#yes there’s people outside of that one or two people who’ll enjoy your company

[spoofyleaf]

Mom was right, we will find people who get us.

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

Winter Whumperland Day 9: Planned

Summary: Written for Winter Whumperland Day 9. Set in a Modern AU, follows up on Day 8 'Lucky'. The police aren't coming for him and he doesn't know if his friends or family even know where to look. With not just his own health and safety on the line, Hiccup knows that if he wants to escape, he wants to do it in a way that ensures Viggo can never lay a hand on him again.

Rating: Mature

Characters: Hiccup, Viggo

Pairing: Vigcup, past-Hiccstrid

Words: 5 218

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: “countdowns”, “running out of time”

Whumpee: Hiccup

Author’s Notes: Ah, another prompt that started out as a 2,5k something and has now become a 5k monster. And Day 12, at 6k, IS STILL NOT FINISHED YET! :'D

At the very least, it makes me curious to see what the final word count will end up being.

Anyway, here it is! The chapter that reveals both Hiccup's previous plan to escape as well as what he saw on the computer in Day 3.

Constructive criticism is appreciated! Including on the tags, because holy hell, they get more difficult with each one-shot!

Enjoy!

Ao3

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The police aren't coming for him. As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the hope of being found by the people meant to find him seemed to slim with every morning he has to wake up next to Viggo Grimborn.

It's through Eret that Hiccup will find out that they aren't looking for him at all, that they've simply arrested the first guy they could conveniently get their hands on and called it a day. It apparently didn't matter whether they got the true culprit, or culprits in this case, or if they even find a body or not. Hiccup's disappearance is a closed case.

But before that life-ending trip in the mountains, well, life-ending for at least two someones, Hiccup has no idea what could be keeping the cops from finding him for so long. It's a disheartening thing. For all those tv-shows and movies about the police going through hell and back for the civilians they're supposed to serve and protect, Hiccup is feeling strangely abandoned.

And he can't see his friends ever coming for him, though he knows they must have surely looked. And his father, he's more the "let the right authorities handle it" kind of man, but he must've searched for him, too.

But if they have any idea where to look or how to go about helping him, he wouldn't have been here for as long as he has. His best hope of getting out of Viggo's clutches is to find a way out himself. Ironically enough, he means to break free through those authorities his father so relies on.

Hiccup could remove the watch, could somehow safely remove the shock band from his ankle he hasn't tried yet, take his prosthetic from the safe, take his clothes, take his cat, and then finally take his leave. He could go home, be surrounded by friends, tell everything to the police, ... and then what?

Give Viggo and Ryker the chance to destroy everything related to him and disappear? Allow him the time to make up an iron-clad tale about how Hiccup had run away with him? Having no idea his friends and father didn't know of his plan to run away until they were in too deep? And really, young people can be so crazy when it comes to love, he wouldn't be the first to run away for the sake of the person they think is The One.

And Stoick, such a big man, they've all seen how angry he can be on his first and last press conference. Viggo believed him when Hiccup told him his father was physically violent with him and just wanted to keep him safe! And he is especially bad when drunk. You can't blame a foolish man with too good of a heart for getting himself into trouble trying to help this young man out.

Besides having the money to get him the best lawyers money can buy, Viggo is also a master manipulator. Playing on Hiccup's need to help others to get close to him, earn his trust, and get to know him well enough to know which buttons to push to break him makes that clear to him now. Viggo can spin any tale he wants and Hiccup fears the number of people that will believe him.

He's seen it before, innocent people painted in such a bad light that they are bullied and ostracized to the point of disappearing, too afraid to come out and speak the truth any more. He doesn't want people to see his father that way.

It's true that Stoick has a temper, but against his son, he's never so much as raised his voice. He doesn't want Viggo to hurt his family, too.

Viggo is nothing like Dagur. Dagur was more like your run-of-the-mill obsessed stalker who believed that he deserved and needed a boy three years younger then him to fill the missing void his deceased parents left him with. He was a tragic product of his life, of loss he couldn't process. And if he can take Heather's word, Dagur has been putting effort into getting better.

Hiccup thought he knew what obsession looked like through him and so he didn't recognize the warning signs in Viggo.

Viggo, who doesn't have a tragedy that shaped him to be the way he is. Viggo, who is unrepentant in his ways, who doesn't care who he hurts or how bad. Viggo, who is so selfish and arrogant that he would rather bury a failed project six feet under and start over than ever admit defeat.

Hiccup never saw the warning signs.

"He swallowed up two hours of your time, Hiccup!"

His last conversation with Astrid suddenly comes to mind. Dagur demanded his time as well, but that's just it, he demanded it. Viggo was 'nice' about it in that he asked and then played on Hiccup's emotions without him realizing it to get him to say "yes".

A master manipulator. This is why Hiccup needs evidence if he wants him convicted. If it becomes a "he said, he said" kind of trail, he's already lost. And really, who'll believe him when he tells them Viggo... did things to him, a man.

And then there is another possibility that he's afraid of. The police not arresting Viggo quickly enough to keep him from coming back for Hiccup and doing gods know what to him in retribution.

At least that's something Dagur tried to do, too, when he heard of the restraining order placed on him. He was to be arrested for breaking it, for breaking it multiple times as a matter of fact, and he couldn't bear with that. Though in that case, Dagur had blamed Hiccup's father and his friends for keeping them apart and tried to convince Hiccup to disappear with him. It was the only way they could be together in his eyes, if they started over together somewhere far, far away. He completely blindsided that it was Hiccup who wanted that restraining order in place.

If Hiccup leaves the Grimborn mansion, he wants to be sure he'll never have to see it again. And he'll want to make sure he doesn't mysteriously vanish the second someone blinks. He doesn't want White Spot to inexplicably die from poison or from being run over either.

And, oh Gods, what if he's out there and he comes after Astrid? Snotlout? Fishlegs? The twins? The sanctuary isn't chock-full of cameras either, what if they manage to hurt Toothless in some way? Or pay someone to hurt Toothless? His father seems untouchable, but what about his mother? There are too many ways in which the Grimborns can get back at him and Hiccup would rather spend the rest of his life rotting away in that basement than let anything happen to them.

And that is why he needs to get onto that computer, why he snuck into the study while Viggo's at work and Ryker is sleeping off another hangover.

He's stolen the key to his bedroom and locked it from the outside. If he wakes up before Hiccup finishes what he intends to do, there'll be hell to pay. Wooden doors don't really stop a man like Ryker.

But who better to break into Viggo's computer than someone who knows his way around one?

Hiccup hobbled into the study using the crutch they'd provided him with, begrudgingly so on Ryker's part as Viggo sees it more as something they can take away if their guest is being ungrateful, and he sits down at the desk. It takes only a minute or two, but he manages to get past the password.

A breath of relief quietly leaves him, he's become a bit of a quiet person, and he sags.

Viggo better not see him, he disdains a bad posture. Hiccup can't even begin to count the amount of comments or "corrective slaps on the wrist" he's gotten for not sitting or standing up straight. At some point, when Viggo was particularly sick of Hiccup sitting slouched, he tried to buy him a corset so that maybe he could finally sit with a straight back for once.

But Viggo isn't here and Hiccup gets to sag. He can threaten him if he's not here.

At first, Hiccup isn't sure what he's looking for. Something illegal, for sure, but what? The party guests from the other day have given him the idea to try and look for something. Viggo's company specializes in import and export, surely, he has to have something shady saved on his computer. He has the ships and containers, he can take things in and out of the country without a problem.

Someone as smart as Viggo isn't going to look up "how to treat broken ribs" online, so it's not like it's as simple as looking up his browser history. Would he search and buy the medication needed to stave off pneumonia online? Drugs can be found on legal sites, he wouldn't even need to worry about turning any heads.

What Hiccup needs from this computer is virtual evidence, but searching for it isn't going to be a walk in the park.

Hiccup rolls his shoulders and adjusts his position in the chair, it rolling in place.

Sitting in this chair is difficult. He'd lean back, but he can't. And just sitting there isn't doing him any favors either. There are painful welts all over his back from last night's games in bed and that makes just about everything a little difficult for him.

He'd let Viggo do it. Because if he didn't it would happen either way and then it would be made so much more unpleasant.

So while uncomfortable as he possibly can be does he look deeper into this computer, doing everything mostly on a glimpse alone to get through it all quick. He can't afford to dilly dally in every file. And if he doesn't get this done, there will be many more nights of these "games".

Viggo isn't like most people, he doesn't have games or other files or apps he would deem unnecessary on his computer. Most of what takes up space on his internal hard drive is what he considers important. For him, that seems to be stuff that he's taken home from work and nothing more. And they're all fairly recent as the oldest file Hiccup has come across is a little less than two years old.

And then he clicks on something inconspicuous and a little window pops up and asks for a password. Hiccup raises an eyebrow, suppresses the need to comment on it, and quietly gets by this one as well.

Finally, after what Hiccup realizes has been a quick two-hour search, he's found something promising.

There are folders named with serial numbers that translate as dates to him and the many files within are also coded with numbers following that same date. The oldest one appears to be from a little over half a year ago, the hard drive has last been cleaned out then. Just as he thought, Viggo isn't a fan of leaving a trace.

He clicks on one of those documents and then another and another and another. Hiccup's expertise may not be with economics or Viggo's branch of work, but he is often smarter than people give him credit for. He can still figure out that what he's looking at is some seriously shady stuff. Everything from exporting fake goods to exotic animals and even drugs, no wonder Viggo is a rich, rich man.

So Viggo isn't just a criminal that kidnaps and abuses people, he's very into the black market, too. A terrifying thing, honestly. He's seen movies, he knows how these things go. So he turns his attention to a different crime he might be able to exploit.

Embezzlement, bank fraud, insurance fraud, forgery, just all kinds of fraud and all that gained him, and only him, money. And that, that can work in his favor. Because if there is something people don't like, it's when someone else is hoarding money. Especially if it's all garnered illegally.

taking his eyes off-screen for a moment, Hiccup strains his hearing to see if he can pick up any sounds inside the house. It's still quiet and that means Ryker must still be asleep.

So focusing back on the screen, he gathers as many of these suspicious documents as he can find and then searches for the e-mail app Viggo uses, which is the only one present on this entire device.

He pauses for one nervous moment as he clicks on it, grimacing and holding his breath, and sees that Viggo is apparently the kind of person who legs himself off after every use.

He's lucky. He can log on with his own address and log back off without drawing suspicion.

But then he realizes he doesn't actually know where to send all of these to and briefly does he almost panic.

He doesn't have a lot of time here and Viggo does sometimes have the tendency to come home unexpectedly to "surprise him".

Does he send all of these to the police of his city? Do police even handle cases like fraud? Surely, they do? And do police stations even have e-mail addresses to mail to?

Hiccup feels a sense of anxiety creeping up on him. He doesn't have a lot to work with and he realizes the chances of this plan working aren't big, it all boils down to a gamble. His freedom, it will depend entirely on whether or not they will check an e-mail from the outside or not.

But his chances are good enough, aren't they? His full name is right there in his e-mail, they're not going to ignore a message coming from "Hiccup Haddock", right? Even if they've given up on him?

He doesn't feel like he has much of a choice. It's not like he can put all of this on a USB, run away, and personally get it to the police. He can't even leave the house, not even to get into the yard! And even if he did, he'll run into the same problem of risking giving the Grimborns enough time to either disappear, hurt him more, or both.

So Hiccup swallows his worries, feeling like he can't do this if he lets his fears get to him like this. E-mailing the police will have to do.

To distract himself, Hiccup continues his search for more incriminating information. He's not going to fit all of it in just one measly e-mail, but the more the merrier.

On his search for more, Hiccup comes across another one of those inconspicuous folders like the others he's looked through. Though this one, for some reason, is titled differently. Instead of the numbers used with the other folders, this one is named "personal project".

Despite the name change, Hiccup is confident he can find more evidence in this.

The second he clicks on that folder, he regrets it.

There are photos instead of files in this one, a lot of them. Some are very compromising, sensitive, the kinds you'd only find on one particular site on the internet.

And they're all of him.

Some were taken before his abduction and clearly without his knowledge. Like someone had been hiding behind corners with a camera and followed him in his daily life. There are photos that come from online, he recognizes the ones his girlfriend took and posted with his permission, which Viggo has stolen without.

And then some were taken after his kidnapping and those are the worst.

Because these are so humiliating. So, so humiliating! Compromising positions, in several states of undress, from almost every part of his body, ... And to make matters worse, he can't remember any of these ever having been taken.

What he does remember? The many, many times when he would randomly pass out during his time in the basement.

Staring at the countless pictures, Hiccup feels like he's burning. The fire that eats him alive isn't made out of a physical flame, it's the shame burning him to a crisp. Like he's been soaked in gasoline and lit up with a match, like he might actually writhe and scream.

Before he can stop himself, he's crying.

He's not thinking of Ryker when he does. Hunching forward, his face in his hands, he sobs and hiccups and sniffs. He's not quiet about it either.

He had no idea these pictures were being taken, no idea at all. But here they are, staring at him in the face, mocking him. He feels so humiliated.

It takes him a while to pull himself back together again. He doesn't know for how long he sits there, bawling his eyes out, struggling to breathe. The weight of what's been done to him has come crashing down on him once more and now it feels like he's drowning.

He wants to delete these pictures and hope that Viggo doesn't have them saved anywhere else. He wants to throw the whole damn computer away just to be sure, take his crutch or something heavier and then smash it to bits.

But he can't. Because if Hiccup does get rid of them, Viggo might notice that they're gone when he revisits them. And he's going to notice a missing or broken computer and that'll mean the end of him.

So as horrible as it is, he has to let every single one of them be.

Or maybe he doesn't quite need to leave them alone.

Pure anger on his face and tears still in his eyes, a white-hot rage that he's unfamiliar with coursing through his veins, he faces those pictures again.

Viggo thinks he can just make these pictures without his knowledge, without his permission, without expecting them to be used against him?

Fine. He, too, can play that game.

Viggo and Ryker will rot, even if it's the last thing he'll do.

Even if it means he'll be drawing his last breath at the end of all of this, they will pay.

Hiccup adds them to the list of things he'll be sending to the police. He'll worry about how these will make him look later, right now he's not in the right mindset to worry. He just wants Viggo to face the consequences of his actions.

This is proof of some of the abuse he's had to suffer through thus far, it's proof that he's been stalked prior to his abduction, and it will only make their list of crimes bigger and therefore the time they'll be serving longer.

Or that's what he hopes.

The police station of his choosing has a neat little "send e-mail" in their contact info and that's what he clicks on. He clicks on it several times, each e-mail filled to the brim with incriminating photos and files and all send from his address. The black market stuff they'll hopefully find on their own. That is, if Viggo is apprehended too quickly to wipe his device clean.

Hiccup hits send on the last one and has to take a breath.

He's an exhausted mess, his sleeves are wet with tears and filthy with snot. He should get cleaned up before his "beloved partner" comes home.

But he allows himself a moment of sweet, sweet vengeance.

"Well now, Viggo, I hope you like living with a timer." Hiccup tells the man, though he isn't here. From the second he met the man to the night of his kidnapping he's lived with one, whether he realized it or not. Now Viggo gets to live with one for a change.

And hopefully, this one will run out a lot quicker than his did.

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When Hiccup ran away in the snow, Viggo wasn't expecting to be caught as quickly as he was, maybe there was a chance he wouldn't even be caught at all.

Wandering aimlessly in a forest with one foot broken, the other missing, and unprepared for the cold, the chances of Hiccup surviving at all were slim, to say the least. And that fishing town, they weren't close enough for someone familiar with the area to reach it in time, let alone someone who has never been there before.

But here he is, sitting at a table in an interrogation room in a police station. Not Port's as he's already been handed over to a different station. More specifically, he's been brought to New New Berk's.

But the agent standing opposite to him with a carton cup of lukewarm coffee in their hands, they're not from around here and that makes Viggo wonder what exactly he's been caught for.

Is it for fraud? Blackmarket dealings? But all of that information should be locked behind a password and he's been meticulous in what he keeps and deletes. he's even gotten rid of an entire hard drive just to be sure.

And yet, he knows Hiccup messed with his computer, he's caught him crying in front of the screen through a hidden camera. Though, he has figured by now that it meant he'd found Viggo's personal photographic collection of him.

It was amusing at the time. It served Hiccup right for sticking his nose in places where it didn't belong.

But that collection was protected, too, and so maybe Hiccup found more than just those photos. As a matter of fact, it might even be the most likely scenario. he regrets admitting to not thinking of Hiccup figuring out what he was looking at when he saw those hidden files.

But if it is only that, then maybe he can still get off with a relatively light punishment.

As Viggo is having his inner monologue with himself, Agent Mackle stares at him with a look the man can only call contempt. He finds the way the younger Grimborn brother is sitting there horribly arrogant. With his posh suit, polished look, expensive jewelry and accessories, straight back. The only signs of what might be distress are the heavier than usual bags under his eyes and the slightly frazzled hair, that latter is a feat with how short it is, and he only knows because he's seen pictures of Viggo before.

But it's not enough, not with a monster such as this one, and Viggo Grimborn has been a monster to many people.

They should be doing an interrogation, however, so they speak up.

"He was found, just so you know." Viggo looks up to the agent.

"Your brother. Dead, head split open with a shovel, you didn't even try to hide his body, did you? Bad enough that you don't care about laws and morals, but then not only did you decide to disregard human life, you also decided that your brother's wasn't worth it." Mackle starts, completely astounded by the lack of any feeling or remorse in one man. How much the victim must've suffered with him.

Or rather, victims.

On his own brother's death, the suspect doesn't have a comment and Viggo even looks away again, seemingly uninterested. Whether this is a ploy or because he truly doesn't care, Mackle finds both options agitating.

Viggo had been caught trying to leave Port to go back home, taking his luggage, and planning on taking his personal boat to get away. A messy escape for someone who looks like he prizes himself on his tactics and thinking things through.

But then, Port police also found his brother face down in a thin layer of snow in what was clearly meant to be a shallow grave, so something must've gone down that made the suspect want to pack up and leave in a hurry.

He hadn't even bothered to cover Ryker grimborn with a blanket or a tarp or anything, he just left him to be feasted on by foraging scavengers. What brotherly love there must've been between these two.

But oh, they do have something to say that might be interesting to Viggo.

"And oh, he was found, just so you know." Viggo, again, looks up to the agent, who sips from his cup. Except, this time he doesn't look as bored as he probably figures who they must be talking about.

"Hiccup Haddock, your little "pet project"? That's what you called him, right? He was found alive, despite you and your brother's best attempts at silencing him." There is a certain flavor to telling a criminal that they haven't succeeded in destroying a life. Well, haven't succeeded in destroying this one.

"And it's thanks to him that you won't just be charged with fraud and all that good stuff, but also multiple counts of kidnapping, murder, abuse, and, the most fun of all, all kinds of sexual assault. That's a long, long list Mr. Grimborn." Agent Mackle tells him, their disgust barely hidden. They're in their late twenties, maybe earlier thirties. Viggo can't pin an exact number on them.

He raises an eyebrow at the usage of "multiple counts", but he's not responding otherwise.

"I can already hear you think. How do they know? How can they arrest me for any of that with no bodies?" Mackle walks around, imitating how they think the suspect before them might sound as they pace, and then they face him again.

"Well, your last victim has a pretty good idea of where your brother buried your victims since you two were kind enough to take him to your murder cabin to kill him there, too, if, and I quote from Hiccup Haddock himself, he "didn't fall in line". He was kind enough to tell us in return." Mackle informs Viggo, making it clear they've been talking to him.

It worked for as long as it did because of the cabin's isolated location. It was on private property, which means people would keep away from that part of the forest. And kids, if they snuck on and saw something they were never meant to see, they would keep to themselves for fear of getting into trouble. Keep to themselves and very possibly repress everything they might've seen until it one day comes back to haunt and ruin them.

For effect, they lean on the table, cup still in hand.

"We've searched the property, Mr. Grimborn, and we're digging every single one of those poor souls up as we speak. We'll be making a lot of families happy this holiday." They continue.

"Well, probably not happy since their missing loved ones were found dead, after all, but they'll have close at long last." There is only a little sense of justice here. Viggo's arrest and sure to be punishment will not bring all those people back, but at least he'll finally be stopped. And it'll all be because of Hiccup.

There is still not a word from Viggo, but what did they expect? They have to suppress a sigh as they straighten.

"You were hard to catch, I'll admit that. We've recovered three of the bodies, so far. Their clothing, personal effects, and even physical traits helped us identify them. Let me tell you, we never would've linked them together." Mackle takes three of the case files he has on a neat stack on his side of the table and flips them open.

"There is no connection between gender, appearance, ethnicity, religion, and with your latest victim, no connection between sex either." He skims through some of the pages. There is even a "John" amongst those three.

The one thing they do have in common, though? Smarts.

"A med, student, a biochemist, an ambitious lawyer, and now an aspiring expert in draconic behaviors. A dragon whisperer if you will." Well, that is what the victim's closest loved ones have told them.

Closing the case files, they grab them and drop them back on the large pile of suspected victims, making quite the bang on the table. Viggo doesn't jump as badly as they would like.

"So tell me, how does it feel to know you were taken down by one of your pet projects? One of your many, many victims? I'm sure you thought you were smarter than all of them." Agent Mackle asks, hoping to finally break Viggo with at least one of these. All they want is a little crack in that stoic façade.

And finally, there is a response on Viggo's face, but not one they'd like to see. A smirk appears on his face.

"You ask me how I feel?" He asks and his gaze meets Mackle's.

"Hiccup and I know each other. The reason I could keep him under my thumb for so long is because I know him and therefore know where to push. I know how to get him to make certain sounds, I know how to make his body react that way I want it to react, I know how to make him obedient to me, the point is, agent, I know Hiccup through and through." Viggo takes a pause, enjoying this little confession of his.

"To the world, I'll be known as a monster, but I will also have my business empire-"

"Had. I don't think many of your partners or clients will want to have anything to do with your business anymore. Especially not now that they'll know you've been frauding your way into all of that money for your own gain." Agent Mackle quickly retorts, not liking Viggo's energy and enjoyment in all of this.

"However," Viggo completely ignores them, simply continuing to talk and sounding as arrogant as he possibly can. "Hiccup will only ever be known as the one who got away and he'll be lucky if that is all that he's known for. Even you only refer to him as my victim."

Mackle doesn't know what to say, furrowing their brows while Viggo's smirk remains true.

"So no matter how much he fought to get away from me, Hiccup Haddock will never escape the fact that he still belongs to me in the end." Viggo looks away at that, taking this as another checkmate. And the brand will prove that, too. Even if he has it removed, there were still be the scar of where it once used to be.

Mackle has seen a picture of it, seen the "V.G" burned into his flesh. They've seen many pictures depicting Hiccup. That a 19-year-old boy had to go through something like this... Age is another thing that didn't factor into what Viggo sought for in a future victim, but two of the identified bodies and a good amount of the suspected victims are young. Though Hiccup definitely stands out as the youngest of the bunch.

