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helterskelterhazel · 2 months

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𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒐 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒚

Summary: fetus!Alex and you hate each other, but not that much.

Warnings: sub!alex, dom!reader, oral(m receiving), p in v, crying?, grinding?

Word count: 4.7k

a/n: the fandom is so dead right now so I took matters into my own hands… enjoy!

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You and Alex had an interesting living situation. You met through a mutual friend, and the mutual need for cheaper rent. The both of you hated paying ridiculous prices for the smallest flats ever, especially without the help of parents' money. Unfortunately, you both also hated each other. The night you met was at a noisy, packed club, and after a long day of university, you both needed to let loose. Your mutual friend invited the both of you along with a few other friends. He hadn’t been seen by your friend all night, but you saw him. As you had unsqueezed yourself from the mass of bodies dancing to the music to go to the bar, you felt a person knock into you. You turned to the side to tell him off, but your voice was caught in your throat as you looked at the boy in front of you. He was a fairly small boy, with thick hair that stuck up in the back. He wore a polo, with the color popped up, and baggy jeans. But what really stood out was his eyes, big and round and confused looking. The confused look quickly went away as he studied you.

“You y/n?” He asked loudly, attempting to strain over the loud music. His voice was higher pitched than you’d expect.

“Yes, I am, and you must be Alex, you fit the description I was told about. You also just ran into me, if you didn’t notice,” you respond, annoyed at his casual tone.

He smirked slightly, “I noticed.” What a dick.

You and him proceeded to have a strained conversation. He was clearly gone, sloshing his cheap beer around in his hand, accidentally splashing you with it at one point. At least he got you a napkin. You disagreed on almost every level, your personalities clashed in a frustrating way. Eventually, you got to the topic of university. He was an English major, surprising, considering his slurred speech and odd wording. Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t afford university combined with rent. That was the one thing you could agree on. You're not sure how, but In your drunken haze, you ended the conversation disgruntled but with a plan to room together in a new apartment. You managed to follow through with minimal talking, and moved into an apartment in the next few weeks. The circumstances weren’t the greatest, but it was the easiest option for everyone.

He put posters of the strokes, oasis and the libertines up on his side of the bedroom, and had his records stored next to his record player. Your records sat opposite to his. The first days were filled with arguments about things like who can take a shower, what type of coffee to make, and who can control the tv. He called you pretentious, you called him annoying. You’d complain about his habits of staying out late, and how he didn’t even try to be quiet when getting ready for bed. The yelling turned into grumbling, and the grumbling turned into silence as the both of you fell into some sort of routine.

you wake up hours before he does, and take a shower first thing. Typically getting dressed in outfits that consist of tights, sweaters, flats and denim or leather jackets. You pour yourself a cup of black coffee, and head to your first class of the day. By the time you got back from your early morning class, he was usually awake in his bed, sipping on an iced coffee. Iced, vanilla, coffee. You made him keep it in the fridge. There was always the lingering smell of the cigarette he had enjoyed on the balcony. You ate whatever pastry you had purchased from the bakery close by campus while he took an obnoxiously long shower. You would leave as he finished for the rest of your classes, just missing him stepping out of the shower wet and disheveled. Luckily your days didn’t overlap until late at night as Alex liked to go out, and he also liked to play in his band. He would clamber into bed after stripping to his boxers, and you would resist the urge to turn over to his side of the room and look. Then you would wake up and do it all over again.

One Sunday night, as Alex walked in the door earlier than usual, the routine changed. It was 9, and you both were puttering around the small kitchen trying to prepare separate microwaveable meals. Seemingly out of nowhere, Alex cleared his throat and asked,

“Do you wanna watch a movie, together I mean.”

Not knowing what to say, you kept your back facing him and nodded. You couldn’t see it, but his cheeks heated up to a bright pink, and he smiled softly to himself while continuing to prepare his noodles. The two of you settled down onto your beds, and you tossed the remote over to Alex.

“You can pick,” you told him quietly.

“I actually have some dvds that I brought from home, Al Pacino movies and stuff if you're into that,” he replied softly. The cocky boy you thought you knew seemed gone.

“Yeah that sounds good.”

He nodded, and slid off his bed to grab a big leather case from under it. After popping it open, you saw there must have been at least 80 dvds.

“Big into movies?” You asked, genuinely curious. His plush lips parted into a small smile at the question.

“Yeah, big time.”

He selected one and popped it into the dvd player beneath the tv before settling back into his flannel sheets. The two of you sat eating your food and watching “Donnie Brasco” through the rest of the night. The movie was dotted with Alex’s little interjections about the actors or cinematic qualities. You slowly drifted off to sleep with your bowl at your side, on top of your sheets. When you woke up the next morning, you were tucked into your bed, and your dishes had disappeared.

From then on, it seemed like you two had an unstated agreement. On the nights the both of you are in the flat, you would share a film. There was more talking as well. He asked you about your day and you asked about his. Sometimes he’d even prepare your meal, and make you a drink. You found out that you both actually were quite similar. When you had rented a French dvd, Alex responded excitedly, watching intently through the whole thing. Turns out he liked them as much as you did. You also found out little things about him that didn’t really matter, but meant a great deal to you. For example, he ruffles his hair on purpose, (he wants to look like Julian Casablancas.) He also began to get more comfortable engaging in small touches with you, touching your hip as he passed by you, light pats on the shoulder when you told him about a paper you did well on, and once tucking your hair behind your ear before scurrying away nervously. You didn’t mind it.

At the beginning of one normal movie night, Alex proposed that you sit in his bed.

“Y’know I just figured, it-it would be easier to see for you I didn’t mean anything by it,” he stuttered, blushing furiously. You laughed softly at his nervous behavior and moved over to his bed, settling onto the soft comforter. He tensed up as your shoulder touched his, but relaxed quickly after. He turned his head to you and said,

“If you want to get under the covers, I don’t mind, it’s pretty cold anyways,” he trailed off, eyes casting downwards, making the shadow of his lashes more prominent. You nodded in response, slipping your legs under the sheets.

As the movie progressed, you noticed his eyes starting to flutter closed, and his small frame slumped against yours. Slowly, you leaned back further, easing him to lay with his head in the crook of your neck. He didn’t say anything, allowing it to happen. You could tell he was still awake from his hitching breaths and pounding heart beat against you. Testing the waters, you took your hand up to rake through his soft hair. You got in response a shiver from him and a small hum, but no protests. You played with the hair at the nape of his neck, scratching lightly. You could feel him smile against you. This Alex was not the Alex from the bar the night you met. This Alex was soft and vulnerable, and absolutely sweet. You allowed yourself to drift to sleep, him in your arms.

The night after was filled with nerves creeping up on you. You spend the whole day thinking about Alex wrapping himself tightly around you, not able to focus on any work at all. You know Alex wasn’t going to be home early that night, he had a late shift at the bar to cover. You wished he was here with you, watching films, listening to records, or just simply talking, but you know it was best to have a bit of space. The two of you hadn’t exchanged any talk in the morning, both far too timid to share any feelings. So there you sat In the darkness of your shared room, unable to fall asleep or think of anything other than Alex. Your thoughts of Alex were interrupted not a moment later by the sounds of the boy himself. You keep your body turned over so he can’t see your face, just listening to his breathing and sounds of him putting down his keys.

When you hear him settle onto his bed, the last this you expected to hear was him softly crying. It was quiet, but the sound was unmistakable. Without thinking, you sat up and turned around, in which Alex responded by lifting his head quickly. His hair was hanging over his eyes, which are red and puffy. His doe eyes are soft, and his lashes are slick with tears. Responding on instinct, you immediately jumped off your bed and hurried over to his, wrapping one arm around him. He responds by leaning into you, burying his face into the crook of your neck. You pet his hair lightly while he sniffles, trying to distract him from whatever was happening. Eventually he lifts his head up and averts his eyes away from yours. He takes a deep breath and then suddenly all of his words come pouring out at once.

“I’m so sorry for being weird all day y/n, I was worried I made you uncomfortable last night because I really like you and I don’t want to mess up us being friends, because you're like, one of the best people I’ve ever met. And I’m sorry for crying all over you and you can leave I understa-”

You shut up his rambling by leaning into his bitten lips. He made a noise of shock into your mouth, before he began to kiss back enthusiastically. He was one of the most eager kissers you’d ever encountered. His kisses were filled with an urgency you hadn’t felt before. He tasted like cigarettes and cheap beer. Unable to resist yourself, you reach a hand up and rake it through his hair, before tugging softly. In response he whines into the kiss, before pulling back and looking at you in shock. His lips are red and swollen, and his cheeks are flushed pink.

“I didn’t think you liked me like that,” he says quietly. You didn’t respond, just continuing to look at his perfect face.

“I guess I just overthink things too much,” he replies to himself. This you respond to.

“I can make your mind go quiet, if that’s what you want.”

Even you were shocked by your boldness. He couldn’t form words, just nodding furiously, shaking his hair around. You lean back from him, sitting against your pillows and opening your legs. He looks confused at what you were doing. You pat the spot between your legs and say,

“sit.”

His eyes got impossibly wider as they flicked between the space between your legs and your face. “You mean like how girls normally do?” He asks, looking insecure.

“I guess so, but really it’s just so I can take proper care of you,” you respond, smirking at his innocent expression. “We don’t have to do it like that if you don’t want to.” You didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

“No,” he responds quickly, voice straining a bit. “I want to.”

“Then come here.”

He lifts himself up off the ledge of his bed and settles his back against your chest. You instantly wrap your arms up to cradle his little waist. His body shivers a bit against yours. You push your hands under his shirt and feel his soft skin, while beginning to lean down to kiss his neck. His body is shaking a bit, so you pull back slightly and say softly in his ear,

“Are you okay? You're shaking honey.” He blushes deeply at the nickname, before shaking his head and responding, “Yeah, I’m-I’m just not used to this.”

You nod in response before continuing. As you begin to kiss down his neck, you decide to take a risk.

“Can I leave marks?” He whimpers lightly before hurriedly nodding.

You lick over his pulse point before sucking a small love bite into his pale skin. He tilts his head back further, exposing more of his neck to you. Between bites and kisses you whisper in his ear.

“No ones ever properly taken care of you, sweetie.” He looks embarrassed at the words, letting out little whimpers and deep breaths as well. You continue to run your hands over his stomach under his shirt. Your hands drop lower, caressing his defined hip bones. At this, he lets out a quiet whine and squirms a bit.

“Need more.” he says while looking up at you with wide, pleading eyes. His fists are curled at his side, and his chest is heaving with need.

“if it’s what you need sweetie.”

You take the edge of his shirt and pull it over his head, ruffling his hair even more in the process. You trail your hands down to his jeans, feeling the edge of them before asking, “Can I take these off?”

“Yes, please.” he breathes desperately. You unzip them and let him do the rest, unable to reach from your position. Now here you were, with Alex Turner between your legs in nothing but his boxers, looking delicate as ever. Deciding to be bold, you take your hand and palm over his crotch. The fabric feels wet with precum, and you can almost feel him pulse under your touch. His response is immediate, bucking up into your touch and desperately pawing at your other hand that was resting on his tummy. You trace one finger around his cock, feeling the surprisingly long length of it. He silently hopes you can’t feel his heart beating out of his chest, but of course you can. You decided to surprise him by reaching your hand down to wrap around the base of his cock. The sound he made was something out of a porno. A broken, high pitched moan that seemed like it resembled an “oh god.” The sound went straight to your core and you felt wetness start to pool in your panties. You begin to move your hand along his raging erection, eventually getting to the tip, just lightly swiping your fingers over it to tease. You would think he’d never even jacked off before from his reaction. All he could do is squirm and push himself into your touch desperately.

You remove your grip on him to just lightly take your finger and run it up and down his cock, moving the precum leaking out of him along it. As you teased him, you couldn’t help but lean down to suck a hickey into his collarbone. The need to see him as disheveled and marked up was unbearable. You couldn’t help but trail your other hand further up his stomach to his chest to his nipples, lightly ghosting over one to see if it was okay.

“Please, please I want it.” The boy who was nervous about being submissive was definitely gone.

You take his nipple between your fingers, rolling it before pinching lightly. He looks overwhelmed at the action between his legs and chest. You switch between the two of his nipples, almost overstimulating him. His chest and cheeks are flushed, and you're honestly interested in seeing if anything else is.

You take your hand off his cock, leaving him whining in disagreement.

“Why’d you stop?” He chokes out, pouting like a kid who dropped his ice cream.

“Because I wanna taste you.” you smirk in his ear.

You can hear his voice catch in his throat, and before he knows it you're releasing your hold on him and crawling between his legs. From this angle, he looks downright sinful. His puppy eyes are trained on you, watery from being on edge. His lips are bitten and his hair is messy and covering his face making him look somehow innocent despite the current situation. Trailing your hands up his legs, which were just as delicate and pale as the rest of him, you settle on where his v-line meets his boxers.

“Can I suck you off.” You ask bluntly, trying to get that pretty blush to rise up to his cheeks. It works.

“Yes-yes please do whatever please.” He begs hands fisting the sheets by his side, frustrated by the lack of stimulation on his painfully hard cock.

You take this as an opportunity to pull down his boxers to reveal his dick. You almost gasp at the sight of it, big, flushed a deep red almost purple, leaking a steady stream of precum against his tummy, with a vein going up the side. He looks embarrassed at the sight of you between his legs, staring at his cock.

“Can you please touch me, please?” He whimpers quietly, averting his eyes from yours.

“I don’t know, do you think you deserve it?” You tease, rubbing the milky skin of his bare thighs.

“Yes! Yes I do please, I need you so bad.” He whines in desperation, the pressure getting far too much for him to take.

“I guess you have been good for me. Is that what you wanna be? My good boy?” You didn’t think he would react as strongly as he did, it was really just to tease him even further, but he replies by gasping softly and saying “I’m your good boy I promise, just touch me, ple-”

You interrupt his pleas by taking the head of his cock into your mouth. In response he lets out a high pitch whine. The neighbors probably hate us right now. you take the entirety of what you can in your mouth, trying not to gag as the tip hits the back of your throat. He shudders and starts to let out a continuous stream of “fucks” and “yes’s” and whimpers. you take whatever you can't fit in your mouth and pump the base of him. You hollow out your cheeks to make the sensation even better for him. In response he bucks up his hips uncontrollably and takes one hand and tangles it in your hair. He doesn’t try to pull or control your movements, it’s just an attempt to keep his body under control. It’s clear it isn’t really working, as his back arches off the bed like a cat, and he has to raise the hand that’s not in your hair to his mouth to attempt to quiet his noises. You reach your hand up and swat him away from his mouth. “I wanna hear your pretty noises honey.”

“Oh-okay.” He whispers shyly in response, giving you a little smile.

the smile quickly drops as you attach your mouth back to the swollen head of his cock, licking into the slit at the top. His unrestrained mewls are the prettiest sounds you’ve heard. You continue to massage his thighs, occasionally reaching a hand up to ghost over one of his nipples, leaving him an overwhelmed mess. His trembling legs and increasingly louder whines are a clear sign of him getting closer. He was desperately trying not to cum so quickly, but he couldn’t stop his shaky thrusts of his hips.

“oh god, you feel so-so good.” He whines desperately, sounding on the verge of pleasure induced tears. You look up to admire his sweet face, and you're met with a surprise. He doesn’t just sound like he’s crying, he is crying. Lip quivering slightly, and his eyes are rolling back to his head, as tears run down his cheeks. The sight of him so ruined has your cunt clenching around nothing, suddenly unbearably empty.

“I’m not gonna last, please plea-.” You cut off his begging by promptly pulling him out of your mouth and removing any stimulation he was getting. The cry he lets out sounds almost pained, even more tears stream from his eyes.

“Why’d you stop, I was almost there.” He pouts at you, disheveled hair paired with red cheeks and teary eyes making him look angelic.

“Because I want you inside me,” You reply, leaning your face against his thigh, “do you want that?” You finish.

“Yeah, yes I want it. I want it so bad please.” He gasps out desperate to get some form of stimulation back in his aching cock.

As you slip off the shorts and panties you were wearing to bed, you can practically feel Alex’s eyes staring at your puffy folds. He gulps as you climb over his lap, hovering over his dick. You lower yourself to grind your pussy against his cock, feeling it slip between your wet folds, nudging just right at your clit. As you begin to move up and down along his dick, his hands grasp desperately at your waist, mewling at the feeling of your plush folds sliding along his dick.

“I swear you're gonna kill me.” He chokes out, eyes focused on your soaked pussy spreading your wetness around his cock.

“Do you like this baby, you like feeling me.” You say, leaning down to his ear, before attaching your mouth to the spot under his jaw.

“Love it, love it so much, I need more.” He moans, hands trailing from your waist to squeeze the flesh of your ass.

“More? Don’t you think that’s a little greedy?” You tease, licking and biting along his collar bone. He whimpers and shakes his head, burying it in your shoulder, shuddering softly. His fingers are toying with the edge of your shirt, too nervous to ask to take it off. Luckily you get the hint.

You pull the shirt over your head, allowing him a moment to look at your bra, before promptly pulling that off as well. His big, brown eyes dilate at the sight of your tits.

“Can I touch them, please?” He says, looking up at you hopefully. You nod into his neck. He immediately reaches his hands up and gropes at your tits, squeezing them in his delicate hands. You continue to grind against him to make him more desperate as he suddenly leans forward and captures one of your nipples in his mouth, sucking desperately. You gasp softly and begin petting his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp.

“You like having your mouth full sweetie?” You ask, a rhetorical question of course. All he can do is let out a muffled whine. His tongue swipes along the bud, nipping gently in an attempt to get you as desperate as he is. Suddenly he releases you from his mouth and stops the movement of your hips against him with his hands.

“I can’t anymore, I need to be inside you. I’ll be good for you, I promise I swear love!” He whines finally, breaking under the teasing.

“Okay honey, you’ve been a good boy.” You reply while lifting up to your knees and grabbing hold of his cock. He’s been hard for so long he swears he’s going to bust any second now. You line up the fat head of his cock to your leaking cunt, before slowly pushing him inside. You groan low in your throat as you feel his thick cock stretch you out just right, the tip brushing your g-spot. You almost don’t notice the way he throws his head back in euphoria, sounds caught in his throat from the way your plush walls squeeze him perfectly, and the way he can feel your cunt gush around him. You grab hold of his face, admiring his lust blown eyes for a moment, before leaning in to connect your mouth with his. It’s rough and messy as his tongue slides along yours, his mouth sweet and soft. You begin to slowly move your hips, the first few movements have him shaking again. You let him sink into the bed, so overwhelmed that he was pawing at anything he could get his hands on. Your tits, your ass, your waist, anything to keep him grounded.

But he just couldn’t. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the way your tits bounced with every thrust. He couldn’t stop hearing the wet noises coming from your pussy every time you bottomed out of his dick. He couldn’t stop looking at how your pussy enveloped him, leaving his dick wet and glistening.

“God you're so good!” He cried out, tears trailing down his face again.

you were right there with him, trailing a hand down to your clit to circle the puffy bud, but he was there before you were, desperate not to embarrass himself by coming too early. It only took a few swipes of his calluses fingertips on your clit to have you coming around his length. You gripped your hands on his slender shoulders as your orgasm shook through your body, unknowingly breaking him enough to have his own orgasm suddenly coaxed out. You feel his hot release hit your walls, and watch his hips jerk uncontrollably as the tears shed more than ever before. His fingers don’t let up until you collapse on top of him, sweaty bodies melded together.

It takes a moment for you to realize his crying and shaking hasn’t stopped. You lift off of him, still straddling him, his cum starting to leak out of you.

“Are you ok al?” You ask.

He doesn’t respond, a fuzzed over look on his face, trying his hardest to give you a little nod. You grab his fragile body in your arms and slowly lift him out of bed, walking him to the bathroom slowly. You take a damp cloth and wipe him down softly as possible. You wipe yourself down as well, still cradling him in your arms. Grabbing his hand, you lead him over to your bed, wanting to lay him in clean sheets. You help him into the bed and slide in beside him. He buries his head in your chest, still shaking but not crying anymore. You pet his hair, hoping to calm him down. After a few moments he slowly lifts his head up, making eye contact shyly.

“I’m sorry for all that.” He says softly. “I sometimes get a little unresponsive when I get a little too into it.” He looks nervous, anticipating your reaction.

“That’s okay Al, it’s kinda sweet.” You reply, watching his cheeks flush lightly. You lean down and kiss him lightly on the cheek.

“I had a really good time.” You say, smiling at him.

“Me too.” He gave a long pause before asking, “do you maybe wanna go out sometime.”

You almost giggle at his shy demeanor. Still so nervous.

“Of course I do honey.”

The both of you lay In comfortable silence for a while, arms wrapped around each other. You noticed his eyes fluttering in an attempt to stay awake.

“Go to sleep Alex, I’ve got you.” You whisper, stroking the side of his face. He hums in agreement nuzzling into your neck further. You stroke his hair and face until you feel his breathing stabilize. The both of you fall asleep entangled together, your lips pressed against the crown of his head

#alex turner smut #sub alex turner #Alex turner fanfic

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random-of-random · 2 months

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The Pirate Queen

Chapter 3 - The Ball

If anyone ever said pirates weren’t efficient, they should be told the tale of Alice and her crew getting ready to host a ball for a new Commodore.

Hiding anything suspicious was the easy part. The locked extra pantry was plenty enough to stow away any of the papers they needed to keep from prying eyes. Their gear was locked into trunks in their personal rooms.

What wasn’t easy was shelling out the money for caterers and extra servants to make the night perfect. While they had the money, Alice had made a fortune sailing with Sam Bellamy and then even more in her exploits, they all hated spending it on posh pricks who would more likely give them a bullet than the time of day under normal circumstances.

Most pirates on ships had duel roles. Everyone chipped in, and just like on a ship, the men dove head first into getting ready.

By the time the night arrived everything was absolutely perfect.

Three of the men would be carefully and quietly sneaking into the Fort while the rest of the town partied at the mansion, courtesy of Vicountess Somers. Their goal was it make it seem like no one have ever been there. They didn’t want to get captured, and they didn’t want to have to kill. Alice and her crew took a page from Sam Bellamy - they didn’t kill if they didn’t have to.

The men left before the extra servants arrived for the night, and Alice went upstairs to get ready. Edward stayed at the mansion, her even present bodyguard.

When he knocked at the door to her room to let her know guests arrived, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You may not be a noble, but you wear the outfits quite well.” She turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

“Let’s be honest, I look better in trousers and my jacket.”

He motioned to her dress. “I see you’ve picked your signature color.” The red dress was her most fashionable. Bright red, matching the bow weaved intricately through her hair. Instead of an updo, she wore her hair down. The black hair fanned across the red dress she had commissioned to match that bow. The dress itself was more old fashioned than she had been wearing and the corset fit just perfectly. There were no color accents except around the sleeves and chest, and was intricately woven with gold and red fabric.

“Well, I wanted to stay partly me.”

“I wish Sam could see this.” Edward said and Alice took a calming breath.

“Me too.”

“Where should I wait during dinner?”

“You’ll be next to me.” Alice said simply and Edward raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t think it’s proper to have your bodyguard sitting at dinner. Robert would faint.”

Alice laughed. “Tonight is our last night with these people. I don’t particularly care what they think and they’re not going to question a noble.”

“Sounds good, Captain.” Edward was dressed in mostly black, fine quality that most would expect of a bodyguard. “People are going to be arriving soon.”

“Alright, let’s get ready to play our parts.” She effortlessly switched into her posh accent.

There were murmurs throughout the party. The red was certainly making some heads turn. When Governor Swann and Elizabeth arrived Alice was there to greet them.

“Lady Frances, you look marvelous!” Elizabeth said with a smile. They two women held hands for a moment.

“As do you, Elizabeth.” Her dress was a light blue which paired with her quite well. Her hair had been curled delicately and put in an updo worthy of a coronation, she was sure of it.

“That is such a stunning color.” Governor Swann started. “You stand out, in the best way.”

“Thank you, Governor.” Alice replied, trying her best not to smirk. “I felt it was appropriate since the ball is on behalf of a member of the Navy. Navy blues seemed a bit too pompous, don’t you agree?”

Governor Swann searched for something to say as Elizabeth politely held her laugh behind her fan. “You look absolutely wonderful, Lady Frances.” He finally said. Safe, complimentary.

“Thank you, Governor.” From behind him she caught the eyes of James. “Please excuse me, sir. I want to wish the man of the night my congratulations.” As she made her way over, James couldn’t seem to even think. She was beautiful. James was in his Navy dress. An outfit that should send Alice’s anxiety shooting upward. Yet, she was sure she had never seen a man so handsome.

“Captain Norrington.” She curtsied and he bowed back. Alice knew that there couldn’t be a repeat of the night of the dinner. The best thing would be to treat James Norrington with civility and step away as quickly as she could.

“Thank you for your generosity with this night.” He started. “And, if I may say, you look absolutely beautiful, Lady Frances.”

“Thank you, Captain. It is a pleasure to celebrate you.” James could tell she was being more formal, putting more of a guard up. He had no right to wish for something different. To wish anything different was downright improper. “Please, enjoy yourself.” She curtsied again and turned to greet her other guests. The bow going through her raven hair caught his eye and something stirred in his memory. Just for one second a moment of fear crept into his mind, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why.

As everyone made their way into the dining room, there were whispers at the fact that while Lady Frances sat at the head of the table, her own bodyguard was to her right. To her left was Governor Swann, beside him Elizabeth, and James was surprised to find himself placed next to her.

Once everyone was seated Lady Frances stood.

“Good evening. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves.” There was some murmurs of approval. “Tonight we are here to celebrate Captain James Norrington, who will not be called Captain in twenty-four hours. Now, I have only known Captain Norrington for a few short days. I could regale you all with the kindness and character he has shown me. However, I wanted someone who knows him more, who served with him, to speak here tonight. Lieutenant Groves, if you would please?”

A few seats down from Edward, Groves stood, and Alice took her seat. She knew her brain would betray her if she was forced to give a speech about James. She could hardly talk about how handsome he looks in the moonlight. She was supposed to be married. More than that, it was about to be James’ job to be in charge of hunting her and the people she cared about. The thought soured her mood considerably. More so when she realized she shouldn’t even be thinking about James Norrington. She should be wondering how we men were doing at the fort. By the time she came back into focus, Groves had finished his speech and she held up her glass in a toast before the first course.

Once the food was cleared and the band had begun to play, Alice whispered to Edward to go and be on the lookout for the returning men. The hope was they would be back quickly and efficiently. One of her men named Simon had offered to help in the kitchen. He had been a chef back in Ireland and then became the chef for her crew, and he would be waiting to move any papers to the locked pantry.

“My dear Lady Frances.” Governor Swann said as he walked up to her. “Would you honor me with a dance?” He held out his hand and she took it immediately.

“It would be a pleasure.” They danced to a lively tune. The laughter around the floor told her everyone seemed to be having a great time. She made sure they had enough stock of wine to last them, and making sure everyone was good and drunk could only help her in the long run.

As the Governor turned her she caught a glimpse of James who was dancing with Elizabeth. He was smiling, she was laughing. Alice felt a pang of jealousy go through her, but she quickly pushed that away. Any thoughts about her and James Norrington needed to stop at that moment. And, more than that, she knew he would make a great husband to Elizabeth. He was kind and gentle. When he showed emotion it was sincere. In the first night she had watched his eyes flicker to Elizabeth which such adoration. Alice knew she would be taken care of and loved. She couldn’t ask for more than that from two wonderful people.

The dance came to a close and there was a small round of applause. “Thank you for the wonderful dance, Governor.” He bowed. “If you would excuse me?”

“Of course.” He beamed. His cheeks were red from several glasses of wine and Alice found herself thinking that wasn’t a bad idea. Find a servant with the wine she took a glass for herself. When she turned back to the party she was surprised to see James walking toward her.

“Lady Frances.”

“Captain Norrington.” She acknowledged. “Are you having a good time?”

