#we keep talking about how much crop tops suit him but have you considered tank tops??

[crazy-form]

film : kai #rover — rover

[jadedxrealityw]

-Mind Stone- Peter Parker x Female Reader Part 2

    ☼-☪-☼

   Kody: Part 2 in this shit

  Movie/Show: After Endgame, but no one died because ignorance is bliss.

  Summary: In the attack of 2012, you were given powers that you couldn’t understand at such a young age.

  Possible Triggers / Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of blood and harm,

    ☼-☪-☼

   Tony handed you a bandaid. You took it from his hand and notice the cartoon picture of Iron Man on it. What a not surprised in the slightest. You peel off of the paper backing and stick it over the small wound caused by the needle. “Were done, but i want you to stay here until we can get Thor and antlers here”

   you exhale deeply. After already spending the night you thought you’d be back at the girls home by now. Not that you wanted to go back, you just didn’t want to hear Nancy’s bitching once you did return “I think my caretaker might worry about me if i’m gone again” 

   Tony placed the tablet he was holding on the counter and looked at you “Yeah she’s a real piece of work isn’t she. You have special permission now” he says. What in the vague. You hop off the chair and feel your phone buzz in your pocket.

   you stuck your hand into the dark grey sweatpants you wore. Wanda offered you clothes to sleep in so you wouldn’t be so uncomfortable. She gave you a matching slightly cropped tank and sweatpants. She was a sweetheart. Once you pull out your phone you tap the screen. 

   it was a text from Peter ‘Can you get away for a minute?’ you hold back the urge to smile and look up at Tony “Can i go?” you ask and he waves his hand, shooing you way “Yeah we’re good. Get some rest and make sure to hydrate. Now get out”

   you roll your eyes with a half smile before walking towards the door “Bye” you say before pushing it open and heading out.

    ☼-☪-☼

   you push open the door you were staying in and saw Peter sitting on the bed, picking at his nails. He looks up once he hears the noise and smiles upon seeing you “Hey” he says. You smile back and walk over to stand in front of him, looking down to meet his gaze “Hello”

   Peter looks at you then the bed. What is he a bed? You take a seat next to him, but end up laying back to look at the ceiling “You look tired” Peter says and lays back next to you. You chuckle quietly “Yeah. I got my blood drawn, but at least it’s over with”

   Peter hums in response. You notice he awkwardly folded his hands over his chest, not knowing what to do with them. You shuffle over and lay your head on his chest, feeling him instantly tense up. “Is this okay or are you going to implode?” 

   he shakes his head “No!-” he protests “i mean it’s okay, just uh- just stay there” he says in a more quiet tone. You stifle a bit of laughter and curl up next him, feeling a bit drowsy at this point. Peter wraps arm around your waist “Are you tired?”

   “Yeah a little” you respond, closing your eyes. Peter holds onto you as he moves to the top of the bed, laying his head on a pillow “You should sleep then, i’ll wake you up if something happens” he talked in a more hushed tone now. You smile  before dozing off. 

   “Y/n?” he says before he is interrupted by quiet snores. He smiles to himself, wishing he didn’t leave his phone in his bag so he could take a picture of you. Would that be weird? It’s not like he would made it his lockscreen. Nevermind that’s the exact reason he would take a photo.

   he raised his free arm to try and web his bag to him, but once he did you started to stir slightly “Not worth it not worth it” he mumbles before kissing your head. He stays still until you stop moving before exhaling. He had never cared about another person's nap so much.

   damn his arm was starting to fall asleep. 

    ☼-☪-☼

   an hour later

   Wanda opened the door to your room and was slightly surprised to see Peter playing with your hair while you slept on his chest “Uh- i knocked, why didn’t you say anything?” she asked. Peter looked down at you for a moment then Wanda “I didn’t want to wake her up. I also can’t feel my arm”

   she smiles brightly at the young love “Why didn't you just move her” she questions, folding her arms across her chest “I have never moved each time you fell asleep on me” Vision spoke from behind her. Wanda looks at him with a slightly shocked expression “You can move. I wouldn’t have been mad”

   “That’s not the point darling. I don’t want to move” Vision replies. Wanda sighs “Will talk more about this later’ she says to him before “Tony would like to see her in the main lobby. i’m assuming he doesn’t know your here?” she says with a small grin. 

   Peter smiles nervously “Yeah- i snuck in. I- i- can get her up. Just give me a few minutes” he said with a pleading look. Wanda smiles, nodding and grabs Visions arm “Bye Peter” she said and walked alongside her lover, closing the door shut. 

   Peter sighs, not really wanting to move at this point, but knew you had to be somewhere. He starts to softly shake your shoulder “Y/n- Y/n you have to get up. Mr. Stark needs you in the lobby” you mumble something incoherent to him before rolling over onto your other side. “No”

   he chuckles to himself and stretches his arm for a second “Come on- we can always sleep later” he tries to rationalize. You groan out before propping yourself up on your elbows “Fine, but i’m not going to enjoy whatever the hell is happening” you say in an attempt to be petty. 

   you hear Peter laugh at your response “I’ll come with you then” he suggests. You smile slightly at the thought and throw your legs over the bed. “Let’s go then” you say and let out yawn. You walk over to the side of the bed Peter was on nd slip your feet into the slippers on the floor. 

   Peter stands up and reaches up to fix his now bed head. You lift your hand and move a piece of hair from his face “Thank you” he says and you nod. Suddenly, he leans down and captures your lips in his, catching you a bit off guard but you weren’t complaining. 

   you went to pull away when one his hands was placed on the small of your back, pulling you flush against him. Well damn Peter Parker. He deepens the kiss more by placing his other hand on the nape of your neck. After a couple seconds you both pull away “What was that for?” you ask. 

   “I haven’t got to kiss you all day” he says with a brow raised like it was so obvious. “Oh okay” you hold back some laughter. 

    ☼-☪-☼

   you and Peter walk to the lobby. During your small walk he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and kept you close to him while he talked about how he got his powers. A radioactive spider. That seemed much more awesome then being manipulated by a god at the age of six.

   “Well look at you two” you both look up too see Tony grinning at the both of you so close together. Peter’s face flushes, but he keeps his arm around you “Tony don’t tease them” Wanda comments. Peter hides his face behind your head until the redness went down. 

   “Nice one Spider-Boy” you comment, earning yourself a small growl under his breath, which was interesting to hear to be honest. Suddenly a yellow circle appeared in front of the glass doors. You instinctively take a step back, but Peter keeps you in place “It’s okay” he reassures. 

   you trust his word and stay put as the circle grew quite large. A man stepped out. He was wearing sort of medieval clothes with a maroon cape that seemed to move on its own- Dr. Strange? “Hello” he said to the room and steps to the side as....Thor the god of thunder steps  through the portal, hair cut short.

   at first you were slightly fangirling inside, but then it sunk in who would walk in next. In all his glory, Loki the god of mischief walks through and stands next to his brother. He was wearing an all black suit. You couldn’t tell if you wanted to throw up or run away- maybe both. 

   “Would anyone like to explain why we’re here?” Thor asks, shaking Tony’s hand. “I would also like to know that, considering no one here likes me” Loki adds, fixing the cuffs of his sleeves. “Yeah antlers shut it- 2012 attack. Remember talking to a little girl?”

   Loki gave Tony a strange look “May i remind you all that i was under the control of Thanos and barley remember a thing. Also, what little girl? I hate children” he says with a face of slight disgust. “I might be able to help you all with that” Strange cuts in.

   “Even if you don’t remember anything. Those memories are still locked away in your head. I could access them” he says, gesturing to one of his hands. Loki looks him up and down “I will not have anyone inside my head, that’s sort of my thing” he retorts. 

