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#drew this while watching pride and prejudice

k-marzolf · 3 months

Text

Devotee.

Established relationship, fluff, fem!reader.

Tagging; @e-dubbc11 @firexfate @aoi-targaryen @kayhi808

Billy takes you, a Midwest farm girl, to see the ocean for the first time.

&&&&&

Billy’s fingers curled around a strand of your hair, as you watched the sea transfixed by the coming and going of the waves.

You looked up at him brightly, a smile curving up on your lips as you held seashells you found.

“Aren’t they pretty, Billy?” You asked, as he tucked hair behind your ear, humming.

“You are, sweetheart.” He countered smiling devilishly, eyeing the shells in your hands, fingers pulling your hips closer, and pressing a kiss to your mouth, his mouth closed, simply enjoying the feel of your lips against his.

You were breathless when he pulled back. “I want a house here. We could have a couple dogs, and maybe a cat. And you’d be reading some old classic, and I’d be daydreaming as usual while the waves crashed in the background. It wouldn’t have to be big.”

Billy hummed, nose brushing yours. “Sure.” He said, eyes fluttering, and pulling you flush against him, as though he couldn’t get close enough. “I’ll give you anything you’d ever want, if you just want me.” His eyes were intense, as he kissed you once, twice, three times, feeling jealous of your love of the sea.

He drew your eyes away, onto him. “Let’s go in, sweetheart. I’ll read Pride and Prejudice to you.”

Your eyes lit up as you followed him up the stairs, away from the beach, carrying your shells with you.

#billy russo #billy russo x reader

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nolongerinusegotomodelbus · 2 years

Note

hellooooooo

can I request a cc!Wilbur were he has a crush on the reader, they work in a library. And when signing the books back in, he leaves note for them.

Have a amazing day <3

I actually love this so much; I just couldn't stop smiling while writing this. I don't know if you meant that he admired from afar, but I took kind of a different route that I haven't seen before :D

Anyone new: follow @modelbus as that is my real account and this is no longer in use but cannot be deleted.

Library Love

pairing: cc!Wilbur x Gn!Reader

The first time he comes in is like any other day.

You're behind the checkout counter, reading a book you had grabbed earlier. A huge perk of your job at the library meant that you could grab a book whenever. It was awesome! But you're reading, so absorbed that you almost miss the person approaching.

Luckily, you don't miss him. It was kind of hard to, actually. He was tall, had to be reaching over six foot. With brown hair and circular glasses perched on his nose, it was a bit hard not to think of him as at least a little bit attractive.

"Could I check out these books please?" He asked, eyes meeting yours for just a second before flicking away again.

"Of course." You replied. That was kind of your whole job, after all. "Do you have a library card?"

"No."

"They're free if you want one, makes it a lot easier to check out books."

Of course, it only worked if he came back. You'd definitely never seen him before so maybe this was a one-time thing.

After a moment, he nods slowly. "Sure, I'll take one."

Oh, wow. Normally people just gave a polite nod and didn't get one. This stranger wasn't too bad then.

"Great! You just have to fill out this paperwork." Upon seeing a grimace flicker through his face, you make a joke. "Don't be scared, there's no waiver."

To your surprise, your shitty joke makes him laugh. "Thank God. I'm not legally allowed to sign them after Disney World."

"What happened in Disney world?"

With a smile, he doesn't respond. Guess he was funny, too.

When he returns the paperwork, you give it a glance before filling out the details on the computer and printing his card. His books are added onto it, a strange mix of Greek mythology and historic composers.

"Here you go. The books are due back in two weeks. Any damages you can be fined for, and failure to return them will result in a fine."

"Don't worry, I'll be back." He promises, taking both the books and his card.

With that, he strides out of the library. Strange, to get a new face. Even stranger for it to be someone as cute as him.

As you go about the rest of your day, all you can think about is the name you entered on his card.

Wilbur.

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

Luckily for you, he kept coming back.

Each time you can't help but watch him as he wanders around the library, abandoning your book. Something about him just drew your eyes to him.

When he would eventually check out more books, you'd make an effort to have a conversation. It's how you got to know that he actually writes music and plays the guitar, how you learned that he's twenty-five. It's also how he learned about you.

Somehow he was effortlessly funny, but always managed to come off as shy. From the way he avoids your eyes, you almost thought him afraid of eye contact. Undeniably, he was charming. You'd be a liar if you said you didn't have a little bit of a crush on him.

Unfortunately for you, he was just a regular. A person with increasingly odd book choices (seriously, Pride and Prejudice and The Art of War?), destined for you to never see outside the confinement of the four walls of the library.

You did enjoy seeing him though. Perhaps too much for someone you didn't even have the number of. Well, that was a lie. He had written it down on the paperwork as required, but that felt too weird.

For now you contented yourself with looking up every time the door opened, hoping it was him. Eagerly awaiting the next time you could converse. Wilbur wasn't just a regular anymore, he was your favorite regular.

So, the second he walks in, it's not hard to notice something off about him. The smile he normally wore was gone, replaced by a nervous look. You hadn't seen him in almost two weeks, meaning he was just barely making the due date for his books.

For a guy who had been showing up three times a week for months, it had gotten you a little worried.

"Hey, Wil." You greet, automatically smiling just at the sight of him. "I was starting to think you were dead."

He shakes his head, mumbling something that you can't quite hear.

"Are you okay?" You ask, now getting worried.

Wilbur nods, setting the two books he holds on the counter.

"Gotta go." He quickly says, turning and rushing out.

You're left staring at the closing door, mouth open. What the hell? That wasn't normal at all. You close your eyes and think about what just occured.

He hadn't looked great, for starters. With messy hair and circles under his eyes, it was clear he lost sleep for some reason. The normally composed man had turned into a mess in two weeks.

Wait, he hadn't checked out any new books!

At least you knew he had to come back when he checked out books, but now there was nothing to force him to come back. You very well could never see him again.

Hopefully you were just jumping ahead and overthinking it though. Maybe he had gotten busy with whatever his job was or writing music. Maybe he was just too tired to uphold a conversation.

You reach forward and grab the first book, a collection of poems. You've never personally read this particular book, but he seemed to enjoy a lot of poetry. After checking it in, you place it on the book cart to shelve later.

His last book was another poetry book, one that you've actually read. It wasn't a long read, but it was quite good. When you pick it up a piece of lined notebook paper slips out from the thin pages.

Barely managing to grab it before it falls to the floor, you set the book back on the desk and unfold the paper. He had never left anything in a book before, but maybe this was important.

Eyes skimming through, trying your best not to invade his privacy, you almost miss the fact it's a letter. And not to anybody, but to you. He had written you a letter and left it in the book.

Now aware that it's meant for your eyes, you reread it. Carefully this time, soaking up each and every word.

I keep reading these poetry books to try and write a poem of my own to impress you into going on a date with me, but it's not working. My apologies if this is weird, but I just can't stop thinking about you. Ever since the moment I walked into the library, you've consumed my every thought to the point where I come back just for you. You're just I think I'm rambling. Sorry. Would you be interested in going on a date with me?

Wilbur

He was asking you on a date. Somehow, the letter, short and scrawled messily with crossed out words, was the most romantic thing you've ever read. From Shakespeare to Austen, nothing came close.

Suddenly his behavior all made sense. The way he rushed out, how he avoided your eyes. He was nervous!

The idea that you'd refuse is so ridiculous that you almost laugh. Searching for your phone, you're about to message him when you freeze.

The idiot didn't include his phone number.

#wilbur soot #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur soot x you #wilbur x you #wilbur x reader #wilbur #dsmp #oneshot #wilbur soot fluff #mcyt wilbur #wilbur mcyt

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aranysweet · 5 months

Text

Cross x Dream in...

Pride and Prejudice.

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

A while ago I made these drawings after reading and watching the Pride and Prejudice movie, which is currently my favorite novel and movie. <3

Then I remembered... "Oh, these two are very Cross and Dream, why not make an AU?"

and... Ta-da! ✨

I drew my two favorite scenes.

Unfortunately, the second is a deleted scene that I would have loved to see on screen, is my favorite scene and my favorite draw. :(

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

— "How are you, dear?"

— "Very well, I just wouldn't want you to call me 'Dear.' "

— "Why?"

— "My brother calls me that ironically when he's angry."

— "What terms am I allowed?”

— "Let me think... Dream for every day, My Sun for Sundays. And... My Guardian only for special occasions."

— "And what will I call you when I'm angry? — Ms.X?"

— "No no... You will only call me 'Ms.X' when you are completely, perfectly and incandescently happy."

...

— "...And how are you today, Ms.X? ... Ms.X."

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

references !

i really love this movie and i love them. <3

I will do a redraw but from clip studio,,maybe-

Cross belongs to Jakei

Dream belongs to Joku

"Pride and Prejudice (Movie 2005)" belongs to Joe Wright, actually in Netflix.

"Pride and Prejudice" belongs to Jane Austen, book published in 1813.

#undertale multiverse #underverse #undertale au fanart #dream sans #cross sans #cross x dream #pride & prejudice #undertale au #fanart undertale #dreamtale au #xtale au

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modelbus · 2 years

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Anonymous asked:

hellooooooo

can I request a cc!Wilbur were he has a crush on the reader, they work in a library. And when signing the books back in, he leaves note for them.

Have a amazing day <3

I actually love this so much; I just couldn't stop smiling while writing this. I don't know if you meant that he admired from afar, but I took kind of a different route that I haven't seen before :D

Library Love

pairing: cc!Wilbur x Gn!Reader

The first time he comes in is like any other day.

"Could I check out these books please?" He asked, eyes meeting yours for just a second before flicking away again.

"Of course." You replied. That was kind of your whole job, after all. "Do you have a library card?"

"No."

"They're free if you want one, makes it a lot easier to check out books."

Of course, it only worked if he came back. You'd definitely never seen him before so maybe this was a one-time thing.

After a moment, he nods slowly. "Sure, I'll take one."

Oh, wow. Normally people just gave a polite nod and didn't get one. This stranger wasn't too bad then.

"Great! You just have to fill out this paperwork." Upon seeing a grimace flicker through his face, you make a joke. "Don't be scared, there's no waiver."

To your surprise, your shitty joke makes him laugh. "Thank God. I'm not legally allowed to sign them after Disney World."

"What happened in Disney world?"

With a smile, he doesn't respond. Guess he was funny, too.

"Here you go. The books are due back in two weeks. Any damages you can be fined for, and failure to return them will result in a fine."

"Don't worry, I'll be back." He promises, taking both the books and his card.

With that, he strides out of the library. Strange, to get a new face. Even stranger for it to be someone as cute as him.

As you go about the rest of your day, all you can think about is the name you entered on his card.

Wilbur.

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

Luckily for you, he kept coming back.

Each time you can't help but watch him as he wanders around the library, abandoning your book. Something about him just drew your eyes to him.

You did enjoy seeing him though. Perhaps too much for someone you didn't even have the number of. Well, that was a lie. He had written it down on the paperwork as required, but that felt too weird.

For a guy who had been showing up three times a week for months, it had gotten you a little worried.

"Hey, Wil." You greet, automatically smiling just at the sight of him. "I was starting to think you were dead."

He shakes his head, mumbling something that you can't quite hear.

"Are you okay?" You ask, now getting worried.

Wilbur nods, setting the two books he holds on the counter.

"Gotta go." He quickly says, turning and rushing out.

You're left staring at the closing door, mouth open. What the hell? That wasn't normal at all. You close your eyes and think about what just occured.

He hadn't looked great, for starters. With messy hair and circles under his eyes, it was clear he lost sleep for some reason. The normally composed man had turned into a mess in two weeks.

Wait, he hadn't checked out any new books!

At least you knew he had to come back when he checked out books, but now there was nothing to force him to come back. You very well could never see him again.

Hopefully you were just jumping ahead and overthinking it though. Maybe he had gotten busy with whatever his job was or writing music. Maybe he was just too tired to uphold a conversation.

His last book was another poetry book, one that you've actually read. It wasn't a long read, but it was quite good. When you pick it up a piece of lined notebook paper slips out from the thin pages.

Barely managing to grab it before it falls to the floor, you set the book back on the desk and unfold the paper. He had never left anything in a book before, but maybe this was important.

Eyes skimming through, trying your best not to invade his privacy, you almost miss the fact it's a letter. And not to anybody, but to you. He had written you a letter and left it in the book.

Now aware that it's meant for your eyes, you reread it. Carefully this time, soaking up each and every word.

Wilbur

He was asking you on a date. Somehow, the letter, short and scrawled messily with crossed out words, was the most romantic thing you've ever read. From Shakespeare to Austen, nothing came close.

Suddenly his behavior all made sense. The way he rushed out, how he avoided your eyes. He was nervous!

The idea that you'd refuse is so ridiculous that you almost laugh. Searching for your phone, you're about to message him when you freeze.

The idiot didn't include his phone number.

#wilbur soot #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur soot x you #wilbur x you #wilbur x reader #wilbur #dsmp #oneshot #wilbur soot fluff #mcyt wilbur #wilbur mcyt

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pocket-luv101 · 4 months

Text

Summary: Licht struggles to write a love song so Hyde suggests they watch romance movies together. (LawLicht)

“Will you stop doing that, Shit Rat? It’s annoying and I can’t concentrate on my song! I told you that you’re only allowed to stay as long as you behave.” Licht snapped and tossed his notebook at Hyde across the hotel room. His outburst cut through the silence and startled Hyde. He couldn’t dodge the attack. Papers spilled out from the book and he rushed to collect the music sheets.

“What the hell? I was being quiet.” Hyde retorted. He started to argue with him but then he glanced down at the music sheets. The page was blank. A movie director commissioned Licht to compose a love theme. Licht accepted the request with the belief that it would be a simple challenge. However, he wasn’t able to write a single melody in the past hour. It was clear to see that he was frustrated with his progress on the song— or lack thereof.

His passion and greed was what drew Hyde to him. That part of his personality also worried Hyde at times. Licht would push himself to continue playing his piano even if his fingers bled. He didn’t know how he was lucky enough to form a contract with an angel after everything he did. He could never guess the reason but he would do everything he could to help Licht.

“How about a lunch break, Lichtan?” He suggested and Licht’s answer was sharp glare. While he summoned his piano on his lap, he didn’t try to fight with him further. He pressed a single key in slow tempo that was second nature after years of practise. Hyde had many talented Eves. A few struggled with their commission and procrastinated with their work. His angel was different. He knew that it would be more difficult to convince him to take a break from his work.

Hyde silently listed things he could say to him. A sly grin spread across his lips and the shift in his demeanor caught Licht’s attention. His piano vanished and reformed as boots. Their eyes met and could read each other’s intentions. Licht raised a brow and silently challenged him to provoke him into another fight. In response, Hyde motioned for him to join him on the couch.

Licht started to shake his head but a part of him was curious. Despite being an angel, Hyde was the only devil who could tempt him. “I have something that could give you inspiration for your love song, Angel Cakes.”

