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elenamiria · 3 years

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Danny Torrance x Reader - Kinktober Day 30

Temperature Play | Sixty-Nine | Dub-Con | Xenophilia

Word Count: 4.5k (🤡 oops) Warnings: Dub-con! Possessed!Danny, fem reader, violence against reader, choking (in a non sexual way), brief oral (f receiving), Biting and marking, unprotected p in v sex, creampie, rough sex, slight daddy kink, feelings (fluff and slight angst)

Kinktober Day 29 « Kinktober Masterlist » Kinktober Day 31

Main Masterlist & Taggies: @legally-a-bastard , @katrynec , @mistermiraclee , @obitwo , @justanotherblonde23

When Danny had come home distraught you heard him heading up the stairs to his room, yours being below his, and thought maybe you should go check on him. You hadn't at first, not wanting to disturb him, he was closer to Billy than he was to you so you worried it might be odd just showing up. Billy had introduced the two of you and you all had dinner together a few times a week when Danny was off. You had a soft spot for Danny, the way he always seemed to know when something was bothering you, his kind eyes and smile, and his soft, caring nature all drew you towards him. Not that you would ever admit your little crush to him, he never seemed to look your way twice. But, when you heard a smashing noise and glass skittering across the ceiling you decided that maybe you should in fact go see if he was alright.

The door was ajar and you slowly entered the room. He was against the black wall, hands pressing firmly into it, and you called out his name softly. As you got closer you could hear him speaking but it wasn't to you. Unsure of what to do you stood there until he jolted towards the wall with a gasp - like he was waking up from a trance. You called out to him again and he spun to you eyes wide. You stepped back for a second at the wild look on his face and then quickly approached when you noticed the blood on his upper lip. Reaching up you gently trailed your fingers down his cheek as you whispered, "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, still breathing heavily and he replied, "No, I'm fine but Abra. I have to go get her, they took her."

A million questions ran through your head but he had a desperate look about him and so you simply said, "How can I help?"

You could hardly believe the tale Danny told you on the way to pick up Abra but you knew he was telling the truth, the way he looked at you as if begging for you to trust him only confirmed that. It was a good thing you agreed to come along Danny was exhausted and when you offered to take over driving so he could rest he happily accepted.

Now the three of you were on your way to the Overlook Hotel and an uncomfortable feeling was sitting heavily in your stomach. You couldn't shake the feeling despite the determination that your two companions seemed to have and you knew Danny could tell something was going on by the way he kept glancing at you. When you stopped at the gas station at the bottom of the mountain you were tense you couldn't tell if your body wanted to scream or cry or both but something in you was telling you to run far far away from the hotel you were heading towards and never look back. Dan laid a warm hand on your knee and your gaze snapped from the mountain to him. He offered you and then Abra a small smile before he lowly stated, "Not too much further, up the mountain."

When his hand left you to return to the steering wheel you wanted nothing more than to chase after it and interlace your fingers together but you shook the feeling off as just your nerves besides now was not exactly the time for romance.

As you gazed into the gaping maw of the hotel you could feel your whole body trembling and you knew it wasn't due to the snow falling around you. As Danny explained that he wanted Abra to wait in the car you stood patiently waiting to see what your role would be in all of this. Danny finally turned to you as Abra retreated into the car, "I want you to wait with her. When we're in there you stay with her the whole time, that way if something happens to me she'll have you."

You blinked up at him, shivering slightly as you replied - "If it's dangerous for you shouldn't you have someone come with you. I'm not like you two, right? So maybe I could help you."

Danny smiled at you, "You are like us, you just don't know. Billy was like us too, he could always sense people, he could tell who they were before he'd even say hello. You, right now you're shaking and it's because you can sense things too."

His arms grasped your elbows, your arms tightly wrapping around yourself, "So you'll stay with Abra, I'll go in alone. I'll be alright"

You hesitantly nodded, sharing a long look at each other as if trying to communicate words unspoken before you retreated to the car and watched Dan Torrance walk into the overlook hotel.

It wasn't long before Abra was calling Dan back out to you and the three of you were heading into the hotel together this time, Abra clutching onto both you and Danny. From there everything happened so quickly you barely had time to process it all. One second everything seemed to be going according to plan and the next everything went to hell. Danny had ordered you and Abra to run and so you did, holding the young girl's hand tightly terrified of losing her to this place. You could hear Danny's screams as they echoed through the abandoned halls and you had to stop yourself from going back for him. When you and Abra ran into the the twins you knew something had happened to Danny and you wrapped a protective arm around Abra. Slowly you tugged her backwards away from the twins and turned to go back down the hall, freezing once you saw Danny. Abra spoke but you couldn't focus what she was saying as blood rushed through your ears, every atom of your being screaming at you to run. You found yourself whispering the word 'run' aloud as Danny lifted his head and pure terror rushed through you. Abra sprinted ahead of you, still holding onto your hand as the two of you fled. You let her take the lead as she seemed sure in her path, though there was nothing to assure you that it wasn't the hotel leading you to certain doom.

Ducking into room 237 you pushed her behind you as Danny's deranged shouts of your name and then hers filled the air, growing closer and closer. She clung to your back, small hands gripping your sides, and you bit back tears as the two of you backed further into the room. You held your breath as you watched Danny's shadow pass by the door and exhaled shakily when he seemed to pass by, you took long deep breaths - all you had to do was get to the car and you'd be fine. You turned to Abra who was staring into the bathroom but you gently shook her, she jumped slightly before focusing on you. You were certain Dan would return and when he did you were going to distract him so Abra could escape, she tried to argue but as you positioned her next to the door you reassured her with fake smile and, “It’s alright, I’ll be right behind you.”

The door sprung open far sooner than you hoped and your heart pounded in your chest as Danny advanced. His gaze intense, his white eye staring through you as his blue eye darkened. He stalked towards you calling out your name in a low growl, “You’ve been very very bad.”

You froze as the axe came dangerously close to your face, the blunt end trailing just along the edge of your body as Danny questioned, “Where is she?”

Trembling you felt tears gather in your eyes as the cold metal of the axe slid up your cheek and you choked out, “I don’t know we went separately.”

You could see Abra in your peripheral vision slowly sneaking out of the room and you wanted to sigh in relief but your attention was quickly brought back to Dan’s face as his eyes narrowed at you, “Naughty girl, I told you to stay with her and now you don’t know where she is is that right??”

You met Abra’s hesitant eyes over Danny's shoulder as you nodded and she took off. Danny started to turn at the noise but you did your best to distract him, attempting to wrestle the axe away.

He snarled, his voice distorted and echoing with other voices that didn't belong to him and he grabbed you by the throat lifting you effortlessly before throwing you. You slammed into the wall with a scream, falling to the floor and you let out a small whine as you tried to rise, gripping the side table next to you tightly. Dan approached you laughing as your head swam, you looked up at him tears in your eyes and he froze. His head tilted slightly as he watched you shakily fight back your sobs, his eyes narrowed - "How interesting."

You were hauled to your feet by a firm hand grasping your hair and wrenching your head to the side, Danny buried his face into your neck. Inhaling deeply there was another harsh laugh and then, "You smell so so delicious."

He bit harshly into the junction between your neck and shoulder causing you to cry out in pain that quickly morphed into a whimper as he suckled and lapped at the spot.

"W-what are you doing, Danny?" You knew the question was pointless as this wasn't your Danny. However you received a response though it didn't answer anything, "We're going to do what he was too afraid to."

Danny had dropped the axe at some point and his hand slid up your body to grope at your breasts before gripping your throat tightly. You gasped for air before Dan's mouth enveloped yours in a hot and needy kiss, his tongue slipping easily into your parted mouth. Your eyes slid shut as you tried to pretend that this was actually Danny kissing you and not whatever was currently possessing his body, when you didn't respond he tightened his hand cutting off your air supply. Your hands shot to his arm, scraping at his jacket desperately to pull him off, and your eyes flew open again. He pulled back, breathing heavily, as his eyes trailed you up and down. A half smirk covered his face as he spoke, this time sounding more like himself just low and gravelly, "Don't act like you don't like this dove. I can sense your arousal. Just let us in, let us feast on you."

His hand finally relaxed just as your vision had started to go blurry and you gasped harshly for air, barely able to get any before once again his lips were devouring yours. You moaned into his mouth when Danny slipped his hands under your shirt, sliding up to your tits and he grabbed at them with an appreciative moan of his own. He played with your nipples, pinching and pulling just hard enough that there was a slight sting and enough to make you cry out in pleasure. His lips pulled apart from yours after swallowing down every little noise you made while he played with you and trailed to your neck.

Danny looked up at you, his milky eye seeming to pierce your soul, before he bit once again though this time higher up. He seemed to delight in the cry that flew from your mouth. He continued his treatment as his hands made quick work of your clothing, tearing it away when it wasn't easy to take off. You called out his name in alarm as he ripped your shirt in half but he simply grinned as he once again teased your breasts. He continued marking you down your neck and collarbone until he reached your chest. Whispering 'mine.' before biting harshly at the tops of your tits and sucking marks into them.

You grasped at the back of his head, running your fingers through his hair and tugging slightly as he bit at you. His eyes snapped up to your face and your breath hitched at the feral look in his eyes. He stood up to his full height locking eyes with you while his hands trailed down your body to your waist, gripping hard enough you knew there were going to be bruises. He spun you around, pushing you hard into the wall, hands tugging your pants and underwear down your legs. You trembled as your face pressed against the cold plaster, shivering as your body was exposed to the cold air.

Danny knelt on the ground as he pulled your legs free of their clothing, warm palms grasping at your ass before spreading you apart and baring your wet cunt to him. You heard him inhale deeply and you yelped as once again Danny bit you, this time your sensitive inner thigh. He whispered 'mine' again before his tongue licked up your thigh up to your pussy. He licked three long lines up the entire length of your slit, groaning each time he tasted your sweet juices, his tongue pressing flat and wide against you. The fourth time he trailed his tongue through your lips, down your thigh, over your ass cheek and all the way up your spine until he rose behind you and pressed his body into yours.

Dan's clothing dug into your soft skin as he repositioned you, yanking your hips backwards but pressing your face harder into the wall. You couldn't help the garbled moan that flew past your lips when you felt his hard length pressing into you from behind. Your body, seemingly moving of it's own accord, ground into his cock pleading for him.

"Patience, dove. We have all the time we need." He growled out, his hands fumbling with his jeans. He undid them just enough to pull out his cock, hard and throbbing, as you tried to glance behind you to look at him. His hands returned to your body, one burying itself in your hair to keep you still and his other arm wrapping around your hips to pull you back towards him and then without warning he was inside you.

You screamed, startled at the harsh intrusion, as his length filled you. He stretched your tight little cunt out but you were so soaked he was able to slip inside without a problem. You heard a deep moan from him as his hips starting to pull back and forth, pumping his hard cock in and out of you. His pace started slow, with powerful thrusts burying him to the hilt on each forward movement, but that didn't last for long as he growled out your name and his hands flew to your waist. His grip was hard and his rhythm animalistic as he pounded into you, pulling you harshly into him with his firm grip on you. Your whole body was jerking in time with the power of his thrusts, your hands bracing on the wall to keep from slamming your face into it over and over again as you cried out on every thrust. Your vision blurred with tears as he fucked you, pleasure overwhelming your body.

Loud grunts echoed off the wall from behind you as he muttered out incomprehensible words mixed with light moans of your name. You begged him - "More, Danny harder! Please touch me, please!!" - as you felt your orgasm fast approaching, needing touch and stimulation elsewhere on your body. Suddenly everything was ripped away from you leaving you to pant against the wall until you were spun around. Your leg was hitched up around his hips as he plunged his rock hard cock into you once again, tearing a hoarse moan from you. His pace was brutal and one of his hands grasped your jaw harshly as he hissed, nostrils flaring, "You look at me when you cum dove. You hear me, are you gonna be a good girl for daddy?"

You cried out as his other hand circled your clit alternating between teasing touches and then pressing hard enough on the little bundle of nerves that you saw stars while he pounded away into you. Your walls clenched around him, squeezing hard, as a scream ripped from your throat when he pinched at your clit, pulling your orgasm from you. The tears that had been filling your eyes spilled over and Danny laughed before it broke off into a deep moan as your hot walls clung to him. You had stared into his eyes as he ordered when your orgasm hit but as it overwhelmed you your eyes slid shut of their own accord. You were gasping for breath as you came down and you didn't notice the way Danny's hands softened around you and how his hips slowed.

A weak call of your name met your ears and your eyes flew open desperately. Your eyes met Danny's confused and dazed blue orbs and you gasped. Your hands flew to his face as a soft smile covered your face, "Danny, I knew you were there."

He looked down at where your bodies became one and immediately jerked back, whimpering slightly as his length pulled from your warm body. You whined, trying your best to catch your breath. Danny’s face contorted in concentration as he gripped his head, “Fuck, I can’t hold them back for much longer. You have to go!”

“No, not without you Danny.” You cried as you inched towards him, freezing when you noticed for the first time his leg. Putting your danger aside you immediately walked to him and pulled his belt from his pants, ignoring his length bobbing next to your hand, pausing only to nudge his legs apart. He called out your name again, an edge to his voice that wasn't there a moment ago, “Go now! I can’t-”

He cut himself off with a cry as you wrapped the belt around his upper thigh and tightened it with all your strength, quickly tying it off. There was an inhuman roar and then you were once again being slammed up against the wall, both of his hands at your throat and face contorted in a snarl. Your feet lifted off the ground and for the first time in this encounter you truly feared for your life, hands scrabbling trying to pull his away. Having to fight your instincts you lifted one of your hands away to softly brush your fingertips against his face as you weakly croaked his name. Your gentle touch allowed him to gain control again as he let go of your neck, hands flying to your shoulders to support you.

Clinging to him you coughed and sputtered as you inhaled deep gulps of air after a few moments finally listening to what Danny was saying."You have to go, I can't hold them back and I can't stop them from taking you again. Please, you need to go."

Looking at him you shook your head despite wanting to crack at his pleading eyes. You swallowed deeply as you stood straight again, "No Danny, let them take what they need from me. I'm not leaving without you."

You cupped his face softly and pressed your lips to him, kissing him tenderly. Danny hesitated for a moment before he responded with a passion that took your breath away. As he parted he looked at you with a softness that you had only dreamed about before he whispered, "If I do this they won't be gone forever, I'm not strong enough to lock them all away right now."

You nodded as you stared up with the same affection that you saw in his eyes mirrored on your face, "I know, but I'll be with you through it all. If this is what we need to do to get you out of here alive, then we'll do it. Will you take me now, before they take control again? I want to know what it's like to be loved by you."

Danny leaned down to press a soft kiss to your lips, though it quickly deepened as his hand slid to your back tugging you close to him. You raised your leg and he was quick to catch it with his spare hand, angling it so it was most comfortable for you. One of your hands cupped his neck and your other trailed down his chest and stomach to grasp his cock loosely. You hadn't had time to appreciate just how big he was when you first were getting fucked but as you gently stroked his length a few times you couldn't hold back the appreciative moan as you felt his size. Lining him up with your cunt you swirled his tip through your drenched folds. Danny broke apart from you, forehead gently pressing to yours and connecting you as he asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Your answer was to press your hips forward, sinking his head into your cunt as you whimpered out a soft 'yes'. Danny pressed forward slowly easing his cock into you and even though he had been in you mere moments ago he still stretched you out deliciously. Where he had been fast and rough before he was now gentle and slow, wanting to savor every moment he had with you. His pace was slow as he pulled out only to fill you up again and again. You called out his name and he swore, face burying in your neck. Danny's hips sped up and you whimpered, his hands slid to your waist both to hold you up and to pull you as close to him as he could. He had noticed the blooming bruises on your neck and now he laved them with attention, pressing soft tender kisses to the areas and nuzzling into you.

You could tell he was starting to lose control again as his body jerked slightly when he pulled back and his grip on your waist tightened again to the point of slight pain. His breathy moans turned into deep grunts as he sped up suddenly pounding into you like he had earlier. Clinging to him his pace practically lifted you off your feet and you squeaked as he rammed into your cervix, legs buckling. Danny's face stayed buried in your neck, though now he was focused on marking up your collarbone with sucking and biting, while he destroyed you - fucking you so well you knew you would never be able to think of anyone but him.

He suddenly jerked away from your neck as one hand came down to rub tight circles on your clit, your walls fluttering in pleasure at the stimulation, and you thought he must be close with the way he fucked into you. Your mouth fell open in pleasure as he quickly brought you to another peak, the crown of your head hitting against the wall as your head lolled backwards, his other hand grasped your chin again to pull you up - forcing you to look at him as you came. Body trembling you spasmed against him, pussy clenching and flexing as he slid against your tight walls, it was only moments later when he was tipping over the edge as the two of you locked eyes.

For just a second his eyes flashed to their normal brilliant blue as he cried out your name before they darkened and a sheen covered his eye once again. His hips bucked deep, filling you to the brim, as his seed shot deep into your core. The feeling sent another wave of spasms through you as he painted your walls with him, claiming you in the most primal sense. As he finished his hips stilled as his head dropped to your shoulder and you stroked the back of his head and his hair softly.

There was a pregnant pause before Danny was pulling away from you, both eyes blue once more, and tucking himself away into his pants. You quickly found your clothing and tugged it on not wanting to risk him losing control again and you figured you only had a short period of time while he had full control to get out of the hotel. Pausing you realized your shirt was torn clean in half and was unsalvageable. Danny stared, face pink with embarrassment, he quickly shucked his coat and pulled the flannel he was wearing over his head offering it to you. Gratefully you accepted it, pulling it over your head, with your dilemma solved you turned towards Danny and tugged his arm over your shoulder once he put his jacket back on. You knew his leg would make it harder for him to walk now that there wasn't supernatural support pushing him along and you also knew your time was limited considering the boiler room situation. Glancing at Danny you couldn't help the soft smile covering your face as you simply stated, "Let's get the fuck out of here."

Your eyes blinked open blinded slightly by the bright lights shining down on you. A groan left your lips as you sat up straight, having almost slid all the way off your chair at some point during your sleep. Wearily you sat up as you remembered your surroundings, the hospital. Shooting forward your eyes shot to the bed and your face heated when you met Danny's sweet gaze.

"G'morning." He softly said, you smiled and rose to come close to his bedside, your hand resting on his lightly. Smiling you replied with a gentle, "Good morning to you too. How are you feeling?"

"Well I'm on some pain medication so it's not too bad. How is..." He trailed off, face dropping in guilt as he motioned to your neck area. Reassuringly you squeezed his hand, "It's fine, not bad at all. Honestly the ache in my...."

Your face heated at your thoughtless words before you muttered, "My soreness elsewhere is uhm distracting me."

Danny couldn't hold back a gentle laugh at your words as a blush rose to his cheeks another beautiful smile breaking out across his face. Your spare hand rose to stroke his face fondly before you paused and pulled your hand away, unsure of where your relationship stood with him. Dan's smile dropped slightly as his head tilted, he seemed to sense the problem as he whispered, "Darling I'm yours if you'll have me, I promise as soon as I get out of here I'll take you on a date and we can go from there."

