#the man hasn't been able to rest for 6 months

[spiderlyla]

request for fluff-tober!

reader learning spanish behind miguel's back using an app.

he finds out one day when he comes home early and was surprised to hear a male voice talking in spanish, coming from the bedroom. immediately, rage filled him and he burst inside the room, startling reader who was using duolingo on the computer. reader is startled and tries to hide to keep the surprise, but it's too late.

eventually miguel questions them and learns that reader has been trying to learn spanish for a month now, so they could understand miguel better. also, so they wouldn't have to 'annoy' him by asking him to translate whenever he talks in spanish.

it ends with miguel teaching reader alongside them using the learning app :D he'll find it so adorable even if reader speaks in broken beginner spanish.

Day 6 of Flufftober

synopsis: your secret is out.

lumi's note: thank you, anon for this really cute request! this is actually the first request I've written for fluff-tober out of all of them.

pairing: gn!reader × miguel o'hara

Guilt was enveloping Miguel from the inside out for the past two weeks.

Work has been extremly hectic for the past month, but since the holidays were coming up, everyone was trying to rush their work so they could be able to spend the holidays at their universe's. Coincidentally, there have been alot of breachs in the multiverse, multiple anomalies showing up where they shouldn't be, and of course, with Miguel being the leader of the spider-society, alot of the work load fell on his shoulders.

He hasn't returned home in days, and when he did, he'd always find you fast asleep. It filled him with immense guilt that he was neglecting you for so long.

So today, he came home earlier than he usually would—much earlier. Early enough for you you have just returned home from work. He passed by a nearby flower shop to get you a nice bouquet of your favourite flowers, he couldn't walk in empty handed after all. He had a few plans for you this evening, maybe he'll cook you dinner, and you'll spend the rest of the evening making dessert together.

The walk home wasn't long, especially since he swung there, landing on your balcony. He ran his hands through his hair a few times, making sure he looked good in the reflection. His under eyes were a little darker than before, but other than that, nothing changed all that much.

He slid the door open and stepped inside, noticing how queit the apartment was. Weird, he thought, he did see your car parked on the street, and it was still warm when he passed by it. There was a faint smell of spices, something with curry? His eyes spotted your keys and phone on the table near the front door, your shoes tucked neatly to the side, with a little bit of mud sticking to the bottom of it.

So you are home.

He looked around, you weren't in the living room nor were you in the kitchen, which was odd, you usually liked to relax by the TV while eating.

He turned around, going to look for you in the bathroom, when he heard it. A hushed, baritone voice, that of a man speaking spanish.

In your bedroom.

Miguel's limbs froze, but he could physically feel an extreme pressure on his chest, his heart racing as he listened in to what he told you.

"Te quiero a ti, no a otro." [I want you, not anybody else.]

A pit formed in his stomach, his legs felt heavy when he tried to move them. There was a man, in his bedroom, talking in spanish for his partner, telling them how much he wants them.

Anger seeped theough every fiber of his being when he heard him repeat it, 'Te quiero a ti, no a otro.' but when he heard your voice, struggling to repeat what he said, he felt his entire being go numb before all that anger gave him the energy to move towards the door and push it open.

The door flew open, the handle coming off in Miguel's fist from how tightly he gripped it, his eyes fell on you, you wore one of Miguel's shirts, your plate of rice and curry set to the side on the desk, while you sat infront of your laptop.

"Mig!—Shit, honey, you scared me!" You exclaimed, looking rather startled. Miguel glanced around, eyebrows furrowed so hard it brought him a little headache. The bed was made, there was no trace of anybody being inside but you. Your feet carried you to where he stood, and you tip-toed, cupping his cheeks in your hands while his maroon eyes scanned the room once more.

"Are you okay, baby? Is something wrong?" Your fingertips felt wonderful on his skin, he could smell the scent of your bodywash, the arouma of your shampoo. It calmed his fried nerves and racing thoughts a little bit. "There was...someone speaking." He mumbled, putting a hand on the one resting on his cheek. "A man."

"Hm?" You then noticed his shifty glances, the way he tensed up when he said those words. Miguel couldn't feel the presence of anyone else in the room but the two of you, maybe the lack of his spider senses were the reason. "There is no one but me, honey. Calm down, it's okay." You seemed to be hiding something still, you've been alarmed ever since he entered the room.

"I know, amor." He mumbled, "But I'm sure I heard a man speaking. He was speaking spanish." When he looked back at you, your face had flushed with colour. His eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched, that couldn't be someone on the phone, right?

"Oh, um, well, I wanted this to be a surprise, but..." You intertwined your fingers with him, and led him to where you were previously sitting. You pointed at the screen of your computer, where a cartoonish man was standing next to a woman, holding hands. The words were scrambled, and there was a line at the bottom of the page, to assemble the sentence correctly. You leaned over the seat and clicked the little speaker icon, and that baritone voice erupted out of the computer, repeating the same words Miguel had heard earlier.

"Oh." His featured relaxed a little, while his ears and neck turned a dark shade of red. "What did you think was going on, Miggy?" You wiggled your eyebrows teasingly at him, but he kept his composure, trying to deflect the embaressing situation he put himself in. "You're learning Spanish?"

Now you were the one blushing, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, have been for the past month."

"Why?"

You fiddled with your fingers for a moment, before answering him. "For you. It must be more comfortable for you to speak in spanish, I want to understand you better, and I don't want you to keep translating everything you say to me, I figured how annoying that must be for you. I wanted it to be a surprise too..."

Miguel's previously sour expression softened at your confession. None of his previous partners had even tried to do that for him, but here you were, going the extra mile just to simply make him feel comfortable.

His big palm cupped your cheek, he leaned down to kiss your forehead, "You're too sweet." He chuckled, "But it's not annoying to translate, no, and I'm glad you're trying, mi sol." He put down the flowers on the desk, "Though, you should've asked me to help, I'm sure I'm more knowledgeable than this stupid bird app you're using."

You giggled, holding onto him. "I'm sure you are, honey, but you didn't have time, so I thought maybe I shouldn't ask."

"I'll make time." He spoke nonchalantly, pulling a chair beside you and sitting down. You raised your brows, but sat down on your own chair. "Now, show me how would you say that sentence."

You looked at the screen for a moment, then turned to Miguel, "T-Te qui-ero a ti, no a o-tro." Your visible cringing at the way you spoke evoked a chuckle out of Miguel, but he did not mock you. "No, baby, you have to roll your r's a little. And don't be afraid to speak, we're learning, aren't we?" You nodded, leaning forward. "Can you say it, Mig?"

"Of course," He leaned forward a little, so close to you that your noses almost bumped. He paused for a minute, crimson eyes trailing on your lips for a split second. "Te quiero a ti, no a otro." His pronunciation made it sound like a completely different sentence, or maybe it was the way he said it, his voice low, his eyes boring into your own. He brushed his lips against yours, and you let out a gasp. "Well, go on, amor.." He hummed queitly. You let out a broken sigh, speaking right before you pressed your lips on his.

"Yo también te quiero" [I want you too]

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#miguel o'hara #miguel o hara x reader #miguel o’hara x reader #astv #atsv miguel #across the spiderverse #spiderman 2099 x reader #miguel o hara #spider man atsv #lumi's fluff tober #spiderman #miguel spiderman #spiderman 2099 #spiderman into the spiderverse #miguel fanfic #miguel o' hara #miguel atsv #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel x you #miguel x reader #miguel spiderverse #miguel o hara fluff

[steveshairychest]

tw: mentions of death

Eddie will forever be grateful that he got a second chance but now he's starting to feel the consequences of his immortality.

Steve's old enough to be his dad now. His hair is almost completely grey at 45; he says the stress of babysitting 6 kids really sped up the process. Eddie still thinks he's the most beautiful person alive, he's aging like fine wine right before his eyes and he's so glad that he gets to spend every second of his immortal life with Steve.

He just wished they'd grow old together.

Dustin's kids think it's weird that their dad is friends with someone who's only just 'freshly 21' but Eddie thinks it's weird that they've never questioned why the man they've known since they were infants hasn't aged a day. He's starting to realise that children are very oblivious, especially if you bring gifts everytime you visit.

He still DMs for the party except now their children join in too. They like to remind Eddie that his rules are very outdated. He gets a disappointed frown from one of his friends when he kills their kid's character just because they annoyed him.

He thought explaining his eternal youth to his friend's kids was going to be the hardest part but he was wrong.

The hardest part was watching all his friends die.

It never got easier. He held their hands, whispered words of comfort as he listened to their hearts slowly stop. He cursed his abilities in these moments; wished he couldn't smell the illness in their blood and hear their hearts get weaker and weaker as they grew older.

Steve went sooner than he expected.

It came on so suddenly, he had no time to prepare himself, no time to figure out a way to go with him.

"See the world for me." Steve whispers to him. He's smiling, he's fucking dying and he has the audacity to smile at Eddie.

"I don't want to live in a world without you." Eddie's voice cracks and he scoots his chair closer so that he can gently rest his head on Steve's stomach. Steve weakly plays with his hair, that stupid smile still on his face.

"Always so dramatic." Steve traces Eddie's face, runs his fingers over his eyes, his nose, his lips, the scar on the side of his face from the bats; something that feels like a lifetime ago. "I love you, Eds, I won't be mad if you find someone else. Just make sure you visit and tell me about them." Eddie's sobbing now, his body shaking as he cries and grips Steve's hand tighter. He can hear it. He can fucking hear his heart slow. It's a sound he'll never be able to forget.

"My heart belongs to you... in this life.. and the next." And then he's gone.

Eddie's ears ring and he knows he's causing a scene, knows that screaming Steve's name won't magically drag him back from whatever place he's gone to, but he can't stop. He has to be forcefully dragged out of the room which is a struggle because Eddie is stronger than the average human.

He hates the silence, hates that he'll never hear the calming, steady beat of his lovers heart. He doesn't sleep for weeks, it feels wrong to sleep in their bed without Steve. He doesn't eat, can't even bring himself to open the fridge and drink the last bit of blood Steve had put aside for him.

It gets to a point where Dustin's oldest kid, Julie, comes to visit and finds him curled up on the floor, hunger so bad he's unable to move, to speak.

"Steve wouldn't want this." She chides and force feeds him the blood from the fridge. He doesn't know when Dustin told her about him, doesn't really care at that point. All he can do is sob weakly as Steve's blood fills his mouth and brings him back from the edge. "Come on. We're going to visit dad."

Dustin's in a retirement home now.

He'd gone downhill after his wife died and the kids had their own lives, they didn't have time to look after him 24/7. Eddie would have taken him in if he'd known, but he's been in a state of limbo for 2 months now. He'd collapsed on the kitchen floor a week ago and would have stayed there if Julie hadn't shown up, his body can withstand neglect a lot better than he thought.

He's missed Robin's 70th birthday.

He's missed the birth of Mike and El's 4th grand kid.

He's missed the release of Will's final book in his series.

He's missed so much life while mourning Steve. He didn't realise so much could happen in just 2 months.

"Hey, dad, I've brought a visitor." Julie says softly, making sure not to startle Dustin. He's sitting on the small lounge next to the window, an old fantasy book in his hands, and seeing him sit there brings back memories of when they were younger. When Dustin used to come by Steve's house just to be near Eddie, to remind himself that Eddie was okay. They'd sit in the bay window in Steve's lounge room and read together for hours. Steve would walk by and flick the lamp on for them because they wouldn't even notice that the sun had set.

He can still see that little kid in the old man in front of him, he's hidden under the wrinkles and grey hair, but when his eyes light up and his smile takes over his face, Eddie sees the kid that he risked his life for. "Eddie!"

Julie leaves them to talk, says that she'll grab them all a cup of coffee. Eddie declines. He hasn't been able to drink coffee since Steve died. It reminds him too much of waking up to quiet humming from the kitchen and coffee flavoured kisses.

Dustin scolds Eddie for neglecting himself, for not calling him or coming to see him so that they could mourn together. It feels strange to be scolded by someone that you used to babysit.

"He told me to move on." Eddie says quietly, bitterly. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to forget him."

"You don't have to forget him." Dustin scoots closer to Eddie on the cramped lounge and makes him look him in the eyes. "You're going to be around for a long time, Eds. You can't be that stereotypical vampire that mourns his long lost love for centuries."

"Maybe I want to."

"Steve would strangle me when I see him next if I let you do that."

When I see him next.

That makes Eddie ache. Will he ever get to see Steve again? Can he even die? He doesn't want Dustin to leave him too but he knows Steve is probably lonely wherever he is. He never liked being on his own for very long.

Eddie leans against his friend's shoulder and sighs shakily. He doesn't want to cry again. He's tired of crying. "I feel hollow, Dustin. I think Steve took a part of me with him."

"He was always quite greedy when it came to you."

Eddie smiles for the first time in 2 months. "He was, wasn't he. He always stole your time with me." He playfully jabbed Dustin in the side and it felt good to laugh with him, to smile and see the familiar twinkle of joy in his friend's eyes.

When they stop laughing and the room fills with a comfortable silence, Eddie asks quietly, "Do you really think you'll see him again?"

Dustin hums and leans back into the lounge, a knowing smile on his lips. "You'll see him again, Eddie. I know it."

Eddie scoffs with a smile. "Why? Because you're old and wise?"

"Precisely."

Eddie knows Dustin is just saying what he wants to hear, what he thinks he needs to move on with his life, but a small part of himself hopes it's true.

He hopes that after he's seen the world, he'll be able to tell Steve all about it.

#SORRY THIS IS LIKE REALLY LONG #I GOT CARRIED AWAY LMAO #steddie #kas eddie munson #eddie munson #stranger things #steve harrington #st4 vol2 #steveddie #dustin henderson #tw mentions of death

[xaytheloser]

*kicks door down* hi i'm finally off anon because i'm gonna ramble and i have a drawing to share!

due to an ask on the ask blog from @onesacrificiallamb, specifically one calling eternal sugar hollyberry's second mom, an au spawned in my brain that refuses to leave and i need to ramble to SOMEONE- and who better than the ceo of doomed polyamory?? :D (/silly)

the short of the au is basically eternal sugar being hollyberry's bio mama, the long of it is;

everything starts a month or two before the virtues completely spiral into the beasts, with shadow milk being the only one to know about the brewing child aside from eternal sugar herself, and eternal makes shadow swear not to tell a soul about what's going on with her right now, and he keeps his word as best as he can, even going to great lengths to keep the others from not knowing, like making excuses for why eternal isn't at a meeting or something

this continues on well into their descents, with another partial reason for eternal to not be doing anything to stop the other beasts, being that she's hiding from them herself, spare for shadow, because she doesn't want them worrying about her (or asking too many questions), that and she's resting as much as she can due to advice given to her by shadow since he's the smart ass

if she's smiting anyone for any particular reasons, the main reason is still disturbing her rest, there are of course extra reasons, one of those being she doesn't want word of her state getting out to anyone period, so any normal cookies that come into her area do not end up leaving because possible liability

and to add on: not even benign would have known, like yeah sure she likely would have been able to tell the signs but never be entirely sure due to eternal effectively hiding her belly with the way she lays in her cloud and refusing to sit up for anything- benign likely would have had her suspicions but no ability to confirm them or anything

when their i'd say like 5-6 month crusade ends due to benign and the witches imprisoning them, shadow genuinely panics, especially over eternal, but he can't explain anything to benign because he made a promise to eternal that he wouldn't tell a soul and we all know that man cannot bring himself to go back on promises to his friends, no matter the severity of the situation

he said he'd stay quiet until she's ready to tell the others and he's sticking to his word

the next couple months shadow is constantly checking in on eternal and making sure she's okay, generally just horribly worried about her because from his knowledge this cannot be good on her, but to his surprise and delight everything goes way better than expected

however, after a lot of screaming and crying from both her and her new baby, eternal sugar is just sat on her knees, holding her little bundle on her arms as she tries to breath through broken sobs, that everyone is hearing because she's not focusing on just speaking to shadow

so all of the beasts are hearing eternal's shaky sobs as she quietly repeats "She's breathing..." over and over, everyone spare for shadow is confused and they all likely demand answers from shadow who makes it very clear he's not saying a word until eternal tells them herself

^ doodle i made of this scene last night because this au was (and still is) refusing to leave my mind

for a good month after lil holly pops out eternal is dead quiet, absolute radio static from her even on shadow's end, the first time she's present after a good bit is a few minutes after a meeting between the others has started, she shows up late, and she looks genuinely so tired, like she hasn't been sleeping at all, and of course the others are concerned

until she unwraps her wings from around herself to reveal the little one cozied up in her arms sleeping peacefully, she makes a joke that it took forever to get her to settle down enough to actually come to the meeting with her, but everyone is just staring in shock like "OH MY GOD THIS IS WHAT SHADOW WAS KEEPING SECRET??????"

meanwhile shadow is just like "Oh!! She's even cuter than I expected!!"

burning ends up screaming at shadow and chasing him around, whilst mystic and silent fawn over little holly, that meeting was completely derailed from the original intent of it, which was trying to plan their escape, in favor of one of the few moments of happiness they'd have together, one everyone is sad benign couldn't be a part of

at some point shadow hides behind eternal, and burning is chasing him around her, and it just makes her burst out into laughter, which causes both of them to stop and just stare at her because ough swan wife laugh pretty, everyone ends up laughing with her and hugging her, as little holly is starting to wake up and joins the hug because poor baby does not know what's going on but she understands these people are hugging her mama and therefore mama needs hugs from her too

the rest goes about as the beasts raising a chaotic ass child as you would expect, with eternal getting shadow to help get hollyberry out into the real world and on her way to crispia around the time she's like 12, because they can't teach her everything, she has to learn some stuff on her own, shadow ends up making a deal with elder for this, makes it very clear to elder that he does not need to know about where the kiddo came from and he just needs to get her over to crispia with some responsible adults to take care of her where they can't

adkwhagraiugra alright i think i'm done with my rambling i am so sorry if any part of this thing makes you uncomfortable at all i tried to be like somewhat vague describing stuff so it wasn't awkward or anything- kajhsdwuahirh okayenjoyreadingimgoingtodissolveovermamaternal

MAMA ETERNAL SUGAR??? OH YES PLEASE!!

but frfr!! this is such a silly idea! also imagine the potential angst when Hollyberry has to stop her evil momma!! MMM MMMM TASTY AU!!!

#Xay answers

[uweiy]

Psalm - The Devil Judge (Gahan)

Yohan visits Korea 6 months after the events of the show

___

A simple Kimchi Stew would have to do.

Gaon gets well-fermented kimchi he keeps in a container in the fridge, some meat, and sets them onto the cutting board next to the other ingredients. He wouldn't normally use Samgyeopsal, three layered-pork belly for stew but well. Yohan paid for it. Gaon can ask him to buy some more before he leaves.

He goes through the steps on autopilot.

It's how he does most things these days. Press conference after press conference, with a meeting in between. He wakes up, goes to work, waters his plants, goes to sleep.

He spends his weekends at the Mansion, cleaning, trying to work his way through the books of the library and not memorizing any of them. Sometimes he works from there too.

Gaon sets the squared meat up to boil with some salted shrimp.

He knows very well why he's here. He can't leave, grasping at the ghost of what they had for a little while. A family. And what he and Yohan never had, monstruous and enorm between them, if they had let it. But they hadn't.

The timing had never been quite right.

And so he remains despite knowing that, it's not the location that matters, but the people he had wedged himself in between.

The stew has already reduced, so Gaon adds a little water, and lets it simmer on low, watching the pieces of meat being tossed around in the swirls of bubbling water. His hands remember he's supposed to chop the green onions and green chili peppers, so he sets to it.

Some hero he is. He's been holding Kang Yohan's position for… a little more than six months now, and he is already falling apart.

"You did well."

Did he really?

In any case, he doesn't know if he can do any more.

He adds the kimchi, hot pepper flakes, crushed garlic and soup-soy sauce to the stew and quickly whips an omelet together as a side dish, while the stew continues bubbling.

For the first time, maybe, in Yohan's life, Yohan had been able to make a decision for himself. Not driven by the fire that would not leave him in peace, nor the demons that haunted him at night. And his decision, as a free man, had been to leave.

Gaon could respect that. Really, he could. If he just, kept, his distance, his frayed edges, his thrumming ribcage, and the warmth of laughter into an attic far away.

 

He could console himself, knowing that Yohan and Elijah were safe and sound, somewhere in the world.

Even if it was somewhere without him.

His hands shake as he finally adds the green onions on top, instantly making the red of the stew stand out and the dish look put together.

"It looks good."

Gaon almost has a heart attack. "Jesus Christ."

Yohan is bent over, peeking over his shoulder. "Mmmh. Kimchi Stew. Yours smells nicer."

"It… all depends on the quality of the ingredients. And you need to boil it well. If you don't boil it well, it will taste bad. And not good."

Gaon grabs the pot and flees towards the table. Once he has served the stew into both their bowls, he looks back and smiles at Yohan.

He can't help it. It's like no matter what happens the rest of the day, the moment of the meal is when they can set it aside.

