#and including that chicken scene later on does not count! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leviiattacks · 3 years

Text

Seven minutes in Heaven with Physics Major Levi

author note :: i lost the ask but anon i do not know what this is. reading it sounded better in my head but physics major levi with reader who likes him is that a good description???? HM ANYWAY enjoy it’s not too great i’ve been revising nonstop for exams but i might as well have finished this off for the anon who requested it :-)

word count :: 2.5k probably... hm who knows maybe 3k

when you and levi become friends it’s definitely unexpected to say the least. everyone is naturally very confused by the peculiar pairing. levi doesn’t really... go out of his way to befriend anyone really??? so for him to approach you in the middle of the library and start talking about how he noticed you shared a class together was out of the ordinary

the flow of the conversation is a little awkward at first, you’re revising for a final exam and don’t really appreciate the disruption but you’re not confident enough to tell him to leave.

at one point an awkward silence drifts between the two of you until he points out you’ve completely RUINED your notes and have been looking over the wrong lectures for the up and coming physics exam

later on into the night levi’s stood sighing next to you. he tells you to take your pick from the pot noodle section — “hey, i know we literally just met but i’m telling you a chicken pot noodle is gonna make you feel better.”

you’re so distraught that he has to pick it up for you and pay

and that is how you and levi become friends !!!

if it’s of any relevance yes you passed the final (all because of levi giving you his organised binder full of notes and telling you to make use of it)

you know it just sorta happens but through all of the all nighters you’ve pulled with levi by your side you become used to his presence nearby. in fact most of the the time it’s difficult to even find you anywhere without him. you’re both practically joined at the hip

levi’s pretty protective of you, hates the whole party scene but is willing to tag along if you’re going. at first you think it’s because he feels more comfortable stepping out of his comfort zone if you’re there with him but his intentions become more evident later on

any time someone makes you uncomfortable he’s by your side, if you happen to get into any sort of trouble he’s the person people call to help you because who else knows you the way levi does?

currently you and levi are at another party, you tend to keep to yourself and only ever talk to your close friends. it’s also not like you to partake in games, you’re far too nervous to play anything like seven minutes in heaven but for some reason you find yourself wanting to take part JUST this once

maybe it’s the fear of never making fun memories to tell your future children about

then again why on earth would you be telling your children about your experience kissing a random man in a closet??

either way, participating shouldn’t hurt!!! you’ve got to loosen up a little!!!

levi’s a little surprised you agree to play nevertheless he still sits next to you, the both of you have your legs crossed on the floor, your knees are touching and you aren’t sure if he feels the same warm sensation that you feel. it bubbles in the pit of your stomach – you feel oddly content

“levi!! anyone you want the bottle to land on ???” hange a mutual friend of yours leans in handing him the glass bottle

levi gives the bottle a disgusted look before his gaze flicks over to you.

“i’m only here because of y/n, i ‘m not playing.”

that doesn’t satisfy hange and they begin to groan complaining that he can’t stay unless he spins the bottle

“look you don’t have to do anything in the closet, okay??” hange’s begging him at this point, he’s still holding up pretty well and for some reason you’re disappointed. it’s almost like you hoped he’d spin the bottle just so it would land on you

levi takes notice of your frown and guesses you want him to be included, he isn’t one for games like these but if it’ll make you happy so be it. there’s still the chance it’ll land on you and his thought process falters for a second.

he thinks he really wouldn’t mind if the bottle landed on you and so he ends up nodding and agreeing to play.

anyway it’s not as if he isn’t guilty of imagining the two of you being a little more than friends

ok wait!!!! it’s completely innocent HE SWEARS!!!!

he’s never told you about it but sometimes he thinks if he was a little more straightforward that day at the library and asked for your number MAYBE just MAYBE his intentions would be clearer and he wouldn’t be stuck in the friend zone for this long

he should’ve used a stupid physics pick up line he knows you love those

something like – “i’m attracted to you more than an electron’s attracted to a proton.”

or maybe — “i’d fall for you even in the absence of gravity”

ok... maybe you wouldn’t have got that one considering you were revising the wrong content and probably forgot about that topic

he can’t imagine himself saying those things but if it would make you finally see him as a potential love interest and not a best friend he wouldn’t mind having to force it out

but still it’s not really a secret that levi has a soft spot for you, literally everyone can see it. when has he ever gone out of his way to save a seat for anyone? when has he ever willingly gone to a party? WHEN has levi actually let someone lay their head on his shoulder??

he only ever let’s you do that stuff

let’s actually discuss the head on his shoulder thing!!!

whenever finals approach you’re always sucked in by huge amounts of work and barely get to sleep, levi’s always hovering over your shoulder reminding you to catch a few hours but of course you don’t listen. you think you’ll be just fine if you rely on an energy drink and two hours of sleep to get by

but levi knows you better than you know yourself. it’s hour seven into the day and you’re already dozing off in your seat. slowly but gradually your head tilts forward. levi’s sitting across you contemplating whether or not he should prop your head back up like a nice friend would or if he should wait for you to smack your forehead right into the solid oak table.

he ends up making his decision last minute, your head flies towards the table and if it were anyone else he’d just let them jolt awake from the harsh impact but it’s you and his body won’t let him ignore you.

on reflex his hand flies out and in the matter of a split second he’s holding your head back. he’s surprised you haven’t woken up and he’s even more surprised he bothered to help you

before that happens levi knows he likes you, he knows he enjoys your company, he’s aware you make him happy but he thinks he’s willing to just be friends with you because clearly you don’t want to pursue anything.

you haven’t even flirted with him before aside from the witty “you remind me of an exothermic reaction” joke that you made one time

oh and there’s also the additional fact that you had a boyfriend up until quite recently so he’s sure you don’t see him romantically

honestly he’s fine with not dating you but something about seeing you overwork yourself like that has him simmering in anger. if he were your boyfriend he would have forced you into bed whether you liked it or not

if he were your boyfriend he’d never break up with you because he “found someone better.” he can’t even manage to imagine anyone better than you.

levi shuffles into the seat next to yours and places your head onto his shoulder. a few students shoot him questioning looks but the deadly glare he sends back is enough to deter them from coming any closer

it’s a little funny actually, by the time you wake up you’re rubbing at your eyes, you don’t even notice how close levi is to you until his hot breath fans across your neck. it seems like he’s dozed off whilst trying to make notes on fluid dynamics

wait

levi. right. next. to. your. neck.

should you move????

no, he might wake up he barely sleeps and you don’t want to mess up his schedule even more

that day you choose to drift off back to sleep as if you never woke up to his breath against your neck.

“OHHHH LEVI LANDED ON Y/N????”

your head shoots up NOW you’ve completely been dragged away from your thoughts.

“lucky for you both. guess you won’t have to do anything and stand there for seven minutes. told ya levi there was nothing to worry about B-)”

hange without warning pulls you both up by your arms, you’ve yet to see levi’s reaction, you’re too stunned to have noticed his slack jaw or wide eyes

“HAVE FUN!”

and with that said and done you and levi are shoved into the cleaning closet

“well, i’m glad it landed on you. i won’t have to do anything.” levi seems happy as can be, you don’t really know why but it stings a little

he doesn’t even seem to stop for a second to wonder if you’d maybe want to do anything

are you just not his type ????

hange once told you levi liked organised people and well,, you’re anything but organised. you’d probably pass out from the work load of your physics lectures if not for levi always helping you out

scowling to yourself you try to ignore just how awkward the situation is until levi plops down on the floor in front of you

“you okay?” he asks looking genuinely concerned

“i- yeah i’m good.”

your eyes dart away trying to look at anything but him. you can’t deny he looks good today, you actually helped him slick his hair back - the entire time he complained about the hair gel feeling weird but he looks great and now you can’t even stare at him for more than a second

“i’m guessing you’d have preferred if the bottle landed on someone else.”

leaning forward without even noticing it you aggressively deny what he says. “NO!!! i like being stuck here with you.”

levi looks stunned by your outburst but nods “oh, did you feel pressured to join the game? we can leave if you want—”

“no, no i– you aren’t– oh god i mean, look. i can explain– do i need to explain???”

completely choking up in front of him and sputtering before slamming your lips shut and saying absolutely nothing is probably one of the most awkward things you’ve done in your ENTIRE existence

levi reaches out for your knee, something that’s usually seen as him being friendly only feels intimate tonight. his thumb strokes comforting circles into your skin. the situation doesn’t make it any better, essentially you’re meant to be making out with him right now

“is something bothering you?”

there it is again. that look. he only seems more concerned than before and you hate yourself for not even thinking about your friendship before you open your mouth.

“do you not want to kiss me because we’re best friends or is it something else?”

there it is. you’ve said it.

you see levi’s face contort from a mix of confusion to what looks like disgust then shock. screwing your eyes shut you know you’ve ruined everything now. he’s never going to speak to you, never going to approach you again. you’re mentally preparing for him to ditch you at this party right here right now

but then you notice his hand still steadily placed on your knee, he’s now stopped with the circles, his grip is bruising

“do you want me to kiss you?”

his question isn’t really expected, it helps you find the courage to look your best friend in the eye.

it’s pretty dark but you can still make out the familiar shadows of his face. the butterflies rush up from your stomach all the way to your throat.

mild regret fills you, usually his curtains obscure his piercing gaze but the way you’ve styled his hair gives him a better view of you, there’s nowhere for you to hide

not even stopping to think about the possibility of him teasing you right now, all you care about is telling him the truth. you’ve come all the way here you may as well finish off what you’ve started

“would you be mad if i said i’d like it if you did?”

levi doesn’t need any more confirmation than that, he swoops in yanking you by your waist. his knees are still pressed against the floor and so you find yourself leaning down into his mouth and craning your neck downwards

his chest is completely pressed against yours. the drumming of your heart is so loud you feel self conscious but levi’s soft lips moving against yours distract you from that

not even ten seconds in and you feel out of breathe but not in an overwhelming way. levi’s pace isn’t at all what you imagined it to be like. he’s soft and slow yet calloused and rough around the edges, some how he still manages to make the kiss sweet

his left hand leisurely travels to the small of your back, the other hand now caresses your cheek. his fingertips are anything but soft but the way he handles you is tender and endearingly delicate.

you smile into the kiss and almost instantly levi’s lips tug upwards too. his take on seven minutes in heaven is quite easily the most romantic thing you’ve been subjected to. instead of a passionate make out you’ve been given a honeyed introduction to a new side of him

the kiss ends much quicker than you anticipate, you open your mouth to whine and convince levi that the two of you should still have a solid minute left before hange returns but he presses his index finger against your lips

“later. i promise.” his voice is heavy and if his blushed cheeks are anything to go by he’s thoroughly enjoyed your session together

at his reassurance you comply and take the time to have a better look at him

his lips are wet – some of your lip gloss has clearly stuck to him. his hair isn’t as well styled as it was before, seeing him like this makes you feel a surge of confidence. you know you did that to him.

so... what is someone to do with a sudden boost in confidence?

hit your new possible love interest with a pick up line :-) !!!

“heyyy so i know the spring constant of my mattress, would you be interested in taking some data with me?”

slapping your shoulder lightly he’s yet to gain his composure back, levi’s genuinely out of breathe now trying to steady himself and your comment doesn’t do him any favours that’s for sure

“my god you have no sham–”

without warning the door to your left swings open you and levi flinch trying to scramble away from eachother only to fail, hange marches in before stopping dead in their tracks.

all they see is levi knelt in front of you, hair disheveled huffing like his life depends on it

then their focus shifts to you, you’re sure some of your makeup has smudged and the entire scenario looks suspicious

levi seems as if he’s about to warn hange to not tell anyone and keep this a secret for now but they sprint away before any of you have the opportunity to ask for some privacy

not even ten seconds later a collision can be heard alongside a series of thuds and then hange’s yelling towards the end of the hallway “GUYS??? THEY ACTUALLY DID IT???”

for some reason the cheers coming from the living room warm your heart

you guess your friends figured out the direction of your relationship long before you and levi did :-)

314 notes · View notes

drakenology · 3 years

Text

Operation Deku Day- Izuku Midoriya

author’s note: hiiii! so today’s inspiration is drunk sex. anyone who’s ever had drunk sex before knows that shit hit different. Something about it is soo nasty and hot ugh I’m a sucker. I firmly believe that izuku is an insatiable sex god don’t let that innocent sweetness fool you so he was the perfect candidate for my idea. please enjoy! all characters are aged up 18 +

warnings: cussing, smut!, alcohol use, breeding kink? and sex under the influence. also light degradation

summary: For Izuku’s 21st birthday you and the girls decide to throw him a surprise birthday party. As the night progressed, you and Izuku got real drunk and couldn’t keep your hands off each other... in more ways than one.

word count: 2.4k

You spent all week preparing for this surprise party for Izuku. It was his birthday and you really wanted him to feel special and appreciated for being a great friend and loving boyfriend. You were pretty good at pretending that all the things you snuck home were just “things for the apartment” instead of decorations and all his favorite foods for the party. Bakugo being Izuku’s childhood friend couldn’t pass up on helping you and everyone from your graduating class of 1-A prep for the party, keeping everything hidden from Izuku.

“MIND YOUR DAMN BUSINESS DEKU!” He’d yell at him if the green haired pro hero asked one too many questions. Today was finally the day to set up the party. You just had to keep everything hidden for a little while longer. You woke Izuku up with kisses and a plate of his favorite breakfast. He’d always loved pancakes but for whatever reason, he loved your waffles. Izuku could eat them for dinner if you’d let him. He smiled and ate his food, gushing about how he’s finally 21.

“I can drink with you now, Y/N.” He said with a mouthful of waffles. You grinned and kissed him on the cheek as he ate. “So, what are we doing today?” He asked. Even though today was his birthday, the hero still had to work.

“Oh.. uhm.. well.” You struggle to tell Midoriya that you had “nothing planned” knowing that he’d be hurt by that.

“Maybe we could just go out to the bar and have a few drinks?” You lie, wincing at the upcoming disappointment in his voice. He nodded with a weak smile, trying not to seem too disappointed at the lazy plans. But he was grateful anyways and kind of excited to see the bar scene. After eating his birthday breakfast, he stood up from the bed and got ready for the day. While he was in the bathroom you text the mass group chat with the entire class in it named “Operation Deku Day!” Mina had already been messaging you all throughout the morning reminding everyone that the party starts at 9 pm; right when Izuku is expected to be home.

“So what kind of cake does he like? I’m at the bakery right now.” Todoroki texts followed by an image of the options of cake the menu had.

“Get him chocolate.” You text, giggling at the plan all coming together nicely. You wait for a response while looking at all the gifs and memes everyone’s sending sharing the same excitement for the party.

“Cool. I’ll have them decorate it and drop it off at your place, Y/N. Just let me know when Midoriya leaves.” Shoto texts back, you responding with an Ok and answering any questions about the party from the others.

“Your phone’s going off a lot today, Y/N. Who are you talking to?” Izuku asks, his hips adorning a towel as he just got out of the shower. You look his wet body up and down, almost forgetting to respond to the question before he gets too curious.

“OH! Uh, It’s just the girls. Yaoyorozu wished you a happy birthday.” You laugh nervously, clearly awful at keeping secrets. Izuku just smiles and tells you to tell her he said thank you and got dressed in his hero costume.

“Well, I’m off. I love you Y/N. I’ll see you later tonight.” Izuku says giving you a small peck on the lips as he leaves your shared apartment. You wave goodbye as he shuts the door and jumped up from your bed, texting the group chat

“THE EAGLE HAS LEFT THE NEST. OPERATION DEKU DAY IS AGO.”

Momo, Mina and Uraraka spend all day decorating the house and setting the ambiance for the party. Todoroki brought the cake and put it in the fridge and starting making a small ice sculpture in the shape of All Might for the spiked punch he made (He was known for making a good cocktail). Kyoka made a playlist for the party, she was the DJ afterall. She tweaked the stereo so the sound system would be JUMPIN and laughed maniacally as she knew she was gonna rock the fucking house down. Katsuki insisted on cooking since “You can’t cook half as good as he can.” Or at least that’s what Katsuki said. He handed a hot dish of buffalo chicken dip (my favorite) to Mineta, who insisted on helping with... idk something.

“It’s hot on the bottom, idiot. If you drop my dip I’m gonna drop my fucking fist down your throat.” Bakugo shouts, making Mineta nervous as he walks carefully with the dish. Sero and Yaoyorozu were putting the finishing touches on the decorations as you check the clock on your phone. Shit. It was 8:59. You see a text you received from Izuku 30 minutes ago saying he was on his way home and another from just now saying he’s coming upstairs. You squeal and start panicking. He was probably already on your floor.

“Everybody ready? Izuku’s home!” You yell over everyone’s excited chatter. Everyone replied in a harmonious yes and took their places. You run towards the door and adjust your strapless dress, turning off the lights. You stand behind the houseplant by the door and almost squeal in excitement as you hear the door click unlocked.

“Y/N?” You hear Izuku say nervously as he turned on the lights. He gasps as everyone jumps out from their hiding places and yell

“SURPISE!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZUKU!”

He smiles brightly and grabs you, giving you the biggest hug while lifting you off your feet.

“Wow, thanks everyone!” He says excitedly, looking around the room to see all his friends. He became a little emotional knowing that you all went through the trouble of planning a surprise birthday party for him. You wipe his tears and give him a big fat kiss, earning an excited spin from him.

“We love you Izuku. Now, let’s enjoy your party!” You said as you let him to the delicious spread of food to start Izuku off. Kyoko started the music and danced along to the beat to get everyone to join in on the fun. Mina pulled Uraraka towards the living to dance with her as she waved Asui over to join in. Shoto manned the punch bowl, serving everyone with a half smile hoping they like his punch. Midoriya walks over to grab a plate of food from Katsuki.

“Yo, Ka-Chan!” He yelled over the music. Bakugo smirks and gives the birthday boy his plate. They chat over the food and laugh together as they have a good time in each other’s company. Katsuki seemed to cease the usual teasing, just for this one special night. You giggle and run over to the dancefloor with your cup of punch in toe. You drink and dance at the same time, spilling a little bit of punch as it ran down your chin. Mina laughs and takes your hands dancing along to the beat with you. The night was young and the party was a success. You were just glad Midoriya seemed to be having a great time.

Drink after drink you feel yourself get extremely tipsy, stumbling around with a drunk Mina and Asui. Uraraka had passed out on the couch from all the drinking and dancing. Even Momo was drunk, creating a phone to drunkenly call in some pizza since there was no more of the food Katsuki made. It was 1 am and everyone was still partying like there was no tomorrow. Including Midoriya. You had never seen this shy boy act so boldy and confidently. It was kind of a turn on. He was in a chug contest with Bakugo, seeing who out of them both could drink the most drinks the fastest. Ida, Shoto, Kirishima and Kaminari crowded around the two chanting chug chug chug as they both drank themselves into a drunken stupor. Izuku finished first, erupting into a loud and boisterous burp. Bakugo grunts and raises Izuku’s arm in the air claiming him the victor. When the hell did Katsuki EVER admit to defeat?

“ *hic* IZUKU’S THE FUCKING CHAMPION! *hic* And he’s one of my best fucking friends! I- I love you bro.” Katsuki says, slurring his speech and stuttering over his words. Midoriya winks at you, who was watching the whole thing go down from across the room.

“L-Love you too, Kaaaachan.” Izuku slurred, stumbling over to you to give you a kiss. He wanted to celebrate his victory the right way; with a kiss from his girlfriend who was looking sexier than usual tonight. Midoriya approached you, smelling like beer and sweat as he pulled you close to him. Without warning he crashed his lips into yours, turning a sweet kiss into an intense and passionate make out session in front of the whole party. Something definitely took over in Midoriya. He was more aggressive with you than usual. You hear encouraging whoos and a jealous aww from Mineta who wished he was the one kissing you. Izuku waved him away as if he was shooing a fly and lifted you up, carrying you away from the party and into your bedroom. He shut the door with a slam, you squealing with excitement as he heatened the kiss. Izuku’s hands were all over you, groping your ass, squeezing your boobs and leaving sloppy kisses all over your neck. He was a beast, hungry for his well deserved prize.

“Do you know what you do to me, Y/N?” Izuku asked, pulling away from the sloppy kiss as he throws you on the bed. You can’t even answer as you stare at him dumbly, still shocked at your normally sweet and gentle boyfriend turn into a lust stricken beast. He hovers over you on the bed, drinking in your body in that tight little dress you wore. Izuku feels himself stiffen at the sight of you, pulling your panties down under your dress.

“’M gonna leave this dress on. You look so good right now, ya know that? Your tits are popping out of this little thing” Midoriya hisses, taking his calloused hand and rubbing tight circles on your already sensitive bud. You moan at his dirty words, intoxicated on his touch as you grab a pillow and cover your face with it. Izuku snatched the pillow away and threw it across the room, eager to hear your moans no matter who else was around to hear them.

“Let everyone know how good I’m making you feel.” He said, easing two fingers inside you wet walls. You moan like a pornstar, grabbing onto Midoriya’s arm for dear life as he fingered you with a steady pace. Izuku’s eyes were glued to your face, watching you make those faces he loved to see pull on your features as he pulled your breasts out of your dress suckling on your swollen nipple. You pant, gasping at the euphoric feeling as the pit of your stomach tightened, threatening to snap as you approach a fast climax. Izuku noticed you body language automatically able to tell you’re about to cum. He quickened his pace as he watched you arch your back as you came undone before him.

“Good girl.” Izuku coos as he takes his hand and sucked his sweet juices off his fingers. You flutter your eyes open as Izuku pulled his pants and boxers down in one swift movement, his impressive length springing out as you lick your lips at the sight. You wanted him in your mouth so you grab his dick and stroke it with a tight grip earning an eager moan from Midoriya as he grabbed your hair.

“N-No. As much as I want you to, I have to be inside you.” He stutters, pulling your dress up over your hips. He kissed you sloppily, slipping some tongue in as you moan into the kiss. He motioned for you to bend over and you do so with excitement, wiggling your ass to tease him as he smacked it with fervor.

“You ready for me?” Izuku asked tapping his dick against you as you nod and back yourself onto him, feeling his dick slide inside you with ease. You both moan at the feeling as Midoriya grabs your hips and thrusts harshly inside you, holding nothing back as he pulled your hair and smacked your ass. The muffled sounds of the music along with the sinful noises coating the walls of your room were all you could hear as you feel his hand reach forward to rub your clit as he brushed up against your g-spot repeatedly. You scream, trying to keep up with his swift and hard strokes as you throw your ass back on him, gripping the sheets for dear life. You’re sure everyone can hear your loud moans over all the music as you approach a second climax.

“I’m gonna fill that pretty pussy with my cum, baby. You want me to fill you up don’t you, you filthy whore?” Izuku said, earning a frantic yes from you as you whine for him. You’re shocked at his words but more so turned on by them as you clench around him, cumming for him a second time. Izuku hissed as he rode out your orgasm, chasing his own. Soon enough, he’s coating your insides with his hot seed, grunting and moaning as he ruts into you a few more times. You whine at the loss of his dick as he pulled out of you. Izuku watched as his thick sperm dripped out of you, satisfied with the job for now. He grabbed a towel and cleaned you off sloppily, still heavily intoxicated. You giggled and grabbed your underwear and slipped them back on to rejoin the party. Izuku and you were both a visual mess. It looked as if you both just had sex, your hair was an absolute wreck, your dress was disheveled and you were missing a shoe. Izuku was just as bad, sweat glistening on his forehead and he had this big cheesy grin plastered on his face. You hoped you were both inconspicuous enough for you both to just rejoin the party as if nothing happened in your bedroom. But Mina took one look at you two and erupted into laughter.

“You two just had sex didn’t you?!”

#bnha fanfiction #bnha smut #bnha #bnha izuku #bnha midoriya x reader #bnha bakugo x reader #bnha todoroki x reader #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #bnha imagines #bnha bakugo katsuki #bnha bakugou #bnha headcanons #bnha kirishima #bnha midoriya #bnha oc #bnha todoroki

664 notes · View notes

vcg73 · 3 years

Text

FIC: Kurt Birthday Drabbles

Earlier this week @elledelajoie left a comment on something I wrote all the way back in 2014. I had genuinely forgotten I ever started it, but the original idea was to write 21 Kurt Hummel birthday drabbles. I had written just 7 of them, but after we chatted about it, I decided to go ahead and finish.

If you’re not familiar, a drabble is a scene of exactly 100 words, not counting title headers. Since Chris Colfer and Kurt Hummel’s co-birthday (May 27) is coming up this Thursday, here they are. This goes definite AU at Birthday #19. Because you know I would never sentence my beloved Kurt to a life of being a doormat to people who did not appreciate and value him.

Never underestimate the power of feedback!

~*~*~*~*~

Birthday #1

Kurt’s blue eyes went wide as a frosted cupcake was set upon his high-chair tray, a single candle ablaze on its surface.

When Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Andy, Grandpa Curtis and Grandma Eileen started singing to him, he smiled and clapped both hands hard around the tempting pile of frosting.

Kurt laughed when the sugary topping went flying and a big splatter of white abruptly decorated Daddy’s surprised face.

Everyone else started laughed too, including the startled father, who retaliated by giving his birthday boy a sticky peck on the cheek and then helped him to blow out a new candle.

Birthday #2

Kurt looked between his presents, confused.

Mommy had given him the pretty dolly he had begged for at the store. Daddy had given him a truck, not big enough to ride but too big to live with the little cars Daddy gave him at Christmas.

His parents seemed to be mad at each other.

Kurt looked at the doll, then at the truck. He smiled and placed Dolly inside the truck and began to drive her around the carpet.

Mommy and Daddy seemed surprised by his actions, but then they laughed, and Kurt knew he had figured out the puzzle.

Birthday #3

His shoes were black and shiny, buckles on the sides and 1-inch heels on the base. He clomped over the hardwood floors, listening to the click-tap-click-tap in delight. They went perfectly with his dove gray coveralls with “Kurt” sewn on the pocket in black sequins. Mommy had made the outfit for him.

