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nathiyy · 11 months

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My self-indulgent ass wrote this and I don't know how to feel about it ⚰️

this may have some grammatical errors but im too lazy to bother correcting them.

Anw, made Ryusui x fem! reader

theme is just all fluff hshshshshs

also 2,136 words hihi

Sitting comfortably on the couch, you scrolled through your phone viewing posts and videos around. Arms were placed each beside you, making you look up to see a blonde man closing the gap between you two, placing a quick peck before pulling away.

Ah...right, how could you forget? Your so-called "Greediest man alive" of a husband. He does his typical humorous laugh and snaps his fingers.

'How is my lovely dear doing?' He speaks his usual flamboyant voice, placing himself beside you and wrapping his arms around your waist, you sighed softly and pats his head, with him leaning towards your touch, despite his extroverted and open personality, it's still adorable to see this side of him to you.

Before you could answer his question, he made himself comfortable around you by laying on your lap, pulling your hand on his head for pats and your other hand with his to fiddle around with, definitely loving this.

"I'm doing fine as always, Ryusui." You giggle at his antics and began patting his head softly while your other hand was played around with your husband, intertwining your hands and rubbing your knuckles time to time.

To be honest, you never even expected to be with a guy like him, moreover to get married to him, or even expect for him to be the one who fell for you at the first place.

---

You were just walking around the town, trying to find the library, possibly going to find some books that pique your interest and rent them for awhile to enjoy reading them on your apartment.

Through your walk, you passed by a flower shop, you stopped to take a glance at the flowers that were displayed around, before considering to buy some later when you finally get some books to read, but you noticed a man in the shop, of course buying some flowers but it looked weird because of the flower shop owner and this man seemed to be arguing, curious, you hesitantly went in to help with the poor old owner.

'I desire this bouquet!' The strange man exclaimed, with the owner fidgeting nervously "But sir, those are not for sale !" the owner mentioned, trying to reason with this man. Before they could bicker further, they heard the door open with the bells hitting, signaling your presence, you looked at the both of them as they stared right back at you, surprised, but the old man composed himself and welcomes you in the shop, you bowed slightly and roamed around the shop trying to find flowers to your liking, not uttering a word.

You originally planned to offer help but it's better to listen in what the problem is before helping, in the meantime you can also find flowers that you'll buy later.

The old man looked at you before trying to reason with the man again, to not disturb you finding flowers. "Like I said sir, these aren't for sale..." You heard what the owner said as your eyes landed on a certain flower, sighing as you finally found something, you stood up and slowly walked towards the two men, understanding the situation now.

You saw the flower that the strange man wanted to buy and you faced towards him.

"Is there a special occasion for you to buy flowers?"

He laughed humoursly and snapped his fingers, smiling brightly. "There is, pretty lady !"

You chuckled lightly at his response "May I ask what that occasion is? If you don't mind me asking.." looking at him with calm eyes, he looked directly to yours seeing his hazel eyes shining before responding.

"Today is my beloved mother's birthday! And I am here to buy a bouquet of flowers as my present along with my other presents for her!" His voice tells that he really loves his mother and always is grateful to have her within his life. You looked over the flower he wanted, seeing a Yellow Carnation, ah that's why the owner wouldn't give it to him.

"Well, I guess this type of flower isn't fit to be something you'll give to your beloved mother, sir." You spoke, he looked a tad confused.

"What do you mean?" Confused by your sudden remark you explained to him briefly.

"As you can see, Yellow Carnation can mean rejection or disappointment on someone, and I'm sure that's not something you feel towards your mother, am I correct?" You motioned to face him waiting for his answer.

He was quite shocked by this discovery but immediately exclaimed once again "Of course! I do not hold any hatred towards my mother!"

You giggled with his response and looked around the shop to try and find other flowers that is fitting to be a present.. You caught a flower and picked a bouquet of it and gently placed it infront of him.

"I suggest these Pink Carnations instead, it symbolize gratitude, love and respect, fitting to be a present to your mother." You smiled while eyeing the bouquet then looking at him.

He stared at you for a moment, you were sure that you saw his cheeks flush for a moment then turning back to normal, he smiles and takes the bouquet from you.

"I must say, your knowledge about flower symbolism is something very admirable pretty lady !" He laughed cheerfully and faces towards the owner who's been staring at the both of you for awhile now ' I'll get these instead sir!" The owner nodded as the transaction went peacefully.

"You two would honestly look good together." The owner said with a smile on their face, you looked at them, a bit surprised, same goes for the man before you both chuckled.

"You really think so sir?" The man asked before turning back to look at you "Well, I do think of that aswell" He smiled at you making you break your calm facade by being flustered.

He chuckled and took your hand, kissing the back of it quickly and gently let's go of it, making you blush more.

"My name is Ryusui, Nanami Ryusui, may I know your name? Or are you okay of being called 'pretty lady'?" He teased making you chuckle lightly before saying your name to him.

You two went outside the shop, presumably about to get going on your own matters.

"What a beautiful name you have, it is nice to meet you!" He wanted to talk with you more but the conversation gets interrupted by a phone call, he excused himself for a second to take the call and you let him.

It took about 3 minutes before the call ended, you didn't notice that he was finished as you were preoccupied with staring at the towns library ahead, he gently pats your shoulder that surprised you for a moment before facing towards him.

He explained that he had to go because of his mother's party and all of that, you understand what he meant but before you two could go, he wanted to have your number, you were a bit suspicious at first but with your interactions with this man, it gives you the reassurance that you can trust him, you both exchanged numbers and bid farewell to each other. Though the man stopped and looked back at your dainty figure walking away, he smiled and continued to go off for their own matters.

---

You sighed contently, remembering how you two met, that didn't go unnoticed by Ryusui

"Is something wrong my love?" He asked, looking at your face, you smiled and continued patting his head.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered how we met in the first place." Your husband chuckled and sat up on the couch, pulling your petite figure on his lap, placing his arms around your waist, and burying his face on your shoulder before sighing.

"I'm very delighted to have met you back then, who knew a flower symbolism expert would caught this greedy heart of mine." muttering on your shoulder, you chuckled and looked down, smiling, seeing both of your ring fingers be accompanied by a ring that signifies both of your undying love for each other, this somewhat feels like a dream.

"indeed I'd never thought someone like me would do such a thing" you heard him chuckle before kissing the back of your ear.

"You're too humble my dear, you should be proud to be able to pull such a person like me." He mentioned, while clearing the hair around the back of your neck, he slowly kisses it and returns back to placing his head on your shoulder.

"I remember that time where you confessed to me... infront of a crowd...." He laughed as he remembered that beautiful time.

---

You two were out in your typical friendly date, ever since you've met in the flower shop, you started to interact more and go out more, probably to a cafe or a restaurant and discuss things, probably work related, personal things, or anything.

While you both were walking towards the cafe that the both of you usually go, Ryusui suddenly stopped with you walking Infront, you noticed him and stopped to look back at him confused.

"Is there something wrong Ryusui?"

He doesn't really respond and just stares at you for a few minutes.

This man has already fell for you since the flower shop incident but he wasn't sure if this is someone he wanted, someone he desires, but at this moment, he made up his mind, all your memories together was something he always cherished and he wants you to be with him and only him everytime you meet up. He smiles brightly before shouting.

"I desire you!"

That was something you never expected him to say, he began to walk towards you slowly, the crowd of people taking a glance or two at them, you knew some were listening but that didn't really matter at the moment. He gently grabbed your hands and holds them softly.

"I desire you, your affection, your attention, your presence, your smile.... and your love."

He looks at you with an endearing face, he is being serious with this, and even if you reject him, he won't stop pursuing you anyway, when there's something or someone that he wants, Ryusui will make sure that he'll get them.

It took you a few seconds to process what is happening, you felt the same way with him and always had, it only started when you got to know each other more, the more you talked the more you fell for him, but you've kept it to yourself until the perfect time comes. 'It seems that time is today' you said to yourself.

You looked at him for a moment, you still couldn't say anything, might aswell show it than say it right? Actions speak louder than words they said.

You slowly lifted your hands to his cheek before pulling him into a kiss, definitely surprising him, as the shock slowly disappeared, he returns the kiss aswell. The crowd around you clapped and cheered for the both of you. Right, you forgot that you were in public, you both pulled away and start chuckling.

"I originally planned it to be somewhere romantic.." He sighed, placing his forehead on yours, you were looking up to him with your arms around his shoulder and his arms around your waist. You giggled at him for his remark.

"I guess you don't like it here then?" You asked as he slowly shook his head.

"I'm very happy that you're finally mine, that's what matters."

---

That was honestly years ago when it happened but it felt like all of that happened yesterday.

Ryusui looks at you with a loving gaze, if anyone was in the room right now and saw the both of you, they would say that this man is very madly inlove with their partner, which is very very true.

You sighed contently before leaning back on his chest feeling comfortable, he hums as he still wraps his arms around you, not showing any signs of letting you go.

"Time passes very fast huh?" You muttered making him hum in agreement, he's enjoying himself right now by snuggling on your shoulder, his cheeks very flush with a big wide smile on his face, you look back and chuckle at his expression, although you're no different either as your cheeks are flushed aswell.

Turning back to face him, hugging his chest, and enjoying each others presence. You look up to see him smiling endearingly at you, before pulling you into a soft and sweet kiss.

"I love you...my love.." Ryusui mutters, looking at you with loving eyes, you smile brightly at him.

Indeed, he is the greediest man in the world. as he finally captured the heavens to his heart.

"I love you too."

#dr. stone #dcst #dcst ryusui #dr stone ryusui #ryusui x reader #nanami ryusui #x reader #character x you #fluff #purely self indulgent #ryusui nanami x reader

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cosmic-lavender · 2 years

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Tranquility chapter 3

Otis driftwood x reader (she/her)

"So you really expect me to wear this wig?""Yes, we discussed this part of the plan; why are you being this way?" "I'm not being anyway" "I just couldn't find one that looks better also; vanity is not what we're going to be worrying about right now; have you seen what you look like?" "like, okay, that's rude."

Foxy turned up his nose at the brightly bleached wig you handed him holding it and shaking it in his hand before looking back at you. "I'm just saying this seems incredibly itchy, and I don't know why you couldn't have found a better one?""look, this is the most convincing one they had at the store, and just shut up; it's not like you have to wear it for a while anyway; it's just you're the one that will be more recognizable right now" "oh, I am? You're running around like Bonnie and Clyde, so you should wear the wig." "I am wearing a wig," you said, holding up the long black one; "mine just looks more believable because mine looks like it's from this century anyways; Fox, all we gotta do is pick up the money from the relief station with the fake ids that's all!".

"hmm, that's all, is it? Do you have any of them IDS that look like me?" "yeah, duh," you handed him an ID, "this one looks the most like you." "Naw, I'm much more handsome," he laughed. "let's get this over with," you said, straightening your wig. Much to your relief, the plan went off without a hitch; you were so grateful that you all held onto so much of the victim's information after they were killed; maybe a part of you knew this would come in handy one day. Fox had pretended to be your husband on the views to the relief centers in the nearby towns, your arm roped in his as you both played your part. He had to admit he really was starting to enjoy this secretly. After the trips, you both usually ate and drank, a small ritual that had become the norm.

You were grateful for the small amount of fun you were having, but your mind never fully being taken off Otis and the others. Fox hated to admit it, but he already was thinking ahead to the possibility you couldn't free the others; what life would you have then? Would you possibly consider being with him? It was getting harder and harder the more he spent with you to deny the feelings rising in his gut; he felt guilty because he loved his brother, but he wasn't here, was he? Who knew if he ever would be?

A few months had passed, and the both of you had racked up quite a bit of saving. Still, it was apparent that you would need a job soon, something for a more stable income and a way to cover up all the possible paper tails you two were leaving in the meantime. "so," foxy looked up from his joint he was rolling to give you his attention, "I think that I'm going to apply to that club a few towns over when you go and try to find a way into the prison."" you want to stay here alone?" Foxy asked, giving you a curious look . "well, I didn't want to, but I think it would be more suspicious if we went together."

Truth be told, foxy wanted you to come only because he was worried about you staying here alone without his protection or supervision. But he also did not want you to go because he was afraid of you getting hurt in what could be a possible crossfire. He also wondered if this meant that you didn't want to see Otis. "what's Otis gonna say when he doesn't see you?" "I'm sure he will be worried but also glad that I'm not in harm's way" you walked over and patted his shoulder "ill be okay; I'm a tough girl; I can handle my own." "so, what's the name of the club?" "the lavender," "the lavender the strip club?!" "Yes, but I'm applying as a bartender should be fun." He watched you pass as you went into the restroom; you were going to be his death by the end of this, he's been in that club before, and even the bartenders wore some skimpy outfits; you were making this harder every day.

Technically yes, where you were applying was a strip club. Still, they were hiring for bartenders, and you figured an establishment like that would be the first place that anyone would come and look for you. Plus, you just thought it would be good tips. "well, I'm taking you and picking you up until I leave, no debate." you gave him a small smile and looked back out the window; you were tired of this already and couldn't wait for this to be over," I wonder what Mexico is going to be like," you said looking back over to him. "you sure that is where you want to go?" "it sounds like the best option out of everything we discussed" "alright," Fox said, holding up his glass. "Mexico it is."

So Friday night, you started the job; it was fun. You got along with the girls; the guys weren't too creepy, and the ones that were foxy were sure to give them a look that could kill. He stayed for the first few days watching out for you; he tried to keep his attention on the dancers, but he felt himself watching you the most; every day, you looked stunning, your hair and makeup always on point. The girls had eventually asked you who he was, and while you explained he was your brother-in-law, a few of them began to whisper that the looks he gave you were not those of just a brother-in-law. Foxy had gotten word from his inside partners that the unit Otis was in was set to be on a chain gang working on the railroad tracks. He told you while you were on break at work. Your face was a mixture of excitement and worry, "whew, okay, please be careful and call me when you can" "of course, Darlin but here, come outside with me. I got something to show ya." you followed him outside where he presented an adorable little honda. You looked at him, puzzled for a moment, "it's yours," he said, smiling down at you. "wait, you took some of your shares to buy me a car? why, oh, you shouldn't of!". You turned to hug him super tight around the waist. He froze for a second before returning the hug; it felt so good to hug you like this. You pulled away first, running over to look around the car. "How long you think you'll be gone?" "I'm not sure hope I can spring Otis on the chain gang and head back asap." "okay," you said, letting out a sigh, "please be careful." "ah cmon ill be fine," he said pulling you into a hug, "ill come back for you no matter what I care about you kid." I love you, he almost says it. Still, he knows there's no place for love here, not for him.

What Foxy didn't know was you had also taken up your management offer to apply for a dancer, it probably would have halted him from leaving, but this would mean a lot more money; you weren't the best dancer, but you knew you could learn, you were pretty flexible. Your one rule was no lap dances; you only give those to your husband. The girls told you they don't have to touch you, but you insisted that your body was for Otis and Otis alone and you'd wait for him no matter how long it took.

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os-hyoideum · 3 years

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"I have come to a coclusion." Shinsou Hitoshi x fem!plus size!Reader

"i figured out why you're so into me… it's because wherever you grab it feels like a boob" (my inspo, in the form of my stupid thought - I wanted to do a few more of my fav characters, but we'll see)

Word count: 1263 Content: Pro!Shinsou (over 18), fluff (I think), funny (I hope), slighly just suggestive at the end (letting out a perv a bit, but just teensy bit), plus size/chubby/fat Reader, Reader has nipple piercings (I just think everyone -who wants them ofc- deserves them), Reader has big? (heavy) boobies

a/n: Like I'm never inspired to write, this time I just did (and had fun, surprisingly... it's that Shiso brainrot 😔). This is literally THE SECOND time I have ever written something (that isn't an academic essay) in English. Also, THE FIRST time using the second person in writing, but I wanted to try. It's just some quick fic, so enjoy! Also, sorry for, perhaps, a weird use of commas, I don't think I'm ever gonna be able to put them correctly everywhere.

Hitoshi let out a relieved sigh once he stepped over the threshold to your shared apartment.

It wasn’t anything particularly special, with its open space kitchen-living room combo, bathroom, and decently sized bedroom, but it was a home that brought him comfort after hard days (or nights) of work. Particularly, when it was an unexpected task of giving the talk to aspiring heroes at his former high school - UA.

It was a bit weird for him to get home during late afternoon, as his usual night patrols made him used to getting back at rather early morning hours, but still, he was just glad to be finally in the comfort of his own place.

After taking his shoes off and walking a bit more inside, he was met with a sight to behold (by his own requirements).

There, laying face down on a couch was you, clothed only in a pair of black panties and a sports bra. Electric fan, standing on a side table, was blowing straight onto your exposed back. Hitoshi supposed it wasn’t anything particularly strange, given it was the middle of summer and, additionally, you must have been tired from your work trip; nevertheless, he decided to ask.

“Well, hello there,” he started, crossing his arms and quirking an eyebrow, “That’s a nice view of your ass, but why are you basically naked?”

You propped yourself on your elbows and turned your head back to look at him. The breeze from the fan stung your eyes a bit, so you sat up straight and faced Hitoshi properly. Partly, to just be able to admire him (like usual) and, partly, so the breeze would still be directed towards your back.

“First of all: it’s hot as hell today. I have never been more grateful for our AC… that still was not enough, but well…” You listed lifting one finger up.

“Okay, fair.” Hitoshi nodded. He looked at you lifting another finger.

“Second of all: I had a little, hmm… mirror sesh? I guess it could be called like that.”

Hitoshi knew exactly what you meant and instantly was put on alert. He did not know what to expect from the outcome. You weren’t particularly insecure, but drops in confidence happen to everyone, at the best of times. Having a truce with your body didn’t mean an endless peace.

He looked at you with intensity, looking for any indicators of feeling low, but relaxed a bit seeing you being at least in a neutral, if not even good, mood.

“Oh? Is that so?”

You stood up, the slight jiggle of your soft body not concealed by anything. He had seen you bare many times before (like, a lot of times), but still caught himself admiring the patterns your stretch marks drew upon your skin. He knew it’s not anything special, quite the natural part of the human body, yet he still saw some intricate artistic thought behind it.

“Yes,” you said, putting one hand on your hip and gesticulating with the other, “and you know how I, personally, feel about myself. Like, sometimes it’s good, sometimes bad, nothing new, right?” You asked rather rhetorically, to which Hitoshi still nodded slightly, listening from behind a bar piece separating your kitchen and living space.

“BUT,” you emphasized and pointed a finger at him,” today I was wondering in particular, why YOU like THIS-” you paused to encircle your body with one hand “-so much. And I have come to a conclusion”

Hitoshi hummed and took a sip of iced coffee he took from the fridge in the meantime.

“Yeah? And what’s your conclusion then?”

“You are so attracted to me because everywhere you touch feels like a boob.”

That was an unexpected sentence that left your lips; so unexpected actually, that Hitoshi almost choked on his coffee. Luckily though, he did not. Not paying much attention to your could-have-died significant other, you continued with your reasonings.

“Arm? Boob.” You squeezed your upper arm to emphasize. “Tummy?” A little squeeze creating a roll between your fingers. “Boob.” You propped your leg on the couch to poke at your inner thigh. “Thigh? Boob. Calf? Boob. See? Everything’s a boobie!”

Hitoshi just laughed looking at your excited expression, he assumed from coming to such boob-tastic revelation. He fixed his black headband, keeping his beautiful hair out of his face, and pointed at your leg.

“Well, I don’t remember your boobs being quite so hairy. Though my memory might be failing, after all this time.” He said with a chuckle, hinting at your two weeks of separation, due to your dreadful trip.

“How DARE you!” You gasped dramatically and threw a pillow that Hitoshi expertly caught with a laugh. “Are you shaming my body hair?”

“Oh, of course not,” he smirked playfully, “I quite like your hairy legs.”

With a slightly frustrated groan, you fell on the couch and loudly sighing slid off onto the floor. Sitting behind your low coffee table, you tilted your head down and glared at Hitoshi from under your eyebrows. He knew someone could have gotten scared had they been on the receiving end, but spending so much time with you, he was used to it and just found it amusing. Seeing the lack of reaction from him, you just stood up and walked towards the bar to stand in front of him.

“If you don’t stop, I WILL sit on you.”

Hitoshi quirked an eyebrow at you and turned around. He took a step towards the kitchen sink and, after turning the water on, splashed his face.

“What are you doing?” You asked, not quite expecting him to start washing his face in the middle of a conversation.

After taking a small, clean kitchen towel to dry himself off, he looked you straight in the eye.

“Prepping your seat, baby.”

You stared at him for a few seconds with wide eyes, before slowly clapping and nodding with approval.

“Huh… outstanding move. True dedication to a joke.”

“I wasn’t joking.” But you already knew that.

“Damn…” You started, holding his intense gaze. “Okay, Mr Shinsou, you’re on.”

He looked you up and down with an expression of a man starved.

“You’re in for a ride…” But you already knew that too. “Mrs Shinsou.”

“I’m not Mrs Shinsou.”

“Not yet.” You knew it was mostly playful banter since neither of you was in a rush to make your relationship official. It was comfortable enough, to the point actually, that others did mistake you for a married couple at times. So it turned into a joke, being called by his name.

“Alright…” You smiled softly at him before your expression became much more devious. “Wanna take a shower before I take my rightful place upon my throne?”

Without waiting for his response, you pulled your sports bra over your head. In an instant, Hitoshi’s gaze fell onto your heavy chest. Decorated with shining metal nipples perked up, due to the slight chill from the AC and the fan, both working at full capacity. You turned around and walked towards the bathroom with a nice sway in your hips. In the doorway, you slid your panties off and threw them at Hitoshi with a heated look from behind your shoulder.

He caught them with one hand and, looking you straight in the eyes, brought them to his face. He took a long breath in, taking in your scent mixed with sweat that almost made him dizzy with desire.

He put his cup into the sink and, with your panties in hand, followed you into the bathroom.

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ladyvader23 · 3 years

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The Lost Saber

Set in the Dad Vader Chronicles Universe, this short is dedicated to @silvereddaye as a belated birthday present! Silver is such a great friend. She works so hard for her Star Wars server, and she’s so talented. Her art is beautiful, and I have the privilege of playing D&D with her, where she has one of the coolest characters ever! She’s just so awesome and I wanted to write something for her and the idea of Leia stealing Vader’s saber just...seemed entertaining enough for that very occasion. I hope you enjoy Silver!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vader did his best not to panic. How many places could his lightsaber be, after all? He was certain he’d had it on his belt when he’d returned home the night before. He was certain he’d had it when he tucked the twins in bed. Leia had, after all, asked him about it, and he’d explained its properties as a weapon and companion in battle. It was an odd choice of a bedtime story, he had to admit, but she’d seemed satisfied afterwards and didn’t complain when he told her to sleep.

Then he’d seen it in his meditation chamber that morning, and he distinctly remembered grabbing it...but now he was in the Imperial Palace and it was gone.

And the Emperor was watching him expectantly, a disobedient moff shaking in his boots as he awaited judgement.

The plan was to scare him before killing him by igniting his saber and casually and slowly moving towards him, letting the tip of his saber singe the ground. Then he’d stab him and let the man die a slow and painful death.

But there was no saber on his belt.

“Have you lost something, Lord Vader?” On the surface, Palpatine’s voice was as benevolent as ever, but there was an edge of annoyance there. Vader didn’t need the Force to tell him that.

Vader didn’t answer. Memories of all the times he’d lost his saber as Anakin flooded his mind, memories full of Obi-Wan giving him long admonishments and lectures that...he’d basically given Leia the night before. What kind of father was he, if he couldn’t even follow what he’d told Leia? Already he could picture both of the twins losing their lightsabers and when he brought it up, they’d point out that he’d lost his and--

He crushed the man’s windpipe and he dropped to the floor.

“That was not what we decided.” There was definite venom in the Emperor’s tone.

“The wait for punishment had the same effect.” Vader pointed out.

The Emperor scoffed and waved him away, irritated. “Come back when you are prepared for your job.”

Vader didn’t argue, and he was grateful that he didn’t have to explain the embarrassing situation further as he strode out of the throne room.

Where could it have gone?

He racked his brain, trying to remember what he might have done that would have required him setting it down. He couldn’t think of any, beyond briefly stopping by Captain Piett’s office to have a word with him. Had he set it down there? He didn’t know why he would have…

His comm rang and without thinking, he picked it up. “I am busy, this had better be an emergency.” He snarled, assuming it was an idiotic officer with news on Rebel movements.

“Um. Hi, this is Miss Kengall, Leia’s teacher?”

Vader stopped in the middle of the ornate palace hallway. He paid no mind to the guards side-eyeing him from where they stood. “Is something wrong?” Already his mind conjured up a million things that could have happened--most of them caused directly by Leia. But if someone had threatened her and he was without his lightsaber...though he technically didn’t need the saber to protect his children...

This day couldn’t get any worse.

“Well,” Vader’s jaw clenched. This woman didn’t know how to get to the point, did she? “Leia...um. She’s got your lightsaber.”

He stopped cold.

“It was show and tell. She wanted to show your--oh, stars, she’s turned it on--”

He heard the whoom of a lightsaber waving around, along with children exclaiming in wonder.

An image of Leia chopping a limb off of a child, or worse, entered his mind. While he’d dismembered plenty of people with a saber, it somehow was very different when the one wielding the weapon was a five year old.

“I am on my way.” He turned the comm off before the teacher could protest and began hurrying as quickly as he could towards his speeder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he arrived at the school, he found Leia waiting for him in the principal's office. Apparently, her teacher was at least competent enough to get her to hand over the weapon, because it sat on top of the principal’s desk.

“Ah. Lord Vader.” A short, portly, balding man greeted as he entered the office. “I was just explaining why--”

“Leave.” He growled as he glared at Leia. He watched her sink into the too-big seat, as though that would spare her from his wrath.

“But...it’s my off--”

Vader stretched out a hand. The man flinched, but rather than strangling the idiotic man in front of his daughter, he called the saber to his grip.

“...Very well.” The principal attempted to sound calm as he stood. “I’ll...I’ll leave you to it.”

Vader waited until the man was gone and the door had firmly closed before he took a few steps forward. The office was small, so it only took him two steps before he was towering over his daughter.

He didn’t even know where to begin. It was pure luck that no one had been injured because of her foolish actions. She refused to meet his eyes, too, which told him she knew she was in big trouble.

“What have I told you about asking for permission before taking things that are not yours?”

That seemed like a reasonable place to start, even though taking a lightsaber was far more serious than her taking one of her brother's toys.

Leia squirmed in her seat. “I...I have to pee--”

“You do not. Answer my question. Now.”

He had never harmed his children. They were far too precious. But he had no qualms about using the vocorecorder in his helmet to its full intended effect when the time called for it.

“...I need to ask.”

“Why?”

Leia squirmed more. “Because it’s not nice.”

He hadn’t ever explained it that way. He was a Sith, he did not care for niceties, but he supposed it worked. “And why else?”

“Because it’s against the law and I’m not allowed to break the law till you say so.”

That was the reason he’d always given when explaining why stealing was wrong.

“And did I say so?”

“No.”

“Then you should not have taken my lightsaber.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “What you took from me is very serious, Leia. You could have hurt or killed one of your friends. You are too young for such violence.”

“I just wanted to have the coolest show and tell.” Leia mumbled.

“I could have assisted you with finding something far less dangerous.” He paused as a thought occurred to him. He hadn’t actually ever shown Luke or Leia what a lightsaber could do. There had been no reason to. They were too young to accompany him anywhere that would have shown them how dangerous it was, and he doubted any of their cartoons portrayed lightsabers.

“Leia. I want you to watch closely.” He said, igniting the blade. As the hum filled the room, she reluctantly looked up.

Just as he turned and sliced through the principal's desk with ease.

She jumped, staring wide eyed as the metal desk collapsed, the edges where he sliced through melting. He turned the saber off and motioned. “One day you will learn to wield your own saber, but without proper training, you could have done this to one of your friends or your teacher. Do you want to do this to them?”

Leia was still staring wide-eyed at the desk as she vigorously shook her head.

“Do you understand why I am so angry with you for taking my lightsaber?”

She nodded.

“Explain it back to me.”

She finally tore her eyes away from the desk, huffing as she did so. She never liked it when he made her prove that she understood, but she also knew he would not give in until she’d done it. “I could have hurt someone.”

