#he's ready to take on the role of mama mary

[superineffable]

not to make this about me but why are my faves doing matching themes for their pictures

#kyuhyun #why are you doing this to me #hi neil do you maybe need someone with an amazing voice to be casted on good omens #he's ready to take on the role of mama mary #good omens #super junior #LOVE THIS FOR ME #규현

[allthewriteplaces]

Magnolia In May ~ Chapter Two

So I was thinking we could post one chapter every Thursday. Would that be alright? I'm trying to create a consistent schedule, and if you know me, or are anything like me, schedules can sometimes be hard to follow. That being said, I will try my absolute best to stick to it. This is also my first time writing for the Peaky Blinders fandom, so if I get anything wrong regarding certain things, please let me know, also if you want to be added to the taglist, I will be happy to add you. :)

Chapter Summary: Jessie is upstairs keeping her cousins out of trouble while her aunt and uncle speak with the mysterious visitor downstairs, but when adventure comes calling, she must choose between the life she's always known, or taking a chance.

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 3214

Chapter Two

Twenty or so minutes had passed and still no sign of the guest or who they might be. The children all sat quietly and obediently on the floor, reading or playing with toy horses and dolls. Violet, however, was starting to get a little bit fussy by now and was expressing her frustration by tossing her book onto the ground and letting out unhappy noises.

“Shh, Daddy says we must play quietly,” said Alice in a coaxing manner, attempting to hand her back the book, only for the baby to throw it halfway across the room. Considering the fact she was only three months old, she had an impressive throw. She could be a brilliant cricket player when she grew up.

“GAAAAAH!!!!” she screamed.

“Mama doesn’t like it when you scream like that,” said Marie.

Her bottom lip trembled and she looked like she was about to cry. I bounced her on my knee in an attempt to stop her from crying.

“Look what you did, you made her cry,” William frowned.

This made Marie wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I didn’t mean to make her cry.”

“Papa said to play nicely,” Alice tutted, “This is the opposite of nicely.”

“You sound like Mama,” said William, rolling his eyes.

“Good, at least one of us does.”

“It would be easier if it weren’t so boring!” Marie groaned.

“Why don’t we play a game together?” I suggested. That seemed to lighten up the mood a little bit. I got down from the rocking chair and sat on the floor, crossing my legs and holding Violet on my lap.

“Like what?” asked Alice.

“Soldiers!” Henry suggested.

“Dolls!!” Marie said at the same time.

“No way, dolls are for girls,” said William.

Marie was outraged by his comment.

“No they’re not, right, Jessie?”

“Let’s combine both ideas,” I said, not wanting to get into the whole debate regarding toys and societal gender roles today.

Usually, I was always good at coming up with solutions to problems on the spot and this time was no exception. After doing a bit of brainstorming, bouncing ideas off of each other as well as coming up with a beginning, middle and ending, as if we were inventing a story rather than a nursery game, we were ready to get started.

“Wait, do you hear that?” Henry put a hand up.

“Hear what?” asked Marie.

William stood from the floor. “It sounds like wheels scratching.”

All at once, the rest of the kids followed suit and clamoured by the window.

Henry’s eyes widened. “That’s a really fancy carriage!”

“It’s a car,” Alice corrected. “There’s a man coming out of it.”

Marie jumped up and tried to get a good look. “Is he handsome?”

“He’s got a funny haircut,” remarked Henry.

Even as the noise of the kids spiralled through the room, I could hear the front door opening, and a few cheerful voices blending together downstairs, but then as the door shut again, it all went quiet, which only piqued my curiosity further. Who was this person? Were they dangerous? Royalty?

“I wanna go downstairs and see who it is!” William went to the door.

“But Papa said we have to stay up here, remember?” I reminded him, even though I wanted to stand up from the chair, press my ear against the white door or sneak outside to the bannister and listen, but instead, I stayed where I was, doing as I was told, staying in the nursery with the children.

“Yeah, Papa said to stay here,” repeated Marie.

“Besides, they’re probably talking about boring stuff,” said Alice.

“Like money,” William said.

“Money is good,” said Henry, “You can buy fancy cars.”

“And horses.” Marie jumped up and clapped her hands excitedly.

“Can we play our game now?” asked Alice.

“Yes,” I said, “Let’s get started.”

We all sat down on the floor and played for about an hour. Violet had a role in the story, too. It was getting quite interesting.

“Steady, men! The enemy is approaching!” Henry declared.

“Guns at the ready!” William announced, lining up the soldiers.

“Where are they?” I spoke in a deep, manly voice.

“Sir! I don’t hear anything!” Alice whispered.

Violet pointed ahead to the enemy troops on top of a stack of books.

“BAAAAAH!” she hollered.

“Look out!” cried Henry as William mimicked the sound of a gunshot.

“Man down!” Alice shouted.

“Medic! We need a medic! Now!” I called.

“Coming through! Make way!” Marie commanded, moving her doll to where the pretend soldier laid and put him onto the stretcher.

“He has a broken arm!” I said.

“Be brave, soldier. We’ll make you all better.”

Hearing the door opened, we all turned to see Eliza standing there.

“What’s going on here?” she asked, a smile on her face.

“Mama! Look! We’re playing soldiers,” said Henry.

“AAAAAA!” Violet squealed, holding onto one of Henry’s toy horses.

“Jessie, can I steal you away for a moment, love?”

Fixing me with a look, Eliza waved me over to her. The kids’ eyes all shifted to me and I stood up, following her out of the hallway and to her bedroom. As soon as we were inside, she closed the door softly behind her and sat down on the bed, patting the spot next to her in a gesture for me to do the same.

I did what she asked and then folded my hands in my lap. “Am I in trouble?”

She sucked in a breath and shook her head. “No, no, it’s not that.”

Knots formed in my stomach, tightening as her eyes quickly shifted to the brown leather suitcase in the corner of the room against the wall and then back to me. Last time I was in this room, she told me that Albert and David had to go away to France to fight, and that they might not come back.

Did he have to go back again? The thought terrified me. My heart was pounding and my mind was panicked.

“There is a gentleman downstairs,” she said, placing her hands on top of mine and looking down at the carpet, “who wishes to meet you. I said I would need to bring you in here first so that I could prepare you. Make sure your hair is set right. Go and change into those clothes.”

Pointing to the closet, she stood up again. I slid off the bed and walked over, opening the two wooden doors and pulling out the only clothes inside: a long black dress and a white blouse with a frilly collar. “Shall I change here?”

“Yes. Meet me in the hall once you’re finished. I’ll inform the children.”

Nodding, I watched as she left the room and shut the door.

Questions formed in the back of my mind as I came out again and she ushered me down the hall, not saying a word. Who was this man she was speaking of? Was he nice? Was he dangerous? Was he royalty? Did they know him?

Everything downstairs was quiet. I could hear the grandfather clock ticking, which was not something I thought I could hear. Then again, it’d never been this quiet in the house before. Something was definitely not right. I searched Eliza’s face, she was calm.

Finally, as I rounded the corner and peeked into the living room, I stopped in my tracks. Sitting on one of the armchairs and wearing a heavy, black overcoat, was a man who I was positive I had never seen before. Eliza stepped behind me so that I was once again in front of her, placed her hands on both of my shoulders and then, still in the calm tone of voice, said. “That’s Mister Thomas Shelby.”

Shelby. The name was quite familiar to me. My aunt and uncle spoke quite frequently and highly of the family, including this member in particular. I, on the other hand, had not known Mister Shelby like they did, so I couldn’t form an exact opinion on him. From what I knew, he was born into an English Romani family and spent most of his life in the Small Heath neighbourhood of Birmingham. I had never been there before, but Albert had been there a few times.

Up close, I couldn’t deny the obvious fact that he was quite handsome. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular physique. His dark hair was slicked back and it looked like it was shaved at the back and on both sides. The most fascinating part about him though, were his striking blue eyes that crinkled up as he smiled while he and my uncle were engrossed in conversation, and downed the last of the drink clutched in his hand.

“Shall we go in and meet him?” she asked.

Wordlessly, I allowed her to escort me into the living room, though my legs felt like they were made of jelly. The smell of cigarettes hung in the air. Normally, no one was allowed to smoke indoors, it would damage the children’s lungs, but looking around, I could see no ashtrays on the coffee table, so maybe the scent had carried itself into the house.

“Another drink, Thomas?” asked Albert.

“Need to have a clear mind today, ya know?” he said with a slight smile as he set his drink down on the table. His voice was deep and rich and it sent shivers down my spine. He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a watch.

“Suit yourself.” Albert chuckled and poured some of the tub into the glass for himself. At the same time, Thomas’ eyes turned to me. I could feel myself melting under his gaze, like the sun burning its light into my soul. I could do nothing but stare at him in awe, too stunned to even speak. “Ah, there she is! The girl we’ve been telling you about. Isn’t she a pretty sight?”

“Quite a vision, I must say.” It was as though every word he spoke was some sort of forbidden incantation, enchanting me and enthralling me.

“Come and sit down, sweetheart,” Eliza brought me to the sofa and the two of us sat together. Her hand rested on my knee, which was bouncing uncontrollably, something that always happened when my nerves got the best of me. Today was no exception. No one had given me any clues as to why Mister Shelby was here in our living room. Clearly this wasn’t a social visit, there was still tension in the air, though perhaps I was the only one who could sense it.

Not only that, their continuous glancing, as though they were engaging in some sort of secret code, did nothing to ease the growing anxiety or to loosen the knots in my stomach.

He sat back in the armchair, his imposing presence and commanding figure dominating the space around us. I felt small, like a puny little mouse. His eyes burned into mine and I could feel my heart racing, but I could not look away. I was drawn in by his masculinity and his aura of confidence and power.

“See? I told you he would make an excellent husband,” she said, looking at me. If she had told me that the earth was flat after all, I wouldn’t have been more surprised than I was when I heard her words. I barely knew this man, despite hearing my uncle talking about him. I watched the exchange with growing concern, the sense of foreboding in the pit of my stomach slowly intensifying.

Husband? Was this what the two of them were so tense about? I thought. Am I being tricked into an arranged marriage, with a man I only know by name and by reputation?

Mentally and subtly, I scanned the room for any possible means of escape, the window, the back door, and I tried to plan how I would get past the three of them. Her hand found my back and she rubbed it gently. “Darling, do lighten up! It was only a joke.”

“Look at her, she’s as pale as a ghost!” Albert remarked. I saw a humorous glimmer in his eyes. He set his glass down on the table next to the one that Thomas was drinking from and looked toward the front door. “You think we would marry you off to someone you don’t know?”

“Wow, I didn’t think being engaged to me would be that frightening.”

Even Thomas seemed to find humour in this situation.

Frankly, I didn’t think any of this was funny. Not in the least. I was genuinely scared and fearing for my life and the fact that they were all making a joke out of it was enough to make me want to dig myself a deep hole and bury myself in it. I exhaled deeply, hoping to stay calm, and not get angry.

The sound of creaking wood made all of our heads turn to the staircase. No one said anything for a few minutes, though I could hear a few small voices whisper-shouting for everyone else to be quiet. Shaking her head, Aunt Eliza laughed nervously. “Children, am I right? Speaking of, we were just discussing your qualifications and your experience, Jessie, and the three of us agree you would be a suitable choice.”

“Choice for what?” I asked, confused.

“As a governess,” she clarified. “Albert, where are the papers?”

“In the top middle drawer,” he answered.

“Perhaps you can help me find them.” She fixed him with the same look she fixed me and he stood up, set down his glass and then followed Eliza upstairs, leaving Thomas and I alone in the living room. “I thought I told you all to stay in the nursery!”

“We were bored of staying in the nursery,” William complained.

“We were waiting for Jessie to come back so we could finish playing, but she was taking too long!” Henry added.

My mind was spinning as I tried to take it all in. A governess? For the children of this powerful man, who could easily crush me under his heel without even thinking about it? I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or terrified.

On the one hand, it was a huge honour and I was grateful for the opportunity. On the other hand, there was something about him that was deeply unsettling. He seemed capable of anything, of good or evil or anything in between. I was at once curious and scared, wary and drawn-in.

He towered over me as he stood, his dark coat looking more like a cape now and I swallowed thickly. He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out his watch. At the same time, I glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was half-past noon, though the sun had disappeared behind the clouds again, making it seem later in the day than it actually was.

Marie came running into the room and boldly approached with a beaming smile. “Alice was right, you’re really handsome.”

Thomas laughed and knelt down to her level, his eyes glowing with compassion and warmth as he looked into hers.

“Why, thank you, little lady,” he replied. There was a soft, gentle quality about him now, completely different from the dark and brooding aura that he had exuded just moments prior. I could see that he was a man who truly cared about children and had a soft spot for the innocent. It only added to his already staggering appeal. “And who might you be?”

“Marie?” she answered. She was never shy when it came to strangers. This was something that often concerned Eliza, Albert and I, who knew that there were plenty of people in this messed up world who would take advantage of such innocence. But from what I gathered, Thomas seemed harmless and didn’t have any clear intentions of doing her any harm.

“Jessie! Come upstairs and pack your things, love!” Albert called.

Watching the two of them with a fond smile, I moved over toward the bannister and went up the stairs as the other children came down to meet this interesting stranger. I could hear them all laughing as I started packing my bags, as best I could, my hands shaking slightly as the nervous energy in my body built up.

There was an excitement in addition to the fear, like when you’re standing on the edge of a cliff, staring out into the abyss. Deep down, I knew that this was a risky and potentially foolish decision, but there was an allure about it that was impossible to resist. It was like the call of the wild, the tug of the unknown. I had to do it, I had to know what it was like in the depths of this unfamiliar world.

I took a good look around my bedroom, striving to memorise the details of it and commit it to memory: the beige-coloured walls, the cream-coloured sheets, the window-seat where I would spend rainy days losing myself in books. It wasn’t much, but it was comfortable, and it was home.

One last glance and I went down the stairs, still gripping the handle of my suitcase as though someone might snatch it from me. Mister Shelby was waiting for me. My aunt and uncle and cousins all stood in the hallway.

“All set?” he asked as I approached. Even though I was nervous, the warmth of the sun and compassion in his eyes made me feel a little bit more at ease. He extended his hand and I took it, my skin tingling with a rush of electricity as our hands met and I was swept away by the powerful presence that emanated from him.

We stepped outside where a 1921 Ford sat waiting for us, recently washed and quite comfortable by the looks of it. Without hesitation, I climbed inside and settled into the soft, leather seats and I was amazed and impressed by the luxuries surrounding me. I had never been in such a beautiful car, or one that was so comfortable. It was clear that Mister Shelby spared no expense when it came to the finer things in life. I was instantly overcome by a sense of elegance and sophistication that I had never experienced before but couldn’t help but feel at home in, like I belonged here, as if I was finally where I was meant to be.

My eyes darted toward the window as the car drove away and the kids started chasing after us. A smile tugged at my face, knowing they probably wouldn’t get far.

As the kids raced behind the car, Thomas laughed and put the car in drive, speeding off in the opposite direction. But he didn’t completely ignore the little ones; instead, as he sped away, he stuck his hand out the window and waved back, his deep, rich laugh filling the air. It was infectious and I felt myself beginning to giggle, getting caught up in his laughter and his joy. He was like a child himself, a playful and mischievous man with such a zest for life that it was impossible not to fall under his charm.

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfic #thomas shelby #thomas shelby x oc #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x oc #cillian murphy

[vinehasnohopeleft]

Little story about the twins experiencing snow without being tortured!

~~~~~~~~

Snow.....

The twins hated snow, or winter in general, because of how cold it gets, and being thrown outside to freeze to death doesn't make it better!

Scarlet was nice enough to let the weavers stay in the spare rooms of her house, which was good news for the twins because Mary didn't have much power under the roof of some one else.

Tim practically glared outside the window of the room he shared with his twin and Caleb, watching as Lillian and Caleb ran around the large back yard while playing in the snow. From what he could remember; Benny was asleep in the room he shared with Sam, Mary was in the living room with John and Scarlet, Travis and his little group of misfits were busy messing around in the attic, and Sam...

"Figured you were in here." Tim nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing Sam's voice. He whipped his head around to see Sam wearing a fluffy coat, a scarf, mittens, basically ready to go outside, but his attention was drawn to the two other fluffy coats in Sam's hands.

"What's with the extra coats?" Tim asked.

"Hm? Oh, I was going to ask if you and Tom wanted to go outside with me since you both seem to be cooped up in here." Sam replied before adding "you don't have to, it was only an offer. I just figured you would like to get out of the house for a bit and I could use some help with the animals."

"But what about Tom, you know his brace doesn't work well in the cold."

"The doctor said he doesn't have to wear it all the time, Tim, as long as he isn't putting a ton of wright on it he should be fine." Sam said, walking over to the bed and placing the coats down.

Tim glanced at the coats, which one was a dark green and the other was a dark red, he glanced back up at Sam "I'll think about it."

Sam gave a small smile before reaching a hand over and ruffling Tim's hair and leaving, causing the smiling masked twin to huff in response before attempting to fix his hair.

+---+

"Chickens are the worst!" Tim said as he brushed off the feathers from the dark red coat he wore. He was trying to feed them but ended up getting attacked.

"Why do you think I chickened out of the role?" Tom asked, earning a huff from his twin.

"You guys are a bunch of chickens, you know that?" Sam said with a chuckle.

"The chickens like you, Sam, so it's not fair!" Tim said as he sat on one of the hay bails. Tom sat beside him and watched at Sam pets one of the horses snouts.

"You really think those balls of feathers like me?" Sam turned to him "those things will still attack me even if they known me for a while."

"I want to go back in, my leg is hurting and I'm getting cold." Tom muttered.

"Oh, sorry, Tom, I didn't expect is to take this long." Sam apologized before walking over.

"It's fine." Tom said and stood up, only for his leg to give out under him. Sam managed to catch him before he fell.

"You alright?" Tim asked as Tom steadied himself.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tom said before giving a startled squeak as Sam placed a hand on his waist and hooked an arm under his knees and lifted him up in to the arm, causing Tom to throw his arms around the red head's shoulders "a warning would've been nice!"

Sam only chuckled quietly. "Sorry, Tom." And with that, Sam walked out of the barn and Tim had the jump of locking it up. "Tim, how about you go on ahead, we'll meet you there."

Tim glanced at Sam then at Tom, who gave a small nod, then headed off. Sam gave a small smile.

"We don't like winter." Tom muttered.

"I figured you two did, you never went outside unless you were forced to or if me or mom asked you to." Sam said "is there a reason?"

Tom paused before giving a small nod, "mama."

"Hm?"

"She used to throw us outside during winter but papa or Caleb would usually let us back in." Tom explained, resting his head on Sam's shoulder. "We never liked winter because of her."

"Oh.."

"Yeah, and that's why we are more hesitant to go outside when asked or refuse to do it if we were given the option."

Sam looked at the house coming into view, Tim waiting on the porch. "I don't know if I can help change that opinion about you hating winter. But I assure you that I will not let Mary toss you or Tim out, ok?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

+---+

Tom was sitting outside after a few hours of warming up inside. He didn't register Sam walk outside until Sam appeared beside him.

"You alright?" The redhead asked.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine, just watching them being idiots." Tom said, gesturing vaguely to Travis, Duncan, and the rest of Sam's friend group in the middle of a snowball fight.

"Here, My mom made some hot chocolate and asked me to bring you a mug." Sam said, offering the mug to Tom, who gladly accepted. "Who's winning?"

"So far, The girls, they managed to catch Travis and Mark off guard a few times." Tom replied after taking a sip of the hot chocolate. "What's everyone else doing."

"Lillian and my mom are making cookies, Tim and Caleb are playing games, and Mary, John, and Benny are talking outback." Sam replied, sitting down next to Tom on the steps. The frowning masked twin could feel the warmth from the mug through the mittens and leaned against Sam, resting his head in the other's shoulder.

"Maybe later, if you're up for it, you want to gang up on Tim and Caleb in a snowball fight?"

Tom could only chuckle "I don't see why not."

~~~~~~~~

Hyperfixation is kicking my ass right now.

anyway, have this little, stupid, story i decided to right at 12 am.

I imagine this as a type of au mixed between the weavers getting a second chance at life + Sam lives in a farm type of au.

#wick #wick hellbent games #wick 2015 #wick au #i guess? #random

[bryte-eyed-athena]

Afrofuturism in the work of Janelle Monáe

Ashley Clarke, a curator for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, defined Afrofuturism as “the centering of the international black experience in alternate and imagined realities, whether fiction or documentary; past or present; science fiction or straight drama.”