The worst part out of all of this is that Viggo isn't showing the slightest bit of remorse. He got caught and all he shows is a sick sense of pleasure in the knowledge that he and Hiccup will forever be connected through this.

He couldn't even care less about the death of his older brother. All that matters to him, is Hiccup.

Feeling sick to their stomach, Mackle takes their cup and the stack of yellowish folders, each thicker than the last, and leaves the interrogation room. They leave Viggo to wallow in his bad, bad thoughts.

[himbowelsh]

Hello Darling! I just read the valentines alphabet you wrote for Shifty and omg I absolutely loved it! So, if it’s not too much to ask, may I request the same for Bull Randleman? Thank you and have a wonderful weekend 💛

@noneofurbusinez asked:   balentines balphabet for my man bull blease ,,,

here’s the big boy

valentines day alphabet  ( accepting! )

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Bull’s love language is very much acts of service, so that’s what he’ll do, all the time. He’ll fix something before the person he cares about realizes it’s broken; he’ll do favors, help them with simple tasks without saying a word, and generally be there when needed. He’s not too liberal with words or touch, so Bull says everything through what he does. If he’s really feeling affectionate, he’s got a tiny smile that could melt butter, and only the people closest to him have it directed at them.

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

He enjoys flowers in a purely aesthetic sense, but could name...  daisies and roses, probably. That’s it. He likes them, but does not understand them. The sort of man to pick a lone-ass flower and give to someone, like that’s an acceptable thing. It’s kind of cute, but also goofy. (He’s always had a soft spot for buttercups.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

If he is hungry, and a chocolate bar is in front of him, he will eat it, but there are about two dozen snacks he’d enjoy a lot more.

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Give him a country fair and some carnival games any day. Watch him win everything, eat multiple corn cobs, go on the ferris wheel just because it’s his favorite, and have a lovely night. If he’s got good company with him, well, that’s all the better.

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

It’s like hugging a bear, but...  in the best way. Bull gives Dad Hugs. Absolutely reassuring, wraps you up completely, kind of hard to breathe but it feels good...  if Bull Randleman’s hugging someone, a bomb could drop directly on their heads, and they’d be perfectly safe. Nothing can get through a Bull Hug. People miss it after it’s done.

F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

Umm...  flirt? Bull? Bull flirt? Nah, man, he...  he’s, uhh...  he’s a big guy. He’s got eyes. He can make eye contact sometimes. That’s the best he’s got. This man flirts like a brick.

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

Look. Bull’s out here trying, okay? He really does put a lot of thought into gifts, because it’s important that he gets something his loved one is going to appreciate. This does not make him a...  “good” gift giver. Bull’s gifts tend to be very practical, very small  ---  he’s not going out to buy jewelry or putting a bow on anything, because he will have no idea what he’s doing. Somebody needs new oil for their car, or they’ve been looking for grill charcoal? Someone wants a particular shade of paint but has no clue where to get it? Bull will get it for them, and paint their house on top of that. Honestly, he’s better at doing things than giving things, so his gifts tend to be favors.

H   :   HEART.   is your muse quick or slow to give their heart away?

For Bull Randleman to fall in love, he first has to trust someone completely. That’s no easy feat. He also needs respect in a relationship, and if he hasn’t built that up, he can’t really give his heart to anyone.

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

Shhh. Nah. He’s maybe said it...  four times??  In as many years, once he’s been in a long-term relationship. Possible less than that. Bull doesn’t say “I love you”, he shows it. If he’s not able to do that, then he doesn’t deserve to love the person he loves.

J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?

He’s really not a jealous guy. If someone tries to flirt with his partner, he’ll be overall unimpressed by it, and step in if needed, but he’s not hot blooded like certain people he knows.

K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?

Shy boy. Unexpectedly shy, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience. This is the one time when he doesn’t quite know what to do with...  all of himself. There’s a lot of Bull, and when you’re kissing you have to know exactly how to move, how to match your rhythm with someone else’s...  he’s a bit of a clumsy kisser, and would appreciate someone else taking the lead. Quite soft, won’t use tongue at first; prefers to put hands on his partner’s upper back / shoulders; if he can lift them up and put them on top of something, like a tabletop, so they’re at an equal height, that’s just perfect. Not above lifting his partner up while they’re kissing.

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

His Mama has to take first place here, forever and always. Bull would move mountains for that woman. He’s very devoted to his family overall; he’s got friends he’d drop anything just to help. In general, when Bull decides to love someone, it’s long-lasting and steady. He’s not fickle with his affections, and definitely not into second-guessing. Even when they say hurtful things or quarrel, he won’t stop loving them.

M   :   MOONLIGHT.   is morning or night a more romantic setting?

He’s a morning person. Always has been, always will be. There’s something about early morning that Bull just finds peaceful, and he’d love to share it with someone he cares about.

N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?

Again, you gotta understand...  there’s a lot of Bull to go around. And he knows what to do with exactly none of it! At first, he’s definitely uncertain of himself, prefering to let his partner take the lead and guide him how they want. A very physical lover; all about body movements, instinct and rhythm; breathes heavily. As he gets more into it, he’ll gain enthusiasm; at this point, he can sometimes get rough without meaning to, though he tries to be mindful of it. Once Bull works his confidence up, he becomes quite an intense lover. This is an intimate experience for him, and he wants to savour the sensations...  but he’ll always be focused on his partner, to ensure they’re enjoying it too.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

He has a way with word. As in, like...  one word. He can shoot out monosyllabic answers really well. Bull’s not a talkative guy  ---   very much an “talk less, do more” type.

P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

Well, he’d like someone shorter than him  ---  that’s not hard  ---  preferably someone he can pick up easily. He wants someone...  gentle isn’t the right word, but someone who’ll be gentle with him. At the same time, not someone delicate, who’ll break easily. If they know their way around a horse, that’s downright perfect. He’s got a thing for eyes  ---  expressive ones, eyes that dance, eyes that laugh, eyes that sometimes tease. He likes brown ones most of all. And any partner Bull chooses is going to have to be way more talkative than him, sorry  ---  while he doesn’t dislike silence, he also enjoys having that silence filled, and not having to carry a conversation is a massive weight off his shoulders. He’s more than happy to just listen to the person he loves chatter, smiling benignly at their thoughts.

Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

He’s neutral either way. While he wouldn’t mind if his partner asked him first, if he’d already decided he wanted to marry this person, he’d definitely muse on different ways to do it. Nothing elaborate, that’s not Bull’s style  ---   maybe a proposal during a quiet countryside walk, or after going for a swim, or even at the end of a big day, during the quiet moment when all the festivities are dying down. Bull wouldn’t make a scene out of it; his proposal would be simple, soft, and very sincere.

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

Not a cynic at all. He’s a practical guy, but he’s got a tiny romantic streak buried deep down in there. A part of Bull just really liked the idea of getting to love someone. He’s lowkey about it, but has a definite romantic side.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

He had a crush on a little girl in his class  ---  Wendy something-or-other  ---  for a solid few months, because she had beautiful red curls, tied up in bouncy pig tails. Honestly, Bull might have been more in love with her hair than Wendy herself, but they promised to marry each other under the oak tree outside school. Wendy got cold feet the next week, broke it off, and gave Bull back the straw ring he made for her. It didn’t break his heart, but it taught him a valuable lesson: never fall for anyone just because they’ve got nice hair.

T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?

Nah. That sort of thing belongs in fairy tales. Love has to build itself up in order to really matter.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

Bull’s heart is like a slab of steak. Very beefy, very tender. He doesn’t give it away easily, but it would break easier than he likes to admit. Hasn’t happened yet, because he hasn’t found the right person to hurt him yet.

V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?

Honestly? Not a fan. Look, if Bull wants to go on a date, he’ll go on a date  ---  they can do that any night of the year. If his partner’s into Valentine’s Day, he’ll try to make it special, but otherwise he doesn’t have a problem ignoring the holiday.

W  :   WEDDING.   would your muse get married? why / why not?

Yes! This is actually something he feels quite strongly about. He wants to have a traditional relationship/marriage; he would really like to be a husband one day, to have a ring on his finger and dote on his spouse. It’s not about starting a family for Bull (he doesn’t have any strong feelings about having kids, though he’d be a great dad) but very much about...  stability. About someone loving him enough to tie the knot. and getting to love someone that much in return. It’s hard for him to articulate, but he’d really want to get married.

X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?

He’s not really the pet name type...  so on the rare occasions he does use them (simple one’s  ---  “darlin’” is his go-to) it stands out that much more.

Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?

Look, no one’s gonna mess with Bull. He’s a big dude with a withering stare, and could probably flip most people over his shoulder without trying. Bull doesn’t need to put on a show; if someone’s messing with the people he cares about, he’ll stare them down, decimate them with a well-timed remark, and that’s usually all it takes to break up the situation. Not afraid to use the old “arm-around-the-shoulder” trick to show he means business.

Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?

Not many! He’s a conservative guy in bed  ---  he’d prefer one steady partner whom he knows well to a series of strangers. He probably had a girlfriend or two when he was younger, but even then they didn’t do it much; Bull was quite careful, and always respectful.

[parkbearum]

Limerence

The night remained dark while the sound of rain washed over the city,leaving a clear air of fresh grass smell after.The shadows of car lights changed with every second,becoming one of the busiest hours of the day for the wet city.Crowds of people walked around,unusual smiles on their faces while the lights from the destination ahead became more clear.

Tiny steps approached the busy cafe,filled with people who seemed to be running away from the rain,some of them enjoying their unscheduled stop at this hour.She saw a familiar face inside,a smile on the friend’s lips as she waved at the soul outside.

The girl outside was you.

The smell of coffee and pastry filled your nose,making a warm air hit your cheeks as you walked to greet a friend you had been planning on meeting for so long.The busy lifestyle didn’t really let you have a social life,work and more work always awaited you in the corner of your office.

Being the head secretary in one of the most prestigious business chains in the country didn’t let you have a small breath of fresh air,even in weekends.Some of your friends were sweet enough to agree to hang out later in the night but for the most days,you barely saw anyone other than your boss.

He was the so called owner of the empire that he had built for himself.You didn’t disregard his efforts as he was in the office more than you were,which meant for almost 24 hours a day but in the end,he was a charismatic and a cheeky guy who knew his way around people.

You stayed in the calm coffee shop until a few hours past midnight.You needed to be in the office in 6 the next morning which gave you about 4 hours of sleep,more than what you got for most days and taking in account that this was one of the busiest days,you were thankful that he let you come home.

Every single time he started being a bit softer with you,the story a fellow chairman told you in a charity party came to your mind.Apparently,he had seen more than 20 people before you,both women and men.He was quite intolerant of any flaws regarding work,attitude and time.When you showed up as a sharp candidate for the position,you had heard that he sent all the others home directly,not seeing the need to spend time when he knew he found the one.

In the department of secretaries,you had quite the reputation.Before working for him,you were an editorial assistant at a high fashion magazine.It wasn’t that special next to all the other candidates but after a few words exchanged in between the two of you,he recognized the tone of your voice.

You were a professional.There was no emotion in your voice when you talked to him which was the flaw in all the others.All the other assistants he had before ended up in his bed before he fired them for emotional reasons,the other candidates also seemed to be swayed by him,he was a good looking,young and a charming gentlemen afterall.

But the paint on the outside,the alluring man he was on the surface didn’t fool you.Sure,he was a catch for most from his look to his wealth but you knew the thin line that separated intimacy and familiarity too well.You didn’t stare at him like the other did,nor did you smile too widely,eliminating all the factors that made you a potential catch for him.

The thoughts remained in your mind till the next morning while you organized some paperwork for him to sign,asking for a cup of coffee before he arrived.You usually came in earlier,arranged a few things as he was extremely attentive when it came to details,his routine couldn’t be disturbed as he was a form believer of plans.

You watched the steam coming from his coffee for a split second before you walked to your room,unlike what usual assistants got.In a big conference where you met a dozen assistants from the big companies,you had learnt that you were the only one who had her room.Sure,this company was probably the biggest one in the city but half of the workers had to share a room to keep the work environment going.

You watched the doors of the elevator open,not looking at him while he entered his office,his scent all over the corridors while you slowly got up to greet and inform him.He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt,his watch on the same wrist as yesterday which meant he had a good morning.You knocked before walking into the huge room,he didn’t hear you as his desk was on the other side of the room but the sound of your heels made him turn.

“Morning,sir.”you said,a thin smile before you checked the schedule,his eyes all over you.

“Morning,dear.”he called as usual.

You tried your best to act clueless and sharp around him but you weren’t stupid.There was a reason why all the other secretaries ended up in his bed,an excuse for all the woman.This man looking up and down at you,he had an enormous charisma,it was hard to ignore his presence let alone his deep stares.He was built,handsome and was always a gentlemen,it wasn’t hard to see why all the girls were head over heels for him.

“....and there’s a meeting at the end of the day with the suppliers to ensure a few terms.”you finished your sentence,his eyes looking at yours while you looked at the paper in front of you,still standing like him.

“What’s for lunch?”he asked,his voice was still deep and rough due to the early hour.

“There is no prior engagement for you today.”you said,looking right at him while he loosened his tie,eyes on you while talking.

“Why don’t you make a reservation in that Italian place I like?”he said,sitting down slowly while smelling his coffee.

“I’ll make the reservation for one at 1.”you said.waiting for him to nod for confirmation.

“Do it for two.”he said,opening his laptop while checking over the documents you just put on his desk for signatures.

“Sure,Who’ll be the company?”you asked,ready to take note of the person’s name for the reservation,waiting for it to be another businessman.

“You.”he breathed out,still looking at the papers while you stared for a few minutes before turning around until you heard his voice calling.

“Is there a problem,dear?” he said while you were ready to get out of the room.

“No,not at all,sir.”he smile at your response while you walked away.

“Good.”he said,singing a few documents.

This wasn’t the first time he was taking you out to lunch,it had been a few times when he took you out to different places,it all started after he managed to sign a big contract with your help in the conference meeting prior to that.Starting from that time,you would always listen to his talks and presentations before he made them to perfect them even more and he took you out in exchange,or at least that’s how you saw it.

The next four hours or so consisted of you writing,signing,talking and visiting his office every now and then.Your feet hurting from your heels after all the hours of walking around the building.He had told you to wear flats before but you knew this was a professional environment and it would look bizarre.

You walked towards the big doors while he walked in front,all the employees had his eyes on him while you followed his tall figure to lunch.After the ride,you sat in front of him in the fancy restaurant,looking around to observe the best you can.Now that you were working in a big company,you were paid well and had countless opportunities just like going to fancy restaurants regularly.

After ordering the food,you started to talk about the meeting later on the day,clearing any confusion for him before he went in there and talked to people that mattered for the company.

“It’s at 3?”he asked with a frown.

“Yes,exactly at that hour.”you said while watching the food arrive.

Somehow,after all the lunch meetings you had like this,you managed to keep things separated between the two of you.It was clear that it was a work date for everyone but you,he never took anyone out to lunch other than a few businessman he wanted to work with and you were the first woman strong enough to keep her lust and work separate.

The rest of work was the usual drill for you,you followed him everywhere he went and explained things to him.The meeting was clear and successful,he was pleasant with the outcome and so were you.You had stayed more than usual in the office for today,the clock almost showed 12 am before you took the heels off,getting ready to get out of the building in your slippers.

“Y/N!”you looked at the owner of the voice,it was him.He didn’t usually call you by your name so it took you by surprise while he walked towards you.“I’ll drop you off.”he said,opening the door for you while you both took the back exit.

“It’s alright,sir.There’s no need for-”you breathed out before he took your hand dragged you along with him.

“It’s late and there’s no need to argue.”he said,smiling as he opened the front door of his car for you.“I’m your boss afterall.”he said,basically saying that you had to obey whatever he said.You sighed and got into the car,after working with him every hour of the day,you knew that arguing was useless.

The ride home was filled with talk about work and the next days that awaited.The talks you had were ordinary,things that didn’t cross the borders of being personal.He knew about your family,the ones that were alive and your education and this was enough,for both you as the purpose was to make business and nothing else.

But even of you were,people weren’t blind to his actions.

He took you out to lunches,called you a pet name and had you as his company to every party that he went to.There was a spark in his eyes you ignored for your own good.There was a lot he offered;you were paid more than all the other employees and had your own driver,he was always cautious of what he was doing around you,his smile didn’t fade around you and from all the times he drove you home to the feel of his jacket on your shoulder when it was raining,there was so much he did for you.

You thanked him and got out of the car,waving while he rolled down the window to tell you something.

“Goodnight,sweetheart.”

he whispered while keeping the eye contact,on the roads soon enough while you waited for the elevator.

There was a part of you that wanted to say yes to everything he said,every invite on weekends and every little present he wanted to buy for you after a successful conference and not because you were being nice but you enjoyed his company a little too much.Sure,it was work and a professional environment was to be contained but sometimes,in moments like this,all you wanted was to be next to him.It didn’t really matter how or why.

Throwing yourself on your bed,you got an e-mail from him,a long one.He was talking about a charity event this weekend he wanted you to come,as a presenter next to him for the company as he was sick of all the other greedy girls he had been taking,the ones that had an empty mind filled with the thought of wealth and money.

You were ready to reply,say that you were busy with next week’s plans and such.Just when you were ready to press the send button,your phone rang.The ID showed his face,his name at this hour,calls made from his personal number were extremely rare,he was probably calling about a work thing for next week as he usually planned the week all over again after you had done it.

You took the call,hearing his breathy sounds from the other hand.

“Hey,sweetheart.”his voice was so low,it wasn’t even the morning time.

“I....Would you please come..?”He sounded desperate,not a tone you’ve heard from him until today while he laid in his bed,all of his hope on one woman that was you.

“...”you made him wait,if he wanted you to go this much,he would be okay with anything.

“Sure.”

[believerindaydreams]

iv. yet another GBU/Rawhide scene

Rowdy’s POV. takes us up to just before the river encampment. 

The ache to be herding again, nothing more to worry about than moving cattle from one spot on a map to another spot, Rowdy wouldn’t have guessed he could want that back again so badly.

But that was simple, so simple he could go a whole day without words. Saluting and cow punching and tumbling down into prairie grass at night, tired enough he wouldn’t wake until the bugle blew. Hadn’t taken much thinking. It was towns where he got into trouble, generally.

Now this campsite isn’t a town, but he’s still in trouble up to his neck- no. No, he musn’t think that.

He should stay calm. That’ll keep Tuco happy- he’s noticed that much, the way that the bandito will soften words and cajole and even lie to smooth things over, until it gets to be too much and he yells with vinegar, the way he had at Pablo. Behavior like that makes no sense to Rowdy, it really doesn’t.

But left alone like this, he has to take after somebody- well, Favor would tell him to be his own man but what kind of advice is that? Favor lived by it all his life, and all it’s netted him is a one-way ticket to his death with Wallace.

Tuco nudges him. “What’s the matter, don’t you like the soup? There’s plenty of it, you don’t need to steal out of my bowl this time.”

Rowdy flushes, deeply. It’d only been the once, an accident late at night on the road between the monastery and the Union camp, but Tuco seems to have guessed too well what it meant. How he’d found himself trusting this criminal, if only a little.

“Can’t say as I care for the company,” he says out loud; and marvels at how grown-up that sounds.

“Blondie, you know, I am friends with you- but I am also friends with him. So-“

“It doesn’t work that way, Tuco,” Angel Eyes interrupts, with a voice dry and cold as wind in the desert night. “He saw me hurting Favor. He can’t forgive and forget so easily as you can.”

Tuco snorts, looks pained. “I told you about this. One of these days, those exotic tastes would get you into trouble.”

“Hmm,” Angel says, sipping at his own soup. “Not as much trouble as all that, if Blondie’s still willing to lead us to the spot- what’s the situation now, tenderfoot? Now you’re out of that prison camp, are you still willing to lead us there without shooting anyone in the back?”

He doesn’t know anymore, what Favor would do. Try to shoot Angel for torturing a friend of his, maybe. The Colt revolver feels heavy against his thigh.

Rowdy looks around, aware that he’s stalling for time. Stops when he realises why.

“Can’t say as I’d try just at present. I wouldn’t care for your friends to reciprocate.”

- because he was a cowhand, and he does know how the feel of a campsite changes when there’s rustlers on the prowl, and he’ll be a jumping frog if there isn’t a man or six waiting out there.

Angel laughs at him, a long genuine sound. “All right, fellows. Come out and mind your manners.”

The men file in quietly, weapons in easy reach but not drawn. Help themselves to soup from the pot, as though this had all been planned out.

“Oh, not you people again,” Tuco says tiredly. “Angel, Angel- no. They left me to die! Seventy five miles from civilisation!”

“Now the way I reckon it, you ought to have seen that coming,” Angel Eyes says. “Letting word of that gold slip, what did you expect?”

“No worse a mistake than leaving that boy alive to gossip,” Tuco retorts. “What’s the matter, Angel, going soft in your old age?”

He’d almost swear, Rowdy thinks, that beneath that ironic exterior Angel’s wincing. “Blind spot. It was a mistake last time, too- all those damned oranges cost me a fortune.”

None of the others seem to understand what that means, and Rowdy certainly doesn’t; but he doesn’t need to grasp the words when he can see Tuco’s barely concealed rage, the way a brown hand tugs for a lanyard and then lets go. “Enough! I don’t trust you, I don’t trust anybody- I’ll make it there myself, and beat you all to the gold.”

“You’ll never reach it alive,” Angel says indolently. “There’s a Union-held river crossing in the way. I’m the one with enough rank to get us all past it-“

The bandito’s already picking up his pack, swinging himself over a horse’s back. “Then I’ll swim!”

“He’ll be dead before the week’s out. One less claimant for the gold, then,” Angel says dismissively over the sound of galloping hooves. “Don’t worry, Blondie, you can sleep very easy tonight. Just a few nice quiet lads who’ll make sure nothing happens to you, we’re trustworthy enough.”

In a war zone like this, Rowdy supposes, this probably is as safe as it gets.

Doesn’t improve his appetite for Angel’s soup, all the same.

*********

A few days later, the men start to disappear.

One while hunting for water, one keeping guard at night; clean bullet shots through the heart.

It’s not Angel Eyes doing it, at least. The man was napping in clear sight when the first death happened; and the way Angel responds to the loss, shutting up close and turning uncommunicative, that’s enough like Favor for Rowdy to cling close to him. Offering up wordless acceptable comfort, the way he knows how to do.  

It comes to him that this is more than just fretting. That he’s in mourning for Favor- well, at that he’s probably the only one left to do it, considering the wife who went north when Favor stayed south. There’s a kind of sharp hollowness to the pain that hits him every morning- a few moments of breathing in morning air, feeling himself freshly recovered from the desert’s ordeal- and then memory plows into him like an express train and he hurts all over again.

It’s not something he can even talk about, which just makes it ache all the more.