"Food is ready. Come eat."

___

Yohan inhales his food as if he's eaten nothing all day. He probably hasn't.

"How's Switzerland?"

Yohan, doesn't stop chewing, and barely looks up. "Cold. Green. Rich and powerful people who are not my problem."

"You like it there?"

"Yes."

"That's good." It seems the earlier scare has pulled Gaon out of his own head. He observes Yohan. "No... Bleak analysis about the nature of humanity?"

Yohan lets out a surprised-slash-amused huff. He sets down his metal chopsticks and wipes his mouth with a paper napkin.

Gaon's lips pull upwards into a smile. "How's Elijah," he asks, softly.

Yohan, ever so slightly, smiles back and tells him.

___

They do the dishes in relative silence.

Gaon is… quite relieved actually to see that Yohan hasn't changed all that much. And now he's here and next to Gaon and it felt like it should always be like that. Gaon wants to…

"Where do you put that?" Yohan asks.

... Gaon didn't want him to leave. He wanted to hold on to him and never let go.

"Kim Gaon."

 

Just like that, the meal is over, and it all comes crashing down on him. His heart is suddenly alive again, just like the first time he had seen Kang Yohan in months and he had been chained up and bloody and about to die, and if he had well– Gaon doesn't even realize his shoulders start to shake, his knuckles turning white, cramped around the kitchen knife so tight he might cut himself on the edge of the blade.

In one step Yohan is behind him. He pries the knife out of Gaon's clenched fingers and sets it aside. He turns Gaon's head towards him, assessing and Gaon is still, not frozen no, but in stupor.

And then Gaon breaks. Breaks down in tears, a steady stream of them.

Yohan pulls him against his chest and it must hurt but Gaon doesn't care, doesn't care whether he deserves it or not, whether it's what Yohan needs right now or not. He buries his head into Kang Yohan, and holds on for dear life.

"It's not— better without you." Gaon hears himself say, and he hadn't intended to but he means it, he does. "I'm not better without you. I'm not. It's so hard." He deflates. "It's so hard."

Yohan holds him as he threatens to break apart. Utterly silent.

Why isn't he saying anything. Gaon needs to know. He needs to know if – he needs

Gaon tilts his head upwards, snakes one hand on the back of Yohan's neck, and kisses Yohan on the lips.

 

He withdraws just as quickly.

"I– I'm sorry. I–" he gathers the fragmented pieces of his spirits, looking anywhere but at Yohan as awareness returns to him. "I was out of line."

He doesn't bow formally as he walks out the room, but it's not far from it.

He makes it all the way to his room before his legs give out. He sinks against the wall, knees shaking, and puts his head in his hands.

___________

 

The halls of the mansions are quiet and dark, not even the occasional scream of a bird, or rustle of wings to be heard.

Gaon's steps too are silent, soundless, as if he was still chasing an elusive creature, sleep that would not come. In its stead, only the darkness of thoughts and worries stretched, growing, nestling in his restless limbs until it had forced him out of his bedroom.

He pushes the door to Yohan's open, hopes it does not creak, and exhales with relief when he finds him there, asleep.

Moonlight falls on his face, on his chest, on the sheets coiling around him like treacherous, white snakes. His breathing is ragged, and his inhales seem painful, and as if surrounded by danger, his features are not relaxed.

Gaon reaches out, his fingertips hovering for a brief instant over– he had never been able to keep his distance. And so he smoothes Yohan's creased forehead.

"You're safe," he whispers. "Breathe."

Yohan's breathing comes to a halt, before it evens out.

The rise and fall of his chest, calms Gaon down too. He rests his head on the side of the bed, on his elbows, and watches it. He stays, until the first rays of sunlight pierce through the curtains.

He's gone before Yohan wakes up.

___

Full fic on AO3(wip, heed the warnings)

#kim gaon #kang yohan #gahan #the devil judge #tdj

[robinette-green]

Murder's Doll

[Ao3 link]

Summary:

a small child forced to live on the streets is abducted by Eclipse and raised to be sold off as a pawn.

the first year of MC's life they live with Eclipse's charges, Sun and Moon and are tutored mercilessly until they are finally sent off to boarding school.

after finishing school, MC is married off to an abusive husband but is eventually saved by Sun and Moon.

From then on she’s treated like a treasure.

3753 words

Notes:

she/her pronouns

TW: -blood -bullying -domestic violence -body mutilation

My parents died when I was 5 or 6. 

Time hasn't meant much to me in a long time, and a lot is hazy about my past. 

I still remember living on the cold streets in the months after their death, keeping hidden and begging for scraps. 

I remember the day a tall man dressed in black stopped to look at my tiny form, huddled on a doorstep in the fading light of evening.

I hadn't had a choice when he bent down and scooped me up, taking me away from the streets to a new kind of hell. Too weak and cold to kick or scream, and even if I had fought, I wouldn't have been able to escape. 

The man's name was Eclipse. He took me to his home and had his staff wash and dress me in fine clothing. I was fed a delicious meal and allowed to sleep in a soft bed. It was like a dream. An angel had come and saved me. 

It wasn't until the next morning that things turned for the worse. 

Eclipse presented me to his charges explaining that I would live with them until I left for boarding school. 

This was news to me. Eclipse hadn't bothered to tell me anything about what he had planned, and never once did he ever explain things to me. 

The charges were Sun and Moon, children Eclipse were looking over and teaching. They were only a little older than me at 10, but they were from wealthy families. 

Sun Starr was a ginger while Moon Altalune had silver hair. Both were gorgeous, with flawless skin and incident faces. Both tortured me throughout my entire stay in that manor house. 

Spiders in my bed, traps set in the yard, shoves down the stairs, chili pepper in my food, holding me down to cut my hair, and so much more. 

On top of that, Eclipse would take their side in any conflict. Nothing I could do would ever please him. 

I spent most of my time trying to stay out of the way, but the boys would hunt me down and make me 'play' with them. 

I would be forced to go into town with them and carry their bags, buying treats so I would be forced to watch them eat them. They would have me watch them dissect rodents while I cried for the poor critter. Sometimes Sun would get a wild hair and force me to play dress up with him, laughing at me as he did. 

Fun for them… not for me.  

Through the blur of fear and anxiety, one day before I was shipped off for schooling stands out clearly in my memory. 

Sun and Moon had dragged me into town for some 'fun .'The boys were walking a few steps ahead of me, chatting away without a care in the world, when a window display caught my attention. I slowed to a stop without the boys noticing, staring up at the glass flowers. They were so delicately crafted, each looking almost real. 

So mesmerized was I that I didn't notice the group of kids that came up behind me. 

I was shoved to the ground, dropping everything I had been holding, scraping my hand and knees as I smacked down onto the cobblestones. 

"Look, it's the celestial's dog! Do you think you're a noble like the rest of us, doggie?" The lead boy laughed, kicking me hard in the side and making me cry out.��

"Let's make sure the doggie knows their place!"

The children laughed as they kicked and threw stones at me, keeping me down. I curled up as tight as possible, attempting to protect my soft bits. Tears streamed down my cheeks as one kid lifted his foot to stomp on my head, but suddenly he was gone. Something had slammed into him, taking him down. 

The pommelling stopped, the kids backing away, but I didn't look up until I heard the screaming. Sun had the lead boy pinned to the ground and was punching him senseless.

"No one can make her cry but us! She's ours!!" Sun shouted as the other boy's nose broke, squirting blood. 

Slowly I sat up, watching numbly as one of my tormentors defended me but flinched when Moon rested a hand on my shoulder. He didn't say anything as he knelt down and blotted at my face was a handkerchief. I studied his face with big nervous eyes, waiting for some kind of backlash for dropping everything or for lagging behind, maybe even receiving blame for the commotion, but it didn't come. 

"What were you looking at?" Moon asked, his voice soft for once, but I only shook my head. He'd use it against me like always. Maybe buying a glass flower to shatter it in front of me. 

Moon glanced up at the storefront that'd caught my attention and studied the display for a moment but didn't comment.

"There! They won't bother you ever again!" Sun chirped, standing proudly before Moon and me, hands on his hips. There was blood spattered all over him, and I decidedly kept my eyes away from the boy Sun had been beating. 

"You're ours, so we have to protect you!" Sun added, leaning down towards me and grinning. 

From that day until the day I was sent away, Sun and Moon doted on me. It made me unbelievably nervous. 

They gave me flowers and sweets, played much gentler games with me and Sun took every opportunity to call me pretty. 

The sudden shift was terrifying. Every second of every day, I expected some kind of trap to be sprung on me. I peered around corners and flinched at loud noises, waiting for the horrid trick to take place. 

They must want me to let my guard down so they could torment me in some new way. In my mind, there was no other rational explanation. 

If there had been a trick, it didn't have time to play out. 

A month after the boys' attitudes towards me changed, Eclipse had the few possessions I owned packed up, and I was shipped off to a different kind of hell known as school. 

Sun threw an absolute maelstrom of a fit as I was being loaded into the carriage while Moon looked on, his face dark with his own rage. Neither wanted me to leave, but nothing would change Eclipse's mind. I needed proper schooling for what he had planned for me, so I needed to go. 

I was bullied in school, but after what Sun and Moon had put me through, it was nothing I couldn't handle. Keeping my head down and doing as well as possible in my studies, I hoped to earn Eclipse's favor, hoping that when I was finally free of this place, my future would be a good one. Maybe my life could be like the one I'd dreamed of that first night in that soft bed. 

It was not to be. 

Once I finished schooling, I was immediately married off to an influential businessman that Eclipse wanted to have ties with. 

This was yet another hell I had been dropped into. 

Every night my husband would come home drunk, and I would spend the next morning tending to new cuts and bruises from the previous night's beating. 

Sometimes I would see Sun and Moon in town. It had been almost 15 years since I'd seen them, and they had aged into stunning young men. They would stroll through town with gorgeous ladies on their arms, laughing and smiling, looking as though they didn't have a care in the world. 

They wouldn't remember me. They wouldn't have a reason to. 

And I wasn't sure I wanted them to. They had been horrid to me while we had lived together. 

Maybe… 

Maybe I hoped that they would save me? They had both been adamant that I belonged to them and the last month I had lived with them, they had treated me so… kindly. 

Maybe, when I lay broken on the floor in the manor house that was my current prison, I hoped Sun would appear again to take down my attacker, and Moon would gently dab blood from my face. 

Maybe I hoped that I could experience kindness again. 

Things got so much worse before I finally saw a break in the horrid existence that had been my life thus far. 

I was wandering through town on one of my daily excursions. My husband wanted me to spend time out of the house so people would see me whole and well, part of the charade that he treats me kindly. 

Truthfully I also wanted to spend time out of the house. Away from the cold dread I felt between those walls and away from the eyes of the servants as they watched my every move. 

I had found myself standing before a shop window, looking in at the lovely little glass flowers and wishing for the hundredth time that my life could be different when a voice spoke in my ear. 

"You look so melancholic, Sweets." 

Ice shot through my veins as I whipped around to look up at the man behind me. It was Moon, the sly grin that had been on his lips dropping to a frown as he looked into my scared eyes. 

"And still so timid. What has you so scared, turtle dove?" 

He remembers me? I had assumed he had long forgotten who I was. He'd never paid me a second glance when we'd crossed paths in the street before, so I had assumed I was nothing but another passerby to him. Why was he speaking to me now? 

I had opened my mouth to lie, to pretend everything was alright at home, as I had been trained to do, when Moon moved. 

Before I could react, Moon had taken a step closer, pinning me to the wall, and pulled at the collar of my dress, revealing my skin and the dark purple bruises underneath. 

He was so close I could smell lavender on his clothes. 

"Sweets, how did you get these? Don't lie. I'll be very upset if you lie to me." 

My trembling fingers closed lightly around the wrist of the hand on my collar. Eyes on the ground to my side, I whispered.

"He wouldn't like it if I told you." 

Not a lie. I didn't want my husband to be especially angry with me, but I didn't want to lie to Moon either. 

Save me? 

"What do we have here! Oh, Dewdrop!" Sun had come up behind his partner and gave me a dazzling smile when he caught sight of me. He recognized me too. 

"Sun." That was all Moon needed to say to draw Sun's attention to the bruising, still visible as Moon kept a hand on my neck. The smile dropped immediately, fingers reaching out to lightly graze over the discolored skin on my collarbone. 

I could feel a light trimmer through Sun's fingers, and when I glanced up, I could see the blind rage in Sun's eyes, hiding behind a tight smile. 

"Is everything alright here?" 

Moon and Sun were suddenly a step away, as though they had not just been studying the bruises on my upper body, and I found myself anxious at the space between us. 

Some good samaritan had come to ensure I was not being harassed by the men who'd been pinning me to a shop front. We were still on a main street, not very inconspicuous. 

"Y-yes, we're alright," I said quickly, covering for Sun and Moon without fully knowing why. 

The man eyed us momentarily with an odd look before conceding and leaving us be. 

I felt nauseous. 

Did I recognize him? Did he recognize me??

"Darling thing." 

I looked up at Sun's smiling face, the anger seeming to have vanished. 

"It was so good to see you, but we'll have to part ways for now." 

They were… leaving? Just like that? A lump formed in my throat. Moments ago, they were asking about the bruises, angry and upset, so why??

Had I really put so much hope in them saving me? Why would I think they would? Why would I have ever thought they would care? 

My eyes were firmly on the ground as I did all I could to hold myself together, my body shaking slightly. 

"Alright," I whispered. I would not cry. I would not. 

We parted ways, my trek back to the manor house a long one, and when I reached it, my husband was waiting for me. 

The man who had seen me with Sun and Moon had been a family friend. I was called horrible names, my hair was pulled, I was hit and kicked, things were thrown at me, and at the end of it all, I was locked in the cellar. 

Blood oozed from a cut on my forehead, and one of my eyes was swelling closed from a punch to my cheek. Fat wet tears rolled freely down my face as I sat against a wall, staring blankly into the pitch-black around me. 

No one was coming to save me. 

No one cared about the girl that was once a gutter rat. 

I was just a pawn to be disposed of. 

I don't know how long I was down there, sitting in the dark. I may have fallen asleep at some point, but I couldn't be sure. I didn't know if my eyes were open or closed. Part of me had started to assume that I would be left down here to die, and that same part of me was relieved that I would be left in peace and that everything would be over soon. 

But then the door opened, and light filtered down the stairs. 

Footsteps made their way calmly down to me, and when I looked up I found Sun and Moon standing there. 

A small sob escaped me, I couldn't stop it, and Sun was crouching down to wrap his arms around me, lifting me up into a bridal hold. 

My arms wrapped securely around his neck, and I hid my face against him, body wracked with sobs as I was cradled in a firm embrace. 

"There there, we've got you," Sun said calmly, running a hand on my back. 

He smelt of oranges and honeysuckle… and something else… something metallic. 

"You're ours, so we'll always protect you," Sun said softly, lips pressed to my hair. 

"We're sorry it took us so long to save you, Sweets," Moon added, his fingers trailing along my arms.

I was instructed to keep my eyes closed as we left the manor, so I kept my face hidden against Sun, eyes squeezed shut. 

I knew what that metallic smell was, and as I was carried up the cellar stairs, it got stronger and stronger. 

The walls must be painted with blood.

There was a carriage waiting outside for us, and when we settled inside, Sun let me keep my arms around his neck, placing me in his lap. 

Moon sat next to us, and once the carriage was moving, he gently took hold of my chin and turned my face towards him so he could blot at the cut on my forehead with a handkerchief. 

I felt numb inside as I let Moon tend to my wounds. Never in a million years had I thought my childhood tormentors would save me, but here I was, safe in Sun's arms with Moon dabbing at my cut. 

They told me that they wanted to get me as soon as I had finished school, but Eclipse had convinced them that marrying me off would be better for me… though only barely. 

They'd been keeping tabs on me, wanting to ensure I was healthy and safe. It wasn't until recently that they'd noticed how unhappy I was and thought to check-in. 

I guess it makes sense that they wouldn't notice that I was unhappy right away. Not only had I never smiled around these two, neither were good at reading people's emotions… or at least, that's how it had been when we were children. 

The whole ride to their home, I sat with my head resting against Sun's shoulder, staring numbly into space as he held me close. 

All my emotions had shut down. 

I had been taken away from the man I was sold off to, but now I was in the hands of two men who might torture me for fun. This is what I had wanted, but this could end up being another horrible situation. 

Finally closing my eyes and relaxing into Sun, I decided that at least this would be the lesser of two evils. I would rather live in fear of a nasty trick than in fear of my life. 

I was taken to an elegant home with a vast garden. The maids were kind and gentle, helping me to bathe and change, bandaging my wounds, and outing ointment on my bruises. I had dinner with Sun and Moon but ate very little of the delicious meal. 

Even though I was quiet and unresponsive, Sun and Moon chattered away with each other and at me, unbothered by my numb state and keeping me included in the conversation. I managed to give short quiet replies when things needed a response, but otherwise, I looked blankly at my plate. 

Over the next few days, they let me acclimatize to the new environment, staying close and keeping an eye on me but letting me wander aimlessly. Slowly, I started to relax and actually explore. 

This is when the boys started to stick to me like glue whenever they were in the house and… I didn't mind it. 

Sun was quick to point out things in the house and garden that he thought would interest me. He'd pull small gifts from seemingly thin air and present them to me with a grin that could light up a room. 

Moon would have me sit with him in the library, reading stories to me from his favorite books or books he thought I'd like. He'd also set up tea parties in the garden and fed me sweets that were more delicious than anything I'd ever had before. 

I was nervous and hesitant to trust them, but I slowly opened up to them. One of them was almost always by my side, and they were kind and gentle. I would startle at loud noises, and some movements or actions would cause me to flinch or cower back, but I started to smile…

 I started to feel… happy. 

As the days went on, both men began to hold me close whenever they could. They would come up behind me, wrap their arms around me, or run their fingers through my hair or against my cheek. Sweet, tender touches and cuddling. 

I let them. 

Their embraces made me feel anxious but… also safe. 

Even after I accidentally stumbled on their dark secret, I still felt safest in their arms. 

From day one, I was told to never go into the basement. That was the one place I was not allowed to go, and I had no want to go down there. I had no reason to… 

Sometimes, one of the boys would vanish for a day or two. They seemed to take turns leaving to accomplish whatever task it was that took them away. I didn't think much about it until the day I came down to breakfast to find both men gone. 

I'd been living with the two for a little over a year at this point and I had become accustomed to their presence. Never before had both had to leave.

The house seemed so big and empty without them, even with the servants scurrying about. I could chat with the maids if I felt lonely, but they didn't make me feel safe like Sun and Moon did. 

All day I was nervous, fiddling with my fingers, pressing my nails into my palm, and glancing over my shoulder. Every sound made me twitch, made my heart jump into my throat. 

Were they back? 

I tried to fill my day with things to take my mind off their absence, but nothing seemed to work. Books couldn't hold my attention,

Wandering through the garden left me alone with my thoughts, and when I tried to sketch, I found I was drawing their faces. 

Sun and Moon were gone for three days and when they finally came back I was told by the house butler that they should not be disturbed. 

I was crestfallen. They'd returned, but I couldn't see them? Did they not want to see me? Had I done something wrong? 

I tried not to let myself spiral, tried to keep to myself and leave them be, but… I had a scare. 

They hadn't meant to scare me, I was jumpy at the best of times, but one of the servants dropped a vase on their foot and couldn't stop the angry shout that it resulted in. 

My brain sent me back to my time with my husband, the beatings and the anger, and my body reacted. I was in an utter panic, breath coming in small gasps and my body trembling. 

I needed Sun and Moon. 

I knew where they would be. They were in the one place I had been forbidden to go. The door wasn't locked, and I was through it and down a few steps before I hesitated. 

It was a fleeting feeling. A slight fear that coming down here and disrupting them would result in anger. But even in my childhood Sun and Moon had never gotten angry with me.  

Down the dimly lit steps and around a corner, I found myself in a long hallway lined with doors. A door hadn't been fully closed at the end, and a warm light leaked into the hall. 

Without a second thought, I trotted to the door and peered inside. 

A metallic smell hit me. 

Sun was standing at a metal table with his back to me.

Something… 

There was something on the table. 

Is that a body? 

Were those... limbs hanging from the ceiling? 

A warm hand slid over my eyes, an arm wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled back into a solid chest. 

"Turtle dove, you know you're not allowed down here," murmured Moon's soothing tones into my ear. 

#glitter rock #fnaf daycare attendant #sun and moon x reader #dca fanfic #tw violence #tw blood #tw body mutilation #glitter rock writing

[gallys-wife]

Phantom Pains

A/N: I know I said I was going to put the Gally one out first but I finished the Newt one first because I had more inspo for it. Warning I suck at writing endings.

This is based on my headcanon of "Newt getting random pains or cramps in his leg from his jump even years after, especially in the cold weather."

Word Count: 851

Warning: Newt x Reader, talks of Newt's jump, fluff, the reader's gender isn't mentioned and there's no use of Y/n

~~

It was a cool night in the glade. Everyone was fast asleep except for Newt who had crept out of his hammock and you, who had been woken by the uneven shifting noise of the floorboards under his feet.