“And you could have hurt yourself.” Carefully, he knelt down to her level. It was more difficult than usual, given the room’s small size and the chopped desk in the middle of it, but he managed. Barely. He reached up and cupped her cheek. “One day I will teach you to use your own. I promise. But for now, I do not wish to see you hurt because you didn’t listen to me. Do you understand?”

Tears welled in Leia’s eyes and she nodded before throwing her arms around his neck.

He was still angry...but it subsided slightly with her little arms around his neck, and he patted her back soothingly.

“You are grounded for the foreseeable future. No holovision. No friends. Not until you can prove that you’re responsible again.” He told her as she pulled away.

She pouted and held up two fingers. “Two days.”

“This is not a negotiation.” He pointed at her. “Prove you are responsible and we will revisit the matter of privileges.” He paused. “And I’m sure you are likely suspended from school as well. You will have plenty of time to think on the meaning of responsibility in the meantime by writing a letter of apology to your teacher.”

Her pout deepened into a scowl, but she knew when he was unswayable.

He stood and clipped his saber back to the belt where it belonged. “Get your things. We are leaving.” He told her as he motioned with his hand and the door to the office opened.

Where the principal stood, waiting.

“I...ah, assume Miss Leia understands what she did was wrong?” The man nervously asked as Vader approached, blocking his view of the office within.

“I have dealt with it.” Vader answered simply. “How long will she be suspended?”

The man swallowed nervously. “I...that won’t be necessary--”

Vader took one threatening step forward and shoved his finger into the man’s chest. “I do not care for your fear of me. You will discipline my children the same as you would any other. How many days would you suspend a child for such an infraction?”

He watched the man pale. “Uh...I, uh...thr--three days?”

Vader’s gaze narrowed. That seemed lenient for a child who’d brought a weapon to school. He leaned forward until he was practically in the man’s face. “You are certain?”

The man shrinked away from him. “...A-a week, but it was really--”

By then, Leia had emerged from the office, her pink princess backpack slung over her shoulders. Vader stepped away from the man and placed a guiding hand on his daughter’s back. “She will see you next week, then.”

Without another word, he guided Leia past the school secretary droid and to the front office door.

He did not miss the principal gasping, “What happened to my desk?” before they left.

#darth vader #leia organa #dad vader series #leia and vader #star wars #fanfic #my own writing

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saladejin · 4 years

Text

Call An Uber? | 01

BTS x Reader | idolverse au, uber driver!Reader, translator!Reader | Fluff, flirting, super slow burn, angst and hurt/comfort, mature themes and eventual smut

Summary: Your normal life with a normal, yet inconsistent job gets drastically changed when your dreams come true. Sounds boring right?

What happens when all of this occurs, but you’re still doing something you love AND getting a large sum for it? Now there’s something to think about, and it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.

Warnings: Mild swearing, hysterical fan behaviour

Word Count: 7.1k (Chapter 1 is longer than usual)

A/N: Okay, so in my next phase of finally crossposting my works to tumblr, I’m adding this massive multi-chapter fic.

I began this slow-burner (emphasis on slow-burn) a couple of years ago, so it’s easy to see how my writing has changed and evolved throughout.

Basically, I wanted to imagine what it would be like to have one of those ‘chance encounters’ every fan has thought of at least once. Thus, this fic was born, and though it is full of coincidences and wishful thinking, I always try to work realistically to make it enjoyable (and not as foolish as the premise makes it sound).

I hope you enjoy the ride, and feel free to check out the rest on my Ao3 in the meantime while I try my best to transfer everything in an orderly fashion! <3

»»————- << masterpost | next >>　————-««

Reader 1st person POV

Imagine being asked to remember the most boring day of your whole existence. If you're anything like me, then it's a bit hard to recall...but for once I was certain.

Today was that day.

Or it was, until something outrageous happened. Something so unprecedented and so unbelievable that I struggle to recall it at all.

I suppose I'll give it my best shot anyway.

A clear and uneventful morning leading straight into the annoyingly peaceful afternoon, and I had still only picked up and dropped off a measly number of people. Yes, being an Uber driver had its ups and downs, and I had been one for about a year and a half already. It paid decently enough most of the time, and the job just worked hand-in-hand with the flashy new car leaving a gaping hole in my bank account.

Despite all these alleged perks, today had been an obviously gruelling exception.

The lack of activity could be blamed on a number of scenarios, for instance a public holiday or event stirring attention somewhere else. Whatever it was, it was decreasing the number of customers in this usually bustling city of Seoul much to my dismay. I needed good cash, and I’d been working my ass off lately in order to get exactly that. Even closing myself off to social media and other forms of communication with friends helped me focus solely on working nowadays.

I need a real job…

Then suddenly, even as cliché as it sounds, God decided to answer all of my prayers. A loud ding emitted from my phone and I almost veered off the road in sheer astonishment.

“Thank the Lord!” I pulled up quickly onto the curb and examined the Uber request, almost questioning if I had imagined the whole thing out of desperation.

The name read ‘J’. Literally just the letter, boldly sitting in the middle of my screen. I raised an eyebrow, and normally would have considered declining the request if it seemed too prank-worthy, but I needed this job. I didn’t think the person had even registered or used the service before, as there wasn’t a clear rating to be seen anywhere. Once again...I needed this job.

The pinpoint appeared nearby, and luckily it was only about a five-minute drive to reach the destination. It was located just outside a large shopping mall in central Seoul, and even though this was a seemingly quiet day, it shouldn’t have been this empty. There were of course a few groups of people and individual shoppers wandering about, in and out of the entrance looking for easy buys. Even so, I knew this place to be quite popular and to say I was astounded would be an understatement.

There must be something going on in the city somewhere.

Making a grab for my phone about three minutes after looking around for ‘J’, I considered sending him or her a text to ask where they were. The place was basically empty, so spotting someone on the lookout for their ride shouldn’t have been too difficult.

“They mustn’t be out yet.” I clucked quietly to myself, typing out a message to indicate I had arrived.

The gentle hum of my engine was the only sound accompanying me as I waited. After another thirty seconds, I received a short reply of “there soon”. I glanced at the simple words a second time before lightly scoffing.

“Okay ‘J’, I’m in no rush.”

Still amused over the less than eloquent reply, I leant back into my comfortable leather seat and hummed to myself to pass some time. I would’ve usually had the radio going, but for now I wasn’t really in the mood for any background distractions. I liked silence when it was comfortable, and especially in a place such as this shopping mall, it was rare to come by.

The reverie was soon shattered when faint sounds of various screams erupted from somewhere in the distance, and I instantly jerked my head up with squinted eyes to observe the area. Tinted car windows revealed just enough of the area to discern an overall lack of movement.

The paved courtyard outside the mall wasn’t occupied by a single human being, which was even stranger than before. The only moving things I could eventually see where a couple of dirtied napkins being thrown around in the slight breeze, and a ripped paper cup from a popular juice bar rolling around caught in the same fate.

The frantic screaming continued. Should I be worried? The shouting wasn’t in terror or anger, that much I was sure of. I usually would pin it on some brawl breaking out nearby, but these sounds where mostly female when I listened closer. In any sense, it definitely sounded extreme.

I wondered briefly if there was some massive sale happening at a famous clothes brand down the street, causing a flurry of panic within female shoppers. The anticipation from the sounds caused me to tap my fingers on the steering wheel in curiosity.

Then it happened. An enormous group of Korean women and probably a few men, some looking fairly young, flocked around the corner of a building in an intense hurry.

Was the sale here or something??

My eyes widened in shock, as the group only seemed to be growing in numbers. Many were holding their phones out, as if recording something, and I scanned the rapidly moving crowd with anxious eyes to spot the source of the commotion.

Two well-dressed men seemed to be caught in the centre of it all. The pair that stemmed this chaotic crowd were clad from head to toe in designer clothes, including darkly coloured masks and sunglasses, not to mention the hoods covering their heads. The shorter of the two donned a lighter colour palette through a milky white button-up, while the other was dressed in a charcoal black hoodie and black ripped jeans.

They appeared to be trying to escape the bundling mass of people, as they moved quickly and swiftly ahead of the horde in their haste. I gripped the wheel in surprise. The screams where deafening and I could feel them grating my nerves. I hoped my client would not be caught in this mess. I wanted out, and I wanted out as soon as possible.

Maybe they’re famous, maybe idols?

A small excitement sparked at that thought, but I was still daunted by the scene playing out in front of me. If they were idols, I felt incredibly sorry for them. This was a clear breach of privacy and personal space, and they didn’t deserve it at all. This was the reason for hatred against K-pop fandoms all around the world.

“Who do they think they are?” I found myself muttering, eyebrows furrowing in disappointment.

Suddenly, the more brightly dressed man glanced around and pointed directly at my car, turning to his well-built friend to shout something following a flurry of gestures. I stiffened and my breath hitched when both started sprinting towards me, their fans following desperately to try and at least touch them.

Oh no.

My breathing sped up and the situation finally dawned on me. The empty mall, the shady name and blunt text response. The timing…

I unlocked all my doors and gripped the wheel harder, if that was even possible. The mass of people followed the two guys as they drew closer to my car, and I prayed to God that they didn’t leave any scratches or dents by the time I was gone. The one that acknowledged me first reached the car, and I jumped slightly when he opened the passenger door and clambered in swiftly. The other darkly dressed one threw himself in the backseat next and I jumped again when both doors slammed shut simultaneously.

“Hello!” The first guy cleared his throat from where he sat next to me and I could see he was bouncing his knee in apprehension, obviously wanting to scoot the fuck out of there, but still trying to be polite towards me. His breathing was shallow, and I could see large beads of sweat rolling down the side of his half-hidden face. I was in no mood to sit around and ponder about him.

“To hell with this!” I exclaimed with a squeak, and the second after the passenger door closed I shifted the gearstick and floored the pedal. Making sure that no people were in my way before skidding slightly around the pick-up bend. Only the sound of one singular hand slapping the boot of my car made me wince, but I was glad there was no other physical contact on my precious red Hyundai.

Only the sound of laboured breathing could be heard amongst sighs of relief as we pulled away from the mall. I looked into the rear-view mirror to see some people giving a hearty chase down the road, but most of the fans had broken away and were just waving towards my car as we rolled down the street.

Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and I could feel a small smile resting on my face at the thought of escaping something like that. What a turn of events for this tedious day! A muffled gasp caught my attention and I looked into my mirror again to see the darkly dressed guy’s eyes screwed shut as he laughed breathlessly, one hand slapping his knee. His friend was just leaning his head back against the headrest as he gulped in large breaths of oxygen through his plump lips. They had both pulled down their masks and lifted their shaded glasses to catch their breaths, but the sight caused my own eyes to widen dangerously.

Holy shit on a stick, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook are sitting in my car. What in the ever-loving…

My breathing hitched at the realisation, but I continued to drive steadily. The thing I needed to focus on most of all was getting away from the crazy population of the city. I knew internally I was freaking out a little at the thought of members of my favourite boyband sitting in my own car, but I kept it under wraps knowing they would definitely not appreciate another bout of whatever that shemozzle was before.

I guess nothing goes unnoticed when you’re that famous. Why the hell were they alone?

Jungkook stopped laughing as he looked at my wide-eyed and slightly terrified expression. He suddenly grew apologetic due to his unexplained laughing.

“Sorry, uh, just how you drove off… sorry.” His voice died down as he gradually started to regain his composure, and I watched a shy demeanour suddenly take over his form, as if he had been hit with a realisation of overstepping his bounds. Jimin just turned and glanced pointedly at him, and then back at me to search wearily for a response.

“No it’s fine, I’m just a tad shaken,” I huffed out an exasperated breath, amusement showing on my features at the maknae’s sudden behaviour change. The idol next to me cleared his throat as I turned another corner, luckily no traffic barred my way and I was easily able to fly down the main road.

“We’re very sorry for what happened back there, that was probably quite troublesome for you. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

“Seriously don’t worry. You guys definitely needed an escape from…that. I’m glad to help, honestly.” I smiled to ease any worry radiating from the two flustered boys. “J, right?”

I glanced upwards into the mirror to lock eyes with Jungkook, not missing the way Jimin tried to conceal a smirk from the younger member. “Ah, he’s not that creative with names it seems.”

The older boy’s melodic speaking voice caused my lips to part in an involuntary breath of awe. I had always loved Park Jimin’s voice, whether it be singing or speaking or doing literally anything. Jungkook’s amused exhale and gentle chuckle also made me quite soft.

“Ah, sorry about my rude message too.” He looked downwards and bowed slightly. I noticed how politely he spoke and my insides turned to jelly once again. I felt warm and fluffy from their pleasant mannerisms.

“Don’t worry guys, how could I expect an essay when you were running for your lives?”

The two boys couldn’t contain their amused smiles as they exchanged another glance, seemingly conflicted. I could tell they didn’t know quite what to do with themselves in this situation, as they surely seldom had to get rides from anyone else other than their own personal drivers. I saw Jimin’s brows crease in concentration next to me, as if he was trying to figure out how to maintain his sense of professionalism. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt anxiously.

“You guys may want to start with an explanation, if that’s alright?” I decided to help them out a small bit. If I could establish a comfortable atmosphere here, it would be much easier to converse and work out what to do.

“I notice that you put the next street over as your destination, but I’m fairly sure you’d both want to go further than that.” I made my point with a raised eyebrow and gestured to my phone sitting on the dashboard, destination showing clearly across the bottom of the screen.

Jimin clicked his tongue and leant in to read my phone more clearly. My skin tingles at his closer proximity.

“Seriously Jungkookie, any other place would’ve been better,” he eventually spoke, and although his tone was whiny with complaint, I could see the traces of a smile dancing across his features. He was obviously trying his best to remain stern.

“Ah, sorry hyung. I didn’t have all that much time in this case, did you forget?”

The cheek of this boy.

Jimin turned around and pointed at the younger boy while failing to hold back a giggle.

“Oi, show some respect you brat.”

Jungkook was snickering to himself, and I couldn’t help the smirk from tugging at my lips involuntarily. The group these guys came from always had this certain dynamic of playful teasing that won over so many fans. I included myself in that list honestly, as I always managed to have a good laugh watching their energetic interactions. It made me feel so youthful, as though an inner child would come out to play even though I was still adolescent at the age of 22.

They were fine joking around with themselves for a bit, but I could tell they were still very conscious of me and my presence in the car. They stopped chuckling and Jungkook cleared his throat noticeably in the back, silently handing over the responsibility of the situation to his elder.

“Um, sorry about that as well,” Jimin began to launch into a heartfelt apology, his bouncy blonde hair lowering with his head in a meaningful bow. I stopped him softly with a smile and made steady eye contact for a couple of seconds. His oak-brown eyes were confused, and I knew he was trying his best to deal with the situation properly. Just as his leader would.

“It’s fine, no more apologies please,” I requested warmly, easing the tension as he leant backwards in his seat to relax.

“I just want to know how you both ended up there, if you don’t mind sharing that is. Also feel free to give me somewhere to drop you both off.”

Jimin glanced over at me once more as if calculating my chances of being a threat. I made sure to keep my expression calm and clear while focusing on the empty road in front of me.

“Do you know us?” the sudden question from behind caused Jimin’s head to snap backwards, and my heartbeat to speed up incredibly. It wasn’t an accusing tone Jungkook used, but more on the curious side. Jimin still showed slight disapproval before turning his gaze back to me, a newfound curiosity also flashing across his features. It seemed he became a little shy after the topic of their fame rolled around, but I could tell he still wanted to know pretty badly.

“I’d consider myself a pretty big fan, not insane but you get what I mean,” I managed to force out, swallowing the lump in my throat at the thought of explaining my admiration for them.

They were literally sitting in my car and I never thought I would be shy, but here I was with an embarrassed blush alighting across my face. Jimin widened his eyes next to me, his mouth parting slightly in his shock. Jungkook inhaled a sharp breath before letting out another hearty chuckle.

“Wow! I never would have known.”

“Neither, I guess you must not be as emotional as many ARMY are when they see us,” Jimin smiled at the thought, and it was easy to say he didn’t mean anything bad by the comment.

“I’m just here to do my job. I’m not usually one to express my emotions that intensely, but I’ll let you both know that you’ve made my entire day.”

I saw Jimin turn his radiant smile towards me with an abashed sound falling from his lips. “Thank you, you’ve done so much for us already. Thank you for rescuing us.”

I saw him throw a questioning glance at Jungkook, who in turn squinted his doe-like eyes in confusion.

“It’s (Y/n). You can use honorifics if you want, but I don’t care much for them,” I explained softly, easing his sudden bout of guilt for not even knowing my name.

“Ah, thanks once again (Y/n)-ssi.”

Both of the boys were nervous, as they had just learned that I was a fan and were probably expecting me to flip out on them at any given moment. I knew Jungkook was shy around girls especially, but even he was kind of uncharacteristically silent in the back.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to freak out on you,” I assured them, keeping my eyes fixated on the road with a mostly amused expression. “I’m curious as to why you guys were alone with no protection out there. That usually doesn’t seem to happen.”

“No, definitely not,” Jimin sighed and I heard Jungkook hum in agreement.

“We didn’t mean to get separated from the others, we were all meant to just be shopping,” Jungkook huffed, and I could tell the young man was still shaken from his escapade from the mall. His large dark eyes were still slightly widened from the adrenaline spike.

“Yeah, everyone was together, and then we weren’t. Then the fans appeared and all we could do was run. Jungkook had to download Uber and make an account and everything on the spot. Lucky you were there because our drivers weren’t going to be around until a few more hours,” Jimin provided, his voice rough and raspy with weariness and relief. I could tell the shorter member was finally beginning to relax in the presence of the vehicle.

“Shit, I gotta call the Boss!” Jimin whipped out his phone and groaned when he discovered a couple of missed calls from his manager already.

I gave him a nod to let him know he could make the call safely. I wouldn’t record it or anything shady like that, I respected them too much and it wasn’t in my nature at all. Jimin gazed over a final time before finally deciding to place his full trust in me. I was already driving the car he was hitching a ride in, so trust honestly couldn't have mattered less when both of their lives were pretty much already cradled in my hands.

“I’d like to thank you as well (Y/n)-ssi, you really did save us back there,” Jungkook commented quietly as he leaned forward so I could hear. Neither of us wanted to interrupt Jimin as he fell into a heated discussion with his manager, or possibly Namjoon from the sounds of his replies over the phone.

“It’s okay Jungkookie, I know you guys deserve a much-needed break after all that. Sit back and enjoy the ride is all I'll say,” I said with a sigh, and finally decided to relax as well by releasing the tension in my muscles to sit more comfortably. I noticed Jungkook smirk cutely at the nickname accidently slipping out, and was just glad that he didn’t find it inappropriate.

“No, I swear she’s fine. She won’t do anything like that hyung,” Jimin’s suddenly louder response caused my smile to drop and my eyes to swivel around to the blonde boy. His temperament had grown agitated and I could see he was having difficulty trying to convince his managers and group leader. His round cheeks were blown out in exasperation, and I could clearly read the worry flitting across his expression.

“Jimin-ssi, if he wants to talk to me he can,” I offered softly so I didn’t spook him, raising my eyebrows in encouragement. We’d travelled a fair way, so pulling over was an option even though it was probably still too dangerous to linger in one place for long.

“No thanks it’s fine, I do trust you.” Jimin shook his head and I couldn’t help but smile at his kind, yet stubborn nature. These boys had no idea who I was, yet they put their faith in me and my driving ability for longer than they even needed to.

Jimin finished up with his call after another few minutes of stressed reassuring.

“Um, (Y/n)-ssi? I have an address I need to put in. If that’s okay.” He turned to me after letting out an explosive sigh, and I nodded towards the phone resting on the dashboard.

“Go ahead, distance isn't an issue.”

Jimin smiled at my response and shyly reached forward for my phone, still trying to be respectful.

“Hyung said it would be ideal if you dropped us off somewhere nearby the dorms so there’s no suspicion, but apparently all nearby areas are swarming with fans trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“Shit,” I breathed, the full realisation dawning on me. If their fans found out who I was, I wouldn’t be left alone for a while. I could imagine receiving threats and loads of unwanted attention, possibly not even being able to leave my house for a few days at the very least.

“So, you’ll have to drop us at the actual dorms then.”

“What?” I questioned in an instant. That sounded like the dumbest thing I’d ever heard.

“Isn’t that the area where most of the fans would be?”

“Well, most likely, but there's security.” Jimin ran a hand down his face as if trying to rub away the sudden bout of stress brought on, and I could fathom just how tired he was from all the rambunctious disorder.

“Why not drive you somewhere far away and get your driver to pick you up or something?”

“I did suggest that, but they just want us back as soon as possible so they can calm everyone down. I don’t mean to be rude, but they can’t exactly know or predict what you’ll do.”

That definitely made sense. Watching another car pull out of the building might also cause the fans to suspect the worst. They could even believe that I kidnapped the two band members instead of saving them. Well, that and there was absolutely no reason for their company to trust me with two of their idols that much.

“Okay, but one of you lend me a mask or something. I’m not going in there with a death wish.”

Jungkook chuckles from the back seat, and I’m slightly startled due to not hearing from the younger boy for a while.

“You’re right though, here you can use mine. I have my hoodie anyway.” A hand appeared next to me holding a familiar black mask, the faint but fragrant smell of a rare cologne wafting around me at the action. Of course, anything he’s worn would smell this expensive. Seeing how normal they can act, it’s hard to remember just how rich they actually are.

“Thanks.” I slipped on the mask and the smell was now stronger. I almost swooned.

“It’s actually not as far as I thought,” I commented when the map displayed the route to take. I knew the traffic was most likely to be more congested in this area than the city mall was before, so I decided to take a couple of back routes.

“Good plan,” Jungkook piped in with a nod and I saw the excited grin plastered on his face.

“What are you so happy about?” Jimin scoffed with a raised brow.

“I dunno, just this whole thing is so… exciting? Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Jungkook replied while trying to smother his grinning, but failing miserably.

“True, you guys would usually be living a careful life, right?” I decided to join in. Jimin and Jungkook didn’t seem to be shy or guarded around me as much as they were, but I knew they were still keeping face amongst all the drama.

“Of course, we don’t want our precious fans to worry about us,” Jimin went on in a level tone, his hand flying up to emphasise his point. I still couldn’t get over how captivating his voice sounded in person, and how it was this close to me...

“Speaking of fans, you’re an ARMY?” Jungkook’s cheeky lilt gained my attention and caused me to look up and lock eyes with him in the rear-view mirror.

“What of it?”

I try to suppress my sharp exhale of amusement, but fail miserably as well. Kookie’s adorable expression of playful confidence, bordering on egotistical even, made the laughter bubble up.

“Well, obviously you’d have a favourite, a bias.”

The question causes me to now laugh loudly, smacking the wheel once.

“Ah, I should’ve seen this coming honestly.”

Jimin clicked his tongue at his junior band member. “As if it matters.”

His voice is also playful, and I can tell he’s just as curious as the maknae by how he looks across at me with raised eyebrows and a small knowing smirk adorning his full lips. They were both taking this as a joke, and I was not going to be any different.

“Of course it matters Jimin, this is the question that decides my fate,” I feigned offense, and watched as his smile caused his eyes to disappear in the cutest, squishiest way imaginable.

Before I could say anything else, an embarrassed blush swarmed my cheeks as I spluttered, “Oh crap, I forgot the honorific.”

“Its fine,” Jimin assured. “You mentioned you don’t care for them before, so I can live without it.”

I smirked at him and shook my head slightly. “You’re actually too nice.”

His melodious chuckle was then interrupted by the mischievous maknae in the back.

“Hey, don’t change the subject hyung. Who’s your favourite member (Y/n)?” I noticed he took instant advantage of the honorific drop, and almost slipped an amused snort.

“Well it’s not either of you, that’s for sure.”

I knew they could tell there was a certain level of sarcasm in my tone, but they still let out varying noises of defeat.

“What, no way. It must be Jin-hyung then,” Jungkook groaned and I couldn't contain a giggle. His narcissistic nature was showing, and this time I wasn’t even sure if it was a joke or not. Jimin chose to pipe in as well, obviously enjoying the mystery that was my ‘supposed Bangtan bias’.

“Nah, I reckon it’s Tae. She’s weird enough to be a perfect match for him.”

Oh my, he really went there.

Both of the boy’s breath hitched, as if they thought I was going take offense and kick them out on the curb.

“Honestly, if you think Tae’s weird then I’m a whole other level. Although I guess I can never know who you guys are behind the screen.”

Jimin visibly relaxed after hearing me take the joke, but then grew serious again after my last comment.

“We’re fairly genuine to our fans, as much as we can be,” He defended, but wasn’t insulted. Jungkook nodded in agreement from the back, still smiling from the joking around that happened before.

“Of course, that’s why you’re one of my favourite groups, but you have to admit it is kind of impossible for someone like me to make a judgement on someone I’ve never met.”

“That is true, I guess. We really do try hard for you guys. I never thought super hard about that,” Jimin looked upwards as he pondered, and I felt proud that I’d gotten more than enough glimpses of both their true natures just from this simple car ride. Though, realistically they could be phenomenal actors and I wouldn’t know any different.

“We may be one of your favourite groups, but I’m still waiting for the member~,” Jungkook started lowly from the back, his sentence breaking off into his famous high pitched giggle when he saw my deadpan expression staring him down in the mirror. Jimin joined in and I sighed in defeat.

“Okay. I don’t have one.”

There’s a small silence, but both boys explosively let out sounds of understanding.

“Ah, you’re one of those.”

I was about to question what Jimin meant, but Jungkook cut me off.

“I was just about to pin her as a Yoongi stan.”

The sudden and serious statement made me cackle, although the sound was muffled by the black fabric of the mask over my mouth.

“Oh boy, you have absolutely no idea. My best friend…” I trailed off as laughter gripped me, almost causing me to veer off the road uncontrollably.

“Jesus Christ, watch out!” Jimin breathlessly squeaked as he made a grab for the wheel to steady the moving car. I gripped the wheel harder in fear, but amusement washed over me once again.

“Hyung did your voice just-”

“Shut up.”

I couldn’t stop the amused snort, but managed to regain control. My chuckles were now borderline wheezes, and I could hear Kookie in the back sharing the same demise.

“As I was saying,” I began, but erupt once more as the memory of Jimin’s voice crack surfaced back to the front of my mind. Jungkook is in shambles, but Jimin is just sitting with his head buried in his hands next to me, shoulders shaking as he tries to avoid his inevitable embarrassment.

“Stoooop.” He drawled it out and reached behind him to smack the chortling maknae on the knee somewhat harshly. I knew he hated the fact that he just got embarrassed in front of some stranger, who had also been established as a pretty avid fan. Poor Chim.

“You forget I’ve seen videos of your many embarrassments,” I offered in between chuckles, and caught the moment his face scrunched up in an adorable cringe. A sigh of defeat fell from his lips. “Yeah, I give up.”

He still chuckled and shook his head, the tinkling sounds causing me to bring a hand up to clutch my chest dramatically. Both boys laughed cutely once again at my reaction, Jimin’s eyes disappearing as he covered his face with one small hand.

“You sure you’re not a Jimin stan, noona?” Jungkook chimes in. I raised a brow and decided to skilfully avoid the question.

“Ah, so you picked up that I’m older than you?”

Jungkook stopped, his jaw going slack at the sudden question, and I found myself face to face with his widely memed blankness instead. I almost can’t contain myself.

“Oh, yeah maybe? It kind of actually just slipped out.”

I find myself giggling at the return of his shy persona, and he smiled bashfully at the floor in response. His tongue pushed out one of his cheeks in shame.

“Yah, don’t assume such a thing,” Jimin chuckled, obviously grateful that the heat was finally off of him.

“Don’t worry, I’m the same age as Jiminie I believe,” I decided to help the poor boy out, craning my neck forward to check the next turn off for oncoming cars.

We were actually almost to the destination, and the trip had flown by way too quickly. After Jungkook made a noise of comprehension, Jimin looked around suddenly and grunted in surprise.

“Crap, I was meant to call Namjoonie back a few minutes ago.”

“What are you doing hyung?” Jungkook chided in flippant scolding, to which Jimin responded with another angered slap. He brought out his phone and dialled a number quickly, obviously not concerned that I could very well easily read and memorise it in two seconds flat.