For some reason his words overwhelmed you and tears pricked at your eyes, whether from relief or happiness you couldn't quite tell. Danny's eyes grew before he cooed out your name, hand tugging you forward so he could press soft kisses to your cheek whispering pleas not to cry into your skin. You nuzzled into his cheek before cupping his face once again as you pulled back finally ready to admit what you'd known all along, "Danny I'd love nothing more than for you to be mine, I think it's pretty clear by now. I love you Dan Torrance."

#danny torrance x reader #Kinktober 2020 #Danny torrance #doctor sleep fanfiction #possessed danny torrance #reader insert smut #ewan mcgregor fanfiction #ewan mcgregor smut #tw dubcon #Ewan McGregor #doctor sleep #danny torrance smut #danny torrance x you #danny torrance x y/n #horror

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thelastspeecher · 3 years

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Pirate AU - Shore Leave

A coupla times this week I randomly got inspired to write some Pirate AU stuff. And I got some good news yesterday, so I decided I’d post the stuff I wrote. Like a gift to myself, that kind of thing.

So here’s some more Pirate AU content, but most importantly, some Pirate AU Stangie content. Plus a bit of bonus Shermie content. Enjoy.

(For context, this takes place a few years after this ficlet.)

——————————————————————————————

“Thanks for watching the kids, Maria,” Stan whispered. “You can head home.” Maria got up from the kitchen table. On her way out, she tsked at Angie.

“You know better, mija. Be smarter and faster next time.”

“Of course, Maria,” Angie said. Maria shook her head disapprovingly one last time, then left.

“Sit down, you gotta get off your feet,” Stan instructed his wife. Angie obediently took a seat at the table. Stan sat next to her. “Angie.”

“It’s a good thing I’m pregnant,” Angie said jovially. Stan scowled.

“Then we must be defining ‘good thing’ differently,” he growled.

“If I wasn’t pregnant, I wouldn’t have been able to delay ‘em hangin’ me,” Angie said. “Without that, you ‘n the crew wouldn’t have rescued me from the clink in time.”

“You got caught pirating!” Stan snapped. “You were about to be hanged! Yeah, you were able to delay it this time, but next time?” Silently, he thanked whatever deity he believed in that day that they had come back from the rescue mission late enough the kids were asleep.

Don’t want ‘em to see their parents fight. And judging by Angie’s already frustrated expression, this was definitely going to be a fight.

“There won’t be a next time.”

“You’re damn right.” Stan met Angie’s eyes squarely. “‘Cause you’re giving up piracy.” Angie’s eyes flashed with anger.

“You have no right-”

“To what? Want my wife safe? Want my kids to grow up with both parents? Angie, I can’t- I can’t live like this anymore! I can’t watch you go to sea, knowing that you might not come back. I love you too damn much to let you keep throwing your life away like this!”

“This is the first time I’ve been caught,” Angie said, but her voice lacked some of the bite it had earlier.

“Now that it’s happened once, it’s gonna happen again.” Stan reached out and took ahold of one of Angie’s hands. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, feeling the thick scars from years of piracy. “There are some injuries that, when you recover from ‘em, you’re never the same. You’ve had a lot of those. It’s already started catching up with you. You know that.” Angie looked away.

“I…”

“Give me a single reason you can’t leave piracy.”

“You know my reasons.”

“They were reasons you had when you first started. But they don’t matter anymore, Ang! Your name – your real one – got cleared. You’ve got a family and a home. You’ve got money. Give me a reason that still applies.”

“I…” Angie looked down at the floor. After a moment, she sighed. Without saying a word, she got up and walked away.

Shit. Did I overstep? Stan started to get up. No. He sat back down. Give her a bit of space. You know how she is. When a few minutes had passed, Stan couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He followed her outside. In the light of the full moon, he could see her talking to Dan. He walked over.

“Thanks fer savin’ me,” Angie said quietly. “Not just- not just tonight. All those other times. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t fer you.” Wordlessly, Dan enveloped her in a hug. “Take good care of her, Dan,” Angie said, her voice cracking with emotion. They broke apart. Dan ruffled Angie’s hair, nodded at Stan, and began to walk down the road that led to town.

“What was that about?” Stan asked. Angie’s shoulders shook. “Ang, is everything all right?”

“No! I’m- I’m pregnant, I’m sure it’s twins again, I was almost hanged tonight, and I just gave up everything I spent most of my life buildin’ up!” Angie snapped.

“You…”

“Dan’s goin’ to run Sweet Viola fer a few months before easin’ her out of the game.” Angie’s head drooped. “This pirate king is hangin’ up her crown.��

“Angie.” Stan tilted Angie’s chin to look into her eyes. Eyes the color of the sea. “Thank you.”

“You never thank folks,” Angie mumbled.

“That’s how you know I’m serious.” Stan grinned. “And you’re not giving up all the shit you spent so long on. You’ve still got me. You’ve still got the kids. All five of ‘em.”

“No, darlin’, it’s definitely goin’ to be six,” Angie insisted.

“What makes you so sure?”

“A woman knows.”

“If you say so.”

“That’s no way to talk to yer captain.”

“You just gave up your ship,” Stan pointed out. Angie looked away. Stan wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m just kidding, babe. You’ll always be my captain.”

“Damn straight,” Angie muttered. “By the way, I might be givin’ up piracy, but I ain’t givin’ up thievery.”

“Good,” Stan said. “I’m gonna need your help to keep the shop stocked.” Angie managed a soft laugh. The two stayed outside. Their home was atop a seaside cliff, from which they could see the dark ocean reflecting the pale moonlight.

Angie buried her head in Stan’s shirt, crying, as her ship disappeared over the horizon for the last time.

-----

They walked past a shop with a number of nice dresses in the storefront window. Promptly, Danny and Daisy made a beeline for it, cooing over the fancy fabrics. The whole family was in town to run a few errands. Stan glanced at his wife. Angie wasn’t happy she had been dragged out of the house, but Emmett refused to go anywhere without her.

“Mama, look!” Danny said excitedly, pointing at the dresses. Angie forced a smile.

“Yes, dear, they’re very nice.”

“You should get it! It would look so pretty on you!”

“She’s got a point,” Stan whispered to her. Angie sighed heavily.

“It would be nice to have some more clothin’ options. I noticed the other day that I don’t have many dresses.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve got plenty!”

“Yes, fer this!” Angie gestured to her enormous baby bump. With how big she was getting, Stan had finally begun to agree Angie was likely right, that they were having twins for a third time. “But after I give birth? Most of the clothes what ‘ll fit me were fer workin’ on the ship.”

“So, something that a nice housewife wouldn’t wear,” Stan said. Angie nodded. “Well, want me to treat you to somethin’ nice?” Angie rolled her eyes.

“I don’t think even you can steal a whole dress in public without bein’ caught, darlin’.”

“I wasn’t gonna steal it. I was gonna buy it.”

“Buy it?” Angie put her hands on her hips. “Who are you and what have ya done with my husband?” she asked, aghast. Stan laughed. “It’s prob’ly expensive. I’m fine.”

“After the kids are born and you’re back to normal, I’ll get you somethin’ fancy, okay?” Stan said. He held out his arm. Angie took it with a smile.

“All right. If ya insist.” She leaned in to talk quietly. “Darlin’, in all seriousness, yer okay with buyin’ somethin’ rather than stealin’ it?”

“Ang, I haven’t done much crime ashore. Only small stuff I know I can get away with. I didn’t wanna risk getting caught and leaving the kids all alone while you were at sea.”

“…Right.” Angie sighed again. “I keep forgettin’ how little I’ve been on land with you ‘n the kids.”

“You’ve got plenty of time to catch up on everything.”

“Yes. Since I’m now permanently on shore leave.” Angie raised her voice. “Girls, leave the dresses alone, we have to go to the market.” Reluctantly, Danny and Daisy abandoned the dresses and ran back to their parents.

“Papa, I wanna piggy-back ride,” Daisy whined. From his perch atop Stan’s shoulders, Emory blew a raspberry at his older sister.

“Emory’s got littler legs than you do,” Stan said. Daisy crossed her arms.

“Emmett’s walking just fine!” she argued, gesturing at Emmett, who was holding Stan’s hand.

“What have we talked about?” Angie asked patiently. Daisy pouted.

“Being a good big sister,” she muttered. Angie ruffled her hair.

“Don’t worry, honey, when we get to the market, you can do some more pocket practice,” she cooed. Daisy’s eyes lit up. She nodded. The family continued walking down the street, Danny and Daisy running ahead eagerly. Stan grinned cheekily at Angie.

“You’re getting lazy, having the kids pickpocket for you,” he teased.

“I’m too pregnant to be quiet and get away fast,” Angie said.

“Fair.”

“I’m glad that even if yer not willin’ to do much crime lately, yer not extendin’ that to the kidlets.”

“It’s a lot easier to brush off a six-year-old taking something than a grown adult.”

“Mm, true enough.” Angie smoothed the fabric of her dress. “Once I’m shipshape, I’ll get to restockin’ the shop, darlin’.” She smirked. “I’m damn fine at sleight of hand. Not to mention, no one would accuse the sweet housewife of larceny.” Stan chuckled.

“I knew I married the right woman.”

“Mama, what’s larson?” Emmett asked abruptly. Angie smiled at her son.

“A grown-up word ya don’t need to worry ‘bout.”

“Like ‘damn’,” Emory said helpfully. Stan and Angie grimaced.

“…We should probably work on cleaning up our sailors’ mouths if we wanna avoid attracting attention,” Stan said quietly. Angie nodded.

“Agreed.”

-----

Shermie walked up to the unassuming house. A large sign outside read “McGucket’s Marine Antiques”.

This is the right place, then. Good. Being a merchant, Shermie had to spend a lot of time away from his family, so he made sure to bring back souvenirs from each trip. This trip, to a small town called Gravity Falls, had been woefully bereft of potential souvenirs. As such, he’d been relieved when a local told him about the store on the edge of town full of fun and sparkly things.

“Ma’am,” he said politely to the woman sitting on the porch, supervising two toddler boys playing on the front lawn. On either side of her was a basket holding a young infant. The woman looked up at him curiously. Recognition flickered in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, one of the infants began to fuss. The woman quickly began to soothe the infant. Shermie ducked into the house. The room he was in looked like a proper shop. Shelves lined the walls, groaning underneath the merchandise. Some larger items, like a rusted anchor, were set on the floor, with price tags that seemed far too high to Shermie. Two young girls in the corner giggled to each other as they picked through a box on the floor full of even more small items.

“Welcome to McGucket’s Marine Antiques!” a voice boomed. A familiar voice. Shermie’s eyes widened. He turned. Behind the store counter was a face he hadn’t seen in over a decade.

“Stanley?” Shermie croaked. His little brother gaped.

“…Shermie?”

“Stan, what are you- how- you-” Shermie ran his hands through his hair. “The people in town said the man who ran this store was named Stan McGucket, not Stan Pines.” Stan grimaced.

“Yeah. Uh…” Stan looked over at the girls in the corner. “Danny, Daisy.” The girls looked up. One had the distinctive Pines nose. “If anyone comes in, go get your ma and have her handle the customer.” The girls nodded. “All right, Shermie, come with me, I’ll answer all your questions.”

“You better,” Shermie mumbled. Stan pushed open a door located behind the counter. Shermie followed him into the house proper. The living room they walked into was cozy and nautical-themed, full of décor that looked like it came from a ship. Stan gestured to a couch. Shermie sat down. Stan sat in a chair across from him.

“The people in town said this place was run by Stan McGucket because it is.”

“But how-”

“I’ll tell you everything, but first, what do you know?” Stan asked. Shermie raised an eyebrow.

That’s…interesting. Stan’s careful dodge reminded Shermie a lot of how his brother would construct lies as a teen. He would ask what someone knew, then build his lie around that information. Asking first allowed him to avoid contradicting something known to the person he was lying to. Hopefully he’s not lying to me now. I’ve fallen out of practice seeing through Stan’s lies.

“You were captured by pirates over a decade ago,” Shermie said, deciding to take Stan at face value. “At some point after you were captured by pirates, Stanford disappeared at sea.” Stan nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right.” He sighed. “Ford actually caught up to the ship I was captive on. I got free in the fight, but Ford…he…” Stan looked down at the ground. “Well, I didn’t see his body, so I’m holding onto the hope that he’s still alive.”

“Stan…”

“The people in town know me as Stan McGucket ‘cause that’s my name now,” Stan continued, talking over Shermie. “While I was captured by pirates, one of them decided he liked my name and took it. I didn’t like the idea of sharing a name with a pirate, so I took my wife’s last name.”

That smells like a lie. Shermie’s brain caught up with what Stan was saying. Wait, what?

“You’re married?” Shermie asked.

“Yeah. You saw Angie – my wife – outside. At least, I hope you did. She said she was watching four of the kids out there.”

“I…” Shermie kneaded his forehead. “Okay. Now I need to know how you met your wife.”

“After I escaped from the pirates, I decided to stay at sea to look for Ford. I didn’t- I didn’t wanna come home without him, y’know?”

“Yes, I do,” Shermie said quietly.

“I managed to get a spot on board a merchant ship where her brother, Lute, was first mate. He was looking for her after she got captured by pirates. Eventually, we found the ship she was on and rescued her.”

“You…you rescued your future wife from pirates?” Shermie asked, dumbfounded. Stan nodded. “Why am I not surprised?” Stan smirked slightly.

“We both stayed at sea as merchants,” he continued, “and fell in love pretty quick. After we had the first set of twins, I decided to move ashore with ‘em. Angie, she, uh-” He laughed quietly. “She decided to keep sailing. Even after we had another set of twins.”

“Really?”

“What can I say? I married a free spirit.”

Makes sense Stan would find someone like himself.

“When she found out she was pregnant for the third time, though, we had a long talk, and decided that she’d move ashore with me permanently. I like having her close by.”

“I’d imagine having her help with the kids would be nice as well.”

“Eh. We’ve got some former crewmates in town that love watching the kids,” Stan said with a shrug. “That’s why we settled here. With that help, keeping track of the kids wasn’t what I was concerned about. I missed my wife.” There was something more, though. A haunted look lingered in Stan’s eyes.

“You were worried about her safety,” Shermie said. Stan looked away. “I can’t blame you. It’s dangerous to be a merchant.”

He’s already lost his twin to the sea. Of course he doesn’t want to lose his wife, too.

“Yeah, well.” Stan cleared his throat. “I’ve got Angie on shore with me now. We’ve got six great kids. Life’s pretty good.”

“Yes. I can see that. Mom will be relieved to hear you’re fine.”

“She’s gonna show up within a week of you telling her,” Stan mumbled.

“Can you blame her?” Shermie asked. Stan shook his head.

“Not after having my own kids, no.” The door opened. The woman from outside, who Shermie now knew to be Stan’s wife, Angie, poked her head into the room.

“Darlin’, should I be plannin’ on an extra person fer dinner?” she asked. Shermie tried to hide his surprise at Angie’s strong accent.

“No need,” Shermie said, getting up from the couch. “I need to be going back to my ship before long. But before I head out, I should do what I came here to do.”

“What’d you come here for?” Stan asked, getting up as well.

“To buy something for my kids.” Shermie raised an eyebrow. “Might I be able to get a family discount from my little brother that disappeared for ten years?” Stan sighed heavily. “If I get a good deal, I might forget to mention you to Mom for a few days…” A twinkle appeared in Stan’s eye.

“Make it a week, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Deal.”

#it's been a while since I posted Pirate Content so I'm happy to be posting a bit more #idk why this AU is what I got randomly inspired to write for but here we are #with more Pirate Content and Stangie being a cute criminal couple #Pirate AU #Stangie #Stanley Pines #Angie McGucket #Shermie Pines #Stangie Family #ficlet #my writing #speecher speaks

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years

Text

chapter fourteen: dead witches and apocalyptic cities

"young and free, something you'll never be. a childhood's end it's lunacy. pure dictation, they don't listen: and you're just waiting for what you're missing!" -"a.i.r.", anthrax

The next date following was up in Hartford, followed by the home crowd in New York City. While it had been mostly sunny and with a marine layer on top of that as well, the bunch of them were met with a bit of clouds: Sam thought back to all the times the monsoon flow rolled into the Southwest and into Nevada during the summer. A few small gray clouds against a blue sky and within time, they would be met with a full on roll of thunderstorms, even as she looked up to the sky and the golden sun as it hung over the outskirts of New York. She turned her head and looked on at the low running skyline upon Long Island; in the van ahead of Dan's car was Scott, Frank, and Charlie and the rest of Anthrax's gear. Up ahead of them stood the massive Twin Towers, strong and high against the soft blue sky.

Sam peered into the rear view mirror at Testament's van. The night before in Hartford, they had had a better show but she knew that Alex still had trouble with his amp. He sounded better and he was able to perform a solo on “Burnt Offerings” especially, and yet there was something unique about that feedback solo in Boston. Something unique and powerful even if the crowd hated it. Chuck sounded extra excellent as well: his voice was big and clear, and he even let out the loudest shriek during “Over the Wall.”

“Let me see the horns on you all,” he had hollered out into the audience as Alex bowed his head and let his fingers do the talking. “Let me see you! Let me hear you!”

Louie had tied his hair back behind his head so he could focus more on the drums; Sam thought about what he had said to her the night before in the hotel bed. He had gotten into an affair with Zelda, and yet he broke up with her and yet they still seemed to have feelings for each other. None of it made any sense whatsoever.

Sam nudged her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose and then she looked over at Dan in the driver's seat.

“I still have yet to listen to music on your record player,” she confessed to him.

“Oh, yeah! That's right.” He snapped his fingers upon saying that.

“Well,” Joey started from the back seat right behind her, “we've got a day off in between dates so we all can chill out together here in the City.”

“Have a big ol' party with Overkill, too,” Dan added, “the bunch of us with Testament and with Overkill and Danny Lilker, too.”

“The return of the Dans!” Sam laughed, and the two of them laughed with her.

The road merged with the main artery of freeway into the northeastern side of town. The van in front of them took to the lane to the right and they rolled up closer to them, but they never passed them.

“Don't like lingering back in the blind spot like that,” Dan confessed as he backed off a little bit to let the van get ahead. He drummed his fingers on the rim of the steering wheel and he peered over shoulder out Joey's window. “Alright, so—no one behind us—okay—”

He backed off a bit more and then he merged to behind the van.

“D'you see where Testament went?” he asked Sam.

“I bought them coffee and then I boogied back to your car—but Eric didn't tell me when they were leaving, though. Hope they'll show up soon enough.”

“Same here—I haven't seen them behind us yet.”

“Maybe they're in front of us?” she suggested.

“Nah, we would've seen them at some point.”

“We did get gas, though,” Joey pointed out.

“That's true,” Dan agreed with him, “but then again—we would've seen them at some point even there.”

The van ahead of them took to the left lane and then Dan followed suit.

“What're they doing?” Sam wondered aloud.

