#there's live music and guests and people gather in the square outside to watch the broadcast. it's really fun! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sustraiii · 2 years

Text

TEAM KWTZ CHAPTER 8: I HEARD A RUMOUR (PART 1)

Silbern celebrates a victory.

TILIA

Three days after their defeat of the Gashadokuro, Tilia and the rest of her team found themselves drawn into a celebration at the Golden Fleece.

When they had returned to Silbern, it hadn't taken long for a story about the fight that had occurred to travel around the town. Most Grimm attacks wouldn't have drawn such attention, but a Grimm such as a Gashadokuro was bound to draw some attention.

Many of the citizens of Silbern believed that with the Gashadokuro gone their Grimm problems were solved. A Grimm of such size would have certainly accounted for the spike in activity. For a little while, Tilia was almost inclined to share those beliefs. However, by how busy Colin continued to be, it seemed as though the defeat of the Gashadokuro did little to alter the number of Grimm, if at all. Despite the lack of change, it didn't stop the people of Silbern from wanting to celebrate.

As part of the group who defeated the Grimm, KWTZ and Colin had been invited to the celebrations as guests of honour at the Golden Fleece. Daragh, Roisin, and Perry were all invited along as well and gladly accepted the invitation. Only Colin was less eager to attend, though after some prompting from his brother he finally agreed to join them.

Although they had been invited as guests of honour, it was near impossible for them to get a seat inside the Golden Fleece on the day of the party. To Tilia, it seemed as though the whole town had turned out to celebrate. When they finally got inside, they found the restaurant was almost fit to bursting, though much of the room had been given over to serve as a makeshift dancefloor. The lack of room inside meant that many people were crowding outside of the restaurant and spilling out onto the square.

Tilia enjoyed some of the buffet food with the others before spending most of her time on the dancefloor. Other than Daragh and Colin, all of the group enjoyed their time dancing. Even Roisin joined in, albeit for the slower songs, before retiring and sitting with her father and uncle.

After two hours, only Tilia and Wyn were still dancing, briefly pausing to rest when a romantic song came on. Kieran and Lin had gone to sit with Kieran's family. Perry had been with them too but had since been dragged into several couples dances and group dances by the young people of Silbern.

Tilia could see him now, laughing with three people, before joining back in the dance. It was a lively positive number, with several enthusiastic whoops coming from the dancers and rhythmic clapping from those watching them. Tilia had never heard the music before, but it was hard not to get caught up with the enthusiasm of the people of Silbern. She and Wyn joined in with the dance, trying their best to keep up with the jumps and spins it seemed to entail. They definitely misstepped in places but no one held it against them, only laughing or shaking their heads in amusement when Wyn or Tilia bumped into them or linked arms with the wrong partner.

When they finally left the dancefloor, arms hooked together, hunched over in a fit of giggles, Wyn leaned over to ask her a question. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

"Do you not think Neela dragged me to every ball or formal party she could?" Tilia responded with a smirk. She could remember those dances fondly, with the two of them getting lost in the music or just having fun by themselves. Tilia had never been very good at the more formal dances such as the waltz, despite her girlfriend's many attempts to teach her the steps, but she had always enjoyed the quickstep and the jive.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" She asked Wyn, echoing his own question.

"Oh, these sorts of celebrations are fairly common in Benibara," Wyn explained. "We always hold big gatherings like this on the summer and winter equinoxes."

As the two of them reached the table where Kieran, Lin, and the rest of the Peredur family were sitting their teammates gave them a nod of acknowledgement.

Tilia took a seat between Lin and Roisin, whilst Wyn sat next to Colin Peredur.

"Did you two have a fun time?" Kieran asked politely.

Tilia and Wyn both nodded their heads. It was then that Tilia noted that Daragh Peredur was no longer sitting with them.

"Where'd Daragh go?" She inquired.

"Da got called away by some of his friends," Roisin answered. She gestured to where Daragh was laughing with a group of people. "Is Perry still getting pulled into dances by everyone?"

"Oh yeah that redheaded woman pulled him into a dance again," Tilia responded, pointing out where Perry was still dancing. Next to him was the woman in question and two boys a little younger, who were closer to Perry's own age.

Roisin followed Tilia's gesture and nodded her head when she spotted him. "Ah, I see Ruby Atley has dragged him into a dance. Don't think we'll see him again for a while now, not unless Ascelin Rutland comes over and steals her away."

"Who's that?"

"Her fiancé," Roisin responded. "But he's not one for dancing so he probably won't. Then again his younger brothers are the ones dancing with the two of them so who knows maybe he might get encouraged to join.”

The musicians switched to a different uptempo song, and the group watched as Perry and the other dancers got into the swing of things. It was a catchy song, Tilia had to admit, and found herself swaying along to the rhythm. Even Colin - who had been sitting quietly in his chair for most of the party - started tapping his foot in time with the beat of the music.

“Any room for me at this table?”

They were so lost in the music, that none of them heard or saw anyone approach. At the sound of the voice, Tilia turned her head to see a young woman with shockingly blue hair standing next to them. Although they had never met in person, Tilia knew her as Ruka Aoki, who Colin had informed them was one of his other teammates a few days priorly after they had arrived.

She was holding a young toddler in her arms too, though the young boy seemed more interested in dribbling on her shoulder and staring at the dancers behind them at that moment. When Colin saw the woman, he stood up quickly and moved to give her a hug.

“I didn’t think you were coming, Ruka,” He said, as he stepped away.

“I could do with the change of scenery,” Ruka answered. “Especially with this one running rampant at home.” She shifted the young boy in her arms ever so slightly, making it so he was facing the group.

Colin crouched slightly so he was closer to the young boy’s line of sight, and waggled a finger in front of him. “Oh, I don’t believe someone this cute could be that much trouble,” He cooed in a high-pitched voice.

Ruka made a ‘hrmph’ sound. “You don’t have to live with him.”

Colin straightened up and then held out his arms. “May I?” He asked, indicating he wanted to hold him. With a nod, Ruka gave away her son to Colin, who quite literally welcomed the boy with open arms, whilst she proceeded to sit down in Daragh’s unoccupied seat. As he sat back down Tilia noted how he lit up in the presence of the child, appearing the happiest he had been for days.

Lin and Wyn were quick to start fussing over the boy, making silly noises and speaking to him in an effort to get him to smile. “What’s his name?” Lin asked, without looking over at Ruka.

“Kaijin,” Ruka answered. “But we all call him Kai for short.”

“He’s gotten so big since I last saw him,” Kieran remarked, watching Lin and Wyn for a moment, before speaking to Ruka.

Ruka chuckled. “To be fair the last time you saw him he was only a few days old. They grow fast when they’re that age.”

"He'll be a regular little huntsman soon then," Tilia joked.

"Maybe," Ruka said, considering the words for a moment. "His father would prefer him not to follow in my footsteps, but we're keeping an open mind to whatever path he decides to take when the time comes."

"Well, if he's anything like his mother, he'll have a fine example to live up to," Colin smiled at Ruka. "And of course, he has his godparents too." There was a teasing tone to his voice as he said that, and Tilia couldn't help but note he winked at Ruka as he spoke, who in turn rolled her eyes playfully in response.

"You sound just like Philippa, you know," Ruka told him. This in turn earned a hearty laugh from Colin, which caused Kaijin to join in as well, even though he didn't understand what the laughter was for. "I've missed this," Ruka said after a moment. "It feels like ages since we've just sat down like this and caught up."

Colin mustered a half-smile. "Yeah, it's nice," He agreed with a nod. "Feels good to take my mind off of things for a little while at least."

"How are you holding up with it all?"

Colin's features dropped a little, though he tried his best not to let the toddler in his lap pick up on his change in mood. "To be quite frank, I'm tired, Roo. I'm running myself ragged trying to keep up with things. Even with the Gashadokuro gone, it feels as though nothing has changed."

Ruka touched her teammate's arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry, Colin. I wish there was more that I could do."

Colin brushed her off gently, but gave her a grateful smile regardless. "No, no, don't think like that Roo. I know you have your reasons for why you can't pick up as many jobs. Likewise for Esmerelda too." He paused for a moment and Tilia watched as his expression shifted into a frown. "The same can't be said for Cheren and Datura. Neither have any excuse for why they're not picking up any jobs right now."

Ruka shifted in her seat. "Well, that might not be strictly true."

Colin arched a brow. "How so?"

Tilia looked at the other woman, watching as she looked around quickly before encouraging the group to huddle closer so she could speak with them. "Now before I tell you, you might want to take this in with a grain of salt. This all comes from Esmerelda and not me so I can't hundred percent vouch for how accurate this all is, though she wouldn't have any reason to lie to me," Ruka began. "Around five weeks ago, Esmerelda was approached by a drunken Cheren, who wanted to know if she'd be interested in a job he and Datura were working on. Security work or something along those lines. I don't think Cheren was able to explain the job fully without stumbling over his words. Naturally, she was a bit suspicious about the offer and came to me asking if I'd heard anything about it. I told her that as far as I was aware neither of them were listed as being on any active jobs, nor had they been for some time. Do you want to know what the real kicker was? Apparently, the job was at Pyre."

Only the members of the Peredur family seemed to understand the relevance of the word 'Pyre', so Tilia and the rest of her teammates wound up just looking around at each other with confused expressions.

"What's Pyre?" Tilia asked.

"Pyre Academy," Kieran answered simply. "It used to be a preparatory academy in the town but it was destroyed many years ago."

"I thought it was strange myself," Ruka admitted. "I pressed Esmerelda for more information but she seemed none the wiser. Apparently, she did ask her mother about it but Mayor Lavendin was very insistent that no such mission had been authorised. Thanks to my husband I was able to dig through some of the old mission records - thank goodness we keep paper copies of everything - but I couldn't find anything regarding a mission in or around Pyre, at least not in the last decade."

Colin seemed to ponder this information for a moment before speaking again. “Well given Lavendin’s protectiveness over her daughter, I could possibly see her wanting to protect her from the truth. But I do not believe Lavendin would not inform anyone else of some off the books mission around Pyre. She of all people knows how important that place is to people in Silbern given what happened to Vesa.”

“Do you think there’s something else going on?”

“Oh, I know there’s something else going on,” Colin said with a more determined tone.

Ruka pulled a face. “I don’t like that look you have in your eyes, Col. You look like you’re up to something,” She said.

"I think I should go and check out the academy," He said, quickly revealing his intentions.

"Couldn't you wait until after?" Ruka asked. "Seems a shame to cut the celebrations short to run off on a job."

"True but the sooner we find out what's going on there the better. Plus, I'd rather scope out the area whilst Cheren nor Datura are there," Colin explained. "At least I know they're unlikely to trouble me then."

"Sounds like a wise choice to me," Tilia said, an opinion which didn't seem to be shared by her teammates."I'm assuming they're here enjoying the celebration?"

"Well, Cheren is at least," Ruka told her, gesturing to a group of people watching the dancers. Tilia was quick to note the older man in the group, and the striking similarity he shared with the Rutland twins that Roisin had pointed out earlier.

"Datura not one for dancing?" Tilia asked, struggling to conceal the joking tone of her voice.

"I don't think I've ever seen him at any celebration like this. He tends to just keep to himself," Colin responded. "I haven't seen him here so I'm assuming - no, hoping - he isn't around Pyre."

"What will you do if he is?" Kieran asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'll handle him, don't worry," Colin assured his nephew. "Datura and I have never gotten along so if he does show his face I'm expecting a fight."

"Can you handle him alone? And what if Cheren appeared too?" Kieran pressed.

"Why are you asking me this, Kieran?" Colin asked, raising a brow.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt your skill uncle. But you said yourself not so long ago that you're tired and we can all see that you are exhausted at home," Kieran began. “Both men have their faults but they are both still huntsmen. I worry if they caught you out, that they’d defeat you.”

“So what are you saying - you want to come with me?”

“No! I don’t know…maybe. Just as a precaution.” Kieran stammered.

“You know they might not even turn up, Kee,” Colin pointed out. “Your concerns are appreciated but I think you’re worrying too much.”

"Perhaps I am," Kieran conceded, bowing his head in defeat.

Tilia could see Colin studying his nephew carefully, the man himself looking as though he were deep in thought. After a moment he looked towards Ruka, and though they spoke no words, it seemed to Tilia that they were having a conversation of sorts, their changing expressions serving as questions and answers. The conversation appeared to come to a conclusion when Ruka gave a shrug.

"If it would make you feel better, you can come with me," Colin told his nephew gently. "But don't feel as though you have to put yourself out for me."

"Thank you, uncle," Kieran smiled.

"And what about us?" Wyn asked. "What are we supposed to do whilst you two run off?"

"Stay here," Kieran responded. "You don't need to come with us if you don't want to."

"Hey, we're a team!" Wyn protested. "Your problems are our problems. Where you go, we follow. I mean what's the worst that could happen if the five of us show up anyway? You never know Cheren and Datura might get scared off or surrender straight away. And I don't know about you but I'd consider that a victory."

“Aren’t you both tired out from all the dancing you did?” Kieran asked, earning a chuckle from Lin.

“Oh I’m raring to go,” Wyn smirked. “We’ll leave all the detective work to you and your uncle and we’ll just be there if you need us. And if Cheren or Datura show up we’ll scare them off.”

Ruka grinned and shook her head in amusement. “Kids these days…you’re all so very gung ho about things.”

“Fine. If you want to come, you can come,” Colin said. He proceeded to shoot Ruka a look, which only made her smile even more. When he proceeded to hand back Kaijin to her she pouted a little but did not fully lose the grin that had been on her face.

"We should leave now," Colin addressed the group. "If we leave now it'll give us time to get changed and reduce the risk of Cheren or Datura potentially showing up."

Tilia and her teammates looked around each other and exchanged a few nods. Along with Colin, they stood up from their seats and began to step away from the table.

"I'll stay here and let da know where you're going when he comes back," Roisin said as they stepped aside. "I can't say he'll be very impressed, but he still deserves to know."

"Thanks, Ros," Colin smiled, giving an appreciative nod to his niece.

"Think nothing of it," Roisin said, returning the smile. "Good luck!" She would call after them as the group made their departure from the Golden Fleece.

***

Datura Oleander rarely attended public events such as these. Under normal circumstances, he would have stayed home, but given the nature of this celebration, it seemed like a bad form not to attend. He made some attempts at polite small talk and mingling with the people of Silbern, but ultimately kept to himself, nursing a glass of tequila in the corner.

After he had finished his drink, Datura made an effort to walk around again, making it appear as though he was interested in the festivities. As he walked, he passed by a table where Colin Peredur, Ruka Aoki, and Colin's family and friends were sitting around. He didn't intend to listen in on the conversation, but couldn't help but linger to hear some more of the conversation after hearing them mention his name. When he heard the mention of Pyre Academy he tensed and backed away, scurrying into a corner to hide, before pulling out his scroll and making a call.

If Colin Peredur knew about things at Pyre Academy then that wasn't good at all.

His call was answered after the first ring.

"You were told not to call me at work," the voice at the other end of the line scolded.

"We have a problem." Datura saw no point in beating around the bush about his reasoning for calling, especially given the potential urgency of the situation.

"You mean to say you have a problem," The voice corrected. "Best get out with it then. I still have work to finish."

"Colin Peredur knows."

There was a long beat of silence before Datura heard a long sigh from the other end. "How?"

Datura pursed his lips together, suddenly grateful not to be speaking to his employer in person so that they couldn't see his sudden awkwardness. "Well, Cheren got drunk a few weeks back and suggested to Esmerelda that if she was looking for work she could maybe help us. When I found out he had said that to her, I did my best to do some damage control I assure you. However, it seems I was not quick enough and she told Ruka, who just told Colin."

"Why did the two of you feel the need to ask for help?" The voice snapped, clearly more angry at this fact rather than what Colin knew.

"Well, I wasn't the one who-"

"Do not try to lie to me, Datura Oleander," The voice warned. "You might not have asked the question yourself, but I recall it was only recently that the two of you came to me asking for additional help, which I firmly declined." A long exhale followed this scolding. "You should have been watching Cheren more carefully. You are well aware of his tendency to talk once he's more than a little inebriated."

"I cannot be expected to watch him all the time," Datura protested.

"Perhaps I ought to tweak the terms of your contract so you should then, hm?" The voice countered. "Regardless, you two now have a new job on your hands. Go find Cheren and put a stop to Colin sniffing around. I pay you for security after all, so do your job."

Datura was about to give a snide response to the first remark but a 'click' from the other end of the line told him that the call was already over.

Terrific.

With a sigh, Datura slid his scroll away and then began to look around for Cheren Rutland. Whilst he hadn't seen the man in question, the majority of the Rutland clan were in attendance at the celebration, so no doubt Cheren and his wife would be too.

Sure enough, he spotted Cheren watching the dancing. His wife, Amalthea, was standing next to him and he had an arm around her shoulder.

It was Amalthea who spotted him first, turning and looking at him with such a fierce gaze that Datura had half a mind to back away from her. Cheren might have been the more well known of the two, but Amalthea could be more terrifying than her husband on occasion.

"Sorry to intrude, but could I borrow your husband for a moment?" He asked, mustering up his most polite tone.

Amalthea raised a brow at him. Next to her, Cheren was aware of his presence, and looked at him with a similar expression, though he looked less suspicious than his wife did.

"Why?" She asked sharply.

"Private matter," Datura responded hastily, casting a glance at Cheren, silently asking for help. "I promise I won't keep him long."

"It's okay, love, I won't be long," Cheren assured her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Why don't you go and join in with the dances? I'll be back before you know it."

Before his wife could say anything else, Cheren was already moving away from her, gesturing for Datura to follow him before they got caught up any longer. As they walked, Cheren turned back to give his wife a reassuring wave. Datura on the other hand saw no point looking back, knowing full well she'd still be looking at him with that same suspicious glare.

Cheren guided them outside, and quickly pulled Datura out of earshot so they could speak.

"What's the meaning of this, Datura?" He asked, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. "I thought you didn't want to speak outside of work."

He was right of course. When the two men had started working together, Datura had been insistent they hardly speak to each other outside of work. Datura hadn't wanted anyone to mistake the two for friends.

"Colin knows about Pyre." Datura told him simply.

The colour seemed to drain from Cheren's face as he heard that. "How?"

"Well, we have you and your drunken ramblings to thank for that," Datura said sarcastically. "Seems the information finally made its way down to Colin. Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky he didn't find out sooner."

"Did you tell the boss?"

"Of course I did." What kind of fool did he take him for? "And you should know they're not happy. We've been told to deal with this promptly."

"As in now?" Cheren asked. "Couldn't we wait until after the celebration or even tomorrow? Tea won't like it if I leave right now."

"You don't understand, Cheren," Datura said coldly. "You know what the ‘Wraith’ is like. Do you think he’s just going to just wait around? No. Colin is likely on his way there right now, along with his nephew's little team. They might not find anything right away but with five of them snooping around the place...well I doubt it'll take them long to find out what's really hiding there would it?"

Cheren shook his head. "No I suppose it would not," He conceded, sighing a little as he did so. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Make sure they don't find what they're looking for. Clearly." Datura rolled his eyes. "I'll leave the children to you and I'll take Colin for myself."

"As you wish." Cheren said slowly, almost a little reluctantly even. He proceeded to bow his head "Do I have time to tell my wife I'll be a bit longer?"

"No," Datura rebuked him sharply. "Let's grab our weapons and deal with the problem. The sooner this is resolved the better. For us and the boss."

#team kwtz fic #team KWTZ #kieran peredur #wyn blanchard #tilia bosco #lin zhu #team CRDM #colin peredur #ruka aoki #roisin peredur #perry estrada #cheren rutland #datura oleander

2 notes · View notes

middleearthpixie · 2 years

Note

Dancing/ dipping partner 👀

Ok - FINALLY! I fought the words and I won and I hope you like it - here goes:

Words: 3,731

Characters: Thorin x reader

Post BOTFA AU - where everybody lives.

The Courtyard

You tried to ignore how out of place you felt, but the truth was, you’d never felt more like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. These were your kin, but you barely knew them. They tended to shy away from you, seeing as you weren’t full-blooded dwarf. Oh, here they didn’t come right out and insult you to your face or anything, but they made a point of excluding you from most things and had since you were a child. It hurt, but you’d become so used to it, it was second nature to sit alone at social gatherings.

Kíli’s wedding to Tauriel of Mirkwood was the social gathering of the year and you were certain that was the only reason why you’d been invited. The King Under the Mountain’s younger nephew’s wedding? All who lived in Erebor had been invited. You’d never seen so many people in one place—dwarves and elves were there, and they were actually getting along for the moment. Of course, the Woodland Realm’s king, Thranduíl didn’t appear to be enjoying himself very much, but perhaps that was because he found himself sandwiched between King Thorin II, and Dís, his younger sister. It was difficult to tell, since you sat across the wide floor from them, but both Durins seemed to poking fun at Thranduíl, judging by the way the king elbowed the elf more than once, while Thranduíl’s expression darkened by the second.

Bride and groom had made their appearance and you sighed at how truly happy Kíli looked. His face lit up every time his dark eyes fell upon his bride, who glowed almost as much. The love was almost visible and only grew as one by one, more couples joined them on the dance floor.

Another sigh as you watched Thorin rise from his chair. You wondered who the lucky woman would be, for there were rumors flying about that he was soon to choose a bride of his own. You’d spent the better part of the last year admiring him from afar and lamenting how he did not even know you existed. One day soon, you’d be sitting at a table alone, and your heart would be breaking as you watching Thorin take his bride in his arms and kiss her right there, before everyone, just as Kíli did his Tauriel.

In the time it took for you to glance over at the happy couple, you lost sight of Thorin. It was probably just as well. Mama used to say there was no point in dreaming, as dreams rarely came true. Far better to expect disappointment, for then it didn't hurt as much when those dreams shattered. And so far, you knew the wisdom of those words. You dreamed of a new life in Erebor, away from those who taunted you and bullied you in Ered Luin, only to find they just came to Erebor as well. At least in Erebor, they no longer taunted or bullied you.

Instead, they simply just ignored you.

Everyone moved out onto the dance floor, enjoying themselves as the wine and ale flowed. No one asked you to dance. No one sat with you to just chitchat. The other guests who had been seated with you had moved to other tables as soon as they could without raising eyebrows.

Sometimes the worst sort of alone was the alone that came with being in a crowd.

You slid from your chair. The happy couple would not miss you. Neither one probably knew you were there. You’d left your gift on the gift table and as long as no one swiped the card from it, they would at least know you were there for a while.

As you made your way to one of the doorways leading out of the chamber, no one stopped you. No one even noticed. The music, the laughter, the good cheer, it all faded in the distance as you made your way down the narrow stone corridor that lead to the surface and then out into the courtyard outside Erebor’s northern walls. It was one of your favorite places to go—a place to think, to dream when you allowed yourself to do so, a place to just sit and try to forget how alone you really were.

It was a glorious autumn afternoon, the woods just beyond the low stone wall marking the courtyard’s perimeter were ablaze with brilliant oranges, reds, and golds. Apples had begun falling from the trees to perfume the air with their sweet scents that drew both deer and bees. The leaves, dying despite their vibrant colors, rustled softly on the breeze. Occasionally, one broke away from the branches that looked more like skeletons now, and floated this way and that as it danced on the wind briefly before hitting the ground to scuttle across it into the wall.

You sat upon the wall’s flat top. In the distance, Ravenhill rose like a silent sentry. There was talk that Dís wished to raze the tower but Thorin wouldn’t allow it. He and his nephews almost died there, and he wanted it to remain as it was, a reminder to not take anything for granted, for tomorrow was never promised.

It looked so peaceful now. In the winter, snow would blanket it and it would blend with the mottled gray skies, but for now, it was nothing more than a tower and nesting place for the birds that gave it its name.

“Excuse me?”

You jumped at the low, smooth voice that seemed to float on the air and your heart gave a queer lurch. For a moment, you thought he sounded very much like Thorin, but that was silly. He was inside, celebrating his nephew’s marriage, contemplating his own most likely. He certainly wasn’t out in the courtyard now, looking for you, of all people.

“Excuse me?”

You peered over one shoulder and almost fell right off the wall when you saw your visitor was, indeed, Thorin and he stood only feet from you, leaning on a walking stick of gleaming black ash, topped with a golden raven’s head. He was handsome on his worst day, but today? Today he was glorious—dressed in black trousers and a shirt of pale gray, over which he wore a robe of royal blue which bore intricate designs embroidered in gold, and thick black fur edged the neck. Given the occasion, he wore a crown of gold and onyx, with a jade and onyx raven at its front. His hair, black streaked with silver, looked freshly washed and braided, with several heavy looking silver ornaments woven into the braids. An equally heavy-looking silver cuff caught his hair at the back of his head, holding most of it away from his face. Silver also shot through his thick, full beard, which had not quite grown back enough for him to adorn with any jewels or runes.

The was the first time you’d ever been this close to the King Under the Mountain. You’d been at his coronation this past spring, but then, you were all the way at the far end of the coronation chamber and caught only a glimpse of him. And that glimpse simply could not prepare you for how strikingly handsome Thorin Durin—or Oakenshield as so many called him, as if that had become his new surname—was up close.

His eyes were a stunning shade of blue. One that almost pierced through you as his gaze landed upon you and for a moment, had he asked you your name, you wouldn’t have been able to answer. Either you’d have forgotten it completely, or would have mangled it so badly, he’d have looked at you with pity, thinking you a madwoman who didn’t know who she even was.

For a brief moment, you allowed your hopes to rise. No one else was out there. He meant you. Still, that didn't stop you from twisting about to ask, “Me?”

A smile played at his lips as he nodded. “Yes, you. I saw you sneak away from the reception. Were you so bored?”

“Bored?” You shook your head as your belly began to churn. You didn't stop to think that someone might actually see you, didn’t stop to think that sneaking away from Kíli’s wedding reception was actually rather rude. “No, I wasn’t bored at all, Your Highness. I was… not bored,” you finished lamely.

Leaves crunch softly beneath his heavy boots as he came closer. “Then why did you feel the need to sneak off?”

“I wasn’t sneaking, Your Highness, and I meant no offense.” You swallowed hard, tried to ignore the roar of your blood racing through your ears. “It’s simply… everyone else is having a perfectly lovely time.”

“And you were not?”

“Not… exactly.”

Those blue eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, not exactly?”

You cast your gaze to the ground. If Thorin was going to scold you, to be angry with you, you’d rather not see it. “I’m rather used to spending my time alone. But somehow, being alone in a crowd is sometimes nearly unbearable. I thought no one would miss me, so, I took myself out of a terribly uncomfortable situation. After all, the others have made it very clear to me that they prefer it when I’m not around.”

“Fools, the lot of them.”

His words came as a surprise and you jerked back up to meet his gaze. “I—I beg your pardon.”

“I said, they are fools. All of them.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“I’ve seen you, here and there, talking to the servants, and I’ve often wondered why I see you with them and not with friends.”

A hint of embarrassment stung your insides. “I have no friends, I’m afraid. I don’t fit in here, with them. I never have, you know.”

“Why?”

“Because I am only part-dwarf. My mother was one, but my father…”

“Ah…” He nodded slowly. “I understand. It explains much.”

You brought a hand to your naked cheek. “Everyone believes me to be half-elf, no matter how I try to explain I’m not. My father was of Man. Not that being half-Man is any more acceptable. In some ways, I think it’s even worse.”

“I find no fault with it.”

You looked back at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve wanted to come and talk to you for some time, now. I remember your voice, when I was brought in off the battlefield. At Ravenhill.”

