#Eternal history of rock n' roll

[thot-of-khonshu]

All Access, Chapter 1

All Access Masterlist | Ko-Fi | A03 Link

Pairing: 70s rockstar! frankie morales x f! reader

Rating: 18+ (explicit, minors do not interact)

Word Count: 6.4K

Summary: It's 1975 and you're one of the rare women given the opportunity to write for Rolling Stone. When you get the opportunity of a lifetime to travel with the hottest band in the US, Triple Frontier, you're welcomed into their den of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But what happens when you fall for their bass player and it becomes more than just a story?

Content: explicit drug use, heavy partying, triple frontier as rockstars, eventual smut, 1975 au

A/N: Thank you so so so much to my beta readers @heythere-mel, @proxima-writes, @nostalxgic, and @pedropascal-whore I am so insanely, eternally grateful you have no idea! Thank you to anyone who has been waiting for this story since it was just a random idea in 2022. I hope you all enjoy it and it makes you sing as loudly as Santiago.

TRIPLE FRONTIER: FROM BATTLEFIELDS TO CENTER STAGE

As the dust of the Vietnam War settles, a new sound emerges from its ashes. Four war veterans—Santiago, Benny, Will, and Frankie—unite under a new banner, Triple Frontier, capturing the soul of a generation seeking peace, love, and rock 'n' roll.

Triple Frontier's latest self-titled album strikes a chord with raw passion and unflinching honesty of their previous work. We can trace their meteoric rise in the music world back to their time serving together in the Vietnam War, an experience that has left an indelible mark on each member and seeps into every note they play.

At the forefront is Santiago Garcia, the charismatic lead singer with vocals matched only by his charm and stage presence; Behind Santiago, Benny Miller lets loose on the drums, laying down the heartbeat of their sound. Will, Benny's older brother on lead guitar, is the soul of the band. He's intuitive and artistic with the guitar akin to Robbie Robertson.

And then there's Francisco Morales on bass. The stoic backbone of the group, his basslines are more than just musical notes—they're lifelines. His bass weaves the music together like a thread that ties each member of the band.

Tom Davis, their manager, has been instrumental in their rise. A fellow vet, he understands their shared history and has transformed their raw, visceral tales into a finely-tuned musical odyssey. Speaking about their journey, Tom says, "These boys have stories that the world needs to hear. I'm just helping amplify their voices."

The band's name, Triple Frontier, references the tri-border area in Southeast Asia—a location many veterans from the Vietnam War will recognize.

Despite the weight of their past, or perhaps because of it, Triple Frontier brings a refreshing authenticity to the rock scene. Their music isn't just entertainment; it's a balm, a therapy, a reminder of the indomitable human spirit.

As they gear up for their nationwide tour, one thing's for certain: Triple Frontier is here to stay, and they're just getting started.

Despite your boss stating he just needed a simple puff piece about Triple Frontier, whenever you reread that review you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when you saw your name in print in Rolling Stone. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

You were on the fast track to doing something big at Rolling Stone by the time you were thirty, you could just feel it. After freelance writing post graduation from college, you landed an entry-level job at the magazine. You knew what you were getting into, the long hours and the male-dominated office could be a lot at times, but you were living the dream as far as you were concerned. To write about music and make it your living was a gift you never wanted to take for granted.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and you were done at work surprisingly early. You lugged your 1969 Dodge home and immediately went to the back patio to light a joint. You slunk back in your chair, inhaling deeply from the joint, and watched the sun dip lower behind the tree line; the warm glow of the Los Angeles sunset never got old. As the smoke filled your lungs, you felt the day slowly dissipate.

The sound of your phone ringing jolted you out of your high-induced stupor but you heard your roommate Jenna flit across the house and yell "I'll get it!" before answering. You took another deep pull off the joint and exhaled, watching the smoke dance around the sky as it faded out.

You heard Jenna call your name from inside. You walked into the kitchen and saw her standing with the phone receiver in her hand, she was looking at you with an expectant expression.

"Who is it?" You asked.

"Some guy named Tom Davis? Sounds foxy." She grinned at you and wiggled her eyebrows. You rolled your eyes and swatted her away before taking the phone from her.

"Hello?"

"Hey! I hope you don't mind me calling you at home. Your work number was listed in the phone book, but I didn't know if you'd want to take this call in the office or not. Figured home was probably better."

You had talked to Tom a month back for the Triple Frontier article. You remembered him as a no-nonsense type of guy who didn't beat around the bush, so you knew even though he was calling you at home it wasn't for a dinner party.

"No, that's okay. What can I do for you? I hope the article came out okay?"

"That's actually why I'm calling, I wanted to thank you again for doing such a great job. The guys really loved it and the boss did too. And we've had some new interest in the band and they think an interview series might be a good way to build some buzz during the tour."

You felt excitement bubble up in your stomach. You didn't want to be presumptuous and assume this was an offer, but you also didn't want to say no.

"I'd love to write more about them! I'm not sure if you just want a song by song review or..."

Tom chuckled on the other end.

"Nah, nothing like that. I know this is actually last minute but we're playing a show at the Troubadour on Friday night and we'd love for you to come. I've already cleared it with your editor at Rolling Stone if you're game."

You tried not to sound too eager. Of course you knew about the Troubadour show, it had been sold out for months. You knew this wasn't an easy ticket to score or an opportunity that just falls into your lap like this.

"I would be an idiot to say no."

"That's what I like to hear! I'll be in touch with more details, but I'll have your ticket and backstage pass ready for you on Friday night."

"Awesome, thank you so much."

"Thank you, we'll talk soon!"

He hung up the phone. You stood in the kitchen with the receiver in your hand. You felt like someone had just punched you in the gut, you couldn't believe it. The Troubadour, backstage passes, exclusive interviews... it was the break you'd been waiting for.

This was real rock journalism, the rock journalism your mom cried over when you said you wanted to move out west and pursue this as a career.

Will Mom still think you're dabbling with the devil if your name is under the biggest story for Rolling Stone with the hottest band in the country?

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By the time Friday night rolled around, you felt like you had a permanent case of butterflies in your stomach. It wasn't often you had the opportunity to attend a show and not write about it, so the fact that you had no other reason for going besides seeing the band was enough to set your nerves on fire. But meeting them?

You'd spent the whole week building scenarios in your head - Would these guys even take you seriously? Would they see you as just another fan? Were they even that interesting to interview, or were their music and looks all there was to them?

You shook the thoughts from your head as you walked up to the Troubadour. The line outside was already around the block and you could feel the energy from the crowd. You saw women with long hair down their backs in tight jeans and crochet tops, some men with hair even longer than theirs and dressed in flared pants and vibrant shirts. You could already smell the weed wafting off some people.

As you approached the bouncer at the back door, he glared at you, intimidating and unwavering.

"I'm here to pick up a press pass from Tom Davis." You tried to exude confidence, even though you felt the opposite. He arched his brow at you before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a paper.

"Name."

You gave him your name and also added what you thought would cement your legitimacy. "I'm with Rolling Stone."

He looked over the paper before his eyes settled on your face.

"Right. This way."

The man turned and opened the door behind him, beckoning for you to follow.

Once inside, he led you through the dimly lit back corridors of the club. You were immediately welcomed into a heavy musk of smoke and sweat. You passed other roadies carrying guitars, amps, and microphones. You felt the excitement rising up again and you had to remind yourself to act cool.

He led you into a dressing room with a large group of people. Everyone had drinks in their hands and seemed to be chatting amongst themselves. The walls were covered in posters and various band members from over the years had scrawled their names on the walls where Tom was seated, reading over a sheet of paper.

"There she is! Good to see you." Tom immediately spotted you from the crowd, his tall and imposing figure stood up and made his way over to you. He was wearing a black leather jacket and his hair was pushed back with gel. He looked every bit the rocker, and you couldn't help but wonder if he always dressed like that. With the band but not in the band.

He reached into his back pocket to pull out a laminated press pass. "Here you go, this should get you access to whatever you need."

You took the press pass and held it up, smiling. You were still in shock.

"I can't thank you enough, Tom. This really is an honor."

Tom chuckled and clapped a hand on your shoulder. "Honor's ours. We're looking forward to the piece."

"Speaking of pieces, If you're gonna write about the band you might as well meet them. Come with me."

He started making his way toward the back of the room. As he passed, the people parted to let him through. You followed closely behind, trying to not lose him.

He led you towards a cluster of men in the corner. They were talking amongst themselves, beers in hand and laughing. You recognized Benny–the drummer–from the album cover, by his shaggy, dirty blonde hair. He was bouncing off the soles of his feet, drumsticks tucked in his belt loop, and was the center of the circle.

Will was leaning against the wall, his long blonde hair tucked in a bun. He had a cigarette dangling between his lips and a guitar pick in his hand, fiddling with it.

Next to Will, Santiago was sitting on a couch, his arm draped over the back with a glass tumbler in his other hand. His eyes shined as he was talking to the other boys, taking his hand to smooth out his jet-black hair.

It was true what every girl said - his pants were as tight as his voice.

And then there was Frankie.

He was standing next to Santiago, a beer bottle hanging loosely from his fingertips. He was leaning on his elbow on the wall behind Santiago, listening to Benny.

He was handsome. His brown hair was covered in his signature baseball cap, and the stubble along his jaw along with his mustache gave him a rugged look. You couldn't help but notice the muscles underneath his thin shirt. You could see his arms flexing underneath the material, his fingers wrapped tightly around the neck of his beer.

He was the first one to notice you, looking at you before he did Tom. His eyes were dark and unreadable, but you could tell he was assessing the situation.

"Boys," Tom boomed, "I want you to meet the writer from Rolling Stone."

Santiago and Will turned their heads in unison, but Frankie's eyes stayed fixed on you.

Santiago's smile broadened, and Will raised his eyebrow and nodded. Frankie's expression didn't change.

"Well, hey, welcome to the party." Santiago stood up and extended his hand. You reached out and took his, shaking it. His hand was soft and his grip was firm.

"Nice to meet you." You tried to sound confident.

"You've already met Tom, obviously," he gestured towards Tom, who smiled at you, "and this is Will and Benny, and that's Frankie."

Benny smiled at you, and Frankie's eyes flickered over to Santiago as he said his name, but he didn't speak. You had a feeling this was his way of letting everyone else talk.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm a huge fan." You offered them a friendly smile.

Benny spoke up, "Well then, I like you already. You'll make us look good!"

Tom looked down at his watch and then snapped up at the guys. "Shit–we have ten minutes before showtime, you guys need to get down to the stage."

They started moving and shuffling: Will stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray, Benny put down his beer, and Santiago tossed back his drink. Frankie had disappeared into the crowd, leaving you to watch them all go by.

Tom turned back to you, "What are you doing? You're going down with us. ‘Can't write about the show if you aren't there."

You felt the rush of adrenaline surge through your body. Your face broke out into a huge grin.

"Yeah, right. Okay."

Tom smiled and turned, heading for the door. You followed him, trying to keep up with his strides. Backstage was a flurry of activity and you felt like you were on a hamster wheel trying to stay out of the way. You couldn't help but stare at the scene before you, the lights and the sounds, the smell.

After navigating through the throng of people and equipment, you found yourself on the side of the stage, the lights dim and the sound of the audience humming through the floorboards. While Tom had stopped to talk with one of the lighting guys, you could see the boys getting into their instruments and tuning up.

You looked over and saw Frankie. He had taken off his hat and was carding his hand through his thick hair. His mouth was turned down into a frown, but you could see the glimmer of his eyes.

He looked up at you. Your breath hitched and you could feel your cheeks start to burn. He held your gaze for a moment before turning away and putting his hat back on.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the audience erupted in cheers. The guys, including Tom, went into a huddle and you slowly inched yourself closer, not wanting to miss this moment.

You heard Benny shout, "Let's get it done tonight, boys! Let's give the fans what they came for."

You could see Santiago's grin spread across his face, "This is our mission. Our job. Our purpose."

Tom placed his hand into the middle, "I'm proud of you, boys. Now, let's go fucking rock this shit."

They put their hands together and Santiago began to sing "Stop, hey, what's that sound..."

Like a ritual, the rest of the men in the circle sang "Everybody look what's going down."

With that, the boys dispersed and you felt so lucky to be in that moment. You feel their connection, their comradery, their love.

You saw Tom pat Benny on the back. "Showtime!" he boomed. Benny ran onto the stage and the crowd roared. You could hear the clatter of sticks in the air as Benny hit the cymbal to start playing their song "Echoes".

The rest of the guys filed onto the stage and you were immediately struck by the sheer energy radiating off the crowd. They were cheering, clapping, dancing. There was so much movement and excitement and you felt the hairs on your arms stand up.

The band started their set with a bang. You watched as Santiago worked the crowd, his voice smooth and strong. He walked slowly, confidently, swaying with every step. The crowd was eating out of the palm of his hand.

You'd never experienced a concert like this, being able to watch from the sidelines and take in everything. The lights, the sound, the way the crowd responded.

Your eyes drifted to Frankie. He was focused and precise with his guitar, his hands moving effortlessly across the strings. You watched the muscles in his arms flex and strain as he played along with the concentration in his eyes.

The rest of the concert flew by. Before you knew it, the band was finishing up their final song, and the crowd was going crazy. You watched as Santiago, Frankie, Benny, and Will took their final bows.

The audience screamed. Santiago leaned over and spoke into the microphone, "Los Angeles, thank you. We love you! Goodnight!"

And with that, the lights dimmed and the guys filed off stage. Tom turned and motioned for you to follow as he led you to a different area where the guys were drinking bottles of water and catching their breath.

Benny was sweating, his face flushed red. "Man, we really fucking killed it."

Santiago grinned, wiping his brow. "You bet your ass we did. That was one of the best shows we've done."

Frankie was leaning against the wall, a bottle of water in his hand. He was drinking it slowly, his eyes looking up and meeting yours.

Will looked over at you and gave you a wink. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Oh my god, yes. That was incredible." You were trying to be professional, but your excitement was starting to show through, an excitement that Santiago could start to see through.

Santiago clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Now that we've broken your legs, I think it's time for the afterparty. Are you coming with us?"

"The afterparty?"

"Of course," Tom chimed in, "you don't have to go, but it might give you some time to chat with the guys more and get some quotes. These things tend to be a good time so I can also book you a room, on us. It's at the Chateau Marmont."

"Holy shit."

"That's the spirit." Santiago winked.

You hesitated, knowing how big a decision this was. The idea of the afterparty excited you, but it was also a chance to spend more time with these guys. To talk to them one-on-one and maybe get some insights that would really sell the article.

You took a deep breath and looked around the room, at the guys waiting expectantly.

"Alright, count me in."

You could have sworn you saw Frankie's lip twitch up into a smile.

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The afterparty was at a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont and it was a mess of people, noise, and debauchery. You tried to take it all in but you just couldn't. There was too much happening at once.

You found a bar top to sit at, watching the scene unfold. Santiago was at the piano playing some old jazz tunes and laughing with gorgeous women surrounding him. Tom was chatting up some record exec, a scotch in his hand. You even saw Benny and Will having an impromptu arm wrestling match in the corner. Frankie so far wasn't anywhere to be found.

The music, the lights, the alcohol. All of it was almost overwhelming and you were starting to wonder why you decided to come.

This world of excess and debauchery was so foreign to you, a far cry from the quiet solitude of your apartment where you usually did your writing. You've been to parties but nothing like this. You thought about your male coworkers at Rolling Stone, who seemed to fit seamlessly into the rock and roll lifestyle, effortlessly bonding with their subjects over shared experiences and unspoken understandings.

You focused on scribbling notes in your notebook, trying to make sense of the chaos around you and organize your thoughts about the concert. The more you wrote, the more your head cleared, and you found yourself able to better compartmentalize everything you'd experienced.

As you were finishing up your notes, you felt a tap on your shoulder.

"Hey."

You turned and saw Santiago standing behind you. He had a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand and his eyes were slightly bloodshot.

"Hey." You replied.

He moved to stand beside you, looking at the party in front of you.

"What are you doing over here by yourself? Having fun?" He asked, taking a swig of the whiskey.

You shrugged, "I guess I just wanted to take everything in, get a feel of the scene. "

"Through your notepad?" He asked, gesturing towards your notes.

"Yeah, uh, it's easier for me to write things down."

"Ah," he took another swig, "can I ask you a question?"

You looked up at him. He was staring down at you, a smirk on his face.

"Sure."

"Why do you wanna write a story about us?"

It wasn't the question you were expecting. You had prepared for a list of generic questions like how you got into writing and your favorite bands, but this one caught you off guard.

"Because..." You hesitated, not sure how to answer, "...because I think you guys are cool."

Santiago smirked, leaning in.

"Cool? That's it?"

"Yeah," you said, feeling slightly defensive. "I think you guys have something special."

He chuckled to himself, taking a joint from a walking passerby, and taking a hit. "That's what they all say."

"All who?"

"People, the press. They all want to write a story about the cool, rebellious, rock and roll band, but the thing is, no one ever actually gets it."

"Maybe because the people who write about you are only interested in the glamorous lifestyle and not the reality of it."

He cocked his eyebrow.

"The reality?"

"Yeah," you said, closing your notebook. "I don't want to write a story about what I see here. This is a party, a show. It's not what's real."

Santiago studied you for a moment, and you felt the tension in the air between you. It was as if he was trying to read you, to figure out what made you tick.

"I'm here to witness the magic, the brotherhood. You can feel the bond between you guys: it's real, it's tangible, it's magnetic. People come to see your shows to see it. Shit, people come to the Chateau Marmont at 1 AM to see it. People want more."

You met his gaze, unwavering. You weren't going to back down.

He laughed, taking a step back. "Okay, okay. I believe you."

You smiled, relieved.

"But I'm gonna let you in on a little secret…Tom? He's over the moon, hunky fuckin' dory that you're writing this piece, but the truth is? We're a little skeptical, a little worried. We wanna look good but we also don't want this to be a puff piece. You've convinced me though, I believe you when you say you wanna do something different. So here's the deal - if you want the real story, the one that matters, you need to prove it."

You swallowed.

"And how do I do that?"

He smirked, gesturing to the crowd. "Come hang with us, chill out, see how we are when it's just us. If you can do that, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know. If you wanna get to know the real us, you gotta dive in."

Santiago offered you the joint, and you took it from him, putting it to your lips and inhaling.

He grinned. "Welcome to the team."

You hesitated for a moment. You wanted to get the real story, the one that mattered, but you were afraid. What if you didn't fit in? What if the guys didn't like you?

But Santiago had a point. You needed to prove yourself, and what better way than by actually hanging out with the band?

So you sucked it up, took a long drag off the joint, and threw caution to the wind.

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You weren't sure how much time had passed, but the party was still in full swing. The doubts and fears that plagued you had floated away along with your sobriety. Santiago had been a great host, introducing you to people, making sure you had a drink in your hand, and keeping the conversation going. You'd lost track of how many drinks you'd had, but you were feeling good.

He'd also gotten you better acquainted with Will and Benny. Will was reserved but he was incredibly knowledgeable about music, and you spent most of your conversation talking about some of the more obscure bands you both liked in common. With Benny, he was the life of the party. He had an infectious smile and was quick to laugh.

Frankie was another story entirely.

Frankie had eventually been found at the party but he'd stayed off to the side, talking quietly with a group of people, occasionally smoking a cigarette or sipping from a glass. You watched him throughout the night.

He'd glance at you from time to time, his eyes dark and unreadable. His gaze would linger, sending shivers down your spine. You would try to catch his eye, but he'd look away before you could make contact.

A model that you recognized from a cover of Cosmopolitan pulled out a baggie of coke and offered some to everyone at the table. You politely declined and headed for the bathroom.

You walked around the hallway and saw a few sets of doors. You opened a door to see Tom sitting on the bed, the phone cord stretched across the room.

"Of course I'm thinking about this damn offer, it's all I can think about. Fuck, I just don't know if this is the right move. If I had another band under my roster the boys would kill me, but the money they're offering? It's the kind of money we can't turn down."

You tried to back out of the room quietly, but sobriety be damned, the heel of your shoe clicked loudly on the hardwood floor as you tripped. Tom turned, his eyebrows raised and his expression a mixture of surprise and concern.

You mouthed an apology and quickly made your way out of the room. Humiliation and embarrassment flooding through you, you decided you needed some air.

You made your way outside, the cool air hitting your face. You inhaled deeply, trying to clear your mind and slow your racing heart. You only had a bit of context but you knew that wasn't a conversation you were supposed to hear.

You sat down on the ground, resting your head against the wall. You could feel your body relax, the tension easing from your shoulders.

As you closed your eyes, the events of the evening replayed in your head. The music, the energy, the excitement.

Suddenly, you felt someone sit next to you. You looked over and saw Frankie, his expression still unreadable.

