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#they said their name is ethan and i'm very nervous waiting for the end of their shift i'm WAAAAAAAAAAA
absolutelyhugh3s · 7 months
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michigan maize | ee73
ethan edwards x reader!
more loosely based song fics!! this one is tennessee orange by megan moroney
thank you guys so so much for all the love and support on forever and ever!!! y’all seriously don’t understand how much it means to me!! i love every single one of you <33
word count: 1.13k (not my gif!)
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“hi munchkin! how are you doing?” my mothers honey-like voice filled my ears as she answered my call.
oh god, i'm really doing this.
“hi mama” i smiled even though she couldn’t see me “im good”
“i've got some news” i said nervously, clenching the comforter of my bed in my fist.
“oh honey is everything alright?” her slight chicago accent peaking through.
“dont worry im doing okay, just please dont tell dad?” i pleaded with my mother.
“y/n did something happen?” she asked worriedly.
“yes mama. he’ll blow a fuse if he found out” my father wasn’t big on me going to the umich. being the coach of msu hockey, he wanted me to go there.
but when i received an amazing scholarship to play lacrosse, i had to take it.
the first thing he told me when i left for school was “don't run off with any of those hockey boys y/n, they are very bad news.”
well, he’s clearly never met ethan.
“i know you raised me to know right from wrong, but god he makes it so hard” i chuckle “he?” my mother questions.
“i met somebody mama, hes brunette, and he's got these big brown eyes, and he opens the door for me everywhere i go!” 
ethan and y/n go on small date’s every wednesday night. its an awkward time for some, but for them, its the only time in their busy schedules that they can be together.
today, their date night was dressing up super fancy (as barbie and ken of course) seeing the barbie movie, and eating at a small diner a few blocks from the movie theater.
ethan had planned out the entire thing and the couple had a blast. once ethan had driven her back to her on campus apartment, she thanked the older boy, kissed him goodbye and began to exit the car.
“WAIT” ethan yelled. he jumped up out of the drivers seat, exiting the car and running around to open his girlfriend’s car door. “ok now you can go” he smiled
the small action made the girl melt like a snowman in summer. the defenseman than sprinted to the main door of her apartment complex, opening that for her as well.
“m’lady” he held out a hand as y/n walked through the door a blushing mess. he than took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers, leading her up to her apartment.
though the action was so little, it made her fall in love with him more and more every day.
“he just makes me so happy! hes like perfectly perfect! god! i've never felt this way mama!” i ramble.
“hun” my mother chuckles. “whats his name?” i then realize i left out the most important part “ethan! ethan edwards! mama you would love him” i smiled.
“but back home id be sinning” the smile fades slightly from my face. “why is that dear?” it seems as though she could hear what was going though my mind.
“mama, hes got me wearing maize and blue for him” i sarcastically laughed. 
“you should come to my game tomorrow” ethan said, running his hands through the ends of the y/h/c girls hair.
“the boys would love to see you, plus i get to have my own little good luck charm in the stands” the boy smiled like a small child at the girl laying on his chest.
“really?” she looked up at the brown haired boy with big doe eyes. “yes really” he grinned.
“here” he moved the smaller girl off of his chest to stand up from his bed.
he rummages through his closet, looking for a specific item of clothing.
suddenly a large yellow piece of fabric is thrown at her “you can even wear my jersey” he smiles.
the girl holds it up a large ‘edwards 73’ stares at her. “you know what e? i think i will”
“oh hes an athlete?” my mom says, surprised.
“yeah hekindasortamaybeplayshockey” i rush out, nervous of what my mother would say.
“im gonna need you to slow down y/n/n” she chuckles
“he plays hockey mama. he had me wearing his jersey at a msu game! of course i want the spartans to win but still! his smile! oh his smile! it makes me forget i look better in green!” i gush about my boyfriend.
“so thats why you didnt want your father to know” my mom teases, clearly finding enjoyment in this entire situation.
“oh please forgive me mama, i like him a lot” i beg “oh i think its a lot more than like sweetheart” my mom says. “what?”
“oh honey you are head over heels for ethan” she laughs “i've known for ten minutes and i can tell” 
“oh god im in love with a wolverine!” i exclaim.
“babygirl its ok! the worlds not gonna end! growing up in chicago i said i would never date a red wings fan, guess what? i married one!” she laughs.
“so you’re not mad?” i asked hesitantly.
“of course not y/n! its my job as your mother to always be supportive of you” i could tell she was smiling though the phone.
i talked with my mother for a while longer about random stuff for about another half hour. “mama i have to go, ethan should be here in a few minutes” i say.
“alright sweetie, invite him home would ya?” my mother asks. “of course mama, i love you” “i love you too sweet girl, bye bye”
i clean things up for about ten minutes when i hear a knock at my apartment door.
“you can come in e!” i shout. “ok!” he shouts back before walking in.
i put the last few dishes in the cabinet when i feel two muscular arms snake around my waist and a face bury into the crook of my neck.
“hi baby” he mumbles, tightening his hold on my waist.
“hi e” i giggled. “guess what i did today” i added.
“hmm climbed mount everest?” “nope” “slayed a dragon?” “nope” “killed someone?” “god no!”
“i told my mom about us” i smiled. ethans parents have known for a few weeks now about us, but he didnt wanna push me to tell mine. he wanted me to be comfortable with doing it myself.
ethan spins me around, his hands steading my hips. “you did?” he smiles.
“i did” i mirror his smile. the much larger boy then pulls me into the tightest hug possible.
“im so proud of you baby” he says, kissing the crown of my head.
“i have a question though” i place my chin on his sternum so im looking up at ethan. “whats up love?”
“what are you doing for spring break?”
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raysofcrosby · 2 years
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WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU – m. tkachuk
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bonus chapter #4 – FIRST DATE JITTERS
warning(s): ethan's not 8 anymore, so prepare for that 😭 otherwise just a bunch of fluff!
summary: 12 going on 13, home for the summer and surrounded by friends and family– there's a lot that ethan's got lined up for his summer vacation. but there's one important thing on his 12-year-old mind that he's finally old enough to do, and that's go on a date with his childhood best friend, former teammate and first ever crush– melody hastings. and when she says yes, he's on top of the world. until it comes for his first ever date and he realizes that not only is he really nervous, but his parents and baby sister are going to be there the entire time too. what could be worse? ask matt and caroline who have to watch their firstborn take his first step into the world of relationships while trying not to completely embarrass him.
word count: 19,072
an: lowkey forgot what melody's mom's name is, so if i've said it in previous chapters i couldn't find it. so if it's not the same sorry lol. also i'm still working on making summary's really good so cut me slack pls.
July 14th, 2028
“Scar no,” Ethan sighed, walking over to where Scarlett was standing in front of the mini sticks goal that was against one side of the living room wall by the door, the coffee table moved out of their way. “You have to turn around and try not to let me score.”
“Stick!” Scarlett smiled, holding up her mini hockey stick before returning back to hitting the top of the net with it.
“Yeah, it’s a hockey stick,” Ethan replied, putting his hands on her shoulders to turn her around. “And you use the stick to try and stop me from shooting the ball into your goal, okay?”
“Okay,” Scarlett nodded, moving her stick away from the net and letting Ethan turn around.
“Okay,” Ethan echoed, holding his hands out towards her. “Now stay, don’t move. I’m going to get the puck and then we’ll play, okay?”
“Ethie score?” 
“Well, you want to try to not let me score,” Ethan replied, using his stick to move the ball closer to him as he stood midway between their two goals. “But you’re still new to hockey, so I’m probably going to score anyway. Ready?”
“Ready!” Scarlett smiled, waiting for Ethan to move the ball before she ran out towards him. “My ball!”
Ethan waited until she was near the ball to move it, only to wait again for Scarlett to catch up and try to hit the ball with her own stick, giggles emerging from the 18-month-old as she unknowingly basically played keep away with her big brother. A sight that was very endearing to Caroline as she walked down the hallway carrying the freshly dried batch of laundry in the laundry basket.
“I score!” Scarlett said, bending down to pick up the ball.
“No, Scar, you have to use your stick.” Ethan said, grabbing her stick and moving it towards the ball before pointing towards the net at the other end of the living room. “Now hit it towards my net down there, okay?”
Scarlett went to raise her stick above her head, Ethan quickly correcting her to show her the proper way to shoot. “No, no, you shoot like this. Watch me,” he let go of her stick and stood back bending down to show how to bring his stick back. “And then you come forward and– wait no.”
Unamused with his way of trying to teach, the moment Ethan had stood up to demonstrate, Scarlett bent back down and picked up the ball, dropping her own stick before running down to Ethan’s goal. She stopped right in front of it before throwing the ball down and it bounced its way into the net, hitting the back of it.
“Score!” She yelled, throwing her arms into the air as she bounced up and down with a smile on her face. “Daddy, I score!”
“You did?” Matt gasped, coming down from the hallway where the bedrooms were and walking by the lounge chair and over to Scarlett, bending down and picking her up, tossing her into the air and catching her and causing her to giggle before resting her on his left hip. “Are you winning?”
“Yes,” she smiled, resting her head against Matt’s shoulder.
“No she’s not, because we’re not keeping score.” Ethan huffed, walking over and bending down, grabbing the ball from the back of the net before standing up. “Besides, she cheated because she picked up the ball and threw it in. And if we were really keeping score, then I’m winning because I’ve scored like a hundred times already.”
“She’s also not even two, Ethan, relax,” Caroline laughed, walking out from the hallway fully. “BeeBee used to be you when you were her age, and he never complained.”
Ethan sighed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, but she’s supposed to get it by now, Momma. You said that when she got older, she’d understand better.”
“That was eight months ago, Ethan. When I said older, I meant when she’s around three or four.” Caroline replied, putting the laundry basket down behind the couch. “Just give it a little more time and keep playing with her, I’m sure she’ll grasp it eventually.”
“Until then,” Matt said, giving Scarlett a kiss before putting her back down onto the ground, squatting down her to level. “Why don’t you show Mommy and Daddy your mini sticks skills that Ethie’s taught you?”
“Okay, Daddy,” Scarlett nodded, walking back over to where she’d dropped her stick and picking it up. “Play, Ethie.”
Matt followed Caroline into the kitchen, grabbing his empty water bottle off the counter and unscrewing the lid, refilling it from the fridge. “Was that the last load you took out of the dryer?”
“You wish,” Caroline sighed, grabbing the container of strawberries from the fridge. “There’s one load of Scar’s stuff in the washer and then our last load in the dryer.”
“Then whose clothes are in the hamper?” He asked, putting the lid back onto his water bottle.
“Ethan’s. Decided he wanted to have options for tonight,” She replied, taking a bite of a strawberry. “And I was going to have him fold them, but they’re having fun so I folded it all for him back in the laundry room. He just needs to put it away.”
“Options?” Matt snorted, shaking his head. “Kids 12. What kind of options does he have besides the pairs of jeans that all look alike, hockey jerseys and those fancy shirts he wears on special occasions?”
“Leave him alone, he’s just nervous,” Caroline laughed, holding the container of strawberries out for him to grab one. “Maybe he wants to make a good first impression.”
“Not like they haven’t known each other for eight years,” he replied, putting the water bottle down and reaching for a strawberry. “Besides, it’s his first–”
“Ow!” Ethan yelled, the sound of a hockey stick hitting the floor. “No, Scarlett, we don't do that!”
The first sound of Ethan’s distress had both Caroline and Matt practically running out of the kitchen, and they had just rounded the corner when Scarlett began to cry. Ethan was sitting on the couch, resting his head in his hands as Scarlett stood right by her end of the goal, crying and still clutching her mini stick in her right hand, while her left hand was balled up into a fist and rubbing at her eye.
“What happened?” Matt asked, looking at Ethan as he walked into the living room. “Ethan, look at me.”
“No,” he replied, shaking his head as he kept it down towards his lap.
“D-Dad-Daddy,” Scarlett sobbed, struggling to speak as her face was wet with tears.
Matt looked at Caroline and then back at Ethan, Caroline nodding and waving him off to go to Scarlett while she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Ethan, rubbing at his back. “Ethan?”
“No, I’m not looking at you,” he replied, pressing his head further into his hands as he shook it, his elbows digging into his thighs.
“Okay, that’s fine for right now,” Caroline spoke softly, trying to lean forward and see if she could get a better look. “But what happened?”
“She hit me!” Ethan yelled, lifting his head up and motioning his arm towards Scarlett, who was now resting on Matt’s hip.
“Hey, relax the tone,” Matt warned, as he rubbed Scarlett’s back.
“E-Ethie mean!” Scarlett sniffled, rubbing at her face as she looked at Matt. “H-he yell a-at me.”
Caroline reached out and grabbed Ethan’s chin, turning his head slightly towards her where she could see the forming of a bump just beneath his left eye where his skin was starting to redden just along his cheekbone. “Let me go get you an ice pack–“
“We’ll go get it,” Matt said, as Scarlett was sniffling against his shoulder, hugging onto him. “Give these two some space, I think it might be time for a nap anyway.”
“Thank you,” Caroline replied as Matt walked over, stopping in front of Ethan and putting his hand on top of his head, getting him to tilt it up before nodding.
“Yeah, I’ll grab some peas instead. Might do better for that,” he said, readjusting Scarlett on his hip before ruffling Ethan’s hair and walking out of the living room and into the kitchen.
Ethan was still upset even when Matt took Scarlett out of the room, but he was no longer hiding his face in his hands. “I didn’t yell at her,” he mumbled, leaning back into the couch. “Not really…I just yelled because she hit me in the face and it hurt.”
“She’s little, Ethan. You may not have yelled at her, but she thinks that you did,” Caroline replied, patting his knee. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“We were playing with the ball and after I scored I brought it back and told her I’d set it up for her to shoot.” He motioned towards where the ball was still lying in the middle of the floor, along with both mini sticks. “And I set her up first and then when I went to move the ball she just swung it up and hit me in the eye. Even after I told her that’s not how you swing the stick.”
“Ethan, she’s–“
“I know she’s little,” he huffed, crossing his arms. “But I already told her five times, Momma. Why doesn’t she listen?”
“Because she’s half of your father and half of me. He doesn’t listen and I’m stubborn,” Caroline replied, smiling slightly as she reached up for his hair and brushed it back to bring the barely visible scar that was mostly hidden by his shaggy hair, into view. “Besides, do I need to remind you just how you got that scar right there?”
Still pouting, he looked at her and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Well, you were three,” she said, turning towards him and leaning against the couch cushion. “And you loved climbing on stuff, no matter how many times we told you not to, you never listened because you were three. You were with Papa Walt and Mimi one day and Papa Walt got up to answer the door and you decided to climb up onto his chair and then onto the table beside it. You went to stand up on it, fell and the table came down right after you and smack,” she brushed her thumb along the white scar. “Corner table right to the head. Kids don’t listen, Ethan, and she’s getting ready to get into that terrible twos era, so she’s about to get really testy. But that’s a part of growing up and raising kids. We’ve just got to keep teaching her right from wrong and making sure she knows and one day she’ll get it, I promise.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you did,” Caroline smiled, brushing his hair back down and sitting up. “Now tell me what’s really bothering you, because you’ve taken feet to the stomach and lower body from her trying to climb up on you, so I know it’s not her hitting you in the eye. Though I think I might have an idea of what it is.”
“I don’t want to have a black eye for my date with Mel,” Ethan sighed heavily, frowning soon after as his shoulders sank. “I mean, I’m still kind of mad at Scar but she’s little so she doesn’t know…but really I just don’t want to look ugly for my date.”
Caroline took a deep breath and exhaled, getting off of the couch and squatting down in front of it. “Sit up, let me get a better look.”
Still frowning, Ethan sat up and sigh, shoulders still dropped. “I already know I’m going to have one.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” she replied, grabbing his chin and turning his head sideways so she had a much better look. The skin was still getting pretty red, but it didn’t look like a bigger bump was going to form. “I can’t say for certain that it won’t bruise a little, but I can guarantee that you won’t be ugly.”
His eyebrows furrowed and upper lip curled. “How can you do that?”
“Because regardless of just how much of your father you are, the one thing I was able to bless you with is my good looks.” She smiled, reaching up and fixing his hair that Matt had ruffled. “Oh, and my manners. You definitely got those from me.”
Ethan smiled, rolling his eyes before taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Are you sure she won’t think it’s ugly? What if Dad showed up with a black eye?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Caroline laughed, bringing her hand down and resting her hands on the couch on either side of him. “He actually has a black eye in our junior prom photo. Mimi tried to cover it up as best as she could, but if you look really closely you can still see it.”
“How many times do I have to apologize for that?” Matt asked, leaning out from around the corner of the kitchen. “Trent threw a water bottle at my head during the water break to give me the bottle. His aim was just shi…uh, bad. Really bad.”
“Plus, I seem to remember you having a black eye on the opposite side of your face on Valentine’s Day back in second grade,” Caroline replied, pushing herself to stand up and sending Matt a look who just rolled his eyes. “And that was a pretty big day for you.”
“Yeah, you got kissed,” Matt teased, smiling as he walked towards them and leaned against the back of the couch. “So maybe Melody will see this black eye and feel bad enough to give you another one.”
“I don’t want a pity kiss,” Ethan whined, looking at Matt. “But what if I go to kiss her and she moves or something?”
“We’ll talk more about it later,” Matt replied, looking down by his side before looking back at Ethan. “But now, you just need to chill out about it. Literally.”
Scarlett’s feet were pattering against the floor as she rounded the corner of the couch holding onto a bag of frozen peas wrapped up in a dish towel with both hands, coming to a stop by Ethan’s right knee. “Here Ethie,” she pouted, holding it out to him. “I sowwy for hitting you. It was an assident.”
“Accident,” Matt quickly corrected her, rubbing his right hand down his face. “It was an accident, not an assident. We don’t say that word.”
“Sowwy daddy,” Scarlett replied, if possible her pout getting more dramatic as she raised her arms up higher for Ethan to grab the makeshift ice pack. “Ice peas, daddy say it help.”
“It’s okay, Scar. I know it was an accident.” Ethan took the frozen bag of peas and re-wrapped it up before pressing it against the left side of his face and looking at Scarlett, sighing. “And I’m sorry for yelling, I promise I wasn’t yelling at you.”
“Hug kiss?” She asked, holding out her arms and puckering up her lips, filling her cheeks up with air.
“Come here,” Ethan put the bag of peas back down onto the ground and opened his arms.
Scarlett smiled as she walked in between his legs and Ethan picked her up, resting her on his lap where she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, then leaned back and gave him a kiss where she blew a raspberry like Matt does every time he tucks her into bed. “I love you, Ethie,” Scarlett said, hugging him again and resting her head down against his chest.
“I love you too, Scar,” he replied, hugging her back.
“Daddy say it's naptime,” she said, bringing her left hand to her mouth. “You read my book and we watch ducks, please?”
Ethan looked at both Matt and Caroline to see if they’d oppose before standing up and putting Scarlett back onto the ground, holding her hand. “Okay, come on, we'll go to my room.”
“Groot!” Scarlett gasped, trying to let go of his hand and run off, only to not move at all. “Come on Ethie, nap with Groot!”
“Don’t forget to ice,” Caroline said, picking up the bag of peas and handing them to Ethan. “10 minutes on—“
“10 minutes off, I remember.” Ethan nodded, taking the bag of peas before letting Scarlett lead him out of the living room and down the hall to his room.
Caroline sat down on the couch, sinking back against the cushion and exhaled heavily, closing her eyes. “Is it nap time for us too? That was draining.”
“Mm, I was kind of hoping we could do something else,” he said, sliding right behind her and reaching down for her shoulders, massaging them. “Because I don’t know about you, but that was the cutest thing I have ever seen.”
“Which part?” Caroline asked, opening her eyes and looking up at him. “The two of them yelling or Ethan getting hit in the face and worrying about whether or not he gets a kiss on his date tonight?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Matt laughed, digging his thumbs into her shoulders. “The part where our extremely adorable, already the master of the pout, daughter not only apologized to her big brother, but then asked for a hug and a kiss. And said big brother pulled her onto his lap and did just that.”
“I suppose that was really cute,” Caroline sighed, smiling slightly. “Did you see how she called the movies ducks? That might be the thing Ethan will be most proud of. Getting his little sister obsessed with the Mighty Ducks movies.”
Matt laughed and moved his hands up her shoulders and to her face, cradling it. “We should have another one.”
“Another one what?” Caroline laughed, widening her eyes. “Because I know for a fact we’re not talking about another kid.”
“Well I guess you’re not Mrs. know it all after all, because that’s exactly what we’re talking about,” he pouted, letting go of her face as she sat up and turned towards him. “I mean, E’s a great big brother, Scar was a pretty easy baby and you saw that cute moment they had. Tell me that didn’t give you baby fever.”
“It was pretty cute,” she replied, turning around and bringing her legs up onto the couch, standing up on her knees as she faced him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “But Scar’s not even two yet.”
“Brady and I are barely two years apart,” he shrugged.
“Yeah, but Ethan drove me crazy throughout the first few months of his terrible twos phase,” she sighed, pouting at him. “How about we talk about it a little more and then once she’s two, we’ll see how everything is?”
“Works for me,” he smiled, leaning down and kissing her before pulling back. “But we can still practice right? Maybe right now?”
“Definitely not right now.”
“Tonight when the kids are asleep?” He replied, kissing her again.
“Mmmm, assuming Scarlett does well in her crib tonight,” she laughed, patting his shoulders and standing up off of the couch. “But for right now, we need to drop off the laundry in Ethan’s room, then check on the clothes in the dryer, maybe switch over the stuff in the washer and then double check with Melody’s parents she can still go and what time to be ready and–“
“You know you should probably breathe a little,” Matt joked, picking up the hamper she’d been carrying earlier. “You go check and I’ll go drop this off with E.”
Caroline nodded as they went separate ways, Matt down the hall and her to the laundry room. The washing machine had stopped, but when she opened the dryer door to check on the clothes in there, they were still a little damp. She closed the door and added more time to the cycle before turning the laundry room light off and walking back out into the hall, where she could see Matt standing in the doorway of Ethan’s room, the laundry hamper on the floor next to him..
“What are you–“
“Sh,” he whispered, looking at her before nodding his head into Ethan’s room, “Look how cute.”
Caroline nudged the hamper away and came up beside him, peeping her head around the corner of the door to see Ethan and Scarlett laying on top of the blankets of his bed. The first Mighty Ducks movie was playing on the tv that they moved from their room to Ethan’s after Matt “couldn’t resist a good sale” and bought a new one for their room, Scarlett’s copy of ‘The Monster at the End of this Book’— which for the moment was her favorite book— was to the right of Ethan and the bag of peas wrapped up in the rag beside it. They were both rolled over onto their left side, Scarlett was hugging onto the stuffed toy much bigger than her, and Ethan had his right arm draped over Scarlett, most likely to make sure she wouldn’t fall or try to leave without him noticing.
“Grab that blanket off the lounge chair?” She whispered, picking up the hamper and walking into Ethan’s room as Matt walked back out to the living room. She put it down by his dresser and walked over to the bed, carefully leaning across them both and grabbing the bag of peas and Scarlett’s book, putting the book down on Ethan’s side table as Matt walked into the room.
He walked over the bed and draped the blanket over the two of them making sure they were tucked in before standing up. “Guess he didn’t really ice the eye did he?” He laughed softly, motioning towards Ethan.
Ethan shifted in his sleep, exhaling heavily as he opened his eyes barely. “What time is it?”
“Don’t worry, go back to sleep,” Caroline said, grabbing the remote from where he’d placed it on his pillow. “We’ll wake you when it’s time for you to get up.”
“Okay,” Ethan nodded and closed his eyes again, moving closer towards Scarlett and laying his head back down on the pillow.
Caroline placed the remote down on his bedside table and then grabbed Matt’s hand. “Come on,” she said, going to walk out of the room.
“Where are we going? He asked, following behind her and out into the hallway.
“To our room,” she smiled, nodding her head down the hall towards their room. “Talk a little more about having another baby. I think Ethan and Scarlett could use a little brother or sister.”
Matt’s eyes widened and he reached back and shut Ethan’s door just barely before resting his hands on her hips and walking them down the hall to their room. He nudged the door open with his foot before bending down and picking her up bridal style, Caroline laughing as he walked them into their room and he shut the door behind him, locking it and walking over to the bed, laying her down on it and crawling over her.
“That’s definitely a conversation I would love to have,” he smiled, closing the gap between them with a kiss, just barely pulling back. “After we practice first.”
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“Do you guys really need to be here right now?” Ethan huffed, crossing his arms as the car came to a stop just outside of the Hastings home.
“How else would you pick Melody up?” Caroline asked, putting the car into park and looking at him through the rearview mirror.
Ethan shrugged, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Uber.” 
Matt snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah, over my dead body are you taking an uber at 12. Try 18.” He looked over his shoulder at Ethan. “Now go get your girlfriend, it’s bad manners to be late for your first date.”
“She’s not my–” Ethan huffed again, clearly stressed as he opened his car door, grabbed the bouquet of lilies and got out. “Besides, I won’t need to take an Uber when I’m 18, I’ll have a car.”
“If we even get you one,” Matt replied, looking forward and shrugging. “Don’t think I forgot about you spilling the slurpee on my newly cleaned and detailed back seats after I told you to keep the lid on. Your car will look like a pigsty.”
Ethan shut the door and stomped his way over to Matt’s window, knocking on it until Matt rolled it down. “You won’t need to get me one because I’ll be in the NHL with a contract worth millions of dollars and buy my own car!” He stuck his tongue out and turned around, walking away from the car.