Spotting Daddy watching him, Kurt threw himself into waiting arms. Daddy’s smile looked like he had an owie but was trying to be a big boy and not cry.

Kurt hugged him. “It’s okay, Daddy.”

Burt looked surprised but hugged him back. “Yeah, buddy. I think it is.”

Birthday #4

Ballet girls were nice. When they heard it was his birthday today, they threw him a party. Kurt puffed up with pleasure when presented with cookies, a sparkly wand and a tiara that read ‘Happy Birthday’ in shiny letters. He was not as fond of the kisses they gave, but four was very grown up, so he screwed up his face and allowed it. The teacher even let him wear the special puffy pink tutu over his little black leotard!

He saw Mommy and Daddy up in the gallery taking pictures, so he waved.

Kurt hoped today would last forever.

Birthday #5

“Can I have cupcakes?”

Kurt’s mother looked up from her book. “I don’t think we have any, sweetheart.”

“Can we have some Thursday? My birthday is the last day of preschool.”

“It is?” she said, looking surprised. “Is it your birthday already?”

He nodded seriously. “Don’t you remember, Mommy? You were there.”

She laughed. “Well, you have me there. What kind of cupcakes would you like, sweetie? And don’t say cheesecake. Those are two completely different kinds of dessert.”

Kurt’s hopeful expression fell. “Oh,” he said, clearly disappointed. Then his face brightened again. “Chocolate?”

She nodded. “That we can do.”

Birthday #6

“Daddy!”

Burt sat up just in time to catch the little body that launched at him. “What’s wrong, slugger?”

“It’s my birthday!”

Grinning despite the way his heart was hammering at the abrupt awakening, Burt asked, “Yeah? I like birthdays. Do I get a present?”

“No,” the boy scoffed. “I get presents!”

Burt squinted at the clock. 3:15am. “Not until morning, you don’t.”

Kurt pouted and tried, “It’s almost morning.”

“Not close enough, kid. C’mere,” Burt pulled him into the warm bed between himself and his wife.

Kurt snuggled down and went right back to sleep.

Burt was less lucky.

Birthday #7

Kids had started treating him funny this year. He was too fancy, too girly, holding hands was weird.

Nobody was coming.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.”

“Am I too late?”

They jumped as a little black girl with pom-pom hair popped out of nowhere.

“I’m Mercedes,” she greeted. “We just moved here. Mom said you would have invited me if you’d known.”

“I’m Kurt.” He smiled. “Do you like tea parties?”

“Is there cake?”

Mrs. Hummel beamed. “Cake, ice cream, and Kool-Aid.”

Kurt shrugged. “Nobody else came.”

She grabbed his hand like she’d known him forever. “More for us! Happy Birthday, Kurt.”

Birthday #8

Kurt took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and carefully blew out the candles. All but the extra one that his parents always put on his cake.

“Aren’t you gonna finish, bud?”

He looked from Daddy over to his mother, home again, but so frail he was sometimes afraid to hug her, worried she might pop like a fragile soap bubble. He offered her the candle. “Here, Mommy. Blow it out. Maybe you’ll get another year to grow on.”

The eyes of the two adults met, then Mommy nodded. The three of them blew out the final candle together.

Birthday #9

Barely daring to hope, Kurt came down the stairs. Birthday cakes and presents had been Mommy’s specialty. Daddy had forgotten his own birthday and had nearly forgotten Christmas.

Kurt gasped when he saw it, waiting, shining and spectacular against the front door.

“A bike!”

Bright green, sissy bars with foil streamers, and a banana seat. Perfect!

Burt smiled. He had scoffed a such a “girly” bike when Kurt spotted it at the toy store. But now, looking at the all-too-rare joy in his son’s eyes and feeling the approving smile his wife would have given, he nodded. It was perfect.

Birthday #10

Buying gifts was tough when your kid always clammed up on you. A dad had to be observant.

Ten years old. A landmark like that needed something special, but the only thing Kurt seemed into was clothes. He had enough of those for ten kids.

He’d probably like a Barbie he could change in and out of different outfits, but Burt cringed at the thought.

He did doodle pretty good though. Sure, it was mostly pictures of clothes, but that was a start.

A fancy sketchpad with a case and a hundred different colored pencils. Yeah, that was the ticket.

Birthday #11

“Dad, where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Kurt sighed with exaggerated impatience. He had come home from school to find Dad waiting at the truck, ordering him to get in, then not saying another word. The suspense was killing him.

“Ta-Dahhhh!”

They had pulled up in front of a nondescript brick building. “Columbus Culinary Arts?”

“You like to cook right? Well, we’re gonna fix your birthday dinner this year with the help of a real chef. Lessons are once a week for the next couple months.”

Gourmet cooking lessons!

“Oh wow. Dad, this is amazing!”

Burt grinned. “Happy Birthday, kid.”

Birthday #12

Last year’s surprise had gone so well that Burt had decided on a repeat. But when he saw the excitement on Kurt’s face at finding a pair of tickets inside his birthday card turn to disappointment and horror, quickly masked with a fake smile, he knew he’d goofed.

“I know baseball isn’t your thing,” he said, almost pleading. “But you’ve never seen a live game before. It’s a whole different experience. It’s a home game. We can yell and scream, and cheer our team on with thousands of other fans.”

The stiff not-smile never wavered. “Sounds . . . fun.”

Birthday #13

Dad had bought out one of the partners at the garage this spring and now owned a majority share of the renamed “Hummel Tires & Lube”. Kurt wanted to snicker at that name, but he was proud too.

His birthday this year coincided with Friday Night Dinner. Dad had invited all the mechanics over for a potluck. They’d had Mary’s special fried chicken, Cassius’s homemade cornbread, and Davy’s mac’n’cheese. Now Dad brought out the cake.

Kurt laughed. A sheet-cake with a tow-truck and two little plastic mechanics for decoration.

“You and me kid. Partners.”

The mechanics cheered and everybody dug in.

Birthday #14

Kurt froze when he saw tickets peeping out of his card. Not again. Noise, sunburn, unhealthy food, tacky uniforms, and Dad trying so hard to make a boring sport seem like fun.

He sighed and pasted on a smile, which quickly transformed into shock.

“Wicked?” he squeaked, staring hard at the little papers as if the printing might change if he dared to look away.

“Embassy Theater is giving regional business owners a discount this year,” Burt said apologetically. “It’s just a traveling production, not real Broadway, but I …”

His apology was cut off by a joyful teenaged hug.

Birthday #15

“Don’t worry, son, you got this. Just remember everything I taught you. You got a whole year to get ready for the practical test.”

“I know.”

“And it’s okay if you don’t get it right the first time. Not everybody does.”

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“I’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re through.”

“I know that, Dad. I’ll be okay, really.”

At that moment, Kurt’s name was called and he sprang from his hard green plastic chair. His dad’s repeated reassurances were making him jumpy.

Twenty minutes later, a brightly grinning Kurt was waving his freshly minted driver’s permit.

Birthday #16

Burt patted the giant blue bow the dealership had provided over the hood of the shining black Lincoln Navigator.

Kurt was gonna flip! He’d passed his DMV test with flying colors and was no doubt showing off his shiny new license to all his friends at school.

He paused. Did Kurt have any friends to share this accomplishment with? He always seemed so alone.

Maybe that’s why he had decided to spoil his son with a huge birthday gift.

It wasn’t right for such a good kid to be all alone. Maybe having his own ride would help change that.

Birthday #17

A dozen teens gathered in Kurt’s basement to celebrate the end-of-school, non-disbanding of Glee, and Kurt’s birthday, all in one.

“Not like ten years ago,” Mercedes said to Kurt, as they watched Mike and Brittany dance.

“Ten years?”

“Your seventh? It was just you, me, your mom, and lots of chocolate cake.”

Kurt was astounded. “That was you?”

“You forgot?”

“I remember a little girl who showed up and invited herself to my party.”

“And I remember a little boy who needed a friend as much as I did.”

He squeezed her hand. “Thanks for coming.”

She squeezed back. “Always.”

Birthday #18

Kurt stared at his birthday cake, unable to think of anything to wish for.

He was 18-years-old today, a legal adult. He had new family in Carole and Finn, his dad was on the mend, he would be back at McKinley for senior year, he had made his first visit to New York City, and he had a boyfriend! One who had just told Kurt that he loved him for the very first time.

‘I wish for next year to be as good as this,” he thought, taking a deep breath and blowing.

The flames flickered out, all except one.

Birthday #19

Senior year had been a disaster, and now he had not gotten into NYADA, despite his well-praised audition.

“Blaine wants me to spend another year here,” he whispered. “I just can’t.”

Burt’s callused hand squeezed his neck. “Then don’t. You’re 19 now, a man. You got talents galore, work experience from the garage, enough drive for ten kids, and your mom’s life insurance money to give you a start.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Burt said firmly. “You go on to New York and grab life by the balls.”

Kurt felt his optimism rise. “Help me look for apartments?”

“You got it.”

Birthday #20

What a difference a year made.

He’d dumped Blaine after being cheated on less than a month after leaving Lima. He was enrolled at FIT and sharing a shoebox apartment with a fellow design student and a Broadway hopeful, but both were young gay men from small towns, and they had a lot in common.

“Happy Birthday!” Elliott shouted, tossing a handful of glittery sequins at him.

Adam came in playing the birthday song on a kazoo he had gotten from who-knows-where. “Ready for Callbacks? $20 on who gets the first hot guy’s number!”

“I already have yours. I win!”

Birthday #21

“I have the honor of presenting your first official grown-up drink,” Adam said, smiling lovingly at his grinning boyfriend of nearly a year. He set down a martini glass with a cherry floating on top. “A Manhattan seemed appropriate.”

Kurt beamed and gave him a kiss, then took an experimental sip. “I’ve had alcohol before,” he admitted. “Mostly wine, though. Mm, this is good!”

“I thought you’d like it. Happy Birthday, my love. May the future bring every good thing you wish for, and never more heartache than you can handle.”

Kurt could not have asked for a better sentiment.

THE END

#birthday drabbles #Kurt and Burt #Kurt and Mercedes #Kurt and Adam

34 notes · View notes

workingforitallthetime · 3 years

Text

bonus scene

hi, here is a bonus svech pov scene from good times rollin’ on me. i had this interaction in mind when i wrote the fic, but i didn’t have a way to reference it from marty’s pov because he’s not present for it and nobody who is would tell him the interesting bits.

The list of words was on all the rainbow signs. They were taped to the narrow strip of glass next to most of the classroom doors at his new high school, announcing “Safe Space.” That was different from Barnaul.

Andrei didn’t add them to his own list of new words, the one he kept on his phone with entries like glorious and unbelievable, but he looked them up all the same. It was nice to learn them. To know which one was his.

He doesn’t end up using them that much. It doesn’t take particular vocabulary to find people, here and there in Michigan, and then more easily in Raleigh, in actual college, not community college where nobody wants to be.

And, unexpectedly, on his new hockey team. Andrei had expected a beer league team like he’d found in Michigan: older guys, with meat and potatoes jobs like mailman or property manager or grounds supervisor, who called him “kid” but made the game fun because they were so happy to be there, playing hockey, getting their one night a week away from wives and kids.

Instead, his new team has Dougie and Foegs. Andrei sees them before their first game. Notices Foegs tuck his chin over Dougie’s shoulder, brush his lips against Dougie’s shoulder pad, quick. Andrei lets Foegs notice him noticing. Then he scoots down the bench in the locker room and asks the two of them about bars in Raleigh.

Foegs snorts at him. “Are you even twenty one?”

“Sure,” Andrei says, grinning. It’s a useful word, one of his favorites. It moves a conversation along even if Andrei doesn’t entirely understand. Or entirely agree. Or, sometimes, if he wants to pretend later that he didn’t understand. Foegs can think what he wants. It’s not really about the bars.

Foegs never ends up answering Andrei’s question. Instead, Andrei ends up playing Fortnite and watching hockey with them. They make space for him, in the locker room, on the bench, at the bar after games, whenever Marty hasn’t already dragged Andrei into the thick of things. Dougie calls him their little brother and Foegs calls him “our new twink friend” and Andrei rolls his eyes and pretends to hate both options. He doesn’t need any more older brothers. But he does think less about missing Evgeny when Dougie and Foegs are around. They understand things about him that Evgeny does not. It’s a small miracle to have friends who understand that, right from the start.

Andrei keeps an eye on Marty, too, wondering if there’s something to notice. Marty seems like a lot, generally, but sometimes Andrei gets the sense that some of the energy pouring off Marty is directed at him specifically. He’s always looking for Andrei, beckoning him into the group, including him in conversations. Asking Andrei questions, looking at him with intent blue eyes like the answers matter. So the second or third time Andrei’s over at Dougie’s apartment, watching hockey and eating Chinese, he decides to dredge up the vocabulary to ask.

“Marty.” Andrei parks his chopsticks in the container of noodles he’s eating. “Is he…”

“Nope.” Foegs passes the broccoli beef to Dougie at the other end of the couch. “Marty’s not gay.” Andrei barely recognizes the flicker of disappointment he feels, brief and surprising. Foegs leans over and decisively spears a dumpling from the box on the coffee table. “He just likes dick.”

There’s probably a word for that. Andrei decides not to ask Foegs what it is. It sounds like his answer might be biased.

“Wow, harsh.” Dougie folds his legs under him, settling into the corner of the couch and balancing the takeout container on the arm.

“No, seriously.” Foegs swallows his dumpling. “He hooked up with so many of my friends in college. Marty was, like, the jock you hooked up with to get it out of your system.”

Andrei’s eyes try to go wide. He bites the inside of his lip.

“Then he got a girlfriend, and”—Foegs slashes a diagonal with his chopsticks—“that was that.”

Andrei waits a moment, hoping Dougie picks up on the obvious question. Dougie’s still kind of new too, trying to keep track of all the lines connecting Foegs and his friends just like Andrei is. Sometimes he saves Andrei the trouble of asking. Obligingly, Dougie stretches his foot down the couch and pokes Foegs. “So did you?”

“No.” Foegs hauls his knee up and knocks Dougie’s foot back. The broccoli beef teeters on the arm of the couch and Dougie catches it just in time. “I played hockey. Hockey players were not, like, this exciting frontier I needed to explore.”

“Gee, thanks.” Dougie pokes Foegs again.

“That’s different, I didn’t know you were a hockey player.”

“You noticed my Bruins sweater pretty quick.”

“That doesn’t count.” Foegs pushes back at Dougie’s foot with the hand that’s not holding onto his chopsticks. Dougie holds him at bay, looking like it doesn’t take any effort at all. “I was already in your bedroom. It was on your floor.” They’re at an impasse, counterpressure by Foegs holding Dougie’s foot in midair.

Andrei always likes to watch Foegs try to pick a fight with Dougie. It’s like watching a fly in a pasture buzzing around a big placid bull. It’s comfortable. It’s comfortable to spend time at Dougie’s apartment, across the city from campus, with people who know who they are and what they want to do.

“So what?” Dougie suddenly pulls his foot back so Foegs, still pushing, almost tips over on top of him.

Foegs straightens himself up. “You were already going to get it.” He jabs his chopsticks at Dougie triumphantly. “Before I knew you played.”

Andrei doesn’t understand why Foegs wouldn’t want to hook up with a hockey player. It’s kind of nice to think that’s possible. It’s nice to see Dougie’s glove resting on Foegs’ helmet after a goal, and know it means a little bit more. Andrei never would have thought of that in Russia, or in Michigan. The rainbow Safe Space signs didn’t make it as far as the locker room at the rink where his high school team played.

Dougie, unbothered, steals a dumpling. “Nice of you to stick around after you figured it out.”

Foegs smirks. “I kind of had to, the team needed another D-man.”

Dougie tips the broccoli beef onto the coffee table and pins Foegs in a headlock. Chopsticks go flying. While they struggle, Andrei reaches over to sit the takeout container upright before the contents ooze out.

Foegs, with his head smushed against Dougie’s chest, catches sight of him out of the corner of his eye. “Hey.” He digs a finger into Dougie’s ribs. “Hey, Dougie, I think we’re missing the point here.”

Andrei sinks back in his chair, out of the very limited angle of Foegs’ vision.

Dougie’s watching him now, though. “Oh yeah?” He lets Foegs go. After looking around in vain for his chopsticks, he fishes in the empty takeout bag for a fork instead. “What’s that?”

Foegs rakes a hand through his hair, tousling it back into place. He leers at Andrei. “Why’s our new twink friend asking about Marty?”

“Stop it.” Andrei tucks his smile down into his container of noodles. He pokes his chopsticks at a bite of chicken. “I just wonder.”

The expression on Foegs’s face sharpens. “If you’re wondering if he’s flirting with you, the answer’s probably yes.”

“Hmm.” Andrei hums neutrally, channeling Dougie’s imperviousness. Pasture. Cow. Tail flick.

Foegs looks like he’s ready to pounce. Andrei chews slowly, swallows, and snares another bite of noodles. He glances at Dougie. Dougie raises his eyebrows at him, no help.

When Andrei doesn’t add anything, Foegs sits back a bit. “Marty’s just here for a good time.”

“Oh, big surprise,” Andrei scoffs at him. Of course Marty’s fun. He’s fun to play hockey with. Probably, Andrei thinks, he would probably be fun to do other things with. If Foegs means it to be a warning, it’s not an effective one. Andrei wouldn’t mind a good time. He’s a thousand miles away from anyone who’d care, and he wants to have some fun.

#good times extras #lafiwrimo #i'm starting to recognize that i get kind of a hangover after writing a long fic #where my brain wants to linger in that world a little longer #and that often results in me writing a coda #and i recognize that my brain is doing this now #self-soothing by mapping out what the next few years of this relationship would look like #and i'm trying to figure out what would be the most effective way to get past that #allowing myself this bonus scene is one tactic i am trying #and i'm not sure whether it would be better to dump all my future thoughts into a google doc just to keep #or to discipline myself to just move on #if anybody else experiences this phenomenon i would love to hear your tactics #p.s. for svech's 21st birthday dougie and foegs absolutely take him and marty to whatever the gayest bar in town is

26 notes · View notes

peppersonironi · 4 years

Text

How I Picture a Batfam Age Reversal

I’m going to write this as a fic (And I want to go on into a young justice world where dick forms the team and his siblings are protective) but here is the outline in bullet points in case anyone is interested. Please note this is VERY first draft.

Ages (At end) & Order:

Damian- 24

Duke- 21

Stephanie- 20

Tim- 21

Cassandra- 19

Jason- 19

Barbara- 15

Dick- 13

Damian is Ten when he is sent to live w/ his father. Bruce is 30.

They don’t really work well together at first. But Selina, Alfred, and Clark somehow get it through Bruce’s thick skull that he has to care for this child.

Damian keeps sneaking out on patrol, against B’s wishes. Eventually, he let’s Damian join and tells him to choose a name (Not what we meant, Bruce!)

Damian wants to go for something like Shadow, or Demon, but Bruce puts his foot down. He says that Damian shouldn’t try to be darkness.

Damian is pouting in the gardens when he finds a wounded robin. It’s wing is broken. He demands that the animal should be taken to a shelter, and carries it in his hand the whole way there.

The bird makes it, and Damian demands to be called Robin. He designs his suit, going slightly more colorful. “I might be called Robin, but I am NOT wearing brown, Pennyworth.”

Bruce introduces him to Superboy (Jon, note: less age dif) and the pair are close friends.

He is Robin for a little over seven years before he begins to fight with Bruce about being allowed to patrol alone, and being his own hero. (basically what happened w/ Dick).

Damian leaves Gotham, opting to claim Bludhaven. Jon joins him. He suggests they call each other Nightwing and Flamebird. Damian thinks it’s a bit childish, but he can’t say no to Jon. They’re costumes are here. (done by @hyperactive-lectiophile! Fantastic job!)

They eventually realize they’re in love w/ each other, all while trying to figure their lives out. Damian briefly tries to join the police. He hates it. Eventually, he enrolls in BH college for a major in Art and a minor in business.

Later in Gotham, the We Are Robin/Robin War stuff happens. Long story short, Duke is adopted.

Damian is angry to find out he has a new brother, goes to Gotham to yell at Bruce, but then meets Duke. They bond, and are close siblings. Damian makes his father promise to not adopt any more strays.

Stephanie Brown wants to stop her Father, so she sews up a costume and goes out as Batgirl. Bruce is apprehensive at first, but his family basically yells at him to train the poor girl before she gets hurt.

He does, and after Steph meets Damian, who she absolutely adores (He loves her too. The way she pisses his father off is legendary), Stephanie decides she wants to be Robin. Batgirl was good for dealing with her father, but she wants to belong to this new family, and, w/ Damian’s blessing, she makes a new costume.

Unfortunately, after a while, Stephanie is killed by Black Mask (her death is faked, like in the comics, but the Fam doesn’t know)

Enter Tim Drake. Batman has been going crazy over grief, and not even Nightwing, Catwoman (this is SOOOO batcat, btw) or The Signal can calm him down. Tim steps right up, and demands to be robin.

Damian and Bruce fight over this. Surprisingly, Damian is the one who thinks Tim should be given a chance. He sees how his father has been acting. Damian knows that Tim must be brilliant to figure out their identities, and thinks that should count for something. Duke takes his side, knowing that it takes guts to talk to batman, and be willing to join him. Bruce, meanwhile, is a constant chant of “no more dead robins”. After a while, and lots of arguing, Tim takes his place as Robin. They redesign the suit, and he takes his place as robin.

It’s little while after this that Stephanie comes back. Tim offers Robin back, but Stephanie declines. They talk and grow closer. At one point they talk about Stephanie’s new moniker. She says she doesn’t want to be Batgirl either. She wants something new. Tim suggests Spoiler (Bad pun turned brilliant idea?).

Cassandra Cain arrives on the scene next. She saves the commissioner’s life (like No Man’s Land, minus No Man’s Land), and Stephanie immediately imprints on this tiny assassin child (So do the rest of the family, but Steph claims the fourteen-year old first. She and Bruce fight over custody.). She offers Cass Batgirl. Gotham gained a new vigilante, and Bruce Wayne adopted a new child. (Faster than the comics, I KNOW. But Cass deserves happiness)

Everyone loves their new sister, and everyone spoils her. Duke is the one to take her to a ballet the first time. She immediately begs to be put into lessons.

Somewhere in here Tim’s mom dies and his dad is in a coma. Bruce takes him in.

Eventually, Bruce decides to offer Tim Red Robin, hoping to avoid the strife he had with Damian. (Like in the comics, Bruce was going to give Jason Red Robin)

Tim is unsure of this, and puts off deciding. Then little Jason Peter Todd decides to jack the tires of the batmobile and is immediately taken in.

Everyone is captivated by the tiniest addition to their family, but it's also at this time that Jack Drake finds out about Robin and forces Tim to quit. Tim gives Jason his blessing to become Robin.

Everyone pitches in on helping train the newest Robin. Damian teaches the kid things he learned from the league (non-lethal things, since Damian loves this kid), Duke teaches him escrima fighting, Stephanie (Much to Bruce’s dismay) has a full seminar of the delicacies of glitter bomb making. Tim teaches the kid hacking, when he can get away from his dad.

Unfortunately, when Jason has been Robin for almost a year, he is killed by the Joker.

The family is torn apart by greif. But this time around, Bruce has a much larger support system. All of them lean on each other.

The only time that Damian ever broke his no-kill rule while living with his father was to kill the Joker. He hunted and murdered the clown, sparing Harley. He had been friends with Quinzel since he was Robin, and knew how the Joker treated her. Harley became the batfam’s honorary aunt after this.

Bruce was too emotionally tired to fight with Damian over his actions, so no one said anything. Eventually, Bruce and Damian did argue. Damian refused to apologize,, though he did promise his father to never kill again. Their relationship was strained for a while, but they worked through it.

Less than a year later, Jack Drake dies, and Tim comes back onto the vigilante scene. He refuses to become Robin, however, choosing to take Bruce up on his offer and become Red Robin. He designs his own suit, and the world seems to slowly become normal. Or some semblance of it.

One night, the circus is in town and the whole family (except Alfred) is home. Duke, Tim, and Steph drag Bruce, Cass, and Damian to go see it.

It is on this night that Dick Grayson’s parents fall to their death. Dick is sent to live in juvi, meanwhile Bruce tries to adopt Dick. He succeeds, and the manor once again has a bright young child running through it’s halls.

Dick figures out the secret identities of his family and instantly demands to be allowed out. He wants to take down Zucko, and won’t settle for every single member hunting for him. Dick wants to take down his parent’s murdered himself. He tries to sneak out multiple times, but is always stopped.

Damian talks to Dick (They are extremely close) and explains the origins of Robin. He says that the mantle was born out of a want to distance himself from the revenge and violence of the league. Dick cries when he learns this and says that his own parents used to call him Robin. He suggests that the mantle is more than a personal need. Robin is Family.

Damian almost immediately demands that Dick be trained and help catch Zucko. Bruce is confused, as before, Damian was strongly against letting a nine-year-old fight crime. Damian explains (after much cajoling. He might be more emotionally open and healthy than when he first arrived in the manor, but the kid is still constipated) what Dick had said, and that Damian understands the kid’s need for direction. “When I first came here, I needed Robin. I might not have known it, but I did. Richard needs Robin now, as well.”

The family took sides on the issue, but eventually Dick (with the aid of his puppy-dog-eyes™) won everyone over. He got his own Robin costume, and they caught Zucko.

Dick refused to stop being Robin, and so Gotham gained a new bird.

Dick was Robin for almost two years when The Red Hood made his appearance in Gotham. No one knew what he wanted, as he didn’t seem to do much beyond killing criminals. They thought he was a vigilante at first, but then he began to take over the criminal underbelly of Gotham, regulating crime. On top of that, Red Hood targeted Robin. Attacking the boy wonder when no one else was around. After the red helmeted rogue let loose a few hints about the league of shadows, Damian interrogated his mother, who explained the identity of The Red Hood, and how she had set him on Gotham.

