#and boston is soooo pretty i loved it when i went
Text
Rahhhh I wanna do something very specific and can only live in like 5 places to do that in the US and don't rlly want to live in texas (government is... hm.) or California (scary the opposite way also hella expensive tmk). But then I have to live where it snows and I've never lived with snow guys idk 😭😭😭
#me overthinking descions that may never even happen#anyway#one of the locations is boston#and boston is soooo pretty i loved it when i went#nightjay blogging
0 notes
Note
I WANT TO HEAR YOUR AMBER LORE SOOOO BAD. she is my everything i agree with all of your takes on her so so so hard you put it into words
i was definitely exaggerating when i said Amber Lore but i do think abt her past a lot....most of it is related to her upbringing (shocking in the show where absolutely everyone has smthing going on w their family) AND her being a lesbian because lesbian amber is so real to me. this is very messy and barely coherent but. you asked so you shall receive. under the cut though bc its like. a lot
born and raised in boston (thanks mrs. dunnek for being born there) by her mom, really good relationship with her but they didn’t /see/ each other too often bc mamalakis worked a pretty demanding corporate job (she is just as ambitious as amber, yeah, except she worries about how others see her quite more, aka she Will play nice to get what she needs) so amber was by herself a lot since a very young age. she has no siblings and no connection with her immediate or extended family (neither from her mom’s or dad’s side, dad’s mostly because he was never in the picture)
her mom being a very successful and hard-working woman certainly made amber internalize lots of stuff and add lots of expectations to what shes supposed to be slash what shes supposed to do and mamalakis was never demanding or strict w amber but amber 100% was with herself and she was definitely one of those kids who cried and threw up when they didnt get perfect marks LOL
she has always been very blunt + obsessed with being right + smarter than anyone else so she was pretty much by herself even outside of her home but she spent a lot of the time in the local library. she read pretty much everything available and the only ones that didnt bore her were medical books (i can perfectly imagine a little amber liking how grotesque some of the graphics/pictures were lol…my princess)
adding onto the ‘mostly by herself thing’ she pretty much did not have friends for most of her childhood/teenhood but she had a small group of girls she used to hang out and go shopping with during hs, they were all pretty fake and disliked each other though. amber knew that but she didnt care, she just took advantage of it so she at least had someone to drag with her when there were group projects and stuff (if she was going to be gifting away perfect marks she would much rather it be a known evil, you know)
she did her undergrad, premed, um whatever its called in boston uni. last time i did research i settled on biomed, i think? but i could also see her pursuing something in the psychology field…
in uni is when she deliberately started trying to get boyfriends and stuff, even if she knew she didnt need a boyfriend or anything bc her mom didnt have one and she was fine but she still went out of her way to date like every boy out there. just to feel something and like prove herself she could, and maybe just become the image of the perfect daughter her mom deserves (the one who her mom definitely would never push her to become but rather the one amber made in head. she really put her mom on a pedestal A Lot) she didnt like any of the guys she dated though, and most of them werent very Nice either (plays the love and respect scene over and over in my brain) but she just shrugged it off at the fact that maybe relationships just werent for her
but she was like Very Wrong bc while she was out there having meaningless relationships w guys she was growing closer with her roommate lol…who was pretty much her first Real friend and whom she didnt get along very well at first bc she slacked off a lot and was constantly asking for her help but she was also very sweet, had a nice smile and took care of amber whenever she was sick (which was a lot, i think she has seasonal allergies and gets lots of colds) also completely unrelated but she did have brown hair and dark brown eyes :) (you see where this is going) they never dated although her roommate definitely liked her that way but also comphet is a bitch and when amber realized she might actually want to pursue something w her she started dating even More Guys and started avoiding her roommate and everything. she realized somewhere along the 3rd year or so of being roommates (they stuck together even after their freshman year, yeah <3) that she liked her but it wasnt until her last year there that her roommate confronted her about it and it was a whole fight and everything. amber might or might not have said that their friendship would never last bc she didnt want distractions once she started med school and...it was Bad. after that amber stopped dating altogether up until…you know who. absolutely not a coincidence she ended with the one guy who is absolutely repressed and dealing with the comphet demons too (i do think they loved each other though, as much as they could. but they were both trying to fill the gap of the one thing they could never have. and as i have said lesbians and gay men will always literally go and have the most tragic romances in TV)
and. well. after that it pretty much went downhill for my princess. she moved to missouri for med school (canonically WUSM!) and…her mom died, car accident, um. the narratives im so sorry. it was Bad she struggled a lot and she was now by herself for sure but she worked her ass off to get her degree because she knew her mom wouldnt have wanted to see her giving up. then she moved to NJ to do her residencies (a little closer to what she used to call home, but not close enough to make her depressed) and then pretty much what happens in the show :-)
in a happier timeline she comes to terms w her sexuality and tries to connect w her old roommate again and she is like head of radiology in some prestigious hospital. or maybe head of the second diagnostics department to ever exist. she deserves it.
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
♥ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙖𝙙𝙝𝙮𝙖 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨 ♥
Hi! My name's Aadhya, and this is my blog, Books, Tea, and Crying. Why? Well, despite what my reading schedule looks like (I HATE YOU BUSY SCHEDULE AND HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATIONS) I love to read. I also like tea. Specifically Darjeeling and Matcha. Crying is because, while I don't cry at books, I cry astonishingly often and am quite sensitive to certain people. That being said, I handle constructive criticism well so please PLEASE drop feedback for me during my pics. Highly needed and loved <3. Oh! I'm like 75% I was queer. I went through this whole phase of, "man I'm pretty sure I'm straight" through year 7, but then I visited 6 Ballygunge Place in Kolkata (it's in Salt Lake HIGHLY recommend going there) and pretty Indian women were my queer awakening pt. 2. Idk what I am, but I'll figure it out eventually. Also an IB student, HUGE MUN STUDENT I'M SO DAMN HAPPY WITH MUN JKLSJFLKSDJFLKDS, and debate kid!
Fandoms:
Harry Potter: Marauders Era (screw JKR)
Percy Jackson
Six of Crows (Zoyalai and Kanej are my favorites)
This is going to sound odd as hell, but Kalidasa (Ritusaram is my favorite, partially cause it sounds sapphic even though it was written by a man)
Should be clear to note, my hyper fixations change VERYYYY quickly. So. Be warned.
Things I like
Reading
Music: Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Conan Gray, Queen, When Chai Met Toast, Stephen Sanchez, Lord Huron, Lin Manuel Miranda, Dean Lewis, Goo Goo Dolls, Harry Styles, DOJA CAT
My cousin, @poeticosmos y'all she's the best person in the world (save Le Light)
studying (ONLY THINGS I LIKE)
History
Languages
Bengali is my mother tongue, but I was born and am being raised in dear ol' United States. (my love, Boston)
English. Pretty Obvious.
Y'all I may pretend to understand Hindi, but I only understand about 40% of what you're trying to tell me soooo
I'm learning Latin (Gold Medal on the Intro to Latin Exam, if you have any tips for Beginning Latin pls interact!)
Please don't interact if you're transphobic, homophobic, biphobic, racist, and most of all (I may not be muslim but this ticks me the HELL off) Islamaphobic. My love to everyone else tho <3!
#bengali#india#desiblr#booksteaandcrying#books#human rights#lesbian#bisexual#pansexual#queer#latin#transphobia#homophobia#biphobia#islamaphobia#islam#Olivia rodrigo#united states#Taylor swift#conan gray#queen#when chai met toast#Stephen sanchez#lord huron#lin manuel miranda#dean lewis#goo goo dolls#harry styles#doja cat#six of crows
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
The long awaited proposal story!
so monday august 8th 2022 was the five year anniversary of our first date. i had told A a few months ago that there was a moment on that first date as we were walking along the bike path that i looked up at him and had the thought "i'm going to marry this man". at the time, i thought it was pretty ridiculous. we had met online and this was only our first date! later, when we broke up, i thought my intuition was wrong. little did i know...
A wanted to recreate our first date, i.e. ice cream at a great local shop and then a walk along the bike path in davis square. he made dinner reservations for 5:30pm which i thought was a little weird since it was so early, but we had also had a long and busy weekend so i didn't think too much of it. we had yummy wood fired pizza and played word games (what am i thinking, wrench or rabbit, target!!). at one point, he took out his phone and looked at it. he suddenly seemed a little impatient and hurried. i was wondering if he got some bad news or something, but he didn't elaborate. it's weird bc he really doesn't look at his phone when he's with me. he's not addicted to it like i am!
we went for ice cream probably by 6:30 lol and we decided to get milkshakes that we could take with us on the walk. it was fucking HOT and humid, my least favorite type of weather, and i almost wanted to ask A if we could skip the walk and go home instead, but i thought it was sweet and nostalgic to recreate the date, so i sucked it up. at one point, i saw a photographer on the side of the path, taking a picture of some plants. i remember thinking wow that's a really nice camera. why did she come here to take pictures? lol. then A told me to give him my milkshake. i was like why?? i'm not done with it! but he took it, set them down on the ground, turned around to face me, and then got down on one knee. i don't remember everything about what he said bc i was just so happy and in shock, but i remember it was lovely and sounded like a poem. he has such a way with words!
i cried and said yes obvi and we kissed and then he pointed out the photographer and was like "so that's nina" and she waved and we all laughed a little. the early reservation was due to the fact that she wanted the pictures to be around 6:30pm so we could get the golden hour lighting. we had some extra time, so we did a few more shots. everyone on the bike path was super respectful and went out of the way to make sure they weren't in the picture. nina was saying she does shoots in boston common and people just walk right through the path of the camera lol so it was nice people were respectful! i genuinely did not notice a single thing around us once he got on one knee so i have no idea how many people there were and if they were watching, but A was really the only person who existed at that moment!
we walked back to the car and i called my mom and she put me on speakerphone (she was with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my younger brother) and everyone was screaming and so excited. i was saying to A that i just wanted to yell it from the rooftops and tell every stranger i saw that we just got engaged. we stopped at a 7/11 briefly to grab some drinks (rip our milkshakes) and A went up to the cashier (an older indian woman) and said "guess what? we just got engaged!" and her whole face lit up and she said that it was the day of the lions gate portal, which apparently is an astrological event where certain constellations and planets line up or something? but it's a huge event for manifesting what you want in life. AND august 8th was also international cat day!!! so i feel like both of those were good luck hehe.
two days later, we flew to seattle and when we got to my parent's house, there was a surprise engagement party! my best friend was there along with several family friends and my parents. my mom got me a barbie cake that was custom made including a sharpied rose sleeve tattoo!! i felt soooo special and loved and happy. everyone was so excited to meet/spend time with A and i'm so glad he got to meet some of these really important people in my life.
ever since the proposal, almost everyone asks when the wedding will be and i'm like idk!!! literally the day of the engagement i was asked this and i'm like i don't even feel like this is real yet!!! but then i realized i've totally been guilty of that when hearing about friends' engagements. we're probably thinking about two years from now, but not totally sure. i would love to do it near seattle in the summer, but next summer would mean a lot of wedding planning during grad school and i just don't want to deal with that. my mom already has a venue in mind lolol and she's like we should get on it for september 2024 (!!!!!!). crazy. it's gonna be a whirlwind but i am so goddamn happy.
37 notes
·
View notes
Text
Home sweet home
It feels soooo good to finally be settled and not be living out of suitcases. We moved into our house in mid-October after 2 months of temporary living and absolutely love the house and the neighborhood.
We promised Kai two things (in addition to sloths 😉) when we moved…that our house would have a pool and that she would be able to ride her bike in our neighborhood…check and check! It’s also a great neighborhood for Rick and I to run and for me to get a flat bike ride in (I’ve made the mistake of adventuring out on my bike without checking elevation and was quickly reminded that we live in the mountains 😬).
So we have had a fun couple months getting settled into daily life…
Hiking nearby:
Cute events at Kai’s school like UN day where the kids could dress up like the country they are from (Kai picked the Philippines) and Halloween trick or treat.
Our neighborhood trick or treat was pretty impressive too! Tons of kids and some houses went all out with the decorating!
Grandma came to visit too! Which was super helpful since I headed to Cincinnati for a work trip right as our sea container of furniture/boxes arrived from Boston. Rick swears I planned it that way…but I promise my planning isn’t that good. 😉 Thanks honey…the unpacked/organized house looks amazing!
We did repack the suitcases for our annual Thanksgiving trip with great friends to the Turks and Caicos. Totally worth it! Kai even cliff jumped! 😳
Just last week Kai and I did our first races in Costa Rica…5k for me and 1K for Kai. So much fun! Snow machine at the start and tamales at the finish…a first for me!
As we rode bikes around the neighborhood that night, Kai said “Mommy, it’s been a tough year…moving countries, making new friends…but today was a good day. We’re figuring it out.”
And we are…figuring it out and it’s good. ☺️ My parents arrive this week for our first Christmas in Costa Rica. Cheers to a tropical Christmas in our home sweet home. ❤️
1 note
·
View note
Text
J. Vesey - I've built my dreams around you
A/N: This was re quested by an Anon from the holiday prompts list! Jimmy my love Vesey - “You didn’t have to get me anything.” I love that everyone knows my faves. Please come to me for all of your Jimmy fic needs. I live for this.
"It's perfect," Brady beams up at the sales woman who is currently holding a small velvet black box in front of him, slowly rocking it so the diamond inside catches the light and refracts back at him
"What do you think Vese?" Jimmy thinks a lot of things. He thinks that's a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a ring, thinks Brady's girl is going to faint when she sees it, and he thinks he is a little jealous he isn't in Brady's shoes at this point in his life.
"She's going to love it, man." Jimmy claps his friend on the back and politely looks away at another display case while Brady allows the woman to charge a small fortune to his credit card.
He sees it then, a delicate necklace with a four leaf clover hanging off of the chain. He thinks about (Y/n), his neighbor.
They grew up joined at the hip, reading Harry Potter with a flashlight in a tent in his yard, or in a sleeping bag in her basement if the weather wasn't permitting. Before that they practiced reading out loud The Magic Treehouse, carted off to places they could only dream of with Jack and Annie. Jimmy remembers how much her shy stutter abated as they read to each other, helping sound out words neither of them were too sure of.
They used to talk about travelling abroad when they graduated high school. First stop: Ireland, get in touch with their celtic roots and share a pint of Guinness. Then she got a boyfriend, and then they went to college, and then he was drafted, and everything just kind of got pushed back over and over and over again.
She's his person, if he's honest; texts him before and after every game, Snapchats him stupid ugly faces, and showed up as a surprise in Buffalo when he got traded to help him find a new place. All the while she was with her boyfriend from high school, Rich.
Rich was a nice guy, Jimmy has no problem admitting that. He also has no problem admitting that he finally got his head out of his ass when he graduated and realized he was head over heels with (y/n). It was too late by the time he realized it, so they were friends, he went to their apartment warming and brought a nice set of champagne flutes and a pretty redhead so everyone knew he was doing okay and not pining over his best friend. His relationship with Sarah, the aforementioned redhead, didn’t pan out, but (y/n) stayed with Rich year in and year out.
Until she didn’t.
She called him drunk as a skunk from her apartment in Boston. He was on an away stretch on the west coast and he couldn’t get back to be there for her, he would have liked to. She cried and cried and told him it was okay, they just wanted different things and he was taking a job in LA and she refused to move so far from her family. Jimmy facetimed her every night until she stopped crying herself to sleep.
Jimmy is a lot of things, he’s smart, and he’s calm, and he’s calculated, but he is not an idiot. So, after her grieving period ended, nearly a year later, and she went through two small rebounds, he knew he needed to nut up and talk about his feelings. So, he planned.
He thought that might be easier on neutral ground, so he finally booked that trip to Ireland. He’s not really one for grand gestures, but it took more than a little legwork. Between calling her brother to get her passport information and coordinating her days off at work through various emails with her boss, he felt he had put in enough effort to at least convince her to hear him out without laughing him all the way back across the Atlantic.
Brady steps up behind him at the glass. “That’s pretty, Vese. For (y/n)?” Jimmy supposes jewelry has never made a woman unhappy before, so he hands over his credit card to the same sales woman, who looks delighted, probably at the prospect of her commission.