Themes of Afrofuturism can be found throughout the works of Janelle Monáe. Her previous albums like The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady showcase this through the exploration of androids as a new “other.” Today I want to talk about one of her most recent projects, Dirty Computer, and the way it contributes to the conversation on Afrofuturism. Janelle Monáe released Dirty Computer as an album and a 48 minute long Emotion Picture to draw her audience into a visual and auditory world of her own making. The dystopian future she presents to us is very similar to our own current reality, except that the voices being amplified are those that have historically been silenced. People of color and the LGBT+ community are central in this story rather than pushed off screen. Dirty Computer is so powerful because it focuses on joyful rebellion, love, and freedom in an oppressive dystopian setting.

The project, as Monáe has shared, can be split into three parts: Reckoning, Celebration, and Reclamation.

Part I: Reckoning

gif credit: scificinema

gif credit: scificinema

The Emotion Picture begins with Monáe’s character Jane 57821 laying out how her society has begun to capture people deemed dirty in order to “clean” them of their supposed filth against their will. This is meant to produce beings that are stripped of all individuality and ready to conform to societal norms and expectations. Jane tells the audience that, “You were dirty if you looked different, you were dirty if you refused to live the way they dictated, you were dirty if you showed any form of opposition at all. And if you were dirty it was only a matter of time.” The dichotomy between dirty and clean has created a system where an entire class of people can be demonized and oppressed. This foreboding tone at the beginning prepares the viewer for the grim implications of the cleaning process in this universe.

Dirty Computers are strapped to a table and forced to undergo the “Nevermind” which is a program that deletes memories. It is a process that is horrifying because of what it symbolizes to the individual and entire communities of people. To erase someone’s memories is to erase who a person is. The character of Mary Apple 53, Jane’s love interest, shows us just how alien a person can become once their memories are gone. The horror of erasure is also something that marginalized communities have faced for centuries and continue to face today.

In an interview on Dirty Computer, Janelle Monáe said “I felt a deeper responsibility to telling my story before it was erased. I think that there’s an erasure - of us, and if we don’t tell our stories they won’t get told. If we don’t show us we won’t get shown.” Afrofuturism is a response to this erasure of black people and people of color in culture, history, and art. Monáe has made a deliberate choice to tell her story even if it might get erased because if she doesn’t do it then no one else will. Remaining silent would be to assist in that erasure and Afrofuturism is all about refusing to be erased.

This first part of the Emotion Picture is all a reckoning with the Dirty Computers and how they are pushed to the margins. The lyrics in Crazy, Classic, Life speak about how the same mistake made by two people on different ends of the spectrum of social acceptability is punished unequally. Take A Byte follows it with a more upbeat tone, but even then the lyric “I’m not the kind of girl you take home to your mama” speaks to a feeling of being outside social norms.

There are moments of light and joy that are counterweights to the dire situation Jane is in. These come in the form of her memories which are played one final time before they are erased. Jane’s life before she was captured was filled with exploration, youth, love and celebration.

Part II: Celebration

Gif credit: normreedus

Gif credit: daisyjazzridley

Gif credit: nerd4music

Dirty Computers seem to recognize that they are living on borrowed time and that any day could be the day they are forcefully disappeared. This is why they fill each moment with as much fun, life, color, and joy as they can. There are many scenes at clandestine parties where Dirty Computers live freely and openly despite the threat of drones or police that could capture them at any moment. It is important to have these scenes of celebration though because Afrofuturism is also about providing hope.

The future must be a hopeful one if we are to strive for it and Afrofuturism allows us to be creative in crafting our visions of a hopeful future. Even though Monáe’s future is dystopian, there is still room for hope and joy because those are the things that make life worth living. These Dirty Computers have to live their lives joyfully because they don’t know when they’ll be sterilized.

In the interview mentioned previously, Monáe added that “I had to make a decision with who I was comfortable pissing off and who I wanted to celebrate. And I chose who I wanted to celebrate, and that was the Dirty Computers.” The LGBT+ community, people of color, black women, immigrants, and low income people have all been mentioned as people Monáe wished to celebrate. This celebration comes intertwined with images and themes of rebellion as expressed in Jane’s memories. Screwed, Django Jane, Pynk, Make me Feel, and I Like That are the songs that embody celebration the best. Whether it's a celebration of sexuality, femininity, unity, or of self love it is all encompassed in these songs. Jane is shown connecting with others and being unapologetically proud of herself. We also see her falling in love with two people, Zen and Ché, and we see them love her in return.

Gif credit: thelovelylights

Viewing these memories and interacting with Jane seems to encourage the questioning of authority. The employee utilizing the Nevermind process seems to question why he should be deleting Jane’s memories at all. Mary Apple 53, previously named Zen, also directly questions their matriarch after speaking with Jane and realizing that she’s connected to her. It all culminates in a nonviolent escape attempt where Jane, Zen, and Ché reclaim their names, bodies, and their lives.

Part III: Reclamation

Gif credit: thelovelylights

The Emotion Picture ends with Jane 57821 and Mary Apple 53 freeing themselves, and their recently arrived lover Ché, from the facility. They escape without harming others the way they themselves have been harmed. By leaving they are reclaiming their freedom and their right to be proud of being Dirty Computers. They refuse the new names that were forced upon them and leave to rediscover the memories of the life they lived before capture.

It is a hopeful ending that plays into the themes of Afrofuturism. Even though both Jane and Zen’s memories were erased they still have the ability to create new memories and stories. Their ability to recreate their past as well as create a new future was not taken away. As they escape the song Americans can be heard in the background. The lyrics subvert the typical American patriotism expressed by racist white southerners. The trope of preserving gender roles and being a gun carrying american are satirized in these lyrics. America as a whole is being reclaimed by Janelle as a place for the people who have been marginalized.

Janelle sings “Don’t try to take my country/ I will defend my land/ I’m not crazy baby/ nah I’m American.” This sentiment is typically espoused by xenophobic americans, but when it is sung by Janelle she is saying that she won’t be forced out of America due to the bigoted beliefs of the people who hate her. She also pleads for the listener to love her for who she is which is something that has been denied to black women for centuries. The song ends with a powerful message of reclaiming America by Rev. Dr. Sean McMillan who said “Until Latinos and Latinas don't have to run from walls/ This is not my America/ But I tell you today that the devil is a liar/ Because it's gon' be my America before it's all over.”

This also shows themes of Afrofuturism since Monáe is reclaiming her history and is refusing to be excluded from it. She is asserting her presence and that of all the Dirty Computers by saying that they too have a claim to America. The Emotion Picture and the album are both a masterpiece of Afrofuturism art and music. Monáe masterfully weaves various musical genres and visual storytelling to show her pride in being a black queer woman. There is no other artist like Janelle Monáe, and I am excited to see what new worlds she will take us to next.

#janelle monae #dirty computer #afrofuturism #dirty computer emotion picture #blog post #space is the place #analysis #media analysis

[renatogpadilla]

FFVI as a D&D Campaign:

OK, so I've been watching "Critical Role" (Campaign 1, Episode 31, no spoilers!) a LOT lately and it got me thinking how FFVI (arguably the BEST "Final Fantasy" game out there) is essentialy that. The biggest moments could be atributted to CRAZY rolls! I can see each of the characters being played by one of the people at the table! * Marisha as Terra Branford: Would be phenomenal. Her mentality is kinda in-line with Keyleth's. The "Kill Their Own Emotions" moment in the boat shakes the table as a whole. And when it's time to run an orphanage and protect her kids from Humbaba, the emotion in her voice destroys everyone in the Party. The "Mama?" moment becomes the most fan-arted moment for her character until the final fight. Her Trance ability is agreed to be the coolest looking skill at the table. To say nothing of the way she'd react to the whole Slave Crown bussiness!

Matt: "She killed 50 imperial soldiers in a few minutes." Marisha, and the whole table: *S H A K I N G*

* Taliesin as Locke Cole: "Treasure Hunter!" every single time somebody calls him a thief or a rogue. The "Rachel" story would be absolutely heartbreaking with Taliesin's expressions. The solo-sneak through the town while meeting Celes would be one of the highlights of the Campaign... That and his frienship with Terra would only be accentuated by Taliesin's and Marisha's irl friendship. Not to mention him puking on the ship would serve as some comedic timing straight out of "Critical Role"! Also, "That bow looks good on you" LAUNCHES the ship to heights undreamt of.

* Sam as Edgar Figaro: I mean, COME ON! IT WRITES ITSELF! Besides, it would be enjoyable to see him use his -Artificer- Machinist abilities as creatively as he does! Can you IMAGINE him rolling high enough one day and then he just creates the Noiseblaster? And with that he pulls out the microphone every time he uses it and proceeds to shout some thing Scanlan would be proud of... Not to mention his friendship with Sabin would be amazing if played by Sam! "The little shrimp has become a mighty Lobster!" You can HEAR Sam Riegel's voice come out of that! And the two headed coin? Now THAT's a Scanlan! This without mentioning the violations of the Geneva Convention that the Bioblaster would certainly entail...

* Laura as Celes Chere: I mean, OBVIOUSLY. Meeting Locke in the dungeon? The apparent betrayal? THE OPERA HOUSE?! "I'm a former General, not some... Opera floozy!" TELL ME you don't hear Laura Bailey saying that! And then she rolls a Natural 20 on performance and EVERYONE looses their shit! Her Runic ability is the target of MANY close saves. Also, the way Locke and Celes' interactions happen, she'd be perfect opposite Taliesin. The chat on the bridge in Albrook? HEARTSTOPPING. The attempted suicide? You KNOW Matt would call the sesion there!

* Travis as Sabin Figaro: This one was obvious. Monk/Barb that gets mistaken for a bear, and acts like an absolute teddy bear around Terra? Yes. Gods above, YES. "You think a tiny thing like the end of the world was going to be enough to keep me down?" You heard Grog too, right? The moments would be worth MILLIONS. The Opera house and Travis going "Why is everyone singing?" and then getting more and more into it! Him holding up the house for Celes! "MISTER THOU"... But best of all, and probably the single most famous Sabin moment EVER, The Phantom Train:

Matt: The train tracks suddenly lurch to the side. Even after this long and hard-fought battle it seems *chukles* it seems this train isn't letting you get away with your lives. That brings us to you, Travis! Travis, on his 5000 IQ shit: I grapple the train.

Entire Table: ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS?!?!

Matt: No way in hell are you gonna- You know what? Roll for it. *Picks up dice for the Train* Taliesin: He's dead. He's so fucking dea-

Travis: NATURAL 20.

Entire Table: *Silent disbelief, everyone looks at Matt*.

Matt: *Also in disbelief* ...Rolled a 1.

Entire Table: *Inintelligeble gasping and hyperventilating*

Travis: I'm going to use my last Blitz as Meteor Strike and suplex the Train!

Matt: *Looking at the sheet, knowing damn well what's about to happen* Go ahead and roll for damage...

Travis: *Rolls for damage*

Matt: *Braces for impact* How do you wanna do this?

Entire Table and the Internet: *EXPLODES*

The Fanart keeps coming, even YEARS after the Campaign is done...

* Liam as Setzer Gabbiani: Since he's LITERALY "Mister Steal Your Girl", I think Liam would be PERFECT. Just imagine him getting set up as this suave and smooth rougue who wanted to kidnap a beautiful singer and then gets Laura instead! (Which isn't entirely wrong...) IMAGINE his expresions and his dissapearing under the table laughing as the others barely climb aboard The Blackjack. THE ENTIRE PARTY giving him shit for a low roll on a Wisdom Check (the double-headed coin) and him segwaying that into joining the party, only to find out that he actually knew all along... Priceless. The total and undistilled heartbreak as his ship falls apart, him trying to reach out for Terra and everyone falling on different places. And then meeting Celes a year later and doing the whole Daryll story... Liam would be the one to steal the audience every time he takes the spotlight! Though he would be a little like Percy in the sense that he doesn't get much to do until his arc happens.

"Money, Money, Money!" every time he throws coins to attack, the loaded dice (in character, not at the table?) and the card throws would make him so stylish in a D&D setting I'll be surprised if somebody hasn't done it already.

* Ashley as Relm Arrowny: She takes forever to join because of her constantly being away for filming, but once she's here? HOO BOY, does the fun keep coming! Her paintings coming alive and helping them fight? Her giving Sam shit for Edgar's love life? "Fuddy-Duddy!" becoming A Thing? All of those moments would be hilarious... But probably her most notorious moment comes when they find her a year later, serving a posessed brush, telling her to paint, paint, paint under the Magic House... "Keep painting until I'm complete..." The party snaps her out of it before she finishes the greatest painting she's ever done, her Magnum Opus, and then the painting coming alive prematurely in order to force her to finish... To give her form. And then the Lakshmi boss fight happens... Matt: And with the last of her strength gone, the banshee-like apparition dissipates into mist, and before any of you can react, Relm's magic brush begins to glow, like it had when you first came in here. The glow slowly creeps off the hairs and darts! Off towards the mistified form of it's mistress, enveloping itself into a thicc layer on top of the mist, swirling around... and around and around.

Ashley: Oh god, now what?

Matt: The colors dissipate, and Lakshmi unleashes a terrible wail! *DM monster noises* As it is now joined with this colorful cloud... And it compresses, smaller and smaller... And more solid until it's not mist anymore.

Marisha: *Gets it* ¡WAIT A MINUTE!

Travis: *Exited* ¡OH SHIT, HOLD ON!

Matt: The fog dissipates... And the calm returns to Relm's senses. Ashley you are now holding an innert, ordinary paint brush. However! Floating in the air, you see a crystal with a small glowing core, the particular essence of Life embeded in the middle, Terra you *points at Marisha* feel this and recognize it instantly, as it falls to the ground, and bounces a couple times... A brand new shard of Magicite.

Party: *FERAL LOOTING*

"Lakshmi" becomes the most PAINFUL fanart to make, and it's ALWAYS the one that's valued the most among the fandom.

The rest of the Party (Strago, Umaro, Mog, Cyan, Gau and GoGo) can be the guests that come over every once in a while (I particualrly see Wil Wheaton as Strago Magus, Mary McGlynn as GoGo and Will Friedle as Clyde "Shadow" Arrowny) with Shadow coming and going with the excuse that "His contract is up" (and let's face it, after surviving/witnessing the Phantom Train? My contract would be up too...) and coming back whenever his schedule/the plot allows. Eventually, everyone comes together for one last session and the battle with God Kefka. Setting their affairs in order, the reveal of who Shadow really is during a lone chat with Strago shakes the Critters to their core. Everything makes sense! Why Interceptor went straight to Relm when they met... Why his nightmares kept showing a village of magic users, yet they never mention Shadow in Thamasa! The group is RATTLED and wether or not he survives at the end becomes a HEATED argument between everyone at the table. Only Strago knows the truth...

The sendoff on The Falcon with everyone saying goodbye and seeing what the World will bring next is regarded as one of the most emotional scenes in "Critical Role" history... But the most completely DESTRUCTIVE force in this entire cast is Matt Mercer as Kefka Palazzo:

The personality... the narrative... The absolute slime in his voice when he poisons Doma. When he kills Leo and brings forth the Light of Judgement. Matt definitely has his moments playing Ultros. He's fun! And Emperor Ghestal was more of a political "Darth Sidious" villain. But Kefka? OH, LORD. NOBODY was ready for Kefka. "Enjoy the barbicue!" gets memed to no end, while also sending a horrible shiver down people's spine whenever somebody brings it up. Truly, the villain to end all villains. I can see it happen so vividly... If anybody wants to talk about this more, PLEASE hit me up! This just feels too good! Until off course the party moves on to their next Campaign in the setting for "Final Fantasy 5" but that's a whole OTHER can of worms!

#Critical Role #FFVI #FF6 #Final Fantasy #D&D #Dungeons and Dragons #Critters #CritRole #The Returners #Vox Machina #The Mighty Nein #DM

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Crooked Crooks and Awkward Angels

Summary: Gideon is performing in the school nativity play, and Belle and Rumpel are very excited to see his starring role. Obviously, there are a few mishaps along the way.

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling November non-smut prompt: anticipation, anger, angels.

Rated: G

Crooked Crooks and Awkward Angels

It was the eve of Storybrooke elementary school's nativity play, and as Belle approached the gates to pick up Gideon, she was halfway convinced that the traditional nativity had in fact been replaced with a re-enactment of Gladiator this year. The hall appeared to be in complete chaos, with half-costumed kids running hither and thither and back again. The large star over the stage was hanging precariously from a thread, and Belle was very glad it was made of cardboard and would not cause any injuries were it to fall on an unsuspecting pupil, teacher, or parent. 

Mary Margaret looked like she was ruing the day she decided to put the nativity on, and Belle had to sympathise. There was something about Christmas that brought out the worst in everyone, including children who one would have hoped would be on their best behaviour ready for Santa to come. It was clearly not going to be the case, and as she stepped into the hall to collect her son, she was dismayed to find him at the centre of one of the many disturbances. 

"Mama!" He rushed over as soon as he saw her, and Belle quickly saw that he was wearing an expression of utter, incandescent fury that only Rumpel could better.

"What's happened, Gid?"

He held up his crook, which was in two pieces. Although he had wanted to be one of the wise men with their bejewelled crowns and cloaks made out of old curtains trimmed with tinsel, or the starring role of Joseph the carpenter, he had been mollified at landing the role of Shepherd One when Rumpel had explained that way back when, he'd kept sheep himself, and there was no shame in it. After that, Gideon had thrown himself into his role, and had insisted on the stuffed sheep sitting at the dinner table with them of an evening. 

He was incredibly proud of his crook, which Rumpel had made for him by hand to the old specifications that he had used in his sheep-herding life. Naturally, Belle was disappointed to see that it had broken. 

"What happened? Was it an accident?"

"Well, Tommy said that it was an accident, but I saw him do it on purpose! He's jealous because I've got more lines than him."

"I'm sure that Papa will be able to fix it, don't worry."

"But the play is tomorrow!"

"He can fix it tonight."

Not entirely convinced of this, Gideon nonetheless followed her out of the hall. Belle decided not to mention the dirty look that he threw Tommy over his shoulder. Like his father, Gideon was quick to anger and had a fierce sense of justice, but it usually burned out within a few minutes, and sure enough, by the time they were at home and the crook had been spirited away out of sight and mind, he was back to his usual bright self. 

"How was the chaos?" Rumpel came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. Belle pulled the crook out of the hall closet and Rumpel sighed. 

"I'm not even going to ask, but fear not, it will be as good as new by the morning, and no magic will be required. Except the magic of superglue."

Belle laughed, leaning in to press a kiss against his cheek. It had become something of a running joke between them now, the whole magic thing. Rumpel had barely used it since Gideon had returned to them and they had begun their happy beginning together; there had simply been no need, and Belle had firmly stated that she did not want frivolous spells forming part of their son's upbringing. 

"Thank you, Rumpel. You're so good about these things."

"When it comes to children, I have infinite patience. Even for the ones who break my handiwork."

"It wasn't Gideon's fault. I'm not sure whether it was an accident, or deliberate sabotage as he claims, but apparently responsibility lies with Tommy, alias Shepherd Two."

"Ah, the classic shepherd's crook jealousy. It's a real thing among farming communities, you know."

He was so deadpan that Belle had to laugh, but then the moment was broken as something boiled over on the stove and Rumpel rushed back into the kitchen to rescue their dinner. 

The play was the only topic of conversation throughout the rest of the evening, and there was a definite air of anticipation. It was Gideon's first starring role, aside from the little performances he had put on for his parents over the course of his childhood. He was practically bouncing up and down in his seat with excitement, and Belle had to admit that she was feeling pretty excited about it herself. When she thought back to Gideon’s birth and all of the drama that had unfolded at the time, there had been a large part of her that had thought that she would never have the chance to see all of these childhood milestones of his, and now that she did have the opportunity and everything had worked out for the best, she was determined to make the most of it all. Having come so close to missing out on it, she knew that she was not going to miss out on it now.

After dinner, Gideon was happily playing with his stuffed sheep and practicing his lines – Belle had told him not to put his costume back on for fear of something happening to it without enough time for it to be washed – and cries of ��Look, what’s that up in the sky?’ and ‘We must take our sheep to Bethlehem!’ were ringing out from the living room as Rumpel carefully fixed the crook with superglue and packing tape. It wasn’t exactly as good as new, but the join was carefully hidden, and it would hopefully hold up until after the performance. Belle wondered if he’d ever had to fix his own crook like this, and what he had done in the absence of superglue.

Rumpel let out a sigh as he put down his handiwork, and Belle caught the sound.

“Is everything all right?”

He nodded, running his hands over the crook. “It just reminds me of a very long time ago, that’s all. Sometimes I do wonder what would have happened if I had never taken on the Dark One powers, and I had just lived out my life as a spinner with Bae.”

“And what would have happened, do you think?”

“Well, life would have been a lot shorter, and a lot simpler. But at the same time, I would never have met you and we would never have had Gideon, so I could never regret the path that I chose that led me to this moment.”