“Is this a corny attempt to flirt with me and suggest we have sex? I’m working, Shit Rat. I love you but my music is important to me too. Don’t act distracting so I can finish my song.” Licht ordered. He crossed the room to Hyde and took his unfinished music sheets from him. He was surprised by how easily Hyde gave him the notebook when he would usually try to fight him. As he straightened the crumpled paper, he noticed the pink tint on Hyde’s cheek.

“You love me.” Hyde echoed the word. Licht told him that he loved him so casually that it took Hyde aback. Whenever he would tease him and try to have Licht affirm his feelings, his response would be to kick him out of irritation and feeling flustered. He blushed and Hyde realized that Licht had said the words without thinking.

“Not when you’re being irritating, Shit Rat!” Before Licht could storm out of the room and leave the awkward silence, Hyde stopped him. His scarf wrapped itself around his wrist and pulled him back. As he stumbled backwards, his leg struck the couch. He fell into the spot next to Hyde and he wrapped his arm around his waist. Yet, it was Hyde’s red eyes that kept him from standing again.

“I actually have a way to help you find inspiration. We can watch romance movies and listen to their soundtrack. That might give you inspiration for your own love song. There’s Pride and Prejudice, Titanic or we can take a chance with a more modern movie. Though, I know you like the classics and fairy tales.” Hyde circled his arms around Licht and leaned forward to reach the remote on the table in front of them. As he did so, Licht could feel his chest pressed against his back.

“Is this a trick to make me rest?” Licht took the remote before Hyde could. He held the controller over his head but it was impossible to keep it away from him while he was sitting on his lap. Hyde buried his face in his neck and tickled his nose against his skin. Briefly distracted, he was able to steal the remote from him. He turned on the television and scrolled through the available movies.

Licht pushed his body backwards until they were sitting back on the couch and he could tilt his head up to Hyde. He scowled at him and crossed his arms. Hyde could hear his complaints even before he spoke. He took his hand and kissed his fingertips. His long and slender fingers were fitting for a pianist even as they contrasted Licht’s strong personality. He loved both sides of him though.

“I know you love playing the piano but even angels need to rest. You’ll finish your song eventually and it’ll be a gift from the heavens.” Hyde reassured him. When they first met, he mimicked how Licht would reference angels and fairy tales to mock him. Now, they were his honest praise.

“I don’t want to settle for ‘eventually’. I want to finish my song now. If I take a break or wait too long, I might regret it.” Licht muttered and nestled closer to Hyde’s side. His voice was barely above a whisper and Hyde was only able to hear it from how close they were. Hyde knew that Licht was remembering his brief summer in France.

Licht thought that he had lost his friend before he could play a song for him. Since he rarely met people his age, let alone had friends, the regret affected him more. He promised himself that he would always pursue his goals and no longer have regrets. He eventually learned that Niccolo was alive. That was only possible because he met Hyde. Licht found it a little ironic that a demon was able to save an angel.

“Indulge me for an hour, Lichtan.” Hyde played a romance movie at random. “If our love story was a movie, what song would be playing? I’m not an angel of music like you but I can recite a Shakespearan monologue of the first time I saw you. Shall our love be a short lived game or a violent one, my Juliet? Or I can be the mysterious Mr. Darcy that you hate at first but then fall madly in love!”

“A mysterious Mr. Darcy? I could see through you from the start, Shit Rat.” Licht rolled his eyes.

The way Hyde tricked him into forming a contract gave him a terrible first impression. However, as they spent more time with each other, he sensed that there was a reason Hyde kept himself from following his dreams. Licht often became frustrated that he didn’t know Hyde’s reason and tried to push him forward in his own way. Then, Hyde told him about his past and they could truly begin to understand each other.

On the screen, the couple began to dance with each other. Licht easily recognized the song and he tapped his finger on Hyde’s arm. “Fur Elise. The love songs I hear in romance movies are slow and have an idyllic light motif. That’s not what I hear when I’m with you.”

Licht struggled with the song for the past few days yet their short conversation helped him realize why it was so difficult. The director hired him to write a score for a fairy tale romance. However, his love story with Hyde was far from conventional. He needed to write a song that was true to himself but also fitting for the movie.

“So, how do you hear our song?” Hyde asked out of curiosity.

“Like a tempest.” He closed his eyes and listened to Hyde’s even heartbeat. He was certain that he could follow that sound through a deafening storm. They had been through a lot but he wouldn’t change a moment they shared. Licht summoned his piano and placed his fingers over the keys. He intended to play Beethoven’s Tempest but another song flowed out of him. “This is our song. What is our monologue, Mr. Playwright?”

“I’ve quoted Shakespeare for centuries but I don’t know if my pose can match his.” Hyde watched Licht’s fingers glide over the piano keys and recalled the first time he saw him on stage. “The spotlight above you is a faux of Heaven’s light. Once the curtain falls, the silhouette of a human remains. What a foolish angel he is to believe he can change the world. Dreams will remain as that: fleeting dreams. Yet, as I listen to his song move heaven and earth, I can almost believe your words of folly. Perhaps, I am the angel’s fool.”

#servamp #lawlicht #greed pair #servamp hyde #licht jekylland todoroki #fanfiction

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hassedah · 1 year

Text

The boys and their child have a surprise party for MC :

The request was posted a long time ago under headcanons: MC gives flowers to the boys.

Hi! How are you? ^^

I hope you are well! Here is the headcanon you requested. I hope you enjoy it! ^^

Take care of yourself and have a nice day! ^^

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

Vladimir :

Usually on your birthday Vladimir just tries to make a cake (which always fails) and gives you flowers and a present that you want. Your birthday was at the weekend. And it was the first year your child was old enough to understand what was going on. So naturally he went to his daddy to help him give you a present. Vladimir's heart melted when he saw your child coming to him for help.

Vladimir didn't dare go shopping with your child. So to buy what he needed, he sent Aaron, your child went with the wolf. He would have really liked to go with them but the moon was far too visible for him to do so and he never really feels safe outside the manor.

He hid all the materials in a place where you could not find them before he started to organise the party. The first thing he did was to help your child draw you a picture with paint. Did Vladimir get paint all over his shirt because your child suddenly decided to hug him while he was smeared with paint? Yes, and even though his shirt is ruined he still thinks it was really cute. (And he'll probably have to throw away your child's clothes too, since he didn't just paint the leaf).

On the night of the party, Vladimir managed to get you to leave the manor by asking you to run an errand for him urgently in town (Yes, it's a new edition of Pride and Prejudice and the cover of the book is beautiful) you didn't want to refuse knowing how much he loves the book so you went to get it for him.

As Vladimir is not really good in the kitchen, he went to ask Raphael for help in this task. Beliath ended up going through the kitchen to take some pictures which he will probably show you after the party. You can see your child covered in flour from head to toe proudly holding a broken egg in his little hands to show his daddy. Your child drew the pictures on the cake himself and wrote Happy Birthday with his daddy... because Vladimir didn't want any spelling mistakes.

He took advantage of your absence to hang decorations in the dining room, Aaron came to help as soon as he saw Vladimir take out the stepladder to hang balloons. Your child was very busy drawing pretty pictures on the balloons and choosing their place in the mansion.

You returned home after buying the book for Vladimir and stopping at a bakery to buy some sweets for your child. There was a great silence in the whole manor which was quite unusual with your child.

After dropping the book in your room and the packet of sweets in your child's room. You began to look around for members of your manor, after all the house was strangely empty. Once you entered the living room, your child ran into your legs like a cannonball, screaming "Happy Birthday!"

You felt your heart melt with tenderness at his smile. Then Vladimir joined you and gently kissed your cheek. "Happy birthday, my love. I love you."

Béliath :

Usually on your birthday Beliath takes you to a fancy restaurant for dinner. Despite the presence of your child, he doesn't intend to change his plans and like last year, you will probably go to the restaurant with your partner while the others watch your child. However, the little one has come to see his daddy because he also wanted to surprise you and Beliath couldn't resist helping your child to give you a surprise birthday party in the manor.

He has used shopping for the next party as an excuse to go out shopping with your child. This didn't really surprise you because Beliath usually uses this time to buy new clothes for your child or new toys. He hid all the stuff he bought in Ethan's room so that you wouldn't see it.

Your child didn't really know what gift to give you, the little one wanted to make a pearl bracelet, then a drawing, then a clay heart. Beliath had to limit your child's ideas a little, as he wanted to do a thousand and one things at once without being able to decide. In the end, the little one opted for a drawing with glitter... lots of glitter. Beliath had to wash your child's hair several times, but it never completely removed all the glitter that had been smeared on it.

On the night of the party, Beliath didn't really know how to get you to leave the mansion without arousing your suspicions. He thought a lot, hesitated for a long time, then Ethan came to save him by offering him an excuse for you to go out in town with him that night. So you went with Ethan, who claimed that he absolutely needed you to buy a birthday present for Beliath. You thought the excuse was a bit odd as Ethan always finds the perfect gift for Beliath and clearly doesn't need help with that, but you gave in to the doctor's insistence.

Cooking with your child has been more complicated and he understands a little better why Léandra did not want him to cook with her when he was a child. The little one wants to do it well, but he puts a little too much flour in the batter and then a little too much sugar, finally as all the quantities were almost doubled, Beliath ended up making two cakes. He left it entirely up to your child to decorate the cakes. It's not written very straight and there are some spelling mistakes, but Beliath still says he's never seen such beautiful cakes.

Vladimir has reluctantly agreed to let your child scatter confetti around his mansion. So your child has had a field day, there is confetti in the living room as well as in the dining room and the hall. Beliath doesn't know how, but he also has confetti in his hair, he has given up trying to remove it.

You immediately stopped when you saw the confetti scattered all over the floor before glancing suspiciously at Ethan. He simply smiled at you before waving you into the living room. When you entered the living room your child ran towards you. You held your child in your arms as the little one came to you screaming. "Happy birthday!

Beliath joined you shortly afterwards. You removed a confetti from Beliath's hair with a smile. "Don't ask me how, I don't know myself" then he kissed you. "Happy birthday, darling, I love you."

Ivan :

Your child was old enough to understand that your birthday was coming up. Normally, when Ivan organises your birthday alone, you don't do anything special, but he always makes sure that you have the evening together. He entrusts your child to Vladimir, who is always very happy to take care of him. And you usually have a video game/movie/popcorn night. He's planning to do it later this year too, especially because it's harder now with your child to have time for both of you. He has nevertheless accepted your child's idea.

Ivan used the excuse of taking your child to the park to buy things for your birthday party. This did not surprise you because Ivan takes your child to the park at least once a week. He hid all the stuff in Vladimir's room because he was sure you would never go there.

Ivan has moved into the bedroom with your child to help him prepare your gift. It was supposed to be something simple. A simple print of his little hands that you could look back on with nostalgia in twenty years time, but of course nothing is ever simple with a young child and after placing his hands on the sheet of paper to leave his print he took advantage of his father not watching him to redecorate the walls of his room. Ivan didn't argue, however, because the innocent look on your child's face made him melt (he just moved the chest of drawers so that Vladimir couldn't see the carnage on the wall).

On the day of the party, Ivan has asked you to go buy him the latest CD of his favourite rock band. At first you didn't really want to, but he was very insistent and so was your child. You more or less understood that they didn't want you at the mansion that night, so you gave in, very curious as to what they were both up to.

Soon after you left, he started cooking with your child. The noise they made soon attracted Vladimir. Then Beliath and Raphael heard Vladimir complaining about the state of his kitchen. Ivan didn't anticipate that baking with a small child could be so complicated. Fortunately, Raphael and Beliath were able to help catch the carnage that the cake had become and prevent your child from scattering more flour on the counters and floor. Finally your child made the decorations on the cake and wrote happy birthday. There were a few spelling mistakes, but Ivan took a picture of the cake as a souvenir.

Then it was time to decorate the mansion, your child let his daddy hang the balloons while he put the decorations on the living room table. He concentrated a lot on folding the napkins so that they would look nice on the plates (Beliath showed him how).

You took your time, suspecting that your partner and child were up to something at home, and you took the opportunity to buy a new film for the three of you to watch tonight. When you got home, you went to the bedroom to drop off your groceries before looking for your partner and child. You could tell they were there by the light that filtered through the living room door. As soon as you entered your child ran towards you shouting "Happy Birthday!" the little one was shaking his drawing in his hand waiting impatiently for you to take it.

Ivan joined you quickly to give you a kiss. "Happy birthday, darling, I hope we managed to keep it a surprise". You smiled before embracing them both. "I wasn't expecting it at all."

Aaron :

You don't usually do much for your birthday. Aaron always buys you a little present to make you happy and then you try to spend the night together, usually walking in the woods or by the lake. Since you've had your child, it's a bit more complicated. Your child is at an age where it is difficult for him not to want his parents with him all the time, so you dare to be away from the manor a little less. Even if Vladimir assures you that you can leave in peace while they look after your child.

He went out shopping with your child one night, where you preferred to stay at the manor. The fact that they both left did not surprise you, even though Aaron rarely shops for the manor, he very often takes your child with him when he goes into town. When he returned, Aaron hid what they had bought in Ivan's room.

Aaron took advantage of a moment when you were out walking in the forest to help your child give you a present. He opted for something simple that wouldn't end up in trouble. So he didn't paint for fear of having to wash the walls afterwards. Instead, he suggested that your child write you a poem. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, especially for your child to find rhymes and manage to write on the paper with Aaron's help. But finally, after several hours of work, the poem was finished and Aaron had to convince your child not to go and read it to you straight away because the little was so proud of it.

Aaron has asked you to accompany Vladimir to the horticultural shop. This is not really surprising for you because Vladimir never goes there alone, but normally it is always Beliath or Aaron who accompanies him and you are sure that he has already been there last week. However, you have not refused, it is nice to spend time with Vladimir in a horticultural shop because he is always in a very good mood.

Aaron is not a very good cook. But it's not catastrophic like Vladimir or Ethan. So he is able to make you a cake without setting the kitchen on fire. However, it took him longer than he thought, though, because cooking with a small child is not easy, even when the child is very attentive. Your child broke a child on the floor, put flour on the counter and probably a little too much sugar in the batter. Then, once the cake was baked, Aaron let the child decorate it. There were a few spelling mistakes, but according to Aaron that's not a big deal since the main purpose of the cake is to be eaten.

Aaron agreed to put some balloons in the living room to please your child and let him put confetti in the mansion as long as he didn't scatter it around the upstairs.

You got home earlier than you thought you would, because usually taking Vladimir to a horticultural shop easily takes most of the night. You didn't buy much either, except for a rosebush that Vladimir hasn't let go of for a second since leaving the shop. As you walked in, you immediately saw the confetti on the floor and heard Vladimir's sigh beside you. After helping the aristocrat put his things down in the hall, he motioned for you to go into the living room by assuring you that they could handle the rest on their own. As soon as you enter, Your child ran up to you shouting "Happy Birthday!" you picked the little one up for a hug before Aaron joined you for a gentle kiss.

"Happy birthday, love, I hope we've been discreet."