“I am, thank you.” He promised. “I came to ask if you would honor me with a dance.” She couldn’t say no. Maybe it was knowing that after tomorrow she would, hopefully, never see him again.

“I would be delighted-“ She was interrupted by Edward.

“I am terribly sorry, my Lady.” He bowed.

“What is it, Edward?” She asked.

“May I speak with you, privately?”

Her eyes turned to James. “My apologies, Captain.” She and Edward turned, heading for another room. James couldn’t pretend he wasn’t disappointed.

The study was a place she had wanted to spend more time in, if they had the time. It was dark wood with books lining the walls. Giles stood outside on guard to make sure no one came within earshot as Edward closed the door behind them.

“Is everyone alright?” Was her first question.

“Yes, everyone made it back safely.” Alice let out a sigh of relief. “They were in and out quickly, no one saw them. It’s what they found that’s concerning.”

“What did they find?” Alice asked.

“A list of spies for the Royal Navy and where they are located. Some are on Tortuga.” Her jaw clenched. “There’s also a few pirate havens that they know about. I think your Captain Norrington intends to go raid them after his promotion is made official.”

“Go, get Robert, will you?” She asked and Edward gave a quick nod before leaving. They would have a head start on anything Norrington had planned, which was key. She sat in silence for a few moments. If her mind wandered too far, she could almost feel tears threatening to spill. So, she pushed them down. Edward and Robert came back in a few minutes.

“Captain.” Robert acknowledged.

“I need you to get to the docs and get first passage that you can. You have to get to Tortuga as quickly as possible.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Hopefully those pirate havens can be cleared out before the Royal Navy gets their hands on anyone. And make sure the right people in Tortuga know the names of the spies.”

“You can count on me Captain.”

“When you get to Tortuga send someone for us. We’ll want to leave late tomorrow night.”

“I will.”

“The winds be with you, Robert.” She shook his hand and he headed back out the door.

“What’s the plan?” Edward asked.

“Tomorrow, after the ceremony,” Alice started. “We will spend the day carefully packing, not drawing any attention. Once night falls we will gather everything up. We can’t leave a trace of us behind. Not a single piece of clothing.”

“Understood, Captain.”

“We will leave an urgent note with the Swann’s. My husband has taken ill and we were quickly recalled to England.”

“Will they believe it?” Edward asked.

Alice shrugged. “Once we’re back on the seas, it won’t matter.”

“I’ll start telling the men.” He said and she let out a soft sigh. “You should get back out there. The hostess will be missed.”

Alice seemed to clench her jaw. “I can do this for one more day.” He nodded before opening the door for her.

#james norrington #James Norrington x ofc #james norrington imagines #pirates of the caribbean

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olsenmyolsen · 9 months

Text

Because of You: The Big Day

master list

dark master list

(Gender Neutral Reader X Wanda Maximoff)

Be sure to read part one - No Powers. Post College AU

Summary: Years have passed since Wanda didn't reveal her feelings. What happens when you're about to get married?

Word Count: 3.5K

Wanda looks herself over in the mirror.

She smiles. She loves the dress you picked out. She loves the color and how it fits her body. She loves that you told her it took ages to find something so perfect.

Wanda runs her hands over it one more time. Here Wanda was. In her perfect dress because of you.

While you were in the room next door. In your perfect outfit. Because of someone else. For someone else.

Wanda's dress was maroon.

Your outfit was white. It was your wedding day, after all.

On the outside, Wanda was happy for you. On the inside, she was...

Since that day in your suite, Wanda had many opportunities to confess her love to you, but she never could. It felt wrong to do something that could disrupt your happiness, not even when your happiness had breaks of sadness when you and Natasha would have your off moments.

But those moments would be over quicker than Wanda could... well, then Wanda could say she loved you- Loves you.

Regardless. Right there through it all. Through the years. Wanda stuck with you. And now here Wanda was... four years later. Knocking on your door again. This time, to the room where you were getting your hair and makeup done at the venue. "That better not be who I think it is!" A voice loudly exclaimed. A voice Wanda knew to be your fun Aunt Agatha.

"It's not!" Wanda called out through her bandaged-up heart.

The door opened seconds later to see Agatha happy to see Wanda. "Oh, Wanda dear! My my! Look how beautiful you look!" Wanda shyly smiles at the compliments as Agatha takes her hand. Pulling her in and closing the door behind her. Your mother and the rest of your family get up to greet Wanda as Agatha shows her off.

But Wanda only wants to see you.

"Wanda, that dress looks so stunning on you! Much better on you than that Bishop girl. I swear getting her to wear a dress was like pulling teeth." Wanda politely smiled and laughed, knowing Kate's hatred of dresses. "Yes! Well, thank you! Y/N made a terrific choice." Wanda smiled.

"On the dress or that Natasha!" Agatha grips Wanda's arm and laughs like a mad woman. The joke clearly being the funniest to herself, but it gets some good laughs from everyone but Wanda.

When the laughter dies down, Wanda looks around the room, but she doesn't see you. "Where's Y/N-" just as she's about to finish asking, that's when you come out of the attached room.

You hadn't heard Wanda enter, but when your Aunt Agatha was guffawing for some reason, you knew you had to check. And to start counting her drinks.

"What's so fun-"

All eyes turned off of Wanda and onto you. Everyone in the room had already seen your outfit but one person. But now their green eyes were on you.

Only you.

But just as Wanda was memorizing the details. You looked back at her in the maroon dress you fought tooth and nail on. It had to be that dress! No matter what Kate or anyone else said about it. You knew it was Wanda's favorite color. Along with the cut. How it fit. Hell, even the designer. It had to be... it was for Wanda.

You smiled at her. She smiled back.

Your smile was genuine.

Wanda's never reached her eyes.

"Doesn't she look beautiful, Wanda?" Your mother asked with a proud smile. Wanda, still not removing her gaze from you, responded. "She's more than that."

You quickly panned your head down, missing a knowing look from Agatha, and started walking towards Wanda. To hide your cheeks and to greet your best friend. The crowd dispersed as Wanda's arms wrapped around you.

Wanda closed her eyes and gently inhaled. It's a little weird, but today, your smell was just like it was before Natasha. Back when Wanda would claim your hoodies before the rain washed it out. Before you became you and Natasha.

"Thank you for coming." Wanda heard you whisper into her ear. "Of course," Wanda answered like it was an easy choice. You'll never know how much she fought her own feet to get here.

"Why don't we let the girls mingle a bit? There's still time until we gotta force her down the aisle." Agatha's laughter burst through the room. "No, it's okay. I just came to stop by, say my congrats, and see you.." Wanda trailed off but smiled.

You went to speak, but your mom cut you off. "Well, let's take some pictures of the two of you before you get separated later tonight."

"Oh, how right you are." Wanda thought.

Wanda turned her body and put her arm around your back. Her soft right-hand landing on your hip. "Oh, I'm so happy I get to be here for this." Your mother kept babbling on and on about how beautiful you looked while taking picture after picture. About how pretty Wanda looks. And, of course, about how far the two of you have come as best friends.

"I still remember when Wanda picked you up for the first time after getting her driver's license. Oh lord, I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

You and everyone else laughed as you were leaning up against Wanda, who was sitting on the arm of the couch as your mother continued. "And, of course, the car was red!" She shook her head, and Wanda laughed harder, remembering how much she fought her parents to have that color.

You watched Wanda throw her back, laugh, and smile. It was the first natural, genuine smile of Wanda's in a while. You noticed.

A knock came at the door, signaling it was time for everyone to find their seats. Or, in Wanda's case, stand. She was the maid of honor, after all.

Everyone excitedly squealed and except one. She was going to be the first person to leave the room, but you stopped her. As she stood up, you grabbed her hand and held on tight. "Stay."

Wanda just looked at you as you moved your attention to everyone else. "Get your hugs in now before I'm too busy later!" You joked, smiled, and made it seem like you were on top of the world. Well, wishes, congrats, and, of course, hugs followed for a short time before, one by one, the closest people you considered family were out the door. Agatha and your mother were the last ones out. Leaving you only with Wanda, standing in the middle of the room.

Wanda turned to you.

"Aren't you going to ask me how I'm feeling?" You asked and swallowed as you shined a bright smile, making Wanda chuckle back. "How are you feeling, Y/N?" Wanda avoided eye contact and instead focused on your hands. Watching as your fingers twisted and held one another. "I probably know how you're feeling," Wanda said as she reached out and took your hands in hers—lifting her head to look at you.

"You're about to marry Natasha Romanoff. You're the luckiest woman in the world." Wanda's smile faltered, and you saw the water pooling in the corners of her eyes. But Wanda remained strong. And kept her focus on you.

She couldn't break now. She had chances before. College had come and gone. The years that followed as well. She couldn't say the words to you now. She couldn't.

But fuck. She wanted to.

"God..." Wanda spoke in a hushed tone. "You're so beautiful, Y/N." Wanda's eyes danced across your face. "Wanda..." You went to speak, but Wanda shook her head and removed her hands from yours. "Detka... I'm happy for you." Wanda admitted through a sniffle.

You took a step closer to Wanda and brushed your hands along her face. Careful not to mess up her makeup. "But what about you? Are you happy?" You finally asked the question that's been plaguing your mind for the longest time. You could never pinpoint the correct answer, but deep, deep down, you knew.

"If you're happy. I'm happy." Wanda answered. It might've been her most truthful answer.

You stared at Wanda as she stared back. From Wanda's watery eyes, you saw her flick her gaze from your eyes to your lips before she opened her mouth. "I should go."

You didn't want her to leave. Your feelings for Wanda have ebbed and flowed since that day in the suite, but you remained loyal to Natasha. You truly did love her, but never more than right now, in this moment, did you want Wanda.

But you couldn't. You can't.

You moved your body back and nodded. "Thank you for seeing me, Wanda. Time flies." Wanda nodded even though both of you weren't exactly sure of the true meaning behind that last sentence.

"Natasha's very lucky." Wanda looked at you before she turned around, heading towards the door. You smiled lightly as you turned and headed for the chair in front of the vanity. You heard the door open before: "Y/N?" You turned to look at Wanda, whose back was to you.

"Wanda?"

Wanda opened her mouth to say those three words but stopped herself. "I'm happy to have you in my life."

Just like that, the door was closed, and you collapsed into the chair. Your mind began racing and wondering about Wanda Maximoff.

On the other side of the door. Wanda broke. She moved a hand up to her eyes and cried. She kept her mouth shut, trying to stay muffled as the tears poured. She could feel the mascara run, and all Wanda could think about was how she was going to lose you.

Wanda's tears subsided minutes later when she remembered where she was. Wanda moved herself out from in front of your door and was going to go back to the room she got ready in to freshen up or leave altogether when Natasha came around the corner.

Wearing nothing but white and a smile.

"Hey, Wanda! Wow, you look stunning! Way better than-" That's when she noticed the tears and how quick Wanda's eyes were turning red. "Wanda? What's wrong?!" Natasha, on her wedding day, immediately puts her focus into someone else.

She turns Wanda's head to get a better look. "What's wrong?" Natasha asked again, but Wanda just shook her head. "Nothing." Wanda began to cover. "Just left Y/N, and... it's just.. happening!" Wanda spoke and looked at Natasha's eyes. "The big day!" Wanda put on a fake smile and wore it proudly. She cheered.

"Oh!" Wanda's explanation made Natasha smile. Ever since the first time Natasha met Wanda, it was like there was this wall between them. Natasha always tried her hardest and was always on her best behavior for the Sokovian. Wanda was your best friend, after all. So to see Wanda be so happy for you and Natasha. Today! That made Natasha ecstatic. "Thank you, Wanda!" Natasha carefully pulled Wanda into a hug, making sure no makeup left stains.

"Do you think they're a mess too?" Natasha joked to Wanda, who actually laughed. "No. I'm sure Y/N's fine." Wanda spoke with truth laced between those words. "I'm sure she's fine."

Natasha looked into Wanda's eyes and smiled again. "Thank you for being here. Now, don't worry about rushing outside. It looks like it might rain, and I kinda want to see the person I'm marrying." Natasha looked at Wanda sheepishly. "You know, since we're both non-traditional, I think we don't have to worry about anything." Wanda laughed because Natasha did.

"Well, you know where they are," Wanda spoke. "I'll go get cleaned up." Wanda looked at Natasha one last time. Natasha looked breathtaking to anyone else except her. Wanda excused herself and headed to the room she was in before she saw you.

Natasha watched Wanda disappear down the hall before she turned towards your door. With a few steps and a giant smile, she gingerly knocked on your door and creaked it open. "Y/N?" Natasha poked her head in and called out.

Stunned to hear your fiancées voice, you quickly grabbed tissues sitting on your vanity and began wiping under your eyes. "Shit." You whispered when it was clear on your face that you had been crying. But not normal tears. Tears for someone else. "Y/N?" Natasha called out when you didn't turn to the door. "You can look. It's okay, I promise." Natasha joked, but when you turned, her smile vanished. She quickly shut the door and ran to you. "Y/N babe, what's wrong?"' You shook your head.

A sense of dejavú washed over Natasha. Seeing you and Wanda within minutes apart with eyes full of sadness. "Talk to me." Natasha bent down in front of you. Taking your hands in hers. "Baby.." Natasha looked up to you. "I love you." You say to Natasha when your eyes meet her green ones. "I love you too." She replies so easily, but her smile back isn't quite the same. You sniffle as Natasha holds your hands tighter.

"It might rain.." Natasha starts as she pulls her hands out and starts cleaning your face. When you look up, she quickly wipes her own. "It's supposed to be good luck.. I think." Natasha smiles. "I thought we weren't believing in tradition and crazy theories?" You laugh. "One wouldn't hurt. Just one." Natasha says in a hushed tone.

"Just one." You repeat. "How bad is my face?" You ask in a teasing tone. "It's never been more beautiful." Nat skillfully answers, making you smile. "Now, let me touch it up before we get married." Natasha gets up and turns you around to face yourself. Natasha doesn't ask you why you're crying again.

You're happy.

You're happy...

"We shouldn't take too long." You say. "What are they gonna do, marry someone without us?" Nat smirks. "I mean, Kate and Yelena are here." You say, making Nat stop in her tracks. "Shit. Let's be quick." You both laugh.

"I love you."

Wanda looks up at the sky and watches as the white clouds make way for the darker ones. Metaphors huh. Wanda thinks today could be delayed if they wait any longer, but just as she looks down, she sees you. Hand in hand with your fiancée standing at the end of the aisle waiting for the music to start. Your eyes meet just as the music swells and everyone rises and turns. But your eyes remain locked, and Wanda smiles.

Wanda makes a deal with herself right then and there that she'll never speak a word of her feelings towards you. You're about to marry Natasha Romanoff.

Wanda wants nothing but the best for you.

You and Wanda miss the fact that Natasha sees how you two look at one another. Especially now. With a squeeze of your hand, you pull your eyes back to your right. To Natasha. "Ready?" She smiles at you. You nod, and together, you walk down the aisle.

Everyone watches with heart-shaped eyes and smiles, making the act of marriage all the more magical. When you both make it to the end, you each hand your respected bouquets to your respected people. Yelena for Natasha. Wanda for you. You look into Wanda's eyes when your fingers touch, but she looks away from you.

"Dearly beloved..." Natasha's friend Steve Rogers starts regaining your attention.

Natasha takes her hands in yours, but when you look at her, you find her looking where Wanda is looking. She follows her eyesight and finds Pietro giving her sister a sad look.

"Natasha?" You whisper to your fiancée, who has come to terms with the events that will follow.

"Y/N.." She whispers back while Steve keeps going. "I love you," Natasha says with tears in her eyes.

"This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment with..." She pulls her hands from you.

"Steve, stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Can we stop??!" His ramblings stop soon enough.

Natasha takes a step back and looks out to everyone who wears horrified looks. "I'm sorry..." Natasha turns to you and your surprised face. "Natasha.." Nat shakes her head. "I'm sorry. But I love you too much for this Y/N." She comes up to you and kisses your cheek. "I love you." Natasha has tears falling down her as she begins walking back up the aisle alone. The tears pull away at the mask she's been keeping up for years. She thought she was crazy at first, but she's not stupid. At the end of the day, your heart would always belong to someone else.

The rows of people stand up and watch your crying fiancée run away. You stand there stunned, and pretty soon, faces start to turn to you, looking for answers. Especially one scary Russian sister. "Go." You feel a push on your back. You turn to look at Wanda, who looks at you like you're crazy. "Go! Go after her!"

"Wan-"

"Go!" Wanda pushes you because of the promise she made. She wants you to go after the former redhead. "Please.." Wanda whispers, and it breaks your heart, but you go. You chase after Natasha as the sky opens up and the rain starts to fall.

"Natasha!" You yell out, unsure of which direction she went. "Natasha!" You try again as the rain is forcing people inside. You hedge your bets and hope she is in the room she got ready this morning.

Wanda watches along with half of the wedding party. You turn the corner, and Wanda decides that right now might be the best time.

Wanda Maximoff heads towards the exit.

"Natasha!" You throw open her door, a little out of breath from running and the oncoming panic attack. You see Natasha sitting on the couch in her room crying, yet she looks at you confused. "Y/N?"

"Hey, I'm here! I'm here." You run to her side and try to comfort her, but she pulls out from your touch. "What are you doing here?" Now it's your turn to look at your fiancée.. ex-fiancée (?), confused. "What do you mean? I'm chasing after my fiancée."

"Y/N..." Natasha gets up. She shakes her head and throws the veil off her frame. "You every right to do that, but don't..."

"Don't what?" Now you get up and watch Natasha. She stops and sighs. "Y/N... I may be your fiancée but.. but I'm not the one you love."

You don't answer, but your ex does it for the both of you. She swallows her tears and walks closer to you. "I'm not the one you love, and that's okay, Y/N. It is. I'm doing this for the both of us."

"Natasha-"

"Go!" She pushes you, making you stumble a bit. "I love you, so please go..."

You nod and begin to walk off but stop when you feel the weight on your ring finger. You look at it and think about the day you and Natasha proposed to each other. You did it because she did it.

You, with all the care in the world, pull it off and walk back to Natasha. "Whoever they are. The person you love after me will make you forget about this. They'll always be there for you. They'll make you stronger, and they'll patch up my mess. I- I did love you, Natasha. I did." It breaks your heart to see Natasha cry like this. You open her hand and place the ring in it. She closes her hand around it and nods. "Goodbye."

Just as you're about to head to the door, a furious blonde Russian begins banging on it, cursing in her native language. Thank goodness you thought to lock it so you could privately talk to Natasha. You look at the former bride, but all she does is point to the window. Knowingly, she'll have to deal with her family. And yours. You silently thank your mother for finding a one-story venue.

You run to the giant human-sized window as the rain pours down, causing cool air to blow into the room when you push them open.

The last time you saw Natasha was right before you jumped out the window. When you turned around just in time to see her taking her ring off.

Your shoes hit the wet grass below. The rain is doing it's best to block your vision, but you still spot Wanda's red car reversing out of a space.

You know it's now or never. So, just like in those romcoms you watched with Wanda all those years ago, you ran. You ran towards her. Towards her car as she kicked it into drive. Passing by all the families' and friends' cars who would sit idle for the next hour before they realized you weren't coming back.

Wanda stopped at the red sign, but due to the rain, she didn't see you running towards her. You were almost to her car when she pushed on the gas pedal again. Now she turned the car away from your direction. She was getting further and further away. Again... However, you pushed yourself. You kept running after her until your legs gave out, and you stumbled.

You lost your pace. You faltered, and when you looked up, her car was about to leave the lot. Turn signal on and everything.

But then she stopped.

The car stopped.

The driver-side door opened, and out Wanda stepped into the pouring rain. Through the water pouring down, you couldn't hear her yelling.

But Wanda started walking to you.

You got up and ran.

Stopping in front of Wanda, you could see the tears hidden by the rain. "What are you doing?!?" She yelled. Demanding an answer. But you looked at her with regret on your face. Regret for wasting time and years.

"I love you." You wrapped your arms around Wanda and held her close—face to face. "I've loved you for years, a-and I regret never doing anything about it—the amount of times I-I wanted to but couldn't. I'm sorry. Take my hand, please. I love you, Wanda Maximoff. I want to be yours."

Wanda didn't say anything as her green eyes look- "Kiss me."

You put your hands to Wanda's face and moved closer until your noses brushed past one another and your lips collided in the rain.

You and Wanda were everything each other dreamed of.

In time, you guys would talk about everything that other person didn't see from today. But right now, at this moment, nothing else was on your mind. Except how madly in love you were.

Wanda Maximoff wasn't sure when it happened, but one day, she started looking at rings a little bit differently.

dividers by @/benkeibear

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wrrrenff · 4 months

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Our First Valentines

Stardew Valley Elliot x F! reader. Synopsis: You and Elliot have been dating for a few months now. Being the romantic he is, Elliot went all out for the woman he loves of this special holiday. Warning: n/a

Valentine's day was approaching. Everyone with a partner in the valley was practically buzzing with excitement, speculating what plans their loved ones have planned for them and sharing what they themselves have planned. It was sweet. You had never really had a valentines day that was more than a 'fancy' (chili's) dinner and sex right after. Not that you hated that, it just wasn't anything magical. You were very happy to have probably the most loving boyfriend you ever had to spend the holiday with this year. Thinking about your time together, you started preparing you gifts for your man.

In his cabin, Elliot was busy at work making Valentine's preparations. He has always wanted to go above and beyond for his love and now was his chance. How could he not celebrate the greatest person he has ever met? You're the woman who changed his life, became his muse, inspired him to finish his novel! He got up extra early to begin preparing, going as far as to travel to Zuzu City to get supplies for today. After hours and hours of work, it was almost time to pick you up at the farm for the big night. Elliot walked over to his mirror, made some final adjustment to his outfit, and he was off.

Just as you finished up putting yourself together, there was a knock on the door. "Coming!" You put on your shoes and headed to the door. You were greeted with you devilishly handsome boyfriend. He was wearing a play on his normal attire. A sleek red blazer, a white button down, a vibrant green tie that paired nicely with his matching slacks and a pair of dress shoes. As you were taking him in, he was admiring you just as much. You decided you wear a beautifully fitted red dress that showed of all your best assets and a pair white heels that extenuated your legs. He wanted to drink you up, but he resisted like the gentleman he is. "My darling, you look incredible. Like a work of art." He took you hand in his and kissed it leaving you a blushing mess. "You look so handsome my dear." You replied, walking up close to him to give him a proper kiss. Elliot composed himself. You were not making it easy to control himself. He extended his arm to you. "Shall we?" You accepted him arm and you both headed off towards his home.

Arriving to his shack, he leads you in an you notices the lengths he went to celebrate your relationship tonight. Candles decorated the room, flower petals trailing around the room, the table set with a lavish meal, and the ting that impressed you the most, a bouquet of white lilies, apple blossoms, baby's breath, red camellia, honeysuckle, and of course, red roses. Elliot had told you about the language of flowers after researching it for his book. After this, you two would use this language to send each other meaningful messages. You were speechless. You turned to Elliot and captured him in an emotional hug. "You didn't have to do all of this. Thank you so much. I love you." Elliot pull back from the hug and locks his eyes onto yours. "I would walk to the ends of the earth if it would make you smile. This is nothing." You both laughed at his cheesiness.

"Now I feel like my gift to you is dumb." You looked at the ground feeling embarrassed. "You don't have to give me anything princess. You being here is plenty." Before you could worry much more over it, you handed him a carefully wrapped box. He opened it up to reveal a few bottles of squid ink. Now was Elliot's turn to be speechless. You worried he hated it so you started rambling. "I'm sorry. I know it's lame. I just remembered you mentioning when you got to try writing with squid ink but couldn't keep doing it due to the rarity and expense so I thought I'd raise some squid on my farm and-" Before you could realize it, Elliot and set down the gift and captured your lips. The kiss was filled with with so much love and adoration for you. It almost brought you to your knees. "Y/N, this is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. You truly are the best thing to happen to me."

After that, you both headed to the table to eat. You had complimented his cooking, surprised at how good it was considering Elliot claimed to be a terrible chef. Sheepishly, Elliot admitted to having Gus cater your dinner. It didn't matter at all to you though. Just the amount of thought put into the night was enough to solidify this is the man you were meant to spend your life with. The love and care he has shown you time and time again only supported this. After your incredible dinner, Elliot put a record on the vinyl and you two danced for a while. It felt perfect. Everything felt perfect with him. Swaying in his arms, you couldn't imagine anywhere else you'd rather be than here with him.

#fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #fanfic writing #my fanfic #stardew valley #ao3 writer #stardew elliott #stardew valley elliott #stardew #stardew farmer #stardew valley farmer #valentines day #valentines fanfic #fluff #one shot #sweet fluff #stardew fluff

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silent-raven13 · 9 months

Text

Where did you get that tattoo, luv?

Hobie relaxed on his bed playing his guitar enjoying making a song for his band. When his best friends, Karl and Riri aren't fighting nazis, and fascist assholes, they go to their underground concerts. It's the best way to fully enjoy the "punk" experience. Whatever that means? It's the best way to enjoy freedom and expression from this bullshit world.

Then his Spicer Society Smartphone ding, he took the specially made phone t to look at it. There's a message from Gwen.

Spder So-City Messages

Gwendy: Hey, you wanna hang out with me and Pav?

Hobs: Sure. What are we gonna do?

Gwendy: Hmm 🤔 Not sure! I'm thinking we can hang out in my world then maybe meet up with Miles... if he's not busy.

Hobie: Oh! I need to check up on him.

Gwendy: Alright. Ask him if he's down to hang out later!

Hobie quickly went on his contacts seeing the first person to pop up, his Sunflower.

Hobie: Hello, luv. Wyd?"

Sunflower💖: Heyy bae!

Sunflower💖: I'm spending the day with Ganke, we're going to Anime Con! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰

Hobie pouts, his jealousy is getting the best of hi again. It's not that he has an issue with Ganke, the problem is everyone thinks those two are a couple instead of HIM and Miles. It's always bother him when he sees those two together and random people make positive comments about them.

Oh, you two look so cute together.

OMG, ya'll make a perfect pair.

Awe, ya'll so fierce together!

Can I say ya'll look so gooood together!

There's no words to express how upset Hobie gets when he hears their fucking comments. It's annoying, bothersome, and- DAMN, his jealous couldn't handle it.

What's worst, when he bud in those conversation, the random person would look in shock for the moment. They seem a bit disappointed to find out Miles isn't dating Ganke! What. The. Fuck!

It seems that Miles' best friend is more liked, because he's a handsome fellow. Hobie never felt insecure about his looks before, nor did he care about how others see him, but seeing the love of his life being praised with another man just boils his blood.

For now, he wants his Miles to enjoy themselves.

Hobie: Alright, luv. Have fun 💖 Later, do you want to hang out with me, and the gang?🥹

Sunflower💖: Sure! ☺️ How does 7pm works?

Hobie: Perfect! 🥰

Sunflower💖: Love u! 😘

Hobie: 🥰 Luv u 2!

Hobie left it at that, he got up from the bed to change. When he went to Gwen's world to hang out with her and Pav, he saw them busy on their Smartphone. "Hey, Hobs! Glad you can make it! What's the word with Miles?" Gwen asked being happy to see her punker friend.

"He's free around 7pm. So, what's the plan?" Hobie asked, having one hand in his jeans.

The three were wearing their Spidey suit underneath their basic clothing. Luckily for Gwen, her spider-woman suit is mostly black around her legs, so she wears a casual shirt and jacket with her blue converse. It's an easy fit for her. Hobie always dressed in his punk outfits entwine with his spider-man suit. For Pav, he wore a colorful pink overalls having one strap unlatched for the asymmetrical look and underneath is bright yellow long sleeve shirt.

"I'm thinking we try the escape room! Then, maybe go look at this Hello Kitty store Pav been wanting to go and try this vegan burrito place. They use walnut meat and cashew sour cream!" Gwen explained the plan.