You had been working with Narnerra, Erebor’s healer, when Thorin and his nephews had been brought in from Ravenhill, where all three had fallen in battle against orcs. You had not forgotten the sight of the horribly wounded dwarf who would be king, should he survive. And while you’d only been in training a short while, and therefor not permitted to do much, if anything, you sat with him. You smoothed his sweat-and-blood matted hair away from his pale forehead with a cool, damp cloth. You held his hand as Narnerra cleaned and stitched his wounds. You read to him as a high fever caught him in its grasp, and when all else failed, you put your one talent to use.

Your voice. You sang, and knew you did so beautifully. It was the one gift about which you’d boast. And your voice had a soothing effect on Thorin. It calmed him. It quelled the storms raging inside him, no matter how temporarily.

His gaze slid toward the tower and you pressed your lips together to gather your thoughts before saying, “I didn’t think you would remember that.”

“Of course I remember it. I will never forget it. I didn't know it was you, of course. I only knew yours was a sweet voice, telling me to hold on, that all would be well. I remember being in agony, and hearing you singing softly to calm me. But, whenever I’d see you, you would be gone in the time it took me to rise from my chair or to even call you by name to get your attention.” He tapped the stick against the earth. “I move rather slowly these days, you know.”

“How long will you have that for?” The question was out before you could think it through and you regretted it as he stared down at the raven’s head, his jaw tightening slightly.

But then, he looked up and smiled. “I haven’t a clue. Narnerra won’t say. I think it’s when I feel bold enough to try to walk on my own. She doesn’t wish to rush me.”

“So, when do you think you will be so bold?”

“I tried once. And fell flat on my face.” He grinned. “I scared Narnerra so badly, she almost fainted dead away. I’ve been hesitant to try since.”

“Oh, Your Highness, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I learned my lesson.” He stepped closer, the walking stick striking the earth with a series of soft thumps. “So, you left because you felt alone?”

“It’s not much fun, watching others dance while you sit alone.”

A hint of a smile played at his lips. “If one were to ask you to dance, would you consider returning to the reception?”

Your heart beat faster now and your mouth went uncomfortably dry. “I—I beg your pardon?”

He came closer still and leaned slightly to prop the walking stick against the wall, whisked off his elegant robe to drape over the wall, and then, to your surprise, lifted the crown from his head to set it atop his robe. Finally, he held out a hand. “Dance with me?”

You just stared up at him, struck dumb by his question. Your gaze went to his outstretch hand, then back to his face. His hand. His face. Until finally, he wiggled his fingers and said, “I could fall on my face at any moment, you know. And won’t you feel terrible if that happens?”

“What—oh, right.” You stood and laid your hand in his. The moment your palm came flat against his, electricity raced up your arm, twisted your stomach, and set loose a gaggle of butterflies in your belly, whose wings beat mightily against your insides.

Those blunt, thick fingers closed about yours and her gave a gentle tug to draw you flush against him. He was every bit as solid as he looked—all wide shoulders and broad chest—and he smelled absolutely divine—hints of cedar, fresh earth, and rain clung to him.

You hesitated, heat climbing into your cheeks as he said, “You needn’t be so stiff, you know. It is perfectly fine for you to be this close to me. I promise you, I won’t bite.”

It wasn’t fine. He was the king. You were a nobody. You had to be mad to think yourself worthy of being held this way against the king. But at the same time, you could hide it no longer.

You didn't know what to do.

“I’ve—I’ve never danced with anyone before,” you admitted softly, bracing yourself for his reaction. You were worried he might laugh at you, or worse, pity you.

But he did neither. Instead, he caught you by the wrist to bring that hand to rest on his shoulder, then lowered his hand to rest on your hip, and caught your free hand in his. “We shall start simple,” he said, his voice soft. “On my count?”

You nodded, barely able to think straight at being so close to him. His body was firm and solid and although you were of Man, you were still small compared to him. It wasn’t anything you’d ever felt before, that feeling of being surrounded by complete maleness. He made you feel tiny, but delicate, and you wanted to savor every moment.

His hair came soft against the back of your hand as it rested on his solid shoulder. You hadn’t expected it to be so soft, so silken. You had to fight off the temptation to run your fingers through it, to let it slip against your skin in a gentle caress. Despite the layers of fabric between you and him, you could feel the solid muscle layering that powerful shoulder, and just touching him did the oddest thing to you, made your heart beat so fast, you were surprised you weren’t out of breath, being this close to this magnificent man.

“One… two… three…”

You moved with him.

And promptly stomped on his foot.

Heat flooded your cheeks. “Oh, Your Highness, I am so very sorry, I didn't mean—”

“It’s quite all right. On my count, step to your left.”

Pressing your lips together as you fought off that feeling of suffocating foolishness, you nodded.

“One… two… three…

You stepped in the right direction and smiled, feeling quite proud of yourself. He counted softly and on the next three, said, “Turn.”

You tripped over him this time. “Oh, I am—”

“Do not apologize. You will get it in time.”

“I’ll break you in the process.”

“Nonsense.” He smiled. “I am made of far sterner stuff. Now, again.”

This time, you really concentrated and within minutes, you lost all sense of clumsiness. He whisked you about without a misstep, and without worrying about the walking stick still propped against the wall. He spun you about the wide expanse of the courtyard as if an orchestra played for you alone, moved with a fluid grace belied by his size and build, and even by the limitations his injuries offered, and you felt as if you danced on air in his arms, as if your delicate silk slippers did not so much as touch the earth beneath you. Dancing with him left you breathless, airy laughter never far from your lips, and when he slowed, he released your hand to catch you instead about the waist.

He swayed, murmuring, “See? That wasn’t so difficult, what it?”

“Do you truly wish me to answer that?”

His throaty laugh rang out across the courtyard. “Fair enough, it wasn’t so difficult once you had the hang of it.”

“No, but getting to that point was—oh!”

Your gasp broke free when he dipped you without warning—simply bent over and bent you back until your hair brushed the earth. Your belly fluttered with the sudden movement and your instinct was to hold him tighter. He let out a low laugh as he brought you upright once more and drew you flush against him.

Up close, his eyes were even bluer than you’d thought. Framed by thick black lashes. You could lose yourself in those eyes so easily. Lose yourself and not think twice about it. You were afraid to speak, afraid to ruin the moment, or worse, wake yourself up and find this was only a dream.

You met his gaze and there was something different about it. A tenderness you’d never seen before filled those cerulean eyes, and for reasons you could not explain, the butterflies returned to your belly and your mouth went dry. He smiled down at you as if he shared that feeling with you. You wanted to ask him, the question hovered at your lips, but again, fear of looking utterly foolish held those words at bay. You would not ruin this perfect moment if you could possibly avoid it.

He made no move to release you. Rather, he seemed to hold you that much tighter, pulled you that much closer. Warmth from his hands on you sank through your pale green velvet dress, into you, spread through you, as you swayed with him again.

“I do like dancing with you,” he murmured, catching your hand in his as he slid his free arm about your waist. The hand he held, he tucked against his chest while you brought your free hand to rest on his shoulder.

“As do I—dancing with you, I mean,” you admitted with a hint of shyness. No man ever held you this way, or looked at you this way and this was not simply any other man. This was Thorin Oakenshield, the King Under the Mountain, the dwarf who could probably have any woman he chose.

And yet, he’d chosen you.

“I’ve been wanting to find a moment with you,” he said. “But it seems you are rarely alone within Erebor’s walls.”

“I like to keep busy. And Narnerra has been training me to become a Healer as well, so my days are spent in the infirmary, at her side, learning what I can.”

His expression grew serious. “Your voice carried me through the worst of everything,” he told you. “There are no words to express what that meant to me. What you have come to mean to me. Will you have me?”

“What?”

“Will you have me? As your dance partner for the rest of our days?”

You couldn’t resist a bit of teasing. “Only as a dance partner?”

“No,” his voice dropped to a low purr, “as my partner. I wish to court you, if you will have me. So say you will, and we might take the next step.”

He smiled down at you, his fingers sweeping lightly along the curve of your hips, and when you lifted your head to reply, his mouth found yours. His lips were soft and sweet, his kiss tasting of mead and smoke. His arms tightened about you, his lips parting, his tongue gliding along yours to make your head spin faster now. Your first kiss and it was absolutely perfect.

When he pulled back, his eyes were soft, as was his, “Come back inside and we can try this with music.”

“They will talk.”

“Let them,” he dipped you again, adding, “and ask me if I care.”

He gave you no chance to answer, but swept you back to the reception, where you spent the rest of the evening with Thorin. People looked and they whispered and you didn’t care one bit for you. They didn't matter. All that mattered was that Thorin whisked you across the dance floor as if you were lighter than air, and when he dipped you, this time, he bent over and kissed you right there, where everyone could see you. With that kiss, he claimed you as his that was just fine.

#fotfics #february challenge #thorin #thorin x reader #Thorin short fic #the hobbit #fanfic #the hobbit au

118 notes · View notes

westmoor · 4 years

Text

voices from within (a post-halloween special)

(other parts can be found here)

Following the success of his latest novel, Jaskier accompanies Geralt to fulfill a contract. He only hopes to get some sounds on tape, film some furniture moving, get his name out there and maybe catch the start of a new story - but some houses are haunted by more than just the ghosts of former residents.

---

“Oh.” Jaskier’s voice barely rang above a breath. “Oh, it’s gorgeous.” For a moment he stood staring up at the building that was to shelter him for the next twenty-four hours, until the slamming of the driver’s side door snapped him out of it and he turned. “Geralt-”

Geralt only hummed his assent. It was impressive, stately even: When Jaskier had referred to it as a castle, it wasn’t far from the truth.

Wide and squared and two storeys tall, brick painted a light creamy beige offset by dark brown, a dozen arched lattice windows gleamed in the afternoon light. Had he believed houses had personality he might’ve said this one looked friendly, inviting.

“What do you think?” Blue eyes twinkled at him, clearly pleased. “Do you like it? Think it will meet our expectations?”

He didn’t. He was decidedly less excited than his counterpart by what awaited them, and truth be told he would’ve preferred not to be there at all - or rather, preferred for Jaskier not to be there. It was a rule of his, one he’d reinforced after they had gotten together. He did not allow humans near his line of work.

But the novelist, after the success of the initial story featuring a Witcher, had been the one contacted about the job and had even brokered the contract, holding it over Geralt’s head until they had reached a compromise. He would be given free reign to do what he needed for the night, gather whichever so-called supernatural evidence and material he required, as long as he followed direction and kept a safe distance when told to. He had until dawn.

Still, Geralt couldn’t help the sneaking feeling of foreboding lurking at the back of his mind.

So no, he didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way it loomed behind the lean figure of his partner, deceptively calm, crouched like a beast lying in wait.

Geralt was saved from the attempt to voice his concerns - as brash as his boyfriend could be, he was remarkably perceptive - by a second car pulling in behind theirs.

No outside involvement had been another one of Geralt’s demands, triggering a tirade of protests from Jaskier, who in turn had argued that he couldn’t possibly cover the necessary ground on his own. Not within such a short time frame.

Unable to move his witcher, that particular settlement had eventually been perched on a technicality: No outsiders would join their so-called expedition.

How Jaskier had been able to get hold of Lambert and Eskel, much less convinced them both to join in, Geralt would never know.

Sneaky bastard.

Watching his brothers emerge from the car and approach them, however, he felt the restless beast in his chest subdued. Jaskier drew trouble like a spoonful of sugar drew wasps, but surely even he couldn’t manage to put himself in too much danger, not with three pairs of seasoned witcher eyes at his back.

Rounding the silver hood of the vehicle, Eskel nodded at Geralt and extended a hand in friendly greeting to Jaskier. The two of them had only briefly met but hit it off immediately, which wasn’t too surprising - anyone with the sense not to balk at his scars would find the older wolf to be good company.

Still waters run deep though, and his brothers knew better than anyone what it would take for a stranger to work through the layers of Eskel’s polite facade and earn real trust. Luckily for all of them, Jaskier’s openness and frank speech - verbose but earnest - had battered at it in much the same way as he’d broken down Geralt’s own walls.

Lambert, on the other hand -

“Thought you said this place had ghosts, or whatever.” His hands were buried as deep in his pockets as they would go. “Are we going to go find some, or just stand out here until we join them? I’m freezing my tits off.”

Lambert was an acquired taste.

Jaskier didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest, and eagerly grasped the incentive to get moving. Within moments he had ushered them all up the double stone steps with an authority that probably wasn’t appropriate for a young man to direct at three monster-hunting mutants twice his size, but seemed entirely natural to him.

Geralt thanked his lucky stars that neither brother commented on the quickening of his heartbeat.

---

If the exterior was impressive, the interior was overwhelming.

Heavy oak doors swung open on well-oiled hinges and they were led through to a lounging area, masterfully decorated to reflect the wealth and status of its original owners, walls practically dripping with frames illustrating its rich history. Past cushioned chairs, rococo sofas and tables on spindly legs, a grand staircase twisted up to the second floor, banister continuing along an interior balcony wrapping around the entrance from above. Beyond, rows of pearly white doors and pastel hallways would carry them into the heart of the manor.

Crossing the threshold felt like stepping through time. Despite the electric lights and vague distant hum of heating units, each piece in sight was as close to original as could be hoped for, selected and maintained with utmost care.

But there was something else, too. Not so much a smell as a breath, an unmistakable lingering of things long lost.

Neither witcher voiced it, though they all clearly noticed - eyes skimming walls and nostrils flaring momentarily before they discerned what couldn’t be pinned down.

Jaskier slipped seamlessly into the role of the enthusiastic guide, throwing tidbits and details left and right while introducing the trio to the building’s past and present characters. His brothers exchanged glances at the shift in demeanour, but Geralt remained unfazed. He knew the writer hadn’t stumbled into his profession by chance, but lived and breathed for such occasions. Be it in speech or in prose, he was a born narrator.

What followed was a thorough tour of every notable room, nook, and cranny, all with a performative flair and tinged with what Jaskier referred to as reported phenomenons. Geralt hung back. He had already heard the broad strokes of it, but listened nonetheless, the added structure and dulcet tone of his lover’s voice crafting it into a proper story.

The other two were paying the attention of hearing it for the first time, and his mind revived the question of how they’d been convinced to join in the first place. He might end up having to ask.

Though Jaskier was an entertaining host - and only got them lost twice - an hour had come and gone by the time they completed their loop and found themselves back at the top of the staircase.

��Now, gentlemen!” Clapping his hands, their guide halted in front of one of the large white doors. One, Geralt noted, they hadn’t opened yet. “If you would so kindly help bring in the equipment and start setting up for the night…” His lips quirked in that mischievous way at least one of them had come to know all too well. “I’ve saved the best for last.”

A lesser man would have succumbed to Lambert’s baiting comments and Geralt’s glare, but Jaskier’s penchant for dramatics could weather any storm.

Only once the car had been emptied of gear and devices, wires stretched and screens installed, and after he’d procured a sturdy meal for his companions through a particularly scared-looking pizza delivery person, were they allowed back near the second floor landing.

“I want to look everything over one more time before we start recording, and maybe move another cam down to the first floor. The maid’s quarter is said to be particularly reliable, lots of people claim to have heard voices - lullabies even - between 3 and 4am.”

It was Eskel, who so far had been the most amenable of the group and asked only the most practical questions, that finally raised the issue that had crawled steadily closer to the surface as they worked. “This seems like a pretty big contract for a few disembodied voices.”

“Ah.” Jaskier’s grin grew wide. “But we’ve only scratched the surface so far. “

“In here,” he tapped the great door behind him, “lies the heart of this little castle, the grand salon, where the original owners would entertain guests. Basically the entire staff claims to have heard sounds coming from here. Music, clinking glass, the clamour of voices, as if there’s a party taking place, dragging well into the night. But when they open the door and look inside…” He snapped his fingers. “Nothing! Dark and abandoned, quiet as a grave.”

“If the claims are true, this is where it all began. There was an accident, you see, a real tragedy, one that cost the master of the house - a mister Lamm - and all six of his sons their lives. His widow, Dora, unable to let go and half mad with grief, prayed day and night to be reunited with her husband and to see her family again. But when religion failed her, as it’s wont to do, she cast her net wider, and gathered every prominent mystic and occultist of her time to aid her quest.”

Geralt stepped closer, the crux of their stay finally about to be revealed to his brothers, who were following the recounting with rapt attention.

“And she succeeded in bringing them back. Not to life, perhaps, but the halls were filled with children’s laughter and the sounds of running footsteps once again. Dora is said to have sat up nightly, listening, speaking to them until dawn. Only, it wasn’t the only thing they brought along.”

Eskel nodded, an idea of which road the story was about to go down, but waited for the man to continue.

“Now, I don’t know that I believe everything -”

Lambert snorted, earning a sharp elbow to the side.

“- but according to mediums and other visitors who’ve stayed here over the years, the house is open somehow. Like a friction point worn thin. Supposedly whatever leaks through serves as a sort of battery for the rest - the knocking, the voices, the singing - but it’s not just that, either.”

Jaskier’s voice lowered a note as he dropped the theatrical edge, turning serious. “Previous employees say it… changes people. Makes them ill, triggers things. Makes them say and do things and behave in ways they otherwise wouldn’t. Most don’t stay very long. Others won’t leave, even after their employment is terminated.”

“The current owner wants it shut, whatever it is,” Geralt interjected.

If Jaskier was annoyed at having his flow broken, it didn’t show, and he smoothly picked back up. “And that’s why we’re here! By morning, thanks to Geralt’s ministrations, this place should be as devoid of any spiritual activity as any regular old heap of rocks, and I want to catch it before it goes.”

Silence fell over the group.

“That’s it?” Lambert looked at Jaskier, brows raised. Then at Geralt, and back at Jaskier, who nodded affirmatively. He shrugged. “Okay. Fun.”

Geralt released a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding, and Jaskier leaned up to the door.

“Well then, friends, if you’re ready!” He flicked the lock, before stepping back and turning to Geralt, features seeped in expectation.

“Darling, would you do the honours?”

#horror fiction writer jaskier #the witcher au #the witcher modern au #geraskier #the witcher fanfiction #still a witcher geralt #amateur ghost hunter jaskier #featuring Eskel (because someone asked him nicely) and Lambert (because its not like he had anything else planned today)

48 notes · View notes

lustheavens · 3 years

Text

Saving the best for later - Paulie Lombardo x reader

Summary: It’s yours and Paulie’s wedding day and the whole family is gathered for your first dance as husband and wife. What you are completely unaware of is that Paulie has prepared a surprise dance for you, leaving both you and your wedding guests astonished.

Warnings: Fluff.

A/N: Hello! I hope everyone’s day is going well! I struggled so much with this one because it’s really hard to describe someone dancing for some reason haha, but I tried my best and I’m happy with the result after all. I hope you enjoy this one!

Your wedding venue is all you could have ever dreamt of. You were lucky to find a pretty little brick house by the ocean to rent for your wedding party. The party is currently taking place outside in the fresh air and sunny weather. All of the tables are placed in a big square, every single one of them facing towards the dancefloor in the middle. In the corner of the brick house, behind the tables, is where the band is performing and setting the whole mood of the party. The walls are covered in ivy and your two bridesmaids, Sarah and a childhood friend, added colorful flowers to it. It’s just perfect. The whole family is there to celebrate your special day with the two of you and you couldn’t ask for better guests than them.

“May I have everybody’s attention please?” Tommy calls out into the microphone as he gestures with one hand for everyone to quiet down. As the volume of your wedding guests slowly reduces, Tommy smiles before continuing. “As one of Paulie’s two best men,” He begins as he points over at Sam who is also Paulie’s best man. “I have the honor of announcing the first dance of the evening!” All of the guests starts cheering and clapping in joy, some of the male guests even blowing whistles. Tommy gestures towards Paulie and you with his arm, a wide grin on his lips. “Please give it up for the bride and groom!” He calls into the microphone and the volume of the whistling, clapping and cheering instantly increases. The live band starts playing a beautiful jazzy ballad bringing all of your guests into a harmonic mood. Paulie grabs your hand, holding it gently in his big one. He gives you a loving smile before guiding you towards the middle of the dance floor. You blush slightly as you take a quick look around you. Everyone’s eyes are on you. You’ve never considered yourself to be a great dancer so the fact that you’re about to perform your first dance as a married couple in front of everyone makes you nervous. Paulie has been a great support on that front. He’ve told you again and again during your practices to not pay the people watching any attention and just focus on him. But now that it’s happening for real you can’t seem to focus that well on the task at hand.

As you make it into the middle Paulie spins you around gently before wrapping one arm around your waist and his other hand securing a grip on yours. You put your free hand on his shoulder, your gaze stuck in the level of his chest. A low chuckle escapes his lips before he leans down to mumble into your ear. “Relax sweet cheeks. Just focus on me and you’ll be fine.” You look up at him, a heartwarming smile on his lips. A smile makes its way onto your lips as well before you take the first step of the dance. It’s calm and romantic, your feet sweeping gently across the ground as the soft, jazzy tunes brings you into another state of mind. Paulie makes sure to keep you very close to him and you put your cheek against his shoulder while closing your eyes. The further into the song you get the more relaxed you feel yourself getting. For a moment you open your eyes to glance over at your guests. Some are swaying along to the music and some are just watching the two of you in complete awe. You look over to where your two bridesmaids are standing, Sarah is smiling through her tears and your childhood friend is cheering you on. You smile and sink deeper into Paulie’s embrace, him guiding you through the whole dance.

As the song comes to an end all of your guests starts clapping and cheering loudly. “Mr. and Mrs. Lombardo, everyone!” Tommy calls into the microphone once again. You smile widely as you slowly pull away from Paulie. You look up at him only to see his smile form into a smirk instead. Just when you think it’s time to walk back to your seats the band starts playing again. This time, however, they are playing what sounds like very nontraditional Italian music. The sensual tunes surprise you as well as the guests. Before you can ask Paulie what’s going on, his arm wraps around your waist once again, pulling you in closer to his body. He presses his forehead against yours as his other arm wraps around your waist as well. “This is my little gift to you.” his voice is playful as he winks at you which sends chills down your spine. Following the tempo of the sensual song he starts guiding you around the dance floor while keeping an intense eye contact with you. His brown eyes completely focused on you making you weak in the knees. Your lips are almost touching as you sway your hips against his, both of your breathing becoming heavier and heavier by every step you take. He lifts your arm above your head and spins you around twice before pulling you back against his body tightly, his hands slowly sliding down to your lower back. You’re so focused on Paulie that you haven’t even noticed the shocked expressions surrounding you. A few gasps can be heard in the distance but none of them are enough to break your eye contact with Paulie. Suddenly you feel his hands sliding down to your hips, gripping onto them slightly which makes you unconsciously sway them side to side a bit more. He smiles at the reaction before leaning down so that his lips are on the same level as your ear. “I love it when you do that.” He mumbles causing your cheeks to turn red. The others must have noticed cause right then you can hear Sam shout something about Paulie giving you a taste of what’s to come later when you’re alone. Before you can react Paulie’s hand moves back up to your lower back, his grip getting a bit tighter as he starts leaning you backwards. You grab onto his shoulders as you look straight up into his eyes. “He’s not wrong.” He says out loudly so that everyone hears, causing everyone to cheer in unison. Paulie has always had a vulgar mouth and luckily all of your guests are part of the family so no one really takes offense or sees it as distasteful. You bring your hands up to your face to cover your blushing cheeks but Paulie is quick to pull you up again and spin you around so that your back is tightly pressed against him instead. He gently grabs your wrists and move them down to his thighs before moving his own hands back up to your hips as he places a tender kiss on your shoulder.

As the song slowly comes to an end Paulie surprises you by lightly spinning you out to the side, his hand holding onto yours tightly so you don’t go too far. Once you have two arm’s length between you he spins you back in against his body before grabbing onto your thigh and lifting it up, holding it tightly against his waist. You place one hand on his shoulder and the other on his chest as he kisses you deeply and outmost passionately, completely taking your breath away. For a second it’s completely quiet except the sound of your hard breathing. That’s until every single one, even the band members, starts clapping and cheering loudly. Everyone seems to be ecstatic and also completely shocked. As you pull away slightly you instantly start blushing as you fan your face with your hand, everyone laughing at your expression. “Oh Paulie’s getting it tonight!” Tommy shouts, causing you to blush even more. Paulie seems completely unaffected by all the attention you’re getting and he doesn’t seem to bother too much with it either. All he can focus on is you. He cups your cheek and presses his forehead gently against yours again, a grin spreading across his face at your stunned reaction.

“I’m saving the best for later.”

#mafia definitive edition #paulie lombardo #paulie x reader

19 notes · View notes

disenchantedhq · 3 years

Text

It was a royal decree heard in the four corners of Auradon, and even to the dreary world locked behind the enchanted mirrors; The Shadowborn would be free to live in the light and splendor of Auradon so long as they forsake their villainous forefathers and abide in righteous civility.

The declaration was made during the height of Queen Belle’s Ball — the first event of Auradon’s yearly social season. A time in which the wealthy and opulent members of Auradon’s high society come together to introduce their progeny of age and see to illustrious matches being had, the social season is dotted with many a festival, gathering and celebration. None is as talked about as Queen Belle’s Ball. Taking place the first evening of spring, following the assemblage and parading of eligible young bachelorettes to her Majesty the Queen, it is the first official gathering of the upper class. It is during this celebration that the esteemed ‘Diamond of the First Water’ is declared, the incomparable bachelorette of the season who is most likely to find a pair far sooner than the other maidens in society. It is also during this event that the eligible male heirs and bachelors of Auradon’s upper crust get to lay their eyes upon the young women from which they can court and eventually make wives. To some it is a time honoured tradition that allows the proper mingling of their noble houses and keeps the court full of honourable and worthy members of society. To others it is no different than parading heifers at market. Whatever it means to you, the social season is good for that primary reason — the socialization of Auradon’s finest young adults.

So shortly after declaring that the young Lady White would be this year’s incomparable maiden, it was soon revealed as well that Her Royal Highness, Princess Emma of Auradon, would be given the honour of making her first royal decree. As it is expected the Princess would marry soon and will eventually take her father’s place as ruler of Auradon, King Adam thought it wise to give his daughter the chance to enact a new law to give perspective to what sorts of changes she could implement in the country once she had risen to Monarch. The decree had been met with some criticism, even hostility from members of other noble houses who petitioned tirelessly in the days following to see it reversed. But to others the decree showed that their future queen had the sort of compassionate soul that could move people and change them for the better. Whatever the feelings were, King Adam signed what would he known as Princess Emma’s Shadow Decree into law the day following the Queen’s Ball. The new arrivals would soon be ushered into Auradon City at noon, exactly one week after Queen Belle’s Ball.

Carried on horse drawn caravan which paled next to the well fitted coaches and carriages of the elite, they were presented by Fairy Godmother and the good Aurorian fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, in the Auradon City town square, lined up in the shadow of a large statue of His Majesty King Adam. Staring up at the scowl on their monarch’s face, many thoughts filled the minds of the twenty eight gathered youths. Trepidation. Anxious excitement. Anger and vengeance. Mixed emotions flowed through the group of young adults as they were paraded like exotic fowl before the crowds which gathered in Auradon to see the faces that resembled their most horrid nightmares. The procession met with a royal assemblage as King Adam, Queen Belle, and Princess Emma herself warmly welcomed each Shadowborn individually. King Adam shook their hands and clapped a hearty hand on their backs, all smiles and loud laughter as he declared them new members of the United Kingdom of Auradon. Soon after they were shuffled back into their caravans and taken to the slightly more rundown neighborhood of Auradon Proper known as “Low Town”. Here the cobblestones are wet with defecation and piss, the alley ways lined with ruffians and whores, the only brothel in Auradon hidden in rundown buildings by the docks.