   Thor crosses his arms over his broad chest “Why is this important?” he directed his question to Tony. “Infinity Stone cleanup.” he says vaguely. Loki sighs and takes a deep breath after “Fine- make it quick and only look at what you need too.

   Strange steps forward “Trust me- i don’t want to look at anything else” he reassures amd steps behind Loki. He placed his hands on either sides of Loki’s head and began to mumble a few words. In an instant it was like Loki became a projector.

   his memory was played in a hologram like manner. Peter and you watch from behind so its inverted for the both of you- not like you haven’t lived through it or anything, but okay. All of you watched as Loki gave you the powers and your tiny body float up then faint. 

   once the memory was over Loki watched the tiny child disappear along with the memory and left standing behind the little girl was you. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together at this point. “Why did you show me this?” Loki snapped, pushing Strange’s hands away from his head. 

   “Because reindeer games. You under the raisins control only gave her a tad of the Mind Stone’s power- just the teleportation and portals. You gave her some of your powers” Tony says. The room collectively gasped “I- What?” Loki replied before looking at you. 

   you felt your body tense a bit. Peter felt his spidey sense flare up and kept his arm tightly wrapped around you, but for so long you wanted to confront this guy. Tell him off. Wish him dead, but you had just learned it wasn’t his fault. What were you to do now?

   you push away from Peter, despite his protest and confidently walked up to Loki, stopping a few feet away from him “Hey, i guess” you say, shrugging your shoulders. Loki gulps and nods at you “Hello. I uh- i apologize for what i did” he said, you can tell he was struggling to find the words. 

   you wave your hand “Don’t be. You can do one thing for me though” you say, a malicious grin making a way to your face. Loki narrows his eyes before answering “and that would be?” he asked. What could you possibly want from him?

   “Teach me how to use it”

    ☼-☪-☼

   a month later

   “You can do better” Loki scolded as he circled around you. You were both in the training room and had been at it for three hours. You were regretting asking him to teach you how to use these damned powers. “Go again!” he exclaims and you form to blades as he charges at you. 

   you push yourself left and watch as Loki stumbles a bit. You use this opportunity to drop down and kick him completely off balance. Loki falls to the floor and as you went to hit him, he kicked you in the chest, knocking the wind out of you “OH you slimy prick!” you coughed.

   Loki grins as he pushes himself off the floor “I’ll add it to the list of things you call me” he says before coming at you again. You stood there and waited until he was inches away before dropping to the floor and sliding across. You end up behind him and wrap your arm around his neck, holding the blade against it.

   you could Loki huffs to try and catch his breath “Much better. Now we’re done for the day” he declares. You exhale and let go of him “Thank god” you say and wave your hand, the blade fading away. “I’ll clean up, you leave. I’m sure your bug boy is waiting for you” Loki rolls his eyes. 

   “His name is Peter and he’s scared of you” you say with narrowed eyes. His frown turns into a small grin “Good” he replies. You chuckle to yourself before walking towards the door “Bye Loki” you say before walking out the room. Time to hit the showers. 

    ☼-☪-☼

   after taking a shower, you sat down on your bed, looking out the window. You wished Loki was right about Peter waiting for you, but he had been busy all week with crime and patrolling. He was Spider-Man after all. You had just hadn’t expect to be so clingy. 

   it was late as much you wanted to stay up for him you decided to just get some rest. You had put on Peters midtown sweatshirt he left a couple weeks ago. It smelt like him so it’ll have to do until you could see your actual boyfriend ago- holy shit. He had never really asked you to be his girlfriend.

   how come you didn’t notice that before? You were just happy to be with him that you didn’t care about the labels and such. Strange. You climb into bed and pulled the comforter over you while grabbing a pillow to hug close to your chest. It helped you fall asleep sometimes. 

   you plug in your phone and place it on the empty space in the bed. Closing your eyes you force yourself to drift off to sleep so tomorrow could come quicker. It was child like logic, but hey- sometimes children logic is all you need. 

    ☼-☪-☼

   a couple hours later

   your eyes slowly open and your met with the sight of Peter in his suit, just outside your window. He was knocking on it and looking around outside. Not creepy at all. You get up out of bed, using one hand to rub your eyes while the other undid the latch of the window. 

   “Hey. Sorry for waking you” he says, climbing into the room and taking off his mask. You walk back to your bed and pick up your phone “Peter it’s two in the morning. Isn’t May going to worry where you are?” you question. YOu turn around just as his suit faded into the spider symbol. 

   Peter shakes his head and places the symbol down on the dresser “No. She knows i’m staying here tonight” he says. You narrow your eyes, walking over to him “You didn’t tell me you were staying over. I haven’t gotten any time with you this week” you say with a small pout. 

   he smiles and grabs your hands “That’s why i’m here- is that my sweatshirt?” he asked, looking down at the blue piece of clothing. You shrug “Maybe” he shakes his head “You look really good in it Might have to let you keep it” he says and leans down to give you a kiss, but you turn your head away.

   “I wasn’t planning on giving it back to you bug boy” you tease. Damn- you gotta stop hanging out with Loki for awhile. Peter’s face drops “I’m ignoring the bug comment for now. You rejected my kiss. I haven’t kissed you all week Y/n” his tone was whiney and made you want to laugh. 

   “I’m sorry” you say trying to hold back laughter. Peter smiles and finally plants his lips on yours, It was like every other kiss, sweet. Until Peter did his whole hand on the back of your neck thing to pull you in for deeper kiss. You reach up to wrap your arms loosely around his neck. 

   Peter lifts you off the ground and places you on the bed, breaking the kiss “Hm. I missed that” he whispers and leans his forehead against yours. You smile, looking up at him. You arms fall as you let out a yawn “and i missed my human pillow, now get under the covers”

   “Yes ma’am” he replies with a quiet laugh and lays on his back. You lay your head on his chest and tangle your legs with his. Peter pulls the blanket over the both of you “Night Y/n” he says and kisses your head sweetly before closing his eyes. You smile and close yours as well. 

   “Goodnight Peter”

    ☼-☪-☼

   Click here to join my Taglist

   ☼-☪-☼

   Kody: shitty end, but hey i thought it was decent. Request be open btw. Anyways, peace. 

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian season 2 ep 1 AGAIN! it’s the rewatch folks

- The entire last season reminder/intro scene is kind of clunky and we’re-hitting-you-over-the-head-with-this, but I think it’s important to note that it’s probably meant for the vast majority of people who watched this stuff once a wholeass year ago, and not for me, the crazy person who watched each episode at least five times lol

- 

I like the way mando & bb walk from darkness into brief light and back into darkness here... the directors keep finding such cool ways of using the armour cinematically, there must be some lighting considerations to be made when your main character is essentially a walking disco ball. I enjoy the mood of this planet too -- the distant lights, the way the sky isn’t quite dark like there’s a city providing some light pollution nearby (it’s a bit clearer as he walks further into the... town? that it’s not just sunset, the sky is lit up weirdly) 

also when din moves towards the camera and out of sight in this first appearance, the signet is the very last thing that leaves the frame! I just thought that was sweet, a clan of two :’)

- shotout to these two lads and their boldly absolutely inexplicable hat choices (I love gratuitous star wars crowd scenes you guys)

those tacky gold sequins on her sleeves... immaculate, beautiful, someone sat through like full body makeup application to be on screen a literal split second, that good good sw nonsense

- oh I didn’t notice before but I think those gladiator dudes are using vibroaxes! I guess they have the technology to portray it in live action now after the vibroblades in the first season

- the way bb glances up at din like ‘hey dad. dad what the fuck???’ as one gomorrean nearly chops the arm off the other fjaslfds

- when you look for it it’s comically obvious that those guys are working for the dude mando’s meeting, they’ve all got more or less the same dark uniform and don’t look much at the fight haha. they might as well have ‘hired thugs’ stamped upon their foreheads

