#when will i get around to carousel waltz? who knows. who knows. :(

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

my next two tentative graphic novels are A Tragedy and a monster movie lol

[sassy-ahsoka-tano]

At the Carnival

Character/Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Requested: Yes - anon

Prompt: You meet a mysterious, sexy man at your hometown carnival. A ride on the ferris wheel, winning a stuffed animal, and making out in the hall of mirrors. What could be better? [Fem!Reader ]

TW: None!

Rating: Pg-13     ||     Word Count: 1616

A/N: austin!elvis at the carnival is literally my sexuality. god he's so sexy i can't stand it

🦋 mila

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You're walking along and laughing with your friends when you see him. The most beautiful man you've ever laid eyes on. He's tall and thin with deep black hair and sparkling blue eyes. He's leaning against the doorframe by the carousel, one arm outstretched. You stop in your tracks when his eyes rise to meet yours. His shirt is black and made completely of lace, tucked into his white pants. It rests on his frame with an elegance most men could never dream of pulling off. You've never seen anyone like him before.

He pushes himself away from the door and starts to walk over to you.

“Y/N! Come on!” your friend yells. You wave your hand at her dismissively, refusing to break eye contact with the mysterious man coming your way.

“Don’t worry bout me. I’ll catch y’all later,” you say with a smile and wait with bated breath for him to reach you.

“Hi baby,” he says in a voice like velvet. “You here all by ya lonesome?”

“I am now. Who’s askin?” you respond, holding your hand out.

He takes it and raises it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to your palm. His lips are warm and soft, and they linger on your skin for a moment long enough that he can glance up at you through his eyelashes. You smirk.

“Name’s Elvis Presley. What’s yours, darlin?”

You shrug and turn your back, starting to waltz away.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Presley.”

You glance over your shoulder to see him looking at you with his chin tilted up and lips parted. He brings a hand up to his face and rubs his finger across his bottom lip, drawing it out, as he looks you up and down.

“Why don’t you buy me a drink, and we’ll see if you can guess it,” you finally say, brushing some hair over your shoulder.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replies and holds his hand out for yours.

You latch onto his fingers, and he leads you to the nearest food stand where he buys you a Coca-Cola. You gaze at him through your eyelashes and let him watch while your lips close around the top of the straw. His eyes are trained on your mouth, but he doesn't say anything, just stares. You glance up at the cars on the Ferris Wheel next to you going around and around. You point at it.

“You ever been in one of these things?” you ask, watching it spin.

“Yeah, I been up there,” he responds. “You wanna go for a spin?”

“If you insist,” you reply, taking his outstretched hand.

He gets into the car first. The attendant gestures for you to enter the bench opposite him, but you slide in next to Elvis instead. The attendant just shrugs and closes the door, locking you both in. Elvis smirks down at you and throws his arm around your shoulders. You settle into the crook of his armpit, staring out over all the flashing lights of the carnival.

“It’s nice up here,” you say. “I like it. I can’t describe it, but It almost feels like…like…”

“Like ya flyin,” Elvis completes your thought. “Or close to it anyway.”

You turn to look at him.

“Yeah, exactly. Like you’re flyin,” you agree, smiling up at him. “Hey, would you ever wanna fly, Elvis?”

“Yes,” he responds without a pause. “I always wanted to fly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Ya know, my mama don’t like me to fly. But for me, I’ve always wanted to fly. Fast. Faster than the speed of light…to the rock of eternity.”

You almost choke on air and turn to him.

“Captain Marvel Junior??” you ask, bracing yourself on the sides of the car.

He sits up straight with wide eyes. “Yes,” he says and a smile spreads across his handsome features. “Yes! How did you know that?”

“I love Captain Marvel Junior! It’s one of my favorite comics!”

You're both facing each other with huge smiles now, almost to the top of the Ferris Wheel’s giant circle. You feel a jerk as the wheel stops. You accidentally slide forward on the smooth metal seat, perfectly landing on Elvis’ chest. Your hands rest on his shoulders, and you're staring up at him. He smirks down at you and moves to kiss you. Your head tilts up to meet his lips in a gentle, soft kiss.

You pull back just far enough to gaze into his eyes before going in for another one. You slide further down into his chest as his arms wrap around you. Your fingers tangle themselves into his hair, and he grips your hip, pulling you taut against his leg. He gently bites your bottom lip and tugs on it. You smile and trace his top lip with your tongue. He lets you in, and your tongues twist around one another. You yank back on his hair, and he grunts softly. Your hand starts to slide down his chest, pushing aside the fabric that's barely there anyway.

The wheel jerks to life again and rocks you forward. You bump heads and both recoil.

“Owww,” you whine, rubbing your forehead. Elvis takes your hands in his and kisses the place you’d bonked heads.

He keeps hold of your hands for the rest of the ride down, and you chat about Captain Marvel Junior. You smile smiles that hurt your cheeks and laugh every time he tells a joke. When the Ferris Wheel car slowly tips down to the ground again, you climb out and immediately take off running with his hand in your own. You drag him around to the different carinval stops. You share some popcorn and feed each other cotton candy. You're passing by some of the games when you gasp.

“Ah, Elvis, look at that,” you point at a tiny stuffed bear. It's one of the prizes for the milk bottle toss game. “Ain’t that the cutest little thing.”

He's already ahead of you, pulling out money from his wallet to pay the vendor for a few baseballs.

“You’d better stand baby, sugar. I don’t wanna hurt ya,” he says with a smug look on his face. You bite your lip and back up.

He bends over and holds the ball behind his back, looking intently toward the milk bottles. He shakes his head, as if he's shaking off pitch calls from the catcher. You laugh out loud. He finally nods and brings the ball into his chest. He glances over his shoulder at you for a hot second, a mischievous smile on his face. He winds up and throws. To your surprise, he somehow manages to knock down all three bottles. You smile as he grabs the bear from the vendor and returns to deliver it to you. He gets down on one knee and held it up like it's a ring.

“M’lady, I bring you this gift of my affections,” he says.

You laugh and pretened like you were considering it.

“Yes, well I suppose it’ll do. How might I ever repay you, my prince charmin?”

You take the bear from him and cuddle it close to your chest. As you are trying to admire it, Elvis’ hand slips onto your bum and roughly pulls you into his body. You squeak and look up at him.

“I take payment in kisses,” he says with a smirk.

You smile and throw your arms around his neck, bringing him into a passionate kiss. The next thing you know, you're dragging him into the house of mirrors. You stumblr into the first room. You're facing backward and he's straggling in front of you. He looks like a wild animal hunting its prey, his eyes tracking your every movement as you stepped back around the mirrored maze. You both circle each other with lusty eyes and arrogant smiles. You pause for a moment, and that's when he pounces.

He grabs your waist and pulls you into his body, attacking you with hot, sloppy kisses. He starts to walk you backwards. You slam against the mirror with a moan. His hand slides up your thigh and lodges itself under your bum, hiking your leg up and over his hip. You curl it around him and pull him closer with your knee. His other hand has taken ahold of your wrist and pinned your arm above your head on the mirror. You slide your free hand down his chest, feeling the lace on his skin. And you keep sliding it down until your finger hooks into his belt. You pull it, encouraging him to get even closer if possible. He growls, and you giggle breathily. His fingers dig into your bum.

The sound of running feet and giggling distracts you. Elvis lets go of your leg and backs up, hurriedly brushing his hair back. You fix your own hair and clothes.

“Y/N! There ya are!”

You whip around to see one of your friends. The rest of the group is behind or…or in front of her? You don't really know for sure. It's hard to tell where anything actually is with all the mirrors.

“We’re gonna leave soon. Didya wanna come with us? Or…” she peers around one of the mirrors at Elvis.

“Nah, I think I’ll let Mr. Presley take me home a lil later.”

Your friends all chuckle as they run out of the hall of mirrors. You're still pressed up against the mirror, but Elvis is standing in the middle of the room, smoothing his hair out. You clear your throat and beckon him over with a finger.

“Get back over here,” you say. “I’m not finished with you.”

“On my way, baby.”

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Reblogs, likes, comments + feedback are extremely appreciated! Please help support your content creators!

**If you notice any triggers or grammatical errors that I missed, please let me know! :)

[bunnie-the-lighthouse]

𝐼 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒴𝑜𝓊

Pairing: ATEEZ Park Seong-Hwa & Reader

Warnings: It Is Very Long, I Curse At The End, And It’s Suggestive So . > . 

Inspiration: This Was Actually Requested! (But I Added Some Of My Braincells So Some Of Them Were Sacrificed)

Requested By: @bonbonhwa​ -- Thank You So Much!~

Basic Idea: Anniversary!~~ Established Couple, First Time Having It. 

Type: Fluff & Suggestive (First Time Doing A Combo!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

“Hmm? Hyung, what are you doing?” Yun-Ho asked as he peaked and saw Seong-Hwa entering a few websites. He didn’t see them clearly but his eyes were able to catch the silhouettes of notes, hearts, chocolates, hotel bedrooms, and flowers.

Seong-Hwa flinched and turned off his phone, placing it in his pocket while clearing his throat. His cheeks softly flushed with a shade of pink as Yun-Ho chuckled. “I see~ Is something special going on?” he asks as the elder nods.

“(Y/N) and I are going to celebrate our anniversary next week..” he responded while smiling softly, remembering the first time you both met. It was sort of anti climatic but it is definitely a good time to remember.

To summarize it, you guys get back in 2019. You were a foreign University Student studying in Japan and Seong-Hwa was there because of KCON. You both met accidentally when you bumped into him in a hotel -- he was staying there while you were there for a conference.

You guys were then friends for a very long time -- maybe three to four years. It proceeded until the day that he couldn’t take it anymore and kissed you. 

Unfortunately, you were still unprepared as you believed that he already had some crush on another girl who was an idol. Plus, you were finishing your Bachelor’s Degree.

You did like him. A lot. He also did, which is why he was a bit discouraged by your reaction after the kiss -- shy and worried. You then expressed your worries and ended it with a joke; “Ask me to be your girlfriend on Christmas Day”. And he did so, taking your joke seriously. But that is how you both started dating.

“Interesting~~” Woo-Young hummed as the eldest sighed out, knowing that the youngers were going to tease him. “Does Manager already know about this?” Yun-Ho asked as Seong-Hwa nodded, “He does, I’m a bit sad that I won’t be able to celebrate Christmas with you guys and ATINY though..” he trailed off as Hong-Joong entered the room and patted his back.

“It’s ok, we all understand why Christmas is such an important date for you,” he comforted as the older smiled…

At Incheon Airport, Seong-Hwa was waiting for you. He was a bit impatient, looking around sporadically to see if he could spot you before you spot him. He looked down at the watch that you gave him the first time you celebrated his birthday.

He then looked up and saw you walking out, looking at the opposite side, seemingly looking for him too. He quickly walked over to you, and tapped your shoulder. You turned around, beamed and hugged him tightly as he chuckled at your reaction.

“Hwa!” you squeal as he hugs you back. Your head was leaning on his chest, making you hear his heart softly thump. He then petted your hair softly, wanting to kiss you but being unable to because of the mask that you both were wearing. “I missed you,” you coo as you look up to him, he then gives you a sweet eye smile -- the same eye smile that made you fall in love with him. “I missed you too, babygirl,” he whispers, making you feel butterflies in your stomach.

You guys then reached an amusement park, Seong-Hwa’s Manager leaving your suitcases at the hotel. “C’mon,” Seong-Hwa called as he held your hand tightly, “I know you wanted to reminisce about your childhood and to have fun after your stressful exams,” he smiles as you fake cry. Your cry sounded real, making Seong-Hwa get worried, turning around to see you.

“Hwa!~~” you cried out, hugging him, making him notice how you were acting. He sighed in relief, flicking the top of your head softly, “Don’t scare me,” he chuckled as you laughed. “Thank you, Seong-Hwa,. I didn’t know what to get you..” you looked down as he looked at you with soft eyes.

“Baby.. Look at me,” he said while lifting your face up by your chin, “You being my side is already a gift,” finished, making you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him. He softly gasped, as you caught him off guard. However, he quickly kissed you back, and later you pulled away -- holding his hand again. “Let’s go!~” you said excitedly as it had been a long time since you’ve had fun.

You guys went on a carousel, ate cotton candy, took a quick break while visiting an aquarium and even drank some hot chocolate in the cafe that was in it. As sunset came by, Seong-Hwa basically became a cuddle bear. He walked behind you while wrapping his long coat around you. Supposedly it was “too cold” for you, and even though you were fine with the cold, you didn’t say anything as you missed his hugs.

The last ride that you guys took was the Ferris Wheel. You knew about Seong-Hwa’s fear of heights, which is why you asked him if he really wanted to. “I want to, because I want you to be happy.” he said firmly, which made your heart skip a beat. You smiled at him as he rubbed your head softly.

In the Ferris Wheel, you sat beside Seong-Hwa, holding his hand all the time. As the capsule that you guys were in reached the very top, the sun shone right into you guys. You then took this chance to calm him down by kissing him sweetly.

He immediately responded, kissing you back with the same softness and passion, holding your hand ever so slightly tighter. You then used one hand to cup his cheek, the warmth of your hand making his heart burst in joy. You both then leaned on each other’s forehead, breathing out softly as the capsule slowly descended.

At the hotel room, you walked out of the bathroom, seeing Seong-Hwa in the bathrobe, drying his hair with a towel while the bed was covered with the petals of your favorite flower. “Hwa?” you asked as he smiled at you, “Do you like it?” he asked while patting the spot beside him.

You nodded, sitting behind him. “Let me dry your hair,” you said as he hummed. You then grabbed onto the towel, softly rubbing the water droplets off his hair. It was a silent and sweet moment, which was cut off shortly when Seong-Hwa turned around.

“.. You know I love you a lot.. Right?” he whispered as you nodded, slowly, fear creeping and engulfing your body. He then kissed your forehead, his left hand cupping your left cheek while his right hand guided your left hand to his heart. You felt it beating, quickly and strongly. You felt his aura go confident yet soft and fiery. You were confused.

He then smiled, “Is it ok.. If I make you mine.. Tonight?” he asked as it caught you off guard, making your cheeks feel heated. “H-Huh?” you questioned as he smiled, “Like this,” he whispered -- his lips connecting to yours like magnets. Fireworks went off in your hearts, the heat slowly rising as your lips danced like a waltz, in sync and gracefully.

He slowly pushed you back to the bed, pinning both of your hands with one of his. Kissing your neck and nibbling on it softly, making you gasp at the new feeling. He kept on kissing, trying to find your sweet spot. After a small second, he found it, making you moan out, feeling more fireworks burst in your heart.

He smiled against your neck, sucking on the spot to create a mark on you. “Seong-Hwa!~” you moaned out as he then pulled away, looking down at the bright red mark. “Are you okay?” he asked as you nodded. He then freed your hands from his grasp, ready to sit back up, feeling that you were unprepared.

However, you caught him before he left, wrapping your arms around his neck. You then looked away, a bit scared yet prepared. “Seong-Hwa.. Please?..” you whispered out, catching his attention. “Yes?” he teased as your cheeks felt heated. You closed your eyes, being unable to answer him. “So, I have your permission?” he whispered in your ear as you shivered from his breath.

“Yes..” you answered as he smiled. “Thank you for trusting me, babygirl,” he said, kissing your forehead softly while he untied your bathrobe’s ribbon. You squeaked, covering yourself before he parted the bathrobe. He chuckled at your reaction, “Don’t worry.. I won’t bite.. Do you want a safety word?” he asked as you gulped. “I.. I think I will be fine..” you whispered out as you slowly moved your hands away.

Seong-Hwa then cupped your left cheek, caressing your cheek and proceeding to kiss you again. His other hand massaged your tummy, making you feel the tingles. He then pulled away, his black marbles showcasing multiple emotions -- love, happiness, lust, and passion.

He untied his bathrobe, as you sat up, slipping out of yours. “I.. Want you,” you said confidently as he smiled.

“Babygirl, there aren’t enough words for me to express how much I love you.. This is only our second anniversary -- our second year of being a couple but I am sure that in the future, I want to be the man that puts that ring on your finger and call you my wife.. Are you ready, my love?..” ..

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hello~~ I am finally back momentarily lol.

I had a rough two weeks because of Quarter Exams and I had multiple mental and emotional breakdowns but I was able to push myself back up so it’s all good.

For the person that requested it, I hope you enjoyed it! It was a bit hard to combine both the Fluff and Suggestive -- I tried my best! 

(Please also bear in mind that school has fucked me up so I ain’t doing too well but I’ll slowly recuperate and bring back more stuff for you guys!)

HOWEVER -- I was also able to get better because ATEEZ CAMEBACK

Like holy shit. 

They chose violence. 

All in all they all fucken crushed it. It was amazing to see ‘em perform and it was great to hear Min-Gi in it. I hope that he is still resting and getting better! I’m sure he’ll be back with the boys soon. 

San brought back his demon, so did Seong-Hwa (these two fellas killed me with their facial expressions and vocals). Yun-Ho in all black was a blessing. Center and Black Hair Yeo-Sang was supreme. Hong-Joong’s new hairstyle in the MV was cool. Jong-Ho’s vocals!~ Woo-Young and his sexiness. Like. Violence. They chose Violence. 

Overall, I loved everything about this comeback. Take Me Home is beautiful as fuck and I love this entire album. 

Hopefully y’all have been taking care of yourselves, take breaks when you need them, drink water and I hope y’all have a good day, afternoon, or evening!~

Use your imagination!~~

Thank you for the support, leave requests, and have a great day!

[andromedia5]

What’s in a Dance

They’re speaking.

The ballerinas are speaking with their bodies, so over exaggerated that she understands everything and it takes nothing. None of the words that have to fight through her mind to get to her mouth. Just pretty dresses and quick feet and music without words and it’s . . . beautiful.

She reaches for Bruce’s hand and squeezes, letting him anchor her to the world as the colors and the light and the life wash over her. He’s smiling at her; happy, calm, nervous.

Always nervous around her, but different nervous, hopeful nervous.

Hopeful nervous again, when she opens the ballet studio door to see him, sitting there waiting for her. He gets up, folding his newspaper under his arm.

“How’d it go, Cassie?”

She’s flung her arms around his neck before he can get another word out.

Bruce knocks at her door a few weeks after she starts ballet lessons with Madame Naomi while she’s lying on her bed listening to Tom Petty. Not just listening, listening with both headphones in and the volume up and her eyes closed letting Wildflowers wash over her and block out the rest of the world because she’s safe. He sits at the foot of her bed when she motions for him to come in and tugs at her feet teasingly, so her knees drop back down onto the bedspread. Cassandra pauses her music and takes her earbuds out, pushing back the hair that had gotten tangled in the wire.

“Good morning,”

“It’s not morning,” he points out, tilting his head towards the clock on her bedside table proudly displaying that it is in fact 2:25 and therefore; not morning.

“Happy see today,” That isn’t right, she knows it isn’t, it’s not complete and her mind starts to chase after the right words. Bruce runs a thumb over her knuckles soothingly.

“Take your time, sweetheart,”

Cass tries to slow down the words running through her mind so she can see them clearly. “Happy first time seeing me today,”

His eyes crinkle at the sides and he kisses her forehead “That, I am. Can you come down to the library with me for a second?”

She nods and swung her legs off the bed, following him out the door. Last time they had gone down to the library for a second it had been when he had given her that pair of his mother’s earrings. They had belonged to her grandmother before her and he had thought she would have wanted her granddaughter to have them but if she didn’t want them it was completely fine and they were old anyways and she didn’t even have her ears pierced so- at which point she had stopped listening to his rambling in favor of staring at the delicate gold flowers with the sapphires in the centers. Dick pierced her ears in his apartment a week later with a sewing needle and an ice cube and while he argued with a livid Alfred over the phone about how “It’s completely safe” and “That’s how I got my ears pierced at the circus,” Kory helped her put in the earrings and that glorious sense of belonging had washed over her, again.

The library smells of almond and old paper, sunlight drenching the leather armchairs and bouncing off the old grandfather clock. Cassandra lingers at the doorway watching as Bruce strides over to the old record player, carefully lowering a record onto it and turning to her. “You said you wanted to come to the gala this Saturday?” Something in her brain clicks as she realizes why they’re here and rushes over to him eagerly. “You don’t have to go if you changed your mind” he continues, “But I thought you might want to learn,”

“Different dancing,”

“Alfred made me go to lessons when I was your age but the last teacher filed a restraining order after I tried to send Jason when he was fourteen and he . . . well, you know your brother, you can imagine,” he turns and sets the needle on the record. Piano notes begin to play, simple and elegant like the way Tim’s fingers move across the shiny white and black keys.

“Clair de Lune, it’s a waltz but a very slow one, it’s easier to learn.” Bruce extends one of his hands and she holds it. Their hands look funny together, one tan and small, with uniform circular calluses and the other large and scarred with a thin dusting of hair up the back of his palm. “Now you put your hand on my shoulder,” he instructs as he rests his other hand on her waist and lower back, a bit like a hug.

She does so, albeit a bit impatiently “This isn’t dancing,”.

Bruce laughs and she pokes his shin with her toe as if it would wake his feet up and make them move. “We’re getting there. Now a waltz is mostly just a box step. There can be other elements but at its core it's just a box step. So we move back,” he gestured for her to take a step backward and then followed her with a step forward. “To the side,” they both side stepped in unison, “Foreword for you, back for me. And then to the side again and we’re back where we started.”

Cassandra looks up from where she had been tracking the movement of their feet in an attempt to memorize. It was surprisingly like a kata, or the five positions in ballet, simple. Maybe it was just that what she had seen had looked more like dancing than it actually was.

