#welcome queue and star

[unironicallytes]

this is one of my favorite oblivion videos ever made and i need to spread word of its genius

[spockvarietyhour]

Star Trek Voyager "The Cloud"

[enoshimastims]

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

Last Dragonborn: Still don’t really understand how some people have trouble just being nice.

Bishop, mockingly: Oh my gosh you’re such a good person. Hey everybody, come look at how much of a good person she is!

[reflections-of-mobius]

Previously named 'Sandstorm' (which is now the name of the universe they hail from), now Antigravity Hearts- looks like Node and Bless are runnin' away! A fun panel redraw by the awesome @duskdoodles. Thank you for doodlin' my silly ship, friend. uwu

What if Node took part in the murder mystery?...for one, they'd be joking about 'lava chips' the whole time, and constantly (willingly) claiming they were the killer, regardless of if they were or not. They also ended up getting the 'in-story' role of painter! (Though the apron is honestly from their day-job repainting homes across Mobius, a small way to help with the repairs after everything Eggman's done to the planet over the years).

Bless can't resist, of course, sweeping Node off their feet the first chance he gets. (And he'll be avoiding their pizza peel, doesn't wanna get hit with the sharp edge!)

[Please do not reblog unless you have permission from Dusk.]

[tvstarkuma]

@ervaurem

The TV World was not a very hospitable place. Even with no shadows around, the fog made it difficult to see anything. All the TV antennas, seemingly going on into the distance, made the area look infinite. No one knew how large this world was. But the empty studio backlot never failed to cover people in a blanket of unease.

In the corner, following an empty path, was a little pile of random objects. Some toys, towels, treats, and other items interrupted the not-so-pleasant scenery. The bag of snacks was open.

"Hey! Those are mine!" The stranger didn't even need to touch them. Teddie felt the need to issue the warning now.

"How are you here?!" This was the more important topic.

[rec-a-fanfic]

Title: What Lurks In The Dark

Writer: DragonflyonBreak

Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: Gen

Relationships ("/" for romantic, "&" for platonic): Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & Wedge Antilles

Additional Tags:

Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker Bonding Time, Father-Son Relationship, Angst, Horror, Survival Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Psychological Horror, Drama, Slavery, Mentions of Slavery, Explicit Language, Divided Loyalties, Original Characters Being Jerks, Monsters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-ESB, mentions of traumatic injuries, Parent Darth Vader, Good Parent Darth Vader, as much as being a good parent is possible for Vader, he struggles but he also tries, props for trying my dude, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Explosions, Protective Darth Vader, BAMF Darth Vader, BAMF Luke Skywalker

Blurb:

A simple mission to check out an abandoned weapons factory turns into a dangerous fight for survival. Trust is broken, loyalties will be tested, and dark secrets are brought to light. Because sooner or later, the truth always comes out.

Word Count: 155,399

Chapter Count: 10/10 (Complete)

.

[stardustedstories]

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Starters // Accepting

@missallanea asked: “Reach for the stars! Literally touch the stars! Face your fears! Stars aren’t that hot.” / amity @ tom

Considering the fact that he and Star had just broken up (again, though this time he was the one who had broken things off), Tom just watches Amity, all three eyes trained on her. Was this supposed to be some sort of joke? Or was she trying to cheer him up?

Knowing how she felt about Star, it was probably the latter option, but…..well, you never really knew, did you?

"I'm confused; are you trying to encourage me to get over Star or telling me I should give her another chance? Because it could honestly go either way right now, and I want to make sure I'm on the same page here."

It had been talking to Amity about their respective partners that had shown Tom that he was kind of an afterthought, these days. And he wanted something like she had with Luz, which he wasn't going to get with Star. Not until she took him seriously, anyway.

[enoshimastims]

[kyri45]

✨The Jades are here!✨️

-✦- CURRENT PROJECTS -✦-

ISAT: Sky CotL AU

LMK: ShadowPeach Bio Parents AU

-> SBP: Second Star

My character Illustration Course!

-✦- A B O U T M E -✦-

TikTok ✨️ Youtube ✨️ Instagram ✨️ Website

Welcome to my super self-indulgent blog! I'm a 24 y/o professional fanartist from Nord Italy. I've worked for projects alongside creators like Alex Hirsch, Dana Terrace, Matt Braly & Rebecca Sugar. I'm open for commissions from November to March, as I work as a Windsurf / Wingfoil instructor the rest of the year.

