AITAH for telling my wife no?
My wife (35f) and I (38m) have been married for 12 years, dated for 3 before that. We have 3 kids (10m, 7f, and 5f). We both work full time in separate fields, she does some chemistry thing that I don't understand and I am a manager at a computer repair store my friend runs, and also a short story writer when its slow. She is definitely the breadwinner bill payer between the two of us, but I bring in the fun money for our family and would be completely listless if I didn't at least work part time. We also fully own our home because of her job.
Also, my parents watch the kids for us during the week when we are working. It's been this way since our son was born, and they've been doing it less since they are all in school. But it's free childcare, they refuse to accept money unless it's reimbursing for buying food.
Ok, now that all of that backstory is set, here's where the problem begins.
A couple of months ago my wife started pepper into conversations about a possible promotion coming up that would get her out of the lab and into a more "manage the lab team" position, with less dangerous hours for more pay. Ever since the first time she mentioned it I've been hyping her up and telling her she's a shoo in for the promotion, especially since she's been working there since her masters internship and now she has a PhD.
Last night she told me she was getting word today if she got it! After she left for work this morning I called my boss up and told him I couldn't come in today, and then told my parents the kids were saying with me. We spent the day cleaning the house, drawing congratulations cards, and making a congratulations banner. We also made a couple cards that say sorry and we love you for if she didn't get it. I was working on making her favorite dinner (lobster rolls with lobster bisque, because she's a fancy lady) when she got home earlier than normal. Everyone was surprised, because noone is usually home at this time and yet here everyone was. She got tears in her eyes seeing everything we were still working on, got down and hugged our two youngest, and said she got the promotion! Cheering all around! And that's when she dropped the bomb, saying we need to get a realtor in a state three away from us so we can relocate within the next two months.
I was stunned, and just said no, we arent moving for this promotion. In all of her talks she never mentioned that the promotion wasn't for the same location she's been at. All of our family is here, her parents and mine, all of our friends are here, my job is here. She insisted that she's mentioned relocating before but I swear she never did. That set of a completely new argument about never listening to her and only hearing what I want to hear, and how this will make it so I can stay home with the kids and not even need a fun money job. During this I noticed she was typing on her phone, and when I asked why she was multitasking an argument she said she was texting my parents to get the kids so they don't have to see this.
When my parents got here they congratulated her on the promotion and asked how long until we move.
She told my parents the promotion included relocation.
I'm typing this on the couch in the basement, because I can't face her right now. My parents knowing means she probably did say we would need to move if she got it. I don't want to move, I like my job, and our house. I like being near my parents. I know this would practically set us for life but I don't want to. I know I'm being selfish, and I know I must not be listening when she talks, but I still don't think she should accept the promotion. I still think no.
What are these acronyms?
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Pieces Part 3
Pairing: Azriel x Reader
Summary: the aftermath of the break up has different effects on both, Azriel and Reader.
A/N: yall I'm sickπ₯² the updates might be late but I'll try to post as much as possible. Hope you like this one!
Pieces Masterlist
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It's been one month.
One month of Healing.
When azriel left, I told myself that I will not contact him until I'm ready. Doesn't matter how much I'm missing him or wanting him. I will not talk to him until I know I won't take him back the second I see him again.
I gave myself two days. Two days to sulk all I wanted. I spent the whole time crying and feeling miserable about myself. Before Az left at least, I wasn't by myself. At least I saw him once a day.
Now? Nothing.
I am totally alone. His absence hit me Hard. Everything I saw, almost brought me to my knees.
The kitchen where we would make dinner together, laughing and joking with each other that many times ended with us covered in flour and syrup.
The couch where we would sit cuddling and talking until we fell asleep, always waking up with strained muscles.
His office where he would sit on his chair in front of his desk, writing out reports and whatnot while I sit in his armchair reading my book. Just enjoying each others company and occasionally taking breaks to make out on the very deck, and then some.
After those dreadful days though, I called Feyre and Mor and had a very much needed girls night. We took out a wine bottle and I spilled everything to them. My mind was too drunk to think my feelings about Elain might offend Feyre but she genuinely felt sad for me and embarrassed about her sister. The poor girl even apologised to my about Elain's behavior to which I immediately told her it wasn't her fault.
When I told them how lonely it got being alone in a big house like this, they suggested maybe I should get a job or something to keep my mind distracted and promised that they'll visit me often. So I did juat that.
I found a part time job at a local library. I have to admit, I'm really enjoying it. I'm the second assistant to the sweetest lady, Hilda, who owns the shop. I don't do much, just help her in small things like adjusting books on self or helping in shipping books out or in. Layla, the first assistant, handles most of the work around the shop. My job is basically doing what she asks of me. The salary isn't much but I don't care because it's never been about money.
The first week was very hard. Everyday after I came home, the silence felt like a slap on the face, reminding me of everything I lost.
But, slowly, I became comfortable with it. Now it's doesn't hurt me as it did before.
There were many times when I think of Azriel, tears filled my eyes, but I never let them free. I sucked them in and did anything else that didn't made me cry, like taking baths, baking my favorite chocolate brownies, reading in front of the fire place while drinking hot coco or calling my friends to take me shopping.
And as time went. I started to heal. I started to feel good, happier with myself. And without even realizing it, I started to love myself.
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Azriel
It's been one month.
One month of regretting everything I did to my mate.
I've spent my whole month sulking in this room, crying and regretting everytime I chose Elain over my wife. I haven't slept at all since I came here, just enough to keep me functioning. My appetite is gone. I don't eat unless Rhys come and force feeds me like I'm some baby.
I told Rhysand and Cassian everything the first morning i stayed here. Which earned me a flick to head by Cassian and a very disappointed look from Rhys. Even though they didn't give me any scolding(which I very much deserved), the flick and expression said enough.
Rhys has refrained me of any work, handling it himself or having someone else do it. While I have been sitting around here and hating myself. It seems like even my mind has declared itself an enemy, showing me memories of everytime I dismissed Y/N and hurt her in any way at most random times, cutting a deeper cut in my heart everytime.
"Hey Az, I was thinking if we could go out for dinner tonight? There is this new amazing restaurant I saw while walking near Sidra. I really want to try it." She told me as I put on my coat, ready to go.
"I can't, I have a mission for today. Rhys told me it's important so I can't skip. We'll go some other time. Okay?"
"Ok."
I could hear the excitement in her voice when she asked me and the hurt when I rejected her and promised to go another time. The time never came. She never asked again. And I never noticed.
"Az, are you awake?" She whispers in the dead of night. Both of us sleeping on the bed. My back to her, hoping to fall asleep quickly because I have early training tomorrow.
Cassian is spending time with Nesta more, so Rhys has told me to go to an illyrian camp to check how things are going. I have to wake and go there early to catch them off guard to see what's truly going on.
I can't do that if Y/N doesn't let me sleep.
I didn't answer her that night, hoping if i dont respond, she'll think im asleep and doesnt call me again. She really didnt call me again. I prioritized my sleep over her. Her voice sounded so small. She needed me. And I didn't care.
"So, I saw a really cute baby in garden today and..." I drone out her babbling and try to quickly I can get out of here, I promised Elain to help in her garden today. She'll be disappointed if I show up late.
"Az? You're listening to me right?" She suddenly questions, I clear my throat and answer a small, of course, she nods and takes a deep breath, not saying anything anymore. I sign in relief of the silence.
I put my head in my hands and tug hard on my hair, wanting to feel hurt, hurt the kind that she clearly felt and I didn't care.
I hate myself more and more as memories flash through my mind. I can't even cry at this point. I wished she'd hit me when we fought. Slaped and paunched some sense into me. I don't blame her at all for not talking to me. Gods, I wouldn't even blame her if she left me. I deserve it.
How do I fix this?
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Taglist: @cleverzonkwombatsludge @crazylokonugget @going-through-shit @wallacewillow0773638 @kalulakunundrum @cat-or-kitten
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rockstar ! trafalgar law headcanons
trafalgar law x male reader ; he might seem ooc but he isn't, trust me. this is how law is supposed to be perceived, i talked to oda himself and sorted this all out with him before publishing.
-> listened to brooklyn baby by lana while writing this...hehehehheheehhehehehehe ps. i think that is my favorite photo of manga law ever oh my fuking godhes so hot.
rockstar ! law . . . did not get famous overnight, but also did not get famous on purpose...if that makes sense. like his ass was up posting his guitar covers on youtube for years before someone reached out to him on joining a proper band. but also he wasn't posting those guitar covers with the intent of getting noticed. he just wanted people to see how SICK he was on guitar (he's a not-so-secret narcisst). but also another reason he posted them was because of you, his boyfriend who he had been in a relationship for a year at that point, was encouraging him to do so. your support for him and his talent was really assuring and fuelled him to be confident enough to post them online. (he was kind of against the idea at first, probably saying romantic shit like, "i want only you to hear the songs i play," but eventually was swayed when you spent many minutes convincing him to)
rockstar ! law . . . when he finally goes on tour with his band, he is pretty insistent and headstrong in allowing you to come with. he doesn't care if he needs to pay out of pocket money to fund your stay with him and his bandmates, he will if he has to. because he's not leaving you for months on end, pursuing the dream that was only possible because of how you supported him through it. there's absolutely no way he's going on tour without his boyfriend.
law's tattooed arms were crossed over his wide chest as he listened to their manager and a team of people tell him and his band about their upcoming plan for their first ever tour.
after the end, when it was about time for everything to wrap up, law calmly asked, "what about bringing significant others?" this makes the executives share looks with one another before apologetically smiling at him.
"sorry, another person added onto the travel, boarding, and all that will not be able to fit into out budg-"
"then i'm not going," law says simply, already getting ready to storm out of the room. but the manager stops him by his wrist.
"n-now, let's not get hasty! this was not something we accounted for-"
"well you should've, i'm not going anywhere without him. i'm not gonna leave him." law states stubbornly, glaring down at the man that was much shorter than him, "he's either coming with us or i'm not going at all."
a silence passed over the room and his bandmates were internally praising law for having the balls to stand up to these powerful guys so carefree like that.
maybe that's what had made him such a good rockstar.
his passions that he was not willing to back down for, he'd settle for his desires being fulfilled or nothing at all.
what they didn't know was that all of those passions were singlehandedly fuelled by his immense love for you.
"a portion of it will have to come out of your pocket, then. we really don't have the funds to bring on another person. so if you can't-"
"i can manage. if that's all, and we're all good. me and [name] will be ready by the designated time and meet you all at the location with all of our things," law easily says, walking out of the room with his broad shoulders being the last thing the executives saw.
"wow, law is so cool!" a memeber, stage-named penguin, said with stars in his eyes.
"don't get any ideas." the manager immediately cuts them off before they can gush further.
rockstar ! law . . . is very openly gay for you <3 doesn't really care that people are expecting him to act a certain way because he is a rockstar, he could care less. he's said time and time again that the only reason these fans of his have the oppurtunity to appreciate him to such an extent is because of you. had it not been you encouraging him to post his covers, he would not be standing on that stage for them to admire. so he can be as shameless as he wants in displaying his affection for you. naturally, law isn't the most into pda, but when he hears annoying people batter him for being so into you, his boyfriend, he feels the need to piss them off even further.
law's calloused fingers were playing with the flesh of your waist as he held you close. it was dark in the after party room so he made sure to keep you secure to his side so that he wouldn't lose you in the crowd.
there were a bunch of celebrities that attended their recent show scattered around the room, but he didn't care for them. not when he had you on his arm. plus, he didn't really like these after parties that much - he'd much prefer to be on the tour bus cuddling with you.
feeling unimpressed with the party, he turned to you to feel some comfort. when he saw how you were just taking in the view of everyone, he leaned down to kiss you, surprising you at the sudden affection. but soon, the both of you were just pressed against the wall of the room and blatantly making out with each other. his raven hair was messy by the time you two pulled away from each other and that knowing smirk of his was proudly plastered on his face.
the next morning, the internet were ripping law into pieces for still being in a relationship with you despite having access to as many beautiful women, handsome men, and alluring people that he could have wanted. he was a talented, well-known name in the scene with a handsome face and charming demeanor. he could have had anyone. and some were frustrated, for some reason, that he was still with you.
five years going strong in your relationship wasn't enough for the press to believe he was satisfied and completely settled down with you, for some reason...
he groans the moment he sees the headlines, throwing his phone to the mattress and turning into your side to be comforted by you once again. the only person capable of calming him down still remains to be only you.
"love you," he says against your skin, making you laugh at the sleepy confession.
"love you, too, law. you know i don't care about the stupid shit they say," you comment, making note of how tight his arms were around your waist.
he doesn't acknowledge what you say, only peppering more kisses to your bare skin.
rockstar ! law . . . kinda perfectly fits the rockstar bf aesthetic to a T. he's wearing the leather jackets and the other staple fashion pieces that scream "rockstar boyfriend." it doesn't help the way the clothes so perfectly fall into place on his body. he enjoys matching with you too, even if your aesthetics may not match. if he's wearing a heavy jewlery piece, like a necklace, ring, or bracelet, he buys a matching one that you would like and would be able to style. he doesn't mind discarding his iconic leather jacket for you if you are feeling cold. and of course, he's attentive, protective, and caring for you (and only you) - perfectly fuelling the fantasies many people have of that "rockstar boyfriend persona"
law was not known for being hot-headed. there were never any stories of him giving customer service people a hardtime, or of him trashing hotel rooms like many others in the same genre as him were guilty of doing. his overall attitude was off standish, but polite.
with a slight difference whenever he was seen with you. still off standish and polite, but specially doting and careful when he is with you.
his arm is always slithered around your waist or shoulders and he is always seen attentively listening to whatever it is you're rambling about. his eyes focused in on you, and only you, show that he is blocking out the rest of the world and listening to you intently.
the way he almost, kind of, definitely glares at people that interrupt your time together before he softens his gaze the moment you catch him making faces and scold him. he's completely wrapped around your finger, despite his seemingly intimidating and threatening persona, he's complete mush with you.
his leather jacket was thrown over your shoulders as he protectively stood behind you. tonight, the two of you were at the bar and watching the live performance of the local band of the town you were in. due to your begging, he agreed to get off of the counter stool and dance and sway to the music with you.
his arms are resting in front of you as he holds your hands in his, completely engulfing them with the size difference. the jacket around you is practically drowning you as well.
he's rocking you back and forth, occasionally leaning down and pressing a kiss to your cheek and whispering sweet nothings to you. your cute moment unfortunately comes to an end though. some drunkard knocks into the two of you and spills their entire pint of beer on you and your clothing.
your first reaction is to take off law's jacket to spare it from reeking of the beverage, but law's first reaction is to push you behind him and size up the guy that knocked into you.
