#so glad they got ben on the pod | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rhoorl · 5 months

Text

Delta Landscaping Chapter 11: Right on Target

Series Summary: In this AU, the boys of Delta Force start a new business post-Colombia.

Series Masterlist | Chapter 11 A03 Link

Rating: Explicit (18+) No smut in this one, just some angst.

Word Count: 6.8k

Previously on As the Mule Falls: We got a heavy dose of Frankie, learning a bit about his backstory as well as the relationship between his sister, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. Valeria is a detective, literally. Did you catch who her partner was? 😉 Benny signed up for a fight a little sooner than he’d like, but thanks to Will and Connor, he’s going to start training. The Neighborhood Watch learned a bit about Cousin Joel thanks to Melissa’s research.

On this Episode: Frankie is still in Dallas, being the best uncle. We get a scene with the Pikes. Will and Katie get in their own heads. Benny and Santiago go to Melissa’s for a consultation. Connor helps scout some of Omar’s fights. There’s a Target run, literally. Will and Katie go to Target on the hunt for birthday gifts for Olivia’s boys. Will and Katie open up. (I made a little moodboard for this episode).

Chapter Warning: Difficult parent relationships. Unsupportive partners. Domestic Marcus Pike comes with his own warning.

If you ever have questions about any of the content, please reach out. The last thing I want is for someone to have a negative reaction. Overall this is a happy, silly series but it is grounded in some reality.

*Cue the theme music and roll opening credits*

TUESDAY

“Hey Hermano, how’s it going? How’re the kids?”

“Oh they’re great, they’re already so big, Pope” Frankie chuckled. Santiago called to tell him that the cleaning lady needed to reschedule for later in the week. Frankie had a few moments to himself while Valeria and Alyssa got the kids ready for bed so he was happy to catch up with his friend. “Leia is so beautiful man, and Antonio is a lot of fun. Took him to his first Rangers game today.”

“Nice! He like it?”

“Loved it, especially once V told him I used to play. I bought him a baseball and we found an old glove of mine Pops kept. We’re gonna toss the ball around when he gets home from school tomorrow.”

“I’m glad you’re having a great time man, I really am.”

“Thanks, me too,” Frankie smiled to himself. “How’re things there? You behaving?”

“Funny,” Santiago rolled his eyes. “Yes. I’ve been busy, had a date last night, and may have another one tonight.”

“Nice. You been over to Benny and Will’s?”

“No, haven’t been that way at all since you left. But I will tomorrow, Benny and I are headed over to Melissa’s.” Frankie gave a sarcastic grunt, prompting Santiago to fill in the gaps. “I texted him earlier today, by the way. We’re all good. Did you know he signed up for a fight?”

Frankie sighed, “Will told me. I wish Benny would have said something before he called Herb. That guy’s going to feed him to the damn wolves.”

“You think it’s going to be bad, huh?”

“Not if we can help it. The guy was a boxer, so not the most ideal match-up for Benny’s style, but we’ll figure it out. When I get back we have to make sure he’s sticking to his training. Hoping this compressed timeframe makes him focus.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t have a lot of time to prep, huh?”

“No, but if anyone could do it, it’s Ben. Oh shit, I gotta go. I have to read the kids their stories.”

“Tio Francisco to the rescue!” Santiago laughed. “Ok man, hey I’ll see you in a few days. Can you text me your flight stuff Thursday night? I’ll set an alarm for myself for Friday so I don’t forget.”

“Sounds good man.”

WEDNESDAY

Will shuffled into the kitchen, surprised Benny wasn’t already up making himself an egg white omelet and coffee. Another difficult night of sleep made Will extra groggy, so he grabbed one of the larger coffee mugs and brewed two K-cup pods in succession. This morning he had an early volunteer shift at the VA after switching shifts with someone the day prior. He wanted to have time to come home and get ready for whatever the evening may hold with Katie.

Although they were on a mission to buy birthday presents for Olivia’s twins, Will hoped they would have some time to hang out afterward too. He was enjoying getting to know Katie. She was funny, smart, and had a calming presence, which he didn’t realize how much he needed. It was nice to have someone other than the guys to talk to.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of heavy steps coming from down the hallway. Benny turned the corner, his red and black basketball shorts slung low on his hips. His silver pendant rested in the patch of hair on his chest, glimmering as the sunlight caught it. Will assumed Benny had a shitty night too based on the state of his brother’s hair, which was sticking up in various directions.

“Hey man,” Benny yawned as he walked towards the coffee maker.

“‘Sup Ben.”

“You’re up early.”

“Can say the same for you,” Will leaned against the kitchen island watching as his brother grabbed some coffee creamer from the refrigerator.

“Hmpf,” Benny scoffed.

“Shitty night?”

“Yea. You?”

“I’ve had better,” the corner of Will’s mouth slightly went up. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Welp, I’m gonna go to the gym here soon, or go for a run, I haven’t decided, maybe both. Pope’s coming over around lunch and we’re going to Melissa’s.”

“That will be interesting,” Will chucked.

“Yeah, no shit. Anyway, we’ll see how that goes. But I was thinking of having Connor over later. Gonna start to go over some film of this Omar guy. The kid found some of this guy’s fights on YouTube.”

“Oh really? Nice, that’s good.”

“Yeah, figured we could order some pizzas or something if you want in on that.”

“Oh ah,” Will rubbed the back of his neck. “I have plans tonight.”

Benny perked right up at the sound of this, the corners of his mouth going up slowly before he was full-on grinning. “Oooo, what plans do we have tonight?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Nothing like that,” Will rolled his eyes. “We,” he pointed to Benny and then back to himself, “need to get a gift for the twins. Party’s on Saturday and I don’t want to scramble at the last minute. I mentioned it to Katie and she said she’d help me out.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s going to help you out in more ways than ow-” Benny feigned an injury, even though all Will did was push him in the chest. “You can’t injure me, I need to be in fighting shape,” Benny could barely get that out without busting into a fit of laughter.

Will tried to keep a neutral face, but he cracked a smile. “Don’t be dramatic. And I’m not trying to put any pressure on it man, she’s nice. I’ve … I dunno, I’ve liked having a friend.”

“I’m your friend,” Benny offered, giving some puppy eyes coupled with a dramatic pout.

“You are Bean, but with her, it’s…different.”

“How different are we talking?” His eyes narrowed over his coffee cup as he took a sip.

“I’m,” Will sighed. “I’m trying to figure that out. There’s clearly something there, but I don’t know what that something is right now. I...I don’t want to mess shit up.”

“I get it, she’s special to you, I can see that,” Benny smiled. “She’s cool as shit and for what it’s worth she seems to really dig you too. She’s always all smiles when you’re around.”

Will got a distant look in his eyes, which Benny knew well. His brother was processing, trying to sort out his thoughts.

“Look, don’t try and figure it all out on your own,” he clapped his brother’s shoulder. “Have fun. Enjoy time with your …um…friend. See what happens…”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

__________________________

“Vic? Vic, where are you?” Marcus called out as finished buttoning up the cuffs of his dress shirt. He and his family were living in a short-term apartment the local FBI office set up as part of his relocation package. It was…cozy…to say the least and his wife, Victoria, was chomping at the bit to close on their dream home and finally move in.

He came around the corner to their kitchenette, where Victoria was busy cutting up some strawberries to top Nicolas’ stack of pancakes. The boy quietly sat at the coffee table in the living room doodling in a coloring book, while his little sister Mariella happily sat in her highchair smearing some yogurt around. Victoria looked up as she heard Marcus’ footsteps, her eyes softening at the sight of her husband.

“It’s not a big place, Marc, I can’t go far,” she laughed as Marcus came up behind her, kissing her neck. “Mmm, I like this suit. Que guapo,” she turned around in his arms, straightening his tie before resting her hands on his chest.

“You know you’re as beautiful now as when I first saw you?” He wrapped his arms around her waist, making her giggle as he kissed her.

“Ewwww no kissies!” Nicolas called over, prompting Marcus and Victoria to pull away from each other with a smirk.

“Hey! I just love your mom, Nico,” Marcus smiled over to his son. “Besides, I have some good news.” His eyebrows shot up and he was trying to suppress a big smile.

Victoria tilted her head to the side, observing her husband. He was usually chipper, especially in the mornings, but something seemed different. “Ok, shoot, what is it?”

“Ah, I thought you’d never ask!” He put his arms on her shoulders, squaring her up to look at him. “What if I were to tell you, we’d be able to cook breakfast in our own kitchen by next week?”

There was a pause as Victoria took in what Marcus said before glee danced across her face. “Oh my gosh, are you serious?” She squeaked, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground.

“Just got a text from Ethan. Everything went through, the sellers are going to virtually sign. We could close as early as Monday, but since you start work next week I wanted you to tell me what you want to do.”

“Shit…I mean shoot,” her eyes cut over to Nicolas, who was in his own little world coloring a dog with a green marker. “Well, let me talk to the school and see what we can do. Vanessa is moving down this weekend, so she can at least help with the kids. I can’t believe we’re so close!”

Marcus smiled back at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Whenever you want to do it, he said he could make it happen.”

“Ooo, actually, I wonder if we can make Monday work! Tuesday is the 4th so I’ll be off and daycare is closed, we can start to move some stuff that day.”

“I think that’s a great idea, I’ll text Ethan later,” he kissed her forehead.

“Mariella!” Victoria turned around to see her baby, smearing yogurt around her high chair. Just as she was about to reach into her hair, Marcus intervened.

“Slow down there pumpkin,” he cooed. “You eat the yogurt, see,” he pantomimed eating the yogurt, which prompted a fit of giggles from Mariella.

The ring of his phone alarm snapped Marcus back to reality. “Ugh, shoot, I have to get going.” Victoria gave him an exaggerated pout, which turned into a smile as he kissed her. “Have a good day. I love you.”

“Te amo,” she kissed him back.

____________________________

Today’s workout was a tough one for Benny evidenced by the way his shirt drenched with sweat clung to him. His muscles felt heavy, no doubt due to the quick ramp-up in activity thanks to his upcoming fight. He decided today called for some cardio and weight lifting.

As he walked through the front door, he figured he had just enough time for a quick shower and a power nap before Santiago showed up. It was times like this he was thankful his friend was always late to everything. He decided to take a quick detour to the couch, sprawling out to stretch his muscles a bit. As he scrolled through Instagram his eyes got heavier and heavier and eventually, he closed them for just a moment.

Pounding at his front door combined with his phone vibrating on the coffee table woke him with a bit of a startle. As if by instinct, he immediately shot up and took in his surroundings, on the defensive in case any threats were around. Realizing he was in his own home, and not in a jungle with a rifle in his hands, he blinked and slowed down his breathing. He heard his name being called and once he registered it was Santiago’s voice, he let out a breath and opened the door.

“Hey Pope,” he gave a half smile, ushering Santiago inside.

“You look like shit, you just wake up?”

“Fuck you….maybe.” He ran his fingers through his hair and his eyes narrowed. “The fuck is that?” He pointed at Santiago’s neck. “Someone give that to you or d’you get so desperate you used the vacuum cleaner, ow!”

Santiago smacked him upside the head with one hand while the other covered his neck. “First of all, fuck off. Second of all, yes someone gave it to me.”

Benny tilted his head. He couldn't help the accusatory look that swept across his face.

“I went on a date last night, nice girl I found on an app…and before you make a smartass comment, it was a real dating app.”

Benny threw his hands in surrender, “I didn't say anything. You planning on seeing her again?”

“I dunno we'll see.”

“Well…she certainly um…left her mark,” Benny was ready this time, blocking Santiago's arm and the two play fought for a second.

________________________

The day was dragging on painfully slow for Katie. The start of a new month meant lots of planning meetings where people droned on and on about goals while offering the most bullshit rah-rah speeches for motivation.

She'd been texting with Megan off and on all day about random things, their usual daily stream of consciousness coupled with funny memes and gifs.

Megan: So Wine Wednesday? 🍷

Katie: Can't. I have some errands to run tonight.

Megan: Oh what's on tap? An exciting run to Target?

Katie: Damn, actually yes. Am I that predictable? I'm going to get a gift for the twins.

Megan: Wait, I thought you already got them those Lego sets?

Damn, she doesn't miss anything.

Katie took a deep breath before composing the next text, knowing what the response was going to be.

Katie: I did, I'm helping Will.

She waited, no immediate quippy response. Instead, she saw the chat bubbles start and stop before she finally got a response.

Megan: Nice! What else do you have planned 👀😏

Katie: Not sure, I told him I'd help him wrap it. Figured we'd pick up dinner. Idk I haven't planned it too much.

Megan: Yes, please help him wrap it. 😆

Katie: What's that supposed to mean?

Megan: Make sure he wraps his 🍆

Katie: I'm sorry, did David steal your phone? Where is Megan and what have you done with her?

________________

“So you have any idea what she may want us to do?” Benny readjusted his baseball cap, flipping it backward as he and Santiago walked over to Melissa's.

“Just vaguely, some stuff in the backyard, I don't know the specifics.”

“Hmpf.”

“What?” Santiago countered with a pointed tone.

“Just, you're not one to jump at the chance to get your hands dirty. It's one thing to help us because we force you, but it's something else for you to do it willingly.”

“I'm trying to be nice. Besides, who knows? Could be fun…I had a lot of fun fixing up your place. It was nice for us all to…I don't know, be together again. Working on something and seeing it come together.”

This admission made Benny stop in his tracks. “Damn, Pope…that's…really nice, man. It's nice to hear you say that,” his face softened, one of the corners of his mouth curling up as he reached for Santiago's shoulder.

Santiago gave a forced smile before clearing his throat, “ok, enough with the sappy shit. Let's go.”

Santiago rang the doorbell and the door flew open a few seconds later. Melissa was all smiles, although Benny noticed her head slightly cock to the side at one point when Santiago turned his neck and his hickey was visible.

It was a rather quick consultation. She had a blank canvas to work with in her backyard. Benny brought his notebook and quickly started to sketch a few ideas down which she loved. They went back and forth a bit, Benny drawing and erasing several times since she was a bit indecisive as to the placement of a few things. They finally landed on a couple of flower beds, some rockwork, and a few palm trees. Nothing too elaborate. They reasoned it would take a couple of weekends to do at most.

“Can I keep this Benny? I'll show Danny when he gets home this weekend and then we can start. Maybe next week?”

“Yeah, of course, wanna take a picture of it on your phone? May be easier to have a digital copy.”

“Oh yeah, sure.” She snapped a couple of photos of the pages in his notebook. “Well, thank you boys again. I'll uh…see you around.” And with that, she politely ushered them out, closing the door a bit forcefully.

Benny waited until they were well down the block before he broke the silence. “Damn, she's maaad at you.”

“Huh?”

“Dude, she barely looked at you. It's the most she and I have ever talked. Your little friend there seemed to rattle her,” he gestured towards Santiago's neck.

Santiago shook it off, “Nah. I think you're reading into it.” Wanting to change the subject, he quickly transitioned to asking what Benny and Will were up to this evening.

“Will's hanging with Katie and Connor is coming over to watch some fights with me. Wanna help?’

“Sure. Yeah, sounds good.”

___________________

When Will arrived back from his shift, Benny and Santiago were on the couch playing a video game. Well, Benny was playing, Santiago was cursing up a storm, annoyed that he couldn’t beat Benny. Will was a little surprised to see Santiago still there, but the two seemed to be having fun, despite Santiago’s frustration. Laughing to himself, Will went down the hall to his bedroom, deciding to check in on Frankie before he got ready.

Will: How's uncle life treating you?

Frankie sent a couple of photos. One of him and Antonio all smiles at a Rangers game wearing matching shirts and the other of him lying on the ground of Valeria’s living room with Leia crawling all over him with the biggest smile across his face.

Frankie: So fun. They're great, you'd love them.

Frankie: How's Ben?

Will: Eh, he's ok. He's been training and tonight he's going to watch some of the guy's fights

Frankie: Benny? Watching film? Holy shit, if Coach Montoya could see him now.

Will: No shit right?

Will: Well, hey, I don't want to keep you. I'm glad you're having fun. Give the kids a kiss and tell Vale and Lys I said hi.

Once he was showered and dressed, Will walked back into the living room, a soccer game now on the TV.

“Ok, ah…don't wait up for me,” Will smirked as he grabbed the keys off the hook and checked to make sure he had his wallet and phone.

“Oh don't worry we won't, you kids have fun tonight,” Santiago winked.

Will tried to quickly, but nonchalantly leave before his brother could make a smartass comment. Unfortunately for him, Benny was too quick and managed to make a joke about not being a fool and wrapping his tool. Will rolled his eyes and walked out the door, hand raised in the air giving his brother the finger as he closed the door.

Truth be told, it has been a while since Will had sex. He was confident in his abilities, thanks to years of practice, but Katie was different. She wasn’t some random hookup, she was someone he could see a relationship with – the problem was he wasn’t quite sure what type of relationship that would be. He pushed aside that thought and got in his Jeep for the quick drive down the block.

When he parked, Katie was already walking out the door, ready to hop in and go. She looked effortlessly beautiful, her hair up in a ponytail with a baseball cap on. Will recognized her leggings, it seemed she had a lot of the same style just in different colors. Practical, he reasoned. She paired them with an oversized Star Wars-themed T-shirt. It was from the newer stuff Will wasn't as familiar with.

“Hey, thanks for picking me up,” she said as she climbed into the Jeep, reaching over to give him a quick hug, which he reciprocated. She breathed in his scent, which smelled like Irish Spring soap.

“Course. You're the one helping me after all,” he pulled back slightly and smiled, his hand lingering on her back just a beat before he let go and returned to face forward to put the car in reverse. “You have a good day?” He turned around looking out the rear window, one hand on the back of her headrest as he reversed out of the driveway.

“Not bad, halfway through the week so that's exciting. How about you?”

“Good, easy. Had an early volunteer shift this morning.”

“Ooo how was CVS? Pick up anything exciting?”

He laughed. “No, Mr. Andrews switched it up today and wanted to go to Walgreens.”

Katie exaggeratedly gasped, “Whaaat? No way! Look at him coming out of his shell.” She smiled as they continued their small talk on the short drive over to Target.

As they walked up to the store Will slightly turned and pointed at her shirt, “I gotta ask, who's on your shirt.”

She stopped walking. “Wait. Are you serious? I thought you were a Star Wars fan.”

Will smirked. “I am, of the original stuff. I haven't really paid attention to anything recent.”

“You don't…you haven't watched The Mandalorian? Isn't Boba Fett your favorite?” She pointed to the tattoo on Will’s forearm.

“Mandalorian…that's the one with baby Yoda right?”

Katie dramatically clutched both hands to her chest. “His name…is Grogu.”

Will laughed as he grabbed a cart, leading the way to the toy section.

“The Mandalorian is seriously so cool, you'd love it,” she knocked her shoulder into his. “We should watch it!” She offered with a hopeful smile.

“Yeah ok, I'm willing to give it a shot since it comes so highly recommended. I trust you,” he smirked.

She gave him a quick smile and returned her gaze ahead, but he could still see her smiling out of the corner of his eye. When they reached the toy aisle, Katie went through a bunch of different options. Will was adamant about finding something different for each of the boys, figuring they each had their own distinct personalities and interests.