"Hey."

"Hi." You tried to sound casual, hoping the high pitch in your voice didn't sell you out.

He lit a cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling slowly. The smoke curled in the air, dancing in the breeze.

You sat in silence for a moment, watching the smoke drift away, trying to distract yourself from the man in front of you.

"Having fun?" Frankie's voice was low and husky, his question caught you off guard. "What do you think of all of this so far?"

"It's definitely not what I'm used to."

He chuckled, and you couldn't help but smile. He took another cigarette from the carton, offering one to you.

You took the cigarette from him and he lit it, the flame flickering in the darkness. You felt the smoke fill your lungs.

"What are you used to then?" He asked, his eyes locked on yours.

"Lighting a joint at the end of a long day, writing a draft for an article, and throwing it in the trash. Sitting at home alone and wondering if I'm ever gonna break out."

Frankie smiled. "We're not what you expected, huh?"

You laughed, shaking your head. "Not at all."

You took another drag of the cigarette. The combination of weed, whiskey, and nicotine was making your head spin, and you couldn't stop the giggle that escaped your lips.

Frankie smirked.

"Lightweight."

You nodded, leaning your head against the wall. You looked over at Frankie, his profile illuminated by the moonlight. He was handsome, his jawline sharp and his lips full. His hair was tousled under his hat and his stubble was perfectly trimmed. You could see the muscles in his arms flex as he brought the cigarette to his mouth, and you felt your breath hitch.

You looked away, feeling a blush creep up your neck. You weren't sure if it was the alcohol, the drugs, or his presence that was making you feel so flustered.

"What are you doing out here anyways?" You asked, trying to distract yourself from the butterflies in your stomach.

Frankie shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching. "I could ask you the same question."

You laughed, the alcohol and weed finally settling in.

"I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, I needed some fresh air."

Frankie nodded, understanding. "I'm not really one for big parties."

"Is that why you weren't around earlier?"

He gave you a curious look. "You really are quite the observant reporter."

You grinned. "I'm a professional."

He smirked, your gaze turning back to the sky. You couldn't help but feel his eyes linger on your skin, you felt like you were burning up.

"I'm just not a huge fan of the crowds. I like the music, the shows, but the parties are sometimes too much."

"I can understand that."

"Can you?"

You looked at him, surprised by his question. "Of course."

He raised his eyebrow. "How so?"

You shrugged. "I've had my share of experiences. Not quite like this, but enough that I get it. Sometimes I'd rather just sit back with a joint and observe it all."

Frankie's lips twitched into a small smile. "Me too."

You couldn't help but smile back. He seemed much less guarded now.

You took another drag of your cigarette; the smoke swirling around the two of you.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Frankie glanced at you, the corner of his mouth twitching again.

"Sure."

"What brought you into music? How'd you end up here?"

He considered your question for a moment, tapping the ashes of his cigarette.

"Well, I just always loved music. I was a quiet kid and my parents weren't around a lot. Santi moved to Miami when we were eight and we just immediately hit it off. Whatever he did, I did. If he joined the baseball team, I joined the baseball team. And then he started playing guitar. We'd sit in his garage for hours and play. I never knew I wanted to be a musician until then. It just felt right."

He paused, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

"How'd you get into journalism?"

You froze. The truth was, you had no idea. You just always felt drawn to writing. You had a knack for it and it came easily to you. You never had any grand plan or vision, it was more like a calling.

"I guess I just felt called to it. I was always writing stories as a kid and then I wanted to write about real people and real stories."

He studied you, his eyes searching yours.

"So far, do you like my story?"

You grinned, "I don't know your story yet."

He smiled, exposing a dimple as you felt your heart skip a beat.

"It's been a long time since I've actually talked to someone like this."

"Me too."

There was a moment of comfortable silence. You could hear the sounds of the city around you, the cars honking, the music and laughter drifting from inside. Suddenly, you heard the door open and Tom stepped out.

"Some chick from Apple Records just threw up on my Italian boots. This is a disaster."

Frankie rolled his eyes. "You've had worse, Tom."

Tom groaned. "I'm gonna call it a night. You guys have that radio station interview tomorrow and I need to get ready for it in the morning."

"I should probably get some sleep too." Frankie stretched out and yawned, his shirt riding up and exposing a strip of skin above the waistband of his jeans.

You felt your mouth go dry and quickly looked away.

"Did you get the room key I left for you?" Tom asked you. "We rented out the whole second floor, so you've got your pick of rooms."

"Yeah, thanks." You dug into your back pocket, pulling out the key.

"I gotta clean this shit up so I'll see you guys in the morning."

He retreated away from the cottage, leaving you and Frankie alone once more.

You stood, dusting off the back of your pants. "I guess I should get some sleep, I'm pretty wasted."

"I'm heading up myself, so I can walk you to your hotel room."

"Oh, okay." You said in a high-pitched tone.

"Unless you don't want me to."

"No! No, I want you to, I just wasn't sure if you wanted to say goodnight to the guys?"

"They're honestly too fucked up to remember anything right now. Besides, I'd rather make sure you get there safe."

You blushed, the alcohol and weed still affecting you. "Thanks."

You and Frankie made your way back into the main building, the party still raging on from the cottage nearby. While you walked through the halls and into the elevator, you marveled at the luxury of the famous chateau. You'd heard so many stories but to say you'd gone to a party there, even for a couple of hours, was something you’d never forget.

The two of you got into the elevator, and you were acutely aware of Frankie's presence. He was tall–at least a foot taller than you–and his shoulders were broad and muscular. You could smell his scent, a mixture of spice, nicotine, and citrus.

The both of you got off on the second floor, walking silently down the hallway. The hotel was dark and quiet; it was as if the rest of the world had faded away.

You reached your room, fumbling with the key and unlocking the door.

"This is me."

Frankie nodded. "Good night."

You stepped into the room and turned around, watching as he walked away.

"Good night."

You watched him disappear around the corner, the butterflies in your stomach erupting again.

Once the door had shut behind you, you exhaled a breath you didn't realize you were holding. You were still buzzing from the alcohol and the pot but there was something else, an energy that you hadn't felt before.

You stripped off your clothes, letting them pool on the floor, and crawled into the bed. As you drifted off, you felt yourself smile.

-------------------------

You were jolted awake by the shrill ring of the hotel telephone. Before you could even think, your head was already pounding from last night and its excess. You squinted at the clock next to you, the bold white words focusing on 9:30 AM.

"Hello?" Your voice was hoarse and still heavy with sleep.

"Morning! It's Tom." Tom sounded surprisingly chipper given last night's circumstances with his Italian shoes. Not one to beat around the bush, he started, "I have a proposition for you."

You were instantly alert, sitting up straight in the bed. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I had a long talk with Santiago this morning. About you."

You swallowed nervously. You knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Okay.."

"He told me that you really want to tell the real story of the band, that you want to get to the bottom of who we are."

You paused, considering your words carefully.

"That's correct. I think there's more to your story, more than meets the eye."

"That's exactly what I thought, which is why I have an offer for you."

You held your breath. You didn't want to seem eager but you couldn't help the excitement building inside of you.

"I'm listening."

"Rolling Stone wants an in-depth piece, right? Well, what better way to get that than by joining us on tour?"

Your heart skipped a beat as his words sunk in.

"You mean..go on tour with you guys? Be a part of the band?"

"It's the only way to really understand us, right? Get into our world, our culture, and experience it for yourself. I already pitched it to your editor and he said as long as the label pays for expenses and you're game, he's game."

You were astounded at the things that Tom Davis could get done before noon.

"But..how would that work? Where would I stay? I don't have any experience touring or writing on the road."

You took a deep breath, processing everything Tom had just told you. "I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't an incredible offer."

"An incredible offer you can't refuse?"

You couldn't help but smile, the adrenaline coursing through your veins. "An incredible offer I can't refuse."

Tom let out a hearty laugh, "That's what I like to hear! Look, we've already discussed it amongst ourselves, and as for accommodations, we're a tight-knit group, we always look out for one another. You'll have a place to crash every night, always a nice hotel to stay in."

Your mind was racing with possibilities. The chance to immerse yourself in their world, to witness their artistry up close and personal—it was an opportunity unlike any other. "What about interviews? Will I have unrestricted access?"

Tom nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely. We want this to be as authentic as possible. You'll have full access to everyone in the band, backstage, on the bus, wherever we go. Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Promise me you won't hold back. We want the real story, the gritty details, the highs and lows of life on the road. Don't sugarcoat anything."

You nodded with determination. "I promise, Tom. I'll give it my all."

"Good," he said with a satisfied smile. "I have a feeling you're going to fit right in."

As you pressed down on the end call button, a surge of adrenaline shot through your veins. This was it - the opportunity to delve deep into the core of the band and capture their raw energy in words for all to experience. Just thinking about it made your heart race, and as you thought of Frankie, you felt an unfamiliar warmth in your belly.

You'd have a new adventure ahead of you, one that would change your life forever.

#frankie morales #triple frontier #frankie catfish morales #Frankie morales smut #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x f!reader #frankie morales x y/n #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie catfish morales x you #triple frontier au #triple frontier fic #triple frontier fanfic #triple frontier smut #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal smut #pedro pascal #triple frontier fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fic

[unknownfacelessfanfictions]

Good Omens Masterlist

The following fanfictions are not mine. This is simply a list of oneshots (sometimes fanfics) that I have enjoyed.

Credit goes to the creators, thank you so, so , so much for writing this!!!! They are all so good!!!!

Containing following characters:

Anthony J. Crowley

Aziraphale

Gifs do not belong to me!!

Crowley:

English Tea ( by @okay-j-hannah )

Love Of My Life ( by @massivelycreepypineapple )

Good ( by @darling-i-read-it )

Don't call me angel ( by @theveryinsignificantpotato )

It's like heaven taking the place of something evil ( by @wanna-rock-n-roll-in80s )

Dating Crowley Would Include ( by @deleted-blog-29583 )

Through history to get to you ( by @erideights ) | Part 1 | | Part 2 |

"The Sin of Love" ( by @magicrowiswritingstuff )

Falling ( by @alexa-lightwood-blog )

His Sunglasses ( by @fortune-fool02 )

Reveal ( by @deleted-blog-29583 )

He Has To Start Believing He Deserves Real Happiness ( by @companionjones )

My Heart’s Already Sinned ( by @metaphorical-love-for-a-car )

Insults ( by @alexa-lightwood-blog )

galileo ( by @touchstarvedwriter )

The Rough Guide to Courting ( by @fortune-fool02 )

Demons are Drama Queens ( by @starks-hero )

Lashing Out ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Aziraphale:

You Matter to Me ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Titles & Editions ( by @okay-j-hannah )

What it is like to be the human s/o of Aziraphale ( by @sips---tea )

"Come with me if you want to live. I always wanted to say that." ( by @bonniebird )

Found Out ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Mornings ( by @the-ineffable-musings )

Aziraphale comforts a crying reader ( by @callsign-dragonbaron

Heaven of a Human Spirit ( by @metaphorical-love-for-a-car )

Imagine Aziraphale being protective over you and your unborn child. ( by @multifandomfix )

Four Times Aziraphale Wanted to Kiss You, And the Time he Finally Did ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Worked Out For The Best ( by @/bowieandqueen11 )

Just….Friends… ( by @fly-flower-fanfics )

Mortally, Yours ( by @ourownsideimagines )

Paperback Prophets: Platonic ( by @ships-n-giggles )

Hereditary Enemies ( by @eiressofinspirationwrites )

Perfect Stranger ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Aziraphale & Crowley:

You’re a Police Officer ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Lover ( by @applepiewinchesters )

Godfathers ( by @metaphorical-love-for-a-car ) | Part 1 | |Part 2|

Let Your Soul Breathe ( by @malereader-inserts )

Two Turtle Doves ( by @starks-hero )

Feathers ( by @asphodelandpomegranate )

Are You Trying To Romance Me? ( by @witches-and-cows )

Touch Starved ( by @charzard-lord )

In Sickness and in Health ( by @massivelycreepypineapple )

Who Wants to be Queen? ( by @ourownsideimagines )

Armageddon Puts a Strain on Things Doesn’t It? ( by @eiressofinspirationwrites )

Eternity ( by @acedesigns )

Interesting ( by @begaywritefics )

Scars Of The Past ( by @coyotestarcraft )

More of you to love ( by @ourownsideimagines )

#good omens #good omens x reader #good omens masterlist #masterlist #crowley x reader #anthony crowley x reader #aziraphale x reader #aziraphale x reader x crowley

[wheretheeternalare]

Books I read in 2022

just posting this for my own amusement but if anyone’s looking for recs I’ve bolded what I really liked. I read 44 books this year, plus 3 rereads (The Secret History, Maurice, and Detransition, Baby lmao) which is by far the most I’ve ever read in a year! feeling rly good about that!

Time's Monster by Priya Satia The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis Females by Andrea Long Chu Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler Nevada by Imogen Binnie Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher A Room With a View by E. M. Forster Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jen Manion On Beauty by Zadie Smith Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov The Wedding by Dorothy West My Education by Susan Choi The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien  The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien  Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin Among the Isles of Shoals by Celia Thaxter Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton Rip It Up: Rock 'n' Roll Rulebreakers Drawing the Line by Erich Matthes She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen The Blackhouse by Peter May How to be both by Ali Smith Raven Black by Ann Cleeves Autumn by Ali Smith Winter by Ali Smith The Smiths: Songs That Saved Your Life by Simon Goddard The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraquib Spring by Ali Smith The Culture of Time and Space 1880-1918 by Stephen Kern Eternity by the Stars by Louis-Auguste Blanqui The Queue by Vladimir Sorokin A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce Summer by Ali Smith The Scent of Time by Byun-Chul Han The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything by Jonn Elledge Doxology by Nell Zink The Idiot by Elif Batuman Ghosts of My Life by Mark Fisher Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers

#reading list #if anyone wants to ask questions or give recommendations based on what's here pls feel free!!

[mensskull]

Enigmatic Allure of the Mayhem Skull Necklace

In the realm of fashion and accessories, certain symbols wield an inexplicable power, effortlessly captivating attention and paving the way for boundless self-expression. Enter the Mayhem Skull Necklace, an incomparable statement piece that enthralls bold individuals seeking to make their mark. Prepare to embark on an enthralling journey through time and fashion as we delve into the captivating history, symbolic significance, and contemporary popularity of the Mayhem Skull Necklace, all while discovering invaluable tips to seamlessly infuse it into your personal style.

Delving into the Genesis of the Mayhem Skull Necklace:

To truly appreciate the profound meaning behind the Mayhem Skull Necklace, we must traverse the annals of ancient cultures. Skulls, revered across the globe, have long embodied themes such as mortality, rebellion, and metamorphosis. From the Aztecs of antiquity to the audacious Vikings of medieval times, skulls stood resolute as symbols of resilience, safeguarding, and the eternal cycle of life. Innovatively drawing from these age-old traditions, the Mayhem Skull Necklace amalgamates venerable wisdom with contemporary flair.

Innovatively Versatile Designs and Exquisite Variations:

The intoxicating allure of the Mayhem Skull Necklace knows no bounds, transcending its symbolic nature to embrace a realm of unparalleled versatility. Fashioned from an array of materials, ranging from pristine silver to opulent gold and even resplendent gemstones, these necklaces gracefully accommodate diverse tastes. Be it intricately embellished or elegantly understated, the Mayhem Skull Necklace exalts the discerning fashion connoisseur in you.

Symbolism Meets Unbridled Self-Expression:

Imbued with an enigmatic power, the Mayhem Skull Necklace crystallizes into a dynamic symbol, enabling individuals to fearlessly manifest their innermost essence and rebellious verve. A constant reminder to seize each fleeting moment with unwavering fervor and embrace mortality's embrace, this remarkable necklace challenges the status quo, coaxing wearers to forge their distinctive fashion paths and escape the clutches of conventionality.

From Counterculture to Unrivaled Popularity:

Throughout the epochs, the Mayhem Skull Necklace has shattered boundaries and ascended to the pinnacle of iconic fashion accessories, enfolding the necks of luminaries, musicians, and trailblazing influencers alike. The realm of popular culture ardently embraces this phenomenal trend, solidifying the Mayhem Skull Necklace as the quintessential proclamation of audacity and bold self-expression. Its spellbinding presence radiates through music videos, silver screens, and sartorial masterpieces, nourishing its indomitable presence within contemporary fashion.

Unleashing Your Style Potential: Unmatched Ways to Flaunt the Mayhem Skull Necklace:

Eager to embark on an odyssey of style with the Mayhem Skull Necklace? Discover a myriad of innovative methods to seamlessly integrate this captivating accessory into your fashion repertoire. Whether your heart yearns for nonchalant elegance, audacious edge, or bohemian allure, this versatile icon effortlessly elevates your ensemble. Amplify the charisma of a simple white tee and jeans with a dash of rock 'n' roll, or layer it harmoniously alongside other necklaces to fashion a captivating, eclectic fusion. Empower your creative spirit as you experiment with a plethora of ensembles, allowing the Mayhem Skull Necklace to reign supreme as the pièce de résistance.

Nurturing Your Mayhem Skull Necklace: A Testimony to Timelessness:

Safeguarding the everlasting allure of the Mayhem Skull Necklace entails embracing impeccable care practices. When not adorning your neck, nurture its radiance by entrusting it to the cozy confines of a dry, jewelry box, far from the prying gaze of direct sunlight. Gently cleanse it with a soft cloth and mild soap, meticulously preserving its brilliance and thwarting the encroachment of tarnish. Tenderly cherish this indomitable piece, and its captivating spirit will continue to permeate the fashion landscape for countless years.

Conclusion:

Beyond being a mere fashion accessory, the Mayhem Skull Necklace stands as an emblem of defiant self-expression, an unspoken testament to your untamed individuality. Rooted in the hallowed symbolism of a bygone era, this versatile necklace encapsulates the very spirit of authority, mortality, and personal liberation. As you embark on your wondrous voyage alongside the Mayhem Skull Necklace, eagerly embrace diverse styles, fearlessly exhibiting it as a profound extension of your unique persona. Let this audacious companion unfurl boundaries and ignite intrigue wherever your path meanders.

#skull necklace #fashion #necklace #pendant #jewelry #mensnecklace

[charcha-equity]

Timeless Rock: Top 10 Songs Every Music Enthusiast Needs

In the realm of music, rock stands as an eternal genre, weaving its magic across decades. Exploring these ten iconic songs is akin to embarking on a journey through the soul of timeless melodies, perfectly complementing ad-free music experiences on various offline music players.

Why Rock Music?

Rock music, with its powerful chords and soul-stirring lyrics, has a magnetic pull. Its evolution from the ’60s to present-day tunes showcases its versatility, making it a go-to genre for those seeking raw emotions and captivating rhythms. This list comprises tracks that have shaped the music landscape, each carrying its unique essence.

The Classics Never Fade

1. "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin

   This track’s mystic aura and gradual build-up make it an iconic piece. Its blend of acoustic and electric elements remains unparalleled.

2. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

   Freddie Mercury's operatic masterpiece intertwines various musical styles, delivering an epic musical journey.

Also Read: Discover Fresh Music Daily With These Apps

3. "Hotel California" by Eagles

   This song’s storytelling prowess, coupled with mesmerizing guitar riffs, creates an everlasting impact.

4. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

   An anthem for a generation, this track encapsulates the essence of grunge, leaving an everlasting mark on rock history.

The Soulful Ballads

5. "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses

   This emotive ballad resonates with its orchestral elements, delivering a melodic rollercoaster ride.

6. "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd

   Its poetic lyrics and haunting melody strike a chord, making it a timeless piece in rock’s repertoire.

Also Read: Must-Listen Songs to Boost Your Mood

Energizing Anthems

7. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

   With its infectious energy and anthemic chorus, this track remains a crowd favorite, fueling rock enthusiasts.

8. "Back in Black" by AC/DC

   This high-voltage track embodies the essence of rock 'n' roll, its electrifying energy captivating audiences worldwide.

Evocative Rhythms

9. "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses

   Instantly recognizable with its iconic guitar riff, this song’s passion and energy echo through time.

10. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

    A motivational anthem, this track resonates with its uplifting spirit and catchy hooks.

Accessing Timeless Music

In a world brimming with ad-free music options and offline music players, several apps cater to diverse musical tastes. In India, music lovers can explore platforms like Gaana, Wynk Music, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Hungama Music, and YouTube Music, offering a vast library of tracks across genres, including timeless rock classics.

Also Read: The Impact Of Music On Our Emotions

Conclusion

For every music enthusiast, diving into the world of rock music is a journey through emotions, energies, and stories that transcend time. These ten songs serve as an entry point into a world that continues to captivate hearts, speaking volumes through its melodies and lyrics. Explore, immerse, and let the timeless tunes of rock elevate your musical journey.

