Tumgik
#last few days of August didn't go so quickly for me but rest the August literally give me so many happy thingss and memorieshaha
fairydrowning · 8 months
Text
"But there is a clarity about September. On clear days, the sun seems brighter, the sky more blue, the white clouds take on marvelous shapes; the moon is a wonderful apparition, rising gold, cooling to silver; and the stars are so big."
– Faith Baldwin, Evening Star
2K notes · View notes
freedomfireflies · 1 year
Text
Harry in Your Highlight Reel
Thought I'd try my hand at this trend (trope? style?)! No idea if I'm doing it right, but he's cute so...it doesn't matter
July 17, 2019
Tumblr media
The day we thought we'd give the zoo a try. He was convinced the orangutan was staring at him.
It was not.
He was also convinced that it wanted to crawl through the bars and start combing through his hair to eat it.
He then spent the rest of the day asking me if his hair looked "edible," and I spent the rest of the day wishing the orangutan had eaten me instead.
August 03, 2021
Tumblr media
"Let's go out to dinner!" he said. "It'll be fun!" he said.
Last time I let this beautiful, British bastard convince to do anything, I swear to God.
First of all, we got a flat tire on the way to the restaurant. And then realized very quickly that neither one of us actually knew how to change a tire.
So, we took an Uber (even though he has enough money to just...buy a brand new car, but whatever), and it smelled like pickles. So...you know, great start.
The restaurant was packed, and apparently it was bring your horny ass to dinner and stare at my boyfriend night. You know, just another great perk. I believe we got a solid five seconds where someone wasn't trying to sit on his lap.
The couple next to us was in the middle of breaking up, and honestly...it was kind of fun to listen to. We made bets, which was terrible of us, but long story short, Harry owes me 10 bucks.
They got our order wrong, which wasn't a big deal except for the fact that Harry has an "allergy" to tomatoes (he just doesn't like them, and always ends up shoving them onto my plate) (which he did) (and I loved them)
Then, we went to the bar to get a drink before we left and he choked on an olive.
So...overall, just an average date night for us.
10/10 will probably let him convince me to do it again and I hate myself for it.
September 29, 2022
Tumblr media
Found this throwback in my camera roll the other day, and sent it to Harry while he was in a meeting. Made a joke about wanting to sit on his lap and bite all over his thighs (as one does, of course), and then asked what the fuck was up with his toes. Mostly just to make him squirm during his appointment.
Uh, turns out I didn't send it to Harry.
I sent it to Anne.
And because she's Anne, she completely ignored what I said and made some comment about how little he was, how precious, and how he's all grown up.
Anyway, long story short, I won't be going home for Christmas this year, and will immediately be throwing myself under a car (shoutout to my hero, Mr. Jason Sudeikis, love ya buddy)
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
June 04, 2020
Tumblr media
He's gonna look so sexy in adult diapers 😍😍😍
March 11, 2023
Tumblr media
Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline 🥰
No, but why was his hair so flowy? Fuck Prince Eric, this is Ariel. Or Ariel's daughter, from the second one. Oh, he'd crush that. Hold up, lemme call his agent
Edit: After showing this to Harry, he has demanded I retract my statement and amend it to clarify that he feels like more of a Belle type? And then suggested I play The Beast, so...he'll be sleeping on the couch for the next few weeks.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
416 notes · View notes
discopaddock · 1 year
Text
CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARE - PIERRE GASLY
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
PAIRING: dad!pierre gasly x fem!mom!slavic!reader
GENRE: angst
NOTE: have to post again since i lost my account :(
WARNINGS: childhood trauma, baba yaga
Tumblr media
Since Y/N could remember, she was always scared of the forest that was nearby her family house. Of course she loved her household but since she turned five, she never stood again in that forest, even if her whole family was going there.
Her childhood trauma was increasing with her growing up – at some point she stopped going to any forest and then Pierre decided that she had to meet with a psychotherapist.
She had been going to therapy for four years now – she was getting better and better with going to forests. Pierre was proud of her like no-one other.
And then, in August, Y/N's parents had their wedding anniversary. Because it was their twenty-five anniversary, they decided to make a huge party for their whole family. And with that, Y/N, Pierre and their kids just had to be there (even though it was hard to travel being heavily pregnant, Y/N just had to be there).
It was two days before the party when Pierre decided to go to the forest for a walk with kids and his wife.
Y/N didn't want to go there. She was still terrified of this forest and Pierre was going to know why she was scared of this forest in near future.
“But look, mon cœur, it will be healthy for you and bébé” he tried to convince her for the last time. baby
“I'm not going anywhere, Pierre” she said, almost sitting in the wardrobe because of the terror that she was feeling.
“Okay, but go out of this wardrobe, c'mon” he helped her get up and sit on the bed. “We'll be back in an hour, cœur. I'll take care of all of us, I promise” he prepared a kiss on Y/N's lips and left the room.
“Can I stay with maman?” Frederic, the younger sibling, asked just before leaving the house. He once had heard why his mother was so scared of forests.
“Okay, but be good, understand?” Pierre asked and the boy only nodded and ran to the room, where his mother was resting. “Let's go then” he said to Odette, who only held his hand.
They were walking for a half an hour when Pierre cottoned on that they were lost. He quickly picked up the girl in his arms, who laughed a little.
“Hold me tight, fille” he said to his girl who only hugged him harder. daughter
The man turned on his phone and sighed when he realised that he couldn't use Apple Maps because he didn't have any reception.
Pierre was trying his best to find way back home, but he was only getting lost again and again. And then he stood in front of a wooden house on chicken legs.
At first he thought he was dreaming and then he felt a hit flush. He knew he had to go back and he was thanking God that Odette fell asleep. He had always been a Catholic and when he heard for the first time why his wife didn't go to the forest, he just didn't believe her.
But now he was scared for his life and he wanted to start running so badly but he could only walk.
He finally found his way to the house and when he was on the road he started to run.
“You said you'll be home in an hour” Y/N said as she saw her husband at the threshold. Pierre only hugged her without saying anything. “Something happened?” she asked, hearing his precipitative heart beat.
“I'm so sorry” he whispered in her arm and let her go. “I'll change her clothes and put her in bed” he announced and went to the little Gaslys' room.
“Maman, can we get a smoothie?” Fred asked as he was descending the stairs.
“Sure, lover boy,” the woman answered, looking after her husband with a worried look.
After a few hours Y/N and Pierre were finally alone in their bedroom, so the woman could ask her husband what happened.
“Do you want to tell me what made you look like this when you got home?” she asked, sitting in front of him. He didn't talk a lot after his comeback. And he always used to be the most talkative person around. He didn't even want to look at his wife, which was hurting her heart. “Pierre, baby” she grabbed his face in her hands, making him look at her. “There's no shame, baby,” she smiled.
“You were right,” he whispered, looking at the curtained window. “You were right this whole damn time” he added and finally got his eyes on her. “I found a house in the forest” he didn't have to say anything more.
Y/N would always remember how she felt after she came back home that one red-letter day with all her face in tears and clothes ragged and dirty from the ground.
It was the most dramatic moment in her life.
She was playing with her siblings in the forest in hide and seek and this time the eldest one, her sister, was the one who was looking for the others.
Little five year old Y/N thought that it would be a good lodge behind a blueberry bush. But then she sneezed. Her eyes were watering because of a black cat that was sitting next to her.
Little one tried to drive the cat away with her hand but it was still sitting next to her.
“What are you doing?” the girl heard a hoarse voice so she turned around and saw someone that caused the biggest trauma in her life.
Y/N started to shriek with terror and tried to run but the woman with a huge, hooked nose snatched her arm and smiled ominously.
“Leave me alone please!” the girl cried, trying to bulldoze the woman's hand. The woman looked like Y/N's worst nightmare, her nose, sinister eye look, her dirty clothes and everything else. “Please!” she cried again and by accident hammered the woman's leg, so she left the girl's arm.
Y/N without hesitation started to run away. She didn't know for how long she had been running. Sometimes she was falling on the ground because of the roots but she never looked behind her.
So she didn't know if the woman was chasing her.
Y/N finally got to the home and started to knock on the door with her little fists. She had no idea that she started to cry at some point.
“Y/N, what happened?!” her mother asked as she saw her little daughter. The girl didn't say anything but hugged her mum's legs and started to hyperventilate.
Little one finally told the whole story when she was finally clean and was wearing normal clothes.
At first no-one believed her. Her parents thought that it was only a bad dream but when they talked with the girl's great-grandma, they believed their daughter.
“I've never seen anything like this” Pierre announced, when they were lying in the bed, his head tucked in his wife's chest.
“You're as much in this as I am” she laughed only and next they heard a knock on their door. Odette and Frederic were standing on the doorstep with their teddy bears.
“Can we sleep with you?” the boy asked and the man only waved his hand, so the kids jumped on the bed.
That night Pierre was the last person to fall asleep. He finally fell out after like three hours of having nightmares and hearing odd sounds in the bathroom, the hall and outside.
On that night Pierre promised himself that he will protect his family at all costs, no matter if it was just a bee that his daughter was scared of or some creepy woman, who lives in the forest.
91 notes · View notes
squadron-goals · 8 months
Text
It is getting serious!
30 July 1914
The mobilization order has just come. All officers are recalled to their regiments by telegraph. Boelcke and I leave. I still have my mobilization order as an observer. The comrades looked sadly after us. They have to stay behind at school to finish training. But with this operation it can still take months, and by then everything will probably be over? … I'm supposed to report to Großenhain. I interrupt my journey in my garrison in Wittenberg. The streets were black with people. My regiment had to leave the next day: it belongs to the flying brigade. I was only allowed to stay a few hours. I say goodbye to everyone. Who knows if I will ever see any of the dear old comrades again ... Everyone is so sure about a victory! I love flying and yet, what I would have given to be able to go out with my old, dear regiment! O proud regiment, you will fight true to your principles, true to your traditions! You are, after all, a Margravian regiment, a true German core troop, and you have never failed! ... The glass of champagne that I quickly downed as I said goodbye to my comrades tasted quite bitter, a few furtive tears had fallen in ... .