There is a small block of Low Town which is decidedly clean, but still not as well manicured as Evermore Parkway, the Garden District where the nobility’s city houses are located. Standing across the street from each other stand two decently well kept boarding houses. One is called ‘Mrs. Potts’ Home for Respectable Young Ladies’ and the other bears a worn sign that reads ‘Cogsworth’s Home for Decent Gentleman’. Split between (Auradon observed) gender roles, a portion of the group was ushered with their belongings into one house and the other into the other one. They were introduced to small rooms, two person a bedroom, and given their daily itinerary. Washrooms open at 6 am, breakfast by 7:30, chaperones prepared to walk any Shadowborn through the ton available as early as 8. Visitation was limited to the drawing rooms and would be available to calls from 9 am to 5 pm in the evening, with supper served in the common dining halls at 6 pm. Every other night they would travel to the other boarding house for supper, unless given an approved note to leave to the ton for the evening.

The rest of the evening could be spent in the common areas or their rooms doing whatever they pleased, so long as it was righteous and not destructive to the property. Bible readings would be had in the drawing room at 9:30, optional given some’s demonic origins. Lights out by 10. The group was allowed on chaperoned tours of the delights of Auradon the following day, seeing the enchanted park, strolling down the Rues where colorful shops lined the streets, wide windows displaying their inventory. They enjoyed a meal at The Maldonian’s own restaurant, Tiana’s Place, the second location outside the original Bayou de Orleans’ location. They even toured one of the great mansion homes of the elite, with the promise to not touch anything nor to speak to any house members should they show their faces. They did not, of course, but one never knew. Hour by hour they were shown to the world that they could freely live in, should they prove after one season that they could be law abiding citizens. A thought met with mixed response, surely.

As all of Auradon became restless to see their new arrivals shown in society, a glittering invitation made itself known to the manicured houses of Evermore Parkway and the two boarding homes in Low Town. A Fête. Her Royal Highness Princess Emma of Auradon was to throw a Grand Fête at her Majesty Queen Belle’s Country Chateau, just an hour carriage ride outside the city. And to add to the scandalous excitement of such an event, the invitation declared that this party would be had in honour of the Shadowborn who have come to live in Auradon for the season. An assemblage of nearly five dozen were expected, with members of the aristocracy and the newly appointed citizens making up the attendance. Per the invitation, the evening would begin with a five course meal after sundown, followed by an intimate concert by the infamous Auradon opera singer Madame de la Grande Bouche, and a dance during which the royal orchestra would perform. Rooms were prepared for all to stay the night, with the morning containing festivities as well; a morning picnic by the rose beds followed by croquet on the lawn and walks through the lush labyrinthine gardens. A charming welcome to the new citizens, and another fancy gathering for the young elite, it seemed as though the royal family was hopeful that this gathering could be the start of a fruitful season.

As a golden sun sets behind Bald Mountain and Olympus in the far distance, carriages jostle and shake as they make their way down the dirt country roads towards a fine chateau. It was once the home of an imperial family, now a relic of the past rebuilt and outfitted to her majesty the Queen’s liking. Outfitted with scarlet velvet couches, deep purple and emerald drapes, glimmering golden frames housing portraits of the royal family members both past and present, the largest library in the entire country, and all the glitz and glamour expected of the monarchy, the home opens its doors to the masses as their carriages tumble down the gravel path to the front. As the carriages round the bend, soft and faint music can be heard from the open windows of the chateau. Footmen and attendants await the guests, helping them up the grand stair case leading inside. A soft spring breeze, carrying the scent of ruby red roses and lavender, wafts through the hall as they are ushered family by family towards the grand hall. There a footman announces each guest, and an attendant leads them to the long and vast table adorned with glittering cutlery and massive displays of food far more fresh and exotic than the Shadowborn have ever seen. Almost five dozen places have been made, place cards at each spot with a name elegantly scribbled on it. The royal family split up the elite and Shadowborn, assigning them to sit by each other in hopes of the mingling helping the new citizens fit into society. Parents are notably missing, though the only daughters of the elite come with chaperones in the form of close family friends or court members escorting them for propriety’s sake. They seat them separately, so as not to interfere with tonight’s purpose.

You find your name on ivory card stock and take your seat, heart thrumming with some emotion. Could it be excitement? Nerves? Fear? Anxiety? Whatever it is, you take a moment to look around and take in the grandeur and splendor of the Queen’s Chateau, listening to the dulcet sounds of the orchestra from the adjacent ball room. You watch as the rest of the evening’s large party settles into their chairs, maybe even casting a smile or glance at the stranger seated beside you or across from you. Everyone waits in silence until Princess Emma picks up a utensil or her glass, and with her silent permission you begin to feast. A low hum of conversation begins traveling down the table as goblets are refilled with sweet wine and servants present each new course of the fabulous meal. The night has barely begun, and there is much excitement to be had.

How might the first chapter of your fairy tale commence?

Now with all that having been said, I am so happy to announce the opening event for disenchantedhq: PRINCESS EMMA’S GRAND FÊTE. As has been mentioned before: this event will begin on Wednesday, April 7th at midnight MST and will continue until the following Saturday, April 17th at 11:59 pm PST. The event itself will take place on the in world dates of: the evening of April 3rd, 1825 and the morning of April 4th, 1825. You will get the chance to roleplay interactions taking place during both the evening and morning festivities.

As decided in the discord, the event will be performed partly on discord and the dash, with the former being used for more group wide interactions and the latter being favored for one on one interactions; such as dancing, conversation at dinner, walking the grounds, etc. Discord may also be used for one on one interactions if it is more suitable for the writers involved. Following the events end on April 17th, a summary of the notable and relevant moments will be written up and displayed on our discord, and all group wide interactions will be archived. In the days leading up to the event, there will be some light group plotting in the ooc chat on discord. This event will not feature heavy plot lines, but instead will serve as a way to introduce the characters to each other and begin interactions.

The coming days will also feature new information released on the main, such as the aforementioned flatmate arrangements, the map of the Evermore Parkway noble homes, and the table seating at the Grande Fête’s banquet. Some of this information will be moved onto pages on the main for future reference. Stay tuned for all relevant updates on the main!

As always, have fun and please reach out to me via discord or the main should you have any questions or concerns. I will respond promptly.

Can’t wait to start some IC interactions with everyone!

#disenchantedadmin #disenchantedevent

3 notes · View notes

amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines · 4 years

Text

Maeve//It’s Always Been You

Being friends with Maeve Wiley has never been an easy job. She always had something going on in her life, whether it being family trouble, boy drama or school problems. Luckily for her though, you were usually around whenever something had gone wrong.

But being in love with Maeve Wiley was a completely different issue, especially when it came to boy drama, and recently she seems to be surrounded by it.

Earlier today Eric had invited the two of you to Otis’ ‘small gathering’ seeing as though you were friends with the both of them (thanks to maeve, you were kind of a package deal), and you’d of course agreed. Maeve had been a little more reluctant, telling Eric that she’d think about it before following the rest of the quiz heads, but you’d promised you’d try and talk to her, before running after her.

Everyone was well aware of the Otis, Maeve and Ola love triangle, everybody apart from the people who needed to know about it. But what everyone didn’t know, was that it should actually be a love square. You’d been in love with Maeve since the day you moved in next door. She was this badass girl that didn’t take shit from anyone and wasn’t afraid of anything, and you were in awe of her from the moment you saw her. And after she found you sitting alone on one of the hills just outside the trailer park, the two of you became instant friends, and you’d fallen in love with her more and more everyday.

“Jean is going to kill him.” You say as you look around the trashed living room.

“Definitely.” Eric agrees while the two of you watch Otis dance drunkly, his drink spilling on the floor as he did. Rahim hands the two of you a drink and you gladly take it, not nearly as drunk as you’d want to be. And definitely not as drunk as Otis is. He’d been drinking since you arrived, partly because of Eric, partly because of his nerves about throwing a ‘gathering’ and trying to win Ola back, but mostly because he was sad.

Maeve had arrived about an hour ago with some boy you recognized from the trailer park, Issac you think. Him and his brother had moved in a few days ago and they seemed alright, if not a bit cynical, but thats what Maeve seemed to like about them.

The two of you had hung out before the party and you’d managed to persuade her into coming, the two of you needed some fun after a rough couple of weeks and a party was exactly what you needed, even if it was at Otis Milburn’s house. You’d helped her pick her outfit (not that you were much help because she looks amazing in literally anything) before you left to get dressed yourself.

You came back over after you were dressed and greeted her mum politely before going to find her. She had tried backing out of the party when you found her sitting on the sofa, but you’d managed to persuade her again with the promise of a lot of alcohol and the chance to talk things over with Otis. They both needed to talk about what had happened between the two of them, and yeah it killed you to see your crush be in love with someone else but it killed you even more to see her so sad. You wanted everything to go back to normal before it got complicated with stupid feelings for stupid people.

You’ve seen Ola a few times, going into random rooms, but you hadn’t really paid that much attention to her, you were too busy trying to control Otis’ alcohol intake...not that he was listening to you as well as also keeping an eye on Maeve. She looks happy enough talking to Issac and so you decided to leave them to it for a bit, just while you babysat Otis until Eric came back from wherever he’d disappeared to.

However...

“Hey Otis.” Ola tries to catch his attention and your eyes widen. “Otis?”

“Oh god.” You mumble. You’d left the room to get yourself a drink and when you come back he’s talking to Maeve, with Ola not far behind the two of them. Both the girls don’t look very happy with him, however Issac looks very amused by his dancing, and at any other time, you would be too. But this is just a disaster waiting to happen. “Where’s Eric?” You ask Rahim as you look around the crowded room but can’t seem to find him anywhere.

“I’ve got my stuff, I’m leaving.” Ola tells him, an unimpressed look on her face as she holds her bag up.

“Okay. Bye Ola.” He waves her off but keeps looking at Maeve, a smug smile on his face and you curse.

“You invited her but not me?” She asks, looking at Maeve who rolls her eyes.

“No.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t invite her. Eric invited her without my knowledge. He invited Y/n too.” He points behind him at you and you smile awkwardly. “I didn’t want her here at all.” He says and Maeve’s eyebrows raise.

“Ouch.” You mumble and move to stand in between Maeve and Ola.

“I think I’m going to go too.” Maeve says annoyed and turns around to pick up her bag. You go to follow her but Otis stands in the way of the three of you, stopping you all from leaving.

“Maeve, Ola. Stay, please. Please stay.” He says. “I have something to tell you. I have something to tell both of you.” He puts his drink down and spins around. “I’m going to tell everyone because...I can.” He stumbles onto the sofa and you cringe at the situation happening in front of you. “Sorry Connor.” He mumbles. “Excuse me, everyone! Everyone, come and look at me. I have an announcement to make. Can we turn the music down? Um, I wanna say something...to my party guests.”

“Otis. Get down!” You say but he waves his arm around, completely ignoring you.

“Um, so, this is Ola. I don’t know if you know her. She’s well, quite little and...and funny, and interesting, and pretty, and she was my girlfriend, until she told me I can’t see Maeve anymore.” He says and your eyes widen, Maeve rolls her eyes again while Ola looks at the floor. “Now, we all know Maeve. Scary Maeve. You know, she’s not actually scary. She’s just pretending.” That is very true, he does have a point there and its one of the things you love most about her. “Anyway...Maeve told me that she liked me, okay? And I like Maeve. I like Maeve a lot, a lot more than I liked Ola.” He admits and everyone gasps.

“Otis. Otis, get off-” Eric tries but he continues anyway.

“But I was trying to be a good boyfriend, so I said to Maeve ‘sorry, i can’t see you anymore’. And then, Ola dumped me. Yeah, its confusing. I was confused. But I thought probably a good thing ‘cause I just really wanted to be with Maeve. And I didn’t really want to be with Ola, and then I realized, Maeve Wiley just likes playing with people’s feelings, and she doesn’t really care about anybody else. Like, she brought this...man with her-”

“Otis.” You warn, your fists clenched by your side. You’re not a violent person but right now Otis is making it very difficult to be nice.

“Yeah, anyway. So she brought this man. I don’t know, probably to make me jealous. Definitely didn’t work.”

“It definitely did.” Issac whispers.

“All in all, I think she’s probably the most selfish person I’ve ever met. And I think its good that I’m not going out with either of them because I think I deserve a whole lot more. Thank you for coming. Good night.” He starts clapping to himself while everyone whispers around him. “Not good night. Stay, enjoy yourselves. Music on, please!”

“You’re welcome to him.” Ola spits before walking out.

“What is her problem?” Otis slurs to himself.

“You’re an arsehole.” Maeve shoves past him making him stumble.

“Hey!” He calls after her, but quickly forgets everything he’s just said, his face lighting up when he see’s you. “Y/n! Are you enjoying the par-” You cut him off by punching him...hard, and a few people around you, including Ola and Maeve laugh in disbelief.

“You’re a real dickhead Otis Milburn!” You shove past him and catch up with Maeve, grabbing her hand which she gratefully takes. She’s staring at you completely shocked as the two of you walk out. Her hands shake as the two of you walk back home in a comfortable silence and you give her hand a reassuring squeeze every so often.

-----

“Why are boys such...” Maeve trails off as the two of you lie next to each other. When you got back to the trailer park you insisted on her staying at your house for the night so she wouldn’t have to deal with her mum and she gladly accepted your offer.

“Idiots?” You finish her sentence for her making her giggle and you blush softly.

“Well, that wasn’t the word I was going to use. But sure. Why are they such idiots?”

“I guess in this society, being male and an asshole makes them worthy of our time.” You reply making her laugh louder.

“You’ve really been spending too much time with me.”

“Like you could come up with something like that.” You scoff and she looks at you offended. “Its from 10 Things I Hate About You.”

“I love that movie.”

“I know you do.” You smile softly at her. “What Otis said, it wasn’t true, you know that right?” You ask and she sighs, turning to lie on her back. You do the same and the two of you stare at the ceiling, trying to make patterns out of the weird design on it.

“The more I think of it, the more I feel like he was right though.”

“What?” Your jaw drops. “How could you think that? Maeve, Otis was an arsehole back there, like you said. He’s just upset because nothing was going his way and he was being a child. You are the most selfless person I have ever met. I think you’re amazing and Otis should thank every god in existence that you’re in his life, because you’re really special. You’re amazing Maeve Wiley.”

“You’re just saying that.” She rolls her eyes as she plays with her fingers, something she does when she’s nervous.

“When do I ever just say something? Especially to you?” You raise a brow. “I don’t go around punching boys for just any reason. They have to really piss me off.”

“True.” She laughs. “Thank you for that. How’s your hand?”

“I think it’ll be fine.” You shrug and hold your hand up to try and see any bruises forming. After a few seconds of squinting you can make out a few dark bruises starting to appear making you smile to yourself. “If I were you I’d be more worried about Otis’ face.” You reply making her laugh loudly.

“Yeah, like thats going to happen.” She giggles and turns to look at you, however her laughter is replaced with a frown when she see’s the sad expression on your face. “Whats wrong?” She turns on her side.

“Do you still love him?” You ask and her breath hitches.

No, I love you. I love you. I love you. I. Love. You! She wants to scream it. She wants to shout it from rooftops and tell the entire world. I love you and its the best feeling ever.

“No.” She shakes her head softly.

“When did you stop?”

“A few months ago.”

“Why?” You ask.

“I fell for someone else.” She says, her voice barely above a whisper and you look down, refusing to make eye contact.

“Oh.”

“They’re really the best.” She says dreamily. “They’re always there for me, no matter what and I really can’t imagine my life without them.”

“I’m glad you’ve gotten over Otis.” You force a smile. “He didn’t deserve you.” You add and turn around quickly, facing the other side of the room. You don’t know its happening until its too late, and then you’re quietly crying because she seems to see everyone that isn’t you.

“Y/n?” She asks, unsure of what to say. “Please turn around.”

“Its getting late and we have school tomorrow.” You force out, your voice wobbling as you try to make it through and she sighs.

“Please.” She adds making you sigh and quickly wipe the tears from your face before turning to face her. You’re glad your bedroom is dark so she can’t see the tears staining your cheeks, even though you know she already knows. “Y/n?” She brushes a piece of her from your face and your eyes flicker to look at her. “Its you.” She whispers and leans in slowly, her lips brushing against yours softly before you close the gap, pressing your lips against hers. The kiss is slow and gentle as your hands tangle in her hair while her hand travels down to your waist, pulling you closer. “Its always been you.”

#sex education #sex education imagine #maeve wiley #maeve wiley imagine #maeve x reader

270 notes · View notes

bee-kathony · 5 years

Photo

The Oath | Ch. 27 “I Smell Snow”

a/n: thank you so much for reading! only good things ahead!

Arc I | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 | Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26

January 17th, 2020

Madeline was oblivious to her joyous surroundings. At four months old, she was a wee thing, resting safely in her rocking carrier. Meanwhile, her parents and other family members were celebrating a victory.

“I canna believe it!” Jenny smiled and hugged Claire for the fourth time that evening. They had all gathered at Jamie and Claire’s for a celebratory dinner. The trial was over, the lab shut down, and Frank was in prison. To top it off, Jamie was Madeline’s father after all.

“Well I can,” Claire sat down on the kitchen stool. “It was a bloody messy business. Involving lawyers and a judge, but I’m glad it’s finally over.”

“Twas worth the fight,” Murtagh said as he came into the kitchen holding two bottles of red wine. “That bastard Randall will hopefully get some sense knocked into him.”

“You didn’t even meet the man,” Jamie laughed as he sliced the homemade pizzas. “He was a bastard, but how do ye even ken?”

“I ken he’s a right git, because he tried to mess wi’ the Fraser’s and anyone wi’ half a brain kens better than to do that,” Murtagh grunted and patted Jamie roughly on the back.

“I just can’t believe I lived with him for years, and almost married him,” Claire buried her face into her hands, embarrassed.

“Well, ye didna marry him,” Jamie said. “Instead, ye’ll be marryin’ me and for that I am thankful.”

Claire looked up and reached her hand across the counter, taking Jamie’s. He squeezed it and then leaned over to place a kiss on her palm.

“No kissin’ over my pizza!” Ian shouted as he came into the room carrying Kitty, who would be one in May.

Jamie released Claire’s hand and returned to the pizza, finishing cutting the last of it.

“Dinner is served! There’s pizza with all the meat ever created, one wi’ only the veggies and then a plain cheese for the picky eaters,” he waved his hands over the assortment of pizza.

“It looks delicious, Jamie. Thank you,” Claire grinned.

Ian, Jenny and Murtagh went first, picking up several slices of pizza and going to sit at the dining table. Geillis would be arriving soon with Lily, so Claire made sure to save some veggie pizza for them both.

“Does it feel a bit odd to you to be celebrating someone going to prison?” Claire asked Jamie quietly as they served pizza onto their own plates.

“Nah, Sassenach,” Jamie said. “Frank did a bad thing, and he could’ve done worse. I ken that ye feel guilty.” He raised his brows as Claire started to object that she wasn’t, but he could read her glass face. “Tis no a life sentence anyways,” he shrugged. “There’s nothin’ wrong wi’ havin’ a party to celebrate the fact that that nuisance of a man is out of our lives!”

Jamie kissed her on the lips, and lingered there for a moment, cherishing the time with his almost wife.

“Have I told you how excited I am to marry you?” Claire grinned and pecked his lips again.

“Aye, but I willna ever tire from hearin’ ye say it,” he smiled.

Twenty minutes later, Geillis and Lily walked in, shivering from the cold outside.

“Brrr!” Geillis shook her head and snowflakes fell to the ground where they immediately melted on the hardwood. “I didna check the weather, tis snowing!”

“Oh, really?” Claire glanced out through the open door to see a heavy fall of white crisp snow. “Maybe we can take Madeline out later and build a snowman!”

“Aye, wi’ a carrot for a nose,” Jamie laughed. “Come in and sit lasses,” he waved over the new guests. “We saved ye some veggie pizza if ye like.”

“Thank you, that would be great, ye old fox,” Geillis grinned and pinched Jamie’s cheek as she sat down.

Lily was a beautiful girl, someone that Claire had only talked to a few times at the hospital. She looked around nervously, before Geillis finally introduced her to them all.

“I’d like everyone to meet my girlfriend, Lily Waters,” she smiled proudly.

“Excuse me?” Jenny looked at the girl wide eyed. “Yer last name is Waters and yer first name is Lily? Did yer parents no think to spare ye from that?”

Lily laughed, a musical sound. “I get it all the time. In primary school I was teased constantly for being the white lily floating on water.”

“I think it’s a beautiful name,” Geillis kissed her cheek and it made Claire happy to see her friend in such high spirits.

They all gathered around the table, and before they dug into the cheesy pizza, Jamie raised his glass and the others did the same.

“I just want to say a few things while I have ye all here,” he smiled, clearing his throat as he looked around at all their friends and family. “It means a great deal to myself and to Claire that ye’ve stuck wi’ us through this difficult time. Whenever we needed ye, ye were always there for us, so we say thank ye and that we appreciate ye all verra much.”

Jamie looked at Claire now, tears brimming to the surface at he looked at the love of his life. “Sassenach, my own,” he said softly, and all eyes were on them. “I’ve made two oaths now, one to always be there for ye and another to tell the truth, and I just want ye to ken that I will always tell ye the truth, and I will always be there for ye. I love ye so much, Claire, I truly dinna ken what I would do w’out ye and Mads in my life. Ye’ve made me a better man, a father and soon a husband.”

Claire smiled, and wiped the tears that fell from her eyes.

“I love you too, Jamie,” was all she could say and then raised her glass and they all clinked their glasses and drank.

The pizza wouldn’t stay hot forever, so they finally started eating, groans of satisfaction echoing around the table.

“So, now that the trial is over, have ye two picked a proper date?” Jenny asked Claire.

“Yes,” Claire nodded enthusiastically. “We’ll have the wedding outside in the garden at Lallybroch of course. And we’re going to get married on June sixteenth!”

“Ah, sounds like a perfect day for a weddin’!” Jenny smiled. “I canna wait! We’ve never had a weddin’ at Lallybroch. Ian and I were marrit at the local kirk, so I can just picture how beautiful it will all look.”

“We were hopin’ that Madeline would be able to walk down the aisle, but come June it might be a bit too soon,” Jamie said, a bite of pizza in his mouth. “I suppose I can carry her,” he grinned.

“And we’d love if young Jamie would be the ring bearer and Maggie a flower girl along with Kitty,” Claire said to Ian and Jenny.

“Och, I’m sure the bairns would love that,” Ian nodded. “They’ll do it!”

Over the course of the meal, they continued to talk about wedding plans. Everyone was in high spirits, which was refreshing for a change. After a long month and a half of uncertainty for their future, the future finally looked bright.

Once all the pizza was eaten and the plates were cleared and put into the dishwasher, they all gathered in the living room.

“Yer more than welcome to stay, we have plenty of drinks, but I was wonderin’ if ye’d all like to join us in the backyard to help build Madeline her first snowman?” Jamie asked and there were smiles and nods all around.

Bundled up in their warmest coats, hats and scarves, they all ventured out into the snow. Jamie carried Madeline in his arms, only her face peeking out from the big fluffy coat she had on. The snow fell down quickly, covering their fresh snow tracks. It was magical.

Jamie couldn’t wait for the day that Madeline would be able to help him build a snowman, but for now, he settled for having his family roll up piles of snow into balls and stack them on top of one another.

“I don’t think I’ve actually ever built a snowman,” Claire said as she gathered long sticks for its arms. “My parents and I always stayed inside whenever the snow came.”

“Ye mean, ye’ve never even had a snowball fight?” Murtagh asked, to which Claire shook her head.

“Never.”

Claire bent down to roll up snow to pack onto the snowman’s head, and then out of nowhere a ball of ice cold snow hit her square in the back. She turned to see Murtagh laughing, his hands covered with the evidence.

“Murtagh! You bastard!” Claire laughed, and gathered up a ball of snow in her hands, tossing it in Murtagh’s general direction. It missed and it only made him laugh more. His mouth was open when a snowball hit him in the face.

“Take that ye clot heid,” Jenny shouted, laughing as she rolled another one and hit him in the stomach.

Jamie watched all of this from their back patio, making sure that Madeline was out of the line of fire. Snowballs flew around the yard, hitting people and some missing by an inch.

“Do ye think this is funny?” Jamie asked Madeline who was grinning, her smile toothless.

Geillis scooped up a big ball of snow and aimed it right at Claire’s head and it exploded in her bird’s nest that was her hair. She squeaked and shook her head, trying to get the snow out.

Glancing over at Jamie, Claire gathered up a little ball of snow and walked over to him.

“You’re missing out,” she said, a little breathless.

“I’m holdin’ Mads, I’m no’ missin’ out on anythin’,” he said, and kissed her. Claire wrapped her arm around his neck and slipped her hand into the back of his coat, releasing the little ball of snow.

Jamie gasped, his mouth parting against hers.

“Sassenach!” He shouted, but Claire was already running away, laughing.

“Janet!” Jamie shouted for his sister and she came over. “Will ye hold Mads? I need to make sure Claire gets what she deserves.”

“Aye, brother,” Jenny grinned and held out her hands for her niece.

Scooping up a huge snowball, Jamie aimed for Claire and hit her in the leg. She gasped, turned to him and threw one at his chest. Snow was flying in all directions, shrieks of laughter echoing around outside.

After a few more minutes of dodging and throwing, they all stopped and gathered around their half built snowman.

“Truce,” Murtagh said. “My hands are fit to freeze off!”

“Aye,” Jamie huffed. “But we canna go inside just yet until we finish Madeline’s snowman.”

Once she felt it was safe and free from flying snowballs, Jenny came back over, holding Madeline against her. Within a few minutes, they had finished the snowman. Claire went back inside to grab a carrot for the nose — it was long and very orange.

“I got two Oreos for the eyes as well,” Claire said and held out her hand, letting Jamie take them. He placed them in the eye slots and then Claire slid the nose into place. “There, the perfect snowman!”

“I wouldna say perfect,” Ian smirked. “But it’s close.”

“Do ye like it, Mads?” Jamie asked his daughter, stroking her cheek, and she smiled, waving her hands.

“I think she does!” Jenny smiled.

“Oh, let me take a picture!” Claire said, and walked over to the railing of the patio fence, setting her phone down and pressing the ten second timer. She ran back to get into place next to Jamie and posed for the photo.

The flash went off and the moment was captured. A family, celebrating the well earned peace that they had fought hard for.

“Looks great,” Claire said as she looked at her phone. “Come inside and I’ll make some hot cocoa.” Everyone cheered and went inside, making sure to knock off the snow on their shoes before entering.

++++++

After everyone had left an hour later, Claire and Jamie cleaned up from their gathering. Now they were both upstairs in Madeline’s room, laying her to sleep. As soon as her head hit the pillow, her little blue eyes shut and she was lightly snoring.

“She had a busy day,” Claire said, looking down at her beautiful daughter.

“We’ve all had a few busy days,” Jamie kissed Claire’s temple, and smoothed his hand over her head.

“And there’s nothing more I would rather do than get into a hot shower with my soon to be husband and then lie in bed making love all night long,” Claire wiggled her brows and moved her hands to cup Jamie’s bum.

