Tumgik
#7 people who I know and are cool will be like ‘yeah totes’
toastybugguy · 11 months
Text
another day of a post escaping the target audience…. once again my blocklist grows !
6 notes · View notes
gamerbearmira · 11 months
Note
🌻Gods, that giftless grandchild au is insane, I love the idea big-time. I wonder what the breaking point was for Julietta to finally say "No, mi hijos and sobrinos will not go through what mis hermanos and I did"...
Julietta looked downstairs at the two girls, happy to see them scrambling and playing as if the world was their oyster. Isa and Dol were happy with their little made-up game, something that involved strange abilities that they called gifts like flight or super screams. Their eyes were aglow with the excitement that their Abuela had instilled in them, that, "In a few months, mis nietas, we will see if you will have gifts like your mothers and tio".
But Julietta didn't want that for Isabella or Dolores.
No, she knew exactly what having gifts was like. It was Julietta working herself to the bone to repair the bones of others, as if healing was fueled by her working, cooking, nonstop. It was Pepa hiding emotions or forcing specific moods on herself to follow the whims and desires of their Mamá, even when Pepa just wanted to let her emotions flow how they truly were. It was Bruno getting future visions of everything from births to deaths to everything in between, his only payment being migraines and judgement from the people surrounding them.
Julietta was determined to not let these things happen to her girls (Dol was just as much hers as Isa, just as Isa was Pepa's too). Julietta frowned at the candle sitting in the window, her mother's place of pride, and distastefully whispered, "You will not hurt these girls. I will get Pepa and Brunito, and you will not hurt them like you did us."
One, I’m glad you like it <333 Two this is so cool⁉️⁉️ This is. Pretty much exactly how it goes to be honest. Though Julieta knew Isabela and Dolores would likely get gifts, she didn’t want them too. Sure, they would definitely be helpful, maybe, but she also knew of the cons that came with a gift. And frankly? The cons outweighed the pros. She didn’t want to subject neither Isabela or Dolores to that.
A big driving point is Bruno. How he’s treated for something he can’t even control is asinine. And both her and Pepa know what overworking can do to a person. So what do they do?
They prevent the ceremonies, and therefore the gifts.
Triplets become emo 2023
Tumblr media
Now how they do it, I’m still debating. If you have idea, you should <3 totes give ‘em to me. But so far I have two ideas.
The triplets have gifts. Can’t give a gift to someone who already has a gift. So either one, the night before, they touch the doors. This causes them to fluctuate and then disappear. On their birthdays, they wake up to the doors aren’t. Or two, when no one’s looking, they touch the doors at the ceremony, and they disappear at the party. Either way results in one of the triplets (or even the husbands?) touching the door and it disappears.
Or they stall. They do whatever they can to stall the ceremony delay. Make them Kate. If they miss the time of 7:00 pm, then it can’t happen, maybe. They will make anything and everything go wrong. Casita even manages to hide the candle from Alma, so she can’t find it on time. By then, the door disappears, and technically, it’s not their fault. After all, it was Casita (who is willing to take the blame) who lost the candle, and gee, everything just went so wrong. Oh well.
Isabela and Dolores get over it, with the help of the triplets, their fathers and Casita. Alma’s like “well there’s still Luisa”. Yeah. Sure. See how that goes. Every time a ceremony fails, she loses hope. ANYWAY THIS IS SO COOL ‼️‼️‼️ The kids def invest in hobbies, Isabela with gardening, Dolores with music, Luisa with working out, Camilo doing shows with Bruno, Mirabel with embroidery and sewing, and Antonio with animal care.
34 notes · View notes
theasstour · 4 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 | 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 𝟏𝟑𝐤 𝐍𝐁: 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬
AN: Massive thank you to my dearest @fromyourstrulyh​ who helped me sm with this chapter! Love you tons, Jess 🐚✨
Tumblr media
Monday, 15 June
Fore Street wasn’t particularly busy this early in the morning. People were driving to work, and others were strolling by near the road, leaving the main shopping street of St Ives almost deserted. The bright yellow early morning sun peeked over the rooftops of the stone cottages, casting some of the street in a tad too chilly shadow and the other half in cool sunshine. Having just had breakfast with Bessie, Y/N was strolling along the cobblestoned street, relishing in the calmness at the start of the week.
Wearing her satin pleated forest green midi skirt, a white tee shirt and white Vans, Y/N was a little cold, but her walk wasn’t a long one. She walked by Vintage Divine a few times, but never gone inside, today that was going to change. With her tote bag at the ready in her purse, Y/N entered the vintage shop, quickly noticing she was the second customer there. She strolled on over to what looked to be a rack of dresses and long skirts. She had absolutely nothing else to do all day so she could spend all of it in here, she didn’t care. She’d most likely enjoy her time there very much.
Capital was being played over the speaker, and though Y/N wasn’t sure that was the kind of vibe a vintage shop had, she loved it regardless. It had been so long since she’d been in a vintage shop, and never had she had the privilege of buying something without having people inspect her finds when she got home. She was sure she walked around for an hour, maybe even a bit longer, before she recognised the voice talking behind the till.
Looking over, she saw Florence, one of the ladies in Bessie’s little knitting circle. She picked up the red and pink headband she’d been looking at before making her way toward her. When their eyes met, Y/N gave Florence a wide grin that she returned, waving Y/N over.
“Would you look at that? Speak of the devil, ey, Camila?” Florence said, gesturing at Y/N. A woman around the same age glanced at Y/N over the rim of her glasses, raising her eyebrows as she studied her.
“This is her?”
“Sure is.”
“Oh, my word, what an absolute beauty. Why Harry kept you away for so long is a mystery.”
“Aww,” Y/N chuckled. “Thanks. More to do with privacy than anything else, I suppose.”
“You know,” Florence said as she started scanning the items Y/N wanted to buy. “We were just saying, the person who most needs a partner right now is Harry.”
“Yeah, that lad’s been stuck in that lighthouse ever since his father died. It’s very sad,” Camila went on, making a point of looking at both Y/N and Florence over her glasses to see them clearly. “Maybe you can break him out of his shell a bit. Think having someone like you who can take him out will be good for him.”
“Harry likes being on his own.”
“That’s right,” Florence went on after Y/N, looking at Camila. “Y/N is living at the Crab Inn. At Bessie’s.”
Camila gasped. “He won’t even let her stay at his house?”
Y/N didn’t know why the two women were talking about her like she wasn’t there. Clearing her throat some, she said, “We don’t want to overwhelm each other. We haven’t stayed together for more than a few days before.”
“But don’t new couples bunny out in the first phase of their relationship?” Camila was as blunt as she was almost blind, Y/N thought.
This took Y/N off guard and she forced a breathy chuckle out, bringing a few quid out to pay Florence. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
Camila looked to Florence and Florence only shrugged, Y/N didn’t know if that meant Florence agreed with Y/N or Camila.
“Harry’s a handsome bloke, there’s no reason-“
“Have you at least been to the lighthouse?” Florence asked to speak over Camila, giving Y/N a friendly smile. Y/N appreciated Florence stepping in when she sensed Camila taking it a bit too far.
Y/N nodded, probably a bit too frantically. “Yes, quite a few times.”
“Harry won’t let anyone to the top, says it breaks some rule or something,” Florence said.
“Think it’s just him and his family being a bit selfish, if you ask me,” Camila went on.
“Oh, now you’re being proper arsey, Camila.” Florence only sighed before turning her attention back on Y/N. “Been to the top yet?”
“First place he took me.”
“Of course,” Florence smiled. “See you around, darling.”
“Bye, Florence. Bye, Camila.” Y/N waved at the both of them, walking on out of Vintage Divine and on her way back to the Inn. She felt her heart racing quickly with the lies she’d just told. How could she be fake dating the lighthouse keeper and not have been to the lighthouse yet? Though she hated to lie like that, she reminded herself that the reason she was doing it was to get people off Harry’s back. He seemed like such a genuine lad; she’d do anything to help him. But lying about something she could so quickly change by just taking a walk to the lighthouse seemed silly.
Tumblr media
Wednesday, 17 June
Y/N had never been this close to a lighthouse. She’d watched them from afar, never really given them any proper thought. They were an essential part of navigation at sea, but she had no idea how they worked, and until a few days ago, she hadn’t given thought to how they were operated either. She didn’t think lighthouse keepers were a thing anymore, let alone that they even lived in the lighthouse still. Maybe they lived in town and occasionally spent time in the lighthouse, but surely, they didn’t live there.
However, as Y/N walked along the gravel road leading up to Clodgy Lighthouse, that seemed to be the case. It was an elegant white building. Strangely the lighthouse looked like it hadn’t endured a single storm in the decades Y/N knew it had stood there. That therefore made her draw the conclusion that Harry was the one keeping this lighthouse under pristine and incredible conditions. It shone in the sunbeams shining down on it. At the very top, surrounding the beacon at the top of the lighthouse, there was black fencing, so Y/N guessed one could sit out there and get a pretty grand view of the St Ives Bay. Well, not all of it, but a pretty good 360 shot regardless.
Beside the tall white building, stood a one-storey hut. It was white as well, matching transparent embroidered curtains hanging from all the windows Y/N could see from her vantage-point on the gravel road. They were neatly tucked to the side, letting natural daylight stream in through the windows and in on what she assumed to be Harry’s house. It was rectangular, with a dark blue door in the middle of one of the shorter lengths of the house. In front of what looked to be a pebbled driveway sat an old yellow Ford Econoline, a very out-there car for someone who was so incredibly shy.
She did a 360, looking about the open moor that surrounded her. It was completely empty, with no one living near the lighthouse, and St Ives a 40-minute walk from here. It must be equally liberating and lonely, Y/N thought, not sure if she could muster living all by herself like this. But Harry seemed to be just the guy for this job.
Different coloured flowers were strewn around the lighthouse and Harry’s cottage, wild and untamed. It didn’t seem like Harry bothered cutting the grass around his house either, just mainly around the lighthouse, probably for better access, Y/N had no idea. However, upon closer inspection, all types of insects flew to and from all the flowers and plants, zooming away once Y/N hunched down and picked two flowers she didn’t know the name of. She liked the fact that the bees could roam around the little field without problem. They were welcomed and encouraged to stay. Y/N didn’t know if this was Harry’s intention, but she liked to think it was. She’d always wanted to get into gardening, but she’d never had the time.
The door to the cottage opened and Harry came to view, taking a few steps outside to see what Y/N was doing by the ground. She stood, smiling and waving as she made her way over to him. He wore a pair of tapered retro black jeans, cuffed at the ankles, along with a loose fitted white, orange and blue shirt, one part of the front tucked into his jeans. His feet were bare, and his hair was a mess. It looked like she’d caught him off guard.
“Hiya,” Y/N smiled, walking closer. “Good morning.”
“Ehm…” Harry nodded, running a hand through his hair. While doing so it was as if he remembered he hadn’t styled it this morning, hurriedly trying to make it look somewhat decent without the help of a mirror. “Morning.”
“Did I startle you?”
“What? Oh! No, no, I…” He trailed off, pointing through the door with his thumb but letting his hand fall to his thigh, hitting it lightly. “Just drinking me morning cuppa reading the  paper.”
“I’ve been up since 7, so I haven’t really done much besides eat and then walk here.”
Harry nodded, and for a few seconds, the two were left in silence as they just looked at one another. Neither knew what to say, or even what to talk about. They didn’t know what they had in common, or if they had anything in common at all. Y/N just knew she wanted to get to know the   man she was supposed to be in a relationship with this summer. Coming to visit his lighthouse and home seemed like a good thing to do. She didn’t know what Harry was thinking, but by the blank look he was giving her, she was starting to regret coming here at all.
However, that was not going to stop her. If they wanted to make this work, she didn’t want to make it awkward for them by not knowing how to act around Harry when they were around people.
“So,” she started, walking past Harry and his van. “This is the tall, pointy house you were referring to the other day.”
Harry followed her towards the lighthouse, unbothered by the gravel under his bare feet. “Yeah, it draws attention, doesn’t it?”
Y/N giggled. “How much time do you spend keeping it clean? It doesn’t look weather-beaten at all. Would’ve thought lighthouses to be in much worse conditions.”
“Trinity House comes and does a thorough clean about once a year, but I do most of the work myself. As long as the sailors can tell this is Clodgy Lighthouse, then it’s fine.”
She paused. “Trinity House?”
“The official authority of lighthouses in the UK.”
“Ahh!” She nodded. “And how do sailors know this is Clodgy?”
Harry pointed at it, referring to the entire thing with a sweeping up and down hand motion. “From the sea, a lighthouse may be identified by the distinctive shape or colour of its structure, by the colour or flash pattern of its light, or by the coded pattern of its radio signal,” he explained and the more he talked, the more Y/N could detect a northern accent. “When ships pass here, they’ll know it’s Clodgy by the pattern of the beacon, as well as the fact it’s completely white. Others may be other colours, for example white and red stripes. But Clodgy’s always been white, I couldn’t really change it if I wanted to. Not that I do.”
That was the most she’d ever heard Harry speak, from what she knew about him so far he wasn’t much of a talker. Too nervous and shy by nature, it seemed.
“I didn’t think of that before.”
“You also didn’t think they were operated by lightkeepers anymore.”
Y/N gasped, smiling at Harry as he tore his eyes away from her, his dimples showing as he glanced to the ground again. “He’s got bants.”
Harry chuckled. “Career in stand-up comedy next.”
She laughed, walking around the lighthouse and looking about the cliffs. They were steep, looking right down on big rocks that made up most of the Clodgy Point where the lighthouse was positioned. Harry was standing a fair distance away, leaning against the white building with his hands in his jean pockets. Because of the constant wind, Y/N walked closer and leaned against the lighthouse as well, studying the landscape and the ocean before them.
“I’ve mostly seen masonry and brick lighthouses, this is concrete,” she said, not wanting their conversation to die out this early. She’d just gotten here. Maybe lighthouses weren’t their main concern seeing as they needed to establish their relationship before facing other people, but it seemed to be what Harry was most comfortable speaking about and she wanted him to feel comfortable around her.
“Concrete and steel are the most widely used materials,” he said. “Concrete especially makes for an aesthetically pleasing design for shore-based lighthouses.”
“Shore-based? There are different kinds. I mean, I always thought lighthouses would be out on islands rather than on land.”
“Yeah, there are-“ He stopped himself, looking at her to his right and meeting her eyes for a few seconds. “I won’t bore you with lighthouse facts.”
“Wouldn’t ask if I didn’t wanna know.”
He bit his lips together, turning to face the sea again. “Right.”
She continued to watch him, waiting patiently for him to find the right words to speak again.
He cleared his throat and went on. “There are two types of lighthouses, yeah? Those located on land and those located offshore. A land lighthouse like this one-“ Harry knocked on the concrete wall behind him. “-Its job is to aid navigation over land rather than water. They’re usually constructed in areas of flatland where the featureless landscape and prevailing weather conditions might cause travellers to get disoriented or lost. A tower like this is therefore visible for miles.”
“Makes sense.” Y/N nodded, glancing up at the house as Harry continued.
“Offshore lighthouses are the ones you seem to think of, they’re far from land. Reasons for them being built in that specific area can be ‘cause of a shoal, a reed, or a submerged island several miles from land. They’re there to warn sailors they’re close to dangerous territory, basically.”
“You know so much about this stuff.”
“It’s my job.”
Y/N laughed, maybe a little too loudly but she found it funny, so she didn’t see a reason to be embarrassed or excuse her loud exclamation of joy. “That explains your obsession.”
He smiled, meeting her eyes for a second before glancing at his bare feet. “What’s yours?”
“My job?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh…” Now it was her turn to not want to meet his eyes. It wasn’t that she was ashamed, it was just that her answer was so boring. Maybe even a little unusual, especially for someone who should’ve been in the middle of finishing uni right about now. “I don’t have one.”
“You doing uni then?”
“Nope.”
That got Harry to shut up. It was clear he didn’t know what other questions to ask after that. What did you ask someone who didn’t have a job and didn’t go to uni without sounding disrespectful or degrading? He glanced away, pursing his lips as he fell silent again.
“My Mum was a stay-at-home Mum, so I was kind of expected to end up the same way. Trained for it my whole life and all.”
“You don’t want to do that?”
“No.” Y/N shook her head. “I mean, it would be perfect in a sense ‘cause I could read all the time, but I don’t want to spend eternity reading, you know what I mean?”
“Know exactly what you mean.”
She smiled at him. “You don’t like reading?”
“It’s not something I do very often, no.”
“Boring.”
Harry chuckled.
“It’s fun,” Y/N said, trying to sound convincing, but she was sure that if some people didn’t like to read, she wasn’t about to force them to buy a book and read it. “Anyway, I got this one dream a few years back, but it’s silly, really.”
Just then, the same ringing tone she’d heard from Harry’s phone before sounded from his pocket again. He cursed under his breath and brought his phone up, looking at the screen for a few seconds as if reading something before shoving it into his pockets again.
“I…” He sighed, running a hand over his face. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“No, if you have to take that, it’s no big deal.”
“It’s nothing, no one’s calling me-“ But he was interrupted by the ringing sounding again. He brought his phone out and brought it up to his upper right arm before checking it again, sighing before looking at Y/N. He gave her an apologetic smile before motioning back to the house. “Gotta get back in there.”
“That’s fine,” she said, really meaning it.
Harry nodded, biting at his bottom lip as the two of them walked back in silence. The wind was still harsh, but Y/N guessed that was because of the flat landscape and the ocean being right there. She was used to wind, but not as constant as this.
“Listen,” Harry said as they reached his front door that he’d left open. “I’m so sorry about the whole fake relationship thing. I feel like I pushed it on you, and you don’t really wanna do it. You don’t have to do it-“
“-I genuinely don’t have anything else to do all summer. I think it’d be fun.”
Harry nodded, running a hand through his hair. She could see the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Right, yeah.”
“We good?”
“Yeah, I just want to make it clear that we can break this off whenever. If it hadn’t been for me and my lie, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“It’s honestly fine. It’ll keep my otherwise dull summer eventful and it’ll help you out. Think it works out fine, we just have to establish our relationship a bit so we don’t go around telling stories that contradict one another.”
His smile grew some. “Smart. We should definitely just sit down and figure it out.”
“What’s your number?” she asked, walking over to him with her phone in her hand. He reached for it, meeting her eyes to ask if it was fine that he grabbed for it. She gave him a little smile; he took it and typed his number into her phone. “Just so we can get a hold of one another and figure everything out. I’ll send you a text so you get mine.”
He kissed his teeth for a second or two and gave her phone back to her before saying so quickly Y/N barely understood what he was getting at, “Would you mind coming to Gracie’s birthday party on Saturday?”
Y/N remembered Jessa and Grace inviting her when she met them a few days prior, but she hadn’t thought about it till now. Harry’s brows were knitted together, something that resembled worry on his face as if he expected her to turn him down.
“Yes, of course! When? Oh!” Y/N jumped a little, suddenly experiencing a jolt of excitement rolling through her. “Has she got a list of things she wants for her birthday? I should get her a present.”
“You really don’t have to,” Harry said, but he was smiling.
“I think I do, and I love shopping.”
Harry’s smile widened and he looked at the pebbles under Y/N’s feet. “I’ll pick you up at 2pm on Saturday, then. It’s on the family farm, just a five-minute drive from town.”
“That sounds so lovely.”
“It’s the best place on earth,” Harry agreed, staying quiet for a couple more seconds before he seemed to remember why the two had walked back to his house in the first place. He shook his head quickly, clearing his throat and taking a step closer to the door. “Right, I’m sorry I can’t hang out more today. I got to… work.”
“That’s completely fine, I’ll talk to you later. You know where to find me.” She deliberately used that last sentence as he’d used it when they last parted ways, and it seemed Harry recognised that as well. He met her eyes as she started walking backward, giving her a genuine smile, one of his dimples showing. She waved her bouquet of two wildflowers, hearing Harry’s phone ring again as she turned around to walk off, and then his front door shutting quickly after.
Tumblr media
Saturday, 20 June
Two different massive books lay on the desk in front of Y/N, one a little bigger than the other. She wasn’t sure which one was better to get her started, she hadn’t researched that before buying them at the Waterstones at home in Hampshire. All she knew was that they would both help make her achieve the same thing: master the UCAT exam. She hadn’t signed up for it yet, didn’t know when the next one was, but she knew that before she did that, she had to study first. But which one of the massive books was she supposed to open first?
The University Clinical Aptitude Test was used by most UK Universities on top of general applications, and academic qualifications, for their medical and dental programs. It aimed to help Universities select applicants with the most appropriate skills and attributes required to be a successful doctor or dentist. It was a test that Y/N, who was usually good at not stressing herself out, was sure would make her very nervous.
Her parents had never been interested in her achievements at school. They were sure she’d end up like her mother, and quite liked the fact she’d picked up reading and that she read as she did. It was an intellectual and quiet hobby they thought suited her well. Though Y/N loved to read, she didn’t want to study it in school. She didn’t want to taint something she found so much peace in with sleepless nights and forced readings. No, she had always wanted to keep that part of her life in a separate box from her academic one.
In school, she’d always thought science subjects to be fascinating. She ended up studying chemistry, biology, and maths for A-levels, she realised she did well in them because she thoroughly enjoyed her time there. Though it was hard, she liked how it opened her up to everything she wanted. Her parents hadn’t cared much for what she studied in A-levels, but it seemed to have shocked them that she did so well in subjects that juxtaposed with everything they thought Y/N was interested in. A little part of her was proud of herself for startling her parents like that; for doing the unthinkable in their eyes.