#music #new music #music apps #music streaming apps #music playlists #offline music

[peternelthorpe]

Classic Rock Performers Who Have Had A Lasting Influence On Music

New Post has been published on https://wr1tepress.com/classic-rock-performers-who-have-had-a-lasting-influence-on-music/

Classic Rock Performers Who Have Had A Lasting Influence On Music

Classic rock is a fundamental part of American history. Many of todays leading bands can trace their styles back to the influence of certain musicians. While every song made available to the world has had an impact on the music industry, there are certain performers who will eternally stand at the forefront of music.

From folk rock to psychedelic rock, there have been many groundbreaking sounds and voices. Here are the top ten most influential classic rock bands in history.

Elvis Presley

While Elvis is not traditionally viewed in the classic rock genre, it is impossible to ignore his influence on the world of Rock-n-Roll. As the first to expose mainstream America to something other than traditional family music, he faced a tremendous amount of opposition from the mainstream.

Despite the extreme racism exhibited during the 1950s, Elvis never hesitated to give appropriate credit to his inspirations. Mainly African-American performers influenced Elvis sound and style. Southern radio disc jockeys originally refused to play Elvis singles, because they sounded “too Negro” for white stations to air.

It was not just Elvis sound, but also his performance, that drew controversy. The movement of his hips in a suggestive manner sparked an entire decade of debate.

Despite the firestorm of criticism that surrounded Elvis reign, his continuing popularity has ensured that Elvis crown as the King of Rock and Roll would remain valid for decades, even decades after his death.

The Beatles

As the best selling musical act of all-time, it is hard to deny the influence of the Beatles, not only on the musical culture of America, but also on every aspect of human life. The Beatles included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, and George Harrison.

Their innovative style defined the music of the 1960s – – twice. They began their career in England, and when they came to America, they were already a huge success in the United States. In their early years, they had defined pop music for a new generation.

As the hippy days of the late 1960s began to take hold of Americas young people, the Beatles redefined their music again, with another new style of music lauded by the masses. Their very loud stance on drug use and war made them a controversial group, but their popularity never wavered. Although the Beatles retained the loyalty and admiration of their late 1960s audiences until the group broke up, the touring days of the Beatles ended in 1966 when John Lennon proclaimed, “The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ.”

Bob Dylan

Dylan has one of the most easily recognizable voices in the world. Raspy and full of passion, Bob Dylans sound is distinctive. His songs are amazing and defined a generation obsessed with the themes of social unrest, an anti-war stance, and encouragement for the civil rights movement.

A traditional folk singer, Dylans works transcended all genres and appealed to countless young Americans. His sincere lyrics spoke to many and made it possible to empathize with his many causes.

Jimi Hendrix

As the undisputed master of the electric guitar, Jimi Hendrix is a classic rock foundation. The self-taught guitar player refused to be limited by many of the conventional views of guitar players.

Prior to Jimi Hendrixs development as a guitar player, the electric guitar was considered to merely be a louder version of the acoustic guitar. Hendrix embraced the uniqueness of the electric guitar and showed his appreciation for it to the rest of the world.

Pink Floyd

Easily considered the greatest band of all time, Pink Floyds unique style and showmanship defined psychedelic rock. Their concept albums were thematic masterpieces that appealed to countless audiences. The Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals, and The Wall each still stand out today as great Rock masterpieces.

The Who

Also known for their thematic records, The Who pioneered the idea of rock opera. Most famous for their collaborative efforts with every major musical figure of their time, Tommy The Rock Opera ensured the longevity of the band into the future.

Their success and fame were not limited to their unique approach to concept albums. Their musical skills are still highly regarded in both mainstream circles and in the entertainment industry. Their music is currently being used as the theme song for at least three of the most popular show on TV on the air today.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have easily maintained their position as one of the longest lasting bands in recording history. Like most popular rock bands of the age, they were an England-based band that was more than happy to take on America.

Their grungy unkempt image became so popular; many artists are still attempting to master it. Their unique sound and high quality lyrics have kept them at the top of the charts for almost 40 years.

Cream

Cream, featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, was one of the most technically advanced music groups of their time. Their instrumental techniques became legendary and paved the way for other bands to focus on developing their instrument techniques, in addition to their lyrics.

The Doors

The Doors have always been one of the most controversial bands that had ever existed. Jim Morrisons wild behavior set the tone for the countless musical bad boys that would follow in his footsteps.

The poetic lyrics of The Doors, as well as their outrageous behavior, made them a crowd favorite.

Led Zeppelin

The road to heavy metal was paved by Led Zeppelin. Their first album was pivotal in its inclusion of distorted amplification techniques. Over the years, their experimentation included mixing acoustic and electric sounds, with the addition of synthesized melodies. The success of Led Zeppelin helped establish a strong base for the development of metal music.

Few people of their generation or the current generation realize that like Elvis, Led Zeppelin took most of their inspiration from African-American performers. As a lifelong fan of Led Zeppelin, it is was oddly fascinating to listen to some of the not-so-famous African-American rhythm-and-blues performers of the 1930s, and to be able to hear the Led Zeppelin songs we have loved for years in a whole new way.

Final Thoughts

Clearly, these ten bands had a significant impact on the evolution of Rock-n-Roll music through the generations, but it is more difficult to put them into an ordered list of important groups. Lets just agree that most of us love all ten bands on this list.

#Sample Tags #Tags

[marafilmblogs]

Film (BA) Napier uni. week 11-12

Classwork

Film Narrative

For our film narrative class we have looked at acting and the importance of it. We have also looked further into screenplays and of unspoken dialogue. This came in as important to us since our second tableau film was due the next week and making the dialogue flow was important. For this task we had to pick a screenplay someone had written in our group. We picked one called Suicide Rock n' Roll. Inspired by the song. This film was about a teenage girl having an emotional episode as her father confronts her about the loud music coming from her room. During the shoot we had hired actors and had an apartment from someone in our group available to shoot in. We had hired out all the equipment we needed and also took out equipment for lighting and sound for the first time. This made our group feel more on task as everyone had something productive to do. During our last lecture, we all watched the films that everyone had made. Our notes from lecturers was to go more in depth of the characters internal monologue. This was useful to know as we didn't know if going down that route would be clear to the audience or not so we decided to keep the view external. We will take the note into consideration next time.

Communication and practice

For Communication and practice we have been focused on our two tasks of the Research Dossier and of our final 1000 word Essay. This has been interesting as we have had to do independent research on what cultural theorists are and which one we wanted to pick. For the 1000 word essay we have been given the task of dealing with a cultural issue and using a film to back it up. I have chosen Racial issues in finding the American dream and of Scotland's history with racism. I have used the film Limbo as it perfectly shows the story of someone going through this issue.

Workflow and Creative Camera Techniques

For workflow and creative camera techniques, we haven't had class as to focus on our assignment on recreating a film. For the recreation we decided to do Eternal sunshine of the spotless minds. (a separate blog posted after this will explain in detail about my role in it.) For this task we had used all the equipment and more from the previous shoot of the tableau film. This film was harder to shoot as we had multiple locations and were also cautions of time running out.

Positives about this shoot were that the actors were friends of people in our group which meant their free time aligned with ours due to class times. We also had another team member in our group, This meant there was less stress about time. Another person being able to help and make work lighter became very important due to the time we had left. Another positive was that since the scene was being recreated, it was easy for everyone to have the same vision and there wasn't any confusion.

Negatives about this shoot was that we didn't have as much time as we liked to get everything and had to settle for a couple of shots, sound recordings and for the colour grading of the film. We can learn from this as issues began with not being able to rent equipment and shifting schedules earlier so we could all film.

Overall I would say this was my favourite shoot we have done since beginning university as we have started to get used to equipment and have leant how to work together in our group.

I have enjoyed this module and have appreciated how much I have learnt and how comfortable I am with the equipment now compared to the start of the year.

Movies in the world

Movies that I have recently watched are Eternal sunshine of the spotless minds, Limbo, Morning Glory, He's just not that into you and The Fallout. This is due to a mix of watching films for the recreation task and for my personal goal of trying to get into other genres. I have tried to look at Romantic comedies as to see cultural codes used. I have seen patterns of specific light colouring being used. The use of montages or music in the background also seems like a common theme.

I have watched Eternal sunshine of the spotless minds and Limbo for my course work. I found that Limbo had an effect on me as the story was relatable as a child of an immigrant and of knowing people with similar stories. I found the location for filming was The Uists in the Outer Hebrides. This was interesting as no one has filmed a movie there before. Issues like signal and of weather are uncontrollable making the area hard to shoot in. Though the scenery captured in the film brings a specific atmosphere that makes it worth it.

My work

Scene Recreation for Workflow and Creative Camera Techniques:

Tableau film for Film Narrative:

#university #tableau #lighting #sound production #sound design #eternal sunshine of the spotless mind #the fallout #hes just not that into you #morning glory #film industry #film making #film #Youtube

[bibliosophist]

You may take this as a prompt request if you want to or just me thirsting to you (again)

Picture this:

MC is sitting next to one of the brothers on their bed wearing a top and some shorts, watching a movie together when MC leans into the brother's side and whispers into his ear: "I only want to let you know that I'm not wearing panties right now."

(AND THEN THEY FUCKED)

Sorry it took me a while to get to, I haven't had time to get on tumblr lately. Bc I made you wait I'll do all the brothers. Heads up I’m writing these while I’m pretty tipsy so I hope they all make sense lol

Movie Night + “I’m not wearing any panties” ft. GN MC (NSFW/18+)

Lucifer

You’re watching a documentary that he had imported from the human world. It’s drier than dust- something about politics that would make even The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire seem riveting.

Doesn’t visibly react at all.

Demands you remove your shorts, not taking his eyes off the television.

Once your lower half is bared, orders you to sit in his lap so that your back is against his chest and you have a leg on either side of his body.

Continues to watch the documentary as he fucks you with one hand, the other pressed against your abdomen, keeping your body close to his.

“Be quiet. You don’t want me to have to rewind this, do you?”

Moves his hand from your abdomen to your throat when you continue to moan.

Doesn’t stop until you’ve cum so hard your legs are shaking.

You’re nearing tears from overstimulation by the time the documentary is over. “Have you had enough?” he asks. You can only whimper in response.

“Too bad,” he chuckles as he lowers you on to your back. “You wanted my attention, and now you’ve got it.”

Mammon

Poor boy nearly has a heart attack.

“O-oi! You can’t just go around sayin’ stuff like that!”

You ask him what the problem is with the most innocent look you can muster.

“Waddaya mean what’s the problem?! I have a hard enough time controllin’ myself around ya as it is!”

Once you’ve assured him that you do not, in fact, want him to control himself, it’s like you’re a casino and it’s payday. He can’t seem to decide what he wants to do first. His mouth is on yours but his hands are everywhere.

He just can’t get enough of you and is perfectly content to do everything in his power to give you pleasure- his own is an afterthought.

When you finally manage to get a hand down his pants, you think his head may actually explode.

Once you start begging for his cock he drags you to the edge of the bed, slinging your ankles over his shoulders as he fucks you. He loves watching the faces you make.

Leviathan

You’re laying side by side in his tub watching a movie when you tell him.

He may have momentarily died. You aren’t quite sure.

Is he breathing?

“Levi? Levi!”

“W-why are you telling me that?!”

He absolutely, unequivocally does not believe that you could possibly have any interest in him.

You’re just teasing him, aren’t you? Who would want an icky ot-

Oh my God, what are you doing?

“Levi,” you say as you wrap him up in a hug. “It’s okay. Nothing has to happen unless you want it to.”

He stammers something into your hair. When you lift your head to ask him what he says, he catches your lips with his.

At first it’s a bit sloppy, but the longer you kiss the more confident he becomes.

He wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you close. You shiver when you feel his erection pressed against your stomach.

You can actually feel his hands shaking as he holds you against him, so you decide to give him a little encouragement.

“Can I show you how much I want you?” you ask, reaching for the ties of his pants.

He’s an actual human tomato, but he nods vigorously, lifting his hips so you can slide his pants and underwear down his thighs.

He bites on his hand to quiet the sounds he makes as you suck him off.

He slips his fingers in the leg of your shorts and soon you’re the one moaning.

You don’t fuck tonight, but if Levi’s reaction is anything to go by, you’ll have many opportunities in the future.

Satan

In the glow of the TV you can make out the smirk on his face.

Pauses the movie- an adaptation of one of his favourite books- pulling you into his lap before crushing his lips against yours.

Satan has beautiful hands, and he knows how to use them. He quickly has you undressed and begging for him.

He obliges, letting you unzip his trousers and pull his cock free.

One of the best things about Satan? He has a spell for everything. He speaks a few words and instant lubrication.

You shudder as he slides into you, the stretch is mind numbing. He guides you as you bounce on him, moving faster as that sweet fire begins to build.

Digs his fingers into your hips and slams you down the moment he feels you begin to clench around him. Holds you still with his cock deep inside you.

“Satan” you whine, trying desperately to move against him.

“I’m sorry,” he says as he unpauses the movie. “Do you not like being interrupted?”

Makes you warm his cock while he finishes watching. Every time you move, he backs the film up, adding to the length of your punishment.

When it’s over, though? Oh boy. You won’t be walking tomorrow, that’s for sure.

Asmodeus

“Neither am I!”

The movie is promptly forgotten.

He wastes absolutely no time in getting the both of you naked.

Asmo is nothing if not a tease. He spends an eternity kissing, licking, and sucking bruises into every inch of your skin. He’s got you begging by the time he makes it back up to your lips.

But as much as Asmo loves to tease, he loves to be worshipped even more. You aren’t getting anything until he feels properly appreciated.

You tell him how beautiful he is over and over again as you roll your thumb over the head of his cock, spreading precum over his flushed skin.

“Ah, one more time. Say it one more time,” he whines as you suck gently at each of his balls in turn.

It isn’t until you’ve got him biting his lip, a flush spreading up his chest, that he pulls away from you, pushing you onto your back in the middle of the bed.

“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” he whispers as he kneels between your thighs.

You’d better not expect to get any sleep tonight, because the Avatar of Lust wants to make you feel just as beautiful and loved as you make him.

Beelzebub

Beel has a thing for human world cooking competitions, and you brought home a whole collection of them.

Honestly, you’re not sure how much more Chopped you can watch. Food is not at the forefront of your mind when you’ve got Beel in your bed.

When you lean into him and whisper that you aren’t wearing any panties, the focused demon takes a whole thirty seconds to react.

“Wh-what, (Y/N)? I thought you said...” he trails off, turning scarlet.

You look up at him through your lashes, nodding.

Sweet baby stares down at his hands clutched in his lap.

“Can... Would it be okay if I kissed you... there?”

There’s no sidestepping what this boy wants, even if it takes all his courage to ask for it.

Like you’d say no?

Lets you sit on his face while he demonstrates exactly what gluttony means.

Doesn’t stop, even when you nearly pull his hair out as a second orgasm crashes over you. He might be enjoying this just as much as you are.

You grip the headboard with one hand, reaching behind you with the other, wanting to feel his cock, to give him an ounce of the pleasure he’s giving you. You fumble- a lot- but eventually you do manage to get his fly open.

You spit into your hand before pumping it up and down the length of his shaft. He rocks his hips as you move, and even though together the motion is erratic it seems to work just fine for him, because before you know it he’s shuddering under you as he cums all over his chest and your bare ass.

Belphegor

“So?”

Glances over at you with a single raised eyebrow before returning his attention to the movie you’ve been watching.

You know he’s going to make you work for his attention, and you’ve come prepared.

“I just thought I’d let you know,” you say as you recline on your pillows.

He maintains a solid poker face, even as you begin stroking yourself through your shorts.

You catch him sneaking peeks at you out of the corner of his eye.

But you know you have his full attention when you bring lubricant and a vibrator out of your bedside table.

This demon is an absolute slut for toys. Lots of pleasure with very little work? Now you’re speaking his language.

Is happy to sit back and enjoy the show-- until he isn’t.

“That’s enough of that,” he says, snatching the vibrator out of your hand and tossing it out of your reach. “If you’re so desperate to cum, I’ve got something to get you off.”

Now it’s his turn to lay on the pillows as you fuck yourself on his cock.

Waits until you’re mid-orgasm to take over, grabbing handfuls of your ass and bouncing you up and down until you’re seeing stars.

You’ll definitely have bruises tomorrow, but it’s totally worth it.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall we date #om! lucifer #lucifer #om! mammon #mammon #om! levi #levi #om! leviathan #leviathan #om! satan #satan #om! asmo #asmo #om! asmodeus #asmodeus #om! beel #beel #om! beelzebub #beelzebub #om! belphie #belphie #om! belphegor #belphegor #ask #prompt #request #fic #obey me fic

[auburnaudry]

Fractured Family - Matthew Tkachuk

Chapter 1:

A/N: So this is the first time I have ever written literally anything. If you have any suggestions or feedback just let me know! I kinda want to make this a series, so if you are interested or have any suggestion on where to take this story I’m all ears!

Next Chapter —>

Summary: You and Matthew had a long history, dating for two years, until you guys “mutually” decided to split. It was civil and seemed liked the best option at the time. But shortly after splitting, you found out you were pregnant with Reign and everything in your life, including your relationship with Matt, became more complicated. (Flashbacks are in italics.)

Word count: 3293 words

It was really late at night and you just wanted to get your son to sleep. Him being only 3 months old, it was hard to get a consistent sleep schedule going, especially when you were sharing custody with someone who lives a completely different lifestyle than you.

After spending two nights with his father, your sons usual 10 minute bedtime routine turned into a long, drawn out, difficult ordeal, that you would be trying to correct for the next week. And once he was finally adjusted back to your routine, he was off to stay with his father again to continue the never ending cycle.

You rocked Reign in his chair for almost 40 minutes and finally settled him down enough to lay him back in his crib. You reached over to the changing table and turned the sound machine on, hoping that it would put him to sleep for even just a little while. You needed a break from the loud crying.

Walking over to the dresser sitting by the door, you grab the baby monitor and walked out towards the kitchen.

You mindlessly stared at your phone as you made your way down the hall. Distracted by your new notifications, you hadn’t noticed the handsome young man still sitting at your island waiting for you to return.

“Y/n/n”

“Oh my god, Matthew you scared me” you shouted, dropping your phone as your body jumped slightly from the shock of seeing someone unexpected in your apartment.

“I thought you left already, what are you still doing here” you continued as you picked your phone up off the ground, checking to make sure the screen wasn’t cracked.

You were caught off guard and slightly confused because Matt always left right after dropping your son off. You two had an arrangement that worked, minimal interaction that only revolved around your son. So when Matt was still lingering around your apartment almost and hour after dropping your son off, you couldn’t help but let your mind travel to the worst case scenario.

“Did something happen today with Reign?” You asked before he had a chance to respond to your first question.

You and Matt had a long history, dating for two years, until you guys “mutually” decided to split. It was civil-ish and seemed liked the best option at the time. But shortly after splitting, you found out you were pregnant with Reign and everything in your life, including your relationship with Matt, became more complicated.

“You should have been honest with me from the start then” you screamed at your boyfriend. You had been arguing for what felt like forever with no end in sight.

“I didn’t know what I wanted at the time y/n” he calmly responded “Fuck, I still don’t even know what I want, but I know its not fair to you, to keep going the way we are”. You two had been talking about where you see your relationship going in the future and this was the first time Matthew was really opening up to you.

As much as you begged Matt to express his emotions more over the course of your relationship, this time you wished he had kept them to himself.

“Y/n, you want to take the next step in this relationship and I’m not ready. I don’t know why I’m not ready but you are and I can’t hold you back.” Matthew sounded so sincere that you almost believed this was what you wanted too. “You need someone who is gonna take that step with you” key word was almost.

The past couple of weeks you had been hinting that you wanted to move in with Matt. You loved him and were sure you wanted to start the next chapter of your life with him. You never thought in a million years this would be his reaction but maybe you pushed him too much? Or maybe this was inevitable and he wasn’t looking at you as a long term investment. Whatever the reason, you now regretted even bringing it up.

“Okay, so two years down the drain I guess” you said as you rolled your tear filled eyes. His face fell at your words, he truly did love you and just wanted you to be happy. You were looking for forever and he admitted to not being ready for that kind of commitment. Instead of continuing a relationship that seemed to be at a stand still, the only option at this point was to end it. You weren’t going to sit there and beg him, you had too much pride to do that.

“I’ll just pack my shit and go” you walked past him to his bedroom to collect all the things that no longer belonged in his space. You almost expected him to follow after you, to fight for your relationship, but he didn’t, which hurt your heart even more. So you continued to pack up the things that had migrated from your apartment to his over the two years of being together. Your thoughts were now consumed with figuring out how you were going to move on and find someone to spend the rest of your life with, while he continued to live the bachelor lifestyle he was all so famous for.