Raphaël :

Raphael wants you to be the centre of his attention on your birthday. Usually you stay at the manor, but Raphael prepares a nice meal for you, which you eat together in the living room, and then he gives you a present. He continued to do this after your child was born, except that your baby was in Vladimir's care for the evening. Now that your child is old enough to understand, the little one came to his daddy to help him prepare your birthday. Raphael thought it was so cute that he immediately agreed.

He sent your child shopping with Beliath to buy the things for your birthday party. This didn't really surprise you, because Beliath sometimes takes your child shopping with him (and he always ends up buying him a new cuddly toy or new clothes). Beliath hid what they bought in his room.

He had bought a little wooden box with your child during the shopping. The child wanted to make a memory box for you and decorate it. The box was quickly covered with paint and glitter of all colours and your child even used stencils to paint dozens of hearts everywhere. In the end, your child and Raphael were covered in glitter and paint. However, he didn't have time to give your child a bath before you got home but they have time to hide the box. The innocent look on your partner's and your child's faces when you asked them where all the paint and glitter came from made you laugh.

He asked you with his most unhappy look to go and buy him some sweets. Sure, he had plenty more but... your child is eating them too and there is clearly not enough for both of them. You sighed, frankly hesitating to refuse, but your child came to support his father with the same unhappy look he had no doubt learned from him, so you gave in and went into town, suspecting that they were both hiding something.

He has always loved to bake so he was very happy to be able to share this with your child. Of course there were a few mistakes, like a broken egg on the counter and the milk bottle that spilled, but nothing so bad that the cake was not a success. He let your child decorate the cake as he wanted, after all, the little one has to express his artistic side. And he asked Beliath to come and take pictures so that you would have memories of your child making his first cake.

He asked Aaron to help hang decorations in the living room and showed your child how to fold prettys napkins for the table.

You quickly returned with two packages of candy, one for your child and one for Raphael. The mansion was silent, which surprised you, as your child can't really be called silent compared to vampires. You put the candy in the kitchen before looking for your partner. It wasn't in the library, so you went into the small living room, before you saw the light under the living room door. When you entered your child rushed towards you shouting "Happy Birthday!", you took him in your arms and kissed him before Raphael joined you both.

"Happy birthday, my love." He kissed you softly before continuing, "I guess you guessed it, didn't you?"

Ethan :

He is not very romantic, but he always tries to do something to please you. Most often he will invite you to a restaurant or a movie. If you have asked him for something specific like a romantic trip, he will do it but he will not think of it on his own. Since the birth of your child, he tries to do only things at home, but this is mainly because he is afraid to entrust your child to anyone else but the two of you. When your child came to him to help organise your birthday party, he couldn't refuse and immediately agreed.

You were a little surprised to see Ethan out shopping with your child because the vampire doesn't usually take your child shopping. He prefers to keep him safe at the manor, fearing that something will happen to him while he is alone with him. However, you did not say anything because you were happy to see Ethan fighting his anxiety about your child's safety. He hid the stuff they bought in Beliath's room so that you wouldn't find it.

Your child was desperate to draw you a nice picture. Ethan immediately agreed, after all, it's easy to do and it makes your child happy. After finishing the drawing, your little one turned to his father with an innocent look on his face before drawing a heart on his cheek with the paint he had on his hands. Of course, Ethan immediately retaliated by putting some paint on your child's nose. The paint battle continued for a long time until, alerted by the laughter, you went back up to the room to see what they were doing. As you entered Ethan quickly slid your child's drawing under the cupboard so you couldn't see it before smiling innocently at you. They were both covered in paint to such an extent that Ethan's once white hair was now a mixture of colours from blue to red. You burst out laughing at the sight before coming over to join in the paint fight as well.

He asked Beliath to take you shopping, whether it was clothing shops, perfume shops, book shops, whatever. Beliath had to keep you busy as long as possible away from the manor. You weren't very motivated at first, but Beliath asked you to help him find new clothes and you jumped at the chance to finally get him out of those damn clothes he's always wearing.

He can't cook and your child can't cook either. Of course, with the two of them together the kitchen soon became a battlefield. When Ethan asked your child to give him the packet of flour, the little one immediately obeyed, but he hugged the packet of flour so tightly that it exploded. After a moment's silence when they both looked at each other, your child burst out laughing, quickly followed by his father, who then proceeded to remove the flour from your child's face so that it would not get in his eyes. When Vladimir was alerted by the noises and started to get angry at Ethan for the mess he had made, your child yelled at him not to yell at his daddy. Ethan thought his heart was going to melt when he heard the little one stand up for him. Finally, Vladimir called Raphael to come and help them finish the birthday cake.

Ethan hung balloons on the living room walls with your child's help, then they set the table together. Your child put confetti on the table to decorate it.

When you returned you immediately noticed the strange silence in the manor. You gave a questioning look to Beliath, who motioned you into the living room. You barely had time to walk out the door before your child ran towards you shouting "Happy Birthday!“ You took your child in your arms and gave him a gentle hug.

Ethan joined you quickly afterwards to kiss you "Happy birthday, sweetheart, I love you."

Neil :

He doesn't often celebrate your birthday because he often forgets the date, admittedly he never remembers his own either. But when your child came up to him with a conspiratorial look on his face and whispered in his ear that he wanted to surprise you for your birthday, he couldn't resist.

He went out shopping with your child on a night when you wanted to stay home and frankly, you were very surprised. Normally Neil always finds a way to get a human to do his shopping for him, but this time he didn't want to. However you didn't say anything understanding that with the conspiratorial look on your partner's and your child's faces he must have been up to something.

It wasn't easy to find a gift that your child could make. Neil doesn't want to get your child to paint, as he knows that there is more paint on the walls and floor than on the paper. So he looks for an idea that your child might like to do. After a long hesitation, Neil suggested that your child make candles. The little one agreed immediately, of course, especially when his dad told him it was a bit difficult for his age. Neil let your child choose the shape and colour of the candles. He didn't let her melt the wax though as he was too afraid the child would burn herself. Once the candles were finished, the little one went and hid them in her room.

He looked for a long time for an excuse for you to go out until your child suggested that he send you out to buy a new night light. Of course, Neil thought it was a great idea because your child's nightlight has been going out during the day for the past two days, so the little one comes to wake up you crying. You immediately accepted the idea and left.

Neil never cooked in his life. He always had servants to do it. At first he planned to buy a cake in a large bakery but when he told your child the child protested strongly. The child was desperate to bake you a cake, Neil tried to convince him that this was not possible, but he couldn't do it. As a result, he found himself in the kitchen with your child trying to figure out the recipe for a cake. He didn't really know what happened the first time, but when he took the cake out of the oven it was as black as coal and yet still liquid. He felt slightly judged by the dejected look your child gave him, especially when he said, "It's OK, Dad, sometimes you make mistakes". However, Neil never sits on a failure, so he tried again, several times with your child. After many unsuccessful attempts, they finally managed to come up with a cake that was edible, albeit a little toasty around the edges.

He has tried to decorate the room in a chic way, but it's hard to be chic when there are lots of colourful balloons on the walls and the floor is covered in confetti. Moreover, he does not dare to look at himself in the mirror because he knows that he has confetti in his hair since your child has thrown it everywhere.

The first thing you smelled when you got home was the strong smell of grilling. This intrigued you greatly, as of course Neil never cooks, however you took the time to put your child's night light in his room before looking for them in the house. It was only when you finally entered the living room that you saw them. Your child ran to you shouting "Happy Birthday!" you picked him up and gave him a hug as Neil joined you both. Neil leaned in to kiss you. "Happy birthday, darling," you smiled before pulling a confetti from his hair. "I'll help you get it out, don't worry."

Léandra :

Since the birth of your child, making a date night for your birthday has become much more complicated. However, Léandra always tries to reserve at least one day for you by entrusting your child to her brother. This year, however, your child came to her a few days before your birthday to whisper that it wanted to surprise you too. Leandra felt her heart melt at the kindness and immediately agreed to help your child.

She went out with your child to go shopping. This did not surprise you at all because Leandra often goes out with the child to buy clothes or to take him to see his brother. When she came home she hid what she had bought in the attic, hoping that you would not go there before your birthday.

Leandra came into the living room, while you were out, to help your child make a present for you, the little one didn't know what to do so Leandra offered to make a bracelet for you. When Beliath was little, he often gave her bracelets that he had made himself. She was able to keep only one that did not get damaged over time. Your child immediately accepted the idea. She didn't have to do much to help your child and only hung the clasps when the little one finished the bracelet. Very happy with her achievement, your child finally decided to make matching bracelets for all three of you.

Léandra pretended that she had forgotten to buy your child's dinosaur biscuits so that you would go there, as they are your child's favourite and he often only wants to eat them at snack time, you went and bought them straight away.

As she began to cook, she remembered why she didn't want Beliat to cook with her as a child. The child is still very clumsy and has a lot of trouble breaking the eggs in the right place. The child also emptied a good part of the packet of flour on the table while trying to carry it. However, Léandra has not given up hope, she has been baking for years for her little brother, she knows exactly how to make up for a few mistakes in the recipe. She let your child decorate the cake after taking it out of the oven and knowing your child's love of glitter, she bought edible glitter which quickly found its way onto the cake.

Decorating the house didn't take long. Leandra hung a few balloons on the walls while your child scattered confetti and glitter everywhere. Then they folded the napkins and put them on the table.

You came home quickly, the absence of noise immediately struck you as odd, whether it was your partner or your child, they could not be described as silent. After placing the biscuits on the kitchen table you started to look for them before quickly guessing that they were in the living room by the light under the door. As soon as you entered the room, your child flew into your arms shouting "Happy Birthday!" and you grabbed the little one and gave him a hug.

Léandra joined you quickly afterwards to kiss you "Happy birthday, my love, I love you."

Farah :

She tries to arrange a romantic evening for you outside the pack for your birthday. Thus, Farah often entrusts your child to the other members of the pack then she takes you to a small country restaurant. This year, however, your child came to her and asked her to help organise a surprise for your birthday. Farah couldn't resist the idea and immediately agreed.

She went out with your child to do the shopping. This came as a bit of a surprise to you, although Farah often does the shopping for the pack, she rarely takes your child with her as she prefers to keep him safe under the pack's supervision. When she came back, she asked one of the pack members to hide what she had bought in her bag until your birthday.

Farah has been looking for a long time for a gift that is easy enough to carry around and that you can keep for a long time. When your child came across of olds handkerchiefs that Farah had embroidered several years ago, he wanted to do the same. It was a bit complicated for your child, but Farah was very helpful. The child embroidered your name in the centre of the handkerchief and then embroidered little flowers around it. For a first time, Farah thinks your child did very well and the little one can't wait for your birthday to give it to you.

Farah asked you to accompany the pack doctor to a pharmacy to fill your medicine kit. This is an important thing so you didn't even think about refusing and left as soon as the doctor was ready, not without kissing your partner and child and promising to return quickly.

Farah would have liked to bake you a cake for your birthday, but she knows that her cooking skills are not very high, and she is not sure if she will have access to an oven on that day. So she was ordered a few days before your birthday cake with your child from a bakery. After choosing the flavour, your child showed the baker a drawing of what she wanted on your cake. On the day of the party, she sent one of the pack to pick up the cake from the bakery while she made the final preparations.

She wanted to decorate the forest without putting confetti and balloons everywhere. So Farah hung up some colourful lights and put the picnic tablecloth. on the ground for you to eat on. Your child helped by folding the napkins and placing them carefully on the picnic tablecloth.

When you returned from the pharmacy with the doctor, you immediately looked around for your partner and child, a little worried that neither of you could see them. The doctor smiled at you and then showed you a place further away in the forest where you could see lights. It didn't take you long to reach them and as soon as your child saw you coming through the trees, the little ran towards you shouting "Happy Birthday". Once cuddled in your arms, the little one handed you the embroidered handkerchief before kissing your cheek.

Farah joined you quickly before kissing you back "Happy birthday, my love, I love you."

#Moonlight lovers #Moonlight lovers Vladimir #Moonlight lovers Béliath #Moonlight lovers Ivan #Moonlight lovers Aaron #Moonlight lovers Raphaël #Moonlight lovers Ethan #Moonlight lovers Neil #Moonlight lovers Léandra #Moonlight lovers Farah

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grotesquehorse · 4 months

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My 2023 Year in Review :)

Last year I listed out my favorite movies, shows, books, that I experienced in 2022, so I wanted to do it again :)

MOVIES -

I watched 26 movies this year, which is pitiful, but it's fine because most of them were with book club. 7 were rewatches and 15 were with book club.

Best Movies I watched in 2023:

Bottoms (2023)

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

My Cousin Vinny (1992)

The Blob (1988)

Movies that are Still Favorites:

Shelter (2007)

Venom (2018)

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

SHOWS -

New-To-Me shows:

The CW's Nancy Drew

Various Dropout TV

Rewatches:

Supernatural (seasons 1 & 2)

Merlin (seasons 1 & 2)

Medium (seasons 1 - 4)

Elementary (season 1)

Leverage (season 1)

New Episodes of Shows I've Watched Previously:

Abbott Elementary

Futurama

Only Murders in the Building

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

BOOKS -

As of 12/24/23, I have read 192 books with an average rating of 3.25 stars. I DNF'ed 66 books.

Rereads:

The Wrong Mr. Right - Stephanie Archer

People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry

Red, White, and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston

The Fiction Between Us - Julie Olivia

If I'm Being Honest - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Favorites:

Adult -

The Roughest Draft - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Holiday Romance - Catherine Walsh

While the Duke Was Sleeping - Sophie Jordan

Love Interest - Clare Gilmore

The Good Daughter - Karin Slaughter

Roadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Young Adult -

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux - Ellen O'Clover

Woke Up Like This - Amy Lea

The Folk of the Air Trilogy - Holly Black

The Trouble Series - Stephanie Tromly

Honorable Mentions:

Adult -

The Appeal - Janice Hallett

Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer

Love, Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Blindsighted & Kisscut - Karin Slaughter

Young Adult -

All Alone With You - Amelia Diane Coombs

Carrie - Stephen King

Hell Followed With Us - Andrew Joseph White

They Hate Each Other - Amanda Woody

#slay

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super-who-locked-me-in-here · 1 year

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Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Thanks @feralremains for the tag! I'm just gonna follow your lead for what to post about!

Most recent ship: I would say Hannigram but I actually watched Our Flag Means Death for the first time more recently than Hannibal, so I have to say GentleBeard even though I am currently obsessed with Hannigram.

Most written about ship: Again, I would say Hannigram because I've posted the most about them, but I haven't actually written anything substantial about them (in terms of word count). I did once write a 45,000 word fic for a different fandom, but it was an x reader so I can't count that either really. Given all that, I think the ship I've written the most for is Yona/Hak from Yona of the Dawn. I've written about 9,000 words of fic for the two of them.