Katie knew one of the boys was really into card tricks, so Will picked out a magic set. The other was obsessed with Fortnite, something Will knew absolutely nothing about. Luckily, Katie's best friend at work had a son about the same age who was equally as obsessed with it, so she knew enough to navigate the selection. She also texted Olivia to make sure the boys didn’t already have what they picked out. Will was thankful for her due diligence since they were able to make a quick swap. Apparently, David and Ty had already bought one of the items Will picked out.

The pair was efficient, a little too efficient. Will didn’t want their trip to end. He was having fun just walking up the aisles, so he suggested a loop through the store. It was surprising to him to see all the random stuff that ended up finding its way into the cart. He reasoned it had something to do with the fluorescent lights or some subliminal messaging in the soft rock playing through the store’s speakers. It gave him flashbacks to his fiance who could not be trusted inside a Target by herself for fear she'd buy the whole damn store.

It was amusing to see how excited Katie got over the most mundane things. She smelled nearly every new scent of hand soaps and she went absolutely giddy over these fabric bird figurines donned in various themed outfits. But what Will enjoyed most was seeing her smile. Based on the limited knowledge he had about her recent past, it sounded like she hadn’t had much to smile about.

When they reached the checkout, Katie emptied the cart putting all of her stuff down followed by the birthday gifts. She slid a divider between the two sets of items.

“What’re doing?” He furrowed his brows, reaching for the divider and putting it back.

“It's so the cashier knows whose stuff is whose silly. You really don't do a lot of shopping huh?”

Will rolled his eyes, “I know what that thing means, but no I'm taking care of it.” He started to reach for his wallet.

“What? No I…”

“I insist,” he cut her off. “This…has been a lot of fun and you saved my ass by texting Liv. Please? I want to.”

She sighed, resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to convince him. “Fine. Under two conditions.”

“Shoot,” he smirked, leaning forward onto the cart’s handles. He was amused at how quickly she folded.

“One. I get dinner. You keep that in your pants,” she motioned towards the wallet in his pocket. There were a couple of teenagers in line behind them who started giggling since all they could see was Katie pointing to Will’s pants. “Fuck,” she brought her palm to her forehead. “You know what I mean.”

“I do,” he laughed, putting his hands in his pockets. “Ok, go on, what's the second condition.”

“I get to name him Will,” she picked up one of the fabric bird figurines and held it to Will. The bird was decked out in the stars and stripes, fitting for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled, “Sure, Kat.”

___________________

“Is pepperoni ok?” Benny looked between Santiago and Connor to confirm before placing his delivery order.

“Yeah that works for me,” Santiago nodded.

“Thanks, Benny,” Connor chimed in.

“‘Course. Thanks for helping me scout the competition,” he winked.

After placing the order Benny went to the kitchen to grab a few cans of soda. He placed the assortment on the coffee table and Santiago quickly grabbed coasters for them all, knowing how annoyed Will would be by rings on his coffee table. Benny was about to sit down when he realized he had forgotten something and ran back to his room. He emerged a few moments later with his trusty notebook in his hand and a pencil.

“Ok, I'm ready now!” He plopped down on the couch.

“You're taking notes?” Santiago looked over a bit confused.

“Yeah…you used to take notes when we'd get briefed on missions, what's so different?” Benny countered.

“You're right Benny, sorry. So…where's this guy from?”

“Well, I looked him up and he's from Queens.” Connor offered as he queued up the first video.

At the mention, Santiago perked up, “The guy's from New York?” Connor nodded, looking at Benny confused. “What's his name again?”

“Uh, Omar Assarian.”

Benny side-eyed Santiago, “What, you know this guy?”

“No, I don't, but I may know people who do. I mean, I did grow up in New York so, I dunno let me see.” Santiago started typing away at his phone as Benny nodded to Connor to start the video.

They intently watched the fight and then another and then another. Benny would ask Connor to pause the video every now and again so he could take some notes. He keyed Connor into some of Omar's strengths and weaknesses along the way, noting that the man had great footwork, which made sense given his boxing background.

“You think you can beat him Benny?” Santiago cut in.

“I think so. As long as I can get him to the ground and off his feet. Not really looking to get punched in the face by a boxer if I can help it.”

“I guess I never asked, do you have like a specialty or something?” Connor asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

“I'm good at a lot of things,” Benny laughed to himself. “Uh, I started off as a wrestler, it was one of the sports I did in high school. So I'm good at submissions I guess, and grappling. I also learned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which helps with the submissions. MMA to me is like…a game of chess. I know you see all of these kicks and punches and shit, and I can do that too, but there's something about finding that…weakness in an opponent and just exploiting it. That’s what I like the most.”

________________

“There, all set,” Katie smiled as she finished curling the ribbon of the last gift she wrapped. She looked over to Will, who was sitting cross-legged next to her on the floor of her craft room.

His eyes softened when they met hers, the corners of his mouth perking up. “Perfect. Thank you, I uh…couldn't have done it without you.” She looked down and brushed his compliment aside, starting to pick up the scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon. “Besides, if I'd gone with Ben, we'd probably still be in the toy section,” he laughed. “We would have come home with a bunch of shit. I didn't realize there were so many different kinds of Nerf guns. Lil Bean would have lost his damn mind if he had that many options as a kid.” He chuckled, relieved to see her laughing.

“Wait…Lil Bean?” She furrowed her eyebrows, clearly wanting Will to fill her in on the apparent nickname.

“Ha, yea that's what we called him growing up. Joel really is the only one who still calls him that consistently, I guess because he's the one who came up with it,” he chuckled, clearly reminiscing on some fond memories. “Benny has always been tall and lanky, like a string bean.”

“Aww…poor Benny!” She stuck out her bottom lip.

“Ha it's ok, he ended up kinda liking the name. I think if I came up with it, it wouldn't have gone over so well.” He got up offering her his hand to stand up. “But since it was Joel’s idea he ended up coming around.”

“So, you're close with your cousins then?” She asked, her hand lingering in his just a beat longer than she intended before dropping it to quickly gather up the presents.

“Uh yeah, Joel and Tommy are basically our brothers too. And then once Frankie moved down the street we were a starting five,” he laughed, following her out of the room and back to the living room.

“Where does Santiago fall in?”

“Pope? Oh, I met him during basic training. He was my battle buddy,” she gave him a confused look, “we couldn't go anywhere on base alone, we had to travel in pairs. The two of us got assigned to each other and I guess I've been stuck with him since,” he laughed.

Katie observed Will’s demeanor. He was so much more relaxed and at ease when he talked about the guys. His bright blue eyes seemed to shimmer. It was clear to her that he cherished those he held close.

“Aw that's cute, you two make a nice pair,” she winked, sitting down on the couch. She turned on the TV and started to click buttons on the remote.

“Oh please don't tell him that,” Will groaned.

“It's so sweet that you guys have each other.” She looked over and smiled.

Will noticed her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, it was a bit guarded, a brief wave of sadness washing over her before she pushed it away. He recognized the behavior since it was something he did too. He didn’t say anything right away, letting her navigate the menu on her screen, queuing up the show.

He cleared his throat, “You have people too, right? Megan? The rest of the neighbors?”

She looked over at him with a tight smile, “Yeah. Yeah, they’ve been great. Honestly, if I didn’t have Megan…” she trailed off, shaking her head and taking a deep breath before she looked over at him. She was met with a warmth in his eyes, something she’d grown to seek. It made her feel seen. “And at work, I have Miranda. She was my first real friend when I moved down here, you’d like her she’s awesome.”

He tentatively reached his hand to her thigh, keeping an eye on her reaction, before giving her a reassuring squeeze. “Well, you have me too…ahem, and the guys. You need anything, we’re here, y’know that right?”

She put her hand on top of his, returning the squeeze. “Yeah. Thanks, Will. I appreciate that, hasn’t always been the case.”

“Look, ah, I…if you don’t want to talk about it that’s cool, but I’m here if you do.” He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping she picked up on the subject he was referring to.

“Thanks. I won’t bore you with the story, it’s not really that exciting,” she said with a tight smile.

“It’s your…reality. I don’t find that boring.”

She turned towards him, one knee tucked up on the couch. She took a deep breath. “Things started off well. Seb was charming and swept me off my feet,” she started to fidget looking down at her hands. “But as time went on, I felt like my interests mattered less and less. It was small comments here or there, but it eventually became more frequent…like, I don’t know…like I was annoying him with the things I got excited about…So eventually I just either stopped doing those things or I’d do them in secret.”

“You sound a lot like Benny,” he gave a small smile once her eyes met his. “His ex was like that. It was like living with our dad again. She really wore him down.”

“Can I ask how?”

Will cleared his throat, turning to face Katie, their knees touching as he rested his arm on the back of the couch. “Benny’s a good man. He’s a talented kid in so many ways. Good at everything, it’s actually kind of annoying sometimes,” he chuckled. “He just…finds something and suddenly he’s great at it. Happened with baseball…wrestling…the army. He was one of the most elite snipers in the whole force. He could do all of these crazy calculations in his head in seconds and was super accurate. It’s one of the reasons his call sign was Ace.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize all of that.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t like to talk about it. Don’t ever call him Ace,” he cautioned before continuing. “We’ve ah…we’ve had to do some pretty bad stuff, stuff we aren’t always the most proud of. It’s weighed on him over the years, on all of us really…” Will trailed off, realizing he had already said more than he should have. The guys all tried to be as vague as they could when it came to their military service.

“Hey, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but if you do I’m here,” Katie squeezed his hand.

“Thanks, Kat,” he smiled, before continuing. “For as talented as he is athletically, he’s just as talented with creative stuff. Hell, he may be even more talented when it comes to that. In his heart, he’s an artist. He draws, sings, plays guitar. He had this dream when we were younger of being a comic book artist. He’d draw these little cartoons for me, all of these elaborate stories that somehow were all connected, I don’t know how he did it,” Will laughed. “But one day our dad found his notebook and lost his shit.”

Katie tilted her head, her forehead creasing, “why?”

Will took a deep breath, “Oh, it’s complicated. But I think at the core, our dad had this vision for Ben. Pro scouts were coming to watch him play baseball before he got to high school. Basically, our dad saw anything that wasn’t revolved around sports as a waste of time. Our dad is, uh, competitive. And he took a lot of pride in the fact that his boy was a prodigy.”

“How’d that make you feel?”

“Me?” Will was caught off guard. He’d never had anyone ask him that before. “Um, I guess…I think I felt a lot of things. A little jealous, I guess. I had to work my ass off to be halfway decent at anything and Ben didn’t even have to try it seemed. But I also wanted to protect him. I saw how excited he got when it came to stuff like drawing and music, it made him happy. Like really happy. Our mom supported him as much as she could. They had a little hiding spot where she’d stash some notebooks and colored pencils and stuff for him. But my dad found it one day and threw it all in the trash. Shit, he all but set it on fire before I stepped in. Stuff at home got kinda bad after that which is why I left the second I could. I always felt a little guilty I guess, leaving Benny there by himself.”

“Is that why he enlisted? To get out of a bad situation too?”

“I think it was kind of a fuck you to our dad. He turned down a full-ride scholarship to play baseball at Texas and a contract to play in the minors. Our dad didn’t talk to him for months. Benny would call home, and if Dad answered he’d immediately give the phone to Mom. But, eventually, Benny did what Benny does and he excelled. Once he got handpicked for Delta Force, our dad started to change his tune.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah…took years for their relationship to get to a halfway decent place. I think that’s why Benny has always had a soft spot for Joel. In many ways, Joel was more like a dad to him than ours was.”

“How about you and your dad?”

“Eh, it’s…complicated. The way he treated us…our mom, it’s…not how I’d do things, I’ll say that much.”

“Well, you are your own person,” she offered her hand again to him, rubbing circles on the back of his hand. “I can see how much you love your brother and your friends. They’re lucky to have you. You’re a good man too, Will.”

Will sat quietly for a moment, his eyes sought Katie’s. He felt a warmth cascade over him. Even though he was sharing a lot about Benny, his own past was wrapped up in so much of it. Opening up like this took months with his VA therapist, but Katie listened without judgment, and with genuine curiosity.

“Sorry, I kind of unloaded all of that,” he chuckled. “I guess it’s not really something I think about a lot.”

“I hear you on that,” her eyebrows shot up, a sarcastic grin on her face.

“So what were the things you kept from your ex?”

Katie was a bit caught off guard that Will turned the conversation back to her, she hoped that he’d get distracted by his own story and forget. She should have known better, Will was too considerate of a guy to dominate a conversation.

“Oh ah...I guess a lot of the little projects I came up with. I’ve always really loved interior design. That’s what I thought I wanted to go into when I was younger. I wanted to design houses that would end up in magazines, y’know?”

“What changed your mind?”

“I have the misfortune of being good at math,” her sarcastic tone made Will laugh. “When it came time to look at colleges, my parents really wanted me to pursue a business degree. I think my dad got a kick out of me potentially following in his footsteps. I know they didn’t mean it, but they kind of always made my design stuff seem like my little side hobby rather than something I could really do. Hell, I helped my mom redesign parts of our house when I was in high school.”

“What happened when you got to college?”

“I kept collecting photos and notes of design ideas. My college dorm room looked so nice, I had people coming to me to help them with theirs. I had like an unofficial side business,” she laughed. “Then when I graduated and I was off on my own I finally had a place to make how I wanted. And then I met Seb…” she trailed off, clearing her throat. “I eventually moved into his place. He was…particular about his space so I didn’t really feel like it was mine. I felt like a visitor. Which is why I was so excited when we finally started looking at houses. He told me I could do whatever I wanted.”

“So did you?”

“Ah, yes and no. I wanted him to feel comfortable in the space, so I’d ask questions here and there to gauge what he liked and didn’t like. He’d make…I don’t know, little comments about how something looked stupid or was a waste of time. He also wasn’t handy at all so I had to do it all myself. I guess I eventually stopped caring.” She looked down, fidgeting again with her hands.

“But you have this place, right?” He gave her a small smile, motioning to the space around them. “You can make this into whatever you want.”

“Yeah. It’s an overwhelming thought, but … I don’t know, exciting too.” She looked around.

“Hey, how about instead of watching this,” he motioned to the television, which had moved to a screensaver due to the lack of activity, “we talk about your ideas for the kitchen? We can come up with a plan for the projects you have in mind.”

A big smile came across Katie’s face, excited that Will was genuinely interested in hearing what grand plans she had for the space and that he was willing to help.

Next Time on As the Mule Falls: We pick up where we left off with Will and Katie. Frankie returns home to Tampa (for real this time, I need to get him back to Florida for…reasons). The Neighborhood Watch descends upon the local skating rink for a party that’s sure to be the best in the galaxy.

A/N: Hello! Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out! How do we feel about Katie and Will? Melissa was a bit salty about Santiago – do you think they’ll talk about it or avoid each other?

Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story. Some of these storylines are starting to come together and I’m excited about where we’re going!

Taglist: @goodwithcheese / @gemmahale / @trulybetty / @patti7dc / @periodtsparadox / @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin / @maggiemayhemnj / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings / @avastrasposts / @meveispunk / @chaoticfestninja / @beboldbebravethings / @casa-boiardi / @katw474 / @linzels-blog / @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain / @pimosworld / @lynnchun / @anoverwhelmingdin /@lilmizmoz / @pedrit0-pascalit0 / @titlee78 / @noisynightmarepoetry / @inept-the-magnificent / @perennialdoll247 / @for-a-longlongtime / @readingiskeepingmegoing / @harriedandharassed / @musings-of-a-rose / @anavatazes / @sherala007 / @midnightraain / @partyofone3414 / @inthedarkestnight / @millennial-teenybopper / @csarab615 / @darkheartgatita / @southernboyfan / @weho2kcmo / @itspdameronthings

#delta landscaping #triple frontier fanfic #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier #triple frontier fic

103 notes · View notes

panelshowsource · 5 months

Text

alex talked about that recently in this interview! [rubs hands together like a mischievous little shrimp] i hope we see it one day heh

hehehe it was a fun task! we've NEVER seen alex play such a character during a task like that — he's received cuddles and made demands and eaten meals, but this was next level Alex Acting — so that was really fun!

lucy talking incessantly about alex's legs but mans also got his long sparkly toes

i think people are too quick to call this or that iconic, but ngl the second i saw this final image...it's practically a horror movie poster...PERFECT

can you imagine greg davies being your drama teacher and then he quits to become a comedian and the next day you see him on tv as Massive Greg hand feeding a man with no teeth who is pretending to be a tortoise

honestly if that's the one that haunts you i'd say you got off pretty easy, i scrub my eyes with concrete mix every night to try and forget ass sandwich and yet... but hey at least when he hurt his hand he finally had an excuse for that stupid bandage he wears hahaha

she was being so sincere and he was Such A Little Shit 😭

you know what i was binging some simon stuff as well, since it was his birthday, and ran across this again after all these years!

aw anon i'm so glad ♡

moooost of my fave episodes are like ~2005–2015ish? probably the nostalgia!

21.01 with jess hynes bc she is an icon to me

21.05 love seeing simon and miquita together

21.07 with martin freeman

22.02 with stephen fucking fry YES

22.04 was crazy like conchords-era rhys darby was there (i LOVED flight of the conchords lmao) and then johnny vegas and danny dyer next to each other? what a lineup

22.12 with josh groban, omid, martin freeman, heston is an ALL-TIME CLASSIC

i LOVE the guest-hosted episodes with martin freeman, rhod gilbert, frankie boyle (especially 24.12 with miles jupp and professor green), jack dee, alex horne, kathy burke, and johnny vegas

23.12 doctor who special HANDS DOWN

24.02 it's hilarious how respectable catherine tate is offset by how ridiculous catherine tate is

25.06 when greg hosted with frankie boyle, h was there just being h, holly walsh angel, it was a riot

john barrowman is also extremely iconic on buzzcocks, probably most so on 19.05 but also when he hosted 25.12

there are tons of older episodes from the lamarr era that i love — bob mortimer is so funny on this series especially on sean's team, 12.05 when jimmy and claudia were with phill, fun to see ian dury on 5.01, and so on — but these above are some of my personal all-time faves!

aw i really appreciate the rec! first i would like to say i looked it up on youtube and stumbled across the american version and holy shit the dude who hosted brainsurge on nickelodeon is hosting that and WOW my brain would have died never having remembered he existed if i hadn't seen him just now — so that was very weird. ANYWAYS i'll check it out!

imo it didn't start with ben miller...rob is always like this... sometimes when the pod episodes are shorter (less than 10min? does he do that anymore), you can tell some of the bullshit is edited around, but now that they're longer-form conversations he is dominating every episode. i'm certainly no rob hater, but it's really unsurprising to me because facts are facts — rob is self-involved, extremely concerned about being seen and being heard, incredibly pouty if not outrightly bitter when he's not recognised, when fame/success doesn't chase him, when he's getting less from life than he believes he deserves. there are aspects of rob in the trip that aren't far from reality, if you see what i mean. rob is, honestly, quite showbiz. don't get me wrong, he's funny, affable, talented, we love him! but he's not a stellar podcast host because he doesn't have the attention span to let someone else have a moment. have a story. put something on the table. there are definitely times i give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's trying to form a connection by sharing a related experience/feeling/whatever, but other times he's just being self-involved, pivoting the convo, and it is what it is. it's too bad when we don't always get lengthy, insightful content for someone we love — like miles, let's say — and when we finally do rob isn't doing his part; i felt that way about the dara episode. i don't think rob means any malice, it's just how he is...+ a dash of being a middle-aged white man in showbiz...

i got this one yesterday...