"Hello Kitty?" Hobie asked, looking at Pav.

"She's cute! And i was hoping to look at their designs of Cinnamoroll! In my world, that cute bunny has gold and white colors!" Pav explained.

"Have you ask Miles if he's down to hang out later?" Gwen asked Hobie.

"Yeah, he's busy with Ganke..." He grunts with a slight eyeroll.

The two glanced at each other knowing Hobie is jealous of Ganke for being closed with Miles. Not only that, when Miles was single, he and Ganke would always pretended to be boyfriends to avoid any strangers from asking them out.

They got so used to it they forget they're friends at times. One time, Miles kissed Ganke at a party so casually and his friend wasn't shock instead he wrapped his arm around Miles' waist like it they were a couple. Talk about being super platonic with your best friend. What was worst? Hobie was at that party watching the whole thing, granted he wasn't with Miles, but that didn't stop him from being upset about it. The poor punker got so drunk, he broke down in tear in front of Gwen and Pav. It was an emotional roller coaster!

"Oh they went to that Anime convention? I think I saw a photo of them dressing up together." Pav took out his Smartphone to look through his Spder So-City app to find the picture, "I think they were doing One Piece this time!"

"Right, I remember last year they did Boku no Hero Academia." Gwen said out loud, "Miles was this green guy called... Dino?"

"Deku." Pav corrected. "And Ganke dressed up Eraser Head."

"Who?" Gwen asked, "Sorry, I don't know much on this stuff... only Sailor Moon!"

"Really? I thought you watch anime!" Pav spoke out loud being confused. "You were saying yes to Miles when he brings up certain episodes!"

"I lied... I forget about the shows he mentions. He watches so much with Ganke, and he recommends anime shows with hundred plus episodes! I can only handle twelve episodes!"

"But Sailor Moon has a lot of episodes?"

"Okay, I watch Sailor Moon as a kid, and some episodes here and there. I didn't see the whole thing." Gwen gave a sheepish grin at Pav.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I'M THE ONLY ONE WATCHING WHAT MILES RECOMMENDED?" The wavy haired nineteen year old shouted out while having his smartphone in his hand.

"Yyyu-uh-up!" The blond twenty year old nodded with a weak smile.

"I don't even know any of this stuff you mates are talking about. I know, One Piece, Samurai Champloo, and Demon Slayer..."

"It's because you go to his place and sees him watching those?" Pav asked having to eye on his punker friend. Hobie never seems to like watching television during his free time, so he would watch with whoever is watching.

"Yea, Sunflower always watch the telly." He answered, "At first, I didn't care about One Piece, and got a bit confused about it- but after a few episodes I get it."

"Anime." Pav corrected, "You don't want the fans to curse you out! And it is the best! In my world, the anime is a bit different, but the color schemes!" He check his phone, "Oh, Miles is Zoro and Ganke is Luffy."

He shows them the photo of Miles in a the first Zoro outfit with the bandana tied on his upper left arm, and holding three fake swords. Then Ganke dressed up as Luffy's outfit with a painted red X on his fitted chest.

"Damn, Ganke got jacked up!" Gwen's eyes widen, she didn't remember Miles' friend to be so muscular.

Hobie's eyes were fixated on how Miles and Ganke were giving a big side hug, with their smiles on their faces. It bothers him. The description on Miles' photo said 'My Captain! 🫡' Did Miles really had to write that?

"Dude, I know. I never thought his friend would be sooo.... hot?" Pav admits, then cover his mouth slowly turning an annoyed Hobie, "Sorry, Hobie. I didn't mean it like that!" Then his brown eyes went back on screen looking at Ganke's abs.

"Pav, your drooling..." Gwen giggles having to nudge her friend's sides. "Careful before Gayatri finds out your window shopping."

"No, I was just admiring his straw hat!" Pav hides his blush.

"Let's go." The punker mutters having to kicking a random can from the roof. The other two stood quiet having to bite their tongue from their jealous punker. It's not good when he get one of those moods.

So when they spend their times hanging out in Gwen's world, Hobie was mostly being gloomy, or stare off to distance. During the escape room, Hobie was busy on his smartphone looking at photos of his Sunflower with Ganke.

One photo of them taking a pose with other people, which wasn't too bad. But the next slide was a video of Miles recording himself with Ganke behind him sticking his tongue out.

"At Anime NYC!" Miles said making a peace sign while walking with Ganke.

"Oh my gawd, can we get a photo you two looks so good together!" A young woman cosplay as Kiki from Kiki Delivery Service, then another groups dressed up as Naruto characters, and Attack on Titan cosplayers and so on.

"OMG are you two a couple!"

"Yeah, you two look so perfect as ZoLu!"

"Yeah! You guys look so cute together!"

Hobie's spider-man strength crack his Smart-phone screen being too damn jealous. "Grr..." He growls lowly as he watch his boyfriend nervously laughing it off while Ganke arms around his neck. The disrespect!

"Uhhh, Hobs... you can't use your phone in here." Gwen said slowly seeing the punker not caring about the rules.

Pav being busy solving a puzzle, "Gwen! Hobie! Help me! I'm so confused with this family tree! Jessica's is the step-mother of the granddaughter Sally and twin of Martha, but-but who is she to John, the owner of the house!" He got all panicked and confused by this difficult puzzle.

"Hobie, come on! We're supposed to have fun." Gwen said with a sigh, "Are you really getting jealous over Ganke, again?" She went to help Pav with the puzzle.

Hobie scowls shoving his phone back in his pocket, "Gwendy, you don't understand! They get too close." He quickly solve the puzzle, "And Johnie boy is Jessica's uncle! Why is it everyone sees them as a couple, but if it's me? They look surprised!" A random door open having Pav to go in to solve the next puzzle.

"Well, it's because you and Miles are different from styles and personalities!" Pav pointed out, "Look at you being tall, wearing all black and spikes. Then you got sunshine Miles wearing Jordans and gym wear looking like athlete. Ganke dresses like him or a bit preppy, but they fit together."

"And they are comfortable being with each other, they dorm together four like four years." Gwen pointed out. "Make sense they are so used to each other." Gwen was able to solve the puzzle in the other room along with Pav.

Hobie growls lowly, "And what about me? I know, him the same amount of time. Yet, people look at us as if we're just friends! It's fucking annoying!" Then his phone ding when Miles Spder So-City gets a new post. He was about to check when Gwen stops him.

"Dude, can we finish this first then you can be on your phone?

Hobie sighs, leaving his phone in his pocket. "Fine." Gwen and Pav tries to make his mood as they finished up the escape room. They ended up winning with five minutes left.

After the game, they went to the Hello Kitty store Pav wanted to go, and he ended up buying a big Cinnamoroll. Hobie was on his phone looking at pictures of Miles and Ganke eating ramen and sushi, then photos of them sharing each other food from their chopsticks.

The next slide it was a quick video.

"How does that taste?" Miles asked letting Ganke take a bite of his sushi from his chopsticks.

"It's good. Wanna try my ramen?" Ganke fed his best friend with his spoon filled with ramen .

"Sure!" Miles took the spoon in his mouth and smiles, "Mmm, so good." He happily eats, "I should've order that."

"Wanna switch?"

"Sure! You liked my sushi more, huh?"

"Yeah." Ganke chuckles as they switch their foods. The people in the background awed at them being cute.

Even the waiter said, "You guys are so cute being together. I'm rooting for your relationship!" The two only look at her with an awkward smile.

Hobie bites his bottom lip being very upset. "Count to ten, Hobie. It's just them enjoying themselves to eat." Pav peaks, "That's cute they share their food." He hugs his big stuffed Cinnamoroll being overjoy with his purchased.

"Sharing food from each other spoons and chopsticks is normal with best friends?" Hobie snapped at Pav already annoyed.

"Hobies, chill. Just talk to Miles about how you don't like how touchy feeling him and Ganke are." Gwen said having to pat her wavy haired friend, "Don't take it out on us, sheesh."

"Sorry, mate." Hobie said to Pav, he shoves his phone back into his pocket, "I'm just on edge."

"Hobie, it's okay. I know how much you care about Miles." Pav smiles at him not being bothered by Hobie's attitude. The three continue their hang out until it was time to meet up with Miles.

They were inside the Vegan burger joint since Gwen wanted to try it. Hobie's eyes on the main entrance, then Miles came in wearing a different outfit. His dark eyes soften when his Sunflower smiles at him, then he noticed a bandage on his left arm.

"Hey bae!" Miles went up to his boyfriend to kiss him.

"Luv, what happen to you?" Hobie asked being concerned by his arm then noticed something, "You got another tattoo?"

"Yeah, I did! You didn't see my So-City post?" His boyfriend saw Gwen and Pav, "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I had to change out of my costume and take Ganke home."

"Luv, when did you get a tattoo?" Hobie asked being a bit surprised.

Miles smiles happily, "Me and Ganke got matching tattoos together. It's our friendship anniversary today, so we wanted to do something together!" Unaware of the dark jealous look from Hobie.

"What? No way, what kind did you two get?" Pav asked being in shock.

"Matching tattoos? Isn't that what couples do? Ain't that a curse?" Gwen glanced over seeing Hobie quiet.

Miles explained, "A lot of people get tattoos with their close friends. Me and Ganke been wanting to get one since he got his first tattoo! So we thought long and hard, and realized we're both One Piece nerds. So we got an X as a symbol of our friendship and loyalty for each other!" His honey-brown eyes soften being so happy, "He's my best friend."

"Awe, that's so cute." The wavy haired teenager puts his hands on his cheeks being so awestruck.

Hobie stood quiet before he decided to walk away. "Bae, where you going?" Hearing Miles' voice.

"I'm gonna take a smoke break." He mutters lowly.

"Let me come with you-" Hobie stops him, "No, Miles. I want to go alone." He walk outside of the restaurant.

Miles frowns hearing his boyfriend sounding upset. "What's wrong with him?" He asked his other two friends.

Hobie inhale his cigarette feeling the nasty bitter tar taste dragging on his tastebuds. Been awhile since he smoke, he rarely smoke cigarettes these days since he got with Miles. He sighs feeling like a fool for getting so worked over his boyfriend's tattoo. Why does he feel so challenged with Ganke?

He hear the front door opening, "I told you I want to be alone, Sunflower." He finally said, hearing his boyfriend's footsteps.

"Gwen and Pav told me you were upset about me spending the day with Ganke." Miles went up to him, his arms wrapping around Hobie's left arm trying to comfort him. "Baby, do you hate it when I'm with him?"

"I dunno." He mutters.

"But you got so upset when I mentioned I got a tattoo with him! Hobie, me and Ganke are just friends!"

"Friends who hug each other all the time? Friends, who share chopsticks and food? Friends who get matching tattoos?" Hobie snapped then stops himself when he saw his boyfriend's eyes widen at him. "Sorry, luv... I am. That's why I wanted to be alone."

"Hobie, me and Ganke are friends! A lot of people are close with their friends. We just vibe that way."

"Sunflower, I know you and him are friends, but I get jealous over it. I think it's because he's better for you." Hobie sighs being upset, "I'm just a bloke with-" Miles grab his face to kiss him, Hobie's dark eyes widen from shock as he felt his Sunflower's kiss him so passionately.

When Miles pull away his tongue slip out of Hobie's mouth, then he gave a hard bite on his partner's bottom lip. The punker winced from the sudden bite his partner made, he blinks when his boyfriend glared at him. "I hate when you talk so badly about yourself. I love you, Hobie. Me and Ganke are just friends nothing more, man. Tsk, you're acting stupid, but you're my jealous stupid man!" He kisses Hobie again to comfort those bottom bite lip.

His boyfriend pulls the nineteen year old into a deeper kiss. "Luv," Hobie pulls away, "I still wish you asked me about having a tattoo. I'm jealous you two have matching tattoos."

"Huh! But I got two tattoos about you, baby!" Miles puff his cheeks.

Hobie kisses his boyfriend this time with more hunger, more need that made Miles' face heated. The punker's larger hands cupping his little Sunflower as they tongue kissed. He mutter lowly, "I don't like sharing you, luv."

"Hmm," Miles pinches his boyfriend's cheek making him winced again, "You ruined the kiss by being too possessive, mi amor. You still have a lot to learn about controlling your jealousy! It's cute when you kiss me like this but you putting yourself down is pissing me off."

"Luv, you love it when I'm like this." Hobie chuckles.

"Hmph, you got mad over a tattoo. I'm not removing it and Ganke is my best friend. You're gonna have to learn!" Miles huffed, "Over a simple tatt-" Hobie kisses him again, "I like it when your like this."

"Dummy!" Miles frowns, playfully hitting his boyfriend's shoulder, "You always gotta be the jealous type." Hobie picks him up with a smile on his face making him blush, "See I like this, but not when you're trying to get delusional about me and Ganke. It's weird, man. It's like me getting jealous over you and Karl. You don't see me going on my phone checking where you're at all the time?" He puff his cheeks again being annoyed.

"You're cute when you're mad at me, Sunflower." He leans over to nose rub his boyfriend's nose, then picks him up letting Miles' legs wrap around his waist. "I would it if we get matching tattoos."

"No," Miles huffs, "Those are curses. I rather let you give me a tongue piercing."

"That can be arrange. I always wanted you to get one." Hobie purrs in his boyfriend's ear, "You'll look sexy with it."

"Bad! I'm already sexy, bae." Miles pinches his cheeks again, "Always ruining the moment!" He playfully smirk on his face. "You play too much."

"I want your attention. You left me all alone today, luv."

"So?"

"I need you, my darling!"

"You're so clingy! Now put me down."

"No!" Hobie carries his boyfriend back inside the restaurant, "This is payback for leaving me."

"Hobie!"

#punk flower #punkflower #punkflower fanfic #hobie x miles #miles x hobie #miles morales 1610 #across the spider verse #spiderman #spider verse #miles morales #hobie brown #across the spiderverse #spider man #spiderverse

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kizzywh · 1 year

Text

Ever After (Spencer Reid x Reader)

This switches between two points of view.

Content Warnings: suicide attempt, mentions of self-harm, mentions of kidnapping and torture, some angst, happy ending. DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS POST IF IT WILL TRIGGER YOU. FANFICTION ISN’T WORTH YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

Your Pov

I’d never expected to make it this far. Working in the BAU had been a dream come true. That is, until it wasn’t. I loved the team, even Hotch, who sometimes made himself impossible to love. But the person I loved the most was Spencer Reid. His dorky outfits, and the way he brushed his brown hair from his golden sun drops of eyes. Brown didn’t begin to do Reid justice. He was like an autumn day, like leaves in a puddle, after a rainstorm. The way his lips quirked into a soft smile, usually directed at something stupid I had said. Those lips that I could’ve kissed a thousand times. But I never did. He was the first person I wrote my note to. I left it on his desk, in a small brown envelope, tinged with sadness, but sealed with finality. There was only so much one person could take.

The last case had almost killed me. working on a case where I looked so similar to the unsub’s usual type, y/h/c hair, y/e/c eyes, it was a recipe for disaster. But I thought I could help. Get on the inside, destroy the unsub from the inside, out. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

~ 2 weeks earlier ~

“Guys, it’s the only way. None of you look like his type, and it’s the only way we can stop him from hurting more people.” I said, leaning back from the table in the round room. It was a local case, meaning we were all in our usual office. A pleasant change from taking the jet, I’d admit. I could see Spencer almost visibly balk at my suggestion, and he was quick to try to shut me down. “Absolutely not, y/n. it isn’t safe.” He stated, almost pleading with the room to agree with him; but of course, everyone knew just as well as he did that it was the only way.

“I don’t like it, but I cannot see another way to handle this case.” Hotch had finally sighed, a frown briefly passing over his darkened features; before he’d agreed, and you had soon found yourself in a local bar, taking in the view, with a small microphone on your stomach, with a gps in it, so you could immediately get back up. The team had stayed back in the round room. Somehow Garcia had managed to find glasses with a microscopic camera in them, so they could see exactly what I was seeing. I knew who I was looking for. Mysterious, charming man, with the social skills to charm whatever lady he wanted, and I could say that I was looking good, thanks to the makeover provided by Emily, JJ and Pen. Morgan had wolf whistled the second I walked out, in a tight-fitting red dress, and my hair curled. Even Hotch and Rossi looked impressed. Reid however, refused to meet my eye, almost choking on his words as he wished me good luck. Typical Reid.

Soon, a tall man approached, with a drink in hand, and sat by my side at the bar. “You are quite possibly the most beautiful woman in here, what is your name?” he asked, pulling out the full charm. I made sure to gaze into his eyes, so the team could see his face, before replying, “Bea.” The team had agreed I go with a fake name. It wasn’t worth the extra confusion. We chatted for a while, and I had to admit he was charming, easy to see how he had seduced so many women. He offered a drink, and I took it, knowing I’d watched the bartender pour it myself. It was safe. Or so I had thought.

He took the time to introduce himself. “Daniel, my lady.” It would’ve brought a blush to my face, except I knew what he was, and it almost repulsed me, but I had to play into the act. Laying a hand on his arm and laughing at what he said seemed to do the trick, because soon he was asking if I’d like to get out of this flashy bar. I nodded, making sure to keep an eye on him, as I followed him to the car. I was nervous, but I knew the team were right with me. They could extract me as soon as I had arrived at the unsub, or Daniel’s, holding location.

I begin to feel very sleepy as I get into the car, almost tripping on the step, but soon I am seated, and I felt so out of myself, that I didn’t notice the car lock turning, leaving me alone, in his car, with a monster himself. Trying to force my eyes open, I try to make conversation with him, acting flirty, but mostly, I almost forget why I am here. I am so tired.

When I awake, I’m tied to the ceiling, hanging by my wrists, and I almost cry out in pain. My glasses are gone, and a blurry figure falls into my vision. “You thought you were clever, eh y/n? you thought I wouldn’t guess your little game? Well, now your friends back at the bureau get to see what I can do to you, and there’s no way they can find me now.” That was the last of it I heard, before blows from a blunt object start hitting my body, and I fall unconscious again.

~ Back at the Office ~

“Guys, we have a problem. y/n’s tracker is going off in a parking lot, but her camera isn’t working, and I have no sound, I don’t think its connectivity issues, but oh my god, I think something is wrong.” Penelope almost shouted as she ran into the bullring. The team looked up, and Hotch was first to stand. “What do you mean it isn’t working, where is she Garcia?” hotch frowned, before going to the board. “The last coordinates, what are they for?” Penelope was close to tears, “it’s just a carpark, I’ve sent the coordinates to your phones, please find her. Please.” She sobbed out, before running back to her office to keep checking for any signs of life.

Emily was furious. She almost lost her mind when she found out y/n had disappeared. “We should’ve sent someone with her. Where the Hell is she and what is he doing to her?” she fumed, as JJ just slumped down in her chair, and even Derek couldn’t form a sentence or something clever to say. Spencer however, nearly broke. Y/n was one of his favourite people. She always got him his morning coffee and lent him books he’d finish within about ten minutes of being given them. They were like twin flames, and he adored her. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that. He got up and walked away, over to the kitchen, biting his lip so hard almost drew blood. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t feel, he was just numb. She had to be okay. She had to be.

The team could see spencer spiralling, and Morgan and Rossi were soon on the way to y/n’s last coordinates, while the rest of the team gathered in the round room. “So, what do we know about this guy anyway?” JJ asked, pointing to the board, expecting Spencer to reply instantly, but he just whispered after a brief pause, “rape, torture, murder.” Those three words were killing him. Who knew what they were doing to her?

“Guys. GUYS. We have a feed, it’s coming from a proxy server so I can’t triangulate it right now, but its y/n. I’m sharing it to the board now.” Garcia piped down the phone, staying in her office to try and keep herself calm. And sure enough, there was y/n on the screen, hung from the ceiling, while the unsub looked into the camera. “You thought you were so clever, sending Agent y/n in to see me? well. Boy, do I have a show for you.” He smirked, before walking over to y/n and tilting her chin. “My, she is truly remarkable, I am going to enjoy this.” He laughed, taunting the camera. A call came in from Morgan and Rossi. “Are you seeing this video of y/n?” Morgan yelled down the phone. “It’s being sent to all our phones.” And sure enough, it was. All you could hear was Y/n refusing to cry, as the unsub cut into her with various knives, and soon it was too much for her to handle. Her screams filled the round room. Penelope was sobbing, and so was JJ. Emily was so angry; she almost threw her paper on the floor. Hotch just looked pale, and Spencer, he almost threw up.

“Garcia, triangulate it NOW.” Hotch ordered, and Penelope obliged, sobbing through her tears, before shouting out some coordinates. “Go get her guys. Please.” Before hanging up and sitting in her office, her heart breaking.

Reid was the first in the car. He was furious, but he was terrified. The camera feed had cut off almost at the same time Garcia had read out the coordinates. Who knew what they’d find. “Right, when we arrive, the priority is taking down Daniel. He could hurt the rest of us otherwise.” Hotch ordered as they pulled up.

Your POV

I didn’t know how long I had been in this room, all I could smell was blood, and sweat, and I was in agony. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling, it was pain, it was torture, and he just wasn’t stopping. “Now, they think they know where we are y/n, so let’s give them something to see when they get here huh?” Daniel grinned, before continuing to cut and beat me. I didn’t think I could take much more. I heard vaguely the slamming of car doors, and I heard. “Daniel Carter. Put the knife down, and step away.” it was hotch. They had found me.

Then I felt the coldness of a blade against my neck. “If you shoot me, your precious agent dies too.” Daniel laughed coldly, pressing it almost deep enough to draw blood. I tried not to move; I was too exhausted to. The last thing I heard was a gunshot and felt the sharp graze of the knife on my neck, and Daniel drop to the floor next to me before I slipped back into a world of darkness.

Spencer’s Pov

Almost barging through the house, to the basement where y/n was, I could feel the tension in my head. She had to be safe. She is all I have. Pointing a gun at Daniel, I can see her hanging there, and it takes all my strength not to push that son of a bitch out of the way and get her down. I don’t know how much blood she’s lost, but judging by the floor, it seemed to be a lot. Finally, Emily manages to sneak behind, and shoot Daniel, and I push past them all, reaching for y/n, and fumbling with the restraints, before Hotch helps me gently remove her, and I carry her, bridal style, cradling her, shouting for medics. She opens those beautiful eyes and smiles at me, and I beg her to stay with me. she’s so cold.

~ Present Day~

Your Pov

I had made a full physical recovery, but mentally, it had destroyed me. I had nothing left to give. That’s why I had written the final note to Spencer. He had to know how I felt, before I was erased from this life, like the blood from a crime scene. Sitting on that lonely bridge, in the moonlight, I felt a sense of peace. This was really happening, I couldn’t fix my brain, but right now, I felt peaceful, calm. As if the last moments of my life were destined to be some calm ending to a tumultuous tale. I can hear owls in the distance, calling for their families, and I briefly recall the lack of my own family. Maybe it was just the way I was, maybe I was just unlovable, unfixable.

Spencer’s Pov

I was surprised to see a note on my desk, but I immediately unsealed it. Then froze. Y/N. she was going to hurt herself, commit suicide. There wasn’t time to call the team. I knew where she’d be. She thought I didn’t love her, and that she was going to be alone, she couldn’t heal herself from the wounds that that monster had inflicted on her. I ran for my car, driving well over the speed limit to the bridge, pulling up a few yards away, so as not to startle her into something impulsive, before beginning to walk toward her, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. There was something almost angelic in how she looked in the moonlight. “y/n. y/n, listen to me.”

Your Pov

There was a crunching on gravel, and as I look up, its Spencer. I cursed myself for choosing a bridge about which we had talked. He liked the architecture, the simple, almost British cobblestone bridge. I liked that it looked like something out of a fairy tale and thought it fitting that this would be the never after of mine. The moon bounces off his messy brown curls, and it almost makes me sigh. He never fails to look handsome, not even in the pale, watery light of the moon. “y/n. y/n, listen to me.” I heard him say, before he gently holds his hands up, walking closer. “You don’t have to do this.” He states, trying not to scare me, I note. “I do spence. I can’t do this alone.” I sob, shuffling closer to the edge. He panics, before breathing in, and walking to within touching distance. “I care about you, y/n, please, just listen to me.” but I can’t. I have to go now. I push forward, ready to fall into nothingness. But something, someone, is pulling me back. Spencer. He grips me tightly, falling to the path side and lays on the ground, clutching me close, I try to resist, but I can’t. I lie there with him, listening to both of our heavy breathing, and noticing those dragon puffs of air that only happen, when the air is crisp. He pulls us up to a sitting position and holds me by the waist.

“y/n. no. You’re not doing anything alone. I am here. I got your note, and I KNEW what you were going to do. Do you think I don’t love you? You couldn’t be more wrong.” He whispers against my hair, his lips pressed to my head gently. He reaches a slender hand to point at the moon. “You see that?” I nod, following his gaze, as he keeps an arm around me, holding me to him. “That is what we share. You are my moonlight. We are like the sun and the moon, constantly orbiting each other, sharing the same sky, somewhere. I love you; y/n. believe me. from the moment you walked into the office on your first day, almost tripping over my satchel and spilling your latte in my lap, I loved you.” He whispers more, stroking slow circles on my shoulder. I laugh at the memory. It hadn’t been one of my proudest moments. Even hotch had cracked a smile at it.

The breeze picked up, and spencer shivered, pulling me closer, and instinctively, I rest my head on his shoulder. “Spencer. I love you.” I mumbled, and he turned me to face him, smiling down at me with those golden eyes, almost hinted with silver in the moonlight. He’d never looked more angelic, and I told him that, his lips quirking into a smile, my favourite dimples on his cheeks. “I love you too y/n.” before softly, his lips brushed against mine, I kissed him back, shyly. This was what kissing spencer Reid was like? It was… magical. He gently increased the pressure of the kiss, cupping my chin with one of his hands, and I almost melted. I was hurting. And part of me didn’t think it would go away anytime soon, but I knew, and spencer knew, that he was never going to be far from me again.

The bridge had turned out to have a happily ever after, after all.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #Criminal Minds #criminal minds x reader #my boy spencer #spencer falls in love #x reader #first person perspective #criminal minds fanfic #spencer reid angst #happy ending

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oigimi · 1 year

Text

. a little friend .

. nobunaga x reader . 1.2k words . fluff .

Everything that came with my life in the Sengoku had been pretty great so far. I had everything that anyone could ever ask for: Plenty of food, soft cushions to sleep on, luxurious clothes, friends who loved me, ladies in waiting who cared about me, and of course, the strongest, most handsome boyfriend in the world. Dating Oda Nobunaga was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. His love for me ran deeper than anyone could ever truly understand; ourselves included. Nobunaga would move heaven and earth if it meant bringing a smile to my face.

But he still had to leave often, and I hated it when he had to leave.

Being the legendary conqueror he was, Nobunaga was quite busy. He had battles to fight (that left me worried sick, even if I knew he wouldn’t get hurt), paperwork to read up on (that bored me), and councils to hold (that also bored me).

As I stood on the balcony of the tenshu, overlooking the area we ruled together, I found myself sighing. I missed him. I missed him a lot. And I knew he missed me too. These periods when Nobunaga was out left me cold and lonely, especially because most of the other vassals would usually accompany him. The ladies in waiting and the other seamstresses were quite nice, and I loved spending time with them, but it just wasn’t the same as being in the strong arms of my lover, or sneaking off with him for sweets in the middle of the night, or being in an onsen with him, in my most vulnerable state. Nobunaga brought out something in me that no one else ever had been able to before. And that’s why it was all the more painful when he was gone.

I did sign up for this, I told myself. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to stay in the Sengoku. As I changed into my pajamas, I got into the futon I usually shared with Nobunaga. If only there was a way to hold him even though he’s gone…

Wait. That’s it!

I looked across the room over at Bearsace. He wasn’t mine anymore, but I still made him. I could make something similar, and be able to hug him while Nobunaga was gone! It was a genius idea, I thought. As I laid my head back down, I began crafting what kind of stuffed toy I would craft. Something big, or something small? Elaborate or simple? What kind of clothes would it wear? What fabric would I use? How would I stuff it? Did stuffed animals even exist in this time? Oh, it didn’t matter. Once I was awake, all my questions would answer themselves.