He wishes that Tuco hadn’t left so abruptly. The bandito was loud and reckless enough for any three outlaws, but there’d been an easy kind of trust between them. So the motivation had been selfish enough; that hadn’t made Tuco’s concern for him less real. Riding gently, letting time slip away from them and resting when they liked- he’d never enjoyed such easy laxness before, and the contrast with Angel’s briskly efficient leadership is one that shouldn’t bother him after Favor, but he can’t help some resentment.

With Angel, of course, they’re on a job again. At least he knows how to do that, though he’s not really being allowed to do it properly.

“I know how to scout. I was a ramrod for a whole year, I was good enough at that.”

“Blondie-“ and there’s a muffled sound that might have been an “hmm” or “m’boy” or anything, and Rowdy’s not sure which it is or how to respond. “You are, at present, worth your weight in gold. So unless you want to up and tell me the solitary secret that happens to be keeping you alive, I am taking pains to keep you as well guarded as possible.”

“Mortimer,” one of the men says, beckoning impatiently. “Get off your high horse and decide whether we’re staying the night in this town or not.”

“We’re staying. Blondie here wants a bath.”

Rowdy blinks. He does, in fact, want one- had mentioned that to Tuco in passing, how the next time he had a chance at a real tub instead of a sparing pitcher to clean with, he was going to jump in feet first. “…a deserted town left in ruins by shelling, and there’s a bath here?”

“Yes,” Angel Eyes says rather calmly. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

The bath turns out to be a huge metal thing, filled with cool water, and it embarrasses Rowdy hugely to think that some hardened mercenary added all those fluffy bubbles just for him- but then, it’s kinder work than what they’re used to, probably. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

He strips down and sinks into it gratefully, very happy. Starts scrubbing comfortably, even has a go at whistling the Streets of Laredo-

then there’s a shot outside, and realising that his gun’s way off on the other side of the room, why he’ll never get to it in time-

“I’m armed,” Rowdy manages to gasp out as the shooter comes in- and then he sees who it is.

“In a bath, sure,” Favor says, almost humorously. “How was that going to work, Rowdy, planning to whip out a gun from under the bubbles?”

“Uhm.”

It’s hard for him to think. Surprised, glad to be sure, but anxious- Favor looks ghastly, he must have been through hell. And he would….he would like it better, if Favor would put that gun away instead of leaving it casually pointed at his heart.

“What happened?”

“Wallace is dead. I’m not.”

That’s terse. He’s hardly daring to stir- can’t even reach out and get his jeans, without showing off more of himself than he really feels comfortable with.

“I’ve been tracking this gang, picking them off one by one- those I can, that damned scout is impossible to get a bead on- well. You weren’t going to take them out all by yourself, were you?”

Rowdy’s not too sure how to say, that he hadn’t really been thinking about that at all. That even a seventh or eighth share of two hundred thousand had sounded fine, enough for anybody. “So it’s just us again, then?”

“That’s right. Put your clothes on, we need to get moving.”

It’s a small thing. Not even worth mentioning.

But he can’t help remembering that Tuco would have let him finish getting clean first.

[xialing-gf]

broken hearts club: chapter 2 (peter parker x reader)

chapter 1

summary: it’s hard to love somebody who’ll never love you back

wc: 1369

loosely based on the song “ the broken hearts club” by gnash

also this chapter is a little more angsty than the first

After the dance, Michelle and you grew close and Peter was getting a little jealous. Many people assumed you and Michelle were a pair now but Michelle wrecked anybody who remotely suggested that either of you needed somebody to depend on for love because according to her, “self-love is the most important love”.

Peter and Liz became an official couple a week after the dance so you got to see Liz kissing and holding hands with the boy you loved with every piece of your soul. The day that they announced their romantic relationship to the school was the day Michelle drew Peter and Michelle on a piece of paper and watched as you cut up the paper into tiny pieces, crying your eyes out. She comforted you with ice cream and lectured you about independence and the uselessness of love in society, so basically giving you the tough love you needed.

Despite Peter being with Liz, he didn’t cancel Friday movie nights, even if he stopped studying with you after school. Friday movie nights were basically the only chance you got to talk with Peter as he and Ned now sat with Liz and her friends during lunch, leaving you to sit at a table with Michelle. He asked you about you and Michelle and you laughed at how envious he grew when he asked if he was being replaced by her. Peter was still the same Peter you knew three years ago and he didn’t take off his friendship bracelet yet so that was a positive sign, right?

It took you two weeks to get used to Peter and Liz being an item and by the time you could tell Peter that he and Liz were cute together out loud, you thought you were completely over him or at least accepting of the fact he’ll never love you back. That was until you met up with Liz to plan future practice sessions for the speech and debate team.

“You sure you don’t want to come to the march for women’s rights? I know you really would love to kick some ass with words!” Michelle smirked as she unzipped her backpack and took out a sign you both worked on yesterday.

“Nope, sorry. I’d love to but I can’t cancel on Liz. But yes to the next time!” You waved goodbye to your friend as you parted ways. You stood outside the door of your English teacher’s classroom where the speech and debate meets were held, waiting for Liz to walk out and sure enough, she sauntered out with her friends a few minutes later. She waved goodbye to her friends as she made her way to the classroom.

“Hey, you ready to plan a whole semester worth of practices, co-captain?” Liz tossed her hair over her shoulder as she stepped into the classroom with you. You laughed and replied in a cheerful voice, “Yep!”

You both managed to plan everything out in the span of thirty minutes, being more communicative than you expected. You could see why Peter would like her; she was caring and kind in addition to her above average looks. As you both were packing up your things, she brought up a completely unexpected question out of the blue.

“So, I’ve heard some rumors about you having a crush on Peter? I mean, I’m not attacking you for it or anything, I was just curious,” Liz glanced at you innocently and you almost dropped your backpack on your feet in shock. You never expected her to be this direct and it was a “deer caught in headlights” moment for you.

“O-oh, those are just silly rumors. People talk and blah blah blah, but if I actually did, I wouldn’t try to steal him from you or anything. That would be a total bitch move,” You awkwardly chuckled, hoping to cover up your surprise.

“Are you sure? I mean, you both have been best friends since forever…” Liz trailed off, glancing at you again to watch your reaction.

“Yep, I am a hundred percent sure. We were just friends. I have to go now,” You tossed your backpack over your shoulder and began walking out of the classroom, only pausing when you heard Liz apologize.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. I was just curious,” You turned around and offered her a sweet smile, hoping to seem calm and collected, not at all bothered by her accusations.

“It’s totally fine! See you around!” Your power-walk turned into a jog as you hurried to your car. The moment you sat in the driver’s seat, you broke down into tears. There wasn’t a specific reason for your crying, it was mostly just the realization that you weren’t over Peter yet, no matter how hard you tried to convince yourself otherwise. He was your best friend and you should be happy for him because the love of his life loved him back.

You finally drove home after your tears stopped falling down your cheeks. To comfort yourself, you listened to sad songs with headphones on while you stared out the window, watching cars pass by. Michelle knew that you’d been crying instantly when she saw you at school the next day. She launched into “mom-mode” and began asking you what happened, so you managed to explain yesterday’s events with a shaky voice as you tried to hold yourself together. Michelle insisted that you cut class with her to go enjoy yourself but you refused to skip school on the day of your French test.

The gloomy feeling followed you everywhere for the next week or so and even Ned noticed the absence of your joy from afar. Michelle did everything she could to cheer you up and you tried your best to keep your chin up for her sake. Peter didn’t notice how distant you acted until one night during one of the Friday movie nights.

“Hey Y/N, is everything okay? You’ve been acting sad lately,” Peter asked, turning his eyes away from the movie playing (he chose “The Maze Runner” this time) to look at your face. You wanted to just shrug it off but Peter being Peter wouldn’t leave you alone until he got answers.

“I have something to tell you. I, uh, I really like you and I’ve had a crush on you ever since like 7th grade. I just- I don’t know really what I’m feeling and all these feelings are really confusing. I fully support you being with Liz and I guess I’m just feeling kind of sad that we’re drifting apart as friends and argh- sorry I’m rambling,” All you wanted to tell him rushed out like waves crashing against a shore during a tsunami. There was a long, awkward silence and you bit your thumb nail, hoping that he’d laugh it off.

“Oh, well I’m sorry to disappoint you? I mean, I don’t really like you in that way so I…” Peter trailed off, at a loss for words. You gulped down your tears and you forced a smile, trying to ease the tension. You hadn’t planned to act on your impulses and since you did, you now had to pay the price.

“It’s all cool! I’m over it now, I just need some time. Friends?” Peter grinned back and nodded, pulling you into an awkward side hug. You held in your tears for the rest of the night and sure, it was kind of tense but Peter reacted better than you expected. You expected that he’d completely block you out but he was still willing to save your friendship.

After that night, you felt the weight lifted off your shoulders since you finally told him your biggest secret. It still hurt to see him with Liz but you managed to accept the fact that you were only going to be friends with him. You reconnected with him and gathered the courage to sit with him and Liz at lunch, dragging Michelle along with you for moral support. You showed your strength to others but you never told them how you secretly slipped into the broken hearts club, hoping to heal the scar he left on your heart.

I'm the newest member of the broken hearts club We hate every little thing about the people that we love We're the let-down, we're the lied-to, where the lost go and it finds you Where the lonely make the lonely feel less lonely, and we're dyin' to Invite you to stay, and take away the pain 'Cause misery loves company, so hey, what do you say?

-

looking for more peter parker imagines? read my other fic here

chapter three is here!

[kanasmusings]

[Translation] SolidS Drama CD Vol. 4 - Kumo no Mukou ni - Track 4

Here’s track 4~ I feel like I didn’t do justice with Rikka and Tsubasa’s heartfelt talk because with just words it’s kinda difficult to portray the emotion. Anyway, please enjoy~ 

Track 4

Under the cut, enjoy~

SolidS Kumo no Mukou ni Track 4 Translations

  (clock ticking, Shiki and Tsubasa waiting uneasily)

SHIKI: Tsubasa, if you clench your hands that tightly you’ll draw blood.

TSUBASA: Eh…? A-ah, yeah… (Tsubasa starts pacing)

SHIKI: If you can’t calm down why don’t you try waiting while sitting? It looks like they’ll be a while.

TSUBASA: There’s no way a person who got called out could sit and relax.

SHIKI: I see.

SHIKI: It looks like it’ll rain.

SHIKI: (sighs)

TSUBASA: Ah… I’m sorry.

SHIKI: Hm?

TSUBASA: You have a lot of work you need to do, don’t you? And now you’re here too because of me…

TSUBASA: Um… that’s why… I’m sorry.

SHIKI: No.

SHIKI: Let me see… It’s true that I had a lot on schedule but I can ask Haiduki to re-schedule them for me.

TSUBASA: That’s so like you.

SHIKI: Hm?

TSUBASA: Isn’t it the perfect time for you to say, ‘No, that’s not true,’or ‘Don’t worry about it’ ya know~?

SHIKI: Hm? Ah, I see. That might be so but unfortunately I’m bad at lying.

SHIKI: You know that, don’t you?

TSUBASA: That’s right, I know.

(clock continues ticking)

SHIKI: Tsubasa, compared to me you’re doing so much better.

TSUBASA: Eh? That’s… That’s a little complex to say given the situation.

TSUBASA: We’re in the middle of being called out, remember?

SHIKI: If you do your job then what I say will be true.

TSUBASA: Ah…

SHIKI: You’re making a face that says ‘it’s better than getting scolded.’

SHIKI: But, it’s not like you did anything wrong, you know? If that’s the case then you should stay calm.

TSUBASA: Well, that’s true but—

(someone knocks on the door)

STAFF: I’m so sorry for making you wait.

SHIKI: Don’t mind.

STAFF: (uneasy)

SHIKI: Is something wrong?

STAFF: Ah, no. I just didn’t think that Takamura-san would trouble himself to go all the way here.

SHIKI: I thought that it would have been better for me to come as the person responsible for Okui instead of a manager since the topic seems to involve me, too.

STAFF: I understand. It would be rude to make you stand so please, sit down.

SHIKI: Thank you, pardon us.

TSUBASA: Pardon us.

(Shiki and Tsubasa sit down)

STAFF: The reason we called Okui-san here today was because of an article on the internet. We thought that we’d like to hear an explanation from the man himself.

STAFF: We wanted to know if you were maybe hacked or something.

SHIKI: Yes, the situation is…

TSUBASA: (uneasy) …

SHIKI: Tsubasa.

TSUBASA: Eh…? A-ah, yes…!

TSUBASA: It’s about the article from two days ago, right?

SHIKI: Was it the article related to your company’s CM with Okui and the author, Kuriki-san that’s the cause of your worry?

STAFF: Yes. It’s a CM that our company has worked so hard to complete. We’d like to avoid something that would give it a bad image.

SHIKI: Of course. We’re thinking the same as well.

SHIKI: I confirmed it with Okui, too, and I’d like to inform you that the article holds no truth.

SHIKI: I think it would be best to confirm that with Kuriki-san as well.

  ***

  SHIKI: We’ll be fine here. Please excuse us. Thank you for giving us your time.

TSUBASA: Thank you very much.

STAFF: Ah, no… I’m really very sorry that it turned out like this. Please do come by again for another project if opportunity arises.

SHIKI: Yes, I’ll be wishing for that, too.

STAFF: We’ll see you then.

SHIKI: Please excuse us.

TSUBASA: Please excuse us…

(rain starts pouring)

SHIKI: Rain, huh. So it didn’t hold until we got home.

TSUBASA: …

SHIKI: Let’s go to the street and call for a taxi, Tsubasa.

TSUBASA: Ah… I’m fine.

SHIKI: Hm?

TSUBASA: Um… I—I’ll go back home after cooling my head off for a bit.

TSUBASA: So let’s meet somewhere else.

SHIKI: Hm… There’s no truth at all in that article. I know that and I’m pretty sure they know it as well. That’s why they apologized, didn’t they?

TSUBASA: If that’s so then…!

SHIKI: Even if it’s so, you had to be removed just like they said. That’s the decision they came to.

SHIKI: They needed Kuriki-shi to appeal to the younger generation. It’s a strategy. But, he himself is not interested in the CM, isn’t he?

SHIKI: That’s why they wanted to decrease their chances of making a CM without him. And then, that’s when the article appeared.

SHIKI: In the end, even though you did nothing wrong, you were removed. That’s how it is.

TSUBASA: …!

SHIKI: It’s irrational, isn’t it? Completely outrageous.

SHIKI: But, you just have to accept it.

SHIKI: Were you shocked at being taken off the project, Tsubasa?

TSUBASA: That’s… Of course I am.

TSUBASA: What…?! Do I really look like a person who’s not really responsible with work?

SHIKI: I don’t think that and I didn’t say that.

SHIKI: It wasn’t your fault this time. But, the agency and I can’t do anything about it.

SHIKI: You just have to let it go, Tsubasa.

TSUBASA: If I’m taken off the project then the people who read that article will think that it’s my fault, huh…

SHIKI: I’m sure that there are people who would think that way.

TSUBASA: And yet I won’t even be able to react. I’m right, aren’t I?

SHIKI: Yeah. If you look at it in the long run, that’s about all you ought to do.

SHIKI: You did nothing wrong. That’s why you shouldn’t let it bother you and just laugh.

TSUBASA: Shiki… You say such carefree things, don’t you?

SHIKI: I’ll admit that.

TSUBASA: (sighs) I really wanna go cool off for a bit. I’ll go back home on my own.

TSUBASA: Don’t worry, I won’t drown my problems with alcohol. I’ll just have some tea somewhere over there and then I’ll go home.

SHIKI: I see… I understand. I’ll see you later.

  ***

RIKKA: Eh? So, did you really leave Tsubasa alone and then went home, Shiki?

SHIKI: Yeah.

RIKKA: Aren’t you supposed to be accompanying him for tea at times like this?

RIKKA: That or you could’ve said, ‘I’ll make you some delicious tea when we get back to the dorms,’ or something.

SHIKI: I see… I didn’t think of that.

SHIKI: Hey now, Dai, don’t glare at me. I just thought of what would be best for him in my own way.

SHIKI: I just thought of what I think he would do if I were in his situation.

DAI: What would you do?

SHIKI: I’d think it was completely illogical and I’d want to find out more. But, since the one I’m mad at is unclear I won’t know who to direct the anger to. Plus, I’m prideful so I wouldn’t wanna show something unsightly. That’s why I’d want to be alone for a while and just let time do its job.

DAI: I see.

RIKKA: Now that you mention it… That may be the case…

SHIKI: I know. But, letting the sun set on his anger may not be enough so you guys do your best to support him, too.

DAI: … Yes.

RIKKA: Hey, Shiki. I heard from Dai that Kuriki-san might be the same as you so I imagined a little conflict. That’s why I thought of believing the article at first.

RIKKA: It’s not true, is it?

SHIKI: I heard from both parties that it’s not true. And I believe that.

SHIKI: It’s true that Kuriki-shi’s not good at facing people. I heard from the staff that were around that there was conflict arising but Tsubasa was doing his best to avoid it.

RIKKA: I’m glad to hear that.

RIKKA: I’ll reprimand myself later for even doubting him.

DAI: But there will be people who’ll misunderstand Tsubasa because of what happened, right?

SHIKI: Probably. The agency will probably do its best to try to dispute that but the demerits with possible clients in the future will be huge.

SHIKI: It’s not a good plan but it’s what we have.

DAI: Is that so…?

SHIKI: This is another difficult part of our jobs, huh?

SHIKI: Ah, no. I guess it’s more accurate to say that it is part of our jobs.

SHIKI: The client’s ideas will be top priority of course. I write songs for other things too and from what I’ve seen, it’s something that happens every day.

SHIKI: Even if it’s for the best or if it’s the right thing to do, it’s not always ideal.

(rain continues to pour)

DAI: …

RIKKA: Ah, the rain’s getting stronger…

(Dai suddenly stands up)

DAI: I… I’ll try to go and pick Tsubasa up.

DAI: Among us, I’m the one who’s known him for the longest time. I’ve known him since we were kids so I can sort of imagine what he’s going to do.

  ***

  (rain continues to pour)

TSUBASA: (sighs) This is looking bad… Really, a lot of things are looking bad right now.

TSUBASA: I understand that being taken off is the best choice and that I’m being childish by not accepting that… I don’t like that either.

TSUBASA: (sighs) Good grief…

(Tsubasa’s phone rings)

TSUBASA: Hm? Phone?

TSUBASA: (looks at his phone) It’s from Dai-chan…

TSUBASA: He’ll be worried if I don’t answer, huh?

TSUBASA: He’s not calling because he’s sympathizing with me, is he?

TSUBASA: Come on, do it properly, self.

(Tsubasa answers the phone)

TSUBASA: Heya, Dai-chan~

DAI: (over the phone) Tsubasa, where are you right now?

TSUBASA: Where…? I’m pretty nearby actually. I’m gonna go home soon so it’s okay~

DAI: (over the phone) You’re sitting somewhere outside, aren’t you?

DAI: (over the phone) Where exactly?

TSUBASA: … Hey, Dai-chan. I’m really pissed off today and I totally look uncool so… I wanna be alone for a little longer.

DAI: (over the phone) I know that. I heard what happened.

TSUBASA: I see… (beeping sounds begin)

DAI: (over the phone) But…

TSUBASA: Huh?

DAI: (over the phone) It’s fine to get angry if you’re pissed off, isn’t it?

DAI: (over the phone) I wouldn’t think that it’s uncool.

DAI: (over the phone) It’s so much better than acting strangely cool about it or holding it in or being bothered by it by a long time.

TSUBASA: … Dai-chan, you’re really so manly from time to time, aren’t you?

DAI: (over the phone) Stupid. It’s because you’re always trying to act cool.

TSUBASA: Yeah… That may be…

DAI: (over the phone) But… That’s why I think you’re cool. It takes effort just trying to act cool.

DAI: (over the phone) Yet you’ve always done it. I’ve never thought of you as uncool once in my life.

DAI: (over the phone) That’s why…

(footsteps approach Tsubasa)

DAI: That’s why you don’t have to sulk about it in a place like this, Tsubasa.

TSUBASA: Eh…? Dai-chan…? How?

DAI: It was a coincidence, to be honest. I was on my way to the station but I heard the sound of the crossing signal at the same time over the phone.

DAI: I thought that maybe you were close by so I went and checked.

DAI: And then you were there.

TSUBASA: What a coincidence…! It’s like a drama!

DAI: I agree.

DAI: Tsubasa, let’s go home.

DAI: You can’t vent your anger here so let’s do it at the dorms.

DAI: Shiki, Rikka, and I will accompany you so…

DAI: Come on. Let’s go.

TSUBASA: Dai-chan… You’re really cool, huh.

  ***

 TSUBASA: Thank you for the food.

TSUBASA: Rikka’s special porridge is so delicious~!

RIKKA: Thank you for enjoying it.

RIKKA: Looks like you have appetite. That’s a relief.

TSUBASA: Even if you say it’s a cold, it’s not really a fever. It’s only a slight one.

TSUBASA: I sorta forgot but I was always like this before. I held a lot of stress in and it ends up into a fever.

TSUBASA: But I didn’t think that I’d still get colds at this age though.

TSUBASA: Sorry for making you worry.

RIKKA: I’m glad.

TSUBASA: Eh?

RIKKA: I wouldn’t say that you’re energetic but I’m relieved that you’re acting like your usual self.

TSUBASA: Ah. (chuckles) I mean, I suddenly got taken off a project and I was thinking about what I did wrong. And now I’m sulking and down with a slight fever.

TSUBASA: I figured I’d probably cry so I guess you could call it keeping up appearances?

RIKKA: There’s no need for you to put up appearances around us. Always, okay?

TSUBASA: Ah…

RIKKA: Now all you have to do is get stronger. Come on, lie down now.

RIKKA: Rest properly.

RIKKA: Even if you say all those bad stuff [about yourself], I still love you even with all your flaws.

RIKKA: I really love you.

RIKKA: I wish you wouldn’t forget that.

TSUBASA: Rikka’s so kind.

TSUBASA: Really… When you treat me so kindly I feel like I’m gonna cry and I don’t like that….

RIKKA: It’s alright to cry. Cry with all your heart, Tsubasa.

TSUBASA: Really… (holding back his tears) I look super uncool.

TSUBASA: I’m sorry for a lot of things. I’m sorry if people would say bad things about SolidS, too.

RIKKA: Never mind that. Well, it probably isn’t but didn’t Shiki say so? You did nothing wrong so continue to smile like you usually do.

RIKKA: Let’s do our best to overcome that bad reputation.

RIKKA: Work isn’t always easy, huh? But that’s what makes it worth doing.

RIKKA: I feel super pumped up now so don’t worry.

RIKKA: I’ll do my best for you, too so rest assured.

TSUBASA: I can’t let you do all the work. I’ll do my best, too.

RIKKA: Yes~ Do your best, Tsubasa. Let’s start with resting, okay?

RIKKA: Alright, I’ll go now so sleep.

TSUBASA: Yeah…

(Rikka stands up and opens the door)

TSUBASA: Rikka… I’ll be fine tomorrow so… Definitely…

RIKKA: Definitely~?

