

“Yes,” she breathed earnestly. She looked delighted to have found someone who understood her.

“You gave Edward the ability to walk again, Winry,” Riza stated, sitting back in her chair with a smile. “You’ve helped them so much already.”

“You’re right,” she mumbled to herself.

“Even if you feel helpless, you just being there will help them,” Riza continued. “They might not thank you. They might not even think to. However, they will appreciate it and one day, they’ll realise how big a help you were to them.”

“Is that what you do for the Colonel?”

“I’ll always be there for him when he needs me. You might need to give them some time, but they’ll come when they need you. You just need to tell them that.”

“Right,” Winry nodded, determination in her voice.

“Sorry to interrupt, Lladies,” Roy announced quietly and sheepishly as he crept around the door. “Catalina is demanding more wine.” He shot Riza an apologetic look as he entered with the same two glasses. “And she’s right, Winry. I don’t know what I would do without her,” Roy grinned at his wife.

Riza snorted. “He can be so hopeless sometimes,” she whispered loudly to the teen. “It’s a wonder how he even gets by in life,” she winked.

Winry’s eyes widened considerably. Then she giggled. “I often think the same about Ed,” she admitted. “I’m glad he has Al beside him at least. That gives me some comfort at least.”

They laughed together then Roy took his leave. In passing he paused before Riza, pecking her cheek.

“Mia is asking for her Mama,” he announced. “She says she misses you.”

Winry let out an aw as Riza chuckled. “We won’t be long.”

Roy pecked her cheek then left the room with two glasses of wine.

Riza opened her mouth to suggest joining the rest of them, but she paused. Winry was fidgeting in her chair and it looked like she had some more questions for Riza.

“Did you ever think about following him?” she asked suddenly.

“I did,” Riza revealed. “Once.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, of course,” Winry gushed as an afterthought.

“You want to know why I didn’t?”

Winry nodded.

“Roy works towards making the world a better place and protecting the two brothers. He’s got a good team I trust to keep him on track. However, there’s someone I have to protect too. I have Mia,” she replied, then a slow smile spread across Riza’s face. “And another one on the way too.” She cupped her stomach gently, unable to stop the smile from spreading.

“Are you pregnant?” Winry asked.

Riza nodded. “Roy and I have another one on the way.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Winry cried excitedly.

“Thank you, Winry.”

“Thank you for this talk, Mrs. Mustang,” Winry breathed. She let out a long breath and Riza saw her shoulders sagging in relief, like a weight had been lifted.

“Anytime Winry,” she smiled fondly. “And it’s Riza, please.”

“Okay, Riza.” Winry’s grin was bright.

“And I mean it. If you ever need anything or want to chat, just give me a call.”

“I will, thank you!”

“Even if it’s to complain about how dumb the men in our lives are,” Riza winked. She laughed as Winry’s face turned scarlet and she coughed, but she still thanked Riza with a shy smile on her face.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

The Matchmaker: Eight

Bucky watched you put away Rebecca’s groceries and pills, smiling a little. You’re keeping up a running stream of commentary for her about this and that. It’s cute. If he didn’t know better he’d say you weren’t working. 

Of course, for you, you weren’t. Not really. You’d talked to Rebecca about resigning from the Agency and just keeping her company without being paid for it. She wouldn’t hear of it. Not for any reason. It had been a running conversation. Rebecca usually responded by guilting you into staying for dinner and doing some homework at her Kitchen table. 

“Hey,” you say, kissing him hello softly. “Hello, beautiful,” he murmurs, wrapping his arms around your waist and sticking his hands in your hoodie pocket. You lean back against him and sigh. He knew you were getting a little down. You couldn’t actually get home for Christmas this year. It was three days away and you were just shy of the money you needed.

He hated it. He kissed the hide of your head tenderly and cuddled you for a moment. “Baby,” he murmured, “You say the word. We can leave to see your ma tomorrow.” You sigh, “I can’t let you do that.”

“If he doesn’t do that,” Rebecca called, “I’m not ever speaking to him again.” You sigh, “Becca,” you start.

“No,” she said, “There are people coming in tomorrow, Sweetheart. I’m not going to be alone for the rest of the holidays.” Bucky gave her a grateful look and smiled, “Please?” he said, “I should probably meet the woman that’s trying to name our kids.”

“Kids we don’t have yet,” Bucky added quickly when Rebecca looked like she was about to start fussing at him for getting you in a family way without marrying you. You snort and half turn to look up at him, “You’re sure you don’t mind? I mean you’ll miss seeing everyone when they get here.”

He smiles and kisses you softly, “Darlin’ it’ll be okay... Aside from that your ma has been sending me pictures of the candy she’s been making. I might literally die if I don’t get to try it.” You giggle, “Well, anything for your sweet tooth,” you murmur. 

“It’s settled then!” Rebecca said clapping her hands, “Go on. Get going! You need to pack.”

____________

You kiss Bucky softly and smile up at him as he closes the trunk. “You sure you want to drive, Doll?” he asks, “It’s snowing.” You smile, “I learned how to drive in it a long time ago, Bucky. I’ll be fine. Also, Stark Tech has a massive fucking dead spot anywhere near town. You’ll wind up getting us lost.”

You take the keys out of his hand and kiss his cheek, jumping into the passenger seat. “You know,” he drawled fondly, “I’m a pilot. Pretty sure I could handle getting us to your ma’s house.”

He doesn’t mind though. He likes having the opportunity to watch you. To admire the curve of your lips. You’re singing along with the radio and pointing things out to him on the way. 

It looks like an alien terrain. It’s America but worlds away from where he usually spends time. You pull into town and it looks... It looks like an episode of an old TV show he watched with Becca. Tree lined, brick streets. Kids roaming in massive kids packs. It’s sweet. He smiles to himself, thinking that he wouldn’t mind raising kids in a little town like this. “Did you tell your ma we were coming?” he asked.

You shake your head, “I thought I’d surprise her,” you tell him. He grins, “And give her less time to start coming up with reasons you should have a baby with me.” 

“That too,” you added, snorting. You pull up to the bakery and stop the car, getting out and pausing to hug your boyfriend, “Thank you,” you tell him quietly. 

“Anything for you, darlin’,” he says, cupping your jaw and kissing you softly. You looked at him like he’d given you the world and he felt 10 ft tall. It had just taken a few phone calls. His cheeks colored and you smiled. “You’re such a dork,” you tell him, giggling. 

You take his hand and start to lead him across the street and he stops, “Your ma isn’t going to be mad that I’m here, is she?” he says uncertainly. You smile and tug him after you, “Are you kidding? She’s convinced that you’re going to be the father of her grandkids... She’d be furious if I didn’t bring you with me.” He smiles and follows after, happy to be with you. 

Even if he feels a little awkward, it’s nice to be with you. 

You let yourself in through the front door and duck under the counter easily. The whole place smells like Bucky’s personal definition of heaven. All sugar and pastry. It makes his mouth water and you smile at him, pressing a finger to your lips, “Mama?” you call softly.

There’s a clatter and a gasp and then before you have time to say anything else, your mom has you wrapped in a hug and is simultaneously kissing your cheeks and calling you an asshole for not telling her you were coming. You laugh and hug her hard. You missed her. This smell. The way it felt to have her hug the stuffing out of you.

Bucky watched, smiling to himself. Worth it. He thought, totally worth it. It didn’t take long for him to wind up in her crosshairs. He got the same bone-crunching hug and she pulled him down to kiss his cheeks, “You’re an asshole too,” he said, “But I’ll keep you since you brought my baby home.” He chuckles and she grins up at him, “I’m glad to meet you finally,” he said. 

“I know, I thought Y/N was never gonna bring you home,” she said. “I’d never let that happen, ma’am,” he assured her. 

He liked her. He could see where your warmth came from. The sweetness. He found himself settled with hot chocolate and a piece of cake out of the case as you got pressed into service. Apparently, there was a wedding cake, candy orders, and about 12 pies that still needed to be made. So you tied your hair up, put an apron on and got to work. 

It was nice. The comfortable ebb and flow of conversation. “Where are Ty and Jack?” you ask stretching your shoulders. “They took the van up to Napanee to drop off the last loads of peanut brittle and what not for the Maple Lane people,” Penny answers.

You nod, “So the kids,” you start. “Are at the house with your dad... Mari and Collette are up in the city doing the last of their shopping.” You nod, “How’s Booger doing?” you ask. Penny smiles a little, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you,” she said. 

You look at her curiously and she smiles, “Give Dan a few minutes to get the kids loaded into the truck... You can see for yourself.” 

__________

Bucky didn’t have time to ask any questions. He knew who Booger was, your youngest nephew. The baby. The quiet one. It had taken him forever to start talking and when he did it was hard to understand. 

The cacophony of kid voices out front made you stop what you were doing. You bolted out of the kitchen and into the front lobby, engulfed in squealing, giggling little boys. They accepted hugs and kisses and told you all about legos and Minecraft.  It didn’t take long for Bucky to see the youngest, hiding behind your dad’s legs and peeking out uncertainly. 

Your mom deftly distracted the other boys and you held your arms out, “Hey Booger!” you say smiling. The little boy needs no more encouragement. He bolts into your arms and koala hugs your torso. You hug him tight and kiss the side of his head. Bucky glances at Penny and she smiles, “That’s his person,” she says shrugging, “they understand each other.” He’s started talking to you at full speed, telling you all about Harry Potter and his wand and Voldemort, and Quidditch. 

Penny pauses for a second watching tears well up and she smiles, “Last time she saw him he didn’t talk that much.” He watches you hug him harder and smile, “That’s really cool, buddy,” you tell him, blinking back tears. Eventually, the lure of a cookie from Grandma and some cocoa and meeting a real-life superhero is enough to make him wiggle out of your arms. 

Bucky gets an introduction to your dad. The man is massive. Nearly 7ft tall and quietly terrifying without being outright menacing. He takes Bucky’s hand and shakes it, “Nice to meet you, Son,” he drawled. Bucky nods, “Same here, sir,” he said trying not to be nervous. “You be good to my girl,” he said, “You hear?” Bucky nods again and swallowed hard. 

He’d murdered people. He’d fought battled with Aliens. This was the most terrified he could actually remember being. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, Sir. She’s... I love her.” That earns him a look of tacit approval and the massive man smiled a little, “Good,” he said. The Brunette let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and looked back towards you. 

You’d managed to extricate yourself from the kids and made your way over to your day, throwing your arms around his neck when he stooped down.

He scooped you up off your feet easily and hugged you hard enough that Bucky heard the distinct sound of your back popping. “Hey, dad” you groan. He chuckles and kisses the side of your head, “Hey, Sunflower,” he says. He sets you down on your feet carefully and brushes hair out of your eyes. “Glad you made it home,” he said, “Your mama was thinkin’ you’d never make it back for a minute.” 

“Bucky made sure I made it back,” you say, wrapping one arm around the former assassin’s waist and looking up at him adoringly.

“I’m just in it for the candy,” Bucky said kissing your forehead. You snort and smack his chest lightly. The big man’s rumbling laugh takes him by surprise for a moment but it doesn’t take long for him to join in. He liked this. He felt welcome and warm and it felt like... home. He couldn’t wait to tell Becky all about it.

Tags:  @lancsnerd​ @stevieang​ @golddaggers​ @blameitonthecauseway @qxeen-of-hearts​ @process-pending​ @xmarveled​ @beautybyfire, @etherealwaifgoddess, @mschellehitt, @mistressoftorture @thorfanficwriter, @ctinadiva, @innerpaperexpertcloud @amalthea9  @cdwmtjb8

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

Weicca: I’ll Be Home

This is for the Edens Zero Server Secret Santa Event! :D I wrote this for @awkwardauthorarianna​ !!! I’m your secret santa!!! I decided to just do something for the Holiday, something fluffy. I really hope you like it! :D 

Also, I couldn’t resist adding Pino as Shiki’s little sister! I needed Pino in this and since it’s kind of a modern/our world AU this seemed to work out. 

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

          “So, the fact is…” the same pause on the recording. “I won’t be home for Christmas.” Another deep breath. “My real home. With you…. And Shiki and Homura… I miss you, Princess. I know once we found out the project was ending soon we were hoping I’d make it home… But… I’m so sorry, Rebecca. I love you, and I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

          A soft click, and then a beep. “End of Message. Delete: press 7—” Rebecca tapped a button. “Saved.”

          She dropped her cellphone on the couch and turned towards the little Christmas tree she had set up by the front window. They had both been so excited. It was their first Christmas in the apartment they now shared together. They had come up with plan, late at night after he’d gotten home from the university.

          “We’ll wake up Christmas morning,” he had sighed, “And just stay in bed until we can’t stand it anymore.”

          “Dinner at Shiki and Homura’s,” Rebecca had reminded him.

          “So we’ll stay in bed until then.”

          But he had left to complete a project for the university all the way on the other side of the globe… all her dreams of having the perfect Christmas with him had been crushed. She remembered when she finally caved and bought a tree—under Shiki’s encouragement. “Come on, Rebecca! It might make you feel better to have some Christmas cheer!” She had been excited to decorate it with Weisz. But Christmas drew closer and closer… and Weisz still hadn’t come home.

          It wasn’t until two days ago she had pulled out the little ornaments and lights they had bought together to finally decorate. Shiki and Homura had told her it might be nice for Weisz to come home to things ready for the holiday festivities. But now—Christmas Eve—she wasn’t sure that he would come home at all.

          There was a knock on her door, startling her out of her thoughts. Someone this late on Christmas Eve? She moved away from the living room to the hall where another knock sounded from the front door.

          “I’m coming,” she sighed. She unlocked and swung open the front door. It was dumping snow outside. Shiki was standing on her doorstep wearing a santa hat.

          “Rebecca!” He laughed, holding out a plate, “I brought you some cookies! Merry Christmas!” For some reason… this was really what she needed. She took a deep breath, and threw her arms around her friend, holding him close. “Woah!” He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close with his free hand. “Are you alright, Becca?”

          “No,” she whispered, tears springing up in her eyes. “No… I… I miss him.”

          Shiki’s arm tightened around her, “I know. I know. I’m really sorry. Hey! I have an idea. Why don’t you come tomorrow morning to me and Homura’s? It might cheer you up! We can have a big brunch! And then we can open presents, and play party games!”

          “R-really?” She whispered, pulling away to wipe away tears.

          “Yeah! Come as soon as you wake up! I’m waking up super early!” He laughed.

          “Thanks, Shiki, that really means a lot to me,” she said.

          “Get some rest.” Shiki gently handed her the plate of Christmas cookies. “See you tomorrow morning!”

***

          It was snowing the next morning. Rebecca lay in bed for a little bit, blankets wrapped up to her shoulders. Her little cat, Happy was sleeping at her feet, chin resting on her leg. Weisz’s side of the bed was empty… cold… It’s not how I imagined waking up Christmas morning. She gently lifted her phone, tapping out a text—Weisz was probably busy, but at least she could send him a little message. Missing you. Merry Christmas!