“That’s it?” she asks, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. He rolls his eyes and begins the box step again but faster this time, and this feels like what she’s seen other people do, the almost rise and fall of it, like a carousel. She trips over her feet a little but he holds her, not letting her fall until she’s memorized the rhythm of the steps. The same rush of euphoria she always gets from dancing comes swooping in as her father spins her into the light shining through the curtains.

They’re whispering, always whispering.

Cass has learnt a lot since leaving Cain. She’s learnt to speak English, she’s learnt to speak. She’s learnt that people don’t like her. Not for the bad things she’s done, not for Cain. Just don’t like her.

Jealousy.

That’s what she’s told causes it, first by Alfred, who merely pats her cheek and makes a passing remark about the green eyed monster coming after kind, pretty girls.

She can tell he’s lying.

Then again by Steph, “Bruce is rich, Cass. All rich people want to be richer. Well, except your dad, but maybe he’s so rich it skips him. That’s why those harpy faced bitches with earrings that could pay my tuition don’t like you. Ignore it,”.

She isn’t lying. But Steph hasn’t seen.

Jason doesn’t say it’s jealousy. Jason doesn’t really answer, just laughs that laugh where he doesn’t really think it’s funny and mutters something in Spanish.

“Gringo cabrones. They never fucking change, do they, Cassie?”

She learns the way she learns a lot of things that no one could even begin to explain to her; a combination of TV and Tim. An episode of Boy Meets World and now she at least knows what questions to ask, which he answers. Cold anger and no small amount of what’s either sadness or guilt (it might be both) in his pretty eyes as he does his best to explain. He has the same look now, knuckles white as the old women sitting at the table near them get drunker and louder. Like birds on a tree branch, but the birds that like to sit outside her bedroom window don’t say her name quite so often or so mockingly. Tim stomps away while one of the board members she and Steph have christened “Mr. Suckup With The Sex Offender Mustache”  is in the middle of saying something and walks straight to her.

“Dance with me?” he asks, much louder than he needs to. Tim’s hand is cold in hers but it’s there and he follows her into a waltz, the four corners of the invisible handkerchief marking out the box step. “Can you let me lead?” he whines and this is that thing Barbara says about the elephant. When people don’t talk about something they both see. But it doesn’t feel like lies and it doesn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. It feels like that pushing at her chest; the growing pains because she’s still adjusting to loving someone this much.

“Little brother,” she reminds him just in case he wasn’t getting ‘not a chance’ from her face, and Tim grins and squeezes her hand. Cass isn’t sure if the whispering stops or if she just can’t hear them anymore.

[spam-1997]

RULES: share five songs that represent ur muse! just repost, don’t reblog.

PERSONAL RULE: im gonna try to do songs that are less often associated with him lol

1.  Carousel Waltz - Jack Conte

The road is long and dark. Cutthroat, cold and harsh, That's just the way it is. So all hail the pearls that flow from those lips. Are you choking from all the dust in the street? And are you sick of living life two days a week? Well the carousel spins in an infinite course, So all hail the kid who jumps off his horse.

2. Crazy = Genius - Panic at the Disco

You're so straight like commuters with briefcases towing the line There's no residue of a torturer inside of your eyes She said you're just like Mike Love but you wanna be Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson ‘Said you're just like Mike Love but you'll never be Brian Wilson And I said  If crazy equals genius, If crazy equals genius Then I'm a fucking arsonist  I'm a rocket scientist

3. Rules - The Hoosiers

Sense never seemed to make sense to me And not the sense you administer repeatedly Fled to the hills so I could clear my mind I couldn't swallow the pills that I was prescribed

You know you're never gonna get to find out anyway The game plays us for fools You know you're never gonna get to have the final say You don't get to make the rules People always looking for something they can't find One man's fact's another's trick of the mind.

4. Good for your soul - Oingo Boingo

Have you ever felt that somehow You were not yourself That your body was the same But everything around you wasn't right And images so strange and foreign Flooded in like raging water

Ever lay there half asleep all hours of the night With some nagging demon tugging at that tiny bell Inside your mind When suddenly that strange idea Bursts into an inspiration You grab for it and then The whole thing slips right through your fingers

If you don't stop, you'll lose control Just once or twice is good for your soul

5. Leave Me Alone - IDKHBTFM

Big shot, so what? Do you wanna pretend? You took the money But the money couldn't buy a friend Now I want you to leave me alone They say the devil that you know Is better than the devil that you don't Oh, you're a big shot here, but nobody else knows Now I want you to leave me alone

Four in the morning But we're having such a lovely time Mad as a hatter with a dagger and a dollar sign Aristocrat, tip your hat and break your mother's heart And when the sun comes up You'll find a brand new god.

TAGGED: I absolutely stole this to help me get back into the swing of writing lol But please totally take this and tag me if you want!

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You For A Second Chapter 35

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

“Oh, good you’re back,” was Victoria’s friendly response as Marinette walked through the door of the mansion. Lucie was quickly summoned and Victoria tapped her handy-dandy clipboard officially. “I just wanted to sit down with you two to let you know what the next 3 days will look like.”

“Three days?” Marinette blanched. She had thought that tomorrow was the day Adrien would propose.

“I thought all we had left was the proposal!” Lucie added, clearly as shocked as Marinette.

“No,” was Victoria’s answer, not even bothering to glance up from her clipboard. “You each have one more date with Adrien before he makes his final decision. Tomorrow, Marinette will go on her date, then Lucie will go on hers. Finally, Adrien will propose once he knows who he is going to pick. That could last as long as Adrien needs, but you will be alerted the day that it is happening.” Lucie and Marinette just looked at each other and both girls looked slightly fearful that the last leg of their journey could take so long.

“Just so you two are aware,” Victoria continued, still completely unaware of anything except her clipboard. “professionals will be brought in to do your hair and make-up for the proposal, to make sure you are both looking your best for the final episode. From there, whoever Adrien chooses will reconnect with me for your next steps.” Victoria finally looked up and gave both girls a small smile. “That’s all for now. If there are any questions, ask one of the producers. Good luck, and I’ll see one of you in a couple of days.”

Victoria stood up and left the two sitting on the couch alone. Both girls watched her walk away and then awkwardly made eye contact.

“It’s okay, Marinette.” Lucie smiled, reaching over and giving Marinette’s hand a slight squeeze. “You have a date to prepare for tomorrow. I want to hear all about it tomorrow night!” Lucie smiled so genuinely at Marinette that she couldn’t help but reach over and give her a hug.

“Thank you for being such a great friend,” Marinette said into Lucie’s shoulder.

“The same to you.” After a beat, the girls broke apart, shared one more smile, before Marinette dashed up the stairs to pick out what she was going to wear for her last date with Adrien.

                     ----------------------------------------------------

Marinette woke up the next morning and was ready in record timing. Dressed in dark jeans, a maroon long sleeve sweater, and black booties, she dashed downstairs and waited in the Date Card room for a knock on the door. She was jittery and nervous and excited and ready for this whole thing to be over. Once again, she was incredibly grateful that she was on this inside of this charade and wasn’t stressing about whether she was going to be picked or not. She couldn’t even imagine what Lucie was going through right now. And how she could possibly stay this calm.

Lucie’s calming presence was welcomed as Marinette waited for the car to come and take her to her date location. They chatted about the most random things, but Lucie never once looked nervous or worried or upset by the fact that Marinette was going on this date. She hoped beyond hope that once all of this was over, the two of them could remain on good terms.

Finally, there was a knock at the door and Marinette jumped up to get it, saying a quick, “Tell you all about it later!” to Lucie as she dashed towards the noise. As she was walking towards the black SUV, she noticed that the clouds were gathering and looked like rain was coming. She hoped that whatever Adrien had planned for her wouldn’t be messed up if it did rain. She wanted to have the best, last TV date possible. 

The ride was short and Marinette was aware that they were headed towards the heart of Paris. They stopped in front of the Louvre, and there, leaning on a long, black umbrella and looking like a character from a movie, was Adrien. He was dressed in khakis and a white T-shirt, with a light jean jacket resting open over the shirt.

She was so excited to see him that she ran and he grabbed her up in a hug. “Fancy meeting you here,” Adrien teased with a sly smile. Marinette threw her head back in a laugh, too excited to be there with him to be annoyed by the bad joke. “Glad to see you’re in a good mood today,” Adrien announced as he led her to a nearby bench. 

“What makes you say that?” Marinette scoffed, shooting him a wink.

“Truthfully? You laughed at my joke.”

Marinette laughed again, “I’m always in a good mood when I’m with you.” They were sitting now, and it didn’t take much for Adrien to lean forward for a chaste kiss.

“Anyway,” Adrien said with a little bit of a voice break that made Marinette giggle, “I’m excited to do something slightly normal with you today.”

“And what is that?”

Adrien gave her a broad smile before responding, “Shopping.”

And shop they did. Marinette and Adrien wandered to about 6 different stores, dodging in and out of the rain as it had started steadily coming down while they were in the first store. They spent their time picking out clothes for the other to try on, looking through fun decorations and antiques for their “future home,” and even stopped at a grocer’s. 

“May I ask why we are going grocery shopping?” Marinette asked as Adrien pulled her into their next stop.

“Because,” was Adrien’s response.

Marinette rolled her eyes and followed him through the front door. He pulled out a shopping list from his jacket pocket and Marinette quickly scanned what they were looking for. The list was short, and Marinette’s focus and determination to make quick work of their shopping kicked in and she started directing Adrien, who grabbed a basket and followed her lead.

“Bacon, onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken livers.” Marinette read off the list, checking to make sure each of those was in the basket as she said them. “Odd combination, but I trust you.” to which Adrien beamed. 

After Adrien paid for their groceries, and an awkward moment where the cashier recognized Adrien from a magazine and got very excited, the two passed the groceries off to the awaiting producer.

“But I thought we were going to do something with those?” Marinette asked as she once again got pulled along the street by Adrien.

“In due time, my dear. We have one more stop to make before we get there.” The best part about the rain was that it gave her the perfect excuse to cuddle close to Adrien as they walked so she could remain underneath his umbrella. 

After a couple of minutes, they stopped at a park that Marinette knew all too well. Many memories flooded her as she looked out at the carousel. Marinette smiled, remembering one of the very first fights they had with Stormy Weather that led to Manon and Alya being trapped in that same carousel. Adrien walked up and nodded to the attendant, who let the two of them on. “Pick your loyal steed, milady,” Adrien said as he put his umbrella on the bench right behind them. 

“Where is everyone else?” Marinette asked as she climbed on a white and pink horse that she was fairly certain had used to be a unicorn.

“We have the whole place to ourselves,” Adrien replied, climbing onto the jet-black horse beside hers.

She felt like a little kid again, riding around. After the first rotation, a producer followed the carousel around and told them that they needed shots of them kissing around the horses and on the bench and kind of just everywhere. Adrien, always the gentlemen, helped Marinette down from her horse. She turned towards him to ask him where they wanted to start, but Adrien grabbed her waist with his left arm and lifted their joined right hands together and started waltzing her around the carousel. They danced in a circle, weaving their way through the horses and benches, Marinette laughing the whole way.

“How do you know how to do this?” Marinette asked as he spun her around the bench that was holding his umbrella. They had made it around the entire circle without Marinette falling. He must have been some sort of wizard dancer.

“My Father made sure I knew exactly how to properly dance at certain functions. Can’t have the heir to the Agreste company making a fool of himself on the dance floor.” Adrien answered, his tone only slightly bitter.

They had stopped dancing, and Marinette took that time to lean in and kiss Adrien, knowing that the producers must have been dying for that to happen. Adrien tilted his head to deepen the kiss and Marinette melted into him. When they finally broke for air, Marinette whispered, “Remind me to thank your father for those dance lessons.”

Adrien let out a genuine laugh, and then guided the two of them onto the umbrella-bench. There, they kissed some more as the carousel made another rotation.

Or two.

Eventually, the carousel came to a stop and the two of them broke apart once more. Adrien helped Marinette off the platform and they began walking hand in hand towards the park exit.

“Are you ready for the last part of our date today?” Adrien asked, a twinkle in his eye once more. Marinette’s heart sank when she realized it was getting kind of late, meaning their time together was almost over.

“What did you have in mind?” She answered, trying to keep any of the disappointment she felt for the end of their day taint her voice.

Instead of answering her, they just kept walking. Marinette enjoyed the silence and took in the beautiful sunset as they walked to their secret destination. If she blocked out the noise of the producers walking with all of their equipment behind her, she could see her future. Just Adrien and her, living their lives in the beautiful city of Paris.

They stopped at an upscale apartment building, and Marinette looked over at Adrien, even more confused. Adrien smiled at her and winked. He said hello to the doorman, who welcomed them in as if this was completely normal. They sneakily got an elevator all to themselves, and before Adrien hit a button, he turned to her with a smile.

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you.” 

Marinette just rolled her eyes, “Clearly.” 

“I acquired this apartment about six months before the show started. I wanted to have a place of my own where I could escape my Father and just try to figure out how to be an adult that lives on their own. If you’re willing, I’d love for you to move in with me after we’re engaged. Just until the wedding, and then we can find a house of our own that we can pick out together.”

Marinette felt her jaw drop, and had no idea what to say. Adrien smiled sweetly and pressed the button for the 12th floor. 

Before Marinette could find any words, Adrien continued talking. “I’m going to give you the grand tour before the cameras make it upstairs, but just let me know what you honestly think about the space, you know, once the cameras leave. I want to make sure you’re comfortable with it before we go forward with anything.”

The elevator dinged and Marinette couldn’t help but smile, as Adrien led her down the hallway. He really was the most perfect person.

Adrien slipped out some keys from his ever-handy pockets and unlocked number 1214. “Welcome to my home.” Adrien whispered as he pushed the door open.

Marinette once again felt her jaw drop. It was an open-concept living room, with the kitchen directly to her right and the dining room to her left. The living room had a comfortable looking couch and very large TV mounted onto the wall over the fireplace. To her left were three doors, which Adrien labeled as the bedroom, a bathroom, and a storage closet. “There’s another bathroom attached to the master, and a spare bedroom to the right.” Adrien announced as he put his keys in a bowl on the counter and walked towards the oven. “I was thinking we could share the spare bedroom as a sort of joint office space, where you could design and sew and I can work on all of the paperwork.”

Before anything else could be said, a producer walked right into the apartment, with no hesitation and turned towards Adrien. “You should have waited for us.”

Adrien shot him a smile, “I promise you didn’t miss much.”

The producer sighed, “Groceries are either in the fridge or in the first cabinet. Please don’t start cooking until all of the cameras and sound equipment is set up.”

Marinette moved into the kitchen with Adrien as he found the groceries and started laying them out onto the counter. “So that’s your big date idea?” She asked, reaching for the bag of mushrooms and bumping Adrien’s arm along the way. “Cooking dinner together? Or did you just want to show off your fancy apartment?”

Adrien spun towards her, “You don’t like it?” The look of pure worry on his face was adorable.

Marinette let out a light laugh, “Adrien, it’s perfect.”

She watched him visibly relax and then pull her into a hug.

“Hey!” Someone yelled, and the two of them turned, without letting go, to look at who had shouted. One of the producers was staring daggers at the two of them, “Save all of the lovey-dovey stuff for the cameras! We need the footage!” Marinette and Adrien just laughed.

                    ----------------------------------------------------

After they were finished eating and cleaning, the two had curled up on the couch, with the electric fire blazing. They had made coq au vin, and while it was finishing up in the oven, Marinette raided Adrien’s pantry (which needed a lot of help) and found just enough ingredients for the two to have some chocolate chip cookies as dessert.

“Those were the best cookies I’ve ever tasted,” Adrien said, after finishing off his fourth.

“My parents swear by the fact that homemade is always better.”

“Well no wonder they are so successful. If all of their baked goods taste like either the bread we made or these cookies, they have to be the best bakery in Paris, if not all of France!” 

Marinette laughed, “I think you may be a little biased.”

“So what if I am?” Adrien shrugged. He was lazily drawing shapes on the back of Marinette’s hand, and she was so comfortable that she felt like she could have fallen asleep right then and there.

“Can you imagine, life after the show?” Marinette asked.

“I have a feeling it would be just like this.” Adrien whispered before planting a kiss in her hair.

“I’m serious though. By the end of this week, we could be engaged.”

“That sounds weird doesn’t it?”

Marinette just nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

“Why are you smiling?”

Marinette busted out laughing as she turned to look at him, “What do you mean ‘why am I smiling?’”

Adrien cheeks turned a little pink as he clarified, “What are you thinking about?”

Marinette sighed, “How I can finally see the end.” She paused, but Adrien waited for her to continue. “I feel like this whole time it’s been, ‘I just have to make it to next week,’ or ‘I’ll get more time with Adrien if I can make it to hometowns, or fantasy suite,’ or whatever the next milestone on the show was. For the first time since we started, I can finally see the end. I can see the two of us cooking dinner like we did tonight, or shopping, or working, basically just living our everyday lives, together.”

Adrien leaned in, but still didn’t say anything, so Marinette filled the silence. “You have shown me a new love, something I’ve never felt before. I feel like I’ve lived my 22 years just for us to find each other in this moment. And I know, somewhere in my brain, that there’s another girl still here and that you could totally not pick me,” Marinette sat up out of Adrien’s arms, the words she was saying building unnecessary worry and fear in her. But they needed to be said for the charade. “But, Adrien, please know that I love you. And if you pick me, I will continue to love you until death do us part. But even if you don’t pick me, know that I’ll support your decision.”

She started to feel a little choked up, and hoped the camera could tell. Adrien heard it too as she watched his eyes widen and he straightened up on the couch as well. “I trust your judgement, and if for some crazy reason, I’m not the one, I’ll respect you even more for having to do the hard thing here.”

Instead of answering, Adrien leaned in and kissed her, hard. When they broke apart, she was out of breath. Adrien took both of her hands in his and looked her dead in the eye. “I need you to know that when I’m with you, I’m with nobody else. With you, our relationship is so easy. I sometimes forget that we are even being recorded, because everything is just so natural and perfect. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and I need you to know that my feelings for you are very strong.”

With that the two of them relaxed back into their earlier position, and Marinette couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s all we need for today.” A producer cut in, making both Adrien and Marinette jump. “We’ll give you two a couple of minutes before we take Marinette back to the mansion.” The two stayed silent as the people around them packed up their stuff and left.

When the last one was out the door, Adrien turned towards Marinette, “Do you really like the apartment?”

“Adrien,” she cupped his cheek with her hand, “It’s perfect. I’m honestly so touched that you’ve thought so far ahead to our future, and I adore everything about it.” She paused, soaking in his smile and reciprocating with one of her own. “Although, you could use a woman's touch in your decorating style, it’s very bland,” to which Adrien just laughed.

“Once all of your stuff is moved in, the place is yours to do with as you please.” They shared one more chaste kiss before there was a knock at the door.

“I think that’s my cue,” Marinette whispered as she began to get up from the couch.

“Do you have to go?” Adrien asked in a whiney voice that made Marinette smile.

“I’ll see you soon, I promise. But if I don’t leave now, some people are going to get suspicious.”

“Who cares what they think?” Adrien asked as he stood up from the couch.

“Hate to point this out, but you kind of do, Mr. Star-of-the-Show.”

He sighed in defeat, “You’re right.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “But, the next time I see you, I’ll be getting down on one knee, and you’ll be walking away with a new piece of jewelry.”

Marinette melted at the idea and felt a light blush dust her cheeks as her heartbeat accelerated. “I can’t wait.”

With that the two of them relaxed back into their earlier position, and Marinette couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s all we need for today.” A producer cut in, making both Adrien and Marinette jump. “We’ll give you two a couple of minutes before we take Marinette back to the mansion.” The two stayed silent as the people around them packed up their stuff and left.

When the last one was out the door, Adrien turned towards Marinette, “Do you really like the apartment?”

“Adrien,” she cupped his cheek with her hand, “It’s perfect. I’m honestly so touched that you’ve thought so far ahead to our future, and I adore everything about it.” She paused, soaking in his smile and reciprocating with one of her own. “Although, you could use a woman's touch in your decorating style, it’s very bland,” to which Adrien just laughed.

“Once all of your stuff is moved in, the place is yours to do with as you please.” They shared one more chaste kiss before there was a knock at the door.

“I think that’s my cue,” Marinette whispered as she began to get up from the couch.

“Do you have to go?” Adrien asked in a whiney voice that made Marinette smile.

“I’ll see you soon, I promise. But if I don’t leave now, some people are going to get suspicious.”

“Who cares what they think?” Adrien asked as he stood up from the couch.

“Hate to point this out, but you kind of do, Mr. Star-of-the-Show.”

He sighed in defeat, “You’re right.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “But, the next time I see you, I’ll be getting down on one knee, and you’ll be walking away with a new piece of jewelry.”

 Marinette melted at the idea and felt a light blush dust her cheeks as her heartbeat accelerated. “I can’t wait.”

When he made it to the spot, which was decorated with various stones, plants, flowers, and other things that were slightly supposed to resemble nature, he stood there, wondering what was next for barely a minute before Chris approached him, another man following close behind.

“Good afternoon, Adrien. How are you feeling?” Chris asked as he shook Adrien’s hand.

“I’m great, Chris. I think I’ve come to a decision, and I’m hoping that it’s going to be the right one that becomes my bride.” 

Chris smiled and nodded encouragingly, “I actually brought someone along to help you finish up this journey,” he vaguely gestured to the man behind him, who stepped up and shook Adrien’s hand as well.