However, that was years ago now. Y/N hadn’t touched an academic book since. She was 25 and hadn’t gone to University like her friends from school. She hadn’t pursued her dreams. In her strict, rich family, she didn’t have to work a single hour for the rest of her life because her Dad had all the money they’d ever need. Plus, she hadn’t helped herself when she started going out with Dominic, another man who studied Business Management at University and someone whom Y/N’s Dad very much approved of. Y/N had been set. That was her life.
But she didn’t want that. She’d never wanted that. When she told her parents and Dominic this, they agreed it could get a bit tedious sitting around doing nothing but house chores all day. Y/N and her Mum had therefore volunteered at the hospital in town a few days a week, and some other days Y/N spent volunteering at a dentist. That was when she realised, she wanted to be a dentist. She didn’t really know why, had never really harboured a proper explanation for her interest, but she knew she wanted to be one. When Y/N told her Mum this, she just shook her head and took Y/N’s hand.
“What’d I do if you went away to uni, darling?” she asked, something that immediately sent a jolt of sadness and guilt through Y/N. Her Mum was right, she couldn’t just leave her. Y/N was the only child her parents had; she couldn’t disappoint them.
Y/N ran her hands over her face and then through her hair, forcing back the tears that were threatening to spill over. She wasn’t going to cry. She just wasn’t. Why would she cry? She’d escaped the life she hated back in Winchester, the two UCAT practice books she’d bought in secret at Waterstones were right before her, waiting to be opened and devoured. Why was she thinking about her life before this?
Y/N jumped up from her seat, looking at herself in the mirror beside the dresser. She quickly wiped away the tears on her cheek, as if doing it fast enough would hide the fact she was crying. She refused to cry.
Walking downstairs, she helped herself to a cup of tea in the kitchen, saying a quick hi to Bessie and her ladies before walking back upstairs. Putting her cuppa down on the desk, she gave her cheeks a little slap each, then sat down.
“Concentrate,” she hissed at herself, opening the window in front of the desk to let in some fresh air and seagull song.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the bigger of the two books, tapping her fingers against the blue cover as if bracing herself for what she’d find on the inside. Opening the   book and starting to read it was a commitment. That was a big if, because so far she had a ton of money on her credit card, but she didn’t have enough to pay for University tuition or rent.
She closed her eyes and willed herself to not think about anything but the contents of the book before her. If she wanted to do this, she’d have to do it with her whole heart, she couldn’t let anything distract her when she wanted to read for the UCAT. Inhaling slowly, she opened the book, reading the table of contents before the introduction..
She could do this, she believed in herself. She told herself that over and over again the next three hours, not losing sight of what she wanted and deserved. At the end of the day, if she didn’t tell herself those things, who else would?
Tumblr media
“You look lovely,” Bessie said as Y/N stood in the lobby of the Inn, grinning from ear to ear. “Heading somewhere special, dear?”
Y/N looked down at her baby blue mini smock dress, small daisies printed and sporadically littered all over it. She smiled at Bessie, nodding her head a little. “It’s Harry’s little sister’s birthday.”
Bessie raised her eyebrows a tad, a knowing smile on her lips. She looked Y/N up and down again. “You’re going to that are you?”
“Yes, is this inappropriate?”
“No, no!” Bessie laughed. “I’m just happy to see you and Harry hanging out. He’s such a sweet lad.”
“He is, yeah.” Y/N was unsure if she should thank Bessie for the other day, or if it had been so long now that it would be weird. The innkeeper had never brought it up again, never talked about Harry until today, but judging by the raised eyebrows and smile on her face, Y/N was sure Bessie knew more than she was supposed to. However, seeing as she’d lied with Harry and Y/N, Y/N trusted Bessie to not tell people. It’d break Jessa’s heart for sure, and Y/N had a hunch that if that woman’s heart was broken, the entire town’s would be as well.
The mellow yellow Ford van Y/N had seen a few days earlier at Harry’s pulled up in front of the Inn’s open entrance. A pair of orange pilot sunglasses were perched on his nose, almost matching the exterior of the car. He reached down rolling the window down manually, giving Y/N a smile when their eyes met, and then Bessie the same one when he noticed her standing by the reception desk.
“You alright?” he asked just as the window got a bit stuck. He yanked the handle a bit to get it all the way around and stopped when the window was fully open. Clearing his throat, he reached to rest his arm where the window was no more, bumping his elbow and top of his head in the process. Bessie chuckled some behind Y/N, but Y/N held her giggles back. Opting for a smile instead once Harry met her gaze again.
“Get yourself a proper car, Harry,” Bessie said.
“This one works just fine, Bess.” Harry pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose as they slid down some when he bumped his head. “Besides, it’s massive.”
“Why do you need a massive car?”
“Massive car for a massive hunk.” He glanced at Y/N again as both women laughed at his remark. “You ready?
“Tell you-“ Y/N said as she stepped outside, on her way around the front of the car when she stopped herself, waving at Bessie. “Bye, Bessie!”
“Bye, dear! Have fun!”
Y/N opened the passenger side door and jumped a little to get inside the van, sitting down in the seat and putting her seatbelt on as she talked. “Tell you what, you got bants.”
“What happens when you grow up overweight,” Harry said, a smile on his face so she’d know he was making light of the situation.
“Oh?” Y/N asked, rolling down her window as well when Harry motioned for her to do so.
“The AC’s a bit fucked,” he explained, giving Bessie one last wave before driving off down the Terrace. Wind blew in on them, nice contrast to the scorching sun outside, though it was a bit loud, but Harry just talked over it. “But yeah, you got to be the cracking bloke who always tells jokes and makes everyone laugh. Why else would they want you in their circle?” There was a slight pause. “Actually, forget I said that. That’s an incredibly depressing place to start our day together, I-“
Y/N just laughed, finding the way Harry’s cheekbones turned all red and how he scratched at his neck in embarrassment, adorable.
“Sorry,” he said.
“You don’t have to say you’re sorry, it’s completely fine.” She opened her purse, rummaging through it. “I got Grace this.” She held a headband out. Pink silk with red along the edges and red roses to match, Y/N had absolutely adored it when she saw it in Vintage Divine a few days before and she thought it’d look good in Gracie’s dark hair. “Dunno if she likes this kind of stuff, but if she doesn’t then Jessa’s free to take it.”
“If you give her something that nice, she’s going to cherish it and wear it every day. Mark my words.”
Y/N giggled. “Alright, I will mark them.”
Harry smiled a bit at that, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. When he didn’t notice her staring, Y/N took a few seconds to just study him and what he was wearing. A green and white tee shirt tucked into dark blue denim jeans, a pair of worn-down white Vans on his feet. He looked good, and the orange sunglasses made the whole outfit. She glanced away, not wanting to seem like a creep or like she was checking him out, because she was not.
“Who is coming to this birthday then?” she asked, putting the headband down in her purse again.
“Family. Maybe some of Gracie’s friends, but I think they’re having two separate birthday parties. Jessa and Gracie love a good social convention.”
Y/N smiled. “And you don’t?”
“I live by myself in a lighthouse.”
She laughed. “You don’t like people?”
“Nah, it’s not that,” Harry explained. “More the fact that I want to choose when to be around them, you know what I mean? I need a bit of breathing space, being around someone all the time makes me feel a bit claustrophobic.”
“Gotcha.”
Harry was silent for a few moments as he put on his turning signalled and then turned. “What about you?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you like people?”
Y/N sat back in her seat properly, thinking about that question for a little bit. “Depends.”
“Okay.”
“If I don’t particularly like spending time with them, I don’t want to be around them.”
“Understandable.”
“But if I don’t know them very well yet or if I like them, then I don’t mind. I don’t like feeling lonely.”
“But if you don’t know the people you’re around, that’s just as lonely as being alone, isn’t it?”
“Maybe, but if you don’t know someone, that’s potential to get to know them and make a friend,” she explained, watching as the town centre of St Ives started disappearing around them.
“Hmm,” Harry hummed, waving at someone out his window. “Can see that.”
Y/N smiled. “You seem popular, though.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, everyone seems to know who you are.”
“The former lighthouse keeper’s son, and now current lighthouse keeper. Think that’s why.”
Y/N shrugged, not wanting to press the subject as she didn’t want to force an image of him that she’d created in her head onto him before getting to know him. She had to trust what he was saying and make her own observations. “What’re you giving Grace for her birthday then?”
“Trip to St Austell next Friday,” he said, stepping down on the gas a bit once they were on a more deserted country road. “About an hour north from here. There’s gonna be a street market there and she loves going on trips with me. She gets to decide the music, what shops we go to, and I always buy her two ice creams even though Jessa has a strict ‘only one ice cream per trip’ policy. We usually don’t give one about that.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“It kind of is, yeah.”
“Is there something special about St Austell, then?”
Harry turned his lips downward for a second. “Not really. Just know from a mate who travels there a lot that there’s gonna be a street market on their high street.”
“Every fortnight, there would be a market in the town centre at home. Anyone could put up a stall and sell their homemade stuff. There was always this cheese and this fish booth standing right next to one another, and they smelled absolutely rank.”
Harry smiled. “You don’t like the smell of cheese and fish?”
“I’ve never been a fan of cheese, and though fish isn’t bad smelling, it… right okay, doesn’t smell good, does it?”
Harry shrugged. “Dunno, I’ve lived here most of my life, so I’ve gotten quite used to the smell of fish over the years. Doesn’t really faze me now.”
“Lucky you, then.”
“And cheese is amazing.”
“That’s a blatant untruth. How dare you?”
Harry laughed, scrunching up his nose some before putting his turning signal on and then driving off the concrete road and onto a gravel one. They drove in silence the last part up to the farm. Forest rose up around them, but not thick enough so that you couldn’t make out distant houses or driveways leading up to other farms or neighbourhoods. It didn’t take long till Harry drove down a wider driveway, a thin line of trees along the edge of the estate that Y/N assumed was the Styles family’s.
A brick house along with a smaller brick house stood at the end of the small drive. Stone fencing surrounded the house, but the field outside of it was lush, green, and huge. Cars were parked there and people were hanging out inside the stone fence, sitting on tables or standing chatting. Different coloured flowers grew in front of the fence and by the looks of it, Jessa was growing a lot of vegetables on the other side. There were a few trees behind the house and inside what seemed to be the main area of the lot, so Y/N assumed they were trees that grew fruits as well. She couldn’t seem to remove her eyes from the little country oasis before her. It looked so tranquil that she almost wanted to live on a farm herself.
Harry parked his car on the grass outside the fence along with the rest of the guests. The second Grace noticed the mellow yellow van, she ran out to greet her older brother. Harry smiled at the sight of her and stopped the car, quickly turning to Y/N as he took his seatbelt off and started manually rolling up his window.
“I won’t leave your side, yeah? This can be a bit overwhelming, and you’ve never met my family before-“
“-And I won’t leave yours,” Y/N assured him, nodding as she took off her seatbelt as well. “Harry, we need to discuss our backstory-“
“-Harry!” Grace shouted, banging on the door and trying to get it open.
“One second, Gracie, I’m rolling the window up.” He turned his attention to Y/N. “Just keep yours down, it’ll get hot in here ‘cause of the sun.” He made sure his was shut before he paused for a moment, blinking once. “Fuck, we haven’t-“
“-Harry!” Grace knocked on the door again, jiggling the handle. “You haven’t said happy birthday to me yet!”
He sighed, giving Y/N a look before turning toward his door. “Step away, Grace. If I open the door now, I’ll mow you over.”
Y/N stepped outside as well, for the first time then paying attention to the noise of the farm. She thought she heard hens somewhere in between the chatter of the party guests, the smell of the open nature around her offering something besides the salt ocean and fish of St Ives. On the other side of the car, Harry pretended to struggle picking Grace up, something that had his little sister laughing. He walked over to the other side to Y/N, Grace grinning from ear to ear when she finally saw who’d come with Harry.
“You came!” Grace exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
“Couldn’t miss your birthday, could I?” Y/N grinned, opening her purse. “My birthday present isn’t as good as your brother’s, but here you go.”
She handed Grace the headband and as Harry gasped, Grace gasped with him. He put her down, letting her study her birthday present.
“It’s so pretty,” Grace said. “I think I like it more than Harry’s.”
“Oi!” Harry frowned down at her. “Hurting my feelings now, mate.”
Grace only giggled, giving Y/N a smile. “Thank you.”
“Happy birthday.”
“There’s food!” Grace pointed at the house and started making her way there, expecting the two to follow. Harry made sure Y/N was tagging along before the two strolled after his little sister.
“How old is she now?”
“Seven.”
“Oh.” Y/N blinked a few times. “Thought she was ten when I met her.”
Harry let out a breathy laugh. “That’s weird.”
“Hey now. I don’t know what seven-year-olds look like.” Y/N nudged his arm with her shoulder. It only made him laugh again.
“Oh, uhm…” He swallowed, glancing between the farm and Y/N. “You don’t have to do this, but with my grandpa – or step-grandpa, I usually call him lolo, which is Tagalog for grandpa – the pamilya and lolo would really appreciate if you did the mano po.”
“Mano po?”
“It’s a gesture of respect for the elders, basically. You take their hand-“ Harry pretended as if there was a hand before him. “And you take their knuckles or their hand and touch it to your forehead. Instead of a handshake, you do that. We don’t really do it to anyone else here as we don’t have that much Filipino family in Cornwall, but lolo is big on it. It’s dying out a bit, not a lot are doing it anymore, but lolo wants to keep the tradition going, and it’s not really asking for much, is it? Plus, it’s very nice.”
Y/N smiled. “How lovely.”
“It’s performed with the right hand.” Harry waved his right hand in the air in such a way that had a few of their family members waving back at him, he played it off as if that was his intent, clearing his throat as he turned back to Y/N. “You say ‘mano po’ to him to kind of ask permission to do it. I don’t do that anymore ‘cause he knows me and expects me to do it, but I think he’d appreciate you asking first.”
“Okay, nice to know.”
“It’s very important for Filipino children to do this as it shows respect to the elders, but they continue to do it to their elders even when they grow up. They’re kind of asking for a blessing from the elder, it’s usually done when entering their house or seeing them.”
“Oh, so… this is a bit of a big deal?”
Harry huffed, shrugging his shoulders. There was silence for a moment before a quick, “Yes.”
“Grand.”
“Also might want to do it to nanay.”
“Jessa?”
“She once grounded Grace for not doing the mano po when she came home from school.” Harry opened the small gate leading into the farm. “I don’t think she expects you to do it, but I usually do when I see her.”
Y/N took a big breath, for the first time since coming to the farm feeling nervous. “I shook her hand when I first met her. Was that wrong of me?”
“Again,” Harry said, trying to give Y/N a reassuring smile. “She didn’t expect you to do the mano, but I think she’ll appreciate you doing it.”
“Harry!” Jessa called from across the lawn, waving them both over. Beside her sat a very old man in a chair by a table, surrounded by others that Y/N guessed also were family members.
“Hiya,” Harry said as they got closer, taking Jessa’s hand and bringing it to his forehead, touching her so tenderly and with so much respect it took Y/N’s breath away. She now understood why it was such a big deal to Jessa, Harry’s lolo, Harry, and their entire family, not just their Filipino part. As Harry removed her hand from his forehead, she grinned up at him, giving his hand a quick kiss before turning to Y/N.
“When Harry told us you were actually coming I started crying,” Jessa said, beaming so genuinely and widely her eyes were mere slits of pure happiness on her face. “Welcome to the farm!”
“Thank you so much,” Y/N smiled back, offering her hand and before Jessa could reach forward and shake it, Y/N said a soft, “Mano po?”
Jessa didn’t hide her surprise, but she was quick to wipe it off her face and nod once at Y/N. Jessa’s hand was warm and rough, reflecting the many years she’d lived on this earth and the hardships she must’ve gone through. Gently and with as much care as she could muster, Y/N brought Jessa’s knuckles to her forehead and held them there for a moment before lowering it. She understood why it was such an important tradition to their family now; it was respect. Doing so told the elders how much the youngers admired them, Y/N really liked it. Jessa squeezed her hand, gesturing with a pout of her lips to the right where lolo was sitting.
Harry was already taking his lolo’s hand, holding it to his forehead before lowering his lolo’s hand again. Harry gestured behind him, saying something Y/N didn’t catch. She smiled at Harry’s grandpa, offering to take the lolo’s hand and saying another “Mano po” to ask permission first. The lolo held his hand out for Y/N and she took it carefully, pressing the knuckles gently to her forehead for three seconds before lowering it again. The lolo didn’t give Y/N as much of a smile as Jessa had, but Harry had again explained how important this was to him. He’d most likely expected her to do it upon arrival. They shared a look and he blinked once, and for some reason, Y/N understood that was him telling her he appreciated her effort.
“Y/N, you have to try some of the food!” Grace took Y/N’s hand, dragging her away from everyone to get something to eat.
“Sorry, I’ll come over in a bit,” Y/N said to the little group, feeling relieved when Harry followed her and his sister. They entered the house, taking the first open door to the left to the dining room. The walls were a relaxing white, filled with pictures and lamps and art clearly made by kids. In the middle of the room stood the table, filled with food and drinks. And in the middle of it, taking up most of the space and hard not to have your eyes immediately fall to it, laid a pig.
“This,” Grace said, giving Y/N a plate before pointing at the first casserole of food. “This is shanghai lumpia, it’s one of my favourites. It’s egg rolls with sweet chilli sauce. This is sausage rolls, and scotch eggs, and this is palabok-“
“-Gracie,” Harry interrupted, standing on the opposite side of the table from them with a plate in his hand as well, helping himself to some shanghai lumpia. “Take it easy. Let Y/N have a look herself.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll let you look,” Grace said, making Y/N laugh.
“And what’s that?” she asked, pointing to the pig on the table that Grace had forgot to mention.
“Oh! Lechon!” Grace grinned from ear to ear. “It’s my favourite.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a whole roasted pig,” Grace explained. “It’s been cooked over charcoal for 6 hours. The entrails are removed and after seasoning, nanay skews the entire pig on a large bamboo stick and places it over the charcoal. You gotta be super patient to do it, which is why nay is so good at it.”
“The slow process makes the skin of the pig become very crispy and the meat’s always very tasty,” Harry chimed in, smiling at Grace as she nodded enthusiastically.
“A Filipino party is never complete without one. You know it’s a special occasion when nanay serves lechon.”
“So it’s served on special occasions?” Y/N asked, watching as Grace asked Harry to help her to a serving of it. He did, putting it on her plate as an excited squeal erupted from the seven-year-olds mouth. Y/N could see parts of Jessa in the small human before her and it made her very happy.
“Graduations, marriages, birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s, you name it,” Harry said.
“It’s my favourite part of special occasions.” Grace reached for a fork.
“While this all sounds lovely,” Y/N started, looking at the table packed with food. “I’m vegetarian.”
Grace looked to Harry. “Nay is gonna be mad with you.”
“Uhm, I…” He looked at Y/N, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come with an explanation. “I-I… There’s gonna be a brutal murder at noon.”
Grace laughed, finding Harry’s helplessness entertaining. Y/N was aware she should’ve told him before this, but it had completely slipped her mind. The last week had been incredibly interesting trying to convert into vegetarianism. It had been hard, and she’d slipped up a few times, but she really wanted to make an effort. She noticed Harry looking down the table frantically, eyes moving between the different dishes.
“I mean, if there’s no vegetarian food, I’ll just eat-“
“-Tarte!”
All of them fell quiet, watching as Harry blinked a few times, realising he’d just shouted that out loud. Biting his bottom lip and running a hand through his hair, he gestured at the pan nonchalantly.
“The root vegetable tarte,” he said, a little more calmly.
“Oh?”
Grace pointed at it at the other end of the table and Y/N walked over. “Nay makes the best root vegetable tarte. You’ll love it,” Grace smiled, watching as Y/N helped herself to a serving.
“Thank you, Grace.”
Someone shouted something from the front garden, Y/N recognised the voice as Jessa’s and supposed other guests had arrived. She was probably calling for Grace to come say hi.
“Don’t tell your Mum,” Harry hissed as Grace started making her way out.
“She’ll find out eventually.”
“Not from you.”
Grace walked outside and Harry sighed, gesturing for Y/N to follow him into the living room where they could sit and eat in peace. There were some friends of the family in there, but Harry only said a quiet hello before sitting down, shielding Y/N a bit from view. She supposed he did it more so she wouldn’t be bombarded with questions than anything else, she really appreciated that.
The living room faced the back garden; big and open, a few trees every here and there along with a greenhouse. A fireplace stood by the far wall, one sofa placed beside it and a telly before the sofa. There was another sofa opposite the dining room entrance, Harry had made the two of them sit in that one, clearly so they wouldn’t have to chat with the small group huddled behind the television. Again, in the living room as well, pictures of Harry, Grace, and the family were everywhere. Y/N had never seen this many frames on a wall before, or in a house even.
They started eating in silence, but Harry had barely managed to eat one lumpia before someone came over. He put the plate away, smiling up at the two women in their late 30’s it seemed.
“Y/N, my aunts Rachel and Abby. Aunties, this is my girlfriend, Y/N.”