They’re doing dinner. It was her idea. The apartment is all hers now, so she put up a tree and decorated it while he watched on facetime, and she begged him to visit when came home for Christmas, as if he wasn’t planning on it already.
So it’s over a hot plate of chicken parmigiana and shared stories of their time spent apart that he feels bolstered. He slides the box out of his jacket that’s slung over the back of his chair while she's refilling their wine glasses. He takes a moment to watch her while she’s oblivious to his gaze and he knows he’s doing the right thing. His heart is so full and he can’t imagine his life without her in it, can’t imagine her with someone else.
The box slides softly across the table as she re-corks the bottle. When she catches a glimpse of it she smiles, corner of her mouth ticking up infinitesimally, "You didn’t have to get me anything. That's not why I invited you here."
"I know," he shrugs, "just open it?" She nods and pops open the long black box, and her eyes open a little wider.
"I love it." She's instantly trying to get it clasped behind her neck. "Need a good luck charm these days. You really didn't have to, but I like it soooo, it's mine now."
She closes the box and he could just end it here. Play it safe. But he knows he'd never be able to live with himself if he did.
"Look underneath? There's a part 2." Her eyebrows furrow together and she pops the box back open, lifting the felt the necklace was on. She sees the paper and places it gently on the table, closing the box and pushing it to the side.
"What is all this?" She opens the paper with nimble fingers and he watches as her eyes map the flight itinerary he printed.
"Jimmy," she whispers it out before she even looks up and he's worried, heart kicking up violently against his ribcage.
"Are you… is this." She looks at him with her head tipped to the side, eyes burrowing into his soul. "Are we finally doing this?" Is the question she finally lands on after a few seconds of soft silence passes between them.
"I figured we waited long enough," she looks pleased so he thinks he's in the clear and carries on, "finally kiss the Blarney Stone?"
Her face drops a little and he's feeling white hot anxiety through his body. She squirms uncomfortably in her seat, opening her mouth and closing it before speaking three times before she finally spits out, "That's not the 'this' I was referring to."
She reaches her hand across the table and places it palm up.
He scrutinizes her face for what feels like an eternity, but he sees no cracks of insincerity, so he grabs her outstretched hand with his own.
"We've waited long enough for that, too."
#writing#jimmy vesey imagine#jimmy vesey fic#buffalo sabres imagine#buffalo sabres fic#hockey imagine#hockey fic#nhl imagine#nhl fic#holiday blurbs#christmas fic
170 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Wolf
AN: This is the first fic in the Dragon’s Mate series. Series needs a new name though as I re-do the fic.
------
I sat in my office as I began writing my report for our last investigation. I played with my quill as I finished the report with a sigh. I looked back to the letters that were delivered to me days prior from me getting back to the office. One from my mom telling me about her and dad’s latest adventures; Chiara with her updates about her life and Talbott finally proposing and even one from Ben who has been very quiet these last few years. I looked at the photo from our sixth year. Everyone was happy, playing in the snow, and even some stolen kisses underneath the mistletoe. The memories flooded back to me like a stab in the heart. Penny and Bea’s falling out. Mine and Barnaby’s break up. Finding R and my brother. Rowan….. I sighed and thought back to my happier memories.
Charlie and I’s first date. Rowan and I getting excited for Quidditch. Winning the Quidditch Cup. I sighed as I look at those letters and looked back five years ago when we entered our last year at Hogwarts. The smiles and tears we all had. The heartfelt goodbyes. Everyone going their own ways. I had chosen to become an auror; getting a job in America. Separated from my home, my friends, and my love. I looked at the pile of letters and smiled at the most recent one. My Barn Owl, Athena, preened her feathers as she settled on my desk. My eyes scanned the letter with a light smile.
My dearest Viper,
I know that was pretty sappy, but you know I’m not very good at writing love letters. How have you been? It’s been a couple of months since any of us had heard from you. Here at the sanctuary we received a new little one! He’s a beautiful ridge-back we named Gary. We’re thinking of pairing him with Norberta. Anyway back to the point of this letter; Dad got tickets to the Quidditch World Cup! Ron and Ginny invited Harry and Hermione and I was wondering if you would like to join us?
Answer soon.
Love, Charlie
A slam next to me jolted me from my thoughts. I looked over to see my partner slouch down into her chair,”Girl you and I need a vacation! Ramsey has been working our tails off since late December.” Her golden brown eyes focused towards me. She gave me a hearty smile and pointed to the doors,”Let’s clock out early and head to the bar! Drinks on me tonight.” I laughed and nodded,”Alright let me grab my jacket.” I grabbed my letters and jacket and we clocked out. We said goodbye to the receptionist and out into the streets of New York. We made our way to the Thundering Brew; Queen’s Under Pressure playing through the speakers. Drew the goblin was cleaning glasses when he saw us walk in,”Well there’s my two favorite customers!” His Boston accent was thick as he greeted us,”Quetta Woods; you are looking as beautiful as ever.” He flirted. Quetta rolled her eyes and sat at the bar. He then looked at me,”And the Wolf is here as well. Tell me love; what can I get you today?”
“Pear Dazzle.” He then looked over to Quetta,”Fire Whiskey as usual.” He nodded and started making the drinks. Quetta leaned against the bar and looked at me,”Soooo how’s dragon boy doing?” I laughed at her nickname for Charlie,”He��s doing good…..” I stayed silent thinking about his letter. Quetta knew something was up and crossed her arms,”Alright. What did he do?”
“What? Nothing….It’s just…He invited me to go to the Quidditch World Cup with him and his family. I haven’t seen him in years-what if he doesn’t like me anymore or-” Quetta slapped me upside the head. She gave me her ‘Are you serious right now?’ look. I sunk back in my chair and pouted,”You really think he would think that? Girl; he kept a long distance relationship with you! Anyone who has eyes can see that that man loves you.” I smiled and grabbed my drink that Drew had placed in front of me. Quetta raised her glass to me,”A toast to young love and the best damn team in America!” I raised my glass in cheers and slammed down the drink.
After a few drinks I went home to rest for the night.
I sighed as the heat slipped into my living room. I had been stationed in Arizona upon my request to study the Thunderbirds on my downtime. I looked at Galeo who was setting up his nest with the new gold artifacts that Jacob found. I looked outside and watched the cars drive along the road.
I pop behind my door caught my attention. I pulled my wand out and was preparing to fight. A knock came to my door. I looked through the peep hole and saw that it was my boss,”Detective Rogers? It’s midnight; what are you doing here?!” I asked him after opening up the door. He took his fedora off and placed it on my coffee table,”I just heard Intel from the Ministry of Magic’s auror office. Winchester heard rumors going around that the Death Eaters are rallying up for something big.” He placed a case folder down which I looked over real fast,”We think there might be an appearance at the Quidditch World Cup. I’m sending you to get some Intel there since you requested a vacation for it.” He smiled at me. I rolled my eyes and scoffed,”My how generous of you to send me on vacation and make me work at the same time.” I said sarcastically. He pulled one more case file out,”There’s another reason we’re sending you there. A person of interest so to speak.”
I looked at the case file and saw the red haired woman who I had been tracking for years now. Rakepick’s picture looked at me and smirked. Fire boiled in the pits of my stomach as I read the case file. Rogers handed me the full case file,”Are you in?” I looked at him with a smile,”Is that really a question?”
——
I nearly puked as the Portkey stopped. I regained my composure and made my way to the Leaky Cauldron. I signed in to a room and collapsed on the bed. I couldn’t sleep with the worry that my friends were in danger again. I tossed and turned in my sleep dreaming about everyone who has died. Dragging me down into the pits of Hell. There I see her face. Rakepick sitting in her chair twirling her wand in anticipation. She looked over to me with a snarky look,”Well look who the cat dragged in. Viper Akela; my old apprentice.” My breathe hitched as she turned her chair. At the bottom laid Rowan. I raised my wand but couldn’t say the words. She did the same and succeeded. I woke with a start from the nightmare.
I stared at the clock in the room.
4:30
I stretched and packed my bags to go to the Area where the Quidditch World cup was taking place. I apparated with no issue and showed the ticket man my ticket and tipped the man nicely. I stopped and turned towards him,”Excuse me sure. I’m supposed to meet with the Weasley’s; where exactly will I find them?” The no-mag looked at me confused before returning to his list. He pointed in the direction and told me what area they would be in. I thanked him and made my way to the tent grounds. I settled my tent on the ground and started setting it up. I sighed and relaxed inside the tent while looking over my case files. My thoughts interrupted when a few outside voices got closer.
“Did the others beat us here dad?” I heard what sounded like Fred outside the tent. I smiled and closed the files and made my way to the entrance,”No; someone took our spot! I will have a very nasty talk to about this nonsense!” I heard Mr. Weasley sounding furious. I laughed and walked out of the tent. Mr. Weasley had his arms crossed and was glaring at me,”May I ask why you are in-” HE stopped and looked at me in surprise,”Merlins beard. If it isn’t miss Viper Akela!” I laughed and hugged him,”It’s good to see you again Mr. Weasley! Sorry for the scare. If you don’t mind I’ll be staying next to you guys on the grounds.” He nodded and with a hearty laugh he pat my shoulder,”All swell my dear.”
I looked over to the group of excited red heads who then rushed up and gave me hugs. I looked at Fred and George in shock,”How the hell did you get that tall!?” Both Fred and George laughed and leaned on me,”We got the good genes!” I pushed them off and looked to Ginny and Ron who were very grown up,”Well now has it really been that long?” Ginny smiled brightly,”You have to tell us about your adventures in America! Charlie never tells us anything.” I laughed and shook my head,”Most of my job I can’t tell and you know that.” She shrugged and went to go help her dad with their tent. I finally turned to Ron and his friends. Ron looked at his friends then back at me,”Guys let me introduce you to one of Charlie’s coolest friends! Viper Akela. Viper these are my mates Hermione and Harry!”
I held out my hand to the two teens. Hermione beemed and took my hand with a huge grin,”It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Hermione Granger.” I felt a pang in my heart as she reminded me of Rowan. I then looked to Harry,”I’m guessing your the famous Harry Potter?” The dark haired boy nodded. I shook his hand,”From one cursed child to another; it’s nice to meet you.” HE smiled and gave me a firm handshake. We made our way into the tents waiting for the boys to arrive. It was nice getting to know Harry and Hermione and hearing all of their crazy tales. I looked at Harry and smiled,”Charlie told me your the new Griffindor seeker?” Harry nodded,”Yeah since my first year. Did you play quidditch too Viper?”
I raised my eyebrow at him and laughed,”Kid your looking at one of Hufflepuff’s best chaser. I ended up beating Griffindor my last year.” Harry leaned closer discussing about our quidditch games. It wasn’t until Charlie and Bill came stumbling in laughing with Percy close behind rolling his eyes. Bill and Percy froze when they saw me. Charlie stopped laughing and turned to see me. I smiled at him lightly,”Hi love.” He looked at me dumbfounded and then rushed over and embraced me. He smiled brightly as he kissed m cheek,”I thought you weren’t going to make it?!” I laughed as we pulled apart. I shrugged and looked at the other two Weasley brothers,”I convinced my boss to let me go.” I went over to Bill and gave him a hug then to Percy with a handshake,”It’s so good to see you all again.”
We had sat down and begun talking about life and how everything has been. Soon everyone was getting ready for the game. I dressed in green for Ireland and we made our way to the Colosseum. On the way I spotted John Winchester and his three kids heading to the arena as well. I placed my hand on Charlie’s soldier,”I’ll be back. Old mentor I want to go say hi to.” Charlie nodded and followed his family up the Colosseum. I made my way to the older man with a quick stride. I walked in front of him and held out my hand,”John Winchester! Nice to meet you!” I smiled. He looked at me strangely,”My name is Viper Akela. You are a legend in America!” He then realized that I was the American Auror he was going to meet.
“Ah Akela! Rogers told me all about you. Dean why don’t you find our seats; I’ll meet you guys there.” The oldest nodded and began walking with his siblings to the games. John glared at me,”I’ve been on the lookout. You could’ve blown my cover.”
I shook my head and glanced around,”Are the rumors true?” He sighed and shook his head,”I’ve been in touch with the others and there has been no talk of an attack.” I shifted on my feet. I looked back at the Colosseum,”Okay. I’ll keep in touch; if I see anything you’ll be the first to know.” He nodded and we went our separate ways. I found the Weasley’s seats and we watched the game with excitement and joy. Soon we were back at the tents. Most of us celebrated the victory of the Irish while everyone who was cheering for the Bulgarians laughed and made fun of us. Which we rallied back which made Ron the target for our teasing. We all stopped as we heard commotions outside. Mr. Weasley went outside to investigate while we went back to our celebrating. All of a sudden another sound of commotion was heard,”Well the Irish sure know how to get their party on eh?” George laughed. Our laughter died when Mr. Weasley came rushing back in,”How bad are the Irish partying and where can we join?” Fred asked with a chuckle.
“It’s not the Irish.” He sounded out of breath. My heart sunk. Were the rumors right? “We need to leave now.” We rushed out of the tents and heard the panicked screams. I looked over and in horror I witnessed death eaters levitating people in the air and over burning tents. I spotted John helping evacuate the area with other aurors. I looked back at the Weasleys with worry. Charlie clung to my arm as I started to drift towards the chaos. I looked at him with a loving look,”I’ll be fine love.” He nodded and let me go. I made my way towards John and started helping as many people as we could while getting closer to the death eaters.
WE started to run towards them as the crowds cleared. They noticed us and started to apparate out. One in particular saw me and uncovered her face. With red hair and lips Patricia Rakepick smugly looked at me and motioned towards me for a fight. I felt the blood in my body began to boil as I rushed after her.
“Stupify!” I casted. She blocked with ease. I shot more stun spells at her. She blocked each one with ease until I got her with a difindo spell. She glared at me before apparating away,”NO!” I cried out as she got away. I got to the spot she was standing at and noticed an address on the ground. I looked at it with a glare,”Is this where you’ve been hiding?” I asked myself. John whistled over to me,”We got some noise over in that direction. We’re going to apparate there on the count of 3.” He told me and the other aurors who showed up. We counted to three and landed around three people,”Now! Stupify!” I fired a stunning spell. I looked and saw that it was Harry, Ron and Hermione. I stopped and waved everyone to stop. It wasn’t until Charlie, Bill and Mr. Weasley ran in the middle screaming for us to stop,”That’s my son!” He embraced the kids. Crouch stepped forward and questioned the kids. I stepped back and sighed. Crouch then looked in my direction,”Did any of you at least catch someone?!” We all looked away; he already knew the answer,”Tch then what was the point of bringing help?”
Harry stepped forward and told Crouch that there was a man further east of their current position. I began walking with the rest of the aurors until Crouch pulled me aside,”I think we have had enough of your help Akela. I’ll be seeing you in my-” A hand on his shoulder stopped him mid sentence. John glared at Crouch,”Let the kid go Bartey.” Crouch sighed and followed John towards the area where Harry last saw the strange man. I felt the eyes at the back of my head. I turned and looked at the Weasleys. Charlie looked away in disbelief,”Charlie-”
“You only came for work.” He whispered. My voice caught my throat,”I wanted to come for a vacation and to hang out with all of you, but-” I swallowed the other words that would’ve come out of my mouth. Charlie just shrugged and shook his head,”Had to go catch the bad guy right?”
I snapped my head up and glared at him,”I’m after Rakepick you prat!” With that I saw his and Bill’s shocked face before I apparated back to the Leaky Cauldron. I checked into my room and locked the door behind me. I grabbed the address from my pocket and glared down at it. Grabbing my wand and auror gear; I left and apparated to the location.
———
I walked down the street and found the apartment. I let out a shaky breath as I made my way inside. I used the Disillusionment charm and made my way around the apartment. There I spotted a man sleeping on the couch and a ton of alcohol bottles. In the corner I spotted a creature scurrying on the table. An old looking niffler was polishing a gold watch. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
It was Rakepick’s niffler Sickleworth. His eyes landed on me and instantly he started to scurry away. I grabbed the little bugger not before he knocked over a pot. The man jolted awake and pointed his wand towards me,”Revelio!” My charm wore off and I pointed my wand at him Petrificus totalus!” His body froze and fell backwards. I cradled old Sickleworth in my arms,”Hey buddy. Don’t you remember me?” He sniffed me and started to get excited. I set him down and went around the apartment. Nothing out of the ordinary. I went back to our mystery guy and tied him up. Once my spell wore off he spat at me,”Who are you?!” He screamed. Luckily I put a silent charm on the apartment. I pointed my wand to his temple and glared at him,”Where is Rakepick?”