- I like how pared down and spare the music is in this fight scene, it’s just the faint whine of the electric guitars under the thuds of meat hitting metal 

also still love how din fights, the fact that he doesn’t even try to not get hit a lot of the time, he’s just tanking through it waiting for someone to fling themselves at him in a way he can exploit to take them out

the bouncer seems to be holding something like sci-fi handcuffs when he grabs din and lifts him off his feet, so he probably meant to restrain him quickly. bonus: I didn’t notice it the first time around, but din really went straaaaaiiight for this dude’s gentleman area once he dropped him back on his feet lol (you can even see him taking a split second to orient himself and take aim first fhsdkfhas). good job space cowboy dad, sometimes fighting smart means fighting dirty

- leaving this awful dude hanging upside down to get eaten after employing some very deliberate phrasing so he’s not even breaking his word is the ruthless HEIGHT of mando’s hilarious petty streak and it makes me cackle, gives me life, waters my crops    

- oh, the palpable loneliness and longing in din’s voice when he says ‘if I can track down another of my kind’ ;_______; I’m sorry buddy

- may we speak for a moment about the fact that din carries his son around in what seems very much to be a saddle bag sdafjkhsa

- the way din checks in with peli (to see if she’s fucking with him? he’s very confused anyway haha) over the map before saying “I don’t see anything” is so precious. he already seems much more socially tuned in and responsive compared to the beginning of season 1, you love to see it, coming out of that freeze response baBEY

- I can’t get over how much the baby loves speed, this is coming back to bite you so hard if you’re ever going to have to teach this kid how to drive one day mando

- awwww the little patented mando finger curl as he enters the bar <3<3<3 that’s sort of his tell for being preoccupied/anxious; I think finding other mandos, someone to trust and to get help from, means A Lot to him  

once he sees the marshall in the armour his shoulders drop down and he stands up straighter :’) hope is a powerful thing (I guess all of this might add even more to how angry he is too)

the DEAD STOP when cobb takes the helmet off sdkfhkajsldhfsdk

- yodito putting his lil mouth on the lip of this jar thing is such a well observed little quirk of baby behaviour, I’m crying

(there is liquid of some sort in this thing; I’ve seen some people theorize it’s a spittoon but for my own peace of mind I’m going to forcefully declare that it is not thank you)

- so much stuff packed into that “He’s seen worse”!! dismissal, self-deprecation, sorrow, resignation, warning. 

- the contrast in this standoff of vanth’s eastwood eye twitch and the complete deadpan impassiveness of din’s helmet and general demeanor... wonderful  

- upon rewatching I’m actually wondering if some of these scenes with the baby on his own were filmed independently of the actors and that it might add to that slight distracting feeling of disconnect/distance you get through the episode. (it’s sort of odd to me that mando doesn’t even glance down at him as the whole place starts to shake, for example) there must be a lot of stuff that comes down to technical considerations with the baby; I suspect it takes a lot of time and resources to have him walking around too much, which is why The Waddle is kind of a rare treat   

what I’m saying is that they may be saving up dad & baby interaction resources for episodes where it’s more relevant or important

- so is this a one bantha town or is it just for convenient film language reasons it was all alone in frame like that lol

also cobb’s ‘mondays amirite’ look fdsakjfhsjk 

- since I think it every time I get to this part: this is a very neat hairstyle this person is rocking, suits them! 

- ah the stern pointer finger of emphasis. din TALKS, no, COMMUNICATES so much in this episode you guys!!!!! 

- rip this tusken, the bravest person who ever lived

- the delivery of “...they might be open to some fresh ideas” is the funniest moment of this entire episode don’t @ me

- oh the kotor-ness of it all lol

- jill (the girl who hands cobb the detonator) is so cute with her hat and everything ;____; 

- I suppose these tuskens are really the bravest people to ever live considering they saw what happened to the last guy (or gal I suppose I don’t know how sand people gender works)

- baby needs some goggles to protect his giant eyes from wind and sand Y___Y

- they’ve nailed how to make the jetpacks work in live action, it looks really cool and I suspect it easily could have uh. not 

- this poor sacrificial bantha... it even tried to get away

- ooooh the heart eyes -- cobb 100% has a crush on this man jfsdflhsad. (with it being sort of unrequited/’oh man I’m behind about 150 layers of dissociation too many to even really consider that one way or the other bud’ from mando’s side #personal headcanon disclaimer)    

- my take on why din doesn’t get dissolved in acid in there is that that stuff is released from a specific gland or something that the dragon can unleash at will and that the spit itself doesn’t have that quality on its own (or at least it’s a lot less potent) 

- seems pretty well confirmed by now that yodito is a carnivore huh hahaha

- I find it obscurely satisfying that cobb seems to be wearing exactly his old outfit under the armour -- he did just strap it on on top of what he already was. (there’s something there -- he’s a whole thing still without the armour, and at this time at least din would not be I don’t think) just some good narrative foil stuff going on here under the surface

also once again props to the costume design; without the armour he looks so vulnerable again, they have dressed him to emphasise his height and slenderness (especially compared to mando, who actually seems to have bulked up a bit? fatherhood suits him I guess)    

plus, the way the baby looks questioningly up at din while he watches cobb walk away? yeah, din is lonely, let this poor man have a friend who stays around soon T______________T

- heeey boba, nice threads! my guess is that he’s not going to be there for the armour if he does track din down, since he hasn’t seemed to be in any haste to get it back before (which is interesting!). he might also have been unable to go looking for it before because he was still recovering from being half digested, of course, they could play it a lot of different ways

I wonder if we’ll get more of him in the next ep or if they’ll let the tension ramp up through the season 

[scribbles97]

Left Behind - Chapter 30

PART 1 / PART 2

Chapter 22 / Chapter 23 / Chapter 24 / Chapter 25 / Chapter 26 / Chapter 27 / Chapter 28 / Chapter 29

TRIGGER WARNING - MENTION OF MISCARRIAGE

It was only out of convenience that she and Lee had agreed to share the twin room of the suite. After all, Sally had volunteered to take the single room and Hugh and Kyrano the other twin. It left the boys to top and tail in the two double rooms and John and Ridley to take the double room across the hall. 

It didn’t mean Val had to like it. 

Lee was insufferable when he was worried. 

She knew he meant well. Knew it was simply because he cared. Knew that he got scared that he would lose something more than what he had in the past. 

It was because of his and Lucy’s parents that International Rescue had been born. Jeff had seen the grief of the loss and how it had affected his wife and his best friend. He had been there when the blame had been thrown back and forth, if only someone had been there faster, if there had been something to dig through the snow quicker, if only one of them had gone with them.

She remembered the day well though, remembered how both Gordon and Alan had been fussing, Virgil had had the flu, and Scott, John, and Jeff had gone to the store simply to escape it all. Her parents in law had wanted to escape it too, suggested to Lee that they took a walk up the mountain for some fresh air before dinner. They had tried to insist that he go with them and leave Val and Lucy with the three moaning children that just wanted to play in the snow. 

She remembered how he had refused, insisted that he was going to make the most of the time with his wife before he headed to Mars just a matter of weeks later. 

Absentmindedly, she felt for the ring on her finger, the plain silver band still in place after all that time. 

She knew he didn’t really blame her for what had happened to his parents. It was just a case of hurt and unfortunate circumstances that everything bad that had happened to Lee had always happened whilst she was around. 

She had been the one to lose their baby after all. 

A rescue that only she knew she shouldn’t have been on. It had been all hands on deck, everyone needed to help where they could. There was a reason she hated earthquakes most of all. Aftershocks that nobody could ever quite predict and buildings already made unstable threatened further destruction. 