Y/N sat up a bit straighter as Rachel and Abby started talking over one another, high-pitched voices that showed of unapologetic excitement. They reached for her hand to shake it.
“Jessa has told us so much about you,” Abby said.
“Well, not much, anyway, but she’s talked about you. She’s obsessed,” Rachel went on.
“We’re Harry’s Dad’s sisters, by the way.”
“But Harry’s never told us where you’re from! Where are you from?”
“And how did you meet?!”
“Harry hasn’t talked much about you, he likes to be a bit mysterious, don’t you, Haz?” Rachel pinched Harry’s cheek, laughing a little at his grimace.
“No, but seriously, how did you meet? Where was your first date?”
“You’ve kept her a secret for so long, we need to know everything.”
“Auntie Abby, Rachel,” Harry said, chuckling a little as he sighed. “You’re gonna overwhelm her if you keep going.”
“It seems unlikely that a lad that quiet has a loud family, doesn’t it?” Abby asked, nodding in the direction of Harry, but asking Y/N the question. Y/N was about to say something when Rachel interrupted her.
“You look proper posh. Don’t reckon you’ve ever made a flowerbed, have you? Harry,” Rachel said, looking at Harry. “Did you get yourself one of them posh girls from London?”
“Alright.” Harry stood from the sofa. “We’re escaping.” He turned around, offering Y/N his hand. Him doing that took her a bit off guard. They’d never touched each other, and they were just going to start holding hands? She hadn’t felt a jolt of panic till then, she didn’t know why. Gently, she placed her hand in his. It was soft, rough as if he was used to handling mechanics and doing manual labour, but the skin was soft regardless. She didn’t know how he managed the combination.
He helped her up into a standing position, letting go of her hand when she stood right beside him. They left their plates behind as Harry manoeuvred his way around his aunties, making sure Y/N was following him as he made his way up the stairs in the foyer.
“It was nice meeting you,” Y/N called over her shoulder, smiling at them. She hoped it came across as genuine. Harry walked up the stairs and down the corridor to his right, entering the room on the left. He held the door open for her, closing it once they were inside.
He let go of a small groan. “Masters of doing my head in.”
“They were very chatty.”
“One way of putting it.” Harry sat on a single bed and it was then that she noticed they were in a bedroom. The walls were a bright green colour, posters of different Manchester United players and other football things. Y/N didn’t know enough about the sport to say anything definitely, but she knew the Manchester United logo when she saw it. The room was fairly small, only a wardrobe pushed up against the same wall the bed was and a tiny desk under the window. Judging by the picture of a man and a boy on the nightstand, Y/N concluded this had to be Harry’s childhood room. That picture was of him and his father. They looked so much alike it warmed her heart. She wouldn’t pry, but she continued to look around, letting Harry sit in silence on the bed for a minute or two.
“Wondered why you had a bit of a northern accent,” she said, gesturing at the posters. “You’re from Manchester?”
“Mancunian at heart, yeah.”
“Why’d you move down here? Don’t northerners hate the south and southerners?”
Harry smiled a little at that, looking at her. “Depends on what kind of southerner you’re talking about.”
Y/N chuckled, glancing at the posters again. “The posh ones.”
Harry let out a breathy chuckle. “Only those from London.”
Y/N kept her eyes on the posters. “So, why’d you move? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
“Hmm,” Harry said, looking out the window at the party going on outside. “Dad wanted us to move. He got the position as a lightkeeper since his Dad died, so we moved down here and on vacation in the Philippines a few years later, he met Jasmine.”
Y/N smiled. “I love that.”
“Yeah.” Harry let that word hang in the air between them for a few seconds. She looked down at him. “Anyway,” Harry got up from the bed, running his hands through his hair. “We need to figure out what we should do. When did we meet?”
A little taken aback by his sudden urge for them to establish their relationship, Y/N stood just glancing at him for a moment. Though she had no idea where to start, she thought nailing down location could be key first. “Have you been to Hampshire?”
“No.”
“Then, to keep some truth in there, we say we met in Newquay since it’s in Cornwall, ‘cause I’ve been there with my family a few years back. We met…” She narrowed her eyes, trying to think of an appropriate time.
“Last summer?” Harry suggested.
“And we’ve been talking on and off since.”
He nodded. “Didn’t get serious till April, since then we’ve kind of been seeing each other.”
Seeing how eager they were at building their backstory, Y/N smiled a little. She remembered something he’d mentioned earlier. “It wasn’t till the Exeter trip in May that we made it official,” she went on. “Did you actually go to Exeter? Do you have the hotel you stayed in?”
“I did and yes.”
“Right, we’ll use that if people ask us about where we stayed while there.” She brought her hand to her chin, looking out the window as she thought for a moment. “What did we do on our trip to Exeter? What kind of activities would two adults in a relationship be doing in Exeter?”
The room fell quiet. Harry cleared his throat. When Y/N turned around, he was scratching at his neck again, looking at the ground. “I mean…” There was a pause. “They do… Do…” Another pause. “New sightseeing.”
“Yeah,” Y/N said, dragging it out as she put her hands on her hips. “I suppose they do. What kind of sightseeing would we be doing?”
He seemed to be caught off guard by that, swallowing thickly. Y/N noticed a slight flare to his cheeks. “Dunno… Depends o-on what you’d wanna do.”
“What you mean?”
“What you’d be up for that early in the relationship.”
“Oh, I would be up for anything.”
Harry looked up at her, wide-eyed. “Any… anything?”
“Yeah, I want to experience everything.”
A whispered, “Everything,” left Harry’s lips.
“Think we’d spend a lot of time sightseeing, especially if we were in a town where there’s loads of places to do it.”
Harry just looked at her.
“Okay,” Y/N smiled, leaning against the desk. “So, we met in Newquay last summer. Where?”
“Oh, uhm-“ Harry’s voice broke towards the end, he cleared his throat quickly. “The beach.”
“Classic. Were we with friends?”
“No.”
“Even better.”
“Neither family knew till around the Exeter trip that we were together?”
“You play off what you’ve told Jessa and Gracie, I’ll say my family knows, but I didn’t tell them till I left just now for St Ives.”
“Why not?”
She waved it off. “Overprotective parents.”
“Okay, uhm…” He looked out the window behind her as he thought for a bit. “How did we start talking on that beach in Newquay?”
Y/N cocked her head to the side, allowing herself time to come up with something good. “I could’ve come up to you and just asked your name, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, alright.”
“I mean this in the least disrespectful way possible, but you seem very shy, no idea if that’s your kind of move.”
He smiled a little. “Shy or not, don’t think I would’ve had the courage to walk up and ask for your name and number.”
She narrowed her eyes a little at him, unsure how to interpret that. But Harry didn’t let her dwell on it for long.
He kneaded his palm with the thumb of his other hand, averted his eyes from hers as he hid his face in the little shadow the room provided. “But yeah, I… I like my own company, I guess.”
“Sorry, daft of me to just put it like that.”
“No, you’re completely right. We’ll go with you coming up to me.” He looked down at his hand. “Why were you in Newquay then? And why was I?”
“I was there with family, but I went to the beach alone that day.”
He nodded a little. “I’ll say it was a lads trip then.”
She smiled at him, feeling herself let out a small sigh of relief. They were getting a pretty good overview of the beginning of their supposed relationship. “And we went on a date in Newquay?”
Harry nodded just as the phone in his pocket started ringing. He sighed, reaching for it with a slight tremor to his hand. He dragged it out and pressed a button before turning back to Y/N.
“Aren’t you gonna answer it?”
“No, no one’s calling.”
“Then-“
She stopped as it rang again. Harry groaned and brought it up to his upper arm before checking it again, sighing as he gestured at the door.
“Need to go do something,” he said.
“Oh.”
He stepped out of the room and disappeared from view, but a second later he poked his head through the doorframe to look back at her.
“You’re not coming?”
That got her moving. She followed him downstairs and back into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, bringing a cartoon of milk out and putting it on the counter before reaching for the cupboard behind Y/N.
A hushed, “Sorry,” left his lips and he was quick to step away from her after retrieving the glass. He poured himself some milk and then chugged the glass. Y/N had just thought it was him getting a sudden urge to have a glass of milk, but as he started pouring himself another glass, she debunked that thought very quickly. She watched him till the second glass was down, not saying a word as she didn’t really know what to say to that. Did he just love milk? And why did they have to stop mid-conversation for him to have two glasses?
He looked at her and when he caught her staring, he let a breathy chuckle leave his lips before glancing at the milk carton again. “Sorry about that. It helps my blood sugar.”
Y/N furrowed her brows some. “Pardon?”
Harry turned his body so his right side was facing her, dragging the arm of his tee shirt up till his shoulders. A white patch was attached to his skin, a bit larger than a fifty pence coin, round and standing in soft contrast to his tanned skin. Y/N stared at it for a few seconds before meeting Harry’s eyes again, not knowing what to make of what he was showing her.
“Diabetic.”
She didn’t know what to say to that.
“Type 1. Had it for…” He trailed off as he thought. “About 12 years now. I think. Time’s a social construct.”
“And milk helps when your blood sugar is low?”
“Yeah, that alarm is to tell me my blood sugar’s getting low or too high. It doesn’t happen all the time, by the way. You’ve just caught me when I haven’t eaten in a bit and my blood sugar’s been low.”
“So, what’s that white thing got to do with you being a diabetic?”
“A needle’s attached to the sensor which constantly checks my blood sugar, and that’s connected to an app on my phone, yeah? So it sends signals when the blood sugar’s extra low or high… Makes sense?”
“Ahh,” Y/N said, nodding. “Got it. I think.”
Harry poured himself another glass before putting the milk back in the fridge. “Suppose I should’ve told you earlier, it’s a pretty big part of my life.” He laughed a bit as if to make light of the situation, but Y/N only shook her head.
“Just ‘cause we’re fake dating doesn’t mean you have to tell me things about yourself that you don’t want strangers to know.”
He held onto his glass of milk, only looking at Y/N for a few seconds as if he was thinking about something. He shook his head a little, bringing his glass to his lips. “I’m not ashamed of it, if that’s what you think.”
“There you are!” Jessa walked through the front door, grinning just as widely as always upon seeing Y/N. She practically skipped into the kitchen and up to the small round table positioned in the middle of it. “Have you introduced her to everyone, Harry?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, people are absolutely dying to meet the woman who has captured our Harry’s heart.” Jessa put a hand over her own heart, looking at Harry with so much love it made Y/N almost tear up a bit. “Everyone’s so happy for the two of you.”
Harry and Y/N looked at one another. Harry’s expression was blank as if he was waiting for her reaction to Jessa’s excited exclamation, so when Y/N scrunched up her nose and smiled at Harry, the dimples in Harry’s cheeks started to show some as well. They didn’t know what else to do or say to Jessa’s statement, but judging by her reaction, it was the correct response. Jessa gave the two an applause no one asked for, but she looked so incredibly happy Y/N didn’t mind.
“Y/N, you have to come to the beach with us on Monday!”
“Nay,” Harry sighed, opening one of the drawers by the counter he was leaning against and pulling out a bar of Dairy Milk. He got himself a row before placing the bar on the counter and then eating his row.
“No, it’ll be amazing. You’re always welcome around here, know that,” Jessa said, that bright beam of hers not once leaving her face once. “Monday we do kamayan on the beach. It’s a summer tradition in the Styles-Flores family!”
Harry looked at Y/N again, swallowing the last of his chocolate. “You don’t… You don’t have to come if you don’t wanna.”
Y/N looked back at him, her smile still present. “Of course I’ll come.”
“Yay!” Jessa clapped again. “I’ll go tell everyone then, they’re going to be ecstatic.” She jogged out the front door then, walking over to a small group of people and saying something that Y/N guessed was the news of Y/N coming along to the beach.
Harry downed the rest of his milk before putting the glass in the dishwasher.
“I almost feel a little bad that we’re going to break up at the end of summer now,” Y/N said, speaking so lowly that only the two of them would hear.
Harry glanced out the window of the kitchen at Jessa. “She’ll be devastated, but I just need to take her on a little road trip and play her some music and she’ll be fine.”
Y/N smiled. “Both Jessa and Gracie love it when you take them on a road trip and they get to listen to music.”
Harry chuckled some. “Guess they do.”
The both of them looked out the window at the garden where both sides of the Flores-Styles family were mingling. Jessa walked up to Harry’s lolo, grinning like always, and Y/N thought she might’ve seen Jessa’s Dad smile back at her. It was hard not to when the woman genuinely glowed and brought happiness with her wherever she went.
Y/N turned back to Harry again, catching him looking into the living room where his aunties were sitting on the sofa he and Y/N had been sitting in earlier. They had his abandoned plate of food between them, eating while they talked about some gossip Y/N couldn’t and wasn’t interested to keep up with.
“Harry,” she said, voice low. He looked back at her. “About… About the diabetes, I-“
“-No, I…” He averted his eyes to the tiled floor of the kitchen, a small furrow appearing between his brows. “Let’s not talk about that right now. My blood sugar will get better in a bit, I’ll stop shaking. We can go outside and chat with some of me family members.”
“You’re shaking?”
He let out what sounded like a short chuckle, holding his hand up so she could see that he was indeed trembling. “Hypoglycaemia. It’s normal.”
“Ahh, yeah, I’ve heard of that.”
“Anyway,” he said. “Let’s not think about that now.”
Y/N inhaled hugely, pushing away from the counter to look at Harry without turning her face. “Shall we mingle like couples do, boyfriend?”
He leaned his head back against the cupboard, running a hand over his face before taking his sunglasses off the top of his head and putting them back on. “We shall, girlfriend.” 
He gestured with his arm for her to walk first and she did, waiting for him to appear beside her once they were outside. He walked her over to where Jessa was standing beside her Dad, saying something to a taller man who stood beside her. His grey hair was slicked back, the shirt and trousers he wore looked worn-down and old, but they looked good on him still.
“Uncle Tom,” Harry said as they approached, a smile on his face as the tall man glanced over. “Hi.”
“Harry! Heard someone say you were here and I saw your car, thought you were hiding from me.” Uncle Tom gave Harry a big hug, patting him on the back a few times before they stepped away from one another. Tom’s eyes settled on Y/N, a smirk on his face as his eyes darted between Harry and her a few times. “So, this is the infamous Y/N.”
“Oh,” Y/N said, waving her hand some as if to dismiss the ‘infamous’ part. “You lot make me feel like a celebrity.”
“Well, when you make our Harry happy, in our eyes you are a celebrity.” Uncle Tom opened his arms, bringing Y/N into a hug she returned quickly, wrapping her arms around him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d hugged someone. “I’m Tom, Harry’s uncle,” Tom said as he pulled away from Y/N. “I’m not really his uncle, just very good friends with his late Dad.”
“I’ve called him Uncle Tom since forever.”
“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Tom,” Y/N said.
“And I hear,” Tom started, pointing at Jessa over his shoulder, who was still chatting to Harry’s lolo. “You’re coming to the beach next week.”
Harry made a noise. Y/N wasn’t sure what it meant. “Jessa forced her.”
“No, no. Don’t listen to him.” Y/N looked at Harry as he looked at her. She gave him a smile before looking back at Tom. “I want to come; it’ll be an honour.”
“Cheers. It’s one of those trips we take around the beginning of summer every year. The entire family comes, we bring food, and we spend most of the day there. It’s not an extravagant tradition, but it’s ours.”
“It sounds so nice.”
Tom smiled. “The way you’re dressed and judging by how polite and well put-together you are-“
“-Uncle-“
“-I would’ve thought a casual beach day with poor folks down south would sound dull?”
The way Tom said it wasn’t degrading, and Y/N could tell by his smile that he wasn’t saying it to challenge her in any way. With one hand dangling at his side and the other placed on Harry’s shoulder, he looked quite relaxed and not at all like he was trying to interrogate or make Y/N feel inferior. No, he was just wondering. Which was fair, because it seemed a lot of the people in Harry’s family and in St Ives had picked up on the fact Y/N had grown up in a very posh household. The question of why her wealth was so important for them to point out was something she didn’t bother thinking about. It didn’t define her any longer.
“Not dull at all. Maybe even a little refreshing. Don’t get to go to the beach much since I don’t live near one.”
Harry nodded. “We, uh… We actually met when the lads and I visited Newquay last summer. On the beach.”
“You mean you met on the beach?” Tom asked and Harry nodded. Tom glanced at Y/N again. “And you like the beach, Y/N?”
“Love it.”
“Maybe you should move here then. From what I’ve heard, Harry’s left the solitude of his lighthouse a few times already to be with you in town.”
“Only twice,” Harry mumbled, but Tom ignored him.
Y/N only laughed. “A bit too early to think about that. We’ve only been seeing each other for two months now.”
“Nah, this family moves fast, darling. If we fall in love, we fall hard, and we fall fast. Why measure love in hours spent together when it could be measured by the quality of that time, instead of the quantity?” Tom said, patting Harry’s shoulder. “Ain’t that right, mate?”
“No comment.”
Tom grinned. “Alright, alright.”
“I’m gonna take Y/N for a stroll so she can meet the rest, just wanted her to meet you first,” Harry said, looking to Y/N for some kind of confirmation, that she was okay with this.
“Yeah,” she said.
“I’ll see you two Monday, then,” Tom smiled, giving both a wink. He had the kind of old Dad charm that made you feel warm and safe, Y/N understood why Harry considered him family even though he wasn’t.
“Bye.”
“Good to meet you, Tom.”
“And you, Y/N.”
The rest of the afternoon went by very quickly. Harry introduced her to some other friends and family members, and though they asked them questions about their relationship, the two seemed to have already gotten a pretty good overview of what it was. That little chat in Harry’s childhood room had done wonders to get their head in the game. That, and the fact their relationship was so new meant there wasn’t a lot to tell, so some questions the two simply did not know because it wouldn’t be realistic for them to have experienced or thought about that yet.
At one point, Grace asked Y/N to help with her new headband. She didn’t know how to wear it in her hair, and she needed help. The two sat down on a bench beside the barn – which, by the sound and smell of it, housed hens – and Y/N helped Grace. The red and pink looked gorgeous in her black hair, and when she turned around and looked at Y/N once she was done putting it in, she grinned from ear to ear and asked, “Do I look pretty?” Y/N didn’t even have to hesitate before telling Grace she looked absolutely beautiful. The seven-year-old blushed and ran over to Harry who was walking over to them. He picked her up, throwing her small form in the air before bringing her to his hip again.
“Ready to leave?” Harry asked and Y/N said she was.
They said goodbye to everyone, and Jessa brought Y/N’s hand to her lips, kissing it quickly and giving it a warm pat before she let her walk off. Jessa, Grace, Uncle Tom, and Lolo stood by the white tree gate as Y/N and Harry left, watching the mellow yellow Ford van drive off down the gravel road. The sun was about to set, causing the sky overhead to bathe in a soothing orange and purple colour that promised sunny weather the following day. The drive back to the Inn was short and quiet. The silence lingered somewhere between exhaustion and awkwardness, and though Y/N wanted to say something to erase the tension, she couldn’t bring herself to.
When the town started appearing a bit more around them, she felt the phone in her purse vibrate. First she didn’t know what was happening, but then her heart suddenly dropped. She felt hot all over, the wind from the open window didn’t do anything to cool her down. Swallowing thickly, she tried to ignore it. But it was hard when the purse was in her lap. Harder when it was so loud. Even harder when her heartbeat sounded in her ears. As if the quiet in the car hadn’t been loud enough, the sound of her phone vibrating and her not picking up, was louder. There were only three people it could be. She didn’t want to bring her phone out to see which one it was. The ringing stopped after an excruciating 30 seconds, and Y/N closed her eyes. Just ignore it. Just ignore them. It’ll be fine. Ignore it and it’ll go away.
They arrived a minute later, and Y/N was grateful Harry didn’t ask about the phone incident. She stepped out and around the car, the smell of the sea surrounding them once again.
“The beach thing on Monday,” Harry said as Y/N stood by the entrance to the Inn, his window rolled down and orange sunglasses resting in his messy hair. “It’s on Porthmeor Beach. Send me a text when you start walking from here and I’ll walk in your direction, I’ll meet you, yeah?”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
He shook his head once to dismiss that. “Goodnight, Y/N. Cheers for today.”
“It was fun.” She gave him a little wave. “Goodnight.”
He started his engine as Y/N walked inside. Bessie stood by the reception desk sorting through some documents. When Y/N glanced in her direction and met her eyes, the innkeeper quickly glanced away, but the tiny smile on her face gave her away. Once in her room, Y/N checked who had called. It had been a few minutes now and they wouldn’t care to call again tonight, she thought. The ‘Mum’ on her locked screen made something inside her chest ache. She opened her phone to remove the notification but then closed it again a second later. Her Mum had called. After days of no one reaching out, of no one asking her where she was, of no one caring. Her Mum had called.
Changing out of her dress and removing her make-up, Y/N didn’t allow herself to think about anything. The only thing she allowed herself to focus on was a blackness. If you focused on nothing, nothing would hurt you. She didn’t want hurt. She’d had enough of that.
Tumblr media
NEXT UPDATE: Sunday, 16 August, 9PM GMT!