"the hell is your problem, man?! it was an accident!" the man defends himself when he feels threatened by your boyfriend.
law's one hand is holding your own, wanting to make sure you stay close to him some way, while the other is clenched at his side to form a fist. noticing how he was very close to landing a hit on the idiot's face, you pull him back by his shirt, "c'mon, people are staring,"
"don't care, this guy has got his head so far up his ass," law simply says, genuinely not caring at all that people were looking at him as if he were crazy.
"law, let's just go," he turns his head to you, his gaze softening as he turns.
he waits a couple seconds before speaking in whispers, "do you really want to go? i can just take care of him-"
"i do, really. let's just go, babe, it's alright, it was an accident," you continued trying to convince him.
"he could've done it on purpose, he could be a complete, total asshole,"
you laughed at his reasoning of giving the guy a lesson, shaking your head, "let's just go and get out of here."
law doesn't seem satisfied with having to let the guy go without any reprecussions, but if law is anything: he's a boyfriend that listens to his boyfriend.
so he walks away with you close by, tight grip on your hand, and silently cursing the asshole the entire ride home.
rockstar ! law . . . very casually dedicates the most romantic, sensual, loving, etc. songs to you when he is on stage.
"this one is for the man standing at side stage, waiting for me,"
"i've been with the same idiot for 5 years now and this song is for him,"
"this is [name]'s favorite, by the way. so if you don't like it, you can fuck off,"
rockstar ! law . . . who doesn't understand the way some fans really idolize your relationship. he loves you a lot and he's glad that they're accepting of that fact, but why are people on the internet asking him and you to adopt them...? or why are they calling the both of you their "daddies"? he's confused. he at least pieces together that they're being supportive, but he doesn't truly understand what they mean when they say stuff like "i wanna go to paris" underneath his posts of you and him on his instagram.
rockstar ! law . . . whose favorite audience is still you. he loves playing his guitar for you, just in the quiet of your room (when you're finally home for tour) and with you on the bed with his strumming as background noise to your reading, or whatever hobby you commit to.
his fingers move with such familiarity he can easily take his eyes off of the neck of the guitar. he looks at you with such love and care that it would make any onlookers vomit at how sweet he was being.
the song that he was playing was faintly resembling "can't help falling in love" by elvis, with his own personal twist. the moment you recognize the chords and notes, though, you look at him with a deadpan expression on your face.
he smirks, tilting his head, "what?" he'll ask with that annoying knowing look on his face.
"you're so cheesy," you comment with an eye roll.
"oh, don't be an asshole now,"
"not being an asshole, just being honest!"
law puts down the acoustic guitar, walking over to where you were and planting a kiss to the top of your head. clearing his throat, he begins to mimic the singer with exaggeration. it spurs you into laughter at his impression, which he only grins wider at. your laugh still remains his favorite sound in the whole world.
this soft side was only shown behind closed doors with you. and you liked it that way. no one else got to see your usually intimidating boyfriend with his walls completely down. how sweet and doting he actually was. polar opposite to that persona he put on whenever he walked onto those grand stages.
he was just yours right now.
and as he leans down to press a passionate kiss to your lips, you can smile against his with comfortability. and warmness spreads throughout both of your chests as he smiles back.
and finally, rockstar ! law who definitely gets your name tattooed somewhere on his body. probably on his hands or arms tbh because that is the most visible body part of his that gets photographed and noticed due to how he plays the guitar. that way if anyone wants to take photos of him in his element, they'll see a small part of you that he carries with him everywhere.
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I Still Feel You
Wanda Maximoff x GN! Reader/Wanda Maximoft x Vision
Warnings: Angst. Smut. Fluff. Reader has a penis.
Taglist: @ginnsbaker @lockndkey
18+ MINORS DNI
Y/N and Wanda were high school sweethearts. They were each other's firsts, although one time spent together resulted in Wanda getting pregnant. So the two ended up married and parents before graduation. Y/N went to work with their father at his business instead of going to college. Learning tricks of the trade of being a contractor.
Although the strain of early unplanned parenthood resulted in resentment as Wanda was unable to follow her dream. Always wanting to become a famous writer. It wasn't until after the divorce she started to take classes at a community college during the time the twins were in school.
That was where she met Vision, someone who had the same dreams and passions as herself. The two soon became romantically involved, going on dates on the nights the twins stayed with Y/N. Even as the years went on, Vision then proposed to Wanda. Vision came from a poor family and he was shocked to learn that Y/N and Wanda had purchased the house when they were 22. Trying to weasel his way out of having a prenup, although Wanda was pretty firm in her decision of having one.
"Come on Wanda! You can't do this." He yelled as he followed her through to the kitchen. "We don't need a prenup."
"Yes we do!" Wanda yelled. "This house may be in my name but it belongs to the twins and I will be damned if on some level we do get divorced, you will not be taking this home from under their noses!"
"Come on Wanda. They have Y/N." Vision reasoned as Wanda scoffed. "Let them stay with them and then you and I can maybe sell up and we can use the money to travel." At that time, Y/N had come back with the twins. Sending them both upstairs to their rooms.
"You will not be selling this house." Y/N stated as Vision scoffed. "This house is also still in my name and belongs to Wanda and the twins. Not you."
"I am her fiancè. You should respect me when you're in my home." All Y/N done was laugh in his face as Wanda sent a quick text to her brother.
"That's funny. You should do stand up." Y/N said when they calmed down. "This isn't your home. The only things of yours that are under this roof are your clothes. Nothing more." Within record time Pietro arrived and rested his hand on Y/N's shoulder. "Everything in this house is Wanda's and Wanda's alone."
"Vision just leave." Wanda stated as she slipped her ring off of her finger. "It's done."
"You can't be serious!" He boomed as Y/N stood before Wanda protectively.
"Deadly." Wanda told him, her stance never faltering. "We're done." She pushed the ring into his before she disappeared upstairs.
"This is all your fault." Vision seethed as he turned to Y/N.
"It can be my fault but we all know it's yours." Y/N stated as they leaned against the wall, looking at their nails. Little did they know, Wanda was packing everything of Visions as he tried to coax Y/N into a fight.
"You have always been in the way." Vision snarled. "Wanda was never fully mine because she still had you."
"She will always have me." Y/N said as they stood up straight, stepping closer. "I will always protect my family and Wanda is my family. We may be divorced but I will always love her the same." With that Y/N left, leaving Pietro and Vision alone. Wanda soon came down after she threw down Vision's clothes.
"That's all of your things." Wanda stated as she followed the bags. "I'm sure I never missed anything but if I find something, I'll be sure to throw it on the fire."
"You can't do this." Vision boomed as Wanda nodded.
"I can and I am." She stated as she went to get herself a drink. Pietro followed Vision to his car, watching as he drove off.
"Are you ok?" Pietro asked her.
"Where's Y/N?" She questioned as Pietro shook his head.
"They left while you were upstairs." He informed her. The two heard the front door open, both thinking it was Vision coming back to see Y/N with their toolbox and new locks.
"I figured you'd want your locks changing." They told her as they got to work.
"I'll take the twins tonight." Pietro stated as he disappeared upstairs to get the two 12 year olds.
"Thank you." Wanda spoke softly.
"It's no trouble Wanda." Y/N stated as they concentrated. Wanda disappeared to make some coffee as the twins hugged her and Y/N goodbye. Pietro gave Y/N a smile and a small thank you before he led the twins to his car.
"You don't have to do this." Wanda told them as they finished and closed the door. Giving Wanda the new keys.
"I know." They told her as they gracefully took the coffee from her. "But when I said my vows. I meant them. Every word."
"Y/N." Wanda whispered as her heart beat hard and fast inside of her chest.
"I'll always protect you Wanda. You're still everything to me." Y/N confessed as Wanda blushed, hiding her smile behind her cup.
"I still feel you." Wanda blurted out as Y/N headed to change the back door lock. "I just, I still feel you with me. I know we haven't been us in a very long time but I still wish there was still an us. Without the resentment. Without the hateful words."
"I never resented you Wanda." Y/N confessed. "There was never a moment I resented you. Being with you and the twins was always a dream of mine. Yes it was early, years too early but I loved every moment of being with you. Raising those boys together, but I could also see the pain in your eyes. The regrets and dreams you had so I figured stepping aside would be the best option for us and the boys."
"Y/N." Wanda whispered as she approached them. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." They shrugged with a smile. "We wouldn't be the people we are today without the time apart."
"I love you." Wanda whispered as Y/N turned away. "I am still in love with you. I just hated the person I was becoming. The hate I felt towards you then. The thoughts I had in my mind. I hated it because I love you. I still do."
With that being said, Y/N turned back to Wanda, kissing her with such passion. A sensation neither had felt in many years of being apart. The feeling of two broken pieces coming together again.
"I never stopped loving you Wanda." Y/N whispered before Wanda pulled them into her again. They pushed her up against the wall, their hands running up her sides. Remembering her body like they had never been apart for so long.
She gasped when their hand went underneath her shirt and caressed her skin. Their tongue dancing with her own. The familiar feeling was overwhelming to say the least. Especially when Wanda pulled her shirt over her head before she pulled Y/N's off. Moaning at the skin contact she had been deprived of for years.
Y/N's hand reached under her sweats and underwear, fingers running through her folds as she moaned into the kiss. Y/N relished in feeling her body react like the way it used to. Applying pressure on her clit as they sucked and kissed her neck.
Wanda was in a state of pure euphoria, a feeling she hasn't had in many years. Y/N knew her inside and out. They knew what made her tick.
"More." She breathed as she felt their index finger tease her entrance. "I need more." They moved from her neck and looked at her face. A soft smile on their face as she moaned in pleasure.
Her face may have aged a little but she was still the same person they fell in love with. The one person who they seeked comfort in whenever they had a hard day.
"Please." Wanda groaned as she tried to fumble with their own trousers. Failing miserably. "I need you Y/N/N." The old nickname slipping from her lips. Y/N helped her rid them both of their underwear. Lifting her up by her thighs, Wanda gasped at their strength. She knew how strong they were, she just hadn't been in the midst of it in years.
The two moaned when they inserted their length into her gaping hole. Wanda lifted their face from her collarbone. Kissing them sloppily as they thrusted their hips. Wanda's head rolled back against the wall as her eyes closed in pleasure. The feeling was one she had soon realised she had missed dearly.
"Fuck Wanda." They groaned as they went harder and faster. "I've missed you so fucking much."
"I missed you." Wanda managed to speak in between moans. Getting closer to her first orgasm in years. "I'm close." She moaned as they continued their movements. Reaching their own high. The two climaxing together, holding onto each other for dear life. Their bodies melded together in sweat as they came down from their high.
"I love you." Wanda whispered as Y/N kissed her tenderly.
"I love you too." Y/N smiled at her. "Do you have the morning after pill?"
"I'm on birth control." Wanda stated. "Vision wanted to try for a baby and I didn't want one." Y/N grabbed their clothes and started to dress, as did Wanda. "I guess I never truly saw a future with him."
"Who do you see a future with?" Y/N questioned as Wanda took a deep breath. Unafraid of the answer she had knew all along.
"You." Wanda stated. "It has always been you. I was stupid to think otherwise but I want to try again. We are older than before, wiser."
"We can start with dates. Get to know each other as these knew people." Y/N agreed as Wanda smiled. "We can start a fresh. The four of us. You, me and the twins can be a family again. In time."
Wanda only sealed it with a gentle kiss. A future full of possibilities for the family they had created together. The family they would always be.
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All the Good Girls Go To Hell 18
Warnings:Β this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsession, power imbalance, injury, and other possible triggers.Β My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.
This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.
Summary:Β You come home for the summer but your break is not as relaxing as you expect.
Character:Β Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers
Note:Β this week has been a week!
As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. Iβm trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3
Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I havenβt forgotten those!)
Love you all. Take care. π
You steer along to Naomi's directions, hesitant as she has you turn towards the mall. You're pretty sure this isn't the right way but you have no idea. You just assumed they all lived in the same suburbs.
"Um, Nay?" You roll slowly between the rows of cars, "is this a shortcut or something?"
"Pfft, nope! We're going shopping. We need something cute to wear to the party."
"Shopping?" You frown, "I don't... have money."
"I do," she wiggles her phone, "the miracle of technology. I still have all the cards on my cell."
"Oh, do you think that's a good idea?"
"Look, we can't show up looking like this," she whines, "besides, it'll be fun. Girls' day!"
"Mmm, well, I'm fine in what I'm wearing," you shrug as you look for a spot.
Her phone lights up and she quickly reads the screen, blacking it out and rolling her eyes. She flips down the visor and checks herself in the mirror as you strain to see around her. You turn into an empty spot and roll up the windows.
"You have to get something extra cute. It's not about the boys, alright? It's about us."
"Sure," you say, letting your seat belt repel as you stare across the lot.
You still can't believe it. You're effectively homeless and Naomi doesn't seem to care. Well, she's used to the uncertainty by now, you can understand now how it made her so erratic.
You exhale. What else can you do? Wallow in reality. The distraction might do you well. No wonder she's always up to something. Anything. It's not pointless when the important things are so scary.
"Come on," she nudges you, "I wanna dress you up!"
You peek at her and give in with a nod. You grab your purse and fix your glasses. Anything to waste time, not that you're looking forward to anything.
She leads the way down the aisle of cars, almost skipping. You can't decide if she's compartmentalizing well or hopelessly optimistic. You drag your soles up the tarmac as she rushes ahead to the mall doors.
Inside, the crowd makes you want to turn around. Something about seeing the families clustered together and the teenagers hanging off each other makes you feel even more out of place. They all have somewhere to go after this. Ugh, how quickly it all dimmed to gray.
"Alright," Naomi hooks her arm through yours, "let's find the shortest dresses in this damn place."
"Nay," you huff.
"You're gonna rock it. Trust," she giggles, "you always look so sexy." She leans into you, "and tonight, we're gonna get lit."
βοΈ
Hours spent traversing the mall and your feet thrum. The day is far from over. As you drive down the cul de sac you dread the finish to the long day. A party. You're not a party person and the last one you went toβ¦
Yikes.
Naomi has her seat belt off before you even stop. You shift into park as she reaches over to hit the horn, honking up at the large house. She trills and gets out, grabbing the bags out of the back as she watches the door expectantly.Β
You climb out on your side, lingering nervously as she heads towards the winding little walkway to the steps. The door opens as she gets to the bottom. Harry greets her with a smirk and a wink, opening his arms.
"Kitty cat," he purrs, "funny seeing you here."
"Whatever, Harry," she chirps, "don't act like you weren't waiting for me."
"Mm," his eyes flit towards you, "didn't tell me you were bringing a friend."
"Two for the price of one," she lets him kiss her lips, "you know how⦠he is. Fucking nightmare. We need to let loose."
"Bring any goodies?" He looks at the bags in her hand curiously.
"No drinks," she pouts, "sorry, baby."