Ship that got me into fanart/fanfic: As far as fanfic goes, I started out writing almost exclusively x readers for a bunch of different fandoms. I'm pretty sure the first actual ship I wrote a fanfic for was Destiel. As far as fanart, I don't actually spend a lot of time drawing the same character or ship over and over in most cases, but I do remember that the first ship I ever drew fanart for was Mika/Yuu from Seraph of the End:

It's not a great piece of art but I drew it when I was 15 and my art has improved a lot since then. You can also see (what I think is) my most recent ship art below of Yona/Hak from Yona of the Dawn:

First ship: I mean Avatar: the Last Airbender came out when I was just a little kid, so I can't say I shipped it the same way I understand shipping works now, but I remember watching it and being like "Ew why is Katara with Aang she should be with Zuko."

Last song I listened to: Last song I listened to was Polyphemus from EPIC: The Cyclops Saga. If you haven't heard of the musical EPIC, I would definitely recommend checking it out. It's not entirely released yet though. Only two sagas are out and I think the creator (Jorge Rivera-Herrans) said there's a total of nine sagas.

Last movie I watched: My friends and I have a movie night every Friday, and this past Friday, we watched The Princess Bride and Pride and Prejudice. Also let me tell you, movie nights have greatly changed since the soundboard was introduced to discord. There's nothing like hearing Mr. Darcy say "I love... I love... I love you." followed by a vine boom.

Currently reading: I'm trying to get myself into reading Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. I'm 2 chapters in but my brain keeps wanting to gravitate towards the fanfiction world, so I'm actually currently in the middle of rereading the Hannigram fic Ethics and Aesthetics by FragileTeacup on AO3.

Currently consuming: I just finished stress-eating a bunch of chicken nuggets while sitting on the bathroom floor WOOO! My cats came to comfort me and also to try and steal some chicken nuggets.

Currently craving: idk a lot? I want a jamocha shake from Arby's but there's no Arby's near my house. I want to learn how to rollerskate but I'm afraid of breaking my spine again and I was never good at it even as a kid. I want to see my big sister but she and her husband are too busy for us until Christmas (but not for other friends and family).

People I'd love to get to know better, but don't feel pressured to post about yourself if you don't want to:

@stranded-labyrinth @honeygrahambitch @petrowriting @fishing-motif @teacupmotif @doemotif @ghostforwhat @bloody-hands-motif @pikslasrce

#tag game #dot says #long post #my art

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myheadsgonenumb · 5 months

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Bite and Prejudice: An Invitation For Mary

Chapter 19 of my Regency Wolfstar Pride and Prejudice AU is now posted:

It was the second week in May, in which Remus, Lily and Maria McKinnon set out together from Gracechurch Street for the town of ——, in Hertfordshire; and, as they drew near the appointed inn where Dumbledore had sent a carriage and thestrals to meet them (for the floo network was still down and showing no signs of being fixed), they quickly perceived, in token of the coachman’s punctuality, both Dorcas and Mary looking out of a dining-room upstairs. These two girls had been above an hour in the place, happily employed in visiting an opposite milliner, watching the sentinel on guard, and dressing a salad and cucumber.

After welcoming their siblings, they triumphantly displayed a table set out with such cold meat as an inn larder usually affords, exclaiming, ‘Is not this nice? is not this an agreeable surprise?’

‘You’ll never guess, Remus,’ Mary said to him, taking a seat beside him and sliding her hand into his own, ‘but I have taken over some of your duties while you’ve been away. Mr. Moody is such a grumpy thing, but he cannot do with his one leg and so - when a banshee took up residence on the rooftop of poor Mr. Bandon, the Grocer’s house - he called to you for help, but you were not there! Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey were calling on the McKinnons, Sybil was up in her room crystal ball gazing and Dorcas was in bed with a cold. So there was only me. I was half scared out of my wits, I don’t mind telling you, but I gripped my wand and thought of you-’

‘She was very brave,’ Dorcas interjected, ‘everyone says so.’

‘I was brave,’ Mary agreed, nodding her pretty head. ‘And good as well. The banshee was wailing on the roof, and I had the foresight to plug my ears before I went. Then I hit her with Silencio and then blasted her away. Mr. Bandon still died - but he was dying anyway. But all the muggles in the street said I had saved them and that I was every bit as good as my brother.’ She flushed with pride.

Remus squeezed her hand. ‘That’s really good, Mary. I’m proud of you.’

‘Oh, I didn’t stop there. It was my biggest accomplishment but I’ve since cleared a hinkypunk from the marsh, chased the doxies out of Colonel Fubster’s curtains and frozen some ashwinder eggs which were sent to old Mrs. Brown by accident. I’ve been the toast of the regiment for my deeds! And I’ve earned a little money.’

‘Which she used to treat you all with the cold meats,’ Dorcas said.

‘And I have bought this bonnet. I do not think it is very pretty; but I thought I might as well buy it as not. I shall pull it to pieces as soon as I get home, and see if I can make it up any better.’

‘You should have saved your money rather than waste it on ugly bonnets,’ Lily told her. But Mary shook her head.

‘Oh, but there were two or three much uglier in the shop; and when I have bought some prettier-coloured satin to trim it with fresh, I think it will be very tolerable. Besides, it will not much signify what one wears this summer, after the ——shire have left Meryton, and they are going in a fortnight.’

‘Are they, indeed?’ cried Remus, with the greatest satisfaction.

‘They are going to be encamped near Brighton; and I do so want Dumbledore to take us all there for the summer! It would be such a delicious scheme, and I dare say would hardly cost anything at all. Madam Pomfrey would like to go, too, of all things! Only think what a miserable summer else we shall have!’

‘Yes,’ thought Remus; ‘that would be a delightful scheme, indeed, and completely do for us at once. Good Heaven! Brighton and a whole campful of soldiers, to us, who have been overset already by one poor regiment of militia, and the monthly balls of Meryton!’...

Or read from the beginning

#wolfstar #jily #marauders fanfic #pride and prejudice #regency era au #remus lupin #sirius black #lily evans #james potter #bite and prejudice #in want of a werewolf

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myloveforhergoeson · 9 months

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That's All She Wrote - Chapter 15

Previous chapter

Find me on wattpad and ao3!

Show: Big Time Rush

Pairing: James Diamond x Original Female Character

Chapter 15: Was I The Only One (1.15) ~ 12.5k

It had been one week since “Z-Day” as Camille and Jo had taken to calling Roxy’s break up, and the writer deemed overall that she was handling it pretty well. Especially if watching Pride and Prejudice on repeat while choking down her sixth frozen hash brown for the morning and bawling her eyes out counted as handling it pretty well.

The girls had been more than generous when it came to sharing their time with the writer, who knew full well they had many important auditions to attend, but couldn’t bring herself to finally tell them she felt fine enough to be alone until this morning. Not only were they probably sick of hearing about Dak, but they also likely wanted a space to gush about their own new relationship developments without fear it would bring Roxy into a spiraling state of sadness. More than once did Jo mention her new official status with Kendall, and more than once did Roxy try and fail to hold back her tears - wishing she still had a faithful, loyal boyfriend.

She knew choosing to end their relationship was the right thing to do, but wished it wasn’t causing her so much pain.

With Camille and Jo away, Roxy had planned to spend today in a similar movie-watching- hashbrown-eating fashion - she couldn’t get enough of Lizzie and Darcy and their stupid, perfect, amazing relationship that still worked out even though she was way out of his league - but Gustavo had called her to make sure she kept an eye on the boys for a little while. Apparently, he had a top-secret, surprise guest at Rocque Records and he didn’t want them making fools out of themselves in front of them.

It probably would have been a better use of her time if he had told her who to look out for, but he had generously granted her the last week off of work, so Roxy didn’t say anything about it before her boss hung up the phone.

As the assistant made her way down to the lobby, she spotted Big Time Rush lounging by the pool reading their respective favorite magazines: Hockey Action Magazine for Kendall, Future Doctor for Logan, HELMET for Carlos, and Pop Tiger for James. Spying an empty chair by the long-haired boy, she scooted past him and noticed he had this month's new edition of the magazine. It featured one of her current favorite singers, Jordin Sparks, but unfortunately also featured a picture of Dak in the upper right-hand corner.

What took over her, she didn’t know, but she smacked the magazine out of the boy’s hand before settling down on her chair and taking out her songbook to polish a few chords for her new song.

James scoffed, picking up the magazine once more and reading one of the blurbs on the cover. “Hey, do you guys want to know Dak Zevon’s secret to perfect toast?”

Seems like someone’s mad I never replied to his message. Roxy registered, doing her best to not reach out and wring his neck at the mention of her ex. At least it had been long enough that she didn’t tear up at just the mention of his name.

The rest of the band shot James a death glare before hissing out a chorus of “No!”

Throughout the last week, they had seen her sparingly; only a few times on the way to the second-floor ice machine and once at the vending machines in the lobby, aggressively taking her anger out on a package of Cheez-Its that wedged itself in the gap between the glass.

“It’s all in this month’s Pop Tiger.” The boy explained, waving the magazine around before Carlos snatched it out of his hands.

“What I wanna know is, we’ve been in L.A. for four months,” He began, staring into magazine Jordin’s bright eyes. “When are we gonna meet some totally cool and hot celebrity, like Jordin Sparks.”

Yeah, because the last celebrity we met was just so cool...

Biting her tongue, the assistant drew out a few music staffs as a young woman with a large blue suitcase walked up to the teens.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Mr. Bitters.”

The sound of her voice was near perfectly recognizable from the writer, who had spent a lot of time listening to the album Battlefield this past week. Roxy looked up so fast that her notebook nearly slipped out of her lap and onto the damp pool concrete at their feet.

In front of her stood Jordin Sparks, there in the flesh, asking her - and less importantly her band - for directions to the front desk. Maybe the band did hold the power of manifestation.

Big Time Rush was less than cool about this, as they all huddled in towards Carlos, holding the magazine cover up a few times to compare image and reality before ultimately confirming they were the same person. All at once, they began talking, tripping over their words and giving nonsensical statements, to which the woman was taken a bit back.

“Hi, Ms. Sparks,” Roxy greeted, pulling the pop star’s attention away from her dumb, babbling friends. “The front desk is right through those doors! And I’m Roxanne, if you need anything else.”

With a nod of her head, Jordin thanked her and made her way toward the double doors to the lobby.

So much easier talking to Jordin than…

Thankfully her thoughts were swiftly cut off as a few beats of a melody came to her, fixating itself on the first lines of her song. These days, the only good it did her to think about Dak was in terms of songwriting.

Roxy was barely able to get anything down before the band jumped up, presumably to follow the famous singer, and dragged her along - not that she was complaining. There were only so many days she could sit in her apartment watching her movies in the dark; seeing what the newest person at the Palm Woods was up to seemed like an exciting alternative.

Catching up to the star, the four boys were calling out her name over and over again in order to grab some of her precious attention. Poor Jordin was just trying to get to the elevators, signaling to the assistant she would be staying in the hotel for at least a few days. Maybe she had a new project coming up, like an album writing or recording session.

Is it possible she’s Gustavo’s special guest?

“We just wanted to say welcome to the Palm Woods!” Kendall blurted out, seemingly very ecstatic that Jordin would be sticking around for a bit. Out of the four, he was normally the one to be the least starstruck.

Carlos beamed, following with, “We’re Big Time Rush.”

“We’re recording at Rocque Records.” Bragged James, running a cool hand through his hair.

Nest in line, Roxy waved. “I’m their songwriter-assistant! And a huge fan of yours.”

“What are you doing here?” Logan finished, eager to learn what the singer was up to while in Los Angeles.

Slightly frazzled, Jordin looked between the five as she internalized their statements, “I’m recording at Rocque Records.”

Oh, my God…

***

Of course, the song Jordin had written to record with Gustavo had to be a love song. A sweet, sappy love song about being open and vulnerable and surrendering to your feelings for another person, while begging them not to rip out your heart and stop all over it. It was slow and incredibly melodic, perfect for Jordin’s soothing voice coming from the recording booth.

As Roxy sat in the control room with Gustavo, she was focused on not allowing the oddly specific lyrics to hit too close to home - even if the words put her feelings into words better than “Stuck” ever did. As each line fell smoothly out of Jordin’s lips, she prayed that it was just this first verse that would bother her.

Reaching back into the recesses of her mind to access as much information she had about Jordin Sparks allowed her to tune out the words and focus on the beautiful piano melody filling her headphones. Along with winning American Idol a few years ago, Jordin had released two full-length albums since then that had easily landed her as one of the hottest new artists on the Billboard charts. To have her recording a new song at Rocque Records was more than an honor; it was just another step in Gustavo’s path back to the big time.

Easily singing the last high note of the song, Jordin inadvertently opened a small window for Big Time Rush to reveal themselves in the back of the control room, startling their boss, in order to cheer for their new label-mate. A smattering of compliments came flying out of their mouths, praising the singer for the perfect execution of her carefully crafted song.

From the booth, Jordin cringed a bit, seeming to recoil at the praise. “Are you sure you guys like it? ‘Cause I’m not sure I’m feeling it yet.”

Immediately, the band switched up their words entirely to agree with her.

Yikes, good thing that’s not one of my songs.

Beside the assistant, Gustavo stood up to silence the boys with a wave of his hand before turning to address his guest. “Don’t worry about the song, okay? Just take a little more time with it, and give me some time to fill in the chorus and add some layers. This song is gonna be a big hit. It’s gonna be great!”

Absentmindedly, Roxy reached out and messed with a few of the buttons on the large control panel to save Jordin’s preliminary recording for the producer to listen to later as he was reworking the song. Though her headphones were nice and plush with wonderful noise-canceling abilities, she was still able to hear Gustavo yelling to the band behind her the moment he flipped off the two-way communication with the pop star.

“Dawgs, Roxanne, I got a big present for you in my office!”

There was no time wasted as the band rushed towards the other room, eager to see what Gustavo had for them.

When Roxy didn’t move, still messing with the control panel in front of her, the producer hung around for a minute, waiting for the assistant to follow her band.

“I know there isn’t anything in your office, Mr. Rocque,” Roxy said plainly, pretending to be incredibly interested in the tone and pitch sliders on the board. “Besides, you don’t need me today, I mean, you’ve already got a song-”

“It’s just a meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page. Come on.”

It wasn’t a request at this point, and the girl had nothing else to do besides follow the man to his office. On the way there, she unfortunately realized that would be the first time she would be in that room post-break up and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle it as gracefully as she had been handling everything else this past week.

As she pushed open the large black door, she hesitated for a moment as she rocked back on her heels, before she looked up to find Big Time Rush locked in Freight Train’s embrace. This was certainly a better sight than imagining her and Dak holding each other in the center of the room, gently swaying to the dulled music from the dance hall.

“Freight Train’s squeezing us!” Kendall squeaked once Gustavo entered the room behind his assistant as if that would help his situation at all.

A bit red in the face from the pressure, James looked less than pleased, “This is our big present?”

“Yes!” Gustavo confirmed, making sure to look each boy dead in the eye as he spoke. “Because I want you nowhere near Jordin Sparks!”