The stupid thing was she hadn’t even been inside when it had happened. When the aftershock had hit and the community centre had come down and a stray rebar hit her just in the wrong place. 

She knew immediately there was no hope for the baby she had been carrying, barely a clump of cells but already so much a part of her. 

It wasn’t until much later that she found out that there never would be a baby. It was a sacrifice the doctors had had to make in order to save her. 

Surrogacy and adoption had been thrown around as ideas too early on, when she and Lee had still been hurting and grieving for someone they had never even met. Perhaps she would have considered it, if only life hadn’t gotten so hectic, if five nephews and an adoptive niece hadn’t filled the hole left. 

Lee had gotten angry. Blamed her for being out in the field when she shouldn’t have been. Not only had she risked her own life and that of their baby, but others too. More what ifs had been thrown around, accusations that couldn’t be taken back even if only said in anger. 

She could pinpoint the exact day their marriage had ended, even if no papers had ever been signed. 

It was only a fear of being lonely that left them together. 

And it was only habit that they shared a drawer in the hotel room. 

Except when she came back from her shower, half the drawer was empty. Glancing around the room, she realised that a whole half of it was empty. No glasses on the bedside table, no dirty socks left at the bottom of the bed, and come to think of it, no toothbrush in the bathroom. 

No sign of Lee anywhere. 

She should have seen it coming, they were moving Lucy that day. Taking her home to the Island so that her family could be near her even in between rescues. 

Except Lee had disagreed, had insisted that she would be better off in hospital with real supervision and real equipment available. Virgil and Sally had quickly shot him down, insisting that Elliot was more than capable of monitoring Lucy and their equipment more than sufficient. 

With the rest of the family on side, there had been no competition. 

Pulling out her phone she set it to dial as she rubbed her cropped hair dry. 

“Val,” The accented voice of Kyrano answered, “I’m currently securing the airport.”

She sighed, rummaging through her bag with a shake of her head, “Lee’s running.”

Kyrano snorted, at least that was what it sounded like down the line, some noise of disapproval before he tutted. Val stayed silent, waiting for some confirmation that he at least wouldn’t get out of that airport without Kyrano knowing. 

“Have you spoken to him?”

Holding her phone to her ear using her shoulder as she fastened her bra she rolled her eyes. Everyone always left it to her to speak to Lee, some old assumption relating to the remains of their marriage no doubt. On occasion the duty would fall to Lucy, being the older of the pair there was a certain authority she held over Lee that she was willing to use when needed. 

Lucy was unavailable though, so it was clear who the job fell to. 

“Not yet.” She sighed, kicking her legs in the hope her jeans would pull on just that little bit easier, “I wasn’t sure if anyone might have spoken to him, didn’t want to scare him further away if I could help it.”

“He might not be running,” Kyrano reasoned, “He did alright after Jeff vanished.”

Vanished. The word still seemed wrong considering for so long they had been saying how he had died. 

When Jeff had vanished Lee had been there, had been the one that had tried to get Jeff off of the damn ship before it blew. He had been there to actively do something at the time of the accident. 

He hadn’t even known where Lucy was when she had been hurt. 

“This is different,” She murmured, “And you know it.”

Kyrano sighed again, “Alright, I’ll tell my people to keep an eye out but you need to find out for sure if he’s a definite flight risk.”

Val scoffed as she picked up her shirt from the pile, “I’ll find out alright.”

“Keep me updated.” Kyrano told her, “I’ll see you at the airport later.”

“F.A.B.” 

Throwing the phone onto her bed, she glared at it briefly as she found the arm holes of the top. Like they didn’t already have enough on that day with moving Lucy, no minor deal given the security in place and medical equipment required. 

Groaning in frustration as the shirt refused to pull on, she stopped for a minute, standing with the stretchy material over her head and only one arm in a sleeve. 

“Inconsiderate bloody bas--” She uttered, spying the label of the shirt in front of her and realising it was back to front. 

“Why?” She uttered to herself as she pulled her arm from the sleeve and twisted the material around over her head, “Why can’t he just think? Huh? We’re all bloody stressed and unhappy and-- Oh come on!”

Top twisted too far or not far enough, she wasn’t sure, but the label was still in front of her face. Yanking it off of her head she threw it on the bed alongside her phone, deciding that the tank top would do, even if the weather outside was on the cooler side.

She’d be in her car at least. 

Grabbing her phone and leather jacket from the bed, she turned for the suite door, pressing dial as she went and resisting the urge to curse at the busy tone that answered. 

“Aunt Val?” Alan called as she passed him on the sofa, “Where you goin’?”

She smiled, turning to the youngest nephew as she straightened her collar, “Just to talk to your Uncle, have you seen him?”

“Nah,” Alan sighed, “heard him go though, like early this morning.”

Frowning at him, she tilted her head, “It’s not like you to be up early?”

His eyes fell to his datapad as he locked the screen and tilted it towards himself. 

“Alan.” She warned, dropping her voice and narrowing her eyes at him. 

He pouted, sighing as he looked up to her, “Please don’t get mad?”

Shifting over to sit on the arm of the sofa, she folded her arms, “What have you been up to?”

Still watching the tablet in his lap, he sighed heavily, “I was playing on the simulators, seeing if I could beat John’s high score.”

Raising an eyebrow, Val tilted her head, “And did you?”

“Turns out I couldn’t actually find what his score was.” Alan huffed, “So, I don’t know.”

From what Lucy had been saying, and from what she had seen herself, it was entirely possible that Alan could have at least matched John’s score. 

Not that she was going to tell him that yet. 

“How about, when we get back home you and me will have a go on the full simulator?” She offered, “Show the others what you’re made of.”

He sat straighter immediately, “Really? We can?”

If he had have been younger she would have ruffled his hair, but Alan was too big for that now. Too old to be treated like the youngest without protest. 

“You’ll fly Three Kid, I’ll make sure of it.”

She didn’t add that if Lee didn’t pull his finger out it might have been sooner than any of them had expected. 

***

Anger had been the prominent feature on Scott’s face when she had arrived at the hospital and told him Lee was gone. 

That had quickly been followed by rushed, tense words and a show of storming out of the room with a promise to find him. 

Val had been left with Lucy, silently praying that her sister-in-law would forgive her for letting her little brother slip away as he had. She didn’t doubt her best friend would understand, Lucy had always said how stubborn and pigheaded he was. They had all clashed with him one time or another. 

He’d never gone completely off the grid before though. 

Never vanished off silently in the early hours without anyone noticing. 

“He must hate me Luce,” She sighed, “First your parents, then the baby, now you. What kind of wife is also a bad luck charm?”

A gentle tut from the doorway made her turn, Hugh nodded to her once as he stepped into the room, hair scruffier than ever but shirt ironed to perfection. 

“Tell her Luce,” He muttered as he eased down into the chair on the other side of the bed, “How could she ever be bad luck?”

She eyed him across the bed, Hugh knew the story, had sat and drunk whiskey with her over it one night when the weather had been cold and the memories painful. Both had shared their stories, been reminded that they weren’t the only one in the world to feel like they had been at fault for losing someone dear to them. 

“Lee’s gone, Hugh.” She uttered, “Without a trace.”

He nodded, leaning back in the seat and resting his feet on the edge of the mattress, “That’s not on you though.”

She could have disagreed, insisted that she should have seen it coming and should have spoken to him to stop it. 

Something on her face must have given her away.

“Val,” Hugh chided softly, “Lee has made his choice. Just because he feels differently from the rest of us isn’t an excuse for him to run away. Our focus here is Lucy.”

Looking back to the bed, she took a breath. Lucy was still pale, eyes black, burns hidden beneath the swathes of bandages. 

“Do you blame yourself?” She whispered, not looking to Hugh as she took her friends bandaged hand. 