Belle smiled and leaned in to kiss her husband, just at the moment when Gideon raced into the kitchen to see if the crook was repaired. He scrunched his face up at the sight of them kissing and immediately ran out again, much to Belle’s mirth.

“It’s probably for the best,” Rumpel said, eyeing the open doorway. “If he’d seen that the crook was mended he’d probably want to start acting with it straight away and I don’t think it’s ready for his exuberance just yet.”

Belle just laughed and kissed him again. She couldn’t wait for the next day when the crook would be seen in all its glory.

X

The day of the play dawned bright and early – well, it was early, certainly, but given the time of year it was not at all bright when Gideon woke them before seven, fumbling and thumping around in his room as he got his costume on ready, despite the play not being until two in the afternoon. He insisted on remaining in the classic combination of bathrobe and tea-towel until it was time to go to school, and even then, Belle had a trying time getting him into his normal clothes. She kept busy all morning, trying to put off her anticipation with practical matters. Surely, the kitchen had never been cleaner.

Finally, it was time to go, and Belle made her way to the school via the pawn shop. She slipped her arm through Rumpel’s as they walked, and he leaned into her side.

“Ready for Gideon’s grand debut?” he asked.

Belle nodded. “I know that he always says he wants to be a sorcerer like you when he grows up, but I think that this experience might have made him rethink. He’s certainly very happy treading the boards.”

The hall was almost full to overflowing with parents and other family members by the time they got there, even though they were early, and Belle could only giggle as little faces kept peering out from behind the curtains, searching for people they knew in the audience and waving excitedly before Mary Margaret pulled them back. At last, the lights dimmed, and the spotlight went up on stage as a young girl in an angel costume with cardboard wings shuffled into view.

“Welcome to our…” She looked out at the audience, then back at the curtain. “Welcome to our… Harvest Festival!”

“Nativity Play!” Mary Margaret hissed from behind the curtain, but it was too late, the little angel had already tripped off the stage, and the first scene was set.

Gideon was in the third scene, and he took his role very seriously, never once looking for his parents in the audience and focussing on his two lines. Belle was pleased to see that the crook was still in one piece after its repair job, and it made her smile to imagine Gideon guarding it all morning. She knew that every parent would think that their child was the star of the show and all of the other kids paled into insignificance, but she didn’t care; she was so proud of her son and she thought that his performance was a triumph. After the final bows had been made and the curtain pulled up so that the children could go down to meet their parents in the audience, Gideon bounded up to them.

“What did you think?” he asked. “Was I good?”

“You were wonderful,” Rumpel said. “You looked every inch a shepherd after my own heart.”

Gideon beamed. “Miss Blanchard says we’re going to do another play in summer,” he said. Personally, Belle thought that Mary Margaret might be having second thoughts about that announcement now, but she didn’t voice that to Gideon. “I hope I get a part. I really like being an actor.” He paused. “Maybe I could be on TV one day!”

“If that’s what you want, Gideon, then I’m sure you’ll find a way to get there.”

The three of them made their way home hand in hand, Gideon chattering on nineteen to the dozen about all of the backstage antics that had happened before the play had started – it was a miracle that the thing had gone off without a hitch considering all the mishaps that seemed to have gone on – and Belle just exchanged a look with Rumpel over the top of Gideon’s head. It was one of those moments that would stick with her forever. It was nothing momentous or life-changing, just another little milestone in Gideon’s childhood, but something for which she was grateful, nevertheless.

Hopefully, there would be many more moments like this to come.

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #A Monthly Rumbelling #Belle French #Rumpelstiltskin #Gideon Gold #fluff family #family fluff #Fic: Crooked Crooks and Awkward Angels

[xhanisai]

Can I be that one annoying fan that spams you every day with basically the same question? That being Kiss AU frightningale. If you would be so kind.

Well, since you kindly gave me that Ko-Fi UwUwUwU, I can spare an ounce of kindness~~~ 

This will be a long one~ Enjoy! (P.S. I have made a lot of changes here to make this, hopefully much more interesting…) 

The episode starts off with Gabriel dragging his son away to the venue for the Chat Noir costume fitting. Adrien’s trying everything to escape, ranging from faking he’s sick to clinging to the railings on the stairs. Gabriel and Nathalie struggled to get him to let go but Gorilla comes to their rescue, managing to pluck him off with ease. 

“You’ll never take me alive!” Adrien hollered out childishly, kicking his legs and banging his fists against Gorilla’s back as he was held like a sack of potatoes, the group making way out of the house and to the limo. 

“Never make us do that again, Son.” Gabriel grumbled out, running his fingers through his unruly hair before quickly straightening the locks back. A frazzled Nathalie handed him a comb with a huff.

“How about, don’t force me into doing things I don’t want to? Hmm?” Adrien sassed, looking as intimidating as a caught kitten. He could feel Plagg cackling in his jacket, the cursed being doing nothing to help. 

“It’s just a fitting Adrien- plus it’s a very good opportunity for you! You get to meet an international popstar and perform in her music video, dressed up as one of those superheroes you adore.” 

“B-B-But…I’m just a stick! I won’t do any justice to Chat Noir’s muscles and abs!” For effect, Adrien poked his shoulders. “See? Skin and bones.”

“Nonsense~ my stylists have commented about your developing muscles during your shoots. All those fencing and basketball lessons have been paying off,” Mr. Agreste chirped with a cheesy grin, pushing his glasses back against the nose. Adrien was immediately reminded of those dopey glasses characters in the hundreds of anime he’s watched. 

“Besides, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng will be picked up by Vincent and his crew in five minutes to meet up at the venue and dress as your counterpart.” Nathalie added, scrolling through her tablet. She then flickered her eyes towards the boy’s curious face, glasses glinting under the light for a split second. “You wouldn’t want her to be paired with any other random Parisian, right?” 

You see, Adrien is usually a very bright boy, evidenced by his top grades, ability to adapt and so on.

This is not the case right now.

Completely dismissing the disastrous problem awaiting him, Adrien’s mind was clouded with utmost jealousy. Images of his talented Princess being oogled by some…some random KID in HIS costume…making her SMILE and even…HOLDING HER HAND??? 

‘Oh my God…what if they try to make the boy kiss my Marinette?’ Adrien screams internally, dismissing another important factor before jumping out of Gorilla’s grasps (who coincidentally loosens his grip) and darted inside the vehicle. 

“TO THE VENUE! ONLY I CAN BE THE CHAT NOIR TO MARINETTE’S LADYBUG!” The boy beeped the horn for good measures. 

“Why didn’t you use my daughter-in-law’s name to coax him in the first place, Nathalie?” Gabriel’s eyebrow twitched with irritation. His assistant simply mirrored the look. 

“It was one way I was able to get you to do some workout, sir.” Her eyes narrowed further but inside, she was fighting a grin when Gabriel spluttered. “After all, someone has been gaining a few extra pounds ever since we got friendly with your future in-laws.” 

“I-I have no idea what you mean!” Her boss harrumphed, entering the limo with a grumble. Nathalie didn’t miss the way he clutched his stomach with a pout. “It’s not my fault that they don’t let me leave till they’ve fed me three helpings of dumplings…”

Meanwhile, Marinette is kidnapped hauled away by Vincent, Alya and the rest of the girls from her class, much to her protests. Sabine and Tom watches the scene unfold with a cup of tea in hand and some sweets. Their smiles only broadening. 

“Alya-aaaa! Lemme go! Lemme go-ooooo!” What good was being Ladybug when she can’t seem to escape her best friend’s shoulder, getting carried away like a THING? Marinette let out another huff as the girls finally made way outside, a car waiting for them. 

“You can keep wriggling and fighting but you’re no match with Mama Bear Alya’s muscles~!” Her best friend hooted, flexing her free arm with exaggeration as the rest of the group giggled. “And gurl! You’re light as hell! What the heck? No wonder you can’t make me budge.”

“I am big and strong! I can take you all in one go! I’ll prove it right now!” Marinette retaliated. No one took her seriously. “I just wanted to be a backup dancer and so did Adrien!!!” The girl resorted back to whining again, flopping in defeat.

“Really? He was actually pretty adamant in taking the Chat Noir role.” Mylene nodded as did the others. 

“What? Since when? We both agreed to be backup with you girls yesterday night during a call.” 

“Someone call Barbie Doll right now,” Alya suggested whilst shoving Marinette inside the car unceremoniously, ignoring her groans. Alix rolled her eyes, whipping her phone out and got inside the vehicle, purposely squishing Marinette against the car’s door on the other side so that she had no means of escape. 

The model finally picked up when the girls were on the road, his annoyance clear through the speaker.

“Don’t tell me you girls are already at the venue and some loser stole my role- the traffic here is mental!” Rose and Juleka hid their snickering at this. 

“What role? Adrien! We agreed to be backup dancers- what’s with you wanting to be Chat Noir now?” Marinette butted in, glaring at the phone despite the recipient not being able to see her face. 

“O-OH!? Morning Princess~”

“Don’t ‘Princess’ me you big, annoying, dummy-”

“Okay, Sweetcheeks it is then,”

“NO.”

“Sugarberry?”

“STOP.”

“But Darling~”

“ADRIEN!”

“Hey, now listen here. I didn’t do this on purpose ya know? I was all decked up and ready to be a backup dancer but Pere and Nathalie had other plans!”

“And you went along with it?” 

“They had to get the Gorilla to literally get me out of the house! Give me some credit here, Marinette!” Adrien groaned, slumping against his seat, knowing very well that his trio of guardians were all wearing matching grins under that poker face of theirs. 

“A-Ah, okay, so basically the same thing as me then, right?” Marinette almost felt bad for going off on him.

“Mmhm, besides,” 

“Oh?”

“I refuse to let any dumb boy take away MY woman.” Marinette could literally feel the cat radiating from him, annoyance pumping through her veins. Of COURSE he relents into his father’s whims due to jealousy! A tiny part of her brain was rather flattered, making her heart flutter but the raven haired girl immediately brushed those thoughts away. 

“You never really put up much of a fight after you found out I was gonna be forced to play Ladybug, right?” The baker girl’s tone was dry as hell. 

“Your point?” She couldn’t believe Adrien had the nerves to answer like that.

“YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR ASS AGRESTE! COS WHEN I’M THROUGH WITH YOU-”

“Oh please do be gentle~”

“ADRIEN!?”

“Love ya~~~mwah!” With a triumphant grin, Adrien hung up the phone. He knew very well of how much trouble he’s in but he’ll focus on that hurdle when it comes to it. Gabriel and Nathalie only eyed the teen incredulously, the former pinching the bridge of his nose. Why oh why is his son like this…?

Both cars simultaneously arrive at the venue, making Adrien realise how much danger he’s in. He could literally feel Marinette’s rage seeping out of the car. Nathalie pretty much kicked him out so that he can face his responsibilities. Both he and Mari have a stare off- the latter itching to throttle him whilst the boy whistles innocently. 

Marinette doesn’t get a chance to drag Adrien away as they’re both led into the venue by their peers, finally seeing people trying out the superhero roles. It was then that Adrien recalled why he and Mari settled to be backup dancers in the first place.

“Oh shit…” Adrien finally uttered when a boy slipped on the Chat Noir mask. His eyes then drifted to Marinette, wincing at her pointed glare before averting his gaze again. He fucked up. Their identities are screwed! 

The duo were too preoccupied with their thoughts to process Clara’s enthusiasm and squeals, babbling about how they’ve been going through hundreds of candidates for hours. 

“Wait- how come those two get the role immediately? We don’t even know if they’re good enough!” One of the teens exclaimed, hands on hips and glowered. Clara sweatdropped at this. “We’ve been waiting here for ages! Is this all for nought?”

A light bulb appeared on both the secret heroes’ heads, both wearing a matching grin as they turned towards each other.

‘You thinking what I’m thinking?’

‘You bet so, Princess~’

‘Don’t call me Princess. I’m still mad at you.’

‘Oh boo…’

Marinette and Adrien were quick to agree with the teen, claiming how they should wait like everyone else so that there’s a fair chance without paying mind to Gabriel’s glares. The rest of the girls lined up for the backup roles, wishing the duo good luck whilst the adults were pulled away elsewhere. 

“Thank God…” Marinette sighed in relief. She vowed to give the teen an autograph the next time she’s transformed. The girl looped her arm through Adrien’s, both of them sticking with the Chat Noir line (the staff knew they were going to perform as a packaged deal so they didn’t necessarily have to wait separately). 

“You got a plan Bugaboo?” Adrien was met with a snort but all he did was roll his eyes fondly. “Aight, still mad, no nicknames. Got it,” With a smirk, he tried kissing her cheek to soften her up but his lips met her hand clasping his mouth instead, blocking him.

“Adrien…” The boy deflated at her disappointed tone. This is what he was worried about, disappointment. “Ugh- I can’t even be mad at you for long. We were both forced into this.” He almost perked up. “But you didn’t even attempt to sneak away when your father was distracted. You’re usually really good at that, dummy.” She playfully punched his shoulder.

“Forgive me?” Adrien’s eyes twinkled like a kitten. The aspiring designer found herself melting. 

The model considered her blush as a win, engulfing her in an ecstatic hug despite Mari trying her best not to care. 

‘They really do make a perfect Ladybug and Chat Noir…’ Clara mused at the front. She’ll endure another hour of the other candidates trying out the roles happily if it meant that she could get THOSE two in. 

Marinette’s plan involved not only losing the masks in the changing rooms but also messing up their try out as much as possible. The duo were also quite shocked to see Chloe audition and actually do a good job! As much as she’s a pain, that’s one less hurdle to jump over for them. However, Chloe’s attitude and rudeness really put Clara off so she didn’t make it through the auditions.

By the time it’s our superheroes’ turn, they put the plan to action. The masks were conveniently hidden away and the duo botched up everything they were meant to do for the auditions.

They clasped their hands like a handshake when asked to hold hands, they flopped on their faces after every acrobatic move, Adrien even fell off stage at one point, only bruising his knees and a blow to his pride. Clara and Gabriel didn’t give up on them; they found the masks and beckoned the duo to put them on.

We have the tense moment where time goes still as Marinette and Adrien eyes the masks in their hands. Silent apologies are given to each other as they slowly brought the masks closer to their faces. 

As per canon, Chloe barges in with the Mayor in tow, piles of paper in hand, claiming that Clara has no permission in shooting in France. The poor singer gets her mike thrown on the floor, much to Marinette and Adrien’s protests. Alya and co try to help Clara up but the singer runs off crying. Gabriel quietly shuffles inside one of the bathrooms, locking it and transforms into Le Papillon to akumatise the woman. 

Soon, Frightningale makes her debut, whipping everyone with her wand and turning them to statues if they didn’t sing in rhymes and dance. Marinette lures herself and Adrien into one of the changing caravans so that they can transform.

“Once again, Butterfly Breath and Little Miss Brat saved us. I thought they’re the villains as well,” Marinette hummed. 

“Hey.” Adrien flicked her nose softly. “Don’t be mean to Chlo’,” His shit eating grin only grew at Marinette’s gaping face.

“E-Excuse me!? Don’t be mean to the girl who made Clara Nightingale CRY-” She stopped mid rant and scoffed, refusing to play into anymore of the boy’s teasing. Tikki and Plagg floated out from Marinette’s twin ponytails, admiring their costumes once more. 

“You should really do something about your childhood friend, Adrien.” Tikki scolded.

“Hey! My kitten isn’t obliged to parent that bossy brat into a decent human being. He tried to anyways and it’s like she’s deaf to anything that’s humane!” Plagg countered back. The kwamis fell into an argument in a language that neither teens could understand. 

“I’ve reprimanded Chloe about her behaviour so many times, I’m starting to feel like a broken record. The more I tell her to stop, the worse she gets,” Adrien fiddled with the mask as a gloom settled in the vicinity. “Maybe she’s a lost cause…” The idea of losing hope in a friend he’s known since he was born was enough to have his chest tighten in pain. 

“Or maybe we’ll have to give her a wake up call.” Marinette suggested with a smile, laying a hand on his forearm. “This isn’t your fault. It’s her parents’ responsibility to discipline her- not you. From what I’ve seen, you’ve told her off more in a week than her father probably has in her entire lifetime. That’s better than nothing.”

“What’s the point if it doesn’t do shit?” 

“The point is that you’re trying, you’re doing your best. You’re doing what you can to help her rather than being a doormat or letting her walk over people in front of you. I don’t think you’ve realised that the torment she used to spread has lessened in school ever since you’ve arrived.”

“…” Adrien bit his lip before glancing back at Marinette, swiftly turning her around so that he could embrace her from behind. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and pressed her back into his torso. “If it weren’t for you in my life, I wouldn’t even be half the person I am now…thank you Marinette…”

All the words disappeared in her throat, face redder than a tomato. Marinette mustered the will to put her hand on his head and let her fingers comb through the tresses. 

“Where’s all this coming from?” The girl finally asked. 

“Nothing…just super grateful that you exist, Bug.” He slowly picked his head up and puckered his lips against her cheek with a pure, innocent, softness that could be rivalled by silk. Both of their hearts sped up in sync as they tried to decipher each others feelings. Is this just a grateful kiss?

Or…

Is it something more?

Feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest, Marinette promptly spun around to face Adrien and crashed her lips against his, pushing the boy against the wall. She was deaf to the kwamis’ sudden protests as they were pulled into the miraculouses, transforming the teens into their original suits.

Ladybug tugged and tugged on Chat Noir’s bottom lip, eyes squeezed shut as both her slender hands cradled his face. The sweetness of their lips was a huge contrast of the ferocity and passion of their feelings, evidenced by the gasps they let out. 

She didn’t pull away, no. She kept going after his lips over and over again. His touch was like fire on her body and she was burning. 

“Mm- Bug…Mari…Hm- Marinette-” She cut him off with a kiss everytime he uttered a word. Chat Noir knew that if he were to die now, he’d die happily. Ravished and thoroughly kissed by the one he loves. When his Lady’s swollen lips trailed down his jaw, teeth barely grazing his skin, Noir gripped her shoulders and gently pushed her back. 

His entire face was flushed and his eyes were glazed, as if he was in a dream like state. He let out an exhale, leaning his forehead against hers when she wrapped an arm around his middle. From all their past experiences, Ladybug knew that his silence was due to embarrassment, especially when she took the reigns. She decided to put the nail in the coffin.

“I’d be nothing without you,” Ladybug whispered into Chat’s human ears, lips brushing the shell before skipping out of the van. A sly smirk escaped her when the sound of a body tumbling on the floor and a soft groan was emitted by the boy. 

“Hnnnn that girl is gonna be the death of me, godammit!” 

Just like canon, they attempted to fight Frightningale but ended up getting zapped by the whip. They sing and dance their way through, using the lucky charm to their advantage and even waltzing at some point (whether that was to deter the akuma or just an excuse to hold each other close, neither of them admitted). 

Once purified, Clara is quick to coo and thank the heroes, even flustering them when she mentioned how much of a cute married pair they are. The Heroine whispers an alternate plan for the video so that not only would Clara not get in trouble for shooting, there’d be a way to incorporate many people. Ladybug and Chat Noir are quick to leave when she asks how many kids they have and if their children had the same costumes as them.

The episode ends with the whole class watching the video at the library, commenting and cheering whenever one of them showed up. The video ends with Marinette wearing a Chat Noir mask and Adrien wearing a Ladybug pair. This gave Alya and the girls the opportunity to tease the lovebirds about their terrible auditions before the shooting. 

“You’re right! I’d make a terrible Ladybug. Besides, I think black is more of my colour, don’t you agree, Buggaboy?” Marinette teased, eating up the way Adrien’s cheeks reddened for a split second. He knew she was never going to let up the fact that he almost combusted on the spot when she wore his mask.

“Always knew you were a furry, Marichat,” He delivered with a wink, his ego boosted with the way everyone else burst into laughter despite Marinette’s incredulous disagreements. 

“I didn’t sign up for this! Hmmph! Not even the real Chat Noir would be this mean,” She blew a raspberry and crossed her arms, slouching on her seat. 

“You’re right, he’d treat you like the princess you are,” Adrien quickly swooped in, kissing her brow. The crease between her brows softened as a result and a light blush decorated her cheeks. They darkened when everyone else quipped with how ‘smooth’ or ‘cheesy’ Adrien was being. 

“Just get married already!” Kim sighed in mock disgust. “Your flirting has put all of ours combined to shame, Agreste,” 

“Wasn’t aware that you guys knew how to flirt,” The cheeky boy clicked his tongue, quickly darting off whilst his boy group gave chase (along with Alix). A few mock threats were heard before the noise faded away, out of the door.

“Think they’ll keep him alive, Mariboo~?” Alya nudged her best friend’s shoulder, stealing Adrien’s seat. 