...and i'm going to dedicate it to you<3

and frankly sign me up for the woz/vcm experience i am happy to be a little tomato in that flapjack sandwich

you guys are really sweet, it makes me smile ♡ i don't know why some days the trolling can really get to you and other days you forget it in a couple blinks... i feel like i've been having some bad days. last week i saw something on my own dash with thousands of notes outright mocking me and i haven't really recovered from the uncomfortableness/just general hurt feelings. i want be better about letting those things go, but i also think a holiday break will do me good. anyways, thank you for always enjoying the blog and taking the time to be so kind ♡

—————

WATCH LINKS MASTERPOST / FAQ / TAGS / ASK

#a #straykind #long post

38 notes · View notes

livinlavidavili · 1 month

Note

After the harrowing week on Naboo and Tatooine, Obi-Wan sits me down for my weekly letter to my father to update him on what’s happened, the letter arriving to Mandalore later in the day as it’s such a short flight for the delivery droid ship.

Dear Daddy,

Hello!!! I miss you!!! And Cole. And Uncle Cander. And Uncle Cassie. And JJ and Rass. And Aunt V!

So much has happened this week!!! Most of it really good. Some of it so sad.

Master Qui took Obi and I to Naboo for a dipplmatic diplomatic mission. But then! There was poison! And Obi made a Force shield around me ‘cause I can’t hold my breath like they can. THEN we landed on the planet and got all wet and ran from tank thingies into the water and then there was this fish person- Jar Jar. He was very ugly, Daddy. Very. And annoying. I do not like him.

Then he took us to his underwater palace and it was SUPER cool. I would love to live there and be a mermaid. And swim so much. Anyway. Then the king fish person said jar jar was a criminal so we took him away ‘cause Master Qui said to.

AND THEN we saw the QUEEN only she WASNT the queen she was a dikoy decoy. Then we took the ship only the ship was damaged so we emerjency emergency landed on Tatooine.

AND THEN WE MET ANI!!!!!!! He’s so cool!! He’s MY age!!! Three months older. He won the pod race that we went to. It was awesome. He was a slave but he won his freedom with the race. His mommy is still a slave :( the queen would not free her??? I think the queen is a bad person. Her name is Shmi Skywalker.

Ani is a Jedi! I feel like I’ve maybe known him forever. Master Qui said it was weird how fast our Force bond snapped into place. I like him a lot. He likes to build thingies with machines.

Obi has taken BOTH of us to be his Padawans now. I know it was only supposed to be me when he graduated but he graduated early. The Council didn’t want to keep Ani ‘cause they said he’s too old but we don’t think so. He is so smart. Smarter than me maybe?? He speaks four languages!

Obi Master Obi has to take us both because a mean Sith hurt Master Qui bad. Obi says he’s with Mommy and Master Tahl. I hope they make friends and have picnics. I miss him. I still feel him around me in the Force. When Master Qui was fighting the evil Sith Ani and I hid in a ship and it TURNED ON and Ani PILOTED IT and we shot the big ship in space! And won!!! There is a droid on Naboo named Mr. R2D2 and I was wondering if maybe you could find it???? And bring it home??? So we could have it??? Maybe???? Please????? It’s the best astromek astromech ever. Pls respond.

I am happy to see you so soon and I miss you bunches. Master Fee says he will take me to Mandalore instead of Master Qui but we will still go just as much :))))

Okay I have to go ‘cause Ani and I have school in the morning.

Bye!!!!

Love you!!!!

-Rina

P.S. Chernan, Lili has improved immensely with her spelling! Only three corrections this paper. Please feel free to call me, I know this letter may be concerning. Until our call or the letter next week, Obi-Wan.

Once he receives the letter, Chernan opens it among the privacy of his home, laughing quietly throughout your writing despite his slight panic during some of the news.

Flying around with a new friend? Unsupervised? Shooting things and possibly risking being shot down? Interacting with slaves and possibly slavers?

Ben's note at the bottom makes him laugh even harder. For some reason, it's just really funny to think this man may be sitting somewhere, shitting his pants over the possibility of an angry phone call from Chernan himself.

Rather than calling, writes two different letters, one for you and one for Ben.

It truly is so sad to hear about the passing of his Master. Qui-Gon Jinn seemed like a wonderful man.

Czarina,

How wonderful it is to hear from you this month. Your recent adventures sound so exciting! I'm glad you're safe. I can't imagine how scary it must have been, but I'm also glad you had a new friend to endure it with. Ani. He sounds like a nice boy. I am sure he will love having you by his side, especially during the adjustment period of living in the Temple after having a life elsewhere. You of all people will know what that's like, my darling!

As for R2D2... I will go to Naboo and see what I can do. If he is someone else's droid and they don't want to give him up, please understand I might not be able to bring him. But I promise I will try my best.

For your sake, I hope you never encounter that Jar Jar man again. I can sense your annoyance through the page- and it's adorable, but I also don't wish anger upon you, my sweet girl.

Things have been fairly uneventful here at home... Cole is doing well in school and will be advancing in his jetpack training very soon! Cassius is very proud of him and also says he misses you. He and Cole are sitting with me right now, in fact. They walked in as I'm writing to you. Cole says the next time you come up, we need to go camping! I told him you might like that. Something fun to do in our beautiful forests. Let me know what you think, ner ad'ika.

I've got several fairly big and important political meetings coming up that I hope to secure for the future of Ordo. It will involve partnerships and trade route exchanges that would be excellent for us. More money and travel which will also attract more tourists.

I can't wait to hear from you again, darling. Miss you and love you so much. Thank you for never giving up on these letters! Tell your new friend Ani I said hello. Also, give your Master Obi-Wan a hug. He may need it during his time of grief.

And then, to Obi-Wan.

Dear Obi-Wan,

Thank you for your concern over my possible panic at my daughter's letter- though I assure you my appreciation lies more deeply in the way you looked out for her and kept her safe while on that mission. It is an admiral quality of a Jedi to always be prepared for anything, especially with other lives at stake. Not a day goes by where I doubt your abilities to care for, protect, and nurture my daughter. She is doing very well under your trainings and teachings and I couldn't be more proud. And grateful.

I heard about the passing of your Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and I express my deepest and most sincere sympathies. He was a wonderful man and I'm sure the loss must be very tough for you. Please know that if there is ever a day you need to... separate from the detached emotions of the Jedi lifestyle... I am one call away. I'm an excellent listener and I won't hesitate to pick up. Also, I won't tattle if feelings are being had.

You are a wonderful man, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Never let any dark days dim your light. Always remember your purpose and your strength, even if it feels like no one else can see it but you.

I will keep you in my thoughts as you proceed through this time of grief.

Chernan Ordo

Several days later, when Obi-Wan receives the envelope, he moves into the quarters to try and find you. "Lili?" he calls, "Are you home?"

The envelope is thicker this time. Perhaps your father sent you something else along with the letter.

0 notes

asp1990 · 2 years

Text

Day 9: Friday July 1st, 2022 [LONDON]

Breakfast: coffee & slice from Pret Lunch: Fish & chips Dinner: Cacio e Pepe at The Running Horse pub

Steps: 14, 240

We all enjoyed another sleep in this morning. I got up at 9:30am, finished my diary from yesterday & called Morgan. After a shower, Tim messaged me from the next room saying to let him know when I was ready to go out. I said I was ready and suggested that we visit Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, which he agreed to. I said good morning to Amara and waited for Tim but he never came out of his room. I knocked, but no answer. A ring from the doorbell surprised us and the manager and 4 other men were at the door asking if they could ‘ check the property’. I said no as Amara was still in bed. Where was the notice? I waited another 10 minutes for Tim then started to get frustrated - it was midday and I was hungry. I decided to leave without him.

As I was walking to get coffee, Tim called to ask where I was. I said I was craving some alone time and that I’d catch up with him later. Despite that, we ended up at the station at the same time, so we caught the train together. Tim got off at Winchester and I got off at St James park.

It was a 9 minute walk from the station to Buckingham Palace. I’d missed the changing of the guards, but still took some photos of the palace, the gates and the surrounding statues. I took a few selfies, but hated all of them Haha.

After that, I walked through St James park towards Big Ben and passed Tim. We were doing the same things but in opposite order! Some tourists were getting some super cute photos in a phone box with BB in the background, but there was a queue to do so, so I just took a selfie and some regular photos. It was gorgeous!

I crossed the river over the River Thames towards the London Eye and booked a ticket which cost about $50 AUD. I had fish and chips for lunch and listened to my favourite podcast. The queue for the London Eye took about 25 minutes but it was moving constantly. The ride took about 20 minutes, which was great - lots of opportunity for photos. There were about 25 people in my pod and we all took turns taking photos in different spots. The weather was overcast and the sky looked great in the background of Big Ben, the Thames and a whole lot of red Double decker busses. There was also a lovely view of people enjoying Pimms in Jubilee Park & Garden. As we disembarked, staff got on with what looked like metal detectors to scan for threats. Sullied the ride a wee bit, but I’m glad I saw it before instead of after. They seem big on bomb prevention here - there are zero bins on train platforms to eliminate threats.

At 3pm, I got the bus over to Hyde Park. The traffic was awful and it took about half an hour, but I had a front seat on the top level, so had a good view. We drove past Westminster Abbey and Cathedral which were beautiful.

I explored the Hyde Park Rose Garden then sat under a tree to read. I watched two friends practicing yoga tricks, a girl try to teach her baby sister how to do a handstand and an old man meditate. It has been much easier to navigate the city today on my own - I’m lucky I packed a portable charger!

I met Amara & Tim out the front of The Running Horse pub to have dinner and drinks before our Great Gatsby Immersive Experience. Unbeknownst to us, it was an expensive pub and cost us over 100£ for 5 drinks and 3 meals. I ordered Cacio e Pepe, that came out after everyone else’s meal, but it was tasty enough.

We were only 30 seconds away from the venue, so we waited in the bar and enjoyed 3 pre-ordered drinks that we’d forgotten we’d ordered. The show started at 7pm and we were introduced to the 8 main players, 2 of which had served us at the bar.

The show went for 2.5 hours with a 15 minute interval. The actors were sensational and the venue was well suited, it was just a shame that we spent all of Act 1 in the same space instead of exploring the other rooms. Tim got involved at the end of Act 1, but Amara and I didn’t get ushered to another room until halfway through Act 2, which was a shame. I found myself focussing on how long I’d been in the same space instead of the actual story.

After the show, Amara had lost her voice again, so we got the train home. I walked my own, quicker way home from our station after Amara tried to direct and had time to stop at the shops and get some Pringles and had to wait at the door. Amara and I watched UK GoggleBox and Tim went to the pub.

We have Drag Brunch tomorrow and dinner with our Drama Vic mate Lyndy - I’m excited!

0 notes

tennessoui · 3 years

Note

FeralObi anon here. How do you come up with these so fast?? Are you an infinite number of ideas and worlds in human-shaped form? I love both of those ideas. The first one kills me tho, Obi gets his first kind touch in years from lil Anakin. Also you can have lil Anakin coming home one day with a skulking, snarling nonverbal murder puppy and saying brightly, "He followed me home, can I keep him?" Schmi thinks this is definitely worse than the time he brought a krayt dragon home.

ah! hello! yes this is the first idea of a feral obi-wan who meets anakin when he's still on tatooine. i will also still do the second idea because like. i liked them equally as much rip me

but i told myself these were going to both be very short snippets and instead this one is uh 2k so i'll post the second one tomorrow instead of tonight!

(ficlet where obi-wan is captured by pirates/unspecified forces at a young age and then tortured for a decade before he escapes to tatooine when anakin is like 6. obi-wan, after a decade of torture is....not alright in this fic though he's only here at the end) (2k)

Shmi had known that when she sent her little Anakin away to follow after the stern-faced, warm-eyed Jedi Master, that this would not be the last time she ever saw her boy. She couldn’t explain how she knew, just as she had not been able to explain how she became pregnant, but she knew beyond a doubt that one day, she would see her little boy back in her arms.

She just hadn’t known it would be so soon.

“He died, Master Jinn died,” Anakin mumbles into the front of her dress, unwilling to move his head far back enough from her hug that he could talk clearly. “On Naboo. And the stupid Jedi council refused to train me even after I was so amazing in the air. Mom, I destroyed a blockade! Entirely! And they wouldn’t--they didn’t--” his little face scrunches up and then he’s bawling into his hands.

A slave, a born slave, knows intrinsically the injustice of the galaxy. It is not often they know hope.

“Oh my boy,” she whispers, smoothing a hand over the top of his head. She has questions. She has so many questions about everything he’s just said and what those strangers have put her son through, but the most important thing is a question she cannot wait until he has cried himself out to ask. “Is your chip gone, Ani? Did they remove your transmitter?”

Because she had sent him away from her so that he could be free. And that had been her own twisted version of hope, that her son could know a life she never would again. If the Jedi masters had proven to be just like every other master in the world, she would find herself sobbing into her own hands.

“Yeah,” Anakin sniffles and wipes at his ruddy cheeks, pulling back a few steps. “They removed it and everything. And--”

He pauses and drops his satchel to the ground in front of her. “They gave me credits. To buy you. For my trouble.”

He spits out the last three words like they’re the most disgusting thing in the entire world. As if Shmi’s freedom isn’t laying at their feet, mere centimeters away.

“Republic credits are no good here,” she hears herself say faintly.

“Padme, the handmaiden you met, she talked to the queen about me I guess,” Anakin mumbles, kicking his feet. “And when the queen learned that the Jedi didn’t want me even after all that, Padme says the queen says I’ll always have a place on Naboo. Me and my family. And then she took the Jedi credits and gave me these instead. It should be enough, Mom.”

Shmi sits down on the floor. With shaking hands, she opens the bag and looks inside. Yes. Yes.

There’s more than enough.

There’s enough to buy her freedom and take her boy away from Mos Espa. There’s enough to take her boy away from Tatooine completely.

“I…” she says. “Ani, I…”

“Padme said she’d send a ship for us,” Ani reports as if their lives are not changing right in front of their eyes. “In two days ‘cause I told her it might take a little bit of time to get Ben to come with us. But we can’t leave without him.”

This is said fiercely and with his arms crossed tightly over his little chest.

Shmi stares at him.

“I’ve already left him once!” Anakin says, stomping his foot. “But that was okay, because I knew you would bring him food and water and stuff. But if we’re both gone, no one’s going to be there for him.”

Shmi bites at her lip. There’s a lot of things happening very quickly right now, and she doesn’t know how to process half of them.

Her son has come back, after only being gone for a week and a half.

He has apparently either endeared himself so much to the queen of Naboo that she was willing to give him the money necessary to buy his mother from slavery and also promise him sanctuary on her planet. He says he’s done this by single-handedly ending a blockade, which is something she just cannot even think about right now.

He has told this queen--queen--that he will gladly live on Naboo with his family. Yes. Alright.

His family seems to include his imaginary friend, Ben.

Anakin has been talking about Ben for years now, ever since he was six and a half years old and sent by Watto to retrieve any scraps he could from what looked to be a crashed pod in the Wastelands. She’d let him ramble on about the ghost of a friend, because she’d known it to be something all children go through and experience. She hadn’t thought Anakin a lonely child, not with the friends he made in Mos Espa, but she’d always known that Anakin had a wandering spirit, ill-suited for Tatooine. If he liked to imagine an older man from a strange world hiding in the caves of the Wastes, then she wasn’t going to say anything.

“You have been leaving him food, haven’t you, Mom?” Anakin asks, almost accusatory. “I told him to expect you and everything.”

No. Shmi has not been traveling to the edge of the Wastelands every day during her precious few hours of free time in order to leave food to be picked apart by womp rats and desert critters and not her boy’s imaginary friend.

“Ani,” she says cautiously, quietly, “we cannot...we won’t be able to bring Ben with us when we go.”

Anakin, predictably, does not react well. “Why not!” he yells, backing away from her even further and looking as if she is the enemy. “Padme’s fine with it!”

“Aren’t you a little old for imaginary friends?” Shmi asks desperately, feeling cold suddenly even though the heat of the mid-morning sun has not abated at all.

If anything, her son looks more offended. “He’s not imaginary! Saying...saying that he’s not coming with us...is...is a bunch of poodoo!”

“Anakin!” Shmi gasps.

“Come on,” her boy says forcefully, grabbing at her hand and tugging her towards the door. She gets on her feet reluctantly and has half a mind to pull back just because he needs to learn that this sort of behavior is not okay, war hero or not. “We’re going to buy you from Watto. And then we’re going to go visit Ben!”

---

Buying her freedom takes less time than Shmi Skywalker ever thought it would. It feels distant as well, as if it’s happening to someone else.

It doesn’t help that her Ani is impatient and surly by turn, spilling the coin out onto Watto’s counter and barely waiting for him to finish counting it before he’s looking at the price of renting a four-person speeder parked outside.

“You won’t survive out there on your own,” Watto sneers, even as he’s passing her the kill-switch of her own slave chip. “Days. It’ll be days until the Hutts find out there’s a newly freed slave with no connections out there in the open. Ripe for the pickin’.”

Watto doesn’t have to tell her any of this. She knows. Gods, does she know.

But Anakin seems so sure about possessing the favor of the Queen of Naboo, or at least her handmaiden, which might be close enough to the same thing. She thanks Watto--she thanks him and then doesn’t even know why--and meets Anakin outside.

He’s bouncing around the speeder, little hands clutching his satchel to his chest. “Good!” he says when he sees her, hopping onto the machine and putting the parcel between his feet. “I got Ben something called a fig on Naboo, but I don’t know how long it’ll take for it to go bad. Apparently they’re sweet.”

Shmi goes along with it. Shmi doesn’t know why she goes along with it, but she does. She can see this is important to her boy, and though she’d rather spend the afternoon and early evening saying goodbye to her friends, she will allow Ani to say goodbye to his imaginary friend. Maybe she’ll even talk to it. “Hi, hello, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the imaginary blue milk and delicacies I’ve left out for you this past week and half. Oh no, it was no bother. My son insisted.”

The ride is quick--Anakin has always been a driver to push the limits of any engine he comes across--and before she knows it, he’s dismounting on a piece of desert and rock that look exactly the same as the last four pieces of rocky terrain they’ve past.

“Ben!” Ani calls, satchel clutched firmly in his hands as he makes his way deeper into the crevices of the landscape. “Ben, it’s Ani! I’m really sorry that I left! Ben? Ben! I’m back now! Ani’s back!”

It’s actually...quite pathetic, to watch her boy speak so pleadingly to the cold stone faces of the rocks around them, but if this is what he needs to do to say goodbye to his life on Tatooine, Shmi won’t say a word.

“Ben--” Anakin draws in a breath to call again, but then there’s movement out of the corner of Shmi’s eyes, and something jumps from the rock down to land on her boy.

She screams and darts forward, but the thing on top of her son snarls at her in guttural warning.

“No, Ben,” Ani coos, stroking at the face that yes, is human, now that it’s not in unnaturally fast motion. “That’s my mom, Ben.”

Ben--Ben??--growls anyway, pinning the boy--her boy--beneath him with his legs and arms.

“She’s fine,” Ani murmurs gently, one hand reaching up to stoke over the beginnings of a beard on Obi-Wan’s face “Oh Ben, I’m sorry.”

The man on top of Shmi’s child finally looks away from her and at her boy, which is both better and worse.

“Ani,” Ben drawls out, as if the word--or perhaps forming the word--hurts him.