---------

The first and most important question was what kind of animal to make. Fortunately for myself, that was clear from the beginning. I swiped some soft black fabric and began working on a pattern for a little black cat with white paws, and a white-tipped tail. I giggled to myself, imagining Nobunaga as a cat. He’d be the kind to knock everything off tables, and swat at a sleeping human to wake up and feed him. He’d be a big cat too, one with lots of fluffy fur, especially on his tail.

Next was the cat’s clothes. I could try Nobunaga’s regular clothing, but since this cat would likely be in bed with me, he should probably be wearing something comfortable. With some different fabric, I made the cat a yukata similar to one my lover would wear in bed. It fit perfectly, and I even made it so I could take the yukata off if I wanted to try more outfits.

The whole project took a few short days, and with the passage of time came the safe return of the Oda forces. As soon as word hit my ears that they were back, I was down from my work room, front and center to greet everyone. The first person to return, obviously being Nobunaga himself.

“You’re back! Welcome home, Nobu!” I exclaimed, practically leaping into his arms. Nobunaga laughed, hugging me tightly and kissing me. He rubbed my back and squeezed me as if we’d been apart for years.

“It’s good to be back, and it’s good to see you,” he replied. Nobunaga slung me over his shoulder and carried me back up to our room, eager to make up for lost time together. As he went to set me down in the futon, something quickly caught his eye.

“Y/N, what is that?” He pointed to the cat plush seated on the pillow.

“Oh, that! Yeah, I made him over the week, see?” I grabbed the plush and showed Nobunaga. “He’s really soft and cuddly, and he kinda looks like someone we know, don’t you think?”

He narrowed his eyes, taking the cat from me. Nobunaga inspected it closer, moving its arms around. “He’s cute. Is he a friend of Bearsace’s?”

“Mmm, no. Not exactly. They’re unrelated. He’s more like a friend of mine.”

“A friend of yours? Are the people here not enough for you?” he teased, gently tugging on the cat’s ears.

I shrugged. “Well… that’s kind of it. You guys are all so great, I always miss you when you’re gone. Especially you, Nobu. I wanted a little friend to remind me of you when you’re away. In my time, people cuddle with these stuffed toys all the time. I thought that if I had something soft and cute to have when you’re gone, I’d feel a bit better about it.”

“Really?” Nobunaga’s face softened. He looked back down at the cat, and then at me. “Do you get that lonely when I’m gone?”

“It’s whatever, I mean… I’ll always miss you when you leave! I can handle it, it’s just the longer trips that are harder.”

“I see.” He put the cat down and hugged me tightly again. “Well you have no need for this cat now. I’m here.” As he rubbed my back and sighed, he added, “I always miss you too, you know. I don’t like being away from my lucky charm.”

I giggled. I had known he meant it, but something about hearing my boyfriend tell me outright that he missed me made my heart pound harder.

“Then I’ll only cuddle the cat when you’re gone. I prefer the real you anyway. You’re much cuter.”

“Cute? No. You’re the cute one. Not me.”

“Okay.” We met each other with a kiss, followed by a few more. It was nice to have Nobunaga back. Everything just felt normal again. Being loved and cherished and kissed and held like I was always meant to felt better than anything in the world. Nobunaga smiled at me, and leaned in to kiss my forehead afterward.

“Does he have a name?”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. I haven’t named him yet.” I pulled away and looked at the cat. “Wait, I’ve got it! This little guy’s name is… Nobunyaga! Cuz he looks like you, and he’s a cat!”

“What?”

“Nobunapaw also works.”

My lover just shook his head, laughing some more. “Let’s go with the first option. Oda Nobunyaga it is.”

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikemen sengoku nobunaga #ikesen nobunaga #ikesen nobunaga x reader

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heymeowmao · 1 year

Photo

2023.06.06 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324909692089401460

加油啊!

bgm: Chong Zi OST - Heaven Light (天光)

LYN: Hallo everybody, good evening. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning! Welcome!! Long time no see. I feel like I haven’t streamed in a long time, at least. And... why is the sound so loud? /adjusts/. It’s been a while since I streamed last and I saw that a few of you were going out of your minds. You resorted to taunting me to get me to get me to come. Can we spread a little more kindness in this world? Please? It’s only been a few days and you’ve already started to taunt me. It’s not necessary, alright? LYN: When I’m in a good condition, I will come to stream on my own when I think the time is right. I hope you don’t push me next time. When you start pushing, I start second-guessing myself and think that maybe I SHOULD be streaming. But if my condition isn’t great- for example if I did some recording that day or took care of some different business- then I won’t be able to stream the way I want. I’d be forcing myself to stream. It’s not necessary. Let’s leave it up to me, alright? If I’m in a good condition and I want to stream and chat and relax, I’ll come. But otherwise... let me rest!

LYN: The stream lagging a little is normal, because I’ve upgraded my equipment. If I upgrade my camera, I have to upgrade my computer, too. After that, you might think the sound card isn’t doing a good enough job- a lot of you always complain that the sound is too low. I don’t know why you can’t wear some headphones... but you always complain that the sound is low. After upgrades, the computer can’t keep up. See? It seems like I have to change my computer AGAIN. I’ve only had it for two years- it cost a lot- and now I have to buy a new one. Technology is too advanced for my computer to keep up. C: Sell it. LYN: I won’t be selling it. It’s just because that for this stream I’ve returned home to Beijing. i don’t have a desktop computer here, so I’m using the laptop. The signal on it is probably lacking, so it lags every once in a while. It’s enough for you to watch, though. Thanks, everyone (for your understanding). Our main focus is on “company”. Even if you are just photos (profile pics) we’re keeping each other company, alright?

bgm: LBFD/CLJ OST - Searching for You (寻一个你)

LYN: Why am I wearing this today? Because the NCEE is fast-approaching. In order to fit the theme, I’ve worn some clothes that make me look younger. Let me pretend to be young, to be a student. Is it alright? Our theme here is “young.” LYN: As long as you’re satisfied with this look, all’s well. LYN: The other thing is I haven’t lived in this Beijing house for a long time, since I am always away in Hengdian. I don’t really have any clothes to wear, here. I tried looking, I did, and I couldn’t find anything to wear. People always say that a woman’s closet is always lacking something. I get the feeling I’m lacking ten outfits- to use for streaming. I always feel like I don’t have anything to wear when I want to stream. Let me tell you- I do put thought into what I wear. You might think that I choose my streaming outfit at random, but I actually put a lot of effort into it.

C: Ning-ge, I thought you had 3,000 outfits. LYN: When I first debuted- in the first two years- I might have had 3,000 outfits but now, three years later, how many clothes do you think I have? Think about it. There’s a room in this house that looks like a storage room and it’s full of clothes. I can’t even wear some of them because I bought them so long ago that the color has gone off from age. C: Raffle them. LYN: We could... we could pick a concert stop- if I’m having a concert next year- and let’s say it’s a 10,000 person venue... Wait- I don’t have 10,000 pieces of clothing... Let’s do this instead. I’ll take 1,000 pieces of clothing for each stop and gift it to the audience. The concert benefit is being gifted clothes second-hand.

- - - - - - - - - -

C: How’s the album coming along? LYN: I really am working on album stuff right now. But if it were such an easy thing to do, it wouldn’t have taken me three years to release one. Think about the singers nowadays- there are as many as they come. It’s really difficult to continuously release albums, unless they are songwriters themselves. They could write their own works and put as much into that as they wanted; but even so, there are times when you have no inspiration. For me, as someone who does not have the ability to write songs... I just have to wait for something that works. Sometimes even when you find one, someone else gets to it first. It’s up to luck and timing. This time around I have taken my time to pick the songs and I’ve gotten some that I really like. LYN: Let me tell you about my plans. I want to release this album before the end of the year. I previously released a song called “Fall in Love”- you know it, right? My fans have probably heard it before, but there are many of you who are just passing by and have entered the wrong shop- or have been dragged in by someone handing out cards- let me play my song “Fall in Love” for you. -- Fall in Love LYN: I went crazy all of a sudden.

LYN: This was going to be the title song for my album... but it’s been two years since the track was released. Well- one and a half years. I sang it for the first time at the Jiangsu New Year’s Event... and then... about two years have passed and the album was never released. If I release it later in the year, it WILL be three years. So my plan for this year is to get my album out before December. It’ll be around 10 songs. This song (Fall in Love)- we can do without. I mean- not count it as part of the album. It’ll just be a single. LYN: As for my album, I’ll remake it. I had collected a few for the album from before, and have recorded two of them. But now... immodestly speaking, my singing has improved in the last two years. Listening to those songs now I think, “What the heck is this singing? WTF is this?? You think you can release an album like this, you must be crazy!” So the other day I re-recorded one of the songs. LYN: To singers “progress” is relative to a lot of different aspects. The first is the progression of age. The second is the advancement of music. The third probably has to do with the fact that I am acting now. After acting, I feel like I can better express emotions. I can let them show more or.. how should I say it? (Express them more subtly.) I have a deeper feeling/understanding of them now. LYN: Penny-jie gave me a song. Not counting Fall in Love, I should have... four now. But I should be able to confirm another one or two in the next couple of days. They’ve given me demos and I’ve given gone through them briefly and I think they’re very nice but I’ll have to get a better listen. I now have four complete songs and will get another three or four in the next days. I’ll have seven. Then I can just find three more and we can release the at the end of the year. :) My plan is to release the album before the end of the year- 10 songs- and then open up my concerts mid 2024. That’s just an estimate, because I have to film in the first half. Probably May or June. But before the concert I want to release an EP of about 5 songs.

C: Will you release an MV? LYN: I am working on an MV, yes. I’m planing on finding a few of my good friends- I can now make a PROPER MV. The MVs I shot before were all: I’m looking for something. I walk to the ocean and I search. I climb a ladder. I run. I look up at the sky and sit by my bedside, depressed. I’m emo. More conceptual. Now I don’t want to make MVs like that. I want something with a plot. So the songs I am finding now are all- /cuts himself off/. In any case, I’m going to find some of my good friends to help me shoot it. Of course, I will not be paying them. LYN: I already asked them- “If I release an album next year, will you help me shoot the mv?” They asked me if I would pay extra, and I replied that if they continued that thought I would block them. XD LYN: My MV would need a group of them- I'll find 10 artists to act in the MV for me. Something that requires 2,000 extras. We’ll do a “human wave attack” (人海战术; offensive infantry tactic in which an attacker conducts an unprotected frontal assault with densely concentrated infantry formations -wiki).

LYN: So, for those of you asking about how my album is going, I really am working on getting it released this year, I swear. I have time in Beijing now to work on it properly and wrap up with logistics and with the music. After all that is finished I will re-focus on my acting. We’ll see.

C: I want to be an extra. LYN: Er... for extras the fee is 200RMB, sent to me. 1200RMB to me and I will include two meals. I won’t pick you up, but will send you back- to the closest bus stop. C: Ning-ge, I’ll invest 300k for your MV. LYN: Are you really investing or has chasing starts made you silly? If investing, let’s say my mv makes any revenue- you’d like a cut of the profits? But if you want to shoot a nice MV, it requires quite a bit of money. I don’t think 300k will be enough. I’m thinking of shooting two to three. C: I’ll invest 1M. LYN: I will find a staff member to contact you immediately. You can’t run, I’ve remembered your ID. I’ll find a staff to contact you and we can exchange the deposit in private. For a 1M project, you only need to give me a deposit of 200k first. C: Ning-ge, I’ll invest my charms. LYN: So what you’re trying to say that you’re too good-looking, so you want to be a part of my video and... that will be favorable for me? We’d be taking advantage of you because you’re too pretty, too beautiful?

C: Ning-ge, how about I give you 10RMB. LYN: Has the progression of my career reached a point where I need to do crowdfunding? I can’t survive on my own anymore, and if I want to do something my fans have to drum up the money? It’s not necessary. I know I’m not doing very well but I’m not that pitiful. Also, I just want to say- let me think of how I can phrase this nicely, to filter it- LYN: ~ I think that music has always been a dream of mine. I can give everything I have to my music. You tell me you want to crowdfund in order to let me release my songs, but I think there’s no need for that. The music I release is for you to listen to, to enjoy, and to experience. If you feel anything when listening to my songs then that already is my greatest honor. That’s why, I don’t want you to give me any money. I will figure out the funding on my own. I appreciate your good intentions. You are all kind people. You all have dreams. You are good samaritans. ~ LYN: ~ I’m sure that everyone who has a dream in music who sees such a group of people who want to support their passion for music, will be moved. Thank you all. ~

- - - - - - - - - -

- /gives his support to students taking the NCEE/

C: Ning-ge, your voice is like this and you’re still streaming? LYN: ~ Honestly friends, I have to tell you, my voice is really uncomfortable today. Because for a long time I was in the South- in Hengdian- which is more humid. I’ve suddenly returned to Beijing and I haven’t quite adjusted. I have a really dry throat. I am withstanding searing pain to stream for everyone today. But I don’t want to make this a big deal. I don’t want to say that I am sick. I just want to say- that you are all very important to me. I’m willing to do this for you- ~ - /breaks character because he couldn’t stand himself/ LYN: Beijing is dry, alright? My throat is uncomfortable. I’ve been living in the South all this while- me, who originates from the North, has been living in the South. Hendgian is in Zhejiang, right? That’s south. It’s humid. So being back here now (in the North), my throat has been uncomfortable. It’s really dry. Especially Beijing, which is particularly dry. Liaoning, Dandong- where my house is- is okay, because there I am close the the river/ocean. The air isn’t as dry for a place in the Northeast. Beijing is really dry, though. I have to put on so many face masks every day. LYN: Wait for me a sec, I’ll go grab some water.

C: The chair looks nice. LYN: Are you making fun of me? This house in Beijing is rented so this furniture was all here when I got the house. I don’t have such high tastes. This is the landlord’s stuff, not mine. - C: Drink less soft drinks. LYN: This isn’t a soft drink, it’s just carbonated water. It’s carbonated, but there’s no sugar or anything in it. - C: It’s a princess chair. LYN: /laughs/ Yes, it is. There are six of them. They were around the dinner table but I grabbed one over to sit on while I stream. I’m not in Beijing very often, anyway.

C: What special effect is this today? LYN: You can tell that this video has special effects?? This is the “aurora” effect. Why am I using it, do you know? Well- you all know what an “aurora” is, right? A very mystical phenomenon. LYN: ~ I am using this aurora effect today because I believe that not many people in this world have seen an actual aurora. Or a real rainbow. But I hope that each one of you who are in my stream can see this wonderful aurora special effect. So you can feel like you are in a faraway place- somewhere you can see the lights. ~ - bgm: Young Captain队长 & ODD Chen Sijian - 超感 (Super Sense) - LYN: But remember to tell me where I can see a rainbow. I saw one the other day- with my eyes, it was very clear. But I tried to take a picture of it on my phone and I found out- you can’t really see it. C: Your skills aren’t good enough. / LYN: Oh. C: Change your phone. / LYN: Right, okay.

C: Have you done your physical yet? LYN: Not yet. I want to get everything arranged first and acclimate before I do it. Lately I’ve been preparing to start working out again. I want to give myself half a year’s time to start a regular eating schedule. I’ll mind what I eat- like not anything fried or sweet- and try to stick to an exercise schedule. I want to know, after this half year, what the results will be. LYN: I really have properly started working out now. I’m not kidding anymore. My abs... I’m at... 10%. If having full-on abs is 100%, then I have at least 20% now. That is- you can see something if you squint. Let me train for a bit first. If there are results by the end of the year I’ll post up a picture. I see a lot of male artists wearing suits, right? But they don’t wear a shirt- it’s just the suit jacket- and a low middle button. I see a lot of male artists like that and I’m super jealous. They have such nice physique that allows them to wear the clothes in that way, to show a little skin. Either that or it’s a dress shirt, but the buttons are undone until the last few. The name of the game there is “Temptation/Seduction”. I can’t do that, though. If I open it up I look like a boiled chicken. LYN: I just want to have a nicer physique. I won’t make any promises from now on. I won’t bring it up again. We’ll just.. wait and see.

LYN: I was worried that I would come onto the stream today and my face would look fat. Lately I’ve been eating less but if I want to work out I have to eat more- three meals is modest. I’ve been forcing myself to eat, so I feel like I’ve gained weight. I thought it would show on the camera but it’s alright. The beauty filters are strong, after all. LYN: I had a huge bowl of rice and vegetables just earlier. But those are all regular foods. It’s alright I didn’t gain weight. // I have a performance in a couple of days, I told you about it before- some college, right?

C: Ning-ge, your hair color is makes you seem young. LYN: I don’t like the words “seem young”. I used to sell clothes, so I know all the right words to say when you’re trying to make a sale. If you say I “seem young” then that means that you don’t see me as ACTUALLY young. You don’t see me as young at all, but the words “seem young” should be allocated to 45+ year old men and women. You can use “seem young” to describe them. Okay?? You’ve just admitted that in your mind I am already... an old man.

C: Feels “youthful”! LYN: Friends, you don’t need to make forced compliments. I have a very clear image of myself and “youthful” doesn’t fit it. I told you before, that I had a script come to me and they wanted to act as a high school student for a portion of it, didn’t I? There was a plot where the two people met in high school and went to college together but later separated to start working. The majority of the plot is focused on when they are adults, but I couldn’t get past them wanting me to act as a high school student for a portion of it. Because of this, I gave up on this drama. LYN: I can act as maybe a college student if you lay down the foundation extra thick to cover up the wrinkles. Maybe get some Thermage treatment in, and I could pass. But if you want me to act as a middle or high school student, I really can’t do it. I am 1.9m tall- when I’m not wearing shoes I’m 1.89m, but if I wear shoes I’m taller than 1.9m. It’d be okay if I were shorter but have you ever seen that tall of a high school student?? They’re already done growing! So me acting as a high school student would be a little unfitting.

C: Kids nowadays are all tall. LYN: /laughs/ You’re right, but I still can’t do it! They might be tall but they still have young faces. My face has obviously seen time. I just can’t do it. A kid can play someone older, but someone older can’t play a kid. My face already has time on it. If you wanted me to act as someone around 30 years old or so, that wouldn’t be a problem. But early 20′s is difficult for me!

C: Ning-ge, you’re very young. Ning-ge, you can do it. LYN: I realized there’s something about this industry... let me tell you how I feel about it. People who do well in this industry- I’ve been to events, I can see who’s doing well or not- you’ll discover something. That is, no matter what they do the people around them will endlessly praise them. Really. I’m talking about people who are doing well for themselves. Their staff, the staff you meet at events- let’s say we’re at some recording for a show or an event- any staff around will give them endless praise. For example, an artist goes, “Huh? What is this, a phone? I’ve never seen one like this before. It’s called an iPhone?” The staff around them have already reached a point where they reply, “You’re so smart! Amazing! /claps/. You’ve never seen this thing before, but you knew it was a phone. You’re so great. You have a natural talent for identifying phones.” I was at the side, watching like:

LYN: But most of the time the artist will gladly accept the praise. “Oh, I just have a knack for this. :) I have an interest in mobile phones- oh, I see this is an iPhone! I’ve never seen one before, but I already know. I’m just talented. I have an interest in electronics.” !! It’s like humoring a child! And these artists aren’t young. LYN: You know- once you reach a certain point you’ll find out that the words of the people around you are 99% praise. The people close to you, as well as the people you meet. After I saw that happening I thought, “Oh~ So (that’s how it is)...” They’re probably already used to it and it doesn’t affect them at all but to me... I don’t feel a thing. LYN: Just like when you tell me that I’m young and that I can play a middle schooler. I’ll listen to what you’re saying, but leave it at that. I might even have the passing thought that maybe you are trying to provoke me. After seeing all that, I have my own judgement on what people say to me in the future. I don’t believe that all you should hear is praise. There needs to be all sorts of comments in order to level you. Only then can you mature. Only then will you know where your limits are. LYN: That’s why when you praise and support me- of course, I like to hear it. But I don’t think there’s a need to take it seriously. There’s really no need. C: I was being honest. LYN: Even if you were, I still won’t take it seriously. I need to have self-awareness to maintain my balance.

- - - - - - - - - -

- /saw a passing comment and makes note to answer it later, but clarifies he couldn’t really see the whole thing because the comment was too long. If they are short comments, usually he sees all of them scrolling by./ LYN: I can’t answer all of them, so please be generous. Don’t think that just because I am not replying to you, you shouldn’t comment at all. Our theme here is “company”.

C: Are there kiss scenes in ZY? LYN: What’s it to you?!? You must be crazy. XD LYN: There are no kiss scenes in ZY, only bath scenes. Of course by that I mean- a normal bath. For example, I’ll go to bathe and my bros will scrub my back for me. Scenes like that. They'll perform some gua sha and ba guan for me. Because we’ll all get together to wash up after we go out to battle. We’re starting a “community bathing” culture. C: Such a big scale? LYN: We’re still wearing pants. If we want it to air, we’ll still be wearing pants. They’ll only show the top half. Just a bunch of guys helping to scrub each other’s backs.

C: Your ears are turning red. LYN: Why would they be??? What did I say today that would make my ears red?? You really think I’m only 18 years old?! Have you forgotten what I was trending for a while ago?? (Married) Oh-sorry. I’m... I’m not a young kid. Why I turn red from talking about washing up and scrubbing backs?? C: Now it IS red. LYN: Yeah, I misspoke earlier. My mind was running slow and my mouth too fast. I apologize. C: Drink some water to settle your mind.

C: When will YNGS air? LYN: I don’t know! :D Let me tell you friends, a lot of actors are also dumbfounded. I know you like to ask us actors when our dramas will air, but we’re in the dark and really don’t know. I’m guessing if you try to ask the production company, they wouldn’t either! Sometimes you’ll hear that a drama is airing tonight and then the next morning you find it didn’t. This is normal, so if you ask me when a drama is airing, I really don’t know. LYN: It’s been two years since I finished filming a couple of my dramas and even now I am getting notices to do voice acting or supplement for voice acting. It seems like everything is going according to plan and the OSTs are all recorded, but then... it’s just indefinitely about to air. So what time a drama airs is really hard to say. I can only tell you that I can’t tell you.

C: Do you have a variety? LYN: I do, we’ve been in talks. But I- I- Once I start in a drama crew I don’t have the time anymore. Varieties nowadays need two to three or up to seven to eight days to record. There’s no way the drama production is letting me off for that long. Especially since I am starting to accept male lead roles... So, it’s hard for me to go. The production doesn’t really give the time off. So the variety is hard to say, since I will be entering another crew soon. You all are afraid of me wasting my time at home, and desperately want me to enter a crew. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. You’ll see. When I pick projects, they’re usually dependable. If any news gets announced I’m sure you will be happy for me. I won’t be sitting around at home. C: Is it a modern or historical? LYN: Which one are you referring to? Are you talking about the one in the latter half of next year? That one... hasn’t come yet. Let me pretend. // This is called “I’ve been home too long and now I’m making fantasies”. I clearly don’t have work but I’m pretending I do. There are some people like that, and I am one of them.

LYN: If you don’t quite understand me, let me explain. I’m a workaholic, I really am. Just look at how I spent the past five years. I started off singing on the streets and slowly made myself internet famous. After that, I became a singer. Now I’m starting to be an actor. I’ve made it this far step by step. Do you think, if I took even one moment to rest in these past five years, I would have been able to make it to where I am today? Getting to work with all these comparative (to me) amazing people? I don’t want to say that I am putting a lot of effort into this; I just want you to know that I don’t want to let myself rest. I want to learn quickly how to make my way in this industry. LYN: The people I’m working with now are all amazing, right? I started off as a busker on the streets. In order for me to make it here, if I rested at all in the past five years do you think I would have been able to walk this far? I don’t have a company backing me. I only have this group of fans who have kept me company all this way. I don’t have a company (公司/gong si), only fans (粉丝/fen si). LYN: I’m the type of person who gets anxious if they don’t have work. My old fans all know this. But can you see me being anxious right now? If I didn’t have work, and I hadn’t decided my next drama or made plans for the future- I’d be having a breakdown. Do you think I’d be sitting here so calmly, discussing this with you? I’d be here complaining, not telling you jokes. LYN: So, you can tell by my mood. If I’m relaxed then I have plans in place. Lately I’ve taken a break because I really do want to work on my album. It’s not like an OST, where I can just take a song someone else has written if I like it and just record a song and release it. Albums are complicated. The process of collecting songs alone is difficult. Another thing about me is that I don’t want the songs on my album to be like songs I’ve sung for OSTs. I’ve accepted many OSTs that I really like a lot. But if there are songs on my album that are no different from the OSTs then I’ll think, “What’s the point of releasing this song? This is exactly like an OST I can sing.” Choosing the music is hard. I hear too many songs every year, so it’s hard to pick one I really like. I’m really working on the album. LYN: I’m also going to start the voice acting for YNGS. I’m going to plan to give them 10 days for recording. For example, I’d go in at 10a-1p, grab a bite, then start again at 4-5p until 7-8p. It’ll be like working a regular job, for about 10 days. I want to get the voice acting finished in the coming week. I also have some OSTs I need to record and events to attend. I won’t be idle. Don’t worry- you don’t need to be anxious for me. LYN: Oh- I don’t need fan support for voice acting. Just want to let you know. If I go to the recording studio and there’s a group of you with banners chanting our fan motto... it’s not necessary. I just need to do my job and that’s it. LYN: Maybe in a few days when I go to the hospital for my physical, you can come give me fan support then. /laughs/ You can stand by the entrance and shout, “LYN, good luck on your physical!” or something like that. C: Steal urine. LYN: ?? What does that mean? Are you a pervert?? You must be. I told you I was going in for my physical and you said you want to steal (my) urine?? /barfing sounds/ LYN: Unreasonable. Truly unreasonable. Oh my goodness. This is too perverse. C: Extreme sasaeng behavior. LYN: This isn’t even sasaeng behavior anymore. This is... /barfs/

C: Can you turn the lyrics off? LYN: What- what, are the lyrics blocking your sight to something? How about I make it smaller? This is fine, right? /sigh/ I’ll turn it off. Save you some face.

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-- break #1 (his friend is having a baby and he needs to take a look) LYN: Excuse me friends, I made you wait long. I’m back. Lao Wang had a son a while back, this time he had a daughter. It’s nice. C: Are they good-looking? LYN: Not better than me. /laughs/ Why does that feel low- I’m competing in looks with a child?? C: How many days apart are they? LYN: The last time they had a kid was... three months ago. Now they have another. It’s amazing.

C: You look young. You can go act as a middle schooler. LYN: Let me tell you, friends- lately I’ve been thinking I want to start “pan chuan” (counting prayer beads (?)). I just think it’s cool. I think it’s fun. Watching the string change over time is interesting. But then I was thinking, if I started to do this, wouldn’t it prove that I am crossing another...I can’t say “realm”, can I? I’m entering into the meditative mind and healthy body category. But my current category is as a “Disney-lover”! C: I’ve been doing this for many years already. LYN: Which means to say your age... is probably around mine, right? C: Elementary kids do this, too. LYN: Do they? I didn’t know. But I really bought a string online and later I’ll... play with them. // I met someone not too long ago, and they told me they had nothing fun to do. I suggested they count beads and they said that they didn’t want to because if they did that, they would enter into the “middle-aged” mindset. That’s how they described it, at least. I thought about it and... yeah, they were right. But if you’re telling me that even elementary kids are doing this now, then I think that this is the popular trend for now. Then, we’ll count! C: Don’t count them, “pan” me. LYN: Do you want to “chuan”?? // Wait- sorry. That sounds like a curse word. That is- Sorry. - /clears his throat and skips the topic/ ;; t/n: there’s some wordplay here, but idk LYN: I won’t. I seriously did research on this and these things need a high density. You’re probably not dense enough. Also there’s a process of going from white, to colored (oxidized), and then opened (?). I don’t really want to see you “colored”. I think I’ll forget it. You can “pan” yourself in the mirror. I won’t be participating.

