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#what other Spanish festivals do we know…
dreamings-free · 5 months
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https://twitter.com/LT91_Updates/status/1737145411465298198 it's only a rumour of a possible 3th date of a festival in Spain. Maybe they make a mistake or reveal something they didn't have to yet but something to keep an eye on.
ooh 👀
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ynbabe · 2 months
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Hii, could you do a part two of "bite me"? I love reading these types of stories <33
Bloody red ୨୧ Charles Leclerc x Reader- Vampire AU
| Part 1 | Heyyy y'all- I'M BACK!!! Okay so reader is at the end for this but I promise y'all will love this- it's Charles, how could one not? Anyways, enjoy and let me know what you wanna see next! REQUESTS ARE OPEN.
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Charles could almost throw up from the sight in front of him, he was exaggerating of course but it was close.
A large spread of food- human food. The drivers had all gone out to celebrate, he didn't know what, maybe it was a pity meal after the absolute mess in Australia. He hoped so, looking at how George and Logan looked- faces pale, eyes dark, looking like they could throw up.
Across from him Fernando hadn't touched the food and was sipping on his suspiciously red win, Lance sat to his right and Checo to his left. He spoke animatedly to the Red Bull driver in fast and whispered Spanish and Lance gossiped, loud (for the vampire) in French to Esteban, who seemed equally engrossed in what the Canadian was saying.
Charles swallowed thickly, it wasn't as if he couldn't eat human food it was just that it tasted bland and quite frankly gross to him and Fernando, whom he still suspected to be a vampire. How could he not? That man was surprisingly fit for a man of 40... not that 40 was old.
He fiddled with the spaghetti on his plate but finally gave in an shoved it in his mouth, swallowing like it pained him to do so.
When he looked back up, he saw Fernando staring at him, with a look on his face that Charles couldn't for the life of him figure out. So he decided to torture that old man, why not?
"The food's nice isn't it Nando?" He asked, pulling the table's attention to the two, he smirked as he saw the older man's eyes widen for a second before he regained composure and smiled- no smirked back.
"Yes, yes, it is," he replied, his accent thick, "You don't seem to have eaten much though, not to your taste?" he stressed the last word in an insinuating manner, the meaning lost on all others who were listening in, but he knew, he knew that he knew that he knew- okay this was getting confusing.
"Oh no, I like it, your plate has been empty though?" This was fun, Fernando shook his head and returned to his wine, everyone on the table seemed to have moved on, other than a few prying eyes, unknown to the two drivers.
As the night went on the herd began to thin, as most of the younger drivers- Max, Lando, Oscar (on Lando's insistence, which consisted of him dragging the poor boy out with him,) Zhou, Pierre, Alex, Carlos, Yuki and of course, Daniel had decided to go clubbing. Nico, Kevin, Checo, Valtteri and Esteban had returned to their hotels, tired of the weekend and its festivities.
Left at the table were Fernando and Lance, who seemed to be having a hushed conversation, too soft even for his ears, George and Logan, who seemed to be slightly panicked about something and Lewis who was paying the bill, but just as he was done, he nodded at Fernando in some sort of silent agreement and headed out, patting the drivers in his way, including Charles, on the back and gracing the others with a small wave.
The Aston-Martin driver's conversation finally ends, the younger man laughing at something Nando said as he gets up from the chair and walks away.
Then suddenly, all Fernando's attention is on Charles, unwavering, eyes like a hunter on his prey, "You know," he says nonchalantly, leaning back, "and you know that I know," his eyes still piercing into his own, "So what are we going to do about it?"
Charles knows there's no real danger, after all, he couldn't hurt him without having his secret out, right? Regardless he's terrified, but he's also a gutsy, annoying little shit, so he responds in kind.
"Nothing," and bares his fangs, sipping his own cup of wine, it actually was just wine. He felt pride as Fernando's face morphed into shock.
"This... this I did not expect," he surrendered, hands in the air, "but, I am not unhappy," he smiled, baring his fangs back the monegasque.
Somewhere further along the long table, they were seated at, something clattered, making the two vampires turn their necks at breakneck speeds, well for humans at least.
"What... the fuck!" The American cursed, the tall Brit ext to him equally shocked, his jaw locked shut.
Oh god, how could they forget about them? They were truly screwed now.
"George, think about this-" he began but he was cut off by him opening his pursed mouth which let a small stream of blood dribble out.
Before he had a chance to think the American opened his mouth, teeth- no fangs, stained red. They lifted the small metal decanter they had been drinking from throughout the dinner, he'd just assumed it was alcohol.
"Okay then, " Nando sighed and chugged from his glass of what he now knew was blood. He motioned for the two boys to come closer and they looked around before speeding to sit next to the older man, George where Lance was once seated and Logan where Esteban was.
All he could do was stare, "W-who? What?" slipped out his mouth before he could stop it.
"Well, I was turned very long ago," Fernando confessed.
"How long?" He asked,
"Let's just say Formula was as interesting in the '50s," he smiled, making the three younger men exclaim in various degrees of disbelief.
"That's- impossible, what?" Logan called out, clearly shocked.
"You're a vampire and that's what you think is impossible?" George sassed.
"Yeah? And whose fault is that?" Logan snarked back, using an unused baguette to smack the taller blonde across the head making him hiss in reply.
"Well, I was going to ask who turned you but I guess that's answered," Fernando said, looking at the younger boys.
"Wait, who turned you, George?" Charles asked.
"Lewis, he didn't mean to... it just kind of happened," the boy shrugged.
"And you, Predestinado?" Nando asked, ever theatrical but Charles was a little ashamed now.
"I- uh, I don't know actually," He replied making the other three look at him in concern.
"It happened at a club and I've been feeding off my girlfriend, ever since..." he let out and watched as Logan and George moved closer to each other and Nando sighed.
"Y/n, yes? She's a good kid, Charli, try not to hurt her, this life... it is not an easy one, you know," he warned but the look in his eyes told Charles he was speaking from experience.
----------------------------------------------------
The door opened just as you had dozed off, tired of waiting for Charles.
"Y/n, belle, are you awake, Cheri?" he whispered as he walked into the expensive hotel room.
You startled awake, immediately smiling at your boyfriend. He laid next to you and you moved to let yourself burrow into his arms, head on his chest. At first the lack of a heart beat scared you , but now it was almost comforting, knowing the the sounds you heard were your blood running through his veins.
"Bebe, you will not belive who else is a Vampire," he started off, making you awaken more properly than before.
"There's more of you?" you questioned in shock, leading to perhaps the most important gossip session of your life.
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What’s st.Jordi day? Is it similar to Valentine’s Day in the US?
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oh anon, it's so much more! it's el dia més bonic de l'any (the most beautiful day of the year!) it's the celebration of sant jordi (saint george) who is the patron saint of catalunya and is held on 23 april every year. i wrote in an earlier post that while we are not particularly religious people, celebrating religious traditions and honouring the saints are a big part of spanish culture. sant jordi is especially very important to barcelona and catalunya, so the day is celebration of love but it's also a celebration of catalan culture and why you see so many senyera decorations (catalan flag) and roses everywhere. barça changed its logo (see below) for today too.
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the symbols of sant jordi are the rose, the book, and the dragon. if you know the legend of sant jordi slaying the dragon, then that's where that reference comes from. it's also why alexia putellas, lucy bronze and other barça players shared the image of the famous gaudí house, casa batlló.
gaudí is like the most famous architect in spain and he designed the sagrada familia cathedral and so many places in bcn. he also designed this house as an homage to sant jordi and it kinda looks like dragon scales from the outside. that is why they decorate it with roses every year and there are actually book stalls nearby too. if you visit barcelona, this is a must visit location. it's beautiful and unique and worth the price.
the rose symbol came about during the 15th century in barcelona where they held a lover's fair, and it became a tradition for men to give women a rose on this day, which is why people compare it to valentine's day. later on the 1920s barcelona created a book festival and held it on 23 april (supposedly the death date of cervantes and shakespeare). then it became a tradition for men to give the women they love a rose and women to give men a book (this includes family members too!) now we don't stick to these strict gender norms anymore, so most people get both roses and books. ☺️
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that's the reason why aitana re-released an updated version of her memoir and held a signing today.
so i think this day holds a lot more importance in spain than maybe valentine's day in america (for example i don't think you all celebrate saint valentine in the same way in the us.) btw, we also celebrate valentine's day (el día de san valentín) in spain just like they do in many places around the world on 14 feb, but it's not that big a deal. like halloween it feels like something we took from america and is an excuse to have a party or go have a nice dinner 🤷‍♀️
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loadedberetta · 5 months
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Berry baby🖤
I hope you're doing well and *remembering* to hydrate.
I was just talking with a friend and i find i slip into other languages expressions while I'm speaking or even typing - I'm a polyglot (I know a good few languages) including South African Sign Language. It certainly takes alot of people by surprise since it's not something I go around speaking about.
How would TF141 + Alex Kelle react with this given they never were explicitly told about this skillet before hand?
I hope you enjoy your festive season and find yourself surrounded by the most peace and happiness Love🥀
hi lovie!! (sipping on magnesium water as we speak!)
having dipped my toes in language learning too, I bow to you, polyglot friend~ holidays are hard, thank you for the encouragement, same goes to you! decided to turn them into drabbles, it was much fun, thank you for the req! alright, here is (my first req stuff ever)
141 + Alex react to: polyglot Reader
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rating: M (language, light flirting?)
warnings: smoking, interrogation [military inaccuracies]
[series with random headcanons about specific situations (involving the reader) and how CoD characters would react to them; mostly the 141, but Alejandro and Rudy, Laswell, Farah, König, and others will make appearances too]
other parts: [tattoo] [pregnancy] [knife tricks] [drawing] [foreign language]
find me on ao3 // masterlist
Price
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A small note was attached to your file that Price seems to have overlooked in the year and a half since you were under his command; in Laswell's handwriting, which John knew already from the countless similar notes she left for him throughout the years. Yet, this one stood out; sign language? And how many languages again? He made a mental note to ask you over grub the next day.
Breakfast was always fast; after first drill, but before the day really began. And always with your mates, switching languages with ease to accommodate new members and brothers passing through, just on transfer at the base.
Price always ate at a separate table, always. Sometimes alone, sometimes with some higher-ups. But this morning, he sat by your table, which opened up a seat for him. Everyone's body language shifted to accommodate him among you. He didn't speak, and the conversation between you and a temporary transfer settled back into a comfortable flow. His ears perked up to each sound he didn't seem to have heard from you, as they weren't part of the English phonemic system.
He himself muddled in French and some Arabic and harboured a basic understanding of Spanish since his time in Mexico, but your confidence and knowledge shone through the effortless speech. You and your speaking partner seemed to share a lighthearted conversation in a language he could only guess.
Soon, you let yourself notice his glances in your direction, often settling on your lips for short moments. Smiling to yourself, you finished your coffee as your deskmate excused themselves from the table, having emptied their tray.
Instead of turning to another group being taught foreign swearwords by a new recruit (to which you had to resist the urge to share your favourites), you lifted your gaze to meet Price's.
"Enjoying yourself, Captain?"
He chuckled, raspy.
"How did this never come up?" He asked without much sugarcoating.
"What exactly?" You chuckled.
"That you know about a dozen languages, including… South African Sign Language?"
A small smirk formed on your lips, proud of the recognition and attention to detail.
"I don't go around flaunting it." You stated plainly. "It's not even on my file, it's… just something I do, as a person; it's not for the military or anything."
"Hm." That was all he replied to that. "-but…"
"Yes?"
"Could be useful."
You could see he was pondering something.
"What if I told you I have a spot for you on officer training, hm? They're looking for… intelligence."
Ghost
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( I cannot resist using this gif--)
Finding yourself behind a counter, taking orders from businessmen, assistants, and university students; not exactly how you imagined life in the big city. It was a second job of sorts, only part-time, as you couldn't squeeze in anything else besides the academy.
It was a busy morning, your shift covering the entirety of it before classes began that day. The line was only growing, and the other shiftie beside you was struggling; some foreigners complained about their order, and another pair of customers speaking a third language just rolled up to him, totally overwhelming him. Calling out a name for an order, you waved to the next in line (a sweet old immigrant lady, with whom only you could chat out of the whole team, easily overstepping the language barrier), and told her to just hang on for a moment.
You addressed the complaining couple in a well-mannered way, quickly sorted out their issue with a complimentary muffin and a cookie, and switched languages with ease, freeing your shiftie partner from the agony that was speaking any other language than English for him.
The rush died down just the slightest after a few more hectic minutes, and the shiftie went for a break when you noticed a familiar figure standing by the counter as you turned back with another order.
He gave your unit a few lessons this semester and remarked on your capabilities in strategy and urban warfare. You remembered him, and it seemed like he did too.
The usual balaclava he wore when instructing was replaced by just a black cloth mask hooked behind his ears, revealing a few more details about his face than you'd seen before.
"Sir." You addressed him, conveying you respected the civil setting, yet communicating your respect toward him considering your short but memorable history. "What can I get you?"
"Didn't know you were fluent in that many languages." He remarked after describing his simple order, making your cheeks heat up at a moment's notice.
"It's nothing, really…" You tried brushing his words off with words that came out shakier than you meant to sound.
"How many do you speak?" He asked with a small tilt of his head.
His eyes widened for a moment at your answer. "…and South African Sign Language."
A chuckle, something you'd never heard from before stuck in your ear for a good few seconds, drowned out by the milk frother.
"I don't do lesson plans, you know?"
"What?" You lightly shivered with excitement at the fact how interested he seemed in your knowledge.
"Would you mind, you know… Doing a lesson? Sign language is a valuable asset. I can give you some time next Friday."
"I…" You stuttered a bit at his proposition.
"Nothin' fancy, don't worry, darling. Just some basics."
"Alright…" You found yourself saying after a moment when the light ringing in your ears faded.
"Maybe even tell your story… I'd be interested for sure."
And with that, he grabbed his coffee from your hand, putting some coin on the counter with the other, and was out the door before you could say anything else.
Alex
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He didn't talk. Not to ULF soldiers, and bravely (maybe stupidly) not even to Alex. Farah's request for you to get to the scene was… interesting. She stated her presence was required in another part of the country, and in her encrypted message, she explicitly voiced how your assistance might help ULF break the man.
So you came. Alex greeted you on the airstrip with a smile and a hug, his frame towering over yours.
"Alex, a pleasure to see you." You smirked as the two of you walked back to the nearest building.
"Can only say the same." His tone was warm and welcoming, a staple to him. "You hoping to crack our guy?" He asked you directly about the matter at hand. The small carrier that brought you here whirred into the air in the distance.
"Exactly."
"And how's that gonna go? We haven't even gotten a word out of him, let alone information."
"That's why I'm here now."
"The stage is yours." He opened the door of the large building to you and ushered you inside.
A few hours later, he stood by your side, as you tried to find a crack on the prisoner's tough shell. After many unsuccessful attempts, the tired captive let his head fall, a small curse leaving his lips. Your ears perked, and Alex could only watch the scene unfold in front of him.
In a language he only heard on the TV before maybe once, you asked the prisoner something, to which he immediately lifted his head in confusion. Pressing on, you visibly exerted yourself to gather as much as you could on the man before he would shut down again.
After a few exerting rounds of questions, you stood up abruptly, and nodded for Alex to come with you. Closing the door to the room, you turned to him, but he spoke up faster than you did.
"What is and where." He crossed his arms and awaited your answer with a bite to his lip.
"I don't know yet, but he talked about a car rigged with charges, but he's going to shut down soon, fuck…" You clicked your tongue, exhausted from the rusty pieces of knowledge forced to work in your brain at high speed.
"Hold on… He had a detonator on him when we apprehended him… Are you sure it's a car?" He backed away, looking as if he was about to bolt somewhere.
"White, small, local model." You shouted after him as he disappeared down the corridor.
You stepped back into the room and closed the door behind yourself.
A day later, you were there as Alex switched the trigger, and the car about a mile away from your position, deep in the desert blew to pieces as the two of you watched.
"How the hell did you know from a damn single word?"
"It's a local dialect, where I happened to have stayed for a while, it's not important…" You dismissed the seemingly unimportant detail with a wave of your hand.
"So we just happened to luck out on this one?" He chuckled and turned to you.
"Well, I could have tried about half a dozen more languages, but hey, if this one worked…?" You looked up at him, a small smile tugging the corner of your lips up.
"And Farah knew this?"
"Her hunches are never wrong." You shrugged.
"Yeah… You're right about that."
Gaz
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You and Kyle bonded during selection. Both of you were younger than most of the cadets, and yet, somehow competed for top scores. It wasn't even a test of endurance, it was a test of who could beat the other. DS were amused by how easily you passed hurdles, just to be better than the other one, paying no attention to other competition.
And after that, the two of you became inseparable. Like people who'd known the other since childhood or had been good neighbours for years. Phone calls when oceans separated the two of you were very common, and sometimes you found eachother in inopportune situations; yet these calls only strengthened your friendship. Keeping each other company, and slowly growing to know more and more about the other.
It was a spur-of-the-moment trip, catching the first plane when you finally got your leave. A country you've only seen in books so far, but a language you'd already mastered.