“I think they’d do me a favour if they killed him.” Marinette huffed.

“You don’t mean tha-aaaaat,” 

“You’re right, I don’t,” Marinette dropped the hard to get act and squealed, the rest of the girls joining, huddling her into a group hug. 

THE END.

I HOPE THIS WAS AIGHT! 

#my asks #my aus #kiss au #ml #mlb #miraculous Ladybug #miraculous Ladybug and chat noir #frightningale #season 2 #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #chat noir #gabriel agreste #nathalie sancoeur #gorilla #alya cesaire #mylene haprele #rose lavillant #juleka couffaine #kim le chien #nino lahiffe #clara nightingale #alix kubdel #adrinette #adrienette #marichat #ladynoir #ladrien #plagg

[camiddletonxox]

Eagerness & Gentility - Chapter 2

Pairing - Ernest Sinclaire and Charity Mills

Warning - None, this is suitable for all ages.

Taglist - @ricapella @drakewalkerfantasy @ao719 @princess-geek @polishchoicesfan @binny1985 @desireepow-1986 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @hatescapsicum @itscassandral @gardeningourmet @heauxplesslydevoted @thequeenofcronuts

Catch up here - Chapter 1

Synopsis - Its the night of the diner and the young Viscountess is nervous to see a certain gentleman. As her father gifts her with a beautiful tiara, can she really impress her guests? And most importantly can Ernest keep his eyes of her?

Note - Below is a photo of the tiara the Earl gives his daughter

Word Count - 1751

💕💕💕

It was the night of the dinner where the Edgewater family would host the Holloways, The Parsons, The Sinclaires and The Anderson’s, this was a fort nightly event, mixing with other families. The Earl and Countess were waiting for their daughter to come down.

“Mother, have you seen Charity?” The Earl asked, concerned.

“Isn’t she getting ready?” The Dowager Countess frowned, as sh walked down the stairs.

“I’ll go check on her” The Countess commented and she went upstairs.

In her room, Charity was looking at 3 beautiful gowns, whilst she paced back and forth, she was nervous to see Ernest, she wanted to impress him, take his breath away even, it was a craving of hers. Oh god was she in love with Ernest?

“Charity, my darling, are you ok?” Her mother asks, knocking softly on the floor.

“I’m ok Mama” She says, no matter how close she was to her father, her mother was the one person who understood her the most, they were incredibly close.

“Are you sure?” Her mothers concerned and devoting voice always made her feel like she could open up to her.

“I can’t decide what to wear” She admits and Maria chuckled, from the conversation she had with her husband she knew the young girl wanted to impress Ernest.

“How about I come and help you decide?” Her mother offered and it felt like a weight had been lifted off the young Viscountess’ shoulders.

“Thank you mama and I am still in my day clothes” She says and the door opened and her beautiful mother stepped into her room, and she smiled at her daughter, her hair was in its beautiful curls with a few pins in.

“Your hair looks stunning my darling, what dresses are you considering?” The mother asks and the young heiress showed her the dresses.

“I like the simplicity and the elegance of the dusky pink one but I love the light blue one” Charity pondered and her mother looked at the blue one, it had a beautiful silhouette, and was long sleeved, with a faint intricate blue lace pattern on the bodice and the skirt flowed beautifully with blue bits of lace dotted all over the dress, and it would be the perfect dress to show their guests the true elegance of the future Countess of Edgewater.

“The blue one is stunning, how about you wear it” Her mother suggested and she nodded and the other helped her daughter change into the dress, tying the corset before offering her a pair of white arm length gloves and she put them on.

“Come on, my beautiful girl, lets show off to your father” Maria chuckled as Charity stared at herself in the dress, she felt so elegant and like she could fly in, together the mother and daughter walked down the stairs to where The Earl was waiting with his mother.

“You look beautiful, my dear” The Earl couldn’t believe his eyes, his daughter really was breath-taking, she was a credit to her mother and she would sure impress Mr Sinclaire in her dress.

“Doesn’t she just?” Her grandmother agrees ad Charity beamed.

“I have a gift for you, my darling girl” Her father speaks and she frowns until he pulls out a beautiful gold, silver and sapphire tiara with beautiful pearls, he showed his daughter it, it glittered under the light of the chandelier, it truly was a breathtaking tiara, and her father was giving it to her.

“I felt since you are the Viscountess of Edgewater and well, your becoming more of a proper Viscountess each and every day, it was only right for you to have a tiara to symbolise your title, and if I my be ever the adoring father, I think this will just make you look even more beautiful than you already do, my darling girl” Her fathers words were nothing short of affectionate and the young Viscountess felt so lucky to be loved and cherished by her father.

“Thank you, father” She says, and he gently places it onto her head, completing the beautiful look.

“We should get ready for our guests arrival” The dowager countess declared and nodded to Maria and young Harry who was hanging around on the stairs and he followed. The Earl and Viscountess looked at one another.

“I spoke to your mother and grandmother, and they have said they will keep an eye on Miss Holloway, they agree with me that she behaves despicably towards you” The Earl assured his daughter as he stroked her cheek, he didn’t want her to feel uneasy at her own home.

“Thank you, father” She smiled and nodded politely, she felt so content having the love and affection of her family as deep as it was.

“And you’ll dazzle Ernest Sinclaire away with your attire, that I have not the slightest doubt about my darling” Her father complimented.

“Vincent, Charity, Harry, the Andersons have arrived” Dominique called to her son, and grandchildren and the three follow her to do door as the Anderson parents, Raymond Anderson and Beatrice Anderson step out, and the Earl nudges his daughter forward.

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Anderson, its a pleasure to have you join us tonight” The Viscountess beamed and curtsied, making her grandmother and father beam with pride.

“Good evening, my lady. What a polite welcome and may I add, you look very becoming tonight” Raymond complimented as the four children, 9 year old twins Mary and Joseph, 12 year boy Leon and 15 year old Janie step out. The Earl and Countess greet the adults and Harry goes to Leon, who he was becoming a friend to as the Parsons carriage pulled out and Charity beamed. Thaddeus and Alma Parsons step out followed by Annabelle, Cordelia and Constance.

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Parsons, I hope you had a good journey” The young Viscountess beams, curtsying.

“We did, thank you, Viscountess Charity” Alma smiled.

“Please go inside and warm up, dinner shall be served soon” The Viscountess replies politely and the parents and twins go inside.

“Who are you trying to impress?” Annabelle chuckled to her best friend.

“I have no idea to what you are on about” Charity replies, and smiles, “my father gave me this tiara, said it’s only right I have one” She added.

“Are you sure your not trying to look good for a certain Ernest?” Annabelle quizzed and Charity blushed crimson.

“It’s not intentional” The young Viscountess defended herself.

“You look amazing” Annabelle grinned to her, “Where is Miss Daly tonight?” She asked, the three girls had a little pact for having a drinking game since Charity and her governesses daughter and bestest friend Briar had come of age to have a drink.

“Ahh, her father and mother and her are spending time together for the evening so she will not present” Charity smiled and Annabelle grinned.

“Looks like the Sinclaire’s are here” Annabelle sniggered and Charity turned around as Mr Edward Sinclaire and Mrs Lydia Sinclaire stepped out their carriage followed by Ernest.

“Good evening Mr and Mrs Sinclaire, its lovely to see you” The Earl greeted and shaked his friends hand and Ernest bowed his head politely, and turned to see Charity in her beautiful dress, that complimented her beautiful eyes and her skin tone perfectly, she had a glittering tiara over her head that shimmered in the moonlight.

“This is my cue to leave you” Annabelle spoke as she rushed inside, damn you Annabelle, Charity thought and turned to Ernest.

“Good evening, sir” she beamed.

“Good evening my lady, may I just say you look absolutely stunning” Ernest gaped, as he fiddled with his fingers, a tingle inside him.

“Thank you, sir, I did promise to dress to impress” Charity commented, and smiled, there was just something about Ernest Sinclaire that turned her weak.

“Well, you succeeded” He smiles, and their parents watch them, Ernest’s father and Charity’s mother were very much on the side of letting any romance between their children happen naturally and if it didn’t happen, they that was ok, where as the Earl and Lydia were sure their children were just meant to be, they had the most amazing friendship growing up together, and Ernest adored being around Charity, looking after her and Charity felt safe around Ernest.

“My dear, come inside now, you don’t have a shawl on and I don’t want you to freeze to death” Vincent called after a couple more minutes.

“But then Holloways” Charity asked politely.

“It’s ok, myself and your mother can greet them, now go and warm up, you too Ernest” The Earl says and they walk into the manor.

“I thought you didn’t like the Holloway’s” Ernest commented, gently nudging Charity, and she rolled her eyes.

“You know I don’t but I thought my father would want me to play the role of hostess and greet them” Charity explained and nudged him back, “and it’s Felicity we don’t like, remember” she comments.

A short while later, when the Holloway’s had arrived after the families all had conversed, Charity was sat with Annabelle, the two girls had a little gossip and Charity looked up to see Ernest watching her adoringly.

“He is rather fond of you” Annabelle commented as she sipped sherry, and Charity smiled knowingly, she was rather fond of Ernest as well.

“I am rather fond of him too” The Viscountess says and Felicity Holloway marched up to Ernest.

“Oh here Felicity goes” The Viscountess murmured but Ernest never broke eye contact as Miss Holloway tried to flirt with him, and he was very clearly trying to ignore her/

“I apologise, Mis Holloway, please excuse me” Ernest excused him and walked over to Charity but before he could say anything, the head butler spoke.

“Please follow me through to the dining room” The butler spoke and the 5 families followed through and Ernest’s mother stopped him.

“You’ll be sitting with the Viscountess” His mother commented and pointed Dominique’s usual chair as Dominique smiled as she sat down

“I apologise, my lady” Ernest apologised to the dowager countess.

Charity sat down, she was at her fathers side at the head of the table, she smoothed her skirt down as she sat before turning to her left where Ernest was sheepishly sitting down.

“That’s Lady Grandmother’s seat” She speaks.

“Actually we thought it would be nice for you to sit with Ernest” Maria smiles to her daughter. Charity’s heart started thumping inside her chest.

#choices stories you play #pixelberry #choices #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices desire and decorum #desire and decorum mr sinclaire #desire and decorum #choices mr sinclaire #choices ernest sinclaire #mr ernest sinclaire x mc #mr ernest sinclaire

[resident-of-storybrooke]

Y’ALL DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?!?!?!? DO YOU?!?!?! IT’S KRYSTAL’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

That’s right, ‘tis the day of birth for the actual freaking sun of this fandom, @kmomof4!!!!! Krystal, you are indeed the heart and soul of this fandom! You are nothing but supportive, kind, hysterical, A TALENTED WRITER, a good soul, and an incredible friend. I know my life is better with you in it! I hope you are having the most incredible birthday ever, lady!!!!!!!!!!! 

Now for your gift.........I could not finish my boxer fic, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek of it. (Massive shoutout to @kymbersmith-90 for some quick edits and making sure this was ready for the world to see!!!!)

PLEASE ENJOY THIS BRIEF (hopefully fun) SCENE FROM MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT!!! Happy birthday, sunshine!!!!!!

When he walked into the gym, he was greeted by a petite woman with a brown pixie haircut and the nametag Mary Margaret. She did not seem to recognize him, which he loved. It had been some time now since he’d last been recognized, and the anonymity was truly refreshing. “Hey there! How can I help you?” 

“Hello, lass, I was looking for Swan? I’m here for some training for my next role, and I was told he’s my guy.” She laughed at him, but he was not really sure why. 

He wasn’t used to women laughing at him unless he had made an effort to make them laugh. “Right, Swan is back there by the ring, probably still in the middle of that workout. Do you want me to introduce you?” He found it funny how she said the name but didn’t dare question it. He opted to walk back on his own, trying to get his bearings down. He finally made it to the back of the gym when he looked up at the ring and just stopped.

She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her blonde hair was up in a tight bun with not a hair out of place, which impressed him because he could tell she had been through a hell of a workout. She had the longest legs that led up to a toned stomach, and her breasts were barely contained by a sports bra. 

He watched her, he couldn’t help it. She was so graceful, the way she moved was in one fluid motion. Every step had a clear purpose and was taken with such strong intent. He could tell she was about one good punch away from ending this round, and without thought, he suddenly became the biggest ass in the room. 

He whistled at her. 

What in the bloody hell did I just do? 

All of the sudden, all eyes were on him, including the beautiful blonde he was rooting for. He realized how stupid he looked, and how much of a creep he must have come across as. There were only two ways to play it, but he was Killian Jones, and he had that damn reputation he knew he had to live up to. 

“Dare I say, love, you are striking when you move like that.” She wasn’t impressed, which didn’t phase him, so he just continued. “I’ve never seen moves like that, maybe you could show me them in private.” He added his signature smolder at the end of that, as it usually helped. Yet, she stood there in the middle of the ring still unimpressed, maybe even more pissed that he stopped her workout. 

“Can I help you, sir?” Her emerald eyes locked with his, and at that moment, he recognized something in her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. “Yeah, I’m looking for Swan? I’m Killian Jones, he’s supposed to train me for my next movie. Any idea where I could find him, love?”

“First, I am not your love. Hey Ruby!” the brunette Killian hadn’t even acknowledged looked over, smiling at the blonde, “you wanna go get, uh, Mr. Swan for our movie star over here?” Ruby gave her a puzzled look when the woman made a motion to the back office. Killian was confused by all this talk of this Swan fellow and just wanted to meet him already. Ruby took off her gloves and exited the ring, Killian kept his eyes firmly on the blonde.

“Buddy, you got a problem?” Oh, she was a fiery lass. He liked her already. 

“Well, darling, while we wait, how about you show me some of those moves?” She smiled this mischievous grin back at him, “Fine, get in here.” Without hesitation, Killian jumped into the ring; he got in rather gracefully - which surprised him. He'd never really boxed before, but he knew some basics. He'd just never added them to his workout routine before.

“Shall we make this more interesting, love?” She rolled her eyes at the pet name, he definitely was not going to stop calling her that anytime soon. “A little wager, huh? If I win, then you have to tell me your name, and I get to take you out, but if you win…”

“Then you can’t annoy me ever again.” Killian chuckled at her simple requests and nodded in agreement. A shorter man came over and helped Killian get his gloves on.

“Good luck, brother. You’re gonna need it.” He said under his breath, distracted by what he said, Killian almost missed it when he rang the bell, and she nearly landed her first punch.

“You don’t have to take it easy on me just because I’m a woman.” She was coming at him, he barely had enough time to dodge her right hook as she finished her statement.

“Ah, but you see, I believe in good form and being a gentleman. Bloody hell!” Shit, he was already out of breath, and they had barely done anything; he felt like he was screwed. Just like that, one of her punches landed, knocking him to the ground. He could hear her laughing, and he swore at that moment, he had never heard anything so beautiful before. Still lying on his back, she walked over to smile smugly down at him.

“Guess you’re not getting that date, huh?”

“I guess so lass, but can you at least tell me your name?” That smile returned. He probably looked like a bloody fool, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Emma, Emma Swan.” His eyes went wide. This was Swan? This was the person that was supposed to train him? Jesus Christ, he never stood a chance. He looked over and could see Ruby and the guy that helped him put on his gloves, laughing their asses off. 

#IT'S KRYSTAL'S BIRTHDAY!!! #HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNSHINE #I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS #YOU ARE THE FREAKING BEST!!!!!!!! #mama said knock you out #MSKYO teaser #MSKYO art

[artificialqueens]

Cruising for a bruising, Part 5 (Branjie) - Q-Tip & TheDane

Authors note: Thank you everyone for your patience, and for keeping up with this crazy story that Q-tip and I are having so much fun writing!

“We co-dependent, a restricted area, an invitation only kinda party and my dick is first, last and fucking second on that guest list”

/

Brooke was a master at damage control, and Vanjie thanked the gods for it. It had saved their asses countless times, mostly because both of them had a problem keeping their hands to themselves in public places.

Vanjie had barely even recovered from her orgasm, still clinging to her boyfriend, before Brooke had pulled up her sweats and detangled them. She calmed Detox down, the other queen relaxing the moment Brooke had explained that they hadn’t touched anyone’s stuff, Brooke effortlessly standing like a shield between Vanjie and everyone else, the tension in the room officially lifting when Silky made a joke about how someone’s stuff had been touched, everyone erupting into laughter.

Vanjie managed to escape somewhat unnoticed, throwing on her caftans and getting back to her makeup table, everyone else still chatting with Brooke on the other end of the room. Everyone except A’keria who was watching her with a smirk, Vanjie seeing the reason the moment she spotted herself in the mirror. Her mouth was a war zone of red and purple, Brooke really going in on the kiss without a care in the world, but most of it was salvageable, her eyes and brows still in place, though her contour had been halfway destroyed by Brooke’s hands on her face.

“Hey.”

Vanjie was blending her foundation as she peeked over her shoulder, spotting Brooke who was standing with a sheepish grin on her face, a disaster of lipstick matching her own, Brooke’s cheeks still dusted with pink. She had changed too, the lilac color of her caftan just as gorgeous as the first time Vanjie had seen it.

“Do you have room for one more?”  

Everyone else was hustling out the doors, all ready and finished. Brooke held up her makeup bag and her mirror, and Vanjie realised that Brooke was asking if they could redo their faces together.

“You sure you’re gonna keep your mess to yourself miss thing?” Vanjie smiled.

“I’ll do my best?”

Vanjie pretended to consider it, gently tapping her brush against her chin. It was a true rarity that she had the upper hand in moments like this. Usually the roles were reversed, Vanjie running around like the confused but enthusiastic puppy needing Brooke’s attention more than she needed air, but if there was one person she could never say no to, it was Brooke.

“Good, cause I don’t want you messing up my shit.”

Brooke laughed, and Vanjie moved aside, Brooke sitting down next to her, instantly moving right up against her, their thighs touching. Brooke caught Vanjie’s foot under the table, hooking their feet together, her hand resting on Vanjie’s hip. They never got ready together, their original unspoken pact of keeping a professional distance in the werk room carrying into their lives off the show so naturally they had never discussed it. In their L.A apartment they each had a drag room, the fact that they needed that space as high on their list as room for Brooke’s cats. Vanjie hoped they could possible get a dog too, though they hadn’t found the perfect one just yet, both of them still traveling so much Brooke was sometimes scared Henry and Apollo would forget who she was all together.

Vanjie drew an invisible line down the center of their table, Brooke’s eyes following her finger.

“That’s your side Mami.”

Brooke snorted. “Sure.”

“Here.” Vanjie handed Brooke a makeup wipe, her boyfriend taking it and wiping her chin, Brooke’s palm covered in red from holding her face in place, Vanjie’s cock twitching.

She talked about it loud and proud, Vanjie happily proclaiming to the world how strong Brooke was, sometimes even semi stalking Brooke at the gym to take video of her to brag online, but few knew how fucking hot she found it that Brooke was stronger than her. Vanjie almost lost her breath sometimes at how easily Brooke could pick her up and throw her around, hold her above her head or press her against a wall.

Vanjie grabbed an extra wipe, taking Brooke’s hand and rubbing the lipstick off. She rarely got to be so close at this stage in the process, Brooke peeking into Vanjie’s mirror to make sure the last of her ruined makeup was gone before she plugged her own in, the light turning on. Vanjie picked up her beautyblender, quickly going in with her heaviest duty dermablend, the high temperatures on the cruise making it even more of a struggle to make sure a mug stayed on. Brooke was painting too, her boyfriend touching up with Krylon instead.

“This is nice.”

“Real nice.”

Vanjie pushed one of Brooke’s lipsticks back, her things already migrating past the invisible line.

Brooke had been nominated as the messiest queen with a unanimous vote from the season 11 sisters, and Vanjie would have to agree, though Brooke would defend herself all the way to her grave. Brock was normally fine, her boyfriend never bringing enough stuff to truly get messy, but Brooke had a way of exploding everywhere.

They had brickered about what makeup belonged to who more times than Vanjie could count whenever they were forced to share space to get into drag. It was the reality of a drag queen’s life that you sometimes get ready in sketchy bathrooms or half broken toilets, which was also why they always tried to avoid working with each other on individual bookings. Vanjie more often than not feeling like she was playing some sick form of memory cards when she was once again sat with two almost identical bottles of pros-aide, trying to decipher from the washed out labels if it belonged to Brooke or to her.

“Just don’t make a habit of coming here.” Vanjie looked at Brooke, a smile playing on her face as she pushed Brooke’s makeup with her hand, Brooke’s stuff already inching her side of the table. “I ain’t got time for your messy ass on the regular.”

Brooke laughed, pressing a quick kiss against Vanjie’s temple. “I love you too.”

