#preparing food and eating together is a love language I can’t even begin to describe
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Sharing a meal
I wrote something for this below the cut if you’re interested :)
They never eat anything too tasty, surviving with packeted rations and canned food in their journey. Sometimes they would stop at a little restaurant and eat a nice meal; it really tasted like something gourmet after days of going with grain bars and dry jerky.
There were fleeting moments in between conversations in which one of them would remember some dish, from back in the day when things were easier and they didn’t worry about too many things. They never went deeper into the topic, just mentioning how they missed a good meal.
Staying at an inn or any motel was an expensive thing to pay for. However sometimes they had some extra money from an odd job Vash did or from Wolfwood’s undertaker services, and they would always rent a room as a treat for themselves.
It was a surprise when they entered the room and saw a small kitchen. The space was a little too cramped but it had everything they needed, it was like a deluxe room when they though about all the places they had been at. None of them had a kitchen at all, maybe they had a tiny stove or a mini fridge, perhaps a table sometimes but never the whole set together.
They both looked at each other to confirm they really were seeing the thing, smiling excitedly.
They could make a meal for themselves.
Vash knew how to cook, he had done some work on kitchens throughout his life. A few times he helped Rem when he was a child, he knows how to defend himself. Yet he didn’t know any recipes by heart, not any that would be inside their budget at least. He could get creative and probably whip up a thing or two if he was given enough time.
“I know what to do” Wolfwood said with a smile that irradiated a melancholic warmth interrupting his thoughts . A smile Vash had only seen when he talked about the things he loved.
Vash didn’t suggest anything in the end and just followed what the other man told him to do.
He went to buy all the things Wolfwood asked him for. Vegetables and some thoma meat. There seemed to be some spices in the room so he only bought garlic and onion as per Wolfwood’s request.
When Vash got back, he found Nick at the table arranging the ingredients the kitchen already had. He was already showered, hair messy and with droplets of water hanging on the tips. Getting closer, he could smell the soap, the cheap shampoo and the lingering scent of nicotine that never seemed to go away. He was changed into a black, long sleeved shirt and a pair of loose dark blue pants.
His overall appearance made Vash think how the edges of the man were less sharp, he seemed more relaxed and at ease, even if it wasn’t entirely the case. He just looked, soft.
“Hey welcome back, did you bring what I asked you for or will I have to use your meat for this?” Wolfwood greeted him without looking up from his task, the ingredients being the most interesting thing in the world it seemed.
Something warm pooled at the pit of Vash’s stomach, he didn’t know why that was and didn’t bother to think about it either, just enjoying the feeling.
Smiling, he placed the bags on the table in front of Wolfwood, taking out its contents. “I’m sure I brought everything yeah, I hope my life can be spared”.
The priest snorted at him and grabbed a potato that was rolling off the table. “Aight then, make yourself useful and start washing these and then chop ‘em to reasonable bitable sizes”. Losing no time, he took the meat and was cutting it while giving out the instructions.
While Vash was washing and chopping, the other was already preparing the meat putting it in a pot with boiling water. Once Vash was finished with all he was asked to do, Wolfwood ushered him to take a shower while the food was done, wanting to have more space in the narrow place. Vash did as told in that as well.
The shower felt great, all of the gross stickiness from the sweat and other things were finally washed off from his body. He felt light and a thousand times more content.
As he opened the door the smell hit him in the face, a delicious scent that surely tasted even better. Wolfwood was stirring the pot, poking some of the potatoes to make sure they were on the right term, and they seemed to be as he turned off the stove.
Vash got closer, mouth already watering just from the thought of how it’d taste “That smells so good! What did you make?” He asked with a big grin plastered all over his face.
Wolfwood pointed at the table with his hand, signaling him to sit down a little dismissively while he looked for the bowls on his own. It seemed like he was the kind that with less people on the kitchen when he was there, the better. “Just a broth, nothing too wow it’s something easy, and on budget”. Vash hummed with wonder and served two cups of water to busy himself with something.
Wolfwood poured the two servings of the broth, it was still hot and the bowl must surely be scalding. Yet Wolfwood’s calloused hands never flinched, placing their food on the table without much trouble along with a pair of long spoons.
“Be careful or you will murder your tongue” he warned and Vash chuckled.
“Thanks for the heads up chef, ‘preciate it” the other just scoffed at the title and sat down across him .
They both mixed the broth while blowing at it in hopes for it to cool down a little. However seeing how they were both starving and didn’t care too much about getting burnt or not, they just started to dig in.
Wolfwood was eating eagerly, having spoonful after spoonful of his food. He was beyond delighted. It had been a long time since he had the chance to prepare the broth he used to have back at the Orphanage.
“It’s…delicious” he heard Vash say in a low and calm tone. When he looked up to see the man, he was shocked to find him with reddish eyes that were glistening with tears. It didn’t seem like when was doing a show or anything of the sorts, he just seemed…at peace.
It wasn’t anything extravagant, quite possibly one of the most simple dishes Vash has ever eaten. It was made with the things that they could afford with the little money they could spare, the ingredients were definitely not of the best quality, the vegetables could have used a little more time on the pot. And it was delicious.
Vash felt incredibly warm inside, similar to how he felt when Wolfwood greeted him when he got back, just a thousand times stronger. The first sip he had of it tasted like the best thing ever cooked in his whole life, something he would have every day of the year for the rest of eternity. He didn’t know why that was at first, but after having a second spoon of it he could tell what it was.
It tasted like home.
The flavor of it, it was homely, the savor of melancholy. It tasted like their conversations about missing the past. The tang of the times they would have a peaceful night in the desert grilling worm meat around a campfire. It reminded him when he got sick and an old lady had given him a bowl of soup. It tasted like the first time Rem had given them a try of what meat and vegetables tasted like. It tasted like all the things he missed, and the things Nicholas most likely missed too.
The familiarity of it made him feel fuzzy and full on the inside, and he couldn’t stop eating. He was slow while doing it, wanting to savor every bit of what he could have while it lasted. It was rich, it was simple and it was perfect.
“…You want some more?” At some point, Nicholas had already finished his own bowl and brought the pot over to serve himself again. He looked at Vash with something soft in his eyes the other could not name, his voice was gentle and gravely, sweet and easy on his ears just adding more to the warmth inside of him.
“Yes…yes please” Vash answered, voice cracking a little. Nicholas served him, the sound of the liquid being poured soothing his soul.
Vash ate again, and Wolfwood was looking at him. The priest was taking small sips of water from his cup, always holding it against his mouth even if he wasn’t drinking anything. Vash didn’t really notice when he had started tearing up, thick streams of salty water running through his cheeks, a pool of them welling up at his chin and falling down the wooden table making a puddle of happy tears.
Vash enjoyed the heartfelt broth. He was happy, that bit of simplicity was enough to make him forget of everything else and just focus on that moment.
It was so mundane. Vash smiled with overflowing tears in his eyes while Wolfwood just watched with a fond smile of his own behind his empty cup of water.
At that moment, they were not in a random room at a random place. They were in a place where they had brought their home to, sharing a meal with each other.
#Vash just had his Ego moment#preparing food and eating together is a love language I can’t even begin to describe#and I mean eat EAT. like sitting down and enjoying the food to its fullest THAT kind of eat#delusional hours always open and it’s usually at it’s worst at the most questionable#time of the day ey aha HAHANEBWNNE#domestic Vashwood is my own personal absolutely peak favorite flavor of it as in any other thing ever#I said it earlier but I’ll say it again. domesticity and sharing simple moments are what makes life worth living#these two guys I bet rarely ever get to enjoy moments like these to their fullest so I’m doing this in honor of them never catching a break#this is special and this Vash is the cutest thing I’ve ever done#kinda wanna make him my pfp he’s so#AAAAAAA IM GOING INSANE IQNENW UEUJEHE#trigun#vash the stampede#nicholas d wolfwood#trigun stampede#vash#wolfwood#nicholas trigun#trigun fanart#vashwood#trigun maximun#trigun fanfiction#trigun fic#lenssi writes#lenssi draws#I wanted to see this so bad and then I was like oh wait I can just do it myself. like every time I draw or write abt them LMAOOOO
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— ITADORI YUJI + INUMAKI TOGE + NANAMI KENTO || THEM AS OLDER BROTHERS
↳ featuring : itadori yuji + inumaki toge + nanami kento from jujutsu kaisen
↳ warnings : spoilers for non-manga readers (volume 0) + swearing + grammar issues
↳ form : headcanons
↳ published : 10 may
↳ pronouns : she/her
↳ request : Hi ! Can I please get them as big brother headcanon with itadori, inumaki, nanami with a little sister! If you don't do family fluff please ignore this and have a nice day
↳ barista’s notes : let me admit, i haven’t been feeling the best mentally - probably because of the random exams that have been thrown at me from my school after doing 6 of them around 3-4 weeks ago - so i’m going to close my request box for the time being and maybe take some time to rest (even though...i haven’t been writing for a while until yesterday ʕ ㅇ ᴥ ㅇʔ) but moving on from that, i hope you enjoy your cup of classic black coffee and please return when you can ╲ʕ·ᴥ· ╲ʔ
Itadori being your older brother is basically having an instant best friend in your life because Itadori is the type of brother that is reckless, hilarious, and encouraging.
Itadori will encourage you in anything that you choose to do - except for stuff that is bad, so don’t take advantage of that - but he is a supportive person in your life.
For example, if you want to get into a sport, Itadori is the best person to encourage you due to his superhuman abilities - lowkey, you both will argue that he is cheating.
Since Itadori knows how to cook, he knows how to make your favourite meal and you both will have cooking nights together that will turn into food fights leading Grandpa to yell at you both for the mess that you made.
When it comes to education, Itadori gets average grades but when it comes to science, you both are studying together all night to do well in that certain exam.
During school, everyone knows you because of Itadori and they will ask you about why he doesn’t take any sports club...just say “I have no idea”
After school, you and Itadori will go to the nearest fast-food restaurant at the end of the week and just munch on some food - both of you will steal each other's chips/fries even though you both ordered them, it’s just more tasty for some reason.
When he tells you about the whole Sukuna and curse incident and that he has to be executed by the end of eating all of 20 fingers, you would just take it as a joke at first before realising that he isn’t - it would just be a silent stare at you both after you deep it and tears will appear...that just won’t fall.
Itadori is also the brother that knows how to cheer you up and instantly make you smile, and when he is the one that makes you upset, he knows how to make you smile again - aka giving you our favourite food.
Itadori knows that you can protect yourself but after the whole curse incident, he will become more protective than he has ever been, especially with Sukuna because you don’t know what that old man would do.
Fushiguro is the only guy Itadori trusts you with like Todo is out of the question - he does trust Gojo as well since he is the strongest but Fushiguro seems like a better option.
Overall, Itadori as a brother is a brother that we all wished we had because we do need the hint of happiness in our lives and the support that he would instantly give.
Inumaki as an older brother is a weird one to describe because he is both annoying and caring at the same time to the point where you don’t know what to do.
Inumaki is the type of brother that will play pranks on you from time to time and you will run around, chasing him to hit him leading Maki and Panda to laugh.
Other times, Inumaki is the caring brother that everyone wants since he seems like the type to be perspective on your actions/anything you do - if you are thirsty, he will press a really cold water bottle to your cheek...doesn’t matter if it’s winter.
If you are able to talk or not, you and Inumaki will have a secret language together where you will chat shit about other people - but you both will learn sign languages together.
When you and Inumaki talk together, people are just purely confused about what you are both talking about because how do you understand onigiri ingredients.
Inumaki doesn’t trust any guy with you, so when any guy from the Kyoto side comes to talk to you, he will come from behind, grab your upper arms and just guide you away like the person in front didn’t expect - Todo is also out of the question for this headcanon.
When you first meet Okkotsu, Inumaki will guide you away from him in the beginning because Rika is there and Okkotsu will profusely apologise in the beginning for scaring you - when in reality you understand his situation completely.
When Inumaki and Okkotsu get closer as friends, you are also close with him and Inumaki finds it cute to the point where he will tease you and tell you to confess to him even when you don’t have a crush on him.
One thing Inumaki is thankful for is you carrying spare throat medicine for him when his spare on runs out, and if he needs to go buy more, you already have a cabinet for him.
You both as siblings are also competitive, like when it comes to games, if one person wins, the other will instantly ask for a rematch.
Overall, Inumaki as a brother is a funny experience because you both care for each other to the fullest in your own ways but there are times where you would get annoyed at him due to his pranks - Maki will attack him for you, don’t worry.
Nanami has an older brother that is the stern type to the point where he seems distant (not to the point where you question his brotherly love for you) but does worry about your wellbeing over his.
Nanami wants to make your life as comfortable as possible because he doesn’t want you to live in an endless cycle of work as he does - he wants the best for you, see him as a second parent.
Nanami will text you almost every day to make sure you have drunk water and had something to eat and if you haven’t, prepare to get a lecture through voice message/phone call - and he will come to wherever you are with a bag of food.
When he is on the phone with you, Gojo will always try to sneak in a few words only for the device to suddenly fly away from him because Nanami refuses to let him talk to you.
He will also make sure you are at least 5 miles away from Gojo (maybe 10) because he doesn’t want you to get influenced by his senior and personally, he knows that the white-haired man will flirt with you no matter what your relationship is to him.
When it comes to dating, he will tell you this: anyone is fine but they have to be a good person, anyone is fine...anyone but Gojo Satoru.
So when Gojo somehow gets to flirt with you, Nanami is already standing behind him with his wrapped up blade lifted up - and you would just give the widened eye look because what else are you supposed to say?
When he was a salaryman, you would always come to his work to give him food so he didn’t have to pay for himself and he will try to pay you back - but you refuse even when you secretly want to take it (you still do this for him, so you both would buy food for each other)
You both go to cafes quite a bit when he is free to talk to each other about life since it’s hard to catch up to each other - especially if you are both sorcerers - since it’s a really nice heart to heart conversation.
When you were introduced to Itadori, the first-year can’t help but question if you were really Nanami’s younger sister because you were somewhat more out-going than he is but he can see some similarities in personalities from you both.
Overall, Nanami as an older brother is someone that is an act of service type of man when it comes to his brotherly love to you, he does care about you immensely and will try to make your life a little easier than his since all he wants is the best for you in this world.
© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost
#jujutsu kaisen#jjk#jujutsu kaisen headcanons#jujutsu kaisen headcanon#jujutsu kaisen hcs#jjk headcanons#jjk headcanon#jjk hcs#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader#itadori yuji#inumaki to/ge#nanami kento#itadori yuji headcanons#itadori yuji headcanon#itadori yuji hcs#inumaki to/ge headcanons#inumaki to/ge headcanon#inumaki to/ge hcs#nanami kento headcanons#nanami kento headcanon#nanami kento hcs#itadori yuji x reader#yuji itadori x reader#inumaki to/ge x reader#to/ge inumaki x reader#nanami kento x reader#kento nanami x reader
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we’ll always have paris | kth
we’ll always have paris
characters: kim taehyung x reader
genre: idol!taehyung, reader
categories: fluff, angst, smut (pls forgive me it’s my first time)
warnings: dirty talk (tae loves it ngl), oppa kink???, taehyung is absOLUTELY WHIPPED for reader, unprotected sex (pulling out - do not do this ok; wrap it up kids!!!!), curse words
word count: 9.8k
Talks of traveling from Seoul to Paris were a frequent topic between the two lovers for the first two years of their relationship. Paris was a place of new beginnings, for strolls all the Champs-Elysses, and kisses under the Eiffel Tower. Renowned for its beauty and culture, any couple intending on forever had to travel to this as a form of pilgrimage.
Nevertheless, the duty of an idol did not align with that of a student. The number of times Kim Taehyung traveled to Paris for touring could not be counted on his fingers, for his trips were numerous. The love for ARMY was not the same for his girlfriend (and soon-to-be fiancée) so the feelings that Edith Piaf sung in ‘La vie en rose’ left him misty-eyed in anticipation for the moment he would finally do so.
“I’m going to Paris!” were the words that greeted Taehyung on his daily virtual call from his girlfriend, YN. Her chubby cheeks were filled with light as she crossed her legs in her dorm room. It was reassuring to see she was happy: her bed perfectly fixed behind her and the Tata plushie he brought him tucked under her arm. “Well.. Lyon, but my exit flight is in Paris.”
Her excitement is infectious to Taehyung. “Wait.. you are only going to Paris for your exit flight?” He asks with a frown on his lips.
“Yes.. I am traveling to Lyon for an engineering conference for spring break, but I will be going to Paris via train for my flight?” She exclaims with a giddy smile.
Her words paired with her excitement makes him think of last year when they watched the Hollywood golden-era classic, Sabrina. “자기.. Paris is not meant to be an exit flight..”
“I don’t have the money to stay longer.. Paris is expensive.” She pouts before shrugging. “Traveling like a native and then to the airport is enough for me!”
A slight frown settles into Taehyung’s soft features. As much as he loved her, he sometimes wished that she would depend on him more. For lack of a better word, he wanted to be needed. It were times like this when he wondered if she would always be a immobile rock evading his offers. “You should experience Paris properly for your first time.. with me.”
“With you?” She asks in surprise. “But what about your practice and preparations for the new album?”
Taehyung shakes his head. “We are getting a two week break.. I can just work a bit more now and I can meet you after the conference, my sweet engineer.” He is shy as his boxy smile comes into view. “We always talked about backpacking across Europe, right? Let’s start in Paris and go wherever the wind takes us.. and be spontaneous.”
Spontaneous was definitely a word to describe Taehyung. She heard him numerous times to considered doing things with him to be more adventurous; it even led to a few arguments from time to time.
“Well.. if it is not too much of a burden for you..”
“It is not.” He smiles at her brightly. “It would be so nice for us to spend this time together too.. I miss my tiny little spoon.” He leans his cheek against his palm.
As YN usually disagreed with being a little a spoon, she concedes without a struggle. “Your little spoon misses you too... 오빠.”
“Then let’s do this.” The familiar gleam of mischief that she has always loved has reached his eyes once more. The anticipation is rising. “How does that sound?”
“I’ll start packing.” YN concedes with a wide grin. Paris and Taehyung? It’s a love story for the ages.
The warmth of a lover is the most fulfilling experience in the world. For others, it may be success and money, but such things can be replicated time and time again. The effects of true love are unwavering and everlasting in ways that no dictionary in any language can attempt to emulate. This much passion and fortitude remained elusive to be defined, but YN knew that she felt it.
Her heart was beating loud in her ears as she sat on the bed of their hotel room; the key to their shared suite living her heart in circles. She was greeted with rose petals on the bed and a small card from Taehyung that made her wonder if they were soulmates that transcended time. It were the little things like this that made her realize their love was eternal.
자기야 (Honey)
I can’t wait to see you tonight. I seriously haven’t been able to sleep at all, thinking about what this next week has in store for us.. I’m so happy that you’re letting things go as they do. I’ll be there soon. This first night, let’s rest. Tomorrow? We run!
나는 너를 사랑해. 보라해💜 (I love you.)
너의 김태태 (Your Kim Taetae)
She smiles down at the card and plops down onto the fluffy comforters. Taehyung never filled to fill her lungs with roses and make a garden blossom for him. It were times like this when she realized the deepest realization of love was embodied by him. Her Taehyung.
Falling for Taehyung on that winter night in 2016 was the first time that she learned to go with the flow and follow her heart. Apprehension was a common practice when it came to her distinguishing the crush from mere admiration, but once she let it settle.. it began to grow into eternity. It did not fester and cool like the raisin in the sun she worried it would be.
“어... 왜 그래? 자기?” The familiar deep timber whispers, sending tingles down her spine as she shakes away from her daydream to be met with chocolate orbs. He sends her a smirk, clad in his mahogany brown day coat and black beret. He knew Parisian fashion like an atelier at Chanel.
Her heart instantly flutters as she pulls him on top of her to take him into a tight hug and steals a kiss from his soft lips. “Taehyung!”
“What were you thinking about? You didn’t even hear me come in.” He chuckles into her ear as he settles all of his weigh on her with a smile. His fingers toy with the bow of her white sundress absentmindedly. He had missed her so much that he felt light headed just being around her. He was on cloud nine. With his girl.
YN blushes as she takes off his beret to place it on her own head and strokes his hair. He lays his head on her chest, holding her in his arms. “I was thinking about how lucky I am to be with you.. you’re the man of my dreams, you know?”
“어?” Taehyung turns slightly red at the confession. “And not Park Hyunsik-ssi?” He teases, knowing the many occasions she fawned over his hyung while they watched his drama.
YN giggles, “Yes. You have all that I want..” She begins to caress his cheek as he places a kiss on her clothed tummy. “The fact.. the fact you came all the way to Paris and we are going to spend the next week together backpacking makes me excited.”
“I can’t wait for our cottage in the Netherlands. I finished the reservation this morning,” He confesses while stroking her hip. “If we could.. maybe.. maybe we could extend our trip?”
“I wouldn’t say no to that.” YN doesn’t miss a beat. Taehyung’s boxy smile spreads across his face as he climbs up to kiss all over her lips in appreciation.
Taehyung smiles as he pecks her lips quickly. “Let’s drink some of the champagne and spend tonight coolly. I want to enjoy this. And you.”
“We should shower first...” she agrees with a smile as she wraps her arms around his shoulders to peck his lips. “I can order the room service too. Strawberry cheesecake?”
“And steak.” He chuckles as he thinks of their fruit: strawberries had been a deciding factor for the two of them. “I’ll head in now.”
“Mmm~.” She sing songs to him before brushing her nose against his.
Two showers, one call to the front desk, and a knock at the door later, the two lovers sit across from each other cross legged as they feast on steak, potatoes, chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne. It is nothing short of a midsummer night’s dream and a memory that neither of them had wanted to get. The lilting tone of Sarah Vaughn plays in the background as YN listens intently to Taehyung talk about the latest episode of Adventures of BTS. He was so talkative when he was excited about something.
“And Jimin-ah! He could tell that Yoongi-hyung was falling a bit behind so he decided to stop walking. It’s a surprise that hyung had tolerated this much from us.” Taehyung laughs as he takes a sip of his accompanying soft drink, Coca Cola, while smiling. It was rare that he felt this comfortable when someone outside of Bangtan or his family, but this was why he loved YN. He felt safe and secure and he knew that her commitment to him was unwavering just as his was to her. “I’m talking too much about them.. aren’t I?”
YN shakes her head with a giggle. “Tae.. I know how much you love them. I don’t mind.” She beams as she steals another chocolate strawberry despite Taehyung whining earlier about wanting the dark chocolate one.
“Yah! You are just saying that to eat all the dark chocolate ones.. you haven’t even touched the white ones.” His smile crinkles up into moon crescents are how much of a baby she was. He always liked how youthful she was. It was reinvigorating for him to be unapologetically himself with someone who did the same.
YN is chewing on the tarty delicacy, “What? Ngh, no-“ She says as she pops another in her mouth. Taehyung only stares at her blankly for a moment before the smile returns to his face.
“Since you look cute wearing my shirt as you eat my food, I will let it slide.” He says with small chuckle. His free hand taps against the small nightstand table that they had turned into a restaurant platter.
YN shifts in the ribbed chair and leans forward. “Then let me feed you!” She bats her lashes in her particular way that makes Taehyung go weak in the knees. She takes the initiative to bring her chair closer to his and leans forward, “Say Ahh~”
“Ah~” He song songs to her back to her in perfect key as his mouth makes a circular shape. His eyes are large and doe-like when they make eye contact. Her heart flutters like the first time.
YN picks up a medium-sized strawberry dipped in chocolate and brings it to his mouth for him to bite into it. The action is so innocent, but Taehyung aims to tease his baby whenever he can. He purposely bites into the tart fruit so that the juice coats her her fingers and his mouth before taking her fingers to lick the access chocolate-infused strawberry residue.
“Delicious,” He whispers as his eyes never leave hers. He knew how easy it was to charm her. She was wrapped around his finger.
YN bites down on her lip. If it were not for his teasing nature, she would have been perplexed by the blatant act of submission from him. The two of them often tried to outdo each other, but Taehyung’s strength and habit of spanking had considerable influence. “Do I taste good?”
“Show me.” He plays along, but he raises a brow knowingly as though to provoke her. The reaction his sly move elicits comes in the form of her returning her gaze back to her steak and bubbling on it shyly. His baby.
A few glasses of champagne later, Taehyung is tipsy. Despite not being one for alcohol, there was a certain charm about champagne and the girl that he loved that made the night all the more wondrous. Her presence in itself was intoxicating, but the sparkling alcohol softened the edge.
“Let me show you a trick, jagi.” Taehyung chirps to her as he opens the bottle with his signature move. It takes a mere flick of the wrist and a smug grin to make her laugh at how dorky, but cute he was. “Was Oppa cool?”
“Mmm. Was he?” YN likes to tease him, tapping her cheeks. She had no interest in drinking, but she was always eager to look after Taehyung if the time was right.
The lack of a compliment makes his lips pout; the small action complementing his hair that falls over his eyes. “You don’t think Oppa is cool?” His voice becomes higher in tone and he squeezes her hand to pull her closer.
It was rare, but seeing Taehyung as a clingy boyfriend threw her heart into triple time. His grip on her hand was light, but still firm when he pulls her close and holds her in his arms. “Oppa.. I think you are cool..”
“아? 맞아요?” He asks with a small grin spreading across his face as he admires her soft features. The little debbtails about her are endearing and makes him want her even more. He giggles - a rare feat that he feels only with her.
“오빠가 예뻐요.” YN whispers to him as she pecks his lips faintly. It is the times like this: when YN is in his lap and her arms are wrapped around his shoulders in a tight embrace that he feels the safest.
The compliments makes him turn even more red and his face scrunches up into the sweetest arrangement possible. “아이고... 하지마..” The satoori drawl is evident when he speaks; the Standard Seoul accent that he picked up after years of living in Seoul gone from how flustered he feels.
“My baby boy is so pretty,” She presses on while stroking his cheeks gently. Each touch leaves a trail of scarlet and Taehyung thinks he might faint from how charming she is. “Oppa is my baby boy.. right?”
Under normal circumstances, he would never give in to being her baby boy. He liked to think of himself as her protector, her lover, the one who was her equal and caregiver. He had been raised where the man always took control and stepped up to the plate when necessary, but taking a break from that was something he liked to do once in a while. Especially with her.
“맞아..” he whispers into her chest so that he can hear her heartbeat. It beats to the same cadence and he wonders if he has ever felt this alive before.
YN smiles alluringly in his direction and begins to push his hair back from his forehead to kiss his hairline. “Are you tired baby? We can rest-“
“No! I want to be awake for every moment with you.” He whispers as he nuzzles his face between her breasts before looking up at her. “I want to do something fun.”
YN hums, “Something fun?” This earns her a quick nod. “How about this.. remember the Van Gogh paint set I bought? Let’s work on that!”
His eyes immediately light up and he nods. He had been eyeing the set earlier, but figured waiting until Seoul when YN was no longer there would remind him of the lovely excursion in Paris. “Let’s do that!”
The excitement Taehyung feels bubbles through him as he carries her to the bed and then rushes to his luggage to take out the set she had tucked away. He moves so fast that his white shirt bunches where his plaid pajama pants begin before walking back to the bed where YN lays in one of his white shirts and briefs.
“You can do Almond Blossoms and I’ll do Cafe Terrace at night!” He exclaims as he begins to move the table and lay out the protective paper onto the floor.
YN watches him with a smile before rushing to the bathroom to retrieve water for the brushes. “You remembered how much I love Almond Blossoms.”
“I know you love Rococo paintings the most.. and that one reminds me the most of it,” He admits shyly as he lays out the two canvases and mixed the colors eagerly. “Jagi?”
YN gives a noncommittal hum in response as she sits down beside him. “Mm?”
“사랑해.” He whispers as he lays his head in her lap as he stares up at her. “I love you.. so .. so much.” He whispers while kissing her hand.
“I love you too. More than anything or anyone else in this world.” She whispers to him quietly before pecking his forehead. “Let’s paint.”
Taehyung giddily paints with his head in her lap the warm hues that contrast with the cool color to create a nice depth in perspective. Still bubbly, his right hand never leaves her while he paints with his left. The little things like this made him happy that he was ambidextrous.
“You paint so well, Tae!” She exclaims as she looks over from her own painting to take a glance at his. It mimicked the original perfectly and she is reminded of the immense talent that Taehyung has into everything.
Taehyung blushes at the compliment and wraps her hand over his heart. “Do you know how fast my heart beats whenever you say things like this?”
“I say it from my own heart to yours.” She replies with a small giggle as she brushes her nose against his own repeatedly. “I love you~.”
Taehyung giggles as he shifts to paint his initials onto her palm. “Mmm~ and now you are mine.” This prompts her to use her own brush to draw on his cheek.
“And now you are mine!” YN chirps in reply as they both burst into fits of laughter. His heart was racing instantly. “We are even now.”
Taehyung sits up before attacking her with tickles, while still being careful not to ruin the paintings as he climbs on top of her.
“Tae-taehyung!” She says in a fit of laughter as she holds on to him while trying to get away from him, but she never goes too far.
The next morning, YN awakes from her slumber with Taehyung spooning her tightly. He always was a late sleeper, but he slept like a baby when he did. It makes her happy to see him content when they would exchange their struggles amongst each other in the best way an idol and a student could.
Being the little spoon had its own merits when it came to having warmth and the security of having someone there, but it also proved a struggle when trying to get get out of the bed in the morning. It is even more pressing when Taehyung snuggles himself deeper into her neck with a small whine of “아닌데..”
“Tae.. I have to pee.” She whines in response as she shifts to look at his sleepy eyes. Once more, the pout from last night is there and she remembers the cute displays of aegyo paired with Taehyung’s whining that kept her amused the entire night.
Not one to judge, Taehyung says two words only: “Hold it.”
She bursts into laughter before squirming out of his embrace and wiggling out of the bed to stand up. “I’ll just order breakfast for us after, okay?”
Taehyung opens one eye of defiance and nods. “Okay.” He says simply as he cuddles the pillow to envision that it is her.
Eating together was the staple of their time together as Taehyung often asked to be fed and desired to feed her at every moment. His love language made him eager to give, but being in the receiving end made him happy too. The little domestic things, such as eating crepes in bed while they talked excitedly about what they should do for the rest of the day set both of their hearts aflame.
“Let’s go shopping.” YN suggests. The three words make Taehyung do a double take. For as long as he had known her, he knew the rarity in YN desiring to shop. “I want to buy you a present..”
Taehyung pouts slightly. “Yah.. I don’t want you to spend your money on me.”
“Tae.. I am buying you something.” She chirps as she feeds him another crepe and leans forward to wipe the powder from his upper lip.
Not to be outdone, Taehyung holds up his finger. “On one condition.. I buy you something too.. I have a date planned for us tonight and you need a new dress.”