Kyle called you when you were out on the first morning, trying to fetch food from a market.
"Good morning, Kyle." Your chin was visible in the frame of the phone, and the blue sky above you.
"Morning yourself, except it's the middle of the afternoon. Where are you?" He asked in a surprised tone, his face coming closer to the phone, trying to discern some landmarks around you, to no avail.
"In a market. Got on a plane yesterday, and--" You quipped, looking down at Kyle, who was visibly confused about your whereabouts.
"Jesus wept, bug, you're insane…" He shook his head, almost missing as you started haggling, faint voices breaking through the line.
He quieted down and leaned forward on his couch to listen. For a good minute, he couldn't understand a word you were saying, only listening to your voice flow, lips dancing in unique patterns. Soon, you held your quarry up to the camera, something bundled in white wax paper.
You sat down and finally positioned your phone to show your face and upper body, and a bit of the busy scenery behind you.
"You're a wizard, you know that?" He laughed and lounged back again.
"A party trick if you will. I know a few more." You shrugged, and bit into your breakfast.
"Few more?" Kyle repeated, chuckling in disbelief. "What else, like, sign language?"
"Actually…" You laughed, somewhere in the background a bell tolled distantly.
"No fucking way." Kyle licked his upper lip and looked away. "I thought I knew ya."
"There's always more to know, friend."
Soap
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Sharing a room with Soap was… an experience. He was a sound sleeper, not causing much fuss at night, so you were content in that regard. The other departments, however, not much.
He was unruly, to say the least, and it took some time to get accustomed to his schedule. One of you being a morning shower type in opposition to the other being a night shower person caused some friction in the beginning, but like everything else, it settled after a while. After all, this was supposed to last only the three months the unit was stationed at this base.
You hadn't known eachother that well before, but that changed at around the one-month mark.
Having been given a few hours of phone time by Price days before for this afternoon, you set up to call your best friend, a few thousand miles setting the two of you apart. You haven't talked in way too long, and before you knew it, you'd already spent an hour talking and laughing over Facetime, phone propped against the metal grate by the foot of the bottom bunk, you sitting on the mattress.
You acknowledged Soap coming in a few times for his notebook, cigs, or to grab his coat from the back of the chair, but didn't pay it much attention, being so absorbed in the conversation with your favourite human on the other end of the line, confined to the little screen by the foot of your bed.
It was already dark outside, when Soap burst into the room, and put his finger to his lips, signalling you to be silent.
Looking down at your best friend "I need to be silent. Wait a bit."
To which they replied with an "Okay, I'll wait."
Soap flicked the light off, and a few moments later, a few people passed the room; you could hear the footsteps.
"Random inspection." He whispered as he climbed up into his bunk, trying to remain silent.
Praying your room wouldn't be chosen, as you were still in uniform instead of nightwear, you settled on your mattress too. An idea flashed through your head, and turning the brightness on your screen to high, you continued your conversation over Facetime in silence, your best friend quickly catching on to what happened, as you explained the situation in sign by the dim light.
A few minutes later, Soap climbed down from the bunk and switched the light on.
"Gaz texted, they moved on to the next building… what are ya up tae?"
He looked back at you, as you caught his glance too while signing.
"Sign. South African Sign Language. I'm talking to someone."
"Right…" He chuckled bemused, and headed out again, probably for a cig with some other delinquents, to which you shook your head with a smirk on your lips.
Later that night, when you settled to sleep for real on your back, his overgrown mohawk poked out followed by his head from above you, overlooking you on your bed.
"'eard you speakin' earlier… And that sign language too… So… Mind teachin' me some?"
(alright that's all, hope you liked it, goodnight)
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sirenmoth · 5 months
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Can we get a new york-puerto rican reader that speaks mostly english but when pissed off or irritated they speak spanish.
Hopefully it’s ok, did as much research as i could, i’m more versed in mexican spanish so i hope the spanish here is ok
!Can be romantic or platonic!
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Puerto Rican!Reader from New York who speaks mostly english with a slight new yorker/puerto rican accent
Puerto Rican!Reader who speaks fondly of the borough their from, happily telling the boys about it and everything they love from it, bringing back trinkets and gifts from their family trips.
Puerto Rican!Reader who has to explain to four very confused men what the Puerto Rican Day Parade is,
“It’s a day where we celebrate our heritage, and it takes place down Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street.”
“So it’s just…walking?”
“What? No! it’s a celebration of what makes our heritage important”
cue to you explaining the whole event to them, complete with pictures and diagrams.
Soap and Puerto Rican!Reader share culture holidays, Soap loves hearing of Puerto Rico (if you have family there), and what the holidays are like, Festival de Máscaras is probably his favourite, claims Ghost would be perfect for it.
Puerto Rican!Reader shares their countries coffee culture with Ghost, often spending time in his office away from prying eyes, Reader with a cup of coffee while Ghost drinks his tea.
Kyle loves hearing and learning about Puerto Rico’s music and dance culture, and asks them to teach him and if they can take him to New York one day. Puerto Rican!Reader is more than happy to teach him.
Puerto Rican!Reader who is used to weird things, their from New York, weird stuff is nothing new,
“What was that thing?”
“A giant rat? i thought it was obvious”
“Why are you so calm?!”
Price talks about his fishing trips while Puerto Rican!Reader listens, cooking a traditional dish one’s of the boys asked for, giving little pieces of advice they’ve learned from their culture
The boys finding out Puerto Rican!Reader yells in their native language when pissed was an accident, soap and gaz were roughhousing and they bumped into Reader,
“Mamabicho!”
“uh…what?”
“Cómo es posible que ustedes dos, idiotas bastardos, hayan durado tanto tiempo cuando ni siquiera tienen una célula cerebral?”
“i-ok?”
“I think that was an insult”
After that if they hear a single word in your native tongue, the men immediately know they messed up.
Puerto Rican!Reader who slips in terms of endearment just to watch the boys try and grapple at what they said
They could be minding their business until they hear Puerto Rican!Reader yell in their native language, all bets are off and their all pointing fingers are each other
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translations
Mamabicho - basically means dick sucker
Cómo es posible que ustedes dos, idiotas bastardos, hayan durado tanto tiempo cuando ni siquiera tienen una célula cerebral - how did you two bastardised idiots last this long when you don’t even have a brain cell?
Festival de Máscaras - Festival of the Masks from Hatillo, a town located on the north coast of Puerto Rico
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rhoorl · 6 months
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Are You Alone? | Benny Miller One-Shot
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Pairing: Benny Miller x Female Reader
Word Count: 3.4k | AO3 Link
Benny Miller Masterlist
Summary: You take a girls’ trip and Benny misses you.
Warning: Think of this as a combo platter - you get a little fluff, a little angst, and a little smut. Benny Miller comes with his own warning. This is an established relationship and these two like their terms of endearment. There is a brief mention of a parent's illness. Mutual masturbation. Sexting. Body insecurity. There are also some Spanish phrases thrown in. If you have any questions let me know!
Header images are to set a vibe.
A/N: Although this is part of the “Are You On Mute” series (Part 1 and Part 2), this can be read as a standalone. I should be writing other things but Garrett Hedlund posted a bunch of photos on Instagram this week and well…this is what happened. 
“Oops, look what you stepped under,” Benny grinned, his arm behind his back so you knew he was up to something.
You furrowed your brows together, “Bun. What are you up to?”
With a swift move, he swung his arm up and over your head suspending a sprig of mistletoe inches above your forehead. This was your first holiday season as a married couple and he was fully in the spirit. He’d gone a bit overboard buying decorations for the house, including an elaborate light display for the outside complete with a synced musical accompaniment. 
“You gotta kiss me, sweetheart, it’s the rule,” his eyes trailed up to look at the mistletoe before cocking his head to the side and grinning.
You playfully rolled your eyes and pressed up on your tiptoes to give him a kiss, which of course he deepened immediately. He wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you closer to him. 
“I have to finish packing,” you said as you reluctantly pulled away from him. 
“You sure I can’t come with?” Benny exaggeratedly pushed out his lower lip, his blue eyes working overtime to aid in his pout.
“Baby, c'mon don't do that,” you rested your hands on his chest, playing with the pendant hanging from his silver chain. “We haven't had a girl's weekend in forever. Mom's feeling so good this year and my tias and cousins are coming in too. Besides, you know my sister could use the break from the kids,” you chuckled.
“I'm still going to miss you,” he murmured looking down, running his hands up and down your sides.
“I'll be back before you know it, Bun, and then we can do all the fun Christmas stuff you want. I'm sure you and the guys will figure out something fun to do while we're gone.”
Benny had a whole list of fun events around town and beyond that he wanted to go to with you; he was trying to make up for last year which was a bit of a blur. Between medical appointments for your mom and hospital visits, it wasn’t a festive and fun time. Instead, it was a time filled with stress and worry. Luckily you had your sister, her family, and Benny, of course.
One thing your mom loved to do to pass the time while she was in the hospital was talk about all of the trips she wanted to take. She kept coming back to New York City around the holidays. Seeing the tree at Rockefeller Center, going ice skating, and attending a Broadway show were among some of the things she had long dreamed of doing ever since she was a little girl. 
At first, you placated her and listened to her dreams. You didn’t want to promise her anything. Frankly, you didn’t want to give yourself the hope that you’d be able to take the trip with her after all. But as the months passed, she started responding to the treatments and getting stronger. When Benny would come to visit, she’d his ear off about all of the places she wanted to go and how she wanted to be well enough to attend your wedding. 
Your wedding day was an emotional day for so many reasons. Seeing your mom well and having fun, smiling, and dancing with your husband made it a memory you know will live on with you for the rest of your life. As if it couldn’t get any better, during the reception, Benny surprised her with the trip of her dreams. He planned the whole thing without you knowing, getting help from Santiago and Frankie’s girlfriend among others. 
Now the time had come to go on this amazing trip and he was moping around, following you around the house like a lost puppy. 
“I need you to make sure it looks like Christmas threw up in this house by the time I’m back ok?” You stroke his cheek and he presses his face into your hand and kisses your palm.
“Ok boss lady, I got my orders,” he winked.
___________________________
Benny: I haven’t gotten a photo in a while 😞
You smirked at your phone. With the finishing touches of your outfit done, you move to the full-length mirror of your hotel room to try and figure out a pose. You held the phone at different angles, trying to see what would be the most flattering angle.
“Oh my god, do you just want me to take it for you?” Your sister chimed in. You thought she was still getting ready, but instead, she had been silently watching you from the corner of her bed.
“Ugh no, I … I think this one is fine.”
“Oh stop it. You look hot and he’s going to lose his mind.”
You were dressed in a white turtleneck dress, a long brown coat with brown knee-high boots complete with some jewelry Benny had gotten you. Taking a deep breath, you decide to just pick a photo and hit send. Nearly instantly you get a response.
Benny: Ok hot mama! 🥵
Benny: What are you ladies getting up to tonight?
You: Thank you 😘 we’re going to dinner and we’ll see where the night takes us
Benny: Ooo, you girls gettin wild?
You: 🙄 how wild can I get with my mom and tias?
Benny: You really want me to answer that? How drunk were you at our wedding?
You: Fair. Idk, Mari will probably find something for us to do after, it’s our last night so we’ll see
You: What are you boys getting up to?
Benny: Hanging out, the weather is so nice. We have that fire pit Will wants to try so we’ll hang out, watch the game. 
Benny: May have some cigars. 😏
You instantly press your thighs together and bite your lip. Ever since one particular guy’s night, cigars bring up a very distinct visual for you.
You: Well, seems like you boys will have fun. I miss you.
Benny: I miss you so much too. I want more pictures of my hot wife tonight 😉
“C’mon, Mari is downstairs and mom just said they’re headed down.” Your sister snapped you out of your bubble and you both rushed to get downstairs.
Dinner was pleasant, you all splurged on an expensive place reasoning that there was a lot to celebrate. As the meal wound down and the wine bottles were drained, everyone started talking about how to keep the party going. Your cousin Mari was tasked with looking up nearby swanky bars and lounges; she had a knack for always finding the trendiest places thanks to her incessant use of TikTok. 
“Ooo I found a spot!” She turned her phone to you and your sister, who leaned over you to see the video.
“Fun! Looks like a good spot. Mom! You good with keeping it going?” Your sister called across the table to your mother.
“Claro mija! Vamos!”
__________________
Benny walked into the kitchen. He offered to grab more beers, figuring it would be a good opportunity to sneak away and text in peace. 
“You miss her don’t you?” Benny turned around to see his brother-in-law leaning in the doorframe of the kitchen. 
Benny nodded, “Yeah. I’m glad they’re having fun. They deserve it.”
“It’s ok to miss her Ben. I miss my wife too,” he smiled, walking over to pat Benny’s shoulder. “It looks amazing in here, she’s going to love it,” he said looking around at all of the decorations Benny has put up with the guys’ help today.
“Thanks, man.”
“C’mon, everyone’s waiting outside.”
Benny grabbed a couple of six-packs from the refrigerator and followed his newest brother outside. They walked up just in time. Santiago was passing out cigars as Frankie fussed with the TV to get the game on. Benny leaned back in his Adirondack chair, resting his head on the back of the chair when an idea popped into his head.
______________________
Your phone buzzed in your clutch but before you could grab it your sister shoves her phone in your face. “Mira! The boys are lookin' good tonight!” She showed the phone off to the group of ladies who all whistled in agreement.
She wasn’t wrong. Your brother-in-law snapped a selfie with Benny and the rest of the boys in the background. Benny threw up an ironic peace sign which made you laugh. But damn, did he look good. 
He had on a black T-shirt underneath an open blue and white flannel shirt, the glimmer of his chain visible underneath his shirt. Of course, he wore his trusty baseball cap, backward. It looked like he hadn’t shaved since you left and you bite your lip remembering how it feels when he’s between your legs.
Remembering that you too received a text, you unlock your phone and see a message from Benny.
Benny: You girls having fun?
You: Yea! We made it to this bar that’s been super fun! Mom is having a blast.
You: OMG you know that actor you like from Cliff Beasts? He’s in the booth next to us!
Benny: No shit! 
You: Yea! He’s soooo nice. Once he found out we were celebrating mom he bought us a couple of bottles and danced with her too lol
Benny: That all he did?
You: He’s here with his girlfriend who is super sweet by the way.
You: I miss youuuuu
A few minutes late, your phone buzzes again. When you open up your messages, you see a photo of Benny, leaning back in his chair with a cigar in his teeth, his other hand resting on his hat. The smolder he’s giving sends an electric pulse straight to your core. The man is a menace.
“Ay, papi chulo!” 
You’d been staring at the photo for so long, that you hadn’t realized that your tias were looking over your shoulder at your phone. 
“Mijita, Benny es guapisimo!”
“Lo se. He’s pretty handsome, isn’t he? If you excuse me, chismosas,” you winked and moved to sit on another couch away from prying eyes. Everyone gave you a hard time but you smiled and took the good-natured teasing.
You: You’re lookin’ good babe! 😍 Ugh I miss you so much. I wish you were here.
Benny: I miss you too. I feel like you owe me a photo now too.
You: I sent you one earlier silly.
Benny: Yeah, but I want to see what you look like right now.
You snap a quick silly selfie - duck lips while winking.
Benny: How’d I get so lucky?
You: Babe, the guys are going to give you a hard time if you keep talking with me.
Benny: Nah, they’re too wrapped up in the game to care about what I’m doing.
Benny: I think you should send me another picture…but not of your face 😜
Rolling your eyes, you propped your elbow on the couch holding your head there to think. 
“I’m gonna go pee,” you announced to the group, who waved at you in acknowledgment as they went back to laughing and telling stories.
On the walk to the bathroom, you debated what you wanted to do. Before anything, you needed to make sure Benny’s phone wasn’t out in the open. 
You: Are you alone? Can anyone see your phone right now?
______________________
Benny sat up straight in his chair upon receiving the latest text. He knew he was a bit bold in his ask, not wanting to take you away from your time with your family, but he also wanted to be a bit greedy. 
He cleared his throat, “Anyone need a refill? I’m gonna go inside.” He didn’t wait to hear anyone’s response, already making his way back inside, missing the smirks his brother-in-law and Will were exchanging as he walked away.
Benny: I’m back inside, grabbing another beer. 
The little chat bubbles started and stopped, the anticipation of what he was about to receive building. 
______________________
Luckily, the bathroom stalls were rather spacious but you still weren’t sure what the hell you were about to do. You wanted to tease Benny a bit, so you decided to lift your dress so that he could see the bra and underwear set you had on - one of his favorites. 
You snapped a few photos, dropping your dress back down as you quickly reviewed them. You debated what to say, writing and deleting a series of what you hoped were flirty one-liners. In the end, you decided to let the photo talk for itself.
______________________
“Fuck me,” Benny exhaled as his eyes go wide at the sight on his phone screen. He quickly saved it and then promptly zoomed in to inspect things further. He got a bit of a thrill knowing that you’d left your group to send this photo to him. It also doesn’t go unnoticed that you’re wearing one of his favorite sets underneath your dress.
You: Was that ok?