You slowly make your way up the walkway and hide behind her. You feel like an intruder. You wouldn't have let her bring you if you knew you weren't invited.
"It's fine," Harry says as he backs up, "Peter'll be here. Him and Gwen are on the outs again."
βBoo. Soβ¦ can we come in or what? We gotta get all thotty for the party.β
He scoffs and waves her inside. You trail a few paces back and give a sheepish smile. He hardly seems concerned with you as he watches Naomiβs ass. Right, youβre not expecting much tonight. Really, you donβt know what to expect.
βCome on, sweetie,β Naomi looks over her shoulder as she struts on, βletβs get you dolled up.β
βοΈ
The lilac sheath overlaid in indigo and silver sequins is much to scant to your liking. When you tried it on in the store, you swore you'd put it back. Naomi insisted and put it in the basket before you could argue.
The dress is even skimpier than you remember, or maybe itβs Naomiβs insistence that you skip the bra. She didnβt like how the straps peeked out under the narrow purple ones. Youβll be spending most of this occasion with your arms crossed.
You hear voices as you follow her down the hall. You feel ridiculous. She spent too much time prettying you up and it doesnβt feel like long enough. The one thing she couldnβt convince you of is to leave your glasses behind. The last thing you need is to be stumbling into strangers.
βHarry,β she squeals as she takes you through the open sliding door into the backyard. Thereβs a folding table lined with colourful shot glasses and a cooler underneath. There are several guests already milling about and gabbing noisily. βThere you are.β
She saunters forward and you stay stuck to the ground as you watch her sling her arms around Harry. He lets her and puts his hand on her lower back. They kiss, long and sloppy. You knew it wouldnβt be pretty with Naomi sipping vodka while she got dressed.
βHey, didnβt know you were coming,β a voice shakes you from your worry.
You look over as Peter steps up. A reddish curl hangs down his forehead as he grins at you. He wears a striped short-sleeve button up and teal shorts. His muscled chest peeks out the top as he holds a red solo cup.
βHow about a drink?β He offers.
βI donβt knowββ
βSort of the whole deal here, to have some fun,β he says, βshe sure will be.β
He glances across the yard as Naomi hangs off of Harry, his hand now firmly on her ass. Oh, yeah, you donβt know why youβre disappointed. You cross your arms and turn back to Peter. You catch his eyes flick up from your chest. Great.
βUh, sure, why not, Iβll have a soda.β
βSoda andβ¦β he tilts his head coyly.
Your furrow your brows, βcome on, specs, live a little,β he grabs your hand and you teeter as he tugs on you. You give in if only to keep from tripping over your own toes. He takes you to the long table and grabs two of the shot glasses, presenting the neon jello shots with a devilish grin.
βLetβs start with the appetizer.β
You accept the orange one. You examine it. Youβve never had one before. It jiggles as you move the glass.
βGo on,β he clacks his glass against yours and raises it, swiftly dumping it in his mouth.
You sigh and do the same. One shot wonβt hurt. Itβs sweet enough and mostly cool. You can taste the alcohol for sure but itβs not awful. You put down the empty cup and gulp down the melting gelatin.
βMmm,β you hum through your full mouth.
βAlright, so whatβs next? You want a cooler? You a beer girl?β He bends and flips open the cooler.
βReally, thatβs good for meββ
βRaspberry lemon twist,β he pulls out a bright pink can, βthat seems like a you drink.β
He holds it out. You stare at it. He still has his red cup in his other hand. You reluctantly take the can. He looks at you until you crack the tab open.
βThanks,β you murmur.
He winks and takes a drink from his cup, βbetter catch up,β he pulls the brim back, βoh, and before I get obnoxious, I should tell you how good you look.β
βUh, thank you,β you take a tentative sip. Itβs not bad, stringent but palatable.
βYou seemβ¦ grim,β his smile falls, βwhatβs up?β
βNothing,β you lie.
βLook, Iβm not looking for a therapy session but thereβs obviously something going onββ
βReally, itβs nothing,β you crane and look for Naomi as you hear her giggle.
βAh, yeah, trouble follows her around,β he says, βshe can take care of herself. Itβs a party. You need to let loose. Youβre wound so tight, Iβm sure you could use it.β
You turn back to him, βnot to be rude but what do you care?β
βWell, Iβm going through a break up. Again,β he looks into his cup and swishes around the contents, βand I need to get a little bit loose myself. So, you and me, weβre sticking together. Think youβre the only one here who doesnβt know Gwen so, yeah.β
βAh, got it,β you say dryly.
βNo, get it,β he insists as he pokes the bottom of your can, βletβs go, sunshine. Get messy.β
You let your eyes fall back to the top of the can. What is the point in staying sober in a sea of drunk idiots? Youβre done being the wallflower and youβre done tiptoeing around. Itβs one night and youβre not going to spend it thinking about Steve or your mom.
You lift the can and gulp from the top, stopping before you can choke. You cover your mouth and swallow painfully, holding back a bubbly belch. Peter chuckles and empties his cup.
βThere we go,β he encourages you, βI knew you had it in you.β
βοΈ
The world is slanted. You feel light and heavy at the same time. Your vision is hazy at the corners and each step is uneven. You have your arms slightly out as you make your way across the room.
You fall onto the sofa next to Naomi as Harry talks loudly beside her. As usual, sheβs in the middle of the crowd, enjoying the limelight. She looks over as you jostle her and she slumps towards you.
βHeyyyyyyy, youβre here,β she says as if she forgot.
βMmm,β you withhold a hiccup, βyeahβ¦β
She smiles and reaches up to pet your cheek, βare you drunk?β
βLittle,β you admit as she caresses your face.
βSheβs blitzed,β Peter perches on the armrest on your other side, βtold her not to keep pace with me.β
βWhatever,β you blather, your tongue clumsy as his chirping piques your irritation. βYouβre the oneβ¦ giving me drinks.β
βAw, babe, youβre silly,β Naomi preens as her hand tickles down your neck, βPete, Pete,β she hisses as she waves in his direction, leaning over you, βdoesnβt she look fucking hot?β
You grab the hem of your dress, remembering how short it is. She flutters her fingers down the strap and gropes your chest. You swat her away and squeal.
βYou should see whatβs underneath,β Naomi slurs.
βNay,β you catch her hand as she tries to grab you again.
βWhat? Why are you being like this?β She snips, βshe sleeps in my bed and now sheβs acting like a little prude.β
βNaomi,β you exclaim.
βI made her cum, you know? She was whining and whimperingββ
βNaomi, stop,β you beg as her other hand crawls back up along your cheek, βshut up.β
βWhy, baby? Iβm being nice,β she looks at you with her glassy eyes. Sheβs so drunk her head wobbles. βYou like it when Iβm nice, donβt you?β
She leans in as you hear Peter snicker. Before you can stop her, her lips are on yours. You wriggle helplessly and push on her shoulder. She slips her hand behind your head, keeping you pinned between her and the couch as her other hand creeps along your thigh. You hear others oohing and awing at her scene.
You whine and shove her as hard as you can. She recoils with a gasp as she wipes the slobber from her lips. You canβt believe what she just did. You know sheβs drunk, and you are too, but you donβt understand why sheβd do that.Β
βAh, come on, that was fucking hot,β Peter growls.
βYeah, that was sexy,β Harry agrees, βgo on, girls, letβs get the full showββ
You grunt as you shove yourself up to your feet. Itβs difficult to get them under you as your head swims dizzily. You feel Naomi try to latch on but you swipe her away. Peter pinches your ass and you yipe as you stumble and hurry away. Whatβs going on?
You stagger across the room without looking back. Are they following you? Whereβs your phone? You have to call your mom. Youβre scared.
You find your cell outside and find your motherβs number. You stop from pressing down on the screen. You canβt call her, she hates you.
You clasp your cell tight and wade through the shadows around the house. You sidle through the tight space between the fence and the siding and come out to the front lawn. Your car is blocked in by a bunch of others. It doesnβt even matter, you canβt see straight, let alone drive.
Your phone flashes suddenly and you answer without checking the screen.Β
βHello?β You garble as you walk aimlessly along the driveway.
βHey, sweetie, you okay?β
βDad?β You utter as the deep voice surprises you.
βNo, honey, itβs me. Bucky. Iβve been calling youββ
βBuckyβ¦β you mope, βno. I wantβ¦ I want my mom. I want my dad, please.β
βDoll, where are you?β
βI donβt want to talk to you. I know what you did,β you close your eyes and push your lip out.
βSweetheart, whereβs Naomi?β
βNaomi?β You repeat, βsheβ please help me.β
Your legs fold and you sit in the gravel. You canβt move. You donβt want to. Moving means you need to think and youβre all out of thoughts. You donβt know where to go or what to do. Youβre trapped here in this suburban hellscape. Drunk and dumb and desperate.
βAre you with Naomi?β He asks as you hear a jingle on his end.
βSheβs here,β you admit as you hang your head.
βAlright, sweetie, stay on the phone,β he says calmly. The even keel of his timbre comforts you, despite everything, despite his lies, his certainty eases the swell of nerves, βhow are you feeling? Why donβt you look around and tell me something. Find something red for me.β
βRed?β You sniffle.
βYeah, like I Spy,β he says, βfind something red. Make me guess.β
βUm, uh,β you stutter and look around, βalrightβ¦β you hear rustling, a soft click, and footsteps. Heβs moving but you donβt know what heβs doing, βI seeβ¦ something red,β you focus on the lawn gnomeβs cap, the round-bellied figurine standing in the garden.
βAlright, is it somethingβ¦ big?β He asks.
You squint and focus on his question. Hm, itβs not very big but compared to the flowers, it is. Ugh, you donβt know. Youβre too drunk.
βDoll,β Bucky urges, βstay with me. Youβre gonna be okay, I promise.β
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What will change after the 14/10/23 eclipse in Libra? PAC tarot reading
Hi loveliessss! I have basically spent 2/3hrs on this reading because the energies are just insanely INTENSE today!ππ This reading will cover the changes that will come into your life after today's eclipse but also cover what's been happening in the present.
βThis eclipse is in the sign of Libra and alignment with the South Node of Destiny, so we may be releasing outdated perspectives and bringing in new ones β particularly in relationshipsβ
How to choose a pile: Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Ask the universe if there is a message that you need to hear right now. You may either hear a number or be drawn to a pack once you open your eyes!
If the message doesn't resonate then it may not be for you.
β‘ Private readings and extended readings are available - Check out my Ko-fi (Exclusive Eclipse reading available over the next 24hrs)
ππππLET'S GET TO ITππππ
Ok so my dear pile number 1, as soon as I tried to tune in with your energies I felt my hands go really cold and my chest go warm. The picture chosen for this pile is perfect because thatβs how I felt as I connected, the air is cold and the temperatures have dropped but your heart is warm and there is a cosiness in the air as winter approaches. As the cards started to come out, suddenly I was surrounded by noise and I started to panic a little bit. This tells me (even without any cards) that there may be a lot of people in your life right now trying to speak up and share their opinion uninvited and you need to tell them to take care of their own business instead of worrying about yours. Also the songs βI was happy for a whileβ by Blackbear just came to my mind.
"Cause when I think of us, I always seem to smile
'Cause I was happy for a while, I was happy for a while, yeah
And sometimes, love will leave you even when it's right
But I was happy for a while, and I don't know how I'll smile again"
Ok, letβs get down to the cards and see if we can make sense of all of these messages that I am getting with the help of the cards ahahaha
2 of swords, the devil, 5 of pentacles, 4 of pentacles, page o cups and 6 of cups
You may have had to make a very hard decision in regards to love, this can be romantic love, friendship but also family! You have made a decision recently ( in the past month) that took a toll on you and it was a very hard boundary for you to add to your life. It seems like this past relationship could have cost you a lot?! Whether it is time or money, and you didnβt want to be bound to this person in a way that felt unhealthy and one-sided. However, it could be that you have been keeping these things a secret from those around you and because no one knows what truly happened, an what this person truly did to you, they are all trying to drill some sense into you or just making a lot of noisy about a situation that they know nothing about. This has been painful for you because you still care a lot about this person, but you know it is best right now to add some distance to your relationship. This eclipse is going to allow you to shut everyone down! It is going to enable you to tell others to back off and focus on yourself again and your own opinions and needs instead of feeling pressured. This is likely to have been an ongoing cycle in your life which you are finally getting rid of after this eclipse. Itβs time to focus on connections that allow you to shine instead of those that keep you isolated. If people from the past try to come back into your life, embrace them with open arms instead of being scared. Reflect on the connection of the past whilst enlightening them on the person that you have become. Friends come and go, but they can always come back after.
Pile 2 my lovelies! As soon as I connected with your pile, I felt very nervousβ¦or anxious for what is to come.Β I also felt a strong pain in my neck and my head. Whatever it is that you are worried about, itβs not worth you sacrificing your physical well-being over! Itβs time to take care of your emotional well-being instead and you will see that things will fall into place a little bit better. I feel like a star is being born with your amazing energy right now - you are finally becoming who you are meant to beβ¦can you feel it? Do you see and feel the changes that have been happening? I donβt know but today music is just coming to me?! So the lyrics that came through for you are Up&Up by Coldplay, in particular:
βSee a pearl form, a diamond in the rough
See a bird soaring high above the flood
It's in your blood, it's in your blood
Underneath the storm an umbrella is saying
"Sitting with the poison takes away the pain"
Up and up, up and up it's sayingβ
The empress, the sun, the fool, 6 of pentacles, 9 of cups, 2 of cups
OMG I WANT TO CRY - ok ok. You have been sitting with blame and feeling guilty for way too long. Do you think that sitting with guilt will make it go away? Do you think that you deserve to be in pain because of things that you probably havenβt even done and arenβt guilty of doing? No!!! Being in this pain is not helping you at all nor is it helping your situation. Little star, this eclipse is going to be your breakthrough. It is going to be your chance to shine bright and the universe is going to throw you back into your destined path because you are worthy of so much more than you are letting yourself experience right now. You have so much light in you and you need to find it. Be more spontaneous and focus on doing the things that you want to do - there is no wrong answer. Right now you only have yourself to blame for the way your life is - but you donβt even deserve it! You are guilt-tripping yourself out of success and even love. Within the next year I feel like your soulmate is going to come into your life so you need to get back on track to success. Protect yourself and your energy, sometimes taking the first step is enough, you donβt need to complete the whole journey straight away. Allow things to fall apart right now and trust that nothing can touch your energy apart from yourself. Choose to protect your energy.
Ahhh I had to take a break before starting pile 3 because pile 2 really killed me energetically! Ahahaaha, but so welcome everyone to pile 3 and thank you for being here! If I was going to describe this pile with 1 word it would be - HOPE! You guys are all hopeful and may recently have started wearing either warmer colour or warmed-toned colours and surrounding yourselves with these colours too. However, there is a lot of coldness as well surrounding you and it feels like you are trying to be hopeful regardless of all of the bad things that have happened and most of them do seem to be in regards to your love life. Your song my dear pile 3 is IDK yet by Alexander 23, in particular, the lyrics:
βHow can you miss someone you've never met?