1 August 1914
The farewell to my garrison was still trembling inside me when I arrived in Grossenhain. The journey was terrible. The general state of war moved everything. The trains were overcrowded. I was glad that I was able to come at all. How I longed for my comrades! But the sense of duty drove away all softness, now it was time to be hard on yourself! I didn't see anxious faces anywhere, only seriousness and determination: suddenly we were like one big family: the strangeness that usually hangs over people who don't know each other was completely stripped away. You talk to each other as if you have known each other for a long time. The personal disappears, the community comes to the fore. National sentiment had finally broken through: the love of Germany! O glorious fatherland, you will not perish as long as you still have such sons, as long as you are still able to awaken such deep feelings in everyone! Because now everything is understood, therefore, despite all the excitement, an uplifting calm over everything! At the overcrowded stations, everything waits patiently for hours, No murmur disturbs the calmness. Here in Großenhain everything is deserted and quiet. I still couldn't sleep in my hotel room ... I leaned out of the window. A glorious starry sky arches over the outwardly quiet earth. I dreamt: I let my whole life pass me by. At such an hour, everyone thinks with particular fervour of everything they love. My parents and siblings, I have not seen them! They won't sleep either and be thinking of me now too! But they know that I now belong only to my country, to my people! My home village, my beautiful forest! How I love it all! ... Where will fate throw me now? Will we pilots live up to the challenge? We still have too little practical experience in flying, we are still too young ... The stars are fading. Day is coming. Life begins again ... Ringing of the bells! Seriously admonishing and yet also liberatingly joyful ... Densely packed crowds stream to the church. The German people feel their God again, know that only in God rests true human strength, that faith alone gives strength to weak people in times of need. We will be strong, for God and the law are with us! ... A battalion of infantry passes by. What a joyful and refreshing sight! Singing, flowers in their buttonholes, bayonets flashing on their rifles! Invincible in hope! The market fills up. Men of older age with suitcases in their hands: the last reserves of the Landwehr! Eyes sparkling with joy despite the seriousness. The external differences disappear. March off. Singing. Soldiers ... There is a knock, I snap out of my pondering. My orderly! Duty calls.
7 August 1914
I'm writing this in the compartment. Finally we have finished loading. I boarded the tran two hours ago, I couldn't wait. There are a lot of people outside and comrades who are leaving after us. We're the first of the Fliegertruppen to get close to the enemy, hurray! I almost forgot: my old regiment, my dear 20s, are supposed to have fought heavy battles before Liège, heavy losses! Poor, good fellows! ... Two days we are on the train, endlessly long and yet it is beautiful! Everywhere we are cheered on. There are flowers and refreshments everywhere. Everyone wants to give us something, even the poorest one doesn't want to be left behind ... We ate and drank and smoked our way through Central and West Germany in the truest sense of the word ... Finally we are approaching our final destination. Hours of waiting before the entrance. Military transport after military transport waiting to be unloaded. The evening sky was blood-red. The muffled rumble of the guns in front of Liège gave us an inkling of the hard work that was about to begin.
5 notes · View notes
ren-from-mars · 4 months
Text
I’ve been doing some reflecting on this past year, and I really truly think it is the most artistic improvement I have made in any span of time. Of course, I’m going to be completely insufferable about it and have collected my best piece from each month with a few personal notes, so why don’t we go on a sprint down memory highway together?
January
Tumblr media
At the start of the year, I was both adrift between fandoms and art styles. I was mostly aiming to find which style I could keep using, finish pieces quickly yet still feel proud of. It certainly worked in the moment, but as I pushed my boundaries more it didn't stick. Still, I look back on this style fondly! also proper throwback to my old username that i had for far too long
February
Tumblr media
This was the start of me working on colour palettes. I lay down my main colour in the background and fit the rest of my colours around that. It was a good way to start experimenting!
March
Tumblr media
Then the shift back to finding my style- I particularly like how the hair turned out in this piece! I also started trying more interesting poses here, and actually properly attempting hands.
April
Tumblr media
I didn't finish any pieces in april as I had started working more hours and didn't quite know how to balance myself creatively at that point. I did lean into this style of sketch much more, which was good fun while it stuck around but ive leant away from it in more recent times.
May
Tumblr media
Not much to say about may in particular, lots of the same things as the past few months with improvements here and there! just some steady progress :)
June
Tumblr media
Cue the crunch of getting character refs done before artfight, and then only actually finishing one (which isn't actually complete, even to this day). But hey, more solid reference for My Guy ! I also leaned into drawing furries a lot more and have improved heaps in the difference of proportions!
July
Tumblr media
artfight baybee!! no artistic differences, but it was a lot of fun scouting out other peoples character designs! I do hope to participate more this year :3
August
Tumblr media
back to colours, though this month felt like a bit of a backtrack. Don't get me wrong, I do quite like this piece, but contrast-wise it doesn't have as much visual clarity as I would like. Regardless, a good learning opportunity!
September
Tumblr media
Fun fact, I rendered this one entirely in greyscale! This was the start of me getting back into hatchetfield after being reminded of NPMDs release, and lets be real this part of black friday was chilling so I had to do something about it! I consider this piece a landmark in terms of my art journey.
October
Tumblr media
Once again no real finished pieces, I was too busy watching nightmare time while waiting for the group watch of npmd. I did do a lot of studies of star wars characters from their live-action shows though, which was a fun learning experience!
November
Tumblr media
This was the piece where I applied pretty much everything I had learnt throughout the year. contrast, colour themes, interactive environments and poses, the lot! and also. its them. how could i not
December
Tumblr media
A perfect piece to wrap up the year with! Another step up from november, this applied lots of what I had learnt and pushed my boundaries even more. I have been aiming for more realism to actor's faces and body types, not out of it-has-to-be-canon-sake, but rather learning how to accurately depict someone's likeness from a few photo references. good practice for both live-action and animated characters!
Overall last year was absolutely wild. I can't wait to share my journey with you all as we go into 2024 strong!
6 notes · View notes
callsign-joyride · 1 year
Text
Yankee Rose | J.H.S | 1.0
Summary: Getting called back to Top Gun couldn't have come at a better time for Erica "Miami" Kazansky. This was her fourth time being called back to Top Gun, and the failing marriage made her as excited as ever to go back. As one chapter ends, another one begins, but the connotation of that statement is up to interpretation.
Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x OC Erica "Miami" Kazansky
Content warnings: Fluff, brief mention of physical therapy
x. Too Fast For Love
SERIES MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS PART | NEXT PART | TAGLIST
Tumblr media
It had been almost a month since everyone returned from the mission. They all moved into housing off-base, which wasn't hard to find. For Erica, though, she hated it. The doctors had told her not to do any heavy lifting because of her surgery, which meant that she had to have help moving and getting furniture. The rest of the Dagger Squad was more than willing to help, but she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed at the fact that she even needed help in the first place. Jake telling her that he liked taking care of her felt somewhat reassuring, though. He had decided to get an apartment with Coyote that was pretty close to base. Things had worked out well enough that his apartment was within walking distance of Erica's house. He practically ran to her house when she told him the divorce had been finalized so they could celebrate.
"My last day of PT went well. I'm officially out of the sling, which is good," Erica told her mom on FaceTime.
"That's great. Hey, I know it's kind of last minute but we're going backpacking through Europe in two weeks and it's not too late for you to get a ticket if you wanted to go with us."
"Hold on, let me ask Jake when his sister is coming," at the mention of his name, Jake walked into the room. "Hey, when's Addison coming to town?"
"The 23rd, why?"
"Mom asked if I wanted to go backpacking through Europe with her, Claire, and Austin but it starts during that week."
Jake nodded his head and got in bed next to her as she finished talking to her mom. With everyone on paid leave, the month had been packed with dates. They spent almost every night together, and neither of them had any complaints.
Erica didn't really feel the anxiety of meeting some of his family until the night before he had to pick them up from the airport.
"I don't know, babe. What if they hate me?"
Jake scoffed and pulled her into his arms.
"They're not gonna hate you. I talk about you all the time, and I'm positive that they'll love you. Plus it's just my younger sister and my mom. It'll be okay."
He ended up being right. She met his mom and sister at a nice restaurant in the area, and everything went swimmingly.
"Wait, so, when do you guys go back to work?" Addison asked.
"We're Top Gun instructors now so it shouldn't be until after Labor Day weekend," Jake explained.
"That's perfect. I'm getting married at the end of August. Erica, do you want to come to my wedding?"
She froze up. The question made her almost spit out her drink. She quickly looked at Jake, and all he did was nod his head and give the slightest smirk.
"Um, I guess. Yeah, sure. Sorry, you caught me off guard with that. Is it in Texas?"
"Yeah, it's on the family ranch. Jake hasn't RSVP'd yet."
Erica chuckled as Jake got called out. The dinner wrapped up and Erica talked with Addison about her wedding. They ended up exchanging numbers on the way out of the restaurant.
"Hey, do you guys want to go back to my place and watch a movie?" She offered. There was a resounding yes from the group, and everyone went to her house. They all agreed on Enchanted, and it didn't take long for them to get comfortable.
As the movie ended, Jake and Erica looked over and saw that his mom was asleep on the recliner and his sister was asleep on the other side of the sectional.
"I don't want to wake them up," he whispered.
"Then we won't. It's fine if they stay the night. We should at least cover them up, though."
They went upstairs after a few minutes. Erica plugged her phone in before Jake pulled her over to him by the belt loops in her jeans. She let out a giggle and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. My mom and my sister like you a lot. They kind of wouldn't stop talking about you on the way back."
"That's good."
Jake pulled her closer to him and they started to kiss. She laughed when they fell into the mess of pillows before getting up.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"To take a shower," she said as she grabbed her pajamas.
"And I'm not allowed to join you?"
She chuckled.
"Nope."
Tumblr media
Taglist:
@littlebadariell @cycbaby @luckyladycreator2 @idontcare-11 @blue-aconite @maverick-wingman @shawty-fenty @littlemisstopgun @rosiahills22 @katieshook02 @justanothermagicalsara @caitsymichelle13 @smoothdogsgirl @adoringsebstan @cherrycola27 @alexxavicry @mrsjaderogers @mak-32 @thefandomimagines @tallrock35 @caatheeriinee07
22 notes · View notes
majorbaby · 1 year
Note
Feel free to ignore if it's been too long or you're not vibing with it but I'm very curious so I want to throw out a few more for the wip ask game: the one where Trapper goes to Illinois, margaret longfic, hawkeye and margaret commiserate over lost loves, and BJ goes to maine (derogatory). pick any/all of them.
thank you :) the one where Trapper goes to Illinois - rated G - at Radar's behest, Trapper visits Henry's widow. margaret longfic - rated M - follows Margaret from beginning to end of the war - i intend for it to be one long character study. the excerpt is hawkeye/margaret, just mentioning that in case it's not your thing. lots of ships appear in this one, margaret/frank, margaret/donald, margaret/hawkeye (none of these are endgame) but i've also got strictly platonic BJ/Margaret and Klinger/Margaret chapters... I'm playing with the idea of the different Margaret 'phases' being marked by who she's with. the margaret/frank years, the margaret/donald fever dream months, the margaret/charles weirdness and the eventual margaret-and-hawkeye-are-friends-now years that take us through to the end. i hope to turn that on its head by the end. hawkeye and margaret commiserate over lost loves - rated T - started writing this when i was super into hawkeye being very mopey about BJ lol. idk if i'll finish it because i don't think i believe that hawkeye would be broken up over an unrequited love for too long. I can really tell I wrote this early on in my mash days, because hawkeye and margaret both ring OOC to me reading this back. BJ goes to maine (derogatory) - rated M - postwar hawkeye/omc established relationship and then BJ shows up and causes problems. this actually started as a gift for you after you mentioned you would be into this premise lmao, i didn't realize you were writing it yourself and didn't mean to steal it from you. CW for what i intended to be dubcon in this. excerpts here:
the one where Trapper goes to Illinois
“Maybe you should go see her too, sir,” says Radar quickly. He seems to know he can say just about anything to Trapper without wearing out his welcome, but is still nervous to make the suggestion.