As If I would anyway.

I fell silent as Jimin waited for the phone call to connect.

Jungkook 3rd person POV

Jungkook also waited, breathless at the thought of how dire the situation was to their careers as a whole. This was such a strange occurrence to the famous band members, and he thought about how normal and relaxed the car ride had actually been when compared to how awkward they thought it was going to turn out.

When Jungkook had made the Uber request originally, he and Jimin were prepared to face the worst. Anyone who had the opportunity to drive a car unsupervised with two famous idols in tow could easily turn the tables and expose them more, or maybe even do worse things…

He shook his head at the thought and silently swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He glanced over to your form sitting in the driver’s seat, stiffened slightly due to the very important call being made.

You had been nothing but kind and understanding so far, not to mention hilariously easy going. Jungkook found himself respecting you immediately. You could have freaked out and demanded autographs or photos from them at any time. You could have decided to not drop them off where they wanted and just continued to drive for eternity. You could have even taken them anywhere you wanted to, but no, you listened to them, respected their privacy and even agreed to risk your reputation to drive them into their dorms where countless fangirls could eat you alive if they found out.

You were just amazing, and Jungkook knew his hyung felt similarly. Well, considering how he defended you without question before when Namjoon probably jumped to conclusions, it was evident that Jimin trusted you too.

Jungkook was completely numb from bewilderment. Everything could have gone wrong for them in their haste to escape the mob of their excited fans, but it didn’t, and it was all thanks to you.

These types of people drive our purpose, we’re so happy to have reached you.

Although if he was honest, he wouldn't mind at all if you got all flustered and cute while gushing over him. Just a little bit.

Reader 1st person POV

I watched as Jimin jerked the phone away from his ear suddenly, a loud voice booming loudly through the tiny speaker to reach even my ears. Jimin’s face winced as he brought the phone back to his ear hesitantly.

“We’re so sorry for the mess Sir, but it worked out.”

I knew that he was most likely talking to his manager or director with how his language changed. He ruffled his blonde hair anxiously and continued to listen to the voice on the line, eventually digging his teeth into his bottom lip in another bout of anxiety.

“Wait, we’re almost to the dorms, she’s got a mask on and everything-” Jimin was cut off and my eyes darted in between him and the road ahead to try and figure out what was happening. His breathing sped up and I could see his own eyes meeting mine a few times worriedly.

What is going on?

We were getting close to the dorms, and I had already noticed how the housing had become wealthier the more I drove through the city. The streets were becoming beautiful and cleaner. I knew that the boys lived in most likely the richest place in the city, and this place was by far the definition of that.

One thing I also noticed is that there were a few groups of girls dotted here and there that were walking or sitting around the footpaths. Some even saw my car and started pointing and taking photos while jumping up and down.

“Well, there goes my anonymity.” I sighed and slumped further in my seat, as if to hide my face better than it was already hidden. The only sound as I drove onwards was Jimin’s occasional reply into the phone next to me. His responses were becoming less worried, but still sounded unenthusiastic.

“Yes, I understand, okay I’ll tell her,” Jimin murmured and I held my breath at the sound of the call being hung up. My curiosity was nothing short of burning, and I instantly turned to the blonde boy when he looked at me pointedly.

“Um, our manager needs you to come in with us so you can speak with him and sign some stuff.”

I look forward again and nod once in understanding. “Yeah, I knew this would most likely happen. Confidentiality, right?”

I crack a smile at the thought of actually going in and meeting the famous Bang Sihyuk, CEO and founder of Bighit Entertainment.

“Wow,” I breathed after fully wrapping my head around what was happening.

“I guess you never thought this would happen.” Jungkook chuckled from the backseat, and I scoffed in disbelief.

“Yeah it’s not every day you meet two members of Bangtan and their producer.”

The sarcasm was heavy, and the two boys grinned in amusement. Jimin leant forwards to rest his forehead on the dashboard in a weary manner. “Ah, I’m so sorry for forcing you into this mess (Y/n)-ssi.”

“What did I say about apologising? I love you guys and your music; this is the least I can do to repay you for all the happiness you have brought me.” My voice became emotional and quiet as I let out all my pent-up feelings. I didn’t know how exactly I could express my bundling thoughts into formed words, but I felt as though that might have been just enough to let them know how ecstatic I truly was that this miracle had happened to me.

“You must be an angel,” Jimin smiled at me so sweetly and genuinely that I had to rip my gaze away from him in order to prevent tearing up. I heard Jungkook sigh in awe at my words, and I looked up to see him smiling shyly at the ground before glancing forward.

“Devoted fans like you are the reason we have made it this far, (Y/n).”

Jimin turns his head and gives Jungkook a look that says 'Well that was fucking sappy' but I can’t help but smile wider and let out a tiny gleeful squeak unknowingly.

His words had caused my emotions to storm again, and I was so fortunate to hear them in person that I didn’t even know what to do with myself. I gripped the wheel tighter so I wouldn’t let go and do anything stupid. Since I had my mask on, they could only see my smile through how my eyes and cheeks bunched up, but unfortunately the mask wasn’t large enough to cover my entire face.

“Awe you’re so cute when you blush like that!” Jimin laughed loudly, reaching out to poke my reddening skin. I gasped and knocked his hand away softly with one of my own.

“Leave me alone, I can’t control it or anything.”

Jungkook was also sniggering in the back, his cheeky nature making a comeback as I shook my head to try and rid myself of the heat.

“Sorry for that noona.”

Now he was using the word to tease me, and I fought the urge to slap him like Jimin did before. “Silly boy, I swear you’ll never make me blush again.”

“You sure about that? I’ll accept the challenge.”

“And we’re here!” I dragged out the first word to hopefully try and cut him off. I could still hear him giggling in the back, his knowing smile holding an impish quality.

The sight before me was spectacular, if that was even enough to sum it up. The area in which BTS lived was absolutely breathtaking, and I knew that this was in fact one of the, if not the richest place in all of Seoul.

The gardens were marvellously well grown and maintained, while the architecture seemed to gleam and glow in the sunlight, too perfectly constructed to be true. Modern was also an understatement, as this place seemed borderline futuristic. To describe it in one word, glorious.

“I don’t even know if someone like me should go in there,” I stammered, my voice cracking multiple times in sheer astonishment.

“Don’t be silly, how else are we gonna get in there?” Jimin joked and I snorted lightly at his change of demeanour.

“Walk, silly.” I shared a cheeky glance with the maknae behind me when Jimin gasped.

“Rude, and here I thought you were a fan?”

“I’m joking Jimin, alright how do we actually do this?” I looked around and saw a parking space out the front of the main building. Jimin gestured towards it and nodded, giving me the go to proceed.

There were no fans lurking around this place due to the security, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to escape any photographers if they were there. Luckily we had only a few brief, yet concerning encounters with the fans while driving in to the complex itself.

If Kookie hadn’t given me the mask I would be dead meat cooking on a spit.

I parked the car carefully and fell back into my seat with a sigh. Jimin and Jungkook eyed me with concern clouding their features.

“We’re so-”

“Park Jimin, will you eventually heed my words?” I tilted my head and blinked rapidly at him with a smile on my face. He sees my playful, yet tired expression and shakes his head with an annoyed groan.

“I probably will never stop apologising for the trouble we’ve caused.”

I sighed again and exaggerated a pout, borderline mockery if you will. Jungkook let out a huff and a click of his tongue indicated the long-awaited comeback of his cocky attitude.

“Come on hyung, she already said it doesn’t matter.”

His tone caused Jimin to narrow his eyes towards the back accusingly, and I watched as the younger member sat back down, satisfied with the reaction.

“Thank you maknae,” I rolled my eyes and suppressed a chuckle at his scoff, catching Jimin’s amused and appreciative look. I observed around one more time before turning my gaze upwards to glance at the building next to us.

“Okay it’s now or never boys, run and don’t look back.”

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sablelab · 4 years

Text

Covert Operations - Chapter 134

SYNOPSIS: Everyone who worked in Med Lab was under suspicion of being the mole including Dr Foster and Bóinne Rivière. Murtagh asks his friend Fergus to help him with information about the Med Lab nurse from her profile but when he checks he discovers that she has been earmarked for cancellation. In trying to find any Intel that will help her, Fergus comes across an encrypted file. A feeling of déjà vu overcomes him and his suspicions are roused by the only one person who was capable of making such a code … a nemesis from the past.

I really am very grateful to all the readers of Covert Operations and I am truly appreciative. THANK YOU muchly.

Chapter 133 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations. This story is not on Ao3.

CHAPTER 134

It had been a couple of days since Jamie and Claire had left Section, and Fergus Claudel had been collaborating all the data he could on those that Madeline had requested to see if he could find anything on a mole in Section One. So far, he had come up empty and he was still investigating all avenues to try and clear up suspicion on his friend’s fiancée.

Tonight, as usual, Section was deserted except for Comm. It was peaceful and quiet and Fergus had the perfect time alone to do his searching task on Bóinne Rivière and others in Med Lab without being disturbed by anyone. It was just how he liked it especially when he was faced with the problem of doing something without anyone looking over his shoulder. However, just as he was about to pull up the Med Lab nurse’s profile, Murtagh and she appeared in Comm., so he shut down the link before his friend came any closer and could see what he was accessing and changed to another innocuous file. The last time he had seen the two of them together had been after their happy announcement but now they were dressed for the outside, obviously heading out on a date to celebrate their engagement and pending marriage. As they were making their way over towards Fergus, Bóinne suddenly stopped and spoke to Murtagh. “Oh … I’ve forgotten my jacket … I’ll be right back.” “Okay honey … I’ll just wait over with Fergus,” he replied good naturedly. She gave him an indulgent smile then left to go back to her quarters to pick up her coat. In the meantime, Murtagh walked over to where Fergus was sitting at his station. Noticing that he was working on something on his computers as usual, he stood next to him totally absorbed in his own agenda and asked in an eager voice.

“Did you get my stuff yet?” Fergus kept on working but he still answered his friend. “What stuff?” “The stuff I sent.” However, the computer whiz didn’t have a clue what Murtagh Fitzgibbons was taking about. “No?” he replied somewhat baffled at his statement. In Murtagh’s frame of mind it was as if the whole world revolved around him and Bóinne and he couldn’t quite understand why Fergus knew nothing about the message he’d sent to him just a little while ago. “You must know!” he strongly clarified; shocked that his best friend hadn’t read this important memo from him, so he elaborated for his obvious oversight, “Bóinne! ... Why, Bóinne, of course!” Fergus looked at his pal conveying in his glance that he’d had more important things on his mind lately than correspondence from him. “I've been a little busy, Murtagh. I haven’t even told you what happened to me in the White Room.” However, the munitions’ expert brushed off his comment, “No need ... you survived … that’s all I need to know.” He was too wrapped up in his own feelings to ask any further questions and before Fergus could reply Murtagh continued, “Hey, it’s Bóinne’s birthday tomorrow. I need to get her something that she really likes.” “Why don't you ask her?” was Fergus’ pragmatic response as it seemed that most logical thing to do. At his buddy’s reply, Murtagh came to stand in front of the computer and looked at his young friend with an incredulous look on his face. “You ..., ah ..., don't know women very well, do you?” Fergus looked up at his friend and met his gaze, before breaking into a grin then a laugh at the twinkle he saw in the older operative’s eyes. “Right now?” “Yeah ... right now,” he grinned in reply knowing that his young buddy would help him with the information he needed to know about his fiancée. “Before she gets back.” It was so glaringly obvious that Murtagh Fitzgibbons was in love. His friend had never looked happier and Fergus was very pleased for him. Having never seen him this way before, he took pity on his lovesick pal. He pulled up Bóinne Rivière’s profile knowing that he would have to do it at some stage to see if she was linked to the passing of Intel to Colum from Med Lab. He was a little hesitant that something might pop up that his pal shouldn’t see, but once her data appeared on screen, he only read out the pertinent information to him. Sitting back in his chair he began to read aloud the nurse’s profile. “Let's see what we've got. She plays the piano ...” Murtagh accessed this piece of unknown information about his beloved. “Nice,” he replied eager for more titbits of her accomplishments. “... is fluent in French, Swahili and Russian.” The admiration for his fiancée was heart-warming but Murtagh could only manage a suppressed “Mmmm” when Fergus relayed this piece of information. He continued reading some more facts, “... broke her leg when she was twelve ... got thrown from a horse.”

A sudden image of Bóinne as a child flashed through Murtagh’s head of her riding her pony. “Really ..., huh ..., it’s great stuff Fergus.” Breaking from his reverie, he asked, “What else?” “She had two black cats as a child which she doted on.”

All of a sudden something else unexpectedly appeared on screen from her file as Fergus was reading, that gave him pause. He frowned as he silently read the information to himself. Unfortunately, the older operative noticed the change in expression on the young techie’s face and asked a little anxiously.

“What is it?” He was a little discombobulated at his friend’s change in demeanour and leaning closer, Murtagh tried to view her profile, but Fergus quickly darkened the screen before he noticed anything.

“Nothing …That was it,” he replied hoping that his buddy would be satisfied with the information about Bóinne he had relayed and forget about his hesitancy in sharing more before his quick closing down of her profile. “Well ... that's enough. Ponies and black cats, right?”

“Yes … that’s right.”

“Hmm? … cats!” He repeated as an idea suddenly formed in his mind for a present. He gave Fergus a happy nod knowing that their collusion had paid dividends, but he was quick to curb his enthusiasm as he looked up and saw Bóinne approach them after collecting her jacket from her quarters. Smiling she came and stood beside her fiancé comfortably linking her arm through his and asked, “You ready to go?” Murtagh Fitzgibbons was a man in love and because he was enamoured with this woman he couldn’t contain his joy in seeing her again especially after his buddy had managed to sow the seed of an idea for a special birthday present for her.

“I guess you know I've missed you …” he replied holding her gaze. She merely just smiled coyly, before turning her attention to the computer expert. “Would you like to join us Fergus?” she asked in a gentle tone wanting to include Murtagh’s best friend in their happiness. “To help us celebrate?” Under the circumstances Fergus knew that they would want to be alone. “You don’t need me there to celebrate. Thanks … but no.” Three was a crowd and he would only be the third wheel, nevertheless he was touched that he’d been invited. “Have a great night.” “We will.” The couple didn’t take much persuading and Murtagh Fitzgibbons quickly hustled his lady love off, impatient to be out of Section where they could have some privacy. “Okay … Let's get out of here ... quick before this young whippersnapper changes his mind.” They’d both smiled and happily left him alone at his station. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ However as soon as they were out of sight, Fergus pulled up Bóinne Rivière’s file once more, to reread her profile. As he read her details and scrolled down her data, he was suddenly gob smacked at what appeared on the monitor … it was the flashing last line that held his attention. STATUS: EVALUATION UNSATISFACTORY TRANSFER TO ABEYANCE TERMINATION RANKING: 2 This Intel shocked him to the core, especially knowing that Murtagh had finally found some happiness in this hellhole, even though it looked like it may be fleeting. But now he was faced with a dilemma.

Should he tell Murtagh about Bóinne's new status or let him enjoy the time they had together? This news would be devastating for his friend.

There must be some mistake that her evaluation was unsatisfactory, he thought. How could that be and why had she been scheduled for cancellation? He was flummoxed as to how she had come to get such a rating. Her skills in medical seemed to be above board and she appeared very dedicated to her patients. However, everyone in Med Lab was under suspicion, but he couldn’t see how they would have the means to set up hidden surveillance or the motive to do so. Given Madeline’s directive, he’d always been worried that he would have to do this check on Murtagh’s fiancée, and those in Medical including Dr Foster, but he never thought he would find anything. On the other hand, this was not a surprising outcome as everyone in Section was expendable. No one was immune to the life that was Section One. Things could change in the blink on an eye. Nobody ever knew how long they were for this world especially in the line of work people did, and it wouldn’t take much to put an operative into abeyance if it was decreed by the powers that be that they were unsatisfactory, as like what had happened to Bóinne. But this just didn’t make sense. Operations and Madeline already knew that she had failed her evaluation. Why did they want him to do a cross check on her? Were they just trying to join the dots and link her to Colum too, to warrant the cancellation? This was getting more complicated by the minute. He hoped to god that he could find something that may change their minds. It became more urgent now, knowing that he didn’t want to see Murtagh’s happiness shattered before it had begun. His buddy deserved to be happy and he would do everything in his power to find some anomaly in this decision … for his best friend’s sake. Fergus decided that he would do a thorough check of all Med Lab staff first before concentrating on who he thought was a prime suspect … a nemesis from the past … Frank Wolverton-Randall. Hopefully he would find something that would incriminate him and perhaps at the same time find some Intel that would get rid of the unsatisfactory tag and cancellation notice on the medical nurse. Fergus knew that he was now racing against the clock to find something ... anything … to exonerate her from suspicion and ultimately cancellation. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It was late. Madeline had given him time to come up with something and so far, there was nothing of interest that they didn’t already know. Dr Foster and Bóinne Rivière appeared to have taken no part in transferring Intel to Colum Mackenzie, so that left him with his gut feeling that Frank Wolverton-Randall was somehow involved. He just needed a bit of luck to find a connection. Tiredly Fergus removed his glasses and sat staring at his monitor hoping that the new parameters he’d just typed in would reveal something. What seemed like ages really didn’t take that long, for in no time a wall of numbers began scrolling up the screen in a never-ending progression. He studied the numerals and mentally tried a number of ways to go about deciphering them but couldn’t put his finger on what would be the best way to go about it. The monitor mounted above his head showed the same image but he numbly stared at the screen unable to get a handle on the code. Frustrated, Fergus got up to stretch his legs but he was restless and rubbed his hand over his head. He’d attempted several tried and true methods but nothing had worked so far. He was getting nowhere fast for everything he’d tried came up a dead end. He started to pace back and forth as one idea after another popped into his head that he could try to solve the puzzle. This code was obviously hiding something or someone, and must have been deeply encrypted, but he would find the way in. At least it was a glimmer of hope and something he could take to Operations and Madeline when next they met. Fergus took a deep breath. It just didn’t make sense. This code was layered and multifaceted.

There was only one name that came to mind capable of inventing such a thing … his arch-rival and his prime suspect … Frank Wolverton-Randall. If anyone was able to produce such an encrypted code it was his nemesis. He was the only one that Fergus could think of that had the means to design something buried so deep that it would be too difficult for a layman technician to find. His suspicions were heightened once he found that code. He was having difficulty decoding it and only Frank had the expertise to invent such a thing like he’d done once before. His reservations grew all the more that he was indeed a mole for Colum. But he needed to solve this code first or else all his theories were just guessing about him, so Fergus typed in a different cypher to access the operative’s file, which after a while hit a stumbling block. It was then that the penny dropped that Wolverton-Randall could very well be implicated and had buried important files from detection.

If it took all night Section’s computer genius vowed that he would get to the bottom of whatever it was that Frank was trying to hide.

Operations and Madeline would need proof and concrete evidence that he was Colum’s mole and that he was the one who was relaying intel to him at Oversight. So far, all Fergus had was supposition about an operative and one he didn’t like that much. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Frank Wolverton-Randall’s supercilious face kept making a vivid image in Fergus’ mind and he found that the man was doing his head in all over again just like he’d done when he’d first arrived at Section One those years ago.

He’d been having difficulty in solving an extremely problematic encryption and had been unable to decipher it much to his chagrin. So, he’d put forward a pretty select group of three people to his superiors who could possibly help. However, bringing anyone into Section clandestinely would always be challenging and Jamie and Claire had been given the task to bring in the one person Operations thought would be the best fit to help him … Frank Wolverton-Randall. He’d been blindfolded and brought into Section and would be released as soon as he had completed deciphering the code. But Fergus had reservations about his superiors’ choice of Frank from the very start because of constraints about him.

These recollections made Fergus Claudel remember his words vividly.

He had pulled up the holograph profile and read the information noted to Operations and Madeline at the time they were considering him for this job.

“The third candidate could be tricky sir. He’s young. ... His name is Frank Wolverton-Randall. Graduated high school at eleven; college at thirteen. Received his Ph.D. after six months. Wrote his thesis on non-linear principal components. Because he's the youngest tenured Professor in the history of the University, he's highly visible.” “What makes you think he can do this?” Madeline had asked. “He's written several papers on statistical L-trees. Exactly the kind of approach that's needed.” Although Frank’s resume was exemplary, nevertheless he’d been a little peeved at the fact that the young man had been brought into Section because of something he’d been unable to solve. His resentment must have reflected in his tone of voice when Madeline had replied. “Fergus ..., remember, this is not about who's smarter than whom. He'll challenge you. Stay above it. We have an objective and a deadline.” There was truth in Madeline’s words but it still stuck in his craw and made him have some doubts about Frank’s ability, but nonetheless he nodded his acknowledgement of her statement. At the time they’d needed his expertise. Their plan was to get Wolverton-Randall to decode the challenging program without him seeing or knowing about Section One so that they could release him when he was done … however, it had backfired on them. Although Frank had quickly figured out the code, he was bored and got curious about where he was and had wandered outside his room against strict instructions not to. Operations and Madeline found out that he had seen Section, so they decided that he had to stay … the only other alternative was cancellation. He was then left with a recalcitrant and pretentious operative working with him who was forever to be a thorn in his side. It was the attitude of the teenager that really riled him. His scornful jocularity was still a very vivid memory when he’d gone to his room and found Frank working on the computer. He’d ignored his juvenile obnoxiousness, and put the laptop down and started keying in commands to bring up the code that needed deciphering. “Good. You know what? I wish you guys would let me in deeper, because there's really not too much more I can fix here,” Frank announced cockily. He remembered looking up at him startled by his statement. Every time the boy spoke it was a personal affront to his own capabilities and he didn’t like it.

“Fix?!” he remarked, the inflection in his voice one of disdain for the upstart who was superciliously questioning his ability. “Yeah, you had some bad modification dates in your ... ah … master symbol table. Don't worry. I fixed 'em.” Frank Wolverton-Randall was reprehensible, but he’d managed to shrug off the slight and got back to the job at hand, but he couldn’t help the sarcastic words that left his mouth in a rhetorical taunt of his own.

“Let's just get to work, okay? Then you can go back home to your Mummy...” “Sure Frenchie ... So ... you're the guy who couldn't break the code,” was his backhanded retort. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Frank was a vengeful, loose cannon, when he came into Section One calling everyone names and treating the whole thing like a game. At the time Section’s IT prodigy had thought how could someone so smart be so stupid? Although he was very young, that was no excuse for his behaviour. There was also a rivalry and a jealously between the two computer geniuses and Fergus didn’t trust him one iota. Frank was very underhand and had been a thorn in his side on more than one occasion. Fergus could still hear his hollow words when Operations had praised him for his achievement in cracking the code.

We're going to make a great team Claudel … but there was an openly blatant, ulterior motive in his statement to him about his aspirations in the pecking order at Comm.

“Yeah, well, you're the boss, for now ...” Trying to flippantly pass it off as a joke did not cut the mustard with him. If he could implicate others and hack into his computer, Frank was one to watch very carefully. There had been occasions too, where the upstart had humiliated him with his self-importance and on one occasion his narcissism had nearly cost him his life. When transmission went haywire during a mission while they were at Comm., and he couldn’t get it back up, Section’s leader had stood him down and placed the newcomer Wolverton-Randall in charge. Frank succeeded but he thought that Frank had planned this from the very start to make him look bad.

The new operative had been placed in charge of his post by Operations while he’d been sent out on a mission for the very first time. He had wanted out but, Section’s leader told him that he was keeping him inside the terrorist organization to gather more intel. If he hadn’t thought of a way to get out himself, Dougal Mackenzie would have left him there indefinitely … leaving Wolverton-Randall in charge of Communications, and thus fulfilling his promise to be the boss himself one day. He would have been replaced by the very person who had manipulated his way into his position by skulduggery and deceitful tactics.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Those incidents were all very telling reminders about Frank’s motives and aspirations and were certainly a major factor to Fergus’ doubts in the situation that had now arisen with the Rising Dragons’ mission and breach of Section protocol. At the same time, all of these memories were raw and it was little wonder that he was suspicious that Frank Wolverton-Randall was the one supplying Intel to Colum Mackenzie. He had an axe to grind about a lot of people at Section One and payback was a bitch. If he could do something underhand to destabilise the Rising Dragons’ mission, then Fergus knew that Frank would have no compunction but to do so. Hence it was imperative that he was able to solve this code and he wouldn’t let it defeat him … not like the last time. Suddenly, Fergus’ eyes lit up. Déjà vu. It all began to make sense and came flooding back to him as he thought of a different way to attack the code and decipher the Intel it contained. Memories of that night had given him the clue he needed. Fergus rushed back over to his station and once there gathered his thoughts, put his glasses back on and then started typing in a new set of parameters of a function that wasn't in the program. As he worked, the young techie’s face changed from angst at not being able to resolve a problem to one of immense satisfaction knowing that he was about to solve a complex puzzle. He realised that this cypher had an outer shell ... but that was a big decoy. He then typed in another command and waited for it to cycle through the multi-threaded inner workings of his computer. Once he’d finished typing in the commands, he looked up at the monitor above him. It showed a percentage scale as the new program loaded and started deciphering the complex code. The monitor showed a two-dimensional grid in which the encryption appeared as a series of spikes, like a mountain range. Fergus watched as the algorithms darted all over the screen until the new program finished decoding and the scale at the top read "DECRYPTION COMPLETE." The grid now showed structures shaped like rectangular towers slowly surrounding the spikes. From this grid he could now convert the grid table to words and read the messages contained in the code. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Flushed with a sense of triumph at cracking the complex code, Fergus Claudel leapt up from his seat, pumped his hands in the air yelling, “YEAH!!!” He was a computer genius and he knew it. He looked around the deserted Comm. with a sense of accomplishment and excitement, now wanting to share his sense of victory with others, but there was not a soul around to share in his delight. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His hypothesis was correct. At last he’d found some incriminating Intel about his nemesis Frank Wolverton-Randall being the mole and with his involvement with Colum Mackenzie. He’d been instrumental in Intel tampering and now Section’s resident mainframe mastermind had the proof he needed. Fergus began uploading the data about Frank to his computer. “Come on, come on, come on.” He whispered impatiently to himself as the files downloaded. This is what he had wanted to find and it just may be what would facilitate Operations and Madeline to reassess Murtagh’s fiancée, Bóinne Rivière’s evaluation status. He sat back in his chair and waited until all the data was downloaded. Once it had done so, he saved the information to a disk ready for his next meeting with Section’s leaders.

Finally, with exhausted release and immense satisfaction at what he’d found, Fergus Claudel breathed a sigh of relief which echoed in his all-conquering acclamation that echoed throughout Comm. when he’d finished the download. “YES!!!!” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~to be continued next Friday 31st July

#Jamieandclairefanfic #jamieandclairecrossover #jamieandclaireau #the lallybroch library #outlander fanfic #covert operations #LFNoutlander

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thedeaditeslayer · 3 years

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Crash Palace Interview: Catching Up with Dana DeLorenzo.

This interview briefly brushes over Ash vs Evil Dead and Dana’s latest projects.

Even though it has been over two years since Ash vs Evil Dead has been on the air, fans still clamor for their favorite badass, Deadite slaying heroine, Kelly Maxwell. Dana DeLorenzo, the actress behind her is equally adored and cherished by admirers of the Sam Raimi legendary horror franchise.

So, as always, I was thrilled to speak with her about life after Ash, her latest movie, the heartwarming holiday comedy, Friendsgiving and what she has on the horizon. Welcome to the Crash Palace Interview with Dana DeLorenzo…

The Denouement of Ash vs Evil Dead Crash Palace: Thanks for speaking with me, Dana. It’s always a pleasure. Let’s talk about life after Ash vs Evil Dead. As you know, Lee Cronin is helming the latest installment in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise. Fans were hoping that the Ghostbeaters would be a part of that venture. While we know it is going in a different direction, do you think Kelly Maxwell could show up some time in the future?

Dana DeLorenzo: One can dream, right? Let me take this moment, right off the bat to say something I say often because I mean it, and I can’t say it enough. People who know me know this is not fan service. I say it when I’m not doing interviews; I say it to my closest friends and my family on the regular.