Once Freight Train was sure everyone got the memo, he let the band go.

Between breaths for air, Carlos cried, “What? Why?”

“Because you’re bad luck and destroy everything you touch.” Their boss deadpanned.

Logan chucked a bit, nonchalantly leaning his hand back onto the desk behind him for support. “That is so not true.”

Once a bit of weight hit the big, black desk, the wooden leg crumpled and sent everything on top crashing to the floor. Papers flew, mugs shattered, and, much to the assistant’s pleasure, the large computer monitor hit the floor particularly hard, destroying the glass screen.

From across the room where Roxy was leaning on the glass-paneled wall, she spoke up, “I’d say they’re the opposite. In fact, I think they’re my good luck charms.”

Narrowing in on his point and ignoring all that had just occurred, their boss continued. “Jordin and her team picked me to produce her new song over every producer in this town. ‘Cause word on the street is, Gustavo Rocque is back.”

Yeah, thanks to my songs! was a thought the girl chose not to vocalize.

“Now, Jordin is staying at the Palm Woods, which means, if she is by the pool, I want Bad Luck Rush to be in the lobby!” Gustavo screamed at the band, before turning to the young girl behind him. “And I want you to switch your focus to helping Jordin for the duration of her stay. Anything she wants, make it happen, and if she so much as breathes the same air as these four, I need you to call Freight Train and have the situation dealt with as I fix this song.”

***

After Roxy had gotten Jordin back to the Palm Woods, the two sat out by the pool examining the song she and Gustavo had written.

On the ride back, the singer explained to her temporary assistant her fears about being caught by the paparazzi at the hotel - since winning one of the biggest reality TV shows in the country, they had made her life a living hell. Wanting to make a good impression on her, Roxy had promised to do her best to keep her out of the public eye and since then had been on high alert.

For the last 20 minutes, Jordin had been marking up the lyric sheets with suggestions for different notes and changes to the general melody while listening to the song over and over on her MP3 player; the assistant had cracked her notebook open in hopes of making any more progress on her own song. In the last week, she hadn’t been able to get anything down after her session with James in Studio B - which was both good and bad. At the very least she hadn’t been thinking of Dak every waking moment of today.

From a quick scan for paparazzi across the pool, she noticed her band standing arms crossed inside the doorway to the lobby. It was clear they wanted to come say hi, but were respecting their boss’ wishes and staying away from the pop star.

Quickly excusing herself, Roxy popped up and made her way toward the boys, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“Bad Luck Rush?” James scoffed, peering over at Jordin, “He’s wrong!”

Logan nodded his head in agreement, “It’s more like Roxy said, we’re good luck charms.”

“In fact, the best luck Jordin could have is spending her entire day with me!” The wannabe continued, pulling out a hand mirror and comb to freshen up before the rest of the band gave him some nasty side-eye. “Uh, I mean, us!”

Sucking in a breath, the girl laughed, “Oh I could think of much better ways for her to spend her day - like songwriting with me.”

Evidently, her words startled the long-haired boy who must have been too absorbed in his primping to see her walk up, causing him to yelp and drop the mirror at her feet with a loud crash.

Wide-eyed, Roxy looked down at the destroyed glass at her feet before panning up to the band. Each member had an equally terrified look on their face as they realized the ramifications of James’ actions.

Carlos was the first to speak, “You broke a mirror… That’s seven years bad luck!”

Pulling the remains of the shattered mirror off of the carpet and ringing the comb back to his hair, James rolled his eyes, “That’s ridiculous.”

“Heads up!”

In a second, Logan grabbed Roxy’s hand and pulled her behind the large doors along with Kendall and Carlos. This left James wide open as a large beach ball coming from the pool bounced off of his head, followed by a large squirt of bright, white sunscreen from someone on a lounge chair directly onto his gray button-up. As the boy attempted to collect himself, Logan pulled the writer even farther back as a stampede of children appeared seemingly from nowhere headed directly for the pool, and by extension James. In no time he was mowed down by the kid mob.

Though it took a few seconds to collect his bearings, the singer eventually pulled himself off the ground looking a little worse for wear.

“Oh!” He cried, holding the mirror up once more to examine his form through the sharded glass, before dropping it at the ugly image in the frame and running off towards the elevators. No doubt to get cleaned up and attempt to impress Jordin later in the day.

Kendall, stepping out from behind the doors, turned to his friends. “Guys, we’re not bad luck, and don’t let Gustavo get to you. Just enjoy the day, like I’m gonna enjoy my day with Jo by the pool.”

From across the way, Jordin got up from her seat and began collecting her items.

“Ah, that’s my cue,” Roxy stated, giving a quick wave to the boys before taking off. “Stay safe! Don’t let James anywhere near Jordin!”

After they had taken in what she had said, Carlos and Logan held Kendall back and began arguing about something unintelligible by the time the assistant made her way back to Jordin.

“Anything I can help with, Ms. Sparks?” She asked, grabbing her bag off the seat beside the star.

Jordin picked her things up as well, “That’s alright, but thanks! I’m going to take a few laps around the pool to try and sort this song out.”

Beaming, Roxy nodded, “I’ll join you, then. I’m always looking for new songwriting techniques to try!”

As the pair made their way down the stretch of the pool, the assistant noticed a twitch in the planter box beside them. From among the top of the foliage, she spied something that didn’t belong: a tree hat attached to the head of Reginald Bitters, holding a sleek black camera.

What the…

Scanning the area in front of them she noticed a vivid, yellow banana peel by the side of the pool - directly in Jordin’s path. The singer was too buried in her lyric sheets to notice and with her headphones back in to listen to the song, Roxy’s attempt to call her name was futile.

Click!

Once the shutter of Bitter’s camera released, Roxy rushed forward and placed herself in Jordin’s path to stop her from stepping any closer to the banana, but in her haste miscalculated where her foot would land. Of course, in her heroic attempt to save Jordin from the paps, she would be the one to slip the moment her foot hit the peel.

Center of gravity shifting, she let out a small yelp as she helplessly began to fall backward. Anticipating a hard fall, the girl closed her eyes, tensing her body to brace for impact before someone’s hands shot around her waist to save her.

Blood from her racing heart pooled in her ears as she slowly opened her eyes, to find Kendall peering down at her, worry written across his face.

“Woah,” Roxy breathed, trying to catch her breath as she stood weightless in his arms. “I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t worry about it, it was a lucky catch.” The boy grinned, giving her some time to collect herself.

Behind them, a pair of footsteps stopped echoing on the pool deck.

“Uh, Kendall? Roxy?”

Without thinking, the girl dipped her head back to find an upside-down image of Jo burning into her retinas. The assistant felt Kendall’s hands tense the moment he registered her voice.

“Jo.” He greeted calmly, peering down at his assistant before looking back up to his girlfriend. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

Roxy watched Jo’s knuckles turn white as she gripped her beach bag. “Really? ‘Cause it looks like you’re embracing my best friend.”

“It does look that way…” Roxy mumbled, watching in dismay as Jo began to walk away before she could explain what had happened.

Broken mirror, banana peel, jealous girlfriend… Maybe they are bad luck.

Once Kendall helped her back up, she gave him a fleeting statement of gratitude before running after Jordin. She, thankfully, had been able to keep her from wiping out in front of Mr. Bitters but since this scheme had failed, who knew how many more traps he could have potentially set up around the hotel. While being a bodyguard wasn’t on her list of dream jobs, for now, Roxy was content to keep the singer safe.

A few dozen laps around the pool later, Jordin was still lost in her own little world, leaving Roxy on high alert as they continued to pace - even with her aching feet. While this strategy seemed to work for Jordin, the assistant found that her hyper-awareness of their surroundings did not make for good songwriting material. The only thing she could think about as they went around and around was Jo and how much she couldn’t wait to explain what had happened earlier.

It was interesting to learn that her friend was the jealous type; that felt more like a Camille quality than anything.

Another go around allowed the acute danger-detecting sensors in her brain to spot Logan and Carlos moving around the pool like they were in a cheesy spy movie while talking into their watches like walkie-talkies. Dressed in nice black suits with a lapel pin of a four-leaf clover and dark aviators, the assistant could only assume it was some form of protest against Gustavo’s title of “Bad Luck Rush.”

The fake spy antics brought the two together at a table by the side cabanas that had been set up for what looked to be a nice, romantic lunch. Kendall stood beside them, adjusting the tablecloth - suggesting that his day at the pool with Jo was quickly turning into an apology date.

It reminded her of Dak more than she cared to admit.

Caught up in her head now, Roxy let her guard down for a moment as she tried to push the thoughts of her ex-boyfriend out of her mind. The last week had been more than enough time to get her act together and she hadn’t even gotten a good song out of it yet.

Losing my mind is all I can do, ‘til I forget about you…

Now, in front of both the pop star and the assistant was a fairly large black cat sitting down, licking one of their hind legs.

Too concerned with digging around in her bag to find her songbook and write that thought down, Roxy was unable to stop the unlucky obstacle from bothering Jordin. Thankfully, unbeknownst to her, both Logan and Carlos bolted over and picked the animal up to relocate it, cooly saying hi to the girls as they passed by.

“Hey Jordin, hi Roxy!” Carlos cooed, cradling the cat in his arms and doing his best to act very nonchalantly about it. “‘Sup!”

“Working on the song…” Both the girls mumbled, holding up their respective projects and ignoring any other interference.

Wearing a satisfied smile, Logan held his hand out, “You two go do that!”

Their speech grew fainter as the pair continued their laps, both writing more on their respective pages as more ideas began to formulate.

Maybe Jordin’s right… The writer thought. This does seem to be helping.

Roxy’s revelation was quickly forgotten as someone from behind called out her name, causing her to turn around, only to be met with a large, angry, black cat landing directly on her face.

Terrified, a scream left her lips as she dropped everything she was holding to try and pry the creature off of her. The cat, equally as terrified, thrashed around; scratching her face, digging its claws into her scalp, and tangling its limbs in her hair - causing an extreme amount of pain on the girl's part as she continued to wail in hopes someone would be able to help her.

The writer was hopeless as she tried to stumble to a chair in order to ground herself, her vision obscured by the angry creature. Entirely focused on the warm blood she could feel rolling down her cheek, her actions quickened, causing her to knock down a pool umbrella, a palm tree planter, and even send someone unexpectedly flying into the pool.

Trying to form an apology, the only sound she could make was “Mhh-orry!” as the cat continued to stick to her.

More struggling occurred, but only for a few more moments until she bumped into a chair and fell harshly down into it.

Screw it.

With as much force as she could muster, she snatched the animal around the waist and pulled, fully detaching it from her body before gingerly placing it on the pool deck. As soon as it hit the ground, it ran off, scattering between two orange planters on the other side of the pool.

Tangled hair covered her eyes, it took Roxy more time than she would have liked to gather what she could into a side part. A few places were sticky - with blood or something else, she didn’t want to know - and a few chunks detached into her fingers. Gently taking one hand, she reached up to her cheek and immediately winced. There was at the very least one visible mark left on her skin and it was taking everything she had in her not to burst into tears out of both embarrassment and shock.

Finally able to catch her bearings, she noticed a small table in front of the chair she was sitting on covered in a beautiful tablecloth and a variety of little finger foods arranged around a pastel flower bouquet. Across from her sat Kendall, mouth agape, who moved to shoo her away as fast as he could.

“Oh!” Someone called from behind her, making her cringe. The frontman wasn’t trying to be rude, he was just trying to save her from another awkward situation with Jo. Safe to say he had not succeeded.

Jo stood, arms crossed behind the writer, staring her boyfriend down. “Now you’re having a girly, romantic lunch with Roxy.”

With a sigh, the girl stood up to face her friend. Cat scratches, matted hair and all, “Do you really think I’m in a space to be going on a date right now? You just sat with me for days on end while I was sobbing and trying to come to terms with my last relationship ending. I’d never do anything to hurt you like that, Jo.”

“Seriously, It’s not what it looks like!” Kendall chimed in.

“Just because you couldn’t keep your boyfriend doesn’t mean you can steal mine!” Yelled the actress before shoving past Roxy and Kendall, back into the hotel.

All the writer could do was sit there as her jaw dropped and her eyes threatened to spill over with the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. There had been too much crying over the past seven days for her liking.

“Rox, I-”

“Save it.” She cut him off, lip beginning to tremble. “Keep an eye on Jordin, please, and just… Stay away from me.”

Forgetting she had even dropped anything, she got up and practically ran into the hotel. A few cold drops fell from her eyes, hitting the cut on her cheek and bringing a salty, stinging pain. Whatever hurt more, the physical or emotional damage, Roxy couldn’t tell as she used the heel of her palm to wipe everything away.

Typically, the staircase was a safe bet for getting onto the upper floors undetected and she had made it to the top of the second-floor stairwell before motioning to pull the door open. Since she had been just so lucky today, it shouldn’t have shocked her that as she pulled the door towards her, someone on the other side pushed it open - causing her to fall backward onto the carpeted landing.

This cannot be happening to me right now.

“What the hell is your problem?” The girl bit, pausing for a moment to register who the figure in the doorway was.

Looking back at her was James, hand still on the door handle, as pale as a ghost.

They both stared for a second before the singer broke the silence, crouching down to her level trying to comprehend what had happened to his assistant.

“Roxy…” He whispered, so gently, as a few more tears escaped her eyes. Though she should have, she didn’t stop him as he reached one hand out to cup her face and slowly swipe his thumb over her non-injured cheek. “How did you-”

Not bothering to finish his thought, the boy ran one hand down her arm to grab her hand - using it to pull her off the ground and back towards their apartments.

***

One thing no one ever talks about after a breakup is the feeling of utter worthlessness one will experience.

Over the course of the last week, it was safe to say Roxy was feeling quite worthless. Like she wasn’t good enough, or interesting enough, or pretty enough for anyone to have any sort of feelings for her. Did Camille and Jo actually want to be her friends or were they only interested in using her to get to the band? Do Gustavo and Kelly really think she’s a talented songwriter or did they just want to take a load off and use her to get rich off her music?

Is James helping me because he cares about me or is he just trying to use me like Dak did?

An unfair thought for sure, and the girl knew that, but she couldn’t escape the little voice in the back of her head telling her there was no way another human being could care for her in any capacity. Even as James was delicately holding her chin to the side and wiping away at the cut on her cheek with an alcohol wipe from the small first aid kit he had found in the bathroom, she knew logically he must be doing this out of some form of care. However, based on his naturally flirtatious disposition, and the fact he asked her out hours after she had dumped her ex, Roxy had a sinking feeling form in her chest as she burrowed back into the orange couch.

After the week I’ve had, I need someone to take care of me - even if it may send him mixed messages.

The sting of the alcohol bit at her damaged cheek, bringing her back to the present and out of her head. It had been a nasty place to live since Z-Day

“Uh,” She tried, thinking a bit of light conversation might keep her from any more selfish thoughts. “Were you going somewhere? Earlier I mean, in the stairwell.”

Pausing for a moment, James swallowed loudly before pulling his hand back completely. “No. Nowhere more important than being here.”