“A new dress?” She raises a brow to her hairline. Being in Paris was one thing, but with the style that Taehyung had, the dress would no doubt be a more than a month’s salary.
“Let me spoil you... please?” He asks in a soft tone as he takes her hand in his and kisses the back of it. “You will love it. I promise.”
Always one to give in, she only nods when he sends her his boxy smile. “Fine..”
Unbeknownst to her, Taehyung knew that tonight would be one to forever change their lives. Tonight was the night that he would propose to her and she would be his forever. The cross between lover to fiancée was what he anticipated the most each time he thought of the diamond ring burning a hole in his suitcase.
“I think you look beautiful,” Taehyung says as he loops his fingers into the fabric of the little black dress. The pout on her lips is evident from the knowledge of the price tag. She knew Taehyung and his appetite for fashion knew no bounds, but this?
YN turns slightly red as she looks in the mirror to turn slightly. “You really think so? The price.. Ah..”
“You don’t have to worry about it.. do you know how happy you have made me these passed three years as your boyfriend? No monetary amount can be put on that.” He whispers in her ear as he snakes his arms around her. “You look absolutely beautiful..”
“When did you learn to speak so prettily?” She asks with a visible pout as they sway from side to side. He has long discarded his tan jacket to feel more of her warmth.
Thank the heavens that the personal shopper had sensed the emotions running rampant and took an exit stage left.
“I wanted to sound like a native speaker.. you started learning Korean too.” He chuckles into her ear as he pulls back to spin her around. “I think you look amazing.. you have to wear this tonight.”
YN hums in reply, “Oh? You like this that much?”
“I love it,” He says with a small grin. The dress was simple, yet elegant. It was her style and complimented the more bold choices that Taehyung wore. “It’s classy and chic... just like you.”
YN turns to face him and bites her lip. “Sometimes it feels like you do all the giving and I just receive.. you wouldn’t even let me buy you that scarf from Gucci.”
“Jagi, I told you I don’t want you spending your money.” He whispers as he strokes her cheek gingerly. “Besides, your curves look amazing in this dress.”
YN plays with the hem of the dress. “I’m surprised you chose this one.. you are usually more.. traditional.” She raises a knowing brow.
“It’s only because I know you will look better without it on.” He whispers into her ear before clicking his tongue. His tone drops a single octave, making her feel weak in the knees as he tilts his head to the side.
YN stares into his eyes, instantly detecting the seduction he was doting out for her. The tension was real and never was it more prominent when his hand danced along her thigh. “Then make haste on your promise.”
“We’re done shopping here!” Taehyung exclaims as he is greeted with the familiar Coco Chanel mnemonic.
“Wow,” is all that Taehyung can say as he watches YN step out of the bathroom. For years, he had seen her as his darling girlfriend with the adjective ‘adorable’ enshrined with every thought of her. The allure of her charms manifested whenever she taught him something new, such as the sun’s ray of light is only what we feel eight minutes after it has passed, or her being flirty while toying with his hair and calling him his favorite honorific. However, this? The level of beauty that she was presenting to him was transcendent and left him resorting to the darkest parts of his desires.
And who was he to say no to them?
YN feels a bit confident when she sees the surprised look on Taehyung’s face. She watches as it contorts from surprise into a look of satisfaction with the slightest hint of smugness. “I look good, don’t I?”
“So good,” He whispers as he crosses the path to snake his arms around her to draw her flush against his chest. “Almost do not want to leave here.. What if we just stay here?” He asks while pulling her to his lap and toying with the excess fabric of the dress. It’s amusing to him how it hugs her in all the right places and is reminded of what he has always known. She is beautiful both inside and out.
YN laughs, “The restaurant you booked for us will not take kindly to your cancelling.” She jokes playfully as she smooths out his blazer and pecks his lips. “Which… you still have yet to tell me which one it is or where it is?”
“Because I know you and that you would micromanage every detail and I can’t have my little jagi doing that~” He sing songs to her with a small smirk pressing on his lips. “Just now that we are not overdressed and tonight is going to be perfect.” And he means every word of it.
The drive to Le Jules Verne is nothing short of eventful, just as everything has always been when it comes to Taehyung. He could barely keep his hands off of her; the moment the taxi driver arrived, he was snaking his arms around her waist to hold her close and drawing small circles over her thigh absentmindedly. The nibbles along on her ear led to the string of giggles that never seemed to end the more that he kissed her and the caress against her bum was enough to make her turn red and whine to him the the taxi driver would see.
Taehyung could care less.
Tonight would be the night that he would pop the question, completely unbeknownst to her. He knew that Paris was the place for lovers, the place where reality and fantasy intersected in the west way possible. He also knew of her eagerness to practice her French while turning back to look at him and ask, ‘Did I look cool?’ as he smiled back to her in reassurance. Just seeing her smile was enough to bring him to his knees, but the way that she loved him ardently and never sacrificed what they had for the thoughts of others - that was what made him get on one knee to propose.
Their relationship had not been an easy one. Time and time again, insecurities flared during the long periods apart. Furthermore, despite ARMY being very loving and accepting in general to any and all of the loved ones that Bangtan adored, there had been many who loathed her with a passion and wanted to depreciate their love for each other with every possible excuse. Hoards of ARMYs swearing she did not love him enough when she did not attend a Korean university to be nearer to him. A long list of people complaining how she spent only the summer in Seoul for the sole purpose of keeping Taehyung away from the fans and the sole reason for his frowns when the smiles did not appear fast enough in interviews. The worst of it all had been them flooding her social media with hate comments, demeaning her personality, looks, and intellect to the point where private seemed the only viable option and even that opted for screenshots of her (rare) stories.
The fights had been terrible, especially when Taehyung began to question if she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her worries of ‘not being good enough’ often fostered in her offering to set him up with other people or ‘let him go to find someone to make him happier’. His own insecurities began to flourish when she admitted that she did not turn to him first when it times of need and it festered when she told him that he no longer made her happy: nothing did.
Nevertheless, the two persevered to be where they were now: Paris in the springtime. With his fingers entwined with hers while walking through the entrance of the Eiffel Tower to the second floor haute French restaurant, nothing could compare to the giddiness he was feeling. He is keenly aware of the coruscating lights that dot the beautiful structure, the epitome of Paris, and how bright her eyes look when she sees it It was her first time. It was her first time and she was able to experience with him.
“It’s.. It’s beautiful!” Her voice almost falls completely silent while staring up at the breathtaking structure built of iron widgets and the soul of France. Years of imagining her life in the romantic city is more than enough to bring her to tears and she covers her mouth. “Taehyung..” She whispers chastely as she turns to him.
Taehyung sends her a small boxy smile, just as he always had. The reliability of his grin was more than enough to make her feel more secure than ever. He does not budge when she throws herself into his arms and kisses the top of her forehead repeatedly. “I’m so glad that I get to experience your first time here… You look so beautiful when you’re happy.” He whispers as he shifts to peck her lips, “Now.. let’s get inside and we can walk around a bit more. Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She smiles warmly as she holds on to him tightly with a fluttering heart and they make their way up the stairs and to the elevator.
After ordering their finest wine and the specialty, YN is left under the watchful eye of Taehyung. His stare was dark and alluring as he initiated hooky under the table. There was nothing that he loved more than to see her flustered because of him. There was something endearing about the way she was innocent to his dark desires.
Sexual encounters were not a forgotten moment for Taehyung the few times that they happened. The chemistry was there, no doubt, when his hand ghosted over her hip and he gave her the look prior to his voice octaves dropping. Her soft voice murmuring Oppa was more than enough for him to lose all control.
“You’ve been staring at me,” YN murmurs with a blush as she brings the caramelized onion to her lips.
Taehyung chuckles as he looks at her and unbuttons his suit as he returns back to his coq au vin. “It’s hard for me not to.. you look breathtaking tonight, just as you always do.”
His words send a flame across her cheeks and she finds herself growing even more shy in the process.
“I don’t think I will be able to control myself tonight.” He confesses after a sip of champagne and leans forward. “I couldn’t stop thinking about our time in Seoul.. after the final concert.”
She did not know that it were possible, but she becomes the definition of red. She knew exactly what he meant: the concert adrenaline has rushed through Taehyung the night as he brought her back to his hotel room and ate her out for hours. He even refused to let her reciprocate after tugging at his hair repeatedly from the overstimulation. He let her fuck his face until she cried and murmured something about it not being the last time before falling asleep.
“I remember how pretty you sounded.. moaning 오빠 like the good girl you are. I even taught your stubborn self manners..” he drawls as his knee parts hers with a seductive purr. “I bet you’ll sound even prettier tonight.”
It takes everything in YN to not choke in reply to words of a siren. That was what Taehyung was, eager to make her his and submit to him. “I think it’s time you sound pretty too.”
“I want to.” He deadpans once his wine is finished and nods for the waiter to bring their dessert. “Let’s have dessert on the patio.”
“Patio?” YN asks with furrowed brows prior to dabbing the napkin across her lips for any excess residue.
Taehyung nods as he takes her hand and brings her up. “Yes. We have to go right now.” He sing songs as he guides her to the biggest surprise of her life.
The proposal.
The ground is peppered with pink roses making a makeshift trail as Taehyung walks with their fingers entwines and his head is beating in triple time. Violins greet them with ‘winter bear’ playing lightly in the background to contribute more to the overall serenity. He had meticulously thought of everything by from the strawberry cheesecake dessert in the center of the patio and the flowers surrounding it. Would she say yes? Surely she would.
“Taehyung.. is this for us?” She asks, never letting go of his hand as she walks to the table with him and rests her arms in the table.
Taehyung nods as he picks up a fork and lifts a small bite of cheesecake to her mouth to feed her. “It is.. I thought you may enjoy the scenery a bit more.”
“You can see everything from here.. I would have never expected to be blessed with this view.” She confesses with a flustered look on her face. “I mean that ardently.. you make me feel secure.”
Taehyung smiles as he leans his head on her shoulder to feed her more. “I hope that I can always give you that security.. for the rest of our lives.”
“I hope so too.” She whispers as she picks up a strawberry that looks much larger than the others and her brows furrow. “This one is cute.”
His heart races. His ring was placed in the makeshift strawberry: this was the moment. “I think you should cut it, first.”
YN nods as she cuts into the juicy strawberry. She is careful to do so, having already an inkling of where this would be going. Was he proposing to her?
She nearly faints when she sees the silver band in the strawberry and to turns to see a beaming Taehyung. Her voice cracks in her throat, “T-taehyung.”
He sends her a warm smile as he gets down on one knee and he takes his hand out of his pocket. “YN-Ah..”
YN’s own heart is racing faster than ever as she fights back the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes. “Tae.. Taehyung-Oppa..”
“Since the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were someone special in my life.” He begins as he thinks back to the words he spent countless times reciting to sound like a native speaker. “In the beginning, I thought of you as someone who I needed to take care of, to protect, and love, because you were so fragile.”
“But I was wrong.. you were so much more than a girl that I wanted to love. You were your own person and you never let me or anyone else dictate your life... I was never your only goal.. you loved me for me and continued to be yourself authentically whether or not it the outlook was pretty.” He licks his lips as his grip on the forehead velvet box tightens. “We had our own ups and downs, but that was what made us stronger. I showed you the ugliest parts of myself and you did the same. We learned to love each other as people first and then lovers.”
“They say love is blind and can change your perception of the world if you are not careful, but my vision became perfect when it came to you. You learned to read my emotions, understand the little things about me that I did not understand myself, and reminded me what it meant to be Kim Taehyung, not V. You gave me the normalcy that my job took away.. you even gave me that card.” He laughs as he tried to think of the name. “Bend.. bend a.”
She can’t help but smile with the way he looks at her knowingly. She always would correct him. “Ventra.. and you loved the CTA.” She laughs in the midst to stop herself from being on the brink of tears. How could he be charming even while cracking a joke?
“The experiences we have had together helped me grow.. the times I felt isolated and alone, you were there to be strong even when you struggled too.” His thoughts drift back to her wiping away her own tears to console him, the reassurance that he needed was given to him. “You taught me how to be strong.. you taught me how to continue to go on when I no longer could fight anymore because as long as I had you, I had someone worth fighting for.”
“My parents.. they love you.” He says with a small grin on his face. “My family has been the only consistent entity that I have had since I became an idol. That was what I thought until I met you. You even began to learn Korean just to communicate with us at family dinner.. when you did that, I knew that I needed you as my wife.”
“The sacrifices you’ve made to be with me have been great and not once have I ever thought of taking them for granted. Jagi.. you’re one in a billion and I am never going to let you go.” He smiles warmly. “I love all your little habits. I love how you overplan everything and even included me in them.” This earns him a shy chuckle. “I like how you treat Yeontan like our baby and swaddle him despite him hating it.. I like when you wake up at six in the morning to bake me cakes just because you feel like it.. the times you smile without reason and how infectious your laugh is.”
“It is the way you ask me about little decisions just to remind me that my opinion matters and how you keep me grounded.” He has to bite back his lip. “When I felt like giving everything up, you put my head in your lap and held me as I cried. You told me that you would always be there for me and that you would love me no matter what my decision was. I learned you loved me for me when I could not love myself that way.”
“So with this ring, I am asking you to not only be my wife, but to continue being my best friend, the mother of my children, and soulmate until our last breath. I will love you until the day I die.. for.. I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.. so YN LN. will you marry me?”
YN is brought to tears when he finishes. The trip down memory lane has made her feel all the more tied to him and she never wants to let go of him, ever. “Yes.. yes.. a million times yes!” She says as Taehyung stands to his full height and places the ring onto her finger.
“사랑해.” He whispers into her ear as he kisses her deeply. He wants to transmit every bit of emotion that he feels for her into the kiss with a shaking heart. He wants her to know that she is his first and his last. “정말 사랑해. 난 절대 널 떠나지 않을 거야.” he whispers quietly into her ear and rubs the small of her back.
(trans. I love you so much. I never will leave you. )
After the engagement, the two lovers spent a few moments admiring the view of the Eiffel Tower for a few solemn moments. It was in this moment that they felt infinite and that the world could not throw anything in their way to stop their happiness. How many people were blessed to find their soulmate? Their better half? And all without compromising themselves as people? It was transcendent.
The ride back home goes off without a hitch; the two eagerly embracing each other in every way possible in the backseat as their emotions begin to bubble up. They had taken it to the next level: engaged to be married!
“I want you so bad,” He whispers into her ear with a grunt in the elevator as his hand finds chase on her thigh. All he can think about is making love to her as his fiancée. The dress wraps around her curves like a glove and he thinks she will look so much better without anything on. “Want your pretty mouth moaning my name as I eat you out.”
She gasps as he presses her against the mirrored elevator with his face buried in her neck to leave a hickey. Taehyung had a terrible habit of marking her, especially where anyone could see. She once loathed turtle necks, but with his habit, there was no choice but to give in the the made her feel so good.
“Can’t wait to fill you up with my cum,” He grunts into her ear as he parts her legs with his knee to grind his hard member against her clothed sex. Normally refined, Taehyung was a man starved. “You’re not going to remember any other name but mine when I am done with you, jagi.”
He grips her hips to grind her forward to show how hard he was, “Look at how fucking hard oppa is for you. You like seeing your oppa wanting you?” He does not stop his ministrations when the elevator door opens and guides her to their Parisian suite that he seemed to know like the back of his hand.
“I love it so much, Taehyung.” She moans as he presses her against the door and fumbles to get the room key from his blazer. The lack of honorific makes him growl before leaving another love bite on her shoulder. “I-I mean oppa.”
He chuckles darkly once the door is open and pulls her in swiftly to pin her against the door. “I guess I have to remind you who you belong to then.. huh?” He asks smugly.
“You’ll look so good with my cock buried inside of you..” He whispers before hoisting her up and carrying her to the bed. He moves at the speed of lightning, kissing along her inner thigh while undoing her shoes without much trouble. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to make love to you? And now I get to do it as my wife.”
“Wife-to-be…” She corrects as he lifts the dress over her hips and makes her sit up.
Taehyung scoffs, “Wife.” He repeats quietly before attacking her with another kiss. His hands roam around her body, focusing on each crevice and curve that entices him more while grinding his cock against her wet sex. She was practically dripping when his fingers slipped between her satin underwear. “You’re so wet for me already?”
“Mmm.” She moans while looking at him, “Let me take care of you first.. oppa.”
Her purr makes Taehyung stop for a moment. As a man who loved to be in control, he did not want to stop himself from eating her out for hours and then thrusting into her tight cunt for the first time. Yet, the offer is far too enticing when he remembers how her pretty lips look wrapped around his cock and he can’t say no.
So he doesn’t.
Taehyung rolls off of her to admire how she looks in her lacy black bra with matching panties. Every curve of her body is evident and he knows that he has hit the absolute jackpot. How could anyone be that intelligent, charming, and sexy? Her worries of always being the lesser in the relationship were ill-founded.
“I bet oppa can’t wait to get his fat cock sucked by his princess, can he?” She provokes him with the vulgar language while unbuckling his belt and tossing it to the side. He sits back, amused, at the seductive sway of her hips. “Lift your hips.”
She does so without problem.
She remains on her knees as she begins to stroke the underside of his cock through his boxers. Her eyes then avert from his nether regions to his eyes with a shy smile, “You should tell me how it feels.”
“And let you know how good you are making me feel? Aish..” He groans, the satoori lacing into his words while grinding his hips into her palm for more friction. “Don’t tease me…. I want to feel how tight you feel around my big, fat cock when you clench so hard around my fingers.”
YN remains amused as she rests an elbow on his knee and lets her head rest on her left hand, “You like knowing that you’re the only person to be inside of me.. don’t you?”
“I fucking love it,” He grunts when she flicks her wrist just the way he likes it and it has him jutting his hips slightly more forward in the process. “Want to fill you up so badly… I want to cum inside of you.”
The lewd confession makes her turn red, but it only ignites her confidence to push forward as she tugs his boxers down to her ankles to be met with his standing cock that slaps his stomach. His dress shirt is crinkled and the blazer at his shoulders sags down as he stares at her knowingly.
“Be a good girl and suck my cock, won’t you?” He asks with the tone of a siren. He is alluring in all ways, the dark stare I this eyes and the smug look from looking down at her. It turned him on to see the girl with such high standards and work ethics reduced to his good girl wrapped around his finger.
And he knew she liked it too.
YN hollows her cheeks as she begins to pump the base of his cock. She can almost feel how wet she is when small moans of pleasure begin go erupt from Taehyung. She loved how his deep voice sputtered with each stroke of her tongue.
“Fuck, fuck, just like that.” He grunts in pleasure as his hips buckle forward to hit the back of her throat. “Such a good girl and all for me.” He rasps before slapping her ass.
Taehyung has to wonder how she’s gotten better at sucking cock for a few moments before he pushes her off when he feels a knot begin to form in his stomach.
“Want to eat your pretty pussy out,” He says as he picks her up and pins her against the satin sheets. Her cheeks flush red at his lewd words and he asks himself how he managed to be so lucky to have a girl like her.
He quickly discards the black lingerie that adorns her skin and he mentally thanks himself for sneaking it in last minute. It hugs her every curve and he only wants more of her. All thoughts of before disappear once he spreads her knees and places an open mouthed kiss over her wet cunt.
“아름다운,” He whispers before spitting onto her cunt and takes her fully into his mouth. The reaction is instantaneous when she nearly folds into two and he laughs in response. It sends a vibration against her clit which only makes it more amusing to him when he has to hold her still. “Baby, stay still.”
Before she can protest, he flicks her clit with his tongue and never looks away from her with such intensity that she feels like she will faint. Kim Taehyung was a force to be reckoned with and she had no qualms learning how to reckon him. He draws figure eights over the hem of nerves to elicit a string of whimpers from her.
“Tae - tae -taehyung-“ she chokes out when he decides she is to his liking and begins to thrust a finger inside of her tight, wet cunt.
Taehyung pins down her leg to rest his chin on top of it. “How do you call me properly?”
“Taehyung!” She cries when he adds another finger and thrusts deeper into her. She was so tight that it made him wonder if he would fit.
“Taehyung.. what..” he provokes in a darker tone. “Be a good girl and say it. Just me and you here.” He adds another finger and increases his speed. She’s almost a sobbing mess when he purposely brushes against her g-spot. “자기~.”
She squirms more in his embrace to cause more friction, but it is to no avail. “Taehyung.. 제발..” she whimpers to him. “오빠..” she cracks.
“Good girl,” Taehyung whispers before curling his fingers inside of her and soon she completely becomes putty in his arms. She cums all over his fingers, her hips still twitching with he brushes the inside of her folds. “괜찮아?”
YN nods as her chest rises and falls periodically. “Yes..” she sits up before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulls him on top of her. “I’m ready,”
“I know you are.” He teases as he shows her the white substance that coats his fingers and licks it slowly. “You taste like you’re ready too..”
“I want to be on top.” She says before using all her pressure to climb on top of him. Despite knowing her nature, it still throws Taehyung for a loop.
Taehyung thinks she’s sexy when she takes charge. He likes it even more when she lets him guide her hips onto his throbbing cock that was beginning to drip precum .
“I’m on the pill,” YN says with a blush on her cheeks.
Taehyung chuckles for a moment as he continues to stroke the base of his cock for a few moments with the remainder of her cum. “So you knew this would happen?”
“No.. I just thought..” she turns as red as a tomato.
“I’m not really a fan of condoms.” Taehyung confesses with a chuckle. “So I like the idea of fucking your tight pussy raw.. but I’ll pull out just to be sure.”
“Mmm,” she nods as she finally sinks down so just the head of his cock was pressing against her folds. “Fuck..”
“You can take more..” Taehyung coos as he pushes her hair behind her shoulder to begin leaving kitten licks across her collarbone.
“I can.. you’re so big..” she whimpers as she places her hand in his shoulders to take more of him. Taehyung has to take a sharp breath when she clenches around him so hard. She wasn’t even at half of his cock yet and he felt like he was seeing stars.
Taehyung smiles at her, “Your pussy is all wet and tight.. just for me, yeah?” He asks with a click of his tongue. He was growing a bit impatient with this; how could he focus when she was clenching around him so tightly?
“Shit..” she whispers one last time before sinking onto his cock completely. Her walls cling around taehyung tighter than ever, making him want him to take all of her.
“Can I thrust up?” He asks, eager to move. She felt so good around him that he struggled to keep his self control.
She gives him a commital hum of approval, “Mm,” She can barely think straight when his hands up both of her hips to piston his hips deeper into her tight sex. She can feel his pulsating cock as it begins to fill her walls, “Fucking hell Taehyung-“
“You sound so pretty when you take my cock like the good girl you are,” He rasps prior to slapping her ass. His grip only tightens with each thrust; each of his actions only embolden when he hears her soft mewls of pleasure. “Who knew you were a good cockslut for me, huh, baby?”
“Oh - shut up -“ She can barely choke out the words when Taehyung brushes against her g-spot ever so slightly.
What a fucking tease he was.
Taehyung is not fairing any better than her, especially not when her walls clench around his throbbing cock. As generous as he is, it’s hard for him to not chase after his own high when she makes him feel this good. He seriously thinks he must have saved the country in his past life to have all of her to himself.
“Just like that, babygirl. You feel so tight around me. I bet you’ll be cumming all over my fat cock soon. Huh?” He remarks cockily as his fingers find her clit to draw figure-eight’s on the sensitive bud. She nearly doubles over from how well he seems to know.
Each time he thrusts into her, he bottoms out inside of her to the point of no return. “T-taehyung-“ She stammers out, “I’m close-“
“Fuck, me too baby.” His voice lowers an octave from the pleasure that was soon to arrive. “Can’t wait to cum all over you,”
His thrusts become quicker in speed as he repeatedly begins to hit her g-spot; each time sending her into another wave of pleasure. Her hips ritochet from how good it feels.
“I’m c-cumming,” She chokes out as her arms wrap around his shoulders, holding him tighter from the impending euphoria. No one even came close to making her feel this good. Ever.
Smirking, Taehyung knows all too well. “You can’t wait for me like a good girl, huh?” It’s a shock that his voice manages to stay stable when his cock is seconds away from exploding with pleasure. “I’m close too baby-“
“Fu-fuck!” She stutters out with another thrust of Taehyung’s hips into her wet core before she soon cups all over his cock. She wilts into his arms while lazily lifting her hips to the same cadence of Taehyung’s pistoning hips.
The wind is nearly knocked out of him as he pulls out of her quickly as his own high rapidly rushes toward him. Her pussy was so wet and tight that it was milking him for all that he had, “Fuck-“ He grunts as he pumps his cock once, twice, three times before spilling onto his stomach.
Only the sound of heavy breathing fills the suite as Taehyung pulls her close into his arms and kissing her temple.
“You’re sticky,” She whines with a pout as Taehyung only laughs in response.
“You should help me clean up.” He provokes with a brow raise at the girl.
Never one to back down from a challenge, she only rolls her eyes in faux disapproval. “You know where that will leave us..”
“I do,” He whispers as he stares into her eyes with that longing look of his he had always sent her. “It’ll leave us together. Here. In Paris,” He always had been too romantic for his own good, too romantic for her to say no to any of his ideas.
“And if we end up spending all of our time on top of each other? Instead of actually exploring Paris?” She presses on; the chase was always fun between the two of them. The push and pull only end up right back with one another.
“Mmm. We’ll always have Paris.” Taehyung whispers lazily before closing the distance between the two of them with a full heart and a new petal of lust blooming in his chest.
- - - - -
Don’t be a stranger and let me know what you think! Let me know if there should be another part too.
#taehyung smut#taehyung fluff#taehyung angst#taehyung x reader#bts x reader#v x reader#v x you#taehyung x oc
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Strawberries
Restaurant AU!
Pairing: James Potter x Reader
Word Count: 3k
Warnings: Lewd language, swearing, a small mention of sexual harassment. tooth-rotting fluff.
Summary: You hate being a waitress for rich assholes, but maybe the new line cook will make it a little better
A/n: this is for week three of my Cliche Month. Sorry for being inactive. I suck at time management and have no motivation.
You never aspired to be a waitress. You didn’t sit down in primary school on a ridiculously colorful rug and tell your underpaid depressed teacher that you wanted to wait on prestigious assholes and rich men who thought a 20 dollar tip bought them an ass grab. You never wanted to wait on entitled white women and spoiled brats. But shit happens.
“Yes ma’am I understand but that was last week’s special, we don’t serve it anymore.”
The woman rolled her eyes, “I don’t think you do understand. I said I want the sea bass, just have them make the sea bass.”
You bit back cusses, “I am very sorry ma’am but we don’t have the ingredients in the kitchen to make a sea bass. I can recommend our halibut it’s severed with a delicious mango chutney and-”
“Shut up about the mango crap. She said she wants a seabass, give her a seabass.” The man who sat on the opposite side of the table spoke.
Your smile almost faltered, “Sir, we don’t have sea bass.”
“Then get some.” The man huffed, “There are plenty of stores around.”
You had already taken the fork beside him and jabbed him in the eye in your mind four times, “I am terribly sorry sir, we cannot do that.”
The look on his face could only be described as disgust, “I would like to speak to your supervisor.”
You took in a deep breath, “Sir, he will not say any different.”
“Now girl.” He snapped, his wife’s smirk making you want to smash her champagne glass over her head.
“I will be right back.” You forced a smile, notebook flipping shut as you turned, the click of your heels disappearing into the chatter of diners. You almost rubbed your tired eyes only to remember the makeup which coated them and dropped your hands back to your side. You walked towards the pass of the kitchen, the smell of fish and meats becoming stronger as waiters weaved around you.
“Denzel.” You called, the man in question turning towards you.
He raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
“Can you pretend to be my supervisor?” You asked, “Some idiots still want to order the sea bass.”
“I’m assuming you told them that was last week's special.” He spoke as you began to lead him back to the couple.
“Multiple times.” you sighed.
He nodded smiles finding both of your faces as you stood in front of the table.
“How can I help you both tonight?” He spoke, his voice dramatically shifting tones.
The woman went on to explain your complete incompetence just to hear your friend restate everything you had. She eventually ordered the halibut.
Denzel left thanking them for their cooperation as you went on to take the man's order and pretending not to hear his wife calling you a bitch as you walked away.
You wanted to be a journalist, a warrior of justice. You wanted to expose the one percent, shattering their ivory towers with a mallet of words.
Instead, you served them halibut and ribeyes with a smile as fake as their trophy wives tits.
James had fallen in love with many things in his life but cooking had been the most prevalent. Most hobbies were tossed out windows, they became phases, leaving nothing but footprints in his life. But cooking had been different. Since he was five years old and would hop onto a stepping stool to peer into the cast-iron pan his mother would be sauteing in he had been hooked. By age 10 he was making things like meatballs and stroganoff. At fourteen he began to engage in more complicated dishes and by the time he hit culinary school he was easily the best in class.
Now as he washed his hundredth dish of the night he wondered if all of that love had been for absolutely nothing. When applying for a line cook position at one of the most prestigious restaurants in London he definitely didn’t expect to be stuck as a dishwasher.
James’ hands felt raw from scrubbing, his apron soaked with warm water and unscented soap. His feet were aching in his shoes, his jealousy for those putting together the night’s last desserts burning hot.
He ignored his anger and pushed on, washing plate after plate just to place them into an industrial-sized dishwasher which was supposed to thoroughly clean the dishes which he already spent hours scrubbing. Dessert plates and wine glasses seemed to replace every dinner plate he had washed, his work seeming endless as his coworkers said goodnight and walked out the back door.
It took James another hour to finish. He felt like he could pass out on the kitchen floor. His glasses were a greasy steamed mess as he pushed them back up his nose for the nth time that evening. He sighed out in a mix of exhaustion and relief untying his apron and preparing to leave.
“So you’re the newbie?”
James jumped letting out a small yelp as his heart leapt in his chest.
You let out a snort hand coming to cover your mouth, a poor attempt of hiding your giggles.
“You scared the shit out of me.” James huffed his glare only holding for a moment as you came into focus. Your hair was up in a reckless bun, your waitress uniform slightly crumpled, heels held in your left hand. Yet your cheeks seemed to be painted, the smirk your visage held tantalizing.
“I saw.” You snickered padding past him and dropping your shoes onto a counter with a small clink. You headed for the refrigerator, opening it and scorning over its contents. You finally settled on a container of cut strawberries, which were to be used as a garnish the next day, “You won’t tell will you?” You muttered peeling open the top and snatching a fork from the dishwasher.
James nodded, what for he wasn’t quite sure.
You jumped onto the counter spinning to face him, “Sooo, what’s your name?”
“Uhh, James, James Potter.” He said leaning back onto the sink.
“It’s very nice to meet you, James.” You grinned, “I’m y/n y/l/n.”
An awkward silence followed as you plopped a berry into your mouth, its flavor bursting as you side-eyed the man.
“You’re a line cook right?” You asked, legs swinging in front of you.