-✦- S U P P O R T M E -✦-

✨Check out my RedBubble shop and browser over 400 stickers & Prints designs!

✨You can Tip me on KO-FI or get HD files of my prints!

✨Check my PRIDE DECK STORE, a fun colorful way to make the coming out process a card game!

-✦- R U L E S & F A Q -✦-

✨I have a really long queue, if you send me an ask it can take up to 40 days to be posted, but it WILL be answered!

✨Don't spam my DM's with "hey"/"hello"/"hi"

✨I answer DM’s if it’s about my art, or sharing content like fics or fanarts, not for chit chats or making friends

✨Don't repost WITHOUT PERMISSION! (ESPECIALLY on other socials / websites)

✨️Feel free to ask me in Anonymous, but I might delete the post after 5/8 months for organization reason.

✨️When you ask me something with the ask buttom, ASK me something, please use the comments or the DM option for other comments!

✨️Please don't ask/demand me of drawing a certain thing, I don't do request and it makes me feel pressured and unease. Instead, ask me if I'm planning on drawing said thing in the future.

✨Feel free to comment by reblogging and adding your text, but I will answer questions only if you use the ask or the comment option under the post (I want this blog to be as much as possible reblog-free)

✨ I’m not responsable for any emotional or physical damage caused by my art.

✨Which Program you use? Procreate

✨️Which brush you use? Custom ones I made in Procreate that you can get HERE!

✨Can I make fanart / Fanfiction of your art? YES! But please TAG me as I wanna see them!

✨️I appreciate the DMs I’ve been receiving, but due to the overwhelming number of requests, I can no longer respond to them or take on additional reblogs/donations/gofund me campaign. Please respect this boundary—thank you for understanding

[sidver]

Open commissions! options: - one character above knees 50e - one character full body 70e - two characters half body 100e what I do: - monochrome (bw) / tinted (you'll get two versions) - blank background (any color or just white/grey/black) - romance, otps are very welcomed! - no mecha or furry - no 18+ Fandoms: dragon age, cyberpunk 2077, baldurs gate, warhammer, mass effect, vampire the masquerade, world of warcraft, star wars, your original characters, books characters, series characters and so on, I'm open for anything! Conditions: - paying upfront on paypal only - references for poses, clothes, character descriptions, character photo(art) references - your comm will be ready about a week or less, depending on the queue!!! If you're interested please contact me via tumblr dms link for finished commissions as review: https://sidver.tumblr.com/tagged/commission

[raven-unkind]

HII RAVEN!! hope you're having a great day <3 could you perhaps do “the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” prompt with jungwon? thank you!!

˚₊‧⁺⋆❤︎ stars ft. yang jungwon

yang jungwon x fem!reader

wc. 844 words

content. A lil bittersweet, Jungwon is a sweetheart & kinda selfless; he just wants reader to be happy. 

200 followers event: “The moon is beautiful isn't it?” 

a/n. THIS TOOK SO LONG IM SO SORRY GUYS. I wrote this listening to pryvt so i'd recommend listening to them while you read Im somewhat back :] idk what happened to me but i was brushing my teeth this morning and inspiration struck me so i wrote this ☺️ (i guess having smt in my mouth gets my thoughts going?) I’ll get my queue going and get started on the nsfw part 😼

Jungwon has been friends with you for a long time. Maybe even too long. Long enough that he knows exactly what you’ll order – no matter if the place you guys were at the restaurant you’d been going to since middle school or if it was a brand new cafe that opened a week ago. – He also knows that you have a habit of being on time but somehow also running late to everything or that you can somehow smell the rain – something he has yet to experience. 

Somewhere along the way of years of friendship, he realized he wouldn't mind being the one to wake up next to you in the morning. He’d alway had these feelings, it was so natural to him that it took him almost 4 years to realize he was in love with you. It started in freshman year, when his friend Heeseung asked you for prom. Jungwon swore he’d never felt so betrayed in his life. He’d buried his disappointment under the guise of friendship, and every incident that stirred similar feelings within him would get the same badge. It took your first – and current – boyfriend to make him realize his feelings.

