#welcome to the 21st century I guess

[defectivequeerforceuser]

Sometimes I stop and think about how my honest options make other people so upset. Like, other people think it's okay to get in my business and tell me that inherent parts of myself or what I believe and find joy in are WRONG. That's scary, you know? It feels really frightening. Strangers want a say in what I think.

#random thoughts #its frustrating #and scary #why do people do this #i just want to be safe #and seen #oh well #welcome to the 21st century I guess #or the internet

[nikirishimura]

Learn from the Best. (s.jy.)

roommate!jake sim x bi!reader

summary: jake arrives at your shared apartment where he accidentally and (un)fortunately makes eye contact with you as you eat out another woman <33

genre: roommates to lovers (?), two idiots who don't know what they are to each other trope, slight angst, suggestive scenes, smut.

warnings: eating out, slight voyeurism, body worshiping, sub!jake, virgin!jake, experienced!reader, oral sex, unprotected sex. no threesome </33 for now 👀 (5k words)

a/n: hii!! dropping this here on the last day of pride month because why not <33 i barely see fxf smut here on kpop tumblr so i decided to make one. don’t forget to leave a like!! pls do send me ur feedbacks thru the comments! reblogs are very much welcome and encouraged !! thank you so much!! enjooooy

"okay, i'm gonna need some context with this one." jake announces as he closes the door in his room.

you see your roommate's gaze with a hint of judgment as he eyes your figure in front of the full-length mirror in the living room of your shared apartment; one hand hiking your shirt up to your left bosom, the other hand slightly squeezing it.

"babe, please be a deer and help me out." you speak without batting an eye at him.

"again, context please." you could hear his voice almost shaky.

"i'm looking for a bruise. please help me look" you state rather nonchalantly.

"uh- i– oh, okay. yeah, well. hang on a sec." jake tries so hard not to stammer but fails terribly.

in what world would anyone think that this casual request from you is far from creepy and weird? then again, you wouldn't consider this kind of occurrence unusual since you and jake have done almost everything together ever since the shy boy from your 21st Century Literature class moved in with you. to other people, however, this is not the norm. especially to your friends who you would expect to be the most understanding. they'd often tease you both and leave suggestive remarks when you act like every other couple ever to exist. well, you guess that might be the thing. you and jake are not a couple. but so what? you live together because rent isn't, at all, cheap. and also, you revel in the thought of having such eye candy of a roommate.

you eat together because you live together. you wash the dishes together. you do your grocery together. you brush your teeth together. you watch your favorite netflix series together and then snuggle up on the couch to relax after a long, tiring day, because then again: cohabitation, and simply, just why not? it's all part of the cycle now. living with jake has become a fundamental part of your life at uni that you never think of spending a day without him. every once in a while, you think about all of this in an attempt to rationalize your social relationship with your roommate, whatever your common friends might think it actually is. well, you did once cuddle half-naked on a winter night.. or maybe twice. but that's not the point right now.

"what exactly do you want me to do," jake moves closer behind you to "see" the situation.

you finally let go of your boobs and face him, your other hand still clutching your shirt for him to see.

"touch it." you say, oh-so casually. "feel it. i need to know if there's a bruise."

"wouldn't you know if you had one?" he asks, obviously confused at what you are making him do.

"it's painful and i need to know exactly where it is."

"there. this part," he grabs your hand for you to feel it yourself as he gently caresses the blue-ish green spot on the left side of your left chest.

"damn it. now i'm gonna have to get it checked." you loosen the grip on your shirt and jake realizes that he still has his hand inside.

he slightly panics but instead of letting go, he freezes for a bit and you laugh at his reaction.

"what, you haven't touched a boob before?"

he stutters and before he could even speak, you jokingly say, "well there you go, you already held mine. you’re welcome." while sending a wink his way. you know how you affect him. the blush on his face becomes evident, the small smile on his lips also giving it away.

"what exactly happened?" querying as he plops down beside you on the couch.

"i was extremely late and rushed so i hit my side on the doorknob on the way to class yesterday."

jake bursts out laughing with this information. "how could you be so clumsy and so dumb at the same time?"

"hey that's not very nice." you punch him lightly on his chest.

"well i was nice enough to check your boobs for you."

"please, if anything i did you a favor." you retort smirking.

"and you tell me i'm the mean one?" letting out a scoff before giggling.

the both of you stay there for a while, just basking in on the quiet.