James pouted a bit, his cheeks puffing for a brief moment, “Well I’m supposed to be but so far all I’ve done is wash dishes and take out the trash.”
You hummed in understanding, swallowing fruit before speaking again, “They do that to every newbie. They want to make sure you can do the dirty work before they let you burn on the line.”
James started at you, “Really?”
You shrugged, “That’s how it’s always worked.”
“That’s a relief I thought I was going to be stuck doing this shit.” James relished in his found happiness feeling a bit more energized, “Hey what are you doing back here anyway, didn’t most of the waitresses leave like an hour ago?”
“I just had to see if the new cook was as attractive as all the girls said he was.” You grinned.
James felt his cheeks flame, eyes going wide, “Are you serious?”
“No,” You snickered, “I got hungry and didn’t feel like cooking.”
The heat of his cheeks only worsened, “That’s rude.”
You cooed, “Ooh poor baby I’m so sorry I hurt your feelings, are you going to be okay?”
“I don’t know.” James huffed, “I don’t think I can take this harassment.”
The laughter that echoed around him caused a smile to break onto his face.
You suddenly realized he was as attractive as the other waitresses were saying. Even if his hair was a mess and his glasses were smudged.
You hadn’t been lying. By his third week, James was helping with both garnish and desserts. His thirst for cooking finally being fulfilled even by the small tasks he had been given. He was still forced to do dishes at the end of service but usually, someone would help him or even trade-off with him so he could take part in prep.
Most nights when he was left alone in the kitchen you would appear, always claiming to be hungry and that cooking was for “the weak.” so you would raid the fridge instead. You stated many times that veggies and leftover slices of cake were a fine dinner much to James’ distaste.
“That's it.” The newbie announced, hands in the air in mock surrender as you opened a container of cauliflower. “This has to stop.”
Your heart sped in your chest, was he going to turn you in?
“You can’t keep eating shit, I’m going to cook something for you.” James huffed, moving you aside and beginning to pull stuff from the refrigerator.
You lifted your brows, “Are you sure?”
James nodded, “You need to taste actual food.”
You rolled your eyes, “Couldn’t you get in, like, a lot of trouble.”
“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?” He smirked pulling out salmon and bok choy.
“Obviously not.” You huffed taking your usual seat in the counter as James began to work, “What are you making anyway?”
“Asian inspired salmon.” He mumbled, lighting the stove and grabbing a frying pan.
You sat in comfortable silence, watching as he cut the vegetable in half placing it into a pan and the salmon into another. James’ hands moved quickly, not hesitating with the large knives he handled and weaving through the meal as he grabbed seasonings and sauces.
By the time he was pulling the fish from the heat, the kitchen had filled with the scent of soy sauce and warmth.
Grabbing a plate James placed on the salmon followed by the bok choy and the lemon sesame sauce. He wiped the rim with a damp rag and presented it before you with enough dramatics to earn a giggle.
“You’re ridiculous.” You spoke through a smile taking the fork from his offering hand and digging in.
You placed the tender meat into your mouth and was greeted by an explosion of flavors that danced on your tongue like pixie dust. You hummed, a facade of deliberation on your face, “It's overcooked.” You started plainly watching as James’ face dropped. “I’m just kidding it's delicious.” You laughed as James rolled his eyes.
“You are such a dick,” he mumbled, beginning to clean the slight mess he had made.
“What are you doing?” You asked. James gave you a strange look, “Get a fork dumbass, you can’t make rich people food like this and then not eat it.”
The smile that crept onto his face caused wings to erupt in your stomach.
You had always hated teenagers. They were spoiled and greedy and gross. So when an older woman walked in with four 17-year-old boys you had fled the scene. Unfortunately, the waitress head placed you at the table anyway. The second you reached the table all four adolescence had fallen silent and you were positive it wasn’t them being polite. One of them started at your boobs the entire they ordered and you could feel their eyes on your ass as you walked away.
You were used to the gross stares, every waitress was. It didn’t matter how expensive the food was there always seemed to be creeps asking for it. What you had not been prepared for was the boy closest to you to reach out and grab you.
You didn’t hesitate, hand snatching his wrist before he had a chance to fully pull away. The woman the boys were with gasped. You squeezed his arm tight hoping he could feel your nails biting his skin.
“Touch me again and I will cut your hand off. Am I clear?” You hissed, a whimper left the teen’s mouth and you released him. You placed his plate in front of him with a clatter and didn’t waste time walking away.
Your anger didn’t diminish the rest of the night and by the time your shift was over you considered going straight home, a shower and an extra hour of sleep would serve you well.
You glanced into the kitchen, there were three chefs left, James stood in front of the sink smiling at nothing as he always seemed to do. A sigh left your lips, who needs sleep anyway?
“I’ll close up.” You called to the head waitress who shot you a skeptical look.
“You used to hate closing.” She mused, “What’s with the sudden change of heart?”
You shrugged, “Nothing in particular.”
She smirked, “So it has absolutely nothing to do with the new dishwasher?”
Pink bloomed on your cheeks, “He’s a line cook and no it doesn’t.”
“Uh-huh, sure it doesn’t.” She mocked, “If you’re gonna fuck just don’t do it in the kitchen.”
Your face twisted in disgust and you almost dropped the napkins you held, “That is so gross.”
She laughed, dropping the keys on the bar, “If I find any bodily fluids in my office you’re fired.”
“You are disgusting.” You hissed, face hot and she only laughed harder.
You finished cleaning off the remainder of the tables, peeking into the kitchen occasionally as the last two cooks left for the night.
The weight of your exertion hit hard as you entered the kitchen, legs seeming to give out as you bent down to remove your heels.
James noticed your discomfort and let out a chuckle, “Let me.”
You stood up a bit too quickly, head spinning for a second as you were lifted onto the counter, James crouching to slip off your shoes. You sighed leaning back onto your palms.
“Tough day?” he asked, turning back to open the fridge.
You nodded, “Kids are assholes.”
James laughed, “And why's that?”
You yawned eyes watering from its force as you answered, “Well one little highschool shit grabbed my ass.”
James froze, he hand hovering midair as he processed what you had just told him, “What?”
“Oh yeah, entitled rich kids always think they can touch whatever they want. It's why I hate serving teenagers.” You complained not noticing the distress you had put James under.
“This happens regularly?” He was appalled.
“Well not really regularly more like once a month, it’s not always teenagers though,” You explained, “Oo what’s that?”
James set the container of chocolate-covered strawberries in front of you. His mouth still agape “Once a month isn’t regular?”
You huffed, “Can we stop talking about it? It happens to every waitress.”
“Yeah, sorry,” James mumbled watching as you bit into a strawberry, lipstick smearing.
“You going to have one of these?” You asked, holding one between your thumb and pointer finger.
“Sure.” James went to grab the strawberry only for you to pull it away with a grin.
“No, no, I get to feed it to you.” Your smile was sweetly arranged.
Heat tingled on his neck like tv static, “Don’t be ridiculous y/n.”
“Oh come on James, don’t be a pussy.” You taunted waving the fruit in front of him as color painted his cheeks.
He glared at you in mock annoyance as his heartbeat began to run, “Fine.”
You giggled as he took the berry into his mouth, lips barely grazing your fingertips as he pulled away.
James had never been more embarrassed in his life, he chewed the sweet fruit refusing to meet your eyes as you continued to laugh.
“You’re cute ya’ know.” You giggled.
James scoffed, a mix of bittersweet coming from your words, “Whatever.” He walked away from you hiding his flushed face.
You whined, “I’m not joking. You are really cute.”
“Seriously y/n stop,” James spoke, his voice laced with disappointment and melancholy.
You rolled your eyes, “You’re such an idiot James.”
He leaned against the refrigerator as you plopped another berry into your mouth. His arms crossed as a pout you had found yourself obsessed with took his lips.
“A few girls actually did want your number.” You hummed watching as he seemed to perk up, reminding you of a puppy given a toy. “I was supposed to get it for them, but I didn’t really want to.”
James scrunched his brows, “Why not?”
“Cause I wanted your number dumbass.” You scoffed, “I wasn’t about to give it to someone else.” `
This only confused him more, “Why would you want my number?”
A groan lifted from your lips, “Your skull is so thick James. I want your number because you’re cute and funny and all that shit.” your voice fell to a mumble and your eyes became glued to your swinging feet.
“Why didn’t you ask for my number?” James challenged and you felt your already warm face grow hot.
“I was nervous.” You muttered bitterly not liking the vulnerable position you had been put into.
James was suddenly stepping towards you “What was that?” he grinned hand to his ear mockingly.
“You’re enjoying this too much.” You grumbled, “Look I like you, I think you’re cute and sweet and funny now are you going to continue being a dick or give me a proper response?”
James continued to beam, stepping closer to you as you glared up at him with pink cheeks.
“Well, you’re really cute too.” James said, “And I think you were being the dick for making me try to impress you for three weeks only to say you liked me the entire time.”
You were tempted to bury your head in your hands but considering that would mean you breaking his gaze you stopped yourself, “Oh fuck off.” you muttered heart thudding so loud you wondered if James could hear it.
“Is that really what you want?” He questioned already knowing the answer. He leaned over you cupping your cheek.
“Just kiss me already asshole.” You murmured.
James tilted your head up to meet his lips. They were soft and plush, a thousand times better than you imagined them to be nights before. Your thighs parted as his own pressed against the counter between them in desperation to be closer to you. Closed kisses turned to open-mouthed ones, leaving the pleasant taste of strawberries on your tongue.
Taglist:
@accio-rogers @roslea @k3nz-doodl3 @theseuscmander @sleepingalaska @chloe-geoghegan1 @obsessedwithrandomthings @coldlilheart
Masterlist
#harry potter#harry potter imagines#harry potter au#harry potter imagine#harry potter x reader#james potter imagines#james potter x oc#james potter ship#james potter x reader#james potter imagine#james#marauders au#marauders era fic#harry potter marauders#marauders era#marauders imagine#marauders imagines#marauders x you#marauders x reader#marauders x y/n#marauders x oc#james potter#james potter x you#james potter x y/n#harry potter fanfic rec#harry potter fanfiction#fanfiction#fanfic
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I absolutely ♥️ADORE♥️ Scripted and would love to read your director’s commentary for it!
Oh, anon!! 😍 I'm SO THRILLED that you loved Scripted so much, that makes me so happy!! 🥰 Especially that you loved it enough to want to read my "director's commentary" (that phrase makes me laugh, you'd think I created a feature length film all by myself 🤣), so I think I'll skim through the fic - it's been a while since I re-read it - & make a bullet-point list of any special BTS info I can think of 😊 Anddd I'll also put it under a read more cause you know me, I never use one word when one hundred will do 😂
So, the fic itself was inspired by the ending of 5.08 where Liz wakes from her coma to Red reading to her in an armchair as he had been for the past 10 months, it's fine, I'm fine but she still has a ventilator in so she can't talk & instead has to write "how long?" on a piece of paper & her handwriting is super shake-y bc her muscles are so weak (I think Red even helps her hold the pen? It's clearly been a while since I re-watched the ep whoops but ugh, be still my heart.) For some reason, I just latched onto the idea of a mute Liz, really suffering with the implications of everything she went through (since her recovery was so glossed over in the show boo) & Red 1000% being there for her. Mostly, I just wanted to dive into the dynamic of Liz letting Red care for her the way he's always wanted to (without Tom & Agnes btw) to the point where their relationship is unhealthy in its reliance, but neither can see it bc Liz is blocking things out (& unknowingly falling in love with him) & Red is just so thrilled to be able to love & care for her (while already deeply in love with her obvi). So yeah, that was the kind of dynamic & closeness I wanted to explore between them & it was... really fun 😊
The idea of the coma providing the perspective Liz needed to see that Red has always had her best interests at heart & clearly loves her (in addition to the fact that he never left her side or gave up during those 10 months lol peak romance tbh) seemed very organic & logical to me.
I liked the idea of Red & Liz playing board games as a way to pass the time & get to know each other better. It's the kind of casual interaction we were never gifted with in the show & I think they're both competitive in the right circumstances, even if its playfully so.
I liked the idea of Liz being urged to learn ASL, as I'm deaf in one ear & would dearly love to learn it at some point.
The detail of Red sleeping on a cot close enough to Liz's hospital bed that they can hold hands in their sleep was a total guilty pleasure addition & I'm not sorry.
I loved the scene in the beginning where Red is talking to Dembe on the phone in the hallway & Liz is practicing her letters. She's purely doing it so Red doesn't worry & I loved the idea of her being apathetic to everything except Red's concerns, plus I added in the parenthetical of (Red sometimes squints at her k's.) bc I thought it represented that well, but also bc it was just cute af. I also added the little detail of him waving at her through the window at the last minute bc I thought the scene needed something else & once I pictured that, it was too adorable to leave out.
Red handling all the details of Liz's care & transportation without asking (bc he instinctively knew that's what Liz wanted) only to turn around & panic about excluding her seemed like a very RED thing to do & I like how it emphasizes his well-meaning intentions, respect for her preferences, & desire to see her happy, even if she did actually want to leave him lol as if.
I liked the visual of Liz stumbling into Red's arms as she stands from her hospital bed to leave with him (sets a precedent for later) & I also loved the visual of a pen in her ponytail & of course Red using it to flirt a little bc come on.
I remember struggling to write the car ride transition to the lake house. I usually get ideas & visions for specific scenes, moments, or bits of dialogue, so those kind of transition moments are hard for me sometimes. But I liked that I settled on Red helping to ground Liz through touch (again, sets a precedent for later).
Red & Liz playing hangman in the car with Red using the word "fedora" & drawing a suited hangman made me giggle.
I can see the lake house very clearly in my mind, complete with the willow tree, bench, & tiny house (included bc I desperately want a tiny house in real life) & I really enjoyed describing the interior & imagining the joy Red would get out of decorating it with Liz in mind.
Their first night in the house where Liz has her nightmare & Red comforts her - that was a scene I had in mind very early on & I love how it turned out, especially with Liz mouthing "stay with me" into Red's neck, that part gave me All The Feels™.
The "morning after" scene where Liz realizes on some level that she's too dependent on Red is an important moment in the fic & the off-hand detail that at least "she's not going around murdering people & calling it therapy" was a bit of shade to Ruin (which I don't think I ever saw bc I was kind of appalled with the idea lol) I think I posted Scripted after Ruin aired... if not, I guess I'm psychic?? LOL
The breakfast scene - & the fact that Red is preparing every breakfast food known to man bc he's nervous too - is near & dear to my heart. I think that's a pretty pivotal scene since they kind of reach an unspoken agreement & peace &... "things settle after that first breakfast."
I liked the teeny little parenthetical section that comes next as well, which acts as a sort of middle point for the fic.
The next large chunk of the fic was pure indulgence for me. I LOVED writing about all the different things they would do together when it was just the two of them, it was basically a collection of Lizzington headcanons & that's how I sketched them out LOL Here's some notes on them:
I came up with the jigsaw puzzle headcanon (that Liz is bored by them bc they're easy for her bc she's a trained psychologist & easily sees patterns in things) late in the editing process but loved it so much that I included it.
Liz's sandwich preference is actually mine LOL
The Monopoly banter was fun af to write bc I love that game.
The love notes Liz leaves around the house for Red is still an all-time favorite headcanon of mine.
I loved the idea of Red reading to Liz in a foreign language, holding the book only for looks, but not actually reading from it at all & instead professing his love for her. I think I've even used that headcanon in another fic LOL
Their movie nights were also something I was dying to include, especially since they include snacks & cuddles.
Their co-sleeping habits were also something I wanted to include & Liz's newly tactile nature is both a symptom of her dependence on Red & also a guilty pleasure thing for me bc we all wanted more of Red & Liz touching on screen, plus I felt obligated to explain through Red that it wasn't sexual in nature (though if I ever get around to writing part 2, that will change 😉)
Dembe being the one to observe & interfere in their situation was an early scene I imagined as well, that was always going to be the climax of the fic (or at least part 1). I so enjoyed writing about Red & Liz's relationship through his eyes bc he just loves them both & only wants to help them.
Another pivotal scene I imagined early on was Liz having a panic attack with Dembe when she discovers Red has left & that was super engaging to write, as well as the reunion between them which... I pretty much wrote the whole fic with the goal of getting to that lovely angst LOL
Red's resolve to finally urge Liz to speak was heart-breaking to write (so naturally I loved it lol what's wrong with me) & in particular the detail of them eating fruit for lunch before he broaches the topic with her & the parenthetical about it being "a sign from the cosmos that they are meant to be together just because they don't eat each other's favorite fruit" made my heart happy even tho it's stupid LOL & when Red asks her if she would ever try to speak again & she responds with a simple written "Why?" that was a huge moment that I loved the angst of, of course. As well as the absolutely gutting: "Lizzie, I miss your voice."
I liked that Liz needs some time to think & accept everything Red forces her to realize at the end, that was super important to me in the resolution of the fic/part 1 & I tried really hard to include both their mentalities there at the end.
The fact that Red hasn't had a drink since he started caring for Liz also made my shipping heart happy.
And - lastly - the fact that the only thing Liz actually says in the whole fic is Red's name? Yeah 🥲🥲🥲
Welp, there you go, anon, I'm not sure if that was interesting to you at all, but I certainly hope so!! I know that was a lot but... it's a long fic, my longest ever, so I figure it's warranted, right?? 😂 Anyway, thank you so much, both for the compliment of loving Scripted AND for wanting to read more about it, anon, you are so sweet!! 🥰 I hope you enjoyed this & much, much love to you, my friend!! ❤️
Fanfic Writers: Director's Cut
#The Blacklist#Lizzington#fanfic#Scripted#ask game#fanfic writers: director's cut#mine#ask#anon#thank you so much for this my friend!!#:D#i hope you enjoyed this#:)#much much love to you!!#<3
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Wings Talks Manga: A Year in Review, Part 1 (Completed stories)
Last year, I told myself I was going to actually really more manga and watch more anime, because despite it being my main style I hadn’t actually read much in awhile. And I actually managed to get a lot done for one year. So below is a list of stories I read/watched and a few quick thoughts on them. Despite having my list open, I’m still probably not going to get to all of them, but I can try.
Be warned for spoilers.
T.egami Bachi (manga)
I love. Anyone following this tag of mine knows this has been a long journey and that I loved every minute of it. The world is beautiful, the characters are great, the emotions run high...it’s incredibly cathartic and engaging. I will never stop lauding it.
Jiu Jiu (manga)
A short series I picked up from the library that I never really covered, but that I enjoyed. Sometimes it felt a little slow to work through, but it was cute and I got really attached to the characters over five volumes. Like the mangaka, I wish there had been more opportunity to delve deeper into some of the story elements, because especially near the end it got confusing. Also I’m assuming it ended in a poly relationship? The protag grows up and has babies but you can’t really tell which love interest is the father, if either are. They’re all together in the final picture and I support it but it also bugs me bc I am confused.
Dreamin’ Sun (manga)
Mixed feelings on this one. I honestly expected a modern fantasy involving a baku going into this based on the back cover. I was wrong. I was really cute, if not overwhelmingly emotionally frustrating/full of secondhand embarassment at some points. The characters are super well-developed and continue to evolve and grow through the series. I will forever complain about the protag falling in love and centering her life around an adult man, but there were also some very touching elements that I can’t help but remember fondly.
The Wize Wize Beasts of the the Wizarding Wizdoms (manga)
The first of a lot of BL I read this year, which is honestly very new to me. My introduction to Nagabe. I’ve mentioned there’s one story I’m not too fond of, but it could be my interpretation of it. Overall very much loved it and especially love the art style.
K.amisama Kiss (manga)
I series I kind of picked up on a whim and absolutely fell in love with. Cute, funny, touching, well-thought out. There were some elements I didn’t understand (like the end), but my enjoyment overall made up for it. The one thing I wish for was a little more development for some of the minor characters. Also I love Mizuki and his development throughout the series. He makes me emotional.
Our Dining Table (manga)
Another cute, simple love story about two guys making food. I don’t have a whole lot to say about this other than it’s cute and you should read it. Although I obviously have no issues with teenage protags, it was refreshing to have a love story about two working adults that didn’t have to involve sex. Also can totally understand one guy’s aversion to eating with others, even if my own isn’t as severe.
Love on the Other Side (manga)
More Nagabe. Really, really cute. I love the story with the bird (of course). The softness of the stories and Nagabe’s art style really have stolen my heart.
B.lack Butler: Book of Circus (anime)
We all know why I watched this. Sadly the ending is as gruesome as the manga, and the one or two scenes they added didn’t play well on the DVD. But still a delight (up until the end).
The Devil is a Part-Timer (anime)
Interesting. Funny. A good world base, but I feel they could have developed it a little more, and the last episode kind of soured it a little for me because there was no really wrap-up. But I liked the characters and had a lot of fun watching it while crocheting. Wish there was a season two.
The Bride was a Boy (manga)
A brief autobiographical manga about a trans woman, filled with lots of tidbits about transgender individuals and things like HRT. Short, sweet, cute, and full of love and joy. Again, not much to say other than I recommend it.
Fractale (anime)
A lot to process. I think I would need to watch it again to fully wrap my head around it, if not more than once. An interesting world, great character, engaging story, and beautiful animation. Plus just...kinda relevant in a way that’s hard to describe. Think ease of technology verses governmental control via tech. I really loved the episode about the mysterious photographer. Plus I just fell in love with the ending song.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (anime)
Yes, I’d never watched this before. Gonna say, not my favorite Miazaki, but as usual an excellent story with a lot of background and development. And of course I loved the creature design. Glad to finally have it watched, after all these years, but I also can’t help but wonder what the original English release was like, knowing they cut/edited a lot. Because a lot of that violence and death was...kinda necessary to understanding character motives.
H.aibane Renmei (anime)
Again, another series that’s been at the top of my list for forever. I didn’t even have an excuse not to watch is as I own the DVDs. Excellent, and touching, if not cutting a little too close to home at times (like self-harm/BFRB). Really my introduction to ABe, and I have to say I never saw the ending coming. But would definitely watch again and again. Kinda wish I could do a cosplay for this series (I’d probably be Nemu, or one of the masked characters), but I feel like you need a group for it.
G.osick (anime)
I didn’t complete this one, I’m sorry. I think the art is great, and the arcs in concept are amazing...but it falls through in the delivery. The characters don’t really feel like they have driving motives behind their actions, and sometimes the evidence and stuff are things you can’t discern from watching (’I can tell you aren’t the daughter of a coal baron because you walk short distances before turning sharply and walking the other way, like you’re pacing in a small psych ward cell’-yes, that’s a real example). Lots of potential, but not great. Sorry.
Wolf Children (anime)
Very cute. Beautiful anime. I don’t think I can say much about this that hasn’t already been said. My favorite part is the ending where she’s saying goodbye just because of how both painfully and empoweringly emotional it is.
5 Centimeters Per Second (anime)
Not bad, but probably not my favorite. It didn’t help that the version I was watching didn’t translate all of the writing, so I feel like I missed a lot of elements. While the story is definitely a sentiment I can get behind, it was also a little bit unsatisfying for me, especially at the end. But idk, maybe I just don’t like the idea of moving on when there’s the opportunity to not.
Colorful (anime)
It was...a film. About a suicide. Looking back I don’t particularly feel strongly either way about it. I think the ending was good, and giving the protag some sort of motivation, but it took forever to really get to a point where I cared about him (or he seemed to really care about the body he was inhabiting and the person he was trying to be). Some of the stuff was just...uncomfortable. It’s probably worth watching, but overall I wasn’t wowed by it.
Ibistu (manga)
My first shrink-wrapped manga. It ties together very well in the end, and the horror and violence elements did elicit some very visceral reactions in me (particularly the threat of the iron and, later, the staples). The short stories were also good, particularly the doll factory one, but I wasn’t the most fond of the one about the mangaka. Just know there’s a reason it’s shrink-wrapped and it’s not a ‘positive’ one.
A Silent Voice (anime)
Probably one of my favorite films. While I didn’t always understand the motivations behind some of the characters or their actions, it wasn’t in a way that made me uncomfortable like some of the things in Colorful did. It felt more natural for them to be irrational. Again, there is suicide, so be warned if you don’t want to deal with that. But the story is sweet and the characters are amazing. But I also have a weakness for things involving sign language and communication.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices (anime)
Very cool. Beautiful landscapes. Gave me very strong Princess Mononoke vibes at some points, but it also stood as its own story with interesting characters there are elements I wish we could have delved deeper into, though. Also...what war did the teacher fight in? It didn’t look very modern. Also also I will forever wince at the pronunciation of ‘Quetzalcoatl’. Death is a strong theme in it, so be prepared if you watch it.
The Boy and the Beast (anime)
Excellent character design. Excellent story. Excellent animation. My one complaint would be that the climax felt kind of thrown together, even though it tied back to the beginning in a good way. But overall a beautiful world with some great humor and intense elements.
The Garden of Words (anime)
Spoiler: again a story about a kid falling in love with an adult. From a platonic standpoint, the story still feels a little weird, particularly in terms of the woman’s motivations, but looking back her not getting too involved in him missing school...kinda feels like what I would do to, especially in her situation. It’s sweet, though. Maybe it’s just me and my preferences, but some elements feel a bit incomplete, and I wish had been explored/wrapped up.
Summer Wars (anime)
Probably a favorite on the films list. Again, beautiful animation. I’m not going to get over this style. But I especially liked the design of OZ and the excess of blank space in it. Characters were many but great (although I didn’t get the one baseball player was part of the family until almost the end, but that says more about me and paying attention). Even Mom got really engaged in it when I had her watch it with me (I also had her watch Wolf Children, which I thought she would like more, but apparently not). There is a character death, but if you don’t mind that it’s definitely a watch.
Beauty and the Beast Girl (manga)
A cute little story about a blind girl and a dragon girl falling in love-what more could you want? Their histories actually tie together in a really neat way. Honestly my one complaint would be that the ending feels a little too ideal and easily wrapped-up. But sometimes we need things to be that perfect, you know?
P.andora Heart (manga)
The other big story I tackled this year. There were points that were a bit slow/disengaging to me, but overall once I got hooked I really loved it. I think I need a second read to really fully understand it (if that’s possible), but equal parts cute, intense, and bittersweet. Elliot’s whole development was probably my favorite bit.
The God and the Flightless Messenger (manga)
My last story of 2020, and a very cute one at that. Another short story, with beautiful art. I don’t...really know what to say about it. It’s cute, and the love story feels both very natural and almost...secondary? Idk how to describe that. The relationship between the two of them is obviously key, but it’s the type of story where ‘I love you’ isn’t needed. It’s already there.
So yeah, there’s the list. It’s a long list. I probably still missed some. I might try to make a second list with ‘in progress’ series but I’ll be playing that by ear. I’d love to hear some of you all’s thoughts on these stories (if you’ve read/watched them), or which you now want to read/watch!
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Panoramic
Raven Roth ambled along the crowded market of Fez, Morocco. It seemed like she had paused to stop at almost every shop and stall in the souk. But, if she hadn’t, she definitely wanted to - see everything. Since she had arrived here, she had been completely enchanted with the whole city. She couldn’t begin to describe it, and she was seeing it before her. It was almost inconceivable just how picturesque of a place it was. Everywhere she looked she saw beauty and vibrant colors. And it was all around her. It was in the people, the scenery, the food. The lights. The smells. The architecture. The cobblestone streets.
She felt her heart skip a little faster with each and every step she took. There was just… something in the air. She could feel it the second she stepped off the plane. This trip had been such a wonderful idea.
Oh goodness. Raven gazed up at the glowing lights that had been strung up to sway from a wire above - that elegant lantern would be ideal for her apartment. She could just see it there now.
Wow.
Something else was catching her eye.
Now she had to stop and take a closer look. Because.
There was…
Tea.
She gazed in wonder at the baskets. Closing in on chamomile flowers. Yes, flowers. Not crushed. Not powdered. Full leaves, whole herbs, and entire flowers. For every tea imaginable. And it would go great with those stunningly ornate tea cups she had spotted earlier…
Turning, she could see the stall with the positively delectable pastries and desserts calling. Figuratively and literally.
Raven inhaled the rich scents wafting around her deeply.
“Chebakia! Briouat! Golba!”
“Chebakia! Golba!”
“Sweets, Ms.?”
“No, thank you - shukran.”
Truthfully?
The pale traveling girl couldn't wait to eat when she was done shopping. She was eager to try one of the desserts that was made with rosewater in particular. With a cup of tea, naturally. Everything smelled scrumptious. Raven felt almost like a little girl with the blatant amount of joy she was finding in everything. But, this city was really taking her breath away. Besides, she really didn’t have to answer to anyone. She was travelling alone, so she was free to take her time and explore.
Raven initially had decided on a whole itinerary that she thoroughly planned out. She wanted to go see the University of al-Qarawiyyin. The world’s oldest learning institution - she had to. But when she heard about the souk in this part of the medina, she decided to stop in for a minute. But it was so lovely. The pale girl thought she might just stay here in the souk all day after all and go restart her schedule tomorrow.
The pale girl reached out and touched a sheer indigo scarf. “Pretty.” She smiled to herself.
“May I?” She asked the owner of the stall. Gesturing if she could try it on. The woman nodded. She pulled it from the pile and wrapped it around her neck. She looked in an ogee mirror in the corner on the ground. Feeling carried away by it all, she tossed it over her shoulder to admire herself. The dark-haired girl almost had to stifle a chuckle at her own antics.
Because, Raven didn't get carried away.
It was absurd, this was not something she normally did. But this place… The scarf was so beautiful. The blue and gold had caught the light in the most exquisite manner she had ever seen. She turned again, and almost knocked into a tall hooded man to her right.
“Aläafw.” She said politely, excusing herself.
She held a hand out in front of her. Giving him an apologetic glance. A sort of bow-like nod. Before she looked away, drawing up her own hood. She pulled off the garment, folding it neatly. The way it sparkled and the way it made her feel - she had to get it. It would always remind her of this moment. This treasure would be the first thing she got herself during her stay. She fished around for her wallet as she went up to pay.
“How much is this?” The older woman waved her away. Raven wanted to say she did, but she didn’t entirely understand what was happening.
“Not this one?” The woman now shook her head at the pale girl before her. Raven had been fully prepared to haggle. It appeared, she would not get her chance - at least not yet. Her ability to communicate effectively was limited, but she had managed to get around so far in a mixture of Arabic, a little French and broken English.
Maybe she should have more thoroughly immersed herself in the language before her trip.
She sighed.
“Already paid.” Was the blunt reply in English she received.
What?
“Excuse me?” Raven asked, forgetting her Arabic completely.
“Already paid. Over there.” The lady pointed to something behind her. Raven turned.
That man in the cowl from before.
Unbelievable.
“Shukran.” She said to thank the vendor.