…

“We broke up.” The text had illuminated his phone half an hour ago. He didn't know exactly what he was expecting to feel when he saw that text but happiness, and sheer relief was not part of the list. Upon realizing his feelings for you, Jungwon had done the only logical thing to him: distance himself from you. No matter how sincere his feelings were, he would've never forgiven himself if he'd put your relationship and happiness in jeopardy because of his own, probably unrequited, feelings. So in some way, the breakup meant he was able to be close with you again. 

"I'll come over." He sent the message a few seconds after reading yours, grabbed his key and left his apartment in a hurry. On his way to your place, he stopped by the small Japanese restaurant owned by Riki's parents. He grabbed your usual order after finals; curry, mitarashi dango and a cup of scorching hot black tea. 

It’s already 9h26 by the time he reaches your apartment building. He engulfs you in his arms the second you open the door. It’s the first time in months he’s able to hold you like this without feeling like an egotistical jerk. And it feels nice, he can't even deny it anymore. 

“How are you holding up?” he asks softly. “I’m alright… I- I think it hasn't really hit me yet… you know.. That it’s over.” he nods, humming in response and sets a familiar plastic bag on the counter of your kitchen. You smile. “You got food at Riki’s?” Your tone is soft like you’re almost surprised he’d do that for you. Jungwon offers you a lopsided grin, setting a large cup next to the bag. “Black tea, extra hot, extra strong with 1 cube of sugar.” You huffed a laugh, “Thank you Jungwon.” “You’re welcome. I wanna go eat on the roof?” You nod, and he grabs the bag on food and a blanket before the both of you head to your building’s roof. 

…

“I thought he cared, you know? I told him multiple times but he never listened.” You say, playing around with the last dango, covering it in syrup. “I feel stupid.. Like I wasted my time.” “You’re not stupid.” Jungwon replies quietly. You shrug, opting to look at the night sky. Talking to Jungwon felt good. It always had. “Thanks for being here by the way.” You hear him huff next to you “Always.” He feels like his heart is going to explode. It’s been so long since you two sat down and talked like this. Too long. He’s been fidgeting for the past 30 minutes with the loose string of the old blanket you’re both sitting on. 

“... I missed this. I missed you y/n.” You finally turn to him, a soft smile on your lips. “I missed you too Wonnie.” He swears his heart stops for a second at the sight of you under the moonlight, saying his name so sweetly. He snaps his head towards the sky, unable to look at you for too long. “The moon is beautiful isn't it?” He can see you turn to look at him from the corner of his eye. “Yeah…”  

The silence stretches; comfortable, familiar. You lean your head on his shoulder, and his heart stutters. Jungwon stays quiet for a bit, for a moment he almost gives in. He wants to tell you. He wants you to know that he’s been in love with you for a while. That your ex is an idiot. That he’d never make you cry.  But he doesn’t. Because you trust him and he could never do this to you. If that’s all he ever gets, he’ll take it. Even if it meant he would never be the center of your world, he wouldn't mind it too much. As long as he’s with you.

©RAVEN-UNKIND

reblog, comments and likes are appreciated!

taglist: @annybah @dazzlingjaeyun

[trekheritageposts]

Happy new year everyone! Welcome to the scifi lookin-ass year of 2025. Unfortunately, despite the many predictions that Star Trek has made about the future, the 2024 Irish Unification did not come to pass.

Here's some notes about the state of the union blog:

I have some posts in queue! Waow. About a month worth, once a day at 1pm EST, except for Thursdays where there might be more than one, since they'll be Throwback Thursday where I'll be reblogging older posts. Starting tomorrow!

I don't think anyone cares about this but me, but I've changed all my category tags so that there isn't a space between the category title and the thing itself. By which I mean what used to be #char: spock is now #char:spock. This makes it much easier for me to search up posts on mobile browser. And a lady loves searching up her own blog's posts.

I've redone my tumblr theme! Check it out at trekheritageposts.tumblr.com at a computer near you! Something weird was going on with my old theme where sometimes pages would just load a white screen for a little bit. No more! Very few people also probably care about this other than me.

FINALLY and perhaps MOST IMPORTANTLY. I have another blog I have created I would like to gauge the interest for:

>>>polltrek.tumblr.com<<<

This would be a blog for daily Star Trek related polls. Since I don't want have to devote too much time to running it, ideally you good citizens would be sending polls ideas via ask or creating the entire polls and putting them in the submission box, and I would create them up and queue them for a poll daily, and only have to do maintenance every once in a while. You can go ahead and send poll ideas or feedback over there now.