'Cause I need you now, but I don't know you yet
But can you find me soon because I'm in my head?
Yeah, I need you now, but I don't know you yetβ
7 of wands, 5 of cups, 2 of cups, 2 of pentacles, 2 of wands
Pile 3, my heart is crying for you, I am not sure this is recent, it feels like itβs been ongoing for years to say the least but you have been hurt so much in the meanest ways imaginable. I feel like you invest in relationships and in people very easily - almost blindly. You invest everything that you have and you easily imagine a future with these people but thenβ¦they all somehow end up disappointing you which makes you wonder if itβs you? Why do these people keep disappointing, is it you? What are you doing wrong and how can you change it? You are starting to be hopeful about romance again though, trying to get out of the hopeless energy and hoping knowing that there is someone out there for you. If this is not romantic then you may still be on the lookout or a platonic soulmate who wonβt stab you in the back. After this eclipse, you will be able to find the balance between giving too much of yourself away and hiding away from new people. You have not been able to balance yourself yet but after today it will come easily to you and you will allow yourself to move forward and get rid of that cold energy around you - choosing instead to leave it in the past.
All the loveπ
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Okay about Beast sskk; because I realized I've got a very definite picture of what the Beast post-canon is like that is only in my mind and I never actually put down, so here we go. Very needed content warning of sickeningly fluff and Beast sskk being disgustingly in love with each other, I suppose.
After Dazai killed himself, Atsushi is reasonably tormented, and can't sleep at night. Roaming across Yokohama late at night, he always ends up at Akutagawa'sβ instinctively, unconsciously, to an extent even unwillingly. He doesn't choose to, it's more about countless nights unable to sleep spent wandering with no destination and still always finding himself in front of Akutagawa's place for some reason. Akutagawa somehow always knowing when it's going to happen so that he can face him before Atsushi has time to hesitate and run away. How they don't really need words or explanations most of the time, how for Atsushi knowing that there's another person who understands is enough, and everything he needs. How before Atsushi realizes it (and thus keeping him from trying and prevent it), Akutagawa's house has become the only place where he can fall asleep.
That's how they start living together before even being together. They might not even have an actual βgetting togetherβ moment, you know? The development of their relationship is so natural and spontaneous, it was meant to end that way from the beginning. Besides, Beast sskk don't really need words between them, so... I suppose an actual confession, albeit nice, would be almost superfluous.
Soon enough they move together to a small apartment near the ada (I'm assuming Atsushi has still enough money saved from his old job). Against popular belief, with time it kind of crystallized in me the idea that Atsushi wouldn't join the ada? His life to that point has constantly been doused by violence and pain and death, he deserves a long break to cope with all the trauma; throwing him right back to another environment where he's constantly pushed to fight and use his ability would not do any good to his mental health; especially when he's got such a conflictual and hating relationship with Byakko, even worse than it is in canon. I wasn't kidding about the house husband thing. Beast Atsushi stays home and chills down and is safe and away from all major sources of stress and triggering environments. Slowly, with time, he goes out more often, gradually relearns what normality is supposed to be like, and bit by bit all his traumatic experiences get more distant, and the nightmares more rare. Akutagawa follows up with his ada jobβ obviously! There's a whole deal in the end about how important it is for him to keep doing his job and trying to be good. I do believe the ada is the right place for Akutagawa. He returns home to Atsushi who always welcomes him with warmth and joy, and they cuddle a lot.
But I also believe that there would be times when Atsushi is required to go back to action and fightβ he's not a member of the ada and he doesn't work for them, but it's obvious that when the ada is in danger and Yokohama is facing serious threats, the guild and the rats and ultimately the doa, the times will call for his intervention. He usually comes to help or rescue Akutagawa, a trump card of sorts. And it's endearing, how Akutagawa is always the one, even among the ada, most contrary on getting Atsushi involved, how he wants to protect him and keep him away, how more than anything he wants him to be safe. As for Atsushi, I really like the concept of this man who retired from action, that spends most of his time at home or chatting with the seniors in the neighborhood, who joins the fight only when the situation is most desperate and reveals himself to be the most powerful and destructive beast to have ever walked on earth. He reluctantly fights, and together with Akutagawa they end up saving the day for everyone, because as Dazai himself said nothing can stop the both of them together.
On the other hand, when the world isn't ending Atsushi solves that very specific role of crime drama protagonist's husband who's very supportive of their partner and listens to them ramble at home about their cases. He often offers useful insights on how criminal organizations work.
Atsushi didn't replace his collar after it broke. They're barely visible under his turtleneck, but he has now wrapped bandages in its place: to hide his scars, to keep the memory of Dazai with him everywhere he goes, to remember what he's lost but also what he's gained.
Ah, and when it comes to the fight against Fukuchi, Atsushi is the one to die for Akutagawa, of course.
Headcanons that directly contradict something stated above but that I still like:
Sskk get together after six monthsβ it's got an ironic taste to it, the timestamp their canon counterparts set to kill each other now being the time they declared their love to each other. It's so soon, but also is it really? They immediately clicked the moment they met each other, and they were always destined to be. At that point, there's no one in the world they need more than they need each other.
In case of Atsushi still wearing the collar for some time after the canon events: sskk had their first kiss when Atsushi took the collar off for the first time. Ever since Dazai died, Atsushi is haunted and unstable; he's throughout scared of taking off the collar, terrified by the idea of hurting someone unintentionally, now that Dazai can't be there to controll him (both through his ability and by the general power he used to have over Atsushi's psyche). Akutagawa sees how much Atsushi is physically hurting, and insists on him taking the collar off; they fight over it for months (verbally, for the most part, except for a couple of times when the fights become physicalβ but without abilities), before Akutagawa finally manages to convince Atsushi to take it off for a few hours. When they're alone, because after months of being persuaded, Atsushi can trust Akutagawa to be able to defend himself; and also something about βyou would never hurt meβ. Thing is, when Atsushi finally takes it off, he quickly spirals into a HUGE panic attack, not able to trust himself not to harm the people he cares about; and the only person around is Akutagawa, and he cares about him deeply. The tiger is taking over, and Akutagawa is panicking, and he's desperately looking for a way to quickly ground Atsushi so he just. Kisses him. Which effectively works in the way it immediately distracts Atsushi, as well as causes him to zone out for several minutes. Akutagawa immediately apologizes, and then panics again when Atsushi doesn't answer for a while. It's kinda cute. After that, Atsushi gradually learns to take his collar off more and more often; this time, he can really trust that, if Akutagawa is with him, everything is going to be okay.
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Forbidden || Meet The Characters - Natasha Romanoff
No Warnings | 0.6K
Forbidden Masterlist
Hi there! I'm Natasha, Yelena's older sister. I have a place in Drybellow where I run an orphanage for young girls. I'm sure Yelena has told a little of our back story and why I have this orphanage, so I won't bother you with more details on that.Β
I house 16 girls from ages 6 to 20. These girls have nowhere else to go, these are girls who have run away, girls in trouble and girls who's parents couldn't look after. I do my best; I have a small background on basic medicine, so I am able to treat them correctly when they need it. I educate them and teach them things a woman in this world should know. I'd do anything and everything for them.Β
We all live together on some land, well, you'd probably call it a small ranch. We grow our own fruits and vegetables, and we have some animals. Everybody helps out and has their own chores to do before they go off and do their own thing. I don't like to make them feel like they need to work to keep a bed here, when they are ready, I help them find a job and a new home to stay at. Most girls will write and give me updates on their new chapter of life and others like to come back for a visit.Β
Some of the older girls and I like to knit things like blankets and clothing for new-borns, that's one of the ways we make some money to help keep this place running. Gardening is also something we all do, the younger girls love planting anything they can find so our home is full of orange, yellow, red, and purple plants. I like to try and keep the younger ones more entertained, long walks around the small, wooded area near the ranch, walks along the coastline, painting when we get some supplies, playing in the mud, enjoying their freedom and letting to be children is important to me.Β
Every single girl that comes into my care will leave with the skills they need to care for themselves, look out for themselves and make something wonderful of themselves. But enough about that, I'm sure I've just bored you with all that information.Β
As for me, I like doing many things. I do a lot of reading, mostly books that teach you something. Cooking, I love to cook! I've taught the girls how to fish and sometimes when the girls go on a walk, they'll bring back a dead rabbit for me to cook. When my days aren't spent looking after the girls, I'm usually trying to keep track of where Yelena is! We have a system; she is to write to me when she's off catching outlaws and if she doesn't, I'll go looking for her. That's if I don't hear from her within two weeks.Β
I don't do all of this by myself though. I have to thank Maria Hill for being such a rock through all of this. She has been with me since I told her about the idea of buying this old, broken and run down property and turn it into something beautiful. She helps with everything, looks after the girls as if they were her own, we both do. Without Maria, this place wouldn't be possible.Β
Well, I won't chew your ear off any longer! Feel free to write us a little letter, we're the ranch closeted to the railway station in Drybellow! We would love to hear from you. Stay safe out there!Β
~ Natasha, Maria & the Girls of Black Hill Ranch.
Taglist: @madislayyy | @riveramorylunar | @teganmiller | @kyleeservopoulos | @yelenaslyubov | @kacka84 | @lesbiarmy | @meurgen | @caporal-nino | @sl-ut | @scarletwidowblackwitch | @dogtamer415 | @mousetheorist |Β
If you want to be on the taglist for this series, please see the masterlist. It's link at the top of this post.
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Never have I thought... Last Twilight turned out to be that good that I would like to write not prediction and not bl-related things, but about a thing we all know so damn well - family.
There're two types of comments that makes me sad:
about Day's mother not understanding Day and his love
about Day hating Night too much
I've already written about my parents getting divorced at the same age of mine as Day was. But what if I told you that I also have an older brother, stories of father cheating on mother and a mother always busy with work?..
Take a seat, dear readers, thank you for your attention, I'll try to make it easy to read and maybe put some pictures. I'll tell you what's real in this series and why my heart hurts for all of them!
First of all let me tell you why Day's father hasn't become a problem and later Day even talked to him nicely. I mean REALLY NICELY. The answer is lack of feelings in Day. You can't hate person you barely able to love. You can't be hurt enough by someone you barely remember.
That man cheated on their mother, that man didn't provide his own two children even with food, but all of this exists as a story once told to Day. He loves the idea of being kinda loved by his biological parent, because we all want to be wanted and needed, but the father we've seen in that last two episodes is a stranger we're all getting to know with Day.
Let's leave this man living his life full of regrets and talk about Day's mother. She is THE MOTHER. As we know she discovered being cheated when Day was three (or maybe earlier?), left her propably hometown and spent another two years dealing with a need to divorce. Night was around ten or even less that time. She was maybe thirty. No food, no money and only three of them as she mentioned when giving Mhok a house tour.
And Day's mother actually survived and even succeed. I like the actress chosen for this role. She's beautiful. She looks gorgeous every time we see her. She also must be smart and charismatic to be a famous chef. And still there're only three of them. After around fifteen years (or even more) this absolutely stunning woman is still a single mother of two.
This woman made a fortress that supposed to keep safe from any heartbreak. And this fortress has it's rules.
Have you heard anything about Night's girlfriends? He's already mature enough to have a girlfriend or even a wife. And do you understand now why I think that the fear in Day's eyes everytime Mhok flirts with him at home probably has very little with a sexual orientation?..
The whole family has TRUST ISSUES. Their mother is their leader of course.
So you say that the mother with her trust issues (and social status and financial stability) should understand that Mhok loves her son. Okay, Mhok for her:
Young man, something around the age of her older son. Spent a year in prison. Has no relatives. Is an employee in her house. Didn't talk to him much.
Now tell this woman she needs to be happy her younger blind son is dating Mhok. And wants to be with him. Live together, have his own family. After all these tough years when there're only three of them and the reason for that was her being cheated by someone she loved. Tell her to trust in love. Tell her she needs to trust Mhok.
You can tell this woman to get therapy and then talk to her son(s) and you will be absolutely right. However people usually don't act right when dealing with their strongest emotions and I can't imagine this woman being less than heartbroken in the next episode.
Also need to say that being a single mother of two sounds like a choice between spending time with children and spending time making money for these children. And it's true. I also blamed my mother for not being in my life when dealing with different sh*t.
I was being bullied for a year and all my mother did was making me to change school after the year ended. She never been there when I was coming home with eyes full of tears. Oh, and before that year I even had an accidental (not car accident) eye trauma. Yeah, really, I'm not lying. My eye never recovered fully and I spent a week with a vision similar to Day's one. But it's okay now. I was around twelve back then.
So what about Night? Don't you think Day hates him too much? It's not a big deal to use Night to get to Songkhla and just not speak to him there at all, right? Why being so dramatic?
I remember a couple years ago my older brother was asked by my mother to help me with some renovations in the apartment I live in. That night we argued that hard that I left my only home in the whole big city and refused to come back until he left it. It was around 5AM. I spent that night in a park.
So if you think Day can't be mad at Night after that car accident without more valid reason, you need to ask yourself what Day felt for Night before the accident. And the simplified answer is love.
It's only the closest ones that can hurt you the most.
It would be really nice to know more about Day and Night's childhood, teen years. I'm sure mother always told them they need to be together and help each other and be kind to each other. The boys for sure was annoyed, but they care of each other so damn much. The goldfish "Little Day" is still alive after all.
After such a betrayal from a man mother can only trust her sons she raised herself. She taught them to trust her, to trust each other. That's why Night used to be the main caregiver for Day. He was the only person the mother could trust as much as she trusts herself.
Meanwhile Day learned that the only way to have some mother's time is to be the better son. Maybe his mother can't be with him regularly, but she wil definitely come to see him playing, right? Day and Night managed to compete for mother's time and attention without even realizing it.
I actually tend to tell everyone that my mother loves my brother more, even though I try to be less troublesome and more mature. I even complained to my friends about the need to take care of my older brother like he's the younger one.
I feel something like grief looking at Day's family. Their relationships and their personalities are like an aftershock of something happened years ago. And maybe it's not even a divorce.
Time actually heals. For Day and Mhok and Day's mother's relationship this time will start the moment she will be told about them. For Day and Night's relationship this time will start the moment Day get a stable zero vision and start learning to live in a new reality. I also hope we won't get eye donation from father/brother/mother/Mhok or I won't trust screenwriters ever again.
The family needs to see each other. And for that they actually don't need eyes.
If you're reading this you're my hero!
Thank you so much for reading this brainrot. I questioned myself whether all of this needs to be written, but decided to spit my thoughts out. Sometimes these writings help to analyse not only the characters, but myself. That's good.