I am so grateful to the fans of Ash vs Evil Dead and the Evil Dead franchise all over the world. They have truly been my Jiminy Crickets throughout this insane, bizarre year that is 2020. They have gotten me through so many of the toughest days, just by keeping the bloody love alive. With every year that passes, even though we haven’t filmed a season of the show for three years, it feels like it’s fresh because of the fans .

So, to all you Ghostbeaters out there: I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope I get to meet all of you someday. But I can’t convey enough how your passion and love of the show has gotten me through this 2020 roller coaster; thank you for keeping Kelly’s ass-kicking spirit alive! On that note, I have really missed the show, I’ve missed playing Kelly. I posted some things recently about Ash vs Evil Dead, photos I hadn’t looked at in a while. I miss it a lot. I like to keep hope alive that someday, somewhere, the Ghostbeaters will be reunited. Even just for a quick Ghostbeaters fist bump.

Is Kelly Maxwell going to show up in this film? No. I won’t say never, but from what I understand, this is an alternate universe for Evil Dead Rise, separate from Fede Alvarez’s movie with Jane Levy and it’s separate from Ash vs Evil Dead. It’s a new adventure in the Evil Dead universe. And I can’t wait to see the new blood and guts journey Lee Cronin takes us on. I would like to think in the Ghostbeaters’ universe, we’re still kicking it and we’re still fighting evil. But I am loving that the fans are clamoring for it! They can keep pestering Rob, Sam and Bruce the way they have for twenty-five years before Ash vs Evil Dead came to be — their persistence is what got me that dream job.

So, if they want to continue to pester to bring us all back, I won’t stop them! Because we know the fans have the power to persuade. It might take another twenty-five years. But I am always down to play with those guys and our great crew.

CP: Do you keep in touch with anyone from the show?

DD: Yeah, I try and keep up with what everyone is doing and shoot them a message to tell them I miss them like the sap that I am. I just miss seeing their faces every day, you know? I miss Lucy’s face pretty hard, and not just because she’s ‘Lucy Flawless’! She’s got new shows left and right, she never stops! Ray and I randomly text Pablo and Kelly’s catchphrases to each other. “How are you holding up? / What is happening?!” We said that pretty much every episode so it still makes me laugh. Arielle and I chat often even though she lives in Australia, she’s like my little sister! Bruce often responds “ in character” with the latest Snapchat filter. He loves those — just check his Twitter feed — and it’s all my fault. I showed him how to make them while filming Season 3. He could probably do a show solely with Snapchat characters — I’d watch.

Fall from Perpetual Grace

CP: Let’s shift gears for a moment and talk about another series that you appeared on. You had a great run on EPIX with Perpetual Grace, LTD working with the talented Jimmi Simpson, Luis Guzman and of course, Jacki Weaver and Sir Ben Kingsley. There was some talk about a possible movie to tie up all the storylines after the show ended. Do you know if that is in the works?

DD: I have no idea, but I really hope that happens. Steven Conrad is a genius and so was that cast. If you haven’t seen or become a part of the cult following of Patriot on Amazon or Perpetual Grace, you should. But the people he casts and the stories he writes and the beauty of the cinematography, all create a piece of art that is in its own category. He has such a strong point of view, aesthetic and vision, you always know when you’re watching a Steven Conrad show.

I’ve been very lucky to be part of two shows where both casts were like extended family. Like Luis Guzman. We talked recently, I adore him. Side bar: I feel like in a crazy, crossover world, Luis could be Pablo’s other uncle because of his giant heart and comedic delivery. Anyway, we’re both working on my friend Joe Ahern’s indie comedy, The Disappearance of Toby Blackwood, which he co-wrote with Doug Mellard. And I can’t wait for people to see Luis slay the screen, yet again. The filming process is pretty innovative during COVID, where everyone but the two main characters filmed their parts at home using an app. These guys were doing it before anyone else, so kudos to them.

Friendsgiving: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

CP: I had the pleasure of watching Friendsgiving the other night and it was an enjoyable holiday film. You had some hilarious bits as Kat Dennings’ wise cracking sister, Barbara. What drew you to the project?

DD: Thank you for watching the film and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s the kind of original comedy we all need right now.

I knew I was auditioning for Kat Dennings’ (Abby) sister Barbara, whose part of Abby’s Jersey-Italian family. Within the first two lines of that family exchange, I was cackling. I’m drawn to anything that grabs my attention on the page and holds it for the entire sitting of reading the script. Those lines of dialogue, the way the family members are unapologetically who they are, and the fact they mean well but are constantly giving you their two cents when you don’t want it or ask for it, hooked me. And that kind of art-imitating-life comedy held up for the rest of the script for me. Nicol Paone hit it out of the park, both on the page and behind the lens. And I’m pretty sure it’s loosely based on a Thanksgiving that Nicol and Malin Ackerman shared.

The subject matter was also relatable. I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving with my family as well as a couple of Friendsgivings. And the bottom line is, the holiday is just dysfunctional, always. It might be a lot more fun with your friends but it’s still going to be dysfunctional.

That concept makes me laugh. It’s not funny when you’re the one going through the stress and drama of Thanksgiving. However, it’s very funny watching someone else go through it. It’s cathartic. That’s why I loved it.

CP: With so many talented actors in the cast, do you have any behind the scenes anecdotes?

DD: There was a lot of laughing in between takes. It’s always a good sign when the crew laughs. Abby’s (Kat Dennings ) Jersey-Italian family was cast perfectly, and the actors were so damn funny! Rose Abdoo plays our mom, Nadya Ginsburg as Aunt Anna and Johnny Williams plays Uncle Sal. Like I said, it was already funny on the page, and Nicol being a New Jersey Italian herself really captured the essence of those family conversations. The actors brought Nicol’s words to life, and on a few takes she let us riff. In one scene the Aunt Anna character was telling the scripted story of a sexual gesture; I remember laughing so hard at her adlibbing additional euphemisms for that particular act by referencing Italian food.

One of my favorite things Nicol did was add some of the funniest ad-libs and bloopers in the end credits. I love seeing those! Now everyone who sees the film will get to see those behind the scenes moments.

The Show Must Go On

CP: When we were coordinating this interview, you told me that you were going into the studio to do voiceover work. Can you give us a hint about this upcoming effort?

DD: The show features a cast of familiar faces that might have worked together recently. I just realized what everyone is probably going to think when they read this.

CP: Sorry everyone, it isn’t Ash vs Evil Dead. However, you have more work on the way. According to IMDb, you have completed a short film called PCH. What else can your fans look forward to?

DD: The Disappearance of Toby Blackwood which I mentioned before but we’re still filming that. I am so excited about this voiceover project because it’s completely original in every way, it really hasn’t been done before. And of course, Friendsgiving is out now in select theatres and VOD. It’s the perfect film to watch this Thanksgiving when we can’t celebrate as we usually do. You can laugh at the characters’ holiday drama and maybe even be grateful to take this year off.

CP: Will you be appearing at any virtual conventions like Bruce and Ted are doing for Wizard World events?

DD: There are a couple in the works. But in the meantime, I’ve teamed up with this new platform called, Real Talk Live, which is both an app and on the web. It’s like a virtual convention where you can live video chat one on one, basically like a Zoom call. You can schedule the video call in advance or whenever catch me whenever I’m live. I think it’s a great solution, and personally I’m really looking forward to connecting with Evil Dead fans this way until live events pick back up. And it’s accessible worldwide so this will be great to finally see the amazing fans I hear from overseas. I miss interacting with them in the flesh, hearing their stories and seeing their badass cosplays! And do I miss pose-punching them in our epic photos. So I end with this, because I can’t say this enough: “Thank you, Ghostbeaters! I love you more than Ash Williams loves his Delta!”

Many thanks to Dana DeLorenzo for spending time with me at Crash Palace. For those of you that haven’t had the chance to catch Friendsgiving, it is available online by buying or renting it as a video-on-demand on iTunes, FandangoNow and VUDU.

#Crash Palace #Dana DeLorenzo

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jadelotusflower · 4 years

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September Roundup

So it wasn’t a very productive month, writing wise. I think I wrote less than 1000 words due to various RL issues (a shoulder impingement giving me grief among other things). I can’t entirely blame that, but nor am I going to dwell. It’s my birthday tomorrow, and while I’m having the usual existential crisis about another year slipping by almost unnoticed and without significant accomplishment, I am resolved to return to my novel and get at least the first draft finished by the end of the year. We’ll see how that goes.

In the meantime, I’ve at least been reading more. I’ve also consumed too much film/tv instead of writing, but hey.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, this was an engrossing read, if perhaps not what people were expecting. While I agree with some of the criticism, I really enjoyed this book.

Like the original novel, it takes the form of primary sources from the rule of Gilead, in Aunt Lydia’s secret chronicle, and “witness testimony” from two young women - one who grew up within Gilead, and the other outside. It’s fairly obvious from the beginning who they are, but I’ll avoid spoilers. Events become a little convenient towards the end, but it’s a great improvement on the tv show’s third season where things just became ludicrously easy and consequence free. I don’t think Atwood will ever write again in this world, but there is still so much to explore and I hope she does.

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him by Tracy Borman - As far as Tudor biographies go, there’s nothing much new here, but it is an interesting character study of Henry VIII through the men who had the greatest influence on him, especially as a young despot in the making. Through this lens it really does become just so shockingly clear that with a few exceptions, almost everyone of importance in Henry’s life goes through the same cycle of being built up, brought close, and rewarded, but then cast aside or crushed by his unchallenged power and narcissism - and often on very flimsy pretext.

Top End Wedding - I love a romcom, and this was really charming - it’s now on Netflix so I highly recommend. Starring and co-written by Miranda Tapsell, and directed by Wayne Blair (who also directed The Sapphires - a must see if you haven’t), it’s a film that shows great love to classic American and British romcoms (and the tropes are all there), but also uniquely Australian (Tapsell and Blair are both Indigenous, and care was taken to liaise with the Aboriginal communities where filming took place to ensure that proper approvals were given and and respect paid to the traditional owners). The backdrop of the Northern Territory is just beyond gorgeous, and this just the kind of heartwarming fare needed in these Trying Times (TM).

Bill and Ted Face the Music - As is this! I’ve loved the first two Bill and Ted movies since I was a kid, and was so happy that they’ve finally completed the trilogy. Look, it’s not high art, and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is just another cash grab off the sequel-reboot merry go round, but this was made with such clear love and affection for the originals that I just don’t care.

Here’s the thing: I hate an unnecessarily reboot as much as the next person - I don’t think there’s any point remaking something unless you have something new to say about the material. I also hate the “bleakquel” - where the only idea to follow up the original material is to tear it down just to rebuild it the same but without the heart (looking at you Star Wars). However, I am a sucker for the follow up/sequel just to catch up with those characters you love and see how they’re doing 10, 20, 30 years later. It’s familiar, it’s comforting, and sometimes that’s all it needs to be. Really, that’s all B&T FTM is, but I was perfectly satisfied by it.

Maybe there’s nothing more this film has to say than Be Excellent to Each Other (again), but honestly that’s a message I think we all need right now. There’s of course more to it than that - for the first time, we see a Bill and Ted who have become disillusioned that despite mastering so many different forms of music, they haven’t found The Song that will align the planets and bring out world peace etc, despite their most valiant attempts (That Which Binds Us Through Time: The Chemical, Physical and Biological Nature of Love: An Exploration of the Meaning of Meaning, Part 1 is a neat joke but also a legitimate banger complete with throat singing, a theremin, and bagpipes). And SPOILERS: In the end they discover honestly the only possible answer: that The Song itself doesn’t matter, it’s the world united through music, playing together, that brings everything into balance.

Does all the time travel work within the established rules of the universe? Not really - we see alternate Bill and Teds of the future without any explanation of alternate timelines. Are Samara Weaving (as Thea Preston) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (as Billie Logan) essentially doing impression of Winters and Reeves? Sure, but they are so charming that I don’t care.

Now, there are some obvious holes - covid made reshoots/pickups impossible so the opening “where are they now” montage got nixed, there was clearly more story for Elizabeth and Joanna (”the Princesses”) that is sadly missing, and the ending is very abrupt, but circumstances being what they are I can see why they decided to work with what they had and release the film, which is an antidote to the current, depressing state of the world, and at least in my view, a worthy third and final part of the Bill and Ted trilogy. (But I wouldn’t say no to a time-travel through music history show with Billie and Thea).

Disclosure (dir. Sam Feder) - a fantastic documentary exploring the representation of trans people in film and television, which sadly has often vacillated between lack of representation to misrepresentation, but with hope that things are slowly improving. A really worthwhile watch.

Enola Holmes (dir. Harry Bradbeer) - Twas charming! I hadn’t read (or even heard of) the YA books this is based on, and am uninterested in Stranger Things, but found this very entertaining and Millie Bobby Brown delightful in the title role. There was also a nice balance in the supporting cast, in that they resisted the urge to stack the decks too high in Enola’s favour, or make all the characters around her completely incompetent so she’s only heroic by default. She is clever and accomplished, but also finds that practicing jiu-jitsu is very different to an actual fight against someone trying to kill her.

Fleabag (seasons 1-2) - I never want to be too harsh on movies or tv that have been hyped to the heavens, because expectations are always too high and are rarely met. I liked this show, but did find all the smug asides and looks to camera a little grating in the first season. I enjoyed the second season a lot more, because while Fleabag was still a screw up, she wasn’t stealing money from her date’s wallet level terrible, so there was more of an emotionally satisfying arc (+ Andrew Scott who is always great), and I felt the humour was pitched a bit better. Olivia Coleman was the standout for me (isn’t she always?) as the Godmother, whose smiling, passive-aggressive villainy was masterful and worth watching for that alone.

Lucifer (seasons 1-2) - This show has crossed my tumblr dash for years, but I’m not really fond of crime procedurals. I am fond of mythology so seeing as the whole thing’s now on Netflix I decided to give it a go, and I have to say I am intrigued by the concept of the devil as a wayward son whose punishment for rebelling against God was to spend eternity punishing others, rather than straight-up evil incarnate. So far the procedural side of things is ho hum, but I am enjoying the mythology side, and Tom Ellis is very very handsome. I’m also pleasantly surprised at the number of female characters in the main and supporting cast and their treatment - they are actually allowed to talk and be friends with one another. Can you believe?!?

#roundup #personal #reading watching writing #september roundup

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abundanceofsoph · 4 years

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SkyFire 2: Chapter 16

“Darling, Just Hold On”: Nov/Dec 2016

Word count: 4.7k

SkyFire 2 MASTERLIST

I’ve been debating whether to write this chapter for weeks and I’m still not entirely sure whether I should have skipped it. While I use real people's names and real life events in this story, in my head they’re all fictional characters since I don’t really know them or how they would actually act in any of these situations. I more just use their likeness and their situations to inspire the story so this chapter was something I didn’t feel like I should include. I tried not to focus too much on Johannah but I felt the bond between Louis and Aurora was so beautiful that I decided to keep this chapter in. I hope you understand why I’ve made this decision.

This chapter's also a bit longer than usual because I wanted to soften the blow of the angst with some domestic fluff. Anyway, we all know what’s coming in this chapter so I'll stop stalling and get on with it.

>Instagram posts

After the trip away, Harry and Aurora decided to stay in London in anticipation of attending the X Factor finale where Louis was going to perform his debut single with Steve Aoki. After the show, Anne and Robin would once again be joining them in New York for the holidays, but in the meantime, they were enjoying spending a few weeks at Harry’s Hampstead house and catching up with Rori’s friends.

One of those days they headed south to Wimbledon, walking the familiar streets of Aurora’s childhood, their winter outfits helping to hide them from prying eyes, however they were stopped a couple of times by observant fans. Aurora offered to take their photos with Harry but he asked them not to post until that evening so that they could enjoy their day without being mobbed. They headed for the Golden Stag as the sun began to set, grateful for the warmth that greeted them as they stepped through the doors. Greg was working behind the bar, his face lighting up as he watched them approach him and he walked around the end of the bar to sweep Rori into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder as he held her tightly, feeling instantly at home in his arms.

“We missed you sweetheart,” he murmured while placing kisses to the crown of her head.

“Sorry it’s been so long,” she replied, squeezing him tightly one more time before stepping back from the hug.

“Just glad you’re here now,” he smiled. “Good to see you again Harry.”

“Good to see you too, Sir,” Harry replied, offering his hand and chuckling when Greg ignored it to hug him.

“Told you before you can just call me Greg,” he said as they stepped back. “You kids hungry? Grab a table and I’ll go let Helen know that you’re both here.”

They did as they were told, sliding into Aurora’s favourite booth that was close enough to the fireplace without being too hot.

Helen rushed out of the kitchen a few minutes later, beelining straight for their table and pulling Rori out of her seat and into a bone crushing embrace. “Oh, I missed you my darling,” she cooed, holding the younger woman tightly against her. “I swear every time I see you; you look more and more like your mother.”

“Missed you too Helen,” Rori murmured, her eyes glossy in response to Helen’s words.

“Now you’re both far too thin,” she clucked. “Let me get you some food and we’ll see if we can’t put some meet on those bones.”

Harry chuckled as she rushed back towards the kitchen and Aurora settled herself back into the booth. “I like her,” he said. “She reminds me of mum.”

“She reminds me of mine too,” Rori smiled softly, reaching across the table to take Harry’s hand in hers. “Always feel closer to her when I’m here. We should visit more.”

“Well once we buy a place of our own on this side of the river, we can visit all the time.”

“Sounds perfect.”

After dinner, Rori was eyeing the piano in the far corner, her lips twitching up in a slight grin as she remembered the hours she had spent sitting on that bench growing up. Her smile dropped as she once again berated herself for that stupid fall in the lobby a few weeks ago, knowing that she still had another week before she could wear her prosthetic and she was itching to play. “How do you feel about being my left hand?” she asked Harry.

“And what would you need my left hand for?” he asked, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

“When Louis was at tower over summer, he’d play the left hand for me on the piano before I got my prosthetic. Thought we could maybe try that out.”

Harry smiled widely. “Sounds fun. Lead the way.”

Aurora’s answering grin lit up her face and she jumped to her feet joyfully, grabbing Harry’s hand and tugging him across the room towards the piano. The pub wasn’t crowded, with only a few of the regulars on their stools at the bar, a few families finishing their dinner and a couple of young girls sitting by the door. Aurora had noticed the girls flicking glances towards her and Harry over the past hour, and she was pretty sure they were working up the courage to come over and say hi. She laughed as she imagined the stories they would tell their friends tomorrow about Harry Styles playing the piano in the little pub where they had dinner. Helen watched the pair take a seat on the old piano bench, smiling as they laughed, trying to find the rhythm. They stuttered over the start of a song a couple of times before they got the timing right, settling into the tune. Most of the patrons ignored the pair, a few of the regulars smiling softly at the familiar sound after so many years, and the table of girls by the door watched on with rapt attention. Both Aurora and Harry wore matching grins as they played, their arms slung around each other’s backs as together they wove the melody of familiar songs eventually beginning to sing, giving the unsuspecting patrons an exclusive performance that others would have paid hundreds of pounds to attend if given the chance.

xXx

After having dinner at the Golden Stag, Rori and Harry spent the remaining weeks of November meeting with both their wedding planner and their realtor.

The wedding planning was relatively easy going, seeing as how everything was booked in and ready to go. Aurora still had a few more dress fittings in the new year but otherwise everything was finalised for the big day in only a few months’ time.

The house hunting on the other hand was a little less under control. Harry had agreed with Aurora when she suggested that they look at apartments and penthouses as apposed to free standing houses. Her reasoning had been that she wanted to avoid the issues they’d had with fans camping outside Erskine House, and while they were hoping to avoid the publicizing of their new address, they both knew that it would only be a matter of time before Harry’s fans figured it out. Aurora loved his fans and was incredibly grateful that so many people recognised how incredibly talented he was and appreciated him, but she also got frustrated by how invasive they sometimes got about every tiny aspect of his life, and by extension hers as well. After deciding that they wanted an apartment, Aurora had stipulated that they buy south of the river so that she could be closer to Wimbledon, and Harry decreed that they needed at least 4 bedrooms in addition to the master suite. He planned on turning one into an art studio for Aurora, while another could become a simple recording studio, nothing close to the scale of her studios in Avengers Tower, but just a little something to make it feel like home. He hadn’t mentioned anything to Aurora, but the reason he wanted 2 bedrooms left over once they created the studios, was that he planned for one to be turned into a nursey while the other could remain as a traditional guest room for when their families visited. All of these aspects, as well as the need for plenty of room for Harry’s car collection had left their poor realtor, Lee, with the unenviable job of finding the perfect place for the young couple. He found them four different properties and set up private inspections for each.

The first was in Southwark and Harry was immediately impressed the moment they walked into the lobby and were greeted by the doorman. The security of the building was excellent and they both smiled softly at each other as they took the elevator to the 24th floor with Lee.

“Now this isn’t the penthouse apartment,” Lee explained as the entered the apartment. “But there’s only two apartments above you and there’s shared access between you and 3 other apartments for the rooftop garden.”

Aurora let go of Harry’s hand as they wandered into the main living area, large windows opening out to the Thames and a beautiful view of the city.

“The kitchen and entertainment area are all on this level with a bathroom off the entry hall,” Lee continued as they walked around. “There’s 4 bedrooms upstairs including the master suite with walk in robe and ensuite, with an additional bathrooms for the guest rooms.”

“Only 3 spare rooms?” Harry asked. “Not ideal.”

“I don’t really like the idea of climbing those stairs every day,” Aurora added.

“How about we head to the second property?” Lee asked, accepting immediately that this was not the right fit. “We can always come back if you change your mind.”

Harry motioned for Lee to lead the way and they headed back to the elevator. Once they reached the ground they climbed into Harry’s car.

The second property was only a few minutes away, still in Southwark, and just behind the Tate Modern. “I like the idea of just popping over to the galleries,” Aurora noted as they entered the apartment and spotted the familiar building out the window, the river and Millennium bridge also filling in the landscape sprawled out in front of them. While the building ticked off everything on their list, there was something missing that neither Harry nor Aurora could put their finger on. Whatever it was, the third apartment in Vauxhall was also missing it, leaving them with only one property left to view.

“It’s not available today but we can view it on Tuesday if you want to meet me there at 2pm,” Lee explained once they left the third apartment.

“That works for us,” Harry agreed, “we’ll see you then.”

xXx

They arrived in Battersea a few hours before they were meant to meet up with Lee to view the final property on his list, opting to grab lunch in a nearby café and then wander through Battersea Park.

“I used to come here a lot with my mum,” Rori said as they walked, arm in arm, rugged up against the cold wind blowing in off the Thames. “Used to love going to the kid’s zoo, but mum really loved all the flowers, so we’d come every weekend in spring.”

“It’s beautiful here,” Harry agreed. “We filmed a music video here.”

“I know,” Rori laughed. “As soon as the fans found out you were here, Ella actually came down after school to try and meet you all.”

“Really?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, and I would have been right next to her, but I’d already moved to New York. Still remember watching the video and just feeling so nostalgic. Think that’s why it was my favourite song for so long.”

“You never told me that was your favourite.”

“Because it’s embarrassing, Harry.”

“No, it’s not,” he argued. “I think it’s really cute they you were such a big fan. Imagine if you didn’t like our music. You probably wouldn’t have gone to that after party with me and we never would have gotten the chance to get to know each other if you hated the band.”

“It’s still embarrassing to remember I used to read fanfiction about the man who is about to be my husband,” she replied, laughing softly as they turned towards the river.

“I’m flattered,” Harry promised, kissing her cheek as she blushed. “Now let’s go see our dream home, hopefully.”

Lee was waiting for them outside the riverside apartment building, the ever impressive Battersea Power Station looming next door. The lobby was empty when Lee led them inside Scott House, using a key card to activate the elevator. He explained on the short ride to the 8th floor that the building was nearing completion and the first round of tenants were due to start moving in at the beginning of February.

The elevator opened onto a pristine hallway; the colour scheme monochromatic which was very much to Auroras taste. Lee turned right out of the elevator, leading them to the apartment’s front door, once again using the key card to gain access.

They entered into an entry hall that led straight into what Lee called the reception room, which flowed through to a kitchen/dining area. “This was originally designed to be 3 separate units, but they altered it to create one large 5 bedroom penthouse,” he explained as they entered. “There are 4 other units on this floor, but the sound proofing is state of the art, so you won’t be able to hear them. There’s a secondary entrance from the main hall into the apartment that leads directly into the kitchen so you can bypass the entry hall.” He pointed out the specific features of the kitchen and the enclosed patio that was marketed as a winter garden that ran the length of the apartment, looking out at the power station to their right and the river on the left. “Because it was originally three units,” Lee continued as he led them down a long hallway off the kitchen, “you get three parking spots in the underground garage.”

Aurora sensed Harry brightening at this, but her attention was focused on the 4 bedrooms, office space, study and utility room that Lee pointed out as they passed. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and built in robes with an additional walk-in situated in between them all. They returned back to the central kitchen via the winter garden, and Rori found herself falling in love with the property more and more with every step. In its unfinished state she was able to imagine the furniture she could buy to fill the space and the colours she would paint the walls, really making a home for herself and Harry.

“And now if we head back through the reception room,” Lee said as he directed them. “You have the master bedroom with the spacious walk-in and dressing room which lead through to the ensuite with a full size tub at one end and a twin shower head in the shower at the other end of the room. His and hers basins and marble tiling.”

“God damn,” Rori muttered as she looked around, picturing the décor she could add to bring out their personalities in the space. “H, I love it.”

“Me too,” Harry replied, equally impressed with the entire apartment.

“It’s not listed yet, so if you can organise the down payment, I’d say we can get it locked down within the next few weeks.”

“Let’s sit down and talk contracts,” Harry replied, watching as Aurora’s smile grew as they walked back out into the bedroom.

“How about you meet me at my office in the morning and we can go over all the specifics then?” Lee asked to which Harry agreed.

“You happy, love?” Harry asked, turning to see Rori standing out on the balcony leading off the master bedroom, looking towards the Power Station. She turned back to him, her face aglow with excitement.

“I can see us starting a family here Harry,” she replied, letting out a surprised squeal as Harry picked her up and held her tightly against him, kissing her cheek.

“Me too my love,” he replied. “Me too.”

xXx

They were lying in bed on a Tuesday evening in the beginning of December, Harry’s head resting in Rori’s lap as she sat against the headboard reading. She was finally able to start wearing her prosthetic again, so she was holding the book in her left hand, the fingers of her right tangled in Harry’s curls. His own hands traced patterns across her thighs, a comfortable silence stretching around them. That silence was shattered as Harry’s phone started ringing on the nightstand and Aurora barely looked up from her book as she passed it to him. His head was still resting in her lap as he answered the call and she felt him freeze against her, a soft gasp escaping his lips.

“We’re on our way,” he said softly, clambering off the bed before Rori could even get her bookmark in place. He started throwing on clothes as she asked him what was going on, and it was clear that he hadn’t heard her at all.

“HARRY!” she yelled, finally breaking through to him. He froze, turning to look at her, his eyes wide and haunted. “What’s happening? What’s wrong.”

“Jay,” was all he said, his voice barely more than a whisper and there was nothing else he needed to say as Rori felt her blood run cold, certain that the haunted look in Harry’s eyes was now echoed in hers. She didn’t say a word, but just as quickly got dressed and moved to pack an overnight bag for the both of them. They were out the door and in the car within minutes. They’d both known this was coming for a while, but everyone had been hoping that she’d make it past the holidays. It took them 3 hours to reach Doncaster, and neither spoke as Harry drove through the night. Aurora turned the radio off after the first pop song played, so at odds with the sombre mood inside the car that she couldn’t handle it.

It was well after midnight by the time they reached Doncaster and headed straight to the Deakin house. Harry texted Louis to let him know they were there, not expecting a reply and not receiving one, and they let themselves inside with the spare key. Despite the late hour neither Harry nor Aurora could think of sleeping and Aurora started tidying up the living room. By the time the sun rose, they’d cleaned most of the house and Harry had thrown together a casserole to put in the oven when everyone got home. They collapsed on the sofa; phones clenched in their hands as they waited to hear.