Raven marched over. Wrapping her ankle length hooded cardigan tighter around herself. “Aläafw,” she said to him again. “I could have paid myself.” His eyes were shrouded in shadow as he stared at her from under his hood. But he didn’t speak. It was a minute or two before he exhaled and nodded. “You understand, that I can’t accept this…?” He very well might not have. He still stood there and said nothing. “I’m sorry,” Raven tried.
She handed it to him. He shook his head as if he didn’t understand. And he really must not have, because he tried to hand it back to her. The pale woman shook her head, held out a hand and apologized once more. Then, Raven quickly walked away. She didn’t want to make a scene because she couldn’t accept his gift. It was nice, though a little forward - but she couldn’t. She was a woman traveling alone. Raven had to keep her wits about her, just as she usually did when she was home. She couldn’t suddenly go around accepting gifts from strange men.
One thing was clear…
It was time to go.
Raven found herself looking all about, as she tried to retrace her steps. She had found her way in and around with ease before. Traipsing along without a care. But now she wanted nothing more than to leave. How did she get out of this maze-like market? She felt a little claustrophobic all of a sudden. Uneasy. She shouldn’t have stayed there for such a long time. Raven should have stuck to her original plan. She glanced around herself at all the people.
What had seemed like an incredible and inviting place mere moments ago had morphed into one that was loud and a little chaotic. And then, on top of all that. The encounter with that stranger had left her feeling even more self-conscious. With her hair and her eyes, she was a rather easy target to spot. A tourist. A potential mark. She didn’t have a camera hanging around her neck, like - she looked around for the overt display of tourism - that guy over there with the baseball cap, but it was very obvious that she was a foreigner. It was probably why that stranger had approached her.
Raven was feeling out of sorts. It had happened a couple of times on this trip, but she told herself she would get over it. Wasn’t it on everyone’s bucket list to take a trip alone like this? It was supposed to be an enriching experience. And hadn’t it been so far? Strange men aside…
There was nothing truly wrong, but…
She tugged her hood further over her face. Wrapping the cardigan around herself as she walked along.
It wasn’t as if she had a significant other to go with her on this trip. There was no one waiting for her back at home. She had friends, but.
No boyfriend. No girlfriend. No fiancée…
When she was stateside, occasionally she got a little lonely. A tiny bit of loneliness was healthy. Raven liked her life, but sometimes… She gazed at the rich colors around her. The luxury leather bags. The elegant carpets. The rows of fabric lining the stalls and billowing in the breeze. It was like it had just occurred to her… There was such romance and beauty all around her. And no one to share it with.
Great.
And now, she was lonely here. Why did she think that going across the ocean to a place she knew no one, would somehow… Make her feel any other way? Now Raven wasn’t just alone, she was alone in a country with languages she had a limited knowledge of.
What was she doing even here?
And then, almost as if her silent plea into the universe had summoned something.
Or someone.
She felt the breath of a deep whisper in her ear, “Jamila…” Then a rustle of fabric. She looked down. The sheer scarf she had tried to buy was draped around her neck. Her lips parted in astonishment. The scarf. The beautiful indigo scarf. It was him. He followed her?
She turned to face a pair of striking, smoldering jade eyes, tousled dark hair, and gorgeous rich skin. In other words, it was everything she suddenly knew she needed - in the form of this tall, dark stranger. He was the man from before?
What… in heaven?
She stumbled, nearly knocked over by a bicyclist. And then, in her haste, almost tripping over a child running by. That and her weakened knees made for a poor combination. He took her by the arms to hold her up. Now smiling down at her, as if he had just haggled his way into scooping up a true gem. And not an uncharacteristically clumsy and frazzled girl. He slowly fingered a lock of dark hair that had escaped her braid. He tucked it behind her ear and replaced her hood. In all that, it had drifted down off her head.
That hardly mattered. His hands… She had never felt a touch like this. They presented promises of palaple pleasure. They were like satisfaction and sinfulness simultaneously. Somehow softness, roughness, and intense warmth all rolled together.
“Tueal maei rja'a” he murmured to her. The deep blue-violet eyes widened.
That voice.
That irresistible voice.
She was hypnotized.
Raven was powerless to do anything, but exactly what he said. And right now, he was requesting her to follow him. He held out a hand to her. She peered down at it, already knowing she wanted to go wherever he wanted to go. His calloused hand enveloping her own completely. Pulling her along gently, to lead her somewhere.
Anywhere.
They walked together in silence, with the noises around them slowly winding down to a muted backdrop. They were no longer out of the middle of the market. He had led her to a spot that was much more secluded. And more scenic. It was a lovely hideaway. He stood with her under an arch in a stone wall. One in a line of three. They were gorgeously carved with trefoil details. But she barely noticed anything other than what was standing underneath them. He was a stunning vision all by himself. Raven stared at the stranger in black for several moments, unable to say anything.
The man understood. He closed his eyes with a small smile.
His tan hand reached out for her hand and he pressed it to his broad chest. “Ismii… Damian.” He said in his deep, accented voice.
Raven bit her lip. Completely taken aback. By his boldness. By her fingers caress of the outline of his skin. She had never had an introduction like this before, and certainly not with anyone like him. She blushed, but followed his lead.
And her quivering palm grasped his own to shake it. Curious forest spheres observed her, silently encouraging her. She paused before she gave in completely. And placed his large hand right above her chest. “Raven… Ismii… Raven.”
“Rrrr-aven…”
A throaty, trill of tongue. A deep, full-bodied rendition of her name. That rendered both her mind and body, utterly useless. Her petite form trembled. An already rapid heartbeat was threatening to burst right out of her chest as it echoed in her eardrums.
She had never known her name could sound…
Like that.
“Naäam…” she agreed, in a daze.
And then, he repeated it.
“Rrraven?”
Oh…
His hand.
She forgot about his hand. That he could feel… her heart. Damian reached up and clutched her face tenderly. Searching. Eyeing her closely - clearly concerned that if her heart was beating so unnaturally fast, she wasn’t alright.
Funny, she had never felt more alive. Being in this city.
And now being in this city with him.
She was far better than she had been in a long time.
“I’m okay.” she murmured.
Although, him being that close to her, smelling the way he did and looking the way he did. She wouldn’t be for long.
He seemed to accept this and nodded slowly. And then, the deeply tanned man noticed their proximity as well. She was sure her entire body was bright scarlet. He smiled, brushing her cheek with a rough thumb. Her lips trembled and her heart still had not ceased the erratic beating.
She realized as she said this, that it was to herself, more than anything. “I’m… okay…”
Still gazing at him as if she couldn’t believe it. With her huge eyes, half-lidded.
A treasure she hadn’t expected to find. One she could never buy.
A miraculous moment in the market.
With a spell-binding stranger.
#damirae#demonbirds#ravenroth#damianwayne#damian#travel#romance#writing#me#oneshot#shortstory#gotcarriedaway#teentitans#titans#dc#dccomics#ravendc#robrae#ravenrobin#love#raven
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with you [3/6]
Summary: Clementine pops the question.
Preview:
Louis had read plenty of those magazines from the headmaster’s office, the ones about dating and relationships. He read an article when he and Clementine first got together, when they were preparing to infiltrate the delta. He’d read it out of curiosity, not knowing anything about how to be a boyfriend, and to take his mind off their imminent doom.
This article was bitter, written from a broken heart, and mean-spirited enough for him to skip at the time. But, now, thinking back…
It was about all relationships being a ticking time bomb, all because of one reason:
One person always loves a little bit more than the other.
One person always gives more than they should. One always cares too much. One is always at a greater risk of being hurt or left behind.
One is always weaker.
Warnings: There’s lots of smooching this time, but again, no sexual content. Violet’s still angsty. Tenn hates bottles. Aasim’s a bad liar but he’ll lie anyway because Ruby’s sweet. Louis gets a little angsty himself. Mitch’s secret stash of wine makes an appearance.
Author’s note: So, in case you didn’t see that little update I posted about this story, long story short: I’m the biggest goddamn liar and now there’s 4 parts 5 parts because I don’t know how to keep anything short and sweet.
I also just want to say thank you for all the nice comments. Like, I don't think there are enough words in the English language to describe how astonished I am to have received so many nice messages about this story. When I first started writing this, I didn't expect anything like that. I really started this because it was a request and I had a lot of feelings about ep3 [which, I still do hence why this turned out longer than I had planned]
Anyway, thank you so much for reading and for all the nice comments!
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Read on AO3
---
The window's open.
Louis slips in and out of darkness, stuck between a dreamless calm and a waking reality. Cool hair drifts in through the cracked window, brushing against the bare skin of his arm. But, it's not the morning chill or the golden glow flowing in through the parted curtains that wakes him up.
A gentle hand shakes his shoulder.
A familiar presence stands over him, he can feel it even in his drowsy state.
Nothing dangerous, of course. Otherwise, he'd be bolting out of bed and pulling Chairles from off the shelf, swinging with a blind fury.
He rolls over onto his side, eyes too heavy to open.
"Louis?"
The hand grasps his shoulder again, this time shaking a little harder. His grogginess worsens. It’s like someone poured wet cement into his bones. He stretches his arm out over the empty spot next to him in search of Clementine’s warmth, inhaling the morning air and letting it out with a groan.
The hand shakes him again, so he grabs and holds it.
"U-uh-"
Louis buries his face in his pillow. His voice comes out muffled, groggy, "Darling, come back to bed."
"Louis!"
The pillow's yanked out from under his head. His nose smashes against the mattress and his eyes snap open.
"Ow! Hey!"
He's ready to complain about such a rude awakening until he realizes whose hand he's still holding.
The room is awkwardly silent until Louis mumbles, "You're not Clementine."
"No," Aasim pulls his hand free and hits Louis with the pillow, "no, I'm not."
Louis snatches the pillow away, tucking it back under his head and sighing. "How long have you been watching me sleep?" He yawns. "I didn't take you for the creeper type."
"I wasn't watching you sleep," Aasim rolls his eyes. "I came to wake you up. We're going hunting."
"Hunting?"
It's the first he's heard of this. He and Aasim usually go hunting every few days, and they just went the day before. Louis props himself on his elbows to peer up at him with a dull expression. Another yawn builds in his throat.
"You must have your days mixed up," he says. "Mitch and Willy go today. We're not supposed to go ‘til tomorrow."
"No, it’s our turn," Aasim says quickly. "We gotta go now. James was out there earlier and he saw a deer."
A...
A what?
"A deer?" Louis perks a brow. "Sure it wasn't just a big possum? Or a walker on all fours? Maybe even a bunch of bunnies standing on each other's shoulders?"
"He's pretty damn sure it was a deer," Aasim insists. He turns to spread the window curtains farther apart. More light floods in, causing Louis to wince as his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness.
"He's already out there tracking it,” Aasim grabs Louis’ coat from off the desk chair and tosses it to him, “so we gotta move fast is we want any chance of hunting it. We also have to check the traps and make sure the fishing shack is still secure."
"A deer?" Louis presses again. "Like, a real deer? Like Bambi?”
“Bambi was a cartoon.”
“You know what I mean,” Louis grins. “We've never seen a deer out there, like, ever. Not even at the beginning."
Aasim scratches at his chin anxiously. "Well, James just saw one, so... Get up and get ready. We're leaving soon.”
Louis swings his legs over the side of the bed and stretches out his arms, groaning in satisfaction as the muscles loosen.
“How soon is ‘soon’?”
“As soon as you put your boots on.”
Louis sighs.
This definitely isn’t what he had planned for this morning.
He glances over at the old CD player and the tangle of dingy headphones on the desk. He’d have to remember to grab another pair from the music room. Those ones only have one working earbud. He only hopes that those songs were enough to lull Clementine’s distress, even if just for the night.
It’s been a long time since he’s seen her so physically upset.
He knows Clementine well enough by now. He knows that she still holds in most of those awful feelings. Whenever something upsets her, or even after she has a nightmare of her own, her face defaults to a stoic expression. Whether she does it out of habit, or because she doesn’t want him or anyone else to worry, or some concoction of both, he’s not sure.
She has enough room within her to bottle it up. She has the strength to hold it in.
Sometimes, he wishes he was like that.
Sometimes, he felt he was bursting at the seams.
And there she always was, trying to sew him back together.
Seeing her like that… shit, it’s one of the most hopeless feelings when all you can do is hold someone without the power to heal their pain.
Louis squeezes his eyes shut, biting the inside of his cheek.
“I talked to Violet…”
Violet.
Shit, what could’ve possibly brought that on?
He hadn’t asked, even though he wanted to. God, he really wanted to. He’s so desperate to know... why now? Did it just happen, or has it been weighing in her mind for a while? What was it about? Why didn’t she tell him?
He didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was, though, so he left it alone. She would tell him when she was ready.
And, Violet…
He can’t imagine how she must be feeling right now.
He watches Aasim as he paces over to AJ’s desk, stopping to look over the several drawings hanging on the wall.
Louis really doesn’t want to go hunting.
He already had his morning planned out.
First, he’d wake up and kiss Clementine before her watch. Or, if she already left, go find her and then kiss her.
It’s sort of a rule he has. While Louis was never one for strict rules or planning, he does have certain things that have to be done. Kissing Clementine every day is one of those rules.
Okay, maybe it’s not considered a rule, per se.
But, he made sure to kiss her every morning, and whenever one of them left to go hunting or scavenging or on watch without the other, and every night before bed. It didn’t have to be a crazy, passionate kiss. Sometimes, just a little peck on the cheek was enough.
It made him feel better, even if he knows it’s his subconscious telling him, “Kiss her! It might be your last chance! Death is always watching you, Louis!”
Anyway.
After he kissed her, he’d ask her if she was feeling any better, or if she wanted to talk about it. Whether she would or not, he didn’t know.
Next, he’d grab two plates of breakfast and head over to Violet’s room. If she answered, they’d eat together. If she didn’t answer or let him in, she’d at least have food waiting for her. Then, he’d find Tenn to watch over her, make sure she ate.
However, it seems that Aasim’s determined to foil those plans all in the name of some deer James supposedly saw.
Seriously, a deer?
Louis tries to rub the drowsiness from his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. Aasim might as well of said, “Hey! Leprechauns are frolicking in the woods! Quick! Let’s go get their gold!”
Well, okay, maybe a deer is more plausible than a leprechaun.
But, still.
When Aasim notices Louis’ lack of movement and vacant stare, he crosses his arms and shoots him an exasperated look.
“Now, dude.”
Louis scratches the back of his neck as he hangs his head. “Do you really need me to go?” he asks. “I mean, it’s not like we need three people tracking a deer that may or may not be a figment of James’ imagination.”
“It’s not a figment of his imagination,” Aasim sighs. “Will you just put your boots on? We’re wasting daylight.”
“You’re awfully pushy this morning.”
“No, I just-” Aasim stops, looking away. "I want that deer, okay?"
Louis studies him for a moment as he pulls on his jacket, trying to understand the stress prominent in his features.
"Dude, if you're so worried about the deer, just go without me-"
"No! No, you- I-uh, " Aasim presses his mouth into a thin line. His eyes dart around the floor. He wears a taut expression that Louis recognizes. It's one that Aasim usually has when he's jotting down the day's events and he can't figure out how to word something.
Louis gets off the bed, hands on his hips and head cocked curiously. "You okay?"
"You have to come with me," Aasim says slowly. He scratches at his scruffy chin and looks towards to door, saying, “We need three people to carry it back when we get it.”
“I doubt it. Two people’s enough.”
“No, three people are needed to safely carry it.”
“James’ strong. Honestly, the dude could probably drag it back here himself. You don’t need me there.”
Then, Aasim blurts out, "I-I don't want to be alone with James.”
Louis almost laughs. "What?"
"Uh-” Aasim stutters, “Yeah, he makes me nervous, okay? You guys are friends. If you go, he'll have someone to talk to and I won't have to worry about him."
“Are you serious?” Louis asks. “I thought you two got along. I mean, you talk to him every time he’s here. Hell, don’t you always eat together, too?”
“That- that doesn’t mean anything. Will you just put your damn boots on, already?” Aasim finds his boots on the floor and kicks them towards him. “Why do you always have to be so damn difficult?”
Louis opens his mouth to speak, but then promptly shuts it.
Something’s weird.
Aasim’s being weird.
He never argues this much. Usually, by now he would’ve thrown his hands up, stomped out and left him behind, grumbling about what a pain in the ass he is.
But, there Aasim stood, moving about the room impatiently, still waiting for him.
Louis slips on his boots, keeping an eye on the other boy, and begins slowly lacing them up.
Aasim picks up the small venus fly trap on the desk and pokes it, causing it to steadily close its mouth. He’s so forcefully fixated on the plant that Louis is convinced something’s up.
Louis has known him for a long time, and he knows that Aasim avoids eye contacts and becomes defensive due to three things: when someone brings up the delta, when he’s lying about something, or when someone confronts him about his crush on-
Louis’ mouth falls agape.
Oh.
“He makes you nervous, huh?” Louis asks, hopping to his feet.
Aasim almost drops the plant, but luckily, he catches it. “Yeah, so what?”
“Why?”
“Uh?”
“Why does he make you nervous?” Louis repeats, drawing out each word. “I mean, aside from the whole wearing another dude’s face and hanging out with his walker friends.”
Aasim’s lips part as though he’s ready to speak, but it seems he’s stuck. He moves his hands about as if somehow that’ll help him articulate the words he’s looking for. In the end, he gives an agitated sigh and heads towards the exit, saying, “Just drop it and let’s go.”
However, Louis is quick to stride ahead and shut the door, pressing his back against it and raising his brow suggestively at him. “Not so fast!”
“Dude, really?”
Louis smirks. “I see you, Aasim.”
“What?” Aasim scowls. “Get out of the way. Clem’s gonna be pissed we haven’t left yet.”
Louis grins brightly. He ignores Aasim’s protests, reaching out to grasp his shoulder. “It’s finally happened. Our poor Aasim, the fool forever trapped within the realms of unrequited love-”
“Uh, what?”
“-has finally moved on from dear, sweet Ruby-”
“No-”
“-and onto the ever so mysterious-”
“No, no-”
“-handsome James!”
“Oh my god…” Aasim rubs his eyes, fingers curling over his face in irritation. “Oh my god, you’re so stupid.”
“Ah, James,” Louis disregards the insult, saying, “Gotta say, I did not see that one coming. Never thought I’d see the day you give up on Ruby.”
“I don’t have a crush on James, you idiot.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And I never had a crush on Ruby.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I don’t-didn’t!”
“Uh-huh.”
Aasim inhales sharply through his nose. “I swear, it’s like you want to piss me off!”
Louis holds his hands up defensively, saying, “No, I hear you, dude. I just don’t believe you. You can’t look me in the eye and say with a straight face that you never liked Ruby like that.”
Aasim rubs his palms over his jacket before crossing his arms, not saying a word.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Louis continues, “Ruby’s a sweet girl- well, sweet until pushed otherwise. And, James is really cool underneath that walker getup. In fact, I dare say you two would be pretty damn adorable,”
Aasim holds up his hand inches away from Louis’ face. “I’m gonna stop you right there before you say any more stupid shit,” he says sternly. “I don’t like James.”
“If that’s true, then why’re you being so weird?” asks Louis.
“Look,” Aasim sighs. “We could stand here all day arguing about this stupid shit, and the longer we do that, the farther that deer gets, and the longer James is stuck out there waiting for us by himself. Clementine is counting on both of us to go out there and track it, so can you please just take this seriously for once?”
“Who says I’m not being serious?”
Aasim shoots him a look.
“Okay, fine,” he sighs. He pushes away from the door. “You really believe he saw a deer out there?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“And so does Clem?”
“Why else would she send me to wake your ass up?” Aasim asks, glancing back down at the floor.
Well, so much for morning plans. He’d have to shorten his list and make it quick.
“Just answer me this last question,” Louis says with a wide smirk. “How long have you liked James?”
“I’m not playing this game with you.”
“What game? You wanted me to be serious, so here I am! Being serious! How long?”
“I don’t-” Aasim groans, rubbing his hands harshly over his face and through his hair.
Alright, that’s enough teasing, he thinks. Louis would ask him about it again later when Aasim isn’t so flustered or preoccupied with thoughts of a prancing deer.
“Okay, okay, let’s go get Bambi. But before that, can I at least do my morning business first?” he asks. “Or am I gonna have to hold it the whole time?”
“Fine,” Aasim sighs, relieved, “just hurry up. Meet you at the gates.”
And with that, he hurries out the door.
Louis shakes his head with a small smile. With Chairles in his possession and a set determination, Louis leaves the bedroom, ready to complete his morning plans in the short amount of time given.
---
From down the hall, Louis can hear the sound of glass shards scraping against the wooden floors. His gut tightens.
Violet’s door is wide open.
Uneasy, apprehensive to continue, he comes to a stop.
Violet never leaves her door open, not even a crack. Whether she’s alone or not, she always makes sure her door is shut and locked. There’s been plenty of times where he’d gone to see her and after she let him in, she’d almost push him out of the way to slam the lock shut.
He’d asked her about it the first time it happened. She hadn’t answered him. She was too ashamed to, so she pretended not to hear the question.
He didn’t say any more about it. If it made her feel better- safer, more secure- then he wouldn’t argue. He’s gotten in the habit of locking it himself every time he comes to visit just so she doesn’t panic.
Eventually, he does peek into the room.
But, he doesn’t find Violet.
No, he’s alarmed to find Mitch bent down on the floor with a dustpan and a small, broken broom, cautiously sweeping up shattered glass bits. There’s a small bag next to him with a wooden frame protruding from it. Clear concentration knits his brows and his lips move as if silently mumbling to himself.
Louis’ eyes narrow. He tries to wrap his head around just what he’s seeing.
When he moves closer, right into the door frame, Mitch doesn’t seem to notice, even when he clears his throat.
So, he speaks.
“Hey, Mitch,” he says, loud and flat.
Mitch jerks back, losing his balance, hissing out, “Jesus motherfucking-!” He drops the dustpan to help steady himself, letting glass slip out onto the floor again. He scrambles to his feet, cheeks flushing a furious red, but his glare dies when he sees it’s Louis standing there. He grows tense, unmoving, with eyes wide like a small child just caught sneaking around where they weren’t supposed to.
The two stare at each other for many seconds before Mitch points at him.
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Funny,” Louis scoffs, pushing his jacket back to place his hands on his hips firmly, “I was about to say the same thing.”
“I, uh-” Mitch straightens out, looking down at the broom in his hand and the glass on the floor before peering back up at him. “Shouldn’t you be out hunting?”
“Don’t change the subject,” Louis frowns. He approaches the other boy, asking, “What are you doing here? Where’s Vi?”
“She’s with Tenn,” Mitch says. “Spent the night in his room after she, uh,” he motions down to the broken glass, “flipped out.”
Concern tightens in his throat. The panic must be clear on his face, because Mitch shakes his head and explains, “She did it after their talk.” He kneels back down and starts sweeping again. “Clem told’ja about that, I assume?”
“Yeah,” he says slowly. “And, how do you know about it, exactly?”
“I was keeping watch. Made sure Violet didn’t do anything.” Mitch dumps the glass bits into the small bag before motioning towards the desk. “She didn’t, at least not while Clem was here. She smashed this after we were leaving. I left the picture over there.”
Louis hesitates, but steps around Mitch, wary of the remaining glass bits. As he approaches the desk, he notices that her water bottle is tipped over onto its side, empty. What’s worse, is he can see it’s completely dry, like it hasn’t been used in a long time. He stands it up, moving it right next to her journal.
He remembers when Aasim gave that to her. It wasn’t bound like a real book, but Aasim had gathered some thicker paper from the basement and had Ruby sew it together into a makeshift book. It even had a cover, drawn by Tenn.
Aasim gave it to her after the delta, said that writing was easier than talking. He gave her a bunch of pencils and pens, too, but he can’t spot any lying around. Louis doesn’t know if she really writes in it, though he hopes she does. Anything to help, anything to release a little bit of that pain.
Louis considered it, once. But, trying to write down his feelings only frustrated him. Instead, he turned to Clementine and music for solace.
He glances away from the journal and to the photo laying at the bottom corner of the desk.
Violet, Minerva, and Sophie, all together, all smiling.
He can’t help but grin, even if there’s no joy in it.
The photo’s covered in scratches, from the glass, no doubt. But, the faces are still clear.
Minerva.
The real Minnie.
Not the husk that pointed her crossbow at him, who tried to kill Clementine and take them all away to that sick hellhole.
As he stares at her radiant face, her long hair and sincere eyes, he wishes that’s the only way he could remember her; happy, radiant, beautiful.
Fuck, he couldn’t even remember her laugh, or how charming her singing was.
She used to always laugh at his stupid jokes, at his silly voices and silly songs. Even when no one else would, she’d take pity on him and laugh.
They’d sing together in their downtime, too. They’d sing until Violet threw her head back, groaning out that he was ruining the song. So, he’d shut up and just play the piano, and Minerva would sing.
Louis thinks that’s when it happened.
When Violet first fell in love.
That’s why she always told him to shut up. Something in Minerva’s voice brought her comfort, gave her some sense of purpose.
He can remember Violet sitting there, watching both of them, and when Minerva sang to her, it was like he didn’t exist anymore. He was just there for background noise, a mere puppet to set the mood and a witness to what was blossoming.
It was beautiful.
Violet was beautiful.
He’d told her that shortly after she and Minerva became official, told her how happy he was for her. She punched him in the shoulder and called him stupid.
Minerva had agreed with him, though.
God, the way they looked at each other.
“I killed her.”
But, the memories of her glazed over expression, her washed out, gaunt face overshadow those fond times now.
Minerva...
“I killed her.”
Sophie.
“I killed her.”
Poor, poor Sophie.
He has to squeeze his eyes shut and bite his lip to stop his quivering chin. He’s not about to cry here, especially not in front of Mitch. He swallows the lump forming in his throat and breathes in, and out. He places the picture in the desk drawer.
“She wasn’t hurt, right?” Louis asks, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice. “By the glass?”
“Not that I could see. I didn’t see any blood anywhere.”
Well, at least she’s physically still intact. That doesn’t make him any less worried, though.
Mitch’s eyes dart all around the floor, looking for any shards he might’ve missed. He turns on his heels to grab his bag again.
“Clem told you?” Louis asks. “That she was gonna talk to her?”
“Yeah.”
Louis knows Clementine and Mitch had some sort of understanding with each other, but of all the people he thought she would’ve turned to when it came to talking to Violet, he didn’t put Mitch too high on the list.
“Why?”
“Uh,” Mitch stops sweeping. “Why what?”
“Why’d she tell you?” Louis asks. “She could’ve come to me.”
Mitch tenses. “I-I don’t fucking know, dude!” he exclaims far too loudly. As he continues, his speech becomes quicker, more defensive, “She just said it and I told her it was a shit idea but no, she just had to come and poke the bear right in the fucking eye and when you do that you get your hand bitten off and so I said I’d come with her and make sure her hand doesn’t get bitten off- shit I didn’t actually say it like that but I said, ‘don’t do it,’ and she was all, ‘I’m doing it,’ and-”
“Okay, okay,” Louis interrupts, startled by the outburst. “I get the idea. But why are you here now?”
Straightens himself out again, leaving the broom and dustpan on the floor to tie up the bag. “She wasn’t gonna clean it up,” he mumbles. “Hey, shouldn’t you be hunting? Aasim’s gonna kick your ass if you don’t get moving. We need that deer.”
Again, with the hunting thing.
“Yeah, yeah, the deer,” he sighs. “I’m going. I just wanted to check up on Vi first.”
“Doubt she wants to see anybody. Better off going straight to Aasim.”
“I will,” Louis crosses his arms, “as soon as I see you out.”
Mitch eyes him questioningly before it dawns on him. “Oh, right. Fair enough.” He leaves the broken broom and dustpan in the corner of the room and scopes out the floor one last time. “Tell her not to break any glass shit next time. It’s a pain in the ass to clean up.”
Louis doesn’t bother responding. Mitch is already out the door anyway, leaving him alone in the emptiness of Violet’s room.
---
It’s chillier this morning. While the sun is still bright it the sky, there are more clouds floating about, all various shades of gray. Maybe not dark enough to worry about rain at the moment, but they still pass over the sun and bring a coolness over the school.
Louis tugs on the collar of his jacket, covering up a bit. Upon looking around, he’s a little surprised to only see Tenn sitting at his usual table, holding a board with a piece of paper taped on it in his lap, and Aasim pacing in front of the gates. He can faintly see Clementine and AJ up on watch.
No Ruby, no Willy, no Omar.
Even Rosie isn’t outside.
Odd.
But, he shrugs it off. He didn’t think he’d been late enough to miss breakfast, but that does bring up another concern.
Ignoring Aasim for a moment, figuring he can wait just a little bit longer, Louis makes his way towards Tenn.
There’s a line up of old bottles, some broken, some filled with a gross looking grey liquid. The board rests comfortably in Tenn’s lap. He’s focused on his drawing, his eyes constantly darting up to stare at the bottles before going back to copy it onto paper.
“Hey, Tenn,” Louis greets.
The boy looks back at him, eyes wide and blinking rapidly. “Oh, h-hi, Louis,” he says.
“What’cha drawing today?” Louis asks enthusiastically, peering over his shoulder.
Tenn sheepishly sets the board on the table, careful not to knock anything over. Several drawings of bottles fill up the page, all a little wobbly or disproportionate.
“James said I need practice drawing from life more, but,” Tenn sighs, “bottles are hard.”
“Yeah, but it looks like you’re getting the hang of it.” Louis points to a sketch in the right corner. “I like this one. It looks real enough to drink out of!”
A small, timid smile spreads across the young boy’s face. “Really?”
“Totally,” Louis gives an encouraging grin. “Wait until James sees these. He’s gonna be floored at how good you’re getting. Oh!” Louis pats his shoulder. “By the way, that one you did of me looks amazing on our wall.”
“You-you hung it up?”
“Of course I did!”
Tenn looks away to hide his diffident smile. “Thanks, Louis…”
“Of course,” Louis grins. He moves around and takes a seat next to him with a sigh, his usual grin replaced with a more serious look. “Hey,” he lowers his voice, “how’s Vi doing?”
Tenn sets his pencil down, keeping his eyes locked on his hands. “She’s okay. She slept in my room last night.”
“I heard,” Louis scratches at his chin thoughtfully, “but, she’s okay? Well, as okay as she can be?”
“I think so,” Tenn says. “She-...she cried a lot, but she’s stopped, so...”
Shit.
“Did she get any sleep?”
“A little. She’s still in bed. She told me I didn’t have to wait for her.”
“Did she eat anything?”
“I brought her some breakfast,” he nods, “and she ate a little.”
Relief washes over him.
“Good,” he says. “That’s good. Keep an eye on her, okay? I was gonna go check on her myself but it seems I’m needed elsewhere.”