          She gently set her phone aside, and stood to get dressed. Shiki and Homura’s house waited. The snow was thick on the ground—several inches. She put on her boots and trekked down the street. Shiki and Homura’s wasn’t far. She could see the lights from the outdoor decorations flashing bright colors against the white of the landscape. Before she even made it to yard, the front door swung open and Shiki’s little sister Pino rushed out—eyes wide and smile bright.

          “Rebecca!” She threw her arms around Rebecca’s waist, holding her close. “I’m glad you’re here! Shiki said you’d be coming!”

          “Hey!” Rebecca laughed, wrapping an arm around the girl. “It’s good to see you! Are you having a good Christmas morning?”

          “Better now that you’re here!” Pino giggled, excitement bubbling up in her laugh. “Come on inside, Shiki and Homura are making hot chocolate! And we’re going to open presents!!” Pino led the way inside, her hand warm in Rebecca’s. Shiki and Homura’s home was warm, the fireplace was roaring, the front room was decorated with lights and hanging snowflakes, and holly. Rebecca laughed a little to herself. Shiki loved the holidays.

          Last Christmas he had Weisz help him string up what seemed like a million lights across the roof of their home. Rebecca had been laughing down below with Pino, watching them struggle, Homura holding the ladder. I wish you were here now, Weisz. Somehow, even surrounded by her friends, Rebecca missed Weisz now more than ever…

          Shiki and Homura talked to her about their plans for New Year’s Eve. They all sat in the living room drinking their hot chocolate, watching the snow fall outside. Pino showed Rebecca the gifts she got for Christmas. And the hot chocolate slowly disappeared. Maybe Weisz will be home for New Years! Shiki had said, just as there was a rap at the front door.

          Homura blinked. “That’s very odd. Maybe it’s our strange next door neighbor.”

          “I’ll get it!” Pino leaped to her feet from where she had been sitting next to Rebecca. She practically danced to the front door, and swung it open.

          “Happy Holidays—oh!” Pino paused, eyes wide. “You’re here!!” She practically jumped into the arms of whoever was at the door.

          A familiar, warm laugh…

          “Who is it?” Shiki frowned, moved towards the doorway, but before he could come around the couch, Weisz stepped in, Pino’s arms still around his waist. Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat, and her chest tightened. Weisz. Weisz… was home.

          He was bundled up in a thick coat, his hair dusted with melting snow, his cheeks flushed from the cold. A purple scarf wrapped twice around his neck.

          Rebecca stood, and their eyes met across the room. Weisz offered her a bright grin. “Hey, Princess…” His voice was soft, his eyes shining. “I’m home.”

          She crossed the room in seconds, throwing her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in a tight hug. She couldn’t speak through tears, just clutched his coat as tight as she could. “Weisz… Weisz…”

          “Merry Christmas,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. She just shook her head, holding him so tight.

          “I thought… I thought you weren’t going to come back… in time…?”

          “They released us two days ago, and I wanted to try my hardest to surprise you. I’m sorry I’m late—”

          But Rebecca kissed him before he could finish, hand pressed against his cold cheek. “You’re the best holiday gift a girl could ask for, Mr. Steiner.” He laughed a little, she rested her forehead against his. “I love you.”

          He beamed back at her… soft… just for her… “I love you too.”

[rawnwas]

@nunukim-182  here it is! Thank you very much for waiting, I'm sorry it took me so long.   Enjoy it!

Since the kindergarten, I have been a child with difficulties to communicating. I commented on Star Wars all the time, it was very difficult for someone to put up with me. Actually, apart from my parents and my sister Esther, only one person cared about me. Her name was Rebecca Tucker.

Red was my best friend since kindergarten. she always sat next to me at lunch, in class, we worked together at school, and we also sat together on the bus. We even brought different fruits to lunch to exchange them, we went together to the cinema and to a Casa Bonita, it was funny. But all that changed when we got to fourth grade.

in this grade, everyone tried to appear "mature" and groups (some forced) were formed to "improve the interaction". There were the populars, the emos, the ugly ones, among others. red was adjusted immediately between the "hot girls" and me, obviously, with the nerds. I thought this wasnt going to affect our friendship, but as soon as the groups were defined, she started to avoid me and left with her friends.

Although Red avoided me, I continued to observe her and I realized that all our years of friendship were not in vain. I remember one time that she suggested seeing "the attack of the clones" to her friends when they chose which movie to watch at the cinema. Obviously her friends rejected that option for being a "nerd" movie and Red smiled falsely.

Our biggest interaction was on a school trip to "Villarejo dos peregrinos" where everyone said it was 1864. Our teacher told us to make pairs, and Red grabbed my hand instantly. I was surprised, because we hadnt spoken in months. During the tour, we talked as much as we could and i enjoyed her company a lot.

I didn’t realize, but I missed her a lot. Her voice, her smell, her hair, how she played with his strands as he spoke, the freckles she tried to hide with makeup, the perfume she wore ...

all those things that I missed, were back ...

but my joy evaporated as soon as the armed men invaded the place and threatened us.

I stood in front of her when they sat us on the floor, to prevent her from getting hurt. After the men were arrested, Red was so grateful that she sat with me back on the bus, and she forgot her friends during the trip, which sadly lasted only a few hours, and we kept talking. when we arrived, there was still a lot to talk about...

I thought she would continue talking to me later, but no, she was with his friends again. Even so, all those memories would follow my memory.

Even without her, I was not alone all this time. I started sitting at lunch with my friend Bradley, who was also a fan of galaxy wars, and with whom I had many things in common. I can say that at the time Red avoided me, he was my best friend.

besides him, I started to get together with Craig, Token, Tweek, Jimmy and Clyde. Somehow, I fit into their group, and among all of them, Clyde became a close friend. I confess that I felt betrayed when he started dating Red. However, thanks to Master Yoda, his engagement didnt last long.

at some point, I even played with eric, and ended up in Somalia, on a french ship with my laser sword, a heroic moment.

Over time, my interactions with Red decreased. some of her friends discovered her looking at me at lunch, and they started bothering her with that.

one day there was a talk about yaoi art at school and they showed images of Tweek and Craig, doing things that they normally don’t do. unlike the others, I was familiar with this topic and knew very well that tweek and craig were not really gay. I mean, there are a thosands of fanarts and fanfics about obi-wan x Anakin and Spock x Kirk and they are not really homosexual ...

During this event, I saw Red. She behaved like the other girls and found everything very nice. I dont doubt that when returning home, she looked for the two previous couples.

I thought Tweek and Craig were not really gays until they both ended up in front of the whole school. I was surprised with everything Tweek said, never imagined that Craig would be capable of all those things that Tweek said. I was also curious to know who Michael was, who apparently had been guilty of the separation.

The next day, Craig lost the class and Tweek appeared, but he looked very discouraged. Red also looked sad, it was as if the relationship of those two gave her hope for something.

But the next day, Tweek and Craig arrived at school holding hands, to the astonishment of everyone, including myself. Despite the surprise, I was glad that they were together again.

¿Red looked ... hopeful? I had never seen that expression on his face before.

At lunchtime, I sat next to Bradley, as I always did since the beginning of the year. Our table was next to the girls table. I could clearly hear a conversation from Red that caught my attention.

‘’Wendy, when you sayed that every kind of love is magical… you meaned that even a popular girl and a nerd can fall in love and it would be beautiful too?’’

That was not a typical Red question, and her friends noticed it too, so she got everyone at the table to raise their eyebrows. Wendy, meanwhile, took Red's hands and answered dreamily:

"Of course, any kind of love is magic!"

Red smiled shyly and could swear she blushed.

Bradley finished eating and ran away without saying goodbye. I was confused, but I finished my meal too and went out to the courtyard. all my friends were busy doing something, so I decided to sat in a corner to observe.

But before I did, Red appeared in front of me!

‘’Kevin... can we talk?’’ she asked.

‘’of course…’’ I answered surprised.

He took my hand and led me to the most isolated corner of the courtyard.

‘’Kevin ... do you remember that dance we had last year?’’ she asked looking me straight in the eyes and smiling shyly.

Of course I remember it! I smiled widely as soon as the memories arrived.

Flashback~~~~~~

In third grade, we had a dance near the end of the year. I remember well that Red decided to dance with Token, and I was sitting, feeling excluded. No girl wanted to dance with me, and I did not want to dance with anyone else.

It was like this until a girl dressed in a vulgar manner began to kiss several boys, including Token, who left Red aside to go with her.

Red was upset and sat in the stands. I went to talk with her and ask her if she wanted to dance with me, she accepted and we danced until the end of the dance.

After the party was over, they threw us out of the gym and Red sat down to wait for her uncles, and I sat with her to wait for my parents. As Esther was playing with the snow and Craig was playing with her friends, I was alone with her.

We talked and at some point, she took my hand and told me that I was the coolest guy in the entire galaxy. I felt extremely happy and I told her that she was also the coolest girl in the whole galaxy.

