#and it'll probably be demolished in a year or two

[rmhashauthor]

"Pet", fiction in 4 parts - Part 2

Part 1 can be found here

When Kira came out of the shower-room, dressed in a deeply green sheath that set the gold and copper in her eyes aflame, Taun had to swallow his heart back down into his chest in order to continue setting up the dinner he'd prepared for her. His heart leaped again when he heard her small gasp of astonishment, and he held out a cup of mid-grade liquor he'd prepared for when she appeared. Her eyes, wide and beautifully expressive, took in the sight of various roots, talks, leaves and seeds arranged on plain steel plates and garnished with the few flowers he could spare, and rose to his with amazement as she took the drink. “Did you...?”

“Ah, yeah...” He had to control his eyes, trying not to focus too hard on the shape of her body under that clingy green fabric. “Is it too much?”

“It's...” Kira searched for the word. “It's incredible – you grew all this?”

Taun nodded. “Mm-hmm, I've gutted and refitted this ship and turned it into a mobile farm, basically. It keeps my food cost down and passes the time.” He didn't mention the secure rooms where he grew hallucinogenic herbs, fungus and algae just yet – he'd tell her about that particular income stream later.

“I haven't had fruit in probably six or seven years,” Kira breathed, staring greedily at a small cluster of bright yellow berries. “I don't even know what half of it is.” Her eyes sparkled, though, and she looked hungry enough to demolish it all. Taun wondered if she'd ever look at him in the same way. Don't get ahead of yourself. Instead, he invited her to sit on the mat he'd laid out on the floor – his only table was currently holding up a pallet of seedlings in the greenhouse. He watched her kneel, green fabric rippling around her legs as she reached for a cushion to sit on. Settling in, Kira took a drink and raised her eyes to the ceiling in bliss. “Oh my god... Don't tell me you do this all the time?”

Taun shook his head, grinning and lowering himself to sit. “I wish. I'll be honest, if you decide to stay we'll be eating leftovers for a while, then it'll be mostly protein bars and greens.” Taun found himself hoping she would stay.

“Sounds like paradise.” Kira took another sip and set her cup down. “It's still better than the colony, did you hear the part where I said I haven't had fruit in years?”

“I did. I don't always have fruit, either – the plants need to rest between crops, but I keep plenty of preserved stuff on hand. You won't go hungry unless something really bad happens, and even then it'll be a while before I run out.”

“Good to know. Can I...?” Kira gestured towards the food.

“Help yourself, I did this for you.”

She smiled. “Trying to win me over?”

Taun shrugged. “It gets lonely and cold out there, and my setup gets bigger every year, I could use the extra hands.”

“So it's not just about sex, then?” Kira picked an arrangement of fresh fruit and prepared vegetables, selecting pieces carefully. Taun paid attention to the pieces she picked and how quickly – they would be things she was familiar with or appealed the most to her. “When I read the notice, I kind of got the impression that being a pet is more like an arranged marriage than anything else.”

“It can mean a lot of things, depending on who's making the rules. That's what this is for, a chance to talk it over and see if we're looking for the same thing or if we can compromise. What led you to respond, if I may ask? It's... not common for humans to be interested in these things.”

“Can I be honest?” She popped a piece of fruit in her mouth, her tongue pink.

“I'd prefer it.”

Kira took a moment to chew before she answered. “I'm over thirty, I'm not married, and I don't want kids. These colonies tend to be on the conservative side, so if you're at least two of those things people start asking a lot of questions and getting into your business. There aren't many single women out here, so the guys can get annoying real fast – and pushy.”

Taun had to willfully settle his hackles. Already the thought of other men harassing this beautiful, obviously intelligent and amazingly bold woman had him feeling... fighty. Still, she was choosing a relationship that largely centered around sex over settling down, raising a family, being among her own people... “From what I understand, Rock 22 isn't a popular colony.”

“Nope, it's a mining colony, so the work is hard and supplies are expensive. And it's just a rock, there's nothing nice to look at or anywhere to go where you can forget what it's like being underground.” Kira raised her eyes again, this time to the profusion of greenery around and above. Some of the vines had become enmeshed with the wiring, and trails of leaves wound around the support frames Taun had left intact when he cut out bulkheads. Suddenly her eyes widened. “Is that a flower?”

Taun looked where she stared. In one of the supporting beams, in a hole he'd stuffed with moss and growing medium, a tiny white and yellow blossom had begun to unfold like a hand revealing a tiny, precious jewel. He smiled. “Drassian teaflower, one of my favorites. It just started doing that today.”

“All by itself?” Kira shot him a teasing glance, “I figured with you trying to make a good impression and all that...”

“Hey now, if you know how to make flowers bloom on command I may not let you leave.” Taun caught the flash of a grin. “It's just luck, and patience. And a lot more trial-and-error than I care to admit.”