"so, listen." you try to break the silence, rubbing the tip of your thumb just above the palm of his hand. he doesn't know exactly what it is he's feeling but he's certain that he's never felt this before. though the semantics are unclear, he's never felt anything quite like this before you.

'maybe heeseung was right,' he says to himself, 'maybe i shouldn't have agreed to this.' he shakes his head a bit as if this will make his thoughts go away and turns to you. "what?" he replies.

you stare at each other, once again, and you feel yourself mentally getting sucked into the universe of his eyes that holds the brightest of stars. almost mirroring what jake did just mere seconds ago, you jerk your head off in the subtlest way possible. you like jake but you dislike him at the moment so you guess that cancels it out. just when you were getting carried away once again, you remember that just a couple of weeks prior, he was entertaining other people too.

"i'm not gonna be home until past midnight tonight." you begin, not breaking eye contact.

"oh," he sounded rather disappointed and he wasn't trying to hide it. "so no movie marathon for tonight. why?"

"well, i'm meeting with a.. friend." you look away.

"but, i'm still not sure.” you immediately follow, “there might be a change of plan, we'll see." trying your hardest not to seem like you're gauging your decisions based on his reactions.

"why does it feel like you're waiting for my permission or something?" making it clear that you're not as sly as you think you are and that he's nearing annoyance. he was laughing but you know he’s not, in the slightest, happy.

“i’m not.” wide eyed, taken aback, you get up. “anyway, i guess i’ll catch you later.” leaving your friend a bit stunned at the exchange.

and for a split second, you face eye to eye with a hypocrite in the mirror. it wasn’t fair to cancel plans with jake just because he was seeing other people and you were being petty about it. afterall, you had your fair share of booty calls and flings, too.

—

“you know what, i’m done. whatever this is. i don’t want it anymore.” jake huffs and marches outside the classroom as sunghoon and heeseung followed suit.

“are you talking to us or practicing that for y/n?”

one of the taller boys asks.

“what?”

“well, it seems like it’s more of you saying that to yourself than to anybody.” the oldest says.

“it’s just, she makes me insane sometimes, do you know that?” and like a sitcom, jake’s friends look at each other and nod at the same time.

“stop stating the obvious. okay, look. you’re in love with y/n.” heeseung points out with both of his hands dramatically. “why can’t you just say that?” a sigh of resignation leaving his mouth.

“BECAUSE!…” his voice turns into a whisper, “i already like her even before moving in with her! don’t you think that’s creepy?? i definitely think she would find me creepy. besides, i can’t! the statute of limitations has run out.” the younger pleads.

“boy, you’re an idiot.” sunghoon proclaims. “if y/n was my roommate, i would’ve slept with her the first night.”

“good thing she’s not, or else you would’ve been in jail.” jake retorts.

“or she would,” heeseung counterclaims. “she would’ve beaten sunghoon then and there.

“anyway, can we stop talking about hypotheticals. i’m in a fucking dilemma right now and i need answers.”

“all of this would be so easy if you just tell her how you actually feel.”

“then potentially lose her as a… perfectly good roommate??” jake tries to reason.

rolling his eyes, “or you could forever yearn and shut up about it.” the youngest has had enough.

“it’s like we’re always pushing and pulling, you know. all these mixed signals and the shit that we do that we all know isn’t what ‘just platonic friends’ do.”

heesung cackles at this and in a mocking voice, “‘platonic friends’ as if you are the opposite. you ARE platonic friends. it’s not like you guys are fuck buddies.”

“i’m not an idiot. i know when someone’s trying to be romantic with me.”

“also, she was sorta asking for permission earlier if she could hang out with a friend or something like that.” jake adds.

“i just feel like i’m being pushed to the side like some back up plan that if they don’t work out, she has something to come back to.”

"eh? didn't you go out with her friend last month?" heeseung asks, baffled at jake's words.

"yeah, well, it was a friendly date. we didn't even hook up." he tries to defend himself to which the oldest responds with another sigh and an eye-roll.

"then that makes both of you an idiot." sunghoon chides.

—

on the other side of the campus, you find yourself sulking in the middle of an occupied and busy cafeteria accompanied by your close friend, jay.

"i think i'm gonna fuck someone later," you come to a conclusion with your thoughts.

jay gives you a concerned look. "so instead of facing your feelings, you decide to engage in some carnal activity to deflect."

you can only shrug your shoulders at that. “when you’re stressed, you need to unclench sometimes, you know.”