But before we could say anything else, the car of her uncles had already arrived for her and craig, leaving me alone with my sister.

~~~~~~~

I must have been thinking about that for a long time, because when I realized, Red was calling me. When I react, she kept talking.

'' ¿So, you still think I’m the coolest girl in the whole galaxy? '' she asked, holding my hands in his.

I thought about it a little. Even after she had avoided me, she was still the coolest girl I had ever met.

‘’ Of course, you are and always will be the coolest girl in the galaxy, and the planets beyond’’ I said without letting go her hands.

She smiled as she looked our joined hands.

‘’ you know kevin ... I still thinking that you’re the coolest guy in all the galaxies and I ... I like you, you know?’’

I was shocked. I also liked her too, actually, I always liked her, even after she started to ignore me.

‘’I… I…’’ I failed to form some phrase.

‘’So ... kevin ... what if you're Han Solo and I'm Princess Leia?’’ she suggested, winking at me.

I smiled. I had not thought of rejecting her, and now, less! she used a low blow!

-yes red! she smiled and hugged me.

As we parted, she grabbed my face, pulled her close and closed her eyes. Before I understood what was happening, our lips joined in a kiss. I felt very excited, it was silly, but in the end it was my first kiss.

‘’let's Rock!’’ she said after kissing me. We ran hand in hand to the courtyard. On the way, Clyde intercepted us.

‘’So ... are you guys together, huh? kevin, I thought these things didn’t interest you!’’ he scoffed, raising his eyebrows. I wanted Clyde to be sent to the farthest planet, from the farthest galaxy.

and somehow, my wish was fulfilled, because tweek and craig passed by holding hands and Clyde ran after them.

However, as soon as he left, Bebe arrived.

‘’I always knew you liked geeks! eh Red? I want to be the godmother of your wedding!’’ she said dreamily.

I wanted her to be sent to a planet farther away than Clyde's. But unlike Clyde, she went faster, winking at us.

When we get to the swing, we take turns pushing ourselves.

From that day, Red and I continued together, as if that separation by groups hadn’t happened. She surprised me with kisses and hugs, and I take my hand, as I always wanted.

[ritacaroline]

Starshine                            Ch.16      Jimmy Page           Fan Fiction

Sequel to In The Light

Jimmy had left the house early for some recording work at the studio in town. Jill was in the kitchen, waiting for Clare to arrive, chatting with Mrs. K. Jill sat at the breakfast table with her coffee and noticed a business card at her spot at the table. Hmm. It said on it, “Julian Lewis, Trust in Security Inc., London England.”

“Rebecca ? Did you leave this here for me ? This card ?” asked Jill.

“No, hun, it was there when I got here this morning.” she answered.

“Oh. Jimmy must’ve left it. Ok.” said Jill.

Just then, Clare appeared at the back sliding glass doors, in front of her. Rebecca was standing right there and opened the doors. Greetings took place, and Jill told Clare to have a seat. Mrs. K. brought over their two steaming hot breakfast plates and a coffee for Clare.  “Oh, how lovely, Mrs. K. ! Thank you ! ” said Clare. Jill also thanked her, and the two really enjoyed their hot food. Jill pushed the business card she’d found over to Clare. 

Clare read the card : Where did this come from ?

Jill :  I assume that Jimmy left it here on the table for me, this morning. Rebecca knows nothing about it.

Clare : Well, did Julian give you his card at some point ?

Jill : No ! That’s what’s confusing about it. I remember him offering it to me, when we had that discussion that day…but, I don’t remember taking it. And you and I discussed it yesterday afternoon, but Jimmy was in the home studio, couldn’t have heard us.  So where ever it came from, how would he know we might be looking for his number ? 

Clare : No idea. But since it’s here, let’s put it to good use. Let’s call Julian first, see if there’s any interest, if so, we then speak with Linda about it. Not the other way around. So ? 

Jill : Yeah. I see. But, you’re gonna need to be the one who does the calling. It would be awkward if it were me, talking with him about a potential set up. 

Clare : Uh huh. I see why. No problem. He was always very sweet. I have no reservations about giving him a call. 

After their swim and getting redressed, the two of them drove off in the white Vette, off to some stores and shops in town. Clare wanted to look for some maternity clothes and baby related items. Jill just wanted to get out into town and be with her friend. 

Several hours later, the women had gotten quite a bit accomplished during their outing. Clare had several packages in the trunk, or the boot, as they say there, of the car. And they found themselves in town, just a block away from the studio. They thought about calling the studio, before they dropped in on the men. But decided it wasn’t necessary. So, Jill pulled into the open spot in front and they both came walking in quietly. They could hear the drums pounding away in the recording area, then stopping. Then restarting and some talking. It was obvious that it wasn’t a formal take, and there was no red light on at the engineers booth. So they both gently stepped in. Bonz looked up from his kit, and said, “Hey !  There’s my girl !” in a thrilled kind of way, and opened his arms to Clare. She walked directly into his arms and he warmly embraced her, with his arms all around her and a tender smile on his sweet face. They started kissing and stayed like that a minute. One of the sound technicians put his hand on Jill’s shoulder, saying, “ Hi Jilly. Jim’s in the back room, he’ll be glad to see you.” She thanked him and strode over to the back. When she got to the room, she peeked in and knocked softly on the frame of the open door, saying “Candy-gram. Uhh, I mean, Strip-o-gram !”   Jim was sitting hunched over a notebook, writing in it with a pen, sipping on coffee. When he looked up, his face lit up with surprise and happiness. He stood right up and stepped immediately to her, and opened his arms. He hugged Jill tightly and kissed her on the mouth numerous times, in joy. “Babe, what a great surprise ! This is so awesome.” he gushed. He gently guided her backwards to the wall and leaned her against it, with his arms around her waist and back and kissed her with enthusiasm.

Jill said,  “Oh my goodness, what a reception ! And to think, I was a little worried about dropping in without calling first. After all that drama last week, you never know what you could be walking in on !“ she joked. He totally understood and knew she was kidding, and replied, “Oh right, like every day here is a day of non stop sex at the music studio. I mean, sex lounge. Good thing you weren’t here 20 minutes ago, I was busy in the break room under 2 brunettes. Let me make sure I’m zipped up after that.” he teased her. And simultaneously looked down at his pants and put both hands on his zipper to check for closure.  She just shook her head and laughed and rolled her eyes at him. Jim continued, “No, sweetheart, of course I’m kidding. You can drop in on me, any time of any day and I will be ecstatic to see your beautiful face. And I’ll squeeze you and love you. And anything else you’ d like. We’ll just lock the door. There’s no one I’d rather see than you, any time, any day, my darling.“ 

She embraced him and squeezed him really tight and kissed him all over his face and neck. He adored her attention and rubbed her back and hips as she did. Just then, there was a knock at the open door and a voice began, “I’m not looking. I’m covering my eyes.” said Robert, with one hand over his eyes.  As he peeked through and saw Jimmy and Jill kissing and against the wall in a tight embrace. They disengaged and stepped away from each other, to be polite. 

Rob said, “Oh wow, I was really just trying to be funny. I didn’t realize that you two might actually require privacy, after all.  So, please excuse me !!” he joked. He approached Jill and gave her a little kiss, just next to her mouth. She was glad to see him, and put her hand under his chin and held his jaw in affection for a moment, smiling. 

“Glad to see that there’s some molten hot love happening here, for at least someone in our group. Not for me though. I’m starved for affection and have been rejected. Because I can’t behave. Maybe I’ll learn my lesson.” said Rob, with a more serious vibe. Jill looked right at him and made the overdone sad face toward him, in sympathy. Rob put his hand out to her and she held it for a minute, and she squeezed it. She pulled him in against herself and hugged him, with a little right to left rocking motion. He lavished in her comfort, then said, “Oh my God Jimmy, you’re right bloke, you did find a real angel here, when you found Jill !  Not only is she out of the park stunning, but how loving and kind she is, how she cares. And a warm body and heaven sent figure. A real doll. You are fucking lucky as it gets, man.” he exclaimed. Jimmy nodded in agreement.

Jill spoke, “Well, Robert, thank you very very much. And I know you’re trying to compliment me, which I take to heart. And it’s quite appreciated. But- just one thing. As far as Jimmy being lucky to have me. That’s not correct at all. No luck involved at all. When I met him, I didn’t fall for him because he just happened to be sitting there looking pretty. No. There’s plenty of guys who could do that. And I don’t want them. There’s quite a few things about him that won my heart. And I’m not even talking about his talent and creativity. Though that alone is a real reason he deserves admiration. But honestly, what attracted me so much to him was his sensitivity and sincerity. How he spoke to me. Made me feel like I could be myself and not be judged. The kindness in him. His honesty to me. He told me so many things about himself that he didn’t even have to tell me, but he did anyway. Even though he knew they would shine a poor light on him. He still told me. And he treated me with respect and was patient with me, every time we met. Those are some really hard to find qualities and I was astonished to find them in such a gorgeous, sexy man. And also, from what I see, he’s loyal to me, which is a big one. So add it all up and that’s why I’m with him. No luck involved, zero. I know a good guy when I see one. And it’s been a long time since I saw one, other than Jim.” 

Jimmy was overwhelmed with Jill’s words and turned a little bit red in the face. He really had never heard Jill speak about him like that before. He actually didn’t even realize that he had behaved so beautifully, in regard to her. He had his hand rubbing across his forehead, back and forth, in a state of light embarrassment and self consciousness.  He said, “Wow, I didn’t expect that. Thank you my love, you’re completely amazing to say those things. And truthfully, if I ever heard someone saying that about their lover, I certainly would never believe that it could be about me. Because before I met you, I was the worst thing to happen to any woman I met. Didn’t respect them, treated them like objects for my entertainment. Lied, cheated, tossed them aside when I was no longer interested, cared zero about their feelings. I deserved to be dumped. Yep. I did all that. It was not till I met you that I didn’t care to act that way any longer. I remember exactly when that realization came over me, too. It was within the first couple days that we met. At the NY Hospital. We were standing in the hallway in front of the elevator. And I was observing how many guys were agape at the sight of you and how they were trying for your attention. And I realized how special you were and wondered how I was gonna change my stupid behavior. And the fact that I was willing to, was even new for me. I had to, if I was going to get a chance to be with you. So, basically I’m saying, that all those awesome things you said about me, I never acted like that before with any other woman.” 

Rob interrupted, “True. He never has. I’m a witness.”

Jimmy smirked at Rob. Then continued, “ I thought really hard on how I would change myself for the better, to try for you, Jill. Because that’s what you deserve. A gentleman. And it was new for me, but God, it was so worth it. My love.” And he pulled her against himself and kissed her with passion. Appreciating the fact that she had many other choices, yet she chose him. It was a really hot emotional embrace,

 one you don‘t see every day.  The fact that Rob was standing right there, made no fucking difference. Not at this revealing instant.  An honest look at why they fell in love. Rob just stood there in awe. Then he said, “Wow. Love. This is really it. Right here in front of me, real true love. Ahhh, well. I don’t think it’s ever going to happen for me, not anytime soon. I realized too late what I had with Linda. Too fuckin late.”

He stepped out of the room and outdoors for a cigarette. Jimmy and Jill, just looked in each other’s eyes for a few seconds and the feelings were thick between them. There was tingling happening like electric voltage between them. They just touched each others’ hands and felt it. Jill said, she needed to be going. He kissed her and said, “I’ll see you at home, darling. Please be careful driving, I need you in one piece.”

__________________________________________________________

Next Ch. (17)  https://ritacaroline.tumblr.com/post/185623215256/starshine-ch-17-jimmy

Chapter Index for “Starshine” is located at bottom section of Ch.1 , click here : https://ritacaroline.tumblr.com/post/184383708541/starshine-ch-1-jimmy-page-fan

Link to “In The Light” - original fan fic - https://ritacaroline.tumblr.com/Fan%20Fiction

JimJam Mistresses @tremble-and-shake @ledoftherings @gimmeeshelter @adonna1964 @justanotherzosofangirl @starchild0985 @girlofthemoon75 @bonscottintheimpala @12909168 @jullz @cherryfloyd @tenementcrazylittlefruitcake @save-me-from-the-gallows-pole @soy-laprincessa @marauderofworlds @ultrabitchystudentperfectionus @satanspizzadeliveryguy @misspenylane @zi-zidane @catherine0627 @pagingpage-the-original @amythesticon @strangerspassinginthestreet @ thezeppelinbeatles @pour-some-sugar-on-mee  @carryfire18  @j-james-thlk @70shoney @strange-broo @page-daddy @nadianad1337 @yerawizardjimmeh @jimmyypagey @magnetacuddles84 @rock6880 @ledxzeppelin @kinkyspice  @thelandofnevermore  @my-golden-lion  @itsblackbetty  @magnetacuddles84   @luvejimmy  @palenickelsaladparty @jennmarieetn @honeydewgroupie  @how-many-more-times-blog   @loveinher-eyess @rocknrollababes-blog   @princesssofpeace @frauweide @dontyouhearmecallingyou @zozjaa @miniaturewinnerwonderland @http-jinx @chennington @venicebeachx @wanna-be-groupie @where-the-hot-springs-blow @basementmermaid @crying-over-rock-legends

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[hazelmariewrites]

The Witch’s Burden: Chapter One

I’ve edited chapter one for draft two and I decided to share this snippet with you guys! Of course this might not be the same as the final product, but I’m happy enough with where it stands now to put it out into the world.

***

This fairy is being a huge pain in my ass. I know she did it—I can feel her guilt undoubtedly burning through my senses. I can also feel her trying her hardest to charm me, but the interrogation room had has prepped with iron in anticipation of this. There was a law passed years ago prohibiting the use of iron handcuffs on fey, but nothing saying that we couldn’t keep it in the room to weaken their resolve.

To anyone else she would seem harmless. Her petite body, blonde curls, and big brown eyes give off no hints of danger. Unfortunately for her, she reeks of fey. I had recognized it before I even laid eyes on her. The euphoric sensation, smell of lilac, and glittery haze had enveloped me as soon as I stepped foot into the coffee shop where she had been working in an attempt to pass as human.

My intuition is a unique ability that has fostered success as a detective at the Chicago Supernatural Police Department. Most witches have a specific skill that they are more gifted with than others, but a few—myself included—find themselves further equipped. I’m able to recognize other supernaturals, and different breeds present themselves to me in different ways. 

“I know you’re just doing your job,” the fairy says, “but I didn’t do it. I loved him, and my heart is broken by what happened to him.”

Her eyebrows pull together, and her eyes immediately begin to fill with false tears. A man had been found dead of apparent suicide on the upper East side, but the CSPD had reason to believe that there was supernatural involvement. When I discovered that his girlfriend was a fairy, it made sense. Fey are notorious for jealous violence.

“What did he do to deserve it?” I ask, leaning forward in my seat. “Was he seeing someone else on the side? Forget your anniversary?”

She shakes her head solemnly, but I can feel her anger boiling, so I continue. “Maybe he just got bored, then. Human men have the shortest attention spans, don’t they?”

I felt a shift, and her tears immediately stop. I push harder. “Maybe he never even loved you. Maybe he was just using you.”

Her face twists into a horrible expression as she begins to scream furiously. “He brought it on himself! I did everything for him. I broke laws to give him his dreams, and he repaid me by leaving! He thought he could do better! He’s better off dead!”

I sit back and let my shoulders slump in exhausted relief. She continues to scream as the door to the interrogation room opens and two uniformed officers unchain her to escort her to a cell. Jack comes over the intercom, “Good job Rebecca. Meet me in my office.”

Jack is my captain and mentor. When I first joined the CSPD seven years ago I was a meek, self-conscious girl with little knowledge about Chicago’s supernatural population. I knew only that there was a side of myself that I needed to attend to, and Jack helped me do just that. Jack himself was a warlock, so he took me under his wing. He helped me fine tune my abilities and grow into a half-decent witch and detective. 

When I get to Jack’s office the door is cracked open, so I knock lightly as I push it open further. He’s sitting at his desk, his head bent over a scattering of paperwork. As I enter his head shoots up. “Rebecca,” he greets, pushing the papers aside. “Congratulations on cracking that fairy. I was starting to worry, but I don’t know why. Doubting you never seems to do me any good.”

I smile with pride at his comment. Jack and I have butted heads a few times as I’ve been working to find my place at the department, but ultimately I’ve earned his trust. He stands and motions to the door, shoving the paperwork into his bag.

“Let’s go to Len’s,” he says, referring to our usual bar. I nod in agreement and follow him out. It’s well into fall, which means that it’s cold as hell outside. I zip up my puffy coat as we step out onto the street, but it does little against the biting wind.