“Oh, I like the sound of that,” he kissed her. “But I dinna think I can resist ye when I have ye covered in suds,” his hands drifted down to her waist.

“We better get in that shower before we do something unspeakable in front of our daughter,” Claire laughed quietly and then tugged on Jamie’s hand, pulling him to their bedroom.

She turned the shower on hot, waiting for it to heat up. Claire stepped back, looking at Jamie as she lifted her sweater off her head, letting it fall to the ground. Her fingers hooked into her pants, pulling them down and stepping out of them. Jamie watched all of this, leaning against the bathroom door.

“Are you going to shower in your clothes?” Claire asked.

“Nah,” he smirked and reached behind him, pulling his shirt off. As he pulled off his pants and briefs, Claire unhooked her bra and stepped out of her panties.

“Christ,” Jamie sighed and took a step forward. “Ye truly are the most beautiful woman, Claire. And I thank God every day for bringin’ ye to me.”

“I love you, Jamie,” Claire said, wrapping both arms loosely around his waist. “I love our life, I love our daughter, and I plan on loving you until I’m very old.”

“Until we’re both ninety-six?” He asked.

“Until we’re one hundred and twenty at least,” she smiled.

Steam filled the bathroom, and Jamie stepped into the shower, bringing Claire with him. He made sure that she stood under the water, her hair falling down wet over her shoulders.

“Turn around, Sassenach,” Jamie said and she turned until her back was to his chest. Jamie reached for the shampoo and poured it into his hands, then began to massage it into Claire’s scalp.

“Mmm,” she moaned, a low hum rumbling through her chest. “That feels wonderful.”

His strong fingers rubbed over her scalp, making sure to cover it with shampoo and then he rinsed it out, watching as the soap ran down along her body. He pumped conditioner in his hands and lathered the ends of her hair. Before turning her around, Jamie pumped more conditioner into his hands and moved his large hands over her breasts.

“Ooo,” she crooned, and pressed her body flush against his.

“Was I too rough on ye?” Jamie smirked and massaged her breasts, twisting her nipples lightly.

“I like it,” she said softly, her eyes fluttering.

Jamie flicked his fingers over her pink nipples, loving how they felt hard against his palms. Slowly, he slid one hand down her stomach, pressing firmly over her pubic bone. Claire squirmed against him, feeling his cock against her bum.

“Ye’ve the softest skin I’ve ever felt, a nighean,” Jamie said and slipped his fingers inside her.

Claire moaned and leaned her head against his chest, one arm grabbing onto his thigh.

“Let go, Sassenach,” Jamie said. “Let go, I won’t let ye down.”

Chapter 28: I’d pick you a thousand times

#the oath #outlander fanfic #chapter 27 #i smell snow #like gilmore girls #get it #outlander #jamie x claire

226 notes · View notes

weemsbotts · 4 years

Text

The Disappearing Pitter Patter of Feet: The Colonial Girls Lost in Time

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Participating in any of our outside walking tours, day or night, includes a trip to Dumfries Elementary Public School and Dumfries Cemetery. One ghost story specifically refers to the appearance of “colonial girls” and in a town filled with Civil War folklore, it is intriguing this particular association attached itself to the school. But if Dumfries Graded School and later Dumfries Elementary Public School operated in the early 1900s, why colonial ghost children?

In 06/19/1795, Mrs. Simson advertised the opening of her Boarding School in the Republican Journal and Dumfries Advertiser. “Where she intends teaching all kinds of needle-work, in silk and worsted; she also teaches the tambour and embroidery, with the art and elegance of shading, and taste in the arrangement of patterns.” She wished to “cultivate their young minds, as well as form their manners” flattering herself “that she has given satisfaction to the parents of those whom she has already had the honour to instruct – and gained the love of her pupils.” Besides for needlework, she advertised “reading, spelling, and writing taught with propriety”.

Mrs. Simson’s indicated that the Boarding School was “at the House of Thomas Lee, Esquire, on the Hill”. The famed Lee family owned property throughout Virginia including the Town of Dumfries and while both Colonel and former Governor of Virginia Thomas Lee and Thomas Ludwell Lee, Sr. died before the 1780s, Thomas Ludwell Lee, Jr. presumably placed a newspaper ad in the Alexandria Gazette on 09/17/1787 for persons wishing to rent “a large Commodious Store house in Dumfries, as well situated being nearly in the centre of the main streets…” Charles Lee also advertised in the same paper and date “…to be leased forever at public auction…about 15 lots situated in the town of Dumfries on the main street opposite to McDaniels Tavern being part of the square now occupied by Henderson, Ferguson & Gibson”. While the Lees rented and sold property in Dumfries, some to the Merchant family, the house “on the hill” likely referred to the area around the current Dumfries Elementary Public School.

In 18th century America, middle- and upper-class white families usually hired tutors to instruct their young daughters the basics of writing and arithmetic, with more advanced and skilled instruction in needlework, music, manners, and other forms of arts and crafts. If the parents could and were willing to send their daughters to a boarding school, they would hone their skills in needlework and come back with a “level up” – a finished needlework to display prominently in the home, discreetly (?) informing guests of the family’s wealth, sophistication, and refinement. These “female accomplishments” were important signals to a society focused on appearance and marriage. Virginia prohibited the gathering of enslaved children for the purpose of education extending from the constant white paranoia that educated enslaved persons were more likely to rebel. However, the Bray Schools in Virginia instructed enslaved persons in Christian education through biblical literacy. Both Williamsburg and Fredericksburg operated official Bray schools ranging from 1760-1774, although Fielding Lewis encountered low enrollment and white hostility forcing him to close the Fredericksburg location sooner.

Although siltation was an issue by 1795, the town of Dumfries still attracted people as the Henderson family resided in Dumfries and Mason Locke Weems had yet to purchase the lot for his book depository. However, we have so little information beyond the newspaper advertisement for the boarding school. Did anyone pay the fee to board their children? If so, which families took advantage of this offer and what were their experiences in Dumfries?

Interestingly, the Republican Journal and Dumfries Advertiser also included the following song in the same paper with Mrs. Simson’s advertisement, titled “Domestic Felicity”. Although not attributed to any person in the newspaper, this song appears in Isaiah Thomas, Jr.’s ed, “The Sky Lark: or Gentlemen and ladies’ complete songster. Being a collection of the most modern and celebrated American, English, and Scotch songs”.

“Though grandeur flies my humble roof,

Tho’ wealth is not my share,

Tho’ lowly is my little cot,

Yet happiness is there.

A tender wife, with mild control,

By sympathy refin’d,

When rage the tumults of the breast,

Becalms my troubled mind.

Three pledges of our mutual love,

Kind Providence has given,

And competence, to nurse their hopes,

Is all we ask of Heaven.

Still, from the little we enjoy,

A little we dispense;

And watch the buddings of their mind

Just blossoming to sense.

With arm entwin’d in arm we fit;

And join their hands to pray;

And teach the accents of their tongue,

To hail the rising day.

At eve again they kneel and bless

The hours which are now past;

And hope their cherish’d virtues may

Prove happiness at last.

Accept, Great Father of us all;

Accept their little prayers,

And grant the nurslings of our youth

May crown our silver hairs.

Let those whose weak and infant limbs

With tenderness we guide,

Be props unto our age when down

The steep of life we glide.”

(Image: Instruction with Delight. Thomas, Isaiah. Little Robin Red Breast. A Little Pretty Pocket-book Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy and Pretty Miss Polly. Massachusetts: Worcester, 1787. The Colonial Society of Massachusetts: 18th century Massachusetts Songsters, Volume 54, Music in Colonial Massachusetts, 1630-1820: Music in Homes and Churches)

While the “colonial girls” will not respond to repeated queries (naturally), they and all the ghosts, such as the enslaved persons, represent our quest to understand everyone living in Dumfries. While essays and books are continually written about the white male society, they are not the ghostly figures people claim to see in this town – instead, it is the ones whom society did not equate as equal.

Note: While our closed season begins on 11/01/2020, we will continue to offer online virtual tours! The online tour includes a meeting with the staff and a video of the house. Stay tuned for special virtual November Member programs along with news of possible holiday outside walking tours! Click here to access info regarding our latest & upcoming programs and tours!

(Sources: The Republican Journal and Dumfries Advertiser, No. VI, Vol 1, 06/19/1795; HDVI Archival Files: Dumfries – Town Lots, Newspaper Notices; University of Michigan Digital Text Collections: Evans Early American Imprint Collection Text Creation Partnership; MET: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Peck, Amelia. American Needlework in the 18th Century, 10/2003; Library of Virginia & Virginia Humanities: Encyclopedia Virginia. Bly, Antonio. Slave Literacy and Education in Virginia)

#womens history #local history #education #boarding school #museumfromhome #blackhistory #virginia history #needlework #ghoststories #old newspapers #mystery #slavery

1 note · View note

mlovesstories · 5 years

Text

Shake It Off Part 7

SPN Genre Bingo- no square

Tag List

Ask Box

Masterlist of Masterlists

Warnings: panic attacks, mentions of maternal death, funerals, cussing

Words: 2250

Summary: YN is still on call for Jared, and she has to face her family.

Jared x reader!platonic

Jensen x reader!platonic

Jared x Gen

Jensen x Jared!platonic

Danneel x Jared!Platonic

“I think you need to go, sweetheart,” Jensen broached the funeral discussion.

“I don’t want to,” YN sighed.

“It’s a week from now, right? You have some time.”

“Yeah.”

“I think it comes down to whether you’ll regret it or not, honestly. If you feel like you’ll be fine, then don’t go,” Jensen said plainly. “There are people who can take care of everything based on what you’ve said.”

“I don’t think I can. It’s weird. I feel like I’m sad, but she wasn’t really involved in my life. She made it sound like I ignored her, but she ignored me until she found out that you and I met each other.”

“I’m sorry, YN.”

“Can I-“ YN stopped.

“What?”

“It’s stupid. Never mind.”

“No, it’s not. What were you going to say?”

“Can you- can you hold me?” She hoped he didn’t think she was acting like a baby.

“Of course. Come here.” He opened his arms to her from across the room.

She stood from her seat and ran into him. Without realizing it, the grown woman had landed on his lap. Jensen grunted under her weight but made no mention of his discomfort. YN surprised herself as she gasped for air through unexpected tears. Jensen stroked her back.

“I’m sorry-“ she barely got out before she couldn’t speak any more.

“No talking, just let it out,” he soothed. “It’s okay to feel it.”

After a few minutes, she sat up and scooted off his lap.

“I’ve never had that before.”

“A hug?”

“Someone to sit with me like that,” YN admitted. “Thank you.”

“Everybody needs that. Even me,” Jensen smiled.

“And you’re what? Fifty-six years old?” YN fell over laughing.

“Haha, very funny,” he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Let’s just sit here for a minute.” After some time had passed, their bodies relaxed into the couch. “I love you,” Jensen kissed the top of her head.

“I know. I love me too.” YN grinned.

“Really?” Jensen groaned playfully.

“What? Okay, I love you too.”

______

“Another nasty gram,” YN huffed while with the Ackles in their backyard. “I think I need to go home. They won’t leave me alone.” She locked her phone screen after reading another hateful email from extended family regarding the funeral.

Jensen took her hand cautiously.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I say you should go if you feel you should, not for them.”

“I do need to go home though. I have already been here too long without my computer… or my own clothes,” YN laughed.

“Let us know if we can do anything for you.” Danneel smiled.

“I think I’ll leave in the morning,” YN sighed. “And yes, I’m getting an uber.” YN knew this could start a fight.

“Fine, but I’m paying for it. I brought you here, you shouldn’t have to pay your way back.”

“Okay. Thanks. Both of you. For helping me. I don’t deserve you guys.”

“What are you talking about?” Danneel leaned forward in her lawn chair to look at YN who was on the other side of Jensen.

“You are the ‘other woman’. You shouldn’t like me. I could be your little sister. It’s just weird overall. And Jensen, you don’t have to be nice to me. I’m a bastard kid. It’s like a life sentence of shame. I’m used to it. I don’t expect you to be nice.”

“Well, you should. I’m half the reason you’re even a person anyway.”

“So, I could have been a vampire, or a rugaru, or a-”

“Haha, you’re so hilarious, YN,” Jensen joked.

“Well, thanks.”

________

The next morning, YN said goodbye to the Ackles. She got in her very expensive rideshare and waved as the car took her down the street.

YN decided to save face and go to the funeral. When she showed up, extended family narrowed their eyes at her. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the church.

“It would have been nice if you could have offered to do the eulogy, you know.” YN’s aunt snuck up behind her and whispered bitterly.

“And steal the spotlight from you? No thanks,” YN continued walking without visual acknowledgement of her elder. As she made her way to a pew in the back, she heard a man clear his voice. Staring ahead, she asked, “How did you know I would come?”

“Dee told me,” Jensen said calmly. He sat down next to YN in the church. “That’s a beautiful photo of your mom.”

“Don’t, Jensen. Don’t make it all fluffy. I’m only here so that they don’t hate me the rest of my life.”

“Sorry, kiddo. I just know how hard this must be for you. I’m right here though.”

YN’s uncle walked by and bent down to Jensen’s level.

“So you’re the bitch she played sheet music with that created the kid, huh?”

After a beat, Jensen took a deep breath

“Don’t Jensen. He isn’t worth it,” YN whispered. “Uncle Tad, get a move-on. This is hardly the time. And if you ever threaten my dad again, I’ll let Aunt Sue know what you did when I was in fifth grade,” she growled. Her uncle’s eyes went wide.

“Very well, then. Goodbye you two,” he quickly walked to meet his wife at the front of the church.

“Do I want to know?” Jensen grinned.

“Nope,” YN giggled.

“You’re fantastic, you know that?”

‘You’re one of the first people to ever tell me that. Thank you.”

_________

“Bring your stuff to Austin. We have a guest house. Crash there until you find something,” Jensen said after the funeral.

“I have friends here, Jensen,” YN sighed.

“Not many, from what I can gather,” he said quietly.

“Oh, gee, thanks,” she rolled her eyes.

“I’m just saying that we would love to have you is all,” he wiped his face with a napkin after a large bite of hamburger. Sitting outside, the two enjoyed the breeze. YN had taken Jensen to one of her favorite restaurants.

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

The two went on to talk about how YN was glad she went to the funeral, but she was sad that her family had treated her badly. Jensen agreed, but he gave his support in her attending. YN showed him her favorite spots in Dallas. As it turned out, they were some of his favorite too.

“Huh?” YN pulled out her ringing phone. “It’s Gen… Hey, Gen. Everything okay?”

“He’s flipping out again. He was doing so good, and then he just wouldn’t stop hyperventilating. I put a heavy blanket on him and spoke to him calmly, but he just won’t calm down.”

“Ask him if he wants to be alone. If yes, then leave him for a few minutes, but don’t go far.”

Jensen knitted his eyebrows in concern.

“Another panic attack,” YN explained. Jensen ran a hand over his face. “Relax, Jensen. He’ll be okay,” she whispered.

“Jared, do you want a minute to yourself? I can go stand outside.” Gen said to Jared. “Okay, he wants some space. Can I call you if he isn’t calm later?”

“Sure. Bye, Gen.” YN clicked the hang up button on her phone.

“I need to go.” Jensen shot out of his chair, his napkin falling off of his lap onto the ground.

“No, you need to pick up your napkin and relax. It’s not your job to protect him from the world, Jensen. Sit down and enjoy lunch with me, please. I’ve had a horrible day,” she smiled, guilt-tripping him into staying with her.

“You drive a hard bargain, kid,” he laughed.

“Jared will be just fine. He always is. Besides, alone time has worked previously.”

“I wonder what set him off. He was doing so good.”

“I’m not sure, but let’s not turn into detectives. He’s fine, it’s fine. Relax, big bro. It could really be anything. Triggers come out of nowhere sometimes.”

“Okay, okay.”

________

A FEW MONTHS LATER

“YN, come here,” Jensen motioned his oldest daughter to join him on a bench in his backyard. After she crash-landed next to him jokingly, they settled in. “What would you think about us hanging out more?”

“You know I love you, but I can’t just fly up to Vancouver for long periods of time.”

“No, here in Austin,” Jensen smiled softly.

“You’re almost never here, Jensen. That doesn’t make sen-” Her mouth hung open. “The show- no- you-” she stumbled.

“I’ll be home a lot more pretty soon.”

“You’re saying- the show is….”

“Yeah. The cast and network talked about it, and we want to end the show after this season.”

“Wai- what?” YN slowly processed the information he had presented. “You can’t… You-”

“I know. It was a hard decision. But I just want you to know before we tell everyone. I think we will have to address the fans in the next few days, and it’s just been really hard.” Jensen wiped a tear falling down his face.

“Wow,” YN recovered. “I love you,” she said immediately to show her support. “I’m sure it will be a change, but it’s okay. I honestly can’t wait to not watch football with you,” she took a beat and then laughed.

“Haha, that’s SO hilarious.” Jensen rolled his eyes. “I love you too. The fans won’t love me…” He put his head in his hands. Jensen felt something hit the back of his head. He looked up and saw YN put her hand down. “Ow!”

“You know DAMN well the fans won’t hate you. They love the cast and crew. Fans will respect your decision because you have family and want to do other things. It’s okay,” she modeled a deep breath. He copied her and wiped his face again.

“Thanks,” Jensen kissed her cheek.

“How’s Jared taking all of this?”

“He’s not. Been an emotional mess since.”

“Panic attacks?”

“None yet, but close,” Jensen shrugged.

________

The next few days were tough for everyone. After announcing the ending of the show, emotions were running high.

Jared barrelled through Jensen and Danneel’s house. YN entered the back door from the guest house. As she heard crashing sounds, she ran into the living room. YN saw Jared trip on the rug and land face-first on the couch.

“Jare?”

He slowly turned over, heaving.

“Can’t breathe. Panic-”

“I know. Do you want pressure or some alone time?”

“I’m fine-” he said, gasping for air.

“Right…” she said sarcastically. “Lie down. Here, take this,” YN shoved a pillow against his chest. She squeezed his hand sporadically. After some time, his body relaxed. “It’s okay.”

YN’s phone beeped.

Gen

Did Jared come over? I can’t find him.

Yeah. Panic attack.

Gen

I thought he was nervous… guess I was right. Is he okay?

Yep. Calm now.may need a few more minutes though.

Gen

Let me know if you need anything.

Yes, ma’am.

YN looked back to Jared. He had closed his eyes, and she saw his body melting into the couch.

“Hey! YN!” Jensen shouted walking into the room.

“Shh!” She responded.

Jensen stopped as soon as he saw Jared on his couch.

“Panic attack. He fell asleep,” YN whispered.

“Oh. Sorry!” Jensen whispered back.

“What do you need?”

“Just wanted to see if you were in the house. I was going to ask if you wanted to go see a movie, but…”

“Not right now. He may be amped when he wakes up,” YN offered.

“Damn. Okay. Maybe later.” Jensen sighed and left the room.

YN waited for Jared to wake up. She grabbed her computer and worked in the chair next to him. Thirty minutes later, YN heard him stir. As he woke, he wiped his face and looked around.

“YN?”

“Hey, dude. How ya feeling?”

“Better, I think.”

“Good. let’s watch some trash TV then.”

Surprised that he calmed down, she turned on HGTV so that they weren’t watching something that would make him scared again.

Danneel walked in to Jared leaning against YN lazily.

“So… looks like fun in here,” she checked on them “Lively party.”

“I feel better,” Jared grinned. “So tired though.”

“To be expected,” Danneel walked by and ruffled his hair. “Love you,” she affirmed.

“Back atcha,” Jared responded by squeezing her hand on his head.

Before going home, the Ackles’ invited Jaredto stay for dinner. Sending him home, YN wished him a good night.

________

YN excused herself to the guest house. She kept thinking about the last few weeks. The mental energy it took to live her life had drained her. YN changed into her pajamas before climbing into bed. She texted her dad goodnight before turning on her own TV.

YN coudn’t relax. It was late, but she could not make her mind be quiet. Her thoughts took over.

Man, I’m so tired. So close to freaking out, but I’m okay. Deep breaths. I’m okay. Who knew this would be my life? I’m Jensen Ackles’ kid, Jared Padalecki relies on me for his mental health, my mom is dead, the show is ending, and my family hates me. This is the life.

YN sighed deeply, took another breath, and then gave in to her body’s demand for sleep.

Tag List

Ask Box

Masterlist of Masterlists

SPN Genre Bingo (including Shake It Off)

@spnsuper17

Forever Friends (Everything):

@katymacsupernatural

@unicornblood4ever

@ellie-andthemachine

@fangirl-moment-x

@empirialwolf

@winchesters-favorite-girl

@super100012

@waywardnewcomer

@percywinchester27

@waywardsuns

@supernatural-jackles

@mcallmestiles

@mandyreese

@sdavid09

@kingandrear

@bellero

@rosiewinchester

@seality

@blogsnowflakeme

@jaycc7983

@luci-in-trenchcoats

@cherryblossom1997

@because-you-never-know-when

@lauren-novak

@sleepylunarwolf

@fainthearteddaisy

@choosemyname

@internationalmusicteacher

@mersuperwholocked-lowlife

@find-sammys-shoe

@encounterthepast

@spn-tw-37

@torn-and-frayed

@dreaminemz

@giggles1026

@xiumin-girl99

@bertiemaklinn

@encounterthepast

@strangedeerconnoisseur

@iamnerdperson

@sbcamp08

@mangueweaschester

@idksupernaturalman

@skylarraker

@monkeymcpoopoo

@silverstripe101a

@thevelvetseries

@jennawinchester152a

@samsgirl93

#supernatural #mlovesstoriesrpf #shake it off #jared x reader!platonic #mlovesstoriesshakeitoff #mlovesstories

49 notes · View notes

allisondraste · 4 years

Text

Temperance 30/42

Pairing: Nathaniel Howe/ Female, Non-HoF Cousland

Story Summary: Nathaniel and Elissa were childhood friends, but time and distance tore them apart. In the aftermath of the Fifth Blight, and Ferelden’s Civil War, both Elissa and Nathaniel must attempt reconstruct their tattered lives. As a series of events lead them to be reunited, both are reminded of so many years ago when things were much simpler.

Chapter Summary: The Grand Tourney defies Nathaniel’s expectations

Note: That’s right, y’all! We have a final chapter number (and the big 3 - 0)! I have a few notes that I wanted to make about this chapter as well. Due to the amount of suggestion, innuendo, and things referenced in this chapter, I thought it warranted a note that there are some more mature and sexual themes explored in this chapter that I did not feel necessitated a rating change. However, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up! ^^ Also, shout out to the WoT V.2 for providing me with the excellent backdrop of this story (if you haven’t read Nate’s entry, I highly recommend) as well as to @daydreamingdragonage for coming up with the awesome tavern name featured here. Finally, I just want to thank everyone for being so patient with me in updating! November has been a hellish month with internship apps due, a draft of my dissertation due, a conference, and some personal/mental health woes that all just knocked me on my butt, but I’m back and so happy to be writing again. I’m so grateful to all of my lovely, wonderful readers and friends. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

[AO3 LINK]

Tantervale, 9:26 Dragon

For all that Starkhaven made Ferelden seem like a small, dirty hovel filled with unrefined brutes and barbarians, Tantervale made it seem like a land of impious sinners. Not only was the large marcher city-state pristine and orderly, but it’s people were quiet and mild mannered. On its own, it was not a particularly beautiful place. Plain, uniform buildings stood side by side for as far as the eye could see. The Chantry was the only exception. Decorated with stained glass and golden filigree, the building was nothing like Nathaniel had ever seen, vibrant and large as the palace in Starkhaven and as imposing as Fort Drakon’s shadow.

Down every street and every corner, Andrastian icons and images could be found, accompanied by a fully armored Templar or two, who served as city guards and watched through the slits of their helmets with vigilant eyes. Still, the city and it’s people seemed to revel in the presence of the Grand Tourney, decorating their plain buildings with pennants of blue and gold. Citizens and guests alike danced and sang in the street as wine flowed freely. Nathaniel wondered how the Chantry felt about the influx of pleasure-seeking outsiders pouring into Tantervale, bringing their sin with them. Then again, it was likely a profitable venture. How else would they afford to feed their chancellors to excess or erect a fiftieth marble statue of the Holy Bride of the Maker?

The sheer opulence disgusted him, and yet he was in no position to complain. He’d only ever read about the Grand Tourney in books, or heard about them from Liss who always enthusiastically rambled about her favorite contests and competitors. Even her emphatic descriptions did not do it justice. He wished she could be there to see it. He imagined her face lighting up with excitement as she took everything in, and laughed as he thought about how she might slap him on the arm repeatedly as she pointed at something she did not want him to miss. He had not seen her in four years, and yet there was a big hole at his side where she belonged. At this point, he had no hope that it’d ever be filled.

He shook his head, attempting to refocus on the present, where he stood in the center of the festivities in Tantervale, with a new pouch of coin resting heavily in his hand. Ser Rodolphe had given it to him after watching him compete in the Grand Melee. Nathaniel had stubbornly entered the contest with a bow as his weapon, determined to prove to his mentor how archery could be useful in close-quarters combat. He was faster than his opponents, and managed to duck under, dodge, and evade the many clumsy attacks against him. That is, until the end.

Nathaniel typically enjoyed irony, but the Orlesian bastard that finally managed to disarm him and force him to yield bore an uncanny resemblance to his own father. He had piercing blue eyes and a cruel smirk, and seemed to take great pleasure in disarming Nathaniel, knocking him to the ground, and holding a sword just above his throat. Nathaniel did not enjoy that one bit.

To his surprise, Ser Rodolphe seemed pleased with his performance -- or at least as pleased as he’d ever seen him be. He claimed it was “entertaining” to watch him outmaneuver his opponents, and even admitted that he might have underestimated Nathaniel’s abilities. The knight handed him a purse of coin, gave him a good-natured clap on the shoulder, and went on his way. Nathaniel remained where he stood, dumbfounded, staring at the purse in his hand with a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips.

It was Ben who finally drew him from his pleasant stupor, running up and throwing his arms around Nathaniel, patting him on the back with some force. His fellow squire had grown considerably over the past two years, and he did not yet know his own strength. It reminded Nathaniel of every young mabari he’d ever met. Fully grown, with all the excitement of a pup. It was as uplifting as it was annoying.

“Nate,” Ben shouted right near Nathaniel’s ear, before releasing him from the smothering embrace, “You were fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. What did Rodolphe say?”

Nate grinned and held up the coin purse by its strings, letting it swing back and forth in front of Ben’s eyes. “He said to use it wisely.”

“That means ale, yes?” Ben fidgeted eagerly. “And food? One of the locals was telling me about this tavern--”

“Let’s go,” Nate said, laughing and putting an arm around Ben’s shoulder. The younger man smiled in response, and they headed back toward the center of town.

It was early in the afternoon and many merchants from around Thedas stood at kiosks that lined the streets and squares, bringing color and life to the city. At one of the stands, Ben found a replica of Hessarian’s Sword of Mercy that caused his eyes to glitter with youthful excitement, and Nathaniel had no choice but to purchase it for him. He swore he saw his friend’s eyes brim with tears as he thanked him profusely.