He grew silent until I casted difindo on his leg. He screamed in pain. He glared at me,”Screw you bitch.” I casted the difindo spell again against his toes this time which caused him to wail in agony. I then placed my wand on his little friend causing him to go into panic mode,”Okay okay okay!” He gasped out,”Look I’m just her kneazle and niffler breeder. I take of Sickleworth when she is on important jobs.”
“I didn’t ask about you! I want to know where she is this second!” I pushed harder on his jewels.
“It’s a secret bar in Germany!” He cried out. I smiled and pulled a pen and paper out,”Name and address.”
He glanced over to his bag. I grabbed it and rummaged through it. I found a coin with a rose embroidered on it. I put it in my pocket. I went towards the window and pressed my wand against my neck. I gave the address of the apartment and casted my patronus out of the window,”I’m on a lead. Don’t come find me.” I casted the petrifying curse on the crook and apparated out. I transfigured my hair to look short and dark red and made my eyes a deeper blue. I even gave myself a mole and a scar.
I walked around Germany for hours trying to find the location until I stumbled upon a rose garden. I walked in and took the coin out. Two men came up behind me and pulled their wands out,”I’m a new member. Invited by a breeder of Kneezles and Nifflers.” Both looked at me then walked ahead of me before knocking on a hidden entrance. I walked in and the bar was loud and full of sketchy wizards and witches. I went up to the bar. I looked around and caught the attention of what I can assume is the leader. She sat next to me and ordered fire whiskey,”Can I get you a drink new comer?”
I smiled and handed her my money,”Surprise me.” She gave me an approved smile and ordered the dragon blood shot followed by a thing of water. I’ve done dragon blood shots before with my friends when Jae snuck it in. It was the worst drink of my entire life, but I was prepared for the taste. I grabbed the shot and took it as fast as I could. My throat burned as the slush went down. My eyes watered as I sucked in a breath of fresh air. I slammed the glass down and looked at her with a nod,”Now that was a bloody kick!” She looked at me with a surprise look.
“I like you. So it was Luke that sent you here?” It clicked in my mind that I had never learned the breeder’s name,”That’s his name? Never cared to learn it. My style is more like his partners. Oh what was her name again? Ahh Patricia Rocket? No that’s not it-”
“Rakepick.” The womans eyes grew weary. I snapped my finger and pointed to her,”That’s the one! Damn good woman she is.” I nearly threw up those words. The woman leans in and motions for the back,”Let’s talk in private. We have much to discuss.” I looked at her questionably, but followed her with my wand hidden in my jacket sleeve within my palm. Once we were behind closed doors she sat down on one of the red couches in the room. She motioned for me to sit in the couch in front of her. She placed her wand in the middle of the table,”So we can trust one another.” I hesitantly put my wand on the table.
She leaned back and crossed her legs,”Your an auror.” She spoke up. My attention flicked from her face to my wand. Before I could open my mouth she held her hand up,”My father is one and I could tell you were one by a mile away. However; I like you. You’re here for Rakepick?”
I nodded and looked up at her,”I’m only here for her. Apologies are in order however; I seemed to have gotten your breeder arrested.” She looked at me annoyed, but I held my finger up,”What do you do to those animals?” She looked up at me blatantly,”We use them for some of our schemes and that’s it. But we do take care of them highly.” She whistled and a brown and black niffler ran across her shoulders and curled into her lap. I leaned back with a sigh,”What can you tell me about Rakepick?”
She made a small noise and wagged her finger at me,”What can you give me in return for this information?”
I leaned forward,”What do you want?”
She thought for a moment then held up two of her fingers,”Two things. A new niffler breeder. A nicer one would be nice. Alec was not taking good care of the mothers. The other thing is; I want to know why you are after Rakepick.”
I looked at my hands and sighed,”If I can find you a nice breeder. You must pay what they say and dress nicely for pick up. Or they won’t give you any.” She nodded in compliance,”Of course. I will let my men know. Now about Rakepick?”
I glanced at her and asked her a simple question.”What are your rules as a bad guy?”
She snickered at the word bad guy,”No kids. I like kids too much no matter how annoying some can be. Too innocent. Animal cruelty is a no no as well. And take from the rich and give to the poor.” I laughed at that and shook my head,”Let me guess you’re Robin Hood?”
“Robin Mercier and you are?” I looked at her and shook my head. She sighed and looked up at me,”I will keep our meeting a secret. I don’t like Rakepick either and there are others that come that I will willingly give to you as well.” I sighed and looked at the door behind us,”Viper. That’s all I’m giving you.” She smiled and leaned back,”Why are you hunting Rakepick? She steal from you?”
I looked at her dead in the eye,”When I was in my sixth year at Hogwarts; she killed my best friend who was a sister to me.” She looked down and shook her head,”And the niffler breeder?”
“That would be me. I am a certified breeder for the auror office and curse breaker offices.” Robin laughed and held out her hand,”Well then, I just wanted to see how serious you were. Now that I see; I’m not interested in nifflers anymore. We got another breeder for us. Rakepick has been traveling around Europe. If she was in England then most likely she will be going to Scottland. Your best bet is that she will be near Hogsmede. I nodded and grabbed my wand,”Then I will take my leave. I like the drinks you have. I might be back for a drink or two.” I smiled at Robin who nodded and grabbed her own wand.
“Of course. I’ll be expecting you to come by when this is all over.” She spoke quietly. I nodded and apparated out.
———
I made my way to the Ministry's auror office. I looked around and spotted a flow of pink hair in the distance talking to another auror. Tonks turned and saw me. She instantly ended her conversation and ran up to me,”Watcher Viper!” She tackled me with a hug. The other auror walked up and I instantly noticed it was Talbott. I smiled wholeheartedly at my friends,”You both look so good! How have you all been?”
Tonks looked at me in shock,”Blimey Viper; five years in America and you have already lost your accent?!” I laughed and poked her shoulder,”You do realize that you made fun of this very same accent when we entered Hogwarts? This is my normal accent.” She laughed and slapped my arm,”I know that! I’ve been bloody good! Working under Madeye was the best! Cranky old man, but a good teacher.”
I then looked at Talbott,”And how are you and Chiara doing?” He blushed and then pulled a ring out. Both Tonks and I had wide smiles as we congratulated him,”I’ll be asking her tonight. Enough about us; how are you fairing?” He asked quietly. My smile grew forced as I thought of Rakepick and the events of the Quidditch games and Charlie.
“I’ve been better.” I spoke quietly. Just then the door swung open and John had walked in with Kingsly Shacklebolt next to him,”Akela, Tonks, Winger; office for briefing now.” I looked at them with confusion. We followed the aurors inside the briefing office. They closed the door and put up a silent charm on the room making sure no one could hear us.
“Akela; what have you found?” John looked to me. I shifted on my feet,”I found Rakepick. My Intel told me she is in Scottland. Most likely outside of Hogsmead village.” Both Tonks and Talbott looked at me in shock,”You finally tracked her down?” Tonks’s question rang in my ears. I nodded and looked at John and Kingsly. Kingsly sat forward,”Talbott. I want you to scout the area and find her. Follow her the best you can and figure out what she’s planning. We know she isn’t a death eater; so why was she at the Quidditch games?”
I stood up and glared at the man in front of me,”Let me. I’ve been tracking her for years and I’m going-”
“Sit down!” John ordered. I sat while biting my tongue,”Now; we need to find out what she is up to. Is R back? We don’t know. Akela I’m sending you to Hogwarts for extra protection. The Tri-Wizard Tournaments are going to be held there and you will serve under Madeye.” I sighed and nodded,”Understand sir.”
———
I walked into Hogwarts with Crouch and other law enforcement officers and others from the Department of Games and Sports. The Professors were waiting in the great hall. Crouch and Dumbledor went over the rules of the tournament and then explained how classes will go for the teachers. I sighed of boredom until Professor Flitwick accidentally stepped on my foot,”Oops my bad-” He stopped and adjusted his glasses,”Miss Akela? Is that really you?!” He held out his hand. I smiled and shook it,”It has been a while Professor. I hope the students have been treating you well.” He chuckled and patted my hand,”Always. Though those Weasley boys sure do get creative with those spells of theirs.”
I laughed and shook my head. Crouch introduced everyone who was working under him. He then made it to me,”And here we have Miss Viper Akela. She’ll be joining my law enforcement team for extra protection from the auror office from America.” I smiled at everyone and nodded,”It’s good to be back.” We were then briefed to guard the doors after the students got to the Great Hall. After the introduction of the two schools I walked out with Crouch and stood at his side as he explained the rules. After a small ruckus with the students dinner was served and we began leaving. Crouch turned to me and looked to Madeye,“I want you to remain here because of what happened at the games. Stay low and quiet.” I nodded and stayed behind. After the dinner feast I found Professor Sprout and let her know what happened.
She nodded and walked me to Dumbledor’s office. She talked about all of the quirks she missed from my friends and I. I laughed,”I still can’t believe you still made me Prefect and Head Girl.” Professor Sprout patted my back,”Even though you were troublesome; you did follow most of the rules and you were one of our best tutors.” I blushed and made our way up the stairs. We had good laughs and then we made it to Dumbledor’s office. I said my goodbye to her and made my way into the Headmaster’s office. Professor Dumbledor looked up and smiled at me,”Miss Akela. How has your work in America been?”
I smiled and sat down in the chair in front of his desk,”It has been great! Thank you for the reference Professor. I wanted to let you know that Crouch wants me to remain here low and quiet.” I explained. He nodded and gave me permission to do so. To which I walked out and used my animegus form to wander the halls at night. This went on for a couple of days. I had been pacing around the hall and noticed someone walking in the hall. I paced towards them until they turned and shot a petrifying spell at me. I collapsed and watched as he covered his already shadowed face and then proceeded to shove me in Snapes ingredients closet. With one kick to the face I blacked out.
———
I woke up to Snape shaking me. I noticed I was covered in blood and my face hurt like hell,”Wha-” I snapped my attention and stood up,”We need to stop the tournament. It was rigged!” Before I could step out Snape pulled me aside,”The names were already pulled. An extra came out. We’ve had no choice but to follow the rules. A little late on letting us know Akela.” I glared at him and pointed to my condition,”Tried to stop your rigger last night! If you haven’t noticed; I’m a bit on the beat up side.”
He sighed and then held out his wand at my face,”Episky.” My nose snapped back into place with me crying out in pain. I glared at him before regaining my posture,”What are we going to do?” He sighed and looked down the hall,”Just keep your head down and keep a lookout.” I nodded and left. I walked around the school and even spotted Fred and George taking money for what looked like bets for the tournament.
Over the next few weeks I did my rounds. I kept my guard up as I went around the hall. I spotted a small child getting bullied by some older students. I took some papers that I had and smacked the older students across the head. They ran off and I helped the younger student up and telling him to tell his head of house. I looked at the Black and Gold of his uniform and thought back to Merula and I’s constant fights. I snapped out of it when Madeye pulled me to the side. I eyed him as he looked around,”They’re escorting the dragons for the first task here tonight and we need extra hands with security.”
I looked at him with confusion,”I don’t think I’m needed Madeye.”
He grunted and shrugged,”Orders are orders.” I sighed and nodded,”Alright. Where and when?”
By night I made my way through the forbidden forest towards the destination where the dragons were being held. I noticed Hagrid in the distance and something caught my eyes. With being a wolf animegus I can see invisibility cloaks and spells. I noticed a shimmer behind Hagrid and moved forward. I noticed Hagrid was talking with Charlie and the minute he saw me he got nervous,”Viper! What are ye doing here?” I stretched as the chilled Scottish air caused my arms to stiffen,”Madeye sent me here for extra security.”
I glanced at Charlie who smiled over to me. I felt my heart race a little seeing his warm smile again. I watched as Charlie spoke about the dragons. I noticed a welsh green in the distance. Another next to it was a chinese fireball and then a swedish short snout. The one that caught my eye was the hungarian horntail,”Ain’t the horntail a beauty? Nasty dragon, but a beauty at that.”
I remembered back in my fifth year,”Yeah I remember. Still have that scar on my hip from the one we fought in our fifth year.” I heard shrubs rustle in the distance and looked back. I saw an eagle watching me in the distance.
Talbott.
I walked up to Charlie and gave him a small kiss,”I have to go.” He smiled at me and nodded. I made my way further into the forest. I watched him shift into himself and he fixed his clothes,”Been a while Viper; have you been well?”
I rolled my eyes,”I’m playing bodyguard in a school instead of going after the woman who killed my best friend and gave me hell for over three years!” I crossed my arms waiting for him to give me the news.
He sighed and slipped me a paper,”We found her. It’s time we go arrest her. Meet me here tomorrow and we’ll take a portkey to Italy. We’ll be meeting Winchester, Tonks and Kingsly there to make the arrest.” He smiled lightly. I felt the weight that had piled on to my chest lift. I walked up and hugged him as tears began to find their way down my face,”Thank you.”
We pulled away and he looked at me with a kind smile,”For Rowan.” He then shifted to his animegus form and flew off. I sighed and walked back to the castle.
On my way there I saw the shimmer of an invisibility cloak walk by me. I quickly hurried off and shifted. I slowly followed it until I blocked the entrance to the school. I growled deeply at the invisible person who staggered backwards. I rushed forward and tackled the person. I saw them raise heir wand. Before they could say a spell; I shifted and aimed my wand at them,”Expelliarmus!” I caught the wand and instantly recognized it as Harry’s wand.
I sighed and put my wand down,”Come on out Harry.” Harry took the invisibility cloak off and looked down at the ground knowing he was caught red handed,”You know you weren’t supposed to see those dragons.” I handed his wand back to him,”At least tell Cedric and the others so they also have a fighting chance.”
His eyes met mine and nodded,”Fluer already knows. And Karkaroff will probably tell Krum; I’ll tell Cedric.” I nodded and smiled at him. I had forgotten that Cedric was the one that had been chosen. I got a good look at Harry and noticed that he looked horrible,”Follow me Potter.”
He followed me to the courtyard and I motioned for him to sit down,”This challenge has been putting a strain on you hasn’t it?” He nodded and I leaned back against the fountain. I sighed and looked at Gryffindor tower,”Ron will get over it. Best Friends always do.” I placed my hand on his shoulder,”Trust me when I say that you need to let your friends help you. You can’t keep them away for long. They always find a way back into your life.” I chuckled. Harry smiled to and got up,”Thanks Viper.”
“Hey from one cursed kid to another.” I winked at him. I stood up and began making my way back to my room.
“Hey Viper.” I turned and saw Harry putting his cloak back on,”I think you should take your advise as well. Ron said Charlie was getting very worried about you.” My heart hurt as he disappeared from normal sight. I nodded and turned around,”Thanks Harry; I needed that reminder.”
———
I met Talbott in the forest. He stood by the Black Lake; observing the sunrise in the distance. I stood next to him observing the peaceful air,”Let me know when you and Kiara are free. I think it would be nice to go out for butterbeer with everyone again.” I told him. He smiled sweetly at me before nodding in agreement,”Set the date and we’ll be there.” I smiled as we held on to the portkey.
We stopped and I turned and up came my breakfast behind a bush. Talbott gave me an awkward pat on the back,”God I hate portkeys.” I said wiping my mouth.
I followed him to the safe house where I spotted John and Tonks playing poker. Tonks’ eyes lit up at the sight of me. She threw down her cards and jumped into my arms. I laughed and hugged her back. John smiled at me then took his money and set out a map,”We learned that she has a trade going on in a black market district that the Italian Ministry has been eyeing for a while. We will be working with them to take down Rakepick.” I looked over the map. Of course there was a secret entrance in the Colosseum.
“I think Tonks and I can corner her here.” I pointed to the spot,”Tonks and I can change our appearance and follow her.” Kingsly nodded and drew a circle near a cliff side,”Get her here. We’ll put barriers up so she can’t apparate.”
We planned everything to the Tee and waited for nightfall.