Tenn goes back to his drawing, pulling the board back into his lap, saying, “Uhm, aren’t you and Aasim-”
“Going hunting, yes, to capture that magical deer prancing in the woods.” Louis stands up again, giving Tenn one last pat on the back. “Her waterbottle’s in her room. When you take a break, would you fill it up and bring it to her?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Louis smiles warmly. “Keep up the good work.”
He waves good-bye to the young boy, but still strays away from the gates. He knows Aasim can see him, and it’s only a matter of time before he stomps over and drags him out by his ear.
There’s just one more thing he has to do.
Approaching the post where they take turns on watch, Louis calls up, “Clementine?”
At first, he doesn’t get a response. Then, AJ leans over and smiles down at him, excitedly waving. “Hi, Louis!”
“Hey, little man!” he laughs. “Clem up there?”
“Yeah!”
Clementine appears beside him, giving AJ a set of binoculars. Louis steps back, watching her climb down.
He’s pleased to see her smiling.
In fact, he dare say she’s glowing this morning.
She hurries over to him and slips into his open arms. Her cold nose brushes his skin when she leans up and pecks him on the lips.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning,” he grins. He opens his jacket up more, pulling her close and wrapping it around her as much as possible. “You’re freezing.”
“Been out here a few hours,” she sighs, melting into his touch, soaking up his warmth. “I expected to see you a lot sooner. Aasim’s been waiting.”
“Ah, yes, so we can hunt this infamous deer everyone’s so obsessed with,” he says, “He was ready to drag me out of bed by my feet this morning. I think I can actually feel him glaring at us right now.” He peeks over Clementine’s head nonchalantly, and sure enough, Aasim is staring at the couple, exasperated.
“Believe me, I heard all about it,” Clementine pulls back with a stern look. “You shouldn’t give him such a hard time.”
“Yeah, I know. He just makes it too easy sometimes. Anyway,” Louis leans forward to kiss her cheek. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay before I took off.”
She hums against his chest, mumbling, “I’m a lot better, actually. All things considered. It’s… a good day.”
“It’s a cold day.”
“It’s not that cold.”
“Your nose is about to fall off.”
“So dramatic.”
Louis chuckles, pulling back to rub warmth into her arms before stopping to hold her hands.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Later,” she says. “You have a deer to hunt.”
“Ugh.”
He’s getting pretty tired of hearing about this deer.
“Don’t pout. Think about how much a whole deer could feed us.”
“Not much, because I’m, like, eighty percent sure Bambi doesn’t really exist.”
“Louis.”
“Clementine.”
She shakes her head, trying to hide her smirk. She playfully smacks his chest. “Just go. You two have kept James waiting long enough. We’ll talk later, okay? I promise.”
Louis doesn’t let her hands go.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asks.
“Yes.”
He studies her face for any sign of unease but finds that she’s still smiling up at him.
When she notices his hesitation, she tugs on his hand.
“Are you okay?”
He murmurs, “I went to check on her. She wasn’t in her room.”
Clementine doesn’t say anything, but her grip on his hands tightens.
“But, I did find Mitch cleaning up glass, which was pretty surreal.”
Her eyes flutter shut as she lowers her head. “The picture…”
“Yeah,” he nods, “Tenn promised to keep an eye on her today. Try not to think about it too much. And if she does come out, well... ”
“I know.”
He doesn’t say any more about it. Her promise to talk about it when he gets back is enough assurance for him.
“Louis!” Aasim calls from the gates. “Let’s go!”
Louis shakes his head and forces a cheerful smile. “Best not keep poor Aasim waiting. He’s gonna need a shoulder to cry on when we don’t find that deer.”
Clementine rolls his eyes. “And here I thought you were the optimist.”
“Optimist, sure. Delusional? Not as much as you’d think.”
“Just don’t give Aasim such a hard time,” she says, quirking a knowing brow. “I hear he’s had a rough morning already.”
“I won’t,” he promises. “I have a feeling that he won’t hesitate to shoot at me today if I push the wrong button.”
Clementine’s fingers brush against his cheek before she pulls him down. Their lips press comfortably together as a pleased sigh escapes her. They savor the moment, reluctant to pull away. It takes him a second to recover, a second before he can open his eyes again.
God, she is glowing today.
And he’s just standing there, smiling and chuckling like a fool.
She turns away to hide the pretty blush blossoming on her cheeks, hitting his chest again. “Go.”
“Fine.”
Louis goes to the gates, turning to wave good-bye to her. He’s still grinning when he meets Aasim, who shakes his head and gives an exaggerated eye roll before pushing through the gates. Louis isn’t too far behind.
---
AJ watches through his binoculars as Louis and Aasim get farther and farther away. As soon as they’re out of sight, he rushes to the other side and gives Clementine a thumbs up.
She absently runs a finger over her bottom lip.
The giddiness is back.
She gives him a thumbs up back and rushes over to the basement, flinging the doors open and calling out, “They’re gone!”
“Oh, it’s ‘bout damn time!” she hears Ruby exclaim. “Thought they’d never get outta here! Alright, Clem, we got everythin’ we need!” She comes into sight carrying a box full of lanterns and different kinds of blankets. Behind her, Willy and Omar come up, each carrying a box of their own. Rosie rushes past them, eager to see Clementine.
She makes room for all of them to set the boxes down. Tenn wanders over, curiously looking over all the different materials.
“What took them so long?” complains Willy. “We’ve been down there forever!”
“Louis got sidetracked,” Clementine replies. “Just like I said he would.”
Omar scoffs. “‘Course he did. Did he buy the deer story?”
“I don’t think so,” Clementine laughs. “But, he believes that Aasim believes, and that’s all it took.”
“Told you Aasim would have his hands full.”
Oh, he did.
All morning, Clementine kept a close eye on the front doors, waiting for the two of them to appear. When only Aasim came out looking ready to rip his hair out, it worried her.
Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as she expected. Louis hadn’t really believed the deer thing but was willing to go along anyway after Aasim panicked and lied about why he needed him there. Now, Louis was under the impression that Aasim had a crush on James, which Clementine had to admit was kind of funny.
Aasim wasn’t as amused as her. When he was relaying the conversation and where they were at in the plan, he openly expressed his dislike of having to lie. Then, he went on a rant about lying never really being beneficial and how the whole deer story made absolutely no sense. He stopped when Clementine reminded him that the deer thing was Ruby’s idea, and if he had a problem with it to take it up with her.
James snuck back in with a rabbit over his shoulder a little bit after that, asking what the hold up was. Aasim couldn’t even look at him.
Eventually, she had to take the rabbit and shoo James away before he blew his cover, then she sent Aasim to the gates so she could hide the rabbit and get back to her post before Louis showed up.
All in all, it’s been quite a morning.
“Ya should see all what we found down there!” Ruby beams, clapping her hands happily. “Found all sorts’a blankets, ribbons, candles, and decorations. And look at this basket! Perfect fer a picnic! Here, Omar,” she hands him a large woven basket with a long handle, “fix that up real pretty, would’ja? And Tenn, here’s yer vase.”
Tenn accepts the pale green vase with great care, looking over and rubbing the dust off it. Ruby hands him some ribbon, too.
“Willy, you’re going to help us pick flowers, right?” Tenn asks.
Willy nods, though not enthusiastically. “After I bring Mitch his candles.”
“He should already be in the music room,” Ruby says, “at least, he best be.”
Clementine doesn’t doubt he is by now. After she asked him to clean up the glass in Violet’s room, he promised he’d head there straight away to make sure Louis didn’t try and hideout. That backfired a little.
That’s why she told him to hurry. She knew that Louis would try and check on Violet before leaving.
Tenn heads back to his table to set the vase and ribbon down and meet up with AJ.
“Omar, ya got everythin’ ya need?”
“Think so,” Omar nods.
“James caught a rabbit for you to cook,” Clementine tells him. “I left it over by your dutch oven. Will that work?”
“You can count on me, Clem,” Omar grins. “It’ll be the best damn rabbit you’ve ever eaten, guaranteed.” Then, he reaches around in his box and pulls out a half-empty bottle of red wine. “Mitch’s secret stash will do wonders for the flavor.”
Ruby shakes her head. “Secret, my ass,” she mumbles.
“Want me to save some for you?” Omar asks.
She hadn’t considered bringing something like wine. Hell, she didn’t even know if she liked wine. She knew she didn’t like whiskey, and rum was pretty gross.
“I don’t know,” Clementine takes the bottle from him, twisting the cap off and sniffing. It smells faintly fruity, a little sweet, but the alcohol’s still prominent. “Is it good?”
“It’s pretty good,” Willy smiles.
Ruby shoots him a stern look, causing Willy to look away.
“Uh, at least, that’s what Mitch says.”
“I’ll leave some for you, just in case,” Omar decides. “Who knows, you might want it for the wedding. Have to make a toast to the bride and groom.”
Clementine smiles. “Right.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Ruby points up at him, “don’t let me ferget ta pull out the headmaster’s nice drinkin’ glasses.”
“Drinking glasses, got it.” Omar turns back to Clementine, cheerfully saying, “I’ll get to skinning and marinating the rabbit before I fix the basket.” He’s clearly thrilled to be cooking something a little extra special.
“Will ya be okay by yerself?” Ruby asks.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Omar says. He reaches down to pat Rosie before pulling more things out of his box. “I got all the company I need. I’ll keep an eye on the boys, too. Make sure they don’t cause too much trouble.”
“Thanks, Omar,” Clementine grins. “Really, it means a lot.”
“Of course, Clem.”
Ruby hauls up her box. “Oh, let’s go! I’m itchin’ ta fix up the place!” She hurries towards the doors.
Clementine can’t help but giggle a little at her enthusiasm. She helps carry the other box in with Willy right behind her.
---
Mitch is already in the music room. He’s moving the couch up against one of the walls, and it looks like he’s already brought up the gramophone and box of records, too.
“Jesus,” he groans. “‘Bout time. He finally leave?”
“Yep!” Ruby sets down her box with a huff. “Aasim and James should keep him plenty busy fer a while.” She rubs her hands together before digging back into her box.
Clementine and Willy set their boxes down, too. Mitch approaches them, huffing.
“Y’know, this would be a lot easier if you just slapped the ring on him and said, ‘You’re my husband now.’”
Clementine chuckles, rolling her eyes. “Always the romantic, aren’t you, Mitch?”
“Is that how yer lookin’ ta propose in the future?” Ruby teases. “Guarantee that won’t get’cha far.”
“He has to find someone who’ll put up with his charm first,” Clementine smirks.
Mitch glares at both of them, snapping, “Shut up.” He shakes his head, grabbing a dirty looking rag from Willy’s box and moves towards the piano. He starts wiping it down, causing little bits of dust to fly up in the air.
Willy lingers a little bit, pulling candles of various sizes out of his box, as well as a box of matches.
Ruby flattens out a large, fluffy blanket out onto the floor. It’s blue, with gold and green patterns swirling across it.
“Didn’t find any extra pillows down there,” she says. “Need some ta make it extra cozy.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Clementine smirks. “We’ve got plenty. Louis is a pillow hog. You should see his collection.”
And a collection it is.
During a one-on-one card game, Louis told her that he’d gone around to all the vacant rooms and collected all the pillows, storing them in his room. He said they made him feel safe, in a weird way.
Also, he made a lot of pillow forts out of them.
When he moved in, she had to put a limit on how many he could bring with him.
She turns towards Willy. “Wanna grab them from his old bedroom?”
Willy nods eagerly, rushing out.
“Don’t ferget the flowers!” Ruby calls after him.
Soon, the music room is like an entirely different place.
Ruby brought up a small, modified table to sit in the middle of the blanket. She explained they found it in the basement last night and had Mitch cut the legs down to size so that she and Louis could sit on the floor and eat off it comfortably. She covered it with a thin blue sheet as a makeshift table cloth. Pillows lay all around the table, making the entire thing look cozy.
Mitch had dusted off the whole piano, as well as other parts of the room. He went into a hilarious sneezing fit, cursing after each one. Then, he and Clementine placed candles everywhere. She settled on using the clear glass holders so that the room would glow a golden color when lit.
AJ brought up the vase filled with different flowers, with Omar following behind carrying the picnic basket.
A white ribbon adorns the vase, tied into a neat bow. Little, crudely drawn hearts done in red marker decorate every inch of the smooth surface. Clementine sets it down atop the piano, careful not to place it too close to any of the candles.
The picnic basket has a matching ribbon tied around it. The bottle of wine sticks out, resting next to an open bag of chips and a bottle of water. Ruby takes it, marveling at how nice it looks, and places it in the center of the table.
Once they’re finished, they all stand back to admire the final look.
“Wow,” Clementine gasps out. “This is amazing.”
“This does look like something you would’ve seen in an old movie,” Omar says.
“Imagine how romantic it’ll be when it gets dark and all the candles are lit,” Ruby gushes. "Oh, I can jus' see it now!"
“Gross,” Mitch mumbles.
Ruby smacks his arm. “Oh, hush! Ya gotta admit it looks nice!”
He shrugs, but Clementine can see that small grin betraying his lips. He’s pleased with it too, even if he won’t admit it.
Clementine turns to them, saying, “I don’t think there’s any way I could thank you. All of you. I mean,” she motions around them, “I couldn’t have done this by myself.”
“Oh, hon,” Ruby pulls her into a tight hug, “don’t gotta thank us! ‘Course we’re willin’ to help! It’s you and Lou!”
“Yeah, don’t gotta make a big deal out of it,” Mitch mumbles. “You’re just proposing.”
"Just proposin’’?" Ruby objects. "It's their engagement! It's gotta be special! Oh, and jus' think of their wedding! I was thinkin' we do somethin' similar, with the candles and all, but we'll make one'a those round altar things and decorate it real nice fer them ta stand under and we'll need lots'a chairs over here-"
"Ruby, slow down!" Omar laughs. "We're not there yet."
Ruby's cheeks flush a pretty red and she looks away bashfully, saying, "Sorry! Gettin’ excited again."
Clementine giggles. "We'll talk about it afterward, okay?" She turns to AJ. “What do you think, AJ? Think he’ll like it?”
“He’s gonna love it!” AJ exclaims. “What else can I help with?”
“We need you to go back on watch,” Clementine tells him. “You and Willy need to watch for Louis and give us the signal so that Omar knows when to bring the food in. Then, keep him distracted with James until it gets a little darker, that way I can get the candles all lit and add any finishing touches.”
“Yeah, they’ve already been gone a few hours,” Mitch says, wandering over to the window. “Don’t imagine they’ll be gone too much longer.”
He’s right.
James and Aasim can only keep up the deer thing for so long before it becomes suspicious. They would still hunt for other animals, and she told them to try fishing out there after they check the shack, but she knows Louis hates fishing. That’ll only keep him occupied for so long, as well. Then, checking the traps wasn’t that hard or time-consuming.
It’s only a matter of time before they come walking through those gates.
“Okay,” AJ says, full of determination. “Keep watch and distract Louis until sundown. Got it.”
They give each other a firm nod before AJ hurries out.
“I gotta go check on the rabbit. It’s still cooking, but I can already tell it’s going to be delicious,” Omar says proudly. “I’ll bring it up when AJ gives the signal.”
“Can’t wait,” Clementine beams.
“I’ll go with ya,” Ruby tells Omar. She gives Clementine one more hug, whispering, "Good luck!"
With Ruby and Omar gone, only Mitch and Clementine remain. He’s quiet, still peering around the room with an unreadable expression. The silence is calming, she thinks. She moves over to the small table, admiring how nice it all looks.
It’s happening.
After almost two weeks of mulling over what she wanted and preparing for this moment, it’s finally here.
Soon, they’ll be sitting down, eating and talking like it’s any other night. Then, she’ll bring him over to the piano.
For the past several months, Louis has been giving her piano lessons. She thought it might be a nice idea to play a little song for him, all by herself. However, now that he’s not here and the piano’s left to just her, she’s not sure if she can do it.
She’s going to try, anyway. Regardless if she’s good or bad, she’ll play. And, afterward...
Her pulse quickens, becoming heavy in her ears.
She’s going to ask him to marry her.
She’s finally going to do it.
And, shit-
What if she can’t say the right things? She’s gone over it all in her head every day, every night since she made up her mind, gone over all the thing’s she wanted to tell him. What if she can’t make him understand how she feels? What if something goes wrong?
“Need anything else?” Mitch asks, breaking her of her thoughts. She almost forgot he was still here.
She shakes the thoughts away, motioning toward the piano and saying, “I was thinking of playing him a song.” She gives him a smirk. “You’re honest. Wanna tell me if I suck or not?”
Mitch scoffs. “You’re really going all out, huh?” he says. “He’s gonna say yes. You don’t have to woo him.”
“Is that a no?”
Mitch sighs, moving over to grab one of the chairs he pushed back towards the wall and takes a seat.
She places herself on the bench, shifting to get comfortable. It’s strange sitting there by herself. There’s a lack of warmth without Louis at her side. But, seeing their initials, the heart carved into the wood, brings her some confidence. She takes a deep breath and places her hands on the keys.
It’s a simple song he’s taught her over the past few weeks. Barely a minute long with simple strokes. She stumbles a few times, silently cursing herself as she does, but doesn’t let it stop her. She pours all her focus into the song, nearly forgetting that Mitch is still there, watching her.
When she finishes, she glances over at him. He’s wearing a thoughtful expression, his head tilted as if still listening.
Finally, he says, “You don’t suck too bad.”
That gets a laugh out of her.
“Think he’ll like it?”
“Definitely.”
She grins appreciatively as her gaze finds the carved heart again. Her finger runs over the rough edges of the wood, tracing the L. Then, with a heavy sigh, she stands from the bench. She paces over to the window, peering out at the cloudy sky.
She wishes she could untangle the nervous, twisted knots in her belly.
“Hey,” Mitch knocks her shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Just…” she frowns. “Thinking too much.”
“About?”
“Everything.”
“Like?”
Her hat taps the glass of the window as she leans against the wall, hesitating to reveal what she’s actually thinking. After all, it’s Mitch. He’s not always the most sensitive and she’s not in the mood to argue with him.
He nudges her again. “You better not be having second thoughts,” he says. “Because I’m not about to break that news to Ruby and cause that shitstorm.”
“No, it’s not that,” she sighs.”It’s just… things are really good right now.”
“And?”
“And… good things don’t always last.”
“Yeah. And?”
She frowns at him. “And, what if after this good thing, something bad happens?”
“It’s that how it usually works?”
She’s not surprised that he doesn’t get it.
Never did she think this would be happening. Years and years ago, something like this seemed impossible. It was just her and AJ, it’d always just be her and AJ, but now… Now she has more than she could’ve ever imagined.
Every single group she’s had, it’s gone to shit. Everyone she’s ever loved has left, either by choice or not. Some stuck around longer than others, most died too quickly to be fair. She always hoped the school would be different. They’ve lived and survived together for two years, longer than most of her previous groups. Fuck, she loved more people in this group than she ever did before. She had AJ, Louis, everyone. There wasn’t a single person under the roof of this school that she wouldn’t risk her life to protect.
They’ve fallen into a good routine of hunting, building, repairing, eating, laughing… while there have been incidents, some close calls, it’s been too good.
Things never stay too good.
“Alright, sit down.”
She quirks a brow at him, blinking away her thoughts.
He goes over and pulls the piano bench out a little farther, motioning to it. “Sit down,” he repeats. “I’m gonna get real with you.”
“Real with me?”
“Yeah, so sit.”
Clementine eyes him at first, but curiously places herself on the bench facing away from the piano. Mitch stands tall in front of her with his arms crossed and his stare serious. She shrugs, waiting for him.
“I’m not gonna pretend like I get this whole wedding thing,” he starts. “Because I still think it’s gross and unnecessary, but… I won’t deny that it’s kind of cool. I mean, not an explosive kind of cool, but cool in a, uh, nice change kind of way? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Ruby or Willy so pumped to be doing something. You shoulda seen Willy when I told him how we could make your rings.” He grins before shaking his head. “Anyway…”
Mitch shifts his weight onto one foot, looking past her and at the carving.
“You two have been through some shit,” he says slowly. “I mean, shit that would’ve killed anyone else, or at least had them booking it outta here. All that shit with the delta, with Vi, the constant shitfest of worrying about other pieces of shit finding us here, or just the everyday threat of death. Something could happen, and we could lose someone, more people. It’s shit that we think about every day, whether we want to or not. It’s all stuff we’ve had to deal with. But, through all of it, you two are still together. He’s still with you. I mean-” His eyes fall shut as he inhales deeply, “-for fuck's sake, AJ killed Marlon.”
Those words alone shoot a painful shock through her entire body.
“His best friend,” Mitch shakes his head, “and you know what? He forgave you. On top of it all, he still fell in love with you. I’m not stupid, and I’m not blind. He’s not faking anything when it comes to AJ. He fucking adores that kid. And the way he looks at you?” He rolls his eyes. “It’s gross.”
She can’t stop the laughter from bubbling over, short and breathy.
Mitch looks her in the eye now, holding the stare. “It’s not gonna always be this good, and I’m sure the future holds a lot more fucked up things for us, but after everything you and Louis have been through?” One of his smiles shines through now. “You two are gonna make it. No questions asked. So, whatever depressing shit you’re thinking about, stop.”
As the words soak in, she thinks she’s gone into shock. She must look like an idiot gawking up at him, but how can she not?
Then she’s off the bench and wrapping her arms around his torso, hugging him with all her might. He stiffens, grunting with surprise, but instead of shoving her away or cursing her, he cautiously returns the hug and awkwardly pats her back.
“I mean it,” he says softly. “It’ll… be good.”
It’s a rare moment of sincerity from him, one that he’s clearly uncomfortable with. She moves away, giving him back his space.
“Thank you, Mitch. Really.”
“Whatever.” He scratches the back of his head, clearing his throat. He nods towards the piano. “You gonna stay and practice?”
“Yeah,” she says, “Omar’ll tell me when he’s here and I’ll start lighting candles.”
“Don’t think so much, ‘kay?”
“No promises.”
He gives her one more smile before leaving her alone.
The stillness is a little relieving, calming. She reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out the little box, lifting the lid to admire the rings one last time before they find a permanent place on her and Louis’ fingers.
She doesn’t know how long she has, so she practices her song over and over again, still stumbling, still forgetting keys, adding new keys that aren’t supposed to be there.
It gets to the point where her mind wanders while her fingers move on their own.
She knows Mitch is right.
She and Louis are strong. They have been through a lot of shit, they've survived together. And she wanted to believe they would always be together, even if it's just wishful thinking.
She thinks about everything; the walkers in the train station, the rings, Louis and his nightmares, Louis and his smile, Violet and her fury, Louis and his tears, AJ’s excitement, their wedding with everyone there…
She thinks about Lee.
God, she wishes he was here. He should be here, not just to see her wedding, but to be with her and AJ, with the rest of the group. He deserved to survive, just like she has.
Then, her mind wanders to Kenny and Katjaa, and the day they lost Duck.
To the day AJ was born.
All the days she and AJ traveled together, alone, fighting for their lives every single night.
The first time she walked into the music room, hearing the soft, calming piano and seeing AJ again.
Hearing Louis’ voice for the first time, seeing his smile.
Their first kiss, right there at the piano.
Soon, her eyes flutter shut and her fingers pause.
The piano echoes.
It’s so close.
---
No deer.
No deer at all.
And the craziest thing? Aasim isn’t even upset. Nope, he shrugged it off like, “Oh well!” then proceeded to look for more rabbits.
It actually left Louis speechless.
Like, what the shit?
After spending an hour searching for James, only to find him hiding out in a tree- which was really weird, even for him- they spent another two hours hunting the damn thing with little to no direction.
Sure, they caught three rabbits during that time and let a bunch of baby ones go, but that still wasn't worth it.
Every time he got too loud while telling jokes, making cracks about the deer, or sharing stories with James, Aasim would shush him, claiming he could scare the deer away.
It wasn’t until James said the trail was cold that Aasim gave up.
And, through all this, it wasn’t like Louis could entertain himself by taking out any stray walkers; James is very adamant about keeping the walkers alive and it still boggles his mind.
So, he had to settle for trying to get Aasim to talk with James, which he refused. He just wandered up ahead, leaving Louis and James by themselves for most of the trip.
Then they went fishing. Fishing.
Because tracking an imaginary deer wasn’t bad enough.
They had better luck with the fish than they did with the rabbits, but Louis didn't have the patience for fishing. There's a reason he prefers hunting; he can move around, there's more to see, he can take out walkers. With fishing, you're stuck in the same place, looking at the same thing.
So, he volunteered to inspect the fishing shack. It’s still secure, and nothing was missing, so he hung out there a while to tidy up. It gave Aasim and James alone time, anyway.
Not that Aasim did anything. He never does anything when it comes to crushes.
Now, after what feels like years, the sun is beginning to set and the gates to the school are in sight.
Beside him, James carries a bag full of the fish they caught while Aasim has the rabbits. At least they’d eat good tonight.
Louis suppresses a yawn. The day’s left him drained, ready to sit down with the others and relax, eat a hot meal, and go lay in bed with Clementine.
But, once they enter the gates, AJ’s running up to him, tugging on his sleeve and practically dragging him over to a table where Tenn is.
“Woah, AJ-”
“Louis! You gotta come sit with us!” AJ exclaims. “We’re drawing! Tenn already drew you, but I never got the chance to.”
“Oh, uh-” Louis bite his lip. “Sure, buddy, but do you mind if I find Clem first?”
“She’s patrolling,” AJ says. “She won’t be back for a while!” Then, he waves James over. “Can I have my lesson now?”
James approaches, smiling. He turns to Louis. “You don’t mind?”
Well, if he were completely honest, he’d rather just sit on the couch and relax, but he couldn’t say no to AJ’s pleading eyes. Plus, Clementine was on patrol. Might as well stay busy until she came back.
“Nah, not at all. Besides,” he winks at AJ, “need yours to complete the wall, right?”
With that, he watches as they all gather on one side of the table, handing out papers and pencils. James helps AJ set up a drawing board, just like the one Tenn’s been using.
He sits in front, looking straight ahead and lets his mind wander.
Being gone most of the day had not only left him weary, but it also left him missing Clementine.
It’s dangerous to think that, he knows. Being attached like that, where even being away from her for practically a whole day left him anxious, isn’t how he wanted to feel.
Of course, he enjoyed his alone time, and the time he spent with the others, but it was seeing her every day that made getting out of bed worth it. Seeing her, talking with her, making music with her, kissing her, all of her… sometimes that’s what he has to think about those mornings after a night full of the dark horrors in his mind. He has to think of her, of AJ, of the piano making soft melodies, to get out of bed. Otherwise, he’d wish for his sheets to swallow him whole.
He didn’t want to need her so much, hated the thought of being clingy, suffocating her. He hated wasting her time, making her lose sleep over him, making her worry.
Shit, sometimes these thoughts got so bad, so out of hand that…
Clementine thought his nightmares were getting better. She said so herself.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve had one that bad.”
No, it hasn’t.
They were all different levels of bad, but the past month he’s been able to wake up and keep his crying quiet. He’d roll onto his back, hand pressed firmly over his mouth, and he’d silently sob with her right at his side. Sometimes, he’d sneak out of bed and sit in the hallway, or he’d go outside. Sometimes he found himself sitting at the piano, absently pressing the same key over and over again.
He couldn’t always do that, of course. Sometimes, the dreams are bad enough that he does need her to pull him out of it.
And he hates it.
Louis had read plenty of those magazines from the headmaster’s office, the ones about dating and relationships. He read an article when he and Clementine first got together, when they were preparing to infiltrate the delta. He’d read it out of curiosity, not knowing anything about how to be a boyfriend, and to take his mind off their imminent doom.
This article was bitter, written from a broken heart, and mean-spirited enough for him to skip at the time. But, now, thinking back…
It was about all relationships being a ticking time bomb, all because of one reason:
One person always loves a little bit more than the other.
One person always gives more than they should. One always cares too much. One is always at a greater risk of being hurt or left behind.
One is always weaker.
Louis knows she loves him. He feels it every time she looks at him, kisses him. Every time he makes her laugh, or every time she cracks a joke of her own. He feels it in their more intimate moments when her lips trail down his neck and her hands cling to his shoulders.
She wouldn’t stay with him those nights if she didn’t love him, and she’d freak out if she knew that he’d been hiding away from her to cry by himself.
But, there was always that little question whispering in the back of his mind.
Did she truly love him, or did she just accept the love he was so willing to give her?
Because, the truth is, he’s the weaker one.
Hell, he’s known that from the beginning.
When Clementine confessed to him that night, carved the heart around their initials and kissed him, he couldn’t believe it. He’d been ecstatic, the kind of over-the-top ‘pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming’ happy that you’d only read about in those shitty poems they used to learn about in class. He’d even named his song after her.
She could’ve had anyone she wanted, someone better, someone stronger or smarter or braver, and she chose him.
Him.
Why?
He wouldn’t have chosen him.
She’d said it was because he made her feel alive. He showed her there’s more to life than just survival both her and AJ. He made her laugh, brought music to her life, made her feel safe. He’s important to her.
How-
“Louis, your ears are funny.”
That snaps him out of his depressing thoughts. “Excuse me?”
AJ cocks his head, leaning forward to point at Louis’ right ear. “It’s like… weird.”
“Your ears are weird!” Louis playfully shoots back, reaching across and lightly poking the boy’s ear.
“Nu-uh!”
“Ears always give me a hard time, too,” James grins. “Here, let me show you…”
“First my nose, now my ears,” Louis mumbles, shaking his head. The earns him a chuckle from James.
“I like doing ears,” Tenn says with a small smile. “They’re kinda fun.”
Louis catches a glance at Tenn’s paper. Even in such a short amount of time, his skill has improved so much.
He wants to ask Tenn about Violet but decides against it. Maybe he could check in with her tonight after he and Clementine had their talk.
Shit, he couldn’t talk to her with all those negative thoughts plaguing his brain.
So, he does what he always does.
He forces a smile and cracks another joke as they all continue to draw him.
---
Aasim sits down at the table closest to the school with a huff. His head pulses after a stressful day.
He hates lying. Lying does nothing but bring trouble. Once you lie, you have to lie more to cover up your other lies and it’s just a tangled mess.
When Ruby came to him and James to explain the plan Clementine wanted to execute, he almost refused to do it.
Of all people, it did make sense for him to be the one to keep Louis occupied away from the school. They hunted together more times than not these days, and he’d actually gotten more used to Louis’ idiotic jokes. The guy still pissed him off a lot of times, but not as much as before. He’s not nearly as laid back. He’s willing to take things more seriously now, which Aasim appreciates.
But, in the end, he couldn’t turn it down. Not after Ruby sounded so damn ecstatic about the plan, and it was Clementine’s plan, at that.
Shit, it’s Clementine and Louis’ engagement.
He thought that kind of stuff was long dead.
“Aasim!”
He’s startled when Ruby comes from behind and takes a seat right next to him. She gets close, comfortable. Her arm in touching his.