“Nice try, but we share a birthday and you won’t be draft eligible till you’re 19 like I was!” Matt called out the window and laughed as they watched Ethan walk up the Hastings’s driveway. “God, he is so much like you it’s hilarious.”
“Excuse me?” Caroline laughed, motioning towards his window. “He is literally you in every aspect.”
“Yeah, but he gets stressed so easily just like you,” Matt smiled, looking at her. “Kids freaking out his parents are taking him to pick up his girlfriend and chaperoning his first date as if he’s not 12.”
“I here too daddy,” Scarlett said, lifting up her arms from her car seat as she looked at them through the mirror hanging from the middle seat headrest that helped them see her when driving.
“I know princess,” Matt replied, reaching back and tickling one of her hands.
“To be fair, he did say she’s not his girlfriend and you know how he gets when you tease him about it,” Caroline replied, keeping an eye out towards the driveway.
“Please, they may not be official, but they’re totally a thing. We were basically a thing on our first date,” he shrugged, looking back out the window. “And then I asked you to be at the end of the date, so we were official.”
Caroline rolled her eyes, laughing. “Yeah, but we also lived two doors down from each other. I think you’re forgetting the fact that we live in Calgary nine months out of the year.”
“So?” He shrugged, looking back at her.
“They’re 12, Matthew. You’re telling me that they’re going to have a long distance relationship at 12?”
“I don’t see why not,” he shrugged again, turning back towards the window before reaching out and tapping her hand. “Sh, they’re coming this way. Let’s see if he remembers what I told him to do.”
They watched as Ethan and Melody walked side by side towards the end of the Hastings’s driveway. Once they got closer to the car, Ethan walked ahead of her and grabbed the car door on the side he had been sitting on on the drive over, opening it for her. “Thanks,” she smiled, climbing into the car, Ethan closing it once she got inside and walking around the front of the car. “Hi Mrs. Caroline, Hi Mr. Matt.”
“Hi Melody, it’s nice to see you again,” Caroline said, keeping an eye out on the road as Ethan checked to make sure the street was empty before he walked alongside the car.
“Hi Mellie!” Scarlett squealed, waving her left arm out towards Melody. “How you?”
“Hi Scar,” Melody smiled, giving Scarlett a high five. “I’m good, how are you?”
“Good,” Scarlett said, as Ethan opened the door and got into the car opposite of Scarlett. “See my hipotomush?” She asked, holding out the gray stuffed animal that she’d gotten that first summer home in St. Louis after she was born when they took a trip to the zoo.
“It’s hippopotamus, Scar,” Ethan corrected, putting his seatbelt on. “Or hippo.”
“Hipotomush,” Scarlett smiled, holding him up with both hands. “My hipotomush.”
“He’s very cute, Scar,” Melody smiled, grabbing one of the hippo’s arms and shaking it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. hippopotamus.”
“Ethie no let Groot come,” Scarlett sighed, bringing her hippopotamus down. “Groot’s Ethies best fwend.”
“He is?” Melody smied, raising her eyebrows as she looked over at Ethan. “And here I thought I was his best friend.”
“Groot’s not my best friend, Scarlett,” Ethan said, looking at the toddler. “He’s a stuffed toy like your hippo.”
“My hipotomush not a toy, he my fwend.” Scarlett said, her eyebrows furrowed and her nose and mouth scrunched up. “Mommy, Ethie being mean to my hipotomush.”
“Ethan, apologize to her hippopotamus for calling him fake.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Hippopotamus,” Ethan replied reluctantly.
“Great,” Matt smiled, looking at them through the rearview mirror. “Now go ahead and give him a hug and a kiss like you do for her during nap time.”
“Momm–”
“Matthew, stop it,” Caroline said, giving Matt a look. “Don’t make me turn this car around, I will drop you off at home.”
Matt just rolled his eyes as Ethan relaxed into his seat, Scarlett hummed along to whatever she was thinking about in her head and Melody leaned near Scarlett’s car seat, most likely entertaining the toddler.
“So Melody,” Matt said, breaking the silence as Caroline started to drive towards the roller skating rink. “How’s life in St. Louis? Are you excited for 6th grade? Got any boyfriends?”
“Dad!”
“Matthew!”
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Despite the initial choice of subject, the car ride was filled with learning about how school and hockey were going for Melody here in St. Louis, while Ethan also kept her up to date on how his school and hockey were going for him in up Calgary– though Matt teased, once again, that Melody probably already knew all of this since the two of them talked on FaceTime or over texting. Which, of course, Ethan sulked about in the backseat as he tried not to turn red and Caroline gave Matt another warning look.
By the time they got to the roller skating rink, it wasn’t shocking to Caroline that Ethan got out of the car as fast as he could, even urging Melody to do so. The fast departure made Scarlett panic that she was getting left behind, meaning she alternated between crying, calling out for Matt or Caroline or Ethan, and crying some more. At least until Caroline got her out of her car seat, then she realized that she wasn’t getting left behind and calmed down once Matt gave her her hippopotamus stuffed animal.
“Okay bye, we’ll see you later!” Ethan said, waving at Matt and Caroline as Melody walked up beside him.
“What’s this see you later thing?” Matt asked, looking at the two of them as they all started walking towards the entrance of the skating rink. “We’re not just dropping you off and going joyriding, we’re staying.”
Ethan’s eyes widened ignoring Matt’s reply as he turned back around and walked with Melody up to the ticket office line, standing in it as they waited their turn. When they got up to the window, Melody walked up first, ready to ask for and pay for her own ticket until Ethan stepped forward and brought his wallet out from his jeans pocket. “Actually, can you make it two tickets please?”
The man at the ticket counter asked about skate rentals, the two of them choosing yes since they didn’t want to wear their outdoor skates inside the rink and then Ethan pulled out some cash from his allowance he’d, by some miracle, managed to save and handed it over, getting his change, two tickets for their skates back, and a receipt before walking off. Matt paid for two tickets to get inside for him and Caroline, not getting any skates themselves though he heavily considered it and then followed into the skating rink behind Ethan and Melody who were waiting right by the door for them.
“You guys go ahead and get your skates before your sizes are out, we’ll find a place to sit.” Caroline said, nodding at them both to walk ahead.
Melody nodded and went to walk towards the rollerskate and rollerblade rentals, Ethan staying behind and turning around towards them. “You guys are kidding…right?” Ethan spoke quietly, looking every bit stressed and panicked as he was probably feeling. “You’re not actually staying here are you?”
“No, we’re not kidding and yeah, we’re staying here,” Matt replied, putting his wallet into his pocket. “You’re 12, you don’t get solo dates just yet. Wait till you’re 15 like mom and I had to.”
Ethan looked over at Caroline with a pleading frown. “Momma–”
“I’m sorry Ethan, but we’re not leaving two 12-year-olds at a skating rink by themselves, especially since it’s a Friday night and it’s summer, so it’s going to be crowded.” Caroline replied, shaking her head.
“Hurry up or I’ll rent myself a pair of skates and join you guys–”
“No!” Ethan gasped, holding his arms out in front of him and keeping Matt away. “Why don’t you guys just go…sit in the car or something?”
“Because it’s the middle of summer, Ethan. And we’re not killing the battery on A.C. just because you’re embarrassed your parents are in the same building as you,” Matt replied, laughing. “Besides, on our first date, we had our parents literally sitting above us with an eagle eye view and sending pictures, plus Papa Walt on the ice who would intentionally stop by us just to check on us with teammates. So yeah, I’d say you’re pretty lucky right now.”
“We’ll stay out of your guys’ way as best as we can, I promise,” Caroline said, grabbing her wallet from her purse and opening it, handing Ethan a few bills. “This is for food and games, if you need anything, we’ll try to stay over in the jungle gym area.”
“Ethan!” Melody called out, waving her arm in the air. “They need your ticket for the skates!”
“I’ll be right there!” Ethan yelled back, turning back to Caroline and Matt. “You guys promise not to embarrass me?”
“We promise,” Matt replied, picking up Scarlett and sitting her in his lap. “Now go enjoy your date, I promise the ATMs aren’t leaving. Say bye to Ethan, Scarlett.”
“Bye Ethie!” Scarlett yelled over the music, waving her hand as Ethan started walking away. “Where Ethie go, daddy?”
“Ethie’s on a date with Melody,” Matt replied, turning Scarlett around to face him as she stood up on his thighs. “So we’re going to go play over by the jungle gym and try not to embarrass him.”
“I go date too.”
Matt’s eyes widened and Caroline laughed as he shook his head. “Oh no, no date for you. Not until you’re 30.” He leaned in and blew a raspberry against her stomach, getting her to giggle. “Now come on, let’s go find Mommy a table to sit at so you and I can go play. And maybe we’ll get something to eat too.”
Caroline looked over her shoulder as they started to walk off towards the seating area near the jungle gym and saw Melody and Ethan grabbing their skates and going off to find somewhere to sit down to put them on. She pulled her phone out, snapping pictures of the two to send to Melody’s parents, only for Ethan to look up at her with wide eyes of horror. He immediately started mouthing ‘go’ and waving her away and Caroline held her hands up and mouthed sorry before turning to follow after Matt.
“I think I’m turning into our mothers,” Caroline huffed, sitting down in one of the chairs across from Matt and Scarlett.
“That’s not a bad thing, but what happened?” He laughed, putting Scarlett’s diaper bag down into the seat across from Caroline. “
“Oh I know, I love our moms,” she sighed, handing her phone over to him. “But remember any time we went on a date they–”
“Would make us stand there and take a million pictures? Yeah, vividly,” he laughed, looking at the screen. “Tell me you didn’t.”
“I did,” she pouted, taking her phone back and motioning towards it. “But it's not like I asked them to stand there and smile.”
Matt laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, so you photo stalked instead. Scarlett, can you say creepy?”
“Reepy,” Scarlett said, hugging her hippopotamus to her.
“Matthew,” Caroline glared, locking her phone. “It’s not creepy. It’s his first date, I want pictures so I can embarrass him years down the line.”
“I know, I’m just messing with you,” he said, walking over and kissing the top of her head. “Take all the pictures your little heart desires, but send them to me so I can show the guys and we can all make fun of him too.”
“Daddy, I go slide?” Scarlett asked, pointing at the slide over in the play area.
“We’ll go slide, but you have to give mommy Mr. Hippopotamus first,” Matt said, as Scarlett reached out Mr. Hippopotamus to take before leaning her over. “And now a kiss.”
Scarlett gave Caroline a kiss, and Caroline tickled her leg, smiling. “Have fun, sweetie.”
“Bye mommy, I go slide now.”
Matt readjusted her on his hip and held her closer, turning around towards the play area. “To the slide we go!” He turned back around, pointing at Caroline. “Sneak more photos, please.”
“Got it,” Caroline laughed, giving him a thumbs up as he turned back around and looked out towards the rink to see if Melody and Ethan had made their way onto the floor yet.
Tons of kids were skating on the floor, a majority of them were around Ethan’s age or older and the younger ones that were skating around were either skating close to the edge or with their parents. Caroline did notice that she wasn’t the only parent sitting at a table in the rink by far, which made her feel a little more comfortable with the fact her and Matthew were staying around. Most of the older kids also seemed to be hanging around in the arcade area, and if this was anything like the few times Matt and Caroline would come to the roller skating rink, then the older teens were waiting for when a majority of the kids and tweens to head out for the night before taking the floor themselves– which always happened to be around 9 o’clock.
Right when she was about to turn her focus towards the play area to watch out for Matt and Scarlett, she saw Ethan step out onto the wooden floor and stay close to the edge, holding his hand out for Melody to take. She quickly opened her camera again and snapped a picture as Melody held onto Ethan’s hand and stepped out onto the rink, and then the two of them let go of the other’s hand before starting to skate side by side, Caroline snapping pictures until she saw them getting close. She quickly put her phone down onto her lap and turned sideways, resting her left elbow onto the table and then leaning her head against her fist as she pretended to look off towards the play area, waiting until she saw them skate by her again and then bringing her phone back out and getting another few pictures of them. She sent the photos off to the siblings group chat, along with the parents group chat and then finally opened her message with Melanie, Melody and Nonnie’s mom. Melanie having taken pictures of Ethan and Melody on their front porch when he’d walked up to get her and during the drive over to the rink, having sent her pictures of the two of them from preschool.
Melanie Hastings: I can’t believe they used to be that small! 🙁
Caroline sent the pictures she took, typing up a message.
Caroline Tkachuk: I may have gotten the stink eye for snapping these, but oh well. Matt and I have been ordered to stay out of sight and out of mind until the end 😂
Melanie Hastings: They’re too cute! Craig tried to give Ethan that cliche “have her home by..” speech and Ethan just said “You’ll have to talk to my Mom and Dad, Coach Hastings. They’re the ones driving.” Craig couldn’t keep a straight face and poor Mel was just traumatized.
Caroline Tkachuk: You should’ve seen E’s face when we told him we were staying. You’d think we were dressed in clown costumes there to embarrass him. I’ll try to get some pictures for you guys throughout the night, so don’t worry, we’re keeping a good eye on them.
Melanie Hastings: I know you guys will. Craig and I won’t be home from dinner until 11, but Nonnie should be home from her plans with some friends by 9. Melody knows to text Craig or I when you guys leave and also Nonnie to make sure.
Caroline Tkachuk: Okay, that sounds great. Have a good date night!
Melanie Hastings: Thank you, we will!
Getting ready to put her phone down, she saw a message pop up at the top of her screen.
Ethan 🏒: Tell dad 2 stop taking pics plz 😩
Ethan 🏒: His flash is on 😒
Caroline looked up to see Matt standing against the netted fence of the play area, Scarlett on his shoulders and his phone out in his hand, and sure enough, a quick flash coming from his phone.
Caroline: Don’t worry, I’ll tell him.
Caroline: Now put your phone away, it’s not good date etiquette.
Ethan 🏒: Thank u 👍🏻
Caroline left her messages and went to her favorite contacts, clicking Matt’s name and bringing the phone up to her ear. She watched as he looked at his screen and then brought the camera down, answering her call and bringing his phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Your flash is on you know,” she said, watching as he looked at his phone and then looked over towards her. “Ethan texted me to tell you to stop taking pictures. Maybe turn the flash off before you try again, hm?”
“Shit, okay thanks,” he replied, looking back over at the rink. “Did you get any more pictures?”
“Tons, and I have the better view, so you can stop being a creeper,” she replied, smiling at him.
“Daddy, go play!” she heard Scarlett whine, also watching her pat the top of Matt’s head.
“Okay, we’ll go,” he said, keeping a hand on her left leg as he looked towards Caroline. “You’ll keep taking pictures?”
“Absolutely. We’ve got two sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles and Melody’s parents requesting pictures for this moment. I’m getting tons.”
“Perfect, we’ll be over in a bit. Scar’s been eyeing this kid's hotdog for the last two minutes.”
“Good thing we brought snacks then,” Caroline laughed, shaking her head. “Love you, let the toddler play and tire her out.”
“Sounds like a plan, love you too.”
She watched as Matt hung up the phone and then brought his phone up towards the rink one more time, this time no flash before putting his phone back into his pocket and then helping Scarlett down off of his shoulders
Another message notification popped up from Matt and she opened it to see a picture of Ethan and Melody on the other side of the rink, still skating side by side and the both of them smiling and looking as if they were in the middle of a conversation.
Matty 💙: How’s this for incognito? 😉
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Ethan and Melody had skated for the first hour before they ventured off the floor and over to buy some food, actually having to sit at the table with Caroline, Matt and Scarlett because there were no available tables. Matt and Caroline both tried their best not to ask any questions that would possibly embarrass the two of them or cause Ethan to give them a glare, and Scarlett had offered more than kept the two of them entertained by also trying to steal their slices of pizza despite Matt continuing to try and get her to snack on the puff snacks they’d brought along with them.
Once they finished eating, the two went back off to the arcade for about ten to twenty minutes before making their way back out onto the floor to skate again, and then Matt went off to go buy him and Caroline two slices of pizza and Scarlett some chicken tenders that, every time she noticed whenever Ethan and Melody would skate by, she’d either try to offer it to them or wave it at them. Something Caroline had to consistently get on her for since she almost dropped it onto the rink floor. They were waiting for the yawns to start, especially when they gave her the sippy cup of breastmilk from their freezer stash that they were almost through with until they could fully wean Scarlett onto cows milk. Unfortunately, the milk did not make Scarlett tired like it normally did and they were stuck trying to keep her occupied since the play area was now filled with tweens taking breaks from skating.
So anytime Matt or Caroline had to get up, whether just to walk around, throw trash away– they always took Scarlett with them, holding her hand and letting her walk to try and get rid of some excess energy she had. This included when Caroline told Matt that she’d be right back because she had to go to the bathroom. And the mere mention of the bathroom had Scarlett perking up and saying she wanted to go too. Caroline knew that the chances of Scarlett actually having to go to the bathroom were slim, because at home, Scarlett would follow absolutely anyone into the bathroom if you didn’t close the door in time. The first time she followed Ethan into the bathroom, she was crawling and 10 months old. He was absolutely traumatized and kept trying to get her to leave, but anytime he picked her up and placed her outside of the bathroom door, she cried. So, Ethan let her into the bathroom and then called out for Matt or Caroline to come and get her.
Most recently, since Scarlett found out that Madeline got to wear “princess undies” and asked Matt and Caroline if she could have some too, they’ve spent the better half of the last week and a half trying to potty train her. The first four days were a mess, quite literally. She absolutely refused to use the training potty they’d gotten for her, because she wanted to use the “big kid potty,” but they told her that once she got used to her training potty, then they’d see about letting her use the “big kid potty.” So far they were going on three nights in a row of Scarlett not having a wet diaper in the morning, and always announcing when she needed to use the bathroom by saying “go potty, please” and then they would take her to go use it if they were at one of their parents house or out of the house, but if they were at home, she would walk herself into the bathroom downstairs and use it.
By no means was it easy, and every time she used the potty correctly Caroline or Matt would give her some cut up strawberries which she absolutely loved, and while they wanted to try and stay away from bribery, Matt was the one who started it by bribing Ethan with m&m’s to clean his room when he was younger, and it since carried over to Scarlett’s potty training– though he likes to call it “a reward system” and with that change of perspective, they were both on board– though it would stop since Ethan no longer gets m&m’s for cleaning his room.
Surprisingly though, this time around, Scarlett actually did have to use the restroom, waiting until Caroline was done going before asking for help to unbutton her white bodysuit, already having taken down her leggings and making Caroline laugh at the eagerness to use the toilet. Unfortunately, there were no strawberries in the diaper bag, so she was promised some strawberries in the morning for breakfast, but was nonetheless excited to run out and tell Matt about the feat.
“Daddy guess what!” Scarlett smiled, running the short distance over to where Matt was sitting at the table.
Matt turned in his seat leaning over and resting his elbows on his knees. “What? Did you see Elmo over in the arcade?”
“No,” she giggled, bouncing on her feet before throwing her arms in the air. “I go pee-pee in the big kid potty!”
“What?” Matt gasped, a smile on his face, reaching out and picking her up. “You did?”
“Yeah!” She smiled, clapping her hands together. “Mommy says I get berries for breakfast.”
“I don’t know, we might have to do something better for this monumental occasion,” Matt sighed, shaking his head as he placed her down onto his legs, letting her stand up on him. “Like maybe pancakes with berries.”
“PANCAKES?” Scarlett squealed, turning around and looking at Caroline. “Mommy, I get pancakes please!”
Caroline laughed, sitting down in her chair and nodding. “We’ll make pancakes tomorrow.”
“Yay!” Scarlett cheered, bouncing up and down. “Pancakes, pancakes!”
“Why don’t you tell Ethan your big news, Scar?” Matt said, pointing out at the floor. “See him and Melody coming around? When they get closer you should tell him about the pancakes too.”
Scarlett crawled up onto the table and sat on her knees, leaning back against her shoes and resting her hands on the edge, waiting for Ethan and Melody to come around. “Ethie!” Scarlett yelled, who knows if Ethan could hear her over the music. “Ethie!”
Ethan and Melody stopped just in front of their table, staying close to the edge so no one would run them over. “What’s up? Is something wrong?” Ethan asked, looking at Matt and Caroline.
“Ethie, I go pee-pee in the big kid potty!” Scarlett smiled leaning over the edge to try and give Ethan a hug. “We have berries and pancakes tomorrow, Mommy and Daddy say so!”
Ethan looked at Matt and Care, his face starting to turn red at the fact that his little sister was announcing out loud her potty training, and was desperately trying to tell them to help him out since it was clearly embarrassing.
“That’s awesome Scar!” Melody smiled, holding up her right hand. “Can you give me a high-five?”
“Mhhm,” Scarlett nodded, using her own right hand to hit Melody’s before holding her hand out for Ethan. “Ethie, five too?”
“Yeah, come here,” Ethan sighed, reaching over the edge and picking Scarlett up and giving her a hug. He carefully put her back down and held up his hand for a high-five, Scarlett smiling and hitting it. “We can even watch a movie tonight too–”
“Ducks!” She cheered, throwing her arms in the air. “We watch ducks, please?”
“Okay,” Ethan laughed, nudging her back away from the edge so she wouldn’t fall over. “Ducks it is.”
“Annnnd this is when we let Ethan and Melody keep skating, Scar,” Caroline said, putting her arm in front of Scarlett so she didn’t try to get closer to the edge. “Say bye.”
“Bye!” She waved as Ethan and Melody moved away from the edge and continued to skate around the rink. “We play games daddy?”
“Yes we can,” Matt said, reaching out for Scarlett.
“And now we’re going to go ahead and play the first slow song of the night, meaning clear the floor if you’re solo and go ahead and grab that special someone because now it’s time for couples skate.” The DJ announced, as the previous upbeat song faded out, the different colored disco lights above had changed color patterns and a new slower song started to play.
“Actually,” Matt smiled, grabbing his phone out of his pocket instead. “Let’s stay and watch Ethan and Melody for a bit.”
“Do you think they’ll stay on the floor?” Caroline asked, ducking down slightly as she grabbed her own phone.
“They better, he called it a couples skate and they’re on a date.” Matt replied, slowly trying to raise his phone. “The better question is if he’ll hold her hand.”
Taylor Swift’s Lover remix started to play and they both kept a secret eye out for Ethan and Melody as they skated around the rink and the solo people got off of the floor, the two of them still skating side by side and not holding hands.
“Pst, Scar,” Matt whispered, poking her side. “When Ethie comes by, tell him to hold Melody’s hand,”
Caroline’s jaw dropped as she looked at him. “Matthew–”
“Ethie, hold Mellie hand!” Scarlett yelled, leaning fully against the edge with a pouty face as Ethan and Melody skated by, but thankfully they were gone by the time she had added on “because daddy said so!”
“Okay, you go play in the arcade, stop embarrassing him.” Caroline said, waving Matt off. “I’ll get pictures or a video, but you need to go tire her out.”
“Come on Scar,” Matt sighed, picking her up and propping her up on his hip. “Let’s go see if we can win any cool prizes.”
As Matt walked away, Caroline kept trying to nonchalantly keep an eye out on Melody and Ethan, both who looked to be a little bit embarrassed by Scarlett’s outburst, but at least were still skating together on the floor. As much as Caroline and Matt had wanted Ethan to step out of his comfort zone on his first date, they knew exactly what he was feeling. It was one thing to be on your first date and be unsure of what to do, when to hold their hand or if you were going to kiss or not. But it was another to worry about all of that and then have your parents be in a close vicinity. So while she did tell Matt she’d take pictures, she really was trying to make it seem like she wasn’t paying that much attention to the two tweens– not wanting to add any more pressure from being chaperoned onto the already nervous date.
But the moment that she saw Ethan hold his hand out and motion for Melody to copy him and then saw Melody do the same, only for Ethan to smile and hold Melody’s hand– she knew exactly what he had done and where he’d learned it from. Because it was always how Matt used to get her to hold his hand between that period of being ten years old all the way until they were dating.
“Hey Care?” Matt asked, the two of them sitting on the side of the boat and waiting for fireworks to start over the lake.
“Hm?” She asked, looking up from her newest read of the summer, Tuck Everlasting, and turning off the book light clip she’d bought at the scholastic book fair this year.
“I want to show you something,” he replied, turning towards her, reaching out for her book and dog eared the corner of the page she was reading. “So put the book away.”
“Don’t fold my pages!” She gasped, smacking his hand away and quickly unfolding the page, placing her bookmark in the book upside down, her own method of reminding herself which page she was on. “And if it’s another bug, go show Brady instead.”
“It’s not, just put the book down so I can show you,” he huffed, rolling his eyes.
Caroline rolled her eyes back and placed her book down in her lap before turning to him. “What?”
“Okay, so put your right hand out like this,” he said, holding his left hand out just ahead of him, his palm facing the air.
“Matthew, if you’re going to play a trick on me, I’m not in the mood. I’m burnt–”
“Just do it, Caroline,” he replied, bringing out the full name, a smile on his face as she rolled her eyes again and held out her right hand, copying exactly what he did. “Okay, ready?”
“I swear to God Matthew, if you slap my hand or–” she paused once Matt placed his left hand on top of hers and intertwined their fingers together. “Oh.”
“Ha,” he smiled, his face red with a slight sunburn and his hair still wet from his shower. “I got you to hold my hand, now you have to hold it until the fireworks are over.”