A HUGEEE thank you to my amazing and beautiful beta readers! 🌊 @aileenacoustic​​ 🌊 @bopbopstyles​​ 🌊 @fromyourstrulyh​ 🌊 @harrys-creature 🌊 @honeydearly​ 🌊 @summerfeelng​ 🌊 @withallthelove-a​ 🌊 
448 notes · View notes
fourangers · 3 years
Note
Hi Fourangers,
First of all, I love your blog so much. It's like going through a history back when Naruto Manga chapters were released weekly and your reviews were so Golden, Hilarious and spot-on. Am a new fan though (especially an SNS fan), I just got into this fandom only this year. I don't know if you'll answer my ask, but I just wanted to try and ask you few questions and I pray that you might answer me....
1. Since you've written in a post that you were active in the eastern part of the fandom, How was chapter 698 received in Japan? Because this is the chapter I inherently realized they both love each other. Yeah, I was too late but somehow whenever they interact with each other in previous chapters I always find them to be 'Weird' for just to be friends. Chapter 698 is just blatantly obvious that they love each other. Considering Homophobia and Shounen genre, I have no idea how it was perceived over there back then in 2014.
2. Which scene made you to ship SNS?
3. As an SNS'er how do you feel about the ending, where everyone was married off when they were just 19 just to make some shitty sequel??? As a new fan, I felt betrayed and It would've been perfect if they had stopped at chapter 699, leaving an open ending.
4. How do you face with the accusation about Naruto and Sasuke as brothers and we, SNS'ers are Incest shippers??? I don't care about that Indra and Ashura thing. But Naruto himself told he considers Sasuke as his Brother couple of times. And in Chapter 699, Sasuke acknowledged, 'He finally understood what it meant'.... It's the only thing that confuses me and I don't even have an answer!!! Plus, Kishi himself gave an interview that he based Sasuke on his Brother... I really wonder how he gave such an interview when he literally made them wear necklaces with each other's faces.
5. How was Naruto and Sasuke's sexuality perceived in the fandom back then??? Man!! Kishimoto just made lot of comic reliefs on their sexuality by making Sasuke on Sai jutsu, Naruto not interested in Icha Icha but making Reverse Harem no Jutsu, Naruto was angry when Konohamaru made Boy on Boy jutsu whereas he had no problem with him doing it. LOL. And all those homoerotic posters. What do you think about their sexuality, personally??
6. Why did Kishi had to develop their bond as Soulmates with some unintentional or intentional romantic undertones, if he was eventually going to pair them up with girls??? He easily could've gave many such romantic tropes to other girls and keep the bond between N and S as purely friendship or brothers. It still would've made sense.
7. Final one, Was Naruto really Nosebleeding when Kurama made a joke about Sasuke's kiss in Chapter 572???? We had a lot of heated discussion with other shippers where they claim that it was just a splotch of snot.
Sorry for the lengthy ask....... I am so eager to know your answers and I don't want to spam your ask box by sending multiple asks.
Thanks 😊😊😊
Hey yo! Welcome new SNS fan! I'm so glad that you joined us and I'll try to answer as best as I can. I'm not very active here on tumblr (except browsing lol) but your ask was such a delight to read.
1. I honestly don't remember. I think I didn't follow the japanese boards until the eventual 699-700 disaster. People were craving for reactions and I was curious about it too lol. And well...it's been years, I doubt I'll be able to find the reactions from that time. Imo, most readers don't care much about pairings, they just wanted to read about power-ups and abilities and the basic Naruto Vs Sasuke. Though there are some backhanded jokes about how gay Naruto is for Sasuke.
2. Hah. It's going to be very anti-climatic but it was when Naruto and Sakura were eating in Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto just used Rasenshuriken against Kakuzu and he busted his arm. Sakura was healing his arm and her attention was focused on Naruto. I used to be a NaruSaku shipper so I thought "Oh hey! This is the moment that Naruto would have a candid romantic moment!" But nope. He talked about Sasuke. And I was already getting suspicious about Sasuke's feelings towards Naruto ya know? And the whole "SASUKE IS MIINEEEEEE" in Orochimaru's lair. It was that moment I thought "you only have Sasuke in your head don't you, Naruto?" and started shipping SNS.
3. Hooo boy was I surprised when it was suddenly revealed that they had the basic heteronormative, boring marriage with bunch of clones of themselves. Everyone thought that it was almost like a bad fanfiction come true and some thought that it was fake. It was a pandemonium lolololol. I also thought that it was too lame to be true and lo and behold, when it came true I was floored. And then whenever Kishimoto threw new material, I got insanely pissed off because S*arada and B*ruto becoming pairing material is ok because they are a girl and a boy, and then they paralleled with Naruto and Sasuke which are only FRIENDS because they are both men. ARGH. Open ending was what Kishimoto planned from the very beginning but wrote a sequel to earn more money.
In that aspect, I made peace with it because of the whole anime/manga industry. I learned that, as a mangaka, you don't earn a lot of money with selling books, but rather with merchandise and profiting with sales right. And that guy have a family to raise, have two kids (which is hilarious about how B*ruto movie is his self-insert story), he needs a steady income. Also, I read reports about how anime studios are so poor and animators don't receive a decent income not to mention they are overstaffed and tired, and B*ruto is a good money cow for them to earn money so they can invest later on other anime they have more passion about it. So even though I hate this story with a strength of thousands suns, they are putting meal on people's tables and making them pay rents. I'm ok.
4. Lemme roll my eyes because in the Last movie they said that Hinata is related to Kaguya and so is the Uzumaki and Uchiha clan so they are all related woo hoo. But in the aspect of brothers because reincarnations bla bla bla, didn't Naruto himself said that he's no longer that brother, he's himself? Hmm...I gotta re-read it. One day. Maybe. lol. But I'm sure that he said "Sasuke is not my brother but I'm sure we'll understand well as friends" so there. Honestly, there are a lot of interviews out there and a lot of them are fake, so I'd always take the interviews with a grain of salt lololol. I do know from artbooks that Kishimoto wanted to create Sasuke as a rival-esque character and that was it. As he was developing Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, since he liked the whole yin-yang concept, whenever he wrote Naruto's story, Sasuke's was developed at the same time as his shadow.
5. I can tell from Naruto Forums (I used to participate back in that day) MOST of the non-shippers thought it was gay as hell, but you know...it was a relic of that time. While they thought it was gay, they didn't put too much thought about you know? Because it was shounen, and we knew that it was a joke that it couldn't be taken seriously. Of course, in the SNS fandom, we did make more analysis and there were a lot of instance when Naruto and Sasuke's sexuality was questioned. Some other non-shippers also thought that Naruto was totes gay for Sasuke (including a IRL friend).
Imo, Naruto is definitely bisexual in my view. Sasuke I think he's asexual or gay. He's attracted to Naruto, but mostly because of his connection to him, not because of his physical attributes, so yeah...asexual. Or Pansexual. Sasuke is more complicated lmao. Imo, Naruto could be pansexual too, come to think about it. Yeah, I guess both being pansexual can be valid.
6. He developed Naruto and Sasuke being soulmates from the very beginning, that was proven in his comments in artbooks and in the manga. He probably created with the intention of making it purely platonic, going beyond physical ties. Then he shot himself on the foot by drawing Naruto thinking about Sasuke on bed, talking about how Sasuke is cool, meanwhile Sasuke waxing poetic about how Naruto saved him. What gives? Lol. Yeah, I think he got too enamored writing their relationship that he didn't have time to write romantic ones. What I noticed that Sakura's popularity never was really high, so I could see some editors putting their fingers all over it and making her less relevant. Also, Kishimoto didn't know how to handle her, so when she got her time to shine was the whole fake confession disaster. Coupled with Kishimoto sexism and, in his words (Kurenai's flashback), women are useful to spout more babies, women was never really relevant in his story, unfortunately. Even Kaguya who was technically the big bad boss, was never really fleshed out in comparison to Madara. So the null het romantic moments it's not because he wanted to elevate SNS moments, it's more about how he's incompetent about it. It's either Hinata slowly elevating to a relevant status because forced interaction (Pain's sacrifice and Neji's death) or Sakura being obligated to be pining over Sasuke because she's a girl. It's even more painful to see that, if we ignore B*ruto, both girls are shown to be just talking with their kids and dusting shelves, basically being housewives, even though thorough the story (especially Sakura) it was implied that both of them have much more potential than being their husband accessories.
7. It was a splotch of snot. I can confirm myself lol. Whenever the chapter is out and fans would scan it to scanlate it, the editor usually would amp up contrast to max. So usually the lines get much more thicker than usual, when you read the official release which gets straight from the source, you can notice how the lines are more delicate.
Oh lol...but then we also have a lot of controversy about translating style. THAT one is a whole new can of worms to open.
Man I had fun answering your questions! Please send more :P
16 notes · View notes
hollyhomburg · 3 years
Note
noooo dont stop there lmfao who slept with the m/c first in the royal guard au? how did the others even touch on the subject of like, hey yall wanna bang? also is there angst/pining if jk is in love with namjoon but namjoon is in love with hoseok?
(this is really unedited) hmmmmmmm i think that it might have been like- Seokjin and the reader who first started to get sexually involved. since he was like the oldest one he probably felt more than a little conflicted about it. maybe during their etiquette lessons or just before, when she likes- forgets they’re supposed to have one and he walks in on her pleasuring herself. 
and he knows it’s wrong- knows he could get killed for looking at the future queen like this but. “show me how to be good Seokjin- I don't want my wedding night to be my first time- I don't want him to be my first time, I want to know what it's supposed to feel like when someone cares about me” and Seokjin- Seokjin might not love you yet- but he definitely understands your desperation. hell- Seokjin is in love with 6 other people and he’s just desperate for them to all get along most days. Seokjin is definitely the one whose the most poly out of all of them. 
so he shows her how it’s supposed to happen, and they both cum but no penetration happens (because Seokjin’s still a proper man down to his core), and then after I think she realizes like “fuck- I love sex? sex actually feels really good?” and she starts to slowly explore other things. Decides she actually does want to lose her virginity, not to her husband and probably has kind of a mutual virginity loss moment with Hoseok. Who regrets it a little afterward. 
Only because he’s not really sure that he should have- worried that he pressured her or something and only after they talk about it do they both realize that yeah- they both wanted it and there isn’t a problem with what they did as long as her fiance Doesn't find out. and honestly, the king is often visiting his cities and out on hunting trips (where he often kills more people than game). he’s so rarely at the castle and Hoseok is more than happy to help you explore your sexuality when it mutually benefits him. 
I think that Hoseok used to be a child Theif- and he had a certain amount of years that he needs to serve to not become a fugitive. and he only has a few more years before he gets his freedom. no matter the kind of bullshit that Namjoon totes about wanting to serve the crown and stay together- no. Hoseok just wants his freedom back. i think maybe namjoon confessed to hoseok recently- and hoseok didn’t take it well. before that hoseok would always try to convince namjoon to run away with him and namjoon would always try to convince hoseok to stay but the fact that namjoon’s in love with him- would feel alot like betrayl to hoseok because namjoon hadn’t been honest. 
 then he realizes- even after you get married- if you still want him the same way you do now he might have it in him to be something of a courtesan if he so desired. Not that the king would like that very much- it might be beneficial to him to be in your favor in the courts. maybe he could make a name for himself. 
of course, he eventually grows to love you- but it complicates his whole situation with Namjoon. because Namjoon’s been in love with him since they where children and while they all fool around (because they all have sex drives and urges that need to be fufilled and long since had the agreemend of helping each other out) making ties isn’t apart of the plan. i picture namojoon peppering kisses and “im sorry’s” down hoseoks chest one night and hoseok kind of melting. 
but slowly- when Hoseok starts to see the way you look at each other- when Namjoon’s hand touches yours he starts to get jealous and he’s not sure who of- he finds himself going harder with Namjoon at night, and then fucking you equally as hard and passionately with you in the morning. even when he and Jungkook fool around, trading mouths and hands in a way that seasoned lovers only do. 
maybe thats a bit of an i’m sorry in its self- jungkook knows it’s not hoseoks fault- hoseok is beautiful and charming and like sunshine- anyone could fall in love with him. jungook gets why namjoon loves him- he really does- hoseok’s so easy to love. and the affection in jungkook’s eyes weighs on hoseok. he’s not used to strings keeping him places but something in all of you keeps him here. there is somethings squirming under hoseok’s skin and he doesn't realize it until one evening when you talk with Seokjin, Hoseok standing at the door.
“he’s coming home tomorrow night to help with the wedding, I guess we’ll have to postpone our usual etiquette lesson as he’s already written he’s coming to my chambers that night” and Hoseok- Hoseok is just enraged- sitting by the door- at the thought of your husband touching you the way the 7 of them do- enraged at all of it being outside of his control and suddenly- hoseok gets it. he dosent want you to marry your husband. he doesn't want you to have to go through any of it. he wants to preserve the balance you’re starting to have. he’s in love with you and he’s staying- he’ll see this through.  
i think the sex with the others kind of starts in a different way, more of a sensual way. maybe one day they go for a horseback ride and she convinces them to swim in a secluded part of the river and though she keeps her underdress on they can still see all of her body through the thin fabric. and tae wishes for once that he wasn’t so obviously large. because he’s Poking out of his pants and he knows you see his errection, jimin licking his lips as he looks at it across the stream. cocking his eyebrows at him in question.
 you catch him staring. and i think maybe you tease all like “are you alright officer Taehyung? your uniform looks hot in this heat- are you sure you don’t want to cool off with me?” and he does- even under the watchful eyes of the others. and it's only because it’s Jimin and Seokjin that they watch- that tae feels brazen enough to touch you, finding your wetness under the water and pressing with the pads of his rough fingers in a way that he knows feels good. the same way he fingered jimin open this morning, a look says that seokjin and jimin are staring and squirming. E
specially at the way you’re touching tae- the water warm in the summer heat and so slick against his skin. And though jimin and tae are lovers- there isn’t any mistaking the looks in their eyes. jimin and seokjin want to ravage you and then each other. 
on the way home, you ride in between jimin’s legs on his horse because you’re a little wobbly-legged after taking taehyung (the largest out of all of them- a true big dick) and jimin just wants to run his nose along your shoulder- leaving little kisses that make you jump. little whispers in your ear “you looked so pretty together- makes me want to put on a show just like you did for Seokjin” a sharp look at seokjin says that he told- and honestly you’re not suprised. it’s no secret that they’re all involved. 
and maybe jimin’s hand slowly comes down between her legs a little, rubbing slow teasing circles through her clothes to tease her. enough that by the time she’s getting off the horse she’s stumbling into Jungkook’s chest by the stables. “come kookie- our lady is tired and must return to her rooms” no one bothers to mention that Jimin’s shift is over. 
i think the last one to bed the reader is yoongi- probably soon after her wedding and the first time she and him are alone together without any of the others. yoongi is particularly reserved and i picture him kissing the Backs of her hands and then each of her fingers in the candlelight and slowly grabbing at the ribbons on her dress. and he’s angry- angry that he couldn’t taste her before the king had a chance.  though he’s gone away and left her here again. left her to be lonely and left her all for them. and yoongi won’t miss his chance this time. 
“its time for you to get ready for bed my queen- let me help you” and he undresses her so so slowly and carefully and then sits her back and slowly enters her. treats her like a husband should on her wedding night, gentle and at her pace. so loving and slow and full of needy breaths and aching touches.  thats the first time it’s making love with any of you- because yoongi loved her right from the begining.
 i imagine him kissing down her stomach murmuring against her skin “he dosent deserve you”
 “the king or the others?” 
“both- neither- no one” 
her gripping his hair, “what about you then?” 
and yoongi means it when he looks up at her “least of all me” but thats something that she can fix. the way he dosent feel deserving of it all or any of it at all. ive got like- maybe a whole idea for yoongi’s chareter arc in this. 
121 notes · View notes
impala-dreamer · 3 years
Text
Rules: make a new post and share your answers.
I keep getting tagged so... here we go! <33
1. Why did you choose your URL?
Because I’m a daydreamer and the Impala is the most important object in pretty much the whole universe... der
2. Any sideblogs? If you do, name them and say why you have them.
Well THIS is a sideblog itself lol technically... but yes, I have currently 9 blogs. You never know where I am... ooooo *ninja eyes*
3. How long have you been on tumblr?
My first post here was August 1, 2016. But... I was on for a few months before that lurking and reading ;)
4. Do you have a queue tag?
“That’s No Queue” 10 points if you get that...
5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?
So... Misha joined and I was like “cool I’ll go look” and then I started reading and I was like “hey, I wonder if I can do that there writing thing...” 
6. Why did you choose your icon?
It’s one of my favorite shots from the series and I don’t think I’ve changed it in like 3 years? oops
7. Why did you choose your header?
Again, another favorite shot. Also ‘Baby’ is one of the best episodes ever so I took it from there. Also they’re sleeping and i’m “dreamer” so I thought it was a thing.
8. What’s your post with the most notes?
Much to my dismay, it’s a post from the purge(tm) with like 20K notes on it and i hate it and people still reblog it. It’s about how to fix your icon if you’re pixilated lol 
9. How many mutuals do you have?
Idk, I can’t brain that
10. How many followers do you have?
More than 5, less than 20K
11. How many people do you follow?
109 right now
12. Have you ever made a shitpost?
Every post I make is shit.
13. How often do you use tumblr each day?
Even if i’m not active, I’m here. I see everything... 
14. Have you ever had a fight/argument with another blog? Who won?
Oh yes, a few. Mostly, I just get attacked and then blamed for the attack because I”M THE DEVIL. 
15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?
I do what I want. I don’t like being shamed into reblogging shit. “If you don’t reblog this, you hate your kids.” Yeah... ok then.
16. Do you like tag games?
usually, yeah.
17. Do you like ask games?
I do!
18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?
What exactly is tumblr famous? bc like ten pple have tagged me as famous and I can’t get a damned feedback ask to save a dolphin. lmao
@kittenofdoomage ... who am I even mutuals with? lmao. um... @cockslut-padalecki  @negans-lucille-tblr 
 19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?
oh for sures. @because-imma-lady-assface @covered-byroses  @kittenofdoomage and I are totes gonna bone when I get over the ocean hehe
20. Tags?
yeah just like... if you wanna do it, go for it ;)
14 notes · View notes
suituuup · 4 years
Note
Could do where Beca actually joined Barden two years later than she should’ve because she initially joined the army, but was sent home after she lost both her legs in a horrific battle. She meets Chloe but is reluctant to have any kind of a relationship because she is so insecure about her body.
so this is what it feels like
rating: m
word count: 3,6k
ao3 link
*
Barden University. 
Beca looks at the sign and heavies a deep sigh as the car rolls forward, stopping at the curb a few minutes later. The driver steps out and takes her wheelchair out of the trunk, setting it up next to the open passenger door. 
“Need any help?” 
“I got it,” Beca mutters, shuffling to the edge of the seat and easily transferring to the chair. “Can you just hand me my bag? Thanks.” 
She sets it on her lap and starts rolling away towards the main building, catching people staring. “What are you lookin’ at?” Beca spits out, glaring at a group of boys who instantly glance away. 
She doesn’t want to be here. She was perfectly happy across the world, working for the Army. She had friends there, a family. A landmine took that away from her, as well as her two legs.
She was flown back to the States after an emergency amputation and moved in with her dad and the step monster. The following year was rough, as Beca dealt with both depression and PTSD. Numerous therapy sessions helped her figure how to live again and slowly dragged her out of her grieving state. She eventually agreed to her dad’s suggestion about going to college, figuring she couldn’t stay hauled up in the house forever. 
She picked English as a major, as she’s sort of a book nerd, but she’s got no idea of what kind of job she wants to do. 
She likes music and enjoys messing around on her computer making mixes but… it won’t ever be good enough for her to actually make a living out of it. 
The first few days of classes are uneventful, except for the way people keep looking at her. Beca figures they’ll get used to it sooner or later, but for now, she glares.  
She hangs out at the library a lot or at the coffee shop on campus to work on her mixes. 
She’s at the library one afternoon, rolling up an aisle to get the book she copied the reference from on one of the computers.
“Damn it,” she mutters when she realizes it’s on one of the higher shelves, which are out of reach. 
“Need any help?”
Normally, Beca would say I got it, because she hates relying on other people, but one, she really doesn’t have it and two, the words die in her throat when she takes a good look at the stranger. 
A redhead, with the most vibrant eyes and smile Beca’s ever seen. 
Her brain eventually reboots and she blushes slightly out of embarrassment for taking so long to reply. “Um yeah. Could you grab me that green book on the top shelf?” 
“Sure thing,” the stranger chirps, standing on the tips of her toes to grab it. “Here you go.”
Beca takes it, setting it on her lap. “Thanks.”
She’s about to roll away, when the girl speaks again. “Would you be interested in joining an acapella group?”
Beca’s eyebrow shoots up. “Aren’t you supposed to be able to dance, too?”
“Not necessarily. I mean, we could figure something out, if you’re interested.”
“I’m not. I don’t— I don’t even sing.”
“Oh. Okay. Too bad.” She winks. “See ya around.”
She continues on her way, and Beca on hers. 
Beca sees her again two weeks later, at the Barden Beanery. She’s stuck outside because the damn automatic door won’t work and of course it’s starting to rain. 
“For fucks sake,” she grumbles, hitting the button once more. 
“I’ll get it for you.”
Beca looks over her shoulder to see that same girl from the library heading over. “Oh. Hey there, acapella nerd,” she teases as she manœuvres her chair to roll into the coffee shop. “Thanks.”
“No worries,” she replies, smiling softly. “Wow, this place is packed.”