Shit.
Omar comes and sits on his other side, whispering, “How’d it go?”
It takes his brain a second to figure out what he’s referring to.
“Oh, uh, as well as expected?” Aasim scratches at his neck. “He probably thinks I’m a nutcase after the whole deer thing, though. Then there’s the misunderstanding with James...”
“What misunderstandin’?” asks Ruby.
“Nevermind,” he says quickly. “Not important.”
“He don’t suspect nothin’ though, right?”
Aasim glances over at Louis. He’s sitting up, laughing at something AJ said. He shakes his head, and murmurs, “He has no idea.”
Ruby gives a tiny squeal, almost bouncing with glee but still trying to be discreet. “Oh, this is wonderful!” she whispers.
“The rabbit turned out perfect,” says Omar, pleased with himself. “We set it all up. Should still be hot by the time Louis shows up.”
“Ya should see the music room, it’s gorgeous.” Ruby places a hand on Aasim’s arm, excitedly shaking it. “Clem’s up there now, jus’ waitin’ fer it ta get dark enough.”
Aasim, trying to ignore the warmth of her hand seeping through his sleeve, peers up at the sky. “We’re close, then.”
In less than an hour, the sun would fully set, leaving the sky Aasim’s favorite hue of purple. They just had to keep him occupied until then.
The table shakes. Mitch and Willy plop down on the opposite side, eyeing the place before leaning in.
“She’s lighting candles now,” Mitch whispers.
“It looks super cool!”
Ruby covers her mouth to keep her excitement quiet. “Oh, I bet it’s beautiful in there. We gotta have the weddin’ at this time, too, in the evenin’.”
“Not that late,” Mitch argues. “We’re already wasting candles on this. We’ll do it during the day.”
“Oh, they’re not havin’ a mornin’ weddin’. Mornin’s aren’t nearly as special.”
“I didn’t say morning, I said day.”
“What’s wrong with the morning?” asks Omar. “We could wake up extra early and have it during the sunrise. That could be nice.”
“I don’t wanna wake up that early,” objects Willy. “I’d rather just stay up late.”
“We gotta have it in the afternoon, in the least. We’ll just hafta find another way to light up the place.”
“Maybe we can build a fire pit?” Willy offers.
“Nah,” Mitch shakes his head, “Louis won’t let a whole fire pit near his piano. That thing catches on fire and he’ll probably croak on the spot, then we’ll have to deal with Clem.”
“‘Sides, we don’t wanna burn the buildin’ down.”
“Which is why we should do it during the day,” says Mitch. “That way we can use the sunlight.”
“But, evenin’ time’s more romantic!”
Aasim watches them quietly argue, amused.
“If I’m not mistaking,” he interrupts, “shouldn’t Clem and Louis have a say in their own wedding?”
“‘Course they’re gonna get a say,” says Ruby, “we’re jus’ throwin’ around ideas ‘til they’re ready to start plannin’. Oh,” she points at Aasim, “don’t lemme ferget ta pull out those boxes of spare clothes fer everyone ta look at.”
“Don’t forget about the headmaster’s drinking glasses.”
“Right! Drinkin’ glasses! And Mitch, ya need a haircut.”
“The fuck I do.”
“Ya gotta look nice-”
“Why? I’m not getting married.”
“Don’t matter, yer not gonna show up lookin’ like a caveman. You too, Willy.”
They continue to bicker while Aasim chooses to focus on the sky. He watches the fluffy clouds slowly float away, drifting over the setting sun.
It’s a breathtaking image, he thinks. The outside itself is breathtaking.
---
Louis’ neck starts to stiffen from the lack of movement.
He decides that being a model is far too much work, even if it’s just sitting there looking straight ahead. Not being able to move around much for the past hour is driving him insane.
Though he’d have to admit, it’s almost worth it. Tenn focusing all his skill and concentration on getting details right is quite a sight to see. He’s trying his best, trying to impress James and improve himself.
And James couldn’t be a better teacher. Not once has he made Tenn feel bad about getting a line wrong or for screwing up a detail. Instead, he points out the mistake and then shows him how to easily fix it, then he watches and praises Tenn as he repeats what he’s learned.
It’s been a long time since he’s seen Tenn so eager to learn, to flourish.
And then there’s AJ.
Bless the kid, he’s trying his best, too.
James is just as patient with him, explaining in detail while keeping it simple enough for the young boy to understand just what he’s doing wrong.
Once he’s done, AJ holds up his drawing, frowning. “This… is hard.”
Louis takes the paper. He chuckles, saying, “What are you talking about?” He holds the wonky portrait up beside his head. “Can barely tell a difference!”
AJ giggles. “Yes, you can.”
He spots Aasim approaching from the corner of his eye. With the picture still held up, he turns to him.
“Whattya think?” he asks. “Looks just like me, right?”
Aasim quirks a brow, studying the drawing, trying to understand just what he’s seeing.
“Uhm… yes?”
“See? Aasim said so, therefore, it must be true.”
AJ giggles again, snatching the paper away. He looks over it again, this time with a proud grin. “Yeah,” he nods, “it’s not as good as Tenn’s, but I’m gonna keep practicing. It’ll look like you one day.”
“I know it will, little man.”
Aasim nudges his shoulder lightly. “Clem’s back.”
“Huh?” Louis’ eyes widen as he looks around. She’s nowhere in sight.
“She didn’t want to disturb you,” Aasim says. “Think she said she was going to the music room.”
AJ quietly giggles, causing Tenn to elbow him. Louis doesn’t seem to notice as he looks to James with pleading eyes.
“Go ahead,” he says softly. “They need to practice their bottles, anyway.”
“Bottles?” AJ asks.
Tenn’s shoulders slouch unhappily. “Bottles…”
Louis hops off the table. “You got this, Tenn. You’ll show those bottles who’s boss.” He turns on his heel, leaving the boys with an encouraging smile and a wave.
The group, as inconspicuous as possible, all watch as Louis heads up the main stairs into the building.
---
The hallway’s layered with shadows. All the curtains are pulled closed, hiding away the orange and pink sky. They dance a bit as the breeze blows through.
Something savory, with a hint of sweetness, wafts through the air. Something delicious that he can’t quite name.
There’s music. It’s so faint at first, he’s almost sure he’s imagining it. Only when he gets closer to the music room does he realizes it’s the piano playing a song he immediately recognizes.
The acceleration of his pulse seems to beat in time with the music, a soft fluttering in his chest that vibrates through his body, making him anxious.
The door’s cracked open wide enough to see her sitting there. He pauses, squinting through to watch her fingers glide over the keys, slow and precise. She fumbles, just a bit, but keeps playing. His heart swells and a smile spreads along his face.
The room’s lit up with a golden glow despite the main window’s curtain being pulled over. He can see the candlelight reflecting off her concentrated brow, illuminating her entire presence.
He reaches out to carefully press the door and steps inside.
His breath catches in his throat.
There aren’t just candles lit on the piano. No, they’re everywhere, decorating the room and washing in a lovely, warm golden glow. His eyes dart down to the table placed on the floor. Two bowls full of meat garnished with a thin sauce rest on opposite sides. There’s a basket with what looks like a large bottle of wine sitting in the middle, surrounded by glass protected candles.
Taking in all that rests before him causes his lips to part in a silent gasp.
The piano stops.
He turns to look at Clementine’s grinning face as she stands up from the bench.
“You’re back.”
A breathless laugh escapes him. “I’m back.”
She’s slow to approach him, first stopping at the gramophone and cranking the handle. A soft, classical song flows through the room. He reaches for her hand, unsure if he can properly speak.
“Clem, this…”
She stands on her tiptoes to kiss gawking face. “It’s been a while since our last date night,” she says, “thought we were due for something special.”
He wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. He rests his cheek on top of her head, the fabric of her hat pressing into his skin.
“All this trouble for little ol’ me? Looks like I need to step up my game,” he tries to joke in an attempt to suppress the emotion threatening to tremble his voice. “When did you even find the time to-”
And like that, it clicks.
He pulls back, narrowing his eyes playfully at her.
She laughs.“Well,” she drawls, “it wasn’t just me. I did have some help.” She smirks. “I meant to ask, did you get the deer?”
“Oh yeah,” he clears his throat, dramatically waving his arm through the air. “Deer as far as the eye could see! Just frolicking through the woods! Majestic as can be! Aasim plans to tame and ride them into our next battle.”
She quirks a knowing brow. “So, no deer.”
“No deer.”
“Oh well, maybe next time.”
“Next time?” He shakes his head, chuckling. “Y’know,” he says, “you didn’t have to put poor Aasim through all that. You could’ve just kicked me out and told me to wait an hour. I wouldn’t have been too butthurt.”
“No?”
“Okay, maybe I would’ve sulked a little bit.”
She rolls her eyes, grasping his hand again and leading him towards the table.
“While you were gone, Chef Omar was kind enough to whip up some very special rabbit for us, and Mitch was more than happy to give us some wine to try.”
“Wine?” His laughter comes out more nervous that he’d hoped. “Trying to get me tipsy, are you?”
“Guess we’ll find out,” she says. “Then, I was thinking after we ate we could tune the piano a bit. Or, rather…” she glances away, “I thought it might be nice if I played you a song for a change.”
His heart flutters, eyes lighting up. He squeezes her hand. “I’d like that.”
They place themselves down on the floor, getting comfortable with the pillows surrounding them. Clementine pulls the basket off the table and pulls out the wine and a bag of chips.
The rabbit tastes as delicious as it smells. It’s warm, mouth-watering. He has to pace himself. He doesn’t want to scarf it all down and look like an absolute pig.
“Chef Omar has outdone himself this time,” Louis compliments. “I dare say this is the finest rabbit in all the land.”
“He’s pretty proud of it himself,” she says, taking another bite. “It’s a nice break from stews.”
He takes another bite, savoring the sweetness of the sauce. They’re both quiet, enjoying the meal as the light music continues to play in the background. Words race through his mind, but it’s like he suddenly doesn’t know how to form sentences.
“Uhm, this-” he clears his throat, “-this is really nice. Like, ‘I don’t even know what to say’ nice, Clem.”
She bites her lip thoughtfully before shrugging a shoulder.
“Just trying to sweep you off your feet,” she says honestly.
Air escapes his lungs. The way the candlelight flickers over her skin and reflects in her eyes is breathtaking. “Consider me swept.” He reaches across the table, taking her hand and brushing his thumb over her knuckles. “Been swept a long time.”
He watches curiously as she reaches for the bottle of wine. She pops the cap off, leaning over to smell the rim on the bottle.
“Ladies first,” he smiles.
She takes a sip, her tongue darting out over her bottom lip as she mulls over the flavor. She scrunches her nose, shaking her head and handing him the bottle.
He can taste the alcohol, but it’s not too strong. There’s a tart sweetness to it that he enjoys, but he doesn’t know if he could down a whole bottle himself.
Soon, their bowls are empty. He hasn’t felt this satisfyingly full in a long time.
“Well, I’m ready for a nap,” he half-jokes.
“Not yet.”
Clementine takes their bowls and stacks them together before she stands, offering him her hand. He happily takes it, letting her help him up.
“And what shall the lady be playing tonight?” he asks as she leads him to the piano.
“Well, it’s a classic, you see,” she smirks, reaching over to quiet the gramophone. “One that a cute boy taught me.”
“Ah, ‘cute,’” Louis chuckles timidly, “heh, sounds like a charming guy.”
“For the most part,” she elbows him playfully.
Her fingers ready themselves on the keys. She glances at him briefly, waiting. He gives an encouraging nod.
Her playing is slow but powerful. Every key she hits, she hits with a purpose, even if it’s the wrong key. Her determination is what makes it feel right, feel intentional. Though it’s short, he still finds himself entranced by the way her slim fingers move and the way she bites her lip in concentration.
When she’s finished, her fingers remain pressed on the keys. The song echoes through the air, through him.
She finally turns to him, and it’s that stupid grin of his that makes her giggle.
“And so, the pupil becomes the star,” he kisses her cheek, “that was beautiful.”
“So, I played it right?”
“Well,” he drawls, “there is one part that needs work.”
He scoots closer until their legs pressed together and he can easily reach around her.
“Put your hands in position.”
She lays them on the correct keys. He rests his hand over hers, barely hovering. She relaxes under his touch, leaning closer to his body.
“You see,” he mumbles, “you’re pressing these keys,” he maneuvers her hands and presses her fingers against said keys, “when you should be pressing these ones.”
He guides her through the whole song like this and he can’t tell if that’s his heart racing, or hers.
Clementine takes a deep breath.
“Louis?”
Her voice is thick.
“Clementine?”
She hesitates, and it worries him. He pulls back, just a bit, enough to see her eyes are closed.
“Thank you,” she says slowly, “for last night. I-”
Louis waits, but she doesn’t continue. He brings their hands off the piano down to rest against their connected knees.
“Do you still want to talk about it?” he asks quietly.
She leans her head against his shoulder, breathing out a long sigh. “I just wanted to try and make things a little better,” she starts. “I thought, maybe if we just talk and get everything out in the open, then the healing can really begin. I just… wanted to understand, I guess.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “I could’ve come with you.”
“I know. I didn’t want that pressure, though. I wanted it to just be us. I mean, Mitch insisted on coming, but he waited outside. I know you, Louis. You would’ve wanted to be there in the room with us. Besides, what we talked about… it was pretty personal.”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “It’s okay. I get it.”
“It wasn’t all bad, though,” she says. “There was this little moment where it felt like we were just talking, no yelling or fighting or anything. Like we used to, but it didn’t last long. Now I know. She absolutely hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you-”
“Yes, she does,” Clementine’s grip on his hand tightens, “or, in the very least, will never trust me again, and I think I finally get why.”
“She’ll come around, Clem.”
“You’ve been saying that for two years.”
“And I’ll say it for another two. She’s still dealing with a lot of shit, just like we are, but I know one day she’ll be ready to try again. It happened when we first lost Minnie and Sophie. She did the same thing; she didn’t talk to anyone, she stayed in her room most days, barely ate. I know it’s different, worse even, but Clem, we can’t give up on her. She needs us, whether she admits it or not.”
“...I know.”
“I promise, things will get better. They have to, right?” His smile is sincere, heartwarming. “And you know I’ll always be here for you, too. Through thick and thin.”
She kisses him, a small chaste press that becomes long, passionate. They break apart when she moves closer to hold him, clinging to him tightly. They stay like that for a while, enjoying each other’s comfort. The day’s exhaustion washes over him.
“Close your eyes.”
Like a reflex, they do, even when he feels her pulling away. They flutter shut at the sensation of her lips on his jaw and her hands running down his arms. Her fingers caress the back of his hand, grasping it and turning his palm up.
Her lips brush against his ear as she whispers, “I’m going to spell something out on your hand, and when I’m done, you tell me what it says.”
He tries to question this until her lips press to his again, silencing him.
She traces the letters slow, precise. Each caress tingles his skin to the point where he has to suppress his giggle behind a smile. When she finishes, she rubs his palm to takes away the ticklish sensation.
Let’s see.
L-O-U-
“Louis,” he says, confidently.
She rewards him with a light kiss on the back on his hand and small, approving, “Hmm.”
The feeling doesn’t become any less ticklish, even with small words.
“Will?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Another kiss, another trace of her fingers.
“...You?”
She hesitates.
He can feel her move a little. She rubs his palm again, and this time she’s much slower, dragging out each and every letter. He concentrates, trying to visualize and put it together.
She doesn’t stop at one word. She takes a pause, then writes another.
He freezes.
His eyes shoot open. He blinks down at her, brows knitted together questionably. She spells it again without breaking eye contact. He doesn’t even notice the tingle now.
“What does it spell?” He almost doesn’t hear her she’s so quiet.
He searches her eyes, so clear and boring into him, trying to comprehend the letters.
What does it spell…?
It-
It spells-
Something cool touches his finger.
The candlelight reflects off the smooth, silver band as she slips it onto his finger.
“Louis?”
His gaze snaps up, meeting hers.
“Will you marry me?”
His lips part in a silent gasp and his eyes grow wide.
When he doesn’t speak, Clementine gently presses her palm again his cheek.
“I know it’s not something that many people do anymore,” she whispers. “But I don’t care. I love you, Louis, and there’s no one I’d rather have at my side in this world. Before we came here, all I had was AJ. I never once thought that I’d meet someone who knows just what to say to make me feel better or make me laugh. I never thought I could feel this way with someone like I do with you.”
Her voice becomes thick. She has to blink back the wetness threatening to spill over.
“I want to keep fighting, laughing and enjoying life with you and AJ and everyone else, not just as your girlfriend, but as your wife.”
Louis pulls always completely, turning to face the piano, looking straight ahead.
Then, he laughs.
He laughs because he doesn’t know what else to do. It’s a breathless laugh, one you do when in shock, one that rocks your core. His shoulders shake as he presses his hand firmly over his mouth, shaking his head in absolute disbelief. He can’t process anything. Somehow his thoughts are both jumbled and flatlining -how is that possible?- and he can’t do anything but laugh until his tears finally fall.
“Louis?”
He removes his hand, sucking in as much air as possible, coughing a little. He wipes at his eyes, still chuckling. He runs his thumb over the silver band when he notices something etched into it.
This time, he grasps the back of her head and kisses her. He moves his mouth with hers, attempting to pour all of his feelings into his movements. His efforts earn a pleased moan from her, deep in her throat.
He’s still giggling when their lips part.
“Yes,” he finally breathes out.
“Yes?”
“Yes,” he nods happily, sniffling. “Yes, Clementine, I will marry you.”
And, just like that, they’re kissing again. Quick presses of lips, more giggles from both of them now. Louis’ cheeks are actually hurting by the time they stop.
“I-” he shakes his head, “You’re serious, right?”
“Of course I’m serious,” she tells him.
“Holy shit, you’re serious!”
Clementine reaches into her pocket and pulls out another ring, placing it in his palm before offering him her hand. It’s just like his, smooth and silver with their initials scratched into the surface.
His heart is hard and quick, full of glee and laughter and everything else, as he slips the ring onto her finger.
“Clem, I- How did- where did you find these?”
“You’ll never believe it,” she says. “Mitch and Willy made them.”
“Um, what?”
“Out of quarters.”
“You’re right, I don’t believe that-”
There’s a sharp bang, though not very loud, it still catches their attention.
Another bang, this time followed by a strange hiss.
They both stare at the door quizzically.
“You heard that too, right?” asks Louis. “Or am I going crazy? Because that’s starting to feel like a real possibility.”
Another noise.
That-
That sounded like-
Another bang.
They shoot each other a look before getting up off the bench, hand in hand.
As they get closer to the door, it becomes clear what’s making the ruckus.
“Shh!” they hear.
“You shhh!”
Louis raises a brow at her smirking face. “Um?”
Clementine rolls her eyes, putting a finger to her lips and sneaking closer to the door. She waits a moment before grabbing the handle, listening. Then she throws all her weight into the door as she shoves it open.
It doesn’t get very far before there’s the sound of a rough collision followed by several thumps and a sharp, “What the fuck!”
Louis is dumbfounded to see Mitch, Willy, and AJ all on the floor, with Mitch rubbing his forehead and the other two holding their noses. Rosie comes over to lick AJ’s face, nuzzling him to make sure he’s okay. Around them stand Ruby, James, Tenn, Omar and Aasim, each frozen in place, gawking at the two of them.
“Um?” Louis’ eyes dart from face to face.
“That fucking hurt,” Mitch grumbles from the floor.
“Told’ja not ta get so close,” Ruby says, shooting him a glare. “Ya blew our cover.”
“Oh yeah, I blew our cover.”
“Uh, this isn’t-” Aasim scratches the back of his neck. “We were just-”
“Checking up on us?” Clementine finishes for him.
“More or less,” says James sheepishly. “Ruby couldn’t wait for you to come out.”
“Sorry,” Ruby’s face flushes, “I jus’ couldn’t sit still out there!”
“Or keep your mouth shut.”
“Can it, Mitch!”
“Wait a minute…” Louis turns back to her, hands on his hips. “Were they all in on this?”
“I did say that I had some help, didn’t I?”
“‘Course we helped!” Ruby clasps her hands together. “Had ta make it real special fer the both’a ya!”
“How was the rabbit?” Omar asks. “Best you ever had, huh?”
“I think my nose is broken,” Willy complains from the floor.
Mitch shakes his head. “S’not broken. You’d know if it was.”
“It feels broken.”
“It’s not.”
Louis can’t help but chuckle now. He pulls Clementine close, mumbling amongst the group’s chatter, “Suddenly, a lot of things make sense.”
“I bet,” she replies lightly.
AJ, still rubbing his newly sore nose, scrambles to his feet now. All the pain forgotten, he exclaims, “Well? Did you say yes!? Did you!?”
His grin says it all. With one arm around Clementine, Louis proudly holds up his hand to show off the ring to the group. “What do you think?”
Ruby’s squeal echoes through the halls as Aasim and Omar begin clapping, followed by the rest of the group. Louis bows, bringing Clementine down with him as they both laugh. AJ throws himself at the two, trying to wrap his arms around both of them. Then, here comes Ruby, hugging the both of them as well.
Soon, they’re surrounded, all a hum of laughter, gleeful words and happy smiles.
“We can finally start plannin’ the weddin’!” Ruby exclaims.
“Why don’t we let their engagement simmer for a bit, “says Omar. “Best not to overwhelm them.”
Clementine grasps her hand. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”
Louis doesn’t know how long they stand there amongst their friends, each expressing their congrats in one way or another. Eventually, Clementine has to announce that they’re going to bed and they all part ways. The buzz of excitement is still there, filling his brain, and his heart.
AJ walks alongside them back to their room, asking plenty of questions about the wedding and how big of a party isn’t going to be. For once, Louis isn’t the one answering all of his questions. He’s in a daze, sure that if Clementine wasn’t holding his hand, we would’ve walked straight into a wall by now.
When they reach their room, Clementine shoos AJ inside and closes the door.
Louis leans back against the wall. God, his cheeks hurt with an aching strain, but he can’t force the grin off his face.
“Holy shit,” he says.
“Holy shit,” she echoes.
“You’re really serious, right?”
“I already said I was.”
“Just making sure,” Louis crosses his arms, resting his head against the wall to look up at the ceiling, “this just… I don’t know. I never thought this would be something you would want.”
“Well, I do,” she advances closer now. “I want this with you.”
“Are you sure?” he asks. “I mean, you want to willingly marry me?”
“I want to willingly marry you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Is this going to be a thing?” she teases. “Twenty years from now are you going to ask me, ‘Are you sure you’re sure?’”
“Twenty years,” he laughs. “Think we’ll live that long?”
“If we’re together, we have a pretty damn good chance.” She grabs his hand now, her thumb brushing over his ring. “Right?”
Louis smiles, though it's a little uneasy. “Right.”
#twdg#twdg fanfiction#twdg clouis#clouis#twdg louisentine#louisentine#twdg louis#twdg clementine#twdg aj#twdg violet#twdg mitch#twdg ruby#twdg aasim#twdg james#twdg willy#twdg tenn#twdg omar#twdg rosie#clementine x louis#louis x clementine#louis twdg#clementine twdg
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The Word (Mona x MC, NSFW)
Thanks to Mona, I’m writing again! This is set after the end of book 1, I can’t make it work with the plot, so I’m just assuming everyone from the crew is alive and kicking and things are settled for now. I also take requests for Mona x MC, though I can’t promise to deliver fast because - life.
Again, English is my second language and you can correct my grammar & phrasing, I’d rather learn.
@zoe6111 not sure if you wanted to be tagged in a nsfw fic, but that’s what I came up with. I can untag you from this one, there might be others in the future.
Warning: NSFW
Words: 3051
“I wish we could run away together.“
“Just say the word.“
“The word.”
“What?”, Mona lifted her gaze from the tire she was inspecting, to Ellie’s face.
“I’m saying it.”, Ellie reiterated, looking into her eyes intently. Mona seemed confused for a second until some deeper understanding settled on her features.
“What, now?”, she stood up and smirked against Ellie’s face as if calling her bluff.
“Yes, now”, quiet determination rang in Ellie’s voice, her eyes meeting Mona’s gaze with resolve. “All the people that I love are safe. And the crew doesn’t need us anymore.”
“What about your dream college, princess?”, Mona’s gaze lost its cockiness, her expression now dead serious.
“There’s more to life than getting into college.”
“And where are we gonna go?”, Mona slightly tilted her head, still holding Ellie’s gaze.
“Wherever the road takes us”, a wide grin made its way on Ellie’s face. “We can decide as we go. Staying at motels, trying out different towns and cities… What d’you say?”
Mona took the few steps separating them, never breaking eye contact, and stopped just a few inches from Ellie, their bodies now almost touching. She put a lock of hair that somehow had slipped from Ellie’s ponytail behind her ear and got even closer until there was no more distance between them. Ellie sucked in a breath, her lips parting on their own.
“I say”, Mona spoke softly, “I say, go pack a thing or two.”
…
18 years on this Earth were packed in 20 minutes and an 18x22 bag at the back of the car. The wind in her hair, the sun on her skin and Mona’s hand on her thigh were everything Ellie could consider right now as they were leaving L.A. behind 85 mph. Her dad, Riya, the crew, she was gonna miss them all so much but it was a pain for another day.
This was the life of a career criminal she had chosen. The daughter of the detective running away with an ex-con wanted for kidnapping among other things. She was supposed to feel guilty, so the feeling of complete unbound freedom instead took her by surprise. Was she a bad person? Had she completely lost her conscience? No, not completely at least… She knew where the line was drawn, that much she could still say for herself. But did Mona?
“Regretting this already?”, Mona tried to outspeak the wind and the noise of the cars, her eyes never leaving the road.
“No way!”, Ellie insisted, speaking as loudly. She smiled as she cupped Mona’s hand resting a bit above her knee. Just a few moments later Mona removed her hand to change gears.
“We’re getting off the highway.”, she explained as they were driving past the signs.
Ellie unfolded the huge map in her lap, though no such tool was necessary, seeing as they both had modern day technology with them. It was something else that made Ellie take the map, the sentimentality of relying on a piece of paper, instead of a touch screen. Mona teased her about it but Ellie was relentless, so they followed the map.
In a few hours they were driving through the orange-y hues of Nevada, old-school hip-hop blowing up the sound system, much to Mona’s delight. Ellie was resting her bare feet up on the dashboard, her gaze to the sky, giant sunglasses covering the better part of her face.
“We could grab something to eat”, Mona offered, spotting something that looked like a diner up ahead.
“Yeah, I could have some waffles”, Ellie’s face lit up at the thought.
Mona pulled over in front of the diner, her car the only one on the parking lot. They sat at a booth by the window, the only two customers a bit after noon. A balding middle-aged man came to take their orders and pour them some coffee.
“Do you have waffles?”, Ellie asked eagerly. The man frowned.
“No waffles.”
“Oh… um, then pancakes.”, Ellie’s smile faded a bit but she remained hopeful.
“No pancakes.”
“Well, what do you have then?”, she sighed.
“Burger and fries. Coke. Water. Coffee.”
“Okay, then burger and fries it is!”, she was resolved to stay in a good mood, no matter the obstacles.
“Same for me, I guess”, Mona shrugged.
“Maybe we can find someplace I can cook. When we get to Portland, that’s it.”, Ellie suggested, her gaze filled with warmth.
“Why, so we can play house?”, Mona teased, yet again finding a way to poke fun at her. But something in her eyes gave her away this time, some distant longing that she’d never admit to out loud.
“No”, Ellie insisted patiently. “So we can eat something other than fast food.”
“Never saw the problem with fast food”, Mona shrugged.
“No, I guess you didn’t.” Ellie sighed and looked out the window. She had no intention of ‘taming’ Mona or changing her into someone she was not but it felt like every single thing she said was a reminder of how fast she was willing to leave everywhere and everyone.
“But I suppose I could make you Kibbeh”, Mona spoke again, her gaze growing softer as she observed Elli’s face. Ellie met her eyes, quickly hiding her surprise.
“What is that?”
“My mom used to make it a lot when I was a kid. And it’s not too complicated, so I should be able to make it too. Never tried, though, so no promises.” Mona’s lips twisted into the tiniest of smiles as she was holding Ellie’s gaze.
“I’d love to.”
“I know you would”, Mona teased again before finally taking her eyes off of her face.
“Were you close with your mom?” Ellie asked after a while, her tone careful not to touch a nerve. Surely, Mona must miss her family as much as she did hers. Did she visit after she was released, at least sometimes? Or was it too risky?
“You always ask a lot of questions”, Mona said in response but there was no irritation in her voice this time. As Ellie was about to give up, Mona spoke again. “I was. I haven’t seen them in years. I figured they weren’t too proud of me.”
“You can’t know that...”, Ellie murmured, reaching for her hand across the table.
“Yeah? You’d be thrilled your kid got in jail?”
Ellie was about to answer but she just frowned and looked out the window again. “Maybe not...”, she spoke in a moment. “But I’d still want to see them.”
“There you go”, the man who took their orders put two plates before them and got back behind the counter. They were still the only two customers, so a silence settled in the diner when none of them made attempts to continue the conversation.
As they were leaving some time later, Ellie noticed a postcard stand near the door and stopped to take a look at the cards. Mona gave her an inquisitive look and in response, Ellie just flashed her a smile. “You said no postcards but I made no such promise”, she explained as Mona’s eyes searched her face.
“I said not to expect postcards”, she corrected her.
“Well, either way. I’ll get one for Riya… one for Ximena, Toby, one for Logan… I think even Colt might appreciate a postcard.”
“Knock yourself out.” Mona made a step toward the door, prepared to tell Ellie that she’d wait for her in the car but in a moment of hesitation she made a step back. “Ximena will like this one”, she said, pointing to a card with a Death Valley picture on it.
“Thanks”, Ellie leaned in and brushed her lips against her cheek. Mona closed her eyes for just a second longer than a blink and let out a breath.
“You’re welcome. I’ll wait in the car.”
…
Oregon immediately felt different. As the sun was beginning to set over the tall trees, it got a bit chilly and Ellie pulled a sweater and Mona’s jacket from the backseat. They were driving through a road in the forest with no place to stop in sight. Ellie unfolded the map again but Mona glanced at it with disapproval.
“You won’t find a motel there”, she said. “Check on your phone… unless you’d rather sleep in the car tonight”, Mona smirked at her, a faint suggestion in her eyes.
“Fine. I give up, I’ll search online.”, Ellie relented, taking her phone out of the glove compartment.
Dusk was slowly covering the forest as Mona pulled over at a roadside motel, not an hour later. The birds that could be heard somewhere far above, the sounds of the forest filled the evening with a touch of melancholy. They had crossed two state borders in a few hours and some pleasant exhaustion was taking over Ellie.
They got a room, Mona wordlessly asking the question. One double room, Ellie chimed in as Mona was speaking to the receptionist. Mona looked away.