“It’s a damn good thing Len’s is only a block away,” I grumble, earning a laugh from Jack. Jack’s best skill is fire, and as a result he’s able to warm himself with little trouble. I feel a wave of heat as he extends his magic to me. “Thank you,” I sigh in relief.

When we reach Len’s I’m glad to see that it’s namesake is nowhere to be found. The owner of the bar runs a tight ship, but when he’s gone our favorite bartenders sometimes give us special deals for being easy customers. We slide into our favorite booth just as a leggy brunette comes up to greet us.

“Hey there you two,” she says, grinning down at me. Shit. Bailey. I was supposed to call her after our date last week. I try to give her a genuine smile, but I’m worried that it comes across as more of a grimace. I’m not good at awkward situations, or at hiding my true emotions. 

Jack and I both order the same beer, as tall as we can get them. When Bailey walks away, Jack glares at me. “I see the tension, kid. Don’t you dare ruin this bar for me.”

I wave him off. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll call her later.” Jack rolls his eyes but doesn’t push me further. We talk about the fairy case for a while until Bailey brings us our beer. She hovers for a moment, but when she realizes that I’m not going to explain myself—at least, not in front of Jack—she finally leaves.

“Here’s the thing, Rebecca,” Jack says after a long drink. “I didn’t just ask you here because you did a good job today, although you did. A damn good one, actually.”

I raise my eyebrow at him. “There’s another case, and I’d like you to take charge on this one.”

Color me interested. “Go on,” I prompt, taking a drink from my own beer.

“There was a vampire attack in Logan Square last week,” he explains. “There had been several disappearances in the area, so now we’re starting to wonder if there’s a connection. If there is, we need to follow it and find the missing people.”

“You had me at vampire,” I say darkly. Jack knows my thoughts about vampires, as well as the reasoning, which I’m sure is why he’s chosen me for the case. He knows I’ll do just about anything to take down a bad vampire.

“That’s my girl,” Jack says, holding out his glass. I touch mine to his and we both take a long drink. “Aaron, the rookie, is the one who came across the vampire on a patrol. Maybe talk to him, and of course interview the vampire.”

I press my lips together. I don’t love the idea of being in such close quarters with a vampire, but I’ve done it before. In fact, the last time I checked I had the highest number of vampire arrests at the precinct. Not that I discriminate—I’ve never arrested one who didn’t wholly deserve it. My ranking is purely due to the fact that I’m one of the only ones in our department who has the guts to face off to a vampire in the first place.

Jack and I finish our beers and order another round as we discuss other things. I talk about a concert I went to see a few days ago, and Jack tells me about his great-great-grandson’s first spell casting. Family is important to Jack, especially as he’s getting older. At three-hundred and sixty-two years old he only has about another century and a half left in him. 

I’m the first to leave, citing Mike, my dog, as an excuse. I do have to get home to feed him, but I’m also ready to crawl into bed and process everything that’s gone on today. Jack gives me the stack of papers he was reading when I got to his office. They’re all articles about the disappearances. I take them eagerly and leave the bar. I barely make it a few hundred feet outside before I hear Bailey calling my name.

I stop, curse to myself, and turn around. Great, she’s chasing after me. I was really hoping she would just give up so we wouldn’t have to have this conversation. The smile on her face makes my chest constrict.

“You didn’t even say goodbye,” she says, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. She looks adorable, her nose just starting to turn pink from the cool air.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s just been a long day.”

“Is that why you haven’t called me?” she asks. “Lots of long days?”

I sigh and shift on my feet. “Look, Bailey, I’m sorry I didn’t call you but I’m just not good at this, okay? I’m not good at relationships. I should have told you that sooner.”

Her smile starts to fade. “Oh,” is all she says.

“You’re amazing,” I assure her. “It’s nothing to do with you. I just have a lot going on and I should have known better than to start something I couldn’t follow through on.”

Bailey’s face pinches, like she’s holding back whatever emotion really wants to show through her features. “Yeah, you should have,” she says before turning to walk back to Len’s. I think about calling out to her, but I don’t. What’s the use? Instead I turn the opposite way and start back off toward my apartment.

Before I can even fully open the door to the one-bedroom where I live, Mike shoves his nose through the opening and pushes it the rest of the way. He jumps up, hovering on his hind legs in greeting. I smatter him with scratches, kisses, and sweet names before pushing past him to enter the living room.

My apartment isn’t fancy, but the fact that I’m able to even afford anything in a safe neighborhood on my CSPD salary is nothing short of a miracle. It took a lot of research, negotiation, and meditating with my green aventurine gemstones.

I microwave leftovers, because I don’t have the same affinity for heat that Jack does, and settle in the floor in front of my coffee table to dig into the food as well as the stack of papers that Jack gave me. The articles are all similar. Since crime isn’t at all unusual in Chicago, the first article details three people—two women, one man—missing from the area. If gives the basic run down of who they are and why they were in the area, and goes on to pose theories about what could have happened. They propose that maybe this is the product of gang initiation, or that maybe the disappearances are drug related. As the count rises, however, the articles gradually steer toward the conclusion that this is a case of serial kidnapping.

The disappearances span over only three months, making them hard to ignore. The Chicago Police Department—the vanilla one—has continually insisted that they cannot make any statements at this time without putting the case in jeopardy. That’s code for they don’t have shit. They only advise that people be cautious, travel in groups, and don’t spend time in the area if they don’t have to.

The kidnappings only take place at night. Of course they do, because vampires are burned by sunlight. It’s one of the classic myths about them that actually turns out to be true. They can eat all the garlic they wish and have no aversion to silver, but one step into the daylight and that’s it.

I take a too-big bite of an egg roll before standing and going to my book shelf. I run my index finger across the many spines until I land on a book that Jack gave me when I was still in training. Vampyrica: A History of the Living Dead.

I sit on my couch with my back against an arm and open the book as Mike jumps up and settles in at my feet. I thumb through the various chapters, looking for anything that might give me an idea of how the vampires are managing the kidnappings. Vampires don’t age, vampires have no reflection, vampires do not turn into bats…

Certain vampires, though few in number, have the ability to compel their victims into following their commands. These vampires are often high leaders, as their ability makes it easier for them to feed and become stronger.

I dog ear this page and slip the book into my work bag, planning to question our vampire about his coven’s leader and their abilities. Not that I can be sure he’ll share much.

It’s not that I’ve never partnered with double-crossers. In fact, I’d done so fairly recently when we were tracking a werewolf pack in the suburbs. It’s that I have a deep-rooted distrust and hatred toward vampires that’s been fermenting for twenty-three years. Something that I’ve never even considered budging on.

I’m the one who found my parents afterward. I knew something was wrong, but was too young to realize how exactly I knew. Looking back, I recognize that my intuition began at an early age. I felt wrong, and I wanted my parents’ comfort, so I went looking for them. They were in the kitchen. Their bodies were sprawled across the floor.

I called out to them. They didn’t answer. I approached them, and I’ll never stop wishing I hadn’t. I screamed before running upstairs to my room. I hid for what must have been hours, then remembered what they had told me to do if they were ever hurt or if someone broke into the house. It took a while to build up the courage, but eventually I sprinted to the wall phone in the hallway and called 9-1-1.

I lived with my grandmother after that. Before, I hadn’t gotten to see her much. I know now that it’s because my father wanted to keep me sheltered from our heritage. He himself was not a warlock, because in our family it’s only women who have the gift. He knew enough, however, that he and my mother had decided before I was born that they didn’t want my grandmother’s influence around me. I can’t imagine the life I would have lived if they hadn’t died.

I open my eyes and groan, frustrated that I can’t seem to clear my negative thoughts. Mike lifts his head and gives me a concerned expression. I lean over to give him a reassuring pat, then force myself off the couch to clear up my mess. In the kitchen I brew a sleeping potion, knowing that I’ll need quality sleep to prepare for the day ahead.

Tag list: @clarissalopeswriter@cloudyskycloudymind @snowdropwrites @writerfromthesea@vhum @blueinkblot 

[writing-royza]

Two Hundred and Forty-nine - Cold Hands, 3.0

A/N: Happy Sunday, everyone! Thinking this week about all my readers in the paths of Harvey, Irma, Katia, and whatever Jose turns out to be. I hope you're all safe, and that you and your loved ones make it through the weather okay. Love you, guys.

I do not own FMA.

Two Hundred and Forty-nine - Cold Hands, 3.0

“I had a good time tonight, and… well… I’d like to do it again. And again, and again… If you get my drift.”

Part of her still couldn’t believe it. How could he have ever found his way to considering her attractive, much less desirable? That’s what men thought of women they took on dates, wasn’t it? Having never really been part of the ‘dating scene,’ Riza was willing to admit that her experience with the field wasn’t as advanced as some others, but even so…. The progression of events that had led to her sitting across from him, sipping at her drink and genuinely enjoying herself still baffled her.

And somewhere deep inside, something was screaming an alarm.

“My aunt will be the first to tell you exactly how many times that she or one of her girls had to corral a fast-moving, streaking four-year-old,” he was saying, eyes on his glass as he carefully swirled the amber liquid inside. “I’m pretty sure she kept track of the number for the express purpose of embarrassing me someday.”

“Knowing the Madame, somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Having been around him as he talked his way through any number of situations, she knew what he was doing. The self-deprecating humour was to put her at ease, to let her picture him as vulnerable and an altogether non-threatening target.

She clamped down on that train of thought, pushing it aside. No. Not this time. What he was now was a man out with a woman that he self-admittedly admired, and that was all. A funny story was a funny story, something to make her smile.

So smile she did.

“Speaking of the Madame,” she continued, turning her gaze to glance around the bustling barroom, “am I to take it she has some hand in this place? Or at least some pull with the owner?”

Dark eyebrows shot up in surprise, Roy going very still with his drink halfway to his mouth. “…I wasn’t going to mention it… but yes.” He recovered enough to take a hurried sip, then set the glass back on the table. “As I understand it, the owner here and the Madame have been friends for a long time; they both started in the information game around the same time.” Tilting his head to one side, he regarded her curiously. “How did you know?”

Smiling to herself, Riza lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I had to assume that if we’re out together out of uniform, you’re going to choose someplace where we either aren’t likely to be recognized, or else somewhere where the person in charge knows to keep their mouth shut.”

A light sparked in those dark eyes, one of mischief and amusement. “Very clever,” he said slowly, propping his chin in one hand. “I’m sure I’ve told you that I happen to consider intelligence attractive. Haven’t I?”

With that knowing smirk, it brought out her natural instinct to fire back, the same way it did around the office. But here, Riza realized, two could play his little game without fear of reprisal. So she returned the smirk, though not without a small thrill of nervousness in her chest, and lifted her glass for a casual sip. “I’d be disappointed it you didn’t.”

———————-

Rebecca spoke of men walking her home after dates. If it went well, she would give them a kiss on the cheek before disappearing inside; if it went poorly, they were lucky to get a small smile before the door closed. But wasn’t there something always said about ‘never kiss on the first date?’ Maybe that was for first dates with practical strangers; she had known Roy for years, he had seen her half-naked —

Time was running short for her to have this debate.

“Any plans for the rest of your weekend?” He walked with his hands in his pockets, as per usual. The question was an innocent one, simply conversational, as he had been all evening. Belatedly, this struck Riza as odd.

“Not so much.” Her door was only ten feet away, now. “I had thought I might try taking Hayate to the park over on Seventeenth Street — the one with the fenced area for dogs. He should be socialized a little more, I think. But with the forecast calling for rain, we’ll see whether or not we make it there.”

They stopped outside her door, Roy’s mouth opening to reply, before the sound of a door unlocking came from further down the hall. Riza quickly fit her key into the lock, opening the door and motioning Roy to follow as she entered. He did so without a word, and she closed the door behind them.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “That was going to be one of my nosier neighbours…. And I’d hate for us to avoid detection so well only to get caught as I get home.”

Roy lifted a curious eyebrow. “Where is sixty-year-old woman going at ten o’clock at night?”

“I think she walks her cat, actually.” She met his look of ‘you can’t be serious.’ with a smile. “I know, I’m not sure why either. But she goes out the west staircase, so if you leave by the east one, you should be able to avoid her.”

“Good to know.” He hesitated briefly, before smiling — not his usual confident smirk, not a bold grin, but the genuine, smaller smile she’d first noticed as a teenager. “So…. I think tonight went pretty well.”

Something in the centre of her back tingled, sending a feeling she could only describe as cold fire down her arms, into her fingertips. “I think so, too.”

The was a second of hesitation again, before he moved, taking a step closer… and Riza twitched, very obviously, away from him.

Guilt instantly took over his expression, and Roy stepped back, his eyes dropping automatically to the floor. “Sorry, I —“

“No, it’s my fault.”

“I was just —“ He stopped mid-sentence, head snapping up to look at her, puzzled. “What do you mean, your fault? I was the one going for a kiss, but I should have realized you might not be ready for that.” His lip twisted in self-annoyance. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to rush anything.”

“I know.” Her own guilt suffusing her chest, Riza self-consciously tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. “But I didn’t mean to back off like that. It was involuntary. I —“ She felt her cheeks reddening, hating the feeling. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking about it.”

He was quiet for a beat, processing this. “…About kissing me, you mean?” At her confirming nod, he frowned slightly. “So — and I hope you don’t mind my asking — but… then why did you back off like that?”

It was clear now. He had been biding his time all night, knowing there was something lurking under the surface with her. The screaming alarm she had felt was clear now. Riza took a deep breath, hoping the words would come out right and not offend him. “All of this… as much as I want it, it’s… intimidating,” she said carefully. Finally able to lift her eyes from the floor, she looked up to find him watching her. Listening. “I want to get close, but to do that, to even just reach out and touch you, even just on the arm? I keep getting cold feet, because I know what it means if we get caught: we lose everything.

“But at the same time, if I don’t, I still lose close to everything because I’d lose you, lose… this.” Riza shook her head, feeling something perilously close to helplessness settling over her shoulders. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know what to do.”

His smile was soft, his posture relaxed as he leaned against the door. “Well, first off, let me say that I’m glad you’re so security conscious, even if it does work against me every now and then. Second….” His expression became innocent. “If you’re afraid to touch me, wouldn’t that be cold hands, not cold feet?”

She watched him blankly for a moment, before giving in to a laugh. “I think you have me on a technicality.”

“Then let me point out a fact.” He sobered, but not grimly so. “You are, as I said, security conscious. That’s what makes it so easy for you and I to pull this off, to get around behind the backs of everyone else. I know you’ll never slip up in public, that you can wait until we’re behind closed doors. Like now.” He stood straight, the soft smile returning. “And I don’t think he’s going to talk.”

Riza glanced down to where Hayate sat quietly at their feet, watching the conversation with alert eyes. “…I suspect not.”

She looked back up to find his arms open, a half-playful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “At least try and warm your hands up a little before I go,” he said quietly, by way of invitation.

Stepping into the hug was both alien and familiar, but Riza caught herself revelling in the feeling of being held to his chest, at the scent of him wreathing around her, at the comfortable weight of his arms around her shoulders and the brush of his jaw against her hair.

The feeling of cold fire ran through her against, this time bringing the sentiment ‘to hell with it’ before she leaned back and pressed a firm, warm kiss to his lips.

When they broke apart, Roy was already smiling. “Hands feeling warmer, are they?”

[hfwtevents-blog]

Event 1 - Friday, 9/23, DAY