They continued on, but Nathaniel stalled at the site of a stand owned by a Dwarven merchant with a thick, braided beard and a doublet of bright red and gold. On the table beside him was a series of small, mechanical music boxes that the man claimed were hand-crafted. One, in particular, caught Nathaniel’s eye. It was a tiny, bronze bronto that sparkled in the sunlight. Twisting its tail produced a tinkling, plucky sound, and a song that Nathaniel had never heard before. Liss would have loved it, he thought, remembering all the times she’d talked to him about Dwarven culture and brontos. He wondered if she’d gotten to “meet” one yet.

Without giving it much of a thought, he bought it, and the merchant thanked him repeatedly for his business. Apparently the people of Tantervale and the visiting Tourney attendees were tough customers when it came to mechanical, dwarven-made music boxes. Nathaniel was happy to oblige.

“Finally,” Ben said, and pointed in the direction of a tavern straight ahead of them. The sign that hung above the doorway featured a humble templar kneeling in front of a curvy figure wearing the robes of a Revered Mother, whose face bore an unusual, shocked expression.

“The Kneeling Knight?” Nathaniel snorted and raised his eyebrows as he followed after his friend.

“Thought you’d like that,” Ben said, turning back and winking at him. “Apparently the locals aren’t as buttoned up as they pretend to be.”

“No one is as buttoned up as they pretend to be.”

“Including you?” Ben offered his typical mischievous smile as he opened the door, motioning for Nathaniel to go in first.

“Especially me,” Nathaniel answered with a shrug, and then entered the crowded tavern.

The Kneeling Knight was a spacious tavern, with a main floor filled with many wooden tables, as well as the bar area where several barmaids an a man who appeared to be the owner worked rapidly to fill mugs and flagons and carry them to guests. A second floor housed a few more tables as well as a balcony where a minstrel stood, performing her songs and poems.

They pushed their way past the dense crowd of people gathered chatting and celebrating to occupy one of the few vacant tables that sat against the back wall. Several of the other patrons pointed and stared, whispering so loudly that it could hardly be called whispering. They’d watched the melee, or so it seemed, and Nathaniel was recognized as “that Fereldan dog who nearly won.” Nearly. He huffed, and attempted to ignore the dozens of eyes that bore into him.

“What’ll you boys be havin’ today,” chirped one of the barmaids as she bumped her hip against Nathaniel’s shoulder. He flinched, but did his best to not look as annoyed as he felt. Ben laughed into his hand.

Offering his most charming smile, he turned his head up to face the barmaid, whose lips were painted red as blood, and offered her his entire purse. “Whatever this buys us.”

The woman grinned mischievously, taking the pouch and tucking it down safely into the top of her dress. “Say no more, sweet thing,” she said and bumped him with her hip again. This time he rolled his eyes.

It was not long after she left that the propositions began. Handfuls of people, person after person, most of them at least twice Nathaniel’s age approached the table, batting their eyes at him, touching his arms, making completely inappropriate remarks involving his bow and their quivers. If his face was not red, it was missing its chance. He declined each and every one of them politely, and when the barmaid returned with the first round of ale, Nathaniel could not have downed the first tankard any faster.

“I can’t believe you sent that last one away,” Ben said after they’d finished a few rounds, “He was right handsome. That woman too! The one with the--” he made a lewd gesture with his hands.

“Ben.”

“What?” He offered Nathaniel a bewildered expression, foam from his last sip hanging just over his upper lip.

“They’re people, not… play things.” He grimaced and Ben seemed to notice the froth on his lip, wiping it off with the back of his arm.

“Right. Sure,” Ben answered wiggling his eyebrows. “If I were you I’d really be playing up my second place finish.”

“Second place is just another way of saying that I lost the slowest,” Nathaniel mumbled as he stared at the music box he’d sat on the table as they came in. He didn’t know why he thought the ale would make him forget about her. It never did anything except make him numb.

“You’re impossible,” Ben prodded good-naturedly, “You’re a young, decently good-looking man who just got himself some attention. Enjoy it, man! Live a little. Unless, of course, you’d rather pine over that Fereldan lass for the rest of your life.”

“If I wanted to talk about Liss, I would have brought her up.” He leaned back in his seat and sighed, forcing a smile he didn’t feel. “If you want me to enjoy myself, you’re doing a terrible job of helping me.”

Ben snorted. “ You’re the one sitting in a tavern, with beautiful men and women throwing themselves at you, while you stare longingly at a toy bronto like it broke your heart.”

“Oh, piss off,” Nathaniel snapped, wishing he had something to throw at him.

“Fine, Fine,” he said, throwing up his hands. He surrendered, but not before throwing Nathaniel a smug expression. “Here I thought that thing with the prince knocked you out of it.

“What ‘thing?’ There was no ‘thing.’” He was lying, of course. He and Sebastian had, in fact, had a thing. He thought he’d been discreet enough that Ben did not know. Clearly, he was mistaken.

Ben smirked, and shook his head. “RIght. ‘Course not.”

Nathaniel sighed and glared at the red-head, muttering. “Once. It was one time.”

“Only because his parents forced him into the Chantry.” His typically rosy cheeks were even rosier, as he teased.

“Ben.”

“A shame, that,” he continued, completely oblivious, “You seemed to really get on with him.”

“Ben,” Nathaniel hissed again, clenching his fists at his side.

“You could have tamed that wild boy prince for them. No need to bother the Maker with it, really.”

Instead of speaking again, he stood and reached across the table to flick his friend forcefully right between his eyes. Ben flinched and reached up to touch the now reddened patch of skin on his forehead. “Ow. Maker! Fine. I’ll stop.”

“Thank you,” Nathaniel muttered dryly, small smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. Suddenly, he felt much better.

Eventually, Ben got some attention of his own, a young woman with dark eyes and porcelain skin approaching, and whispering in his ear. He blushed, and offered her a seat next to him. He widened his eyes at Nathaniel as she looked away briefly. They exchanged a few flirtations, and wasted no time making their lips acquainted with one another, hands moving where hands shouldn’t go in public. He had to remind himself that Ben was barely more than a boy. Still, Nathaniel was not inclined to remain at the table and watch their publicly-displayed affection. He moved to stand quietly, but staggered a bit, vision swimming. He’d nearly forgotten how much he had to drink. Once he steadied, he made his way to the door, and out of the tavern.

He was not certain how he wound up in the middle of the archery range, only that he did, and that a skillful arrow had brushed past him, nicking his cheek slightly. He reached up, wiping a trickle of warm blood from his face, disoriented and searching for the direction from which the arrow came. One more step, and he’d have been dead, he thought. Or perhaps, someone else said it. It was difficult to tell. There was shouting, a woman’s voice, and a string of profanity, and he looked down to see an elven woman, as angry as she was petite standing in front of him and glowering as if she, in fact, were his size.

“Are you mad,” she shouted, Antivan accent thick on her tongue. “You could have been killed!”

Nathaniel did not answer her immediately, completely disarmed. She was lovely, with her deep green eyes beneath furrowed brows. Her auburn hair was braided loosely over one shoulder, rustling slightly with the wind and her own agitated movement. The fact that she looked at him so sternly did nothing to make her any less attractive.

“Hello,” she drawled, waving a hand emphatically in front of his face.

He shook his head and straightened his posture, hoping to regain what little dignity he could muster in his current state. “You call yourself an archer?”

The elf flinched, clearly offended. “What does it look like, human?”

Nathaniel looked around dramatically and shrugged before returning his gaze to meet hers. “No offense my lady, but you seem to be a terrible shot.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Well, first, you missed your target by quite a bit. And second” he slurred, holding up two fingers for emphasis, “You nearly killed a man.”

“Because that man stumbled out onto the field like some sort of confused druffalo,” she spat, shaking her head in complete disbelief. Nathaniel should not have enjoyed it as much as he did.

“Excuses,” he teased.

“You think that you could do better?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I know I could,” he replied with a smirk.

The elven woman seemed to relax at his words, and offered him a smirk of her own. Reaching behind her head, she took an arrow from its quiver, raised her bow, nocked, and fired in one smooth motion. The arrow flew past his head and straight on into the bullseye of the target. Nathaniel observed the arrow for a moment before meeting her lovely eyes again.

“Prove it,” she said, thrusting her bow at him and handing him an arrow.

“Very well,” he answered, bowing playfully before turning around and shooting the borrowed bow, matching her shot exactly. He was impressed with himself, considering how his head still swam. Though he was no longer certain how much of it was from the ale, and how much of it was the prospect of a beautiful woman testing his archery mettle. He almost wanted her to beat him.

They spent the better part of an hour taking turns making increasingly more difficult shots, each time matching one another perfectly. A small crowd amassed watching them and cheering, and occasionally they looked at one another exchanging smiles. It was the most fun he could recall having in years. Eventually, they tired, and decided to call it a draw. When they shook hands, Nathaniel found himself not wanting to let her go. Ridiculous, he knew, the workings of a disinhibited mind. He did not even know her name.

“I am Erina,” she announced, as if reading his mind, “And that was… impressive.”

Nathaniel chuckled. “It is nice to officially meet your acquaintance, Lady Erina. I am Nathaniel.”

“You flatter me,” she answered with an embarrassed laugh.

“Is it working?” He did not know what possessed him, nor did he care.

“Perhaps.” Erina grinned playfully, then scowled at him again. “I still think you are a fool who is lucky I did not shoot him.”

“I never said I wasn’t,” he began, “A fool, that is. I do, however, feel rather lucky. It has been my pleasure not getting shot by such a lovely, competent woman.”

She laughed gently, darting her eyes away from his quickly and looking toward the ground where she kicked the toe of her boot into the soft, grassy dirt. After several moments passed, she looked back up at him, embarrassment gone from her features. “What are you doing this evening?”

“Nothing,” he answered quickly, though he could not shake the feeling that he was forgetting something. “Do you have something in mind?”

Erina grinned, eyes sparkling as she took his hand and led him away from the range, and toward the outskirts of the city. They climbed the steps that led to the top of the battlements on the walls surrounding Tantervale, green grassland extending off into the horizon. The sun had not yet begun to set, but it hung low in the sky, and the breeze had become cool with a hint of the approaching evening.

“So, Nathaniel,” she said as she crawled up to perch on the parapet, legs dangling over the edge. “Tell me about yourself.”

Moving forward to rest his elbows beside her on the parapet, not trusting his current balancing abilities to keep him from falling to his death, he asked, “What would you like to know?”

“Everything,” she answered.

Nathaniel obliged. They spent the next several hours talking, sharing stories of their troubled pasts. He told her of his childhood and his strained relationship with Father, of the Couslands and their hospitality. He explained how he’d been forced into a squireship in Starkhaven, but had not hated it as much as he expected. He even complained affectionately about Ben and Ser Rodolphe. In turn, Erina told him her own story, about how she’d grown up in an Alienage in Antiva City, and trained to become a Crow, one of the infamous assassins known for their skill and ruthlessness. She’d been disappointed when they turned her down, and so she left, hoping to find mercenary work to help her family get by.

“Why did the Crows reject you,” Nathaniel asked, “I can’t imagine that it was lack of skill.”

“They said that I was too headstrong and compassionate.” Erina chuckled. “Not exactly what one looks for in an assassin.”

“Perhaps not,” he said with a laugh of his own. Thankfully, the effects of the ale had begun to dissipate, and his thoughts came more clearly. “But they are desirable qualities for...other things.”

Erina turned abruptly to face him, smirking. “Yes? Like what, exactly?”

Nathaniel could not bring himself to answer, instead holding her gaze for what could have been an eternity. It was an odd sensation, he thought, to be so ridiculously attracted to someone he’d just met, so drawn to her that only a few hours left him hoping he could see her again. Catching himself staring at her for entirely too long, noticing the knowing smile that continued to twitch on her lips, he shook his head and looked out over the city.

“It is starting to get dark,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Is the big brave archer afraid of the dark?” She elbowed him.

“Not exactly, but I am just unfamiliar enough with the area, and just drunk enough that I do not trust myself to find my way back to the inn in one piece.”

“Then, I shall escort you,” Erina remarked cheerfully.

“You don’t have to--”

“I do.” Her words were serious as they left her lips, and he found himself unwilling to argue.

By the time they made it to the inn where he had been staying, the sun had set completely, stars twinkling brightly against the dark sky above. Erina entered with him, and he was glad to see that the inn was much more subdued than the tavern had been. He was grateful that Rodolphe and Ben still seemed to be absent as they would both no doubt tease him relentlessly for his drunken escapades. He was not certain if he intended to tell them.

“This is me,” Nathaniel stated softly, somberly as he pointed to his room.

“Oh,” Erina replied, tone resonating similarly to his. “Good.”

“I have had a lovely time,” he admitted, scratching the back of his head, “Much lovelier than I’ve been allowing myself to hope for.”

She smiled brightly. “Me too.”

Silence stretched on for eternity between them, as Nathaniel searched for the proper words to say. Finally, he found them. “Listen, I apologize for being so forward earlier. I was --”

He was not able to finish his apology, as Erina’s lips found their way to his, soft yet powerful, just as everything else about her seemed to be. He stumbled, back bumping into the door so that he was flush against it. With as much force as she had given him, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him more closely, bending down to deepen the kiss, breathing in sharply as their tongues met, as if it were his first breath in years. Perhaps it was. Reaching behind him, Nathaniel turned the door knob and pushed open the door with his back, pulling Erina into the dark room with him. He caught a glimpse of her glittering smile in the light from the hallway just as she kicked the door closed behind her.

Nathaniel awoke to a pounding at the door, sunlight flickering directly through the closed curtains and into his eyes. Ben’s voice was muffled through the wooden door, calling his name repeatedly, Nathaniel’s head throbbing with each word, and again with each knock. He’d definitely had too much to drink, without question. Never again, he promised, massaging his temples as he turned to get out of bed. It was only then that he realized he was naked. His pulse quickened as he could hear Ben fiddling with the door knob.

“Shit. Erina,” He muttered and then turned over to where he expected her to be in the bed, but she was nowhere to be found. Had he imagined the entire night before? Had it been some ridiculous drunken dream? His heart sank at the thought, but he did not have time to be sad, and rushed back into bed, pulling the coverlet and sheets up over his head just as been burst through the door.

“Nate,” he shouted and tugged the covers down from off his head, “There you are. Rodolphe’s been looking all over the place for you. Said he wants to know what you thought of his joust.”

“What,” Nathaniel asked hoarsely, squinting his eyes in the still unwelcome light.

“You did go to his joust, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” he lied in his most annoyed tone.

“I didn’t,” Ben said, laughing mischievously, “Unlike you, I actually had a good time last night.”

Just as Ben finished his sentence, a petite figure emerged from the bath area of the room, auburn hair a disheveled mess, and clad in Nathaniel’s shirt. “Hey, Nathaniel I --”

She froze as she saw Ben, eyes darting nervously between the red-headed stranger and Nathaniel. A wide grin slowly stretched its way across the young man’s face, eyebrows raising so high up on his forehead they might as well have flown away.

“Ben,” Nathaniel snapped, pointing to the hallway, “Out.”

“Nate, you dog ,” Ben exclaimed excitedly, unmoving from his spot in the middle of the room.

Nathaniel glanced over at Erina, who smiled, and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. Thank the Maker she did not seem embarrassed. “Ben. Out,” he repeated, “Now.”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” he answered, flustered, clambering to leave the room and close the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Nathaniel sat up on the edge of the bed, so that his feet touched the cool stone floor, and brought his hands to his face. He sighed as he attempted to scrub away the remnants of sleep and hide any evidence of his shame. The bed moved beneath him and there was a warmth at his side, a weight on his shoulder, and he dropped his hands and looked to see Erina, leaning against him.

“So that’s Ben,” she remarked cheerfully, turning her face up to look at him, smiling.

“That’s Ben,” he sighed again.

She shrugged. “He seems… enthusiastic.”

“You have no idea.” Nathaniel laughed, trying his damndest to not stare at the woman. She was even more beautiful than she’d seemed the night before. He was relieved he had not simply dreamed her up.

“I hope I get to know him better,” Erina stated, returning her head to its spot on his shoulder.

“Me too,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her more closely to him, his eyes fixated on the dresser at the far end of the room, where a small, bronze music box sat alone. “Me, too.”

#dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age awakening #nathaniel howe #nathaniel howe x cousland #cousland #my writing #update #temperance

31 notes · View notes

rosecolouredash · 5 years

Text

Momentum ; Hockey!Cashton

Summary: Anything your boyfriend did on the ice, you also did on the ice. When dating a hockey player, you had to be ready to carry every victory and every mistake home with you. So imagine dating two.

Warnings: fluff, so soft (duh), sports-related violence.......

Notes: So I have three unfinished one shots for the hockey!au but I’ve hyped this one up the past few days so it moved to the top of my ‘to finish’ list. Hopefully, it doesn’t disappoint. Also, fun fact: this was originally just a hockey!calum fic (Eve, you should know the ONE) with some minor changes…I’ll leave it at that so that y’all can just read. Enjoy ☺️

It was the Saturday morning skate before the game, that evening, against the Hornets. Since the skate was optional, not everyone from the Timberwolves had shown up, with some players opting to rest or avoid the rink before the big matchup. Unfortunately, you couldn’t say the same for you and your two captain boyfriends.

The continuous loop of skates on ice, whistleblowing and playful banter between teammates were all white noise to you. Sitting in one of the arena’s many seats, you tried to keep your focus on the textbook in your lap. You had an upcoming exam and watching the team practice was not going to stop you from achieving a decent enough grade. Breathing out a sigh, you made note of where you were on your page and stole a glance towards the ice. You could pick out Ashton and Calum, even in a large group of boys, wearing identical jerseys. Though the block letters of ‘C’ and ‘A,’ respectively on their left breast, were a huge giveaway.

Once after a game, you joked with them about the irony of having each other’s initial stitched over their hearts, a showing tell that they belonged to one another, but what about you? That night they made sure to remind you of their feelings for their sweetheart; branding you through peppered kisses and love bites discreetly placed.

—

It was a couple hours in, that your mind began to wander again. Most people would be deterred to spend so much time at the ice rink, especially with the low temperatures but you had grown accustomed to it throughout the years. It also helped that there was never an outage of warm sweaters to be stolen and worn. You were currently wrapped in one of the boys’ hoodies - you think, Ashton’s?

“Ready to head out for lunch, sweets?” Speaking of the devil.

You looked towards the end of your aisle of seats to find Ashton Irwin, captain of the Timberwolves, duffel bag hanging over his left shoulder and hockey stick in hand, on the right. Gathering your stuff together and into your backpack, you met Ash at the end of the row. He set his stuff aside before you wrapped your arms around his neck, in greeting. You breathed in his fresh scent; him having just showered before meeting you. He returned your hug, squeezing gently while placing a quick peck to your temple.

Noticing that he was alone, you broke away, in confusion. “Where’s Cal?”

Ashton retrieved his things, making sure to also take your backpack, and you both made your way towards the exit.

“He’s already outside with Luke and Mike. I hope you don’t mind, they’re joining us at the diner.”

You voiced that you could never mind their company. Michael and Luke were as much a presence in your boyfriends’ lives as you were. Not to mention, you genuinely enjoyed their company being Michael’s official study buddy since you shared a number of classes together at your college. Ashton and Calum were accustomed to your all-nighters and coffee runs together. Luke, on the other hand, was your party friend; the two of you being the lightest of lightweights. To the embarrassment of their bud but amusement for you, your boyfriends could always find you in the middle of a dance floor; both moving completely off beat to whatever music was playing.

When you stepped foot outside, it was easy to spot Luke, Michael and Calum waiting on you, the latter’s black SUV parked at the curb. Your boyfriend’s back was facing towards you so you signaled, with a finger to your lips, to the other two boys. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to you, Calum was well-aware of your plan when he noticed a flicker of a grin appear on both of his best friends’ faces. There was only one person that they made that smile to.

Before you could wrap your arms around Calum, he turned around and made a grab for you. You shrieked in surprise, being the one held tightly around your waist and not the other way around.

“Nice try, sweetheart.”

You blew him a raspberry.

He laughed at that and he knelt his head down slightly, so he could nuzzle his nose against yours. Between your two boys, Calum usually wasn’t the one to show much PDA so he must have been really tired from the early morning skate. That was one of the only times he was most affectionate, when he was sleepy; the other being when he would feel extra soft in the bedroom, which wasn’t too often.

Ashton let out a hearty laugh, watching you two as he placed his gear and your stuff into the back of Calum’s vehicle. When you all had calmed down and you properly greeted Luke and Mike with hugs, you left for some well deserved lunch.

—

You had all just finished eating, deciding to hang out at the diner before heading to your respective apartments. Squished in one side of a booth, you sat between Ashton and Cal; Michael and Luke occupying the other side. Easy-going conversations were made between the five of you as you held onto one of Calum’s hands under the table. His other hand was used to prop his head atop of it. Ashton, all the while, kept a gentle grip of your thigh.

When the topic of tonight’s game came into light, an uneasy feeling came over you. The Hornets were the Timberwolves biggest rivals. It wasn’t the Hornets’ team, as a whole, that made you uneasy but one player in particular. The captain of the Hornets, Kyle Larson, always gave the boys a hard time. For whatever reason. It was at their last game and still in the pre-season that Larson almost hospitalized Luke after hitting him hard into the boards. Even though Luke was fine, in the end, Michael was still thrown out of that game for lunging at the Hornets’ captain and giving him a bloodied and broken nose. Larson was suspended for a number of games after the incident and this was the first time they’d come face to face since.

At your sudden silence, Calum gave your hand a squeeze; Ashton doing the same with your thigh. Almost simultaneously. They always seemed to know how you felt and what you were thinking. They hated that their issues on the ice would always come back to you and stress you out. When the three of you had decided to be together, you knew that this was all part of the package deal - the burden of carrying the weight of fights, frustrations and mistakes made while playing the sport they loved but also the joys and the passions from victories, championship titles and trophies.

The team was your family; you would do anything for them. If Calum and Ash could adore you any more than they did, for your love and worry over them and their team, they would.

—

It was now the evening. You stood in the tunnel, between the Timberwolves’ locker room and the entrance of the ice, with your two boyfriends. Ashton and Calum were already taller than you but in full hockey garb and an extra couple of inches on skates, they currently towered you.

This was your pregame ritual. The team being nice enough to leave the three of you alone for a moment together.

“I’m a couple rows above and behind the team’s bench. You won’t miss me,” you said looking up at them.

“We’ll always miss you when you’re not right next to us, sweets,” Ashton replied leaning down to steal a kiss from your lips.

“Real suave, Ash.” You giggled and treated your other boy with a kiss. Calum needed to lean down too.

Before any other words could be shared between you, the sound of someone making a gagging noise interrupted you. Both Ashton and Cal looked away from you and out towards the unwanted guest. Turning your head, you could already guess who it was, based on the frowns gracing your boyfriends’ faces.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Ashton glowered at none other than Kyle Larson, captain of the Hornets.

“Sorry, was I interrupting a moment?” A mock laugh escaping his lips.

With no change in the stone cold expression he was giving the other captain, Calum looked him dead in the eyes. “Nose looks good, Lars. Hope you tipped your surgeon well.”

Larson grimaced, scrunching said nose in habit. He had no real retort to that and so he made his way to the locker rooms meant for the visiting teams. Before disappearing from view, you heard his voice echo down the hall. “See you on the ice, boys.”

—

The Timberwolves were up one goal, in the second period. Currently the Hornets’ captain had possession of the puck. Larson kept eye contact with the Wolves’ top defenceman and alternate captain when he dumped the puck towards their net. He watched, a wicked grin on his face, as Calum’s line turned their backs on them to retrieve the puck. Everyone except Hood, himself.

They were at a stalemate on the ice.

With ten feet between them, Calum let out a breath through his nose, squaring up and taking off towards Larson. His adversary did the same, both set on a collision of catastrophic proportions.

At the moment of impact, Calum felt nothing. Not because the hit was so powerful that it knocked him out but because it never happened. Confusion settled in as Calum twisted his body on the ice, frantically looking for Larson. It seems that Larson had pivoted around him, at the very last second. Calum’s blood ran as cold as the ice he lived and breathed on, when his mind registered the brute’s true intentions.

The hit was never meant for him.

Helpless, he did the only thing that he could and cried out.

—

Your breath caught in your lungs, watching Calum and Larson charge at each other. Squeezing your eyes shut, you waited for the whistle to signal a stop in the play, but it never came. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of your stomach when you opened your eyes. You could imagine that you shared the same look on your face as your boyfriend - the one standing frozen on the ice and not the one unaware that the trajectory of Larson’s hit was actually intended for him. At that realization, you abruptly got out of your seat and did the only thing that you could and cried out too.

—

“ASHTON!”

The captain of the Timberwolves could have sworn that, in an arena full of people, you and Calum had cried out for him. Ashton was sure that he could distinguish your voices, anywhere. He was lucky enough to know both of your ins and outs - on the ice, off the ice and behind closed doors. He was confident that he could tell them apart, even in a sea of others. He would have realized, in that moment, he did just that.

If only pain hadn’t blossomed at the back of his body and his head.

If only he hadn’t blacked out.

Tagged: @irwinkitten @calpops @rosecoloredash @lilbabycalum @gorgeouslygrace @rainingcal @asht0n-irwin

#ro writes #5 seconds of summer #hockey!5sos #hockey!au #ashton irwin #calum hood #michael clifford #luke hemmings #poly hockey!cashton #poly cashton #5sos one shot #5sos imagine

324 notes · View notes

eyesfixedonthesun22 · 5 years

Text

The Cocoanut Grove

Summary: Nestled within the iconic Ambassador Hotel lies the infamous Cocoanut Grove Club. In the 30′s and 40′s it was the place to see and be seen for starlets and celebrities. If you asked Bucky, he couldn’t give less of a damn. Pairing: Bucky x Female Reader Warning(s): Post-Endgame. Cursing. Kissing. Suggestive situations but nothing explicit. TW: Anxiety. Word Count: 3,231 Beta Reader: My darling honey bun, @supersoldiersruined-me Notes: Congrats @buckmesideways22 on 2k!!!! Prompt “You’re a slave to pleasure” is bolded. This is my first post-Endgame fic. Some of my favorite scenes in the movie The Aviator take place when they’re in this nightclub during its heyday. Something just made me want to write Bucky into the setting. I’m also obsessed with art deco elevators. We have a ton of them in Chicago and they always take my breath away.

Bucky’s eyes shoot a squinting glare at the offending object before him. His suit hangs freshly pressed on the cedar hangers in the closet. It’s a medium weight wool. Charcoal grey with subtle blue undertones. A quality garment to be sure; but he could think of nothing he’d enjoy less than putting it on right now. A monkey suit. That’s what they called it back in the day. He’d much rather continue the evening in his boxers lounging in his hotel room.

A knock on the door interrupts his staring match with the single-breasted monster. Before he can call a greeting down the short hallway, he hears the mechanical whirr and click.

“No room service, please. I put the do not disturb sign-”

“Put on some damn pants, Barnes!” Sam hides his eyes in horror and plops down on the bed as if he owns the place. “I don’t need to see your little soldat.”

Normally Bucky would shoot some equally snark laden comment back, but the stress of the evening has him feeling tongue tied. He chooses instead to pelt Sam a few times with the overstuffed hotel pillow before shuffling to the bathroom. His toes recoil at the sudden contrast between the plush carpet and the cool marble tile.

“Why are we doing this again?” He calls back into the bedroom. “Steve isn’t here to play dad and it’s not like…”

He was going to say it’s not like Tony is here to force us. Despite the time that has passed it still feels wrong saying the words out loud.

“Don’t even think about bailing. Fury and Pepper are downstairs already.” Sam must have been sent to prevent him from escaping.