Here's to the Irish Unification of 2025.🍻

[luvnami]

welcome to ai's love shop! ⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆

爱 (ai) / 20 / she/they / no. 1 ushijima fucker & domestic fluff advocate ɞ multifandom writer (hq / kny) ageless/mdni or block ɞ favs | ushijima wakatoshi / hanamaki takahiro / suna rintarou / shinazugawa sanemi / nanami kento / fushiguro toji

currently

ɞ listening to | ceilings by lizzy mcalpine ɞ reading | the awakening by kate chopin ɞ worried about | finishing my multichapter fics

directory

ɞ masterlists | hq / kny / hyv / old ɞ misc. | caard / ao3 / commissions (closed) / fics for gaza (closed)

recents

ɞ not a glory hole! ch.19 | ushijima wakatoshi x reader ɞ gamer bf | suna rintarou x reader / fluff / drabble ɞ the proper care of foxes ch.2 | inarizaki x reader ɞ he's a gentleman | ushijima wakatoshi x reader / fluff / drabble

wips

in every universe (shinazugawa sanemi x reader / multiverse) ɞ the wind rises | canon rewrite / hurt / slowburn ɞ shinazugawa sanemi is NOT the love interest of my dream office romcom! | office!au / enemies to lovers / slowburn

gently, softly (ushijima wakatoshi x reader / collection) ɞ your name is written on my heart | ushijima wakatoshi x reader / fluff / angst / smut / thoughts & drabbles ɞ not a glory hole! | ushijima wakatoshi x reader / neighbour!au / romcom

winktober 2024 (various x reader / event)

the proper care of foxes (inarizaki x reader / multichapter)

tags

#— honey! 🍯 | personal posts #— cutie pies! 🥧 | reblogs #— babes! 💖 | asks from followers/anons #— angels! 👼 | asks from mutuals #— sweethearts!💓 | misc. #— ainemi! 🎐 | shinazugawa sanemi selfship #— aitoshi! 💌 | ushijima wakatoshi selfship #— airin! 📲 | suna rintarou selfship #— in every universe! 🎀 | series tag # hq | haikyuu posts # kny | demon slayer posts # jjk | jujutsu kaisen posts # gi | genshin impact posts # hsr | honkai: star rail posts # zzz | zenless zone zero posts # homicipher | homicipher posts

misc.

ɞ header and icon are commissions by @/ninejuiceboxes (twitter), please do not reuse or repost ɞ please do not steal, reuse, repost, or translate my works without permission ɞ i do not take requests, but my inbox is always open otherwise ɞ a lot of my old works were written in 2021/2022, i apologise if they seem different compared to my newer works from 2024 ɞ rbs run on queue

[john-get-the-salt]

Coincidences w/ Ted Lasso

Imagine: A series of seemingly random coincidences lead you to meet a dashingly handsome football coach.

Contains: ted pining hardcore, small age-gap, fem!reader who is a singer, mentions of roy x keeley

Warnings: none

The first coincidence was Rebecca deciding she needed to work on her delegation skills, leading her to give Keeley the job of finding a performer of some sort for the annual AFC Richmond charity gala. The young woman preened at the task, and coincidentally knew exactly who she had to have.

You hadn't seen Keeley in nearly a year by that point. As a semi-popular American singer heading your very own world tour, you had little free time. But the two of you had kept in contact, calling and texting all the time. You met her a few years back on a shoot for a magazine spread on you and your music, by pure coincidence. She was the sweetest thing and you two became fast friends, despite you being a few years older than her. You had a lot in common and were very similar people.

Which was why, when she reached out with her proposal, you didn't hesitate to agree. In all honestly, you admitted to her, you'd been looking for a reason to relocate to England for a while now. Queue coincidence. It was your favorite place you'd ever been- and you'd been around a lot. You were also tired of life on the road. You were getting older, entering your late 30's, and you'd gained a strong desire to settle in one place and work more on writing/producing.

Keely was over the moon with the news, and jumped right into planning. Though the gala was still months away she did not hesitate to help you find a nice flat in the Richmond suburbs, as well as help with all of the other troublesome tasks that came with moving across the pond.

And just like that, your event of coincidences finally lined up.

-

It didn't come as a surprise that when you stepped off your plane and into the London airport, Keely was standing there with a big WELCOME sign.