“so, who is this someone?” tired of dealing with your rhetoric, your friend interrogates you instead.

“just a friend..”

“is that friend named ‘Sim Jaeyun’?”

“lol no. he’s acting weird lately. i keep sending hints of starting sexual relations but it seems like he’s not interested.” you roll your eyes and continue, “then i heard about him going out with a friend of mine recently. i couldn’t care less, like at all.”

jay raises an eyebrow. “which friend?”

“i don’t know. like i said, i don’t care.”

he wasn’t having any of your sass, not today. “sounds like you do.” he stands up and pats you on the back. “i’ll see you around. i have a date so i need to get away from your ugly energy as far away as possible.” he says laughing.

“then what am i supposed to do the whole afternoon?” you begin to sulk and complain even more.

“get fucked? i don’t know? text your sneaky link or whatever. i’ll call you after my date!” he winked and marched away.

—

smacking noises and heavy panting can be heard over your side of the apartment. two beautiful girls somewhat fighting for dominance over a battle of the tongue.

you pushed stephanie on the door of your bedroom, kissing her in the process. stephanie, your most recent fuck buddy. the sex was so good you even considered getting settled and making your relationship official at one point had she not been screwing around with other people when you were still flirting.

“sorry, i said we’d go out tonight but i just couldn’t wait to taste you.” you say in between kisses. hands snaking up and down her body.

“i don’t mind,” she kissed you back, even more fervently than you did. “i love it when we do this.”

pulling her by the hips, you position your leg between her thighs, knees putting pressure on her clothed core. “then why’d we stop?”

“huh?” she moans, eyebrows furrowed, her mouth already open from the pleasure that you’re giving her.

“i don’t know what your talking about— fuck!” she could barely talk as you pulled her hair down from the back giving your lips access to her neck.

“you were seeing someone else, weren’t you?” even though you’re not actually jealous, you still make it seem like you were. possessiveness turns her on more than anything, and you know it. she thrives on the attention, even if her loyalty gets compromised, or lack thereof.

she grabs your arms and flips both of you, pinning you up against the wall. she likes to assert dominance and so you let her. trying to get laid as soon as possible. “don’t talk to me like that. only i can talk down on you.” grabbing your cunt and caressing you through your leggings.

you don’t always like getting dominated but when she does it, it turns you on big time. you feel a gush of wetness pool in your panties as she sucks hickeys on your chest.

“god i fucking missed you.”

“oh yeah? show me how much you missed me then.”

holding steph on the neck, you give her an open mouthed kiss, the wet string connecting your lips make up for all those seconds you move away to catch your breath. you grab her by the waist, guiding the both of you towards the bed.

“i don’t think we will be needing this anymore,” straddling her as you remove her tank top only to reveal that she wasn’t wearing any bra all along. typical steph. “fuck, you’re so sexy. i’m gonna make you feel so good tonight.”

—

“fuck! god yes!” high pitched moans echoing throughout the hallway.

“you like that, baby?” almost inaudible but you still ask, knowing damn well the answer.

“fuck yes. please don’t stop,” stephanie squirmed and pleaded.

you continue to finger her, sticking two fingers in and out her hole, wet noises replacing the silence.

“yes. right there. oh god,” she whines, feeling a knot in her stomach. tight grip on your locks, forcing your face closer to her wet folds.

she was basically screaming at this point. after minutes of edging, you decide to finally give in and give her what she’s been aching for.

sucking on her clit, licking and spitting as you fuck your middle and ring finger inside her, faster… harder… deeper… you could feel her walls getting tighter and tighter each time.

“please don’t stop. shit”

“hng fuck i think i’m cumming–”

later that day, jake goes home dejected and confused. in all honesty, he tried playing this game with you thinking that his feelings would go away, and boy did that backfire. he no longer wanted to be that awkward and nervous boy every time he’s near you and so he decided to seek “help” from one of your friends,

‘stephanie?’

as your friend rides her orgasm, you lock eyes with the man you least wanted to see right now. jake probably heard the fiasco coming from your room when he entered the hallway and came in unannounced to check what was going on. it didn't register to him what was happening until it was too late.

here you are, in all your form and glory, lapping the juices of another woman, who came inside your mouth and creamed all over your fingers. sucking all what’s left as you continue to keep eye contact with your roommate. you couldn’t help it. you know it’s wrong and he knows it’s wrong but something felt right in between your legs at that exact moment.

stephanie was oblivious to the whole exchange as she had her back facing your door the entire time. coming down from her high, she lay down from exhaustion. but as she opened her eyes, she was surprised by the man’s upside down figure from her perspective. a smile immediately pops in her face, bolting up to face him. “jake!” she greets him.