Bucky looks toward the gilded art deco mirror and glares at his own reflection. He was doing a lot of glaring it would seem and the night had hardly begun.

There’s an array of products arranged on the tray with marble inlay in the same sunburst geometric pattern as the mirror. Surely Pepper’s doing. She’d sent over the suit as well. He picks up a glossy black tin which claims it’s hair product and smooths back his hair. His muscle memory from the 40’s helps him tame the brunette locks into something more manageable. Crap. His hair is too long to do the simple slicked back formal style he used to rely on. A good three inches of his brunette locks trail limp and awkward at the base of his neck.

Glancing back down to the tray for some help he sees a package of hair elastics. He snatches one off the package and begins again. He tosses his hair roughly and sections off enough for a small handful at the crown of his head. With rusty skills but determined focus he manages to tie the small section into a braid; securing it with the elastic. His heart clenches. Natasha taught him how to braid. He turns and looks over his shoulder to get a better look. It was shoddy work at best. He was certain she would make him comb out the braid and redo it neater, but she wasn’t here to scold him. He did it anyway to quell the voice in his head. It’d have to do.

**************************************************************************************************

The Avengers compound in upstate New York had been rebuilt after the destruction and battle with Thanos. Most of the daily operations, training, and Avengers work was conducted there. Bucky split his time between the compound and the shared apartment he had with Sam in Brooklyn. Bucky belonged on the East Coast. It was in his blood. He’d made a home there with his therapy dog and Sam. Steve checked in when he could. Bucky took only the missions he felt were manageable. It was a good life.

He had been dragged west, away from that life, for a job in California a week prior. Something about a trafficking ring. When he had completed his final check in for the mission, Fury had sent him to 3400 Wilshire Boulevard. “Between Catalina Street and Mariposa Avenue” he remembers the text message had said.

Bucky assumed it was a safehouse where he could collect himself post mission, clean up, and catch a flight home. He couldn’t have been more wrong. When his cab had pulled up to the address, he double checked with the driver it was the correct spot. He stared at the pure white curved sign which read The Ambassador Hotel. Maybe Fury had wanted to treat him. The hotel certainly looked like an upgrade from some of the safehouses he’d stayed in. Doubtful. A bellhop politely tried to relieve him of his bags. Bucky began to protest (tug-of-war) with the man when he saw the familiar face of Pepper Potts hurry from the entrance.

“James! Fury said you were on your way.” She glances at the bellhop who still had his hands clasped on Bucky’s duffle. “Would you drop that? Was traffic bad?” He doesn’t remember what stuttered answer he gave her as he reclaimed his only piece of luggage.

Before Tony had gotten roped back in for the Thanos battle, he had purchased the iconic Ambassador Hotel from auction. The city of L.A. had planned to demolish the building and sell its lands to the highest bidder. Tony decided to snatch it up and renovate it back to its former glory. It was his passionate side project. Pepper was out west helping to promote and ensure the launch party went smoothly. That all sounded swell, but he still didn’t understand why he was there.

“Tin Man!” He hears the exclamation as Pepper leads him to the front desk. “Looks like they roped you into being another celebrity guest.”

“Who’s watching-,” he starts, thinking of his shaggy Newfoundland back home. The therapy dog accompanied him on as many missions as possible but this one hadn’t been suitable.

“Peter is pet sitting the beast.” He knew Sam’s comment was all in good fun, nevertheless his heart clenched thinking of their homey apartment. He would give anything to fall asleep with the weight of his mutt across his chest, both of them spilling over the sides of the sofa.

**************************************************************************************************

Dressed in the freshly pressed suit, he continues to imagine home to calm himself while making small talk with Sam in the elevator down to the ballroom. The club is called Cocoanut Grove. Pepper had given them a tour earlier. The hotel and its club had been something of the hotspot back in the 30’s and 40’s. Names like Charlie Chaplin, Katharine Hepburn, Howard Hughes and Ginger Rogers were thrown around. It would appear those incredibly famous people had come to see equally famous people and be serenaded by musical guests like Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Bucky didn’t care. He didn’t care much for famous people then and certainly cared less for them now. Having to masquerade around as if he was one of them, simply because he was an Avenger, seemed laughable at best. Torture at worst he thought.

“Don’t get in your head, man. You’re such a stick in the mud when you’re in your head.” Sam nudges Bucky’s elbow a bit. Despite the teasing tone he knows Bucky is anxious. “We’re here to be seen. We don’t have to do anything. Have some drinks, eat some free food, have a good night. In and out.”

The doors to the club are coated in frosted glass etchings of palm trees and coconuts which surrounded the club name. The tropical theme was over the top if you asked Bucky. But he was happy with soft chenille blankets and some take out. The party’s luxe pre-war theme was a bit outside his current desires.

Walking through the doors of the club was like being zapped back in time. All the women wore beautiful, period appropriate frocks and gowns in silky metallic tones. Clusters of people gather under the curved arches of the ceiling. The floral motif on some of the walls make his head swim. He turns to look at the dining area instead. It’s dotted with small collections of circular tables in the sunken dining room. He and Sam make their way down the central staircase; Sam leading the way. Bucky thinks he hears Sam talking but he’s distracted. Women with ornate headpieces sit on large wooden swings which hang from the ceiling. Their swings trail shimmering tassels over the dining area like shooting stars. Everything is busy.

“I have someone I want you to meet.”

Sam can’t have said that. Bucky glares at the live band playing swing music at top volume. The large stage is framed by fake palm trees and a parquet dance floor. There’s the occasional flash and pop from the old timey photographers someone hired for the event. The cacophony of sounds has him on edge. All the noise must have distorted Sam’s words.

“Dude!” He wheels around. “I have someone I want you to meet!”

Bucky opens his mouth to protest but the woman is already standing beside his friend. Sam’s arm is slung over her bare shoulders. The emerald gown’s square neckline skims the underside of her clavicles. The moderate neckline is contrasted by an off the shoulder detail and a low drape of the silk down to the small of her back. Bucky finds himself jealous of Sam’s hand. He wonders how soft her skin would feel under the pads of his own fingers.

She brings her tumbler of amber liquid to her blood red lips with a sideways smirk. Could someone be jealous of liquid? Jealous of a glass?

Bucky was.

The flash of a pink tongue to corral a stray drop of bourbon from spoiling her perfectly painted lips had him hypnotized. He hadn’t heard her speak and he wanted to know everything about her.

Sam had made quick work of the introductions and sneakily exited. By the time Bucky had realized he’d been abandoned with the mystery woman, Sam was already across the ballroom shooting the pair finger guns and a wink.

“You always play the glaring stranger card or is that special for me?” He blinks. “The gaping mouth is a nice touch.”

The sound of her laughter rings in his ears. For those brief moments the pops and flashes of the camera, the bellowing swing band singer, and the muddled buzz of all the surrounding conversations dims. All the unpleasant sounds, smells and sights disappear. It’s just her. The gentle clink of the ice in her drink. A glint of light off her teardrop earrings. A waft of her warm enticing perfume. He comes to his senses.

“Sorry. I’m not a huge fan of events like this.”

“Me either. Tacky and overwhelming most of the time.” She interlocks her arm with Bucky’s and begins to walk the pair of them over to the bar. With her standing closer, he could detect more subtle notes in her perfume. Vanilla with a hint of citrus? “Tell me why you hate them and I’ll buy you a drink.”

“It’s an open bar?” He asks.

“Oh hush.” That giggle again. “Pick your poison, sir”

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since the introduction. He didn’t care. All the anxiety he had felt at the beginning of the night had made its exit. He felt light. No. Exuberant. It was her. It had to be. The conversation was flowing in a way which usually only happened after months of getting to know someone. Hunkered down in a secluded corner of the jade accented bar she had rid him of the usual walls he put up. The pair talked about anything and everything. He knew he should be introducing himself to people and making rounds if he wanted to do his job “correctly”. But he didn’t. Not if that meant prying himself away from her side.

She raps her knuckles to signal the bartender for another bourbon. While she’s waiting for her beverage, she unclasps her clutch and fishes out a gold compact. Bucky watches as she removes the pouf from the powder and presses away invisible imperfections in her makeup. Her middle finger swipes down the center of her cupid's bow to make sure her lipstick stays in the lines.

“You’re staring.” He should look away or apologize. The intoxicating proximity to this magical woman and his own drink have him feeling bolder than earlier in the night. “Though I suppose that’s an upgrade from the glaring I was getting earlier.”

“You are just hitting on all six cylinders, aren't you?” The last words are mixed with a grin and chuckle.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Barnes?” Her heavily charcoaled eyelids blink twice before she stares at him over the top of the compact. For a moment he thinks he’s in trouble. Too forward. “You wanna get out of here?”

He knew he didn’t want to leave her side, but the idea of this woman taking him up to her room nearly made him faint. Sam would never let him live that down. The armpits of his suit felt tight and too near his now damp skin. He wanted to respond but his mouth refused to make words.

“And we’re back to mouth gaping.” Her laughter brings him back to reality once more. “We don’t have to. But this schmooze fest is just beginning. It’ll go well into the early hours of the night. Thought I’d give you a chance to escape.”

Where did Sam find this woman, he wondered. She somehow made him oscillate between fumbling idiot and suave crooner the entire night. He wished he could say he hated it. Needing a second longer to collect his thoughts, he clasps her hand in his and abandoned the bar for the elevators.

The mirrored doors of the elevator close. He’s not sure how it happened but she’s nestled into his side. His palm rests on the gentle curve of her hip. The coolness of the silk doing nothing to quell the burning heat radiating off his skin. The two of them lock eyes in the golden reflection. Neither moves to press a button.

He slides his hand off her hip.

Silk. Silk.

Skin.

Both palms rest on the bare skin of the small of her back. If the skin there is any indication of how soft the rest of her is, he’s in for it. The two stand chest to chest with a sliver of space as a buffer. She leans towards the button panel trying to press the correct number.

“Nope.”

He playfully swats her hand away and punches the button for the second highest floor. She quirks her brow. From the number alone, she can surmise his room is far nicer than her own. Given his connections, it makes sense.

“Trying to impress me, Barnes?”

“Maybe a little.”

His grin is boyish and charming. His play for the button has closed any space between them. The swells of her breasts rub against his chest with each breath.

“I wanna learn what pleases you. I wanna learn everything about you.” His hands trace invisible patterns against her sensitive skin. The words are cheesy. Clearly a line well-rehearsed in a past life. The tone makes the emotions genuine and sinful. “Would you let me do that? Would you give me that job?”

His hand cups her chin waiting for a response. The sigh he lets out when she presses her lips to his tastes of bourbon and caramel. His calloused palms pull her into him now having his answer. Despite the renovations, the building is old and the elevator slow. Bucky’s grateful. When the elevator dings, the kiss has turned feverish and deep. He braces the door open with his metal arm and walks her backward off the elevator towards his room.

He fumbles for a moment, attempting to get the keycard out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket without his lips leaving hers. No such luck. He groans in frustration at the lack of her taste on his tongue. It’s mitigated by the pepper of nips and licks she places along his neck. He holds the card up to the sensor.

Flashing red light.

He slaps the card back against the sensor with more gusto. She sucks at a soft spot behind his ear. Tingles shoot down his spine. She had him ringing like a tuning fork.

Flashing red light.

“Sonofa-”

Lips never leaving his skin, she snatches the card from his hand.

Press. Green light. Click.

The two of them burst through the door ricocheting like a ping pong ball against the walls of the hallway. She shimmies his jacket off and drops it somewhere near the door. He’d have to dry clean it before returning it to Pepper. He’d feel guilty if she wasn’t occupying every damn thought in his brain. His shirt, along with his shoes, is thrown off in the living room of the suite.

Standing at the foot of the king bed her delicate hands rip his belt off and push his pants to the floor. She turns away from him. He’s confused. Has he done something wrong? Some invisible offense?

“The zipper, Bucky.” She hisses impatiently.

His fingers skim over her heated skin as the zipper glides lower. The emerald silk pools on the thick carpet. He feels like the wind is knocked out of him when she turns to face him once more. Her lingerie hugs every curve and dip of her body. He’s never seen something so sensual and enticing. She pushes him back into the rich duvet. He wants to devour her. He wants to study every inch of her skin and learn every sound he can pull from her.

He wants to stop.

She straddles his lap and grinds against him. The breathy whimper which tumbles from her lips almost makes him change his mind. He whispers her name into the shell of her ear.

“Darling…” It comes out choked and stifled. She stills her hips. “Can we pause.”

She rolls off of him and awaits an explanation. He can see the hurt in the depth of her eyes.

“I had an amazing time with you tonight.”

“But…?”

“No but. I don’t want tonight to just be tonight.” She meets his eyes. “If we continue how we were, I’ll never see you again. I want more than one night.”

Her lipstick is smeared but the grin is radiant.

“Can we order some room service, get comfy, and watch a movie?”

“You’re a slave to pleasure, Barnes.” She pecks him on his sensitive, love-bitten lips. “One condition… only underwear.”

**************************************************************************************************

The heavy bedspread is littered with a large pizza, at least a dozen tacos, various confections, and a litany of other junk food. The opening credits of some movie are playing on the large screen. Bucky should be engaged in the plot. She’d promised him he would love the movie. Instead, he’s staring at her. Not glaring. He’s not sure if he’s ever seen something more beautiful. She’s surrounded by a nest of pillows. Her chandelier earrings still dangle on her ears and she’s clad in her strappy, lacy lingerie. Her makeup is a certified mess. She’s sipping the chocolate malt she had stolen out of his hands after he said it was delicious. This was a sight he could certainly get used to.

#KC2k #Bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes #bucky #tw: anxiety

112 notes · View notes

residentgoodgirl · 5 years

Link

Apr 14, 2019

Kacey Musgraves looked out from the main stage of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and took in the sea of people gathered to watch her play as the sun set on Friday evening.

This was her first time at the annual desert blowout, she told the crowd — the latest step in a successful crossover effort that’s made something of a pop star of this psychedelically inclined country singer.

“Needless to say, I’m very excited,” Musgraves said. Yet her hope was that everyone, including herself, could focus on the beauty of the right-here-and-now and “forget about everything else.”

Well, almost everything.

Introducing her song “Mother” just a few minutes later, Musgraves acknowledged that her audience extended beyond the boundaries of Indio’s picturesque Empire Polo Club — specifically to her native Texas, where she said her mom was watching Coachella’s livestream on YouTube.

Musgraves wasn’t the only one with that kind of information in mind. A marquee performance by Childish Gambino relied on exquisite images designed for close inspection rather than viewing from hundreds of yards away.

A year after Beyoncé’s instant-classic performance at Coachella 2018 brought new attention to this already closely watched event, it was easy to sense the widespread awareness of that online scrutiny during the 20th-anniversary edition, which featured Childish Gambino and Tame Impala as headliners on its first two nights and was expected to close late Sunday with Ariana Grande. Coachella will repeat this coming weekend in the same place with essentially the same lineup.

As the first major festival in an increasingly crowded season, Coachella is accustomed to the spotlight; indeed, it’s what transformed a once-scrappy rock-heavy gig into a lifestyle destination (not to mention a cash cow for the company behind it, Los Angeles-based Goldenvoice).

But Beychella, as last year’s extravaganza quickly became known, raised the creative stakes with its thoughtful and heartfelt reimagining of a halftime show at a historically black college. By putting on such an unforgettable performance — one she’s revisiting in a hotly anticipated Netflix documentary due Wednesday — Beyoncé pushed other artists to create event-like moments more ambitious than a typical festival appearance.

That certainly seemed to be the case with Childish Gambino, the alter ego of actor Donald Glover, who began his set by informing the audience that what we were witnessing wasn’t a concert but an “experience.”

And so it was: With mobile cameras feeding carefully composed close-ups to enormous video screens as Glover sang, danced and descended into the crowd at one point to find someone eager to smoke with him, the show felt more like a mini-movie than a live performance; the cinematography, if that’s the word to use, was as gorgeous as that on Glover’s brilliant FX series, “Atlanta.” (True to his auteur’s sensibility, Glover barred The Times from photographing the show.)

The problem was that, unlike Beychella, Childish Gambino’s set — with R&B and rap songs that rarely transcended Glover’s obvious admiration for Drake, Kanye West and Parliament-Funkadelic — seemed optimized for YouTube, not for the tens of thousands watching and listening on the ground at Coachella.

Ditto a historic performance by Blackpink, the first K-pop girl group to play the festival, that was simulcast on a digital billboard in New York’s Times Square. The music was sleek and vivid in the established K-pop fashion; the performers nailed their moves with style and precision.

But little about the show felt uniquely tied to the type of time-and-place moment that Musgraves had described earlier. The women knew that the crowd in front of them was dwarfed by the masses following along on social media, which made you feel a bit like someone with a ticket to the Super Bowl or the Oscars.

Sure, you’d made it into an exclusive space. But everyone watching from outside was enjoying the spectacle in the manner for which it was designed.

Other artists peppered their sets with stunts seemingly designed to gain traction online, be it Musgraves’ bringing out Baddie Winkle, the 90-year-old Instagram personality, during her song “High Horse,” or Weezer welcoming Tears for Fears and TLC’s Chilli to join the band for wink-wink covers of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “No Scrubs,” respectively.

DJ Snake convened three unannounced guest stars — Cardi B, Selena Gomez and the Puerto Rican singer Ozuna — for a version of their collaborative hit “Taki Taki.” And Janelle Monáe addressed the outsiders in her fan base with a moving speech about the importance of being oneself “even if it makes others uncomfortable.”

Of course, Coachella isn’t exactly known for its outsider population. Though it might be unfairly thought of as a rich kids’ retreat, the festival inarguably attracts an audience sure of its own cultural cachet. Which means that the real misfits Monáe was appealing to probably weren’t in Indio on Friday night.

What, then, was to be gained by actually schlepping to Coachella?

One answer was confirmation that the Billie Eilish phenomenon is real. For weeks the 17-year-old L.A. native has been breathlessly hyped in the media as the new face of a new kind of teen pop: darker and weirder while also funnier and more self-aware.

But any suspicion that the story of Eilish’s popularity had outgrown her popularity itself was quelled Saturday night when she received a deafening hero’s welcome by a crowd she’d kept waiting for more than 30 minutes after her scheduled start time.

It was also a thrill to stand on the polo field and get a feel for the pride many clearly took in performances by the numerous Latinx acts at Coachella this year, including Rosalía, Mon Laferte and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.

On Saturday, J Balvin, the Colombian reggaeton star, used a portion of his main-stage set to “pay homage to the OGs,” as he put it, with loving renditions of N.O.R.E.’s “Oye Mi Canto” and Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” — songs that rightfully landed here like the foundational texts they are.

There was even, believe it or not, a you-had-to-be-there gig by a guitar band in Australia’s trippy Tame Impala, which took advantage of Coachella’s insanely powerful sound system to deliver a sensory overload that simply couldn’t be accessed via livestream. (Grande, the festival’s remaining headliner, was scheduled to perform late Sunday, after deadline for this article.)

Had Tame Impala masterminded a capital-E Event? Nah, and the result probably won’t be remembered for long.

But after so much high-level strategizing, it felt good to take in what was happening right in front of you.

#coachella #news

1 note · View note

atc74 · 6 years

Text

When You Said I Do

Square Filled: Serenading

Warnings: Disgusting amounts of heart melting, teeth rotting fluff;wedding fluff, lots of singing (Jensen singing), um, yeah, just the fluffly feels fluff. A couple of swears (Kim Rhodes is in it).

Summary: Rob and I get married surrounded by our friends, family and most of the SPN cast.

Pairing: Rob x Angelina (Robelina)

Word Count: 7219 with lyrics (oops, but not sorry, not even a bit)

Written for: me and @spngenrebingo

The day I have been waiting for has finally arrived. Rob and I are getting married!! Thank you so much to @supernatural-jackles for beta-ing this for me, one of my few supporters of this series. Jen, your love and encouragement means the world to me! Also a huge thank you to @evansrogerskitten for her support and love and feedback.

The songs are linked to You Tube should you want to listen. Each one was picked with much thought and care. Thank you to @iwantthedean for helping me narrow a few down. I have also linked the dress, the girls dresses, flowers and such to help give you a visual. Thank you all for reading!

Catch up on Say It Like That

It wasn’t that the bed at the St. Paul Hotel was uncomfortable, but with everything on my mind, I had trouble sleeping. I rose easier than I wanted and stepped into a hot bath, hoping to get in a few moments of relaxation before Olivia and Ava woke. It was my wedding day. I was marrying Rob Benedict and was more than ready to start my future with him.

We had decided to spend the night apart; me and the girls in one room, he and Jacob in another down the hall. I was assured that the hotel staff would be moving us both, sans children, into our Honeymoon suite later that day during the wedding festivities. By the time I finished my bath, the girls were up and begging for breakfast.

With room service delivered, I still had plenty of time before I had to be ready. My hair and makeup team would arrive in about an hour to do the girls hair, then they were off to get ready, so that I could do the same. The knock came sooner than expected but I didn’t care. Nicole and Briana walked into the room carrying more bags and cases than humanly possible.

“I am so happy you’re here!” I told them. Nicole and I had been friends for years and I had gotten to know Briana through Rob and the Con circuit and we had quickly become friends. I couldn’t imagine two people more qualified to make me beautiful on my wedding day. I did not want someone who didn’t know me to help; It was a personal process and these two ladies knew what I did and did not like. I was lucky to call them my friends.

Friends and family. That was what the day was about. Rob and I promising our love to each other surrounded by the people that meant the most to us. It would be a small affair, well relatively small. With this group, it was never small and it was never boring.

Bri was just about done with my hair and Nicole was putting the finishing touches on my eyes before she started on my face, when Ana walked in with my dress.

“Oh can we see?” Nic and Bri asked at the same time.

“Not yet!” I chuckled. “Now finish making me beautiful, please.”

“There is nothing we could do to make you more beautiful, Ang,” Nic replied, hugging me. I really was lucky.

Soon enough they were done and I was ready to get dressed. Ana and I headed to the bedroom while the other two changed. She looked at me with a glint in her eye. “You ready for this?” I nodded, letting her get to work.

Ana opened the doors separating the bedroom from the rest of the suite and as I entered the main room, a hush fell over the room before the squealing started. Their voices blended together and I have no idea was what said, but I knew it was good.

A loud knock on the door interrupted us. Ana answered it to find Jared and Jensen on the other side. “Ladies, your chariot awaits.” Ana slipped her hand through Jared’s elbow while Jensen held his out for me.

“Rob is already on the boat so the coast is clear,” Jensen whispered in my ear as we walked toward the elevators. “You look stunning; he isn’t going to know what hit him.”

“Thanks, Jens,” I pecked him lightly on the cheek and we continued on our way. The cars were parked right outside the hotel entrance and we were on our way to the riverfront. I was in the lead car with Nicole and Briana when the landing came into view. I clutched tightly to Nicole’s arm.

“Hey, deep breaths.This is your dream, Ang. We got you,” she said reassuringly as the cars came to a stop. Jensen and Jared were both out of their car and opening our doors. Once all three of us were out, they ran ahead to make sure Rob was nowhere near the entrance so we could head to the bridal room.

The four of us walked onto the boat unseen by Rob and made it to the bridal room where my mom and dad were waiting with both Olivia and Ava. They looked beautiful in their matching dresses. “Mommy! Our dresses match yours!” Liv ran over to me the moment I entered the room.

“I love that we all match!” I told the girls. After exchanging a few words with my parents, they left us to finish getting ready. A quick check of the time said I would be meeting Rob at the top of the stairs in just twenty minutes.

Rob and I had decided that we would walk down the aisle as a family. Jacob would walk between the girls, holding their hands, while Rob and I would follow. It was not traditional and it took some convincing, but Rob understood once I explained it to him. It wasn’t just about he and I getting married or even our love for each other, it was the day we became a family, all five of us.

Once it was time, the girls and I gathered our flowers and headed to the top of the stairs where we would meet up with our boys and walk out onto the deck where our friends and family were waiting. My heart was beating fast and loud in my chest. I had my eyes closed the moment we stopped and I waited, my girls by my side, to start the rest of my life. I felt little hands tugging on my arms and then I heard him.

“Come here often?” I opened my eyes at the sound of his voice, warm and soothing.

“Hi,” was all I managed to get out. He looked so handsome, he and Jake, in their matching navy suits and custom boutonniere's.

“Okay, enough already. Let’s get this show on the road,” Jacob announced from behind his father.

“You look stunning, Red,” Rob whispered as he took my hand.

“You look pretty good yourself, handsome,” I smiled as we walked to the doors. I heard the music playing, but tried to stay focused on walking.

Jacob stopped and turned, looking at both me and his dad. “For the record, I didn’t really want another sister, but I am pretty happy you two are getting married. And Dad is right, Angie, you look really pretty.” His eyes cast downward and he toed at the floorboards.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around my future step-son. “Thank you, Jake. That means a lot.” He hugged me back and it was just what I needed. I stepped back in place next to Rob and took his hand, a tear in my eye.

Jake held out his hands to his two sisters and together, they opened the doors. The music hit me once we all walked through the doors. Billy Moran stood off to one side, with Briana by his side, as she sang Valentine. I gave them a smile and a wink as we continued.

Ahead of us stood the officiant. I had compromised with Rob on this part when he said it was important that someone we knew marry us. I let him choose and I wasn’t one bit surprised when we reached the altar. We all gathered around, Rob and I in the middle and our children off to one side. The music ended and the officiant addressed our guests.

“Friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the lives and the love of two of the most wonderful people I have had the pleasure to know. Rob and Angelina have not had a traditional or easy path, but that makes it all the more special,” Richard paused and looked at us and I could see the love in his eyes.

“You didn’t want a traditional ceremony, so here goes people,” everyone laughed along with us as Rich continued. “Angelina…”

“Rob, Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, caring for you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life has in store for us, and I vow to be true and faithful for as long as we both shall live,” my voice shook as I spoke those words to him and placed my ring on his finger.

“Rob, you’re up Buddy,” Rich whispered.

“I am proud to marry you this day, Angelina. I promise to wipe away your tears with laughter and sooth your pain with caring and compassion. Together we will wipe clean the old canvases of our lives, and fill them with new color, harmony and beauty. I give myself to you completely, and I promise to love you always, from this day forward.” Rob’s voice wavered as well and he squeezed my hands in his as he slipped his ring onto my finger.

“Rob and Ang, you have something you want to say to your children?” Rich offered.

“Jake and Ava, I love you and I am devoted to making your lives full of happiness and accomplishments, nurturing your creativity, encouraging your independence, and making sure you always know what a gift you are to this world. I vow to love and respect you every day of my life,” I leaned down to kiss Ava’s cheek and slip a new necklace on her. I turned to Jake, sealing it with a handshake and a pocket watch. I turned to Rob and nodded. Rob crouched down to your daughter’s level and took her hand.

“Olivia, I love you and I am devoted to making your life full of happiness and accomplishments, ensuring that you thrive to your fullest potential, and that while you reach for the sky, you remain grounded by the love of our family and our home. I vow to love and respect you every day of my life,” Rob secured a necklace on Liv, matching the one on her new sister.

“And now, Jacob and Ava do you promise to love and respect your dad’s new wife? Do you promise to support their marriage and your new family? Do you promise to accept the responsibility of being their children, and to encourage them and support them in your new life together?” Rich asked Rob's children.

“We do,” Jake and Ava replied in unison.

“And Olivia, do you promise to love and respect your mom’s new husband? Do you promise to support their marriage and your new family? Do you promise to accept the responsibility of being their child, and to encourage them and support them in your new life together?” Rich repeated the question for my daughter.