As soon as the family figured out the newcomer’s identity, and the reason he was alive Damian tracked him down. He knew how to deal with pit rage from his childhood, and brought the lost bird back to the nest.

The family was whole for the first time in years. Jason was still angry and resentful, but he had his family back. Jason was grateful for Damian taking revenge for him, and they were once again close.

Slowly, Jason let everyone back in, including Bruce. Dick is wary at first of this new older brother, but the little chicken nugget quickly warms up to Jason, and even convinces him to teach him how to shoot a gun (In secret, of course, Dami and Bruce would blow a gasket). Jason couldn’t resist the kid. It was physically impossible.

A year later, Cass decides to pursue dance as her career. She gets a job with the Hong Kong Ballet company. She moves there, and decides to take a new moniker: Black Bat. Her family is so proud of her, but they miss her dearly. Duke visits often, bringing new back to the family.

The absence of Batgirl is filled after a while by Barbara Gordan. She makes her own costume and starts going out. Once again, Stephanie Brown adopts a smol bean (Well, not legally. The commissioner is still alive) and outfits her with a more Gotham-friendly suit and weaponry (I.e. heavy kevlar and leather)

Babs is taken whole-heartedly into the fold, and is made an honorary sister.

147 notes · View notes

orsuliya · 3 years

Text

As we can see from the above there is a wide spectrum of possible interpretations of Xiao Qi’s behaviour post-Hunt of Doom. I’ve gone through good three or four different ones myself, some of them more harsh than those sent in by my lovely Nonnies and yes, this is actually something I like to think about, sue me. And yet I stalled when faced with those particular asks; could it be that I had no answer at the ready? Actually, yes, this is exactly what I’m saying. Which is why I felt the need to re-examine some of the particularly juicy scenes related to the subject. If only to stop getting so bloody depressed about this purported change... or, alternatively, hurry up and become a veritable fountain of tears already, with all of this hemming and hawing done with once and for all.

I think we can all agree that something snapped in Xiao Qi after episode 50. Not completely, as during Hu Yao’s retelling it’s made pretty obvious there was still plenty left there to snap. And even then Xiao Qi never went full psycho, for all that he had every excuse to do so. Why, he was able to stop in his tracks and delay - or even partially abandon - his revenge when it became clear it could potentially play into the hands of some unknown, possibly hostile and probably self-serving faction. That’s more than one could reasonably expect; to be frank, when watching those last few episodes raw I got mightily confused. Because really, nobody would blame Xiao Qi for going after Zitan with actual killing intent; it may not have looked quite right even then, but it made actual sense for the character.

And oh dear, did he become ruthless! I don’t think that drama!Xiao Qi would have normally gone after witless Imperial Mooks with such utter ruthlessness when not threatened directly and certainly not because of an insult. Until he did in episode 55, that is. Without one word, like a bloody grim reaper. Not to say that he was ever loud or, gods forbid, hesitant about his killing. But neither was he this single-minded about it. There is still plenty of emotion there or rather there is plenty of emotion before - including an actual tear! - and none in the immediate aftermath of the killing.

Huh. Is it me or does this scene resemble nothing more than a burnt offering? It’s a ritual sacrifice, just look how it’s framed! Plenty of fire and smoke, sacrificial animals Mooks butchered and fired up right at the gravesite and Xiao Qi as the presiding priest entering into communion with the dead and making a solemn oath meant to ensure their peaceful rest. Well, isn’t this neat. But it’s not about the aesthetics. It’s about the way this oath is worded. Xiao Qi addresses his fallen brothers directly, which means this whole revenge business is not actually about him. It would be much, much easier if it was! The only way he enters into this equation personally at this stage is as an executioner... and as a debtor. He feels that he owes those fallen soldiers, that much is made clear. As if he wouldn’t have felt obliged to get justice for them either way! Let me tell you, they take bro code very, very seriously up there in Ningshuo.

And yet, with this oath weighing on his soul, what is Xiao Qi’s first destination? It’s not Ningshuo, where he might be able to clear up this whole supposed treason issue (and wouldn’t that be fun to see!), get resources to exact revenge or hell, even admit and undergo penance for his perceived failings, if that’s his jam. It’s not like he has any other options if he wants to get justice. Unless he’s planning to go full Dark and Toxic Avenger, which doesn’t suit him at all. And yet what is his first priority? To save his wife, of course! Which he could have done just as well with the full force of Ningshuo Army behind his back, which he could have had but for the asking. It’s not like he could have known Awu needed immediate rescuing, he’s not bloody prescient.

So, on that list of priorities Awu’s safety trumps revenge. Good to know. But it’s still before everything else, right? Yeah, no. See, there is a reason he didn’t go to Ningshuo until he had no other choice but to seek out safety for Awu and all those civilians, the Dou kids among them. It’s the same reason he doesn’t force a mutiny right at the very start and not even once he has his back pressed to the wall by a horde of wild Hulans. And why he leaves it to this men to make their own decision to follow him and even tries to talk them out of it, reminding them that officially he’s a dirty traitor and all that. So... Free choice and good reputation of living Ningshuo soldiers trump revenge, who knew. Xiao Qi, dearie, that’s not how you go on a rampage, what kind of a ruthless avenger are you? A very poor one, that’s what kind.

No, really, he’s so bad at this roaring rampage of revenge thing that I’m getting second-hand embarrassment. Because the next thing we know he’s not even framing it as revenge anymore! If you pay attention to that lovely post-coital (what, it really is!) conversation in episode 60, some things immediately jump out. Like the fact that Xiao Qi is clingy as fuck and not that eager to go anywhere outside his wife’s bed. Like the fact that he says that he needs to go as it is his duty to get to the truth. Truth! Not revenge. And it’s not like he’s framing it this way solely for Awu’s benefit as he talks to her of revenge just one episode later; truth is what is going to figure the most in his pursuit of the true culprit behind the Hunt of Doom. Truth and justice. Which is nothing like this hundredfold revenge stuff from episode 55, although revenge - normal, standard type - will still come up time to time. Could it be that this oath is Xiao Qi’s spiritus movens with truth and justice playing the role of a fig leaf preserving some resemblance of reason and legality? It’s certainly possible... if his actions supported it in any way. And they simply don’t.

Because you know what just got put onto that list of priorities above bloody revenge? Duty. Duty that all Ningshuo soldiers have towards Cheng. Zitan is sitting in his room, while his ministers run around like headless chickens. Chaos and rebellion rule supreme... so what does Xiao Qi do? He takes the scenic route to the capital, absolutely disregarding the fact that after six more months and with no advantage of surprise - hard to keep his return secret when he’s at the head of an army - the trail of this dastardly culprit could go completely cold.

So far the list of Xiao Qi priorities goes something like this:

Awu,

his living men, which includes their reputation and freedom of choice,

his duty to Cheng and its people,

truth and justice,

revenge.

Which is pretty much what it would have looked like before episode 50, minus revenge that is. Ah, no, sorry, there is a change. There is an additional bullet point, Song Huaien. Who had gone well before truth and justice before the Hunt of Doom (remember that burnt receipt?) and now slots in right behind it. Still trumps revenge though! If he didn’t, Xiao Qi would have pressed harder during their little tete-a-tete at the end of episode 60. But no, he loses control only for the barest moment and even then it takes an implied insult to the honour of his fallen brothers in general and Best Bro in particular. Or, if that is not proof enough, he would have involved Song Huaien in his later investigation, putting pressure on him if necessary. And yet that quite noticeably doesn’t happen.

Okay, I think we’re pretty clear on this priorities thing, right? To recap, Xiao Qi’s post-episode 50 list of priorities looks like this:

Awu,

his living men, which includes their reputation and freedom of choice,

his duty to Cheng and its people,

truth and justice,

Song Huaien (currently an outsider) and his freedom of choice,

revenge.

Let’s change the subject. You are right on point, my lovely Nonnie #1, Xiao Qi hasn’t exactly changed. He just became more of himself, shedding - perhaps only temporarily - some parts, while embracing others whole-heartedly. Which hasn’t exactly gone unnoticed. And surprisingly enough I’m not talking about Awu; we shall speak of her fears in a moment. I’m speaking of Tang Jing and his strange way of reassuring Xiaohe that Dawang will be fine during their meeting with Song Huaien. DAWANG will be fine, says our faithful general, keeping a close and surprisingly wary eye on the proceedings. Why, it looks like he might be implying someone else might not be fine, that somebody being Song Huaien. Tang Jing is wrong on that count, but he had definitely noticed something off about Xiao Qi. Or maybe not off, but something that has him at the ready for possible violence, which would have been absurd before Dawang’s miraculous resurrection. Methinks someone is coming over as having no more fucks to give. Well, it’s not like Ningshuo guys disapprove! Just look at their determined little faces and upright postures (!) during the kneeling debacle in episode 61.

As for Awu... Personally I don’t think it at all strange that she questions whether Xiao Qi has changed. It would be much, much stranger if she didn’t. Her doubt is only natural as it comes right after she gets proof that Su Jin’er betrayed her in a most heinous way. And it’s not the first time she was taken by surprise like this: most of her loved ones changed in most unpleasant ways and some simply revealed their true colours. Daddy Wang, Daddy Emperor, Empress Dowager, Zitan, Potato (if one believes Helan Zhen), Xie Wanru, Zilu, Mi’er, Su Jin’er, they all turned out to be something else than she originally thought them to be and even her parents’ marriage turned out to be built on blood and penance. Turnip is not on that list as he start lying to her face only after she expresses her fear to Xiao Qi, although before she does so to Auntie Xu.

But let us look at our Dark and Toxic Avenger. He rolls up to the capital with his humongous army good six months late and does he get straight to business? Yeah, no. First he allows Awu to hold a sweet reunion with her brother, which could have damaged his cause if it ever hinged on empty posturing. It doesn’t, but still, Nonnie #1, what say you to this example of husbandly strictness? That he does not engage himself is not exactly out of character either; he does engage with those of Awu relatives he likes (so her Mom basically) and holds back with those he doesn’t (like the Screechers). He’s pretty ambivalent on Turnip, I think, especially now that he serves as Zitan’s mouthpiece.

Thank you, dear Nonnie #2 for making me pay attention to those two scenes in particular. That episode 61 conversation is something quite special and very, very telling. Let’s start from the beginning. It’s not Awu who raises the subject of Xiao Qi changing; he does it himself. She just muses on the subject in general and he immediately zeroes on it, volunteering such juicy ammo as the fact that other people think he had changed. Who are those other people, I wonder? Tang Jing? Other Ningshuo officers? Who the hell could have known Xiao Qi well enough and be close enough to have no problem with voicing such an inflammatory opinion? Must have been Tang Jing. Doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Xiao Qi is surprisingly conscious of his own behaviour. But I think it’s not exactly a new thing; I think his reluctance to take Awu with him in episode 60 was at least partially motivated by his fear that she’d see him at his worst. After all he didn’t actually confirm her theory about his probable reasoning. But back to episode 61! Xiao is also surprisingly insecure about his actions. At first I thought he was concerned solely about Awu’s perception of them, but now I’m not so sure. He’s a bit too touched and too grateful for her support - to the point of overselling her contribution, unless there were some cuts there, that is - for it to be just that.

As for that playfulness, merry Nonnie #3, there it is!

And strangely enough it’s Xiao Qi who initiates it. Awu’s comment about Princess Yuzhang needing to be brave doesn’t exactly feel like teasing. More like reassurance; I am your Princess Yuzhang hear me roar and you are not alone, you have a help-meet in me. He’s the one who turns to teasing her about her great bravery and being superior to Prince Yuzhang in this aspect. In the old days she might have been the one to put herself above him as a joke; this is weirdly reminiscent of that teasing but with Xiao Qi substituting for Awu. And even so their teasing doesn’t exactly last, they’re too clingy and scared for that. Well, Awu is scared, Xiao Qi is mainly conflicted. Although a lot less than before he got that sweet, sweet validation from his wife.

About that massacre talk... I just noticed that this talk of merciless revenge doesn’t exactly come of the blue. He says it in direct response to Awu voicing her fears. She’s afraid of even greater danger awaiting them in the future... so what does an excellent husband like Xiao Qi do? Why, he reassures his scaredy-cat wife that he already died once and this time it’s the culprit behind this whole bloody mess who’s going straight to hell, never to bother them again. Whoever he might be. I think... I think it’s Xiao Qi’s way of reassuring his wife that there is no need to be scared. “Darling, no, don’t worry about me, nothing bad is going to happen. Or rather yes, many bad things are going to happen, but to the guy who put this fear into your heart, whoever he might be”. It’s... surprisingly sweet. And not a complete miss; Awu is not exactly opposed, she just doesn’t want a bloodbath. True, he doesn’t respond to that; and how could he make such a promise when he doesn’t know if a bloodbath will be required. He doesn’t respond... but he does listen very attentively. And you know what? There won’t be a bloodbath, not in the name of his revenge, even once there is opportunity and proof enough for it.

Also, in this particular conversation? It’s Xiao Qi looking Awu in the eye and actively seeking this contact. She’s the nervous one here, the one whose behaviour is more out of line with their pre-episode 50 baseline.

Episode 62, second oath over Hu Guanglie’s grave. This time there is no talk about any pain or humiliation paid back hundredfold; Hu Yao asks Xiao Qi to get to the truth and restore the good name of Ningshuo army. He’s visibly moved and does just that. Hu Yao as the only survivor among Xiao Qi’s subordinates present at the Hunt of Doom holds a very unique position; she’s the living breathing representative of her fallen brethren, a conduit of their will. Truth and good name? Done. This moment may be, in fact, the reason why Xiao Qi doesn’t cut Zitan into pieces. It would exactly be all that conductive to restoring that good name. Zitan in exile after having publicly admitted his guilt is one thing, but Zitan brutally murderized in his own throne hall could potentially become a martyr. Sure, our Master of Mope is a regicide himself, but any canny politician would disregard that in order to hoist his bloody corpse as an undeniable proof that Xiao Qi needs to die as an uncontrollable beast. Add to that half a dozen wild tales of fiery jealousy over Awu, Xiao Qi’s rampant ambition, Zitan’s tragic martyrdom in name of the truth, whatever that truth might be... and lo and behold, Ningshuo guys are back to being public enemy number one. Well, not to the common people, they’re not, but to all those aristos who already break into hives at the very thought of filthy commoners deciding the fate of the Empire? Yeah.

Soon after that second oath Xiao Qi goes after Zitan... in a suspiciously bloodless, if psychologically earth-shattering way. Still leaving him an out and appealing to his conscience in a way. Which... is the worst possible approach to take with Zitan who has no conscience. That he lays into Zitan’s ministers with unprecedented ferocity is not exactly surprising. It’s not like they didn’t deserve it; even before everything there was a visible divide and even enmity between ‘them’ and ‘us’, it’s just that nobody dared to voice it in the throne room. The only thing that changed is that ‘they’ turned out to be even more useless than usual, allowing chaos and rebellion to run rampant; Xiao Qi has every right to be pissed and it’s not like he never baited the ministers with their own uselessness before. Although now that I think about it... Those two spears to the back might have done his verbal filter in.

The only thing Xiao Qi would have never done in the good old days when Hu Guanglie was still around (in corporeal form, ghosts don’t count)? He would have never threatened an Emperor with a public uprising. With Ningshuo army, however... Well, it wasn’t outright rebellion, but... No, actually. Exploding an imperial envoy absolutely was an act of open rebellion. It’s just that Xiao Qi still cared about forms enough to bow and make sure to give His Imperial Majesty the middle finger only in limited, discreet company. And even that could be attributed to the fact that he had at least some respect for both Daddy Emperor and Potato. Not much. But enough. For Zitan he has absolutely none. Had either of the previous incumbents fucked up to this extent, it could have gone pretty much the same. There must have been lots of dead and starving women and children on the way from Ningshuo to the capital.

Episode 63, family outing. They’re both optimistic enough, exactly as befits new parents. And then Xiao Qi recalls their old dream of living in peace; he does this with certain wistfulness, but the dream itself is something that kept coming up this whole time, so it’s nothing out of ordinary. And then Awu tries to get him to take a break. She doesn’t ask him to abandon his revenge. She wants to put all the current issues off and just... go. He quite understandably dismisses this idea. It’s not that he’s dismissive towards her concerns. It’s that she doesn’t actually voice any valid concerns here! I have no idea what this is even supposed to be. It’s not a demand nor a sensible request. It’s nothing he would be inclined to take on his merits. Is it mean to be a very clumsy attempt at emotional manipulation? After if fails, it becomes rather obvious that it was a long stretch to begin with, one that she felt obliged to make anyway with little to no actual hope of succeeding. And I even get why, but...

Come out and say what you mean, Awu. You can’t have you revenge for this, this and that reason, not without making things worse, just stop. She’s wishy-washy. Put off. Put off his investigation, leaving behind a potential enemy who thinks nothing of murdering people and has a hard-on for Awu? That’s not only stupid, that’s actively suicidal. Put off his all the current issues? Like keeping Cheng in one piece and not letting it slide back into civil war? Zitan isn’t magically going to get better at ruling, you know. None of the reasons for the initial chaos have been removed, well, maybe except a few rebellious heads. This plead, half-serious as it is, is insane. He’d have to be insane to agree to that. And he knows that she knows that. “Sure, honey. Once I deal with my enemies, we’ll go”. Is he humoring her? Perhaps, but I don’t think so. He takes a moment to think before answering. “We will do things your way once things are safe for us to do so“. Because you know what? Dealing with his enemies solves pretty much every other outstanding problem in one swoop. No, it really does. Including public discontent and world hunger. I’m not joking about the latter, by the way, remember that final voiceover?

I am sounding snappish, I think. It’s not that I’m judging Awu, even if it might seem so. I get where she’s coming from and I don’t dismiss her very real fears... but this is not the way to express those. She can do better. She has done better in the past. She’s traumatized as fuck, conflicted about her own role, afraid for their dream, fine. But it’s hard to blame Xiao Wi for reacting like a reasonable human being either, especially when her behaviour should be giving him pretty serious whiplash. One moment she stands with him and supports him in action, the next she offers him reassurance and voices her pretty reasonable condition... and the next she tries to half-heartedly propose something as totally bonkers as taking a break, leaving the realm in utter chaos. He’s not so stupid as not to know that something is up. So acting suspicious? It’s not actually unreasonable. And unlike most MLs would do, he doesn’t accuse her of supporting his enemies, not ever. He’s just concerned, if in a rather brusque way.

In fact, I’d say he’s surprisingly calm when Awu implies he’s raising their kid in a culture of hate in episode 64. He simply reminds the that Xiaohe has witnessed the massacre himself, so his reaction is genuine. And, as I personally think, not a half-bad way of dealing with trauma, very constructive. It’s not like the kid wants to go and shank Zitan himself; he’s talking about becoming a great general and then perhaps taking revenge. And, quite noticeably, Xiao Qi doesn’t say a word to this announcement. And yet the most he allows himself in response to Awu’s not very nice implication is a very matter-of-fact explanation with perhaps the slightest hint of defensiveness and no personal attacks. Now, this turning away from her is... concerning to say the least, so I understand your feelings on the subject, dear Nonnie #2. But.... is it all that bad? Let’s see.

He does turn away and responds only when she calls his name twice. And even then there is something nearly... insulting about his demeanour. He’s tired, that’s for sure. And perhaps dismissive. But notice that this deadpan tone lasts only as long as Awu keeps dancing around the subject, throwing up wild theories, even as they both pretty much know what the truth is. And even then he’s paying full close attention to her unusual behaviour, certainly enough to suss out something must have happened... and immediately offer his support. Which works! Or would have worked if not for bloody Auntie Xu. Or not bloody, at least not yet (please, Daddy Wang, hurry up!).

So let’s recap:

Awu implies that Xiao Qi is raising Xiao Qi in a culture of hate - to which he responds with facts and nothing but.

She uses this to gain momentum for another attempt at clumsy emotional manipulation (which she’s much better at usually) - he turns away very rudely as he finds this beneath both of their dignities and he’s not exactly wrong, is he?

She throws up a truly absurd candidature of Prime Minister Wen as the actual culprit, very blatantly playing up her wifely concern and fear - he dismisses it immediately, not even pretending he hadn’t seen through her ploy.

Then she tries to use her own brother to make him admit that there are limits to his revenge - and he gives her a warning glance.

After which he reiterates his stance and disengages. Which, fair. His previously supportive wife is playing stupid games and lying to him. He knows she’s smarter than that. If she had a theory about PM Wen or Turnip, that would be one thing. But she’s jumping. This is going somewhere. And it’s not exactly hard to guess where. Also, trying to hit the family button, even so subtly? After all they went through and after she already used it once during Screechergate, if in a much more brutal manner? And after she assured him that he was the most important person to her before they even left Ningshuo? Yeah, that’s not good.

And even then he doesn’t get offended enough for it to overcome his concern. Oh, he might have acted disinterested, but he’s been paying attention alright. And he starts the conversation again, asking her outright what is wrong. Because something obviously is. And she lies. Again. He calls her out on it very succinctly and without assigning any blame. “That’s not true”, he says and asks again what has happened. “Your heart is uneasy. Tell me. You don’t have to carry this burden alone”.

That’s more than reasonable. He gives her more that one chance of coming clean and puts her well-being above any possible offence or hurt of his own. “You don’t have to carry this burden alone”, dammit. That’s not exactly dismissive. All the same I do understand why this conversation might trip people up. It’s all about the tone. They’re not tender with each other - well, Awu tries for gentle concern, but she’s lying, even if that concern is real enough. He’s brusque enough for two. But you know what I think? I think this was the worst possible place to have this conversation. Bad, bad choice on Awu’s part. To one side they have a wall of maids including Auntie Xu the Blabber, even as the issue they’re discussing is of national importance and spies don’t sleep. To the other there are two kids. Little pitchers have big ears, you know. And besides, they’re talking about the true source of the kids’ trauma, something that Xiaohe is only starting to process. This is so awkward and so perfect at the same time! You see, there is something very telling about their voices. They’re quiet. So quiet that Auntie Xu, trying for a surreptitious whisper, speaks at pretty much the same volume.

Yeah, okay, Xiao Qi could have played it differently. They both could have. But his reactions are not really anything out of the norm, even if somewhat more human than usual. He’s so bloody tired and even their home - as you’ve pointed out so astutely, Nonnie #3 - is no sanctuary anymore.

After that they presumably go about their business and don’t really resolve anything until the evening. See, Awu really wants to say something when she sees Xiao Qi enter her rooms. An apology, perhaps? Perhaps not. He doesn’t let her either way, only offers to go with her. Okay. So they had that tense conversation and thanks to Auntie Xu the only chance of Awu coming clean went bust. He still comes to offer his support the moment he hears she’s in distress. That’s how very much he’s not holding a grudge. And he reaches for her first!

Whatever happened, it doesn’t matter more than your pain. It never will.

Ah, Mother’s Funeral 2.0 combined with Unpleasant Truth About A Wang Male 2.0, the latter offered after an even weaker token protest than last time. No change of behaviour there! And again, he lets her go and deal with her family on her own terms.

Then we get plotting scene, which was sadly hacked to pieces and we don’t even get to see Awu reveal the truth about Zitan. But from there on they act as one. No more of this emotional blackmail bullshit, no more dismissal, there’s a crisis and they’re a unit. And guess what, revenge just got shelved!

Or no, not shelved. Exchanged for truth and justice. Because even if Xiao Qi’s coup is fake as hell, he still reveals Zitan for the monster that he is. What I don’t understand is why does nobody really care about Zitan murdering Potato, but okay. Either Potato lives don’t matter or they need time to actually make a viable plan how to deal with this rotten kinder surprise. Or, and that’s probably accurate in any case, they need time to come out of shock. I feel you, guys, I would be pretty shocked too. The Yuzhang Acting Company can have this effect on unprepared viewers.

As for the Yuzhang Acting Company and Xiao Qi’s acting abilities... you pretty much know already what I think. And if you don’t, you can read about it here and here. Mark my words, Awu is the tougher cookie of the pair, while Xiao Qi is practically falling to pieces at particularly difficult moments. Then he comes back, actively seeks her support upon being confronted with the source of the greater part of his anguish (the throne, not Zitan) and they go live happily even after in Ningshuo with a whole horde of kids. The end.

Well, that exercise, as amusing as it might have been, proved only one thing. Either I’m blind or I had fallen victim to the Mandela Effect, because I swear Awu was the more clingy one of the two the last time I looked. And it is really not so. As to whether he changed... They both did? Hopefully it’s nothing that a few months of living in Ningshuo won’t cure; you will tear my headcanonny teasy-cheesy old married couple from my cold, dead hands! Even so, it’s not as drastic as all that; they are both fundamentally themselves, only stripped down to bare elements and at the same time burdened with unbearable trauma. Okay, that’s it, we’re done, bye.

Or not bye. Because what about that revenge? Well... I’m pretty sure that Hu Guanglie’s ghost will be pretty satisfied with truth, justice and a golden opportunity to torment Zitan to death in the ruins of the Imperial Mausoleum? Oh, and he also got a nation-wide mourning ceremony. Yeah, he’s happy enough.

#ask and answer #the rebel princess #sorry not sorry for grouping these asks #my heart is a fragile delicate thing #and so can take only a certain amount of angst #before it shatters into thousands of tiny pieces #this post doesn't make sense #don't say I haven't warned you #I'm a great fan of Awu and you know it #but she's in the wrong a couple times here #and I had to say it

14 notes · View notes

willow-salix · 3 years

Text

(Fluffember Prompt : Picnic)

Day 5 of Isolation on Tracy Island 2.0

“Are you going to eat all that yourself?” Gordon asked as he sidled up to me in the kitchen. I was making noodles, nice, simple, stir fried noodles, a little bit of chicken, some veg and a sweet and sour dippy sauce. Lush.

“No,” I answered. There was clearly far too much for me to eat alone, I had a Space Hubby around here somewhere… or possibly up there somewhere, it was hard to tell.

“Oh, cool, can I ha-”

“No.”