C: Watch out for tendonitis. LYN: What do you mean- like when I’m moving them, this part of my hand is likely to get tendonitis? I’ll buy a machine to turn them. I saw that there are those things online. / Oh, was it “tenosynovitis”? Sorry, I read wrong. / But there are machines for this, so I was thinking of getting one. I won’t have to use my own hands. I won’t get tenosynovitis, it’s okay. // There’s another machine, where you can take each of the beads and there’s like a tube- you can put the bead inside and it will spin.

C: Nine-ge, don’t wash your face in the morning just take the beads and rub them on your face. LYN: Why are you so dirty? That would be so gross. We want the bead’s natural oils. Maybe this topic is not interesting to many females, but we want the bead’s natural oils, not your dirty face oils. That’s no good. Forget it, let’s not.

C: Tell Daimi to count them for you. LYN: Daimi? I’d be lucky if she didn’t take them for peanuts and eat them.

LYN: I thought you wouldn’t be interested, but it seems like a lot of you women- and men, there are bound to be men here too, right? - you all like to play with this. When my string arrives, will we be considered “pan”you? [t/n: play on the word “friends” (peng you)] Or “chuan-you”? I don’t know. We can discuss it. LYN: I didn’t know elementary school kids were interested in this, too. I honestly don’t know too much about it myself. There aren’t many grade schoolers in the group of friends around me to begin with. So I’m not sure what they’re into these days.

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C: Is your dog male or female? LYN: She’s a girl. I won’t own boy dogs. I used to own a boy dog, a long time ago. I took him out for a walk and all of a sudden he set his eyes on another dog and took off. He was a bigger breed- a sheepdog (Scotch Collie). He took the leash and started chasing a female dog. I ran across 8 hilltops- I was walking him up in the middle of nowhere- it was up in the mountains, and there were giant storehouses. He took the leash and ran and I chased him across three hilltops. I was this close to a breakdown, I almost threw up and I couldn’t catch him. I lost him and it scared me so much. Even /I/ got lost in the chase, because I wasn’t familiar with the area. I was chasing my dog, and my dog was chasing another dog. After all the running I lost the dog AND my way. I ran for about ten+ minutes. Do you know how helpless I felt, surrounded by unfamiliar terrain, lost dog and lost way? So ever since then I learned my lesson for having boy dogs. LYN: After that I only ever owned girl dogs. Youmi... Daimi... and there’s was also a cocker spaniel, whose name was also Youmi. I had two dogs named Youmi. The original had died, so I bought another one immediately so the love could be transferred. [t/n: if I recall, he didn’t want his grandparents to be too sad that Youmi (original) had passed away.] LYN: All female dogs.

C: Did you ever find him? LYN: Later, he came back on his own. It took ME a while to find the way back home- I really ran across three hills before I found the path and went home by myself. I went home and cried to my mom that I had lost the dog and that I almost got lost. But when it came around nighttime, he came back on his own. That dog was so smart. People could hold his leash as long as I was there, but if I wasn’t he would go crazy. He was so smart. But in the end that dog... you probably know how it went. He ran away. That’s why people tell you- you can’t trust men. If they so something wrong once, they’ll do it a second time. He ran away, and didn’t come back this time. C: It was a BE. LYN: That’s an appropriate description, yes. At the time I was really sad about it, I cried for a few days and didn’t own a dog for a long time after.

C: He went to become someone’s son-in-law. LYN: He was a really handsome dog, but unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of him. You know sheepdogs- they have long snouts and long hair. Usually they’re all cream and black, or brown, right? But he was black and white. If there were a litter- only one of them would be patterned like that. It was so pretty. LYN: ! He wasn’t a Border Collie, though. I know what you’re talking about- Borders are black and white. He was a Scotch Collie, but black and white. Wow, he was so handsome. // I know the difference between a Border and a Scotch. He was the only one of the litter with that coloring- he was very unique. Very special.

C: What breed was Youmi? LYN: The first was a cocker spaniel. The second was a toy poodle. The one now is a schnauzer. After raising the cocker first, I discovered it was better to own a dog that didn’t shed as much. Schnauzers don’t shed as much- only the undercoat- and nor do toy poodles. These dogs are easy to clean up after, they’re small and smart, and don’t need to be walked as much.

C: Why don’t you like big dogs? LYN: Wait- look, I just said that I liked dogs that don’t shed as much and someone in the chat said, “Ning-ge, I also don’t shed a lot. Raise me.” I’m guessing in not too long someone is going to pick up on this topic. LYN: Don’t you lose hair? I don’t believe there’s one person here who can say they don’t shed hair. We all do, more or less.

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C: Ning-ge, this special effect looks like “spitting pies”. LYN: ?? What is that? There are small orbs flying at you, so you think I’m “spitting pies”? I don’t always make “pies” (pipe-dreams). When have I made a pie for you? There aren’t many. The first is my abs- that’s going to be fulfilled this year, isn’t it? C: “Stream until we throw up.” LYN: It counts if I do, too. Someone earlier wanted to steal something of mine, didn’t they? I threw up, then. If I throw up it counts too.

LYN: I saw a comment in the group chat that read, “Ning-ge is streaming today. If someone pushes him to stop streaming, I curse them to eat instant noodles without the seasonings forever.”

C: Disney stream; Carnation Festival 3.5. LYN: I had explanations for those, didn’t I? I told you about the Disney stream the last time- it’s not convenient for me to stream at the park. It was going to be okay, but lately their business has been booming. It became inconvenient for me to stream at the park because we wanted to avoid any unnecessary crowding. C: Recipe for marinating meat skewers. LYN: I’ve been busy lately... watching dramas, going to concerts... XD I’ve been busy with that lately. As for the grilling recipe, I’ll see if there’s a time I want to go out and relax. Maybe when I’m done with voice acting for Ning Yuanzhou- I’ll film a video, then. LYN: I saw someone asking me where I’ve been- I’ve really been busy as of late. And this work isn’t on a set schedule.

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C: After going back to Beijing you look more lively. LYN: I’ve been in Hengdian for so long that I’ve felt stifled. I honestly really like Hengdian, but the problem is- it’s a town. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just very small. It’s mostly the food- I’ve had so much of it! All the restaurants and take-out... I’ve been there for three years. Think about exactly how many good restaurants there can be. I’ve already eaten my fill. Also, there’s no place I can shop around! Sometimes I like shopping and buying clothes- give myself some motivation to keep working hard. I’ll go shop and say, “Wow, these clothes are so expensive! These shoes are expensive! I should buy them. Then, I can continue to work hard so I can afford them.” That’s what I do when I shop. LYN: I like living in the city. I can eat whatever I want, whether that’s skewers, hot pot, stir fry, Shanghai cuisine, Hangzhou cuisine, etc. I have choices. But the problem is that in Hengdian, there are only so many shops. You don’t really have a choice. All I did there was eat. I felt like I had enough. But after coming back to Beijing- there’s nothing really fun to do here, either, but- at least I can shop. As for “play” I like... arcades. Last time I was in Beijing I played with VR or escape rooms- those are fun.

C: ZXD-laoshi is here. LYN: Welcome.

- /talks a little more about what he’d like to do in Beijing while he can experience the freedom of having choices: to eat/shop/play./ LYN: I’ve just been in Hengdian too long. Now that I’m back here I’m letting myself go, a little. I like the feeling of living in a big city. I like the bustle. I’ve asked my friends before, where they like to go for travel.One of them told me they go on hikes- to see the mountains and watch the rivers; how on the way there’s a part of the river that’s really beautiful. After hearing that, I didn’t have any reaction/feeling for it. They in turn asked me where I like to go for fun. I told them I like to go to Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou. They replied, “You’re not going there to work, are you?” LYN: I’m just the type of person who has to come to a bustling/busy place to relax. Why? Because my hometown is a tourist city I’ve grown up along the river bank. Behind my house is a mountain. I would ride my bike along the river to work everyday. Do you think I’m missing any opportunity to see the mountains and rivers? My home is a tourist city and I’ve grown up seeing the mountains and rivers. Now I’ve finally entered society and am doing well for myself, do you really think I want to return to see the mountains and rivers in my downtime? I’ve never seen such a flourishing city when I was little. I like the hustle and bustle of the city. I don’t want to go back to see mountains and rivers- I’ve seen enough. LYN: It’s been thirty years and I finally made it to a big city. Now you want me to go back? You’ll find that a lot of people- once they become wealthy, they want to “return to the natural state”. They’ve had enough of the luxurious meals, and now they want to go back to the simple things. But friends, I’ve had the simple things all along. I can finally eat meat, have the chance to have abalone, and you want me to go back? It doesn’t agree with my plans.

C: You’re trending. LYN: Really? :) I don’t believe. I don’t deserve it. LYN: LYN, trending? I don’t think he’s worthy. C: The Entertainment Tab. LYN: What’s wrong with that? C: #41. -- 我不配 (I’m Not Worthy) LYN: A sang a whole verse of this song just for those three words. (I’m not worthy.)

LYN: I’m trending, though? ~ Honestly, I think that being trending or not isn’t important. I think the most important thing is that if by being here streaming, I am able to bring to you some happiness. As a singer or an actor, the most important thing is to have good works for you. A trending topic is not something an artist- whether singer or actor- should be in pursuit of. You need to have truly good works, works you’ve put your heart into, works that can touch other people’s hearts- to give to everyone who supports you. That is what you, as an artist, should be pursuing. So this trending topic... is nice to have, but it’s not a big deal if I don’t. Friends, let’s let our work do the talking. ~ LYN: Who doesn’t know how to say nice things? Those are the basics, aren’t they?

bgm: Ice Paper - 夜泊秦淮 (Ye Po Qin Huai)

C: I learned. Thank you, laoshi. LYN: Are you an artist? If you aren’t then there’s no use in you learning this. Do you want to be celebrity??

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C: You have too many buttons. LYN: ... Okay. I’ll listen to you. Next time I’ll buy a shirt with a zipper. This shirt if full of buttons. If you think they’re too much, then from now on I’ll buy shirts with zippers. I think they exist- I’ve worn one before. LYN: Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. We are just a normal stream. I am a singer/actor. This can ONLY be a normal stream. Or are you telling me that you want to see something immoral in my VERY MORAL stream?? I see right through you. I’ve already turned of the gifting option, so there’s no paid content here. I don’t try to sell you products, either. There’s no way you’re seeing any paid content. C: No~ That’s not what we were intending. We’re just afraid that you’re hot. LYN: I have an air conditioner. It can make the room 1° in a second. I’ll turn it on blast. I don’t need you to worry. I’m not hot. Later I’m going to put on a down jacket.

C: You’re so hot that your face is protruding oil. LYN: This has nothing to do with the heat. I just have naturally oily skin. I even looked it up online: Is it bad to have oily skin? I went to look up the pros and cons. The con is that I am more likely to produce oils and accumulate sebum on my face. Now I have to advise you to use this very good selfie stick- lol. No, I’m not going to push any products on you. It’s just that if you produce too many facial oils, your pores are more likely to become blocked and get acne. But the pro is that you don’t appear to age as quickly. That’s just what I need. I only just started taking male lead roles in the past two years. I really hope I can film a few more. LYN: There were some people trying to advise me, “LYN, can you stop playing male lead roles? We can accept you playing second male lead, but not main.” I can’t make that promise. Because... I have oily skin. I want to make the most of it and shoot a few more male lead dramas while I can. Is that okay? Please, I’m begging you. Stop trying to talk me out of it. I can’t promise you on this, but maybe on other things. Like that person earlier who said that I had too many buttons- I promised them that next time I would wear a shirt with a zipper. But on not playing the male lead, I can’t promise. I’m sorry. I’m the type of person who can understand and consider everyone’s feelings, but your feelings are... not feelings but gutsy demands. [t/n: this is a play on words.] I can’t promise you.

LYN: I really did see a comment like that, though. “LYN, can you stop playing male leads? I can accept second male lead but not main. I can’t stand it. I’m throwing up.” /laughs/ When I see comments like that, friends, it makes me happy. Do you know why? This is the mindset and logic you should have in order to keep living. LYN: At the very beginning when I wanted to be a singer, people were telling me, “You’re just internet famous, what makes you think you can be a singer? What do you think you’re doing on stage competing with other singers? You’re just internet famous- go back to your streaming room.” After a few years, I’ve finally made it as a singer- something people acknowledge me as, and now I’ve gone into acting. People said, “Why are you acting? You’re just a singer- just do your jobs and sing your songs. You don’t know your limits. What are you doing trying to be an actor? Other people have studied for so many years at a performing arts school and can’t find a role. What are you, a singer, doing acting? That’s ridiculous. Just because you have some fans doesn’t mean you can be an actor.” Some time passes again. “Why are you acting as the male lead? Just stay the second male lead!” LYN: You know? Unreasonably, they are- step by step- continuing to acknowledge me. So the fact that they have already accepted me as an actor makes me very happy. LYN: No matter what industry you’re working in, you have to have a good mindset. You have to consider things from all sorts of points of view. You can’t make trouble. If you live thinking, “Why are they saying this about me? I only want to be a singer... /cries/” It won’t help you. No one will pity you. Friends, you have to learn this in your lives as well. Don’t complain. You can, but not all the time. There’s no use. Complaining all the time will only degrade you. You have to think about making a place for yourself. You have to use your brain. Make your words powerful. Move forward. Alright? - C: /tries to make a joke on the word “complain” (bào yuàn)/ LYN: You don’t perhaps think that you’re very funny, do you? I hope not.

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C: We’re listening to music now. LYN: Yeah. I’m your music DJ, Modern Brothers Xiao Ning.

C: How long will you stream until? LYN: I don’t know. I’ll just keep streaming and stop when I’m tired. I’ll continue to stream for now. My stream doesn’t really have specific content or fixed rules that state I have to promote something. But, I do want to recommend something to you... hold on. LYN: ! Attention, attention! We have some good news! Tomorrow, Modern Brothers Liu Yuning’s song “The Remaining Life (余生)” will be online. This song is the ending theme from the drama “Gone with the Rain” (微雨燕双飞). The broadcasting station- everyone listen up- is Youku! This song will be online tomorrow- I hope that when it’s up you all can take a listen. Thank you! ! LYN: That wasn’t too much, was it? But it’s true that I sang the OST and they paid me for it... My main thing is price:product ratio. We deal in after-sales services, here. Tomorrow the very good drama Gone with the Rain will be airing- please watch it. Back from the Brink is also still airing. If you haven’t checked that out yet, please do.

C: Promote all of your OSTs that way in the future. LYN: I’ve always promoted them this way. You must be new here. If you want to be able to get along with people in this industry, you have to know where you can fit into the ecosystem. For me, I am good with after-sales services. All of you are consumers. You might be looking for me to sing an OST, a platform, or brand. All of them are consumers. To a consumer, what is the most important aspect of a product? The first is good quality. The second is having something you can really make use of. The last is everything that comes after- the maintenance and upkeep. The after-sales services. As long as the after-sales is done right, and customer service is done right, you will always have good business. Remember that. C: Ning-ge, you’re a 4S shop now? LYN: I’m an OST shop. Mine is different from a $s shop- as long as you maintain upkeep everything is fine. But OSTs are a single-use thing. They don’t need upkeep. The OST doesn’t come back to me to change its engine oil or brakes. I don’t need to so anything after. It’s a single-use product that you can have for a lifetime. In terms of quality, it’s a treasure. I will definitely sing it to the best of my ability- as long as I can, I will but 110% into singing it. Secondly it’s single use, but it’s not as if you can keep listening to the song and then later think that it’s no good. I want to deliver a good price:product ratio, and you never have to worry about after-sales services here. LYN: My after-sales does not only include promotion of the song and drama during my streams, but also when I attend galas. That is, it’s entirely possible that this song will come up again during my performances. It will be repeatedly broadcast to everyone. This way, we can keep reminding people of the drama. Give them something to remember the drama by. That’s my price:product ratio.

C: How much is it to advertise? LYN: It’s free for the consumer. All after-sales is on my own dime. There’s not much expense that goes into it, I just spend a little more time talking. Honestly, it’s just money for toothpaste and toothbrush. XD Other than that, there are no other expenses. I don’t collect more fees.

C: What are your rates? LYN: I get paid for OSTs like this, friends. It’s calculated by- what’s it to you?? You’re inquiring about my worth, now? How amusing. LYN: I hate these types of people! The ones who don’t buy anything, but ask about the price first! How annoying! // If you’re not going to buy anything, don’t ask! If you’re going to buy something then just buy it. If you’re not, then why are you asking?? LYN: XD I don’t know why, suddenly I went crazy. But anyway, don’t ask- that’s a business secret, I can’t just tell you. But as to whether it’s expensive or not... I can only tell you, it’s not cheap. :)

C: A business secret? LYN: It’s not a secret. It’s just that my group and I have been working for such a long time together, plus the fact that I’m my own boss. For a lot of things, I don’t need to follow a set business practice. I’m not doing things to further my company- like accepting jobs in order to pay my employees. I haven’t reached that point because I don’t have many employees to begin with. It’s mostly just me- and I can do a lot of things at once. Like promotions- I can do 30% of the work on my own. That means I can afford to hire one person less, right? This applies to other parts of the business as well. We don’t need to accept any jobs I don’t want to in order to further development. LYN: When I get OSTs, it goes through this process: 1. What drama is it for?, 2. What platform is it airing on?, 3. I’ll listen to the demo. Of course, the song is always the most important but I have to understand the project first. If I like the song, I’ll accept. If I don’t like it, it doesn’t matter how much they offer. It has nothing to do with the money- if I don’t like it, I just won’t accept the job. The first step is never to ask about the price. I’ve encountered companies that started off like that, but I felt that approach is very... I don’t want to comment. For the most part, people usually do not ask about the price from the start. Usually it’s introducing the project and sending a song demo. If you like it, we’ll negotiate the price. If I don’t want to accept the job in the first place, there’s no point in asking how much they can offer me.

C: They’re afraid they can’t afford you. LYN: The investment in making a drama is very huge. At the least it’s tens of millions and at the most it’s a couple billion. They’re not lacking the funds. It’s not as if a single song will break the bank.

C: Then, do you have a discount for OSTs on 6/18? LYN: Do you need a discount for my OSTs? Oh my goodness... Okay, let’s do this. There might be some video production bosses in my stream now. I have a discount on OSTs on 6/18. If you buy 300RMB’s worth, you’ll get 20RMB off. Alright? If you want OSTs, please place your orders on 6/18. C: The second song half off. LYN: No, that’s not worth it. Each song is its own price. C: Buy 300RMB for 20% off. Can the discounts stack? LYN: So you mean, if a song were 600RMB instead of 300RMB? If it’s 300, you get 20 off, so if a song were 600, you’d get 40RMB off? Is that what you mean? You can do that. It stacks.

C: Ning-ge, don’t say any more. If you keep on, you’ll be at a loss. LYN: This friend is considering it from my point of view. That if I let the discount stack, then I would lose out. They’re looking out for me and letting me know I would lose profit, right? LYN: ~ Actually when I hear you say that, I’m touched. I think this friend is a really honest person. In such a chaotic world, you really need to cherish when you meet such a person. Even if I make good on my word and let you take 20RMB off of 300RMB on my OSTs, have you ever encountered such a sale in the real world... but the caveat is that they raised the original price? Then, in fact, though they are selling very many- it’s at even more expensive prices than usual, disguised as a sale. Of course, I wouldn’t do that to you. ~

- - - - - - - - - -

-- break #2 (no excuse, he just needs to use the restroom) LYN: You’re still commenting on this “spitting pies” effect, so I’ll change it for you. I have a “ghost story” effect, do you want to see it? :) LYN: But there are a lot of women in my stream, I’m afraid that they will be scared. If I put on this effect they might get so frightened they will cry. It needs to be paired with music so that you can feel the chill. Let’s play this. It’s not very frightening, don’t be scared. LYN: It’s not as scary as you think! If it’s too scary my weibo will be in violation. I’m an old streamer already, I understand this much better than you do. It can’t be too scary- no blood or jump-scares here. The “scary” I’m talking about is not the “scary” that you are thinking of. I was just exaggerating. You need only believe 20% of what I say. LYN: Alright. Three, two, one- - /error/ LYN: It’s not supported? Why is it telling me that?? Huh? What’s happening? LYN: Oh, well. It’s not supported. This is a flop. // ?? But I tested it out today and it was working?? /clicking around/ Oh, it’s this one. It’s not scary, though.

LYN: It wasn’t scary. C: What was that? Failing eyesight? // That was it? LYN: Friends, if you’re going to be like that then I’ll do a super scary one! I’ll make you cry in fright!! Friends, I’ll show you what is truly “terrifying”! Let’s do it, I’ll play a quieter song, otherwise the mood will be wrong. Friends. Three, two- I’ll let you see the scariest thing in the world! THree, two, one! - /error/ LYN: ?! “The special effect is unsupported.” /feeling stifled/ Okay, I found one equally as scary. Let’s try again. Three, two, one!

LYN: Sorry, it flopped. The stream doesn’t support the effect. Because this is on a horizontal screen. Next time if I’m streaming vertically, I’ll show you the terror. LYN: There are a lot of different ones I can use, though. /shows them off/

LYN: /laughs/ What IS THIS??? This one really IS terrifying. Oh my goodness...

- - - - - - - - - -

- /someone tells him he's trending, still. but only in the entertainment tab. he thanks everyone for the trending topic anyway./ LYN: I was wondering what you were talking about- I almost threw my phone. [t/n: bc they told him he was trending, but he couldn’t find it on the main page. XD]

LYN: I feel like my face is very bright. Maybe this is TOO MUCH oil. Let me find some blotting paper. This is too much. I know we were talking about oily skin types earlier but this is too much- I look greasy. LYN: Is it better now? Not as greasy? C: Ning-ge, that’s called dewy skin. LYN: No, it’s just grease. That’s how you can tell a household is wealthy. I remember a story I was told when I was little. There was someone very poor, who wanted to pass themselves off as wealthy. They would take a piece of pork lard and rub it on their face before they went out. When they went out, they could say that they had just eaten. It would make it seem as if the household was wealthy enough to eat meat. I am like that, too.

C: You haven’t changed the special effect. LYN: It’s alright. This one is plenty scary enough.

C: Ning-ge, you’ve played this song so much I know how to sing it. LYN: Come here and sing it, then. Sing. Come on, sing! I thought you knew how?? I gave you the mic, but you can’t sing it, huh. C: Connect the mic. LYN: Er... /shaky sigh/ Connecting the mic... uh... The thing is weibo streaming is not as complete on desktop. If I were streaming from my phone, we could connect- it has that capability- but the desktop doesn’t. If one day I stream from my phone, I’ll spend that whole day connecting the mic with you all. We’ll chat. We can give it a try.

C: Is that a pie, too? LYN: It’s not a pie! It’s just because when I was connecting with people before, they didn’t want to. I didn’t see the harm in it, I just wanted to get some interaction, to play. I wanted to be different from others. We can chat and communicate, because I see people connecting mics often. It’s an effect of streaming and a mood maker. There’s no reason why we can’t. But the prerequisite is that I have to connect with a “normal” person. Otherwise, it’s quite fun. Even if you aren’t my fan, you can come chat with me. It’ll make the stream more meaningful. If I happen to accidentally connect with an anti, like the type who want to curse me out- no, not those- like the kind who wants to back-talk me. I really hope I can meet someone like that. We can chat. I want to see if I can win over them, and make them my fan. LYN: I’m someone who’s really good at arguing. /laughs/ Back when I was working in the restaurant if colleagues were fighting or talking about some logic, I was amazing. It was like a debate- I could lay out all the logic for them. But it’s been many years since I last dared to fight with someone. I want to test if I am still able to. Of course, not the type of fighting by cursing, but teaching you a lesson within the realm of reason.

C: Have your skills regressed? LYN: I think they have. Because at this point a lot of things don’t matter anymore- it doesn’t matter if I win or lose. Not to say that it’s not important... it’s very unimportant. If it doesn’t concern me directly, I don’t see the need to make it a focus for my attention. There’s no meaning in that. Sometimes I might mention a topic in passing during my stream- and that’s only because they became a topic of conversation. Otherwise what else would I talk to you about? You can say that I look young. I say thank you. Then what else? LYN: I’ll talk about a lot of things during my streams, but not because I care about them- though there ARE the ones I DO care about... It’s just because they become a topic for conversation. I can turn them into jokes and tell you about them during my stream. You find it interesting, and we can have a common ground.

C: Ge, you’re trending. LYN: Someone already told me. Entertainment, #31. It’s alright. Let’s be low-key. You don’t need to promote it. Being #31 on the Entertainment Tab means that people can get jealous. (sarcasm)

LYN: Let me go grab something to drink. I left earlier and saw someone say, “I can see the princess chair again!” LYN: I’m back. I told you before, this is part of a set of chairs at the dinner table and I grabbed this one to sit on. This is a rented house, so this is all the original furniture.

LYN: Drinking coffee at this time of night is okay, right? C: You’re not going to be able to sleep. LYN: No, it’s because when you talk too much there’s too much information and it jumbles my thinking. Drinking coffee will help me focus. You’ll notice that many people do their work in a coffee shop. Did you think that they had no place else to work? There is that possibility, of course. But it’s more because the coffee can help them focus. I have to stream, so I need to focus. C: It doesn’t look like coffee though? LYN: What does it look like then, herbal medicine? I don’t have enough energy to stream, so I need to drink herbal medicine to supplement my stamina? Shan yao, dang gui, and goji?

C: Ning-ge, are your glasses magnifying? LYN: /sigh/ Do you mean to say that my eyes are so small that I’ve purposely replaced the lenses with something that will magnify and make my eyes look bigger, as a sort of physical beauty filter? To make my eyes look bigger? Is that what you mean? I can make my eyes big- they’re not always small. /opens his eyes wider/ Are they small? No. LYN: I’ve worn these glasses today to go with the rest of my outfit. It’s not because I’ve replaced them with magnifying lenses to make my eyes look bigger. That’s hurtful. You’ve hurt me. :( LYN: See, who ISN’T cyber-bullied? I was just streaming, doing nothing- not trying to sell you anything or take your money- and I’ve still been cyber-bullied. They made fun of me and said my eyes are small. Friends, cyber-bullying is a real and scary thing. I’m not kidding. LYN: ! You’re laughing?? It makes me want to sing a song... “You’ve hurt me and played it off with a laugh.” I told you it hurt me, and you’re laughing?? -- 一笑而过 (Laugh it Off) [Na Ying] C: Sing it. LYN: I want to sing something different. I want to sing something more tender. Something that can promote love. Promote positive feelings. Let’s do it.

C: Ning-ge, what is the correct way to address cyber-bullying? LYN: For this, you should go baidu it. I can’t give you a proper answer. Everyone faces it differently. I don’t have the correct answer, but I still think you need to become stronger. If you become stronger, you won’t consider it as bullying. Let’s say you’re learning martial arts and are at the top of the game and someone punches you- you’ll think nothing of it. But if you are someone who does not work out at all and someone punches you- you’re going to get knocked out. But these punches carry the same amount of force. I can’t give you a correct answer, because this depends from person to person. The only thing I can tell you is to make your heart/mind stronger. For all else, abide by the law.

-- 這世界那麼多人 (Empty World) [Karen Mok] C: So gentle you don’t seem like yourself. LYN: Do you know why I was so gentle? Because this song is in the female key. So I could only sing it an octave lower. I can’t not be gentle. If I weren’t then I wouldn’t be able to sing the song. LYN: “So gentle you don’t seem like yourself”... so does that mean that usually in your eyes I am very... callous? No, right? I still LOOK upstanding though, right?