Anakin is happy. Shmi can tell he’s happy without even being able to see much of him. It’s like the very air vibrates with his joy. “Yes!” her son says. “Ani. Ben.” He taps the man’s chest. “Ben. Ani.”

The man buries his head into Anakin’s hair, hands rubbing up and down his sides and his arms and his face.

Shmi needs to say something, wants to say something about this strange man touching boy like he owns him, but the memory of his growl and the flash of his golden eyes stops her from stepping forward.

“Anakin, get away from him,” she hisses instead of stepping forward and tearing the stranger off of her son. She has the distinct feeling Anakin wouldn’t let Ben go anywhere, not with the way his little hands are holding so tight to the man’s shoulders. The man’s shoulders that are covered with one of her old tunics that Anakin had told her became unsalvageable after its last wash.

“No,” Anakin says, tightening his hold on his...friend. “He says you didn’t give him food the entire time I was gone! He’s hungry.”

Shmi thinks there’s a very good possibility that this Ben is going to eat her, but she knows not to say anything of the sort. Not when it’s two against one.

“He hasn’t said anything!” She cries instead.

Anakin huffs at this and pats at the feral’s head. “Maybe not to you, but he talks to me.”

Shmi stares at him and wonders if there’s something she’s supposed to be doing or saying here. The man won’t allow her to tear him off her child, she knows that automatically. But she can’t--she doesn’t know--

“Anakin,” she tries, desperately.

But Anakin doesn’t even look at her, too busy petting over the man, who has at least allowed him to sit up. “Hey, I’m sorry, I thought she would,” he tells him in an undertone. “I really thought she would, but I’m back now. I’m not going anywhere without you again--”

He extends his hand and Ben presses his cheek against it with enough force that it pushes him back slightly.

“You’re coming to Naboo with us, Ben,” Anakin promises, clutching at the ends of the man’s long hair. “Or I’m not going at all.”

To Shmi, it sounds like a threat.

The way her son’s eyes flash an unfamiliar golden color makes her feel cold as a Tatooine night. She shivers, but no one notices.

#asks #feral!obi-wan #cw: torture aftermath #its really quite vague tbh #i wanted to use shmi as a narrator because i never really have before #but that means nothing but shmi's perspective gets shared #i mean obviously #but its defo outside perspective here #but this was fun #im not gonna tag it as obikin because anakin here is nine #but yeah i see them living on naboo and healing together from their traumas #and being the most important person to each other #and eventually when anakin is like 25 maybe even older #they kiss #but that's the story i didnt write lmao

98 notes · View notes

oh-for-fic-sake · 3 years

Text

Fearfull Proposal

Summary: henry plans a romantic proposal... and instead of coming clean about your secret fear of heights and ruining his romantic plan, you put on a brave face... well until your nearing the top of the london eye.

Warnings: fear, fluff, swearing, typos.

You quivered as you rose higher and higher over londons skyline.

Fuck why? Why the fuck had you got in this dangling glass death trap. A faulty few bolts and you'd be plummeting into the fucking thames!

Henry was standing by the window looking out at the glittering lights in awe.

You were standing with your back turned to the houses of Parliament hands clutching the rail eitherside of you knuckles white. Knees knocking.

God this was the stupidest thing you'd ever fucking done! And it was your own fault.

"Babe, look! God big ben looks soo small never been on this at night"

You hummed nodding but continued looking to the floor.

Henry paused when you didnt correct him with the whole 'big ben is the bell' you usually countered

He turned looking back to you and his stomach dropped.

"Babe? Whoa are you okay there love?" He asked frowning as he saw your eyes clenched shut almost as if you were in pain.

You were trembling and pale to the point he fearded youd pass out.

"Here come sit down and relax, i packed some snacks-" he said placing the specially packed bag of snacks and screw top mini wine bottles.

"No! No I'm fine... I will just stay here... By the saftey bar" you said giggling nervously sparing him a glance and patting the metal you were holding onto for dear life..

Henry faltered and really took in your apperance unsure what to do. It wasn't like he could get you off, you had to ride the ride.

"Babe? Are you scared of heights?"

"Nooo dont be sillyeee- OH MY GOD IM GONNA FUCKING DIE!" you began laughing him off then screamed as the ride stopped.

Instantly you ducked crouching whilst wrapping your arms around the silver bar shouting bloody murder.

It didn't help you were bathed in purple light so couldn't see shit.

Henry got up and rushed to you standing over you arms rounding you holding you securly.

"No, no its fine love... shh its fine baby, they said it could stop to let people on poppet remember?" He said quickly rubbing your sides as you cowered trying to fend off the temptation to look at the thames below.

"Y-yeah fuck hen- im sorry i just..." you mewled turning towards him tucking your head to his chest.

"Scared of heights huh? Why didnt you tell me?" He sighed pressing kisses to your head as you whimpered adn the ride began moving once again.

"Because you went to all this trouble, you planned this surprise and i didnt want to ruin it, you were soo excited" you sniffled blinking at him.

"Hey shh you silly girl, you should have told me. You wouldnt have ruined anything you silly sausage" he cooed winding himself around you tighter.

He was actually annoyed at himself, how the fuck had he not known his girlfriend of a year and a half was scared of heights?

He'd suspected a fear of heights when you both went on holiday for your birthday, but youd managed to convince him it was a fear of flying and planes... not heights.

And come to think of it you didnt even like the glass lifts in shopping centers, you ran to the corner and held on eyes locked onto the doors the entire time.

So this was the worst surprize he could of planned for tonight. Things weren't going to plan. Fuck.

"Babe im sorry" he apologised feeling like an asshole.

"No no dont be, this was extremly sweet bear" you said quickly not wantin to make him feel bad fpr your own short commings.

"Theres noting sweet about terrifying you"

"Do... do you want to sit down? Ill hold you the entire time" he offered peaking to the central bench where both your bags sat.

"I.. yes okay i think sitting will be better" you said then yipped as he prompty scooped you up and placed you in his lap securly.

"Im so sorry love, I just wanted to make this special and romantic" he muttered holding you as close as he could letting you know that you were safe and sound.

"It is! It is love really im just a baby" you said quickly grasping his face pulling him closer before peppering his face with kisses.

"Your not a babe we all have our fears" he said quietly pressing his forehead to yours.

"You dont" you sighed closing your eyes trying to ignore the snails pace of the pod that still rose over london.

You could barely feel it, but your fear amplified it.

"Oh but i do~" he replied peering at you, as yur eyes fluttered open.

"Like what?" The questionnescaped before you could think.

"No" he said eyes now becoming worried, anxiety clouding them.

"No?"

"Yes, at the moment thats my biggest fear" he said releasing a shakey breath as you frowned at him not following but didnt dwell as your ees darted to the side seeing the houses

"You see, i was trying to be all romantic and wait untill we got tp the top, but i think you'll be too terrified"

"Henry?" You said leaning back unsure about the serious tone he seemed to take.

"I brought us here, to the spot we met two years ago today..." he said drawing deeper breaths as the reality of what was about to happen hit him.

"Was it really?" You asked surprized he'd remember something like that. Anniversary? Definitely. But the day you first met? And asked for a selfie with a series of embarrassing squeaks? No you didnt think he'd remember.

"Yep. I remember doing a promo and shoot on this thing, then got off and was sat next to you in wagamama"

"And i squeaked for a selfie" you groaned with a small giggle.

"Im glad you did, i scanned instagram for days after- scouring my hashtag trying to find you... i kicked myself for not getting your number~"

"I still cant belive you did that... but im gld you did henry"

"Who'd have thought the nervous little thing trying not to even breath in my direction would be my girlfriend six months down the line"

"Or that we'd last this long?" You quipped at him trying to reme,ber to breath.

"And.. hopefully a lifetime? Despite me dragging you intoyour actual living nightmare- which i promise to never do again! Not even lifts"

You scowled and tilted your head to him not sure if you heard him correctly.

Untill he pulled the small velvet box from his pocket.

"Henry?! What? You cant be serious?"

"Oh but i am love, as much as i want to do this right and drop to one knee i doubt you'll thank me for releasing you?"

"Dont you dare let me go!"

"I think you'll find im trying to do the opposite~" he chuckled opening the box revealing the simple elegant ring three tiny diamonds.

"Im trying to marry you..."

You gasped eyes glazing over as you locked on to the dainty ring pinched between his fingers.

"I love you y/n, and i want to know if you'd become my wife and share your life with me. Will you marry me?"

"Oh god yes of course its a yes henry i love you bear!" You cried throwing your arms around him making him grunt and quickly clench his fist arohnd the ring before he dropped it.

He groaned into you rocking from side to side littering your head with kisses before peeling you away to sit the ring on your finger.

You looked at the glittering stones on your finger weeping. You may have been cursing yourself for getting into this godforsaken glass bauble in the sky.

But now you were he happiest woman alive.

"I love you bear"

"I love you too"

"Would you like some wine? I brough the little cute bottles you like" he offered nodding to the bag of snacks.

"Err lets not push it hun" you whined not sure wine at this altitude was a good idea.

You kept glancing at him still sniffing and giggleing unable to look from your ring for long.

"Gotcha, no wine"

"You look surprized i said yes?"you quipped needing to talk and take your mind off the fact your at the tippity top.

"I made you face one of your nightmares i thought you'd slap me silly when i ask" he scoffed pressing a kiss to your cheek unable to stop.

"Never love... but please never ever get on this thing again okay?" You pleaded fluttering your lashes at him pleading.

"I swear. Never again, but seeing as this is our one and only ride we should take a few selfies? Mark the occasion?" He said standing letting your feet hit the floor but never once did he let go.

"Absolutly, gotta show off my new fiancé" you hummed rising to share another kiss with him not really paying attention to the height you'd now reached, you had more important things to think about. Like sharing the rest of your life with this glorious man.

"My thoughts exactly" he grinned pulling out his phone aiming it at the two of you, makeing sure to have the hand that rested on his chest donning his ring in shot.

#henry cavill #henry cavill imagine #oh for fic sake headcannon #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill x you #henry cavill x y/n

154 notes · View notes

midgardianweasley · 3 years

Note

hello! welcome to fanfic writing for hp and mcu! I was wondering if I could make a request for Freddie! Maybe something fluffy where he’s becomes familiar with the muggle world bc of work and takes his pureblood gf to London for the first time and just gushes over how cute she is experiencing all the muggle stuff for the first time? Thank you!

hello my lovely! I had so much fun with this request. I hope you like it!<3

Seeing the sights

Fred Weasley x fem!reader

Summary: Fred takes a week holiday from work, he’s been doing some travel over the last few months to muggle London and decides to take Y/N, who’s never experienced the muggle world, to see some of the popular sights.

Warnings: none :)

Word count: 1864 words

Message/ask if you want to be on the taglist <33

“Hey sweetheart! I’m home!” Fred announced to the quiet home, hanging up his coat and putting his wand down on the unit beside the front door. He briefly thought that maybe his girlfriend was out somewhere, however, that thought was quickly discarded when he heard footsteps running towards him and before he knew it, a body collided with his chest. After recovering from his stumble from the collision, he looked down to see a mop of Y/H/C hair just below his chin. He went to speak, before hearing a slight mumble.

“Sorry Darling, what was that?” He chuckled, holding her arms as she gently pulled away, looking up at him, she smiles before responding

“I missed you”

“I missed you too sweetheart, but, I come with good news!”

“Ooooh, I like good news! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” She claps her hands, excited for what Fred was about to reveal.

“Georgie and I have closed the shop for the next few days, he and Angelina are gonna be heading off to Scotland on holiday, so, I was thinking that you and I could take a trip to muggle London!” He spoke, excitement in his voice clear as day. He’d been going to muggle London on business with his brother a few times over the last couple of months and he’d seen some places he wanted to share with his girlfriend, a pureblood like himself, as she’s never experienced anything muggle related before that wasn’t taught in a classroom. He wanted to show her firsthand to let her have an insight on some of the things he’d seen.

“The place you’ve been telling me about?”

“Yeah! The place that has the awesome cake I was telling you about!”

“There’s gonna be cake?”

“There will be cake”

And those were the last words spoken before she ran off in a hurry again, reaching the cupboard in the hall of their shared home, to pull a suitcase down and beginning packing. Fred smiled, happy to see that the excitement he was feeling, was mutual.

~Timeskip~

The couple had just arrived and settled themselves into their hotel in the heart of London when Y/N bounced over to the windows in their bedroom and opened the door of their balcony, giving them a full view of the city.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Y/N spoke, wrapping her hands around the new pair of arms that had found themselves around her waist. Fred gently kissed below her ear, enjoying the slight breeze outside, glad they had worn their jumpers as it was starting to become fall season.

“So I was thinking” He began, still giving her quick pecks, moving between her neck and her jawline. “We could either chill out for today and see the sights tomorrow, or, we could spend the rest of today out and about and just choose what to do tomorrow depending on how you feel today goes.”

She thought it over for a few minutes, trying to decide whether she wanted to save the tourist stuff for later in the trip or start exploring today, when looking out at the busy city, it was suddenly really obvious what she wanted to do.

“I wanna go and see what that thing is!” She jumped, struggling to contain how eager she was.

“The big circle thing over there?” He spoke, following where she was pointing.

“Yeah!”

“Ahh, that’s called the London Eye” Leading her inside and helping her put her coat back on

“Wait, what? But there’s no eyes? Can that thing see?!” She exclaimed. He laughed before explaining that it wasn’t a literal eye, before leading her out of the door and smiling at how clueless she was, almost forgetting that it was exactly how he and George were when they first visited. Thankfully this time, Fred remembered the key card to their room, learning from an unfortunate mistake he and his twin brother made that resulted in the pair sitting outside in the hall for forty minutes, waiting for someone to let them back in. Y/N watched Fred put the key into their door, confused as to what he was doing as she pulled out her wand. Upon turning and seeing her eyes flutter between her wand and the rectangular thing in his hand, he started to explain again.

“This is a little card we put in this machine attached to the door handle, it locks and opens the door for us whenever we swipe it in this little slot here.” He explains while demonstrating, taking great joy in her face morphing as she tries to understand.

“We can’t just use ‘Alohamora’?”

“No Love, it’s all done the muggle way here, remember?”

Not entirely sure of herself, Y/N puts her wand back into her coat pocket and watches as Fred does the same with the muggle key card.

After a walk in Hyde park and hearing Big Ben ring out, scaring Y/N almost half to death ultimately causing Fred to practically fall over from laughing so much, the pair found themselves in Trafalgar Square, a soon to be favourite of Y/N’s.

“Can you guess why we’re here?”

“Uhm, to look at the fountain?”

“Well, yes, that, but, look up and to your left”

Y/N did as Fred had told her and gasped in excitement, for what felt like the thousandth time, when spotting the big cake logo above the doorway. Putting the pieces together, she knew that this was the place where Fred had kept bringing back Y/F/C from his trips. Fred took his hands from his back, to reveal two boxes of her favourite cake that she had been craving since it was first mentioned. Y/N wasted no time in taking the box from his hand, thanking him and opening it up, not stopping to wonder how the hell he’d managed to go and get it when she could’ve sworn she was with him the whole time. Her attention was brought back to Fred when he held a plastic, wrapped fork in front of her face, saving her from getting any crumbs or icing on her outfit. She took it from his hands gently and the two of them started to eat their cakes, occasionally taking some from the other person with large smiles painted across their face.

~Timeskip~

The sun had almost set now, the city now starting to light up with rows of street lights, headlights from the cars of people returning home from work to their loved ones, further accompanied by the lights from overlooking apartments. Y/N stood in the middle of the streets that had started to calm, but not by much, and spun slowly on the spot, taking in the beauty of the night atmosphere. What she had failed to notice, was that all throughout the day, Fred had been giving her the same look. He was completely in awe of her fascination and how she thought everything was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. He knew that the muggle world would be a new environment for her, causing him to feel slightly anxious when first raising the idea, but seeing her be so absorbed by everything, made him feel like his heart had grown double the size. Stopping on the spot, Y/N saw her boyfriend look like he was in a trance, making her shy under his gaze when realising he was staring at her.

“You okay Freddie?” She spoke, watching him blink a few times before stepping forward and hugging him, feeling slightly colder now that it was darkening. He noticed her shiver slightly, unwrapping his scarf from his neck and gently wrapping around hers, before holding her face in his hands, a soft smile on their faces.

“Never better, my love.” They pulled away from their hug, taking each other's hand, and walked towards the main event of the day, well, night time now. Waiting in line to hop on the ride, the two of them swung their arms back forth. ‘The eye looks so much bigger from down here’, Y/N thought, craning her neck to look at the top of the wheel, Fred not having to strain too much due to his height, but is still taken aback everytime he sees how tall it is, he chuckles to himself thinking that this must be how Y/N feels when looking up at him, not daring to voice his thought, knowing it would result in a slap to the chest, a light-hearted one, but it was better safe than sorry.

The line moved quickly until it was eventually the couple’s turn to walk into the pod-like thing, managing to have it all to themselves, the line not being as busy as it was during the day. When it started to move again, Y/N stumbled, holding onto Fred as she lost her balance slightly, not prepared for it to move so suddenly, causing the both of them to laugh at her clumsiness. Everytime they feel that they can’t possibly be happier than what they are or smile anymore than what they have, they’re proven wrong.

When they got to the top, an audible gasp fell from Y/N’s lips, if she thought that the views were pretty from the ground, seeing them from the top of this wheel was a whole other level. She walked closer to the glass, looking at all of the lights and tiny figures walking the streets. Sure, she’d gone flying on her Firebolt before and playing quidditch had given her a high view of a crowd before, but when flying, you can never really appreciate the views, especially not if you have a bludger flying towards you, something Fred had always made sure wouldn’t happen, knowing how painful it can be to be hit with one of those things. But with everything so still from where she was, there was no crowd screaming, no breeze whipping her hair in 50 directions, there was just serenity.

“Do you like it?” Fred broke the silence, eyes still focused on the girl beside him, watching her eyes go back and forth. He thought she hadn’t heard him she was so entranced, before she whispered a short “It’s incredible.” Another minute went by until she was pulling her eyes away and meeting with his, having to look up slightly. “I love it Fred. I love it all, today has been absolutely insane. Thank you so much.” She spoke softly, wrapping her arms around his torso and hugging him tight, but careful not to squeeze him. He returned the hug, arms wrapping around her shoulders and chin placed upon her head. A soft “you’re welcome darling” escaping him, careful to not break the peaceful silence they had.

And while Y/N was peacefully looking at the view, still wrapped up in Fred's scarf and his arms, her head felt empty with how peaceful the moment was, Fred felt the same, however, his head didn’t feel empty as he had one thought running through his head.

‘I’m going to marry this girl’

And thankfully, he had the ring in his back pocket ready to act on it.

Taglist: @horrorxweasley @dracofknmalfoy @gaycatlord-stuff

#fred weasley #fred weasley fic #fred weasley fanfic #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x fem!reader #fred weasley girlfriend #fred weasley london #fred weasley holiday #fred weasley engagement #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley oneshot #fred weasley trip #fred weasley fluff

102 notes · View notes

aureolusfirewrites · 3 years

Text

Heres a fanfic I did forever ago on Quotev

https://quotev.com/story/13568065/Signing-off/1

Description: What if Azmuth never made it to Ben when the Incursions sent him off in that pod? Ben's final message to earth after the pod powers down

Signing Off

Static buzzed on the screen of the small tv inside the small rebel base that consisted of Rook, Gwen, Kevin, Max, and a few others. Once it cleared an image came through of a familiar galvan who's expression was now filled with sadness.