“Okay,” Caroline smiled, shrugging her shoulders as she opened her book with her left hand. “That just means you have to turn the pages for me.”
Still smiling, Matt nodded his head. “Okay.”
Caroline didn’t care if she wasn’t hiding her phone that well as she snapped pictures of the two of them skating hand in hand as they skated by her and around the rink. And she knew for a fact that Ethan had seen her, because as she looked back in one of the pictures, she could see him looking directly at the camera, but miraculously, or maybe because she had already taken the picture before he had the chance to drop it, he was smiling.
“Mommy, look!” Scarlett smiled, Matt sitting her down on the table as she showed Caroline the plastic container with a red lid. “I won prize. Open please!”
Caroline grabbed the plastic container known to mostly come out of the quarter machines with the knobs you turn and looked at Matt. “What? Your prize winning skills are lacking?”
“That’s the only one she wanted to play,” he replied, plopping down in the seat across from her. “We didn’t even get into the arcade or past those machines. I tried to tell her they weren’t real games, but she insisted.”
Caroline opened the plastic ball, taking the lid off to reveal the white piece of squared paper, and when she picked it up and flipped it over, it was a flaming heart with an arrow through it– a temporary tattoo. She looked at Matt, holding it up. “Really Matthew?”
“She’s the one who picked the machine. I told her it was tattoos and not a toy.” He replied, shrugging as he dug through the diaper bag in search of the baggy of cut up celery. “But someone got her mommy’s stubbornness.”
“Yay heart!” Scarlett smiled, reaching for the tattoo and holding it in her left hand, pointing at Caroline. “I be like mommy!”
Matt grabbed Scarlett and turned her to face him. “How about we put your tattoo right here on your arm where everyone can see it instead of where mommy’s is?” Matt asked, placing the paper down in the middle of Scarlett’s forearm.
“No Daddy,” Scarlett frowned, lifting up her light blue striped shirt, only to show her white bodysuit, and pointing right where her heart was. “I wan here like mommy.”
“Sorry princess,” Matt replied, tugging the shirt out of her grasp and pulling it down. “But no tattoos there until you’re 18 and mommy and I can’t tell you no,” he smiled, handing her the tattoo, “So pick a spot on your arm and go ahead and stop pouting, because daddy isn’t changing his mind.”
As Caroline handed him a bottle of water and he got to work on putting Scarlett’s temporary tattoo on her, Lover came to an end and more people were brought onto the rink, yet Ethan and Melody were still holding hands.
“Did you teach E the ‘I want to show you something’ hand holding trick?” She asked, looking away from the rink and towards Matt.
Matt smiled, pouring some water into a small towel they had in the pockets of the diaper bag, nodding his head. “Yeah, he asked me how to get Melody to hold his hand, or something along the lines of how to hold hands on a date. So I told him about how I used to pull that trick on you all the time when we were kids to get you to hold mine. Why?”
“Because I watched him pull that exact trick out on Melody when they were skating,” She smiled, opening the photos and sliding her phone over to Matt. “Don’t worry, I got pictures of the evidence.”
“No kidding?” Matt held the damp towel against Scarlett’s arm and looked down at the phone, smiling as he swiped through the pictures. “Huh, then he’ll probably take my kissing advice too.”
“What kissing advice could you have to give him at 12?” She asked, rolling her eyes. “Stuff your mouth with fifteen mints beforehand so your breath doesn’t smell like dinner?”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Matt replied, rolling his eyes. “But no, it was much simpler than that.” He lifted up the towel and placed it down onto the table, looking at Caroline with a smile. “I told him not to get their braces stuck together, because we’d have to go to the nearest fire station to get them unstuck with wire cutters.”
“Kiss daddy,” Scarlett said, puckering her lips.
Matt laughed, giving her a kiss before carefully peeling off the paper backing of the tattoo to reveal the heart on her arm. After blowing on it a few times, he held it up so Caroline could see. “There you go princess, a tattoo like mommy.”
“Yay!” Scarlett smiled, turning around and showing Caroline. “See mommy? I like you now!”
“Very pretty, princess,” Caroline smiled, holding onto her arm and looking at the tattoo.
“Kiss please,” Scarlett replied, puckering her lips up again.
“Of course,” Caroline laughed and pulled her closer to her side of the table before giving the toddler a kiss. “Why thank you, Scarlett. Now how about you put your jacket on because it’s getting a little cold in here.”
“Okay, mommy,” Scarlett nodded, Matt handed Caroline the jacket from her diaper bag and Caroline put it onto her, zipping it up. “Hood too?”
“And your hood,” Caroline nodded, putting the hood onto her head. “There you go.”
“Cuddle with Ethie now?” Scarlett asked, a frown on her face as she looked out towards the rink for Melody and Ethan.
“Ethie’s busy, princess,” Matt said, turning her around. “But how about some cuddles with daddy and Mr. Hippopotamus? Would that be okay?”
“Okay,” she nodded, letting Matt pick her up and rest her in his lap. Caroline handed over Mr. Hippopotamus and watched as the toddler hugged it to her chest and snuggled down into Matt’s chest, staring out towards the rink.
Matt rested his chin down on top of her head as he held her close to him and looked at Caroline with a smile. “Change your mind on that thing we talked about earlier yet?” He asked, taking a quick glimpse down at Scarlett.
“Mmm, I might be able to be persuaded,” Caroline shrugged, taking one of the celery sticks out of the snack back and biting it.
Scarlett gasped, looking at the bag. “I want one please!” Matt grabbed a celery stick and handed it to Scarlett, who just snuggled back against Matt and just held onto the stick, not even eating it.
Matt kissed the top of her hood as he rubbed her back and looked at Caroline with a smile. “We’ve got the rest of the summer to practice and talk.”
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It wasn’t supposed to be different.
Well, yeah, it was supposed to be different from when she first kissed him on Valentines Day when they were eight-years-old, and all of the times they’ve hung out every summer just the two of them– but not this different. Just because they weren’t just “hanging out” and were on a date, doesn’t mean that it was supposed to be different at all.
His parents never told him that it felt different on their first date to the school dance or what they called their “official” first date to Papa Walt’s pre-season games. They always played it off as if it felt like any other time they hung out together, but then they were more than just best friends. Everything was fine when he asked her if she wanted to go on a date, it didn’t feel any different because they were at the rink just having fun and practicing with his Dad, BeeBee and some of their other NHL playing friends. 
“What are you doing this weekend?” He asked, the two of them picking up pucks from the end of the rink that they had to themselves.
“Um, I don’t think anything,” she shrugged, dumping the pucks she’d gathered in her practice jersey, down into the bucket. “My parents are going on a date for their anniversary, so I’ll probably just be home with Nonnie since she’s visiting from Texas for a bit since Andrew’s got a lot of road games this whole week. Why?”
“No reason,” Ethan replied, shaking his head as he ducked down into the net, keeping his back to her as he closed his eyes in frustration.
‘Stop being a scaredy cat, just ask her.’
“Actually, there is a reason,” he replied, standing up just slightly and hitting the top of the net with his head, forgetting it was there and immediately feeling his face and ears heat up in embarrassment.
“Here,” Melody laughed, bringing the bucket over. “At least we’re still small enough to where we don’t lift the entire nets like our dads.”
Ethan nodded, moving out from under the net and dropping the pucks he’d picked up into the bucket. “Papa Walt just says that my dad has a big head.”
Melody looked over her shoulder towards where his dad and everyone else was, tilting her head to the side and then looking back at him with a smile. “I’d say it’s slightly bigger than average.” She carried the bucket with them as they went to the corner boards, putting the bucket down onto the ice. “So what’s the reason? You said there was a reason why you were asking…what is it?”
“Oh uh,” Ethan cleared his throat, bending down and stacking a few pucks in his hands as he stood back up and dropped them into the bucket, shrugging. “Just seeing if maybe…we can hangout.”
“Like we are right now?” She asked, tossing more pucks into the bucket.
“Well, I mean…yeah, but no,” Ethan replied, shaking his head and picking up more pucks. “Like this, but not this…not during the day, maybe at night or something?”
“Eth–”
“Okay so a date!” He huffed, dropping the pucks into the bucket and when he looked at her and saw the shock on her face, his heart dropped and he felt nervous. “Maybe…if that’s okay?”
“So…it won’t be just us hanging out like we are right now?” She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “But a date? Like a date, date?”
Ethan blinked, unsure of how to reply. He just kind of figured she’d say either yes or no, not that he’d have to explain himself. He’s never even been on a date before, so how was he supposed to know if there was really a difference? “Yeah. Like a date, date.”
Melody smiled, first it was a closed lipped one and then it grew, showing off her turquoise braces. Ethan may have hated his braces and thought that they made him look like a major dork, he’d always thought hers were pretty from the moment she sent him a selfie the day she got them. Not that there was ever a moment when he thought anything about her was ugly, but the braces, like everything else about her, just seemed to fit and make her prettier.
“Yeah, I’d love to,” she nodded, picking the bucket back up. “I’ll have to ask my mom and dad first though, but I doubt they’ll say no.”
“Really?!” He smiled, catching himself in excitement and clearing his throat. “I mean, yeah…me too. Ask my mom and dad, not yours. I don’t think mine will say no either, because they really like you. I mean I like you too, but they–”
“Ethan?” Melody laughed, cutting him off as she looked at him.
“Yeah?” He asked, skating beside her as they brought the full bucket of pucks to center ice.
“I already said yes,” she reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder, still smiling as she shook her head. “So relax, you dork.”
Yeah he was nervous actually asking her, but who wouldn’t be? It was him asking his best friend in the entire world on a date– their first date– so it was still kind of a big deal. But after that, once he asked his mom and dad and they talked to Melody’s parents, the rest of the week felt normal. He talked to Melody, hung out with her and nothing ever felt majorly different. But from the moment they pulled up in front of the Hastings’ he was nervous. It didn’t help that while he didn’t have a total black eye from where Scarlett had whacked him with the toe of her mini-stick, he did have a small amount of red swelling and slight bruising just along his left cheekbone like his mom said he most likely would.
Despite his parents hanging around in the rink with Scarlett and being within eyesight of him and Melody, Ethan was still able to have a pretty fun time. They skated a lot, challenging each other to see who would get around the rink faster or even just catching up on their lives in school of things they hadn’t managed to discuss throughout the school year and keeping up with each other every day. He talked about how different school was in Calgary compared to Shadowlawn and how he got to walk with Adam every day after school over to the high school where their mom’s worked.
Everything was going great, even when they decided to stop for something to eat and realized that they had to sit with his parents and Scarlett. It wasn’t that bad, because Scarlett was like a nice buffer in the switch from skating on the rink to sitting down and talking with his parents and getting entertained by Scarlett trying to tell them about the slide…that and she kept trying to steal the cheese or pepperoni off of their slices, especially his, even if she was holding a punch of puff snacks in one hand that their dad had been trying to feed her instead.
The worst part of the night, and it wasn’t even that bad really, was how when they went to the arcade, he spent the remainder of his allowance that he’d saved up for tonight, trying to win her a stuffed animal from one of the claw games. He tried, she tried, and the cycle continued before he eventually ran out of money and she did too, so they went back onto the floor. Of course not without Scarlett not trying to get them to stop every time that they skated by, even almost dropping a chicken tender on the floor and Ethan could already see that play out in his head where an employee would ask his parents to leave because of the toddler dropping chicken tenders onto the floor where someone ran it over and broke a leg. Then if they left, that meant he and Melody would have to leave because they already said that there was no way they were going to sit in the car while the two of them were in here.
“What’s your next excuse?” Melody laughed, out of breath as they both slowed down and moved towards the inner part of the skating circle. “You tripped on a chicken tender?”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Ethan replied, rolling his eyes as he slowed up beside her. “But no, no more excuses. You’re clearly a better skater than me.”
Melody smiled, bumping her shoulder against his. “I think I might get that in writing so one day when you’re in the NHL and competing in fastest skater, I’ll have it as proof that I’m a better one and you know it.”
“Or you could just train me so that way when I win and they pull me off to the side for an interview and ask, I can give you all the credit,” he smiled, the two of them still standing shoulder to shoulder.
“I’ll be sure to draft up a price chart for your lessons every summer,” she replied, nodding her head, looking ahead of them, then pointing. “I think your parents are waving us over…or at least Scar is.”
He looked over just ahead of them to see Scarlett sitting back against her shoes on the table yelling something, but he couldn’t quite hear her over the music. But it was the fact she was staring right at them that told him Melody was right. They kept the pace, moving themselves closer to the edge as they rounded the corner right by where his parents were sitting at the table, coming to a stop just in front of it.
“What’s up?” He asked, Scarlett staying where she was and not saying anything as he looked at their parents. “Is something wrong?”
“Ethie, I go pee-pee in the big kid potty!” She smiled, scooting herself all the way to the edge and reaching her arms out to try and hug him. “We have berries and pancakes tomorrow, mommy and daddy say so!”
The one person he could rely on not to embarrass him in front of Melody, just turned on him at the worst possible moment and with the worst possible thing. Sure, Scarlett is a cute toddler, but the last thing he wants to talk about on his date is the fact that his little sister just used the adult toilet for the first time. Melody was the youngest sibling, she didn’t have any younger relatives and she’s only ever been around Madeline and Scarlett whenever she was around him– but never once did a potty training conversation ever come up.
“That’s awesome Scar!” Melody smiled, holding her right hand up for Scarlett. “Can you give me a high-five?”
“Mhhm!” Scarlett nodded, using her own right hand to hit Melody’s before holding her hand out for him. “Ethie, five too?”
Ethan blinked in awe that Melody never even cringed at Scarlett’s bathroom announcement. To him the moment the news left Scarlett’s mouth, he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. He could even feel his ears and face start to heat up with embarrassment…until Melody was the one who broke through the slight awkward silence with excitement. That made everything a little less embarrassing for him, and what really sealed the deal was how Scarlett was looking at him. It was hard enough that she was a cute toddler and had the chubby baby cheeks like he’d had in all his baby pictures, but she had their mom’s eyes and she was pulling off the puppy dog pout the way he’d taught her to and it just made him think of her being sad and then their mom being sad…and he hated thinking of that or even seeing it.
“Yeah, come here,” he sighed, reaching over the edge and picking her up, feeling her squeeze her arms around his neck as he hugged her. When he put her back down onto the table, he held up his left hand for a high-five and Scarlett smiled, hitting his hand. “We can even watch a movie tonight too–”
“Ducks!” She cheered, throwing her arms in the air. “We watch ducks, please?”
He couldn’t help but smile. Not like he hadn’t been training her to watch and enjoy the mighty ducks movies with him since she was a baby, he totally had and it was clearly paying off very well. “Okay,” he carefully nudged her back a little away from the edge,  not wanting her to fall over. “Ducks it is.
“Annnnd this is when we let Ethan and Melody keep skating, Scar,” his mom said, moving her arm in front of Scarlett so she wouldn't try to get closer to the edge. “Say bye.”
“Bye!” Scarlett waved as Ethan and Melody moved away from the edge and continued to skate around the rink.
“She’s cute,” Melody said, nodding behind them. “Makes me wish I had a younger sibling.”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, she’s a lot of fun when she’s not whacking me in the face with a mini stick or trying to follow me into the bathroom.”
“Oh come on, you love her,” Melody teased, reaching up and poking his cheek. “Admit it. She’s the best thing to ever happen, because I know for a fact that you’ve been dying for a brother or sister since forever.”
“I didn’t say that I didn’t love her. She’s just, a lot sometimes, because she always wants to be around me,” Ethan laughed, shaking his head as he looked at her. “Bathtime? I always have to be there. Before I used to just sit on the toilet while my mom or dad gave her a bath, but now I just put on my swim trunks and get in with her because she wants to play with toys. And when we brush our teeth, she likes to sit on the sink and brush her teeth with me. She won’t let our mom or dad put the toothpaste on her brush, only me.”
“Sounds to me like she really loves her big brother,” Melody said, nudging him again.
“And now we’re going to go ahead and play the first slow song of the night, meaning clear the floor if you’re solo and go ahead and grab that special someone because now it’s time for couples skate.” The DJ announced, as the previous upbeat song faded out, the different colored disco lights above had changed color patterns and a new slower song started to play.
All of a sudden, just when things were starting to feel like they were normal– like it was them being two best friends just on a date– the stupid DJ pulls a stunt like that. Maybe it was because he was too young to ever really pay attention to the fact that there was a couples skate, but now he was well aware and his heart was thumping against his chest as he started to notice that one by one, people who weren’t in a pair were walking off the rink. And those that were? Well, they were holding hands and still skating along.
At least he knew the song– it was one his mom always used to listen to when he was younger. She’s still to this day a big fan of Taylor Swift. But it’s still pretty awkward to skate to a song called lover, on their first date…when technically, they weren’t even a couple. So were they allowed to stay skating around? Oh God, what would his parents think? He could easily hear the teasing from his dad now and at least he knew that his mom would step in to defend him from it, unless she took part in it too and–
“Hello? Ethan?” Melody said, waving her hand in front of his face. “Are you in there?”
“What?” He asked, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah…sorry, I was just trying to figure out what song it was. My mom listens to her music all the time.”
“Nonnie does too.” Melody nodded, the two still skating side by side as they kept getting passed by couples.
“Ethie, hold Mellie hand!” Scarlett yelled, fully leaning against the edge of the rink, her signature frustrated pout on her face as the two of them skated by.
Unfortunately, this time he was able to hear what she was saying…which meant that Melody could too. And that was only confirmed when he could see her tuck her chin into her chest out of the corner of his eye. And there was no stopping himself from turning red right there. Just when he thought that Scarlett could come through for him…she does this.
He was definitely looking forward to the day where he didn’t need chaperones on his dates.
“So um…sixth grade!” Ethan said, quickly changing the subject. “School dances and stuff… are you excited?”
Melody shrugged her shoulders, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “I guess. Chloe said she thinks Benji might ask me to the winter one because he asked me to be his Valentine this year.”
“Oh,” Ethan frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I thought you liked the stuff I sent you?”
“I did, I did!” She nodded, suddenly looking shocked. “I just— he asked me in front of the entire class and you know how my mom says I’m too nice for my own good…so I only said yes so he didn’t get embarrassed. And I told him that after school, and that you’d asked me first.”
And he did. Another time of saving up as much of his allowance that he could, though he needed a lot of assistance from his mom and dad— because while he’d sent a box filled with her favorite candies, two books and a teddy bear, his parents also helped him pick out an edible arrangement for her to eat as well. They asked him if he wanted to or anything on the card and he said yes and told them not to look while he typed it up and then made sure they didn’t see it when they filled out the payment information.
He’d written— “Mel, Happy Valentine’s Day. Will you be my Valentine for the fourth year in a row? xx E”
She texted him back a yes and funny enough, a few days later, right on Valentine’s day, he’d come home to a box on the front porch from her. Filled up with m&m’s, a pack of hockey trading cards, a cool St. Louis Blues shirt and then even one of her own trading cards from the season…signed of course.
“What about you?” She asked, fidgeting with her fingers. “Are you excited for school dances and stuff?”
“I don’t know if they do them in junior high in Canada…or at least not in Calgary,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “My mom and Mrs. Elizabeth chaperoned the formal this year…which I guess is like a prom. But I think that’s the only one they have.”
“That sucks.”
“Not really,” he replied, shaking his head as she looked at him. “Cause if I was going to go to a dance, I’d want to go with you.”
She smiled again and he’s known her long enough to know when she was blushing or flustered. But it was how she tucked some of her curls behind her ear that he knew she was just as nervous as he was. “I’d want to go to a dance with you too. So are you free for prom when we’re seniors in high school?”
They both laughed as Ethan just nodded and moved his head side to side. “I’ll probably be playing for the Knights by then…so I think I can manage that.”
“I like that you’re following in your dad’s footsteps,” she said, their nerves easily fading out. “I think it’s really cool, but I also hope you make it your own, you know?”
“Oh I will,” Ethan replied. “I plan on beating every and any record he made. I only wish my birthday was maybe a day or two later so I could at least beat him for being younger too when I get drafted.”
They continued to skate around the corner and Ethan looked around at all of the strictly couples only who were skating with them. Every– and literally, every single one of them…were holding hands. It was a couple skate and they were on a date. If she didn’t want to hold his hand, the worst she could do was say no. But then a part of her must like him enough to want to hold his hand since she said yes to going on a date with him. He felt himself get nervous on how to initiate it– but then he remembered the advice his dad gave him.
“Hey dad?” Ethan asked, putting the mini sticks nets away in their corner of the living room as his dad was leaning against the back of the couch, double checking that everything was in the diaper bag.
“What’s up, E?” He asked, looking up from the bag and zipping it.
“So when you’re on a date,” he turned around, slowing down his actions as he collected the mini sticks and the ball. “How do you like…hold her hand? I-I mean I know how, but like…how do you get her to?”
His dad smiled, nodding him over. “I’ll show you the trick I always used to get your mom to hold my hand when we were your age and younger before we started dating.”
Ethan placed the sticks and ball on top of the net and walked over to his dad, leaning against the couch arm. “But I don’t want to trick her into holding my hand…I want her to actually want to hold it.”
“If she doesn’t want to then she’ll just let go of your hand dude, relax. Now watch,” he said, taking a deep breath, exhaling and then rolling his shoulders forward before nodding at him. “I want to show you something.”
Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought you already were?”
“What? No, that’s— this is part of it. You tell Melody ‘I want to show you something’ and when she asks what, you tell her to put her right hand out like this,” his dad laid his hand out in front of him, palm up. “Or whichever hand you’re going to hold. But for right now, put your left hand out…do it.”
Confused, Ethan copied his dad and put his left hand out ahead of him, palm up. “And when she does, you just,” his dad reached for his hand and held it. “And voila, you’re now holding hands.”
“And that actually works?” Ethan asked, as his dad let go of his hand.
“Worked on your mom all the time.” He smiled, nodding his head. “The first time I did that was one summer when we were at the lake. We were 10 and I told her that she had to hold my hand until the fireworks were over. She did.”
Ethan nodded, leaning fully against the arm of the couch and bringing his feet off of the floor, “I kinda have one more question.”
“If you want to ask before your mom walks in, I’d make it quick. She’s the one who can get Scarlett not to put up a fight with what to wear.”
He shrugged, not wanting to look at his dad as he asked and instead focused on the sliding glass door to the backyard. “So if we were to kiss what do I do?”
“Well for one, don’t get your braces stuck together because then we’d have to go to the nearest fire station so they could use their wire cutters to get you both unstuck,” his dad replied with a smile as Ethan looked at him in panic. “But E, you guys have already kissed. I think you know what to do.”
“But we were eight!” He whined, resting his chin on his arms. “It was just a peck that lasted like two seconds.”
His dad raised an eyebrow. “So what? Are you planning on making out with her right then and there in the skating rink?”
Ethan’s face crinkled as he rolled his eyes. “Gross, dad, no. But I don’t want it to be a two second peck on the lips.”
“I gotcha,” his dad laughed, leaning his arms against the back of the couch. “Well, kissing is really just something you pick up along the way the more you do it, E. You read off of each other. So tonight, if you choose to kiss her or her you, just go off of what you feel. If you choose to do it, you can just kiss like you did when you were eight and then pull away after a few seconds and go for a second one. But do you want two pieces of real advice I can give you besides that?”
“That’d be nice since it’s what I asked for originally.”
“Dork,” his dad rolled his eyes, reaching out and nudging his head. “But really Ethan, the four most important things when it comes to kissing are this.” He held up his right thumb finger, “turn your head slightly to the right before you kiss, that one comes from Aunt Clara so thank her for that.”
He held up his index finger, “read off each other, don’t just smash your mouth against hers, okay? You have to be gentle with it.”
He held up his middle finger last and looked at him. “If and this is a big heavy if, you two do decide to make-out, make sure I am nowhere nearby because I will not only chirp you about it until I’m dead, but it will be embarrassing for both of us for many, many years.”
“And lastly, but most importantly,” he held up his ring finger. “When you’re kissing her, make sure you’re touching her also. Whether that’s her face like you see mom and I do, her waist or even just holding her hand. It’s a little more romantic if you’re touching in some way, got it?”
“Got it.”
“Hey Mel?” Ethan asked, taking his hands out of his pockets.
“Yeah?”
“I want to show you something,” he replied, holding his left hand out just like his dad had taught him to. “Put your right hand out like this.”
“Okay?” She replied, looking confused as she did what he asked and looked at him. “Why?”
Ethan smiled and moved his hand over towards hers before flipping it over and intertwining his fingers with hers— officially holding her hand. “Nothing, but it got you to hold my hand. Now you have to hold it until the song is over…or not, I-I mean you can do whatever you want to do because my mom says that nobody can tell you what to do—“
Melody laughed and squeezed his hand, smiling at him. “Okay.”
“And even if you don’t want to kiss her just yet, a kiss on the cheek is good too. I always did that to your mom even after we kissed at the school dance.” His dad smiled, reaching out and nudging his arm. “It’s a nice sentiment to let her know you care.”
Ethan quickly looked over his shoulder to see his mom was looking down at her lap, probably on her phone and he looked back at Melody, quickly leaning over and kissing her cheek before moving back. Melody looked at him, just as surprised as he was that he actually did it. But what he didn’t expect her to do, was skate closer to him to where their shoulders were touching versus having that hand holding distance between them. She leaned in, kissing his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder for just a second before standing close to him still, the two of them continuing to skate to the music.