“I do,” Olivia said, her voice strong as she answered Rich.

The five of us held hands and looked to Rich expectantly. “By the power vested in my by the internet and Chuck himself, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride,” Rich announced.

Rob leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to mine and I heard my heart sing with joy. When we parted, we wrapped our arms around all three children, sealing our union.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you for the first time ever, the Benedict Family!” our guests stood, cheering and clapping. Jason and Billy played us back down the aisle as the children ran ahead of us. All of our guests headed inside for cocktail hour while we posed with the children for some photos, the river providing the perfect scenery.

Soon we were able to join our guests before dinner. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Even as people congratulated us and hugged us, I couldn’t believe we were finally married. Ana approached from the side, waiting for the group to depart. She handed me a glass and Rob a cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Dinner was a simple affair catered by my favorite Italian restaurant, followed by toast after toast. Each time I turned around, Nicole or Ana had a fresh glass for me. We opted not to have anyone give speeches instead Rob and I addressed the crowd after the last toast. We stood in front of the stage facing our dearest friends and family, our hands linked together.

“We want to thank each and everyone that could be here with us today. This day would not have been the same without you all,” I told them.

“I second that. We are grateful to have each of you in our lives. Thank you. Now, I believe we have some music planned right?” he looked to me, his smile wide, making those crinkles pop at the corners of his gorgeous blue eyes.

“Because what is a wedding without music? Considering how we met, I think it is only fitting!” I turned to face the stage where the band had already set up. Jason acting as band leader gave me the signal they were ready.

“Hey everybody! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jason. I gotta be honest with y’all here, I really didn’t think this would last. Rob way out punted his coverage with this one! But seriously folks, I have known Rob for a long time and I have never seen him this happy. Rob spends several weekends a year planning shows, so we are doing a takeover and giving him the night off to celebrate with his beautiful bride. Please welcome Briana Buckmaster along with Mr. and Mrs. Rob Benedict!” Jason started playing as Bri took the stage. Rob set our mics down and pulled me out onto the dance floor.

At last my love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

As Rob and I danced our way across the floor, I looked into his eyes. I saw so much love and admiration, I felt as if my heart would beat right out of my chest. We had chosen this song with such care. It wasn’t just the song as much as it was the person we had asked to sing it. Briana’s soulful voice brought such life to a song, no matter what she sang. I tucked my head under his chin and let him lead because he already knew I would follow him anywhere.

I found a dream I could speak to

A dream I can call my own,

I found a thrill to press my cheek to

A thrill I have never known

You smiled and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine at last

The music faded and everyone applauded Briana’s performance. I pulled back from Rob and picked up the microphone again. “Thank you Bri. We couldn’t have asked for a better gift. For all of you, we asked our very talented friends to sing a song that reminds them of us in lieu of gifts.”

“Because there is no greater gift than the gift of time, which they have given, along with their incredible talents. So loosen those ties, and lets get this party started!” Rob shouted, tossing his mic up to Jason.

The band played “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and everyone joined us on the dance floor. The children were having a blast. This was probably the best party I have ever been to, much less hosted. I caught Rob’s eye across the floor where he was dancing with Kim. I didn’t need to say anything, he already knew it.

Jason sat down, just him and his guitar, and did what he did best. I recognized the song immediately and I blew him a kiss. “Perfect Spot” was a song that I caught Rob humming one day and when he told me it was one of Jason’s I played it. He told me it reminded him of me and we danced right there in the kitchen that night. I grabbed his hand and led him back to the floor, where we joined by Ana and Jared, my parents, Rich and his wife and several more of our friends. I spotted Nicole on the far side dancing with a very smitten Gil McKinney. I lightly punched Rob in the shoulder to get his attention. We knew it wouldn’t take long. They were perfect for each other. We took our seats to catch our breath when Rich took the stage.

“Some of you might know I am from Nashville, none too far from where this man recorded his first album. So when these two crazy kids asked us to sing a song that reminded us of them, this is the first song that came to mind. If you know them, you’ll understand why. Rob, Ang...congrats,” Rich bowed, guitar and all.

I find it very very easy to be true

I find myself alone when each day’s through

Yes I’ll admit I’m a fool for you

Because you’re mine, I walk the line

Rob held me in his arms as we faced the stage and Rich, swaying back and forth to the music.

You’ve got a way to keep me on your side

You’ve give me cause for love that I can’t hide

For you I know I’d even try to turn the tide,

Because you’re mine, I walk the line

Rich took his bow and announced Kim Rhodes to the stage. “When I first got this email, I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to sing! Oh shit, Ang, I’m sorry! Can I say ‘fuck’?” Everyone laughed along with us and I nodded. I craned my neck to see Rob with a fake scowl, one eyebrow raised and I nudged him in the ribs. We laughed with Kim and gestured for her to continue.

“Anywhoooo, I have known Rob for years and like Jason said, I have never seen him so happy. I love you guys!”

“You turn around then you ask behind tears of doubt

Just what I see in you

Please don’t cry,

I know sometimes it seems we barely get by

But you don’t see how much you do,

Oh to get me through

When the world is cold and I need a friend to hold

You give me love, you give me love, baby

When my hope is gone and I feel I can’t go on,

You pick me up, you give me love, you give me love, oh baby

I apologize if I never told you what you are in my eyes

Oh baby let me tell you now

Every day looks sweeter knowing you’ll be there in every way

Now how you can say that’s not enough

I stood on my tiptoes to whisper in Rob’s ear, “It’s like they raided our playlist.” I kissed his jaw with a chuckle and applauded Kim as she finished. We are the luckiest people on earth.

“Excuse me, can I have your attention please?” A young voice could be heard and Rob and I both turned. Jacob stood on stage with Jason, Ava and Olivia by his side.

“We have something we would like to give you,” Jake looked at each of us, the girls nodding and smiling excitedly next to him. Jason leaned over and whispered in his ear and he nodded.

There's a place in my heart

And it's there just for you

Inside your heart

Is where dreams can come true

Put your hand in mine

Take one step at a time

There's a place in my heart ... for you

Inside my heart

There's a place for you

Always and forever (Always and forever)

Inside my heart

There's a place for you

Always and forever (Always and forever)

Inside my heart

Tears filled my eyes, but I pulled Rob closer to the stage. Our children were up there singing a song for us on our wedding day. To know that they put in the time and practice to learn it made my heart swell more than I ever thought possible.

“Did you know about this?” I looked to Rob, tears running down my face.

“Maybe. Jake and Ava wanted to give you a gift but as soon as Liv heard about it, there was no way she wasn’t helping out. This is their gift to us. They rehearsed before you got here today,” Rob whispered in my ear. I turned back to the kids as they finished.

There's a place in our house

And it's there just for you

Inside our house

There's a room with a view

Just knock on the door

I'll be there for sure

There's a place in our house ... for you

Inside my heart

There's a place for you

Always and forever (Always and forever)

Inside my heart

There's a place for you

Always and forever (Always and forever)

Inside my heart

Inside my mind

Inside my body, you will find

Strength and love and happiness

You'll find a way to be your best

Be your best

Inside my heart

There's a place for you

Always and forever (Always and forever)

Inside my heart

There's a place for you

Always and forever (Always and forever)

Inside my heart

When they were done and took their bows, Liv giving the cutest little curtsy in her big girl dress, I ran over to them, wrapping them all in my arms.

“Thank you for your gift,” I choked out best I could. I was so overwhelmed with their thoughtfulness.

“Don’t cry, Angie,” Jake told me.

“They are happy tears Jake. I promise. I love you guys so much. This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten,” I chuckled as I wiped away my tears.

“Did we do good?” Liv looked up at Rob, her blue eyes bright and shiny.

“Yeah, kid. Ya did real good,” he crouched down to hug both girls, then landed a hand on Jake’s back. “Thank you, we loved it.”

Marti, the wedding planner, discreetly pulled me and Rob aside, informing us it was time to cut the cake. With the children and the photographer gathered round, Rob and I cut into our very small cake. After so many tastings, we opted for a dessert bar, instead of traditional cake. But Marti insisted there had to at least a small cake for cutting. Some clever guest had even brought some Supernatural cupcakes.

“I vow to love you forever and ever, Mrs. Benedict,” Rob whispered, running his thumb along my lip to clean off the icing.

“And I will love you for the rest of my days and beyond, Mr. Benedict,” I echoed his sentiment. We milled around as our guests marveled over the cute array of sweets.

Jensen took the stage a few moments later. “So I think we all got the same email about singing a song for the happy couple, is that right?” Jensen looked to me and Rob, then Jason for confirmation. “Well, I am all for the traditional love song y’all, but that just ain’t my style tonight. We’ve been there with Rob through ups and downs and we have watched these two battle against forces that would tear lesser couple’s apart. But every now and then, you need a song to remind you someone will be there; someone has your back. We’ll always have your back, guys.”

Jensen sang with soul, I knew that from experience. I took my seat and listened intently as he sang.

You only need a roof when it’s raining,

You only need a fire when it’s cold,

You only need a drink when the whiskey

is the only thing that you have let to hold

Sun comes up and goes back down

Falling feels like flying till you hit the ground

Say the word and I’ll be there for you

Baby, I will be your parachute…

If you think you’re going down

Just know I will be around…

No sooner had Jensen finished the last note of the song when I rushed up to the stage and threw my arms around him. Jensen was there when I was down and needed someone. He was there and had not only my back, but Rob’s. He hugged me back just as tightly, before kissing the top of my head. “I’ll always be your parachute, Ang.” Jensen and I walked off stage hand in hand, bumping into Ash on the dance floor.

“Hey Jense, I want you to meet someone. This is my friend Ash. Ash, meet Jensen. I gotta find my husband,” I left them as I went to rejoin Rob, but I didn’t go far enough that I missed the conversation.

“Have we met before?” Jensen shook her hand lightly, her face lit up like it was Christmas.

“A time or two, but not long enough that would have remembered me,” Ash looked down at her hands, clutched in front her.

“No way I would forget a pretty redhead. Seattle, right?” he gave her that signature smile complete with the eye crinkles. I turned back to Rob.

“My work here is done,” I pulled him down and kissed him.

“Playing matchmaker again?” he grinned.

“Not at all. I just want my friends to be friends is all,” I giggled.

Nicole came and stood with us, her arm wrapped around my waist as we watched Gil and Briana take the stage. “Sooooo, Gil said he was singing,” she nudged me.

“Of course he is. But my question would be..is it for us, or for you, Missy?” I winked at her and hugged her a little tighter.

“So Gil and I decided to try our hands at a duet for you tonight. I’ve always loved this song and I think it is very fitting for our friends,” Briana took a seat and the music started. Tears welled in my eyes immediately. I turned to Nicole, who just nodded and smiled knowingly at us.

“Did you know they were singing this?” I asked.

“He may have told me…” she smirked and turned back to the stage. I glanced back up and saw him wink.

It’s not your eyes

It’s not what you say

It’s not your laughter that gives you away

You’re just lonely

You’ve been lonely, too long

All your actin’

Your thin disguise

All your perfectly delivered lies

They don’t fool me

You’ve been lonely, too long

Let me in the wall, you’ve built around

And we can light a match and burn it down

Let me hold your hand and dance ‘round and 'round the flame

In front of us

Dust to

You’ve held your head up

You’ve fought the fight

You bear the scars

You’ve done your time

Listen to me

You’ve been lonely, too long

Let me in the wall, you’ve built around

And we can light a match and burn them down

And let me hold your hand and dance 'round and 'round the flames

In front of us

Dust to dust

You’re like a mirror, reflecting me

Takes one to know one, so take it from me

You’ve been lonely

You’ve been lonely, too long

We’ve been lonely

We’ve been lonely, too long

The first time I heard that song after Rob and I got together was with Nicole. She brought it up and told me ‘One day, this will play at your wedding’ and she was right. The song was already powerful, but after that moment, it held so much more meaning. Rob placed a soft kiss to my cheek, promising to be right back. I nodded, then held my friend a little tighter.

Minutes passed, but Rob had not returned. I looked around the crowd and spotted so many happy faces of our friends and family. Briana and Kim stopped by to chat with Nicole and me, and that is when I heard it.

“Would Mrs. Benedict please report to the dance floor?” I heard the smile in his voice as he said it and I laughed. Kim and Bri both take my hands and walked me to the floor where Rich is waiting, a chair placed right in front of the stage.

Rob is standing center stage with with his guitar when his eyes met mine. “I travel a lot for work, like A LOT. When I first realized how in love I was with this spitfire, I knew I couldn’t live without her. I tried, Chuck knows I tried, but I needed to be with her. She’s my home…”

When you look into my eyes

And you see the crazy gypsy in my soul

It always comes as a surprise,

When I feel my withered roots begin to grow

Well I never had a place that I could call my very own

But that’s alright my love, cause you’re my home

When you touch my weary head

And you tell me everything will be alright

You say, use my body for your bed

And my love will keep you warm throughout the night

Well, I’ll never be a stranger and I’ll never be alone

Wherever we’re together, that’s my home

Tears filled my eyes as I watched my husband. The song spoke to our relationship more than anyone would ever know. I had no idea Rob had planned to serenade me on our wedding day and the song could not have been more fitting.

Home can be the Pennsylvania turnpike,

Indiana’s early morning dew

High up in the hills of California

Home is just another word for you

Well I never had a place that I could call my very own,

But that’s alright my love, cause you’re my home

Through my blurred vision, I stood on shaky legs and made my way to the edge of the stage to meet his eyes, cobalt and sparkling with his own tears.

If I travel all my life and I never get to stop and settle down,

Long as I have you by side,

There’s a roof above and good walls all around

You’re my castle, you’re my cabin and my instant pleasure dome

I need you in my house cause you’re my home

You’re my home

Rob stood, handing his guitar off to Jason, and jumped off the stage in my arms. “You’ll always be my home. I love you.”

“I’ll always be here.” I heard the music pick up and threw my head back in laughter. Jason and Billy lead the band through a rendition of Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” and everyone got up to dance around us. Rob held me as we swayed slightly to the music, still lost in our little world.

~*~

The cool breeze off the water felt refreshing on my flushed skin. I leaned against the railing, looking over the edge to water below. A familiar scent washed over me and I leaned into my husband when I felt him press his chest against my back.

“I was looking for you,” he whispered in my ear.

“I just needed a breather. It’s getting a little warm in there,” I sighed deeply, breathing him in once more. “But it’s nice having you here, in the quiet with me.”

“I can’t always promise it will be quiet, but I can promise I will always be here,” Rob vowed.

“Hey lovebirds,” Nicole cooed, joining us. Jen, right behind her.

“I’ll give you guys a few minutes. See you back in there, okay?” he turned to leave. “Take care of my wife, girls.”

“How are you doing, Boo?” she asked.

“Just needed some fresh air,” I smiled and turned to her.

“That’s all? Come on, truth…” she held up her pinky finger and linked it with mine.

“Excited, nervous, terrified…” I confessed, breathing out before taking another deep one in an attempt to calm myself.

“He loves you more than anything. It will all work out, I just know it,” I wrapped my arms around the two of them, happy to have my girls with me on a perfect day.

“I have never seen a couple more in love than the two of you, Ang,” Jen piped up.

“I know. Thank you, both of you, for everything,” I pulled back, looking at Nicole. “Soooo, you and Gil, huh?”

“I didn’t want to say anything just yet, but yeah,” she blushed in the sparking fairy lights overhead. “By the way, I overheard your mom and dad talking; they want to know who this Chuck guy is.” We all burst into a fit of giggles.

“I’m happy for you, Boo. Now let’s get back my party; rumor has it some hot guy is going to sing for us!” I pulled them back inside. We made it just in time to see Gil take the stage and the music start playing Maroon 5’s “Sugar.”

With Rob back by my side, I couldn’t help but steal a glance at my friend now and then. She was dancing and the smile on her face said all I needed to know. I leaned into my husband and we enjoyed the performance.

...My broken pieces

You pick them up

Don't leave me hanging, hanging

Come give me some

When I'm without ya

I'm so insecure

You are the one thing

The one thing, I'm living for

I don't wanna be needing your love

I just wanna be deep in your love

And it's killing me when you're away

Ooh, baby,

'Cause I really don't care where you are

I just wanna be there where you are

And I gotta get one little taste

Your sugar

Yes, please

Won't you come and put it down on me

I'm right here, 'cause I need

Little love and little sympathy

Yeah you show me good loving

Make it alright

Need a little sweetness in my life

Your sugar (your sugar)

Yes, please (yes, please)

“You’re all the sugar I need, Red,” Rob whispered in my ear.

“Oh, you’ll get your sugar, Sugar. Just you wait,” I laughed and kissed his lips just as the song finished. I was having the time of my life and didn’t care how long the party lasted. I heard a familiar voice through the speakers. My eyes got wide and I turned to Rob.

“I thought she couldn’t make it!” I said excitedly.

“I didn’t even know she was here,” Rob looked toward the stage and a moment later, Lisa Berry walked on.

“So I wasn’t supposed to be here tonight, but I didn’t want to miss this for the world. Surprise!” she told us. “I picked this one just for you, Mama!”

Looking out on the morning rain

I used to feel so uninspired

And when I knew I had to face another day

Lord it made me feel so tired…

I looked around her to see Kim, Briana, Ruth, Emily and Ana singing back-up and my heart sang a little more. I squeezed Rob’s hand a little tighter and pulled him closer to dance with me.

Before the day I met you life was so unkind

You’re the key to my piece of mind

Cause you make me feel

you make me feel

Like a natural woman (woman)

When my soul was in the lost and found

You came along to claim it

I didn’t know just what was wrong with me

Till your kiss helped me name it

Now I’m no longer doubtful

Of what I’m living for

And if I make you happy, I don’t need to do more

Cause you make me feel

you make me feel

Like a natural woman (woman)

Oh baby, whatchya done to me (whatchya done to me)

You make me feel so good inside (so good inside)

And I just wanna be (wanna be)

Close to you, you make feel so alive

Lisa closed out her song, all six ladies taking a bow and ran off stage. I caught her in a hug before she could disappear. “I am so happy! How did we not know you were here?!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said, that bright smile spreading across her face.

Rob stepped in. “Best surprise ever! Thank you for being here with us to celebrate.”

She hugged us both one more time before Kim pulled her away, leaving Rob and staring after her. “Did you know?” We both asked at the same time, chuckling at our friends planning behind our backs.

“Mama?” I felt a tug at my dress and looked down to see my little girl rubbing her eyes.

“Hey, Livvy. You tired, Baby?” I picked her up, her legs wrapping instinctively around my middle, she nodded, tucking her head into the crook of my neck. I looked to Rob, who reached for her and she slid into his arms seamlessly, mimicking the same posture once secured to him. We walked together to where Jake had his head down on the table, Ava next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

They looked so peaceful, that we didn’t want to disturb them. Rob’s brother Matt was right there to take Olivia. “I’ve got them. You guys go, enjoy your party.”

“We’ll be docking soon,” Rob checked his watch before passing Liv off to his brother as well. Matt shooed us away for the last hour of our wedding reception.

“Ummm, has anyone seen the bride and groom?” We heard Jason ask.

“I guess that’s our queue,” I shrugged, giving Matt a hug and dragging my husband back out onto the dance floor.

“You called, Mr. Manns?” Rob asked into the microphone.

“Yes, just have a damn seat. I got a pretty little lady here that wants to sing something for you guys,” Jason pointed out.

Ruth Connell joined him on stage, throwing me a wink and Rob a kiss. She and Jason performed “Lucky.” We danced along with our friends as they sang for us.

“Well, I’ve got one more song to perform for you fine folks tonight. Like I said earlier, you ain’t getting a traditional love song from me. Some of you may know that the guy I play on television, Dean, is a fan of classic rock,” Jensen told the audience as the music started. “And Bon Jovi rocks...on occasion.”

Your love is like bad medicine

Bad medicine is what I need, whoa

Shake it up just like bad medicine

There ain't no doctor that can cure my disease

Bad medicine

I ain't got a fever, got a permanent disease

And it'll take more than a doctor to prescribe a remedy

I got lots of money but it isn't what I need

Gonna take more than a shot to get this poison out of me

And I got all the symptoms count 'em 1, 2,3

First you need, then you bleed, and when you're on your knees

(That's what you get for falling in love

You get a little but it's never enough

That what you get for falling in love)

Now, this boy's addicted 'cause your kiss is the drug, whoa

Jensen sure did know how to put on a show and work the crowd. People were dancing and having a great time with him on stage. Rob and I laughed when he jumped off the stage to finish off his song selection.

We were blessed with a few more performances before the boat docked, signaling the end of a perfect day.

“Hey folks, I’ve been told we’ve got one more song for you tonight. Can I get all our performers up here one last time?” Jason called out. Rob and I watched as Rich, Jensen, Bri, Gil, Emily, Lisa and Kim all joined him onstage with the band.

“This is the first song Rob sang for his bride and the one he used to propose to her. We hope you always find the love you always knew you deserved with each other. Congratulations friends,” Jason turned and nodded to the group.

I’ve seen it come and I’ve watched it go

The ins and outs and the highs and lows

Well I gave my heart and I paid the cost

For the loves I made there were friends I lost

At the point I’d almost had enough

Like the morning sun you woke me up

You held me close and you help me see

Oh you made a believer out of me

Now I’m alright, I’ve got you in my life

And I never felt love, ever feel so right

It’s a miracle and a mystery

How the hands of fate brought you to me

I had lost all hope, had lost all faith

With each kiss you loved my fear away

Now I’m alright, I got you in my life

And I never felt love ever feel so right

Well it’s good to feel and for once I know

That I’ll never have to worry about you letting go

No matter where this road may lead

As long as I’ve got you with me

I’ll be alright, I’ve got you in my life now I’m alright

And I’ve never felt ever love feel so right

Never felt love ever feel so right

Never felt so right

Never felt love ever feel so right

Never felt love

Never felt so right

Never felt love ever feel so right

Never felt love

Just as the song finished, the boat slowed, pulling into the landing. I grabbed Rob’s hand and pulled him in closer. “I love you Robby.”

“I love you, Ang. More than anything. Thank you for planning this perfect day for us, for our family,” his hands cupped my cheeks and he kissed me deeply. The first real kiss we have shared as husband and wife. The lights came on, breaking the moment, but there would be plenty more.

“Angelina, all your bags have been packed and will be taken to your car. It has been a pleasure planning this day for you. I wish you both the best of luck,” Marti, the wedding planner, hugged me, then was gone with a slight wave.

Rob and I stood at the loading platform as our guests departed. We hugged, laughed, kissed and shook hands with everyone. Matt stepped up with one sleeping child in his arms and another at his side.

“Congratulations, kids. Have fun. I’ll make sure they both make it on the plane tomorrow. Love you,” Matt bent to kiss my cheek and shake his brother’s hand. We kissed each of Rob’s children and waved them off.

My brother was right behind them, my daughter asleep in his arms too. I kissed her pink cheek. “Thank you.”

“Have fun and don’t make any more babies! This one is getting too heavy,” my brother joked. I kissed my sister-in-law and then my parents, promising to check in in a few days. Soon, we were the last ones left on the boat, besides the staff.

Rob held out his elbow for me,” Shall we, Mrs. Benedict?”

“We shall, Mr. Benedict,” I answered my husband and together we walked to the car waiting for us and the rest of our lives together.

Look for another part real soon, like tomorrow!

The Whole Enchilada - join the fiesta: @sis-tafics @holyfuckloueh @gh0stgurl @hobby27 @bethbabybaby @anspgene @cyrilconnelly @just-another-busy-fangirl @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms @roxyspearing @heyitscam99 @iwantthedean @mogaruke @smoothdogsgirl @x-waywardaf-x @myoutletforfanfiction @growningupgeek @spnbaby-67 @emoryhemsworth @impalaimagining @feelmyroarrrr @docharleythegeekqueen @katymacsupernatural @hennessy0274-blog @charliebradbury1104 @pinknerdpanda @hannahindie @wingedcatninja @highfunctioning-sociopath @speakinvain @evansrogerskitten @percussiongirl2017 @blacktithe7 @theoriginalvicki @mrswhozeewhatsis @sweetpeamoose @sandlee44 @mottergirl99 @meeshw777 @squirrel-moose-winchester @milkymilky-cocopuff @meganwinchester1999 @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @grace-for-sale @andkatiethings @nanie5 @monkeymcpoopoo @adoptdontshoppets @drakelover78 @dolphincliffs

Rob Worshipers: @natasha-cole @ellen-reincarnated1967 @a-queen-and-her-throne @shanghai88

#spngenrebingo #Rob x Angelina #Robelina #Rob x OFC #say it like that #my love #my ship

27 notes · View notes

gatesofember · 6 years

Text

Debut

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 1

Rating: G | Pairing: Solangelo

Next | AU directory | Read it on AO3 (Recommended) | Arranged Marriage AU Masterpage

Summary: At six years old, Will is finally wearing grown-up attire like his father and older brothers and is old enough to attend public events, just in time for his aunt’s inauguration. But Pluto is cold, his clothes are stiff and itchy, and the long journey in the carriage left Will sore, tired, and grumpy. Just when Will starts to think that he’ll remain miserable for the rest of his life, his aunt introduces him to someone very special.

The journey to Venadica had been long and tiring. Will hated sitting in a coach for longer than twenty minutes, so the weeks he had spent traveling had been miserable. He’d ridden in the coach with his father and older brothers, Lee and Michael. Michael had brought cards, so they’d entertained themselves by playing Quadratis for a while before they grew tired of it. The scenery outside the windows of the coach changed as they left Jupiter and entered Pluto. The golden fields that Will had seen on the countryside of Diana, his father’s duchy, had turned green as they traveled farther north. The air became colder as the ground became rockier, and each day was more dismal than the last. Early in the trip, Will had seated himself beside the coachman and had asked him questions about the new steering mechanisms from Vulcan, but as the weather cooled, Will found himself more interested in being inside even if the carriage was stuffy and crowded.

Apollo, along with occasional help from Will’s brothers, had spent part of the trip advising Will on how to behave when they got to his aunt’s ceremony. Chiron—who was in the other carriage with Daphne, Will’s step-mother—had already gone over rules of conduct with him, but Will could be forgetful, so he appreciated the review, even if it was very boring. This celebration would be Will’s first public appearance. At six years old, he was finally grown up enough to go with his father and brothers and step-mother. Will was relieved that he’d been given permission to attend the festivities; after all, Will’s aunt, Artemis, was being inaugurated the Matestra.

Artemis was not only a priestess—or soror, as priestesses were more properly called. Long before Will was born, Artemis had left her younger twin, Apollo, to become the Duke of Diana when she took her Oath and joined the Sorority: the sisterhood of priestesses who served the protogenoi, cared for their temples, and led ceremonies in their honor. It hadn’t taken Artemis long to be elected Soror Princepa, or high priestess, of Delphi—the most prestigious sororal position in Diana. In fact, it was the most prestigious sororal position in all of Jupiter. She had recently been elected Matestra of the Sorority, which made her the leading authority on all matters dealing with the protogenoi and worship.

Will liked his aunt Artemis. He regretted that he would not be able to see her as often now that she would be living in Venadica, the headquarters of the Sorority. Venadica was in Pluto, the northernmost of the three Romanus Terris, weeks away from Will.