“stephanie?” the shock in his voice was louder than any of the sound you were making literally seconds ago.

“wait, you know her?” you ask jake. looking back at the naked women below you, “you know him?”

"well yeah? who do you think was i seeing when i ghosted you for a month?" stephanie announces rather nonchalantly.

"saw! we saw each other one time, steph." jake interjects, somehow feeling the need to defend himself from you.

a response that clearly triggered her to which stephanie raises her eyebrows to, "and did you forget to mention the fact that we were sexting almost every night? or are you keeping that from y/n too?"

you couldn't believe the situation unraveling right in front of you. getting sick to your stomach, you quickly get dressed and excuse yourself from the people you're beginning to doubt if you actually knew all along. you couldn't stand being in the same air with your “friends,” who, right now, was treating you like a throwaway. one did not only use you, but also betrayed your trust. and the other whom you thought was your best friend, was lying to your face for a month.

"i'm out. since you didn't want to fuck me, i fucked your girlfriend instead." placing her fingers under his chin, stephanie attempted to give jake a chaste kiss in the mouth but he looked in your direction instead. kinda poetic, you thought. he was dodging her and reaching out to you. eyes trying to communicate but all you see is shallowness.

what stephanie said only confirmed your hunch. she was only using you.

you wanted to curse at jake for putting you in such a complicated situation but all you could do was heave a disappointed sigh and sneer at him, making your way towards the bathroom.

it seems like all the odds were in jake's favor tonight, a call ringing from his phone was just the cherry on top of this disaster. it was sunghoon and heeseung on the other line.

"not now. i need to talk to y/n." with zero protests, they hung up, chanting "finally."

—

banging on the bathroom door, jake screams for your name.

“NOW WHAT?” bare and all drenched, you yank the door handle to your side.

“we need to talk.” as jake walks past you to enter the private space.

“jake what the fuck. i’m literally in the shower right now.” hiding behind the useless glass wall to somehow form a barrier between the two of you.

“i know” jake removes his shirt as he joins you on the other side.

“what’s up with you and stephanie?” he started, turning on the shower.

“what’s up with you and stephanie, jake? you’re the one who went out with her, sexting her behind my back?” poking at his chest to get your point across.

“you guys had sex!” at this point he was all up in your face.

“that doesn’t answer my question!”

“i asked you first! so? do you like her?” crossing his arms trying to intimidate you.

“so i fucked her, that doesn’t mean i’d go out and date her.”

“yeah, right. ‘cause things don’t work like that for you. you fuck everyone else but the person you have feelings for, right? is that why you don’t have sex with me?”

“you’re insufferable!” the audacity of this man, after sneaking out behind your back, he dares accuse you of having feelings for him? you don't even bother to contemplate if it was true or not. no. right now, this is only a matter of pride to you.

“and no, i can definitely fuck you right now.” ego speaking first before your brain.

“then do it. unless you’re all bark and no bite?” was jake actually taunting you?

all thoughts out the window, you finally close the distance between you and him. kissing him softly and he eventually does the same. it was light and nonsexual, despite the two of you being naked. you never expected this, any of this, even though you've been wanting to make out with him, or even maybe fuck him for so long. what was holding you back? what was holding him back? or was it who? that was a lie though, you did expect this to happen, and it did. just not exactly the way you wanted.

you try to back away but he doesn't let you, pulling you even closer, wrapping his arms around your body. he kisses you deep and slow this time. it's passionate, unlike the first time, seeming to have found a rhythm that suited both of you. lips dancing with each other, tongues fighting one another, and hands moving on places you yearned for since that one winter night you cuddled for the first time. so this is what it feels like; being touched like you've never been before. or were you just giving him too much credit for being touch deprived the whole night? you didn't care. you wanted this anyway.

the longer you share your breaths, the stronger his ministrations on your body become. pushing you all the way against the wall. this sparked something in you. something you wished you had felt much earlier just so you could've avoided all the mixed signals, emotional attachment issues and even the drama that transpired tonight. finally letting go, no more questions in your mind. just one.

“you’re such a brat, aren’t you? and a slutty one at that. being so desperate. pulling shit like this just to get laid.”

"just to clear things up, i turned down stephanie. i couldn't think of sleeping with anyone else but you."