Who:  Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, Karen McCormick, Wendy Testaburger, Bebe Stevens, Rebecca Miller, Craig Tucker, Clyde Donovan, Kevin Stoley, Jenny Simons, Heidi Turner NPCs: Principal Wells, Randy Marsh, Sheila Broflovski When: Friday, September 23, 3:30 PM; Event 1 Where: The school parking lot and bus What: The kids get ready for their trip to the aquarium.

Friday, September 23, 3:30 PM

Weather: 55°F, Partly cloudy

Scene: Parking lot, bus pick-up/drop-off section

Stan sighed heavily as he made his way to the bus, backpack crammed full of all he needed. He felt stupid for thinking this field trip could ever be fun, now that his dad had gotten wind of it. So much for any taste of independence. He just hoped Randy would forget, be late, and that the bus would leave without him. Fuck parent chaperones. Seriously.

He had walked back to school solo in an effort to ditch Randy, despite the fact that would have been easier to drive together.

Even though the school got some serious funding from Token’s family, they were still cheap enough to make them take a standard yellow school bus on the drive to Denver. Stan figured he’d probably never know the joys of a charter bus while living in South Park.

Considering the last bell rang at 2:15 PM, the parking lot was a ghost town, save for the bus and the field trip goers, who were gradually trickling in.

The Car ride to the school was hell. This trip was going to be hell. In fact Kyle was actually living in hell. That was it. His life was over and this was where he ended up. Of fucking course his mother would be on the field trip, and of course he would be stuck rooming with fucking stupid ass face craig and Kyle was going to murder him in his sleep --- Stan better learn how to hide a fucking body and fast because Kyle swear to God, or anything holy that he was going ----

At lease Stan would be miserable too. Randy was going to be there which would mean Stan would be just as pissy. Perfect. That would work just fine then. Kyle hoped out of the car the moment it was on the curb grabbing his bag from the truck. ' Where are you?'  He was quick to Text Stan.

Karen was so excited it wasn't just her first trip, but her first school trip with Kenny. She was glad that Kenny was nice enough to cover her with some spending money so they could go together. Karen rocked back and forth on her heels, droning on about how excited she was to Kenny, as he carried their bags. "Do you think that the bus ride will be long? I hope its not! Do you thin we'll have really good food out there? Becca said she was there before and there was a really good steak house by the hotel. Do you think we can go Kenny?" She asked too exicted

Rebecca was excited for the trip, but also not so much. I mean yeah! She gets to be with Karen! That's the best part about this whole thing, only.. She didn't get to stay with Karen in the same room. Total Bummer. She didn't really even know the girls she was going to be roomed with anyway, which that makes it SO much better right? Nervousness trickling into her, she had to get her mind off of that. As she was drove there by her Mother she brought with her, her bag, a sketchbook, and two game systems to play on the bus ride there.

Getting to the school, she unbuckled told her  mother Bye and she walked up to the curb. She was wearing a long sleeve pastel red shirt with a cute bat on it, a black skirt, and some really cute tights that adored little bats all around it. Her hair was up in ponytail, and she adored a little bat hair pin in her hair. Different from her usual confused for a goth look, but still her nonetheless. She looked about to see if Karen's showed up yet, oh man she really wanted to see Karen, even if it's been just a couple of hours. Who could live that long without seeing their Bestie?

Randy Marsh pulled his car up near the bus area, dressed a little nicely but not too much - he threw a jacket on over his usual blue workshirt, gray hair starting to tease by his temples, but otherwise, he looked good for his age. He couldn't help but be a little worried about Stan, since he hadn't come home that day, but he was sure the kid would be fine. He had a lot of faith in Stan's independence. He remembered when he was Stan's age - he barely saw his old man at all, if ever. Stan was probably fine.

Randy opened the car door and stepped out, pulling a canteen out of his jacket to get a quick drink. He really didn't want to overdo it on the trip but... he'd need a little stress relief here and there.He looked around and thought he saw some kids over the buses, grinning and waving over as he approached from the further reach of the parking lot.

Kevin Stoley had made it early, of course, and had been sitting around fiddling with his phone for a while, playing Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and trying to climb up the leaderboards. His squad was so boring - I mean, he loved all of the characters, sure, but he knew everybody had half of these characters. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself, or stick out like a sore thumb, but he wanted to be a little unique... oh, still talking about the game, for the record, he clarified to nobody in particular. He had Red's playlist all set up for the bus ride in the meantime. He was terrible with music, so of course he didn't recognize most of the music but he was curious what'd been picked.

In the meantime, he was a little thankful Bradley hadn't tagged along or something. He was one of his better friends, but he was glad he wouldn't have to worry about keeping him out of trouble. He was pleseantly surprised to see he'd be rooming with Kenny and Clyde, both people he felt pretty decent enough with. He hadn't known Kenny so well when they were younger, but he turned out to be as cool as could be expected and a solid friend. He didn't know Clyde as much personally, but Clyde seemed so chill that for once Kevin wasn't too anxious about being judged. Plus... Kevin liked aquariums, so all looked good.

Jenny had overslept and was kind of in a rush to make it to school on time to leave - she'd forgotten how exactly she'd been talked into this stupid trip. Probably a mistake, she figured. None of her closer friends would even be there - I mean, she wasn't disappointed to see Wendy'd be around, at least, someone relatively sane, but she still felt a little isolated. That wasn't exactly news though. She'd sooner expect some of those choir people, maybe that blonde chick with the nose-picking problem, to end up on something like this, but it wasn't her thing. As she spotted yellow buses over the horizon, she knew she was almost there. No use turning back now, right?

Wendy was at a conflict of morals.

Aquariums were fun--sure, aside from all the sweaty kids putting their sticky, filthy fingers against the glass and screaming at their parents to buy some grossly overpriced stuffed plush from the gift shop.

Okay, so maybe she didn't like aquariums that much. She liked the animals--but that's where her morals kicked in. She loved seeing the animals, but... she didn't like that they were contained. It was the ultimate conflict of first world problems. But it wasn't as if she could stage an elaborate marine heist--well, okay, she could. She was Wendy fucking Testaburger, after all. She just lacked the necessary resources and equipment.

So, reservations aside, she decided to come. A classic Destiny's Child song blared on the radio as she made the drive to school, Bebe in the passenger seat. It was a shame that they weren't rooming together, but it wasn't as if they could go a few hours without a text or a call. Everything would be fine. Jenny and Rebecca were nice girls, it'd be fun.

Rolling into the parking lot, she made sure to get a decent space where she and Bebe could ditch the first chance they got. Purse and bag in hand, Wendy climbed out, locking it securely behind her as Bebe got out of the passenger's side.

Bebe by her side, it was with a smile and a wave that Wendy walked forward, "Hey--Staniel! Need help with the bag?"

Sheila drove her and Kyle to the school, following all the rules of the road to a T. She didn’t know why her sweet bubela was so moody lately. Perhaps it was the college courses, but he needed to do well if he wanted to succeed and get into law school and follow in his father’s footsteps. She’d make sure Kyle stayed on the right path. At any rate, she hoped this trip would do Kyle good, and she also planned to keep all these kids in line, taking her responsibility as a chaperone seriously.

“Kyle! Not so fast!” she scolded as he hopped out and went to the drop-off area. “Just don’t go too far ahead! I’ll be right there,” she said in a patronizing way, like her son was five instead of seventeen.

She parked the car and got her overnight bag and small suitcase out of the trunk. She made her way up to the curb where Kyle was, high heels clicking as she walked. “Really, bubbe, you could’ve helped me with my bags. I didn’t raise you in a barn. And why are you using that phone? You know, all your little friends are right here. Really, you should take your eyes off of that screen for five minutes.”

Walking to the bus  , Stan texted back. He was purposefully hanging back until more people showed. He cringed as he saw his father walking to the buses. So he really was coming. Great. He didn’t want to make small talk with his dad, so finding Kyle fast would be key. I see you be over in a sec , he added in a second text before pocketing his phone.

He jumped a little upon hearing Wendy ask if he needed help with his bag. He turned to face her and Bebe. “Uh, no. I’m good, dude. It’s just the one.” He tried not to feel emasculated by the question. He liked that Wendy wasn’t most girls. “How about you and Bebe? Want me to grab anything?” He figured hanging back with the girls would be fine, especially since he saw Kyle getting ear-banged by his mother. He wanted to save his friend, but he didn’t want an earful from Mrs. Broflovski either.

Stan was dead to Kyle. Honestly dead. He could see right in the fuckers face he was hanging back to not deal with his mother. Did Kyle blame him ? No. But he was going to rot in hell all the same. He read the message on the screen fuming. Fucking bastard. "Mom, Im not going to fall and die. Do you need help with your bags? "He asked though he was sure by the tone in his voice it was going to start a fight.

“You won’t if you’re careful and make sure your shoes are tied,” Sheila lectured, glancing down to make sure Kyle had in fact done so. She was mildly placated by his offer; she’d raised him to be a gentleman. “You take this one since it’s heavy.” She handed Kyle her overnight bag. “They better start loading the buses soon. I don’t know how long they expect us to wait out in the cold… And why are you so grouchy? You ate all of your knishes at dinner, so you can’t be hungry. This is supposed to be fun.”

Bebe had pretty much done one thing since she and Wendy had left her community college, check Instagram and Snapchat.

She honestly checked it so often because she had nothing better to do. She and Wendy had talked while driving, but she wasn't too interested. She was just surprised how her dad was able to even convince her boss to let her off this weekend from work. Sure it was Target, but Bebe had never missed a day of work since she started in June, so this was a bit odd to her.

Still, a weekend of not having to babysit was nice, she loved her little brother to bits, but reading all of his books every time she was over was too much... Someone should teach the kid to read soon before she loses her mind over Jack and the Beanstalk.

She made her way out of Wendy's car when they got to the school, checking her makeup in the camera of her phone before smiling softly. Looking pretty okay, despite not reapplying after gym today. She quickly got out her dufflebag with her clothes in before blinking as Wendy started to speak to Stan. I thought she was done with him... She smiled though, speaking to Wendy, "Hey! I'm gonna go put my backpack in my car, I'll be right back." She then started to briskly walk to her car, planning on just leaving her notebooks and binders in the car, but keeping the bag to carry on the trip at the museum.

Clyde had been taking his sweet time showing up, flirting up a few cheerleaders on his way, one of them being Heidi Turner who had zero interest in what the boy had to say. If anything he was delaying her.

He didn't care if the ice queen was brushing off his advances though and would just continue to talk to the other two girls that were there, talking up until they reached their destination. Heidi who had had enough, grabbed him away from the girls enough to cause him to stumble despite the huge height difference and dragged him towards the group. "I swear.. if I hear one more bad pick up line I'm going to lose it." She muttered under her breath, finally letting him go once they were all together.

Her sudden reaction didn't even upset him and instead he just laughed as he waved bye to the girls that walked away. His hands shoved in his pockets as he merged in with the group, pulling a single taco from his bag to eat while they waited to go. Was that all he had? Who knew.

Heidi, finally being separated from him, just made her way over to the girls so she wouldn't have to be around him alone anymore. The very idea of it giving her a headache. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't his baby sitter for christ sake!!

"So how long is the drive gonna take?" Clyde just asked to no one specifically, his eyes landing on the bus. This was most likely going to be the kid asking 'are we there yet' a million and one times.

"No worries--I'm fine," Wendy assured, and walked past, climbing onto the waiting bus. Always one to take initiative, she slung her bags into her chosen seat. Wouldn't want to be the poor sucker who got stuck with the last, worst possible choice.

"So," Wendy walked back out, tucking long, raven hair into a ponytail. She looked out at the other teens approaching, hopefully they'd be on the move soon. Turning her attention back to Stan, she grinned, "I heard your dad is chaperoning. You poor, innocent boy."

Stan glanced at Kyle, gulping. He was surprised he couldn’t see the steam coming out of his ears. He really didn’t want to go over there now. This could totally be his chance to get back together with Wendy. Kyle would be fine hanging with his mom for a little longer, right?

Hurrying after Wendy, he made his way onto the bus. He slid his bag on the seat across from her. Maybe they’d get to sit together. “Uh, yeah… It totally sucks ass. He better give me my space. You’re lucky to get the weekend away from your parents.”

“The drive should be approximately an hour and forty minutes, Mr. Donnovan,” Principal Wells answered Clyde. He was their high school principal. He rarely left his office, but he seemed to know all of their names—a benefit of small town living. The man always wore a suit. He was tall, bald, and of African American descent. Like Token’s family, he lived on the wealthy side of town.

“I suggest you get on the bus soon. Excuse me while I check in with our driver.”

The principal chatted with the driver, who opened up the luggage compartments under the bus for anyone who had bigger bags that wouldn’t fit under their seat.

Karen saw Rebecca the moment the girl came around the corner. Karen grinned, leaving Kenny mid sentence before she ran over to her friend. Of course that left Kenny to follow after her, which Karen was sure he would. They were going to sit together damn it! then maybe people would leave the two girls alone. "Hey!" Karen grinned looking at her friend. She always seemed to dress so cute, Karen was often jealous. "I like your hair. Are you excited? "

Kyle ground his teeth. He was too old for this and this was why he didnt want his mother on this stupid ass trip. Of course Ike wasn't even coming to deal with this shit with him. That pissed Kyle off more. He looked at Stan, shoving his own phone back into his pocket. "okay Ma. Im not hungry. " He said annoyed. Fuck he was going to fucking murder Craig and Stan. Who the fuck was going to help him hide the bodies? Fucking Kenny better be ready.

Kyle put his mother's bag where Mr. Wells put the other bags. Kyle kept his back with him, wanting to be able to use some of the items to keep him busy and as a way to force Stan to sit anywhere else. He stomped onto the bus. Not caring about the looks the bus driver gave him.

He sat as far in the back as he could, throwing his feet over the seat and placing his bag at the end. Fucking this trip was going to be a shit show.

"I am super excited!" She grinned at her friend, two little fangs were sticking out slightly. "And thanks! I spent some time on it. Mom was annoyed I was taking forever on it." She laughed slightly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Her eyes wandered a bit from her friend though. "Man, I kinda feel bad for that kid.. uhm.. I think his name is kyle? I don't know." She shrugged, her smiled slightly leaving her face. "Do we have to leave our bags down there.. I don't really feel safe with it down there. Do you think we have to Kare?" She asked, cautious about leaving her bag with the other bags. I mean she saw Kyle take his on, but what if that wasn't allowed?

Her nerves were attacking her then. To be honest she's only ever gone on a school bus once, and this was her first real field trip. Yeah she knew the area but that didn't make her at ease in any stretch of the imagination.

With that answer, Clyde hopped onto the bus, no arguments or complaints, he kept his carryon bag with him and just allowed the suitcase to be placed with the other suitcases. Once on he just plopped himself in a seat before looking around at all the people that were coming on this trip. His mind just wondering off. Who was going to be roomed together? Hopefully it was someone fun and not a buzzkill. God that would suck. Though he was pulled out of those thoughts when he saw Kyles mom. Fuck. There went any chances to pull good pranks. Well, unless he could get past her. But..that was easier said than done.

"Right. I'd be lucky to get a weekend with my parents," All three of the Testaburgers were busy people, with busy lives and busy schedules. It was a great event when the three all fell into an empty slot. But, whatever. Wendy was sure this weekend would still be great.

She observed Kyle as he stomped onto the bus, plopping into his seat with great frustration. No worries there. He seemed to be as chipper as usual.

Wendy climbed through the bus once more, picking up her purse and heading back to visit the curly-headed fuck, "Hey, Kyle, I get that your mom is sort of... eccentric, but why are you so pissed? Need some water or something?"