Beca nods towards a table in the corner. “I think those guys are leaving.”
“Nice catch. Mind if we share?” 
Beca shrugs. “Yeah, sure.” 
She tucks her chair in the free space at the table and opens her backpack to pull out her laptop, ordering a black coffee and a slice of carrot cake when the waitress comes by. 
She and the redhead work in silence for a while, Beca with her headphones on (one ear left uncovered) as she messes around with her mixes. She soon loses herself into the music, bopping her head up and down to the rhythm.
“What?” She asks when she catches the other girl staring, blue-grey eyes peering at her above her laptop. 
“Nothing,” she murmurs, a serene smile on her features. “I was just wondering what your name was.”
“Oh, right. I’m Beca.”
“Beca,” Chloe repeats, nodding. “I’m Chloe.”
“Cool to meet you, Chloe the nerd.”
“I’m not a nerd!” She cries, laughing.
“You’re in an acapella group, so you’re a nerd by definition.”
Chloe rolls her eyes. “Fine.”
They work together for another hour, Chloe bidding her goodbye when she has to get to rehearsals. Beca sticks around until 7, heading back to her hall to head dinner.
“Hi!” 
Beca looks up to see Chloe popping down on the seat across from her at that same table as three weeks ago. It’s a week later, and the place is near empty this time around, so Beca’s confused as to why she decided to sit with her. 
“Um, hello?” It looks like Chloe’s here to stay, and Beca can’t say she minds? Weird. “You look happy.”
“I am! The Bellas and I are competing this weekend.”
“Competing?” Beca cocks an eyebrow. “So this acapella thing is pretty serious, then?”
“Totes!” Totes? “Our plan is to get selected for the National championships in NYC.”
“Wow. Well, I hope you guys make it.”
“Thanks! You should come check us out if you don’t have anything planned.”
Beca scrunches you her nose. “I don’t know how I feel about being in the same room as so many nerds.”
A laugh flits past Chloe’s lips. “What are you working on anyway?”
“Um, mixes. I mix music.”
Chloe’s eyes adorably pop wider. “You mix music?? That’s so cool. Can I listen?”
The normal Beca would have said no in a heartbeat. She didn’t plan on making any friends, the last year’s events making her more withdrawn and more of a loner. But there’s something about this Chloe, something Beca can’t pinpoint, that makes it impossible for her to say no. 
“Yeah sure, if you want to.”
Beaming, Chloe switches chairs to sit next to Beca as Beca takes off her headphones to hand them over. She selects her Titanium + Bulletproof mashup and hits play, taking a sip from her drink as it starts. 
The look on Chloe’s face as she listens, one of pure enjoyment, makes Beca’s chest swell with something unfamiliar. 
“This is amazing!” Chloe nearly shouts, shrinking in her seat when people’s heads turn towards her. In a lower tone, she adds, “Sorry.”
Beca chuckles. “Yeah? You like it?”
Chloe takes off the headphones. Her eyes are sparkling, the same way Beca’s do when she listens to something she’s really into. “I really do. Have you thought about making a career out of music?”
Beca shrugs. “I did, yeah. I thought about going to LA, but my dad didn’t like that idea because he doesn’t believe there’s a career to be made. He wants me to try college first, for at least a year. I think he’s still pissed about me enlisting in the Army without telling him.” 
“How long were you in the Army for?” 
“Only a couple years,” Beca says, motioning towards her legs next. “Then this happened.” 
Chloe grimaces. “I’m sorry.” 
“Yeah, well…” her shoulder lifts in a half shrug. It took her while to reach that state of mind; to stop being angry at the world for what she was going through. She learned to accept her handicap and to live with it, even if some days prove to be really fucking difficult. “It is what it is.” 
She doesn’t know why, but that weekend, she finds herself attending that acapella competition to check out the Bellas. The songs suck big time and the outfits are questionable, but Beca is too enthralled by Chloe’s beautiful voice to really care about the rest. 
“You came!” Chloe exclaims in surprise when she spots Beca at the end of the show. She’s bending down to hug Beca before Beca can protest, and Beca feels her face heat up as she awkwardly pats her back. 
“Congrats on being selected,” she says when Chloe pulls away, her lips stretching in her first genuine smile in a long while. 
“Thanks! What are you doing later?” 
“Um… nothing planned. Why?” 
“Wanna order pizza and watch something on Netflix?” 
Chloe’s question makes Beca hesitate for a few beats. She truly doesn’t know what Chloe sees in her, as it’s not like Beca has made any efforts to strike up a friendship, but she has to admit that spending time with Chloe is nice. 
“Sure, yeah.” 
The night turns out to be one of the best Beca’s had in a while. She doesn’t remember laughing that much since before, and it’s all thanks to Chloe and her dorky sense of humor and positive energy. They hang out more over the next few weeks, either at the coffee shop or at Beca’s dorm, and Beca quickly develops a crush on her new friend, berating herself as soon as she acknowledges her feelings. 
Even if Chloe does feel the same way, which is unlikely, it’s not like she’d go out with someone like Beca. 
“I need your help,” Chloe blurts one day, plopping down across Beca at their usual table. 
“What’s up?” Beca asks, glancing up from her book. 
“Our set list sucks. There’s no way we’ll make it through to the ICCA’s.” She sighs, then nibbles on her bottom lip for a couple seconds. “I was thinking… maybe you could make us a setlist? We’ll totes pay you.” 
Beca rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to pay me. But would Aubrey be okay with me helping?” 
“She will be, I’ll talk to her.” 
They spend the next few hours brainstorming songs, eating pizza and drinking root beer on the floor of Beca’s room. 
“How ‘bout Don’t You Forget About Me? It’s a cool song,” Beca suggests; they’ve been stuck on the third song for over thirty minutes. “So while a few of you sing the end of Price Tag, the lead could start singing Won’t you, come see about me, I’ll be alone, dancing you know it baby,” Beca sang, faltering when she caught Chloe’s weird look. “What?” 
“You can sing!” She nearly shouts, her jaw dropped as she shoved Beca’s shoulder. “What the fuck, you told me you couldn’t!” 
Beca chuckles. “I was afraid you might harass me if I told you I could,” she pauses, eyeing Chloe. “Am I wrong?” 
Chloe grimaces, blushing slightly. “No. We were really desperate at the start of the year.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe how good you sound.” 
Embarrassment wrinkles the bridge of Beca’s nose. “I’m pretty rusty. Your voice’s beautiful, though.” 
“Thanks, Becs.” 
They work on the arrangement for another two hours, and just like that it gets past midnight, but it’s done. 
“We did it!” Chloe cheers, throwing her arms up. She hugs Beca tightly, almost making her topple over from the force of it. “You’re the best.” 
“Jesus, Chlo,” Beca laughs, hugging back and momentarily melting into the soothing embrace, kind of never wanting to let go. 
Chloe’s eyes flicker down to her mouth when she pulls away, and Beca barely has time to inhale before Chloe’s lips are on hers, soft and tender and just… right. Beca loses herself into the kiss for a second; a blissful second where her mind goes blank, before her insecurities slam into her brain at once and wrench her out of the liplock. 
“I’m-- I’m sorry, I thought--” 
“Well you thought wrong,” Beca mutters, gaze fastened on her thighs. She can’t. She can’t start something and have Chloe change her mind when she realizes she could do much better than Beca. “Can you go, please?” 
“I… okay.” 
Chloe swallows and hastily gathers her stuff, the door soon clicking shut behind her. 
Beca doesn’t see her for a week; she doesn’t go to the coffee shop, preferring to stay hauled up in her room to work through her frustration. 
A knock at the door cuts through her thoughts one night as Beca is chilling on her bed messing around with more mixes.
“One sec,” she calls out, shuffling to the edge of the mattress and transferring herself into her wheelchair. She rolls to the door and unlocks it, pulling it open as she backs up to make room. Chloe is standing on the other side. “Hey.” 
“Hi,” she says, her greeting uncharacteristically quiet. “Can I come in?” 
Beca nods and backs up some more, waiting for Chloe to slip inside. 
“Aubrey loved the setlist,” she murmurs with a soft, albeit nervous smile. “She says thank you.” 
Beca nods. “That’s good, I’m glad.” 
A sigh puffs past Chloe’s lips. “I’m really sorry about the other day. I shouldn’t-- I shouldn’t have kissed you.” 
Beca wets her lips, finding the courage to meet Chloe’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have snapped. You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just--” she sighs, struggling to find the right words. 
“Just what?” Chloe presses gently. 
“You don’t-- you don’t want this.” 
Chloe tilts her head to the side. “What are you talking about?” 
“Look at me,” Beca raises her voice, motioning towards her amputated limbs. Tears burn behind her eyes as the frustration that’s been bubbling up inside of her finally bursts out. “I don’t have legs, Chlo! I can’t walk, I can’t dance, I can’t-- do normal person stuff.” 
“Beca…” Chloe whispers, taking a few steps forward and kneeling in front of Beca’s chair. Beca averts her eyes, hating that she’s on the verge of crying. “Look at me,” she coaxes gently, reaching up to cup Beca’s cheek. “It breaks my heart for you that you don’t get to do those things anymore, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you, or the fact that I want to be with you.” 
Beca blinks, the shield surrounding her heart splitting open and vulnerability shining in her eyes. “You… want to be with me?”
Chloe simply smiles. “I thought that was pretty obvious.”
Beca’s eyes flutter shut for a few beats as she puffs out a breath, trying to tame down her insecurities about her body and letting people in in general. 
“Hey,” Chloe murmurs, squeezing her hand. “I don’t want to make you do anything you’re not ready for, alright? If you do feel the same way, we can take it slow. You set the tone.”
Chloe’s words soothe the anxiety swirling in Beca’s belly and her heart swells; she trusts Chloe and her intentions and god, she really wants to be with her, too.
Leaning forward, she cups the side of Chloe’s neck and brushes her lips across hers. Chloe hums, smiling against Beca’s mouth before she kisses back. 
“I’m taking you out on a date tomorrow night,” she says when they eventually pull away. 
Mind still tipped upside down from that kiss, Beca blinks and nods, a dizzy smile spreading across her lips. “Alright, nerd.”
The next few weeks turn out to be amazing as they easily fall into a relationship dynamic. They hang out even more, texting whenever they’re not together. It’s kind of gross, how happy Beca feels, but she figures she deserves it after everything. 
“Can we um— pump on the brakes a little?” She asks breathlessly one evening, squeezing Chloe’s waist as she straddles Beca’s lap.
“Yeah, of course,” Chloe rasps, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I liked that, I just— I’m not there yet.”
She’s terrified Chloe might not find her attractive or worse, be grossed out when she finally sees Beca completely naked. 
“That’s okay,” Chloe assures her, pecking her lips. “You set the tone, remember?”
“Thank you,” Beca murmurs, truly appreciative of Chloe’s selflessness. “Hey, so um, I have my first physical therapy session with my prosthetics next week and uh, I guess I would like it if you could be there?” 
She’s had countless appointments over the last few months to get measurements and fittings for her prosthetic limbs, and she would finally see whether or not she could walk in them next week. While she’s been wary so far about including Chloe to that part of her life, she knows she’ll need someone there for emotional support, and she can’t think of anyone better than her amazing girlfriend. 
Chloe’s eyes widen. “Yeah? That’s exciting!” Softening, she adds, “Of course I’ll be there.” 
Beca is a nervous wreck by the time her appointment comes around. After much internal back and forth about whether she wanted Chloe to be in the room while they set up the prosthetics and for her to see her stumps, Beca eventually figured she would sooner or later anyway.
Chloe doesn’t show any signs of being grossed out once Beca’s pants are off, and she even grabs Beca’s hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles, as though reading Beca’s mind and guessing she needed some sort of reassurance. 
Once the technician slipped the sleeves and liners on Beca’s residual limbs, she straps the prosthetics on. “How does that feel?”
“So far so good.”
“Alright, ready to take some steps?” 
Anticipation and slight nerves swirl in Beca’s guts as she nods, moving her wheelchair in front of the metal bars. She puts the brakes on and with the technician’s help, rises to her feet. 
Her trembling hands reach for the bars as the technician holds onto her waist with a belt in case she loses her balance. 
“Let’s try a couple stationary steps first,” she advises, and Beca manages to lift one foot after the other, familiarizing herself with the feeling. “Great job. Let’s try a couple steps?” 
Beca nods, exhaling slowly and gripping the bars tighter as she moves her right foot ahead, then her left. It’s wobbly and the sockets are a bit uncomfortable, but she knows it’s just a question of getting used to. Tears sting her eyes because she’s walking again, and while she knows the road ahead is still long, she also knows she’s going in the right direction. 
“Doing okay?” The other woman asks as Beca takes another two steps. 
“Yeah, I just need a small break.” It’s much more exhausting than she thought, sweat beading on her forehead already. 
Chloe’s grinning from ear to ear when Beca glances back at her. “You’re walking, babe.” 
“Yeah,” Beca exhales with a disbelieving laugh. “I won’t take you out dancing right away, but someday.”
Someday. 
Chloe takes her out for a celebratory dinner after and once they’re back to Beca’s dorm and on her bed to watch something on Netflix, Beca doesn’t reach for her computer, capturing Chloe’s lips in a yearning kiss instead. 
Their make out session quickly turns hot and heavy, and Beca whips her top over her head at some point, staring at Chloe with darkened eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“I love you,” Beca murmurs instead, cradling Chloe’s cheek tenderly. “I’m so sure.”
Chloe’s eyes soften, and a dazzling smile spreads across her lips as she kisses Beca. “I love you, too.”
Time slows down after that as they explore this new window in their relationship, and Beca doesn’t feel one bit uncomfortable about her appearance, not when Chloe is showering her body with so much love. 
The next couple months are pretty much perfect. Chloe and the Bellas win the ICCA’s, Beca continues making progress in physical therapy, to the point where she’s able to walk short distances with just the help of a cane. 
On Chloe’s graduation day, she shows up not in her wheelchair but on her feet, intending on surprising her girlfriend, who has no idea she got that far. She spots Chloe talking with her family across the room after the ceremony and slowly but surely makes her way over, gripping the bouquet of flowers in her right hand tighter as nerves over meeting Chloe’s parents sprout in her belly. 
“Oh my god,” Chloe croaks, her eyes widening and a bright smile lighting up her features when she finally sees Beca. 
“Hey you,” Beca greets with a lopsided grin, laughing softly when Chloe shakes her head in awe and tucks herself into her arms. Beca inhales her scent, closing her eyes as she basks in the closeness. “Congratulations. I’m so fucking proud of you.” 
Chloe kisses her softly, taking the bouquet from her to slip her hand into Beca’s now free one and gently tugging her to the older pair. 
“You must be Beca,” Chloe’s dad says, his eyes the same vibrant blue as his daughter’s as he extends his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” 
“You too, sir,” Beca replies, accepting the handshake. 
“Please, call me Mike.” 
“And I’m Alice,” Chloe’s mom introduces herself next, her smile warm and genuine. 
“You’re joining us for lunch, right?” Mike asks, offering a matching smile. 
Beca smiles and her heart warms, not having expected an invitation. “Um, yeah, sure. I’d love to.” 
Chloe kisses Beca’s cheek once her parents start to make their way to the car, walking slowly to match Beca’s pace. 
“What?” Beca asks when she notices Chloe is staring at her profile. 
“Nothing,” Chloe murmurs, squeezing Beca’s hand. “I’m just really happy.” 
The Beca from a year ago would have never thought she’d know what it felt like; to be loved and loving someone like she did Chloe. Yet, here she is, the happiest she’s ever been, and she’s got the feeling it’s just starting. 
“Me, too.” 
76 notes · View notes
aliciameade · 4 years
Text
“The Great Indoors”
Author: aliciameade Rating: G Pairing: Beca/Chloe Summary: Beca and Chloe accidentally get locked inside an R.E.I. (An outdoor activities supply store, for those unfamiliar.) Hijinks ensue.
This one goes out to @beyond-bechloe for their generous donation to the @ppfandomdrive​! Thank you for your support!
Also on AO3
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
Beca didn’t consider herself particularly outdoorsy (she could get sunburned at night and she was allergic to every type of stinging insect, among other inconveniences), but she enjoyed fewer shopping excursions than those to R.E.I. to be Chloe’s helper whenever she had an upcoming trip. Beca was in charge of the shopping cart and telling Chloe whether or not the gear she was trying on looked cute while still being functional.
And Beca liked the gear and supplies. It was cool how there were so many specialized shoes and backpacks and jackets for all manner of activities. She wouldn’t mind being less prone to emergencies to be able to try something new once in a while.
Plus, she kind of liked Chloe’s dedication to always trying to convince Beca to join her on her next adventure.
She also liked Chloe pouting until Beca admitted whatever she was trying on was indeed cute. Beca always thinks Chloe’s cute but it’s not like she can tell her that all the time. That would be weird. Friends don’t do that.
“Who are you going with?” she asks as Chloe stands in front of a display of kayaking gear.
“The same crew I went out to Zion with. They’re always encouraging everyone to bring a friend. You should totes come with me.”
Beca surveys the kayaks leaning against the wall and visions of flipping over, getting stuck, and drowning flash through her mind. “Pass,” she says quickly. “Maybe something more...terrestrial.”
“Okay,” Chloe says with a shrug. She never argues with Beca over it, but she does always re-extend the invitation. “What do you think: black or pink?” she continues as she plucks two helmets off the display to turn and hold them up for Beca’s opinion.
“Let’s see ‘em in action,” she answers, gesturing for Chloe to try them on.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
“What kind of adventure would you be down for?” Chloe asks, somewhat unexpectedly, as they meander through displays and racks of camping gear. They’ve already picked out everything on her list but still find themselves browsing. “When you said ‘more terrestrial,’” she adds. “Camping?”
Beca’s about to answer when the PA system interrupts, informing shoppers the store will be closing in 15 minutes. She waits until they’re finished.
“Yeah, camping, I guess,” she says with a vague wave of her hand toward the staged campground the store has set up to display their wide variety of tents, coolers, chairs, and portable grills. “Just maybe not in the middle of nowhere like you do.”
She knows her answer excites Chloe by the way her eyes light up and her back straightens. “I don’t even own a tent because I’m always sharing with someone else on the trip.” She’s already on her hands and knees crawling through the entrance of a small tent before Beca can argue.
Not that she has a point to argue.
Chloe’s kneeling inside and looking out at Beca expectantly. “Come on! Let’s try this one.”
Beca just gives a shake of her head and kneels down to crawl into the tent, too. She hears Chloe zip the flap behind her and then she’s being dragged down until they’re lying side by side.
“We fit!” Chloe declares as she makes it a point to spread out and take up space until she’s crowding Beca.
“Obviously we fit,” she says, trying not to laugh as Chloe’s elbow digs into her ribs until she’s forced to roll onto her side to escape it. “It’s a two-person tent. We are two people.” She should have known better to turn, though, because the second she does, Chloe’s on her like a magnet, making Beca her little spoon as she does so often.
Not that she minds Chloe’s propensity to be close to Beca.
She kind of loves it, in fact.
“See, and we can cuddle for body heat if it gets chilly overnight.”
“Right,” Beca says, letting herself smile when she feels the way Chloe’s almost nuzzling her. It drives her crazy, too. Chloe is so physically affectionate with Beca, more so than anyone Beca’s ever dated, and she and Chloe are definitively not dating. It feels like they are, though, from the way they check in with one another throughout the day if they’re apart and how they download their days when they’re together to their Co-Captain Conferences which is just a serious-sounding name that allows them to lock themselves in Chloe’s room under the guise of working on the Bellas’ next set when they’re actually watching movies or talking or napping and not getting interrupted.
The way Beca’s heart aches when Chloe does go on her weeklong excursions...that, too, makes it feel a lot like they’re dating.
But...they’re not.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
It’s the last thought that floats through her mind before her eyes are fluttering open to near darkness.
She’s disoriented and her shoulder and hip ache from whatever hard surface she’s lying on. The only thing she does recognize is the scent, sound, and feel of Chloe asleep behind her and she jostles her until she’s startling awake, too.
“Hmm, what?” Chloe says, voice gravelly with sleep.
“We fell asleep in the tent,” Beca says once her brain stitches the events together. Once she sits up and glances out of the tent’s mesh window and is met with the dimly lit retail floor, her heart stops. “Chloe?”
“Hmm?” she says through a yawn as she sits up, too.
“What time is it?”
She watches Chloe pull her phone out of her back pocket—Beca’s own phone is in her purse which...she realizes with additional terror...was left in the cart before they decided to try the tent—and check it. “10:34.”
Beca inhales at that and holds her breath, waiting for Chloe to connect the dots, too.
“Oh, my gosh, it’s 10:34!”
“And it’s dark in here.” Beca leans forward to unzip the tent’s flap and crawl out, relieved to find her purse in the cart, everything right where they left it by some miracle. “Chlo, the store’s closed.”
She watches Chloe crawl out, too, and stand to survey everything, just like Beca’s doing. “There must be a security guard or something,” Chloe says confidently as she starts walking toward the entrance.
There is no security guard, they find. They also decide to not try the doors because setting off an alarm might be really bad. A phone call to the company’s customer support number instructs them to call back during the hours of 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
“Okay, we don’t need to panic,” Beca says when she watches Chloe start to do her panic-pacing. “We’re fine. We’re safe.”
“We’re trapped in here!” Chloe screeches.