/

Detox was sure she was going to crack a rib, everyone singing along to “Drag is magic”, Nina somehow managing to make a show with kids music not only entertaining but straight up hilarious as she pranced around on the stage, wearing a giant dinosaur costume and shaking her tail to the chorus.

Brooke was dancing too, her movements most of all looking like a noodle that was waved around in the air. Detox hadn’t expected to have anywhere near this much fun on the cruise, yesterday’s water fight and today’s wardrobe spectacle something she had tucked away in the most secret parts of her heart for a rainy day and when drag wasn’t fun at all.

Detox had known Brooke for years, and considered her a friend, a fierce and formidable but also incredibly uptight friend. Detox used to see it as her duty to loosen Brooke up, to introduce her to the fun sides of life, to make sure Brooke also remembered that life was more than competitions and being the best.

Normally Detox would be doing her all to get Brooke drunk and find her some trade, to make sure she was having fun, but as she watched Brooke hoist Vanjie up, settling the smaller queen on her shoulders so Vanjie could see everything, Detox realised Brooke didn’t need her for that anymore. She had Vanjie now, and probably a dinosaur costume in her near future, if the screams of delight coming from Vanjie were anything to believe.

/

“You ready for the stage?”

Brooke looked at Vanjie one last time, his boyfriend a vision in gold. They were sitting backstage, Vanjie going over her cue cards one last time. They had eaten a late lunch, Brooke hitting the gym with Kameron while Vanjie had just taken a short nap in full face. Brooke coming back to their room, gently waking Vanjie with a can of red bull, his boyfriend already bouncing off the walls once again.

“I was born ready.”

Brooke had to agree. He had never met anyone so effortlessly fun, and though Brooke would rather dance an entire performance en pointe without toe nails, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Vanjie would kill the afternoons entertainment. There were only minutes until the clock struck 10, and one of the most anticipated events of the cruise was about to take off. The Vanessa Vanjie Mateo quiz sold out in minutes the moment the tickets went online. Originally, Brooke had not believed his ears when Vanjie had pitched him the idea, her Silky and A’keria jotting down the outline of it in a single afternoon filled with wine and Chinese food while Brooke had been in Toronto.

“You look it.” Brooke smirked, grabbing Vanjie’s hips and pulling her in. “You always look like perfection.”

“Awh.” Vanjie smiled, running her cards down Brooke’s face. “I think you’re full of it Mama.”

“But is it working?”

“A little too well bitch.” Vanjie leaned down, kissing Brooke, her hand twisted into Brooke’s leather jacket. “You better be keeping those ears open cause I expect you to be the winner of tonight, you hear?”

“We’ll see.”

“Vanjie!” They both looked up, Brooke blushing as one of the stage techs showed their face. There had to be something in the water, or maybe it was just the climate, but Brooke felt unable to keep his hands to himself. “You’re needed!”

“Yes ma’am!” Vanjie threw a thumbs up in the direction of the sound guy, a last smile playing on her lips as she looked at Brooke.

“Gimme kiss?”

Brooke tugged on the gold tassels of Vanjie’s dress, the two of them kissing one last time. “Can’t wait to watch you.”

“You better.” Vanjie laughed, and Brooke released her, the crowds cheer filling his ears before he even truly realised that she was gone.

/

“Holla’ in the house!” Vanjie slapped her microphone, laughing loudly when the audience jumped. “It’s Miss Vanjie Vanjie Vanjie bitch and tonight, TONIGHT, we’re playing a little game. Y’all always creeping and peeping up in my DM’s and my Twitter, but not today Mary, oh no today I!-” Vanjie pointed at herself. “Vanessa Vanjie Mateo gets something!” Vanjie smiled brightly. “In my hand I have a stack of super secret crazy kooky ninja level questions about me and Brooke Lynn’s personal business.”

The crowd cheered, and Vanjie would have stopped, but she was already on a role.

“The rules are real fucking simple. You guys get it right, I take a shot! B-U-T, if you hos get it wrong, y’all have to drink and pay me a dollar. Why you ask? Cause it takes a lot of money to look this expensive, and I wanna take my boo on a proper resort vacation experience, okay? We talking little umbrellas in the drinks and a private beach so I can oogle his junk like I damn well please. We all comprende?! Good! Cause here comes the first question!”

/

Watching Vanjie on stage was an experience like no other, and Brooke always enjoyed it more than he could put into words. He had tried to explain to once, to explain how brilliant Vanjie was, but even then it had come off jumbled and crooked, not at all justifying the intense pride, warmth and love Brooke felt in his chest whenever he saw Vanjie in her element.

Tonight however, he saw a Vanjie who was rapidly getting more and more drunk as she tossed back shot after shot, her estimation of the stalking capacities of the gays aboard the ship clearly not calculated correctly. Brooke had originally sat on the edge of the front row, laughing along and waving when it was required, making sure that Vanjie could easily spot him if needed, but right now it seemed like Vanjie needed a water, more than she needed anything else.

The crowd laughed, Vanjie taking another shot and Brooke stood up, making a quick line for the bar, brushing past Nina, Raja and Cracker who had all volunteered to distribute shots to the guests.

“Can I have a water?” Brooke grabbed his phone, quickly filming Vanjie who was loudly quizzing a fan on the lyrics to her track “I’m Vanjie.”

“Sure thing stranger.“ Brooke looked up, the voice weirdly familiar, and that’s when he realised that he knew the bartender, the blonde hair and striped t-shirt giving it away at once.

“Justin? Hi!”

/

“Woop!” Vanjie drank her shot. “I didn’t expect y’all hos to be so goddamned clever. This whole thing is blowing up in my face in record speed!” Vanjie laughed.

Vanjie had no idea why she had never done this before, the firing back and forth with the audience making her feel like a regular Alex fucking Trebek. She was losing miserably, but this was still easily the most fun she had had at a gig in a long time when she wasn’t dancing.

Vanjie switched to her next card, a giant smile breaking out on her face. “Alright homos, here comes a hard one.” The room spinning slightly but this was one of her favorite questions of the night, a bonus round she had spent extra time on to make sure she would earn at least a few coins. “What’s the original name, and yes you heard me correctly, of the ballet where my boo thang himself, Brooke Lynn Hytes, was cast as the part of death at the Cape Town City Ballet?”

Vanjie’s eyes swept the room. She couldn’t see Brooke, but she knew she had to be out there somewhere.

“I’m real proud cause I went to the trouble of googling this shit myself. Full Nancy Drew mama, I even got myself a reddit profile and shit so y’all can hit me up on there too, and I did it all on pacific ocean wifi, so you KNOW it’s true love.”

There wasn’t not exactly silence at the question, but there certainly wasn’t any correct answers either. Vanjie heard Coppélia and even Dance Macabre, that fairly enough did show up if you googled ballets with death.

“Still no correct guesses?” Vanjie smiled. “I thought you freaks were all up in his life story, creeping and shit.”

“Is it La Bayadére?”

“Wrong! Also that ain’t dutch my dude, that’s a french name if I ever heard one, but dotcha’ all worry, I’mma be a good judy and let you name the english version!”

Someone shouted Swan Lake from the bar and Vanjie was getting ready to enjoy her victory rain of dollars, when she noticed who else was sitting at the bar, Brooke not even looking at her, his back turned to the stage as he talked to the bartender. The same bartender that he spoke to the day before, fucking Justin smiling at Brooke like he was the most amazing thing that had ever ordered a drink.

“Anyone here knows the english version?!” Vanjie yelled, raising her voice but Brooke didn’t even flinch, didn’t even move . He just stood there, the back of his head looking like he was having the time of his life.

“It’s fucking Vier Litl…” Vanjie looked at her card. “Vier Letzte Lieder! Everybody! Fill your glass and take a shot.

Everyone was raising their glasses, but all Vanjie could see was Brooke not paying attention to her.

“Yo! Brooke Lynn Hytes!” Vanjie was nearly screaming, but Brooke finally finally turned around, his eyes wide, her microphone nearly redundant at this point. “You know I’m the greatest good you ever gonna get, so you best pay attention boy!”

Brooke lifted his beer, a smile on his face like Vanjie wasn’t funny, like it was all a joke, and Vanjie was burning, anger swirling with the tequila in her stomach. Brooke’s face was not at all like she had imagined when she had written the question, the affection and admiration she had so hoped for now amusement like she was some animal in the zoo Brooke found fun to have around.

Usually when Brooke attended her shows, he was all but rolling on the floor in genuine laughter, and here he was, smiling like she was merely amusing. Despite the churning in her gut and her fingers tightening around the poor, abused microphone, Vanjie kept a brave face on, quickly moving along because if there was one thing she was, it was professional above all else.

/

“Alright bitch, I’m ready to leave!” Getting off stage was always the greatest relief, the last of the guests herded out the door by the staff that was now walking around, mopping up the floor and putting chairs back in place. Vanjie had taken a lot longer to get off stage than she normally would, her world spinning, taking her lashes off taking three entire tries, and she had every intention of forcing Brooke to shower with her the moment they got back to their room, her chest already rumbling a little at the pure delight of the idea of Brooke soaping up her body and easing away the pains of corset and heels and way way too many shots.

“Brock! Where you at?” Vanjie stepped out of her shoes, picking them up and putting them in the gym bag she had stolen from Brooke earlier in the day.

“One second!” Vanjie looked for the voice, her stomach dropping completely when she realised Brooke was still sitting at the bar, her boyfriend’s jacket laid over a chair, the beer bottles multiplied from the day before. “I can’t find any paper.”

“Paper? Why the fuck you looking for paper?” Vanjie walked over, her feet hurting with each step she took.

“I just need a moment baby.”

“I have an idea.” Justin smiled, completely ignoring Vanjie as he wrapped his fingers around Brooke’s arm, quickly pushing Brooke’s jacket up, like it was something he was allowed to do, Justin putting the pen in his hand to Brooke’s skin and very clearly writing down a phone number. “There, now you can call me. I’d love to see-”

“Oh, FUCK, no!”

/

It all happened so fast. Vanjie grabbing Brooke’s half empty drink and throwing it in Justin’s face, the liquid splashing everywhere, some of it hitting Brooke as well.

“You think you can look at my man like that?! I’m not some dumb ass ho that can’t see shit!”

Vanjie voice was so loud Brooke swore the entire ship was looking at them, every  staff member still presents stopping dead in their tracks.

“You wanna play games?!” Vanjie threw the glass down, the entire thing shattering against the bar top. “Well let’s fucking play!”

“What the-” Justin wiped his face, the man looking completely shocked, his shirt soaked.

Brooke had seen Vanjie fight before, his boyfriend a ball of emotions, a firecracker that was always ready to go off, but it had never exploded because of him before, and Brooke had a sinking feeling this was all somehow his fault.

“Oh bitch, don’t you try! You’ve been flirting since the moment you saw him! You think we some package deal where you can fuck one of us and we cool? Well guess again! We’re exclusive, bitch! We co-dependent, a restricted area, an invitation only kinda party and my dick is first, last and fucking second on that guest list cause guess what? I can go twice!”

“You’re insane.”

“I’m insane?!” Vanjie grabbed Brooke’s arm, throwing it down on the bar. “Then what the fuck is this?! A number? You don’t do shit like that to another man’s man!! And you!” Vanjie turned to Brooke. “I never should have trusted you.” Vanjie released Brooke, turning on her heels, rushing out of the room before Brooke even had the chance to collect his composure.

“Jose!” Brooke stood up, ready to run after Vanjie. “I- oh fuck!”

Justin looked down, a thick piece of glass peeking out the top of Brooke’s palm, from where he had planted it flat on the counter.

“Shit!” Brooke grabbed his hand, blood already pouring everywhere.

#rpdr fanfiction #branjie #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #angst #cruising for a bruising #q tip #thedane #tw blood #s11 #canon compliant

[hwu-adventures-blog]

The Next Great Adventure:

(Ernest x MC):

A/N: I’m so sorry for this, I was in the mood for writing something sad so prepare for extreme angst and a bit of fluff (this fic also has references to a ongoing series set after the events of Desire and Decorum I am doing but haven’t updated in a year because I’ve been so busy but I’m definitely going to pick it up after book 3 has ended, called Family Life, so spoilers for that, I suppose so read that first if you want to read it and don’t want chapter 3 spoiled if not, go ahead and I hope you enjoy this!).

The year 1886, Edgewater Estate, England 6:30 in the evening:

The lights were dimmed on the night 31st October, setting the mood for what the overall feeling was at Edgewater Estate. Countess Beatrice Sinclaire was laying in bed surrounded by her four surviving children.

“Vincent, you’re the earl of Edgewater now, you have to-“ she was interrupted by a very strong coughing fit that was more wheezing than coughing

“Now mama, just rest and save your strength, there’ll be no talk of that now” Vincent, a man in his mid sixties said to his mother handing her a drink

“No- you know as much as I do that my time is drawing to a close, I must, I know that you’ll be good man, and make all the right decisions- my only regret is that I didn’t go away sooner”

“You’re a fighter mama, don’t you worry now” the third living child said

“Eustace, how are your children? I am sorry I called you over at such short notice”

“They’re doing well- they were disappointed they couldn’t visit you”

“Good, good, you look after them right, and keep fighting the discrimination against the fact you have a cane, I won’t be able to help much more, I’m afraid. Mary” Beatrice addressed her first born daughter next

“Yes mama?”

“Keep that head up and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do, you’ve come so far to let that stop you”

“I will mama, as long as you promise to let George know we haven’t forgotten about him”

“I can do that” she wheezed “Clem?”

“Mama?”

“You make sure they don’t twist any of what happened at Edgewater, yes? I don’t want any of the Karlingtons getting the facts wrong”

“I will make sure they remember”

“Good girl”

Beatrice swallowed her “I love you so much my children”

“We love you too mama, and give papa our regards” Vincent said

“I will, however, I almost don’t want to leave just yet- until I know you will all be alright”

“We will be mama, you don’t have to worry about that now, just rest, we shall be fine” Clementine spoke softly “you just worry about Papa scolding you for taking too long” she joked about the death of their father twenty years prior “he’ll be waiting for you”

“I’ve missed him so much, and I just can’t wait to see him again” Beatrice smiled weak in her old age before she shut her eyes to go to sleep

“Goodnight mama, sleep well”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Beatrice Sinclaire opened her eyes, she was stood in a room and felt..... younger.

Instinctively, she glanced down at her hands, and to her astonishment there wasn’t a single wrinkle in sight. She was young again. She glanced around at her surroundings, Edgewater? Wasn’t she just laying in bed and not standing up? What was going on? Was this some kind of dream? She looked behind her, to see her children, all as they were before she went to sleep; surrounding a dimly lit bed. What on Earth was going on?

Then there was a slight creak as the door behind her opened with a bright light surrounding it and three familiar faces walked in. She turned around and shock settled onto her face along with confusion, this had to be a dream

“Father? Mama? Lady grandmother?” Beatrice looked bewildered at the three members of her family. How could they be here?

“Beatrice” Vincent smiled as the two parents embraced their daughter

“What’s going on?”

“Don’t be afraid, my brilliant daughter” Mary spoke with the gentleness only a mother could know before pulling back from her daughter

“Your time has come to join us” Dominique smiled at her granddaughter “you’ve done well to keep Edgewater’s legacy but now it’s time for that role to be passed to someone else”

It was then that Beatrice realised what was going on, they’d come to get her and whilst she was grateful, she was bothered. She always assumed Ernest would be the one to get her, not her parents and if that was a sign that Ernest wasn’t there then she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to the next place. She looked behind her, back at her children, she also didn’t quite want to leave them just yet, they’d be devastated and what about the future of Edgewater itself? What if it all was destroyed after her death? Not that she didn’t trust her eldest son but she could never be sure about what could happen, what if something happened that was beyond their control? She had to be there-

“They’ll be alright” a new voice entered the conversation startling the woman “I’m sure of it” and there, entering the room were two faces Beatrice hadn’t seen in years, a man and a child, her heart leapt when she heard the man’s voice and the Countess, well soon to be ex-countess smiled and ran to the two new figures as their shadowy figures stepped out of the light and towards her.

“Ernest!” Beatrice exclaimed as she was swept up into her equally young looking husband’s arms “My Ernest!”

“My Beatrice” he smiled gleefully as he spun her up into the air before putting her down “my beautiful wife!”

Beatrice then crouched down to the small child beside him, a boy about six years old, she reached out to touch the boy’s face

“George”

“Mama” the six year old wrapped his arms around her “I’ve missed you mama”

“I know, I’ve missed you too but I’m here now”

“You mean you’re not going away?”

George let go of his mother who stood up glanced back at the scene behind her before turning back once more. Knowing now that with Ernest’s reassurance, she knew that the future of Edgewater was in good hands.

“No, I think it is time I passed on don’t you?” She smiled at her ghostly family “I’ve been tempted to join you all for a while, and let my other children run Edgewater accordingly”

“However, It did only take you two decades for you to actually do it” Ernest said smiling slightly in an attempt to tease his wife.

“oy, I couldn’t just leave them so soon after you had gone, what parent could bare to do that?”

“I do believe that was a jest aimed at me” Vincent said to his daughter “and I take offence to that” however his smile said otherwise

“I am quite glad your quick wit hasn’t dampened since I left you my little girl” Mary added

“Are you ready to go?” Ernest glanced at his wife, who took his hand in one hand and little George’s in the other

“As long as you’re there with me, I’m ready for anything”

with a smile, the six figures stepped into the light together. And as they did, Beatrice Sinclaire, formerly Morse, the bastard child of Vincent and Mary, champion of the realm, once mistress of Ledford Park and Countess of Edgewater, breathed out her last breath, completely ready for whatever adventure the next life will bring.

A/N 2: Now I’m thinking of writing a part two where it focuses on Ernest’s death in particular would anyone be up to that? Oh and do keep an eye out for part four (or five? I cant remember how many parts are out already) Of Family life which probably coming over Christmas holidays or sooner depending on how much University work I’ve got but I’m working on it! Anyway, thanks for reading!

#pixelberry #mc #desire and decorum #ernest sinclaire #choices: desire and decorum #ernest x mc #mc x ernest #sad #angst

[nothingeverlost]

penny!verse. I'm curious how Belle & Gabe walk the line between a teenage boy getting into halloween and Claire being just old enough start to understand the holiday and be scared of some of the movies and things, especially given what B&G have seen because of their jobs. tricks and treats?

Apparently when I said ‘flashfic’ I lied.  Are we shocked?

Takes place about 5 years after Belle returns. Claire is a little over two.  

____________

Halloween stores were not Belle’s favorite place.  She’d seen too many skeletons laid out on coroner’s tables to be amused by the styrofoam immiations.  One aisle was entirely fake weapons, from plastic knives painted with fake blood to rubber guns that looked too realistic.  Worst were the costumes that declared ‘serial killer’ and ‘sociopath’ and ‘insane patient’ to be the perfect way to dress up.

Unfortunately she needed a costume for Claire, and didn’t have the time to look more than one place, of the skills to make it herself.  Bay, seeking a costume of his own, had decided to join the trip which meant she couldn’t just stick to the aisle filled with rainbow colored costumes.  Claire settled relatively quickly on a ‘pun-kin’ costume.  Belle wondered if Bay would be as easy to please.

“Hey Belle, you should totally dress up this year.  There’s a ton of stuff here.  Just not, you know, the sexy FBI agent costume because that would be weird.”  Bay didn’t seem to have found a costume yet; the only thing in his hands was a pumpkin carving kit.

“I wish I thought you were joking.”  She had nothing against dressing up.  And certainly she and Gabe had tried their hand at role play more than once, but the general sexualization of women’s costumes upset her.  Sometimes it seemed there wasn’t any other option and she hated the message that it sent.  “We’re only taking Claire to a few homes this year before dinner at David and Mary Margaret’s.  If anyone asks I’ll tell them that I am a FBI agent.  What about you?”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Gabe yet, but I think I’m missing dinner this year.  There’s this party, one of the guys in my chem class is throwing it.  I can’t decide, is Dracula too overdone or is it classic?”  He looked at his hands; Belle hadn’t noticed the fake blood container on top of the carving kit.

“Classic,” Belle decided.  It certainly was better than a lot of other options he could have come up with, and she knew that he had almost everything he’d need at home.  They just needed to find fangs and a cloak.  When she thought too much about the party, though, the hairs at the back of her neck stuck up.  He was nineteen, in college now but mercifully had decided he wanted to live at home.  He needed, even more than other kids his age, to feel like he belonged.  In high school it had been common knowledge that he hadn’t grown up the same, that school was new to him.  He was small for his age thanks to poor nutrition.  It had taken time, Gabe had told her, for him to settle in and begin to make friends.  Now as a college freshman he had a fresh start in many ways.  