“Mr. Agreste,” Adrien smiled gently at him as he continued. “I am here, on behalf of Baunat Paris. I have brought a selection of rings for you to choose from for your future bride.” The man flipped around a briefcase to where Adrien could see the front clasps, and opened it.

Adrien felt his jaw drop as he took in the beautiful selection before him. Having very little experience in this kind of jewelry, Adrien was having trouble processing. As he scanned through the rings, hoping that one would just stick out, his breath caught as he spotted the perfect ring.

He picked it up, his face lighting up and his pulse quickening with excitement. “This is the one.”

“Are you sure? You barely looked at half of the collection.” Chris was quizzical, but the man smiled knowingly, in a kind way that suggested he wasn’t surprised Adrien was taken by this one.

“Oh, I’m sure.”

Adrien received a ring box for it, and the man said that he would send a bill. Adrien didn’t care how much it cost, Marinette was worth it all.

“Three-minutes until Lucie’s arrival,” was announced by someone and Adrien stuffed the ring in his coat pocket. He felt his stomach sink as he realized he was about to break one last heart, and this one would hurt her the worst.

The three minutes flew by, and before long, Chris Harrison was walking Lucie to him. He took deep breaths, knowing exactly what he needed to say. For the first time that day, he felt Plagg’s presence in his pocket. As he purred, Adrien was once again reminded that even though this part wasn’t fun, he was making the right decision.

Adrien had to admit it, Lucie looked stunning. She was wearing a dark purple, silk dress, a color not many had worn this season, and it complimented her skin tone and hair wonderfully. It had spaghetti straps, a sweetheart neckline and it flowed all the way down to the ground. To top it all off, she was beaming at him, and Adrien forced himself to smile back as best as he could.

As she got close enough for hearing range, Adrien took a step forward to greet her, “Hi.”

“Hey,” she giggled as she leaned in for a hug.

“You look amazing,” he gushed as she pulled away and she blushed slightly, beaming even brighter now.

“Thank you! How have you been?” She sounded so sincere that his heart cracked a little. 

“I’m doing good. It’s been a hard, long day of thinking.” Adrien answered, as he positioned her exactly where the producers had told her to. Once they were in position, he took a deep breath and smiled gently at her. She never let go of his hands, and he let them rest comfortably between the two of them. He paused for a minute, working himself up to say what needed to be said. As he was opening his mouth, she cut him off. 

“Before you say anything, I want you to know this has been the most incredible journey I have ever been on. You are such a wonderful person, and I’ve felt more comfortable around you than I ever have around a guy before. I wouldn’t take back any minute of it.” She gave both of his hands a gentle squeeze, and he felt his heart contract. Was he a mean enough person to be able to go through with this?

“What I have loved about you is that it has always felt real,” Adrien started, hoping she wouldn’t cut him off again. Once he got going, he couldn’t stop or he would never say the words that led to his future. “You’ve always shown me your genuine self and have locked me into your world, and honestly, I love being in your world. You are amazing in so many ways, and I have loved getting to know all of those different sides of you. You are going to accomplish wonderous things in this world, and I can’t wait to see you achieve all that you’ve dreamed of.” Adrien took in a slow breath, letting it sigh on the way out. You can do this, you can do this. “But, I’m going to have to watch you achieve them from afar.”

Adrien heard the sharp intake of breath as she dropped his hands, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he was grateful that Lucie wasn’t crying. Her smile had dropped as she realized what he was saying, but he continued before he could say anything. “It hurts so much to have to say goodbye to you,” Adrien started, his voice cracking involuntarily. “And I wish I had good reasons to have to, other than that I’m in love with somebody else.”

Lucie was gently shaking her head. “I guess I understand,” she whispered, not meeting his eyes. “Marinette is amazing, so I get why, but it... it hurts.” She sniffed and Adrien automatically grabbed the pocket square out of his coat and handed it to her. She took it without hesitation and Adrien took that as a good sign.

“You are going to make the right boy very happy one day, and I’m very sorry it couldn’t have been me. I can’t wait to cheer you on, though.” Lucie looked up then, and Adrien saw a small smile form on her lips. “Can I walk you out?” Adrien asked softly. She gave a slight nod, and Adrien took her hand and began leading her up the pathway. They walked in silence, and he could tell that she was crying now.

When they made it to the car, she turned towards him one last time, giving Adrien a braver smile than he would have thought possible for the circumstance. “Thank you, for letting me close.” She whispered. She leaned forward and gave him one last kiss on the cheek before getting into the black SUV.

As she shut the door and the car began to move, Adrien felt his heavy heart grow slightly lighter. The hard part of his day was over. Next, came the fun part.

                     ----------------------------------------------------

Marinette was nervous. This was her dream come true, and it was going to be filmed for the whole world to see. She just hoped she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in her shining moment before sealing her fate with the love of her life. In the spotlight. Forever and ever.

Marinette let out a small sigh as the car continued to take her to this mystery engagement spot. The morning was a blur, a long interview where they asked her all of the questions they could before sending her off to hair and make-up. There, she got completely made over, and honestly, she felt like a princess. It didn’t help that the dress she picked was very princess-like as well. It was a striking red, which she knew from personal experience was a good color on her (very thankful that she had the ladybug miraculous and not the fox, orange is not the shade for her). It had an A-line neckline and sleeves that were a little thick, but slightly off the shoulder. The bodice was fitted until her hips and covered in jewels. From the hips, the dressed poofed out, with at least 4 layers of tool to give the dress the fluff. Her favorite part, however, were the intricate jeweled designs on the skirt of the dress. They were just the perfect amount of shimmer on the otherwise plain silk fabric. No matter which way she turned, she shined.

The car finally stopped, and waiting for her on the sidewalk was Chris Harrison. 

“Good afternoon, Marinette.” Chris said with a smile, offering her his arm, which she took.

“Hello, Chris.”

“You look stunning today, if I do say so myself.”

“Thank you. I wanted to leave a good last impression, no matter which way Adrien decides.”

“Good thinking.”

They were silent the rest of the way, and Marinette was getting antsy. She felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace, where she just wanted to sprint over the finish line. 

Finally, they rounded a corner and a smile broke across her face. 

There was Adrien, waiting for her. For the first time since the day, really since the competition started, it truly sunk in that she was getting engaged. She was going to be married! She was so focused on Adrien that she almost hadn’t heard Chris Harrison.

“Adrien’s waiting for you,” he had said as he was letting go of her arm. She just barely fit in a “Thank you,” before he was out of earshot and out of sight.

She made her way to Adrien, her excitement hard to hold back now that she was free to walk at her own speed. But, she kept her cool and didn’t break out into a full-on run.

He took a step towards her and she embraced him. “Hey, Marinette,” he said, the laugh in his voice obvious.

“Hey, how are you?”

“Better now that you’re here,” the cheeky Chat line made Marinette giggle as Adrien moved them further onto the area that had been set out for them. Once he was happy with where they were, he took Marinette’s other hand and gave her a gentle smile.

“On our very first date, I started falling for you,” he started, and Marinette felt her heart speed up at his words. “From that fashion show date, to our rainy-day shopping trip, and meeting your parents and all of the stuff in between, has made this a crazy ride. I came into this hopeful, but not 100% sure that I would find love, find the person I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. But, as I spent more time with you, it became apparent to me that you were exactly what I was looking for. But more than that, you are exactly what I need. You are my other half, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I truly feel in my heart of hearts that you were made to be by my side, and I yours. You make me happier than I’ve ever felt in my entire life, and I don’t ever want to have to say goodbye to you.

“With that all being said,” Adrien dropped her hands and pulled something out of his pocket as he knelt down on one knee. “Marinette, I love you with everything I am. Will you please, make me the happiest man on earth, and become my wife?”

When he opened the ring box is when Marinette started crying. The ring was small for Agreste standards, only three stones in a straight line, but she loved the simplicity of it. The middle and most prominent stone was a beautiful red ruby. The stone to its right was a black diamond, and on its left was a white diamond. It was her Ladybug colors and it was perfect. Through her tears she just nodded, and Adrien took out the ring, and slipped it on her left ring finger.

He stood and pulled her into an embrace, and she kissed him like there was no tomorrow. When they did break a part, the producers asked them to look into the camera and announce what had just happened. The two shared a look before looking into the camera.

“WE’RE ENGAGED!” they yelled, the excitement she’s been feeling for weeks, ever since Adrien finally figured out that she was Ladybug, came bursting through, and the two of them were screaming and laughing and just excited that this day had finally come.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Agreste. I can’t wait to become your family.” Adrien whispered as he pulled her close. Marinette rested her left hand on his cheek, and she felt him lean into it.