“This is a quicker way to the hotel and the venue,” he explained, “at least that's my memory of it. We've been out this way a few times before.”

Indeed, that lane of the freeway merged away into the eastern side of the City, a part that she wasn't too familiar with. It was just like the first few days she was there in New York, in which every street felt like a new adventure, even with the way in which everyone on the West Coast seemed to look at that city. New to her and yet some parts of it seemed so familiar at the same time.

“Wait a minute, is this the Bronx?” she asked him at one point.

“Yeah. The Bronx from a different angle, mind you. And we're gonna go right into Manhattan here—the other side of Central Park—I think that's according to Charlie.”

Indeed, they kept on into the heart of Manhattan and all the way around the southern end of Central Park. Their hotel sat near the edge of the park there, down the block from the Museum of Natural History; and Dan said they were within walking distance of the theater.

“This theater rules,” he explained to her as they gathered around the elevator doors up to their rooms. Joey lingered next to her with his sunglasses still rested upon his face. “It's big and yet it's also cozy at the same time. It's like perfect for three bands like us—everything in there sounds good.”

Charlie sauntered up next to them with his overnight bag slung over his shoulder.

“Marla's here,” he said in a low voice.

“Marla's here!” Sam echoed. “Where?”

“Right outside—”

The elevator doors slid open and they were face to face with Chuck and Louie. Joey looked over his sunglasses and raised a single eyebrow at them; Louie leaned his back to the wall.

“Hey, you two,” Scott greeted them with a grin on his face, but Sam backed away from there so she could meet up with Marla on the sidewalk outside. She pushed open the door and the Cherry Suicides had pulled up to the curb behind Dan's car in a dark red sedan. Marla strolled up to her with those mirrored sunglasses on: she had recolored her hair into a straight rich apple red with a slight pink highlight all about the crown of her head.

“Miss Taylor!” Zelda called out from the back seat of the car.

“Marla!” Sam declared, and she embraced her right there on the sidewalk.

“I found a place, by the way,” Marla told her, to which Sam gasped, and she threw her arms around her again. “It's in Hell's Kitchen, too. It's a cute little apartment right near the harbor's edge—like it's about a block from the harbor—they allow pets so Genie will be nice and comfy there. The rent is a little high, though, about six hundred a month, but our grants'll cover it, though. There is just one teeny little drawback.”

“What's that?”

“There's only one bedroom.”

“We can have bunk beds maybe?” Sam suggested.

“Bunk beds like at the villa for Kirk and Rebecca's wedding?” Marla chuckled. “But if and when you get a chance, we should check it out together and then we can start the move in there. Bel offered to help us out, too.”

“Did you see Testament's van?” Sam asked her. “'Cause we didn't the whole entire drive over here from Hartford.”

“Yeah, they parked around the corner here,” Marla gestured up the street right behind her. Rosita climbed out with the top hat upon her head and a red velvet corset wrapped about her body. Two women walked past them with glares on their faces, glares pointed right at the Cherry Suicides bass player. Another woman walked by with the sign of the cross pointed at them; she kept on walking towards the corner behind them, right up towards Testament's van.

“Yeah, that's right—a band called Testament is the devil's music,” Minerva laughed at that, and then she rolled her eyes.

“You guys need any help?” Sam offered.

“Nah—but we are gonna have to boogie on down the block here in about an hour, though,” Zelda explained as she hoisted her overnight bag over her shoulder. “Let's get on up—second floor, fourth door on the... right, I think?”

Sam and Marla led the way inside towards the elevator, and Zelda kept on walking towards the front desk for the room key. They stood there together with their arms tucked behind their backs as if they awaited for their dates.

“So who you bunking with tonight?” Marla asked her in a low voice.

“Maybe with the four of them,” Sam replied, “Zelda'll tell me. I'm just hanging with the bands because I'm still technically with the label.”

“The label's being bought out, isn't it?”

“Yeah. So I'm being shuffled around like this. I kinda want my own room, though.”

“You know, I was thinking about that when I was coming home from Boston the other day. Like, 'why can't Sam get her own room?' You know a part of the label, unless it really is that fucked up and broke now that they had to get bought out.”

Sam felt a tap on her shoulder, and there was Zelda right next to her with a white hotel key right in between her fingers as if it was her business card.

“Bunkin' with us,” she declared.

“Oh, boy!” Sam said as she took the key. The six of them huddled together inside of the elevator and they made their way upstairs to the room in question.

There were two beds, which meant one of them had to bunk on the floor on the blow up mattress. Sam took her seat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window on the other side of the room. She was so close to her home and yet she still stayed there in a strange hotel room. Rosita adjusted the top hat upon her head: Sam thought back to that evening in the restaurant when Cliff was alive, where she and Lars danced together.

Her acrylic nails shone under the soft morning light.

There was a thump in the room next door and Sam turned her to the wall there. Marla, who stood right behind her, raised an eyebrow at it.

“The boys are already getting riled up for the night,” Rosita remarked. “It's not even eight o'clock, either.”

“I know, right?” Sam had a sinking feeling inside of her chest. She hoped it was nothing more than something that moved in the room next over, but then again, she hoped that Anthrax and Testament had taken to the rooms down the hall rather than next door. Zelda stepped back into the room and peeled off her top, and revealed her little scarlet bra.

“So quick, Zelda,” Marla stated with a straight face.

“Wouldn't it just be something if this was all I wore for tonight?” she asked them.

“Oh, yeah, for real,” Sam remarked with a nod.

“I could put a little bandana around my head, too,” Zelda added, “I'd be like Rosie the Riveter.” She stopped in her tracks, and she turned to Rosita. “You should be Rosie the Riveter.”

“Ha! I ain't givin' up this hat, though.” She lifted the brim of the hat and raised her eyebrows a bit.

“By the way, Anthrax and Testament are across the hall from each other—about three doors down from us.”

Sam and Rosita then looked at one another, and they sighed one of relief.

“There is a bar downstairs by the way,” Zelda told her, to which Sam shook her head.

“Son of a bitch,” she muttered to herself, and then she lifted her gaze back up to her. “Want me to go see how they're all doing?”

“Might as well. Like I said, we've gotta be down there soon.”

Zelda tugged down on her shorts and Sam spotted a mark right on her hip bone.

“What's that?”

“What, this?” Zelda pointed to the mark. “It's a primitive makeshift tattoo. I'm thinking I'll get myself a real one some day.” Sam then stood to her feet and then she scurried down the hall towards Anthrax's room, where they kept the door wide open for the whole world to see inside there. She peeked in through the doorway for a look at the back of Charlie's head: he stood before the closet door with his hand rested upon the wall opposite. Scott's big Queens accent caught her ear, followed by Frank's soft voice. She had no idea if Joey or Dan was in there with them.

Their absence made the sinking feeling in her chest even worse.

She then turned her head to the room across the hall: their door hung wide open as well, and Alex sat there right within the line of her sight, right there in his underwear. She peered around to make sure no one else was around her. But he sat there with his back to the wall and he crossed his legs so as to cradle his guitar. He paid more attention to his picking than he did Sam: she noticed he sat there in his little shorts and his tall white socks, even though the window stood wide open to let in the cool air from the impending thunderstorm. He had brushed his black hair back a bit so it spread over the top of his head: the black curls looked a bit more frizzy from the morning light.

But she thought about Joey and Dan, and if they had gone downstairs at all. And yet they had to leave soon.

The Cherry Suicides made their way down the block first with their instruments on their backs, towards the Beacon Theater, and they took the back door in first.

They were met with another series of dressing rooms, but Sam and Marla had to help set up Zelda's drum kit first.

“Three years as a band and we still don't have a proper crew,” she said as she erected her high hat cymbal.

“Three years as a band and you still don't have a record deal yet,” Sam added as she put up her tom tom drums.

“Fingers and toes are crossed, though,” Zelda assured her; Marla set the stool down right in the middle of the kit, and then they doubled back to the dressing room. Joey and Dan still hadn't showed up to the theater yet.

And they still hadn't showed up even after lunch and during the course of the afternoon when the doors opened. Sam figured that Joey was alright and he and Dan had just done something together with each other in the bar in the hotel. But it was easy to worry. She need not worry about him, especially since he was with Dan and not someone else, but it was easy to fall into that trap, especially after the fact they were right across the hall from Testament. She wished for Joey to use his head and not drink too much that he could hardly sing that evening.

She peered out to the audience as some people gathered near the edge of the pit, even though there was no way he would be out there. She needed to let him go, to let him live his own life, but it was hard to not worry about him, especially since she vowed to be a better friend to him.

“Bel!” Marla called out from the side of the stage. Sam turned her attention to the other side of the floor, where Marla had ducked away into the other corridor over there. Sam doubled back and she made her way all the around to meet up with Marla and Belinda.

And then she tripped, and just like at the Stormtroopers of Death show, it was upon a series of cables. But that time she caught herself and kicked them off in one fell swoop. She kept on going towards Marla and Belinda, the latter of whom wore all black for the show that night: her blouse was cropped a little bit to reveal a silver and topaz belly button piercing.

“Ooh, hot,” Sam proclaimed.

“Just got it,” Belinda said with a lift of her blouse to better show it off. “Still a little sore, but not too much, though.”

“Sam needs a little something to make her stand out a bit more,” Marla pointed out with a nod of her head. “'Cause I got the dyed hair and Bel's got a thing in her belly—we gotta be true vixens.”

Sam hesitated for a second, and then she lifted the hem of her blouse and showed off nothing more than her bra.

“Does lingerie count?” she asked them.

“Hell yeah,” Belinda said with a toss of her blonde hair.

“Appropriate for the Cherry Suicides, especially.” Sam slung her blouse over her shoulder.

Joey and Dan still hadn't showed up by the time more and more people congregated out in the audience. Soon, Zelda and Rosita filed out of their dressing room first, followed by Minerva and Morgan. Sam, Marla, and Belinda huddled on the side of the stage, out of the audience's line of sight. The lights turned low and the four girls were surrounded by gold and red lights to bring a little more of that gory mood that they had been trying to hone in as of late.

It was a small audience but they made a lot more noise in comparison to Hartford and even Boston. Zelda held onto her bra straps as if they were suspenders for a second, and then she took her seat on the stool.

“Well, three years as a band and we're finally making some serious headway on it all,” Morgan bellowed into the microphone head over the noise of the crowd. “This is a brand new song to commemorate that serious sense of headway. Headway for a new found romance—a bit of love. Yeah, baby, this is a love song. It's called 'Dead Witch'!”

Rosita led the way in with a distorted bass. Morgan then yelped out and they launched forth like a gunshot. Her powerful voice soared strong and high into the theater: she was taking lessons from Chuck and Joey. Zelda stayed upright in a steady rhythm, but then they reached a bridge, and she picked it up to double time to keep up with Rosita's wandering bass, a line that sounded like that of an actual guitar.

Minerva then joined in with the first notes of a guitar solo.

“This is my sister Minerva!” Morgan yelled out, and people cheered. She launched into a guitar solo, something that they had never done before. Zelda started moving faster and faster on the drums. Rosita did, too.

“Get on it, girls!” Sam shouted as Zelda picked up the pace on her drums. She appeared to be doing a drum solo and yet she was also leading the way in the song. The beat with this song was constant and fast and even simple without a single drum roll, but every time she came to the end of a bar, she made a tight drum roll. Minerva kept going with the guitar solo, and Zelda picked it up with a splash cymbal after the drum roll.

Loud and hard, and powerful, just like the boys.

“This is like going into thrash territory,” Greg remarked right into Sam's ear; Minerva put her leg up onto her amp and perched her guitar atop her thigh. Rosita strode over to her and set the black top hat upon her head, complete with one hand on the bass neck.

“They are!” she exclaimed as Zelda picked up even more splashes on the cymbals. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. Sam looked over her shoulder at Louie and Charlie right behind her with their mouths agape.

“Holy shit,” Charlie said. “Girls just went thrash!” Minerva ran her hand up the neck of the guitar for a witchy shrieking sound.

“Minerva's been taking notes from Alex, I see,” Greg leaned in closer to Sam, and she nodded at him in excitement. But as far as she knew, she hadn't seen Minerva with Alex. As far as she knew anyway.

That song lasted seven minutes, and Zelda never even broke out a sweat. “Day of the Dead” was another jam session, which the crowd went insane over into the form of a full mosh pit. Sam thought about what Zelda said about Guns N' Roses, and their blowing the Rolling Stones off of the stage. She wondered if Anthrax and Testament could follow up after such a monolith of a short set. She was about to catch up with Zelda and Minerva, but she recognized those black curls right behind him. He had put on nothing more than a pair of baggy black shorts and some Chuck Taylors.

“Hey!” she greeted him, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

“Hey!” Joey echoed her. His eyes were clear. He hadn't been drinking. She almost threw her arms around him, but then Scott called his name.

“I'll see you in a little bit,” he whispered to her, and he disappeared into their dressing room.

Testament then took to the stage, as the audience was still loud with the cheers for the girls. Sam returned to Marla and Belinda on the side there.

“Man alive, those girls gave us a kick in the ass,” Chuck declared into the microphone. “Anthrax and the five of us are gonna have some pretty big shoes to fill right here.”

Alex crouched down to his pedal board and he adjusted a couple of dials. He then leaned back and tapped on his guitar strings for a bit of distortion and some feedback. Sam looked over at Louie and his tossing his hair back from his head so it sprawled over his shoulders. And yet, despite everything that happened to the right of her, the audience before her had been riled up by those four girls there. She could feel their movement in her chest, in her bones, and right underneath her feet.

“This first song is so appropriate,” Chuck declared into his microphone, “for our time here in New York City. Written by—our little man over here—” He gestured over to Alex, who gave his hair a slight toss back: the black hair dye had faded a bit more so his gray streak shone under the flood lights on the far side of the room. Even when he turned the other way, Sam made out the sight of that little pearl of a stripe. “—the amazing Alex Skolnick. Only eighteen years old, fresh out of high school. This song is called 'Apocalyptic City'! Get on up!” he said that last part with a low guttural growl.

Eric took a step forward and he bowed his head. He led the way in there, and then Greg and Louie followed. Alex sounded much louder, and quite the comeback in comparison to that malfunction in Boston.

Chuck's voice sounded much more clear and much stronger than before. What an appropriate name of a song for playing in the big city!

The lights caressed over the crowns of their heads: Sam wished for a few red ones to add to the mood.

Alex reached the solo and, much like Minerva, he went off in a five minute tangent, complete with Louie thrashing forth on the drums. It was as if they were all bouncing off of each other. Through the back door on the other side of the curtain, Sam spotted a bright white flash outside.

The thunderstorm! Alex made it rain and thunder!

Five songs later, and Anthrax took to the stage. Even over the roar of the crowd, Sam heard the rain on the roof overhead.

“That was nuts,” Joey declared into his microphone head; he adjusted the brim of a black ball cap upon his head. “Really, those ladies are nuts. Nuts in a damn good way!” He turned his head and Sam saw the word “INJUN” inscribed on the inside of the bill.

“Nuts are tasty,” Scott added into his microphone.

“Nuts are tasty as all of us here in the City'll say,” Joey continued, and a few people in the audience laughed at that. “Nuts in a bit of red. Red on the adolescents. Adolescents in red! A.I.R.!”

They launched forth with the grinding guitar sound and the thundering drums, thundering alongside the feeling of the thunderstorm outside. Joey's voice filled out the room in its high operatic manner, and Sam's heart soared at the sound.

At one point, Dan stood there by the edge of the stage with his foot hovered right over what appeared to be an iron right upon the floor. It was like Minerva and Alex's solos combined, and the white, gold, and red lights all around him only accentuated the grinding sound that resembled to a saw blade. The thunder outside behaved as the centerpiece.

Like hell on earth.

And yet Sam was glad to be a part of it.

Anthrax played a full set, one of ten songs, and complete with Joey running about the stage with that crown of feathers upon his head during that song “Indians”. But it almost felt as though they played long into the night by the time they closed out with that closer from Spreading the Disease, “Gung Ho!”

Before midnight, they retreated back to their dressing rooms, and Sam spotted Alex down on the floor outside of their door.

“Hey, are you alright?” Marla spotted him as well, and he shook his head.

“I don't get it,” he confessed once they came within earshot. He knitted his eyebrows together and he bowed his head as if he had been shamed.

“Don't get what?” Marla asked him.

“They all loved Danny,” he said, “and they all thought I sucked. I suck at this.”

“Hey, now, you rocked!” Belinda proclaimed.

“They loved Danny and they loved Minerva—didn't bat a lash for me.” Marla then stooped down closer to his face.

“He'll never be you,” she whispered to him; Alex stared on at her, still with that wounded look on his face. “Listen to me, Alex—he will never—ever—be you.”

Sam and Zelda crouched down next to her so as to join in.

“He'll never have your sense of the guitar,” Belinda continued, even though Sam knew she was grasping at straws.

“He'll never have that sexy little plume of gray atop your head,” Zelda pointed out from behind them, and Alex frowned and hunched his shoulders at that. She sighed through her nose when she realized that she had hit a nerve there with that.

“But he'll never be you, though,” Sam assured him. “Never! He could never be Alex—” She stopped, and he lowered his gaze to the floor underneath him. “—Alexander—Alexander Skolnick.”

“Well, we have a day off between dates, though,” Zelda added, still from behind them. “Time to relax and regather your bearings for a day, Alex.”

“Yeah, and a full day before I join the boys on another tour stop,” Sam pointed out as they gathered together.

“We are right down the street from the museum, too,” Marla pointed out.

“Never been there,” Sam added.

“It's Saturday, though,” Belinda then said.

“Damn it.”

“Some ice cream and a snack then?”

“For tonight or tomorrow?” Marla asked Belinda.

“Tomorrow. We can bring the little man here with us to kinda lift his spirits, too.”

“Not us, though,” Eric said from behind them, and the three of them turned towards him and the guitar case over his shoulder, already packed to go.

“Where you guys going?” Sam asked him.

“We're going to a place called Eindhoven,” Eric replied, “a festival over in the Netherlands. But we're gonna be recording it for a live album, and then we're gonna come back here for the southern part of the States with our pals Overkill. Then we're gonna be in Nor-Cal with Megadeth, and then we go home.”

“Well—damn.” Sam thought about leaving the camp behind Anthrax to join Testament with their dates, and yet she couldn't. She couldn't leave Joey behind like that. “So we're not gonna see you guys for the rest of this tour with Anthrax?”

“We might come back for the Midwest dates,” he continued, “I'll have to ask Aurora about it because she's got all the info on that. But, until then—” He opened his arms for her and she moved in close to him. It would be the last time she would see them for a while and thus her embrace with him didn't feel so long.

“We've got a flight to catch,” he explained as he embraced Marla and Belinda as well. “C'mon, Alex.”

Alex stood up and then he leaned over closer to Sam, with his expression still serious.

“Middle name's Nathan,” he quipped in a low voice, “just—throwing that out there by the way.”

She nodded at him.

“Okay. I'll remember that.”