Wow.

“And… I’m sorry for what I said this morning at the pool. I knew it would hurt you, and I was upset about how I ruined our night at the dance-”

“You didn’t ruin it. The only person who ruined the dance was Dak.”

In fact, you made it better, was a fact she almost let slip, but was able to refrain from sharing as she followed his reach into the first aid kit. Talk about sending mixed signals.

It was hard to ignore the snort that left James’ lips as he pulled out two bandaids in their white, crinkly packages, holding them out in a ‘V’ shape. “Fuck that guy. Now, want the Incredible Hulk or Scooby-Doo to help you heal?”

Tell him, tell him, tell him!

Finally, the metaphorical angel on her shoulder made its appearance to remind her of her selfishness as she dodged his question.

“I’m sorry I ignored your messages afterward, I should’ve been clear with you. I’m not interested in seeing anyone for a little while.”

“Scooby-Doo it is.” James declared, opening the package and leaning in close to her face to place it.

Roxy thought about recoiling, but it was hard to deny the jolt that ran down her spine as the hand once holding her chin made its way down to the couch, pushing down a part of the cushion dangerously close to her thigh.

“And it’s fine,” He said, practically whispering into her ear, as the sticky substance on the back of the bandage connected with her cheek. “I’d just hate to see another douchebag break your heart.”

Only able to muster a quiet “Oh”, Roxy sank backward onto the couch as he turned away and moved to put the first aid kit back in the bathroom. Generously, he had left her a hairbrush on the coffee table to fix the number that the cat had done on her.

Mind a complete blank for the few minutes he was in there, all the girl could do was let his words echo in her head as she untangled out her locks. When her heart wasn’t racing, he could be quite easy to talk to.

Now who’s sending mixed signals?

“I’m gonna head to the park now, unless you need anything else.” The boy called from the kitchen sink, washing his hands.

Stay with me for a bit-

“Ah, I think Jordin said she was heading there. Something about a lucky wishing well? I swear I’ve been to that park a million times and I’ve never seen one... Probably a good idea for me to go with you.”

With the well not at all related to wanting to spend a bit more time with James, the pair silently left the apartment - no one bringing their previous conversation any further than what they had already discussed.

Not entirely sure how to feel about the whole exchange, at the very least Roxy left that apartment knowing for sure someone in Hollywood cared about her. She knew the rest of her friends did too, and she would soon realize once the effects of heartbreak wore off and put to ease the voice in her head telling her otherwise.

The thought to find Jo and fully explain their situation crossed her mind, but the writer wasn’t quite sure how to face her yet. Even if they were best friends, Jo’s words had cut her to her very core. To insinuate she was interested in stealing Kendall was just plain rude, especially with the additional, backstabbing comment about not even being able to keep a boyfriend.

Not like that hadn’t been the only thing she had been thinking about for the last week. Jo even knew, holding Roxy as she rocked back and forth on her bed in her blanket of stuffed animals, listening to her sob about how boring of a person she must have been to have Dak actively seek out another partner while they were dating.

Keeping him isn’t the problem, Roxy realized as she stepped out into the beautiful, grassy area behind her home. It’s just a matter of picking the right guy.

Finally, after having such a strange, bad-luck-filled first half of her day, the writer wanted nothing more than to sit on one of the park benches and bask in a bit of sun while Jordin continued to work on the song. Thank goodness, she could spy the pop star from where she and James were standing together, lost in thought as she slowly walked towards the well on their right.

She would have to ask Bitters about the well later, still swearing it had never been in the park before, but to be fair, if pop sensation Jordin Sparks asked her to build a well out back the hotel, she absolutely would too.

The monument stood about seven feet tall, covered in mossy stone and long hanging vines as if it had been a permanent figure in the park for ages, along with a weathered sign reading Wishing Well. Its beautiful stone base was decorated in small, orange flowers that almost felt dangerous to trod on in order to throw a coin down the well. There was even a small hand crank to retrieve what should have been a bucket on a string to collect water, but as the girl peered over the ledge down the hole, she realized there was nothing but dirt covering the bottom.

Instinctively reaching to her back to open the flap of her small bag and grab a coin, Roxy realized she didn’t have it with her; meaning her songbook was nowhere to be found.

Anxiously, the girl mentally retraced her earlier steps in hopes of determining its location before finding herself amidst a breakdown.

Maybe it’s in the stairwell… or had fallen off my back after that cat attacked me.

“Ugh,” The girl growled. “I hate this bad luck curse!”

Preoccupied with her thoughts, she was a bit distracted in trying to find a place to think when she noticed James drop onto the grass - hands and knees and all - as he began to comb the piles of clovers spread out along the field.

He glanced up at her from his place on the ground, “Then get down here and help me find a four-leaf clover. I’m trying to counter my mirror-breaking bad luck with good luck.”

“Mmm, I think I’ll pass. Rolling around on the grass doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time.” The writer decided, leaning against the edge of the wishing well. “Besides, I think I lost my bag. Did you see me drop it in the stairwell?”

Shaking his head, the boy went back to his search.

Behind Roxy, the soft sound of footsteps being cushioned by blades of grass let her know that Jordin had arrived.

Even though she was listening to the song through a pair of long, white earbuds, the faint tune was loud enough to be carried by the wind to the other side of the well.

Sighing, the pop star dug a coin out of her back pocket. “Okay, wishing well, I’m recording a new song today, and I need some good luck.”

Tell me about it. Roxy agreed, trying to focus on the beat of the song flooding across the well’s opening. The slow song filled her ears, if only it were a bit faster it would fit the band’s style perfectly. Maybe even a duet?

Across the field, a pair of agents dressed in black suits popped out from behind a tree, clearly spying on the two girls at the edge of the well. Logan and Carlos were still in their weird spy get-ups, talking to each other through their watches as they peered around the park. Whatever they were doing earlier had caused her more trouble than it was worth, so she silently prayed the two wouldn’t bring any more bad luck to Jordin’s - and by extension, her - day.

Tap tap tap

Sounds of a hammer striking a nail instinctively caused the girl to glance to her right, where she noticed Kendall - keeping a respectful distance between himself and his assistant - setting up a game of horseshoes a few feet away from the outdoor lounge area while James continued to look for his clover. How much more cliche could this day get; now all the band needed were repeating 7’s, some ladybugs, and a wishbone to complete whatever bad luck countermeasures they were taking.

Exchanging a few pleasantries with the boy in the grass, the assistant overheard that the frontman was setting up another date and made a mental note to avoid the right side of the field at all costs. The wannabe tried explaining his strange behavior, before realizing one of the game pieces might be good luck, lunging towards his best friend and trying to take the horseshoe from him. The pair struggled for a bit, unknowingly turning the object upside down in the middle of their tussle.

Roxy was just about to go and break up their fight, and turn the horseshoe right side up, before Jordin called out to her from the other side of the well.

“I see you’re doing better!” The beautiful woman noticed. “I was pretty concerned after your catfight.”

Letting out a light chuckle, the writer didn’t feel like explaining the fight with her best friend hurt even more, before holding a finger up to her bandaged cheek. “I got lucky, just a little scratch.”

The statement was a bit ironic, considering the cat was black, but the two thought nothing of it.

“Well,” Jordin said, reaching into the large stack of songwriting books and papers she had been cradling into her arm before pulling out a familiar black, leather-bound journal. “You dropped this when you were attacked. It looked really important so I held onto it.”

Eyes lighting up, Roxy rushed over to the singer and made a move to grab the book. “Oh, you have no idea how much that means to me! Thank-”

Ding

Something large and metallic hit the back of her neck, shocking the assistant as she felt herself begin to slip in and out of consciousness at the force. Still gripping onto the journal, she wasn’t aware of her body enough to let go as she tumbled forward, eyes closed - dropping completely into the well and accidentally taking Jordin with her.

***

A few minutes later, Roxy came back to consciousness.

Save from her monster headache dominating what felt like every square inch of her skull, as she held out her limbs for a once-over she seemed to escape with no cuts or bruises. Someone, presumably Jordin, had propped her up against the cold, stone walls of the bottom of the well and a shiver shook her body as the cool atmosphere ran through her.

“Thank goodness!” She heard Jordin squeal. “I was so worried you were seriously hurt… What even happened?”

Rubbing the back of her neck, the girl winced as her fingers ran over the spot she had been hit. “I have no idea… Something hit me in the back of the head and I just… Passed out. I’m so sorry I dragged you down here with me. Are you okay?”

Leaning forward to collect some of her scattered books and papers, the singer nodded, giving her a sheepish look. “Yeah, you kinda broke my fall.”

Roxy had no words about that, choosing instead to examine their surroundings and try and figure out a plan to get out. First, she checked her pockets, only to find she had left her phone in her missing bag - calling 911 was out of the picture. Next: the walls of the well. The smooth stones were embedded in some kind of concrete, making it impossible to get a grip or foothold out of any of the gaps. Then finally, she held her hand up to block the sun from her eyes as she peered up towards the top. The well was too deep for her to stand on Jordin’s shoulders to climb out and there was no bucket with a rope to pull themselves out with.

We are so fucked.

Putting on a brave face, the assistant turned to Jordin with a bright smile, “We’ll find a way out of here.”

That dream, however, was short-lived as the girl attempted to stand. The sudden movement of it all, combined with the aching of her joints as she slowly rose caused her knees to wobble, bringing her straight back to the floor. Her stomach churned, bile rising into her throat when she tried again placing her officially out for the count.

A moment later, a penny flew down the well, conking the assistant on the head. It took everything in her not the empty the contents of her stomach right there as she hissed out, “Ow!”

It was even beginning to hurt with every word that left her mouth.

“Guys, is that you?” Jordin called out, standing up as she tried to find which side of the well they were on based on the direction of their voices.

As she spoke louder, an echo emanated off the stone walls, driving the girl crazy as her headache worsened.

“Uh…” The sound of Kendall’s voice falling down on them felt like taking a cheese grater to her brain. “Don’t worry, you two. You can count on us! How are you doing? You good?”

Jordin threw her papers down in anger, “We’re in a well!”

Making the “phone” motion with her thumb and pinky fingers, Roxy tried to ask the pop star if she had hers on her person but weakly dropped the gesture as more echoes filled her ears. Just as much as the sound bounced off the walls, it felt like they were bouncing around her skull too.

“We have to call the fire department…” Logan said, voice not carrying since he wasn’t speaking directly into the well.

Kendall scoffed, thinking his voice was out of earshot, “We can’t call anyone, or Gustavo will find out and kill us!”

“The second I’m out of here, I’m going to kill you.” Roxy declared through gritted teeth, hoping her voice would carry enough to reach the blond.

Up top, someone shuffled around, “He’s going to think we’re bad luck.”

“Carlos!” James called, sounding incredibly irritated. “We are!”

A slap on the brick let the pair know someone was leaning over the edge of the well. “Jordin! Roxy! Everything’s fine. We’ve got a plan!”

Simply based on the panicked tone of Carlos’ voice, Roxy knew that was a load of bull. It was both a good thing and a bad thing she had gotten to know the boys well enough to tell their mood based on the way they spoke. Right now, she wished she could believe him.

A bit of incoherent mumbling came from the surface that Roxy was unable to focus on. Though she knew she should be working to find a way out with Jordin, for now, all the girl could do was pull her knees to her chest and rest her forehead there. She had been the punching bag a few too many times today and the pain was starting to take its toll on her body.

Across the well, the song lazily jumped out of the singer’s headphones allowing the girl to focus on it as her eyes fluttered open and closed.

What had I been thinking earlier? Roxy questioned, trying to recall the idea she knew she had to help Jordin fix her song. Right now, all the calm melody was succeeding at was putting her to sleep.

“Woah, woah!” Jordin started, glancing over at her trapped companion. “You need to keep those eyes open for me.”

The task felt close to impossible, but Roxy did her best to keep her eyes on something; ultimately deciding to count the number of bricks that made up the circumference of the well. When that got boring after about 30 bricks, her attention turned to the song sheets the pop star had strewn over the ground.

Gingerly, the girl leaned forward and snatched a few of the sheets and a pen Jordin had let fall as well. Perhaps by looking at the song, the assistant would be able to remember her earlier thoughts.

Riddled with notes and add-ins from Jordin, the pages were a bit complicated to read, but it was nothing compared to the girl’s mess of a notebook. Quickly adapting, she learned that the singer used similar notation and was able to somewhat understand the changes she was wanting to make to the song. Most of the chorus flowed together nicely and the subject of the song was very romantic - Roxy tried to save herself the pain of thinking of her ex - but there was something off about the individual verses themselves. They didn’t fit together as well as the chorus did.

“Hey!” Kendall called from above, startling both of the girls who eagerly looked his way. “The boys are lowering me down. We’ll get you guys tied to this rope and get you out of here in no time.”

There were a few seconds of silence before the blond let out a fearful scream, landing a few inches from where his assistant had decided to stretch her legs. At least his landing was far more graceful than hers could have been. Not only that, his arrival kicked a large amount of dust at the bottom of the dry well. The substance coated the girl’s lungs causing her to cough, another action that could be felt tenfold due to her injuries.

“Oh, hey…” The blond said nonchalantly as if his plan hadn’t just ended in horrible failure. “What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Jordin hit back, picking one of the music sheets off the ground and gripping it so hard her knuckles turned white. “I’ve got a song I can’t figure out…”

Roxy let out another involuntary cough, “I slipped on a banana peel and got attacked by a cat…”

“And again!” The singer took over, “We’re in a well!”

Anger radiating off Jordin in waves, the writer made sure to cover her ears as the echoes rolled off the sides of the pit.

At least now I can convince Gustavo to kill Kendall instead of me.

Another voice rang out from the entrance, “Kendall? Is that you and Roxy? And Jordin?”

The delicate voice of her best friend filled her ears, causing her to bury herself into her knees once more. She hadn’t even had a chance to discuss everything that had happened with Jo yet, and here she was again, ready to misinterpret another unfortunate accident.

The three shared a similar statement, “It’s not what it looks like!” and based on the lack of response, it was likely Jo had already left the park.

Did it ever cross her mind that we might need some help?

Trying not to think too much about her best friend’s terrible assessment of their situation, the writer turned back to the lyric sheets before a conversation between Jordin and Kendall erupted. Working on her own songs with noise in the background was already tough, but now with a fresh and new song, the task felt unachievable.

“Look, I’m sure Logan, aka the Big-Time Brain, is concocting an amazing rescue plan as we speak.”

A scream coming from someone above grew louder and louder, telling the three that Kendall’s assessment of the situation was incorrect.

3… 2… 1…

Logan landed on the bottom of the well with a thud! kicking up yet another cloud of dust in his wake. A few seconds later a tape measure clattered to the floor beside him. Now that there were more people in the well, the narrow area for landing without hurting another person was growing smaller and smaller.

Trying her best to get to her friend, Roxy was able to get a few inches closer to the center before a wave of nausea washed over her.

“What plan was that?” Hissed Kendall, pressed flat against the wall of the well, as if he was trying to make himself smaller.