“Isn't that everything?” Kira pulled her attention back from the plants and redirected it between him and the food. Despite not having fruit for years she ate with controlled but obviously sincere pleasure. Taun hoped she approached more than food in the same manner. He was more than content to just watch her, let her enjoy the meal uninterrupted while he enjoyed the view. The dress, probably home-made from whatever material she could scavenge or barter for, hugged her body from chest to hips before widening slightly, and the body under it was no disappointment – already he was imagining what she would feel like against his hands, his pelt, his mouth... Obviously Kira understood what a Leagan expected from his pet, and she must have chosen this outfit to show off what she had to offer in that respect. Sitting on the floor with her legs curled to the side, her hips and thighs strained the green cloth and Taun thought he could see the outline of a little roll in the crease between them. He bit his cheek in anticipation. “So, what about you? How does a guy with a mobile farm not already have a woman and a handful of kids?”

Taun scratched his head, fluffing his crest. “Like a lot of Leagans, I served time in the defense corps. Engineering, mostly. By the time I got out, most of the women were already settled and I guess I missed the window.” The immediate downcast of her eyes told him Kira knew about the fight against the Arakan, and the horrific attack on the Leagan genesis planet. “I guess you know about h'Leaga, then.”

Kira nodded soberly “News travels faster than supplies. I'm... I'm sorry, Taun.”

“Not your fault. We'll spring back in a generation or two, and I donate what I can.” Taun grinned at that. For all he knew there might be a hundred or so Leagan kids with his coloring, born from his 'donations' to gene banks over the years. He shook off the grief and had a drink. “Besides, raising children never really appealed to me either. I like doing what I do, trading and transporting and living my life. It's honest work... mostly.”

“Mostly?” That got her attention. “What does that mean?” Though she asked, a sly smile teased the corner of her mouth. Taun liked that.

“Well, I guess I should ask how you feel about... moving the occasional contraband cargo. Most of what I do is legit, but I don't see why I should pass up the opportunity to make a little extra untraceable funds now and then.”

Kira's eyes sparkled and she chuckled. “I should've guessed – you come all the way out here not because you want to provide us poor mining folk with fresh food, but because the authorities don't come out this far unless it's a big deal. You lure people in with oranges and berries, then you sell them... Let me guess, naash? Redthorn? Ayahuasca?”

“And cannabis, mushrooms, pills, all the good stuff. Not to mention poisons and rare plants for edgy collectors. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Hell no, fuck the police.” Kira grinned, giggling. “There's nothing else to do out here except work, let people have some fun.”

Taun breathed an internal sigh of relief. “Do you partake?”

“Not on the first date. Better safe than sorry, yeah?”

“No pressure. I can show you the grow-rooms if you're interested–“

“Plenty of time for that later. Right now, I'm curious about how long it's going to take before you finally crack.”

Taun blinked. “Hmm?”

Kira indicated the food. “You've barely touched anything, and the whole time I've been here you keep eating me with your eyes. Not that I mind, but it's pretty obvious you like me. And I like you, so we don't need to play games. I want off this rock, and playing pet for a guy who seems like he knows what he's doing is a hell of a lot better than rotting in a mineral mine with drunks and convicts pawing at me all the time.”

Taun blinked some more. She did seem eager to get away, but she was treading carefully. She made no unreasonable demands and seemed to accept what she was getting into. There was no legal tape, no binding contract – if things didn't pan out, he could always drop her off at another colony and start over – but for the most part she seemed willing. Her disdain for authority didn't hurt either. “What's the difference between getting pawed at by a convict and getting pawed at by me? I'm just curious.”

Kira rolled her eyes and sipped at her drink. “There's not a woman on the rock who hasn't been grabbed, rubbed on or slapped on the ass by some soggy prick who thinks he's being cute. Since I came here, though, you've been nothing but manners – I could've walked out of that shower buck-naked and you would've just stood there. I can tell already by how you act and talk that you won't do anything to me unless I say I'm good with it, and I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character.”

Stunned, Taun could do little more than have another taste of his drink. It was true – she'd been giving him cues and openings all evening, from the moment she walked in, and he hadn't acted on any of them. She hadn't explicitly said he should, though her eyes feasted just as much as his. Hell, she'd touched him without asking, something Taun wouldn't have dared with any woman. Leagan women had claws too, and you could always tell a stupid male by the scars. “Well, you're right about a few things – I don't touch anything that doesn't belong to me, and I was raised by parents who didn't want me to lose an eye, so I'd agree with you on my character. And you don't seem to mind my odd jobs, which is good because I'm not giving those up – the money's just too good. As far as cracking goes...” He ran his eyes over her again, taking his time and making sure she saw. “Let's just say I'm made of sterner stuff.”