It makes Beca flinch and she grabs Chloe by the forearms when she paces past again. “Chloe, chill out!”
Chloe gulps and Beca can see the fear in her eyes.
“Chill, okay?” she says, lowering her voice. “They’ll open in the morning and we can leave. They have bathrooms and water, and I know you have at least one granola bar in your purse, right?”
Chloe nods and her eyes start to look a bit less wild.
“Good.” Beca smiles, and then lets herself smile bigger. “We’re locked in a store.”
Chloe whines. “I know, Beca!” 
“No, Chloe. We’re locked in a store!” she turns them so Chloe’s facing toward the sporting goods supplier’s floor, devoid of other shoppers and employees. “Didn’t you ever dream about this as a kid?”
She can tell Chloe’s considering it, thinking about it, until a smile starts to tug at her lips. “Okay, yeah.”
“Then, come on!” Beca grabs her hand to run—not out of necessity but out of excitement—back into the depths of the store. “I want to play with everything. What first?”
“Bikes! Let’s get bikes,” Chloe says pointing off to their left. “This place is huge; we can get around faster!”
“Yes, yes—I love the way you think.”
Armed with speedy transportation, they make it a point to visit every department, trying on hiking boots and life jackets and snowboards. Chloe decides to document the adventure on her Instagram so every department needs to have its own photoshoot.
Eventually, they end up back in the paddling department and Beca’s helping Chloe maneuver a massive tandem kayak down from where it’s leaning against the wall.
“Get in,” Chloe says, gesturing at the front seat while she lowers herself into the back after grabbing a couple of paddles. “I’ll show you how easy it is.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this,” Beca says as she takes the offered paddle and sits down, “but we’re not in the water right now.”
“Shush, I know. But I can show you the stroke.”
Beca can’t help the amused snort that escapes her.
“You just made that dirty.”
“Did not.”
“Yes, you did.” Chloe sounds amused. “Okay, put your hands where the grippy parts are on the paddle.”
Beca does as she’s told and then jumps a little when Chloe’s voice is suddenly close.
“Good.” Chloe’s arms suddenly frame Beca’s, her hands just outside of each of her own. “It’s just this motion.” Then they’re moving, Chloe’s push and pull directing Beca. “See how easy?”
Something about the moment makes Beca’s voice catch for a second and she has to swallow. “Yeah. Something tells me it’s not as easy in a river.”
“It’s really not difficult. Would I lie to you?”
“No, I guess not.”
Chloe hums, happy with Beca’s answer, and then her presence retreats. “Keep going; I need to take a picture. Actually, I’m going to do a video!”
“Of course you are,” Beca laughs but carries on for Chloe’s entertainment.
It’s around 2:00 AM when they’re both yawning, having eaten Chloe’s emergency stash of granola bars and a bag of gummy bears Beca swiped from the checkout area, promising Chloe she’d pay for them tomorrow with the rest of their items. They return the bicycles to their display and wander back to the camping section.
“You know, if there was ever a store to get locked in, this was a pretty good option,” Chloe says as she sits down on the edge of a fully inflated air mattress. It’s the floor’s display model, but it’s a bed nonetheless.
“So true.” Beca follows, settling on the slightly wobbly mattress next to Chloe.
Usually, like in the tent, she would flip onto her side, her back to Chloe to settle in for sleep.
For some reason, this time she turned the other way to face Chloe. Maybe because they weren’t finished talking—they didn’t yet have a plan for the morning, aka what to tell the first person who discovers them—or maybe Beca just wanted to look at Chloe for a few more seconds before going to sleep.  
“I can’t believe this happened,” Chloe says with a giggle once they’re both settled.
“I know, right? So cool.”
Chloe’s quiet for what feels like a second too long before she says, “Thank you for calming me down. You know how I can get worked up about stuff.”
Beca smiles gently. “Yeah, of course, dude. You know I got your back.”
“I know you do.”
Chloe’s eyes are on Beca’s and the silence between them is suddenly heavy. Something about it makes Beca’s heart start to race. Chloe’s just looking at her not saying anything and Beca’s about to ask why she’s staring when Chloe interrupts her.
“Can I kiss you?”
Beca’s not sure she heard correctly. It’s hard to hear over the sound of the blood rushing in her ears. She debates asking Chloe to repeat herself, but she doesn’t want her to backpedal if she thinks Beca’s response means she wasn’t okay with it. Because she is so, soooo okay with it.
And if Beca did mishear, then she’ll deal with whatever she’s about to agree to.
“Yes.”
She didn’t mishear.
She can’t help the gasp that comes when Chloe’s lips are suddenly on hers. They’re soft and gentle but confident in their purpose and Beca is sure to kiss her back once her mind catches up with it.
Chloe pulls back after a few seconds and even in the dim lighting, she can tell Chloe’s blushing. She knows she is, too. “Was that okay?” Chloe asks, eyes wide and teeth tugging nervously at the lip that was just pressed against Beca’s.
Beca lets herself start to smile; the shock is subsiding and happiness is starting to rush into its place. “Why did you stop?” she asks, bringing her hand up between them to tug on Chloe’s shirt.
It’s not hard enough to actually pull Chloe in but it gets her point across and she’s still smiling when Chloe’s gleeful laugh gets muffled between their second kiss, one that is less about determining if it’s okay and a lot more about how their tongues move together.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
They’re roused by blinding fluorescent lights a few hours later and share the story of their accidental lock-in with the very confused and highly suspicious morning shift. Chloe begs the manager-on-duty to not reprimand whoever was responsible for ensuring all guests were out of the store before locking up, blaming themselves for not paying attention to the time.
Eventually, they’re allowed to leave and pay for what they’d been shopping for yesterday, plus the two-person tent (which Chloe had run back to grab off the shelf and returned with a wink).
“Okay, what’s with the tent?” Beca asks once they’ve loaded up the back of Chloe’s car in the completely empty parking lot and sat down.
“We are totes going camping and making out under the stars.”
“Oh, are we?” Beca asks with amusement as she buckles her seatbelt.
“Yep,” Chloe says, taking advantage of Beca’s proximity to direct her right up and into a kiss. “If that’s okay with you?” she asks, eyes a little softer so Beca knows she’s being earnest.
“Yeah, okay,” she nods. “But I’m not sure it’s fair for you to ask me after you kiss me.”
“So I should withhold kisses until you answer?” Chloe says with a grin as she starts the car and drives toward the exit and street that will lead them back to the house.
“That doesn’t seem fair either,” Beca says with a thoughtful pout.
“Kinda sounds like I get my way if kisses are involved.”
Beca starts to object but instead, just smiles and looks out the passenger side window. “Yeah, it kinda does sound that way.
The End  
131 notes · View notes
silver-wield · 4 years
Note
body language analysis: tifa and cloud train scene!! go!
Oh, Nonny, you made my morning with this!! I mean, it's not like I haven't touched on Cloud and Tifa's body language in gif reblogs, but an actual post dedicated to one of the best moments of the game? YAY!!
Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven't played (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it's gonna be a long one so prepare to scroll.
Also, this is one person's interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that's cool and we'll agree to disagree.
You're also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I'm grabbing them from Youtube and it's frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.
Other analyses if anyone's interested.
Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 
Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 
Tifa character analysis 
Aerith Resolution (plot analysis) 
Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti) 
Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.
So, the corkscrew tunnel scene – or clotiscrew tunnel as I've seen it called – begins with Avalanche caught by the sensors on the train. After a timed fight – which, yes, it's possible to lose, but it's also clear this is a “bad ending” where you've made Cloud look like an incompetent dick who can't even handle a few drones – we see Barret mustering his courage and leaping from the train (he's so damn cute sometimes, I'm gonna have to do a post about his development with Cloud at some point).
The action then cuts to Tifa, frozen in front of the door, too afraid to jump (you can hear her whimpering). Cloud calls her name, deals with the last drone and comes over. Now, in the OG, obviously they all jump one after the other because polygons and popeye arms would've just looked like a total mess and Square admitted they neglected Cloti to highlight all the relationship development between Clerith since she dies later.
Cut to 2020 and we get this. Damn, Square, if I didn't already love you for pretty much my entire life already I'd have fallen for you all over again. In fact, I think I probably did.
Ok, I'm done gushing. Kinda.
I think the first thing I have to point out is that Cloud, at no point, needed to do this. He could have verbally encouraged Tifa to jump without the need for physical support at all. After all, the train's slowing down and she was fine in the OG, so who's to say she wouldn't be fine now, too? By calling her name and fixing her attention on him he's actually stalling her jump.
Tumblr media
You'll notice that Tifa doesn't take her eyes off the tracks (before this screen obvs since I can see that’s her feet, work with me here), which is fitting since she's zeroed in on that fearful moment and actually can't move without help. Cloud's face in this is displaying typical tension you'd expect in a high energy scene. He's concerned for Tifa, but he's also focused on dealing with the mechs, which he does very quickly. Now, you could argue he did that to get on with the mission, or you could argue he did that because he saw Tifa needed him and his focus shifted to her. And watching the seconds following him turning to look at her, I'd say there's evidence towards the latter because he's actually lost focus on the last mech and it attacks him first causing him to block and parry.
Tumblr media
This is the first instance of touching in this scene, and until this point, Tifa hadn't moved or acknowledged Cloud. He needed to physically draw her from her thoughts and you'll hear a surprised exhale from her as she turns to look at him, showing she was lost within herself until he drew her out. Cloud is obviously looking at the tracks, judging his next move. He's already planning what he has to do to keep both of them safe, which is clear from his decisive nod, along with a reassuring, but grim, smile, before pulling Tifa out the door. Remember, I said he could’ve verbally got her attention. He didn’t. He chose touch.
Tumblr media
See what I mean about janky quality? Anyway, this is clear concern about Tifa's safety, but also, remember, Cloud is on the mission because Tifa said she felt trapped and he's related that back to their promise that she needs a hero. He's being her hero.
Okay, we're getting to the meat of things now.
Tumblr media
First, fucking ouch, he definitely looks pained, meaning that whole manoeuvre wasn't as smooth as he pretended. As they slow down, he puts a bracing hand against the ground to prevent him rolling onto Tifa (because he's a gent and also toting a sword that weighs more than Barret lol).
What's interesting is where his left hand is in this. Make a note: middle of her back. Tifa's head is tucked into Cloud's neck – safety move, so nothing big there. I've seen some people note Tifa's leg is between Cloud's, but I'm gonna discount that as the way they've locked together during the roll. It's unintentional.
Tumblr media
Oh, but this isn't! Cloud has absolutely no reason to put his hand back on Tifa. He could leave it lying flat on the ground. You could argue he needs both to help her get off him, but she's on top. She can do that herself. He has no further need past the initial save to have his hands on her, unless that's what he wants. Obviously we can't see his face in this because of Tifa's hair, but this, combined with the next screen tell a very definite story.
Tumblr media
He moved his hand! That left hand, he didn't need to move it up in such a caressing gesture. Coupled with the very intense gaze he gives her, I was swooning like a maiden wearing a too tight corset lol
Now, you could argue he's just concerned, it's a high tension situation. Well, I argue that every single trope using this kind of scene results in sexual tension/flustered characters and/or a kiss. Remember, right at this second, he has no reason to still be lying with her like this. In fact, him moving his hand further up her back is a bracing gesture that would keep her close, not release her. Tifa's fists are balled against his chest, which signifies she's protecting her hands – she's a hand-to-hand fighter remember -- but her face is relaxed. She's not feeling awkward or eager to escape.
Tumblr media
Eye contact!! Can I just leave it at that? No? Cloud isn't actually the type to keep prolonged eye contact. Oh, did you think I was about to say something else? Well, for literally anyone who hasn't paid attention to him, Cloud often looks away when he feels awkward, flustered, unsure, basically any negative emotion. The only time he looks anyone in the eye is when he's confronting them or at ease. Remember, even when Jessie teased him about smiling during chapter 4 he looked away, embarrassed. Cloud doesn't handle eye contact well. Which is why this is such a huge deal. He's keeping prolonged eye contact with Tifa. He doesn't look away from her eyes when he asks if she's ok. And that question – ah my heart! So soft and tender. You can hear the care and concern in his tone. It anchors the entire scene from start to finish. Everything he just did was because he cares about Tifa and wants to look after her. He wants to make sure she's ok, even if it means he suffers for it. Pretty sure some people will disagree with this, but the damn man wore a dress and went through a humiliating dance routine – humiliating for him, I fucking loved it – just to save her. His first words in Wall Market are he wants to save Tifa, but Aerith cuts him off before he can finish the sentence.
Tumblr media
These are the moments that I have to go back over a million times to catch. Check the tiny eye narrowing and uplift at the corner of his mouth. She said she's ok and he's happy about it. He's her hero – in not so many words. Tifa's shaky reply and pale face confirm her shock and fear, but also you can see an easing of the tension in her. There's a subtle softening of her muscle definition and facial expression that displays the trust and belief she has in Cloud that he'd look after her. This is a very mutually appreciative moment between them. Definitely not one sided.
Tumblr media
And then the moment is over, without any flustered blushing or stammering, and thank God there wasn't because that would be so ooc I just can't with it. Cloud, despite being an awkward af dork who doesn't know how to deal with women hitting on him, doesn't turn into a flustered 14 year old trying to tell his crush he's leaving Nibelheim whenever they have contact. We've already seen smooth!Cloud giving Tifa a flower and complimenting her like a cheeky bastard. He can handle being around her because he feels comfortable. He can compliment her because of that, too. He might be slightly separated from those childhood feelings, but they're in there and they're motivating him to be outgoing towards her. To show her the cool SOLDIER he became that's worthy of being beside her.
But, yeah, back to the point. The moment is over. Or is it? Because that is some very further prolonged eye contact between them when there doesn't have to be. Tifa moves back, Cloud moves forward, they're both getting up and yet, they're both looking at each other. I don't know about you, but I find it easier to look where I'm going when I've fallen on my ass and need to get up. I sure af don't stare longingly into someone's eyes like I can't bear not to.
Tumblr media
And now it really is over because right after this the mechs arrive. But before that, some more prolonged eye contact. There literally is no need for them to do this at this point. Tifa looks pensive, but I think that's her default tbf. Yet, at the same time, there's an intensity in her gaze like she wants to say something – maybe it's just a thank you, that would turn into a flirty conversation of some sort “you didn't need to do that,” “I wanted to” kind of deal – so it makes sense they're interrupted because Square said they didn’t want to overdo the amount of Cloti content they added and this is already a very charged scene.
Meanwhile, Cloud is looking at her like she's his entire world and he's just waiting for her to realise it. There's an aura of expectation in his pose and face. They're both crouching in mirrored poses, which as some of you may know is what you do when you're trying to build rapport with someone. It's basic body language building blocks. Toddlers do this. They're both on one knee, slightly leaning forward. Now, if there was no rapport between them, if they wanted to end the moment, one of them would stand up, breaking the mirrored pose and cutting off eye contact. This would put one above the other and show an imbalance in their relationship. This doesn't happen. They both turn at the same time, rise at the same time and fight pose at the same time.
Conclusion:
Seriously? After all that you can't draw your own?
Ok, I'll be fair to the other side. Let's take away Cloud's history with Tifa – since that's the biggest argument for them: the childhood crush trope.
If Cloud and Tifa weren't friends, just colleagues on a mission, this scene would still be hella charged with sexual tension and implication that Cloud has a thing for her. Even if it's just basic sexual attraction, that's still attraction and a marker on the pathway to a relationship.
But, they are friends, so moving on.
Tifa is the more reserved one in this dynamic. She's naturally shy – it's canon – but even with that, she's affected by Cloud. She holds that eye contact. Her voice is equally soft as his. She mirrors his pose. She doesn't try to get away the second they stop moving. Cloud is the one to move things along, without awkwardness because he's comfortable with Tifa. He's not out of sorts having her lying on top of him – which you can argue means he's not interested, but I literally just pointed out all the ways in which he is into her. Being comfortable in someone's company doesn't mean a person isn't attracted to them. If I had to stick a pin in Cloud's sexuality I'd say he's on the demi scale, meaning he needs to have a deep emotional connection to whoever he's with before he falls in love with them. He's not a love at first sight kind of guy.
This fits with the childhood crush trope. Cloud's known Tifa for years and developed an attraction to her that still lingers, making a reconnection between them easier. He's not slobbering over her because he's Cloud and very stoic – I know people say his true self isn't like this, but it is only with more insecurity and desire to prove himself. He's still a very reserved guy with a dry sense of humour. He's prone to melancholy and self doubt, which is why his friends bolster his confidence so much.
Point is, everything in this scene showcases a deep and meaningful relationship between the two of them at its best, while at its most shallow it shows Cloud is sexually attracted to Tifa, which is something that could develop into a more meaningful relationship later. Either way, it's a marked moment in their interactions that Cloud's non-optional choices led to it. There's no either/or within this. It happened.
209 notes · View notes
Text
Second Time Around 7
Elon Musk 
A/n: RPF. 
Pairings: Elon Musk x Reader
Link to Chapter 6
________
The ride home was mostly silent. Neither Elon nor yourself said a word to the other. After the insane conversation over dinner, silence seemed nice. Walking into the house, you immediately went to the couch and sat down. Elon meanwhile, was in the kitchen looking for something alcoholic to drink. 
He was frowning over the thoughts of earlier. Maybe there was a part of Elon that hoped that you were just being dramatic over how bad your relationship with your mother really was. Now that he knew everything that you said about Pattie was true, Elon couldn’t help but be furious. 
“What are you thinking about?”
You asked from your place on the couch. Elon glanced over his shoulder. 
“Nothing.”
You sighed. 
“You’re still a bad liar.” 
Elon put his drink down before coming to join you on the couch. He sat quietly for a moment considering what words that he wanted to say. The whole subject seemed a bit too delicate to mess up with accidentally coldness. 
“I’m sorry. I was just thinking about everything that happened earlier. That was messed up. Fucked up is a better word. I guess part of me was hoping that you were over exaggerating your relationship with your mother. When the woman started talking...what came out of me was extremely nice compared to what was going through my head. I think you, however, handled it very well.” 
You smiled as Elon took your hand in his. He ran his index finger over your engagement ring before looking up. Elon was relieved to see that you were smiling. 
“Between you and me, I about threw a roll at her head.” 
Elon grinned. He would have paid money to have seen you lose your cool and just start throwing crap. Granted, the two of you probably wouldn’t be allowed at Ruth’s for dinner anymore but that was a chance that Elon was willing to take. Ruth’s good cooking didn’t mean that much to him. 
“Darling, I would have paid you money to throw something at that woman.” 
You lay your head on Elon’s shoulder; enjoying the brief moment of joy. 
“Y/n, I need to talk to you about something. It's nothing bad so please don’t look at me like that. Y/n, I am worried about the baby. I know that I had this calm, cool, and collected behavior earlier but I am worried. Everything is going to be fine but with our schedules...we both are going to have to make a lot of changes. As one of the people who knows me best, you know that I am not a great creature of change.”
Elon was worried about how you would take that. When you smiled, he felt even more relief. 
“I know. I talked to Kimbal earlier too.”
Elon looked disgusted as you stood up and went to find a drink for yourself. Coming back with a glass of water, you smiled at your fiance’s still annoyed expression. 
“Apparently talking to him in the strictest of confidence doesn’t mean too much.”
You put the drink down and tried to ignore that nagging feeling that was beginning to pool in your stomach. Why was it okay for Elon to talk to Kimbal about the subject of your child but he couldn’t talk to you? Hell, you were the one that was toting the kid around for the next few months. As much as you adored Kimbal and realized that Elon would talk to his brother about his feelings; you were bothered. The two of you made the kid. Kimbal was probably off doing whatever it was he did. 
“I wish that you could talk to me like you do him...seeing as I am the mother of your child and all.” 
Elon put his drink down and turned in your direction. 
“I didn’t want you to get emotional.” 
He instantly regretted his choice of words the moment that your face went from normal Y/n happy to Y/n pissed off. 
“Not get emotional? I am totally fine with you having fears and apprehension because, dear god, I am too! This right here is a lot of what our problem was before! We couldn’t communicate! Now it's happening again and we are about to have a baby thrown in the mix!” 
Elon winced.
Good going
Elon thought. He groaned before leaning back on the couch.
“Hormones are starting early.” 
You put your glass of water down on the table before standing up. Elon jumped up and blocked your path to the stairs. 
“Elon, get out of my way before I say something to you that I will regret later. I am about a second away from showing you hormones.” 
Elon moved out of your way, holding his hands up. He waited until you were half way up the stairs to start after you. 
“I am trying to talk to you and you are the one running off.” 
You stopped before turning. 
“Do you want to know why I am really mad now? You forgot my doctor's appointment today! I sat there at that doctor’s office like an idiot waiting for you to show up! How do you think that made me feel? Crappy just so you know!”
You turned and stormed the rest of the way up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind you. 
Flopping on the bed, you heard Elon stomping up the stairs after you. When he tried to open the door but couldn’t because it was locked; you heard him let a string of cuss words go.
“I happen to know for a fact that you doctor’s appointment is next Thursday.”
You laughed. 
“No, darling. Today is next Thursday. I told you before you left yesterday morning that they moved it up.”
Elon scratched his head before realizing that he had totally spaced. Between worrying about work, the idea of being a father again, and then you changing appointments...that was the thing that slipped. 
“Y/n, I am sorry….I forgot.” 
You stood up and carefully walked to the door. Opening it, Elon stood on the other side looking beyond guilty. 