It was nearing lunchtime when they heard cars pull into the driveway and slow trudging footsteps reached the front door. Aurora was waiting with her arms open and Louis fell into them gladly, holding her tightly as he cried. Harry hugged a few of the girls before moving to Dan’s side and ushering them all into the living room. He busied himself making tea while Louis and Rori continued to cling to each other. No one spoke beyond quite murmurs of thanks and the young couple spent the day doing whatever they could to help, ensuring that the grieving family ate before turning in to bed later in the evening.

They left Doncaster Friday afternoon, driving back to London and leaving Louis with his family to be together before heading to Wembley the next day. They had assumed that Louis would be cancelling his appearance on X Factor, but he shocked both of them that morning when he announced he was going ahead with the show. They promised to be there and hugged everyone tightly before climbing into their car. Neither spoke on the drive south, both physically and emotionally exhausted by the past two days.

“I just spent the whole time we were there wanting to say something to help Lou, but I had no idea what to say,” Harry admitted once they dropped their overnight bags inside the entry hall of the house.

“There’s nothing you can say,” Aurora said, walking to his side to wrap him in a tight hug. “Not really. At least that’s how it felt when mum died. Anytime anyone told me it was going to be ok I just wanted to scream.”

“Did anything help?” Harry asked softly, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

“Ella stayed over at the hospital that first night. She didn’t say anything, but she just held me. Looking back now, that meant more than anything else. Just knowing that she was there and that I wasn’t alone. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for Lou and the girls, just make sure they feel that they’re not alone.”

“I hate that you ever had to go through that, but I’m glad he has someone that knows what it’s like,” Harry said. “Sorry that sounded really shitty.”

“No I get it,” Rori replied, “and I’m glad I can be there for him too.”

They trudged upstairs and collapsed into bed, neither having the energy or appetite to think about dinner and instead just cuddled up next to each other under the covers. They were silent for a while, both sitting in their own grief until Harry started shaking.

“I can’t help but think we’re going to do this again with Robin,” he sobbed.

“Oh Harry,” Rori sighed, holding him tightly as he cried into her chest. “You can’t think like that. Robin’s tough. He’s going to fight, and he’ll be ok. We deserve the win.”

“We thought that about Jay,” he pointed out.

“I know,” Aurora agreed. “I’m scared too but if I let myself think about it then it’s going to crush us Harry. We have to believe he’ll be ok because we don’t have any other option.”

xXx

They were backstage at Wembley, a little under an hour before the show was set to start and there were plenty of people rushing around getting everything ready. For the most part people were leaving them alone, aware of what had happened and thankfully giving them all space. The boys were all there, as were Lottie and Flic, however Dan and the rest of the kids had stayed back in Doncaster. Occasionally someone would come over to offer their sympathy, while Steve took care of all the technical problems in preparation for the performance. Louis had already gotten through the sound check earlier, mostly holding it together and now was just sitting quietly with his sisters, trying to prepare to go out in front of the sold out crowd, and live tv audience.

“Hey Rori, can we go for a walk?” Louis asked not long before he was needed on stage. She nodded, standing up immediately and following him out of the room. They walked the hallways of the backstage area with his arm around her shoulders and hers firmly around his waist. Aurora stayed quiet, knowing that Louis would let her know what he needed from her. “The night we met,” he finally said, “It was the AMAs, remember?”

“Yeah I remember,” she replied, her voice matching his near whisper.

“That was the first time you performed after your mum?”

“It was the first time on my own,” she explained. “I’d done a couple of smaller shows with the band but that was the first time on my own.”

“How did you do it?”

“It was different. I’d had a few years of missing her, so it wasn’t as fresh, but it was still really hard, especially since the song was about her. I know you’re really asking how you’re supposed to go out there tonight and I don’t really have an answer for that.”

“Yeah, I know, sorry. You’re just the only one I know who’s been where I am right now.”

“You never have to apologise to me Lou. I’ll help however I can because I wish I’d had someone who knew how it felt. But you have something I didn’t have; you’ve got your family and you’ll all get through this together. I guess the best advice I can give is that she loved watching you on stage. She really fucking loved it and she was so proud of you. So am I.” They both started crying and stopped walking to bury their face in the curve of each other’s necks. “I love you so much big brother,” Rori whispered. “We’re all here to help you and the girls through this. You’re not alone.”

“Love you too Rors. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she whispered. “Now go out there and show the world our song.”

“Our song?” Louis scoffed, a small chuckle accompanying his words.

Aurora smiled in response and even though Louis knew exactly what she was doing, he appreciated her giving him shit like she always did. Just this little bit of normalcy helped him to believe that she was right and that it wouldn’t always hurt this much.

“Of course it’s our song,” she joked. “I helped you write the chorus when you stayed with me over summer. I expect my royalty cheques in the mail soon.”

“Not a chance love,” Louis laughed. “You can have the family discount off the merch though.”

“So kind of you.”

xXx

Harry stood behind Aurora as the song began, his arms wrapped tightly around her, his chest pressed firmly against her back and his chin resting on the crown of her head. She watched in awe as Louis jumped around the stage, tears streaming down her face as each line of the song hit like the lashes of a whip.

The sun goes down and it comes back up The world it turns no matter what Oh-oh-oh, if it all goes wrong Darling, just hold on

Even though she’d been the one to help write them, Aurora felt as though every word was slicing at her heart. Like every word was a screaming plea for things to have ended differently. For her to still be here with them. For her to still be here with him.

As the lights came up and the crowd cheered, Aurora brushed aside her tears, taking deep calming breathes so that by the time Louis reached them she was ready to be the shoulder he needed to lean on.

xXx

They’d stayed out late with Louis, eventually calling it a night when Aurora could barely keep her eyes open any longer. They’d collapsed into bed as soon as they returned home in the early hours of the morning, exhausted both physically and mentally.

Harry stirred as the sun streamed in through the bedroom window, the angle disorientating until he realised that it was afternoon and they had slept away half the day. He also realised that the sun had not been what woke him as he watched Rori slip into a pair of jeans, struggling to do up the buttons one handed.

“Need a hand?” he mumbled, voice husky with sleep.

She jumped a little, startled by his question before she turned to him with a cheeky grin. “I do need a hand actually. I seem to have misplaced one of mine.”

Harry rolled his eyes at her joke and motioned her over to the side of the bed so that he could reach out and do up the buttons for her. “Why are you getting dressed? Come back to bed.”

“Gonna go see mum,” she replied, kissing his forehead before grabbing a sweater off the end of the bed and slipping it over her head. “Be back in a few hours.”

“You want company or is this something you gotta do alone?” he asked softly, sitting up and letting the sheets pool around his hips.

“It’s ok baby, go back to sleep.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Harry replied. “I’m coming with you unless you want to be alone.”

“I wouldn’t mind the company,” she answered, smiling softly as Harry climbed out of the bed and slipped into his own clothes, taking her hand before leading her out of the bedroom.

An hour later Harry parked near the Wimbledon Cemetery, rounding the car to hold open the passenger door for Aurora before taking her hand and walking by her side through the large wrought iron gates. They walked quietly past the older headstones until they reached the newer plots, following the familiar winding paths until the reached Louise Bennett’s headstone. The grass was damp beneath Rori’s knees as she sank to the ground, Harry’s hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder as she reached out to brush away the dry autumn leaves on the ground.

“Hi Mumma,” she whispered. “Sorry I haven’t been to visit for a while, it’s been a pretty wild year.”

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

#skyfire #skyfire fic #aurora stark #dad!tony #iron dad #step dad #stony #stony fic #boyfriend harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #superfamily #Harry Styles #tony stark #ptsd #domestic fluff #angst #best friend louis tomlinson #minor character death #grief/mourning

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thestarsaroundyourscars · 4 years

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Hanzier, by the river, life or death

Thank you my dear! I hope you like this!

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When Mike asked his friends if any of them would like to go on a camping trip with him, he expected all of them to say no. If he had to pick one to say yes, he would've said Bill. Maybe Stan, if he thought it would give him a chance to see some birds.

Mike never thought that, out of all of them, Richie would be the one to say yes. At first, Mike thought he was joking and he waited, amused for the punchline, only it never came. Now, it was a week later and the two of them were making their way through the woods and Mike was starting to believe Richie was serious about it.

They kept having to stop because Richie was in terrible shape and his noodle arms were having trouble carrying his backpack. Mike would wait patiently for him to recover, hand him a water bottle, offer to carry his stuff. He didn't mind that it was taking twice as long to get to the campsite as usual, he liked having Richie there with him.

"Fuck Mikey. Are we almost there?" Richie huffed, breathing heavy. He was slumped against a tree, arms wrapped around the trunk to support his weight. His bag was so overpacked that if he tried to stand straight, gravity would make him fall on his ass. It happened once already and Mike had to pull him back on his feet while Richie wailed about knowing how turtles felt now. “I feel like I’m gonna pass out any minute and I know that on any given day you could carry me like a fainting damsel, but I doubt you can also carry our things.”

Mike chuckled, handing him a water bottle. “We’re almost there Rich, don’t worry.”

It still took them half an hour and several breaks to get there and when they did, Richie tossed his backpack on the ground and dropped himself right next to it, whining dramatically about how he couldn't feel his legs.

Knowing it would be a while before Richie got up, Mike started setting up their tent. They only brought one, because Richie didn't own a tent and because they really didn't need to bring something else they'd have to carry. Besides, Mike didn't mind sharing a tent with Richie. It was big enough for both of them and they had their own sleeping bags anyway. It's not like they would be sharing a bed or something like that. Not that Mike would mind that either.

He was staking down the corners of the tent when he heard Richie let out a whistle. Mike turned around to face him, he was still on the ground but now he was leaning back on his elbows, smirking. "Damn Mike, I recovered my breath just for you to take it away again."

Mike felt his face go hot. He tried to blame it on exertion or the fact that he was working under the hot sun, but he knew it was all on Richie and the way he licked his lips while staring Mike up and down.

He bit down a flustered smile, rolling his eyes at Richie. "You're just being dramatic because you don't want to help me."

"You seem to have everything under control, buddy."

He did. And he finished setting up the tent quickly after that.

As soon as Richie was able to stand on his legs again, Mike was dragging them into the woods.

Richie gave him a wary look."Where are going?"

"We're going for a walk."

"A walk? Why?" Richie whined. "We already walked to get here."

Mike chuckled, his hand dropped from Richie's arm to wrap around his wrist as he picked a trail. "We didn't get to enjoy that one."

"You mean, because of my whining and complaining? Because that's not gonna change."

Mike rolled his eyes, picking up the pace. He intended to let go of Richie's wrist but then Richie was lacing their fingers together. Mike felt the tips of his ears start to burn.

"Uh."

"So I don't wander off, you know." Richie said, shrugging. His cheeks were an adorable shade of pink. "I don't want to get lost in the woods, Mikey."

Mike's lips twitched and he squeezed Richie's hand.

Richie did complain, huffing when making their way up a particularly steep incline and panting when he felt like he was melting inside the black jeans that he insisted to bring, but he also admired the view, pointed excitedly at a squirrel they came across and happily accepted the berries Mike picked for him.

After a while, they decided to head back. When Richie started to whine again, Mike offered to give him a piggyback ride.

"Thank you, stud." Richie said, climbing on Mike's back.

"I think you meant steed."

"Nope, I meant stud." Richie said, winking. Mike felt a pleased smile appear on his face.

Back at the campsite, Mike told Richie to go take a nap because his friend looked like he was going to pass out any minute. In the meantime, Mike gathered some wood for a fire, chopping it with an axe. The hot sun was beating down on him and made Mike take off his shirt half way through the task, sweating profusely.

Half an hour later, Richie emerged from the tent, shielding his eyes from the light. It made his shirt ride up a little and the sliver of exposed skin made Mike's grip on the axe falter. He forced himself to look away, he didn't want to drop the axe and chop off his toe because he was distracted by the line of hair disappearing into Richie's jeans.

"Holy fucking shit." He heard Richie gasp and he put his axe down before turning around to face him. Richie was staring at him with wide eyes, his face a dark shade of red.

"Hey Rich."

Richie faltered. "I know there's a very good line about a lumberjack and something about you giving me wood, somewhere in my head, but I don't think my brain is working at the moment."

Mike chuckled, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he didn’t miss the way Richie followed the movement with his eyes, mouth parted slightly.

Then he shook his head and focused on the chopped wood at Mike's feet instead. “Are we having a fire?”

“Yeah, I brought chocolate and crackers, I thought we could make s’mores.”

Richie's face lit up, grinning at Mike, big and honest. "Fuck yeah." He said, pointing at the axe. "I would offer to help you, but I doubt I could lift that fucking thing over my shoulder."

Mike snorted, waving him off. “I’m almost done anyway. If you want to help, you can refill our water bottles.” He suggested, pointing over his shoulder at the river.

Richie wrinkled his nose, eyeing the river with distrust. “Is that safe?”

“Who are you? Eddie?”

“Hey, I’ve heard him rant about Listeria or shit like that too many times, man.”

“Well, water is pretty clean up here but don’t worry, we’ll boil it before we drink it just to be safe.” Richie nodded, grabbing their water bottles. “Be careful though, the current is pretty strong.”

“Got it, chief.”

The campsite was near enough to the river that Mike could see Richie sitting down on a rock, leaning forward to fill the water bottles. He could also hear him singing to himself.

Mike felt a silly grin break in his face, he ducked his head trying to focus on the task at hand.

Mike's crush on Richie wasn't new to him, but lately he was having a hard time keeping his feelings in check. When Richie said he would go camping with him, Mike was both excited and worried, because he would get to spend time with Richie but they would also be alone in the woods for three days and Mike didn't know if his heart- and other parts of him- would survive that. Especially in those moments where it seemed that maybe Richie was also attracted to him, like before, when he was practically drooling at the sight of a shirtless Mike or when he held his hand as they walked through the forest.

A loud splash made Mike whirl his head towards the river, thinking maybe Richie accidentally dropped one of the bottles in the water but when he did, he didn't see his friend.

“Richie?”

Mike expected him to pop up from behind a tree with a stupid grin on his face but he didn’t. He felt a lump starting to form in the back of his throat.

"Rich this isn't funny, man." He tried, but again, nothing. “Fuck.” He muttered, dropping the axe and running towards the river.

He saw the water bottles neatly placed on top of the rock Richie had been sitting on, but no Richie. The river had grown and the current was stronger than before and Mike started to panic.

He looked around, fear prickling under his skin. Then he noticed something a few feet away and he recognized the eye-watering pattern of Richie's ridiculous Hawaiian shirt. He ran towards him and dropped to his knees. Richie was lying face down and Mike was scared to roll him over. He did it anyways and gasped, Richie was bleeding from a small cut on his forehead and his eyes were closed, he didn't seem to be breathing.

“No no no Richie fuck.” Mike shook his shoulders, but Richie remained unmoving. “Richie, come on man.”

He pressed his hands to Richie’s chest and started pushing, grateful that he attended that first aid seminar the first week of college. He pinched Richie’s nose, tilting his head back and pressed their lips together, blowing air into his lungs. When nothing happened he did it again, muttering under his breath, Richie and come on and please.

After the third time, Richie surged up, spluttering and coughing up water. Mike fell back on the ground with a relieved sigh, giving Richie some space while catching his own breath.

“Motherfucker.” Richie groaned, voice hoarse and strained. “Fucking hell, my fucking lungs feel like they’re on fire. What the fuck.”

“Yeah, what the fuck, Richie?” Mike shot back. “I told you to be careful and you, what? Decided to go for a swim?”

“I didn’t- Fuck.” Richie coughed a few more times. “I wasn’t trying to go for a swim, I was filling up the water bottles like you said, but then my glasses fell off and when I tried to reach for them, I lost my balance and hit my head with a stupid rock and then nothing.” His hand went to the cut on his forehead, it wasn’t big, wouldn’t even need stitches thank God, but there was a bruise already forming around it. “Shit. That hurts like a bitch. Not as much as my chest, but pretty fucking close.”

Mike scrunched up his face, apologetic. “That’s partly my fault, I think I went too hard on you trying to get you breathing again.”

Richie blinked. “You gave me mouth to mouth?”

“Well yeah, you weren’t breathing and I-”

“Wait wait! You’re telling me that you kissed me for the first time and I was fucking unconscious for it?”

Mike's eyebrows knitted in a frown. “It wasn’t really a kiss.”

“It’s literally called the kiss of life, Mikey.” Richie said, then rolled his eyes. “Of course, that would happen to me.”

Mike snorted. “Well yeah, you’re the only blind idiot I know who would drop his glasses and then himself in a river."

"Hey, rude." Richie narrowed his eyes, then waved him off. "But no, I meant- I finally get you to kiss me and I didn’t even get to enjoy it.”

"Finally?" Mike's eyes widened and he spluttered like he was the one who nearly just drowned. “Wait, enjoy it?”

Richie rolled his eyes, snorting. “Who’s the blind idiot now?” He shot back. “Come on Mikey. I’m pretty sure I popped a boner when I saw you chopping wood, shirtless and looking like a fucking sex god. I've been hitting on you for years! I held your hand the entire fucking time we were walking. I agreed to go camping with you. Me, the guy who drives his car to the store that is only a block away, who gets winded walking up a flight of stairs. Why the fuck would I do that unless it was to spend time alone with you?"

Mike chuckled, wrapping his head around Richie's ramble. "There are easier ways to do that, you know. Ones that don't end with you almost drowning."

"Why do easy, when I can do you?" Richie said, winking exaggeratedly.

Mike started laughing. Hard. "That was terrible, even for you Rich." He said and Richie stuck his tongue out at him. "Do you have a concussion, is that your concussion talking?"

"Fuck you, Mikey." Richie said with no heat. He was also laughing, face scrunched up adorably. His glasses were still missing and Mike knew they would have to worry about that later, but right now it allowed him to see the glint in his pretty blue eyes. It made his own laughter catch in his throat. He lifted his hand to push back some of Richie's wet hair before cradling his face. Richie stopped laughing, staring at Mike with wide, slightly unfocused eyes.

"I like you, Richie." Mike said, heart fluttering at his own admission.

"Ditto."

"And I really want to kiss you right now."

Richie gulped, nodding and letting Mike pull him close at the same time he leaned in, connecting their lips. Richie hummed into his mouth, a short little noise that that made Mike's heart speed up as Richie delved deeper into the kiss. Richie held onto Mike's shoulders, feeling him up. Mike totally forgot that he was shirtless until he felt Richie's hands running over all that skin. His own hands were tangled in Richie's hair and he pulled, putting some space between them. Richie whined, chasing after his lips and Mike chuckled, leaning back to give him a big, giddy smile.

"Wow." Richie said, licking his lips and staring at Mike in a daze.

"Yeah." Mike agreed. "That was so much better than our first kiss."

Richie frowned, offended. "Hey, no. I was unconscious. You can't hold that kiss against me."

Mike smiled, if he was being honest, he didn't think he had stop smiling for a while. He placed a chaste kiss on Richie's lips before standing up. "Come on, buddy. We have to find your glasses and clean up that cut. Then we can get you some s'mores. The more sugar you eat, the easier it will be to stay up all night." Mike didn't miss the way Richie's eyebrows did a little wiggle, he let out a snort before explaining. "I'm not letting you fall asleep when you could have a concussion."

Richie heaved out a dramatic sigh. "And here I thought you were keeping me up for," Another eyebrow wiggle. "Other reasons."

Mike's lips twitched at the same time his stomach fluttered. “I wouldn't be opposed to that." He winked, pulling Richie along with him.

He wouldn’t be opposed to that at all.

Tag list: @daddyphantomtbh @yes-dillman-yes @richietoaster @beepbeeprichiellc @its-stranger-than-you-think @lemonaayyee @losers-gotta-stick-together @tinyarmedtrex @richiefuckfacetozier @sam-i-am2468 @richardtoz @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything @eddiefuckinkaspbrak @constantreaderfool @stanleuyris @jesuschristsupruvestar @mirandonsky @reddie4diaster @alargedepresso @purplepoisonedgem @pan-ini @reddie-to-cry @reddieforlove @trashmouthnick @multi-fandom-wby @wheezyeds @nancynwheeler @reddieslashgeneralhorror @madi-personal @reddie-tozibrak @lover-mouth @atownofeggs @that-weird-girls-blog @appojoos @castielwinovak @a-gay-treee @twoidiotsinl0ve @fcngirltrxsh @spirited-marvel (if you want to be added, let me know!)

#hanzier #camping trip #with a side of almost drowning #monse writes #tinyarmedtrex

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thejemersoninferno · 5 years

Text

Treat you better.

· Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader.

· Request: “Sebastian x reader, the reader has an abusive boyfriend and seb overhears them one day while on set and he basically rescues the reader by tackling her boyfriend while crew call the cops and like when cops arrive seb comforts the reader and maybe confessed his feelings for her? A small age gap between reader and Seb too? Thank you! I love you! You’re awesome! ❤️💕” by the lovely @afictionaladventure16. I don’t know if I got everything you wanted to read, also I’m sorry I took too long. Enjoy it.

· A/N: This request wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing @jewels2876 got Beta’d and helped me rewrite a thing or two. Isn’t she amazing? Thank you once again, darling. Much love x.

· Word Count: 5040.

· Warnings: Language, sexual harassment, mentions of violence, angst.

On your twenty-fifth birthday, you got a call, your first time on the big screen as the lead actress; you have been cast as Beatriz Mitchell in book series called Hope. You have had small roles in other movies or TV shows. When you received the call you have gotten the part for Beatriz as the lead actress, you couldn’t stop crying. You called your family, who were happy and excited for you. Your boyfriend even agreed to go with you during the filming, as he didn’t want to miss a day without you.

You discovered your co-stars through social media: your co-star and love interest, Sebastian Stan; your best friend, Scott Evans and other big names. You were nervous, happy, excited, and overwhelmed they have given you this opportunity but you wouldn’t take it for granted.

You arrived at Florence three months ago, and your boyfriend hasn’t left your side since the day you arrived. You loved having him around and he loved to see you working. Filming with Sebastian was incredible; you had spent a lot of time chatting, working on your script or just playing around. As a result, he was becoming a very close friend. Your boyfriend Paul used to hang out with you and Sebastian until you had your first kissing scene together. Paul got angry and you two had a fight in your trailer. Paul thought you were cheating on him with Sebastian and you were furious he had doubted your word and your loyalty. After that fight, Paul never joined you on set again. Secretly you were glad because you couldn’t focus on him while working with Sebastian. The cast had been nothing but kind and a joy to you. You didn’t want Paul’s bad energy and negativeness around them or you.

“Hey, you!” Scott greeted you on set.

“Scottie,” you cheered happily hugging him.

“How you doing?” he questioned sipping his drink.

“Good,” you sat next to him, “And you?”

“Not bad,” he shrugged, “my brother’s coming,”

“Oh,” you murmured, “the best Evans,” you said playfully.

Scott opened his mouth in shock and then push you from his side. He started tickling you and you were trying to protect yourself from him. “Take it back,” he demanded.

“Never!” you laughed.

You carried on playing until you were called on set. For the next week, it would be only Scott, you and the extras on set. The rest of the cast wasn’t needed on set, except for Sebastian who had requested a week off due to some personal matters. You loved working with Scott, he was nice and you were joking non-stop, sometimes the director had to keep you far from the other or you would be too messy around the set.

“It’s weird,” you murmured fixing your clothes.

“What?” Scott asked looking up from his script.

“Uhm, I said that it’s weird being here without Seb,” you smiled at him.

Scott nodded your way and softly smiled filled his face.

“What?” you questioned arching your eyebrow.

“I was thinking…” he said sitting, “if you want to meet my brother?” he added nervously.

“You joking?” you laughed, “I’ve been listening to you two play around all this time and you wonder if I want to meet him?”

“Well, yeah?” he said shrugging.

“I gotta meet the man who made you such a baby,” you chuckled. Scott opened his mouth slightly then shook his head as he pushed you aside gently. “You’re the worst,” he spat walking away.

You laughed loud and walked to your spot. You texted your boyfriend to tell him about maybe getting to meet his favorite actor; you were pretty excited yourself. Scott talked about his brother constantly; it was clear they were very close.

By the time you finished your day on set, your boyfriend hadn’t replied back to your texts or calls. On the other hand, Sebastian had texted you a lot, explaining how his day was going or what he had eaten. You smiled at the picture of Sebastian being the meme he is. He was lying down on the sofa, confused face and mouth slightly open, lost on his own confusion. You laughed hard and took a selfie sitting down on your small couch.

“Boring day on set,” you added to the text and pressed send. You checked your social media and your texts, you waited a few minutes for Sebastian to reply.

In the meantime, you updated your Instagram account with a picture of the sunset. You smiled and sighed remembering that day.

You and Paul had argued before you went to set because he wasn’t happy with you spending so much time with Sebastian or around Scott. You ended up storming off your trailer pissed. You arrived at the meeting point where everyone was waiting for you. Sebastian listened to music on his phone, as usual while the other cast and crew chatted. They greeted you, then all of you jumped in the vans. You kept to yourself through the entire ride, speaking a little with a few of them. Sebastian watched you since the moment you arrived. In fact, he saw you walking to set, but at the look on your face, he knew it wasn’t a good moment to tease you.He waited and then moved slightly from his spot, offering you one end of his earphones. You looked his way and he offered again.You didn’t hesitate and grabbed it, putting in your ear and listened to the music.

You arrived at the big hill, the cast quickly catching up to the rest of the crew. The three of you walked to your marks, mesmerized. You filmed all afternoon. Just as filming wrapped for the day, the sunset left you all speechless, one of the best views you have ever seen. Scott agreed with you and so did the rest of the cast and crew. You sat down on the grass, taking it all in.Scott quickly sat down on your left, and everyone gathered around.. You felt an arm wrapping you around, and you sighed in relief when you saw it was Seb. You watched the sunset with your friends, who loved you and you were grateful. You hugged Seb, and after a few minutes, you took your phone out of your pocket and snapped a picture. You flipped the camera and you could see him looking forward, hypnotised by the views. You snapped another quick picture smiling at the camera and him completely lost in his own mind. Scott shouted selfie and the cast and crew posed smiling.

You smiled again and the feed refreshed showing a picture of Paul with his friends. You sighed and went for a shower.

“Sorry, I was talking with my mom, x.” Sebastian replied back.

You brought another spoonful of noodles to your mouth and replied, “It’s okay, what are you up to? X.”

You two chatted for a while and then switched to Skype. You spoke over three hours until you felt tired and Sebastian sent you to bed. You whispered goodbye and hang up. You walked back to the small kitchen area, dropped the empty box on the bin, then walked to your restroom and after brushing your teeth, went straight to sleep.

You woke up to loud banging outside your trailer door and you groaned. You turned to the other side and tried to sleep again. The banging sound even louder and you growled. You walked to the door and flashed it open angrily, “What?!” you spat.

Scott stood there, a brown paper bag in a hand and Starbucks coffee in the other hand. You sniffed and smiled moving aside. “Why, hello there handsome,” you smiled.

“Morning to you too,” he laughed, “Long night?” he sat down on the little couch.

“Yeah,” you mumbled sitting down, “Where’s your brother?” you questioned arching a brow while picking the bag he offered.

“Ugh,” he murmured, “he couldn’t come,” he said shrugging.

“Oh no,” you pouted, “Are you okay?”, You knew how much he missed his brother and he was excited to see him and for you to meet him.

“Yeah,” he replied smiling your way, giving you your coffee.

“Well,” you said, “I’m sure he will come visit you soon,” you smiled.

“Sure,” he answered, “Got plans for tonight?”

“Not at all,” you replied, “Got anything in mind?”

“I’ve heard of this restaurant…” he said, your phone interrupting.

“Wait,” you said, walking to pick it up, “Hello?” you asked.

Scott sat down eating his breakfast while you talked through phone and sipped once in a while on your hot coffee. You thanked Scott twice for it and he winked your way. You hung up, taking a seat next to Scott.

“New plans,” you smiled wide, “We have the day off!”

“For real?” he wondered.

“Yeah!” you replied, “The director said there was something with the press and we can have the day off.”

While you finished eating, Scott suggested the two of you explore a bit. You loved the idea and got ready quickly. You and Sebastian texted the whole day while Paul didn’t reply to a single text or answer your calls. Scott told you it will be okay; you decided to enjoy your day instead of worrying about Paul.