Trapper sighs. “She wouldn’t wanna see me Radar. And don’t call me sir. We’re not in Korea anymore.”
“You’re still older. You and Colonel Blake–”
“Henry.”
“You and him were closer in age you know? She might like seeing you. You guys were friends. And you would always kick me out whenever yous were watching those movies, or talking about–”
“Walter…” Trapper makes a face. The name doesn’t taste right. “Radar, I don’t think she wants to hear about any of the stuff we got up to. Henry probably didn’t even mention me at all.”
Radar seems to get frustrated, he rubs one eye underneath his glasses and tries another angle, “You were the last person to see him other than me that’s here. I can’t exactly ask Hawk–”
“All right! If it means you won’t show up here unannounced again, eat all the ham and cheese for my kids’ lunches and have my wife fussing over you like you’re a stray cat then fine.” Trapper drains the rest of his beer in one swig. “I’ll go visit in a few weeks.”
“August 20th weekend?”
“What about it?”
“Could you visit August 20th weekend?”
“You gonna book my flight?”
“No. It’s just that I told Mrs. Blake you’d visit August 20th weekend.”
“Radar!--” 
Trapper is so exasperated at this point he feels he could actually strangle his Iowan houseguest, but at that very moment, his wife sticks her head out of the kitchen and begins to ask, “More juice?” *** margaret longfic
The thing about Hawkeye is nobody is just a warm body to him, nobody he meets can remain anonymous to him, nurse, patient, colleague or otherwise. It’s infuriating to her, his unending well of empathy and openness. It’s unmilitary, which she knows he doesn’t care a whit about, but it’s emasculating too and that, she thinks, he ought to mind. 
She remembers her first time, all fumbles and guesswork and suddenly, somehow, something inside of her. The suddenness of it is what she remembers clearly and it’s reinforced by Frank and Donald. It’s not that she hadn’t enjoyed it, it’s just that she hadn’t known it could be different. But it’s different with Hawkeye.
Hawkeye fucks like he doesn’t want you to think of it as fucking, which Margaret finds offensive. He spends time that they don’t have at her neck and her breasts and annoyingly, at parts of her that do nothing for her sexually like her forehead and the skin over her ribs. When he finally puts it in her, the way God intended it, his hips undulate too slowly for her liking and his grasp on her middle is firm but not demanding. 
He’s too present, and it makes her present too. She’s aware of every touch he applies to her, she feels him enter and leave over and over, and whenever he’s inside her fully there’s a moment where nothing happens, like those few seconds after an inhale before the exhale begins - he is breathing her in and out. There’s no time for that. She wishes he’d just fuck her in the sensible, appropriate manner she’s accustomed to. 
He goes to bring his hand to just above where they’re joined, but she bats it away, I’ll do it myself, and he chuckles and doesn’t put up a fight at all, because he understands her and still enjoys her. Maybe he’s the only remaining person in the camp who does. She’s a do-it-yourself kind of woman. Do it all by yourself. 
He’s half-kissing, half-whispering against her temple and she lets it go because as with her and her self-sufficiency, he can’t help himself. He’s a lover and a fool. Hawkeye tries to love her and make love to her, even if she won’t have it and can’t accept it. And to his credit, he doesn’t ever pressure her to. He’s only doing what comes natural to him.  *** hawkeye and margaret commiserate over lost loves
“Well, what are you going to do about this?” asked Margaret after some time.
“Margaret there’s nothing to do.”
“You could tell him how you feel.”
“Why would I do a stupid thing like that?”
“You do it all the time, Pierce.”
As Hawkeye thought about this, he grew even more self-conscious. His eyes started to shift and his back stiffened up again. 
“Do you think he knows?” he asked finally in the lowest tone he could muster.
“Even if he has an inkling, he’d never assume such a thing. You’d have to whack him over the head with it. Or tell him with your words.”
“How do you know?”
“I told you, I know everything,” then seeing the pleading look he gave her and appreciating how rarely he gave her such a look, she relented, “BJ’s not like us Hawkeye. He feels things just as deep, but he’s not always aware of it. And… and even if he was aware of it, that’s different than allowing it, or embracing it.”
It felt to Hawkeye like she was saying that BJ couldn’t embrace him, not for as long as Hawkeye couldn’t or wouldn’t use words to express himself. And then, maybe not even if Hawkeye did take that leap…
“Since you’re so smart,” Hawkeye stacked his tray atop hers and motioned for her to follow him out into the night, where he continued, “What do you think BJ might say if I were to… you know, use my words.” 
Margaret made him wait for the response. He thought she might be thinking on it as they walked together in the general direction of her tent. As they walked, their arms brushed together, and Hawkeye naturally slipped his arm into the crook of her elbow. She allowed it, which wasn’t a good sign for him. He had to hold his breath whenever Margaret allowed him to be affectionate with her, even as a friend. Or especially as a friend. When she was friendly with him, it was because there was a blow coming from some unseen place and she liked him enough to try to soften it. ***
BJ goes to maine (derogatory)
BJ’s mind does a funny thing where it moves a mile a minute, but is focused on only one thing. It’s like when he’d first hit empty road coming out of San Francisco. Hours and hours on his bike, the peripherals whizzing by fade into nothing, until all he can see is a single fixed point in front of him.
Right now the whole world is a blur but for Hawkeye, there in the middle of BJ’s focus. It’s a nice place to be. Forced to look forward, there’s neither a war nor a wife left behind that he can remember clearly. 
“Beej?” says Hawkeye, and BJ wonders if his name had always sounded like that coming from Hawkeye’s mouth. Honeyed. 
BJ steps closer. Hawkeye has set down his book on the half of the double bed that is undisturbed, and he’s squinting at BJ in the low light of his reading lamp.
“Can’t sleep.” BJ says, taking another step closer, so that he’s standing directly in Hawkeye’s light. 
Hawkeye clears his throat. “Need a some water?” he smiles. “A warm glass of milk? What do you do with Erin? Like father, like–”
BJ sits suddenly and looks at Hawkeye sharply. The action cuts off Hawkeye’s sentence.
“Please don’t…” BJ struggles. His focus shakes a bit, but the image doesn’t change. It’s still Hawkeye. “What’s wrong?” asks Hawkeye, innocently. He’s probably thinking BJ’s had a nightmare. Or else he thinks BJ can’t get to sleep in the first place. 
“Nothing.” BJ surges home, towards his anchor, towards the beacon of light that’s always been there at the end of a long, dark tunnel. It’s taken shape at last. It’s Hawkeye, here with him, in the peace and quiet of his childhood home. He cups Hawkeye’s face with one hand as he kisses him. It feels strange to have stubble beneath his hand while he does this. But he can get used to it, he’s sure. It can grow on him. It will, because it’s Hawkeye. They’re finally back together again. 
With one knee up on Hawkeye’s bed, BJ is painfully aware of the swelling in his pants, but can’t bring himself to be embarrassed about it. Not even when he shifts his weight all onto Hawkeye, and they go tumbling onto the bed, and he’s sure Hawkeye can feel his erection through the thin bedspread and their pajamas. He hasn’t allowed himself to imagine this moment, so he just goes based on instinct and maybe a few memories of being in the backseat of his father’s Chrysler. He thrusts against what he thinks might be the inside of one of Hawkeye’s thighs, or maybe it’s the lower part of his torso. Wherever it is on him, it feels good. 
13 notes · View notes
drea-exclusives · 3 months
Text
Week 1 — New Beginnings 🌟
The start of a new semester. The lead-up to this week was a bit anxiety-inducing honestly, since last semester didn't go that great and left me a tad bit nervous for what was to come. But now that I've reached the end of the first week, it's safe to say that it went quite a lot better than I had anticipated!
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭
Monday started off with a little get-together for brunch to celebrate Hieu's (Hilton) birthday! We were able to meet up with our beloved foundation friends, including 1 of them whom we hadn't seen often since August as she had taken a break after foundation before continuing with her degree this semester. Although Hieu and I only had class at 3 pm, we decided to have brunch to accommodate the rest of our friends who had both morning and afternoon classes, leaving us a bit over 2 hours to catch up over some good food.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Our brunch place of choice was a cafe located super close-by to uni called "Signature Cafe". We ordered a variety of breakfast foods to share and devoured them while chit-chatting on what we've been up to as of late, as well as the new semester. My heart feels full every time I get the opportunity to see them as it's difficult meeting up when you have different schedules; that is something uni life has definitely taught me, that you will go out of your way to make plans in order to meet the people dearest to you. And when that effort is mutual, that is surely a friendship worth investing in.
Later in the day, we had our first class of the semester in the auditorium. I was already semi-dreading the class before it had started, not because of the course or lecturer particularly, but because it was in Auditorium B, aka the auditorium with wooden seats that would leave us aching all over after a 3 hour lecture. In the end, we managed to make it through the class, with breaks between the lecture and snacks from the vendors of course. Not bad for a Monday, if I do say so myself.
Tuesday, on the other hand, was more chaotic. For context, I usually take the MRT to uni for less hassle, but I decided that I was going to drive on Tuesdays as I only had a 2 hour lecture and it wasn't worth the time commuting by train rather than if I were to drive, simply put. However, in an attempt to make it to class on time, I tried to find a parking spot as quickly as possible and ended up misjudging the length of my car in comparison to the parking lot. After barely squeezing my way in, I realised (way too late) that I was neither able to squeeze all the way in OR out as there were only a few centimeters of space between the cars in front and behind of me.
While I sat there in defeat and embarrassment for what felt like forever as the car that was behind me witnessing the entire scenario was finally able to safely drive past me, another car pulled up behind me. To my surprise, the driver winded down his window to tell me that there was an empty parking lot on the other side. In that moment I felt so grateful, not so much because he was kind enough to inform me about a vacant parking spot (although I appreciated it), but because he didn't harass me or embarrass me further for my parking skills.
The rest of the day was not doomed, however, as I attended Ms Ashley's first Creative Writing class after parking in a better spot. It was the first time in a while that I felt this interested towards a course in uni, in addition to feeling re-ignition towards my passion for writing. Although nerve-wracking doing creative writing again and I'm doubting my writing abilities a bit, I hope that I'll feel more comfortable soon to write with no pressure, just as how I feel writing this journal entry right now.
On Wednesday, I decided to go to the mall with my friend after class as I only had a morning class. My intention of going to the mall this time was purely to do some shopping as I really needed new clothes since a big portion of my wardrobe was worn-out. I had a simple but satisfying brunch in the food court with my friend, Mirha while we spent time catching up. While passing by a store, there was a promotion for 2 perfumes at the price of RM80. Although I wasn't intending to purchase perfume on that day itself, my RM40 was spent just like that as we each chose a perfume we liked. I had also bought a long-overdue jacket from Uniqlo, which albeit pricey but was of good quality. I left the mall that day tired and with my bank account crying a little, but fulfilled.