Karen shrugged when Rebecca mentioned her mom. She did like Mrs Miller. She was always so nice when she went over. "But you look cute your mom should understand that! " She said as she nudged her shoulder playfully. She looked over to where Becca was looking. "Yea, that's Kyle. He's Friends with Kenny.  I think he's always kinda.... pissy? I dont know. I think he's got a period like all the time but he doesn't? He's nice though. " She said as she turned to Kenny. "Can you put my bag in the bus, I'll save us a seat"

She grabbed Rebecca's hand tugging her towards the bus "did you bring your DS so we can play animal crossing? "She asked curiously.

Kyle was surprised Wendy seemed to follow so quickly onto the bus. He however was still too pissy to be bothered. Much like a man with too much pride, Kyle was a man with too much pride. "Im not pissy and I dont need water. Thank you " He said at least trying to sound less like a dick to Wendy since she was trying to be nice. "I dont want to talk about my mom. I hate this trip already, and when the bus is moving fast enough. I'm bailing"

And when I feel like I can feel once again Let me stay awhile Soak it in awhile

A soft melody played through white earbuds. Craig sat on a concrete bumper in the parking lot, arms wrapped around his knees and eyes shut to the world.

If we can hold on we can fix what is wrong Buy a little time For this head of mine Haven for us

He got there early, probably due to the fact that he managed to get all he needed for his trip in less than ten minutes. In fact, the only luggage he brought with him was the single backpack strapped around his waist and shoulders. Light packer. As long as he has his toothbrush and underwear, he considered himself covered. For the most part.

While the trickles of chatter got louder and louder, he let out a sigh, mentally preparing himself. His face still hurt. Craig couldn’t decide if he preferred numbing cold or the dull ache of bruises. Looking up and scanning the forming crowd, he caught glimpse of Clyde heading into the bus. Thank god. Stan and Kyle teetered at the edge of his awareness, but he had two whole days to deal with them. Craig wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

He stood, stretching his legs, and took several long strides toward the bus and up the stairs. One backpack probably didn’t need to be tossed in with everyone else’s stuff. Craig slipped the straps off his shoulders and placed it in his lap as he sat next to Clyde. His attention remained straight ahead, though his did pop the earbud on Clyde’s side out.

“Hey.”

"I brought two DS' so we can both play." She grinned up at Karen, "And yeah my mom kinda is angry at me. She put me on this trip to get me out of the house. Kinda a dick move right?" She asked before getting tugged onto the bus. She was gonna make sure to stay with Karen, as much as she possibly could.

She was scared to meet the other girls she was going to room with, she was normally very shy around those she didn't quite know.

No it's not a dick move! We get to at least be together. I mean not with the rooms but thats okay" She said with a bit of a shrug. Karen hoped onto the bus. "Where do you want to sit? "She asked curiously so excited to be able to play with Rebecca. She was trying to save up for her own DS though it helped that Rebecca just got a new one. She'd only have to babysit for 40 years at this rate.

"Hey man." He smiled at Craig, already beginning to rummage through his own bag. "I got a couple tacos if you want one at all?" He offered, how long had they been there? An hour.. maybe? Who cares. He was starving. At least Craig was there now, the trip was going to be way less boring. "So any idea how the room assignments are gonna be at all? I mean, like who's all paired up with who?"

After finding the tacos, he pulled one out and held it out for Craig to take if he wanted it

"Don't be such a dick, Buttflosski," Wendy gave Kyle's shoulder a shove, "As if you'd actually do that. Your tuck and roll is all over the place."

Debbie Downer over here obviously wasn't going to be a beacon of happiness on this voyage. Not that Wendy was expecting much else. It was a week ago, after all, that he'd flooded her phone with a series of all-caps text messages outlining the details of his mother's chaperoning. She'd been mentally prepping for this trip ever since.

She flashed him a grin, taking out her phone, "Well, better head back before someone pushes my bag out of my seat. Text me if you need someone to hold you while you cry."

Kyle frowned a bit, he wanted to laugh because Wendy was such a dick in the best type of way. "No, I think i'll just jump, belly flop it might be better for my back "He said  a bit sarcastically. She seemed to be a whirlwind as she almost turned on her heel to go back to her seat. Kyle grabbed her arm. "You can sit back here if you want. Im not going to ask you to hold me while I cry. That's a little too manly for me" He said sarcastically giving her the option..

As soon as Bebe had dropped off her supplies, she made a bee-line for the buses. After putting away her duffle bag, she climbed onto the bus trying to find Wendy's seat. She really just wanted someone to talk to while they were driving. "Hey Wendy! Where's your seat at?!" As soon as she found it, Bebe was gonna turn on her hot-spot and play some games on her computer, but only if no one(except Wendy) saw. She didn't want to be grouped in with the geeks, even though she basically was one in her private life.

Another conflict of interests. Wendy bit her lip, looking between Kyle and Bebe. Well, to be fair, Bebe and Wendy had spent basically the entire day together. She'd hardly seen Kyle this week. Which was a total bummer, because she'd already finished the stack of books he'd given her. It was amazing how much reading time you could find running between activities, or at stop lights, almost smashing into another car head on while it's driver cursed you out.

Not that it had happened. Wendy shoved her phone back into her pocket, "I'm gonna sit back here with Kyle, Beebs!" She called, shoving his bag over, "I think Heidi's open!"

Settling into the seat, she laid her legs over his, looking at him with a grin, "Kyle, that witchcraft book? Amazing! Like, you just know me!"

Kyle grinned as she took a seat set to him on the bus. He pushed his bag closer to him. He moved his feet to give her more room. He snorted. "Wendy, I would hope I know you by now. " He said as he winked at her  playfully. "Was it really that good? It looked really nice so I was hoping you'd like it. I flipped through it, it seemed neat. Did you try any spells? "He teased a bit .

" Please ," Wendy snorted, giving him a dismissive wave of her hand, "I don't dabble in that shit. I just find it interesting, that's all. It's all a bunch of superstition and folktales stitched into truth."

Okay, so she'd had a few psychedelic experiences with Red--no drugs included, or needed. But that didn't change her logical way of thinking. At least, not too much, "Who are you rooming with?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Right. And are you sure you're not cooking people in pots when Im not looking ? The horror Wendy. What will I say when I talk about you on the news? " Kyle asked. Honestly, he could give a speech in 2 minutes flat he had that. No worries there, maybe Anderson Cooper would come into town.

"Fucking Stan and Craig" He said with a loud huff, being reminded of both of the people who he hated. Honestly. "How about you? Who did you end up with ?"

“I’m with Marsh and Broflovski,” Craig answered, not planning to elaborate any further. Instead he turned his attention to the taco, thick eyebrows quirking at the sight of it. Really, he shouldn’t be surprised. Sometimes Clyde reminded him of one of those soccer moms who always had snacks in her purse. Not that he'd mention that to him. Or maybe he would. After tacos. The sour cream and cheese loaded inside would come back with a vengeance down the road, but for now, yeah. He could eat.

Craig accepted wordlessly, unwrapping it from the paper. Tacos were definitely the only food he was willing to tilt his head to the side for. He opened his jaw as wide as he could, and managed to stuff a little more than half into his mouth in one bite. Cheeks rounded as he chewed, a dab of sour cream falling from his lips toward his chin. Craig’s face remained impassive, though he did lift his hand into a thumbs-up to indicate thanks. And enjoyment.

"Watch those smart ass remarks--or you'll be next," She teased, shoving her hands into the sleeves of her coat, "And who said you'll be talking? You're much better at just sitting back and looking fine."

She thought it over, who had she been roomed with, again? Most of her thoughts were shadowed with disappointment for not being roomed up with Bebe. Oh, yeah, "Jenny and Rebecca. They're nice girls, so, it'll be fine--and what's with the tone? You and Stan are super best friends ."

Wendy wouldn't comment on Craig. She liked him enough not to be one of the things that pushed Kyle towards beating his face in.

Kyle snorted as he looked at her. "Dude you dont scare me Wendy" He said before he shook his head utterly amused. "You're a push over" he said as he ignored the comment about looking fine. He wore socks and Sandals that said it all .

"Who the hell is Jenny? "He asked confused trying to put a name to a face. He shook his head not really careing all too much. "That's shitty do you even talk to them ? "He asked feeling a bit bad for Wendy. "We'll skip for dinner " He promised trying to at least sound a bit hopeful. He'd have to be careful at this rate.

Kyle mentioned nothing about Stan. "I dont have a tone. "He said, in a way that surely sounded as if he did.

Bebe pouted momentarily before moving to sit with Heidi. She just hoped Wendy would want to hang with her at the aquarium tomorrow. Shrugging, she moved to sit in a random seat, looking outside to spot Heidi still talking with some of the girls. She opened the window, calling out to her, "Heidi!! You wanna sit with me on the bus??" Normally, Bebe was about 20 decibels quieter, but she honestly gave zero fucks at the moment.

Wendy was going to bless Kyle by looking past that 'pushover' comment. Naturally, he wouldn't know Jenny. To be honest, Wendy didn't talk with Jenny nearly as much as she should have, or Rebecca, for that matter. She was a busy girl, but that was no excuse. Damn. She needed to catch up with these modern teens.

With a roll of her eyes, she twisted in the seat, placing a hand against his shoulder, "Kyle, you are my husband , and I would know that shit tone, anywhere. Anywhere . What's up with you and Stan?"

Kyle laughed at her. "Wendy. One day I'll get something past you. " He said as he shifted a bit, looking up to see who was currently on the bus. Thankfully not many people yet. Maybe this trip would never start? that would be amazing. A blessing from above.

"He's being a dick. I needed saving from my mom and he bails. Like what a prick. He couldnt fucking wave me over? Its bull shit. So he can enjoy Randy all weekend. Im not sharing a bed, so he and Craig can fight over one. Fuck him. " He said with a nasty ass huff.

Stan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His conversation with Wendy had been cut short because she went to go sit with Kyle of all fucking people! He furrowed his brow in disgust and plopped down in the seat across from Bebe. So much for sitting together. He folded his arms across his chest, fuming. “Super best friend my ass,” he muttered under his breath. Hopefully, the bag in his seat would keep his dad from sitting by him. He glanced out the window, noticing his dad was still outside. Maybe he wouldn’t get on the bus at all.

He couldn’t stand to look at Wendy and Kyle, but he could still pick out every word of their conversation. Kyle was fine and Wendy’s husband. And Kyle said he was a dick. Great. Just fucking great.

Once her bags were taken care of, Sheila stepped onto the bus, standing tall at the front. Not too many children were on it yet, but it was already getting a little noisy from the chatter. She frowned when she noticed Wendy’s arm around Kyle. A nice girl, but she wasn’t like the Jewish girls from the temple. And stubborn, too. She would likely never convert. She’d have to have a talk with Kyle later.

“Alright, settle down, children!” she called, holding a clipboard. “We’ll be leaving in ten minutes.” She did a quick roll call on the bus to see who they had so far, getting Rebecca, Karen, Wendy, Kyle, Craig, Clyde, Bebe, and Stan. “Alright, only a few stragglers.” She filed out to go boss the lingering kids onto the boss.

Stan really wasn't even going to try and sit with him? Stanley wanted a war he could have one. "See. There he goes. He'll be pouty and make it my fault. Im not dealing with it. "He said under his breath angry as shit. He'd turn it around on Kyle call him fucking a liar. He had to be dating Wendy. Of course they couldnt be friends the horror. He fucking hated everyone. Where the fuck was his only friend Kenneth fucking McCormick. Because at this rate he was going to punch someone.

"My mother is going to be the death of me" He told Wendy after a moment. [4/17/17, 9:20:14 PM] \(๑･`▱´･๑)/ SAGE: Bebe blinked behind her as Stan sat down. She sighs looking at him, "Your best friend ditch you too?" As much as she would rather not talk to Stan, they were pretty similar. Both alcoholics and now their bffs had left them. "It's pretty shitty huh?" She moved to sit down, not wanting her ass to hang in the air for forever as she looked out the window.

"I like your mom. She's nice," And she always gave a hefty donation to Wendy's yearly breast cancer fundraiser. Couldn't knock on the woman when she did that. Pretty sure it was part of some unspoken contract. More dough, less woe.

Still, she couldn't help but be frustrated at Kyle's plight. A lady's work was never done, "You both are big fucking babies--hey, Stan!" Wendy called, sitting up in their seat, "Wanna sit back here with us? The seat across from us is open."

Kyle was going to need to hide 3 bodies. He was going to become a serial killer. The only question was did it look good on his college Resume? It showed that he was committed to an idea right? Fuck. He was going to have to figure out how to word that just right to get some extra kudos points.  He'd have to ask Cartman to proof read that shit. This was be coming a mess.

"Wendy" He hissed loudly.  He looked up though, Stan wouldn't take the bait. Why was Wendy trying. Kyle was going to loose it. "Don't you're going to make it fucking worse. "

Kevin filed on to the bus quietly, having been almost unnoticed from the corner where he'd been fiddling with his game. "Here." he told Mrs. Broflovski quietly, not wanting to attract too much attention to himself but also not wanting to get marked as absent, obviously. He had to find somewhere to sit next. Maybe there was an open seat? He didn't want to bug anybody.

Randy headed for the bus, having stopped for a bathroom break before talking to anybody, stopping just outside, "Hey guys, I miss anything important?" he asked with a grin, trying to look cool. He knew he was a Cool Dad, no matter what Stan or Shelley said... or Sharon... or Dad... or Jimbo... or Ned... well, he hadn't seen Shelly in a while, maybe she'd finally found the bright side of things. "Can I help with anything?" he offered enthusiastically. He hadn't spotted his son yet, but he was confident Stan was on the bus. He was a good kid, even if he was a grouch sometimes.

Jenny finally arrived on the sidewalk, catching her breath, "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here, did I miss anything?" she asked not long after Randy had said the same thing.

"Oh, uh, which one are you?" Randy asked.

Jenny shook her head with annoyance, "Look, it's Jenny Simons, okay? Jeez." It was good to know her absence was noticed... but then again, there were times it was better not to be noticed.

It had been a while since he'd seen Karen so excited for something that wasn't television or food related. He felt a warm sensation rest in his chest every time he would get a glimpse of the gleam in her eyes, and the sweet sound of he hyperactive voice. A wide smile would appear as she stumbled onto her words, asking him practically a hundred different questions that he probably didn't know the answer to. He open his mouth to eventually reply to her, but she was quickly distracted by the sight of her best friend. He'd simply chuckle and give a gentle shrug as he hauled their luggage closer.

He checked his cell for any notifications he had missed as his sister had caught up with her close friend. He wasn't listening much until he caught them talking about Kyle. Was he angry already? What-----Who set him off so quickly? They trip hasn't even started yet.. As they mentioned him, Ken would also notice the loud steps being taken as they approached the bus. ----That's Kyle. For sure. He finally set his phone away, as his sister set off towards their transpiration with Rebecca, he responded to her with a short lived smile and a nod. Heading his way to one of the bus managers to figure where their luggage  would fit in the pile of others.

He was likely to be one of the last ones to get inside of the bus, with only one purple backpack around his shoulder. After some long lasting minutes dealing with the luggage situation, it had seemed Karen's pack was the only thing that couldn't make it in. That was a bit tedious as Kenny didn't really want to bring any luggage into the bus, but it wasn't the end of the world. He just wanted Karen to have the best possible time on this trip. So for once he was focusing on the details.

Just in time.

As he tried to make his way in, he stood right behind Jenny as she was blocking the way into the bus, standing there for about three seconds, he leaned closer and stated. "Hey, um, Jenny.. Would you mind?" He eyed her, similarly giving in and smiling as the interaction was a bit awkward. "I don't wanna be a that jackass but my sister is waiting for me inside." He added.

Stan glanced at Bebe before looking at the front of the seat in front of him. “ Really shitty. I don’t think there’s even a word to describe how shitty this feels.” He wanted to take a swig from the flask he kept concealed in his jacket pocket, but he knew he couldn’t risk it with this many people—not to mention Kyle’s mom snooping about.

He ignored Wendy when she called out to him. His anger was replaced with panic as he saw his dad outside the bus, getting way too close. Shit. He really was gonna come with them. Heart beating fast, his eyes zeroed in on Kevin Stoley as he walked onto the bus. “Dude, Kevin! Sit here!” Stan called out, waving his arm in the air to get the nerdy boy’s attention. He kept his backpack on the seat while he waited, though. Couldn’t be too careful.

Sheila barely kept herself from rolling her eyes at Randy. Sharon’s husband was nice, but honestly he could be very immature and spacy at times. Gerald would have been better, but she needed him at home with Ike. “We’re just getting the final roll call. Most of the children are accounted for.”