Even though you rarely voiced it in your two years of being together, you were madly in love with him and broken hearted that he wasn’t willing to put in the effort to make your relationship work. You left his bedroom and made your way down the hallway, past the living room where Matthew was still sat, and out the front door with your bags in tow. You didn’t bother glancing back at him, out of fear you might do or say something you would regret.

2 weeks later…

You woke up and still hadn’t gotten your period. Your period had never been even a day late since you got it back in the 7th grade, so waking up for a 4th day in a row with no period, was worrisome. You didn’t think there was even a chance you were pregnant since you were on birth control, so you made an appointment with your gyno to ensure everything was okay. You were convinced it was just the stress of your recent breakup that was causing this irregularity in your cycle, but you couldn’t be sure without getting checked out first.

...

You pulled up to your doctors office for your appointment feeling extremely anxious. You just wanted to get it over with so you could stop stressing and go back to feeling sorry for yourself for getting broken up with.

You sat in the waiting room for what felt like an eternity. You scrolled through Instagram and somehow found yourself on Matthew’s page. It was definitely an unhealthy habit you had picked up since splitting. You couldn’t help it though, he was following new ig models everyday and in a sick way, you liked to compare yourself to them. It was a reminder that you weren’t what Matt wanted and Matt couldn’t be what you wanted anymore.

“y/n y/l/n” you looked up from your phone as your name was called “We’re ready for you”

You followed the nurse back to a bathroom located right next door to the exam room you usually got checked out in. The nurse handed you a cup to pee in, as you usually did at these types of appointments, and instructed you to change into a gown in exam room #2 once you finished up in the bathroom.

After you changed into the gown, the nurse came back to collect your sample and left you sitting on the exam table as you scrolled on your phone again, waiting for Dr. Cooper to come in.

“Y/n, congratulation you’re pregnant” Dr. Cooper walked in holding your charts. You had been going to Dr. Cooper since you were 16 and you had built a nice relationship through the years, talking about your personal lives and future plans during appointments. He was aware of your long term relationship with Matthew and by his enthusiastic tone and happy energy, it was clear that he was unaware of your recent breakup. You obviously didn’t expect him to know, the breakup was new and you only see him a couple times out of the year.

You couldn’t even process the news or anything else Dr. C had to say after that. Everything went fuzzy and it felt like you were in some crazy nightmare that you couldn’t wake up from. The only thing you did hear him say was that he expected you to be 8 weeks along from the information you told him and the ultrasound he performed.

You were a traditional person and always imagined you would be married or at least in a committed relationship before getting pregnant, so this entire situation had you in shock.

You were so numb from the news that you continued on throughout your day as normal, unsure of what else to do. But as you pulled into the parking lot of your apartment building, you rushed to get inside so you could finally breakdown and feel everything you had pushed aside for the past few hours.

You were silently praying your roommate wasn’t home when you walked through the door of your shared apartment so you didn’t have to face anyone. To your dismay, she was sitting in the living room calling for you when you walked through the door.

You hadn’t told her that you and Matthew broke up because you were so ashamed that the man you thought you’d spend the rest of you life with , didn’t feel the same way for you. The past 3 weeks you had been pretending Matt was away on a road trip or too busy with hockey to hang out whenever she asked about him. At this point you needed to get this off you chest so you walked right into the living room, sat down next to her, and unloaded the entire story before she even had the chance to say hello. As you spoke, her face turned from confusion to concern.

“Kay idk what to do, I don’t even want to tell him because I don’t need his help, but i feel icky when I think about having his baby and keeping it a secret.” You guys were talking through what you were gonna do about the situation.

Kaylee was the perfect person to ask because she also knew Matthew really well! Kaylee was the one who introduced you to Matt in the first place almost 3 years ago. They continually ran into each other while out at bars and talked so often they eventually became good friends. Being Kaylees best friend, you were later introduced to Matthew at a bar and you guys hit it off right away. You became really close friends and later started dating after a typical drunk love confession.

“And you’re definitely sure it’s Matt’s? Like there’s no chance it’s someone else’s right?”

“Yes of course I haven’t talk to anyone since the breakup, let alone slept with anyone!”

“I just want to make sure cause you didn’t even tell me you guys broke up, I wasn’t sure if I was missing any other important parts of the story” she paused for a second giving you a sympathetic look. The father was indisputable since you had only been with one man in the last two years.

“he’s a good guy y/n/n, I think he will be really understanding and a good father, it’s important you tell him, him and his family would want to know” She was right, she always is.

Before your talk with Kaylee, you fully prepared yourself to raise the baby on your own and expected nothing from Matthew. But when you thought about his family, a family that you had become a part of in the two years you were together, you couldn’t help but think of how disappointed they would be if they ever found out that you kept a part of them a secret. You had become extremely close with Brady and Taryn and their parents treated you like one of their own. They loved you and would unconditionally love your child, it wasn’t fair to them and more importantly, it wasn’t fair to your baby to keep them apart.

...

After a week of thoroughly thinking through all your options, you finally took Kaylees advice and reached out to Matt. You almost hoped he wouldn’t see your message or he would see it and just ignore it since you two hadn’t communicated since the breakup.

Y/n:

Hey Matty, it’s y/n, I’m not sure if you have free time in the near future but I kinda need to talk to you!

To your surprised he responded within minutes of your text.

Matty:

I’m happy you reached out, lets meet up! Can you do lunch tomorrow? Our usual lunch spot?

This all seemed too familiar, why was he texting you like you had never broken up and why did he respond at all? He could have easily said he was busy or trying to move on and didn’t want to talk, but he didn’t.

Y/n:

I was actually thinking we could do takeout or something and eat at my apartment?

You figure a private setting would be better for the news you were about to spring on him since you weren’t sure of the reaction you were going to get.

Matty:

Anything works babe

He had practice the next morning and a free afternoon so it was the perfect opportunity to tell him, giving him time to process since he had nothing going on for the rest of the day.

Matthew walked up to your apartment door the next day giving it his signature knock. You slowly walked to the door, opening it to find him standing there, carrying the to-go bags, filled with your favorite meal and wearing his perfect smile that almost made you forget why you called him over in the first place.

As you went to greet him, you caught a slight whiff of the food and the nausea that washed over you was so sudden and instantaneous, you almost didn’t make it to the bathroom.

On your run to the bathroom, you heard Matt’s footsteps following closely behind, but luckily you had enough time to lock the bathroom door before emptying the contents of you stomach in the toilet.

Matthew sat outside the bathroom knocking lightly “y/n are you okay” he waited patiently for your response.

When you felt the wave of nausea had completely passed, you stood up, flushing the toilet and making your way to the sink to rid your mouth of the taste that plagued it.

As you opened the door to the bathroom you were met with Matt’s concern filled face. If throughout your lunch date you wanted to change your mind about telling him, that option was completely off the table now. You had no choice but to explain what was going on and you just wanted to get it over with.

Matthew stood there staring, waiting for a response. “I’m pregnant” was all you could come up with.

He stared at you in complete disbelief but then realization washed over his face. “Who’s the father” was all he could manage, as if you would invite him over to tell him you were pregnant with someone else’s kid.

You wanted to roll your eye but they were so full of tears, you were scared that if you moved them, the tears would start running and you would fall apart in front of him.

“Yours” you whispered with a cold tone trying your best to keep your emotions at bay.

Matthew had alway wanted to be a dad and was great with his teammates kids, so you weren’t entirely surprised when he told you he wanted to be a part of your kids life.

You two spent countless hours and had countless lunch dates over the course of your pregnancy, talking about how you were going to co-parent and make everything work. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t secretly wish that you and Matt would end up back together, raising the family you always dream of having, but it seemed that ship had sailed for Matthew. His only concern was making sure his kid lived a happy and healthy life.

You were now waiting for a response from your ex on why he was still sitting in your kitchen so late at night.

“No no, Reign is fine everything is fine, I just need to talk to you about something” he said, not making eye contact with you. You were even more nervous now because you had no guess as to what he could possibly want to talk about.

“I’m talking to this girl” your entire world stopped spinning and your ears started to ring a little. You still weren’t use to Matthew talking to other women, you probably wouldn’t be for a long time, and now he wanted to talk to you about one of his hoes?

“Ummm okay” you said, unsure how you were even suppose to respond. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Things between us are getting a little more serious” you could literally feel you heart aching in your chest, but you continued to act unfazed by Matt’s admission. “I was just wondering what the appropriate time would be to introduce her to Reign”

You were almost stunned that he was even asking you such a stupid question. If it were up to you, Reign was never going to meet some trashy whore his father would bang every once in a while. Your son was only 3 months old, so to think that introducing him to a random, clout chaser was even an option for Matthew, made you extremely angry. Or maybe you were just jealous he had been seeing someone and it had gotten so serious that he was willing to introduce her to his newborn son.

You can’t even describe the feeling of the love of your life breaking up with you because ‘he wasn’t ready for commitment’, and then not even a year later he is in a serious relationship again but with someone else. You couldn’t help but think everything Matthew had told you was a lie, that he wasn’t afraid of committing, he was just afraid of committing to you.

“Y/n/n, did you hear my question?”

“Obviously” you spat “I just have to think, I wasn’t exactly prepared for this kind of question tonight or honestly at any point in the near future so I need time to think about it” you were bitter but you tried your hardest to not make it seem that way as you spoke.

“Take all the time you need, no rush, we’re obviously new to this whole parenting and co-parenting thing so we don’t have all the answers yet, but I don’t want to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” He finally made eye contact with you for the first time all night. You forgot how pretty his eyes were.

“Thanks for checking in with me, ill let you know when I figure it out” and with that he got up and made his way out of your apartment.

“Goodnight y/n” he said as he opened the front door and pulled his car keys out of his pocket.

“Night” you responded as you close the door behind him. Just as the door closed, Reign’s screams came over the baby monitor, distracting you before you had too much time to think about how alone you actually were.

#Matthew Tkachuk #Matthew Tkachuk x reader #Matthew Tkachuk fic #nhl imagine #nhl x reader #nhl fanfiction #calgary flames

[wonglix]

➺ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

⤷ y/n x jeno (+ best friend!renjun)

⤷ you and jeno have been endlessly flirting with each other for months now, neither of you taking the next step of officially asking the other out - and it’s driving everyone around you insane. imagine renjun’s frustration when he gets stuck in a broken elevator with you two lovebirds for hours on end.

⤷ fluff

⤷ 2.0k words

⤷ warning: cursing

"y/n, you're here to visit me, your best friend, not that little loverboy of yours," renjun groaned after you asked him if jeno was around somewhere as well. a small chuckle blew past your lips, and you lightly smack renjun's arm, the boy looking at you with an unamused expression. "he's not my lover boy, injun." he looks at you with raised brows, "but you wish he were, and that's the point you thirsty little shit." you gasp, both of you bursting out in laughter. renjun wasn't wrong, quite the opposite actually: it's clear to most people at first glance that you and jeno are very much interested in each other. no one knows why you two don't just finally start dating; the constant shy glances and flirty conversations getting on everyone's nerves.

"are you two ever going to get together or am i damned to listen to your stupid flirting for eternity?" renjun mumbles out between bites of watermelon, the teasing smirk on his lips aggravating you only the slightest bit. you let out a hum while thinking about it, the question making you think for a bit. shrugging you look at renjun, "honestly? i don't know. i guess we both enjoy the chase. what if it gets weird between us once we start dating you know?" renjun nods and seems to seriously think about what you said, a small sigh leaving him, "you've known renjun for as long as i have, i'm pretty sure you two would fit together quite well," he chomps down on another piece of melon, giving you some time to think about his words. "also, i'm pretty sure the two of you wouldn't turn down other people if it really was about the chase."

you furrow your brows in confusion and renjun takes it as his cue to elaborate, "there were a few people that asked jeno out, and he turned down all of them. well, and you turned down those two guys from your history class too, didn't you? i'm pretty sure if the two of you only enjoyed a good chase, you wouldn't turn down people to mingle with. you two genuinely like each other, i'm sure of that. and as much as the two of you flirting annoys me, i just want you to be happy," renjun finishes, leaning over to steal a few pieces of melon from you. it's like renjun opened your eyes for you, the realisation that you're genuinely, completely, absolutely infatuated with lee jeno making your ears burn up.

renjun chuckles at the redness of your ears and the look of realisation on your face, "now you only need your loverboy to realise the same thing." you blink at him, and suddenly you feel helpless; it has been so easy to enjoy your back and forth with jeno, the flirty remarks and teasing touches always were easy to reciprocate, but now? now that you were aware of the weight of your feelings for him you felt like you've wasted so much time just idling about, so much time you maybe could've already spent in his arms.

renjun had stolen the rest of your fruits at this point, but you couldn't find it in you to care - your fingers were itching with excitement at the prospect of seeing jeno, the thought of spending any more time apart from him making your head spin. luckily for you, you agreed to a movie night with the rest of the dreamies. while you were on your way to the elevator to head to the dorms, you were trying to come up with a smooth way to open up about your feelings to jeno. renjun was rambling on about something you didn't really pay attention to, thoughts of jeno clouding your mind.

it's like fate decided to play cupid for the day because right there in the elevator was standing jeno, the surprised smile on his face quickly turning into a flirtatious one once he spotted you. "well hello there, precious. going up or down?" renjun let's out a whine, pushing past you to get into the elevator. "listen, i don't care what you two do once we're at the dorms, but please, please spare me until then. i don't think i'll survive that disgusting flirtatious bullshit." jeno snorts at that, throwing his arm around renjun's shoulder while you're getting in the elevator, pressing the button to get all of you to the ground floor.

"would you rather i flirt with you, jun?" jeno's voice was disgustingly sweet, and renjun shoved him away from himself, both you and jeno bursting out in small giggles. renjun grumbles annoyed and presses the button, the doors of the elevator closing smoothly. the elevator barely started moving when it stopped abruptly, the lights flickering above you. the three of you stayed silent for a second; waiting for the elevator to start moving again. it didn't.

"uhm..." jeno started, not really knowing what to say. turning to renjun you let out a shaky breath, "what do we do now?" renjun shrugged before experimentally pressing the emergency button, a loud sound ringing through the small lift. it took a few seconds until a voice spoke up, inquiring about the emergency. "yeah, uhm, we're stuck in the elevator." the lady on the other end hummed, faint typing being heard in the background. "alright, there's good news, and there's bad news. the good news is, don't worry, you're safe. don't panic and just sit it out until emergency services arrive," her voice was calm and comforting, though what she said next did anything but comfort you, "the bad news is that it's probably going to take a few hours until you're going to get out of there." it was silent for a second, jeno suddenly piping up, "a few hours? isn't there a janitor or something that can let us out?" the lady sighed, "no, i'm sorry. it's a bit more complicated than that. there's nothing we can do, so i suggest you get comfortable in the meantime. i'll make sure to contact the company that there are three people stuck in the elevator."

here you were, sitting on the elevator floor next to renjun, jeno sitting across from you. you had been talking about whatever came to mind for the past hour, the three of you slowly running out of topics to discuss. "i can't believe we're stuck," you whined for the approximately sixth time, head buried in your hands. "well, at least i'm here. it'd probably be even better without jun, like some prolonged game of seven minutes in heaven." jeno snorted at his own remark, renjun only grumbling out a small "more like hell."

after endless rounds of rock-paper-scissors and somewhat passionate discussions about whether water is indeed wet or not (which it isn't), the three of you reached a point of silence. it wasn't uncomfortable, but you wouldn't call it comfortable either - you were kind of just sitting there, and you were slowly starting to drift off. your head fell onto renjun's shoulder, renjun shifting a bit to make it a bit more comfortable to you, the boy already had gotten used to it over all this time as your best friend.

judging by the deep frow on jeno's face, he didn't seem to know that things like that were quite common for you and renjun. you were long gone at that point, sleep tugging on your conscience and dragging you into a deep slumber while renjun had to hold back from snickering at jeno's unhappy expression.

jeno was nearly burning holes through renjun at this point, "are you really jealous even though you two aren't even dating?" renjun had a teasing grin etched onto his face, jeno not being able to answer in more than a few stammers for a second. "w-what?" renjun snorted at the reaction, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"cmon, id be dead if looks could kill jeno. it's clear you two like each other so please just get it over with, i can't deal with two lovesick idiots at once." jeno was about to protest renjun's teasing until the words registered in his mind. "wait, two lovesick idiots?"

renjun can't help but let out an annoyed groan, "oh please! you can't tell me you're that dense, the two of you are so in love with each other its actually disgusting," you let out a whine when renjun gestures with his arms wildly, the movement momentarily ripping you out of your slumber.

jeno's silent for a bit, his gaze focused on you and your sleeping face; if there's anyone that should know how you're feeling, it should be renjun, right? jeno gulps, his gaze drifting back to renjun, "and...and how should i go about it? just, i don't know, ask them out or-" "YES!" renjun couldn't take it anymore; no one was leaving this elevator until the two of you finally sorted your feelings for each other out.

you're startled awake by renjun's outburst, tired eyes looking around in confusion. your eyes meet jeno's, and he feels his heartbeat ring in his ears, cheeks heating up and without much thought, without any plan on how exactly to go about it, jeno suddenly blurts out: "i like you, y/n."

confusion and sleep were still clouding your mind, so your first reaction was to stutter a bit, a frown on your face. "y-you- you what?" renjun sat next to you awkwardly, his eyes drifting back and forth between you and his friend. jeno cleared his throat, his nerves making his throat dry up, "i-i like you, and-...uhm, and i'm pretty sure you like me too."

you blink at him, a soft blush spreading on your cheeks; the sudden confession catching you off guard. you're stunned into silence, your brain still not working on its full capacity. "come on, answer him. don't make him wait, that's just cruel," renjun chimes suddenly in like some sort of referee, making you blush even more.

"uhm, y-yeah. i do, i like you too, jeno." you spluttered out, renjun mumbling a small "finally" you decided to ignore. jeno suddenly breaks out in the brightest smile you've ever seen and leans forward, his arms wrapping around you as he pulls you over to his side. "now you can sleep on me, where you belong."

"guys please, i got you together so please stop with the disgusting flirt talk or whatever this is supposed to be. please, until we're out of here, i beg you," renjun whined at the two of you, jeno grinning triumphantly as he wraps his arm around your shoulder and pulls you closer.

"jun, come on. did you expect us to stop once we're dating?" "we're dating?" your teasing made the cocky look on jeno's face drop, big eyes looking back at you in confusion. "uhm, yeah? i thought you know since we both-"

jeno was just too cute for his own good at that moment, so you lean forward and interrupt his defensive rambling with a soft kiss to his lips. it shuts him up and makes renjun let out a disgusted groan, small giggles escaping you. "i was joking, jeno."

the boy lets out a sigh of relief at that, elbowing you lightly, "don't play with my feelings like that!" giggling you nuzzle further into his side, "never, jeno."

it took another two hours until you were finally rescued, renjun letting out a giant sigh of relief after finally being able to leave the two of you alone. it's understandable; the poor boy had to listen to you and jeno's new-couple-talk for the last hours, the sweet compliments and cute giggles making him want to throw up. instead of joining the others for the planned movie night, you and jeno decided - to renjun's delight - to retreat into his room to spend some time together and finally take each other up on the flirtatious comments you've thrown at each other for the past months.

#nct #nct dream #jeno #nct imagines #nct dream imagines #jeno imagines #nct oneshot #nct fluff #nct dream fluff #jeno fluff #nct dream oneshot #jeno oneshot #nct scenarios #nct dream scenarios #jeno scenarios #nct reactions #nct dream reactions #nct x reader #nct dream x reader #jeno x reader

[cardest]

London playlist

London - since 43 AD it has to be one of the more fascinating cities on Earth. Such a rich history. From Shakespeare Theatre to the music from there today. I just had to put a London playlist together. From Soho to Brixton, from Highgate to Clapham  what a collection of songs! It’s over 350 songs and it could easily expand to 400. **I have a separate England & Wales playlist coming, so, stay tuned for that**.

To play the songs, hit the link right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-iHPcxymC1_ntP663JhZl-hvn9EwFp9L

ENGLAND & WALES playlist is coming soon! What songs have I left out? Let me know! Add your own songs! Cheers. Pip pip, tally ho!