LYN: I used to listen to very loud or noisy songs. But lately I feel I enjoy listening to slow songs more. I imagine I have a glass of red wine, just sitting there listening to slow songs. I can’t say I’m emo, but I am in a very comfortable state. That’s a different way to relax. C: That means you’ve gotten older. LYN: /laughs/ I like listening to slow and gentle songs and that means I’m getting older?? What are you talking about? The songs I’m talking about are MBY’s. Not only have you offended me, you’ve offended everyone who listen to his songs. Let me sing one of his. I didn’t go to his concert for nothing; I came back having learned a song. LYN: What does “No lyrics yet” mean??? MBY, as a singer, is popular enough (to have lyrics) isn’t he? What else do you want?? How can you tell me you don’t have the lyrics? // It’s because I’ve selected the arrangement and since that’s the case the program can’t find the lyrics. LYN: tsk. /sigh/ Fine, I'll find the lyrics on my phone. C: Ning-ge, didn’t you say you learned it? LYN: That doesn’t mean I have to REMEMBER THE LYRICS, though?? What I meant by “learned” is that I learned the melody. I learned the melody, not how to recite the song. LYN: The lyrics: “Every morning I wake up naturally at 7:30a. The wind chimes are ringing and the clouds are light.” He wrote his own lyrics, too. How well written! -- 平凡的一天 (Ordinary Day) [Mao Buyi] LYN: It’s not because I’m getting old. Just sometimes I think that a nice and quiet song is good to listen to. Of course, I still like those noisy and loud songs. They just give a different feeling.

C: Sing one of Xue Zhiqian’s. LYN: Do I have to sing a song from all the popular male artists now? XZQ... I really don’t know his newer songs... /ning-ge.jpg/ Also all of his songs are very difficult to sing. I’m afraid to insult his works. Let me search. I’ll sing something for fun. Everything I sing during my streams are for fun. -- 我好像在哪見過你 (I Seem to Have Seen You Somewhere) [Xue Zhiqian] LYN: /shakes his head, no/ I don’t know this one. I’ve heard it before, though. It’s been such a long time since I last sang one of his songs. I used to all the time. I really like him. But it’s been a long time... Let me find an old song that I still remember. -- 方圆几里 (Within a Few Miles) LYN: I think I can do this one. C: 刚刚好 (Just Right) LYN: Let me listen. I used to be able to sing this, but I’ve forgotten now... // I know this one. I’ll sing it. -- 刚刚好 (Just Right) (Take 1) - /sings the first couple of lines/ LYN: Oh, this song! I was bragging to you earlier that I had improved, but I actually forgot a song I used to know before! Excuse me. I’ve sung this before, on a show. Let’s try that again. -- 刚刚好 (Just Right) (Take 2) LYN: It’s been such a long time since I sang this song. I suddenly remembered that I’ve sung it before. So... oh. But it’s already been 5 years since then. Thank you, XZQ-laoshi.

C: I’m dizzy now because of your swaying. LYN: If you’re going to say that, then I have no choice but to turn your words back on you. You’re getting old. What if one day we meet up at an amusement park. If you’re already dizzy after this bit of swaying, then you won’t be able to enjoy any rides with me. Your ticket will go to waste.

LYN: Now let’s find one of Zhou Shen-laoshi’s songs. I said in a stream before, that I would never sing one of ZS or Wu Qingfeng’s songs again. Their songs, to me, have it out for my life. I really can’t sing them. We don’t sing the same type of songs. I really can’t do it. But today, I want to give it a try. Friends, wait for me. I’ll go to the restroom and come back and then find a song to fight for my life with. I’ll find a very high song and lower it an octave to sing. - /singing Big Fish, but kinda scarily XD/ LYN: He’s singing about big fish in the ocean, but we’re talking about fish in the deep sea. He’s on top of the water, but I’m on the ocean floor. Where there are lantern fish. Deep pressure.

LYN: Let me play a video for you. I think I’m running out. I don’t have any new ones to play for you. Later I’ll download some more. Make do for now. Wait for me. -- break #3

- - - - - - - - - -

LYN: Alright, I’m back. C: Sing one of WQF’s. LYN: Later I’ll pick one to try. Of course, I did see the comment telling me to sing my own songs. I’ll sing them, but I’m sure that my fans always hear my songs and are used to them. The other thing is, I just sing for fun in my streams. I’m not here to show off myself. I’m not here trying to gain OST work by showing you what I’ve got. My stream is here for company. I want to sing, play, and chat with you. That’s all there is to it. You don’t need to make it too complicated. No matter whose songs I sing, it’s a show of respect, right? It proves that I listen to and like their songs. Right? I’m paying my respects. The original will always be yyds, of course. So.. this is just for entertainment. LYN: Keep me company. It’s a... Tuesday night. We can play and have some fun. Let me find one of ZS’s songs... I’ll see if it has a track. -- 光亮 (Silver Lining) LYN: /misses the timing to start/ Is it really in such a high key?? This is too high, isn’t it? I was listening to the beginning chords and going over the key in my head. It’s already... up high. // Let me try lowering it an octave. LYN: ... LYN: How about this- for the places I CAN sing in the normal key, I will. Once it gets too high I’ll switch to a lower octave. This is one method... Let’s try. -- 光亮 (Silver Lining)

C: WQF-laoshi. LYN: I’m honestly a little afraid.

C: Then, Zhang Jie-laoshi’s. LYN: All of his songs pretty such send me to the grave. His high notes are really so high. High notes are not my main thing. My main thing is the /starts singing the more rock-genre ‘爷们要战斗 (Men Fight)’/ Me and high notes go in opposite directions. LYN: 最美的太阳 (Most Beautiful Sun). Let me try it. // There’s no track for it. In this case... his copyrights are tight. C: 天下 (The World) LYN: Didn’t I sing that last time and my voice cracked? I can’t do it all. Remember, it went to my head? Someone had requested it the last time and, not knowing my limits, I tried. It got me worked up. I’ll try it. I’ll sing you a part of it. When it gets too much, I’ll stop. -- 天下 (The World) /stops right before the chorus/ C: Keep going! LYN: Uh.. it seems like you’re cheering me on. I just felt a sliver of support, then. LYN: Friends, there’s a saying that goes “见好就收” (quit while you’re ahead). People can’t be too greedy. If you continue... C: Lower it an octave. LYN: /laughs/ - /picks it up at the chorus; he did it!/ LYN: It goes straight to my head. I got worked up again. C: It’s okay. You can do it. LYN: Honestly, I CAN sing this song now. I just didn’t do it well, because I wanted to show you a comedy. Someone just cheered me on, again. Let me see if I can push through and get this song finished. - /finishes it up/ LYN: I did my best.

LYN: Men- we always try to look tough. But we all know who’s really suffering, don’t we?

C: Sing it through from the start. LYN: I really can’t stand when people cheer me on. If you’re going to be like that, then I’m going to stop streaming. I’m going to sleep. Stop provoking me.

C: Can you see the comments clearly? LYN: I can. Do you think I’ve sung so much that I’m lacking oxygen and can’t see clearly? No, I’m fine.

C: Ning-ge, 左手指月 (Upwards to The Moon). LYN: HAHAHAHAHA. Upwards to the Moon? Um.. .why don’t I just take my head off and give it to you? You’re asking for my life here, aren’t you? I’ll just give it to you. Is that not enough?? My head is yours. Upwards to the Moon... C: Ning-ge, let’s do an octave lower. LYN: You saw right through me. -- 左手指月 (Upwards to The Moon) LYN: Friends, here’s an interesting thing. I can’t even sing it with it lowered an octave. I can’t even sing it on a lower octave. Think about the concept of that. Let me try again. If nothing else, I’ll go all out. - /tries again/ LYN: This song hurts. Singing this song makes me feel like I hurt a lot. It’s not a physical pain, but a mental pain. Ahhh~~! Just these few words- you feel an inexplicable pain. LYN: Very painful. Excruciating pain. LYN: Alright, it;s not worth it. Let’s forget it. C: Bro, forget it. LYN: Are you calling me out?! LYN: I really don’t need to do this to myself. It’s enough already.

C: Ning-ge, you still have to record for your album tomorrow. LYN: Tomorrow... I’m not recording for my album. I have other work, tomorrow.

C: A Mayday song. LYN: Let me see if there’s a track. -- 夜訪吸血鬼 (Interview with the Vampire) LYN: This accompaniment is too noisy. :| But I really like this song. - /thinks of a different song/ -- 你不是真正的快樂 (You Are Not Truly Happy) LYN: I don’t really know it. So... I’ll stop singing it. C: Watching you sing this makes me really happy. LYN: I am very happy, but You Are Not Truly Happy.

LYN: I see you spamming “十年人间” (Shi Nian Ren Jian/DMBJ), but I really don’t know how to sing that song. I’ve heard it, but I don’t know how to sing it. Maybe if there’s a chance the next time I’ll sing it, then.

C: 黑夜一束光 (Praying) LYN: I won’t sing it now because I’ll have a performance in a few days that I’ll be singing it at. In order to leave you with some sense of “freshness”, I’ll save it for my performance. LYN: I’ve gone through all my songs and none of them really have that bright/positive feeling. I’ve mostly sung OSTs, so the majority are emotional songs. Those songs aren’t suitable to sing for particular occasions. I wouldn’t sing “你說愛情啊 (You Say Love)” at a school. Would I be encouraging them to start dating?? That’s not very uplifting. I’ll go to a school and sing 余生只想握紧你的手 (I Want to Hold Your Hand for the Rest of My Life)?? LYN: 意气趁年少 (Be Earnest While You’re Young) will work. It’s more positive, because it centers around learning. There’s a youthful feel, too. -- 意气趁年少 (Be Earnest While You’re Young)

C: Sing 初升 (Rising). LYN: I really haven’t sung this one before. Let me see if there’s a track. // There isn’t. /searches again/ There is. I’ve never sung it live before. Let me give it a try. If I crack then it does not represent my real ability- because this is my own song. -- 初升 (Rising) [Gen Z OST] C: You’ve crushed the original singer. LYN: Em, that’s overpraise. I AM the original singer. This is the theme song for the drama Gen Z. It’s a character song, and my first time singing it live.

- - - - - - - - - -

C: 云字诀 (Yun Zi Jue). LYN: I might not be able to sing it in my current condition. /searches for the track/ I can sing you MXT’s version? Oh, it’s the same version. Then, I’ll sing it. -- 云字诀 (Yun Zi Jue) [The Ingenious One OST] - /messes it up. starts over with the excuse he didn’t turn on the special sound effects/ LYN: Later I need to find someone to get these pictures on Kugou Music changed. What IS THIS??

LYN: I’ve already done Thermage treatment and don’t look like this anymore. ^

LYN: Change this picture out. What the heck. Look at these beady and small eyes and eyeliner. I can’t stand it. ^

LYN: This one’s okay. It looks like this fellow is emo. He’s a little depressed. Look at his eyes, full of gloom. His face is chubby, too. ^

LYN: Look at this. This is worse. Look at how big this face is. Oh, my goodness. He looks so bloated. Is your name “Liu Fu Zhong”?? Look at this face. ^

LYN: This one is okay. This one is good. He’s got a good jawline. This one doesn’t look as bad. It’s good. ^

LYN: This is from my concert three years ago. I’m waiting for the audience, looking worried that I won’t have many fans in attendance. ^

LYN: This one was taken in the early days, when I was in a better condition. We took a whole set of “business” photos. ^

LYN: Look at this one. This one doesn’t want to live anymore. Pretending to be depressed, using his hand to hold up his head. In reality, the head is empty. Look at this guy- head empty. ^

LYN: This one is okay. It’s more recent. I look a little more lively, at least. You can see just a little bit of handsomeness on this face. ^

LYN: This is also more recent. But at that time I was a little chubby. Look at this big face. It’s even this big AFTER the picture was shopped. Think about what it would look like if it weren’t?? ^

LYN: THIS you can say was when I was at my peak visuals. I took this photo as part of a set for a magazine; there was also a video. This was probably the peak of my visuals. I took these when The Long Ballad was airing. ^

LYN: This is okay. Also more recent. Golden-haired. The Disney look. It was pretty lively. ^

LYN: There’s no problem with this one. I think it’s okay. This was a while ago. You can see- his eyes are different. There’s something there. ^

LYN: This one’s a fool. /laughs/ Look at this fool. Look at these eyes. They sure are open wide. Open but soulless. This guy doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. ^

LYN: This is- kind/a little foolish with a side of wandering. He looks youthful, with hopes for the future. ^

LYN: This one is.. more mature. This was taken for the Jiangsu New Year’s event. You can say I was a mature artist by then. I do have eyeliner here, but not as “deadening”. ^

LYN: This one is.. pretending to be young. This should have been for the New Year.. otherwise I wouldn’t be wearing red. But I did look more refined. ^

LYN: This one... has some after-editing. Why do these just keep scrolling? This one is quite nice, though. Curly hair. Hong Kong-style. (?) ^

LYN: This one... he has a stick! Pretending to be Sun Wukong, or what?? At this point, he already has the eyes of an actor. They’re not like the one before, with nothing in them. ^

LYN: This is... over-edited. It’s.. too much. ^

LYN: This one was not too long ago! I look a little... chubbier, here. Look at this baozi-face. ^ LYN: Oh, we came back around. This is the worst one (the first one). LYN: Alright. LYN: /sigh/ LYN: Let’s sing a song. It’s called 云字诀 (Yun Zi Jue). -- 云字诀 (Yun Zi Jue) [The Ingenious One OST] [The Ingenious One OST] LYN: Thanks, everyone. This song is quite nice. I pretty much liked it after my first listen.

- - - - - - - - - -

C: I want to hear a Cantonese song. LYN: Don’t rush. Ehm... hold on a minute. Let me go grab something more to drink. I’ll sing for you after I come back. I’m running out of videos to show you, though. Because honestly this stream is running a bit long. I don’t have enough. You can watch it again. Wait for me while I get some water. -- break #3.5 LYN: I’m back. Hold on, hold on. Let me find a song... (Stay with Me)

C: Where’s Daimi? LYN: She’s sleeping, don’t disturb her. She doesn’t have any schedule today. Let’s not disturb her. Let her sleep. Later, when she wakes up, I’ll call her over.

C: Did you see the ZY wrap trailer? LYN: What are you talking about? Of course I saw it. I acted in it, would I not go watch it? I’ve seen all the trailers for things I’ve acted in. It’s nice. I think in a few days there’ll be... no, never mind. I was just going to say there would be more content out in a short while. It’s a drama we spent several months working on, so I hope you can take a look when it comes out. LYN: Of course, YNGS as well- you have to watch. - /recites his lines from the trailer/ LYN: I remember it, because I only have so many. C: I support Ning Yuanzhou being abducted by aliens in the end. LYN: Have to taken a peek at the script? I admit it- at the end NYZ is taken away by aliens. The ending is a big suspense. He’s fighting with someone and in the very end, when it looks like he is about to win, a flash of light crosses the sky. A UFO appears and takes NYZ away. Why does it end like this? In preparation for a second season. The first part is called “Yi Nian Guan Shan”; the second part is called “Yi Nian Kai He”. Close (Guan) to Open (Kai). Mountain (Shan) to River (He). In the second season called YNKH- the UFO comes back in the first episode. NYZ has amnesia. C: “Er Nian Guan Shan” is easier to remember. C: “Yi Nian Guan Si”. LYN: What is that?? If the first part is called “Yi Nian Guan Shan”, then the second should be “Er Nian Guan Shan.” The third part is “San Nian Guan Shan”. If we make it all the way to season 11, would it be called “Shi Yi Nian Guan Shan”? LYN: We should call it “Yi Nian Guan Qi” (Guan Qi, the character from SYXSSYX, who was “abducted by aliens”). C: Negotiating more scenes for yourself in a second season? LYN: No- our screenwriter is Zhang Wei-laoshi. She likes to use people’s names, and she has her own “Zhang Wei Universe.” I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s just that a lot of her male characters across stories have a connection to each other. The detailed people will have found out. If you watch her dramas you’ll find that some names appear across the universes. For example our drama will mention the name of a character in a different one of her dramas. What was the name of the male lead in A Dream of Splendor? I think it was Gu Qianfan, right? In this drama, my name is Yuanzhou. Qianfan and Yuanzhou- don’t you think there has to be some relation there? [t/n: part of a common saying] LYN: We’re all part of Zhang Wei-laoshi’s written universe. It’s possible that when she writes a script in the future, there will be a character called Ning Yuanzhou in it. The other day she posted something to her friend circle- I think it might have been at the wrap party and she complimented me! I forgot exactly what she said, at the time I had a bit to drink. But I promised her that if he character Ning Yuanzhou ever showed up in another one of her works, I wouldn’t just let it be a name on a page- I would come to act for her. I would cameo for her, as long as she continues to write and write about NYZ. - /fan makes a side comment asking about how much he drank.how many dishes he has to eat/ LYN: So, friends. Don’t think that I am being unfair only to you. Because I don’t exclusively makes “pies” for you, either. I have nothing against you, that I make “empty promises”. Don’t assume that just because ZW-laoshi is a very amazing screenwriter that I won’t make “pies” for her, too. No- all are treated equal. // After this story, do you feel more at ease? I’m not only like this to you. I make pies for other laoshis to eat, too. XD LYN: But if she ever comes to look for me, I really do have to go. How could I not?? But... I’ll probably have something else going on when that time comes. I might have something else to do... but it’s not for sure! If she asks me, I have to make the time. I have to make good on my promise.

C: You drank four cans already. LYN: It’s not four. I probably have more... Oh. It is four! You got me. Four, and a can of coffee. LYN: Why are you keeping track of how many cans I’m drinking?? Are you going to take these to recycle? Should I mail them to you? C: You’ll get water swollen. LYN: What are you talking about? It’s a food thing to drink plenty of water. I don’t care about being bloated; I’m not going to be on camera tomorrow anyway. It’s fine. C: Give me the cans. I’ll sell them for money. LYN: Okay. Pay the postage yourself. I’ll send you these four cans, but pay the postage. C: The sugar content is high. LYN: No- this is just carbonated water. There’s no sugar/flavor. It’s just water.

C: The rising star of 2023- is that you? LYN: What an interesting question. I don’t get what you mean. From your language, I hear a story. That is, one day, you were surfing the internet when you inexplicably came across a fortune telling stream. The host posted an article that read, “In 2023, in this industry, there will be a rising star. A superstar will appear in the year of 2023.” They might have seen something like that, Am I right? Isn’t this story very complete? I extrapolated it out of just a few words. They probably saw someone post something like that. And then, in that moment, they thought that this prediction was describing me. They saw me streaming and they thought that they could see a purple aura from me. LYN: Look, I have lights here. So this friend thought, “Is it you?” Here’s the thing- I hope it is. If you ask me, of course I would hope its about me. Everyone wants to climb to the peak, right? But I’m guessing this “rising star” isn’t me. There are all sorts of highly skilled people are are just on the verge of popularity- why don’t you go ask them? It’s probably not me. You can go and ask them. I’m not- go ask someone else. LYN: I want to keep both feet on the ground, because I’m tall. If I climb too fast it might be too unstable. I’ll keep both feet on the floor- take it one step at a time to try one thing after another. I want to accumulate my viewers and their interests, and accumulate my own experience. That’s my path. Let’s not mess with any “rising stars.” LYN: Many stars pass in the blink of an eye. They’re shooting stars. So.. I don’t want to be a star. I’ll be... a little white rabbit. LYN: Now I want to gift you with a nice song. -- 感覺自己是巨星 (Think I’m a Superstar) [Mao Buyi] LYN: /to the tune of the song/ ~ Superstar, superstar we love you. Quickly, listen to us give you “rainbow farts” (excessive compliments). In our eyes, you’re the youngest. ~ LYN: So, friends. I would like to bear witness to exactly who this “rising star” is together with you. Who will it be? Let’s anticipate it! I’m also very curious! Let’s find out who it will be.

- - - - - - - - - -

- /Daimi barking/ LYN: Why are you being so mean? What do you have to be angry about? LYN: She’s awake. - /gives her the mic/ LYN: Weren’t you barking earlier? Come on, say something. Sing.

C: The rising star is Daimi. LYN: Are you talking about her? Let’s hope so. LYN: Once I said “rising star” she got angry- I mean- she woke up. I hope my female artist can be popular.

- /Daimi, licking his arm/ LYN: Enough of that! She keeps licking me. -/Daimi tries to lick him again/ LYN: ! Do you want me to stop streaming? You’re trying to get me to stop, is that it? Okay, I understand. Sorry, friends. I need to stop streaming now because Daimi was pushing my hand away. She doesn’t want me to stream anymore. She doesn’t want me to stream- she’s about to eat my mouse. - /Daimi tries to lick his hand again/ LYN: Tsk. That’s enough... - /makes her wave/

- /dancing/ - /promptly puts her on the floor/ LYN: /to Daimi/ Go play, go play. Don’t bother me. It’s time to work.

- - - - - - - - - -

C: Ning-ge, could you wish me well on my exam? LYN: Of course I can. I hope that tomorrow, or all of this week- everyone who is preparing to take the NCEE is in good spirits and can have a good result. Let’s amaze the world with one brilliant feat and reach for the stars. - /had said the proverb wrong, initially/ LYN: Excuse me. See- this is what an uncultured person will do. They’ll say the wrong thing. People who haven’t taken the NCEE will mis-read the phrasing. - /makes up for it by saying a bunch more (correctly)/

C: Ning-ge, could you bless me with passing the 16th level (?)? LYN: Am I a tortoise? Is my stream a wishing well? And I am the tortoise in that pond? You’ve come to me with your wishes? Then, why aren’t you throwing me any money? You should at least leave an offering, before making a wish. This is just... forceful wishing. What you’re doing is taking game money to throw into the pond, to trick me. LYN: I’m sure you’ll pass. Do well on the test! LYN: In order to become the “Rising Star of 2023″ like mentioned earlier, from now on I will change my name. I’ll be Liu Ziwei. Don’t call me Liu Yuning anymore. From now on I will be known as Liu Ziwei.

LYN: Friends, how many of you are watching my stream for the first time? How may of you are first-timers? If this is your first time watching or if you don’t watch often, you can subscribe to my weibo. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. Here’s the thing with my streams- most of the time I’m speaking nonsense. Don’t take anything to heart and don’t fall for any tricks. If you take this too seriously then it becomes meaningless. That just proves that you are too innocent. Only believe about 20% of what I say here. Most of the time I will use an amusing or joking delivery to communicate with my fans and make the people who maybe don’t necessarily hate me stay a while. Just listen to my stream for entertainment. Don’t fall for what I say. Okay? I’m not capable of teaching you any lessons or opinions. Just listen for entertainment. C: Before you told us to believe 30% of what you said. How did it dwindle to only 20%? LYN: /sigh/ It used to be that I wasn’t very strict with what I said, so it ended up that people had a lot to hold against me. I was ridiculed for my words. Though it might not have been my intention, I was honestly too careless with what I said. So now my game plan is to say more nonsense and avoid more... sensitive topics. It’s fine as long as you are okay and I am okay, and everyone is happy.

C: Will you sing a Cantonese song? LYN: I don’t know very many. Let me sing this for you. -- 无赖 (Rascal) [Ronald Cheng] LYN: Listen for entertainment. I’m a North-easterner, after all. My Cantonese is very poor. I know that. So.. it’s for fun. Someone earlier said “You’re Cantonese is skewing!” I don’t know what they meant by that, but probably that my pronunciation was off. It’s alright.

LYN: Let me think... what other Cantonese songs do I know? What else do I know...? C: Once you start speaking the Dongbei dialect comes out. LYN: What else did you expect?

C: I’m a Cantonese person. I can say, it sounded very nice! LYN: You really are clever at speaking. “I’m a Cantonese person, I can say it sounded very nice... but it wasn’t accurate.”

C: First Love. LYN: Oh~ -- 初恋 (First Love)

C: I’m going to throw up. (bc of the video and swaying) LYN: Your age...? Forget about you- I’M a little nauseous. LYN: Is my stream over-trying to be cool? It’s slightly over. LYN: This is too eye-searing, yeah? Okay. Let’s stick with this effect for the... “middle-aged”.

LYN: I thought of a song just now. I REALLY really like it. -- 一生所爱 (Lifelong Love) LYN: If there’s a chance later I’ll sing it properly for you. I don’t really have much strength left, today.

- /Daimi barks/ LYN: :| What are you barking at?

-- 倩女幽魂 (A Chinese Ghost Story)

LYN: That’s about it. It’s about time, friends. Thank you for keeping me company and for your support. I told you I would stream until you threw up. In terms of length, today’s stream didn’t let you down, did it? I accidentally saw a little earlier, how long I’ve streamed for. Right now it’s... four hours and thirty-five minutes. C: Don’t go! Don’t! LYN: I’ve been streaming for four and a half hours. That’s not a small amount. If i keep streaming /I’M/ going to throw up. You’re over there lying on your bed and snacking on melon seeds, but I’ve been over here yelling and singing, moving my mouth for four and a half hours! Now you’re telling me you don’t want me to go?? I’m going to throw up! I’m not streaming until you throw up, I’m streaming until /I/ feel like throwing up, now. Do you think you’re the only one who sees that violently shaking video and gets dizzy? I get dizzy too! I’m older in age- you all know that. C: You still turn it on, even though it makes you dizzy? LYN: I just wanted to give you the best experience in such a simple stream, didn’t I?? I didn’t want you to feel like I was just sitting in a room. I wanted to give you some stage effects, so that you can immerse yourself. I do this all so you can feel included- even this laugh sound. It’s all so you can immerse yourself in this room and the mood. Even though I’ve made myself nauseous- I still have to power through and stream for you. It’s all for the immersive experience, is that not enough??

LYN: It’s about time. If you still haven’t subscribed to my weibo, please do so. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. I thank you all for keeping me company and for watching my stream. Even if you’ve only been watching for thirty minutes or if you’ve been here from the start. I thank you. I hope to see you in the next one, alright? I hope you had a relaxing, wonderful, and happy night. It was great to have you and I hope you had fun. See you next time! Goodnight, everyone!

#Liu Yuning #lyn livestream #(4:40:00)#album/concert chat #entertainment industry observation #new hobby?#dogs chat #laughing in the face of antis #osts and pricing #playing with filters #some singing #including zs's 光亮 #!#左手指月 (Upwards to the Moon)#HAHAH #lyn's biggest anti is himself #daimi time #[i forgot how to Chinese???]#[it's been a long two weeks friends]

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luckyshotwrites · 9 months

Text

Ch. 84 // I'm Thankful For... // Day 58

Contents (Warnings): The Paytons and Clemente's get together for thanksgiving! (slight angst, vore mentions, character and monster info as always). Read full chapter on A03

Wordcount: 5,000 +

Song I correlate to this Chapter: The Forsaken Waltz - Joshua Kyan Aalampour

Side note: This chapter will be in the usual format again, Lynette first person and everyone else third person. I apologize for the confusion!

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(Nov. 24th, Thursday)

Wicks

He sat back on Lynette's bed, waiting for his sister to leave her bathroom.

His eyes idly traced the ceiling stars and new planet editions. A pleasant memory of when they were kids entered his head. Her walls used to be cluttered with boy band posters and her favorite movies or games.

Now everything was much neater. Lynette got rid of a lot of her stuff in the move, besides the Japanese comic books he always forgot the name of, favorite movies, and some of her old art or treasured, very worn stuffed animals.

His head tilted down after hearing the click of the door lock. Lynette walked out, wearing the outfit he picked. The boots were a faint brown that went up to her knees, and a white, comfortable, fuzzy dress coming down mid-thigh.

However...she wore every single option of a cover he brought her. He knew Lynette got cold easily, but she put ALL of them on. The poncho, jacket, and small sweater.

"I said pick one." Wicks muttered to her top half.

She twirled around, "I think I look gre-" She cut off after the twirl to ensure her hat, darker than her boots, didn't fall off. "Great like this!"

"You're going to overheat," Wicks said, pushing off the covers of her unmade bed.

"Will not," Lynette protested. Wicks could see she was already sweating. Then again, she did add extra volume to her light curls with a hot iron.