"ahh. so you're really a virgin, huh." you voiced sarcastically. "and why do you suddenly feel like explaining to me?" finally stroking his hard on.

you’ve never heard such groans this low and breathy. "well first, you asked, and i never meant to make you feel betrayed. i-" he stopped.

"you what..?" stopping your movement altogether. this elicited a whine from him.

"i just wanted some experience." he looked down, fidgeting his fingers down your skin. he, somewhat, looked in pain.

"and you really think sexting will get you there? jake, please, you could've just hit me up and said "hey i'm really horny right now, are you down to fuck?" or something like that." you scoffed.

pushing his body down to yours, he asks, "well? are you down to fuck right now?"

you give him a small smile and a chuckle.

"no."

slipping from his grasp, you exit the shower and laugh at him. "maybe.. if you gain my trust again"

not sure whether or not to follow you, jake was caught in another dilemma once again. classic.

"jesus christ, come here!" you shout from outside.

—

“tell me, baby boy. what do you want?” pushing jake to sit on the edge of his bed. your right leg anchored to one of his sides, giving him a better view of your naked cunt.

those once innocent eyes now holding nothing but lust. he looked at you through his lashes before placing wet kisses on your stomach. “i want you.” he said, “i want this” hand tracing from the lower part of your navel to your lips down there.

you instinctively throw your head back, locking your fingers through his hair.

he started moving his fingers back and forth your wet slick, parting your folds, drawing circles on your clit.

“do you want to eat mommy out?” you caress his cheek with your thumb. he nods, enthusiastically.

“will you teach me?” your eyes widen at this. ‘cute’ you think to yourself, ‘how innocent.’

“lie down for me,” you instructed to which he immediately obliged. “make me cum and you earn my trust back, deal?”

panting, chest rising up and down, you can tell his heart is beating fast but he accepts the challenge nonetheless.

you begin to straddle his chest. bending down to wipe the stray hair on his forehead, you give him one last kiss on the lips before sitting on his face.

“remember how you made out with me in the shower? now i want you to do that again, but this time on my pussy.”

using your middle and forefinger, you spread your folds for jake to devour. he started with small kisses that eventually turned into a full blown make out session. you grind your hips as you feel pleasure consuming the rest of your body.

“fuck, just like that, baby.” you never forget to praise him during the process. the unexpected pet name sending butterflies to his stomach. he began taking matters in his own hands, literally, when he drew circles on your clit using his thumb once again, tongue threatening to poke inside your hole every once in a while. you feel a knot forming at the pit of your stomach.

“ugh- don’t stop,” you whined, warning him that you’re close. he then sucked on your clit, replacing his tongue with two fingers. curling them in and out of you. “faster, please” you cried out, grinding harder and abusing his mouth. he then felt a gush of wetness come out of your hole as you let out a high pitched yell. the movement of your hips slows down as you chase your high. but jake didn’t stop with this, edging you close to overstimulation. “fuck, stop!” you remove yourself from his face and plop down next to his side.

you could see the smirk growing on his stupid lips and you could only roll your eyes at this. “now don’t get too cocky on me, mr.”

he laughs, “i’m not.” getting up and placing his body on top of yours. “this just means that you trust me again.” and you scoffed.

“you’re so beautiful, y/n.” giving your left nipple kitten licks while massaging the other to give fair treatment. “does it still hurt?”

“what?”

“your bruise.” tracing it ever so gently.

“i can barely even feel if it’s still there” you raise your head to look at where he’s pertaining to.

“well maybe we should give you more.”

he places open mouth kisses on your chest. sucking and nibbling on your delicate skin as he reached your neck. teeth grazed on your sensitive spot, eliciting a loud moan from you. he knew he found your sweet spot. he then positioned himself between your legs, as his thigh got in contact with your core, he noticed that you’re starting to get wet again. “am i that good?”

“don’t flatter yourself. you still have a lot to learn from me,” snaking your hands on the nape of his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. how you longed for this exact moment. “fuck me, jakey.”

he lets out another shaky breath at this. never getting used to your spontaneity, something about his virginity turning you on even more.

you stroke his dick some more to get him hard enough to enter you, “where do i cum?” he asks, oh-so innocently.

“i want your seed inside me. and don’t you dare hold back. fuck me like this will be your last, understood?” reassuring him that you’re on the pill.

he took this as a sign to slowly slide his member in your dripping mess. only getting used to the tight feeling, he was barely able to bottom out.