“Oh Kitty, you already are.”

~~~

My sister decided to post this chapter while I was on a plane without my laptop so I’m so sorry for the “late” update. But surprise! We know this is kind of out of the blue, but we wanted to post a chapter to celebrate this story's anniversary! A year ago today my sister decided to take a chance and post her very first fic on AO3 and here for all to read... and might we say you all have blown us away! We cannot believe how far this story has come and how much of a response it has generated! Thank you thank you thank for reading. All the responses have encouraged us more than anything in this crazy year. <3 

Only TWO chapters left! We so excited for you all to enjoy the epic conclusion! 

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[georgemackayhey]

Remember Me?

"Could you please write something where the reader knows George from a long time ago and runs into randomly him after he's gotten famous? Really fluffy please?" - annon

This was so fun to write! Thanks for askin' nonny!

w/c: 2k

───※ ·❆· ※───

You sat in the airport, swinging your legs from the barstool of some overpriced pizza bar. Your flight to London had been delayed for a couple of hours and you'd ran to the food court for a distraction. While sipping from a soda, you cast your glance around the waiting gates, wondering where everyone was going, and what they might have been waiting for.

Then you saw him. George, your old school mate. Well, someone you went to school with. He was the boy who once gave up his seat on the swingset when you asked politely. You'd shared a few classes together, and maybe even a few hellos. But George couldn't possibly recall those times. George probably wouldn't even recognize you . Especially now that he was some big famous movie star.

Over the past year, you'd mindlessly scrolled past all the social media buzz that George's new film had gotten and felt selfishly blue because you wanted to say hello to him now. But you didn't want to waste his very important time.

Instead, you looked away from George as he meandered sleepily through a passing crowd while you turned, gathering your rubbish and heaving a sigh.

When you landed back in the waiting gates, you lazily tapped through your phone trying to avoid the time slowly passing time in the corner. There were still a couple of hours to kill, and you'd already wasted forty minutes at the pizza bar. When you scrolled past an advert for 1917 you couldn't help but stifle a giggle, feeling quite proud of how far your classmate had come. The only thing you were known for was-

   "Fainting nurse?"

Who just read your mind? You looked up in a flash, eyes wide and startled.

You hadn't been addressed like that since school. You'd managed to fly under the radar every year, but you just had to try stepping out of your comfort zone. So, you auditioned for the last year's production of Romeo and Juliet. You could blame your family for pushing you to try out.  Or the costume that was way too hot to be wearing on a stage under all those lights. Even after giving it your all during rehearsal, the second you stepped on stage to deliver your first big line, you stammered, looked to the impatient girl playing Juliet, and passed right out.

Through rumors, you heard that Juliet dragged you by the ankles off the stage in a huff. You woke up in the hall with a real nurse waiting calmly by your side and your family scurrying to come and make sure you were alright.

The last year of high school was a bit hellish. But George was playing Romeo then. And every time you noticed him around someone who tried to scare you bad enough to get you to faint, he would shut them down and apologize to you on their behalf.

Funny how it was him standing in front of you now, addressing you by the only name he probably knew you by. You couldn't blame him. Even then, everyone around wanted a piece of George's time. He probably hadn't the time to learn anyone's names who wasn’t begging him too.

   "Fancy seeing you here."  George seemed to smile. You realized that you hadn't said anything or even moved from your stunned position as he moved toward you, pulling his luggage in tow. George sat in the seat at your side, keeping his smile bright and his eyes on you.

   "H-hi." You managed to get out. Oh God, you might have blacked out again from all the recovered embarrassment and sudden attention. George was always nice looking but now, he was downright handsome. And he was looking right at you.

   "Did I ever tell you that during my first musical I had to run off before the first song ended and get sick backstage? I was so bloody nervous... I think I talked myself into the upset, really." George confessed, slumping in his chair. His bright eyes flickered to his lap and you recognized his genuine tone.

   "Worst part was I didn't even make it to the bins." George cringed, looking back to you. You brought a hand to your lips, trying to disguise a giggle. Why was he telling you all this?

   "Well, you seem to have recovered quite well, George." You nodded, acknowledging your acquaintance his status in school, and rise to practical stardom since.

   "I'm still trying, really. Sometimes I get so worked up over an audition I try out just to get over feeling like I'm not good enough, ya know? It doesn't matter the outcome, so long as I make myself audition."

   "Why are you telling me all this?" You laughed a little beside yourself. George had kept his soft gaze on you like a lifelong friend. The attention made your stomach fill with butterflies.

   "Two reasons" The guy held up two fingers, ticking them off accordingly. "I wanted you to know you weren't the only one who was nervous of Juliet. Rudest castmate I ever had to pretended to like. She was vile wasn't she?" 

George chuckled warmly. "And secondly my flight is delayed so I needed a bit of entertainment."

God, he was so naturally charming. It was he'd rehearsed this run in.

   "Now, like then, I'm not one for entertaining." You chuckled. "But you were always kind to me. You never once tapped a photo of a fainting goat to my locker." You pointed to George, suddenly registering the last thing he'd just said to you.

   "Kids are brutal." George softened, tossing you an apologetic grimace. But you'd mentally moved on from the topic.

   "You said your flight was delayed? Mine too." You grinned, sitting up a little straighter like this was good news. It only took a minute to realize you were on the same flight back home.

   "How shall we pass the time?" George pulled a face, keeping his eyes on you.

   "I suppose we could catch up." You playfully shrugged with a roll of your eyes. You didn't miss how George's sparkled.

Somehow, the next couple of hours passed in a flash. Between exchanging conspiracy theories and things you'd been up to since school, (and taking a painfully slow lap around the proximity of the waiting gate) it was time to board your shared flight.

Of course, fate would have it that George was sitting one row up and away from you. He made a show of pouting as you walked past him, because neither of you could deny the fun you'd had killing time together so far. Sitting so close yet so far away would make the seven-hour flight painfully boring.

But it wasn't long after you'd reach maximum elevation, that you spotted George popping his head in the aisle and waving you up to join him. The flight was only half full, due to many rescheduling after the delay. But you were still concerned about etiquette. You'd have to cross over the woman next to you, scramble a few steps forward and probably end up making a fool of yourself in the process.

You tried to stop George from whispering your name like a child. Even when you mouth a curse word his way, he wasn't letting up. That's about the time a flight attendant waltzed by, bringing a passenger some water and winking right at you on the way. Whether it was to shut George up, or make your dreams come true could be determined later. All you could focus on now was excusing yourself past the woman at your side and changing seats as quietly as possible.

George had the whole row to himself, scooting toward the window seat and greeting you cheerfully as you plopped next to him.

You and George picked up where you left off, trading jokes and even a few somber stories. When he suggested watching a film on the in-flight entertainment screen, you made quick work of searching his name. You squealed out loud when you found a movie he was in and made sure to tease him endlessly about your lucky score. During scenes George showed up in, he hid his face in his hands at your side. And after a beat of teasing him a little more, you couldn't help but point out his honest and impressive talent.

About four hours in, your eyes drooped and you fell asleep before you could stop your forehead from landing on George's shoulder. You woke up to find him watching out the window, but the blue of the sky was nothing compared to his eyes, especially when he turned and looked at you then.

   "Sorry." You mumbled, stretching away from him to the tune of the pilot announcing the flight's landing in a few short minutes.

Neither of you spoke as the flight landed, even though you tried too. What was the proper way to part ways, after such spontaneous fun? The trouble was you didn't want to part ways, not at all.

When you stood to leave the aircraft, George kept his pace in time with yours as you stretched into the airport. Maybe it was because it was three in the morning, and he was too tired to be in any kind of hurry. Whatever it was, you relished the last bit of time you were lucky enough to share with the handsome man.

He even lingered near you while you waited at the luggage carousel, staying silent all the while. You scrolled through your phone searching for a text from your ride who promised to fetch you some time ago. But instead, you found a string of texts from the person apologizing for canceling the last minute.

Oh, no. What were you going to do? After a quick google of the cab services in the area, you found all of them to be closed at such an hour. Your panic must have shown on your face as you googled an uber.

   "What's that face for? Gonna pass out on me again?" George piped up. He was standing in front of you and seemed to have found your luggage (and his own) from the carousel and brought it over for you. But before you could thank him you shot him a look and went on to explain yourself.

   "My ride's bailed. Perfect time to find out, huh?" You sighed nervously, looking back at your phone.

George clicked his tongue as you waited for uber to download.

   "How far are you? I can give you a lift." George softened, locking eyes with you and reading your expression again.  

   "I've paid to keep my car here, since I wasn't sure when and how often I'd be home. I can give you a lift to yours if you'd like."

   "George. That's too much to ask." You decided, starting to make an uber account.

   "I'm serious!" George laughed a little. The sweet sound caused you to look up to him once more. 

   "Don't you have a red carpet to go get ready for, Mr. Mackay?" You shyly wondered, considering his offer.

   "At long last, no. Thank God. Come on, y/n." George spoke your name, grabbing onto the handle of your suitcase. That's what sealed the deal. He'd recognized you all the way back at the last airport and spent hours delighting you in conversation. But he'd only just said your name for the first time since school. Maybe even the first time ever.

You had no choice but to float behind George, struggling to hide how smitten you'd become. Or maybe you'd always been.

George was still kind and cheery, even at four in the morning. In his car, he asked if you were warm and took a beat to enter your address in his GPS before taking off onto the eerily empty roadway. You were alone for the first time ever, but it felt natural. The silence in the car felt much like the shared, sleepy silence you shared during the last bit of your flight.

When your familiar neighborhood came into view, your heart sank. You still weren't ready for goodbye.

   "Thanks for the lift." Peering to George as he parked his car outside your flat. He insisted on carrying your bags up the steps, hardly giving you time to decline him. George opened the passenger door for you and reached for your bags as you stood on the pavement.

   "You've been far too kind. Thanks, George." You sighed, digging for your keys. He kept a groggy smile pointed your way as he followed behind up the steps.

   "I guess now you know where to find me." You joked, jamming your key into the door, taking a big chance at slyly asking for a next time with George. He was standing beside you, searching your face as you glanced toward him. He waited a beat too long to respond and your nerves took over, fearing you hadn't made yourself clear enough.

   "I seem to be having a hard time saying goodbye to you." You spoke, looking right at him with one hand on your door handle, ready to run behind it and hide in case he laughed in your face.

"What if... you didn't have to say goodbye?" George softly and slowly reasoned, casting a daring glance at your flat door. And with a couple of snickers and nervous nods, George made a joke about having already packed an overnight bag, and followed you inside.

It was a night you wouldn't soon forget.

───※ ·❆· ※───

Requests are open ♡

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

A Look at the slate of Countdown to Christmas Movies airing this year on the Hallmark Channel

Jingle Bell Bride  Premieres: Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Julie Gonzalo, Ronnie Rowe Jr.  Official synopsis: “Wedding planner Jessica Perez (Gonzalo) travels to a remote town in Alaska to find a rare flower for a celebrity client and is charmed by the small town during Christmas, as well as the handsome local (Rowe Jr.) helping her. 

Chateau Christmas  Premieres: Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Merritt Patterson, Luke Macfarlane  Official synopsis: “Margot (Patterson), a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex (Macfarlane) who helps her rediscover her passion for music.” 

Christmas With the Darlings Premieres: Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Katrina Law, Carlo Marks  Official synopsis: “Just before the holidays Jessica Lew (Law) is ending her tenure as the assistant to her wealthy boss to use her recently earned law degree within his company, but offers to help his charming, younger brother (Marks) as he looks after his orphaned nieces and nephew over Christmas.”

One Royal Holiday  Premieres: Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit, Krystal Joy Brown, Victoria Clark, Tom McGowan  Official synopsis: “When Anna (Osnes) offers a stranded mother (Clark) and son (Tveit) shelter in a blizzard, she learns that they are the Royal Family of Galwick. Anna shows the Prince how they do Christmas in her hometown, encouraging him to open his heart and be true to himself.” 

Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater  Premieres: Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Ashley Williams, Niall Matter  Official synopsis: “Single mom Maggie (Williams) is facing Christmas alone until Lucas (Matter) crashes into her life and becomes an unexpected houseguest. Together they overcome Christmas while finding comfort in their growing bond.” 

On the 12th Date of Christmas  Premieres: Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Mallory Jansen, Tyler Hynes  Official synopsis: “Two seemingly incompatible game designers team up to create a romantic, city-wide scavenger hunt themed for The 12 Days of Christmas.” 

Christmas in Vienna  Premieres: Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Sarah Drew, Brennan Elliott  Official synopsis: “Jess (Drew), a concert violinist whose heart just isn’t in it anymore, goes to Vienna for a performance. While there, she finds the inspiration she has been missing, and a new love.” 

A Timeless Christmas  Premieres: Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Ryan Paevey, Erin Cahill Official synopsis: “Charles Whitley (Paevey) travels from 1903 to 2020 where he meets Megan Turner (Cahill), a tour guide at his historic mansion, and experiences a 21st century Christmas. 

A Nashville Christmas Carol  Premieres: Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Jessy Schram, Wes Brown, Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, RaeLynn, Kix Brooks, Kimberly Williams-Paisley  Official synopsis: “Vivienne Wake (Schram), a workaholic television producer in charge of a country music Christmas special showcasing newcomer Alexis (Raelynn), never lets personal feelings get in the way of business. On the verge of accepting a job in L.A., and with the return of Gavin Chase (Brown) — her childhood sweetheart and manager to the special’s headliner, Belinda (Evans) — she receives a visit from the ghost of her recently deceased mentor, Marilyn (Judd). Her mentor warns her current path leads to a dark future and has recruited both the Spirit of Christmas Past (Brooks) and the Spirit of Christmas Present (Williams-Paisley) to help her get back on track. The Spirits’ time-jumping adventures force Vivienne to take hold of her life." 

The Christmas House  Premieres: Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Robert Buckley, Jonathan Bennett, Ana Ayora, Treat Williams, Sharon Lawrence, Brad Harder  Official synopsis: “Working through some difficult decisions, Wade family matriarch Phylis (Lawrence) and patriarch Bill (Williams), have summoned their two grown sons — TV star Mike Wade (Buckley) and Brandon Wade (Bennett) — home for the holidays. It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband Jake (Harder) make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi (Ayora), his high school sweetheart.” 

New movie to be Announced  Premieres: Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: TBD Official synopsis: TBD 

A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn  Premieres: Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Rochelle Aytes, Mark Taylor  Official synopsis: “Erin (Aytes) is planning the town’s Christmas celebration and must win over firefighter Kevin (Taylor) in order to obtain the beautiful spruce tree from his property for the celebration.” 

A Bright and Merry Christmas  Premieres: Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Alison Sweeney, Marc Blucas  Official synopsis: “Two competing TV hosts (Sweeney and Blucas) are sent to a festive small town over Christmas. While pretending to get along for the sake of appearances, they discover that there’s more to each other than they thought. 

Five Star Christmas (Working Title)  Premieres: Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Bethany Joy Lenz, Victor Webster  Official synopsis: “After moving back to her hometown, Lisa (Lenz) plots with her siblings and grandparents to help her father’s new bed and breakfast get a five-star review from an incognito travel critic (Webster), but ends up falling for him, not knowing he is the real critic.” 

Christmas by Starlight (Working Title)  Premieres: Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Kimberley Sustad, Paul Campbell  Official synopsis: “Annie (Sustad), a lawyer, must help her loved ones this holiday season. Her family’s restaurant, the Starlight Café, is slated for demolition. The heir to the development firm responsible, William (Campbell), makes her an unlikely proposition: He’ll spare the café if Annie spends the week ‘appearing’ as the legal counsel his father is demanding he hire in the wake of some costly mistakes.” 

Christmas Waltz  Premieres: Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Lacey Chabert, Will Kemp, JT Church  Official synopsis: “After Avery’s (Chabert) storybook Christmas wedding is canceled unexpectedly, dance instructor Roman (Kemp) helps her rebuild her dreams.” 

If I Only Had Christmas  Premieres: Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Candace Cameron Bure, Warren Christie Official synopsis: “At Christmas, a cheerful publicist (Bure) teams up with a cynical business owner (Christie) and his team to help a charity in need.” 

Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing  Premieres: Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Holly Robinson Peete, Colin Lawrence, Rukiya Bernard, Antonio Cayonne, Barbara Niven  Official synopsis: “As Michelle’s (Peete) wedding approaches, Hannah (Bernard) steps up to help finish the launch of the new Evergreen museum while questioning her relationship and future with Elliot (Cayonne).” 

Christmas She Wrote  Premieres: Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Danica McKellar, Dylan Neal  Official synopsis: “When Kayleigh (McKellar), a romance writer, has her column canceled right before Christmas, she heads home to reconnect with her family. Kayleigh gets an unexpected visit from the man (Neal) who canceled her column who fights not only to bring her back to the publisher but also for her heart.” 

Cross Country Christmas  Premieres: Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Rachael Leigh Cook, Greyston Holt  Official synopsis: “Former classmates Lina (Cook) and Max (Holt) are traveling home for the holidays, until a storm hits and they have to work together to make it home in time, no matter the mode of transportation.” 

Christmas Carnival  Premieres: Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Stars: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Antonio Cupo  Official synopsis: “Emily (Mowry-Housley) is a top newscaster who has achieved her career dreams but still has regrets about the guy (Xavier) who got away five years earlier. When the Christmas carnival comes to town, a ride around the carousel takes her magically back in time to the carnival five years before... giving her a second chance at love before she must return to Christmas present.” 

A Christmas Carousel  Premieres: Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Rachel Boston, Neal Bledsoe  Official synopsis: “When Lila (Boston) is hired by the Royal Family of Marcadia to repair a carousel, she must work with the Prince (Bledsoe) to complete it by Christmas.” 

Love, Lights, Hanukkah!  Premieres: Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel Stars: Mia Kirshner, Ben Savage, Marilu Henner  Official synopsis: “As Christina (Kirshner) prepares her restaurant for its busiest time of year, she gets back a DNA test revealing that she’s Jewish. The discovery leads her to a new family and an unlikely romance over eight nights.” 

Info from the ew.com article, Link HERE 

[imaginesforallkindoflove]

Art trade with @kittyandco !!! I hope you will like it :3

To come back here, and having his honour tarnished by the fiasco that was Arendelle wasn't enough: of course his brothers had to make him attend a ball for God's sake. After all he was still a prince, even if he had to work with filthy commoners and prisoners for some months, excluded from everyone. His mother made a long discourse in front of their people, stating she will forgive her son, because it was only a little mistake. "Everybody wants to rule the world" as she explained, sometimes glancing at her younger son, he could feel her shame and hate through her gaze. Apparently, everything was forgiven and even forgotten and it was just a thorn in Hans's life. The only reason he was staying in this damn ball was for her. 

He sighed, almost nervously and tried to collect his memories from the last time he saw her. He was telling her he was leaving for the kingdom of Arendelle, and that she shouldn't be worried about him. She seemed sad and distressed at first, she seemed to worry even more when he told her not to. But she was so sweet and kind; he didn't want to be a thorn on her side. He gulped, realising she must have heard of his bad deeds. 

It made him sweat even more. What was she thinking of him now? He was no longer a young, smart, kind and handsome prince, he had nearly committed two regicides and was sent home with a broken nose thanks to Princess Anna. She will never forgive him for this. She must be boiling with anger, knowing that he was flirting and spending some romantic moments with the young princess. He even sang with her! He was ashamed by his behaviour and hoped that she will forgive him.

He was outside on the balcony, she didn't make an appearance yet. Maybe she won't come? Maybe she must be so enraged and hateful, she had every right after all. 

While he was away, she arrived. Strutting in her beautiful outfit, trying to find the love of her life. She was looking everywhere for him, asking some guests about the youngest prince. Some of them didn't even bother to reply because of course he is the failed one. Why would a young and amazing young woman like her wanted to see that failure? 

Finally, she worked the courage to ask his brothers, who informed her with a sly smile that their brother was outside, probably crying like the weakling he was. She desperately wanted to snap at them for mocking him that way but her desire to see Hans was biggest than to humiliate those little snotty princes.

So, she turned around and saw a silhouette behind the double glassed doors. No one was outside because of the chilly weather but she didn't care. She looked behind her shoulder and saw her family talking to other guests, not questioning her or even looking at her. She sighed and decided to cut through the chase as she approached the door to the balcony.

He was lost in his thoughts once again, thinking about how he could have saved himself from this failure. His eldest brother Frederick humiliated him well when he arrived: throwing him to do some incorrect chores amongst the horses but at least he loved horses. Then, Hans heard the double doors being opened and closed. He closed his eyes, sighing a little. The prince didn't even turn around. 

"What do you want, brother? Humiliating me again?" 

"It's not your brother Hans." 

Her voice. Her sweet lovable voice. He whirled around and his breath was stuck in his lungs. She looked wonderful and beautiful that night; she was wearing a large pink and white gown, with tulle on her sleeves and on her collar until her chest and golden lace and embroidery on the skirt. Her hair was done neatly, with a golden flower crown. She didn't look angry, and he was relieved by that. 

"My dear one…" He whispered as he approached her, taking her gloved hand and kissing her knuckles softly while kneeling down. "How I missed you…" 

She observed him with sweet brown eyes, a small smile on the corner of her lips. He almost wanted to kiss the tip of her skirt's dress for forgiveness. His eyes were locked on hers, he was waiting for her to lash at him. 

"I was frightened that you would leave me for that princess…" She murmured. 

"I would have made you my queen." 

"I was also scared when I couldn't find you in the palace. Your mother… She was so harsh about you." 

He stood up again, slightly taller than her. His eyes stared deep into hers again and he felt himself lost in it. She was his paradise, his light. He took her by the arm softly, guiding her toward the stairs to go walk around the beautiful garden. She was swift to lean on him and he realised how much he missed her touch and presence. Oddly, the matter of the affair in Arendelle and her not reacting about it made him a little bit anxious and he wondered if she was just going to stab him in the back. After all, it was the favourite technique of his siblings and his parents. 

"What did Mother say?" He asked curiously.

"She said you were a disappointment and that she was certain you will never access the throne." 

He sighed, it wasn't nothing new. He thought with going to Arendelle to take the throne would suffice for his mother to respect him. But since it had turn to water… 

"Kitty…" He murmured as he sat down on a bench near the fountain. 

"Yes Hans?" She breathed out.

"I hope you believe me when I say this: I never loved Anna. My heart has only one place and it is for you. You're the queen of my heart." 

The young woman smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. He closed his eyes, savouring her touch. He truly missed her. He hadn't been able to send letters when he was in the other kingdom. He was glad she was not angry at him. 

He stood up, taking her with him. They could hear the music from the inside, booming in the garden softly. There was no one because it was a little chilly. He took her hand and waist in a soft manner and they both started to swing around, dancing a little waltz. She laughed heartily, and smiled at him all the time. 

When the music stopped, they stopped too and with a little giggle, they both ran into the small wood surrounding the royal castle. She was quicker than him, sometimes turning around. It reminded both of them of the time where they were both children, here for playdates. 

Two against the world since they were younger. 

They went deep inside the wood, recognizing the small path which led to a wooden carousel. He remembered how they used to climb on the beautiful painted horses, pretending to ride free or when they played war games! Of course now, the paint was gone from the horses and everything was rotten but he bet it was not dangerous. 