“Did you miss any of Justine’s appointments or is it just mine?”
Elon was staring at you with wide eyes. He looked like you had slapped him. 
“That is below the belt.” 
You shrugged. As much as you hated to admit it, the dark fears and worries from your failed attempt at love with the man had been creeping back into your head. Maybe it was the fact that Justine dropped by to pick the boys up before you had to rush to Ruth’s. The two of you had talked about your pregnancy briefly…
Justine stood on the other side of the island. She was drinking the coffee that you had politely offered her. You were trying to get rid of the “guest” coffee that neither Elon nor yourself liked. The more people that the two of you could pawn the shit off on the better. 
“Elon told me that you were expecting. He didn’t say how far you were.” 
You had just come home from the appointment and your nerves were still on edge. The feeling of being let down by Elon was still painfully fresh. 
“Well, he wouldn’t know. I had my first appointment today.” 
Justine nodded, looking a little concerned. 
“Was he not with you?” 
You shook your head. The last thing that you were about to do was let Justine in on your love life. It was time to lie.
“He had a meeting come up. I have another appointment in a few weeks so he can catch up on that one.” 
Justine gave you a sympathetic smile. 
“I’m sorry to hear that. I know how important it is to have the child’s father there. I guess that is one good thing about Elon and I having kids when we did. He wasn’t busy all of the time like he is now. I have to say Y/n, you are a stronger woman than I am.” 
You tried to fight the angry tears that were threatening to spill from your eyes. 
“Yeah, well...shit happens.”
You pulled yourself from the memory of the conversation with Justine. Elon was still giving you a clearly displeased expression. 
“Yeah, it may be below the belt but that’s how I feel. I am entitled to my feelings. Hormone driven or not...if you don’t like it I’m sorry..” 
Elon sighed. He didn’t want to continue this conversation. Maybe he would have his normal fiance back soon. Elon had to admit it, he understood you being upset. From him forgetting the first appointment to the disaster that happened with Pattie; you had a shitty day! 
“I’m going downstairs for a bit.”
He said sheepishly. You turned to go back to the bed. 
“That sounds like a good idea. I am taking a large sleeping pill and going to bed.” 
_________
@elonscult and @xjjlex
47 notes · View notes
retiredgremlin · 3 years
Note
God I feel your anguish about Psych so much that it hurts. I’m also on the latter parts of season 5, but motivating myself to actually go through them is just so hard. Like Shawn was so smart and unique, noticing all the little things and making connections, but then he just became so dumb in the end that i was like,,,, why??? He just stumbles and tramples around places and then suddenly the case is solved 😭. And Gus was just reduced to a comedic sidekick, who’s always hitting on the ladies? Just there for the jokes. And Juliet became The Girlfriend. Just there cuz she’s the girlfriend. And Lassiter too. He was a very complex and interesting character but became a gun toting republican or something lmfao. There are definitely some cool episodes where they tried out interesting things, but the character dynamic that I fell in love with is just not there :(
Anyways sorry for rambling in your inbo haha
analysis and discussion are always welcome in my inbox and also commiseration over our shared pain. 🥺😩 you get me and im sorry we gotta suffer like this
I’ve found tho that having a watch buddy does wonders for getting me through episodes because at least i have someone to yell at real time. maybe that could help you push through??
Which like!! They made Shawn a ditzy goofball facsimile of what he used to be in the early seasons by the end. Season 7 has been like a parody of psych produced by the people that made psych. That’s what i have to tell myself to get my brain to calm down enough that i can just watch it and try to find little bits of amusement and not just frown at my screen for 40 minutes. 
But yeah, they basically commit character assassination on the whole cast and do them so damn dirty. The humor also just seems to degrade and that’s why we’re tossed these gag scraps of humor instead of the more substantial and amusing feel good packed early season episodes encapsulated. Which was so amazing to me!! early season psych is such a feel good show where these characters paly off each other so well and create this fun interesting energy while investigating these mysteries with good pacing to allow the story to be character driven and attend to both a main plot and the general byplay. Meanwhile, s7 is entirely driven by story beats with no breathing room, no resting, no byplay. only short gag jokes that skip to the next scene. 7x02 nearly sent me into a conniption fit, ngl, with the major mishandling of nearly everything imo. There’s all these fun concepts they have that just fall flat to me due to poor execution and it’s such a god damn shame because we literally know they can do better because we’ve seen seasons 1-4.
and the CONTRADICTIONS the writing hits us with the longer the series goes on 😩😩😩 that’s just bad/lazy writing. really, the character degradation is that too. they dumbed everyone down and flattened them out to make it easier to write them instead of having to maintain complex and interesting characters that existed outside of a gag
no need to apologize, im known for going off so like. i feel u. we good.
8 notes · View notes
loveafterthefact · 4 years
Text
Love After the Fact Chapter 7: A Spark of Electricity
Keith makes a new friend and discovers he’s been committing tax fraud his entire life completely unknowing 🤣
First  Previous  Next
Keith stirs. It hadn’t occurred to him that sharing a bed with Lance might be to his benefit, but he finds it better than being alone. He’s spent a few decaphoebs of his childhood alone already.  
Being alone as a kit does a lot of damage. It can make the kit skittish and paranoid. It impedes their ability to express themselves, both verbally and through body language. Especially body language. It leads to depression and antisocial behavior.
And it makes sleeping difficult. Kits are instinctively driven only to sleep when their older littermates or parents are around. It keeps them safe. As such, having a full-grown, larger Altean sleeping only a few dashes away does a lot for him.
It can’t repair what was done to him as a small kit crying on a cliff’s edge for his father to get up and climb back up to find him, but it helps.
Except now he's alone, curled up by himself beneath the warm blankets. Or is he alone? There's a static sound, a flash behind his eyelids, a curse. Keith opens his eyes.
A small girl, an Olkari, is fussing with a panel in the wall. Much like himself, Keith can't imagine that she's an adult. But when she turns around, she wasn’t exactly a child, either. More adolescent. But extremely small.
“Oh, great, you’re awake! Keith, right? That’s what Lance said you like to be called.” Seemingly benign.
“Who are you?” Keith asks, blinking sleep and tangled hair from his eyes.
“Pidge. I’m the resident tech expert around here. I’m modifying the lighting system so that you can adjust it from your datapad. There was a glitch, unfortunately, which Lance picked up earlier when he went to adjust it for you before he left. My fault. Happens to the best of us. I’d fix it the ‘normal’ way, but the Castle isn’t Olkari tech, so old-fashioned way it is! Besides, I don't mind it. I actually like doing it this way.”
Normal way? This is the normal way! Keith sits up. “I don’t have a datapad.”
Pidge holds up a piece of glass with a white border around it. “Now you do.” She tosses it onto the bed. “I’m almost done with this. Just give me a second. Then I’ll help you set it up. Can you read Altean?”
“No.” He can, but the girl doesn’t need to know that. Keith busies himself with tracing the embroidery on the duvet cover.
“You're a terrible liar, but that's your business. That’s fine. I can program the pad to translate everything into Galran for you. We can even go old school and use a handprint scanner to unlock it, if you want. Only you and Lance would be able to get into it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Lance said that Hunk and I are to make you as happy and welcome as possible and since we’re friends, I’m happy to oblige.”
“We’re friends? Who’s Hunk?”
“Lance, Hunk, and I are friends.” Pidge pressed the sparking tool back to a wire. “You are... a potential friend. Lance says you seem alright.”
“I’m flattered,” Keith deadpans. Pidge laughs. She’s not... so bad. Nothing here, minus the people Lance calls ‘courtiers’, are too terrible. And the Altean food. That’s terrible too. Also the clothes.
There's a lot that's terrible.
“Be nice, and maybe I’ll make you a body modification so you can taste sweet things?”
“You can do that?” Pidge nods, replacing a panel in the wall, work seemingly complete. “But you’re... just a girl? Like, a very young girl.”
“Nonbinary, actually. But yes, I am quite young.” Pidge smiles, removing the magnifying lenses from their eyes.
“Oh. Sorry. I-” Keith had assumed that most species followed the laws of the Alteans. he'd assumed his species was unusual.
“No worries. Just try to remember for the future and we're all good.” Pidge gets up from the floor, coming to sit on the bed like it's their own. “So, you wanna turn that datapad on?” Keith sucks on his lip, ears wilting as he inspects the datapad for a button. “Here. Gimme.”
Keith hands the datapad to Pidge, blushing beneath his short facial fur. The Olkari shows him a small button on the side, turning it on and handing it back to him. They spend the next varga showing him how to use it, how to translate texts, how to access the castle’s documents. They even show him how to tap into video feeds they’ve set up to spy on the kings in Alfor’s laboratory, though they warn him that not everything that happens in there is alchemy. At least not in the traditional sense.
Apparently Coran likes to visit. Also? Gross.
After all of that, Keith finds himself just... chatting with the young Olkari. They poke him and prod him and shine a flashlight in his ears. They ask probing questions about his personal biology and what purpose such trimorphism might serve.
“Well, it used to be that child-bearing and care was more of a... communal thing? We didn’t always form the strong bonds with our mates that we do now. But since our trimorphism doesn’t hold any disadvantage, our biology hasn’t changed.”
“That. Is so cool.” Pidge fiddles with another panel in another wall while Keith makes note of which foods he likes from the sampler he’s just received for breakfast. “Keith?”
“Hm?” Keith looks up from a small bowl of deep green beans, licking the corner of his mouth. Pidge turns, absently playing with the end of his tail. They’re a cute little thing, Keith decides. Inquisitive. Benign. A kit, like himself.
“How old are you?”
“Just nineteen decaphobes. Turned nineteen a few movements ago.”
“So you’re just a pup. Like me.” Keith nods, gesturing for them to continue. “Why would Zarkon marry you off, then?”
“Didn’t like my dad. Different perspectives, I guess? My father wanted to focus more on internal growth; Zarkon wanted to focus on expansion. They had a falling out.” Keith twitches his tail, watching the inquisitive Olkari chase it with their honey-colored eyes. “It happens sometimes. Anyway, I think he wanted me gone. Bring back sad memories, I guess.”
“How did you end up with him anyway?”
Keith’s ear wilt, tail stilling. “My father... died. Zarkon sent me to live with a friend, Takashi. He's basically my littermate.”
There was so much more to it than that, but Keith didn’t want to talk about it. Pidge narrowed their eyes at him, and Keith knew they could tell he was hiding things. Finally, they nod.
“Well, at least Zarkon didn’t hold your father against you.”
“No, he didn’t. He hoped I would be happy here, I think. He worries about me.” Keith tucks his legs up to his chest. Pidge hums, reaching out to touch a tangled lock of Keith’s hair. They begin working the knots out of it.
“I’d worry too, if my child nephew was married off to the likes of Crown Prince Lancel. He’s got quite the reputation. Or did. Adam says everyone was astounded when he showed up to hold court today. Especially King Coran. King Alfor's heart probably stopped when he heard about it.”
“What does Lance normally do?” Keith latches onto the change of topic.
“Hm. Runs all over. Flirts. Goofs off. Goes hunting. Flirts some more. The people like him as a person, but they don’t care for him as their crown prince. Y’know, because a crown prince becomes a king, and a king needs to like, do stuff. Other than the local prostitutes.”
Keith grins just in time for the door to open for Lance himself, followed by Adam toting a stack of tablets.
“Okay... question one,” Lance mutters, nose stuck in his own datapad. “What the quiznak are taxes?” Adam sighs, exasperated.
Pidge gives Keith a significant look. “Do you want to laugh or shall I?”
“As his spouse, I claim that right.” Keith dissolves into quiet laughter, the Olkari following suit.
“Oh, great!” Lance vaults over the back of the couch with a comb. “You two are getting along. Pidge, Keith. Keith, Pidge-”
“We’ve already done that,” Pidge informs him.
“Excellent! Anyhoo, Keith, your hair is a mess. Come here.” Lance doesn’t wait for a response, instead taking one lock of Keith’s hair at a time, starting at the ends and working his way up.
"...Thanks. I'll- I'll get it cut. It's inconvenient like this."
"No, don't you dare. I need you to keep it." Adam looks like he might throttle Keith. "Do you have any idea how difficult it will be to endear you to these fops? The cuter and more harmless you look, the better."
"Gee, thanks," Keith grumbles. Pidge snickers, going through the pockets of Lance's... what is it with Altean clothes? Lance has pants, but then a skirt in the back? What's even the point of that? He also had a cape? Nevermind. Pidge searches in the pockets of his pants.
Keith allows Lance to do as he likes since the comb doesn't hurt. He occupies himself chatting amicably with Pidge, taking comfort in the blunt openness and bright enthusiasm that they exude. Lance joins in, braiding a red-and-gold ribbon into Keith’s hair. The seamsmaster has assigned Keith an aesthetic and run with it. But the braid looks pretty, so whatever.
If only the matching wardrobe were more comfortable.
Hair done, Keith climbs up into the loft, watching from above as Adam and Pidge team up to teach Lance about taxes. He likes Pidge. Likes how sweet Lance is with them, giving them bits of junk he’s found lying about, letting them sit in his lap and scan the soft scales on his face with some device. He yelps when they try to stroke them against the grain. Pidge, unaware that it would hurt, apologizes immediately. Lance just waves it off, the same way Pidge waved off Keith's misgendering earlier.
These people. They're so easy-going. Adam is a tight-ass, but he's definitely overworked and probably overtired. Lance and Pidge seem to take offense to little, brushing off accidental hurts like one might brush off a drop of rain. Keith likes them well enough, but he's content to do so from his loft, where he can't be disappointed if they don't like him back.
Instead, he listens. And learns. Apparently, taxes are an allotment of money taken from the citizens to fund the crown. Who knew?
Living in the woods like a wild animal is not taxable. Keith smirks, realizing that he's technically a life-long criminal.
Wait until Lance finds out.
19 notes · View notes
fae-fucker · 3 years
Text
Zenith: Chapter 68-71
Chapter 68
Andi remembers how Kalee gave her a tour of her home and bragged about how she’d be ruling the place someday. Andi asks why her and not her brother.
Oh, Androma. Kalee had laughed then, tossing her head back in that glorious, carefree way that made everyone around her want to come closer. You and I both know that a woman can rule better than any man ever could. And I’ll look twice as good doing it, too.
Shinsay, voices muffled as their heads are stuck up each other’s asses: This is definitely, 100%, one whole, bona fide, authentic, organic, home-grown feminism that we just put in our book.
Also ... take a look at that weak-ass description that’s supposed to show us how good and cool Kalee is. When she laughs (in a way that tbh have you ever laughed? be real with me now), people want to ... come closer? 
Wow! That’s like saying ... when I scratch my face, people want to call their mom. When I brush my hair, people may spontaneously feel the need to take a slightly deeper breath.
Talk about low standards. Hey fellas, you ever see someone laugh and just kinda sorta want to approach them but not really? Yeah, that’s the stuff.
Andi thinks about how Kalee would’ve been a better ruler than her dad, who doesn’t even bother coming down to meet his tortured son because that’s how incompetent and evil and heartless he is. I mean, Andi doesn’t know that Valen is the result of rape, but still. Idk if I’m on board with how the book demonizes the hell out of the General but tried to make whatsherface sympathetic. And by “I don’t know if I am” I mean “I’m definitely not what the fuck is wrong with these people.”
Dex tries to make some conversation and Andi says that nobody befriended Kalee, that only super duper special people were CHOSEN by her to become her friends.
I’m ... not sure how this is supposed to be better. In fact, I’d say it’s worse?
“Kalee chose the people she wished to let into her life. I was honored that she allowed me to be assigned to her.”
“Honored?” Dex asked, raising a bruised brow. “Or damned?”
“I’ll let you know after we talk to the general,” Andi said.
I’m gonna fiking piss. “I’ll tell you whether this important life event was honor or damnation, but like, later, after we have this appointment, ok?” Why is this so funny. Have I fully lost my marbles?
Andi foreshadows some escape tunnels that are hidden all around the estate so Dex has a logical way to save them at the end of the book. I’m sure there is a more elegant way of setting that up, but I can’t be bothered to find one, so let’s call it acceptable and move on.
They arrive at their destination and Andi notices that Alfie seems bummed out. She muses that he’s “capable of far more complex thinking than she’d originally guessed,” which, DOY, but ok, and then thinks about how he’s saved her crew and remembered Gilly’s Marketable Space Pet, which implies he has some “understanding of feelings and attachments.”
Tumblr media
That hamster wheel do be spinnin’.
The “head Spectre” comes out to meet them and ...
It took everything in her to speak as the truth struck her.
“Dad?”
DUN DUN DUUUN, it’s Andi’s dad! Also, “the truth struck her?” What truth? That it’s your dad? Was that in doubt? Did you really need a moment to connect the dots, to realize this is your dad? Was there a moment where you saw this man, who is your dad, and thought that this wasn’t your dad, only for the truth to strike and OH SHIT THAT’S MY DAD!! WOW HOLD YOUR HORSES EVERYONE I NEED TIME TO PROCESS THAT THIS IS INDEED MY DAD.
Tbh if you strapped knives to a roomba it’d have more charisma and presence as the protagonist than Andi. And let’s be real, more intelligence.
Yet another chapter ends on a pointless cliffhanger only for the scene to continue exactly where it left off!
You’re just full of surprises, Shinsay.
Chapter 69 (nice)
Andi recaps everything that she’s gone through after the Kalee crash up to the fight with the big alien dude who got deus ex machina-d by Alfie and how she nearly kissed Dex, which gets written as extra special, just so she can make this point:
But this...her father, as General Cortas’s head Spectre?
This might actually kill her.
And aside from how generically melodramatic it is, I can’t help but recall this, from chapter 7:
The man in front of her was a victim of her foolishness. Beside her was the man who’d rejected her love.
The two of them, together? It was nearly enough to shatter Andi.
Andi has the same reaction as I do when in a room with multiple men. Except in her case I think it’s supposed to be deep and personal.
Anyway, self-plagiarism aside, Andi thinks about how her dad was always there for her but then one day wasn’t when he didn’t support her on her trial and how conflicted she feels about him, both wanting to demand justice but also wanting comfort. This is actually quite touching and feels very grounded and realistic.
General Cortas rubs it in that Andi’s dad, “Comander Racella”, has been very loyal and hardworking since he was promoted after Andi’s trial. Andi hopes that her father actually hates the general and was forced to work for him as some sort of punishment for what happened with their daughters.
The general says the situation on Adhira has been taken care of, and when Andi asks whether Xen Ptera attacked because of Valen and her crew’s presence on Adhira, the general says that’s classified. For reasons? Idk. Seems pretty obvious to me, or maybe he just doesn’t know?
Dex tries to yap but Cortas flexes his big dick and reminds Dex that he’s a Guardian now, and Dex is too much of a baby to risk his regained status so he shuts up. This is all spelled out for us by Andi’s inner monologue, because we’re idiots.
The general claims the Xen Pteran forces have been wiped out, saying how it’s probably all they had since there’s few able-bodied and willing people to recruit for war after their planet got fucked, and when Andi presses him for why the attack happened now and on Adhira, he says:
“War never really ends, Androma. The desire for revenge is often too strong to forget.”
“War never ends ... But me and my crew totes ended that war just now. They don’t have any more soldiers so this war is over.” Makes sense, sir. 
Cortas says that queen Alara is safe and will be at the Peace Summit, which Andi immediately tells him to cancel because it would be the perfect opportunity for another attack. Cortas replies by saying that Arcardius is impenetrable and that the day the Olen System successfully invades will be the day “stars fall from the sky” which is a very poetic and not at all natural way to say something like this, so it’s there for ... idk dramatic irony? He also reminds her that the Summit is important because it celebrates the peace after the war and the unity between the systems and I’m here like ... for a guy who says war never ends, you sure seem happy to celebrate a war ending and don’t believe one is going on right now. But I guess these characters just exist to spout meaningless yet deep-sounding nonsense at each other.
Dex reminds the general that they’ve done their end of the deal, at which point the general conveniently decides to prolong it out of nowhere and essentially forces Andi and Dex to be Valen’s bodyguards at the Peace Summit by holding Andi’s crew and ship and Dex’s money and status hostage. Thanks for ensuring the main characters are there for the climax, sir! Appreciated!
Dex and Andi leave in a huff.
Chapter 70
We’re in Lira’s POV as she reminisces about her childhood with Lon while he’s recovering from his near-death-experience.
So she sat by [Lon’s] side for endless hours, until the warm clutches of sleep stole her away.
She dreams about flying on an “Adhiran darowak” but then DUN DUN DUUUN Adhira below turns into Xen Ptera and it’s horrible!
“No,” Lira gasped. Her heart began to crack. Fissures spread through it, reaching cold fingers through every valve until Lira felt darkness stealing her away.
So the editor just left that in, huh? Just let Shinsay use the exact same wording in less than 200 words? Must’ve been stolen away by the editing fairy for editing crimes while reading this.
Lira is woken up by Alara, who got here so fucking fast she must be part-Sonic on her father’s side. You’d think a planetary leader would have more to do after a sudden and deadly attack on her home planet, but I guess Adhirans are so chill they’ll just let their leader fuck off to take care of her angsty teenage niece instead.
Lira says that she’ll do anything to make up for bringing Valen to Adhira, to which Alara says that the only thing Lira will do is “follow her heart,” which is sweet of her to say but also really convenient and makes this whole decision easier for her.