Laying horizontal on the floor, Logan turned around to face the blond with a scoff. “Oh, I’m fine. Thank you.” Pausing for a moment, the singer rummaged around for the tape measure. “I was measuring the diameter of the well to fashion a crude pulley system when I slipped.”

“Don’t worry guys!” Carlos’ voice rang down, “James and I are on the case!”

“You can count on us!”

At their words, Roxy gripped the papers she was holding just a bit tighter before sighing, “We’re never getting out of here, are we?”

The boys in the well agreed: “We’re gonna be here a while.”

Above, the pair began to vocalize their plans and ideas to save their friends from their entrapment - each plan dumber than the last. Though oddly enough, it was quite inspiring to the writer as she listened in. They were dedicated to helping, despite their natural skill sets falling away from detailed plans and daring escapes.

Collaboration… She thought, reading over the lyrics once more. The entire love song, from Jordin’s perspective, was a heartfelt and open discussion about first loves and wanting to be cared for. So in her own head about fixing what she already had, the pop star had been blind to the possibilities that this song might be better suited for one - or in their case, four - more people. She just needed a different perspective.

Taking the pen and underlining the second verse and a bit of the pre-chorus, Roxy took the choppy lines and wrote BTR beside them. Another once over, this time imagining all of the singers together, Roxy quickly etched out the rest of the sheet where she thought Jordin’s lines fit the narrative of herself and where her lines fit the narrative of her lover.

“Jordin-” Roxy began, delicately picking herself off the ground and leaning against the side of the well for support. However, she was quickly cut off as Logan called something to the boys above.

“Carlos, did you just come up with an ingenious water displacement plan?”

“Uh,” Carlos sounded unsure, “Yeah!”

Song first, then tell them I’m probably not able to swim.

Trying again, the writer finally caught Jordin’s attention this time. Shuffling over to the singer, she held up the page she had marked up and quickly explained her idea pointing wildly all over the sheet. “I think your song could benefit from a little extra help from a different singer - well, singers. If you sing part of the verse here… and here… then here again, and let the boys sing… these sections here, your love solo turns into a beautiful love duet. Like, a conversation of expectations before agreeing to be in a relationship.”

At her own words, a small verse quickly popped into her head to the tune of Jordin’s song that would fill up a small bit of the instrumental break in the middle.

Anything I’m doing, I’d drop it for you

‘Cause you’re the one I’m giving my heart to

But I’ve gotta be the only one

Ouch.

Glancing over to the woman, Roxy noticed her eyes running back and forth over the page, mouthing the words to the sections the writer had designated as hers.

“Ah, I don’t know-”

“Ahhh!”

Knowing this sound well enough by now, the four in the well pressed themselves up against the brick as James crashed down to the bottom, a green hose following in his wake. Before anyone was able to move to help him up, the boy placed his hand down on the floor, taking a handful of the dirt and letting it fall through his fingers. Remaining in his hand were a small group of shiny, copper pennies.

His face lit up, “Millions of lucky pennies! I’m saved!”

Taking more handfuls and tossing them up in the air like a lucky-penny shower, James missed a distinct “Wah-hoo!” coming from the top of the well. Roxy barely had enough energy left to grab the back of his button-up to pull him back towards her before Carlos landed at the bottom.

Neither of them said anything as the dust cleared, just a nod of thanks from the wannabe.

As Carlos stood up, the rest of the band stared at him menacingly, “What did you do that for?”

“I was lonely!” The boy defended.

Silence flooded over the well as Jordin scrambled to put her papers together, handing a few more to the girl to no doubt mark up for a duet-style piece.

Logan let out an anxious chuckle, clasping both of his hands together as he glanced over at the pop star, “Well, it looks like you may not make your recording session.”

Defeated, the boys lowered themselves to sit on the dusty ground. Assistant moving to join them, she gingerly laid her head on Kendall’s shoulder as she set about fixing the lyric sheets Jordin wouldn’t get to use for the day.

“It’s okay,” The singer said, sitting down as well. “ Just when I thought we might have figured out the song, looks like I might not get to record it.”

Clearing his throat, James stated, “I didn’t think the song was bad. How did you change it?”

Beside Jordin, Roxy gathered up the sheets and distributed them out to her friends. If they examined the writing she had made on the page, hopefully they’d be able to sell the singer on the idea of a duet.

Softly counting down, the long-haired boy started from the pre-chorus, “One, two, three, four, to the five-”

“Now, Logan, can you add some background? And Kendall and Carlos, harmonies?” Roxy asked, writing down James’ part on the sheet she was holding. Though the boy’s voices were quite loud, she pushed through the pulsating pain to prove to Jordin that this song would benefit from some extra help.

Trying again, the band executed her wishes perfectly as they made their way to the end of the chorus. Their voices melded beautifully together, and the acoustics from the open space of the well aided them as the sound bounced around the group.

Making a note to add lots of reverb, Roxy waved her hands in a circular motion to encourage Jordin to jump in too.

The five sang the chorus one more time, this time deciding to end on a gorgeous high note that probably made its way to the farthest edge of the park.

By now, there was no denying that not only was their song perfect, it just needed a little extra nudge to get to the place Jordin wanted it to be.

“That’s it!” The singer cried, a grin splashing across her face. “That’s exactly how I wanted it to sound! Now you’ve got to get me out of here.”

In the middle of the well, Roxy spied the smattering of items the boys had brought down with them. How can we fit a rope, a hose, and a tape measure together?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kendall sighed, “Well, there’s only one guy I know that can pull six people out of a well.”

***

Before the six of them knew it, they were tumbling out of the well and hitting the hard ground of Palm Wood’s Park all thanks to Freight Train’s incredible strength.

Would it kill Bitters to seed this lawn?

Admittedly, Roxy still wasn’t feeling the best, and now she had rope burn covering her palms, but anything was better than being trapped down a well.

The group expressed their thanks in a cacophony of groans and grunts as they worked to untangle themselves from one another. It was hard to tell where her limbs ended and her friends’ began.

Before they were able to properly stand, Bitters popped out from behind a tree, holding the camera Roxy had seen him with earlier before she slipped on the banana peel. “Aha! Jordin Sparks pulled out of a well, tied to five losers. I’ll be rich!’

As quickly as she could, the girl threw her arms out to try and shield the pop star before yelling, “Freight Train, the camera!”

Thankfully, the man caught her drift as he reached one gigantic hand over the lens and crushed it. Hundreds of little plastic pieces dropped to the ground before Bitters wasn’t even able to get his finger on the shutter release.

Of course, the hotel manager began to complain, but as he squared up to Freight Train it was clear he was fighting a losing battle. Like a dog with his tail between his legs, Bitters ran off in the direction of the hotel lobby.

“Hey, guys!” Freight Train greeted, before giving out an ominous warning, “Gustavo isn’t happy. He knows about the well and he has a skunk in his studio that he can’t get rid of.”

Looking around at each other, the boys began to laugh, “Gustavo can’t get rid of a skunk?”

Finally able to get up, the band helped the girls gather their belongings before following Freight Train to the parking lot of the Palm Woods where a car was waiting to take them back to Rocque Records.

The ride gave the girl a little bit of time to close her eyes and rest her body, warding off any more unwanted nausea.

Upon arrival, the band ran up the stairs, assistant in tow, as they beelined for the kitchen and janitor's closet near Studio B. Freight Train was kind enough to show Jordin the way to Studio A in the meantime.

Each boy grabbed a tool to wrangle the stinky little creature: Carlos, a can of Sexy Dog Dog Food, Kendall, a cardboard box fashioned onto a long rope, James, a large piece of cardboard, and Logan, a packing tape gun. Before making their way out to the hallway, they handed their assistant a pair of bright yellow dish gloves.

“No way I’m helping you catch a skunk.” She deadpanned, trying to hand the items back, “Knowing my bad luck I’ll just get sprayed.”

Logan waved her off before crossing his arms and leaning back-to-back on Carlos, “It’s nothing the Good Luck Patrol can’t save you from!”

“We’re pros at this, don’t worry.” Kendall jumped in to assure her. “You just need to hold the box steady so Logan can tape it down.”

Carlos twirled the can of food in his hand, “It’ll be fun, we promise!”

They must be out of their minds.

Begrudgingly, she slipped the gloves on and followed the four out into the hallway.

Towards their boss’ office, they noticed he and Kelly were pressed with their backs up against the wall - a small black and white fluffy creature at their feet. With its tail up, there was no mistaking this was an angry skunk, ready to attack the adults at a moment’s notice.

Counting backward from five, Carlos leaped into action.

Sliding down the hallway on his knees and a “Wah-hoo!” the boy opened the can of food with a satisfying crack! catching the animal’s attention. Once its head turned towards the singer, he threw the can at an angle, letting it spin out over the carpet right in front of the skunk to keep it distracted and in place.

As it moved closer to the can of food, Kendall, who had made his way to the other side of the hall, swung the box-on-a-string a few times in a circle, before sending it flying in the animal’s direction. Just as the skunk went to take a little bite of the food, it was captured under the box.

Now, it was Roxy’s time to shine. Running down the hallway, giving Carlos a high-five on the way down, she made her way to the large box of cardboard that trapped their prey. On her left, James jumped out from behind the couch with his piece of cardboard and as she held the box down so the skunk couldn’t escape, he slid his item under. Now that there was no open space, the skunk would be unable to roam freely around the studio.

Still holding it down just in case, she watched as Logan popped out from behind Kendall with his tape gun. With James folding the sides of his cardboard to fit the dimensions of the box, the other boy was able to take his tape and run it all along the edge to ensure the skunk was trapped inside. In another fluid motion, he detached the rope from the top.

Once the boys backed away, Roxy picked the box up carefully, being very mindful of the creature inside. Turning to face her boss, she pushed it into his hands as her band proudly proclaimed, “Here’s your skunk!”

There were no thanks, just shocked looks on their boss’ face as he yelled, “How did you do that?”

“We catch stuff all the time in Minnesota,” Kendall stated as though it was an obvious fact anyone would have known about them.

Carlos clapped once, jumping in, “Yeah! What did you use as bait, a lady skunk puppet?”

Laughter rang out over the floor of Rocque Records, from the assistant, her band, and her bosses. The latter laughed just a bit too long, suggesting Carlos’ comment may not have been all that far-fetched.

“Enough!” Their boss cried once he caught wind the teens were laughing at him and not with him. “Let’s hit the studio, it’s time for Jordin to record her song.”

As their boss said, everyone piled into Studio A, ready for what the rest of their day would bring.

The band naturally formed a straight line, while the other adults and Roxy stood to the side, which Gustavo used to pace back and forth between them as he gave out his orders.

When Kendall had made the phone call to Freight Train earlier, Roxy had learned the boys were the ones who caused her to fall into the well. As she had reached to take her songbook from Jordin, they had all been arguing over a metal horseshoe from the game Kendall had been setting up. It had slipped out of their hands, flying through the air in just the right manner to hit the writer in the back of the head and send her tumbling down the well.

Their actions had been horrible and caused her a lot of pain, but more than anything she was happy it lead them down a path where they were able to work out Jordin’s song. She had forgiven them, but now it was up to their boss to see whatever disciplinary action he would like to take.

“Now, in light of recent skunky events, I have decided not to kill you.

The band loudly breathed a sigh of relief.

“However, you blatantly disregarded my orders to stay away from Jordin Sparks and proved once again you are Bad Luck Rush.”

“Mr. Rocque!” Roxy called from the other side of the studio, a slight shake in her voice as she stood up to the producer. “I think I’m the bad luck charm. In the span of a few hours, I slipped on a banana peel, I got attacked by a black cat, and I was the first one to fall down the well. If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.”

Gustavo turned back to face her, face growing red.

“No, no!” Jordin said from beside her, holding her arms out in defense. “Roxy and the boys are good luck!”

At the statement, Kelly raised a brow. “They knocked you down a well.”

“Yeah, but if I hadn’t fallen down the well, we would have never figured out the song.”

Their boss blinked a few times, allowing the statement to fully resonate. “They helped you figure out the song?”

Excitedly, Jordin shook her head. “It’s not a solo, it’s a duet!”

Gustavo let out a bout of laughter at her comment, raising his voice a pitch higher in disbelief as he began to point backward toward them. “A duet? A duet with Big Time Rush? That is the most,” He paused to catch himself in front of his new client, “...Greatest idea I’ve ever had.”

Of course… No love for the writers.

At her boss’ command, the girl grabbed five microphones and set up the dance studio for an impromptu recording session. The boys were given plenty of time to learn their parts, and Gustavo had even listened to a bit of her input as he was picking different settings on the soundboard.

He quickly tracked the piano, along with the assistant on her muted acoustic guitar so the band and the pop star would be able to have a background track as they sang.

After reading Jordan’s pages over and over again in the well, Roxy had internalized the song - so much so it barely made her think of Dak anymore as she had on her first listen. As the song said, love was dangerous, a message she had unfortunately found out the hard way. But, after a day of being with friends and getting back to work, her heart hurt just a little less than it did yesterday.

I’m going to be okay, she determined as the song began playing for the five to record vocals to, reaching up to touch the plastic bandage on her cheek.

Slowly, the low R&B melody filled her headphones in the control room and she watched as the recording process began. Though she was happy to see her friends do their job, it always felt kind of awkward for them to perform a song for the first time. Mostly, the girl had taken to imagining music videos the band could make and putting them in that scenario in her head.

For this song, visions of black and white on a classic late-night talk show sound stage filled her head. Both the band and Jordin would be dressed in vintage suits and a vintage dress with the pop star taking the lead.

Quickly jotting the idea down in her songbook, she focused on that as the song quickly came to an end.

A cheer from everyone in the studio lit up the singers’ faces, letting them know they had nailed their initial take.

“Gustavo, that was awesome!” Jordin cheered, hands still gripping her microphone in excitement

Her boss nodded, taking his headphones off, “So awesome, in fact, that I’m teaming you up for one more project.”

Gathering everyone back in the studio, he clued them into why a skunk had miraculously appeared in Rocque Records. Apparently, since the ‘90s their boss had been locked in a conflict with another music producer, the owner of Hawk Records. Once Hawk had caught wind that Jordin Sparks had chosen Rocque over him, he sent the skunk in hopes it would convince her to jump ship and pick his record company instead.

Proposing a quick trip to Hawk Records, skunk included, Gustavo came up with a plan to distract Hawk long enough to place the skunk into his limousine as payback.

Hawk Records was clear on the other side of town, and it made Roxy incredibly nervous to travel with the skunk, but once they got there their plan was set into motion.

Handing the assistant her phone, Roxy quickly dialed the number Gustavo had given her.

“Hawk Records. Hawk speaking.”

“Hello, Mr. Hawk, I’m calling you from the office of Jordin Sparks. Please wait one moment while I get her on the line.”

“Jordin Sparks- as in Jordin Sparks?” The man on the other line didn’t even try and hide his excitement.

Quickly taking over the phone from the writer, Jordin said, “Yup, that’s me. You were right, Rocque Records stinks. I want to record my song with you instead.”