“Dammit, Ben,” he chastised himself. He had been staring at the photo for so long, he forgot to respond. He knew you’d probably been agonizing over sending this in the first place, wondering how it was going to be received. Looking out the window onto the backyard, he sees the guys engrossed in conversation, so he figured he wouldn’t be missed if he was gone just a bit longer. He ran down the hallway to his room, closing the door behind him and double-checking that it was locked.
______________________
The time waiting for Benny’s response was spent agonizing over every imperfection in your photo, wondering if he was noticing the stretch marks or the puffiness of your lower stomach.
You held your breath as you saw a notification pop up that you had a message. Opening it up, you felt your cheeks get warm looking at what Benny sent you. He’d gone back to his room, you recognized the comforter he was lying on, the one you picked out. 
Benny: See what you did?
Along with the text was a photo of him from the waist down. Your mouth watered, seeing that he clearly was excited and very much turned on by what you sent. Before you’re able to think of something to send back you get another message, this time a video.
Your mouth was agape as you watched what Benny sent you. He had already unbuckled his belt and undone his jeans. When the video started, he was stroking up and down on his cock. You watched it all the way through and then played it again, bringing the phone up to your ear to see if he’d added any audio. And boy was there audio. He was telling you how beautiful you looked, how much he liked this little naughty side of you, and how much he wished he was there to take you into a bathroom himself and have his way with you. 
You: Babe! This is hot…
Benny: Yeah? 
Benny: You still alone?
You: Yeah…
Benny: Then show me how hot it got you
You bit your bottom lip, the slick pooling in between your legs. You needed to get some relief, so you leaned against the stall door and reached down into your underwear. Collecting the wetness, you thread your fingers up your folds to your clit, teasing it and wishing it was Benny’s fingers instead of yours. It wasn’t the best angle, but you took a quick photo to send him as you kept going. The next thing you knew, your phone vibrated in your hand. Benny was calling you.
You cleared your throat as you slid the talk button to answer, “Mhmm, yeah?”
He lets out a low grunt, “Fuck baby, you’re really getting yourself off in the bathroom stall aren’t you?”
“C-can’t help it, B, you…fuck…that video was so hot.”
“You thinking of me while you’re touching yourself?”
“Mmmhmm.” You shuddered a bit as you heard his low chuckle.
“I’m thinking of you too baby. Wishing I had you here with me.”
Despite the music bumping outside in the bar the bathroom was rather quiet so you were trying to stifle your moans to not alert any of the other patrons.
“Me too,” you whispered as you heard a group bust into the bathroom, cracking up and gossiping about who knows what. You figured Benny could hear the ruckus on the other side of the door.
“Guess we have company don’t we?” 
“Y-yeah.”
“Ok, I know you can’t talk babe, don’t worry. Is it ok if I keep going?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Ok, and I need you to keep your fingers going too.” He let out a shaky breath, the breath you knew so well, which meant he was getting closer. “I’m so happy you took the day off tomorrow, we’re going to need to make up for some lost time.”
You let out a whimper, already anticipating what was in store for you. He continued to go into detail about the different ways he was going to take you apart and what he wanted you to do to him. Hearing him be so descriptive was new and unexpected. It didn’t take long before you heard his release on the other side of the phone. It was enough to push you over the edge as you bit your hand to stifle a moan.
Your legs felt like jelly and you were panting. It took a few moments for you to gather yourself and put the phone back to your ear. “Bun? You there?”
He took a deep breath, “Yeah. I’m here baby. Sorry, I kinda blacked out for a second,” he laughed. “Fuck, that was so hot.”
You giggled, “Yeah it was. Hey, I…uh…I should probably get back. And you too. I’ll text you when I get back to the room ok?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Have a good rest of your night. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
____________________________
Benny quickly cleaned himself up and threw his pants back on, rushing to return to the group outside. Before he went to open the patio door, he remembered the reason for his trip inside in the first place. He ran over to the refrigerator, grabbed a couple of cans of beer, and made his way back outside.
Santiago was the first to address him. “Jesus, Ben. I thought you left and went to the ABC store.”
“Nah, he was inside talking to his girl,” Will nodded with a smirk.
“Ohhhh. Well, you do look more relaxed Ben, good for you,” Santiago winked. “Looks like you missed a spot,” he pointed down to Benny’s T-shirt and the white spot near the bottom. 
“Fuck,” Benny tried to wipe it away as the guys laughed. 
“Just please tell me you went to your room, right?” Will asked as Santiago cracked up even more.
“Hey, hey, hey. You two are ones to talk,” Frankie chimed in, coming to Benny’s defense. Santiago scoffed and was about to reply before Frankie cut him off, “I know, me too. We’ve all had some uh…fun…with technology,” he smirked.
“I guess, I should make plans to stay over at Miranda’s tomorrow then, huh? Ow!” Will dodged an empty beer can that Benny playfully tossed at him. 
________________________
You cleaned yourself up and weaved back through the crowd to get back to your booth. One of your cousins was regaling the group in a story so you thought you were able to slink back unnoticed. But your sister watched you like a hawk, a sly smile on her face. You rolled your eyes as she grabbed her drink and plopped down next to you.
“Sooo…feeling more relaxed?” She knocked your forearm with her elbow. 
“How’d you know?”
“Bitch, seriously?! You were so,” you shushed her so she whispered the rest, “you were so fucking obvious. Pressing your thighs together. Takes one to know one sis,” she winked. “You forget that I was in a long-distance relationship for like a year. We had to get…creative.”
You brought your hands to your ears, “Ew stop, I don’t want to think of you two having phone sex!”
“Who had phone sex?” Mari perked up, which drew the attention of the group.
You wanted to sink into the couch and disappear as everyone’s eyes turned to you. “My mom is here Mari, what the fuck!”
“Oh stop it, mija! You’re a big girl. Besides, I want some grandkids!”
Everyone whooped and giggled as you buried your head in your hands, laughing at the ridiculousness of this whole situation.
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wardenparker · 9 months
Text
The King's Queen - chapter 5
Javi Gutierrez x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst
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Prince Javier of the Balearic Islands has always known that one day he would have to follow in his father's footsteps to be the caring and steadfast king that his people deserve. What he did not know is that he would be stepping into the next phase of his life alongside a woman he has never met before - and amidst a rocky sea of unusual circumstances of every kind.
Rating: Mature, but this blog is always 18+ Word Count: 10.1k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this series: arranged marriage, age gap, classicism, cursing, food and alcohol, mentions of American politics, deceased parents* Fluff. It's just fluff. Absolute, pure fluff with fluff on top. Summary: Dinner is a much needed retreat for you and Javi after such a busy and harrying today. Notes: After the emotional weight of the last chapter, we had to do something a little lighter.
Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4
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Wearily, Javier rubs his forehead and looks up at Julius. The afternoon had been spent with the council and he had ended up deciding that two of them needed to be replaced due to their obvious loyalty to Lucas. “Julius, will you see if the Princess is free to join me for a later dinner?”
His assistant nods, stepping away to pick up a discreet palace phone that will allow him to dial your suite - or any other room - directly. The line rings twice before it connects and he hears your voice on the other end. The fluid Spanish makes him nod approvingly and he relays the king's request accordingly. After a moment he murmurs a polite goodbye and hangs up, returning to the king's side with a smile. "The Princess has been waiting for your call," he reports with obvious enjoyment of that fact. "She is working in her suite and can meet you at any time, your Majesty."
He hums, a tired smile on his face. “Have the chef prepare the dinner that I had requested this morning, along with a red wine from the cellar. Champagne is perhaps too festive.”
Julius nods again, his go-to reaction for almost anything, but he hesitates slightly. "If I may, your Majesty?"
“Of course.” He has learned over the course of the afternoon that Julius has his finger on the pulse of the country and the palace. Invaluable in his contribution to his father’s reign.
"A case of pink gin found its way into the palace this morning, and I understand it is a favourite of the Princess's?" He tilts his head in amusement, as if the choice is endearingly whimsical. "If you intend to have the very same dinner for the very same purpose as you set down this morning, perhaps a cocktail could be arranged to accompany your dessert? As a treat for her Highness, but not one that would seem inappropriately...boisterous. Given the events of the day."
“That would be much appreciated.” Javier nods and sighs. “It’s been a long day and I think we could all use a drink. Whatever cocktail is created, give one to the staff as well, a toast to King Miguel.”
"Very gracious, your Majesty." The staff will appreciate the gesture, he knows that. The small things do not go unnoticed in a place like this. "And if I may be so bold..." When he receives a nod, Julius returns it with his own. "You did very well today, sire. Allowing yourself to enjoy some personal time is not inappropriate."
“Thank you.” He’s bone tired and sad, but looking forward to seeing you. Something about his father’s death is bothering him and he hasn’t figured out what it is. “Start putting together suitable replacements to Rodriguez and Estrada.” He shakes his head. “Tomorrow. You have also earned some personal time. Once dinner is served, instruct the staff to go home. Dishes can be washed tomorrow. It will not make the palace crumple.”
"Yes, your Majesty." He'll relay the message but has his doubts that it will be followed. The palace staff has a lot of work to do with an engagement, a funeral, a crowning, and plenty of other official events in the near future. "I will have suggestions for replacement cabinet members by morning."
"Thank you." He nods and motions for Julius to leave as he stands, groaning slightly at the ache in his back. "Have a good night." He will have dinner with you and then see if he can sleep. The last moments of his father are haunting him and he hates it.
******
It isn’t difficult to make sure that you’re ready for dinner at the right time and place, considering Javi’s rooms are still directly next door to yours for now. You had even located the door that connects your suites but decided that it might not be appropriate for you to appear in his rooms for dinner that way. Instead you had unlocked it, remembering what he said about the lock being on your side of the door, and gone over to the proper front door of Javi’s suite in the hallway to be announced.
By the time the knock on the door comes, Javi’s changed into something more casual, more him. Trousers and a short-sleeved button up, he feels the weight of the day drain away as he walks to the door to open it himself.
He’s really quite unfairly handsome, to the point that you can feel your cheeks burn when he so much as smiles at you, and tonight you can see the relief in his face when he opens the door to see you standing there. “How was the rest of your day, querido?”
“Margarita, it is good to see you.” He reaches for your hand to draw you into the room and leans in to kiss your cheek. “It was filled with headache inducing meetings. How was yours?”
“Far less stressful than yours, I think. But I will be happy to not be stuck with pins again for a long while.” Being in his arms has such a deep sense of security to it and you sigh without realizing. Whatever cologne he wears smells like the sea and you wonder if he made the choice consciously or not.
“Was it successful though?” He asks with a small chuckle as he leans back. “I heard that designer is good.”
“She was lovely. And very clever. I’ll have a few things quickly and more things over time.” When he laughs he smiles again and it makes you melt more than a little. “The things for the funeral and the state dinner will be done first, of course.”
“You will also have to choose a designer to make your wedding dress.” He reminds you. “As well as coronation gowns.”
With the door shut behind you, you don’t mind taking the moment of intimacy and leaning into his side. “How soon do you want to have the wedding?”
“I was going to ask if you wanted to be crowned as queen when I am crowned king, or if you wanted to wait.” Javi guides you over to the table that has been set for two in his dining area.
"It would be less of a to-do and less of an expense to have us both crowned together." With the responsibility of decision making falling to the two of you now rather than simply following orders, there is more to consider than just how soon you want to be married. "We could be married before the summer is over and have our coronation in fall or winter, if you want them close together?" The English king had waited almost a year for his coronation but you know from reading that Balearic tradition has coronations much more quickly.
“We could do a joint coronation and wedding?” Javi suggests, knowing the expense of either event will be large. “Have the wedding and the next day the coronation? Or would that be too much at once?”
“It would certainly be a big event.” The possibility is one that you had never considered, and you sit down at the table with him with an intense look of concentration. “The honeymoon tradition of touring the islands would be doubly useful, if we did that. It would be an extended celebration. Of course it would be a lot of work to put on the palace staff, but it would save a lot of trouble with planning. Overlapping guest lists and visitors, that sort of thing.”
“And in the end, instead of two separate, costly events, we essentially have one. It would end up saving the people money. We could also declare it a holiday week for them.” Javi suggests.
“We should give ourselves time to plan.” His enthusiasm for the idea is enough to convince you that it is worth pursuing, and you know you’ll be on board for whatever he ends up deciding. “How would you feel about waiting until autumn to have both events together?” While you may not have reservations about marrying him, you’re realistic about the fact that it will take quite a lot of work to get both things done. A few months is practically no time at all.
“That would work.” Javi nods. “There will be several coordinators that would work with you on it.” He promises. “Julius would have that information.”
“I’ll have my own assistant in a few days,” you tell him, sitting back at the table as a footman appears with a silver service cart bearing your dinner. “Julius is wonderful but I don’t want him to be overwhelmed or overworked.”
“Did you have someone in mind?” He smiles and nods at the footman as he bows. “Thank you, Juan.” He picks up the wine bottle and pulls the cork out. “We will not need anything else.”
The footman goes again without a word, and the comfortable quiet of a meal shared just between the two of you sounds perfect for tonight. “My brother,” you tell him honestly, watching as Javi pours you each a glass of wine. “He has been our father’s personal assistant for a few years now and knows me better than anyone. He’s also fluent in Spanish. And has a good eye for fashion, so I trust him with my clothing.” Looking up at Javi, you see the surprise on his face clear as day. “Is that alright?”
“That is perfectly okay, margarita.” He assures you quickly, smiling. “You will have your brother here with you, so I approve.” He is an only child, but from what you had told him, you and your brother get along very well.
“I think you’ll like him.” Sebastian was always the one who watched Nic Cage movies with you and encouraged you to pursue the things that made you happy, so you can’t see someone as kind as Javi not being endeared to him. “So,” you hum softly when he gets up to move to the cart. “What have you requested for our dinner tonight?”
“I requested your favorite meal.” He admits as he lifts the cloches and picks up the plates to bring over to the table. “Based off your social media.”
“Javi.” The china dishes are overflowing with penne coated in luxurious vodka sauce, heaped with piles of stunning shrimp, spinach, basil, and zucchini. Toasted bread lathered in garlic confit is even tucked into the side of the dish like a halo of culinary perfection. It looks even better than when you would get it from the Italian restaurant at the end of your block - and far better than when you tried to make it yourself. “This is absolutely sweet of you. And it smells incredible.”
“Good.” He’s relieved that he got it right and you seem delighted by the prospect of the meal. “Our chefs created this, so hopefully it is exactly what you would experience back home.”
“The company is better,” you venture, knowing that he’s probably far too tired and emotionally wrung out for anything close to flirting, but you are better honest.
You are kind, and lying, because he knows he is not good company for now. He smiles and motions towards the food. “Then let us see how it tastes.”
It’s heavenly. You would never say it to the faces of the family that own your favourite Italian restaurant, but the palace chef has outstripped their own recipe by a mile. The shrimp and zucchini are perfectly grilled and the sauce is like silk over everything. The hum that escapes your lips is as enthusiastic as your smile, and you’re glad to be indulging with him in private. This bowl of comfort food is not going to be eaten in a ladylike manner.
“This is delicious.” Javi moans as he swallows his first bite. Happy he had decided on a red wine to balance it out, it pairs perfectly and he takes a sip, relaxing even more. “We need to make private meals a regular thing.” He decides, looking at you to see what you think.
“Date night.” Is the first thing that comes out of your mouth, and you fluster slightly at how juvenile that sounds. “I—I mean…I agree. Time to ourselves is valued.”
“Date night.” Javi nods, perking up at your approval. “Perhaps I can show you some of my favorite places?” He asks. “It is important to me to show our people that we are interested in their businesses. My father would have me travel and eat local restaurants often.”
“I would love that.” It’s the furthest thing from what you expected from him, and that is sort of a delightful surprise. He wants to go out and be around his people instead of simply staying safe in the palace, which is utterly wonderful. As beautiful as these walls are, you can see already how they might feel like a gilded cage after a while.
“It is always nice to see how people are thriving.” Javi hums. “Or struggling. It is our duty to make sure that they do not struggle because of our decisions, although it is impossible to care for every individual.” They are his father’s words, carefully counseled time and time again. Once Javi had thought him simply not trying hard enough, but he now understands how much pressure he had been under. And this is just his first day as king.
“We will do everything we can.” From the position you’re in, that could be a whole lot. It could be enormous, the difference you could make. “A large or a small difference happens in many different ways.”
“Yes it does.” He’s glad you understand that, knowing that it would be difficult to explain if someone didn’t already know.
"We cannot expect the very beginning of things to be without a few bumps in the road." Whether you're talking about your relationship or his reign is up for debate, but you smile anyway. "But we will do everything we can."
“You are extraordinary.” He stops eating, just staring at you as if you are the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen in his life. “Truly.”
"What?" The comment takes you completely off guard and you look up from your plate to see him giving you every ounce of his concentration and focus. "I—how? Exactly?"
“You have withstood every obstacle that you have faced in such a short time here with grace and wisdom.” He reaches out and takes your hand. “I am lucky that you will be by my side.”
"I feel like I've hardly done anything," you admit, but when you look away from him bashfully you end up watching the way his thumb strokes methodically over the ring that he put on your finger just hours ago. "But I'm here to support you, querido. And if that ends up meaning this...these moments of quiet and encouragement? Then I have the easiest job in the world. Because I truly never want you to doubt yourself for even a moment."