She sat at the bottom of the small staircase, observing the sea and the ships in front of her. He did the same and sat besides her. A comfortable and warm silence established between the two and Kitty leant her head into his shoulder, and Hans put his hand on hers, careful to not impale himself with her small crown. 

"I miss the time where we were kids." The dark haired woman revealed. "Everything was so easier." 

"I agree." Hans replied simply, taking her hand in his.

"No one to get in our way, just running around, pretending to be knights or soldiers or… free people." 

"We still can do that! Let's get some horses tomorrow and let's ride!" 

"Oh Hans…" She sighed, clearly bothered by something. "When I heard about yours and Anna whereabouts… I was so scared you would leave me for her. I know it was all part of your plan to get the throne but… I was so afraid you would catch feelings for that princess and that you would forget me." 

"I would never!" He exclaimed almost shocked she would believe that. "Never would I forget you!" 

"I know but…" She watched as he moved to kneel in front of her. "It is what I believed, I know it wasn't rational. But usually when someone leaves that place, they marry another person and they don't come back here." 

He kissed her hand and he brought it to his cheek, appreciating the warmth and the soft fabric of her glove. 

"I love you Kitty." 

"I love you too Hans." 

[tallestsilver]

Disneyland Modern AU

For @littlelonghairedoutlaw‘s PotO AU Fic Contest! Summary: While at Disneyland, Christine is determined to make Erik have fun and figure out his favorite ride.  Rating: PG or K+  Ship: Erik/Christine kinda. More friendly than romantic  AU: Modern

“Erik, please at least try to enjoy yourself.”

A noncommittal exhalation of breath, too light to be a grunt, was the response. The dour look on Erik’s face only worsened as more people lined up behind them, becoming more crowded. “The ‘Happiest Place on Earth’, indeed,” he monotoned. 

Christine sighed in exasperation and rummaged through her petite backpack as the line moved a step closer to the entrance to the park. “Look, I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like at least one-” she held up her index finger to emphasize her point, “-one thing at Disneyland.” She withdrew a set of plain Minnie Ears, complete with a pink bow and situated it on top of her head. It barely peaked out from her massive amount of fluffy curls, but it remained steadfast. “You cannot be serious with that ridiculous thing.”

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do!” “I have been to Rome and they certainly do not care about the doings of tourists. They would rather-” “Erik, it’s just an expression,” Christine said with a roll of her eyes as he continued muttering about barbarians. Perhaps this was not the best idea she had come up with. She was determined to have fun with Erik in one of her favorite places, but he always had to make things more difficult. His rotten mood would not spoil her magical day, and she was focused on making his day magical as well.

“You said you wanted to go with me,” she reminded him as she passed her ticket along to the taker. A scant, a delightful tinkling of approval, and she passed through the turnstile. 

She waited on the other side, watching Erik fidget with his hands and recheck his prosthetic nose, complete with fake mustache. He was overly anxious, she realized, with a sinking feeling. He was denied his mask, for they were not allowed in the park, and so he settled on some makeup and a detachable nose. Despite his disguise, he wore dark shades to try and hide himself as much as possible. 

Erik held his breath and passed through the turnstile, as if he was going to be tackled by security and thrown out of the Magic Kingdom, and worse yet, be tossed into California Adventure, but he passed through without any protestations. He exhaled in relief. “Well, now we’re here so let’s get on with it,” he said. Christine grinned and grabbed his arm. “First stop, the Mad Hatter’s!”

“WHAT?” 

Walking at a determined pace, but walking nevertheless, Christine pulled Erik by the elbow straight down Mainstreet. They passed by window panels that depicted scenes of various Disney movies. “These were my favorite as a kid,” she told him, imitating a grinning Ariel rocking back and forth. “They would release the whole movie in these little scenes for whatever came out that year. They stopped doing that, though…” 

Erik leaned in and inspected the window next to hers. Cinderella was waltzing with Prince Charming, the clock tower looming behind them. 

“Let’s go!” And he was yoinked away. Christine inhaled the intoxicating aromas wafting throughout the street as they headed toward Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Confections enticing her with their sweet promises nearly stopped her in her tracks, but she had one thought in mind that she dare not tell Erik until they arrived in Fantasyland. “ABSOLUTELY NOT,” he declared as she held up a simple black Mickey hat. “Everyone gets one, Erik!” Christine said joyously. Despite his black sunglasses, she could feel his piercing gaze. 

“Christine, you’re wasting your time and your money.” She handed over the money to the cashier, who was eyeing Erik with uncertainty. “Ma’am, we have other hats that-” “Just ignore him. He’ll grow to love it.” “Would you like that embroidered?” “NO HE WOULD NOT,” Erik interjected. “Yes please! Erik, if you wouldn’t mind. That’s E-R-I-K. No ‘C’.” “We will do that in one moment!”

“Wonderful! Thank you!” 

The embroidery machine whirred to life as Christine turned back to Erik with a grin to match the Cheshire Cat’s above her. 

“Fie, a pox on both your houses,” he glowered at her, but she just continued to smile without regard to his fuming. 

“Hate me all you want, but this will help you blend in with everyone else.” She was handed the Mickey Ears, smartly embroidered in swirling yellow letters with “Erik”. She stood on her tip toes and snugly placed it on top of Erik’s head, securing the elastic bad around his chin. “There! You can throw it away after today, but for now, you’ll have plenty of Disney fun with me!”

He slumped his shoulders in defeat. “If I must…” “You must!” Christine told him cheerfully, because damn it all, she was going to make sure this day was fun for him. Even if it killed her. 

Or even if it killed him. 

At Christine’s insistence, they hit Fantasyland first, “since we’re already here,” she explained, “although Adventureland is the best, by far.” His arms were tightly folded on the Mad Tea Party Teacups, as Christine dutifully spun them faster and faster, laughing all the while. His sour disposition never faltered through Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, or King Arthur’s Carousel. Christine could have sworn she saw the slightest crack of a smile on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride upon their exit into Hell. But however quick it might have been, it vanished before she could have been certain. 

“Now I know this next one will be your favorite!” She cheered gleefully as they soared up and down through the air on Dumbo - 

“-a character who faced discrimination and torment on a daily basis until he had capital value,” Erik commented with a growl. 

Christine’s face fell as their Dumbo rose up into the air with the other elephants before making their descent. “You don’t have to put it like that…” she said softly. She shook her head, “no matter! Dumbo isn’t your favorite.”

As they exited the ride, she stuck her chin out defiantly and posed like Peter Pan. “We will find what you like today!”

Erik adjusted his dark glasses delicately, avoiding too much contact with his fake nose. “That’s highly unlikely.”

__________________________________________________________

By the afternoon’s end, Christine was in a slump. The cheer had been sapped from her, despite her earlier exuberance. She sat defeated on a bench in New Orleans Square, face cradled in her hands. Even her hair lost its usual fluffy bounce, and her curls were bedraggled. Erik approached her, holding two churros from the nearby cart. Christine made no acknowledgment of him. “Christine, I acquired the confection you demanded.”

She rotated her body away from him and focused on Tom Sawyer’s Island. She watched as the raft loaded with people and drifted away from them, toward the island.  

“Christine?”

She continued to ignore him and instead gazed at all the happy families, couples, and others enjoying their time in the park.

Erik stiffly sat beside her, his body rigid in a perfect posture, holding out the churros mechanically. He stared out alongside her, in the direction of her gaze.

“Christine, you are obviously upset, and it is highly likely that the variable that caused you to be upset is me.” He took an audible breath, and continued to stare straight ahead, but Christine shifted her gaze to him. “I cannot begin to rectify the situation and my behavior if all I can infer is that you are sullen.” 

Her mouth was set in a line, not willing to smile or frown. Yes, she was irritated with him, and this false way of apologizing without outright doing it grated on her nerves. At least he was trying to be a bit more considerate to her emotions.

“Yes, Erik, I’m ‘sullen.’ Any suggestion I have, you immediately turn it into something negative. I’m trying to show you something you’ll enjoy, but you keep nit-picking and draining all the fun out of it!” 

“That’s hardly the case-” Erik began to counter, but Christine cut him off. “-YES, it is!” She stuck out her hand and began counting on her fingers all the dismissals and critiques he had. “You hated Tomorrowland because you complained about all the outdated technology and how you could create better animatronics.”

“Why have a ride that is essentially recreating the traffic we experienced to even get to this park? It’s absurd!” “You didn’t like Space Mountain because you calculated the speed and scoffed at how slow it actually was.” “It’s all illusions, Christine. It’s only 28 miles per hour-” 

She shoved another finger in his face and she continued her infraction count, “- you were utterly disinterested in Big Thunder Mountain,” “-ain’t, Christine. Thar ain’t no way that would appeal to me. And the excavation of that Tyrannosaurus is completely ludicrous-” “-You were whining all throughout ‘Galaxy’s Edge’,” “I was just saying the Empire is a bunch of fascists and the Rebels are terrorists-” “IT’S STAR WARS, ERIK!!” Christine shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. “AND THEN when we went to Critter Country,” “-crawling with tiny children I might add-” “-you described the Winnie the Pooh ride as a fevered dream you had on opium once,” “-to be fair, it was a rather good dream-” “-and then you kept saying how exploitative Song of the South was and ruined Splash Mountain. HOW DID YOU MANAGE NOT TO GET WET? I’m STILL ringing out my hair and that was nearly an hour ago!” 

“One can take a measured approach to these things, my dear-”

“-AND you would not SHUT UP about how historically inaccurate Pirates of the Caribbean was!” “NO ONE,” Erik rose to his feet, “IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, HAS EVER WORN HATS THAT LOOK LIKE BUCKETS! THERE’S NO HISTORY HERE, CHRISTINE!”

Christine jumped to her feet and stood defiantly to Erik, despite him still looming over her, “IT’S A RIDE, ERIK! IT’S MAKE BELIEVE! PRETEND! IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!”

“BUCKET-HATS!!”

As the two of them panted in their frustrations, a baby somewhere nearby began crying. Christine broke first and flopped back down on the bench with a groan. “I just wanted you to enjoy yourself.” She slowly removed her headband and traced her fingers over the Minnie Ears. “This place means so much to me… My Dad and I would-” her nose got that peculiar warm tickle that means tears were soon to follow. She shook her head to rid herself of that anguish. “Disneyland is just my happy place, and I wanted to share that with you, too.” Erik lowered himself down onto the ground, to look up at Christine as she fought her emotions. He removed his dark sunglasses to be more open with the woman sitting in front of him. “I have been having fun,” he told her softly. “Perhaps my enjoyment of things is more unconventional, but spending this day with you is more precious to me than anything else.” A half-smile appeared on her lips. “Crowds and all?” He offered her the churro as he rose from the ground to sit beside her. “Suffocating crowds and all.” 

Christine smiled into her churro, biting into it quietly as she and Erik sat in thought. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. His entire body tensed and grew rigid at the sudden intimacy, but he slowly relaxed. He hesitantly lifted his arm, and with taking pause, wrapped it around Christine’s shoulders. Christine had nearly finished half of her churro before Erik finally tasted his own. The crispy sweet crust pairing with the fluffy light middle delighted him. “Christine!” He exclaimed, “these are incredible!” “Yeah, Erik. Disneyland churros are amazing. I always need to have one. OH! And the beignets, too.” “I don’t think you fully comprehend the magnificence of this pastry! It’s entirely delightful!” He took another bite, “sweet, but not overpowering!” Another bite. “The delicate taste of cinnamon!” Another, “the exquisite crunch with the decadent exterior!” 

Christine covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to keep from laughing at Erik’s sudden enthusiasm. As he continued exclaiming his delight, probably with more gusto for Christine’s benefit, the adhesive on his prosthetic nose began to disintegrate. Her amusement quickly turned into concern, knowing how poorly he would react if it fell off. “Erik,” Christine cautioned him, suddenly serious, “Erik, maybe you shouldn’t-” And that’s precisely when his nose fell into his lap. 

Erik yelped several octaves higher than Christine thought he was physically able to, clamping his hands over his face instinctively. His mustache hung limply above his thin lips, exposing the jagged scar of his former cleft palate that ran up to his nose cavity.

The cry made several people look in their direction, certainly not aiding in Erik’s mortification. “The poor guy dropped his churro!” Christine explained, putting on her Stage Voice and gesturing to the fallen delicacy. 

That seemed to satisfy the onlookers as Erik curled up on himself, hiding his face as best he could. Christine rubbed his hunched back soothingly as he silently suffered. “Shh, shh... Erik it’s okay! There’s a bathroom nearby where you can apply it again. Although honestly,” she said with a shrug, “no one will care if you don’t reapply it. There are so many people who come here with all different backgrounds and abilities that-” “Christine, save me your princess fairy tales for the moment,” Erik hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m more Victor Hugo’s Hunchback than Walt Disney’s, and people aren’t kind no matter where or when we are. Or perhaps I should just kidnap a princess into being my prisoner like some kind of Beast. That will turn out well!” 

Silenced by his sardonic words, Christine helped him to his feet, and hurried him along to the restrooms in New Orleans Square. They were mercifully close, and as Christine was just about to tell him as such, a small boy approached Erik. “Jack Skewwington!” He squealed gleefully, bouncing up and down, pointing at Erik and back at his shirt that displayed the character. 

Christine had to bite her lips to keep from laughing and making the situation worse as Erik blushed in fury. The mustache had vanished somewhere along their short walk, fully exposing Erik’s death-like face. 

The small boy hugged Erik’s spindly legs in his delight at finding the Pumpkin King. 

Erik’s jaw clenched, unsure of what to do. His hands flexed into fists at his side, wanting to throw the child off of him or pat him on the head awkwardly.

“Owen!!” Cried a nearby woman, running up to the boy. “I don’t think he likes that, honey,” She held out her hand to Owen and beckoned him back to her. “But Auntie Pwincess...” he whined taking her hand. She turned to Erik, “I’m sorry, your Disney-bound is really good. He thought you were Jack,” she said breathlessly, trying to excuse the young boy’s behavior. “It’s FINE!” Christine interjected before Erik could say anything, “he gets that all the time. You gotta keep the secret, okay?” She pressed her finger to her lips and winked at the boy. “Have a good Halloween!” She waved to the pair as Owen waved back. “Bye bye!”

Erik stood there in shock, unable to process what had happened. Christine handed him a tube of eyelash glue and his fallen nose. He took them mechanically and left to enter the restroom. After a few minutes, he returned, adjusting his sunglasses back on his face and lightly tapping his raw upper lip. A few flecks of glue remained, but only Christine would notice. “I suppose that’s what you get for wearing black pinstripes at Disneyland,” she laughed sheepishly, trying to make light of the situation.

“I’d rather not discuss it,” he said, with all of his curt authority, but there was a certain softness to his voice. “Where to next?” He asked Christine, offering his arm with jerking, stilted movements. She took it and smiled. “My favorite ride, but you have to promise not to criticize it!” Erik gave her a mock aghast look. “I would NEVER-!” “Erik. Promise me.” “Oh, all right, I promise. I’ll hold my tongue. Now which one is it?”

Christine lifted her arm to the towering manor before them. “The Haunted Mansion!”

“Haunted, hmmm? I should really leave my card if they want a proper Phantom…” Ignoring him, Christine giggled with excitement, bouncing not too unlike their little visitor from before, and dragged Erik along behind her. She was all but skipping through the Pet Cemetery and pointed out all the puns on the various tombstones and mausoleums.

“I. M. Mortal? The evidence proves the contrary, sir,” Erik said. Christine shot him a dirty look and he held up his hands in innocence. “It was a joke, Christine! They’re all deceased.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him and whipped her hair at him with a small, “hmpf!” She strolled quickly into the front doors of the mansion as a glassy eyed Castmember ushered them in with a deadpan, “look alive. Right this way.”

Erik squeezed his way past through the bodies of the crowd to get back to Christine’s side. She gazed up at the foyer in awe, excitement vibrating from her being. 

“When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls.” Christine clasped her hands in giddiness, mouthing the words along with Paul Frees’s narration. “Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still — that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!” “... well I feel called out,” whispered Erik in Christine’s ear. Christine snorted in laughter.

“Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your Ghost Host. Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There’s no turning back now.” One of the walls opened to reveal another room. The group shuffled their way in as another Castmember stated in the deepest voice he could muster, “Drag your bodies away from the walls and into the dead center of the room.”

“Are these puns going to continue throughout this journey?” “Yes, Erik!” Christine hissed at him in a whisper. “And if you don’t like it-” “Our tour begins here in this gallery, where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state.”

“You misunderstand, I love it entirely.” Erik looked longingly at Christine, aching to make her happy. She inadvertently was standing similarly to the ballerina-tight rope walker portrait stretching just behind her.  

“Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination — hmm?” 

“Oh. Well good!” The smile she gave him was dazzling. 

“And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows and no doors… which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out!” Christine echoed the laugh of the Ghost Host with chilling accuracy.  “Of course... there’s always my way-!”

Christine released a practiced blood curdling scream as lightning flashed and the hanged body of the host appeared above them. Erik jumped at her terrifying cry, but she was still smiling in delight. The lights flickered back on and a door slid open revealing another hallway in the labyrinthine manor. “Ohhh, I didn’t mean to frighten you prematurely,” Christine cooed along with the dialogue, smirking at Erik. “The real chills come later. Now, as they say, ‘look alive,’ and we’ll continue our little tour. And let’s all stay together, please.” “I was concerned about your safety,” he huffed, a slight blush rising to his sunken cheeks. He adjusted his Mickey Ears as they had skewed in his jump. “You were scared, just admit it!” Christine laughed as they walked through the hallway, where the curtained windows showed a thunderstorm raging outside the Mansion. To their right, more portraits flickered with the lightning, showing not all was as it seemed. 

“Christine,” Erik said sensibly, “a hanged body is something that does not frighten me.”

“I’m going to ignore that,” Christine told him, peering at the two busts whose faces turned to follow them down the line queue. 

“There are several prominent ghosts who have retired here from creepy old crypts all over the world. Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here — but there’s room for 1,000. Any volunteers?”

Christine nudged Erik with her elbow. “They’re looking for a new ghost. Need a new job?”

“If you insist on lagging behind, you may not need to volunteer.”

Erik tapped his finger against his lips in thought. “That’s not a bad notion…” “You’re not ACTUALLY considering it, are you Erik?” The two of them stepped onto the moving walkway and slid into their doom buggy carriage to whisk them off into the bowels of the mansion.

“Why not,” he mused. “Put my skills to the test, and so far, I am pleased with the traditional techniques they’ve been utilizing for their optical illusions.” The safety bar lowered on them, bumping against Erik’s gangling legs. “I find the older tricks are the most effective.” 

“We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Every room has wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills. Shhh, listen!”

Their ghostly carriage rocked and swayed, providing them the direction where to look as they journeyed down the Corridor of Doors. A floating candelabra surrounded by a hall of mirrors that led to nowhere illuminated the scene to the right as groans from a moving casket cried out on their left. Leering eyes warped the wallpaper pattern into a frightful brocade as narration continued. 

Christine cooed in contentment as she leaned back in the Doom Buggy and watched the creeping horrors as they passed by. Several doors rattled and growled with threats of danger on the other side. 

“Ha! They used the effect revolutionized in ‘The Haunting,’” Erik hummed in his amusement as they passed by a particularly intimidating bulging door, the wood creaking with every ‘breath’ of movement.  “In fact,” he craned his neck around and tried to carefully observe the other doors, despite moving away from them, “this whole hallway is...a marvel...” Christine gave Erik her best vacant expression and told him, “the house is alive..!” He actually chuckled at her reference. Christine was pleased at his amusement. 

“It’s about time you found something you like-” But she was cut off by the seance Madame Leota was conducting as they swiveled into a pitch black room with instruments floating all around them. 

“OoooOooh, a medium,” Erik wiggled his spidery fingers in sarcastic spookiness, “how obnoxious,” he scoffed, but his smile remained. 

“Do not mock the great Madame Leota!” “Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine!”

Their vehicle turned and face the Seer, to reveal she was not seated at her seance table in front of the crystal ball. Rather, she was a disembodied head inside the ball, floating above the table. The jingling beat of a tambourine was the response, as if the ghosts of the mansion were responding to her words. 

“Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond, let there be music from regions beyond!” Music began to play as they were ushered from Leota’s chamber and into more darkness. Their Ghost Host whispered in their ears as they ventured deeper into the Mansion. “The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize. They’re assembling for a swinging wake, and they’ll be expecting me… I’ll see you all a little later.”

The organ music swelled around them with the melody of the mansion as ghostly apparitions began swirling in a waltz in a ballroom before them. Duelists stepped out of their portraits to fire, spirits were piling in from a crashed carriage, gathering around to feast on the rotten food on an elongated table. And a man in a top hat played the organ with great vigor, despite it being off-key. 

“The Pepper’s Ghost illusion, of course,” Erik whispered to himself.

“My favorite part!” Christine squealed in a hushed voice. “Yes,” he murmured, entranced as well, his eyes focused on the organ player, “I can see why…” Listening to the repeating music, his finger unconsciously swayed to it, as though he was conducting it and learning along. Christine hummed along, dancing in her seat as they turned away from the spectacle and into the attic, where the thudding of a heartbeat echoed in their heads. Scattered before them were portraits of various couples in their wedding attire. The woman, all the same in each one and smiling pleasantly, but every groom was different. Then, the swing of an axe, and the heads of the grooms vanished. A piano with only the shadow of a pianist played a discordant wedding march. At the end of the attic, was Constance Hatchaway, the bride herself, in her glowing ethereal splendor. “I do,” she whispered innocently, her bouquet revealing an axe, “...and I did,” she hissed, the axe shining with light. “Here comes the bride…”

“I know I’m desperate,” Erik remarked, “but I’m not that desperate for a bride.” 

Christine scoffed, “you sure about that? OH! HERE HE IS! THE HATBOX GHOST!”

Christine leaned forward as they left the attic and a ghost with skeletal features, not too unlike the man sitting next to her, appeared. He wore a magnificent top hat and a hatbox hung from his hand. His eyes looked suspiciously around before he laughed sinisterly. His face suddenly vanished from his body and reappeared inside his hatbox.

Their carriage tilted backward away from the mansion and into the backyard cemetery. Christine laughed and clapped her hands in delight.  

“What was so remarkable about him?” Erik puzzled. 

“The rumor of the Hatbox Ghost is amazing! He was put into the Mansion on the opening days, but then he vanished!” “The animatronic… vanished?” “Yes! They never saw it again! They just put him back in a couple of years ago. But can you imagine? Almost fifty years without Hattie and his image is all through the mansion! But now he’s back and better than ever!” The recurring music suddenly shifted from melancholy and dour to exuberant and lively. A raven cawed at them during their descent out of the main house and into the graveyard. They passed the terrified groundskeeper and his dog, both trembling in fear as the ghosts and corpses rose from their graves to have a frightening soiree.  

Christine bounced along to the music and sang along to the macabre choir, 

“When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake,

Spooks come out for a swinging wake.

Happy haunts materialize and begin to vocalize. 

Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

Now, don’t close your eyes and don’t try to hide,

For a silly spook may sit by your side.

Shrouded in a daft disguise, they pretend to terrorize.

Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

As the moon climbs high o’er the dead oak tree,

Spooks arrive for the midnight spree.

Creepy creeps with eerie eyes start to shriek and harmonize.

Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

When you hear the knell of a requiem bell,

Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell.

Restless bones etherealize, rise as spooks of every size!

She cackled and continued right from the top again. Ghosts popped up from behind tombstones, a Mummy was having tea, four busts sang very expressively, and several opera singers belted out their tunes. 

Erik nudged his elbow against Christine and nodded to a large woman’s ghost with long Valkyrie braids, projecting out her notes. “I wasn’t aware Carlotta was employed here!”

Christine sputtered in laughter as they left the graveyard only to be accosted by three hitchhiking ghosts, thumbing their way out. 