You had been in the glade for 6 months to the day, but your sleep never improved from fitful, light sleep since the first night you arrived. Every sound from the other boys woke you up, every snore or creak of a cot, so you knew the minute Newt snuck out of his bed. Curious, and knowing you won’t be able to sleep anyways, you slowly and quietly push back your blanket, climbing off your mattress and following after the boy.

You find him by the bonfire, the fire long since put out, with a cup of Gally’s mysterious brew in his hand. He hasn't noticed you yet so you take the moment to evaluate the situation. He’s tense, his back rigid and his face pinched like he’s in pain. He rubs at his left thigh, taking another sip of the drink before wrinkling his nose and setting it aside.

When he does he realizes you’re there, immediately releasing his left leg and plastering a small smile on his face. “What are you doing awake, love?” he questions, batting the spot next to him.

You happily take the seat, scooting close enough to him that he gets the picture and raises his arm so you can snuggle under it. Newt had been the first person you had really gotten close to in the glade, with his charming accent and helpful personality. 6 months after arriving Newt is your best friend so cuddling up under his arm like this, especially on cold nights, is a common occurrence.

“Heard you get up.” You murmur tiredly, resting your head on his shoulder and leaning heavier on him. You can hear his intake of breath when your leg leans against his, and you quickly straighten up again, remembering his expression of pain just a minute before. “Are you okay?” You ask, tiredness and desire to huddle for warmth forgotten.

“Yeah, I’m fine-” he begins, but stops when you shoot him a look that screams that you don’t believe him. “... sometimes I have like… phantom pains in my leg. From…” he trails off. You know what happened, it didn't take you long to figure it out especially with how everyone acted whenever it was brought up.

You lay a hand on his shoulder, smiling when he makes eye contact, letting him know he doesn’t need to finish. You stand with a small sigh. “Alright old man, spread your legs.”

“Excuse me?” He looks startled at your words but you just point at his legs.

“You heard me. Spread your legs.”

Watching you suspiciously he does as he’s told and you unceremoniously plop to the ground in between his knees. You turn, lifting his leg as gently as possible and scooting closer so he can rest his calf on your legs.

“What are you doing?” he asks, face pinched again, and you know you moving him every which way can’t be pleasant.

“I’m giving you a leg massage.” You explain, making him shake his head quickly.

“You don’t have to do that-” You cut off his speech by beginning to need the skin of his thigh, just above his knee, and you can hear his breath get caught in his throat like the wind has been knocked out of him. As you move higher to his mid-thigh, massaging as you go, his head lolls back and a small groan leaves his lips. His hand blindly lands on your opposite knee, looking for something to grab onto. “But I’m not gonna stop you.” He sighs out, relaxing back against the log.

You both chuckle at that, and things are quiet for a few more moments until your eyes begin to get heavy and your hands start to get tired.

“Come on, love.” He moves his hand from your knee to your shoulder, pulling you forward until you lay in between his leg, head resting on his chest. “As much as I am enjoying this leg massage we both have to be up early tomorrow morning and need our sleep.”

“People are going to talk,” You murmur, barely able to keep your eyelids open thanks to how warm and comfortable his chest is to lean against.

He wraps both his arms tight around your middle as he can, holding you close enough you can hear his heartbeat and feel his warm breath against the top of your head. “Let them talk.” He whispers.

You smile, feeling a different kind of warmth spread through your chest and you raise your head to look at him only to see his eyes are closed. You press your ear back to his chest, listening as his breath slowly evens out and his heartbeat decreases to a calm rhythm. He’s asleep. With a small sigh you decide to follow suit, allowing his steady heartbeat to lull you to sleep, smile still on your face.

#newt tmr #tmr newt #newt x reader #the maze runner #tmr #tdc #tst #the death cure #the scorch trials #newt headcanon #newt imagine #newt x you #tmr newt x reader #newt x y/n #fluff #newt fluff #tmr newt fluff

[zegumi]

Ushijima Wakatoshi SFW alphabet

alphabet template here

fluff I sfw I gn reader I hcs

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

at first he's quite hesitant on showing affection, wondering if you're comfortable with him being that close to you. he starts off easy: holding hands, letting you rest on him... etc.

once he feels more comfortable with you, he starts placing his head in your lap and giving you little kisses here and there

his favourite forms of affection are: forehead/cheek kisses, back hugs, holding pinkies, and resting his head on your shoulder

when you’re not around he shows affection by talking to you to his closer teammates but subtly, he brings up your name once in a while and a teammate will tease "ooo somebody's in looove" and he starts blushing profusely, asking if they can go back to practice, but the thought of you never leaves

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

being best friends with ushijima seems very rare, he's pretty selective with letting people close enough to earn that title

with you it was unexpected, you weren't afraid or cautious of his stoic upfront. you sat next to him in class and tried to make conversation with him, making sure to include him in conversations and asking how he's doing once in a while. he lets his guard down a little and you guys get even closer, he even invites you over to help with some schoolwork and suddenly you guys are spending more time together outside of school

he's kind of hesitant to call you a best friend, but when he sees that you’re okay calling him yours, he adopts the same title

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

yes yes yes and yes

he is always behind you, resting your head on top of his. if not he'll be facing upwards, lying on his back, your head will be resting on his shoulder and he'll have his arm wrapped around your waist.

he's definitely 99% always the big spoon

but on the rare occasion he wants to be the little spoon, he has both his arms wrapped around your waist, with his head on your chest, your hand running through his hair while your legs are intertwined absolute bliss

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

hell yeah

he's a sucker for the domestic life, waking up with you in your sub-urban house, a train ride away from the city. making cakes with you in your green painted kitchen which took you way longer than it needed to bc you kept messing around

he can cook, oh my, he buys some cookbooks and you guys spend some time with each other

I feel like he wants kids, some mini him and you running around, if not he'll adopt some

him teaching his kids to play volleyball in the backyard, him brushing their teeth and reading them bedtime stories and them giving them a little kiss goodnight cuteness overload

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

definitely depends on the reason why you're breaking up, but in this scenario, let's say he hasn't been home enough and you guys feel like you're not with each other enough pain

he really dreads having to break up with you, but he knows you deserve more than someone who is barely home. he's not harsh about it, he sits you down at a time when you guys are both free and explains why, "maybe the time isn't right, right now"

even though he broke it off, he still thinks about it quite a lot, he really hopes that you guys will find your way back to each other one day even if he knows that it won't be possible bc right now you're happier with someone else :( i love angst

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

his volleyball career kinda gets in the way of him wanting to commit to you, but he wants to show you that you mean the world to him, so i think he proposes in his mid-late twenties

his proposal isn't really that over the top, but he takes you out first for a fancy dinner with the excuse 'can't i treat you once in a while'. it's quite dark outside and you guys are looking over the city, you turn around to ask him something and you see him down one knee lovely

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

he is very gentle... probably bc of his strict upbringing, but he makes sure not to hurt you in any way

he becomes so much more gentle with his words, careful of saying the wrong words because he can't stand the thought of losing you

physically, he tries to make sure not to accidentally knock into you bc this man is so big and if you get ill ushijima is doing anything in his power to get you better, he tries not to get sick in the process, but having you care for him doesn't seem like the worst idea

emotionally, he tries to support you, but he's not the greatest at dealing with emotions, but when supporting you he tries comforting you rather than trying to solve your problems

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

at the beginning of the relationship, i think his hugs are kind of stiff-ish, but once you guys get more comfortable he goes all in

he's such a good hugger. he doesn't do half-hugs, it's all of it or nothing, he engulfs you with his strong arms a little bit too tight but who needs air

if he feels extra clingy back hugs. he loves the feeling of having your figure pressing against his, sometimes his hands grip onto your waist and he'll sway you back and forth while humming to his favourite song

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

as I've mentioned before, you're the first one to say ily in the relationship, but he says it back straight after

i like to think this happens about 5/6 months into the relationship, just when you guys start getting really comfortable around each other

as for using the L-word, he doesn't really say it that often, he believes when something is overused it isn't as special. he only uses it when it needs to be said

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

he doesn't really get jealous easily bc he's kind of oblivious or chooses not to pay attention to it

but when he catches on to whatever's going on, his eyebrows furrow and he'll just give the stare, he'll come near you and put an arm around your waist and slyly try to join the conversation

he knows what he's doing and so does everyone else

the person you're talking to gets a bit intimidated and tries to end the conversation as quickly as possible

you'll try to tease him for his jealously and he'd just change the subject and starts blushing a little, if you try to bring it up later he'd be like 'huh what was that sorry i don't remember'

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

I'm not good with this type of stuff ahh

he's actually pretty good at kissing. he likes soft kisses and little pecks on the shoulder and forehead.

when he's rough or needy, he gets really handsy like hands cupping your cheeks, in your hair, hands pulling your waist in - just very intimate

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

lazy mornings bc who likes being productive all the time

he likes sleeping in on days he has nothing to do, so he’ll be behind you hugging your waist and his head resting on your back, you try to stand up so you can get breakfast done but he pulls you back and says 'come on, just a little more', you know that means another hour but you still get sucked back into his warm embrace

you end up falling asleep and wake up with noises coming from the kitchen. you walk in on him wearing just an apron and his pajama pants, dancing to the radio while making pancakes for breakfast

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

again lazy evening edition bc why not

he comes home early that day, brings home your favourite snacks and asks if you want to watch a movie with him

he grabs a few blankets from your room and you guys decide to watch 13 going on 30 one of my comfort movies

halfway through the movie, he places his head on your laps asking for you to play with his hair, he lies down and you throw some popcorn and skittles in his mouth every few minutes, you tried pouring water but he started choking and spat water all over your shirt

it gets pretty late and cold so he changes you into his hoodie and carries you over to the bedroom. you guys fall asleep to the hums of the city below

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

he's a very reserved person, and i think it's just the way he was raised, talking about feelings wasn't normal in his home growing up

i think with you it takes him some time to open up, he reveals a few things about him and his childhood here and there but nothing major

he doesn't talk about how he feels enough, so it kinda relies on you being able to notice a change in his behaviour which might I say seems extremely hard

i think if you start being more open to him, then he follows on

he gets more comfortable with his emotions around you first and then starts being more open to his team - just give him some time he gets there

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

oh he's so patient, so patient

it takes a LOT to anger him, i don't think you ever have or ever will see this man angry, tbh i don't think you would want to

if you ever lash out at him, he'd sit down and understand where you're coming from, he'd try to calm you down and give you a second to let it all out

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

he remembers everything, literally everything

you mentioned that you liked mangos yesterday, and boom you've got a lifetime supply in your kitchen /s

he keeps a little note in his notes app just making sure he doesn't forget anything, he has your favourite orders, skin/hair care products you use, and little stuff like your favourite show in there

he does this bc he loves how your eyes beam after realising he remembers the little details

R = Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

this one hc is why this took so long, so I decided not to do bc my brain isn’t responding

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

ushijima isn't the overprotective type although he is protective

he doesn't care what you wear or how you present yourself, as long as you’re comfortable, you will have his full support

if he sees someone making you uncomfortable, he is always quick to jump in and say "you're making them uncomfortable can you please excuse yourself". if he sees a situation is making you feel uneasy he will take you and leave, to calm you down or to clear your mind, which ever one is the best choice in that moment

he doesn't feel the need to be protected, he believes that hes strong enough for the both of you sometimes he needs a little help so pls do step in

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

such a big try hard, he puts so much effort into dates, anniversaries, and even mundane everyday activities.

even far into your relationship he still pulls up at your door with a suit and a flower bouquet which he seems to never forget

he always wants everything to be perfect so you'll never forget

he enjoys surprising you with little gifts to remind you that he still cares. he seems like the type to buy you a promise ring, and oh my is it beautiful

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

this is hard bc in my eyes this man can't do any wrong, but its probably how he can't express his emotions very well

everyone gets in a bad mood once in a while, but for ushijima its different, the stress of volleyball gets to him and he just ends up shutting everyone out, including you. he was never taught how to properly talk abt how he feels so he just holds it in with never intending to let it out

if you try to ask him whats wrong then he just grunts and shrugs it off

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

he isn’t insecure for how he looks physically, he works out and maintains a healthy lifestyle, and he was blessed with that beautiful face of his *chefs' kiss

he's always hygienic (bare minimum), he cuts his hair regularly, keeps his hands nice and clean, with his nails well-trimmed

he likes to keep his appearance up and always looks like he should be on the front cover of a magazine but so effortlessly

bonus: he smells so good, he wears expensive cologne and zooweemama its so tasty, you'll hug him and never want to let go just because

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

he wouldn't necessarily feel incomplete with out you, he'd feel a bit empty

he forgets how much he misses you when he goes abroad for matches and he can't see you for a week straight. he makes sure to send videos and voice notes rather than texts so you can send some back. he video calls everyday, no matter the time difference just so he can see you in real time

if you guys take a break in the relationship, he finds his self drifting back into his stoic shell. he tries his best not to bc he knows how much he loves the person you've helped him become

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

doesn't know how to flirt hehe

he tries to use a smooth pick up line once in a while but they all end up with him in a flustered mess before he can even finish a sentence, i think we should leave the flirting to you

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

liars/dishonest people

he can't stand it when somebody lies to him, its agitating when someone he cares for feels the need to lie to him, it makes him feel like they don't trust him enough

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

he's a quite a light sleeper and wakes up pretty easily. he also looks dead when he sleeps, for example most days he sleeps pretty early bc he's worn out and you come into the bedroom and see him lying down on his back, his chest isn't even moving like it should be, but you'll get into bed with him and his first instinct is to wrap his arms around you and give you a kiss

i think he sleep talks, omg just imagine ushijima whispering about the weirdest things in his dreams. you recorded him once and showed him when he woke up and he got a bit embarrassed and started laughing

here's the hcs for mornings with ushi

this took me so long omg >o< I really hope I portrayed his character well bc he’s such a lovely person

make sure to take care of yourselves :)

reblogs are very much appreciated <3

requests are open

#ushijima #ushijima wakatoshi #wakatoshi x reader #ushijima x reader #sfw alphabet #ushijima fluff #hq headcannons #haikyuu!! #haikyu x reader #ushijima scenarios #ushijima headcanons #my love so lovely #.z00 headcanons

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

Don't nah to me.

NESTOR OCETEVA. ┃ MAYANS MC.

❝ request by @yourwonkywriter: Hi, Aurora, beautiful piece of art, my friend, my love, marry me and god bless your parents. Could I please request number 6 of the Random prompts list with Nestor (if that one isn’t taken, yet? Thank you💖✨

❝ request by @the-radical-venus: Hey!! I love the new prompts it was so hard to decide on one I'm so excited! Idk how I'm going to be able to wait until January, Ive been waiting everyday for each of your November prompts to come out so I've kinda sold you my soul at this point haha “Wanna like— I mean, if you're not busy… We could get lunch, maybe? Or even just a coffee, if you don't have a lot of time?” For nestor oceteva? Preferably him saying that line?

❝ prompts: “Nah”. “Don’t ‘nah’ to me”. / “Wanna like— I mean, if you’re not busy… We could get lunch, maybe? Or even just a coffee, if you don’t have a lot of time?”

❝ words: about 800.

Gif credits to my lovely @sonsofeorl.

Stretching your arms over your head and uttering a soft pleased grunt when you feel your back gnashing, you continue your path to the kitchen. It's almost lunchtime, but you came last night too late from San Diego and you need a coffee urgently. It has been the first time in two months that you've been able to sleep for more than six hours, after finishing the period of exams at college. And it feels so good to sleep in your bed. Almost colliding with your big brother, as he steps out from the kitchen, he leaves a rushed kiss on your forehead before disappearing through the living room straight to his office. It's good to be back at home.

“Buenos días”. You yawn covering your mouth with a hand, once Nestor turns around.

“Buenos días”. He replies, noticing the fleeting shine in his dark eyes.

Puckering your lips squinting towards him, you grab a mug from the cupboard about to giggle somewhat ashamed. There's something in his smile that could kill you in a sight, making you feel a little nervous.

“Good sleep?”

“Yeah”. Nodding your chin, you pour some coffee to your delight, not waiting to take a sip from your cup.

You can't help but keep your eyes on his at all times, intrigued, figuring out what's going on inside his mind. Licking your top lip, you shake your head expecting some more words from him. Maybe, something about his thoughts right now. But Nestor is just staring at you, silent, like a freak.

“It's creepy what you're doing”. You whisper wrinkling your nose.

The head of security chuckles, resting his waist against the counter as he keeps his hands inside the pockets of his dark pants, slightly showing a pair of colored suspenders over the black shirt perfectly ironing. Nestor rubs the back of his head for a moment, before hiding his hand again. You know what it means. You know him ever since and, even if sometimes he's very quiet, you've learned to read his gestures throughout the years. He's nervous. His fingers are shaking. His palms are sweating. All from a second ago, when you've walked in.

“Wanna like— I mean, if you’re not busy… We could get lunch, maybe? Or even just a coffee, if you don’t have a lot of time?”

For you, it's so cute the way he has to clean his throat pretending everything is going normal, that you feel your cheeks and the tip of your ears burning. Kissing your teeth, you look at the way Miguel has taken a minute before, considering if it'd be correct to date his best friend, the only man he trusts in. Nestor has liked you ever since, but you aren't sure if you should hear your heart or the last brain cell alive in your head.

“Like a date?” You raise an eyebrow interested in his reply, and because of that, you can see how he gulps a little jumpy.

“A da— date? Nah… Nah, nah, nah”. He's lying.

Standing up and taking the last sip from his mug, he leaves it inside the sink about to abort the mission and run away. The expression on him lets you know he has fucked up at the moment you haven't said yes, simply.

“Don't nah to me, Nestor”. You laugh inevitable at the grimace of horror, not finding any escape route when your brother appears again accompanied by Álvarez.

“You okay? Looks like you've seen a ghost, brother”. The older makes fun of him, watching how he loosens the neck of his shirt by undoing a button.

“Yeah, everything go— good”.

“What's your plan for today?” Your brother questions whilst grabbing a small bottle of water from the fridge, sounding very interested.

“I'm goin' on a date with Nestor”.

Oh, the pettiness. Silence filling the kitchen. Your brother lands his eyes on his best friend; confused, perplexed. Miguel must be thinking it's one of your jokes or something like that until he notices the sweat on Nestor's forehead. Marcus laughs breaks the tension installed around you, shaking his head as if it was the funniest thing he has heard in his life. The counselor has to abandon the place, almost choking on his own saliva, flooding the house with his laughter.

Miguel just sips water, moving his head from you to Nestor, like when he watches a tennis game.

“Qué desagradable”. He babbles, imagining stuff he doesn't have to imagine. “New nightmares unblocked… I don't want to know… a thing about it”.

Waving his free hand, your brother disappears again not adding another word to his sentence. Nestor is close to a heart attack, trying to say something in his defense. But he has collapsed.

“I'm free for lunch”.

“Uh?” He utters placing his attention back on you.

“Lunch. I'm free”. You repeat, conscious he hasn't heard you.

“Ok— okay. I, uh… I'll wait for you to… get ready”.

If you’ve liked it, lemme know in a comment, I’d really appreciate it. Reblogs are welcome too, so more people can enjoy it! ✨

GENERAL TAG LIST: @mayans-sauce @peoniarose @destynelseclipsa @band-psycho @myakai13 @petlaufeyson @-im-fantastic- @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals @rocketqueen @rosieposie0624 @ellyseveronica @Jessprins13 @diaryofkali @ravenmoore14 @starrynite7114 @kenbechillin @miahelen @monkeyluver4546 @sheeshgivemeabreak @jadesamhart @rawrlittlepanda-95 @megapeacelovemusic-blog

MAYANS MC: @multiyfandomgirl40 @countryash345 @skyofficialxx @lovebennycolonmiguelgalindo @bellisperennis0 @chibsytelford @trulysuccubus @purrrrfect @witching-hour @leathercladmenfics @encounterthepast @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @queenbeered @sesamepancakes @gemini0410 @pinguinstudiert @oscars-wifeyyy @meteora-fc @lozaa94 @arveeee @joupym @hanster1998 @missswritings @arana-alpha @lucillewinchester @theocatkov @telfordlowmans @tclaerh @aurelie-celine @spideysimpossiblegirl

#mayans mc x reader #mayans mc imagine #mayans x reader #nestor oceteva imagine #nestor oceteva #nestor oceteva x reader #mayans mc

[agallimaufryofoddments]

Since I'm getting back into the Naritaverse. By starting to read Vamp! for halloween which i love omfg. (On Volume 1). and Etsusa Bridge as well as slowly collecting physical copies of Baccano novels (might just ask the rest for Christmas lol cause I only have the first five) I really want to see a short story collection about what the mortals (and immortals) were doing in the 40-90s period. I know we've gotten bits of stuff like Firo and Ennis Wedding. and Cezes, Maiza, Elmer, finding the last remaining Advena immortals 1970-90s etc. etc. Cause I could see those short stories play out in some sitcom slice of life way (like how 1700s is a period drama with flash backs to 1500s and 1600s and forward to 1800s, 1930's a heist movie, and the 2000s an action thriller.) Also i wanna see 1937-39 cause we already got 1936 drama cd.