Cue the pout, the epic Gordo pout. I am immune. I never thought I would ever be able to say that, but I’ve grown stronger, more able to resist the bottom lip of doom. Just about. I remember that I tried that once with John, and his exact words had been “Don’t even try, that won’t work on me, I’m immune, I have two younger brothers.” I’d thought his confident speech had been all bravado and false hope, but he might have actually been telling the truth, my pouts rarely worked on him and the ones that the terrible two dished out never did. Was my man secretly a god? I mean, I thought so, I’d seen him with his top off, but maybe, just maybe he had hidden talents. Hmmm…

“You’ve got that look on your face again.”

“What look?” I asked, needing to clarify his meaning so I could decide if I needed to be insulted or not.

“The one you get when you’re staring at John or that guy from that old TV show, the Scottish one with the time travel.”

“Jamie Fraser is the most perfect of men, he is the ultimate in husband goals, he is…” I trailed off and shrugged. “I obviously have a thing for hot redheaded men.”

“Urghh,” he made a face similar to the one that Scott made when Alan shoved his shoe under his nose last week. Like he wanted to throw up but wasn’t sure which way to aim.

“Why are you in here anyway?” I asked. “Was it just so you could bug me and judge me? I’m busy here, I’m trying to cook.”

He snorted, a scoffing little noise that was quite rude.

“What now?” I sighed.

“Cooking isn’t that hard.”

“Oh really? Then why is it that barely anyone in this house seems to be capable of it? It’s not just a case of grabbing some random ingredients, tossing them in a pot with a prayer for luck and you’re good to go.”

He declined to comment and wandered off without another word. I should have been terrified, but my bean sprouts were trying to burn so I pushed it aside to worry about later. That was my first dumb move.

My second dumb move was to actually leave the comfort of the couch and John’s recently vacated warm spot.

“What the everloving crap was that?” I yelped when a loud crash sounded from the kitchen below us. I poked John gently when he failed to react. “Did you hear that?”

“Since I’m not deaf, it would have been impossible for me not to,” he casually swiped something away on his tablet and started reading again.

“What did they do?”

“And since I do not, in fact, have the ability to see through walls, I don’t know.”

“Go and find out.”

You’d have thought I was asking him to go shopping with me again.

“I don’t think so, you go.”

“They’re your brothers.”

“You’re the one that cares.”

“They’re your brothers,” I repeated.

He gave me that look of his that promises retribution as I rolled sideways to let him get up, rolling back to steal his spot the second he moved. I dragged his blanket over my knees (I’m feeling chilly today) and stole his tablet to watch videos on as he walked away.

I got so engrossed, having fallen down a hole of cute hamster videos, that I didn’t realise for a full twenty minutes that John had failed to return. I had sudden and very detailed visions of my poor boy hogtied and left baking in the sun or some such nonsense. I unwrapped myself from my blanket burrito and started my very slow and reluctant walk towards the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” I yelled the second I rounded the corner, entered the room and saw the scene before me. They all froze guiltily, including John, who was at that very second groping blindly around in the pantry. And when I say blindly, I mean it literally, he was wearing a blindfold that by the looks of it, had been made by them tying my shawl around his head. I don’t know what they were thinking, if anything I’m a little surprised that I’ve never seen smoke coming out of their ears when their two remaining brain cells rub together to give them an idea.

The other idiots were all standing around in various places, standing guard over small piles of produce like dragons over their gold.

“What the hell is going on in here? And how the hell have you roped him in?”

“Hang on, he’s got twenty more seconds yet,” Alan told me, clicking a button on his comm again. “Go!”

John resumed his digging around, knocking over two jars of mustard and an open packet of pasta which poured out like a carby waterfall. He ignored it.

“Gordon?” I turned to the likely culprit.

“Why are you picking on me?” he asked innocently. "Why do you always assume it's my doing?"

“Are you honestly trying to tell me that you had nothing to do with this? Whatever this actually is.”

“We’re having a picnic,” Virgil told me.

“It’s blindfolded kitchen shopping,” Kayo elaborated. I switched my glare to her, she was involved, I could tell, mostly because she still had one of her workout head wraps around her neck and had her own pile of goodies on the counter in front of her.

“It was Scott’s idea,” Alan piped up, throwing his brother under the bus. “Time!”

John dropped the item in his left hand, retaining the one in his right and backed out of the pantry. He pulled off his blindfold and gathered up his treasures, a bag of donuts, a can of whipped cream and in his hand a tin of spaghetti hoops.

“What was Scott’s idea?”

“Well, when you told me that cooking was easy-”

“I said no such thing. I told you that it wasn’t as simple as just bunging some ingredients in a…” I trailed off, I could already see where this was going and I wasn’t impressed.

“Exactly, throw some ingredients together and make food. Easy.”

“Not easy,” I insisted.

“So I happened to mention it to Scott, who said that he agreed, you can make anything if you’re creative enough-”

“You should not be learning from the Grandma Tracy school of cookery!”

“The rules are simple,” Gordon continued as if I had never spoken. “One minute to select three ingredients, all of which must be used in the finished dish. You’re allowed to add two more ingredients to aid the construction but that’s all. You can do whatever you want with what you have, be as elaborate or as simple as you like. You must taste your own dish, as does everyone else when everything will be shared as a picnic.”

He looked so damned proud of himself, the little snot.

“How did the rest of you numpties get involved in this?” I sighed, knowing I was beaten. No one answered me. Giving up, my blanket nest calling me, I retreated towards the door.

“Do you want to join in?” Virgil asked innocently.

“No, I really don’t.”

“Do you not have as much faith in your cooking skills as we do in ours?” Alan teased.

I paused in the doorway.

“Dare you, unless you’re scared,” Kayo threw in, just to stir the pot.

“Dammit!” She knew exactly what she was doing, I can NEVER resist a dare.

“Gimme a blindfold.”

Alan tossed me his, which I think was a football sock, but I didn’t want to look at it too closely, I just prayed it was clean. I tied it around my head and Scott checked to make sure I couldn’t see anything. I don’t know what he did, because obviously I couldn’t see anything, but it made a few of them snigger, so I’m obviously suspicious.

Alan started the timer and I groped my way around the table to the fridge.

“Forty-five seconds!”

Crap! This was actually pretty stressful. How did you pick something without seeing it? I decided to stick to one place and hope for the best, open the fridge, feel around, grab some bits, done! Right?

Easier said than done when you have recently gone shopping, the fridge is packed to bursting and you can’t tell what anything is.

“John! Grab this!” I demanded as Alan happily started counting down from twenty as my time ticked away. I grabbed something small and weird, no idea what it was and tossed it over my shoulder in what I guessed was his general direction, hoping he caught it.

I fumbled around and selected something round and cold, that I hoped might be a tomato and held that out too, then in desperation I yanked out a random box just as Alan called time.

I pulled off my blindfold and looked at the things John was holding for me, which turned out to be an apple and a tiny radish. I was holding a carton of eggs. Could have been worse.

“Let the food prep begin,” Gordon declared. “No helping each other.”

Sighing I got to work. Obviously, eggs would be my main ingredient, I cracked four into a bowl and whisked them together.

“Do we have to use all of the ingredients we picked out?” I asked.

“Yes, every one.”

“No, I meant do I have to use the entire apple or the entire box of eggs,” I clarified.

“Oh, no you don’t, it just has to have them in there.”

“Cool, OK, and we get two extra ingredients of our choice?”

“Yep.”

“Cool.” That was me sorted then. I grabbed a grater and shredded a quarter of the apple and less than an eighth of the tiny radish. I wasn’t a big fan of those spicy little buggers, I don’t like pepper and they definitely have a peppery quality to them, but I was hoping the sweetness of the apple would balance it out.

I opened the fridge again and selected some cheese which I shredded and some ham, chopping it up quite fine. That would do.

I set a pan on the stove top and waited for it to heat up.

“Do I get to use any kind of oil or something to stop my food sticking?” I asked.

The ringleaders, Gordon and Scott, looked at each other, obviously indulging in some kind of non-verbal conversation I wasn't privy to before making their decision.

“Yes you can,” Scott graciously allowed.

“Thank you.” I dumped in a generous knob of butter. Quickly I sloshed the eggs into the pan, and fluffed them up a little with a fork before I turned the heat down a bit and let them sizzle.

I glanced over at Alan who was constructing something with jam and a pile of cookies. Scott was wrestling with a can of tuna and Gordon was opening a carton of custard.

I sprinkled a little of the apple on top of the egg, then a tiny dusting of radish, followed by a large handful of cheese and ham. I eased the sides of my omelette away from the pan, making sure it wasn’t sticking and checking it was cooking.

John, I noticed, was doing something weird with a lettuce leaf that he had procured from somewhere, it was not one of his blindfolded items so he must have gotten it after. He had the leaf stretched over a small bowl and was spooning a tiny amount of the tinned spaghetti into it. Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to marry into this family. I must have been drunk.

I carefully folded my omelette in half and turned the heat off, letting it rest and continue cooking a little.

“I’m done,” I declared, turning around to survey the chaos that had become our kitchen. Oh the humanity. I would NOT be cleaning this up.

Alan, it transpired, had blindly chosen cookies, cheese slices and curry sauce left over from some McDonald’s nuggets I got a few weeks ago, bringing them and other goodies with me in the space elevator. His extras appeared to involve pilfering a few of the McVities digestive biscuits that I’d brought from home the day I arrived that Kayo had chosen in her blind scrabble around the snack cupboard.

He’d proceeded to make a weird stacked thing he was calling a cookie burger which consisted of a cookie base, a layer of jam on top of that, the digestive and lastly a slice of cheese with a drizzle of curry sauce on top.

Gordon was constructing something very elaborate, involving a bowl and lots of layers. His random items appeared to be the custard, half a vanilla sponge cake and a tub of left over chili. My mind was boggling.

Scott was hacking at a rather stale looking half loaf of bread that John said he found in the rarely used bread bin, I don't know how he'd managed to open the bread bin without seeing it, but apparently he had. He'd also blindly chosen a can of Tuna and a packet of fruit gummies.

Virgil, the adorable chonk, had managed to choose a package of cocktail weenies, a tin of peaches and a few sticks of celery. He had stared at his bounty for a good few minutes, before giving up and wandering over to the pantry. He'd stared into that too, like he was looking into a black hole or contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

Eventually he'd chosen a pie crust from the baking shelf and had begun to assemble his creation. He tipped the peaches into the pie dish, chopped up the celery and cocktail sausages and dropped them in on top. He'd looked around, rather desperately I thought, and reached over to steal John's can of whipped cream, squirting a generous amount on top of his frankenpie and called it good.

Kayo appeared to have more sense than the others, she had been the one to find my stash of digestive biscuits and, after Alan had liberated a few, proceeded to crush them into crumbs which she lined the inside of a bowl with.

"What are you making?" I asked, because it didn't look too awful.

She continued to construct her…whatever it was…adding some cake pilfered from Gordon, some grated carrot mixed into cream cheese that was one of her chosen extras and topping it all with strawberries. It kinda…vaguely…could be a cheesecake, if you tipped your head to the side and squinted.

I turned to John, my man, the one that I was supposed to trust with all my heart and soul…he was…I don't know how to describe it. He'd taken the donut and hollowed out a little bit more from the middle hole, then he'd gathered up the sides of his lettuce leaf/ spaghetti hoops thing and had made it into a little parcel, twisting the end closed. He then popped that inside the hollowed out donut. I have no idea why. He'd finished by decorating the top with whipped cream and sprinkles. What was it with them all thinking that whipped cream was the answer to all their problems? Because three of them had done it so far.

Gordon had sprinkled in a handful of peas, actual peas, on top of his custard layer, then added cream on top. I honestly don't know.

Scott had moved on from his bread and taken some of John's lettuce, insisting it was his first, and put a leaf on the stale bread and topped that with Tuna and sweetcorn, which actually had the potential to taste OK. Time would tell. He'd used the fruit gummies to decorate the plate with, I'm not sure if that counted but since he and Gordon seemed to be in charge I assumed it was allowed.

I slid my omelette onto a plate and vaguely wondered if I should grab a few sick bags before the picnic portion of this weird event started.

They all looked incredibly proud of themselves, why I had no idea, no one should be proud of the mess they had made, this was not food, this was barely a step up from mud pies in the yard.

They all took their food offerings and trooped outside, setting up camp on one of the picnic benches near the edge of the beach and settled in.

One by one they presented their masterpieces. Here are the reactions.

SCOTT’S

“This bread’s hard, very hard,” Alan said.

“It’s very fishy,” Gordon said, although we don’t know if it was a bad thing or not.

“Not bad, I could eat it if I had to,” Virgil allowed.

“I don’t like the sweetcorn on it, it keeps rolling away,” John frowned. He was always a bit funny with tinned sweetcorn anyway, he prefers it on the cob.

“That isn’t just hard bread, that is rock bread,” Kayo complained.

“It’s edible, with fresh ingredients I’d eat it again,” I said, trying to be nice. Honestly it wasn’t that bad, I’d definitely eaten worse over the years.

“It’s almost exactly like the subs we made in college,” Scott said, popping the rest in his mouth and chewing happily. He’s weird, that one, he pretends he’s not, he offers the illusion of being the capable, responsible older brother, but it’s all an act.

ALAN’S

“Erm…” Scott hedged, spending at least a minute turning the thing in his hand looking for a way to attack it.

“I don’t know what to do with this, Al…” Virgil was even less sure.

“Give it here!” I had less issues and snatched it away from Scott. I ripped off a bit of the curry sauce topped cheese slice, licked the sauce off the cheese, popped the cheese in my mouth then took a bite of the sweet stuff. It was hard to get my teeth through all the layers of biscuit, but I managed it. It was actually OK, separating it was the way to go. “That’s actually quite nice.”

John copied me exactly, because I’m the sensible one although he’d never admit to that. “You’re right, it’s not bad.”

“Wimps,” Gordon bit straight through it, cheese, curry and all. Then he gagged.

Kayo took the cheese off her’s, ate the sweet stuff first then finished with the cheese, an unconventional method but it wasn’t like any of this was normal. She made a noise that could have been approval but could just as easily been a whimper of surrender.

Virgil took the whole thing apart and ate everything separately, one piece at a time, declaring it to be, “Not bad.”

Scott glanced at me with that look in his eye that said he was about to do something stupid… He reached for the curry sauce pot…

“Scott, no!” I warned him.

He ignored me to tip the rest of the curry sauce on top of the cheese and threw it in his mouth. Immediately he let out a noise that sounded like a mixture between a gag and a burp. He chewed frantically then swallowed. We waited to see what would happen. “Not deadly,” was his verdict.

VIRGIL’S

“I’m sorry, no, I’m not eating that,” I told them, flat out refusing. “I’m semi allergic to peaches, they give me migraine headaches and I’m not risking it. I’m out.”

“I’m excused because she can’t eat peaches and I won’t risk cross contamination,” John said, leaping on my statement as a way to get out of it.

“That’s a flimsy excuse!” Scott accused, he knew it, John knew it, we all knew it. John didn’t care.

“You’re just mad that you can’t use it,” John said, squeezing my leg under the table in thanks for my weird kinda-allergy. I patted his hand in solidarity.

“No one has to eat it, I did my best,” Virgil winced, knowing that his was likely to be the most disastrous yet.

“I’m in!” Gordon declared, picking out a cocktail weenie and dunking it in the cream before popping it in his mouth. He chewed frantically as he scooped up a spoonful of pie crust, peaches and a slice of celery and shoveled that in after the weenie. He kept chewing, his face registering at least six different emotions, none of them pleasant before he finally swallowed. “It could have been worse.”

Kayo copied Gordon and picked out a weenie which she ate first, on its own. That’s where she got smart, washing it down with a mouthful of water before continuing. She spooned up some pie, peach, celery and cream concoction and tasted it. “Not bad like this, the celery is a slightly weird addition, but it can be ignored.”

“I feel sick,” Alan said, having shoved a large mouthful in.

Scott, the brave boy that he is, shrugged and cut a whole slice, lifting it carefully to his mouth.

“He’s a madman…” Alan whispered in awe.

“A brave man…” Gordon added.

“A stupid man…” I sighed.

Scott bit into it, chewing slowly, rolling it around his mouth. “It’s fine.”

I stared at him in utter shock.

Virgil nibbled on a corner, made a face and pushed it away. “No.”

GORDON’S

“What the heck is this?” he of the iron stomach and nuclear powered taste buds asked.

“It’s that thing they did in that show,” Gordon answered, yet Scott still looked bemused, as did we all, blank faces all round.

“Which show, babe?” I felt the need to ask.

“The one with the friends in the coffee shop.”

“You mean ‘Friends’?”

“If that’s what it’s called,” he shrugged. “It’s a meat trifle.”

Cue horrified gasps all around.

“With a few modifications, obviously, since I had to use chili,” he hurried to explain, although it was anything but reassuring.

John pushed his fork into the center of the dish, looking more and more scared the deeper it sank.

“Don’t eat it and just say you did,” I side whispered to him, worried about his stomach since he usually lived on simple and non perishable food in Five.

“I heard that!” Gordon accused as he spoons up a big bite, determined to prove it was edible, and chowed down. “Huh…” he kept chewing, “not bad…”

“Not bad?” Scott goggled. “Are you serious?”

“The chili is good, the custard is good, the cream is nice, the peas are a bit weird but overall it's OK.”

Virgil was the next brave soul to scoop up a tiny forkful and I did the same getting the smallest amount I could onto my spoon, mostly trying to get just custard and cream, although I think I did spot a lurker pea in there.

Kayo and Alan both scooped up a spoonful and shoved it in their mouths, obviously figuring that getting it over with was the best way to tackle it. Kayo spat hers out instantly, Alan managed to chew and swallow his. Virgil got his down but there was a fair bit of gagging.

“It tastes like a foot,” Alan declared.

John took a small bite and reacted almost like a cat with a hairball, his body shuddering, neck stretching as he silently gagged. I handed him a tissue and he gratefully spat it out, sagging against me as if he was about to die.

I looked at Scott, who nodded in return and dug out his own small amount. “On three?”

Scott nodded and began the count. “One...two...three!” We both stuffed our spoons into our mouths. Scott made a face but managed to get it down, my plan had worked and, while the pea was indeed lurking and rather weird, it wasn't that bad a bite and I swallowed without issue, pleased to have survived.

MINE

“This doesn’t look too bad,” Scott said assessingly.

“How dare!” I gasped. “Cheek of it, it looks tasty.”

Virgil cut himself a small portion, being cautious, since everything else has been questionable at best, downright disgusting at worse.

Gordon cut himself an actual slice, a godsdamned slice of my omelette and lifted it up like he would a piece of pizza then wondered why we were all staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

“What?” he asked, genuinely confused. John just shook his head in utter despair at his dingus brothers and cut a more sensible sized bite.

“I’m sure it will be edible,” he says diplomatically, it’s never good to insult the wife’s cooking even when it is so obviously crap.

Alan, disaster child that he is, cut a bit with the side of his spoon like a damned savage and spooned it up.

Kayo helped herself to a small fork full and got ready.

I reached over and broke a piece off of Gordon’s mega slice.

“OK, good luck my friends,” I offered as I popped the eggy weirdness in my mouth… it was interesting. Nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, the cheese and ham had mostly drowned out the spicy kick of the radish and the apple had added a weird sweetness to it, but at least it was edible if not to my tastes. I managed to chew it and swallow without choking.

“That’s oddly nice,” John said, chewing slowly, thoughtfully.

“Well, you are the person that likes baked apple pieces on your pizza,” I shuddered in revulsion at the memory of his birthday meal.

“What a man chooses to put on his pizza is his own business,” he told me.

“Not when it’s that weird.”

“It’s no weirder than pineapple on pizza.”

“He’s right,” Scott interrupted, “this is strangely OK.” He took another bite to make sure.

“I don’t like it, it’s too sweet,” Alan said, making a face. “ I like sweet, but not mixed with savoury like this.”

“I agree,” Virgil said, setting his aside, “it’s too sweet, but you did your best.”

Gordon didn’t say anything, but he was steadily munching through his piece, I watched him, oddly fascinated.

“It’s edible, that’s all I can say about it,” Kayo told me, which for her was a compliment.

“Well? Verdict?” I asked Gordon when he eventually finished.

“I don’t know. I don’t like it or dislike it, it just is.”

“You’re being philosophical over a weird omelette?” Scott laughed.

“Had to happen some time.”

“How? How did it have to happen?” John asked, utterly bemused, looking like his brain was going into a meltdown. “Who says to themselves ‘one day I will have to say something deep and meaningful about a randomly concocted omelette’? How do you even assume that?”

“I never say never,” Gordon shrugged, not caring to explain any further. Personally I don’t think he knew what he meant either but was just brazening it out by that point.

JOHN’S

I picked up his donut creation a little gingerly, because I saw what he’d done to it and I was wary. He obviously saw my hesitation because he lent closer to help.

“Just be careful with it and follow my instructions,” he whispered in my ear under the guise of being romantic.

One eyebrow rose in response...I mean, what do you say to that?

He continued, still whispering. “Bite down gently and try to avoid the sack,” he dropped a kiss on my neck before sitting back in his seat. Smooth, boy, very smooth. My other eyebrow lifted to join its sibling.

“I’m just trying to help,” he assured me.

“You’ve said that before.”

“And you listened then and look how well it turned out,” he said as if that was all the proof I needed.

I heard a snigger from Gordon who was obviously eavesdropping.

“I was referring to the fact that you often use the excuse of just trying to help,” I sniffed.

“Oh...well…” he tried to look innocent but failed, flashing me one of those devastating grins that just melted me on the spot. “Just taste my damn donut.”

I debated the wiseness of listening to him but decided that, as trust is supposed to be the cornerstone of any good relationship, I should probably pay attention.

“OK, here we go,” I bit down carefully, right at the edge, trying to measure the distance between where my teeth were and the no go zone. I think I brushed the edge of the lettuce leaf but managed to stick to just the donut which, though ever so slightly stale, was still good.

“That’s nice,” I allowed, trying to keep my cover as I passed the donut over to John who took a bite in exactly the same way and therefore stayed safe.

He passed it on to Kayo, who had been watching us intently, studying our moves with her usual mix of suspicion and calculated plotting.

“You’ve got some cream on your lip,” I was told and sat still while he wiped it away with his thumb.

“What do you think, Kay?” Scott asked.

Kayo, having executed a perfect bite from the other side of the donut nodded before passing judgement. “Edible.” She was now fully on board with our trickery and would never rat us out as she passed it innocently on to Alan.

Alan, trusting baby that he is, bit blindly into the donut, hitting the lettuce sack which exploded, squirting spaghetti hoop juice into his mouth.

“GAAAH what the…” he yelped, gasping in shock, dropping the demon donut with its hidden core of evil.

Scott picked up the donut, the spaghetti sauce now leaking out freely and soaking into the dough. Uncaring he takes a bite. “Not gonna lie,” he mumbles around his mouthful, “it's not great.”

Virgil relieved him of the donut and studied it from all sides. The artist in him wants everything to look appetizing and pleasant the whole time, this did not. “This looks hideous.” He nibbled a corner. “Disgusting,” he declared, offering it to Gordon.

Gordon reluctantly accepted it and bit down carefully. He chewed, swallowed and shook his head. “Nope, gross.”

KAYO'S

Kayo pushed her bowl over quite proudly. “Dig in.”

It didn’t look that bad, and since I’d seen a lot of what she used I knew the ingredients wouldn’t be that bad when mixed. Hopefully it wouldn't be the obnoxious assault to the tastebuds that some of them had been.

I slammed my spoon confidently into it and scooped out a mouthful, popping it in my mouth before I could back out.

“Humm…” I chewed thoughtfully, what did I actually think of it? I couldn’t decide so I just spoke my thoughts as I so often do. “It's quite nice. I mean, biscuit, cake and cream cheese is nice, I don't really like the carrot mixed in but it doesn't ruin it to the point of being disgusting. I like the strawberries, so I guess it’s a win.”

John followed my lead, digging his spoon in. “That's pretty good.”

“I really like that,” Scott dipped his spoon in for some more. “The carrot is different enough to not bore me but the rest is normal enough to make it nice.”

“It's too sweet for me,” Virgil said, putting his spoon down after his first taste.

“I'm not liking the carrot but the rest is good, I could eat it,” Alan said, his usual aversion to vegetables or anything healthy rearing its ugly head.

“It's all good. I don't mind the carrot either,” Gordon said, agreeing with Scott.

Kayo, obviously emboldened after using us as test subjects, risked tasting it herself. “Not bad.”

Well, we've tasted everything,” I said, glugging down some of John’s water in an attempt to cleanse my tongue a little. “Was there an actual point to all of this?”

Scott and Gordon both shrugged, not that I was that surprised, there is never much point to anything that any of these idiots do when bored.

“Not really,” Scott admitted.

“I wanted to prove you wrong,” Gordon told me, “and I think we did.”

“How? How did you? Some of this was disgusting, it clearly didn't work. How can you honestly think that you proved my wrong in any way, shape or form?” Seriously, the mind boggles with these guys.

“It showed that it can be done,” Gordon insisted.

“It shows nothing!”

“Just let it go, love,” John soothed, obviously trying to save what little sanity I have left.

“You joined in!”

“So did you,” he countered.

“I give up!” I yelled, throwing my hands up in frustration. “It’s like talking to monkeys, you’re all mental.” I climbed awkwardly off the bench and headed back to the house.

“So, did I win?” I heard Kayo ask as I rounded the corner, leaving them alone.

Stupid competitive Tracys! I should never have left the sofa, hell, I should never have left England. I knew this would be a mistake. I’d be insane by the end of it.

I stopped off in the kitchen to make myself a coffee, hoping it would take some of the taste away. I grabbed a few abandoned cookies and a non Johned donut and retreated to the sanctuary that was the couch and my blankets, which would be lonely without me.

I settled down, retrieved my book (I’m re-reading Outlander, which might be contributing to my Jamie Fraser love right now, all the best husbands have J names, fact) and got comfy, might as well make the most of what little peace I’d get before the chaos found me.

“Move over.”

I stayed where I was, maybe if I ignored him he would go away.