“It has been a difficult day.” He admits quietly, “but being here with you is helping. You are a very calming presence. I appreciate you being there with me today, during the speech.”
"I would never have missed it." You squeeze his hand gently between your fingers and offer him a smile. "You really are much more charming and sweet than you could ever know. It is..." Cheeks burning all over again, your eyes hold on his and you can feel yourself soften even more. "It is impossible not to be drawn to you. I'm sure you won't have any problem winning the people over quickly."
“I am worried about that.” He sighs, looking down at your joined hands. “For a long time, I have been viewed as a wild child or a ‘playboy’.” He huffs. “It is my fault, I tried to ignore my obligations to my future. But I am afraid I have - how you say - ‘shot myself in the foot’?”
"Then I guess it's a good thing that you're about to be married, isn't it?" It will help in calming his image. There is no doubt about that. "A few months of being photographed with a princess who's crazy about you should pretty much do the trick."
“Where do I find such a creature?” His grin is small but he’s smiling. “Can you point me to her?”
This is exactly the charm that you're talking about, and you giggle slightly despite knowing how silly it is. "I have it on good authority that you've already found her."
“I have?” He looks surprised and then very pleased with himself. “Then I must confess that I have a slight crush on the Princess of Mallorca and the future queen.”
"Only slight?" Your lips twist up into a pleased grin and you can't resist the urge to tease him. Although is it teasing if it's the truth? "How disappointing. I have it on good authority that she would have called it love at first sight."
“A king must keep some secrets.” He teases. “Though I do confess that she stole my heart already.”
"I hope someday you feel comfortable letting me be your secret keeper, and that you might want to be mine as well." When privacy is so guarded, having a person to trust above everyone else means more than can be expressed. And you know that for all their problems, your parents were each other's vaults. You had always hoped for love as solid as that.
“I have already decided that you would be that person for me.” Javi admits, biting his lip and looking at you softly. “If that’s okay?”
"Of course it is." The two of you slowly start to eat again, keeping hold of your joined hands on one side of the table. "I, um...I unlocked the door, by the way. That goes between our rooms."
“You did?” His eyes dart towards the door and then back to you. “Do you— I mean— is it okay if—” he shakes his head. ���Would you be comfortable if I came into your room tonight?” He asks, his voice low. “I don’t wish to be alone.”
"I didn't think you would," you admit gently. Grief is a remarkably lonesome bedfellow. "You can certainly come join me later if you like. Or...I could simply stay here? Whichever you prefer."
“You would be more comfortable in your room, sí?” He asks, frowning slightly. “Unless you would prefer to be here?”
"We're both so worried about the other person's comfort." It's sweet, actually. And it makes your heart beat just a little faster that his first thought is your comfort and not his own sadness. "I've only slept in my bed once, querido. I would not mind getting used to sharing it, however innocently."
“I fear I am not in the correct headspace to do much more than hold you.” Javi sighs. He would have loved to touch you under any other circumstance, but he can’t tonight.
"And that is in no way a disappointment," you assure him immediately. "I would be a remarkably insensitive kind of partner to expect anything of you today, Javi."
He exhales slowly, relieved that you don’t expect him to perform. “Thank you, margarita.”
"You have had a day from hell, querido." A fact with is surely an understatement, but you feel slightly reassured when he forks up another bite of his dinner. "There is no reason for you to be alone, but there is also no reason for anything to happen between us until we are ready."
“If my father had not collapsed, I would have been eager to touch you.” He admits. “I had hoped you had not wished to wait for marriage.”
"I really don't see the need." It's not as though either of you is going to be seeing anyone else - that idea sort of flew out the window with both the betrothal and the actual engagement. "Under other circumstances I might have come to see you for dinner wearing much more...creative things under my dress. But I have no doubt that time will come."
Javi swallows harshly, imagining you in something creative. He nods. “It does not have to be a race.” He sighs and decides it’s best to bring it up. “You will have to have a doctor’s examination before we can be together now.” He explains. “Since I am king. Just to make sure you are not pregnant.”
"Lovely." You don't roll your eyes despite feeling like you want to. It may be an antiquated tradition, but it does technically make sense. "They can ascertain that information with a blood test or an ultrasound if they want to be truly thorough. There is no reason for a doctor to examine anything else. It's not as if science believes the hymen is prove of virginity anymore."
“That’s what I meant.” He shakes his head quickly. “Just a test to prove you are not carrying another man’s child.”
"In that case, I don't have any objections." If you were marrying anyone beside a king, you probably would object loudly, but this is a fairly unique circumstance. "I'll arrange to see the royal physician soon. To get that obstacle out of our path."
“I am sorry.” He sighs quietly and shakes his head. “I know it is too much to deal with.”
"You're worth a little bit of trouble," you tell him matter-of-factly, putting down your fork so you can pick up your wine glass without letting go of his hand.
“I would not blame you if you ran for the hills.” He pokes at his dinner now, suddenly unhappy with the idea of doing this by himself. If you wished to go, he would not stop you. After all, his father is dead so he could break the betrothal if he wishes.
"But I won't." Putting a tiny bit more pressure on his fingers to get him to look up at you, your head tilts to the side as you take in his pout. "If you had looked at me today and said we needed to go make our vows immediately, I would have done it. I wouldn't have hesitated. This isn't just about the promise our parents made anymore." Your expression softens a little and you end up shrugging, like you have nothing to defend yourself with. "I might have been teasing you before, but...I meant it. It took a matter of hours for me to start falling in love with you. It's...it's as simple as that."
He closes his eyes and his own fingers squeeze yours. “I imagined putting you to bed in my bed.” He confesses with a soft smile. “Waking up with you in my arms and seeing how you like being kissed awake.”
"Next time I fall asleep stargazing, there won't be any reason to hesitate." It had been mildly embarrassing, realizing that you'd fallen asleep on that blanket with him on the cliff, but the way he took such tender care of you last night had wiped away any concern. "Kisses are one of my absolute favourite ways to wake up."
“I will keep that in mind.” He smiles and chuckles before he takes another bite of his meal. You really do seem to calm him and he’s grateful for it.
Conversation becomes idle while you finish your meals. It turns to stories from when you were both younger, small anecdotes to serve as a way to get to know each other better. You're about to migrate out to the balcony to watch the waves and gaze at the stars when he remembers that there is also dessert to be shared.
“There is tiramisu and cheesecake.” Javi murmurs. “It seems you love both of them.”
"I have a sweet tooth," you admit unapologetically. Apparently, it also extends to sweet men.
“Then we will always have a dessert to end the evening.” He smiles and brings the desserts over to the table on the balcony to share in the open air.
"And what is this?" The bottle of something pink in an ice bucket catches your attention on your way past the service cart and you pick it up. "Something special to drink, as well?"
“Your pink gin.” Javi admits, picking up the card that is by the bucket and reads. “It is called the clover club cocktail.” He tells you as he looks up. “It is supposed to be tart and sweet, with raspberries.”
"That sounds both delicious and terribly fancy," you decide, scooping up the two empty glasses on the cart along with the bottle. "Perfect for dessert."
“I wanted tonight to be perfect for you.” He admits, slightly sheepish. “I wanted you to be sure about your answer and I wanted to see how romance would play out between us.”
"This was your original dinner plan, wasn't it?" Remembering that he had said something about it earlier in the day, you set the bottle and the glasses down on the little table on his balcony and take up both of his hands in yours. "It's all been perfect. Just so you know."
“It was.” He flushes slightly and looks proud. “I had hoped that tonight would be far different than it has been, but I am glad I am still here with you.”
"You're a king, Javi, not a god. There are some things even you can't control." Opening your arms a little, you offer him a moment of comfort if he wants it.
Moving into your embrace with a chuckle, he can’t help but tease you. “If this was two hundred years ago, I would have been worshiped as a god.”
"Mm." You hum slightly and half-laugh along with him. "Tell me it's a kink and I'll make sure it still happens for you."
He stares at you for a moment in disbelief before he barks out a laugh. “You are not serious.” He pulls you closer to him and shakes his head.
"Nothing wrong with a worship or a praise kink." Still, you hug him back and don't press. It's enough to hear him laugh after such a long and stressful day.
“I have both.” He presses closer to you, feeling like himself completely now. “I just need to find out your own buttons.”
"They're not so difficult to figure out." Just standing with your arms around each other is infinitely relaxing, and you sigh quietly against his chest. "I've never really tried anything too adventurous."
"We have to make sure that those activities are not leaked." He snorts, halfway amused and slightly mortified at the idea of his sexual proclivities being talked about in great detail even more than they already are. "But we can try to experiment with almost anything you want."
“I’m not asking you to fuck me in public or to collar me or anything.” You promise him with a grin. “We should have no problem whatsoever keeping our private life private.”
"Or sharing." He shakes his head seriously. "I do not like to share. I was an only child."
A small, amused smile plays on your lips and you press a kiss to his cheek before leading him over to the little table to sit down together again. “I don’t like to share, either. And I have two siblings.”
He chuckles quietly and nods. "It must have been exciting, having siblings to share with. I had cousins, but it was not the same."
“I don’t know that I’d call it exciting.” At the table, you pour out two cocktails and set one down beside him. “Seb is the only boy, so he got unconscious favoritism from my dad. And my younger half-sister got the extremely conscious favoritism from my stepmother, since that’s her biological child.” You shrug slightly and take a sip of your drink, humming at the fruity, floral notes. “At least my brother and I have always gotten along.”
"And you have felt like the outcast." Javi guesses, aware of that feeling intimately. He has always felt like he was out of place himself. Born to the wrong parents, the wrong place. He had felt like he wasn't supposed to be a prince or a king one day. He had felt alone, even surrounded by his family.
“They didn’t mean to do it, but…yes.” Your family spent your entire life preparing to send you away. And aside from your brother, it seems like they mostly forgot that you were their family in the first place.
He sighs and picks up his glass to hold it up in a toast. "To feeling like an outcast and finding each other – perhaps because of it."
“Here, here.” Your glass clinks against his with a soft ringing sound and you half-laugh under your breath. “I suppose we’re proof that you can be surrounded by people and feel utterly alone. But…I haven’t felt that way since I met you.”
"I have felt nothing but peace since I have met you." Javi reveals. "Peace and finally a sense that I belong somewhere...with you."
“I’m sorry we couldn’t have known each other before this.” His words wash over you like summer sunrise, making you brighten and hum in his warmth all at once. To know that he feels exactly the same way you do is an unlooked for - though desperately wished for - gift. “I used to imagine I could be brave enough to write you letters. To become…pen pals or something. To know you before the day I was sent for. But clearly I was never brave enough.”
"My father had decided it was best that I not know until now." He understands why he had chosen that path, Javi had been a very defiant prince for a long time. However, once he had met you, he now knows he would have looked forward to the future with you if he had met you earlier. "Perhaps it was for the best, but I am grateful that I know he approves of our match."
“I meant what I said,” you tell him quietly, coaxing him to share the sweet ending of your meal by setting a fork in front of him. “I might not have known him well, but I know he would have been proud of you today.”
"For a long time, I tried to convince myself that his approval did not matter, but it does. I wish to make sure that he will be satisfied with the way I care for his people." Javi confesses.
“Then we will make sure that whatever steps we take, you are satisfied with them for yourself, and your father’s memory.” Being adult enough to admit to wishing for your parents’ approval is not something you’re going to downplay in the slightest, considering you go through nearly every day feeling a semblance of the same thing. “When I have trouble with a decision, I usually ask myself what my mother would have done. Or what I think she would have encouraged. I think it helps. To have that kind of moral compass.”
"I will have to remember that." He smiles at you softly and takes another drink of the cocktail. "This is very good. I see why you like your pink gin."
“It’s a little out of the ordinary. Unexpected.” You smile, taking in the sight of him beside you in the moonlight. “I’m finding that I like things that are a bit unexpected.”
"Is that so?" Javi smiles slightly and shakes his head. "There is a lot that will be unexpected in our lives, margarita."
“Then it will be an adventure.” Reaching across the small table, you squeeze his arm gently and find your smile broadening. “And I’m glad we’ll be doing it together.”
The desserts are shared, each one of you moaning over the taste and the rest of the bottle is split, leaving both of you stuff and slightly buzzed and feeling good. "This is what I needed tonight." Javi admits as he sets down his last glass, empty.
“I’m glad.” The idea that part of what has helping him feel better is bearing near you? It’s a comforting and grounding feeling that rolls through you to make you sigh. “Will you come to bed with me?” It’s an innocent question without sounding like it, and you feels your cheeks heat. “Just to find out what it is to sleep and wake up together?”
Javi smiles and nods. "Would it be alright if I sleep in my boxers?" He asks seriously. "I normally do not like to sleep in much."
“I don’t mind.” In fact, you welcome it. But saying so might seem like pressuring him and you won’t do that. “I don’t think Flores will be too scandalized.”
He nods and then he motions towards the tables. "You go get ready and I will clean this up to put on the cart." He tilts his head. "I dismissed the servants for the night, so it can stay until morning. It has been a trying day for everyone and I thought they could use some more personal time to deal with the loss of my father."
“You’re very sweet.” Standing stretching, you lend him a smile and point toward your shared door. “I’ll go change into my pajamas. Come in whenever you’re ready.”
"I will." He nods and watches you slip out through the door connecting your rooms and hums. He knows that he will be better off with you tonight. It will be better spending the night in your arms than chasing away demons and regrets by himself.
When it comes time to actually get ready for bed, Javi finds himself nervous. He's already changed into sleep attire that is appropriate, but he saves brushing his teeth. Carrying his toothbrush with him like a lost little boy as he knocks on your door to make sure that he does not walk in on you changing.
Instead of anything suggestive or overly decorative, you decided to change into a matching set of navy sleep shorts and short sleeved shirt. You had picked it out ages ago because you liked the little bronze-colored stars printed all over the set and it seemed like a very normal choice to make for tonight. Something ordinary that you might wear on any ordinary night. And not the very first thing you'll wear the very first night you share a bed with your future husband.
You go to the door to let him in, instead of just calling your permission, and you cannot help but smile when you see him standing on the other side with his toothbrush in hand. "Come in, querido." You step back to give him room and shut the hidden door behind him.
“I—” he looks down at his toothbrush and blushes slightly. “Have you brushed your teeth yet?” He asks, feeling slightly foolish. “I was hoping we could have a normal moment of domesticity together and I have watched so many movies where being in the bathroom together is comforting.”
CalamityConnie — 09/01/2023 11:12 PM
"I just finished washing my face, so brushing my teeth in next." Even as you nod toward your bathroom you feel like you could just squeeze him to bits in your arms. He is so unassumingly sweet sometimes.
“Thank you.” He murmurs quietly, following behind you and focusing on the pajamas you are wearing with a small smile. “For this, for being there.”
"Do you have a side of the bed you like to sleep on?" Not wanting to let him sink into worry or sadness, you keep the conversation light and reach for his hand to tuck it into yours.
“Not really.” He admits with a shrug and a small grin.
"Then I guess we'll have to see how comfortable we get. Because I don't have one, either." Your bathroom has been modernized beautifully - and probably many times over the lifetime of this palace - and right now that includes an immense clawfoot bathtub dominating the wall opposite your marble sink and an ornate mirror to complete the feeling of luxury. Your bottle of lotion is sitting on the counter next to your toothbrush and toothpaste - the last three pieces of your nighttime routine.
“Then it will be interesting to find out.” He chuckles quietly. “I think I’m used to having the bed to myself.”
"So am I." You offer him the toothpaste first, feeling surprisingly normal about the small moment of domesticity that he wanted so badly, it feels right. "My bed is almost always just me and a bunch of pillows."
"Do you sometimes line them up beside you so you do not feel alone?" He asks, squirting a pea sized amount on his toothbrush and then picking up your own to coat it for you. In the softer light of the bathroom, the make-up mirror is off, you look so beautiful. Nothing but clear skin and he likes the little silk thing you have on your hair. It must protect it while you sleep. "I do sometimes."
“I…had a body pillow.” You admit sheepishly, although the body pillow is less silly than the large llama stuffed animal you used to sleep with long ago. “I left it back in New York, so…there’s a chance I may end up cuddling you in my sleep instead.” Not that that would be a bad thing. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
"Would you?" Javi asks, looking at your beautiful reflection for a moment before having to look away bashfully. He's too old to ask for a cuddle but he desperately needs it, tonight of all nights. "I mean, I wouldn't mind it and sometimes these big, drafty rooms can get so cold." That’s a lie, the castle is just like the climate of the nation, temperate. It just sounds like a good reason to curl up together shamelessly.
“I’m a cuddly sleeper.” And if today hadn’t been full of so much tragedy and stress, you have no doubt that you would be pulling him into bed for more than cuddles. But as it is, you wouldn’t blame him if that was too much intimacy for tonight. The fact that it seems to be a comfort to him relaxes you a bit. “So I can all but guarantee it.”
“That is good.” If might be considered pathetic how comforting that is, but Javi manages a pleased smile as he brings the toothbrush up to his mouth. Happy that you have been such a comfort to him and have promised to continue to be.