Man, so much good stuff in one ask!

So much that I will have to stuff my "overmuch" responses under the cut. Too often do I invade others' dashes with long, long amounts of text.

Featuring: enthusiastic agreement; reflections on the transitional period 1930s!Baccano! takes historical place in + Narita's influences; and an incipient Baccanovember idea.

(Also, increasing rambling the more I spiral down my own thoughts and away from the basic subject at hand.)

starting to read Vamp! for halloween which i love omfg

That's a good idea! Hm, it's been a while since the Naritaverse fandom (er, can't speak for the Drrr!! side) had one of our series-themed months... Our month for Vamp! is '#Vampuary' (January), while Etsusa Bridge's is #EBcember. A Vamp!-read is always advised year-round, of course, but I do very much like the thought of a Halloween-inspired Vamp!-vival.

Speaking of Naritaverse-themed months, Baccanovember is coming up...

Anyway! Glad Vamp! Volume 1 was such a hit. I'm tempted to ask you who your favorite(s) characters are so far, though this is highly subject to change since you haven't met a significant number of the cast yet.

physical copies of Baccano novels (might just ask the rest

Ooh... you may not want to wait for Christmas when it comes to Vol. 6, since that one has been especially hard to find (same with Vols. 2 & 4, which you own), and Yen Press has no plans of reprints anytime soon. This means, of course, that no volume's supply is guaranteed, so hey! Definitely strike while the iron is hot, if able.

I really want to see a short story collection about what the mortals (and immortals) were doing in the 40-90s period.

Oh, man... (assuming you've read Volume 5 here), Denkurō's life alone in the second-half of the 20th century is clearly movie / book material—Narita shamelessly indulged himself there, and damn if he didn't succeed in tantalization. Same with...so much about Nile, honestly, which is a shame since there's so much thematic potential there that hasn't been explored to the extent it could be.

I'm absolutely with you about wanting more about the Advena immortals' road trip in general, on that note. 2001 & 2002 both left me...wanting on that front, not just because eyy fun road trip shenanigans, but because I had the overwhelming impression we missed out on witnessing some major character development for Sylvie? We're given this exposition about how Sylvie coped with the knowledge of Szilard's death [aka no more reason to live, in her distressed perspective]...

“Getting back to what we were talking about. When that shock hit me, I’d gotten tangled up in a variety of things, and… Frankly, if Maiza and Nile hadn’t been there, I don’t think I could have endured it.” (Vol. 5)

...that is to say, she coped poorly (w/Nile & Maiza talking her down from wanting death) ...and we're to understand from 2002 that she struggled but slowly, like a flower unfurling, came to decide to find her own reason for living, one not tied to Gretto, Szilard, anyone else.

This is all just staggeringly relevant to Baccano!'s main themes on top of being, again, an emotionally important part of Sylvie's life that's just...'glossed over' isn't quite right. Just...not given the chance to be experienced.

(Also, yep, desperately want to know more about the circumstances in which Nile reunited with Maiza and Czes...more Nile, period. I want to know how long it was just Nile, Maiza, and Czes, partly because the idea of Nile being at the mercy of Maiza's whimsical driving ability is funny, and partly because I live for the Nile-Maiza bonding scene in Vol. 5 and want more Nile-Maiza friendship. Did i mention I love both characters?)

As a format, yeah, I can see short story collections working, too (*sighs in 5656!! P1noP2, enthuses in Hariyama-san*). Ideally, such collections could be great opportunities for Narita to explore particular topics or themes in more focused detail, across time and setting and character—from the Advena Avis immortals roadtripping in the 80s or immortals and mortals during WWII, to the mafia redefining themselves in the '60s or a certain cult's actions throughout.

When it comes to 1937–39 / the immediate wake of 1935, and, frankly, the mortals' lives over the next few decades...this is where I scratch my head and ruefully grimace. The 1935 finale and aftermath has been subject to so much speculation over the past 5+ years! In no small part due to the story arc's own merits (read: so clustertwined that we all really want to see how Narita untangles it all into a satisfactory conclusion), but also because...there's a blank dearth of canon material thereafter that our imaginations want to fill in the blanks for.

"Where in the fresh hell is Huey Laforet & what is he up to for the next 70ish years?"

"So...howzabout WWII and them immortals & mortals, eh? Or Vietnam or Korea. Was Nile the only one who fought? for real?"

"Isaac and Miria probably have a few interesting escapades during the swinging sixties, eh?"

"Hm. Let's see...characters who suffered due to witch-hunts living during the time of McCarthyism? No? No short story ideas at all, there?"

"What do you mean, we miss out on Chané and Ennis living fulfilling lives? Oi Narita, I wanna see them embracing living for themselves and especially Chané n o t r e g ressing. Doing the opposite, in fact. Oi."

We're teased so much when it comes to the road trip, but know...quite little about the rest. Odds and ends.

Truth be told, when it comes to the latter half of the 1930s... We're talking big-time horrors. Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933. Our 1935 finale year sees the implementation of the Nuremberg Laws. Firo & Luck take down the Mexican traffickers in the same year Nazi Germany hosts the Olympics and Spain breaks out into civil war. A year later, Japan invades China. Then, 1938 arrives with Kristallnacht and the annexation of Austria. Then, 1939—WWII.

This is not to say the events of 1930—1935 are frivolous by comparison. America grapples with organized crime, flourishing thanks to the only recently ended Prohibition, labor upheaval, and the Dust Bowl. The Soviet Union is undergoing its first five-year plan, which contributes to mass famine. Millions dead. Revolution in Brazil, coup in Chile. The Great Depression is devastating across the world.

This to say that Baccano!'s middle era carefully unfolds during a transitional period of history. It takes place at the limin of prosperity and ruin, in that order. 1930, the 'ish-beginning'—1930 is the world a year teetered off the Great Depression's cliff edge. For America, the 20s' prosperity is a fresh memory still. Prohibition is still in effect, but on its slow way out. This ‘dirty’ decade ramps up the heat until brewing hells take on the world war stage (even more hell. Hell for everyone).

A large number of our cast is varyingly...sheltered from the roughest consequences of the Depression over the next few years; at least, while some of our Manhattan urbanites are involved with Fred's poorhouse—an establishment that definitely adapts to the times—the Dust Bowl destitution to the west will be its own level of wretchedness. In the meantime, our crime families seem more ruffled by Prohibition's end than anything else. Even Jacuzzi's gang, for all their efforts to 'make ends meet', are better off than some other street and slum gangs—how many delinquent gangs are camped out in as ritzy a joint? The Lamia, during their Chicago activities, have their own problems to worry about.

Our characters are not particularly, on average, paying close attention to global affairs—the gangsters all preoccupied with domestic wars and kingdoms, the bootleggers just trying to survive, the hedonic singularities giving a damn about their own worlds, not the world.

For Baccano!'s middle era to climax in 1935 is for Narita to teeter and back away from the tipping point of change, the eve of war, from global events that no one, B!'s characters or otherwise, can be insulated from. He may not feel adequately equipped to write anything during this period. He may simply not want to. Remember—what sort of media influenced Narita to write Baccano!? Ah, to his credit, one inspiration was an actual crime biography about Capone—but he was certainly influenced by American gangster flicks like Goodfellas. Narita loves movies and pop culture. "I’m fascinated by this era, which is shown in all sorts of movies..." he says (Vol. 1), of Prohibition.

He is drawing upon, to an extent, the mystique and mythos with which decades of fiction have imbued the era of Prohibition and gangsters and film-radio industries and hedonism. This is the zeitgeist he had in mind when writing—not the polito-economic nightmare unfurling of destitute poverty, authoritarian regimes, war. Our 1930s cast, during the transition period between the Roaring Twenties and Dirty Thirties, are probably experiencing this transition at a slower pace than most in the country.

To end on a less...sober note:

It's great fun to imagine new canon Baccano! material, of course, (this is how we entertain ourselves during the hiatus: fantasies about new content), but, given that Narita has his challenges with finishing the series at all...well, I suggest turning to FanFiction to tide oneself over in the meantime. Definitely some great vignettes & one shots out there that take place outside the canon-defined / depicted story eras.

There are...surprisingly fewer fics that take place in, say, the 19th century or during the 40s–90s than one would think! I bring this up because I think it reflects the 'issue' (state) of available canon knowledge for certain periods, e.g. what xyz characters are doing in xyz decades. Moreover...during periods of time where existing canon plot-threads are still decades in the making, us writers are sort of left to come up with, you know, stories. (Boo!) Yeah, yeah, "It's more fun when you imagine the rest," thanks, Carol.

Huh. Hey, that's a thought. We used to do this...'themed week' for Baccanovember, where each day of the week was a different theme and writers/artists could come up with a fitting story/artwork. I kinda like the idea of a decades-influenced week? e.g. Sunday / 1710s, Monday / 1920s ... Thursday / 1960s ... Saturday / 2000s or the like, meaning submitted stories / artworks would be set in that decade. One could still incorporate themes / topics, of course, to give people something more to work with.

Maybe a mix-and-match?

Man, it's a bit late to organize / rally people for a formal Baccanovember, but I'm tempted to through the idea out anyway, even if only informally.

#Baccano! #Baccano #asked and answered #Rev's Musings #long post

[virgil-is-a-cutie]

All The Good Girls Go To Hell

This is based on the ask I got of Snow being the bad guy and which turned to Snow White Going Evil AU. Also the title is from Billie Ellish's song. Also thanks to @thegayestasexual for helping me with the title. Also genna base Mira's looks on the comics but add the parts from the show as well. As well as change a few things.

Warnings: none so far really just slight mention of alcohol use

Diana was excited for her story to start right away. Her class had graduated a few months ago and she was eagerly waiting for her fairytale to start.

Mira hadn't even enacted anything on her which was strange really.

She must be planning something spectacular!

She was pacing the walls of Good Castle when she curiously looked out a window and furrows her eyebrows.

A black horse, which oddly had a skull crown decorating it, with knights guarding it, which was somewhat odd since the only person in the land of Ever After who had a black horse with skulls delicately placed on it was...

Oh.

Mira Queen.

Diana frowns, 'why would Mira be here?' she thought before she lit up at the realization.

Every past telling of the Snow White story had the Evil Queen of the story marry into the White family. However, that really couldn't be the explanation

She rushed her way downstairs and skidded as she heard the giggles of Mira Queen who was smiling at something Snow's father, Good King (Edward King), had said.

The giggling caught her off guard, but she shook it off.

"Hey dad," Diana said with a bright smile before furrowing her brows as her father looked at her nervously before smiling big again.

"Diana dear! The person I was looking for," he said with a kind smile.

"What for?" she asked curiously as she glanced at Mira who was wearing a lovely dress that had more bright color in it really.

"I have some news to tell you my dear," he said softly as he glanced at Mira before looking at his daughter, "Mira and I are courting," he says.

Diana blinked and took a step back at the news. Sure her mother died when she was just a few days old and sure it had to do with her birth combined with how her Evil Queen made the poisoned apple a bit too strong.

Or so they say.

That and because they had to start the tale early because Diana's mother had gotten pregnant at 15 years old with her Good King and didn't want word of what Alice White had done.

Of her being pregnant, so Grimm had told her parents and the Evil Queen of their tale to start the tale early. So as to not have a scandal.

No one suspected anything really.

Mira's mother, Miranna Queen (who was in a way Diana's step grandmother), had been 21 years old because Mira's grandmother had Miraralla first while Alice's mother had Alice 6 years after the birth of Miranna Queen.

So all this time her father spent his time raising her with her maternal grandmother, who was resurrected for the specific purpose to raise Diana, by his side. Never getting in a relationship with anyone, since he was raising the next Snow White.

So to hear that her father, who is 34 years old, is dating Mira is a shock.

Especially since Mira is the same age as Diana.

Even though past tellings had Queens marry that age as well.

Or a bit older.

She smiles weakly, which went unnoticed by Mira and Good King who were holding hands.

She was weary now.

She... didn't think this would happen at all really.

___

"They make such a lovely couple," Diana jumps as she turned to look at Red Ridding Hood, Crimson Hood, and The Big Bad Wolf, Remus Badwolf.

Mira's bffas of course, whom came to the party dinner Good King had hosted.

How odd she had friends who were supposed to be enemies.

Diana smiled weakly and glanced at Diana who was with Edward, the couple were happily talking with Fiona Thorn, better known as Maleficent, and Valarie Goodfairy.

Mira wore purple fish tail skirt that had black stitching that helped make it seem as if animal bones were decorating the skirt, a black queen Anne top with black platform heels. Her hair was done in a fishtail braid, her small crown with the bone of a raven sitting on top delicately on her head.

The sight of beauty.

Diana pushed down the burst of jealousy she had for Mira.

It was ok, she was Snow White, the most fairest, of course Mira would be the fairest 1st. That's how the story goes.

She looked away after a minute to look back at Crimson and Remus and smiled wearily, "indeed."

Crimson bit back a smile, she and Remus knew from Mira that she felt as if Diana was uncomfortable with the relationship of her enemy with her daddy dearest. However, to Crimson and Remus it was clear Mira truly did love Good King. The man had wooed her well and he didn't care at all about her being his daughter's enemy.

The two have been dating for over 5 months, well 7 if you count the 2 months when they kept their relationship a secret, and they looked to be going strong.

"Nothing wrong with it," Diana said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes as she looked back to see Good King place a kiss on Mira's cheek.

Diana wished Willow was there, but her tale was already in progress and well... she wasn't really allowed to dinner parties or anything really.

She did see the ugly stepsisters and their evil mother. So there was that. However, they left after a while once it was 9 PM, she just hoped Willow was ok.

The poor girl never had a chance to leave the home she was now trapped in.

Emerald Lockes was here though, but the woman was so annoying with how she silently criticized the palace each time she came for a visit.

Diana bit back a groan before putting on a dazzling smile and walked up to Emerald.

At least she could talk with her.

Albeit probably not that of interesting things.

___

A year in a half (or almost 2 years and a month really) to Mira and Good King's relationship and Diana was getting impatient.

When the heck will their tale begin?!

She was thinking this during a ball that her father had thrown for Mira's 21st birthday and everyone was invited.

Diana wore a sweetheart gown

With her hair in a curls, but she felt a bite of anger seeing what Mira was wearing.

(Mira wore this)

With her mint blonde hair in waves with a small braided part in it.

It was a simple but elegant look that she had somehow been able to pull off with the many animal bone jewelry she wore.

She smiled sweetly to guests and danced with random Charming princes before pausing in confusion as the music stopped.

A spotlight flashed onto her father, who was smiling at Mira who had her hands on the pockets of her dress, whom held a microphone.

The next few things her father said caused her to stand there frozen as the whole room cheered and clapped.

Her father proposed to Mira.

Mira was marrying her father, the Good King, Diana's daddy dearest.

She felt her stomach clench before breathing deeply.

A few hours after the ball ended she paced her room and took deep breaths.

"It's no problem! Plenty of Queens have married a Good King to progress or create a story before poisoning their Snow White," she whispers to herself as she chugged on the bottle of wine that she had sneaked out of the wine cellar.

Her lips were a light blue, the bottle half empty, it was full when she entered the room.

"Yeah...no need to worry! Plenty of them even divorced their Good King," she giggles nervously.

Not remembering that it was a rare few of Queen who did end up divorcing their Good King, but that was years and years after their tale was done.

"Our tale is meant to start," Diana hisses before taking another drink as she remembered how her father called Mira beautiful.

"He's speaking out of love of course," she mumbled to herself.

____

Diana stat there frozen as Mira walked down the isle.

A week had passed after Mira's 21st birthday and the wedding was happening.

Everyone who was important was invited, even the common folk.

Much to the surprise of no one, Mira opted to wear a black wedding gown.

Her blonde mint hair now dyed black was in curls and she held the black roses close to her as she reached Edward. Remus having walked her down the isle.

It very much suited her.

The rest of the wedding was a blur, all Diana remembered was feeling ice in the pit of her stomach.

'Just part of the story,' Diana chanted in her head throughout the whole day.

3 months later Dia- no! Snow White was now in the woods with the seven dwarfs.

In the glass coffin they made her.

3 months after she had been awoken by her prince, Prince Draiden Charming, and married him she was now living the best life.

She had her own kingdom, well... the kingdom that all past Snow Whites were able to rule over once their story finished.

Her grandmother had given it to her after she got back from her honeymoon.

She fixes her hair when she pauses a little.

"I haven't seen father for almost 4 months," she whispers shocked before finally deciding to go over to Good Castle to visit her father. Surely Evil Queen and him have already divorced.

The story already ended, no need for them to be married!

Snow made her way to Good Castle, she hopped off the carriage and in excitement threw open the doors. She looked around furrowing her eyebrows.

There were many dark knights guarding the place.

....that could only mean one thing.

Evil Queen was still here.

"Ah! Snow! What a lovely visit!" Mira called out from the top of the stairs, her mint blonde hair in a messy braid as she wore a black and violet fish tail skirt with a long sleeved button up black shirt with slingback heels.

"Hello Evil Queen," Snow said with a weak smile which wasn't noticed by Mira who smiled as her husband hugged her.

"There's my beautiful wife! The fairest in my heart," Edward said playfully.

Snow freezes at that. Evil Queen? The fairest?

But.... she was the fairest! Her! Snow White! She, Diana White,THE Snow White was the fairest!

She felt as if she was splashed with cold water.

But she felt as if a damn had been broken.

Mira couldn't still be married to Snow's father unless.... unless their story hasn't actually finished.

If it did then Mira and Good King have to have divorced by now....

"Snow?" Snow blinked and fought off the urge to sneer at her enemy as shr looked up st Mira.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to stay for lunch? Me and Edward have a few things to do later on so really lunch time is the perfect time to catch up," Mira said with a bright smile.

"Sure!" Snow said ignoring the hisses in her mind as Good King cooed at Mira and called her beautiful.

'Draiden never calls me beautiful,' Diana thought bitterly.

'Surely our tale isn't done,' Diana thought darkly as she was handed her plate.

The anger inside of her continued to grow the whole week as she kept visiting and watched how wonderful her father and her enemy's marriage was. Her marriage wasn't like that at all.

How unfair.

Mira couldn't be the fairest. Snow White was!

But Good King kept calling her beautiful! He HAS to call Snow that.

She is his daughter. It's fair.

But he never did it.

How unfair.

Jealousy continued to grow.

She was the fairest.

All of Ever After knew that.

But it looked like they needed a reminder.

Tag: @2sunchild2 @thegayestasexual @unmaskedagain @captainrose35 @falling-electricxangel @calliopeia @mlbchaosqueen @animalgirl05 @alicesangelofmusic @thyladyanput

#jenny writes #ever after high #ever after high au #snow white turns evil au #i changed a few things since i can and will

[samanthalightning]

She's Got A Date-EoWells X Allen!reader- Part VI

*The GIF is not mine. All rights to the owner*

Part V

Summary: You went to the hospital to tell Joe and your Brother about your relationship. But it seems you weren't the only one with the same idea.

Warnings: Make out sesh?

***

You did not have the best idea, you knew that. Your adoptive father is in the hospital after he almost died and now, you decided you will give him a heart attack.

Wells made it very clear that there is a time to do this, specifically after Joe gets discharged. Much to his dismay, you pleaded the man non-stop. He gave in eventually.

Now, walking down the busy hallway of the hospital to go to Joe's room, it became more and more evident that you were really going to regret this. The nervousness you felt was nauseating. Your hands were cold and sweating like crazy. You felt bad for Wells; he was holding your hands the entire time.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked for a tenth time that night.

"Yeah totally. I mean— he's already in the hospital— what could go wrong?" You chuckled nervously.

He grimaced and pressed his lips in a thin line. That says it all. Bad idea.

Approaching the room, you let his hand go. You don't give it away and be able to explain properly.

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself. You stepped inside to find Iris there with Eddie by her side. She was saying something and hugging a bedridden Joe. They look like they just arrived as well.

These two are rarely in the same room with Joe around, and you have a feeling that they might be both here for the same reason as you do. But hopefully, they don't, because in this situation two is definitely not better than one.

"Got more room for one?" All heads turned to you. You walked towards Joe and went in for a tight hug. "You gave us a scare there, old man."

"Can't get rid of me that easy," he chuckled heartily, as you let go.

"What are you doing here, Dr. Wells?" Barry's brows furrowed.

Wells gave him a small shrug. "Just want to wish Joe a speedy recovery."

Among other things.

"Thank you, Doctor,"

The whole room shifted. You even started fiddling with the hem of your coat. Tense, awkward. You all had turned quiet as you exchanged nervous glances, uncertain how to break it to the man on the bed without him going ballistic.

Barry, knowing what Iris and Eddie are here to do, cleared his throat. "I'll let you guys talk." He turned to leave, not before signaling to you to do the same thing.