"Driba? What's going on you know this line is only for important news." Max said through the communication unit they had stolen back. "It is important... It's about Ben."

Rook shot out of his chair at his partner's name as did Gwendolyn and Kevin.

He had practically given up any hope of seeing his friend ever again. Ben was just a human and that pod Max had sent him off in was so small...

The Incursions were still running rampid across Earth but any news of Ben would lift his spirits that he was sure of.

In retrospect he couldn't have been more wrong

They all gathered around the screen. Something was wrong Rook could feel it seeing the small alien refuse to look up at the camera.

"What is this news you have?" He questioned not willing to sit in silence when a bombshell like that had been dropped.

"We uh... We intercepted a recording from an unknown source but after listening to it we learned that it was from Ben from that incursion pod he was sent off in."

Rook felt something burning in his chest like a mix of pride and happiness that the small human was alright but there was still a latent dread creeping in.

"Well what're you waiting for let's hear it!" Max said proudly.

"You sure?" The question stunned him temporarily. Why wouldn't they want to hear a transmission from Ben?

"Just play the transmission." Kevin said solidly not having the patience to deal with the overcomplicatedness the galvan was coating in his words.

"Alright... Just don't shoot the messenger." Driba said. The comment would've scared Rook if he hadn't immediately focused in on the frequency now playing across the screen.

"Hey guys." A static coated but recognizable voice spoke through.

"I don't know when or If you'll get this but I hope you do-" it was Ben alright. Rook could tell from the voice even while it was overlayed in radio feedback. Something was wrong though Ben sounded off... His voice rang of acceptance, fear, sadness, and happiness all in once depressing ball. Ben hated sounding weak but how he sounded on this recording was exactly that. He sounded fragile and there were deep breaths in-between words as if he was unable to get enough air.

"G-Grandpa I kn-know you said that you sent me out in this thing so you would know I was alive but the way things are going I-I don't think that'll be true for much longer..."

Rook felt like his heart had stopped and the fear on the faces of Ben's family members showed they felt the same.

"Th-the pod lost power a bit ago I -its getting cold. I I feel tired like more tired than I have in a long time. I don't know how much air is in this thing so I'll try and make this short.

Grandpa you were my roll model Id never be the hero I was if it wasn't for you and I hope you don't blame yourself for this, Gwen keep working you're gonna be great one day even better then you are right now..."

There was a long sigh as Ben sucked in more air.

"Levin I- Look after my cousin for me when I'm gone I'm glad that we got to be friends because you're the best a guy could ask for like a bother I never wanted but got stuck with. And Rook- Blonko. You're the best partner I ever could've had the chance to meet and I think I might've liked you as more than just friends... I'm sorry I never got to say that to your face."

Tears fell freely down Rook's face now coating the fur under his eyes.

The hero's voice gained a dangerously sleepy tone.

"I don't think I've got a lot of time left... I love you all. I hope you don't have to hard of a time saving the universe. Protect Earth for me while I'm gone. I hope you can beat back the Incursions without my help... Keep being great heroes even while I'm not there. Maybe I'll see you all again someday but for right now... This is Ben Tennyson, signing out for the last time."

There was a loud drawn out released breath and a clatter then silence for a few minutes before the signal was lost to static.

"No." He heard a faint whisper from Gwen. "No no no he- he has to be alright that message... we just got that message there might still be time if we're fast enough we can-" Driba cut her off "That message just reached our satellites but... scanners indicated that it was sent out almost two weeks ago..."

There was a dreadful silence as what that meant settled over the group.

Ben was dead. He died cold and alone unable to save his planet, and this sad little transmission was his final testimate.

And it had reached them two weeks to late.

Kevin had a look of pain on his face, Gwen had buried herself in Kevin's embrace balling her eyes out as her chest heaved, Max had his face buried in his hands mourning his grandson who had been rocketed off to his death by his orders, and Rook...

Rook felt numb.

Ben, dead, the words didn't seem to connect right in his mind. And the fact Ben had confessed to having liked him only shortly before letting out that last breath... It made the pain more unbearable then he could've ever imagined.

After a very, very long silence Gwendolyn collected herself and spoke in a hoarse voice, raw from crying. "W-What do we do now."

It was Rooks turn to break the silence now.

"I will tell you what we are going to do. We are going to defeat the Incursions and take back Earth. Then we are going to find and collect that pod and give Ben the send off he deserves. Are there any objections?" He practically growled.

There weren't any and they all went back to work with a new plan on their heads

#rook blonko #ben 10 omniverse #ben 10 fanfiction #ben ten omniverse #ben tennyson #brooken

23 notes · View notes

undeadsnorlax · 3 years

Text

Can Anybody Tell Me Why I’m Lonely Like a Satellite?

heyyy my first fic for @badthingshappenbingo. starting things off with my favourite space boy

Ao3 link

Prompt: Loneliness

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV Series)

Warnings: mentions of self-harm, angsty as hell

Wordcount: 2603

A day in the life of Luther on the moon.

***

Wakey-wakey.

“Urgh…” Five more minutes…

Come on. You need to get up.

Luther groaned, rolling onto his back and squinting up at the blank metal ceiling. It took him a few more minutes to open his eyes properly, and a couple more to roll over and check the clock with another groan. 22:47.

“It’s early,” he mumbled, swinging his legs around and rubbing his face down. Well, early in his sense, at least.

Fifteen minutes won’t kill you. Means you could go to bed earlier later tonight, technically.

Luther considered this and nodded, slowly getting to his feet and walking toward the door-

Thunk!

“Every time!” he cried, rubbing his forehead. He’d learn to duck eventually.

He stretched his arms until his fingers brushed the ceiling, then placed a hand at the bottom of his back and arched it, grunting at the dull crunch his spine made.

With a few more stretches, he dragged his feet over to the counter, smiling at the small potted umbrella plant there.

“Evenin’ Ben,” he said softly, large fingers stroking the leaves before picking up the tiny watering can.

Hey Luther.

Luther let out a sigh, tapping one of the radars beeping away on the workstation below the plant.

Something wrong?

“Nah, nothing.”

He shrugged and went about doing his other ‘morning’ chores. Checking the base’s oxygen levels, collecting any trash, seeing if there was any response from home.

Nothing. Of course.

Luther dressed in his space suit, taking the bag of trash out and dumping it with the rest.

He allowed himself a moment of freedom, pure gleeful joy as he bounced light as air across the moon’s surface. He’d been up here two and a half years and this part still never got old. He was in space!

He pushed off from the ground hard, floating a foot higher before landing with a weightless thud. Grinning behind his helmet, he tilted his head to look up at the Earth in front of him.

It was awesome, thinking about how one planet could contain so many billions of people going about, living their lives.

Including four of the ones he’d grown up with. What would they be doing right now? Vanya would definitely be going to bed, and maybe Allison was doing a late night movie shoot. Klaus would probably be partying and Diego doing...whatever he did.

Luther let out a heavy sigh, his grin fading. No use in wondering like that. Just reminded him of how everything fell apart.

He was brought back into focus by his stomach rumbling. He clasped at it for a moment, staring blankly at the stars, before trudging back to base to eat.

Running low on those.

Luther narrowed his eyes as he opened a packet of soy paste, slumping down heavily on the nearest chair.

“I know,” he said quietly, squeezing every last drop into his mouth ravenously.

He also knew this would do nothing but numb his hunger for only a few hours, knew this wouldn’t have been enough food for him even before his accident. For as little as he did physically up here, his body still craved energy, and this shit just didn’t cut it.

You asked Dad for more, right?

“Every time.” Luther glared at the plant. “I’m due more soon, okay? Today or tomorrow…”

He drummed his fingers against his thigh, staring at the empty packet. Reluctantly, he went to the box and got another, pretending it was something more elaborate instead. One of Grace’s amazing dinners, a rich beef casserole in a thick red wine sauce, with potatoes and vegetables, maybe some kind of pie for dessert, with ice cream-

He groaned, swallowing the mouthful of saliva he’d formed at the mere thought.

Not helping?

“I miss real food.” He rubbed his middle, feeling at least a little more full, enough to concentrate on work.

Have you checked your bandages?

Luther licked his lips, before shaking his head, looking away like a naughty schoolboy getting a scolding.

Do that. Please? It’s been a few days.

“Okay, okay.”

He went to the cramped bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror first. He looked rough.

Dismissing that observation, he slowly zipped down his top, careful to not get it stuck on his body hair.

How’s it look?

“Better. Honest.”

The bandage itself, on his right side just above the ribs, looked a little grubby, dried dark brown stains having seeped through. Carefully, he picked at the medical tape keeping it in place, wincing every time it caught a stray hair, but managed to rip it off and inspect the wound underneath.

A laceration done in such a way there was a small chunk of flesh missing, but it was healing nicely.

Luther reached for his first aid kit, pouring out some antiseptic onto a cloth and pressing it down. He winced again, gritting his teeth, but knew it was all worth it to help it get better.

As he prepared clean bandages to patch it up again, Ben chimed in.

It was scary when you did that. You were so scared.

Luther’s gut churned with unease, remembering the frantic, near manic state he went into a few days prior. It wasn’t the first time it had happened either. A sudden burst of wild emotion overwhelmed him, forcing him to his knees as he tried to let it pass, but the feeling inside him just got worse and worse.

Are you okay now?

“I don’t know.”

He bandaged himself up again, before he traced along a similar mark on his stomach, healed now into a bright pink scar.

His fingers curled into a fist, zipping up his top again before he could do more damage to himself. Ignoring the urge hadn’t done much good the last few times, but maybe this time he’d figure out a way to not hurt himself again.

Doubt it…

He went back to sit at a console, rummaging through the mess of paper cluttering the table.

What’re you doing today?

“Going through these.” Luther scratched his chin as he thought, eyes skipping down the page. “Need to arrange them in order, rewrite them neater...pretty boring, right?”

What work isn’t?

Luther chuckled, splitting the paper into small piles. “Got that right.”

And then silence. Luther became engrossed in his work, only moving to either stretch his back or use the bathroom, and even that wasn’t often.

Sure, it was boring but...it was his kind of boring. One of his earliest memories was pouring over a book on the solar system, using it to try and figure out the constellations he could see from his bedroom window. Him and Five raced to have their hand up first during their physics classes.

It became a one man race after he vanished.

Luther tapped his pen against his temple, chewing the inside of his cheek. His mind was drifting, thinking of his siblings again.

He tried not to think of Five too often, but he still wondered what the hell could have happened to him. Sometimes he wondered if his brother had just settled somewhere. Gotten taken in by a nice family who looked after him.

He didn’t like the alternative. The portrait that hung in the living room reminded him every day for over a decade of the alternative.

That’s how he tried to feel about Ben. He was in a better place. He was at peace. Happier, maybe.

Again. Better than any alternative.

He wasn’t even sure he believed in an afterlife.

With a heavy sigh, Luther pressed his head down against the desk, closing his eyes for a second...

Luther��?

He jolted to sit up again, muscles tensing for a moment before he relaxed, picking the piece of paper that had stuck to his forehead. “Wha’?”

Drifted off bud. Not long.

“Ah. Right.”

You have been working hard for a while.

“It’s not that long-“

Luther cut off upon seeing the time. Eight hours had passed since he started. “Oh. Dang.”

You deserve a break.

“No, I’m...I’m nearly done, it’s fine.”

Luther…

“It’s fine.”

He didn’t mean to snap. He flinched the moment he did, putting his head in his hands.

Look, I get it.

“No you don’t. You’re a plant.”

Luther turned on his seat to face said plant, scowling at the thing. “You’re a voice in my head.”

Helps though, doesn’t it?

Luther wrinkled his nose a little, turning away and tapping a finger against the desk.

Helps to have someone to talk to.

“Crazy Luther Hargreeves, all alone on the moon with a plant that sounds like the brother he let die,” he muttered.

You know that’s not true.

“It’s true enough.”

He suddenly became aware of another console that had been letting out several beeps. Luther gritted his teeth and made his way over, reading the screen.

DELIVERY INCOMING

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL 0823

“Told you more food was coming,” he said, going to suit up once more. He’d missed it landing with his quick nap by about ten minutes.

Out on the moon’s surface, Luther tilted his head back, taking a slow deep breath. He could see the pod the package came in at the usual spot, but he desperately needed some quiet.

Inside his base, there was always some kind of noise. Little things, the consoles and monitors gently humming away in the background, the soft drip of a tap he might have left on. Constant.

Even back home in the mansion after everyone left, he grew used to the creak of floorboards, the structure settling around him. Every opening door making him perk up and hope someone was walking through, coming back.

Outside, on the surface, it was silent. It was like he could hear his body working, every thump of his heart that sent blood coursing through his veins.

In space no one can hear you scream…

So he did. He bent his knees, and took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs. Everything contained within his helmet.

Straightening up, he screamed again, a rush of catharsis overwhelming his brain. It felt good to scream. He should do this more often. Better than hurting himself.

His chest ached a little as he caught his breath once more, staring dazed at the ink black sky above him.

So much...nothing. The night skies were never this clear back on Earth and maybe now he was glad because being confronted with such a sheer vast nothingness every day was sure getting to him. Would explain why his plant was talking.

Luther scrunched his eyes tight, and went to get the delivery. He dragged it inside, changing from his suit once more and tearing the box open.

Anything good?

He glanced up, narrowing his eyes, before getting out smaller boxes of soy paste. He sighed, inspecting the writing. They always said they were different flavours, but he mostly got the same soggy muesli or stale bread taste with every packet he consumed.

That…doesn’t look like a lot.

“Shut up, I know…”

Luther set one aside and put the rest in his food cupboard. He didn’t take a chair this time, just slumped down on the floor and gently squeezed the contents through the packet, huffing heavily.

Luther, that’s not going to last.

“I’ll make it last,” he mumbled, unscrewing the top and sucking gently, trying to savour it, “I have to…”

He tried to focus on the gentle hum of the base instead, closing his eyes to help. He wasn’t sure what had happened in recent months that his food packages were becoming less frequent, and less in amount, but it didn’t help anyone to dwell on that. Dad was busy, he had stuff to do…

C’mon big guy. You know that’s bullshit.

Luther glared up at the ceiling. That was new. Hearing Ben’s voice had happened surprisingly quickly, the moment he decided to name his plant after him. He never heard anyone else’s voice, but having Diego’s growling in his brain was almost a welcome change.

Almost.

You really think he’s that concerned for you up here?

“Shut up…”

Should’ve gotten out when you had the chance.

“Shut up!”

Luther slammed his head back against the console, grunting from the quick hit of pain. When Diego’s voice didn’t go away, kept taunting the same message of should have gotten out when you had the chance, he did it again...and again.

Until there was silence.

Too much silence.

Using the counter for support, he got to his feet and went back to his desk, staring at the piles of paper in front of him.

“This mission is of the utmost importance, Number One.”

That’s what his father had told him after explaining he was going to the moon. He’d blankly affirmed, not pointed out how pointless it was to refer to him by his number when it was just him left (because look what happened last time he said that), and gone along with it.

His whole life, Luther had been raised to lead a team and save the world. His team had left one way or another, and the ‘world saving’ work he did was mostly thankless.

But here he was. On the moon. Part of the mission. Everything was part of this lifelong mission. All the data he was collecting, the experiments he ran, they were important for...something.

Luther stared at his hand, the greyed skin and dark fur that kept making him forget it was his hand. This was all part of it too, somehow. It had to be.

Otherwise…

He finished his work. Filed away the pages neatly and made plans to send them out tomorrow.

For a moment, he hesitated by the umbrella plant, reaching to touch it’s delicate leaves.

“...Ben?” he said softly.

Nothing. Of course not.

With a heavy sigh, he dragged himself back to his bedroom, grabbing his personal notebook from the side table. He flicked through the pages until he landed on the poem he’d been struggling with for the last week, tapping his pen against the words.

Constellations are families, each star has their purpose, their name and position.

They work together as something bigger, part of the galaxy’s nightly exhibition.

There must be times where they can do nothing but fight,

When it grows so tiring to always be shining so bright.

Luther clicked his tongue, frowning at the words. Of all the hobbies he could have taken to pass time up here, he never anticipated poetry, but he was really getting into it, having filled pages already, some of which he’d sent back...just in case Dad was curious.

He could just see his plant on the counter through the door. He went to call Ben’s name again, but he cut himself off and shut his eyes, focusing on the hum of the base once more instead.

The voice in his head was never Ben. Ben was dead. Five had gone long ago. Allison, Diego, Klaus and Vanya were back on Earth living their lives. Had been living their lives quite easily without him.

He’d managed by himself. He was exactly where he wanted.

In space. On the moon. Just him.

Number One.

By himself.

Like it had been for years now.

Tomorrow he’d wake up and go through this again. The self-doubt and the spiralling and the focusing on work so hard to forget what was really happening. Maybe his plant would start talking to him again.

But really they know that no matter how much they argue and moan,

Being a family at odds is far better than being one star all alone.

#the umbrella academy #trope: loneliness #tua fic #luther hargreeves #undeadbthb #badthingshappenbingo

21 notes · View notes

theoriginalladya · 3 years

Text

WIP Wednesday

So, still heavily focused on editing my MEBB at the moment, but got inspired for Alenkoats again today, so have a bit of them. (Really, really rough, mostly just some ideas dropped into a doc more than an actual part of a story)...