Upon spotting her you immediately rushed over to give her a big hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"You as well,” she gushed. "Listen, I know you just got in and are probably exhausted, but the team is absolutely gasping to meet you."

"As long as I'm fed first, I'm in."

"Deal."

-

A few hours later Keely was parking the car at the AFC Richmond field house/office building. She had indeed fed you and let you change out of your comfy travel clothes. You were now in jeans and a nice top, as the two of you planned to go out after meeting everyone.

"I don't know why I'm nervous," you said with a little chuckle as you followed your friend in. "I think I just want all your friends to like me."

"Oh babes, do not even worry about that. They're going to love you. And you and Rebecca will get on like a house fire, I'm sure of it."

Ultimately you trusted Keeley, so you shoved down your nerves as you followed her down the hall and towards your destination. She knocked on a door labeled locker room, and only entered after someone called out the all clear.

"Hi everyone," she chirped. "This is one of my dear old friends.” She's just moved to Richmond and is going to be performing at the charity gala for us!"

You waved at everyone, smiling kindly. "Hi y'all, it's nice to finally meet the people Keeley never shuts up about."

"Oi!"

A rumble of chuckles echoed through the room of people.

Kee, once she finished glaring at you, introduced the team and then the coaches, Lasso, Beard, and Kent. Roy, who you'd actually met once before, gave you a friendly nod while Beard saluted you. Then Lasso....Lasso just stared.

He couldn't help it.

It wasn't as if Ted had never seen a pretty woman before. Heck, Rebecca was stunning and he worked with her nearly everyday. But you.....you were something else entirely. You were make-his-knees-go weak, heart-stopping, drop-dead gorgeous. He had to remind himself, with a gulp, who you were. You were a semi-famous star, who would never in a million years go for little ole him. Not to mention he was nearly 7 years your senior.

That didn't stop him from appreciating the jeans you were wearing, which did nothing to hide the curves and swell of your hips and behind, and the top that showed-ehem-a generous amount of cleavage. He gulped again. He was so fucked.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." He finally managed to spit out, tipping his ball cap. "Welcome to Richmond. Is that a bit of a midwestern drawl I hear?”

You smiled sweetly, ignoring Keely's gaze as it burned into the side of your head. "It is, Ohio born and bred. And thank you, Coach."

"Oh Ted's just fine."

"Alright, Ted."

Holy mother of god his name sounded angelic coming from your lips, Ted thought.

Holy mother of god Keeley hadn't mentioned how hot the head coach was, you thought.

"We were just planning on going out to get some drinks if you lot want to join? Surely you must be done with practice by now?" Keeley looked to the coaches.

"I don't know, we still had a couple more formations to work on," Roy said with a frown, causing the team to groan.

"Oh come on, the sun's proper setting and the days nearly over. It'll be fun," Keely begged, giving Roy her very best puppy dog eyes.

"Come ooon," you joined in, batting your eyelashes at Coach Lasso. "I need someone to teach me darts.....and the tab'll be on me."

The boys perked up, knowing that was an offer their coaches couldn't turn down.

"Well that's mighty kind of you, though i'd sooner shave off my own mustache before I let you pay for all the drinks. But I do suppose I could pass along my darts expertise."

The team cheered, high fiving and hooping. You and Keeley joined in, exchanging excited grins.

"We'll meet you lovely ladies there, sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan, stan."

Roy snorted. "God, you sound just like him."

You flushed as Lasso shot you a beaming smile, before grabbing Keely's arm. "Come on, let's go."

She obliged, blowing Roy a kiss before steering you out of the lockerroom and back outside.

"Soooooo" she trailed off as you two climbed back into the car and headed for the bar.

"Go on, out with it."

"When were you going to tell me you had a thing for football coaches?'

"I didn't realize I had a thing for football coaches until I saw that fine man. Please tell me he's single? Otherwise I'm going to have to seriously re-evaluate my morals and stance on home wrecking."

"As single as single can be."

"Perfect."

-

You laid on the charm later that night as you hung out with the team and their coaches. True to his word, Ted taught you darts and refused to let you pay for a single drink of his. He may not have relented, but you did insist everyone else put their drinks on your tab.

When he asked why, you just shrugged and told him you had more money than you knew what to do with, so you liked to spend it on other people. You didn't say it to brag or to make him feel bad, it was just the truth. It was matter of fact.

And fuck did Ted think that was hot.