And even as the seconds ticked on, he swore he could still feel her lips on his cheek and the warmth that had spread across his entire body the moment she did it.
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When it started to near 9 o’clock, Caroline broke their promise of making sure they were out of sight and out of mind, flagging Ethan and Melody down and telling them to be ready to leave and be at the car by 9 o’clock, so that way they would leave with the younger crowd and wouldn’t get caught up in the older crowd for the night. Immediately after the warning, the two of them had done one more lap before getting off of the rink, turning in their skates and putting their shoes back on.
“Momma,” Ethan huffed, coming to a stop next to their table. “Can I have $20?”
“Sure, but where’s Melody?” Caroline asked, pulling her wallet out of her purse.
“Waiting by the arcade, I promise I’ll pay you back. I just want to try and win something for her or else I’ll look like a total dweeb.”
“Better make it $40,” Matt said, holding onto the half chewed celery stick Scarlett had started to eat before she opted for the puffs instead. “If his arcade game skills are anything like they were back when he was eight, it’s a lost cause. You were the one who won Groot, Care, remember?”
“Groot?” Scarlett asked, looking up from the puffs lid. “I want Groot!”
“No Groot,” Ethan said, pointing at Scarlett. “Groot doesn’t leave my room.”
“Groot my friend,” Scarlett said, sticking a puff in her mouth. “Mine.”
Caroline shook her head and sighed as she handed him the $20. “You both have your shoes and your belongings with you?” When Ethan nodded his head she waved him off. “9 o’clock Ethan, we’re heading out the door. Got it? That means you’ve got ten minutes.”
“Yes ma’am, thank you!” He said, immediately turning around and running to wherever he’d left Melody standing last.
“No more puffs, Scar,” Matt said, moving the toddler’s hand from trying to dig into the container. “It’s way past your bedtime and you should be sleeping, not snacking.”
“I not tired, daddy,” Scarlett said, crossing her arms and pouting. “You tired, you go sleep.”
Matt huffed, nodding his head. “Yeah, daddy is very tired. Which is why you should be tired.”
“Mr. Hipotomush tired?” Scarlett asked, looking down at her stuffed animal sitting on the table before looking back at Matt, shaking her head. “Mr. Hipotomush no tired, I no tired too.”
Caroline laughed as she packed up the diaper bag, taking the celery stick from Matt. “Scar, I know you’re excited to watch ducks with Ethie, but you might have to do that in the morning,” she said, eating the rest of the celery stick.
“No mommy!” Scarlett pouted, eyes instantly filling with tears. “I wan watch ducks night! Ducks with Ethie!”
“Sorry princess, but it’s past your bedtime and you’re going to fall asleep the moment you and Ethie lay down to watch it. And we need you to sleep in your big girl bed,” she said, tossing their trash in the trash can that was behind them since they had the corner table. “You like your big girl bed, remember?”
It wasn’t much of a real big kid bed, just her crib that was transformed into a toddler bed instead, so she wasn’t constantly trying to climb out of her crib and risk falling down onto the floor. Especially after the incident when she was a year old where Ethan had accidentally dropped her onto the floor while trying to help her out of her crib and she cried to the point where they thought she broke a bone– only to find out that she hadn’t been injured at all. But still, it wasn’t uncommon for Scarlett to find her way out of her bed and room in the early morning hours and crawl into Ethan’s bed.
A habit that Ethan doesn’t really mind, but would also prefer not to be woken up from time to time because Scarlett can’t climb up onto his bed and is demanding for him to pick her up.
“Ducks my room,” she said, grabbing her hippo and cuddling against Matt’s chest, looking away from Caroline and up at Matt. “Ethie sleep in big girl bed too.”
“Ethie’s too big for your big girl bed, princess,” Matt said, looking at her. “Maybe tomorrow during nap time, Ethie will take one with you again in his room.”
Her pouty bottom lip quivered as she shut her eyes and ducked her head down into her chest and then her 24 pound body started to tremble with sobs and hiccups. “N-no b-b-big girl,” she cried, her left fist rubbing at her left eye as her face was turning red from crying and her right arm, which had Mr. Hippopotamus clutched in its hand, reaching out for Caroline. “D-ducks b-bed, m-mom-mommy.”
“And I think this is our cue to leave,” Matt sighed, standing up from his chair and walking over to Caroline and handing a leaning Scarlett over to her. “I’ll grab the diaper bag and go start the car.”
“I’ll find Ethan and tell him to meet us out there.” She nodded, adjusting Scarlett’s hood onto her head as she sniffled into her ear and clung around Caroline’s neck for dear life.
They walked towards the entrance of the skating rink as more teens started to file into the building and towards the skate rental and rink floor. Matt walked ahead of her as Caroline stopped at the arcade and tried to skim through the crowds of people that were in it, spotting Ethan and Melody at a claw machine midway through the arcade. She made her way through the crowd of people, coming up beside them as Ethan went to put in another token.
“Your dad and I are going to the car, Scar’s getting tired so we’re just going to go ahead and get her settled in. I still want you guys out the door at 9 o’clock though, okay? No hanging around.”
“Yes ma’am,” he and Melody said, nodding as they turned their attention back to the claw machine.
She turned back around, rubbing Scarlett’s back since the toddler was no longer crying, still just sniffling quietly, and made her way back through the crowds and then out the exit door of the skating rink and across the parking lot to where Matt had started the car and was waiting at the trunk, leaning against the back of the car.
“Want me to put her in the seat?” Matt asked, standing up straight as Caroline got closer.
“No it’s okay, I’ve got it, you can get in the car,” she said, walking over to the passengers side back door and opening it as Matt walked around to the drivers side. “Okay, Scar you gotta let go of mommy’s neck so she can put you in your car seat okay?”
“No,” Scarlett mumbled, digging her head further into the crook of Caroline’s shoulder.
“How about if mommy sits back here with you?” Caroline asked, trying to get the toddler to look at her. “Will you get in your car seat then? And I’ll sit back here with you until Ethie and Melody get back?”
Scarlett leaned back, nodding her head as Caroline stood her up on the back seat. “Yes please.”
“Okay, climb on in and I’ll sit back here with you.” Caroline smiled, taking Scarlett’s jacket off and then using the sleeves to wipe her cheeks before kissing her cheek and letting her climb into her car seat and sit down. Caroline sat down and closed the door behind her and scooted closer to Scarlett’s car seat, starting to buckle her in as Scarlett hugged onto her hippopotamus.
“Keep an eye out on them, Matt?” Caroline asked, sliding her hand beneath Scarlett’s buckle and softly rubbing her stomach to see if it would get her to fall asleep.
“Were they almost done?” He asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror.
“I don’t know, but I told him 9 o’clock still, so he’s got about,” Caroline peeped at the clock on the touch screen, nodding. “Two minutes to be outside.”
Caroline leaned her head against the headrest of the middle seat as she watched Scarlett slowly start to drift to sleep, only an hour past her bedtime. She kept rubbing her stomach softly, just until she was sure that Scarlett was fast asleep. Scarlett wasn’t a light sleeper by any means, it always took a little extra effort to get her to sleep and to wake her up from a nap, so Caroline knew that if she kept rubbing her stomach for the next two minutes, along with Scarlett having cried so hard, then she would be fast asleep in no time.
“Sh, is that them right there?” Matt asked, whipping his head around and staring through the rear window.
“Matthew, quiet!” Caroline whispered, nodding down at Scarlett. “But what are you talking about?”
“Turn around,” he said, nodding back and Caroline followed his gaze, looking through the back window. “Right there by the exit door, is that them walking out and getting ready to stand by the wall?”
Caroline squinted, trying to figure out in the group of kids walking in and out of the rink, were the two that belonged to them,  until she spotted just who Matt was talking about– and sure enough, it was Ethan and Melody. “Yeah, that’s them. Do you think they forgot where we parked? Hold on let me get out and–”
“No!” Matt said, reaching back and smacking at her hand, shaking his head. “They definitely didn’t forget where the car’s parked. Your car literally has an #7 junior-flames hockey sticker on it.”
“Then why are they just standing there?” She asked, turning back and peering through the window.
“He asked me earlier when you were getting Scar dressed about how to hold her hand and kiss her, so if I’m guessing right, he’s probably going to kiss her.”
“What?” Caroline gasped, looking back at him. “But he’s a baby, he’s only like 8.”
“That’s what you said when he actually was eight and kissed Melody the first time, only you said he was four.” Matt laughed, rolling his eyes. “There, there mama bear. The first little cub is just growing up.”
“I know,” she frowned and sighed, looking down at a still fast asleep Scarlett. “Now I know how our parents feel. It sucks but is also equally awesome to watch them grow.” She looked back over her shoulder to see Ethan and Melody talking, both of them sort of shielded by a car parked nearby. “We should probably give them privacy.”
“Are you kidding?” Matt scoffed, motioning towards the back window. “Besides, this is revenge for all the times he cockblocked me. Not to mention while our parents didn’t see our first kiss, my dad wasn’t afraid to literally tap on the glass during a break on the ice because he saw me kiss you before his shift change. Plus I want to see if he took my advice.”
“Good point,” Caroline replied, turning around in her seat and looking out the window while partially trying to hide behind the headrest. “Do you see a stuffed animal? I hope he was able to win one for her. I know he was–”
“Sh!” Matt gasped, hitting the front passenger headrest. “What’s he doing? You’re closer. Is he holding her hand?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “I’m barely closer and it’s dark–”
“What’s he doing? Hand, face, or waist?”
“What?” Caroline asked, looking at him over her shoulder. “What the hell are you talking about Matthew?”
Matt sighed and rolled his eyes. “I told him that when he kisses a girl, he should be touching her. Either her face, her waist or holding her hand. So turn back around and tell me if braceface is following my advice.”
Caroline shook her head and tried to lean forward more. “Uh…” she squinted more, tilting her head to the side. “Both? Maybe?”
“Both? Care I gave you three–”
“Fine, fine um…well he’s holding her right hand and–” Caroline’s eyes widened as she gasped, reaching back and reaching for Matt’s hand that was resting on the side of the passenger seat. “He moved a hand to her cheek, Matthew.”
No sooner than she said that, did Ethan lean in closer to Melody and from where she and Matt were sitting in the car, it looked like the two of them were kissing.
Caroline was smacking at Matt’s hand, pointing out the window. “Matthew, he's kissing her, they’re kissing!”
Ethan pulled away, but just a short moment later, Melody leaned back in and kissed him again, causing Matt to swat at Caroline’s hand. “Stop swatting at me and enjoy the fact that our son has major game like his dad.”
Caroline turned towards Matt, raising an eyebrow as she snorted. “Alright, sure we’ll go with that.” When she turned back around, the two were still kissing before finally pulling away and then the both of them started to walk away from where they were standing and back in a more clear view, headed towards the car holding hands.
“Shit, turn back around,” Matt huffed, quickly turning forward and adjusting his position in his seat before turning the radio up just a little bit. “Act natural.”
Caroline carefully turned forward in her seat, but propped the car door open just enough to where whoever got in on this side would know that someone could be back there and then pretended to double check Scarlett’s buckles.
“Oh hi, Mrs. Caroline,” Melody said, opening the door and standing just outside of it. “Did you want to sit back here with Scarlett?”
“Oh no, that’s fine sweetie. She just wanted me to sit back here with her until you both got back,” Caroline said, scooting out of the seat. “But she just fell asleep so just try to be a little quiet when you get in. She shouldn’t wake up, but just in case.”
Melody nodded and let Caroline get out of the car before Caroline switched places with her and then went to close the door once Melody got inside, only for Ethan to close it first. “So you won a claw machine prize after all?” Caroline asked, noting how Melody had been carrying a stuffed Patrick Star plush.
“I tried to get the Scooby Doo one because that was her favorite cartoon when we were little, but his head kept slipping through the claw,” Ethan nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “And somehow I grabbed Patrick on the last try…so I don’t have any change for you, sorry.”
“It’s fine Ethan, I’m just glad you had fun,” she smiled, nudging his back. “Now go ahead and get in the car.”
He nodded and walked around the back of the car to the drivers side and Caroline opened the front passenger door and got in, closing it behind her. “Alright, time to go home. We’ve got a curfew to meet and multiple bedtimes have been delayed. Ethan’s included–”
“Dad!” Ethan groaned, barely done with putting his seatbelt on as he glared at Matt. “I don’t have a bedtime!”
“Ethan Matthew!” Caroline said, turning around and looking at him. “Your sister is sleeping, quiet down.” She turned to Matt, nudging his elbow as he put the car into reverse. “And Matthew, stop teasing him. We get it, it’s past your bedtime.”
“Not all of us can be youthful tweens,” Matt teased, rolling his eyes as he started to pull out of the parking lot. “And some of us need our beauty sleep. Ethan is most definitely one of– ow!” He looked towards Caroline, furrowing his eyebrows as he rolled his right shoulder. “What was that for?”
“Figure it out,” she replied, giving him another look before relaxing into her seat. “Melody, your mom said that you know to text her and Nonnie when we were leaving the rink. Don’t forget to, sweetheart.”
“Yes ma’am, I’m doing it now.” Melody replied, the light coming from her phone screen being the only source of light in the backseat.
They listened to the radio play softly on the car ride home, Melody asking Matt about the last season and about the upcoming season and then Caroline about how she likes teaching at her new school and how her mom misses working with Caroline and that she said Coach Preston was having trouble finding a new teacher to bother. By the time they pulled up to the Hastings’ house, only Nonnie’s car was in the driveway, which allowed Matt to pull up so Ethan and Melody didn’t have far to walk.
“Thank you for driving us tonight, Mrs. Caroline and Mr. Matt,” Melody said, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her door. “And thanks for letting us go, I had a lot of fun.”
“Of course, Melody. It’s always a pleasure getting to hang out with you,” Caroline replied. “Tell Nonnie we said hi and that I still give her permission to smack Andrew upside the head every once in a while if it’s deserved. She can even say it's from me.”
“Okay, Mrs. Caroline,” Melody laughed, nodding her head. “Goodnight!” They waved goodbye as Melody closed her door and Ethan was already standing there to walk up with her to the front door…which also just so happened to be out of sight.
Matt nudged Caroline, a smile on his face. “How much do you want to bet he’s gonna do a cliche front porch kiss too?”
“Leave him alone, Matthew,” she sighed, shaking her head as she laughed. “Why do you always have to embarrass him?”
“Because it’s fun, out of love and a rightful dad passage.”
“Chew.” A soft sound came from Scarlett’s car seat, the both of them looking back towards her.
“Scar, sweetie are you awake?” Caroline asked, turning around.
“Hold on, I got this,” Matt said, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door, getting out of the car and then getting into the back, sitting in Ethan’s seat and sliding over next to Scarlett. “Well good morning princess.”
“Chew,” Scarlett smiled, stretching in her car seat as much as she could.
“Oh bless you,” Matt smiled, leaning down and kissing her forehead. “Hm, must be allergies, because she doesn’t have a fever.”
“No, daddy,” Scarlett giggled softly, pointing up at him. “Matt-chew.”
Matt’s face deadpanned as Caroline’s jaw dropped and then she started to laugh. “No sweetie, I’m not Matthew, I’m daddy. Dah-dee. Daddy.”
“Matt-chew.” She giggled again.
“Why are you doing this? Go back to sleep,” he whined, looking at Caroline. “Did Ethan do this? Is this normal? Why does she hate me?”
“She probably thinks it's funny, Matty,” Caroline sighed, nodding at him. “I mean, look how worked up you got.”
Matt looked back down at Scarlett, pouting. “Scar, you love daddy, right princess?”
“No daddy,” Scarlett said, shaking her head as he yawned and pointing at him again, smiling. “Matt-chew.”
He sighed, hanging his head down as he shook it. “You’ve forced me to take extreme measures princess,” he looked back up at her and pointed at him. “I’m daddy. Dad-dee. Dah-dee. Daddy. Not Matthew or Matt-chew.”
“Matt-chew.”
Matt sighed again, shaking his head. “Okay, no ducks.”
“Matthew!” Caroline gasped, eyes wide. “Don’t torture the poor girl.”
“Ducks, daddy!” Scarlett cried, whining slightly as she held both arms up. “Ducks, daddy please?”
Matt smiled, looking at Caroline with an ‘I told you so’ look before leaning down and kissing Scarlett. “Of course, princess. Daddy was just joking.”
He got out of the car and left the door barely closed before getting back into the driver's seat and closing his door. A few moments later, Ethan came walking down from the front porch and towards the car, walking back around towards the drivers side and getting into the backseat, closing the door. “Nonnie says hi.”
“Hi Ethie,” Scarlett said quietly as Ethan put his seatbelt on. “Ducks?”
“Oh yeah, ducks,” Ethan nodded, sinking into his seat. “Maybe tomorrow, Scar. I’m kinda tired.”
“Chew! Chew!” Scarlett whined, kicking in her carseat. “Ducks, chew!”
“Bless you,” Ethan said, leaning closer towards her car seat as Caroline started laughing. “What?”
“She’s not sneezing, Ethan,” Caroline said, looking at Matt. “It seems she’s discovered dad’s name is in fact, not daddy. But Matthew.”
“Matt-chew! Ethie watch ducks please!” Scarlett called out, holding her hippopotamus in the air.
“Ethan, just tell her yes and put an end to it,” Matt groaned, both hands on the steering wheel as he backed out of the driveway. “We’ll just give her a warm bottle when we get home.”
Ethan nodded, leaning against Scarlett’s car seat. “We’ll watch ducks when we get home, Scar.”
“Yay,” she smiled, snuggling down into her seat. “Ducks quack!”
“That’s right,” Ethan smiled, holding onto one of her hands. “The ducks quack.”
“So, Ethan,” Matt asked, looking at him through the rearview mirror. “How was your first date? Everything you hoped for? Did you score a second date?”
“It was a lot of fun,” he nodded, trying to hide his smile as they drove down the lit neighborhood streets. “Yeah, I asked if she’d want to go on another one before we go back to Calgary and she said yeah, she just has to ask permission and then we have to figure out when and what to do. Thanks for letting us go.”
“Of course, sweetie. We’re glad you had fun,” Caroline smiled, looking over her shoulder. “So I know we’re not supposed to ask because you get all embarrassed, but are you and Melody dating?”
“No, we’re not dating because we’re both not allowed to date until we’re 13,” Ethan replied, shaking his head as he smiled, this time not holding it back. “But she said if I ask her next summer, she'd say yes.”
Matt and Caroline shared a look as Ethan looked down at his phone, most likely replying to a text from Melody. Matt reached across the center console and held his hand out for Caroline to hold. And when she took it, she intertwined their fingers and he brought her hand to his, kissing her knuckles.
“Feeling a sense of deja vu?” He whispered, just for the two of them to hear.
Caroline snuck a look over her shoulder at Ethan, who was still holding onto one of Scarlett’s hands with his right hand, and holding his phone in his left. The light off of his phone screen lit up his face to show him still smiling as he was replying to a text. “Yeah, majorly.” She looked back at Matt, shrugging. “But I think I’m pretty confident in how it’ll end.”
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mywritingonlyfans · 3 years
Note
I don’t want to post it on my site simply because I’ve never written before (especially in English) and I’m too shy 👉🏻👈🏻🥺 but i feel like i should show it to someone. thanks to tumblr for anonymity. I just said that I'm really worried if I'm bothering you with this
Well, in general, that's it. I hope you really don't mind
he remembers the first time he saw her.  and how his brain immediately stopped working properly.
he randomly craved coffee that day. he didn't really like this drink until that day.
in the next building from where he lived there was a coffee shop and that was where thomas headed.
a neon sign on the street, a garland of light bulbs, a couple of tables and chairs to relax and enjoy a drink. everything would be fine if not for the music from the speaker. "damn, this is led zeppelin" - he thought to himself : "I already like this place". but going inside thomas liked it even more. he liked it so much that he froze in the aisle, unable to take his eyes off the barista.
- good afternoon, what would u like to drink? - it seems Thomas did not even hear the question and continued to examine the girl opposite him, he was so fascinated by her - mister, are you okay?
- oh, yes ... yes, of course, I'm sorry - it seems he is already redder than a tomato
- what'll it be?
- um .. maybe ... I want - "you" thought the guitarist to himself, but of course he didn't voice it - I don't know what I want - sighed sadly
- well, in that case, let me help you with the choice - it seems her eyes sparkled even brighter. damn this girl really loves her job
- it would be nice - after a couple of questions, the girl began to flutter around the coffee machine.
all her movements were so easy and so ... beautiful. just like her. dark hair, almost black. loose clothes in which she looked even smaller than she was.  "she is tiny. she's up to my shoulder... OK, maybe a little bit higher... or not" . in any case, it doesn't matter, unlike the fact that from the moment he saw her, this girl did not leave Thomas's head for more than a minute. he thought about her all the time. when he fell asleep, when he woke up, when he ate and even when he was working on new music.
from day to day he came to the coffee shop  in the morning for a cappuccino with  a little bit of caramel syrup (I think he would like it) . the barista offered him this drink when he first went into a coffee shop and did not know what to take and now he is ready to drink only it until the end of his days. on the days when he had to go to the studio, he bought coffee for the whole band, simply because "if you don't want to introduce us to the thief of your heart, then at least bring us  coffee from her".  the point was that thomas didn't know her either. not even her name. nothing. all he knew was that she works in a coffee shop and she is about his age. and also that her handwriting is beautiful. when the guitarist took coffee for the whole group, she wrote on each cup what was inside.
they never talked about anything. after a couple of visits, the girl already knew Thomas's order by heart. so every time he quietly entered, greeted from the doorway and said the number of drinks and sat down at a table waiting for his order. he quietly watched every movement of the girl, paid, thanked and left as quietly as he came.
why didn't they talk? they both wondered this question. at first they boyh were too shy, and afterwards silence became a habit. and it became even more difficult to speak first.
almost two months have passed since their first meeting. Thomas stood near the coffee shop, smoked and talked to victoria on the phone.
- fuck! ..yes, apparently I fell in love! I have a crush! I'm smitten by a girl! yes, I'm!..maybe... I do not know! leave me alone vic, please! - thomas was fed up with it. he was angry with himself and his lack of confidence, and this conversation did not help, especially at half past seven in the morning
- did you ask her out? damn, thomas! do you even know her name? - the last long drag and he threw the cigarette  into the trash can
- she is fucking perfect, gorgeous, breathtaking and she's doing the best coffee in the world and she is not interested in me in this regard. end of the conversation! - he ran his hand over his face and ruffled his blond hair.
- how she can not being interested in you? have you even tried to talk to her?
- OK vic, I'm done, see you soon
thomas pushed  the red icon on his phone and entered the coffee shop, without even thinking that the girl  behind the counter heard what was happening on the street.
- good morning.  four please - he sat down at the table - she left her hair down  today, looks good ... nah, perfect on her. he thought about the way she smiles every time when she sees him. although he realizes that she is only smiling at him because he is her customer... damn, he seems to be in serious trouble.
- are you okay? you look a bit...
- t-tired? - did she just...spoke to me? -  yes, could not sleep all night
- coffee does not replace sleep, but I hope it will help you
- me too, dolcezza - she's so cute when she blushes. it seems he fell in love even more, if it possible
the guitarist paid, took his four cups of coffee and headed for the door
- thanks, bellezza - thomas raggi, where did you suddenly get so much courage to call her like that? TWICE!? but still not enough courage. he thought to himself
Thomas gave the stand with signed cups  to Damiano, who was sitting in the front seat
- OK,  that's yours - the singer handed the cup to victoria who was sitting in the back of the car with guitarist - ethan, your coffee, and ... O LORD, FOR GOD'S SAKE! THOMAS YOU FINALLY DID IT !
the blond guy looked up sharply from the phone
- What did I....?
- LOOK! - damiano interrupted thomas and handed him the cup. there was complete silence in the car. the guitarist couldn't take his eyes off the writing on the cup of his caramel cappuccino, and the band couldn't take their eyes off his shocked face. there was a phone number written in neat handwriting
- that's might be her phone number ... did she..?. SHE GAVE ME HER FUCKING PHONE NUMBER!!!
thomas would not be thomas if he called or texted  her. at the end of the working day he just came  to a coffee shop with a neon sign.
- good evening - without looking up from work the girl began - what would you... - she finally turned towards the guy standing awkwardly near the door - oh, hi - she looked down and blushed a little. it seems he should have contacted her  during the day
- I'm sorry I didn't text you, I ...
- no, it's okay, I just misunderstood you, I'm sorry, I - the girl wanted to continue, she was interrupted by  thomas's  nervous giggle
- no, don't apologize - he came closer to the counter - I really wanted to text to you .. and offer to take a walk after work .. and find out your name .. from the very first day when I came here -  the guitarist babble quickly, but at the same time with slight pauses between sentences.  his gaze  time traveled from the barista's face to some random item in a coffee shop all the, which could not but make the girl smile
- I'm y/n
By the way, I apologize for the mistakes, as you already understood, English is not my native language
THAT'S SO FUCKING ADORABLE I'M FUCKING IN LOVE WITH IT OMG pls nervous/anxious Thomas is a thing and I love it!!! Pls get your girl, siiiir!!!! Thanks for that, you're amazing!!
- and i don't mind at all, i love reading it!
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alj4890 · 3 years
Text
Misfortune's Intentions
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(Liam x OC*Elisse Millan) (Drake x Riley) in a Choices: The Royal Heir fanfiction.
A/N Sorry for the delay. Life got in the way of my editing for posting this final part of the story. Thanks so much again for indulging my head canons, LOL. We now will wrap up our Liam x Elisse saga with some peeks into the future.