John, being John and refusing to be either insulted or put off by my rejection, simply lifted my legs and settled in their spot, dropping them back down over his lap.

I looked over my book at him as he reached for my coffee cup and gulped down half its contents. He offered me the mug and I put my book down to take it.

“Thanks,” I said because what else could I do? I sipped the coffee then put the mug down on the little table next to the couch and picked up my book again.

John took that as a sign that he was welcome to stay and started making himself at home, stealing some of the blanket and shifting to stretch out beside me. I moved over to make room, letting him settle his head on my chest as he found his tablet among the cushions.

OK, maybe there were a few good reasons to be here instead of alone at home, but I’ll never admit it outloud.

#Isolation Island #Thunderbirds in isolation #fluffember #thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds 2015

30 notes · View notes

marvelslut16 · 4 years

Text

I Promise

Pairing: Stanley Uris x Bowers!Reader (young)

Request/synopsis: “Hi! If you’re still writing Stanley Uris, could you write a little childhood piece taking place during the first movie where the reader is one of the bullies’ little sister and hates what her brother and his friends are doing to the losers and starts to hanging out with them and the boys make fun of Stan because it’s obvious that he likes her and one day they’re walking and end up on the kissing bridge and he just starts rambling to her about something he saw and she interrupts him by kissing him”

Word count: 4,390 I think I got carried away

Warnings: Swearing. Mentions of attempted murder? Use of the term flamer, it means flamboyant gay, Stan is called that by Patrick in the books. Mentions a lewd act that happens in the book as well. Violence from a brother. Bullying. Some angst? Pennywise, that should definitely be a warning lmao. Blood/gore/violence, typical for the IT fandom. Sort of mentions character death.

A/N: Sorry if this wasn’t exactly what you wanted, I tried to do this request justice (since it was my first! Thank you to the anon that asked for it!) but I definitely took it on an angsty ride lol. I definitely focused more on Henry and the time in the sewers than I originally planned. Sorry this took so long as well, I wasn’t sure how to fit all of my ideas together. I really like how this turned out, but it’s also like two in the morning so there could be typos.

Do you like being Henry's little sister? Of course not. Siblings or not, Henry treats you like shit too, at least he has the decency to keep it behind closed doors. On top of that, everyone avoids you, expecting you to be just like your brother or Greta. Greta is relatively nice to you, or as nice as demon spawn can be, she never makes fun of you or bullies you, she even tries to include you in her shit. Thinking, like everyone, that Henry actually likes you; and this way she can make a good impression and he can finally ask her out.

You walk out of the front doors of the school on the last day to see your lovely brother and his idiot friends teasing Stan and his group of friends, stealing the curly-haired boys kippah. Richie, being his typical self, starts screaming and insulting Henry, making him angrier. Henry takes said anger out on Stan, pushing him to the ground and pulling his leg back to kick the smaller boy in the side.

“Hey!” you scream and rush over to the scene, before you can realize what you're doing.

“Come to defend your boyfriend?” your brother sneers before laughing like a lunatic.

“Back off Henry,” you glare at him, stepping between him and Stan. You can hear the poor boy behind you struggling to stand up.

“Or what?” Henry leans in, face inches from yours. He has never made his dislike for you public, even his friends are shocked by his actions. “You gonna run home and tell Dad?”

“Tempting,” you push him away from your face, mindful that your father is on duty somewhere in the ocean of students. As he’s distracted by the shove, you yank the kippah free from his grasp. “You want them, you go through me.”

“That can be arranged,” he grits his teeth, gesturing for his friends to grab you.

They look shocked for a second, before Belch wraps his large arms around your middle to hold you back. Your brother smirks at you as he advances on Stan, preparing to punch him. Your pleas for him to stop advancing on the loser’s, as they’re dubbed, fall on deaf ears.

“Let go of me you creep!” you yell at Belch, before slamming your foot down on his. He lets go of you before bouncing around in pain, like a stupid cartoon character. You run between Henry and the Losers, but not before he can shove Richie to the ground. “Go home Henry,” you shove his chest again.

“You can’t make me,” he flips open his switchblade as he advances on you. The rest of the world seems to still and all you can think is will Henry really hurt you? You hear the muffled cries from the boys behind you get louder with each step your brother takes towards you.

“What’s going on here?” your dad's voice cuts through the haze, Henry backs off and hides his knife before Dad can see.

“I was just offering her a ride home,” Henry scowls as he turns to your father.

“And I was telling him that I was going to go hang out with my friends,” you use your thumb to point at the boys behind you. Your Dad eyes them wearily before ultimately coming to the conclusion that they’re a harmless group of nerds. He nods at you and sends Henry a small glare that if you blink you’ll miss before heading back the way he came.

“Watch yourself,” Henry warns before making his way to Belch’s car, friends in tow. You let out a sigh as they drive away, shoulders slumping as your adrenaline wears off.

“I think this belongs to you,” you smile at Stan, handing him his kippah.

“Thanks,” he breathes, he looks like he wants to continue speaking but no words come out. As he grabs the kippah from you, his fingers brush against yours and a blush creeps up his cheeks. You grin at how adorable he is.

“Are you guys okay?” you glance between him and Richie. Stan just nods and Richie rolls his eyes at the doe eyed look his friend is giving you.

“I’d say we didn’t need your help, but Stan the man here certainly liked being your damsel in distress,” Richie smacks a hand on Stan’s shoulder and laughs, you soon join in. Stan smacks the boy with the glasses harder than you think anyone realized he could. “Ow, that fucking hurt” Richie whines, rubbing his arm and sulking off to Eddie.

“D-do y-y-you wan-nt to go-o to the qu-qu-quarry wi-with us?” Bill asks and Richie smirks at the idea.

“I should go before Henry gets even more mad,” you play with the hem of your shirt. “But thank you for asking.”

“Please,” Richie clasps his hands and blinks dramatically at you, sticking his bottom lip out in an over dramatic pout.

“Why not?” you grin at the losers, but at Stan the most.

Over the following weeks you grow closer to the boys; Bev, Mike, and Ben too when they join the losers club. One day the eight of you are at the quarry trying to ignore the whole killer clown thing. Stan looks nervous about jumping into the water, even though you’ve seen him do it multiple times already. So you decide to grab his hand and pull him down with you withput warning. He lets out a high pitched screech that you almost can’t hear over the wind whipping past you.

Once you and Stan, the last two to jump down, break the water's surface Richie grabs Eddie repeatedly screaming the word chicken and shaking the smaller boy. Bev grabs Ben’s hand to which he grins at. Richie and Bill share a look before the stuttering boy wades over to you.

“W-w-will you b-be my par-pa-partner?” Bill smiles at you, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

“Of course!” you smile at your friend, happy that the group accepted you quickly even though you’re a Bowers. You don’t see the glare Stan is sending Bill as he pairs up with Mike. Richie smirks at the rest of the group, you and Stan oblivious to the looks they send each other and their plan to make Stan so jealous he tells you how he feels.

“So Stan,” Richie sings.

“No,” Stan says, watching you and Bev ride your bikes to your house for a sleepover. Her dad was worse than normal lately and she needed an escape, and you loved the escape it created from your brother.

“I never asked my fucking question,” the boy with the coke-bottle glasses pouts.

“Because nothing good ever comes out of your mouth,” Stan deadpans, finally turning to look at his friends. You rode past the curve at the end of the road effectively taking you out of Stan’s line of sight, so he had no reason not to look at his friends now.

“You were holding hands with (Y/N),” Eddie speaks up from Richie’s side. “Which is just fucking disgusting! Do you know how many germs-”

His voice is cut off when Richie slaps his hand over the smaller boy's mouth. The look of terror on the hypochondriac’s face is one that Richie won’t stop laughing at for years to come.

“She pulled me off the ledge,” Stanley rolls his eyes, suppressing a blush as he remembers how soft and warm your hand was. “It meant nothing.”

“And big Bill doesn’t fucking stutter,” Richie rolls his brown eyes, which look like googly eyes since they’re magnified by his glasses.

“What?” Stan asks looking at the road in front of him, not wanting his friends to see how red his face and ears are.

“I thought we were coming up with obvious lies,” Richie shrugs. “You’ve been in fucking love with her since you two got paired up at the beginning of the damn school year.”

“Have not!” Stan tries to lie, but his face darkens three shades deeper. The red instantly gives his obvious feelings away to his smirking friends.

“It’s that or you have rosacea,” Edidie looks up at the Jewish boy with mock innocent eyes. “Because your cheeks are bright red every time you're around her.” Stan doesn’t respond because he knows they’re right, so he just walks away from them.

“Do you like Stan?” Bev giggles at the sleepover. The two of you had been talking about her and Ben prior to the question.

“Yeah,” you mumble, looking down at your hands resting in your lap. “He’s so nice, and so sweet, and so caring. Plus, he went out of his way to help me when I was confused in class this year.”

“Yeah-” you cut off the redhead.

“And the way his curls fall in front of his eyes when he’s leaning forward, so he has to angrily huff at it to try to blow the curl away. And the way his face scrunches up all adorably when he’s concentrating on a hard problem.”

Before you can continue fawning over your friend, your door slams open. It hits the wall behind it with a loud crack, where you later find a hole in the wall the handle created. In the doorway is a pissed off Henry, steam practically shooting out of his ears.

“I thought I told you to stay away from him and the rest of those fucking losers?” he shouts, you’re dad isn’t here to hear him. “And now I hear you talking about that damn flamer with the schools slut no less.”

“Funny that you call Stan a flamer,” you smirk at your brother as you stand from the bed, subtly stepping in front of Bev so she’s behind you and away from your brother's wrath. “When Patrick gave you a hand job.”

“How the fuck did you hear about that?” he slams his fist into the wall beside him, knocking off a framed photo of a bird Stan had sketched for you during the school year.

“I saw it with my own two eyes, dumb ass,” you sneer at him. “Next time you want to get a hand job from your boyfriend, don’t do it at the dump.”

“I’m gonna kill you,” he roars, closing in on you. Bev lets out a small gasp behind you, you feel bad she has to witness this. Especially when she came here to get away from her dad.

“Go ahead, then run off to get your oral from him,” you laugh. Before Henry can do anything else, the front door opens and your dad calls for you two. You sigh in relief as your older brother storms out of your room. You and Bev never bring up what was said or what just happened.

You got separated from Stan while in Neibolt, but luckily Bill was with you. The horrors you all faced in that run down house will forever haunt each and every one of you. You’re shaking slightly as Stan and you cling onto each other as the two of you walk out of that horrendous place.

You gasp loudly and hide your face in Stan’s chest as Bill punches Richie in the face. Your body starts to shake slightly without your permission, being taken back to when Henry punched the wall a few days prior. Bev pulls you into her side as Stan and Mike help Richie up. Bill goes for Richie again, but Ben holds him back. Richie yells back in retaliation.

“Stop,” you whimper, body trembling worse. Visions of your dad and Henry yelling at each other and shoving one another flash through your mind. A memory of Henry punching the locker beside your head when you were the last two in school floats to the forefront of your mind. “Please.”

Stan immediately rushes over to you and pulls you into his chest, you don’t care if he finds out about your feelings anymore as you grip onto his striped polo. He’s an anchor in the storm of your mind. Even when Henry isn’t around, he’s still lurking in the back of your mind making sure he can hurt you. The rest of the group stops what they’re doing for a minute to glance at the two of you before walking in two separate directions. Bev gives your shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she leaves.

“How about I walk you home? Stan offers, rubbing his hand in a calming motion on your back.

“Can we go on a walk instead?” you ask nervously, pulling away slightly. He keeps his arms wrapped around you as he studies your face. He keeps his arm around your shoulder as you walk through the park.

You and Stan take a seat in front of the giant Paul Bunyan statue, soaking up the summer sun and the sounds of the birds singing. For the next several hours you and Stan lay side by side on the grass as he points out different birds and tells you about them. Your heart pounds every time your fingers brush against each other as they lay in between you. Your body and heart are aching to slip your fingers through his, but your mind is telling you no. You ultimately listen to your mind, feeling dissatisfied with yourself at the awkward wave he gives you as he drops you off at your house.

The days where the losers are fighting rush by, each of them spent doing something with Stan. before you know it, it’s nearing the end of the summer and Pennywise is gone. You reluctantly take part in the blood oath, wanting to leave this town as soon as you turn eighteen and never look back. But you would do anything for your friends, even risk your life for them again. As you're hugging Bev goodbye, you can’t believe she’s really leaving, Stan comes up beside you.

“Will you go on a walk with me?” Stan asks timidly, not meeting your eyes. The puffy bandages around his face make your heart lurch at the thought of how much pain he must have endured.

“Sure,” you nod even though he’s staring at the ground in front of his feet. Bev gives you a smile and a slight shove in encouragement. You give her one last smile as you start off down the trail, Stan taking long strides to catch up.

“What happens now?” Stan asks, his fingers brush against yours as you walk side by side.

“My aunt’s moving here, so I’m staying,” you don’t turn to look at him, scared to face more disappointment.

You stop walking when you two reach the kissing bridge, not that you expected anything to happen, but it was a nice view. You look down to see the small S inside the heart you carved earlier in the year, it sits near Richie’s R + E. You absentmindedly rub your wrist, Henry had grabbed you so hard he bruised you when he caught you with his missing switchblade. But it was worth it, in twenty or thirty years from now those markings would still be there, your own little mark on history.

“I’m glad,” Stan says it so quietly he doesn’t think you’ll hear him, but you do. You glance up at him and immediately frown as you get a better look at the bandages wrapped around his face. It takes you back to the day in the sewers, the day he yelled at you.

“Stan!” you scream in fear as you wade through the grey water. Your heart is pounding in your chest, this can’t be happening! You can’t lose him, not Stan. One minute he was with the group and the next he's gone. “What if IT got him?” your voice shakes in fear.

“You can’t think like that,” Richie says firmly, but you can hear the fear in his voice.

Before you can respond you hear a scream, one eerily familiar to when you pulled Stan off the ledge at the quarry. “Stan!” you scream again as you run past your friends through the dark smelly sewers to find the curly haired boy that you care for.

You reach the closed door at the end of the tunnel, opening the rusty metal on your own thanks to the adrenaline rush. Your friends' screams of Stanley get louder as they catch up to you. All six of you rush through the door and look for Stan in the large underground room. You walk around and come face to face with the creepy women from the painting he hates eating his face. A strangled sound somewhere between a gasp and a whimper escapes your mouth, alerting your friends that you found him.

“What the fuck is that?” Richie asks as Eddie shines Stan’s discarded flashlight at the thing. The multiple rows of teeth finally let go of Stan and the lady looks at the lot of you.

“Get off of him!” you scream, reaching down beside you and grabbing a rusty pipe. You chuck the metal at the creature smacking it in the middle of the face, it opens its mouth and hisses at you before retreating.

You all breathe a small sigh of release, until Pennywise peeks his head out from behind the corner. All six of you let out high pitched screams, but all you can think about is Stan’s safety not your own. As Pennywise hides behind the corner again you run and drop to your knees at Stan’s side, the rest of the boys quickly following suit. You reach out and touch his arm, muttering his name in a soft calming voice, but all he does is scream in terror.

“Get off me!” he pushes six pairs of hands off of him as he scrambles away from you and the rest of the losers club. “You left me! You took me to Neibolt! You aren’t my friends!”

“Stan, we were looking for you. We were so worried, I was so worried,” your hand gently touches his cheek, trying to see how much physical damage IT had caused.

“Get away from me!” he glares at you as he smacks your hand away from him. “You're no better than Henry! Worse than him! You tricked me into being your friend just so you could hurt me!”

You rip yourself away from the curly haired boy so fast you fall flat on your ass as you try to move away. You gasp and tears fill your eyes, Bill’s hand gently squeezes your shoulder. He had been with you at Neibolt, he saw that your fear was Henry. Your feelings for Stan were obvious, so the accusations made the rest of the boys angry at Stan for hurting you. Tears fall quickly from your cheeks as you stand and back away from the group. You need to get out of there, away from Stan, away from the pain.

The rest of the losers back away from their friend and get ready to search for their favorite redhead. You all find Bev quickly, and you smirk as Ben kisses her to wake her up. Pennywise soon appears, attacking Bill first, the rest of you try to fight the clown but it doesn’t work.

“Let him go!” Bev’s plea reminds you of yours from earlier.

“No, I’ll take him” IT shakes its head with a grin. The killer clown explains to the group how it will eat your flesh as it feasts on your fears. “I’ll take him and only him,” IT offers.

“Leave,” Bill begs the losers.

“I’m gonna have to kill this fucking clown,” Richie complains. “Welcome to the losers club asshole!” he screams, hitting Pennywise in the face with a discarded baseball bat.

Chaos erupts, everyone grabs for a weapon to fight the clown with. As everyone starts attacking IT with the garbage they found, IT manages to slip away. You all decide, stupidly, to split up and look for Pennywise.

“Good morning sunshine,” Henry’s annoying voice whispers into your right ear, dialogue straight from an incident where he almost seriously injured you. “Dad’s not home.” You can hear the smirk in IT’s voice.

“This isn’t real! You aren’t Henry! You aren’t real!” you scream, the losers stop their search for the clown and watch on nervously.

“It’s time to play sis!” IT laughs like a maniac as he walks in front of you, you're forced to stare up into IT’s eyes. Pennywise steps closer so you step back, which you do again and again. A replica of Henry’s switchblade pops open and is pointed directly at your gut. “Daddy dearest isn’t home to stop me!”

“Go through with it! Do it! Do what the real Henry never had the guts to do!” you scream at your brother- well Pennywise. He has you backed into a wall, switchblade dully pushing into you just above your navel. Your chest rising and falling rapidly as you pant, angry tears mixing with the heartbroken ones from earlier as you stare defiantly at the thing that had been after you and your friends all summer.

IT backs away slowly, your brothers-Pennywise’s- head tilting to the side as he studies you. A grin too large to be humanly possible splits across Henry’s face, rows of teeth on display as IT laughs in delight. You see your friends inching closer to you and the clown, you make eye contact with Richie giving him a slight shake of your head. He sighs in defeat, grabbing both Stan and Eddie pulling them back, the rest of the losers halt when they realize what the trashmouth did.

“You were easy to crack,” IT giggles loudly, shifting back into a clown. IT lifts a hand up, finger tracing your cheek down to your throat, stopping directly over your artery.

“Take me and leave my friends alone!” you glare up at IT.

As the clown goes to open its mouth, Ben comes out of nowhere and stabs IT right in the back. The rest of the losers start attacking IT again, the clown shifts from fear to fear in hopes of getting one of the losers to stop. It shifts to Bev’s father, so she stabs a rusty rod right down IT’s throat in order to make him go away. The clown convulses and backs away from the group.

“That’s why you didn’t kill (Y/N) and Bev, because they weren’t afraid of you!” it’s the first time you’ve ever heard Bill not stutter. “We aren’t afraid of you. Now it’s your turn to be afraid, because you’ll starve.” IT flips itself into a hole that leads lower into the sewer system, letting go and disintegrating before Bill can whack IT with a pipe.

You all stare in shock for a few moments before making your way out of the sewers and towards your homes. The losers all talking amongst themselves, all but you. you’re ahead of the group, wanting to put as much distance between you and Stan as you possibly can. Eddie too, he had already asked what you meant while Pennywise was still Henry. Two conversations you definitely didn’t want to have.

“(Y/N/N)? You okay?” Stan’s distant and worried voice breaks you out of your memories. “Where were you just now?”

“I’m fine,” you lie and he can tell by the flash of pain that crosses your face. “Just thinking about the other day.”

“I didn’t mean what I said,” Stan frowns, turning away from the carvings on the wood to face you fully. “I wasn’t in the right head space-”

“It’s fine,” you murmur, fingers gently running over the S carved into the wood.

“No it isn’t,” he says firmly, you look at him with wide eyes. You weren’t expecting him to get so serious about it. “IT messed with my head, made me see things that weren’t true and I took it out on you.”

“Stan, I get it. IT knew how to hurt us most,” you reach over and lightly wrap your hand around his in a reassuring gesture. He stares down at your joined hands for a moment, ears turning a vibrant red, before continuing with his explanation.

“He showed me a vision of you and Bill kissing,” Stan flips his hand over and laces his fingers with yours.

“What-” you’re eyebrows furrow as you watch his face grow from pink to red.

“I like you, (Y/N). A lot. And when IT showed me that it broke my heart. Deep down I knew it wasn’t real, but it felt so real. I’ve liked you since the beginning of the school year, and I never had the guts to tell you. Because why would you like me? You could have any guy, how could you ever possibly want me-” you cut him off by gently pressing your lips to his. It’s a soft and fast peck, but you still pull away smiling. “What?”

“I like you too, you loser. For just as long, I was scared to say anything because of Henry,” you giggle at his shock, mouth open and eyes wide. “Close your mouth or you’ll catch flies.”

“Speaking of Henry,” Stan’s mouth snaps shut before his lips pull into a deep frown. “What did you mean back in the sewers?” You sigh, not wanting to admit it allowed. Stan pushes a strand of hair away from your face before cupping your cheek gently.

“Henry thought I broke his Atari, so he screamed at me endlessly and threatened to kill me,” you admit softly, rage and sadness battle within Stan’s eyes as he takes in the information. “It wasn’t the first time he threatened that, but it seemed different that time. My dad had no idea, he only heard some of the yelling, which he screamed at Henry for doing. So that made Henry even more mad at me. But anyway, it turns out that it was Belch that broke it.”

“(Y/N),” Stan says softly, pulling you into his embrace. “I’ll never let anyone else hurt you.”

“Promise?” you ask hopefully, could you really finally be happy?

“I promise,” he kisses your forehead softly. “I know this isn’t great timing, but will you be my girlfriend?”

“I’d love to,” you grin at him, gently caressing the bandages as you pull him in for another kiss.

tags: @crimson-knuckled-queen @rexorangecouny

#Stan the man #stan uris #stanley uris #stanley uris imagine #stan uris x reader #it fanfiction #it #it chapter one #it chapter two #stan uris fanfiction #stan uris imagine #stan uris one shot #stanley uris one shot #stanley uris x reader #it 2017 #it 2019 #the losers club #the losers club x reader #stanley uris fanfiction

250 notes · View notes

5sosbitchfest · 4 years

Text

Alrighty, Nonsters. We currently have 290 Asks in our box! As much as we might try, I know there is NO WAY we’re going to be able to get through all of them. Everything exploded this weekend when MessyGate went down! I don’t want to ignore any asks just because I already answered a similar one. So, I’ve tried to gather as many similar Asks as possible to let your your voices be heard. Y’all are definitely NOT alone in your feelings. Get ready for a lot of opinions on Messy’s Twitter Drama.

Also, if you sent in an Ask and we haven’t answered it yet, please feel free to resubmit it! I do try to scroll through all of them but it is a daunting task and personal stuff and work make it difficult for me to get through everything in a timely manner!

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

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I’m really disappointed in Luke and this band in general, the way they deal with things. “honest policy” with messy? So he knew all of this and it was okay? Or he confronted her on this and he is okay with what she has done? I’m not sure this whole thing would be a deal breaker for me, but it certainly would make me real mad at my SO and some whiny excuses wouldn’t be enough to make things alright. Radio silence would’ve been much better than that story he posted, made himself look like a fool.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: These girls will sooner or later become their downfall if their management or them does not realise they should rely on other things than bringing relationship up front to sell their music. I find it extremely bad that they are behaving as if nothing happened, I hope there will be changes once touring will be possible again and we won’t see these girls tagging along everywhere or being brought up in interviews all the time but somehow I’m not counting too much on that.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I wonder if Luke knows everything that Messy got exposed for or just the parts Messy wanted to show him. Bc Luke said in his Story that he wasn't online lately so maybe he wasn't on Twitter too and Messy just showed him the parts that make her look good and he still doesn't know that she spoke bad about Ashton or how she stalked the fans also after she knew that they didn't hack his email adress cause he wasn't on Twitter so he couldn't see the screenshots.🤷‍♀️

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I'm just waiting for the day one of them date someone who isn't a part of their circle. tired of them passing around the same toxic girls.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: These girls are just digging a whole for these guys and they want be able to get out of it soon

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: It was a chicken move for Sierra to do it as a reply and no one has talked on twitter that she deleted it because they probably think her deleting it is saying it wasn’t true

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: Am I the only one who thinks that guys really only heavily interact with us when they want to promote something or say something about the music? I do understand they have lives so being on Twitter isn't number one priority and with all the drama that surrounds this fandom its very easy to not want to be online a lot, I just can't help but feel that way

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I'm talking about this messy situation (no pun intended) with my friend and she said to me that Messy should consider changing her career if she can't handle that not all people are going to like her. (that ofc doesn't include any form of harassment bc that's not cool)

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I really don't know how to feel about the Luke situation. At first I was upset and disappointed of Luke but now I almost pity him bc real or not either the management would want Luke to defend her or Messy. And I think Luke isn't the kind of person who would stand up against the management or Messy (even though it would probably be better for him if he would). And most people don't realise when they're in a toxic relationship so I can't really blame him. I just hope this ends asap.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I literally was so angry and frustrated with Luke and this whole situation yesterday that I couldn’t even look at him on my home screen, I had to change it. It’s really a disappointing thing to witness. Whether management put him up to this or he genuinely believes this toxicity is okay, I’m just very grumpy with him at the moment. He deserves better and WE (the fans) deserve better.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I think Luke really needs to be in a relationship with sb who either isn't famous and doesn't want to be or with someone who is famous bc they have a successful career too and who doesn't need Like to be famous.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I’ve only seen a few accounts on Twitter who are attacking Messy and Crusty to the core and exposing every bad thing they’ve done with receipts for the sossies defending them! I’m happy that karma is finally getting to those con artist who think they can get away with anything

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: that recent lierra picture is photoshoped lmao. if you look at Sierra's hand you can see color coming off from it and her arm looks hella weird.her forehead looks hella weird and look couldn't have taken the picture because I doubt that he could stretch his arm that far and make a perfect picture. also we haven't even seen Sierra's face so I still don't believe they're together

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: The Lemon pic was like a punch in the face (even though Petunia and Luke are looking cute there). But I've been asking myself lately if Luke has seen the whole drama going around on Twitter or just the posts Messy wanted him to know so the ones who make her look like the victim (and not the ones where she insulted Ashton or she made it clear that she stalked his fans). Cause Luke said he hasn't been online lately.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I mean we dont know how much of the story he truly is aware of and how much s changed to fit her narrative and get L to feel bad for her. Plus he was under pressure from management to do damage control and not standing up for his gf is a very bad look for outsiders who dont understand why she's at fault. It was a pretty neutral statement and he was obviously told to make the post so I dont blame him and just blame her more for putting him in the situation in the 1st place

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I wonder how much toxicity happens behind the scenes, we know S is very manipulative and L is very much a people pleaser so.. and with how much they have to sell their "love" and "happiness" in the relationship. Minipulation is a powerful thing and it could explain why hes out of touch with reality, especially lately since he's isolated with her and doesnt have the voices of the band to raise any concerns and he's been getting skinny again and seems very "meh" rather than happy, idk

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I feel so disconnected with this fandom rn. I feel like no one is streaming CALM and that makes me sad bc it's such an amazing album. The boys aren't even online anymore, everyone is mad at each other and now Luke comes up with this shit... tbh I wish I would wake up tomorrow and see him tweeting something like yeah I'm sorry about my ig story I still love y'all lmao

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: Wait wait wait wait ive been gone from the fandom for a little while now and what the fuck is going on with Luke and S? What did S do that she made a fake ass apology for?? I’m so lost please help me! 😂

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I'm seeing a lot of my mutuals unstanning and I'm just so mad bc Sierra started this drama and got Luke into it and I'm sad that people are leaving bc of this, it's just too much toxicity and it shouldn't affect the band and their connection with the fans but with Luke saying this he makes it seem like he supports the ugly things she does

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I am a Luke stan and I've always loved him bc he has inspired me so much through the years but when he does this things it's like...damn. I feel like he's invalidating the fans' feelings by being like "if you don't like my girlfriend, ur fake" like he has never noticed me on Twitter or anything but my biggest fear is to be blocked by him or just ignored bc I don't like her (although I never expressed it publicly) n yeah anyways :// It feels weird

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: Going back and re-reading the DM’s messy literally confirms that she accesses Luke’s account by saying “we couldn’t get in” or some shit like that

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I hate being a luke stan, sometimes it just seems like he doesn't care? he always puts these toxic gfs before the ones who adore him and pay his bills. might just move into Cashton's lane. unproblematic kings.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: He literally posted a picture of him cuddling her and petunia within the hour

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: The saddest part of this situation is it’s like a repeat of Arzaylea. Luke has no idea what a respectful, mature relationship is. We saw it with Arz and were seeing it again it’s just a little bit different. He stays being controlled and manipulated by toxic partners. I really think homeboy needs to be single for a WHILE and focus on himself. He needs to unlearn the things his past and current relationships have taught him about love because if I know anything, it’s that this ain’t real love.