A slow smile spread from Kira's lips to her eyes. “The 'stuff' is what I'm interested in. I've met Leagans before, but I never had the chance to get really close to one... Do you know what a cat is?”

“Those little fluffy creatures that eat vermin? Yes, they're all the rage on some of the Leagan colonies at the moment.”

“Hmm.” She studied him for a moment, visibly working through a thought. It looked serious. “Would it be racist of me if I said you remind me of them?”

Taun laughed. Gods, I like her! She was so forthright, so clever and humorous, she cut through the bullshit and said exactly what she wanted to say, in such a way that he just couldn't be offended. “Maybe a little? But I don't mind, they're fine animals. Unless you're suggesting I eat vermin?”

“No, not at all.” Her smile returned and Kira looked relieved. “But... I kinda would like to pet you, if that's okay.”

The thrill that coursed through Taun's body was rapturous. He closed his eyes so she wouldn't see them roll back in his head, anticipatory pleasure briefly overwhelming his senses. To feel her smooth, brown fingers combing through his pelt, ruffling the coarse hairs on the back of his neck leading up to his crest, stroking his ears, chest and belly before moving lower... Taun gathered his courage and opened his eyes. “Only if I get to pet you, too.”

Part 3

#writeblr #creative writing #writers on tumblr #scifi romance #authors #fiction #romance #author #alien x human #alien romance #monster fucking #dom/sub #pleasure dom #dreck #no idea where this came from #but i went with it #human pet #minors look away #consent #sex positivity #i'm not used to this #please be nice

[stilemawillow]

I’m curious as to what happens in the future for levi and reader . Would reader love someone else? And what would levi’s reaction be knowing that reader is already in love with somebody who is not him? Djskskdjsksjsnsjs

well. first, i apologise for taking soooo long to answer this. and second, prepare for a big af rant.

we can explore two timelines: a healthy one or a satisfactory one.

in the healthy timeline, the last scene in the fanfic crushes completely the idolised image reader has of levi. they take a bit of a break, so to say, and she never looks at him the same because yada yada yada - psyche stuff. important part is - they could sit down and discuss their feelings openly. and if reader's mature enough, she'll realise she's been worshipping him like a flawless deity which he isn't, very slowly snap out of it and probably go on to attempt to look at other men as romantic partners. i can't say how long that would take but she might get a boyfriend in college/uni and see the truthfulness of levi's arguments when she reflects on her feelings for him vs those for her bf in a more grown-up mindset with experience. and levi will be happy for her if she falls in love with sb else but also... twice as lonely because he knows he's the adult and has to be responsible for her mentality and relationships developing in a healthy manner but he can't help thinking he would've buckled if she'd given him a bit more time and maybe he would've been happy with her. he constantly reminds himself a guy her age is more suited for her but does sometimes go out of his way to think "what if?". hates himself for thinking it and never lets her see it out of fear it'll make her relapse into loving him again (sorry for referring to it like it's a disease lol). basically, a happy ending for her and a 50/50 for him.

in the satisfactory timeline, however, things look very different. same demolished idolised image during the last scene and same break but she thinks about it a lot before coming to the conclusion that she's loved him way too long to lose that. she decides to be mature about it and accept the fact he's human. it takes her time. she refrains from confessing and instead takes to asking him all kinds of questions so she can get to actually know him. it might take her a year or maybe two. it might be sth really trivial that makes her decide: this is it, i do love him, not the hero i made for myself when i was seven. she goes ahead and tells him. and when he tries to argue, she's the one who's having an adult talk with him. and when he sees that she's serious and mature about this, he buckles. he wants to have farlan and her mother's blessing before anything happens. both aren't opposed to it. so they try it out - one, two, three dates, they're easing into a schedule where they grow to see each other as humans, become even better friends and officially enter a relationship on her 21st birthday because she asks for it as a present. they might struggle a bit because he's still a working adult with more experience and he has his insecure moments but she's always there to reassure so the bumps along the road don't, ultimately, prevent the ride. i think in this timeline, i could see them never splitting up because both of them know how much they've sacrificed to make this love proper.

it depends entirely on you which option you pick and again, i'm sorry for the rant. i hope this satisfies your curiosity to some extent and thank you so much for asking.

#writing shitpost #kind ppl be like: this anon #anon ask #also kudos to anybody who actually goes through the whole thing - u do be patient #levi x reader

[ceridwenae]

The time has come, and with it a very long post to no one in particular

■Estates Subject to Demolition Type: free company estate World: Zodiark Plot: Plot 20, 6 Ward, Mist Demolition Date: 2023-08-11 16:00:00 (UTC)

So, that's that. I'm off my FFXIV meds. I still love a lot of aspects of this game, and will definitely keep looking at other FFXIV players' blogs and whatnot, but for me, it's pretty much done. My house was pretty much the thing that kept me tethered, but it also made me feel like I had to be there all the time, to get my money's worth and so on. (For anyone who doesn't know, you pay a subscription fee to play FFXIV, but if you're lucky enough to own a house, it'll be demolished if you don't log in and enter the property in the set time frame (and you have to go into the house instance proper, it's not enough to just stand in the garden for ten minutes). In *very* crude terms, you can skip one month's sub, but get too far into the next month (IIRC 15 days), you stand to lose the house.