Thursday was a small surprise as I had completely forgotten it was Thaipusam holiday until my mum reminded me the night before. I spent the day unwinding and relaxing, as well as re-discovering an old hobby. While spring cleaning, my mum found my old rainbow loom kit which was in surprisingly good condition after 10 years. As I decided I would make use of them by doing some simple designs, it led to me hyperfixating on this old hobby once again, reminding me how much I used to love it and seeing glimpses of my pre-teen self. It is moments like these where I wonder where all the time went. 10 years had passed and in the blink of an eye, I am the age my younger self had always dreamed of being. Yet I am thankful for moments like these which allow me to heal my inner child; I think it is something a lot of people take for granted.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
As for the rest of the week, it was pretty uneventful. My Friday was spent having an online class and visiting my grandma with my mum. There was a new caregiver today to help out my grandma as she hasn't been in great condition lately. But seeing that she didn't reject the caregiver's help and shoo her out of the room as she usually does, but instead praised her and spoke of how helpful she was, it was a sigh of relief for my mum and I. It's been a long month as it was the start of the year when my grandma's health deteriorated a lot, but I hope and pray that only good things are ahead of us.
Majority of my weekend, or rather Sunday night was spent writing the short story I was tasked to write. I had honestly dreaded it and left it to the last minute as I was completely clueless of where to even start. As the night went on, I felt defeated while struggling to put something together and decided to just go with the idea I had. After all, this was just the start and a short activity; there would be more chances for me to improve my writing as the course progressed. With that in mind, I ended the short story writing session as positively as I could, glad that I was at least done with the activity. (Side note: I wish I was using my brain when I picked books on culture and movie psychology.)
Tumblr media
Week in Summary
This week I felt was a good combination of highs and lows, some of which I didn't include as they felt too personal. Starting or beginning something has always been difficult for me, it's so hard to leave the comfort zone which you've grown accustomed to and step into dangerous, unknown territory. However, I'm learning to embrace change as I had the realisation that this is what it's going to be for the rest of my life — constant change and unpredictability. And to move forward, I'm going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Having said that, I'm glad to have the support system I currently have of friends and family members; the people who I know will be there despite the changes in life or disagreements we may have. It's been a hopeful start to the semester, and I hope it remains that way.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭
Song of the Week! This is a fun, little segment that I thought would be interesting to include in my journal entries! But it might not be something I'll continue to do because 1, I hyperfixate on songs and listen to them on repeat for weeks until I get tired of them and 2, if I'm being completely honest my music taste is essentially just basic teenage girl music. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just that this segment would be a lot more interesting from the POV of someone who listened to more music genres. But hey, it's authentically me and that's the whole point of the journal, so we'll see! This week's song is an OST from a K-drama I re-watched recently called "Lovestruck in the City". The first time I listened to it I had it on repeat for weeks after I had finished the drama and was down with post-drama withdrawal syndrome. And now, as expected the song has once again crept its way back into my Spotify playlists becoming my go-to song because it's simply that good. I have no doubts that it'll be at the top of my list for song choices for awhile.
0 notes
mary-ann84 · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
Characters: August Walker x reader
Words: 714
Warnings: fluff. Soft!August
Author's Note: this my story for @cavillsthighs christmas writing challeng. Day 28 of cavillmas. With the promt a fluffy surprise.
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Ever since he came home from his latest mission a few days ago he has been acting weird. 
August usually is the strong but silent type. And yes he can't share a whole about his work but even for him this is odd.
Very distracted, jumpy even somewhat grumpy . Yesterday when you thought you heard a little squeak he swore he didn't hear a thing. 
And the constant leaving the house for short periods at a time. 
You became worried, suspicious and even annoyed with him. Especially when you asked what was wrong and he told you there wasn't anything wrong.  When clearly there was. 
This was not how you expected to spend the holidays together. 
Now it's the middle of the night. You just turned in your sleep to snuggle up to him but you find his spot empty. 
So you decide to go look for him. No sign of him in the bathroom or his office. He is not in the living room or kitchen. 
Just when you decide to give up you hear the faint sound of his voice. It's coming from behind the door that leads to the garage. 
The closer you get to it the clearer he sounds. Even though he is whispering. 
"It's ok little one. Just a little while longer and y/n can find out about you."
You softly open the door so that he can't hear you and hide whatever or whoever he is talking to. 
From what you can see he is crouched down to the floor. Stroking something. 
"August what are you doing?" 
August practically jumps up. He looks at you with shock in his cerulean eyes and his disheveled brown curls. He blocks your view so you can't see what is on the floor behind him.
"Nothing." He says hesitantly. 
But then a small mew comes from behind him. He bends his head and you can hear him sush whatever makes that sound. 
Again a mew but now a lot stronger and louder.
You walk over to August who steps aside. He knows he can't hide it any longer. He looks down. You follow his gaze and there you see a little black and white kitten looking up at you with big blue eyes. 
"Oh my gosh August. Who is this?" You ask as you sit on the floor next to the kitten
August follows. He sits down and takes the kitten in his arms. You can hear her purring the moment he starts stroking her fur. 
"I found her in an alley after my last mission. She is a stray abandoned by her mom. I had planned to take her to the vet and ask if they could find a home for her. But when I got there I…"
"You what?" Encouraging him to continue.
"I realised she already has one. With us. And that she would make a great Christmas present for you. You always said that you wanted a cat."
The sight of this big strong man with a little kitten in his arms, the small smile he gives and the look of love in his eyes warms your entire body. You start to tear up.
"August this is the sweetest thing you have ever done for me. Yes she has a home with us."
A smile breaks out on his face that could light up a Christmas tree. 
He hands you the kitten. Who is a little confused at first. But quickly realizes she is safe and rests in your arms. Nudging your hand with her little head as if she was asking you to pet her. 
August moves closer to you and drapes his arm over your shoulder. He whispers
"Lift her head a little sweetheart and look under her chin."
You do as he says and there in the white fur you see a spot of black fur in the shape of a heart. 
"I may not say it a whole lot. But I do love you. And whenever I am gone for work she will be a reminder."
"I love you too, August. And Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas y/n." 
Tumblr media
111 notes · View notes
landothemuppet · 3 years
Text
Far Longer Than Forever (p.p)
Tumblr media
Word count: 4737
Pairing : peter parker
Request: YES! ANON I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. The Swan Princess is one of my childhood movie and this was so fun to write. I can’t stop listenning the soundtrack now ! I’m so sorry for the time i took to write this, i had so much work to do with school. But it’s over now and i hope you will like this ! 
N/A:  First, gif not mine but i don’t know who i’m gonna credit on this, i have no clue...This is my first Peter Parker x reader and i hope you all will like it! As always, I remind you that English is not my native language. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think of the fic! Like, reblogs to support. You can Love you all! xx
Taglist: @angeliquekalampoka @harryhollandsgirlfriend @cedricdiggorysimpp​ - if you want to be notified of all my future writings you can add yourself in my taglist : here
______
As far as you can remember, you've always hated summer. Well, it was partly a lie. You loved the sweltering heat of Queens, the cherry popsicles from Delmar's, not having to worry about what time you had to get up. You liked it but hated the idea of ​​the last two weeks of August.
 This year was no exception. You looked at your half-finished suitcase, a grimace on your face. August still meant the same thing, the same routine: having to spend the last three weeks of his vacation with Peter Parker.
summer 2009
Peter Parker had lost his parents very early on, two years ago. He had lived since then with his aunt May and his uncle Ben. It was your mother's idea to introduce you to each other. Aunt May and your mom were friends from college and luckily, they lived in the same neighborhood. Your first meeting with the one who, many years later, would become Spider-Man, took place on his eighth birthday. You were invited to the party when you weren't even at the same school. Aunt May had simply shared his fears about Peter's difficulty making friends after the trauma he had experienced. Your mother, as the perfect friend that she was, had suggested that Peter and you spend time together.
 There were 3 kids in total at that birthday party, you, Peter - obviously - and a boy from his school whose mother had forced him to be there, too. It was a fact; you were the only girl and you didn't know Peter at all. Your mother walked up to you, got up to your eye level and whispered
 "Can you be nice? May told me she invited Peter's whole class and only this boy came"
 You wanted to please your mother so you nodded before approaching the two boys. Peter and his friend were in the corner of the room, their backs turned to the adults. When you tapping the young boy on the shoulder to make you notice by him, he turned to you with a guilty expression. He had buttercream all over the corner of his mouth and he was holding a cupcake in his hand that looked delicious.
 “My Aunt May tried to bake a cake, but Uncle Ben bought some cupcakes in anticipation. Do you want one?” Peter asked you in a friendly voice
“Why? Is May's cake not good?
“Uncle Ben says that she is not very good at cooking.”
 You let out a little laugh and nodded your head before grabbing the cupcake with a smile. You thanked him and began to taste the little pastry with envy. It was so good! The buttercream was lemony, the cupcake was slightly lemony too but there was a taste you couldn't recognize. You were almost sure you had tasted it before, but you couldn't tell what it was. Peter and the other boy suggested that you go to Peter's room. He wanted to show you the LEGO set his uncle Ben had given him ahead of time and you followed them even though you weren't more excited about the idea.
 And you were right. For several minutes, you were pushed aside while the two young boys spoke spiritedly. You complained several times that you wanted to do something else but Peter didn't seem to listen to you, too excited to finally be able to chat with someone who appreciated Star Wars as much as he did.
 So you were annoyed and slightly angry with Peter but what broke the camel's back is that you started to not feel so good. Your throat was itching and you felt like your tongue was taking up a lot more space in your mouth, getting drier. Peter gave you a distracted look before his eyes widened. He let go of everything he had in his hands before running to his aunt.
 "Aunt May, Aunt May! Y/N's tongue looks like a big, desiccated steak!"
"Peter, don't be rude!" she exclaimed, shocked by her nephew’s words
"No, no come see, she has a huge tongue! I think something is wrong"
 Meanwhile, you ran into the bathroom at Peter's reaction. You weren't sure why he had looked at you like that, but you felt that a few things were wrong. In addition, you were more and more thirsty, your eyes also hurt. And that's when you saw your reflection. You were puffy, your tongue had tripled in size, hence this feeling of dryness and discomfort. It was the same with your throat. You started to cry and when May called you through the bathroom door, you fervently opened it.
 May and your mother's expression of horror was instantaneous and your mother knew exactly what was causing your condition.
 "What did she eat?"
"Nothing..." he tried to escape from being grounded
"Peter, this is very important. What did you eat?"