@gkittylove99​​​​​ @krsnlove​​​​​ @kingliam2019​​​​​ @texaskitten30​​​​​ @hopefulmoonobject​​​​​ @yourmajesty09​​​​​ @mom2000aggie​​​​​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​
Masterlist
Chapter 7 Never Ending
Valtoria's Hospital, Cordonia...
"Sit down." Hana patted the seat next to her. "You've been pacing for hours."
Maxwell shook his head. "I'm too nervous."
"One would think you were the expectant father." Olivia remarked.
"I am kinda responsible for this." He smiled at the thought. "After all, I'm the one that talked Riley into coming to Cordonia in the first place."
Liam and Elisse returned to the private waiting room.
"Any news yet?" Hana asked.
"It's begun." Liam explained. "A nurse told us that Riley is doing well. Drake is a nervous wreck."
"Sounds about right." Olivia grumbled, standing up to stretch.
She smiled when Elisse handed her a bag of salt and vinegar chips.
The cravings had begun, and as much as it surprised the sugary treat loving parents, the triplets were causing Olivia to want salty and sour foods.
"Thank you." She popped one of the chips in her mouth, sighing in delight.
Liam shook his head. "Are we sure those are our children doing this?" He teased.
"I think it's their way of showing how much they appreciate Olivia taking care of them." Elisse added with a laugh. "They know she isn't as fond of desserts as we are."
The duchess rolled her eyes even though she was secretly touched at Elisse's words. The thought that the babies would go out of their way to keep her as comfortable as she could be seemed more like the royal couple than anything else.
Each evening, after she got settled in bed, she would talk to the triplets. Olivia shared childhood memories of her years growing up with Liam. She told them observations and conclusions she had made concerning Elisse.
She would never tell anyone else she did such, in what was her opinion, ridiculous things. Yet, a part of her wanted the babies to know how important she, herself, thought they were. How much she cared for Liam and Elisse...and now their family.
The fact that she was giving the royal couple what was once thought impossible brought a pricking of tears to her eyes.
"Damn hormones." She grumbled, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from slipping out.
Drake chose that moment to burst into the waiting room.
"She's here!" His smile practically glowed. "The baby is perfect. Looks just like Brooks!"
Everyone voiced their congratulations while Olivia gave up the battle and allowed her tears to fall.
At least I'm not the only one crying.
Hana was delicately dabbing at her own eyes while Maxwell bawled.
Soon they were taken to see the newest Walker.
"Everyone," Riley said softly, "meet Hope." She handed the infant to Drake. "She hasn't quite learned that one should stay awake when company visits."
After Hana cuddled her close she passed the baby to Liam.
He regarded the bundle in pink blankets, thinking about her nearly being the heir to the throne.
He wasn't about to question how all that he had gone through the last few years had led to his life resembling one he could have never imagined.
Each misfortune he had suffered had somehow pushed him toward his finally finding a happiness all his own.
Leo's abdication led to meeting Riley. Though their love had not endured, it had revealed to him what he had truly needed in a significant other. It gave him the courage to not allow anything to take it away from him again if given another chance to fall in love.
If he had not been so impatient in naming an heir, then he never would have had a chance to really get to know Elisse. He might have encountered her down the road at some international event, but would he have pursued her?
Would she have pursued him?
He handed Elisse the baby, watching as a tender smile formed on her lips. He knew they both were imagining what it would be like to hold their babies.
His eyes rested on Olivia. She had one hand protectively over her slight baby bump.
If her parents had not died in a traitorous act, then she might not have volunteered so readily to being a surrogate. Would she be such close friends to Liam if they had lived? Would she have been so willing to do whatever sacrifice was needed for Cordonia?
Seeing now that there had to have been some kind of grand design in each heart wrenching moment in their lives to lead them to what they were meant to have helped when reflecting back on the past.
Once Hope was back in Riley's arms, he quietly observed Drake with his family.
He had once held bitterness toward him for taking the one he had lost his heart to. And yet, now that he had Elisse and a family of his own in the making, he couldn't feel anything other than a simple joy that his best friend had found a happiness all his own.
Seeing them together with their little public displays of affection didn't phase him at all. There was no twinge of pain. No...nothing.
Elisse slipped her hand in his, drawing him away from reminiscing.
Liam lifted her hand to his lips, smiling when she rested her head against his shoulder.
The future lay before them and he was more than excited at what was next for them.
***************
Beginning of the third trimester, the Royal Palace...
"You're going to have to stop traveling." Ethan explained. "In fact, I'm putting you on bedrest."
"For how long?" Olivia asked.
"For the rest of the pregnancy."
Preparing for an argument, Ethan was surprised when Olivia dropped her head into her hands.
Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Elisse laid a hand on her back, trying to soothe her.
"Olivia?" Liam gently touched her shoulder. "Are you in pain?"
"No." Her voice cracked. She lifted her eyes to Ethan's. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No. Not at all." He reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. "This happens often when carrying multiples."
She took deep breaths to try and call down.
"I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes. "I seem to be crying over everything lately."
Elisse shushed her while Liam praised how well she had been doing.
Once the couple were reassured that everything was still looking well, they left after hearing the babies' heartbeats.
"I want to monitor you through the night." Ethan explained when Olivia moved to return to her room.
"You do?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"You've had two bouts of contractions." He continued to type his notes, believing that to be the end of their conversation.
"Can't I be monitored in my room?"
"No."
"Ethan!"
He lifted his eyebrows at her outburst.
"Can I at least move to the hospital bed, or were you intending on me staying on the examining table from now on?" She snapped.
"Olivia, what's wrong?"
She folded her arms over her stomach. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" He snorted softly.
"Yes, nothing." She grumbled. "Nothing you would be concerned over or even consider worthwhile."
He closed his laptop and gave her his full attention. "Does it involve you?"
"Obviously." She averted her eyes. "Why else would I be sitting here?"
He rose and helped her off the table. "Come on. Let's get you settled, then you can tell me what is going on in that head of yours."
"Why must you make it sound like I'm some emotional idiot?" She raised her shirt for him to place the tocodynamometer around her belly.
"I don't do that." He argued.
"Yes, you do." She placed her hand where a little knee or elbow was pressing. "Even the heirs agree."
He snorted softly. "My apologies. I thought I treated you rather well."
"You do." She admitted. "I don't know why I'm trying to fight with you."
When she kept her eyes downcast, Ethan pulled a chair next to her bed and sat down. "I have all the time in the world to hear what is really wrong."
"I'm..." She grit her teeth, hating the words that were about to come out. "I'm scared."
"Of?"
She shot a glare at him for making her explain. "Of giving birth." Needing to justify herself, she hurried to defend such a feeling. "This isn't something I could train for. And given the few women I know who have given birth, no one has the same experience."
"That's true."
Olivia tried to wait patiently to see if he would say anything else. When he simply looked at her, she felt her irritation return.
"That's true? That's all you have to say?!"
He shrugged. "Well I certainly don't have any first hand experience to offer."
"Your bedside manner is remarkable."
He leaned forward and placed his hand on hers that rested on her belly. "I don't know how this will go. I can give you medical facts and statistics, but they will do little to ease your mind. I can tell you about all the successes I have had as a doctor. It still won't matter."
"You're making it worse." She tried to pull her hand away.
Ethan gripped her fingers. "What I can tell you is that I will do everything within my power to get you and the triplets through this." His thumb brushed her hand. "I will be right by your side if we do have to perform a cesarean. I will make certain you have the best of everything."
She studied his face, feeling reassured by the calm determination stamped in his features.
With a squeeze of his hand, she relaxed back against her pillows. "Thank you Ethan."
He smiled softly at her while settling in for a night of monitoring.
*******************
Nearly two months later...
Elisse trembled as she tried to put on the surgical gown she was given. She crammed her hair under the cap while trying not to think that within minutes, she would see her children being born.
When Olivia's contractions started the night before, Elisse and Liam had rushed from their bedroom knowing that this could very well be the moment.
There had been numerous false alarms, but this one was finally it. What they had not anticipated was how long it was taking.
Ethan and some obstetricians he had worked with in Boston had decided that a vaginal birth did not seem to be possible. One of the triplets was still in a breached position and blocking the other two.
Olivia had taken the news well, though most of the color had drained from her face. She was already exhausted from the nearly twenty hours of contractions and silent worry. She gripped Ethan's hand when he tried to leave to prepare.
"I'm only leaving to change." He explained.
"Then you'll come back?" She asked.
"I promised you didn't I?" He asked.
She nodded.
He was surprised when she pressed his hand to her cheek.
"Thank you." She breathed as another contraction began. Her fingers tangled with his as it caused a groan of pain to slip out.
He waited until she relaxed before easing his hand away. "I'll be back."
Liam and Elisse had followed him out.
"Will she be alright?" Liam asked.
"Yes." Ethan scrubbed his hands and arms. "Dr. Lahela is one of the best surgeons I've worked with. With him and the obstetric team on hand. All four of our patients should do well."
Elisse had remained quiet as the medical team rushed to set up the room for the delivery. Her eyes followed the young, handsome surgeon who greeted everyone with a confident smile.
Liam stepped up beside her and gently squeezed her hand. "This is it, my love."
She tilted her head to the side, noticing the crinkle around his eyes. Though the surgical mask hid the lower half of his face, there was no denying his excited smile.
She let go of his hand to hug him.
He held her close, resting his cheek on top of her head.
"I love you, Liam." She raised her eyes to capture his. "Our life, our family, is more than I could have ever hoped for."
He tenderly cupped her cheek. "I love you too." He took her hand and pulled her along. "Now let's go meet our children."
The pair stood at Olivia's head while the cesarean was performed. Liam kept his arm around Elisse as they waited for the first glimpse of their children.
The duchess kept her eyes on Ethan's profile. He had taken her hand as soon as he returned to her side. When Bryce had placed the scalpel to her abdomen, Ethan had intertwined his fingers with hers. His piercing gaze went from the procedure to her face. Seeing her remain calm helped him to focus once more on the birth.
Bryce lifted one of the babies out. "Looks like you have a prince." He smiled at the couple who watched anxiously as the nurses and assisting doctors cleaned and examined the wailing newborn.
"And his twin brother." Bryce removed another, chuckling when the crying infant peed on a nurse. "He'll be trouble."
Elisse covered her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. She placed her other hand on Olivia's shoulder as Bryce delivered the smaller of the three.
"Poor little princess, trapped with those rowdy boys." He chuckled when her softer wail was given as a response. He looked up at the royal couple. "Congratulations, your majesties. You have a family."
****************
A couple of hours later, Elisse and Liam sat with Olivia. Each held one of the babies that had been born.
"What will you name them?" Olivia asked, smiling when the little prince frowned at her.
"We never did decide on names for a boy." Liam chuckled when the crown prince in his arms yawned.
"Our princess shall of course hold the name that means the most to us." Elisse placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.
Liam smiled in agreement. "Hopefully she will carry it well."
"What are you going to call her?" Olivia asked.
"Libby for short." Elisse replied. "Princess Olivia for all formal occasions."
****************
Epilogue, Applewood Manor, four years later...
Liam chased after his children in the apple orchard. Their squeals drew laughter from Elisse as she set out their picnic.
When Libby was swept up in her father's arms, her brothers, Connor and Christopher, each tried to save her by grabbing onto Liam's legs.
Liam playfully dropped to the ground. "Help!" He cried out to his wife. "I'm outnumbered again!"
Elisse rushed over, to only collapse in giggles when the triplets rushed into her arms.
Liam watched them, feeling as if his heart would burst with pride over his family.
These last five years had been the happiest of his life. His marriage to Elisse had been what he and Corodnia had needed. The birth of their children had been a day of celebration across the country.
Peace and prosperity had followed.
Amalas visited often with her allies, causing Cordonia to be one of the most sought after countries in the EU. Trade and tourism grew from these alliances. Cordonia's unemployment rate became nearly nonexistent, causing more contentment than the country had seen in the last three hundred years.
As the triplets grew and the people caught glimpses of their sweet personalities, they were just as beloved as their parents were.
Elisse drew him from his thoughts when she spoke to the children about their upcoming trip for a wedding.
Olivia had been hailed by everyone as a hero. Liam and Elisse took every chance they could to say that they wouldn't have their children if not for her generous offer. No one, they said, could have done a better job.
Olivia had returned to Lythikos shortly after giving birth. Ethan had gone with her to assist in her recovery and to begin the plans for a research hospital. They had developed a close bond during those months of pregnancy. It only became stronger the more they worked together.
Though most of her friends whispered that there was something more between the fiery duchess and renowned physician, nothing seem to come about from their time together.
At least, that's what they thought.
Imagine everyone's surprise when one night at a ball in in the palace, Olivia asked Liam and Elisse if the triplets could be in her wedding.
"Wedding?!" Riley sputtered. "You're getting married?!"
"Why else would I ask for ring bearers and flower girls?" Olivia rolled her eyes. "And I suppose I will need Hope as a flower girl also to make it even."
"Who's the lucky guy?" Drake asked, unable to imagine anyone voluntarily tying his life to her.
"Who else?" Came a deep voice from behind them.
Ethan came around and stood next to Olivia. His hand found hers while they met everyone's curious stares.
After congratulations were given and promises that the children would do their best, Olivia and Ethan had left the group to dance.
Speculation amongst the group of how and when were whispered. Knowing the pair well, Elisse knew that guessing was all they would get. Neither Ethan nor Olivia would likely tell them anything about their love life.
She couldn't help but secretly hope that her fertility issues had somehow helped in putting them together.
She believed she owed them everything. Both had a hand in giving her and Liam their hearts' only wish for a family.
Elisse had suspected a closeness between them but had never said anything about it. She knew that neither Ethan nor Olivia would appreciate any interference, much less attention toward their relationship.
Watching the couple as they danced, she couldn't imagine any two people she thought deserved to find happiness more than them.
Months of wedding planning went by. Practice and fittings were completed. People from near and far were making the journey to the cathedral nestled in the snowy mountains.
"Mommy?" Libby asked once they were seated on the picnic blanket. "Can I keep some of the flowers? I don't want to throw them all."
"Do we get to throw the rings?" Connor asked.
"And the pillow?" Christopher pretended to throw an imaginary pillow at his brother, laughing when Connor pretended to be knocked down by it.
"I don't think that is quite what Olivia and Ethan want." Liam explained. "I suggest you keep to how we practiced."
"We will." Christopher promised.
"And we can always pick more flowers." Elisse reminded Libby. "You want Olivia to have a pretty aisle to walk down, don't you?"
The couple shared a smile when Libby quickly agreed to make it beautiful with the petals she would be given to toss.
Their children kept up a happy chatter about the upcoming trip. Snowmen, snowball fights, and sledding were planned amongst the three.
Liam reached for Elisse's hand as they listened to the cheerful voices. She scooted closer to him to kiss his cheek.
He returned the kiss, a soft smile forming with the thought that his life was filled with endless moments like this.
Everything he had ever wanted was right here.
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drariellevalentine · 4 years
Text
Medically Inevitable
Chapter 1- Frivolous First Days
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Characters:- Arielle Valentine, Ethan Ramsey, Jackie Varma, Sienna Trinh
Pairing:- Ethan Ramsey x Arielle Valentine
Warnings:- PTSD
Arielle’s PoV:-
Edenbrook Hospital. Finally! My very first day of my internal medicine residency at Edenbrook. One more step, a rather huge one, towards my goal.
General PoV:-
Arielle adores the hospital from standing outside, with a proud smile on her face. She's halfway there, to be her own person, and also halfway to mend the relationship that shouldn't have been strained in the first place, but yet, she had to destroy it. She takes a deep breath. Now, she can only hope for her godfather to forgive her.
With one more look, she enters the huge hospital to find the reception desk straight ahead of her. ID cards- she needs to collect her ID before doing anything else.
A bright, chirpy doctor, smiling at everyone who's passing her, is the first thing or to be more accurate the first person to grab Arielle's attention nearing the nurses' desk. “Hey!” New intern, right?" The doctor gives her a bright smile which Arielle returns. "I'm Dr. Delarosa but you can call me Ines," she continues, her cheerful voice flowing with excitement.
"Let me help you with your badge. What's your name?" She asks smiling.
"Arielle Valentine, " I reply.
"Valentine...Valentine..." She mutters while rummaging through the bundle of ID's and then the badges. And then smiles brightly when she finds both," Ah! Here you go Dr. Valentine."
Before taking her badge, for a moment, Arielle wonders how much Ines’s cheeks must hurt at the end of the day for smiling this much. But then Aria herself smiles.
"Thank you," she smiles at Ines before her gaze flickers back to the badge.
Dr. Valentine, it says. She remembers how her father said she wouldn’t be able to make it. He never believed in her, that she could be successful in the field she wants. But now she is going to be a doctor. She did it. And her heart fills with pride. She's never been this proud of herself before. "Thank you."
As she's about to pass the waiting room, out of nowhere, an elderly woman collapses on the floor.
Arielle makes her way towards woman but before she could another doctor reaches her. He leans down to check her pulse and then looks around before his gaze stops at her. "You rookie, come here."
For a millisecond Arielle thinks of correcting him and tell her name but then decides against it, because the patient's life matters more.
She rushes to the patient's side to take a note of her vitals and tells the doctor. "Pulse is weak. She is unresponsive," Arielle says. She can feel her panic rising. But the older doctor's calm. "What was she coming for? Did she fill out a form yet?" He asks the nurse standing nearby. "No, she just walked in," the nurse replies, his features screaming tension.
"If we don't figure out what's wrong with her quickly, she'll die on this table." He says, though a bit frustrated this time. "Rookie, check her B.P." Arielle wraps a blood pressure cuff around the unconscious woman's arm, and pumps the bulb, peering at the numbers. "It's plummeting. She's hypotensive," Arielle feels panic rising more than ever. "We need to get fluid in her."
The nurses runs and gets a IV stand. As he sets the stand, Arielle checks the woman for more symptoms as does the older doctor. That's when she notices a bruise rapidly forming in her elbows. "Doctor look at the bruise. It wasn't there a moment ago," she points it out. "Are you sure?"
"Yes.", you reply. "A bruising that fast suggests the patient is hemophiliac. Good catch." He nods." Take a closer listen to her lungs."
Arielle slips the stethoscope into her ears and runs the resonator over the woman's ribs. "I can't listen anything on her left side. And her right lung is struggling," She says tensed. "Doctor she's going to suffocate." Arielle's a mess right now, tensed. But the older doctor remains collected. "Nurse we have got a code blue."
Taking a bag mask from the nurse and begins to gently pump air into the woman's lungs. He is cool and calm on the other hand Arielle's on the verge of having an panic attack. "What do we do doctor?" She asks. "Consider all the clues. It's all there. You know this, Rookie."
It hits you. “It’s a hemothorax!” "Precisely, a blood vessel ruptured and is filling her pleural cavity- ,"
"-blocking her lungs from expanding. That's why she can't breathe!" I say. " But...but we can't repair the blood vessel here."
"We'll have to do an emergency thoracotomy here to drain the cavity instead." " Nurse!" He calls and the nurse runs to them with a lung tube and a scalpel, forwarding them to Arielle. She accepts it hesitantly. The doctor pulls the woman's shirt to expose the side of her rib cage, Arielle shivers of fear.
With her hand shaking she tries to remember what she was taught. The scalpel quivers in her nervous grip. But the doctor from behind her steadies her hand. "Hey, you've got this," he whispers softly and Arielle nods trying steady her hands. "There you go, nice and easy." He says as Arielle makes a perfect incision in between the woman's ribs.
"Now the tube," He instructs.
Together, the two of them insert the chest tube and with a spurt, blood comes out draining out of her chest. She starts to breathe again.
"We...we did it!" Arielle says shocked and surprised but also happy. She's happy that she could save a live. She knew her godfather would tell her stories about saving lives but, having done it for herself, she felt exhilarated and happy.
She sees the doctor gesturing to the nurse and then instructing him what to do.
"Doctor... That was...amazing! " Arielle says happy and excited.
"Yeah, it's actually pretty amazing that you didn't get her killed." He snorts.
"Your examination was slow and not to mention superficial. You scalpel techniques-" he nods in denial," amateur at best."
"I'm sorry doctor, it's my first day."
“Well, it wouldn't have mattered to the patient’s family if she died, Dr.-" he takes her ID, "Valentine."
He gazes at it thoughtfully before piching the bridge of her nose and mumbling something. Tossing the ID back at Arielle he leaves.
"What an ass!" She exclaims angrily.
"Yeah, what an ass!" A female nurse stares at her admiringly, her eyes filled with lust, making Arielle roll her eyes.
"Don't worry. Dr. Ramsey is like this to everyone," the same male nurse from before says.
"Dr. Ramsey?! As in Dr. Ethan Ramsey?!"
"Yes. I take in you are a fan?"
"Are you kidding me? He's basically one of the reasons I wanted to be a doctor. And now you are telling me I just performed a thoracotomy with him!" Arielle says the last part a bit dramatically making the nurse laugh and walks away leaving Arielle with her thoughts alone.
She remembers meeting him a few years back, but never did she think he would act like that. She remembers him sharing his passion of medicine with everyone, and encouraging her to follow her path. Was he really the same person? Can being a doctor for 10 years really change your outlook in life that much? She's shocked!
She looks down at her clothes now having patches of blood here and there. "I need to change my outfit," she says to herself and looks around for a clock. "Shit! I'm going to be late!”, she thinks noticing the time and runs off to find the locker room. After thirty minutes of a lecture, they gets assigned to their very first case, with an intern pairing with another from the stream.
And Arielle's partner is Aurora Emery, who just happens to be ‘her boss's niece and who is not at all surprisingly, not friendly at all.
On their way to the first patient, Arielle's the one to open her mouth first, “Okay, so our first patient is in Room 532. Should we talk about how we are going to approach this case first?" “No need," she says rudely testing Arielle's patience. That Aurora Emery doesn't have the right to talk to people like this just because her aunt is the hospital chief. "Look Aurora, all I care about is the patient.” Arielle takes a breath to calm herself. " If you don't want to be nice, that's okay by me. But we're gonna put everything else aside for the people in our care."
"Suits me just fine." Her voice still cold as ice. She moves forward, keeping a few steps ahead Arielle. So much for not being egoistic.
Arielle skims through the chart for the patient’s personal details. They enter Room 532 to see the patient in there of the same age as them, not much older.
Arielle’s PoV:-
“Hi Annie! I’m Dr. Valentine and this is Dr. Emery. We’ll be your doctors today.” I nod in her direction. And Aurora smiles kindly and sweetly at the girl. Something that I didn't think she can.
" Annie, I'm going to take your vitals while Dr. Valentine asks you some questions," she says, her face still smiling.
"Before we start, is there anyone we can call for you? Being in the hospital can be a little less scary with someone by your side."
" I just moved here for grad school. My family's on the other side of the country, and I don't really know anyone yet," Annie says, her voice low.
"I just moved here too. Maybe we can look after each other." I smile brightly at her hoping to make her mood better. It works, and she returns the smile.
As Aurora checks her B.P. I ask her a few questions noticing the patches of rashes on her skin.
"Do you often suffer from itchy skin?"
"Not really. Just for the past few days."
I nod and grab her chart. " You came in here for headaches, nausea and vertigo."
"And also my plans keep cramping up."
“My palms also keep cramping up though.”
"Have you ever had these symptoms before?"
"Never. The timing sucks. I even had to cut my vacation to Indonesia short for it."
"You did the right thing. Vertigo on a unknown place can be very dangerous." Aurora says.
"Not to mention how scary it have been.
"It still is." Annie pauses for a second. "How long will I have to stay here?"
"We'll try our best to make it quick," I say confidently, and the girl relaxes a bit.
"Sorry, I panic easily when I'm stressed out."
I notice a bruise on her ankle while checking her for any other symptoms or anything else that could give me a clue.
"How did you get this cut on your ankle, Annie?"
"Oh that! I cut it on some coral while I was scuba driving."
"You are a scuba driver?"
"I'm still learning. I went to get my driver's license while I was on my trip. But I never got it though."
"Okay, last question. Are you allergic to any medication?"
"No, none that I know of."
Arielle notes everything down. "Thank you Annie, you did a nice job here." Both Arielle and Aurora smiles at her.
"Thanks. You guys are really nice. Honestly, I was hoping a old grumpy guy."
"So was I.", I laugh.
"We'll let you get some rest," Aurora says before getting out of the room following Arielle.
"Dr. Valentine. I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of hearing it."
" I on the other hand, am already bored of it," Aurora says, her friendly behavior gone again.
Sighing, I focus on the job.
" We should do a screen for any viruses or bacteria. She could have picked up something on her trip."
"Not the worst idea. We’ll run a full workup on her vitals."
And before I can say anything else, Aurora's pager goes off. It's her aunt. She's paging her to her office.
"I need to go." Her cold voice announces.
"Seriously?! " This time I can feelher anger rising. Was she really ditching her? It's our case. We should solve it together. Not me alone!
"I'll tell you what. When the chief wants to see you, I'll run the labs. Until then...”, she never finishes the sentence but leaves.
General PoV:-
Half an hour later, Sarah, a nurse at the hospital, the same one who was admiring Dr. Ramsey shamelessly, hands Arielle a lab report. Annie's lab report.
Going through the report once Arielle ask to give Annie an antibiotic, twice a day, 1200 mg in total. She tells it to Maria, another nurse, a bit elderly but nonetheless friendly and sweet.