It's a terrible housing system, in short, and it's doubly annoying because there's an awful lot to enjoy about having a house in FFXIV. But it's not sensible to only keep a sub for a house. It's not right to feel stuck with a game just to keep your house in it, not when there's so many other games that let you do housing, or tickle that decorating or building itch.

I don't know when - or if - I'll sub again; I certainly wouldn't rule out the odd month here or there. I have an apartment for the ToasTiE, and those don't get demolished. I imagine I might look into the expansion next year, but I didn't feel overly inspired by its trailer, so eh, who knows.

I've greatly enjoyed playing this game, despite being terrible at it. I'd urge anyone who hasn't already to give it a go; just make sure you have a healthy disposable income and don't pin your hopes on housing.

So, I'll still keep my FFXIV pictures up here, the blog is generally themed around it for the time being. Some other stuff may creep in over time.

Games I'm currently playing are Baldur's Gate 2 (must prep for 3, can't pick it up just yet but SOON), a variety of visual novels and interactive fiction (I recommend Scarlet Hollow and the Wayhaven Chronicles), Sims 4 (I build, don't really do much live mode) and Planet Coaster. I don't typically post things from the last two games, that might change. I dip in and out of Guild Wars 2 every so often. I will also be taking a look at Starfield at some point next month, no idea if it's just Skyrim-in-Space, though.

All that to say, so long, FFXIV, and thanks for all the fish.*

*Big Fishing is the true endgame. Anyone who says differently is probably still stuck ocean fishing like a nabcake.

#ffxiv #ffxiv housing #beach front mist house soon up for lottery! #dead sub #oh well #i enjoyed my time #and recommend ffxiv to anyone who likes an mmo #i shall now be playing single player games almost exclusively #kheeziah toastie #iamsdanites #goodbyeee goodbyeee wipe the tear baby dear from your eyeeee

[the-firebird69]

We know who this woman is and she's saying that she is Cher when it's not and she is Jenna and DJ is still out and she went on saying it and sent it to our son and her son says these things are going to happen and it's going to help him and she said why would it help him I said if you get them out he's going to have his brain back does it probably want to try him in court as himself and she said oh good and oh that isn't that bad and I think your brain might be in the tomb and she said boy that sucked so she went home and wept a little and said you're rubbing it in and said it's fascinating but I'm just saying it again and she says good so they're going off to try and do things now. And this match is not real it's fake wrestling but she's the champion cuz she has the power to state champion and our son if he wrestles we're probably not stay champion because he doesn't have control over the place and they would constantly make fun of him it'll be Non-Stop so you do that to everybody who can't win consistently and they did to Andre and beat him down but he's never going to really end up there he says and we agree and it's a stupid sport and they try and harm him the whole time and he didn't have harming someone really bad and that's true this guy admits it too he says I'm trying to hurt the guy and he hurt me and it's actually the guy is talking about this is it looks like you can hurt people she said yeah so don't look like it yet but if I get big and work out these guys will be sorry cuz really it makes so if you're strong and you want to win you will as well it's amazing and it's big and he's one of the world's leading powerlifters for a long time and real lifting so he stopped talking and said we know how it really is so yeah it's coming back unfortunately you guys are getting hit really bad if it's live you know what it is life it's really bad Jesus Christ it's Darth Vader I mean Darth Vader's house and I can't move I don't have any money so they're doing great they're saying terrific because he's in Darth Vader's grasp but they're having a hard time and they're not getting it still now the max are attacking and they're going to turn it up and they might they have the ability to wipe it all out but they're going to wait as well and it will demolish tons of them