She knew what could happen at parties.  Knew that kids on their own for the first time would be testing their limits.  And Halloween always seemed to make it worse, the anonymity of masks and costumes allowed people to do things they wouldn’t usually consider.  She had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him it was a bad idea.  She would have to talk to Gabe and figure out how they prepared their boy as well as they could.

Every year since she’d moved back they’d all had dinner at the Nolan’s - the first time she’s almost hadn’t gone, but Emma had talked her into coming and Archie had gone home with her; they’d watched Christmas movies for hours declaring it the start of the holiday season.  The next year she and Gabe had been together, and had come with Bay and gone back to the pink house.  Three years ago she had only just learned she was pregnant.; the next year there had been four of them.  Last year she’d dressed Claire up as a dragon and Neal Nolan had been a knight.  Emma, Graham, Ariel, and Archie had all joined her, Gabe, Mary Margaret and David was they’d taken the two around the neighborhood.  Henry and Bay had spent most of the night playing video games.  Perhaps she should have known then that the tradition was changing, but she would miss it.

“Awesome.  Give me five minutes to grab a couple of things and I’ll be ready to go.”  True to his word Bay was back in four with a red lined black cloak and an uncomfortable looking set of plastic teeth.  He also had a gold plastic necklace with a large medallion that was supposed to look gothic.  Perhaps she would at least be able to sneak in some education on the historical and literary character of Dracula. She paid for their purchases even though Bay offered to cover his own, and was relieved when they were headed home.

II

“Would you like paints too, sweetheart?  It might be safer for you.”  Belle teasingly moved the carving knives closer to Bay and offered her husband a paintbrush.  Claire, covered in an old shirt of her brother’s, had a paper plate covered in easy wash paints in front of her and a pumpkin waiting to be decorated.  Bay was already sketching out a monster’s face on his pumpkin, while Belle’s plan was for something more traditional.  

“I haven’t had a kitchen accident in ages, thank you very much.”  Gabe accepted the brush, though, thinking it might come in handy.  It had potential for tickling a certain brunette on the back of her neck, for starters.  And perhaps other places as well, when his kids weren’t around.  He jumped into his own carving without a plan or sketch.  Everything was quiet for a few minutes before Claire started crying.

“Sweetheart?”  Her hands were covered with paint, and somehow her left cheek as well, but he didn’t hesitate before pulling her onto his lap.  He was closer than Belle.  “Can you tell papa what you’re feeling?”

“Hurt,” she sobbed between her tears.  

“Where does it hurt, my love?”  He couldn’t see anything but maybe the paint was hiding it.  Or maybe it wasn’t something that could be seen; she’d had the flu a few months ago and had thrown up enough that they’d had to take her to the emergency room for an IV.

“Pun-kin hurt.”  She pointed to his pumpkin, the top cut off and some of the seeds removed.  “Bandaid?”

“Oh dear,” Belle spoke from across the table.  “I hope this doesn’t mean I picked the wrong costume.”

“It’s okay, peanut, the pumpkin likes it.”  Often times anything Bay said was okay was taken as law by Claire, but today she wasn’t having any of it.  She only cried harder.

“Hurted.  Pun-kin owey.  Fix, papa.”  She looked up at him and if he wasn’t convinced by the tears he was when she touched his cheek.  “Peese?”

“Mama will go get some bandaids while we wash our hands, princess.  We have some surgery to prepare for.”

II

“It’s just me, Claire.  Your brother.  See?”  The scary man crouched low, holding out his hands so he could take her away.  He’d already taken her Bay and was in his room, his face the wrong color, like the same as her milk, and blood on his mouth.  She wanted her Bay.

“It’s a costume, kiddo.  I’m just getting ready for a party.”  When he came closer Claire wanted to run but maybe Bay was hurted.  Claire did the only thing she could think of, she kicked as hard as she could and ran to find her papa.  He would make the scary thing go away and find her Bay.

II

It was after two when he pulled into the garage, his cloak in a heap in the passenger seat and the ridiculous fangs in some trash can.  When he looked in the rearview mirror he could still see streaks of white from the makeup he’d mostly washed off.  Unfortunately he could see some blood on his lip, and not the fake kind.  Hopefully it would look better in the morning, before he had to sit across the breakfast table from his family.

When he opened the garage door he found that there were still a few lights on.  Normally catching Gabe and Belle kissing on the couch made him feel both good, because of how much they loved each other, and weird because who wanted to see their parents doing that?  Tonight, though, he just hoped they were distracting each other enough that he could get to the stairs before letting them know that he was home..

He should have known better.  FBI agents, even when one was retired, were not people you snuck away from.

“Aren’t you going to say goodnight?  Or perhaps good morning?”  He couldn’t ignore Gabe, and took a deep breath.

“You didn’t have to wait up for me.  I would have let you know I was home.”  He knew they worried, and understood it.  Appreciated it, even.  Before meeting Gabe he hadn’t known anyone could care about him.  

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, Bay, we just…”  Belle stopped, and got off the sofa.  “What happened to your lip?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”  Or it least it didn’t until Belle touched it, no matter how soft her touch was.  “It was a good party.  Most of it.  There was just this one guy.”

“Someone you liked?”  Gabe asked, frowning.  

“Hell no.”  It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d told Gabe how he felt about guys.  Had said the word ‘gay’ outloud.  Gabe had told him it was the person that mattered, not their gender.  He’d also gone into embarrassing detail about what it meant to be safe and protected.  There had been a guy at the party and there might have been some fumbling in a literal closet, but he wasn’t about to talk about that.  “Someone who liked a girl that didn’t like him back.  He didn’t accept the word no.”

“Bastard.”  Gabe’s expression could only be described as a snarl.  Belle touched his arm and gave it a squeeze.

“Is she alright?”  Belle asked.

“Yeah.  I gave her a ride back to her dorm.  Dom was too busy holding his nose to notice where we went.”  He wasn’t ashamed at the pride he felt in what might have been a broken nose.

“I’m glad she’s safe.  And you are too.”  Belle kissed his cheek.  “Now let’s go get some ice for that.”

II

“It’s too much to hope that the experience has soured him on parties, isn’t it?”  Thirty minutes later Bay had gone to bed, Claire had been checked on and was still sleeping in her costume, and he and Belle were finally getting ready for bed.  “It was easier when he was still in high school.”

“He’s smart and he’s kind, and he’s not alone.  That matters, sweetheart.”  Belle spoke from the bathroom.

“At least Halloween is over for the year.”  He stripped out of his clothing and slipped under the blankets.

“Not until the sun rises.”  When Belle came out of the bathroom she wore a witches hat and a black lace nightie covered in bats.  And nothing else.  “Not everything about Halloween is bad.”

He had to agree.

#verse: penny for your thoughts #my fic #halloween fic #halfwayinlight

[galadrieljones]

I hope this is okay to ask, I really like your take on the details in the game, but I was wondering: When Arthur and jack go fishing and jack says (after Arthur calls him a brave kid) “just like you?” Arthur’s says something to the nature of “oh no, I’m not so brave and I’m not a kid anymore, but your mother and other women think so” do you think hes talking about being thought of as brave? Like idk why that would be a trait only women picked up on lmao

Ah thank you *^_^* I probably spend too much time parsing and analyzing every little thing that happens lol. I am flattered. And of course it’s okay. Talk to me anytime you want.

Okay so I just did the fishing with Jack quest on my second playthrough like last week? Here’s the exact dialogue:

Arthur: You’re a brave kid.

Jack: So, just like you.

Arthur: [laughs] Well, I don’t know about brave. I ain’t much of a kid no more. Though your mama might disagree. Her and a few other women, I guess…

So I read Arthur’s response here as pretty self-deprecating, and I think he’s actually referring to the comment about him being a kid, not being brave. Like he says he’s not a kid anymore, but that some women might disagree. So like, he’s sort of making an ironic, grown-up joke to himself, as an aside? Like that even tho he’s not actually a kid, some of the women in his life might metaphorically beg to differ lol. They might see him as childish.

To me this makes sense. It seems small and innocuous by itself, but on the whole it fits in with Arthur’s greater lack of self-esteem, especially when he considers his previous roles and failures in romantic relationships with women. We all see how Mary seems to look down upon him, and while he acts tough, we know he has internalized that toxic POV quite a bit and decided that she is right, that he is not good enough to give her the life she (and he) believes she deserves. Even as Susan and Mary Beth and the girls at camp assure him that Mary’s the one not good enough, that she’s trying to live “above her station,” Arthur can’t really shake the fact that he feels he has failed her, failed them, is a failure. 

On that note, I don’t think Arthur ever fully processed what happened to Eliza and Isaac, and this has made it hard for him to connect to people, perhaps women in particular (as anything other than a protector of course), for fear that he will repeat old mistakes. I think a lot of his self-worth issues stem from the fact that he feels an immense guilt over having failed them. It’s part of why he gives John so much shit about Jack and has a very hard time forgiving him for disappearing for a whole a year. Had Arthur been there, taking care of his responsibilities like he now knows he should have, he could have protected them, and they’d still be alive. And while this is a subtle part of Arthur’s story that doesn’t show up until chapter 6, I believe it’s actually the key to everything, and its latency in the narrative is a reflection of his POV: he has repressed his feelings about them for so long, they only finally begin to resurface when he learns he is dying and begins to reevaluate and reorganize his entire worldview.

It’s funny, because even as Arthur continues to punish himself for his failures as a provider, he seems to be the camps greatest provider. When Abigail needs money to buy Jack clothes, he gives her money. When Abigail asks Arthur to do something with Jack, Arthur obliges. Arthur takes Sadie into town when she’s struggling to reconcile her new place in the gang. He protects the girls in Valentine and also takes them and their contributions to the camp seriously. He values the opinions, feelings, and safety of those around him. That’s not a child. That’s a man.

And yet, he still looks at his reflection in the mirror and sees an ugly, illegitimate person and projects that ugliness onto every part of himself and who he is. “No wonder they all leave you,” he says to himself. It functions the same as what he says to Jack, an uninquiring audience: “I ain’t a kid but I suppose some women might disagree.”

Arthur’s sense of self is very defeated. He strikes me as damaged by the fact he was orphaned so young. He never really got to be a kid. And in what he, perhaps, considers as his first true act of adulthood, fathering Isaac, he failed miserably. This has left him stunted somewhere in between. Of course WE see, through a long con of dramatic irony, that he actually is a responsible man who cares a great deal for his family, values their lives, and provides for them in ways they sometimes do not even deserve and have not earned (ie: Dutch), but he doesn’t see it that way. This is part of why the game is so crushing. This man refuses to value himself as much as we value him.

#red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #red dead redemption 2 spoilers #rdr2 spoilers

[platypus-quacks-too]

Hi!!! I'm asking again for another prompt cause I'm a big fan of your work, my prompt is about the new episode, the reason why Amy planted the book is because she is already pregnant and she wanted Sheldon to be ready...

Note: I did not forget about the older prompt from you and others, it’s just this one clicked more with me and I had a better idea. Clearly, fluff is the way here. I am happy I managed to write anyway, but I hope you guys will enjoy it. You can also find it on ff net as The Dreamlike Progeny Revelation.

Amy closes her eyes and tries to put herself to rest. She’s a bit envious of Sheldon, who fell asleep so quickly after their goodnight. She assumes physics is not as good as her worries to keep someone awake. There is so much going on in her mind right now to even hope to sleep anytime soon.

Her hand naturally goes to rest on her belly as she relives the past day. She loved to see Sheldon getting more comfortable around the younger Wolowitz just as she was pleased with the ingenious way she had found to bring him there. On the other hand, her plan had worked only part way through: it didn’t give her the chance to tell her husband about their own progeny currently growing inside her.

Sure, he really did have fun with the little ones today. She almost burst Into tears watching Sheldon rocking Michael to sleep, or melting in a smile because the baby had taken his finger. And while that book was only meant to be a way to reach her goal, she has to admit it has a few very interesting experiments. As a neuroscientist, observing and testing the wonder of the human development was absolutely fascinating, and she had been the first to suggest to Sheldon how their offspring should have the potential to be even so remarkable.

Now everything is different. Only a few inches below her hand there is a baby. Their child. Will she probably think to carry out some test or closely report all of its progresses growing up? Very likely so. But now she mostly sees its bright eyes and tiny hands, and all she can think of is to keep it safe from the world.

She knows Sheldon is going to love their kid immensely. She also knows how her husband works. He had never been comfortable around little humans, so it felt natural to try to have him relating with babies more gradually than hitting him right away with the news of the upcoming parenthood. What better occasion then spending some time with their friends’ little bundles of joy? Sheldon can get used to them first, and maybe stop considering toddlers and infants merely as test subjects that cry and poop.

So far so good, except of course for the fact he still insists about multiplying like rabbits. She squeezes her belly slightly as a funny thought popped into her mind. What if there are actually twins down there? Or maybe triplets? Having one baby is scary and exciting enough. Three? It is way more than she thinks she can handle.

Sheldon mutters something in his sleep.  “Professor Einstein, you are forgetting your coat…!”  He adds then.

Amy shakes her head before looking down, “Four of you? It sounds fun…!”

She turns toward Sheldon and smiles. “I probably better try to get some sleep now,” she says again to her baby, “We will think of something else tomorrow.”

She moves closer to him and snuggles into him, her face buried in the crook of his neck. The smell of baby powder is already soothing her as she pulls him closer. He seems to be sleeping sound; nevertheless, Amy feels his hands moving on hers and his legs entwining with her own. In no time she slips into sleep, feeling safely enclosed with her little growing family.

*

Einstein left a while ago, so now Sheldon is wandering around not sure on what to do, or where he is. He has been walking down a long corridor for what it felt a lifetime, until he finally finds something worth mentioning: a pink door with a tiny cartel saying ‘Subject #1’. More intriguing, someone drew a line over the writing.

He decides to enter the room, and it gets… odder. A toddler is sitting right in the middle of it. She looks busy with a bunch of building blocks.

“Hi Daddy,” the baby girl greets him.

“Daddy?”

She doesn’t seem to be bothered by his father’s puzzled tone. “I am your child, Marie,” she informs him, “Don’t you recognize me?”

Sheldon tentatively shakes his head. “I have mama’s eyes, the Cooper’s hair?” She tries, “I am named after your favorite female scientist but you tell grandma it’s after her?”

Sheldon takes a moment to better observe the little girl. Amy’s green eyes sparkle over an angelic face framed by chestnut curls. He doesn’t know many toddlers except of the Wolowitz ones, but definitely he can say she is a very pretty little girl.

He moves closer and it suddenly occurs to him she shouldn’t be talking the way she does.

“How old are you?” He asks abruptly, “You shouldn’t be talking this well already.”

She switches the two blocks she was focusing on over the last minutes before answering, “I am two, and I can properly talk because I am super smart, obviously.”

Sheldon can’t hold a satisfied grin. Too bad Marie contradicts him already, “To be honest, I can talk because this is a dream, and I am just an expression of your subconscious. You didn’t believe I was that smart, did you?”

“Don’t you get sassy with me, little lady,” he scolds her, “I am your father after all. Or the conscious to your subconscious, you name it.”

“I get the sass from mama. You like that in her.”

Sheldon sits with Marie. What better proof it is a dream than the fact he willingly sits on the floor?  “I do, but we don’t tell her,” he then admits. She smiles in return, and Sheldon thinks that’s another thing she got from Amy.

They remain silent for a little while. Marie continues to handle her blocks while Sheldon observes her mesmerized.“So, haven’t you figured out it yet?” She finally asks once she has done.

“That you have been writing our super-asymmetry equations with those? Of course I have.”

“I don’t mean this. It doesn’t even take this much imagination to figure it out,” she replies, “I meant something else. Look at that,” she adds, pointing somewhere behind Sheldon. He turns and looks in that direction: a calendar?

November 7, 2021.

“It’s almost three year in the future,” Sheldon observes, “I got it! We are inside a virtual reality simulator! Can I get to the commands?”

Marie sighs. “To be exact, we are two years and eight months from your present, and no, this is not a virtual simulation. C'mon daddy, it is so obvious! Are you sure you are a genius?”  She mocks him.

Sheldon is too disappointed to be bothered by the snarky remark. “What else can it be? I can’t think of anything better.”

Marie insists, “For instance, have you noticed anything weird with mom lately? Like stumbling upon a book about experimenting on babies.”

“I realized she did want me to find the book,” Sheldon confesses, “But I know it was only because she didn’t want to admit she wanted to experiment on Halley and Michael. Sometimes people tell us it isn’t really moral to conduct trials on our friends. I know, they are crazy,” he adds once he sees Marie is shaking her head again.

“It wasn’t because of this. Well, it wasn’t only because of this,” Marie concedes. “Think harder: have you noticed mom felt sick almost every morning in the last couple of weeks? Any emotional lability?”

“Oh, what a nice word, lability. You don’t hear it enough.”

She ignores the unrequested parenthesis and continues, “And have you noticed she went missing for most of yesterday…? Do you remember what happened six weeks ago?”

Marie has stressed the last question weirdly. Well, as weird as it can possibly sound for a toddler who is talking like an adult. Trying to focus on her question, Sheldon takes a moment to remember. He quickly turns pale when he realizes what she is hinting at.

“You and mom made love, and you were so into the role of a reckless Gryffindor that-”

“Don’t say it!” Sheldon interrupts her, “I won’t discuss such things with… well, with you.”

“Remember I am not really your daughter, but only your subconscious,” she answers back, “Don’t be shy.”  

“I am not shy. It’s just-” It is a bigger deal than discussing coitus with a self projection of himself in the form of his future daughter. What she is implying… No, it can’t be. Even in the robe of a reckless wizard, he knows he has been careful, especially when Amy does her best to bewitch him.

But even admitting he somehow lacked on precautions, has what they are suspecting really happened? Sure, Amy lately complained of some morning sickness and ate a whole bowl of chocolate ice cream in one lump. Yes, she did disappear for whole day and behaved weirdly even since she got back home. But what is weird anyway? She is weird enough to have married him.

“So, you got it?” Marie urges him.

Sheldon takes a deep breath and still hesitates before being able to say that. “Are you saying you- Amy is pregnant? With you?”

Marie casually shrugs. “You are saying that,” she says. Sheldon remained speechless.

“I am hungry,” she adds then, “You should feed me,” she declares standing up and reaching out to Sheldon.

“Feed?”

“You cut some watermelon for me and then let an airplane fly in my mouth. I may be a product of your mind, but I still need to be fed like any other toddler.”

Marie’s big eyes stare at him. She may be talking like a 40 year old, but those puppy eyes are those of a child. His child. Now everything he can think of is landing watermelon cubes into her mouth.

He stands and takes the hand of his little girl. Lord, she is so tiny next to him. He realizes she is looking up at him.

“I can’t wait to meet you, dad.”

*

It feels bittersweet waking up. He hates to be taken away so abruptly from his girl- um, that marvelous product of his subconscious. On the other hand, he has found himself wrapped in Amy’s arms, who breathes peacefully on his neck and holds him tight in her sleep.

Just as he closes his eyes back to enjoy his wife’s embrace, Marie’s words echo in his mind. What if she is right? All those things he noticed himself but didn’t pay attention to before…

Carefully, he turns around to face her and plants a kiss on her lips.  

“Mmm, I like this,” she mutters with a grin, “You should wake me up this way more often. How’s that?”

“I will. I- I had a dream,” Sheldon starts saying, even if he realizes that saying out loud what he is thinking is so scary.

“Marie appeared in my dreams. She was writing the fundamental equations of super-asymmetry with building blocks and made me think about the book we found in the library, and your morning sickness, and that whole bowl of ice-cream you had the other day…”

Amy is pretty sure her heart stopped for a short while. Did he find out…? Also, why Marie Curie is making her husband realize she is pregnant?

“Marie? You mean Marie Curie?” It’s all she can ask back.

“No. I mean, I saw her earlier with Einstein-” he interrupts as soon as Amy raises her eyebrows, “Anyway, it wasn’t her. It was our daughter.”

The very way her eyes widen… oh boy, Marie is right. “Amy… she implied a thing. She suggested that last month, when we made love-”

“She told you the truth.” She doesn’t even know how, but the words just flow out of her. “She- he, whatever… it’s here already.”

Good thing he is lying already or he would have been falling down like a sack of potatoes in no time. Even if a part of him knew it before, her explicit admission is a lot to deal with.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He eventually manages to say.

She can’t help but feeling a little guilty because she hid her pregnancy for two whole days. She kisses him before apologising, “I- I am sorry. It’s just… you always say how sure you are we will have super-smart children, and today you reiterated the idea we will be able to follow their growth on a scientific point of view, and making experiments with them…”

“Maybe they will be super-smart,” she continues, “And the experiments are fun and I can’t wait to redo a couple of the ones we tried today. But before telling you… I needed to be sure you will want to hold our baby in your arms, or feed it, or change the diaper, and love it no matter what.”