"Lentils," Wicks sternly said. Lynette threw him the cutesy puppy dog look he always fell for. Something Garter knew was his weakness, too. "I won't have Mom yell at me about it later."

Lynette dropped her shoulders and did a fake kicking-the-ground gesture.

"You aren't guilt-tripping me, you punk!" Wicks pointed up at her. His voice was very close to giving in.

She burst into a fit of giggles, "Okay, I'll go with the poncho because it's like a blanket." She walked to Wicks and took off the poncho.

He held its soft plaid and triangle fabric. She went to her closet to hang up the jacket and sweater. Wicks watched her hair bounce with every step.

He touched the top of his head and the bun in the back. He wasn't used to wearing his coffee-colored hair like that. It would be nice to wear my hair down. He rarely wore it down unless he was going to bed or lazing around the apartment.

He slipped one of his bangs out and let it rest on his face. He'd have it to play with at a later date.

Lynette returned to him, retrieved the poncho, and then smirked at the chunk of his bangs he brought down. "Lookin' good."

Wicks couldn't contain his smile. "I wouldn't tease me if I was you."

"Oh yeah?" Lynette looked up mischievously.

The urge to exert his superior height grew stronger. Standing over Lynette, he simply lifted his hand over her head, threatening to ruffle it.

Lynette's playful smile soon filled with fear, "Wait, no, WICKS!" She quickly put her hands over her head and jogged out of the room and away. "Don't you dare, it's gotta survive the ride there and the party!"

He took that as an invitation to pursue her, threatening to "get her."

...

Wicks

Wicks was driving Lynette and himself to the party. Another cabin in the middle of the woods.

It's going to be weird to have another family there. Wicks thought. He narrowed his eyes on the ground. If I read his mind and he thinks about eating you JUST ONCE... Wicks grumbled, "pendejo."

Lynette stopped fiddling with the buckle of her purse. "I'm gonna tell Madre."

"It wasn't at anyone." Wicks lied.

Lynette knew. "It's about this party, isn't it?"

Wicks sighed. They were almost there. "Maybe a little."

"It'll be okay," Lynette patted his arm.

I'm worried for you.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Hmmm," Her voice hummed with closed lips. Wicks caught her glance, "Yeah." Her hands fell from her bag, "I still feel...nervous." Her fingers started to play with the ends of her dress. "I never got the chance to apologize to Padre, Charletta, and most importantly, Madre."

Wicks rubbed his thumb on the steering wheel, "we expected worse. We thought you might leave forever..." The pain started to swell with each breath. I'm still scared of how you might react if I told you everything. "You're not-"

Lynette leaned forward in her seatbelt, her tone sternly replied. "I don't care how big or small of a thing I did. I want you all to know I'm sorry for it." He could almost see her pain wrap around her neck. "I regret how I acted."

His mind didn't let him speak. Wicks didn't want to tear the seams that were slowly being stitched back together.

A part of him wished she'd never ask what he erased from her.

"I guarantee you, you'll only have to be nervous about your coworkers," Wicks tipped the subject away from their family and himself.

"I may not like some of them, but I doubt they'd try anything outside of work."

"They better not, or I'll end them."

"Wicks!" Lynette whipped her head to him.

"I said if, they shouldn't be trying to bite or eat you on your days off." Wicks shoulders rose, and he hunched forward. Or AT ALL, for that matter.

"Thank you for looking out for me," Lynette said.

Wicks lifted his head and cracked a fresh, not fully satiated smile, "I always will."

...

Lynette

I was left in the kitchen alone. Madre told me she'd be right back.

Every eye on the stove was taken up by a dish. From the white rice with poblano peppers and corn, red chillie, boiling potato's, and pozole. While the turkey stuffed with chorizo was nearly done.

I overwhelming looked at the pots, and went to stir around the white rice, peppers and corn so it didn't burn. I stared at the mixture, feeling the urge to try it.

"Hey, Lynette, you're outfit and curls look cute."

I turned my head to the only way in and out of the kitchen. While I saw the striking domineering side of him too, just like Alexander, Pete's rhythmic saunter set them apart.

"Thanks," I responded. He went to the fridge behind me. "You look pretty good in your suit too."

He slicked his hair back and flashed a smile, "now I know you're trying to butter me up," He tapped along the softly worn fabric of the gray suit. "This old thing hasn't seen the light of day in a while." He opened up the coat pocket and blew in it. "See all that dust." I in fact noticed one spec but he treated it like many.

I chuckled and turned back to my station. "You still rock it." I said.

I then twisted back around before he could leave with his water bottle. "I never got to thank you properly did I?" My eyes shifted up to meet his very vibrant blue ones.

Pete's started to open his water bottle. "I do remember you thanking me and Eddie." He drank it after.

It is a day to be thankful.

"I feel like I was too overwhelmed to give you a proper thank you. That's why I made sure to tell Edgar after too," I bowed my head slightly, "if it weren't for you both I wouldn't be here and I want you to know how grateful I am for you both."

Pete's didn't say anything at first. He looked over me, as if curious, then smiled. "You're a sweet girl, Lynette" He glanced back as if expecting someone behind him. "You have a very genuine face. It actually reminds me of the woman who captured my heart."

He swayed with a goofy smile and glossed over eyes. Why doesn't your wife come to the gathering? I wanted to ask.

He shoulders sprung up at Madre's voice coming in behind him, "Hello, Mr. Chase."

He followed her as she passed, "Hey Marisol." He ran his fingers through his slicked back hair. "I thought I told you guys we can skip the formalities and to call me, Peter."

Madre rolled back the sleeves of her sweater, "lo siento, sorry. It's a habit."

I thought his name was Pete's. He leaned near me, most likely seeing the confusion and whispered. "You can call me Pete's though," he patted my shoulder. "It all smells great though, Marisol." Pete's walked over to Madre and glanced down.

"Would you like to try some?"

Pete's held up his hands, "don't tempt me, I'd end up making myself a plate right now, Marisol."

Madre told me to dump out the potatoes. I got a strainer and mitts.

I went to the sink on the other side of the stove.

Madre chuckled as I was about to start mixing the potatoes. "There's more than enough, you know the others won't be enjoying it."

Pete's tapped his abdomen, "I'd like to gain a moderate amount of weight for thanksgiving, thank you." He smirked, "though, I'll definitely be taking home all the left overs you can give me."

Madre bobbed her head, moving her strands of hair back behind her ear. "Good."

He waved off us both off as he left.

I added in the milk and butter garlic mixture from earlier as I mashed them.

"¿puedes pasarme la sal?" Madre's broke the silence.

I grabbed the salt container next to me and handed it to her.

"Gracias, Lyn."

I hesitated, out of fear of the worst outcome. I didn't want to be dejected, yet at the same time, I feared not knowing what might be said. "I'm sorry for being distant at the wedding."

Her hue looked softer than a plushy off the shelf, "You had every right to be."

"No, I shouldn't have acted differently." I admitted the selfish feelings laying stagnant in my ribcage. A pit that didn't want to leave. "I felt worried and even jealous of all of you." I rubbed my arm.

She placed the salt down, "Lyn," and stepped away from the stove and toward me.

"None of you would hurt me. You chose me." I mashed the potatoes harder. "You've all done so much for me and I want to pay it all back. Especially because I failed time and time again."

She quickly caught the tear trickling down my cheek, "You know I have never regretted having you with us, Lyn. You have been a blessing that I may not have asked for, but I needed." Madre turned me to face her, "and you are not a failure. You may trip, you may fall, but you always get up."

She pinched my cheeks with her delicate and as gentle as a feather fingers, "you're my very stubborn fighter." Her hands moved down to my shoulders, patting them. "Charletta is like Padre, a little crazy and excited to challenge herself. Wicks is like me. We try to be more levelheaded, but our emotions take us over." She lifted her right hand up and bopped my nose, endearingly.

"I know you didn't learn it from us, but you are patient with others and you only ever fight when it's needed." Her smile, though playful, felt like a clean blanket out of the dryer on a cold night. "So I don't want you to call yourself a failure. I already scolded Padre about the term he used."

Madre brought me in for a hug, "you are my little girl, and always will be." She brought me out of it, once we both noticed the food was burning. Between us fixing it, she spoke again.

"If you want to pay me back for what you don't owe, please take care of Wicks as much as he does you."

"Like anyone can stop me."

...

Drake

His mood felt exceptionally lifted after he flipped Alexander on his ass 10 times straight.

Drake walked to the kitchen, and let the cheerful exhale exit his body. Against what his mom requested he didn't do, he was getting a drink before dinner. It doesn't matter; I'm having the same for the feast anyway.

Inside, it was quiet. Nearly everyone was outside. Except for the redhead and his brother. He passed the dining table that they had to put make-shift chairs around for the dinner later.

I never apologized to her. He hadn't even said anything about it since. I can't believe I even considered eating her. The thought made him cringe with disgust. His fingers touched at his abdomen. The feeling of something squirming inside him, alive, still made him jitter.

His thoughts were slowly sailing toward the reason he got that desperate. "This is not the time." He grumbled under his breath.

He walked into the large kitchen, able to fit at least eight people comfortably. He went to the fridge.

"Hey guys," he commented. His eyes lazily panned to Lynette. He curiously glanced at what she was stirring. Rice. The joke spurred in his head, and he couldn't help it, regardless of the sense it made right now.

He leaned his head into the fridge to hide his goofy smile and said, "You tellin' me a shrimp's frying that rice."

His ears thrummed with her immediate fluster. It sounded like a cocktail of embarrassment and dislike for that nickname.

He grabbed a blood pouch labeled human and lifted his head, "Sorry, Lynette," Drake said but didn't regret it.

Lynette groaned with pouty softly curled smile, "It was funny. I get it."

Ulysses looked up from the dishes he was washing, "Where's the shrimp?"

"Alexander calls her shrimp because she's so small."

"I'm not-" Lynette didn't even finish her argument. She knew it was true.

"He calls you shrimp?" Disappointment stuck to his brother's face, "he doesn't call you any other food-related names, does he?"

Huh. That's a good question. I've only heard Shrimp.

"No. But Xander reminds me that he eats humans more than I'd like," Lynette replied, putting a lid on the rice, "I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe he's forgotten my name, yet all my other coworkers use it, and he's calls me by my name when he's annoyed."

Drake saw his brother sulk further. You know how Alexander is. He's never been around a human for this long, let alone one like her. Drake lifted the pouch to his mouth and started to drink from it. Not that I'm any better sometimes.

He resisted the urge to cover his face with his bangs.

Another heart approached the kitchen, Charletta.

She popped her head inside. She was sweating and smiling wide. "Ulysses, your brother is much more cunning than I thought."

Did she actually fight him?

"You were fighting Alexander?!" Ulysses exclaimed.

Charletta, who hung off the door frame by her hand, swinging back and forth excitedly, squealed. "I did! He said, 'Yeah, I really wanted to get my ass kicked today,' so I told him, 'cool,' and we started to spar!"

He was being sarcastic, and you took him seriously. Oh my god. He didn't let himself laugh outloud.

Drake looked back over at Lynette. He could hear the inside of her chest thumping faster and harder than a dog's tail when you tell them it's time to go outside.

"I-" The loud boom from outside spurred everyone's eyes. They could make out Wenna from the kitchen on the 'battlefield.'

Ulysses ran past Charletta, and she followed.

Lynette looked like she wanted to pursue but looked back at the food. She probably has to watch the food.

"They'll be fine. Everyone else is here, too." Drake commented, finishing the last of his drink.

"You're right," Lynette turned back to everything cooking on the stovetop.

He threw away the near-empty pouch. He didn't feel comfortable ripping it open and licking the inside in front of her.

Since were alone I should say it.

"Hey, Lynette." She slowly looked his way and turned down the heat on the last pot.

He found it awkward meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry about Sunday morning," the mention made her heart cower.

She would have been a hell of a lot more tempting if he hadn't drank beforehand.

"I didn't mean to try and eat you. I wouldn't even have liked that." After saying it, he couldn't get Alexander's mocking laugh out of his head. It spurred his shame.

"I wish someone else would say that to me, too," Lynette muttered quietly, sighing. He heard her fearful tremors, yet he could tell she had already forgiven Drake. "It's okay. Your mom and sister explained..."

Drake stopped paying attention to what she said. What did they say? He asked. His slightly clawed fingers came up and wrapped around her. It stopped her. "What did they tell you?"

Her blood pumped faster.

"T-The magic thing, how it wastes your energy quicker to use it." Lynette's hands came up at his arms. You can't stop me.

"What else?" His body felt an unnerving skittishness.

"That's it." She held onto his forearms, "are you okay?"

He let her go. She's not lying. "Sorry." He nervously looked around, expecting someone to listen in on their conversation. He did hear a familiar beat closer to the back door that led outside. Alexander.

...

Alexander (Much earlier).

He huffed, getting off the ground. You're such an asshole. Everyone was watching except Shrimp, Ulysses, and his dad, who was late.

Drake gave him a smile from his high.

"You're an ass."

"I think you mean Winner," Drake wore a big cheeky grin.

"Urgh," Alexander rolled his eyes.

He had been slammed onto the ground 10 times in a row by Drake, and he wasn't looking forward to another. Luckily, it seemed like Drake was satisfied.

Alexander stretched out his back the best he could in his long sleeve. It was a little tighter than he remembered it being the last time he wore it.

It was one of the few clothes he had that didn't have encryption to change sizes. In retrospect, he realized Elise might have done it intentionally to fuck with him. I'd tear this shirt if I size shifted. He grunted, realizing he'd have to put a seal on it later.

He grabbed his jacket from one of the nearby stumps and dusted himself. He threw it on after. He then jumped when he flipped to see Ulysses' wife right in front of him. She stood in the way of him walking back.

He peered down into her lively dark gray hue, "What?" Her expression reminded him of Claudia.

"Do you want to spar?" She twisted and nudged him in his chest, "You can use magic too."

With a glow in his eyes, he studied her figure. She has less magic potential than her brother, but she'd still suck to fight.

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Yeah, I really wanted to get my ass kicked today." He said sarcastically.

"Cool!" He caught the glow of her eyes.

Instinctually, his body created a cloak. And that's about all he could do.

Charletta's fist went at him in a flash and struck him straight in his gut.

The force, though it didn't break his cloak, sent him spiraling back.

His feet took a little while to hit the ground. He stumbled once they did. He refused to fall on his ass again so soon.

Alexander's cloak barely remained intact, so he wasn't damaged. He opened his mouth, and as soon as he looked ahead of himself, she created a burst of light to blind him.

He waited for his eyes to recover, using his sense of smell as an indicator. It was attuned to picking up his preferred 'meal options' such as the one he could smell inside, but if he focused, like now, he could catch Charletta's unappetizing scent.

She was coming from straight ahead. He ran his hand up in front of him, and it looked as though the air solidified into a long thick strip. It was a barrier.

The smell shifted as soon as he did it.

Behind.

Alexander concluded Charletta used spatial magic. She used it to move so rapidly without a change in air pressure. His sight was still fuzzy; so he could only make a thin barrier once he twisted.

She struck, shattered it, and his arm kept her from hitting his side.

His cloak absorbed its limit of impact and broke. So her magic enhanced hit fully flourished into him. The pain erupted into a sting like he was pummeled by hot coals before going entirely numb.

He didn't lose his stance. His vision returned so he could look her in the eye.

"And here I thought that strong exterior was only for show" Charletta said.

"Fuck of-"

She drew his energy through the fabric she tore from his long sleeve. Alexander then went to throw himself back, and she took advantage of his lack of balance.

Fuck, I forgot she's a magus. No physical touch.

Charletta looped her arm under the one she hit and went to tossed him toward the ground. He was ready to strike it for the eleventh time today, but she created a spatial tear at it instead.

She threw him through it, his body falling in the air at least thirty feet high. He could have assisted himself and made a barrier but Charletta let an powerful blast of force shot through the tear too.

He created another cloak before it hit, and the cloak broke as soon as his back crashed into the soil. He growled out in more pain.

He saw her come through, and he tried to get up, only to feel all the dirt rush over his form in an attempt to encase his body. His eyes quickly darted over to the right before their sight was snatched.

He used the same as her. Spatial magic.

He appeared a little behind her right as she slammed into the empty pile of soil. His jacket barely on.

He made barriers around them to keep her contained, which she ran into. No more running.

He felt the strain and burning of his energy in his eyes. Performing magic in rapid succession was a skill a prodigy like him was privileged to naturally have. However, every time he did it, it was like his energy was a spiked cord being ripped out of his body.

Alexander had yanked off his half-on jacket. And changed the encryption on the coat.

He altered it using creation magic's modification variation to make it twist tightly together into a rope.

Unfortunately for Charletta, Alexander also put a barrier in the ground to limit the amount of Earth she could use against him. He whipped the rope at her, and it enveloped her hand. He jerked the rope toward himself but got out of the way. Her free hand gently grazed him, taking more than he'd like. The barrier rippled when her body collided with it.

He twisted her arm behind her and the other end of the rope struck her bare wrist like a snake. Both of her arms were now behind her back, locked.

He yanked them up and pressed the side of his body at her clothed back.

"That was surprisingly clever," she said with her face pressed against the barrier due to him pinning her. "And it's good that you're not letting me see you either."

"Yeah, because if a magus touches me or one as strong as you looks at me means, I'm fucking screwed."

Charletta laughed giving on last attempt to move before she admits defeat, "You win then, Alex."

Alexander undid the barriers and the "rope." Charletta kept a reasonable distance. She was far less spent on energy than Alexander, who knew his chance of winning would get smaller and smaller if he dragged it on.

His stomach hissed in agreement.

He cracked his jacket and readjusted its seal to only change to his height again. It's wrinkled as crap. He didn't fix his black long-sleeve.

Alexander grunted and assessed Charletta.

"Checking up on me?" Charletta teased and then held up a hand to him, "Great match."

He took it without hesitation.

Charletta smiled as they shook, "You know I could take all your energy if I wanted."

Alexander dropped his shoulders and said, "Yeah, you could, but you won't."

Her hand kept his in place, "Really, are you sure about that, Alex?"

He looked at her and then back at their hands, "If you wanted to, you would have already. It'd be stupid to warn me before doing it."

She let go and happily chuckled, "You're blunt and trusting, huh?"

He flicked his head away and cracked his fingers, "You wouldn't do something like that with everyone watching either."

Charletta nodded along, "true."

You married a weird one, Ulysses. Alexander's thought. However, as he walked away from Charletta and back to the house, his mind started to lose any semblance of thought besides his instinct to consume.

Why does she have to be here. He hadn't gotten over Lynette being part of the Paytons. The odds were surreal, to say the least.

And, of course, he felt something squirm into his mind. His eyes drifted away from the house where he was headed and to the male coming down the steps to meet him. Wicks stop fucking reading my mind.

The smug smile held by Lynette's older brother told him that Wicks wouldn't.

"Seeing you fight Charletta looked fun. We should spar again.~"

Alexander adjusted his glasses, and a scowl followed. Your enhancement magic makes you too fucking fast, strong, and resilient.

"Hell no."

Wicks went forward and looped his arm with Alexander's. He looked like he'd drag him by force. "Admitting defeat already, where's your pride?"

Alexander planted his feet before Wicks dragged him back any further, "We both know I can't fight your ass, especially not on a handicap." He met the shorter male's gaze, "I don't want to lose control of my body during a mock fight."

His smile dropped, then was replaced with an idea. "I'll give you some energy to make it even."

"I'm not a dumbass," Alexander said, "I didn't even want to fight your sister either."

"I'll spar with you, Wicks!" Drake's nosy older sister said, putting her phone away, and springing up from looking over the deck.

"Wenna-" It was no use. Wenna dragged Wicks out there instead.

Alexander's eyes skimmed over the adults talking outside and back to the door that led inside.

"I've never seen someone intertwine spells so fluidly besides Stefan. And you're so young."

He didn't know who she was talking too. Then he realized Madre was talking about him. She held a wine glass with Danee.

Danee bobbed her head, "Exactly!"

Alexander denied their claims, "I burned through way too much energy," his stomach called out for food. He hoped it wasn't loud enough for them to hear. "If I couldn't pacify my opponent, I would have screwed myself over." And before either of them could say another word, he pointed to the door.

"I'm going out to eat."

"Hurry back. The food should be done by the time you finish." Madre said.

Alexander nodded, opened the door, and felt his nose poisoned by her smell. He shut his eyes to take it all in, and he could feel his drive to pursue Lynette.

It would have overwhelmed him if someone didn't strike the back of his neck with their hand. He felt them surging energy into him. "The hell-" He pulled away turned back to see his dad.

"You were looking low."

Alexander held the back of his neck, defensively, and refused to look his dad in the eyes. "I'm going out to solve that now."

"We're in the middle of nowhere; the closest drive to town is an hour." Pete's replied. "You won't be back in time for dinner."

...

Lynette

The food was done so I left Drake inside so I could tell Madre. Upon getting closer to the door, I noticed Alexander standing at it. Blocking my way.

He won't try anything. I assured myself.

Upon outlining his endowed figure, I picked up on the dirt and condition of his jacket. Did he get into a- I jumped at the sudden loud bang from beyond him. I pushed closer to him and saw his dad there with him. Both of them looked ready to jump toward the action. Neither noticed me right away.

Far off the patio I could see one of the hefty trees were snapped and had fallen to the ground. Wicks was far off in the distance fighting what looked to be Wenna.

"What happened?"

They both immediately turned to me. My eyes met Alexander's swirling faint blue clouds first. Pete's moved between us and patted my head, "don't you worry, Lynette, they're just sparring."

Alexander grumbled, "as long as your brother takes it easy."

"Is that what happened to you?" I accidently asked.

It caught him offguard, "huh?" He looked down at his dress jacket and tried to brush it off, "no, I was fighting your sister."

"My sister?! Why?!"

"Sparring, same as them." Alexander said.

Pete's finally removed his hand from me and then went to pat Alexander's back. It still wowed me that Pete's said he was fifty. He looked far too young to be fifty years old.

"Should have seen it. They are very fun to watch."

Alexander squinted at Pete's.

"Why don't you stay out here, join the others and enjoy a show." His dad offered.

I wanted to watch anyway as I didn't want Wenna or Wicks to hurt one another. I felt terrified enough that Charletta fought him.

My mission then popped like a window's update reminder, "right! We are probably going to have to stop anyway, the foods done."

Pete's smiled wide, "Great, right Alex?"

Alexander went past me without responding. It was like in the pizzeria before. Why doesn't Xander want to talk to his dad?

If it wasn't the holiday's, I would have pushed it, so instead I went to Madre and Danee.

And I didn't know why I was struck with a fit of tiredness when I walked to them.

...

Hey, you, thank you so much for reading. I'm glad I put out a story that people can enjoy! I hope you continue to enjoy it as WE have a LOT more to go! YOU BETTER KEEP PROSPERING! (Nonnegotiable, as always~).

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litgwritersroom · 2 years

Text

The Wedding

Chapter one of Love Island, Actually

It's finally the big day! Bridget and Gary are getting married and more than one person is unhappy about it. Meanwhile, Delilah has to deal with her share of comments coming from her mother and River gets closer to someone else from the wedding party.

read it on AO3 | prologue

RIVER: reflections

River turned the lock of the backroom as soon as they stepped inside. She took a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror before turning on her heels and facing her best friend, who straightened his back and raised the piece of paper in front of him, taking a deep breath before glancing at her. She only nodded, encouraging him to read it out loud.

He cleared his throat. “Hi, Gary.”

River giggled, rolling her eyes at his silliness and purposeful silence. He smiled in return, allowing his eyes to fall back to the page as he kept reading. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. For everyone who doesn’t know, I’ve been asked not to talk about Gary’s mishaps, mistakes, embarrassing moments or ex-girlfriends. So thanks for listening, everyone, that’s all from me!”

He pretended to fold the paper, sending River to another small fit of giggles, but then opened it again, a smile plastered on his lips. “Aww, alright, fine. Just for you, Bridge, I’ll do it properly. But only because it’s been such an emotional day. Look, even the cake is in tiers.”

“Noooo,” River groaned, making his grin wider as he winked at her.

“Gary’s my best mate. Has been for years. And in all the years I’ve known him, he’s always been a lucky bastard. He got lucky on our first day of secondary school that he happened to be sitting in front of me, and got to hear my high-quality one-liners. He got lucky that River never found out he was the one that broke her signed McFly CD…”

“He what?” River gasped, but Bobby only laughed.

He continued that way for a little while, spinning charming yarns about Gary’s teenage years to the delighted ‘crowd’ of River. Bobby broke for a moment to smile at the warm memories, finding himself getting awash in the glow of the day. He took a look at the paper, frowning as he read the next part.

“But more than anything, he’s lucky to have found Bridget. They say you can tell how much your mate likes a girl by how quickly they get their shit together once they start dating. Well, within about a week of meeting Bridget, Gary was damn near ironing his bedsheets.”

He paused waiting for laughter again, but River only sighed. He glanced at her and swallowed hard, before taking a deep breath and going back to his reading.

“Gary, you’ll leave here today with a wife who’s warm, loving, and caring; who’s beautiful beyond compare, and lights up every room she walks into. And Bridget, you’re lucky as well. You leave here today having gained a lovely dress, and a nice bouquet of flowers.”

His voice cracked and so did River’s heart as soon as she noticed his hands shaking. She rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it so he would keep going.

“No, but in all seriousness, Gary, you’re the best mate a lad could have, and I’m so proud to be standing beside you today. You’re surrounded by women who absolutely adore you. And look! Juliet’s here, too!”

She giggled and he seemed to ease at that. “Bridget, you’re a wonderful woman, who deserves a wonderful husband. And I promise you, I will not rest until I find out how you ended up with him.”

With a long sigh, River stepped to the side and put herself in front of him. Adjusting his blue tie, her manicured hands ran down the smooth piece of silk with a fondness she always had for him. Even cracking joke after joke, River had never seen Bobby look so serious, the blue outfit — that fitted perfectly onto his lean body — not helping with the vision at all. He should be relaxed, happy, and not looking like someone had just told them their dog died.

Yet, she knew it was too much to ask.

"You're frowning midway through speech again."

A part of her wanted to tell him she had warned him; that she had told him, even before they started the wedding preparations, that it wasn't a good idea for him to be so involved with it. She knew him too well to know that it would only make it worse, only make him think and rethink all the things that could've been but never were. However, she also knew that he was too good to say no to others like that, especially when he cared about them as much as he did with Gary and Bridget. He'd put everyone's happiness above his own if needed — and that was starting to piss River off.

She flipped her long, slightly curled dark hair back as she tried to find his hazel eyes with her blue ones, finding him with a small smile and a tilt of her head that he mirrored. "Sorry, I zoned out." He told her, looking away with a blush under his freckles that she knew too well.

"Listen, love, I know, ok? I get it," she cooed at him, moving the lock that always insisted on falling over his face out of the way. "But we cannot afford to ruin his day, now, can we?"

She watched him quietly as he shook his head and stared down at his feet, avoiding her eyes. God, it was like a stab to her heart seeing him like that — and how she hated it. The gloom never matched his goofy ways and it never failed to shock her, not when she was so used to seeing him with a smile on his face and a joke on the tip of her tongue. So, whenever his tiny voice filled with sorrow hit her, she’d get a hefty pang in her heart for him.

"Your speech is flawless." Her voice was soft as she caressed him, doing her best to convey in earnest her sincerity. "Gary is very lucky to have you. We are all lucky to have you. You know that, right?"

His gaze reached hers again and he smiled, even if he still held a dreadful complexion. "You make it sound like it's true."

River gasped and feigned shock for his amusement. "I would never lie to you, McKenzie!"

"That's the biggest lie you’ve ever told," he smirked, his boyish looks already coming back. Trust Bobby to bounce back the moment he realised someone was worried about him.

"Untrue, that would be when I told Gary his buzzcut wasn’t that bad," she raised an eyebrow, making him laugh. "There he is, the Robert McKenzie I know and love."