Thor Freya

I don't want you to hurt and these people do that and they're cheap and the cheaters and they do things to people and it's a kind of a violent area and you're saying won't be big for a while by the time I hit you are it's going to be the Max and it's real wrestling and I do understand that too and they probably won't let me do it anyways and it's true too but really it would take me forever to get over this Prilosec permiated my body he says. He's got a lot in there still and there was a lot that came out it's probably about half a gallon of the poison that came out last year and slowly and through your pores and urine and other excretions and it was also negated by some chemicals and boy it was a lot half a gallon of liquid with it at about 30% concentration so we know it's a lot I mean that's a lot of drugs it's enough to hurt someone pretty good and this year it's about the same and there's tons of it in him. So I asked him what to do and they said we have to keep doing it to get it out and it's slowly coming out and pretty soon it'll be gone it's coming out of the bones it's coming out of the muscle it's coming out of the lipoma where lots of it is probably another 8 oz or 16 oz and that's about how much she was and it's not pure Prilosec but it is pretty dangerous that big bunch with really it's probably about two cups a year that's a lot it says I was a medicine I guess thinner and then heavy then thin then heavy and it goes out the whole time then it goes for the lipoma and then it goes out the other part and it's been a lot of work I could just take the antidote which they won't get to him and it is making his growth stop and it's done on purpose by us a little bit but not that much we knew it was way too much it was loaded way too much and it was really by biden, who wanted to take his son's skin and still does and other people too but it's really his museum

Hera

And so I understood that and I found it out and I know it's happening over there and your days are numbered Cruise and it's almost over and because he went nuts basically it's insanity and I understand why it looks like you don't have a chance and it feels like it and it might be true but there are other people in this planet and you could have made alliances and he chose not to out of arrogance about things that you're doing with the team but then again your team is not around and you don't want to work with these houses or other people and really have been devastating people who are worth stuff I kind of understand it, but it's my life that you're threatening and talking about. So now yours is going to be over. And being president doesn't appreciate you so you're smart but really there are a bunch of people who could have aligned and stay in this one and you're going to go against him and it's really stupid

Zues

All that's true and I can't stand it and you're right what can I do about nothing and your family couldn't either and I know that dumb s*** is it did the brain stuff is living next door and he did it to steal and did it to other people cuz he know they would be stealing and he's a freak I feel sorry for you but I have to try and do stuff North try and in order to survive

Biden

Like I said it's almost over and I don't need you threatening me like you're a little child that's what it sounds like to me and everyone it's dangerous and it's costing you everything

Zues Hera

It is costing you and many others everything biden

Olympus

[plutofromafar]

stefaniya's letter to yelena

Summary: Stefaniya writes a letter to Yelena to catch her up on everything that's happened.

Warnings: none? just sad.

may 9, 2022

dear Yelena,

    hi. In two months, it'll be four years since we last saw each other. I really miss you. I have  so  much I want to tell you, things that I can't really put to paper. but when you come back, you can read this letter and then I'll tell you everything.

    sorry that it's taken me four years to write you a letter. the idea didn't even occur to me until Natasha brought up the fact that she had written letters for you to read when you come back. I thought I'd give this a try.

    Natasha, the Widows, and I are doing okay. we've been doing a lot of great work over the past four years. we freed all of the mind-controlled Widows— at least, the ones that survived the Snap— so we probably have a lot more work to do once we find a way to get everyone back. but as long as you do come back, I won't mind dealing with a bit more paperwork.

    Natasha and I made it official— we're girlfriends! we still have a lot to work through in our relationship but it feels good to be official. anyway, Natasha and I adopted a cat two years ago. Yardstick is five years old and she is an absolute angel. I know you'll say that the name is stupid, but I think it fits perfectly. I can't wait for you to meet her.

    speaking of, Natasha and I went on a road trip to Pennsylvania where I lived with my family before I was taken. It took a while to track down the exact house I lived in, but we found out that it isn't there anymore. It was demolished quite a while ago, which was disappointing, but I guess a lot can change in 27 years. but anyway, Natasha and I spent about two days there just going around to different places I used to like as a kid. It made me nostalgic, like a sad but happy nostalgia. does that even make sense? I don't know. I'm running on three hours of sleep and half a bagel right now.

    I really have no idea how this dusting thing works. does your soul or whatever go somewhere when you get dusted? can you see me as I'm writing this right now? can you hear me if I say something? Let me try. Okay, I just said, "turn off my lamp if you can hear me." my lamp is still on, so I guess that didn't work. I hope that you're together with Melina and Alexei. I have so many questions. If you can remember anything, please tell me about it later.

    can I be honest with you for a moment? I think Natasha's starting to lose hope. every lead we get, there's a dead end. I wish I could help, but this space stuff is way beyond my knowledge. but we'll get you back. that's a promise, and I've never broken a promise to you. except when I told you that we'd always be together. but that's grape man's fault for snapping his stupid fingers. how'd he even snap in a metal glove? It just doesn't add up.     (grape man is Thanos, by the way. we try to avoid saying his name. anyway,  it would make more sense if you knew what he looked like.)