“You hungry?”, Mona asked, tossing her backpack on the chair near the window.
“Not after that burger…”, Ellie replied with laughter. “But I could eat some candy.” She tilted her head, a cheeky grin curving the corners of her mouth.
“Yeah, I was thinking candy too.” Mona returned her smile. She hesitated at the door for a few moments, thorn between kissing her and getting away for a breather. Other girls never made her so nervous, never made her question herself. “I saw a vending machine downstairs, I’ll go get some.”
“Thanks”, Ellie beamed at her. “I’ll take a shower.”
Dinner consisted of M&Ms, Reese’s, Haribo and some cheap wine the motel had to offer. It was past midnight when the ‘lame 90s rom-com’, as Mona had described it, ended and Mona got into the bathroom to take a shower.
She took her time, part of her hoping to find Ellie asleep. No other girl had ever made her feel so ambiguous about it. As much as she wanted her, she also wanted to get away from her even if just to escape from the torturous way her body ached all over. What an unpleasant feeling, she thought, it was puzzling why people held it as something to strive and search for.
She walked out to find Ellie already in bed, her back to the bathroom. From where Mona was standing it seemed like Ellie had nothing on, though some thin strap was probably hiding in the folds of the sheets covering part of her shoulder. Mona climbed in bed gently, in case she was sleeping but Ellie slightly tilted her head toward her.
Mona slowly traced the curve of her shoulder, pulling the sheets off to find the hiding strap of her cami. Ellie let out the breath she’d been holding and let her eyes close to savor Mona’s touch.
“Do you want to sleep?”, Mona whispered close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
“No”, Ellie mouthed, slightly shaking her head and opened her eyes to meet Mona’s gaze.
“No, me neither”, Mona admitted, her lips brushing Ellie’s ever so lightly.
Ellie turned to lie on her back, pulling Mona closer, their eyes meeting for a second before they kissed. Mona’s lips moved softly against her as she was deepening the kiss slowly, hands traveling down Ellie’s body. Ellie pulled her even closer, wrapping her legs around Mona’s waist and tugging at the hem of her worn-out T-shirt.
Mona broke the kiss to take her shirt off, regaining her usual confidence. Ellie’s eyes traced the curves of her body, her lips slightly parted. She put a hand on the back of Mona’s neck to bring her in for another heated kiss, pressing their bodies even closer. Ellie’s hands caressed her back, mouth slowly covering her jaw and shoulders with kisses.
Mona couldn’t take much more of the way Ellie was pressing her body to her. She had to see her, touch her. Breaking their kiss, she pulled Ellie’s cami over her head and held her gaze as her hands began studying her curves, Ellie’s skin growing hotter under her touch. Mona leaned in to kiss her neck, extracting soft moans and whimpers from Ellie.
Grabbing her hips, Mona pulled Ellie against her, both of them building a slow maddening rhythm that left them equally frustrated until Mona reached down Ellie’s body to peel away her underwear.
“Hope you have no intention of stopping”, Ellie breathed out against her lips, holding her gaze with intensity that made Mona let out a long breath.
“No”, she shook her head, “Not unless you want me to.”
Ellie made a sound no and planted an open-mouthed kiss on the side of her neck. Mona’s moan was already her favorite sound.
Mona sat up, pulling Ellie into her lap until her knees were on both sides of her hips. Ellie let out a small whimper in surprise which quickly broke into a breathy moan when Mona’s lips made their way down her neck. As Mona’s mouth was traveling lower her hands were moving further up Ellie’s thighs until a heated drawn out moan filled the room.
Ellie looked into her eyes, head swimming with pleasure. Mona held her gaze, her hand between their bodies, her deep dark eyes making Ellie feel so utterly vulnerable. Capturing her lips in another deep kiss, Mona kept building up the tension, savoring every moment Ellie was moaning into her mouth. Their bodies began moving together in a rhythm of their own, heavy breathing filling the dark motel room until Ellie let out a long shaky moan and buried her face in the crook of Mona’s shoulder.
“I got you”, Mona murmured in her hair, hand moving in a gentle pattern up and down her back.
…
Their bodies intertwined, they were lying there completely spent, dawn just an hour or so away. The room was dark and quiet, they weren’t talking, simply gazing into each other’s eyes. For the first time in the months she’d known her Mona had her guard down. She was letting her in, even as she wasn’t speaking and Ellie could swear there was something much like love in her eyes.
“You’re really good at this”, Ellie mumbled, her lips brushing against Mona’s as she was speaking.
“Mmm...” Mona closed her eyes for a moment, leaning into Ellie’s touch. “You’re surprisingly good yourself.”
“Hey! I don’t see why that would be a surprise.”, Ellie pouted but there was no trace of irritation in her eyes. “So… about your tattoo…”
Mona sighed in exaggerated defeat. “Yeah, I did say ‘next time I’m naked’...”
“You did”, Ellie confirmed, a small smile on her lips.
“It’s a poem, I can’t really translate it”, Mona explained softly, brushing Elli’s locks away from her face.
“What is it about?” Ellie didn’t give up.
“Mmm… it’s… Well, it’s about a tree that rarely blooms.”
“But it’s not really about the tree, is it?”
“No, it’s poetry, it’s about everything else but the thing it describes”, Mona chuckled and pulled Ellie even closer. “It rarely blooms but it still does. It’s a tough little tree. Some winters it can’t recover… but eventually, it blooms again.”
Ellie didn’t say anything, just held her gaze a bit longer before kissing her softly. Another moment of comfortable silence engulfed them until Ellie spoke again.
“And your name…?”
Mona made a sound at the back of her throat resembling a chuckle. “You do ask a lot of questions.”
“I mean, I don’t mind it, just… for the next time you make me want to scream your name”, Ellie’s eyes narrowed in a playful smile.
“Then I think ‘Mona’ will do just fine”, Mona returned her smile and leaned in for another short kiss. “My old name doesn’t matter anymore. Probably this one won’t either, in a few years.”
Ellie closed her eyes and pressed her body even closer to her, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist. “I’m not going anywhere”, she mumbled in her hair.
“Sweet of you to say that, but you don’t know what the future holds”, Mona scolded her gently.
“You think people are so moldable by circumstances”, Ellie looked up at her eyes. “That we have no fixed inner self.”
“I do believe we have a fixed self”, Mona corrected her, “and it’s the drive to survive.”
“There’s more to life than surviving it.”
Mona’s eyes were full of tenderness. She pulled Ellie on top of her and wrapped her arms securely around her body, resting her forehead against Ellie’s. Maybe this was worth living for. Maybe they could beat the odds. Mona put a hand on Ellie’s cheek and traced a path with her lips from Elli’s mouth to her ear, raising goosebumps on her skin. “My real name is…”
…
Ellie was putting the last finishing touches on her eyeliner, staring up close at the bathroom mirror, as Mona was packing some shirts she got in Portland. They were about to leave the small snug apartment that had just begun to feel like home over the last week.
“You know what I was thinking?”, Ellie raised her voice a bit, though the bathroom door was open and the place wasn’t that big. Mona put the last shirt in the backpack on the couch and turned to Ellie.
“Hm?”
Ellie put the eyeliner pen aside and gazed at Mona.
“What if we go to Europe?”
Mona raised an eyebrow, amusement coloring her expression. “You think they won’t find us there?”
“No, I’m not that naive”, Ellie shook her head. “But we can see the Louvre…”, she took a step closer to Mona, a wide grin spreading her lips. “And we can have gelato for breakfast…”, Ellie stepped even closer and wrapped her arms around Mona’s neck, her eyes sparkling with some unnamed anticipation. “And we can make love on the beaches of Greece…”
“Mmm”, Mona’s lips were slowly twisting into a reluctant smile. “You’re good at selling this Europe thing.”
“Mhm.” Ellie leaned in to kiss her hard, pressing her body closer, knowing how persuasive she can be. Mona put her hands on her hips to pull her in even closer, their thighs slowly grinding against each other. When Mona pulled away to catch her breath, Ellie’s eyes were sparkling with longing.
“So… what do you say?”
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Conflicting Loyalties (Part 2)
Based on a dream I had a while ago + some prompting from my friend Anna. Tell me if you think it should be a love story, and who with.
Mero meets her first dwarf!! Things will get more interesting I promise. This chapter is double the length of the last one, more the length the rest will be.
Warnings: abandonment, stereotypes (bias, fantasy racism?? I suppose that is what it is), mild gore and battle scenes. More will be added as the story progresses.
ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. If you see mistakes please let me know, but if you are rude I will ignore.
Conflicting Loyalties Masterlist
It wasn’t until the next day that Mero thought to tell Bilbo of the guest that would be joining them. It took a moment for the information to process, but once it did Bilbo all but yelled. “You invited him to tea?”
The invitation had entirely slipped Mero’s mind (as things so often did) until she saw Bilbo preparing two fish teas. She had, quite offhandedly she liked to think, mentioned that they would need more food than that to feed their guest. As expected, Bilbo was less than pleased to hear the news.
“Why - oh goodness I think I need to sit down, I’m feeling quite faint.”
”I shan’t suppose it’s out of excitement?” Mero said hopefully, guiding her cousin over to his chair in the sitting room. He was shaking beneath her hands. “By the hair on my toes, the way you are acting makes it seem as if that dear old wizard had done something unspeakable - he didn’t take your smokepipe, did he?”
”No, no, thankfully,” Bilbo said, leaning back on his chair and fanning his face. He seemed even more flustered now than he had the previous day, which was no small feat. Mero, concerned for the hobbit’s health, pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. Bilbo waved her away.
“Are you quite well, Bilbo?” Asked Mero, a frown on her face. Bilbo leant back in his chair with closed eyes, attempting to collect himself before he worried Mero. It was too late on his part, for Mero was already regretting extending the dinner invitation. “Did I make a mistake in inviting Gandalf around?”
Sighing, Bilbo rose from his chair and put his hand on Mero’s shoulder. He had to reach up because the girl was substantially taller than him (as many Tooks were), but it comforted her nevertheless. “Of course not, Meroderada. I should have done so myself, yet my manners completely escaped me. All of the talk about ad - well, never you mind what Gandalf was babbling on about. I am happy to say I managed to avoid quite a bit of tomfoolery yesterday. I can’t imagine that he should bring it up again, certainly not in your company.”
A burst of curiosity spiked inside Mero along with a childish wish to object. As much as she tried to tell herself that she wasn’t interested in knowing what had made Bilbo so unsettled, she couldn’t deny that she was slightly curious. Slightly more than curious, one might say, had they seen what she fantasized Gandalf was speaking of - elven lords, terrifying monsters, and heroic acts, to name but a few. Before she could let slip that she desperately wanted to know, she herded Bilbo back into the kitchen, noting that the time was nearing four.
“Set the table, dear Bilbo, I will quickly scrap something together for myself, and Gandalf can have my fish dinner,” Mero said, talking quickly. “I do hope he likes fish, though I can’t see why he wouldn’t, being as well travelled as he is. Though, Old Took said he once met a traveller who wouldn’t eat anything that was once living. Curious, don’t you think?”
Before Bilbo could reply, a harsh knock sounded from the hallway. Mero paused in her food preparation, turning towards the door with anticipation. Perhaps she could manage to get Gandalf to talk of his travels without Bilbo intervening to say it all sounded dangerous. A good cake ought to distract the hobbit enough.
“I’ll get it, you continue,” Bilbo said, scurrying out of the kitchen and towards the door. Mero, too distracted now to continue preparing food, quickly put an extra plate and some bread on the table. Wiping her hands on her dress, she glanced at the clock to see that Gandalf had arrived at exactly four o'clock, which ought to have please Bilbo. Several moments passed and Gandalf had yet to join her in the dining room, so she went to investigate.
In the hallway, she saw Bilbo standing stock still. She couldn't see Gandalf behind the coat rack blocking her view of the outside, save for the night sky. This should have been the first indication to her that it was not the wizard at the door, indeed that it was someone quite dissimilar.
"Why do you stand here so, Bilbo Baggins, as if a spell has befallen you?" Mero said, walking up to stand next to her beloved cousin, still not noticing that their guest was not at all the one they had been expecting. It was Mero's way to notice everything and yet nothing if her mind was sufficiently occupied, as it happened to be at that very moment. "What on Middle-earth is that in your arms? A sword? I can't imagine what our guest must be thinking seeing you carrying around a - why you're not Gandalf."
The man (Mero thought it must be a man, yet he looked like no male she had ever seen before) chuckled or made a noise that resembled a chuckle. It could well have been a hairball, but Mero was inclined to think better of people. Most of his hair seemed to be concentrated around his chin area, stretching up to his ears but not much farther, leaving a clean bald spot with a tattoo on it. Although she had never met one, it was clear that this man with his tattoos and beard was most certainly not a hobbit, but a dwarf.
"By Elbereth and Lúthien the fair, you're a dwarf, aren't you?" Mero couldn't help but stare as she pulled Bilbo out of the way. The dwarf seemed quite content to walk into their home though she had not invited him to, yet she was too shocked to comment on it. Bilbo was in a similar state as her, but at the dwarves words, he snapped out of it.
"Aye, I am, lassie," the dwarf said, in an accent entirely new to the young hobbit girl. "You're husband here had much the same reaction."
"Excuse me," Bilbo said, pilling what Mero now assumed to be the dwarves belongings by the front door. "Firstly, this is not my wife-"
"A pleasure, Mister Dwarf. I am called Mero-"
"-derada. My cousin Meroderada,' Bilbo said, a hint of protectiveness in his voice. The courage that Bilbo had managed to build up to speak strongly to the dwarf suddenly disappeared when he started ravenously eating one of the fish dinners. "Oh, oh my."
That was how Mero would have described it as well, the way the dwarf was using his hands to tear apart the fish and stuff it into his mouth. With wide eyes, Mero watched, until the dwarf noticed her staring. Bilbo had long since moved to sit at the table, most likely feeling faint for the second time that afternoon. It was rare times like these that Mero's Took side shone much brighter than the Baggins side she had partially been brought up with.
"Dwalin," the dwarf mumbled through a mouthful of bread. It took Mero a moment to realise he was saying something, and only a moment later did she come to the conclusion that she had no idea what he was saying. She wagered she wouldn't have had much more luck without food in his mouth.
"I'm sorry?" she said, looking for him to repeat himself. He paused with another chunk of bread just in front of his mouth to fix her with his gaze again.
"My name. Dwalin, after my grandfather, Farin," Dwalin said, his gruff voice making Mero have to pay extra attention. "Your cousin said your name was Merida?"
"Meroderada," Mero corrected, before quickly adding, "though most call me Mero. Bilbo just tries to - well, I'm not entirely sure why he uses my full name. He is the only one. You are welcome to call me either."
"There was no mention made of a young lady hobbit." Dwalin raised a tankard to his lips, Mero following his every move.
"Who would have mentioned it?" She asked, although by now she was beginning to suspect that Gandalf, that sneaky old wizard, had something to do with it. He had said he was going to inform the others.
Dwalin regarded her with what could only be described as suspicion. He seemingly didn't find what he had been looking for, because he grunted and chewed quickly in order to answer her. "The same old man who told us about this place, and your cousin Bilbo -"
"The door!" Bilbo squeaked loudly, having heard the knock quite clearly. "Excuse me."
Mero suspected it to be Gandalf this time, ready to explain exactly what was going on. However, Dwalin seemed to think differently.
"That should be one of the others," he said. "My money's on Balin."
And he was correct, and Mero would have lost her money if they had actually put a bet on it, because a white-haired dwarf walked into the dining room, talking over his shoulder to Bilbo. Dwalin greeted Balin (his brother, perhaps, both of them named after grandfather Farin) in a peculiar way that made Mero jump - they smashed their heads together violently. Shocked, Mero decided it was best not to ask for if that was how they treated friends she was wary to see how they treated those they disliked.
"Balin this is Merida, Merida this is my brother, Balin," Dwalin introduced you both as Bilbo reappeared with another tray of cakes.
"Its Mero, actually," Mero corrected again, yet she had a feeling Dwalin was not going to remember. "A pleasure, Mister Balin."
"At your service, Miss Mero," Balin said, bowing to her. "They didn't tell us that one of our burglars was a lady."
"Burglar?" Mero questioned with interest, at the same time Bilbo said the word with horror. The doorbell rang again before either Balin or Dwalin could explain anything to the hobbits. This time, Mero made sure Bilbo was safely in a seat and answered the door herself because she was certain it was not Gandalf like he was expecting.
Opening the door she was met with the smiling faces of two more dwarves, around her height. One had golden hair that blended into his golden beard, the other dark hair and a little beard, that he made up for with a large grin.
"Mr Boggins," he exclaimed, bowing with the other dwarf.
"Fili, at your service," the blonde one said, followed by the dark-haired one saying "and Kili."
"You aren't Mr Boggins," Kili said upon hopping inside the home. "You're a woman."
"Mero Took, at your service, dear dwarves," Mero said, remembering her manners, even if she was panicking slightly on the inside. Watching Fili and Kili join Dwalin and Balin in the dining room, she whispered to herself, "We should have made tea for more than three. Now I fear we shall have no food left."
#the hobbit#fanfiction#hobbit fanfiction#hobbit#hobbit fanfic#drabble#part two#conflcit#conflicting loyalties#an unexpected journey#dwarves#dwarf girl#hobbit girl#gandalf#thorin#dwalin#balin#kili#fili#ori#nori#dori#bofur#bifur#bombur#bilbo baggins#bilbo#baggins#took#oc
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What is the reason you last got a new cell phone?
because I needed phone with internet connection
Are you more masculine or feminine?
dunno, smth in between?
Which name have you kissed the most people with?
I only kissed one person in my entire life
Do you enjoy All You Can Eat buffets?
yes
Have you ever seen the band/artist you’re listening to live?
I didn’t attend any Momomoyouth concerts
Last thing you printed off a computer?
short story that I’ve written
Last thing you threw in the garbage?
not sure what was last
Last black person you hugged?
I saw few black people but never even had a chance to talk to them
Is life hard?
for me it is, I know some people have it worse but still
Who does the song you’re listening to remind you of?
nothing, I just enjoy it
Have you ever had anything pierced that isn’t anymore?
never had anything pierced ever
Would you consider yourself “tough”?
it’s complicated
Headphones or earbuds?
headphones
Do you support freedom of speech?
I think some stuff should be censored like bullying
Are you ever told you are too opinionated?
maybe
Do you hold grudges for long?
sometimes
What’s in your garden/backyard?
you mean plants or other stuff like furniture or decor?
Do you own a purple pillow?
nope
Do you have a brown blanket?
nah
Do you think diamonds, stars or hearts are prettier?
stars
Have you ever overflown a bath?
noooo
Do you appreciate brutal honesty?
not brutal but I appreciate honesty in general most of the time
When was the last time you ate meat?
yesterday
Have your parents met your gf/exes?
they met my current gf and my ex S.
How about your gf’s parents? Met them?
I met my current gf’s parents
Do you feel uncomfortable easily?
kinda
Do you know how to say I love you in at least 4 languages?
yup
What age will you be when you times your current age by two?
56
Do you find the sound of a cats purr relaxing?
hmm...
Are you in a simple or complex mood?
complex
Do you know your Mum’s first pets name?
I need to ask my mom’s guinea pigs’ name :o
*she doesn’t remember
Do you like car racing?
playing car racing games, don’t like to brag but I’m very good at it actually
What is your closest uncle/aunt called?
to me it’s my aunt Alicja (Alice)
Do you wear underwear to bed?
when I have my period to have extra protection
Do you get angry, depressed or nervous more?
all at once
What is something obvious about you that everyone notices?
that I’m short
Would you ever get a heart tattoo or your back?
what for?
Do you like Sapphires?
I don’t
What about you do you think your friends dislike?
ask them
Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? (assuming you want any)
I don’t want any and would allow but no sex! at least use protection or birth control
What’s something about adult life you were never warned of or prepared for?
amount of illnesses for example
How often do you wash your car?
I don’t have a car
Which app on your phone do you tend to get the most notifications from?
fb messanger
Do you find it easy to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes?
I believe
Have you ever kissed a smoker?
I have not
If you won the lottery, do you think any of your family members would ask you to give them some of your money?
my parents wouldn’t have to ask :)
What is the craziest thing you’ve seen happen at your workplace?
crazy is that one of the coworkers actually disappeared - he left his stuff and didn’t took the money for the job - he was never found
Have you ever disliked a book so much that you didn’t finish it?
many times
Do you think tomorrow will be a better day than today?
hope so
A word that describes you, starting with the last letter of your last name?:
asexual
What is the age difference between the last two people you kissed romantically?:
-
How many hours have you worked this month?:
zero
How did you or whoever come up with the name(s) for your pet(s):
he was fattest among his siblings as a puppy and used to eat a lot later too, he even ate roof of his house lmfao
Last time you washed your hair?:
Monday’s night
What is your weight?:
about 40 kg, I didn’t check recently
Last article of clothing you purchased?:
dad bought a hoode NOT INTERESTED for me in second hand because I cold so cold yesterday but I worry I still got a flu :(
Last electronic you purchased?:
powerbank from what I remember
What is your blood type?:
no idea
Who did you last walk a dog with?:
my dad, we always go together for walks because it’s quite dangerous to wander alone around the forest
Ride bikes with?:
same
For what reason did you last high five someone?:
I virtually high fives my gf because we agreed on smth
Are you emotional?
I’m more analytical/logical/overthinker but I still am very emotional
Have you ever cut/burned yourself intentionally?
...
Have you ever noticed the hidden adult jokes inside of kid shows/movies?
in Shrek, the one about penis
Do you sin often?
only God knows
What do you think happens after you die?
we have a funeral :P
Are you afraid to die?
I’m afraid of looking stupid and people laughing, being a burden, others trying to save me (or me trying to save myself of course) and failing, someone stealing my stuff while I’m unconscious, suffering for a long time, waking up in a casket, going to hell etc.
If you had the chance, would you want to know the date of your death?
YES
Have you ever felt that you weren’t good enough?
I’m not enough and yet too much if you know what I mean
Are you jealous of your siblings?
I am, she’s lucky, normal
Are you always wanting more?
I want more than I have but not as much as people usually want - I want health and enough money to not just barely survive but I don’t dream about career, kids, big house, fame, talents, travelling, beauty, long life etc.
Do you make good first impressions?
pfft
Do you consider yourself guarded?
it seems
Do you like animals?
majority but still wouldn’t want to own them
Do you think doctors prescribe medicine too often?
absolutely, too many meds are causing more problems than help and the fact lots of them are sold without prescription makes me angry and sad
Do you enjoy getting drunk, or do you feel like you’re losing all control?
I don’t drink because I don’t like the taste/smell and the consequences - losing control is one of them but also hangover and puking for examples
Do you think the internet is dangerous?
almost everything can be
Who do you think has the most pressure to be good-looking; guys or girls?
women are pressured more to be attractive
Do you care what impression you make on people?
not much
Honestly, do you say racist things?
nah
Do your parents put way too much pressure on you?
not really
Do you think people overreact when their pets die?
not usually
Has anyone ever told you they needed space?
that’s what I say!
Do you actually think there will be a zombie apocalypse?
smth similar
Do you get offended really easily?
I’m pretty sensitive
Have you ever punched a wall out of complete anger?
not wall, furniture
Ever been turned down in a really mean way?
in my opinion that was hurtful
Are you ticklish?
I am and hate that about me
Do you currently have a pair of UGG boots?
I use them as slippers during winter :3
When was the last time you had a stomach ache?
morning
Have you ever been to a circus?
at least once <3
Does drama seem to follow you everywhere you go?
I live in a drama movie
Do you ever regret giving your number to people?
regretted
Have you ever been told that you’re afraid of your own shadow?
fuck you!
Have you ever tried Gouda cheese?
obvi
Do you still watch South Park?
I never did
You’re babysitting, what do you expect per hour for pay?
been doing it for free :(
What’s the last thing you returned at a store?
tried to return computer and even tho it was on guarantee they didn’t fix it, it didn’t work from the start and it’s only getting worse >.<
Do you still look at clouds and make shapes of them?
it’s so much fun! :D
If you had to dye your hair for one year, what color would you pick?
green
What’s your television addiction?
non existent
Have you ever had any painful dental work done? If so, what?
4 hours of root canal without anesthesia
Do you make your own jewelry or clothing?
tried but I’m bad at it
Do you use drawing to describe what you’re feeling?
preffered collages
Do you give everything you do 100%?
I half ass majority of the things I do
If you could transform into any kind of animal, what animal would you be?
raccoon? XD
actually a bird I guess
One place you would never want to get lost in in the dark?
somewhere I could fall down like from the roof or into a deep hole and where are sharp objects etc.
Are you claustrophobic?
just my head is, I’m scared to be stuck in smth with my head, I know it’s strange
If you could be reincarnated, would you come back as another human or an animal? If an animal, what kind?
I just want a good life... but never come back would be a better option - no more death
Easiest way to scare you?
jump scares
What was your last nightmare about?
personal
Do you own any knee-high boots?
no longer
Have you ever kissed a dog on the mouth?
disgusting!
How many squares of toilet paper do you use at a time?
2-3
Have you ever had acupuncture done to you?
heard you can get ill outta that
Do you play hopscotch?
played a bit as a child
Are you jealous of beautiful people?
rarely
Are you foolish and naive?
I try my best not to be yet end up being fooled at times anyway
Do you play with the food on your plate?
my mom does and that annoys me
When you were born was the umbilical cord wrapped around your neck?
luckily not
Have you ever taken a mud bath?
no thx
Do you have nude photos of yourself posted on the internet?
I didn’t even really took any to begin with
Are you considered “normal”?
Do you want to skydive?
nah
Have you ever been told that you talk too much?
and not enough, you can’t please anyone
What’s the latest youtube channel you’ve discovered and binge-watched?
https://www.youtube.com/c/naomijon/videos
Do you think your hair looks better long or short?
it’s ugly
Do you look best with or without bangs?
I prefer no bangs
Do you enjoy editing photos on your phone?
I like filters sometimes but not editing
Which season do you wish would last longer?
summer
Haw many outdoor birthday parties have you had?
none, sadly, my birthday is during winter so I can’t
How much taller or shorter are you than your mom?
like 10 cm taller even tho I’m so tiny
Do you have neat handwriting?
r u kidding?...
Would you rather hike a mountain or dive into the sea?
hike
Which Barbie doll was your favorite?
that one I slept with and broke her neck but I loved my Ken as much (and broke his legs but my dad fixed him) - that’s unusual as those are the only toys I actually ever broke (not counting my fav stuffed animal that lost it’s head but my mom sewed it back) and not because I didn’t care for them like some kids but because I loved them
Do you prefer cheetah or zebra print, polka dots, paisleys, plaid, stripes or stars?
animal prints are ok at times, paisley and some kinds of plaid too but I love stripes and stars and hate polka dots
Do you like your natural hair color?
whatever
Did you dream of becoming famous as a kid?
later in life I wanted to become an actress
Have you ever been to a gynecologist?
several times and I regret that
Do you use the Bitmoji app on your phone?
used to
Do you get on facebook every day?
yep
Would you ever consider naming a child after a family member?
not that I want to have kids but yes
List three names that sound similar to your name.
apparently Zosia is similar to Zuzia but also Anna as it’s part of Zuzanna
What were you almost named?
Lilia (Lily)
What does your name mean?
same hahaha
Do you have any symptoms of COVID-19 right now?
luckily not
Have you made your own mask to help prevent the spread of the virus?
my mom is making those
Do you ever wish you had someone to hug?
I have someone to hug
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A One Piece Thanksgiving
Hello Everyone! Here is the first fic of my Holiday Fanfic Extravaganza!! I hope you enjoy the sappiness.
Fandom: One Piece
Rating: General Audiences
Author: Fangirl Wonder (WordsandWonder on AO3)
No Pairing
“So wait, you have a whole holiday about turkeys?”
Luffy cocked his head to the side in interested confusion. He liked birds as much as the next person, but dedicating an entire day of celebration to them seemed a bit extreme. But from the way the bar was plastered with turkey-themed decorations, he got the feeling his opinion might not be shared by the occupants of this island. Orange, red and brown paper cut outs of turkeys danced in the breeze from the fans where they hung from the ceiling. Turkey shaped flower arrangements adorned every table and the paper plates and napkins that came with his food showed cartoon versions of the fowl as well. There were even little ceramic turkey salt and pepper shakers! He’d seen some weird islands traveling with his crew, but this turkey-crazy one was something else. And now this guy was telling him the decorations were for some holiday coming up? That was an awful lot of turkey love.
The islander shook his head. “No, no, the holiday isn’t about turkeys. It’s a day when people get together and celebrate and give thanks.”
Luffy couldn’t help making a face. “For turkeys?”
“No! We’re giving thanks for the bounty of the past year. It’s a tradition that goes back to when our island was first discovered!” he explained proudly.
Robin perked up from across the table at that. “Oh? Could you elaborate on this tradition?”
“Sure! So way back over a hundred years ago, a man set sail from his home island looking for a safer, quicker route to the New World, right? But his navigation was off, and he ended up here instead! He was disappointed, but he realized that this place had a ton of natural resources, so he started spreading the word that he found this great new island. Before you know it tons of people started making their way here, but many of them were coming from islands with big cities and didn’t know anything about living off the land. That’s when the natives stepped up …”
“Natives?” Robin questioned.
“Yeah, the natives. They stepped up and helped the travelers learn to live off the land. You know, hunting, fishing, growing crops, all that stuff.”
“But I thought you said the man who was looking for the New World discovered the island?”
“Yeah, he did, but I mean, the natives were there when he discovered it. It was a bloody mess for a while too, cuz they tried to fight the settlers off. But they lost, obviously. Then a native who had learned our language helped negotiate a peace treaty, and his people started helping after that.”
“I see,” Robin said with a small frown. “Sorry to interrupt. Please continue your story.”
“Right. So at the end of the settlers’ first year living on the island with the natives’ help, they threw a big feast …”
“A feast?!” Luffy, who had lost interest in the history lesson until that point, chimed in.
“Yeah! A big feast with turkey and venison and pumpkins and corn and potatoes and all kinds of good stuff! And they sat down and had this big feast to thank the natives for helping them. So now once a year on the anniversary of that, we celebrate by throwing a big feast with our friends and families and give thanks for the blessings of the previous year. We call it Settler’s Day!”
“That’s awesome! Hey, Sanji, let's have a Settler’s Day feast!” Luffy bellowed across the bar to his cook, who winced at the volume but pointedly ignored him.
“You should!” The man encouraged. “It’s great! If you head over to the inn across the street, Chester can give you all kinds of traditional recipes, and he can tell you the best places to get the food for it. Just tell him Darren sent you and he’ll fix ya right up.”
“Yahoo! I can’t wait!” Luffy ran off to pester Sanji into visiting the inn with him, seemingly unaware of Robin’s furrowed brow.