He narrowed his eyes, pulling a face at her and making her giggle before he grabbed her in a hug, messing with her hair and tickling her ribs. "Love you too, Thames."

River laughed, both at the nickname — usually, he would come up with a new river name or anything to do with a body of water, but "Thames" was his all-time favourite — and the tickling, as she tried only half-heartedly to untangle herself from his embrace.

"Let me go, oh my god," she begged, breathless, before he finally left her with a mess for a hair. "No, my curls, Bobby!"

"Oh, no, the curls!" He puckered his lips, mocking her tone with fake aghast. "What are we gonna do now?" He threw himself to the wall like the world was ending.

"Stop the wedding if you must, I need to fix it!" She looked at herself in the floor-length mirror, checking her pale green, silk dress.

The two triangles cut out on her ribs were a little too high and her skirt was out of place. Huffing, she adjusted herself, being sure she didn't look vulgar before she leant in, going near face-to-face with her reflection to fix her expensive makeup.

"Can you text Kobi and ask where the fuck my sister is, please?" She asked him, searching for his eyes in the mirror.

Bobby frowned in confusion, sitting on the armchair between the door and the mirror. "Why don't you text Chelsea directly?"

"That little shit has my phone," she said with a roll of her eyes. "She's always with your brother anyway, so… please?"

"Fiiiiine," he whined, picking his phone up from his pocket. "Why does she have your phone?"

River stood up again, her smile turning into a thin line and her eyes falling to her feet. She could sense him watching her as she bit her cheeks. "Broke up with Levi yesterday and we were fighting over text, so… she grabbed it."

"You broke up?" She felt him getting closer. "Is that why I’ve not seen his gormless mug around here?” Bobby softened after realising how harsh he had sounded, adding a lot more gently, “What happened?"

She rolled her eyes before snapping them back at him, finding his widened with concern. "What always happens." She shrugged, trying her best to not sound sad. "I guess my baggage is too heavy, even for an Olympic athlete."

"Oh, Riv, I'm so sorry," he said, wrapping her in a hug again, this time holding more softly.

"I always thought we were incompatible anyways…"

"Yeah, 'cause he is a jerk and you're… not a jerk." He squeezed her body like a child. "But you know how to pick ‘em, huh?"

"Shut up," she cried out against his chest, burrowing her face. "But don't tell Gary, ok? I don't wanna make a scene on his day."

And as if it was divination, the sound of a knock on the door made River jump on her feet. "Is everyone decent?" Gary's voice echoed through the door.

"Such a delicate creature," Bobby chuckled, turning on his heels and opening the door just enough so Gary could see his face. "Nah, mate, I cannot convince River to wear anything that ain't her big old lady knickers."

Gary roared with laughter, swinging the door open before stepping inside. "And you didn't think of telling me?"

Crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, River turned to her pair of idiots. "I would be dead before I let any of you see me naked again."

Gary and Bobby shared a glance before immediately bursting out laughing at the memory. They looked exactly like they used to when they were teenagers, making River feel a little nostalgic. For most of her life, she had been part of this group, friends with those two. They were dumbasses and extremely annoying but also her favourite people in the world.

"Anyway," she cut their mocking session, crossing her arms. "Did something happen, Gary?"

Gary faced her, laughter still lingering on his face. "Nah, I’m just looking for my mates on my wedding day."

"You were feeling nervous, weren't you?" Bobby raised an eyebrow.

"He totally was," River agreed, tone teasing, standing next to Bobby.

"No way," he snickered. "I just wanted to check what the hell you were doing."

"Sneaking out to smoke," River immediately answered, not wanting Gary to even think they were there because Bobby was feeling down. That was a conversation they didn't need to have. "But Bobby fucking messed with my hair so I came here to fix it and he followed me, like a little creepy stalker boy, can you believe it?"

Bobby gasped. "That was not what happened at all!"

Gary cleared his throat before River could think of a clever clap-back, making her huff and turn to him. "Anyway, I was wondering why you're not with Bridget, Rivs?"

Oh, well, because she was too busy comforting their best friend who was deeply hurt about how things turned out while still trying to juggle her own feelings? Yeah, that would be the reason, but she couldn't just tell him that, right?

Besides, even if Bobby was able to keep it together, there was always the fact she couldn't stand Bridget. Maybe it was the fact of how much Bobby's stupid unrequited crush twisted whatever impression she may have had. Not helped by her other best friend being absolutely gaga over the girl, too. Honestly, what was so special about Bridget to those two? Maybe her dislike was also due to this obsessive need the bride had where she needed to be liked by everyone, which was the main reason why Bobby was still so head over heels for her.

You could do whatever you pleased with River but as soon as you touched one of her friends, you were done for. Especially when it came to Bobby.

But she couldn't tell Gary that either, now, could she?

"As your best friend, I'm on the groom's side," she remarked, looking for solidarity from Bobby. "Plus, how could I leave Bobby alone? What if he gets lost?"

"You got a point," Gary laughed.

Beside her, Bobby grimaced but she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, once, twice, so he would keep quiet. She looked at him and shot him a wink.

"We should go back to the guests…" And he understood what she wanted to say almost immediately.

They had something planned. A little prank you could say; an ode to the old times when they were 6 and popstar Gareth Gates was bigger than he’d ever be. Gary was always a fan. At least, River always insisted he was despite his protests. The prank was River's idea, something to make Bobby feel better.

"You're right, we should!" Bobby said.

He smiled at her and grabbed her hand and led her out of the changing room they were in but not before she could glance back and tell Gary: "Don't do anything I wouldn't do and for god's sake do not be late."

Gary chuckled again, "You do sound like my mum!"

"It's your mummy issues speaking louder!" River shouted, glancing back at him.

He gasped and faked a leap at their heels, making her giggle and pull Bobby by the hand, as they bolted through the church corridor, laughing and running like two kids, the sound of her heels against the wooden floor reverberating loudly. If they were younger, Gary's mum would already be screaming at them about how expensive their clothes were and how they should be quiet inside the church.

But they weren't kids anymore.

And Gary was about to get married.

"You should find out where Delilah is," River told him once they reached the door to the main room, breathless. "I'll find Chelsea."

"You're right," he nodded. "Text me when you get your phone."

DELILAH: first daughter

The sun was shining so brightly it had zapped away the morning frost. If not for the bitter sting in the outside air, the day could be mistaken for mid-Summer. While Jack Frost had been and gone, the wedding party was wrapping up the getting-ready time and with little else on the mind, the wedding nerves were settling in all around.

Delilah had cracked open the champagne and handed glasses all around to the other three in the side room of the church. Cheers were said and ‘good luck’s were passed and kisses on cheeks were shared aplenty with a misty eye here and there just for fun.

A sigh with such wistfulness that only a mother on her daughter’s wedding day could muster, Juliet brushed a strand of her soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s hair back, her eyes shining with a look of longing. “I always imagined this day, the one where I’d see a daughter down the aisle,” she said. “I knew it would be as beautiful as this, and I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful woman for my son. You’re making all my dreams come true, Bridget.”

After quickly polishing off the three quarters of a glass she had left, Delilah made sure her lipstick wasn’t smudged before she pushed herself into Juliet’s line of sight. “Mum, more champagne?” She offered.

“Best not,” she smiled insipidly, her eyes crinkling as her gaze fell on her daughter. Her real one. She made herself comfortable on the only seat in the room, running her hand down the bride’s dress. “I had a glass with your nan earlier. Not everyone can hold their drink like you can, Lilah, but please don’t have too many before the ceremony. You don’t want to be the sort of bridesmaid who’s remembered for her walk down the aisle for all the wrong reasons, do you?”

“That’s where my unicycle comes in, mum. Best way to hide the drunkenness,” Delilah answered, a freshly poured glass already at her lips, as Bridget and Noah both chuckled, “is with an even more memorable talking point. It has a side car if you want to join me.”

“Enough with the jokes, Lilah! Not on your brother’s wedding day!”

“It’s all good, Juliet,” Bridget soothed, shooting a look at Delilah who was biting back her smirk with a deep sip out her glass, “and you know Gary and I would absolutely let Delly ride down the aisle on a unicycle.”

“And she’s walking down with Bobby,” Noah interjected, sliding right up between the two women still standing. “From what I’ve heard, they’re as bad as each other. He’d probably be disappointed it wasn’t a tandem.”

Delilah raised a brow at him. “Wouldn’t a tandem unicycle just be a bicycle?”

The three of them laughed, leaving Juliet to gawk incredulously at them.

“And if you guys got to ride a bike down the aisle,” Bridget added, hand on her chest as she tried not to laugh too hard, “you know Gary and River would have something to say and insist on their own fun ways down, so you’d be stuck on a tandem with River right alongside Delly and Bobby.”

“There are worse ways to ride into a wedding,” Noah said, a hint of sincerity in his tone.

“Well,” Juliet announced loudly. She got to her feet, clearly feeling the attention hadn’t been on her for a while, and stood close to Bridget again. “This could be the only wedding I get to attend for my children, so I’m thankful all that silliness isn’t happening. Lilah, enough of it if you wouldn’t mind, not everything has to be about you. It’s Gary and Bridget’s wedding.”

“I thought it was yours…” Delilah said, and she waited for Juliet’s glare to subside before whispering out the corner of her mouth, “though I don’t know who you want to marry more, Bridget or your son…”

Juliet let out another wistful sigh as she gazed at the bride. Again, Delilah was left wondering if what Juliet wanted more, to be in the dress, or have the bride in it be her real daughter…

“You know, all this talk of walking down the aisle,” Juliet began, suckering all the air out the room as the other three knew exactly what was coming next, “makes me so sad that I won’t be joining you kids. What place does a mother have in a wedding? And it’s not like you have anyone else to walk you down the aisle, Bridgey.” Juliet pouted, rubbing a stiff Bridget’s chin.

“Mum,” Delilah said, her hand on her mother’s shoulder, hard enough to have Juliet spin her attention on the Maid of Honour rather than the Bride, “we’ve been over this so many times already.” Delilah smiled as she said it, but it was a frozen smile, meant to be soothing, but it was too unnatural, too full of thin warning.

“The wedding hasn’t even started yet, so Bridgey still has time to change her mind, Delilah. It could be my only chance to walk a daughter down the aisle.”

“You’ll get to walk Delilah down the aisle, Juliet,” Bridget said, her voice having shrunk since the last time she spoke.

“Not if I can help it,” Delilah guffawed, but when Juliet glared at her again, she quickly added, “Come on, mum, let’s go see how Nan and Gary are doing.”

BRIDGET: families

As her maid of honour steered her very-soon-to-be mother-in-law out the door, the bride almost couldn’t control a laugh that had been bubbling up in her chest as she watched the scene. After a moment though, her expression softened and a small sigh escaped. Her dark eyes then found the brown ones of the only bridal party member that was left in the room with her, one of her oldest friends and someone she thought of as a brother.

“Yeah, I know.” She said, rolling her eyes a little as she turned to the mirror, absentmindedly touching one of the loose curls that were delicately framing her face. “I’m actively choosing to be part of that family. God, help me.”

Noah’s low chuckle was his only response as he stood near the door, hands in the pockets of his trousers as his lips curved in a soft smile. She knew that he knew she was only joking, as truthfully she really loved the Rennells, even with all their rather messy family dynamics.

“Tell me the truth.” She said, looking at him through the reflection in the mirror. “Do you think I’m crazy for doing this?” Before Noah could reply, she turned around to face him and more words just kept tumbling rapidly from her lips. “I know it was all so rushed, I actually can’t believe we managed to plan everything and pull this whole thing off in just about six months, which was honestly mostly due to Delly, Chelsea and just about everyone else. And I know two years doesn’t seem a long time to be with someone before deciding to be with them for the rest of our lives, but─”

Noah had crossed the room as she rambled away and he cut her off abruptly as he stood before her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Bridget, breathe.” He said in his usual quiet tones, his lips still slightly curved upwards as he looked down at her.

She did as instructed, taking a big breath in and holding it for a few beats before exhaling softly as he nodded encouragingly back at her.

“Now to answer your initial question, no, I don’t think you’re crazy.” He said, his brown eyes shining warmly with affection as he saw the relief cross her face. “I think you’re very lucky.”

Normally, she could be expected to volley back with something in sarcastic, lighthearted tones like, ‘Well, that would be a first.’ But she didn’t, because after all Noah was someone who could see through her anyway, a by-product of the two of them knowing each other more or less for a decade now. So instead she went for something more like uncharacteristic vulnerability, as she blinked her eyes up at him and asked in a tiny voice, “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Noah replied, gently squeezing her shoulders before letting go and putting his hands back into his pockets. His lips curved softly upwards as he kept on gazing down at her. “You and Gary… You make sense. Honestly, he’s a better match for you than many of your past so-called ex-boyfriends. Or ex-girlfriends, too, actually.”

“Oh God, don’t remind me.” She rolled her eyes a little, before looking at him askance. “I swear, Noah. You’d better not bring up that ancient history in any speech you make tonight.”

“I’ll try to hold myself back.” He replied, prompting her eyes to narrow in a playful glare and a small chuckle to escape from his throat. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on embarrassing you unnecessarily.”

She smiled back in appreciation before noticing his own smile turning into something more of a smirk as he continued, “I’m sure you and Gary and the rest of your wedding party will manage that all on your own.”

She just shook her head and laughed a little, because, really, who was she to argue with that? The two of them then lapsed into a comfortable silence and Noah turned sideways to look as Bridget started walking up and down the length of the small room, rather lost in her own thoughts. She wasn’t as nervous as when she’d started rambling before, but something still seemed to linger, a mix of a pleasant buzz under her skin, fluttering butterflies in her stomach and something like excess nervous energy that compelled her to fidget a little.

“I know Delilah wouldn’t offer this, seeing as you’re marrying her brother,” Noah said then and she stopped short to look back at him and she noted the teasing gleam in his eyes. “But I volunteer as driver of the getaway car if you’re getting cold feet.”

“I actually think Delly would drive the getaway car if I asked, even if it is her brother,” Bridget said with a soft snort. “But I’d trust your driving skills over hers any day.”

He laughed softly in reply, tilting his head a little to regard her after a beat. “So? Do I need to bring the car back around?”

“No, it’s fine. Just silly wedding jitters.” She said with a smile and a dismissively waving hand. She was about to bite her lower lip in an automatic nervous reflex, but remembered her makeup at the last moment and instead just pressed her lips together into a line before speaking again. “You really think we’re good together?”

“I do,” Noah said with yet another reassuring nod and smile before giving her a look that was a little wistful and bittersweet, somehow conveying a myriad of emotions in the depths of his brown eyes. “Besides, this is the type of thing that cannot and should not be measured by time alone. And you know better than anyone that, sometimes, when you know, you know.”

She blinked her eyes and nodded slowly, a soft smile forming without her really noticing it, as she automatically thought of her parents. Theirs was truly the greatest love story she’d ever known, as they had only been dating for six months when they decided they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives, even going up against their families. There were moments when it wasn’t easy and they went through many hardships, but they’d always been in each other’s corners despite so many family members thinking their relationship was doomed to fail. But they’d proven them all wrong, as they had been the happiest couple she’d ever known.

She blinked again, her heart warmed as she thought of her parents, and she focused back on the present, grasping at the first thing that came to her mind. “Speaking of, where’s your better-half?” She asked, a half-smirk playing around her lips, but her tone was light enough that she knew he would take it more as affectionate teasing than an actual dig at him ─ even if she wasn’t exactly his wife’s biggest fan, truth be told.

He shook his head a little, before letting out a soft sigh. “She sends her deepest apologies. Bad weather has her grounded in Ireland and she only managed a flight back for tomorrow morning.”

She frowned a little at hearing that. “Ugh, I hate airport mishaps, they’re the worst. I hope she’s alright?”

“She’s used to it.” He replied easily with a careless shrug, not seeming too perturbed by the turn of events. “Bridge,” Noah called out and paused for a beat, his eyes searching hers. “Your parents would’ve been so proud of you.”

Her breath hitched in her throat as the emotions washed over her. She should’ve known Noah would see right through to what was actually bothering her. She nodded back in appreciation, blinking her eyes rapidly to keep the tears from spilling over.

“Thanks.” She gave him a somewhat watery smile, then made a show of fanning her eyes and groaning in fake exasperation. “Now go away! Go, check if everything is in place or something, before you make me cry and ruin my makeup.”

Noah just nodded back as a small chuckle escaped before turning to the door as requested.

RIVER: before the tide comes in

"Do you mind helping me with my tie?"

River snapped her head in the direction of the voice, so sure she could recognize it anywhere. He was standing behind her, wearing a three-piece suit, hands in the pockets of his trousers and a smirk on his face that could leave her weak in the knees alone. His caramel eyes took her in deliberately, taking longer on the waist, her ribs cut-outs and cleavage, not even trying to hide his stare.

Why should he when she was doing the same? She took her time, wetting her lips at the fantastic sight. The deep colour of his dark skin contrasted against the white shirt, his handkerchief and tie matching the colour of her dress — a pale green she picked herself — and his broad chest looked well-toned under his waistcoat.

"Noah," she said, his name sounding sweet on the tip of her tongue when it met the back of her teeth, ‘no’, coming back softly as summer rain when she parted her lips, ‘ah’.

"River," he said, her name sounding like a stream of water at the soft ‘ri’ and turning into a smirk when he pronounced the ‘ver’.

Her eyes couldn't leave him. His presence alone was capable of making the entire church disappear and not even a painting of the Lord and Saviour could stop the surge of thoughts that crossed her mind whenever he was around.

Noah still seemed to be admiring her dress, unable to stop his desiring eyes from drinking every detail of her he could, however small, as if he had been in a drought for the last 20 years of his life. God, he always had a way of making her feel special even from just a glance.

The piece of silk around his neck was loosely tied, almost as if his only intention was to invite her closer, and she bit the bait, wrapping his tie with her hands. She adjusted it, making it tighter, before raising her eyes to meet him.

"Lovely colour," she complimented in a low voice with a smug grin, using the chance to pat down the tie and feel how firm his chest was underneath.

He chuckled, so softly she could barely hear him. "Believe me, It looks way better on you."

She smiled to herself, his deep voice sending her mind into a train of thoughts inappropriate for a church. River could only imagine what those hands were capable of when there weren’t any curious eyes around. Would they be soft and caring? Would they touch her as if they owned her?

Fuck. Her lips had suddenly gone dry. She shouldn’t be thinking about those things, not now, not there and especially not when the object of her wild thoughts was him.

They had met a couple of years before. Bobby had just found a new pub they could all hang out at after work and River tagged along, as she always did. A few hours in, while the boys were each trying to catch the cute bartender's attention for themselves, River was already flirting with the good-looking guy who dared to ask her about the stardust tattoo she had on her wrist.

That was when he introduced himself as the bar owner, a partnership with his university friend, Bridget — the cute bartender who turned out to be Gary's soon-to-be wife and Bobby's stupid crush.

Noah. At the time, she thought it was such a beautiful name, one that perfectly matched his handsome features and lovely eyes. It sounded sweet on her tongue, so biblical, River could almost hear the angel choir singing his name back to her. However, nowadays, she was sure it would be the reason for her ruin.

After all, everybody knew Noah was married.

"Behave," she teased, imitating his tone.

"Extremely difficult when you're around."

She rolled her eyes, not meaning a bit of it when her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest at any given minute.

River was never the kind of girl that wanted things that weren’t hers. She was a pretty girl and was aware of that, she never needed to ask for attention, let alone enjoy the company of taken men. Yet, there was something about Noah that would make her mind race, her hands move on their own.

Maybe it was his perfume, a wooden scent that left her drunk. Maybe it was the softness of his eyes that looked at her with such desire. Maybe it was his rough hands that left flames on her skin whenever he touched her.

Or perhaps, the fact he wanted her even when he shouldn't was what really drove her wild.

"River!" She heard a high-pitched, extra feminine voice calling behind her.

She knew before she even turned who the voice owner was. With a sigh, she twirled on her heels to find her younger sister smiling like a child on Christmas. Chelsea wore a pearly pink dress with sparkling shoes, her hair tied in symmetrical twin buns, in a half-up, half-down style. She was even more adorable than usual — if that was even possible.

It almost made River forgive her, almost.

Trying to act innocently enough, she ignored Noah’s presence as if they were just having a regular exchange. River crossed her arms and put on a frown. “Where the fuck were you?”

Chelsea grimaced before glancing behind River, catching a glimpse of Noah before turning her eyes back to her sister. “Kobi and I are ushering the guests! It’s actually super fun and—”

“My phone, Chels! You have it,” River cut her mid-sentence, putting her hand out and raising her eyebrows in an unsaid question.

“Oh, yeah! Soz!” Chelsea gasped, searching for the phone before pulling it from inside her purse with a smile and handing it to River. “Hey, but it worked! You’re not fighting with that jerk anymore.”

River thought she heard Noah mumbling something, but she ignored it. Giving him any kind of justification for her relationship would be the same as confessing her imprudent feelings and letting him have the upper hand, and she didn’t want either of those things.

“Thank you, Chels!” She said before unlocking her phone and running to her message app, clicking on Bobby’s chat almost immediately after.

River: got my phone back xx

"If you and Kobi are ushering, then you left him on his own?" Noah asked behind River, his deep, husky voice making her shiver. God, was he even real?

"Oh, my days!" Chelsea gasped again "You're right! I better go back before the bride decides to show up.”

Turning on her heels, her younger sister fled the scene as quickly as she had appeared, despite the limited movements her dress offered. River couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her hand before turning back to Noah.

“See you later, then,” she said with a bashful smile as if she wasn’t thinking of undressing him just a few seconds before.

“Hopefully I’ll see you at the reception?” Noah asked her.

“You know you will.”

BRIDGET: walking into the future

Bridget stood before the full length mirror as her fingers ran delicately over her long white dress. All things considered, it was a simple gown (certainly nothing like the tulle and pearl monstrosity that Juliet had wanted her to wear at first), its soft, warm fabric gently contouring her figure, with a scooping low back that made her feel sexy and elegant at the same time. The sweetheart neckline framed a bit of cleavage that was actually covered up by the shimmery pearlescent lace that extended to the long, fitted sleeves that reached her wrists and down her hips and the skirt of her dress to form a delicate fishtail that fanned at the ground around her feet, with just a bit of train.

A part of her still couldn’t believe this was actually happening, that she was standing in the backroom of an old church wearing a wedding dress and that any moment now she was about to walk down the aisle and get married.

Unbidden, a dazzling smile formed on her lips at the thought.

Which was so strange, because she’d never been one to dream of getting married one day. Never. Not to say that Bridget had anything against the institution of marriage itself, she just always saw herself as less conforming to certain age-old traditions. Her teenage, rebellious self with the pink streaks in her hair, piercings, dark makeup and all black outfit (matching her combat boots, of course) would’ve had a fit at seeing her now.

The thought made her laugh quietly to herself before inevitably her mind strayed to her parents once more. She’d asked Noah to leave her alone as she didn’t really want to talk about it, especially now, but she couldn’t escape her own thoughts. In the past, on the rare occasion when she did think about getting married, she’d always just assumed her parents would be there with her.

She missed them so much, sometimes with an intensity that still caught her unprepared in various moments of her life, even though it had already been four years since she’d lost them in that car accident. Her life had never been the same since then, as she’d had to cope with the sudden death of her parents and so many other things changing along the way. A short time later she’d quit her marketing job to focus all of her energy into taking care of The Sterling, the pub that her parents had owned and managed. She couldn’t bear to see it being sold or run to the ground when they’d sacrificed so much to have their own business. It somehow felt like the only thing she had left of theirs.

And how fitting that it was thanks to The Sterling that she got a new family of her own. It was where she had found a business partner that was like a brother and staff that she thought of as extended family. It was where she’d met Delilah and all their friends. It was also where she’d first met Gary, who had unassumingly swooped into her life one regular Thursday night, charming her with his easy banter and flirty lines. They had been in each other’s lives ever since and now they were headed straight into a new chapter.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft knock and someone pushing the door open before she had any time to react. “Okay, we’re all set!” Chelsea said in a bright tone as she walked into the room before she gasped loudly and looked at the other woman, her eyes shimmering. “Oh my god, babe! You look so beautiful!”

“Thanks, Chels!” Bridget replied with a bright smile. “But for fuck’s sake don’t make me cry now, I already sent Noah away because he was getting me all sentimental.”

“I’m sorry, babe! I can’t help it.” The bubbly blonde said, one hand delicately over her lips while the other one she fanned against her watering eyes. “You have to be the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only bride you’ve ever seen.”

“Not true. You’re the only bride I’ve ever worked for ─ so far! ─ but I’ve been to other weddings, of course. You’re still the prettiest one.”

They exchanged warm smiles, but then Chelsea was back to being the ball of exploding energy they all knew, hurriedly ushering Bridget out of the room. As they went down the stairs, Chelsea helping her with the train and veil, she could see the wedding party gathered in the area before the big front doors, standing in pairs and waiting to make their entrance.

Chelsea left her standing on the last few steps of the stairs to be kept out of view once the doors opened and moved to position the maid-of-honour and best man at the front, fluffing Delilah’s light blue dress into place and fussing one last time with Bobby’s matching blue tie.

The duo turned and looked one last time back at Bridget, both of them giving her cheeky winks as if they’d coordinated it. She almost laughed and gave them a wink of her own, then her eyes fell on the second pair. Noah gave her a warm smile, his eyes seeming to twinkle even through the distance separating them, and River gave her a nod as a grin formed on her lips, the younger woman doing her best to contain her nerves but Bridget could see her almost trembling with excitement.

The soft, low murmurs coming from inside the main room dimmed as the piano started a soft, delicate melody signalling the start of the ceremony. The doors were pulled open and Bobby and Delilah stepped forward to make their way down the aisle. Bridget wished she could see them and she couldn’t help but fidget a little as it seemed to take forever before River and Noah followed in their footsteps.

The doors closed again momentarily and Bridget took a deep breath in as she moved to make her entrance. For an infinite moment in time she felt a wisp of regret for not picking anyone to walk in with her, as it would’ve been comforting and grounding to have company right then. And she could’ve asked Noah or even accepted Juliet’s insistence in doing so. But that spot was supposed to be her parents’ and she didn’t feel right having anyone else in their shoes.

As the doors opened, the butterflies took flight in her stomach and she stepped forward, vaguely aware of the many guests sitting in the church pews as she made her way down the aisle. It was a few moments before she noticed the melody coming from the piano was a little louder and that a female voice was accompanying what had so far been an instrumental rendition of a song that she loved.

She gasped in surprise and almost stopped in her tracks when she saw Yasmin Douglas, one of her favourite singers, sitting at the piano with a microphone and looking sideways at her with a soft smile as she flawlessly sang out the lyrics.

“Oh I can’t believe it’s true…I get to love youIt’s the best thing that I’ll ever doI get to love youIt’s a promise I’m making to youWhatever may come, your heart, I will chooseForever I’m yours, forever I doI get to love you I get to love youI get to love you…”

Afterwards, Bridget wished she could’ve taken mental snapshots to keep them as mementos for the rest of her life. How she laughed at the surprise, knowing Delilah was responsible for this somehow. Watching her best friend standing there with a playful grin as she delighted in her reaction, with Noah standing next to her with one of his quiet smiles. Looking across from them and seeing Bobby dressed in a three-piece with a kilt, so handsome and solemn like she’d never seen him before, with River just a step beside him looking absolutely stunning.

Yet the memory she was sure would be imprinted in her mind was the look on Gary’s face as she found his shining blue eyes, the smile on his lips so bright and full of love that it caused an effect a little like tunnel vision; he was all she saw; in that moment it was them and he was everything. As she reached him and his strong hands gripped hers delicately, she knew this was it.

Forever I’m yours, forever I do.

Next chapter coming soon.

#litg #litg writers rooms #writers room #litg ff #litg fanfic #love island the game #lia #love island actually #litg gary #litg bobby #litg noah #litg season 2

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