Tonks and I made our hair darker and our clothes dark as well. We moved throughout the market with silence as we spotted her fire like hair. She spotted us and walked faster away from us. We caught up and got her to the cliff side. She went to apparate before realizing she was blocked. I changed my appearance back to normal and lifted my wand at her.
She chuckled and waved me off,”It’s been a long time Akela; how is my little prodigy doing?” I felt rage in my chest as I thought about what my next move would be. Tonks kept her wand raised as well,”You’re surrounded Rakepick; you are under arrest.”
Rakepick turned and saw John, Kingsly and three Italian ministry aurors. She looked around in anger and aimed a wandless spell towards the others. John used a shield spell but the others were knocked back. Everyone fired stun spells towards her which she deflected with ease. She fired a bombarda spell at the ground causing the cliff to crumble down.
We fell down with rocks and rubble tumbling with us. Tonks, John and I grabbed Rakepick before she apparated. We fell on to a grassy plain. I was dazed and noticed Rakepick aiming her wand at Tonks. I had horrible flashbacks to the green flash from my sixth year.
I charge forward as fast as I could and heard her start the spell. I shifted and plunged my fangs into her arm. She screamed in pain and looked at me in shock. Tonks shook her head and paled at the look of a three foot wolf clinging to the arm of a witch. She tried to pry my jaws open which gave John enough time to stun her in the back.
She fell to the ground. She took hold of my head and slammed me into a nearby rock. Tonks used the laceration spell and slammed the bitch away from me. I shifted back in pain as my head was bleeding bad. John helped me sit up against a wall while the other aurors were called.
Rakepick was now glaring daggers at me. To which I spat in her direction,”Get ready to rot in hell bitch.” Before she could say anything; Tonks did a hex or curse that made her mouth disappear,”That’ll shut her up.” She laughed and then sat next to me.
“Animegus huh?”
“Yep.” I answered.
She looked at me with curiosity,”Who else knows?”
“Charlie, Chiara, Talbott and Harry. Obviously now you and John as well.” I winced as she helped heal the wound.
I watched as she was escorted to Askaban.
After getting patched up; Tonks led me away and handed me some Italian Ice. I laughed and took it. The weight was finally gone and I felt very relaxed. I saw the thestrals pulling the jail cart. I sighed and closed my eyes letting the sun soak into my skin.
“So are you staying in Europe? Or are you going back to America?” I looked at Tonks with uncertainty. I shrugged,”I think I’m going to take a well deserved vacation.”
Tonks gave me an all knowing look,”I think its time you go on a long awaited date with Mr. Dragon Tamer! He has been-” I took her Italian ice and shoved it in her mouth. She laughed as she rubbed her teeth,”That was dirty!”
I laughed and looked into the distance.
She was right.
I think it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie.
———
The Romania air chilled me to the bone.
How was it colder than the UK?!
I went up to the front office to the sanctuary and was met by a friendly smile,”Buna dimineat doamna! Cum te pot ajuta azi?” I smiled as I had little to no idea what he just said. He saw my look and smiled sweetly,”American?”
“Irish American actually.” I laughed nervously. He held out his hand,”Ari David.”
“Viper Akela.” I took his hand and he instantly lit up at the sound of my name,”Charlie’s imaginary girl?! It’s about time we met you.” He laughed. I felt my face light up like a Christmas tree. He came around and called for someone in the back. A man poked his head out of the back office with his face stuffed,”I’m going to show our guest here around. Watch the desk while I’m gone?”
The man nodded and wheeled out of the office. Ari walked me through the gates and I could instantly here the dragons in the distance. Ari showed me the hatchery and even the smaller breeds of dragons. He laughed at my amazed look,”Ever been to a sanctuary before?” He asked. I nodded and looked at the fossil they had in their study center,”Thunderbird sanctuary in Arizona. I go there on my free time to spend time with the creatures.”
Ari was grinning ear to ear,”My grandfather helped Newt Schamander free one from Egypt. Said it was one of the most majestic creatures he had ever laid eyes on.” He then spoke in Hebrew which I roughly translated to ‘God bless that old man.’
Soon we made it to the village nearby the sanctuary,”Charlie’s home is the small house near the forest. Kind of rustic looking. Mailbox has his name on it.” I thanked the man and went into the village. I smiled at the children playing in the streets. Older couples who were tending to their gardens. My heart pounded when I saw the familiar red haired, freckle covered man I had come to see. His blue eyes landed on me.
The conversation he was having with the man standing in front of him suddenly stopped. The man looked over his shoulder and to me,”You lost miss?” I smiled and nodded eyeing Charlie,”Yeah. I’m looking for a stubborn red head covered in freckles and burn scars who I haven’t had a proper date with since Hogwarts.”
The man looked at Charlie with shock,”Asta este Viper?! Băiete, nu ai retinut descrierea.” I saw Charlie’s face turn into a near shade of his hair color. The man bid him farewell and walked to what I thought was his home. Charlie didn’t waist a second before pulling me into a hug.
For what seemed like centuries I hugged him back. Tears poured down my eyes as I apologized. He brought me into his house and made some tea,”What made you finally visit?” He asked me.
“Tonks convinced me. Charlie…we did it.” He looked at me confused,”We got Rakepick.” His eyes softened and clasped his hand to mine. His eyes pleaded to me as he spoke the question on his mind since I showed up,”Does this mean I have my Viper back?”
I nodded and sobbed my heart out,”I’m so sorry.” He pulled me closer as just buried myself in his chest.
The remainder of the day was us talking and me cooking us some dinner.
By night, warmed by his body, I had the best sleep of my entire life.
———
The next few months of vacation were amazing. I helped around the sanctuary as an extra healer on hand or even security. I knew Crouch was going to order me back to Hogwarts once my vacation was over with, but at the moment I didn’t care.
Soon enough it was my last day in Romania. I woke to feel Charlie’s fingers tracing my thunderbird tattoo on my shoulder. I groaned as I stretched my stiff body. Charlie planted a kiss on my lips which lingered for a solid minute before he whispered a morning to me.
I sighed and got out of bed. I packed my items and made my way to the portkey with Charlie in tow. He pulled me into a kiss,”I’ll miss you.” He told me. His blue eyes begged me not to go,”I’ll be here for summer.” I kissed his cheek and then grabbed the portkey.
I arrived back at Hogwarts just in time for the second challenge.
———
Crouch gave me orders to be at the ready to dive after the champions who needed the help. After the champions jumped into the black lake I sat by waiting for anyone who needed to be saved. We noticed Fleur’s Vermillious charm shot up. Me and another person jumped in and swam towards the direction of the charm cast.
I noticed her being pulled down from what looked to be grindylow dragging her down. I stunned the grindylow and me and the other person pulled her up. Fleur was panicking and gagging out water. The other person who I found out was a healer. He made sure there wasn’t any bad wounds before wrapping her up in a warm towel.
Her friends were warming her up and she was looking frantically around for someone,”Where eeze Gabrielle? Where eeze my sister!?” I looked around in panic, but Madeye motioned for me to walk over to him.
“Her sister was used as the prize. She will be safely pulled out of the lake by the end of the hour.” He whispered to me. I looked at him in shock then realised I hadn’t seen Hermione nor Ron at all today. Soon Cedric emerged from the water with a girl I didn’t recognize, then Krum with Hermione. We helped them up and I watched out for Harry and Ron. I was asked to help warm up Hermione when Harry, Ron and Gabrielle resurfaced. Fleur kissed Harry and Ron and thanked them.
Hermione tensed up when she saw that.
After helping the Champions and their rescued friends and family I made my way to Crouch who looked like he had seen a ghost. I placed my hand on his shoulder causing him to jump,”You alright Crouch?” He cleared his throat and nodded before walking away.
———
It was now near he end of the school year and the champions were getting ready for their final trial. I had been helping Snape try and find the culprit behind his missing ingredients which we later learned was to make polyjuice potion. I made my way down the hall where I ran into Cedric. I smiled and waved at him,”Diggory!” Cedric looked oer to me and a huge smile appeared on his face,”Viper!” I noticed he was had gotten taller. I laughed and hugged my old shadow,”How are you doing? I heard you made it as Hufflepuff’s new seeker.”
He laughed and continued walking with me,”Yeah I ended up getting the seeker position after you left.” I smiled and remembered when he started joining Charlie and I’s quidditch games with our friends. He was a good seeker.
“That’s great! I’m rooting for you. Hufflepuff for the win!” I bumped my fist against his. He laughed and was then waved down by a ravenclaw girl,”I gotta go. It was nice seeing you again!”
I made my way down towards the Hufflepuff entrance and placed my hand on the barrels. I remember teaching the first years the code to enter.
Sneaking my radio from home so all the hufflepuffs had something to listen. When it was time for bed we brought it to the rooms and jammed out to the rock stations.
Using my Walkman to listen to my music when I was out for walks or doing homework by myself.
Rowan scolding me for failing my History of Magic test…again.
Chiara and I sneaking out every full moon with Talbott in tow.
Sneaking Charlie in the room for some…alone time.
Winning the Quidditch cup my last year.
.
.
.
I hated myself now.
What had I become?
I became an enraged animal wanting revenge for all the wrong doings that had happened to my friends.
Helga Hufflepuff would be ashamed of me.
I felt a soft hand on my shoulder,”The hat never makes a mistake dear. You were a true hufflepuff and our founder would have loved you.” Sprout’s voice caused my heart to swell. I breathed in and let out a shaky breath.
“Didn’t mean for that to come out loud, but thank you.” She then took her wand and smacked the top of my head with it. I winced in pain and looked at her in disbelief,”Ow! What was that for?!”
“The past hurts. What will you do with it?” She then tried to hit me again but I moved to the side which caused her to miss. She laughed and I began to laugh with her,”Yeah yeah. Learn from it. Thank you Professor.” She pulled me into a hug and then got very excited,”The third challenge will begin soon! Will you be cheering Cedric and Harry on?”
I smiled and chuckled lightly,”I’ll try and make it, but I have to do the rounds tonight.” She nodded in understanding and wished me a goodnight.
I walked around the entirety of the Hogwarts school when I stumbled upon two of Harry’s friends sneaking around. I cleared my throat and both froze,”The last challenge is happening right now. I know Harry will want his friends there to support him.” I looked at both with a scolding stare. Then smiled,”I’ll let you guys off with a warning.” I winked at them and wandered away. The girl ran up to me,”Something isn’t right with Professor Moody!”
I stopped and looked at her with all seriousness,”What do you mean?” The boy and girl looked at each other then back to me,”We think he’s been stealing ingredients to make a potion. And he’s been very shifty lately.”
Suddenly it clicked into place.
Polyjuice potion.
“Get to the arena and stay with your friends. I’ll inform the teachers.” I got up and apparated the kids and I to the maze. They made it to Hermione and Ron who were watching and waiting in excitement. I found the teachers and explained the situation. Snape who was now furious apparated back to get a truth potion.
Just then a loud pop was heard and Harry was now on the ground with Cedric. Cheers were heard as Hogwarts had won the Tri-Wizard-
My heart dropped when I spotted it.
Cedric’s unblinking eyes.
Cold and gone.
I heard Fleur scream as she was the first to notice. Tears welled in my eyes as everyone stoped and stared in shock. Professor Sprout broke down and burrowed her head into my shoulder. I looked up and saw Madeye dragging Harry away,”He’s got Harry.” I whispered. The teachers heard and prepared for a fight. Snape had arrived back and we made our way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. After barging in Snape and I held down Madeye while Harry stood near McGonagall.
After revealing Barty Crouch Jr. and him telling us that he murdered his father; we helped the real Madeye out of the enchanted chest. The old auror patted my back with a pained nod. I smiled and took it as a thank you.
———
The funeral was tough.
It was another friend gone.
I felt a hand clasp my shoulder and saw a glove hand me a note.
Meet me in my office. We have much to discuss.
-Dumbledor
I looked around and spotted the two kids from before. I walked over to them. The fourth year boy looked at me with worry,”You both helped us a lot. Thank you…uhh”
“Rey Winchester.”
“Neville Longbottom.”
I smiled at them before nodding,”Thank you Rey and Neville. You both were brave in following that man. I’ll inform McGonagall and ask her to give you both points for this.” Both smiled but sadness was in those eyes. I made my way to the Headmaster’s office and was joined by both McGonagall and Sprout. Once we were up there I spotted not only all the teachers, but Talbott, Tonks, Bill, Merula and Madeye.
I looked to Dumbledor for an explanation.
“What I am about to ask all of you is to be kept secret. And I must know that you will all do any task that I give you. Do you understand.” I nodded and so did the others.
“Years ago when the first war was going on; I had created a secret organization called the Order of the Phoenix. I plan to rebirth that Order again.” He then looked at everyone in the room,”All who were apart of it before step aside. All who have never heard of it or were apart of it line up in front of me.” The Professors moved to the side along with Madeye and it was just Talbott, Tonks, Bill and Merula standing in front of him.
“Talbott Winger; you are a great auror and a hidden animegus. I’ll need you to keep your eyes and ears open all over the United Kingdoms.” Talbott nodded in understanding. Next he turned to Tonks,”Nymphadora Tonks; like Mr. Winger you are an exceptional auror. You will be positioned with Kingsly, Madeye and Winchester. Keep an eye out for spies amongst the ministry.”
Tonks beamed at Dumbledor,”Of course, but for future references. Don’t call me Nymphadora. Tonks will do just fine.” Dumbledor chuckled and nodded. He then turned to Bill,”I have already talked to your brother who will be keeping communications and recruiting for the Order in Romania. However; I need you here. Curse breakers may come in handy especially now. I have already informed Gringotts about you and they are happy to have you.”
Bill nodded but stayed silent. Dumbledor then turned to Merula,”Miss Snyde; I want you recruiting in Egypt.” She smiled and crossed her arms,”As long as I don’t get a desk job that is fine by me.”
And finally he turned to me,”I need one more person here at Hogwarts. However; the Ministry is appointing one of their own as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. If I remember correctly you were one of the top of your class in Care for Magical Creatures correct?”
“Yes Professor, but didn’t Kettleburn retire and Hagrid took his post?” I asked him.
“Hagrid will be leaving his post for another mission. I’m asking you to join our staff Miss Akela. It would mean a lot.” I looked over to the staff of Professors. Then to my friends,”Well…Professor Akela does have a nice ring to it.” Dumbledor smiled,”Then its settled. You are all dismissed; Allister; perhaps you can get Akela situated with the auror’s office in America since she won’t be working there anymore.” We nodded and left the office.
Madeye and I took a portkey to America. It was nice to be back in New York and I will miss my home in Arizona. Quetta was doing paperwork when I approached my desk. She stopped and ran up to hug me,”I heard you were leaving us?!” She asked in disbelief.
“Yes I am, but I’ll give you my address so we can still talk. Who knows; I may appear for a drink every now and then.” I laughed. She teared up with a smile and hugged me tighter,”You are the best damn partner I have ever had! I’ll miss you!” I smiled and hugged her closer,”I’ll miss you too.”
After packing up my office and all my personal files and objects I turned my badge over to Ramsey who stamped Retired to it,”Keep it. So you can be reminded of your times with us.” I smiled warmhearted by his words. Soon the entire auror office came by and wished me well.
After that we traveled to the school where I had begun to organize my office then care for the animals. Madeye left me to that work and he went back to the auror offices.
I had an unexpected visitor who taught me how to charm a briefcase to store magical creatures in. I thanked Mr. Scammander and left for my parents home in Dublin. I stayed with them until I found a home in Hogsmead village. I brought my niffler Galleo, my Irish Wolfhound Artair and my Granian Storm with me to the new house.
I found the door wide open and saw Charlie waiting inside with a smile on his face. I placed down the suitcase and closed the door before crashing into him. I looked at him with a smirk,”You are mine all summer.” He laughed and kissed the crook of my neck,”Funny. Because I’m here to kidnap you.” He whispered.
Soon summer started and also began a new adventure for me starting with the love of my life.
---------
AN: I’m so happy this fic is done. It took me so long to do this fic.