“Every damn day.”

It was easy to guess as much, Hugh cared for Lucy, more than just as a friend. He had been there for her when Jeff had vanished and it seemed like since then he had never left her side, even if they did live on the opposite sides of the world.

Hugh wasn’t Jeff though. 

And Lucy wasn’t one for always listening to what others told her. 

“You shouldn’t,” She looked up to him, knowing that he would be watching Lucy, “Nothing would have persuaded her to get out of there.”

Val knew it was only easy for her to say because at the time she hadn’t been there and she hadn’t known what had been going on. She could guess that was equally part of the reason Hugh was blaming himself. 

“I should have dragged her out sooner, she could have died Val.”

She didn’t voice the thought that Lucy wasn’t out of the woods yet. Hugh no doubt knew that anyway. 

“She was desperate to know about Jeff,” Val countered instead, “My guess is that nothing would have got her out of there.”

Nothing but the answers she needed to hear. 

Hugh closed his eye as he shook his head, reaching out to rest his hand over Lucy’s as he sighed. Something that looked like pain crossed his features as he bowed his head. 

“Hugh? What is it?”

His lips pursed as he looked up to her, his eye dark and exhausted. She could see the fear there, the look of a man that had almost lost everything and was terrified of losing what he did have left. 

Val knew how to wear the exact same look. 

“We won’t lose her.” She assured, smile tight as she looked back to Lucy. 

Hugh snorted as he sighed again, “That’s the problem Val, I think I already have.”

[detroitbydark]

Moonbeams and Ridinghoods Chp 6

Pairing: Werewolf!Haz/Reader, Tom Holland/OC

Word Count: 2700+ 

Warnings: None

Summary: Y/N enjoys a girls day and makes a new friend.

A/N: Guess who's back? Back again? Me bitches! I really had fun with this chapter. There's not much of our boy but I wanted to world build just a bit if I could. I hope ya'll enjoy it.  

You'd taken the contract in London without so much as batting an eye at the description. London was selling point enough and you wanted out of your small town fast. It had seemed like a no brainer. You did that a lot, jumping into things without much thought for what would happen next. As you scan through your meager wardrobe your reminded that in the future it wouldn’t hurt you to make a plan. There’s scrubs for everyday of the week. There’s yoga pants, t-shirts and sports bras galore. You’ve got a handful of your favorite denim jeans, boots, tennis shoes, your lucky red hoodie and a few passable sweaters. What you don’t have is anything to go out on a fancy date in. Nothing. 

You’d verified the fancy too. When you’d messaged Harrison earlier you’d asked what you should wear. After you’d nixed the idea of your ‘birthday suit” he’d said a dress would be fine or “whatever made you feel comfortable”. Somehow, you didn’t think holey sweats and a tank top were going to cut it. 

After staring at your meager pickings for longer than necessary you grab your phone and ring Emily. 

“Hey girl! We doing dinner tonight?” she asks right off the bat.

“If we can shop first. Harrision’s taking me out on Saturday and I’ve got, literally, nothing to wear.” You explain pulling on jeans.

“Now, you're speaking my language. I’m going to dip out of here in fifteen. Can you be ready by four?” 

You look at the clock. It was half past three and all you had left was to run a brush through your hair and throw on some basic, everyday make-up. 

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

Emily had been even more underwhelmed by your closet than you had. 

“You do own a dress, right?” She asks giving you the side eye from the driver’s seat of the BMW she’d picked you up in. You snort lightly.

“Yes, I do in fact have a closet full of pretty dresses. They’re just not on this continent.” Emily chuckles.

“Just checking” she says turning off the main street onto a side road. “Well, I’m sure Caitlin will have something for you. She’s my go to. Honestly, she’s the best. Great selection and even some of her own designs” she explains as she parallel parks in front of a small storefront. Diamonds and Pearls is scrawled out in an elegant cursive script above the shop door. It’s cute. You can see racks set up throughout the small shop through the window and comfy chairs littered here and there. Emily hops out and waits for your by the door. You’d been hoarding your pay and while it didn’t look like somewhere you’d usually allow yourself to go you were excited to see what you could find. 

A petite redhead greets you as you enter and Emily scurries to wrap her in a hug. The women embrace for a moment, pressing their foreheads together gently before offering a pair of air kisses to one another's cheeks. They turn back to you.

“Y/N, this is Caitlin.”  You offer your hand for a shake and the woman gives you a funny smile before pulling you in for a hug.

“And to think, Americans call us uptight?” she jokes. You can’t help but laugh along with her. “Call me Cat.” She instructs. She’s petite with wild mane of auburn hair and green eyes that sparkle as she looks you over.

“Y/N is supposed to be going on a date and she is woefully under prepared” 

You roll your eyes as Emily explains but you don’t argue. She’s right.

Cat gets a bright look, “Ohhh my favorite kind of client. What kind of date are we talking? Are we hoping for some dessert after?” She asks wagging her eyebrows suggestively. You can’t help but laugh, finding yourself liking the woman already. 

“Harrison’s taking her out” Em interjects before you have a chance to say anything. Cats  eyes grow wide and she stares at you with an entirely different look, more assessing, as if sizing you up. You must pass whatever litmus test she’s run you through because her easy grin returns quickly as she takes your hand and leads you over to some racks. Emily proceeds to take a seat and watch the show, obviously having been through it a time or two before.

“Haz, eh?” She asks you as she begins pulling dresses from the rack. She looks from you to the garments before placing some back and draping others over her arm. “It’s about time the old boy had someone on his arm.”

“It’s nothing serious.” You defend and she laughs. Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you peak at the message.

Haz: Don’t let Em get you in any trouble ;)

Haz: call me later 

You stifle a smile as Cat gives you a knowing look. You quickly shove your phone back into your pocket.

“Harrison hasn’t taken a girl out in ages. With everything he’s got on his plate right now, if he’s pursuing you than it is definitely something.” 

“Everything on his plate?”

Cat and Emily share a quick look and Cat shrugs.

“Haz keeps busy is all. Family business doesn’t run itself now does it?”

You watch Cat curiously as she moves about her shop. Occasionally you point to a piece and she dutifully picks each up and adds it to the pile. Once you’ve looped around the racks once she seems to be happy with her haul and she motions for you to go to the pair of small fitting rooms in the back. Emily follows the two of you back and the they take up spots on the opposite ends of a loveseat as you begin trying on different outfits. Em looks regal with her legs primly crossed at the knee while Cat sits with her knees pulled close and her arms looping around them.

It’s been so long since you’ve been with “the girls” and even longer since you played the grown up version of dress up. Each outfit earns a thumbs up or thumbs down from the pair.

After showing off a red satin shift dress that received mixed reviews you step back into the changing room. 

“So Y/N,” Emily begins, “how long were planning on staying over here?”

You slip out of the red dress and wiggle into a black halter dress that clings to your curves with a hemline that falls mid thigh. Taking a step out of the dressing room you do a little turn in the mirror to catch all the different angles you can see. 

“I’m not sure yet. I mean, my contract has another few months on it but i’m not opposed to staying on longer.”

Cat rises to her feet makes a motion to the dress. “May I?” she asks and you pick your arms up.

“Please do” you encourage as she folds the hem and adjusts the loop around your neck.

Cat speaks casually as she works, “So nothing you’re wanting to rush back stateside for?”

You laugh as they attempt to dig information from you. 

“Nope” you offer, “my stuff is in storage and, honestly, I don’t think I'm particularly missed.”

“Ouch girl…” Em mutters, “be gentle with yourself.” 