"We just ate the cupcakes Uncle Ben brought back"
 Ben looked at May with guilty eyes. May had put so much effort into Peter's birthday cake and she felt hurt that they had bought some pastries in anticipation. Your mother was impatiently stamping her foot. It was important to know exactly what you had eaten and above all, you shouldn't waste any more time. Peter felt completely helpless. He had only given a cupcake to his guest, that’s all. What was wrong with giving someone a cupcake?
 "What were those cupcakes flavor?" your mother said impatiently ...
"With lemon and almonds." he said in a very small voice.
 You were panicked. And the eight-year-old that you were was not coping well with stress. Plus, your feeling of being sidelined by Peter and his friend made you feel even worse. So you frowned. You couldn't see a thing but you could feel the torrent of tears escaping your cheeks. You pointed at Peter with rage
 "You tried to kill me !!!" you said somehow with your tongue as big as a little tangerine.
"It's not true!"
"Yes! You are a murderer"
 And you cried even more before your mother takes you to the emergency room as quickly as possible, apologizing for the scene.
 The week later, May forced Peter to apologize for giving you a cupcake, while justifying that he didn't know about your allergy. Your mother forced you to apologize for insulting Peter "a murderer" and accept his apologies.
 But you spent the rest of the vacation arguing with the little guy. After all, you didn't want to be friends with a murderer.
 Summer 2013
Aunt May and your mom didn't let go, however, and every summer you spent three damn weeks with Peter. The summer of your twelve years, you did not thus escape this eternal masquerade but this year, the tide had turned in your favor.
 From the start, you never liked Star Wars. It really wasn't your world. You had always preferred Harry Potter and although Peter had read the books and enjoyed them - which he would never admit to you as that would amount to listing the commonalities you had - he was much more invested in the galactic universe. But on that day, Peter had particularly bothered you. He had first replaced the sugar in your hot chocolate with salt. He kept chanting silly nursery rhymes about you and the downstairs neighbor, insinuating that you were in love: which was not the case. Yes, Peter had been extremely annoying. This time Peter was getting on your nerds by bouncing a small ball against the ceiling as you tried to read your book. Uncle Ben was in the living room watching the sport - you weren't sure exactly which one since it didn't matter to you - so you couldn't go anywhere else to be quiet.
 "Peter, stop it."
"Stop what?" he asked by bouncing the ball once more off his ceiling. You could even make out the smirk on his lips.
"That. Stop it! I can't read."
"This is nothing new."
 You threw him the first thing you found on his desk, c.e, a banana, which he easily dodged. You groaned in frustration. May and your mother didn't understand when you talked about Peter's attitude towards you. He was a calm child, far too shy at school and interested in everything, especially science. He was looking forward to entering Midletown High School in two years. You hated that nerd side about him. Secretly, you were a little jealous of him for being the smartest in the room.
 “I'm gonna hit you so hard you won't know your name anymore”
“ try me, dumbass.”
  A few minutes later, he had finally stopped throwing that damn ball, but obviously Peter's boredom was driving him to find everything the most boring thing than the previous one to drive you crazy. This time, he had simply taken his favorite lightsaber - because he had several - and he was poking your shoulder to get your attention.
 "Parker, stop!"
"Don't you want to drop this book and watch a movie?"
"What do you want to watch? Star Wars? No thanks ..."
"Oh come on, Y / N! I'm sure you'll like it!"
 He patted you on the shoulder once more with his lightsaber.
 "Do you want to play this, Parker?" you said before grabbing one of his other lightsabers
"What are you going to do? I'm sure you don't know how to fight with" he mocked.
 You have lit the glowing plastic stick and you are placed in the guard position.
 "Do you want to bet, knothead?"
 He smiled at you and attacked you first. Strangely, this is what most resembled a moment of bond between Peter and you and deep down, you appreciate it. But you also appreciate that possibility of kicking his ass after he's been so irritating. You responded to his lightsaber attacks with ease and joy. It was playful, childish, but it was one of the few times you had fun with Peter. And you really appreciate it. Your two laughs mingled, echoing in the room.
 But suddenly, as you were trying to dodge an attack from the brunet, your elbow made contact with his face. Peter's muffled cry of pain echoed and you froze. He was holding his nose with a grimace and when he took his hand away you both noticed in horror that he was bleeding.
 "Fuck…"
"Pete..." you started talking
"You blew my nose!" Peter shouted
"I did not do it on purpose!" you defended yourself.
"Of course, you do! You fucking blew my nose!"
"Peter, I swear ..."
 But Peter interrupted you by rushing out of his bedroom looking for his aunt who was in the office as she tried to file the important papers, that Ben and her had received this week. You were livid. First, because you didn't mean to hurt Peter on purpose. Second, you couldn't stand the sight of blood and it was literally everywhere. Peter was leaving trails of droplets on the floor of the apartment.
 "Aunt May?!? Y/N blew my nose! Damn, I'm bleeding!"
 After a brief stint in the ER, the rest of the stay was peaceful as you and Peter avoided each other until the end of the summer.
 Summer 2017
Peter was not the Peter you had always known.
 Since the death of his uncle Ben, the young man had closed in on himself and was even further away. Always so intelligent and discreet but much more distant. He had stopped teasing you or doing things that got on your nerves. He was minding his own business. And even though you had tried to be there for him, not denying him any of the offers he made to you during your stay ... you found him really ... overwhelmed. Which was still understandable.
 But this year was worse than the last. May told your mother that last year Peter got an internship at Stark Industry and attended a seminar in Germany but came back with a black eye. He had been acting most weirdly ever more since then. And you could have witnessed it. In the afternoon, when you were busy, and when it was too hot, when you tried to rest, Peter would disappear for hours. When you caught him sneaking back several times, he made you promise not to tell Aunt May.
 And you were starting to have theories about his nighttime getaways. After all, you were 16 and you too had started dating a few boys. But it never really worked. who knows why?! And when you wondered if Peter had a girlfriend, and who she was - he had to have one in view of all his sneaking out - your stomach twisted in a strange feeling. You didn't understand why the thought of Peter having a girlfriend bothered you so much. Over time, you had learned to be friends. It still happened sometimes that you quarreled but the events of the life made you grow up. Your parents had divorced, Peter had lost his uncle. You could tell yourself that you both had grown.
 And it was one night when Peter was sneaking back in again that you discovered two secrets.
 The first one: He was Spider-Man.
 It was around midnight when you heard the sound of the window opening. Since your childhood and this Machiavellian plan of your mother and Aunt May, you had always slept in Peter's room during holiday and more recently in his bed. The noise alerted you and you got up in a sitting position. But the only thing you saw was a foot, placed on this said window, closing it gently. How the hell was that possible?
 You were ready to scream but your gut told you to look up at the ceiling. A figure hung on it and you were paralyzed. Were you having one of those weird experiences called sleep paralysis? Delicately, silently, you grabbed the first blunt object within reach. A chemistry book that Peter seemed particularly fond of. The figure stepped on the ceiling as you were paralyzed. The form turned to land on the ground and then stood up, still with its back to you. You got up gently from Peter's bed and walked over. The man in the suit whose color you couldn't see took off his mask and you hit the air in an attempt to shoot him down. Peter turned around so quickly and blocked your gesture easily, like a reflex.
 "What the ..."
"Bloody hell".
 You both said at the same time. Your big surprised eyes mirrored Peter's. The curly man let go of your hand with an apologetic expression as you walked away from your friend. You turned on the bedside lamp before you discovered his blue and red costume. A very recognizable costume since it was that of Spider-Man. You winced, a look of judgment and incomprehension on your face. Not bothering to look at his face covered with bruises and traces of blood.
 "What the ... are you sneaking out to go to a costume party?"
"What?! No…No Y/N I’m…”
“Spider-Man? Great costume by the way” you joked.
 For a moment, you completely forgot that you just saw your friend glued upside down to the ceiling. Peter looked at you a little jaded, by the tone of your voice your guess was far from a sincere question but more of a mockery. And right now, the young man needed to be honest with you. He needed you.
 "But, I am."
"Yeah that's it. And I slept with the Winter Soldier. You can't imagine what he can do with his metal arm."
 Peter cut you off by pulling a web with his web shooter, tying your hands. The feel of the canvas was unpleasant, sticky but above all resistant. You let out a little cry of surprise, not powerful enough to pass the walls of Peter's room. Your eyes looked like two big golf balls, realizing that your friend was telling the truth.
 "Omg, You're Spider-Man" you almost spoke too loud.
"Yes and don't make me web your mouth. May doesn't have to know"
"damn, peter. What happened to your face!"
“yeah about that…I need you Y/N, please…”
  And without warning, Peter squeezed the spider in the middle of his costume, at chest level. He winced at the action revealing his bruised chest. He staggered a bit from the action, unsure of his legs and the pain in his sides fierce. You might see several bruises and cuts on your friend's body. You were having difficulty swallowing before you told him you were going to the bathroom to get what you needed. Before leaving the room, he made you promise to be discreet and not tell May anything if she ran into you. When you walk back into Peter's room, he's sitting half-lying on his bed, grimacing. You sit next to him, your heart pounding. You never noticed that he was so built. After all, as a superhero, he had to keep fit. But you couldn't deny that it intimidated you. Your cheeks were burning with embarrassment and a desire you never knew before. He had his eyes closed, as if trying to make the pain go away. And there, looking at him, you found him pretty. he was so cute that you couldn't help but run your hand through his curls to signal your presence and soothe him a bit. But Peter already knew you were there. He had heard your footsteps, he had smelled your scent, a sweet scent he had grown used to in his later years. He sighed softly, more relaxed. You started to clean the few shallow wounds.
 "Does it hurt?" you asked quietly
"Mhmm no, not really."
"Did you win?"
"Ouch..No. Not tonight."
"Sorry." you said more for your gesture rather than the fact that he didn't win the fight against the bad guys.
"No, it's perfect ... it's just a little sensitive"
 You smiled but something was wrong. A feeling you've never felt before. You've finished cleaning up Peter's wounds, but your gaze has darkened. As you were about to get up, the brunette gently grabbed your wrist to hold you back. He could hear your calm breathing and yet your heart was racing. He could feel the heat on your cheeks. He too felt that the tension was at its height. Your mind was muddled, he didn't know why, he wasn't a telepath, but he could see it, feel it. Your body betrayed your mind.
 "Y/N, what is it?"
"I..I don't know." you lied.
"You can tell me everything."
"I ... Well…Seeing you like this ... makes me ... makes me realize that I ... I'm afraid of losing you."
"You won't lose me ... I promise"
 You are ashamed of your vulnerable state. How did you go from hating this boy to having an overwhelming fear of losing him? You looked at those chocolate eyes in confusion and distress. You were now fully aware that the little neighborhood spider was none other than your childhood friend. The one you once loved to hate, tease, fight with over trivia. He was also on the youtube videos, who stopped cars with his bare hands.
 “Y/N… you won’t lose me, I promise.”