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: Is it bad that I just want the larzaylea drama back?? Like everyone could at least agree on their feelings then...

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: Just checked messy’s insta and of course, everyone that still supports her filled her tagged with just the single picture

Anonymous said to 5sosbitchfest: I feel like the reason Sierra is getting away with what she’s done is because she isn’t that known. Like yeah she’s associated with 5sos, but they’re also like not that big which is probably why it’s getting swept under the rug. I’ve only seen the 5SOS fandom calling her out for her actions. If this had happened with a well known celebrity, they probably would’ve been dragged and been trending on Twitter. I might be wrong but I feel like this is what’s happening which is just unfair.

#kirby #luke #lemon #messy #messygate #messy's twitter drama

15 notes · View notes

cilliansaccent · 4 years

Text

The Peaky Designer - Cillian Fanfic, Chapter 22

Hello, welcome back. Below is the next instalment of my fanfiction!

Leave a like or a comment if you liked it, or if I can do anything better! Please, it would mean the world and to understand if anyone is enjoying my writing. Also, sharing/reblogging would be even better.

PLEASE READ:

I will not be including Cillian’s family as it’s kinda weird since he has children lmao. Just a mention of his parents and a previous lover.

I will indicate in a chapter if there is smut in the beginning and before the actual scene!!

I will add trigger warnings if there is any!!

There is a variety of levels of swearing during a chapter, I will not hold back, everyone swears.

The timestamp for the Fic is now 2016 and onwards!!

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

Background: Gabrijela Babic is a Croatian girl from Sydney, Australia. She is born in the year 1991 on the 24th of December. She studies a Fashion degree in a University with a major in Game Design as well. Her teacher in the fashion designer class managed to nail an Internship on the set of Peaky Blinders with the shows very own Costume Designer, Allison McCosh. There, she travels to London for under a year to learn how to be one, working alongside the actors as well the man she admires, Cillian Murphy. But, her platonic feelings for the man begins to grow into something more, and she wonders whether she should pursue them or let him go for fear of her strict parents and her three older brothers…

Characters:

Swantje Paulina as Gabrijela Babic (swalina on Instagram)

Cillian Murphy

Word Count: 8,912

!!Warnings!!: Sex scenes early in the chapter

Date: February 2017

Chapter Name: Dinner at a Wogs House

Brief Chapter Outline: Gabrijela and Cillian go on a quick shopping spree before it’s time for the gentle Irish man to meet Gabrijela’s very large family...

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

"Cillian!" Gabrijela drawled out his name as his arms slid around her and she was pulled back on the bed and grunted softly. "You must let me go." She whined.

He clutched her close to his body and tangled his legs in hers, "I don't want you to go." He kissed her neck and knew how much she liked it. And how it turned her on.

She let out a soft sigh as she reached back and tangled her hand into his hair, "Cillian... Baby... You can't... Make me... Stay... I'll be late for work..." She felt his body move on top of hers and she was pinned to the bed. She was so sensitive since yesterday but she was growing wet and aching already for him. She didn't fight him off when he pushed off her tights and underwear, then felt his cock rest on her ass before he was in her. She gripped the sheets as she let out a moan.

Cillian took her hands in his, lacing his fingers and started to thrust into her. His little quickie with her turned into thirty minutes of absolutely making love to her body. He loved the way she made blissful expressions and her grip on his shoulders when he turned her around to finish in her a third time. He grinned at her when he slowed down and kept his hips pressed to hers.

"You are such a bastard." She moaned as he thrust into her once more. "Cillian... Please. God. I-I do have to go." She laughed as he kissed her neck.

"Okay. Okay." He laughed with her and pushed himself off her and pulled out with a soft groan and laid back on the bed to watch her.

Gabrijela rolled her eyes as she went to the bathroom to clean up a bit and then came out to pull on her thong and her tights.

"So beautiful." He commented as he admired her, "Come here."

She raised a brow and came to the edge of the bed as he moved close to a sitting position. He placed his hands on her hips and pushed up her shirt to reveal her tummy, "Be good." He murmured to her tummy and pressed soft kisses in a heart shape.

Gab felt tears in her eyes as she gently laid her hands on his head and had the biggest smile ever, "I love you, Cillian. You will make a perfect father." She met his gaze and leaned down to kiss him softly.

"My wonderful girl, she's going to be an as equally perfect mother." He smiled and kissed her lovingly.

She giggled, "I'll see you later, baby." She kissed his forehead as she pulled away and tugged on her sneakers, "I will call you when I get to work, when I have lunch and when I leave to see you tonight."

"Alright. Can't wait to see you, my love. Have a wonderful day." He squeezed her sides and she turned to leave for work.

Work went swiftly but she was itching to get back to the hotel room and see her lover. When lunch came around she called him and they chatted, he was at the Queen Victoria Building and checking the shops out and had bought some... Things. She knew he found something for her and she grumbled, "You should save your money for yourself!"

"Yes... Nah. I don't need to. Want to get something nice for you." He mused.

"Valentine's day is over, babe." She said as she took a bite into her chicken wrap she got from Le Wrap.

"Yeah, but the sales! You know I love a good sale." He retorted.

"Oh, so I'm only good enough for sales?" She teased.

"Oh no, you are worth every cent in the whole world." He replied with a smile.

"Aw, Cilly. You sweetheart." She blew him a kiss, "Also make sure you look for a suit. We got tomorrow only before we leave on Friday." She reminded him.

"Already on it, beautiful." He said.

"Okay. Good boy. I better go. Have to go back to workin'." She said and they said their good-byes and she hung up.

Then her mother called.

She groaned and picked up, "Hello?"

"Hi, darling. How are you going?" She asked her.

"Fine. Finishing lunch and about to head back to work. You?" She replied as she packed up her rubbish and slowly made her way back up to her work.

"I'm fine. I've been meaning to ask you something." She continued hesitantly.

Gab leaned against a railing in front of her work, "Yeah?"

There was a pause, "When will you come back home? Your dad has calmed down and wants you back here."

She sighed, "If only you promise me you won't make any more unnecessary comments on who I can see or be with."

Her mum seemed to reply much longer before she sighed, "Gabrijela you know we worry about you. With what happened with your ex-"

"He is nothing like my ex, mum. He is absolutely perfect. You haven't even met him. Why make such harsh assumptions?" Gab frowned and sounded hurt. "You've seen the photos on Facebook anyway, does he seem like a cruel man?

"I'm sorry darling. Alright. Why don't we have dinner tomorrow night then? I'll get dad to cook up a barbeque." Her mum replied.

"Okay. That sounds wonderful. Have to come back anyway to pack up for Friday. I'll be going in my own car with Cillian since he's invited to. So you don't have to worry too much." She said.

"Alright, we will see you tomorrow. Love you." She said.

"Before you go, will everyone be there?" Gab asked.

"They will. They all want to meet your... Boyfriend." Her mum said.

"Ugh... Fine. I'll give him a warning." Gab huffed.

"Only good things. Have fun at work. Love you." She said.

"Love you too, mum," Gab replied and head back to work.

Work went swiftly and she bought some boxers for Cillian and some other clothing wear. She gave him a call that she was heading back and had some news for him. When she arrived at the room he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, "My love." She murmured against his lips as he carried her to the bed.

"Hello. How was work?" He kissed her lovingly.

"It was good. I missed you a lot." She smiled and cupped his face before her eyes caught some bags near the dresser.

"I've missed you too. I got you something." He said as he pulled back and handed her a black bag.

"Oh? Have you now?" She took the bag and pulled out the box inside. She popped the lid and gasped as she pulled out the items. It was a very sexy lingerie piece, it was red and lacy. The bra was more of a bralette with wire for some support, the thong was strappy and also had matching shorties. Beneath it was a silk red slip with twin high thigh splits with a bit of lace at the neckline. "Oh, Cillian! You sneaky man." She leaned up and kissed him.

"You like it?" He asked as he watched her put the slip against her.

"It's perfect. I love it so much." She nodded as she packed it up neatly in the box. "Thanks, Cilly." She stood and kissed him. "I got something for you too." She mused as she stepped back and handed him a Bonds bag.

"You didn't need to." He said as he took the bag and pulled out the things. "Oh damn, I do need new boxers. And sleepwear. Thanks, my love. I love it." He leaned in and kissed her sweetly.

"Good. I was sick of seeing those rags you drag around." She nipped his jaw.

"I can chuck them out now." He nodded.

She giggled, "What's the plan tonight?" She asked.

"Don't know. Dinner?" He asked.

"Alright. My shout though. I know a place. Just casual though." She said and they got ready. She didn't apply any make-up since she had some on already, just combed back her hair and pulled on a white playsuit with gold downwards stripes, it had off the shoulder frilly sleeves. She topped it off with black high-top chucks and posed in the mirror.

"Wonderful," Cillian said as he fixed the collar of his dark blue shirt and then patted his jeans down. "How do I look?"

"Ravishing." She stuck her tongue out and came over, kissing his cheek, "Let's go my love."

They headed to the harbour once more and she took him to a restaurant called Olivio's. There she told him about tomorrow night and the dinner with her family.

"Already?" He cocked a brow as he took a sip of his red.

"Yeah. The whole squad is gonna be there. So let's hope the kids will keep the air soft and relaxed. I am not up for any arguments." She sat back.

"Mm." Cillian nodded. Gabrijela told him once that her family, especially her parents, were harsh critics on her life and anything she did. Even to who she saw and was with and he wondered what their opinions were of him dating their young daughter. He could most likely see their point as there is a clear issue: The age gap. But he wasn't going to let that come between him or Gab. He would love her endlessly.

"You don't sound so sure." She tilted her head to the side.

"No, I am sure. I guess I will take it as it is. We can only see how it goes tomorrow. You think telling them your pregnant is too early?" He asked.

"Oh most definitely yes. I... That is way too early. Only there to let them meet you and like you before we can tell them another time." But she knew time was ticking and they had to come clean in the next week or so. Before Cillian would leave to go back to Dublin and soon after start filming.

Cillian knew her thoughts and reached over to take her hand and squeezed it, "Together we will." He murmured gently.

"I know." She smiled and squeezed his hand back.

Their food came and they dug in, she changed the subject and told him she had found a place for them on the South Coast, a place called Gillards Beach which was just before Tathra, a small coastal town. It was like wild camping, no electricity and no showers but had toilets. Cillian seemed eager and she reminded him she would bring plenty of water to refresh themselves. He was still excited either way and told her of a story when he was a boy and camped with his family. The night was light and airy with a lovely summer breeze. They spent the night walking the harbour, hand in hand and talking about new songs that were coming out. They took more cute selfies, sat on the steps cuddled close and kissed. Her legs were hooked over his and she cupped his face with a hand and gave him soft kisses, "Have I told you how much I love you?" She murmured.

"Always." He leaned in, returning her kisses, "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Every day, every hour, every minute to the last second." She deepened the kiss, her hand now on the back of his head.

His arms circled around her to draw her in closer and they held their kiss. There was a flash and he opened his eyes to see some girls some meters away from them whispering fast as they did something on their phone, when they looked up the girl lost her smile a little and knew she was caught. "Hold up," Cillian said against Gabrijela's lips as he stood and wandered over.

Gab raised a brow and crossed her leg, watching him come to the girls. She could hear the conversation.

"Girls." Cillian smiled at them and they smiled back.

"Hi, Cillian." One said with a blush.

"Hello." The other replied.

"I'm going to cut this short and sweet. I'd appreciate if you didn't take photos of me with my girlfriend, I'd like you to know I am not a fan of sneaky photos while I'm out and about. It is quite rude and not fair for myself or my girlfriend to have strangers have photo's of us together and posting them without our consent." Cillian explained with politeness, Gabrijela's heart swooned.

"Oh... But... Okay. I understand. But there are photos already circulating, the ones she's posted." The girl said.

"Well, I've given her consent to post them. She can do what she likes because I trust her. Besides, she does not post much anyway. She does show me what she posts and I'm happy for her to express her happiness like that." Cillian said. "So if it would be no trouble, but to delete the ones you just took." He was stern but kind and watched the girl delete the photos. Even in her secondary trash so there was no evidence left on her phone. "I appreciate that a lot." He smiled.

Gabrijela came over and giggled, "Okay. Enough hassling the girls. Why don't you sit with them and I'll take a photo? Come on you butt, I know you love to smile." She pinched his arm and he chuckled.

"So demanding." He mumbled and took his spot between the girls. He wrapped his arms around them both as Gabrijela used the girl's phone to snap a picture.

"Perfecto! Here you go, girls. I hope my man wasn't too harsh." She slipped her hand in Cillians.

"No, of course not. He was very kind. Thank you." They both blushed, "You're so lucky."

"I know. Couldn't ask for anyone better. Don't ever settle on something you know you don't like. You'll find that person eventually." Gab glanced up at Cillian and had the most loving smile ever.

The girls made an 'aw' sound and mentioned how cute they were before congratulating Cillian on his recent season of Peaky Blinders. Gab kept it short when it came to her falling in love and did not go into much detail before they had to go. The girls waved as they scurried away.

"I wasn't too harsh, was I?" Cillian wrapped his arms around her as they stood there.

"No. I think what you said was good and polite. You know what you like and don't like and made sure to remind those girls. You are a good man, and I love you." She kissed him softly.

"I love you too," He said and kissed her back deeply.

They headed back to the hotel room to have a very sensual bath together where they kissed and touched each other. It was Cillian's idea as he treated her all night long, taking her slow and easy, his hands roving over her skin and his lips kissing spots on her body which she didn't know would feel good. He wanted to remind her again who she was to him and how much she meant to him, his body driving into hers in pleasurable hard thrusts. When they were both done they snuggled close to each other and fell asleep like that.

Next-Day...

They wandered the streets of Sydney, going to every suit place they could come by. Tried things on but Gabrijela didn't like his choices nor where they went to. They had a bit of a heated argument about Cillian getting frustrated with the constant shake of her head and not liking anything he tried on.

"I don't want you to look daggy." She said as they left the fifth suit store now.

"I know that. But they did look good on me!" He shot back as they came to another store, Peter Jackson.

"Of course but I'm telling you this store is good. Dom and Leo got their suits here for their weddings and they were perfect." Gab countered.

Cillian sighed and let her guide him into the store. She made quick conversation with the guy that greeted them and it was time to change into the various things she picked out. An hour and a half later... It was done.

Gabrijela came behind him and beamed as she hugged him, "Wow." She murmured.

The jacket and pants were a shade of gunmetal blue, maybe a bit more on the blue side with a dark ashy grey buttoned-down shirt. He insisted he would use his own black shoes but Gabrijela got him to wear a pair from the store. "I look good?" He asked and smiled.

"Like a snack." She nodded and pulled away to walk around him, running her hand along his arms and his back before she stopped before him, her hands on his waist.

"I like it." He grinned at her as he placed his hands on her shoulders, "But I really don't think I need one... I do have-"

"Shut it. I like this one, it's not even tailored and it fits you perfectly." She leaned up and kissed him softly.

"Alright, boss. Whatever you say." He laughed softly, his voice doing that cute little crack as he returned to kiss her deeply.

Someone cleared their throat, "How is the suit?" The male worked chuckled.

Gab blushed, "I like it. I think I will take it." Cillian replied as his arm snaked around her waist.

"Fantastic. I'll give you a great deal." He said with a smile.

Cillian disappeared back into the changing room and came back out soon after. Gabrijela took the clothing from him, "Everything?" He asked.

"Yep. Everything." She brought the things to the counter. A good deal was done and Gabrijela wanted to pay.

"No. I will." Cillian cocked an eyebrow as she faced him.

"You can buy my dress if that makes you happy?" She grinned.

He grounded his teeth together and nodded, "Fine." His hand went down her back and squeezed her ass and she giggled. Then it was off to a shop she knew and had booked an appointment with.

"Woah, how is this a formal place?" He asked as they entered a store that was just full of wedding dresses.

"They got a second and third level, dummy." She laughed and talked to a lady who disappeared upstairs. They hovered about and Cillian took this time to watch Gabrijela run her hands along with the multitude of dresses and smiling softly. He could see in her eyes the yearning for one of these dresses, he could see her in one...

"I love wedding dresses." She said as she came over to him.

"Yeah?" He asked with a smile.

"Mhm, I don't think I could pinpoint a favourite." She giggled. Cillian could only smile more and wrap an arm around her.

"Hello, Gabrijela! Great to see you again!" An older woman came over and the pair hugged.

"Hi, Sasha. It's good to see you again. We just came back from suit shopping." Gab smiled wide.

"Oh? What for?" She asked as she glanced at Cillian.

"A wedding," Gabrijela said.

"Wedding? You didn't tell me you were getting married!" Her eyes widened with shock.

"No!" Gab laughed and shook her head, "Sorry. I meant we are going to a wedding. Driving up tomorrow. So I need the dress by today."

Sasha nodded, "Right! Okay, well let's head up and start to see what you are after." Sasha said.

Gabrijela introduced Cillian to Sasha before it was time to explore what they had. Gabrijela changed countless times, showing it off for Cillian who was now being a pain in the ass when he didn't like any. But he did like the super tight ones. Gab rolled her eyes but when the last dress came... Gabrijela was in love instantly. The dress was satin and sparkly all over. It was royal blue but you couldn't really tell from the sparkles and the shades of blue it had, it was more grey-blue really. Much like a galaxy. The neckline was a half V-plunge and an open back criss-cross strap. It came to the floor and with good heels, it didn't drag along. She twirled on the raised floor and was in amazement. "I love this." She whispered.

"I do too." Cillian came to her side. He had changed into his suit as well so they could see if they would compliment each other. Her dress brought out the blues in his outfit. They were perfect.

They looked at each other and laughed softly.

"We look perfect." She said as she slipped her arm around his waist. "I got the right nude heels." She mused. She took a photo of them together before she changed and Cillian paid. It was way more than his suit but he was adamant on paying.

Gab checked the time and they had to head back to the hotel to get ready for tonight. It was already four in the afternoon. They left the store and got ready at the hotel with Gabrijela going for a shower first then Cillian after. She kept it casual but nice, reminding her family as well that she didn't want this to be formal whatsoever. She pulled on shorts and a soft cotton pale yellow top that had six pictures of flowers. She pulled out what she wanted Cillian to wear, his trademark black skinny jeans and her favourite buttoned top he had, a dark blue colour that had a barely visible black checkered design. She liked it because when he rolled the sleeves up and flexed his arms... She could see the tense muscle show. She shivered at the thought and packed her stuff up into her bags, she wondered if Cillian should do the same...

He came out and looked at the things she laid out, "Isn't that a bit casual?" He asked.

"I don't want this formal or you trying to impress my family. Just be you." She gulped as she stared at him. He was in just his CK's and... Fuck. "God, you make me horny."

Cillian barked out a laugh as he sprayed on his cologne and combed back his hair, "Do I now?" He asked and she had come to his side, "Gab, we need to go soon-" He grunted when she gripped his cock and his arm wrapped around her, "G-Gabrijela."

"Yeah, but... I want to feel you." She mused and got him to sit back on the bed as she knelt between his knees, "You know, I barely get to do this for you." She pulled him out, tucking the band of his underwear under his balls. She continued to pump him slowly, making him harder.

"I know... But I get carried away at making you moan instead. Shit..." He leaned back on his hands, his cock now stiff in her soft palm. The feeling was so good, he wished he could let her do this to him often but he'd get so worked up he wanted to just fuck her. Like right now, he wanted to be in her, thrusting his hips and watch how her body would react to him. He looked back down at her fast strokes until her head came down and he felt those warm lips wrap around the head of his cock. Then further down she went, down, down, down... Until he was entirely in her mouth and she began to bob her head. Maybe he should control himself next time she did this, fuck the pleasure of her mouth was so good. He could feel her tongue push against his shaft and it felt like she was rubbing him in that way, it made another loud groan come from him as he placed his hand on the back of her head. "That's it Gabbie... Fuck. Keep doing that- Shit I love that!" Curses fell from his lips and he fought back from just thrusting into her mouth. He remembered when he did, how much she loved it and came multiple times from it... He couldn't help it and had a steady pace going and she did truly enjoy it.

Gab moaned around him, he took control now and her mouth was just a hole he needed to fuck. She felt her core throb and knew her panties were soaked. She liked this side of him and she simply held his hips and let him do his thing.

It wasn't long when Cillian let out hard gasps and pants followed with moans, his mouth parted and brows knitted together, "Yes... Yes... Yes... Yes!" He repeated, his voice cracking before he thrust up and held his hips to her face and came in her mouth, his head thrown back as her name was shouted to the heavens. He collapsed back and breathed fast as he felt her mouth leave his cock.

"God, Cillian." She laughed as she wiped her lips and chin. He made a mess of her face.

He glanced down as he sat up slowly, "Are you okay?" He asked watching her lick her fingers from his cum. The scene made his cock twitch a little.

"Always. That was fucking hot." She said as she knelt higher and pressed a kiss to his jaw. She was always hesitant to just kiss him right away, only letting him initiate it. Like he did now, pressing his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. She was then lifted into his lap then her shirt was pushed up along with her bra.

"Cillian you don't need to-" She moaned when his lips wrapped around her nipple and sucked hard. Her phone began to ring but she ignored it, chucking it on the bed when she felt his hand wiggle it's way into her shorts and began to stroke her soaking folds. She gasped and her hips began to roll in time with his hand, "Cillian baby." She was in total loss with pleasure. His hand worked her fast, his lips still attached to her lips.

Her phone rang again.

"Answer it." He said against her breast.

"What?" She gasped.

"The phone. Answer it." He said and let her grab her phone before he delved back in.

Her mother was wondering where they were and said she was leaving right now, her voice wavered when her climax was close. Her mother, of course, asked what was wrong but Gab said it was nothing and it was just the walk to the car. She was glad the conversation ended and she hung up the phone just as she cried out his name and came on his hand, "Such a bastard." She panted when he took his hand out and cleaned his fingers.

"You love it." He said and kissed her fiercely.

She giggled and couldn't disagree. But it was time to go. She took her bags she would take back home and prayed he would be able to stay the night there, it would make it easier for when she would come back from work and they could head out right away.

Cillian packed a bag for the days he would be away and stuffed them into her car and got in. She hooked her phone up and played a playlist they both made together and listened and sang. They arrived at the ferry and she parked in the car-park, "We'll have to catch the ferry across. But we got like a spare car that's left on the island."

"Wow... I forgot you lived on an island. That's cool." He pulled out the bags and they hopped on to the ferry that had just arrived. "What's the place called?"

"Scotlands Island." She said with a soft giggle.

"Interesting." He smiled and pulled her close.

Once across she got into the car but felt anxiety hit her, "I want you to know if you don't feel comfortable or happy, tell me or I don't know... Tug my pants or something to indicate it." She turned to him.

"I'm sure I will be okay, my love. Do not worry. Nothing will come between us." He leaned across and kissed her deeply.

"I hope so." She whispered.

He cupped her face, "I love you. And that's that. Nothing will stop me from loving you. Nothing."

She stared deeply into his eyes and nodded, "I love you. Okay. I know." She smiled and kissed him again, "Let's go, baby."