Setting: Arrival in Andromeda, 630 years after Next Stop... takes place

Characters: Kaidan Alenko, Major (Ben) Coats, Dr. Harry Carlyle (because I can! lol)

Under cut for length

(I should probably be worried at it currently is 666 words, shouldn't I...?)

~~~

Fighting his way to consciousness is something Kaidan has never enjoyed, especially if from a deep, sound sleep. Good rest is difficult to come by even on the best of days, and slogging through a muddled, hazy, morass isn’t a good way to get started…

His vision starts to focus, hazy around the edges, more memory than anything. Ben’s face grinning down over his cryo pod as he says, “Next stop, Andromeda…” Watching the lid to his cryo pod close as he replies, “I’ll see you in the morning…”

His chest heaves as he hurriedly sucks in a deep breath and nearly chokes. A hand at his shoulder squeezes reassuringly, a deep rumbling voice murmuring something unintelligible because his ears suddenly feel filled with cotton…

Blinking rapidly, adrenaline surging through him, Kaidan wills his sight to come into focus, his ears to clear, the ache in his chest to ease…

“Good morning, sunshine!”

Kaidan blinks one last time, the hand at his shoulder squeezing again and a moment later familiar slate-grey eyes come into focus before him. “B-Ben?” he manages through a strangled cough. The trademark smirk is there, one side of his lips tilted upward at a rakish angle. Strong jaw, dark hair, and just a fleeing glimpse of something deeper in his eyes. “We… made it?”

Coats nods and lowers his hand from Kaidan’s shoulder to take his hand, the smirk sliding into a wide grin. “That we did. Six hundred thirty years after we left, or there ‘bouts, if you can believe it.”

Six hundred thirty years… Gulping, Kaidan struggles to sit up. Coats slides an arm around his back in support. “Not so fast, we’ve got plenty of time now.”

The rest of the room comes into view around him and Kaidan nods… then realizes this isn’t the cryo bay of the Vaul. “Where am I?”

“Medical bay on board Ark Hyperion,” a new voice replies from Kaidan’s right. Turning, he meets a silver-tipped dark-haired older man in a lab coat with a gentle smile. “Dr. Harry Carlyle.”

Kaidan looks over at Coats. “Hyperion? Why am I here? Where’s the Vaul?”

“All’s good,” Ben assures him. “We arrived in Andromeda about six weeks ago. They woke me first –” Ben grimaces. “– instead of the Second Human Spectre like they were supposed to. Guess if something had to go wrong, that was it, right?”

There is a tightness in his words that Kaidan doesn’t miss. Yes, he was supposed to have been one of the first team to be woken up, along with Urdnot Wrex, Urdnot Bakara, and several other dignitaries. Searching Coats’ face now, he can only guess that whatever happened had been bad. Oh, shit! “Yeah.”

Coats nodded. “Right. So, after sorting out what was what, I got to talking to the doc here about that leg injury of yours and he agreed to fix you up. Free of charge.” His smile widened and included the doctor this time. “Couldn’t argue with that, right?”

Fix me up… Kaidan pulled back the blanket lying across his lower body to find bandages in the area of his old wound.

“How does it feel?” Dr. Carlyle asked.

“Uh… Fine?” Which is odd in itself, because even sitting it used to ache. Frowning, he bent his knee, drawing his leg upward towards his chest. “Pretty good, actually,” he admitted after moving it around a bit more. “Thanks, doc.”

The doctor nodded. “Glad I could help. Just be careful on it for a while, until you get the hang of being on your feet again. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

“Is he good to go?” Ben asked.

Harry ran an omni-tool scan over Kaidan and made a few additional notations. “If he can walk over to his things,” he pointed to a set of shelves across the bay, “and collect his things, I’d say so.” He patted Kaidan’s shoulder. “Just don’t rush things, okay?”

Ben snorted softly. “He’s the slowpoke.”

#WIP Wednesday #ladya writes #Alenkoats #Kaidan Alenko #Major (Ben) Coats #Dr. Harry Carlyle #Mass Effect #Mass Effect Andromeda #ME/MEA crossover #snippet #and I finally have an idea what's going to happen in Andromeda for them now #more so than I did before anyway #so yay that's a thing #rare pairs #I love these two so much

5 notes · View notes

n1ght5h4d3-24 · 3 years

Text

A Powerful Duo: Chapter 1

We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

On the twelfth hour of the first day of October 1989, forty-three women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.

He got eight of them.

A young woman, in her early thirties, walked across a stage carrying a violin case. She made her way to the center of the stage where a stool sat and placed the instrument case down onto it. She then took a moment to open the case to pull out said instrument before tucking the violin under her chin. She took a deep breath before picking up her bow and begun to play, Phantom of the Opera.

Elsewhere, an alarm clock began to blare at twenty-three, twenty-eight…eleven twenty-eight p.m. A hand hit the clock, silencing it before groaning and getting out of bed. The person that was in the bed, took a moment to scratch an itch before leaving his bedroom, tiredly walking down a narrow hallway and bumping his head, causing him to groan again. He flipped two switches on a machine as he passed by it before checking on his little potted plant, watering it. Then, he took a moment to put on his space suit before exiting the space station he resided in, with a plastic bag in his hand.

Number One: Luther

Luther made his way across the moon to a pod filled to the brim with bags with some resting on the ground beside it. He placed the bag in his hand in the pile of bags that were on the ground.

(The violinist begins to speed up her playing a little)

A man with a bandana covering the lower half of his face shoves another guy into a wall, knocking over a lamp and causing a picture to become crooked before the masked guy brought the other guy to his bound family.

"Show me where the safe is or your family is dead!" the robber threatens the man.

The robber's partner shone his flashlight on the three family members and placed his hand on the grandmother's shoulder. The three bounded family members screamed in fear but, it was muffled due to the duct tape over their mouths.

"Where's the safe?" the robber asked again, leading the father into another room.

"Just leave us alone!" he pleads.

Another robber follows his partner into the other room with the father, a shadowed figured stood outside the now unguarded window. He made his way into the building, taking out one guy by snapping his neck before appearing from out behind a wall. He had a domino mask on and was dressed in black leather with a knife sheath across his chest.

Number Two: Diego

Diego began to attack the robbers, there were at least five of them.

"Who is this guy?" one managed to ask before he was knocked unconscious.

Diego continued to fight off the other robbers, sending a knife at one of them that ended with their hand impaled to the wall. Diego then broke another guys' arm before sending him into the wall, his face hitting a family portrait before he crashed to he ground.

(The violin music continues to speed up)

A multitude of cameras are flashing at a red carpet event as a woman of color in a maroon dress makes her way across the carpet. She's temporarily stopped as someone whispers into her ear before she continues walking to stand in front of the set-up backdrop.

Number Three: Allison

The paparazzi talks over themselves as they take rapid fired shots of Allison who gives them a smile. She pauses in front of the back drop and strikes a pose, going with resting her right hand on her hip before switching hands.

(The violinist then switches songs, beginning to play Angel of Music)

A man dressed in all black slides out of the top bunk and sighs.

Number Four: Klaus

"Hey, you…stay strong. I believe in you." he tells an older man that was resting on the top bunk of another bed in the room he was in as he made his way out.

"You, not so much." he tells another person in passing, this guy was on the lower bunk.

He chuckles as he walks out of the room.

"Bye Klaus," a man says.

Klaus raises his right hand, which had the word Hello tattooed on it, to the man standing behind a counter. The man places down a small Ziploc bag onto the counter that Klaus grabs and shoves into his pocket.

"We'll see you soon, Klaus," the man behind the counter says before flicking a sobriety coin at him which he was quick to catch.

"Stay sober." the man reminds him as Klaus walks out of the rehabilitation center.

(The violinist continues with her solo)

Luther makes his way across the moon to watch as the sun peeks out from behind the Earth, when a radio beeps.

"Incoming transmission," the automated voice states.

He flips open a flap to read the transmission. He can't believe what he's read, the information sending him into slight shock before his attention returns back to Earth.

Diego picks up his bloody knife off the ground.

(The song switches to Think of Me)

He goes to walk out of the house when he hears fanfare coming from the tv. Diego peers around the wall before walking into the living room, curious.

"We're going now live to a breaking story." a newscast man said on the tv.

Diego couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"One more!" a man shouts.

"Allison, here!" another man shouts.

Cameras continue to flash at Allison but, one guy stops as someone talks to him. More photographers call out Allison's name to get her to look in their direction.

"Allison! Have you heard the news? When was the last time you saw your father?" the one photographer asked.

Allison's expression changed then at the mention of her father.

"Have you heard from your brothers or sisters?" one woman asks.

A woman walks up to Allison on the carpet, talking indistinctively to her before leading her off the carpet.

"Allison, will you wear Valentino to the funeral?" a woman asks.

A police car drives by causing Klaus to look behind him for a moment before carrying on down the alleyway. He greets a hooded man, discretely trading off the sobriety coin for drugs before he exits the alley. Sirens begin to wail.

(A rock version of The Music of the Night begins to play)

Klaus sits up with a gasp, an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. He was in the back of an ambulance and had just been revived. He takes the mask off before beginning to laugh, shaking his head wildly before letting out a groan and falling back onto a cabinet behind him. He high fives the EMT, letting out a whoop before a news fanfare from the small tv in the back of the truck played. He turns his attention to the screen, wondering what was being reported.

"Moments ago, police reported the death of the most eccentric and reclusive billionaire." the news reporter stated.

The violinist begins to finish up her solo, the lights in the theater coming on. It was empty, save for one chair in the front. In the chair sat a girl that looked identical to the violinist on the stage, she was just dressed differently. She enjoyed the performance her twin put on for her.

Number Seven and Number Eight: Vanya and Ivanna

Vanya packed up her violin and hopped off the stage, walking up to her sister. Ivanna gave her sister a smile before wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulders as they walked out of the Icarus theater. The twins stuck close together as they walked down the sidewalk, past bustling people. They walked by a tv store when Vanya stopped. Ivanna looked at her twin sister in confusion before turning to look at the tv screens, watching the news that was being shown.

"Dad…" Vanya said, trailing off.

The two of them got lost in thought for a moment as the picture being displayed switched from a picture of Reginald to a picture of the young Umbrella Academy kids except for the two of them.

"Come on, let's go home." Ivanna says.

The two of them turn away from the tv before continuing on down the sidewalk until they stopped and signaled for a cab. When one stopped, the twins climbed into the backseat and Vanya gave the driver the address to the Umbrella Academy mansion. The twins stared out of their windows as they attempted to process what had happened while also remembering the past, remembering Five's disappearance and Ben's death. When the taxi stops, Vanya pulls open the sliding door of the vehicle before stepping out, Ivanna exiting right behind her. The two of them stared up at their old home before walking across the street and up the front stairs before they each opened a door before walking into their old home. They looked around the foyer upon entering, not surprised to see that nothing had changed.

"Hi mom," Ivanna greets once she saw their mother sitting in the living room.

But, their mother never gave any sign that she heard them come in.

"Mom?" Vanya called out in confusion.

The twins could hear someone's footsteps walking down the large case of stairs.

"Vanya? Ivanna?" a familiar voice asks.

The twins turned to the steps to see their sister approaching them.

"You guys are actually here," she says as if she couldn't believe it.

"Hi Allison," they greeted.

"Hello sisters." Allison returned the greeting, approaching them.

She stopped before the twins and they were uncertain about what was going to happen next. But then Allison embraced the both of them in a hug. Footsteps approached their direction.

"Ah, what are they doing here? You don't belong here, not after what you did and neither do you, you're probably the one who convinced her to write the book in the first place." It was Diego who had walked in.

The three sisters separated from their hug and the twins looked down in guilt.

"You're seriously going to do this today?" Allison asked him.

"Way to dress for the occasion, by the way." she adds.

"At least I'm wearing black," Diego responds as he headed up the stairs.

"You know what? I-we…maybe he's right." Ivanna says.

"And we shouldn't…" Vanya adds.

"Forget about him, I'm glad you're both here." Allison tells them.

The twins give Allison small smiles each. The three of them stood there for a moment before going their separate ways. The twins walked into the living room and Allison headed upstairs. Ivanna paused to stare up at the portrait of their missing brother, Five, while Vanya walked over to the bookshelf. She searched the shelves for a moment before grabbing a familiar book.

Extra Ordinary: Our Lives as Number Seven and Number Eight. Written by: Vanya Hargreeves

Vanya flipped the book over to the back to read her little autobiography that was there before turning it back over and opening the cover. She flipped the first page to get to the blank page where the note she left their father.

Dad,

Figured, why not.

"Welcome home Ms. Vanya. And you as well Ms. Ivanna." a male voice spoke up as he walked into the room.

Vanya looked up from her book and Ivanna turned her head to look at the Chimpanzee that had walked into the room.

"Pogo, so good to see you." Vanya tells him, giving him a hug.

"Ah yes, your autobiography." Pogo says, referencing the book.

"Do you know um…did he ever read it?" Vanya asks.

"Hmm…not that I'm aware of." Pogo tells her.

"How long has it been since Five disappeared?" Ivanna piped up.

Vanya and Pogo walked over to where Ivanna stood and looked up at the portrait of the missing boy.

"It's been sixteen years, four months and fourteen days." Pogo answered.

The twins gave the chimpanzee a look of surprise, not expecting an exact answer.

"Your father insisted I keep track." he tells them.

"You wanna know something stupid? I always used to leave the lights on for him. I was scared that he would come back, it would be late, and the house would be dark and he wouldn't be able to find us, so he'd leave again. So, every night I'd make a little snack and make sure all the lights were on." Vanya says, remembering the fond memory.

"Oh, I remember your snacks. I'm pretty sure I stepped in half of those peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches." Pogo recalls.

Pogo then sighed, "Your father always believed that Number Five was still out there somewhere. He never lost hope." he tells them.

"And look at where that got him." Ivanna said.

Pogo gave a slight nod of his head before he walked out of the room. The twins took a seat on the couch and eventually the rest of their siblings joined them.

"Um…" Luther starts.

Klaus pours himself a drink at the bar in the back.

"I guess we should get this started. So, I figured we could have sort of a memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. Say a few words, just at Dad's favorite spot." Luther continued.

"Dad had a favorite spot?" Allison asked him.

"You know, under the oak tree. We used to sit out there all the time. None of you ever did that?" Luther asked them.

Klaus rounded the side of the couch, "Will there be refreshments? Tea? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner." he says, standing beside Ivanna who was seated on the couch.

"What? No. And put that out. Dad didn't allow smoking in here." Luther chastises him.

"Is that my skirt?" Allison asks Klaus, noticing what he was wearing.

"What? Oh, yeah, this. I found it in your room. It's a little dated, I know, but it's very breathey on the bits." Klaus tells her, gesturing to his pelvis at the last part.

Allison made a face of disgust at what Klaus had suggested and Ivanna let out a chuckle at her brother's antics.

"Listen up. There are still some important things that we need to discuss, alright?" Luther says.

"Like what?" Diego asks in confusion.

"Like the way he died." Luther says as if it was obvious.

"And here we go." Diego says with a roll of his eyes.

The twins shared a look before looking back at their brother and Klaus plopped down on the couch beside Ivanna.

"I don't understand. I thought they said it was a heart attack." Vanya said.

"Yeah, according to the coroner." Luther says.

"Well, wouldn't they know?" Ivanna asked in partial confusion.

"Theoretically." Luther said.

"Theoretically?" Allison asked in disbelief, not believing her brother would doubt the professionals.

"I'm just saying, at the very least, that something happened. The last time I spoke to dad, he sounded strange." Luther says.

"Oh, quelle surprise!" Klaus said with his mouth full of his drink.

"Strange how?" Allison asks.

"He sounded on edge. Told me I should be careful who to trust." Luther tells her.

"Luther, he was a paranoid, bitter old man who was starting to lose what was left of his marbles." Diego says as he got out of his seat and approached his brother.

"No. He must've known something was going to happen." Luther argued.

He then turned his attention to Klaus, "Look, I know you don't like to do it but, I need you to talk to dad." he tells him.

Allison scoffed.

"I can't just call on dad in the afterlife and be like, "Dad, could you just…stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?"" Klaus says.

"Since when? That's your thing." Luther reminded him.

"I'm not in…the right frame of mind." Klaus says.

"You're high?" Allison asked him.

"Yeah! Yeah!" he says with a laugh.

"I mean, how are you not, listening to all this nonsense?" he questioned.

"Well, sober up. This is important." Luther tells him.

Klaus sighs.

"Then there's the issue of the missing monocle." Luther continued on.

"Who gives a shit about a stupid monocle?" Diego asked.

"Exactly. Its worthless. So whoever took it, I think it was personal. Someone close to him. Someone with a grudge." Luther says.

"Where are you going with this?" Klaus asked him in suspicion.

"Oh, isn't it obvious, Klaus? He thinks one of us killed dad." Diego tells him.

Klaus looks at Luther when he didn't protest the claim.

"You do?" He asked in disbelief.

"How could you think that?" The twins asked at the same time.

"Great job, Luther. Way to lead." Diego tells him with sarcasm in his tone, walking past him.

"That's not what I'm saying." Luther says.

"You're crazy, man. You're crazy. Crazy." Klaus says as he gets up from the couch.

He puts out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table beside the couch and the twins stood up from the couch too.

"I'm not finished." Luther states.

"Sorry, I'm just gonna go murder mom. Be right back." Klaus says sarcastically as he walked out the living room.

The twins followed him out and then went separate ways. Ivanna went upstairs and down the hall to her old room that she shared with her twin sister. It still looked the same as when they left it. She had begun to go through her old things that remained in the room, her old uniform in the closet when Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now began playing from Luther's room. She closed the door to the closet and moved to go through Vanya's sheet music before allowing the melody of the song to move her, dancing in the room. She was enjoying herself when thunder rumbled and the music suddenly stopped. Ivanna stopped dancing when things began to break and some metal objects flew from where they sat to stick to an opposing wall. She left the room and dashed downstairs to join her siblings in the kitchen before walking out into the backyard with her siblings.

"What is it?" Vanya asked, looking up at the sky.

There was some kind of weird disturbance in the sky.

"Don't get too close!" Allison warns, pulling her twin sisters back by their arms.

"Yeah, no shit." Diego says.

"Looks like some kind of temporal anomaly. Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two." Luther says.

"Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan." Diego tells him.

"Out of the way!" Klaus shouts as he shoved his way between his siblings.

"What are you-?" Luther began to question.

Klaus was carrying a fire extinguisher in his hands. He attempted to use it to extinguish the anomaly before he threw it at it, which made it disappear.

"What is that going to do?" Allison asked him.

"I don't know. Do you have a better idea?" Klaus asks her.

Some electricity crackled from the anomaly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Everyone get behind me," Luther said, stretching his arms out in an attempt to shield his siblings.

"Yeah, get behind us." Diego says, pushing Klaus back.

"I vote for running, c'mon!" Klaus says.

Vanya held onto her sister's hand, looking at Ivanna with fear in her eyes but, they remained. She turned back to the blue anomaly in the sky and watched as some old guy seemingly became younger before he fell to the ground and the anomaly vanished. The six Hargreeves siblings approached the child on the ground and were surprised when he stood up.

"Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?" Klaus asks.

Five looks down at himself, taking in his own appearance.

"Shit." he says to himself.

The rest of the siblings stared at him in shock before they followed him back inside when he made his way past them. Five grabbed a butter knife and a cutting board that he sat down on the table in the kitchen.

“What’s the date? The exact date,” he asks, going to grab the remaining bread in its bag.

“The twenty-fourth.” Vanya answered him.

“Of what?” Five asked.

“March.” Ivanna tells him.

Five took a moment to look at his twin sisters, he would never admit it aloud but, he missed them.

“Good.” he says, setting the bag of bread down on the cutting board.

“So, are we going to talk about what just happened?” Luther asks him.

Five ignored his brother, pulling out two slices of bread and setting it down on the wooden cutting board. Klaus and Allison shared a look and Ivanna stared at her returned brother who looked the same as when he disappeared.

“It’s been seventeen years.” Luther says, getting up from the table.