You brush your teeth in silence and pick up your lotion bottle after rinsing, habitually dabbing the silky coconut oil scented cream on the drier parts of your skin. “That’s it…” you acknowledge awkwardly. “Unless you’re not ready to go to bed?” Not that you can think of anything else he would need to do, you’ve just found yourself suddenly nervous.
“I…am exhausted.” Javi confesses quietly. “But I can stay awake if you are not ready for sleep?” He understands your body might still be accustomed to New York time. For you, he would stay awake.
“It’s been an exhausting day.” Nodding back toward your bedroom, you take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s go to bed.”
Walking towards the bed, hand in hand, is oddly innocent and cathartic at the same time. The attraction is there, if it hadn’t been for the events of the day, he would be very interested in peeling off your pajamas, but the tone of the night is perfect. Comfort and a much deeper connection emotionally.
The bed is plenty big enough for two, and you crawl under the plush duvet together into the mountain of pillows with a soft sigh of relief. It has been a long, trying, and exhausting day, but that just makes you glad to offer him a place to burrow into your side. After all — his day was much harder and safer than yours. It is the least you can do to offer him comfort.
The comfort of your arms is quickly accepted, curling against you and his head ends up on your shoulder. “The bed is comfortable.” He offers after a small sigh.
“It is.” You had thought so last night, but you have to admit that your heart is beating a little faster now than it had then. “The company doesn’t hurt, either.”
“Yeah?” He smiles against your shoulder and can’t help but snuggle into you a bit more. “Emotionally vulnerable men are a turn on for you?”
"Maybe." You can't help but laugh at that, and tighten your arms around him a little. "Or maybe it's just men who show any emotion at all."
“I cry during Pretty Woman.” Javi admits softly, as if that might prove his emotions. Hoping to hear you laugh again at his obvious attempt to curry favor.
"Because you're happy they end up together, or because that damn necklace is so pretty?" Smothering a little laugh, you nuzzle your nose into his hair and shrug unapologetically. "I never knew I was the kind of person to cry about jewelry, but it is very pretty."
“We have necklaces that are prettier.” He offers with a smile. “I’ll make sure to snap the box closed on your fingers.”
"I'll wear whatever you want me to, and make sure you catch me in the bath with headphones on at least once." Just to be able to hear him laugh a little, to release some of the tension from the day, is more than you could possibly ask for. The reality of losing his father will hit him slowly, it seems, and that is okay. It just means that you'll be here for the ups and the downs as they come.
“My mother loved baths.” Javi tells you quietly. “The king’s suite - my suite now - has the most magnificent tub.” His fingers start to play with the edge of your shirt as he talks. “They had a picture of me in the tub when I was younger, playing. But father said mother would soak every night after they retired for the evening. No matter how tired she was, she would spend at least twenty minutes in the tub. It was her unwinding.”
"Your mother sounds like an incredibly smart woman." His fingers toying with the fabric of your pajamas is welcome and far too alluring than you want to admit, but you would never presume to suggest that anything should or could happen tonight. You had promised him comfort and you won't betray that just because your body likes the way he touches it. "When I lived with my brother, he would go out on dates every weekend and sometimes I would spend the whole time he was at drinks in the tub. Just me and my candles and bubbles and wine with a good book."
“You should have the same type of tradition.” Javi decides. “There is so much stress and pressure with this role. A bath with wine and a book every evening before you sleep would do wonders.” Even though he has been so frazzled and heartbroken today, he feels safe, warm. If it wasn’t inappropriate, he would ask to kiss you again.
“And what will you do to unwind from your days?” Without realizing it, your fingers have found his curls and are toying with a few strands absently. “I know your days will be more stressful than mine, querido.”
“Perhaps, at times, you would allow me to join you?” He asks, “or I could watch a movie.”
“You may join me whenever you like.” It was what you wanted to suggest, but thought that it might be a little too forward for day two - and especially under the circumstances. But because he asked, you smile. “It sounds like a very sweet way to unwind from our days.”
“I wondered if father joined her.” He admits, wishing he had talked more to his parents when he had them. Learned to look beyond the stern facade.
“Would you like to think that he did?” It isn’t exactly hard to figure out that Javi is a romantic, and if it soothes him to think of his parents in love then you will encourage that fully.
"I think he probably did." Javi admits quietly, "when he wasn't working later or holding a meeting. My mother...she was my father's confidant." He might have told you this already, he couldn't remember, but it was helping the ache in his heart to remember the good things about the sometimes austere people who had tried their best to prepare him for a life of service to the peoples of the Balearic Isles. "He told me to choose one person to confide in. To give them my doubts and fears, to be vulnerable with."
“Do you…really want it to be me?” He had told his father that he did, and so far you know Javi to be an honest man. But to give comfort to a dying man is never a cruel lie even if it isn’t the whole truth. “It’s okay if you don’t, querido. If you have a best friend that already keeps all your secrets or something like that. I would not feel that you think less of me.”
“My entire life, all I have ever wanted was for someone to accept me as I am. To just…love me.” His voice catches slightly as he confesses this to you, the low light of the small bedside lamp not bright enough to chase away the shadows around the room, just illuminating one side of the bed where you both are curled together. “While you don’t love me, you do accept me. If we are lucky, love will come, as it did for my parents.”
“I do love you.” And you will say it as many times as you need to. As many times as he needs to believe it. “I didn’t know it could happen so quickly, but I meant what I said at dinner, querido. It began right away.”
His eyes close slightly. “I hope you stay in love.”
“We have known each other two days, Javi.” Carefully your hand tilts his chin up to make him look at you. “And I already can’t imagine being anywhere else, or with anyone else.”
He smiles softly, nodding as he listens to you. “You are amazing, you know this?” He asks.
“If you say so.” You certainly aren’t going to discourage him from thinking that if he wants to, and there’s a slight burn of warmth in your cheeks from the way he’s looking at you. “I’m just being honest.”
"I will have to tell you that you are good for me." He murmurs softly. "My parents were right."
"Sometimes they do know what is best for us." Although you would never admit it to your own father - there is no way you want to know what what 'I told you so' speech would be like. "And maybe we're both just enough like our mothers. They were best friends, after all."
“I wish that they had allowed us to know each other.” The age difference is the reason, but he would have liked to know what you were like as a younger woman.
"I'll tell you anything you want to know." A small grin cracks your lips and you press a kiss to his hair. "Or you can wait until my older brother gets here and ask him. I'm sure Seb will be more than happy to tell you all of my embarrassing stories."
“Did you have a favorite stuffed animal, when you were a child?” He asks, wanting to keep away from heavy topics, keeping the mood light.
"I did, but it's...a little weird," you admit with a small grin. "I had a stuffed llama that was made out of llama wool." When he quirks his head curiously you laugh and shrug in return. "My parents took us to a petting zoo when Seb and I were little. I think we were maybe five or six? But I could not get over the llamas. They were so big and soft and friendly and they were my favourite thing ever. So my mother bought me a stuffed animal from the gift shop before we left that day."
“Llamas.” He smiles as he imagines it. “That is cute. I used to have a panda bear.” His panda had been with him for year, it was probably still somewhere.
"I can see that." He's snuggly like you always imagined panda bears would be. "Bears are a classic choice, no matter what kind of bear it is. Perfect to cuddle."
“Yes.” He’s making a mental note of your favorite stuffed animal, thinking of it for the future. “I always felt safe holding my panda. His name was Pedro.”
"That's adorable." Now all you can think of is whether or not he still has that panda - or what he would think of having a similar stuffed bear on hand for one of your kids someday. Nope. Far too early for thoughts like that. "My llama was Lily. All the 'l' sounds would make me giggle."
“Lily the Llama.” He hums happily. “That is adorable.”
"Lily the Llama is pretty on par with Pedro the Panda," you point out, relishing the small smile on his face. Anything that makes him smile is exceptionally worthwhile.
“Perhaps.” He chuckles and shakes his head against your shoulder. “I was thinking that perhaps when we have kids we should have a stuffed llama for them.”
"I thought of having a panda for them." The fact that you both thought it independently makes you smile, and you hug him close in your arms. "I suppose we'll have to do both, then."
“I could see that.” Javi smiles. “Our children would have both stuffed animals. Their own petting zoo.”
“If we made them a little zoo, I’m certain they would choose favorites.” The image is sweet, making you wonder how much he’s even thought about his future children beyond the fact that he would have to have some. “I can imagine visiting dignitaries arriving with stuffed versions of their country’s most popular animals.”
"It is customary to give gifts to the prince and princess," he admits. "Especially when younger. The last time I was in London, I brought them some of our blown glass whistles. Very popular."
“I have one,” you admit quietly, rubbing your hand up and down his back in soothing strokes. “It was part of one of the birthday gifts your mother sent when I was little. It’s exceptionally beautiful.”
"That is good." He smiles softly at the idea of his mother sending you gifts. "They are precious to me. The craftsman work that goes into one is amazing. I have toured one of the factories. Did you know that they still handcraft every whistle?"
“Maybe we could include one in the favours for our wedding?” Knowing that a small set of items will be given to every single guest as a favour at your wedding reception, the idea to make them all local and lovingly crafted items sounds beautiful. “We could choose items made by artists rather than larger companies? As a way to celebrate the people.”
“That would be wonderful idea.” Javi thinks that it’s wonderful that you would include something so centric to the economy for his country. “We can find lots of local crafts to include.”
“I think that would be nice. Paying tribute to the people.” The urge to lean down and kiss him is nearly overwhelming, but you resist. The last thing you want to do is make him uncomfortable or feel pressured.
“It will be a wedding for the people.” He muses softly. “We will have to have dignitaries there, but I would like to hire as many of our people as possible to staff the wedding.”
“It will be an expensive day, and all of that money should go right back into our economy.” You could not agree more, and the fact that he is so determined about it makes you smile. “Local foods, local suppliers, local goods. All of it.”
“Yes!” His eyes light up and he beams at the idea. “Show the world what the Balearic Islands can give through trade.” It’s not exactly romantic, but he is king now.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” The urge is there again, especially with how he beams at you, but you resist just long enough to get your heartbeat under control and kiss his forehead instead. It’s a small gesture of affection but it does the trick. For now.
He needs to be close to you, he is, but it’s not enough. Turning his head up, Javi shuffles up onto his elbow and looks down at you. “Can I kiss you?” He asks quietly.
“I—of course.” It doesn’t surprise you that he would ask, but it surprises you that he would want to tonight. You won’t question it, though, both from wanting to offer him comfort and desperately wanting to kiss him again. “You don’t have to ask.”
“I don’t— I just want to kiss you.” He promises, leaning in and wanting to find comfort in the way that his emotions are already starting to grow even more. Despite the loss of his father; he isn’t alone.
"We don't have to do anything you're not ready for." You can promise him that wholeheartedly, although you know for damn sure that you'll be falling asleep with an aching cunt tonight. It doesn't matter. This is about his comfort and his feeling secure more than it is necessarily about desire. "But I don't think I'll ever say no to a kiss."
“I just— I didn’t want you to think I was using my father’s death as an— an excuse.” He tells you. “Some men would do that.”
“There is nothing wrong with seeking comfort, or even in giving yourself permission to forget for a few minutes to cope.” Having watched plenty of family and friends lose people closest to them, you have seen how pleasure can numb pain. It isn’t the worst coping mechanism in the world, even if some people look down on it. “I don’t think you’re being sneaky, querido.”
“I just— I wanted you to know.” He doesn’t know why it’s important for him to tell you that, but it is. Making him relax even more as he reaches up and caresses your cheek. “I never want to lose your trust.”
"Then let's keep being honest with each other." Your fingers brush his curls out of his eyes and you soften instantly. He really has the most beautiful eyes...
The kiss is gentle, slow. Nothing to indicate passion, it’s just a melding of your mouths. His hands stay put, not drifting as his mind blanks of everything but kissing you.
Deciding that the most respectful thing you can do is follow his lead, you have to repeatedly remind your hands to stay where they are, and keep the level of passion you're showing in check because what you're feeling is just so much more. There will be more time. This is only your second night together. You have the rest of your lives..
He relaxes into the kiss and sighs softly. Eyes closed and slowly taking the kiss for every small moment and absorbing it. It's natural. Languid and exploratory without pushing at any boundaries. His hand doesn't move from your waist and yours stays on his arm, like as long as you keep to those rules then you can keep yourselves in line. He doesn’t know how long he kisses you. Minutes, hours. It could be days that have passed while he breathes you in and gives you his own breath. Slowly and softly kissing you like nothing else exists.
Everything else has faded. The stress of the day is muted well into the background and the only thought making its way to the front of your mind is how sweet he tastes. How gentle he is. How desperately right it feels to be pulled tight against him in bed together. By the time the two of you separate you feel dizzy, and fuzzy around the edges in the very best way.
“Thank you.” The gratitude is whispered, a smile accompanying it as the first sense of peace really settles into his tired body. “For being here. For standing beside me.” He shuffles to settle down against you again. “With you here, I feel as if we are going to be an unstoppable team.”
******
The king is still wrapped in your arms the next morning, sleeping with his head on your shoulder and his own arm snuggly around your waist when Flores comes into the room to open your curtains and wake you to dress for breakfast. The sight of the king in your bed with you is not one she had expected for some time, but you both look so contented that she cannot help smiling. Quickly and quietly, Flores hustles over to the next room to let the king’s valet know where he spent the night, and to make a gentle suggestion — that perhaps after the trials of yesterday and the comforts of last night, you should be allowed breakfast on trays in bed together.
The door opening softly again this time stirs Javi. He had been dreaming of his father, sitting in the study while looking hale and whole, praising his son for the decisions he was making. Feeling so real that his heart is overjoyed, he opens his eyes to find Flores coming into the room again, a soft smile on her face.
“Good morning, your Majesty.” She curtsies deeply as she directs a small silver service cart into the room and parks it beside your nightstand. “We took the liberty of bringing your meal to you instead of laying it in the breakfast room,” she murmurs, noting the details of the room as she goes. You are still wearing your pajamas and the room has no scent beyond flowers, so she tucks that thought away entirely. “I will return in half an hour to dress the princess and your valet will have your schedule for you in your rooms.”
“Thank you, Flores.” You are still sleeping and he bites his lip before looking at her again. “Make it forty five minutes.” He decides, wanting to wake you up slowly.
“Yes, your Majesty.” With another nod and deep curtsy, Flores backs out of the room to slip off and attend to other business. There is plenty of it, after all.
Once alone again, he turns back towards you, struck again by how sweet you look. Sleep giving you an innocence that could not be described beyond beautiful and yet it takes his breath away. The back of his fingers brush your cheek gently and he caresses your neck. “Princess?” He coos softly, smiling when your mouth twitches slightly in sleep.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” you mumble sleepily, the title being still so foreign to you. Sleep has glued your eyes shut but you force them to open just for the view of Javi you know you will get. And when you do, you sigh audibly. “Morning, handsome.”
“Wait until the title is ‘Queen’.” He hums as he leans in to nuzzle his nose against yours. “I have a question to ask you.”
“Anything.” Even still half asleep, you know you’ll grant him anything, and he’s so warm and soft beside you that it still feels like you’re dreaming.
“I have dreamed of a Princess my entire life.” He admits softly. “Imagined the perfect woman to stand by my side and even then, I could never have imagined how perfect you would be.” Your eyes are soft, slightly watery as he speaks. “It is not the romantic dinner I had imagined, but I do not want to wait.” Your full name comes out softly. “Will you marry me and become the next queen of the Balearican Isles?”
“Querido…” Tears are unexpected this morning, but it’s such a sweet and gentle moment that you can’t help the few that escape the corners of your eyes as you nod eagerly and surge forward to kiss him. “I will.” The words swell in your chest and practically have you giggling against his lips. “Yes—I—I love you, Javi.”
“I love you.” He promises, unsure of how this happened so quickly, but it seems right, as if it was meant to be. “We will have a long and happy life together.”
______
Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon   @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit
TKQ: @storiesofthefandomlovers @mimimarvelingmarvel @patti7dc
My Masterlist!
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sofasoap · 8 months
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Love at first sight - life and death
Pairing: Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra x F!reader ( aka Mini MacTavish)
Summary: Life doesn't always play a fair game. Takes place after Epilogue of the main series.
Part I, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,Part 5,Part 6,Epilogue
Warning: M Rating. inaccuracies to medical and military related. discussion of injuries. ANGST.
A/N: Thanks @gamergirlbones helping me with Spanish phrases. and to @siilvan for putting up with me for breaking her heart. not beta nor properly proofread. sorry.
Part of RUDY FEST fic. Thank you @glitterypirateduck the wonderful CoD fanfic and fanart curator for organising another festival :D you are awesome. Prompt used: I'm not leaving you, You have to leave, your life's in danger
masterlist
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How ironic. 
The rescuer needs to be rescued. 
Your ears are ringing, vision blurred with all the dust in the air. Without looking down, you know you are bleeding out. 
Slowly turning towards your left, you can see two of your fellow medics lying motionless on the ground. 
Are they still alive? If not… 
Who are their next of kin? Oh, you need to retrieve their dog tags. The paper work.. 
Ouch. Why does it hurt so much? That’s right.. You are injured. But where?  
“MINI! Stay with me!” 
You know that voice. But where is he? 