TSUBASA: Definitely. If I continue to be bothered by it Dai-chan’ll scold me.

RIKKA: (chuckles) You’re right. Good night, Tsubasa.

TSUBASA: Good night, Rikka. Thank you for the porridge.

(Rikka closes the door)

RIKKA: (sighs in relief) Tsubasa looks like he’s going to be okay, Shiki, Dai.

RIKKA: Though I won’t say he’s completely recovered yet, at least his will to do things is back.

RIKKA: That’s why it’ll be okay.

SHIKI: I see.

DAI: I panicked for real since he suddenly collapsed at the common room.

RIKKA: He was probably worried about a lot of things. His uneasiness was off the roof.

RIKKA: Ah, I guess I could say the same for Shiki. Thank you for your hard work, Shiki.

DAI: Oh, that’s right. I’m sorry [for forgetting]. Thank you for your hard work.

SHIKI: No, it’s part of my job, too.

SHIKI: We’ll probably be dealing with a lot of things from here on so I’m counting on you for support.

RIKKA: Got it. Leave it to me.

RIKKA: Tsubasa declared that he’d be better tomorrow, too.

RIKKA: Although I don’t want to lose to this kind of trouble, I want SolidS to go back to the way it was soon.

RIKKA: Like those days when we were just having fun conversations. It makes you think of how important they really were, huh?

DAI: Yeah. It’s a little difficult when Tsubasa’s not being loud [annoying].

RIKKA: There’s that abusive language again. But, it’s true that it’s quite unsettling.

RIKKA: Tsubasa’s always shining bright and he’s the one who’s facing what our future will be with so much vigour.

SHIKI: The Golden Wing1 huh.

DAI: That’s… Is that how you think of him, Shiki?

SHIKI: Yeah. Even if he gets hit by a storm, he won’t fall easily and will continue to fly great heights.

SHIKI: It’s a strong wing.

  ==END==

Translator’s Notes:

1 Tsubasa’s name when in written in Japanese is [翼] which, when read in normal contexts, is usually translated as ‘wing’.

※ Please don’t re-post these translations without permission.

[astereaholloway]

- ̗̀ * ( sophie turner + cisfemale + she/her ) have you seen ( aster holloway ) walking around campus ? they are a ( twenty-one ) year old, studying ( botany + entomology ). we hear they are in ( theta sigma eta ), and can be ( opinionated & daunting ), maybe it’s because they are an ( aries ). they sort of remind us of ( abandoned greenhouses, spinning bike wheels , iridescent pocket knives ), maybe we can find out more ! *  ̖́-  + habitat

i yeet’d holliday for this child o’ mine pls love her bc i love her sm i’ll prolly change her fc to sophie turner as soon as i get tired of cropping gifs of saoirse but enjoy her face for now sksksk. like this n i’ll come to u!!

tw: fire, death, cancer, etc. etc.

gen. info

full name: aster holloway

nickname(s): n/a, give her one n she’ll cut you probably

b.o.d. - april 1st.

label(s): the hellcat, the minefield, the connard, etc. etc.

height: probably like 5′7″ or 5′8″ tbh

hometown: inglewood, california

sexuality: chaotic. lesbian.

bio. info

hasn’t had the most......stable, life

born to dahlia verbeck, a botanist, wildlife conservationist, and volunteer firefighter whose presence was very well known in south california’s environmental scene

to keep a long story short, she married maverick holloway; a sleazy low-rank cop with a smoking problem and an obnoxious personality when she was 19. he was nearly twice her age. nobody knows why she married him, or why she tolerated him

the relationship was by no means abusive, but it was lackluster

this led to dahlia having a one night stand, and baba boom baba bing, aster was conceived

 the only one who knew that the child wasn’t maverick’s was dahlia’s twin brother, donovan, whose career was p much the exact same as dahlia’s

they were basically both mad scientists; when dahlia started slacking because of her pregnancy, donovan would kick it up

like ykno the twin scientists in bioshock infinite ?? that them like they were eerily alike, always finishing each other’s sentences. nightmare fuel.

the only difference was that donovan was considerably less intense than dahlia b/c dahlia was the kinda lass who would set fire to your car

anywAYs so aster was born and everything was fine n dandy until she got a lil older and it suddenly became clear that this child was absolutely not maverick’s at all because they looked. nothing alike. like u know when u can just tell ?? yeah. yeah u could tell

maverick left dahlia afterwards and it was essentially up to her to raise aster alone. donovan had his own wife and kid to take care of and sort of backed down from his career to do so. house dads ftw

aster grew up knowing her dad as some ‘deadbeat no good’ simply bc dahlia was bitter

also grew up as the kid who would hold worms over another kid’s face and taunt them w/ it. so like, playground bully. that was aster. she’s not ashamed of it

she was often left on her own to do her own kinda shit b/c her mom was always busy out in nature n’ shit but aster never minded; loved her mom a Lot

aster’s life changed when she was nine

her mother had been doing research out in the ~wilderness~ with donovan, after months of convincing him of doing this one last project with her~ when the wildfires started

it spread so fast, and they were already too far away from the road

it took them two months to confirm that the twins were dead

rather than leave aster to maverick, elaine--donovan’s wife--took her under her wing and moved across the country to boston alongside myra, her daughter

elaine always held a resentment towards aster because of her mother, but never did anything about it--it was just always, sorta, implied ?

but myra and aster got along swimmingly despite being polar opposites

aster was p much a feral child, and myra had been receiving etiquette lessons since birth, practically--like, literally

elaine put them in the same hobbies but aster always found ways to be wildly different from the ~standard~

myra learned cello and flute, aster started up on bass and drums (breaking both instruments, repeatedly, for many years)

elaine forced dance onto the both of them, and whilst they both excelled at ballet--aster switched over to a more free-flowing dance as soon as she was able to

(that and when elaine tried to put aster in sports instead of dance--figuring her fiery nature would be put to good use--aster managed to get kicked off of every single team of every single sport she tried b/c of her aggression. theyve had to fight a few lawsuits after aster’s broken a number of noses and sporting equipments)

myra was learning two languages, aster? dyslexic and could barely read english as it was; science made sense to her, however. plants? especially.

people confused myra and aster for twins nearly all the damn time, despite only being cousins, they were so alike and yet so opposite

that was, of course, until they got into a nasty spat when they were seventeen

it was something about dead parents and resentments and yadda yadda; it didn’t end well

aster wound up running away......all the way back to los angeles.

n i mean like......homegirl literally managed to run away across the gd country w/o getting caught or murdered

by the time she arrived in los angeles her aunt was sort of like ‘fuck it ur almost 18′ b/c....aster was nearly 18 by the time she arrived in the city, and elaine contacted maverick who in which found aster

aster did not want to go with him, after hearing stories about him just being no-good

but at that point, maverick was one of los angeles’ head detectives with a beautiful apartment and a beautiful wife and a beautiful dog and just kind of living his best life ?? after dahlia’s death he had really cleaned himself up y’kno

aster still kind of resented him but that was more of an inner thing

anyways she started attending ucla b/c her mother attended ucla, but her mother wasn’t a part of a sorority

it was one of those spur of the moment decisions and like nobody knows how aster ended up in theta sigma eta b/c she’s like a grumpy grandmother

but like she dun’ did that

we stan

a year ago maverick was diagnosed w cancer and has been in the hospital battling it ever since, aster is admittedly effected by it but like would never tell anybody ever

she doesn’t really tell anybody anything about her life, like, it’s a gd mystery

uuuuuuuuh aster works in a floral shop as a florist and grows her own shit ranging from fruits, vegetables, weed, shrooms, uh opium poppies yeah she Does that

it’s organic n fresh n shit like the devil works hard but aster works harder

she doesn’t really ~sell~ too often b/c she’s kinda selfish w her stash but it’s some top notch shit when she does 

no she doesn’t grow in the floral shop she’s not Stupid

aster inherited some of her mother’s properties Out There so she drives up almost everyday to take care of her plants

uuuhh fun fact, aster’s part of a dance like...company, kind of? but not really ? outside of ucla b/c she hates being involved in school shit besides habitat for humanity

personality

v v v harsh tbh

she won’t beat around the bush, usually...brutally honest, tbh?

like lbr she’s kind of a bitch too

just v offputting at first b/c she tells it like how it is n doesn’t rly care abt ur problems

doesn’t go around lookin’ for new friends but if you’re tight w her then she’ll probably die for u like she’s v loyal

but if u wrong her like even once she’ll drop u and treat u like right shit

she either feels intensely or nothing at all n that’s like. smth u have to deal w/

she’s v v v chaotic neutral, bordering evil--really works in her own favors

became a botanist after her mother bc she admired her mother more than anybody else

not saying that being vegan is a personality trait

but

aster’s a vegan

n just super hardcore into saving the earth n shit?

litter and she’ll break ur nose, basically

v into sustainable living n shit. rides her bicycle everywhere if she can, rly rarely drives, doesn’t do fast fashion at ALL

v v passionate, will argue w/ u until u admit she’s right even if she’s painfully wrong

like super stubborn, v opinionated, assumes the worst of u immediately

a lil cynical, but is more realist than pessimist

BIG FUCKING GAY

like so gay

she’s not Out-Out but she definitely doesn’t hide it, just doesn’t think it’s necessary to be like ‘im gay’ every 5 minutes n doesn’t think it’s necessary to let ppl kno she’s gay b/c shes just like....its my business

kinda bitch to flirt w dudes for fun in order to lead them on, get them to do things for her, etc. etc. just to disappoint in the end

this is big dumbass energy b/c that’s how u get stabbed

unless aster stabs u first

kinda gal who’ll key ur car if u piss her off during a class debate, but will also stick thumb tacks into ur wheels n shit too

like.....i said she’s spiteful, right? b/c she can b so spiteful

really, genuinely, has no regard for other ppl’s feelings

her music taste is either heavy rock or straight up like grimes/die antwoord there is no in between (prolly listens to billie eilish tho)

owns a pet tarantula n yes she has it in her dorm n Yes she brings it out n plays w it n shit her name is stevie nicks n u better respect her

big slut

would never cheat on u but also probably wouldn’t date u in the first place bc she’s scared of like....being in a relationship b/c all of hers are p much on the rocks

probably carries around a pocket knife at all times

probably bought said pocket knife from a dude in an alleyway for like $5 

myra also goes to ucla and theyre 100% still not speaking but that’s bc they’re both too stubborn to go to each other but like lbr aster misses her cousin

v unruly, nvr brushes her hair, usually got dirt on her clothes bc she’s prolly been digging in gardens or stealing flowers or some shit

bright side is tht she always smells like flowers

theta sigma eta is lucky b/c she cooks her own meals w her own fresh veggies n shit n she always makes too much food n like ? so good

but anyways she’s also got like no manners okay she’s so impolite

uuuuuuh god i dunno what else

wanted connections

ride or die

other friends of varying closeness

ex-friends ???

...like somebody she’s into but also...not into? v conflicted feelings

on-and-off-agains bc their relationship is awful n probably toxic but it just. hurt so good

ex-gfs

ex-hookups

boys she’s led on

boys she’s currently leading on

flirtatious encounter gone wrong [not clickbait] ??

enemies

enemies but gone sexual [not clickbait]

buyers of her products - either weed, shrooms, or opium teehee

roommate

give her somebody she was a uwu soft crush on but would nvr do anything abt bc gross romance !!

alternately, unrequited crushes of any sorts

fellow gays b/c gays always end up knowing each other

party pals

frenemies ??

sdfgh give me her dad’s trophy wife pleathe....it’d be so funny

childhood friends tht knew her b4 she moved to boston so like...ages 0-9

childhood friends tht knew her after she moved to boston so like...ages 9-17

or acquaintances bc she was....a mean one

A TUTOR just b/c she can rly struggle w her dyslexia

[bee-kathony]

Casualties of War | What We Did in the Dark

Thank you @jules-fraser for this wonderful moodboard! 

Response to the @thelallybrochlibrary ‘Queerlander’ prompt #13: Claire has a relationship with a female nurse during the War.

Chapter 1: Bedside Manners | Chapter 2: The Telegram | Chapter 3: What We Did in the Dark

The nurses were allowed to choose one night off each month. Of course Emily, Cece, Nancy and I all chose the same night. We decided to go to the Cinema and watch a new flick that just came to the screen called, “The Man in Grey”, starring Margaret Lockwood and James Mason. I had no idea what the film was about but I was more interested in the company.

We were told we would be all transferred to a field station in Caen next month, so tonight we wanted to enjoy the little sliver of freedom and normalcy.

Nancy led the way into the small theatre, it wasn’t crowded as it was a Wednesday evening. “Let’s sit back here,” Emily said and pulled me in to follow her into the last row.

“Not in the back, Em. I don’t have my glasses and I won’t be able to see.” Cece said to us and walked forward to the fourth row.

I looked at Emily and she shrugged, “Well, we won’t be taking during the film anyway… so it’s not like we all need to sit together.” I said and waved at Nancy to go sit with Cece up closer to the screen.

Emily and I sat beside each other on the back row, the only two people this far back. We hadn’t bothered with popcorn or drinks, life wasn’t quite that normal that we felt we could indulge ourselves as we once did.

“Do you know what this film is about?” I asked Emily as she placed her arm on the armrest between us.

“No, not much. Only that it’s set during the war time and there’s some sort of an affair.” She told me.

I blushed when she said affair. For weeks I had been wondering if what Emily and I had been doing was considered an affair. I suppose in the end, that’s what it was.

The lights dimmed and the screen lit up with a war time propaganda commercial. You couldn’t turn a tv without seeing a short film like this. Always telling us how we could help our country, save our men and win the war.

I could see Cece and Nancy several rows ahead of us, chatting to each other, about the cute new solider that had just been admitted yesterday, I’m sure.

Just as the propaganda ended and the film’s opening credits began I felt Emily’s hand brush against my thigh. I looked down to where her hand was and all I could do was watch as her hand began to slowly stroke my leg.

When she moved her hand to the hem of my skirt at my knee however, I turned to look at her, “Em? We’re in public, you can’t be serious?” I asked her, my heart beginning to race. Surely she wouldn’t touch me like this in public of all places. It was rather dark, I told myself, but no. This couldn’t be happening.

“It’s so bloody dark in here, Claire, no one will see a thing.” She whispered in my ear and placed a gentle kiss just under, on my neck, “But they will hear you, if you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

Hearing Emily say this made my pulse speed up to an alarming rate. I pretended to look ahead at the film while I nodded and felt Emily’s hand continue its path up my skirt.

She pushed up my skirt so it was now halfway up my thighs, her hand dipping in the space between my thighs, “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ,” I sighed as her knuckles grazed against my mound.

“Shhh,” She half laughed and turned her body more towards mine in her seat. I bit my bottom lip when her fingers brushed against me. To make it easier for her and for me, I spread my legs on the seat and even I could smell my arousal.

Emily’s fingers teased along the inside of my thighs and I pressed my hips upwards, begging for her touch. “Mmmm, not just yet, Claire.” She gave my leg a gentle squeeze and returned her attentions back to my mound.

“Uhhh Christ,” I moaned as she finally pushed aside my panties, her fingers touching my sensitive skin. I had longed for her to do this to me, ever since I had first comforted her, those many weeks ago now.

I gripped the armrest with both of my hands as she slid one finger slowly up and down my slit. My legs started to tremble slightly as I thought about the fact that this was the first woman who was touching me like this… and I liked it very much.

“Please,” I begged in an exasperated whisper and turned my head to look at her. She had her face turned down to look at her hand between my thighs but she looked up then. “Ok,” She smiled and then leaned in to kiss me as she slid one finger inside me.

I moaned as quietly as I could make myself, against her mouth and my thighs clenched around her hand in response.

Emily kissed me until I felt my lips were swollen and then pulled back and faced the movie. “Don’t look so obvious, Claire.” She laughed and reluctantly I turned back to the screen. I watched as the characters in the movie talked about something absolutely pointless. The only thing that mattered was the feeling of Emily’s small delicate hand inside me.

My breath hitched in my throat as she pressed her thumb on my clit, just as I had done to hers. Instinctively I reached for her wrist and put more pressure on it, urgent for her to go deeper. She followed my lead and slid another digit inside of me. Her fingers weren’t as long as Frank’s had been but they did the job just as fine, if not better.

Emily moved her hand faster and my leg reflexively kicked the back of the seat in front of me and I heard a “Shhh!”, come from somewhere in the theatre. We both laughed and tried to keep quiet. I was so glad Emily had decided to sit in the back row.

“Faster,” I urged her, her fingers spreading inside me and touching my most intimate place. I leaned my head back against the seat, my body now slumped in the chair, my legs spread wide. I felt Emily’s other hand clasp over my mouth and only then realised I had been moaning. Oh God.

I gently bit down on the inside of her palm and she squeaked. All the blood rushed to my head as my body began to convulse, every nerve on fire as Emily’s hand moved faster.

Finally, I relaxed in the seat and sighed, “Have you been wanting to do that this whole time?” I asked and looked up at her, grinning.

“Yes, ever since I saw you. I know I had Henry but ever since I was a little girl, I found myself attracted to other girls.” She slid down in her chair to match my position. “But you are the first girl — woman, that I’ve ever really wanted to do that to.” She blushed and I reached for her hand, intertwining it with mine.

“I never even thought of doing something like that with another woman.” I closed my legs and pulled my skirt down over my knees. “But I’m glad it was you that made me think differently.” I smiled and brought my hand to cup her cheek.

We watched the rest of the movie, holding hands. All throughout the film we both snuck glances of the other and found ourselves continually blushing and giggling.

“Did you like the film?” Nancy asked us, rejoining with me and Emily outside.

I nodded, “Oh yes, very educational, don’t you agree Em?”

Her eyes went wide and her cheeks turned bright red, “Um, yes, very good, good film,” was all she managed to say.

“Ladies, I don’t know about you but I’m not ready to let our one night of freedom end just yet! What do you say we go to a pub and find ourselves some nice men who’ll buy us some drinks?” Nancy asked us all and we agreed. We all linked arms and started walking down the road, in search of a nearby pub.

Cece pointed one out called “The Ridge” and we agreed that it looked safe enough. As we walked through the doors, I dared to place my hand on Emily’s hips briefly.

There was a group of soldiers, on leave I assumed, taking up most of the tables in the bar.

“There’s a table over in the corner!” I shouted over the loudness of music and bar chatter.

We slid into a booth and the waiter came over to take our drink orders.

“Whisky,” I said and reached behind me to take off my coat.

My cheeks were still flushed from my orgasm and as I crossed one leg over the other, I felt the wetness between my thighs.

Emily sat next to me in the booth and her fingers barely touched the tips of mine. I let my fingers glide over her knuckles and brush against the back of her hand.

“Thanks.” I said to the waiter and raised my glass to the other girls, “Cheers!” And took a welcoming sip of whisky, letting it burn down my throat and warm my insides.

We chatted about the film, or should I say, Nancy and Cece chatted about the film while Emily and I just nodded and made approving sounds. All the while, our hands were in a sort of dance of their own under the table, fingers touching here and there.

An hour later we decided we better head back to the hospital, with an early shift tomorrow and a guaranteed hangover, we needed to get some sleep or it would be absolute hell.

Saying our goodnights, Emily and I walked into our shared room and I switched the light on to get ready for bed. The lights shut off immediately and I looked up to see if the light had burnt out. Then I felt small hands slide behind me and over my waist.

“We don’t have to go to sleep just yet, do we Claire?” Emily asked, her breath warm and smelling of whisky. I shook my head and brought my hands to rest over hers, bringing them to the buttons of my shirt.

Emily undid each button, one by one and slid the material off my arms. Turning to face her, I reached out to her shirt and instead, pulled it up and quickly off. Our hands busied themselves with each others skirts, unzipping and pulling until we both stood in nothing but our bra and panties.

“I don’t really know what to do,” Emily whispered, her eyes glancing up and down my body. I walked closer to her and reached behind her, finding the clasp of her bra and unhooking it easily.

“Don’t think, Em. Just touch me how you would want to be touched.” I said and while I said it, I grew nervous. I had never done this with a woman, I knew it was different, no penis and all.

I reached behind me and unhooked my bra, the thin material catching on my erect nipples before falling to the ground between our feet.

“Touch me, Em.” I sighed and she brought her hands to the waistband of my panties, hooking her fingers on either side and dropping to her knees in front of me, pulling the material down. I stepped out of the panties and kicked them aside, her hands made a hot trail down my thighs as she brought her mouth just over my mound.

Letting my hands rest on her head, I wound my fingers through her hair to encourage her. My hips bucked as I felt her warm tongue on me, licking slowly up my slit. She met my eyes and I nodded for her to keep going.

Biting my bottom lip, I watched her head begin to bob back and forth as she licked faster and then almost crashed against her as she slid a finger inside me.

“Christ,” I moaned and pulled on her hair. She moaned against me, sending vibrations all throughout my body.

“Em,” I sighed but she didn’t budge, “Em, please,” I pulled on her hair and again and she stopped licking me. Bringing her up to me, I crashed our lips together, our tongues meeting in a frenzy. I tasted myself on her and relished in the taste of my pleasure.

Sliding my fingers into her panties I stroked against her mound and then pulled her panties off. We both held each other now, fully naked, our bodies pressed so tightly together.

Emily broke the kiss and then walked to my bed, laying back, her hair spreading out on the pillow behind her and her body inviting me to take it.

Without a word, I climbed on top of her body and straddled her hips. I bent down to kiss her and tasted the rum on her lips from the bar. Spreading her legs with one hand, I wasted no time in inserting a finger into her wet and ready slit. She moaned and arched her back, pressing her breasts against mine.

I sat back up and with my other free hand, I began to caress her nipples. Pumping my finger slowly in and out of her, I then started grinding my hips in a figure eight movement above her. “Mmmm, you’re heaven, Claire,” Emily moaned my name and I slid another finger inside of her walls.

Biting her lip, Emily brought her hand to my slit and reached inside of me, her finger stroking me and pulling me closer to her. We began then to move our hips in time with one another while our fingers pumped in and out. Our juices mixed and I reluctantly pulled my fingers out and she gasped but then when I pushed her fingers out of me and pressed my wet pussy against hers, she moaned.

Sitting up to cradle my body against hers, Emily began to gyrate her hips, our mounds slick and we pressed them harder and it took everything in me not to cry out. The walls were thin and there was no telling how much trouble we would be in if someone heard us both orgasming.

“Claire,” she moaned, her mouth at my neck.

“Emily,” I sighed, my hands sliding along the expanse of her bare back.

With her mouth sucking on the skin of my neck, I climaxed, my body filled with spasms of pleasure and waves of desire. Emily’s mouth moved down to my breasts and I heard a squeaking sound as she bit down gently.

“Cum, Em,” I moaned and pressed my finger back inside her, begging her to come on my hand.

Emily made squeaking sounds of her own as she released, the tension leaving her body and relaxing on mine.

As we both came down from our highs, we lay together, our legs intertwined, still naked.