"No. Stay, Barry," Barry shot you a strange look, but stayed nonetheless, putting his hands in his pockets, shifting on this leg awkwardly.

A jolt of fear rushes through your body. If it felt so bad earlier, right now it's even scarier. You sucked in a breath, glancing over to Wells for support and approval. He nodded sternly, eyes staring back ever so assuring. This is really it. You turned back to Joe, letting go of your breath and spoke,

"Dad, we have something—"

"Joe, we have something—"

Both of your heads whipped, sharing a look.

"You go first," she gestured to you.

You shook your head rapidly. "No, you go first,"

"No-"

"Okay," Joe grunted, sitting up. "I know y'all dating."

Your heads quickly whipped to Joe froze. You were both mortified.

"I know,"

"You do?" Iris blinked, stunned. Everyone was.

He rolled his eyes in disappointment for no one in this room giving him enough credit. "I'm a detective, remember? You are lousy liars." You all laughed, knowing it's true. He looked at Wells, finger pointing to him accusingly. "And you, Wells. You think I didn't see those hickeys? You showed up with them and my baby girl was limping— you think I wouldn't put two and two together?"

You groaned, burying your face in your hands to hide your blush. You were not just embarrassed, but deeply guilty.

"So, you're not mad?" Eddie inquired.

"Oh, I'm mad. If the doctor hadn't confiscated my gun, we'd be having an entirely different conversation," Joe told him.

The poor man paled, the smile wearing off his face. He gave Iris a nod, and turned to leave. You knew it's time for a family meeting.

"Hey babe, meet me in the car?" You turned to Wells, eyes hinting what's about to go down. He quickly got the gist, and excused himself.

When both men are out of earshot, Barry and Iris gave you an incredulous look. "Wells?!" They both exclaimed.

"What?"

Joe was shaking his head, eyes looking on you and Iris, clearly displeased. But obviously not hell bent. "You girls and your taste in men will be the death of me."

You moved to his side, you placed your head on his shoulder, hugging him. Iris did the same thing. Not that he was very willing to admit it, but you and Iris have him wrapped around your fingers, and you know how to always convince him.

"Please don't be mad," you cooed to him, nuzzling to him and holding his hand.

"But I am. A cop and the man who blew a hole in the city," he sighed heavily.

"It's not so bad," Iris appealed.

"Yeah right," he scoffed.

You both try to make him feel better about the situation, but it occurred to you that this one will definitely take time to get accustomed to. You both went behind his back, and that's something.

You have to leave since Wells is waiting for you in the car. Barry offered to walk you, and you know there's an underlying agenda to that. But he hasn't said anything since you entered the elevator, didn't even dare look at you. He's walking on eggshells, always been.

"So, are you mad?" You broke the silence, fiddling with the sleeve of your coat.

"No. Just surprised." You thought that was perfectly understandable. Then he turned to you and snapped. "I mean, Wells? How? When?" He bombarded you with questions with his hands in the air.

"When you were in a coma. 6 months ago,"

"6 months?! Why didn't you tell me?!" He exclaimed. Your face scrunched up.

"In case you forgot, you just woke up from a coma, and the last thing I want to give you is another reason to be in one again," you explained. "You got powers, and meta-humans appeared."

He sighed, nodding. He put his hand inside his pocket, before asking, "Does he want kids? Can he have th—"

Your cheeks went warm, blushing red. "We haven't had that talk yet," you interrupted.

"Right." Barry mumbled, realizing how awkward his questions were. "Do you love him?"

You nodded, a small smile formed on your lips, cheeks warming up. "Yes."

Barry didn't say anything anymore. You know he's still trying to take it all in. His baby sister is dating his mentor, who is almost the same age as their Dad. It's quite a shock.

"Is it weird?" You cocked an eyebrow.

Barry snorted. "Yeah." You bursted out laughing.

The elevator dings, reaching the underground parking area. The door slides open and you step out. When you got to your car, Wells was waiting there for you.

Barry stood there, he and Wells were having a stare off or something. For a second, you panicked. He's not a totally violent person, but it doesn't mean he can't get angry.

But Barry just stifled a curt nod at Wells. "Take care of her," he said.

"I will,"

He turned and walked away, back to the elevator. You helped Wells get in the car, before climbing in yourself. You started the engine and drove out of the hospital's parking lot.

"Should I drop you off at the lab?" You asked him.

He shook his head. "No. I think a night in with you tonight would be very nice,"

You looked over to him and shot him a smile.

"Okay." You muttered.

Despite the fact that Barry was the one who kicked Nimbus' ass, but your muscles were sore and tense. In your defense though, it was one hell of a day. You just want to sleep and cuddle with Wells. You are so glad that you have the rest of the weekend to doze off.

You came out of the bathroom and stepped inside of your bedroom after a warm, relaxing, well-needed shower.

Wells was already sitting on the bed, tucked in, already halfway through a book. You love how he can lose himself while having a read. His brows furrowed slightly, eyes focused solely on a certain page, then quickly moved quickly to the other page. He reads a book faster than anyone you know, aside from Barry.

You slipped in the sheets, sitting up beside him. You peeked at what he was reading to see which one of literature and philosophy finest books has captured his attention again. Your eyebrows scrunched up, puzzled at what you are reading; it's written in Latin.

"What are you reading?"

"Julius Caesar," he replied, flipping to the next page.

"I thought you read that already?" Your tone changes, subtly hinting him that it's time for bed.

"I did," he answered, not even taking his eyes off it.

You glared at him in disbelief and huffed. Perhaps it was too subtle.

"So, maybe you can ditch that and let's go to bed?" You inquired with the same tone.

He glanced over to you, not showing any sign of expression at all. He stared at you and you know this means to let him finish the book he read over a hundred times before. So you stood your ground, and hardened your stare.

He sighed in defeat. "Fine." He closed the book shut, took his glasses and set it on your nightstand.

"Thank you,"

You were ready to lay down and sleep for the next 24 hours, but he spoke suddenly.

"I booked us a table tomorrow night to this fantastic restaurant midtown,"

Your head snapped to him, a surprised look immediately etched in your face. He said so nonchalantly. "Wha—" you were speechless, sputtering words, your mind processing what he just said. You try to form coherent words, but all that came out from your mouth was a laugh, bewildered. "A-are you taking me out on a date?"

He grinned, clearly amused with your reaction. "Yes. It's time we have some decent steaks, don't you think?" You swatted his chest, shooting him daggers, while he laughed. You swore to God if you perfected cooking steak, it'll be the death of him.

"I mean it." He ceased laughing, taking a hold of your hand. "I have a lot to make up for. And I'm gonna start by treating you like a queen. My queen." He planted a kiss on your knuckles.

You cupped his cheek, narrowing your eyes at him. "You're lucky I love you," you murmured, leaning into him.

"Oh, I know." He chuckled.

You giggled, capturing his lips, and kissed him sweetly. He deepened the kiss, slowly getting passionate. His tongue roamed inside your mouth, you tried to fight for dominance, but surrender to him eventually.

His hands moved up and down your body, then settled on your boyshorts clad bum. He caressed it with his long fingers and squeezed it tightly, before he slapped it, the smacking noise resounded in your room, startling you a bit. You couldn't help but moan, you feel pleasure alighting in the pit of your stomach. Your hand palmed his chest, bunching up his shirt tightly. You were getting carried away, and he as well. You pulled away gently, catching your breath.

"I just wanna cuddle and sleep tonight," You murmured, running the pads of your thumb across his cheek.

"Is that why you didn't wear pyjamas, Miss Allen?" He teased and squeezed your bum once more.

"What? They're comfy," you grinned.

"Right," he chuckled. "Okay." He gave you a last peck on the lips, before turning off your lamp.

You both lay down, he wrapped his arms around, protectively. Your tense and tired body relaxed, as you snuggled up against him. Like a small child, you felt in his arms; a sense of security and the feeling of home washed over you.

You looked up to him and saw that he was in some sort of daze, caught up in his own world and yet aware of his surroundings. His eyes were gazing up to your ceiling. There isn't really anything special on the ceiling, except mold. You pondered what he was thinking about. Perhaps how much of a rollercoaster ride the last 24 hours was?

"I am so glad we worked everything out today," you began. "I don't know if I can sleep tonight if we didn't talk,"

"Me too," he replied, rubbing his thumb against the skin of your shoulder, absentmindedly, didn't even glance up to you.

"I was scared, you know, I thought I was actually gonna lose you," you added in a whispered voice.

He exhaled. "So did I. I'm sorry I made you feel that way,"

"S'okay. I'm sorry I snapped at you." You couldn't take it anymore, your eyes were feeling heavy and they fluttered close.

"It's alright. I understand,"

You nuzzled your head on his chest, hearing his faint heartbeat and the rise and fall of his chest, slowly lulling you to sleep.

He kissed your hair softly, then murmured. "Good night,"

"Good night,"

You can feel yourself falling deep into sleep in a matter of seconds.

You both slept in until 11 am, and you were more than glad that you were able to get him to stay. You didn't even have to plead.

It wasn't until you were having brunch— he cooked, which was for the best. Apparently, he saw you cook eggs before— that it occurred to you that it's really happening. You're going on a date. Tonight. An actual date. You repeatedly told yourself a hundred times today, still not able to wrap your head around it.

You were nervous. Although, you played it off.

You didn't want him to know you were nervous more than you were excited in fear that he'd cancel. And you didn't want to miss out on a highly possibly great date with a great man. You literally fought for this. You can't chicken out.

It's just that your experiences with dates were, well, not so much—the men you went out with were not so much. They tend to turn out pretty boring, pointless and often self-centered. They ditch you or you ditch them. It was a restless cycle and it exhausted you. So, you just never go to one. And it's not like you're going out with some random dude. It's Harrison freaking Wells!

So as soon as he left your apartment after brunch to go home, you panicked for a certain amount of time, then called someone who could help you.

You stood in front of the mirror, staring at your reflection, while holding a dress over your frame. You tilted your body left and right, face scrunched up, obviously not pleased with the dress. It's too skimpy, too tight, too short for your liking. You don't even remember buying this dress.

You huffed loudly. "I look like a stripper." You threw the dress on top of a pile of clothes on your bed. You and Iris have gone through your entire wardrobe collection, and no perfect dress is turning up.

"How about this?" Iris walked to you with a bunch of hangers in her hand, showing you a particularly bright red dress. The last thing you want was Wells to look like he's your sugar daddy.

You shook your head. "Too bold." She threw the dress. Underneath the red dress was a long, ruffled sleeves dress, which you knew you only bought from a thrift shop, because it was so cheap. The color faded, at some point you were convinced that it was from the 1940s, although it's still pretty decent

"Yeah, if I want to look like Grandma Esther," you snickered.

She sighed exasperated as yet another piece of clothing was added to the pile. Iris held out what seemed to be the final dress she had. She raised an eyebrow, eyes were basically pleading you to choose it. You can't blame her. You are one picky girl.

It was beautiful. Your eyes lit up at the sight of itl; beige, knee-length and made of silk— with frills. Exaggerated as this may sound, but as if on cue, the angels sang with their angelic voices the moment you laid eyes on it.

"Perfect," you mumbled.

"Oh thank God," Iris groaned. She picked up a pair of heels by the edge of the bed. "I picked out these shoes for you; they'll match with that," she added, handing it both to you.

You dashed off to the bathroom to put on your outfit. As soon as you came out, you checked yourself out in the mirror. You were right; it suited you so well. You still feel sexy wearing it, but it wasn't screaming at your face. You still retain a respectable, elegant demeanor.

From the side of your mirror, you saw Iris standing behind you, arms folded, watching you fondly.

"What?" You broke her out of her reverie.

She smiled softly. "Nothing. You look amazing,"

"Anything else?" You raised your eyebrows, looking at her through the mirror, knowing there's more to it than she says.

She shrugged, shaking her head. "I just can't believe it— you're dating Harrison Wells," she sounded as shocked as she was yesterday.

If you were being honest, you can't quite believe it as well.

"Yup. Much to Joe's dismay," you chuckled, although you couldn't help to frown. Iris quickly saw it.

She walked to you, wrapped her arms around you from behind and rested her chin on your shoulder.

"Ignore him. He'll get it over it,"

He will, you are certain of it. But it doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice if he was fully supporting it. He didn't say anything to discourage it, he probably isn't going to say anything about it ever, but you know he's not a fan of it.

"Yeah. Hopefully soon," you murmured.

"Although, it is Harrison Wells," she started. You rolled your eyes and groaned internally. "I'm not even done— I just mean, it's something that's going to take time for people to warm up about this. He blew up a hole in the city and he's much older than you,"

"I know that, Iris," you exhaled audibly. You didn't need a reminder of that. You tell yourself that everyday for the last 6 months.

"I know you know that. My point is that this relationship is gonna go through a lot of tribulations, and I just want you to prepare yourself for it. I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?" She sounded so motherly, locking eyes with you.

You frowned, but nodded. You understand her point, you really do. Joe, Barry and the rest of the team, you know they genuinely care for you. But this is your relationship, and you know when it comes to love, it has it's own challenges and pain and it's something you have to deal with.

Abruptly, you heard multiple knocks all the way from the living room.

"He's here," you whispered.

You both quickly shuffled, you grabbed your purse, making sure you got everything you needed inside. Iris fixed your hair, tucking in some strand that stuck out.

Then, there's your pile of clothes on your bed that's not gonna clean itself. You panicked for a second there. Wells was outside, and you're pretty sure you're both gonna crash here after.

"Go! I got this!" Iris ordered you. You hesitated, because you know she's not going to do it. But Wells knocked some more. Much to your surprise, Iris already started hanging the dresses. So you leave it all to fate— and Iris—, and head for the door.

You took a deep breath, taking it all in. This is it. This is really it.

You opened the door, putting on a shaky smile. "Hey," you mumbled.

He cleaned up well. You don't know what it is with a suit minus the tie, but you absolutely love it on your man.

His eyes raked you up and down, mesmerized by you, jaws dropped. He looked at you with those blue orbs, glinting in the way that is so not good. He just never saw get dressed up before. All the time you just wore your normal, often coffee-stained clothes.

"You look absolutely ravishing." The way those words rolled off his tongue made you weak to your knees and you flushed slightly.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself," you said shyly.

He helped out his hand to you, lifting an eyebrow. "Let's go?"

You nodded, intertwining your fingers with his.

You closed your door, as you stepped out of your apartment. And as you walked down the hallway, your heart was thundering like crazy, so nervous and excited.

God, you hope this date turns out well.

***

How do you all think the date will turn out? Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you share this and give it some love. Thanks!

Part VII

#Harrison Wells #Harrison Wells x reader #Harrison Wells x Allen!reader #Harrison Wells fanfiction #Harrison Wells imagine #Harry Wells #Harry Wells x reader #Harry Wells fanfiction #Harry Wells imagine #eowells #eowells x reader #eowells x Allen!reader #eowells fanfiction #eowells imagine #eobard thawne #eobard Thawne #eobard thawne fanfiction #eobard thawne imagine #Tom Cavanagh #Tom Cavanagh x reader #tom Cavanagh fanfiction #tom Cavanagh imagine #the flash #the flash imagine #the flash fanfiction #barry allen x reader #cisco ramon x reader #caitlin snow x reader #Iris West x reader #lightninghasstruck

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.5k

Warnings: Smut, swearing

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 6 Part 8

Part 7

Liam's phone rang. He ignored it and let it go to voicemail. When it rang again, he made a noise of disgust and took his phone out of his pocket to look at it. "It's my publicist. I had better take this."

Liam answered the phone and went outside to talk. I turned the oven on and started to unpack the groceries. Then I got the roast, put it in a baking tray, poured olive oil over the top and seasoned it with salt and some pepper. I got out some onions and garlic and started to cut them up to place around the roast to give it some added flavour.

"That looks great," Liam said when he came back in.

"Thanks," I said, and I gave him a grin. I took the tray and put it in the oven. I got my phone and put an alarm on, giving myself time to cook the veggies before they finished. A thought came to me, and before I could bite my tongue, I said, "They do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Really?" Liam licked his lips, looked down at his pants and said, "I'd say they were aiming too high."

It took me a minute to work out what the joke was. When I finally did, I couldn't help but laugh and hide my face in my hands.

"You've gone so red!" Liam appeared to be having fun with my inability to control my blushes.

"Oh, my God!" I said, still hiding my face and laughing. "Alright, that was funny."

It took me a while to stop laughing. When I did, Liam said sombrely, "Sweetheart, I have to tell you something."

"Uh, oh, it doesn't sound good."

"It's not bad. I don't know how you will feel about it." Liam then told me that his publicist had called to let him know there were pictures put on Instagram and Twitter of the two of us kissing at the pub last night. "Your name hasn't been mentioned, and the photos look to be shot from pretty far away on a mobile, so someone in the pub took the pictures. Sarah says they probably aren't going to tell who you are by the pictures unless someone who knows you well comes forward."

I think if my eyes bulged out of my head any further, they would have fallen out and rolled on the floor. "That quick?" It was all I could think to say.

"Yeah. It's hard to know what will come out and when. A lot of times I go out, and no one notices me, but other times I have paps or members of the public following me for hours."

"Who's Sarah?"

"My publicist." Liam reached across the bench and took my hand in his. "Are you ok?"

"You say they don't know who I am?" Liam nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't happy but what was I going to do about it? I picked at my nails. I needed to paint them; the pale pink polish was starting to chip.

"You ok?" Liam asked again

I shrugged. "Your life is weird."

Liam chucked. "You keep telling me that."

"So, what happens now?"

"Well, usually Sarah would say to private all social media, but she had a look and said she could only find a Facebook profile for you which was already private. Do you have any others? Instagram? Twitter? Snapchat?"

"No. I have a YouTube account that I use to watch videos, but that isn't linked to my real name or email. Also, a Tumblr account, again not associated with my name. And no pictures of me."

"Tumblr?" He raised an eyebrow. His fucking lip twitched.

"I was a confused 22-year-old ok?" I said a bit defensively. "I haven't used it in years," I remembered then the dating site we met on. I quickly logged on and selected the options to hide the account.

"Ok, well, there's not much else right now. A few rags called Sarah for comment. She said the standard no comment and asked for my privacy to be respected. The rest is up to you."

"Up to me?" I asked, confused. "What's up to me?"

"When you want to confirm the relationship and release your name."

"Liam, I met you less than 24 hours ago and have known you only a few months. I'm not ready for that. I like you a lot, but maybe you pick your nose and eat it, and I'll have to dump your arse tomorrow and then it's been a big song and dance over nothing." I joked. The mood had gotten too heavy for me. I wanted to talk about something else.

"Sweetheart, I'd never do that." He smiled sweetly, "I'd make you eat it."

"Ewww!" I screamed.

"Get over here." He chased me around the bench, and after a few evasions and some more squeals, he caught me. Perrin came in through the doggy door and barked at Liam a few times. Our behaviour obviously scandalised him. "Perrin," I called. "Come here, boy."

"You think your dog can save you?"

"Of course, he's very protective of my honour."

"We will see about that." Liam bent over, and I thought he was going to tackle me. Instead of flying backwards, I was hoisted forward and found myself over his shoulder. I screamed as I heard a loud crack, my hands flying to my bum.

"Did you just smack my arse?" I must admit I was finding all the manhandling arousing. I wasn't going to let him know that, though.

"Yes, I did. Want another?" Liam was heading down the hallway, taking me to the bedroom.

I giggled. "No!"

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Liam quoted. Shakespeare sounded good with his accent. I giggled some more, and I got another one. Yes, very arousing.

Liam hummed. "I quite like the view here." He rubbed my bottom and took me into my bedroom.

I was very close to his round bum. "This view is not so bad either," I said and smacked his arse. Unfortunately, it probably hurt me more than it hurt him. His butt was tight!

Liam dropped me onto the bed at that point, and the look on his face was hysterical. I couldn't stop laughing, and tears were rolling down my face. Then I did the most embarrassing thing: I snorted.

That was it. Both of us couldn't stop. Every time I calmed enough to think I could speak, one look at Liam's face, and I'd be off again.

Eventually, we stopped, and I was able to say, "Oh my God, your face! That was so bloody funny." I wiped my eyes.

"I think that may have been the first time someone's done that to me."

"Really? Didn't you go to an all-boys school?"

"Yes, but it wasn't the US." Liam tried suppressing a grin as he said, "we got ball taps."

I tried not to laugh. I really did. "Oh, my God!" I was off again.

We watched the original Mad Max before I had to go and finish dinner. I was horrified when Liam said he hadn't seen it before. I immediately made him watch it. He said it was ok, the concept was great, but he didn't love it. I told him he needed a brain scan.

When I went to make dinner, Liam offered to help, but I told him not to be silly.

Liam sat at the kitchen bench chatting to me while I chopped and blanched the vegetables. After a while, he said he had to call Sarah and his assistant Ryan to make sure he had organised the dog walker to take Cole for a walk and play.

"Any update from Sarah?" I asked Liam when he returned. I feigned disinterest while I finished slicing the roast.