“Oh, hello love. There you are.” you replied, blinking your eyes a few times, trying to flush out the blood that is currently blurring your vision. Finally you spotted the owner of the voice.“ You shouldn’t be here.It’s not safe.” Bit of deja vu? Last time this happened, you were the one who was on the other side, trying frantically to save Rudy’s life. How the tables have turned. 
“I am not leaving you.” Rudy replied adamantly, with a hint of panic as his eyes scanned your body, and the surroundings. “You are going to be ok, cariño, I promise. Stay with me. Please.” he pleaded as he started to open his emergency med kit, doing whatever he can to save his love from dying in front of him. 
“Go. Don’t worry about me.” You tried to lift your arm, but you couldn’t. That’s when you notice half of your body and arm are pinned underneath the boulder and debris. 
“Oh.That’s not good.” you try to laugh, but all you could manage was a shuddered breath. “You muppet, of course it’s not good.” A lower, grumpier voice joined in. “How can you still be laughing in this situation?” 
“Oh, hello,Captain.” You slurred. It’s harder and harder to keep your speech and head straight. “You have to leave, your life's in danger. Take that man with you too, while you are there.” you jerked your head towards Rudy, who is currently radioing for medevac, causing a pounding headache. Everything is starting to hurt. It’s getting so hard to breathe. You thought. 
“Tell Soap and the team I love them…” you wheezed as you tried to convey your last messages to Price. “Tell Soap I’m sorry I ate his chocolate cookies….” “Stop giving out your last words. Medevac is on their way.” he reassures you, or is he trying to reassure himself? The sadness you can see through his eyes, you know you are probably not going to get out of this. 
“What.. is.. them…are my teammates ok?” you look at the two bodies again, worrying. “We can’t lose those two.. They are the best we got…” tears start to flow out. They are your brother and sister in arms, three of you have been through countless life and death situations. Is this where the three of you will partway?
“They are still breathing, last time we checked. We don’t want to move them. Worry about yourself first, cariño. Just concentrate on your breathing.” Rudy replied as he caressed your hair, soothing you. You always love his hand, how calming it is, how safe it makes you feel. 
“Oh good.” you slowly close your eyes. At least someone will stay alive today. 
“Come on, keep your eyes open for me, cariño, talk to me.” Rudy’s voice is getting desperate, trying to keep you awake until the medevac arrives. The help just doesn’t seem to come fast enough. He can’t lose you. Not here, not now, not for another long time to come.
“Hey Rudy.” “Yes love.”
“Do you remember the day we first met?”
“Of course cariño. How could I forget?”
“Hey Rudy.”
“Yes mi vida.”
“You love me??”
“Of course.Mi corazón late por ti”.
“....”
“Cariño?”  
The last thing you heard before you sank into the complete darkness was the anguish cry of Rudy, screaming out for you. 
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Mi corazón late por ti : My heart beats for you.
NOTE: Sorry it's a short one. I am just so tired from work conferences and travelling. part 2 might not come out in time for end of Rudy fest :(
Tag list :
@jynxmirage, @siilvan
@glitterypirateduck, @homicidal-slvt
@sprout-fics @cumikering @preciouslittlecreature @crazymela
@liyanahelena @abbeyrjm-blog @alypink @devcica @nrdmssgs
@okayyadriana @caramlizedtomatoes @random-thot-generator @random0lover
@iwannabeinthesequalmrghostface
@nightingal3-tales, @deakyspuff
@deadbranch, @roosterr, @gamergirlbones, @b1rds3ye, @writeforfandoms @a-small-writer-in-a-big-world @onewattson6529
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respectthepetty · 3 months
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I've been wondering for a while- how did you start getting into all the colour stuff?? I would love an origin story <3 what got you into your passion for deciphering colors and how did you figure out what they mean??
sorry ik it's a lot but ever since I started following you I see colors everywhere and I'm curious of where you started noticing them ((: it's so fun and intriguing to me! I'm usually more of a "foaming at the mouth for the lighting" girlie but it's been a heap of fun figuring out colors with the lights ^^
thanks for everything you do to show us your eye for color btw ♡♡ your blog is so fascinating and I love reading all your theories and notes
@overrgrown, never apologize for asking questions, but I've actually been asked this before by bengiyo. You can find my write up HERE, but the short version of that post is I've always seen colors; therefore, I've always attached meaning to them, even if the meaning was not valid.
TLWR: Appreciate the artists who work on these shows, not me.
In bengiyo's ask, I stated that when I was younger, I thought the colors were showing me what was good and what was bad. That's it. In my defense, I was a kid, so everything really was good or bad in my book with no in-between.
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Even though I've always seen colors, and it comes very naturally to me, the meaning I attached to them when I was younger was very much based on who I was rather than what was being shown to me. Five-year old me thought if someone was dressed all in red that they were the devil. Adult me now knows that isn't always the case. Adult me also knows that red in American (United States) culture means something different than other cultures.
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Not a flex, just a fact, but I have several degrees in languages, linguistics, and rhetoric. What they are in is not super important, but, in general, a formal education has greatly helped me infer meaning from what I'm visually seeing in the media I consume. My degrees are not in film or communications, yet I've taken undergrad and grad-level courses like Visual Media, Multimedia and Visual Communication, Language of Film, Digital Narratives, Cinematography and Lighting, Film Theory & Criticism, Queer Cinema History, Spanish Film & Feminism, and many more all because under this great big academic umbrella of rhetoric and composition lies storytelling.
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And that's what this is really about - How do we tell a story? Regardless if that story is a simple flyer for a school bake sale, a 30-second commercial advertising cleaning wipes, or a 12-episode BL series, how do we get the message across? We can't just rely on ONE thing! We have to use as many things as possible! So when I'm watching a BL series, I'm just not paying attention to the words being spoken or the acting alone. No, I'm paying to the background noise. What do the clothes tell me about the character? What does his apartment tell me about him? And what do the colors mean?! All of it is important!
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I've mentioned this before but I serve on a screening committee for a queer film festival. I actually got involved with the film festival as an undergrad because of one of the film courses. This has allowed me the opportunity to speak to several filmmakers about their process, and all of them have confirmed that the colors were intentional. People who deal with props and costume design have spoken to me about trying to find very specific items that reinforce the story being told. Oh, and theater is a whole different level. Because of the nature of the stage versus film, if it is on the stage, it must have a reason for being there.
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Basically, people who work in visual media work really fucking hard, which you probably know since you love lighting. Most times, 12-hour days are the average, if not longer. This video does a good job of briefly covering the work that goes into costume design, and I timestamped it to begin at the part that covers colors.
youtube
I love seeing colors. I love deciphering them. I love the story they tell.
But they wouldn't be there if the hardworking people behind them didn't do their job, and those are the people who I appreciate.
So, as always, I'm thankful that you let me know I'm helping you see the beauty is in the details, but I'm really just here to admire the beauty with you.
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changingplumbob · 2 months
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Romero Household: Chapter 1, Part 2
Kayleigh comes to visit with an unexpected offer and the couple head to the romance festival.
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Marta’s first language is Spanish so she is teaching Keira (and me) some common phrases Ay dios mio: omg equivalent Buenas tardes: Good afternoon Carino: Term of endearment for a loved one Gracias: Thank you Mi familia: My family Por favor: Please Qué?: What? Si: Yes Te amo: I love you
Keira: Mum! You didn’t say you were coming
Kayleigh: I didn’t think I needed an appointment to see my daughter and future daughter in law
Keira: Of course not but Marta is feeling unwell
Marta: Buenas tardes Kayleigh. I’ll be fine, Keira is just… overreact
Keira: I mean your parents died from flu complications, can you blame me for being nervous when you get sick?
Marta: No. But look, I’ll have more tea
Kayleigh: I’m so excited for the wedding, have you decided on a venue yet
Marta: Si. I was wanting to have it in the church in Willow Creek
Kayleigh: All the way there?
Keira: It’s the oldest church in the save mum, it’s got history
Marta: Si. Our marriage is not just us, it’s the watcher as well. A church is the right place to honour that
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Kayleigh: I always admire your devotion. I’m sorry we couldn’t meet your parents
Marta: Their spirits will be here tomorrow. Keira and I would like all of you to come over for dinner. Then I can tell you about them, and you’ll be able to know them
Kayleigh: If you want us at your celebration then of course
Marta: Si. You are part of mi familia now
Kayleigh: And will our family be growing soon?
Keira: Mum! You sound just like dad
Kayleigh: We’re not getting any younger. Life is short and your dad and I would like to have some grandkids. Every time Aaron sends Harvey a cute picture he almost goes green with envy
Marta: Keira and I do want kids one day
The couple look at each other, feeling the warm fuzzy feeling of home
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Kayleigh: I just wanted to say, well your dad wanted me to say, whatever expense there is, we’ll pay it
Marta: Que?
Keira: Are you sure mum? I mean it could be quite expensive for us. Whether we get a sperm donor or try that new science method that allows for same sex pregnancy to start, the cost will likely be high
Kayleigh: I know but your dad and I can’t take the money with us to the forever save. We may as well use it while we’re here
Marta: *smiles* we’re going to be parents carino
Keira: I mean eventually, there’s no big rush is there? I’m only 23
Kayleigh: Wait until after the wedding at least or the dress won’t fit
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Keira: We’d need to wait until after honeymoon as well. And even then-
Marta: Gracias Kayleigh, it’s very generous. Will you let us have some time to talk about it
Kayleigh: Of course, I’m just glad you’re receptive. I best be off, don’t get up, I can show myself out
Kayleigh leaves and Marta turns to Keira.
Marta: What’s wrong carino
Keira: I… Sweetheart I want kids with you, I do, but… *softly* so soon?
Marta takes her hand and kisses it lightly.
Marta: There’s no rush but think about it por favor? I’d carry them so it shouldn’t interfere with your work much. I’d like to grow our familia sooner rather than later
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Marta goes for another nap while Keira scratches her geek itch playing party frenzy online with Joey, James and Alexander.
Joey: Do you not want to be a mum
Keira: I do. I just… I spent so much of my life waiting for my person and now that I’ve found her I want time with just us. Is that selfish?
Alexander: I don’t think so. Remember I stole my person
James: You can’t steal what is given to you love. Wait- what car am I again?
Joey: The blue one. No, Rilian! Zio Joey is trying to see the screen!
Keira: What’s he doing this time
Joey: Trying to find new places to hide his half eaten meals. I better go tell Devin, later bros *drops out*
Keira: I need to go to the romance festival anyway. Will I see you guys there?
James: Saturday is date night
Alexander: I have plans that involve you, me and a posh restaurant. We'll get a nanny for Milton
Keira: *laughs* have fun being wealthy
Alexander: Always
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Marta: You’re letting me out
Keira: I would never try pin you in. I’m not-
Marta: I know carino, I was joking
Keira: Somehow I imagine I couldn’t keep the romantic in you away from this festival even if I wanted to
Marta: So *coyly* what do we do here
Keira: What a leading question. You know sweetheart some would say you’re a tease
Marta: Taste me and find out
Keira smiles and pulls Marta close in a passionate embrace. They stay tangled in each other for a while but pull apart before Marta can get too breathless.
Keira: You need rest still
Marta: Now who’s the tease
Keira: Come on, let’s get some of the tea
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Marta goes to the fountain and finds herself humming along to the music. She loves singing but she knows it’s probably best to rest rather than sing a ballad. She’s deep in her imagination when *clanks* the cup she picked drops to the bottom of the fountain.
Marta: Ay dios mio!
Stranger: Are you okay
Marta: Si, gracias
Marta sheepishly fishes her cup up from the fountain and looks around, hoping no one else has seen the blunder.
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Marta: See, I’m drinking tea. I do listen to your advice
Keira: *laughs* I suppose it’s prettier than the tea we have at home
Marta: You’re the pettiest thing anywhere carino *blows kiss*
Keira: Stop, you’re making me swoon!
Marta: My daily goal. Have you thought more about what your mum said
Keira: Yeah. I guess… I just don’t want to share you with anyone
Marta: *sighs* Keira, no one belongs solely to someone else. Tell me you understand that? You need to share every person in your life. I’m becoming your wife but we won’t be each other’s property
Keira: I knew it would sound like that. I don’t mean I want you to myself in a controlling way, I mean, I’m worried kids would steal all your attention and I’d be forgotten
Marta: Carino… let me get us some food
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Marta grabs them some Ramen and comes back to the table.
Marta: I know that your first girlfriend said she got bored of you but I promise, I’m never getting bored of you. Te amo
Keira: I love you to
Marta: If you want some time as just us before having kids then we can, bueno? But when we get around to having kids I will not love you any less
Keira: Okay, I’ll try work on my feelings. I do want to see what beautiful kids we can make
Marta: Me to!
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Marta: Gracias for the date
Keira: I thought your spirits needed lifting before tomorrow
Marta: Tomorrow will be happy, you’ll see
Keira: If you say so. For now... can I have a hug
Marta: aww, of course carino
The couple head home and still feeling the effects of the tea take time to enjoy each other properly. Keira still gets feelings of inadequacy which can be hard to balance with Marta’s need to feel uncaged. But they love each other. Love is a skill and these two are happy to grow their skills together. Whatever they may feel, they’ll work on it together.
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st-armand · 9 months
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Across Lands and Seas
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( Reposted from @armands-sanctum ) Summary: Headcanons for Hobie Brown and Afro-Latine!Reader
Author's Notes: More like an analysis on colonization with Hobie in it im sorry.... CW: political language and ideas, mentions of white supremacy, mentions of racial hierarchies.
Masterlist
I talked a bit with ellie anon about this, and this is for them so <3
Hobie is a culturally literate man, he absorbs history like a sponge, constantly learning and engaging with new material that intrigues him about things he already knows or new information brought to him, that being said I think that Hobie is extremely culturally intelligent ESPECIALLY as a black man, there is no room for arguments about colorism, or privilege around him, and he shuts down someone with vile opinions quickly.
“Mate you don’t really know what you’re talking about yeah?”
Hobie with an Afro Latine significant other is like having a living encyclopedia, he knows so much not just from what he’s read but lived experience with people in his communities.
If you’re estranged from your culture due to the diaspora and colonization Hobie make it his personal goal to help you build a found family with the Afro Latinxs in his punk circles, taking you to festivals and markets with them, they excitedly talk about their country specific dishes, who makes the better variants of food, linguistic similarities between each other, conversations about gender expression within each country and how indigenous beliefs shaped the land and it’s people even when colonization has deemed them eradicated and nonexistent.
You know how people say “Show me your friends and it’ll show me who you are”? Hobie is that kind of person, he holds his friends in high regard and holds them to standards he knows they are capable of, his Latino friends are amazing, they hold no judgement if you can’t speak Spanish, reminding you that the language was enforced on you all as a means of control and to diminish the histories of the indigenous tribes who lived in tandem with the earth, they are all gender diverse, all sorts of familial backgrounds. They sit and help you navigate your culture like a family would, and after a year of being with Hobie and adopted into his friend group, they are your family.
On certain weekends, even when Hobie is gone off being Spiderman, his friends crowd your space, or host in their own homes, spending all the light hours of the day prepping all sorts of dishes, and walking your through the preparation, the ingredients and the cooking, the place fills with laughter and chatter like a home filled with love and care.
Hobie is the kind of person who knows everyone, so don’t be shocked when you’re going about your day and by the time the evening hits your arms are filled with treats old women give you just because Hobie showed them a picture of you in passing and has been flooding them with all sorts of conversations about you, and like any good maternal figure that comes with all kinds of tasty snacks, elotes, small servings of baked chicken with rice and peas, fresh tortillas and empanadas, so much that when you do return home and Hobie sees the mountain of food you obtain all he can say is, “We better get to eatin’ huh? Can’t let ‘his all go to waste”
On one summer afternoon while downtown he sees another elderly woman he enjoys helping serving icees on the corner, he’s already scrounged up a few dollars to purchase, but she INSISTS on giving you both a large cup of lemon and mango icee just because Hobie had repaired helped repair her cart, and intimidate some cops who were pressing her about a ‘food license’ which makes a small child whine about how they wanted a cup that big, Hobie would kneel to the child and offer to buy them as many cones they want, even to their parents displeasure.
Culture has a symbiotic relationship to the land and it’s people, you can displace the people from the land but the culture doesn’t die, it simmers and brews in the belly of the people, forced to uproot themselves due to the violent nature of colonization and white supremacy, and Hobie helps you navigate these circumstances everyday like a lighthouse leads sailors through turbulent stormy waters.
Hobie shares with you information about the anti-colonial pro-indigenous movements in Latin America, reminding you that there are people fighting every day for reparations and liberation, when your blackness is seen as a contested subject amongst other Latinos especially those who are anti-black or colorist Hobie has no issue leaping up from his spot to go on the defensive.
“Black people exist everywhere bruv, that don’t make them any less Latine.”
He brings you all kinds of gifts, I like to think his favorite is jewelry, beaded ornamentation he acquired as payments for odd jobs and favors around the neighborhood, some of them are more alternative, and others are just crafts made with expert precision from their indigenous crafters, he even brings you to these shops so you can learn beadwork, or just to watch them work in a somber calmness.