“I think I love you, Claire. I really do.” She said and kissed just above my left breast where my heart was.

“I think I love you too, Emily.” It was true, even if I was still married to Frank, even if what was happening between her and I was just a fling or a war time comfort, I did love her.

[nascent-chaos]

Aaahhh I really really love OPAtS!!! ╰(*´ ︶ `*)╯♡ It’s such a good story, and the skeles are great, and the reader is great, and I just really like it! You’ve done such a good job so far, I’m so proud of you, and I’m sure your other readers are, too~ ٩( 'ω' )و Hopefully that isn’t weird. Regardless, I’m curious- What are each of the skeles thoughts on the reader, as of now- Are any actually in love or is it just a crush? Thank you for writing again, I hope you’re doing well!!!

Uaaaah!!!  ♡  ♡  ♡ Ty so much!!! ;w; With this being my first fanfic ever written, I’m always nervous about what you guys think of the story and its characters. Hearing things like this always brightens up my day sooooooo much!  ♡

As for what the guys think of Reader by the end of Chapter 19? :3 There’s a wide range of opinions about her throughout the Lodge. 

Sans :: Does Sans like the reader? Of course he does. She’s smart, witty, talented, has a great sense of humor, and gets along great with his brother. Plus, she even laughs at his lame jokes. What’s not to like? She’s a sweet kid, one he just happens to be very protective over given her history. As the one who extended the offer to stay with them, he feels it’s his duty to look out for her. End of story.

At least, that’s what he tells himself. He doesn’t quite realize how hard he’s fallen for her. Sans stands back and watches from a distance as she interacts with the others in the lodge and can’t help but feel a bit jealous at the bonds she’s starting to form with the others, even if he doesn’t realize it’s jealousy. He wants to keep her safe and secure, to give her a reason to have hope again even if he himself hasn’t been able to find such a thing yet. His feelings for her extend beyond that of a crush, but how far? He’s not entirely sure.

Papyrus :: Of course Papyrus loves her!!! He sees Reader as a kindred spirit, bright and cheery and curious like him, even if she’s a good deal more reserved than he is. The two of them quickly became the best of friends in the days following her arrival at the lodge. He’s just sad he hadn’t met her again sooner! He might not know as much about her history as Red or Hickory, but when it comes down to personality Papyrus knows her as only a best friend could.

.. Ooh. You meant romantically?

He’d never really even thought about how he might see her in that light until very recently, likely because of the way he’d fallen into the role of mother hen as he helped Green take care of her during her recovery. Following the incident with Dust near the strawberry patch, however, Papyrus realized just how terrified the thought of losing her makes him. She is indeed someone very precious to him and he cares for her dearly… maybe even as more than just a friend? He’s not sure, but he’s starting to take a closer look at the time they spend together and how she makes him feel: when he’s around her in the mornings watching as she pours her heart and soul into the meals she cooks for everyone; the lively conversations that the two of them can carry on for hours when he asks her to listen to another ingenious puzzle design he’s thought up; those quiet moments they have when taking care of the flower beds in the garden side by side and how happy he is just having her there.

Maybe he really is starting to see her as more than just a friend.

Red :: For all his lewd jokes perverted humor, Red’s does care deeply for our Reader. Like Sans, Red tends to be a bit overprotective of her as a result of his feelings - maybe not to the extent Sans is (he knows full she can take care of herself), but he won’t hesitate to step in from time to time if he feels she’s getting in over her head. He knows she’s a fighter deep down and that excites him to no end. Sure, she’s taken a few hard hits and is having a bit of a hard time getting on her feet again, but hey! Even the best struggle from time to time.

She’s like a breath of fresh air to him, her kindness and compassion a big change from the way people had treated him in his Universe, but she has a bit of a sharp side he finds attractive as well. Is it love? He’s not sure, but even if it was… he highly doubts it’d ever blossom into anything more than a one-sided fantasy. After all, he doubts he’s lucky enough for anybody to love such a fuck-up like him, much less someone as amazing as her…

Edge :: At first Edge wasn’t entirely sure what to make of our Reader. She had the potential to be quite the spit-fire when she chose - he’d seen it himself the first time he’d met her and he’ll admit he’d found it quite attractive - and so finds her usual quiet and kind-natured demeanor to be something of an annoyance. He thoroughly enjoys tormenting her, pitting his cunning against her own time and time against to see who’ll come out on top. What had initially been done as just a way to get his kicks, however, has recently grown into something more for him.

He does honestly think she has the hots for him - not only because he often misinterprets her kindness toward him as blatant displays of affection, but because he knows he has grown to become something of her secret-keeper alongside his fellow Fells (take that, Ashtray!). While he’d sooner die than openly admit to it at the moment, he has truly come to enjoy her company outside of their usual bickering and snide insults to one another. Yes, he is quite fond of her at this point and perhaps has grown a bit possessive of her as a result.

Now if only the damn woman wasn’t so stubborn!

Stretch :: It’s clear to most of the others in the lodge that Stretch has a bit of a crush on our Reader. Which would mean he’s done a pretty good job in hiding how he really feels because it’s more than just a simple crush.

At this point, this skeleton is honestly head-over-heals in l o v e, and he knows it. He just doesn’t quite know how to tell Reader though - what if she doesn’t feel the same way? D: He’s terrified he might risk ruining his friendship with her. And then there’s the machine to think about. He does want to return to his own timeline, sure, but… doing that means he’d never get to see her again. And even if there is another version of Reader in his own Universe, it would never be the same. He knows he could never compare some variant to her. At the moment he’s wondering if he should bother continuing to offer his expertise on the project at all - maybe it really would be better to just stay in this Universe - especially after that kiss!

Blue :: Blue feels as if he’s known the Reader almost as long as Stretch has, given his brother’s habit of frequently mentioning her back before the fire. She and him grew to become quick friends during her recovery, so just imagine how thrilled he was when he found out she had agreed to move in with them!!! And she’s the best housemate he could have dreamed of; she’s intelligent and sweet, pretty and patient, and a great cook to boot!

But… for all his sweetness and apparent innocence, Blue is far from a fool - he can see just how much his brother pines for her affections and, in all honestly, Blue kind of does as well. Maybe not to the extent Stretch does, but he does occasionally find himself wondering if she might ever someday come to look at him with that same sort of love and affection in her eyes. His attempts to show her how much he cares for her, however, seem have all fallen short thus far, having been mistaken as acts of friendship rather than possible tokens of affection. But that’s okay!!! The Magnificent Blueberry isn’t one to back down from a challenge!! Mweheheheh!

Black :: The Malevolent Blackberry, have feelings for that human?! HAA! Be grateful he’s not demanding your head for even considering such a thing! He’d never allow himself to fall for anyone like that, much less someone like her!

…

Okay. So maybe that’s not entirely true. But like hell if he’ll ever openly admit to holding any manner of affection for her. He does indeed have something of a crush on her, a fact that both surprises and concerns him. To him, our Reader is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, whose gentle and soft-spoken exterior belies a bold and authoritative interior he doesn’t get to see often yet finds himself drawn to nonetheless. He enjoys putting her in situations that bring that familiar fire of determination to her eyes and loves to see her get riled up, occasionally even at his own expense. But be that as it may, Black simply isn’t the sort to come out and profess his affections to her - why bother, when he can be as manipulative as he is? He’ll play the scene to make it appear she’s the one vying for his affections - and he may feel sorry enough for her that he’d allow her to hang on his arm from time to time!

Hickory :: Mutt’s feelings for the Reader are probably the most complicated of the lodge boys. She’s really not what he’d consider his type, and yet… he’s drawn to her regardless. He finds her presence comforting, her voice soothing his well-hidden anxieties and her touch calming and reassuring him more than he’d have thought possible. She’s sharp as a tack and takes his teasing and jokes with an easygoing sense of humor he finds refreshing. He lives to fluster her - and why not, when she looks so great with that blush he could practically devour her?

 Like the others able to hear the song emanating from her soul he wants to be able to give it a reason to sing its melody with joy and happiness - beautiful as he finds it now, Hickory’s pretty sure it would be nothing short of a drug when performed as it was meant to be. So… maybe he does have a crush on the Reader. But he’ll continue to hide it. After all, it’s obvious to him how much his brother likes her too, and he’d sooner put aside his own feelings for her so his brother can be happy. Even if doing so does slowly eat away at him…

Dust :: When it comes to the Reader this Sans finds himself at odds with his own soul. She wasn’t wrong when she noted his inability to trust anyone, and that includes her as well. But like she toward him, there seems to be something of a dissonance between his soul and his mind. He wouldn’t go as far as to call it a crush - he certainly doesn’t fawn over her the way the other skeletons around him do, but he doesn’t hate her either. He might actually go as far as to say he enjoys her company when its the two of them, the song radiating from her soul helping to sooth the itch that would otherwise leave him feeling on edge and hostile.

[biasedwriting]

Expectations [VIXX, Leo] ii

gif credits

Characters : VIXX’s Leo || OC

Genre : Slice of life, romance, college au, jock!taekwoon

This was a writing challenge put forth by @animeotakupooh /@vixxscifiwritings to write a jock!Taekwoon AU. But since I’ve had very different experiences with the so-called “jocks”, it just became this.

Lots of this stuff is based off real-life college experience; I hope that it gives you college going readers some comfort or something that is just relatable. 

Thanks @taekcoon and @yixingminseokjongdae  and @tomatoholmes for listening to me rant about this. I appreciate you guys being there for me! 

This is part two of the whole mess and I’m currently working on part three.

Feedback is always loved.

Updates will be infrequent since I’m travelling.

The incidents of the night had been brushed away as drunken affection. Minah had had such experiences with some of the drunk entrants to her apartment building. While these were mostly female, Minah realized how little physical affection she had been exposed to growing up and that she didn’t know how to react to such situations except to gape into space till her brain switched back from the buzz of white noise to some semblance of normalcy.

Minah’s brain was thrown back to momentary confusion when Taekwoon approached her in class. Haneul looked equally confused when she heard Taekwoon’s soft voice calling Minah’s name and Minah’s entire frame going frigid.

“You dropped your student id in my car.” he said, handing her the small plastic card while Haneul shot her a look. While Minah had briefed her about the happenings from the weekend (and Haneul had successfully strangled Hongbin for abandoning Minah) she wasn’t entirely sure of what to make of the weird atmosphere between the two.  

“Oh, uh. Thanks!” Minah replied, feeling some of the stares of her classmates. Something about what Taekwoon had said back on Saturday had deeply unsettled her. Kang was being an absolute prick to Taekwoon for no particular reason except for the fact that she thought him incapable. She reached out to take the card from him beforet taking a deep breath “why don’t you sit here?” she asked, pointing to the empty seat beside her causing several eyebrows to shoot up. Taekwoon regarded her silently before slipping into the seat and opening his laptop.

“Email id?” Minah whispered as Professor Kang made her entry. She eyed Taekwoon’s new position in the second row with suspicion before turning to set up the system. He quickly whispered his email id to Minah whose fingers quickly flew over the keyboard of her laptop. Taekwoon’s email notification alerted him of the arrival of a new email which he tried to hush by initially waving frantically at his laptop and then hitting the mute button.

He clicked open the notification to see Minah’s name on the screen with “Myths and Folklore Notes - Invitation to Edit” written on it. Taekwoon turned to briefly look at Minah who was looking straight ahead at Kang. He clicked open the Doc to see bulleted notes for all the readings, simplified and occasionally humourous. The chat window opened on the doc.

“Today we’re talking about Frazer’s theory of Myth Ritual. Don’t get too daunted, the general premise is that people had certain traditions (magical rituals) which they used to explain nature, this evolved into myths to justify the ritual. He goes on to say that  myth then evolves into religion which is then refuted by science which is the evolution of the same.”

“Got it.” Taekwoon typed back “Thanks ^_^.”

Minah held back a giggle. Jung Taekwoon used cute emojis.

“So Taekwoon, what do you understand of what Frazer has to say? ” Kang’s voice was directed at Taekwoon whose eyes widened momentarily before he took a deep breath eyes fixing themselves on the screen in front of him. The little bar flashed next to the words that appeared with Minah’s fingers gliding over the keyboard.

“You’ve got this.”

“Well, he said that myths were used to explain rituals and justify them which in general was in relation to nature. But I was wondering if this could be applicable in a situation not based on this ‘natural law’ he speaks of? Like, what about rituals not based in nature?” Taekwoon processed and thought out loud. Minah could feel a swell of pride surge through her chest.

Kang gaped at the silver-haired man  for a few seconds before recovering and clearing her throat “uh, yes, we’ll be covering that in this class.”

Taekwoon glanced at Minah who was beaming. All of the sudden, going to Kang’s class didn’t feel so terrible. He looked back at the screen which was quickly filling up with notes. The little message on the chat made him smile. He was going to be okay.

“I am not okay, what is this paper?!” he groaned as Minah hissed at him to be silent in the library.  He had taken to sitting in her vicinity to ensure that he wasn’t entirely screwing up his papers. He waved the reading over his head, leaning closer to her “can you please tell me who this Melonpiss is and why his name is that?”

“I can’t help you with this one! We all had to choose different topics!” Minah groaned “plus we have a general body meeting in like half an hour for the fest, so get as much of it done as possible.  Use JSTOR and Google Scholar and put in the bits you DO understand. Kang may be a bitch, but she appreciates effort.” while Taekwoon depended on her to make sense of the readings, she was happy to see that he was an attentive listener and grasped concepts quickly. Given the right push, he could easily tackle one of the readings on his own. She smiled softly to herself, Taekwoon may have been labelled a jock, but he didn’t really fit the trope. He was redefining the term for her.

Taekwoon grunted before turning back to his laptop. This was the second time he had to skip gym in his whole course at the university to finish a paper and both times it was for Kang’s course. With the college fest coming up, there was no way he could keep up with the no gym, no sports regime. Plus with his new position as head of soccer for the fest, he’d have to sit down and make calls to other university representatives to invite them for the fest. He looked at Minah from the corner of his eye, there was no way she was the type to take part in the fest, it involved sports and cultural events neither of which Taekwoon had seen her take part in. But since she had mentioned the general body meeting, maybe she was taking part in some weird event.

He casually switched between tabs to watch the livestream of a regional soccer match. Fuck, he had to go for the basketball team practices as well. He sighed.

“Taekwoon,” he heard Minah’s voice calling and he turned to see her still busily typing away “get away from the soccer tab and finish the paper. You have a weird look in your eye.”

It was funny how they had picked up on each other’s odd habits from just sitting close to each other. Taekwoon found it strange that a few months back, he had no idea who this person was. Minah was decidedly not someone of major consequence so to speak. Not a lot of people knew her except for members of the music club or people who shared courses with her. She was definitely not a part of the crowd he usually hung around with, but he quite enjoyed her company.

Taekwoon blinked, quickly switching tabs, trying to ignore the giggle that left her lips. Minah checked her phone and sighed, stretching out before shutting her laptop and getting up. Haneul and Wonshik joined her from the mezzanine floor with the isolated cubicles with grins on their kiss swollen lips. Clearly movie date night had gone of pretty well. Taekwoon shook his head, shutting his own device down and heading out of the library.

The general body meeting, from all of Taekwoon’s experience was always chaotic as hell. Having so many people crammed in a single room was bound to make it noisy. Sober Taekwoon did not like noisy in any shape or form. He cringed when he entered the hot room, grinning when he saw Joonmyeon and Himchan standing up front. Hakyeon was handling all cultural events and Doojun was handling the sports events. Joonmyeon was the chairman of the fest. Doojun bumped into Taekwoon’s side with a giant grin.

“Yo you fucker, are you ready to trash our rivals this year?”

“Of course.” Taekwoon rolled his eyes as Doojun thumped his back. Joonmyeon blew into the microphone for silence. Taekwoon busied himself with his mobile phone, checking the score for the matches he had been watching before. Minhyuk, who had just appeared, peered into the screen and grunted approvingly.

“Great match man.”

“Yea-”

“Could I please have the head of soccer here! We need the rest of the soccer department to join him!” Joonmyeon called out, causing Taekwoon to hastily shove his phone into his pocket and saunter forwards.

“Each team will be assigned a person from the registrations team who will assist you in your calls to teams outside the uni. Once you’ve noted down the people on your team, head over to Sooyeon who’ll tell you the person who you’ve been assigned.” Hakyeon instructed as Taekwoon blankly stared at the group of admiring eyes that had surrounded him. Pulling his phone out, he grunted to them to give him their names and email ids. The whole process took him about twenty minutes before he told them to disperse and headed over to Sooyeon who was known to be a tough nut on the campus (other than being Lee Jaehwan’s girlfriend). With her strong communication skills, there was no wonder she was heading the registrations department since they would be the point of contact for most of the incoming players and participants.

“Uh, Sooyeon,” he called for her attention as she spun around to look at him “registrations incharge for soccer?”

“Oh! Hold on!” she said, scrolling through her phone “I’ve assigned you Kim Minah, since you have a giant team to help and you have experience, I thought it would be best I assign her. She’ll have enough time to juggle between heading the creative writing event and doing registrations for soccer as well.”

“Sooyeon, so I might go missing from the registrations tent every now and then, I just got selected for the tennis team. Also which department did you pair me with?” Minah piped up from behind Taekwoon.

“That’s fine,” Sooyeon called to Minah before turning back to Taekwoon “Taekwoon, this is the registrations member I’ve assigned you with. Since we already have a database for phone calls and emails, you can start making them as soon as possible. Minah, you’re helping the soccer team out since they need the least manpower.”

“Oh?” Minah turned to Taekwoon and he shrugged.

“Help me with the paper while you help me make calls?”

“Fuck right off.” she grumbled as he grinned.

“I’ll get the team together to make calls on Thursday.”

“Sure, I have tennis practice for an hour from 5. So does 6:30 sound okay?” Minah asked in a business-like tone. Taekwoon looked at her for a moment. He had never really thought about Minah actually playing a sport, let alone tennis. But something about it fit.

“Uh, yeah.” he replied.

“Alright then, I have to talk to my team, so I’ll see you.” she replied, hurrying to the two people standing and waiting for instructions from her. Taekwoon’s gaze followed her before being distracted by Minhyuk asking him for a treat for being made the head of soccer. Shoving him with a grin he asked him to “go eat at the cafeteria.”

Acoustic night was surprisingly a success. Minah smiled to herself as the crowd of college students dispersed slowly leaving behind the dewy lawn with mattresses and bedsheets Minah had borrowed from the staff for this very purpose. Wonshik and Jaehwan were helping return all the sound and light equipment to the facilities manager. Haneul had carried away the fairylights they had had installed for the evening and now Minah was left smiling at the empty lawn, deeply satisfied with her work. The evening was chilly and she had to get to picking up the sheets to return them. Even though there were clouds in the sky, you could see stars and the moon shone on the damp grass. She sighed, leaning down to pick up a colourful sheet, probably from the lost and found donated graciously to her by the facilities staff. She shook it to get the grass off before folding it. It was a slow monotonous process, but she got done with half the sheets before wondering where the fuck the rest of her team was.

“Why didn’t you sing?” a soft voice caused her to jump and nearly drop the folded sheets in her hands. She spun to spot Taekwoon now picking up a sheet hidden somewhere far in the corner before looking up to meet her eyes “you sing, I saw you sing at the freshers talent night, why don’t you sing anymore?”

Minah sighed, dropping a bunch of sheets in a stack “stage fright. Besides, there are way better singers than me, it’s better promoting them.” she hurried over the large expanse of the lawn to find another sheet thrown haphazardly.

“I’m surprised you have stage fright,” Taekwoon said, dumping a set of sheet on the stack Minah had created “I thought you sounded good on talent night.”

“You don’t even remember talent night.” Minah laughed slumping down heavily on the last open sheet beside the pile of sheets, exhausted by all running back and forth. Taekwoon dropped the last sheet on her head making her exclaim as he took a seat beside her.

“You sang a song in both Korean and English, I thought it was pretty impressive.”

“So you do remember,” Minah sighed, face colouring at the memory of her having so many audio issues and spending most of the week beating herself up for sounding terrible “how come you came for acoustic night, thought you had practice.”

“Yeah,” Taekwoon sighed, leaning back “ I did, we broke early so we could come for acoustic night. I hit the gym in the morning since Wonshik said he might need my help with the sound systems in the evening.”

“Thanks,” Minah smiled at the stars, exhaustion getting stronger as she groaned out “last favour, do you mind if I lean against you? I’m so fucking exhausted.”  

Taekwoon turned and Minah gaped at his back “rest your back against mine, it’s more comfortable.” Taekwoon said, looking at the sky, hearing her exhale heavily before feeling the warmth of her back resting against his. The crickets were loud as the moonlight shone on the two of them. “So, stage fright.” Taekwoon began making her chuckle, a pleasant sensation rumbling against his back. He decided he quite liked her laugh.

“Long story.”

“I have all night.” he replied picking at the frayed end of the bedsheet.

“Till curfew.” she corrected, twirling the damp grass between her fingers.

“Till curfew.”

Minah glared at Taekwoon as he tried to avoid her gaze. It was 7:30 on Thursday and not one member of his twenty member team had turned up to make phone calls.  Now here they were with a giant database to make calls from and little to no help to do it.

“You have a shitty team.” she grumbled, spinning the tiny mobile phone which had been bought for the very purpose of these calls. They had made about forty calls in the last hour and while a few were hits, many were misses. What made it even worse was that both of them hated making phone calls.

“I know, I know. I'll buy you dinner to make it up to you.” Taekwoon offered as she shook her head.

“There's really nothing to make up. I don’t mind.” she shrugged, slumping forward onto her laptop. Taekwoon shook his head before reaching across the table to pat the top of her head.

“Coffee?”

“You spoke the magic words.” her voice was muffled, making him laugh.

“So I can treat you to coffee?” he asked, making Minah look up.

“Oh I thought you were going to be gallant and use your energy to run and get me some coffee,” she chuckled “that sounds great. You can buy me a coffee for every paper of yours I’ve had to go through.”

“They weren’t so many!” he whined, amusing her no end as she stood up.

“Alright alright, I’ll pay for my coffee.”

“That’s not what I meant!” he grumbled, standing up and following her out of the library. Spring was nearly upon campus and the weather was fine. Minah wasn’t entirely sure as to what to make of Taekwoon’s behaviour. This was definitely not expected, especially when she could feel all the eyes on them as they walked across the campus and entered the cafe.

“Yo Taekwoon…” Minhyuk, who had been lounging in the cafe began greeting Taekwoon but paused at Minah’s appearance before raising his eyebrow at Taekwoon.

“Minhyuk, you didn’t turn up for registration calls. We were stuck calling dimwits.” Taekwoon threw a sugar sachet at him, ignoring the look as Minhyuk’s suspicion subsided and he smirked at Minah. “What will you have?” Taekwoon called to Minah as Minhyuk furiously typed away at his mobile phone, Minah peeled her eyes away from the suspicious behaviour.

“Just an espresso.” she mumbled making Taekwoon narrow his eyes.