#hogwarts mystery#charlie weasley#john winchester#takes place in harry's fourth year#harry potter and the goblet of fire#i finished this at two in the morning#jacob's sibling#charlie weasley x reader#harry potter#rey winchester#neville longbottom#bill weasley#ginny weasley#george weasley#ron weasley#weasley family
32 notes
·
View notes
Text
Homecoming Part 4
Author’s Note: We’re nearing the end! Just one more part after this I think.
Summary: Bryce and Casey attend Abigail’s wedding. They both drink too much.
Word Count: ~ 3600
Previous Part: Part 3
Next Part: Part 5
Bryce sighs dramatically as he takes a seat at the long dinner table. It has been quite a long day and he just wants to get back to Casey and his hotel room.
Ryan had set a very early appointment for the tux rental fitting, followed with an awkward breakfast with all the groomsmen. Bryce knows most of them from prep school, and Francis is a groomsman too, but he doesn’t like any of these people, so he would have much preferred brunch with Casey.
Bryce was distracted during the rehearsal, thinking about what Casey might be doing at the moment. She told him she was going to go on one of the hotel excursions, a hike to Manoa Falls. He wanted to text her throughout the day, but knew she likely didn’t have cell reception.
His entire family was at the rehearsal, and it was the first time he’s had to interact with them without Casey as a buffer the whole trip.
It was almost unbearable. His mother was completely overbearing, seemingly in charge of every aspect of this wedding and directing the rehearsal like some kind of deranged dictator.
Francis and his father brought up the real estate business at every opportunity, but he ignored them to the best of his ability.
Maybe worst or all, Abigail has paired him with his ex-girlfriend for all the wedding party duties.
He and Tia dated his senior year of high school, and then two more years while he was at the University of Hawaii. She’s pretty, long blonde hair, big blue eyes, the kind of girl his father approves of. She was probably his first love. He can’t remember exactly why they broke up. He vaguely remembers a huge fight. And that she had cried.
She seems to have forgiven him though, spending most of the time at the wedding rehearsal flirting with him. He brought up his current girlfriend several times, but Tia is undeterred.
Even now, she’s trying to play footsies with him at the dinner table. He moves his foot away subtly.
“Sir, are you ready to order?”
The waitress’ question leads him to glance through the fancy French food on the menu. Ryan’s parents are paying for the rehearsal dinner, and they’ve picked the most expensive French restaurant in Honolulu to showcase their wealth. They can’t be upstaged by Kate Lahela’s opulent displays.
Bryce hates rich people food. “Can your chef make a custom order? Burger and fries?”
The waitress looks taken aback. “Umm... probably?”
Bryce flashes her a megawatt smile. “Thanks.”
She continues around the table, collecting more orders. Bryce pulls out his phone, sending a text to Casey.
Bryce: how was your hike?
He immediately sees the dots indicating she’s responding.
Casey: Amazing!!! ❤️❤️❤️
A series of photos follow, the breathtaking views from her hike making him smile.
Bryce: glad you had fun. hope you weren’t too lonely 😔
Casey: I wasn’t lonely. You know how easy it is for me to make friends.
Casey: I met a couple on their honeymoon and they let me hang out with them.
Casey: They even invited me to dinner. We went to this Italian place and the pasta was soooo good. 🤤
Bryce: and what are you doing now?
Casey: Took a long shower, and now I’m in bed watching A Star is Born.
Casey: Lady Gaga is so talented.
Bryce: in bed? what are you wearing?
Bryce: (hoping you’re naked) 🤞🏽
Casey: Not naked, but I’m in that teddy that you like. I’m waiting for you to come rip it off me.
Bryce bites his lip, reading her last message again.
A photo comes through, Casey posed seductively in the bed in that deep red silk teddy. It’s not a selfie.
Bryce: who took this?!
Bryce: is that couple with you?
There’s a slight pause before he sees she’s typing again.
Casey: I used the timer you jealous dork. 😂
Bryce chuckles a little under his breath, his jealousy dispelling. He scrolls back up to the photo, eyes scanning over her greedily.
His uncle lets out a low whistle, glancing at his screen. “Damn Bryce, you did good.”
Bryce flushes and immediately pockets his phone, his uncle Tito chuckling beside him.
Dinner takes forever, countless speeches by friends and family about the bride and groom. His own speech is short and to the point. After what feels like eternity, but is really 3 hours, he’s finally able to get in his rental car and head back to the hotel.
He practically jogs from the elevator to their room, shoving his keycard in the door impatiently.
“Baby, I’m home-” He begins, trailing off when he sees she’s asleep. She’s snoring softly and the tv is still on, bathing her in a blue glow.
He turns off the tv, shrugging out of his suit jacket. After a quick shower, he climbs into bed beside her, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her forehead before falling into a deep slumber. He dreams about returning to Boston in just two days time. He’s ready, he’s had more than enough family time.
...
..
.
Bryce arrives at the church where Abigail and Ryan will be married very early in the morning. He’s unsure why his mother insisted on such an early time, since the men all spend the time awkwardly sitting around after getting ready in less than 30 minutes. He can only assume it takes the women longer.
When Abigail, his mother, and the bridesmaids are finally ready, it’s time for photos. They must take over a thousand photos, moving around the church, then outside the church, and then, hey, why don’t we get a view of the ocean, now how about a view of the church? It’s never ending, and he’s exhausted.
They finally get a lunch break, food laid out on the picnic tables outside the church. He can’t help but laugh as his sister delicately tries to eat some pineapple without ruining her lipstick. She’s covered her dress with a large bib to ensure it remains pristine and white.
“Abs, want me to chew it for you? Then I can regurgitate it into your mouth like a mama bird.” He jokes.
She flips him her middle finger, with a perfectly manicured French tip, and continues to slice the pineapple into minuscule pieces with a knife.
Tia tosses her lunch trash and approaches the table where he’s sitting alone. All morning, she’s been using the photos as an excuse to hang all over him, somehow almost always managing to end up on his arm.
“I saw some guests heading in when I went to the bathroom. Almost time to get this show on the road. We’re almost free!” Tia exclaims excitedly.
Bryce quirks a small smile. “You really should have declined her bridesmaid invitation. You know how our mom is. There was no way she wasn’t turning into a complete momzilla and making this whole process a living hell.”
“You didn’t refuse either.” She points out.
“They didn’t give me much of a choice.” Bryce insists.
“Well, it’s not all bad. I like these blue bridesmaid dresses. And I do get to hang out with you.” She grips his arm.
He peels her off. “Tia, I told you. I have a girlfriend.”
“A girlfriend isn’t a wife.” She retorts, winking cheekily.
“No, but one day she’ll be my wife. Casey is the one.”
Tia looks more hurt by that than he expected. The hurt on her face is quickly replaced with anger, and she storms away from him.
“Well damn, I guess Bria isn’t happening.” Abigail laments, throwing away the packaging from her lunch.
He rolls his eyes at the old couple name she used to call them. “Why would you pair me with her Abs? You knew I had a girlfriend.”
“To be fair, I hadn’t met Casey yet, so my loyalty was 100 percent with my girl Tia. I really like Casey though, I think she’s good for you. But it’s too late to change the pairings for walking down the aisle now, so just grin and bear it.”
“I’ve been grinning and bearing all day.” He retorts.
She smiles at him sadly. “Yeah, me too.”
Bryce becomes uncharacteristically serious. His little sister can always bring out his protective side. “Abigail, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, our parents would love if I pulled a runaway bride. Can you imagine what all those hundreds of guests would say? ‘First, she gets knocked up as a teen, now she runs away from her very appropriate and wealthy fiancé, what’s wrong with that Abigail Lahela?’” She chuckles mirthlessly.
“Who cares what they’ll say? You don’t even have to stay here. You and Haku could move in with me in Boston. I have a guest room.”
“Bryce, I’m a big girl now. It’s time to get out on my own. Ryan is a good guy. He treats me well and this is an important business connection. I married for love before, and that didn’t work out too great for me.”
“Wow Abs. They’ve really brainwashed you. You sound just like our parents.”
“Whatever Bryce.” Abigail mutters before heading back over to her bridesmaids.
They go back into the bride’s and groom’s dressing rooms in the church, retouching makeup and preparing to finally walk down the aisle.
The wedding coordinator Mrs. Lahela hired appears. She looks frazzled, like she can’t wait to get paid and be done with this wedding. “It’s go time people.”
The wedding party splits into their assigned pairs. Haku fidgets nervously at Bryce’s side. He puts a reassuring hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “You’re going to be a great ring bearer kid.”
Traditional Hawaiian music starts playing. This is something their dad was against, but Abigail managed to get him to agree to her being in charge of one thing at her own wedding, the playlist.
Francis and Gabrielle are the first pair down the aisle. A few more pairs go before it’s Bryce’s turn. He offers Tia his arm, and she smiles at him.
They walk down the long aisle, to where Ryan is standing at the altar. They split off from each other, Bryce joining the groomsmen behind Ryan.
Bryce searches the room for Casey as the maid of honor and best man conclude the aisle walk.
He spots her in the aisle seat of the fourth row. She’s so beautiful, in a silver strapless gown that hugs her in all the right places. Her curls are up in a delicate updo, light makeup accentuating the look. He has no idea how he got so lucky with her. He throws her a flirtatious wink, and she blows him a kiss in return.
Haku and the flower girls, who are Lahela cousins, walk down the aisle. Haku stands beside Ryan and he claps his soon to be stepson on the shoulder reassuringly.
Finally, the wedding march starts. Abigail comes down the aisle on her father’s arm. Bryce has to stop himself from scoffing at the smug look on Aoloa’s face. He’s probably already counting the money this union will bring him.
…
..
.
The reception is held immediately following the ceremony at the Lahela mansion. Bryce grabs a drink from cocktail hour in the formal dining room before heading out to the backyard.
His mother has really outdone herself. There are literally peacocks strolling around. Twinkling lights and lanterns add to the party atmosphere. A large tent is set up, with a dance floor and dinner tables.
Bryce strolls over to the tables, frowning when he sees a place card for Mr. Bryce Lahela on an elevated table at the front of the tent. Not only does the Mr. instead of Dr. bother him, he also wants to sit with Casey, not the wedding party.
He feels like he’s barely seen her over the last two days. He spots her at one of the circular tables where she’s currently sitting alone since most of the guests are still at cocktail hour. She’s sipping on a tropical cocktail.
He takes the seat beside her, glancing at the place card. Mr. Joseph Grant, an older gentleman who owns a private beach and beach club. A notorious bachelor, who will likely spend the entire evening flirting with Bryce’s girlfriend.
He frowns, glancing at the other place cards and seeing that this table is full of Lahela business contacts. His mother could have at least placed Casey with fun people, like his cousins and uncles. Or his friends.
He tosses Joseph’s place card to the ground, claiming the seat for himself.
“Amor, it seems like your mother put a lot of effort into these seating arrangements.” Casey gently chides.
Bryce takes Casey’s hand, placing a kiss to her palm. “Don’t care. I’ve barely gotten to see you baby.”
Casey smiles. “I missed you too. But I’m not going to let you steal Mr. Grant’s seat.”
“Fine.” He stands and easily picks her up, sitting in her seat instead and placing her in his lap.
Bryce kisses her shoulder, and then her neck. Her skin is so soft, and she smells like something he can’t quite place, but it’s flowery. “You smell amazing.”
“I went to the hotel spa this morning and got a scrub. I forgot my purse, so I charged it to the room, but I’m going to pay you back.”
“No, you won’t.” He nibbles below her earlobe. “Very willing to pay for this moment right here.”
Casey laughs, turning slightly so she can capture his lips. “Your mom is glaring at us.”
She is. The guests have started to migrate to the tent, and Mrs. Lahela is sitting at the wedding party table he’s supposed to be at.
“Let her glare.” He rubs gentle circles in her side through the silky fabric of her dress.
“I still want her to like me Amor. You should get back to your seat. Please.”
Bryce frowns, but Casey knows he can’t refuse her anything. “Fine, but you owe me later. Save me a dance.”
She stands so he can leave. “I’ll save you several.”
Before he leaves, Bryce grabs a pen out of Casey’s purse on the floor. He crosses out the Ms. on her place card, replacing it with Dr. “We didn’t go through medical school to not be referred to as Dr.” He reasons.
Casey laughs, kissing him one more time before he walks off.
When he returns to his assigned seat, he uses the borrowed pen to correct his own place card as well. ‘That’s Dr. Bryce Lahela to you.’ he imagines himself retorting if his brother or father bring up the real estate business one more damn time.
…
..
.
The newlyweds’ first dance concludes, Ryan hugging Abigail close and placing a kiss to her forehead.
“And now the dance floor is officially open!” The DJ announces, John Legend’s You and I coming over the speakers.
Bryce is quick to hop down from the wedding party table. Now that dinner, the speeches, and the first dance are all done, he’s finally completed his groomsman duties. Time to actually enjoy himself.
He spots Casey over by the open bar with his uncles. He approaches, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She leans back into his touch.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Tito asks the assembled group. “Definitely more in love than the newlyweds.”
Bryce grins. “Sorry to steal her, but I was promised a dance.”
“And dance we shall, but first peacock selfie!” Casey detangles herself from his arms, pulling him to the edge of the lawn where the peacocks have gathered. “I can’t believe your mom rented peacocks! This is definitely going to be my most liked pictagram photo ever.”
She’s clearly a little drunk. Since he was at the wedding party table all night, he had to settle for the champagne he was expected to drink after every toast. But Casey’s been free to hit the open bar, and he’s watched her take full advantage.
They crouch near the prettiest peacock, Casey fiddling with her phone and struggling to unlock it.
Bryce pulls out his own phone, unlocking it easily and snapping a selfie while he kisses Casey on the cheek.
He shows her the photo. “It’s cute!” She exclaims, so he chuckles and uploads it to his own pictagram account.
“Alright, now we dance.” Bryce declares, intertwining their fingers and leading her back to the dance floor.
The song has changed to Bruno Mars’ Just the Way You Are. Appropriate. “Girl you’re amazing, just the way you are.” Bryce sings in her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“I love you Bryce.” Casey says softly when the song ends, hands rising from his shoulders to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.
“I love you too Casey.” He promises before capturing her lips.
They gently sway to several more songs before Bryce is interrupted by a finger tapping on his shoulder.
“Dearest, so sorry to interrupt but the ambassador’s son is here, and I’ve spent so much time gushing over you that he wants to meet you.” His mother explains, not looking all that sorry to be interrupting.
Bryce sighs irritably. He hates mingling. It’s one of the worst parts about his mother’s parties.
“I’ll be right back.” He promises Casey.
She waves him off. “Take your time.”
…
..
.
Of course, his mother doesn’t just want to introduce him to the ambassador and his family, she parades him around the whole place. Brags about what an accomplished surgeon he is, how proud she is. All for appearances of course, she’d been just as against medical school as his father.
The open bar helps him get through it, stopping to get another drink between each group his mother insists on introducing him to.
He’s more than a little tipsy when he finally manages to slip away almost an hour later, immediately looking for Casey. He spots her at a dinner table, drinking with his friends.
She’s very drunk, he realizes almost immediately. She looks like she’s about to fall asleep at the table.
“What did you guys do to her?” Bryce playfully accuses, taking the seat beside Casey and allowing her to lean on his shoulder.
“She thought she could out drink me. I told her she couldn’t.” His oldest friend announces smugly.
“I’m…. not … conceiting…. confeated…” she mumbles drunkenly.
“Conceding.” Bryce helpfully supplies.
“That! I can out drink you. I just need a little break first. Maybe some water.” She reaches for the water pitcher, knocking it over accidentally.
His friends chuckle as Casey pouts. “Okay Dr. Valentine, time to concede. Let’s get you to bed.” Bryce says before lifting Casey and cradling her to his chest.
“Bed? We’re staying here?” Casey asks, playing with his blue tie as he carries her.
“Well you sure as hell can’t drive. And I’m a little drunk too.” He explains, entering the house and carefully climbing the steps towards his childhood room.
He gently deposits her on his bed, removing her shoes and clothes. He changes her into his old T-shirt and high school gym shorts. He admires her for a moment, pushing her curls out of her face since her updo has long since come undone.
He’s about to get up, but she grips his arm. “Stay.” She pleads sleepily.
Bryce kisses her forehead. “I’m just going to say goodbye to my friends and my uncles. I’ll be right back.”