While the man on the other line continued to speak, she covered the speaker with her hand and made a shooting motion with her hand - meaning it was finally go time.

The moment Hawk’s silver limousine pulled up in front of the building, the band managed to open the door to the backseat and gently let the skunk go. Once outside of the box, the animal understandably ran as far away from it as possible. Now, Hawk was in for a taste of his own medicine.

When the doors to the building opened, everyone ducked behind the vehicle as they heard him call out, “Get me to Rocque Records. I beat Gustavo again! Yes!”, as he entered the limo before emitting an evil laugh.

Pulling away, the car moved a total of 30 feet before the driver slammed on the brakes. The door to the backseat was nearly knocked off its hinges as Hawk let out a guttural scream, holding his hands up to his eyes.

Guess old Skunky did the tick.

***

The following morning, the band and their assistant got up bright and early to see Jordin off before heading to work.

Once they had successfully pulled their prank and made it back to the hotel the previous night, Roxy made a beeline for Jo’s apartment - showing up with flowers and a signed copy of Jordin Sparks’ new album Battlefield before explaining everything she had seen was a product of her bad luck. Thankfully, the actress had already had some time to think about what she had said to her friend and profusely apologized for her harsh words. After seeing Roxy get cheated on, she explained it was like a switch had flipped in her brain. Any time she saw Kendall with another girl it freaked her out, but she had never meant for her friend to get caught up in it.

After a lengthy conversation, the two had finally made up. Not only that, Jo had been meaning to return the mini backpack she had found poolside when she ended up catching the pair on their “picnic”, so Roxy was finally able to reunite with her other precious belongings.

Now, the boys were standing off to the side of the hotel check-in desk talking to Jordin, who had already wrapped the writer in a bone-crushing hug.

“Good luck with your writing, I’m sure it’ll save more than me one of these days.” The singer gushed, gathering the assistant in another hug she happily returned. Hopefully, they’d cross paths again.

“Thanks, Jordin,” Roxy replied, handing her a sticky note with her phone number on it. “Call me if you’re ever in another bind - be it writing a song or stuck down a well.”

The two shared a giggle before Jordin turned to face the band, “And you guys, good luck on your album! ‘Cause I could use a really great opening act in concert.”

Reaching out, she pulled Carlos and Logan into a hug as well. Behind her back, the two did their Good Luck Patrol handshake before she moved to hug James. He, of course, ever the dramatic, needed to be physically pried off the singer by his bandmates.

“And I hope you and Jo work things out,” She said, reaching out to embrace Kendall.

He assured the singer they’d be fine, but not before Jo walked into the lobby, witnessing their sign of physical affection. With an Ahem! his girlfriend caught his attention before storming off towards the pool.

“Dude,” Roxy face palmed, “I just smoothed things over for you! Way to make it worse.”

“Wait, here!”

In an instant, Jordin had pulled a beautiful bouquet of flowers that were sitting in a vase on Bitters’s desk and pushed them into the frontman’s hands. It didn’t take long for him to run after her, assuring her the action was not what it had looked like.

A loud honk from the parking lot let Jordin know her ride had arrived, and as everyone waved goodbye they were filled with a large sense of satisfaction.

Today, a song with Jordin Sparks, tomorrow, who knows?

#thats all she wrote fic #big time rush #btr #james diamond #james maslow #kendall knight #kendall schmidt #logan mitchell #logan henderson #carlos garcia #carlos penavega

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wanderlustqueen-writes · 1 year

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@nuri148 thanks for the tag, linda 💕☺️

I'm not very good at sorting my preferences, so I don't think I can do a "top 10" thing either. Here goes:

10 films that I love (in no particular order!)

The One I Love (2014): a troubled couple rents a summer house as part of a couple's therapy experience. The name of the movie in Portuguese is very romcom-y, something like "Complications of Love" so when I saw it on TV I thought it was just a rom-com, and BOY WAS I WRONG! This one is definitely a wild ride and, to this day, I still don't know if I love it or am just really disturbed by it.

Arrival (2016): aliens arrive on earth and a linguist tries to learn how to communicate with them. This movie is very dear to my heart, not only for the overall quality and amazing turns but because it is a bit of a twist in science fiction. I'm so used to sci-fi movies revolving solely around STEM, it's refreshing to see one centered on human sciences.

Nope (2022): science fiction meets horror meets western. This movie is definitely unique and so well done, from the screenplay to the acting and the PHOTOGRAPHY, not to mention the symbolism. As Isabela Boscov said, Nope has as many layers as the viewer (no pun intended) wants to dig for. It's a gift that keeps on giving. I've seen it three times since its release, and I'm ready for a fourth.

Interstellar (2014): eye-opening, mind-blowing, heart-shattering. Time really is relative because these three hours feel like mere minutes!

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001): I'm a sucker for a good romantic comedy, and Bridget Jones's Diary has the best elements of the genre: a relatable protagonist? Check! Compelling plot (pride and prejudice retelling)? Check! Ridiculous moments? Check! The movie is FUN like few are.

Peter Pan (2003): this is a childhood favorite. I watched this version of Peter Pan every day for like a year when I was younger. I used to dream about leaving everything behind and going to Neverland, swimming in an ocean of stars (escapism much?)

The Pacifier (2005): Another childhood film! Vin Diesel, a US Navy Agent, is assigned to protect (read: babysit) the children of a government scientist. I don't have an explanation for this, except for IT'S FUN! I rented the DVD at least 20 times!

Music and Lyrics (2007): have I mentioned I'm a sucker for romantic comedies? This one has an unusual setting and pairs two actors I really like, Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, but the best part is the music! I love this soundtrack, especially "PoP! Goes my heart" and "Way Back into Love".

Twilight (2008): I was twelve when I first read the book and watched the movie, and it was my first contact with fandom, so this already makes Twilight very dear to me. But this movie also has such vibes! Whenever it's rainy, I find myself craving that atmosphere, missing the soundtrack and that weird blue filter. Idk, it just takes me back to simpler times.

Pride & Prejudice (2005): such a lovely adaptation! There's something so charming about this movie that makes me want to watch it again whenever I see a gifset on Tumblr (which is pretty often lol).

Some of these are childhood favorites I haven't seen in a while, so I don't know how well they hold up today.

@this-is-krikkit @scienter @a-king-named-lear I would love to hear about your favorite films, but only If you wish to participate. This is a 100% pressure-free tag 😉

#film recommendations #tag game #personal #the one I love (2014)#arrival (2016)#nope (2022)#interstellar (2014)#Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)#Peter Pan (2003)#The Pacifier (2005)#Music and Lyrics (2007)#twilight (2008)#Pride and Prejudice (2005)

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mermaidsirennikita · 2 years

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Hi! I've read a lot of HR in my time (ie past 2 yrs) and it's my favorite genre but I haven't watched any HR shows or movies...can you give me some suggestions, please?

Truth be told, there aren't *that* many honest to God, true historical romance movies or TV shows. I mean, there's obviously Bridgerton, but it's... A mixed bag, and I'm sure you're aware of it.

Sanditon felt very much like a historical romance in its first season, but it does not end happily and they basically completely botched it, so.

I think that Pride and Prejudice (2005) is by far the most *romantic* Jane Austen adaptation... And I imagine you've seen it, but if not, do! It's less about the sex than it is the sexual tension, to be sure, but the climax of the movie itself is one of the most romantic things I've ever seen on TV, so. Has a happy ending!

Belle is really good! It's based on a true story so (as I've said here before lol) I wouldn't call it a historical romance movie, but it's very romantic and it gets the beats. It's about a young heiress who is the daughter of a wealthy gentleman and an enslaved Black woman. Her mother died when she was young and her father was a soldier, so he had her raised (alongside her white cousin who's the same age) by his relatives. He dies when she's grown, so she becomes a wealthy heiress and there's this interplay of men who basically want to marry her for money while being incredibly racist and abusive towards her. But she's super intelligent and strong and her conflict is beautifully played--and there is a young man who has ~radical political ideas~ and is therefore ~unsuitable~ and they fall in love and have many swoony moments. His love confession is heeeeeeeellaaaaa. Has a happy ending!

Little Women (2019) obviously isn't a romance but the romantic arcs are very good and well-acted, with great chemistry. That's a lot coming from me, a Timothee Chalamet conscientious objector. Has a happy ending (for everyone except Beth lmao)!

The Young Victoria is clearly also based on real history, and it's super fucking romantic, imo. Victoria and Albert were a love match in real life, and his courtship of her in this movie is aaaaachingly romantic. Like. Swoon. Has a happy ending!

In the same sense, I'd recommend the first two seasons of Victoria (skip the Christmas special and the third). It's even more romantic lol, while it has some issues, and the chemistry between the actors is fabulous. (Beeeecauuuuse they were fucking at the time lmao, RIP that relationship.). You can end with season 2 and not feel like you missed anything by not continuing, imo. Both seasons end on a kind of "everything is fine, if open for the future" note. Has a happy ending (if you stop at the s2 finale)!

If you want a fucking weeper of a biopic that is nonetheless... extremely romantic, if chaste, I'd recommend Bright Star. It's about the romance between John Keats (famous romantic poet John Keats, who, spoiler alert, did die in his twenties) and his fiancee, Fanny Brawne. He's a poor poet, she's a slightly bitchy fashionista.

Of course, there's always Ever After, which is the 1998 Drew Barrymore Cinderella movie that is somehow set in... Renaissance France? Sure! Happy ending!

If you want to watch a truly wacky movie that I'm not sure holds up because I haven't watched it in years, try Far and Away. It's from the early days of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's marriage, and it's one of the Tom Cruise movies that came out before The Jig, It Was Up. He plays a poor Irishman who somehow, through a series of events I don't remember, ends up going to America with Nicole Kidman's rich Irish girl, and they pretend to be brother and sister to stay in a boarding house together while being super into one another. They fight. He boxes. She can't wash shirts right because she's a poor little rich girl. I will say, the chemistry was bomb, and it does have a happy ending. I am not sure, again, how it holds up on a social level because I haven't seen it since I was in high school. The Irish accents are bad, but I don't care.

If you're in the mood for a good lesbian period piece show, again based on real life so there is some traumatic shit in it, try Gentleman Jack! Anne Lister is a rakish woman who's just returned home to manage her estate. She needs a wife (and ideally a wealthy one) so she begins to seduce the shy, anxious Ann Walker. TWs for a lot of things--sexual assault, homophobia, Ann's mental health being on edge like... all the time. But it's super romantic, and it does the thing I love where the rake is all "I'm marrying for money" but then she falls in love for reeeeal. Recommend recommend recommend. Ongoing, so happy ending tbd.

There are two Catherine the Great-adjacent shows I'd recommend for... Non-conventional romances.

One would obviously be The Great, which is a bitingly dark and fun satirical comedy about the early days of Catherine the Great. Except in season 2... And really, throughout season 1... It turns into a dark romance? Peter and Catherine have an arranged marriage and he's horrible and she hates him and plots to kill him (only after he tries to kill her that one time, and sucker punches her, so TW for that among many, many other things)... But then they start to realize that they're actually way more alike than they realize. Both more cunning than they look, both rather insane, and both ridiculously attracted to each other. Season 2 is like Fleabag, where they basically look at the camera and say "this is a love story". If a mad one. Ongoing, but lol I cannot imagine this show having a CONVENTIONAL ending of any kind. The sex scenes are bomb tho, a fuckton of oral is involved.

Theeeen I'd recommend checking out the Helen Mirren Catherine the Great miniseries. She and Jason Clarke, who play Catherine's irl long-term political partner and lover, have excellent chemistry, and it's kind of great to see an older actress (especially one as hot as Helen Mirren) have love and sex and be deliciously amoral with the man who worships at her feet. Potemkin and Catherine, as they did in real life, have a relationship that goes from fraught passion to companionship and an openness for other partners... But you never doubt that he is the love of her life, and vice versa.

Sylvie's Love is a great romantic movie that's the classic "we were in love then separated by circumstance and now we're back in the same place and I'm with someone else" plot. Very touching, very good, set in the mid-twentieth century and super well-acted. Has a happy ending!

A Room with a View is a classic with a happy ending. I'm always kind of "hmm, idk" about the plot, but everyone loves it and it's super beautiful to look at and very atmospheric at the least. Happy ending!

Cyrano is incredibly gorgeous and romantic and just destroyed me. Does not have a happy ending, but God it's romantic.

Far From the Madding Crowd is another one where I'm like "do I like this, or do I like the look of it and the vibe". But it is romantic and it does have a happy ending.

If you want to watch 1990S RIDONKULOUSNESS then try First Knight. It's the Lancelot-Arthur-Guinevere love triangle, but Richard Gere plays Lancelot and just does his normal accent whereas Julia Ormond plays Guinevere with her normal accent and Sean Connery (ew) plays Arthur with his normal accent. It is. Ridic. But it's got some romantic shit in there. Happy ending (well, for two out of three of them).

Of course, the Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility is very good. Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant don't make me swooooon in this, but it's romantic and well done. Happy ending.

Lol one of the most romantic, ridiculous, over the top movies I've ever seen is House of Flying Daggers. The love theme in this brings me to tears. The hero is a cocky soldier who is trying to find the leader of this vigilante group called the House of Flying Daggers, so he basically tries to trick this blind warrior woman into giving up the goods while acting like he's on her side. Of course, he falls madly in love. I love hot people with great chemistry. Does not have a happy ending, lmao, at all, BUT GOD WHAT A THRILL.

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acourtofthought · 1 year

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Unrelated to my last ask, I just wanted to share that Elucien are Sarah’s Pride (Elain) & Prejudice (Lucien) retelling, and their story gets sweeter with every moment I long for it. The fact that Lucien already is longing for her while keeping his distance, and Elain doing everything to avoid him, and neither of them understand just how similar they actually are? Goated. I love it for them, and I love it for us.

🧼💖

PS: SJM saying they’d go on a stroll in london before returning to their country home? Okay Pemberly 🥰

You are spot on and I cannot wait for it. I loved Feysand but there is something so classic about Elucien as a couple and it would be such an amazing change from her usual pairings.

I listened to a SJM Live Interview once and she had already written SF. But she was talking about recently watching Pride & Prejudice over and over again and I got so excited thinking she was doing research for Elucien's book because they are 100% Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy at first felt Elizabeth was inferior because of her family and Lucien at one point felt Humans were beneath Fae. They both hold their real emotions under a cloak of propriety and both Elizabeth and Elain are extremely wise. And Elain / Lucien and Elizabeth / Mr. Darcy are secretly feeling frustrations that they hide from others because they feel they are expected to behave a certain way or were raised to conduct themselves in a certain manner.

But SJM suddenly circled back around and drew comparisons between P & P and Nesta and Cassian and it struck me as odd because Nessian has their own unique dynamic but it's definitely not Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy! So I continue on living in my denial bubble believing that she actually was talking about Elain and Lucien but realized she couldn't give anything away so she quickly went back to talking about Nessian. 😄

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