The two of you chatted about anything and everything, from your time growing up to stumbling through adulthood. You had a great time, and everyone was incredibly kind and welcoming.

Unfortunately after that night the team got busy and you threw yourself into preparing for the gala. Kee had been right, of course. You and Rebecca got along incredibly well, and when she noticed you had an eye for details she invited you to be included in the planning on the finer details of the nights entertainment. The lights, the band, the set-up, all meticulously planned. You saw the coaches and members of the team in passing, never having more than a few minutes to chat. But that didn't deter Ted, who took every opportunity to talk to you and ask about the move and the writing and if you needed help with anything.

The quick chats were nice, but all of the ongoing work meant you didn't have the opportunity to really hang out with the team or coaches again until the night of the gala itself.

-

Keeley and Rebecca had taken you dress shopping beforehand and helped you pick out an exquisite gown.

It was the perfect shade of dark blue, covered in sequins that caught the light and shone like stars in the midnight sky. The strap-less bodice and floor-length skirts left you feeling elegant and beautiful, and with matching jeweled gloves you felt like a symphony.

With your hair up, makeup on, and carefully tied into your dress; you were ready.

You arrived to the venue after most of the crowds, through a back entrance. The idea was that no one would lay eyes on you until your performance, then after which you would be free to roam and enjoy the rest of the evening. Rebecca and Keeley were in a group chat on your phone, swapping updates, and you shot them a quick message to let them know you'd. A few moments later the two found you backstage, each in their own stunning gown.

"Holy fuck," Keeley screeched the moment she set her eyes on you. "I knew you were going to look good but you look unreal, babe. Ted is going to want to rip that dress right off of you when he sees it."

“Keeley!"

Rebecca just laughed, used to Keeley's antics. "She's right though, you do look magnificent."

"Oh listen to you two, have you looked in any mirrors tonight? You both look hot."

"Enough about us. How are you feeling about the performance?"

"Honestly I thought I was going to feel nervous, but I'm just excited and antsy to get it done with so I can come hang out with you guys."

"Oh I'm sure. Ted's already cornered me once, asking where you were and when you would be coming," Keeley said, giggling like a school girl. "I told him you'd save him a dance."

"Keeley, what am I going to do with you?"

"After tonight I have a feeling you're going to thank me."

You were spared from any more of your friends teasing when one of the backstage managers came up to the three of you, letting you know you were to be on stage in 10.

"Well, that's my cue." Rebecca straightened up her dress. "I'm on to give a little speech and introduce you ." She gave you and Keeley kisses on the cheeks before leaving, promising she'd find you both afterwards.

"I'm gonna’ find my seat now too, I wanna be able to watch Ted the entire time you're on stage."

Despite everything racing through your head, you laughed. "Oh I love you Kee."

"I love you too babe. Good luck, I know you're gonna kill it aye?" She gave you a final thumbs up before hurrying off, leaving you alone.

You were quickly ushered to the stage wing, where you could watch as Rebecca thanked everyone for the attendance and donations. Perhaps at some point earlier in your career you would have felt nervous before a gig like this. But being on a stage and singing felt like home to you now, it was like second nature. You knew you were good and you were proud of that.

"Now I have the absolute joy of welcoming our guest of honor tonight. Not only did she agree to come and perform for us, but she also surprised us with a generous donation to jump start one of our new community programs. I'll let her tell you a bit about it herself, so please join me in welcoming her to the stage!"

Applause erupted as you were given the green light and you stepped out onto the stage. You didn't flinch when the lights hit you, nor when the eyes of everyone in the room landed on you. You smiled brightly, accepting the microphone from Rebecca. As you stared out into the crowd you quickly found Keely and the team, all sat at a table together. They waved and cheered and gave you thumbs ups.

"Thank you very much for that introduction Rebecca. I promise I won't take up too much of your time, I just wanted to give my sincere appreciation to Rebecca and Keeley, Ted and his team, and everyone else here for making me feel so welcome. Richmond has become my home, and I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many new friends. I am also incredibly excited to be helping launch a new school program, in partnership with AFC Richmond, to provide under-funded schools with equipment and support to help kids participate in sports and other extra curricular activities, including performing arts."

The crowd erupted once again, loud whistles coming from one table in particular. You flushed under the extra attention, pausing before you spoke again. "I'm sure Rebecca and the others will be coming forward with lots of details about all of that soon, but in the meantime I think I should get to what I know best."