Five scoffs, “Its been a lot longer than that.” he says before teleporting behind Luther.

“I haven’t missed that.” Luther said to himself.

“Where’d you go?” Diego asks.

Five picked up a bag of mini marshmallows of the shelf, “The future,” he answers before teleporting back over to the end of the table where he was going to make a sandwich.

“It’s shit, by the way.” he adds.

“Called it.” Klaus says.

“I should’ve listened to the old man.” Five started, walking over to the fridge.

“You know, jumping through space is one thing…” he trailed off, grabbing the jar of peanut butter and walking back over to the cutting board.

“Jumping through time is a toss of the dice.” he finished.

He unscrewed the peanut butter jar before setting it down and then he looked up at Klaus.

“Nice dress.” he tells him.

“Oh, well, danke.” Klaus says.

“Wait, how did you get back?” Vanya asks.

“In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time.” Five explained.

The five Hargreeves siblings shared a look of confusion with each other except for Ivanna who had spent some time doing research on the likes of time traveling and other things when Five had vanished.

“That makes no sense,” Diego said.

“Well it would if you were smarter,” Five remarks as he began to make his sandwich.

Diego immediately stands up but, Luther puts an arm out to stop him.

“How long were you there?” Luther asked.

“Forty-five years. Give or take.” Five answers.

Luther and Diego both sit back down in shock of the revelation.

“So what are you saying? That you’re fifty-eight?” Luther asks.

“No, my consciousness is fifty-eight. Apparently, my body is now thirteen again.” Five tells him.

“Wait, how does that even work?” Vanya asked in confusion.

“Delores kept saying the equations were off. Eh.” Five says before taking a bite out of his peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.

He turned back around to face his family, “Bet she’s laughing now.” he says to himself.

“Delores?” Ivanna asked in confusion.

Five hummed in thoughtfulness before picking up the newspaper on the table with the article in the front talking about the death of Reginald Hargreeves.

“Guess I missed the funeral.” he says.

“How’d you know about that?” Luther asks.

Five makes a face at Luther, “What part of the future do you not understand?” he asked him.

“Heart failure, huh?” he then asks.

“Yeah,” Diego said.

“No,” Luther says immediately after.

“Hmm. Nice to see nothing’s changed.” Five says before going to leave the kitchen.

“Uh, that’s it? That’s all you have to say?” Allison calls after him.

“What else is there to say? Circle of life.” Five responded before walking out of the kitchen.

“Well…that was interesting.” Luther says.

The six siblings all got up from the table and parted ways again. The twins headed to the living room where they found Five, staring up at his portrait over the fireplace.

“Nice to know dad didn’t forget me.” he said, turning to the twins.

“Read your book, by the way. Found it in a library that was still standing.” he tells Vanya.

He walks around his twin sisters, taking in the grandness of the living room before turning back to them again.

“I thought it was pretty good, all things considered.” he tells her.

“Yeah, definitely ballsy, giving up the family secrets. I’m sure it wasn’t that hard to do when you had a good motivator by your side. I’m sure that went over well.” he continued.

“They hate us.” Vanya told him.

“Oh, there are worse things that can happen.” Five says.

“You mean, like what happened to Ben?” Ivanna asked him.

“Was it bad?” Five asks.

The twins only nodded their heads at the same time in silence, hating to remember that day. Five felt a bit guilty for having to bring up that bad memory for his siblings. The three of them eventually joined the rest of the siblings, as well as Grace and Pogo, to head back into the courtyard, everyone, but Luther and Diego, opened an umbrella to shield themselves from the rain.

“Did something happen?” Grace asks.

The siblings all looked to their mother, confused by her question.

“Dad died, remember?” Allison said.

“Oh. Yes, of course.” Grace then said sadly.

“Is mom okay?” Allison asked Diego.

“Yeah, yeah. She’s fine. She just needs to rest. You know, recharge.” Diego tells her.

Pogo took his place on the left side of Vanya, Ivanna standing on her right.

“Whenever you’re ready, dear boy.” he tells Luther.

Luther nodded his head before opening the urn that contained Reginald’s ashes. He poured it out and they all watched as it just fell to the ground in a pile.

“Probably would’ve been better with some wind.” Luther says.

“Does anyone wish to speak?” Pogo asks.

Nobody said anything, its not really like any of them had anything nice to say about the man except for Luther probably, who always tried to see the good in their father. But, he didn’t want to say anything.

“Very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master…and my friend, and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy…” Pogo spoke.

“He was a monster.” Diego interrupted him.

Klaus laughs at his brother’s input.

“He was a bad person and a worse father. The world’s better off without him.” Diego continued.

“Diego,” Allison called his name in an attempt to chastise him.

“My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn’t be bothered to give us actual names. He had mom do it.” Diego says.

“Would anyone like something to eat?” Grace spoke up.

“No, it’s okay mom.” Vanya tells her.

“Oh okay.” Grace says.

“Look, you want to pay your respects? Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was.” Diego says, stepping out of the line his siblings had formed and turned to look at all of them.

“You should stop talking now.” Luther tells him.

Diego turned around to face him, “You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One.” he says to him.

“I’m warning you.” Luther states.

“After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away.” Diego reminds him.

“Diego, stop talking.” Luther said firmly.

“That’s how much he couldn’t stand the sight of you!” Diego tells him.

The two of them began fighting, swinging punches at the other. Vanya pulls Grace back and Ivanna follows her.

“Boys, stop this at once!” Pogo commanded.

Klaus put his arm out and pushed Five back, only for the younger boy to slap his arm away. Luther managed to land a punch on one of Diego’s arms.

“Come on, big boy!” Diego taunted.

He dodged Luther’s swing and punched him in the stomach before repeatedly hit Luther’s back when he was bent over.

“Stop it!” Vanya called out.

“Hit him. Hit him.” Klaus cheered them on.

Diego and Luther continued to fight each other. They landed punches every now and then before Luther threw Diego to the ground. Diego immediately got up and went to swing at Luther who had caught his arm.

“Get off me!” Diego says, managing to pry his arm out of Luther’s grip by dodging when Luther attempted to bring his free hand down on his outstretched arm.

They continued to fight, panting from the energy they were using.

“We don’t have time for this.” Five says before walking away, to head back inside.

“Come here, big boy!” Diego taunts again.

He stood in front of Ben’s statue and Ivanna knew that wouldn’t end well. Luther let out a shout before going to swing at Diego, who dodged his punch. Luther’s fist was heading right for the statue when Ivanna stepped in the middle, attempting to block the attack and save Ben’s memorial. The force of the punch sent the girl to the ground, rendering her unconscious.

“Ivanna!” Vanya said in alarm as she dropped her umbrella and raced over to her twin sister, kneeling beside her unconscious form.

Luther looked down at his twin sisters, surprised that Ivanna had stepped in front of him when he swung before he turned to Diego. He began to approach his brother when Diego pulled out one of his knives.

“Diego, no!” Vanya yelled.

Ignoring her, Diego threw his knife at Luther, which he redirected to cut his arm through the coat he was wearing. Luther let out a gasp before quickly covering the wound, he was panting as he made his way inside. Allison helped Vanya get her twin sister off the ground before making their way inside too.

“You never know when to stop, do you?” Vanya asked Diego.

“You got enough material for your sequel yet?” Diego asks her.

“He was my father too.” Vanya reminds him.

She walked away with Allison as the two of them supported Ivanna’s unconscious weight together and back into the house. Allison helped Vanya get their sister on the couch before she left the two of them. Vanya waited by her twin’s side until she regained consciousness.

“Ugh…what happened? I feel like I got hit by a truck.” Ivanna said when she finally came to.

“I suppose you did in a way. What were you thinking? Getting in front of Luther like that? He could have seriously injured you.” Vanya tells her.

“I couldn’t let him smash Ben’s statue. Even if it is a poor resemblance of him.” Ivanna says.

Vanya helps her twin sister get up off the couch, “Well come on then. I called us a taxi. It’s time for us to return to our apartment.” she tells her.

The twins walk out of the living room and go to stand in the foyer as they waited for the taxi to arrive. Vanya popped one of her pills into her mouth and Ivanna tugged up the ends of her gloves. Footsteps approached them from behind and they turned around to face Pogo.

“Don’t waste your time. Diego’s right, we shouldn’t have come.” Vanya tells him.

“This is your home and always will be. Should I get you both a taxi?” Pogo reminds them before asking his question.

“I already called one, but thanks.” Vanya tells them.

A horn honks from outside.

“I guess that’s us.” Ivanna says.

“Uh…I hope you know your father loved the both of you very much. In his own way.” Pogo tells them.

“Yeah, well, that’s kind of the problem, isn’t it?” Vanya asked.

“Take care of yourself,” Ivanna tells Pogo as she turns to head out the door.

“You as well Miss Ivanna, and you too Miss Vanya.” Pogo calls out.

Vanya turned and followed her sister out of the house and into the taxi. Ivanna gave the directions to their apartment complex and the taxi set off. Once they arrived at the complex, the twins split the fare and paid the driver before exiting the vehicle and headed inside. The two of them headed up the stairs and through a door that opened up to a hallway. Their apartment was the first door on the right. Vanya pulled out the keys and unlocked the door before pushing it open. She goes to flick on the lights when the lamp was turned on.

“Jesus!” Vanya exclaimed in surprise.

Ivanna pushed past her twin to see Five sitting in one of their chairs.

“You should have locks on your windows.” Five says.

“We live on the second floor.” Vanya points out, setting the keys down.

“Rapists can climb,” Five comments off-handedly.

“You are so weird,” Vanya tells him, turning to shut the door behind her.

The twins move to take a seat on their couch, across from Five.

“Is that blood?” Ivanna asks, seeing a red smudge on the white collar of the shirt Five was wearing.

“It’s nothing.” he says dismissively.

“Why are you here?” Vanya asks him.

Five let out a sigh, “Because, I’ve decided that you are the only ones that I can trust.” he says.

“Why us?” Ivanna asks.

“Because you’re ordinary.” he answered.

The twins said nothing, hating to be reminded that they weren’t like their other siblings. Five felt a pang of guilt at the looks on their faces.

“Because you’ll listen.” he tells them.

“Okay,” Vanya said.

Ivanna got up from her place on the couch and walked into the bathroom. She opened up the medicine cabinet and grabbed gauze, medical tape and hydrogen peroxide. She returned to the living room and sat on the opposite side of Vanya, closer to Five. Said boy pulled up his right sleeve of the blazer to reveal a piece of bloody gauze and blood on his skin surrounding the bandage. Five removed the bloodied gauze and Ivanna wet a clean one with some hydrogen peroxide before carefully dabbing the wound.

“When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found?” he asks them.

“No,” Ivanna answered.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive. I never figured out, what killed the human race but,…I did find something else. The date it happens. The world ends in eight days and I have no idea how to stop it.” Five tells them.

“I’ll put on a pot of coffee.” Vanya says, getting up from the couch.

Ivanna continued to clean up Five’s wound before getting another piece of gauze and placing it over the wound before using the medical tape to keep the gauze down. Five then pulled the sleeve of the blazer back down and looked at his sister with gratefulness in his eyes.

#the umbrella academy imagines #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #ivanna hargreeves #vanya hargreeves imagines #the umbrella academy imagine #the umbrella academy fanfiction #tua imagines

13 notes · View notes

kinetic-elaboration · 4 years

Text

October 25: 1x20 Court Martial

Now that Chopped is done I am free to watch TOS again. Today’s ep: Court Martial, a wonderful combination of two of my favorite things: Captain Kirk and Legal Stuff.

Look at that backdrop. I forgot how many Very 50′s backgrounds they had in this show.

The Intrepid is here for repairs! Such a lost opportunity to show more Vulcans in Starfleet.

I don’t entirely get why the Commodore has his own special transport pad. I guess it must allow him to beam himself places without the use of a ship but like... to where is he beaming?

Lol that absolutely terrible sailor suit outfit on the little girl. I can only assume it’s a school uniform as it’s the only thing she ever wears.

Can you believe how this whole episode is based, essentially, around allegedly broken regulations? I mean I know it’s more than that and they do a good job explaining why it’s bad to eject the pod early (”when there is no emergency”) but like, essentially, the underlying conditions of emergency are not in Kirk’s control. It’s possible to just skip officially calling the emergency while nevertheless acting in a way that is appropriate for an emergency, and so it comes down to “did he first declare the emergency officially and then act in accordance with the declared emergency or did he just skip the first step?” rather than “did he act too quickly?” since HE was the one who determined if the conditions warranted an emergency.

Having said all that I still don’t get what an ion pod is or where it was or why it had to be ejected at all. Or how Finney got out of the pod if it was ejected.

Vulcanian expedition?!?

Kirk’s default voice is just flirty; I’m sorry but it is. Even talking to his old school classmates, who are VERY quick to judge him harshly and hate on him, implying they were probably never friends, he’s All Charm by default. And he doesn’t drop the charm even when he starts politely fighting with them.

Bones using Jim to flirt--with Jim’s ex-girlfriend! “Did you see that guy over there, he’s pretty famous, and we’re friends!”

I love Areel Shaw and I’m just gonna say I think she’s my favorite Kirk girlfriend.

Charged with culpable negligence. As opposed to...not culpable negligence?

When he was a midshipman...

What’s with all these professor & student friendships??

I cannot believe part of the Finney & Kirk backstory is that he literally named his daughter after Kirk. Like that’s so intense! I feel like it kind of changes everything but I can’t entirely untangle how.

This “I can’t believe you filed a report about my error” backstory is literally the beginning of STID except Kirk is the Spock of this scenario.

Star Trek: Law and Order. Bum bum.

This whole idea of pitting Kirk against a computer is clever in that people to this day are like “but computers are infallible?” but also dumb because Kirk >>> Computer obviously.

Having drinks with the ex and he turns the charm up to 11.

All of this is wildly unethical, from her telling him about the prosecution’s case, to her BEING the prosecution.

I actually read an article recently about this isn’t, or shouldn’t be, her job as prosecutor, to drum him out of the service in disgrace. Her job should be to find the truth in a more neutral way.

Wtf are all these totally useless federal reporters doing here?

I’m a pro-book person but this is a HILARIOUS anti-computer speech. Like--the law is in the computer dude! It is! It’s the same law as in the books. Intergalactic Westlaw is available to you. And then he goes off on this weird rant about Moses, like--dude, Moses isn’t in the reporters OR Westlaw OR whatever Starfleet code is actually at issue here.

Kirk likes him though.

Shaw in the dress uniform with the long skirt hot damn.

Not even the computer can pronounce Spock’s full name. And he’s been demoted again.

Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honor.

Spock isn’t having any of this. “I don’t dispute it. I just... actually I do dispute it because it’s nonsense.”

His entire testimony is the equivalent of “You don’t have all the facts.” / “Which are?” / “I love him.”

The defense doesn’t need to question him because he’s already testified for the defense.

This is such a hilarious use of McCoy. For the first time ever we’re told he’s actually a psychologist on top of being a surgeon and GP and then his whole testimony isn’t even really medical? It’s just like wild speculation, which being a doctor and an “expert in psychology” somehow qualifies him to provide?

I love how Kirk’s service record just goes on and on and on. Areel doesn’t do herself any favors objecting to it; that just draws attention to it. As the defense lawyer knows by insisting it continuing and then cutting it off for being comically long.

Kirk: “I can be level-headed in an emergency. This wasn’t my first rodeo.”

This chair design is SO BAD. I know it needs to be like this for the plot but omg putting the pod release button on the chair at all (like does the captain have to jettison pods a lot?) and then especially directly under the red alert button, and then putting both of them just out there without any kind of cover or anything--that’s just waiting for someone to lean on his chair arm and make a deadly mistake.

Also nothing else is even labeled lmao.

This is a very impressive deep fake.

This whole ion storm does not really seem like a scary emergency situation lol. It seems like Kirk and everyone else are basically keeping their heads.

“You may be able to beat your next Captain at chess” Kirk as chess master confirmed.

“I didn’t realize how close you and my father were even though I was literally named after you.”

Obligatory Bones accuses Spock of not caring about Jim scene.

“Why thank you, Doctor, my blood is very cold.”

I can’t believe Spock programmed the computer to play chess with him. Probably so he could practice for Jim.

The lawyer’s outfit is hilarious: little pocket for a pen in front. Is he... a civilian lawyer? Is that even allowed?

Here is talking about the Bible again. And the Magna Carta. First, it’s always funny when a bunch of real things are followed by some fake science fiction things. And second, he’s pretty obviously just talking about the Constitution, and like maybe a very tiny bit about the Magna Carta. There’s no right to counsel in the Bible.

Really glad to know the Martians care about the right to an attorney though. And that the Alpha 3 Colonies protect the right of confrontation.

I bet Spock is unimpressed with this Drama.

Why did they change out of their dress uniforms?

How convenient that Finney was one of only three people who could change the computer. I mean I guess this is a permissions thing--but why would the records officer have that? Not that I know what a records officer is.

“White noise device” you can’t fool me, that’s a microphone.

Also another hilarious use of McCoy. Do they really NEED the ship’s surgeon to put a microphone against people’s chests? “Don’t mind me, just stealing your heartbeats.”

Like the general concept of this is nifty story telling but some of the details are....uh.... funny.

Captain’s log: “We brought a young girl onto the ship even when it’s in a dangerous position so we could use her against her father.”

Finney really was playing the looooooong game of revenge lol. And yet it still doesn’t seem well thought out. What was the next part of his plan? Somehow get back OFF the ship once Kirk’s career is ruined, and then live the rest of his life under an assumed name? Never seeing his daughter again? No Starfleet career even though it’s allegedly so important to him? Seems a little bit like everyone loses.

Lol not letting Spock leave the bridge because the court martial’s not ever. “Sorry, we all might die, but court IS still in session.” Even though they ALREADY KNOW the alleged victim is still alive!

I love that Uhura is essential personnel. They didn’t keep the navigator on board, even though they apparently need one, but they did keep Uhura.

Oh no, Kirk’s flimsy shirt, falling apart again!

“Beaten and sobbing, Finney told me how to fix the ship.” Bitter much?

Kirk, being a badass, fixing the ship all by himself.

Honestly I just really love a narrative in which an upright man plays by the rules, does the right thing, and behaves in good faith and is ultimately vindicated and rewarded.

Now everyone agrees there’s no crime and thus no point to continuing the court-martial.

He’s defending Ben Finney! Good luck with that.

I love how Kirk’s face goes from full-on-romance to slightly-embarrassed-serious-Captain as soon as he remembers, hey, I really AM on the bridge!

“She’s a very good lawyer.” / “Obviously.”

This was such a good Kirk episode, both for showing off all his good qualities, and for getting some interesting insight into his character. He strikes me as the kind of person who, because he’s so by-the-book, and because he’s smart and successful, inspires jealousy in other people, and thus has a lot of strained acquaintanceships--like with the other men at the bar. But he also has these really, really strong friendships and relationships: Areel Shaw, Spock and McCoy, and even Finney. I feel like he’s probably rather awkward with most people, but then when the relationship is established, he’s ride or die. And, he doesn’t hold grudges. I don’t think he really knew how upset Finney was about what happened literally 10+ years ago--especially if he had any say at all about Finney serving on his ship, and I suspect he could have at least vetoed him. And even after Finney tried to disgrace him and then actually kill him, he still didn’t seem to upset about it, or about his lawyer turning around and defending Finney.

I think Kirk likes the military in part because it gives him this very strict set of rules about interacting with other people, so he doesn’t have to make up his own. I bet the intensity of the service also allows him to form these stronger relationships, which do seem to suit him better. And when he doesn’t have anything else to fall back on, he INVARIABLY pulls out the charm: he does it with old classmates, random 21st century pilots, immortal teenage girls, and actual love interests. It’s his default mode. I think that makes sense for someone who’s very ambitious, very precise, very nerdy, very rules-oriented, and whose default mode as a young man, by his own admission, was “grim.”

Wow it is so much later than anticipated... I need to get to sleep!

Next ep is Return of the Archons, which I’ve only seen once and don’t remember super well. I think it’s a ‘society ruled by computers’ thing, which is fine. Maybe not as much of a classic as some other S1 eps, but it should be fun anyway.

#the year 2020 #2020: star trek #2020: fandom thoughts #star trek tos

4 notes · View notes

shhh-no-ones-home · 4 years

Text

suited (2/2) chris motionless x reader

+++++++++