“You would’ve been missed, Miss Simons,” Prinicpal Wells said, nodding to her. “Get on the bus with the rest of your friends.” He watched as both Jenny and Kenny made their way to the bus door. Now the only straggler was Heidi Turner.

Sheila walked over to Heidi, assuming the girl probably was busy on her phone like Kyle. Honestly, kids didn’t know how to live without those things. It was a real problem—maybe one she’d have to have a town meeting about. “You need to get on the bus, dear. We’ve got a schedule to keep.”

"Huh? Oh, yeah, whatever." Jenny said, not dismissively so much as not troubled, moving out of the way so Kenny could get on the bus without much of a second thought, looking for her own space. Well, it'd be easier than the crowded morning bus, at least, right? She nodded to the Principal, "Thank you." She knew she was accounted for. She'd better get credit for this.

It was with a frown that Wendy sat back in her seat, folding her arms. A simple 'no thank you' would have sufficed, but, completely ignoring her? As if he didn't hear! They were getting along great, not even twenty minutes ago.

What a dick. Huffing, Wendy pulled out her cell phone to shoot him a text. She would not be ignored, "Okay, yeah, you're right. He's being a tool. Sorry, Kyle."

[3:58] Wendy to Stan: A simple 'no' would have been cool, too, you know. [3:58] Wendy to Stan: I really wanted to talk. [3:59] Wendy to Stan: Sit next to me at dinner??

Kyle rolled his eyes, and slumped further into the seat. It wasn't worth it. Kyle shrugged. "It's not your fault Wendy. I think I should be taking applications for a new best friend. "He said with a huff before he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "do you know how long this bus ride is? "

Karen didn't give Becca time to anwser before she plopped down in a seat in the middle of the bus. She waved over at Kenny when finally /finally/ made it onto the bus. She pointed to the seat across from her waiting for the other to come down the rows. She made herself comfortable giving Rebecca the window seat

When Rebecca sat down, she brough her knees up and put them against the back of the other seat, making herself rather comfortable. Her bag was on her lap and she reached in, grabbing the two ds', one was a light pink 3ds, the other a bright red 3ds xl. Both had a copy of Animal Crossing new leaf in it.

She smiled at Karen though while Karen was waving Kenny over. Man, she wished she was as enthusiastic as Karen, so much life in her. She wish she had that much hope in her eyes. Often Rebecca herself would look on the depressing side of things. She wasn't as optimistic as she wishes she was.

The smile on her face stayed until Karen would look back, and when that happened, She would blush and quickly look to the window. God, why was she embarrassed? They were Just Friends right?

"Hey Stan!" Kevin grinned and sat over by Stan, pleasantly surprised to see someone reach out to him. It was hard for him to pass it up when someone was reaching out. He liked feeling like people wanted to have him around, for lack of a better word. "How've you been?" he asked. He hadn't noticed Wendy or Kyle waving at him and didn't realize he was getting in the middle of something.

He nodded as he passed the shorter brunette. A part of him wondered if maybe Jenny was there with Lola. The blonde was slightly developing a sort of crush on the cheerleader, so seeing her on this trip would be a nice bonus. She was very nice to look at. He didn't put much further thought into it though as he was more preoccupied on where his sister sat. He stood at the beginning of the hallway, peering throughout the filled in seats. Heidi is with Bebe, Craig is not surprisingly sitting with Clyde, Stan is with--- Kevin? If that's the case then..

His glance fell upon the back of the bus, recognizing a bothered Kyle and Wendy. Uh oh. A long sigh come out as he passed down the row of seats. He gave Stan a nod, and Kevin a friendly pat as he passed them, gliding over to Karen as he slid her backpack off his shoulder. He squatted down and placed the bag onto Karen's lap. Looking up at her, he said, "Karen, here's your bag, it didn't fit with rest of our stuff. -- Listen, Kyle looks pretty upset, so I'm gonna go check up on him, I'll be back in a minute okay? After that, I'm all yours." He gave her sympathetic smile, quickly pinching her cheek and proceeding to head towards Kyle and Wendy's direction.

He pressed a hand against a near by seat, leering over the two of them, he scratched the back of his neck. "Everything okay?" He asked, waiting for any type of accepting gesture to let him sit by them.

Karen turned back at grinned wildly at Becca, grabbing the 3ds. "Thanks You're literally the best Beckie" She said as she turned on the handheld game. "Kenny is old as ever. He's going to be 90 when he sits down at this rate " She said playfully to Beckie. Her attention turing to Kenny the moment he walked over, however her smile fell and she kinda wanted to sulk. They weren't going to be next to each other in the hotel and her brother was already ditching her for his friends. "oh.. okay " She said as she faked a grin. "tell Kyle I said Hi! "

Kyle looked up from his phone to see the blonde. Jesus at least Kenny came through for Kyle. Good man. His only true best friend. "Yea, everything is fine. Sitting back here with us? " Kyle asked curiously, watching Kenny carefully.

"That's good." Randy noted, "I guess I'll supervise the ones already on the bus?" he asked as Sheila went off to find Heidi. With a shrug he walked up the bus, scanning the seats for his son. He was sure Stan would have fun - he remembered taking Stan to the aquarium for his birthday when he was in elementary school. It was pretty ruined, but... hey, I mean, they had fun up until the Japanese arrived, right? That was in Denver though. He wasn't sure if this place was as nice. Probably didn't have killer whales. Ah well. He hoped Stan had fun... and he hoped the food didn't suck. The better be sharks, too. Anyway, what? Oh right. Where's Stan?

"Hey dude." Kevin gave Kenny a quick acknowledgement as he passed, but simple enough to not obligate Kenny to stop and chat. He could tell Kenny was probably on his way to be by his sister and he was cool with that. Shame his sister couldn't tag along.

Stan felt his phone buzz in the front pocket of his jeans. He took it out and glanced at it for a moment, but he didn’t bother reading the messages when he noticed it was from Wendy. He clicked the lock button, making his screen go black. He tried to tune Kyle out, but Stan caught the bit about how he’d have to look for a new super best friend. What a fucking asshole. Like he was some awesome prince. Who talked to their best friend’s ex like that?

At the very least, Kevin accepted his invitation to sit with him, so he moved his backpack to the ground. He nodded back at Kenny as he passed, forcing a smile before focusing on Kevin again. “Shitty, but whatever. We’re going on vacation and at least I’m not sitting by my dad.” That was the only thing that could’ve made this trip worse. “How about you?”

He sunk lower in his seat upon seeing Randy get on the bus. He hoped his dad didn’t try to sit in front of him and Kevin. “Just sit in the front of the bus with the rest of the adults. For the love of god…” he muttered.

Once Sheila got Heidi on the bus and sitting next to Bebe, she turned her attention to Wells and Randy. “Alright, good. That’s everyone.” She bossed the bus driver to close the luggage compartments. She stepped onto the bus with Wells and Randy. Even though Randy said he’d supervise the kids on the bus, she didn’t trust him fully. “Alright! We’re just about to leave! Let me take a final roll call.” Couldn’t be too safe.

With everyone double checked in and the bus packed up, the doors shut. Sheila sat up front with Wells. Once everyone was seated, the bus driver departed the school parking lot and headed onto South Park’s main street, heading in the direction to go on the highway.

Jenny sat about as far back as possible, with little regard for how close she was to any of the other students, not thinking twice about her own habit of self-isolation by choice. Being the last one to find a seat had a per k- she had extra space for her bags. She got comfy and took out her phone. She had no idea what Kenny had been thinking - but funnily enough, they were on a similar wavelength. Jenny was disappointed that Lola hadn't been able to come along - but, whatever, right? She'd be fine without her best friend around. She didn't need anybody.

For a moment, it seemed like Stan's nightmares were gonna become a reality, as Randy approached him and Kevin. "Hey Stan! You excited about the aquarium?" he grinned for a moment, but before he could say anything more embarrassing than that, Sheila had gotten on to the bus and started talking, a signal to move back to his place, "Well, I gotta go sit upfront with all the boring adults, I guess. You found a friend anyway, right? You kids have fun." and he left Stan alone rather anti-climactically.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Kevin nodded to Stan's reference to his father as Randy himself approached. He didn't get a chance to say anything to Dr. Marsh before he moved, "Sorry if you're feeling shitty, dude. I'm okay. Aquarium's probably the best kind of school trip we could hope for, right?" he said with a shrug.

Kenny look between the two of them for a second, until his attention fell onto Kyle as he was the first to speak up. He didn't say anything much further as he planted himself down next to Kyle. "For a moment, if you're down with that." He knew he couldn't stay there long, as he really did want to spend more time with Karen. ---Kyle was his friend though, and Kenny felt obliged to console his friends when they really need it.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but, did Stan do something dickish?" Ken was so used to seeing them together, especially when they're traveling, so when there was tension and distance, he knew there had to be some type of trouble in paradise.

Heidi was sitting in her seat now, typing away on her phone before she finally shoved it into her pocket. "God..why do people have to be so difficult. Or utter pigs for that matter. Boy's just can't take a hint." Of course she was referring to when boys flirt at random. She really just wanted to rant, but in the end she found her rant ending as she just sighed heavily. "So how are you Bebe? Anything interesting going on?" She questioned, brushing some of her dirty blond hair back behind from her face.

"I got a bunch.. there's an ice pack in my bag to make sure they don't go bad." Clyde said as he quickly scarfed down his taco, making sure not to leave a trace of it. As more people gathered into the bus, he just began digging through his bag again before letting it fall to the ground. "Well Shi-..Crap." He caught himself from swearing, knowing how Kyles mom felt about it.  "I forgot it. Oh well, can live the week without it." He hummed half to himself, choosing not to specify what he had forgotten. It was just some pills that a doctor wanted him to take, but since they weren't there he assumed that it would just be better to not worry about it. Unless of course his dad noticed and made sure they were there. He'd ask an adult later.

Wendy was feeling rather put out. Her texts hung in empty silence, not even read.

She felt an ache that settled in her chest before she had the chance to stop it. Shit. She didn't need this right now. So what if Stan didn't want to speak to her, or pay any attention to her? If he was going to get pissed every time she so much as glanced at another guy, was it really worth it?

"Hey Kenny," Wendy gave him a smile, "It's just--totally stupid. I'm sure he'll get over whatever he's on by the time we get there."

Rebecca smiled lightly, patting Karen's shoulder. "He'll come back trust me." She reassured her friend. She's been around Karen long enough to know when she was faking her smiles or when she wasn't. She opened her red 3DS playing the game, She scooted a little bit closer to Karen without even thinking about it. "Aw man, Mitzy moved away. Dang it." Rebecca muttered upset. She liked the villager Mitzy.

Stan tensed as soon as Randy approached him and Kevin. The topic of the aquarium made him flashback to that horrible birthday at the Denver Aquarium where the Japanese killed all those poor dolphins. The Downtown Aquarium they were going to was in Denver, but at least it was different and carnage free. He avoided making eye contact with his dad and let out a sigh of relief when he decided to sit with the rest of the adults. “Oh, thank god, dude.”

He returned his attention to Kevin. “It’s like he wants to follow me everywhere. Pretty lame.” He glanced behind him, narrowing his eyes when he noticed how Kenny was sitting across from Kyle and Wendy. “Yeah, it’s kinda cool but sad on the other hand with those animals being in way too small of tanks.”

Finishing up the rest of his taco, Craig wiped his mouth with his fingers. Mmm. He glanced at Clyde, about to verbalize his appreciation, before his bag went spilling to the floor. Typical. Clyde had somewhat of a clumsy streak. Craig couldn’t blame him, though. He had his space cadet moments too.

After what felt like forever the bus finally got moving. Craig crossed his arms, turning in his seat to check on who actually showed up. Of course, Stan and Kyle were doing everything in their power to stir up some kind of drama, to which he only had one word.

Nope.

He didn’t care what was going on between them. He was not getting involved. Turning to face the front again, Craig tried to swallow down his growing dread. Maybe Clyde, Kenny, and Kevin would let him sleep in their room instead. If worse comes to worse, he could always just turn on a playlist and pretend to be a corpse.

Speaking of which.

“Dude, wake me up when we get there.”

Craig put his earbud back in and sank into the seat, eyes shutting.

"Yeah, I guess." Kevin shrugged, "I's a shame that they don't get enough money to do more for the animals." he shook his head, "Is there anything you're looking forward to seeing anyway?"

"It's 'cos most people are assholes and only care about making money. Well, maybe they'll all think to care a little goddamn bit when more of these animals become endangered," Stan said, sighing. He stopped himself from going on too much of a tangent. "I dunno... That exhibit where it's supposed to look like a shipwreck sounds cool. What about you?" He wanted to keep himself engaged and distracted from Wendy and Kyle.

"Oh wow, what do they have in there? Like, sharks or anything?" Kevin asked, intrigued by the idea. I mean, a shipwreck didn't sound too conservation-y, but it sounded like a cool frame for an exhibit at least.

"I dunno." Stan pulled out his phone to look it up again, frowning at seeing the three text notifications he knew were from Wendy. "Doesn't say what they have in there specifically, but the website shows this creepy fish." He held his phone in the middle so Kevin could take a gander.

"Oh wow," Kevin chuckled, "That thing looks cool. We'll have to see if we can catch what it's called when we're there. Looks super creepy."

Stan smiled a little. It felt good to hear someone laugh after that shitstorm with Kyle and Wendy. "For sure, dude. I bet you'll wanna write some nerd-o report on it and somehow relate it to Star Wars."

Kevin might've taken a little offense to that if he didn't know Stan well enough to know it wasn't meant in malice. He'd heard Stan was a bit of a Trekkie anyway. Through the grapevine "Haha, nahh.. I was thinking of writing a report on the seals or sea lions if they have any, seeing how much land space they have versus swimming space. Kinda boring but I found good sources for it."

Like Kevin said, the topic of the report sounded boring. And unnecessary. “Really? Is that like an AP English assignment or for extra credit?” In his English class, they weren’t making them do any assignments for going on the field trip, thankfully. Otherwise, he’d have to worry about taking notes. “Or you just doing it for the fun of it?”

"It's for extra credit in Zoology." Kevin replied, "I'm studying conservation programs for my projects and stuff since it's something not a lot of the other kids are doing?" he awkwardly tried to explain.

“Really?” Stan felt a little stupid he also had Zoology and didn’t remember that, though they were in different classes. Even though neither were officially AP, maybe Kevin’s class was the smart class. Or maybe people were more awake later in the day. “So, uh, you’re trying to stand out from the crowd?”

"Kind of. I mean, I was falling behind at the beginning, so I've been trying to bring my grade back up, and the teacher said if I did this I could substitute it for a paper I flunked last month?" Kevin explained, suggesting it was a little more unique of a situation. Not something Stan had to feel bad about missing. "I like to think I can be a good student, but I don't always hit the ground running." Now Kevin felt a little inadequate.

She didn't want to seem needy, but, she also wanted Stan to stop ignoring her. It stung her pride, and, besides, she'd done nothing to warrant this kind of treatment.

Wendy took out her phone again as Kyle and Kenny talked, shooting him a final attempt at conversation.

Wendy to Stan: Please talk to me. I don't want you to be mad at me for the whole trip. Wendy to Stan: : (

“Oh, shit, dude.” Stan hadn’t seen that one coming. He never thought Kevin Stoley would be the type to fall behind. Maybe he’d been stereotyping the boy. They’d always been present in each other’s lives, living in the same town and going to the same school, but they never had many in depth conversations, especially one-on-one. “You’ll get there. I suck at school, too, so don’t stress.”

"Yeah, I'm catching up... sometimes when I have a lot of stuff due in different classes, I guess I just kinda end up messing everything up." he admitted, "I'll be okay though, I just have to persevere." he nodded, and he swore he'd heard a notification sound from a phone, but he knew it wasn't his.

Bebe was understanding of Heidi's position, since she had actually went to cheer practice today something Bebe neglected in order to pack for the trip , she'd have to deal with any boy who teased the girls alone. "That's gotta suck..." she looked over at Stan, watching as he and Kevin talked. "Huh... I didn't know Stan and Kevin were even friends..." Muttering wasn't good... but if it was Heidi, it just helped her reputation with the girl.

"I've been fine, Mr Jones keeps letting that guy harass me, but otherwise I'm okay... Oh! Shawn was really sad that he isn't going to see me this weekend, so I'm gonna video chat him in our room, is that okay?" Okay, as much as she complained about her brother, she absolutely loved him.

[wordcollector]

A Year In Books: The 2016 Bookworm Awards