Casey nods, yawning and releasing him. She rolls onto her side, and he turns out the lights before leaving the room.
Bryce returns to the backyard just in time for the beer pong tournament his Uncle Tito has started. His mother would never allow this, it’s too low class for her tastes, but she’s turned in for the night. She’s probably chugging a bottle of wine, finally away from prying eyes.
Bryce loves beer pong, so of course he joins. But he’s already tipsy, so he’s not as good as usual. He finds himself missing several shots, being forced to drink more and more as Uncle Tito hits almost all his shots.
An hour later, Bryce is definitely drunk. He stumbles into the house, heading towards the guest bathroom. He’s about to turn the door knob when the door opens, surprising him. Tia crashes into his chest.
He steadies them both by wrapping his arms around her. He’s trapped against the hallway wall, Tia leaning against him.
Tia glances up at him, smiling. “You smell like beer.”
He smiles back, the room is spinning, but he tries to focus. “You smell like vanilla. Are you still using that same perfume?”
“You remembered.” Tia says softly, her hands tightening in his white dress shirt.
Suddenly she leans up, aggressively pressing her lips to his.
If he was sober, he would have stopped this immediately. Pushed her away and quickly returned to Casey, the love of his life. But he’s so drunk. And her lips feel nice, and taste like the strawberry lip gloss she was always so fond of.
He kisses Tia back, hands tangling into her hair. Her blonde tresses are silky and smooth, so different from Casey’s dark curls. And that’s enough to break the drunken spell. To make him realize what he’s doing. That he’s cheating on Casey.
Glass shatters at the exact moment that he pulls away.
Bryce’s wide eyes meet Casey’s. The glass of water she was bringing to his room shattered on the expensive tile floor.
…
..
.
Author’s Note: You’re probably wondering why I did this. And to be honest, I’m wondering the same thing. But the idea just came to me and I wanted some angst and conflict.
Taglist: @octobereighth @sibella-plays-choices @hazah @akrenich @lovehugsandcandy @professorortegasstudent @regina-and-happiness @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicesarehard @lizeboredom @desiree-0816 @hellooliviaolivia @dreaming-of-movies @friedherringclodthing @weaving-in-words @fairydustandsarcasm @goldenjellyfish12 @pessimystic-fangirl @mimikoasahina @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl @god-save-the-keen @caroldxnvxrs @cora-nova
99 notes
·
View notes
Text
Geese and The Soft Morning Sun
From: @beercheesecasserole
To: @disneyinnocent-blog
relationship: Lardo x Camilla
Nonbinary character
Fluff
tw for moderate amounts of drinking, like a slight bit of racism, and fools getting rekt and pong.
~~~
Larissa sat in her new dorm room, fiddling around on her computer.
A blonde head popped in from the door.
"Larissa," said her new roommate, Candy, seriously. "Have you seen my dunko doll?"
Larissa looked at the tall girl dumbly.
"What in the goddamn hell are you talking about."
Candy moved fully into the room, standing by Larissa's bed.
"My dunko doll! You know? Dunko dolls? Have you not heard of dunko dolls?"
"No?"
Candy's eyes lit up.
"They're like little figurines of your favorite characters! They're soooo cute, mine’s a princess Biona from Shrecc. It's my favorite movie."
Larissa knew if she listened to more of this she would have a pounding headache in under an hour. Not that her roommate was annoying. She was just very high-pitched.
With a sigh she pushed her computer off of her lap and slid off her bed.
"I haven't seen it. I'm going down to the cafeteria, I'll be back in a few."
"Okay!" Candy said enthusiastically. "By the way, they're serving Chinese there, I'm sure it's not what you're used to at home but I think it's so nice that they're serving something so cultural! You should give it a try!"
Lardo sighed again. She wasn't sure if Candy was just dumb or didn't remember when she had asked 'so... what are you' a month ago. Larissa had never been anything less than Vietnamese-American her entire life. Well, served her right for submitting her roommate papers a day before deadline.
Larissa screamed internally and muttered a quick thanks before escaping down the hall. She would get out of this room if it killed her.
~~~
Larissa looked at the Samwell Sports pamphlet in her hands. Aven from her Ceramics II class had given it to her. Aven had said they managed for Men's Rugby and talked about how they managed to get a room in the team house this year.
"There's not like, a ton of rooms?" they said, chair leaned back and clay covered hands emphasizing wildly. "But it's the BONDS you make. I feel like a part of the team. And I don't even have to play or anything. The guys are great, love em to bits, it's just like SUPER messy all the time. Best house on campus though."
Larissa thought about that. She didn't mind mess. She wouldn't work in 3D media if she did.
~~~
"Ey Lardooooo!" A huge blonde man yelled over the haus crowd in an obnoxious Boston accent. "Be pong partners with me"
Lardo looked over from where she was chatting with Billy about neorealism and its role in the movement of art nouveau and squinted.
"Holster, my dude, respect, but you couldn't hit the flat side of a barn," she said cheerfully. "Hard pass brah."
The blonde giant put on his best puppy-dog eyes while also pushing through the drunk, loud waves of people between them. Lardo likened him to a cute bulldozer. Kinda a good concept, she thought, filing it away for later. Being around jocks all the time surprisingly gave her some great ideas. Lardo wondered for a moment if this had bedazzling potential.
Adam reached her just as soon as the thumping bass of the last song died and just before the new one began.
"Come onnnn," he said with a light in his eyes. "We don't even have to be partners. Ransy wants to play too so you could take his partner and I'll be his! Win win!" He emphasized his argument with a hand motion that seemed to say 'ey? ey?'.
Lardo rolled her eyes.
"Alright. Depends on who it is though."
~~~
Camilla came to the SMH end-of-midterms kegster with Jack but he let her know pretty early that he wasn't going to be around for most of it. Which like, she got. The noise and people could get to be too much for her sometimes too. But as she looked over the crowd tonight she felt tipsy in just the right way to want to get a little rowdy. Then Justin started talking about pong and her plans were set. She wanted to toast some fools.
"Rans!" She called to him as she moved closer "I'm in. Who're we up against?"
Justin pointed wildly over to the living room where a bunch of younger students were moving around to a pulsing beat.
"Holtzy just went to go grab Lardo" he said, grinning "oh man Camilla you gotta witness her back shot, its holy"
Camilla squinted over across the hall into the dim room and saw Holster dragging a small person with a sleek head of black hair behind him.
"Hells yes." she said, turning back to Ransom. "I'll play with whoever, I don't care."
Holster came up behind them and started talking loudly over Camilla's shoulder to the two.
"She's in but only on the condition she doesnt play with me. I'm too rank." he said, dramatically wrinkling his nose. "Cam, you game?"
"Sure" Camilla said enthusiastically, turning to see her new partner.
Holy shit, Camilla thought, face erupting in flame.
~~~
Lardo looked at – no, beheld – the tall honey blonde jock giantess before her. If height wasn't enough to fuck her up, her arms, good god, they looked like she could crack walnuts with them.
Realising she was probably giving this crop-topped stranger a pretty thorough undressing, Lardo took a step back and extended a hand.
"Larissa. Call me Lardo. Sup."
The literal Amazon of woman took her hand and shook it firmly.
"I’m Camilla," she said, smiling, cheeks delicately blushed in a way that set off her sweetly quirked lips. "Are you ready for some pong?"
Whats pong, Larissa thought, staring at her lips.
"Oh... Yeah this is going to be s'wasome," Lardo said, quickly regaining her senses.
There was no way she could lose this for them, Larissa thought resolutely. She needed to impress this literal goddess.
~~~
Ransom almost seemed to be crying.
"It was so beautiful... But I feel so devastated? So many emotions man," He slurred as he leaned on the broad shoulder of his blonde wingman. They both looked worse for wear after having drunk nearly every drink so far in what was shaping up to be a increasingly unbelievable pong game.
Camilla lined up her next-to-last shot at the remaining cup and grinned wickedly at the two boys. "Better get ready. This one’s going in. I call it."
There was no way she could miss this one. The tiny Asian girl beside her had sunk nearly every shot that night. If Camilla hadn't been buzzed, she would have knelt at her feet and declared her the pong god. Or maybe she still would. The night was still young.
"You got this," Lardo said encouragingly beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back. "One last cup."
And Camilla did have it.
Or she had, until Lardo's warm hand had rested on her so gently.
Her ball bounced weakly off Adam's chest and onto the table.
"Ohhhh," Holster said, a light in his eyes. "We aren't done yet, Ransy. You gotta rally for me. Get your second wind bro! Brothers for brothers! This is our shot!"
Lardo snorted. "You still have FIVE cups left. We have one. No way."
Holster lined up his shot and said in a fake hurt voice, "We'll see about that" and the shot landed squarely in their middle cup.
Ransom and Holster both shouted, whooping it up and drunkenly performing a sloppy, involved, handshake.
"Psh. Alright," Lardo said cockily to the two boys. "Ball's in my court."
The two boys quieted down as Lardo squinted at the table before them
Lardo shot Camilla a confident grin before grabbing their sunk cup. "Watch this."
It was a moment that Adam would wax poetic about for the next three years. It was the moment Camilla fell into something with this short, loud, wild girl.
Everyone watched as Lardo grabbed the tiny white ball from the cup and raised the beer to her lips. Camilla could see the sweat running in lines down her olive tanned arm in the heated room. She followed its trail to the crook of her elbow where it glistened before dripping down.
Lardo tipped the cup back and chugged the entire thing in one go. Tossing the cup behind her, she stepped away from the table, raised the pong ball, cocked her elbow, and spun around.
Over her shoulder, the ball sailed through the air.
It was like watching liquid honey for Camilla, but she turned to stare openly at Lardo instead.
She couldn't believe it.
She didn't even see when the ball landed squarely in the last cup and everyone watching erupted into screams.
Ransom and Holster at the other end were losing their minds. Absolutely just yelling at the top of their lungs and staring at each other with ecstatic looks.
Then Lardo walked over, grabbed the cup, drank it too and released the loudest, longest, rankest burp into both of their faces.
Both of the boys looked stunned.
Then Ransom solemnly grabbed her hand and did a complicated shake.
"Respect" the man choked out, full of emotion, pulling her into the bro-y-est of hugs.
Holster looked like he was crying now.
Camilla could make out "... j'st so happy..." Before he bawled and joined the group hug.
Well. Camilla thought. Who knew. Hockey players are big AND emotional.
~~~
A little while later when the party dies down a bit Camilla and Larissa find themselves outside on the porch.
It feels so easy to talk together. Maybe it's the tub juice, or the high from the most immaculate pong game in history, but Lardo knows there is nothing that could ruin the night now. She already has had the time of her life. Everything else is just frosting on the metaphysical cake.
Camilla shifts on the warm wooden stairs and moves her arms back to prop herself up on them. Her soft yellow curls tumble back over her shoulders with the movement and she stretches her legs out in front of her.
"So what exactly is a girl like you doing in a house of jocks?" she asks, mouth quirking again. "Not that you don't seem the type, you're just so... well-read."
Lardo laughs, and also stretches her legs out in front of her, positively bathing in the soft, warm, late night air.
"It all started with my roommate actually," she says, chuckling at the memory. "I really needed to get out of the house, you know? And Samwell men's hockey needed a trainee manager and I had those nights free. It felt like fate, kinda."
Lardo lets herself swim in Camilla's soft brown eyes for a second. "Like it was meant to be," she finished.
Camilla just looks back at her. And keeps looking back at her.
Finally she speaks into the moment, all shining eyes, all bright smile.
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean."
And all of inevitable, they kiss.
Lardo pushes herself closer to the taller woman and slides her gently back to against the railing before deepening the kiss.
As the two break away to breathe for a second, Camilla moves her hand up to cup Lardo's face.
"Huh..." she murmurs faintly before Larissa moves in again.
It’s deeper this time, and Larissa lifts her hand up to curl in Camilla's golden, perfect locks. There's something in her that just wants to mess them up a bit. Let people know she's been there. Leave a little mark.
Camilla groans and arches her head back as Larissa tugs on the mass of curls she has threaded through her fingers.
Lardo takes this as a sign to immediately start attacking the blonde's neck and pulse point, leaving quarter sized bruises like a string of pearls down the column of pale skin.
Camilla groans again.
"People will –" she sighs into a particularly hard nip of Lardo's teeth. "People are going to see"
"Let them," Larissa gravels out, kissing back up the bruises to recapture her mouth.
And they stay like that for god knows how long.
A loud pop from the back yard and a series of whoops and yips finally breaks apart the pair and a second later a firework blooms across the sky above the house.
Lardo and Camilla watch it fade out, both panting slightly, before Camilla turns back and rests her forehead gently against Lardo's.
"I just," she murmurs, looking at Lardo's bruised lips. "Have never met anyone like you"
Lardo smiles and traces the curve of her jaw with her thumb. "I'm pretty unique."
"This might be taking it too fast," Camilla says, switching her heated gaze from Lardo's mouth to her eyes. "But I live not too far away from here. A couple of blocks. We could walk if you... ?" She quirks up the side of her mouth again, eyes dancing, leaving the sentence in an open question.
Lardo stares at her in something like adoration for a second before kissing her hard and deep one last time.
"Fuck yeah," she whispers onto the thoroughly abused lips, nipping softly with her teeth. "I’m definitely down."
And no one sees them leave the party. If anyone sees them on the sidewalk they don't care enough to comment. No one sees them pushed up against Camilla’s front door before making it inside.
Only the Samwell geese and a few other bleary Wellies see Lardo walking home the next morning, grin the size of a lighthouse and a certain string of digits in her phone.
And if Larissa Duan, on top of the world, decides to fist pump like in breakfast club? Well, she's sure no one sees that either.
Just the geese and the soft morning sun.
Written by @beercheesecasserole for @disneyinnocent-blog for the 2019 Bitty's Valentine's.
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
*cody ko vc* what is uP my guys we have three motherfuCKERS in the back of this car and one of them is this chaotic bisexual mickey jcndlskjf . i have stevie and lincoln’s coming up soon so pls bear with me bc im stuck at work and Suffering. but yeah pls like this to give me validation jsfkn also if u wanna plot and i’ll slide into ur dm’s
( joe keery, cismale, he/him ) ↷ hey, that’s MICHAEL “MICKEY” VALESKA who’s originally from BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. i heard they’re TWENTY-FIVE and have been working on the ship as a COMEDIAN AT THE SHOW LOUNGE for A YEAR AND A HALF. other passengers seem to say they’re IMPATIENT and PASSIVE, but are also known to be CHARISMATIC and GREGARIOUS. when they’re missing home, i heard MORNING RUNS & THE SMELL OF OLD BOOKS can always cheer them up. ↷
statistics:
full name: michael luca valeska / nicknames: mickey / birthday: november 12th / sexuality: bisexual / birthplace: boston, massachusetts / spoken languages: english & italian / hogwarts house: gryffindor
some tidbits of info:
so ya garbage boi is a bostonian through and through ,, born and raised there for nearly all his life and he doesn’t mind bc it was pretty chill of a place, loved the historical aspect of the city and there was usually almost always something to do ,, def still has an accent but only becomes more pronounced when he’s angry or passionately speaking then
he was always a hyperactive type of child which tbh made his parents nearly rip their hair out since they were a v proper and high society kind of family ?? his dad ( franklin ) was a cardiovascular surgeon who made that coin and married his college sweetheart ( or u know ,. as they tell mickey ) after graduation where she(valentina ) went on to fashion design and she has her own line that’s gaining traction in the fashion world
for as much as mickey deals with his parents nagging ,, he absolutely adores his mom ?? just a v petite and tiny italian woman who immigrated to america when she was in high school and immediately caught the eye of mickey’s dad and it was a whirlwind romance that was kinda more of a fling but then valentina became pregnant with mickey’s older brother so then he had to put a ring on it
so mickey is v fluent in italian bc his mom speaks it around the house raised him on it as a second language and for as much as he rags on his family sometimes and in his comedy skits, he would 10/10 die for his mom and she’s v soft for him as well and lowkey her fave son fjdslkjd but don’t tell the other valeska siblings
absolutely hates the name michael and v much prefers the nickname of mickey so naturally his dad just calls him michael all the time dnSLJKf mainly reserved for when he fucks up but also that’s just his dad so pls spare his heart and just call him mickey
but yeah mickey always had pent of energy that he released in creative formats like drawing and reading or just u know ,, running around which helped when he did track and soccer in high school and was actually p good at it ??