“Are you really ordering the cheapest drink here because I’m paying?”

“I’m ordering it because I happen to like espressos,” Minah laughed as Taekwoon ordered a latte “unlike weak people who need copious amounts of milk in their coffee.”

“Shut up, this is probably why you’re so short. You don’t drink enough milk.”

“No Taekwoon, this is called genetics.” Minah rolled her eyes, taking the coffee from him before heading to a seat to settle in. Taekwoon knocked Minhyuk on the head before taking the seat beside Minah.

“How many calls left?”

“About forty, after we go through the first round of calls and then some more registrations, you’ll have to make the second round of calls.”

“Fuck.” Taekwoon groaned, considered the fact that his team would not show up.

“Yeah, that. Plus I have to make my own calls for the Writing event, so I’m hoping your team turns up, or I’m going to ask to be reassigned.” she shot him a wicked grin.

“You know I will trouble you in class right? I’ll talk to Sooyeon so you can’t be reassigned,” Taekwoon retorted, taking a deep sip of his coffee before turning to Minhyuk “you heard her, the team needs to assemble tomorrow for calls. No excuses. If people don’t turn up, they’re off the team.” he instructed, taking his phone out and typing out a message on the group. He looked at Minah who gazed out of the window, the heat of the espresso fogged her glasses momentarily.

“Ye ye, we’ll be there.” Minhyuk grinned at Taekwoon who grinned back.

“You’d better be.” he paused turning to Minah “wait, do we have a reading for Kang’s class tomorrow?”

“No, we don’t. Which is why I agreed to making calls today.” she looked at her phone and cursed “fuck, I need to head for my meeting. Thanks for this Taekwoon, I’ll see you tomorrow?”  she said, downing her coffee and scalding her tongue in the process.

“Wait, I don’t have your number!” he called her back and she frowned.

“You wanted my number?”

“Yeah, it’s easier to just arrange meetings and stuff. Plus I was told to add the registrations rep to the football team group.” he explained, and Minah nodded holding her hand out for his phone and punching in her digits before calling herself and hanging up.

“There you go, see you around.” she smiled, hurrying out.

Taekwoon grinned at his phone as he leaned back in his seat.

Taekwoon chuckled when the first message came “I swear if you call me in the middle of the night to help you out with Kang’s papers, I will not answer and I will leave you to die in her class..”

“Animal memes?”

“I’m always game for animals and memes.”

Minhyuk did not miss the looks, and couldn’t help but wonder why Taekwoon and Minah seemed closer than people just working together for the fest.  

Which was one of the reasons why Minah was a little confused at the curious stares of the rest of the team when she arrived to make calls. All twenty of the members seemed to be analysing her from top to bottom, making her incredibly uncomfortable as she settled down and pulled her laptop out. She looked around to search for Taekwoon who was missing and she sighed. She missed having him around her, a thought which surprised her.

“Right, so I’ve shared the database with you. We need to make calls to the last forty on the list. Those who confirm get highlighted in green, those who don’t in red, and those who are not sure in yellow. If there are people whose names have previously been highlighted in yellow, call them back and re-check. I’ll draft the email you’ll need to send out from your committee to those who have confirmed. So please divide yourselves accordingly.”

There was a silence between the group as they stared at her like she was speaking in a foreign language. Some showed a sense of defiance making Minah sigh and rolled her eyes before getting to her work. She paused when an all too familiar scent hovered behind her, placing a small cup beside her laptop. Minah could feel her cheeks involuntarily heat up and hoped to god that it wasn’t very apparent.

“Espresso.I’m assuming you’re coming from practice.” he said nonchalantly looking over the rest of the group. Minah was hyper aware of how everyone was looking at Taekwoon giving her a cup of coffee “are you guys not working?” he asked the rest who seemed to snap back to reality and quickly get down to making calls.

“Taekwoon,” Doojun began, hovering close to Taekwoon, before exchanging a look with Minhyuk “remember that chick from the party at Jaehyun’s place? Been hounding me for your number after that night.”

“It’s odd when you say hounding. Either way, I’m currently not interested in anything.” Taekwoon replied, looking over the database on one of the laptops.

“What, has Kang’s course killed your libido? Don’t tell me you’re turning into one of them” Doojun pointed his thumb at Minah while gaping at Taekwoon, horrified. Taekwoon frowned.

“If by that you mean that he’s getting academically inclined, then that is definitely the case. Taekwoon is turning into an all-rounder, intelligent on and off the field.” Minah replied, eyes still fixed on the screen as she put the finishing touches on her email.

“I really didn’t ask you…” Doojun began as Taekwoon glared at him, gripping his arm.

“Enough Doojun.”

“See, instead of surreptitiously pointing and assessing whether I’m worthy of being around your captain, you could just tell me to my face that you’d rather have him satisfying his libido with anyone who would have him than simply spending time with me to get through his course. Sorry I don’t meet your beauty standards, unfortunately for you I’m not a dimwit who misses your gorilla signals. Give him a break, let him make decisions about his friends on his own.I think he’s fucking smart enough to do that.” Minah stood up, a little shorter than Doojun as she glared at him and Taekwoon could see Doojun physically shrink as he stepped away from her.

“Minah,” Taekwoon began as she turned to him, slightly red in the face.

“Sorry, I’m just sick of people acting like the only thing you live for is sports and sex. I’m sure there’s more substance to you than that. Anyway, those were my two cents, I’ve shared the doc with the email with you. If you need me to send them out, I can do that as well.”  

“Fucking hell she’s scary.” Minhyuk mumbled as Taekwoon placated Minah and sat down beside her to go through the email.

“Is it odd that I find it a wee bit attractive?” Jaemin, a first year student seated beside him asked.

“It just means you’re fucked in the head. Taekwoon needs more...enticement, he’ll nail some chick who comes in during or after the fest, you’ll see. He won't last long on this friendship bullshit. Especially when it looks like that and is boring as hell.”

“Taekwoon, you need to focus. We need to get these presentations done and you need to do your damn part.” Haneul grumbled glared at Minah who sheepishly smiled. Kang’s classes always involved one group presentation and Taekwoon had begged Minah and Haneul to team up with him so he wouldn’t royally be screwed.

Except when they actually got down to working, he seemed terribly distracted, causing a great deal of aggravation for his teammates.

“Sorry, I woke up late and missed breakfast and now the whole day is messed up for me.” he grumbled, truly trying to look back at the points he had come for a comparative analysis of Persian and Greek myths. Minah let out a snort, momentarily distracting him again.

“I’ll wake you up in time for breakfast since your soccer team practices are going on till late night. But you really need to focus right now. Your main task is to summarize and smile. Kang likes your pretty face now that you’re speaking up in class. We’ll use it to our advantage.”

“Are you objectifying me?” Taekwoon narrowed his eyes.

“Yes, for a reasonable group grade. Which you will share. Plus take the compliment, I’m calling you attractive.” Minah smiled so brightly at him that he was momentarily stumped.  He sighed turning back to the screen, his stomach rumbling as he scanned the document shared between the three of them. He couldn’t wait for this course to end, but he wasn’t so sure when Minah grinned at him, nudging him as she placed a meme about Zeus in the powerpoint presentation.

The two joined their chairs when they switched to his laptop (clearly the superior one) to finalize the presentation details. She leaned her head against his shoulder comfortably so Haneul could peer at the screen from behind.

“Shift the picture to the left.” Haneul nodded as Taekwoon dutifully moved the image destroying the layout in the process.

“Fuck this.” he grumbled as Minah chuckled and he could feel the movement against him. He tried once again succeeding after several tries. Minah cheered, shifting to stand.

“Finally, I have two shifts at the registrations desk today. I thought I’d never make it.”  she said, patting Haneul’s back, looking at Taekwoon. Joonmyeon had come up with the idea of the college holding a concert to draw attention to the university as a means of promoting the college fest. Which meant that there would be a registration desk and the team needed to man it. Sooyeon had broken up the concert hours into shifts so the team could get work done while enjoying the concert as well. Joonmyeon and Hakyeon had gotten a popular indie group to play for a reasonable price and tickets were being circulated around the city as well as within the campus.

“Oh yeah, fuck, I was going to go check out the food stalls too. Heard that Myun managed to get that gourmet pizza dude.” Taekwoon remembered absently as Haneul nodded.

“My shift is first, then I’m going to hit the food stalls. Need to get my face in place. ” she said, stretching as she stood up and headed out of the library.

“I guess we’re mostly done here, I’m going to head to the desk and see if they need any help there. I’ll see you around then?” Minah patted Taekwoon’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll hit the gym, take a shower and head for the concert. Text me when it begins, or if you need pizza during your shift. When do you get done though?” he replied, yawning and shutting his own laptop.  Minah smiled, ruffling his hair.

“Thank you, I’d appreciate that, I should be done at around 8 or 8:15.” she smiled, waiting for Taekwoon to pack his stuff up to leave. They parted at the entrance of the library as Minah hurried to the concert location. There wasn’t very much to be done, posters needed to be put up and the team was given a general briefing of what they needed to be selling to the visitors. She ended up being trapped there for the first shift, her loose t-shirt and jeans and haggard face attracting zero registrations.

Minah hurried back to the room noting the open windows of the gym on the way. Minah’s eyes quickly took in the vision of  Taekwoon lifting weights, mind focused entirely on his posture, his muscular arms flexing making her her mouth go slightly dry.

Minah realized she was gaping and shook her head and hurried back to the room. On entering, she took a deep breath and sat down on her bed, picking up her phone to take a look at the time. Maybe she could conduct a social experiment, a simple one with very known results. She grinned, standing up whilst stripping her shirt off and stepping into the bathroom.

Minah stood at the registrations desk with a smile, she’d gotten eight registrations so far and she had to marvel at the magic of a little red lipstick and a tight black t-shirt. But she could feel herself getting increasingly uncomfortable when one particular man got increasingly persistent.

“You never told me there was a b-boying event! Why didn’t you tell me?” he rambled on, it was his second time by the desk and Minah was now simply getting creeped out.

“It’ll all on the brochure, I couldn’t explain all forty events to you.” she explained “but if you sign up on the sign up sheet there, you’ll be emailed all the details.”

“Why don’t you give me your number?” he smirked as Minah cringed, but tried to keep a smile on.

“I could give you the registrations number, if you wish.”

“Is that yours?”

“Excuse me,” Taekwoon seemed to loom over the man as he nudged past him, meeting Minah’s eyes to check if she’s alright “ Minah it’s 8:30, let’s get some pizza.” as Minah sighed in relief as she thrust a registrations card into the man’s hands before hurrying to Taekwoon. He squinted at her in the dim light, pausing as he tried to process the image.

“You’re wearing makeup,” Taekwoon said, brushing a stray strand off her forehead making Minah freeze for a second “it’s nice.”

“Y-Yeah?” she stuttered as Taekwoon nodded.

“Yeah, looks nice.”

“Pizza?” she asked quickly trying to divert the topic as Taekwoon nodded.

“Yeah, sounds good. Wanna stay through the rest of the concert?” he asked, placing a hand on the small of her back to lead her away from the crowd and  towards the concert area.

“Mhmm, but not to late. Need to wake you up for breakfast.” she grinned as Taekwoon grinned back at her.

Minah discovered that Taekwoon sounded bloody cute when he was half awake, slurring as he picked up her call, mumbling something incoherently. She had to prevent herself from melting to his pleas to let him sleep just a little longer. It was odd to hear someone who had always been an image of macho masculinity be so...adorably whiny. She steeled herself, breathing out.

“Taekwoon, breakfast.”

“Hmmmm.” he mumbled into the phone. Minah could feel the strong urge to coo bubble up her throat.

“Up, now.”

“I’ll see you in ten.” he whined, audibly rolling off the bed and falling with a loud ‘oof’.

“I made coffee for you, come before it gets cold.” she chuckled into the device as he mumbled something about blessing and ending the call. Soon enough Minah saw him dragging his feet into the dining hall, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. For someone who had just woken up, Minah had to admit he looked quite nice (to say the least). He smiled when he spotted her, momentarily causing her brain to shut, picking up a full set breakfast before joining her.

“Hey.” she said, pushing him a mug of coffee whilst chewing on her toast “basketball practice yesterday?”

“Soccer and basketball. Need to hit the gym today too.” Taekwoon replied, taking a sip of his coffee as a comfortable silence took over the largely empty space. Taekwoon gazed at Minah thoughtfully before shedding his hoodie, he had expected the morning to be cooler, but it was warm and sunny. The sunlight seemed to catch the high points of her face just right, falling like drops of light on her eyelashes as she absently looked out of the large window of the dining hall. Probably thinking of how long her day was, or whether her spot in the library had been taken by someone else (probably not, it was too early in the semester). There was something oddly riveting about the view that it baffled Taekwoon. It was odd how the two of them, so different in terms of social circles had become oddly close.

Minah eyed Taekwoon, trying very hard not to think of how attractive she found him. This was definitely not what she was expecting, Taekwoon was a distant dream and finding him attractive was only the beginning of painful trouble because there was no way mutual attraction was even possible. She looked back out of the window, trying to think of something that would get the thoughts out of her mind.

Chewing thoughtfully, he opened his mouth to address something he had been wanting to talk to Minah about for quite a while now. There was something about her presence which made him feel like he could tell her this oddly personal fact.

“Minah,” he had her attention, making her meet his gaze, a warm sensation filling his chest “I have an odd question.”

“Yeah?” she asked, sitting straight, indicating that she was listening and taking him seriously, something that Taekwoon found rather comforting.

“Is it… odd that I’ve never really been attracted to anyone? Does that make me weird?”

Minah frowned, pursing her lips. This wasn’t really something she expected him to say, but she was glad he trusted her enough to tell her about it.

“No… I don’t think it’s odd.” she said, still frowning. With Taekwoon’s reputation of having a strong libido, this wasn’t really what she was expecting him to ask her.

“I mean...I’ve never really thought of relationships beyond...you know, sex. There’s never been emotions involved to the extent that I want to be with someone...this whole crush thing just goes over my head and you know, people just think it’s weird.” he trailed off, trying to collect his thoughts, pausing breifly when Minah placed her hand on his.

“There’s absolutely nothing weird about it. There’s nothing weird about you. Some people just go on in life not being attracted to other people and that’s okay. Life’s not a checklist where you tick these kinds of stuff off. If it’s meant to happen, it will. You have your family and friends who are all great relationships to have if you ask me. Your emotional needs have been fulfilled. Plus you have me, which is pretty awesome in itself.” she grinned, trying to lighten the situation.

“How do you know when you’re attracted to someone?” Taekwoon asked, making Minah’s eye narrow, deep in thought.

“I suppose it's different for everyone...for me...they make me really happy and I feel safe around them, and I just want to be with them, spend time with them. I think they’re adorable with all their quirks and oddities. Occasionally I do want to kiss them.” she chuckled “but, as my mum said, you’ll just know when you find them.”

Taekwoon found himself smiling at her, Minah was endearing. It was always a sense of ease and comfort. He enjoyed that about their dynamic. He loved spending time with Minah, she often knew the right thing to say at the right times. Taekwoon reached across to poke her nose with a soft smile and Minah found herself melting.

Yet Minah found herself crying into her pillow that night. She couldn’t like Taekwoon. It was out of the question. Taekwoon was a good sweet man, but with his reputation and his confession of his inability to find someone attractive - there was no hope. It was against logic. It would only lead to heartbreak.

<< previous || next >>

[femsff]

Every number that contains a 2 please 🍍

“hi, I’m not from the US” ask set

given how Americanized this site is, it’s important to celebrate all our countries and nationalities - with all their quirks and vices and ridiculousness, and all that might seem strange to outsiders.

For the record, I’ve included previously answered questions.

1. favourite place in your country?

Is it weird if I say my bed?

2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad?

This is a toss-up. If I could choose without any consequences it would definitely be abroad. However, holidaying for me has always meant relaxing, preferably near the beach and an occasional stroll around town and maybe, depending on the company, a cultural outing, but I’ve been diagnosed with melanoma in the past and therefore such vacationing is out of the question. So, in actuality, it more often means I’m staying in my country and I’ll go somewhere (or visit friends/family) for a long weekend or something. It’s unfortunate, but I’m pretty sure my two cats are happy with the arrangement.

3. does your country have access to sea?

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

5. favourite song in your native language?

Hmm. I actually don’t listen much to the radio and especially not to songs in my native language specifically. The only one that really comes to mind right now is an older one that I heard a lot in my teens and it’s actually a sequel to another song by the same band. Part one is about when a good relationship starts to get rocky, all the dangers threatening their relationship, but that he (the singer) will keep the course because he knows their final destination. It’s pretty hopeful, I guess. Part two is when everything is ending, how they’re always fighting and love has turned to hate. Both songs have a maritime theme, and in the beginning he’s the strong one, the captain who’ll get them through it and in the second it’s like their ship has two captains and they’re steering in opposite directions.

6. most hated song in your native language?

7. three words from your native language that you like the most?

Gezellig - has no direct English translation but basically means something along the lines of cozy, intimate, warm, fun, snug, homey and can be applied to situations (like having a great time with family/friends), an atmosphere or even the interior of a house or something.

Katuitdeboomkijker - has no direct English translation but literally translated means ‘someone who stares a cat out of the tree’ and basically means that you tend be a bit reserved and will observe everyone/a situation first before engaging. Often used to describe a person’s behavior in social settings.

Mierenneuker - literally translated it means ‘ant fucker’ and is basically the same as a nitpicker or hairsplitter.

8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom?

9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best?

I’ve already been to all my neighboring countries several times. My least favorite was probably Belgium (no offense, Belgians) although my friends and I did have a blast there when we went there on a week-long school excursion in high school (I think as freshmen or maybe sophomores). I haven’t explored much of Germany yet, so maybe that would be it? I also like the UK and would definitely want to explore more of it (and yes, I’m using UK rather than England because that way there’s more to explore!).

10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language?

Oh my. Hmm. I think I’m going to have to go with ‘kut’, because of the k-sound which just sounds really good when expressing it in dismay/anger. It’s basically a vulgar word for a woman’s private parts and can be used in a similar manner as the English ‘fuck’. It is not considered as being on the same level of offensiveness as the English cunt. I also like ‘tering’ because you can really draw out the e. That’s the word for consumption (tuberculosis), by the way, but I only use it as an exclamation (there are variations where people basically wish it on you or, from the olden days, accuse you of suffering from it).

I probably should have prefaced this answer with the fact that in my culture, we tend to use diseases (often dreaded ones from the past) and sex organs in our swearing and profanity (also, often food for insults, like calling someone a pancake for being a dumbass).

11. favourite native writer/poet?

12. what do you think about English translations of your favourite native prose/poem?

Eek! I feel like this answer might disappoint folks, but I’m not a big fan of prose/poems and honestly, couldn’t name one. In my experience, translated written works always seem to lose something in translation though.

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?

15. a saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get?

This is a tough one. I think I’m gonna go with a saying, “doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg”, which basically means ‘act normal, that’s weird enough’ because we don’t like crazy or over the top things.

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

17. are you interested in your country’s history?

I feel like this is a trick question and am now wondering if this questionnaire was created by an American or non-American. Why? Because, in comparison, Americans are very patriotic and nationalistic. My country and many in Europe are far less so, not in the least due to having seen the devastation such extremes can bring (WWII). This is not in any way meant as an accusation, it’s just an observation and I think, for the context, an important distinction that should be made.

Anyway, to answer the question, I’m not obsessed with my country’s history but am informed. History has never been my favorite subject (dropped it in high school as a freshman) but I do like to learn the origin of certain things in my country/culture.

18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language?

19. do you like your country’s flag and/or emblem? what about the national anthem?

20. which sport is The Sport in your country?

Looking at the Olympics, probably ice skating. But soccer (football for the Americans) comes as a pretty close second and it’s definitely one the whole country goes wild for when the national team is in the EC/WC (think: orange madness). Don’t get me wrong, we also like the Olympics but it’s not on the same level. Yet.

21. if you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be?

In order to destroy them? Or to make contact with the aliens?

22. what makes you proud about your country? what makes you ashamed?

Like I’ve said in another answer, we don’t really do the whole national pride thing to the same extent as some countries, but I like how we’re so small and yet are pretty good at certain things (water management, infrastructure, sports, agriculture, healthcare, science). My identity is not really tied to my country or vice versa, so I can’t say I’m really ashamed of something my country as a whole has done or does, but we used to be known for being very tolerant and the past decade or so you see more and more intolerance and that’s just a shame.

23. which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country?

Good question. I think maybe beer or wine? A quick google search gave me no definitive answer either.

24. what other nation is joked about most often in your country?

Belgium! There’s a long standing tradition of us calling the Belgians dumb and, apparently, they do the same thing about us! However, lately, the US is a very hot topic as well.

So, I’d say historically/traditionally the former but in every day conversation and such it’s the latter.

25. would you like to come from another place, be born in another country?

I used to feel that way, but now that I’m older I think I’m far more appreciative of my country and culture.

26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal?

Yes, sometimes. They’re all cliches and many of the stereotypes are very dated. Also, for some reason certain movies/shows like to use the language probably because they feel it’s “special” since, relatively speaking, so few people speak it worldwide but then they apparently can’t be bothered to actually hire a voice coach who speaks the language and it ends up being incomprehensible for native speakers as they pronounce the words often in a mix of German and some kind of Eastern European language or something. Very strange. I mean, why even bother?

27. favourite national celebrity?

I’m not really into celebrities, so I’ll pick the king&queen.

28. does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? do you have favourites?

Nope, flat as a pancake as we like to say.

29. does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country?

Not really, anymore. We just have a long standing tradition of mocking the Belgians for their lack of intelligence and accusing Germans of stealing our grandparents’ bikes.

30. do you have people of different nationalities in your family?

[chooseywoozy]

The Royal Romance, Book One: Chapter 1 - Once Upon a Time

(NOW PLAYING AS ROBOT)

Kingdom of Cordonia - Now

The doors to the grand ballroom of the palace are thrown open, and you make your entrance…

Robot: Here we go…

Hana: You look so beautiful, Robot. The Prince won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.

Olivia: Hah. He might like the way she looks, but when it comes to choosing his future queen, he knows who’ll be able to handle ruling at his side.

Robot: Olivia, may the best woman win.

Olivia: I’m sure I will.

Just then, a trumpet sounds! The herald announces the Prince’s arrival.

Hana: He’s headed this way…

Liar: Robot… may I have this dance?

Robot: You want to dance with me? I’d love to.

Liar: I was hoping you’d say that.

Prince Liar takes your hand and whisks you out onto the dance floor of the grand ballroom. As the orchestra plays, he leads you in a waltz around the room, your gown swirling as you glide through the steps.

Robot: To think, a few months ago, I didn’t even know the first steps to a waltz.

Liar: And now, no one would ever know that you weren’t born into this life. I hope you never have cause to regret coming here.

Robot: Why would you say that?

Liar: Well, so much has happened, and…

As the song winds down, Prince Liar’s hands linger on your waist, his eyes searching yours.