Part 1 part 2

this is after the apmas (2015) obvi

she still unedited so sorry i still cant type lol

Song: the less I know the better by tame Impala

tag list: @thisplace-ishaunted @alilpunkrock @ryansitkowskiswifey @theoneandonlykymberlee @svintsandghosts @cynic-spirit @musicsexandpizza69

+++++++++

We both stumbled through the door, laughing, Chris' suit jacket hung loosely over my shoulders. He flipped the lights on and helped it off of me, folding it over his arm.

"Did you have a good time tonight?"

He asked, walking us to the kitchen. It was fairly small, but it looked like it'd been made just for him. I nodded as he hung the suit over the back of one of the chairs.

"Absolutely, I think your set with Rob zombie was my favorite though."

I said, winking at him and leaning against the counter. He smiled at me, walking over and standing next to me.

"Well I'm glad to hear that, and sorry again I had to leave you for that and the interview. It's just press stuff but we've gotta do it."

He said. I just shook my head.

"No no, it's fine. I had a good time. I met a lot of people that I never would've been able to without you so thank you. Really I had a good time."

He nodded and looked around for a second. There was a pause.

"Uh, would you like some coffee?"

He asked, a small smile on his face.

"I'd love that."

He popped two kurig instant coffee pods out of a small rack and set them in the counter, getting two coffee cups out and starting the one. I just looked around the kitchen.

"What do you think?"

He asked, drawing my attention back to him.

"It's nice. I don't think I was expecting you to have as much film paraphernalia but it's kinda cool."

He handed me the one cup before starting the second one.

"Thanks, I'm really into that kind of stuff. When I'm not working movies and shows and stuff kinda occupy my time."

I took a drink as I looked at the horror movie posters on the far wall.

"Oh the lost boys!"

I said excitedly.

"That's one of my favorites! I have one of the original posters from the theater it was released at in my home town. It's huge, it takes up half my hallway."

I looked at him and as he stepped closer to me, taking a drink.

"Okay am I crazy or did I just take myself on a date?"

He joked, making me blush.

"Maybe you did. I love all of this stuff. Specially Daredevil and the punisher."

I said pointing at the pop figures he had displayed.

"What do you like better the movies, the shows, or the comics?"

I sent him a look.

"Trick question, the shows. But the comics are iconic. I don't really care for the movies though. I mean don't get me wrong the punisher movie went off but I just can't get into anything by Ben Affleck."

I laughed taking another drink and he just nodded.

"Okay, I'll take that."

I turned and looked at the table, walking to it and sitting down.

"Sorry, my feet are killing me. I knew I shouldn't have worn heels but they matched my dress. And in my profession I'd rather deal with the pain."

He laughed a little but and sat down across from me.

"That's perfectly fine, uh if you want you could take them off. Ya know, if you're planning on maybe staying for a bit?"

He raised his brows as he looked down into his coffee, making a 'maybe' face. He looked back up at me and I smiled at him.

"Is that an invitation?"

He shrugged.

"If you want it to be."

I reached down and slid my shoes off, setting them next to the chair.

"I'll take it."

When I looked back up he had a huge smile on his face.

"I'm glad to hear that, I've really been enjoying getting to know you."

"Likewise."

°°°°°°°°°

my eyes slowly blinked open as a loud beeping rang through my ears.

"for fucks sake."

i heard from behind me, feeling the weight around my torso leaving. i rubbed my face gently before rolling over, watching chris as he checked his phone. i admired the tattoos on his back before he rolled back over, looking at me with a sleepy smile, black smeared over his face.

"sorry about that, you can go back to bed if you want."

he offered.

"its fine, i should probably get going."

he looked a little sad, queuing me to roll onto my side. i walked my fingers slowly up his chest.

"unless you really want me to stay."

i said looking from my fingers to his face. he had a small smirk plastered on his face as he grabbed my hand and kissed my palm.

"youre more than welcome to, i had a great time with you last night, and maybe wouldnt mind if you stuck around a little longer?"

i raised a brow as he winked at me.

"i think i could manage that. ya know, as long as breakfast is involved."

he laughed a little bit before sitting up and kissing me gently.

"it definitely can be."

he said, rolling us both over so now he was leaning over me, hair still pooffed and messy from the night before. i laughed a little bit, running my fingers through it as he leaned down to kiss me again.

"Did you have a good time?"

He asked, studying my face. I smiled at him and nodded.

"I had a very good time."

He smiled down at me, pushing some of my hair out of my face.

"I'm glad."

He paused, resting his hand on my chest and fiddling with the Hem of the comforter.

"I don't normally do this kind of thing but I'm glad."

He looked back up at me and I took this hand in mine.

"I don't either but I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed going out, and talking to you, and just this in general. I had a really nice time."

He smiled widely at me and pecked. E gently on the lips.

"Me too."

I wiggled a little further into the bed.

"So, breakfast?"

He laughed a little bit and nodded.

"Yes breakfast. Coffee first I think though."

I raised a brow.

"I don't know, that got us in trouble last night."

He shook his head as I laughed at him.

"I promise it won't do that this time unless you really want it to."

He said sitting up and looking back at me. I scratched his back lightly.

"We'll see how the rest of breakfast goes."

I winked at him.

"I think I can handle that."

#wattpad #x reader #chris motionless #chris cerulli #miw #imagines #one shots #211

42 notes · View notes

elvish-sky · 4 years

Text

It's here! sneak peek of my Reylo Fanfic is up now! On Wattpad and below

Rey had first met Kylo Ren on Takodana. They had fought, him trying to capture her, her having no idea what to do, just knowing she couldn’t be caught. But he had succeeded. She had mixed feeling about that. If he hadn’t captured her, Han, Luke, and Leia wouldn’t have died. But if it had never happened, they never would have connected. They may have met, fighting on opposing sides of a galactic rebellion, but the chances were slim. So even though they had put the galaxy and their loved ones through so much, she was glad he had knocked her out in that forest. She still teased him about it sometimes, having been told how after capturing her, he didn’t put her down the whole shuttle ride back to his ship. And in the interrogation cell, with him staring at her, with the mask, she had never felt more terrified. But then he had taken the mask of Kylo Ren off, and for just a second, thee mask of his face had slipped, and she had seen Ben Solo underneath. She only got a small glimpse, and then he had composed his face to show no emotion. But she could still sense Han’s son underneath it all.

After escaping, she had hated him with all her heart. She had fought him with all she could offer in that forest, her only thoughts those of avenging Han and protecting Finn. And she had been winning, could have and would havex finished him off if not for the split on the planet that had separated them. After that fight, she hadn’t expected to see him for a while.

Rey then journeyed to Ahch-To with Chewie and R2-D2 to find Luke Skywalker, out in the unknown regions. But, the force had begun connecting them. At first, she was angry, she hadn’t wanted to see the man who had killed what was basically her only father figure, and who was his actual father. She had used to think that if you had a true family, you would never do anything to hurt them. But after several of these odd force-bonds, she had seen how much turmoil he had inside and learned his story. She could sense his divided soul, being ripped more in half every day. She could feel the ripping too, wondering why it felt like half of her soul was being ripped in two. She hadn’t known why she could feel all of them until she learned about their dyad. She had begun to understand him, wishing there was something she could do to help Ben Solo break free of the darkness that was Kylo Ren.

So she went to him. Rey took Chewie, and R2-D2, and left Ahch-To, soaring out of the system on the Falcon. She had Chewie drop her escape pod close to Ben’s Star Destroyer. She was going to bring him back, to the only family he had left. She could feel Leia, close but weak, and wanted her to see her son one more time. While drifting through space, she felt ready for whatever she faced on the ship. She wanted to show Han how much his son meant to her, how she would do anything to save him. She wanted to bring them back, both of them but knew there was only one whom she could do anything for. So she floated, waiting for them to notice her and pull her into the hangar.

On the Super Star Destroyer, Rey hadn’t known what to expect. So she willingly followed Ben, waiting to face the Supreme Leader. In the elevator, she told Ben what she had seen. She told him how he was going to turn, how he could help overthrow the first order. It was when he had refused that she had seen just how much the darkness had invaded him. It had poisoned him, almost to his core, and she could feel the fight that was going on inside him, trying to repel the shards from his heart. Then, inside the throne room, she thought he had turned. He had killed Snoke, they had fought the guards, and she was ready to bring him back. But then, he had told her that she was nothing. EH gave voice to her deepest fears, telling her that she had come from nothing. But apparently, that didn’t mean anything to him. He wanted them to continue the legacy of the First Order, wanted her to turn, with no concern for her thoughts on the matter, or how his comments had made her feel.

When she had refused, he had broken her lightsaber. Sure, it had belonged to his grandfather, but she had heard its calls and retrieved it from the depths of Maz Kanata’s castle. With no lightsaber, and no Ben, she had left, despairing of ever bringing him back, just hoping that Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren, understood why she had come.

After saving them on Crait, Rey continued to help the Resistance, trying not to let him creep back into her head. She focused on training, honing her skills so that the next time they came face to face she could best him. She tried to give her all, but something held her back. She didn’t know what it was for months, she was just frustrated with her failures. It was not until Poe commented on her level of focus in training, an offhand mention about how she was training so that she could best Ben, so she could bring him back, and they could be happy, that she realized she was falling in love with him. She tried not to, but it was too late. Rey hadn’t noticed she was falling in love with Ben until her feet hit the ground at the bottom of the pit.

#reylo #tros #daisyridley #movies #starwars #adam driver #bensolo #jjabrams #rey #reylo shippers #trosfixit

8 notes · View notes

themeatlife · 4 years

Text

the Meat Life Stay-At-Home Watchlist

Chronicling what I have watched or rewatched through the pandemic so far

The world has changed around us the last few months, particularly in the United States since March 11. With the lack of events to hit up, like most Americans I’ve been catching up on some watching through the various streaming services and my own digital copies of movies and shows.

I didn’t really think of keeping up with what I have been watching until just recently, but here is what I can remember hitting up so far since I’ve spent the majority of the time at home. Some are favorites that I would have watched anyway. Some were unfinished until I got a chance to get back to them. And others just became available.

Here’s what I remember of the watchlist:

The Office (Netfilx) This is a favorite of me and the wife. We watch this on the regular though. My wife uses The Office as her lullaby of sorts, putting it on in the evening as she gets ready for bed and is in bed to fall asleep. I did a post on the 15th anniversary, so I won’t really deep-dive.

Gossip Girl (Netflix) Another one that my wife rotates with The Office as her lullaby. The series is not bad, it’s basically The OC in Manhattan (both are created and developed by Josh Schwartz). It also takes on a new perspective when you think about star Penn Badgley is the creep in You. So Dan Humphrey gets this weird creeper Joe Goldberg vibe at times.

Parks and Recreation (Netflix) I never got into Parks and Rec on its original run. I was encouraged to check it out by some coworkers since I liked The Office. It is a great show, very funny, and poignant in a way. It feels like a throwback to when people could disagree politically and still get along. There is a lot less of that nowadays. We might need more Parks and Rec in real life. I started this right before the pandemic and finished around the beginning of things getting locked down.

Frozen II (Disney+) The sequel debuted on Disney+ early on in the quarantine period. My family enjoyed it. I thought it was entertaining, but I felt like it was weighted down a bit by the mythology explaining. It seemed too busy explaining a lot of things. Still an enjoyable movie, but the first is better.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness (Netflix) Intriguing. The series debuted early in the quarantine period and became a staple of stay-at-home viewing and a runaway hit. Lots of WTF moments. It was like the train wreck analogy to the Nth degree. But you can tell it was made in a way that leans in favor of Joe Exotic, making him look like a victim in the last couple episodes. Also gave way to memorable memes ever since.

The Rocketeer (Disney+) I haven’t watched this movie since I was a kid. Looking back, you can see a lot of The Rocketeer in Captain America - The First Avenger. Easy to see though, since they share the same director Joe Johnston. Prior to America’s involvement in World War II, a movie star Nazi goes after an experimental rocket pack developed by Howard Hughes. The rocket pack is retrieved by accident from a down on luck stunt pilot. Fun movie.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney+) I should have watched the entire Skywalker saga leading up to it, but I figured I have a ton of time to do that later. This was a May the 4th watch. I haven’t watched the Skywalker saga finale since it was in theaters. It’s not a bad movie, I just feel it could have been a lot better with some modifications here and there. Also, I believe this was going to be the Leia movie. The Force Awakens was Han’s swan song, as was The Last Jedi for Luke. I feel like this would have been great for Leia but obviously they were limited due to the untimely death of Carrie Fisher. The scene where Ren/Ben speaks with Han after battling Rey would have hit harder with Leia instead of Han.

Trolls: World Tour (VOD) Cute kid movie. Was nice to hear a lot of familiar music. Sucks that rock was the villain in the first couple acts. Seeing it once was enough, though. Like the first Trolls, I am glad my kids enjoyed it but did not participate in excessive multiple viewings.

Onward (Disney+) Didn’t get a chance to catch this at the theater before they closed them down. Great movie, but gosh. Why does Pixar always pull at the heart strings like that? I was quietly crying to myself at the end. I’m glad we made our living room dark theater-style, otherwise my kids would have seen me all torn up.

Fast and Furious 5-7 (Fast Five - HBO, The Fast and the Furious 6/Furious 7 - Digital) I ended up not watching the entire series. There is a great trilogy within the series, 5-7 was that trilogy. Fast Five was the best of the FF franchise and where it perfected their movie formula. It was like an action Ocean’s Eleven with cars. 6 and 7 expanded on that formula, upping the humor and ridiculousness factor. 6 had the exits of the Han and Gisele characters (they found a way to tie in Tokyo Drift to the rest of the series, Gal Gadot was on her way to becoming Wonder Woman for DC). And 7 had that great ending with the tribute to Paul Walker to the sounds of Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth.

Toy Story 4 (Disney+) Another Pixar hit. Didn’t hit me quite as hard as Onward or Toy Story 3 did emotionally, thank goodness. I thought this story was over the way Toy Story 3 ended. But Pixar did a good job adapting to prolong these characters stories. It did feel like it was a bit of two and three combined looking back. Still very good, Pixar knows what it’s doing.

The Marvel Infinity Saga (Disney+/Netflix/Digital) Leading up to the one-year anniversary of the release of Avengers: Endgame, I went through and rewatched all 23 MCU movies. This time, I went in chronological story order by starting with Captain America - The First Avenger. I chronicled the order I watched in my last post. Even after viewing many of these movies multiple times, I’m still amazed at how much I enjoy them and the scope of what Marvel was able to achieve leading into the climax in Endgame.

Community (Netflix/Hulu) I loved Community on its initial run on NBC but never watched any of the episodes when it was on Yahoo for its sixth season. It has been great to rewatch the meta-humor and sitcom trope parodies. And since Ken Jeong and Joel McHale started their own podcast called The Darkest Timeline (half COVID-19, half Community pod), it has been a good companion viewing.

The Back to the Future Trilogy (Netflix) Recent add to Netflix for easy viewing, these movies have been a favorite of the Mitra boys since childhood. Upon viewing as an adult, there is some humor that I didn’t recognize as a kid that is hilarious to me now. It is also crazy how well this teen time-travel sci-fi comedy works. Some of the effects in Part 2 are dated and 2015 didn’t quite end up the way it did in the movies. But overall very enjoyable on the rewatch!

Extraction (Netflix) High budget action flick funded by Netflix? Written by the Russo Brothers? And staring Chris Hemsworth? I’m in! Directed by long-time stunt man and Russo Bros go-to stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave (you can tell the Russo influence). It has an awesome 15ish minute one-shot action/chase sequence that is top notch. Don’t think much about the plot or the controversy of cultural representation, just enjoy the action.

The Mighty Ducks Trilogy (HBO) Another childhood favorite of mine. Nevermind that the hockey itself isn’t accurate. This is about pure fun for an hour and a half at a time. Come for the hi-jinx, stay for the heart. Triple-deke, knuckle-puck, taking out the trash. And leave it out on the ice!

The Harry Potter Series (Blu-Ray/Digital) This was not a go-to for me until Linda made me watch the entire series. I guess when the first movie came out, it was too much of a kid movie for me (I was a high school senior at the time). But from the second movie onward, it felt like the storytelling and movie making got better and better. The Deathly Hallows was an epic ending, even if they did change the ending from the book. I didn’t watch the newer Fantastic Beasts movies along with this though, my wife did.

Westworld - Season 3 (HBO) Recently got HBO back, so I caught up on Westworld Season 3. I haven’t rewatched the previous seasons yet, but I may revisit it soon. Season 1 was spectacular, Season 2 was confusing as hell but still entertaining. Season 3 is somewhere in between, expanding on the ongoing storyline. It was more straight-forward because its storyline is in the “real-world.” For those of you that have watched, didn’t you think it was highly ironic that the Incite ball was basically the AT&T logo? (AT&T is the parent company for WarnerMedia and HBO)

The Last Dance (ESPN/ESPN+) The Michael Jordan docu-series has been a god-sent for sports fans devoid of live American sports for the past couple months. Is it Jordan-biased? Sure. But it is full of drama and intrigue and full of nostalgia. The NBA had commissioned a camera crew to follow the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls on their run for their sixth NBA championship. Jordan owned the controlling rights to the footage and unlocked it after the 2016 NBA Finals. So this documentary was years in the making and with the pandemic the release date was moved up. Although it featured a lot of unseen footage, it also chronicled the years leading up to the 1998 Bulls title. The last 5 Sundays have been awesome.

The Princess Bride (Disney+) I haven’t watched this movie since I was a kid. It wasn’t one of my recurring watches back then. So this was actually my second viewing of this movie ever. I found it quite enjoyable. It was cheesy, but fun, and a good family watch. One of the many older titles available on Disney+.

Scoob (VOD) My kids had some of the older Scooby Doo episodes on DVD and watched them when they were younger. This was a fun revisit for them and for us as parents. It was actually cool seeing a lot of the Hanna-Barbera characters in one movie. We watched this shortly after finishing Community, and my kids recognized Ken Jeong’s voice as Dynomutt. My daughter hilariously shouted “Senor Chang!” when she recognized him.

The Indiana Jones Series (Netflix) I introduced my son to Indiana Jones a few months ago watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. He loved it. He lost a little bit of interest during the Temple of Doom, I think the character Short Round lost it for him (character hasn’t aged well). The Last Crusade reclaimed his interest. Harrison Ford was at his natural apex playing Indiana Jones. I did not watch the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I didn’t feel the need to revisit that installment, while it was enjoyable the alien ending ruined the lead up to it.

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins/The Dark Knight - Hulu, The Dark Knight Rises - Digital) Every few years I try to revisit this series. It is the best thing DC has ever put out cinematically. While Begins and Rises is more comic book, TDK is a straight crime drama set in the world of Batman. My favorite is Rises, but the absolute best comic book movie remains The Dark Knight, even with the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jurassic Park/Jurassic World Series (Jurassic Park/The Lost World: Jurassic Park - Blu-Ray, Jurassic World - Digital, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Cinemax) The original Jurassic Park is such a great movie. Rewatching, it’s crazy how well the effects for the dinosaurs hold up. Steven Spielberg, Stan Winston, and ILM did a great job mixing animatronic and CGI dino effects that stand the test of time. The Lost World was enjoyable but not as good as the original. I skipped JP III, such a bad movie. Jurassic World was a good way to reboot the series, basically a remake of the original but incorporating a lot of references to it. I just finished Fallen Kingdom today. Although Fallen Kingdom was entertaining, it fails to recapture some of the magic of JP and JW.

I’m not sure what I will hit up next. I might hit some Keanu Reeves movies like Speed, the Matrix Trilogy, and/or the John Wick Trilogy. Maybe Top Gun. Maybe rewatch Friends or How I Met Your Mother. Maybe something on HBO Max when it comes out like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Maybe Terminator. Possibilities are endless, at least until some American sports return.

2 notes · View notes