LONDON 001 Generation X -  Day By Day 002 The Clash - London Calling 003 Austin Powers  - theme song (Soul Bossa? Nova ) 004 The Kinks - Dedicated Follower Of Fashion 005 Killing Joke - Empire Song 006 Black Sabbath - Wicked World 007 The Who - Welcome 008 The Damned - Neat, neat, neat 009 GIRLSCHOOL - LONDON 010 007 theme song 011 Motorhead - Motorhead 012 Wire - Ex Lion Tamer 013 David Bowie - Maid of Bond Street 014 The Misfits - London Dungeon 015 Rolling Stones - 016 The Adverts - Bored Teenagers 017 Siouxsie & The Banshees -  Spellbound 018 Penny Dreadful - Soundtrack - Main Theme 019 Eurythmics - Love Is A Stranger 020 The Cure - Subway Song 021 Adam And The Ants -  Puss 'n' Boots 022 Iron Maiden - 22 Acacia Avenue 023 COIL - Fire of the mind 024 Public Image Ltd - One Drop. 025 LUSH - Breeze 026 Bliss Signal - Surge 027 The Pogues - Misty Morning, Albert Bridge 028 PhD - Won't Let You Down 029 Birthday Party - Hats On Wrong 030 Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue 031 Help Yourself - Reaffirmation 032 Grave Miasma - Gnosis of the summon 033 Roy Ayers - We Live In London Baby 034 Led Zeppelin - The Rover 035 Gang of Four - What we all want 036 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girl                 037 Sleaford Mods - 6 Horsemen (The Brixtons) 038 Paul Young - Love of the Common People 039 The Saint (original) - Theme 040 The Human League - Dont You Want Me 041 Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen 042 The Beatles - A Day In The Life 043 Def Leppard -  Love bites 044 The Stranglers - Another Camden Afternoon 045 The Kinks  - See My Friends 046 Elton John - Bennie and the Jets 047 Suede - Moving 048 Queen - Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy 049 Cliff Richard & the Shadows - She's Gone 050 The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up 051 Loop - Fade Out 052 Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart - A13 053 The Magnetic Fields - All the Umbrellas in London 054 Wendy Carlos - Title Music From A Clockwork Orange (From Purcell's Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary) 055 The Police - Every Little Thing she does it Magic 056 Cockney Rejects - The Greatest Cockney Rip Off 057 Spandau Ballet - Spandau Ballet Chant No.1 058 The Pretenders - Middle of the Road 059 The Who - Dogs 060 The Jam - London Girl 061 Cradle of Filth - Hurt and Virtue 062 Joy Division - Isolation 063 Nick Drake - At the Chime of a City Clock 064 Sham 69 - Cockney Kids Are Innocent 065 Deep Purple - Mandrake Root 066 Throbbing Gristle - Hit by a rock 067 David Bowie - Rubber Band 068 Roxy Music  - Do The Strand 069 Slaves - Cheer Up London 070 T. Rex - London Boys 071 Kirsty MacColl - Autumngirlsoup 072 New Model Army - Archway Towers 073 Scorpions - Lovedrive 074 Isaac Hayes - Doesnt Rain In London 075 Peter Tosh - Buk-In-Hamm Palace 076 The Slits - Typical Girls 077 Pharaoh Sanders - Midnight In Berkeley Square (Instrumental) 078 Blue Cheer - Girl From London 079 Sex Pistols - Satellite 080 Judas Priest - (The Hellion ) Electric Eye 081 UFO -  Lights Out 082 Joy Division - Digital 083 Muse - Uprising 084 George Harrison - All Things Must Pass 085 Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love 086 Fine Young Cannibals - Blue 087 New Order - Blue Monday 088 Würzel - Midnight In London 089 Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley 090 The Wildhearts - Down On London 091 Supertramp - Nothing To Show 092 Motörhead - Metropolis 093 Current 93 - Lucifer Over London 094 The Pogues - Dark Streets of London 095 The Cult - All Souls Avenue 096 The Jam - In The City 097 The Undertones - Teenage Kicks 098 Iggy Pop -  Play It Safe 099 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jack the Ripper 100 The Cure  - Lets Go To Bed 101 Suede - Animal Nitrate 102 Wire - field day for the sundays 103 Black Books  TV Show - Opening Theme 104 Paul McCartney & Wings - London Town 105 Madness - Primrose Hill 106 The Troggs  - No. 10 Downing Street 107 Iron Maiden -  Gangland 108 PJ Harvey - The Last Living Rose 109 The Rollers - Soho 110 Electric Wizard - Lucifer's Slaves 111 The Buzzcocks -  Just Lust 112 Doctor Who Theme Tune 1980 113 Cathedral - Fountain Of Innocence 114 Pretenders - Swinging London 115 Hanoi Rocks - Tooting Bec Wreck 116 Es - 'Chemical 117 Bee Gees  - Trafalgar 118 The Peddlers    - Under London Lights 119 Cliff Richard - The Young Ones 120 Big Audio Dynamite - Sightsee M.C   121 ABC - Tower of London 122 Accept - London Leatherboys 123 Pitchshifter - Please Sir 124 Portishead -  We Carry On 125 John Lennon - Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 126 The Lurkers - Ain't Got a Clue 127 Iron Maiden - Die with your boots on 128 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Kiss Them For Me 129 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity 130 The Jam - London Traffic 131 The Cranberries - Waiting In Walthamstow 132 The Kinks - Victoria 133 Heads Hands & Feet - Pete Might Spook The Horses 134 Whitesnake -  Long Way From Home 135 Queensryche - London 136 Concrete Blonde - Walking in London 137 Deep Purple - Fireball 138 The Ruts - dope for guns 139 Wham! - Bad Boys 140 Generation X - One Hundred Punks 141 Joe Jackson - Down To London 142 Anti-Nowhere League - Streets of London 143 The Wildhearts - Shandy Bang 144 David Bowie - The London Boys 145 The Human League - Human 146 Cockney Rejects - East end 147 Dire Straits - Eastbound Train 148 Ian Drury - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick 149 Sepultura -  Filthy rot 150 The Jam - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight 151 Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy 152 Purson -  Electric Landlady 153 Black Sabbath -  Tomorrow's Dream 154 The Clash - Guns of Brixton 155 Blood Ceremony - Lord Of Misrule 156 Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life - Penis Song 157 Gentlemans Pistols -  Hustler's Row 158 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax 159 Jethro Tull - Cross Eyed Mary 160 The Yobs - The Ballad of the Warrington 161 Cradle of Filth - Principle Of Evil Made Flesh 162 Bruce Hornsby - The Black Rats Of London 163 Inspiral Carpets - How It Should Be 164 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxy Lady 165 PETULA CLARK - WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL 166 Lush - Olympia 167 Hunters & Collectors - Blind Eye 168 Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now 169 David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World 170 UK Subs - C.I.D. 171 Queen - Dont Stop Me Now 172 Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth 173 the clash - capital radio one 174 UB40 - Here I Am (Come And Take Me) 175 The Meads Of Asphodel - Guts For Sale 176 Horrible Histories: Savage Songs - Boudicca 177 Swallow the Sun - Labyrinth Of London (Horror Pt. IV) 178 Mad Professor  - Ben Gone Wrong 179 Howard Jones - Things Can Only Get Better 180 Genesis - The Battle Of Epping Forest 181 The Damned -  problem child 182 Squeeze  - Cool For Cats 183 Manfred Mann - Belgravia 184 The Bee Gees - Walking Back to Waterloo 185 Pink Floyd - Waiting For The Worms 186 Madness - Victoria Gardens 187 Paradise Lost - Soul Courageons 188 YES  - Roundabout 189 PJ Harvey - This Is Love 190 The Horrors - Jack The Ripper 191 King Crimson - Red 192 The Smiths - How Soon Is Now 193 Level 42 - Heathrow 194 Intaferon - Get Out Of London 195 Burt Bacharach - Bond street 196 David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust 197 The Clash - Londons Burning 198 Killing Joke - Follow The Leaders 199 Saxon - The Court of the Crimson King 200 Buzzcocks - Harmony in My Head 201 Fairport Convention - Fiddlesticks (Peel Session) 202 Napalm Death - Errors In The Signals 203 Empire  - Hot Seat 204 Anathema - Shroud of Frost 205 Pitchshifter - Condescension 206 The Beatles - Hey Jude 207 Affinity - Highgate 208 KLF - 3 A.M. Eternal (Pure Trance) 209 Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London 210 David Axelrod - London 211 The Wombles - Wellington Goes To Waterloo 212 EastEnders Theme 213 Cathedral - Hypnos 164 214 Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual 215 Alan Moore with Tim Perkins - The Highbury Working A Beat Seance 216 Transvision Vamp - Sex Kick 217 Elton John - Tell Me When The Whistle Blows 218 Firebird - Bow bells 219 The Jam - A' Bomb In Wardour Street 220 Caravan  - Waterloo Lily 221 Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends - Flashing Lights 222 David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things 223 Hot Chocolate - West End of Park Lane 224 Thames television ident 1984 225 Newtown Neurotics - Living With Unemployment 226 Peter Murphy - Cuts You Up 227 Suede - Metal Mickey 228 Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer 229 Killing Joke - The Gathering 230 Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want 231 Kate Bush - Babooshka 232 Iron Maiden - The Prophecy 233 The Cure - Disintegration 234 The Damned - I Just Can't Be Happy Today 235 WIRE - Silk Skin Paws 236 Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets 237 Souixee & the Banshees - Cascade 238 Jethro Tull - Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square 239 AC/DC -  Rising Power 240 Alternative TV - Life After Life 241 Napalm Death - Deceiver (Peel Sessions) 242 Electric Light Orchestra - Last Train To London 243 Bucks Fizz - London Town 244 The Sweet - Blockbuster! 245 999 - Bent Cross 246 The Groundhogs - Split, Pt. 1 247 Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild in the Country 248 Blood Ceremony -  Half Moon Street 249 Ming Tea feat. Austin Powers - BBC One 250 Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song 251 Big Audio Dynamite - EMC2 252 Crass - Banned from the Roxy 253 Sleaford Mods - Chaos Down In SoHo 254 Big Ben Chimes of Westminster, London 255 PJ Harvey - A Place Called Home 256 The Ruts - Staring at the rude boys 257 The Times - Whatever Happened To Thames Beat 258 Quincy Jones - London Derriere 259 Lush - Hypocrite 260 PIL - Reggie Song 261 The Style Council - You're The Best Thing 262 UK Subs - Dirty Girls 263 COIL - Slur 264 Frank Zappa - Dead girls of London 265 Iron Maiden - Prowler 266 The Slits - Difficult Fun 267 Killing Joke -  Kings and Queens 268 Simple Minds - Chelsea Girl 269 Motorhead - Bomber 270 XTC - Towers Of London 271 Blitzkrieg  - Hell to pay 272 Gryphon - Opening Move 273 The Challengers - The Streets of London 274 Peggy March - In Der Carnaby Street 275 The Damned - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 276 The Pogues - London You're a Lady 277 The Lords Of The New Church - Portobello 278 Rolling Stones - Hot Stuff 279 Joe Jackson - The Evil Eye 280 The Deviants - Garbage 281 Benny Hill Show  - Wild Women 282 Suzi Quatro - Crash 283 Madness - day on the town 284 SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER -  I Don't Care 285 Whitesnake - Wine Women An Song 286 Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine 287 Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody 288 Bauhaus - In the flat field 289 Dead Can Dance - In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated 290 Paul McCartney -  Old Siam, Sir 291 Lush - De-Luxe 292 AC/DC - let's get it up 293 Sophia Loren & Peter Sellers - Bangers and mash 294 Black Sabbath - Childfren of the grave 295 Psychic TV - The orchids 296 Miracle - The Strife Of Love In A Dream 297 Carter USM - Lean On Me I Won't Fall Over 298 Screaming Lord Sutch - Jack the Ripper 299 WIRE - the 15th 300 Mott the Hoople - Honaloochie Boogie 301 Soft Machine - The Camden Tandem 302 Are You Being Served Theme 303 CATHEDRAL - Serpent Eve 304 Booker T. & The MG's - Carnaby Street 305 Culture Club - It's A Miracle 306 Motorhead - Nothing Up My Sleeve 307 Killing Joke - Money is not our God 308 Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy 309 WIRE - Please take 310 Bananarama - Hey young London 311 The Jam - Carnaby Street 312 Catapilla - Charing Cross   313 The Shadows - Chelsea Boot 314 Ride - Chelsea Girl 315 The Damned  - Grimly Fiendish 316 Marillion - Chelsea Monday 317 Slowdive - Celia's Dream 318 The Clash - Gates of the west 319 Thin Lizzy - Half Caste 320 David Bowie -  I dig everything 321  VUUR - Days Go By - London 322 Elvis Costello - [I Don't Want To Go To] Chelsea 323 Uriah Heep - Walking in your shadow 324 Genesis - Invisible Touch 325 Amy Winehouse - Me & Mr Jones 326 Curve - Fait Accompli   327 Silverfish ‎- Crazy 328 Iron Maiden - Killers 329 Killing Joke -  Ghost Of Ladbroke Grove 330 Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK 331 Paradise lost - remembrance 332 The Fall - Leave the Capitol 333 The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset 334 WIRE - Keep exhaling 335 The Peddlers - raining in London 336 Motorhead - damage case 337 10cc - Shock On The Tube (Don't Want Love) 338 Swervedriver - Rave Down 339 Spike Milligan - Tower Bridge 340 Phil Lynott - Solo In Soho 341 Adam and the Ants - Plastic Surgery 342 The Who - Pinball wizard 343 Pulp - Mile end 344 Generation X - Running with the Boss Sound 345 OMD - If You Leave 346 PiL - Public Image 347 Monty Python's Flying Circus TV show - theme song 348 Hall & Oates - London, Luck & Love 349 The Horrors - Three decades 350 Cathedral - Midnight Mountain 351 Killing Joke - glitch 352 Judas Priest - The Ripper 353 Air Raid Siren London Blitz 354 Dragonforce - Fury and the storm 355 Elastica - Connection 356 the Psychedelic Furs - Dumb waiters 357 Samantha Fox - Touch me 358 Wang Chung - Dance hall days 359 Kim Wilde - Water on glass 360 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Overground 361 Atomic Rooster - Tomorrow night 362 Fleetwood Mac - My Heart Beat Like a Hammer 363 Rainbow - Self Portrait 364 Billy Ocean - Love really hurts without you 365 Art of Noise - Beat box (division one) 366 Eurythmics - Never Gonna Cry Again 367 Samson - Grime Crime 368 Go West - we close our eyes 369 Ultravox - Saturday Night In The City Of The Dead 370 King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man 371 Visage - Visage 372 Sandy Denny - Let's Jump The Broomstick 373 Brian Eno - Burning Airlines Give You So Much More 374 Fields Of The Nephilim - Blue water 375 Leftfield - Open Up 376 Blancmange - I've Seen The Word 377 Thomas Dolby - Flying north 378 Sisters of Mercy - Temple of love 379 Royal Orchestra - Royal Entrance Queen Elizabeth II 380 Pink Floyd - Goodbye blue sky 666 David Bowie -  London Bye Ta - Ta 

Play the songs here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-iHPcxymC1_ntP663JhZl-hvn9EwFp9L

#London playlist #london music #London #highhgate #david bowie #Judas Priest #lee dorrian #PIL #wire #killing joke #Throbbing Gristle #current 93 #music from london #black books #the horrors #pj harvey #motorhead #lush

[irons-enough]

Into the Edelwood: A Red Dead Redemption / Over the Garden Wall Crossover

WC: 5,519 Rating: G Tags: Crossover, fantasy, mild swearing, minor injuries, children in peril

A/N: Just in time for spooky season! This was written for the Red Dead Redemption Reverse Bang event at @rdrbigbang​. I was incredibly lucky to be paired with @melmolly whose gorgeous painting inspired this work. We were both so excited for the possibility of collaborating on a crossover work. She was so patient in giving me time to write this and I am eternally grateful! Note that for this story, Arthur and John's canon ages were changed to more closely reflect the relationship of the brothers in OtGW. The story also includes dialogue/quotes pulled directly from both Over the Garden Wall and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Link to Art Post

Summary: Young Arthur Morgan is resentful of having to look after eight-year-old John, especially when John gets himself lost in a strange and mysterious forest. A kindly stranger offers them their only hope to survive the night: a lantern fueled by oil from the Edelwood trees. But the woods are dark and vast, and there are rumors of a monster, a beast that stalks the forest and preys on lost souls, as Arthur grapples with the responsibility he never wanted...and a threat he never could have imagined.

Read on AO3

___________________________

“Somewhere lost in the clouded annals of history lies a place that few have seen--a mysterious place called the Unknown, where long-forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel the wood…”

Arthur kicked up dirt as he walked, muttering every swear word he knew under his breath in an attempt to make himself feel better. Hours, he’d been out here, wandering around, yelling himself hoarse, checking behind every stupid rock and tree and fallen log to see if that little idiot John Marston had gotten himself lost there. “You were supposed to be mindin’ him,” they told Arthur. Why? Nobody’d been around minding Arthur when he was that little. At thirteen, Arthur felt nearly grown, and resented being lumped in with John, who couldn’t have been more than eight or nine years old.

Arthur had his orders, though: “Don’t come back ‘til you find him.” Get himself lost, too, that’s what he’d do, he thought bitterly. Then they’d be sorry. Maybe they’d think twice about making Arthur a childminder and actually give him something real to do. Maybe even let him have a gun…

His mind wandered, and he forgot to pay attention to where he was going. The next time he looked up, he was in an unfamiliar forest where the trees grew close to the faded dirt trail. The trees were denser here, and Arthur blinked and looked behind him to see more of the same. It was like the woods had closed in and slammed shut around him, and he’d hardly noticed.

Impatient and irritated, he rolled his eyes and yelled out: “John! John Marston!” The words bounced back at him against the trees. “Stupid little bastard,” he muttered. He continued along the trail, calling out in intervals. He was hungry and tired and sick to death of having to worry about saving someone else’s skin...

“Arthur?”

Arthur spun around toward the little voice within the brambles. It was coming from a dense patch of brush and bushes off the side of the trail. He came up beside it and knelt down. “What the hell…” he muttered, peering through the sticks.

John had squeezed himself into a gap in the thorny vines, knees drawn up to his chest. His face was scratched and his clothes, already ragged, had been shredded in places by the thorns. He looked at Arthur with worried, wounded eyes.

“Dammit, John,” Arthur swore. “You know how long I been lookin’ for you?” He glanced down, and added in a kind of awed disbelief, “Where’s your shoes?”

“Got took,” came the quiet answer.

“Who by?”

John shook his head, hiding his face behind his knees. Arthur sighed and held out his hand. “C’mon,” he said urgently. “We gotta get back.”

He helped maneuver John from the brambles and get him to stand. John clung to Arthur’s hand with his dirty, bloodied fingers. Arthur shook him off. “Hell of a lot of trouble you caused,” Arthur muttered, “runnin’ off. Everybody knowed you’d end up lost.”

“I didn’t mean to,” John insisted. “I didn’t get lost. I knew where I was, and then...I didn’t.”

“That’s called gettin’ lost.” Arthur took a step in the direction he had come, then stopped. Nothing this way looked familiar. He turned around in a slow arc, but it was like the landscape had shifted while they weren’t looking. A fine mist was beginning to settle in as the light turned golden with sundown. “Let’s get outta here,” he mumbled, picking a direction that felt promising.

John stumbled along a few feet behind him. “My feet hurt.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what you get, lettin’ your shoes get stolen.”

“Weren’t my fault,” John insisted. “The fella hit me over the head.”

“He done what?” Arthur turned, frowning, and reached out to place one hand on top of John’s tousled hair, tilted his head this way and that, looking for a bump or wound. Finding none, he scoffed and pushed John away. “Ahh, you’re all right. Now let’s get a move on. I hate this place.”

___________________________

The day wore on. Arthur and John walked.

“Arthur?”

“Yeah, what?”

“You think they got supper at camp?”

“Sure, they got supper. Don’t they always?”

“We gonna be there soon? I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Arthur mumbled. He slowed his pace a little, trying to find the trail again. It had faded a while back and… Well, he had thought it was a trail…

“What do we do after dark, Arthur?”

“Hush,” Arthur mumbled. Maybe up ahead where the trees thinned a little was a good chance…

“Are we lost?”

“I said shut it, John Marston,” Arthur snapped. He knew how to navigate a forest, he did, but these woods were different: at some point all the trees started to look the same, and the underbrush grew thicker than it should have. Now he was unsure that he had ever seen a trail here at all. He didn’t want to think about being lost, though, not yet. The woods had to end somewhere.. But the sun was getting low now, and light was beginning to fade. The slivers of sky Arthur could see through the dense tree canopy was turning purple like a bruise. “You… You stay right here.” He pushed John by the shoulders to a fallen log. John dutifully hoisted himself up to sit on it. “I’m gonna go see what’s in all directions. I’ll be right back. Don’t,” he jabbed a finger at John’s nose, “even think about movin’. If you need me, whistle.”