 Peter dared to walk slowly towards you and in a surge of courage, one of his hands circled your burning cheek, his lips rested on yours. The brunette had always had a crush on you without actually admitting it. After all, you had known each other since you were children but... your relationship had been rather confrontational. But for two years now, everything had changed for him. He appreciated more and more your little arguments, your teasing. His thoughts would sometimes turn darker when you lick your lips or when your fingers scratched that point behind your ear, when you were a little stressed.
 Your lips moved between them in a harmonious dance and you were now clinging desperately to Peter's slightly sweaty brown curls. Your heart was pounding at a speed close to the point of no return, reluctant to stop suddenly in the face of this overstimulation. But all good things came to an end and you slowly walked away. You bit your lip to get the taste of Peter's back. Your mind wandered, lost in the haze of rushing feelings.
 "You..you should rest ..."
 You ended up pulling away, swallowing hard. That night you didn't sleep. You have studied every facial feature of Peter, thinking of every event since your friendship. The next day, you fooled that nothing had happened. Too scared of what that kiss meant to you.
 Summer 2025
It all happened so quickly. After that summer, the summer of your kiss, you promised yourself that you understood your feelings towards Peter. You weren't going to the same high school and even though you were both on social media, you never dared to contact him. You needed time.
 But you haven't had this time. Peter became full-time Spider-Man and then the aliens came to earth, again. The threat of Thanos hovered and within moments, days, hours ... you were gone under his snap.
 When you returned to your childhood apartment, you were alone. Well, alone in front of the family who lived in this place now. The man in his forties simply believed you were a drug-hunting teenager squatter. Five damn years had passed. 5 years where your mother had a new life when you had been eclipsed. You were distraught, alone and it was by happy coincidence that you found May at the F.E.A.S.T project. It was a relief for you to find a familiar face again. She had suggested that you come and live in her new temporary apartment, allowing you to finish high school without having to move to the other end of the United States, with your mother. You declined your offer. You wanted to fend for yourself. And surprisingly, you did pretty well.
 To be exact, Mr. Delmar was looking for a student to work in his store and was kind enough to greet you in the bedroom of one of his daughters who had gone to college. By the greatest of luck, you've never seen Peter. Or rather, you managed to avoid it for an entire year. You had caught a glimpse of him one day, trying to speak Italian to get a travel adapter and a dual headphone adapter. Did you feel foolish thinking that after so long - could we consider those 5 years to be 5 concrete years? - would it still focus on the kiss you shared? After all, you got away from him after that. And then, everything went in a state of madness.
 Every time you turned on the television, you learned that elemental monsters had attacked a different country. They had first started with Mexico and then moved to Europe. Italy, Prague and then London. A certain Mysterio seemed to be taking care of this matter, but you couldn't help but think of Peter. May told you he was supposed to go to Italy. In fact, every time she went to Delmar's for a sandwich, she gave you an update on her nephew's trip. But it wasn't the craziest.
 Upon his return ... Spider-man's identity was revealed. You had watched in horror the video of Mysterio, which appeared on the Daily Buggle newspaper, accusing Peter of wanting to be the new Iron-Man. You were listening to J. Jonah Jameson falsely accusing Peter of being a murderer. You knew Peter, and there was no way he had done such an act. The video was bogus, you were sure. When you tried to reconnect that summer, you noticed Peter's girlfriend. Michelle Jones and ... and that's what kept you from approaching him. He was already supported. He had his best friend, Ned. His girlfriend, MJ. And he had May. It was enough, wasn't it?
  It was the following year, after a new incredible adventure that you met again.
You worked at the store in the evening. Mr Delmar had asked you to help him out urgently because his youngest daughter had a health problem. You accepted with pleasure. You had offered to babysit his daughter but the loving father he was wanted to be with her. And it was precisely this evening that a thug decided to steal the fund from you.
 You were at gunpoint with your hands up in the air when you saw a red and black mass fall behind the thug.
 "Hey buddy, I think the bank is across the street"
 Spider-Man tapped the thief on the shoulder and dodged a punch.
 "But I think I'll arrest you anyway if you went to the bank. You don't seem like a nice guy." Peter joked.
 You were paralyzed as your friend, your best friend if you were honest, chained or avoided them with agility. You swallowed hard, unable to move or run away. A gunshot rang out and you smelled a scared little vintage. Peter squeezed the barrel of the gun in his hand, deviating from his course. It made sense now to say that he had simply defended himself against the assault. After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, Peter stared the offender against a fridge door, immobilizing him. He then turned to you, oblivious to your identity at the time.
 "Are you okay there?"
"Peter!"
 You didn't give him the chance to realize and you rushed into his arms, hugging him so tight to feel the comfort of his body against yours.
 "Uh, yeah, you're welcome. Cuddles are nice but ..."
 He paused for a moment and his automated eyes widened. He knew his perfume. The flowery, sweet scents that he had missed so much. Is this possible?
 "Y/N?"
 You let go of him and immediately put his mask back on. Adrenaline was controlling your actions and god damn it, you needed that touch. You kissed him, bluntly. Your lips crushed against his in impatience, in ardor, but too bad. You needed to feel it against you, to regain the feeling that you had felt, years ago. After a few seconds, you felt Peter's hands encircle your waist, pulling you closer to him. Your heart was exploding, the ardor was present in your kiss. You were even frustrated that you couldn't grab her brown curls with full hands, settling for only the base of her hair. You let out a moan before pulling away abruptly. He had a girlfriend.
 "I… I'm sorry. I… Sorry, I didn't mean… MJ… and… please don't blame me."
 Peter silenced you with another kiss, shorter this time but so good.
 “There is no MJ .... Just you and me ... Far Longer Than Forever”
 You looked at him hopefully and then burst out laughing after his words.
 "I didn't know you were so romantic, Parker"
"Shut your mouth."
"Make me"
"You are impossible."
"But obviously, you like"
 He was going to say something to nag you, he was looking for it but you caught him off guard, placing your lips on his again. You could feel his smile in the kiss and you couldn't help but do the same. Anyone living in the neighborhood present in the street would have a view of Spider-Man kissing the student cashier from Delmar. But you couldn't care less. You had waited too long and the joy you were feeling now was so intense, you didn't want to stop feeling this. It is reluctantly that Peter moved away from you apologizing for the fact that he had to go on patrol again.
 "Go save the Spider-Man neighborhood"
"Only if you promise me you'll be there when I get back."
"I was thinking of going to say goodnight to May instead ... But if you want, I have a sleeping bag in the storeroom."
"You are incorrigible .... See you later ..."
"See you later."
 You smiled, in a misty state of bliss as Peter disappeared from view. This time, you weren't planning to escape, you wanted to fall into the webs of Peter Parker. You closed the store after the police visit and headed to May's flat. It was late but with her kindness she welcomed you with open arms.
 This summer ... was the best in years but the others to come were going to be even more wonderful.
125 notes · View notes
nashibirne · 3 years
Text
London Calling - 2
Tumblr media
So, guys...I know it took me a while but here it is. Part 2 of Bodyguard! August and his adventures in London. I hope there are still some people out there who want to read this. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Every single comment/reblog/like is very appreciated 💜
Pairing: August Walker x ofc (Lucretia "Lu" Johnson)
Words: ~ 3.2
Summary and A/N: This story plays with the thought of "what if…" What if August Walker had taken another road? What if he had turned into John Lark for completely different reasons? What if he had found love before becoming a bitter, disillusioned man?So the events of "London Calling" take place about ten years prior to MI:Fallout and August Walker hasn't joined the CIA yet, he's an FBI Agent and his new mission in London that lies ahead of him is going to be a challenging one. Maybe it's even going to change his life.
Find the previous chapter and my other fics here: Nashi's Masterlist.
Warnings: 18+! This story deals with the topic of a toxic/abusive relationship, gaslighting and problematic behavior of one of the protagonists in general. Please don't read if these topics trigger you or make you feel uncomfortable.
English is not my mother tongue but the lovely @sillyrabbit81 was so kind to be my very helpful and patient Beta! Thank you so, so much, bunny 🐇💜 (Edited by me, so there might still be mistakes and they're all mine)
Credits/Disclaimer: I don't own August Walker or anything related to MI:Fallout. Pics for the moodboard from pinterest, face claims: Lu - Hannah van der Westhuysen, Adam - Freddie Thorpe. FaceApp helped me with making August look a little younger.
Ready? Let's go!
*********
"John Lark," Adam said to Lu, who was sitting opposite of him at the dining table, having a coffee and some fruits for breakfast. He grinned and rolled his eyes. "What a boring name. Let's hope he has a boring personality as well and likes staying in the background just like poor old Eddie."
Lu shook her head with a sad smile. "I still can't believe he's dead. I mean, one moment he's alive and kicking and then he misses a red light and is six feet under."
"He should have been careful, baby. He was an idiot anyway. Please don't tell me you liked the old grinch." Adam ran a hand through his light brown hair and gave her a surprised glance.
"I did like him and he wasn't old, not even 50. He was a nice guy, always friendly and helpful." She leaned back in her chair with a sigh and looked out of the large windows that gave a fantastic view on the Thames and the city of London.
"Did you fuck him?"
Lu froze at the coldness in his voice, that sent icy shivers down her spine.
"Of course not, I…I would never...he wouldn't have..." She stared at the man she was going to marry in just a few months, eyes wide, lump in her throat, feeling offended and unsettled by his accusation.
Adam burst out laughing. "You should see your face, Lu," he chuckled with a big grin on his attractive face. "It's hilarious, you're so easy to lead on, darling. It's really cute how naive you can be. That's exactly the reason why I have to look after you by the way. People take advantage of you but no one fucks around with Adam Mayfield." He gave her a wink but she knew he wasn't just teasing her, he meant it. Lu forced a grin, trying to relax and regain her composure by taking a deep breath. Getting serious he reached over the table and took her hand, pressing a tender kiss on her knuckles. "I was joking of course, I know you are loyal, baby. You're not a cheating whore. If you were I wouldn't marry you and if you were I would know. Nothing remains a secret to me. Nothing, Lu. Never forget that. No secrets."
She gave him a sweet smile and squeezed his hand, her heart beating like crazy. "No secrets," she said because she knew that's what he wanted to hear.
Adam gave her an approving nod, obviously content with her answer.
"So, until Lark arrives the day after tomorrow, Big Ben is gonna take care of you."
"What about you, won't you need him?"
Lu was genuinely surprised. Since Eddie's accident, Andy, the third member of their security staff, had taken over his duties. Big Ben was Adam's bodyguard, more than that actually, over the years he had become his right hand, his assistant, his eyes, his ears, his shadow. The middle aged man, with the thin, sparse light blonde hair and the hooked nose that dominated his puffy face with the pasty complexion, was a nice guy on first sight, always very polite and friendly, always up for a joke, but he had something in his watery eyes that scared Lu. Maybe it was because he was so loyally devoted to Adam. Lu had never heard him question any order, he did whatever he was told to and Lu was absolutely convinced he would turn against her in the blink of an eye, if Adam asked him to. She feared him and she didn't trust him and she was quite sure the feeling was mutual.