“Ah, there you are!” The Ghost Host’s voice cooed, “and just in time… there’s a little matter I forgot to mention — beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have selected you to fill our quota, and they’ll haunt you until you return! Now I will raise the safety bar, and a ghost will follow you home!”

Christine wiggled in her seat, eagerly peering in the mirrors displayed before them to see which ghost would select them. However, all that they saw were their own reflections, Erik doing everything he could to avoid looking at himself “That’s odd… it must be down… usually a ghost appears next to you…” She looked over at Erik, who shrugged in response. 

“...nevermind, a ghost is next to me,” she commented dryly. 

A lulling melody lured them out of their Doom Buggy as the bar lifted and they stepped out onto the moving platform. Christine looked back as her palm sought the handrail, carrying them back up to the world above. “Hurry baaaack… Hurry baaaack…” The small bride-like figure of Little Leota taunted them as they headed upward. Erik rested his hand on Christine’s shoulder. “Oh, we plan to.” Christine gasped in delight, her eyes sparkling with unmitigated joy. “Again?”

Erik nodded, “how else am I to construct a summer home?”

[arazialotis]

Hunters Academy - Part 6

Word Count: Around 4100

Summary: The reader is looking for a way forward in life. A cryptic business card may provide her with a new opportunity at an unconventional school. Catch Up Here -> Introduction Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Warnings: Language, General SPN violence and creepy settings

Pairing: Dean x Reader

This is purely for a hobby and my enjoyment. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I am by no means a writer so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

Beta’d and influenced by the beautiful mind of @misguidedconqueress​

---

After your conversation with Dean you found it impossible to sleep, but tried anyway; knowing you needed your rest for the big day tomorrow. Without thought of consequence or an official graduation, you threw yourself into full on hunter mode. There was no consideration for your preparedness or ability to do so. You’d simply  take what you learned from the Winchesters and figure the rest out along the way. Thankfully, you still had a suit in your pack. A car and weapons, those would have to come tomorrow. 

You were graced with a few hours of sleep to recuperate, but woke in the wee hours of the morning to start your day. In an abandoned tow lot, frayed by time and weather, you managed to find a running Corsica. It was no Mustang by any means; but it could get you from point A to point B with a touch of 90s nostalgia seeping up through the cushions. As for a weapon, well, you decided it would be best to first understand what you were dealing with. The best place to start would presumably be at coroner's office at the police station. 

Standing at reception, your hand shook with nerves as you flashed the FBI badge. The seasoned woman from behind the desk firmly grabbed it and analyzed it. Her eyes skeptically peered over her glasses. She gave it back to you but eyed you suspiciously. 

You were absolutely terrified, but forced the words past the lump in throat. “I need a meeting with your sheriff.” 

“On what business?” Her gruff voice asked. 

You pinched your lips together. “On business concerning the Federal Bureau.” Or more non-professionally; none of your beeswax, lady. 

She sighed and looked at her half-eaten doughnut, wishing to get back to what she deemed more important. “Sheriff is booked up today, but he is bringing in a corpse right now. Coroner’s office is down the hall to the left, ya might be able to catch him.” 

“Thanks.” You nodded before taking off, a boost of confidence in your step. 

Perhaps it would be easier than you thought. As you neared the end of the hall, you heard muffled voices raising with tension, You pressed yourself against the wall hoping to get a listen. 

“Same as the others?” A male asked. 

The responding male conveyed a more timid and soft impression. “Yes.”

The first man sighed, before barking his order. “Run it as a heart attack.” 

“Sheriff.” The other voice pleaded. “This is a growing problem, we need help, we need…” “That’s none of your concern and a scare is the last thing a town like this needs. Good people live here, depending on tourist dollars. If a drug scandal…” 

He interrupted. “You saw the first report same as I, no drug is capable…” “Then in your medical expertise, what do you suggest is the cause?” There was silence. “I don’t need no scandal. It was a heart attack. Now if you’re not willing to say so, I’ll find someone who is.” He threatened. 

There was a period of silence and then heavy footsteps heading your way. You sunk back into the wall as the lumbering sheriff waltzed past you without notice. A few moments passed as you held your breath, waiting for the tension in the air to fade before you made your entrance. The man was slim, hiding kind brown eyes behind thick glasses. He was muttering furiously to himself before he noticed your presence. 

“You’re not supposed…” You held your finger up to your lips and held out your badge. Thinking quickly on your feet, you spoke it a soft voice, attempting to match his manner. “We’ve received a complaint. I’m here to ask a few questions.” 

“I uh…”  He stuttered pushing his glasses up his nose. “I’m not sure legally what I can and can’t say.” Clearly this job was important to him. “We can offer you protection and only want to affirm your work in this town is done ethically and with the people’s best interest in mind. Can I ask if you have any concerns?” You pushed. 

He set his clipboard down next to the cadaver. “How much did you just hear?” “Enough.” You stated. “Just out of curiosity…” You walked closer to the cadaver. “You mentioned drugs aren’t capable. Capable of what?” He pulled the sheet back revealing the body. “Are you familiar with autospies?” 

Shock must have registered in your face. Sam went over some basic human anatomy, where to look in the body for marks, abnormalities, etc., but this was your first actual corpse. She was so cold and white. You shook back into the act, trying to remain unfazed. “Though I mainly investigate corruption, I had to study anatomy in the bureau.”

He lifted up the victims arm, pointing at the crook of her elbow. “You’ll notice the track marks on her arm. Same as the others, initially leading us to believe it was a drug spree in the town. But when the first one came in several months back and I went to draw blood for lab work, it came out empty. I thought maybe it had congealed. But proceeding further through the autopsy, I realized she was completely drained. No blood at all.” 

Vampires. The word rung so clearly through your mind. 

“Even if you came to investigate the sheriff, if you could use your connections to get a medical expert opinion, I could really use the help. This one just has me baffled.” He covered the girl’s body back up. 

“I’ll make sure to get a hold of someone.” You assured. 

Although you had a clear path forward, to sell the ruse you stayed with the coroner a while longer allowing him to vent his complaints. Now with a target in mind, your next step was obtaining a weapon. You found yourself longing for your Mustang again, with the concealed katana on the back wing. It would have been perfect for this case. 

There was an upscale camping store in the center of downtown, yet on you way to get there  shady pawn shop caught your eye. Iron bars lined the windows and it seemed like fewer questions would be asked. Inside was piled high with junk. A decrepit carousel horse stood proud in the center of the small shop collecting dust as the years passed. 

You rummaged through the ominous piles but didn’t spot your prize until passing a glass case displaying relics of war. 

Clearing your throat, you caught the eye of the shopkeeper. “How much for the machete?” 

He peered up from his comic book, reminding you of an older and heavier set version of Ned. “What can you offer?” His eyes grazed your figure. 

“Cash.” You put simply ignoring any hint of innuendo.

“25.”  

Not a bad price, but you didn’t want it’s rusty edges disintegrating after the first swing. “Can I see it first?” 

He sighed and walked over, unlocking the case. He handed it over to you. It was heavy but balanced. Teeth ran the edge of the blade, perfect for sawing if necessary. They were still sharp too. 

“Deal.” You agreed, fishing through your pocket. 

***

Weapon. Check. Monster. Check. All you needed was the location. And you knew just the ghost to ask. 

You waited until dark to head back until the cemetery unsure if she would spectate earlier. It would be a risk, looking for vamps in their protection of dark, but it was your best lead. Seated on her gravestone, you used a rock to clean the blade waiting for the time to pass. A chill slowly began to creep up your neck until your hair stood on end. When your breath turned to fog, you knew it was her. You stood up, bracing yourself as the spectre took form. 

“Run!” She commanded, same as before.

You knew you couldn’t back down despite the uneasiness shivering down your spine. “Actually I am here to help.” 

“Run!” Her shouts morphing into screams.

You persisted. “You were hurt, weren’t you? By a monster?” 

The ghost began scratching her arm where the marks were, pacing back and forth.   

“Where did it happen?” 

She hollered out in frustration and jolted towards you, shuddering in and out of sight as she did. You held your ground as her arms stretched out as if to push you away. Instead she passed right through you; the shock of her energy sent you stumbling back, shivering and shaken. The buzzing in your limbs slowly subsided but by the time you came back to your senses, she had disappeared. 

“Please.” The word fell from your lips; gentle, pleading. You cleared your throat, gathering courage. “I know what I am doing. I want this to end. I don’t want them to hurt anyone else.” Your words rang out in the empty graveyard. 

You twirled around, looking for any sight of her, stopping when you saw her mimicking your earlier stance on her gravestone. She rested her chin in her palms as she contemplated the idea. 

“That’s what you have been doing isn’t it? You’ve been warning the others, trying to save them. I can help.” She began to weep. “Can you tell me where they are?” She pointed east, leading to a crypt further into the graveyard. 

“Thank you.” You turned to walk, realizing she was not following. You paused and addressed her one last time. “When this is all over, I hope you can rest.” With that, you left her. 

It was quiet by the crypt. The ground around it was bare as if grass refused to grow near it. The iron gate and padlock had been broken. As you pulled it open, a loud, rusty groan echoed through the air. You held your breath, waiting for any movement. None came. 

You pressed further into the chamber. The moonlight shone through a window, illuminating what little could be shown. The walls were engraved with the names of the fallen and large marble vases walled the corner. Worn stone steps crumbling at their edges descended into total darkness below the earth. You took a deep breath before following their lead. 

You slowly approached the bottom of the stairs, holding your breath and hugging the wall. It took a few moments, but your eyes adjusted to the surroundings. The cavern was big. Coffins lined the walls, set to the height of your shoulder. The tunnel lead onward, splitting off into two different directions. A warm light glowed to the left. You tucked around the corner, hearing voices and laughter from afar. 

This close, holding your breath would be useless. They very well could have already heard your heartbeat. You breathed slow and deep, trying to control your pulse so anxiety wouldn’t betray your bold front. The only thing keeping you grounded as you walked down the center of the tunnel was the cool feeling of metal rubbing against your thigh. 

You were at the edge of the light, peering into their room. Had it been any other hangout, this ninja turtle setup didn’t seem too bad. There were three visible, but something seemed off… they should have noticed you by now. 

A hand came down hard against your shoulder. You tried to turn, but the grip was too harsh and panic stormed inside you. The cold form pressed against you and forced you out into the light. The three faced you and the figure behind, laughing as they did. A low voice sounded behind you. “What a lucky night when the prey walks willingly into the den.” 

A boy, who couldn’t be older than 18, jumped up from his video game. “I didn’t know we had the option to order delivery."

The only female of the group, leaned against the wall gazed at you up and down. "She's pretty. I say we keep her."

"No one asked you." The fourth and final group member spat. 

"Hey!" She argued back. "Since day one, I've been out numbered here…" 

Your heart raced and you choked on your breath fearing this would be the end. But they didn't even suspect you might put up a fight, or be armed for that matter. As they fought back and forth, you went through Dean's class in your mind. But it was always one on one combat… 

You felt the leaders grip falter and sighed with annoyance at the bantering before him. It was now or never. You had to prove Dean wrong. You were made for this. You were ready. 

In a single second, you used your unhindered arm to free the hidden machete and swung with all your might, twisting your body to face him before the blade connected and beheaded the monster in front of you. You quickly turned around to face the others, ready to fight but the were all dumbstruck. 

You twirled the machete into a more comfortable grasp. "Is this where I say something about not playing with your food?" 

“Oh shit!” The youngest yelled. 

The female snarled through pointed teeth. “You’ll pay for that, bitch.” 

You smirked. This snarky side fit you. “Do you take credit?” 

But they didn’t seem as amused as you, all of them charging at once. You dodged fangs and fists, barely managing to strike with the blade here and there, never hitting the target but keeping them at bay. 

It was the youngest who stumbled first. For a moment you hesitated, but follow through in the swing. Though your machete hit its mark, your falter had betrayed you. Before you could recover, the female was on you. Pain radiated into your right shoulder as she bit deeply. You screamed out in agony, dropping the blade out of your grasp. 

Her fangs released but her hand was instantly around your throat. “I’m going to keep you… Make your death drawn out so you can feel every drop of blood leave your body.” 

Even if you could think of a snappy response, you physically couldn’t with her grip choking you. You desperately clawed at her hand, kicking at her shins, fighting any way you could, but she held her strong composure. You barely made a dent. Her lips turned upwards into a sadistic smile as your face turned red, struggling for air. 

With an impossible force, she threw you down to the ground. You pushed up to your hands and knees, coughing for breath and stars circling in your vision. Her foot pressed down on your back, pinning you to the floor. “Find something to tie her up with.” She ordered. 

Panic started to set in. You pushed up with all your might, but it was useless against her strength. You were done for. 

As your mind raced through scenarios, you thought your vision was beginning to play tricks on you as a figure loomed in the background. In an instant, all the pressure from her was off as she was thrown across the room. This time you left no room for hesitation. You rushed back to your machete, taking her out first and then the final male. 

You looked around for your savior, images of Dean flooding your mind. It wasn’t until you caught your breath you realized the sharp drop in temperature. The ghost stepped out from the shadows, revealing herself to you. 

“Thank you,” was all you could manage. You looked around, wiping the blade against your leg. “Is that all of them?” She closed her eyes. A look of peace flooded her features as her figure glowed warm and dissolved into the air. 

You stood alone in the empty room. “I’ll take that as a yes then.” 

You made the mistake of looking at your shoulder that had been mauled. Your shirt was ripped through and soaked with blood. As the adrenaline wore off, so did your tolerance for pain. It was going to be a long night. 

***

Dean arrived at the small Carolina town just past midnight. A storm was brewing in the salty coastal air. He pounded hard against your door, giving up only moments after. Managing to get a spare key was easy enough after slipping the attendant a few 20s. 

Disappointment quickly followed his entrance. There wasn’t a hint of a solid lead in sight. A crumpled up gray blazer and skirt were tossed carelessly onto a made twin bed. The phone that had been ripped out from the wall laid on the floor hidden underneath the bedskirt. Aside from your duffle, the room was utterly bare. Dean was beginning to think that he was too late.

***

As you neared the motel the idea of a hospital kept running circles in your mind. You couldn’t recall what medical supplies were in your sack or if they were in your ‘stang halfway across the States. The painful throbbing screamed louder with each movement or turn of the wheel, regardless of how you held your arm. You settled on letting it hanging lifelessly. 

Almost to the motel, your indecisiveness ensued. Lost on whether to fight through the pain or release your pride and seek help, something caught your eye. With just a glance, you knew what it was but pulled a sharp u-turn to get a better look. Stopped in the middle of the road, you stared down at the classic black car nestled in the motel’s parking lot, it’s glossy exterior reflecting the bursts of lightning from the dark sky. 

“Well, shit.” You huffed. The decision was made for you. 

Inch by inch, your car lulled along closer to the Impala. Mustering up the courage to face what was inside, you pulled breath after breath into your lungs rather wishing it was another gang of vampires than him. You watched the rain cascade against the windshield a few more minutes, until it was clear the torrential downpour wasn’t letting up anytime soon. By the time you had walked from the car to your door, your clothes were already soaked through. Most traces of blood had all but gone. There was no need for your key, and you entered with your machete in hand just in case. 

A soft glow from the desk lamp dimly illuminated the room. The figure inside turned around to meet you. Being exactly who you expected, his eyes went wide with shock and relief. He set a notepad down on the desk and took a step forward before pausing, trying to read the expression on your face. Truth be told, you could barely tell what emotions were bubbling up. Guilt, pride, relief, concern? But it was anger that won over the rest. 

You threw your machete to the floor between the two of you. “Fuck you! Fuck you and that stupid school!” Heat rushed to your face. “You ain’t prepared us for shit!” 

Dean’s hopefulness melted way to defensiveness against your words. “Well, maybe if you stuck around, finished the classes before running off, listened to fucking orders…”

His words didn’t register and you held your ground, yelling over him. “”Bullshit! Combat should be five to one. We never even seen a fucking body! Not to mention how to lie our ass off. Or what to do when your partner packs up and runs." Dean realized your anger was now a sign of panic. His hostility calmed and he urged you to do the same. But you wouldn't listen. You continued. "How to erase any potential evidence. What it feels like to kill something.” Your breath was ragged and you were becoming more and more lightheaded with each statement. Dean’s pleas for you to stop went unheard. “What the fuck! I killed someone. I killed…”

At first you thought he had slapped you across the face. You stopped so suddenly, your world turning almost white, your whole body numb feeling like the ghost had passed through you again. But the feeling did not dissipate. You looked at him through a haze. He was closer than you remembered. Tingling rushed to your lips. His hand was on your left shoulder. His words muffled but he was staring into your eyes, bent to your level. 

Slowly his words started making sense. “Breathe. You need to calm the fuck down. You didn’t kill someone. You stopped a monster and saved many more lives. You didn’t need anyone to tell you what to do. You used your best judgement. Y/N?” He looked at your pale face. “Are you breathing?” “Did you…” Your voice was low and raspy. “Did you just kiss me?” 

He waited until your breath was slower, more deep. “You wouldn’t shut up.” He whispered. 

“That worked…” You paused as he took a step back. A new source of adrenaline coursing through your body, yearning to seek a new high and replace the grime of the hunt. “Do it again.” The words held heat, even as they pleaded. “Y/N…” Dean rubbed behind his neck. “Kiss. Me. Again.”

He didn’t think twice, closing in. As if you expected him to protest, you backed up hitting the dresser. Dean pursued, pulling you closer. You used your good arm to hoist yourself up, sitting on top of the dresser. His knee parted your legs getting as close as possible. He grabbed your ribs with both hands and leaned up. 

For a moment, you paused, letting the reality set in. The lightning illuminated the green in his eyes. His freckles mixed with the shadow of rain droplets from the window. His eyes darted back and forth searching yours. You closed your eyes in anticipation, yearning to feel his lips again. Yet instead of feeling his soft touch against you, you felt him pull away. 

Before you could voice your impatience, you opened your eyes and he was headed for the light switch. The sharp contrast of light in the dark room blurred your vision and Dean was back at your side. 

“You’re hurt.” He stated with concern, pulling at the sleeve of your shoulder.

You rolled your eyes and pushed his hands away. “It’s worse than it looks… That’s… that’s not what I meant.” 

“I’ll consider it a Freudian slip.” He continued to eye your shoulder. 

He was about to reach for your sleeve again, when you grabbed him by the collar, pulling him into you. Yes, the atmosphere wasn’t as romantic, but you felt the high dying. You needed this. You needed him. His lips pressed hard against you as you forcefully held him there. The lock between you intensified as both his hands cradled the nape of your neck. Hungry for more, your tongue attempted to push pass his lips but he retreated once more. 

“Dammit Y/N!” Dean rubbed his hands through his hair. “I want this just as much as you, but for the love of god, I need to make sure you’re not gonna faint on me.” 

You sighed but permitted him to continue. “You’re killing the mood.” You mumbled. 

He looked up to you with annoyance and then back at your shoulder. The sleeve peeled away, stuck to the skin with sweat and blood. Dean didn’t seem phased. You suspected he’d seen much worse. Now that fabric wasn’t there to soak it up, blood trickled down your arm. 

“Might be able to avoid stitches if the glue holds.” He stepped back. 

“Well hopefully you brought something stronger than Elmer’s.” You snarked. 

He chuckled sarcastically, not in the slightest bit amused. “I’ll see what I’ve got.” He headed out to his car to grab the first aid kit. 

Meanwhile, you went to the restroom, to clean off what you could, but your heart went cold when you got a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You saw your mother. Your hands grabbed the sink to steady yourself and looked again. Of course it was only you, but the resemblance was striking. The times you had seen her rush in late at night, after a hunt, trying her best to hide the gore from you. Even when you were young. She’d give you a bedtime that you often broke with late night reruns. When she’d come out, cleaned up, she would scold you, but all you could remember now was the heaviness in her eyes. The weight she had to carry. 

You ran the water from the faucet and closed your eyes. The flash of white fangs, the rip of the machete, the sounds of screams. It was too late to go back now. Those memories would haunt you forever. There was no denying it now. You were a hunter. 

---

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[tomboxe]

The Batman

It was a moment. A brief flash of the man he’d been for decades. It passed very quickly though, the massive, grotesque smile. There were lines around his eyes now he no longer used the over the top makeup that had for so long struck terror into the citizens of Gotham. He sat back into the gently whirring massage chair that was his almost constant companion, his back an entire citadel of aches. The years of taking on the Batman had taken their toll on him.

He spared a thought for his old enemy and chuckled at the thought of the sheer mass of injuries he must have lived through. How he’d envied the brute force with which Bane had literally broken Batsy on one beautiful, almost tragic occasion. The iconic rictus flickered on his face again for a moment.

He grabbed his cane, the one with the jewel encrusted joker head on it, the only bit of memorabilia he’d kept from the old days. It had been a gift from old Cobblepot, and it was worth an absolute fortune. Not that he cared that much about money anymore.

He walked out to the street, hobbling slightly. He wasn’t a particularly old man, but he was, physically at least, a broken one. He just wanted to live out the rest of his days with the rest of his wealth. He paused at a newspaper stand and looked at the headlines.

“Top of the morning to you sir!”

The vendor’s voice was bright and cheerful. Too cheerful. And who in Gotham used a greeting like that? He got halfway in character, and the grin came out to play. The vendor recoiled a bit.

“Good morning to you, kind citizen. I haven’t my glasses on me, so pray tell, what does the news say?

His smile didn’t shift as the vendor told about crime after crime that the Batman had foiled. If the vendor had any training in reading body language, however, he’d have noticed the clenching of both fists around the head of the cane, the slight twitch in the eye, and the way the seemingly harmless man had drawn himself up to his full height. He didn’t though, and it was just as well for him, as there’s no telling what might have happened if he’d been thought to be goading the Clown Prince.

“And he vouched for the Joker’s old broad! You know, Harley Queen or something! She’s strictly on the straight an’ narrow now.”

The Joker winced at the mispronunciation, said a hurried thank you and walked away. He was angry, and knowing why he was angry made him even more so.

He hurried back to the abandoned amusement park he called home. It was familiar, a safe haven for a clown in an un-mad, sanitised world. He’d had the traps removed and a few creature comforts installed, but apart from that it was a functional fairground. His functional fairground.

He often left the carousel spinning so he could waltz to the music - by himself, now that Harley wasn’t here. She hadn’t left Gotham, but she had refused to stand by him during his trial. He had deserved that, of course. She had been devoted to him and when she had needed him most, he had tossed her aside like an old toy. He’d always been abusive towards her, but the coldness with which he had rejected her had even stunned the Batman.

He remembered it well. It had been one of the things that had escalated his downfall. He had set an elaborate trap for the Dark Knight. It would have been hilarious. It was a pastiche of all the big villains Batman had ever fought - a coin deluge a la TwoFace, a Penguinesque attack by a genetically modified peregrine falcon, a physical and psychological pummelling by Bane, slow acting poison by Ivy - all part of an elaborate death trap maze courtesy of the Riddler which he was forced to go through under the Mad Hatter’s mind control. The Joker chuckled at the perfect plan. He’d even got Carmine Falcone and Rupert Thorne to team up to decimate Wayne Industries and leave the Batman penniless.

The Bat had survived.

He’d blamed Harley, of course. She must have done something wrong. It had been the perfect plan. So when Harley inevitably came running, screaming for her Pudding, he didn’t tell her to get lost. He delivered her to Hugo Strange at Arkham Asylum and had her remanded as a risk to society, staying to watch the initial shock treatments - not that they helped his mood much.

Still, he missed Harley somewhat.

He turned on the TV in an attempt to distract himself. Harley was on the news. Her voice had lost some of its pitch, but she seemed happy.

“Without me!?”

His anger was misplaced, he knew. It had never been Harley’s fault. If he really wanted to kill the Batman he should have shot him in the head at point blank range.

The thought calmed him somewhat. A dead Batman meant anarchy in Gotham. Exciting. He hadn’t been excited in years. He wouldn’t lead the brave new world Batman’s death would usher in, but he could be the catalyst. He could kill the Batman.