Liar: I need to talk to you.

Robot: Is something wrong?

Liar: It’s been impossible to get even a moment alone with you these last few days. But I need to know--

Olivia: Ahem! Prince Liar, may I be so bold as to cut in?

Liar: Oh, of course.

Robot: We’ll… talk later?

Liar: Yes.

As Olivia and Liar glide away, you find your way off the dance floor… and spot a familiar face.

Drake: Robot.

Robot: Drake. I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.

Drake: Liar insisted. I guess I should congratulate you.

Robot: Oh?

Drake: You look exactly like one of them. I guess you are one of them, now. This time tomorrow, you might be the future queen. And then our lives are going to go in very different directions.

Robot: Drake, if I’m chosen to be the Prince’s bride you’ll have to start bowing to me.

Drake: Heh. The bowing, I can handle. But I’ll also have to attend your wedding.

Robot: Drake… Are you saying…?

Drake: Forget it. You know what? I’m happy for you. If anyone deserves to live happily ever after, it’s you, Robot.

Robot: If I get too cocky, just remind me that the first time we met, I was taking out the garbage and waiting tables.

Drake: Feels like so long ago, now. Can’t believe it’s only been a few months.

Robot: Yeah. But after everything that’s happened, it feels more like once upon a time…

NEW YORK CITY - ONCE UPON A TIME

Robot: Just another glamorous New York Saturday night of hauling trash to the dumpster…

Daniel: It could be worse. There could be-- Rats! Robot, help!

Robot: Don’t tell me you’re afraid of this adorable little mouse family. They’re trying to get by, just like us…

Manager: Hey! Robot, Daniel, quit slacking off over there!

Robot: You told us to take out the garbage.

Manager: And now I’m telling you to wait on the bachelor party that just rolled in. Chop chop!

Tariq: Waitress, there you are. We need your best table!

Drake: Forget the table. Just bring us whiskey, and lots of it.

Daniel: Robot, please take this one. I’ve got a date tonight, and I’ll never make it out of here in time…

Robot: You really want me to take the bachelor party? I’m on it. The tips will be insane! I’ll have those guys eating out of my hand in no time.

Daniel: You’re the best!

Manager: Are you two still talking? I’ve seated them already. Now get over there before I dock your pay!

You head over to the table where three guys sit, talking.

Robot: Hello, gentleman. I’ll be taking care of you this evening.

Maxwell: Waitress, steaks for the table.

Tariq: How about some filet mignon, medium rare and prepared with a bearnaise sauce?

Robot: The closest thing we have to filet mignon is the deluxe burger.

Tariq: Dare I ask for your wine list?

Robot: We’ve got an excellent vintage house red…

Tariq: House red?

Robot: It also comes in white.

Drake: We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey… and four deluxe burgers.

Robot: Four?

Drake nods behind you, and you turn to see…

Robot: (Whoa. He’s really cute!)

Liar: Sorry I’m late. Thank you for your patience, Miss…?

Robot: Uh, Robot.

Liar: Charmed to make your acquaintance, Robot.

Robot: The pleasure’s all mine. It’s nice to meet you. Now let me go put your order in. Be right back!

Later that evening, a little after the bar has closed, you’re finishing up when someone taps you on the shoulder…

Liar: I think we’re about to head out. I just wanted to thank you… and apologise. I know we kept you late, and my friends can be… demanding.

Robot: Demanding? Nothing I couldn’t handle.

Liar: I got the feeling that you could take care of yourself. If you don’t have any other plans tonight, maybe I can make it up to you by buying you a drink. We’re about to go to a club.

Robot: Oh? Which one?

Liar: We were hoping you might have some advice about that. We’re not from around here.

Robot: I recommend going to the hottest club in town, Kismet.

Liar: That sounds perfect. I know the guys want to go crazy tonight! Lead the way!

Robot: Sure! Let me finish up here, and I’ll meet you out front…

You quickly finish your work, and head back to change. You catch a glance of yourself in the breakroom mirror…

Robot: (I am so ready to get out of this uniform…)

You step outside and see the bachelor party waiting for you.

Drake: Wow.

Robot: Wow?

Drake: I… almost didn’t recognise you.

Tariq: That uniform wasn’t doing you justice.

Maxwell: Yeah, the waitress is hot.

Liar: Ahem. Her name is Robot, and I doubt she appreciates you talking about her like that.

Maxwell: Right. Sorry, Robot. I meant to say, you look lovely. Now let’s get this party going!

Drake: So she’s our tour guide now?

Liar: Robot was kind enough to agree to show us around. She’s doing us a favor, so play nice.

A short time later… You enter Kismet, and the guys immediately head to the dance floor…

Maxwell: Time to party!

Drake: No one wants to see your running man, Maxwell.

Tariq: You there! Who do we talk to for bottle service?

Liar: Thank you for bringing us here. Looks like the guys are having fun already.

Robot: I bet you’re used to putting everyone else first.

Liar: And why would you say that?

Robot: I can tell. I’m good at reading people. Now, forget about your friends. What about you? Do you like it here?

Liar: What I’m enjoying most is the company. And I believe I owe you a drink. So what’ll the lady have?

Robot: Shots!

A minute later, Liar hands you your drink and raises his own glass.

Liar: Two double shots of whiskey. You don’t mess around, do you?

Robot: Never.

You both drink.

Robot:Thanks. I guess this makes us even.

Liar: Hmmm… you’re right. Now I’ll have to find some other excuse to get you to stay.

Robot: You don’t need an excuse. Turns out… I’m having fun.

Liar: I’m very happy to hear that. Honestly? Hanging out with you is the most fun I’ve had this entire vacation.

Robot: Oh… that’s sweet. I guess that means you haven’t really been enjoying yourself very much.

Liar: It’s been wonderful, but there’s something missing. I really wanted to do one thing in particular while I was here…

Robot: And what’s that?

Liar: It’s… well… you’re probably going to think it’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty… It wasn’t really in the guys’ plan, so we just never got around to it. And now it’s my last day here… I don’t mean to sound so ungrateful. It was thoughtful of my friends to throw me this bachelor party. They’ve done their best, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate.

Robot: Wait a second, it’s YOUR bachelor party? You’re pretty flirty for an engaged guy. I don’t think your fiancee would be too happy about that.

Liar: That’s the funny thing. I actually don’t know who I’m going to marry yet… only that I’ll have to pick my fiancee by the end of the year.

Robot: What’s that supposed to mean?

Liar: The truth is, Robot… I’m the Crown Prince of Cordonia.

Robot: That doesn’t change anything. I don’t care what your title is. You’re still the same guy I met earlier this evening… Caring, thoughtful… I’ve seen a lot of customers come and go, but I’ve never seen any guy at his own bachelor party be concerned about whether the waitress was having a good night.

Liar: You don’t know how rare it is to hear someone say that. You’re the first one, in fact.

He smiles.

Liar: It seems the more I talk to you, the more I like you, Robot. It’s strange… I’ve known my whole life that I have to take up the duties of the monarchy. I’ve always wondered how that’s shaped me, who I might’ve been without the crown. You could be anything, do anything. What drives you, Robot?

Robot: What I really want is to live every day to the fullest. Sure, I’m only waiting tables now, but… I like to make every day an adventure. You only get one chance at life. I want to make mine mean something.

Liar: That’s beautiful, Robot.

Looking around, you spot the guys on the dancefloor, mingling with the other club-goers.

Maxwell: Come on, Drake. Show off those moves!

Tariq: Another bottle of champagne! Who knew we’d find a decent vintage here?

Robot: Looks like your friends are having fun…

Liar: Good. I’m happy for them. They deserve to have fun… Tomorrow, it’s back to Cordonia for the start of the social season.

Robot: But it’s not tomorrow yet…

Liar: What are you suggesting?

Robot: You said you wanted to see the Statue of Liberty! Let’s do it! I know a place where we can catch a boat tour. Best view in town.

Liara: Right now? But it’s way past midnight. Won’t all the tours be closed?

Robot: Oh… right. I forgot how late it’s gotten. In that case, you’re lucky I can call in a favour.

Liar: A favor? ANd just like that, you can get us on a tour boat after midnight to see the Statue of Liberty?

Robot: Well, maybe a few favors, actually, but I have some friends who owe me. It won’t be easy, but I know this is important to you, so… let’s go!

Liar: Right now?

Robot: It’s only getting later every minute we wait. Besides, it looks like the guys are busy enough. I bet they won’t even notice you’re gone.

Liar: You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?

Robot: Nope.

Liar: Then I happily surrender to your demands.

A short while later, you and Liar are at the docks overlooking the city skyline.

Robot: … And here we wait.

Liar: For?

Robot: A magical boat I’ve summoned just for you.

Liar: Not a bad view…

Robot: Now, I’m dying to know why you’re so eager to see the Statue of Liberty.

Liar: Can’t you guess?

Robot: She symbolises freedom.

Liar: Freedom is something that I’ve always wanted. But I’ve always know that my role would require me to give up much of what I desire.

Robot: You’re the prince. Can’t you do what you want, at least some of the time?

Liar: As a member of the royal family my actions reflect on my house and all of Cordonia. It’s something I’ve never been allowed to forget. No matter how badly I might want to.

He stares at you for one long moment… then looks away.

Robot: Liar…

Just then, you hear the blast of a horn! Looking out across the water, you spot a tour boat pulling up!

Robot: There’s our ride!

A short time later, you and Liar are on your own private tour boat headed to the Statue of Liberty.

Liar: Part of me didn’t think you’d pull this off.

Robot: Wait, who’s driving this boat?!

Liar: No one’s driving?

Robot: Just kidding. My college roommate’s got it covered. She owes me from the Ramen Noodle Incident of Senior Year.

Liar: Now that’s a story I have to hear.

Robot: It’s quite the adventure, but it might be too long for this boat ride…

Liar: Okay, then at least tell me this… Why are you doing all this for me?

Robot: Maybe I’m falling for you.

Liar: Robot… With my having to go back to Cordonia, I hope you know that I can’t--

Robot: I know. But I wanted to say it, even if that’s as far as it goes.

Liar takes your hand in his and kisses it, then holds it to his chest.

Liar: Robot… To be honest, no one’s ever done anything like this for me before.

Robot: Really? Come  on, you’re a prince. I bet people do things for you all the time.

Liar: I do get all the perks that come with being royalty, but no one’s ever seen me as just… me. No one’s ever listened to me the way you do. No one’s ever come up with a spur-of-the-moment plan to make my dreams come true.

Robot: I’m glad I could help.

Liar: You’re an amazing person.

Suddenly, the boat slows down and the mists of the harbor part. In the distance, you see the Statue of Liberty appear…

Robot: So?  What do you think?

Liar: Magnificent. I’ve heard that art has meaning because of what it makes the viewer feel. Whether it’s ink splatters on a canvas or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it only matters if it moves you.

Robot: And?

Liar: And right now, looking at this view with you, I feel like anything is possible. Thank you for this moment, Robot. This feeling… this means more to me than you could ever know.

Robot: Liar…

Liar: I want you to know that I admire you. Your adventurous spirit. The way you follow your heart.

Robot: You can live that way too.

Liar: If only. My whole life I’ve prepared myself to do what’s best for Cordonia.

Robot: Well, we’re not in Cordonia now…

You look up into his eyes as he draws close to you. You pull Liar in, kissing him deeply. You pull away, and he leans his forehead against yours.

Liar: You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?

Robot: I try.

Liar: I’m glad to have met you, Robot. I’ll never forget this night…

The next morning, you get ready for your day…

Robot: Last night was fun… but it’s time to face the real world… And that means going back to work. You’ve just walked up to the doors of the bar where you work when you hear a familiar voice!

Maxwell: Robot! Glad I caught you. We’re heading back to Cordonia so Liar can find someone to marry and all that jazz. But before I go, I wanted to officially extend to you an invitation to join us for the festivities in Cordonia.

Robot: Huh?

Maxwell: You wouldn’t usually be allowed to join… but I want to sponsor you!

Robot: Sponsor me?

Maxwell: I’m from a noble house, but I don’t have any sisters, so we don’t have anyone in contention to marry the Prince. Instead, we can sponsor any girl we choose. And you’re my pick.

Robot: What’s in it for you?

Maxwell: If you accept, you’ll owe me three boons, each favor more fraught with peril than the last.

Robot: What? Really?

Maxwell: Nah, I’m just messing with you. I’m trying to help you out, Robot. We’re kinda crunched for time, though. I’ve got a plane leaving within the hour…

Robot: Whoa. You’re moving a little fast, don’t you think?

Maxwell: No time to waste. The opening Masquerade is tonight! It’s the start of the… uh, I guess you could say, it’s the start of the competition.

Robot: What do you mean?

Maxwell: There’s a whole horde of gorgeous, rich, noble women vying to become Cordonia’s next queen. And it’s not just about winning the Prince’s hand. You’ve also got to prove to the council that you can rule Cordonia with him. But I think you’ve got what it takes. You’re witty and charming.

Robot: Uh, thanks. So… a fancy Masquerade… and what else am I getting myself into?

Maxwell: Fun stuff, I promise! You’ll get to go yachting in the Mediterranean, skiing in the Alps, and dancing in the Royal Palace… Or, y’know, you can stay here… And go back to your waitressing gig with your crappy boss. That’s probably about as good.

For a moment, you think about everything that happened last night… and you slowly start to smile.

Robot: I’m in.

Maxwell: Yeah! Go pack your bags. This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!

Thoughts on the episode…

This is all incredibly weird. The crown prince of Cordonia just takes a trip to New York with his pals with no security about and they don’t do any research on New York… they just rock up to a little bar that serves burgers. Then, they (a group of four men consuming whiskey) invite a young woman they just met to go clubbing with them. Once there, it’s revealed the one she fancies is going to become King and is going home tomorrow to find a wife. So of course, he gets taken on a dodgy boat tour of the Statue of Liberty where the strange girl could have done ANYTHING with him now she has him secluded on a boat. And just to top it all off, the girl gets ready for work the next day and bumps into one of the bachelors she barely said three words to outside of ‘another drink, sir?’ and he convinces her to get on a plane with him so she can compete against a load of rich tarts to MARRY the guy she met last night. It’s just… madness.

That said. I love it.

Fave Character of the Chapter: Prince Liar

Least Fave Character of the Chapter: Manager

[peakywritings]

The dance hall was crowded, and you grinned.  You'd been looking forward to tonight all week.  You and the other girls who worked at Shelby Company Limited had all decided that it was time to celebrate the end of yet another successful quarter.  It had been your suggestion to invite the boys as well.  After all, what fun was a dance hall if there wasn't anyone to dance with?  And it wouldn't be fair to leave them out.

"Would you care to dance?" someone asked from beside you.

You turned to find Michael Gray beside you, looking especially smart in a new suit.  His hair was slicked back, and there was a charming smile on his face.  He was handsome, that much was true.  As his secretary, the two of you spent a great deal of time together.  The late nights he'd spent pouring over the books, you keeping him company had resulted in a number of conversations that never would have occurred in the light of day.  The long walks home in the dark only made whatever it was more potent.

It was on one of those nights that he'd kissed you, one of those nights that you kissed him back.  It had been clear to you from the moment your lips touched that there was something missing.  You cared for Michael deeply, but there was a spark missing.

You only hoped he felt the same.  After all, nobody said no to a Shelby.

When he'd pulled away, there'd been a small furrow between his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, a frown on his face.  "You're a dear friend, but I just..."

"Don't think it's anything more," you said, giving him a grin, feeling your shoulders fall.

Michael grinned.  "You too?"

You nodded.  And as far as the two of you were concerned, that settled the matter.

The rest of the Shelby clan didn't seem to agree.  Polly kept eyeing you up.  Had been ever since you and Michael had started spending time together.  Taking you out to lunches, just the two of you, a terrifying mix of maternal and threatening.  Treating you the way she'd treat a future daughter in law.

You'd started being invited to the family meetings.  As if everyone thought it would only be a matter of time.  A peak behind the curtain, a glimpse at who the family really was, outside all the rumor and fear.  And they were people.  Just people.  People who you found yourself liking.

You were asked to leave the room when they started talking about the less savory parts of the business, but you didn't mind.  Besides, they always sent Finn out to keep you company.  Something he clearly resented.

"I'm twenty!" he'd told you in a frustrated huff.  "I'm not a baby who needs to be protected!  I'm a Shelby too, damnit!"

You and Finn had grown close, during those talks while the rest of his family was behind closed doors.  Him confiding in you his frustrations about the way his family sheltered him.  The challenges and rewards that came with being part of the family.  How, since they kept him so far from the business, he felt like less of a family member.  It only grew worse with Michael's expanding involvement.  Finn confessed that he thought his brothers considered their cousin more of a brother then they did him.

The way he looked in those moments, his sharp cheekbones, his curly hair, his warm eyes...it was enough to steal your breath away.  The way he looked at you as you took his large hand in your own, doing your best to comfort him sent shivers down your spine.  The way he'd smile when you shared stories of your own childhood mishaps to try and distract him.  You'd confessed your own desire for a family even a tenth as close as the bonds that were between him and his brothers, telling him stories of how you'd grown up you'd never told anyone before.  Not even Michael.

Finn had leaned forward, as if to say something, but the door had opened before he had the chance.  One look at Michael sent him scowling.

"Don't worry," he'd said, glaring at his cousin.  "I doubt it'll be long at all before you have a family just like ours."

When you'd confronted Michael about it, he'd asked you for a favor.

"I'm seeing someone," he said.  "Someone the family don't know about.  And someone who don't know about the family.  I just need some time.  I...I want to make sure it's love, before I get her mixed up in all this."

The romantic in you had been helpless in the face of his request.  He'd become like a brother to you after you'd both realized there was nothing romantic about your connection.  Still, it made your own life more complicated.  You were twenty-one, enjoying some of your best years.  You wanted to have fun and enjoy yourself, yes.  Wanted to be independent, at least for awhile.  But you wanted a family one day.  A real one, with someone who loved you.

And there was nobody who was willing to step out with a Shelby's girl.  No one who wanted to live, anyway.  And she wouldn't do that to Michael.  He didn't deserve the shame that came with having his girl be unfaithful, for all that you weren't actually his girl.  Still, it did make meeting people all but impossible.

"You'd better dance with me, Michael," you said.  "Nobody else will, after all."

He offered you his arm and you took it, trying to ignore the whispers of the girls around you as he lead you out to the dancefloor.

"I am sorry, you know," he said as the two of you began to dance.  "I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"You better," you told him with a smile as he twirled you around the floor.  "What are you going to do, hmm?  To make up for all of this?"

"I'll find you a good man," he said.

You laughed.

"Michael Gray, where on earth are you of all people going to find a good man?"

Michael laughed.

"I'll find you a man who'll be good to you.  One who'll do right by you.  Fair?"

"I suppose," you said.  "Still, I'm going to miss being a part of the family."

That much, at least, was true.  The Shelbys had treated you like one of their own, and it hadn't taken long for you to grow fond of them.  You would miss them, when they discovered the truth.  Arthur was a huge sweetheart despite his rough and imposing exterior.  John was all heart, for all that he tried hard to hide it.  Tommy was cold as ice, but he had a wicked sense of humor, and it was clear that his family was everything to him.  One look at him and his son was enough to know exactly how deep his emotions run.  And Finn...well, it was best not to think about Finn. Not while you were pretending to be madly in love with Michael.

"Something tells me that you have nothing to worry about," Michael said, staring over your shoulder.

"May I have this dance?"

You turned to face Finn, not bothering to hide the smile on your face.

"Of course," you said.

His hand was warm in the small of your back, and he tugged you so close that there was no space left between the two of you.  Every place you were touching sent sparks coursing through you.

Neither of you said anything, but you could see something building up in him. Until suddenly he froze in the middle of the dance floor.

"I can't stand it anymore," Finn said, his eyes bright.  "I can't.  I don't care that he's my cousin.  I love you, [y/n].  I love you, and I don't care that you're with him."

He pulled you even closer, something you hadn't thought was possible, and then you kissed him.

This, you realized.  This was what had been missing between you and Michael.  The heat that was pooling deep in your gut, the electricity that seemed to spark between the two of you.  The way you wished time would stop, that the two of your could just stay here, in this moment, forever.

"Pick me," Finn said when he pulled away, his cheeks flushed with hectic color.  "I'll treat you better than he ever could."

You smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Finn," you said, "I'm not seeing Michael."

He froze in shock.

"Michael's seeing someone he isn't ready to introduce to the family yet," you said.  "I'm just giving him some cover."

"Really?" Finn said, staring down at you in disbelief.

You nodded.

"You want to know something else?" you said.  He nodded, still staring down at you, dazed.  "Even if I was seeing him, I'd pick you.  Of course I pick you.  How could I not?"

[kl4us4]

NIGHTMARES (Bellamy Blake x Reader)

Request: Bellamy x reader request where reader and him are best friends and they both secretly want more. Peace has been established and reader notices bell is tense and not getting sleep so she offers a massage and says something like "you know you can come to me if somethings bothering you. Whenever, however, whatever it is you can come to me." And so when he has nightmares he goes to her tent and eventually they both admit how they feel. Sorry its specific just need some fluffy fluff.

masterlist

His shoulders reflect his mindset; tense as he bears the stress of his people upon them. He lets out a deep breathe, meaning to calm his doubts but nothing changes. As Bellamy rubs his sleep-deprived eyes, you watch him being weighed down. 

Though peace between the the Grounders and Skaikru has been established after the events of Mount Weather, you can still notice that it isn’t enough for Bell. The concept of peace alongside safety has been so foreign for so long that he has no sense of reassurance that it’s even real.

You watch him as he walks into his tent and you follow. Finding him sitting on his bed with his head in his hands, he looks up with a small smile upon your entrance.

“Hey, Y/N/N.” He smiles, using the nickname he came up with years ago. Bellamy leans back on the bed as you close the tent door, “How are you?”

Raising your eyebrows, you look at him. “Me? What about you?” You respond, looking at the growing bags under his eyes.

Bellamy shrugs, “What about me?”

“You look like you haven’t slept in years.”

Bell lets out a laugh, running his hand through his dark, tousled hair. “It’s nothing.” He lies through his teeth, not wanting to pass the weigh from his broad shoulders to yours, “It’s just my shoulders, they’ve been hurting for a while.”

“Lay down on your stomach.” You tell him, knowing exactly what he needs. He does what you say, smiling to himself at how much you genuinely care for him. The two of you have always been close so giving each other massages and spending quality time together has never been a big deal. “Have you been sleeping?”

“Yes, love.” Bellamy mumbles, closing his eyes as your hands work the knots in his back. 

 The feeling of hearing him using cute nicknames like that isn’t enough to make you feel better about the whole situation. Frowning slightly, you take a seat next to him as you speak, “I’ve heard you wake up and wander around camp each night, Bell.”

Giving you a reassuring smile as he turns to look at you, Bellamy does what he’s best at; acting like he’s fine when he’s not. “You don’t have to worry about me-”

“Yes I do.” You interrupt, giving him an incredulous look. The tension between the two of you has always been there and at the moment it feels extreme, so you find a way to tone it down. “As your best friend it’s my job to look out for you.”