"I can do without him for two days, right Ben?" He asked the man who was entering the room right then.
"Sir?"
"You'll look after Miss Johnson today and tomorrow and Andy will keep an eye on me."
"Of course," Big Ben nodded with a smile. The nickname was pretty ridiculous, because he was anything but big. He was neither tall nor broad. He was hardly Lu's height and a little overweight but he was tough and a skilled martial arts fighter. He had been pretty successful in his youth, winning various tournaments and he was still very strong and flexible. Lu had watched him doing some Jiu Jiutsu with Adam a few times and it had been impressive to see the stocky guy so agile and light-footed.
"I won't be much of a nuisance, Ben," Lu said, "I will be busy preparing the vernissage for the rest of the week, so we'll be at the gallery most of the time."
"That's fine, Miss Johnson. I like the gallery. I don't know much about art but you have some beautiful paintings there."
***
An hour later Big Ben was looking at one of these paintings and Lu was watching him closely. Something was off, not only today, it had been for a few days. It started with Adam letting Andy stay with her at the gallery all day. That was very unusual. Eddie had always run errands while she had been working or he had washed the car or whatever. She didn't need him around, the gallery was a safe place, nothing bad had ever been happening there. She had asked Andy a few times why it was necessary that he stayed but he'd always said he didn't know and was just following Mr. Mayfield's orders. And now there was Ben, who was obviously trying to pump some kind of information out of her, asking strange questions.
He was subtle, she had to admit that, but just like anyone, including Adam, he underestimated her. He and the rest of the world considered her to be just a blonde bimbo, Adam's arm candy, a classic gold digger and nothing more. She could hardly blame people for thinking that way and actually she even liked flying under the radar. It gave her a certain kind of freedom because nobody was really paying attention to what she did. Adam was the one in the limelight and since she'd never dare to steal his thunder even the yellow press found her too boring to write about her. So she was able to focus on her work and try to make herself a name as a galerist, not as Adam Mayfield's trophy girlfriend.
She knew most people thought she wasn't very clever, but as hard as her youth had been it had given her two very useful skills, street-smartness and the ability to judge character. She had more knowledge of human nature than most women her age and she for sure could tell when someone was trying to hide something from her.
"Eddie liked that painting too," she said with a smile. It was a lie, Eddie had never been taking interest in any of the artwork she presented in her gallery but she wanted to get Ben to talk.
"Really?" A sad look crossed Benjamin's face. He and Eddie had been pretty close and Lu imagined he was mourning his old friend badly.
She gave him a nod and a friendly smile. "You miss him, don't you?"
"Of course, Miss Johnson."
"Lu," she corrected him for the millionth time although she knew he'd continue calling her by her last name. She had no idea why he insisted on this formal way of addressing her, all the other staff members called her by her first name, but since he did the same with Adam she supposed it was just his way of showing respect and keeping a professional distance. "I miss him too. I can't believe he was so irresponsible. He was always such a careful driver, he never even got a ticket for wrong parking."
Big Ben wrinkled his nose. "I'm sure he wasn't acting irresponsibly. It was an accident."
"Well, Adam said he missed a red light because he was distracted by answering his phone. That's pretty irresponsible, if you ask me."
She saw his jaw working and his hands were balled into fists. Her accusations were making him angry and she assumed that meant they were wrong.
"We don't really know what happened. Just what the police file says," he replied with a shrug.
"And you assume that it's not telling the truth?"
"I don't assume anything, Miss Johnson. I believe in the things Mr Mayfield tells me. And so do you, I guess."
"Of course I do," Lu said quickly, dropping the topic, fully aware of the threat that his words involved. She had heard enough anyway.
****
August took a deep breath before he dropped his suitcase on the floor and took a look around. The room -his room- was nice. Big and bright, with large windows and a big bed that appeared to be very comfy. The en suite bathroom was luxurious and gave off spa vibes while the modern paintings and photographs on the walls made the room look like a very stylish and exclusive hotel suite. He liked that, but he had to remind himself that this wasn't a city trip for a weekend, this was his job and his new life.
He had spent the last days slipping on his new personality, becoming John Lark, embracing his alter ego. He grinned when saw his reflection in the window. That mustache and the three day stubble he wore now was an unusual sight but he had to admit he liked the new look, it suited him. August unpacked his suitcase, placing his clothes in the closet and the few personal items John Lark owned in and on the nightstand. A few books, a moleskin and a pen, a jump rope and a pull-up bar for staying in shape and his personal mobile. He had been handed out an official cell phone by that guy called Ben right at the airport where he had picked him up. He put on the watch Lark's mother had given him after high school graduation, his initials engraved on the back. 6:45. Fifteen minutes till dinner. He had been asked to eat with them to meet Mayfield and his Barbie. Miss Johnson. Just be professional, he scolded himself, she's your target.
Don't fuck this up. Kyle's words resonated in his head. This had to be his goddamn creed from now on if he wanted to join Erica Sloane's team at the CIA, and fuck he did. She was infamous for being the toughest and strictest woman at the agency and for being the best. Her team consisted of the most respected and effective agents and that was exactly where he belonged. He wanted to work with the best, he wanted to be top of the class, he intended to become primus inter pares. The best of the best, notorious, feared, valued, celebrated, desired...all those things that had been refused to him throughout his childhood and youth. He had been a victim till he joined the army, a loser, a pussy. Now he was a winner and he would become a champ and claim what he deserved.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Ready, Lark?"
"Coming."
He put on his jacket and straightened the soft brown fabric of his suit. Adjusting the matching tie, taking a deep breath he opened the door and smiled at Ben who just gave him a nod.
"Let's go," he said. "They're waiting."
****
She knew John Lark was trouble the moment she saw him. It was nothing specific that made her feel this way, not his looks or his behaviour, it was more the aura that surrounded him. Lu couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she knew she had to be careful around him right away.
"Mr. Lark...John," Adam greeted his new employee friendly, flashing him a bright smile. "I suppose it's okay to call you John?" Not waiting for an answer he continued while shaking August's hand. "Really nice to meet you. Welcome to your new home."
August returned the smile. "Thank you, Mr. Mayfield. Nice to meet you too."
"Please, call me Adam. There's no need for formalities. After all, we're going to live together, work together…"
Another charming smile. The guy was smooth, August had to admit. He was even more handsome than his picture had suggested, with fine facial features, tall and lean, exuding natural elegance and wit. A charmer and a ladies man for sure.
"This is my fiancee, Lu Johnson." Adam pulled Lu close, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a possessive manner before kissing her cheek tenderly. He usually wasn't the kind of person who liked public displays of affection but Lu knew it was his way to put John Lark into his place right from the start, to make sure he was aware who she belonged to.
Lark was dangerously good looking and way too attractive for Adam to let it go without staking his claim. Not that Lu was interested in him, he wasn't even her type -too many muscles and probably too little brains- and she would never dare to even look at another man. But objectively he was very good looking, tall and broad shouldered, sharp jawline, a handsome face, outstanding blue eyes, and most of all he had an appeal that obviously hadn't remained hidden to Adam. "She's going to be your charge. I cherish her like life itself. Make sure you do the same when I'm not around."
Mayfield kissed her again and she blushed, obviously feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention.
"John," she said softly, extending her hand to him gracefully with a polite but distant smile on her pretty face. Just like her fiance she was strikingly beautiful but in comparison her beauty was a little steril, forced. She was lacking the naturalness Mayfield owned, maybe because she wasn't born into the social class she lived in now. It felt like she was wearing a mask. Her appearance was too immaculate to be real, too perfect. There had to be a crack in it, nobody was free of flaws, but whatever it was that was lying underneath the sleek, stainless surface, she was hiding it well.
"Miss Johnson." August shook her hand and held her gaze, giving her a smile and a respectful nod.
"Lu, please," she offered stiffly, pointing at the set dining table. "Why don't we sit."
"Yes, darling, you're right. Let's eat before the Beef Wellington gets cold."
***
August found all of his prejudice confirmed during dinner. Mayfield was a cocky prick, who tried to hide his asshole side under a veil of sophistication and British humour. That veil, luckily, was full of holes big enough for August to see right through.
Johnson however was an ice queen. Cool and aloof, not willing to lower herself to talk to the newest member of her royal court. He wanted nothing more than to ignore her, to make her feel that he wasn't in need of her attention, to make it clear that he wasn't attracted to her in any way. It was actually true. She was pretty of course and sexy, too, but the kind of beauty she represented was not his cup of tea. She was one of those ethereal beings who were much too fragile for him, too fanciful, too distant. Like a precious showpiece that was presented on a pedestal and that whispered "look at me" seductively but at the same time it shouted "don't touch…you're not worthy". He needed a woman to be more than beautiful, he liked women that were sturdy and energetic, lively and witty, confident and strong. He didn't want a queen, he wanted an amazon.
So all of this and more made him dislike her, but he still had to be friendly and charming to gain her trust and to make her fond of him without alarming Mayfield. He was obviously very possessive and protective, the jealous-for-no-reason kind of guy who would make his woman wear a chastity belt if it was socially acceptable. To sum it up, this job was a ride on the razor's edge.
"So how do you like your room, John?" Lu turned to him with a friendly smile. Those were the first words she addressed to him since they'd sat down to eat. Adam had engaged Lark in conversation from the very first moment and Lu took care not to interrupt him. He hated it and he'd accuse her of stealing his thunder afterwards for sure. So she kept quiet, trying to blend into the scenery, contenting herself with being not much more than a pretty ornament, decoration like the sculptures that were placed all over the penthouse - a beautiful, silent object. When Adams' phone rang, he took the call with an apologetic smile, leaving the room in a hurry. Now she was forced to make conversation with her new bodyguard and she felt uncomfortable and awkward because she assumed that he didn't like her. He had seen her and he had branded her, just like anybody else, she was quite sure of that.
"It's great, I like the modern style," August said, returning her smile.
"Really? I'm so glad to hear that." Her face lit up in an instant, her lips curling up into a genuine smile. "I refurbished it a few months ago and Eddie... your predecessor… he didn't really like it."
"Oh, why's that?"
Lu took a deep breath before she answered. "I'm not sure, I never asked him. I didn't want to put him on the spot, but I guess it wasn't cosy in his eyes. Not warm enough. He was a very traditional man…," Lu said and her expression softened with her words, her eyes giving away that she had liked the guy, that she was mourning him.
Not the ice queen you pretend to be, August thought surprised.
"Well, I'm not a traditionalist, I like it bright and clear. The black and white photos are really interesting."
"Aren't they?" Lu agreed with excitement that made her voice sound different, like it had just been brought to life. "They are works by a very talented young artist from France. I discovered her art when we were in Paris last year and now I exhibit her photographs in my gallery. People love her unique take on everyday life, the way she plays with light and angles. She's one of my most successful…"
"Don't bore your new guardian angel to death with your art stuff on the very first day, honey," Adam interrupted her chuckling, when he joined them again.