“fuck wait, if i move again i’m afraid i’ll cum straight away.”

you yank his hair, biting on his lower lip a little too harshly, “you can’t come unless i say so.”

“now move.” you spoke with a tone of demand.

he moves his hip back and forth, eyes shut, mouth agape trying hard to focus. dick slipping in and out, pelvises touching each thrust. you stare into his orbs, once again getting sucked into the universe that holds it. you feel a slight pang in your chest, guilt taking over. he only did what he's done because of you. only you. and you tried to get back at him for nothing.

he removes the legs wrapped around his torso and slings them up his shoulders instead. a power move that came to you as a surprise. just moments ago, you thought of making love with him but clearly he has other things in mind; one thing, and that's to fuck you senseless.

with the new found position, he began hitting a pleasurable spot inside you. your walls unconsciously clenching around him, triggering climax. “yes, fuck! right there baby. i’m close–” you announced.

“fuck i can’t hold much longer!” holding on to your hips, nails digging through the skin. sure to leave crescent-shaped traces until the next morning. his thrusts became faster and harder.

“let go, baby” you kiss him, deeply. as orgasm hits you once again, your legs start to shake, back arches and muscles twitch. the sound of skin slapping and muffled moans echoing the whole apartment. you feel spurts of liquid filling your walls as jake’s eyes roll back, his mouth unlatches from you. his orgasm hitting his whole body like a huge wave.

“my god.” he utters, almost out of breath. wrapping his arms around your waist after removing his body on top of you.

“why?” you look at him, a smile threatening to pop on his face

“just. wow.” he claims, you forgot for a second that this was actually his first time.

“my poor, innocent boy.” your palm drawing random circles on his chest. “we’re going to change that, yeah?”

his brows raised as his eyes widened.

“as much as i like you getting cute and shy and all that, i can’t help wondering what you’d be like if you dominated me in bed.” a smirk forming on your lips.

you don’t wait for him to answer, rolling on your side as you pull his arm closer to you. “what? it’s not like you’re new to cuddling as well.” you look back at him with a content smile on your face.

post nut clarity was usually filled with regret but this time is a bit different, you hope. actually considering getting vulnerable with him, but maybe some other time, so you just let him spoon you instead as he happily placed his head on the crook of your neck.

you lock eyes through one of the mirrors on the wall of his bed. arms wrapped around your body, one hand massaging your breast. at least, now, in this position, he knows not to ask for context.

—

masterlist

taglist: @duolingofanaccount @v0relino @nyanggk @misavenue @masochistcult @calijimenez @paolennenicole @lachinitaaaaa @sjakeworld @nikirikii @soobinslut @enhalomlko @namjooncrabs @lix-freckle3 @river06 @02zluvbot @carelesscay sorry for not dropping this ASAP @jaeyunjae @xyzyours couldn’t tag those in bold

#ENHYPENWRITERS #enhypen au #sim jaeyun #jake sim #enhypen smut #jake enhypen #enha hard hours #enhypen hard hours #engene #enhypen #enhypen x reader #jake sim x reader #jake smut #enhypen fanfiction #kpop #enhypen ff

[klausysworld]

hi, can you do a one-shot about the 21st century human yandere klaus mikaelson, where klaus is maybe a college art professor and the reader comes to his class to volunteer to be painted (maybe nude) just to earn extra money , and Klaus immediately becomes obsessed with her and makes her his muse (and gets jealous when someone else wants to paint her). You can court a lot on behalf of Klaus and maybe he will seduce her. (the reader belongs to another faculty)

I don’t want to fuck someone. I want to fuck you.

(Third person)

Klaus had taught quite a few art classes how to capture the naked body. He had both male and female models before and was never too bothered by it.

But he wasn’t expecting someone as radiant as her to be there. Completely naked while sat on her knees, her head tilted back and her arms back always her generous breasts pushed out as her back arched. From his canvas he had a side on view of her as someone stood over her adjusting her hair and checking she was happy with everything. She was knelt on a soft padded material to keep her knees comfortable and whatever the person said to her made her laugh- a melodic laugh- that made her chest rise and fall more heavily, her breasts bouncing slightly much to his enjoyment.