I've been doing a lot of work with the animal shelter we adopted Yardstick from. It was starting to overcrowd because of the pets that lost its owners in the Snap, so we had an entire press day and cleared out the entire shelter in just eight hours. they were assigned into foster homes so that when their owners un-dust, they know where to go to get their pets back. I guess it helped to have two Avengers there (Steve offered to help out).

speaking of Avengers, it angers me to see what people are saying about them on the news, saying that it's their fault. they don't know that the Avengers tried their hardest and lost people, too. Natasha tells me that it doesn't bother her, but I can tell that it does, and it breaks my heart. I wish she could see how much of a hero she is to me.

anyway, that's all I have for now. Natasha and I are heading out for a dinner date in a little bit. we both love you so much. take care of yourself, wherever you are.

till we meet again.

your best friend always, SK

(Stef's doodle of Yardstick at the bottom of the paper)

End of Infinity War

Stefaniya Kotova will return in Endgame

-

Next part

hope you're enjoying the story! two parts left :)

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #black widow #black widow fanfiction #yelena belova #natasha romanov x fem!oc #marvel #marvel fanfiction #natasha romanoff fanfiction #sapphic natasha romanoff #aroace yelena belova #infinity war #avengers: infinity war

[theantiproduct]

.

#my parents just offered me to rent out our old apartment from them for a lower price #it could be absolutely amazing tbh but I'm worried about them losing money #the place is really old but has so much space #and it'll probably be demolished in a year or two #but i feel like i should do it? #even if it'll be kinda temporary #if i could get a friend in there with me that'll be perfect cause they wont be losing money #and it's a big place too #idk i dont even know how it looks at this point it might be a dump #but it does sound tempting to not deal with shit landlords #and pay a bit less than what i was planning even tho it'll be pretty much the amount i was planning on #idk my mind is racing lol #and I'll be able to have people over and date oh man that sounds great #maybe i shouldn't fall in love with the idea yet i guess i need to think it over and i told my parents to consider the money thing too #personal #oops #yep this is me breaking my own heart lol the current tenant isn't SURE if he wants to leave #so stupid #shouldn't have gotten swept up in it i was looking at decor all day #guess we'll see but I'll try to get it out of my head for now and keep looking for apartments #sad

[lizzybeth1986]

Nuestra Familia (RCD MC: Astrid)

Book: Red Carpet Diaries

Rating: G

Pairing: Astrid-centric, minor Seth x Astrid

Summary: Astrid realises she doesn't know her family as well she had thought. Minor crossover with The Freshman/The Sophomore/The Junior.

Author's Note: This is a bit late for MC Appreciation Week, but I figured I'd put it out there anyway. This is my origin story for Astrid Ortega, my second RCD MC, who is involved with Seth. There's a cameo of one character from TF/TS/TJ in the end and I have a feeling you folks have already figured out who it is 😅 I used (of course) the "crossover" prompt from this list for my fic. I'm tagging @choices-mc-rules, in case they would still like to reblog this.

Translations:

Nuestra familia - "our family" in Spanish.

Chanclas - slippers/flip-flops

Tres leches cake - Typically a very moist chiffon cake soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. Tres leches literally means "three milks".

Abuela - one of the terms used for ‘grandmother’ in Spanish.

Ita - Short for Abuelita, also used for grandmothers. Astrid calls her grandmother the former, her mom Teresa calls her grandmother the latter.

Manda Huevos - Can mean a lot of things according to context, but generally used to express a range of emotions, such as annoyance, disappointment, contempt or disbelief. In this context, Teresa means “it's not fair”.

If I've gotten anything wrong in terms of references, please do tell me, and I'll definitely fix it in the fic.

“One more foot inside my kitchen and it'll be my chanclas for you later.”

Teresa Ortega said these words to her daughter Astrid, in the same tone one would use to offer a guest some tea.

It wasn't that her mom didn't allow her kids to help with the cooking. She did. Salome was too young to do much but set the table yet but Astrid (and her big sister Letitia, whenever she was home) often pitched in to help with the meal.

But heaven help anyone who tried to help Mom with her tres leches cake.

This recipe was from Mom's Ita’s faded little diary, passed down to her by her mother on the condition that she would learn its recipes off by heart. It was her pride and joy, Mom would often say. Her baby before her actual babies came along.

And today it was even more essential Mom get this cake right. Astrid's abuela was visiting, and ever since Astrid's mother insisted on naming her Astrid (“She’s already named my first and last - at least leave the middle one to me!”) she could do nothing right.

Perhaps it would've been easier to handle if Dad wasn't Abuela's only son, if Mom had someone she could jointly ignore Abuela with, if they had cousins they could play with while the adults sorted out their issues. Or perhaps not. Still, it would have been nice to know.

“Easy, mom, I'm not going to touch your precious cake,” Astrid said, grinning, “Lemme demolish it at lunch instead.”

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't tempted, though. She could get the scent of baked cake wafting in all the way from her bedroom, and her mother was already starting to combine Carnation milk, condensed milk and 1/4th of a cup of heavy cream into a thin, but somewhat creamy, mixture.