"All the same right now. Some sites have posted the pictures, saying I was spotted drinking with an "unknown female companion." The pictures have circulated a bit on Twitter, but it's mostly just by fans. They haven't hit the mainstream yet. It's all fairly standard, and it will go away by tomorrow by the looks of it."

"Good," I said. A look I couldn't interpret passed over Liam's face. He masked it pretty quickly. I opened my mouth to ask if he was ok but shut it again. I said, instead, "dinner's ready." I passed Liam his plate.

"Thank you," Liam said, leaning over to kiss me before eating. I watched as he cut up some beef and started chewing. "Pretty good. Almost as good as Mum's," he teased with a wink.

I elbowed him, and God bless him; he pretended it hurt.

We ate in silence for a while. I gave a few pieces to Perrin. He was so old, and I couldn't help but spoil him occasionally. He won't be around forever.

After dinner, Liam insisted on helping me clean up, and we stacked the dishwasher. Watching him bend over, his jeans straining as he put the plates in, stirred some feelings. Erotic feelings.

"Want to watch another movie?" He asked.

"Not really," I said. "I'm in the mood for some dessert."

"Ice-cream? I can't have any, but you can."

"Not ice-cream," I said, shaking my head. I looked at him with my very best bedroom eyes.

"What do you want then? Want me to go to the shops?" He said, not catching on. I put my arms around his waist. "If you let me borrow your car, I'll go. I can just go on my own."

"No, you wombat." I met his hips with mine, his eyes widened. "What I want is right here." I wriggled against him. Liam grinned widely, his cheeks creasing in such a sexy way.

"I thought you were shy."

"I am getting used to you," I said. "The real me is coming out." The truth of my words took me by surprise. I looked away, second-guessing myself. Why did I do that?

"I like her," Liam said hoarsely. If he hadn't spoken then, I think I would have stopped. But when his hands went into my hair, and he pulled, stretching my throat, I knew I wasn't going to stop. He kissed me there, and his teeth grazed my skin. My fingers reached under his shirt, and they gripped his back. My nails dug into his skin.

"Bedroom?" I whispered.

"Bedroom," he agreed and walked me backwards to my room.

"You promised me something earlier today," Liam said in between kisses. We were close to my bed.

"What's that?"

He stopped kissing me and cupped my face with his hands. "You said I could undress you."

Liam took hold of my t-shirt and waited. I nodded. He slowly lifted my shirt up and over my head before dropping it to the ground. He tilted his head as if contemplating and gently turned me around.

I felt Liam gather my hair and put it over my shoulder. He caressed my back with his fingertips, making me shiver with pleasure. I heard him give a satisfied hum before undoing my bra. He turned me around again and took hold of my bra straps, pulling them down my arms.

When I dropped my bra beside my shirt, Liam took a step back. He looked me up and down, his eyes hungry. I wanted to cover myself under his intense gaze, my earlier courage wavering under his scrutiny.

My arms started to move, and he gave me a stern look. "You're not thinking of hiding now, are you?"

I shook my head and forced my arms back by my sides. "Good, because I want to look. You're quite the sight." As if to emphasise his point, he adjusted himself through his pants. I felt a thrill of excitement flow through me and felt the familiar throbbing between my legs.

Liam got down on his knees and kissed my belly. His rough stubble tickled. "Your skin is so soft," he said in a low voice. He undid my jeans and kissed a trail down as he unzipped me. His breath was warm, and I felt it through the cotton of my briefs, his last kiss placed just above my slit.

It was almost agony. I moaned at his teasing breath and lips. Then Liam pulled down my underwear and kissed my mound. I felt his tongue part my lips, and when he found what he was looking for, he flattened his tongue and moaned into me.

I didn't know what to do. For a moment, I wanted to stop Liam, but it felt too good. I could feel my resolve waning. I didn't want to wait. Why should we wait? What was I waiting for? I had to stop thinking and go with it, enjoy him, enjoy the experience. I put my fingers in his hair as he licked and sucked at me. He seemed to remember what I liked, and soon I was close to my peak.

One of his fingers played at my entrance. I silently begged for Liam to put it in. My core was desperate to be filled. His finger slowly entered me, and I was lost. I needed him. At that moment, all I wanted was to feel more of him inside me, have him fill me.

I felt like this was the moment. If I don't ask Liam now, I probably never would. If I didn't want him now, why am I even allowing this to happen? I wanted him. He excited me like no one had done since Andy. He had knocked down the defences I'd built to keep myself alone. Keep me in my grief and guilt. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted to feel desired again.

"Fuck me?" I asked. The words just tumbled out. I knew at that moment I would beg if I had to. "Please, Liam, I want you to fuck me."

I wasn't sure if Liam heard me. He increased his attention, and I felt the pressure building. His hand gripped my arse, his fingers digging into my cheeks as he pulled me closer to him. The short rough hair on his cheeks and chin tickled against my thighs. My legs buckled. I couldn't stand up anymore. He held me there while I panted and moaned, seeking release.

I felt my climax arrive like a bolt of lightning. It was sudden and intense. My body contracted as waves of pleasure exploded over me. Short, wordless shouts came from my mouth until it was over. I collapsed onto the bed.

I laid there a while, eyes closed, trying to catch my breath. Liam was shuffling around and heard his belt come undone. I felt the bed dip, and I opened my eyes to find Liam naked, climbing up the bed until his face was above mine.

Liam supported some of his weight with one hand and laid on me, our whole bodies skin to skin. He was warm to touch, and he almost felt hot to my now cooled skin.

"Ask me again," Liam said.

Part 8

#original story #original fiction #romantic story

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, April 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover

Page 2: Michael Douglas' short-term memory loss and frail frame have wife Catherine Zeta-Jones fearing for her older husband's well-being -- Michael once declared he'd beaten oral cancer, but harsh chemotherapy and radiation treatments have left him a shell of his former self and he has even admitted to suffering memory problems -- he was also affected by the 2020 death of his father Kirk Douglas and he hasn't been the same since his dad died -- this is a guy who cheated death with a horrific cancer ordeal, and he's had other medical issues over the years and some serious domestic dramas that have taken their toll -- Catherine always knew that their age difference would mean her taking care of him one day but she didn't expect it to be so soon

Page 3: Reese Witherspoon has ditched her wedding ring during recent outings, sparking rumors her marriage to Jim Toth is on the ropes but she feels their relationship isn't down for the count and refuses to give up the fight to keep their family together but they may not make it -- the desire to make things work is still there on both sides and they've been able to pull it all together all these years, even with personalities as different as theirs mainly for the sake of their family and they got on each other's nerves while cooped up together during the pandemic, but they don't bicker in public and that's one thing they have going for them

Page 4: Ryan Seacrest creeped out his pals when he gushed over Maria Menounos when she sat in for Kelly Ripa on Live recently -- Ryan thinks Maria is the smartest, most talented and beautiful woman to walk the planet and he can't help but swoon over her but Ryan understands Maria is happily married to TV writer and producer Keven Underago and he'd never cross the line and he doesn't want to date Maria, but he makes no secret he'd be dancing on air to have someone like her, which is kind of creepy, but he can't help it -- Ryan would never make moves on someone else's girl, but he does try to imitate her husband Keven's qualities like how funny and creative and sensible he is and Ryan adores Kelly and thinks she's great but he wouldn't mind if she takes more time off just so he can gaze at Maria

* Miley Cyrus' recent boozy night out with party pals, including British punk rocker Yungblud, has loved ones fearing she's slipping back into dangerous territory -- she was spotted at Hollywood's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill, drinking shots and beer chasers, just months after she admitted to her struggles with addiction and after fellow addiction-challenged singer Demi Lovato announced she was California sober, claiming she was safely able to drink in moderation, Miley didn't see any reason why she couldn't do the same -- her family and sober friends are deeply concerned for Miley's well-being and are begging her to stop drinking now

Page 5: Newly robust Celine Dion has her health back on track following a dangerous few years where she looked like a walking skeleton -- she has beefed up her wraith-like frame by making healthier choices during lockdown -- she went through a rough time of transition after husband Rene Angelil's death and lost a lot of weight, but lockdown has given her a chance to rest and focus on taking care of herself and now she looks 15 to 20 pounds heavier and seems in good spirits and is looking forward to rebooting her Courage World Tour when the pandemic ends

Page 6: Fitness fanatic Tim McGraw is a changed man since he kicked the bottle in 2008, but he's now hooked on working out and sculpting the perfect bod and he's publicly admitted exercise is what gets him flying high but his quest to get ripped to the max is now a 24/7 obsession and he spends hours in the gym and he's already flexing a muscular body most men would die for, but he doesn't want to stop until he's an Adonis and he works out twice or three times a day and packs his diet with energy-boosting smoothies and veggie juices and some might say he's going overboard with the workouts, but Tim craves those feel-good endorphins and he considers his workouts to be fun -- he loves the way he looks and thinks he can do better and he does spend a lot of time in front of the mirror admiring himself and tends to wear tight T-shirts that show off his pecs and six-pack abs, and wife Faith Hill loves the results -- a lot of people say he's traded one addiction for another

Page 7: Nearly six years after their bitter divorce, Miranda Lambert has finally extended an olive branch to ex-husband Blake Shelton, but she's still pretty envious over his professional success with fiancee Gwen Stefani -- last year, Blake and Gwen took home the collaborative video prize at the Country Music Television Awards for their duet Nobody but You, and also scored a Top Ten hit with their single Happy Anywhere and it makes Miranda jealous to see Blake making hay on the charts with Gwen but their success also made Miranda recall Over You, her hit collaboration with Blake, which won Song of the Year at the 2012 Country Music Association Awards and during a recent interview, Miranda affectionately blew kisses toward the camera as she recounted how her ballad with Blake was inspired by his grief over the loss of his older brother; still, Miranda also harbors a competitive streak and said she's angling to transform herself and husband Brendan McLoughlin into entertainment movers and shakers just like Blake and Gwen -- Miranda plans to enroll Brendan in acting school and Miranda wants them to act together and they are looking for scripts to make a television movie and even planning to launch a production company in Nashville and Miranda recognizes the musical chemistry Blake and Gwen share, and she believes she and Brendan can match that success on-screen -- meanwhile, as Blake and Gwen prepare to wed, Miranda is finally in a place where she can wish them well and Miranda carried a lot of animosity toward Blake and Gwen, especially since she suspected they started something before she and Blake split up, but she's very happy with Brendan so maybe all that pain she and Blake went through in ending their marriage was for the best

* Reba McEntire is reaching out to save her friend and former daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson from suffering through a divorce that eerily mirrors Reba's own breakup -- Kelly split from husband and manager Brandon Blackstock in June 2020, and the divorce battle has them fighting over custody of their two kids as well as Brandon suing her for $1.4 million in unpaid commissions, but Reba has seen this before: Brandon's dad, Narvel Blackstock, dumped her in 2015 after 26 years of marriage, and despite initially agreeing to continue as her manager, dumped her as a client weeks later and Reba knows all too well how petty and conniving Narvel and Brandon can be, and her heart goes out to Kelly -- Kelly admits to Reba there are times when she just wants to run away and hide and Reba tells her to run away to me and it means the world to Kelly to have Reba in her corner -- Narvel and son Brandon head Starstruck Entertainment and are adamant that Kelly owes them big bucks for helping her land both her talk show and a coaching spot on The Voice, but with Reba's help, Kelly is fighting back and Reba learned the hard way the pitfalls of mixing business with family life and she's trying to help Kelly because she hates to see another woman suffer at the hands of a Blackstock

Page 8: Sicko Jeffrey Epstein has been accused of a horrific new litany of abuse by a woman who claims he forced her into unwanted genital surgery, raped her in front of her child and threatened to feed her to alligators -- the woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, is suing the late pervert's estate, claiming he and his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, groomed her for their sordid pleasure -- in the suit, she claims Epstein drove her to pick up her 8-year-old son and took them to a lake, where he threatened to feed her to alligators, as had happened to other girls in the past, if she dared to squeal on him -- at the time, the woman said she was 26, but she looked much younger and Epstein told her to say she was 17 and he also arranged for a man with a Russian accent to perform an unnecessary vaginal surgery to pass her off as a virgin to a client and this violent and illegal procedure was botched, leaving her mutilated, in pain, disabled, and permanently sexually dysfunctional

Page 9: Ghislaine Maxwell has been slapped with yet another sex trafficking charge and it's got her former pal Prince Andrew sweating bullets -- the new indictment details how Jeffrey Epstein's alleged madam reportedly groomed a 14-year-old for him, but crucially for Andrew, it expands the time frame of Ghislaine's alleged crimes from 1994 to 2004, a span that includes her meeting the British royal in 1999 and then introducing him to Epstein and that time frame also includes the period in which "sex slave" Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she slept with Andrew three times, charges he's denied -- the new charge also opens the floodgates on other celebrities, politicians and high-profile figures who were in Epstein's orbit at the time and the new indictment widens the pool for Ghislaine and her defense attorneys because who wouldn't want to bring down all of these fat cats and who wouldn't be that desperate?

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Rumer Willis got to the root of her gardening needs in L.A., Michael B. Jordan and Chante Adams got cozy as they shared a snack while shooting Journal for Jordan in NYC's Central Park, Heidi Klum in L.A., Mario Lopez tossed the ceremonial first dice roll at the opening of the Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas, Christopher Meloni shot his onscreen spouse's funeral scene for Law & Order: Organized Crime

Page 11: Tony Bennett has a secret weapon in his fight against Alzheimer's disease: his close pal and collaborator Lady Gaga -- Susan Crow Benedetto, 54, the wife of the 94-year-old singing legend, has enlisted Gaga to help keep Tony's faculties sharp as he struggles with advancing dementia because Gaga's telephone calls have always helped cheer Tony up and keep him focused and they laugh together, reminisce and sometimes sing and it always puts a smile on Tony's face and it's great therapy -- when asked whether Tony still recognizes the pop star, Susan joked that Gaga is hard to forget -- Gaga has also played a critical role in keeping the aging crooner active and creative by working with him and they plan to release their second album of duets this spring as a follow-up to their 2014 smash hit Cheek to Cheek

* Worried friends feared ailing rock god Ozzy Osbourne is coming unstrung while wife Sharon Osbourne's career goes into a death spiral -- Ozzy has been plagued by crippling illnesses over the years, including Parkinson's disease, and has to walk with the aid of a cane and now he's at wit's end and pushing himself into a danger zone as his wife fights tooth and nail after leaving The Talk amid a racism scandal and Ozzy's been under a great deal of distress over Sharon's problems over at The Talk and he worries and fusses over her and can't focus on anything else and it's left many in his circle very concerned for his health which is fragile enough already -- the bashing Sharon received during the scandal has the aging rocker concerned she may never work again and he'll have to be the breadwinner

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- five years after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce, she's still battling Brad Pitt over custody of their five youngest kids, now she's filed new court documents claiming she has proof of domestic violence against Brad and accusations like these would kill anyone else's career, but not in this case: Hollywood is 100 percent behind Brad and the sense in the industry is Angelina has weaponized the kids against Brad but Brad is very well respected in Hollywood, and most people find these new allegations hard to believe and if anything, Angie is only hurting the children and herself

* Real Housewives stars featured in the upcoming spinoff are cashing in and Bravo will pay Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice and the others a sweet $200,000 for one week's work in Turks and Caicos and that's more than double what the ladies usually get for filming, plus they get a free trip to a tropical island

* American Idol could be on the chopping block because in just seven weeks the show has lost 2 million viewers and it's simple math: Idol cannot survive with its current budget and ABC has two options which are cancel the show or cut costs, which would mean hiring cheaper judges and a cheaper host to replace Ryan Seacrest and both options are being explored

* Britney Spears' beau, personal trainer Sam Asghari, shows off his toned abs in L.A. (picture)

Page 13: Palace insiders fear Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's vendetta against the British monarchy will take a shocking new turn: they'll bankroll a lurid movie about Princess Diana's death and the conspiracy theories that suggest the royal family was involved -- the rights to the movie script are owned by Hollywood producer Ben Browning, who was just hired by Harry and Meghan to run their film company Archewell Productions -- the controversial movie centers on Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed's father, former Harrods' boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, investigating his son's death and his belief that Dodi and Diana were murdered because she was pregnant and planning to marry, and The Firm did not want a Muslim in the royal family

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson has been busted on charges of willful torture and abuse of a child and was also charged with cruelly beating or otherwise maltreating a child under the age of 18 -- his arrest came just a year after he was slapped with a one-year suspended sentence and two years' probation after pleading guilty to menacing his ex-wife Whitney Lee, who called him mentally unstable -- Johnson helped the Shakes score three Grammys in 2016 for their album Sound & Color but the band has been on hiatus since singer Brittany Howard started a solo career in 2018 and Steve was lost after that; he went from playing in front of 50,000 people to playing in bars again -- even if the Shakes reunite, it's highly unlikely Steve would be invited back -- Steve remains in county jail awaiting his court date and his attorneys said Mr. Johnson maintains his innocence

* Danny Masterson and his lawyers believe they are victims of anti-Scientology bias and cannot get a fair trial in his Los Angeles rape case -- celebrity attorney Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson against child molestation charges two decades ago, claimed his client has been treated unfairly because of his ties to the church, and that the police or district attorney's office leaked damaging details of the case -- Danny and his lawyers feel persecuted and that everybody in Hollywood who isn't a Scientologist is after them -- LAPD Robbery and Homicide Division Capt. Jonathan Tippet said his organization is keeping a tight lid on all information surrounding the case to ensure Masterson gets a fair trial

Page 16: Mormon church officials are being accused of corporate greed for using members' charitable donations to secretly create a $100 billion tax-free fund -- James Huntsman, the son of a prominent Mormon family, is suing the church for fraud, claiming donations solicited to finance charity work were actually used to fill church coffers -- the church boasts at least 15 million members worldwide, including celebrities like Gladys Knight, Donny and Marie Osmond, Katherine Heigl, Julianne Hough, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams and Aaron Eckhart and many could have tithed money that ended up in the tax-free fund

Page 17: Jen Shah of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was recently fingered by the feds as the bogus businesswoman behind a multi-state fraud scheme dating back to 2012 -- the Bravo blowhard, known for her extravagant parties, designer outfits and extensive entourage, and her first assistant Stuart Smith were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering -- the U.S. Justice Department alleged the Park City resident and Smith of Lehi generated and sold lead lists of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam, and claimed the greedy creeps defrauded hundreds of victims -- the terrible twosome targeted older adults and computer illiterate folks by using both telemarketing and in-person sales teams to peddle nonexistent online services and then fight the refund efforts of wronged consumers -- if convicted, Shah and Smith each face up to 50 years behind bars

Page 18: American Life

Page 20: L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva triggered a cover-up scandal when he revealed his investigators determined why Tiger Woods drove off a California cliff, then refused to explain what happened, citing the golf legend's privacy -- Villanueva said the black box in the Genesis SUV that Tiger was driving when he flew off a suburban L.A. highway in the early morning helped determine the cause

* Hollywood Hookups -- Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernon engaged, Melissa and Joe Gorga appear to have reached the finale of their marriage, Fernanda Flores and professional boxes Noel Mikaelian dating

Page 21: Britney Spears said she broke into tears after seeing bits of the new documentary about how she has been in the grips of a conservatorship for years, saying she was embarrassed by the light they put her in and she cried for two weeks and still cries sometimes

* Generous Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke put a happy face on job seekers in Malibu when he handed out fistfuls of cash -- Dick was spotted withdrawing bills from a bank before driving to the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, a nonprofit that helps unemployed locals find day jobs and he stayed in his car as he handed out money to masked folks who were lined up to look for work

Page 22: The late Aretha Franklin left behind a royal mess of paperwork, including a newly discovered fourth will that has thrown her $80 million estate into fresh turmoil -- the eight-page document, titled The Will of Aretha Franklin, was apparently drawn up not long before her death in 2018, and was recently found among the files of the singer's onetime attorney Henry Grix along with the paperwork describing the terms of a trust but both items are stamped draft and neither has Aretha's signature but Michigan law changed seven years ago, and it made the admissibility of a document like this more flexible -- currently there's a bitter beef among Aretha's four adult sons over how their mother's assets should be divided

Page 23: The battle over Prince's $300 million fortune rages on, and the late pop star's siblings, and legal heirs, fear there won't be anything left after lawyers, accountants, administrators and the IRS take their cut -- five years after he died from a fatal fentanyl overdose without leaving a will, an avalanche of deals and court hearings have left his massive cash stash in limbo -- sadly Prince's distrust of lawyers and other professionals now means that millions will be spent paying those same people to try to sort out the mess he left behind and this could go on for a decade

Page 26: Weird Body Language -- stars cope with bizarre deformities -- Denzel Washington, Steven Tyler, Ashton Kutcher, Matthew Perry

Page 27: Lily Allen, Mark Wahlberg, Karolina Kurkova, Scar Service -- Tina Fey, Padma Lakshmi, Joaquin Phoenix

Page 32: Health Watch

* Ask the Vet -- Watch out for xylitol

Page 34: Just months after John Travolta's beloved wife, Kelly Preston, passed, the actor has been shattered by another death in the family -- his nephew Sam Travolta's badly decomposed body was found in his Wisconsin apartment last September, weeks after he died from a suspected heart attack -- John has suffered through so much loss and Sam's death was another huge blow but he's strong and has a deep faith in Scientology and the church brings him solace and comfort

Page 36: Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran has stepped up to get a tenant in one of her buildings back on his feet -- Barbara and building co-owner Alex Rodriguez came under fire after Ryo Nagaoka's possessions were reportedly tossed while he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and when Ryo got home he found only his piano and pet tortoise in his cleaned-out crib -- emptying Ryo's apartment was necessary because it had become a health hazard and had a biocleaning crew scrub it -- Barbara donated $12,000 to a GoFundMe page for him, while A-Rod has seemingly not yet contributed anything and Barbara also said the building's management company has renovated Ryo's apartment

Page 38: Beloved game show host Peter Marshall made a miraculous recovery from COVID-19 to celebrate with friends at his 95th birthday party -- Peter was in and out of the hospital for ten weeks and he was at death's door and doctors didn't give him much of a chance but Peter beat the odds to enjoy a Zoom party attended online by Leslie Uggams, Loni Anderson, Sandy Duncan, Ruta Lee, Karen Valentine, Rich Little, JoAnne Worley, Jack Jones and more

* Accused sex freak Armie Hammer's career is in the crapper and he's beginning to believe that's where it will stay -- the kink king was fired from the thriller Billion Dollar Spy amid sexual assault allegations and the release of social media messages claiming he has dark fetishes including cannibalism -- Armie has already gotten to boot from the movie Shotgun Wedding and the series The Offer, and more trouble may be on the horizon: Armie was accused of sexual assault by a woman called Effie, who alleged the actor violently raped her and Armie's attorneys issued a statement denying the claims, saying Effie's own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations -- Armie has been keeping a low profile at a Caribbean resort, but fears his entire career is in trouble

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Carrie Underwood

#tabloid #grain of salt #tabloid toc #tabloidtoc #michael douglas #catherine zeta jones #catherine zeta-jones #armie hammer #reese witherspoon #jim toth #ryan seacrest #maria menounos #keven undergaro #miley cyrus #celine dion #tim mcgraw #miranda lambert #brendan mcloughlin #blake shelton #gwen stefani #reba mcentire #kelly clarkson #narvel blackstock #jeffrey epstein #ghislaine maxwell #tony bennett #lady gaga #ozzy osbourne #sharon osbourne #prince harry

[rocksandrobots]

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 28 - The Club

Once again just a friendly warning that this episode features and discusses teenage drinking

Varian stumbled out of bed and yawned. He looked at the clock and noticed the time. 6:30. Shoot! He was suppose to be up before six!