Three months had passed since the last time you saw your boyfriend. You had been uneasy since the big fight; each conversation after had just gotten harder and harder. You felt bad for him because he had left his life behind to follow you.. You understood his position on seeing you kiss Sebastian. You could only reassure Paul he was the one for you. You had just come back to the new set in Atlanta after having a week off to visit your family and Paul. It hadn’t gone as expected and now you were locked in your hotel room crying your eyes out, thinking about a possible solution to your relationship issues. You had an extra day off because the weather wasn’t so good and part of the cast hasn’t come back yet. Your phone chimed and you wiped your tears away.

“I know if you love me, you’ll make the right choice, forever yours.” Paul texted you adding a picture of the two of you smiling into the camera. You sniffed hard and broke down in tears again. You needed a friend; you needed Scott or Sebastian. Your phone chimed making you jump.

“Yeah?” you asked sniffing as you answered.

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian asked on the other side.

“Seb,” you whispered breaking down in tears.

“Hold on,” you heard him reply and then the phone went off. You fell back on your mattress and cried until you heard a knock on your door. You opened and cried on his arms.

“What happened?” Sebastian whispered on your hair, comforting you. You cried on his arms and tried to talk but you couldn’t. “It’s okay,” he said, “I’m here,”.

Sebastian covered you with your covers and picked up the boxes from the take away you had for dinner. He tidied up the room, making sure you were okay. He commanded Siri to wake you up the next morning on time to get ready for work. He kissed your forehead and walked to the door. He looked your way one last time and sighed heavily.

Your phone went off at 5 AM; you quickly stormed into the bathroom and had a quick shower. You got ready and went down to meet the cast to go to the set. You found Scott but no a sign of Sebastian.

“Morning y’all,” you said smiling. They greeted you happily, you chatted a bit about your week off and soon you filled the vans to go to set. You arrived half an hour later, you all walked to the hair and makeup trailer to get ready. You walked back to the set where you notice Scott and Sebastian murmuring to each other, ignoring the atmosphere around them.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” you cheered.

They looked your way and smiled wide, “Good morning, peaches,” they answered.

“How you doing?” you asked sitting next to Scott.

“Good, you?” Scott wondered.

“Very good!” you replied. You looked Sebastian’s way and smiled at him. He smiled back.

You chatted a while until they call you to your positions. During breaks, you sat down with both of them, eating some snack or just laying down on each other. Around 7pm, the director called it a day. Everyone ran back to the vans, glad to be finished for the day. Once you arrived back in your room, you went straight for a bath., You listened to music, trying to relax and keep your thoughts calm. “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon filled the air, and you sniffed hard trying to stop the tears from falling as it reminded you of Paul. Between the music and crying, you didn’t hear Scott and Sebastian come in. You finished in the bathroom, before curling up on the bed with each guy by your side, trying to comfort you. You cried and explained to them the situation you were.

“And what do you want?” Scott asked, sadness in his voice.

“I want him,” you cried, “I don’t want to lose him,”.

“Then, you are leaving…” he murmured more to himself than you.

You reached out for Seb’s hand and you interlaced your fingers with him.

Seb pressed a gentle kiss on your hair. “Scott..” he murmured.

“Sorry.” Scott’s eyes filled with tears.

Sebastian shivered under you and you grasped his hand harder. “Whatever you decide,” Sebastian said, “we will be by your side.”

You cried harder and you felt Scott stand up and walk away. He went into the bathroom and closed the door.

“It’s okay,” Sebastian murmured, “He’ll be okay,” he assured you while you continued to cry quietly on his lap.

Scott walked out of the bathroom with red eyes, a red nose and rosy lips. He looked at Sebastian and a sob escaped his lips. Scott finally composed himself, took his seat next to you again and squeezed your hand to show you support. They watched you until you fell asleep. They had dinner in your room, in case you woke up, but you didn’t. Just after midnight, both of them walked out of the room letting you rest.

The following week you missed set twice with permission from the director. You spent days choosing the right thing to do for you, for both of you. At night, you met the team for dinner and drinks afterwards.

The bar was quiet, low music, not so full of people but you knew in the next few hours it will be filled. The weekend arrived and everyone needed a break. Scott was at your right side, Sebastian on your left, followed by Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans, Will Malnati and Chace Crawford. They arrived the night before to spend the weekend with the cast and crew, Seb had introduced you and now you were part of the gang.

“So, where you have been all this time?” Mackie asked looking your way.

“Hiding,” you replied smiling back. The group laughed, Beers were coming and going, then it was tequila shots, then beers again and the night went on. You were having a really good time when your phone chimed on your pocket.

“I miss you, our bed misses you too, see you soon,” Paul texted with a picture of himself in bed. Just a pair of shorts, a beer on hand and a wide smile on his face. You gulped and guilt crossed your features. Every man on the table sipped their drinks without knowing what to do while you sat in a daze, not knowing how to respond to Paul. You felt Sebastian move at your side and you squirmed in your spot.

“You okay?” Sebastian murmured. You nodded locking your phone, you faced him and smiled.

He frowned and squeezed you into his arms. You sighed.

“We can go back,” he mentioned. You shook your head and faced him.

“I’m having fun,” you said, “What about you?”

“I’m okay,” he replied and you smiled, turned to face the team and they smiled back. The rest of the night went quickly between jokes and games.

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of your phone. Incoming call.

“Yeah?” you answered with a low growl.

“Are you fucking serious?” Paul growled on the other side.

“What’s going on?” you asked worriedly.

“I’m a dumbass!! That’s what happened!” Paul yelled.

Your head throbbed and you groaned. “Paul, I don’t understand,” you replied sitting on your bed, “Hold on.”

“No!” he shouted angrily, “You hold on, I trusted you!”

“What are you talking about?” you questioned.

“You know what? Fuck you!” he spat. You heard the beep of the dead line and groaned.

You went to get a shower and tried to ignore his call. You couldn’t understand what you had done wrong now and you weren’t feeling it. You had the day off and so did everyone else. You had made plans with the guys to hang out and you wanted to enjoy it. At least that’s what you thought before checking your phone. You had over a hundred calls and texts, your social media accounts were filled notifications. You checked your phone on your way down on the elevator and everything made sense. Sebastian had posted a picture, all of you smiling wide, beers and food on the table. He had tagged you and everyone else. And then you saw his stories. Your mouth fell open, your eyes widened and you felt a shiver ran over your spine. You sucked in a breath as tears streamed down your face. Sebastian had posted a picture of you, clinging onto him, your face hidden into his neck. He was hugging you tight and his hands were resting on your lower back. His eyes were closed, his rosy lips open slightly, and his hair a mess. It was a blurry pic of you two but you could clearly recognize yourself in his arms. The elevator doors opened slowly Scott, Chris and Mackie stood there, standing in front of you. Your eyes met and then you felt Scott hugging you tight while you cried on his arms. You walked back to your room, Chris and Anthony sat at the sofas while Scott hugged you.

“I can’t remember what happened,” you cried.

“Nothing happened,” Scott answered.

You looked at him, your face red, runny nose and your lips trembling to try to hold back tears.

“Scott’s right,” Anthony said, “We were messing around but nothing happened between you two,”

“Paul,” you sobbed, “he called me.”

“Sssh, it’s okay,” Scott calmed you down, “he will understand.”

“He thinks I cheated on him with Sebastian!” you wailed.

“And you didn’t,” Chris declared, “Do not cry, we will explain to him,”.

You didn’t try to see Sebastian that day nor did he. The four of you went out for lunch and then dinner. You tried calling Paul but he wouldn’t pick up. You texted him and his brother but neither one responded. You chose instead to have fun with the guys you were with. While you had dinner, a fan approached you to show you the video from the night before. It put your picture with Seb in a new light and you realized Scott and the other guys had been telling the truth. Nothing had happened. You felt some relief, but still a twinge of guilt knowing Paul didn’t know what you did.

The rest of the night flew by; Anthony and Chris said goodnight around 1am and Scott crashed in your hotel room. The next day Chris and Anthony grabbed brunch with you and Scott before saying goodbye.

A week later, you were hanging out with Sebastian and Scott. You tried to talk with Sebastian before now but he hadn’t been on set. You also noticed Sebastian was treating you differently. He avoided being alone with you and he messed up his lines once in a while. You both had flubbed your lines, which led to a fight on set. You both were sent back at the hotel to solve your issues.

You didn’t understand why he was behaving like that. You ended up going to Seb’s room and talked to him, reassuring him you weren’t leaving, that working on this movie was a dream of yours and you wouldn’t leave for Paul. You loved Paul but he had to understand all the hard work you had put in to achieve this moment and you wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity. You decided to call Paul and tell him as much.

“I DO support you,” he insisted. “I promise I’ll behave when I come out again, really!”

“Thank you Paul! I miss you and I can’t wait to see you again. We can work on this, on us. We’ll get through this if we work at it.”

(submit time break here or a pretty divider?)

“Here’s my princess,” a voice spoke behind you while you were preparing lines with Scott and Sebastian. You turned around. Paul was standing there smiling, a bouquet of flowers in his hands and his phone on the other hand. You squealed and jumped on his arms while he laughed. “Careful, careful,” he laughed, “you’re going to make me drop my phone,”.

“You are here!” your high pitched voice made Scott laugh.

“The world’s favourite couple,” he said, hugging you and the phone facing you two. That’s when you noticed he was streaming live.

“Paul, no!” you covered the phone.

“What?” he questioned.

“Turn it off, turn it off!” you spat.

“Why?” he asked, “It’s not like I’m telling lies,” he chuckled.

“Dude, turn it off,” Sebastian said.

“And who are you?” Paul questioned incredulously.

“Paul!” You yelled pushing him back.

“What?” he spat, “Are you going to defend your toy?”

“That’s enough!” You shouted angrily. You grabbed his phone and ended the live stream on Instagram. “What the hell was that?!” you claimed.

“I had enough!” Paul hissed, “You two think I’m an idiot?” Anger coloured his features.

“Paul, stop,” You murmured, “Why..” you tried to reach for his arm, “Why don’t we go to my trailer and talk calmly?”

“No! You!” he pointed out at Sebastian, “Stay away from my girlfriend!”

Sebastian and Scott looked at him incredulously. You groaned and you felt your body shivering at his command. You didn’t want Paul to make one of his scenes on set. At least, not close to Scott and Sebastian.

“Let’s go!” you exclaimed tired of his behaviour. You apologised to everyone and walked back to your dressing room, Paul following close behind. You heard him mutter something but you couldn’t catch all of it. You closed the door behind both of you, Paul spun around looking around the room and his eyes fell at the bouquet of sunflowers and red roses Sebastian had given you the day before. He slammed his hands in a fist, his breathing accelerated.

“Paul,” You whispered.

“You slept with him!” He yelled walking furiously at you. You walked backwards, trying to get away from him. He grabbed you by your elbows, pressing hard and you cried.

“You’re hurting me,” you babbled, “Stop!”

“Stop?” he laughed, “Is that what you told him when you were fucking?!” he shouted.

Your eyes filled with tears, you felt small and insecure under his touch. You shivered remembering the first time he had treated you that way. You tried to stay calm to calm him down. You tried to touch his face and he pushed your hands away. “Paul,” you mumbled.

“How do you think I feel?” he spat, “How the fuck you think I feel knowing the whole world knows my girlfriend has been fucking her co-worker?!” His hands moved to the sides of your face. He closed the gap between you two, kissing you fiercely. You cried on his lips; fear took a hold of you. He bit your lip and you felt it bleed.

“You’re mine,” he declared, “You are nothing without me,”

You sobbed and tried to push back. He pushed you to the wall behind you, his hands reaching your shoulders, pressing hard. “Paul, please,” you cried.

“I loved you,” he said, “I can’t believe I had to see the girl of my dreams cheating on me,” his voice cracked. “You have no idea the pain you have given me, the bullshit you have put me through since we met,” he spat.

“I love you!” you cried out, “I’ve never cheated on you, Paul,”

“I’m gonna make sure you regret that night,” he threatened you.

You gasped for air and tried to run away from him. He grabbed you by your hair, pushing you hard against the wall. You felt the cold wall hit your back and you cried aloud. He grabbed you by your neck and kissed you furiously. You cried on his lips. You heard him laugh, his hands travelled down your trousers, and you jumped.

“Paul!” You yelled, “Stop!” you sobbed.

He drove his lips to your neck, you shivered scared, you cried knowing what was coming.

“Please, Paul,” your voice so low, you doubted he could hear you, “I’m begging you,”

Paul pulled away looking at you, a smirk appeared on his lips, one of his hands flew to your mouth while the other hand travelled to put your hands above your head.

You quivered under his touch, your tears clouding your eyesight. He unzipped your trousers and his trousers, his hand flew to your core and you squealed aloud. You bit his hand and he pushed away.

“Bitch!” he screamed.

“HELP!” You yelled. His hand grabbed you by your neck and he pressed trying to choke you.

“Mine or nobody else’s,” he hissed.

Your tears were falling down your cheeks, you were trying to breathe, your hands hitting him on his chest and face trying to push him away. You were scared. You heard a heavy bang and then the door flashed open, Scott, Sebastian and a few crew members gasped in shock. Sebastian pushed Paul away from you against the wall. Scott reached your side and you cried on his arms. Paul punched Sebastian and Sebastian punched him back. The crew members quickly run to separate them. Scott took off his jacket and put it on you. You sobbed trembling on his arms. One of them had gone back to set and ask for help. The security walked inside grabbing Paul by his arms; he tried to fight back. Sebastian rushed to your side to check on you.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Stay away from her!” Paul screamed still fighting back against security.

“Take him out,” the director yelled, “Take that bastard away from here!”

They pushed him out of the room. Sebastian, Scott, a few casts and crew members now looking at you, lost for words.

“We will go back to the hotel,” Sebastian told them.

“Take the week off,” the director answered, “Make sure he stays away from her,”

Sebastian and Scott nodded in agreement. You walked with them, lost in your own thoughts. Your shoulders trembling Scott tried to calm you down.

You arrived at the hotel quickly in absolute silence. They accompanied you to your room. You thanked them and walked inside the bathroom. You took a long bath, crying in silence knowing they were outside, waiting for you.

The movie premiere arrived; you wanted to skip the red carpet and avoid interviews. The press had been trying to reach you to get news, to get under your skin, to gossip about your past. Five months after the events, and two weeks before the premiere, a video leaked of the security set dragging Paul out of the building. Your complaint at the police station demanding a restraining order against Paul for your own security surfed on social media and the whole world wanted to know what had happened between the “golden couple”.

The last six months had been hell to you. After wrapping up the movie, you flew back home. Your house was a mess; someone had entered your house and robbed you. You knew who it was and that’s when you rushed along with Sebastian, Scott and Chris Evans to the nearest police station.

Now, you felt the anxiety taking over you as you stood trembling in your designer dress. You felt like you were drowning in your own skin. You closed your eyes trying to take a breath.

“Hey,” you heard Sebastian’s whisper. He took your hands in his and interlaced your fingers with his.“I’m here,” he mumbled softly.

“I’m scared,” your voice cracked.

“Don’t be,” he said. You felt him move closer to you. You felt the tears roll down your cheeks. He slowly leaned in and kissed them away. “Don’t be scared, that’s not gonna happen again,” his voice low and soft.

You nodded trying to calm yourself down. He hugged you and you let his body warm you. You felt your skin wanting to feel his soft skin. You tightened your arms, squeezing him.

“I’m on your side,” he whispered, “I’ll hold you tight,” he kissed your hair.

You nodded on his chest.

“Doll, please,” he begged, “tell me,” his voice made you shiver, “tell me where to start, I’ll take your pain and put it on my heart.” He separated to look at you, his eyes filled with tears, “there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Your tears streamed down your face, he kissed them away again.

“I won’t hesitate for you,” he declared with a cracking voice. You sobbed and shook your head.

“You,” you babbled, “I don’t deserve you”

“I promise we will figure this out,” he babbled, “Just tell me where to start,”

You let a chuckle escape your lips and he smiled at you. His right hand travelled to your hair, his left hand stroking gently your cheek.

“Promise me,” you whispered insecure. Sebastian interrupted you with a chaste kiss on your lips.

“I’ll hold and keep you safe forever” Sebastian assured you resting his forehead on yours.

____

This is my FIRST EVER request and I was so happy and excited to do it. So, anyone if you like a request, HIT ME UP.

Love, J.

#sebastian stan x reader #seb stan x reader #sebastian stan fanfiction #384 #chubby dumbling #sebastian stan requests #thejemersoninferno writings #thejemersoninferno masterlist #fan fiction

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haikyuu-scenarios-drabbles · 5 years

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anonymous asked: Could I request a scenario with Kuroo and his s/o being really domestic and doing chores and things, and he realizes how much he loves his s/o? Thanks!

well. here’s proof that im not dead. writing Kuroo is such my guilty pleasure and this is tooth-rottingly fluffy. I also?? realized that I might have strayed from the request a bit?? hope you still enjoy my lovely anon 💕 - J

Weekends were a blessing in this household. Not that Kuroo took advantage of them most of the time anyways. Last night he complained about his new project at work long enough that you were suspicious he was going to waste his weekend working on it like he was known to do. So, this morning, when he started shifting in bed next to you; making the usual motions to get out up, you wrapped your arms around his middle and nuzzled against his neck.

“Kitten…” He murmured, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I need to be productive today.”

“It’s Saturday,” you said, your voice muffled against his skin; willing him to burrow back into the blankets with you for even a few more minutes. He sighed, glancing at the sun already shining through the bedroom window, his mind racing through the to-do list he created last night while he couldn’t fall asleep. You groaned, realizing your efforts were turning out to be futile. Blinking blearily up at him to meet his already clear and alert gaze, you conceded. “You’re allowed to be a hermit for the day if you at least spend the morning with me.”

He grinned lazily at you. “Spend the morning with you? Too high a price. How could you subject me to such torture?” You laughed, cupping his face in your hands and pulling him down to kiss you. Tangling your fingers lightly in his mussed-up hair in hopes of convincing him to give up on his ‘productive’ day. “That won’t work.” He smirked. “Good try though.”

You pouted. “Worth a shot. I guess you’ll just have to grin and bear one cup of tea with me then.”

“The horror.”

You stuck your tongue out but untangled yourself from his long limbs and threw the covers off you. Standing and stretching, you shamelessly showed off the fact you weren’t wearing anything but an old t-shirt of his and underwear. Raising an eyebrow at him enjoying the view, you prompted, “You sure about your choice?”

He swallowed thickly, yet somehow managed to betray the way his heart was thumping against his chest. “Absolutely.” Even after a few years together, the last couple sharing an apartment, he still woke up every morning feeling so utterly complete he thought his heart would burst.

You made an annoyed sound sauntering over to the doorway. “I’ll go start the hot water, Mr. Iron Will.”

A chuckle escaped him, and he watched you until you disappeared from sight; slightly regretting his stubbornness until he remembered all the things he wanted to get done today. He knows you don’t really mind him working on the weekend, though sometimes you forced him to take much needed breaks; and if he did it too many weekends in a row—which was rare—you wouldn’t allow him to even think about work. You understand and support his desire to succeed and reach his goals, as he did for you; maybe he would make it up to you tonight.

After rousing himself and throwing on a hoodie, he padded into the kitchen a few minutes later. Somedays, he was blatantly slapped in the face by how content he was with you—today seeming to be one of them. Watching you pour steaming water into two cups, gingerly placing teabags into each, a smile spreading across your lips when you turn around to find him standing there; he briefly thought to himself: This is it. All I’ll ever need.

You hand his cup over, he notes that you’ve chosen his favorite tea this morning, then sit at the counter patting the seat next to you. You also opened some windows, allowing a brisk spring breeze to blow lightly through the apartment and you look like you’re enjoying the fresh air. He’s a bit at a loss for words, feeling choked by the onslaught emotions flooding him; and he’s glad for you starting the conversation asking about the project he insists on working on over the weekend.

He easily slips into raving about the new work he’s been given, he’s actually in charge of the team this time; so, he’s feeling a lot more pressure and responsibility than usual. You can’t help but smile into your mug, watching him talk excitedly about his job; his own mug momentarily forgotten on the counter. While he sometimes gets more technical than you can understand, you could listen to him talk about it for hours because he loved it and you loved him.

“You’re getting that look on your face.”

You blinked. “What look?”

“That look when I’ve been talking about DNA for too long.”

He couldn’t be farther from the truth, so you waved your hand in dismissal at him. “I was just thinking if you’re going to be productive today, so should I.” You glanced at the cup in his hands. “Finished?” He placed it in your outstretched hand with a grateful smile. Standing, you gave him a knowing look. “You’re free now.”

Before you could get too far, he snaked an arm around your waist and pulled you flush against him into an embrace. “I love you. You know that?” He sighed against your hair.

“You’re going to make me drop these mugs,” you huffed. He released you, watching you make your way to the sink and place the cups next to some dishes from last night. With your back to him, you said, “And I love you too—now get out of here before I lose any and all motivation to do anything today and drag you back into that bedroom.”

He grinned and headed to the room designated the shared ‘office’, his smile widening when he heard you shout down the hallway, “At least open the window! It’s beautiful out!”

Once he gets himself situated at the desk, pulling out pen and paper to write his mental to-do list down, he hears you pass by into the bedroom and he wonders if you ended up losing motivation after all. Moments later, he hears you again and then telltale sound of the washing machine starting. After that, he doesn’t notice much except for the array of papers in front of him and the whiteboard he insisted on adding to the room when the two of you moved in. It was already littered with scribblings of his jumbled thoughts from the week; a tiny pang hitting his heart upon noticing a small note of ‘I love you’ written in the corner in your handwriting.

The two of you hadn’t woken up too late, so you’re able to get several loads of laundry done; in the meantime, vacuuming the living room, hallway, and bedroom. You avoid the office to not distract Kuroo, knowing the action of you constantly rocking back and forth with the vacuum might get him to ignore work for a while. He had this weird tendency to get all mushy whenever you started doing mundane tasks like chores around the house.

You have enough time before taking a lunch break to start folding the laundry; pressing play on a playlist you let your mind wander to blissful nothingness. That was the state Kuroo found you in when he finally emerged from the office when his stomach had started rumbling. He just stood in the doorway, arms crossed across his chest, trying not to startle you out of this picturesque view. He could have stood there watching you humming softly to the music playing from your phone, a faint smile tugging at the corners of your lips for hours—you looked perfectly content.

He wanted to rush over to you, gather you up in his arms and kiss every inch of skin he could; express to you without words that he felt the same way. That he could spend a hundred years in perfect bliss with you, even just doing household chores would be enough for him.

Eventually, you noticed him, jerking a bit in surprise at him just standing there watching you for who knows how long. “As great as the view of me folding laundry must be—stop staring you creeper,” you teased, returning back to the shirt you had dropped in surprise at seeing him.

Taking you fully by surprise, he strides into the room and smothers you in an embrace; practically tackling you on the couch. “Kuro—oh!” He cut you off with his lips pressing against yours, a little needy; and you concluded your prior thought that he was going to get all sappy in response to this day of chores as correct. It was hard not to laugh at him because admittedly—it was adorable, and you didn’t mind the affection.

“Let’s go to the café for lunch today. It’s so nice out, we can walk, stretch our legs a bit; yeah? I don’t think I can look at another molecule for at least an hour.”

His heart swelled at the grin that spread across your face at his suggestion.

The walk was everything he needed—fresh air and talking with you. You asked him how his progress was going today, slyly asking if it was going to bleed into tomorrow. He caught the glimmer of happiness that flitted across your face when he answered ‘no’. Even if he did have more to do, how could be possibly resist you after today? He prided himself on the face he had some sense of willpower, but when it came to you, he was far easier to crack.

He realized he would give anything—anything, to continue making you smile and laugh for as long as he lived. Nothing made him happier than spending time with you; even after all this time, he’d never grown tired of it and didn’t think he ever would.

Your lunch together ends far too soon and he finds himself reluctantly heading back to the office. Just thinking about the mess he left in there an hour or two ago was enough to make his head start to hurt. While he tried to focus and get back into the zone again, he simply couldn’t. You were too far at the forefront of his mind and it became quite clear to him that he would much rather be spending time with you right now than these pieces of paper and his own thoughts.

Gathering up his things, he placed them neatly into a drawer; out of sight and out of mind. He erased what he had on the whiteboard, leaving your small note; and left, shutting the door behind him. There was no reason for him to enter that room until the weekend was over.

You were no longer in the living room, the folded laundry placed at the end at the hallway for you to bring back to the bedroom at some point. Before entering the kitchen where the sound of running water and music intermixed was drifting from, he took the liberty of taking the laundry and putting it away for you.

Upon seeing you though, he stopped in his tracks. Overcome by the thought of: Holy fuck. I am the luckiest man in the world. All you’re doing is swaying gently to the music, elbow deep in dishwater; and he doesn’t know what to do with himself—smitten at the sight.

You practically throw a plate into the air when you feel hands rest on your hips followed by lips pressing to the nape of your neck. “Jesus—Kuroo! I almost smacked you with this plate.”

“I finished,” he said, hands drifting just underneath your shirt to rub small circles on your skin.

Your face lit up. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Can I help?”

You eyed him suspiciously. “Are you going to be all weird and stare at me the entire time?” He blinked in shock while a light blush crept onto his cheeks—you fought the urge to smirk, it was a rare treat to see Kuroo blush. You’d gotten significantly better at eliciting that response from him in the years you’d been together. “All I’m doing is washing dishes.”

“Liar, you’ve been trying to seduce me all day,” he quipped, despite having been caught red-handed in this sentimental mindset he tended to slip into on glaringly ordinary days like today.

A smirk graced your lips seeing straight through him. “Oh, if that had been my goal, we wouldn’t be standing here right now Tetsurou.”

“Now you’re playing with me.”

You shrugged, laughing, “Maybe so.” Then handed him the plate you were holding. “You can help by drying the dishes. Can you handle that without getting distracted by all this?” You motioned jokingly to yourself, hair tied up messily and wearing an old apron to keep dirty dishwater from getting on your clothes. Clearly, you didn’t look your best today.

He drops the plate back into the sink, ignoring your cry of protest that you’d have to rewash it. “No sh,” he says cupping your cheeks with his hands. “I love you.”

“Sap.”

He leans down to press a kiss to your lips, afterwards murmuring, “Come on—say it back to me, love.”

You can’t help but grin and repeat the words to him, earning yourself another kiss.

#Kuroo Tetsurou #Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenario #Kuroo Tetsurō #kuroo tetsurou senario

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hookedonapirate · 5 years

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A Helping Hand

Summary: My girlfriend just dumped me and I’ve gotten piss drunk and somehow managed to get into your apartment instead of my own. I’m trying to masturbate my feelings away and boy were you surprised. Based on a Tumblr prompt that spiraled out of control.

A/N: Here it is, the last chapter before the epilogue! I'm so sad to finish this story and still completely baffled by the reception this story has had, but I am so grateful. Thank you all so much!

A huge thank you goes to @ilovemesomekillianjones for not only beta reading so quickly, but for putting up with all my typos. She is truly the best! Thank you for @onceuponaprincessworld because without her I probably would not have finished this fic. I also want to thank the Anon who had sent me this prompt in the first place; without her, this fic would not exist. And thank you for the lovely pm you sent me a while back to let me know who you are so I could thank you properly! This was supposed to be a one-shot and turned into so much more than either of us had ever imagined. I would also like to thank @daeneryskairipa for the gorgeous gif set she made for this story as my 2017 CS Secret Santa. If you haven’t seen it, check out the link below!

AHH Graphic

Rated: Mature for sex and salty language.

Also available: AO3 I FF.N

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12 Ch 13 Ch 14 Ch 15 Ch 16 Ch 17 Ch 18 Ch 19

Chapter 20: Happy Beginnings

After breakfast, the group split up for the day. Emma and Mary Margaret had planned for the ladies to spend the day along the Royal Mile, the heart of Edinburgh, for Elsa’s bachelor party. The bridesmaids gave her a sash that said Mrs. Captain Jones on the front, and she giggled when she saw it, and put it on before they left. They began at an extinct volcano and continued down a slope that was formed by the retreat of an ice age millions of years ago and was now the main street of the adjoining burghs of Edinburgh and Canongate. They visited a few of the significant landmarks, including the Edinburgh Castle, a world-famous attraction, and the Scottish Parliament for a tour of the building and its art collection, and to see parliament in debate. They had lunch in one of the restaurants down the Royal Mile and visited a few museums and shops, all while enjoying beautiful views across the city to the Firth of Forth, the estuary of several Scottish rivers.