Maybe he wasn’t ready for all of these just the same. Maybe he will never be. Or maybe she was wrong the whole time and he just can’t wait to sing Soft Kitty to the little thing currently living in her belly.

“I dreamed she asked me for watermelon and that she wanted me to play the little airplane to land it. Once she asked me- That’s all I wanted to do then.” Sheldon thinks he wants to caress her belly but eventually takes her hand and gently squeezes it, “She also took my hand and I think my heart almost exploded. I didn’t care about her intelligence or any trial I could even try with her. I only wanted to hold her and eat watermelon together.”

This is enough for Amy to dispel all her doubts. Oh, silly Amy. If marrying Sheldon ever taught her something, it is was how full of love her husband is. Today is no exception. He will be a great father, won’t he? Even if there will be a cognitive test from time to time.

He holds Amy closer and kisses her forehead. “Do you think there’s a chance for twins?” He asks hopefully.

Amy sighs. Here he is again…! Of course, she won’t admit to him she had the same thought.

“We won’t have twins because you need a control group,” Amy jokingly scolds him.

“I wasn’t think of that…Well, that’s a positive side effect,” he confirms, “But I mostly want to have many little versions of us… of you.”

“Very good save,” Amy concedes, and Sheldon smiles back proudly.

#The Big Bang Theory #shamy #shamy fanfic #fanfictions #prompts #lu writes

[sweetcatmintea]

What does Mary Know?

Flash fiction Friday!! I’ve gotta just do this upload quickly because it’s 3:43 am and cold as anything XD I failed the prompt challenge by going a liiiitle over the word limit <.<;; But I hope you like this story! Feedback is appreciated ^u^

Prompt: Peachy Kissies

Words: 2501 (orz)

Character(s): Xavier, Mary, and Will

----------

          “Xave, if you want to come to the creek, you have to get ready.” Exasperation tinged Mary’s voice. Progress was cut short, yet again, by her little brother. They were supposed to have been out the door ten minutes ago, but she hadn’t even finished brushing her short, ginger snap brown hair yet, constantly stop-starting thanks to Xavier’s dawdling.

          “I am ready!” He just hadn’t brushed his teeth. Or gotten his hat. Or his sandals. Totally ready.

          Mary sighed. “Have you put your sunscreen on, or do you need help?” He was remarkably autonomous for his age, but that wasn’t what she was really asking. As expected, he puffed his freckled cheeks, crossing his arms with a huff.

          “Don’t wanna!”

          “Xave. You can’t leave the house unless you put sunscreen on. You’ll get burnt.”

          He thrashed his tail, the image of petulance. “No!”

          Another sigh. “Then you’ll have to go to school with Mama today instead.”

          Oh boy. Here it comes. An angry flush coloured his skin. “Nooo!! I wanna go wif youuuu!!!”. His face, usually dimpled with a smile, was overtaken with a deep scowl. Mary resisted the urge to bury her face in her paws, and maybe scream a little. Barely. Why did this always happen when it was her turn to look after him? Frustration bubbled in her guts, trying to claw its way up her throat. Logically, she knew it wouldn’t help anything to lose her temper. Unfortunately, logic was benched right now. Before everything boiled over, Will popped his head around the corner.

          “What’s all the noise?” Toothbrush dangling between his teeth, he took a second to survey the room and exchange a Look conversation with Mary. Catching onto the situation, he feigned a shocked look. “You’re not telling Xave to use sunscreen, are you!?” He waited a beat, glancing down at his brother. A stage whisper now. “You know he’s not ready for that yet!”

          Mary shrugged. She wasn’t quite sure what Will’s game plan was, but she could run with it. “I thought he was. You’re probably right though.” A deep sigh. “He’s still just too little.”

          “Whaddya mean?” Xavier eyed his siblings, trying to wrangle the answers out with his mind. Something suspicious was happening here.

          Will stumbled over himself a moment, surprised that Xavier caught on. “Ah, well, you see, only big kids get to put on sunscreen. It’s very important so little kids like you can’t do it yet.”

          “I’m not little! I’m a big kid too!!” Xavier stood as tall as he possibly could, fox tail wriggling with earnest. “See!”

          Will and Mary exchanged looks again. Will shook his head. “I don’t know. What do you think Mares?”

          “Hmmm. I think he’s still too little… Maybe a big kid should show him how it’s done.”

          “When you’re right, you’re right. I was just about to put some on myself. Do you want to come and put sunscreen on with me, Xave?”

          “I do I do I dooo!”

          “Come on then.”

          Xavier didn’t waste another second, pouncing onto his brother’s outstretched hand and dragging him off to the bathroom. Mary mouthed a thank you to Will as they went. The air always seemed a little lighter when Will was around. Probably because he seemed so unfazeable. She was a little envious of him for that. The frustration had simmered away, but watching her brothers had left a cold pebble in her chest.

~

          Thanks to Will’s intervention, they were out of the house in no time. Xavier begged for his big brother to join them, but he was stuck with Mary for the day. Will had work to do. They were lucky enough to catch the bus just as it rolled to the stop, shuffling on board and claiming the back row. It wasn’t all that unusual for this bus to be close to empty. It was a route less travelled.

          Mary stared idly out the window, half leaning on the plasticy frame of the chair in front of them. Motion sickness was a pain at the best of times. With the way the bus was swaying over every bump in the near-dirt road, one look down and she’d be redecorating the seat covers.

          “Hey Maary?”

          “Hm?”

          Xave was already pretty much flush against her, but he managed to scoot closer. He put his face up to hers. She could feel his warm kid breathe with every whispered word. “Mary?”

          “What’s up Xave?”

          “Mary, what’s boredish mean?”

          “What do you mean? Where’d you hear it?”

          “The lady up there.” A nod to the middle-aged woman perched on the reserved sideways seats. “She said ‘I can’t belief they let someone so boredish on the bus’.” The woman flinched. Xavier’s whispering skills were not nearly as strong as he thought. She stared ahead, stiffly avoiding Mary’s honey gaze. A totally average person. No claws. No fur. No tag. Privileged.

          “Is that right?”

          “Mn hm.”

          “I think you mean boarish. It means ‘boar-like’, someone who is rude. A boar is a wild pig.”

          Xavier looked thoughtful, considering her explanation. “Are boars rude?”

          “I don’t know. I’ve never met one.”

          “How come she said it then?” He continued before she could answer. “Isn’t it more rude to say mean things when you don’t know if someone is rude? ‘Cause then, you don’t know. You know? Because maybe boars are actually very nice but maybe they get grumpy because people say mean things about them. An then maybe they be rude because they’re grumpy? I think maybe we shouldn’t say that word unless we meet some really rude boars. But not boars that are grumpy because people are mean to them. Right?” He fiddled with her paw as he spoke, cold little fingers working through the thick fur.

          Mary managed to fight the urge to chuckle as the woman’s embarrassed fidgeting increased at every word. Instead, she nodded solemnly along with Xavier’s reasoning. “That sound like a good idea to me.” He beamed at her agreement.

~

          Much rocking and waiting later, their stop came into view. To Xavier’s unyielding delight, Mary let him press the stop button. They hopped off the bus to hike the rest of the way. In honesty, it wasn’t that far. It was the thick humidity that weighed them down, making every movement heavy and sluggish, delaying their arrival further. They took their time and finally reached their destination. Water babbled quietly over smooth river pebbles. Bugs sang to the sweaty sun, hiding from its gaze in the long tufts of grass bordering the creek. The water wasn’t that deep, the heat of the season left it lucky to reach over Mary’s belly button in its deepest parts. Still, she’d have to be vigilant. Any aquatic body can be dangerous for a child. Speaking of, Xavier was already making a beeline to the water.

          “Wait a minute! Floaties or no swimming!”

          He spun around, hopping from foot to foot. “But!”

          “Come on, it’ll just take a minute.”

          He whined but returned to her as she fished the deflated water wings from her patchwork backpack. She was still proud of how that had turned out. She pulled them out carefully, the rubber as soft as it was slippery between her long claws. The last thing she needed was to accidentally puncture it and then have to explain to a very upset fox child why he couldn’t swim. Managing to grip them in her paw pads, she snapped the lids open, blowing them up while answering Xavier’s questions between breaths.

          “Hey Mary?”

          Blow! Breath. Answer. “Yeah?”

          “Are floaties for big kids?”

          Blow! Breath. Answer. “Yep.”

          “How come you don’t got any?”

          Blow! Seal. Breath. Answer. “They don’t fit my big ol’ bear arms. I’m very jealous you get to be so cool with these fire floaties.”

          “Really!?”

          “Mn hm. Really really.”

          He bounced on his toes, sliding the water wings up as far as they would go. “Well, you can borrow mine then! Um! But you can use just one. We’ll put it on, uh, your, on your foot! And then I’ll have one! And then together, we’ll be cooler than Will, right? Even though Will is the coolest, I think if we’re both cool with the floaties, we can be coolister than Will, ‘kay? ‘kay! Can I go swim now?”

          Mary laughed, nodding. “You can swim, but stay where I can see you. Otherwise, we will have to go straight home. Okay?”

          He was already running for the water. “’Kay!”  

          It was really something else, the way Xavier looked up to William. Whenever he was around, Xave was practically attached to him, and not always metaphorically. There were fights, or the closest approximation you can have with someone who barely reaches over your knee, sometimes. Of course there were. All siblings have disagreements. They’d probably get into more arguments now that Xavier was becoming more articulate. He had Opinions now. But ties were always mended quickly. Will had a knack with children. He always seemed to know what to say and how to act around them. As far as role models go, he was a pretty good choice too. Maybe it was because he’s a lot like Mama. In a way, Mary was embarrassed by it. Not because of Will acted, but because her brother was so much better with children than she was. When they had first been told of Xave’s conception, she’d imagined herself as a nurturing big sister who would share the world with the new baby. And, while he was still a little bean, she’d been good at the nurturing stuff. Once he’d gotten bigger, started thinking and exploring for himself, she didn’t know what to do. She struggled to understand his garbled baby talk and couldn’t keep up with his games. Her paternal instincts hibernated while Will’s thrived. It she had to put her finger on it, she’d guess it was his creativity and natural intelligence that did it for him. Where she was playing by the book, he was working the court, three moves ahead. It was hard not to feel inferior at times. It wasn’t that she resented him, quite the opposite, she greatly admired her brother. It just would have been nice to have a special bond like theirs.

~

          It didn’t take long until the sweat clinging to her hair and her fur urged her to join Xavier. The water was unbelievably nice. Cool, clear, sparkling. Freshness you couldn’t bottle. And, more importantly, a reprieve from the unbearable weather. Dragonflies zipped around, far too fast to be concerned with new comers. What more could she want? 

          They splashed around, enjoying the freedom of the quiet country around them. Most of the fish spooked the instant they’d arrived, noisy and laughing, fleeing the scene to hide in whatever cracks they could find. Some grew bold, creeping back as they gained courage. The longer Mary and Xavier stayed in the water, the closer they came. When Mary pointed them out, Xavier charged after the flickering silver, determined to catch one. She called him back almost immediately, trying to distract him with a frog. Too late. Scrambling wildly over a mossy rock, his paw slipped, sending him face first into the water with a loud splash. He pulled himself up, dripping and processing what had happened. Mary restrained herself from running over and scooping him up. Wait. Give him a chance. Does he need help of was he just surprised? For a long moment, only the water moved. Gently gliding past the pair as though they were nothing more than the environment it knew so well. Xavier stared at his palms, skinned and bleeding. Tears welled as he shouted for his sister.

          “Maarryyyyy!”

          She was there in an instant, easily pulling him into her arms and onto dry land. She settled him onto a log, pulling everything she needed out of her bag. Xavier was, to put it lightly, accident prone. She’d learned quickly to always be prepared. Just last week he fought a door. The door won.

          “Marryyy! My floaties didn’t save meeee!” He sobbed, devastated at their betrayal.

          “Here, let me see. Did you hurt yourself?”

          A tearful nod. “Mn hm.” He held his hands out, palms to the sky and fingers half curled like a dead spider.

          “That’s no good. Let me fix it up, ‘kay?” She towelled down the area, drying his skin so she could better see the extent of the injury. It wasn’t too bad. She gave him a reassuring smile. Sure, there’d probably be a good bruise tomorrow but the grazes themselves weren’t too severe. He’ll live. Popping the lid off her first aid kid, she cleaned the site. Years of fiddling with a sewing needle had given her a surgeon’s steady hand, despite her clumsy paws. She just needed to be in the right mindset to do precision work – not thinking about it.

          Xavier whimpered as the antiseptic got to work. “It hurts, Mary.”

          “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. It’s going to hurt a little. There are tiny little, uh, knights, in the cream that have to go and, beat up any baddies that might have gotten into the cut.”

          He was still crying, but intrigued enough to ask. “Really? There are knights in there?”

          “Yep. You can’t see them because they are very, very, tiny, but they’re there.” Mary finished her work, sticking on water proof bandaids. “Do you want the magic healing spell?”

          “Mn hm.”

          “Ok.” She kissed his palms. “One kiss, two kisses,” then his forehead “and a big kissaroo so my love can heal you!” She threw her hands in the air to finish the incantation.

          Xavier mimicked her, sniffle giggling, before wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. He looked up at her, his chin pressing into her shirt. “How come you smell all sweet Mary?”

          “Hm. It’s probably my lip balm. I put it on earlier.”

          “Can I have some?”

          “Yeah, here you go.”

          He took the tube, concentrating to not overwind it. When he was satisfied that his lips were appropriately caked, he planted a noisy smooch on Mary’s cheek. “Now you have a kiss too! Aw, you can’t see it though. There’s no colour. Can you smell it Mary?”

          She could certainly feel the waxy balm smeared across her skin. Well, the peach one was her favourite, so it wasn’t too bad. “Sure can! I reckon Mumsie can probably smell it from all the way in the bakery, there’s so much on us!”

          That satisfied him. The freckles across his face crinkled into new constellations as he grinned up at her.  “Hey Mary?”

          “Yeah?”

          “Mary, do you know?”

          “I don’t know.”

          He was whispering again. “Mary, do you know, Will is my favouritest brother?”

          “Really?”

          “Mn hm. But Mary, do you know? Mary, you’re my favouritest big sister. ‘Cause I love Mary lots and lots. Do you love me too Mary?”

          She kissed his forehead again. “Lots and lots.”

----------

Tag list

@cawolters, @inkovert, @snobbysnekboi, @kainablue, and @i-rove-rock-n-roll

#Flash Fiction Friday #fff17 #writing #wriblr #original story #my story #A Hare's Worth #cute #fluff #character mentions #Xavier #Will #Mary

[ravenwrites-fanfiction]

Sam x Pregnant!Reader: Mini Moose

Author: EdgarAllenPoes-Raven

Character: Sam

Word Count: 5493

Warnings: Smut, oral (reader receiving), pregnant reader, non-graphic birth

Brief Summary/Request Prompt/Original Imagine:  Being pregnant wasn’t by any means a walk in the park and being pregnant with a Winchester baby with their giant genetics was differently not easy. Especially if said baby’s father was one Sam Winchester. You’d affectionately given the baby the nickname of Mini Moose.

Being pregnant wasn’t by any means a walk in the park and being pregnant with a Winchester baby with their giant genetics was differently not easy. Especially if said baby’s father was one Sam Winchester. You’d affectionately given the baby the nickname of Mini Moose and that wasn’t just because of the size but also because your baby loved to kick.

The first three months passed by without a hitch it was only when you were creeping into your fourth month did things start to go pear shaped, every now and again, Sam would find you curled up in a blanket on the sofa watch reruns of your favorite show crying for no apparent reason. Your mood swings were terrible and mostly aimed at Sam but he took it all like a champ, then there were your cravings, god they were weird. The newest was pickles dipped in peanut butter but they changed often and it would leave you a ball of frustration trying to find out what the baby wanted. 

You were six months pregnant with a baby boy and was so ready to have this pregnancy over and done with. ‘’You are so grounded.’’ You groaned as the baby kicked right into your kidneys and Sam chuckled, ‘’Kidney?’’

‘’Yeah, seems like mini moose is destined to be a champion kick boxer.’’

Sam came up behind you and started to rub your lower back in soothing circles; his other hand splayed across your forever – in your opinion – swelling stomach. ‘’Maybe someone is just excited to see uncle Dean?’’

You smiled, ‘’Uncle Dean is going to be worst when it comes to spoiling our little mini moose, I’d say more so than his grandparents.’’

‘’Ohh I don’t know about that; Mom’s been planning a huge baby shower since we told her.’’ You lent back against Sam in an attempted to take most of the weight of your back; the back pain wasn’t anything new but it was slowly starting to become more often.

‘’You’re back hurting?’’ You could hear the concern in Sam’s voice, ‘’Yeah; think I’ve been stood up for too long.’’

‘’Come here.’’ He gently cradled your hand in his and guided you to the couch, first he sat down on the opposite end of the couch swing his legs up his opened his arms, inviting you to lie down against him. You happily accepted lying in between his legs with your back to his chest; you let out a sigh as the pressure on your back started to ease away.

‘’Better?’’

‘’Much, thank you.’’ Sam’s hand came down and smoothed over your stomach feeling for the kicks, ‘’He is moving a lot today.’’

‘’After keeping me awake most of the night you’d think he’d be tuckered out.’’

Sam hummed; ‘’I know but you’re handling it so well, love that you’re so strong.’’

You could have stayed lied like this with Sam all day it was one of the things that made the pregnancy a little easier. Being cradled in Sam’s arms as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear, was perfect.

He ran his hands down your arms as he sat up a little bit, ‘’As much as I’d love to sit with you all day I’m afraid we did promise Dean we’d go and see him.’’

Letting out a groan, ‘’You’re gunna have to help me sit up.’’

Sam slipped out behind you before he helped you up into the sitting position, ‘’God I feel like a turtle on its shell.’’

‘’A cute turtle though.’’

You mocked glared, ‘’Better than being a huge ass moose.’’

‘’A handsome moose.’’

‘’Shut up and get in the car.’’

When it came to getting mother henned you didn’t know who was worse out of the Winchester family; but Dean came up high on the list. You remembered the day clearly when you and Sam announced that you were expecting, Mary straight out burst out into tears and you even caught John crying in the kitchen and promised not to tell a soul.

Dean on the other hand didn’t cry but slowly made his way over with a shocked look on his face, placing his hand ever so gently on your stomach. Asking; ‘’I’m going to be an uncle?’’ Over and over almost hysterically before he finally believed you, that’s when he broke out into a massive smile. He almost crushed you when he brought you in for a hug before he pulled away almost as if he’d been burnt panicking because he thought he’d hurt the baby. You still laugh about it to this day.  

‘’I’m hungry.’’

‘’You’re always hungry.’’

‘’I’ll have you know that I am carrying a baby inside of me.’’

Sam huffed a laugh taking one hand of the steering wheel to place a gentle pat on your stomach, ‘’So what does he want?’’

You sat back and through for a moment you defiantly wanted something cold and crunchy, ‘’Ice pops, the ones that are long and wrapped in plastic.’’

‘’Okay, ice pops it is.’’

Sam had long since stopped questioning your cravings it only took one question and you ended up flipping on him. He pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket and forever the gentlemen helped you out of the car and kept his arm wrapped around you as you both walked.

‘’So, any flavors you want?’’

‘’I’m not fussed, I just want ice pops.’’

The two of you were stood in the freezer aisle looking for the ice pops that you wanted; Sam was rubbing your lower back as the ache started blooming once more. ‘’I want those ones.’’  You pointed at a box of ‘Mr Freeze’ ice pops, and Sam reached up and grabbed a box.

‘’Grab another two more just to be sure.’’

Sam looked gob smacked for a moment the box already had twenty inside but he obediently grabbed another two boxes. You held one box close to you debating whenever or not to rip it open and start devouring them.

‘’I’m sure you can wait another five minutes.’’

‘’Oh, son you have no idea.’’ An unknown voice spoke up from behind you and you both turned around; there was an older woman wearing the regulation supermarket uniform, ‘’No craving can wait believe me I’ve got two kids. So, you can open the box sweetheart.’’

With that you ripped open the box picking out a cola flavored ice pop; the first bite felt like heaven the crunch was satisfying. The woman smiled, ‘’I best get back to work now but I must say that you two are the cutest and I hope everything goes well.’’  

You thanked her and the two of you went to paid for your items, even the cashier gave you an all-knowing look.

On the way to Dean’s apartment you had already eaten five ice pops which you were already starting to regret as the pressure that was on your bladder was ready to burst. You were shifting on the spot as you stood in the elevator, ‘’Can this thing go any slower?’’

Sam chuckled, ‘’I did tell you to slow down on the ice pops when we were in the car.’’

‘’I will hit you.’’  