As a Jamaican one of the things you two share in common is a taste for plantain, he buys plantain chips in bulk, but sometimes maybe after a day of spending time with Grandma Brown (who often complains about the youth losing touch with their roots) he’ll take you to the Caribbean market to buy sweet and ripe plantains, you spend all day frying them and eating them freshly hot and crunchy out the oil, until there isn’t much left after you’re done cooking.
On especially hard nights while you reminisce about family, Hobie will rest your head on his chest, stroking your head softly, conversing with you in hushed tones about how hard it is to be an immigrant, living in a diaspora and feeling disconnected from your traditions, or not feeling acclimated to your culture, he's quick to remind you about how you're living proof of your ancestors determination, that years of slavery and colonization couldn't keep you from being alive, that you existing is revolutionary enough, he traces your facial features, kissing your lips, your eyes your nose, reminding you that you're the product of their resilience.
My last headcanon is that Hobie goes only to queer people of color for tattoos and piercings, they are indigenous arts after all! He doesn’t get cultural tattoos but he loves showing off their work to other people of color, especially considering how white alt dominated body modification has become especially in the west. He pushes you to try and get some, he doesn’t press you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with but he does support you, and if getting a body modification can help you feel a bit closer to your roots, he’s your number 1 supporter.
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shoko-komi · 2 months
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The Komi Report - Communication 450
Komi is a day early!? This week in Komi Can't Communicate:
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Broth is sampled...
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...and dreams are dashed upon the stones.
Read It: Mangareader Mangakakalot Viz Media (North America Exclusive) Mangadex (English updates are dead, but there’s the backlog; and Spanish + Portuguese language updates)
I was caught completely by surprise this morning when I woke up and had a notification from the r/komi_san discord server (I exclusively use it for the new chapter notifications. All other notifications are muted and I never go in there because I value my sanity aklsdnlkasndlaksnd).
Now that tensions within the broth crew have been loosened they can get into the favourite pastime of friends everywhere - good-natured bickering.
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Nanoda was so timid when she first appeared, so it's really nice to see her coming out of her shell.
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I've only eaten good restaurant ramen once - other than that it's been 2 minute stuff - so I don't know what to make of this smelly-ramen vs unsmelly-ramen conflict. Where do you stand?
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My girl is flopping so hard at this aksdlkansd.
I might have a hard time explaining this one, but; I love seeing Komi fail. She tried her best to settle the ramen dispute but doesn't know what to do and is sort of useless.
Part of it is I want her to learn that she doesn't need to be problem solver girl all the time, and her friends will like her and want her around even if she isn't "usefull". She's a leader among her peers but it's ridiculous to put everything on her own shoulders, and her peers can solve their own problems such as in the case of the broth. All Komi needs to do to be valuable is be there.
The other part of it is my sadism flaring up.
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Really funny that she blames him here. A girl needs her tantrums
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Only a brief glimpse of them..... Oda you tease me.....
Also add an entry to the list of left-handed Sukida appearances
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My complements to tumblr user fareasterncurlew for this infographic which I think about every day
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Classic Najimi gag
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Miwa Omojiri my beloved, hello again. Also Tsubo is so me... I would be laughing so hard....
Such heart-breaking news after all their hard work. I love how the camaraderie of the class keeps them in good spirits!!! So many times I've been in a bad situation but I've felt alright because I could laugh about it with good company.
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It brings a tear to my eye....
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This is really funny but also!! Ogiya comforting Kori is super nice after them being recently at odds. Kori blended into the group so quickly after they figured him out.
The culture festival!!!! AAAAAA I'm excited
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We've been shown this beautiful glimpse of what Hiki and the girls are up to. Aaaahh, maid cafes. Literally what would we do without them?
Oda I'm still waiting for a follow up to the Susumi/Hiki yuri...... and I want Yamai/Nakanaka band yuri.... and I want SukiYama yuri.... Oda give me yuri please I'm starved Oda I'm starved to death and dying fatally.......
I hope the culture festival is 50 chapters long and every character is featured and has a super funny joke and there's lots of yuri and wakai dies mysteriously between chapters and is never mentioned again and we find out the details of the Ase/Naruse kiss and Benujit Spopo appears and Tadano is force-femmed permanently and there's happiness, free, for everyone!!!!! And no one is left behind!!!!
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Stay safe! I'll see you next week!
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jerzwriter · 11 months
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A Celebration
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Book:                   Crimes of Passion (Just after Book 1)
Pairing:                Trystan Thorne x F!MC (Carolina Rose)
Rating:                 Teen+  
Category:      Fluff
Summary:   They've solved a murder mystery, and they're the talk of the town. That's reason to celebrate, right? Trystan thinks so, but when Carolina doesn't seem to be on board, Luke & Ruby have some suggestions for their royal friend. But what will Carolina think?
Words: 2,190
A/N: Are you all as excited about CoP being back as I am? This fic is in response to @choicesbookclub's ask, what did Trystan x MC do during the "weeks" between CoP 1 and Cop2. I could just see Trystan wanting to celebrate and Carolina (Caro-LEE-na) being all, "yeah, work to do!" That inspired this. I hope you enjoy it! Participating in @choicesflashfics Week 39 (prompt in bold) and @choicesjunechallenge - sunshine, rain, cocktails, and romance. A few Spanish words - sobrina = niece, tio = uncle, cariña = term of endarment - "honey" "dear" - nothing exact.
CoP is new to me - I'm tagging my perma list. But if you'd like to be removed or added for future CoP, just let me know!
CoP Masterlist My Complete Masterlist
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The early morning sun peeked through the curtains, creating waves of golden light and shadows in the tiny office space. The room was silent, Luke fixating on his laptop and Carolina immersed in paperwork, but Trystan refused to let this day pass as if it were just any other. He had purchased every newspaper on the stand and smiled broadly as he poured over each one. Sure, the good press was welcomed, even if he knew it would be met with skepticism on the other side of the Atlantic. But, the elation he was experiencing had nothing to do with the accolades being laid at his feet and everything to do with those being awarded to her.
If Carolina was impacted by the coverage and their newfound fame, she wasn’t letting it show. Her interest was far more piqued by the celebratory pastries Trystan brought in from Leske’s. The sugary treats were her favorite, and knowing he made a special trip to Bay Ridge to pick them up before work… that made her heart sing more than she was willing to let show. Now, bathed in the warm sunlight, she let out a tantalizing groan as her teeth sunk into a glazed cruller. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t surprised to find Trystan transfixed on her.
“What?” she asked, wiping icing from her lip.
“Nothing,” he smirked. “I’m just wondering… what does one do in the States after they experience a huge win like this?”
“I dunno,” she mumbled, shoving the last of her cruller in her mouth. “What does one do in Drakovia?”
“There are various approaches. A national holiday… a military parade, if warranted. A festive ball… that goes without saying! Then there are the various forms of debauchery that would require us to pay off the press to prevent them from making it public. But we’re not in Drakovia, so what should we be going here?”  
“I’m not sure,” she shrugged. “I guess we could go to Disneyland.”
“Disneyland?” he chuckled. “The amusement park?”  
“It’s just a stupid commercial,” Luke injected. “Capitalism at its best. Anytime a sports team wins a championship, one of its star players is asked, “What are you going to do next?” and they answer, “I’m going to Disneyland.”
“All right, then,” Trystan grinned. “If it’s Disneyland is what’s expected, I can have a plane chartered for us by this evening.”
Ruby walked in the front door, her face alight at the thought of the gang traipsing through the park in mouse ears, when Carolina unwittingly quashed her hopes.
“Mmm, I’m not really interested in Disneyland. Plus, we’re not all the idle rich, dear prince. I already have new cases that need my attention.”
“Bummer,” Ruby grimaced.
“I tried,” Trystian shrugged, holding the box of doughnuts in her direction. “But here, a consolation cruller, if you will.”
“Well, that’s something,” Ruby smiled. “But I agree with Trystan. We should celebrate! What do you guys think we should do?”
“I don’t know,” Carolina sighed. “We’ll think of something, but if you’ll excuse me, I have paperwork to review with Mafalda.”
Luke was bemused, watching Trystan’s puppy-dog eyes trail Carolina as she exited the room.   His lips curled into a barely-there smile. If brownie points were desired, he could offer his regal friend an assist.  
“I know something Carolina would love,” Luke announced, letting the suggestion hang in the air to gauge how quickly Trystan would inquire. It took but a second.
“Name it!”
“The Yankees,” Luke stated as he slammed his laptop closed. “Carolina bleeds pinstripes, and you’re in luck. Boston is coming to town next week.”
“Oooh! Boston!” Ruby delighted. “That’s the biggest rivalry there is! She’d love it! I’d love it!”
“Say no more!” Trystan announced phone already in hand. “I’ll arrange for a suite….”
“A suite?” Luke laughed. “Carolina would kill you! Look, I’m not about to suggest dragging royalty into the bleachers, but Carolina will not want to see her beloved Bronx Bombers in an air-conditioned suite!”
“Oh, heaven forbid!” Trystan said with a roll of his eyes.
“It’s just part of the experience,” Ruby attempted to explain. “The overpriced hot dogs, the stale beer… the drunken fans cursing and making complete asses out of themselves….”
“It sounds… delightful,” Trystan offered. “But I could have all that arranged in the suite if required.”
“It wouldn’t be the same aesthetic,” Luke sighed. “Uptown Boy… if you want to make the Bronx girl happy… trust me on this.”
“I do trust you. And if you say it will make Carolina happy… I’ll make it happen.”
“Not so fast,” Ruby chimed in. “It’s a great idea, but Red Sox and Yankee games sell out way in advance, and resale tickets are usually pretty pricey.”
Trystan looked at Ruby with a raised brown.
“You forget,” Luke grumbled. “We’re hanging with the bourgeoisie now….”
“Yes!” Trystan beamed. “And I hope you’ve learned that some of us aren’t all bad. I mean, look at me? I’m kind, generous, charming, sexy as hell, and I have quite the flair for fashion if I must say so myself. I’m also….”
“Humble,” Luke finished. “Please, don’t forget, humble.”
“Hmm,” Trystan rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I’ll work on getting our tickets. But humble… I don’t know if I can manage to swing that.”
~~~~~
One week later, at the Drunk Tank Bar
“… and then I told the guy… listen… you can’t drive! So call a buddy to come get you, or we’re getting you a cab.”
“And what did he do?” Trystan asked.
“He called a friend. The next thing I know, a guy is sitting outside on a horse! The customer stumbles out, somehow mounts the thing, and they take off….”
“On the streets of New York City?” Luke asked.
Tommy crossed his heart. “I swear on my life!”
“Are you sure you weren’t the one who had a little too much that night?” Trystan winked. 
“Oh, I’m sure. Tend bar long enough in this city, and you’ll see everything!”
Trystan laughed heartily. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever see everything New York had to offer, but as Carolina made her way down the stairs, he knew one thing… he loved what it offered right now. His eyes went dark as they drank her in, trailing from head to toes, then back again. Up her curvaceous legs that never seemed to end, over her tanned thighs leading to the cut-off denim shorts that hugged her like a second skin, along her Yankee jersey… number 23… honoring her late father’s favorite player. It hung wide, allowing him a peek at the fitted white crop top underneath. His mouth went dry. Then her hair… the long, luscious waves cascading down her neck, over her shoulder, twining down until they reached her…
“Hello?” she waved her hands in front of his face. “Trystan? Hello?”
“Oh, uh… hello,” he faltered; this wasn’t a look the usually unflappable man was accustomed to wearing.
“What’s the matter?” she teased. “Distracted? Cat got your tongue?”
“Something like that,” he settled, trying desperately to regain his footing. “So, is that what you’re wearing?”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asked defensively.
“Oh, nothing! Nothing at all,” he stumbled again, but this time he grinned with delight seeing the amusement on her face. She loved the control she had over him, and frankly, he loved allowing her to have it. “I’m just unfamiliar with what one wears to a baseball game.”
“Yeah,” she snickered, giving his designer suit the once over. “Trust me… it shows.”
“I take it Brunello Cucinelli silk suits aren’t the standard attire?”
“Not unless you want to get beaten up!” She giggled. She slapped Luke on the back as a loud thunderclap shook the bar. “You suggested a Yankee game but didn’t give him a heads up on what he should wear?”  
“What,” Luke replied sarcastically. “And miss this fun?”
“Sobrina,” Uncle Tommy shouted over the bar. “There to save him. The game was just rain delayed.”
“Aw, man!” Ruby frowned.
“It’s OK,” Carolina grinned. “Tio, keep serving them drinks while I take this one to rummage through your closet. I should be able to find something to help him there.”
She turned to Trystan with a wink and a coy smile. “Come with me,” she cooed as he did his best to maintain a poker face.
They hadn’t reached the top of the staircase before Trystan was already back to his usual ways. “You just couldn’t wait to get me alone, could you?”
Carolina shook her head as she led him into Tommy’s room, rummaging through her uncle’s assortment of baseball shirts.
“I want to make sure you look presentable,” she started. “I can’t be seen with…” a small whimper escaped her as Trystan’s hands landed on her waist, slowly working their way over the curve of her hips. 
“You were saying,” he smirked. Before she had a second to think, he pushed her long hair to the side, his lips quickly claiming the delicate skin on her he had just bared on her neck.  
“I uh…” she gasped, unable to concentrate on anything other than his proximity, his warmth, and how perfect it all felt. “This is good… this is nice… to…”
“Good? Nice?” he smiled, turning her to face him. “Is that the best you can offer?”
“Well, this is a lovely appetizer?” she mocked. “But I’ve had the main course, and well… now everything else pales in comparison.”
Trystan bit into his lower lip, twitching with delight. “Well, we can do something about that.”
Her breath hitched when he lifted her against the wall, his chest flush against hers as his fingers tangled in her lengthy, golden-brown hair. He grinned when the slightest groan escaped her, and his lips captured hers in a soft, sensual kiss that ignited the smoldering passion they had attempted to tamper all day.
“Lovely little sound, cariña,” he breathed into her ear. “Did you make that just for me?”
“I… I… uh…”
Before she could reply, his lips were on hers again, tender but growing rougher as she deepened the kiss. Her hands slid up his chest, running over his skin as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. They could feel the combustion overtaking them when startled by a loud knock. Carolina’s eyes went wide. 
“Come in!” She hollered, forcefully pushing Trystan away.
A stunned Ruby stood at the door, curiously looking between the two. 
“Oh, uh… I just wanted to tell you… uhm… we’re going to order pizza since it looks like a long delay… do uhm... you want some?”
“Yes! We definitely want some,” Trystan answered far too quickly, eliciting giggles from their friend.
“Pizza, that is!” Carolina quickly corrected. “Please, yes. Order extra for us.”
“Will do,” Ruby replied with a gleam in her eye. “Apparently, you two are working up an appetite.”
“I’m just helping him get dressed!” Carolina insisted as she hurled a Derek Jeter jersey at Trystan’s chest. “That’s all!”
“Mmm hmm. I’ll just pretend that my job doesn’t require paying attention to detail, and I’ll fill you two in on this detail… Julio is taking over for Tommy in five minutes, and he mentioned taking a quick nap on his break; you may want to vacate his room.”
“Oh! Yes! Of course!” Carolina insisted. “Trystan just has to change his shirt and….”
“I’ll wait downstairs,” Ruby winked as she slowly shut the door behind her. She wasn’t more than a few feet away when Trystan broke into laughter.
“YOU!” Carolina yelled, trying her best to appear annoyed, though it was clear she was anything but. “You made me forget we were in my uncle’s bedroom!”
“Yes,” Trystan grinned., more than pleased with himself. He moved toward her, cupping her cheek gently in his hand. “Forgive me, but I enjoy knowing I make you forget the world around you as much as you do the same to me.”
“Yeah, well, why don’t we get you changed before my uncle finds us here. Raincheck?”
“Do you mean me or the game?”
“Both, apparently.”  
Desperate for anything to take her attention off of him, Carolina quickly grabbed a baseball cap and mirrored glasses on her uncle’s dresser. “And here!” she said, tossing the items his way. “You should wear these, too!”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Hey, it’s that, or I find Uncle Tommy’s beer-guzzler helmet. Which will it be?”
“These will do just fine,” Trystan surrendered as he changed. “I hope the rain delay isn’t long. I simply cannot wait to see you in your element.”
“Really?” Carolina snickered as they stepped out of the bedroom. “I should warn you… it is a lot. You’re about to see a side of me you haven’t seen before.”
“Good!” He enthused. “Because you’re the most ridiculous person I know, and, God, do I love it.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that after the game,” she said, catching him from the corner of her eye. “It may be a bit too much.”
“Never,” he said, clasping her hand. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? I want all the Carolina that I can get.”
@choicesficwriterscreations
Tagging others in reblog.
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@numantinecitizen: Thing is what you described is most of history, only in the last 200 years have we really had the means to end the cycle of violence and oppression (though it continues), but any "great" civilization of ancient times was founded in this way. I do agree though its creeps me out when people glorify Rome or some other empire too much, we must be aware of all the aspects and the human cost to achieve the technology they did. I remember reading about a Dominican professor who works in "the classics" and he is really contraversial and pisses off other people in the field, because A he doesn't thinks the classics should even exist as a separate field of study, its blatant eurocentric propganda that acts like Rome and Greece are founding fathers of all (white) Europeans, which is nonsense, and B as a black Dominican he focused especially on the history of slavery in Rome, and its sickening seeing things like ancient Roman slave collars saying "if lost please return to owner".