“So we are lost, then.” John crossed his arms.

“Shut up. Stay put.” Arthur started walking, careful as he went to look over his shoulder and keep John always within his sight.

There was something about these woods that made Arthur nervous. Maybe it was the way the tree branches seemed to reach toward the ground instead of up toward the sky. Maybe it was how the shadows didn’t fall quite right across the forest floor.

“You’re far from the road, son. You lost?”

Arthur whirled around. He was startled to see a man standing among the trees as though he, too, had grown there in that spot for his entire life. He had a pale, chiseled face and dark eyes that flashed with mirth, and a smile that was too sincere to be menacing and too wide to be comforting.

Arthur drew back, crossing his arms defensively. “We’re fine,” he asserted.

“Oh, my boy, I’ve heard that one before. Tell me, son: How long do you plan on dragging your brother aimlessly through these woods?”

“He ain’t my brother.” Arthur kicked at the dirt. “Woods gotta end someplace. We’ll find our way home eventually.”

“Not these woods,” said the stranger. “You never been in woods like these before, son. Especially not after nightfall.” The stranger turned his dark eyes toward the setting sun. “Won’t be long now til it’s too dark to see. What will you do then?”

Arthur didn’t know. He was torn between backing instinctively away from the stranger and staying rooted to the spot, comforted by the presence of an adult, another person, someone who knew more than he did…

“Think I can help you, son.” The stranger nodded slowly, as if in consideration. “Can’t get you out of these woods. Only you can do that. But to survive the night? Keep yourself from getting even more lost? That, I can help with.”

The stranger reached inside his long coat and produced a lantern which glowed with a bright white light. Arthur squinted his eyes shut as the stranger held it out to him. “My lantern’s good enough to cut through any dark. Might be just what you boys need to get home before dawn. Just need to keep the lantern fueled.”

“What am I supposed to fuel it with? I don’t got anything,” Arthur argued.

“Oh, that’s no trouble, son. Didn’t I tell you these woods ain’t like any other woods you seen before? You’ll find some unique trees here, special trees. They’re called Edelwood trees, and they’re full of oil.”

Arthur sneered, his eyes narrowing. “That don’t make no sense.”

“It doesn’t have to make sense, son. It’s what’s true.” From his belt, the stranger took a hatchet with a tarnished head, stained ink-dark at the edge of the blade, and held it out to Arthur. “Use this to cut through the branches and get to the oil inside, and pour it into the lantern. And take care. Once it goes dark, it cannot be lit again.”

“That ain’t how lanterns work.”

The stranger’s odd smile vanished, and his eyes grew cold. “You got a lot to learn about the world, my boy,” said the stranger, his voice going stony and grim. “It’s what you think you know that’s gonna get you into a lot of trouble one day. You best get used to not thinkin’ much of anything, and start listening to the folks who know for sure.”

Arthur didn’t like that; he never was very good at listening and hated being told what to do. But the light from the lantern glowed even brighter now in the darkening forest, and he knew that there wasn’t much choice for him. He took the lantern in one hand and the hatchet in the other.

The stranger smiled again. “Helpin’ a poor lost soul like you,” he said, “always does my heart good. Now get yourself home, son. And be careful.”

“Careful?” Arthur’s grip tightened on the lantern. “Careful of what?”

But the stranger was already gone, disappearing in the twilight and the mist. Arthur stared after him for a moment, wondering if he should follow, before turning and running back to John.

John kicked his legs against the log, watching pillbugs and centipedes skitter out from between the cracks in the old wood. He jumped down when Arthur approached. “Did you find a way home?” he asked; then, noticing the lantern and hatchet: “What’s those for?”

“Found a light,” Arthur said shortly, “so’s we’re not lost in the dark.”

“Good thinkin’ Arthur,” John said with an almost sage nod of approval.

Arthur scoffed, but perhaps he felt like laughing a little. “Ready to move?”

“I’m the one been waitin’ on you!” John grinned and led the way back up the trail, which seemed more pronounced now in the bright light of the lantern that Arthur held aloft.

___________________________

Night fell, and they walked on. John made a game of trying to stand at the very edge of the circle of light as Arthur walked ahead of him, darting forward each second and dodging the shadows as he half-chanted, half-hummed a tune.

“...like a pussy-cat, hole in the middle, and split in two…”

“Don’t say that,” Arthur said quickly.

“What?”

“Any of that.”

“Why not? Ain’t no cuss words.” John spun at the edge of the circle of light.

Damn Uncle right to hell, Arthur thought wearily. “Just don’t.”

“But wh--”

“Shh!” Arthur snapped suddenly. He held the lantern aloft and narrowed his eyes as he peered into the distance. The solid wall of darkness and shadows ahead of them was broken by a warm yellow light. As they continued down the path, the trees thinned and then opened up into a clearing where stood a boxy building of old gray wood. There were lights in all the windows, upstairs and down, and lamps on hooks lighting the exterior.

It looked wrong, a building out here in the middle of all this, but the woods themselves had looked wrong to Arthur from the beginning. “Let’s go,” he said. “Maybe someone in there will know where we are.”

“Of course they’ll know where we are,” John said. “Cause they know where they are, don’t they?”

“Shut up,” said Arthur, even as he realized the kid was right. He was exhausted and hungry and still irritated, and eager to get back to camp so he could hand John back over to somebody else and get on with his life. He hadn’t realized his steps had sped up to a near run heading toward the building until he heard John hurrying behind him: “Hey, wait up!”

Music was coming from inside the building. Above the heavy door was a sign that read simply TAVERN. Arthur wondered for only a moment what kind of tavern was only called “Tavern” but considering it was apparently the only building for miles, maybe it didn’t need any other name. He pushed open the door and held it open for John, who scurried into the warmth and light beyond.

The place was busy: patrons huddled together in small clutches around tables, heads bent together. A dark-haired woman in the corner played the piano, the tinny notes pleasant and bright over the low hum of conversation. Arthur couldn’t see the face of any man or woman there, save for two: an old man hunched over the bar, and the woman behind it who polished a glass.

The woman’s sharp eyes darted to them when the door opened. “Now how did you boys end up all the way out here?” she asked. Her voice was brassy and loud, her tone lightly scolding. She was almost a caricature of maternity: hands on her hips, pursed lips, an iron-gray streak through her brown hair.

“We’re lost,” Arthur said brusquely. “Can someone tell us which way out of the forest?”

“Shouldn’t be out in the forest at night,” said the woman. “Not anyone, but especially not children.”

“I ain’t a child,” said Arthur sharply.

“Well, is that so? What are you then?” She leaned one hand on the bar and squinted one eye nearly closed, appraising Arthur like a nickel she thought was wooden.

“I’m John.” From beside Arthur, John was edging toward the end of the bar where a platter of bread and smoked meats was placed.

“No, no. What are you? I’m the tavern keeper.” The woman pointed to the old man sitting at the bar, who raised his glass in greeting. “That’s the woodsman. Now what are you?”

“Fed up with this,” mumbled Arthur. He turned away and grabbed John by the scruff of the neck and pulled him toward the door. “Let’s go, John. We’ll find our own damn way.”

“Ain’t gonna get far,” called the tavern keeper behind them, “not with the Beast out huntin’ tonight.”

The low, bubbling murmur of the tavern died away into silence. The piano player stilled, fingers still poised over the keys, like a wind-up doll that had run out. It was this, rather than the tavern keeper’s warning, that made Arthur stop and turn back to face the room. “The what?”

“Everyone knows the Beast, child,” said the tavern keeper as she stepped out from behind the bar. Her words took on the tone of a chant: “He lurks out there in the Unknown…”

The woodsman joined in, nodding along to the well-worn rhyme: “Seekin’ those who are far from home, hoping never to let you return…”

Every other soul in the tavern joined in as one voice, startling Arthur and making him tighten his grip on John until the boy flinched.

“Better be wise, and don’t believe his lies.

For once your will begins to spoil…”

Arthur fought against the unease clawing at his heart and pulled John through the tavern door and back out into the darkness. The last lines of the chant echoed faintly behind them…

“He’ll turn you to a tree of oil

And use you in his lantern for to burn…”

Arthur picked up the hatchet and lantern from beside the lamppost where he had left them. “C’mon,” he muttered, his breathing ragged.

“Arthur, we didn’t get directions to home!”

“We don’t need ‘em.” Arthur released his grip on John when they came back to the road and stood once again in the circle of lantern light. “We can do it ourselves. Don’t need anybody’s help. Come on now.”

___________________________

They walked on.

“How big you think the woods are, Arthur?”

“Dunno. Miles, at this rate.”

“You sure we’re goin’ toward home? What if we’re going further away?”

The question made Arthur feel a little ill; it was something that he had thought of himself in the time since they had left the tavern. For the life of him, he couldn’t tell if it had been one hour or three, or maybe half an hour. Ever since the sun had gone down there was nothing but the endless trees in the pitch-black night. He couldn’t even see stars.

“Arthur?” John tugged on Arthur’s sleeve.

“Quit it,” said Arthur, wrenching his arm away.

“Arthur, listen.”

“What do you want?”

“No! Listen!”

He stilled. For a moment there was nothing but silence and the sound of John’s anxious breathing. Then, distantly, the creak and snap of branches, as though something huge moved among them. A low sound, halfway between a sigh and a snarl.

“You hear it?” John whispered.

Arthur gave a terse nod and gestured at John to stay quiet. He paled when he realized that the sound was getting louder. Closer. For three heartbeats, Arthur and John simply stood and listened, looking at one another: John with a question, Arthur with no good answer. Then…

A sound like the world ripping itself apart. A roar. A sound unlike anything Arthur had ever heard before but one that unmistakably meant death and pain and teeth. Fear, pure and cold, gripped him like a vice. Then he snatched up John’s hand in his.

“Run!” Arthur bolted down the path, continuing on the way forward as fast as he could go. He felt John’s hand starting to slip from his, and tightened his grip. “Dammit, John, faster!” he yelled. Another roar echoed around them, making the very air around them vibrate with the intensity of the sound.

“Arthur, I can’t!” John cried.

“Come on!” Arthur insisted. They could not slow down; whatever the thing was it was practically on top of them; Arthur thought he could feel the enormity of the monster looming over them, a predator ready to strike…

He felt the yank of a dead weight on the end of his arm as John stumbled and fell. He staggered back and bent down, hauling John up by the armpits just as John began to cry. “Move, move!” He half-pushed, half-carried John forward as fast as they could go, the lantern swinging wildly in his grasp. In the flashes of light as it swayed Arthur thought he could see the flash of white teeth, the shine of dark eyes, a monster feral with hunger…

Silence.

It hit them like something physical, like someone had thrown a switch and made them both deaf. It startled them as much as any noise could have, and Arthur stopped, gasping for breath. John still clung to him, wailing. After a few seconds, Arthur’s grip on John relaxed. “It’s gone,” he said. “John? Hush now. John!” He pried John’s hands from his arms. “Quiet now. It’s gone.” Arthur did not have it in him to be annoyed, not when his blood still pounded in his ears and his hands still shook with adrenaline and fear.

There was a smear of blood on his shirt; Arthur swiped at the stain before realizing it was not his. “Lemme see your hands,” he muttered.

John obeyed, hiccuping, his eyes still rimmed with tears. His palms were badly scraped, two dozen beads of blood pinpointing the raw, dirty skin. Arthur frowned as he noticed three scratches at the base of John’s fingers; his heart sank when he realized what they were: marks from Arthur’s fingernails as he gripped desperately to John’s hand, pulling the kid along faster than he could go.

He felt nearly sick with shame. “I’m sorry, John,” he said. “You okay?”

“I wanna go home.”

“We’ll get there. Just gotta keep going. Let’s go.”

John nodded, and then his eyes darted to one side. “Arthur, the light!”

The flame behind the lantern glass was fading. Arthur cursed. “Stay close.” He snatched the hatchet and lantern from the ground and moved through the trees until he found one of the trees the stranger had mentioned. The Edelwoods were short, twisted trees with black-brown bark and dull gray leaves.

Uncertain and strangely nervous, Arthur swung the axe at a low branch. The sharp blade bit into the wood with ease and came away dripping black. The wind moaned as Arthur hacked through the low branch until it came away in his hand. When the wood snapped in two, scattering droplets of oil over the leaves, John cried out, “Arthur, no!”

Arthur raised the lantern, illuminating a pattern in the rough bark of the tree: wide, dead eyes that bulged with terror and a mouth locked forever in a scream of pain.

He dropped the branch, staining his trousers and John’s legs with the oil that splashed up from inside it. The tortured face in the tree trunk was still and dead, but the sound on the wind seemed to linger, a mournful tone of pain and loss.

The flame inside the lantern flickered, faded to a pale orange glow, and Arthur lost sight of John’s terrified face in the shrinking light. Gritting his teeth, Arthur dropped to his knees, scrabbled for the fallen branch, opened the top of the lantern and poured the oil inside. He watched as the flame slowly grew and steadied as it fed, and soon it was glowing bright again.

Arthur sighed and stood up, carrying the lantern limply in one hand. “Let’s go.”

“But…” John’s voice trembled.

“Don’t say it,” Arthur snapped. “Don’t… Let’s just go, all right? Just get the hell out of here…”

___________________________

They walked on.

Arthur thought he was imagining the dimming of the lantern light at first, but soon the edges of the path beside them disappeared, and John had glued himself to Arthur’s side, no doubt having noticed it too. “It’s doing it again,” John said miserably. 

“Damn it all to hell,” Arthur said through grit teeth, stopping in the middle of the path to check the flame. “It can’t need more already!”

“Arthur, you can’t! The trees, they…” John couldn’t say it. Perhaps it was too terrifying to say out loud, or too much for him to comprehend, or simply impossible to understand how such a thing was possible. “It hurts them. The axe,” John insisted.

“What do you want me to do?” Arthur demanded. “It goes out, we’re stuck here with that thing until morning. That’s if it doesn’t kill us beforehand.”

“I’m scared,” John said, helplessly, uselessly. “I want to go home.”

Arthur’s temper flared. He controlled it fiercely for a minute before releasing it in a flash of anger, throwing the hatchet to the ground. “What d’you think I been doing, huh?”

“Arthur!” John shouted in surprise and fear.

“All this is your fault! You wander around like you know what it is you’re doin’, and you don’t! You don’t know a goddamn thing! I know you don’t cause I’m the one always gotta come after you when you do some stupid thing!”

John’s voice was weak and thin. “I’m sorry, I…”

“No! Ain’t my job to look after you all the time, no matter what anybody says! I got my own self to worry about, I don’t need you slowin’ me down and askin’ stupid goddamn questions all the time and botherin’ the hell outta me. I’d be home right now if it wasn’t for you. And now I got you bitchin’ and moanin’ about me doing the only thing that’s gonna help us get out of here.”

“I was only…”

“Shut up!” Arthur’s fists clenched. He felt like he might actually hit John in a minute and so he turned and slammed his fist into the trunk of a tree, splitting the skin of his knuckles. “God damn it, John Marston, you ever stop talking? Just shut up for once so when the Beast comes to get us I can die in some goddamn peace and quiet.”

The minutes ticked by. Arthur felt his anger leave him by degrees. He unclenched his hands and turned around. “A’right, John, let’s…”

There was no one there. Arthur looked around him wildly, panic settling into his chest. “John? John! John!”

“He’s gone, Lantern-bearer.”

It was the woodsman. He appeared through the trees looking the same as he had in the tavern: white hair and hollow cheeks, thin mouth set in a grim line, light eyes with a sympathetic warmth behind him as he looked at Arthur, standing in the center of the lantern’s light. “I came to warn you. Your brother is in danger.”

“John’s not my brother.”

“So you’ve said. And perhaps he is not. But perhaps he is, in the only way that matters. You are the elder child. You are responsible for him. It is your burden to bear. It’s the burden of all people who have someone in their life who admires them.”

“I never asked for him to!” said Arthur.

“No one does, Lantern-bearer. It is always easier to ignore the obligations that don’t serve us at the moment. To love someone until it is no longer convenient.” The woodsman shook his head sadly. “Imagine what a mess this world would be if everyone only did what was easy.”

Arthur was starting to feel sick again. He gripped the hatchet as the circle of light around the lantern grew ever-smaller. “Where’s John? What happened?”

“Your brother is in more danger now than he has ever been, but not more than he will ever be. He’ll belong to the Beast before long if you don’t find him, and save him. The Beast wanders these woods in search of lost souls such as yourselves. He will tell you he is saving you. He will tell you you are saving yourself. But in the end, the Beast is the only winner.” The woodsman met Arthur’s gaze. “You know him, child. You’ve already met him. It’s the only way you could have gotten that lantern.”

Arthur’s blood ran cold. “That man. The stranger…”

“Time is running out,” the woodsman said urgently. “You can still save John if you are brave. Find him. Help him. Do what must be done.”

“How do I do that?” said Arthur desperately.

“You’ll find a way. If you want to, you’ll find a way.” The woodsman tilted his head up and pointed. “Your long night is almost over, Lantern-bearer.” The sky was beginning to lighten, the shadows of the trees deepening as the first blue light of dawn came over the forest. “You can find your way out now, I reckon. Whether you are alone or not when you do… That’s your choice.”

Arthur looked around him, from the first light coming at the edges of the sky, to the woodsman’s wise yet troubled face, to the items on the ground beside him: the lantern, the flame within fading fast; and the hatchet, blade still slick with fresh oil. He couldn’t know how this all would end. All he knew was what felt like the right choice, right now.

With a last look to the woodsman, he took up the lantern and rushed deeper into the trees, calling for John with renewed desperation. The hatchet remained on the forest floor, forgotten, and the woodsman left smiling.

___________________________

When Arthur found John at last, it was almost daybreak, and John was almost dead.

The young boy lay curled up on his side at the base of one of the twisted Edelwood trees. Roots and branches were beginning to curl their way around him, as if to draw him into them. His hands, arms, shirt, everything was stained black with the Edelwood oil.

“John,” Arthur’s voice broke as he fell to his knees, tore at the roots and branches to pull John free of them.

John opened his eyes slowly, and frowned at Arthur, looking away as though ashamed. “I tried to get some,” he said weakly, “so we could keep the light.” He opened his fist to reveal a few small twigs and sticks of the dark wood. “I’m sorry I made you feel bad. You were only saving us…”

“Christ, John, why’d you gotta…” Arthur brushed away the sting of tears from his eyes as he looked at John’s sunken eyes, the tendrils of wood that bound him in place.

“Am I,” John coughed, and from his mouth came a splatter of black oil, “am I gonna get home, Arthur?”

Arthur’s throat tightened. “Yeah, Johnny boy. I’ll get you home. Promise.”

A voice like a cold wind: “Careful now, son. You don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.”

Arthur turned around and stood, putting himself between John and the stranger who had suddenly appeared again.

The stranger tilted his head to regard Arthur’s posture, the angry look in his eyes. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“You’re the Beast,” said Arthur.

With a chuckle, the stranger shifted his face, slowly, so that his true form was revealed. “Well done, son. Well done indeed.”

“Let him go. Let us go!” Arthur cried.

“It’s far too late for that, son,” said the Beast. His shape was still changing, recognizable still but twisted and marred like the branches of a diseased tree. “There is only one way to save him now. John can be home in time for breakfast, same as he ever was… If you stay here. Harvest the Edelwood oil. Feed the lantern. As long as you remain here, John is safe. What do you say, Arthur? Work for me to save your little brother. Become the Lantern-bearer forever.”

For a moment, Arthur panicked, looking at John’s pale and still body lying on the forest floor. Lantern-bearer, he realized hollowly. And it dawned on him then why the Beast always chose a Lantern-bearer, a harvester, a pair of hands to stain black with oil from those tortured souls before they became one themselves…

He turned back to the Beast and looked him full in the face. “I’m not scared of you.”

The Beast stilled. Then, tauntingly: “Is that so?”

“You never cared about me. You never cared about John. All you ever cared about was this.” Arthur looked down at the lantern, the iron handle still clutched tight in his fist. “I don’t need the lantern,” said Arthur. “You do.”

He lifted the lantern high and opened the little glass door. The low flame sputtered in the wind.

“No,” said the Beast, and Arthur thought with a jolt of satisfaction that there was real fear in the monster’s voice. “Stop!”

Arthur kept his eyes on the Beast and a smile on his face as he breathed out hard, and blew out the light.

___________________________

Dawn.

The Beast was gone. The forest was gone. The open prairie spread out as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the far-off shapes of a small frontier town.

“Arthur?”

Arthur opened his eyes and sat up. John lay a few feet away, rubbing his eyes as though just waking up from sleep. There was no oil on him, no scratches on his face or cuts on his hands.

“John,” Arthur scrambled to his feet. “You all right?”