Bellamy gives you a small smile but it doesn’t calm you as he lays back down. “I’ll be alright, Y/N.” He tells you, resting his hand on yours, “I always am.”

With a grave look on your face, you sigh lightly. “You know you can come to me if somethings bothering you. Whenever, however, whatever it is... you can come to me." 

Leaning around to look him in the eyes, you give him a small smile, hoping he listens to your advice. All Bell gives you in return is a single nod, his brown eyes never leaving you.

The night was quiet, the only sound was the unkempt bonfire crackling. Everyone had retired to their respective tents and have fallen asleep. Everyone except one. Bellamy’s eyes were closed but his mind was far from easy.

He’s still, eyebrows furrowing as various images flash behind his eyes - one of his mother’s last moments alive, another of the people in the mountain’s last breathes. 

He feels as though his lungs have stopped working. A feeling of fear creeps into his heart, making him feel cold all over. It shakes him awake.

Calming his breathe, Bellamy sits up slowly with wide eyes. There are tears brimming his eyes and he wishes he could just sleep. That’s all he wants. To just sleep. 

His memories of his mother have never left his head but he hasn’t had nightmares about her death in months. Now it was usually just Mount Weather which was no surprise. What happened in that damn  mountain is something he knows he’ll never forget.

Bellamy’s hands are cold and they shake as he pulls the hot covers off his bare chest. Sitting with his feet on the ground, he runs a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it from out of his face.

He knows where he should go and who he should visit but something keeps him glued to the edge of his bed. With a sigh, he stands and reaches for his sweater. 

You’re the only one who might actually be able to help him. Bell pulls the sweater over his head, knowing that the air outside will be terribly cold. When he steps outside of his tent, he’s met with the warm glow of the fire.

It’s still burning strong despite it keeping no company. He quietly makes his familiar way to his best friends tent, hoping he doesn’t make you upset by waking you.

You’re in bed, warm covers wrapped around you tightly as you breathe easy. The quiet night translates into your dream and you imagine yourself by the fire, the light warming you up gently.

Bell places a hand on your shoulder. His hand has stopped shaking and just being near you makes his mind clear. “Y/N,” he whispers, watching your eyelashes rest against your soft cheeks, “Y/N/N.”

He shakes you slightly, tapping his foot against the floor rapidly. You shoulder is warm and it heats his hand up, sheltering it from the cold outside. Feeling yourself waking up slightly you let out a small yawn, turning to face Bellamy.

Barely being able to see you through the dim light of the fire, he whispers again, not sure if you’re awake or not. “Sweetheart?”

Gasping awake, you open your eyes immediately and see him towering over you. “Oh shit, hi.” You let out a laugh, smiling as you sit up. 

“Sorry.” He laughs back, the weight in his chest lifting upon seeing you happy not angry for being woken. 

“It’s okay, Bell.” You smile even though he can’t possibly see it. Shifting to the side of the bed, you open the covers for him, “Lay down with me.”

He hesitates, feeling his heart quicken as he blushes. “Are you sure?” He mutters bashfully, “I don’t want to keep you up.”

You chuckle lightly, smiling to yourself, “Just come here, I bet you’re freezing.” 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, you feel a dip in the bed as Bellamy lays down beside you. “Thank you.” He says quietly, lifting the covers so they’re over your shoulder. 

“It’s alright. I always have time for you." You wonder out loud, feeling as though you’re talking to the darkness. If it weren’t for his cold hand on your waist and his quiet breathe on your forehead, you wouldn’t know he was even there. 

“Mm, you do.” Bellamy hums, his thumb tracing shapes into your warm skin. It makes you feel extremely tired but you enjoy every second of it. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

You frown slightly, resting your head upon his broad chest. “Don’t say that,” you remark slightly tiredly, “you know how great I think you are, Bell.”

“Yeah,” he replies, “I still can’t stop thinking about Mount Weather though.”

Looking up, you move back so you’re not resting on your pillow that you share with him. Through the dark you can see the reflection of light in his glossy eyes. He looks right back at you.

“Is that why you’re awake?” You wonder, your eyes adjusting to the pitch black of your tent. 

“Yeah.” Bellamy nods in distress, his eyes leaving yours as he turns to lay flat on his back. “I keep trying to get it out of my head but I can’t.” 

Noticing the frustrated tone in his voice, you sit up to lean on your elbow as you look down at him. “Bell, that’s completely understandable. What happened in Mount Weather was terrible, no doubt. Don’t blame yourself for not being able to just let it go. And more importantly, don’t blame yourself for what happened.”

“How?” He replies, feeling tears build up in his eyes. “It was my fault, Y/N.”

“Fault?” You repeat, the word filling you with a sense of distaste, “Bellamy, you have no faults.”

Looking to you, Bellamy’s brown eyes are wide as he sits up. The chill from the air nips at his arms but he doesn’t care. He watches you. “Y/N, you can’t-”

“You don’t. I would know. I’ve been your closest friend for so long.” You go on a rant, your voice rising just above a whisper. “Every single day you do what you believe is right. Every single day you’re the person who puts their life at risk just to get a chance of saving everybody elses.”

“What I believe is right thing isn’t always right.” He sounds defeated, not caring about the cold that covers him instead of blankets.

“And you can’t hate yourself for that.” You conclude his sentence, placing a hand on his. “Bellamy,” you smile, looking down at him with the utmost admiration. You’re letting your true feelings come out and you begin to feel free. “You deserve the entire world and more. And I hope one day you find someone who’ll give that to you.”

It only takes a pause in Bellamy’s mind for him to decide and realise something. His first realisation is that despite the friendship the two of you have, you care for him. Of course you do. How could he have been so blind? 

Every late night watching the moon in the dark blue sky, time spent under the warm yellow sun, whenever you would insist on spending time with him, the jokes you both tell to make one another laugh, the shared numbness of diving into the ocean together for the first time ever.

It all adds up. Bellamy just realises it now, in the span of half a second. And he makes his decision. 

“I think I’ve found that person.” He replies. And then Bellamy kisses you. He just leans forward, unafraid and courageous, and plants his lips on yours.

It only lasts the fraction of a second because when you realise what he did, you pull back. Your eyes are wide and in shock as you watch him, your chest heaving slightly. 

A smile etches itself onto your lips and you place both hands on either side of his cheeks, leaning forward and connecting your lips to his. They’re thick and soft against your own and it feels as though you’re kissing the dark itself. 

Bell’s hand on your waist tightens as he moves closer to you, pushing so you’re back is flat against the bed. The two of you have never felt anything so right before this.

The kiss is sweet yet full of passion and you feel him smiling into it, which in turn makes you smile back. Be pulls back, hovering over you as he just watches you with a big smile. 

His dark, curly hair falls in his face as he presses his lips to your forehead for a few seconds. “I could stay like this forever.” You mutter, closing your eyes in pleasure.

He lets out a laugh and it makes your heart melt. He’s so precious. His laugh is so precious too. “So could I.” He admits, pressing yet another kiss to your cheek in adoration. Moving down to your neck, he then places more gentle pecks to your skin, “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.”

Placing your hand in his soft hair, you play with it as he settles to hover over you. “Why didn’t you?” You wonder, watching at how the light from outside shines on the side of his face, illuminating up his happy features.

He smiles, shaking his head slightly. “We were best friends.”

“We always will be,” you reply honestly, knowing nothing can ever tear the two of you apart.

“I’m lucky to have you, Y/N/N.” Bellamy admits and he can’t help but shift closer to you, wrapping his arms around you tightly, “And now that I do, I’m never letting you go.”

[davidcarner]

Sarah vs The Life Unexpected Ch 19, May Days

A/N: Again, thank you for the love. I hope you enjoy Ch 19, May Days

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but I did perform I've Never Seen a Purple Cow,

"You probably shouldn't play that game, it's very violent," Molly said. Chuck just turned and looked at her.

"My former girlfriend and your mother, have teamed up against me," Chuck answered. "What do you think I should do?"

"Uncle Casey says Johnny Walker Black solves a lot of problems," Molly answered shrugging. Chuck blinked a few times. "Don't worry, I haven't drank any."

"Does this game bother you?" Chuck asked.

"Nope, it's a video game. I get why it might some kids, but not me," she said. Chuck leaned over.

"You terrify me a little," Chuck whispered. Molly leaned over and grabbed his face with her hands.

"Mommy tells me the same thing," Molly whispered back.

"That's kinda impressive, given all she's done in her life," Chuck admitted, his face scrunched in her hands.

"Molly, quit scaring your father," Sarah said, with a smirk on her face walking into the living room. They both watched her walk in and sit in the chair.

"How does she do that?" Molly asked.

"You mean walk in a room, dressed in normal clothes, but take my breath away from being more beautiful on the inside than on the outside, and she's already gorgeous on the outside? Chuck asked, face still squashed. Molly stared at him.

"What did you do wrong this time?" she asked. Sarah was trying to recover from Chuck's comment and not laugh all at the same time. Clara got up off the ground, walked over, unsteadily, and tried to squash Molly's face the same way.

"Why did I have to do something wrong?" Chuck asked. "Or are you trying to get something?"

"You're the one saying all those nice things," Molly countered her face squashed as well. Chuck gently did Clara's face the same as Molly's and Chuck's and Clara began to laugh.

"I'm just telling the truth," Chuck said. "I got lucky enough to marry a real life angel."

"You definitely did something wrong," Molly replied.

"Bad Dada!" Clara said. There was a knock on the door at that point.

"Since you three are tied up, I'll get it," Sarah said. Chuck heard the door open, and Sarah make a surprised noise. He looked up and saw Bryce come in. Clara took her hands off of Molly, and Chuck took his hands off of Clara's cheeks.

"Retty man," she said to her sister.

"If you're in to that sort of thing," Molly said to her, letting go of Chuck. Sarah winked at Chuck.

"Wow, Bryce getting shot down by five year olds," Sarah said.

"I'll be six soon," Molly answered, haughtily. Chuck nodded, "there you go" at that one.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Bryce said looking uncertain. "I kinda need some advice." Chuck gave Bryce a look and nodded to the couch.

"I'm going to take Clara and go play," Molly announced. She turned to Bryce. "I apologize, you are nice looking, but it takes more than a pretty face to win my love," and with that, she was gone. Bryce looked over at Chuck, who shrugged. Bryce pointed toward the other controller, Chuck nodded, and the two men played in silence for a few minutes.

"Bryce Larkin, you're scared," Sarah said softly after a few minutes. Chuck paused the game and looked over at Bryce who was staring at the floor.

"I'm a spy," Bryce said quietly. "I do the job, I'm not supposed to have anyone, especially not someone who isn't a spy."

"Spies don't fall in love," Sarah replied. Bryce nodded. Chuck looked at Sarah his eyebrow furrowed. "Sex, that's fine, love…that's bad." Bryce nodded again.

"So what do you do when you find someone you're in love with?" Bryce asked.

"You get them away from you," Sarah answered. "You set them up with someone who'll take care of them." Sarah looked at Chuck. Chuck looked over at Bryce in shock.

"What do you do when she's made your asset?" Bryce asked.

"You get reassigned," Sarah answered. Bryce shook his head.

"What if you told them you were compromised and your boss doesn't care?" Bryce asked finally looking at Sarah.

"What exactly did she say?" Sarah asked.

"That I do the job and do not show my feelings," Bryce answered. "That I do not act on them. Because as long as I do not act, I am not compromised," he answered. Chuck's face was hardening.

"Then you don't have a lot of choice do you," Sarah said softly.

"How does she feel about it?" Chuck asked, his voice hoarse.

"I have no idea because I've never got the chance to find out," Bryce admitted. Chuck got up and left the room. Bryce looked over at Sarah, who was leaned back in her chair. A grin was covering her face.

"What would you do if you could find out?" Sarah asked. Bryce shrugged.

"I have no idea because I know I'm not allowed so I never thought about it," he answered honestly. Sarah's grin broke into a full fledge smile.

"You better figure something out then, because I think you may get your chance," Sarah said, watching Chuck walk back into the room. He had a determined look on his face. "Have you thought this all the way through?" she asked. He nodded. "Then run with it."

"You sure?" he asked. "Some of it will affect you." She stood up, wrapped his arms around him, and kissed him. Colors melted, sounds exploded, the world tilted, and Chuck would have fallen if Sarah hadn't been holding him. She pulled away grinning at him.

"You still haven't figured it out yet," she said softly. "I'm all in. Everything you do affects me, and hopefully everything I do affects you. I trust you in this."

"AHEM!" came the loud voice from the TV screen. Bryce jumped up, but Chuck looked at the general, leaned down and gave Sarah a peck on the lips. He then looked back up at her.

"Can I help you with something?" Chuck asked. Beckman looked furious.

"Why are all my computers frozen Mr. Bartowski?" Beckman asked in a growl.

"Oh, I did that," he said, planting another soft kiss on Sarah's lips. Sarah giggled, knowing they were gonna pay, but she didn't care.

"BARTOWSKI!" she roared.

"What?" he spat at her with venom. He let Sarah go and walked toward the TV, the general in shock. "Did I inconvenience you? Did I mess up your life? Did I stop you from getting something you wanted done? Did I tell you who you can and cannot love?"

"Now see here-" she began, smoke coming from out of her collar.

"No, you listen," Chuck said, ignoring her.

"BARTOWSKI!" she screamed. Chuck went over and unplugged the TV. Sarah's mouth dropped open and Bryce looked like he might faint. He looked over at Sarah.

"The best thing to do when a child throws a temper tantrum is to ignore them," Chuck said sagely. He calmly plugged the TV back in, went and sat down on the couch. Sarah sat in her chair, Bryce stood there shell shocked. The TV flashed back on and this time she sat there, breathing loudly, but a distinguished gentleman stood behind her, smirking.

"Ah, Charles," he said smiling. "So you're the one who made Diane blow."

"ROAN!" she yelled. The man she called Roan placed a hand over hers. She seemed to calm down.

"I believe you had something you wanted to discuss, Charles?" Roan asked.

"Yes, sir," Chuck began.

"Agent Montgomery, Charles, or Roan if you will," he replied.

"Roan, has anyone stopped for a second and thought there is some merit for why this other faction even exists?" Chuck asked. Roan straightened, put his left arm down, cupping his right elbow, with two fingers from his right hand on the side of his face, intrigued and grinning.

"Please, do go on, Charles," Roan said.

"You've got people turning against the alphabet agencies, for what they're calling the greater good. Well no wonder they are, and no wonder you're losing. They've become cold, heartless, all because you have the dumbest rule in the world, 'Spies don't fall in love'." Chuck just stared at the two in the monitor.

"Don't stop, Charles, I think you're on to something," Roan said. Beckman was slow boiling, but quiet.

"People fall in love," Chuck said. "People fall out of love. Robots don't fall in love, and robots don't have something to fight for." Roan raised an eyebrow, the grin now a smile. "I don't know much about spying, but I know this, if you sent someone to take me, or either of my girls, than a certain former spy would move heaven and hell to find me."

"Giant blonde she-male," Roan said softly. Sarah grinned.

"You want our help?" Chuck asked. Roan nodded. Beckman never moved. Chuck just stood there. She nodded. "Isn't that against the rules?" Sarah turned away before she laughed out loud. "We can hide Jill, we change her last name, and hide her in our company. We help Bryce, we give him back-up as we can, we are his civilian assistants, and no one is the wiser. You defeat FULCRUM, and you let Bryce have whatever love life he wants or doesn't want."

"A partner would help," Bryce added. Chuck looked at him. "Not you, buddy, or anyone at Carmichael, just a partner in general."

"There's no one we can trust," Beckman said.

"There's someone I trust," Sarah replied. The General looked at her.

"She's CIA," Beckman said. Sarah bounced a shoulder.

"All you can do is ask," Sarah offered.

"If I do this, will you give me back control of my office?" Beckman asked, trying not to stay angry.

"If I do, will you agree to at least listen to us, since you're in unchartered territory?" Chuck asked. Beckman sighed, losing a little of her anger.

"You're right, Chuck," Beckman said. Even Roan was impressed with that. "We are losing. This is very unorthodox, but so is a civilian taking out my computer system. I will leave you a contact number where you can reach me. Never, do that again."

"I didn't want to, General, I just had to get your attention. I do apologize," Chuck said apologetically and truthfully. Chuck pulled up his phone, hit a button, and she had control back of her computer. Beckman gave him a long look.

"One day, we should have a talk about things," she said. With that Beckman signed off. Bryce grabbed Chuck.

"Don't EVER do that again!" Bryce screamed. Sarah was confused. "Dude, you have no idea how close they came to recruiting you back in the day."

"So?" Chuck replied.

"What if they decide to pull you in?" Bryce asked. Sarah stood up and stood beside Chuck, her arm around him.

"Let them try," she said, looking straight at Bryce. Bryce stared at her for a second. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Sarah," he began quietly. He looked at her for a long second. "I swear to God, if you're playing him…" he couldn't finish. Sarah smiled.

"I'm not," she said. Bryce just stared at her. "Besides, if they tried to take him, I don't think it would just be me, Casey, and Carina trying to save him, would it?" Bryce didn't answer for a second. He looked over at Chuck who was grinning at him.

"Welcome home, Bryce," Chuck said. Bryce shook his head, and backhanded him in the stomach. Sarah let go, and the two roughhoused for a minute, like it was Stanford all over again. "How do I do it?" he asked softly.

"Just be yourself, Bryce, if she doesn't want you for you, then it's not meant to be," Chuck replied. Sarah nodded. Bryce started to leave, but paused at the door.

"I never thought I'd see this day," he said at the door, grinning. He left, and Chuck found himself holding Sarah.

"Zondra?" he asked softly. Sarah shrugged.

"You got your friend back, maybe I want mine," she said softly. Chuck kissed the top of her forehead.

"I think that would be great, but are you sure she won't kill Bryce?" Chuck asked. Sarah shrugged and grinned into his chest. Chuck began to laugh out loud.

}o{

Preschool graduation was Friday, and everyone from Carmichael Industries was there, including Bryce. During the ceremony, the children did different skits, recited things they learned, and sang songs. At one point Chuck asked Sarah if one of the children looked a little green for a lack of a way to describe the child. Sarah whispered back that the child had told their parents earlier she didn't feel good. Chuck had a bad feeling.

His feeling got worse when he saw Molly and Jerry leave the group that was set up on bleachers to form a chorus to go stand in front of the microphone on the opposite side of the room. The other children had finished the song, and Molly and Jerry were supposed to recite I've Never Seen a Purple Cow. There were three tiers of bleachers and the child that looked a little green was on the top row. Just as Molly began to speak, it happened. The child that looked green projectile vomited all over the kids in front of her. The child beside her jumped away, landing on another child's foot, which caused that on to punch the jumper in the eye. Chaos erupted, and the teachers scrambled to resolve things, not thinking Mrs. Wood yelled over to Jerry and Molly.

"Tell them what you've learned!" Mrs. Wood said. Jerry grabbed the mike. Chuck blinked, knowing what was coming.

"When a mommy and a daddy love each other, they get married and go on a oneymoon and call the stork, unless you take a special pill and then you can call a whole bunch of times…" Jerry began. His parents turned white, and his mother passed out on the floor.

"I knew I should have brought my knives," Sarah muttered. Casey and Carina were beside themselves laughing.

}o{

Two days later, Sarah awoke to find Chuck not in bed.

"Mama!" a voice called to her. She opened one eye and smiled at Clara who was sitting on the bed. "Hap Mama day!" she said.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" Molly yelled, bringing a tray into the room. Sarah sat up, a little surprised. She had forgotten it was Mother's Day. Clara handed her the small package she was holding.

"Is this for me?" she asked.

"Yep, for Mama," Clara said. She tried to help Sarah open it. It took a few seconds but they got it unwrapped. Sarah felt tears come to her eyes.

"Are these your handprints?" Sarah asked, looking at gift in her hand. She looked up at Chuck.

"Don't look at me, they did that at preschool, and I was under orders from the General not to say anything," he said. Clara wrapped her arms around Sarah's neck. Tears were in Chuck's eyes as well.

"I made breakfast, Mommy," Molly said. Sarah looked at Chuck.

"She made pancakes," Chuck said, winking. Sarah grinned. "I tried to get them to let me take them shopping but they both wanted to give you stuff they made."

"Well, they know it's made with love, and I prefer that," Sarah said, hugging both her girls.

"Then I'll just return my gift, and find a stick out in the yard and carve something with it," Chuck said grinning, and dodging the pillow thrown at him.

"Why did you get me something?" Sarah asked. Chuck handed her the small box. She opened it, it was a charm for the bracelet. She looked at Chuck, who looked very unsure of himself.

"I, uh," he stammered.

"It's perfect," she said softly. "And, so are all of you. Come here." Chuck sat on the bed with the three, and Sarah wrapped her arms around all three of them.

"Ever figure out what you're going to do with me?" he asked. Sarah grinned.

"Yeah," she replied. "Love, and cherish each moment."

"Walker!" they heard from downstairs. Sarah looked at Chuck, her eyes wide. Chuck grinned.

"Maybe we have one more surprise, not that we planned it for Mother's Day, but it worked out," Chuck said. "Go." Sarah scrambled off the bed and ran to the stairs, and looked down. There was Carina and Zondra.

"You're right Carina," Zondra said grinning. "She's only missing footy pajamas."

"I've got a pair," Sarah said haughtily. She sprinted down the stairs, and caught Zondra in a hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I'm not," Zondra said, grinning. Sarah pushed her away playfully. "Now go eat your breakfast your daughter made." Sarah turned and saw Chuck bringing it down. "Not bad, cute, and you have him trained."

"You should see the tricks he knows," Sarah replied. Zondra turned and looked at Sarah.

"Keep it in your pants, Walker," Casey said, sitting at the table. Sarah had missed him in her exuberance.

"Are you joining Bryce?" Sarah asked. Zondra nodded.

"We good?" Zondra asked. Sarah nodded. Carina came between them and threw one arm over Sarah, and one of Zondra.

"You know," Carina began.

"I'm not in the field anymore," Sarah said.

"We can still hit the club," Carina suggested.

"Shopping?" Sarah offered. Carina's eyes lit up.

"Casey want to stay and help me babysit?" Chuck offered. "I have Johnny Walker." Casey grunted in acceptance. The group had breakfast and the three ladies left for a shopping spree.

"Bartowski, I heard about what you did for Larkin," Casey said after they had left. "You didn't have to."

"Sarah didn't have to bring you in, or Carina," Chuck said, shrugging. "I told you, I don't leave my friends behind."

"You may have involved yourself more," Casey countered. Chuck grinned at Casey.

"And if they come after me?" Chuck asked. Casey grinned, a scary sight.

"My itchy finger will be waiting for them."

A/N: I was on the bottom row below a girl that was a little green during a presentation once….Next time, we begin a mission, or two. Sorry for the short chapter, but anything else seemed forced. See you soon.

DC