Before lunch she decides to check on the other patient she had. A five year old child who has a hole in heart. Poor boy. Life is being unfair to him. He should have been playing and having fun but here he was stuck with his medications.
The last time she checked on him, he was all sad and gloomy, sitting on his bed alone. So this time Arielle decides to surprise him with a treat that'll make him happy.
That's what Arielle is doing now, standing in front of the vending machine. Buying four different candies, which are now resting in the pocket of her lab coat, she is standing there confused of which chocolate bar to pick as the fifth treat.
Twix... Kitkat... And an unknown chocolate bar. She guesses it to be some American snack. Her eyes runs over all the chocolate options before she sighs.
"Having trouble choosing yourself a treat, Rookie?" A cold, nonchalant voice says from behind her.
She turns around to find the same doctor with whom she performed the thoracotomy, Dr. Ramsey.
"Dr. Ramsey... It's not for me, it's for one of a patient of mine." She says. When she doesn't get any reply from him she herself continues. "He is here to treat a hole in his heart. His surgery is due tomorrow and he is really scared right now. Poor little guy, he should be enjoying playing with toys but instead stuck here. So I thought of buying him a little something that will cheer him up."
For a second, she thinks that she saw him smile but it was gone to soon to revaluate.
She turns to the vending machine again. "I was always a Geysers girl myself.” “He however”, pausing to turn back and point at the boy, “doesn't seem like a kid who'll like Geysers."
She says looking at him. She notices him staring at that chocolate bar and suddenly an idea strikes her mind. "Why don't you help me choose one, doctor? Please," she requests, way too cutely for anyone to refuse.
He sighs but yet takes a step forward towards the machine. He stands there for a minute going through the option. His eyes flickering at the chocolate bar which makes Arielle think he's going to choose it but rather he settles for a Kitkat.
When it pops out, he hands it to Arielle and walks away. With the remaining coins, Arielle quickly buys that chocolate bar.
"Dr. Ramsey...wait!" She quickens her pace to catch him and bumps into him when he suddenly stops resulting in the free fall of her charts.
She leans down to pick it up but rather the chocolates and candies falls down from her pocket.
Sighing Ethan kneels down to help her. "Jeez, Rookie, are you here to treat the kid or give him diabetes?"
Arielle gives him a incredulous look while picking her things. "It's just a few candies!"
Ethan hands her the candies he picked up and then stands. Arielle too stands up after picking her charts and then hands out the chocolate bar to Ethan, who raises his brows.
"I saw you staring at it," she starts to explain, " Seemed like you like it."
She tosses him the bar with a sweet smile, " You know it's okay to treat yourself time to time."
"And you know, you are never too old to have a chocolate," she smirks at him but Ethan is too surprised at her gesture that he barely notices it.
"Uh, thank you Dr. Valentine...I guess," he says awkwardly.
Arielle's PoV:-
Dr. Ramsey turns around and leaves. As I turn around I bump into another person. “What's with me and bumping today.”, I think. "Sorry, my bad!" I apologize to the intern with whom I bumped. "Ah, no, all mine... I'm sorry," he stammers a bit. “Hey, I saw you at the orientation. Arielle Valentine, right?” I nod.
"I'm Landry Olsen," he forwards his hand which I take. "Was that Dr. Ramsey?" He points towards the elevator. "Yes." "Wait, you’re the intern who performed the thoracotomy with him this morning. Aren't you?" He asks surprised and exited.
“Yeah, and he ripped me a new one in front of everyone," I say sadly. "It was so damn-" "Lucky!" He interrupts me in between. I bet that, well I think, being insulted in front of a whole crowd is anything but lucky. But I don't find it important to tell him.
Before I can say anything else my phone chimes with an alarm I set. "Sorry, I'll have to go. Talk to you later," I say and turn towards the stairs. “Okay, time to check on Annie, she should have taken the medication by now.”, you think to yourself. You enter her room to find Annie scrolling through her phone.
“Hey Annie.” “Hi Dr. Valentine, a nurse just gave me some medication a while back.” “Good. So, tell me more about yourself. We didn’t really have a chance to talk.”“I just moved here last week from California. I got accepted into Harvard for law.....law...sch...”
Suddenly, Annie’s heart monitor goes flat! Annie!..Annie!” You press the call button and yell Code Blue, performing chest compressions. Another intern burst into the room saying, “Room 501 just called a Code Blue before you, keep up the chest compressions. What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know, she was talking and speech started slurring. Then her heart stopped.”The tall intern pulls back Annie’s gown, revealing hives. You gasp. “She must have been allergic to the antibiotic I prescribed her!”
“We’ll have to defibrillate her ourselves; we’ll start her at 300 volts.” She takes your place of performing CPR, while you pull the cart close to the bed.
You open her gown and place the paddles after gelling their undersides, as she pauses CPR. “One below the right collarbone and one below the left armpit. Done!” You set the charge to 300 volts. “Do it!” Annie’s body spasms as you defibrillate her. “Clear!” You set them aside as she continues chest compressions. “Come on!.....Come on Annie! Come back to us!” You hear a beep, you turn towards the monitor. Annie’s heartbeat returns, accelerated but constant! “Yes!” “You are sooo lucky, Dr....”
“Arielle Valentine. I’ll maintain compressions while you push an epinephrine injection and intubate, Dr....” “Jackie Varma.”, she says while intubating. You continue with your compressions. “What the HELL is going on here, Rookie?”
You let out a short squeal in surprise. Turning to look at him, you see him leaning on the doorframe glaring at you. “Dr. Ramsey! Don’t worry, everything’s under control. My patient was allergic to the antibiotics I prescribed her.”
“At least you’re owning up to your mistake.” You see Dr. Ramsey turn to Jackie, pushing an epinephrine injection into her thigh. “Now, we intubate.” You see her lubricate the tube before slowly feeding it through her mouth.
“Good work, Dr....” “Varma. I heard Dr. Valentine calling a Code Blue, since Room 501 called one before, I decided to step in and help.”
“The patient is very lucky you were here. I’m not sure Dr. Valentine here could have handled it.” You bit your lip, your face falling. “Thank you Dr. Ramsey, although Dr. Valentine performed as well.”
He scoffs and politely tells her to go back to her patients. “And you... you need to have a long, hard think about if you are prepared to be here. This isn’t med school, this is the real world. It doesn’t matter that the patient didn’t know that she was allergic or it is your first day. Whether your patients live or die are on you.” “Yes, Dr. Ramsey.”, you bit your lip in shame so hard that you start drawing blood. Luckily, he doesn’t notice. “There are no room for mistakes or excuses. You can’t expect the patient’s family to accept the reason of”-
“Dr. Ramsey? A petite intern is standing near the door. “Wow, someone who isn’t tall! I thought everyone were basketball players here!”, you think to yourself. “Yes?”, he asks, the annoyance on his face clearly visible. “A nurse said to me that another nurse said to him that Dr. Hirata said to him that Chief Emery wants to see you.” He groans, “Interns!” He swiftly walks out and turns a corner.
“Thank God for Dr. Hirata!”, you thank the universe for this distraction. “Yeah, but too bad that Chief Emery didn’t actually need Dr. Ramsey.”, she says with a mischievous smirk. “Wait What?”
“I saw Dr. Ramsey chewing you out, just as bad as your lip, and thought that girl needs a little saving.”, she says nonchalantly. “Damn! You’ve got nerve!”, I praised her, impressed by her courage to lie to THE Dr. Ramsey. “Aww! Thanks, it was nothing. I’m Sienna or Dr. Trinh, whatever floats your boat. “I’m Arielle Valentine, and I’m also glad that not every doctor is a basketball player!” She laughs.
“Hey, a bunch of us interns are meeting up at a bar across the street, Donahue’s. You should come too, even Dr. Ramsey hangs out there.” “I’ll be there.”
“Awesome! Come to the locker room once your shift ends. I’ll be waiting. Byeee!”
General PoV:-
Arielle can’t help but think about her arguments with her father as Dr. Ramsey’s words come back to her. “And you... you need to have a long, hard think about if you are prepared to be here. This isn’t med school, this is the real world. It doesn’t matter that the patient didn’t know that she was allergic or it is your first day. Whether your patients live or die are on you.”
Arielle starts to doubt herself, whether cutting off most contact with her family and Naveen was worth it. Especially for something she isn’t good at. Her mind starts to remember her 18th birthday, specifically the huge argument that followed after her announcement of becoming a doctor, “or at least hoping to.”, she thought.
Tears start pooling in her eyes and she ducks into a nearby supply closet. She can hear her father’s words whispered in her head. “How could you do this! We’ve been talking about you and your brother taking over the family law firm someday! Why would you tell us now! Do you know how many prestigious universities and colleges are fighting to provide a full scholarship to the great Alessandro Raines’s daughter!” Tears start running down her blush tinted cheeks, smearing the eyeliner and mascara she had done in the morning. Her pager beeps after some time. She darts into the restroom and fixes her makeup and continues her shift.
Where's is the freaking elevator? She angrily mutters to herself in the quest of finding the elevator.
"Hey, are you lost too?" An intern in a wheelchair asks her. He is coming from the opposite direction of her.
"Yes," Arielle gives a sheepish smile.
"Me too."
"Trust me this place doesn't look this huge from outside." Arielle says and he giggles.
"Any idea how to get to the elevator?" He asks looking around.
"Nope. I'm looking for it too," Arielle sighs. "How does everyone else seem to already know where to go?""And what to do..." He says sadly.
"Say, are you two lost? I can show you the main hall then," and elderly patient says coming from the same direction as Elijah.
"Thanks! As long as it's not much trouble for you ma'am," Elijah smiles at her brightly.
"No trouble Dr. Taylor makes me take twelve laps of the floor every day so I don't go stir-crazy!" She smiles back. "Come with me," She says and starts to walk and the lost two interns follows her.
"Here you go. This elevator can take you on your way," she nods at the elevator which is currently resting on this floor.
"Thank you ma'am! You are a lifesaver," Elijah says.
"Really, thank you," Arielle smiles at her before getting in the elevator with Elijah.
As the elevator starts moving down, something strikes in Arielle's mind.
"Oh my God! I know what's wrong with Annie!" She says and presses the 3rd floor button.
"Wait, what's wrong? And who's Annie? " Elijah asks confused but before Arielle can reply the lifts halts to stop.
"Sorry, gotta go! I'll explain it to you later!" Arielle gets out of the lift while paging Dr. Ramsey.
Ten minutes later, he enters room 532, where Arielle is talking with Annie.
"You paged me," his cold voice rang through the room which grabbed the attention of both the woman.
"I solved the case," Arielle says happily.
"I'll be the judge of that."
"I too want to know what is wrong with me," Annie says in between them and with that Arielle starts to explain what she found out while questioning Annie occasionally, when needed.
"I'm going to write her prescription and get her medications ready," Arielle feels to Ethan once they both where outside the patient's room.
"Don't bother," Dr. Ramsey says nonchalantly, handing her a paper.
She opens it to find a medical prescription, prescribing all the medicines that she was about to order for Annie. "You knew what's wrong with her?" She asks confused and he nods.
"Then why didn't you treat her?" She asks a bit angrily this time.
"I thought to give you time till 11 o'clock to solve it."
"I- Well, thanks for giving me a chance," Arielle says calming her anger.
And he raises his brows at her, "You’re not angry?"
"Honestly, I am. But again, I'm not going to learn anything if someone is holding my hand." She answers.
"My thoughts exactly."
Just then Aurora comes there to see Arielle talking with Ethan, with a prescription in her hands. Her eyes moves to the room where Annie is staying to Annie laying happily in her bed.
"You presented the case without me." Aurora says angrily once she's beside Arielle.
And that's when Arielle remembers that she had a partner. "I'm doomed," she thinks to herself before she hears Ramsey scolding Aurora.
"Where where you and what where you doing when Dr. Valentine was solving the case here alone?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose he continues, "This assignments aren't optional..."
He keeps lashing out at Dr.Emery so Arielle decides to help her out.
"Sorry, Dr. Emery, I should have kept you updated on the case," She interrupts Ethan who angrily mutters something under his breathe.
Aurora at first glares at her angrily but after understanding Arielle is giving her an out she speaks," It's okay. I wasn't there. So it is your win."
Ethan turns to Arielle this time. "Dr. Valentine, this hospital runs on communication. Keep each other apprised."
He says before walking out to the other direction.
Your shift soon grinds to an end. You head to the locker room.
"Get ready!!" Sienna exclaims excited as soon as Arielle enters into their locker room."Woah! Calm down, girl!," Arielle smiles brightly at her. "Did you bring something to wear?" She asks and Arielle turns around from her locker with a cowl neck backless maroon top and a pair of black skinny jeans. " What do you think?" She shows it to Sienna."You'll look beautiful in it. Go and put it on! I want to see you in it!" She literally pusher Arielle into the changing stalls.
Within minutes Arielle gets out of the stall. “How do I look?""You look gorgeous," she compliments her. If anyone else said this Arielle wouldn't have believed it but Sienna's compliment felt genuine to her. "Is anyone else going to join us?" Arielle asks as they exit the hospital building. "Yes, they are already in the bar waiting for us," she says, her excitement never decreasing. It takes them five minutes to walk to the bar from the hospital.
"Hi, guys!" Sienna greets as soon as they reach a table. There are three more interns there. Arielle saw them at the orientation, they are internal medicine residents, same as her. Also, two of them are Landry and Jackie, she already met them."This is Arielle," she introduces Arielle to everyone. "Hi!" Arielle waves at everyone before taking a seat beside Jackie and Sienna sits beside Elijah and next to him is Landry. Soon a waiter brings a tray full of shots to their table and they bond over it.
Hours after, Arielle feels a pair of eyes looking at her. She looks around to find a pair of turquoise blue eyes locked on hers. "I'll buy us the next round," Arielle says and get up before anyone else can say anything. "Anything wrong Dr.Ramsey?" She asks when she's nears him at the bar. "No, I-" he pauses."I was just looking how different you look in the outer world." Just then the bartender interrupts to ask if Arielle needs something. "A round of shots and," she looks at Ethan's glass trying to figure out what he is drinking," two scotches,neat." She smiles at the bartender. The bartender comes back either her orders and she passes one of the glasses bearing the scotch to Ethan. "Why neat instead of on the rocks?" He asks accepting the drink. "Because ice changes the flavor."
"Correct," he says impressed. " You know you can't bribe me into favoring you, right?" He nods at the drink. "It's just a thank you drink," she replies.” “Thank you, for what?" " For giving me another chance."
Ethan’s PoV:-
As she talks about some patient, he can't help but study her face. It feels like I know her, I've seen her somewhere before. Her soft diamond face, blushing cheeks. Her long jet black hair, the end of which is ombréd with violet, the same violet as her eyes- everything about her seems too familiar. I can't help but look at how pretty she is looking right now. Her hair covering half of her face and those bright violet eyes peeking from beneath it those beautiful long lashes. Get a hold on your thoughts, Ramsey! She's your intern for god’s sake!
"Anything for you, Ethan?" Reggie asks after bringing Arielle her tray of shots. "Two specials, Reggie." "Only for you Ethan." "You are on first name basis with the bartender?" She asks me after Reggie is gone. “I come here everyday since my intern year. So I know him for a long time," I answer. "You don't have anyone waiting at home?"
I hesitate for a moment but then decide to change the topic by answering. “I'll come here even when I do. I need some buffer between hospital and the world. An air lock." "Don't take your job home, Valentine." "I'll keep that in mind. But you still didn't answer my question." She says. She's not one to forget. I sigh. “No, no one's waiting for me at home tonight." Thanks to Reggie for saving me from any further questions from her, if she has any.
After Reggie places our drinks I hand one to her.
"Try it."
She looks at it for a moment, probably deciding whether or not to drink.
"It's great! Better than any other drink I've had," she says slightly surprised making me smirk.
“Either you are sucking up to me or you have an excellent taste as an intern." I smirk.
"I'd like to think it's the second one." She grins and then turns around to find her friends.
"I think I should go. My friends are waiting for me. Good night, Dr. Ramsey.” She says and I nod.
Arielle’s PoV:-
After two hours, and three more rounds of shots, the group makes their way out.
"We'll have to be back here after four more hours only," Arielle says checking the time on her phone.
"The apartment I share with my boyfriend is on the other side of the town. I will barely be able to sleep for two hours," Sienna says sadly.
"I'd be damned to sleep for two hours. The apartment I stay in is above a salsa club," Jackie sighs.
"The apartment I rented doesn't have a lift, so I had to settle with the smallest one-bed room apartment on the ground floor. There's hardly any space there," Elijah says.
"Guys!" Sienna grabs their attention. "Maybe I am saying this because I'm drunk. But what if the five of us rents an apartment together?" She suggests.
"Renting an decent apartment alone in Boston may be quite expensive. But if we five split it among us, the price won't be much more than we are already paying for our hellholes." Jackie nods in support.
"That's probably a good idea." Landry supports her too.
As the group starts discussing about it, Arielle looks at them thoughtfully.
She never thought of moving in with people she’ve known for only a day, but fate seems to have different plans for her.
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crystalwillow · 3 years
Text
I’m All Yours
Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x Casey Valentine (F!MC)
I started a book on May 19th of this year (2020) that is full of Ethan x Casey one shots and short stories. I love Ethan’s character, and really enjoy his relationship with Casey just as much, I wish to share with the 5 part mini-series I started this book off with.
Before I post the fiction. I feel that it’s only right that I say a massive Thank You to @ethansdique again for letting me use some of her art for the cover of this book. 🥰 
Tagging: @kiteplayschoices @brycelahelalover @obsessedheehee @eleanorbloom @fuseboxmusebox @princesslahela @vibrantlyjaz @kaavyaethanramsey @queencarb @schnitzelbutterfingers @ramseysno1rookie @caseyvalentineramsey @ethanramseyswhore @whippedforethanfreakingramsey
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"... Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow...... I love you too.... Goodnight babe. mwah!" Casey said softly down the phone to her soon to be husband. As she placed her phone to charge on the nightstand there was a light knock at her door, "it's open" she called out. It opened slowly and her bridesmaids filed in one by one. Jackie, Sienna, Aurora and Esme. "Hey. How are you feeling?" Sienna asked as they all sat on the bed around Casey. "Pretty nervous if I'm being honest." she replied with a shaky voice, "Hey. You've got this Valentine." Jackie encouraged as she wrapped her arm around Casey's shoulder, pulling her into a greatly appreciated tight hug. "Late night snack before bed girls?" Aurora asked, Casey sat up and looked at her "What is it?" she asked with narrowed eyes, "Gluten free pizza with all your favourite vegetables plus a sprinkling of diced chicken" Aurora answered. The girls all looked at one and other before rushing out the room and down the stairs "Casey has the best taste for pizza. the first slice is mine!" Aurora and Casey heard Esme shout out as the three other girls raced towards the kitchen. The two left behind, shared a chuckle before following them for a snack and glass of wine before bed.
--- 15 hours later---
Casey paced back and forth nervously in her room at the church waiting for word on her dress from Jackie and Esme, and the arrival of her hair and make-up artist from Aurora and Sienna. "Okay... it's okay Casey. everything will be fine there's a whole 3 hours to go. they'll be here soon, and everything will be fi--" She stops rambling to herself as her biggest fear completely takes over and she flops on the sofa bursting into tears. "Why me!?" she screams through her tears. She and Ethan had been planning this moment for the past 2 years. They had been officially dating for a year when Ethan popped the question one night in the diagnostics room, as they were staying late to finish up some reports. Now 3 years later she's "backstage" at a church for her wedding a wreck because both her dress and make-up artist are stuck in traffic. She was a hyperventilating mess by now, she'd been crying for almost 45 minutes when a knock at the door sounded, followed by a deep soothing voice that was all too familiar. "Casey?? Sweetheart, it's me. Ethan. Look... I know we're keeping things traditional because you're respecting me, but I want to respect you too. I've heard about what's going on so I uh... I'm out here in a t-shirt and jeans if you want to thr-" he's cut off by the door flying open and his soon to be wife running out into his arms and sobbing into his neck. "it's ruined! everything is ruined!" she exclaimed through her tears. "hey! shhhhh, it's alright sweetie, I'm here." he cooed softly as he rubbed soothing circles on Casey's back. Slowly he walked into the room and sat them down on the sofa as he cuddled Casey close. Slowly but surely with the small forehead kisses and whispers of sweet nothings she finely calmed down. "I'm sorry." Casey sniffled after a few moments of silence; Ethan's brow furrowed. "Sorry for what?" He asked, "This. I've messed everythi-" She started to ramble but Ethan stopped her with a finger to her lips "I don't want to hear none of that Valentine, do you understand?" he asked seriously but with the softest look on his face. She nodded. The two spent a few more minutes with each other, cuddling, laughing and sharing sweet kisses until Sienna came back. she gasped as she saw Ethan "The others are coming! quick! out... out!" She panicked urging Ethan out the room "I'll see you in a few Rookie" He smiled at Casey blowing her a kiss before leaving, mere moments before the room came to life with what felt like a million people to prepare her for the moment she had dreamt about her whole life. Marrying the love of her life. Her soulmate. Okay so he's a few years older but that doesn't matter, what matters is their love and respect for each other. The ceremony they're here for to tie them together for eternity.
--- 30 minutes to the ceremony ---
The girls are all inside their room having the finishing touches put to their outfits when there's a frantic knocking at the door. All four bridesmaids rush to answer it. on the other side you hear a frantic voice "Have you girls seen Ethan?!" you zoned out of the conversation as your phone pinged
Ethan: peep out the window :)
Casey: Why?? ...
Ethan: Just... please?
Sighing Casey set her phone down and peeped out the window, only showing her head and neck. As her eyes focused, she saw Ethan doing the same round the corner of the building and smiled wide, giggling to herself. She waved and blushed as Ethan blew her a kiss before disappearing round the corner. "Casey..." A voice sounded out behind her causing her to jump "What are you smiling at missy?" Jackie asked smugly, "oh, nothing. Just two birds who looked very much in love" Casey replied. Jackie, Aurora, Esme and Sienna all gave each other a knowing smile before turning back to Casey and wiggling their eyebrows "What? ..... What're you guys looking at me like tha- OOOOOH. no! stop! get your minds out of the gutter!" she laughed as she threw a pillow at Esme and one at Jackie. "Oi Valentine!" they shouted in unison and the world around the five of them went completely still for a moment "wow. That's the last time I'll hear that as my last name." Casey whispered with a tear coming to her eye but stopped it from falling. *ding ding ding ding ding ding* the bells started to chime signaling the beginning of the wedding. "well...." said Sienna, suppressing a smile as she looked around the room "Let's go and make you a Ramsey!" She cheered and the others joined in as Casey grabbed her bouquet and followed them out.
As Casey stood behind the closed door, the nerves really hit her, "Oh God... I'm doing this. I'm marrying Ethan Ramsey. phew" she rambled nervously "hey! It's going to be fine" Ethan's dad told her soothingly "What if I trip and fall on my face though? I already had one breakdown tod-" She started rambling again but was cut off by the bolt on the other side of the door moving. Letting out a deep breath, she looped her arm through Alan's, and they began walking down the aisle, as Casey walked down towards Ethan he looked down to wipe tears from his eyes. Soon, they were standing opposite each other and exchanging vows. Ethan cleared his throat and looked at Casey with a smile, "Rookie. That's how this whole thing started... you helped me rescue a woman in the reception area on your way to orientation when you didn't need to stop. as that year went on you infuriated me more and more with your persistence to be kind to me when I was, quite frankly, being an asshole to you. But then we... hooked up. I had shut that kind of thing out of my life for years. To be honest, I'd given up on finding "the one" who I would end up marrying. But you came along and changed everything. I... You showed me the feeling of love again that I had blocked out. I feel normal again and I want to thank God for putting you in my life because if it wasn't for you, I believe I would have become a stubborn drunk by now. Thank You for everything you've done and will continue to do. I love you" he finished up and kisses away a tear rolling down Casey's cheek. "you look beautiful" he whispered in her ear.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." the priest announced after Casey and Ethan exchanged "I do's" and rings. They leave the church to hollering and applause, with bursts of confetti coming from random people. As they reached the steps, Ethan picked Casey up "Ah! Ethan!" she giggled as he carried her to their limo that would take them to their reception and then their new house at the end of the night.