He threw on some clothes and rushed down stairs to the cafe.

Hiro and Aunt Cass were already down there setting up for the day.

"Sorry.. I slept in." He apologized. "Why didn't anybody wake me?"

"Oh well, I figured you could use the sleep. Besides it's only thirty after. Sit down and have some breakfast." Aunt Cass placed a couple of egg sandwiches on the table along with a cup of coffee and a cup of orange juice and encouraged the two boys to have a seat. While they both ate, Aunt Cass blithely carried on the conversation.

"So how did last night go?"

Varian eyed Hiro who glared at him over his sandwich but didn't say anything. "It went great actually. I even met someone while there."

"Oooh, that's wonderful sweetie. I'm so happy that you're making friends."

"Her name's Carol and she's a freshmen at the Art Institute. She just moved here from Mississippi, so she's new in town like I am."

"Oh, so she's what, 17... 18?"

"I..I honestly don't know. I didn't think to ask. But she invited me to another party tonight. If it's okay, I thought I might go. I could find out then."

"Another party?" Aunt Cass raised an eyebrow. It was a holiday weekend sure, but it was unusual to get invited to two parties in two days.

"Yeah, it's Jessica's birthday. She's Carol's friend and another person I met at the art school. They're all going to some restaurant to go dancing at. I forgot the name of the place, but Carol was going to text me directions if I could make it."

Aunt Cass thought a moment about it and then nodded along. "Well okay, just let me know where and text me when you get there. Also, once again, try not to stay out too late."

"Wait." Hiro interjected. He couldn't believe the ease with which Varian lied, nor could he believe that the other teen had just tricked Aunt Cass into letting him go out again to another wild party. He considered telling the truth right then and there, but the angry glare from Varian reminded Hiro of their argument last night and how Varian held dirt over himself as well. So he came up with an excuse instead. "I...I thought you wanted us all to spend more time together this weekend?"

"Well there's still Sunday tomorrow." Aunt Cass answered. "Why don't we have family movie night again? What do ya say? We could go out to the theater and catch a new release. I think their playing some sort of superhero movie this week."

The boys exchanged awkward glances but in the end agreed. Neither were ready to include Aunt Cass into their current feud. Besides she looked so happy at the thought of them all going out and spending time together as a family, that they just didn't have the heart to disappoint her.

They finished breakfast and Hiro left to meet with the rest of the gang. Varian however stayed to help with the cafe as promised.

"You know," Aunt Cass said while they washed up the morning dishes together. "I know it's only been a month, but I want you to know that we're all so glad to have you here. It hasn't been the easiest thing in the world readjusting, I know, but things are really working out; you're making friends, you and Hiro are really coming together here lately, and most of all you make our family just a little bit bigger and a whole lot happier just by being here."

She placed a loving hand on his shoulder, and Varian felt his heart drop at those worlds. He still didn't feel like he fit in here with the Hamadas and his relationship with Hiro had only degraded over this past week, which was already rocky enough to begin with. But Aunt Cass was so loving and hopeful that Varian only felt guilty for not measuring up to her ideals.

He gave her a small smile but deep down he couldn't wait to get out of here and back to another party. One where no one really knew who he was nor cared. Where he could drown out his intrusive thoughts and self doubt with a stiff drink.

"He went to the frat party?" Honey Lemon asked in worry.

                                                 --------------------------

Hiro was with the rest their friends at Joe's Dinner, recounting his argument with Varian last night.

"And you're sure he'd been drinking?" Gogo also asked with a frown.

"He said so himself and he smelt like beer when he came in." Hiro confirmed.

Gogo's eyes narrowed but she didn't say anything further.

"So what did you do?" Wasabi asked.

"Nothing. I..I wasn't sure how to tell Aunt Cass." Hiro looked around at his group of friends who were all giving him judgemental stares. "Look, I was still in my armor, alright. It was past midnight, and Varian had a point when he said that he covered for us all the time."

"You mean he covered for you ." Fred pointed out. "You're the one hiding your superheroing from Aunt Cass."

Hiro heaved a sigh, but Wasabi added his own opinion before he could offer up a defense. "You should have told her. Both about the drinking and about you being in big hero six. She's going to find out someday anyways and the longer you put it off the worst it's going to be."

Hiro cast his eyes downward unable to come up with a retort to that.

"Where's Varian now?" Gogo asked.

"Working at the Lucky Cat and after that he's going to another party."

"Another one?" Honey Lemon interjected.

"Someone he met at the other party invited him to go dancing tonight. He convinced Aunt Cass that it was just innocent birthday party." Hiro explained.

Everyone exchanged worried looks.

"You need to tell Aunt Cass." Gogo insisted.

"No, wait." Hiro pleaded. "Look, maybe we can handle this ourselves. Varian won't listen to me, but he might listen to all of you. Then there'd be no reason to involve Aunt Cass in any of this."

"And if he doesn't listen?" Fred asked.

"Hiro, why are you so against just letting an adult handle this?" Wasabi added.

"Look, Tadashi would go after him. He'd be there to help and try to reason with him, not be a snitch."

Hiro's explanation only elected more worried glances.

"And did it ever occur to you that Tadashi wasn't always in the right?" Gogo asked.

"What do you mean?" Hiro asked with trepidation.

Gogo sighed, "Look, we all miss Tadashi. He was a wonderful person… but that doesn't mean didn't make mistakes. Just because he kept trying to bail you out of those bot fights himself doesn't mean he should have."

Hiro had no words for that. Never in a million years would he have questioned Tadashi's methods. If it wasn't for his brother he would still have been bot fighting, and would have either been hurt or in juvie right now if not for trying to reach out to him.

He searched Gogo's eyes questioningly before she heaved a sigh in frustration and relented. "Fine. Where is this party?"

"I don't know. We'll probably have to just follow him; catch him before he gets there."

"Then I propose we suit up." Fred said. "To the headquarters!"

                                                --------------------------

Varian stood in line to get into Monroe's with Carol and the rest of her friends. He'd had rushed to find Jessica a birthday card and a small gift and met them all at the restaurant right around nine. Only the restaurant, wasn't a restaurant, it was called a 'club' instead. There was still food and drink to be had, but the real reason folks came here was to dance, and Varian could hear the loud thumping music even from where he stood outside.  

"Must be a really popular place." He shouted to Carol over the music and other party goers. "I don't see how we'll be able to dance with such a crowd."

Carol laughed "Yeah, Monroe's like the hottest spot in town. But there'll be room, the line just makes it look more crowded than it is."

Varian looked up ahead and spotted a large man at the front of the line. People were handing him cards or flashing their wallets towards him. Upon inspecting the cards he would then let them in through the door.

"What's he doing?" Varian asked.

Carol looked at him in surprise. "Checking I.D. They don't let you into the club unless you can prove your 21. That way they don't have to check everybody who wants to buy a drink inside."

Varian's heart stopped. No one here knew his actual age he realized. At the last party it didn't seem to matter so he hadn't brought it up, but here he'd be found out and no doubt made to look the fool all because he didn't meet some abritay requirement.

"I...I don't think they'll let me in then." Varian admitted to the girl.

"Why not?"

"Well, I haven't a license yet, and.." Varian was going to admit the truth but Carol interrupted.

"Oh, cause you just moved here." She nodded her head as if she had just figured out his problem. "Well you have some other sort of ID don't you? A passport or a visa?"

"Yeah I have both those things, but you don't understand.."

Carol placed a hand on his chest to stop him. "Don't worry boo. We got you. We'll make sure you get in." She gave him a smile and a wink.

"Wouldn't be first time we snuck someone in." Jake put in.

"It wouldn't?"

Jessica laughed. "You think we're all 21 one? I mean I am, it's my birthday, but I wasn't always. Besides it's a dumb law anyways."

"If you're old enough to vote and join the army, you should be old enough to drink." Another one of Carol's friends, Daryl, interceded.

Everyone in the group seemed to be in agreement with this sentiment and Varian relaxed just a little bit. Though only a little. He wasn't necessarily voting age either.

"There's no age laws in Corona. Everybody drinks." Varian added.

"That's right, Europe doesn't have the same laws as we do." Carol said as if only just now considering the difference.

"I went to Germany once." Mary said; she was Daryl's girlfriend. "I was in high school and was able to get into a bar no problem. They just don't care over there."

"I'd love to visit Europe someday." Carol said, changing the subject. "I think Ireland would be a cool place to visit."

"I'd like to see Spain." Jessica threw her opinion in. "Would you take me see Spain baby?" She asked of Jake teasingly.

"Sure, if you got a couple of thousands of dollars lying around." Jake joked.

This elected more laughter from the small group of poor college students, and Varian's worry began to wane. Only to kick back up once they reached the front of the line. Panicked he dug into his pocket and pulled out the fake passport that Professor Granville had given him.

"What's this?" The bouncer at the door said incredulously.

"It's a passport." Carol said forcefully before Varian could answer. "Ain't you ever seen a passport before?"

"It's not even in English." The guard threw back annoyed and he flipped the booklet around to show off the I.D.

"Well of course not." Carol rolled her eyes. "It's in Russian. He's from Russia."

"Ok, prove it. Say hello in Russian." The bouncer clearly didn't believe them.

"Um.. privyet?" Varian answered hesitantly. It was a bit of a loaded question as there was more than one way to say hello in Russian, but Varian defaulted to the more informal greeting as it's what he and his dad would use most often.

The guard raised an eyebrow still not convinced.

"I also have my visa and college I.D. if you want that instead." Varian offered helpfully as he pulled out his wallet. He didn't think it'd be enough to let him in but better to be cooperative then to start a fight.

Just then Daryl from behind them yelled, "Hey, what's the hold up!?"

The bouncer took a look at the long line spiraling behind them and rolled his eyes while heaving a frustrated sigh. He didn't have time for this. "Fine." He said as he handed back the passport. "Go on in."

"Thanks." Varian mumbled as he took the I.D. back. He couldn't believe that had just worked.

"Yeah!" Carol added and then stopped to ask Varian in a whisper. "Uh, how do you say thanks in Russian?"

"Spasibo." Varian replied.

"Yeah, Spasibo!" Carol called back to the security guard in very bad mispounation of the word before they headed into the club.

                                                --------------------------

"He's already left. We just missed him." Hiro said as he hung up the phone.

The gang huddled upon a rooftop across the street from the Lucky Cat. They had wanted to catch Varian while he was leaving, but it seemed like they were too late.

"Did your aunt say where he went?" Gogo asked.

"No, and I couldn't figure out a way to ask her without raising suspicion."

"Why not just call him instead?" Honey Lemon suggest. "Ask him himself where he's at and tell him we want to meet up."

"I doubt he'd want to talk to me" Hiro sighed.

"I'm on it." Wasabi said, but after several rings the call went to voicemail.

"Now what?" Fred asked.

"Looks like we'll just have to track him down the old fashioned way." Hiro said as he walked over to Baymax and mounted the robot. "Let's go."

Everyone dispersed to look for the wayward teen.

                                                --------------------------

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" The merry group chanted as Varian and Jessica competed to see who could finish a whole pint of beer first. The others having given up the challenge before hand. They were neck and neck but the birthday girl sputtered with laughter at the last minute and Varian scored the win. He slammed the empty mug on the the table with a wide grin as the rest of the gang applauded.

"Ok, you win," Jessica conceded. "But beer is easy. I'd like to see you try that with some hard stuff, like whiskey or tequila."

"I don't know what tequila is, but your on!" Varian shouted over the den of noise.

The club was dark and smoky, with the only light coming from the flashing strobe globe twirling above the dance floor. Music blared a thumping beat that resonated in your chest and patrons crowded around to dance, drink, and make out. The little group had taken up a small round table off in the corner so as the better hear each other talk, but even then one had to half yell to be heard.

"Hey, can we get some shots over here?" Jake called to a waitress, then he turned to Varian and said, "Okay, you wanna play? We'll do a round of shots. Most down the hatch wins. Loser pays for the drinks."

"Deal" Varian agreed.

The waitress brought a tray of shots and Varian eyed the small glasses smugly. You could down one in a single gulp. This would be easy he thought. Only to nearly lose with the first sip alone. Whatever this tequila was, it was stronger than either ale or wine and burned the back of his throat as it went down. He finished the drink and tried to suppress a cough.

"Not as easy as you thought it was, hun?" Jake smiled as he picked up his second glass.

Varian however was not one to give up easily, and besides he really didn't want to blow through all of his hard earned money in one night. So he steeled himself and grabbed another shot, and then a another, and another.

On the fourth shot Varian saw Jake starting to slow, his face becoming red from alcohol. Varian too was becoming lightheaded but he pressed on and nabbed his fifth drink. He didn't notice if Jake had drunk his fifth yet or not, he was too focused on winning, but as he reached for the sixth he heard the other guy call out defeat.

"Okay, okay! You win!"

Varian flashed a grin and drunk the sixth anyway in celebration; just to rub it into other college kid's face. This last glass he also slammed hard upon the table in victory as the tiny crowd around him cheered.

Jake pulled out his wallet to pay the tab, both annoyed and begrudgingly impressed that he had lost.

"You're like the scrawniest guy alive; where do you put it all?" Daryl asked incredulously.

Varian shrugged his shoulders as he had no real answer to give.

"Well let's take a break from the booze for a while." Carol interceeded. "I mean we came here to dance after all. That is if you boys can still stand after all that."

She tugged on Varian's sleeve and pulled him to the dance floor and the rest of group followed after them.

Varian stood in the middle of the floor at a lost of what to do. He wasn't a bad dancer persay, but he didn't know any American steps and he doubted any of the more traditional folk dances that he knew would fit with this type of music.

"So..how does this dance go?" He shouted Carol above the music.

She laughed, "Anyway you want it to. Just feel the music." She swayed her hips in time to the beat to give him an idea.

Varian figured he would look silly doing that, it was clearly more of a move for women, but he did see most of the men jumping up and down and so he tried this in time with the music.  

"Yeah, that's right! You got it!" Carol encouraged as she slid closer to him.

"Any luck?" Gogo asked Hiro as the gang gathered on top of a building in the middle of downtown.  

Embolden, he grabbed her hand and gave her a twirl. This enlightened more laughter and they both broke down into giggles before carrying on with their dance.

                                                --------------------------

"Baymax found an energy reading similar to Varian's close by, but it's fuzzy. He's probably in one of the buildings around here, but there's like eight or more clubs just on this street." Hiro explained.

"Well we can probably go in and check while you can stay out here and keep an eye on things." Honey Lemon suggested.

"Yeah, but there's no guarantee they'd let any of us in either." Fred pointed out."None of us are over 21."

"Look maybe we're over reacting here?" Wasabi offered optimistically. "What makes you think Varian could of snuck into any of these places? The kid still looks like he's twelve and he doesn't even have a driver license. Or it could even be that he was telling the truth about it being an innocent birthday par...."

He paused mid-thought as they heard a familiar laugh coming from the street below.

"I have found Varian." Baymax said, stating the obvious as they all peered over the roof to see their friend drunkenly walk out of one of the clubs across the street. He was with a short girl with a dark curly afro and they were giggling over something as they made their way towards the bus stop nearby.

"Or he could be stumbling out of a bar with a drunk girl hanging on his arm." Wasabi corrected himself, clearly disappointed.

Honey Lemon frowned. "I know her...she's in the sorority at SFAI."

"Carol." Gogo confirmed. She had been dragged to the occasional makeup party there, by Honey Lemon herself no less. "But she's a freshman. No way she's old enough to be drinking either."

"Peer pressure can often persuade people into partaking in unsafe activities." Baymax stated as he launched into his health education protocols. "If someone is pressuring you into doing something that you don't feel is safe; say no and walk away..."

"Uh, yes, Baymax. We know." Hiro informed the robot.

"So do we go down there now to talk to him, ooorrrr..." Fred asked, but the arrival of the bus answered for him. Varian and the girl boarded the public transport before anyone could to do anything.

They all exchanged worried and exasperated looks with each other before taking off to follow the tram.

Varian stood in the middle of the bus holding on to one of the center poles. He and Carol were the only two occupants aboard besides the driver, and he could have sat down anywhere, but he was beginning to feel woozy from all the alcohol and standing upright helped to keep him balanced.

                                                --------------------------

Carol however decided to sit down. She sat across from him with her face in the palm of her hand and her eyes sleepily staring out at nothing in particular.

"Do you have to work tomorrow too?" She asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

"Uh..not sure. Probably. I usually work weekends. Either way though, I know my aunt has been talking about us all spending some 'quality family time' together all weekend long."

Carol smiled. "Responsible, family man, a great dancer, it's a wonder you're still single."

Varian blushed but laughed off her comment. "Responsible? Me? Yeah, no…..but family does mean a lot to me and I did promise Aunt Cass, soooo, sorry I had to bail out early again. But you know, you could have stayed at the party without me."

Carol shrugged. "Eh, I was about done anyways. The guys are fun to hang out with and all, but after awhile you start to feel like a fifth wheel, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know how that feels like." Varian agreed dryly.

"But you do know you didn't have to escort me home right?" Carol added with a laugh.

"I know, I just, I wanted to make sure you got home safe."

"Ever the true gentlemen, hun?"

Her smile grew wider and Varian couldn't tell if she was teasing or flirting. He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. He was beginning to like this new girl, but he wasn't always the best at picking up social cues and he didn't want to ruin anything by being presumptuous.

"Well, I don't know about that, but looking out for one another is just what friends do, right?"

Carol looked surprised by that comment. "I..I guess…I have a hard time picturing Jake or Daryl doing anything so chivalrous through."

She snickered at that, but Varian tilted his head in confusion.  

"But I thought you guys were friends?"

"Oh don't get me wrong, they're good people and all, it's just all we do is hang out at parties sometimes. I don't expect them to like loan me money or come and bail me out of the slammer or anything. We ain't that close."

She sounded nonchalant but Varian nevertheless grew concerned.

"Then who is?" He asked.

Carol was caught off guard by that question.

"Who do you call when you need help?" He clarified.

She opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out and she just as quickly closed it again. They awkwardly stared at each other for a few moments before the bus came to a stop in front of the SFAI campus. Carol quickly got up and hurried off the tram. Varian rushed after her.

"I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?"

She didn't answer him but instead started to storm up the front porch steps in front of the sorority house.