His face never changed expression as he followed after Eric. There was so much to him that she still didn't understand, and it would have to take something so intense for a better insight into him. Something far more intense than the music itself.

#fanfic #fanfiction #anthrax fanfic #anthrax #testament #testament band #testament fanfic #chapter 14 #fever in fever out #fever in fever out fanfic #book three #a skeleton in the closet #also on ao3 #also on wattpad #long reads #writing #text

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gimme-a-hand-scaevola · 3 years

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A review of the book The Rook by Daniel O’Malley that nobody ever asked for...

Ok so @chemcat92 recommended me this book and I listened to it on audiobook and I just... have a lot of thoughts. I haven’t read the sequel and I’m torn if I will. Having watched some AMVs of the show, it’s a hard pass. My review is going to be in three parts:

1. The plot

2. Wasted Potential - In General

3. Wasted Potential - Gestalt the Most Wasted Character Potential I’ve Read since Drizzt Do’Urden

Obviously spoilers under the cut.

Part 1: The Plot - i.e. I think Daniel discovered books four days before he started writing

Ok so... The plot of this book. It starts off STRONG I will give it that. Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in a rainy part surrounded by bodies wearing latex gloves and no memories. She soon discovers her previous self lost her memories but because she was organized and knew it was coming, she has eased new Myfanwy’s transition. She gets to choose to stay in her life through letters and then we get an easy way to give flashbacks. Anyway this part RULES.

Honestly, the book starts strong as hell. Myfanwy discovers she has supernatural powers over people’s nervous systems and is a trained bureaucrat for a supernatural wing of the government. This all runs sort of like a combination of Heroes and Harry Potter in the best way possible. And here is where we find the strongest part of the book: the superpowers.

We don’t have to look that far to find Heroes type shows or books where everyone has a special ability, so if you’re going to go that route, you’ve gotta bring it. And honestly, Daniel brings it. They powers are cool as hell, they’re inventive, they’re well bounded. I felt like I understood what people’s powers and limitations were. We were in a land with magic, but it never felt cheap. This is going to dovetail into my absolute RANT about Gestalt but give me a sec to get there.

Ok. So honestly I don’t even have any complaints until the third act. Act one gives us the set up, act two introduced the big bad the Grafters and so far so good. We’ve got good but elitist supernatural guys vs. bad but more egalitarian supernatural guys. We also know that it was someone in the supernatural org (it has a name but the name is so stupid I can’t spell it) that betrayed our protag and stole her memories and they’re still around and teamed up with the evil Grafters. Intrigue?? Don’t know who to trust???? Love it.

For some reason everyone is either old, or hot, or so inhuman it’s viscerally horrifying. Love this touch. Eleanor from the Good Place taught us that it’s totally free to imagine everyone in a story as super hot. And it is. So they’re all super hot. Love it. Good commitment, Daniel.

But then we get to Act three. So, this was a big swing on ol Danny’s part because a lot of the effect of this had to do with carrying out mystery. We’d built a lot of tension on the suspense Who Betrayed Myfanwy. So obviously it’s really important for me to be surprised or at least satisfied with who this is. (As an aside, I would have been ok with guessing correctly, I definitely don’t subscribe to surprise trumping cohesive plot). Ok. With that on paper... like... holy shit. What a stupid “reveal.”

So in part 1, like the first scene we get of old Myfanwy’s letters giving us context, she says that her apartment at work was inherited from a dude Conrad something that got promoted. And then she says it’s super badly decorated, and later we see it and this shit is straight out of Austin Powers, mirror over a round bed, The Whole Shebang. But she also says that this guy who otherwise is supposed to be very smooth and charismatic like... asks her about the decor.... every time they interact. Every Time They Interact. The second this was mentioned (WHICH IS AFTER WE KNOW SHE WAS BETRAYED) I'm like “oh ok so this guy bugged her room he’s the villain” and I only wasn’t sure because it was WAY too obvious.

But no. He’s the villain. He has a big reveal where he’s like “AND I BUGGED YOUR ROOM” and I'm like... well... yeah. Of course you did. But here’s the thing tho... Myfanwy’s like... WHOLE ASS JOB is planning covert ops. So... is she good at her job??? IS SHE????

But we also don’t actually show how characters are based on their actions, we are just told how they are. But we will circle back to that in the Gestalt part. That’s honestly the sum of my rant about the plot. It was nothing. It put all its eggs in the basket of the worst most boring reveal of all time. Daniel, I think you might just be boring.

Part 2: Wasted Potential - Everything but Gestalt who gets a special part to themselves.

The big sin of this book might just be too many good ideas. There’s a lot of characters, they all do cool stuff, but we have like 200 pages, so there wasn’t enough time to do anything with all these guys. I got lost about who was who like 80 times because they’re basically all sneaky hot magic guys. One of them smokes and is a soldier and he seems chill.

There’s a vampire and he gets a scene and a long intro that reads more like a wiki page. Like it was interesting but you would have lost NOTHING cutting him as a character except that he was cool. You never ever believe that he was the bad guy because it’s super well established in the Certified Back Story that he could give two shits about the politics of the humans. He’s there bc he’s an adorably young vampire who is very curious so his dad set him up as a powerful government agent as though it was enrolling him in a prep school. Love it, but again, we don’t.... need him around.

There’s a lady who can walk through dreams and I thought she was going to be important based on the fanfare of her introduction but then we forget about her basically entirely.

There’s a whole American wing that we also only see anything interesting about in side story. Basically the world building is really good. Like pretty superb to be honest. But it’s bracketing a story that is nothing so it makes even good characters seems really random. And that bring us to:

Part 3: My Darling, Gestalt. My Type. My Weakness. What a Sad Little Thing You Are (Also misogyny)

Alright... if the rest of this review wasn’t salty enough for you... let the salt begin. Gestalt. So named because of the word meaning larger than the sum of its parts. And so they were destined to be. And so they were most definitely not. So Gestalt’s whole thing is that they are one consciousness with four bodies. They can either control one body at a time and sort of shut the others down or they can control them all at once but that becomes harder if one of them requires more attention than another, like if one is in a fight.

Two twins (men), one fraternal brother, and a sister. If anyone is thinking “uhoh, only one girl, hmm can Daniel handle that? Seems like maybe some Smurfette style misogyny-lite is coming,” you would be wrong. Super wrong. Because it is not misogyny-lite. It’s aggressive Fight-Me-In-A-Perkins-Parking-Lot misogyny. So go fuck yourself, Dan.

Alright, so to number Gestalt’s sins.

1. Scrape off some of that intro mustard.

They’re introduced in the LONGEST fucking passage I’ve ever read telling me that this dude is hard to talk to and weird. Like, I’m in an urban fantasy book already, I'm all set. Also... bitch SHOW ME they’re weird. Like can I see some interactions that give me second hand embarrassment??? No. It is actually never uncomfortable to talk to Gestalt. I only know that because people are super fucking rude about them. But it is never earned. So I don’t feel sympathy when people are like “Oh noooo you have to spend a car ride with Gestalt? Ewwwww sorry.” I’m just like, “What’s your fucking problem? They seem fine.”

2. They’re supposed to be Bad At Planning but when??

Alright so there ARE times they’re bad at planning and we will GET TO THAT. But it’s only post-reveal like... what we are told during a monologue that they were dumb as shit. And that wasn’t even like not being good w/ details like it’s implied they are, it’s literally like doing dumb ass stuff. And it felt more like my bud Dan didn’t have a good handle on why stuff was dumb as rain than Gestalt being silly.

Also.... this is a stupid use of this sort of character. They’re dumb and bad at planning??? THEY’RE A JOINT CONSCIOUSNESS why would you waste that making them “Good at kicking ass.” ugh. Fine.

3. They get sidelined IMMEDIATELY

So a guy named Pumice Stone or Kettle or Lil boy Bad At This or something outs that Gestalt is working with the Grafters because he like.... wasn’t paying attention. It was boring. But anyway so they capture two of the bodies and then stop addressing Gestalt until the end. They have one weird scene where the protagonist like.... freaks them out but ok. Fine. Why is Gestalt so Yelly. Why are so many villains in this book yelly. Ew.

4. The REVEAL MONOLOGUE.

I know this is a long ass review already. But my Feelings Must be Heard. So in the end when Conrad surprises no one but “smart” Myfanwy that he was the bad guy, we also get a reveal from the surviving Gestalt bodies that:

a. There’s an incest baby

b. They’re afraid of death

c. They’re so phenomenally stupid I have lost all interest in them

So... this is where the misogyny comes in. I’ll note here that the only time we interact w/ Eliza, the special girl body, is when she takes a carried to Hogwarts the super secret magic school with Myfanwy and she doesn’t do anything except we get the internal note that she’s like... gained weight. This is the misogyny-lite we expect. (And no, Dan, you don't get any points bc a female character is the only pleased she got pudgy bc YOU wrote the female character so we’re all set there.)

And then we discover that the weird blonde (lol oh yeah they’re all hot blondes) baby that Conrad “Evil Austin Powers” British-Last-Name has with his weird wife is actually a Gestalt body that Eliza had after she boned down with her other body who is genetically a brother and consciously herself.

K. Ok. I have. Ok. Alright. Daniel. Ok.

SUBPART A: My Feelings about Gestalt: Oh Eliza, my darling, my dear, would that I could bring you Justice

So after Eliza is shot dead one of the interchangeable boy bodies of Gestalt yells at Myfanwy about how terrible that is bc it was the only body who could bear children so now THE HORROR they’ll die.

For god’s fucking sake Daniel O’Malley. What the fuck is your goddamn problem. You LITERALLY wrote a Smurfette Syndrome character who is only important because she can have babies. She is literally just there to be a baby-box. What the fuck. Get fucking wrecked. Thank GOD Starz cut your program and fuck the Aurealis Awards for giving you an award for this fucking book. But they’re a sci-fi award so this is probably super progressive for them. I was pleasantly annoyed by the basic nature of this book until this part. Now I am just done with your content. This was more overtly sexist that Supernatural. So... real swing and a miss.

ANYWAY FORTUNATELY this opens a whole new can of worms that I get to ruthlessly mock certified Basic Bitch Daniel O’Malley for.

SubPart 2: Gestalt Raises Interesting Philosophical Questions Daniel Isn’t Smart Enough to Address

So, remember, I would have cut this dude more slack if he didn’t do that to Eliza. Gestalt, to be honest, this whole review is dedicated to what you Could Have Been.

Interesting Questions or Comments We Could Have Asked:

Does having a baby being one of five of your bodies affect your consciousness? That thing doesn’t have object permanence? Is there like an intellectual cost to having another baby body? No, we don’t care. I think we just had there be a baby bc “Weird sister-sex” was as interesting as Daniel could get. Side Note: The obvious question of “lol haha lol is it incest or mAsTurBation is not going to be addressed here bc it is literally too boring to consider)

Does having a body who textually is said to have post-partum depression affect your joint consciousness? If not, why bring it up?? Bc she has “weird lady disease” is that why???

Are they....afraid of death????? Why didn’t you ever bring this up? Why have they showed only excitement at the prospect of very dangerous fights up to this point? Why are all four bodies in the field.

WHY ARE ALL FOUR BODIES IN THE FIELD. Ok so here is one of those points that is definitely stupid but stupid in a dumb as dirt way. If you were afraid to lose your baby-box body, why would you send her into battle?

Why didn’t they freeze a bunch of her eggs? In fact, why did she bear it at all? Why put your one female body that you only want for babies through that sort of danger? Canonically they all get paid an absurd amount and Gestalt is paid for each body, they can afford a surrogate.

Why let a weird dude who is at best contemptuous of you raise your baby body? Why wouldn’t you want to do that? Doesn’t that give him a huge amount of leverage over you?

Is the quality fo Gestalt’s form destined to decline if genetically they can only make more bodies by full genetic sibling offspring? Does that scare them? Again... does their physical brain affect their consciousness?

If so... maybe that would be a good reason for them to want to join up with the Grafters who are way ahead in genetic research and engineering.

ANYWAY Gestalt is sexist as shit and boring as hell and had SO MUCH WEIRD POTENTIAL.

In summary: It was definitely fun but Fuck you, Daniel O’Malley

#the rook #Daniel O'Malley #Myfanwy Thomas #Gestalt #Book review #the rook starz

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ghostly-penumbra · 4 years

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DannyMay 2020. Day Four

“Science”

Ao3 FFN

Dani set the table while Danny carried her Project, a simple but safe bicarbonate volcano. It wasn’t that they didn’t appreciate their parents’ help, of course Dani had wanted a great project, something that would make the kids that had been making fun of her for being adopted cry, but… after letting them run loose with their increasingly dangerous suggestions and having to deal with the collateral damage, she had decided to heed Danny’s advice and go easy; it was just a science fair for Amity Park’s middle school, anyway.

“You sure the teachers will give me a passing grade, though?” Dani asked as she took out her notes from her backpack and placed them in the table.

“Yeah. They won’t be impressed, but as long as it works, they have to give you a C.” He gave her a smile and a thumbs up and she, graciously, accepted his mediocrity.

“Hm, I thought we had arrived early.”

They looked around and saw several other students already filling in with their own projects, all of them fancier much fancier than their volcano.

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” The woman from the next table approached them, and the only way the Dans could think to describe her was ‘soccer mom’. “The NASA will send a representative to see the children’s projects!” They both froze and, slowly, blinked at her at the exact same time. When several seconds passed without either of them saying anything, the lady continued. “It was all in the pamphlet! The city has gotten quite the attention because of these Fentons, you know them, yeah?”

“We have heard of them.” Said both Fenton siblings.

“Well, finally something good came out of that, didn’t it?” The woman giggled as she walked away.

Dani put her notes back in her backpack. Danny took the volcano and Dani disassembled the ikea table. They walked away.

“HOLY SHIT, TUCKER!!!” The older teen yelled into his phone.

- - -

“Will this thing really make us geniuses?” Dani asked as Danny strapped the helmet in place, with Tucker arranging the coding so it wouldn’t give them unnecessary knowledge like history and arts and stuff.

“‘course I am! It turned me into a full on genius last year!” He turned to his friends, and his easy smile faltered a little. “But, Danny,” When both of them turned, he thought of specifying, but decided the message was for both of them anyway. “-s, don’t you think this is, uh, cheating?”

The siblings looked at each other for a long moment, and Tucker really wondered if they had twin-like telepathy.

“Tuck, buddy,” Danny began, shuffling where he stood, putting a hand on his nape. “you know how our house has been these last weeks, how our parents have been, “he rolled his eyes at the thought, “do you remember when I wanted to participate in a fair myself, and just wanted to make a small rocket?”

Tucker grimaced, remembering the functioning ghost-killer robot –yes, that was its name, and yes, everyone but the Fenton parents could see the contradiction– that ended up chasing their class… and their classmates’ parents… and the teachers… and the judges… and Danny… it was pure luck they hadn’t yet developed their ecto-lasers and the ectoplasm used wasn’t harming, just… very sticky and annoying.

(Tucker had won that fair, with his –in retrospective, very rustic– home-made laptop, but when he saw how sad his best buddy was because of that robot, he chose to share the medal with him)

“Yeah, they tried to do it again. We had to keep them off it for two weeks just to make a stupid bicarbonate volcano!” Tucker scrunched his nose in distaste, his friends were above that. “And then turns out NASA will be here! D’you really think that’s fair?”

Tucker looked at his best friend, ignored the pun, and then at his best friend’s clone –with her hair down and arms crossed she looked a lot like Jazz–, and gave in with a sigh. “Fine! But you gotta know, if you don’t back this up with studying then the knowledge will fade away. Also, if Clockwork comes to hit you with his staff and says it is cheating, then I will listen to him, okay?” Danny pumped his fist in the air and Danielle gave cheery little jumps in her seat. “Alright, here goes nothing!”

#DannyMay 2020 #dannymay20 #dannymay #Danny Phantom #danny fenton #dani fenton #yeah the fenton parents adopted her #Tucker Foley #day four #science #ghostly-scrypts #crossposted on ao3

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duallygirl178 · 3 years

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Dearest O'Malley Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I was soon starting to feel under the weather myself after Joe passed away. I felt weak from being under nitrus for 3 months, just like Jim; Nathan's instructor said. I began to get sick too just like that. Nathan tried to get me running again and grew frustrated. I felt my timing points were off just a little bit and I had to sit for almost 2 months that summer and I dreaded feeling sick for a while. All I could do was rest and as I was napping that afternoon, I had a dream about my father. In my dream, I was a young boy and playing a prank on him. I had sneaked quietly into my father's room and tip-toed to the bed where my dad was sleeping. Then, I tipped the mattress fell on top of him while he was in it. My dad was yelling and swearing in fury, but in the background, I could hear my mother laughing herself silly. My father squirmed effortlessly to get up as he fought through the covers. Once he was out of the cover twists and turns, he pops up trying to breathe and then that's when his face turned angry. He was just as angry as a yellow jacket wasp. He hollered out "Who flipped over my mattress? Whoever did this, better know that I'm out for you, I'm coming! Ya hear! you broke my chassis and my rear view mirror done broke!" I was laughing as my mother came up behind me chuckling as if no one cared. Dad yelled and yelled at my mother that she was in trouble. He yelled as us kids and mother didn't let him get away with it. She yelled at him with the most uncomfortable and longest sentence of swearing I've ever heard. All of us except for me, would start copying mom on her swearing in the background.

I suddenly woke up with a jerk and started to think to myself; 'Did that really happen?'. I remembered my dad was always fussing that he broke something when it wasn't fatal or when it was minor. If he bumped something on an object, he'd make a big scene out of it all. It was embarrassing! I liked to compare my father's personality with the parent from the TV show, "Life of Louie". He was a difficult, caring, comical, and downright paranoid father. After 10 minutes, I already forgot about my dream. I checked the time. It was late in the evening around 6 o'clock and I was beginning to get sweaty from the heat.