Rebecca winked at you, taking a final bow before exiting the side of the stage. You set the mic in the stand already positioned at the front of the stage as the lights changed and the curtains raised on the band who'd been set up and waiting behind it. As the beginning notes of a song started, you closed your eyes and let yourself get lost in the music.

You sang your heart out, to some of your post popular hits and a few of the ones that meant the most to you. You shamelessly stared and smiled at your friends as you sang, giving Ted a wink as he watched, his mouth agape. You floated across that stage in your gown like you were amongst the stars and god with Ted looking at you like that, you could have sworn you were.

You finished the final note of your final song and stared, breathlessly, out at the crowd as the applause began suddenly and all of once. Your friends were on their feet, screaming so loud their throats would surely hurt the next morning. And there was Ted, eyes crinkled from smiling so hard, looking at you as if you were the only people in the entire room.

The applause continued, even as you took a bow and exited the stage. Your chest was still heaving, lungs trying to play catch up. You gratefully accepted a cup of water from some assistant, taking gulps of the cool liquid to soothe your throat.

"Sir I greatly respect you for doing your job, but I'm afraid I must insist that I speak with her."

You set down your water, turning to find the source of commotion. When you found it, you nearly choked on your own spit. Ted was standing nose to nose with a security guard, trying to get into the backstage area that was roped off.

"Now I don't like to raise my voice, but I'm about to get madder than a hornet's nest if you don't let me-"

"Ted!" You called out.

He looked up, meeting your eyes, and his posture immediately relaxed.

"It’s okay, he can come back."

The security guard nodded, unclipping the rope.

Ted slid past him, tipping his head. "Thank you kind sir, I hope you can forgive any threat I may had said in the heat of the moment. I-"

"Ted," you called again in warning, hoping he would just stop before the guard actually kicked him out.

"And I'm walking away." He finally got the hint, turning away from the guard with pink cheeks and walking towards you. You met him halfway, one hand holding onto your skirts so you didn't trip.

"I'm sorry about that sweetheart, I just had to see you and I wasn't about to let one guard-"

You grabbed ahold of the front of Ted's suit and pulled him in, capturing his lips with yours. He froze in surprise for a moment before relaxing into you. His mustache tickled in the best way, stubble gently scratching your skin. One hand came up to cradle your cheek, the other wrapping around your waist to pull you against him. Your hands moved up through his hair, scratching his scalp gently with your nails.

You pulled away at the last possible second, lungs screaming for air, though Ted's arm around you didn't let you get far. You stared at one another, chests heaving in sync, noses just a hair apart.

"Are you sure?" He said softly. "I'm not one of those young, athletic boys who would be lucky to have you."

You could see the uncertainty in his eyes, the desire fighting with the hesitation.

You reached up, fingertips gently dancing over his cheek as you stared unabashedly into his eyes. "Ted, you are the sweetest and most genuine man I have ever met. You are so fucking handsome, and every time you look at me with those kind eyes it feels like fireworks are going off inside my chest. And I mean, have you seen your ass in those uniform khakis?"

That succeeded in making him laugh, and the worry in his eyes eased.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks, and I have never been more sure. I want you. If you'll have me."

Then he was kissing you again, this time taking the lead, wrapping both arms around your waist so he could lift you off your feet and spin your around. You smiled into his lips, unable to keep from laughing as he pulled back just far enough to look into your eyes again.

"I'll have you for the rest of my life if you let me, darlin’. I've been waiting so damn long for you."

"And I you."

He couldn't help it, looking down at you he leaned in to peck you quickly-then again-then again, leaving you breathless every time.

"Come on sweetheart, I think we've got some team bets to settle."

You laughed again, cheeks sore from smiling as Ted settled an arm around your waist and led you back out towards the gala. "No way, tell me the team didn't bet on whether we would get together."

"Oh no....they bet on when we would get together."

"Your team is full of cheeky little shits."

"Yeah, well they're about to become our cheeky little shits."

He paused at the edge of the room, looking out to where the team was impatiently waiting for his return and then back to you.

"Ready?"

You knew what Ted was doing, giving you one last opportunity to change your mind or go running for the hills. But you did neither. A series of coincidences may have brought you two together, but you knew know it was meant to happen this way. So you grabbed one of Ted’s hands, kissing his knuckles before interlocking your fingers with his.

"Ready."

[enoshimastims]