"I was just talking about the pictures in John's room."
"Sure, and those are lovely pictures," he gave her a generous smile and a peck on the cheek, "but we both know you tend to babble on about the topic and that can be a little unnerving."
"Of course, you're right, darling." Lu's mask was back on, her expression blank again. "I'm sorry, John. Sometimes I forget that most people don't share my passion for art. Consider yourself lucky that Adam saved you just in time."
John gave her a nod and a smile. He wanted to say something, feeling the need to let her know that she hadn't been boring him, but before he was able to do so, Adam carried on with their conversation about his new job and his duties and the wasted chance to show his solidarity with her left a bitter taste in John Lark's mouth.
*******
Taglist (let me know if you want to be added or removed)
@lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @hell1129-blog @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @kebabgirl67 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo @artandotherdelights @notabronte @littlefreya @luclittlepond @eldarwen333 @meowpurrbooks @marantha @liliumdream @enchantedbytomandhenry @greensleeves888 @witcherfan @margauxmargaux07 @radaofrivia @m07belzen @a-little-counter-esperanto @starstruckkittyangel @mary-ann84 @sillyrabbit81 @emelinelovesjc @wheretheriversrunintothesea @lam0ureuxq @kingliam2019 @pandaxnienke @littleone65 @coloraturadiva
56 notes · View notes
natromanxoff · 3 years
Text
Queen live at Forest National in Brussels, Belgium - August 24, 1984
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Some parts of the Hammer To Fall promo video were filmed during this show - the camera was filming the audience reactions during TYMD, Radio Ga Ga and Hammer To Fall. On the next day 20 fans from the Dutch fan club were invited to come again to the filming of the promo video.
At the gig, the band asked the audience to return the following day for the shoot. However, most likely assuming it was all a joke, the vast majority stayed away; in fact only a dozen fans turned up. Undeterred, the shoot went ahead anyway, with the band's performance that day interspersed with footage shot the previous night.
(x)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
This is the first show of The Works tour.
According to the July '89 issue of Record Collector, Queen ran through about 40 songs during rehearsals. This list of songs rehearsed that didn't end up in the setlist comes from someone who worked on the tour:
Great King Rat (longer version), Brighton Rock (full song), I'm In Love With My Car, Sweet Lady, White Man, We Will Rock You (fast), Play The Game, Need Your Loving Tonight, Put Out The Fire, Las Palabras de Amor, Life Is Real (both Freddie solo piano and Freddie/Brian acoustic duet versions)
The keyboardist for this tour (and also the '86 Magic tour) is session musician Spike Edney. He would also lend some vocals to many songs and play rhythm guitar in Hammer To Fall. He and Roger Taylor would form a band called "The Cross" in 1987 which spawned three albums, and he would return to Queen in the 21st century to play on the tours with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.
Spike was recruited in a very informal way by a Queen associate. He went to Munich for their first rehearsal in early August, wound up partying for most of the first night, and missed the first day's rehearsal. It later transpired that everyone else had. He recalls, "The next day, we all managed to get to it eventually, to the first rehearsal, and all the gear was set up. The stage was huge, and I thought "Oh well, here we go then" and we got to the first song , and what I'd forgotten was that they hadn't actually played together for two years. So they said, OK, let's try one of the new songs, I think it was Radio Ga Ga, and we started playing it, and course, I knew it, I'd been studying it for weeks. You know, 1,2,3,4 and we start and we get about a minute into the song and the whole thing collapses. And they all look at each other, you know, very sheepishly, and they say, "Anyone know how it goes?" and I say "well, actually, I know. I know how it goes" and they said "Ah". And so I started showing them the chords and everything and Fred looked at me and said "You don't know the words, do you?" and "Well, yeah I do actually" so then they all came round the piano and we spent the whole day just going through songs, and I thought, "I'm gonna be all right here, this'll be OK"!"
The show started very late, as the band were still doing soundcheck when they were supposed to go on. Apparently over the previous week there were few occasions when all four band members actually showed up for rehearsal. Many songs (likely those listed above) never made the setlist, and soundcheck was an extensive cramming session, particularly for the older material that they hadn't played in years.
Roger Taylor later reflected that this European tour was one of his favourites, and many fans cite the early Works setlist as their favourite ever played by the band. Three medleys are now played, two of which have revived many old songs: Killer Queen, Seven Seas Of Rhye, Keep Yourself Alive, Liar, Stone Cold Crazy and Great King Rat. Staying Power from Hot Space returns to the set, as does Sheer Heart Attack from News Of The World. Only half of Staying Power is played, and it runs into Dragon Attack, followed by an improvisation running into a more compact version of Now I'm Here compared to previous tours.
Many people who attended shows on this tour recall Queen having a very heavy sound, especially on songs like Liar and Stone Cold Crazy. By 1984 they had gained a reputation as being one of the best live rock acts in the business.
Six songs from The Works are performed each night, and the introduction tape is from the album track "Machines". After the heavy G chords are heard on the tape twice, the band walk on stage in the darkness to play the chords the third time, which leads into the brand new "Tear It Up". This is yet another effective opening to a Queen show, something they would perfect time and time again.
I Want To Break Free is performed each night in 1984-85 as the first encore, with Freddie coming on stage sporting a pair of huge plastic breasts under a pink shirt. Part way through the song, he would remove the breasts and twirl them around for a while before finally throwing them into the audience. Some souvenir! As a result of this gag, Another One Bites The Dust has been moved from the encore to be earlier in the set.
This tour showcases an incredible lighting rig and an overall setup mimics the movie Metropolis, from which scenes were used for the promo video of Radio Ga Ga last year. The huge wheels behind the stage (modelled after the ones on The Works album cover) rotate at mostly random times - usually because they are turned manually by various crew members such as Roger's tech Chris "Crystal" Taylor whenever they have a free moment (Freddie Mercury's assistant Peter Freestone told the tale in 2021):
“Yeah, I mean Rio was… amazing. The feeling from that crowd… you know, something like 350,000 people. Oh, you can’t beat that. And when you’re flying in a helicopter over that crowd, it was stunning. But the thing is, I know this sounds really, really stupid but [laughs]… one thing I will always, always remember from that tour was, remember, in the back of the stage you had these wheels that turned every now and then, not constantly but just every now and then. That was because there was… the guy looking after Roger’s drums and me who actually turned those wheels. And there was no set cue or anything that, “Oh, it has to start on this bar, on this song.” No, it was when he wasn’t doing anything and I wasn’t doing anything, we’d say “Ok, let’s go and do it.” And we turned the wheels for a couple of minutes and then left them alone. He had then to do something for Roger and I would just sit there like I always did. And then you’d go back and you’d turn the wheels, like a hamster. We were like hamsters…”
However, a crew member who worked on the tour recalls otherwise: "I do know local crew members were used on the UK shows and certainly (a number of) European gigs. The other thing is that Radio Ga Ga had a set piece with the cogs and lighting, using low ambient lighting and strobes to emphasise mechanical motion of the cogs during the instrumental break. Would Roger Taylor be happy with no one covering him/his kit during a show? Possibly Peter Freestone is remembering production rehearsals when any spare bodies might have been asked to operate the cogs?"
During vocal improvisations on this tour, Freddie would often include bits of "Foolin' Around" and "Living On My Own" from his pending first solo album, which he had been working on during this period.
Freddie now plays a Telecaster for Crazy Little Thing Called Love. It would remain like this through the Magic tour.
The band no longer bring a gong with them on the road. Roger now does a cymbal roll at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody.
A fan recalls hearing the band running through Tear It Up whilst queuing up to enter the venue.
Freddie's voice is in superb shape for this show, but it will quickly weaken as the tour progresses. As incredible as Freddie Mercury was, he certainly did not take care of his voice at times, especially in the mid-80s. After a couple years of heavy smoking, Freddie's voice now sounds a lot deeper and raspier overall.
Before It's A Hard Life, Freddie says, "I think tonight we're gonna do songs from just about every album that we've ever made. You heard some very early stuff from the first album. Right now I think we're gonna do something very new, and we'll see what you think of it."
Freddie does a vocal exchange with the audience before Staying Power, singing "Get Down Make Love" and "Gimme Some Lovin" a few times. The band would improvise bits of the latter a couple times in 1986.
This is the only show on the entire Works tour where Roger plays regular acoustic drums on Another One Bites The Dust (before which Freddie teases the audience with a bit of Mustapha). For the rest of the tour, he'd play electronic drums. He'd also integrate the electronic drum kit into a few other songs, like at the beginning of Hammer To Fall, where one might argue that his sounds don't appropriately complement the guitar to create the intense, heavy sound.
The band sound very tight on this opening night of the tour, with the only exception being the rough transition from Stone Cold Crazy to Great King Rat. The keyboard and guitar solos are integrated together for the first few shows of the tour, during which Brian plays a few bits from Machines. Spike Edney uses his vocoder (a Roland VP-330) for the "machines" and "back to humans" lines heard throughout the tour during this spot (he would use his vocoder for the "radio" lines in Radio Ga Ga as well). After this segment, Brian then gets a few minutes to play on his own as usual.
Parts of the promo video for Hammer To Fall were filmed during this show. Claims from some (even official) sources state that Freddie invited the audience back for (what would actually be "additional") filming the following day aren't true. Here is all that Freddie had to say before the song: "This next song we're gonna use in our next video. So everybody just go mad and maybe later you'll see one of you guys inside the video one day. Oh, just go crazy, take your clothes off. It's called Hammer To Fall." After the song, he simply says, "Good night, you guys!" as that was the last song of the set.
Here is a fan's recollection: "On the night of the gig, there was a camera mounted on an arm that would swing over the front rows of the audience during a few songs. These audience shots were taken during Tie Your Mother Down, Radio Ga Ga, and Hammer To Fall itself. I guess they also had a camera up in the box at the back of the hall [as there are a few shots of both the audience and the band]. I don't remember any cameras onstage during the gig - just the one mounted on the arm."
The Dutch fan club invited only about twenty of its members to attend the video shoot the next day. They were instructed by a roadie to sit quietly on a chair and not to move or approach the band members. After a few hours, Brian came over and had a chat with them, checking to see if they were enjoying themselves and if they were hungry. He then promptly ordered them some take-out!
A minute of Tie Your Mother Down from this show was later broadcast on the Belgian TV station "RTBF" (x) (x). An audience-shot video allegedly exists as well, containing five songs.
After years of speculation, the existence of more footage from this show was proven when bits of it were included in the promo video for Let Me In Your Heart Again in 2014. About 30 seconds of Somebody To Love (largely crowd shots) were seen. There is, however, no accompanying audio. (x)
The first photo is from the autumn 1984 Queen fan club magazine. Brian is seen with a watchful eye over the proceedings. Tour manager Gerry Stickells and his wife are also in the shot.
Pics 2 through 6 were submitted by Alessio Rizzitelli, and the seventh pic was taken by Dave Matkin.
(x)
36 notes · View notes