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What do the M6 spent an exorbitant amount of money on? So much so that it could be considered an addiction? (Doesn't need to be expenses related to the MC, but could be.) I feel like for Lucio it would be Furry Comissions (regardless of whether or not you want to set the hc's in a modern AU or the regular story).
The Arcana HCs: M6 and their shopping weaknesses
~ a request from my wonderful fantastic mutual @helshollowhalls ? Anything for you, friend! Enjoy the madness - brainrot ~
Depending on how the two of you like to split your duties, it may be more or less frequent for you or your beloved to shop alone. Most of the time you don't have to worry too much, they're an adult! They know what they're doing.
Until they creep into your shared quarters one evening, oozing both excitement and guilt as they hide the results of their errands behind the door. "MC, you wouldn't believe what I saw for sale in the market today."
Julian
He's standing almost like a soldier, chest bared and feet braced for your reaction, arms folded under his cape behind his back
"What did you buy, Julian?"
He's not ready to answer your question. "I have it in good faith that it may one day prove essential to saving someone's life."
He's really getting into character now, and you're beginning to worry
"What did you buy, Julian?"
"A rare instrument necessary to my practice! A scientific breakthrough! Behold!"
And with a grand flourish, he pulls out a feat of engineering that seems to be an obscure medical instrument. Fair enough
"So what does it do?"
You watch him deflate like one of those car dealership tube men at the end of the day
"... I don't know."
"And how much did you spend on it?"
He clutches it to his chest protectively. "Does it matter? I'll figure out a way to use it eventually! Maybe it pairs well with leeches!"
Asra
You can't tell if they're grinning or grimacing, but their dimples are out and they're almost sparkling with excitement
"They had so many options, MC. I've never even heard of most of them before!"
He can see your eyes widening as Faust tips over the duffle-sized bag behind the door, slithering over the piles of packages that pour out across the floor
"How much did you spend, Asra!?"
"Not as much as I could have, and only my own money. They had sample packs!"
Now that their secret is out, they're excitedly unwrapping every bundle and disappearing in a mountain of paper and twine
Faust seeks refuge on your shoulder and the sheer diversity of smells filling the room are making both of you a little dizzy
Small bottles of perfumed oil, tiny pots of lotion, mini candles and twigs of incense cover every surface of the room
All the candles and incense are lit. Every tester is being applied in random patchwork
He got over 50 new scents and he is thriving
Nadia
She feels a little guilty for going without you, but she's so excited to have been part of your world like this
She went to the central marketplace
And she got everything suggested to her
Because who would know better than the people selling what she needed to get?
Two menservants are bringing in the multiple bags she brought back in the carriage while she goes over each thing with you, excitedly repeating their sales pitches
She's halfway through the second bag, telling you all about her new gilded mop holder when you finally interrupt
"Nadia, my love. How many things did you get?" You're holding your breath, hoping the question doesn't burst her bubble
"Oh, nothing extravagant. You should see the shipments that come in for palace events! We'll go back together, my darling, and we can do a proper shopping trip then."
You do go back together, and this time you steer clear of the salesmen taking advantage of her inexperience
Muriel
He's peeking around the door of the hut, and you can tell by the set of his eyebrows that he is embarrassed and has no regrets
You smile up at him, walking over to greet him after his trip into town
And the door swings a little further open to reveal his cloak, stuffed to the brim with something that keeps cheeping
He's got the squirming mass wrapped protectively in his arms, slowly kneeling to lower it to the ground
And from the depths of his clothing burst a tidal wave of baby chicks, spreading out to cover the yard and sending the chickens already present into a ruffle of squawks
"Muriel, how many are there?!"
" ... twenty-four. The pet shop had them with the kittens and puppies and," he pauses to peek at your face, "chickens are different. They wouldn't be happy in the city."
The ground is yellow. Inanna has turned into a sulky, wolf shaped jungle gymn. Muriel watches quietly. "Did I do the right thing?"
"Yes. But they are your responsibility."
Portia
You see the way Pepi perks up and Portia moves to guard the giant paper bags she's holding, and that's how you know it's food
You pick Pepi up to protect the goods and take a closer look. The two bags are each nearly the size of your beloved's torso
"Portia, what small army are we feeding!?"
She drops them on the table, flicks a stray crumb from her sleeve, and deflects Pepi's swipe at the pastry that tumbles out
"Ok so don't be mad, I may have overspent just a teeny little bit, but she was a traveling baker from up north! And I had to try some!"
"And then?"
"And then we started talking about baking, and she gave me a discount so I tried one of everything, but I didn't want you to miss out so I got two more of everything for us to eat together!"
You're not sure what to say. It's a lot of food
You end up inviting the Palace bakers to enjoy it with you (they'll be able to really appreciate the technique) and eating lentil stew for the rest of the week
Lucio
You're having flashbacks while he fidgets in the doorway. This used to happen every time you let him do the shopping alone
In his defense, nobody ever taught him to budget. His job was to hunt his food or eat his rations until the old Count took him in
But you two have been working on it together, and he's gotten pretty good at making and sticking to a list and limit
Which can only mean one thing:
"It was so shiny, MC. I know I made an oopsie, but look at it! It goes on my arm!"
It's a jewelry piece that he's clipped to the grooves on his gauntlet. It's not that big, so you can't see how it's an oopsie unless ...
"Is that an emerald? Is that real gold!?"
He nods excitedly. "Don't feel bad, MC, I got you one too! Now we match!"
It's beautiful, but, "Lucio, where did you get the money for this?"
"Next week's budget." He sees your face and grabs your hands. "But don't worry! I did the math, and I already found a job to cover it."
This man is going to be the death of you
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Soulmates
This is a story prompted by random photos that I requested, sent to me by the following kind folks - @beardobession @guytransformedforever @tf-vigilante @dumb-and-jocked @mylifeforeva-blog @usb-cee @sjw-publishings - and inspired by a post I saw months ago that I'd like to link to, but I think it's been taken down :( I'll keep looking for it though.
Hello, my name is Evan. This is me:
And this is my boyfriend, Paul:
He's super hot, right? Obviously. There's just one thing. I'm super into muscle, and he is a little lazy. That stubble is sexy, but he only has it because he hates to shave. And of course, he hates to go to the gym too. But get this. I have the power to change the future. I can't change everything that results from a decision that I make, and my magic speeds the process along, physically and mentally changing whoever I use it on to make their life a better match for what I've requested.
That's why I've been a little nervous. I love Paul. I don't want anything to change except this ONE thing. But I've spent too much time scrolling through Instagram lately and seeing post after post from ripped dudes just rubbing it in my face. I think it's time.
WHEN PAUL WAKES UP TOMORROW, HE WILL HAVE THE UNCONTROLLABLE DESIRE TO START EXERCISING AND GO TO THE GYM AT LEAST ONCE A DAY
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Hi, I'm Paul:
I can't explain it. A couple months ago I woke up with this uncontrollable urge to start working out. I started lifting weights every single day, feeling gains at an unprecedented rate. I would cool down afterward with a dip in the gym's pool, but soon I found that the pool wasn't enough and started taking up scuba diving at my local beach club.
Have you met my boyfriend Evan? He's super adorable, and he loves me so much. But I get so lonely when I'm at the gym without him. But here's the thing. I have the power to change the past. I can make a decision about something in anyone's past, and their present will shift to accommodate my change. But there's always a ripple effect. More changes than just the one thing. It's a whole butterfly effect sitch, you know? So... Should I do it? You know what, fuck it.
EVAN BECAME OBSESSED WITH GOING TO THE GYM RELIGIOUSLY WHEN HE WAS BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL
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Hi, I'm Evan:
Don't be intimidated by how yoked I am. This is what comes from a lifetime of hard fucking work, my dude. You'll get there if you just put your head down and commit! But here's the thing. I love that my boyfriend Paul and I can be gym buddies and fuck in the showers after a pump. I love licking the salt water off his skin.
But if I want to get serious about entering a bodybuilding competition next year, I need even more time at the gym that I can't afford. Both of us spend way more time here than we do at work. But I think there's something I can do about that.
PAUL WILL GET A MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE JOB STARTING TOMORROW
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Hey guys, I'm Paul:
A couple months ago, I got an offer to start doing Let's Play videos for one of the top YouTube channels. They discovered I was really good at it, and I started making money hand over fist. I'm so proud to be able to support Evan's bodybuilding dream. He was even able to quit his job and pursue it full time!
I don't get to the gym quite as often as I used to, but I still have a pretty nice body, if I do say so myself. But here's the thing. As I spend more and more time online, I've kinda started to become obsessed with anime, k-pop, and all kinds of Asian pop culture. I've started jerking off exclusively to Asian porn stars. I don't want Evan's life to change too much... but what if my fantasies could become a reality?
EVAN'S PARENTS ARE FROM ASIA
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Nice to meet you, I'm Evan:
Sometimes, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I can't help but admire myself. I've always looked like this - good genetics, you know? But sometimes I feel like when I get an unexpected look at myself, I'm seeing an entirely new person.
That couldn't be possible, though. The only new people that are created around me are created BY me. Speaking of... I love Paul so much, but I was raised in such a buttoned-up family that sometimes I'm a little frustrated by how polite and gentle he is. I want to be a bit of a rebel. I want someone just a LITTLE edgier who doesn't fall asleep in front of My Hero Academia on the couch by 8PM. Should I...? I should.
PAUL WILL STOP CARING SO MUCH ABOUT BEING POLITE
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Hey motherfuckers, I'm Paul:
God, my life has gotten so much better since I stopped giving a fuck and got back to the gym more regularly. Sure, the YouTube channel dropped me when I wouldn't stop swearing on mic and showed up wasted to record a couple times. But life is so sweet, man!
Except for one fucking thing. Evan can be boring as shit sometimes. Like, dude needs to take a chill pill, stat. Or... What if he'd taken that chill pill a long time ago? Shit, almost forgot what I could do.
EVAN GOT REAL INTO SKATING WHEN HE WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH
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Sup bros, I'm Evan:
God, it feels so good to rest my feet after a day at the skate park. But my Black Ops game keeps getting interrupted when Paul keeps wandering in giving me a puppy dog face and asking me to do tequila shots with him, then flipping me off when I say no. I think he's had one too many today, he keeps acting like we're boyfriends or some shit.
I mean, look at me. Do I look gay to you? Ew, now he's on the couch, trying to wrap his arm around my shoulder. Ugh, he's the worst roommate ever. You know what, if he wants to act gay, I can fuckin' help him.
PAUL WILL REALIZE HIS ONE DESIRE IS TO SERVE ME
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Hiya neighbor, I'm Paul:
Don't I look cute in this? I always want to look cute for Evan. I know my roommate is straight, but sometimes if I clean extra well he'll let me blow him. I know I look a lot different than I used to, but it's hard to find time to get to the gym in between doing Evan's laundry, making him breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and keeping the house just the way he likes it.
He has a girl coming over tonight, which I'm not looking forward to. But if I'm a good boy and stay quiet in the closet all night until she leaves, he says he'll give me a reward. God, I'm gonna be hard all night imagining exactly what it's gonna be...
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s2e5 rewatch notes
Ah, "Pop" - it's so weird to have one of the least-satisfying episodes of television you've ever watched be sandwiched in the middle of one of the most satisfying television series you've ever seen.
"But the viewer uneasiness, the juxtaposition, that's the point of the episode!" cry future Storer/Calo** in unison, tearing at their shirt collars and throwing themselves prostrate in the middle of their 7th podcast interview moderated entirely by men "in the spirit of John Hughes, we wanted to convey....."
** For the record, I respect/love them for creating my 2nd favorite TV show of all time, they just grind my gears with the offensive stance on these narrative choices that were, in fact, very bad.
It was an over-reach, an unenjoyable viewing experience for most people outside a specific segment of uncritical (mostly white) men and the women who placate them.
Alright, preamble over - let's dig in!
We open with Tina getting a crash-course in Syd's vision. I bet this woman has never been exposed to breaking food down in the abstract - "earth, air, fire, water" , nor the overwhelming prep of the daikon and the fennel - but her just being like "this is a lot for a tasting menu" and then reassuring her with "it's okay ma, I got you!" - she has my full heart.
Tina's intuition on the food is good, though - it is, in fact, too busy. Sydney is still learning how to be a mentor, and she negates that Tina's background isn't automatically going to make her know what a play on an XO sauce is, or even how to identify a panzanella.
Remember Carmy explaining Japanese plum wine to Marcus? That's how you do it. Sydney still has a learning curve to go through, but Tina will weather it gangbusters.
Sydney - "It's a lot, it's a lot...I'm seeing that its a lot"
I see that iterative recipe development between Carmy + Syd fell into oblivion three weeks earlier when he blew her off, and she's suffering greatly.
Carmy is trying to get the 7 seconds down to 5 between stations when Cicero comes in, and Cicero sees it as a fruitless exercise after Natalie points out that he's been at it for over an hour. I can almost see the flash in Carmy's eyes where we're back 5 years ago, his family seeing him and his work as weird and irrelevant. This was probably the first blow of the day that led him to flake out completely.
I'm including all of Cicero's dialogue here, because I didn't realize it was so weighted on my first pass through the show:
"I'm a little concerned that we're taking our eyes off the ball here, and I want to be hyper-clear - if I ain't seeing no progress, I don't want to keep pissing money away. I'm calling this out now, because we are - How far from open, Sug? - Six weeks! And I somehow anticipate that the coming six weeks, there will be more pissin'.
The thing is, I like to control the pissing to the best of my ability....your schedule is kinked. You're doing whatever the fuck you're doing here. Thundernuts is out there making sandwiches for his entire family? I mean, look, as much as I look forward to selling this place - and trust me, I do look forward to it - I think it's just in all of our best interests if we have a maximally efficient place of business. I really would like to tell you a story of complete and utter failure...."
Syd interrupts.
Holy shit - this is the second time he's tried to tell his Gonzalez/Bartman story. I can't believe I missed this, TWICE (s2e1).
Instead, he tells it to Carmy on opening night - and I think by then Cicero has seen the writing on the wall and knows that Carmy is the only person who really needs to hear it - this is a big CP.
The scenes that follow just reinforce Ciceros current narrative - it's too casual for essentially being a House of Usher - everyone is interrupting, Fak's pal/contractor wandering in eating a sandwich the electrician made him, the drywall falling, Timmy's "no worries, it's still billable hours" crack. Mobster uncle or not, the man has already spent $550k just to witness this.
Tina telling Ebra that it's weird she hasn't spoken to him in a few days, and can't recount the last time that happened - it's amazing that with all the talk of platonic relationships this season, no one is pulling this one out of their hats in comparison *smirks*
But again (like Sugar faux-charming Cicero moments earlier). women be managing men's emotions along with their own lengthy lists of challenges, as the men retreat wounded and overwhelmed.