--- At the reception ---
The reception was in full swing as Ethan and Casey sat at their table watching their guests enjoy themselves. Sighing happily Casey looked up at Ethan and kissed his cheek. "I love you Mr. Ramsey" she said, he looked down at her and smiled "I love you too Mrs. Ramsey" he smiled and kissed her lips sweetly. She giggled giddily and hugged him tightly. Ethan's dad approached the table with someone in tow, making Ethan rise to his feet to stand in front of her protectively. "I found this guy outside. He said he knows Casey." Alan stated as Casey looked up and saw Landry who gave a nervous smile and wave "You weren't invited." Casey said coldly as her face turned sour, "I know but we were friends and I wa-" Landry started to explain as Casey moved past Ethan getting into his face "Exactly, WERE  friends. But you decided to try and get my license revoked and almost cost me my job, when I was doing what was right for the patient. She passed away happy! and YOU!" She said raising her voice louder and louder by the minute as she jabbed her finger into his chest and pulled her shoulder out of Ethan's comforting grip, "YOU WERE. PART. OF IT. But you left that part out to save your ass! So, no. We are no longer friends because you are a TWO FACED, BACKSTABBING, MAN-WHORE, WHO NEEDS TO LEAVE MY RECEPTION AND GET OUT OF THIS BUILDING RIGHT NOW. GO!" she shouted as she pointed to the door. "I- okay" Landry said as he turned to leave. Ethan pulled Casey close to his chest, pressing a kiss to her head, "Get rid of him dad. Please, for Casey's sake." He told his father who obliged and escorted Landry out. "Hey. it's okay" Ethan cooed to Casey sweetly as he hugged her tightly as Jackie and everyone else came running over to support her "are you okay Case?" Elijah asked, "I brought you Champagne" Sienna said as she held out the flute to her best friend. Casey took it with a smile and a small "thank you" as she took a sip. "I think we should go dance. All of us. We've come so far together. Aaaaand, I wanna have fun tonight" She smiled as she placed the flute on the table next to Ethan's beer. "Macarena circle?" Bryce suggested, his eyes glistening with mischief "WOOOOO!" everyone cheered and rushed to the dance floor as Bryce went and asked for the song before joining the circle. Together they danced and laughed the night away. Before they knew it, Ethan and Casey were pulling up to their new home they would share for the rest of their lives. "Casey.... honey..." Ethan whispered as he gently woke his new wife up "Hm?" Casey hummed as she sat up looking confused "We're home" Ethan said softly, and Casey responded with a smile. After he had stepped out, Ethan held out his hand to help Casey out of the limo and together they stepped into their new home ready to start the next chapter of their lives together. 
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annemariejane · 4 years
Text
WORKS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
PERSONAL NARRATIVE
New school. New faces. New environment. My first day at Pantaleon Garcia Senior Highschool was indeed full of mixed emotions. First I was excited. I don't know what may awaits me here, or what kind of adventure this school might take me. Second, nervous. I'm afraid that I may not easily adjust wt the new environment that revolves around me. I'm a pure Mindanaoan, and I thought that our dialect and expressions might give me a hard time to deal wt my classmates. Even though I grew up often transferring schools to another, I still feel the creeps on being on another environment where everything seems a stranger for me. But despite all of this, for me one thing is for sure, I'm totally determined to learn in this institution. Studying here is a big milestone for me, as well as a big step towards all of my goals in life.
At a very young age, I already faced and experienced trauma, pain and hardships. Yet, it just made me more stronger and tougher which really reflected my 'strong' personality which not everyone seems to get along. Call me whatever you want, but I am frank-type of person, open and honest, I will say everything I want to say, especially if it is true. Second, I like Wattpad stories or Korean Idols. They are my stress-reliever and endorphins. If you also like those, we will surely get along. I also really value friendship. I am that type of person who wants to make friends if I really want to. That's what I really thought always so I can be comfortable.
Right at the start of the first period of the class, We introduced ourselves one by one. I feel kinda nervous, but for the sake that everyone of the class will know me, I eventually introduce myself in front of the class (which I almost spoke in visayan language). Because of that, I eventually befriended Alliah and Emmie. I did not have a hard time being close to them because both of them are really friendly, and we share some of our favorites. It's like They are so funny and I really feel comfortable when I'm with them the whole day. In the second day of classes, we tackled about communication. To give more emphasis on our lesson, our teacher grouped and instructed us to portray what is communication. The given activity also serves somewhat as a bond for all of us, to get know better of our classmates, and to develop the communication, cooperation and teamwork of our class. This role play also helped me gain more friends and peers that will surely help me to eventually adopt in this new environment. Little by little, as the days pass by, I really hope that I can be more confident on myself to communicate and interact with my classmates so that I can finally cope up with this new backdrop I'm in.
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REACTION TO A PERSONAL NARRATIVE
As I read Roselle's personal narrative, it gave me an idea how she deals with her everyday life as a Senior Highschool student. It's like knowing her more as a person, her struggles, experiences and emotions. She doesn't have confidence in herself, she thinks negatively because she thought she has many flaws. Aside from that, I've come up to the idea that we really are different, and we are all an deep oceans waiting for some person to dive in, by means of that we are just waiting for companions in our lives. As for Roselle, in her all throughout experiences in senior high gave her a lot of lessons in life. She was once a silent type of girl turned into a jolly woman as she learns how to survive. She became strong and brave.
REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Everyday, our real-life heroes working outside of our country are facing countless struggles in life in order to survive, just to feed their families left in the country, just like Joy and Ethan and the casts in Hello Love, Goodbye.
After watching this movie, I'm giving it a perfect 10 rating. This kind of movie is kind of rare for me, the combination of drama and romance with that level is what makes this moving worth watching all over again. Hello Love, Goodbye is really worth watching. The movie showed every hardship a OFW has to overcome, yet this also made our heroes feel comfort and close to their homes. Joy and Ethan perfectly portraited the lives of the OFWs working hard to keep their family intact. Kathryn is a great actress, she justifies every line and words she says, and for sure you will love her more in this movie. Alden is a big discovery here. No one thought Alden would act like this good. His charm really captivates viewers. The supporting cast will give you some break of Ethan and Joy, and they are hilarously funny. The trio of Maymay, Kakai and Lovely adds more excitement. And also is the Chemistry. No one expected that this love team would be a great hit. The genuiness in their eyes when they look at each other, it's like this is not the first time that they have been in a movie project. One more thing is I want to applaud Miss Cathy Garcia Molina for another superb machination of the movie. She is really exceptional. She is really capable of bringing out the best of her actors. She is a great director.
In the end, Hello Love, Goodbye is a great success. The Chemistry, actors and actresses, the plot, the director, everything is almost perfect. Indeed it rightfully deserves its blockbuster office success
FACIAL RECOGNITION
Roselle's face is very angelic and pretty. Whenever she puts pink lipstick in her lips, she instantly glow because it compliments her white skin more. My most favorite part of her face is her eyes. There are some times that I tend to stare at her eyes because it is so pretty. It is like reflecting her soul and the mole under her right eye makes it more beautiful. When you see her smiling, her eyes is also sparkling like it is saying that she is genuinely happy. She is like an open book because of her eyes. You can easily figure out what are her emotions. It is very amazing that an eye can reflect a single soul, and how we can see the feelings of every one by looking at their eyes. As for Roselle, it is her asset as a lady. I can easily recognize her by just staring at her eyes.
LITERARY JOURNALISM
The novel coronavirus, which WHO officially named as COVID-19, has gave a ravaging impact on global health. As days and weeks goes by, thousands of confirmed cases are being recorded and death toll is piling up. But aside from the bizarre and rapid spread of the epidemic, another thing has been spreading rapidly - fake news and misinformation.
The effects are felt also here in the Philippines. Excess demand for surgical masks among the general public is a serious concern. Many people rushed to the pharmacy to purchase them, but as demands increases, some stores took advantage by also raising the prices of the commodities which really enrage panic-stricken consumers.
Moreover, rapid spread of fake news led to xenophobia among Chinese tourists and immigrants across the country. Posts amd tweets on Chinese people being discriminated in public places engulfed all social media sites and platforms for weeks. Even the President, took some blows from the netizens, being called as dog of the Chinese government for not immediately giving a travel ban on China. Hatred posts about deportation among Chinese, Chinese being blamed for carrying the virus, ban on Chinese in the country, all of it circulated, and for me it is been ugly to see. Instead of hating the virus, people turned into the people.
Misinformation and fake news also just made the panic escalated. One video of a Chinese person claiming as a nurse telling how deadly the virus are and how the Chinese government is covering and hiding it from world media just created more panic on people. Later, it is been found out to be fake. Other videos also circulating in the internet showing people just lying unconscious in the streets which is said to have been infected are also proven to be fake.
The magnitude of the COVID-19 outbreak remains unclear. As further studies are made, some speculated that the virus can be transmitted without being having the symptoms, which is still not proven to be true. But if it is, it is will be more harder and difficult than it was anticipated.
In my opinion, this crisis also serve as an eyeopener for everyone. Despite of the advent of technology, these tiny little things still can have the power to knock off humans if not eradicated. This outbreak also showed how our country, the Philippines still lack the equipment, technology and power to fight off these diseases. I think the government should give more attention and support to our local scientists and medical professionals which are always unappreciated and underpaid.
The mass media must also take responsibility for providing correct information for the people. They should instill that they play an important role in the society and they should know that sometimes their strong but inaccurate and misleading headlines might cause enrage on the public, cause fear and panic, thus making them ignorant on the outbreak. Effective and well-managed communication between the government, health professionals and the members of the press will lessening the risk of panic and hysteria, and also help diminish fake news and discrimination amongst Chinese tourists and immigrants.
Sometimes, gossips, fake news and misinformations spreads faster than the virus itself. That's why everyone of us should be vigilant and take more extra caution to prevent more panic in times of crisis.
TESTIMONIO
November First Gone Wrong
I am not the type of girl who love to go to the other place without getting any permission from my grandmother but when my friends planned to go in a Live Band that is happening annually in our municipality, I decided to go with them. But they made a lot of convincing before making me go with them and that was the first of me going out to have fun without any "go-signal" from my guardian which is my grandmother. I am really nervous that time, afraid of what will be the outcome, will I get a lot of scolding?
Our outdoor fun is really memorable. Despite pf the consequences we might get, our adrenaline that day really spiked up when the Live Band started, there's a lot of people having fun. It felt as if I had enter a world where people don't have any worries. So I said to myself that it's time to unwind and it's time for a change of scenery. We are all banging our heads up after the beat of some random song. My friends are jumping and screaming the song's lyrics. After 6 songs, we decided to eat at some food hub that is open 24/7 and there's a clock hanged in the corner and I saw that it is already 11pm so I panicked because I will really get my grandmother angry at me. The only available ride there is my friend's father so I waited for them, I waited for the Live Band to be done so we could go home. It was exactly 12pm when they all decided to go home and at exactly 12:53am we already reached our house. The lights are already off, and thanks to God because our backdoor can be easily open so I sneak in without waking my grandmother up, and I fell asleep. Morning after that, I was bombarded with a lot of words coming out from my grandmother's mouth. I didn't fired back because I know that it is my fault in the first place.
Lesson learned. A fun is not always fun when you know that there is a person out there worrying about you especially when they don't have any idea where you are. Always ask for permission from your parents or guardians because they what is the best for you. And we can still have fun with our friends without sneaking out.
JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE, ORDINARY
an autobiography
T'was a very cold night, when time seems to stand still. Of course, it's the 25th of July, year 2002 and it is the middle Habagat season; it is really raining hard that time in my hometown in Zillovia, Talacogon when a healthy and sweet-faced baby was born, which turns out to be, me. Anajane Marie, as my parents named me. Ana taken from Antonio Santa Ana, a famous Mexican general whom my mother idolizes when she was taking up Literature classes in her college days; Jane, taken from the name of my father's first love, and the Marie is from my mother's name, Marrissa. Judging from the way I was name, anyone can say that I might have a colourful childhood. I really thought so, too. But unlike other teens today who enjoyed most of their childhood, I on the other hand already experienced struggles and rough times even as a young child which really shaped to who and what I am today.
I was just 4 years old when my mother left us. Being just a little kid back then, I really have no idea what was really happening. My father would just always tell me that my mother is away because of work. I spend my whole childhood without a mother, always wondering where she is, thinking why would she just disappear without telling me. And as I grew up, I began to slowly understand the reasons why she just left us. But I was not even finish healing the pain that my mom has left on me, when another tragedy came to me. I was just 6 years old when my father sent me to my distant relatives in Davao because he needs to find a job. I really felt rejected that time, I felt that my father has also given up on me. I started to think if they really care for me, or do they even love me. I tried to not think of them, and just focus on my new family.
Being a young kid there, I tried to be being polite to my relatives, but instead they just mistreated me in return. Here starts another series of misfortunes. My titas would always physically abuse me to the point where they don't even let me eat meals. Then, being tired of me, they passed me to my other relatives in Negros, and then again to Leyte, but still the same things happens. At the age of 8, they would force me to harsh works, which always made me more prone to being sick. Father always sends monthy allowance for me, but my relatives won't even give it to me. Day after day, I always face the same struggles - until I was sent back to my hometown, to be cared by my grandmother.
My grandmother gave me the love that I've been longing and finding for years. She might be kind of strict, but she is the only person I feel that I'm being cared of. She gave me love of a mother, and the protection of a father. And she made the two roles so easy. She made me very close to her, but also not relying too much on her. She taught me also to understand on other things, and helped me realize that there are people out there that have problems and struggles that might be bigger than mine, so there's no point in giving up in life.
Right now, I'm living back with my father here in Imus, and I'm really missing my grandmother so much. She always reminds me to look after other people, that's why I never hesitates to help others who seeks advices or having deep personal problems. That's why I'm also planning to take (if given the chance) Psychology when I graduate in Senior Highschool.
Every night, I aways think of all that I've done throughout my life. The struggles, challenges, and obstacles I faced which did not break me, but instead gave me more energy to achieve in life. I may not have the happiest and the most colourful childhood experiences, I'm still grateful that I've gone through of those because it really shaped me into what and who I am today.
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MR. RESILIENCY
a biography
A guy who despite of all the problems he face, still manages to put on a smile. No matter the adversities he face, he still don't quit. He's probably one of the toughest person I've ever met. He's Ian Christopher Pabi.
Born on November 17, 2000, he is the second child of Hermes B. Pabi, a sales supervisor of an appliance company, and Marivic D. Pabi, a plain housewife and a former accountant. He have an elder sister, Allyssa Hannah Marie, and two younger siblings, namely Bea Hannah Grace and Ian Joseph. The family currently lives in the same town as mine, in Talacogon, Agusan del Sur. We started to get on each other through textmates and chatting through Facebook. He is also very well-known to my friends that's why got along so easily.
He currently studies in Caraga State University, one of the premier State Universities in the country, taking Bachelor in Arts Major in Sociology. Even though he is quite far from me, I know that we have our each other's back when we have problems.
He can be quiet at some times, but almost everyday, you can always see him either laughing and smiling. He would crack up nonsense jokes and even prank you. That's also why he easily come along with other people. He's naturally funny.
From a normal person's perspective, everyone can say that he's just a happy-go-lucky type of guy. He's a bubbly person. But also quite of a genius. Since he's a child, as he would always tell me, he is already fond of reading books and studying. That's why he is also a consistent top student in their class which prompt him being always praise by his teachers and classmates. But behind those praises are what he always say - Pressure. He is always pressured to succeed, to be on top. In their family, it's like their's no room for mistakes. That's why as much as possible, he do always his best to be on top, because he don't want to disappoint his parents. Also, not everyone knew this, but he is also the least favorite in their family. Everything he wants, he always earned it. That's also one of his best qualities. He's such a hardworking guy. He's really such a resilient one. After being tired and empty, you will just see him smiling despite of the problems that happened to him.
That is why I always have my support on him, because I know he always seeks help and advices on me. Everytime I help and comfort him, I feel I made an impact on other people as well. As what would my grandmother would say, I have the power to help other people. And that's wha I'm doing. I have his support and he got mine. Hopefully, in God's perfect time, he will finally reach his dreams.
NO WORDS LEFT TO SPEAK
a travelogue
At a point in our lives we get eager for something different and that is when we take upon that adventure to find something new. Even as I was a little kid back then, I'm always fond of enjoying the thrill of adventure. Wandering outside of our backyard, catching insects and finding other peculiar objects was really the "first step" for me to think and wander what really is outside.
That's why I really didn't complain when they always send me to my distant relatives when I was young because for me, it was another kind of environment to venture. When I was 12, I even travel alone to Manila! I really love travelling, because it gives me the somewhat freedom to enjoy what is it really outside. That's why when I came to Imus, Cavite, I tried to explore what are best place here. Until I got the invitation to Highlands Camp in Iba, Zambales which I really can't resist.
Actually, it was the school's plan to have a retreat for the whole students of the school, but because of some complicated issues, not all sections were able to participate, that's why it was Sir Jason reorganize the plan. It was also a way of unwinding because of busy and tiring first sem, especially for me who is a freshman and a newbie to Imus. It would really help me to gain more friends and build bonds with them.
October 27, after a long and tiring travel, we reached the Highlands Camp. I was very fascinated by the view, it was so very spacious, and even we were still at the lobby, we knew that this will gonna so fun. I feel so thrilled because back in our hometown, there's no such a big and wide activity area like this. First thing we did was a some sort of a preach and lecture by some guests. In the preach, I felt so blessed by words that the speakers shared, as well as some of the students who shared their own stories. There, I can see that everyone of us are connected and united, despite the differences and diversity in our religions. We had a deeper understanding on other people's beliefs and knew we should always respect them. After the program, there was also a live band to entertain us.
The next day, we woke up early for the new sets of activity. There we were group into three, participating in some physical yet fun games. There were tug of war, running, we were also showered by giant hose, where we really got wet. There was still so many activities we did there. My energy for fun and adventure was never put to waste. It was really a wholesome activity. We also took photos around the camp, along with some newly met friends, especially our seniors, the Grade12. They are so welcoming on us and treated us like their younger siblings. The whole retreat for me is such a success to everyone.
Adventures are tiring, yes. But the fun, the memories we shared along with people, the kind of bond we build with them, the sense of camaraderie, are surely all worth it. And this one, our travel to Highlands Camp, is the one I will never forget.
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mrsedmercer · 5 years
Text
Steamy Love (A Tom Hiddleston x Reader) Part 2: ~Leading Lady~
Chapter Summary: You wake up the next morning and head to your meeting, having a talk with your friend on the way, soon finding out just who your Male co star is going to be.
My Wattpad: @/ HiddlesStar
Word Count: 1'646
Tags: @theoneanna @midnightdragonzero
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Once morning hit, you were wide awake. Hell, you were awake before the sun was out. Usually you prefer to sleep in a little later, but you wanted today to be perfect, or at least very close to perfect.
You were dressed and all dolled up just before 8am, thinking about the man that had come to your door yesterday for towels. Tom. You still couldn't figure out who he was.
Well, you knew who he was, but you still weren't sure where you had seen him before. He was so familiar, yet at the same time so different.
You decided to head down to the little breakfast diner. You didnt really have anything else to do, and you already spent the first 2 hours of being awake to perfect your makeup. Now would be the best time to eat.
As you made your way down, you actually saw Tom again. He was ordering a coffee to go from the front counter, wearing a nice grey tux with a black tie to match. He must've been going somewhere important. As he turned to leave, you two locked eyes from across the diner. He gave you a kind smile and a little wave as he headed out and you made sure to wave back with a smile. You were flattered that he recognized you.
You saw a couple girls sitting at the diner watching Tom leave, giggling to themselves. Did they know him, too? Or were they just admiring his suit?
Hey, you didn't blame em'. He was one nice lookin' Brit.
You got a coffee as well, along with some pancakes, sitting down at a table to eat. You weren't sure why Tom got a coffee. It was terrible. You almost spit it out when you took a sip.
Now you knew why people would get their coffee from Starbucks.
Still, you ate your pancakes no problem, drinking from the water that was at the table instead. Shortly after finishing your meal, you made sure to pay for it before getting up, going back up into your room to get your bag and any paperwork you needed. You checked yourself in the mirror one last time, giving a confident huff before heading out to get to that meeting.
Ha.
You just realized both you and Tom are going to meetings.
Aren't you a bunch of responsible adults?
You decided that it would probably be cheaper to take the bus, considering one of the stops were right in front of the building you were headed to. Plus, it wasn't too bad out today.
You walked to the bus stop just a couple minutes before it would show up. You got a phone call as you sat down on the little bench, reading the Caller I.D. It was your best friend! Of course you had to answer it.
"Hey, (BF/N)!" You chirped.
"Bout time I heard your voice!" They chuckled a bit. "You were supposed to call me when you got to your hotel!"
"Ah shit, sorry. I got a little distracted.." You admitted. "This cute brit showed up at my door and asked for a towel."
"Cute brit? So, like, a regular brit." Your friend replied, making you chuckle a bit.
"Essentially.." You smiled. "I could've sworn I've seen him somewhere, though. He looked so familiar."
"Did you get his name?" Your friend asked.
"Yeah, Tom. I saw him again today." You replied.
"Heyy, I can name a couple cute guys named Tom.." Your friend chuckled.
"Some girls were getting all giggly while he was ordering a coffee today.." You admitted
"You think he's famous?"
"Probably." You smirked.
"Wait, hold on.." Your friend's voice picked up a bit. "You said his name was Tom?"
"Yeah."
"Did you get his last name?"
"No. Didn't have time to ask."
"What did he look like?" They ask.
You certainly didn't take long to remember, though it took you a second to reply since the bus had finally showed up. You paid the fare before sitting closer to the front, since the back was kinda full.
"Tall, short brown hair--" You finally spoke after sitting down.
"Baby blue eyes?" Your friend interrupted. They started to sound excited.
"Yeah, I guess?" You replied with a slight chuckle.
"And you're for sure he's English?"
"Yeah, he had an accent.."
"Was his voice deep?"
"Yeah, I.." You gave another chuckle, Morris confused. "Why are you asking all of these questions? Who is he?" You finally asked them.
"Dude! I think you gave Tom Hiddleston a towel last night!" Your friend finally chirped.
That name did sound familiar, but you still weren't sure why you should feel as excited as your friend was.
"Tom who?" You winced
"Oh my god--Loki? Hello?? The actor who plays Loki!"
Your heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"What!?" Your voice raised suddenly in shock, realizing how loud you had become as a couple people glanced over at you suddenly before looking away again.
Oops.
"Yeah! Now do you know him?" Your friend asked.
"Y-Yeah, oh my God, I think it is him.." You muttered to quiet down a bit. You almost wanted to scream. How the hell did you not notice this before? I guess Tom doesn't really look like Loki, now that you thought about it.
That's not a bad thing, of course. They're both incredibly handsome.
"Should I tell him that I know him next time I see him?"
"Do you know where he is in the hotel?"
"Yeah, he's like right across from me."
"Oh my God, (Y/N), it's a match made in heaven!.."
"Stoooppp.." You let out a little laugh.
"Oh come on! You're across from each other, you're both actors.."
"I'm BARELY an actress, (BF/N)."
"But you're going to be, and then you'll fall in love and become Ms. Loki Laufeyson.."
"Okay, first of all, this isn't a fanfic.." You blushed with a chuckle. "Second of all, if and that's a BIG honkin' IF, we were to somehow pair up, I wouldn't call myself that. I'd date him for him, not for Loki.."
"Well, you're already a better candidate than most of the fangirls.." Your friend replied, making you smirk.
You noticed your stop was almost coming up, a bit of a nervous pit in your stomach.
"Hey, I'm just almost to the meeting, so I gotta go.."
"Alright! Text me when you can!"
"Yep, see ya!"
You ended the call just as you pressed the little stop button to signal the driver to halt at your stop, putting your phone in your pocket and getting up, exiting the bus once it came to a stop.
You kept your bag close to you, letting out a deep breath as you entered the building.
You knew where to go, thanks to the little signs.
You walked up the last bit of stairs, hearing all of the chatter the closer you got to the room. You walked down a long hall before finally finding the right room.
Once you opened the door, you immediately locked eyes with...
Tom!
Tom?
"(Y/N)?" His British voice called out to you somewhat, giving a kind yet confused smile as he walked up to you. Your heart almost stopped for a second before you picked yourself back up.
"Hi! Wh-What are you doing here?" You asked him, holding your bag at your side.
"I-I'm here for the, uh, the movie I'm working in.." He admitted. "I'm an actor. I play Ethan, the Male lead.." He replied, holding the script in his hand. "Me and the rest of the team have just been waiting for whoever's playing my co-star. Mary's her name..."
Oh God.
Oh God.
You're Mary.
Well, you're--you're gonna be Mary.
You're the female lead.
"I'm Mary." You admitted, pointing at yourself. "W-Well, that's--that's my role. I'm the female lead."
He was pleasantly surprised, a faint little blush on his cheeks.
"You're going to be my leading lady?" He asked, his tone sounding warm. There's that British charm. "I guess I am.." You replied with a warm smile.
"Alright! Tom, (Y/N), glad to see you two know each other!" The director called to you, gesturing you both to go sit at the long table.
Oddly enough, Tom sat right beside you. It was probably so you two could go through the script together, but it was still a little flattering. He smelled nice, too.
As you were paying attention to the Director talking, you could see and slightly feel Tom lean a little closer to you, his deeper tone softening in a little whisper.
"Is it alright if I buy you lunch, later?.." He asked you.
Your cheeks flared up slightly, glancing back at him for a moment. "L-Lunch?" You repeated.
"Well, I do still owe you one after last night.." He gave a charming little smile, licking his lips slightly. "Don't I?"
"A-Alright.." You gave a little smile, looking back at the director as he spoke. Then it hit you.
You're gonna go have lunch with Tom Hiddleston later.
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Name: Verdona Levin
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Bisexual
Birthday (Zodiac): January 16; Capricorn
Species: 50% Human, 25% Osmosian, 25% Anodite
Ethnicity: White / Alien?