Kill the Batman.

“Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha! Kill the Batman!”

It sounded amazing out loud. The thought reverberated in his head, filling every part of his psyche. Suddenly it was crystal clear. For the Joker to find peace, the batman had to die.

He spent the next few days plotting. There had to be a crime with all the hallmarks of the Joker’s devious mind to draw out old Batsy. He toyed with the idea of bringing Harley in, but decided against it. It had to be personal.

*

When the Joker’s ghastly visage appeared above the city, commissioner Sarah Essen hoped and prayed it was a prank. She had been promoted to Commissioner after her husband died at the Joker’s hand, and she had lived in terror until the Batman finally caught the Clown Prince and put him in a facility as far away from Gotham as humanly possible - the Phantom Zone.

It was harder for her to get up to the roof these days, and she was thankful the Batman had upped his game in the years following the Joker’s comeuppance. She rarely had to summon him ever, but tonight she had to know.

He was already there, brooding in front of the filtered strobe light that was casting the Joker’s face into the night sky.

“He wants me.”

The gravelly baritone Bruce Wayne assumed when in his Batman persona had never really deceived her, she liked to think.

“Why?”

“Why not? I ended him.”

The silence between them seemed heavy with questions.

“They shouldn’t have let him out,” the Commissioner said quietly.

“Doesn’t matter. I need to take him down.”

“Yes. But...”

The Batman looked in her direction for the first time that night. His cowl only covered the top of his face, and slight fuzz that covered his chin was flecked with grey. You may be in peak human condition, but nobody lives forever, she thought.

“But what?” He asked.

“Nothing, nothing. It has to be done.”

“Yes. It does.”

In the few moments she spent contemplating her next words, he left. She looked up and was relieved at the fact. There was a time she would have been furious at the abruptness of his departure. Now she just wanted it to end. All of it.

She hobbled back down the fire escape to her office and waited for the inevitable rush of activity that would signify a Joker sighting.

*

Gotham City Bank. The Batman had foiled more robbery attempts than he could count. All of his Robins had numbers. Batgirl had... he remembered what the Joker had done to Batgirl. To Jason. To Commissioner Gordon.

Every important building had a skylight with an external lock that opened with a digital key that only Batman, the Commissioner and the Mayor had. The real key to the city, Mayor West used to say with a rich little chuckle that often made the Batman half smile in spite of himself.

He slid down into the building from the bank’s skylight. He knew the Joker would be expecting it, but he didn’t have the patience for stealth. He wanted the Joker taken down as quickly as possible.

The little circle pressed into his temple the moment his feet touched the floor.

“Hello Batsy,” the Joker spat. There was mirth in his voice, but it was tinged with an incredible amount of bitterness. Batman shifted his weight and launched his right arm up, knocking the gun out of the Joker’s hand. It spun up in the air and he spun to face his old foe, throwing a black gloved hand towards the Joker.

He wasn’t there.

The Batman touched a pressure point on his cowl and murmured “switch to infra red.”

“Oh I’m not hiding Batsy, although you might want to wish I was.”

He closed the distance between them before batman had a chance to react.

“Goodbye, Batman.”

The first two shots flung the Batman back onto the floor of the bank, the Kevlar that protected his chest battered, his ageing heart beating against it like a marching band. He made to get up, but the Joker swept his feet out from under him. The former maniac sat on Batman’s chest, put the gun a couple inches above the horrified face, and pulled the trigger.

Tears filled his eyes as he walked away, but he wiped them and held his head high as he got into the chauffeur driven limousine that was waiting for him. He wiped off his make up carefully and changed out of the purple suit. Dark slacks and a fitted nude-striped shirt were offset by plain white sneakers, and he became a rich middle aged man about town trying to have a good time.

*

Essen sensed that something was amiss before the Joker’s signal went out. She ran into the dark bank. Her hands shook as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

She thought quickly, her mind moving faster than her feeble frame would allow.

Nobody had called it in, so she had time to do what had to be done. 

“You, Conroy! With me. And you, Timms. The rest of you stay here and let me know as soon as the paramedics get here.”

Between them they hurriedly shrugged the cape, cowl and suit off the still warm body, and shoved them behind a counter. When there was no way of connecting Bruce Wayne to the Batman, she looked into her officers’ faces.

“One word of this gets out, and your careers, your lives as you know them, are over.”

The she raised her voice.

“Civilian down! Where is the damn paramedic!?”

The whispers started as the paramedics stretchered the still form out into the ambulance. Essen climbed in with the body and the vehicle moved swiftly through Gotham without its sirens. The Commissioner held a press conference as soon as she returned to the station. Bruce Wayne had been shot dead at point blank range earlier that evening. Police were exploring the possibility it was related to the sighting of the Joker symbol over Gotham earlier in the evening. Yes, the Joker had agreed to come in for questioning. No, there would be no further comments until a breakthrough was made in the investigation. As she hobbled back into the station, she wished for the first time in a long time that her husband was still alive. She considered calling Barbara, but they spoke too rarely to be any source of comfort to one another. She called Bullock instead. He’d been rough around the edges when he was an officer with her husband, but he was a good man, and one of the few whose corruption her husband had overlooked in favour of his other qualities. He lived on a farm outside Gotham these days, retired since Commissioner Gordon’s death. He picked up the phone on the first ring.

“Commissioner,”

“Harvey, did you see the press conference?”

He grunted dismissively.

“Wayne’s dead.”

Silence. Harvey Bullock had always been jealous of the Batman, unwilling to work with a vigilante but in awe of the undeniable effectiveness of his methods. He had grown to greatly respect the Batman, and one of the reasons he’d retired was the knowledge that the Batman was there to protect Gotham better than he ever could.

“I’m on my way,” he said, and hung up the phone.

*

Blood seeped from the deep gouges on Selina’s arm. In fairness, she had almost strangled Isis when she’d heard. The tears flowed freely down her face. After all this time, she still loved the Batman fiercely, and it was out of respect for him that she had stopped being Catwoman. He had paid her the courtesy of telling her he was going to take down Gotham’s criminals for good. She had laughed in his gorgeously sculpted face and then kissed it, but he hadn’t responded. It had been a matter of days later when the Joker had been sent to the Phantom Zone.

She picked up her phone. It emitted a whiny laugh that made her wince.

“Hey darlin’” Harley minced down the line.

“Harley, I think the Joker killed the Batman.”

For the first time in their shared existence, Harley Quinn spoke without a lilt to her voice.

“You’re kidding.”

“No. Bruce Wayne’s death was announced a few hours after the Joker’s signal went out over Gotham.”

“No. He wouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“That’s not how it works. He’d kill anyone close to Batman, but he’d never kill him. He wouldn’t have a reason to go on.”

Selina paused for a moment.

“What should we do?”

“You need to sit tight,” Harley replied. “I’m going down to Gotham PD to offer them my assistance. I know the Joker better than anyone, and if he’s guilty I can get him to tell me. Just seeing me will make his blood boil.”

“What about yours?”

“Excuse me?”

“Harley, I know what he did to you?”

“It’s Dr. Quinzel, and I know what he did as well. That’s why I don’t wear a fool’s costume anymore. I’m done being anyone’s idiot.”

“Be careful.”

Harley put her voice back on.

“I pwomise, puddin’”

*

Jerome Napier didn’t like to be called Jack. He liked the sound of Jerome. It was round. It rhymed with ‘home’. He couldn’t at this point remember what his real name was, and every time the psychiatrists who had spent years curing the Joker had tried to induce the memory, the psychosis returned. In the end they reminded him he’d once gone by the name Jack Napier, and he’d allowed them call him that. He much preferred Jerome though.

He was in the precinct now, explaining how he couldn’t possibly have killed Bruce Wayne to an enraged Harvey Bullock.

“You’re not even an officer anymore, Mr Bullock,” he said quietly, interrupting an invective filled rant. “I don’t have to answer your questions, and I don’t want to.”

Commissioner Essen walked in and chuckled mirthlessly.

“You will answer all our questions, Joker.”

Jerome winced at the name. He’d only killed the Batman to finally set himself free, and he felt more at peace than he had in years. He was mildly surprised to find out Bruce Wayne was Batman, but then again he’d always hated the rich fool just as much, so it was no real loss. It did kind of ruin the whole Dark Knight aesthetic for him though.

He mused silently, unimpressed and uninterested in the discussion around him. There was no way they could tie him to this. A copycat must have done it. He was cured.

*

“Talia!”

After seven centuries Ra’s still spoke with the clarity and authority of a well tuned bell. Talia turned away from Damian and faced her father.

“Yes, father?”

“What will you do?”

“What can I do?”

The Demon Head paused for a moment. He looked at his grandson with a glint in his eye and malice in his heart, and spoke quietly.

“The boy will go.”

“What?”

Damian hadn’t been paying much attention to anyone, lost in his own musings and uninterested in anything but himself. He didn’t want to go to Gotham and he didn’t want to see his father. He didn’t even want to be here.

“You will go to Gotham.”

“Why?

“To honour your father’s legacy.”

“I don’t care about...”

He’d forgotten about his grandfather’s formidable temper. In a flash he was on his back, a sword at his neck.

“You will not disrespect me. You will not question me. Your father, although I despised him greatly, was a man of honour and you will keep his name alive.”

“I am not Batman.”

“You are the Son of the Bat and the grandscion of the Demon Head. You are more than capable.”

His mother’s voice still sounded like smooth, rich syrup over ice cream. He stopped arguing and started thinking.

“My costume will be comfortable, and white. I will have horns. I will be at once angel and demon and bat.”

Ra’s could see the homage and the individuality, and he respected it. He had his personal costumier and technicians work with Damian and ordered them to get him ready within days. As the straight faced young man left with them, he spoke quietly to Talia.

“It’s about time the brat started to do something worthwhile.”

Talia smiled. She didn’t agree with the Demon Head’s reason, but her heart was heavy, and she could think of no better way to honour her beloved than what he had come up with. And having Damian out of the way would make it easier to bring Bruce back to her.

*

The Joker almost jumped out of his seat when Harley walked into the room.

Let’s rephrase that, since they’re both civilians now. Jerome almost jumped out of his seat when Dr Quinzel walked into the interrogation room.

“Harley?”

The question was at once pure incredulity and infinite scorn.

“Come to gloat have you?”

“Awww puddin’” she fawned sarcastically. “No I haven’t. I’m here to find out why you killed Batman.”

“Why? Not if?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Jack Napier.”

He longed to wrap his hands around that neck and squeeze it till it snapped. How dare she gather the nerve to be anything but obsequious to him. He looked in her beautiful eyes and it hit him. She wasn’t asking him if he did it because she knew. He may have twisted her all ends up and played on her emotions to an incredible degree, but she was still a clinically trained psychiatrist, and she’d studied him for years. 

“It’s the only way I can be free, Dr Quinzel.”

For the first time since he’d become the Joker, he realised that by killing the Batman he’d acknowledged that the game was over and he’d been beaten. He spoke then. He spoke about how he only wanted to be left alone, how he was tired of everything and everybody. He didn’t regret what he’d done, but he wasn’t that person anymore - or at least he didn’t want to be. How else could he prove to himself that he wasn’t the Joker anymore? The Joker would never have killed the Batman - it would be suicide. Harley let him finish and smiled.

*

Selina helped Talia because she didn’t know what else to do. Everyone else seemed useful. Harley had gotten a full confession out of the Joker, Bullock had started working with the new White Bat to keep the streets of Gotham safe, the Commissioner had taken Arkham in hand and the Joker was in a secure unit having the last vestiges of the Clown Prince stripped away. When Talia had come to her to ask her to rob Bruce Wayne’s grave, it had seemed disgusting and disrespectful, but it had given her something to do other than mope and nurse her broken heart.

Getting past the police stationed to control the crowds that had gathered every day since the murder was the easy part. She had considered putting on the old Catwoman costume, but even though she was still the same size she had been all those years ago, it didn’t feel right. She had squeezed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater, and she looked just like any other mourner. She had taken advantage of an understandable lapse in concentration to slip past the patrol and eased herself down into the Wayne Family crypt. Talia joined her a few moments later, and they made short work of opening the ornately carved coffin. When they emerged with the body, she noticed a neat pile of uniformed officers leaning against a nearby tree. She chuckled and looked over at her employer, who shrugged. A sudden gust of wind brought her back to the present, and the grin slid right off her face.

This was Bruce Wayne’s body they were carrying, the man both of them had loved above any other. The man both of them had loved not as the playboy billionaire philanthropist, but as Gotham’s gruff, taciturn guardian of the night. She knew Bruce and Batman would both disapprove of being brought back by the Lazarus Pit, but she was as desperate as Talia to see his face again, to smirk at him knowing her insistence on being Catwoman drove him crazy.

The drive to Gotham Airport was uneventful. They picked Harley up from the precinct and flew straight for Nanda Parbat.

Ra’s was expecting them, and did not try to stop them, only warning them that as the Batman had killed in his career and had lived in the darkness, his madness would be severe.

Four of his maidens prepared Bruce Wayne’s corpse for the ritual. He was anointed with healing and soothing oils, swathed in the rich black and gold cloth that only high ranking League of Assassins members were permitted to fashion into robes, and placed on a quickly assembled wooden platform.

“This part of the process is often harrowing to those who have loved the resurrected,” Ra’s warned. The three women looked at him, unmoving. He shrugged and raised his hands. The maidens disappeared, and four pallbearers took their place. They hoisted the platform on broad shoulders and walked over to the gently bubbling pit. Ra’s lowered his hands, and they lowered the platform carefully into the pit, careful not to touch the surface of the water. The Bat’s body lay just beneath the surface, and the water churned around him. Greens and reds erupted around him as the baleful life giving force made its way into his body.

All of a sudden the churning stopped. Bruce lay still, still just beneath the water, a beatific smile of his face. Moments passed, moments that seemed like aeons to the women. Talia had seen this before - with her own father - so she knew it was only a matter of time. Selina’s perfectly manicured nails were tearing into the leather of her jacket as she hugged herself.

“Nothing’s happening!”

Harley’s whisper was urgent, worried. She didn’t care much for the Batman, but it had been Bruce Wayne who had made it possible for her to return to her career after decades as the Joker’s accomplice. Even as Batman he had treated her with more dignity and respect than the maniac she had loved.

He only ever tried to stop me from hurting people

The revelation hit her hard, and her eyes opened in shock. The man she had antagonised for most of her adult life had consistently avoided hurting her and she had paid him no notice whatsoever.

Lost in her thoughts, she missed the moment when Bruce emerged from the pit. His leap landed him directly on on of Ra’s men, who stood no chance against the man Ra’s himself had trained. In a second a neck snapped loudly, and Bruce was crouched like a panther, ready to pounce on anyone. His jet black hair was streaked grey at the sides, his eyes wild and menacing, full of a cunning none of the women had seen in Batman. His smile was cruel and taunting.

The remaining three men jumped on Bruce. It was the last thing any of them did. Free of the usual restraint the Batman showed, the deranged person before them murdered the men with devastating efficiency. He stood up, his back still arched, and approached the women.

Ra’s, who had watched impassively from a nearby doorway, pounced. Sensing an equal, Feral Bruce stalked.

“That’s it,” Ra’s taunted as they circled one another.

Talia, quite sensibly, poked a syringe in Bruce’s neck as he passed her, and pushed the plunger as he turned to face her. He managed one wildly aimed slap that she easily avoided before he crumpled to the floor unconscious.

*

After Jerome Napier’s confession was made public, his trial became a bit of a circus. He was glad he hadn’t laid eyes on Harley since that night. She had gotten under his skin the way only she could - made him admit murder, and would probably be the reason he went away for a long, long time.

He chuckled at the thought. Funny enough, he felt no malice towards her. He no longer wanted to wring her throat and laugh at her as she suffocated under his ministrations. He was at peace.

I killed the Batman. The game is over. I’ve lost, but so has he, and so has Gotham.

Me.

The Jovial Conniver Commonly Called the Joker.

He laughed out loud, and someone in an adjoining cell yelled at him to shut up.

He laughed louder, elevating the hearty laugh to the chilling tone all of Gotham knew only too well.

Silence.

It was good to know people still had a little respect.

*

Three months.

That’s how long it took Harley, Talia and Selina to restore Bruce’s sanity. They weren’t helped by the fact he was furious at them for raising him. He almost killed Harley when she remarked drily that he could at least be thankful for a second chance.

“I’ve never seen him so serene,” she said after rubbing her neck for a few moments. “It’s weird.”

Her comment about Bruce had only been a response to a fresh bout of anger. He’d stormed into the room raging at Talia and Selina for subjecting him to the Lazarus Pit, interrupting Harley mid flow. She’d snapped at his rudeness more than anything.

“I’m sorry,” said Bruce.

“Not you.”

“Napier?”

“Yes. It seems the Joker has finally found peace in your death.”

Bruce sat quietly.

*

Not many people knew how to contact the League of Assassins, and even fewer could get a direct link to the inner chambers. When one of Ra’s men walked into Bruce’s room with a small, inauspicious looking phone, he knew who it would be.

“Damian.”

“Father.”

“How’s Gotham?”

“Father, the Joker helped me bring in Hubert Cobblepot and Edward Nigma, Jr.”

“What?”

“He worked extensively with and against their parents, so when they tried to hold the city to ransom as a sort of trial for me, Jerome Napier asked to see me.”

“And you went to him.”

“I’m not you, father. I have no personal agenda against him. If he has one against me, he hides it well. He didn’t lie to me once - you know I can tell.”

“And he helped you crack the case.”

“Wide open, as they say.”

Bruce let out a long, low whistle. This was a turn of events he hadn’t expected. Still...

“Did he help you as the Joker, or as Napier?”

“Both.” There was a familiar smirk in the younger Wayne’s voice. “He refuses to be addressed as the Joker, but he takes great pleasure in ruining people’s plans - only now he’s targeting criminals.”

“Hmmmmm...”

“I have to go. I merely thought this might interest you.”

“It does. Goodbye, Son.”

“Bye dad,” Damian said with an exaggerated flourish.

It was safe to say they didn’t have the best relationship.

*

When Bruce asked Harley to go with him on a trip around the world, Selina and Talia nearly lost it. He needed them to keep an eye on the Joker and Damian, and he needed Harley to keep an eye on his mind. If there were any other reasons, he kept them to himself.

[clownistyping]

The Neverending Story, Chapter 43

Bj helps a tribe and you get pretzels

First

Previous

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Cover by @laneygthememequeen

You paid the frighten waitress and gave her a guilt tip, leaving the diner you all laughed from Beetlejuice’s antics. 

“Okay so now what?” Beetlejuice asked as he sat in the passenger, 

“Seat belt, bud.” he said to Halian and Halian did as he was told, you spoke. 

“Shopping,” You said and Beetlejuice groaned, 

“Just leave me at a dump and I’ll come up with next seasons new line.” Beetlejuice crossed his arms and huffed, you shake your head and drive towards the nearest mall. Which is an hour away, on the way you all kept yourself busy; you and Beetlejuice sang random radio songs, playing I spy for too long, and Beetlejuice yelling punch buggy when he sees a Beetle and you punching him back. 

“Okay we’re here.” you said as you parked the car, Beetlejuice groaned. 

“I’ll stay here.” He mumbled, 

“Fine, but I’m not leaving the windows down.” You said as you left the car holding Halian’s hand, Beetlejuice popped right next to you. 

“Don’t leave me..” he grumbled and held your other hand you smiled and kissed his cheek. 

Halian hid behind you as you three walked into the mall, 

“Okay, Halian you’re first.” you said and Halian looked around. 

"What is this place?" 

"The mall." You said as you led him into a children's clothing store, 

"Oo that's cute!" You cooed and picked up a pair of blue overalls, looking at Halian you rose a brow when you noticed he seemed distracted. 

"Halian?" You put the overalls back and waved your hand in front of him. He blinked and pointed, 

"There's a little girl." He said and you looked to where he was pointing to see a small girl hiding in a rack of clothes. She wore a tan dress with cloth shoes, her black hair in braids and had feathers. 

You slowly stepped forward to the girl and she hid deeper into the clothes, 

"Sweetie? Where's your mommy?" You asked and suddenly the girl ran out, past you she left the store to jump in the arms of a woman who wore a similar outfit. 

Halian grabbed your hand, 

"Do you know them?" You asked as the woman stared at you, she turned around and suddenly she disappeared into thin air. 

Halian shook his head and you sighed, continuing to test out clothes for Halian you noticed Beetlejuice was nowhere to be found when you left the store. 

Then suddenly you heard a scream and turned to the food court to see people running. Food was flying and mannequins were walking, 

"Not again.." you groaned and you ran with Halian towards the chaos. 

Reaching the center of the mall you groaned when you see Beetlejuice riding the carousel. 

"Can I ride?" Halian asked,

"Later, Halian." You said and tapped your foot, Beetlejuice waved at you and floated towards you. 

"Babes! Guess what?" 

You rose a brow, 

"Beetlejuice.." you growled, Beetlejuice whimpered. 

"I can explain!" He said, 

"Make it quick" you said and before Beetlejuice could speak a yell caught your attention. Halian gasped, and pointed up. You followed his direction and your eyes widened to see an elderly man. 

His skin was dark and wrinkly and he wore a large feathered headdress, a long dark coat decorated covered him and he walked with a wooden stick. 

"He asked for some help, ya see lemme give ya some backstory." Beetlejuice spoke, as more figures in similar outfits appeared. 

"This mall, was built on an indian burial ground. Rude right?" You nodded, 

"And these ghosts are sick and tired of these fuckers just waltzing in and being dicks. But they can't do much, I mean they've tried but people aren't scared." 

"So you took matters in your own hands?" You said raising a brow, Beetlejuice nodded. 

"Did anyone get hurt?" You asked and Beetlejuice shook his head, 

"They specified that no harm be done, they want to be seen as peaceful, ew." Beetlejuice laughed as he was smacked by the Chief's cane. 

You looked around and noticed the mall was empty, no physical bodies to be found besides yours and Halian's. 

"So we have this whole mall..to ourselves?" You rose a brow, Beetlejuice nodded. You turned to the crowd of ghosts, 

"You guys don't mind if we..raid this place right?" The chief shook his head, 

"Just leave us alone and everything will be peaceful." 

So you forced Beetlejuice to join you, making him try on new clothes. Most he hated, some he liked. Halian stayed with the ghosts, wanting to chat about the past. 

"Hey, Babes, look." Beetlejuice said and nodded to the popcorn machine, he put some kernels in his mouth and seconds later popcorn popped from his mouth. 

"I'm not eating that." 

You sat in the food court with the two and the other ghosts, munching on some pretzels and slushies you hummed. Beetlejuice told the chief about how they can really take advantage of the situation and make some cash, this got him hit again.

"Havin fun?" You asked Halian and he nodded with a mouthful, 

"Can we do this again?" He mumbled and you laughed, wiping his mouth. 

"We'll see."

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[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

Stray Cargo

Fifth installation of The Hearteyes Zone, a supernatural series of one-shots.

You’re spiraling into the unknown, a universe of anti-possible happenings and unique incidents.

A cruise ship called Carousel is on its way from the Bahamas with a peculiar stowaway on board. What manner of intruder is this, you ask?

One summoned by loneliness.

When desire calls to the sea, sometimes the sea will answer...

If you're in the Hearteyes Zone.  

—–

“Okay, shake it out! Good job everyone, this next dance is called the Cha Cha Slide! If you know it, prove it and come on up to the front. Dancers to the front! We have one, two, four, six, seven eight M’s in our bank account. What?! In our bank account! I’m kidding! People from the crowd. Nine. You sir, I see you, you know you wanna dance! Come on! Ten, thirteen-fourteen-fifteen, ALRIGHT DJ!” The music scratched switching from Wild Thots and Lyric led the mixed crowd in the infamous urban line dance as bystanders screamed their support and filmed, likely to post their loved ones’ dancing skills or lack of on social media.

This is something new, the casper slide part two, featuring the platinum band.. and this time, we’re gonna get funky!

The music blazed through the speakers as people of all ages, languages, and races danced and hopped for the crowds who watched from all floors of the boat, cheering and dancing in place. This was the same celebration that happened every other night.

---

Despite the late hour, the pools were open and movies played on giant screens. Food still flowed and passengers still roamed. Lyric was exhausted, run down, and partied out, but on the Carousel ship.. the party never stopped. Tomorrow she'd have to get up and do it all over again. She had signed on for eight months of customer service and parties pretty much and it had only been three. She couldn't sleep in, there were no days off, and she missed her mother. Although she was surrounded by crew, they weren't her family.. they weren't her friends. Also, American staff members were rare.

Lyric was lonely.

She did share a cabin with a Spanish crew member by the name of Lydia but Lydia was barely in the room since she dated an officer who had his own room, something Lyric never complained about. It was the only privacy she got.