When the person she was talking to beckoned Klaus over he didn’t hesitate in joining them

———————————————————————

(First person)

“This is Professor Mikaelson, most students just call him Klaus, Klaus with is Y/n, as you may have guessed she’s here for the painting class” i smiled at the professor and offered my hand which he quickly took, a kiss to the back of my hand which surprised me but was welcome nonetheless. I noticed his eyes dropping to between my legs, his lips parting and his hand squeezed mine

“So the students should be here any second now, the class will be spread over a few days, if you could just stay as still as possible, we try not to take breaks as we don’t wish to disturb the young artists” the other guy said drawing Klaus’s attention before he looked back down but this time to my tits

“Sure i get it, i mainly do this for the other college across town so i know what to do” the guy gave a tight lip smile and nodded, the two colleges weren’t too fond of eachother.

I looked back to a very lustful professor, i glanced to his pants seeing the prominent tent forming

“You never seen a girl naked?” I asked and his eyes snapped to mine making me laugh

“You know you don’t get to paint what’s between my legs unless you pay for a private session, no need to look, you only get to paint a side view today” i smiled sweetly as his eyes tailed back to my thighs

“And how much is a private session?” He asked lowly

“I dunno I’ve never done on yet” i shrugged and he seemed both pleased and disappointed

“Nobodies painted your pretty pink cunt before?” Okay i wasn’t expecting the forwardness, i felt a small wave of heat rush to my core as i wetted my lips

“No…people also don’t usually stare this long, I’m becoming uncomfortable” I muttered and he looked to my eyes

“Forgive me, you’re just so ethereal it’s difficult not to” he smiled as he touched my face before walking back to his easel. 

The rest of the class quickly filled the room at either side of me, some of them whispering about my body while other silently observed. I was pretty confident in my skin, you have to be in this job. I didn’t care for the stretch marks littering my thighs and hips. People could stare all they like, if anything you have to pay attention to them to be able to paint them right.

I stayed in my position for hours on end. Sometimes people leaned a little closer to see the finer details of my skin before returning to their canvases.

Eventually the day was up and people came in with a robe to cover me as the students left the room. As i tied the fabric around me i felt someone stand behind me. I turned my head to see him towering over me, a blush crawling onto my face as he smirked.

“You know i would be very willing to pay however much you desire for a private session, perhaps you’re in need of better accommodation? I would be happy to provide for you” he murmured leaned down so his lips grazed my ear making me shudder and my eyes struggle to stay open as soft lips pressed to my neck

“You are an utterly delicious muse” he hummed, a wet kiss on my jaw as his hands began wondering my body. It was when he lightly squeezed my breast was i brought back to my senses. My eyes opening wide as i panicked slightly. My breathing increased as i pushed away from him hoping he would leave me be, thankfully he didn’t attempt to grab me back. I spun around and backed away quickly, his face grew somewhat alarmed as he raised his hands in as though to prove he wouldn’t do anything

“Love, I won’t touch if that’s what you want. I shouldn’t have done that…i apologise.” He spoke slow, it felt as though he thought i was stupid and i neared the door a little quicker, dashing down the hall to grab my clothes before leaving

———————————————————————

(Third person)

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Klaus could have punched himself in the face. He was too much. He’s frightened her.

The look on her face was awful, his heart hurt.

He hated the affect she had on him so soon but he craved it at the same time

Now he had fucked it.

The next day he set our early grabbing a bouquet of red roses for his new muse. He also picked out a lovely vase so that she definitely had somewhere to put them.

He checked on his painting so far, the majority of it done, he just needed to finish some of her legs and add the finer details.

He couldn’t help the instant hardening of his dick as he traced his fingers over the image of her naked body, such gorgeous curves. Such beautiful hair. Her nipples had been almost diamond like as they stiffened under the gazes of so many people. He could still remember the way her cunt glistened. The light pink flesh begging to be touched. And the way that red hue spread through her face? Oh how he needed to make her his.

Didn’t she understand? He could give her as much money as she pleased. That was why she was here wasn’t it? Some extra cash for modelling?

Klaus didn’t work there for the money, his family was a very rich family, he worked there because he loved art and he liked seeing other people embracing it aswell, finding the right style for them and perfecting it.

He wasn’t one to want for anything and yet she was special.

She came back into the room shortly after he.

Klaus watched her undress and make her way back to her spot. He decided he would leave her to her silence for the time being, not wanting to scare her off again.

He payed close attention to every mark on her soft skin, applying everything he saw to his final piece. Making sure the pattern of her hair was just right, her lashes curling perfectly and her lips plump.