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Why are you here, then?”

Astrid felt the muscles around her neck tense up, but schooled her face to a look of injured innocence. “What, can't I just want to talk to my mom once in a while?”

She craned her neck a little further behind Astrid, a tiny frown beginning to form between her brows. “What's that you're holding behind your back?”

Ding! The cake was ready now, just in time for soaking. Astrid let out a sigh of relief. She wanted Mom to see this wedding card, yes - it was why she came to the kitchen in the first place - but now was probably not the time for questions. Questions about family or about secrets. Not when she knew how important it was for her mother to get her weekend cakes right.

“Family” was always a big deal around the Ortega table. Dad was his mother's only child, and Mom’s parents passed on long before any of them were ever born. Her father was as annoyed by Abuela's antics as her mother was, but it never stopped him from having her visit every Sunday because “she's the only family we have left”.

It was as if he needed her to keep himself rooted, as if without her he would be floating aimlessly, no aim or identity, taking his wife and children down that path with him. Abuela knew this. By God, did she know this.

Or so I thought, Astrid said to herself, gripping the wedding card tightly and creating new creases where the word Ortega was written.

Mom was gritting her teeth now, carefully pouring the three-milk mixture over the cake and muttering to herself. “One more word about dry cake this time and I'll give her soggy toast, I swear I will.”

Astrid would have stood up last week and said something to Abuela, if only Mom would let her. It was probably a good thing Leticia wasn't around, she'd fire shots at Abuela for less. She was protective over all of them and often in the heat of the moment she'd forget she’d be landing them all in further trouble.

She was still muttering. “Wants chiffon cake. Screams bloody murder if I use box mix. What, Teresa, looking for shortcuts again?” Mom's voice was raised in an accurately nasal imitation of Abuela's voice. It was almost like she'd forgotten Astrid was there. “Then I make it from scratch like she wants. Then it's Oh Teresa this is so dry oh Teresa it tastes like sawdust. Why else do you think I use box mix, eh? You want it from scratch and you want moist. ¡Manda Huevos!”

The diatribe kept Mom occupied while she finished pouring, so Astrid kept silent. Mom needed this. This wasn't something she can say in front of Letitia (resulting in another Sunday screaming match) or Dad (what would he do?) or Salome (no way would the kid ever take Salome, language! seriously again). Mom needed someone to have her back, no matter how silently or secretly. And that someone had better be her.

“If only Linda had stayed…”

Astrid froze. “What did you say?”

Mom looked up, blinked twice, then stiffened. “Nothing. Nothing.”

Silently, Astrid handed over the card she'd been holding, all this time. She found it while searching for her dad's treasured García Lorca poetry collection, hidden between a page that exalted love and a page that mourned loss.

Mom took it from her, her eyes widening as she read the words.

LINDA ORTEGA

and

DOMINIC SANDOVAL

request the honour of your company at their wedding.

“Dad always told us he was all Abuela has, right,” Astrid said, “The only Ortega for miles around."

Mom answered by busying herself with more activity than ever. Keeping the soaked cake in the fridge. Pouring the remaining milk mixture into two glasses. Washing her hands. Washing the dishes.

“I'll do that for you,” Astrid took a plate from Mom's hands, “Just talk to me.” She grabbed a sponge and dish washing soap, cleaning vigorously. “All this time, Dad's been telling us Abuela's the only family he has, Mom. Like, he has no one else. Like, we have no sisters or brothers besides the three of us. Was he lying?”

“You're wrong,” Mom said, her voice suddenly sounding sharper, harder, “Abuela's the only family he has left. Your father didn't lie.”

“Just omitted the truth, yeah,” Astrid wished she knew how she felt about this. Right now there was so much she was feeling that she didn't exactly know where to begin. “There's no “together with our parents” above their names either. Not like yours’.”

Mom sighed, picked the card up, then held up two glasses of milk-mixture in front of her. “Take one and give the other to your sister. I have a lot of work to do.”

On any other day, Astrid would have grabbed that glass and relished its creaminess, wiping the milk-moustache off her mouth with a flourish. But today no amount of sweetness was going to take away that weird metallic taste in the roof of her mouth.

“I'm not done asking about this,” Astrid said, scowling, “to you or to Dad. If I have aunts and cousins out there, that's something I wanna know.”

Astrid did try in the weeks to come. But she never saw the wedding card again, and neither Mom or Dad ever responded when she raised the topic again. Still. It felt nice to dream.

Every time Abuela made a snide remark at lunch, she imagined her cousins there. A snarky younger girl who’d make smartass comments. A strong boy her age who’d shut Abuela up with just a glare. A nice aunt who’d take Mom's mind off all this nonsense. It didn't help much, but it felt nice.

It felt nice knowing she had company out there. Somewhere.

--

6 years later.