Tonight Lyric decided to use the alone time to masturbate which only made her hungry, so she redressed and left the cabin to buy a snack, a coke and some chips. On her way back she heard strange knocking coming from a crew members only door, pausing to listen. "Hello? Someone stuck?" It stopped and there was a thump and scratching. The scratching got louder and more urgent. “Hello?”

When no one spoke, thoughts of demons, movie monsters, and serial killers flashed in her mind but reality kicked in. She was on a boat. Who kills on a commercial cruise? Shaking her head, she took a breath and twisted the doorknob finding a large rednose with an aggressive glare.

She took a step back. It was a muscular dog and she didn't know its temperament or anything about it including how it'd gotten on board. It stood, walking casually as she froze, not wanting to present herself as a threat. She didn't know what to do. “Are you… hungry?” It yawned sitting beside her and she took a look around. There was no one in sight, but someone had to have closed him in there. She dropped a chip on the floor and he stood wanting the bag. "Oh, okay, o-okay," she wavered nervously as he jumped, letting him take the bag. She gently reached to scratch his ear, relaxing when he leaned into her accepting the rub. "Aww," she smiled. "You look mean as hell! But you're just a cutie.. Where did you come from? Huh? Huh?" She was baby talking the dog and completely unashamed.

---

In the cabin, Lydia was still away. There was an unused paper bowl in the neat room that she used as a dish to pour water into and he went to it, lapping it to the point where she had to refill it. Where would he pee? She had to think of something. "We need cardboard.. newspapers.. something so that you don't pee and poop on the floor... Stay," she pointed as she backed out of the cabin to locate materials. She practically ran back to the room setting up a makeshift bathroom before climbing into the small bed to go to sleep. Tomorrow would be another long day. She noticed the pit climb into the second bed, curling in to rest. Lydia wouldn't be back anyway, Lyric thought, what did it matter? "Goodnight, pup," she whispered closing her eyes.

---

After an early breakfast, Lyric snuck some meat back to her cabin where Lydia sat. The dog was gone, Lydia was there, and the newspaper was still dry. "Lydia, did you see... a dog?"

Lydia gave a confused look in return. That was a no. Where had he gone? How? She didn't have time to look for him, it was time for the first class of the day. After this, she'd be teaching 70s dance.

There was a designated part of the boat she reported to where The Second Waltz by Dmitri somebody played and she demonstrated the box step with one of the passengers, the most common foundational step in many dances. She wore a blue flowy dress and low heels.

"We move around the room in a counter-clockwise direction and he guides me," she stopped. "But first, you begin side by side, left foot forward, one. Step to the right with your right foot, two. Left meets your right foot, three. Step back with the right, four. Side left, five. Close with your left foot, six... GOOD JOB ERIK, you're a natural," she smiled up noticing his dimpled smirk. He was a talented volunteer.

"I try," he shrugged and Lyric hated so bad that she wasn't allowed to fraternize with the passengers. It would get her fired instantly. She hid her interest and looked back to the group of learners, waving for her handsome volunteer to rejoin the group. "Okay, here we go! Count with me."

---

By the time she was done four separate lessons, she needed a break and something to eat. Then it was back to the room to see if her four-legged friend had returned. He came mosying down the hall shortly after her to her surprise. "C'mon," she patted her knee for him to hurry so she could conceal him inside of the empty cabin. She rubbed him down and he hopped onto her bunk lying down on her blankets. "I see you didn't use the cardboard or newspaper I set up for you last night," she pointed out. "You didn't have to go?" He caught her on her lips with his excessive licking, effectively ending her questioning and sending her to the tiny bathroom to wash her mouth. "Are you hungry?" She tossed him the meat she'd brought earlier and he sniffed it not eating it. She laughed. "You're such a bougie pup, don't think I haven't noticed you don't eat from surfaces, only from my hand, a dish, or straight from the bag. You must belong to someone with a lot of money, someone who spoils you rotten." A lightbulb went off in her mind. Someone snuck their pet onboard. "Who was it? Who do you belong to, boy?" He rolled over on the small bed exposing his stomach and she rubbed it vigorously. "Yeah you're definitely a rich person's dog. So spoiled!"

Lyric had to go back out for dinner, to dance, and to work the mic partying professionally for the rest of the night as entertainment, but when she returned to the cabin with Lydia the pit was there on her bed sleep where she'd left him. Lydia jumped at the sight, whispering. "There's a fucking pitbull on the bed!"

"I know! Don't snitch," Lyric whispered back sitting on the bed to rub the sleeping dog's back. After her shower, she had to push him aside to climb into her narrow bed. Lydia was in her own bed. He climbed back up curling up in the gap of space he could find. "So spoiled," she yawned falling asleep.

---

Another day. Lyric had to do this for about five more months, but this was the last day onboard for this particular group of passengers. Lyric looked to the cardboard and newspaper. It was still empty and dry. What was wrong with this dog's bladder, she wondered looking over at the large dog on her legs. She sighed thinking of how once the pup returned to whoever he came with, they'd leave taking him with them. She rubbed his back and as if sensing her sadness, he licked her a Good Morning. He was her only real companion on that boat and the only connection she'd really formed. She tried to follow him to find his owner to greet them and tell them what a hit he'd been, but she'd gotten distracted and lost him somehow. He was such a mysterious little blessing.

It's just a jump to the left. And then a step to the right! With your hands on your hips. You bring your knees in tight! But it's the pelvic thrust! That really drives you insane! Let's do the Time Warp again! Let's do the Time Warp again!

She went through dance after dance after dance and each time she had to be personable, bright, and energetic. Out of the repeat students to show up for the various classes.. that one guy, Erik stood out always helpful and always sweet. She'd miss him too.. and if she weren't a crew member and could just cruise as a guest, she would be all over him... but alas. He had to go. Her pup had to go. She'd be alone again.

---

The boat was set to sail back to Florida from the Bahamas in the night, a trip that could take up to 10 hours. On schedule, the boat shook, signifying that it had been undocked and was beginning its voyage back to the starting point. Lyric had just settled into bed after a strenuous night. Pup was gone, Lydia was sleeping with her officer boyfriend, and Lyric was alone in the room. As the boat sailed, she could feel the movement. Her heart clenched and a tear fell from her eye and she wiped it quickly. She couldn't believe she was crying over a dog that wasn't even her dog. It was more than that.. She felt the harsh loneliness creeping back in quickly and she couldn't take it. She closed her eyes willing herself to sleep to stop from feeling. It worked because when she woke up, it was to the sound of the bathroom door opening after a toilet flush. Lydia. She didn't feel like getting up but she finally opened her eyes checking her watch.. It was time to shower and get her breakfast. Turning over with a sigh her eyes focused on a large body resting on the opposite bunk.

A man.

She screeched, jumping up and snatching the covers from him. She gasped as he stirred opening his eyes to focus on her slowly, eyes full of a warmth that melted her.

"Erik?"

He looked down at himself in confusion, sitting up and she took a step back. "My bad," he grumbled, voice low.

"Why are you in here, I could get fired," Lyric fussed. "How did you even get in here?" She looked around confused. "On God, you better start speaking. I swe-"

"Hold up, I was hella lit last night," he groans rubbing his face. "So, I ain't make it back before you fell asleep, but I just wanted to say bye. I'm a miss you." With that, he shifted and Lyric nearly pissed herself as she stared at her beloved pup sitting on the bed watching her. Covering her mouth in shock, she fell back into her bed, her heart racing and body trembling. Coming nearer, the dog jumped up to lick her and suddenly she felt strange petting him. He was a grown ass man in her bed.

He licked her face, jumping on her hard enough to push her back and she froze, eyes wide. He shifted back into a man, his hulking body over hers and her heartrate spiked again. He laid his head on her chest, not moving until she calmed down.

When her heart slowed, he sat up adjusting his clothes and she wondered how it worked. How did he shift and still have on clothes? "In movies when werewolves shift back into people, they're always naked," Lyric spoke wide-eyed.

"...Did you want me to be naked?"

"Maybe... I don't know, this is weird," she frowned flinging her arms.

His brows rose.

"Mama is a pervert yet I'm making this awkward," he smirked with a hesitant pause. She was still staring, following his hand as he slowly moved it to his zipper. "If you promise not to cry when I leave... I can make this goodbye a little sweeter for you," he muttered stripping off his clothing peice by peice as Lyric stared on. He stopped when he was nude. "Now you only thinking bout one thing..."

Placing her hand on his erect shaft, he squeezed it around him "Rub this dick like you rubbed my stomach." She snickered and he guided her hand as she jerked him.

"I hope this isn't beastiality," she whispered putting her mouth on it. She drew him in, swirling her tongue around the head and sucking. The sloppier she sucked, the harder he gripped her head into his abs trying to push himself down her throat.

She came up with a loud gasp for air, spitting onto his shaft, drool dripping down her chin and he flipped her onto her stomach, pulling off her panties and using her arousal and her thick spit for lube.

"Open up." Pressing into her from behind he started rough off the bat giving her no time to adjust to him. She buried her mouth into the bed with her ass high, her body pushed forward by his rough thrusts. She hadn't gotten dick since she'd stepped onto that boat and she almost cried from how much she missed it.

His hands wrapped tightly around her neck and it was like he was taking out anger, slamming into her guts as he choked her, her face turning colors, pressed against the mattress. He growled in her ear and the guttural noise triggered her vagina to squirt. He wanted badly to be remembered.

"I'm come-," she whispered and it was inaudible to her own ears.

"I'm fucking this shit up, like a good boy.. ain't it?" He chuckled and she felt as though she'd pass out, she was so far gone.

"Good boy... Say it," he commanded in her ear, breathless. He loosened his grip so that she could speak and she panted catching her breath.

"Good boy, Erik," she moaned through heavy breaths, her pussy tightening. Her whole body tensed before dropping and he closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of her squeezing against his girth.

"I am a good boy. Top dog and you my bitch," he muttered, pulling out to fire on her asscheeks. He collapsed on the opposite bed, grinning before wiping her cum off oh his thighs and dick. "I gotta make sure they got my bags and get outta here... BUT," he stood rubbing her back. "I won't forget you. Maybe we'll meet again sometime. You never know." He opened the door and shifting back into his pitbull form

...He was off.

@muse-of-mbaku @imaginewhoever @whoramilaje @panthergoddessbast @thadelightfulone @misspooh @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @marvelpotterlove @youreadthatright @forbeautyandlife @theunsweetenedtruth @bidibidibombaclaat @myboyfriendgiriboy @dameshaemonique @blackpantherimagines @vikkidc @hidden-treasures21 @mysidefanting @allhailnjadaka @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @syndrlla97 @winteroflife @thotyana-in-this-hoe @texasbama @gingerylimonte @princessstevens @magic-madness-heavensin @taint3dvirgin @wawakanda-btch @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @wakanda-inspired @blackgirloneshots @thegucciwaffle @thiccdaddy-mbaku @ledouxange7 @drsunshine97 @purplehairgawdess @trevantesbrat @indigoxsummers @cccccx1 @dynastylnoire @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @fonville-designs @they-call-me-le @theblulife @raysunshine78 @sheisexcellent

[antiquechampagne]

Beastly Kingdom - Chapter 5 - Wonderland

Liz made her way to Kiddie Kingdom slowly, her mind churning over the day’s developments. So many things to consider and weigh against each other. She knew the threat the Brotherhood posed. It was very much real and nearly at their doorstep but… the Minutemen were equally dangerous. Could Nuka-World take them both on if it came down to it?

Something red sticking out of a trash heap caught her eye. Bending down, she plucked a rusted Nuka-Cola truck toy from the refuse. Stuffing it into a pocket, she made her way to the lollypop-themed entrance to the children’s park.

“Any problems? Requests?” she asked the two bored guards standing outside the barricades.

A woman nodded, colorful feathers pasted resplendently to the pale pig-nosed mask covering most of her head. “No, Boss. The ghouls have been pretty quiet lately. Nothing’s come in or out.”

Liz reached into a pocket, pulled out a blue bottle, and tossed it to her. “Have yourself a little break, on me.”

The woman turned the bottle over. “Day Tripper?!” A greedy smile glowed on her face. “No shit! Thanks, Boss!” She turned to her compatriot, grabbing his shoulder. “Come on!” The two guards headed off in the direction of the nearby dilapidated restrooms.

Past the barricades, Liz felt a familiar buzz on her skin. A buzz humans would be smart to avoid. Kiddie Kingdom had a network of still-functional sprinklers. These misters used to cool the prewar patrons on oppressive summer days, but now they spread a steady mist of deadly radioactivity through the air. Not that this bothered the current residents of the park.

“Grraaaagh,” guttered a slack-jawed ghoul standing on a bench, turning to face Liz. Its clothes were in tatters around its waist, its face grotesquely covered with bright patches of flaking make-up.

Liz waved. “Good evening, Mark. Is Oswald in the Castle?”

“Gwwaa,” Mark managed to shrug.

Liz made her way past the eerily silent carnival rides and empty midway to the focal piece of the park, a huge medieval fantasy-styled theater named King Cola’s Castle. Every so often a feral ghoul would notice her, snarling or howling at something unfamiliar. Each soon turn away uninterested, recognizing her as one of their own.

She found Oswald in the courtyard of the castle, fussing over a feral friend, as usual. Oswald stood out among the ghouls in Kiddie Kingdom. Not only did he wear a stately tuxedo costume complete with top hat (he was a professional magician, after all,) but also he had yet to turn feral, his mental faculties still sharp as a tack. Another thing that made Oswald unique was that he had a literal glow about him, as if some personal nuclear reactor powered him deep inside.

As soon as Oswald spotted Liz, he waved her over. She smiled as she crossed to him.

“Hello Liz! You are just the person I needed to see today.” His voice was gruff and gravelly like that of most ghouls. “Jerry here, I just can’t convince him to wear his kit today.” In his gloved hands, he held a scruffy, curly clown wig. “I put it on him, but after a few minutes, he just rips it off again. I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to wear it… God knows I wouldn’t be caught dead in this thing!” Liz stifled a laugh.

Oswald frowned. “I don’t think that’s it. I can put it on him just fine. He just keep taking it off.”

He handed the wig to Liz. Liz squatted down to look at the Jerry, who stood hunched over and pawing at the ground, then back to the wig.

“Hey Jerry, come here please?” she asked calmly. The feral ghoul meandered over to her on all fours, almost skittish, like a wild animal. She put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Liz noticed he wasn’t anxious at her touch, but tracked the wig.

Liz pursed her lips in thought while running her fingers through the plastic fibers that stubbornly clung to the cap. Flipping it over, she found the culprit. Plucking a wooden sliver out, she held the offender out for Oswald to see.

“Oh Jerry… I’m so sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Liz gave the wig back to Oswald. “I’ll leave that part to the professionals.” She stood up. “Where’s Louis?”

“Last time I saw him, he was watching the Nuka Racers by the carousel.”

“How’s he doing?” Liz’s brow furrowed.

“The same. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. It’s been a while since your last visit.”

“I know.” Liz sighed.

She made her way around to the carousel. On the grass stood a small ghoul with a threadbare striped shirt and red baseball cap staring at the nearby tracks near a pile of toys. She hesitated as she retrieved the toy truck from her pocket, placing it on the ground near the dozen other toy cars and trucks, each smashed and scattered about.

“Hey, honey. Mommy brought you a new toy.”

Just then, a pair of cars came racing along the railway track, clattering loudly on their endless loop around the park. The noise broke the boy out of his trance. He hissed and raced after the duo for a few steps before losing interest and returning to his spot.

“Louis… Mommy’s sorry she hasn’t been around much.” Liz sat on the ground. “There is a lot going on right now at work.” Her words sounded hollow, fake to her, but it might be something that would be familiar to her son. Louis continued stare down at the tracks, unmoved by this mother’s words. “Mr. Oswald has been taking good care of you, hasn’t he? No bad people trying to chase or hurt us.”

Liz reached out, picked up the new truck, and held it out to him.

She really wished she could come more often, but had to be careful with her visits. Someone might come to suspect something more than just her letting her hair down with a local. She had worked so hard to find somewhere safe for her son; there was no way she was going to screw that up now. Even if that meant spending more time than she would like away from Louis. He probably didn’t even notice. At least he was safe. No random human could find him in here. Oswald made sure of that.

Slowly, Louis took a few steps towards his mother before taking the toy. As he did, she held his hand tenderly.

“Do you want to lay down for a bit? I bet you are tired from chasing those cars around all day.”

The boy stood, eye vacant, his breath rattling in his chest for several long seconds before he allowed her to lower him into her lap. She held him as he tried to pull the wheels of the truck with his teeth, gently rocking him until he fell asleep.

A half an hour later, she returned to the ramshackle castle with her boy in her arms. Oswald smiled warmly, opening the door that lead to a room with a bed. After placing him down, they both retired to the apartment in one of the towers.

“He hasn’t slept properly in a few weeks,” Oswald said as he pulled a couple of Nuka-Colas out of the fridge.

“You mean since the last time I was here.” Liz leaned against the back of the couch.

Oswald sadly nodded as he popped off the cap and handed her a bottle.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been back. Is there anything you need? Food? Paint? The guards say they haven’t received any requests in a while…”

“We’re fine. If I need anything, I’ll let you know. That is the agreement, right? But…” He took a swig. “Why are you really here? I wasn’t expecting you for another week or so.”

The both moved to sit on the couch. Liz looked away as she sat down. “Well…” she tried to avoid his question, but she didn’t have the energy. His glowing green eyes drilled into her. “Fine.” Some soda cleared her palate. “You remember that pipe dream I told you about?”

Oswald’s brow arched. “That crazy one involving catching Quantum deathclaw?”

“Yeah... well, we bagged one.” Oswald’s jaw dropped. “A big one. Probably the biggest one in Nuka-World. I think we got the matriarch.”

“Really? That explains all that noise coming from Nuka-Town.” Liz nodded. “Where in the world are you holding her?”

“Under the Bradberton amphitheater.” Liz could see Oswald start to shake his head. “Now hold on. I had the guys build a custom cage for her. Strong as Fort Knox. She ain’t getting out.”

“She better not! She’s going to eat all of you for breakfast, lunch and dinner if she does. You really think that little trinket is going to save you if she gets out?”

He poked at the talisman hanging from Liz’s neck. She swatted his hand away.

“Hey, knock it off! Big Mama isn’t going anywhere.” She looked critically at the talisman, a small claw from a young deathclaw decorated with crude scrollwork, capped with a metal clasp.

“Oh, it’s got a name? Are you going to keep it in a doghouse and feed it treats? You think you’re going to train it to fetch your slippers?”

“Shut up!” Liz couldn’t help but snicker. She had to admit to herself that part sounded insane… but who said it was impossible to tame a deathclaw?

After a minute, Oswald looked at her with a serious look in his eyes. “The deathclaw thing, as neat as that might be, isn’t all that urgent.” He turned to face her right on. “What’s really on your mind?” He had quite the knack for reading her. Guess that was why she always came here when she needed to talk.

“Turning it up to the third degree, eh? Fine. I need some unbiased feedback.” Oswald settled back on the cushions. “Have you been keeping up with those newspapers I’ve left for you? Yeah… well, you know who the Minutemen are then.” Oswald nodded. “Guess who walked through the Gauntlet? The fucking General of the whole outfit.”

“Oh boy.”

“Yeah. We’ve been butting heads with those guys every time we try to expand out into the Commonwealth. And here he waltzes in right through the doors!”

“His head’s on a spike over the gate now, I suppose.” Oswald’s obvious distaste for the violence soured his features. Liz found it a bit endearing after 200 years of hard living.

“Actually… not quite. Seems he wanted to parley.” She could see Oswald starting to stew over this new information. “Upshot: Nate and his band of merry men will leave us alone in Nuka-World AND give us access to some lucrative trade routes… in exchange for additional firepower against the Brotherhood of Steel. Not too bad of a deal there, but there is a catch. He wants us to go legit too.”

Oswald thought for a moment. “No more raiders in Nuka-World,” he said succinctly.

The both sat in silence, sipping their soda.

After a while, Oswald ventured, “Can you even manage that? Do you have that much power over them?”

Liz rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sure, but I have some ideas.”

Oswald’s eyes pierced her own. “Do you want to?”

That question gave Liz pause. She had been a raider for centuries out of pure necessity. She cultivated and honed herself into a viciously sharp blade, mostly through sheer power of will. After watching all her friends and family slowly ghoulify and lose their minds, she nearly lost it herself. She only kept herself together in those years to keep Louis safe. Cruelty was the only currency the Commonwealth dealt in.

But…

Nuka-World was busting at the seams. The factions had flourished under her leadership, filling Nuka Town and nearly all the surrounding parks. Only Kiddie Kingdom was left untouched, a haven for her son. They critically needed food and supplies, and stable ones at that. Shaking down farms and raiding caravans just wasn’t cutting it anymore.

She knew about Nate’s exploits, which went beyond his defeat of the Commonwealth’s bogyman, The Institute. He treated ghouls, freed synths and even some mutants as people, even palling around with a few. His network of settlements was changing the landscape of the Commonwealth. The one thing he seemed to give no quarter to was raiders, but he had paused to try to broker a deal with her. That meant Nuka-World must be sizable enough that he thought they could give his forces trouble.

“The fact is, the Brotherhood could strip everything here for tech trinkets if they wanted. It’s a real possibility… and we need to solve our resource problem. We’ve grown too big. Something needs to give.”

“Can you do what needs to be done?”

Liz thought, ruminating on the question. Partial ideas started to crystalize in her mind, focusing her, showing her exactly where she could exert pressure and influence, turning the gangs to her will. She smiled and nodded.

“I think I can.” She finished the bottle. “But… if it doesn’t work, you need to have a plan. Nate has set up ghoul settlements, so I think you could probably work with him. The Brotherhood has no love for ghouls. I lose control of the gangs…”

She didn’t need to say anything further. The both knew what that would mean. Her rules would no longer apply.

Oswald shook his head resolutely. “We’re not leaving, Liz. This is our home.” Removing his top hat, he played with the brim. “It will be easier to hear any news from Rachel.” Oswald looked into his lap. Liz felt for him; he missed his girlfriend terribly. “Damn, I miss her. It’s been years since I’ve heard anything from her… and nothing about the cure.”

Liz put a comforting hand on Oswald’s paint-speckled shoulder. “I know. What would you do if… well… if Rachel never sent news? If she… didn’t come back?”

“I don’t want to think about it.” His fingers tapped nervously on his hat.

Liz frowned before putting on her best ‘buck up’ smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we’ll hear from her soon. Just think what a cure for ghouls would mean.”

Oswald tried to smile back. “Yeah… I’m sure we will.”

They didn’t say anything for a long while. Eventually, Liz got up and gave Oswald’s shoulder another pat before saying good night. She silently made her way to the small bedroom that held her sleeping son. She nearly tripped on his baseball cap, which had tumbled to the floor.

Some things never change, she mused to herself, thinking of how hard it was to get Louis to clean his room back in Sanctuary Hills before the bombs fell.

Carefully, she picked it up and hung it from the corner post of the rickety bed. Pulling out a sleeping bag stashed in the corner, she soon fell asleep on the floor next to her son.

[mortimers-cross]

5 musicals that you love before reading the questions:

1. CATS

2. An American in Paris

3. Miss Saigon

4. Carousel

5. Fiddler on the Roof

What was the first song you ever heard from 1? 

Probably “Memory.”

What is your favourite song from 4?

“The Carousel Waltz.”

What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?

Where to even begin... 

What are your favourite lyrics from 5?

“But of all God’s miracles, large and small,

The most miraculous one of all

Is the one I thought could never be:

God has given you to me!”

How many times have you seen 4 live? 

Zero. :(  Waiting for that tour!

What is your favourite song from 2?

“An American in Paris.”

Is there any song from 3 that makes you sad? 

Try ALL OF THEM. 

What is your favourite song from 1?

“The Jellicle Ball.” (Are you sensing a pattern here?)

When did you first get into 2? 

This past November when it showed on television.

How did you get into 3? 

Several people mentioned it on a musicals forum I followed. I purchased the MP3 album, but it sat around on my MP3 player forgotten for a while because I foolishly bought it when I was busy with school. Finally, one day while waiting for class to start, I decided to try listening to one of the songs. OF COURSE it was “I’d Give My Life for You.” 

The rest is history. 

What is your favourite song from 5? 

It’s a tie among the Songs of the Husbands: “Miracle of Miracles,” “Now I Have Everything,” and “Any Day Now” (all right, so it wasn’t ever actually in the show...or was it? Not when I saw it at any rate. But it was a concept at sometime. It’s a bonus track on the movie album...I wish it were in the show, but I suppose it was deemed unfair for Perchik to get two songs?? Who knows.) (By the way, it’s an absolute crime that Fyedka has no song!)

How many times have you seen 2 live? 

Never. And thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject.

What is a good memory concerning 5? 

Two! Seeing a community production when I was younger and hearing my grandpa walk around the house singing “If I Were a Rich Man” for the remainder of my family’s visit,

and

Seeing Topol in the farewell tour!

Is there a song from 4 that makes you sad? 

”What’s the Use of Wonderin’?” What is your favorite song from 3? 

“This Is the Hour” and “The Morning of the Dragon.”