Cut to Syd perfectly laying out dining wares for Carmy while Fak blathers about 'Can't Hardly Wait' being "the greatest High School Song ever written" while his contractor friend sits idle....
"That's $55 a plate for that silence" - "Okay, then we can use the shitty ones" - Carmy is being so frigging childish and dismissive, right after he called Sugar "fucking disgusting" for being cutesy with Cicero to de-escalate him, but both women are doing what needs to be done - not what they WANT to be doing.
This is when Carmy completely checks out to call Claire for the ridiculous errand run to Winnetka. In my memory, I felt like "oh, he wanted to see her and he took the first opening to bail", but watching this episode now, he feels defeated and infantalized, and so he runs to a guaranteed source of flattery/unchallenging comfort. I don't think it was initially his M.O for the workday, just "later".
He exits with "Um....chaos menu. I dunno? I'll get back to you?" after we already watched Syd suffer on it until the wee hours - he's off to provide himself with amusement and enjoyment, so he can take care of Syd others- he just wants to give the menu to her straight-up (as he thinks this will please her), and this is his way of apologizing for bailing.
The same goes for his non-thank-you to Natalie as he's leaving. "You're not doing this because I'm pregnant, are you?" - No, he's doing it to provide himself with amusement or enjoyment so he can be better for you - enjoy working the entire day at the restaurant pregnant, though! If it makes you feel better, he appreciates you.
"Total Control" by Motels is playing as Carmy and Claire drive to the suburbs - I included the link to the lyrics, because it was an....interesting choice.
I really tried to analyze their conversation during their first foray into the car, but my raw scribbled notes look like this:
"It's perfect timing, I had all this extra adrenaline after resetting this guys Tibia" - screaming
"Whoa" (but not really impressed/getting it) "Does that shit really fire you up?" - oh my god
"It really fucking fires me up. Plus, I love driving. I'm a horrible driver, but I love the risk." - oh my fucking god
I can't do it. I'm sorry.
I'll only note that the chemistry during the envelope drop is non-existent. I think it was supposed to be scripted as a funny/awkward scene, but it just came off as two actors standing in a mail room - before this moment, I never perceived JAW as a guy who's just acting in this show, and it's jarring.
Why the hell didn't FX exert more pressure to get the chemistry read they asked for?
Sydney and Natalie's sit-down is just them acknowledging that they're managing the feelings and work of all the men that orbit The Bear, on top of the extensive labor demands they already have. Richie's interjections due to lack of purpose, Fak's inexperience with managing contractors, Carmy being checked-out and incapable of participating in things that don't rely on his existing ADHD skill-set.
One of these women is a bit green and needs support, the other is pregnant and overwhelmed, and all the men are mad or threatened by them for one trite reason or another - if season 3 isn't an overt celebration of female competence and resilince, I'm out.
"The menu is fucked - and I need Carmy, but he is....being Carmy, somewhere."
"At least he's hanging out with Claire, that seems moderately healthy, right?" - Sugar delivers this as not good, not bad, just completely ambivalent - a far cry from the Fishes discourse.
And Sydney's eyes fire up with the intensity of hell behind a smile and the "who's Claire?" - Ayo is such an amazing actress, that was a nice palate cleanser after the letter drop.
OK, we're back in the car - again, I couldn't extract much from the vapor, but here are some rough-hewn observations:
Claire saying "We've hung out so much, but we've never actually talked" - add it to the list of "telling, not showing".
I wonder if Molly Gordon is truly a great actress and intended to look at Carmy like that while he was talking about drawing pants (intense psychoanalysis eyes) or if she was attempting to look dreamily at him and just failed the assignment.
It's becoming a bit more clear to me that there's a weird brother-oedipal thing going on with Claire when Carmy talks about how she had so many friends, as Mikey did.
"Speaking of dead brothers, do you want to go to a party?"
Ignoring the totallykookycoolgirl line, I don't believe Carmy wanted/needed the tension to break there, he actually wanted to talk. The 'hmmmm' he lets escape is discomfort on multiple levels.
The party scene - "Pretty in Pink" by the Psychedelic Furs plays as they enter a house filled with 35-year-old fraternity dudes.
For those who maybe missed this, John Hughes also wrote "The Breakfast Club", wherein Molly Ringwald's character was named Claire. They just beat us over the head with this regression repeatedly, and I resent it. I came here for a high-caliber show, and I feel like I'm watching Zach Braff disassociate in a Scrubs dream sequence or some shit.
At least KJ (a 38 years old man with meth face) says that Carmy was in wrestling with him back in high school - maybe this will tamp down the "why is a chef so ripped" debate.
Even when Claire is comforting her friend (which is played by Mitra Jouhari, Molly/Ayo's friend in real life), the delivery is so wooden and sterile and not how adult women console one another in crisis.
Maybe it was the fact that she was forced to maintain the whispery voice through it for consistency in Carmy's presence, but even that seems out of sorts - imagine Syd, Tina, Sugar, anyone consoling a friend in a similar situation - and she uses that consolation to further her agenda with Carmy by dropping that no one has ever made her dinner before (at age 30???)
"Am I stupid?" "No, no....he's the one who sucks".
Wait, these are the lines of a very adult woman who has friends who are doctors getting over a 5-year-breakup? This script is stupid.
Jeremy Allen White is such a serious actor, I'd kill to hear his earnest drunk take on this.
"He's so nice. Why don't I ever meet anyone who's nice?"
*sighs deeply* - Again, y'all are 30.
Tina taking a shot and then getting up to sing "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender. I'd love to know if this song has a massive place of significance in Tina's life, but I choose to see it as her being a ballast of support for whoever needs her. Her heart is completely open - no notes.
Hold the phone - they chose "Here Comes The Night" to play as Claire is staring back at Carmy and comforting her friend leading up to the fireworks scene?
Here are the lyrics - Van Morrison/Them is great, but I wonder why they picked this song? Feel free to slap the Syd goggles off me, but this literally just chased Tina's ballad about being there when someone breaks your heart.
KJ saying "busted for having fun, busted for having fun!" as the cops are hauling him away. Loga....I mean, Carmy, was looking for "fun" in his life - I feel like this scene summarizes that pretty succinctly. He's not a man searching for fun, he's a man searching for meaning....and now he's going to conflate the fact that he's completely touch-starved with this type of fun, because the man is emotionally illiterate.
The one lyric from Strange Currencies (when they're driving to the restaurant) that they chose to flare prominently is "where were you when I kissed you" - at least they're driving home the message that these two aren't on the same wavelength.
Carmy walking into the Richie-fight-shitshow and being more concerned about the optics Claire receives when it's obvious that his whole staff has just been through a hellfire of a day, ugh. At least his acting chops are back on display in this scene.
Ahhhh, Claire's sourpuss face as soon as Sydney blurts out "I'm sorry you're here" - it almost makes this episode worth it. Almost.
For the record, I side with everyone who's stated that her introduction to the crowd was exclusively to draw Syd's attention to her.
The same goes for Richie's "Interesting." - if we based everything on what Fishes was trying to sell us, he would have thrown Carmy an arm-punch or something. It's more bemusement, not pride, in Carmy for "bagging Claire". Compare that with the "ooooooooohhhh" when Syd and Carmy are fighting - there's way more tension/acknowledgement of their dynamic.
Ugh - even Richie is like "Cousin, who's going to watch the copper?" as Carmy kicks everyone out. Even if they're ham-fisted about it (as Richie definitely is), everyone is concerned about something to do with the restaurant/their labor except for Carmy, who curtly dismisses them all with fake gratitude.
I won't talk much about Syd's exit, because it's already been discussed to death - yes, he's confused she's leaving. Yes, the only time he can look her in the eye is while Claire is distracted. Yes, he see's she's pissed and it's making him die a little inside.
I will offer a trite story, though:
When I was a young pup, I had a co-worker who had a massive crush on my friend - and the affection was mutual, but unacknowledged due to lack of experience.
He (being a traumatized, ill-equipped man-child) immediately sought out a less challenging girlfriend who even looked like a close approximation of my friend and excitedly brought this new girlfriend to a party I was throwing because he REALLY hoped that my friend would love her. She obviously didn't love her, he came to me confused/upset, and after I explained things slowly and carefully, he dumped the girlfriend a few days later. He dated my friend weeks after (and for transparencies sake, it ended terribly).
Where I'm going with this is that I think somewhere in the recesses of Carmy's damaged mind, he REALLY needed Syd's approval of him being with Claire since he was caught red-handed. He imagined her staying, asking leading questions or chaperoning the situation, or giving him a knowing smile or a "thata boy" - whatever. Even though he told everyone to leave. It's bizarre.
The Fak thing is so cloying - someone mentioned today about the Berzatto clan of fools wanting to live vicariously through Carmy and Claire, and they are 100% correct.
Finally, 30-year-olds don't kiss like this.
This whole thing was as unsatisfying to write as it was to watch. Hopefully, I caught something of use - thanks for sticking with me through this!
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Notes: What will Bilbo's reaction be when he discovers that someone has bought his house without him knowing?
Warnings: Bilbo x gn!reader; a little scary with a little plot; soft angst; SFW.
Bag End was a peaceful place to live, the hobbits were friendly and rarely started fights, the grass was green, there was a sparkling lake behind the hill, there were no wolves or dragons around... It was all the peace you needed after so many adventures. All the gold you got throughout your life, you spent to buy that house at the top of the hill, it was a difficult bargain, but it was worth it. The house was beautiful and huge, the coziest den you've ever been in, with round windows that allowed you to see the entire length of Bag End.
The house was perfect, the only problem was that strange things happened. First, your paintings kept falling off the walls, then you started losing things that were right under your nose, they suddenly disappeared and appeared in another place you hadn't left them, but the strangest thing was when started knocking on the door in the middle of the night and whenever you went to see there was no one. You tried to ignore it, coming up with an explanation for everything, hobbits love jokes like this, they must have just been trying to scare you into laughing a little. But the problem was when you started hearing footsteps and voices inside the house when you were sure there was no one there but you.
One afternoon, you were in the living room reading a book when you heard a loud bang coming from the kitchen, as if all the pans had been knocked over at the same time, glasses were being knocked down one at a time, the sound of glass breaking gave you goosebumps, but as soon as you arrived in the room, ready to catch the person who was tormenting your days, you were floored by the vision you saw. There was no one in the kitchen and there wasn't a single cutlery on the floor, all the dishes were stored in the cupboards and drawers as you had left them, was it all a figment of your imagination?
- Who is doing this?! Show up! You don't scare me, I'm not leaving! - you said, turning around and looking everywhere.
- This is not your house! - an enraged voice shouted from behind you.
When you turned around in fright, you found a small hobbit, wavy red hair and an angry face staring into the back of your eyes, how did he get in? Where did he hide? Or how did he pass by without you seeing him? And better: who was he?
- Who are you?
- The real owner of this house, Bilbo Baggins, and I should be asking who you are, intruder!
- I bought this house! I'm not an intruder! Get out of here!
- You get out of here! Now!!
Bilbo screamed and the walls and floor shook, you felt much smaller than the enraged hobbit, the residents of Bag End were usually peaceful, but that man seemed different, something told you that you had no idea what he was capable of.
- Look, there must have been a misunderstanding, I spent all my money to buy this house, and it was completely empty when I entered, I don't know if they lied to me, but if that was the case, they deceived us both.
- Sackville-Baggins, they must have been the ones who did this, those damned gold-thirsty... - he looked away from you and cursed under his breath.
- ... Well... And what do we do now? I have nowhere to go... - you started, afraid of irritating him again.
Bilbo was silent for a while, he shook his nose and walked past you to the living room, still silent, you followed him and when you arrived he was already sitting in an armchair with his back to you. A cloud of smoke beginning to form on the ceiling from the pipe he was smoking, the fireplace crackling in the background. He was fast.
- Bilbo...? - you called and he sighed.
- I don't know, it's not fair for me to kick you out when you were as deceived as I was... - he thought a little more and you waited - Stay, the house is big, we can share - he looked at you and smiled, now looking like a hobbit very different from what you had meet.
- Thank you, Bilbo.
[...]
The days passed and, to your surprise, it was very easy to get along with Baggins, after the anger disappeared, he revealed himself to be very friendly and kind, he committed himself to helping with the tasks and was very attentive, you never imagined you could have such deep conversations feelings with someone you had just met, but with Bilbo it was so easy, it was so comfortable to talk to him, you soon developed a deep affection for him.
- I never wanted to share my peace of living in Bag End with anyone, so I find it very interesting how you ended up becoming an extension of that feeling, and not a division, Y/n - he told you one night, a little before of you sleeping, taking you by surprise.
- You also brought me peace, Bilbo... - you smiled at him and, without thinking too much, kissed his cheek - ... Thank you for everything.
- Good night, Y/n - he said with the happiest smile you've ever seen on his face.
The next day you woke up early, Bilbo was already in the kitchen making coffee, you managed to get close enough in silence to scare him with a hug, he smiled when he saw it was you.
- Good morning, sleepyhead, did you have good dreams? - you confirmed without opening your mouth, still sleepy - I know you're sleepy, but can I ask you a little favor?
- Say...
- We ran out of nut cakes and I don't even have flour in the pantry to make another one, could you buy it at the market? People don't like me and the more I avoid them the better I get - you laughed and stretched.
- Okay, I'll go, but don't start eating breakfast before I get there! - you demanded.
- No way! - he joked.
At the market, you stared at the cakes in the window, unsure of which one to get while the bag of flour weighed under your arm. You didn't like nut cakes, but Bilbo did, so here you were.
- Can I help you? Oh! These were baked this morning, would you like to try a piece to choose? - the baker said.
- Oh no, it's not for me, it's for Bilbo, I don't particularly like walnut cake.
- For whom? - the baker asked with his eyebrows now drawn together.
- Bilbo, Bilbo Baggins, he's still living in the house on the hill - you were confused when the baker turned pale.
- I'm sorry but you must have been confused, as Mr Bilbo Baggins died decades ago.
- What? - now it was you who was confused.
- Yes, that's why the house was for sale, I don't know why Sackville-Baggins didn't keep it, as they always wanted it, but Mr. Baggins passed away and his grandson moved out, so the house was empty.
You left the bakery without saying anything else and without buying any cake. It wasn't possible, surely the baker had gotten confused, you had just spoken to Bilbo, touched him, he was making coffee in your kitchen, you were sharing the same house, how could he be dead? You entered the house, opening the door with force, causing it to slam against the wall announcing that you had arrived, the sound echoing throughout the house.
- Bilbo?!! - you called.