Yeah, of course, I'm a aware that history is a string of conquerors and conquered, but I mean, I think in this day and age we should be more conscious. One anon told me about sickening La Entrada in New Mexico, and how for many people it's just a parade and a festive day and how they don't take it too seriously, while it's actually hurtful for native people. I can see how many of these parades started as victory anniversaries that also served as a reminder of who was in charge for the conquered; as time went by they evolved to something like a party day for many, but still for some descendants of those conquered it's still as hurtful as it was for their ancestors.
That professor is totally right, btw, I'd love to read some of his essays on the matter.
And regarding the Roman celebrations, maybe I'm reading too much into them, but I feel there's also a really big racist ingredient there. I mean, there aren't celebrations of how the Muslims beat the Wisigoths' asses, or recreation of battles that Christians lost. However, we have recreations - and celebrations! - of the Carthaginians or Cantabrians losing to Rome 💁‍♀️.
There's still many people that say that Spaniards and Italians are half brothers because they all come from the Romans, as if 1) there was only one color and culture in the Roman empire and 2) nobody else had come and mixed with Iberian people since Rome fell.
I can understand that Italian and Spanish are very similar and there's a closer culture between the two than with, let's say, Morocco. But there's also this racist undertone there like, call me descendant of Romans or Wisigoths, but don't call me descendant of Moors. I don't know if I make sense.
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New post: "EDDIE REDMAYNE & GAYLE RANKIN BRING AUDIENCES INTO THE KIT KAT CLUB"
FRANK DILELLA | FEBRUARY 6, 2024.
Starting April 1, a hearty “Willkommen” awaits at the enticing and electrifying Kit Kat Club (a.k.a., the August Wilson Theatre) on 52nd Street on Broadway. The London transfer of the 2022 Olivier Award–winning revival of Cabaret is one of the most highly anticipated musicals of the spring season. Tony-winning actor Eddie Redmayne is set to reprise his performance of the Emcee, a role he won an Olivier for when he opened the show in the West End. He’ll be joined by actress Gayle Rankin, who is new to this production of Cabaret, taking on the show’s leading lady, Sally Bowles. Entertainment journalist for Spectrum News NY1 Frank DiLella caught up with both Redmayne and Rankin to talk their love of Cabaret and much more.
Eddie, congratulations on the Broadway transfer of this brilliant revival. How are you feeling knowing you’re once again taking on the Emcee in Cabaret?
EDDIE REDMAYNE: Thanks so much. Honestly, this is one of the pieces that made me fall in love with theater as a kid, so the fact that I got to play this iconic part on stage professionally in London was truly a bucket-list moment fulfilled. But when I was about 9 or 10, I became oddly obsessed with New York. London was home, but I was always looking at photographs of New York, researching the place. When I eventually came to the city and went to Times Square, it was one of those completely overwhelming sensations. I remember my whole body reacting. So the idea that I now get the chance to play this part in this show that I’m so passionate about in the mecca of musical theater — which is Broadway — is beautifully daunting and also 100 percent thrilling!
Gayle, Cabaret seems to be your show. You were part of the 2014 Roundabout revival with Alan Cumming — you played Fraulein Kost.
GAYLE RANKIN: I can’t tell you how moving it is to have worked on Cabaret a decade ago, and after lovingly letting it go, it’s come back to me with the gargantuan gift of Sally. [Laughs.] It is my show! I feel wildly privileged to be able to say that. I know I have to continue to earn that privilege because of what the show is and what it means. But I have never felt more ready to do that now, inside of this amazing production and with this incredible group of artists.
Eddie, when were you first introduced to Cabaret?
ER: I was first introduced to it when I was in school; I was around 15 or 16, and there was a little production being done at my school. And that was the first time I listened to the music. I remember hunting down all the possible CD versions I could find. I remember looking for a production to see, but there were none playing in London, so the very first production I ever saw of Cabaret was, randomly, the Spanish version in Madrid — and it was the Sam Mendes version, but in Spanish! I was 19 and completely blown away. Since then, I saw Emma Stone and Alan Cumming do it brilliantly in New York, and of course Rufus Norris’s version in London. I’m a sort of Cabaret junkie.
How about you, Gayle?
GR: The first time I was introduced to it was when I was in a musical-theater program in Scotland and one of the other young women had been given the song “Maybe This Time,” and I remember being like, “Wow! What a song!” That’s when I was introduced to Cabaret as a property.
Eddie, it’s my understanding that you were instrumental with making this production of Cabaret take shape.
ER: Ha! It’s been a long old road. After I did Cabaret in school in my late teens, there was an amateur production of Cabaret going to the Edinburgh Festival, and I got cast in that, and the venue that we were doing the show in was called The Underbelly. It was dark and damp and people were sitting around tables. I loved every minute, and it affirmed my want to be an actor. The guys who set up that venue became producers professionally and the Underbelly transformed to become a brilliant venue and producing house in the U.K. They approached me about seven years ago and asked if I would ever consider doing Cabaret again. It had always been on my bucket list, and I thought long and hard about it — as I said, it’s dream territory. Then Jessie Buckley leapt into my mind, who is an extraordinary actor and singer, and she and I plotted together. We both approached the brilliant director Rebecca Frecknall, and piece by piece this thing built momentum. But it had been done so beautifully and vividly before, we only wanted to do it if we could find a new way in, something that perhaps hadn’t been explored before.  And with Rebecca, the brilliant Tom Scutt, Julia Cheng, and Jordan Fein — our designer, choreographer, and prologue director — we took on this idea of inviting an audience through the underbelly of the theatre, taking them through this experience so by the time they arrive in the theatre, they’ve truly left all their troubles outside.
Eddie, you’re taking on one of the great roles of the musical theater, the Emcee, and I have to say, having seen you on stage in London, your Emcee is different compared to Joel Grey’s and Alan Cumming’s.
ER: I think one of the reasons he’s such an appealing part is because he’s one of the most enigmatic parts that I’ve ever read, witnessed, or experienced. The Emcee was a part that was created by Joel and Hal Prince [director of the original Cabaret] to join scenes together. He has no literary basis. So in some ways, the part exists in an abstract way. One of the things that I tried to do when I first started was I attempted to rationalize him and create a backstory. But the second you try to pin him down, he falls flat — he’s too quixotic for that. In the end it became trying to find a way into him physically and through instinct alone. It felt like a high-wire act. But a thrilling one.
Gayle, Sally Bowles is one of the great female roles in musical theater. Who is your Sally?
GR: My Sally is close to me. I think she’s only to be known truly by me. Sally can infamously live in a space where she can be pitied to people, and I don’t think that’s the whole story. There’s more to be told about her. And I feel compelled to take that on.
Do you feel that your experience of doing the 2014 Cabaret revival with Alan Cumming, where you played a Kit Kat Club girl and Fraulein Kost, prepped you for Sally?
GR: How could it not? For something to live inside of you both consciously and unconsciously — I hope I’ve evolved as a person and as an artist, and I feel like I’ve never been more ready to take Sally on. And I feel like I’m a big enough girl to admit the 2014 production — I was not in a place or was the right person to play Sally even though I had the time of my life with that show.
Sally gets some amazing musical moments. “Maybe This Time,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” … Favorite tune in the show?
GR: It’s always been “I Don’t Care Much” [sung by the Emcee]. Sally’s songs are almost too meaningful; I can’t pick one, they’re like children. [Laughs.] But there’s something about “I Don’t Care Much” that’s so essential to the conversation and the story and lives inside of all those characters. This longing for hope during so much horror. That song just moves me.
Gayle, take me to your opening night, when you take your bow as Sally Bowles.
GR: [Laughs.] Frank! What a question. Now I’m crying. My niece will be there, and she’s 12, and I’ll probably be looking at her. I’ll probably be tired. [Laughs.] I think I’m going to be really happy.
This show is quite the experience. Give a little preview of what New York audiences can expect once they enter the Kit Kat Club.
ER: I can’t paint that picture for you just yet because it’s in the process of being built and designed by Tom Scutt. Tom Scutt is one of the most thrilling creative minds I’ve had the privilege to work with. What his plans are for New York are completely captivating. The idea is that you’re brought in as an audience not through the conventional way of the theatre — you’re met by an entire prologue cast of dancers and musicians. You are submerged into the world of Cabaret from the second you pass the threshold. For me, I hope it makes the experience — you will feel like you’re part of an all-consuming event. You will also get to witness Gayle’s Sally — Gayle is a volcano of talent — Bebe Neuwirth’s Fraulein Schneider, Ato Blankson-Wood’s Cliff, Steven Skybell’s Schultz. A staggering ensemble — the list goes on. So many exciting things.
Eddie, you’re following in the footsteps of two celebrated actors who played the role of the Emcee: Joel Grey and Alan Cumming. Any interaction with them?
ER: I haven’t with Alan since I’ve played it. I met Alan in Los Angeles years ago and he’s just an extraordinary talent. Joel, I had never met, but then I got through the first act of Cabaret on opening night in London, and at the interval some flowers arrived and I opened the card and it was from Joel Grey. And in the midst of our opening night show, opening his generous card was one of the great moments.
I was so haunted by this production when I saw it in London. The time feels right to see and experience Cabaret.
ER: There is something so searingly relevant with this piece. And I feel like whenever Cabaret is being done, it’s relevant. But with what’s going on in the world today, I feel like it’s a cautionary tale — it sings loudly and clear and it’s this idea of the fear of the other. The political gain of “othering” people. And that constant repetition of scapegoating and hatred is what we’re seeing in our politics now.
GR: I’m not sure what John Kander and Fred Ebb and Joe Masteroff were channeling when they were writing this — they were able to tap into something that’s so cyclical. And as a humanity, I think we all hope that Cabaret becomes not as relevant as it is.
---
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jo-harrington · 9 months
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Second request for Hymn's of Heaven 🩶
will-o'-the-wisp
I know this is your second request, and it’s fully my intention to get back to the first one…but I just needed to write this one real quick.
Themes/Warnings: Religious/Catholic Themes (duh, but maybe a little heavier than other hymns have been), hurt/comfort, allusion to familial problems, fluff
And if you see a continuity error in a previous hymn...no you don't.
Find other Hymns of Heaven here.
And find the Master List for As Above, So Below here.
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July 1984
It was a carefree kind of night.
A perfect kind of night.
Just the two of you.
You needed it, Eddie knew. He’d never been very far from home before but he recognized homesickness when he saw it. And as much as he hoped that Hawkins was becoming your home—that he was becoming your home—he couldn’t deny that you had a whole life that you’d left behind over a year ago.
Sure your parents…but your grandma, more than anything, was your home.
“She’s just a little old lady,” you told him when he asked about her the first time. You beamed, obviously ecstatic to talk about your favorite person. “But she’s always been my best friend.”
Through stories about your grandma, he learned more about you. Felt his heart grow a little more with each little tidbit; to see how you talked about someone you cherished.
“She cooks…all the time, more food than anyone could ever eat. She makes this soup. I swear it’s magical; a remedy for any illness.”
“She used to work at this factory but she’s retired now. If you ever want like…a hundred boxes of Tootsie Rolls, she still has an in and she can get them for you in a blink of an eye.”
“She’s always at church. Always. She dragged me all the time too. Didn’t matter what language the mass was in. English, Spanish, Latin, Italian, Polish…I am a polyglot for masses because of her.”
After the Fourth of July festivities, the homesickness started. You got quiet sometimes, fiddled with your necklace a little more. He noticed immediately and it made him feel...not bad...just helpless.
What could he do to to make you feel better when he didn't even know what was wrong?
Eddie didn't even need to ask, you simply told him one day.
"It's her birthday tomorrow," you muttered. "And coincidentally it's also this...special Feast Day. There's a procession with music and fireworks and this...statue. I can't really explain, you just need to experience it. I'll take you one day, I promise; you'd have the best time.
"Anyway, when I was younger, we would sit on the porch and watch the procession go by, have this table of candles and offerings set up. I always said it was special just for her, and it would make her smile. And then at night, she would watch me run around the yard and try to catch fireflies.
"I tried calling home to tell her Happy Birthday but my dad picked up," you choked up. "He never...but it's like he knew...and I froze...I couldn't even...I just hung up."
He expected tears. This was the closest he'd ever come to seeing you cry before. He anticipated the worst, and engulfed you in a hug, whispering sweet words of comfort.
"It's ok, she'd understand. I know how much you miss her. I'm sure she knows it too."
You squeezed him hard, buried your face in his neck and nodded with every word.
"You did the right thing. Your dad's an asshole. You won. You didn't give him the satisfaction of upsetting you more. I'm proud of you."
And when you pulled away, everything was normal. You pressed a kiss to his lips and his cheeks, and then asked if he wanted to get Dairy Queen.
But there were no tears.
Eddie knew how it felt, to always have to be the strong one. Whether it was because you didn't want someone to see your weaknesses...or because there was too much going on for you to have any. He'd balanced that burden all his life. But he also knew that...you didn't need to be that way around him, didn't need to feel like you needed to hide or keep these walls up.
You had secrets, things you simply kept to yourself--shit, he had them too--but he wanted you to know that you were safe with him. That he'd be there to listen if and when you were ready.
So he did what he knew he did best. He made the person who was most important in his life feel how important they were.
It didn't take much planning. He rummaged around Rick's boathouse for old rags and rubber bands and jars that held an amalgam of screws and bolts and nuts. Bribed Mickey's mom to go to Bradley's during your shift to grab some treats. And promised Wayne that he would replace the six-pack he took from the fridge during their next grocery run.
It was gonna be special. Unforgettable. He needed to make you smile.
All he had to do was wait until your shift was done in the Bradley's parking lot and keep his big mouth shut when you saw him.
He unfortunately couldn't do that.
"You wanna go catch some fireflies?" he whispered in your ear and spoiled the surprise when you greeted him with a hug and a soft what are you doing here?
"What? Eddie!" you laughed.
He talked the whole drive to Weathertop, explained that he had cake and lemon ices and beers in a cooler in the back.
"Gotta celebrate still, even if you can't be there with your grandma," he explained, and you grabbed his hand to place gentle kisses on the back of it as he drove.
You jumped from the van with a whoop as soon as he parked on the grass. It wasn't fully dark out yet but you could still see the intermittent glow of fireflies as they floated around the field of wildflowers. You shed your little uniform vest and ran around the grass for a second.
Eddie watched as you jumped and tried to catch one or two glowing bugs in your hands with the uncharacteristic carefree nature that a child might, and then round back on him as he popped the back doors of the van open to prepare the spread he'd organized.
The sight of you running back to him--the twilight glow behind you, the biggest smile on your face, and something in your eyes that was reserved just for him--made him feel like he was the most important man in the world.
It made his hands shake a little.
"Alright, I've got jars for each of us," he began and handed you one. He tried to cover the shakiness in his voice. "We'll let 'em go at the end of the night."
"Sounds good."
"You know...Wayne always told me if I was gonna try to catch them, that I had to be careful not to catch a will-o'-the-wisp on accident instead. He said they don't appreciate it when you catch them."
You tilted your head a little and pressed your lips together and Eddie's eyes narrowed at you.
"Don't tell me that's the one thing you don't know about?"
He felt giddy to be able to teach you something about a mystical creature for once. Some little bit of folklore that might make you smile.
"They're these...I don't know ghost lights and they float around, and if you try to follow them, they'll end up leading you astray. I thought I caught one once and Wayne mentioned that they're not actually good spirits, they're mischievous. I got so scared and...and you're just letting me talk out of my ass right now aren't you?"
You burst with laughter and shook your head.
"Sorry, I'm sorry," you held your hands up in surrender. "You were just so cute."
"Cute? I'm cute?" He put a hand to his chest in feigned insult. "Here I am trying to prevent my girlfriend's demise and she tells me I'm cute."
Eddie waited until you were caught off guard, scrambling to apologize, before he attacked. Fingers wriggled against your sides, causing you to laugh and gasp, and just when you thought it was over, he blew a raspberry on the exposed junction of your neck and shoulder.
The rest of the night was perfect. You ran around and caught fireflies together--you boasted when you caught more than he did, but he was especially proud because his glowed more--munched on the snacks that he brought, and then to end the night, you laid out on one of the blankets from the back of the van and stargazed.
Eddie pointed out constellations to you--a thing you actually didn't know much about at all--and after a while, the weight of your head on his shoulder became heavy and your breathing evened out.
He was gonna let you doze for a while before he woke you up to head home, but you surprised him when you sat up and looked at him.
"Today was perfect Eddie," you muttered. "Thank you."
"Hey of course," he beamed. "Anything for you."
"You...I..." You paused and bit your lip for a second. An eternity.
When you spoke again, it was something he hadn't realized that he'd been waiting to hear. Something he had been hesitant to tell you...probably since the first time he met you. He knew then how he felt, it was just...never the right time...and he never wanted to scare you or pressure you.
But his heart soared...because he didn't have to wait an eternity to hear it anymore.
"I love you Eddie. So much. More than you'll ever know."
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