I mean, it’s nice that Alara is so supportive, but 1) narratively, it removes the conflict that was introduced only a few chapters ago 2) it makes Alara seem like she’s only there to be the supportive cool aunt and the Good Queen, without any expectations or wants of her own. Like, wasn’t the pressure from Alara something that gave Lira actual conflict? Idk. Seems too easy, is what I’m saying.
Lira didn’t let go of her aunt until the tears dried up. Until they sat down on either side of Lon’s bedside, held his hands and spoke of happier times. The beauty of a family that could come together, broken, and still find a way to become something whole.
You’re one step away from “Ohana means family” over here, Shinsay. Stop spelling shit out. WE. GET. IT. Also, whose narration is this? We’ve mostly stuck to third person limited, so ... is Lira thinking this? Is she thinking this shit while it’s happening? About her own family and situation? What the fuck?
Shinsay couldn’t keep their suspiciously sticky fingers out of their own writing and let it breathe so it comes out looking like God’s mistake.
Anyway, Lon wakes up and Alara tells him what went down on Adhira.
Chapter 71
We’re back with Andi, who just got out of a bath and is bitterly admiring her “private quarters” when she’s interrupted by DUN DUN her dad! He’s been waiting for her!
It’s all very tense. Before they can really start talking, though, we get a flashback. No, really. This whole tense reunion between father and daughter is interrupted by a lengthy flashback brought on by Andi watching her dad and Remembering.
Because Shinsay.
It’s a flashback to Andi in a cell, the day before she was supposed to be executed. Her dad tells her that her mother is "not well” and we find out his name is Oren. As they’re saying their tearful goodbyes, Oren slips Andi a key and tells her “Bay Seven. Tomorrow at dawn.” 
The flashback ends with Andi’s cell standing empty the next morning.
Very cool and all that.
Back in the now, Andi rightfully chews her dad out for being a cowardly little bitch and throwing his teenage daughter under the bus for the sake of status. Something he freely admits to doing. He says he and her mother had to struggle to rebuild their reputation after she ruined it, and that he believes his daughter died with Kalee and that whoever he saved in the cell was already the Bloody Baroness even if she didn’t know it yet. Then he fucks off.
It’s all extremely silly. It would’ve been heartbreaking in any better book, but instead, it just feels like it’s tacked on for the sake of adding even more angst to Androma’s character. In fact, she’s not even upset at this. Instead she just carves some more tallies into her swords, dances some more with the dead, and then sneaks out.
No really, it’s written like a list.
She waited for the tears to come. But they never did.
Instead she sat alone, adding more tallies to her swords. Dancing with the dead inside her head.
Why is this so funny! I think it’s because both the tally-carving and the ghost-dancing is supposed to be these deep and haunted things she does that’s given a fair amount of weight and focus, but then it’s just written out like this like it’s just some generic routine shit she does like brushing her teeth or wiping her ass.
Yup, there she goes, doing her generic angsty shit one after the other. Emotional whiplash glossed over for the sake of moving the plot along. She’s in such a bad mental state that we simply MUST ignore it and move on.
Also, I want to highlight how convenient it is for Shinsay to already have Andi suspect and previously coming to terms with how her parents don’t love her before this confrontation. Like, we see her father save her tearfully, yet Andi has almost no hope that he still loves her. Or, she does, but when it’s squashed, she just ... accepts it? Because hey, she already processed that trauma years before! Makes it easy!
Wouldn’t it make it more impactful if all these years, she’s hoped that she has a home to come back to? That her father’s final act of saving her meant they love her still and want her to come back? And now she finds out that they never even mourned her loss? Wouldn’t that be heart-wrenching? And also add to the idea that Andi wants to return to Arcardia, both because it’s her home planet but also because that’s where her parents are? Instead we’re led to believe Andi wants to return, but when she does, she hates it here, she knows nobody wants her here, and she wants to leave immediately.
I seriously question the inclusion of this subplot and these characters. It adds nothing, changes nothing, and is just there to make Andi more angsty, which she already is, so ... why is this here lmao?
Shinsay really went “let’s squander all our potentially interesting ideas and concepts for the sake of more cheap angst and making our protag a cool emotionless badass who don’t care for no thing.”
7 notes · View notes
under-the-blue-sun · 4 years
Text
come through ('cause I just want to be with you) - chapter one
story summary: Dan is half-angel half-demon whose parents sent him to earth to try and live a normal life when he turned 18. In doing this, he lost any power he had, if proven he could live among them normally. The only rule? He couldn't fall in love with a mortal. Fast forward 5 years later, just before his 23rd birthday, when things go downhill once he meets a barista in a coffee shop who he befriends and falls for.
chapter word count: 844
rating: teen & up audiences
warnings: profanity 
song of the chapter:  Never Let me Go - Florence + The Machine
note: I am so glad to finally post this! This fic was written for the Phandom Reverse Bang, and one of my first two chaptered fics I'm posting.Before you read this fic, I would like to thank the two awesome people in my team. Firstly, I send my love to my artist, Alex ( @flymetomanchester ) who was absolutely amazing and supportive, and made this awesome prompt which inspired me so so much! I can only dream to create moodboards that awesome. Secondly, my beta, Ky ( @enby-lego-dinosaur ), was simple fantastic, editing my muddled words and editing my fic so nicely! I honestly couldn't have done this without your help. Thank you so much! I will be updating this fic every 10 days, so let's see how quickly I mess up the schedule! Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy my (very short) first chapter of "come through ('cause I just want to be with you)".
link to ao3
Chapter One: reflections still look the same to me (as before i went under)
“Sir? Sir!”
Dan blinked, and looked up towards the ceiling. “God?”
God laughed awkwardly. “My name’s Pete, actually. I’m a library assistant. The library’s closing in five minutes.”
Dan flushed pink. “Sorry, Pete. I’ll, uh. Ready my things.”
“Thanks.” Pete said, walking away. “I like your bag, by the way.”
Dan glanced at his special edition Final Fantasy 7 tote bag and smiled at the library assistant. “Thanks.”
He softly groaned as he sat upright, the bones in his back cracking as he straightened his body. He had no idea how humans could stand such a fucked-up body for their entire life. Rubbing his eyes, he quickly shoved everything in his bag and headed to the library exit.
He nodded at the blonde library assistant before leaving the library. “Thanks, Pete.”
“No problem,” he replied, a smile playing on his lips. “See you around.”
“See you around,” Dan replied, even though he probably wouldn’t see him around. He could already see Chris crucifying him for not getting Pete’s number. 
Dan turned back around. “Have a good evening.”
Before he could hear Pete’s reply, he wrapped his scarf around his neck and plunged himself into the dark atmosphere of the English night.
--
It’s been four years since he found out he was going to be sent down to Earth for the safety of himself and his family.
Four years ago, he was in heaven walking on sidewalks of gold, not really giving a shit about God. Now, he lived in a tiny flat in England, praying every day for his landlord to not kick him out. He couldn’t say if that was for better or for worse. When he left, he thought that he would miss his home but after four years, he’s more glad than upset that he left that place for good.
Dan chucked his keys on the counter and swung his tote bag over his slowly-breaking butt chair. He sighed loudly as the landline rang from his kitchen.
“Dan Howell speaking,” he said in a flat voice, grabbing his two-minute noodles from the cupboard.
“Dan,” a gruff voice said, and Dan immediately placed his noodles down on the counter.
“Oh,” Dan said. “Dad. Hi.”
He wasn’t the only one thinking about what had happened four years prior, apparently. Well, it was either that, or Dan had somehow fucked up. 
“Just wanted to check in. How are you doing?”
“Good. I was just studying for my philosophy test next week in the library.” Dan said.
“Good. That’s good.” 
There was a brief silence as Dan waited for his Dad to say something.
“Look, is there a reason to why you’re calling or-”
“PJ wants to talk to you. His phone went out of charge.”
Dan breathed a sigh of relief. That made more a lot more sense than the two options he was envisioning.
“Oh, okay, cool. Uh, see you, Dad.”
“See you, son,” Dad replied awkwardly, as he passed the phone to PJ.
PJ cleared his throat dramatically. “So I was thinking.” 
Dan rolled his eyes and smirked. “What a miracle.”
“The more effort you put into how well you dress, the more people want to see you without all your clothes. So, we should all just walk around naked.” PJ concluded.
Dan blinked. “That’s what you wanted to use my dad’s phone to tell me?”
“Pretty much.” PJ said.
Dan sighed. 
“You know, before, I never really understood why people on Earth were so confused and scared of angels.” Dan nodded. “I get it now.”
PJ laughed. “How are you?”
“Yeah, okay. You?”
“Same old, same old. Heavenly, you know?”
Dan rolled his eyes. “You know, in twelve days it will have been four years since I was sent down to Earth.”
“Wow,” PJ replied.  “Seems like yesterday.”
“I know, right? Dude, I gotta eat dinner. Call me tomorrow. And please don’t use my dad’s phone.”
PJ snickered. “Yeah, I’ll try, Mr Howell.”
“Shut up.”
“I can’t believe your name is Daniel Howell. Of all the Earth surnames you could have had, and you got stuck with Howell? What does that even mean, howell-ing to the moon?”
“I wish.” Dan sighed. “It’s named after a mound in Lincolnshire.”
“Oh my god. Dan Mound? I’m so calling you that from now on.”
Dan huffed. “I-”
“Goodbye, Daniel Mound. Good talk.”
“No, wait-” Dan began, but was interrupted by the beeping of a hung up call.
It was a funny image. An angel, hanging up a call. It was funny to imagine angels the way humans envisioned them, armed with a cell phone and a sharp sense of humour.
Dan sadly watched as the noodles slowly boiled, and watched the television thinking about all the things he should be doing. He jumped in the freezing cold shower and made a mental note to ask Chris whether he could shower at his place.
When he finally collapsed in his bed, he was somehow exhausted.
“Good night,” he said quietly to no one in particular, and shut his eyes to drift into a troubled sleep.
18 notes · View notes
mysterylover123 · 4 years
Text
Mysterylover Watches Bleach Episodes 55-57
mysterylover123
1. Man I am hyped going into this next set. We’re getting into the climax of this arc and I’m hoping for some serious action! 
2. So Ichi starts the episode by taking out all the redshirt Shinigami Lieutenants without even using the sword, because he’s boss mode now, before RukiBRo jumps in. So I’m guessing most of this will be the Mono v Mono between ichigo and Byakuya
3. “Even if I did explain the principle, you’d never understand” what the principle of being a massive prick? Yeah I think we can all understand that. (I’m sure eventually he’ll be likable, because Shonen. Just right now he’s a real massive douche and I’m having fun hating on him)
4. More RenRuki bickering and Ichigo/Renji bonding in flashback. And ichigo and Rukia friendship stuff. This trio is amazing. OOH AND RENJI IS GONNA DO THE MIGHT-UING THEN? YAS!!!!!
5. “Share that burden with Ichigo and with me” OOH. FRIENDSHIP TRIO. POTENTIAL OT3. SHARE THAT BURDEN RUKI. YOU HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS. And she grabs his heart while he’s bridal carrying her. These two make a damn fine couple. 
6. And Yoruichi is here to kill Evil Bob Cut Shinigami girl in time to save her friend or something. YAS PLEASE ASSEMBLE THE WHOLE CAST RIGHT NOW. I need Hime to make a dynamic entrance with her crew at some point and save everyone’s butts like shonen characters tend to do
7. OOH THE PRETTY BOY ONE. He was with Orihime’s Squad. Please let her show up soon.
8. There’s a lot of Shinigami character drama that I really have no comment on. Like, I’m watching it, but the whole time I’m thinking “please cut back to Ichigo vs Rukibro or Orihime or Ruki and Renji right now”.
9. OOH ask and you shall recieve! A bunch of people were healed by Orihime and they’re of course instantly joining her fan club. Because who wouldn’t.
10. Yoruichi apparently has a rival, which is cool. Lady rivals! (to sum up this conversation: Shinigami girl: “When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master.” Yoru: Only a master of evil, hon. And Hot damn Yoru is badass
11. Yori and her ex pupil have some dang hot chemistry. Like there are some anime fights that don’t have “just make out already” chemistry but many of them are totes “get a room already” and this one has that energy.
12. Damn she seriously fucked her up tho. And THERE’S THE BUTTERFLY HOLY CRAP. FROM THE OP. NOW I KNOW. and of course Yoru is still cool AF and doesn’t give a crap. She’s amazing
13. Guess I’m going for 3 eps this time. This fight between master and former apprentice is badass
14. And some backstory on the two. Damn they are super shippable. (Does some searching) Ooh YoruSoi is actually pretty popular? OK THEN I’M ON BOARD. New ship! 
15. Desperate emotional “I must protect her” vibes. Holding each other while practicing. Staring up at the full moon while sakura petals fall around them. Yoru’s head in Soi Fun’s lap. Damn get a room you two. 
16. So how did this go wrong? Yoru disappeared. Basically ditched her girlfriend for no apparent reason. (”you vowed we’d always be together” such subtelty such heterosexuality)
17. AND WE’RE FINALLY BACK TO ICHIGO VS RUKIBRO. This is what I expected the ep to be about but instead we got Shinigami antics. Huh. Oh well I assume we’ll get this next time. 
18 notes · View notes
bisexualsforprompto · 4 years
Text
Worth Chapter Two
(Mostly some introductions, integral exposition. The next chapter will be far more interesting).
~~~~~~~
Marinette walked onto the plane, the day was a much better day. She had a whole breakfast, and was so excited that she never even thought of disappointing anybody. That is until she got onto the bus, Lila started talking about how the city was crime ridden and she couldn’t believe Marinette would let them go. Marinette’s heart sank, she was right. Gotham was dangerous, if something happened she’d never forgive herself. She’d be a failure just like Chat always knew.
Luckily for her, Lila’s story had to be centered around the liar herself so she quickly changed the subject and regaled the bus with her “true stories” of how she and Batman had teamed up, he even wanted to make her a superhero, but of course Lila was too busy. She also told the bus about how her and Damian Somethingorother (marinette couldn’t remember the name because her BS detector was going off too loudly) were in an on again off again relationship. Marinette sat down in a back seat in the bus, she knew that Alya wouldn’t join her, she was too invested in Lila’s story, but to her delight Kay joined her.
Kay Khan was Marinette’s other best friend. Gigantic theatre nerd, couldn’t go a day without talking or singing but Marinette wouldn’t have it any other way. The rest of the class thought she was a little odd, but she was a genius. Like freaky smart, so they all tried to work with her when they could. Unfortunately for Kay, Marinette was really her only friend because she was...overly blunt. Kay didn’t have a filter and Lila took her down pretty quickly.
On Kay’s first day she came into the class and expressed her adoration of theatre when Miss. Bustier asked her what her hobbies were. Kay told the class that her favorite musical was Newsies because Jeremy Jordan was the original Jack Kelley. So of course Lila said that she personally knew him, on that day Marinette was not happy. Chat had been a handful the night before and she expected the new girl to fall for Lila’s lies, instead Kay asked, “Wasn’t he just amazing in Dairy Boys?” Lila nodded and exclaimed, “I saw him in that. A true work of art.” Kay smirked and sat down, but not before saying, “That’s funny because Jeremy Jordan was never in Dairy Boys, oh, and Dairy Boys doesn’t exist.”
Marinette knew Kay and her would be great friends, but that meant Lila had Kay targeted. Not only for humiliating her (which she quickly covered with another idiotic lie), but also because she vowed she’d take Marinette’s friends away. That included the weird new girl. It didn’t help that Adrien also seemed to hate Kay, mostly because she had called out Lila. If it had been a year ago Marinette would’ve never talked to Kay just because Adrien didn’t seem to like her, but after Chat Noir had demeaned her as Ladybug she felt like she didn’t deserve somebody like Adrien. Marinette gradually fell out of love with Adrien until there were no feelings left. She hadn’t felt romantic love in a really long time, she didn’t deserve it.
The class already wasn’t fond of Kay, especially since she missed classes a lot. Her mother was a director who was directing a movie Kay starred in in Paris. Her first television debut. The class was naturally insanely jealous, but it didn’t matter to Kay because she was barely in school to hear the awful things they said.
The only reason she was going on the trip was because she had family in Gotham and her mother decided to give her a little break. Kay accepted when she knew Marinette had planned the trip, she wanted to keep an eye on her best friend. She wasn’t the best with expressing emotions or giving advice but she could tell Mari was spiraling sometimes. Kay knew all about spiraling…
Kay sat down next to Marinette, starting to giggle. Mari smiled, Kay’s laugh was ridiculous and normally she laughed at funny musical memes nobody got but her, it brought Marinette lots of entertainment to hear Kay say every time she looked at a meme and Marinette asked about it, “YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF [INSERT SHOW TITLE HERE]?!?!” Marinette was about to ask what Kay was laughing at before somebody beat her to it, only this somebody wasn’t going about it the way Mari would’ve.
“Spaz, why are you laughing at Lila?!” Ivan asked pointing rudely at Kay. “Yeah! You have no right to laugh at her!” Mylené said coming to her boyfriend’s defense.
“I wasn’t laughing at her, I was laughing at something she said.” Kay stated plainly before slapping her headphones on. Marinette internally facepalmed, Kay was far too blunt. Lila started her crocodile tears but Miss Bustier stood up on the plane for a head count before it escalated too far. While she took role the class still shot daggers with their glares at Kay, but only Marinette seemed to notice, Kay was lost in the world of her headphones.
Alya was still entranced in Lila’s story but she wasn’t too harsh on Kay, her and Nino were pretty indifferent about her. Alya at first wasn’t too fond of her because despite Marinette being friends with her Lila claimed she was a bully, but Alya warmed up to her when she and Kay bonded over superheroes they liked. Kay had watched a lot of superhero movies because her mom had directed them but Alya still knew more. Kay and Alya had a mutual respect for each other, Nino was basically Alya’s extension so he felt the same, so they didn’t really talk and Alya didn’t gang up on her like the others.
Marinette knew Kay didn’t like to be disturbed when she had her headphones on. It was headphones on, world off. Marinette did text her though, so she could talk to her friend before they took off and eventually fell asleep.
Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: Wait so what were you laughing at that Lie-la said?
Kay Khan: lol the guy she was talking about was one of my friends when I lived in Gotham!
Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: cool! Do you’ll think you’ll see him? I’d like to meet any friends of yours!
Kay Khan: It’s possible, anything’s possible (Suessical). Ummm mayb. He’s kinda moody tho so he might be somewhat rude just warnin ya.
Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: Really? I can’t imagine you being friends with somebody like that. You’re literally sunshine.
Kay Khan: Awwww thankies! But Damian is super cool once he warms up to you, he’ll like you I bet. OMG I BET HE’LL LIKE YOU!!! ;)
Kay Khan: OMG YES I CAN SEE IT NOW! CAN I BE THE MAID OF HONOR AT UR WEDDING? AHHH IM TOTES SETTING U UP AS SOON AS WE GET IN GOTHAM!!!
Kay Khan: OMG WHATS UR SHIP NAME? OMG MARIDAMI
Kay Khan: NO DAMAINETTE!!!!
Mari!!!☺️🤩🥳😺🤗: as...exciting as it is you shipping me with another guy I haven’t even met, the airplane dude just said turn off devices headphone girl.
Kay Khan: Dang! (Dang diggity dang a dang) I only got like 5 minutes into Jesus of Suburbia. Oh welllll
Kay took off her headphones and turned off her cell phone. She smiled at Marinette before the plane took off. Marinette took out her sketchbook as Kay quickly fell asleep. Marinette envied her, she could literally fall asleep anywhere anytime. Marinette looked out her window as she sketched for inspiration, and before she knew it she found inspiration within a sparkling city they were landing in.
“Psst, Kay. We’re here.” Marinette said in a hushed whisper as she poked at Kay. Kay sat up straight and rubbed her eyes.
“Dope! Let’s get this par-tay started!” She cheered quietly. Marinette giggled, “It’s 3am in Eastern time, I’m pretty sure even the Gotham people aren’t partying.”
“You never know.” Kay shrugged. Marinette giggled a little softer, trying not to wake the sleeping passengers on the plane until they landed in the airport completely. The French class started buzzing quietly from excitement but everyone was mostly too tired to be too excited so it was a relief to everyone when they were passed out in their rooms in the Wayne Hotel.
Kay and Marinette were elated for the days to come. Kay was going to make sure Marinette enjoyed her trip, no matter what.
Tag list (lemme know if you wanna be added/ I forgot you/ spelled your name wrong):
@northernbluetongue
@poshplumcot
@queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm
@luciferge
@legendaryneckjudgestudent
@interobanginyourmom
@beaversuenightly
@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry
@mochinek0
@shamefullove
@emjrabbitwolf
@actual-disaster-human
@tog84
@thequestionablyhuman
@thyladyanput
@vixen-uchiha
@novicevoice
@2sunchild2
@zebrabaker
@chrismarium
@mycupisbroken
@winter-gardenflower
@dast218
@bluerosette23
@chocolatecatstheron
@anjuschiffer
@fertileleaf
@drarryismylife101
@zerotosiki
@littleredrobinhoodum
@fatimaabbasrizvi
@ladylb
@weird-pale-blonde-person
@st0rmy-w1th1n
@7-sage-7
@eve-is-the-dawn
@mooshoon
@caffinetheory
@fiendsangelical
@bee-wrecker
188 notes · View notes