That mid-July, Joe fell and hurt his head. He had to go to the hospital in Farmington New Mexico. Carol, his wife couldn't bare to live without him. She was in her chair when it happened because she could barely get around. Then the night Joe was in the hospital, she got depressed and started to be loopy. She was seeing things that weren't there and she called the police because she would imagine that children were trying to steal her medication. Carol; Nathan's grandmother, called the house phone at 1010 late and there was all this commotion that really wasn't necessary. Carol was paranoid the whole time Joe was in the hospital and when Joe was transported to the hospital that was located in Albuquerque that July, she was going downhill fast. Sadly, Joe passed away a few days later. Jan, Nathan, and Natalie all had to pitch in each of their time to help with Carol that included changing her diaper, feeding her, bathing her, and changing her gowns. The care went on for a few more months after she got out of the hospital from an infection. It took several weeks to get Carol out of there, but she was doing fine when she was transported to Good Sams in Aztec. Good Sams was a place where old folks could recover from the hospital, be socialized with others and live there. It was really nice. Carol was doing fine and couldn't wait to be home again. While Carol was at Good Sams, I got bored that day. I headed inside the empty house. It felt cold and drafty because no one was here except for me, Ol' Reliable, and the van. I went into the spare room to go sort out some VHS tapes. I looked under the twin bed and found the box of VHS tapes that was stuffed under there. I pulled them out, took them out to the living room, set the VHS player up to the TV, turned it on and watched. There. On the tape was me. I was a lot younger then...possibly about 13 years old. The camera focused in on my dad. He was putting an old stack of newspapers in boxes ready to shred up in his electric shredder and was listening to a matching song too. He was listening to "Rip it up" in the Bill Haley & His Comets version. I turned the camera on a pipe hose connected to an exhaust pipe to a truck that lead to the window of a room. I was going to have a neighbor floor the gas pedal to release dirty diesel exhaust smoke and fumes through the pipes to smoke my dad out of the room he was in to shred the newspapers. I was fed up of him saying "I'm busy, son" and "Go play outside son." a lot to me. The camera focused on me after it showed footage of what I did and how I was explaining it. As it focused on me, I had this revengeful look in my eyes and said "I'm going to get you, dad" then I was laughing my deep hissing laugh that was weird. I focused my eyes on my neighbor and said "Okay Dan. Move em' out" Then, my neighbor revved up his engine and black smoke flowed through the hose and into the window that I lodged in. Quickly, the room flooded up with black smoke and out came my dad like a raging bull. I could hear him coughing his wheezy cough as smoke poured out like water from a faucet. My dad was covered in a black soot coat and had a death stare in his eyes. He was furious and said "When I breathe, I'mma kill you, boy" but I just laughed my stupid laugh. It was hilarious to watch my dad burst out of the house like if it was on fire and covered in soot.

I had forgotten how funny it was when I recorded my dad being angry with me because I pulled a prank on him and filmed it all on video cassette. My dad looked 50 years younger on this one and his owners had him 8 years with him still running. He was still an errand car till this day.

Next, I viewed another tape dated May 13, 1981 and I couldn't remember what was filmed on the tape. I ejected the tape out, placed it on the living room table and slid the second tape in. I watched and waited to see what came up. I could see it was something to do with my first dance at an Elk's Lodge and I was on a stage singing my first number. Then, it struck me. My father came to see me with my talent aboard to perform at the prom that I volunteered and signed up for at the high school.

I was singing a tune I had selected from my dad's records to show off. I looked dashing with new primer and cloud-white paint up on the stage. I was rocking it out to 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Persley himself for a moment. And just when it was about to get boring, I performed "At the hop" by Danny and the Juniors and that's when everyone got crazy for rock n' roll. You could see square dancing and hooting from the crowd. Everyone was having fun and rocking it out. Then I remembered I was the Disk Jockey singer before people started to use re-mixer equipment and electric bits on their buttons. I remembered as I was viewing this tape I had sung a few more Elvis Persley songs such as "Don't be cruel" and "King of the whole wide world". I remember singing a few more songs by Little Richard too like "Tutti Frutti", "Rip it up", "Long Tall Sally" and "Jenny, Jenny".

Gonzo was even there too watching me with a random band that I had known for only a day that was playing the notes behind me. One of them was a Chevy Impala, two of them were Dodge Cornets, the other one was a GTX that was handling the music key grip. The tape was full of memories and outdid myself. In the tape: I was making my way off the stage when I was all done. The rules were; I had to pick and sing six songs. After my turn was over, they needed to let the next contestant have a turn. I enjoyed the rest of the night dancing with the crowd. I could see Impa and Gonzo in the back of the room. I had weaved through the crowd to come get them so we could party. Impa was in his best dressed and Gonzo was fixed up as if Elvis Persley dressed him up himself and said 'Okay, have a good time. don't get drunk on Greyhounds now' Greyhounds were a type of alcoholic drink that was from the 1960s. It was a tangy grapefruit like drink that wasn't made from any orange juice. We were giving Gonzo a little bit of guff about how he was all fixed up in his duds for a few minutes. Then we boogied until we turned purple to all the great songs and then some with the crowd. It was all fun until I accidentally bumped into a 1968 Plymouth Fury. Right away, I apologized and got her some first-aid care. She told me I was very generous and rare for a gentleman to say anything sorry to. Most men bump into her and not even say their sorry. I had responsibility unlike those jerks she was talking about that she may had encountered.

The tape ended and I ejected it out of the player after rewinding it. I looked at more titles that looked tempting to recall back upon.

I had a lot of fun watching all the VHS tapes that my dad recorded on. Not many of them had Impa and Gonzo on them, but I sure missed him. I knew I got to remember all the things we three boys did together when he was still alive. It was good to see him on the tapes. As I viewed more of the tapes, I was even more taken back to see Gonzo, Impa and I singing at a stage that a bar had around. It was hazy and smoky from all the customers smoking pot and drunks that were bored out of their motors, twisting their beer bottles off the tables as they were getting high on hash. The smoke was making us three high, tired and sound like the California Raisins during our song we were performing. I remembered after that, we were so exposed that we were driving high. We didn't get caught by any police officers and we reached home alright.

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lockdownuk · 4 years

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Lockdown Diary Part 2

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online.

Day 31: I went to Tesco’s at Hampton at @8pm. It was weird. But I made it less weird by buying (amongst all the legit stuff I needed and some stuff for Karen’s mum) more booze. I have, atm about 30 assorted cans and 60 assorted bottles. I’m gonna stop buying booze now until I’m down to the last dozen. I don’t want owt to happen and I leave many behind!

Day 32: More than a calender month! I was rung up by a recruitment agent today about a contract with DHL as a remote support engineer to their aviation section. €400 a day! I’ve applied. Few beers tonight, watching a new Netflix release (Extraction) and catching up with Fog, Ham, Andy and Rog later at 10:30pm - yikes, might be pissed.

Day 33: Typing this on day 34. Dossed around during the day, few beers and another video call with fog, Ham and Rig plus I invited John Monk along. He was his usual self and signed off from the call with a moonie! Later on I had the pleasure of Scottish Louise video calling me! She was pissed, in her shed drinking den at her home with some neighbour called Ronnie and her daughter Ellie. She was her usual outrageous self who imaprted such gems as “Tim, you look old” and “Roger on coke is the only time I’ve taken it up the arse”. Nice.

Day 34: Today I skyped Laurie and ‘met’ Matthew and Nicholas for the first time. It was bloody fantatsic. Janine was there as well.I cannot believe it takes lockdown (plus an idea to get Laurie to add me to his regular Monday skype chat with Dad) that managed to get us doing something that should have happened years ago! It was so great to talk to them all face-to-face. Janine hasn’t changed a bit, Matthew is very quiet with Nicholas being the more gregorious twin. And Laurie is still Laurie. I’m reminded of how much I sort of miss him! It was all so comfortable. I loved it! Tomorrow is Dad’s 85th hence the 3-way chat idea. I hope it comes off!

Day 35: So dad and Laurie and I skyped. It was OK but my video feed was very dark, (still dunno why) and Lauire’s kept freezing. I dropped out so as to leave them to it, my thinking being the extra person takes up bandwidth, with the promise I’d call dad later. Before I could, Rita called me and suggested Dad and I skype, which we did. So, all in all, a good day of comms! And Dad seems his happy usual self - 85 years old! Amazing.

Day 36: I am really struggling to motivate myself this week. Today, I’ve done fuck all of note. That is all.

Day 37: A similar day to yesterday. All I have really managed to do is lay down audio from Pink Floyd (Absolutely Curtains) to a video I shot of a cow on yesterday’s walk. I am having a downer of a week without any good reason why, ld aside. I have worn my new walking boots today (’cos my old ones are leaking, I found out yesterday) and they fucking hurt, despite having tried to wear them in for months, albeit pathetically. Also, a few days ago (Friday 24th April), I got notification from HM Revenue & Customs that I’m getting tax rebate (from 2018-19) of £392. Yay!

Day 38: I received notification today that I’ve got a speeding ticket…last Thursday back from Tesco’s - 87mph somewhere between the A1 and Elton. I am hoping it’s a fixed penalty. I dunno whether it is yet, I just have to send the form off confirming it’s my car and I was driving. I spoke with Lynda from Woodfords asking her to ask for a rent reduction before I sign for another year. Plus, I let her know that I will be Howard and Sue’s eyes as the look at rental properties in Oundle - I do hope they return although it would be a shame for them that their plans have been scuppered (she’s lost her job in Oz due to Covid-19)

Day 39: Today I started another piece of exercise - up and down the stairs 26 times. Not sure why 26 - it was some thing online to do with the London Marathon, I think. It fucking killed. I used 13 clothes pegs for a counting system. I asked Karen to pick up some stuff when she was shopping (burgers, radishes) - Dan dropped them off, He was with Shaggy (driving his van) and going to see Jonah. That pisses me off - they should be social distancing, ffs.

Discoevered, today, that Cornershop, post-Brinful are fucking excellent. listening to the album ‘England is a Garden’ as I type.

Day 40: That 26 times up and down the stairs is fucking hard. I did videos about it today. My legs are aching like fuck right now.

Day 41: Just done Young Sam’s (Sam Clews) quiz. 3rd week running and it’s now become a habit and something I look forward to. Out of all the internet driven socialising I’m undertaking in ld, this is the weirdest - I feel totally detatched from all others taking part but, now, would feel pissed off if I didn’t or couldn’t join in. I got 47/70 this week. My best score and only about 8 off the winning score - most others aren’t doing it on their own!

Today’s walk was a cloudy one - I captured some fine, dramatic pics of the clouds. I am getting into this photography lark, albeit very amateurish. But, when I post any pics online (mostly FB), they seem to be widely appreciated, which is nice.

Day 42: Applied for a remote service delivery job with a firm called TTEC. £60k. Finished watching The Outsider. The creepiest TV show I have seen in years. Really great use of background music.

Day 43: Finished Mindhunter S2 last night. It’s so good but I cannot quite put my finger on why. Today has been a nothing day apart from day 2 of me not typing the letter ‘e’ in any post or comments on FB for a week. It’s hard.

Day 44: Watch Anna last night. A Luc Besson film that starts a kick-ass suprermodel. It’s right down my street. Today I have been lazy af. I need to pick up my online learning again…tomorrow, maybe! I watched Andy Murray Resurfacing. A documentary on Amazon. Fantastic. What a top man he is. Completely human and completely inhuman!

Day 45: Much talk in the news of possible lockdown relaxation. I am off the opinion we should stay the course until we are completely assured of beathing this thing i.e. a working, widely available vaccine. Dad and I Skyped - he is doing well, as usual. So is Rita. They both seem very happy in lockdown! Today has been a glorious day, weather wise. I had my walkk at 10ish this morming and it was very warm. Hottest day of the year so far I reckon.

Day 46: Bank holiday Friday (75th anniversary of VE day). Nice walk. Chat with Karen letting her know about being caught speeding just in case I am banned and need some out of town shopping. Watched second episode of DEVS by Alex Garland. It’s good and intriguing. Now, @7pm, gonna eat and hit the beers and smokes.

Day 47: Typing this at 15:45 on day 48. I had lots of beers and a good old chat with Rog…

Day 48: Today’s daily press conference was eagerly anticipated today with rumours of a relaxation in lockdown. It seems it was a fuss about nothing with no clear instructions - I didn’t watch it but, skimming the BBC news site, I shan’t be doing anything different over the next few weeks, not that I would anyway - furlough and self isolation are the order of the day and I won’t change that until I am sure it’s safe. Meanwhile people, including Danny flaunt the rules, it’s been pointed out to me plus I know he spends time with Jonah and Marc. It really fucks me off. So, the actions of the few mean I will lock myself down for as long, if not longer, as it takes. Attended Sam Clews quiz again. It passes the time. Also, I had half a scotch bonnet chilli with tea tonight (roasted veg, cous cous and sausages). Ridiculously hot!

Day 49: Received the speaker I ordered a few days ago (from eBay). It’s an AudioPro Addon T10. I got it for a very reasonable price from a German shop. As a result, the power lead isn;t three pin and that has seriously fucked me right off!

Meanwhile, I did my 26 stair climb before my daily walk today. It was easier than usual (surprise surprise) and I did 7km - but that was tough! ‘Cos I am on (yet another) free trial of Amazon Prime, I am ramping up watching stuff available. Last night I watched Booksmart - really nice little film with a great soundtrack. I am listening to Dan the Automater as I type. Today I watched half (3 eps) of The Night Manager and the film ‘The Founder’. The former is a superb series, the latter an OK film about Ray Kroc - the supposed founder of McDonald’s. Except he wasn’t; he was the wrong side of ambitious and a cunt.

Day 50: Stripped the 2 pin cable from the speaker I received yesterday and wired up a 3 pin plug and it worked. Win. And it sounds great. Win-win. Went to go shopping in Hampton but the car wouldn’t start. Loss. But it was the battery so I managed to borrow Karen’s jump starter which worked. Win.

Spent £107. Loss. But just under £40 was booze plus £10 for two big pizzas, two sides (dirty fries) and some dips. Win. Didn’t do any online learning - seriously fucking letting myself down. Loss.

Did my usual walking and 26 stair climb. The latter is hard but defo getting easier. Win. Day 51: Sam’s 51st birthday on day 51 - coincidence! Today I received my face mask from Lou - House of Stewart tartan. I’m pleased with it and that I have got a mask now. I managed to get up at a reasonable hour, just left 09:00, and revisit my web design course. Module 1, lesson 5 and I am fucking stuck. Trying to code an online CV with a side nav bar and I cannot get it to fucking work. Grrrrrr. Later, i got into a FB dispute (easily distracted due to the above) with someone over his statement of fact (Tim Martin’s treatment of Whetherspoons’ employees) when he doesn’t know it’s fact. It probably is, but that is not the fucking point. I wish I could leave these sort of spats alone. I am drinking, at 20:45, peppermint tea as I type. Jeez, what’s happened to me?

Day 52: Well, last night took a swift chnage. Rog message me and, to cut a long story short, I hit the beers, also called Foggy later, got trashed. I got up today at gone 1pm. Sam posted on fb that Paul had forgort her birthday yesterday. Oh dear! The 26 stair climb and walking each day is noticeable for how knackered my legs feel all the time, I noticed today!

Day 53: My birthday! Nice comments and banter of FB. Rachael brought round a bottle of whisky; gobsmacked. Karen popped round some beers and sausage rolls. Sam sent a card, as did dad with a £50 cheque. Dan’s ordering me a pizza later.

Chuffed! Day 54: I went to bed late after a lot of beers, huge pizza and chips, a few smokes and a long call with WWJ and video chats with Fog then Rog. Got up around 1pm and dossed with my usual exercises and I made fish pie with a scotch bonnet. Day 55: Late one last night but up early today (11ish). Really fretting about hospital tomorrow. Nervous anyway but the safety aspect, in terms of Covid-19, isn’t helping.

Day 56: Hospital appointment was just for an eye scan so the consultant can review it. I was very surprised to see how few people were wearing face masks! I did two lots of washing today. (After the hospital) I went to Morrsions, Asda (queue too long though), B&M (queue too long though) then Tesco’s. All to buy a baseball cap ‘cos I’m fucked if I’m going to wet my hair each time I go out and want it to look presentable! In Morrsions (no mens’ clothing apart from underwear!) I stocked up of 10 cans of sugarfree apple Caraboa….I was only thinking of this drink just the other day. Yesterday I finished The Night Manager on Amazon. I liked it a lot but, also, expected much, much more from it consdiering the hype. Hugh Laurie has come a long way from comedy sketches with Stephen Fry!

Day 57:Received an email from Sueanne yesterday asking ( as designated spokesperson for everyone) how I am. The most interestring piece of news in a rather uninformative email was that the US has started to open resorts!

Day 58: I am writing this on Day 59. I started a two walk a day regime. The first walk I do is shorter, around 4km. my aim is to be ready for 1,000,000 steps Diabetic UK challenge (throughout July, August and September). I need to do just under 11,000 steps a day. The relaxation in ld rules makes this achievable. On that score, I am allowed to visit a friend’s house, as long as it’s just the two of us, outside, 2m apart. I went round Karen’s last night. I was desperate to have a Happy Hour (I allow myself a midweek beer - today (well, yesterday) is/was Wednesday!) of sorts with another human (rather than a video chat). I was there for about 2 hours, very enjoyable, and then came home. Then I had usual roasted veg with rice and sausages but I couldn’t eat it. I used half a scotch bonnet rather than the usual birdeye chillis. It was too hot, had to sling it! Had a few more beers and, hence, neglected my diary duties!

Day 59: It’s 01:20am. I don’t know why I am still awake and up, but I am. But, also, I am now going to bed. Nothing else to report, really.

Day 60: Half way through 12 weeks furlough. I was discussing this with Dad and Rita earlier - I am expecting that, at the end of 12 weeks, I’ll be laid off. I hope I’m wrong but I reckon it’s well on the cards. Off to have a beer round Karen’s in a sec which will be pleasant. Just a hour or so. It’s fucking windy today so I shall wrap up!

#diary #Tumblr diary #lockdown #COVID19 #lockdownuk

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imacrowcawcaw · 5 years

Text

These Dreams (Sanny) 3/3

Parts 2 and 1:

"God, that was awesome."

Sam finally flopped down to Danny's level, right half on top of him and the left side limbs stretching as far as possible to the other edge of the bed. He gave a happy sigh and pressed a kiss to Danny's breastbone where his shirt revealed it. Danny carded a hand through Sam's hair, setting the elastic clinging to the last few strands aside.

"Yeah, it was. Never though it would be like that."

"Yeah? What were you expecting? Like, just a really awkward hand job or something?"

Danny thought about it. "I dunno, maybe. It was just, like, I could imagine the physical aspects of it just fine, and I totally did," They both grinned. "But the emotions and the mood and everything, I couldn't tell what it would be like. Awkward - Yeah, could have been. I wasn't expecting roses and Champaigne or anything, but I hoped that it would be, uh, romantic I guess."

Sam raised his head and an eyebrow. "Well, was it? Am I as good as Dream Sam?"

Danny considered fucking with him and saying no, but he knew the answer was already written on his face for Sam to read, like always.

"Of course, even better. I'm so fucking glad we finally did that, I've been wanting it for a long time."

"So I've gathered. Was I really the guy you dreamed about in eighth? I freaked you out?" Sam sounded both curious and a little needy, insecure, wanting to know he was the one Danny wanted (the one he needed, so come on back to Dan, yeahhh~~)

"I've liked you since I first laid eyes on you, babe." Sam squirmed and blushed, as did Danny. When did that slip out? "But I didn't realize why, exactly, until I woke up one night with a hard on after dreaming about us fucking - or, well, grinding like we were a minute ago. It did freak me out for awhile, because I really didn't think that I was supposed to like guys, and especially not my best friend."

Sam leaned in to give him a kiss; a sweet, chaste peck, as if reassuring him it was totally fine to like Sam because, hey, he liked Danny too.

"Eventually, though, I got over the panic part and just got really horny whenever we spent a lot of time together. I suppose it was good that we were teenagers, so I could pass it off as whatever instead of anyone noticing I was watching you."

"Actually, Jakey noticed."