It was not even a minute when they circled the island and came to a beautiful modern, two-story house. It had a huge balcony and she could already see her family sitting outside and talking as she drove up the driveway. "Fuck I think... Oh my god, they even invited Teta and Tetak and my cousins..." She muttered as she parked the car.

"Who?" Cillian asked.

"Aunty and Uncle." She pressed her forehead to the steering wheel and sighed heavily.

"Come on love. We got this." He squeezed her thigh.

"We got this." She repeated and got out.

"Heyyyy! Gabrijela is here!" One of her cousins, David yelled out from the balcony. "Finally!"

She rolled her eyes and grinned up at him as she walked with Cillian to the door, bags in tow. It opened to reveal her mother who was smiling.

"Gabrijela. Good to see you." She hugged her daughter.

"Good to see you too, Mama," Gab replied as she stepped back.

"This is Cillian?" Her mother asked as she glanced at the man beside her.

"Yeah. Cillian, meet my mother, Liljana. Mama meet Cillian, my boyfriend." She said with no hint of fear, just confidence and truth.

"Lovely to meet you, come in, come in."

"Lovely to meet you too. I am happy to see you finally." Cillian smiled as he exchanged cheek kissing with her.

They entered the home. It was modern and had a short narrow hallway with high ceilings, it opened up to a living room that leads to the backyard, there were rooms and a set of polished wooden stairs that lead up to the second level.

"Mama I just need to drop these bags off then I'll come right out," Gabrijela said.

"Okay. Dad hasn't finished yet since he only just started." She smiled.

Gabrijela took Cillian through another big living room that had a kitchen attached to it. Her room was the furthest from the hustle and bustle and had a wonderful view of the water and beyond. She had wooden floors with a huge fluffy carpet under the low double bed. The walls were off white but were decorated with photos of the many birds he remembered she had shown.

But the first thing he noticed was a big birdcage in her room with a colourful parrot inside who was silently watching them.

"My god, is this the macaw you told me about?" He asked once he set the bag down and came to the cage.

"Yep. My little precious boy, Lucien." She giggled and came over and popped open the cage and let him out, "Say hello to Cillian." Gab smirked.

The parrot repeated 'Hello Cillian' and Cillian's eyes widened, "No way! Wow, you are a clever boy. I wonder who taught you." He slowly reached out a hand and touched him. "Silky."

She giggled, "He's my baby. Wait till you see the aviary." Gab said as she let the bird roam on top of the cage. She went to her bags and took out the dress and hung it up in the small walk-in wardrobe and left the pair to bond. When she came out Cillian was holding the Harlequin Macaw on his arm and continued to pet him.

"I'm taking him out to the balcony. He'll be our fighter," She smiled as she let Lucian sit on her shoulder.

"He won't fly away?" Cillian tilted his head to the side.

"He's flight trained and knows to come back if he does." She held his hand, "Doesn't panic over loud noises and all that."

"That is awesome." He squeezed her hand.

She took in a breath and walked with him out to the balcony, Croatian music was playing, the younger babies were in a pen and the older toddlers played with them but their keen-eyed parents watched them.

Then it was time to meet and greet, hug and kiss each other's cheeks and Gabrijela introducing Cillian to everyone before she was able to sit down. She had to do the whole 'explain how you two met' when Cillian was dragged away by Leo and her other two older brothers and her cousins.

Gab looked at him but he smiled and leaned down, giving her deep but quick kiss, "I'll be fine, my love." He touched her cheek gently.

"Okay. I love you." She said with a shy smile.

"I love you too." He said and kissed her again and walked off, a Corona in his hand.

Tatiana, who was beside her, wiggled her brows. Gab was probably the closest with her, "He is very handsome. Those eyes!" She gasped.

"I know. I can't get over how beautiful they are." She looked over and saw they were introducing him to her father. She frowned. "I should be there."

"Oh, don't worry. I made sure Leo would be a gentleman and if he ever screws up tonight he'll get a good lecture." Tatiana nodded.

"I hope the others do the same," Gab said and scratched her birds head, he could sense when she was uneasy.

Gabrijela continued to chat with the girls at the table, her mother watched her and listened to her explain this and that, until it came to sex...

"Of course we do. Why wouldn't we?" Gab cocked a brow when Carmen asked the question.

"And... You're fine with that? With... Him?" Carmen asked and Gabrijela knew that tone was scolding and trying to make it seem that having sex with an older man was disgusting.

"Yes. He's my boyfriend. He treats me good. You seem bothered, what for?" Gabrijela felt her nerves spike and she stared hard at Carmen. No one really liked her, she was barely ever around since she was a flight attendant and no one knew why David was still with her. She had a major attitude and always made any type of gathering or celebration about her.

"You use protection, Gabrijela?" Her mother asked finally.

"Of course we do. He was the one that wanted to and I the same. He's a good man, respects me and my boundaries and has never once made me upset. I love him and he loves me. Nothing will change that." Gabrijela stated and watched Carmen roll her eyes.

"Have you met his family?" Ema asked she was Antonio's wife. She was soft-spoken but wonderfully kind.

"Yeah, I have. He's the eldest, he's got a brother and two sisters. All have kids and are married. His family is absolutely lovely, I spent Christmas and New Year's there. I was gifted by his mother with that throw, scarf and the cookbook." Gab smiled softly. She cherished those gifts and couldn't wait to snuggle in that throw when it was winter.

"I want to know now that you said his siblings are married, has he been married before?" Carmen asked.

Gabrijela glanced at her mother who also seemed worried about that fact. "No. He did have someone some time back but he's been on his own before he met me. How is this relevant? Does it matter whether he was or wasn't?" What the fuck.

"Of course it does," Her mother cut in, "I do not want my daughter with someone who's a divorcee or had an unclear past. You know my opinion on this, Gabrijela."

"He's never been married, Mama. Only had a girlfriend who he didn't want a life with. He's a good man, why can't you see this?" Gab frowned. She was not going to let her mother or Carmen trample on her man.

Her mother was about to reply when the boys all returned, carrying over platers of food and set them on the table. Kids were seated in their seats before food was passed around and light chatter was made.

Gab could see her father who had a hard look in his eyes and watched Cillian occasionally, as well as her brothers and cousins. She really couldn't handle this 'male' aggro vibe that they were throwing towards Cillian. "What would you like, my love?" Gab took his plate and smiled.

"Bit of everything?" He placed his hand on her thigh, "Not too much though."

She was glad he was back at her side, his presence made her feel at ease right away. She filled his plate with the various things that were laid out and he did the same for her. Everyone dug in, the kids were chatting away and music continued to play.

Yet Gabrijela did not feel that light, cheery vibe. She felt like she was on a war field, afraid if she stepped anywhere a mine would blow up. But if that meant that she should take that risk and defend her man... She would. She would not let Cillian be attacked because some opinions could not be let go. It broke her heart.

The questions began to flow towards Cillian, simple yet curious questions such as:

Where did you go to school?

What is your family like?

Where do you live?

What work do you do? And when he explained more questions further on those answers.

Gabrijela was shit scared as he answered with ease. He did not back away or look uncomfortable. He was happy to answer the questions thrown at him, though he was still a little awkward and made jokes which to her surprise her family laughed. Though he was clear he wasn't up for any political debates or give his views on certain things. Her father seemed to not like it and began to complain and mention how people shouldn't be afraid or weak when it came to speaking your thoughts.

"I understand that but some opinions can hurt people. I do not think unnecessary talking of views or anything of the like should be done. Only if it comes to it and is to do with the current situation." Cillian replied with a cool demeanour.

Her father tried to counter it but her mother hushed him and spoke to him in Croatian. Then shook her head and looked back at Cillian, "I'd like to know one thing though as I am a concerned mother."

"Of course. Go ahead." Cillian said. Gabrijela slid her hand on to his thigh and he placed his hand over hers.

"Gabrijela mentioned you have siblings and that they are married... May I ask why you are not married?" Liljana asked and all eyes were on Cillian.

Gabrijela was panicking inside and gripped his thigh tightly. Her mother had a real nerve and she was pissed.

"I never found the one. I dated a woman quite some time ago and after that didn't work out I dated on and off. Work takes up half the year or more and when I do get time off I spend that time up at Cork with my family. I've learned that there are people out there who are not who they say they are and I have been screwed over from those people to many times to fully settle down." Cillian replied.

"And what makes Gabrijela different?" Leo asked, his face set serious.

Cillian glanced down at Gab, seeing the fear in her eyes and reached up to touch her face, "She is unlike any woman I've met. She has been nothing but real and truthful towards me the moment we met on set. She has such a big heart, her kindness shines so brightly in her eyes. She is mature, she knows her things, she is also playful and keeps me on my feet. We can talk for hours on end without boring each other...." He was smiling wide, the corners of his eyes crinkled, "I love her. And only her. I cannot see my life or future without her in it."

Gabrijela's heart swelled once more and it was like how she felt when she first fell in love with him. Warm, bright and happy. To be honest, she felt like that all day every day with him.

"What kind of future with her? Marriage?" Her father was the one who spoke.

Someone scoffed and Gab looked over and saw Carmen shaking her head a little.

"It is something we will discuss when we are both ready. But I can assure you, everyone here, I will not hurt her, I will not be unfaithful, I will care for her through and through. I know you are concerned about the age difference, but please, see past it. I love her. I really do love her and to have your blessing and understanding, it will mean so, so, so much. My parents had the same concern, and I understand it, but I am in no way here to use your daughter. Only spent every waking moment with her." Cillian ended it, looking directly at her parents and waiting for their reply.

Gab watched them too, their expression was unreadable.

"If what you say is true, then I give you my blessing. But know this, if you ever, ever hurt my little girl, you will regret it. I promise you that." Her father had a hard look but she could see he would let them be.

"Understood." Cillian nodded and looked at Gabrijela, squeezing her hand.

Gab needed to step away from the table and stood, "I'll um.. Clear the table." She said as she took plates and all that. Cillian automatically stood to help her, and after two or three rounds they stayed in the kitchen and was cleaning up the dishes.

"Gab? Are you okay?" Cillian asked as they stacked the dishes up in the dishwasher.

"I feel like... I don't know. I was... I was scared, Cillian. But fuck... You did so well. I-I thought you might've hated it-"

He took her hand once she shut the door to the machine, "I wasn't too fond of answering the questions but I did it so they could know who I am. If I plan to keep you forever, I gotta let them know who I am. I'm fine, my love. Really. It was intense, I must admit but... I think it went well." He pulled her close to his body, his arms loosely around her waist.

"You sure?" She whispered.

"Very. Now, let me kiss you. You look like you need one." Cillian smiled and leaned in and kissed her deeply.

Her hands slid up to his shoulders as she opened her mouth for him, losing herself into the passionate kiss.

Cillian loved kissing her like this, she tasted sweet from the lemon-lime and bitters she just drank, her fingers tightened in his hair as he heard a soft moan escape her.

"Wow, you two need a room!" Tatiana laughed as she came into the kitchen with Leah behind her who gave a light laugh.

The pair let go of each other and Gab blushed darkly, "Shut up."

"No! God, I wished Leo would kiss me like that. Fuck." Tatiana sighed with a shake of her head.

"Dom just gives me pecks." Leah pouted cutely.

"I can see you two share something special, and it's cute to see that." Tatiana smiled, watching how Cillian stuck close to Gab, "Despite what those oldies out there say, you two are good for each other."

Gabrijela smiled.

"I agree with Tati." Leah agreed.

"Thanks, girlies. I appreciate it a lot. Like, really. But I am glad Dad gave us his blessing. It makes things a little easier for me." Gab said.

"Just be who you are. Don't change yourself just because someone else doesn't like it." Tatiana told Gabrijela as she refilled her glass.

"Always. Thanks, Tatiana." Gab said and the two girls left them be.

"Ready to go back out?" Gab looked up at Cillian who watched her with love.

"Yeah. I am." He leaned down and kissed her deeply again.

"Damn you. You know I like that and that it turns me on." She hit his chest and he laughed.

"I have to put you in a good mood somehow." He nipped her bottom lip and she rolled her eyes and got Lucien back on to her shoulder.

"Bastard." She muttered and they headed back out.

The conversation was light around the table, Cillian was holding a steady conversation with Ante and it seemed they had similar bands they liked and were excitedly talking about it. Gab's brothers and cousins chimed into the conversation and it seemed they were liking him a lot, they were laughing and joking around. The air was looser and easy. The night wore on and Tatiana had gone to put her baby to sleep and when she came back it was time for Dom and Leah to head home to as well as her aunt and uncle and her cousins.

Everyone seemed to like Cillian a lot, he was extremely friendly and kind and had some time with the babies and kids. The younger ones loved him as he played with them and was just... Carefree. Cillian showed care and affection towards Gabrijela and made sure to make her laugh the whole night, he made sure she was okay when she was with the girls and he was with the boys and always looked over to see if she was holding up.

Gabrijela would cherish that moment when Cillian lifted up Luca, Leah's one-year-old son who was crying and fussing and had eased him into sleep in no time. He held the boy with such care in his arms as he rocked him before he handed him back to his parents. Cillian would be the most perfect father, she thought. She was glad she was keeping the baby.

She couldn't wait for it to be here.

Everyone said their farewells and her parents, Leo and Tatiana headed back to the balcony. They gathered on the outdoor lounge, Gabrijela watched as her father took Cillian aside and headed to the backyard along with her brother.

"I do hope they won't eat him alive." Gab murmured to Tatiana who laughed. Her mother was inside making tea.

"I'm sure they are doing manly things. Your father might show off the house." Tatiana mused.

"Maybe." Gab sighed and stroked her bird who was falling asleep in her lap. "I hope they will let him stay with me tonight. I don't think I could handle it being alone."

Tatiana giggled, "You got your bird to snuggle with."

"Not the same!" Gabrijela whined.

"Yeah true. Birds can't give you pleasure." She wiggled her eyebrows at her. "Now that we are alone, tell me how he is in bed."

She rolled her eyes but sighed with a smile, "He's very good. Nothing like anyone I've been with. He works me out to exhaustion." She blushed brightly.

"Really? I would think of it the other way around." Tatiana teased.

"Oh, sometimes it can happen but that is only if he lets me. Which is rare. He likes to take control." She mused.

"How often?" Tatiana continued, leaning forward. "Favourite position?"

"Tatiana! My god." Gab shook her head, "Jeez... Since his arrival its been every day, maybe twice a day. I like to uhm... I like to see his face. See the emotion." She whispered, getting all shy about it. "That's all you get." She grumbled.

"Damn. You two are like rabbits." She laughed softly before she settled down and watched her closely. Tatiana had been doing that all night.

"Now what is it?" Gab raised a brow.

"I just... I dunno. I see something in you." She said softly.

"Yeah? Like what?" She was confused as to what she was saying.

Tatiana came over and sat beside her, looking her up and down. Then placed her hand on the side of Gab's neck then grabbed her breasts and gaze them a good squeeze.

"Ow! That hurts like shit! What are you doing?" She battered her hands away.

"You're pregnant." She said without hesitation.

"What?! No! I am not. What the fuck..." She felt a spike of fear run through her and frowned.

"Don't lie. I can see it. You look heaps tired, you look more fuller and your tits are sensitive. I didn't even squeeze them that hard." Tatiana whispered.

Gab glanced away, her bird was nibbling on her fingers gently.

"You know you can trust me with this. I'm here for you. Does he know?" Tatiana touched her shoulder.

"He does." Her smile was soft, "He's over the moon about it. We've already talked about how he will support me when he isn't here."

"Like?" Tatiana saw the glow in her sister-in-law's eyes, she was truly happy. Unafraid.

"He'll send me money to help with any doctor fees. Weekly. I'm not far along but I will guess November it'll be due. When I get a better number, Cillian will make sure to fly over here to be here."

Tatiana smiled wide, "You really did find someone special, huh?"

Gab looked at her, "Yeah. I did. I... There are no words to explain my love for him, Tatiana."

"Don't need to. I can see it. So, when do you think you'll tell mum and dad?"

"Probably next week after we come back from our camping trip. I want him here with me when we spill it. I don't fucking know how that's gonna go." She placed her hand on her tummy, "I won't give it up. No matter what."

"I'll help you to. Leah will too." Tatiana said and took her hand gently.

"Thanks. I'll need it." She laughed and heard voices. She looked over and saw her mother bring out a tray of two teas and her father discussing with Cillian about his work and some building thing he was doing. Leo came out and sat with Tatiana, "I think it's time to head to bed." He yawned.

"Aw, baby." Tatiana laughed, "Yeah. I'm tuckered out. I'll see you in the morning." The pair left after they said their goodnight.

Her mother smiled, "We had a good chat with him." She said.

"Yeah?" Gab sipped her tea slowly.

She sighed, "I will always worry for you. Always. I love you. And if you are happy with him, then I will be happy to. Your father is the same."

Gabrijela smiled. That was all that she wanted to hear, "Thank you, Mama. I am very happy." She hugged her.

"Good. Well, I am going to bed. I will see you in the morning." She stood.

"Mama?"

"Yes, darling?" She turned to her.

"You okay with him... Sharing a bed with me?" Gabrijela asked softly.

Her mother seemed to remember it and pursed her lips, "He is your boyfriend... I guess there is no harm with that."

Gabbie grinned, "Thanks, Mama. Goodnight." Her father came out and said goodnight to and then it was just her and Cillian on the couch.

"God, what a night," Gab said as she set her empty cup down.

"Yeah." Cillian smiled. Gab laid back, her head in his lap.

"I'm glad it went fine. Did you like the food?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. It tasted really good." He nodded.

Gab smiled and fell silent, staring at the clear sky. "Tatiana knows." She finally said.

"Know what?" Cillian was stroking her pretty hair which fanned out on his lap.

"That I am pregnant." She laughed at his widened eyes. "No. I didn't tell her. She just knew by squeezing my tits."

"Oh." He laughed lightly. "How'd she take it?"

"Said she was happy and would support me. She wasn't mad."

"That's good. That's one family member down."

They both laughed at that and Gabrijela yawned, "I think we should head to bed. I need to get a good sleep tonight since I have work tomorrow and a long drive ahead."

"Good plan." He finished his tea and went down to grab his stuff from the car when Gabrijela went to her bedroom to take a shower and dress. While she locked up the house he took a shower as well and stayed in his CK's and slid into bed, waiting for her.

She came in and shut the door, covered her bird and slipped into bed beside him. He was on his back and she snuggled close, her head on his chest. "Where were you when my dad and brother took you out?"

"Ah. He um, wanted to talk to me about something. Nothing serious. Just some advice." He ran his fingers down her arm then back up.

"Right. It was some advice, took you so long to come back." She giggled.

"Yeah. But it was alright." Cillian turned his head and kissed her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too, Cillian Murphy. Goodnight." She whispered and let his soft touches let her drift to sleep.

Cillian watched her fall asleep before he followed her to, their heads close and his nose brushing her forehead, his fingers laced in hers atop his stomach.

#cillian murphy #peaky blinders #thomas shelby #fanfiction #cillian murphy fanfic

15 notes · View notes

revisitingstoneybrook · 4 years

Text

Mystery #19 Kristy and the Missing Fortune: Chapter 1

We start with lots of talk about baseball.

The book starts out with Kristy deciding what positions she wants the Krushers to play. She mentions putting Jamie Newton at third base but decides against it because “he's too afraid of the ball.” You think, Kristy? He's four years old! She puts Nicky Pike there instead.

She's then interrupted by Karen, who she (and Watson the Millionaire) describe as a “real live wire.” She explains what this expression means (as the BSC is wont to do) and says it means she's full of energy and spunk! Which is a very nice way of saying she's annoying and hyper. Kristy starts in on the “we're stepsisters” thing but doesn't delve into it too much, only says she's been called a live wire a few times herself. She gives a brief rundown of who she is, including the official name on her birth certificate (Kristen Amanda Thomas), but says she'll tell us more about her friends and the BSC later. Lovely.

Karen, nosy little thing she is, peers into Kristy's notebook and is thrilled to see this means Krushers practice is coming up. Kristy tells her not yet, it's still snowy outside, being that's it's February. So doing the count, this is, what, the fourth February they've had in 8th grade, give or take? Anyway, Kristy has baseball on the mind (lol she has balls on the brain) because that day at school, she had a conversation with Logan and Mary Anne.

She was going to comment that Logan's chicken chow mein looked like dog barf (what the hell? Number one, that's gross. Number two, the boys in my 8th grade class were the height of immaturity and even they didn't make gross comments about cafeteria food) when Logan tells her pitchers and catchers report in two weeks. Kristy and Logan are overjoyed, while Mary Anne is dumbfounded like Claudia.

“Report? On what?” she asks. “Their activities since the last baseball season? Is that like when our teachers used to make us write those 'What I Did on My Summer Vacation' essays?” Oh, Mary Anne. Logan and Kristy laugh at her, and of course, Mary Anne immediately gets a look on her face like she's about to cry.

Kristy, to avoid the almost-guaranteed deluge of tears, explains to her what it means, that pitchers and catchers are reporting to training camp. Mary Anne understands and agrees it's good...she thinks. Kristy then delves into a whole thing about how excited she is for baseball season and a perfect day for her is playing baseball, coaching the Krushers and watching the Mets on tv. As she rides home, she looks forward to baseball season and imagines the snow outside has melted away and she has a green field outside to play baseball on.

So Kristy, control freak that she is, is starting in on the Krushers' lineup weeks before they're going to start practicing. Gotta get those four and five-year-olds off to a good start if they want to beat the belong-in-Little-League Bashers! Kristy says most of the Krushers are too young for Little League and can barely hit the ball past the pitcher's mound. Um, Kristy? I know you want to look like the benevolent and good babysitter who runs a baseball team for all the kiddies but that really makes things unfair for the older kids if you have Jamie Newton and Gabbie Perkins barely hitting the ball while Nicky Pike and Matt Braddock are standing there bored in the infield.

Kristy goes into how she can't give special treatment to her stepsister...hey! Segue into a description of her bigass family! Skim through for interesting stuff...Kristy's dad is in California (she thinks), her mom is one of her heroes, oh here we go! She says Watson the Millionaire is balding and tells the stupidest jokes in the world. Kristy, you're no Gilda Radner either. Look at my last snark for her dumb joke about the Dewdrop Hair Care products.

And, in case you didn't know, Watson the Millionaire is a real, live millionaire everyone! Does Ann Martin use that description in every book when describing Watson the Millionaire? Oh, but don't worry! He isn't like other rich people. He's a regular person who happens to make tons of money. Is that a compliment?

Kristy talks about Emily Michelle, whose new favorite word is “tylis” which is supposed to mean stylish and when she says it, she strikes a model pose. In the same situation, the same-aged Gabbie Perkins would say, “I must admit, that garment you are wearing today looks ridiculously stunning. Shall we go have some tea?”

And thanks for the rundown of the plot of Kristy and Mr. Mom, Kristy. Now I don't have to read it! Basically, Watson had a mild heart attack so he semi-retires to spend more time at home. So after she talks about that and Nannie, she goes through the pets. Boo-Boo bit her the other day. Maybe he has an aversion to power-hungry dictators? And she kind of laughs over the names of Karen and Andrew's fish (Goldfishie and Crystal Light the Second). And when did Andrew get a hermit crab named Bob?

Kristy says she'll think about sticking Karen at shortstop and Karen gets stars in her eyes and says that's gigundoly super! Kristy knows Karen's imagining herself as a star shortstop in the major leagues. Karen's got an imagination that won't quit, everyone! I love how her annoying personality is always described away as “She's got such a wild imagination!” And since Chapter 2 is coming up, that means there's a BSC meeting coming up too, so Kristy lets Karen ride in the Junk Bucket with her to Claudia's. End scene.

#babysitters club #kristy and the missing fortune #kristy thomas #bsc #snark

1 note · View note

ducktracy · 4 years

Text

140. porky’s poultry plant (1936)

release date: august 22nd, 1936

series: looney tunes

director: frank tashlin

starring: joe dougherty (porky), tedd pierce (rooster)

a cartoon with a number of important firsts! starting with the most obvious: this is frank tashlin’s first cartoon! he was only 23 at the time. he worked at schlesinger’s as an animator from 1933-1934, but got fired after leon schlesinger wanted a cut of tashlin’s comic (titled van boring, a play on his former boss van beuren) and tashlin told him to go to hell. after floating around from ub iwerks and hal roach’s studios, tashlin returned to schlesinger’s in 1936 to replace jack king. tashlin would leave once more in 1938 after an argument with executive henry binder, working at disney and returning once more to schlesinger’s in 1942, leaving in 1944 (his cartoons running from 1943-1946) to head into the movie business. one of my favorite directors for sure with his sharp eye for cinematography and liberal use of line of action and dynamics.

another important first is that this is carl stalling’s first cartoon at warner bros! to label stalling as a genius would be an understatement. composing for over 600 cartoons and staying all the way until 1958, his scores greatly enhanced the impact of so many cartoons. his biggest shtick was accompanying scenes with literal, appropriate scores—if a character strikes it rich, “we’re in the money” would play. any scene involving a tree was usually accompanied by “in the shade of the old apple tree”. a character is hunting, you can count on an underscore of “a-hunting we will go”. it seems simple, but stalling pulled it off amazingly well and his music is an absolute delight to listen to.

in regards to the synopsis: porky’s been struggling with a declining population of chickens thanks to some hungry hawks. when another hawk snatches a chick, porky is determined to reunite the baby with its mother by any means necessary.