You shrug helplessly. You hadn’t spoken with your mother much since you’d arrived and your best friend was certainly preoccupied. Cat takes a step back motioning for you to take another look. You're careful to move, afraid to be poked by the pins she’s placed but you can’t help but absolutely blown away. The dress had looked pretty good before but with a few alterations it looked like it had been made for you. You can’t take your eyes off yourself. While you’d known in the right light and with the right makeup you could be considered attractive this made you feel like something else entirely. It made you feel elegant. It made you feel sexy.

“Oh my God…” you murmur, “This one. It’s got to be this one.” 

Emily and Cat nod in agreement.  “So when Haz falls desperately in love with you do you think you’ll hang about?” Emily asks. You turn and give her an odd look. 

“Is there something your trying to get at?” You ask, not answering her question. Emily shrugs as Cat excuses herself to look for a pair of shoes. 

“I watch out for my boys and Harrison…” Her eyes steady in on you. “Harrison is like a brother to me and I’d love to see him with someone that can accept him for everything he is.”

“Ive liked what I've seen so far. I get he’s probably complicated. The good ones are, right? But he makes me feel…” you shrug as Cat returns and your thankful for the distraction she provides as talk turns back to fashion and shoe choices. 

After deciding on a dress and shoes the three of you go through a few more outfits. Cat grabs a garment bag off a rack and hands it to Emily. The dark haired woman raises a brow.

“Is this…?” She trails off.

“The one I told you I was going to make you? Absolutely.” 

You duck into a dressing room as Emily moves into the other. You switch into your last outfit, fitted leather pants and a red cropped halter. Cat has an eye for fit and a style that is so much like your own. If you had deeper pockets.

“Is she going to Luna next weekend?” you hear Cat asks Emily quietly.

“I don’t know yet. I think it would be a good idea. Tom’s not keen on outsiders though so who knows at this point.”

“Isn’t Harrision’s big fight-” 

Whatever Cat had been about to ask is cut off as you push past the velvet draping. You watch as she grasps her hands together and smiles widely at you. Her eyes travel over your outfit and she turns to Em as she exits her dressing room.

“You May be ousted for a newer muse, love.”

Em chuckles and your mouth goes dry as she gives the designer a little spin of her own. She’s gorgeous and you feel like you pale in comparison but that isn’t what has you shocked silent. As she flips her dark hair over her shoulder you can't help but see the jagged, pink puckered scars that traverse her right shoulder. The jagged and torn lines dip as far as the eye can see. The cocktail dress doesn’t just show off the brutal marks but seems to accentuate them with its deeply dipping back. Em turns and her smile fades as she catches your expression. You stumble to recover.

“I didn’t mean to stare-“

Waving her hand dismissively, Emily gives you a sad smile. “I started owning these a long time ago. I hardly notice them most days.”

You bite at the inside of your cheeks and Cat finds something in some of her stitching very interesting. 

“Can I ask…?” Your curiosity is too much. Em nods and turns so you can get a better look.

“Feral dog” she says with a dark tone. Cat makes a sound that comes out as a coarse, bitter laugh.

“One way to put it.”

“The only way to put it.” Emily confirms seriously. 

The mood in the room has shifted and your not sure how to get back to where you were. Emily senses it too. She turns her back away from you and looks at you with bright searching eyes. You notice a much smaller scar running along her left collarbone. 

“if the ones on my back are my curse,” she says softly. “Than this one is my blessing.” Her fingers graze the pink crescents lovingly. The are dainty and refined in comparison to the mauled marks you’d just seen. 

Emily has a calmness and control over her. The solemn feeling ebbs as she looks at Cat, changing the course of conversation with such ease you don’t even think about what you’ve seen or more questions you may have.

“Would you like to come out to dinner with Y/N and I?”

It’s late when the town car brings you through the high iron gates of Emily’s home. The three of you are rosy cheeked and laughing as Cat makes a joke about Emily’s boyfriend, Tom.

“So how far up his arse does that stick really go?”

Emily snorts and water from the bottle she’s been drinking comes out her nose.

“He’s not that bad!” She defends but Cat looks across at her with such an incredulous look that Emily can’t help but giggle.

“Maybe he’s just a little serious but that’s his position.”

You’ve been happy to sit fairly quiet for most of the evening as the two women have gone back and forth joking about different people in their social circle. They’d stopped occasionally to explain how this person or that related and you’d nodded dutifully trying to trace all the moving parts and tying them together with the anecdotes you were hearing. As the night progressed and the wine had flowed it had been decided for you that you’d stay with Emily. 

As you take in the large brick home with lights shining brightly in its windows you’re a little awestruck. It’s gorgeous and bigger than any place anyone you’d ever known had lived in.

“Em, are you sure I’m good to stay? I don’t want to impose.”

“Y/N, this place has room for days.” She says. A slight slur is noticeable when she speaks. “Besides I’m not putting your drunk ass into a cab.”

The car parks and you grumble as you open your door. The other two women laugh as you stumble on your first steps toward the door. Maybe you were a little drunk.

“You’re telling me the pair of you aren’t feeling it?” You ask indignantly as Cat presses into your side. You loop an arm over her shoulder and lean into her for support.

“Darling, it's not that we’re not pissed it’s just” she leans into your ear, whispering dramatically, “we’re nowhere near as pissed as you are.”

You can’t help but laugh as Emily appears on your other side, miraculously able to walk in the pair pair of heels she’d been wearing all night.

You enter into a spacious kitchen. A marble island takes up a large footprint and you slip into a bar stool next to Cat. Emily grabs another bottle of wine from an under counter wine fridge and a trio of glasses. You’ve all lost control of your volume and it’s not long before a pair of heads peer around the corner, a head of thick unruly curls and a tall hulking man with close cropped hair.

“Tuwaine! Harry!” Cat crows when she catches the pair. “Have a drink with us!”

The men move in with weary smiles like they’ve been in this situation before and they don’t entirely trust the women you’ve stumbled in with. Tuwaine’s eyes skim over you before he’s giving Emily a look that even your drunk self can read.

“That’s Y/N.” She explains “Harrison’s new friend.” The way she emphasizes friend has him raising a brow.

“Emily…” he says warningly but she’s shoving a tumbler into his hands and smiling that same in control smile she displayed earlier. He grumbles something bringing the amber liquid and ice up to his lips.

You hear, “Tom” and “Not happy”.

Harry appears at your side with a drink of his own and a bottle of water that he forces into your hand.

“Drink up, lovey.” He encourages, “there’s no use trying to keep up with the lushes. You won’t survive.” 

Giggling you take the bottle and begin sipping at it, letting your wine glass go forgotten as he slides it away from your reach.

Emily talks shop with Harry as you work on your water. They talk about advertising and weekly specials at the cafe. Cat flirts wildly with Tuwaine who seems all to happy to have the little designers attention. You feel like part of something and it’s a feeling the grounds you in the moment.

At some point someone mentions turning a movie on and the group of you meander through a long hall and into an entertainment room. You sink onto the couch next to Harry and lean against his shoulder while someone ques up Avengers: End Game. Your eyes are starting to feel heavy when another pair of voices join your group.

[lovemesomesurveys]

What website is it easy to spend too much time on? This one and YouTube. What’s been bothering you lately? Just the usual things. Do you ever get cravings for cheese? Yeah. I love cheese. I have at least one thing with cheese everyday, sometimes more. I eat Ramen every night and I like to add shredded cheese to it, so there’s one sure way I get my cheese intake. Do you ever crave affection? Yes. Would you name your baby after someone or give him/her his or her own name? I don’t plan on having kids.