I’d like to blame the lateness of this post on something dramatic, like aliens or politics or a terrible computer virus. But the truth is that I’ve had this written since the turn of the year and haven’t had the motivation to type it up.  Despite the tardiness of this post, I’d still like to share with you my final round-up on the books I read last year.  There were quite a few, and I have a lot of opinions, so stick with me!

2016 was a pretty good year for me. I participated in my first 10k, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation proposal, and I found out I was going to become an aunt- to twins! Aside from those things, though, my year was pretty uneventful, which was a blessing in disguise as it gave me plenty of time to read.  

I keep track of my yearly reading on Goodreads (jbfinch89; let’s be friends!), and based on my number there, I spent a large portion of this year with my nose stuck in a book.  I guess I really am a funny girl and all that.  

In 2015, I read 132 books. My goal for this past year started at 100, which I surpassed, so I upped it to 150. I passed that goal, too, but I wasn’t sure just how ambitious I wanted to be after that, so that's where my goal stayed.

When all was said and done, I had read 178 books (Goodreads says 174, but that’s because I still haven't managed to find a good way to record rereads on Goodreads).  These 178 books came from a number of different genres, ranging from classics to sci-fi to Christian fiction to memoirs for a total of over 63,000 pages.

I should probably be glad I didn't end up with more paper cuts.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of my reading this year:

Books Read: 178

New Series Started: 14

Old Series Finished: 5

Series Binge Read: 4

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: 156 (88%) vs. 22 (12%)

Authors Read: 133

Rereads: 9

So probably no one but me that cares about these stats, but I like the numbers.

It looks like I started a lot of new series that are going to require more space on my bookshelves in the future, but I also made the executive decision to let myself not finish a series.  I hate leaving things unfinished, so I normally would have kept up with a series as long as I didn’t completely hate the first book, but this year, I realized that I have neither the time nor the room to keep that up forever.  There are too many books out there that I want to read to stick with ones that I don’t like.  I even let myself sell the first books in these series, mostly because I needed the space, but also to avoid the temptation to keep reading the series out of guilt.  Like I said, too many books to feel bad.

And there really are a tone of books out there to read; just look at my Goodreads ‘To-Read’ shelf.  But I put a pretty good dent in my eternal TBR pile last year, and through the good and the bad, I found myself laughing, frowning, crying, and cringing.  Some books were okay, some were disappointing, and some definitely knocked my socks off.  Or they would have if I didn’t hate wearing socks so much.

But I digress.  My reading last year had its ups and downs, but some books had way more ups and others more downs.  Which are which?  It took some work to decide, but I finally managed to narrow down the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and the ones at the tippy top.  And so, I present to you the 2016 Bookworm Awards, brought to you once again by the brains behind the Literary Laboratory.

Favorite New Authors: Carrie Firestone and Sarah Porter

These two ladies couldn’t have written more different stories, but they were alike in that neither of them was like anything I’d read before.  Carrie’s book was brutally honest and unexpectedly rude, but it was also heartbreaking and hopeful.  Sarah wrote a story full of magic and danger with a plucky heroine who was unafraid of doing what needed to be done.  To create such fascinating and unique characters and such strangely wonderful situations takes some writers countless tries, but these ladies managed in some of their earliest novels.  Brava to both of them!

Favorite New to Me Authors: Erin Morgenstern and Amie Kaufman/Jay Kristoff

I have no idea why I held off on reading the releases from these three.  The Night Circus blew me away; it was whimsical and mysterious and dangerous and romantic, and if I could live in Le Cirque des Reves, I would.  The Night Circus has fantastically complex characters, but it’s really the world they create that makes this book so great.  It’s easily one of my all-time favorites.  And both Illuminae and Gemina kept me glued to the pages long after I should’ve gone to bed, gotten back to work, or headed out to run errands.  I couldn’t put either of these books down!  The format of these stories is one-of-a-kind, and the stories themselves are heart-stopping and action-packed.  There were so many plot twists that I didn’t see coming, and I was rooting so hard for the main characters, who were all flawed but skilled, broken but determined, lost yet relentless.  I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Best Beginning of a Series: Illumine (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

As I just mentioned, The Illuminae Files is one of my favorite series of 2016.  Illuminae easily surpassed anything I could’ve expected and had me flying through the pages to see what happened next.  The story started off with chaos and never let up, and I loved following Kady, Ezra, and the rest of the survivors of Kerenza as they tried to escape the people who had blown up their home.  I really liked Kady in particular.  She was smart, skilled, and snarky, and her willingness to put herself in harm’s way to save those she cared about was undeniably admirable. There were so many twists and turns in her quest for safety, and every time I thought I had things pegged, I was proven wrong.  Illuminae was an explosive—literally—debut for this award-winning duo, and it quickly earned both authors a place on my TBR pile for their individual books.

Best Ending to a Series: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater, Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo, Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

In every book series, characters change and grow as they face new situations and new challenges.  These three series, though, had more character growth than most.  The writing in these series allowed the characters to naturally respond to the changes in their lives, both good and bad, and end up somewhere better than I ever could’ve guessed when I began each series. Each story also had plenty of action, danger, and romance to wrap up the adventures, and the endings managed to be foregone yet still surprising, which, to me, is always a sign that the author has really put work into the finale rather than just giving readers what they want. Not everyone got their happy ending, but everyone got a proper ending, with hints of more stories in the future.  I can only hope.

Best Short Story Collection: Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite series, and this collection of extra stories about the main characters was everything I’d hoped for and more.  The stories provided looks at the pasts of some of the characters, helping show how they became the people I came to know and love, while the final story provided a new adventure for the four couples as they started their lives after the war.  Something Old, Something New made me smile so much and made my heart swell with happiness for these characters, and I can’t thank Marissa enough for another chance to peek back into the world of The Lunar Chronicles.

Most Disappointing Book: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Ugh, I really wanted to like this book.  The cover was beautiful, and the premise of a young woman training to become a forensic pathologist and finding herself on the path of an infamous serial killer sounded great.  But this book fell prey to the dangers of insta-love, ridiculous decisions by an intelligent character, and a villain reveal that didn’t make sense.  There was very little stalking of Bloody Jack as the title had promised, and to make it worse, the characters were pretty flat, largely predictable, and fairly uninteresting.  This is one series I won’t be continuing.

Favorite Classic: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I wrote a whole review on this book last February because it managed to do what few books have done and catch me truly by surprise.  The first part of this book makes you think it’s going to be a typical gothic romance with grand, sweeping settings, beautiful but troubled characters, and a dark secret.  And this book is that.  But then the dark secret is revealed, and it was something I never would’ve guessed. It had me flipping back to reread scenes in a new light and kept me glued to the book until I’d reached the end. This book is a classic for a reason, and I highly recommend it for anyone who’s a fan of a good mystery.

Favorite Non-fiction Read: Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides

This book had my emotions all over the place.  The topic—the Bataan death march and the Cabanatuan Camp—is one that isn’t widely discussed, but it really should be, as it’s a true story of the best and worst of mankind.  I couldn’t believe the optimism, the hope, and the perseverance of the human spirit in such horrific conditions, and it gave me a new respect for the men who endured such cruelty.  Ghost Soldiers is truly a heartbreaking yet inspiring story and certainly one I’ll never forget.

Favorite Reread: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Cycle is one of my favorite series anyway, and while I love the other three books, The Dream Thieves just feels like a beast of a different sort.  I’d forgotten how much I loved to hate Kravinsky, not to mention how legitimately crazy that dude was, but I loved how he messed with the Raven boys and how he antagonized Ronan in particular.  This book focused more on Ronan and his abilities as the Greywaren, and it felt less like a mystical mystery and more like a reckless, headfirst race into danger and bad decisions than the rest of the quartet.  I was quite pleased to hear that the Ronan-centered series Maggie is working on will be more like The Dream Thieves, because goodness knows I need more of this lovable thug of a boy in my life.

Favorite Retelling: Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

I was only vaguely familiar with the original tale of Vasilisa and her magical doll—thanks, random folklore podcast!—and so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book.  I ended up being pleasantly surprised!  The setting of the story was a mix of the familiar and the absurd, the characters were magical and strange, and the story itself was, well, also strange, but also a bit heartbreaking and a bit inspiring.  Vassa was such a strong character, and I loved that she managed to save others by being kind; she didn’t require any special powers, other than what Erg provided, to defeat Baba Yaga, which is unusual for most YA books today.  And since I wasn’t really sure how the original tale ended, I couldn’t guess how things were going to turn out for Vassa. This is the way modern retellings should be done.

Favorite Contemporary Read: The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone

This book wasn’t anything like I expected, and that was a good thing.  I expected an interesting story about a girl whose grandmother was dying.  What I got was an open, honest, yet rude, funny, and heartbreaking look at death, letting go, and the love of family.  I loved Maddie and her reactions to all the crazy things that happened on the cruise, and I loved getting to see the sweet relationship between her and her grandmother. I also loved getting to meet all the other Wishwellians and their families and seeing how all their views of life and death changed as the cruise went on.  The cover of this book, although quite cute, doesn’t really do this book justice as it covers such a heavy topic and really makes you consider what you’re doing that makes life worth living.

Scariest Book: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Most people know Gillian Flynn through her novel Gone Girl, but I’ve only read her other novels, and Dark Places is easily my favorite.  This book was more suspenseful than scary, but it was frightening to uncover the true events of the fateful night that the family of the main character, Libby, was killed.  Libby herself was a rather unlikable character, but she’d suffered so much that I still cared about her story.  It was interesting to have the POV jumps and the flashbacks to unfold the story and create tension from a number of different angles, and the truth of the murders was actually much more complex and scary than I’d imagined. This book was rather depressing and dark, but it’s worth it to see how Libby changes as she learns more about her family and their deaths.  

Funniest Books: Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick, The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling, and You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

My sense of humor is a bit drier and a bit darker than most, but these three ladies all managed to make me laugh numerous times.  Not at them, of course, more at the various situations they’ve found themselves in over the years and the ridiculous ways they reacted to them.  (They were laughing, too, so I didn’t feel bad.)  It was nice to see that even famous people have awkward moments, whether it’s suffering from foot-in-mouth syndrome or acting like a total fangirl in fronts of someone (else) famous.  Aside from being funny, these memoirs showed the dedication and determination of these women to their crafts, and I loved that they were open about both the ups and downs in their lives.  It makes me admire them all the more for their willingness to share their mistakes and their hard times and to then remind everyone that it’s okay to ask for help, that there are people out there who love you and want to see you happy. And I feel like these three ladies really show that the bad times don’t last forever and that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

Most Unexpected Books: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I know I’ve already talked about both of these a bit, but I want to reiterate that both of these books threw in a huge twist that I absolutely did not see coming. That happens quite rarely for me, and the fact that it happened twice in one year makes me think I’m either losing my awesome literary foresight or authors are getting better at being surprising. Well, Rebecca is far from new, so maybe I’ve just been reading better books. Regardless, even though I’ve told you there are big twists, you should really read these books to find out what they are.  I promise you you won’t be disappointed.

Cover Lust: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater, and The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

I will freely admit that I’m guilty of occasionally judging a book by its cover, and these books would’ve definitely piqued my interest even if I’d known nothing about them.  The covers of these three books are all very different, but they fit their individuals stories so well, managing to portray all the magic inside with a single picture.  A cover picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

These say,

“Aren’t

I

pretty?”

(The answer is yes, yes you are.)

Most Surprising Villain: Tamlin from A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, I liked Tamlin. He wasn’t perfect, and his unwillingness to stand up to Amarantha to help Feyre irked me, but overall, I thought he was a good match for Feyre, and I was glad they ended up together.  Then I got to A Court of Mist and Fury, and all those happy feelings for Tamlin went right out the window.  Part of me initially wanted to forgive his actions—he was finally free after so many years, and he was clearly still recovering—but the moment he locked Feyre in the house was the moment I lost all sympathy for him.  It’s one thing to want to protect someone you love, but it’s another thing entirely to force them to do what you want because you think you know what’s best for them.  And then that ending!  Yeah, Tamlin jumped to the top of my naughty list.  I loved that Maas was able to flip the tables on Tamlin’s character and show how people can change for the better or for the worse.  I kind of liked Tamlin’s road to villainy, in part because it was so unexpected but also because it made room for Rhysand, which I certainly didn’t mind!

Top Five Couples: 

Blue and Gansey from The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater

Feyre and Rhysand from A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Celia and Marco from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Kaz and Inej from Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Juliette and Warner from Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi

You know how some couples have problems with lying or trusting one another or disapproving families?  These couples make those couples look lame by comparison.  These five couples were forced to deal with magic, murder, kidnapping, corrupt rulers and governments, major anxiety issues, their own death—you know, simple stuff—and managed to come out even stronger.  These guys and gals are all strong and fierce on their own, but together, they prove they can do absolutely anything they set their minds to. Definitely relationship goals, expect maybe with less bloodshed.

And that’s the end!

This was really a whirlwind year for me in terms of reading; I found a number of books that made it onto my all-time favorites list, and I found some others that convinced me to branch out in regards to what genres and topics I’m willing to explore.

So how did those discoveries work out in relation to my reading goals from last year? Well, I met—and surpassed—my initial goal of 100 books.  I did manage to read more classics, although I still have plenty to go.  And I read at least one non-fiction book each month, and most months, I read more than one.  I rediscovered that real life can be just as dramatic and violent and romantic and mysterious as fiction, something that I tend to forget as I’m off exploring all the fictional worlds I can find.  Therefore, one of this year’s reading goals is based on my enjoyment of all the nonfiction stories I read last year; yes, once again, I have my reading goals along with my more general resolutions.  This year, my goals are to:

1)    Read only nonfiction books for an entire month

2)    Read at least 160 books

3)    Read more classics…again

I’m quite confident that I can successfully meet all these goals—goodness knows I have enough books on my shelves to do so.  I’m also quite confident that I’ll once again find some new favorites and some interesting historical events to study up on. There’s a whole year’s worth of reading to explore, and I can’t to see where these stories take me.

I better go get started…