15 seconds in and frank tashlin already works his cinematography magic with this amazing pan. pan across an aerial view of a big farm, focusing on a line of chicken coops. we hone in on a flag that triumphantly reads “porky’s poultry plant”, a wonderful pan sliding down the pole and to the coops themselves as a leisurely rooster make his way out of the coop, yawning and stretching. he wanders over to a crate situated behind a microphone and a music stand, stepping on the crate and flipping the music open to reveille. a few clears of the throat and hearty slaps to the sides later, the rooster clucks reveille over the PA system.

one by one the hatch doors are opened from the coops, all sorts of birds streaming out. chickens, ducks, geese, you name it. elsewhere, porky himself steps out onto his porch and revels in the freshness of a new day. he stretches and announces (stutters) “boy, what a day!” the animation is truly hilarious as porky beats his chest repeatedly, so hard that he ends up in the midst of a coughing fit. he grins sheepishly at the audience and jogs away offscreen—a great first impression by tashlin.

porky pours some fresh seed into a tin pan from a chute, scattering it along the ground, calling for the animals to come and get it. all the chi-chi-chicks and du-du-ducks and gee-gee-geese come running, followed by a poor little chick who keeps getting swept up in the stampede. the animation of all of the animals running towards the feed is very smooth and satisfying to watch.

the birds move in droves, zigzagging in one giant pecking pack as porky tosses the seed back and forth on the ground. again, great animation. very frenzied with a lot going on. i’d hate to be the one animating it! the poor chick tries its damnest to get some food, but continues to get run over by the starving stampede. porky notices and frowns at the gaggle, but an idea hatches. he scoops a heaping handful of seed into his hand and fakes the birds out by pretending to throw it. the birds fall for it, running away, and porky pours the handful of food down just for the chick, who inhales it immediately and swells up like a tiny balloon.

more barnyard gags ensue. a duck scrapes corn off the cob with its beak in rows, porky feeds a gaggle of geese who get their long necks tied together in the midst of the rush (including a neat shot of porky tossing feed directly at the audience), and so on. a few chicks follow some worms who dive in their holes, and porky, grabbing a funnel, plays it like a pipe and acts like a snake charmer (porky the worm charmer!), the worms writhing out of the ground and getting sucked into the chicks’ mouths. this gag would be traced over in clampett’s chicken jitters, including a slightly incongruous large porky body with his smaller, more refined 1939 head.

transition to a much more somber mood. we see a poster with the profile of a hen on it reading “OLGA—STOLEN BY HAWK APRIL 6, 1936”. another hawknapped hen by the name of dorothy. we zoom out to see a teary eyed porky mourning the loss of his precious hens (one of them named petunia, sharing the name of porky’s girlfriend also created by tashlin in porky’s romance.) porky’s remorse fades to vengeance as he now confronts a giant poster with a menacing hawk on it (looks more like a vulture to me), hilariously labeled “PUBLIC CHICKEN ENEMY No. 1”. porky vows to exact revenge: “i’ll get you yet, you old buzzard!”

just the time to fade to a hawk floating around in the sky, searching for its next victim. it looks down at the ground and is immediately pleased, licking its chops in anticipation. it circles around an oblivious hen, who’s minding her business, pecking at the ground with her children nearby. clever staging as she spots the shadow of the overhead hawk and panics, attempting to wrangle her children as the hawk settles into a nosedive. porky spots the hawk and immediately runs to turn the crank on the “hawk alarm” (a siren.) panic and crisis ensues as all of the birds scramble to take shelter as the hawk zooms overhead. the speed isn’t as exaggerated as it could be (a small nitpick), but the sense of urgency is very much present.

the hawk has a particular chick cornered, dashing back and forth between the fence as the hawk’s shadow follows. now we have some nice exaggeration and speed as porky repeatedly fires a rifle, the impact so tremendous that he’s sent whirring backwards through a pond like a speedboat and sent crashing into an apple tree. tentatively, all of the birds poke their heads out of their respective hiding places to see if the coast is clear. it appears so. the mother hen is relieved... until she isn’t. she panics, hurriedly counting how many of her children are present. one appears to be missing. we see that the hawk overhead now has her missing chick in the safety of its talons.

now in a hysteric frenzy, the hen rushes up to porky, clucking like mad. a very clever decision to have her clucks briefly morph into decipherable english: “oh, my baby! oooooh, porky! look! look look look!” she points upwards, and porky does a take. he immediately rushes inside the barn to get something.

what follows is a sequence with nonstop great animation. we start with a straight in view as an airplane barrels towards the screen, the plane flying upward and curving slightly towards the camera before settling, porky inside. the plane feels very volumetric and three dimensional, and the animation is just mesmerizing. the hawk recognizes he has someone on its tail and panics—excessive bullets fired from porky don’t fare well either. we have some more stunningly beautiful camera angles as porky follows the hawk, shooting the tail feathers off of the hawk. the scene is urgent, fun, captivating, and exhilarating.

desperate, the hawk calls for help. a nearby flock of hawks overhear and follow, all taking off like airplanes and using a cliff as a runway. now porky is outnumbered. if the population of his foes wasn’t enough of a reminder that he’s being hunted, pulling his tail repeatedly serves as another suitable reminder. the hawks taunt porky, each plucking at his tail before dropping him back in the plane. another beautiful angle (this time an undershot) as we view the hawks bombing porky with a barrage of eggs.

more creative (and unseen) animation as porky ushers the hawks into a cloud, firing his gun. the camera jolts back and forth, back and forth, our only context clues being gunfire, crowing, and a chorus of “ow!”s. with that, porky comes out of the clouds the way he came, the hawks trailing HIM and now armed with his gun. the bullets spray the propeller, reducing it to nothing. some dizzying angles as porky is plummeting straight to the ground. a great number of shots one after the other, not even a second long. the chickens, porky, the laughing hawks, and then an upshot of a windmill. porky crashes straight into the windmill, which proves to be a worthy substitute for a propeller, the windmill blades situated right where the propeller used to be. porky is now back on track.

a scene that reminds me of many of tex avery’s “interlude” gags (like the train sequence in porky the wrestler, though to a much lesser extent), the hawks now form a huddle and converse. thus sparks a game of football, the rooster at the PA system from before (vocals by tedd pierce) providing the riveting commentary. hilarious animation as two hawks play monkey in the middle with porky, using the defenseless, unmoving chick as a ball. unfortunately for the hawks, one of them misses the throw (“and he fumbles!”). the chicken is now plummeting straight towards the ground.

porky immediately swoops in, the nervous hen from below passing out from the excitement. porky recovers the little chick, victoriously cradling it in his hands. but the chase isn’t over yet: the hawks are gaining furiously on porky. to retaliate, porky smothers them in a thick cloud of exhaust. sure enough it works: all of the hawks plummet to the ground, the chickens below even digging a giant hole for them to pile up in. once everyone is settled, the chickens cover the dirt up and you have yourself a grave. the cherry on top is the tedd pierce rooster forlornly placing a flower on top of the dirt mound.

finally, all is well. porky comes to a not so smooth landing, the plane rocking back and forth a few times before settling. he hands the chick back to the hen, reassuring “here’s your baby, henrietta. all safe and sound.” henrietta smothers her baby in reunion kisses and hugs. she clucks terms of endearment as she struts along, but the all too familiar shadow of a hawk stops her dead in her tracks. now in a frenzy, she rushes back to porky and alarms him, who wastes no time retrieving his rifle. porky aims, preparing to fire... and we zoom out to reveal the source of the shadow: a weather vane. iris out as porky points and laughs at his mistake.

i forgot how dynamic of a cartoon this was! i knew the opening shot of the flagpole was great, but i completely forgot how exhilarating the entire hawk chase scene was with all those wild angles. the exposition of the cartoon ran a little long in my opinion, but the snappy pace of the hawk scenes definitely make up for it. tashlin’s first cartoon and he’s already showing how great of a director he is! those angles can’t be beat and you need to see them for yourself. as heavy as tashlin’s vendetta against porky was (complaining there was nothing to do with him and that he took too long to talk), he characterizes him well. tashlin’s porky is certainly the most endearing out of the avery-tashlin-king trio. quite a few scenes of this cartoon were reused in clampett cartoons such as chicken jitters and wise quacks (though it’s my understanding clampett and tashlin were pretty good buds)—i can definitely see this cartoon’s influence in a lot of clampett’s barnyard cartoons. with that said, you should watch it! the hawk scenes especially. this cartoon is chock full of interesting angles and dynamics. very carefully crafted and fun to watch. and it’s tashlin’s first cartoon! give it a go!

link!

#lt #porky’s poultry plant #tashlin #reviews #long post

6 notes · View notes

jmeelee · 5 years

Text

Sterek Bingo 2019 • Theme: Wild Card

Cora’s twenty-first birthday party is in full swing when the vibration of an incoming text jiggles Derek’s right ass cheek. He pulls his phone from the pocket of his too-tight jeans to find a befuddling text: There myst be sumething wrong w my eyes.

Derek’s future does not include being an Alpha, and that’s fine; he’ll happily leave the politics, management, and difficult decision-making to his older sister, Laura. Instead, he’s been training the last few years—learning languages and studying cultures and meeting werewolves all over the world—to become his pack’s liaison. He’s young, but his good name and reputation are already circulating, so he automatically thinks, this must be a young werewolf in need of help. Plus, it’s no secret to the supernatural community that his beta-shifted eyes are blue, instead of gold.

His thumb’s hovering over the touchscreen when a drunk girl bumps into him, her red solo cup full of cheap beer exploding like a water balloon all over the front of his olive-green henley. “Oops,” she slurs, lids drooping over bloodshot blue eyes. She gropes his soaked pectorals with her bare hands.

Derek’s eyebrows berate her before he heads for the staircase. He’s tired of pseudo-babysitting intoxicated college kids anyway.

By the time he’s showered off the stale booze and changed into pajamas, almost an hour has passed. He grabs his phone off the nightstand to finally reply to his cryptic messenger, and finds a new text: i can’t take them off of u.

What the hell? It wasn’t a cry for help at all; it was a lame pick up line. Derek’s mood sours as he imagines Cora egging one of her immature girlfriends into sending him the terrible come-on. The culprit is probably downstairs right now. He swipes over the message, deleting it, and powers off his cell before climbing into bed, pulling a pillow over his head to drown out the noise.

He’s so done with this day.

A week and a half later Derek’s pushing a cart up and down the aisles at the grocery store when his phone chirps. He stares at the flashing number of the unknown contact, wondering why it looks vaguely familiar before he opens the text. Did you invent the airplane? Because you seem Wright for me.

At least there are no typos this time.

He almost deletes the message right away, but the split second he hesitates gives him an excuse to type back. This is clearly Gustave Whitehead erasure and I won’t stand for it.

The return response comes before he can black out his screen. Dude. Are we having our first fight?

Derek doesn’t hesitate this time. Find someone else to annoy.

Rude.

He puts his phone away and staunchly ignores the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He’s already in bed, and would never have heard the vibration except for his supernatural hearing. My name’s Microsoft. How about I crash at your place.

Derek blinks the sleep from his eyes enough to type back, I own a Mac.

In the morning, he sees the response. Harsh dude.

You must be a trumpet because you’re making me horny.

Wow. This is your worst one yet.

Is that a challenge, Derek?

NO!

Did it hurt when you fell from the vending machine? Because you a snack!

Please stop.

“Derek, answer that or I’m going to punch you in the face,” Laura threatens between spoonfuls of cookie-dough ice cream. The harsh buzzing of his phone sounds like a jackhammer to their sensitive werewolf ears, and it’s disrupting their movie marathon.

If you were a transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine. Oh lord.

“What’s with the sappy smile, big brother?” Cora coos.

Derek schools his face into a scowl. “Nothing.”

She throws the blanket off her lap and lunges for the phone in his hand. A tussle ensues. Derek is older and stronger, but she’s fast, sneaky and not above fighting dirty, and she grips the phone before he knows what happened. “What the hell is this?” She’s screeching with laughter, holding his cell out so Laura can look. “Who’s sending you lame pick-up lines?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” he gripes. “You put her up to this.”

Cora furrows her brow. “Uh, what?”

“The night of your birthday party, the first pick-up line came through. It was someone at your party. I figured you put her up to it as a joke.”

She checks the number again. “The only person I ever gave your number to was Erica, for official pack business. This isn’t Erica’s number.” She grabs her cell off the coffee table and punches in the digits. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Cora laughs so hard her eyes water.

“Who is she?” Laura asks.

“Not a she.” Cora holds out her phone with a shit-eating grin so Derek and Laura can read her contacts. “It’s Stiles Stilinski.”

Terse silence follows her declaration. Then Derek asks, “Who the fuck is Stiles?”

6 & 7

��Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one…” Derek counts out his squats in a whisper, monitoring his form in the full-length mirror. He feels his phone vibrate, and the grin reflecting back at him is disgusting. He should be ashamed.

He gently places the weight back on the rack when he completes the set and digs the phone from his mesh shorts.

Is your phone in your back pocket? Because that ass is calling me!

Derek honestly can’t say what possesses him to turn around, open his camera app, and hold the phone over his left shoulder. Perfect timing ur not following me r u? he writes back, attaching a photo of his butt. A dude doing kettlebell lunges across the gym gives him the stink eye.

Stiles answers with a string of peach emojis, which Derek understands, and a single unicorn emoji, which he doesn’t.

I know who you are, btw. Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff's kid? Cora figured it out

Usually, the response comes immediately, but Derek’s walking out to his car before he receives two simultaneous replies.

Well since the cat (be gr8ful i didn’t say pussy) is out of the bag

my mother used to tell me to follow my dreams so… where will you be tonight?

Derek sits behind the wheel, staring at his phone, weighing the pros and cons. He’s never gone on a blind date before, and he’s been burned, badly, in the past. Being single is sometimes lonely, but at least it’s safe. He doesn’t want to put a defenseless, unwitting human in harm’s way. His brain keeps supplying him with a list of perfectly rational reasons why he should leave their playful correspondence in the sandbox of cyberspace, but his heart furtively whispers what if.

8 & 9

There’s a live band at the bar, guitar player crooning a popular rock ballad while Derek nurses a beer for show. He checks his smartwatch for the seventh time in a span of three minutes and happens to catch the message notification as it pops up.

Do you know CPR? You better learn because ur taking my breath away

He spins around, searching for guys on their phones, frustrated to find almost every man in the bar staring at their screen. A baby-faced guy plops down on the open stool next to him as Derek’s eyes scan the crowd.

“Scott bet me I wouldn’t be able to start a conversation with the most beautiful person in the room.” Derek glances back, startled, to find a generous mouth smiling at him. “What should we do with his money?”

His first thought: HOT. His second thought: young. “Tell me you’re twenty-one,” Derek greets him. “Actually, please tell me you’re legal.”

Stiles dramatically crosses his heart, eyes wide. “I only look seventeen, I promise. It’s a blessing and a curse.” He holds out a sturdy but slender, long-fingered hand. “I’m Stiles. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

Derek takes his outstretched hand in a firm grip and swears he feels a zing when their skin makes contact. It’s official; he’s been single too long. “Derek. Let me buy you a drink, and you can tell me how you got my number in the first place.”

Stiles winks as Derek flags the bartender. “A gentleman never reveals his secrets.”

“Gentleman?” Derek, cold, fresh beer in hand, arches a brow. “Based on some of the texts I’ve received, I’m not sure gentleman is the correct term.”

Stiles clinks his drink against Derek’s. “Touché.” He eyes Derek over the lip of his brown bottle. “So, did you lace your pilsner with wolfsbane, or do you enjoy the taste?”

Derek, mid-sip, spits his beer onto the bartop. “What the hell?” he sputters, mopping at the mess with the world’s least absorbent cocktail napkin.

Stiles calmly takes a sip. “Come on, dude. My father’s the sheriff, and this town is literally a supernatural shit-show. If that wasn’t enough, my best friend is Scott McCall.”

“McCall?” Derek leans closer, soggy napkins forgotten, to whisper, “The True Alpha?” Derek’s met Scott at a few local pack gatherings.

“Yup,” Stiles replies. “He was bitten by a rogue werewolf when we were sixteen. So you could say I’ve been a little-” He makes exaggerated air quotes- “involved in the supernatural scene the past few years.”

Derek leans back, accessing Stiles in a new light: deceptively lean physique, handsome, impish face, the ability to make Derek laugh, and take him by surprise. The laundry list of reasons not to do this quickly goes up in smoke in the face of being able to show his true nature to a partner. Stiles smiles like he knows exactly what Derek is thinking.

“So, what do you say? Do I pass the test? Should we give going on an official first date a shot?”

“One condition,” Derek demands, holding up his index finger. “You’re not allowed to use a single pick up line all night.”

Stiles squawks, tossing long arms into the air. “You might as well ask me not to breathe! Or the Mets not to lose!”

“Chicken?” he asks, leaning into Stiles’ space. Derek quirks a brow and lifts his chin, eyes drawn like a magnet to Stiles’ tongue when it sneaks out to wet his lips.

“Hell no. Challenge accepted. Eight pm Saturday night.” An impish grin. “I’m gonna date you so hard, Hale.”

As far as (official) first dates go, it’s pretty damn amazing. The conversation flows as easily as the wine at dinner, and Stiles’ running jokes and commentary during the shitty movie doesn’t bother Derek at all. He’s thrilled to find their easy banter translates to real life, after weeks of electronic flirtation.

“Hey,” Derek whispers as they say good-night at Stiles’ apartment door. He wraps his arms around Stiles’ waist, pulling him close. He brushes a kiss, feather-light, across Stiles’ mouth and smirks. “Are you a magician? Because when I’m with you, everyone else disappears.”

Stiles leans back, arms still locked around Derek’s shoulders. “What the hell, man! You said no pick-up lines!”

Derek tuts. “I said you couldn’t use any. I never made the same promise.”

Stiles’ eyes narrow. “Serious question?”

“Shoot.”

“Will there be a second date?”

A second, a third, and more, if Derek has any say in the matter. “Absolutely.”

Stiles’ grin is slightly manic as he untangles slim fingers from Derek’s hair. “Well then, there’s probably something I should show you.” He holds up a hand in front of Derek’s face and snaps his fingers. A spark of light fizzles to life before his eyes, emanating from Stiles’ palm, and burning ozone singes the fine hairs inside his nose.

“Huh,” Derek replies, dumbly. “I did not see that coming.”

Stiles’ coy smile ignites something hot inside him. “I have some other party tricks I could show you if you want to come in?”

Derek leans forward again, chasing the bright glimmer of magic between them, the one that’s been there the whole time. “Oh, absolutely.”

——

For @evanesdust and based on THIS PROMPT by @faladrast

#eternalsterek #haleinski #sterekbingo2019 #sterek #sbwildcard3 #sterekbingo

139 notes · View notes

precuredaily · 4 years

Text

Precure Day 165

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 17 - “Love Story of a Pure-Hearted Maiden” Date watched: 12 December 2019 Original air date: 27 May 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/md9kwKC Transformation Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/6k6SzS0 Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Remember the Prism Love Checker, the Takoyaki Handy, or the Charm Pencil Case from the last three seasons? Yeah, it’s that time again! Time to loosely base an entire episode around a toy that doesn’t fit the theme of the series.

The Plot

Natts House is sold out of everything, and for some reason there’s an implication that Rin should be doing something about this, but instead she’s crafting a bead bracelet, ignoring her surroundings, and generally acting strangely. Nozomi recalls that only other time she’s seen her friend this way was when she had a crush.....

Later, the girls pay her a visit at her mom’s shop, and see her giddily selling flowers to a handsome young man, and blushing. They confront her and she doesn’t admit to having a crush on this guy, but doesn’t deny it either. Since she agreed to deliver a flower to him, they urge her to make the delivery now while they mind the shop, and dress nicely to do it.

Nuts gives her a blue bead bracelet to match the red one she’s wearing (again, toys) and she sets off. However, the girls are curious to see her shoot her shot, and after some debate Karen justifies it by saying she’s just looking out for the students, so they follow her in secret. Rin arrives at his residence but hesitates, unsure what to say. Meanwhile, Girinma watches ominously from a tree....

As she’s just about to knock on the door, he opens the porch door and sees her. She gives him the flower and is just about to confess her feelings when a lady comes over and he introduces her as his girlfriend, for whom he buys the flowers. Rin goes from crushing to crushed, but manages to hide her feelings long enough to give them both the bracelets and wish them well before running off and breaking down. She sits on a bench and reflects on how she met him, as a patron of her shop, and starts to cry. Girinma shows up, taunting her dream for being pointless, and he prepares to attack her. The other girls catch up, declare Rin’s feelings to be precious, and they all transform. Girinma turns a nearby water fountain (the large, decorative kind, not the ones you drink from) into a Kowaina, which tosses the girls around. Even Aqua, who is supposed to be able to manipulate water.

Despite being overpowered and heartbroken, Rouge declares that she still wants to look forward to good things in life, and refuses to give up. The Kowaina suddenly weakens and it turns out Coco and Nuts have cut off the water supply to the fountain. Lemonade, Mint, and Aqua handle Girinma while Rouge and Dream take out the Kowaina, and the day is won.

As they all walk home, Nozomi, Urara, Komachi, and Karen suggest activities to cheer Rin up, but she knocks them each down in turn because they’re impractical or not to her tastes. Then she realizes that with all of them there, including Nuts and Coco, nobody is watching the shop, so they have to get back there as soon as possible, and the episode ends with a still frame.

The Analysis

First off, if I haven’t established this by now, I’m a sap for romance episodes. Always have been. So seeing Rin crush on someone warms my heart, even if I know it’s not going to end well for her. Also, she’s really cute when she’s like this. I mean, she’s always cute, but more cute. Actively cute.

I have to give props to her actress, Takeuchi Junko, for this. She sounds a bit more high-pitched and aloof than normal. Also there’s a sequence where she’s roleplaying in the mirror as herself and the guy, switching between personas and voices and it’s hilarious and a good show of skill.

I can’t really say her taste in men is great, this guy’s only notable feature seems to be “he comes to her shop, is personable, and is moderately attractive” but since she’s modeled after Nagisa, the bar isn’t exactly high. And of course, young love is rarely rational. It’s less about who she likes as much as the fact that she likes someone, and the writers’ ability to craft an episode around that. As far as episodes of this show goes, this one isn’t very good, especially coming off the fantastic Komachi focus episode, but it’s still fun overall. In this series, even the bad episodes are still pretty solid. They spend just the right amount of time showing Rin as lovestruck, doing silly things, and then getting heartbroken, before they move into the battle.

Now, the elephant in the room here is the Pop’n Beads Maker. It will appear again, and I know it appeared in HUGtto under a different name. This is a toy that was released in the Precure 5 toyline with branding from the characters, but it doesn’t have any plot relevancy. We’ve seen this before, but the previous items they were plugging were a bit smaller than this.

In stores now! Wait, I’m 12 years late.

Based on translated Amazon reviews it seems it was well-liked. I don’t have much to say about this. It threads beads onto a string for you so you don’t have to do it by hand. I read mixed reviews of how good it was at doing this. It may feature the least into the story of any of these gimmick items. For reference, the Prism Love Checker was used by Nagisa to see how compatible she was with Fuji-P.... or would have been if she hadn’t chickened out. The Handy was shown to be useful at Akane’s takoyaki cart, and Honoka used it to control a slideshow as well. The pencil cases in Splash Star were used to share messages about how Saki and Mai cared about each other and were sorry for upsetting one another. The bead maker is shown once, as Rin makes a bracelet, we see Nuts hold one more bracelet, and then it’s never seen or heard about again in this episode. Very weird. It’s preferable to forcing their whole relationship to center around the bead maker, but then it comes across as a less effective toy plug. I feel like there’s a middle ground for effectively marketing your product and integrating it into the plot in a non-hamfisted way, but I don’t want to waste time coming up with one.

I would like to point out that, despite being portrayed as sporty and tomboyish, they always take care to show that Rin also has feminine interests as well. She’s happy making flower arrangements, and here she is fawning over a boy. Her friends make note of this, and I’m not bringing it up to say it’s unusual for her. I like that she’s able to express all aspects of her personality mostly freely (she feels a little embarrassed about the crush, as people are wont to do).

I really like how they showcase Rin and Nozomi’s old friendship. We know they’re second generation friends who have known each other since they were very young, and we know they always look out for each other, but I love is how they show it in this episode. Nozomi recalls Rin’s previous crush that got her acting all giddy, and wants to support her wholeheartedly. When she gets her heart broken, Nozomi gives her some space, but when Girinma mocks her, she jumps on the offensive and declares how important Rin’s feelings are. When it’s time to strike the final blow, she works in tandem with Rin and says “Don’t make a maiden angry! You wouldn’t like us when we’re angry!” She has no time for anyone who upsets her friends, especially Rin, and that’s admirable.

Komachi, Urara, and Karen don’t have a whole lot going on this episode. It’s not about them. They’re mostly moral support, and encouraging poor decisions. All of them know they should leave Rin alone to go talk to this guy herself, but they’re also curious to see how she does. Karen is initially the voice of reason, saying they should give her her privacy, and Nuts backs her up. However, when Nozomi insists, she comes around and says as student council president, it’s her responsibility to look out for the students, and comes along. This is a pattern of behavior with her, she acts reasonable at first but then she makes poor decisions. I kinda like that about her, it shows that she’s not the unflappable student council president they all think she is, she’s just good at logic-ing her way into situations. And then when they’re all coming up with ways they can cheer her on, using their unique skills, Komachi suggests that she could write lines for Rin and Urara says she’ll be her stunt double!

she is unique.

They’re a bunch of dorks and I love them.

Also over on the villain side, Girinma isn’t doing so hot. Bunbee handed him his termination papers and threatened to fire him if he didn’t improve his performance, so he’s especially cynical of Rin’s misadventures when he spots her, but it doesn’t really relate to his attack. It doesn’t seem to amount to much of anything, except to show that Bunbee is at the end of his rope with his employees, which will come into play in a few more episodes.

To wrap it up, it’s a filler episode with the intention of plugging a toy they couldn’t advertise any other way. No Pinkies are gathered, but we see a little insight into Rin’s softer side, and some machinations behind the scenes. It’s not a bad episode, but if I had to recommend ones to skip for time, this would be one of them. I do understand the importance of fleshing out your cast so the audience cares about them and appreciates the bond between characters, which is what this does, but ultimately it’s not especially relevant. I would rate it a 7 on a scale of 10.

Next time, Masuko Mika interviews Karen at home, and we see spring uniforms! Look foward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 Kettei!

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Yes! Precure 5 #YPC517 #PCD165

8 notes · View notes