The house was silent, nothing, no one responded. You dropped the bag of flour at the entrance and started looking for the hobbit, the house becoming almost a maze for you. It seemed like every time you called his name it was like you were denying the reality that haunted you, it couldn't be true. When you entered his room, the room you left last, without even bothering to knock on the door first, it seemed like the truth was forcing you to accept it. He was gone. No, he had never even been here with you.
When hot tears came to your eyes, looking at the now emptier room, an item caught your attention, it was a red book on his desk. You picked it up and read the title: "There and Back Again". When you opened it, a small piece of paper that was inside fell out and landed on the bedroom floor, near the trunk. You took it and the tears finally fell when you read what was written.
βYou were my best adventure, Y/n.
Love, Bilbo."
It was the only proof you had that everything you had experienced was real and not a lucid dream.
Sorry for any typos;
Buy me a coffee?
October Calendar;
Masterlist
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Quality Time - Mammon
Masterlist
You can also find this posted on my AO3!
Mammon had noticed you had been rather... off, as of late. You weren't as talkative, seemed tired almost all of the time and spent most of your time huddled away in your room.
He didn't like that. He missed you coming straight from class and jumping into his arms and kissing him, telling him about your day or funny things that happened to the rebellious clowns of your class.
You were stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted.
Now you'd just walk with him, attentively listening to what he has to say but not really responding.
-
Mammon knocked on your door, earning a sleepy "Yes?" from inside the room.
"It's The Great Mammon~" He sang, wriggling the door handle, smirking to himself.
"Come in, babe."
He opened the door and slipped inside, making his way over and plonking himself next to you on your bed.
"You okay?" He asked, gently stroking your hair out of your face and tucking it behind your ear.
"Mm... I don't know..."
"Well, you're nappin' a lot more and a lot longer than usual... not to mention you've been actin' different when I come to meet ya after class..."
He was now stroking the top of your head, "I'm worried about ya, darlin'..."
A lazy smile crept onto your face, "I know, baby, I've been kinda worried about myself too... Life's just getting a bit overwhelming y'know? All the media, news stories, motivation..."
Mammon listened intently, whilst grabbing your D.D.D. from your bedside.
"Mammon, what are you doing?"
"Muting things."
"Wh-"
"You need a break. Get up, have a shower, get dressed- do whatever ya need to do to get ready and meet me at the entrance, okay?" He placed your D.D.D. back on your stand, and swiftly left the room before you could speak.
You sigh with a smile, shaking your head slightly before kicking your sheets off and heading for a shower.
You were feeling fresh after your shower and decided to leave your hair slightly damp due to the lovely, sunny weather. When it came to putting on some clothes, you chose a light dress (or shorts and a tank top for my readers that don't like dresses!) that would keep you cool in the summer breeze and a pair of converse in a complimentary colour.
You wandered downstairs to the entrance, seeing Mammon stood waiting for you. He wore his signature yellow glasses, with a plain black tank top and white shorts; he was holding a small bag, interesting you.
"There ya ar-" He stopped at the sight of you, "[N-Name]... you look..."
A smile graced his lips, "You look stunnin'!"
You took his arm, "Thank you, sweetie. Now, what have you got planned, and what's with the bag?"
"S'for me to know and you to find out~" He teases, booping your nose slightly.
-
After a short walk from The House of Lamentation, you were at a lovely little park; it was a large field with trees on its perimeter, flowers dotted every so often.
"Mammon... this place is beautiful!" You released his arm, taking a few eager steps ahead of him to get a better view.
"Thought you'd like it... Where d'ya wanna sit?" He was now behind you, placing an arm around your waist.
"I... I like it here. You can see everything..."
You turned as Mammon removed his arm from you, seeing him rooting through the bag he had brought. He pulled out a medium sized blanket and rolled it out onto the soft grass.
"Then here we shall sit!"
You felt all warm and fuzzy in your chest, sitting down next to Mammon on the soft blanket. Mammon was still preoccupied with the bag he had brought with him, pulling out bottles of water, juice and some of the fizzy variety alongside food - human food!
"There was this store I managed to quickly go to, and they actually had a human realm section so I-"
"Wait, wait, wait." You interrupted, "So, not only have you planned this absolutely wonderful picnic date, but The Great Mammon, Avatar of Greed actually spent money for someone else?"
His expression was one of being flustered due to you actually naming this plan as a date and one of slight annoyance, "Well... yeah! I-"
You chuckled lightly, "I'm not complaining, Mammon. This is so nice of you, I appreciate it."
You gave a soft peck to his cheek before resting your head on his shoulder.
"... You're welcome, darlin'..."
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Can't Take My Eyes Off of You
(Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis) in a Choices The Royal Romance Crackship
Masterlist
Part 5
"Can I ask you something?" Riley picked up another stone to skip across the small stream.
"Sure. You can ask me anything." Maxwell tossed his.
"Have you ever been in love?" She asked.
**************
Ramsford...
"Maxwell? Hey!" Riley waved her hand in front of his face.
Maxwell blinked a few times as he slowly came back to the present.
"Good to have you back." She teased. "I was worried you were going to leave me all alone with our caviar creation."
She held up a container of paprika. "I'm also pretty sure you're going to make it to where my fingerprints are the only ones found on this so Bertrand will know who to kill if these appetizers don't come out right."
He chuckled while taking the paprika from her.
"Nah. I'd never let you take the fall for one of my ideas." He began to sprinkle a little on top of each spoonful.
"What else needs to be done?" Drake asked while coming around the corner. His nose wrinkled over their choice in food. "Or am I free to go?"
"Um..." Maxwell picked up his phone and breathed a little easier. "Oh thank God. Bertrand found a caterer. All we have to do now is clean up the place."
He slipped his phone back in his pocket then helped Riley and Drake put the trays of hors d'oeuvres back into the fridge.
Once Riley left to check to see what Bertrand wanted them to focus on next, Drake spoke up.
"You seem more distracted than usual."
Maxwell paused in scrubbing the counters. "I do?"
"Yeah. You're quiet. It's almost as if you're in deep thought." Drake added.
Maxwell shrugged. "I guess I have been."
Drake eyed him over the handle of his mop. "Is something wrong?"
"You mean beyond the obvious money woes of House Beaumont?" Maxwell quipped. "Or my brother pointing out every single mistake I make? The pressure he feels and is passing onto me if Riley fails to win Liam."
"We all know Liam's going to pick Riley." Drake reminded him.
He went back to mopping the floor and muttered, "Who wouldn't choose her?"
"I hope so." Maxwell completely missed the hint that Drake might have fallen for Riley too. "Then maybe my life can begin."
Drake paused once more. "Begin? What are you--"
Maxwell tossed his scrubber in the sink. "We should um, probably go see what Bertrand wants worked on next."
He hurried out before Drake could ask him to clarify.
Maxwell spent the next few hours trying to work alone. Normally he'd be over the moon to be preparing for the annual Beaumont Bash. He had a sense of pride that their parties were the ones held to end the social season on a high note.
This year though, he wished they could skip it completely.
It wasn't just the money troubles or the fact that Bertrand was one temper tantrum away from a massive stroke, it was the competition that was getting to Maxwell. He knew Riley and Liam were soulmates and honestly, he couldn't be happier for them.
His own happily ever after though seemed less likely to occur than ever before.
Ever since his conversation with Olivia on the beach, the two had not interacted. At Applewood, he kept his distance and focused on encouraging Riley. Olivia in turn did the same with him, yet she seemed to go out of her way to talk to Riley. Surprisingly, both usually were smiling and not in the I really hate you but appearances demand I look like I adore you type smile that many at court were forced to wear.
Maxwell was dying to ask Riley what Olivia said in those moments. He summoned all his willpower to hold those questions at bay and tried instead to keep things light and optimistic for Riley's sake. Bertrand was adding so much pressure on her as it was that the last thing Maxwell should do would be to involve her in his own miserable love life.
If anyone has a real shot at being with the one they want, it's Riley and Liam, Maxwell thought. So I should do all I can to make that happen.
He released a deep, heartfelt sigh. He knew it was pointless to pretend he didn't still want to do all he could to win Olivia. He was simply, for the first time in his life, unsure how to go about it from this point.
**************
The next evening...
Olivia took the lead of ladies walking into Ramsford. She glanced around noting all the typical decorations that the Beaumont's were notorious for. She knew that by the end of the night most of it would be strewn about, tangled up with the drunken people who would later try and pretend they were decent nobles.
She ignored the whispers of the ladies wondering what might happen tonight. She already knew they'd be beyond intoxicated before three in the morning. She could care less about the party or the food or whatever shenanigans the Beaumont brothers had up their sleeves.
She only wanted to see two things.
The first was to be able to observe more of Liam and Riley. She'd spent time since the beach watching them throughout the stay at Applewood. There was no denying the mutual attraction the two shared. Since Maxwell insisted that Riley was sweet, she began to go out of her way to talk to her.
As much as it galled her to admit, Maxwell was right. Riley really was sweet. Thankfully, she wasn't too sweet or Olivia would lose all respect for her. After interacting with her at Applewood, she realized that out of everyone here, she might be able to tolerate losing Liam a little easier if she lost to the American.
The second thing she wanted to see was how Liam and Maxwell acted with herself.
Her lips firmed into a thin line the moment she stepped into the ballroom. While the ladies behind her cooed over the decorations and Riley's sparkly blue gown, she focused on the one man who'd thrown her whole way of thinking out of whack.
Maxwell was beaming with delight over the praises he was hearing. As happy as he was, one would think he'd been the one to prepare the food and decorate the place.
Olivia waited until Bertrand pulled Maxwell away for a private word before approaching Riley. After a quick greeting that wasn't as smug or cold as she normally would have given, she sat down at one of the front tables.
It was the perfect vantage point to watch Liam. Her eyebrows furrowed for a second to see him in a tux that not only matched Riley's royal blue gown, but also the Beaumont colors. It was a blatant statement that Liam had not made for anyone else during the season.
It wasn't manners that made him wear it. If that was the case, then he'd have worn what she'd offered him at Lythikos. He was polite about the red jacket with black dress shirt and slacks, but told Olivia he couldn't wear it since he was supposed to be giving every suitor equal treatment.
I see that notion didn't last long.
"You noticed it too?"
Olivia looked up at Madeleine.
Madeleine's court mask slipped to reveal her obvious disdain. "I think it's in poor taste."
Olivia humphed. "I never suffered a moment of doubt that you would think of it that way."
Madeleine narrowed her eyes upon Olivia.
"This doesn't bother you?" She snapped.
"It's clothes, Madeleine." Olivia replied. "He's yet to get down on one knee and propose to Riley."
"I would have thought you'd be furious with this statement he's making. After all," Madeleine sneered, "you are madly in love with Liam."
Olivia glared at her.
"There's the reaction I was expecting." Madeleine needled. "I'm surprised you haven't challenged her to a duel."
Olivia's glare slowly turned to a smirk.
"It must be hard for you to lose out twice for the crown." She struck back. "Seeing Liam go ahead and voice his choice without saying a word probably makes you think how you'll have to return home in shame once more."
Madeleine stilled at her words.
"But you have parents who understand failure, don't you?" Olivia smiled at her. "I mean, they would have to by now, wouldn't' they?"
Before Madeleine could utter a denial, Olivia waved towards the back of the ballroom.
"Better go find your seat Maddie. One would hate to be caught gawking over the loss of another prince."
Madeleine stormed away with her head held high.
Olivia smiled to herself as she reached for her wine glass.
Tonight might not be so bad after all.
*****************
After dinner...
"Excuse me." Olivia glanced at Riley then turned towards Liam. "May I speak to you for a moment?"
"Of course." Liam still had a hold of Riley's hand. "It's been days since I've had a free moment to speak to, you, Lady Olivia."
Olivia watched as he leaned close to whisper to Riley. His lips brushed the delicate shell of her ear before placing a kiss right below it.
Riley's and Liam's eyes met in a heated exchange as she vaguely promised to think about it.
Olivia mentally rolled her eyes. Clearly they were planning a rendezvous. Any imbecile could see that. They needed some lessons in subterfuge if they were going to try and hide their mutual regard for one another.
It'll all be over soon. Then there will be no reason to hide anything.
She blinked over that thought. It wasn't because she thought about it, but rather the lack of emotion it evoked. It was as if her heart already accepted the fact that Liam was in love with someone else.
Her mind though, still needed proof.
Once Riley disappeared into the crowd, Liam turned expectantly back to Olivia.
The loud music, laughter, and shouts of conversations left little chance to discover if Liam truly felt nothing for her. Taking his hand, she pulled him down a hallway that led to the Beaumont's study.
Once they were behind closed doors, she perched her hip on the edge of the desk and studied her prince.
Liam lifted an eyebrow when the silence stretched between them.
Olivia searched his eyes. "You've made your choice, haven't you?"
"I..." He rubbed the back of his neck while a sheepish smile played about his lips. "I suppose there's no hiding it from you."
He gave her a decisive nod. "I have."
Olivia blinked over actually getting him to admit it.
"Riley is your choice?" She prodded.
He nodded. "I'm in love with her."
Olivia grimaced. As much as she knew this was the case, it still stung to have her dream destroyed in one conversation.
"Are you certain?" She found herself asking.
"I am." Liam grinned at her. "I can't tell you how good it feels to admit it to someone who is a close friend of mine."
"I can imagine." She mumbled.
Shaking off the sting of his declaration, Olivia asked him a question she hoped would help herself.
"How do you know that Riley is the one?"
Liam sat down on one of the leather wingback chairs. He propped his chin on his fist while staring off into the distance to think of how to answer her.
Olivia took the chair across from him and did her best to wait patiently for his answer.
"There are so many things about Riley that made me realize she is the one for me." He began. "From the moment we met, she has been all I can think about."
Olivia grimaced somewhat. If one were to go with her own mind, they would find it filled with Maxwell. It was irritating how often he took over her thoughts.
Liam's pensive expression softened as he continued to explain. "When we kissed, I felt an instant passion. Not just desire, but a need for it to never end, as if," he hesitated in trying to describe it to her, "as if my body only recognized her touch."
Olivia blinked over that. She recalled both kissing Liam and Maxwell the night of her ball. Of the two, Maxwell's had ignited a passionate response in her.
But is his touch the only one my body will recognize?
"The few precious moments I've had with her and getting to know the type of person she is, the more I want to be around her." He turned his attention back to Olivia. "I fell in love with her during those moments. Riley is everything my heart yearns for."
Olivia gave a brisk nod. "I see."
Liam reached over and took her hand. "I know that many believed you would be my choice. Most of my advisors insist upon you being my choice."
She stilled, not entirely sure she wanted to hear what else he had to say.
"If I had never met, Riley," he lowered his eyes to their hands, "I would have chosen you. You are one of my oldest friends. I trust you, admire your strength and loyalty, and believe you would make an amazing queen."
He lifted his eyes back to hers. "Now that I've experienced what love does to a person, how could I choose anyone other than Riley?"