"Look, I didn't mean to offend you." He called after. "I..I just…"

He trailed off and she paused on the stair. She didn't turn to face him, but the very fact that she was no longer running away encouraged him to try again.

"Look, I just, I know what it's like to be on your own, and I know how hard it is to move someplace where you don't really know anybody and nothings familiar and you don't feel like you always fit in. I.. I just meant that if you ever needed someone, for anything, you could call me...you know, if..if you wanted to.. that is."

She finally turned to look at him with that admission. There was a pout on her face and tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she tried to make a joke instead to distract from this.

"You know most folks don't talk like you do." She half heartedly laughed. "You sound like a character out of a cheap rom-com."

He offered her a small smile. "Eh, well, what can I say? I am Russian remember."

They broke down into soft giggles at that.

"You wanna come inside and grab a coffee?" She asked after there laughter had subsided.

"Oh, I'd love to, buuuut it's after one. I should probably get going soon." He declined.

"Well alright, but you have my number, so don't be a stranger." She said before giving him a wink and another of her charming smiles.

She waved him goodbye before heading inside. Varian waved back and then turned to leave, only to be confronted by the rest of his friends waiting for him at the bus stop.

They were dressed in their armor and stood there glaring at him sternly.

"Hey...guys.." Varian slowly said, confused as to why they were here."What's going on?"

"We could ask you the same thing." Gogo replied.

"Uh...well, I'm heading home from a party, soooo..." He made to leave, fully ready to just walk to the next stop instead of hanging around for yet another argument, but Wasabi placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Do have any idea what an incredibly stupid thing you just did today?" His friend asked.

Varian cast him an angry pout and back-peddled away defensively. He stumbled a little, still feeling tipsy from the tequila, but righted himself before falling.

"You can barely even stand up." Wasabi admonish, further driving home his point.

Varian huffed in frustration and threw an accusing glare at Hiro. He was getting really tired of everyone judging him and he rightly guessed that the other boy had dragged their other friends into this. However before he could respond, Gogo laid into him instead.

"You broke your promise."

Varian's stomach dropped as he realized that, yes, he had indeed went back on his word about not trying to purchase alcohol. Yet, he still wasn't ready to admit fault. Who were they to act so high and mighty? It was just a few drinks? It wasn't like he had hurt anybody.

"So what's it to you?" He threw back."It's not like what I do affects any of you. Me going to a party now and then doesn't harm anyone."

"B..but you could get hurt." Honey Lemon timidly said.

Varian looked at her confused. What did she mean hurt? It was just a party.

"You snuck into a club at sixteen with bunch of strangers." Fred explained. "Like that's just ain't safe, man."

"Fred's right," Wasabi added, "anything could have happened to you in there and we wouldn't have known."

And for the first time, Varian started to actually feel guilty as he realized just how worried his friends were for him. However his defensiveness kicked back up when Hiro added his two cents.

"You need to stop and think about what you're doing first. You can't just keep jumping into situations without…"

" Oh knock it off!" Varian interrupted. "I am sick and and tired of everyone telling me what I can and can't do! I've been on my own since I was fourteen! I know how to take care of myself, alright!"

"No you don't." Gogo pushed back. "You know how to survive, and I hate that you had to, but that's not the same thing as actually being mature. Now just stop and come with us; we're taking you home."

She reached out to grab hold of Varian's sleeve and to pull him along, but Varian wouldn't comply. He wasn't entirely sure what happened next, in his addled state, but she pulled in one direction and he tugged his arm away in another. Either her blades rolled out from under her or he didn't realize his own strength, but either way Gogo wound up lying flat on the ground after their struggle.

Everyone froze in shock and Varian felt his heart race as his anger turned into alarm and shame.

"Gogo!" Honey Lemon rushed to her friend's side to help her up. "Are you alright?"

Gogo refused the help however. Instead she gave Varian a hurtful and angry glare as she picked herself off the ground. His breath shallowed as he waited for her to go off again, but all she did was shake her head at him, turned around, and then skated away.

That was somehow even worse than a lecture.

Honey Lemon followed after her.

"Dude, what is wrong with you!?" Hiro reprimanded and all Varian could do was look at him with wide eyes. What was wrong with him?

"I...I...I don't know!" He choked." I just...I just wanted to forget… just for a little awhile. Forget that I'm...I'm.. b-broken."

"And how does this help?" Wasabi asked, and Varian had no answer.

"Look, I know you've been through some really messed up stuff." Wasabi continued. "More than most people ever will, and I'm sorry you had to go through that, but you can't keep on like this." He sighed in defeat. "Come and gets us when your ready to actually deal with things." And then he too turned and started to walk off.

Fred cast worried glances between Varian and the direction of where their friends were leaving, unsure of what to do. Ultimately, he too turned away and reluctantly made after the rest of the group.

Varian could hardly see through the tears now. They were leaving him. Everyone was leaving him. They always did at some point, and here he had dared to hope things might just be different in this new world. Yet, he had no one to blame but himself.

That's when he noticed Hiro and Baymax still standing there, watching him disquitedly.

"Well, aren't you going to leave too?" He asked accusingly.

Hiro took a moment to find the answer, but when he did he said, "Why should I? We're going to the same place, remember." He held out a hand to Varian. "Come on, Aunt Cass is waiting."

Varian blinked through his tears to see Hiro standing before him with his arm outstretched and a look of concern on his face. Varian's breath quickened and his vision swam. He had felt lightheaded all night and now the added stress of the recent fight only seemed to highlight just how drunk he really was. He was so sure he had been careful, that he hadn't really had that much, but that didn't stop the ground from rushing up to meet him as he fell, nor the darkness enclosing around him as he fainted dead away.

#varian #Hiro Hamada #GoGo #big hero six #bh6 #tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #BH6 the series #honey lemon #cass hamada #Fred Frederickson IV #wasabi #of rocks and robots

[judgement-free-sideblog]

Dancing lessons.

Barry Berkman x reader

Hi there! So I was watching Friends yesterday and I came across the one where Joey speaks french, and then I was thinking about how in season 2 Barry already has his Headshots, and I wanted to write something about a false ability he could have put on his resume.

So this will be an 8 part series, and I will try to update it at least twice a week but can't promise anything.

Summary: Barry is finally cast in a feature, the problem? He said he could dance and now he can either disappoint Sally or found a way to learn some steps.

Warnings: Swearing, cheating maybe.

Part 1 ● Part 2 ● Part 3 ● Part 4 ● Part 5 ● Part 6 ● Part 7 ● Part 8 ● Epilogue

Part 1

A sharpie written ad in the door said: "Joe's friend callbacks" that could give him an idea of how unimportant this character was, because so far he didn't even had a name, nevertheless he was happy that they had call him back for a reason other than "You look good on the poster"

Although he was suspicious the "minor" changes Natalie and Sally had convinced him to do to his resume was the reason, he could not blame them, at first the page was empty and depressing, and now he appear to be a very compelling person, maybe someone he would like to be. Someone who could speak french and Italian, and had formal training in at least three styles of dancing, tango, salsa and tap.

Worst case scenario, they had said, there is someone better than you first and is just another bad audition. And so far it hasn't been a problem, people usually overlook that because they didn't need that on their movies.

But now it was different, there was at least three men in front of him and four behind all of them more or less his height and complexion, waiting to re read the lines for the upcoming movie, a place to dare dreaming. As far as he understood it was a drama about a men seeking meaning in life, and Barry was trying to be the best friend's best friend, he would have five scenes in the whole movie and was merely an excuse to make exposition questions and be gone for the rest of the movie.

Not a bad place to start, Sally said, and he might actually make connections and even find an agent. So he was there for some reason dressed with black loose pants and a loose blue shirt, just like the rest of them. Finally after another half hour or so the casting assistant exited the door and call for him.

"Hi, I'm Barry Block, reading for Joe's friend" He said looking at the people behind the table and he notice another woman there dressed as a ballerina, he was not entirely sure why.

"Fine, in this scene you are just finishing dancing with your partner, then Joe" The director point at a man who was already cast as the lead best friend "Yeah, Joe will call you to ask you something and then the scene starts"

Barry did as he was told, and when he was in the middle of telling Joe to go help the lead build the boat of his dreams or something like that the director interrupted him.

"Just one sec, Barry was it?" He said and Barry was already feeling the whole you are not what we are looking for speech coming. "It says here that you dance?"

"Um hum" He muttered every second more disconcerted.

"Tango? Janice you do tango right?" He asked the ballerina.

"No Andre, I only have a career in dance but I don't do tango" She said rolling her eyes "Of course I do" she and when the director look at her in exasperation.

"Then is settled, unless any of the other guys can dance we will go with Mr. Block here"

"Excuse me what?" Barry said a little lightheaded.

"Oh this scene, we originally wanted to have a big ballet dancing sequence that inspire Daniel, the lead to follow his dreams, but we scratched off because of the budget but since you can dance you and Janice can do a small version of it." Talk with Sophie on the way out we start on monday.

"Sure, thanks" he said with a calm voice and walked out to find the cast assistant.

"Mr. Block?" She said now a little more nice than when he entered in the morning. "You'll have to sing some documents and we will be ready"

"Sure, yeah fine, one question tho, what exactly does he mean Andre with me dancing with Janice?" He asked trying to sound casual

"Oh well since they are just adding the sequence I will say that they will tell you exactly what they want in a couple weeks and then you will have to rehearse with Janice and film it by the end of the next month" She said like it was no big deal.

"Two weeks?" He asked again and she could see that he was nervous.

"More or less, but I figure since you are an actual dancer that would be fine right?" He nod not very sure of her statement and she start looking in her purse and finally give him a card. "Look I won't tell you how to do your job, but if by any chance you are not convinced of what to do, you should go here, she may help you"

***

He shut the door of the apartment with enough strength to make one of the frames in the wall shake, of course he was furious. But it wasn't your fault and you wouldn't put up with his temperament. After 5 years of marriage Alan was finally beginning to understand that it was better to walk away and let things cool down before any of you could say something too painful.

And what could you say? You told him before you get married that you didn't want children and he married you anyway. He was not able to change your mind, that was no reason to scream and fight like that. You shake the thoughts from your head and pick up you bag, ready to walk down to the studio.

Your friend Sophie had made you a call earlier asking for your help with another lost case, and usually those pay well so you could surprise Alan with a nice dinner and maybe you would let him convince you to open up at the idea, at least for long enough to live peacefully.

You could tell who your new student was the minute you entered the studio, your assistant was talking with the other couples for the romantic dance lessons and he was in a corner looking at the door like he was planning an escape.

You take the attending list and seek for his name, Barry Block, you hope is not a sing of how hard will it be to make him move, but his large frame was telling you it will.

"Mr. Block?" You called him apart once you were dress in more comfortable clothes, he walked towards you and you could see he was at least 1 feet taller than you. "You work with Sophie right?"

"I do, I ... she said you could help me amm..."

"To make your dancing believable, yes, don't worry you are not the first nor the last actor that lies on an audition, but for future reference put something more achievable like learn Russian" You said part serious part kidding "Learning tango is complicated and demanding, is not just sexy dresses and fancy music, but since this is the land of dreams I can teach you a couple things"

"That would be great, and again I'm so embarrassed that this happened, but I need the job"

"Well that's another sad part of the story this class ain't cheap, and there's only so little I can do for you in three weeks"

"That's not a problem" He said immediately and took a little envelope from his pocket and gave it to you "This is for the first two lessons"

"Excellent, then we can start" You look at his clothes, jeans and a hoodie and very uncomfortable sneakers "You may need to change, and also stretch a little, we don't want accidents" you pointed to the dressing room and let him borrow a more lose pant and proper dancing shoes.

You finishes your lesson with the other couples and after and hour he, you and Macy your assistant were the only ones there.

"Ok for starters, that's not stretching" you told him once you saw he couldn't reach his toes. "Come sit here" You told him and sit in the middle of the floor with your legs completely extended and asked him to do the same.

"I'm not very use to this, I'm in shape as much as I can but this is different" He said awkwardly trying to reach his toes the way you did yours.

"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Block, why do you need the job?" You said standing up and helping him bend his back. "I don't think they will pay you more than I'm taking from you"

"Is not about the money" he said simply and took the hand you offered him to stand. "I need to prove myself I can be an actor, a real one, also my girlfriend is recording a show and I..." he star touching his hair distracted.

"You don't want to be left behind? Yeah I know what is like" You said to him. "Well in that case I would do my best, but for real you have to stop being so rigid" you said taking him by the hips and he flinch with surprise to then let go a chuckle

"I'm sorry" He said and you nodded and put your hands on his hips again "First we are going to have to work on that posture, lower just a bit your hips and bend your knees" You said pushing him down a bit.

"Like this" he said flexing down so much that he was almost at your height.

"Not at all, I'll show you, Macy come here" You call the girl who was already hiding her laugh behind a magazine, she put on some music on his phone into the speakers and walked towards you.

You took her by the waist and started just making simple walks at the rhythm of the music, showing him how he had to bend his knees but not making it all that evident, then when the next song star going faster you started making more quick moves and shen it turn slow you drag your leg inside slowly, and embraced Macy pulling her closer to you.

"Ok, I can definently not do that" he said once you were done, and you felt flattered to se some amusement in his face.

"I know, but we will figure something out" you smile at him and turn off the music to again trying to make him bend his knees properly.

#barry berkman x reader #barry block #barry hbo #barry berkman #barry berkman edit #Bill Hader #barry fanfiction #dance #tango #angst #comedy #drama #romance #sally reed

[btskismet]

Kismet (Chapter 19): A BTS Jin Imagines Fanfic

First ever fanfic. Contains some fluff and smut. Please read sequentially as it is a long story arc. Please provide feedback! My IG is btskismet.

November 8, 1944

Jun-seok was greeted by the pleasant-looking soldier who was speaking with the woman earlier. He was taller than Jun-seok and had a nice smile. His dimples were showing and his build looked like that of a model - long legs and a long torso. If he wasn't in the military, he could be modeling suits or even come across as a lounge singer.

"Konnichiwa, Ittohei Sakurai. Watashi wa Jun-i Watanabe Nama." (Hello, Private Sakurai. I am Warrant Officer Nama Watanabe), the officer introduced himself with a bow.

Jun-seok bowed back and introduce himself with his Japanese name.

"Touma-san, it's good to have another soldier here who studied machinery very well. I've been waiting for your arrival. We badly need someone to help us repair the planes.", Watanabe said. This made Jun-seok smile as he was getting excited with the chance of looking at a fighter plane's engine.

"Has the Captain brief you on the other orders?", Watanabe inquired. Jun-seok's mood then changed to be quite serious. "Yes. I'll make sure to do what is asked.", Jun-seok replied.

Watanabe then patted Jun-seok's shoulder. "Don't worry, I will help you. I'll tell you more about the other soldiers so you know who to approach. I personally approve of this idea, even though the Captain doesn't."

Watanabe then brought Jun-seok inside the sundries shop to gather his supplies. They then walked to the barracks.

"You see, I've spoken to some of the soldiers in Akagi-san's platoon.", Watanabe expressed as they were walking side by side. "Some of the newer ones are quite scared of him and they are being forced to do what he wants. There are about half of the soldiers who are very loyal to him since they were part of his platoon from the very beginning. But there are newer ones who don't understand his orders."

Jun-seok contemplated on this for a few minutes. The newer soldiers will be easier to sway and he just needed to befriend them.

"The Captain doesn't believe that the minds of the soldiers can be changed but I do. After talking to them privately for the past few weeks, I can see that Akagi-san's hold on all of them is weakening. We just need someone to further break that hold.", Watanabe said with a harder pat on Jun-seok's shoulder when he said his last statement.

"I'll do my best, Jun-i.", he said to Watanabe.

Jun-seok suddenly had to urge to ask Watanabe about the beautiful woman he was speaking with, seeing that he seems to be the talkative type. But he hesitated. He didn't want the officer to think he had women on the brain. Next time I'll ask, he thought to himself.

------

The barracks were at least 2 kilometers away from town. It wasn't hard to walk the distance as they met more soldiers along the way. There were fields around the area with farmers picking out coffee fruits from the plants as well.

As he was looking at the fields, it made sense why the army wanted to have them converted into tarmac. They were the only expansive areas of land in the densely populated area of the town. The land was also hilly and there weren't that many long stretches of plains to build somewhere else. So, the fields had to go.

How the Major was going to convince the Mayor about giving up the fields would be a difficult task - it wouldn't be easy to take out these swaths of land, especially if the farmers needed it. He didn't see many plantations but the few he saw were really fertile as many farmers kept picking the fruits and left the field with baskets full of the fruit.

Watanabe brought him to his quarters at the barracks. He asked as to why he was staying alone and no one was bunking with him. "This is actually a storage area converted to your quarters. It's connected to the kitchen. I'm sorry if we couldn't get you a regular bunk with the other soldiers. The last rebel attack hit our existing quarters and we're still rebuilding.", Watanabe said, with a slight scratch to the back of his head.

Jun-seok was actually happy he was alone. He knew he had to connect with the soldiers of Akagi's platoon soon but for the first few days of his arrival to the country, he really wanted time for himself. He hasn't had a chance to sit down and really take all of it in ever since he arrived.

"This is good, Jun-i Watanabe. I will feel comfortable here. Does the cook stay near here too?"

Watanabe shook his head. "No, he's on the other side of the main quarters. You'll have to wait for him before you could eat. Unless you can cook..."

"I can.", Jun-seok said as he was looking at the food items inside the quarters. "If the cook needs help, I can help him out."

"Ha! Will wonders ever cease. You're a jack of all trades, Ittohei.", Watanabe said. "Let's not share that with the cook then. He's good but I know cooking is his passion and he doesn't want others to bother or compete with him. The food has been... edible with the scarce ingredients we have and we can get. Might hurt his feelings, you know, if he knew you can cook. He replaced the last one since Matsuyo-san... well..."

Jun-seok understood why Watanabe trailed off. The previous cook probably was someone dear to him if he couldn't even mention that the man died. Sadness could be seen on Watanabe's face as his fingers traced over cans of soup.

"If you have time to cook, then maybe we can all eat better. Hehe...", Watanabe said with a slight smirk to change the somber mood his silence brought.

"I'll leave you for now. Please report to my office this afternoon so you can start on knowing your tasks. I will need to check tomorrow how many planes are back for repair. I think we can bring them closer to the camp. Without the tarmac close to us, we got to be more creative in getting things done. "

"Hai, Jun-i. Domo arigato gozaimasu.", Jun-seok replied with a low bow.

-----

Jun-seok spent the rest of the day going around the barracks and the camp surrounding it. He wanted to make sure he was familiar with his surroundings. He wouldn't want to be caught in a blind spot or be trapped somewhere if an attack happened. So, he made sure he knew where the armory was at. He would be getting his service pistol tomorrow but that wasn't an assurance in case of a rebel siege.

He didn't have a chance to meet the other soldiers he was supposed to investigate and convince since they were out for rounds around the perimeter. So, he was able to enjoy dinner by himself. He had some fish and rice from the store he went to that morning and some pickled vegetables. Eating them made him miss his mother's kimchi.

-------

Jun-seok joined the squad that morning on their way to the perimeter line closest to the coffee fields.

The squad went to the storage area/his quarters that early morning and were startled to see him there. They went there to pick up supplies for the squad near the perimeter, which was also known as a hotspot for surprise rebel attacks. Jun-seok asked if he could come with them to check it out. Jun-i Watanabe went to the next town that morning to check the planes and he did say Jun-seok should wait until he finds a way to get the damaged planes closer to the barracks.

The squad agreed in having him join them as long as he helped bring the food.

Lugging a sack of rice on his back (and they made him work by giving him the heaviest bag), he came to know the small squad of 4 soldiers. They've been in the town for almost 6 months but they were originally deployed in the capital.

"Man, I feel lucky we're here now. In the capital, almost every other day, we were fighting with rebels. I hardly got any sleep when we were there. And the locals weren't as helpful or friendly than the ones here.", one of the soldiers shared.

"Yeah, Shosa's good relationship with the Mayor here is paying off. I haven't paid for much of my supplies from the merchants. They don't mind giving stuff for free. So I'm able to keep my money so I can send it back home.", another soldier shared happily in their conversation.

Jun-seok was starting to feel more at ease being assigned to this area. He experienced that nice hospitality as well yesterday. So, it wasn't just a random thing.

Even I have this unsettling task to do, at least it won't be too hard if the locals were friendly, he thought to himself. This made him feel more confident.

That confidence was about to wane soon though.

A light drizzle started and with the skies slightly dark, rain was bound to come. He felt relieved that wearing the extra jacket on top of his uniform wasn't a waste when he took it as an afterthought before he left camp.

As they approached the perimeter near the coffee fields, they heard angry shouts coming from the forested area close to the field. They couldn’t make out what was going on from afar so they decided to go into the forest.

What Jun-seok saw made his heart sink.

--- to be continued - -

#bts imagines #bts fic #btsjin #bts jin #btskismet #bts fanfction #bts jin fanfic #btsfanfic #bts imagination