"What?"

Danny's face showed his shock, though not too much.

"I mean, I know he wants to know every detail of everyone's sex life in case he can fit himself in there somehow, but..."

"You weren't very subtle, hun."

Guess they were both just rolling with the pet names, now.

"Hell, I even noticed after a while. I wasn't sure if you were just questioning your sexuality or wanting *me*, though, so I didn't say anything. Sorry, I should have."

Danny shook his head. "Its fine, all that matters is that we're together now."

They both snorted and howled with laughter: God, that was cliche. Their giggled died down and they resumed cuddling, Sam's turn to speak now. The bassist clung to him, laying his head on Danny's chest and curling their legs together.

"I knew, as soon as I saw you, too, that you were supposed to be mine. I didn't know then if that meant as a friend, or brother, or lover, or arch nemesis... but I wanted you. And once we got to know each other, once I got to know you - Jesus, you were just so amazing and I had the biggest crush on you."

"Not anymore?" Danny teased.

"I think it's far past a crush, now," Sam said. That was good, Danny was way past a crush, too.

"Hey, you never told me about your dream, and you promised. What was it?"

"Oh, I don't know if you've earned it yet..."

"Earned it!" Danny was (mock) affronted. "You said that if I told you about mine, you'd tell me about yours. Well, I did! C'mon, baby, fess up. What did we do? Was I fucking you? Blowing you?"

Sam shook his head, coy smile on his beautiful face.

"Nope, you were painting in the art classroom back at our junior high, though I think I had this dream in freshman year. I was sitting on the counter, watching you, and you came over to ask me something or get more supplies, I don't know. But then you put your hands on my thighs and kinda stood in between my legs so that I got all covered in paint. And then, we took our clothes off so we wouldn't get even messier and we 69'd on top of the teachers desk."

Holy shit. Hot!

"Damn, that's hell of a dream. Hey, wanna recreate it?"

Danny grinned at him, cheeky, and Sam smiled back, though he couldn't resist gently teasing him.

"How? Are we gonna break into school on the weekend and fuck in a classroom, cause that's just fucked up.... I think Josh has body paint for some reason or other, though... could play with that?"

"Oh, I'll play with you!"

Danny rolled them over and ground his hips down, attacking Sam's neck with a flurry of kisses and nips. He smothered the resulting laughter with his own mouth, savoring the natural Sammy flavor of what he would get to have on the regular, starting now.

They play fought and kissed and groped, clothes eventually falling to the floor and tongues, fingers, body parts being enveloped into warm, wet heat.

Beyond the doorway, Jake smiled, pleased.

"Fucking finally!" He whispered to himself. "I've only been telling Sam to grow some balls for like six years! Now maybe they'll quite being so goddammned frustrating to be around."

"Nah, that's more you than them," Josh whispered, too, his face suddenly appearing over Jake's rifht shoulder. "We'll just have to deal with them constantly running off to fuck and making goo-goo eyes at eachother. Hey, maybe they'll even let you watch - *with permission*," he scolded, smacking Jake's butt.

"But right now, we should leave them alone."

"K. Come paint me?"

"You mean squirt all over your face, or use the body paint to write rude things on your ass? Yes to both."

The twins giggled and stumbled away, leaving Sam and Danny in their room to finally be together how they were always supposed to be.

#greta van fleet #gvf #gvf fic #gvf slash #sam gvf #danny wagner #sam kiszka #sanny #fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #fluff #smut #humor

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phantasticworks · 4 years

Text

If You Don’t Love Me, Pretend - Chapter Seven

Hi! Back with chapter 7! I hope everyone is staying safe during quarantine, and I hope this (slightly short) chapter makes your day a little bit better!

read on ao3

Words: 8.7k

Summary: Dan and Phil’s first adventures as foster parents.

Warnings for this chapter: swearing

It’s not much later that they’re sending the twins off to bed, and Dan finds this part of the evening possibly the most stressful so far. He and Phil agree that they want to be the type of parents who actually go and say goodnight to the kids and whatnot, so after they’ve both changed into their own pajamas, they make their way upstairs to Amelia’s room. She was sitting up in the bed and staring out the window, her hands mindlessly petting over the soft blanket Dan had given her as a temporary duvet. Dan smiles at the Minnie Mouse pajamas she has on, but he can’t miss the sad look on her face, making his heart ache.

“Hey,” he says softly as he walks into the bedroom, Phil trailing behind him.

“Hi,” she responds just as quietly, looking up at them with big brown eyes.

Dan sits gingerly beside her, a little uncertain about what would really be appropriate. “Do you need anything before you go to sleep? Water or anything?”

She shakes her head slowly. She’s tugged her hair out of the ponytail he’d put it in earlier, and she sits playing with the scrunchie around her wrist. “No, I’m okay.”

Glancing helplessly at Phil, Dan laces his hands together over his lap. Phil steps closer and drops his hand to Dan’s shoulder. “Well, if you need anything just come downstairs and let us know, okay?”

“Okay.”

Uncertain about what to say or do now, Dan only nods, shifting to grip the blanket on her bed. “Want me to tuck you in?”

She nods slowly, laying down in her bed stiffly. Just as Dan begins to pull the blankets up, she sits up. “Can I…” She trails off for a moment, but before Dan has a chance to say anything, she lunges closer to him and wraps her tiny arms around his neck. He doesn’t move for a moment, purely out of shock, but when he processes it, he hugs her back gently, stroking her hair back.

A glance over his shoulder at Phil causes Dan’s stomach to flip; the touched expression he finds on Phil’s face is almost too much for him to handle. Amelia doesn’t stay latched onto him for long, but as soon as she releases him, she turns to Phil, holding her arms out. When Phil leans across him to hug her, Dan is enveloped in the familiar scent of his cologne, and his head swims for a moment.

“Goodnight, Mia.” Dan’s brought back into reality with Phil’s words, and he stands on unsteady feet to follow him out of the room.

“Want the door open?” He asks her just before he steps out. She nods, and he smiles. “Night, love.”

Phil is waiting for him down the hall, and Dan tucks his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants as he walks downstairs, avoiding Phil’s gaze. “That was cute.” He hears from close behind him. He nearly startles at Phil’s words, but just shrugs.

“I figure they’ll both need as much affection as we have to offer,” he replies, turning to walk into Jaiden’s room. He glances back at Phil and raises his shoulder nonchalantly. “But yeah, it was pretty cute.” He grins.

Rolling his eyes, Phil shoves him lightly into Jaiden’s room. “Hey, bub,” Phil says with a smile as they both move to his bed, Phil sitting on the side opposite Dan.

“Hi,” Jaiden says softly. He’s laying down already with his arms laying across the blanket that he has pulled up to his chest. “Is Mia okay?” He asks, his voice full of concern.

A little startled at the question, Dan shares a glance with Phil, who looks just as bewildered. “She’s fine, yeah,” Dan says carefully.

Jaiden nods with a neutral expression on his face. “Okay.”

There’s a moment of silence that Dan doesn’t know how to fill, and he shifts his gaze to his best friend. “Do you need anything?” Phil asks Jaiden, straightening his blanket on one side.

“No, I’m alright,” Jaiden replies with a shake of his head.

Dan nods and shifts, unsure if he should hug him or just wait. He thinks that it’s best to just let the child initiate any type of physical affection, so he decides against it for now. “Okay. Well, let us know if you need anything, our room is just down the hall. Night, Jai.”

Jaiden nods and snuggles further down under the blankets. “Goodnight,” he murmurs.

Phil hesitates before he lifts a hand up and gently brushes Jaiden’s hair back. “Sleep tight, kiddo.”

Dan waits at the door for Phil, sending a smile to Jaiden before stepping away from the door, unthinkingly pulling it shut as he goes. “Wait!” he hears from the bed. Startled, he ducks his head around the corner and raises an eyebrow. Jaiden is sitting up on his elbows, staring nervously at the door. “Can you leave the door open?” He asks timidly.

Slightly relieved that there was no real emergency, Dan smiles and nods. “Of course.” He pushes it open a little further before stepping away. “Goodnight.”

Phil is already hovering outside the door to their own room by the time Dan turns around. “I’d say it’s been a pretty successful first day, wouldn’t you?” Phil smiles as they make their way into the bedroom.

Dan immediately collapses to the bed, sighing in relief. He’d been so worked up earlier, and now he was exhausted. But it was the good kind of exhausted, where he felt accomplished and just a little bit proud of himself. He could live with this kind of exhaustion.

“I don’t think it could’ve gone better, to be honest with you,” he breathes, allowing his eyes to drift shut. He hears the click of the light being turned off and then feels the bed shift as Phil joins him, a low groan leaving his best friend. He’s probably feeling just as relieved as Dan to finally be in bed after the day they’ve had. Something about the fact that it’s only nine o’clock and they’re already in bed makes Dan giggle, which doesn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s so funny?” Phil jabs him in the side with his elbow playfully.

Dan shrugs, rolling over to face Phil. “It’s barely half nine.” He crinkles his nose up as if he’s disgusted by this.

Phil quirks an eyebrow up at this, a smile playing at his lips. “And?” He prompts.

Shifting around to lay more comfortably, Dan makes a noncommittal noise. “Nothing,” he sings. “Just can’t believe how old we are.” A yawn escapes him then, and his eyes dart to take in Phil’s reaction in the soft light that’s streaming in from the window.

His face is smug, and he crosses his arms under his head with an air of confidence that nearly makes Dan roll his eyes. “Sorry, Danny boy, but it looks like the only old one here is you.” As he says this, however, he shifts and there’s an audible popping sound that makes Dan smirk.

“Alright, old man. Settle down or you’ll pop something out of place,” Dan teases, rolling onto his other side and shifting backwards a little. They hadn’t been purposely snuggling together or anything since the whole sharing a bed thing started, but occasionally they’d wake up with limbs intertwined. So what if Dan maybe didn’t mind this and maybe preferred waking up closer to waking up in an empty bed? That’s his business.

Phil shoves him gently, but doesn’t let Dan get too far, throwing his arm over Dan’s chest. There’s a little flippy thing going on with his heart, but he’s pretty sure that’s just leftover nerves from earlier with the kids. “I’ll pop something out of your mum,” Phil mutters, pressing his face against Dan’s shoulder blades.

Dan splutters at hearing this, shaking Phil’s arm off him. “Philip Lester!” He screeches, reaching behind him to smack Phil’s arm.

“Sorry!” Phil giggles, clearly not regretting his words at all. “I didn’t realize how it sounded until I’d already said it, I swear.” He tugs at Dan’s hair as he tries to redeem himself.

Huffing, Dan closes his eyes tightly, glad that Phil can’t see the small smile that’s threatening to show on his lips. “Don’t talk to me,” he grumbles into his pillow.

“Aw, Danny!” Phil whines behind him, tugging a bit harder on his hair. Dan shifts away, really wishing that the tugging of his hair didn’t elicit the kind of reaction that it did.

His cheeks now heating uncomfortably, Dan sighs. “You have to make me breakfast in the morning for saying that about my mum.” He’s only half-joking. He’s really not all that offended by what Phil had said, but he’d never pass up a reason to bribe him into making him breakfast.

“I suppose I can do that,” Phil sighs dramatically, but Dan can hear the smile in his voice. “Pancakes?”

Dan nods. “Yes. And I’d like to be hand fed, Egyptian-pharaoh style.”

Phil snorts behind him, and Dan can feel the bed shift as Phil probably gets comfortable on his side. “I don’t know about all of that, mate, but we’ll see about the pancakes.”

“Fair enough.” Sighing, Dan allows himself to start to drift to sleep, his mind swirling with the familiar banter and the worries of the day. In the silence of the room he can really think about the twins and the way they’ve handled their first day as foster parents. He can’t help but think about how nervous both of them seemed before going to sleep, and an uneasy feeling settles in his stomach as he begins to feel sleep creeping up onto him. He’s barely just dropped onto the other side of unconsciousness when he startles awake, a shock of nerves causing him to sit up.

“Wha’s wrong?” Phil mumbles from beside him.

Dan feels his stomach swirling with anxiety, and he swallows hard. “I… Nothing? I don’t know. I’m going to go check on the kids.” He shuffles off the bed quickly, blinking to clear his eyes as he stumbles to the door.

“Wha- Dan?” Phil sounds confused.

He’s not sure what makes him feel so inclined to go check on the twins, but he feels that on their first night he needs to make sure they’re okay, and not awake crying or scared of being on their own or anything. He’d never forgive himself if he left them to suffer on their own in the dark on their first night there. Since Jaiden’s room is closest, he stops at his door first. Something vaguely nags at the back of his mind upon seeing the door nearly closed, but he pushes it away to gently open the door and peer inside.

His mind is working a little slow due to his almost-asleep state, but he’s awake enough to process that it seems a little odd for there to be two lumps under the blanket instead of the one that should have been there to begin with. He takes a couple of steps closer, and after he realizes what it is that he’s seeing, his throat closes up. Because there, snuggled up close to her brother, is Amelia, her mouth open as she breathes evenly in her sleep.

Dan feels his heart clench at the sight, and he feels daft for even suggesting they sleep in separate rooms. Of course they would likely feel more comfortable sharing a room, in the middle of all the change and newness in their life, they needed the comfort of the other’s presence. He takes a moment to fix their blanket and make sure they’re both warm enough before he creeps out of the room silently, leaving the door the way he’d found it.

Feeling a little less nervous and just as tired, he crawls back into his own bed, curling up on his side facing away from Phil, who appears to be asleep from the way his eyes are closed, and his arm is curled around his spare pillow. Dan closes his eyes in an attempt to do the same, but a quiet voice startles him out of it. “Everything okay?”

He rolls over to find Phil’s eyes barely open, concern swimming in the blue there. Dan nods. “Yeah. I just wanted to see that they were okay.” He hesitates before continuing. “Mia’s in Jai’s room. I don’t think they’re used to sleeping in their own rooms.” He glances down at the shiny band on Phil’s left hands to distract himself from Phil’s gaze.

“Oh,” Phil says quietly. “Should we get them some bunkbeds maybe?”

Dan shrugs at this. “I reckon her bed might actually fit in there, to be honest with you. We’d just need to move some things around.”

Phil nods slowly. “Okay. We can talk about it more tomorrow. Sleep now.” He mumbles, his eyes already drifting shut again.

Smiling with a fond shake of his head, Dan shifts so that he’s on his back. “Night, Phil.”