Native Language(s): English
Nationality: American
Appearance Info
Height: 5'9"
Skin tone: Light
Eye shape/color: Round; Green
Hair style/color: Long Wavy; Black
Outfit style: Oversized Sweaters and Jeans
Accessories: Charms
Markings (birthmarks, scars, etc): N/A
Alignment Info
Hero/Villian/Civilian: Hero
Rank: Vanguard League (Supernatural Department)
Powers/Abilities:  
Natural Powers (By Mother) 
    -Mana Manipulation
    -Mana Absorption
    -Mana Detection
    -Memory Manipulation
    -Clairvoyance
    -Teleportation
    -Portal Creation
    -Telepathy
    -Telekinesis
Anodite Powers (By Mother)
    -Anodite transformation
    -Astral Projection
    -Magic
    -Flight
    -Size Alteration
Matter Absorption (By Father)
Fighting Style: 
    -Taekwondo (Taught by Mother)
    - Jujutsu (Yaught by Mother)
Weapons:
    -Spell Book
Personality:
    Verdona is very nonchalant, she tends to be very relax and reserve with people. She's kind and can be motherly to some of the other members, making sure they're fine if not then she would offer her healing. She enjoys music, it's something that puts her in a good mood. She's not nesessarily quiet but she's also not very talkative. She's the type that needs to be spoken too, however she has her moments when she gives a remark. She can be somewhat sarcastic but it's something that makes other laugh. She's very helpful and is a good ear, listening to other people's problems and helping them out.
Backstory:
    Born in Bellwood her parents had always given her a nice life. Making sure to not let their jobs or plumbing take up too much of their time. She was raised to be skilled in fighting, so when she's older she can help people like they did. Kevin, her father, had taught her how to use her osmosian powers in ways of defense and even offense. He gave her an insight to the good places to brokers. Her mother however taught her the ways of magic and being Anodite, even gave her lessons in some martial arts.
    Having these skills made Verdona a nice assest to a team, so she had asked about maybe joining the Vanguard League. Her mother was glad she would be wanting to join heroes, her father didn't seem to care. He was a villain and a hero, very hard to pick a side. But he was happy that she's doing something she wants. She teleported to Townsville and had search but managed to find the Vanguard League, where she met Damian. Son to Danny Fenton and Valerie. She had grown a crush on him. However she kept it professional and asked to join. After showing all of what she had the League had seen her as a valuable member for the team and she was accepted.
    She was excited and even transferred to the local school. Of course she teleports to the school and League whenever needed, she just needed a reason to be somewhere new. Plus she got to see Damian more. She was growing a liking to him and even wondered if she had a chance with him.
Relatives:
- Gwendolyn Tennyson Levin (Mother)
- Kevin Ethan Levin (Father)
- Ken Tennyson (Uncle)
- Ben Tennyson (First Cousin Once Removed)
- Max Tennyson (Great Grandfather)
- Verdona (Great Grandmother)
- Frank Tennyson (Maternal Grandfather)
- Natalie Tennyson (Maternal Grandmother)
- Mrs. Levin (Paternal Grandmother)
- Zed (Pet)
Relationships:
    Her parents and her get along well. Gwen and Kevin have their moments when they argue about the way one another trained Verdona but in the end they have seen that she's grown to be a wonderful daughter and fighter. She gets along well with her father being daddy's little girl, however she also gets along well with her mother. They are supportive and helpful with Verdona's future.
    Damian is the leader of the Supernatural Department she's in. She had grown a liking to him after their first encounter. Something about his scaredy-cat personailty made her smile. She just wanted to be there to help and protect him. In fact in battle she tends to be very protective of him and the team. She stays by his side and listens to his commands, and sometimes at school she can't help but ogle him from her locker. 
    As for Envie, the two seem to get along well. However they have their moments when they engage in a sarcasm battle that some people in the team wonder if they're fighting or just casually having fun. It's usually the latter.
    Vivian is someone Verdona has a hard time getting along with. Mainly due to her being unable to withstand Vivi's obnoxious and loud personality. Verdona tries to avoid her as best as she can but being in the same team it tends to get difficult. 
Small Stories w/ Characters:
            DAMIAN
    As she saw Damian walk by she nervously waved a hand at him, hoping to get his attention without scaring him. He stopped in his track and looked up at her.
    "Hey Damian, I don't mean to hold you up long, but... I was just hoping if you'd like to read this in your free time." She smiled and cautiously handed a small black journal to him, his hands took it curiously and opened it, skimming through it's content.
    "What is it?" He asks, but quickly realizes that it appears to be a journal filled with poems.
    "Just some poetry, I heard that you liked poetry so I wanted to show you some of my stuff. Maaaybe you can let me know if they're any good? I want to go to a poetry slam but I'm just too afraid that my work is ... well childs work."
    Damian smiles and gladly takes the book, he looks up at her eyes, "Thanks, I'll give it a read and let you know what I think about them tomorrow." With that he walked off, leaving Verdona to respond to his dissappearing body.
    "Awesome! Thank you-" she pauses, "Wait tomorrow morning?!" He was gone and she was nervous, was he planning on reading them all in one night? She creates a portal sending herself home, hoping for tomorrow to come sooner.
            Next Morning
    She walks around a room in the league where she ran into Damian the day before. She impatiently fiddled with her scarf before seeing him phase through a wall into the room.
    "Ah there you are," Damian spoke softly and she responded in the same manner.
    "So? What'd ya think?"
    He thought for a second and reassured her with a smile, "It's good. I think these would be perfect for a poetry slam."
    She blushed, taking her journal back she hugged it in her crossed arms and smiled at him, "You think so?... Hey maybe if you aren't busy, you'd like to join me friday for the slam?"
    He smiled, "Sure, Just text me the details and I will meet you there." She nodded, and with that he left again. She excitedly texted the details right away and walked out of the room her book still in her arms as she internally squealed with joy.
            VIVIAN
    It had been a while and Vivi hadn't stopped talking, she was talking to another member in the group and they didn't seem to mind her constant blabbering. However Verdona was starting to get a bit irritated, and with the potty mouth Vivi has Verdona found herself finally speaking up.
    "I know this space is free for members to socialize and relax but do you think you could maybe tone down the profanity?" She dodn't want to come off as a goodie goodie but she just wasn't a fan of profanity, mainly due to her high intelligence she found slang to sometimes be unnessecary.
    "Oh shit sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt yer quiet time," she reponded, only to turn back and continue her conversation. Her profanity had lessen but that only lasted less than a minute before she continued to do it again. Not on purpose, just out of habit.
    Verdona groaned, she just wanted to be in this room and enjoy some poetry reading with Damian, but he was running late and she was running out of patience.
    "We have a language filled with so many words that can replace that vulgar slang street talk of yours," she said slamming her book shut.
    "Why are ya bitching so much? I have the right to use any words I want, freedom of speech look it up."
    Her hands became fists and she stood up from her seat,"For your information I am fully aware of the Amendments-"
    "Well are you fully aware you got a stick up your ass that needs to be taken out?"
    Without another word Verdona gave up and grabbed her book and walked out, Damian had just walked in but quickly followed after her.
    Vivi sat there, a bit confused,"What's her problem?" 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welp that's it for my entry oof took forever
But I'm glad with the outcome, I love both of my new children and if neither wins I wont even be mad, I just love them too much xD
Sorry if any character is OOC, if I need to change things just let me know!
Bio Template (C) MintQuetzal 
Vivian (C) ppgzmlpfimlover 
Verse, Opal, Damian, Vivian, Serena, Kandi (C) PrincessCallyie 
Art, Junji, and Verdona (C) @japanda-draws
Any other character belongs to their rightful show and creator
She will be in @ej-cappy-universe 's GRS series: The Neighbors.
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maybanksslut · 3 years
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your wish is my command bestie
well, I thought that all this takes place in 2018 or 2019
he remembers the first time he saw her.  and how his brain immediately stopped working properly.
he randomly craved coffee that day. he didn't really like this drink until that day.
in the next building from where he lived there was a coffee shop and that was where thomas headed.
a neon sign on the street, a garland of light bulbs, a couple of tables and chairs to relax and enjoy a drink. everything would be fine if not the music from the speaker. "damn, this is led zeppelin" - he thought to himself : "I already like this place". but going inside thomas liked it even more. he liked it so much that he froze in the aisle, unable to take his eyes off the barista.
- good afternoon, what would u like to drink? - it seems Thomas did not even hear the question and continued to examine the girl opposite him, he was so fascinated by her - mister, are you okay?
- oh, yes ... yes, of course, I'm sorry - it seems he is already redder than a tomato
- what'll it be?
- um .. maybe ... I want - "you" thought the guitarist to himself, but of course he didn't voice it - I don't know what I want - sighed sadly
- well, in that case, let me help you with the choice - it seems her eyes sparkled even brighter. damn this girl really loves her job
- it would be nice - after a couple of questions, the girl began to flutter around the coffee machine.
all her movements were so easy and so ... beautiful. just like her. dark hair, almost black. loose clothes in which she looked even smaller than she was.  "she is tiny. she's up to my shoulder... OK, maybe a little bit higher... or not". in any case, it doesn't matter, unlike the fact that from the moment he saw her, this girl did not leave Thomas's head for more than a minute. he thought about her all the time. when he fell asleep, when he woke up, when he ate and even when he was working on new music.
from day to day he came to the coffee shop  in the morning for a cappuccino with  a little bit of caramel syrup (I think he would like it) . the barista offered him this drink when he first went into a coffee shop and did not know what to take and now he is ready to drink only it until the end of his days. on the days when he had to go to the studio, he bought coffee for the whole band, simply because "if you don't want to introduce us to the thief of your heart, then at least bring us  coffee from her".  the point was that thomas didn't know her either. not even her name, nothing. all he knew was that she works in a coffee shop and shr is about his age. and also that her handwriting is beautiful. when the guitarist took coffee for the whole band, she wrote on each cup what was inside.
they never talked about anything. after a couple of visits, the girl already knew Thomas's order by heart. so every time he quietly entered, greeted from the doorway and said the number of drinks and sat down at a table waiting for his order. he quietly watched every movement of the girl, paid, thanked and left as quietly as he came.
why didn't they talk? they both wondered this question. at first they both were too shy, and afterwards silence became a habit. and it became even more difficult to speak first.
almost two months have passed since their first meeting. Thomas stood near the coffee shop, smoked and talked to victoria on the phone.
- fuck! yes, apparently I fell in love! I have a crush! I'm smitten by a girl! yes, I'm!..maybe... I do not know! leave me alone vic please! - thomas was fed up with it. he was angry with himself and his lack of confidence, and this conversation did not help especially at half past seven in the morning
- did you ask her out? damn, thomas, do you even know her name? - the last long drag and he threw the cigarette  into the trash can
- she is fucking perfect, gorgeous, breathtaking and she's doing the best coffee in the world and she is not interested in me in this regard, end of the conversation! - he ran his hand over his face and ruffled his blond hair.
- how she can not being interested in you? have you even tried to talk to her?
- OK vic, I'm done, see you soon
thomas puched  the red icon on his phone and entered the coffee shop, without even thinking that the girl behind the counter heard what was happening on the street.
- good morning.  four please - he sat down at the table - she left her hair down  today, looks good ... nah, perfect on her. he thought about the way she smiles every time when she sees him. although he realizes that she is only smiling at him because he is her customer... damn, he seems to be in serious trouble.
- are you okay? you look a bit...
- t-tired? - did she just...spoke to him? -  yes, could not sleep all night
- coffee does not replace sleep, but I hope it will help you
- me too, dolcezza - she's so cute when she blushes. it seems he fell in love even more, if it possible
the guitarist paid, took his four cups of coffee and headed for the door
- thanks, bellezza - thomas raggi, where did you suddenly get so much courage to call her like that? TWICE!? but still not enough courage. he thought to himself
Thomas gave the stand with signed cups  to Damiano, who was sitting in the front seat
- OK,  that's yours - the singer handed the cup to victoria who was sitting in the back of the car with guitarist - ethan, your coffee, and ... O LORD, FOR GOD'S SAKE! THOMAS YOU FINALLY DID IT !
the blond guy looked up from his phone
- What did I....?
- LOOK! - damiano interrupted thomas and handed him the cup. there was complete silence in the car. the guitarist couldn't take his eyes off the writing on the cup of his caramel cappuccino, and the band couldn't take their eyes off his shocked face. there was a phone number written in neat handwriting
- that's might be her phone number ... did she..?. SHE GAVE ME HER FUCKING PHONE NUMBER!!!
thomas would not be thomas if he called or texted  her. he just came  to a coffee shop with a neon sign at the end of the working day.
- good evening - without looking up from work the girl began - what would you ... - she finally turned towards the guy standing awkwardly near the door - oh, hi - she looked down and blushed a little. it seems he should have contacted her  during the day
- I'm sorry I didn't text you, I ...
- no, it's okay, I just misunderstood you, I'm sorry, I - the girl wanted to continue, she was interrupted by  thomas's  nervous giggle
- no, don't apologize - he came closer to the counter - I really wanted to text to you .. and offer to take a walk after work .. and find out your name .. from the very first day when I came here -  the guitarist babble quickly, but at the same time with slight pauses between sentences.  his gaze  time traveled from the barista's face to some random item in a coffee shop all the, which could not but make the girl smile
- I'm y/n
🌻
AAAAAAAAAAHH love ittrtt
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fatesinthenight · 7 years
Text
Dark's Heart (part 1)
(so I was going to wait awhile for this one but I was too exited and couldn't help but start it now. This takes place after "Bim's Date". Hope you enjoy it. This is how I see Dark dealing with something like this. Lets see how this turns out. *Holds breath*)
Dark looks out the window into the backyard. He watches Bim in his garden tending to the flowers and his date bringing in some new flowers to plant. The date kneels by Bims side holding out the new flower and Bim takes it giving the date a kiss on the cheek. The date smiles and helps dig a little hole for the flower to be placed in. It has been a month since Bim's date came into his life, it ended up changing a lot of things. Since then the other egos were beginning to become open to dating and Mark encouraged them to try but to still be careful of course.
Willford had been on the most dates, most of them ending in him getting slapped or running scared for their life when he busts out the gun. Ed would from time to time but his main thing he cared about is if they would get along with his son. Silver was too shy to go on a date and said his true love was justice. Dr.Iplier said he wouldn't mind but he was too busy, but he did go out an a date once or twice. Yandere didn't go out saying he would not handle having multiple senpis and there can only be one. King of Squirrels said he would need someone to help him rule over his furry subjects and would propose that on every first date. Google was surprised someone asked for a date with him thinking no one wanted a droid including his brothers who also were asked and he went on a couple but said he wanted someone to have a good educational conversation with. Host kept to himself thinking it would be too weird to be seen with him but was told others didn't care and wanted to anyway, so he was considering it. Dark refused entirely, even if the others told him to be nice and go anyway he denied it.  
Dark watches the couple being happy together. Bim would not stop giving his date kisses on the cheek then head and just wraps an arm around them and kissed them on the lips. Dark looks away rolling his eyes. He makes his way to his office on the first floor and Willford snickers at him, "Jealous much?"
"Of what? Swapping spit with another person. No thank you." Dark saids and looks back at Willford. "And you? All you get in return is a slap on the face or a possible restraining order." Willford shrugs, "I just haven't met the right one you know. And to be fair I only pull out the gun when I know the person is actually a jerk." Dark sighs annoyed, " Who do you think has to deal with the aftermath of that and erase memories of any witnesses? Not to mention Mark has to warn people before they want to try to date you and to sign a disclaimer." Willford tugs on his suspenders, " Not all of them were bad. I had fun and some of them but you know it just didn't click. But I met some cool scamps and get invited to some parties with them to hang out." Dark gets more annoyed, "Again then you cause some disaster at some of these events and I have to deal with it." Willford laughs, "Come on that last one was fun and everyone laughed. So I got a car into a pool. Did anyone die? No."
Dark doesn't have time for this and makes his way to his office when Willford saids something. "You know you could still try to find-" Willford gets cut off as Dark appears infront of him looking very angry, his shell breaking flashing red and blue. "Don't. Say. Their. Name." He breathes heavily. "I don't want anyone near me again!!! I have no time for anyone and no one is worthy of my time." Dark takes a deep breath and straightens himself up then walks away. Will watches him go and Host walks up to Willford. "You know he doesn't like to talk about it. Why does Willford insist on it?" Host asks Will. Willford tugs at his suspenders more, "Maybe because it was the one time he was in his own way happy and that meant we didn't suffer as much from his wrath."
Dark slams his door shut and sits at his desk. He boots up his computer and tries to work, taking out some papers he needed to look over as well. He reads through them but stops after a while. Without thinking he looks at his computer and goes "that person's" profile again. They are smiling happily and posted that they were excited for their wedding that day. Dark doesn't know why he is even looking at this but he is. He tilts his head back and closes his eyes thinking about the first time he saw you.
It was a meet and greet about close to the beginning of the year. "A Date with Markiplier" came out a few days ago and Dark's had become very popular afterward. The fans wanted a meet up with the egos and after some consideration and many precautions Mark decided to make a meet and greet for them. He rented a room big enough for them to have it in and sent out the word about it. The fans were so excited and the egos were too, happy to meet the fans. Dark was less ecstatic as he sat in his chair unamused.
"Remind me again why I'm here." Dark crosses his arms looking serious as always. "You are one of us weather you like it of not so just act nice for today. And would it kill you to smile?" Willford saids looking at Dark at his spot next to him. "Yes it will.", Dark grumbles. "Look you are here now so just deal with it Edgelord." Willford pokes Dark's arm making Dark's aura seep out. 
"Ummmm Will maybe its not the best time to mess with Dark before the fans walk in..." Bim shifts in his seat at his table nervous.
"Boy's got a point. I rather not die before this thing starts." Ed leans in his chair.
"I already am going to be busy with this and tending to fans on the verge of fainting or having a large "Fangirl" moment." Dr.Iplier has a doctor bag under his table in case someone faints.
"I will be there to save the fans of course!! I am the hero they need." Silver is jumping in his seat being the most exited.
"Yes it seems we will have quite the crowd today. I can see many people outside are already using that "Facebook Live" to show they are waiting outside." Google's eyes glow as he looks up how popular the event is on the internet.
"The fans are talking happily amongst themselves while there is a threat of chaos that might commence in the building before they arrive." Host narrates softly, he was nervous about being there but wanted to be nice to the fans.
"I do hope the fans enjoy my loyal subjects and I brought them all peanut butter so we may all run out and embrace the squirrels!!!" The King of Squirrels had boxes of peanut butter behind him.
"I feel like senpi right now... I like it hehehehe." Yandere laughs to himself feeling powerful to become senpi for a day.
Mark walks in and looks at everyone in their places. He hopes nothing bad happens. "Ok guys we are opening the doors in five minutes so get ready. Katherine is out there with Tyler explaining how this is going to work. You each have your own table and line for yourself. A fan has to go to the line to the one they want to meet. They have at least a minute with you, its fast but we had to so no one can get left behind before the event is over. They do have gifts for you and anything they want you to sign. They will ask for pictures too and please for the love of everything that is holy don't do anything bad to mess up the building... I cant afford to pay for damages." Everyone looks at Willford when he saids that. "Cross my heart, but no promises.", Willford saids happily and Mark worries. "Any you. You need to be nice today. I don't want anyone running out here crying because of you." Mark looks at Dark but he feels the dark aura seeping out and shivers. He walks to the entrance where Amy is to help people get to their line and with Ethan at a table where there is t-shirts and other knick knacks of the egos to give away.
"I hope this doesn't end badly." Mark takes a deep breath to try to relax as he sits with Ethan. "Come on Mark it will be fine. Its going to be great.", Ethan saids happily fixing up the merchandise. "Yea don't worry so much. You know if they act up Kathryn just needs to snap her fingers to get them back in line. That girl knows how to take charge." , Amy pats Mark's head playfully. Mark looks up at Amy, " I know but I still worry you know me. I don't any the fans to get hurt." Tyler pokes his head out from the door, "Ok its time guys you ready?" Mark takes another deep breath and nods.
The fans walk in jumping and squealing. They walk in to find Mark and Ethan at the merchandise table in the front. They tell them they can get something now if they want for the egos to sign or save it as a gift for after the event. Amy is next by where the lines begin. They are all separated and have a sign at each beginning with the name of the ego for that particular line. She tells them to go through nicely and to wait til it was time for the event to start. The fans filled up the lines fast with more still outside the building. Tyler was at the front of the lines telling everyone they had to stand behind the red tape before they come up to the table and to please be kind to others in line. Once it was time the first people in line walked up to the tables.
Willford was having a blast, taking pictures and grabbing the phones to take a selfie telling them it has to be their phone background. Bim was shy at first but got the hang of it enjoying the fans as they said they wish he had his own show. Ed was pulling in people in for bear hugs when they asked for a hug and signing things with prices for his son. Dr.Iplier smiled at the fans and gave a fast scribble for his signature and if he saw someone looking very nervous he took his time to get them to relax and took deep breaths with them. Silver posed for every photo loving it and feeling loved when they told him he was their favorite hero. Google acted civil to everyone and smiled when the fans said he was the coolest android ever and even gave him gifts for his brothers to take back too. Host thought it was kind of the fans to want to help him find a place sign their things carefully taking his hand and guiding it to where they wanted the signature, he also liked the small conversations they would have. The King signed away delighted when the fans giggled as some squirrels climbed on them, and  asked if anyone was allergic to peanut butter before he gave a jar away. Yandere always added hearts to his signature and giggled when someone said they find him cute.
Dark was a different story. When fans came to him he just glared at them clearly not wanting to be there. He signed things and just gave them back without a word. Some were brave enough to ask for a picture and Dark allowed it but didn't smile and didn't get close to the fan. Someone tried to joke with him and called him Edgelord, Dark's shell had a small crack enough to make the fan get their signed idem and back away fast. It was coming to a point where people did not want to go near his line even if he had a lot of people wanting to meet him. Some just saw him and gave the gift to Mark at the front to give it to Dark instead. No one came to Dark's line anymore too afraid of him. He didn't mind and was glad at the fact. Willford whispered buzzkill to him but Dark didn't care.
"Well I expected that." Mark looks over at Dark siting at his table enjoying his empty line. Then you show up almost out of breath. "Im sorry *huff* is the event still going on?" You look at Mark. Mark smiles at you and picks up a water bottle hanging it to you. "Don't worry your on time. You got a good ten minutes left. If you get in line now you can still make it." You drink up the water, "Wow I'm so lucky... I thought I wasn't going to make it and ran half of the way." You look into the building and see the lines full of people but you stop and see Dark's empty one. "Ummm excuse me Mark is Dark's line closed?" You tilt your head. Mark looks back at Dark cracking his neck, "No its not. Everyone eventually got to scared to go near him. He doesn't seem to mind as you can see." You look at Dark, he does look very intimidating but you shrug your shoulders, "Well I'm going to burst his bubble."
You walk to Darks line happily. Everyone from the other lines look at you like you were crazy or had a death wish. But there you go and you stop at the red tape and wait for Dark to call you up. He looks up at you, his eyes looking you up and down. "What are you doing?" He asks placing his arms on the table. You smile at him, "Just waiting to meet you. can I come up?" Dark gives you a look, "You could have just left your gift with Mark like the others." You hold out your hands, "I don't got one. I just wanted to meet you." Dark is now curious he motions you forward. You walk up to the table not afraid and smile at him. "Are you telling me you came here without wanting a signature, bringing a gift, or wanting a picture? Yet here you stand wanting to meet me for what a minute?" Dark raises an eyebrow.
"Pretty much." You say simply. "I think your an interesting character. I know you are suppose to be evil and all that but I think there is more to you than you are letting on. Deep down I think your longing for something else besides the obvious taking over Mark or making your own deals that benefit you." You look at your phone. "Well times up I just wanted to tell you that. Bye have a good one." You make your way out.
"Your not leaving." Dark looks at you hard. You turn around to find him glaring at you. his dark aura coming out and his shell having cracks slightly. "What do you mean there is more to me? You only know me from Mark's videos. How can you possibly think you really know who I am? I am a evil ego and am feared by the others and even the fans. They say they love me and all but only because of Mark. You think you know who you are exactly talking to..." Dark's shell is cracking more. The other egos can feel it and are already preparing to jump in to protect the fans. Mark starts walking up to Dark's table to take you away before he does something bad.
You start laughing. It makes Dark surprised as well as the others around you. The fans think your asking for it and the egos think Dark's energy made you go mad. "hahahaha You think your scary. Trust me I have been through some bad things and they are worse than you." Dark looks at you eyes wide and for once amused. "Dark I know you aren't the best person ever but you know I think your like this because your acting out. Sure you love using people and you enjoy taking control but I think it is because you actually like people. sure it is to mess with them but to me it is also because you don't like being alone. You like having someone there to mess with. If you didn't then what would you do with yourself? You need people weather you like to admit it of not. That's just my opinion. I should get going I really went over the time limit but since  I'm the only one in line I guess that's ok." You turn to leave then walk back. "O one more thing." You poke Dark's nose with a boop. "See ya Edgelord." You wave at him and leave.
Everyone is doesn't know what to think. The other egos look at Dark eyes wide because he didn't react to what just happened. Mark stands their dumbfounded and you pass by him. "O by the way love your stuff. Your the best." You go to the merchandise table and buy a shirt with Dark on it from a very surprised Ethan who saw what happened. you leave with your shirt walking back to your car happily.
Dark looks after you still trying to piece together what just happened. The event ends and everyone starts to clean up. Dark still sits at his table looking at the doors you left at. "Dark you know you could have left five minutes ago right?" Mark looks at Dark. Dark sits up and walks past Mark, "I'm not doing this thing again..." Mark nods, "Noted." Dark leaves ahead of everyone. He is the first to arrive home going straight to his room. He changes for the night and lays in bed looking up at the ceiling.
"hu... I don't get their name." Dark whispers to himself. He thinks why would he care about learning a name for someone he would most likely never see again but they did do something he never thought anyone could do. They surprised him.
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