Do you think boys can wear pink and girls can wear blue? It’s 2020, old sport. Get with it. Which hair curlers have you had the best luck with? I don’t use any hair curlers. What is the best way to curl your hair? I haven’t curled my hair in years, but whenever I did, which was rare, I just used a curling iron. Curling my hair never held up very well, though. Don’t you hate it when people act like idiots just to make you mad? I don’t have anyone in my life that does this currently, but yes it would drive me insane.  If you were thrown into a lion’s den, would you trust God to save you? Yes. I’d either survive or not, but either way I’d be fine because I do believe in heaven.  Do you wish you could call the police on the police? No. Do you write in cursive or print more? Print. I only use cursive to sign my name. Were you alive before the Internet came out? So, according to Google the very early stages actually began in 1983, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the internet we know, the world wide web, came to be. If we’re counting ‘83 then no, I wasn’t alive before it came out. If we’re talking 1990, then yes.  Do you like that trends from the 90’s are coming back in style? Yeah. I love the 90s and it seems a lot of people do as well. ….or would you rather have the trends stay the same as the last decade? I honestly don’t follow trends that much anymore, I’ll still like what I like regardless anyway, but it is cool that it changes and new things come about and old things come back around.  What was a horrible trend when you were in high school? Hmm. The scene style was really big when I was in high school and I’m sure people look back on that and cringe, but I liked it.  What is a horrible trend now? I don’t even know what’s trendy right now. What would you do differently if you were God? I don’t even want to entertain that idea. God is God. Have you ever met anyone who claimed to be God? No. If you had to leave the US and never come back, where would you move? I really don’t know. Would you buy a castle if you could afford one? Nah. What is something you aren’t ok with? Uhh, a lot of things. Like abuse of any kind to anyone, but child and animal abuse really hit hard because they don’t have a voice and they’re not really able to defend themselves. Do you fully trust anyone? Yes. How many true Christians do you know? Do you know any? I’ve met a lot of who I’d consider to be true, good Christians recently on the online bible study group I joined a few months ago. There’s Ty as well, but I haven’t seen or talked to him in a few years. :( Do you think someone’s value is based on how much money they have or make? Absolutely not. Would you rather be an aborted baby or a victim of child abuse? Jeez. What’s one trend you’re behind the times on? I don’t knowww. Do idiots act like know-it-alls a lot around you? I’ve known people who acted like know it alls, but didn’t really know shit if that’s what you mean. Do you think it’s ok to call an idiot an idiot? In some cases. I’m not referring to someone who might not be very book smart or something. That’s not an idiot at all. An idiot is someone who does very stupid and reckless things. Someone who chooses to be ignorant about certain things. 

If you had a child with down’s syndrome, would you keep him/her? I don’t plan on having children at all.

Don’t you wish people who weren’t qualified would stop getting handed leadership positions? Well, yeah.

Who is the worst plagiarizer you know? I don’t know any plagiarizers. 

If someone tried to murder your child, do you think it would be wrong to expose them publicly and talk about it on social media? Uh, that’s not even where my mind would go. That would be THE FURTHEST thing from my mind if someone tried to MURDER my child or any of my loved ones, wtf. My focus would be finding that person and getting them thrown in jail.

…Why do you think people think this is wrong? That just wouldn’t even be on my mind. 

Is there a toxic person that you miss? No.

Are you still contemplating going back to someone you shouldn’t? Nope. I’ve completely moved on from anyone I’ve had feelings for like that. 

What do you need right now Nothing at this very moment.

When was the last time you had a new crush? It’s been yearsss. Do you know any “Christians” who are rude and judgmental? Yes. It’s people like that who give Christians a bad name. People see that and think that’s the image of Christianity.

What would you do if your Bible was falling apart? I use an online version, actually. I do want to get a physical copy, though.

Do you have coffee with Jesus every morning? Typically, I make my coffee and then read the daily devotional that this one website posts. I’ve been kind of slacking a bit; though, and that’s not okay.

Do you pretend to be someone you’re not on facebook? Why or why not? No. I don’t see any reason to do that. This is who I am, folks.

Do you know anyone who pretends to be a Christian to get attention? No.

Do you want Jesus to come back soon? Yes.

Do you believe that Jesus is going to come back in your lifetime? No one knows when He will come, but we should be ready and looking.

Would you rather wear blue jeans or jeggings? Jeggings out of the two, but I’m just a regular leggings kind of gal.

What is the most comfortable type of pants ever? Leggings.

What is something you can’t wear because of your body type? I’m very self-conscious about wearing low cut tops, tank tops, crop tops, bathing suits, shorts, dresses (unless I have tights underneath), and any kind of opened toe shoes. I don’t wear any of that stuff. 

If you have curves, do you like them? I don’t have curves. I’d like to.

What is the curviest part of your body? I don’t have any. I’m very thin.

Have you ever been punished for doing the right thing? It felt that way.

How often do you cry? Often.

How many Christians do you know who actually care? I know many loving, caring Christians that truly want and do help others and do good.

Is Tumblr all that it’s hyped up to be? *shrug* I like it. I’m still here. I’ve been around since 2009 on my main account :O

At what age do you think someone is old enough to give advice? Uhh. I don’t know. Depends what type of advice. And also, just cause someone is older it doesn’t mean they should be giving advice. There’s just some types of people who shouldn’t be giving advice.

Have you ever worn matching pajamas with someone? My family and I do for Christmas.

What helps you fall asleep? ASMR.

Do you have a nighttime routine? I do surveys and watch YouTube.

What was the last mountain you climbed? Oh ya know, I’m always climbing mountains. Just another day for me. Just conquered Mt. Everest last week. No biggie.

Who is the fakest Christian you know? Why do you keep coming back to this?

Who are the fakest friends you’ve had? There have been a few.

Who’s the most narcissistic person you know? One of our family friends can be. :X

Who gives the best hugs? My doggo gives great cuddles.

Who was the last person you hugged? My mom.

[5hfanfiction]

Now You Know (Camren) Chapter 6: Violin Renditions

A/N: Happy 21st Birthday, Lern Jergi.

Camila and I head up the street and towards the Walk of Fame, crowded with tourists and natives alike, which is to be expected on a weekend. We walk down the seemingly never-ending string of stars, periodically stopping to take pictures of the stars with familiar names on them for Camila’s sake.

I try my best to keep Camila’s date out of mind by distracting myself with street performers and vendors along the street. It is proven to be harder than I thought when she grabs my hand and drags me to a violinist a few feet ahead of us.

There is already a small crowd surrounding the violinist. The man is wearing a plain white t-shirt with simple jeans, his beard settled on the chin rest of the instrument. He is accompanied with a speaker connected to his violin, amplifying his sound. Camila lets go of my hand when we join the crowd. The violinist is performing a string rendition of Don’t Let Me Down, leaving everyone in the crowd captivated.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfhf6JWa770)

My eyes drift from the violinist to the profile of my friend beside me. Her lips are silently singing the lyrics that have been replaced by the strings of the violin. The sight causes me to smile, but I turn back to the performer before I can get caught.

It hits me then- that Keana will be able to do this freely. That she will be able to catch Camila’s eye for her to smile in return. That she will be able to lean into her barely a moment after and capture those plump lips in between her own. That she will be able to ask for another date, because I didn’t.

It’s a lot to think about, considering that they have only known each other for less than twenty-four hours. I don’t even know where the two stand with the ordeal. But the potential that is there is enough to make me feel apprehensive.

When he finishes the song, his audience applauds him. The spaces in the crowd widen a bit, giving me the opportunity to throw in a dollar into his violin case. He nods, thanking me for my donation. We walk away from the crowd and into a souvenir shop.

We’re looking at a display of souvenir keychains when Camila expresses how impressed she was by the street performer.

“The violinist was pretty neat, huh?” I hear her although the rack is in between us.

“Yeah, he was cool,” I say, my eyes glued to the keychains in front of me while my mind is still stuck on my thoughts from earlier. I find my name in the sections of names starting with L, which I’m not surprised by. I grab the keychain from the rack, although it’s unlikely that I’m going to buy it.