Olivia squeezed his hand. "Of all the people I know, you're one of the very few I actually care about."
Taking a deep breath, she attempted to smile at him.
"And since I care, I actually want to see you happy. If Riley is what you want, then she is the one I hope you get in the end."
Liam's smile lit up his entire face. He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles.
"I care about you too." He searched her eyes. "I hope I haven't hurt you."
Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "I've known for some time that you felt something for Riley. Anyone with half a brain can see it."
He chuckled. "True. I've never been good at hiding my feelings." He kept hold of her hand. "But, I would never intentionally hurt you."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Liam."
"I know." He gently let her hand go. "I wish that you could find someone worthy of you."
She hesitated. "I think there might be someone."
His eyebrows rose. "Really?"
"Maybe." She clarified. "I think I need to do a few more," she searched for the right word, "experiments to know for certain."
"Experiments?" He began to laugh.
Olivia glared at him. "Not all of us are so certain when it comes to love."
Liam held his hands up in surrender. "I meant no offense."
She eyed him to see if he was making fun of her or not.
He bit back a smile. "I simply never thought of discovering love as an experiment. I suppose it is when one thinks about it."
"How so?" She asked.
"There's definitely a chemical reaction." Liam teased. "Being touched by the one, hearing their voice, or simply seeing them across a room sets off endorphins. Everything in your body, your mood, your very way of seeing things in the world is altered by their presence."
He smiled warmly at her.
"I say perform all the experiments you need to know if you have found the one."
Olivia relaxed back in her chair. Seeing now that she wasn't being foolish in her path forward helped in her knowing what steps she should next take.
"I shall." She declared.
Liam rose to his feet and began to walk towards the door.
"Liam?"
"Yes?" He turned back towards her.
"Thank you."
He bowed to her.
"Anytime, your grace."
With another smile, he left her alone.
Olivia's pleasant expression changed to one of frustrated resignation. She supposed she'd hoped there was still a chance with Liam because he'd been the one her mind had accepted so long ago. Now, she could see that there really was no use in thinking like that any longer. Even if Riley were to refuse Liam's proposal, she knew she could never be with him.
Liam wasn't the kind of man to stop loving someone just because they refused to return his affection. Olivia knew her own pride and heart couldn't take being with someone who didn't care for her in the same manner. A Nevrakis either gave everything or nothing and expected the same in return. There was no in between.
"I can't believe it's come down to this." She grumbled to herself.
Of all the men she knew, there was only one who had given everything. To find out if she could do the same, she needed to test the waters a bit more.
"How in the world am I to get Maxwell alone at a party?"
**************
Many, many hours later...
Maxwell hummed to himself as he left Hana's room. Ending the wild party with a game of truth or dare with his friends was the perfect way to end a crazy night. Plus, it'd helped him at least for a little while, not think of Olivia.
How much more fun would it have been to see Olivia do a dare or admit a truth?
He knew what he would have dared her and he knew what question he'd ask. What would have happened might have left him even sadder than before.
Can't have that, he argued with himself. Who wants a depressed Maxwell hanging around?
He unlocked the door to his room, pausing halfway inside. He glanced down the hallway where he knew Olivia was. He'd been the one to clean and prepare her room. He wondered if she even noticed he'd made certain to have a bouquet of red roses in there. Did she notice the red throw he'd left draped over the Beaumont blue chair? Did she even recognize the meaning behind doing something like that?
"Probably not." He mumbled, closing his door behind him.
Maxwell had left his desk lamp on before the party began. The rest of his suite was shrouded in shadow, giving a quiet almost serene feeling after hours of absolute drunken chaos. It was just what he needed to bring him back down off his adrenaline rush.
He began to undress. Kicking his shoes off, he next dropped his pants. Stepping out of them, he stumbled over to his dresser while pulling his shirt off.
He dug around in the dark for a soft T-shirt to sleep in. After finally pulling one on, he stilled to hear a knock on his door.
When it happened a second time, he rushed over to it in the hopes of seeing Olivia. He'd lost sight of her during the beginning of the Beaumont Bash. He'd hoped to find a way to talk to her. Maybe see how things were going and if she'd finally given up on Liam.
His smile disappeared the moment he saw his brother.
Bertrand swayed, nearly toppling over.
"My dear Maxwell," he slurred, "could you be so kind as to point me in the direct- *hic* -shun of my quarters?"
He glanced down, his eyebrows nearly disappearing in his hairline.
"Good god, man! You lost your pants!"
Maxwell tugged his shirt down in an effort to hide his boxers.
"Did an acrobat steal them?" Bertrand laid a commiserating hand on Maxwell's shoulder. "I believe one stole my vest."
"You're wearing it on your head." Maxwell told him.
Bertrand reached up and pulled it off, causing his hair to stand on end. "The blackguard returned it!"
"Uh huh." Maxwell turned his brother around. "Straight down there is your bedroom. Only door at the end of the hall."
"Right." Bertrand stumbled in that direction. "Thank you."
"Anytime." Maxwell watched to make certain he didn't accidentally go into anyone else's room.
His breath caught in his throat the moment Bertrand bumped into Olivia's door.
Nothing happened, leaving him slumping his shoulders and returning to his own room.
Maxwell finished up his nighttime rituals in his ensuite bathroom then finally collapsed on his bed.
"What a night." He mumbled into his pillow.
"Yes, it was."
His eyes flew open. In his haste to reach his lamp on his nightstand, he knocked a glass of water off. Cursing, he blinked against the brightness.
There beside him on the bed was the only woman he'd dreamt of one too many times in that exact spot.
Olivia calmly sat there, hands folded in her lap. She'd puffed up some of his bed pillows to put at her back as she reclined in an almost upright position.
"You're here?" He asked, unable to wrap his mind around the concept.
"So you see." She replied.
"In my room?" He continued. "You're here in my room? On my bed?"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "No. I'm on Bertrand's bed. Of course I'm on yours!"
Maxwell's eyes widened. His lips parted to ask more questions yet nothing but a squeak slipped out.
Olivia leaned closer to him, her brow furrowed in irritated concern. "Are you going to be sick?"
"No." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm pretty sure this is a dream."
She rolled her eyes once more. "It's not."
"That's what you usually say during my dreams." He argued.
Olivia reached over and pinched him. "Now do you believe me?"
Maxwell shook his head. "You do that in my dreams too."
Olivia had used up all her patience in waiting on getting Maxwell alone. Now that she finally had him without any chance of someone seeing them together, she was in no mood to reassure him that this was real. Besides, it was her feelings she needed to test.
With a frustrated breath, she straddled him.
Maxwell's eyes widened even more. Unsure what to do with his hands, he fisted them in the sheets. His heart was beating so hard that he wasn't certain if he'd survive this dream.
Audibly swallowing, he waited to see what she would do next.
She leaned down. The tip of her nose touched his. Her eyes held his startled gaze. A slight smirk curved her lips when she heard his sharp intake of breath.
"Maxwell?"
"Yeah?"
"Kiss me."
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the day had started off normal enough.
kenma had wrapped up a company-wide conference, tweeted a livestream announcement for eight p.m. that night, finished his homework at the office, and signed off on another product to be released all within a span of three hours hours. with the rest of his schedule free, he could go home, kick back, and relax until it was time to play misfiction. maybe he could make some more progress on animal crossing? or finally crack open pokemon legends: arceus?
that second one sounded like a better idea, kenma decided. he wasn't ashamed to admit that he had a crush on adamant AND iridia.
once he was back in the house, he chucked off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. being CEO of your own company, thought kenma, was entirely useless if you couldn't even wear a hoodie and sweatpants to all the important meetings.
he threw his bedroom door open and froze.
kuroo was lying on the bed, shirtless, with a head propped up on one hand. it was probably supposed to be seductive, but kenma had no idea why.
after all, everyone knew how much he was mean to kuroo. it was his number one character trait!
"hi, kitten," kuroo purred. "miss me?"
"kuro," kenma said, exasperated. "what are you doing?"
kuroo's smile faded. "did you not like it? i thought maybe if i gave you a cute nickname, you'd want to get back together."
kenma stared at him. "what?"
"kitten, didn't you hear?" kuroo's eyes filled with tears. "we can't be in a relationship anymore. childhood-friends-to-lovers is incest now!"
kenma scoffed. "as if i'd ever want to be lovers with you. i have hinata instead. he's so much more interesting, but once i get tired of him then i'll just ditch him and get a new boytoy to mess around with."
the bedroom door suddenly burst open. it was . . . oikawa tooru!
"how dare you!" he screeched. "shouyou deserves so much more! he and i spent a very passionate night together in rio, you know! it's all people ever talk about when they they think of us in brazil! there's absolutely no other meaning to it than just us hooking up!"
"whatever," kenma said, rolling his eyes. "i don't care as long as he's making me money."
"now, now," sugawara crooned (where did he even come from? hell if i know). "let's not fight. that is my innocent angel sweet summer child you're talking about, after all, i'm basically his mom - "
("i'm twenty-two!" shouted hinata from where i stuffed him in the margins. "and you know my mother is very much alive, sugawara-san! also, i FUCK! I FUCK HARD!!")
" - so naturally i know what's best for him!" sugawara continued. "and what he would want is for everyone to hold hands and get along. agreed?"
daichi grinned and nuzzled sugawara's cheek. "you're so smart! i can't wait to start a happy, cisgender-conforming, nuclear family with you."
a voice called from the hallway: "HEY HEY HEY!"
the bedroom door flew open again! how in the world has it not been broken yet???
bokuto cartwheeled into the room and puffed out his chest. when he saw that nobody was paying attention to him because they were too busy hissing at each other, he pouted.
"guys, come on!" he complained. "no fighting! let's have some fun instead!"
"it's no use, bokuto-san," akaashi said. "stereotypically-feminine traits such as being petty, catty, and more have been greatly exaggerated in us setters because we have been deemed more feminine due to what i assume is a vast and complex myriad of factors stemming from microaggressions intersecting with fans' understandings of the world amongst other things, but i expect you are too dumb to understand any of that."
bokuto stared blankly at akaashi. "huh?"
akaashi heaved a deep sigh, plagued by the burden of being the only one with brains in the relationship. "never mind. i still love you, and that's all you need to know."
"okay!" bokuto said cheerfully.
suddenly the bedroom door flew open for the third time that day! who even keeps closing it?
"i'm looking for hinata," said kageyama, poking his head past the doorframe. "has anyone seen him?"
immediately, everyone froze. their eyes shifted from kageyama to oikawa, who had swelled up with incandescent rage because he still retained everything from when he was fourteen and hadn't gone through any growth whatsoever since then.
atsumu whistled. "aw, geez. we might argue a lot, but at least we're not anythin' like that, right, omi-omi?"
"shut up and don't call me that," sakusa muttered darkly. "i hate you. i hate everyone. i hate being here. when was the last time anyone vacuumed in here?"
"if you hate it so much," atsumu said, smirking, "we could sneak away and make out somewhere. could even . . . you know . . . "
"why."
atsumu shrugged. "i am an inexplicably horny sex-on-legs bastard, apparently. especially with you. i mean, have you seen our ao3 tag?"
sakusa frowned. "we've barely had any canon time together."
"eh, people have worked with less." atsumu grinned. "'sides, i dig the whole enemies-to-lovers thing. just means you couldn't resist my charms, huh?"
sakusa would have responded with an audible gag, but . . . you guessed it! the bedroom door flew open AGAIN! this is a bedroom door that defies the laws of physics itself!
yachi stepped in and glanced around.
"weird," she said. "why is this bedroom so big? what are all of you doing?"
yachi hitoka, everyone. our only saving grace. she carries the sole brain cell and wrangles the childish dumb men, because they can't ever think for themselves. right? right?????
tsukishima scowled as he followed after her, trailed by yamaguchi. "ugh. do we have to be here?"
"tsukishima!" yachi scolded, swatting his arm. "be nice! you know these are all our friends!"
sigh.
yamaguchi didn't even greet anyone. he just stayed behind tsukki the whole time, looking like a mouse cornered in a city of cats.
suddenly, a BAM! made everyone jump! you have got to be kidding me! the bedroom door agai - oh, never mind! someone just kicked open the closet door!
"SHITTYKAWA!" iwaizumi roared. "get over here!"
oikawa''s eyes widened. "iwa-chan! what are you doing here?"
"looking for you, dumbass," iwaizumi snapped. "you haven't been taking care of yourself! but i'd never say it, because i'm an asshole. i'm a rock wall. i'm a hardened tough guy. i'm mean. i don't ever say or do anything nice. i throw volleyballs at your head for fun. i don't care about you at all. got it?"
("so you're saying he literally just came out of the closet for oikawa - " hinata began, before i shoved him back down into the margins.)
"no wonder i'm such an asshole," kindaichi marveled. "i guess i learned it all from iwaizumi-san! wow, he's a great role model."
being a stressed fourteen-year-old who didn't know how to handle another stressed fourteen-year-old that was causing said stress and eventually snapping from it and making a mistake, as people are prone to do, didn't really make you an asshole for the rest of your life, but hey. kindaichi didn't have to know any of that.
"it's getting kind of crowded in here, don't you think?" yachi asked, ever the voice of reason. "maybe we should get out and get some fresh air?"
ushijima nodded solemnly. wait - had he always been there?
"fresh air is good for the soul," he said. "not that i would know, because i'm an unfeeling robot who is strong and dominant and the epitome of masculinity. being stoic and silent are the only things i know. you should all bow down before my superior strength."
everyone stared at him.
suddenly, the bedroom door burst open AGAIN! this shouldn't be possible! it was already open in the first place! I KEPT IT OPEN! HOW DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS?
"guys!" hinata ran in, panting. "i finally did it! i escaped the margins!"
"the what?" sugawara asked.
hinata waved him off. "never mind that. it's about time to wrap up. we've put on a good show, but we should end it, don't you think?"
"hinata's right," kenma admitted. "i didn't think i could do this much longer, anyways."
oikawa made a face. "me neither. sorry, tobio. i hope you didn't take anything to heart."
"i'm okay," kageyama said. "i know better, now. we both know better."
"that we do," oikawa agreed warmly. "and weren't you looking for hinata? that's why you were here, right? you were the only one of us not part of an act."
kageyama blinked, as if he had forgotten all about that. not that anyone could blame him - i'm not even sure what the hell just happened.
"right," he said, then grabbed hinata's arm and tugged him close. "hey. i love you."
"what!" hinata squawked. "kageyama, what - "
kageyama shrugged, but red began to bloom across his cheeks. "i'd never joke about that. i just wanted you to know."
hinata beamed at him, brighter than the sun. "aw, kageyama! i love you too! but can we please wrap this up? there's no food in the margins, and i'm starving!"
"okay, everyone!" bokuto called out. "on the count of three! ready? one, two, three - "
"HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!" everyone shouted.
the end :)
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