When the elevator doors opened, you rushed out waddling your way to Dean’s door and without even bothering with knocking you opened the door and quickly made your way inside, completely walking passed Dean who was standing in surprise.

Sam was laughing at the confused face of his older brother, ‘’She really needed to use the bathroom.’’

Dean just smiled and brought his brother into a hug, slapping him on the back a few times; ‘’How are you Sammy?’’

He grinned wide and bright, ‘’I’m good, what about you?’’

‘’I’m great.’’

Sam had noticed that Dean’s mood had increased when the news broke that he was going to become an uncle; he’d cut down on his drinking and even started to eat a little healthier it came out of the blue but Sam never mentioned anything to his brother, not wanting to embarrass him.

When you came out of the bathroom Deans attention moved automatically to you; ‘’Well look at you.’’

‘’Shut up, Dean.’’ He wrapped his arms around you being careful of your stomach, ‘’Nah sweetheart, you’re glowing.’’ When he pulled away his hands went straight for your stomach, ‘’How is my nephew treating you?’’

‘’Like a punching bag.’’

Dean let out a chuckle before he crouched down so his face was level with your stomach hands still tenderly placed here; ‘’Kicking your mama isn’t very nice.’’ As if on cue the baby kicked out his feet pressing against Deans hands.

‘’You’re going to be a bad influence Dean Winchester.’’

‘’I haven’t done anything!’’ He looked offended and got back up standing tall, ‘’Every time you’re in the room he gets excited and likes to kick my kidneys!’’

Dean looked over at Sam with begging eyes but he was chuckling, ‘’Nope, can’t help it’s true.’’  

‘’I’m gonna be the cool uncle.’’

You playfully smacked Dean on the shoulder, ‘’Don’t you be giving him any idea’s Winchester.’’ The older brother let out a laugh and took you by the hand leading you over to the chair were the cushions had been plumped; they looked brand new, ‘’You spoiling me here Dean?’’

‘’Hey, you’re carrying my nephew and I want you to be comfortable.’’  

The cushions were very comfortable and molded to the shape of your back giving you the optimum comfort, you looked over at Sam and made grabby hands for the ice pops that he was holding onto. He handed them over with no protest and put the unopened boxes into Dean’s freezer.

Conversation was steady you chuckled at the banter that was being thrown between the brothers; absent mildly you rubbed at your belly; sat crossed legged on the car and swaying slightly from side to side, content with knowing that when the baby was born and he was growing up he had two strong role models. If you really sat and thought about it he would have more; he would be surrounded by a large and loving family.

Sam was watching you out of the corner of his eye a dimpled smile breaking out on his face; despite the ups and downs that you had with pregnancy, you were glowing and small moments like this is what made Sam fall in love with you even more. You had your fears that was a given but you were overcoming them as the days went on, you’d always been fiercely determined with anything that life threw at you.

He had no concerns when it came to raising his son; especially with you as a mother there was no doubt in his mind that his son would grow up into a well-adjusted adult, with you as his mother, a woman who was strong.

The ice pops where slowly disappearing as the conversation flowed included the many trips to the bathroom. This was one of the many different things you weren’t going to miss about pregnancy in the slightest. That and the constant battle of fighting back against stretchmarks as well as the weird cravings and the forever boxing match going on inside you.

‘’We best get going, it’s getting late.’’ Sam smoothed his hands over his legs before he stood up to help you out of the chair. Dean gave you both a hug but once more his hands lingered on your stomach, ‘’You take care you hear?’’

‘’Don’t worry Uncle Dean, we’ll be fine.’’

Dean smiled, ‘’Uncle Dean, still sounds so surreal.’’

‘’One day you’re going to want him to stop saying it.’’ You smiled back your hands covering his, his smile became impossibly wider before he leaned in to kiss you on the cheek, ‘’Never.’’

~*~

Seven months.

Ah, the second trimester.

With this came another thing you didn’t like; swollen feet.

You groaned when Sam’s thumb pressed into the arch of your foot, ‘’God Sam.’’

‘’Good?’’

‘’Very.’’

His hands must have been blessed by the God’s or something; he was an expert when it came to a massage and even more so when it came to touching you intimately. Speaking of which there was something else to add to the list. An increased sex drive.

‘’Sam.’’

From the tone of your voice alone the pupils in his eyes widened, ‘’Yes?’’

‘’Please.’’

Sam is up on his feet and picking you up as the word leaves your lips; your too preoccupied mouthing at the side of his neck. You’d been warned that pregnancy could do this, but you weren’t expecting it to hit this hard.

Your placed down on the bed delicately; ‘’Come on Sam.’’

His eyes don’t leave yours as he kneels on the bed and pulls down your leggings and panties down swiftly. He doesn’t take your shirt off, but he does push it up to expose the swell of your belly. ‘’You look good like this.’’

Sam gives you a crooked smile as he leans down and presses his lips against yours for a slow kiss, you whisper his name again when he pulls away. He massages your legs open and pushes them up, so your knees are bent; feet pressing into the bed. His thumbs pressing swirls into your inner thigh, you whimper when you feel the air touch the wetness at the crux of your thighs.

He slides a pillow under your lower back to help with the pressure; arching you and presenting you to him. Sam slides his body down, adjusting his grip on your thighs to spread them; his breath is soft and warm against you making your hands clench the sheets. You can feel his hair on the inside of your thighs.

He places a kiss on the inside of one of your thighs and his long fingers parting your folds, ‘’So wet.’’

Sam buried himself between your thighs his tongue licked a broad stripes from the bottom to the top making sure to avoid your clit. Making you quiver, he gently weaved his tongue between your folds before he finally flicked his tongue over clit making you squeal.

He picked up the pace making sure to keep constant pressure of your clit making your writhe beneath him and Sam wrapped his arms around your thighs to keep you in place and it seemed to increase the pleasure you were feeling.

‘’Sam, more.’’

He listened to your desperate plea and wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked, hard.

‘’God!’’ You cried out, reaching for Sam’s head, threading your fingers through his hair and tugged until he gave a low groan that vibrated through you. That was all you needed as you through your head back letting out a silent scream, back arching as your orgasm crashed into you, gasping for air as Sam helped you ride out the waves of pleasure.

You don’t know how long you lay on the bed as you steadied your breathing. But when you opened your eyes you realized that Sam was laying next to you.

‘’Hey, you okay?’’

‘’Need to turn over,’’ Sam gently eased you onto your side and you can see that Sam is still hard his cock pressing hard again the fly of his jeans. Even with your increased sex drive with your belly it’s difficult to find a comfortable position.

You smile at him and reach for the button of his jeans, you undo it and reach inside; Sam turns on his back and spreads his legs wider. His cock his hard and heavy in your hand, Sam shivers when the cool air hits it.

Moving your hand in a fluid motion twisting your wrist when you reach the top; Sam groans hips thrusting to match your moments.

‘’God damn.’’

With one more twist Sam comes with a groan you work him through it until he relaxes into the pillow with a sigh. ‘’That was amazing.’’

You chuckle, ‘’Nap with me?’’

‘’Of course.’’

 ~*~

Eight months and three weeks.

Eight months and three freaking weeks.

You were so ready to give birth; baby was constantly restless keeping you awake at night; well that wasn’t a new thing but it had ended up getting a lot worst. Sam bless his heart was staying awake all night with you, spending most of his time rocking you gently when you were sat between his legs, your back to his chest.

This wasn’t even labour and it sucked; you could imagine how bad actual birthing out a human being would be.

Sam had now taken every precaution when it came to you; when he went to work, he sent you to Dean’s garage so he could baby sit you. That’s where you were on your way to now and voicing your opinion to Sam about it wasn’t doing anything.

Sam was turning into a typical helicopter parent, but Dean was even worse. He’d moved a reclining arm chair into his office for you, he’d brought the heavenly comfy pillows from his house and even had the fridge stocked with your favorite food and drink. He helped you out of the car wrapping an arm around your waist as you walked into the garage, greeting Garth and Benny as you walked.

‘’Hey there momma Winchester to be.’’

‘’Garth,’’ You hugged him as best as you could, ‘’How are you?’’

‘’Shouldn’t I be asking you that?’’

You smiled, ‘’I’m fine.’’

‘’You look ready to burst sugar,’’ Benny spoke wiping the oil from his hands with a rag, ‘’Any day now I’m bettin’.’’

‘’Counting down the days, talk to you later guys.’’

Dean’s mother hen senses were tingling as he came bursting out of his offices to usher you inside, ‘’Sit you look uncomfortable.’’

‘’I’m a week from my due date Dean, I’m in a constant state of uncomfortable.’’

Sam is chuckling at his brother’s antics before he kneels at the side of the chair, ‘’I have to go to work, I don’t wanna leave you.’’ You smile, ‘’I’ll be find my mother is watching me.’’

Dean makes an offended sound, ‘’Hey!’’

Sam stands and presses a kiss to your forehead, ‘’Call me if anything happens,’’ He puts a hand on your belly, ‘’You be good for your mama, you hear?’’

You pull him down by his tie to kiss him, ‘’Get to work.’’

‘’Yes ma’am.’’

~*~

Your sat as comfortable as you can get with a cup of tea trying to relax and Dean, well he’s busy playing tag with mini moose. He drums his fingers against your belly with a large goofy smile on his face that gets unbelievably larger when the baby presses back against his touches.

‘’You having fun?’’  

‘’He’s moving a lot today,’’ Dean mumbles as he watches your belly contort as the baby moves, ‘’Must be restless to join the world.’’

‘’It’s going to be any day now.’’

‘’Excited?’’

You nodded, ‘’That and terrified; I’m going to be pushing a tiny human out of me soon.’’

‘’You’ll do great, Sam is going to be with you every step of the way.’’

‘’No doubt I’m going to be throwing abuse at him.’’

Dean laughed, ‘’Well you are going to be giving birth to his child, he got the easy part of the process.’’

That part was true you remembered the night that you conceived, there had been plans for a child but not at that moment. Around that time, you and Sam had started experimenting in the bedroom; he tied your hands to the headboard and took you apart bit by bit; until you had overwhelmed tears rolling down your face from the pleasure.

Due to being in the throes of passion Sam had forgotten the condom but you were on the pill, so there was nothing to worry about, right?

Well, it looked as if your mini moose wanted to be born.

‘’Shouldn’t you be out their fixing cars?’’

‘’Yeah but you are my number one priority right now.’’

Dean forever the sweetheart whoever it is that bags his heart is going to be one lucky person. ‘’You’re going to be a great uncle.’’

‘’I’m going to be an awesome uncle,’’ He smiled cheekily, ‘’Anything you need?’’

‘’Pickle chips.’’

‘’Comin’ right up.’’

When Dean leaves it wasn’t surprising that Garth and Benny came to join you in Dean’s office of course he wasn’t going to leave you by yourself. Benny went to make you another cup of tea whilst Garth brought out Mr Fizzles. He had you to the point of tears laughing. Garth had always been good with children and with Mr Fizzles he was efficient in making gloomy kids smile.

You grunt when the baby kicks your ribs, ‘’You’ve had enough of my kidneys now huh? Gotta go for the ribs?’’ You rub at your belly hoping that the movement would soothe him.

‘’Isn’t that a good thing?’’ Garth speaks, ‘’Means he’s turned upside down into the birthing position?’’

‘’Oh, he’s moving alright.’’ If what Garth said was true, then it wouldn’t be long until it was time.

The smell of pickles was the first indication that Dean was back, and your stomach growled; Garth and Benny left to get back to work when Dean came through the door. ‘’I come baring gifts!’’

‘’Dean you are a wonderful human being.’’

‘’You’re making me blush here sweetheart.’’

The pickle chips didn’t last long when you got your hands on them and you probably looked like a starved animal the way you ate them but you didn’t care. When you were done you rub a hand over your stomach trying to elevate the pressure that was starting to build, no wonder with how fast you just ate.

When an hour passes, and the pressure starts turning into pain you start to worry slightly but push it to the side, you still have a whole week until your due and with all the baby books you’ve read you put the pain down to Braxton hicks.

It’s only when you feel a gush of warm water it’s when shit really hits the fan.

Nope not Braxton hicks.

You were going into labour.

‘’Dean!’’

He comes rushing in like a bat out of hell with grease smeared on his cheek, ‘’You good?’’

‘’My water just broke.’’

It takes a moment before it finally clicks and honestly it would be funny if you weren’t ready to double over in pain. ‘’Oh fuck!’’

‘’I’d get the cursing out of your system before your nephew is born.’’

‘’Shit, this is really happening? Fuck, fuck, fuck.’’ Dean reaches behind his desk and pulls out a backpack and slings it over one shoulder, ‘’Alright sweetheart, let’s get this show on the road.’’

He helps you up off the chair and when you stand up the pain shoots across your stomach and you groan. ‘’You good to walk?’’

‘’Yeah, let’s go.’’

When the two of you enter the main part of the building all eyes are on you, ‘’Benny you good to close the shop?’’

‘’Of course, brother.’’

‘’Great! Well guys the next time you see me I’m gonna be an uncle.’’

Simultaneous woops and cheers fill the floor along with courses of good lucks and you smile, your son is going to have such an amazing family around him. By the time you get to the Impala a sheen of sweat has started to build on your forehead.

As Dean slides into the car he chuckles to himself which causes you to raise an eyebrow, ‘’What?’’

‘’My baby’s gonna have a baby in her soon.’’

You roll your eyes but find yourself laughing – which is cut short when a contraction hit. You grip hold of Dean’s hand and squeeze, ‘’Sam. He needs to know.’’

‘’I’ll call him as soon as I get you to the hospital, I promise you,’’ Baby rumbles to life, ‘’Now let’s get going.’’

~*~

Sam is sat in a meeting none the wiser of what’s going on, he’s had an uneasy feeling since he left you with his brother. He just wants to get out of this meeting, so he can pick you up and go home. The meeting is dragging along slowly until Gabe burst through the door, scaring everyone half to death.

‘’Sorry everyone, I’m here for the moose daddy to be,’’ Gabe smiles, ‘’Just got a call from your brother, (First)’s water broke.’’

Now nothing scares Sam fucking Winchester he’s faced many different criminals in the courtroom and not an ounce of fear has ever got in the way, apart from right now. ''Fuck, fuck, fuck.'' In his haste to get out the room, he bangs his knee on the table followed by his toe on his chair; he somehow manages to put his jacket on inside out and then bolted from the room. He cursed blue streak at the elevator for being too slow, successfully scaring everyone around. When he finally got to his car he tumbled about with his pockets looking for his car keys his search left him empty handed.  ''God fucking dammit!''   ''You're going to have to watch that language of yours when the babies born.''

‘’Gabe?’’

The short man smirks, ‘’The one and only, you my friend are in no fit state to drive, come on I’ll give you a lift.’’

~*~

It’s been almost two hours since your waters broke, and Sam hasn’t shown up yet, Dean bless his heart is doing the best he can to keep you calm. ‘’Where’s Sam?’’

‘’He’s on his way sweetheart, he’ll be here.’’

Nothing much has changed you’re still in the preliminary stages of labour, contractions are spaced far from one another but when one hits it makes you feel like tearing your own hair out. Your ready for everything to be over.

When Sam finally does arrive, he rushes in looking worst for wear, his hair is disheveled and his shirt which was crisp and pressed only this morning is wrinkled and coming untucked.

‘’Hey, there was an accident and traffic came to a standstill,’’ You don’t care and reach out for him and he wastes no time crossing the room, ‘’How are you feeling?’’

‘’Better now you’re here.’’

You gasp when a contraction hits, hands scrambling to take a tight grip on your husband, when it subsides you relax back into the bed but don’t release the hold you have on Sam. Dean slips out of the room to meet Mary and John at the reception.

Sam sweeps back the hair that had fallen in front of your eyes. He looks at you with admiration sparkling through his hazel eyes, ‘’You’re beautiful.’’

‘’Shut your mouth,’’ You chuckle, ‘’You’re only saying that, so I don’t shout at you later.’’

‘’Maybe.’’

You both burst into giggles and Sam leans down to place a kiss on your forehead, ‘’You’re gonna do just fine, you’ve got this (First).’’

The moment between you is broken when your midwife comes in to check on you, turns out nothing much has changed. Your still in the initial stages but she tells you not to worry, labour is different for every woman. You could go into full labour in the next hour or it could take another nine it’s just a waiting game, and you don’t like waiting.

~*~

Twelve hours in and only eight centimeters dilated your ready to commit murder, from Dean being in and out of the room – until Sam banned him – and the midwife prodding and poking at you it was enough to drive you crazy. You grit your teeth together and let out a long groan when a contraction hit.  

You’re restless and the midwife suggests getting up and walking around a bit, apparently it helps with the labour and at this moment you don’t care if it’s a load of shit, you’ll do anything. With the help of Sam, you get up on your feet and waddle out of the hospital room. As soon as Dean and his parents see you, they are all up on their feet. Sam is agitated just as much as you are and snaps at his older brother.

‘’Boys,’’ John speaks, ‘’The both of you get to the canteen and eat.’’

‘’Dad –‘’

‘’Son, you need a break you’re getting antsy and it’s not helpin’ go get something to eat and drink with your mother, I’ll stay with (First).’’

Sam looks down at you and you smile at him stroking his arm, ‘’Go, I’ll be fine.’’

With a nod he places a loving kiss on your forehead and gives your hand a squeeze before he lets go and leaves. John holds out his arm and you slip yours into his, hand resting on his forearm.

‘’Let’s try and get this show on the road, shall we?’’

As you start walking you can feel the pressure in your lower abdomen and take it as a good sign, it’s a slow pace the two of you walk in but John doesn’t mind.

‘’I remember when Mary went into labour with Dean,’’ He speaks, ‘’I almost crashed twice on the way to the hospital and when we finally did I just threw my keys at some random person,’’ He chuckled, ‘’Poor guy near shit his pants.’’

You laugh, ‘’I can imagine.’’

‘’Mary had a long labour with Dean, almost sixteen hours and she screamed like a banshee; at me mostly. No wonder either, the boy was almost nine pounds.’’

You suck in a breath and cringe, ‘’Poor Mary,’’ He smiles, ‘’She said she wouldn’t have another baby but four years later she had Sam.’’

You hum, and John continues, ‘’I’ll be honest thought it was gonna be Dean gave us enough pregnancy scares when he was a teen to give me grey hairs.’’

You can’t help but laugh you’ve heard enough about Dean when he was younger, he was a wild child especially when he went to college. John takes a deep breath, ‘’Anyway, what I’m trying to say now is that it sucks now but in the end it’s gonna be all worth it, and you’re doing an amazing job. I don’t think Sam could have married a better woman.’’

You bump your hip into his, ‘’What happened to the ‘no chick flick moments’ rule?’’

John throw his head back and laughs before wrapping his arm around you to bring you close, ‘’Hey it’s the birth of my first grandchild, I think we can let this time slide.’’

‘’I won’t tell if you won’t.’’

‘’Got yourself a deal, honey.’’

The moment between the two of you is broken when a contraction a lot stronger than the others hits, you grasp hold of John and hang on for dear life. ‘’Get Sam,’’ You pant, ‘’I think it’s time.’’

~*~

After just over thirteen hours of labour your baby boy lets out his first cry as he enters the world. Sam who hasn’t let go of your hand through it all cries along with his son, who is placed into your waiting arms. You look up at Sam who is looking down at you in awe, ‘’You did it, I love you so much.’’

‘’Love you too.’’

For a short while your baby boy is taken to be cleaned up and weighed, the same goes for you. Sam left the room to tell his family and you chuckle when you hear Dean whoop loudly. It’s not long when your cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes, your little boy latched snugly on your breast.

Sam can’t take his eyes away from his son stroking his finger lovingly across his face, ‘’I can’t believe it, we have a son.’’

‘’I know,’’ You coo when your son starts to get a little fussy, ‘’I think somebody is full.’’

‘’I think,’’ You look up at Sam, ‘’He wants his Daddy.’’

Sam cradles his son close to him when you carefully pass him to him, your little mini moose looks tiny in his father’s arms and it doesn’t take long before he finally settles. Out of the corner of your eyes you can see the very familiar blonde hair and green eyes of Dean hovering through the small glass panel of the door.

‘’Okay Dean you can come in.’’

The new uncle looks sheepish as he walks in, John and Mary followed closely behind him.

‘’Lookin’ good baby momma.’’

‘’Dean!’’

‘’What? It’s true,’’ He laughs, ‘’Now let me look at my nephew.’’

You watch as they all group together fawning over the precious bundle in your husband’s arms, Sam looks towards you unshed tears still in his eyes and breaks out into a beaming smile. You send one back in return.

After a long nine months filled with ups and downs, you wouldn’t trade it for anything. Your son is going to grow up with a loving family, filled with strong positive role models. You relax and let the moment sweep over you.

You can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

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