Meanwhile, the men, including Leo, spent the afternoon competing in mini highland games. The group reconvened at the Lighthouse Hotel for the rehearsal dinner and afterward, Liam and Elsa said their goodbyes for the night with parting kisses, both of them giddy with excitement for the big day tomorrow. The ladies threw Elsa a small party in the hotel suite where the bridesmaids were wearing matching royal blue robes with their title for the wedding in pink letters on the back, and they drank wine and showered the bride with gifts and played some silly games.

The wedding day finally dawned, bringing a pandemonium of excitement through the hotel, and also a few minor hiccups along the way. But it was nothing a cool-headed bride, an over-exuberant wedding planner and eager to please groom could not handle, even if he were a bit of groomzilla. The soon to be married couple complemented each other, and usually, Elsa was the one talking Liam down or putting him in his place. He was the worry wart and she was the levelheaded of the two, the one who always had a way of calming him down to a normal, human level. However, even Elsa had a breaking point.

Emma ran frantically through the hall in her high heels and royal blue maid of honor dress, holding up the fabric so it didn't drag along the floor as she headed for the groom's suite, bursting through the door with one hand covering her eyes. She scrambled into the room shouting, “Where’s Mary Margaret?” while trying to catch her breath.

Liam and his groomsmen were startled, grumbling in complaint from the female intrusion. “Bloody hell, Emma, don’t you know how to knock?” Liam asked curtly.

Emma scoffed. “You're one to talk. You wouldn’t know how to knock if there was a sign on the door that had instructions on how to knock.” When she thought it was safe to do so, she peeked through a narrow slit between her fingers to see that everyone was decent - Liam was buttoning up his shirt and David tying the bow of Leo’s tux—and removed her hand.

“Aunt Em Em!” Leo shouted and ran over to Emma jumping into her arms as she scooped him up. “Hey, kiddo.” She gave her nephew a small smile and a peck on the cheek, but she knew she still looked anxious; she was afraid her friend would have a nervous breakdown before the wedding.

Killian was buttoning up his vest as he approached her, and of course, he looked adorable and handsome as always, with his black tux and blue vest that matched his mesmerizing eyes, his hair a bit untidy from running his hand through it over and over. And of course he was not opposed to her presence in the dressing room, but his smile fell when he saw the frantic look on her face. “What’s wrong, love?”

“There’s a wedding dress emergency,” Emma replied, setting Leo down. He was growing like a weed and getting heavy; soon he’d be too big for Emma to carry. “The zipper broke, so Elsa can’t zip up her dress at all, and she’s freaking out, afraid she’s going to have to walk down the aisle with her butt hanging out.” As she looked around the room, she could see the little smirk on Liam’s face; he was not opposed to the idea. “We need Mary Margaret, she will know what to do.”

“I’m not sure where she is, did you check our room?” David asked her.

"Yes, but she's not there." Emma let out an exasperated sigh. “Great, the wedding dress is defective, the bride’s a wreck and the wedding planner’s missing, what else could possibly go wrong? Not even her own sister can calm her down.” Emma placed her fingertips to her temple, rubbing them slowly to ease the headache blooming over her.

“Hey,” Killian murmured in a soothing tone as he came behind her and kissed the tip of her ear, massaging her shoulder with his one good hand, switching from one side to the other. Emma melted into his touch, able to calm down a bit. “Relax, we’ll find Mary Margaret, I’m sure she has a sewing kit.”

Emma shot David a questioning glance.

“Knowing my wife, she’s fully prepared for situations like this.” He extended his hand to his son. “Come on, Leo, let’s find your mother.” Leo took his hand and they headed for the door.

“Thank you,” Emma said appreciatively.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her.” He flashed her a reassuring smile, somehow easing her nerves a bit, and left the room.

Emma's back slumped into Killian's chest as he wrapped his arms around her, reveling in the warmth he offered. Killian always knew how to calm her down, and right now the whole atmosphere of the wedding needed calmness.

“Come on, Killian, you can help me calm the bride down.” She took his hand and headed for the door.

“Oi, what about me?” Liam asked with a frown. “I am the groom.”

“It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” Emma told him and pulled Killian out of the room.

“But, love, if her own sister can’t calm her then what makes you think I can?” Killian asked in confusion.

Emma paused and turned around, cupping one of his cheeks in the hand which was not entwined with his. “Because, baby, you may only have one hand, but it works wonders.”

Killian didn’t bother to argue any further as he flashed a smug grin and allowed Emma to lead him to the bridal suite.

When they rushed through the door, Elsa was still in panic mode as she sat in her chair while Anna’s arm was around her sister’s shoulder as she planted a kiss to her temple, trying to calm her as Ruby applied Elsa’s makeup. Although, neither Ruby's nor Anna’s attempts were working very well. Elsa could not sit still and was squirming in her seat as Ruby sighed in frustration trying to hold her chin where she needed it in order to not fuck up her makeup.

Elsa moved her head away, her makeup only partly done as she looked at Killian and Emma. “Did you find Mary Margaret?”

“No, David went to look for her, but in the meantime, I brought the Best Man to help you relax.”

Elsa arched a brow, not in the mood to smile. “As much as I like you, Killian, I don't like you that much.”

Killian chuckled. “She didn’t mean it like that.” He went around and started massaging her shoulders.

Elsa’s tense body seemed to melt at Killian’s touch. His hand was magic like that. “Oooh, that is very relaxing,” she murmured and closed her eyes. Elsa was able to relax enough to allow Ruby to continue with applying her makeup. She added some final touches before handing the bride a hand mirror so she could study her reflection.

Elsa frowned, panic washing over her features. She had blood red lips and her face looked even paler than her normal complexion. “What did you do?"

Ruby frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? I made you look like a Queen, just like you wanted."

Elsa's eyes widened at her. "I said Ice Queen, not the White Queen!"

Ruby’s face flashed with apology. “Oh, sorry, I just thought the dark lips was what you wanted.”

“No, I wanted cool tones for my eyes and lips, like pale pinks and blues, not warm colors!” Elsa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Alright, alright, I’ll redo it, it will be fine.” Ruby cleaned off Elsa’s makeup and retrieved some lighter colors from her cosmetic case.

Elsa kept looking into the mirror to make sure Ruby was doing her makeup to her satisfaction, critiquing every step and blurting out comments like, “Too much blush," “Not enough eyeshadow," and "Why are you using that color? It's too dark."

Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes. "Keep telling me how to do my job and I’ll make you look like a drag queen,” she warned with a sweet smile.

“Did someone ask for a sewing kit?” Mary Margaret's voice pulled their attention as the cheerful Nolan woman entered the room with a bright smile.

Elsa’s eyes widened when she saw the kit in her hands. “You have one?”

“Well of course. What kind of Wedding Planner would I be if I didn’t have a sewing kit handy?”

Elsa sighed in relief. “Thank you, you're a lifesaver.”

Killian stepped away, letting Mary Margaret stand behind the bride as she stood up, allowing Mary Margaret to assess the damage as she pursed her lips together. She tinkered with the zipper a little before concluding, “Well the bad news is there’s nothing I can do about the zipper…”

“And the good news?” Elsa asked impatiently in a panicked tone.

“The good news is I can sew the dress together but it won’t be very easy to get out of. You’ll have to cut the thread to get the dress off.”

Elsa sighed. “Fine, do what you need to do to so my ass isn’t hanging out of my dress when I walk down the aisle,” Elsa bit out in frustration.

Emma took her friend's hand to soothe her. “Don’t worry, MM knows what she’s doing, just relax," she said in a calming tone as her hand soothed Elsa’s.

Ruby snickered and everyone glanced at her, wondering what was so funny. "I’m sure getting out of the dress will be no problem for Elsa, Liam could just rip the dress off himself. He has strong hands."

That remark earned a scowl from Elsa. "Talk about my groom's hands again and you won't have any,” she shot back.

Ruby frowned. “At least spare one of my hands, I can still work with that.” She shot Killian a mischievous smirk. “Lord knows Killian has learned to work with what he’s got.”

“Alright, enough of the offhanded comments,” Mary Margaret interjected, and the other women snickered.

Killian groaned. “That's enough hand jokes, aye?” Then his frown turned into a smirk as he pulled Emma into his arms and kissed her cheek. “Besides, I don’t have to try very hard, do I, sweetheart?”

Emma shook her head and blushed as a small laugh tumbled from her lips. “No, you don’t.”

Ruby returned to her task of working on a grumpy Elsa’s makeup. “Just relax, Elsa, I don’t feel like losing my hands today. Besides, if I had no hands then who would do your makeup? Believe me, with your attitude, you're going to have a hard time finding anyone else.”

Elsa closed her eyes in regret. ”I’m sorry, I’m just very tense, and normally Liam knows how to calm me down.”

“Why don’t I get him for you, lass?” Killian offered.

Elsa's eyes flipped open in surprise. “Yes, please,” she sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“No!” the other women all shouted at once.

“It’s bad luck-”

“Then cover his eyes with a blindfold, I don’t care, just bring him to me!” Elsa shouted, and no one bothered to argue with her. Very seldom, Elsa raised her voice. So when she did, everyone knew not to mess with her.

“I’ll get him,” Emma offered and left the room in a flash to fetch the groom. She dashed into the men’s dressing room as Liam flashed her a questioning look. “Were you able to find Mary Margaret?”

“Yeah, she’s going to sew Elsa into the dress.”

Liam sighed in relief, and without any preamble, Emma undid his tie and started wrapping it around his head. He stepped back, putting his hands up in a defensive pose. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing lass?”

“Elsa asked for you,” Emma replied without any further explanation.

Still, he allowed her to tie the fabric around his eyes. “I always knew you were kinky.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “You have no idea,” she mumbled.

“What?” he asked, dragging the blindfold from his eyes.

She laughed. “The blindfold is supposed to affect your vision, not your hearing. It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

“Well, can I at least see on the way to the bridal suite?”

Emma sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room. “Fine, but before we reach the door, it goes back on.”

“Such a demanding thing, aren’t you?”

Emma scoffed at that. “Again, the pot calling the kettle black,” she teased and rushed him to the Bridal Suite.

Emma opened the door and peeked her head through. “The groom’s here, can you turn Elsa around, please?” She pulled the blindfold over Liam’s eyes and pulled him into the room when Elsa was facing away from them. Ruby pulled the train of Elsa’s dress to the side so Mary Margaret could have room to work on the back opening of the gown without worrying about stepping on the gorgeous skirts of Elsa’s dress.

“Liam?” Elsa called to her groom.

“I’m here, darling,” he said in a soothing tone as Emma led him to her.

“Can someone hold the dress together?” Mary Margaret asked.

“I’ll do it,” Liam replied quickly and Emma guided his hands to the material, and he held the opening of her dress closed while Mary Margaret sewed. With his finger and thumb securing the fabric together, he raised his other hand to Elsa’s lace covered shoulder and offered soft endearments to her. Elsa instantly relaxed and placed her hand on top of his.

“Everything’s going to be alright, love,” he assured her, taking her hand in his. We are going to be married by the end of the day, and none of this is going to matter.”

The women swooned as he continued to ease Elsa’s worries with his soft, encouraging words, and in no time Mary Margaret was finished with the dress.

“There, all done.”

Elsa visibly sighed in relief, as though a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. “Thank you.”

Mary Margaret moved out of the way with her supplies, and Liam wrapped his arms around his bride, planting a kiss to her shoulder blade.

“I love you, Elsa.”

“I love you, too.”

It was a beautiful sight to behold as he held his bride in his arms, melting all of her fears and worries away.

“Oh hell, let them see each other before the wedding,” Mary Margaret said. “We’ll give you two some privacy.” Emma agreed, and the bride and groom did not appear to be opposed, so Emma removed the blindfold.

His eyes widened, a big smile taking over his lips as Elsa turned around, also flashing him a grin. She took his breath away as his eyes scanned her beautiful form. The dress was not the traditional white and instead was a pale blue, but she looked no less gorgeous in it.

The others left to give them some privacy, and Mary Margaret went off to check on the current status of things, making sure everything was in order for the wedding.

Killian pulled Emma in his arms once they were left alone. “Finally, we have a quiet moment,” he said with a smirk. Emma blushed and smiled as he kissed her lips, reveling in her taste. “Have I told you how exquisite you look in that dress?”

She ran her hands down the lapels of his tuxedo jacket with devilry in her eyes. “No, but maybe you could show me later?” she offered with a lascivious grin.

Killian arched a brow, intrigued by her proposal. “I can’t wait, love.” He pulled her to him and buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, peppering soft kisses to her neck. Emma laughed, his trimmed beard tickling her skin.

Ten minutes later, the women were back in the room when the minister knocked on the door to announce the ceremony was about to begin. The bridesmaids and maid of honor gathered around the bride, hugging her and wiping the tears from their eyes.

Soon, Anna and Elsa’s Aunt Ingrid entered the room. She gathered her nieces into a hug before cupping the bride’s cheeks in her hands, a look of pride in her eyes. “So beautiful, just like your mother,” she commented, her eyes welling up with tears. “Are you ready to be walked down the aisle?”

Elsa had a smile on her face and nodded without hesitation, finally ready to walk down the aisle; there was nothing that could bring her down now. And since Elsa’s parents passed away long ago, Ingrid had always been more like a parent than an aunt, so they only saw it fitting for Ingrid to walk Elsa down the aisle.

~*~

“Are you ready, brother?” Killian asked an anxious Liam, patting him on the shoulder.

Liam inhaled deeply, his shoulders rising as he adjusted his tie. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He turned and looked at his brother. “How do I look?”

Killian rested his hands on Liam’s shoulders. “Relax, you look fine, Liam.”

Liam frowned. “Just fine?”

“You look like you’re ready to get on with this shindig,” Killian clarified with a laugh. “And also handsome,” he smirked and added, “but not as devilishly handsome as me.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “How did I know you were going to say that?” He took another deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. “I can’t wait for this day to be over with. Does that make me a bad groom?”

Killian shook his head, another chuckle leaving his lips. “No, it just means you can’t wait for your’s and Elsa’s lives to begin.”

Liam grinned from ear to ear at the idea, his blue eyes lighting up. “Exactly.” He drew Killian into a bear hug. “Thank you, brother, for being here with me every step of the way… even if I have been a royal pain in the arse.”

Another laugh tore through Killian’s throat as the two men patted each other on the back. “I’d take my royal pain in the arse brother over no brother at all,” he murmured sincerely. “I love you, Liam”

“I love you too, brother.”

They broke apart, and soon it was time for them to enter the ceremony from the side and join the minister at the altar as Liam waited for his bride in heightened anticipation.

The ceremony was an enchanting affair for an enchanting couple, beginning with the bridal party walking down the aisle in pairs. The chairs were square, each one adorned with a silver cover and royal blue ribbon which wrapped around and tied in the back with silver and light blue roses. There was an archway made of silver leaves and a mixture of light blue and royal blue flowers. Bouquets of royal blue and light blue accented with crystals, stephanotis and blue Picasso Calla Lilies were set out on the ends of each aisle in long, tall vases made from real crystal, and there was a pianist in the corner playing live music.

Emma entered the room, carrying her bouquet as she walked down the aisle alone, following behind Anna and Kristoff with a brilliant smile that showed off those pearly white teeth as she made eye contact with Killian.

Gods, she looked gorgeous, he thought to himself, and even more so when he winked at her, making her cheeks flush with an adorable shade of pink.

She never tore her eyes away from him though, only smirked when she reached the other side of the altar. Leo wandered down the aisle with a ring bearer pillow holding the rings and then the flower girl, who was a second cousin of Elsa and Anna’s threw one blue petal at a time, and everyone laughed as she dumped the rest of the petals at the end of the aisle. The bridal party stood in their positions, the bridesmaids holding their bouquets. The bridal chorus cued and all the guests stood and turned to watch as Elsa entered with her Aunt Ingrid. Killian glanced at Liam, and the look on his face was priceless. Even though Liam had seen her prewedding, he was still blown away and waited for his bride with bated breath. When Liam had seen her before the wedding, Elsa was a nervous wreck, but now… now she had a giddy, carefree smile on her face as she locked eyes with her groom. The spark between them was undeniable, and Killian’s heart warmed knowing his brother had picked the most perfect woman to spend the rest of his life with. She was stunning, and looked like an exquisite ice queen.

Elsa kissed Ingrid's cheek and joined her groom at the altar still donning a bright smile as they exchanged the vows they had written for each other, telling everyone how they had met and how they had fallen in love, not leaving a dry eye in the place by the time they said their I do’s .

Through a watery gaze, Killian looked over at Emma, who was wiping tears from her eyes, and he could hear the sniffles of the guests throughout the room. When the rings were exchanged and the minister announced them, husband and wife, Liam kissed his bride as everyone cheered, and off the happy couple went down the aisle.

The day was bright and clear when the bridal party made it outside for photos, and even though it was a little chilly, it was nothing to deter them from having the photos taken out on the edge of the cliff with the beautiful mountains as their backdrop as well as at the top of the lighthouse.

The reception was held in the banquet hall with an open bar, raided by the guests before they sat at their assigned tables. The bridal party sat at the Head Table and Killian took the microphone and stood to give his speech.

"For those of you who don’t know me, I am the more devilishly handsome and wittier Jones brother,” he quipped, and immediately received a playful eye roll from Liam. “What can I say about Liam?" he asked and then held up a finger as though an idea struck him suddenly. "Ah, yes…" He reached inside his suit jacket and retrieved a folded piece of paper, which was blank, but he pretended to read from it. “Liam Jones is a great man, he is selfless, he's kind... he’s honorable." Killian paused and looked at Liam pointing at the piece of paper. "Liam, you spelled handsome wrong," he spoke loudly, “you forgot the d,” and everyone laughed, including Liam who shook his head. Killian returned his attention to the guests. "And apparently he can't spell correctly, even when writing about himself."

"Haha, very funny," Liam teased with a bashful grin.

Killian cleared his throat as he tucked the paper away and looked at his brother, lifting his hand to his shoulder. "No, but seriously, Mum would have been so proud of you if she were alive today,” he said sincerely and looked toward the audience again. “Ever since we were kids, Liam has always been there for me… when we lost our mum, when our dad walked out on us, when we were in the navy together, when I lost my hand, and even when we weren't on such great terms." He looked at Emma and smiled. "There was a time, believe it or not when I did not have great taste in women, unlike my brother here." Killian gestured to Emma, "I’m clearly not speaking of my lovely girlfriend, Emma."

Emma smiled and blushed, and Liam nodded, not willing to argue with him there.

"He warned me about this other lass, who shall remain nameless. Tried to tell me she wasn't good enough for me, and I should've listened… but alas, I was a stubborn arse, just like my brother here, and so I got my heart stomped on by said woman. To make matters worse, I was an alcoholic at the time, so I tried to drink my sorrows away, and then one day I decided to get out of bed and pick my pride up off the floor to call Liam. After I told him what had happened, he could’ve said he’d told me so or he could've just hung up on me, but he didn’t. Instead, he told me to pack my bloody things, get my arse on a plane and fly as far away from that devil of a woman as I possibly could. And I said to him, where am I gonna go? You're all I've got, brother. And that's when I knew those were the magic words to Liam's heart, because after he so lovingly told me to go to hell," Killian paused, allowing the guests to laugh before continuing, “he said, you're staying with me, whether you like it or not. So that's exactly what I did. I got on a plane and literally stumbled through my brother's door. I dropped my luggage off before stumbling over to a bar and then, later on, I stumbled into my neighbor’s apartment and one of the occupants came home,” he added with a smirk, “boy was she surprised." He winked at Emma while the audience laughed.

“I ended up making said occupant my girlfriend, but that's a story for a different time. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, when I was at my worst," Killian held up his prosthetic hand, "and yes, it was worse than getting my hand blown off in the Navy…" he joked, prompting another spur of laughs from the crowd, "Liam offered me his home, got me a job and helped me get on my feet again. He has always taken care of me, despite how angry we were with each other or how much more handsome I’ve always been than him" he said, emphasizing the d, "and how much I beat him at arm wrestling, even with one hand."

Liam rolled his eyes but was smiling at the same time.

"And Elsa, well… I don't think it needs to be said, but I'll say it anyway… Elsa, I am so glad Liam found someone to put the royal pain in the butt in his place. I could not have chosen a better sister-in-law if I had picked her myself." Killian went over to Elsa and they exchanged chaste kisses on the cheek.

"Thank you, Killian," she smiled.

"Liam… Elsa…” Liam took the microphone, holding it up for Killian so he could raise his glass. “To a lifetime of love and happiness.”

"Thank you, brother," Liam said appreciatively, patting his brother on the back.

Everyone drank to the toast, and Liam passed the microphone to Emma as she stood up.

“Hi, I am Emma, the Maid of Honor and also one of Elsa’s best friends. So, the story of how I met Elsa is pretty ordinary,” Emma began. “Elsa was looking for a place to live, I was looking for a roommate and the rest is history. But little did I know at the time, our friendship would be so much more than ordinary. I can’t tell you how many days we have known each other, but I can tell you, there was never a day when Elsa wasn't there for me. She is like the sister I never had and while we were roommates, we borrowed each other’s things without asking, we got after each other for borrowing each other’s things, I would break into her boyfriend’s apartment to borrow things from him—you know the typical sisterly stuff," she quipped before adding, "but then I didn't have to break in because I started dating his brother." She looked at Elsa and Liam who were both laughing and offered a sweet smile. "But before that, I had the advantage of witnessing these two fall in love. I remember how Elsa would come home with a great big smile on her face after running into our British neighbor who had moved in across the hall, and I remember how he came to me one day to ask for advice about how to ask Elsa out. If it were any other guy, I probably would've told Elsa to run away and never come back," Emma laughed, "but I knew Liam was different and I'm so glad I trusted my instincts. It was such a privilege to be there for them every step of the way while they slowly fell in love with one another.” Emma’s eyes welled up with tears as Liam took Elsa’s hand, and she could tell they were also on the verge of tears.

“And now they're both moving out and getting a place of their own. But I'm not worried because there is no distance that could keep us apart." She looked over at Elsa who was smiling back at her. "You will always be like a sister to me," Emma said sincerely and turned her attention to the audience. "And if there is one thing I have learned about my good friend, Elsa… it's to never keep a secret from her because you’ll regret it. Elsa will never judge you, she is warm and kind and forgiving… and no, she did not tell me to say these things,” she joked with a small smile. “She is really perfect for Liam because for those of you who don’t know him very well, I will be the first to say it—he is an OCD control freak.” Emma paused as everyone burst into laughter. “Elsa is the only one on God’s green earth who can sweeten his bitter ways. That's why he takes his coffee black and why we never hear him complain about Elsa hogging the blankets, even though we know she does… it's because she's sweeter than any creamer and she's warmer than any blanket he would need. He's the whiskey to our glass and she's the Coke with the cherry garnish. He's the peanut butter to our bread and she's the strawberry jam. Alone they can be a bit overbearing—well Liam can be at least," she corrected with a smirk, and Liam scowled playfully, "but together they are the perfect combination. In fact, being friends with these two is like going skydiving… only instead of jumping off the plane when you’re ready, Liam throws you the parachute and pushes you off when you refuse to jump.” Everyone cracked up, and Emma continued when the laughter died down. “And Elsa is the parachute that softens the landing.”

The audience cheered and clapped as Elsa looked up at Emma with tears in her eyes.

“I love you both, and it is with great honor that I raise my glass to you...” Emma lifted her glass to Elsa and then to Liam, “to you...” before raising her glass higher to both of them, “to your happy beginning… and to happily ever after.” They clinked their glasses and drank, and Emma handed off the microphone to the announcer as Elsa stood to hug her.

“Thank you, Emma, that was very sweet.”

“It was only the truth,” Emma assured her.

Liam took his turn and drew Emma into a hug, kissing her cheek as Killian looked over at her with pride in his eyes. “Great speech, Emma.”

“Aye, you nailed it, love,” Killian added

Emma smirked and kissed her boyfriend's cheek. “I know.”

After they all had their turn at the buffet, it was time for the cake, which looked way too good to eat. It had three tiers and royal blue frosting, decorated with silver sugar pearls to make it look like it was frosted with snow. Liam and Elsa cut the cake before shoving it in each other’s faces. They had their first dance as husband and wife before everyone else joined in. The group took turns dancing with each other in pairs, and Leo got to dance with Aunt Em Em, and finally, Emma got a chance to dance with her boyfriend. He spun her around and dipped her, spurring on a gale of giggles. The reception was a blast, and soon, it was time for Elsa to toss the bouquet, which Emma caught. Killian made sure to snag the garter belt after Liam flung it in the air, and he promptly slid it up Emma’s leg.

They sent the bride and groom off in a decorated limousine. And from there, the newly married couple would head to the airport and leave for their honeymoon in Bali. Emma and Killian went back to their hotel in Glasgow that night, and were so exhausted they went straight to bed and fell asleep in each other’s arms. While the rest of the group had to get back to the States, Emma and Killian spent a few more days in Scotland before they headed home. Luckily they had a different flight attendant who didn't hit on Emma’s boyfriend.

~*~

The next couple of months flew by, probably because they were very eventful, with Elsa and Liam moving into their new home, Killian and Emma moving his things into her place, both couples buying new furniture and of course the holidays they all spent together. Because Elsa and Liam were still in the process of unpacking at the time, the group spent Christmas at the Nolan’s, and then Liam and Elsa hopped on a plane to visit Anna and Kristoff for New Years, while Emma and Killian spent the days leading up to it painting their bedroom, which had been Emma’s when she had lived with Elsa, but they both decided pink wasn’t the best color, just like the pink, fluffy pillows and pink furniture needed to go as well.

They both wanted to make their new home theirs. And since they moved Emma’s bed into Elsa’s old room, and since Killian’s bed frame was so old they literally broke the bed, they were waiting to get a new frame once they were done painting their room (although they started playing around when Killian told her she missed a spot on the wall and they ended up getting more paint on themselves than they did on the wall that day and cleaned off together in the shower). They spent New Year’s Eve in Times Square watching the ball drop since Killian had never experienced anything like it before. As fun as it was, the weather was bitter cold and they spent a lot of time waiting for the ball to drop since they had to arrive very early to retain their spot, they agreed to spend the next New Year's Eve at home.

Superbowl Sunday was at Liam and Elsa’s house, and the couple was more than happy to host their first party after they had made the desired changes and redecorated the home to their liking. Liam, of course, wasted no time to make sure the house was picture perfect. Although it was nowhere near finished, for he planned on fixing up the basement and garage and planned on building a backyard deck in the spring.

The next day, Emma had to drag herself out of bed; she felt like crap even though she and Killian had no alcohol. She had explained to the gang she was refraining from alcohol to support Killian’s sobriety, but what she didn't tell them was the other reason she hadn’t drank…

Emma sat on the toilet seat, waiting in anticipation as she stared at the white stick in her hand, not able to peel her eyes away, as though the pregnancy test would catch on fire if she looked away. She couldn’t believe she forgot her birth control pills while she was in Scotland. She never forgot to take them and didn’t even realize she hadn’t until after she and Killian had arrived home. She didn't think she could get pregnant from going a few days without them until she ended up vomiting yesterday morning. And it couldn't have been the food she ate the night prior when she was babysitting Leo considering he didn't get sick, although he was recovering from the flu.

When only one line remained, Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She and Killian had talked about having kids someday, but she knew they weren’t ready yet. They’d only been dating for eight months, she loved their life and didn’t want anything to change just yet. But a tiny part of her—okay maybe an even larger part of her—ached in disappointed at the fact that she was not pregnant. It turned out she'd gotten the flu from Leo.

~*~

One week later

“Okay, I can’t take it anymore, what’s the surprise?” Emma asked as Killian took her hand and led her through their apartment. “And why am I wearing my bathrobe for such a surprise?” Only moments ago, she was wearing a black dress and heels for her birthday dinner that she had carefully chosen when Killian told her he was taking her out to a nice dinner and dancing. Now she was in her bra and panties and a bathrobe per Killian’s request. She was also wearing a blindfold as he took her to his desired destination.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, love.”

Emma sighed, but allowed him to lead the way, and soon she felt the cold, tiled floor under her feet, which meant they were in the kitchen, because why would they be in the….