“Donuts, Iowa?” Seth’s eyes were gleaming at the prospect. He was more a bag-of-chips kinda guy most days, but he also liked having massive sugar rushes before a comedy gig.

“As long as the insides of six of those are practically spilling over with fruit jam, I'm game,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. It felt exhilarating, freeing. She hadn't felt this normal in a while - normal enough to kiss her boyfriend without worrying about paparazzo jumping out from a bush. There was a guy in a leather jacket she didn't recognize - three blocks across - looking at her like he wanted to talk, but not in a way that made her feel unsafe.

That was the nice thing about Northbridge. People looked, sure, but they were less likely to make you feel like an exhibit from a zoo.

“Wait here, yeah?” Seth said, planting a kiss on the lips instead, “I'll be back before you can finish spelling “OHIO” with your arms.”

Astrid laughed. Seth said the most Ohio things sometimes. Neither of them had had this much fun since she was offered a lead role in Tender Nothings, which was why Seth always jumped at a chance to take up gigs in Northbridge, and why he always offered to take Astrid along when she was free.

The guy from before stepped forward a few minutes after Seth entered the donut shop. The summer heat must have been too much for him - his leather jacket was now slung over his shoulders. “Um, hello. Astrid Ortega?”

He stood with his hands in his pockets, mouth pursed into a thin line, a tiny curl slipping carelessly from his hair and resting on his forehead. She caught a peek at the tail end of a bird tattoo (Owl? The tail looked pointy) on his left arm.

“Yeah,” Astrid said, wondering whether it was her or Seth he wanted to talk to, “but I don't know what your name is.”

“ Zigmund. Zig for short,” he replied, looking behind him from time to time, “My sister Lucy’s a big fan. Asked me to help her get an autograph from you.”

“Is she here?”

“Yeah. But she doesn't want to come out. She's shy.”

Ah. So that was the cherry-red blur barely hidden by that building. She learned long ago that no matter how friendly you appeared, your image would precede you and intimidate people anyway. Autographs were great, but somehow she didn't want to stop at just that.

“Would she come out now if I asked?” she gave him her sunniest smile, “Tell her I won't bite.”

Zig hesitated, then nodded. Astrid watched him walk to the other building, move his hands expressively as he tried to convince his sister to join him (from that angle he almost looks like Letitia, Astrid thought), and return with a curly-haired, starry-eyed teenage girl.

“H-hey,” she said, then blushed, clearly embarrassed by her nervousness. Silently, she hands over her autograph book. She keeps her eyes studiously away from Astrid's face. “I, um, I like mystery films, and I really, really liked Tender Nothings.”

A girl after my own heart. “Maybe you'll like Sunset Boulevard, then,” she said, smiling.

Astrid could have just signed and left it at that, but there was something about these two. Something about the way they stood together, or exchanged glances, or something, that reminded her of home. Which was silly. But it didn’t change the fact that she wanted to leave a good impression on them.

“What would you like to be when you grow up, Lucy?”

Lucy didn't miss a beat. “Ballet dancer. Like my brother.”

Astrid smiled, particularly at the look the girl gave Zig. Yes, she could see on second glance that even though some people would say he didn't have the body of a dancer, he held himself with a certain grace, a certain lightness that belied a stronger core. Hit by a sudden rush of inspiration, she quickly scribbled a little note to go with her signature, and asked Lucy to read it.

To Lucy and Zig, future (hopefully!) best ballet dancing duo in America. Be sure to save me a seat when you folks get famous. Love Always, Astrid.

“Wowwww,” Lucy whispered. Zig suppressed his smile, trying not to let how he felt show, and failed. A corner of his mouth lifted upwards, revealing an almost-invisible dimple.

The two left before Seth brought his box of donuts,but they thanked her at least thrice as they walked away.

“Wait till I tell Mom about this,” Astrid overheard Lucy tell her brother as they left, “I told you she'd be really, really nice.”

“You did,” there was a note of indulgence in Zig's voice.

"Ortegas all around the world. Wherever we're from, we're nice.”

Had Seth come out a moment later, Astrid would have probably walked up to them and asked. Perhaps asked them where they were from and their parents’ names.

But Seth was here, with donuts, and there was never a moment she could take her eyes off either.

“Do you know those two?” Seth asked her, passing her a tres leches cake donut that was claimed to be one of their best, “They looked familiar.”

“”No,” Astrid replied, closing her eyes in bliss. Mmmm. The treat was taking her back to Des Moines, back to home, back to her mother's little kitchen. “But I wouldn't mind meeting them again.”

--

#fanfic #red carpet diaries #the freshman #the sophomore #the junior #rcd mc #astrid ortega #seth levine #zig ortega #lucy ortega #seth x astrid #playchoices crossover #seth x mc #mc appreciation week