Will was sore, cold, and grumpy when they finally arrived in Venadica. He hadn’t been prepared for the weather; it wasn’t long before Pontonia and the temperature was pleasantly hot in Diana, but it felt like late autumn in Pluto. Will worried that his aunt would never be able to get warm, but maybe if she was too cold, she’d come back to Diana to be with him. After all, being Matestra was wonderful, but Will didn’t see any problem with being Soror Princepa of Delphi.

He, his brothers, and his father and step-mother stayed in a guest apartment in the Sororal Palace, while Chiron and the servants had rooms elsewhere. Their apartment had five bedrooms, one for each of them, connected to a common room. The Sororal Palace contained many guest apartments for occasions such as this, while the sorors themselves lived in another wing and the consors—non-sorors who trained and studied with sorors and helped the sorors with their duties—had rooms in a separate building. Currently, some of the most powerful people in the world were gathering in Venadica for the inauguration—Will had heard that King Poseidon and his family were not staying far from them. Will doubted he would have been invited if the new Matestra had not been his aunt; he was only a natural-born six-year-old boy, and not very important.

Venadica, despite the dreadful weather, was a beautiful city. The architecture of the palace dated back nearly a hundred years, but the streets were modern; gravel laid over large stones in the ground to keep the streets flat. All of the sorors wore grey and silver as a sign of their Oaths, while the puella—girls who were in training to become sorors but had not yet taken their Oaths—wore shades of brown. In some ways, Venadica reminded Will of Phoebus, the capital of Diana, where Will lived with his family. There were sorors and consors playing music at every corner, or showcasing their latest inventions, discoveries, and artwork at booths along the streets. Will lost sight of his family a few times when he got distracted by a particularly interesting display, but Chiron always found him quickly. Chiron knew to expect for Will to be absent-minded. Will made friends with some of the youngest puella quickly and spent some time playing with them, but Chiron followed him and returned him to his family when he got too far away.

Will didn’t see his aunt until the inauguration, where he and the other members of Artemis’ family sat in designated seats in a balcony overlooking the Square of Aether—a large paved area directly in front of the Sororal Palace. Each of the three royal and imperial families had their own balconies from which they watched. The inauguration was followed by a celebration throughout the city, then there was a grand banquet in the dining hall of the palace. Will spent the meal in silence, trying to behave himself. His family was seated with Artemis and the families of King Hades, King Poseidon, and Emperor Zeus and even with all the reviews on proper etiquette and rules for conversation, Will was too nervous to speak. Instead, he focused on using correct manners while eating, being sure to act politely and neatly. Daphne caught his eye at one point and gave him a slight nod, as if she was trying to tell him he was doing well.

Later that evening, Will found himself sitting alone in the dining hall, resting his chin in his hands and sighing in boredom as a few groups of adults chatted about very important and dull sorts of things. The rest of the adults were either dancing in the square or playing cards in the next room. The puella his age had gone to bed by then. Will probably should have, too, but he hadn’t wanted to leave his Aunt’s celebration. Will’s older brothers were talking to puella and other guests their own age in the next room over, where they huddled around a table watching four people play a game of Quadratis. Will wondered how Lee and Michael could stand it, after the rounds they’d played in the carriage; Will was sure he’d feel a sense of dread every time he saw a deck of cards for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Austin, who was three, was still in Diana with his governess, as he was too young to attend. Will was at the awkward stage of being old enough to be present at the celebration with the adults and older children, but too young to really participate.

He’d had fun earlier that day, playing Stones-and-Stems and Wolf-in-the-Pasture with children from around the city. They were mostly puella or the children of consors living in Venadica, but there were guests like himself, as well. It had been fun to play outdoors after all that time sitting in the carriage, even though the weather had been terribly cold and Chiron had chided Will for getting dirt all over his clothes. Will had been ashamed of himself; he’d been determined to act the part of a well-behaved, civilized young man at his first public appearance. But despite his resolution, Will was devastatingly bored.

Will sighed again and shifted in his seat, trying to keep himself awake. Maybe he should find Chiron to take him back to his room so he could sleep. Before he could move, Daphne, who was conversing with a small group of sorors, gave him a sharp look and Will realized he was resting his elbows on the table, so he quickly removed them, sat up with a more polite posture, and ran his hands over the smooth, floral pattern of his purple waistcoat to straighten out the wrinkles. It was stiff and itchy, but he had to admit that it was beautiful. Will was still getting used to wearing the more grown-up style of clothing. Daphne had attempted to tuck back Will’s unruly curls, but to no avail; none of Apollo’s servants were able to tame his hair. They had at least managed to tie it back so he resembled something similar to a civilized young man. His jabot had been tied far too tightly around his neck, but he resisted the urge to loosen it, reminding himself to be on his best behavior.

“Will?” said a voice Will recognized as his aunt’s.

“Your Divinity!” Will said in surprise, hurrying to get out of his chair and bow. He nearly tripped and just barely stopped his chair from falling over. “My apologies, Your Divinity.” He bowed again, knowing that he was blushing to the tips of his ears. His first appearance at a public event was not going well. Will always ended up flustered when he met with his aunt. After all, she was the Matestra. He worried that he would disappoint her.

Artemis only smiled at him. She looked stunning; Artemis was the youngest Matestra to ever be elected, and she wore the traditional silver sororal gown with effortless elegance. Artemis had never needed to try to be beautiful, nor did she care much for fashion. She was quite unlike the lords and ladies of Neptune Will had seen at the celebration, whose flamboyant sense of style was constantly evolving. “No need to apologize,” she said. “Can I not greet my nephew as kin?”

“Yes, Matestra,” Will answered with another bow. “I’m honored.”

“You may take your seat, Will,” Artemis said kindly as she sat beside him at his table. Artemis always had been fond of children. She had inspired many young girls to become puella. Will had heard rumors that Emperor Zeus’ daughter was intrigued by the idea of taking the Oath.

Will had always admired his aunt Artemis; a part of him secretly desired to follow in her footsteps and become a leader in the Sorority. However, it was impossible for Will to do so; sorors were always women. While Will was devoted and permitted to assist and become involved with the Sorority and its mission as a consor, he could not take the Oath.

Will and his siblings received a wonderful education, Chiron made sure of that, but Venadica still intrigued Will, even if it was unbearably cold. Many young women and some young men travelled to Venadica for a formal education. Venadica was known as the “City of Enlightenment” for a reason; the best minds in the world journeyed to Venadica to collaborate, study, and discover. In fact, sorors and consors were sometimes called “venadi”—which meant “hunters” in the ancient language of Pluto—in reference to their search for knowledge. Venadica itself was named for this pursuit of education, which was was often called “the hunt.”

Will thought he might want to become a consor to join “the hunt.” Chiron was a consor and an excellent tutor, trained in Venadica just like Artemis. Maybe Will could become a scholar, a tutor, or a healer, which sounded much more fun than being an earl of some county in Diana. Plus, if Will moved to Venadica, he’d be able to see his aunt all the time.

Of course, it was a long way from home. Will wasn't so sure he wanted to leave Diana. If he already missed his younger brother so much, how would he fare if he wasn't able to see the rest of his family without traveling for weeks in a rickety, uncomfortable carriage? And then there was the unbearably cold weather of Pluto to consider....

“Are you enjoying yourself in Venadica?” Artemis asked, pulling Will out of his thoughts.

“Oh, I am,” Will answered shyly, then he realized he was kicking his legs under the table and forced himself to stop and scolded himself for not behaving. “I had fun in the city today. The puella are very nice.”

“Yes, I’m fond of them, too,” Artemis agreed. “I’ve always wanted to take you here. I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“It’s too cold,” Will blurted out, then he blushed and stuttered out an apology. “I do like it here, though.”

“It is quite cold,” Artemis said with a chuckle. “Very different from Diana, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and very far,” Will said sadly. “Will you come home to visit, Your Divinity?”

“From time to time,” Artemis answered. “I will travel quite a bit now. Maybe we’ll meet in a new city. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Yes, Your Divinity,” Will said. “Although I do not like to travel very much. It is very boring and makes my bum feel sore.” Will blushed as soon as the words were out and clapped his hands over his face in embarrassment, apologizing to Artemis yet again.

Artemis was laughing, however. “It isn’t very pleasant,” she admitted, and Will set his hands back in his lap politely, trying to recover and behave in a more respectable manner. “But for now, what are you doing sitting out here all alone, Will?”

Will felt guilty; Artemis probably thought that Will wasn’t enjoying himself and he didn’t want her to feel responsible as the hostess. “I suppose I’m just sleepy, and all of my friends have gone to bed. I didn’t want to be a bother to anyone.”

“You are not a bother to me,” Artemis said with a fond smile. “Would you like me to help you find Chiron to take you to bed?”

Will almost said yes, but he didn’t want to force her to look after him. Surely he could manage to find Chiron on his own.

Before he could answer, though, Artemis said, “Or, perhaps I could help you find a friend to accompany for the rest of the evening?”

Will perked up at that. “But I thought everyone had already gone to bed,” he said.

“There is one boy your age,” Artemis replied. “He is in the square dancing. Why don’t you go outside with me for a while?”

Will considered, then he nodded and slipped out of his chair to follow Artemis out of the dining hall. “His name is Nico,” Artemis told Will as they walked.

“Like the Prince?” Will asked. He’d been studying the names of important people that would be at the gathering. Nico was the son of King Hades and about the same age as Will—

Wait.

Oh.

Artemis seemed unaware of Will’s sudden panic and merely lead Will outside with her hand on his shoulder. Will had never met a prince before; he hadn’t even been introduced to Princess Thalia or Prince Jason of the Juvian Empire, where he lived. He quickly thought over the instructions Chiron had given him on what to do if he was introduced to someone of a higher rank than his own.

Outside, Aether’s Square was filled with light and music. An orchestra of sorors was performing while a group danced on the paved stones. Ordinarily, dances would take place indoors, but too many people had attended Artemis’ inauguration for it to be held inside; the celebration was open to everyone in Venadica and guests from all over the three countries had been invited.

Aether’s Square was beautiful. There were lanterns on top of posts everywhere, so Will could see everything as clearly as he would if the sun had been up. Chiron had told him that the square was always well-lit; it was located so that the daylight illuminated it starting at dawn, and the lanterns cast a warm glow when it was dark. After all, the square had been named for the protogenos of light; the sorors considered it their duty to keep the area bright.

There was a massive fountain in the middle of the square depicting a scene from the aftermath of the famous battle between the protogenoi and their traitorous children, the titans. Sculpted in the center of the fountain, the likeness of Gaea, protogenos of the earth, held the dying body of her daughter, Rhea: the only titan who had remained faithful to the protogenoi. The story frightened Will’s younger brother, Austin, but Will thought it was beautiful.

Artemis stopped before the group of dancers and told him they would wait until that set had ended. The formal dances that always started celebrations had already finished, and now there were more casual group dances. Will preferred the group dances; they always seemed more lively. Men and women danced, trading partners and meeting new faces while music filled their ears and the beautiful twirl of skirts mesmerized Will’s eyes.

“His Highness is on the other side of the orchestra, at the fountain,” Artemis told him, and suddenly Will’s anxieties were back. He’d forgotten who Artemis was planning to introduce him to when confronted with the beauty of the square.

“Your Divinity, is it proper for me to meet His Highness?” Will asked nervously. “Do I have permission to speak to him?”

“Certainly,” Artemis said, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I am introducing you. I know His Highness quite well; I have served the royal family on more than one occasion. His Highness is an amiable young man; I think you will get along.”

Will didn’t know what “amiable” meant, but he felt reassured nonetheless. When the dance ended, Artemis started to lead Will towards the fountain, but they were stopped by Will’s father.

“Your Divinity,” Apollo said with a polite bow to his sister. “So you were with my son! I was looking to ask you to join me in the next set of dances, but it appears you’ve already found a partner.”

Artemis scoffed good-naturedly. “Are you neglecting your wife, brother dear?” she teased.

Apollo’s lips pursed, losing the good humor he’d had just a moment before. “She is otherwise occupied.”

Artemis gave Apollo a look that Will didn’t understand, then she turned back to Will. “I’m taking Will to meet Prince Nico,” she explained.

“Prince Nico?” Apollo repeated. “Well, then, take Elpis with you, Will. Act politely and you’ll do wonderfully.” He looked at Artemis and said, “This is quite an honor you are giving my son. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Artemis said, squeezing Will’s shoulder fondly. “I’ll always look after my nephews. Pardon me for a moment and I’ll return so I may accompany you for the next dance set.”

“Then I shall wait. May the moirai smile on you, Will.” Apollo bowed to his sister again before disappearing into the crowd.

Apollo likely meant to inspire confidence in Will, but he’d really done just the opposite. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Artemis patted his back and started to lead him towards the Prince again. Will had been prepared to talk to people of a higher status; he knew that as the family as the Matestra, he would be near the royal and imperial families. However, Will had not been prepared to be personally introduced to the Prince of Pluto.

Artemis brought him to where a dark haired boy was sitting on the low wall around the fountain, watching as the dancers reassembled. Will’s immediate thought was that he looked like a lively young man. The Prince was smiling while he admired the dancers and the light from the lanterns sparkled in his dark eyes. His legs were swinging back and forth, heels clacking against the wall in time with the orchestra. He was dressed similarly to Will, but his clothes had a more Pluton style; the waistline was higher and the fabric looked heavier, and the outfit was far more radiant than Will’s. The brocade was green with gold accents and the buttons on his waistcoat were impeccably polished. He was quite pretty; his face was lovely and his expression was pleasant. He had sharp, regal features like his father, King Hades, but he wore them entirely differently. He looked bright and handsome rather than strict and serious. Will had seen the Prince earlier that day, of course, but only from afar; he’d seen the royal and imperial families at the inauguration and he and the Prince had been at opposite ends of Artemis’ table during the banquet. He looked less threatening than Will expected; in fact, he looked quite friendly. And yet, Will felt intimidated. Nico was still a prince. He was dressed much more beautifully than Will, his hair was in place, and he looked perfectly at ease, while Will felt like he was going to shake right out of his breeches.

“Your humble servant, Your Highness; I hope you find this evening agreeable,” Artemis greeted when they reached the Prince. She bowed and Will quickly followed suit.

“I wish you a good evening, Matestra!” the Prince said with a wide grin. “I hoped I’d see you tonight! Could we play a game of Acies later?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Artemis answered. “We’ll play tomorrow; it has gotten far too late to start tonight. Besides, I would like to introduce you to my nephew.” Artemis put her hand on Will’s back and urged him forward, as he’d been lingering slightly behind her, fidgeting nervously. “Your Highness, may I present William, son of my brother Apollo, Duke of Diana.”

Will’s bow wasn’t low enough or long enough and he stumbled over his words when he said that he was honored to make the Prince’s acquaintance. The Prince cocked his head to the side as he looked Will up and down curiously, then he grinned again. “How do you do, William? May I call you Will?”

Will nodded. “Indeed, Your Highness, whichever you please,” he said, trying to sneak back into the comfort of his aunt’s shadow.

Artemis put her hand on his back to prevent Will from hiding. “Then with your permission, Your Highness, I will take my leave. I promised my brother a dance.”

Nico nodded, then Artemis bowed and gave Will a smile before she left Will with the Prince. Nico looked Will over again with the same curious expression as before. “Why are you all alone?” Nico asked. “Have you no friends?”

Will was going to explain that his older brothers were busy and his younger brother was in Diana, and everyone else had gone to bed, but he was still so nervous that he only managed to shake his head.

“No need to worry; I can be your friend,” Nico said. He patted the space next to him on the edge of the fountain. “Come sit with me.”

Will nodded and tentatively walked over to the price before hoisting himself up on the wall. He tried to keep his posture right, but Nico was leaning back on his hands, swinging his legs like he didn’t care about showing proper etiquette. Will wished he could be that brave.

“You see that girl there in the green gown?” Nico said, pointing to the dancers. A few children older than Will and Nico were dancing off to the side of the square, mimicking the steps that the adults took. “She is my sister, Bianca. Did you know that Bianca is the best archer in Pluto? She won this year at the Rhegalia archery competition for young archers. She told me that she wants to be in the Sorority but I don’t want her to be a soror because if she’s a soror I won’t be able to see her as often. So I told her, ‘Oh, no, Bianca, that won’t work; you’ve got to be the queen.’ You know, during Rhegalia, Bianca gave me this ring as a gift. She commissioned it from a silversmith in Vulcan, isn’t that amazing?” When he held out the ring for Will to examine, Will nodded in appreciation and smiled, not quite sure what the right thing to say was. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Prince Nico.

Nico, however, didn’t seem to mind, and he kept talking. “And see the boy in blue next to Bianca? That’s my friend Prince Percy.” Nico broke off with a giggle. “Did you know Percy can sail? He has a boat! I like boats, especially the big ones. Do you like boats?” Will nodded—boats did seem amazing now that he’d heard Nico talk about them—and Nico cocked his head to the side. “You’re very quiet,” Nico observed, but Will was unable to get a word in before Nico started talking excitedly again. “Did you know that in ancient Pluto, they cut out people’s tongues if they were bad so they couldn’t talk? Isn’t that wonderful? Do you have a tongue?” Will nodded and promptly stuck it out to demonstrate, then he quickly drew it back into his mouth and blushed, stuttering an apology for his behavior. But Nico was giggling and he stuck his tongue out at Will, too. Will stifled a laugh behind his hand. Sticking your tongue out wasn’t terribly rude, but it was quite absurd.

“Say, have you ever played Acies?” Nico asked. “I just started. It’s quite a delightful game, you know. My tutor is teaching me. It’s just like a real battle! I wish I could be in a real battle, but my tutor tells me I can’t have any weapons. My sister gets to play archery, but no one lets me play. Bianca is getting a new set of Acies figurines made for me. Did you know that if you have a praetor and a centurion with the same color gemstone on one tile, they receive a bonus making their combined power equal two praetors?”

Will shook his head. He’d seen people play Acies, but he never joined in; it was a very complicated game. Will wasn’t able to keep the rules straight and he could never focus on the game long enough to finish a round. After a devastating loss that had occurred in under ten minutes, Chiron had merely sighed and told Will he’d teach him to play when he got a bit older. Will wondered how Nico was able to remember all the rules or sit through an entire round; he must be very clever to be so good at it. Maybe he’d ask Chiron to try teaching him again when they got back to Diana.

“My new figurines will be made of black marble this time,” Nico went on. “I had a wooden set before. Anyway, what games do you like to do? Do you like cards? I love Quadratis.”

“Um, well, I am bored of cards,” Will admitted. “I played them too much.”

“Really? You can get bored of cards? Then I should play them less often; I don’t want to get bored of cards. You know, when I get older, I’m going to learn to play Belli. My tutor says I’m too young for that game and it’s too difficult for me, but I don’t think so.”

“I like to play Wolf-in-the-Pasture,” Will piped up, thinking himself very brave for adding to the conversation. He liked listening to Nico talk and he wanted to say something interesting, too. Maybe he’d even impress Nico.

Nico looked puzzled. “What’s that?” he asked.

Will was shocked that Nico had never gotten to play, but he politely explained the rules. It was a game children liked to play outside in the summer, when one child would be the “wolf” who had to catch the other children, who were the “cattle.” When the “wolf” caught a “cow,” that “cow” became a “wolf,” too, and that went on until all the “cattle” had been caught.

“That sounds amazing!” Nico said. “We should play!”

“Oh, well, you need more than two people,” Will explained.

“That’s okay! You might not have friends, but I do. I will share them with you. Follow me!” Nico jumped off the wall and gestured for Will to hurry up. He led Will to the children who were dancing in the square and, without hesitating to interrupt, he grabbed Bianca’s sleeve and tugged on it. “Bi, listen!” he said.

The Princess missed a step in the dance and looked at her brother in irritation. “Nico, I said I’d dance with you the next set,” she said. “I promised Thalia first.”

“This is more important,” Nico said. “Percy! Jason! Come listen! My new friend Will has a game!”

Will suddenly found himself being stared at by three princes and two princesses while he stumbled through his explanation of how to play Wolf-in-the-Pasture. Nico rocked on the balls of his feet excitedly as Will spoke, which Will found quite distracting. He found himself blushing at all the attention he was getting. Will didn’t enjoy being the object of everyone’s focus; he preferred to leave that to his older brothers while he stayed in the background with Austin. However, Will did like the delight on Nico’s face when he nodded along as Will spoke, looking like he was very proud of the new friend he’d found.

Nico insisted on being the wolf. The others—Bianca, Thalia, Percy, and Jason—agreed without bothering to argue. Will got the feeling that Nico usually took the lead when it came to games. Percy said he knew a place that was less crowded where they could run around together.

Will had always been good at Wolf-in-the-Pasture; he was a fast runner and was usually the only cow left at the end, or, if he was the wolf, he’d catch the cattle quickly. But usually, Will played during the day wearing much more comfortable clothing. Will was counting on his usual speed to impress Nico, but he stumbled on a bit of uneven paving and Nico caught him by smacking his arm, then he laughed and said, “Now you're a wolf, too!”

Will shook off his mortification at having been caught so quickly when he saw how happy it made Nico, so he just smiled and nodded when Nico said, “Now you go get Jason!”

Thalia ended up being the last person to be caught; Will was proud to say that he had been the one to get to her in the end. Nico beamed at Will in pride when the game was over and said, “You’re very fast, even if you are quiet. How did you get so fast? Did you let me catch you? I want to be fast. Are you fast because you don’t talk much so you keep all your breath for running?”

Will wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just smiled and said, “I enjoy running.”

“What about dancing?” Nico asked. “Do you like to dance? I like to dance. Come dance with me!” He took Will’s hand and called out to the others to follow him back to the musicians, where the six lined up to take part in the next dance.

Will had taken dance lessons, of course, but he forgot nearly all the steps when the music began. He apologized when he almost stepped on Nico’s foot, then Nico frowned at him and said, “Don’t you know how to dance?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Will answered, his eyes focused on their feet. “I...I forgot how this one goes.”

“That’s no matter,” Nico said cheerfully. “I can help you. Bianca and I like to dance together, so I’m very good at it.” Nico was good at it. In fact, there didn’t seem to be much that Nico wasn’t good at. “See, fifth position, slide to fourth position, slide to third position, back to fifth. Not so hard, is it?”

“No, Your Highness,” Will agreed, following along with Nico’s steps.

“Do you dance minuets?” Nico asked.

“I am learning,” Will replied.

“I love minuets. Bianca and I practice the minuet together. No, no, Will, that’s second position. See?”

“Yes, of course, Your Highness. My apologies.” Will looked up at Nico and blushed. They were about the same height, their bodies an appropriate distance from one another but still very close. It suddenly occurred to Will that he had physically touched a prince a few times that evening, and he wondered if there was some rule against that.

Nico smiled brightly, his dark eyes glinting in the lantern light. “You’re doing well,” he said, and Will forgot all about his concerns.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Will said, flushing darker. “You are very talented.”

“Yes, I practice quite often,” Nico repeated. “If you practice, you can be good, too.”

Will nodded. “I will, Your Highness.”

“Good.” Nico nodded. “Next time, we can dance a minuet.”

Will voiced his agreement without putting much thought into it. He didn’t know when he would see Nico next, so he made a promise to himself to learn to dance a minuet when he got back to Diana. He’d have to learn to play Acies so that they could play a round, too. He’d talk to Chiron about it the next chance he got.

The dance ended and Nico scurried to steal his sister from Percy for the next dance, leaving Will without a partner. Will stepped to the side quietly to wait, unable to ask any of the others to dance. After all, they were princes and princesses, all older than he was. He could not be the one to ask them to dance.

Will stood by alone, watching Nico and his sister dance in admiration. The Princess was a much more skilled partner than Will and Nico kept up with the steps easily. The siblings looked beautiful, with Bianca’s skirts fluttering and Nico’s laughter ringing in the air, their feet moving in perfect synchrony like they knew each other’s movements as well as their own. Will wished he could dance like that.

“Well, nephew. It seems your evening was a success.”

Will nearly jumped out of his shoes when Artemis appeared next to him. “Um, good evening, Your Divinity,” Will said sheepishly, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that his shoes were no longer shining, his clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was poking out of its tie. Will brushed off his coat and shuffled his feet in shame. “I was playing,” he offered in explanation.

“I can see that,” Artemis said, looking slightly amused. “Chiron is taking your brothers to bed. Would you like me to escort you to your room?”

Will glanced back at Nico and Bianca and the others, then said, “Can’t I bid His Highness goodnight?”

“Of course you may,” Artemis replied. “I believe they will be taken to their rooms shortly, as well. It is very late.”

“Thank you, Matestra,” Will said, playing with his sleeves nervously. “I have behaved myself very well. We are friends now.”

“I never worried,” Artemis said as the dance drew to an end. Patting his back, she said, “Go on, Will. Say your farewells.”

Will nodded and hurried over to the Prince when the music came to a close and bowed in greeting.

“Oh, Will, would you like to share the next dance?” Nico asked cheerfully.

“I....” Will glanced over to his aunt for guidance. She had said it was time for bed, but it would be rude to turn down the Prince. Artemis smiled and waved her assent, so Will turned back to Nico and said, “I would be honored, Your Highness.”

Will stumbled and shuffled and tottered through the steps as Nico reminded him where to move his feet, feeling very embarrassed, but mostly happy. Will usually wasn’t a bad dancer, but he was so nervous that his feet wouldn’t do what they were supposed to. But when Nico merely laughed every time Will lost his footing, Will laughed, too.

He was sad when the dance set ended, but he bowed to Nico and said, “Thank you for dancing with me, Your Highness. I regret that it is late and I must take my leave.”

“I had a pleasant evening,” Nico said. “Thank you for the new game, and be sure to learn to dance better for next time.”

“Yes, I will. I bid you a good night, Your Highness.”

“A good night to you as well,” Nico said. He held out his hand, palm facing down, and Will faltered for a moment before bowing and kissing the back of it. He’d seen his father and mother being greeted that way, so he didn’t think he did anything wrong, but Nico giggled at him when he stood back up. “Farewell, Will. May Aether light your way.”

“And may Ouranos look on you kindly,” Will replied, and with another bow, he left Nico to return to his aunt. Artemis looked pleased when she put her hand on Will’s shoulder and guided him back inside the Sororal Palace.

“It seemed to me that you enjoyed His Highness’ company quite a bit tonight,” Artemis observed as they climbed the staircase to the east wing.

“Oh, yes, Your Divinity,” Will answered. “Many thanks for introducing me to His Highness, Matestra.”

“It was my pleasure,” Artemis said with a smile, her eyes looking thoughtful. When they made it to the floor where his family was staying, Artemis added, “You would make a good friend for His Highness.”

“I hope I will be able to meet him again someday,” Will said.

“Yes,” Artemis agreed pensively. “I hope for it, as well.” She smiled and placed a hand on Will’s shoulder when they stopped in front of the door to Will’s family’s chambers, then she leaned down to look at him eye-to-eye. “And I hope you’ll come to visit me here in Venadica every so often. It may be very far and very cold, but I think you’ll find that the City of Enlightenment has much to offer a bright young man like yourself.”

“Do you mean...I could be a consor?” Will asked, his chest fluttering with warmth at the thought. He could study in Venadica? He would be able to see his aunt all the time and grow up to be bright like Chiron, and then, perhaps, he could be a tutor for Lee and Michael’s children. He could be a healer. He could be a philosopher. If he became a consor, he’d be able to do nearly anything. Even learn to dance a minuet and play Acies.

“Give it some thought,” Artemis replied. “Sleep well, nephew. We will say our farewells tomorrow, but I don’t believe the moirai will keep us apart for long.”

2 notes · View notes