Killian lifted the blindfold, and to her utter confusion, they were in their bathroom, and it was currently lit by scented candles which covered the bathroom countertop.

Emma raised a brow as she looked at Killian, who was also in nothing but his bathrobe. “Why is this such a surprise?”

Killian smirked at her with those smoldering blue eyes that told her he was up to no good, and he pulled at the belt of his robe, untying it. He let the cotton fabric fall to the floor and got into the tub naked. It wasn't even filled with water.

“What are you doing?” Emma was even more perplexed

Killian reclined back, leaning his head against the tiled wall as he waved his hand around him. “Doesn’t this look familiar to you?”

Emma planted her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, thinking about his question for a moment. Killian was lying in the tub naked, which of course was how she had found him nine months ago. “This is how we met... sort of.” She crossed her arms and smirked. “Only you were jerking off if I do recall.”

Killian nodded, blush coloring his cheeks as he gave a small smile. “I was, but that was a different time in my life. Milah had just broken up with me, and my brother and I were not on speaking terms. But you, my love, you found me in this exact spot.” His features grew serious as he continued. “I was a shattered mess... and you accepted me even when I was at my worst.”

Emma smiled, her eyes pricking with tears. She climbed into the tub and straddled him in the cramped space. Killian sat up and wrapped his arms around her back as she cupped his cheeks in her hands.

“You were adorable,” she laughed.

“I was a hot mess,” he tried to correct her, his eyes clouding with regret and embarrassment as he lowered his eyes.

“An adorable hot mess,” she added with a small smirk and lifted his face so she could gaze into those bright blue eyes she had swooned over even during their first encounter. “I can’t say I would have pictured us getting together at the time, you did throw up in my hair,” she reminded him.

Killian blushed deeper, and his expression was still full of regret, but at least she got a small smile out of him. “Sorry, love, it wasn’t exactly my finest hour, was it?”

Emma shook her head. “Nope.”

Killian’s smile widened a bit. “And yet, you're still here with me.”

She smiled brightly. “That's true, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Me neither.” Killian bit his bottom, and he looked nervous about something, although she didn’t know why. “In fact, I always want you here with me, love, no matter what.”

Emma arched a brow. “Here in the bathtub?”

Killian chuckled and shook his head. “No, in my life.” He glanced above Emma, and she lifted her head to see what he was looking at. “Could you hand me that, love?”

Her eyebrow only seemed to rise higher toward her hairline. “You mean the loofah?”

“Aye.”

“Okaaay,” she answered skittishly, studying him cautiously. “But if you plan on taking a bath, you kind of need water and soap to do that.” Emma grabbed the loop of the loofah and removed it from the hook it was hanging on. Glancing at it, she noticed something silver and shiny sitting at the bottom of the loop. Her mouth fell open as she stared at the large diamond.

“No, I plan on asking you to marry me.”

Emma was too stunned to speak as she gaped at the ring with wide eyes.

Killian took the loofah from her hands and removed the engagement ring, holding it up for her. “Will you marry me, Emma?”

She gazed at him in shock, seeing the glint in his eyes as he awaited her answer.

“Love?” His face fell slightly in concern, and she knew what her answer was, she just didn't have the strength to say it at first.

Finally, a smile blossomed over her lips and she blurted her answer out in a choked sob. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I will marry you,” she laughed, a tear streaming down her cheek.

Killian sighed in relief, a big smile spreading across his lips. His eyes were buzzing with excitement as he drew her in for a kiss, his hand sliding through her hair as he breathed her in. “Love, you scared me for a moment,” he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

“Sorry, I was just surprised.” She stuck out her hand, and he slipped the ring on her finger. “I love you, Killian, of course, my answer is yes.” She giggled and cupped his cheeks in her hands.

“I love you, too, Emma.”

Pure bliss took over them as she crushed his lips with hers and they kissed with everything they felt for each other. She would never grow tired of kissing this man’s lips, she never grew tired of how he smelled or how he tasted, how he bit her bottom lip and groaned in her mouth when she slipped her tongue against his. The kiss ignited a fiery spark between them and quickly intensified, similar to how a flame reacted to gasoline. Emma removed her robe, tossing it to the floor, along with her bra and panties, and they made love in the tub, both of them finding blissful release in each others’ arms before collapsing. Killian laid on his back, resting his head on the edge of the tub and Emma laid her head on his chest, their limbs entangled as they struggled to catch their breaths.

It took a few minutes of calming her heart rate before she was able to speak again. “Can I ask you something?” she asked, running her fingers through his chest hair and taking his naval charms in her hand to admire them as she often enjoyed doing.

“Of course, love.”

She looked up at him, gazing warmly into his eyes. “You still don't remember anything from that night, do you?”

Killian took a long breath as he thought about her question. “I remember being at the bar, but that’s it.”

Emma nodded and bit her bottom lip. “It’s really strange because I was only gone for not even ten minutes. I left my apartment and headed downstairs. It’s amazing we didn’t see each other before I found you in the tub.”

“You were only gone for ten minutes?”

“Yeah, I was in a tank top and a pair of grey shorts, you know the shorts I always wear when I don’t plan on going out in public.”

Killian grinned salaciously and ran his tongue over his lips as he skimmed his fingers up her arm. "Are you kidding? How could I forget those shorts? I'm just surprised I don't at least remember you wearing them that night."

Emma nodded. "There are many little mysteries from that night I wonder about."

"Like what, love?

“Like why you decided to jerk off in the tub," Emma laughed.

Killian shrugged. "Not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say I took the elevator up to our floor and got a peek of you in those shorts as you took the stairs down to the laundry room without noticing me, and I decided to take matters into my own hand once I got home. This bathroom is where my bedroom was in Liam's apartment so I probably mistook the tub for my bed. Once I realized it was indeed not my bed, I was probably too trashed to care,” he mused with a solemn expression and a weak smile. “So, I thought of you in those lovely shorts to avoid thinking about my bleedin' heart."

Emma nodded and smirked at the idea. "That sounds like a reasonable explanation. If only it were true."

"I guess we'll never know."

Emma shrugged. "Guess not."

They were silent after that, and eventually, they moved to the bedroom and he scooped her in his arms under the covers with only the light of the moon aiding their vision.

Her mind was frazzled with thoughts, and she decided to tell him about how she had thought she was pregnant a week ago, and how she didn’t tell him then because she didn’t want to get his hopes up before she knew for sure. Killian was shocked, but told her he’d love any baby they have. Emma agreed.

“I have to say I was a little disappointed when I found out the test was negative,” she confessed.

“Don’t worry, love, we’ll have babies when the time is right,” he assured with a small smile as he stroked her cheek.

A thought occurred to her suddenly and she laughed as her face heated up with blush. "Just think, when we do have children someday we'll have to tell them the story of how we met, you know when they're old enough."

"I suppose you're right," he chuckled.

She looked at him to see him also blushing. "You wouldn't be too embarrassed to tell them?"

"Perhaps a little, but, as long as I get to tell it with you, I’d be a very happy man.”

Emma looked up at her sentimental fiance—wow, she'd have to get used to calling him that—with pride. She was so grateful she had met him, even if they did meet under less than ordinary circumstances. Now, nine months later, they lay in each other's arms, engaged to be married. Another unbidden thought occurred to Emma and she snorted out loud, clapping her hand over her mouth.

Killian peered down at her with a raised brow. “Love? Care to share what's so funny?”

Emma shook her head, her face beet red. “Sorry, I was thinking… we’ll have to tell our friends how you proposed bare ass naked. Liam will make fun of you, for sure.”

Killian blushed profusely and scratched behind his ear. “Aye, I guess when I came up with such a brilliant idea, I clearly didn’t think it over thoroughly."

Emma shook her head and laughed as she cupped his cheeks in her hands. “No, you didn’t. That’s okay, I love you anyway,” she teased with a wink.

"I love you too, Emma, and I'd take endless joking and teasing from my brother than a lifetime without you," he professed sincerely, carressing her cheek. Emma's heart fluttered at his words, and she smiled, her eyes shining with tears. "As I've told you many times before… I never wanted just part of you, I want the whole thing. So if that means we have to tell our children how we met and our friends how I proposed, so be it.”

Her smile broadened as she remembered fondly the first time he had told her that, when he had refused to take advantage of her for one night of passion. It still melted her heart, to this day. Emma nuzzled his nose softly with hers, whispering to him gently, “You'll always have the whole thing with me... I promise." She sealed her promise with a kiss.

@acaptainswaneternity @basful-Killian @deathbycaptainswan @dragon-princess @onceuponaprincessworld @artistic-writer @resident-of-storybrooke@wordsmith-storyweaver @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @andnothinghurts @slimacwrites @onceuponaswanscastle @piratesbooty63fan @idristardis @ladyciaramiggles @truefangirl97 @t-tamm- @wellhellotragic @takhisismb @winterbaby89 @julesep3026 @jennjenn615 @swanjonescaptain @cynmoon @mayquita @kday426 @jennjenn615 @shady-swan-jones @teamhook @andiirivera @ultraluckycatnd @hooked2kill @truefangirl97 @its-about-bloody-time-cs @fleurreads @roterteufel11 @hey-it-is-jess @hookslovelyswan @coliferoncer @m98h @hungrywhovianpotterheadfrom221b @all3ofthatcrap @kgchambe @olliemarch @dmitriy30 @fhel09-blog @missclois86 @greys-shepherdland @animatedshorts @pinkbonesforeverblog @buckybarnex @captainswan-shipper88 @iminwinnipegthatsincanada @killylovesemma @myideaaofperfect @julieta-tas @roterteufel11 @rere105 @bethacaciakay @unmotivated-trashcan @aeinhorn12 @wanderlust1990 @121101chara @swanderful1 @thesavior-and-thepirate @densi-captainswan @myprincess-myemma-mypirate @lostprincessofatlantica @troiansbeautynz @trishnelle84 @micharah @captainvintage-and-cupcakes

#cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan #frozen jewel wedding #a helping hand #my fic

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quicklyshadytriumph · 5 years

Text

What We Toast To

A small fanfic about Crowley and Aziraphale dining together at three different points in time

Paris, 1793

The clinking of wine glasses echoed off the wall of the near empty restaurant. They had just toasted to “damn great timing” (in Crowley’s words), however Aziraphale participation had been mostly absent-minded as his attention was already very much fixed on the highly stacked crepes before him. He hadn’t held back when ordering. After all, he had thought, he deserved them after what he had just gone through.

“I just can’t believe these things are worth being discorporated for”, teased the demon sitting next to him, before resuming his drinking. He had always been more invested in alcohol than food. Getting drunk was an efficient way to numb things out, but it also was an appropriate mean of celebration, and Crowley could appreciate versatility.

His mouth full of crepes, and thus unable to utter a word, the angel simply pushed the plate towards Crowley.

“Nah, thanks. I’ll just never know, I guess”, the demon shook his head, going for a more dramatic answer than was necessary.

“Your loss” answered Aziraphale as he swallowed. In his eyes there wasn’t a single trace of disappointment at his companion’s lack of gourmet enthusiasm. Instead, there just was the pure delight that inspired him the crepes. Delightful really was the appropriate word. Wasn’t it delightful to spend the afternoon savouring French cuisine with a … with his… with Crowley? One could have thought that being menaced with decapitation just hours earlier would have made the angel lose his appetite, but if anything the contrast between the sinister prison and the luminous restaurant only made the moment more charming. To be fair, at no point had he feared for himself. He knew there would be someone to save him. There always was. Turns out that “someone” was more often than not the same person.

The crepes were disappearing at an alarming rate. Not many beings had had as much practice at feasting as Aziraphale. In fact, none of them had. Almost six thousand years was hard to beat for humans, and ineffable creatures usually didn’t get involved in earthly stuff. Except for two of them, of course. Sometimes the angel would think about how lucky they were, Crowley and he, to have found each other, the seemingly only two beings in the immensity of Heaven and Hell who didn’t feel disdain for humans. On the contrary, they enjoyed every pleasure the life on Earth had to offer to them. The had made an art of it, the two of them. Together. He really was grateful there was someone else to share his love for humanity.

This is where his reflexions always ended. He never went as far as wondering if they really had experienced everything they could, or if there was still some unexplored enjoyment out there for them, waiting to be discovered. If his life experience had taught him anything, it was that some things were better left unquestioned. Questions came with an inherent risk of not liking the answer. Some things were buried for a reason, right? And if he was mistaken, and there was indeed something worth wondering about, he’d have all the time in the world for that. Right?

Crowley, however, had never been the one for interrupting reflexions halfway through. Always the wonderer, he was. But in this particular instance, he had never even needed to wonder. From the beginning he had known that they were missing something. If they had created an art of appreciation for humanity, they hadn’t mastered it. They weren’t human after all, and he knew that their situation surely would never allow for that ultimate experience they were lacking.

It was okay though. He had learned to make peace with the absence in his heart. Instead, he basked in the angel’s light whenever he saw the food arriving at their table. If that’s all he would ever have, then it would do. It was better than nothing. Nonetheless these shared lunches had the treacherous tendency to instil something in Crowley that he certainly didn’t want. Hope. Hope that there was indeed something to wait for. Because with that came the fear that whatever could happen would take too long. It’s not that the demon wasn’t patient, he had proven quite the opposite, but for a while he had felt something brewing and he was getting worried that they might not have all the time of world.

London, 2018

“To the world”, toasted Aziraphale. “To the world”, repeated Crowley.

The dining room of the Ritz was drenched in light. It was a beautiful day, one of the best. Most people couldn’t tell that it was because they had barely avoided the worst one. But even the brightest sun had nothing on the smiling angel unknowingly illuminating the whole restaurant.

“Fancy a dessert, angel?”, asked the demon sitting opposite him, as the answer could be anything other than a resounding yes.

“I was thinking that we might get a dessert for two… It feels like an appropriate occasion, you know. I think.” hesitated Aziraphale.

Crowley lifted an eyebrow above his sunglasses. He didn’t care much to try the pistachio crème brûlée that Aziraphale was pointing at on the menu, but he would pass on the suggestion for nothing in the world. So he nodded. It was the start of something new, he could sense it in the air. A new world, a world whose prize for rebelling against the Great Plan was more time. And a new life, for him and for Aziraphale. It was too soon to tell how Hell and Heaven would retaliate, or if they ever would. Surely they hadn’t given up on their long-awaited War, but it was doubtful that a second try at the Apocalypse was planned in the near future.

In the meantime, Crowley and Aziraphale were free to exist as they wanted. That would probably take some figuring out, as they weren’t initially designed as creatures of self-determination. At least they were together, thought Crowley, and to be honest they had started practising independence quite a while ago. They really had been lucky beyond anything imaginable. The two of them, dining together at the Ritz on the other side of the Apocalypse. “There’s nothing else I could wish for”, Crowley lied to himself as he gazed lovingly at his angel.

Beneath the joy, the relief and the sweet anticipation as the crème brûlée was being laid on the table, Aziraphale could have noticed a lingering anxiety in his stomach, had he cared to pay more attention. Had he noticed it he may have wondered why he was feeling anxious when he had no reason to be. He surely would have reasoned that the distant threat of Heaven and Hell was a good enough explanation to stay alert. Had he come to that conclusion, Aziraphale would have missed the point, as he often did. Being extremely intelligent was no help against denial. He had grown accustomed to that denial over the years. It had been so deep rooted there wasn’t much that could be done against it. But now…

The angel had always felt he knew what he ought to do or not. The rules were clear enough. This didn’t mean that he followed them perfectly, but he was assured that he had the general idea down. And some things were just too far across the line. Aziraphale had never done anything that he felt would for sure banish him from Heaven. Until the Apocalypse-that-wasn’t. He hadn’t fallen or anything, but it had somewhat opened the door. Opened the door for doubt, for self-introspection, and for whatever that would lead to in terms of taking liberties. Perhaps he would finally be able to name that deep, muted feeling he had felt all his eternal life, that itch in his soul he always tried so hard not to pay attention to.

Of course, Aziraphale hadn’t come to that realization yet. Force of habit and all. Instead he just handed Crowley a spoonful of dessert. “Try it, my dear. I insist” he said, trying to ignore for the last time that swelling heat in his heart.

South Downs, 2019

“What would you say of a nice glass of champagne, angel?”

“Delightful, my dear. It will go perfectly with the strawberries you picked this morning”.

They set the table by the bay window in the living room. The soft light of a spring afternoon made the sea, barely visible off in the distance, beyond the countryside, glisten beautifully. Aziraphale opened the window and the fresh smell of grass filled up the room. They sat next to each other so that they could both face the view- and so that their knees could touch.

Crowley poured the champagne in the flutes and handed one to the angel beside him.

“To what do we toast today?” he asked.

A moment of silence, for consideration.

“To this”, answered Aziraphale with a smile.

A bird started to sing in the garden. A coincidence or a demon who watched too many romantic movies, impossible to tell.

“Who would have thought that we would end up like this” said Aziraphale with an amused grin, looking into the distance.

“I would have” replied the demon. “In fact, I have, angel. For a while”.

“Yes, yes, dear. I think you’ve made this quite clear already. You’ve been waiting a long time. I understood that the first fifty times, you know.”

Crowley smiled teasingly, his tongue slightly out, and nudged the angel’s thigh with his knee. He almost answered that he had earned the right to mock his companion, but Crowley knew that arguing was unnecessary as Aziraphale wasn’t actually expecting him to stop.

“You know what I mean. Not that we didn’t think of it, of course, but that it… for so long I have wanted this but never, for even a second did I thought they would allow it”. The use of the pronoun didn’t need clarification.

“I know I know, my love”, Crowley said softly, resting his hand on Aziraphale’s- effectively stopping him from grabbing another strawberry. “But we did make it, didn’t we? And bollocks to them, might I add”.

Aziraphale didn’t bother even raising an eyebrow. Nowadays he usually let Crowley talk as he pleased.

There had been a time for secrecy, for hiding, for the unspoken. In fact, there had been a long time for it. But everything ends, eventually. As the world started anew the age of Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s silent longing had come to a close. Their love was too strong, growing restlessly over the centuries, to be restricted by the vague and distant threat of other angels and demons. Now was the time for honesty, for openly sharing everything they have ever wanted to stay. It was the place, too. What a profoundly human dream it was, to retire to the countryside. It turned out that it was also extremely convenient for ethereal – and occult- beings. It was quiet, enough for sunglasses to be forgotten on the bedside table and, on sunny days like these, for wings to be spread in the garden.

It was not, however, too far from human society. They picked the cottage together and it felt right to stay close to these creatures they had helped launch into the world a lifetime ago and who, they had no shame in admitting it, had taught them so much in return.

Some nights, when the wine was from a particularly good year, the angel and the demon wondered. They wondered how it was possible for them to even tolerate the other, let alone love each other so. Was it part of the Plan, part of Her design? Or had everyone been wrong from the beginning, thinking ineffable beings without free will? Were they really the only angel and demon able to stand the Adversary’s company?

They never reached an answer. Partly because such questions are not made to be answered, but also because they usually ended up kissing on the couch before any breakthrough could be made. They had millennia of catching up to do, and they kissed like it.

Almost all the berries had been eaten. Decent amounts of champagne had also been consumed, but strangely alcohol never ran out in the South Downs cottage. They sat relaxed in their chairs, hand in hand.

The angel sighed quietly.

“My dear, have I ever told you I love you?”

Crowley felt a wave of warmth pass through his body. For a brief second, he marvelled at how bitter love had once tasted when it now flowed with such sweetness in his veins.

“What? No!”, he feigned surprise.

“What a shame. I have no choice but to say it, then” answered Aziraphale with a playful grin. “I love you”, he whispered, right as their lips touched.

An eternity spent trying every human joy, and finally Crowley and Aziraphale had mastered the greatest one. Oh, what a pleasure it was to love out loud.

#good omens #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #fanfic #fan fiction #crowley x arizaphale

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monicalorandavis · 5 years

Text

Dear Lora

My grandfather wrote a 6-page typed letter to my mother in 1992. His wife, my grandma, my mom’s mom, had died earlier that year. His letter is in response to a letter my mom had written in which her mom visits her in a dream. Below is the transcribed letter in full:

Dear Lora,

Today is the second day of October. Summer of 1992 is history. Even though I am somewhat reluctant to bid farewell to the warm pleasant days of summer, the unmistakable chill in the morning air is convincing enough that fall has arrived. The morning temperature was in the low forties. The warmth of the furnace felt very good. I am, I suppose, prepared for winter (as if it made any difference whether I am prepared or not). Ready or not here it comes. I welcome the coming of winter as I do with the approach of the other three seasons.

This year my garden crop was very productive. I had carrots, turnips, eggplants, corn, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and green beans. Each year with the beginning of the growing season, I make a solemn vow that I am going to limit my crop selection to just a few items. As the year progresses, the urge to plant just one more thing just simply overwhelms me. It’s fun anyway. The thought of putting a seed in the ground, watching it grow and then getting to eat it holds a certain fascination. I sometimes feel that I am a frustrated farmer. Flowers are blooming at their prettiest. It seems that just before their inevitable doom, nature makes a last ditch effort to make them more beautiful than ever. Could this be nature’s way of burning their beauty into our brain so we will be sure to plant them again next season?

I am doing quite well. Apparently all of the vitals are functioning adequately according to the doctor’s report from my last visit. I hope you are taking care of your health. I recall it was during my forties that I began to realize in an abstract way the possibility that I was not immortal and it was just possible that I could become sick just like old folks often does. During my fifties, I took a step further into reality and faced (however reluctantly) that I was indeed going to someday become old just like those other old folks does. Now that I have arrived, I find that in reality this is not at all as bad as I thought it would be.

A quick examination of the available options and alternatives lead one to the acceptance of life with all of its joys as well as its sadnesses. As I write this page I have one ear focused on my television set. Ross Perot is making a speech regarding his decision to run for President or not...From the drift, as I hear it, he seems to be saying that he is going to run...This will be an interesting election year. I am going to vote for Clinton, not that I think he is the best the country is giving us. I don’t know whether my vote will be a vote for Clinton as much as it is a vote against Bush.

It was a pleasure to have received such a long, informative, neat and well-composed letter. Receiving a letter is always a treat. Although we talk by phone a lot, a letter is always something special. I know with your busy schedule with the wife/mother doings, there is little time left for extracurricular things.

You spoke in your letter of Mom visiting you in your dreams recently. Ironically, just prior to receiving your letter, she visited me in a very vivid dream. Usually my dreams are so vague and scattered that it is difficult for me to form a meaningful recollection of the theme or the contents of the dream. And I must add that I do not have frequent dreams of her. I recall hearing from some leader a theory on dreams involving departed loved ones. According to his theory, if that loved one is at peace in their new existence (their new life) then their dream visits will be few but if there is restlessness and discontent visits will be frequent. In this dream, she was radiant, well-dressed and the picture of good health. We were at home together. She was busy cooking and packing in preparation for a trip to your place. I recall asking her about her medication like I always did prior to our trips. She smiled and said “Don’t you remember that I don’t need to take those things anymore? I had an operation and now my liver does the same for my body as the dialysis did. I feel good now.” It was such a pleasant dream. I feel that somewhere out there that she has found peace and contentment. Of course, I shall cherish the memories of all of those wonderful years we spent together. Over the months, the reality of life and death has been drawn into focus. It is strange that a phenomenon as real and predictable as the passing of a loved one could confuse that reality but time is a healing thing and with the passage of time there emerges an emotional balance, a healing process that draws one back into rational acceptance. However altered, there is a sort of life that can be lived and enjoyed. Life is such a precious gift. A constant concern of mine is not so much focused upon my own life, although I try and take reasonable care of myself, but hoping you, my children, and my grandchildren will be healthy and live long, happy lives.

I am really impressed by the neatness and precision of your word-processed letter. It must be a real aid to letter writing and writing in general. It is hard to master? Could a dummy life me use one? I like to write things. A problem I have is after I write and sleep on what I have written, I have an overwhelming urge to change what I have written. Maybe a word processor would cure that ambivalence.

You made a comment concerning your handwriting. Have you ever seen my handwriting? Yours would put mine to shame. My typing is rather shabby too.

I noticed judging from the look of some of my vegetable crop we have already a frost so soon. There are still a few things I have to do in order to prepare for winter. I had a new door installed at the front entrance and the door to the garage. That are is always like an icebox in spite of my attempts to weatherstrip. Hopefully the new carpet and drapes will help some to keep the place warm this winter. I still have some other things in mind to help keep the heating bill under control this winter.

I talked to Alan and Elfriede recently. They are extending an open invitation to visit them this winter for a few days. I might take them up on the offer. I still haven’t made any concrete visit plans. Hopefully the airlines will throw out some good discounts during October. Then we shall see about the holidays. I think we will make our trek to the southland sometime next year. I don’t think Doris is too interested in going. I understand her lack of interest to a certain extent. If that Alyx is interested, I suppose she and I should make the trip. How about Steven?

Did you hear that Erika is pregnant? Due sometimes early 93. Kim is still pending marriage in April I believe. I hear from Noelle occasionally. She seems to be getting along well, working hard as a nurse in a nursing home in Ft. Collins. I question her selection of a boyfriend (but don’t we all?). She never sounds too happy when she calls. He is going to school, a rather nice fellow but seems so immature to take on marital responsibilities. I hope I am wrong.

Election time is drawing near, isn’t it? Ross Perot is toying again with the idea of reentering the race for President. It is alright for him to play politics so long as he don’t do anything that will spoil Clinton’s chances to kick Bush out of office. In my view, the country has been so fouled up under 11 years of Reagan/Bush policies that it will take a decade of pain before the country is straightened out. I think we will be in real serious trouble if Bush manages to sneak by and get reelected.

It is nearing supper time. Three guesses what I am cooking up today...

I don’t know the name of it but the ingredients are squid, daikon, Konyamu wakame and gobo. It was a family favorite. We are having a district meeting* here tonight so I will share some of it with the WD. I have already tasted it and it tasted real authentic. I am (in my opinion) getting pretty good “international cuisine”. I pick up cooking tips from various sources. Yoshiko’s Chef at her Chinese restaurant let me in on some of his secrets. One of my favorites is a relatively simple chicken dish. It goes like this: completely thaw out a large frying chicken. In a large pan, bring enough water to completely the chicken to a rapid boil and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from the boiling water. In the meantime, prepare a sauce using soy sauce, grated garlic, ginger cut in small strips, a little sugar, and a dash of hot sesame oil. Cut the chicken up into frying sized pieces, place on a platter and pour the sauce over the chicken. Finally, place chopped cilantro over the dish. It is simple and it is good! Note: It is necessary that the chicken not be frozen when it is placed in the boiling water. It is preferable that it be left out for a while to raise the temperature before boiling. On many occasions, I try to recall some of the dishes Mom used to make. She was not keen on letting me know too much about her cooking secrets. My traditional role in the kitchen while she was cooking was sort of like a kitchen helper, relegated to such simple tasks as fanning the cooked rice that she was going to use for making sushi, or slicing vegetables for tempura. None of the technical stuff. However, I did manage to steal some of her prized methods. This comes in handy because I have not lost any of my love for the taste of Japanese foods. I like to cook and also like to eat, so getting a balanced meal is not a problem at this point.

Rather than review my letter in its entirety to correct the misspelled words, I am going to send it on as it is written. In all probability, if I go back to edit it I will end up attempting to rewrite it and never finish. Anyway, you can figure out what I am trying to say. Today is Friday, the 2nd of October, a beautiful day. I have done morning Gongyo*, had breakfast, had a visitor who accompanied me on my walk around Prospect Lake. I plan to visit Richard this evening, perhaps spend the night there. He is so busy with his golf obsession and keeping up with his three business things that time is not sufficient for him to leave his area.

This is a picture I took when the kids were here this summer*. I think it is now time to say goodbye. Don’t you?

Love,

Dad

_______________________________________________________________________

*District Meeting* - Buddhist district meetings were monthly meet-ups for the area in which you lived. In bigger cities, like LA, there were more districts. In a city like Colorado Springs, districts were smaller and Buddhists drove further to get to meetings.

*WD* aka women’s division. The SGI has a long-standing tradition of peer group-led meetings. It’s always had men’s division, women’s division and youth division.

*morning Gongyo* - if you chanted morning gongyo you’re basically crushing it.

*no clue what picture* Oh how I wish I had it now.

#grandpa #coloradosprings #buddhist #typewriter #old people are the best

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