which kind of made him popular and he thrived off the attention ?? but was also the class clown of his grade and genuinely just loved making people happy and laugh ,, doesn’t like it when ppl don’t like him bc it just gives him anxiety that someone he made someone doesn’t like him jfdsk def a people pleaser so he tends not to read any reviews written about his comedy skits at the show lounge
mickey did above average when he was in school and def got good grades but he never really knew what he wanted to do with his life and bc his older brother followed in his dad’s footsteps of med school mickey was super !!!on edge about life and just having numerous existential crises a week so 0/10 not a fun time
his dad was really pitching for mickey to follow in his footsteps and his brother’s and mickey was like lmAO responsibility in choosing and shaping my future for years to come ?? no thx ,, bUT bc he is a people pleaser ya boi got accepted in the fam alma mater of harvard .. don’t get me wrong mickey had nice grades but his last name and family history of harvard grads kinda solidified his spot there so mickey went with crossed fingers and high level anxiety into his bachelor’s degree for biochem
as u can tell since um .. he’s on the cruise ship things didn’t go that well fjhsdkj thOUGH ya boi did secure the degree in biochem running on caffeine, anxiety and the determination of elle woods ( mainly to make his mom proud ) and then the idea of med school freaked him out and he told his parents he was taking a year off just to rejuvenate himself bc lmao college sucks y’all
mickey’s mom ( ever the angel that she is ) was v understanding and just let mickey work at her design studio for some modeling of her mens collection and deal with some interning responsibilities that he was chill with bc he got paid and it wasn’t all that hard ,, his dad was not as happy and just has a perpetual frown whenever he’s around mickey bc he think mickey is just slacking off since his older brother is dealing with med school just fine
he took up improv classes just bc he loved making ppl laugh and figured it would be a good way to fill up his time and started doing some stand up without telling his dad kdjfslfk so when his year was running dry he kind of just impulsively looked into horizon and sent in his resume for a comedian position
bc i’m trash his humor is essentially john mulaney ( example HERE ,, mainly bc this skit is my fave #dontjudgeme ) and just v self deprecating and humorous retellings of life stories and smart klfdgajfk ,, he has n*ce delivery which he has his improv classes to thank
soOOO his dad is v pissed while his mom is supporting him since he told her before he left djflsk so he’s been on horizon for a year and a half and loving it ?? doesn’t really know when he’ll leave but who knows
def v charismatic and loves talking to people and meeting new ppl ,, can be a bit of a Hoe so don’t judge him he means well ok !! will stay in the morning and bring breakfast bc he may be a Masshole but he ain’t an asshole ,, def the saying of “here for a good time not a long time”
bc i suck at timelines and whatnot , mickey dipped off the boat for a bit after meeting his now bf fox where they lived together and settled down and he’s gross and in love and sappy so we out here and bc fox came back to the ship so mickey decided why nOT so he’s here being a garbage bin comedian again asfjdk
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
February 23, 2019
Saturday was our only full day in Philadelphia! We slept until 9 or so, then got ready for the day. Around 10, I remembered that I wanted to do a walking tour, so I looked one up. One was starting at 10:30, nearby! So, Hallie and ran to Starbucks for breakfast, then found the tour at the Betsy Ross Museum. Our tour guide was named Toni, a sweet and energetic older lady.
The tour had about 25 people and went through the old city of Philadelphia in two and a half hours. It was pretty chilly! I was wearing tights under my leggings and two jackets! The tour was really good! I didn’t know too much about Philadelphia’s history. Hallie ended up loving the tour! It was her first walking tour. The tour took us to Elfreth’s Alley, which has 32 original homes from the early 1700’s. People still love there! We got a small presentation in Christ Church, which was the Church of England’s first church in America. People still go to service there and even get married.
Toni took us to the first stock exchange, the first bank of America (not the current bank that Ingvar works for, hahaha), and Benjamin Franklin’s home and printing press. We saw the first postal office and ended the tour near Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Hallie and I wanted to check out the Liberty Bell, but the line was sooooo long!
We decided to find somewhere for lunch. Mason had recommended that we visit Reading Terminal Market, so we walked there. It was still super chilly out! When we arrived it was so busy! It reminded me of Quincy Market in Boston, or a more condensed version of Pike Place Market, with mostly food and sweets, but also groceries. It was a Saturday, so it was actually so busy! We were both pretty overwhelmed, so we decided to get the heck out of there.
Mason had recommended a dim sum (Chinese) place nearby, so we decided to be adventurous and try it! It was soooo tasty! We had some scallion pancakes, spicy wontons (that weren’t spicy!), sticky rice (that neither of us really liked), steamed pork buns, beef and curry fried dumplings, shrimp dumplings, and one of my favorites, soup dumplings! We actually ordered too much and definitely couldn’t finish it. I was so happy to get out of the cold and eat some yummy food.
After lunch we walked into the city center and saw the beautiful city hall. Hallie took some silly photos with statues, and then we made our way down the Ben Franklin Parkway to find the Rocky statue. Apparently, the steps to the Philadelphia Art Museum is used in the famous scene in the movie. It was a long walk, but eventually we made it. We were expecting to have to run up the steps, like Rocky, but the statue was on ground level, hahah. We took some pictures with Rocky, then called a Lyft to the Liberty Bell. Google had said that the Liberty Bell would be open until 7, but when we got there, it was closed! Shucks! We went to coffee at La Colome, an east coast coffee chain, that Hallie liked. I actually didn’t like the coffee; how can you mess up a mocha?
We walked back to the hostel, just to veg out for a bit, and made reservations for the City Tavern, one of the oldest bars in America. At 7:30 we had dinner there, where the waitstaff was all in period clothing from the 1700’s. Hallie and I shared some amazing corn chowder and a turkey pot pie. I also tried four different types of Colonial beer, I actually couldn’t even drink them all! The dinner was so tasty and in a fun place!
After dinner, Hallie and I both called our mom’s and chatted for a while, which was nice. It was our latest night, we got back to the hostel at 9:15, hahah. We watched a movie on Netflix, Abducted in Plain Sight, that I showed Hallie. We got ready for bed, and called it a successful day in Philadelphia! :]
#philadelphia#pennsylvania#rocky#walking tour#hostel#travel#friends#lyft#old town#old city#city center#dim sum#city tavern
1 note
·
View note
Text
Deception pt 23
The conflict between the Assassins and the Templars is getting out of hand. Lies, deceit and subterfuge, now you must pick a side...
Tagging @geekgoddess813 @sweet-flash @ermergerd517 @i-wontgivein @imakemyownblog 💕
If anyone else would like a tag (if Tumblr plays ball 😑) shoot me a dm 😊
Link to the full fic so far is Here.
You made it back to the Morrigan with little hassle, as you had managed to avoid most of the crew that were scampering about aimlessly in trying to figure out what had happened. Tossing the bag with the engine part in it to Gist; who was waiting for you as soon as you had boarded, you took a moment to double check that no one had followed you, figuring you had about half an hour before any kind of pursuit would be made.
"I suggest we go, now."
Christopher nodded and ran up to the helm as you followed Shay downstairs and into the living room, grabbing the first aid kit that had been left out on the deck for 'just in case' on the way. Tugging your mask and hood down, you held on to the back of the sofa when the ship suddenly jolted, feeling more at ease now you knew that you were underway.
"Come on, let's have a look at you."
"That Connor sure packs a punch, but lass, I'm fine. I don't need looking after. Actually..."
Rolling your eyes with a scoff when he perched himself on the arm of the sofa and pulled his hood down with a devilish gleam in his eye, you cupped his chin and turned his head gently, grimacing when you saw an inch long gash at the back of his head, accompanied by a lump the size of an egg.
"Gist was right, you are insatiable."
Grabbing a pad from the kit, you gingerly dabbed at the wound to try and clean up some of the blood that had dried and matted around it so you could take a better look, the corner of your mouth twitching when he didn't even flinch at your probing.
"Aye, but lucky for me you're just as bad. Well, I guess that could have gone better, hopefully it'll be a while before they start followin' us again. Least they won't be able to catch us this time."
Dropping the gauze as you froze for a moment, you spun around and ran as fast as your legs would carry you up the stairs and towards the helm, nearly ripping the door off its hinges as you burst through it.
"Gist! Where's my phone?!!"
"What? It's on the counter in the kitchen, why..."
Turning on your heel, you grabbed hold of the rail when you saw Shay bounding up the steps, leaping over so you landed on the middle deck and sprinted down to the kitchen without missing a beat. Spying the bag on the side, you ripped it open and tipped it's entire contents on the floor, stamping down on your phone with the heel of your boot, just as Shay barged through the door.
"(Name), what the hell's the matter?"
Rifling through the grains of rice and the shattered pieces of your phone, you picked up the small, thin microchip that had been attached to the battery, holding it between your thumb and forefinger so he could see it.
"This is how they managed to find us. I-It's my fault." You mumbled, lowering your head when Shay took it off you and glared at it.
"It's not your fault. Bloody assassins."
Your brow furrowed and your eyes roamed about the floor as he stood there contemplating what to do with the chip, pondering why you weren't feeling guilty about being tracked.
"Shay, there's something else..." You whispered, wondering if what happened on the helm of the Jackdaw had anything to do with why at this moment, you had zero emotions.
Swallowing hard and taking a step closer to him when he looked back up at you, you grabbed his coat by the lapel and pulled him towards you the rest of the way, pressing your lips softly against his. Please don't be broken... Please don't be broken... You chanted over and over in your head, grinning against his mouth when your stomach was fluttering, and a warm tingle spread throughout you.
"You know I'd never complain about you wantin' a kiss, but what was that about?" He breathed huskily, winding his arms around your waist as he leant against the countertop.
"Something happened to me after I found out about the tracker, and then when I saw you'd been caught. I was so, angry. Upset. Then it all just went away, like I was numb. But then, after I couldn't feel anything, I-I don't know how to describe it. I could hear your heart beating, I could feel it. That's how I managed to get to you so quickly..."
You trailed off when he was just staring at you wide-eyed, then a flicker of realisation settling in with a soft smile as he pulled you even firmer against him.
"You know what it is?!"
"I'm not sure, but I think so. Sounds like Eagle sense. It's rare, very rare, only been two, maybe three known cases of it. But it's always been the oldest and wisest of assassins that have it, and you don't have the vision, so I can't see how."
"So, that's why I can't feel anything?"
"There's always some kind of price to pay, for everything, but I don't know that much about what it actually does."
Chewing at your bottom lip and fiddling with one of the straps on his coat as you tried to process this information, you looked up when you felt his hands on your waist tighten, cocking your head when he seemed somewhat anxious about something.
"Love, just now, when you..."
"Don't worry," you giggled, nudging your nose with his and giving him a soft peck on the cheek. "I felt everything when I kissed you."
His tense grip melted away with a sigh of relief when you wiggled your eyebrows at him suggestively, stepping back when he reached out behind him and plucked up an apple out of the nearby fruit bowl, pushing the microchip through the skin and deep into the flesh.
"I wasn't worried." He smirked, feining smugness as you followed him back upstairs. "Now let's get rid of this bloody thing."
After Shay had spectacularly thrown the apple onto a passing fishing trawler that was headed back to the Azores, you were laid on the sofa with your head in his lap, flicking through the tv channels mindlessly. Chucking the remote down when you couldn't find anything that kept your attention, you shuffled around so you were now on your back, staring up at him when you saw he had his eyes closed and was half asleep.
"Where did you learn to throw like that?" You blurted in trying to wake him up, knowing he shouldn't really be sleeping so soon after getting cracked on the head.
His eyes snapped open, and his head shot up when he realised he had almost nodded off, stretching out to try and make himself a bit more alert.
"Hmm? Oh. Grew up in a rough neighbourhood in New York. Chucking things like that helps in a pinch when you've got a gang chasin' after ya."
"Guess that happened quite a lot then? Wait, you grew up in New York? I thought you were from Ireland?"
You sat up when he suddenly jerked underneath you, wincing when he gritted his teeth as he had gone to lace his fingers behind his head and, brushed up against his wound.
"I am, well my parents were. I've never actually been to the motherland."
"Soooo, you're an Irishman, who's never been to Ireland?! Bahahahahaha!"
You giggles multiplied when he began poking in your side for your mocking, only just managing to get them under control when Christopher bounded into the room, wiping his greasy hands on a rag with a self-satisfied grin.
"Well that was easier than I thought it was going to be, the engine is now running at two-thirds capacity. We should be back in Boston in five days, give or take."
Pouting when you had hoped it would take a bit longer than that; now finding yourself in not such a rush to get back, you prodded Shay with your elbow when you spotted him yawning and closing his eyes again.
"Yeah, I know. Damn I need coffee."
Gist took it as his queue to leave with a smirk and, mumbling 'rabbits' under his breath when you nudged your head towards the door, walking your fingers slowly up Shays inner thigh the second he had his back turned.
"There's a better way of staying awake than with caffeine..." You whispered seductively, adorning a huge grin when he suddenly looked very alert.
As Christopher had predicted, five days later you were stood at the bow with your elbows propped on the rail, staring out at Boston in the distance. You still had four days of your leave at least, but you knew you would end up spending half of that with the Templars. Even though you weren't exactly worried about it anymore, you still felt apprehensive at continuing working both sides, and it was about time you came to a decision.
Sauntering upstairs to the helm, you sat down in the seat next to Shay and propped your legs up on the console, sticking your tongue out and dropping them back down when he flicked at your big toe.
"Meanie. So how long until we dock?"
"Bout an hour I reckon. Decided what you're gonna do with the rest of ya time off yet?"
Looking up at him out of the corner of your eye, you bit the insides of your cheeks to stop yourself from grinning when you saw he was doing the same to you, thinking you'd have a bit of fun and wind him up about it.
"Well, considering I'm more exhausted now than before I started, I figured I'd relax a bit. You know, do all those girly things. Go to a spa, get my nails and hair done, perhaps a nice massage from a good looking man....."
Barely able to hold your laughter back as it looked like he was chewing on a wasp, you spun your chair so you were facing him, pressing your hands on the space between your legs and leaning forwards.
"Unless you had any suggestions?"
Watching him jab a few buttons to the side of him, you squealed when he suddenly let go of the wheel and slid his hands under your arms and picked you up, dropping you so you were sat just on the very edge of the console.
"Oh, I've got one or two ideas love. Checking into the hotel and spendin' the next few days in bed undisturbed? That's relaxing, and the room service is pretty good. An just maybe, I could help ya with that massage you were on about."
Wrapping one arm around him to pull him closer, you tapped your chin with your finger and pretended to consider it, trying to ignore the positively sinful look he was giving you.
"Tempting. Very tempting. But I have a feeling that I wouldn't be relaxing much, you snore. There is one thing I need to do, so you'll have to do without me for a few hours though. I'll think about it." You grinned.
"Will ya now." He chuckled, squeezing the tops of your thighs gently. "Well, either way, we've gotta go and check in at headquarters when we get back, might as well get that over and done with first."
You flinched at the thought of going back to headquarters and facing Haytham, not even thinking about it until now. After he'd not mentioned anything to you about what happened after the ball, you were still pissed at him, plus Shays reaction to you having been with Jacob, if he found out about you and the Grand Master this was not going to be pretty, at all. Also, if Haytham found out about you and Shay after his years of pursuing you, being the egotistical man that he is you knew that he would either deliberately try to sabotage you, or even worse, potentially out you to the assassins in retaliation. This was turning out to be a disaster. You actually considered asking Shay to keep your relationship hidden for now, but you knew that would create a whole spiral of questions, so you decided to scratch that idea. Your only hope was that you could get in, and out in the least amount of time possible, and pray that all conversation stayed work related.
"I know that look. What's bothering you, love?"
"Hmm? Nothing, just that every time I need to go to headquarters, I usually end up being kidnapped." You giggled, giving him your widest smile and hoping that he believed that was what you were thinking about.
"Kidnapped!?"
Shrugging your shoulders as he now looked thoroughly confused, you slid down off the console and gave him a peck on the cheek, before grabbing hold of the wheel and pretended to steer the ship.