+++
“Damnit Luffy! If you want me to make you this giant feast so bad then you have to stay the hell out of my kitchen!” Sanji yelled, reinforcing his reprimand with a solid kick to the captain’s rubber behind.
Luffy bounced out of the galley and onto the deck of the Sunny with an unperturbed giggle, used to getting booted out of Sanji’s way (literally). He was too fired up about the Settler’s Day meal to be bothered by his ejection from the kitchen. In fact, pretty much everyone was getting excited about the celebration and had something they were looking forward to. Chopper was eager to try all the new types of desserts Sanji was whipping up, and Brook was inspired to compose new songs for the event. Nami was curious about some concoction the islanders had recommended called “orange jello salad,” and Franky had been promised that all the food options would go great with cola. Usopp had gone all out creating various decorations (mimicking what they’d seen on the island), and Zoro was just content with any excuse to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. The only crewmember who didn’t seem very interested in the proceedings was Robin. As her nakama bustled around getting things ready for the party, the archeologist simply watched, disapproval clear in her usually neutral expression.
“Okay, Robin,” Luffy finally said as he plopped down next to her. “You haven’t been excited about Settler’s Day at all since we decided to do it. What’s going on?”
The raven-haired intellectual studied Luffy quietly for a moment before responding. A part of her didn’t want to dampen the enthusiasm shining out of his features, but another part of her couldn’t just sit in silence while they carried on this tradition as it had been described to them.
“Captain, when you were restocking and preparing for this feast back on that island, I was doing some research.”
“Yeah?” the straw-hat wearer prompted. “And?”
“And … do you remember how that man said settling that island was a “bloody mess” for a while because the natives fought back? Well, I looked into that, and he was right. The people immigrating to the island took the land from people who had lived there for years and spread diseases that wiped them out. Not only that, but they captured healthy people and forced them to be slaves. Remember the native who helped make peace between the settlers and the tribe that shared that first feast? He was one of the last people in his tribe who was not wiped out by an epidemic brought by the settlers, and only spoke the language because he’d been abducted to be sold into slavery. Yes, there was a time of peace between the settlers and the natives, and there was a feast celebrating a successful harvest, but the real history behind this tradition is much less innocent than that man led you to believe. The descendants of the native people of that island don’t even celebrate Settler’s Day. In fact, some of them consider it a day of mourning.”
“Really?!” Luffy demanded. “That’s terrible! How can people celebrate something like that?”
“Well, some people don’t even know the true story behind it. They’ve just been taught the settlers’ version of what happened. Other people know, but figure that’s all in the past and that there’s no reason to stop the tradition now so many years later,” Robin explained solemnly.
“Man, what are we gonna do now? Everyone worked so hard for this Settler’s Day feast, and Sanji has already started making the food; he’s been cooking for hours already.” Luffy scratched his head and frowned.
The woman nodded. “I know, and … I don’t want to ruin the celebration for everyone, but … I can’t participate in something that memorializes the beginning of a terrible history of oppression.”
“Nah, me either. I just don’t want everyone to be disappointed.” The usually grinning boy’s face screwed up in concentration as he searched for a solution.
Robin hated seeing him so torn, almost as much as she hated that she was the cause of it. “Perhaps –“
“Wait! I’ve got an idea!” he interrupted, his smile back in full, brilliant force. “Forget stupid Settler’s Day! We’re gonna make our own holiday!”
“Our own holiday?” the archeologist inquired.
“Yeah! I just decided! If those bastards can make up a holiday we can too, right?”
“I suppose-“
“And anyway, we’re pirates! So even if they didn’t make one up, we still could because we do what we want. So we’re gonna still eat lots of delicious food and have cool decorations, except maybe not so many turkeys, cuz I still think that’s weird, and … and we’re still gonna be thankful for stuff! But today instead of being thankful in honor of some dumb dead guys, we’re gonna be thankful in honor of ourselves! And we can do it whenever we want! We don’t even have to just do it one time a year. We can do it today, and then do it again next week, if we want!”
A small smile crept onto Robin’s face as she listened to her impassioned friend’s idea. “I think Cook-san would have something to say about doing it again a week from now, but I do think your solution is a good one.”
“Alright! I’m gonna go tell everyone!” Luffy declared before running off, literally bouncing around the ship in his excitement to spread the word. “Usopp, stop makin’ those stupid turkeys! We’re doing something different!”
+++
Heavenly smells wafted up from the glorious spread arranged neatly on the dining hall’s giant table, and it was taking every ounce of self control Luffy possessed to stop himself from digging in right away. But before they could start into this magnificent feast, there was something he wanted to do.
“Okay, everybody, listen up! The stupid idiots back on that island used this day to celebrate their ancestors being assholes a hundred years ago. But that’s not what we’re celebrating today, cuz we’re pirates! So we’re stealing their day and making it about good stuff instead of their dumb stuff. Which means before we can eat this awesome feast, we gotta make it ours. And we’re gonna do that by all saying something we’re thankful for.”
“Anything?” Chopper asked, reluctantly dragging his gaze from the mountain of sweets toward the end of the table.
“Yup!” Luffy confirmed happily. “As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with stupid settlers.”
“Alright,” Zoro grunted after a moment of silence. “I’m thankful for booze.”
Sanji aimed a kick at the swordsman’s head, growling. “That’s bullshit, Marimo! Come up with something real or no feast for you.”
Zoro shot the cook an annoyed glare. “Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on, shit-cook,” he huffed. “I guess … aside from booze … I’m thankful for the crow’s nest, cuz I can train there and work toward my goal and still sail with all of you. Is that better, dartboard-brow?”
“Significantly,” Sanji affirmed, trying not to look impressed. He really hadn’t expected something that heartfelt from the other man. “I guess I’ll go next then. I’m thankful to travel with such gorgeous ladies as Nami-swan and Robin-chwan! And I’m glad to have found a group of people who don’t dismiss my dream of finding the All Blue.”
“I’m thankful for Robin!” Nami piped up. “For keeping me sane on this ship full of rowdy boys. And,” she added, “that we always have enough berries for what we need.”
Robin smiled gently and patted Nami’s hand. “I suppose I shall take my turn, then. I’m thankful to all of you, for saving me. And for helping me find the will to live again.”
“And I’m thankful to all of you for being my friends!” Chopper chimed.
“I’m grateful to have found a crew,” Brook announced. “It is so lovely to see friendly faces again, though, I do not have eyes. Yohoho!”
“I’m thankful for this SUPER chance to build and sail on the ship I always dreamed of!” Franky added.
“On a similar note,” Usopp stated thoughtfully, “I’d like to say I’m thankful for the Merry. She saw us through a lot, and she will never be forgotten.”
The crew nodded solemnly, all taking a moment of respect for the fallen ship. Then all eyes turned expectantly to Luffy, who stood up at the head of the table.
“I’m thankful,” he said slowly, “for you. For the things each of you brings to this crew that makes it the best crew in the entire world! I could list all the stuff you guys do and all the reasons why I’m happy to sail with you, but that would take a long time and we have delicious food to eat, so I’m just gonna say this: More than anything else, I’m thankful that you all chose to follow me, and that you’ve stayed with me. Thank you all for believing in my dream. Thank you for believing in me.”
Everyone stared for a moment, shocked at the intensity of Luffy’s gaze as he delivered his uncharacteristically serious speech, before all of them nodded in unison. Finally, Zoro broke the silence by raising his glass.
“To the captain,” he proclaimed.
“To the captain,” his crewmates replied, also raising their glasses in a toast.
“To nakama,” Luffy added.
“To nakama,” they echoed.
Looking at him in that moment, Robin was reminded once again why all of these people, all so independent and strong in their own right, chose to join this silly, impulsive boy, and she couldn’t help but smile softly as she sipped her drink. Luffy caught her eye and flashed his signature thousand-watt grin.
“Shishishi! Alright everybody, enough sappiness! Let’s eat!”
#Holiday fanfic extravaganza#one piece#thanksgiving#roronoa zoro#monkey d luffy#Nico Robin#nami#franky#brook#tony tony chopper#usopp#sanji#fanfic#one piece fanfic
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Principles for Survival
Background
I’m breaking my nearly three years of silence on Humanizing Tech. I started this publication as a resource for those who shared my lifelong mission of “building the world’s most advanced technology and using it to help people”. Because of the clear and present dangers that continue to present themselves as we’ve crossed the threshold into this new decade, I feel a responsibility to share a few primary principles on how to think in order to protect yourselves and loved ones in a constantly evolving and unforgiving universe.
Believability
Whenever anyone communicates anything, the first thing you should assess is whether they are believable in what they are saying. Said differently, do they have the expertise, education, or understanding that makes them a resource you should listen to. If not, you should simply ignore it.
Therefore, you must analyze this content and decide for yourself whether you should believe it or ignore it. To help, I’ve provide the background necessary so you can make an informed decision.
The first 20 years of my life was primarily focused on physical achievement, while the last 20 years on intellectual achievement, though I’ve maintained both over all four decades of life.
I’ve been studying mathematics seriously since I began advanced classes in the 6th grade (from about 10 years old onwards). Mathematics is focused on a single study: encoding the universe into symbols that can be manipulated spatially in order to solve difficult problems in how the universe actually behaves. Said more simply, “solving problems”.
I leveraged my mathematics education into something called Actuarial Science, which is the study of risk. Insurance companies, financial firms, and pension funds hire Actuaries in order to make sense of uncertainty. They calculate the probability of events (including death), and their financial impact, using sophisticated mathematical models. During my time as an undergraduate, I passed two Actuarial exams and worked for well-known companies in the space: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mellon Financial.
I would later leverage that to work for Watson Wyatt, which has gone through multiple mergers (Towers Watson, then Willis Towers Watson), and now Aon after its acquisition for $30 billion. I designed incentives for the largest global companies, creating systems for boards, executives, employees, and sales people to achieve agreed upon financial and operational goals.
For approximately the last 15 years, I’ve been operating high technology companies, building large global teams (remotely) across cultures, languages, time zones, tech stacks, customer profiles, and markets in order to build the world’s most advanced technologies, even before Big Tech firms had done so, and commercialize them for a broad population of people and businesses.
The focus of my adult life has been on creating systems for how to achieve the second and third principles listed below. Over the last few years, however, I’ve been focusing primarily on the first principle, which I believe supersedes the other two, and is arguably more important.
Principles
Adapt faster.
Find risks, then remove them.
Prioritize problems, then solve them.
Situation
Today, the entire world is experiencing an elegant technology that any Venture Capitalist would salivate to invest in and operators would compete to work on. Without any PR or marketing budget, it has made headlines globally because it is a disruptor the likes of which we have never experienced. Not Uber, not AirBnB, not Digital Transformation, and not even the Internet can hold a candle to its speed of adoption.
It has been installed by people across nearly every geographic boundary and gives every user equal opportunity to experience it regardless of education, wealth, social status, sexual orientation, race, or age. It has disrupted people’s daily lives, the global financial system, and the global healthcare system. Users didn’t have to change any of their daily habits to experience it, it’s completely free, and takes up no space so it can be carried anywhere. It’s completely decentralized, low-power, can upgrade itself in real-time in response to market conditions, and is highly scalable.
It is a self-replicating, biologic intelligence that is invisible, viral, and non-discriminatory. Of course, I’m talking about the Coronavirus.
If it had a positive impact on humanity, we would be marveling at its features, celebrating its creator, and leveraging the technology for every other product.
But it’s not.
Strategy
And so, as a human species, who have three of our own features (survival, intelligence, opposable thumbs) we must use in order to compete against it and win. This is Uber vs Lyft, Coke vs Pepsi, and a Space Race with stakes higher than we have dealt with before.
For all of human history, people have designed and changed our environments for habitability. As we face this novel technology, and a guarantee of even more elegant ones in the future, we must create and use tools to evolve our environments at a faster rate than the threats that seek to disrupt them, either within our outside our bodies.
If our iteration speed is higher than our competitors, we will win. If not, we will lose. But it requires a 100% execution of fundamentals. Like a professional tennis player, it is the competitor who makes a mistake first that loses. As such, it requires that we develop systems that guarantee we do not make a mistake while also iterating faster. Which brings us to another principle that’s taken me decades to develop and describe succintly:
Quality at Speed.
Tactics
From a product management perspective, once you understand a problem, you need to prioritize and begin executing a solution immediately while systematically removing risks that could stop you from execution. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs holds true here.
Continual clean air supply: you only have a few minutes to remove this risk.
Continual clean water supply: you have a few days to remove this risk.
Continual food supply, ideally fresh superfoods like broccoli, bananas, tomatoes, nuts, along with specific supplements (Turmeric, Chondroitin, Glucosamine, Vitamin B/D, Cinnamon, Copper, plus the more popular ones): you have a few weeks to remove this risk.
Strengthen your immune system: get a full night’s sleep as a primary priority, drink fluids to maintain hydration and expell , reduce stress as much as possible, and continue to get exercise (both cardio and strength).
Strengthen your mind: figure out a system for maintaining mental fortitude so you can continue to perform at a high-level under extreme duress and circumstances.
Sustainable shelter: protect yourself from any harsh environment, including other people who may be dangerous with or without them knowing.
Sustainable energy collection and storage: hand cranks, leg power, solar cells, batteries, and generators.
As Ryan Holiday wrote, “the obstacle is the way”.
Mindset
In addition to Intelligence, Heart is another superpower of humanity.
It enables us to connect to one another on a personal basis, which is the first half of the equation. The second half is about compounding our collective strength by acting together on unified goals, but doing so without threatening our survival.
Please remember, the internet is not a guaranteed resource, nor is food or water supply chains, and you certainly can’t eat or drink money. Invest in the right things, in the right order.
Next
We are have been preparing for years, from a variety of perspectives. If you need help preparing you and your family, please reach out. I will do my best to give you the information you needed to keep you strong regardless of what the universe puts in your way.
Stay calm. Nothing grows forever and most growth is defined by s-curves so all you really have to worry about is protecting yourself until you find the inflection point.
Sean
Citations
Getting Enough Fluids, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 4/30/2019
Stress Research, The American Institute of Stress, 3/16/2020
Superfoods: Recent Data on their Role in Prevention of Diseases, Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 9/14/2018
How to Boost Your Immune System, Harvard Medical School, 9/1/2014
Internet Sacred Text Archive, 3/16/2020
Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, 3/16/2020
Principles for Survival was originally published in Humanizing Tech on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
from Stories by Sean M Everett on Medium https://ift.tt/2x1dCp3
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Happy Birthday, Darling (StevexReader)
Happy 4th of July!!!! And Happy 99th Birthday to (my darling?) Steve Rogers💕💕💕 Here's a new oneshot just for today!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ July 4th. Independence Day. The day our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. And also the day America's "golden boy" was born. You woke up to the sun shining in your eyes. After stretching for a minute, you feel an arm snake around your waist and pull you closer. "Good morning, babe," Steve mumbles as he buries his face in your hair and begins to place kisses on the back of your neck. "Good morning," you reply, turning around to plant a kiss on his lips. "Happy Birthday, Darling." A smile creeps onto his face. "Thanks, doll. What's on the agenda today?" You sigh as you sit up. "You have press and ceremonies all day, while Fury decided to keep me busy with a bunch of meetings and briefings that I would rather eat dirt than go to. I'm sorry we couldn't do something better for your birthday." "At least we have tonight," he reassures. "That's all I need." You smile and grab his hand, bringing it up to your lips. "Be at the tower by 7:30 and we'll go to dinner, okay? I made reservations." "Perfect." He plants a kiss on your lips and walks out of your room to get to his. Making sure he's far enough so he can't hear you, you grab your phone and call Bucky. "Everything set, Barnes?" "It's 11:40, the guests come at 7, Steve gets here at 7:30. Assemble the team." You press a button on your bracelet that signals the team, something you helped build with Tony. Luckily, Steve's was disabled for the day. Soon, Bucky, Sam, Tony, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Wanda, Pietro, Vision, Scott, Peter, T'Challa, Thor, and Loki file into your room. They all pile on and around your bed as you stand in front of them. "Alright, you guys. Steve's gonna be back at 7:30 so we need all hands on deck for the entire day. You all have tasks, and there are already cars outside for each group. Tony, Scott, and Peter, you three are in charge of getting the fireworks together. It's the 4th of July, so make sure they're unlike any other fireworks being displayed today." Tony rolls his eyes. "I'm Tony Stark, for god's sake. I was born being the best." "Then make sure these fireworks are Stark-level awesome." The three of them nod and run out. "Wanda and Pietro, you're in charge of food. Check in with the chefs and make sure the meal is gonna be amazing." "May I tag along with them?", Vision asks. "I shall enjoy seeing other people cook so I can improve my skills." "Sure, Vis. You three, get going." The twins, along with Vision, race out of the room. "Thor and Loki, you're in charge of the cake." "Why would it take two of us to get a cake?", Loki questions. "I could get it myself without having this oaf in my way." "It's a big cake, and I don't trust just one of you to get it. No offense, but you might do something to it." "Very true." Thor and Loki walk out. "T'Challa and Sam, I'm leaving you guys with the entertainment. The band I booked has to do sound checks, so make sure they're prepared and give them the song list." "But-" "No buts, Sam. You two have to learn to work together. Now go!" T'Challa smirked. "Yes, let us go bird man." He walked out of the room, a grumbling Sam following behind. Only Bucky, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce were left. "The rest of us are gonna go get the decorations and make sure this place looks amazing. Me, Nat, and Bucky will take one car and Clint and Bruce will take the other. I'll text you what you need to get. And since we're the remaining people and technically in the same group, I managed to get us something a little better than regular cars." ----------------------------------- "HOW COME THEY GET A LIMO?" You hear Sam shout as the five of you pile into the two limos you ordered. "MY GROUP, MY RULES," you shout back as your limo starts to move. You, Nat, and Bucky drove all around New York, buying any decorations you liked (which was hard, due to the fact that some places were closed for Independence Day). By the time you got back to the tower, it was 5 and you were tired as hell. Clint and Bruce got back at the same time. "Alright, you guys. I know we're hot and tired and sweaty, but let's get everything decorated so we can go change our clothes." The five of you worked as fast as you can, ensuring that the place looked amazing. There was red, white, and blue everywhere. The tower practically screamed "Star Spangled Man With A Plan." At 6, the decorations were done and your group raced to your rooms. You quickly dawned on a red, white, and blue dress with red heels and a matching red clutch. Your hair was already curled so you just tamed the (many) flyaways and wiped off your makeup, reapplying it so it looked better. You finished getting ready at 6:30. You got a phone call from Sam and quickly picked it up. "Hey Sam, what's up?" "Big problem. The band can't play tonight." You froze. "What? Why not? What the hell happened?" "Their lead singer lost her voice and they don't have a backup," T'Challa replies. You closed your eyes to think for a moment. Then, you got an idea. "What if we do karaoke? And then we'll have F.R.I.D.A.Y. play music when everyone is partying." You hear Sam and T'Challa mumbling something to the band. After a minute, Sam says, "they said they could do it, no problem." You let out a breath. "Thank god. Now get their asses to the tower. The guests are coming in half an hour." "We'll be right there." As soon as you hang up, you get another call from Thor. "Lady Y/N, I'm afraid there's a problem with the cake." "What is it?" "They're giving it to someone else." "What? Why?" "They're claiming it's their cake." You rummage for the receipt in your dresser and snap a picture of it, sending it to Thor. "I just sent you the receipt. Now FIGHT FOR THAT CAKE." You hang up and bury your face in your hands. After a few minutes, Thor texts you a selfie of the cake, Loki, and himself with the caption "WE GOT IT". You couldn't help but laugh out loud. You press the button on your bracelet to assemble the team. In ten minutes, they were all here. "Okay, everyone. It's 6:50. Guests are gonna be here in ten minutes. Is everything ready?" "The band is set up." "The fireworks are prepared." "The cake is downstairs." "The place is decorated." "The food is delicious." You beam. "We did it! Everyone, hands in!" Everyone puts their hands in the middle. "Cap on three!" "One, two, three, CAP!" You all throw your hands in the air. "ALRIGHT PEOPLE! YOU GOT TEN MINUTES TO GET PREPARED. NOW, GO GO GO!" ----------------------------------- The party was in full swing by 7:10. People were laughing and having a good time. You were at the bar nursing a drink, drowning out the crowd. You didn't even hear Jane and Thor come up to you. "Everything alright, Y/N?", Jane asks. You sighed. "I-I'm fine." "No, you're not," Thor says. "What's wrong?" "It's Steve's birthday gift." You quietly tell them what it is. Jane takes your hand. "It's an amazing gift, and you're so fearless giving that to him. Don't be afraid. He'll love it." "Steve is a very lucky man," Thor adds. "You care about him very much. He'd be a fool to give that up." You smile. "Thanks, you guys. You're honestly amaz-" "Y/N!" Bucky runs up to you. "Steve's outside! You need to get into places." You grab a mic from behind the bar. "EVERYONE, PLACES! STEVE'S COMING! F.R.I.D.A.Y., KILL THE LIGHTS." All of the guests find a hiding place and the lights turn off. You walk over to the entrance, waiting for Steve. After a minute, you see him walk up to you. "Hey, doll," he says, giving you a light kiss. "Ready to go?" "Actually, I was thinking we should stay in." "Oh, I thought you were excited about dinner?" "Yea, about that..." The lights turned on instantly and everyone popped out. "SURPRISE!!!!" Steve looked taken aback, but soon had a big smile on his face. "Happy Birthday, Darling!", you squeal. Bucky runs up to the two of you. "Happy Birthday, Punk," he says as he hugs Steve. "This little missy right here planned the whole thing." Steve pulls you into a hug. "I fucking love you, you know that?" "Language, Captain," you reply with a smirk. You could tell Steve was having a blast the entire night. He always loved hanging out with you, Bucky, Sam, and the rest of the team. In fact, everyone was getting along. Sam and T'Challa were rapping the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song for karaoke, Thor and Loki were having an arm wrestling contest while Jane was rolling her eyes at them, Nat and Bruce were flirting (again), Scott was fangirling over Steve, Peter was talking to Tony and Pepper, Clint was joking around with Maria, Bucky and Steve were playing pool, and Wanda and Vision were by the bar as Pietro was making them drinks. Halfway through the night, you managed to grab Steve and take him to the terrace for some alone time. Your heart was pounding. "Is something wrong, Y/N?", he questioned. You took a deep breath and grabbed his hands. "Steve, words can't describe how much you mean to me. Before I met you, I was lost. I didn't know who I was or what I would become. When you stepped into my life, it was like a beacon of light shining down on me. I've loved you even before I knew what love was. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life." You shakily open your clutch and pull out a small box, tossing the purse to the side. Steve's eyes widen as you get down on one knee. You open the box to reveal a silver band. "I know this isn't the traditional way of doing things," you say with a nervous laugh. "But, Steven Grant Rogers, will you marry me?" A smile creeped onto his face as he kneeled down to match your level. "Of course I'll marry you." You started tearing up as you took the ring from the box and placed it on his finger. You set the box down on the ground as he pulled you into a kiss, and you can tell he was tearing up as well. At that moment, the firework display begins. You and Steve stand up and hold onto each other as you gaze at the beautiful sky. Red, white, and blue fireworks light up the night, illuminating the city. Tony, Scott, and Peter really outdid themselves. "Happy 4th of July, Y/N." "Happy Birthday, Darling."
#steve rogers#steve x reader#captain america#independence day#4th of july#fourth of july#steven grant rogers#happy birthday steve
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Maria Jotuni - Huojuva talo (The Tottering House)
The first thing I ought to say is that this is probably one of the best novels I’ve ever read. I am both proud and a little sad to say that it was written by a Finnish writer/playwright Maria Jotuni in 1936, and published posthumously 20 years after the writers death in 1943 - proud because this truly amazing work was written by a fellow Finn, and sad because it was never translated. The major themes of this work - love, sacrifice, good and evil - are universal, and I personally think it’s a shame that only the Finns (and a few curiosities who speak our freaky language) are able to enjoy it. Nevertheless, I am going to write a few words about this novel, and why I loved it, so if you are 1) familiar with Finnish: Wonderful! You should read this post and then run to the book store or the library as fast as you can, get this book in your hands and read it with the speed of light like I did, 2) not familiar with Finnish: Maybe this novel could be a reason so start learning! Warning: I’ve heard it’s pretty painful, kind of like falling down stairs (which is what our language also sounds like according to some people), but those who manage it are unstoppable. All right, lets get started!
The Tottering House describes the life of a young woman named Lea, who is bright, independent and resourceful despite her modest upbringing. She has an alcoholic father who she loves and nurses like a child, a strict mother she seems to either despise or admire depending on how she has treated her husband, a baby-sister who she adores but doesn’t really understand because of their opposite personalities, and a grandfather who is her mentor and confidant when she’s a child. Their family is rather poor, at least in the 1930′s Finnish standards, but they get by with the help of Lea’s grandfather, who owns a general goods store. Lea has planned to apply for university as soon as she can, and wants to get an education so that she can provide for her family. This doesn’t really pan out, however, because her grandfather and father both pass away in a short period of time. Lea ends up applying for a regular office job, through which she meets her future husband - and tormentor - Eero.
Eero and Lea are married very quickly after their first encounter, and at the beginning Lea thinks her new husband is truly a good person, a real gentleman and a stable provider of the family. Sure, it seems a bit strange that she has to keep book of everything (and I mean everything!) she buys, and that her new husband grits his teeth in anger every time Lea asks him for money to buy groceries and other normal things for their home. Maybe Eero is just being extremely prudent, but making his wife eat cheaper food and in less amounts than he himself does, and making her feel worthless because she doesn’t have any money of her own (Eero forbids her from working in the office or anywhere else), sounds wrong even to our kindhearted heroine. Eero also starts to get short episodes of rage and violence, usually after talking about money, when he throws or brakes things or says something really degrading to his wife. Lea, however, is confident her husband is a good and loving person despite his manners, and believes he is just doing what is best for the family. Of course it turns out eventually that he is not.
Over the years Lea and Eero have three children, who Lea adores, but who Eero couldn’t give less about. Eero is mostly staying out late somewhere and with people Lea knows nothing about, or seducing the newest of the many maids (and Leas little sister) that go through their household over the years. They all fall victim to Eero’s charms, and to everyone else it seems quite clear what is happening between Eero and these women (and sometimes girls) except for Lea. She decides to keep believing in her husband and the home they build together, even though she realizes that their house and their life together is tottering pretty badly. Oh, and the episodes Eero had in the beginning turned physically violent towards Lea around the time their first child was born. He hits and strangles her, brakes her ribs, and even tries to drown her in a lake one time. On top of this, he is still vicious in his mental violence as well, trying to make her feel as worthless as he possibly can and ostracizing her from her family and friends. The only solace for Lea are her children for whom she can evidently endure anything - also, at this point she thinks of her husband more as a person who can’t really control himself and whom she has to care for, than anything else. She is prepared to sacrifice her own happiness for her children, who she believes need their father in their lives and who are financially supported by him. The children, however, are extremely fearful of their father and walk on eggshells their whole childhood, and eventually Eero starts using physical violence against them too. Lea desperately wants her children to see their father in a good light and love him, but she doesn’t realize it is impossible after they have witnessed what he has done to their mother for all those years.
This was a very truncated summary of the events in the novel, but this post is already longer than my Bachelor’s thesis so I’ll stop here. I shall not reveal the ending of the novel, but I will say that it is a happy one (or at least it offers some consolation for both Lea and her family, and the reader). This novel is not an easy read, and it really tears your heart apart at various points, so why on earth did I love it so much? First of all, the description of characters is phenomenal. Period. Lea is the embodiment of kindness and forgiveness, she’s a loving parent and a fateful spouse. She truly loves her husband, despite all the horrible things he does to her, and wants to make their relationship work at any cost. Her character and thoughts are discussed in great detail, and that’s probably the reason why Lea becomes so important to the reader from very early on. The things she has to endure and the sacrifices she has to make truly brake your heart to bits. However, for a modern-day person it can be hard to understand some of the logic behind Lea’s actions (or lack of them really) throughout the book: why didn’t Lea divorce her husband, why didn’t she inform the police about the beatings of herself and her children, why didn’t she just leave, and so on.. At first, I myself thought that Lea was being really naive believing in her husband’s lies, and that their marriage would work out. I was even a little bit annoyed at her impotence. However, I soon realized that she was actually fully financially dependent on Eero, she didn’t want her children to live without their father, and she truly loved her husband despite the things he did to her, and didn’t want him to get into trouble with the law. Also, in the 1930′s appearance was very important, and divorcing was thought of as something very shameful - a failure. And even though she didn’t want to show or admit it, Lea was probably very much afraid of her husband - for both her own and for her children’s sake. All of these things made me realize that leaving your home, financial support and someone you truly love, without any knowledge of the future, is extremely difficult, so it’s understandable why Lea couldn’t do it. However, I do believe that she should have left Eero, if not for herself, then for the children. I can’t even imagine how afraid they must have been for the health of thei mother and for themselves, and how that must have affected their whole later life. It is actually mentioned in the book that the oldest of the children was very reserved around other people, so the writer does acknowledge the impact their abusive father must have had on them, even though at that time domestic violence was tolerated to some extent and even thought of as normal. The description of domestic violence - both mental and physical - and how a person might react to it is very vivid, uncensored and real in this novel. It was actually noted by the grandson of the writer that some of the events in the novel are heavily influenced by the experiences of Maria Jotuni herself in her own marriage. This is not hard to believe, because the violent episodes of Eero are extremely well described, even down to facial expressions and noises he makes. Looking at Eero’s behavior, knowing what we know now about mental illnesses, he was probably sick just like Lea (and occasionally he himself) thought. However, in the 1930′s people knew next to nothing about mental illnesses, so getting treatment was impossible. Even though Eero is truly horrible to Lea in this novel, his episodes of deep melancholy and violent highs might be symptoms of the bipolar disorder for example, and because of this I do feel sorry for Eero as well. He was probably having quite bad, unsolvable problems with himself that he (and nobody else at that time) didn’t really understand. Lea, however, tried. I feel in a way this book is not only about a violent marriage, but also about coping with a mental illness, even if the writer didn’t know it back when she wrote it. It’s been over 80 years since this book was written, and the themes it discusses are still significant and easy to relate to. This is one of the reasons I think this book is truly amazing and so ahead of its time.
In summary I could say that this book is one of the best descriptions of coping with violence and an unstable person I have ever read. It also discusses quite pleasantly the many variants of a parent-child relationship. The main theme of the novel is the encounter of good and evil (or love and hate) in the form of Lea and Eero, and how the bad deeds of one person can effect so many - and on the other hand, how one good deed can heal so much. This book also reminds the reader how resilient people can be, and how far we are willing to bend for those we love. It’s a 10/10 for me, truly one of the best novels I’ve ever encountered.
#books#book review#review#finnish#literature#novel#love and hate#good and evil#violence#marriage#1930s#mental illness#unconditionallove
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