“Lauren is a beautiful name,” a deep voice that is definitely not Camila’s, states behind me. I turn my body slightly to see a man, about my age, hovering over me. Tattooed, muscular arms are shown off in the tank top he’s wearing.

“Is it yours?”

The confusion on my face urges him to clarify.

“The name, is it yours?”

“Uh, yeah.” I can’t help but blush- He is pretty attractive.

He reaches beyond me and onto the rack of keychains, turning the display until he lands on names starting with J. He grabs a keychain off the rack, securing it in his hand. I catch the name when he pulls it off. Jacob.

“If you were wondering, my name is not Jacob. That’s my little brother. I’m Alex,” he introduces coolly. The tone of his voice sounds flirtatious, and despite his obvious attractiveness, I’m really not up for men right now.

Just as I am about to let this guy know I’m not interested, a soft hand that gently grabs my forearm refrains me from doing so.

“Laur, what do you think I should get my little sister?” Camila interrupts the stranger and I, causing him to take two steps backward, awkwardly watching me talk to my friend.

To be honest, both keychains aren’t very good looking. One of them is a square that has Los Angeles spelled out along a drawn skyline underneath a purple sky. The other keychain is shaped like a palm tree and is colored in with the hues of a sunset.

I point to the square one to which she loops onto her pinky finger. She puts the other one on the rack beside me and finally acknowledges the stranger.

“Oh, babe. I’m sorry. Is this one of your friends?” she asks me, keeping contact with my forearm. Wait, babe? Apart from the minor heart attack from the pet name, I try to figure out what kind of game she’s playing.

“No, we just met. Alex, right?” I try to ease the weird, obvious tension looming over us.

“Yeah. Well, I got to go, my little brother is probably looking for me. It was uh, nice. Meeting you,” he dismisses himself and walks towards the exits the store. I turn to the girl beside me who has a small, amused smile plastered on her face.

“What was that about?” I ask a bit irritated, the shift in my mood obvious.

“Laur, I was trying to help you out. You looked super uncomfortable,” she explains.

“Well, thanks for that,” I respond sarcastically, “But I’m sure that I could have handled it by myself.” I remove my forearm from her grasp and walk to another section of souvenirs, my eyes mindlessly scanning the shirts in front of me.

“Lauren, I’m sorry, okay? But c'mon, did you those scar tattoos?! He could have been like, I don’t know, a gangster or something.”

“That may be a little far-fetched Camz, but I was going to let him down easy. You just didn’t let me.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh,” I mock. “You didn’t have to act like, whatever that was." Whatever that was.

"Sorry, Laur,” she apologizes as she hooks her arms over my shoulders, folding them to hug me from behind and nuzzling her heading where my collar and neck meet.

I reach up to rub her arms. “It’s fine, I know you were just trying to look after me,” I accept her apology. The position we’re currently in is very intimate. Instead of basking in it like I want to, I unhook myself from her arms but not before squeezing her hands in reassurance.

Camila purchases a few keychains and a crop top from the souvenir shop and we are well on our way to Grauman’s Chinese theater, a hotspot for costumed characters that are looking to make money. Most of the characters we are surrounded have less than mediocre appearances.

We take pictures with a few characters like Wonder Woman and Iron Man, giving them a dollar as a tip afterward.

Camila spots a better than average looking Spiderman, the superhero that she is completely obsessed with. The character has managed to get a line of people to wait to get a photo-op with him. After waiting for a bit, it is finally our turn.

She hands me the plastic bag filled with her last purchases before stepping up to the masked character. The brunette runs a hand through her hair before mirroring his pose of squatting with both hands arranged in his signature hand gesture, which comes out very well on the photo I take on her phone. But honestly, Camila is one of the most photogenic people I’ve come to know. It’d be impossible for her to look bad.

After having taken the picture, I rotate her phone screen so she can see the photos. Just as she gets up from her position, I see Spiderman tap her shoulder. He puts one finger up, gesturing for Camila to take another picture with him. She agrees and I turn the screen back around to take a picture again.

They’re both standing now, with one of Camila’s hand on his shoulder. The costumed man one arm around the petite girl’s waist while the other one is formed with the signature hand gesture again. It looks like his hands are faintly trailing further down the girl’s body, but I convince myself that I must be seeing things.

I count to three anyway.

I lower the phone after snapping some photos to see the man’s hand on the curve of my friend’s behind. His hands clench over her denim shorts and suddenly, I’m seeing red.

“What the fuck was that?” The words come from my mouth, not Camila’s.

Camila has already distanced herself from the man that has his hands on his hips, as casual as he can be. I approach the man and my face is inches away from his.

“Lauren,” she calls faintly from behind me, but it’s not enough to calm me down. I know what I saw.

“I saw you fucking touch her.”

I expect him to play dumb when hearing my accusation, but the words that come out of his mouth are much worse.

“She was begging for it, wearing those shorts. She wanted it.” His words are muffled in the fabric of his suit, but they still manage to sound clear as day.

My left fist, still clutching her phone, connects with his jaw, causing him to stumble backward and cower, holding his impacted jaw.

“Fuck!” I curse, caressing my own hand. I shake it, hoping that the pain will subside by doing so. Her phone is now on the floor, where this guy’s head should be. In spite of the pain, I get ready to cause further damage to his face.

Camila grabs her phone and bag before taking my other hand and leading us away from the scene. I couldn’t care less about the onlookers, which I’m sure there was an abundance of. I would not be surprised if I ended up on WorldStar later. I’m still fuming as we head to wherever Camila is leading us.

We haven’t exchanged any words when we back at my parked car. I lean on the hood of the car, finally taking the time to inspect my hand. My knuckles are red along with a bit of discoloration. Camila gently traces a thumb over my knuckles, making me wince.

“Get in the car,” she commands softly. She unhooks my car keys from my belt loop and gets into the driver side while I open the passenger door.

She looks up directions back to my place on her phone. She sets the phone near the dashboard and starts the car. My preset radio station that is currently playing Rihanna is the only sound that can be heard apart from Siri giving directions.

Several minutes pass while we’re driving along the street and Camila still hasn’t said anything.

“Are you mad at me?”

“What? Laur. No.”

“Then why haven’t you talked to me since…” Remembering the incident that happened moments ago is already making my blood boil.

“Lauren, you hurt yourself because of me.”

“Are you serious?! Camila, this wasn’t your fault,” I tell her, “That misogynist deserved more than what I gave him. If I can get my hands on the pervert again, I swear-” Camila lays her hand over my bruised one, stopping me from getting another word out.

She keeps it there for a while as I remain silent, waiting for her to collect her thoughts and share them. She runs her thumbs over my knuckles periodically, gentle enough for it to be soothing rather than painful.

“You know I don’t condone violence, Lauren." God, is she really going to fucking lecture me right now? "But, thank you for doing that. Thank you for caring about me enough to do that,” she reiterates.

I’d do again if I had to, anything for you, my brain is shouting but my lips are unmoved.

“Now let’s get an ice pack for that hand of yours,” she says, smiling at me softly. Her eyes go back to the road in front of her, but her hand remains on mine.

A/N: Sorry for being gone for like a month! I’ve been busy with family things and work and AHHH. Thoughts? Concerns? Suggestions? I’d love to hear them. I love reading your guys’ comments, it really makes my day. See you guys soon!! (But really, I actually need suggestions tho lmao)

Sidenote: I’m so happy that Camila left Fifth Harmony. Yeah, it was super heartbreaking when she first announced it but now I’m unphased. The fucking light in her eyes when she performs her own songs is so evident now and I don’t get how people are still hating on her. And those three new songs?!!! Insane. (Havana is my shit, for sure) I’m here for her album and Fifth Harmony’s as well. I am #hereforthis.