"Yeah, kidnapped. To keep up the front, if anyone happened to be watching? Haytham suggested it, said it would be better that way. I hate it, but I did manage to break Charles' nose last time, so I suppose it's not all bad."
Your eyes widened when Shay walked up behind you and leant around your side, pressing the same buttons as before to disengage the autopilot, then lay his hands on top of yours and made you spin the wheel slightly to the left.
"Oh he did, did he."
Turning your head when he sounded amused, you raised your eyebrow when he just stared out of the window over your shoulder, indeed looking quite entertained at what you had just said.
"What's so funny?"
"You'll see lass. You'll see.
#assassin's creed#assassinscreed#fanfic#modern au#reader insert#shay cormac#shay cormac x reader#sfw
20 notes
·
View notes
Photo
3:20:23. A PR of more than 3 minutes from last year and 46 minutes than Boston five weeks ago. I am so happy.
On Saturday, I was nervous. Like really nervous! I had my typical dinner of gluten-free pizza and two ciders. My parents were in to help, so once we put Keegan down, I hung out for a little bit and then went to bed around 8. I was up before my alarm at 5:15. I wanted to take Miles out - I do it before long runs and I was trying to keep things as normal as possible. I had two (very small) pieces of cinnamon raisin toast with peanut butter and banana and a caffeinated cup of Mio. I think I woke everyone in the house (except Keegan!) because I was pacing and accidentally making a lot of noise. I also changed my outfit at the last minute. I left to go to the island around 6:45. I parked, found Allan for a pre-race hug and used the porta potty twice. I then found Jenny and Bob - we were all so nervous! It's like none of us had run a marathon before. The race started at 7:30 and I lined up in front of the 3:25 pacer, which was the fastest one. My A goal was sub 3:20, and while I am bummed I missed it, I am thrilled with such a great PR. The weather was perfect, it was in the low 30s at the start and crept up to the 40s by the time I finished. I had a long sleeve and gloves for the first three miles but I tossed the shirt to Tim and then the gloves got soaked with water - so I got rid of them as well. The miles felt so easy. My goal was 1:40ish first half and then reevaluate.
My legs felt really good from the start. I couldn't believe how smooth 7:30s felt. A 3:20 is 7:37/mile, so I was trying to run as close to that as possible. There were multiple times I had to pump the breaks. Since it is a two-loop course, my rule for myself was nothing under 7:30 in the first loop, preferably nothing under 7:35.
Splits
I ran most of the race alone, I did run about two miles with some guy but then he slowed down and I remained pretty consistent. With every marathon, there are low moments. I thought about dropping out a few times. I questioned whether I could keep going. I was doing all kinds of math in my head. I am lucky I was able to see Tim, Rebuck, Pam, Bob and Amanda so many times, along with a billion local friends. I heard "GO KELLY!" more times than I can count - it was soooo lovely. I saw my parents and Keegan around mile 22, which was a bit of a dark spot for me. I was struggling to keep my pace under 7:40 and convinced my PR was slipping away. Thankfully, my slowest mile was 7:44, which is really not bad. Thankfully, nothing really hurt, the ball of my foot is always sore after, but otherwise, I felt pretty good. My body just really so tired. And I knew I was chafing really bad, ha! My friend Andy was at a great spot, less than a mile to go, and he yelled some really encouraging things to me, which helped me pick it up! As I rounded the corner to the finish, I knew I had lost my sub 3-20, but I fought hard. I heard my family screaming for me. It was so great. I finished third in my age group, 11th female and 98th overall (out of 586).
As usual, I was a total disaster. I got my medal and snack bag and walked through the chute until I found Rebuck, and I just sat on the ground. My car felt SO far away, haha, it really was not. My mom and Rebuck helped me get there and took my shoes off and discovered a GIGANTIC (like the size of a quarter!) blister on my toe. Thank God I didn't feel that when I was running! Once they helped me up, I managed to get in the car, and my mom drove me home. I got in the shower and it was awful and painful but warmed me right up.
I managed to eat a little, and Tim and I had some celebratory drinks and then Allison, Jim, Jenny, Bob, Eliza and Rebuck came over! We popped some champagne Jenny got me for Boston and we cheersed.
It was relaxing to just hang out and chat about the race and everything else. Rebuck stayed a little bit later, popped my blister for me and brought me M&Ms. What a guy!
Tim and I stayed up a little bit later and then I went to bed. I slept terribly, which is off because I was so tired. But I was wide awake from 12-2 a.m., ugh! I got up around 5:30 sans alarm and went for a really nice 4-mile walk! I am going to alternate between biking and walking this week - whatever sounds good. I hope to be back running Friday or Saturday. My legs feel pretty good today, but I am being a little cautious.
And that is a wrap!
0 notes
Note
what’s your favorite moment from a stream or owl match?
I have so many omg.
Just from general streams, custa’s shoeys are always a lol because of the reaction in the chat. The one he did with the beer before OWL was fucking sick.
cocco tucking his giant pusheen in and moving it so we could see it on cam was p cute. cocco in general is p cute
The story about him trying to get Harry to eat bugs that he bought at Universal Studios was funny.
cocco in general has a lot of great streams and stream stories. He has a great discord too. The time he dragged Kyky in it was p great too. (cocco dragging someone, I know!)
Me having the record of who was first to dhaK’s streams was a pretty great moment because his mods would get pissed lmfaooooo
In OWL:
Just the general third stage was my favorite because Boston showed that they didn’t need the creep to do well. It was just awesome to see them work together and kick ass and take names. Mistakes and Striker were so great in the stage too. It’s nice to see Mistakes do well in this last run of the season too. Him taking Player of the Match three matches in a row was lovely. He kept going on about how he didn’t deserve it and how he didn’t deserve MVP votes, but it kinda shows that he does deserve them.
Seeing everyone come together and root for Shanghai was awesome too. For a couple hours, everyone was Shanghai fans and it was lovely. It broke my heart that they went 0-40. I do hope the majority of the players are back next season, especially Diya. Dude is amazing. Hearing him get so visibly upset after the final match against Houston broke my heart. I want him to do well next season.
The wrestling segment they did with Goldenboy this past week was amazing too. I’m a wrestling fan like Goldenboy, so I fucking died when they had him put on the lucha mask. I was waiting for Kenny Omega or one of the Young Bucks to come out as the bear too since it looked like the one they were using in ROH for Bullet Club. (And they were there for E3 iirc).
Fragi coming out and saying that he’s p much a weeb and him pretending to be Reinhardt in his AMA was hilarious.
cocco’s AMA!! omg I was hoping he would go on another one of his rants about how much he hates the weather in LA when they asked my question. Him ranting about how hot it is and how the weather in LA is only the same in Hell is fucking hilarious. A lot of the clips I uploaded here are stuff I loved too.
Gah there’s soooo many, but these are the ones off the top of my head.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
I am so sorry this took so long. I really am. Life yada yada, all the excuses,but you know. I try really hard.
Most of you already know what happened, on broad strokes, though not all the details, I had a crazy and great race… The video is here, so you get a good idea of what the day looked like, but the details and behind the scenes are below, … and there are some juicy details…
I hadn’t run the NYC Marathon in 5 years. After running it SEVEN years in a row, I made a hard stop. I run one or two since (Boston and Hudson Mohawk) but it had been a while. I fell out of love with the distance and crushed hard on the half. And it was all fine, the half and I were so happy together… But then, New Balance reached out with the offer to put me in their team for the marathon and I couldn’t say no. It’d be such an honor to be a part of the team and they were taking care of everything so I barely thought about it, I jumped in with both feet and yelled I DO, I DO!
New Balance’s gift for race day, WHICH I LOVED
The truth is, I was pretty trained. I was doing all these halfs and training with my friends who are all doing marathons. My weekend run was always at least 14 miles, so it wasn’t a big change. That was taken care of.
The nerves… wow. I was excited about such a fun experience… but the MARATHON…uh. That distance… I am the opposite of most people: I love the marathon training, but I don’t enjoy the race itself, mostly because marathon pace is so excruciating… UGH. Always waiting and waiting to fly and then, when it’s time, you are in pain. GREAT. That’s why I stopped.
But here we went. I got ready. Physically ready.
RACE WEEK
came around and the nerves came back up a bit… it’s gonna hurt… will it all be worth it… why do I have to suffer… all those thoughts. It all makes no sense when you have no goals.
My fastest race is 3:27 in Berlin. My fastest NYC was in 2009: 3:42. It’s be good to get a course PR or even go sub 3:40, but I know NYC is a tricky course so I wasn’t sure I could do that. On the other hand, I never run over 4 hours and I didn’t want to go over 4… the nerves!
RACE DAY
The switch was on. I was hyped! I had never gone to the start with Juan so I was SO pumped for that…! We saw everyone in the tent!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Got some coffee, water, ate a couple of bars and just chatted with one million people. Soon, I dropped my bag and walked about 200 meters to the Orange F corral. This is REAL. It’s been so long. Feeling all my feelings.
AT THE CORRAL/START
I found a few friends in the corral and soon we all walked into the bridge. OMG so many feelies. Can I start crying now? It was a SCENE. The Orange wave starts a few meters ahead of the blue wave, where the male elite runners start at the same time. So I had a PRIME position to watch the elite runners start. It was awesome… And then, I get to chase them. How lucky are we that in this sport we play on the same venue as the best of the world, at the same time??? Beyond awesome.
We get the national anthem, the cannon, confetti, Frank Sinatra’s New York New York, helicopters and a all the yelling. It’s time to go.
STATEN ISLAND
What a thrill. The start is quite exciting. Pumped 97%, scared 3%.
I always tell everyone you can ruin your race on your first mile, and I know how hard it is to keep it all under control with such hoopla. Seeing the city so far away into the distance helps to sober you up. Marathons are such a huge enterprise that you need to respect the distance, no matter how many or how well you’ve done before. Respect.
Or FEAR. that also works sometimes. 😉
The first two miles are epic. I was on cloud nine thinking about all the people I love. And then I saw my husband on the other side of the bridge, we blew kisses at each other, touched hands and wished each other luck. Then I watched him get swallowed by the crowds ahead.
We were off the bridge in a hot second. It’s blowing past me too fast. And I am going too fast. But, am I? It looked too fast on my watch. On the other hand, who knows what will unfold in a few miles…
BROOKLYN
1- THIS IS WHY I LOVED THIS RACE SO MUCH
2- #$!&*#! I AM RUNNING TOO FAST. I AM GONNA PAY FOR THIS. IT’S GONNA HURT. THIS IS WHY I STOPPED RUNNING MARATHONS
Wow, this is LOUD and AWESOME, and I am letting these awesome spectators push me too fast… CRAP. I was so scared… These miles were FAST and way under that I had planned. FFFFFFFF. Can I hold this pace? Am I gonna die a slow death on Fifth Avenue? Whatever I don’t care this is soooo fun.…
Seriously, my poor brain was so overstimulated and trying to control my emotions and speed. I had to veer to the inside lanes and put the music on to calm down and shut it down a few times.
It was impossible.
Fuck it.
This is waaaay toooooo much fun. Life is too short. Let’s go in.
QUEENS
This was also wild… the Pulaski was amazing. YOU have to look left. I was really absorbing it all in. Really. Then I just run through the streets looking for QDR and NP. I missed QDR but NP was unmissable. You could have heard them from Staten Island. It was also a highlight.
Then the mighty Ed Koch brige, or Queensoboro, or the QuadKiller, or whatever you wanna call it.
MANHATTAN
Also, yey for the views. And, we were fine. We slowed up a bit up the incline, yey to level effort, but it was a happy place for me. Then the steep downhill. I have to say that is one of the points of the race that I look forward to the most -coming off the bridge into the loudest First Avenue. It was NOT SO this year. The block was blocked off spectators and it was eerily quiet. A bit sad even.
Luckily, we turned the corner into First, went over the overpass, after a block of fluids, aaaaaaand there was everybody FINALLY. A bit anticlimactic, but only if you were expecting it like me…!
First Avenue was great. I was looking for Martina, and later Susan at 100. I saw LOTS of people I wasn’t planning on and eventually Susan at 100. That always keeps me focused. Get to the next friend.
Then things got scary for a second:
Ah crap. I had overused my music and drained EVERYTHING. Even my spectacles died. That’s what happens when you don’t do marathons often and you don’t think about these things.
the BRONX
I tried to collect myself… I don’t need a watch… I was barely looking at it… So, I knew I was in ok shape, having passed the half-way point in 1:45 to come in sub 4… but now I had no idea what I was running… Am I running ok? Am I fading off? UGH. Let’s go, hey Bronx, here I am!
I really enjoyed the Bronx… there was no slump there. It helped that I had 1 million friend cheering and that I did 2 or 3 course practice runs. I knew every turn and every step, that makes a HUGE difference. Hey Bronx, not afraid of you anymore!
Back in MANHATTAN
One last time… this is it. This is when things get tough. You have 20 miles on you and no matter how your race is going, your body can not be happy. I was mentally pumped, not scared anymore, a bit of stiffness but READY TO FLY. This is why we look forward to the last miles, right?
Fifth Avenue was awesome. Harlem Run had an insanely loud cheer zone and I managed to get a high five from Alison! Around the park and then we are right there… where dreams die.
Luckily for me, I had my friend Andrea waiting at 100. I kept telling myself “100”, “100”, “100”, like a crazy person, sometimes out loud. Totally normal, right?
I got to Andrea quickly. She had her dog with her and I almost died. Thank you babe! Fifth Avenue was never this amazing before.
Now, I was really wondering how I was doing, and where was Juan. He had predicted for months that I would pass him around 5th Avenue, but no sight of my hubs… where is he?
Now up this killer long uphill, into Central Park for the last final 2 miles and I knew I had Carolina and Patricia waiting right there. Carolina is a pro cheerer so I was ready!
The park was SO CROWDED… literally, lots of people on the course, a bit dangerous and annoying but I’ll take it. Not going to slow down now… no thanks!
THERE THEY ARE! hey HIIII
If anyone can jump for 2 seconds to take a selfie and keep up with anyone, it’s her! She told me I was doing amazing, I kept asking where was Juan, “Juan is like two miles behind”, I was in shock, never registered that I was “doing amazing”, said good bye and kept at it.
Right around 3 minutes later, at 72nd, I saw Melissa! Everyone looks miserable but I am shouting and blowing kisses.
Is having so many friends an illegal advantage? Sue me!
Well, now off just for the last bit. Let’s go. I can do this. My legs felt like they were going to fall off I swear… but hey. Hiiiiiii Whitney!!!!!!
A couple of minutes later, I was done.
My friend Ali was at the Finish, how convenient… also he takes amazing pictures!
That is literally how I felt. I wasn’t posing. I was crying, laughing, hysterical. FEELING ALL MY OATS at the same time! WOW. What a ride. Hey, I get a medal too!!!
Thanks Janelle for this picture!
Happiness… Seriously, it’s been a month and I still feel the glitter in my soul!
I found some more friends…
Then Remi brought me a scone. I died. What a day… Then I found my husband in the VIP area where our bags where. I WAS SO HYPER THO. So much caffeine. I took just 4 uncaffeinated gels, water, and 3 caffeine pills (I love these), and they really get me moving…
Once I got my stuff, first thing I did is I put some Cure in my water, chugged it, got all the layers on, got my phone and OMG WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST DO????
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?
I felt good but I wasn’t expecting a 3:3X at all. WHAT? I was yelling. My poor husband, I get so loud!!!!
Everyone would tell me that “of course” and “I knew you would do that”. I didn’t. I was shocked. That is NOT a PR for me but my fastest NY was a 3:42 from 2009. Literally 10 years ago. I am TEN YEARS OLDER, PEOPLE!!!! well, that happened.
This was awesome. We walked the 2 miles home (not so awesome) and then I was hyper for about 3 more weeks. Help.
I am sorry this was too long. I am just processing it all now. While I sign up for next year’s race. Again: HELP.
2019 NYCM - EPIC CRAZY DAY I am so sorry this took so long. I really am. Life yada yada, all the excuses,but you know.
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
freshmile
Sisak Dizajn
freshmile
Sisak Dizajn
doctor-disc0
Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff
jmviolon
Humeurs, images et musiques
mggbffgv
Untitled