Phil only hums in response before the room is filled with the sounds of his even breathing. Dan allows himself a moment to be jealous that sleep comes so easy for the older man before he sighs and allows himself to get comfortable and drift into a dreamless sleep.

~~~

The next morning, Phil is up bright and early, making pancakes as promised. Dan allows himself a selfish moment of alone time in their bed, just sitting there smelling the delicious scent wafting into his bedroom from the kitchen and basking in the fact that he doesn’t really have anywhere to be today. His gut tugs nervously when he remembers Phil has to work and will be leaving him alone with the twins for the better part of the day, but he forces himself not to feel too wrapped up in that just yet. It’s too early for a crisis.

Instead, he rolls out of bed and grabs his phone before padding down the hall and into the kitchen, smirking when he hears Phil’s bad singing before he even steps into the room. The smirk fades into a soft smile as he watches Phil flipping the pancakes and nodding along to the song he’s singing to himself. It’s stupidly endearing, and Dan kind of wants to go over and hug him but he also kind of wants to throw something at him to shut him up.

He doesn’t do either of these things. Instead, he makes his way over to the coffee maker, allowing his hand to brush down Phil’s back as he steps around him to reach the machine. Phil jumps, predictably, a little squeak flying out of his mouth in surprise. “Oh. Hi,” he greets, offering Dan a grin.

Dan returns the smile, flicking a curl off his forehead. “Morning,” he yawns, tugging the coffee pot off the burner and reaching for the empty mug he finds beside it.

“I didn’t forget about your pancakes, are you impressed?” Phil teases, pointing at the golden-brown disk in the pan.

Shrugging, Dan goes about making his coffee as well as topping Phil’s off. “I’m still debating whether or not pancakes are enough compensation for the disgusting thing you said about my mum,” he quips.

Phil rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “Do you actually remember what I said?” He asks, quirking an eyebrow. Dan’s silence is all it takes to answer this question, and Phil laughs. “You’re lucky I’m husband material, or else I wouldn’t have done this for you,” he jokes easily.

Dan recognizes this as the jibe it is, but he still can’t stop the rush of sadness that floods his chest at the casual way Phil still references their fake relationship. He tries to play this off with a half-hearted laugh, but he’s not sure it lands. Luckily, he doesn’t have to worry about being questioned, as that’s when the twins make an appearance.

“Good morning,” he says cheerfully as Amelia and Jaiden make their way over to the table. “Sleep well?” He asks casually.

Both children nod, still looking a little sleepy. Dan catches Phil’s eye and notices the hint of amusement there before he turns to face the kids. “Are you guys hungry?” Phil asks with a grin.

The twins share a glance before nodding fervently. “Yes,” Amelia says.

“Starving,” Jaiden adds.

Dan chuckles at this before going over to fetch the plates out of the cupboard. “Well I hope you two like pancakes,” he tosses over his shoulder.

He’s met with excited agreements and chatter, and he grins as he goes to set the plates and utensils out. They’re already talking about toppings and things, so he begins collecting various fruits and snacks that they can add to their breakfast. “Marshmallows are in the cupboard by the fridge,” Phil tells him.

Quirking an eyebrow, Dan considers this. “Isn’t that… a little too much? Like, won’t that just be a lot of sugar?” He asks, scratching the back of his neck.

Phil looks positively baffled by this. “Okay, Mr. Strawberries and Whipped Topping. The rest of us are here for a good time, not a long time,” he teases easily, smirking when Dan rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. I just want you to realize you have work and will be effectively leaving me here with sugar-high kids if they eat too much of it.” He grabs the marshmallows and waves the bag pointedly at Phil before setting his varied collection at the table. He steps back over to the stove, leaning against it and crossing his arms. “Need me to do anything?” He asks, softer than his previous taunting.

Phil shakes his head, flipping a pancake onto a serving plate and pouring more batter into the pan. “I think I’ve got it. Just sit and look pretty, I guess.” His tongue pokes out between his teeth and Dan grimaces at the ridiculously cheesy statement. He supposed he couldn’t really call him out on it, either, or else the twins might begin to realize something wasn’t quite right. The reminder that the twins are under the impression that they’re actually engaged kicks in then, and he vaguely wonders how good their acting has been, or if they needed to step it up.

Instead of overthinking it, he shakes his head in an attempt to clear those thoughts for now. He could deal with that when he was more caffeinated and less hungry. “Give me a challenge,” he drawls, flipping his invisible hair over his shoulder as he goes to join the kids at the table a few feet away.

“Shut up,” Phil rolls his eyes fondly, flipping the final pancake onto the plate.

“Rude,” Dan mutters, making a show of rolling his eyes to the kids and gesturing to Phil with his thumb.

Phil catches this, apparently, as he sets the platter of pancakes down on the table, along with a fork. “You love me and we both know it. So, shut up and stuff your face, Howell.”

Dan purses his lips at this, sharing a look with both of the kids and shaking his head subtly. Amelia giggles at this, and he smiles. “Do you guys want some apple juice or milk?” He asks, shifting to stand.

Before he gets the chance, Phil drops his hands onto Dan’s shoulders to keep him seated. “I got it, babe,” he assures before glancing over at the kids. “What’ll it be this morning, guys?”

Trying his hardest not to squirm under the feeling of hearing that particular pet name leave his best friend’s mouth, Dan begins passing out pancakes as a distraction. The kids tell Phil what they want to drink, and his hands leave Dan’s shoulders after rubbing gentle circles. It was actually nice, and he’s a little annoyed to have it taken away. Maybe he should go get a massage sometime.

After fetching everyone what they needed, Phil joins them at the table and they enjoy a fairly well-cooked breakfast. Dan condiment-shames Phil for his choice of toppings, but Phil is unbothered, and rather proud of his sugary intake from the looks of things. They fall into easy conversation with the twins, trying to cover things they hadn’t last night, as well as building on the things they had. Dan gets a better idea of what sorts of things they enjoy doing, and they also learn a bit more about their previous placement, which had lasted about three months. Neither Dan nor Phil press this issue, and other than an off statement from Amelia and a response from Jaiden, they don’t continue that particular train of thought for now.

With their plates empty and stomachs full, Dan decides to go ahead and address the sleeping arrangements. “So, I have a question for you guys,” he begins, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible as to not make them nervous.

Amelia barely looks up from the silly straw she’s sipping her apple juice from, but Jaiden looks up at him with a curious gaze. “Yeah?”

Dan glances at Phil for reassurance that he can go ahead and talk about it, and Phil nods. “Well, we were wondering if maybe you didn’t want to have separate bedrooms. Obviously, it’s perfectly fine if you do, but if you two would rather share a room, we can move Mia into yours, since it’s bigger.” He doesn’t want to admit to knowing that Amelia went to sleep in his room last night, because that feels like an invasion of privacy to him.

It’s quiet for a minute as Amelia looks over at Jaiden, looking a little surprised but otherwise excited. “Yeah, I think I want to share a room,” she says, nodding.

Jaiden shrugs but follows it with a nod as well. “We always share a room, ‘cause Mia gets scared by herself,” he says, scooping his finger through the syrup in his plate and popping it into his mouth.

Amelia glares at him and looks like she’s about to punch him before her eyes widen and her hand drops, looking over to Dan and Phil with a look of worry on her face. Dan pretends he didn’t notice that she’d nearly punched her brother, and instead smiles at them. “Alright, we’ll move Mia’s bed in there soon. Um, maybe later this evening?” He asks, glancing at Phil uncertainly.

Phil shrugs. “Sure, we can do it when I get off work.” He smiles.

Dan nods and begins to collect their plates, assuming that’s where the conversation would end. Amelia’s voice surprises him a bit, but he keeps to his task as she talks. “Do you both have to work today?” She asks.

“Nope, I’m off today,” Dan responds with a smile. “I work as a school counselor and since it’s summer holiday I’m off for most of the week, at least until school starts again.”

Jaiden looks intrigued by this. “Is it the same school we’re going to?” He inquires, looking anxious for the answer.

Dan moves to the sink to rinse the plates out, waving Phil off when he moves to stand as well. “Sort of. I work at the secondary school that’s just across from the school you two will be attending. So, I’ll be close by.”

“Cool,” Jaiden replies, pulling his cup closer to him and sipping from the crazy straw that he’d picked out earlier. Amelia begins talking about something she’d dreamed about, and Phil is conversing with her, so Dan is left to sort of get lost in his mind as he loads the dishwasher. He’s not really worrying or stressing about one specific thing, but his mind floats to the various things he needs to do over the next few days, and he easily drowns out the conversation at the table.

Finishing up with the dishes doesn’t take long, and by the time he’s finished, he realizes that the twins have left the kitchen and Phil is putting away their toppings and things. It occurs to him too that he’s humming something, and almost as soon as he realizes it, the tune drops from his train of thought and he goes silent. This causes Phil to glance up at him, a small smile on his face. “Everything okay over there?” He asks, his tone light and joking.

Dan nods, leaning against the counter and watching Phil move around. “Mhm. Just thinking.” He glances over at the table again, a little embarrassed that he’d been out of it enough to not really notice when the kids left. “Where’d the twins go?”

“I sent them to go get dressed for the day.” Phil shuts the cupboard after he’s shoved the marshmallows back in, turning to face Dan with a neutral expression. “What’re you guys gonna be up to today?”

Shrugging, Dan actually allows himself to consider this, since he hadn’t earlier. “I dunno. Might take them to the park, or something. Maybe check to see what all they have and go fetch the necessities that they don’t already have.”

Phil nods at this, leaning against a chair at the table. “I wish I didn’t have to work,” he sighs.

Dan smirks at this. “Hard knock life, bub.” He grins when Phil sticks his tongue out childishly.

“Whatever,” Phil pouts. “I guess I’ll go get ready for work. Time to slave away and be the breadwinner, I guess.”

Snorting, Dan shoots him a look. “Right. Woe is you.”

Phil gasps with false offense, but grins as he moves to leave the kitchen. “I’ll have you know I fancy myself the provide-for-the-family type!” He quips.

Dan rolls his eyes at his idiot best friend. “That sounds disgustingly sexist, and I’d rather choke than even pretend to conform to your twisted heteronormative ideals, Lester.”

“Lots of big words, Dan. I think you forget my brain doesn’t function on the ‘Question the Universe’ setting until at least afternoon.”

“I think you forget you studied linguistics,” Dan says amusedly.

Phil falters at this, but then shrugs. “I think you forget your mum,” he replies with a grin.

Dan sighs loudly, his eyes rolling up to stare at the ceiling as if trying to communicate with an entity. “Go shower, you spork. I haven’t had enough caffeine for this.”

There’s a giggle that follows Phil down the hall to their en-suite bathroom, and Dan’s lips curve into a smile. Something about the simple domestic banter reminds him so much of when they used to live together in Manchester, and his head begins swimming with memories from what feels like another life. He barely has time to properly reminisce before the twins are coming into the kitchen, both of them dressed for the day.

They’re talking quietly as they step into the kitchen, and Dan’s focused on cleaning off the counter beside the sink, not fully registering what they’re saying until he picks up on the harshness of Amelia’s voice. He subtly glances over his shoulder to see them walking over to the kitchen table, but neither of them seems to think he’s paying attention.

“They might, you don’t know.” Jaiden’s voice is softer than his sister’s, but Dan’s still left without context.

“No, they won’t.”

“But there’d be room for Levi if we share!” He protests. Against what, Dan’s still uncertain.

“Shut up, Jaiden,” Amelia snaps.

Dan turns to face them then, opening his mouth to ask what they were arguing about. He doesn’t get the chance to, because just then, Phil steps back into the kitchen, humming to himself. He’s changed into a red t-shirt and black jeans and has replaced his glasses with contacts. His presence in the kitchen has silenced the conversation between the twins, and Dan falters, unsure if he should bother mentioning it right now or just wait.

Phil looks a little confused at the silence in the room, but he sends Dan a smile as he goes to rummage through the fridge, pulling out his reusable water bottle. “Alright, well, I’ll need to leave for work in a few minutes. Need anything before I go?”

“I don’t think so.” Dan shakes his head, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. “What time are you coming home?” He asks, really hoping that he’s somehow managing to hide the panic in his tone.

After a glance at his phone, Phil shrugs, an apologetic look on his face. “Show’s over at three, and I don’t think I have a meeting after that. So, sometimes after then.” He seems to sense the worry Dan feels over being left alone with the kids less than twenty-four hours after getting them, stepping closer and lifting a hand up to brush Dan’s curls back. “You’ll be fine, Dan. You can call me if you need anything, but I know you’re going to be fine,” he speaks softly, keeping his voice low enough that the kids won’t really know what they’re talking about.

Dan nods, unsure, and can’t help but lean into Phil’s touch. Unfortunately, Phil drops his hand from his hair after a moment, leaving Dan to feel a little embarrassed. “Okay. Have fun at work, then. We’ll see you later,” he mumbles, shifting to clean out the coffee maker, just to give himself something to do.

He hears Phil sigh behind him before he notices him stepping closer in his peripheral. Dan doesn’t think too much on this, but then Phil’s leaning closer and pressing a kiss to Dan’s temple sweetly. He’s stepping away just as quickly as he had stepped forward, leaving the brunette with a vague fluttery feeling in his chest. “I’ll be home before you know it, I promise,” Phil assures him softly before turning to the twins. “I’ve gotta go for now, but I’ll see you guys soon, okay?”

The twins bid him goodbye, and he sends Dan a reassuring smile before grabbing his phone and disappearing down the hall. Dan knew he’d have to leave and go to work, obviously, but it didn’t make him any less nervous when it actually happens. He tries to stall for a moment, cleaning the coffee machine and awkwardly hovering by the sink for a moment before deciding he’s being pretty ridiculous. It’s got really nothing to do with the kids; they’re lovely. He’s just an awkward person in general, and the whole parenting thing wasn’t something he wanted to just screw up entirely.

He turns to face them and smiles when he sees that they’re standing beside the balcony door, watching the pigeons with rapt attention. “Do you guys want to go to the park today?” He asks timidly.

Amelia turns around quickly, her hair whipping around and smacking her brother as she nods furiously. “Is there a park close by?” She asks.

Dan tries to hide his laughter at the offended look on Jaiden’s face from the hair-smacking but manages to contain it enough to answer Amelia’s question. “Yeah, there’s one a few blocks away so we can just walk there whenever you guys are ready to go.”

Jaiden seems interested then, as well. “Are there any animals at the park?” He asks.

Nodding, Dan moves to look out the window with them. “There are some ducks and a few mean geese. But they’re cool to look at.”

“When are we going?” Amelia asks, sounding more excited than Dan’s heard her yet.

He shrugs, a little surprised by the enthusiasm. “Well, if you’re both ready we can head out now.”

Amelia glances over at him then, hiding her mouth with her hand as she giggles. He frowns, but she doesn’t let him worry too long. “Are you going to wear your pajamas?” She asks sweetly, gesturing to his Game of Thrones bottoms and the Friends t-shirt he’d stolen from Phil.

He feels his cheeks heat up in embarrassment but shakes his head with a giggle. “No, I don’t want to embarrass you guys too much on your very first day with me.”

Jaiden smiles at him for this. “Don’t worry, you’re not embarrassing.” Dan barely has a moment to feel warmed by this comment before he continues. “You’re just kinda dumb, I reckon.”

Dan stares at him for a moment before bursting into giggles. “That’s fair, actually. Alright, you two just sit tight for a minute while I go change into something more socially acceptable.”

The twins mutter an agreement and he shakes his head in amusement as he makes his way down the hall. He can’t help but pull out his phone to text Phil about their conversation.

Dan: update: mia just roasted me for wearing pjs and then jai called me dumb u r missing an absolute annihilation

Phil: omg

Phil: At least you’re bonding with them thru being a total dork

Dan: hey u r supposed to defend me and whatever mr. fiance

Phil: sry sry want me to lie to them about you being cool?

Dan: id appreciate it yea

Phil: mm not sure I can do that but will try

Dan: ty. U at work?

Phil: Just walked in. Crisis mode with a performance by the vamps being cancelled?? Talk later :(

Dan frowns at this but doesn’t respond, knowing that Phil just has a full plate as a producer at the BBC. Instead of dwelling on this and getting his feelings hurt, he finishes changing clothes and joins the twins in the kitchen. “Alright, who’s ready to go to the park and meet the neighborhood evil geese?”

~~~

The trip to the park is a success, unsurprisingly. The twins run around the lake and are fascinated with the geese; well, Jaiden is fascinated. It becomes very clear after a goose seems to show some interest in them that Amelia is absolutely terrified of the creatures. Dan’s completely endeared by this, of course, and he spends most of their morning adventures protecting her from the fowls every time one so much as looks at her.

Jaiden appears to be an animal enthusiast, and he shares plenty of random animal facts the whole time they’re walking through the park, entertaining Dan the whole time. He makes a mental note to tell Phil about this, knowing that animal facts would definitely be something for the two of them to bond over. By the time they’ve walked through the park and stopped at the playground area for about an hour, both kids are exhausted and ready to head back to the apartment.

Dan updates Phil sporadically through the day, mainly just to let him know that the kids are fine, and he hasn’t died from some sort of anxiety-induced attack. Phil is busy with the radio show, but he makes an effort to respond when he can. At one point after returning to the flat, Dan texts Phil to let him know they’d made it back safely and are having a late lunch. He makes sure to remind Phil to have lunch as well, knowing that he can get too caught up in his work if he’s not paying attention to the time.

Dan: back home. Does it count as lunch if its after 2 or is it like,,,, linner

Dan: also make sure you eat something and drink water I know ur busy but if u don’t stay hydrated I will chop off ur hands

It’s nearly half an hour later when Phil answers his texts, and Dan’s just finished cleaning up from their lunch and has sent the kids upstairs to the lounge to find something to watch. Dan smiles when he hears his phone ding, no doubt in his mind as to who it is texting him. The fact that he’s having a day full of new experiences without him kind of makes Dan crave his company more than usual.

Phil: Stop trying to make linner happen

Phil: Also, terrifying to threaten someone into staying healthy, but I know your threats are empty so it can slide

Dan: that wasn’t an empty threat, m8 I have a knife ready for chopping

Phil: That’s creepy and probably a violation of the terms of our fostering

Dan: I live life on the edge(of a knife) u cant stop me

Phil: hm

Dan: day still sucking?

Phil: yeah

Dan: :(

Phil: :/

Dan tries to think of something to say to make Phil feel better, but before he can, he hears footsteps stomping down the stairs and remembers he’s supposed to be joining the kids for a movie. Amelia appears in the hallway, a timid smile on her face. “Are you coming to watch with us?” She asks, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

He nods with a small smile. “Yep, let me grab the popcorn and I’ll be right there.” She nods at this before retreating back upstairs, giving him a minute to type out a response to Phil and fetch the popcorn from the microwave.

Dan: I know we said no junk food w kids but do you want dominos tonight

Phil: :/ u know I cant turn down pizza when im feeling bad

Dan: let me know when u leave work so I can order it to get here when u do

Phil: ty bear

The pet name makes Dan pause, his heart clenching uncomfortably. He wasn’t used to seeing it written out like that, and for some reason it seemed sweeter, almost more intimate, in a text. It had been a conscious decision for Phil to type it, and something about that makes Dan feel flushed. He shakes himself from overanalyzing a nickname he’d had for years when he hears the microwave beep obnoxiously. Now was not the time, or place, to feel any sort of confusion regarding that portion of his life, and he wasn’t about to sit here and panic over it for nothing.

So instead, he takes the popcorn upstairs and joins the kids while they watch Meet the Robinsons on Netflix, forcing his mind to focus on the zany movie the twins had picked instead of his haywire emotions.

~~~

Around four o’clock, Phil texts to let him know he’s leaving the radio station, so Dan goes ahead and orders the pizza. The kids are relatively predictable in that they want just plain cheese pizza, although Jai requests mushrooms on one side. Dan figures mushrooms are healthy enough, so he obliges. The pizza makes it there first, and Dan goes about spreading everything out in the lounge upstairs as they wait for Phil to get home.

They don’t have to wait long, as about five minutes later the door is opening and clicking shut, indicating Phil’s presence. The twins are sitting in the floor in front of the coffee table due to Dan’s anxiety about getting the couch greasy, but they didn’t seem to mind the picnic-style of eating dinner. In fact, they actually seemed to like the idea of watching a movie while they ate. He and Phil did it all the time before, but they’d mutually decided to have real dinners with the kids, to establish some form of routine. But this was a cheat day. Just today. They were allowed to have a day of cheating, and that day was today.

“Hey,” Phil sighs as he appears at the top of the stairs. Dan smiles up at him from where he’s sitting on the floor across from the twins, ripping the tops of the boxes off and putting everything out.

“Hi,” he responds, gesturing to their assortment of food on the table. “The feast awaits you, but you have to let me finish getting everything organized.”

Phil’s lip tugs up into a small smile at this, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He looks exhausted, Dan notices with a frown. His eyelids are drooping and his shoulders are slumped in a way they normally aren’t, and everything about him just screams “bad day at work.” It makes Dan feel a little guilty for the incredible day he’d had alone with the kids. “Definitely a feast worthy of the Queen, I’m sure.” His voice is teasing, but the joke doesn’t quite land with the exhaustion in his voice.

Dan shrugs at this, tossing the top of the nugget box off to the side with the others. “Probably not, but that’s fine. Why don’t you go change into pajamas and take your contacts out and we’ll all pick out a movie?”

There’s a flicker in Phil’s eye when Dan says this, a brief flash of emotion that Dan can’t decipher before it’s replaced by a grateful smile. “I’ll be right back.” He sends a smile to the twins before turning and retreating downstairs to change.

“Is he okay?” Amelia asks in a quiet murmur.

Dan glances over at her with an easy smile. “He’s just tired, sweetheart. He works at the BBC and sometimes things go wrong and he’s the one who has to take care of it.”

Amelia nods, a serious look on her face. “That sounds like a hard job.”

Nodding, Dan moves to stand up, handing each of them a plate to fill up with pizza, nuggets, and wedges. “It is. He’s got a really hard job. But he likes it, so I think it’s worth it.”

Jaiden begins picking up a slice of pizza as he speaks. “Do you like your job?”

Dan pauses, but not for long. “I do, actually, yeah.” He smiles, realizing that he’s being honest. When he’d first gotten into the career he wasn’t so sure he’d enjoy it and it was really just a job, but he actually did like his job a lot, most of the time, at least.

“I want to be a mermaid when I grow up,” Amelia announces then, popping a wedge into her mouth after speaking.

Unable to stop the grin that tugs at his lips, Dan steps over to the sofa to pick up the tv remote in an attempt to hide how funny he finds this. “Yeah?”

“Mhm. With purple hair.”

“You can’t just be a mermaid, stupid,” Jaiden chastises her.

Dan turns the TV on and flicks his gaze over to Jaiden. “Don’t call your sister stupid, please,” he tells him, barely even thinking before the gentle reprimand falls from his lips. It comes pretty naturally, surprisingly, and neither child act as if it surprises them.

“Okay, maybe I’ll just be a mermaid for Halloween,” Amelia negotiates, making a face at her brother as if daring him to argue. He doesn’t, and she smirks down at her pizza slice smugly.

Rolling his eyes at the sibling banter, Dan doesn’t even notice Phil has come back upstairs, too focused on flicking through Netflix for family movies. He nearly jumps when he feels Phil’s hand fall onto the small of his back. “Shit, you scared me,” he breathes, wincing when he realizes he’s just sworn in front of the kids. If they notice it, they don’t react, talking about what they want to be for Halloween now.

Phil gives him a half smile before he leans closer, dropping his forehead onto Dan’s shoulder. That stupid fluttery feeling is back in his chest, and he has to hold back an annoyed sigh. Of course it wasn’t Phil’s fault that he was so starved of attention that any sort of affection made his emotions go haywire. It was just the product of a relationship-less life, and Dan knew it.

“Thank you for ordering pizza,” Phil mumbles into Dan’s t-shirt.

Dan chuckles quietly, bringing a hand up to brush it through Phil’s quiff as he keeps his eyes trained on the screen, flicking through the recommended movies. “You’d do the same for me,” he replies easily, shrugging the gratitude off.

Phil doesn’t answer for a moment, but when he does it’s with a sigh as he pulls away. “You’re right.” He shoots him a smile before stepping toward the table to get some pizza and ask the kids how their day was. They tell him all about their trip to the park and the evil geese they saw, and he listens raptly to their stories. Dan sits on the sofa with a slice of pizza, watching with fondness as Phil takes a seat across the table from them as they talk. It was incredibly endearing to see Phil interact with the kids like this, fluttery feeling be damned.

After they’ve given him the full recap, he joins Dan on the sofa, sitting close enough that their thighs touch. Phil shifts a little so that he’s sort of leaning back against Dan’s side, which Dan allows with a small smile that Phil isn’t privy to. “What’re we watching, guys?” He asks, gesturing to the tv with the remote.

The kids bicker for a few minutes, but eventually they decide on Peter Rabbit. Dan really doesn’t care what they watch, as he’s more concerned about asking Phil how his day went. They shut off the lights, allowing a lamp to stay on so they can see well enough to eat, the film quickly taking the kids’ attention. Dan shifts just enough that he can murmur into Phil’s ear. “So, how was work? Other than it all going wrong?”

Phil shivers, a nearly imperceptible movement, but Dan can just barely feel it against his arm. “It was long. We had a meeting during lunch and then the show was just slow, and…“ he lets out a sigh, moving to put his paper plate down on the floor with Dan’s before shifting back and dropping his head to Dan’s shoulder with a sigh that rustles Dan’s thin shirt. “I don’t know, it was just a lot for a Wednesday.”

Dan hesitantly shifts, just enough that he can drop an arm across Phil’s shoulders, purely for the mutual comfort of human contact. Friendly human contact. “I’m sorry your day sucked, love.” The pet name falls out without his permission, and he freezes in fear of Phil being upset with him.

Instead, he doesn’t even seem to notice. “’S fine. Just glad that I’m home now.” He tilts his head to glance up at Dan. “Do you still want to move Mia’s bed tonight?”

“It can wait,” Dan replies, shaking his head. They would have plenty of time for that some other night, when Phil wasn’t so tired. “Something interesting happened today, though,” he says, quieter than before. His eyes dart to the twins to ensure that they’re not paying any attention to him.

Phil quirks an eyebrow at this. “Yeah? What happened?”

Dan shifts yet again, and this time Phil sits up, waiting patiently while Dan readjusts so that his legs are spread out a bit more comfortably and he’s not slouching at such an awkward angle. Without thought, he tugs on Phil’s shirt to pull him back to lean against his side, his arm returning to its position around his shoulders. “I heard them talking in the kitchen earlier, and they were talking about us having room for someone else.” He’s intentionally keeping his eyes trained on the kids for any sign that they’re listening, but he’s so hyperaware of Phil’s presence beside him that he doesn’t miss it when Phil moves to look up at him, a confused look on his face.

“What? Who were they talking about?” He whispers.

Dan shrugs at this, but before he gets the chance to respond, Amelia turns around to face them, holding up her cup. “Can I get some more apple juice?” She asks, looking a little nervous about asking. Dan nods, gently pushing Phil away to stand and go get her some more to drink.

Phil stares up at him, his eyebrows etched together in confusion. Dan gives a subtle shake of his head, figuring it’s probably best to postpone this conversation. “I’ll tell you later,” he promises, receiving a slow, confused nod in response as he turns to walk downstairs.