“What happened?” asked John.

Arthur took John’s wrists and pulled him to his feet. Already the memories of the night before were fading, becoming less real like the memories of a dream, dissolving with each passing second of waking. “I...I ain’t sure.”

“I remember I got lost,” said John. “I guess you found me though.” He looked at Arthur with a crooked half-smile.

Arthur looked back at him and nodded slowly, and smiled. “Course I did, idiot.” He tousled John’s hair, making him laugh and complain. “C’mon. Let’s go home.”

___________________________

John Marston and Arthur Morgan walked together from the edge of the chasm at Bacchus Station. Behind them, the blasted-out remains of the bridge still smoked and smouldered. John’s posture was anxious. His shoulders slumped, heavy with worry and indecision and the steady unease of knowing an ending was on its way. He asked, “But what about loyalty to...everything?”

(Better be wise, and don’t believe his lies…)

“You been loyal,” Arthur insisted. His voice was hoarse and rough from disease, words forced from him with the labored breaths of the dying. He saw how John glanced at him only rarely as they conversed, unable to look too long at Arthur’s sunken face, the dark bruises under his bloodshot eyes. “I been loyal. Look what that caused.”

(For once your will begins to spoil…) 

“You know all that ever mattered to me was loyalty. It was all I knew. It’s all I ever believed in.”

(He’ll turn you to a tree of oil…)

“Well, not anymore, John. Soon, you gotta go. Go.”

(And use you in his lantern for to burn…)

“Don’t look back.”

The Beast’s jaws were opened wide, ready to snap shut and claim them forever. John would not be caught in them. Not if Arthur could help it.

#red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #john marston #over the garden wall #crossover fic #crossover #rdr2 fanfiction

[iamnightduchess]

As You Are - Special Chapter (R18) : Perfect Storm

Chapter summary:

The ethereal vision that greeted his eyes upon entry should be that of one of the forbidden sins in the history of humankind. She was even more breathtakingly beautiful in her purest form - scars and marks, imperfections and all.

Like the cracks on an unbreakable golden chalice.

He was the luckiest son of a gun to be the first to drink from said chalice and it made the wine tasted even sweeter. He could get drunk or get high on this woman for all eternity.

Reiner realizes he might have just unleashed an unstoppable storm when he drank from her chalice. He’d known she'd become an inescapable addiction upon first taste, the way he would be hers. He’ll get her so high, she’ll never come back down anymore. It’s a perfect extrication.

Well, you’ll never get to heaven if you’re scared of getting high.

Pure smut. A 10k special Thank You insert. Available on AO3.

A/N: This chapter is a special insert as an appreciation to my beautiful readers for their amazing support in helping me achieve my second personal writing milestone - 10k hits! It’s beyond my wildest dreams ever. Thank you so much, guys! This is also my personal belated birthday present for Mikasa on 10 February (and Reiner’s VA ;D) and an early Valentine’s gift to my beloved OTP and to you guys. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Content note: Pure smut in its truest explicit nature. No plot advancement. Just a good ol’ short chapter of ReiKasa dicking it out in the showers, discovering more of each other and a post-coital small talk on Reiner’s personal choice of drawers. Or lack of it. Who says Reiner is not taking their baby making efforts seriously? Takes place in ch.12 of As You Are.

Rhythmic muse: High by Alina Baraz.

----

Take me deep into your mind...we can get away…

As You Are

Special Chapter

Perfect Storm

Reiner closed the distance that stood between the bed and the bathroom in three long, hurried strides. He couldn’t be bothered with fixing his yukata; he let the shift hang open, letting himself hang out in the open. The sounds of the morning storm and early rolling thunder in the far horizon had been almost deafening, only several knots away from being too close to their fleet. The breeze slipping through the opened windows grazed against his nude torso in a prickling coldness. The second he stopped short in front of the steel arc of the bathroom door, he remained still.

His eyes glazed over the statuesque figure standing underneath the pouring shower, covered by only skin - porcelain, smooth, inviting. Sounds of the raging storm outside only emphasized more of this mystifying woman's beauty in its natural state, no different than a tantalizing spell cast by nature itself. The steam evaporating from the showerhead formed a curious, enticing silhouette around her body. His eyes lingered fondly at the way she closed her eyes in bliss under the long steady streams of hot water flowing down those supple skin, tinting her lusciousness raw with a delectable blush. Serene, lost in her own tranquil space.

Apart from bearing the reddening imprints that he’d left on her long slender neck from their lovemaking much earlier, between the enticing lines of her svelte curves and enticing edges, her creamy skin wore numerous dark marks and scars with their respective stories - ones that he was very aware of mostly. Long-term ODM usage would be responsible for most of them.

Others?

They were beckoning him to seek out the answers.

Just half an hour earlier, his body took hers for the first time. Reiner tasted heaven when she reeled him in to the deepest, most sacred part of her. With every pull and every push, he could feel himself unburdened everytime their hips met.

Lighter and unshackled.

Liberated and wanted.

Desired and needed.

The water flowed down her face and he found himself becoming envious of the way the warm liquid gets to lave at those long lashes, the sharp outline of her nose and her lips in a soft translucent caress.

He had all of her and he was left wanting more.

Reiner shrugged the night shift off his shoulders without any hesitation and stepped into the bathroom. A small marble tub, almost full to the brim, sat at the farthest corner of the room just next to an old gold-framed wall mirror which appeared to be more relic than vanity. In the dim lighting of the clouded sun peeking through the windows, the steaming water looked absolutely inviting.

A sigh escaped his lips. He could really use a good, long soak right now.

A low, guarded moan pulled his attention back to the now flushing body underneath the flowing water. He ran his tongue against his thin lips impulsively at the visual stimulation; she was as vivid, tempting, no different than a marble carved into perfection. All hard and muscled exterior, safeguarding the soft centre within. Painted with dark marks of bruises and battle scars of untold histories - a privilege he no longer had since the moment he inherited his Titan powers at the age of eleven. But she wore them naturally with effortless pride. Priceless yet they're worth more than some steel medal of honors he’d seen the men in Marley’s military fought to the death for.

Reiner closed the distance between them, stopping just in front of her with their bodies almost grazing. She opened her eyes, those anxious gunmetal irises in between the flowing water somehow confided that just like him, she’d never been this exposed; naked and vulnerable in front of another person in her whole entire life before. He saw the way she crossed her arms against her chest and the juncture of her thighs in uncertainty, conscious and suddenly feeling the need to cover herself even when he’d seen almost all of her much earlier.

He lifted her chin with a delicate touch. The pad of his thumb began to caress the outline of her lush pursed lips before tugging her lower lip gently, savoring the sensuous way her breath felt against his skin and the feral manner she bit at his fingertip.

His member twitched in reflex upon the sudden stimulation, threatening to break his own self restraint.

He grinned regardless. Apparently, he’s not the only biter in this marriage and that realization only got him being turned on more than ever before. Eager to find out just how much more wicked she could be. Just how much more of him she’d bite.

Reiner nudged her arms away from her chest gently, marveling as the perky globes bounced softly from the slight movement and finding himself staring far too long in amazement at the tempting blush on her face leading all the way down her drenched neck and to her chest. His hands began to knead the sculpted packs on her abdomen instead, touching a much larger discolored mark encircling her under chest, that resembled the shape of a large incomplete strap that was far too large to be from the ODM gear.

He couldn't help but wonder. "How did you get this?" His hands continued rubbing against the mark that stood out so painfully amongst her pale, milky complexion.

She swallowed bitterly, her expression darkened as a wave of recollection began to resurface. "The day you and Bertholdt tried to take Eren, I had been reckless. I was too focused on saving Eren from your titan's clutch that I was grabbed by a pure titan from behind. It broke my ribs immediately and I might have died that day if it wasn't for Jean's help." From the way she winced, it made him understand that the mark remained capable of inciting an unpleasant phantom pain upon reminiscence even years after it happened. She conceded to her own insecurity, reaffirming his perception. "It's ugly. I hated seeing it every time I looked at the mirror."

It was him, his ignorance and his selfishness who had indirectly caused that mark and left her with a painful reminder that she could never get rid of from her body.

His first mark on her body ever.

Reiner gritted his teeth in tremendous guilt and frustration. God, he didn’t know. It must have been extremely excruciating for her. He immediately lowered himself downwards with his knees rooted onto the cold bathroom floor, causing her to gasp and eyes to widen in surprise. Grabbing her on the curves of her waist, he looked up and sent her a grave look of regret. “I’m so sorry for all that I’ve done to you. All the pain that I’ve caused….” His apology manifested itself through a morose whisper. The warm of his breath, the tantalizing graze of his coarse facial hair and the light brushing of his lips against her taut skin sent the rippling muscles of her abdomen jumping in an enticing jolt. He could feel her hands grabbing the back of his head gingerly, fingers gripping his now wet tresses, her calm breaths getting heavier yet he didn't do anything further than burying his face against her torso even when his lips were already close to her mound. “Don’t hate the mark. Hate me. I did that to you.”

“No. I won’t.” Mikasa shook her head, dismissing the absurdity in his plea.

She thinks the mark is hideous yet not even once, ever held him accountable for it. 

It only made her even more exquisite in his eyes. He implored, “Anything on you or what you are would never not be beautiful to me.” 

They both remained still in that quiet moment, losing themselves in their own intimate sanctuary. Only the sound of running water and the steady storm outside accompanied their mutual embrace of the other's past sins, repercussions and acceptance of each other's flaws and imperfections.

----

Mikasa pushed Reiner’s rock hard body against the cold bathroom wall using her own as their lips once again tried to wrestle each other out of an imbalance between air, warmth and rapture using their tongues and teeth. Torsos and limbs brushing up against each other, his larger hands grabbed the supple exterior of her derriere, cupping and squeezing them raw with his palms - he could even write his name on the supple skin using his finger nails. He pressed inwards so that their hips grinded tantalizingly against each other in a torturous friction. His member then jerked upwards into a semi-hardening state from feeling her on him alone. He breathed her in; her signature scent was already bathing his skin and his body already stained by her warmth.

Mikasa pulled away from the kiss and gazed deep into his eyes. While he took advantage of the immediate breather to touch the tip of his nose against her own, causing the corners of her lips to curve upwards into a tiny, shy smile.

He'd only ever dreamed of being in heaven but if this feels like being in one, then he’d rather stay like this with her forever. His hands fiddled around the curves of her waist, squeezing the willowy contour passionately, loving the feel of her soft wet skin in his hands.

Her fingertips kept on trailing along the column of his neck, grabbing gently at his nape before settling on his shoulders, gripping carefully at the juncture of his limbs to soothe the strained muscle knots she’d discovered there. Her dominant hand later began trailing along his sternum, a finger drawing a straight, tantalizing line down his chest. Through every inch of skin that she touched, he could sense a tiny spark pulsing through his veins, reawakening the already satiated lust within.

A small hiss escaped through his gritted teeth the second her roughened palms caressed his chest with languid but precise circular motions. He observed the way her thumbs traced unhurried circles against the second most sensitive spots on his body and the way the muscles of his own pectorals and abs jumped in reflex from her touch.

Reiner let out a long languid whimper upon the sudden exhilaration. Mirroring her actions, a hand moved upwards from the rounded mound of her ass along her spine teasingly before curving sideways. His large palm seized one of her porcelain globes in his hold and he pressed on the dusky nub using his thumb, rubbing the hardened tip with the cautious of touch. Nibbling tenderly on her cheek, his question came out in a low, shaky drawling against her ears. “Mikasa...how do you want me to touch you...fast or slow….?”

Her answer came in the lowest, deepest whimper from her chest. “Either...Just keep going...” Eyes tightly shut, his younger bride threw her head back in an increasing rapture and a low, unguarded groan escaped her gasping lips upon the intensity of his touch. He watched in wonder, tinged with a tiny pride upon the new discovery - she’s extremely sensitive there it seems.

This exotic beauty's body is a dynamite yet at the same time, an undiscovered wonderland, primed for his lifelong conquest - one he'll never want to stop worshipping.

Through every breath and every inch.

Through every touch and through every kiss.

The tip of his nose ventured from her temple down her slender neck before halting right above the swelling of those appetizing twin mounds of her chest. Kiss her he did, at the same spot he just savored. He drew the outline of the weighty globe with his tongue, suckling hard and absolutely losing himself to the bliss of her skin’s sweetness to the way her soft cries sounded to his ears - muffled by his messy wet tresses, ensnared by her own open mouth kisses. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his scalp as her heaving became more urgent. His plastering bangs grazed her chest until they turned into a flushing mess.

His other hand had already made its own bold move by slipping in between the juncture of her thighs and running the pads of his digits across her wet slit. She immediately gritted her teeth upon the sudden invasion, probably due to the soreness from his earlier thrusting, but he’d sooner turned her hissing to another wave of moans when he caressed her lower mound with a wickedly soothing rhythm. 

Too lost he was in the beguiling pleasure that would sooner overtake all sense of inhibition that he’d missed the way her nimble hand had already wrapped itself around his member, already stretched out to its peaked state. The coolness of her palm burned the most sensitive part of his body as the skillful hand of a competent blade wielder projected her prowess through the way she handled his length -- with thorough, natural precision.

He just kept on growing stronger in her hands.

No one has ever made him feel like this before.

No one.

He could feel as if his soul was leaving the confinements of his physical form the moment he saw her dropping down to her knees, just like he did with her earlier. However this time, when she gazed at him with those tempestuous eyes and burning cheeks, he’d know he’ll never be able to resist her newly-unearthed desirous appetite.

It was quite contradictory that even when he’s the one who’s looking down at her right now, she’d always have the power to make him yield to her silent commandeering force.

Despite the flowing water washing away at their skins, he’s still stained by her; her essences seeping through his pores in unwavering waves no different than a perfect raging storm piercing through a man’s perseverance.

Oh God, she’s just naturally good at blowing him... and his mind.

----

He ran his lips against the irezumi on her back, drawing a cross with his tongue like a sacred offering, lapping up the water drizzling down her skin like the nectar of an exotic flower. Right before he filled the impure void within through one messy yet solid thrust into her, clinging to her lithe body from behind as they fell into a familiar, acquired rhythm not too long after.

He pulled her in for another searing kiss from behind. His other hand underneath one of her knees, his larger build pressed her slightly smaller frame hard against the wall through every onslaught of his hips against hers. Both of them were getting off of the high from the other.

Mikasa’s relentless moans soon turned into a long, dragged out, almost incoherent chanting of his name; urging him, needing him with every part of her being, that she’d broke the skin on his forearm when she became undone on his third deep thrust.

Reiner observed the way Mikasa tried to wash away the bleeding from the bite-shaped bruise on his arm with the water from inside the tub itself. He dismissed her attempt by pulling her body snug against his chest, staring at the mark in awe and reassuring her with nothing less than pride in his tone. “Hey, that’s my first mark from you.” He still remembered how she managed to cut off the same hand clean from his wrist on top of Wall Rose years ago.

“It’ll be a scar.” She persisted, still trying to argue with his insistence.

She gave him his first mark and without his regenerative powers, that mark will remain on his body forever until he’s buried six feet under.

He buried his nose into her drenched hair, taking in the scent from the glycerine soap he used on her earlier. “All the better because it’s from you.”

They stayed for a while inside the ceramic tub, with her head resting against his shoulder and his arms around her, listening to the sounds of rolling thunder and turbulent sea waves coming through the opened windows of the bathroom.

After a good while, it was her who suggested that they step out and step back into the awaiting demands of the day. “We should really get going before Gabi storms in for another ‘rescue’ attempt.”

Snickering, he released her reluctantly and sent an admiring stare at her retreating figure, still dripping with bath water until she disappeared behind the door to their shared chamber.

By the time he followed suit into the conjoined bedroom, she had pulled her skirt over her hips. She stared in disbelief the moment she saw him discarding the towel around his waist and had his legs through his breeches immediately.

Her inquisitive gaze did not go unnoticed. “What? I travelled light and I wasn’t expecting the detour to the Island.” Everything he had was on his body.

“All this time, you’re…” Her words trailed off suspiciously.

A thin eyebrow raised snarkily to emphasize his answer. “Yeah. I’d prefer not wearing one either way. It’s breezier and actually a much healthier habit too.”

“Whatever suits you.” Mikasa shook her head, feigning an impending state of disinterest while fending off an oncoming headache.

He gave her an improper wink. “You’ll thank me when I have given you healthy, kickass babies, Mikasa.”

She groaned in retaliation at his blatant lewdness. A trait of his that has always been apparent since they were younger still remained despite the years that had gone by in between. Despite all that, she couldn’t help her lips from curving into an amused smile.

Just a fleeting thought of envisioning a strong young boy or a girl with golden blonde hair, cheeky comebacks and a headstrong attitude was enough to make the fuzziness in her heart return right before the fleeting fantasy was interrupted by the same vision but with three more of the same identical boys and girls and a burning house of chaos behind them.

“....four be a lot?”

“Huh?” She blinked back at his question.

“I was asking, would four babies be a lot for you?”

She’d known it was an intended humor. They both knew that he couldn’t possibly have enough time for such an unattainable dream. She wasn’t oblivious to the dismal glint in his eyes.

“Perfect.” Her heart suddenly felt a lot heavier.

---

A/N : After what went down in the previous chapter, I am willing to be virtually sucker-punched by you guys because of this chapter. I am hurting my emotional well-being with this chapter, and I said to myself, why should I be suffering alone? Haha Kidding, guys. Thank you so much for your time & till the next update! Take care & stay safe. xoxo

#ReiKasa #ReiKasa fic #ReiKasa smut #as you are #snk smut #aot smut #reiner x mikasa #Valentine's special #reiner braun #mikasa ackerman #reimika #happy valentine's day! #thank you! #by NightDuchess

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

This is part two of chapter 21. Please please please like and reblog. And I want to say I love this community so much. For those of you who follow me, I really can’t thank you enough.

Part 2

When you woke up for a split second you forgot you were a widow. A widow. You kept saying it in your head and it didn’t seem real. What would you do now? Where would you go? Would you ever marry again? The thought made you feel sick. You sat in the darkened room contemplating the rest of your existence without your husband. It seemed impossible. You said vows and made a pact. He went you went too. He broke the bond.

You finally got out of bed stretching out sore muscles. You hadn’t realized just how tense you were. You heard voices outside your door. “Oh for fucks sake just come in” you shouted. You opened the door to find Sam and Bucky bickering.

“Boys. Boys! What’s up?”

“Hey, honey. We are about to head to Wakanda to get this stone out of Vision’s head. Can you be ready to go in thirty minutes?” Sam asked.

You supposed staying behind was out of the question. You really didn’t have it in you to fight with anyone so you agreed. You kept yourself out of the way of all the activity then you spotted Bruce. He was pacing back and forth talking to himself. When you got closer you realized he was talking to the Hulk. You called his name and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Y/N, I am so sorry. You should know Loki fought like hell. He only gave the stone up to save Thor....”

“Wait....Bruce...hey. What?”

“I was there or the other guy was. Heimdall sent me back to warn everyone. Y/N he fought hard to stop Thanos from coming to earth. Umm, when I woke up this was in my hand. He was just trying to save Thor.”

Bruce trailed off when he saw you staring at Loki’s wedding ring in his palm. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save him. I tried to stop him. I’m really sorry.”

“Thank you” you whispered. He hugged you repeatedly apologizing.

You stowed the ring in your pocket next to yours. You ran your finger around the vines ever so slightly putting the tip of your finger inside. You flirted with the idea of death. It would be so easy to just slip it on. So fast no one could stop you. In your haze you hadn’t noticed Steve staring at you, his brows knitted together with worry.

He nudged your foot with his to get your attention. “You with us?” You shook your head and continued to fiddle with your rings. He accidentally on purpose kept brushing his hand against your pocket. After a few moments he pulled your hand out and wrapped his fingers in yours. “Stay with me” he whispered against your ear. You knew he didn’t mean anything sexual but it still made you uncomfortable.

On the jet he sat next to you. He always had a hand on you some how to keep you from drifting away. If he could he would tie a string around your waist to always keep you attached.

Before you landed he gave one of his famous pep talks. You barely listened. You watched the clouds and tried to will yourself to pay attention but you couldn’t. You didn’t really feel like you were there.

When you arrived in Wakanda you followed everyone to the palace. Time was of the essence and everyone was on high alert. This was one of those times when no one could protect you. All of your fear and grief would have to be channeled into this fight.

Sam called for everyone to get to the border. “Y/N stay close to Bucky!” Steve shouted as you all ran. You ignored him. At this moment you didn’t care if you lived or died. All you could think about was melting Thanos’ armor onto his skin and frying his brain.

Electricity crackled off your skin and your eyes glowed white as you summoned all the powers of your coven. “You ready, doll?” Bucky shouted.