~~~

It turns out that “later” isn’t until they’ve sent the twins to bed and have walked downstairs to their own room. Phil crawls into bed as soon as he steps into the room, leaving Dan to turn off the light and pull the blinds shut. He plugs his phone up to the charger by his nightstand and takes his engagement band off before climbing into bed, sighing as he lays back on the pillow. It had been a long day, and honestly if he didn’t need to talk to Phil about the twins, he’d probably be asleep already.

Instead, he rolls over to face him, a small smile gracing his lips when he sees that Phil is already facing him. “Hi,” he hums.

Phil smiles tiredly at him. “Hi,” he echoes. “So, I guess we need to talk about earlier?”

Dan nods, shifting to tuck his arm under his head. “Well, all I was really going to tell you is that they were talking about us having room for someone else. They were talking about sharing a room, and then Jai said there’d be room for Levi. I just don’t know who exactly Levi is.”

“Do you think maybe it’s an imaginary friend?” Phil asks, rolling over onto his back.

After a moment of consideration, Dan shakes his head. “No. I mean, maybe, but Mia was acting like it was a real person.”

They lay there in silence for several moments before Phil gasps quietly. “Dan,” he whispers.

“What’s with the whispering?”

“Shh!” Phil reprimands. “What if… What if it’s a ghost or something? Like what if Jai befriended a ghost at their house and he wants it to come live here with us?”

The room is completely silence for the four seconds it takes Dan to process this, and then he’s bursting into laughter. “Phil,” he gasps. “That’s- oh my god, Phil. That’s the stupidest-”

“Don’t-” He grabs Dan’s shoulder and shakes it, indignant,” Don’t laugh, you- you! You don’t know!”

Dan snorts rudely in his face before prying Phil’s fingers from his shoulders and turning over, exasperated.

“Dan!” Phil whines, prodding his back. “What if he told the ghost that it could come stay here? Can ghosts even leave their houses? How would it get here?” He sounds completely crazy, so obviously Dan isn’t sat there smiling like an idiot. He’s not.

“I don’t know, maybe he’ll take the tube, Phil.”

Phil splutters, and Dan giggles. “That is not funny, Dan Howell.”

Dan rolls his eyes at the sound of his full name. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m just being cautious! You’ve seen The Conjuring! You know what scary little ghosties can do!”

If Dan didn’t know better, he’d think that Phil was scooting closer to him. He was probably imagining that, though. “Well, then I guess if it is a ghost it’s a good thing we’ll have an extra room for him.” He feels a sharp poke between his shoulder blades and he yelps. “Phil!”

“You’re mocking me!” Phil protests.

“I am,” Dan agrees easily, rolling over enough to make eye contact with his best friend. “And you’re keeping me awake. We can discuss the ghost in the morning.”

Phil groans, flopping back on his pillow. “Now I’m going to be thinking about creepy ghost children and I won’t be able to sleep,” he whines. Dan exhales deeply before rolling over, shoving Phil to do the same. “What if we unwittingly adopted the twins from The Shining? What if-“

“Shut up and get comfy, Lester.” Dan allows him a moment to lay his head on the pillow before scooting in closer and tossing an arm over Phil’s waist so that he’s in the position to spoon him. He presses his forehead against the back of Phil’s head and closes his eyes, trying to ignore how compromising this position might be with someone else, in any other situation.

“Are you-“

“Protecting you from creepy demon children? Sure. Now please, for the love of God, go to sleep,” Dan says, his breath fanning over the back of Phil’s neck, causing the older man to shiver a bit.

“Okay. Night, Dan,” Phil whispers.

Dan can’t be positive, because he’s nearly asleep, but he’s almost sure that he feels Phil grip his hand. But before he can move his hand to check, sleep pulls him under and he’s pulled into a dream of little kids with black hair and blue eyes.

Notes:

#phan #phanfiction #foster parent au #foster parent #bbc producer!phil #school counselor!dan #parent!phan #parent!au #friends to lovers #best friends #bed sharing #fake relationship #welcome to parenting fluff everyone! it won't last #fluff #light angst #comfort

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jackcowboyhero · 4 years

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Jack! Is there anything you're hoping for for Christmas? (I once heard of an enchanted bridle made a' flowers that makes your horse do whatever ya ask her to, and I'm sure it would look right pretty on Nell.)

Listen, Nell looks great in anythin’ (even the fig leaf some hooligan had me draw her in a long time ago), and if I could manage to put a flower bridle on her without her eatin’ it, she’d look like a champ. But I don’t want anythin’ that’d make her do whatever I want–now that we’ve figured each other out pretty well, I’ve found out that if she doesn’t wanna do somethin’, there’s a reason for it. Sometimes that reason’s just “I WOULD RATHER EAT THIS GRASS,” but sometimes it’s “LOOK, YA DUMMY, THERE’S A SNAKE WHERE YOU’RE TELLIN’ ME TO GO.” (Did you know we have rattlesnakes in New York?! I didn’t ‘til I moved outta Manhattan. But Nell ain’t dumb–she won’t step on any snake, rattler or not.)

So, I’m gonna pass on the magic bridle, but Nell’s always hopin’ for snacks. I gave her an apple this mornin’, and then snuck her a cookie tonight. (She doesn’t like soft cookies, only crunchy ones.) Danny wants snacks too–he knows Nell knows everythin’–and so do the twins. They’re gettin’ more teeth now, and yesterday I had to pull a dime novel outta Es’s mouth ‘cause she was doin’ more chewin’ than readin’. She’s got good taste, but I’d rather have it be in her choice o’ readin’ material, not that the readin’ material tastes nice.

Rachel prefers chewin’ folks’ fingers when they ain’t payin’ attention, like a little piranha. So for Christmas I wouldn’t mind her findin’ somethin’ else to teethe on, ‘cause when you’re tryin’ to read a drooly dime novel to Danny while wranglin’ three kids on your lap you can’t always pay attention to whether one o’ the kids is just holdin’ your hand, or if she’s about to sink her new teeth into it. And I’m just gettin’ to the excitin’ part o’ the story, where they’re gonna say who the outlaw is, and me and Dan don’t wanna miss it. …Also, Danny’s picked up some curse words, and Sarah’ll be mad if I teach him any more.

#Jack Kelly #Danny Kelly #Rachel Kelly #Esther Kelly #Nell #newsies christmas #asked and answered

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mrsrcbinscn · 3 years

Text

Franny’s NPC Music Pals

Alternatively: McKala rudely writes a novel about Daniel Maitland and everyone else just gets bullet points.

Obvs she’s got a million but these are her main NPC music buddies that will be referenced in game.

Daniel “Dan” Maitland (June 14, 1980)

FC: Martin Sensmeier

Born in Alaska, moved to Payne Lake, Georgia when he and Franny were in middle school

Alaska Native, Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan

Beginning of his contact with Franny

Daniel has been Franny’s best friend since middle school. They were an inseparable trio with the late Molly Vaughn, who was Franny’s best friend since Kindergarten. The three of them got matching tattoos when they were twenty. It’s bluebonnets because of the song Cowboy Take Me Away

Daniel and Franny got a second matching tattoo the year Daniel was inducted into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame and they were both inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame -- it’s matching banjos on their wrists

His dad always liked country music so he got into it a little as a kid, but mostly listened to rock in the early 90s, got real into grunge, but in late high school he rediscovered country and bluegrass music

He and Franny played in a rock band in their last two years of high school but they were both getting really into country and bluegrass together at this time so they’d get together and jam

Acquiring a love for country/folk music

Daniel has said in interviews that, “Unlike Franny, my music taste wasn’t very diverse until I was in high school. I was a product of the 80s and 90s, you know, rock n roll, grunge, Franny and I were even part of a rock band with some classmates. I got a car and could drive us around. Franny usually commandeered the cassette player. She really opened my ears to influences outside of rock music.”

On how a Nirvana fanboy grew up to study bluegrass music academically and become a bluegrass musician; “It was really our senior year of high school that I fell head over heels for country and bluegrass music. He isn’t always considered country, but I discovered the music of John Denver in the late nineties. After his death, Franny and I went to a record store and purchased one of his Best Of compilation albums because all we really knew [...] Country Roads, the obvious. We sat on my bedroom floor, I had my guitar, Franny had her thrift store mandolin, we played with that album and came up with harmonies until my sister bangs on my door at almost midnight to tell us to shut up. I found a cassette tape we recorded from that day actually, I still have it. We have a lot of recordings of our early- I don’t even want to call it work, we were just playing around. That night sent me down the rabbit hole.”

He hasn’t just ditched rock music though, he’s a guitarist and backup singer in a female-fronted alt-rock band Venus and The Flytraps.

He has a prolific career as a songwriter, a successful career as a solo artist, he and Franny Robinson form an americana-bluegrass duo called Dara & Danny, and he’s one of the members of a kind of “supergroup” of musicians living in Appalachia called Pardon My Banjo. Daniel used to play mandolin in a band called NDN Cowboys- a country-folk band made up of all Native Americans, but he left the band on friendly terms in 2010, the year after Dara & Danny was formed.

Daniel went to East Tennessee State University to pursue a degree in Country, Bluegrass, and Old Time Music, the only place in the world to offer such a degree.

Personal Life

Daniel was born in Juneau, Alaska, to a Koyukon-Athabascan mother and a Tlingit and white father. His paternal grandfather is of English, Croatian, and Czech descent. Daniel maintains a home in his native Alaska, and in Kentucky, his primary residence. Shortly after his birth, he, his father, and his siblings moved to the Hoonah–Angoon Census Area where they lived in various communities with friends and relatives of his father, primarily Hoonah and Pelican, while his mother worked as a civil engineer in England and sent money home. He didn’t live with his mother until, in 1991, she got a job opportunity with the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the family relocated to the town of Payne Lake in Clayton County.

“Payne Lake’s this little nowhere town sandwiched between Jonesboro and Lovejoy, in the rural part of Clayton County,” Maitland explained in an interview. “You’re driving south from Jonesboro, you blink and you passed through Bonanza and Payne Layne, then you’re in Lovejoy.”

Daniel became a classmate of Franny Sor Robinson at Lovejoy Middle School and Lovejoy High School. “She’s been my best friend for 30 years,” Maitland said in a 2021 interview. “It’s been a gift to know her for long. We’ve been through marriages, kids, all of the good and bad in life together. It’s great to have somebody besides your family and partner to lean on and to knock some sense into you when you need it. Apart from my family, the only non-negotiable people in my life are Franny and, uh, Madalaine, my oldest kids’ mom. I’ve always just had a better time being one or two token guys in a friend group of mostly women.”

In 2009, he and Robinson formed the duo Dara & Danny together after having regularly collaborated since the start of their music careers.

Twice divorced, his divorces were the inspiration behind Dara & Danny’s “The Divorce Album”, a critically acclaimed and fan-beloved album about divorce and the lead up and aftermath. Daniel wrote most of the lyrics and Franny wrote the music to go with Dan’s lyrics, which was unusual because she usually writes most of the lyrics. In addition to his divorces, Daniel’s had several rocky serious relationships that have served as song inspiration.

In 2003, Daniel married Madalaine Snow, daughter of English banjo-player John Mitchell and North Carolina Cherokee and Lumbee Native American activist, sociologist, poet, and musician Atsila Snow in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They had two children together, son Larkin Maitland Snow (b. 2003), and daughter Kalia Maitland Snow (b. 2004). They divorced in 2006 but they’ve remained friends.

Snow’s children and older step-children from her current relationship occasionally visit Kentucky with Maitland’s children. “They’re my kids’ siblings. They’re welcome in my home anytime for a trip to the mountains with or without my kids.” Maitland has said in an Instagram live with Kalia, where he was teaching other dads how to do their daughters’ hair. “Her brother -- okay, for the sake of clarity I’m going to say just once stepbrother and stepsister, but those aren’t words we really use in our family. Her brother and sister literally call me like ‘hey, Dan, can my friends and I come crash at your place some weekend this month? We want to go hiking and white water rafting somewhere different’ and I’m like ‘great, any vegans or food allergies I need to know about for dinner?’ If you are my kids’ family, you are my family too. I stay at Maddy and Eric’s house when I have a show within an hour and a half drive to hangout with them and Larkin and Kalia. Eric and I have gone on fishing weekends together. We’re very fortunate that our divorce was a very mutual, natural conclusion to that part of our relationship, and that we’ve gotten to maintain a wonderful friendship. I feel like our marriage ending made my family grow, not shrink. And I hope all of Larkin and Kalia’s siblings through Maddy and Eric feel welcome in my family. Like a weird bonus uncle.”

Larkin and Kalia mainly lived in Swain County, North Carolina, with their mother and attended New Kituwah Academy, a private Cherokee-language-immersion K-6 school. In 2019, Kalia moved to Cumberland, Kentucky to live with Daniel so she could graduate from high school there and get Kentucky tuition at University of Kentucky.

In 2006, Daniel began dating Canadian actress and Mohawk indigenous rights activist Gina Taylor, but they split in 2009. They have one daughter together, Ariadne Maitland (b. 2007). Daniel is on good terms with Gina, and Ariadne lives primarily in Kentucky with him.

He briefly dated Oscar-nominated actress Amanda Dunham in 2009.

He married Australian journalist Sasha Teller in 2010. They divorced in 2014 and had two children together, boy girl twins Jack and Maxie (b. 2011). In 2018, he sued her for primary custody, citing Teller withholding his right to see the twins. He won primary physical and joint legal custody of Jack and Maxie, and was court-ordered to have the twins spend Christmas and three weeks in the summer with Sasha in Australia.

In 2019, his son Larkin came out as pansexual and two-spirit. Dan retweeted their tweets that clarified their pronouns are “he/xe/they” and that “I don’t dislike the terms nephew, son, grandson, but do not call me a man.” He has been supportive of his son’s identity, appearing at North Carolina and Kentucky pride events with them, his daughter, and their mother.

In February 2016, Daniel began dating American artist, poet, writer, and singer-songwriter Whitney Sullivan (born April 8, 1991). Her mother is from the Zuni tribe and she grew up on the Zuni reservation with her siblings, mother, and her father, whose ancestry comes from the Lummi, Ute, and Omaha tribes, and one Irish great-grandfather, hence the last name.

On her friend’s current girlfriend, Franny Sor Robinson has said, “If Daniel don’t marry her, I might have to.”

............

Serghei Adamescu (November 24, 1982)

FC: Andrei Tiberiu Maria

Romanian-born sound engineer that Franny regularly words with

Met when he was studying at Pride U when she was getting her Masters’ there and they #vibed

He’s a dope guy

Not much to say about him other than he’s damn good at his job

Lora Lopez (November 1, 1978)

FC: Sandra Hinojosa

Mexican-American singer and songwriter she went to NYU with

Franny’s collaborated with with and written songs for her

She stared in one of her music videos as the love interest and they got to makeout half-naked which Franny described as “fun as hell”

Lora makes music in English and Spanish

Padraig Chen (May 10, 1987)

FC: Lewis Tan

Irish-Chinese alt-rock singer and musician

Met through her Scottish Seoul Hanoi’d bandmate Max Cho

They’ve written together a few times

Mostly just jam and vibe together

He sends her a lot of his demos for her opinion

#&&...hc

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