“Yes...we are.” The first of Thanos’ army broke through and you went to work. You zapped anything that came near you. For a minute it felt like you were losing. They just kept coming. You couldn’t focus enough to keep up with such focused magics. At one point you just started hurling rocks with your telekinesis. Suddenly Thor arrived and regained the upper hand.

When Wanda came down you were too far away to help her. You fought your way across the field when you saw Thanos appear. You and Bucky covered Steve. Nat Thor and Okoye covered Vision and Wanda. They afforded her enough time to destroy the stone. Thanos used the time stone to reconstruct it. He ripped it from Vision’s head and the gauntlet was complete.

You pushed passed Steve and Bucky to focus all of your power onto Thanos. He roared on pain. When you were within his grasp he grabbed you and put the power stone to your skull. Thor raised Stormbreaker and hurled it at Thanos landing it in his chest. He dropped your limp body to the ground and lifted the gauntlet. “You should have gone for the head.” Then, he snapped.

Your friends turned to dust around you faster than your brain could figure out what was happening. Bucky Sam Wanda...all gone. You were frozen in place. You couldn’t breathe. You briefly remember Thor picking you up and taking you back to the Quinjet.

The trip home was silent. Thor held on to you for the whole eight hours. All of you were in shock. When you made it back to the compound everyone retreated to their own corners. You heard sobbing and screaming. No one had the strength to comfort anyone else. You crawled into bed clutching your rings and prayed you’d dream of your husband.

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

When things settled down you packed your things to head home. You didn’t want to stay around this place anymore. It was too heavy. Your family in Westchester was also recovering. They lost a lot of people. Remaining mutants were seeking refuge. They could use your help.

Everyone was in the kitchen so you tried to sneak out. “Were you really trying to leave without saying goodbye, little Sister?”

“I’m not one for an emotional scene, Thor. Your room is always ready for you.” He trapped you in a bear hug

“Loki would be angry at me for letting you go home alone.”

“Well he’s not here is he? I’m going to be ok. You have people to take care of.”

“I’m not sure what good I can be to Asgard now.”

You stepped back and looked at him in the eyes. “Your people need their king, Thor. I know heavy is the head and all of that but, they need you. You can’t let them down.”

He nodded and wiped away his tears. “You’ll come visit won’t you? You are our princess technically.”

You laughed, “Aren’t I a princess on Jotunheim?”

“They never claimed him. You’re stuck with us, Princess.” You launched yourself into his arms.

“Princess? I thought only I called you that.” Steve came into the room to find you and Thor embracing.

“That may be but this time she truly is a princess. You no longer say that ironically. Loki was the prince and she, being his wife, is the princess. So...”

“They know how royalty works, big brother.”

“You’re leaving?” Steve asked.

“It appears so.” Thor kissed your forehead and excused himself so that you and Steve could have some privacy.

“I thought you might stick around for a while.”

“I have a home, Steve.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I have to face it sometime. I’m not going to do anything. Loki would give me the silent treatment for all of eternity if I showed up. What an afterlife that would be. I need some time.”

“I understand. We’re not going to give up. We’re going to make this right.”

“Ever the optimist, Captain. Call me if you need my help. Otherwise, you know where I live. Door’s always open.” You stared each other down. So many things hung in the air. He hugged you and kissed your temple.

“Can I still say I love you?”

“It depends on what’s behind it.”

“That’s fair. But I do.”

“I never stopped. I have too many open wounds, Steve. I can’t...I haven’t even had the chance to mourn my husband.”

“I’m not asking you for anything. You asked me to be your friend and that’s what I’m doing. I seem to be down a few of those at the moment so, I’m saying it in case I never get the chance to again. I love you. Call me when you make it home ok? Just so I know you’re safe.”

“Of course.” You didn’t say it back. He didn’t need you to. He just needed to say how he felt. You hugged a while longer and then you broke away from him. You headed for the door afraid to look back. If you gave into his feelings you wouldn’t have left.

You made it home a couple of hours later. You texted Steve and tossed your phone on the floor. The house was silent and dark. It felt oppressive. You clicked on the lamp next to the couch and fished the rings out of your pocket. “Honey, I’m home.” You said quietly. You laughed at yourself.

You kicked off your shoes and pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa. Not a chance you were going into your bedroom alone tonight. You looked around for the remote but couldn’t find it. “Fuck it.” You situated yourself and closed your eyes. You were mostly asleep when the tv turned on. You must have been laying on it. You checked the cushions but didn’t find it. The input changed several times. You rolled your eyes, “You passed it up. Netflix is input 2, Lok.” When you looked down the remote was on the coffee table. “Yeah, I’ll put on Orange is the New Black. We didn’t finish the last season on account of you being dead and all.”

You turned on your show and hoped it was Loki’s ghost you were talking to and not something else given this land’s history. When you lay back down on the sofa you could have sworn you felt your hair move. You tucked it behind your ear and pressed your rings into your palm. “I love you too.”

#steve rogers fanfic #captain america x reader #marvel #marvel witches #mcu x reader #steve rogers x reader #captain america smut #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #soft loki #loki angst #loki of asgard #loki #loki odinson

[captain-kelli]

Abbiocco // Fernweh Collection

Abbiocco: (n): A need to lie down, especially the one that strikes after eating and drinking heartily

Pairing: Sam Wilson x Reader

Type: Challenge // One-Shot // Fernweh Collection

Word count: 2,279

Summary: In one of the most romantic places in the world, you and Sam spend your honeymoon learning to make pasta, drinking wine, and lingering in bed.  

Warnings: implied smut, meal with meat

Author’s Note: My very first story with Sam was inspired by @captain-rogers-beard​’s One Hit Wonder challenge. It was such a fun idea - congratulations, again, on your milestone, my darling Mimi!

Prompt: “It Takes Two” (Rob Base / DJ Easy Rock) // Sam Wilson

Tangled in a sea of white cotton, you’re woken by the early light spilling into the room. Like most things here, mornings move at a leisurely pace, keeping with the Italian way of life. Il bel far niente. The beauty of doing nothing.

Although you wouldn’t call what you’ve been doing nothing.

Rolling onto your side, you find your new husband asleep. Undoubtedly still tired from a night full of lovemaking, his deep brown eyes stay closed, off somewhere far from here. With an appetite only he can satisfy, you lay gentle kisses on his cheeks before making your way to his lips that slowly form a ghost of a smile. 

As he stirs, he tugs you into his arms, silently begging you to just rest with him. But your hunger is fierce and demanding. Your hands roam over the breadth of his back, the muscles there a reminder of his strength both in the bedroom and on the battlefield. 

When Sam realizes you have no intention of letting him sleep, he finally gives in. His lips capture yours in adoration. Such sweet rapture is this. Stealing away with his bride to one of the most romantic places in the world is a paradise previously unknown and who would he be to deny it? To stay in this bed worshipping your body and soul for the rest of the trip would bring him eternal happiness.

But he knows better.

He knows that if you miss out on today, you’ll regret it and, worse, hold him accountable. It is this fervent belief that puts an early end to what seemed to be a promising round.

“Baby girl, we have to get up.” He glances at the clock on the nightstand before looking back to you. His voice deep and full of gravel, he continues. “We’re supposed to meet Massimo at the market in an hour.”

The disappointed pout you proffer only serves to make him laugh. He knows it all too well after all of this time and, although he’s not entirely impervious to its power, he resists. Instead, he crawls out of the bed, never letting go of your hand.

“I’ll make you a deal. Come shower with me and I’ll quench whatever this need is...quickly. And then we go eat. Because I can’t last another day without a real meal.”

But this wasn’t to be an ordinary meal.

Mealtime in Italy is a tradition. It’s an event meant to be cherished, never rushed or interrupted. Gathered around a table with the people you love most, it is a time to break bread while being intentional with each other. 

Of course, it’s not just about the people. The cuisine is a national source of pride. Fresh ingredients, brick ovens, and experienced hands deliver dishes that have been known to make many a mouth water. Countless have tried to imitate the irreplaceable. 

This kind of flavor can only be found here.

But everyone wants to take a little piece of Italy home with them, so today, you and Sam are meeting up with a local to do just that.

Florence is history preserved.  The birthplace of the Renaissance, its soaring cathedral and museums full of masterpieces draw hordes of tourists every year. To experience the real Firenze, you must go where life is lived.

Piazza Ghiberti is unassuming. Sandstone walls and terracotta roofs surround a local market where you are meeting Massimo. A restaurateur and accomplished chef, there is no one better to lead you in a private cooking class in his osteria. But first, you needed the ingredients with which to cook.

This culinary experience was a wedding gift from an Air Force buddy of Sam’s. An old family friend, Massimo was happy to oblige. But seeing as how you never met the man before, you’re unsure how to find him in a market crowded with people.

But it’s not a problem. He finds you.

“Signor e signora Wilson?”

Even in Italian, you relish the sound of your new last name. So does Sam, it seems, because he squeezes your hand tight and kisses your forehead before turning to meet him.

After a quick introduction, Massimo leads you through the stalls of Sant’Ambrogio Market. An array of colors and scents flood your senses. Fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and pastas fill the rows, making your stomach grumble impatiently. 

With Massimo as your guide, you and Sam are able to pick out a basket full of things to make your dinner. Along the way, he explains traditional Tuscan cooking and suddenly you’re thankful Sam coaxed you out of bed.

You’re not even at the dinner table yet and you’re convinced this is going to be the best meal of your life. 

On the walk to his restaurant, you and your personal city guide walk towards Ponte Santa Trinita. It’s a bit out of the way, taking you right past Florence’s famed bridge, but Massimo is insistent. Reluctant to rush the man responsible for your dinner, you and Sam stay quiet and choose instead to enjoy the stroll.

But once you’ve made it there, his detour makes sense. Across the river, you have a clear and uninhibited view of Ponte Vecchio. Absent a crowd, you’re able to enjoy an intimate moment admiring the patchwork of shops nestled atop Italy’s most picturesque bridge.

“Would you like a photo?”

Massimo motions for Sam’s phone and tells the two of you to stand together. With his arm wrapped around your shoulder, you fold into his side. Taking a fistful of his shirt in your hand, your wedding band shines in the sun and it’s almost as bright as your smile.

“Now, come. We must begin to prepare.”

The restaurant is tucked away in a quiet alley on the other side of the bridge. Passing several people he knows, Massimo is clearly a prominent figure in the neighborhood. In rapid but enchanting Italian, he stops to speak with a few of his friends before introducing you. You only learned enough words to be polite and order wine, so you simply smile and say, “Buongiorno.”

Finally arriving, you’re greeted with a charming little place. The exposed stone juxtaposed with the whitewashed walls warms the dining room while hinting to its medieval beginnings. Looking to Sam, you can tell you’re both captivated.

And starving. Skipping breakfast was a bad idea.

Massimo calls you to follow him to the kitchen and you happily oblige. Like the restaurant itself, it’s pressed for space, but it feels like home. Unlike the trendy restaurants back in New York, Massimo’s kitchen is understated. Just the fundamentals. With only a brick oven and a stovetop, he’s able to craft food so renowned that stories of it travel across the Atlantic.

Spilling your purchases on the farmhouse table in the center of the room, it takes every ounce of control not to nibble on some of the cheeses you purchased. When Sam tries to sneakily steal a bite, you swat his hand away.

Playfully, of course.

You’re not being greedy with the food or anything.

Tonight’s menu consists of a simple spaghetti al ragu with homemade pasta. Massimo claims this recipe will be the easiest to recreate at home so that your honeymoon never has to end. The sentiment alone is enough to get you to agree.

Because the sauce tastes better the longer it simmers, you begin with its preparation. Massimo asks you to dice the onion and crush the tomatoes while he helps Sam prepare the meat. It’s to be seasoned with cloves upon cloves of garlic along with salt and pepper. Nothing too involved. It would overwhelm the natural flavors.

Once everything is mixed into the pot and the kitchen smells strongly of oregano and basil leaves, Massimo redirects your attention back to the farmhouse table. It’s time to make your own pasta. Although there’s a wide variety of pastas, you’ll be making tagliatelle. 

Using flour, eggs, water and salt, you and Sam work the ingredients into a ball of dough. Massimo hands you each a rolling pin so that you get all of the air bubbles out. You don’t want it to break apart when it comes time to cut it.

On your way to the pasta machine, you hear a little hum across the table. Lifting your gaze up from the rolled dough, your eyes are met with the sight of Sam grooving to the tune in his own head.

“Havin’ a good time over there, honey?”

His grin breaks out into a wide smile. Noting Massimo’s temporary absence, he dances around the table to come get you and his song gets a bit louder. Flour covered hands held up in defense, you prepare for what’s to come.

“It takes two to make a thing go right…” 

Apparently cooking together across the world reminds Sam of old school hip hop duos from home. At this, you finally laugh. Wiping flour off of his face, you refuse to join along and he whines.

“Name one other song by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock and I’ll serenade all of Florence.”

Knowing the impossibility of the task, Sam shuts down all hope for a duet and sulks back to his side of the table. Turning his back to you, he stirs the sauce simmering on the stovetop. 

“I wanna rock right now, I’m Rob Base and I came to get down…” 

When you sing the lyric, it’s barely above a whisper. The reluctant confession is strictly out of love for Sam, definitely not the song that’s now stuck in your head. No matter if it is catchy. 

Before Sam can acknowledge your white flag of surrender, Massimo comes back into the kitchen and recognizes the tune. “Oh, Rob Base! I know him!”

You and Sam break out into laughter. It looks like he is, in fact, internationally known.

Another hour goes by while Massimo instructs you to cut the dough into thick ribbons before putting the tagliatelle into the pot of boiling water. He emphasizes the need for salt and olive oil in the water to add flavor to the noodles and you make a mental note to start doing that at home.

It isn’t long before your meals are plated and Massimo leads you to a table in the restaurant.  The faint sound of an accordion meanders throughout the dining room, the lighting low. Massimo even went out of his way to put a small bouquet of white roses on the table. 

You and Sam get comfortable in your seats while your host disappears behind the bar. When he comes back, he has two glasses and a bottle of wine. “Most places in Italy, you can order the house wine and it will be very good. But this is a special occasion. Your luna di miele. We are celebrating, yes? Bon appetit.”

His smile is radiant as he saunters back to the kitchen to give you and Sam some privacy. Each of you taking a glass in your hand, Same raises a toast. “Salute.”

Then you take a bite of your dinner.

And your life is forever changed.

The ripe tomatoes morph into a summertime dream and the herbs bring your palate to life. The pasta is al dente, as Massimo suggested, the width of the noodles lapping up the sauce that simmered all day. And the wine. God, the wine. The dry red draws out every flavor on your plate.

The first few minutes of dinner are entirely silent as you focus on the food.

But as dinner begins to settle in your bellies, the conversation starts to flow. You reminisce about your favorite moments from the wedding, like Steve’s best-man speech and your first dance to “You’re All I Need to Get By.”

It was the perfect day.

And now you’re in Italy with your husband.

Across the table, he’s looking at you with a heart full of love, recognition in his eyes. What the two of you have found in each other is rare. It’s beautiful. Sam can’t take it anymore, so he leans out of his chair and over the table to claim your lips with his. 

He’s learned after being in Italy for a few days that good things take their time. They’re worth waiting for.

You definitely were.

By the time Sam is back in his seat, Massimo comes out with a surprise dessert. A crostata jam tart made with local cherries and a buttery sweet pastry crust. His face still wears the sweet smile from earlier, broadening when you tell him how delicious dinner was. 

Another hour passes while you and Sam polish off dessert and another bottle of  wine. Massimo joins you for a little while and he shares stories of living in the capital of Tuscany. You discuss Florence’s many museums and where to go to find a quality leather jacket for Sam, his advice continually helpful.

He kisses both of you on the cheek as you leave and you’re thankful for your dinner and time with him.

On the walk back to the hotel, promises are made to get out of bed at a reasonable hour and laughter fills the moonlit streets knowing that it’s a promise neither of you can keep. 

But hey, Italy would always be here. Your honeymoon is fleeting.

Back in the hotel room, you and Sam crawl into bed. Full hearts and full stomachs crowd the mattress, leaving no room for the ideas you have about showing Sam just how much you love him.

It’ll have to wait until morning. And this time, you won’t let Sam leave the bed until you’re done with him.

#sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x y/n #sam wilson x you #sam wilson x female reader #mimi’s one hit wonder challenge

[tarithenurse]

Stolen - 18

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson &/x fem!gifted!reader Content: Doubt, angst, pining, fluff, feels. A/N: Some days just suck, flaring up with all the depressive symptoms and I have to fight to remember that everyone can have a bad day. That it doesn’t mean I’m regressing into a new full-blown relapse.

18. White Knuckles

...  Reader   ...

Insane, insane, insane, logic sings in your head on repeat.

The tune had begun when Loki navigated the ship low over a barren planet littered with grey gravel and cliffs only to suddenly aim it at a steep incline without any indication of stopping or following the slope. Even as you shut your eyes tight, you regretted very few events of your (too short) life – but the crash never came. Instead, Loki brought the spacecraft to an abrupt halt and urged you to take a look. You didn't believe what you saw until the Asgardian had brought you outside the ship and let you wander through the cave barely big enough to house the vessel. What was harder to fathom was the view beyond the hiding spot.

Distance didn't matter when the inevitable limit to a journey was a sharp edge with a drop into space itself. You knew the view even if you never had been there yourself, and every instinct told you to run, to avoid the fall at all costs. But at the same time, the breathtaking landscape – more beautiful than the Norwegian fjord even – drew your heart towards it, funnelling your gaze until it found the City of Gold. Valhalla.

Sitting at the mouth of the cave now, side by side with Loki, the setting sun cuts the disc-world below with dark shadows.

"It's so...peaceful."

The god hums at your words. "So it can seem." And you know what it means because the pain that haunts him is also a part of you and has been since he shared the memories. "Yet...your presence does sweeten the bitterness of returning to this place."

The lilt in his voice makes it clear he's teasing you even if you secretly wish he was speaking the truth. Rolling you eyes, you don't try to hide the groan though. "Shut up."

"I can busy my mouth in other ways, however you won't be silent for long then."

Oh god. His insinuation and your own dirty mind is all it takes for heat to build in your core and face. A moment passes where you don't dare wriggle to relieve the sweet itch the slightest. Gaze locked on the distant castle, you try to ignore Loki as he leans in and inhales deeply. Is he smelling me? Oh fuck, can he smell stuff? Oh shitohshitohshit! A cool hand lands on your knee and rips you from the panicked train of thoughts.

"My sweet, there's no use in hiding your desires."

Fuck! Scurrying to get away from him and his magical nose, you almost fall when you push to your feet and hightail it back onboard the spaceship to hide in your cabin.

...

He’s hot...and he’s been nice. The argument seems sort of solid, for a moment. Yeah, and he’s absolutely the kind of fucker to abuse that knowledge to get what he wants or just mess with people. God of Mischief, all right! You sigh into the darkness of the night, more or less assured Loki’s having fun at your expense.

...  Loki   ...

Three days of training the mortal about mannerisms at a royal court – more specifically the Asgardian court – and the former prince still has doubts she can succeed in selling the altered truth. His concern doesn’t stem from lack of decorum or choice of greetings, though, it’s simply [Y/N]’s lack of confidence.

“Pet,” the Jotun tisks, “you already have done this before.” She scowls at him but doesn’t object. “Remember...you’re the hero of Alfheim.”

The woman straightens up, pushes her shoulders back, and lifts her chin – none of it sudden, rather slowly as the compliment brushes away any objections she reaches for by habit. Beautiful. The confidence radiates from her, nearly blinding Loki who has no intention of shielding his gaze anymore.

“Damn straight! I rock and I’ll walk up to those guards and to the queen like...like...but Loki she’s a queen!”

[Y/N]’s cheeks are hot against his palms as he locks her gaze. “She is, but merely think of her as my mother.”

As always when the girl worries, her bottom lip pays the sweet price. “Yeah. No. That’s not helping.”

“She’s kind and wise. Treats everyone with respect,” the fallen prince explains, heart spilling over for once although the descriptions seem to be about someone else too, “her gentleness improves the world, and her love inspires those around her to strive for excellence.”

A mere hand’s length divide Loki’s lips from the Midgardian’s. A gentle dip is all it would require to experience the softness and taste the sweetness of eternity with a sweep of the tongue. Would she give in? Perhaps she would. She might kiss him back, give him all he longs for freely – including her heart – and he would covet her love. Then her affections would freeze as she comes to understand, a bitterness reminds him, some monsters aren’t changeable.

Letting go, he turns aside and pretends to busy himself with the book he has brought from his cabin. In it, is a brief summary of the history of Asgard, now with scraps of parchment to mark the passages suitable to serve as examples of court culture.

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