Klaus had finished before the students and he found himself leaving the room for a moment. He stood in the staff bathroom, trousers at his ankles as he aggressively jerked his thick cock, he had been hard since yesterday and seeing her so bare once again had his hips jumping. His forehead rest against the wall as he grunted and groaned. Oh how he just wanted to bend her over the sink, have sat on the sink, beneath the sink. However she preferred as long as he was inside her.

He imagined her perfect little pussy squeezing him tight, his own hand closing around himself as he moaned a little louder, his hips bucking wildly as he chased his release. Just as he was about to a cum a knock came at the door

“Is someone in here?”

Damn that other professor. Klaus quickly tidied his appearance before leaving without a word to his fellow worker.

He made his way back to class to find only the goddess herself to still be there. She was scanning over the paintings the people had made of her. She was dressed fully, pretty much all of her silky skin was covered as her head tilted to the canvas infront of her.

“Did they do a good job?” He asked, his voice carrying through the almost empty room.

“They are very good compared to others” she nodded.

“The other college you style at isn’t as great as they make out?” He asked slightly smug as he came to stand next to her. His cock was screaming to be let out and it took everything in him not to palm himself.

“Now that’s not fair. Some of them are unbelievably talented, a few of them i believe only chose art for the laughs. Your class is consistent but nothing particularly wows me” she explained and he hummed

“None of them?” He asked just a tiny bit offended

“Nope” she gave him a sweet smile and began to leave

“Love- y/n. I got you something to say sorry, for my behaviour.” He quickly grabbed the flowers and brought them to her hand, glad when she accepted them with a small nod

“Thank you Klaus” she mumbled and he smiled a little

“I hope that you’ll return, even if you aren’t nude” she chuckled at him and his grin widened

“Maybe” she offered and that pleased him enough.

———————————————————————

(First person)

I was sat in a manspreading position, my hands on my thighs. All i wore was a lace underwear set as the man who went by Mark, sat before me, pencil and sketchbook in hand as he drew me. He was telling me of the different art exhibits he had been to recently and to be fair he was quite good.

“Do you mind if a friend of mine comes over? Another artist of course, i think he would be able to capture you well, his painting is better but still a fine sketcher, charcoal too.” He muttered. I lulled over it for a minute before agreeing

“No funny business though yeah?” I question and he nodded quickly

“No yeah, you’re good, i have people about, you want a female to stay in the room? I can get someone in here if you get uneasy” he asked and i shook my head

“It’s fine” i mumbled and he smiled at me slightly before sending his friend a message.

I was not expecting him to walk through the door.

Stupid Klaus turning up.

His face was even more shocked than mine when he saw me

“You two know eachother?” Mark asked confused

“Sort of-“

“I painted her nude” he responded quickly and i blinked at him

“And I wasn’t allowed to see you without a bra? Wow favouritism at its finest” he grumbled

“Shut up this is free, i was doing it for a college class where i was paid” he waved his hand dismissively and Klaus frowned

“You pose in your underwear for free?” He asked looking somewhat concerned

“Nah only for a few people, i just happened to find her stunning, had to get her down on paper and she said she wouldn’t mind” he explained still unbothered. I watched something dark twist in klaus’ eyes

“You bring your own sketch pad or you using one from here?” Mark asked, Klaus pulled out his own and took a seat infront of me.

I stayed there for just over an hour before i slipped my dress back on. I was sat between the two men, flipping through some of Marks other pieces. Klaus’ hand had been gripping my thigh for the past 20 minutes, making sure i was slightly closer to him than i was to Mark.

I then looked through Klaus’ surprised when i found a fair proportion of them were me, some naked, some clothed. It was as though he had pictured me a thousand times over. There was ones of me in a field of flowers and then the next page i was naked among a pile of blankets. I should be afraid or weirded out right? But something about him, i almost wanted him to have a one on one session, see what he would do.

Klaus was quick to shut the book when Mark leaned over to see the naked sketch of me

“My eyes only I’m afraid” he smiled almost sarcastically as his hand squeezed my thigh harsher, my hand moved to rest upon his as a silent request for him to stop and he did, his grip lessoning before his hand turned up to grab onto mine.

“Right. Well i should really get going, thanks for letting me see both of your sketches, I’ll see you around” i smiled as i tried to take my hand away from Klaus’ and leave but he instead stood up with me and decided he was going to walk me out?

“Yeah thanks for letting me draw you, I’ll see you about” mark responded as Klaus nearly picked me up while walking us out

Once outside i was faced with a very pissy man.

“You should not be sat in somebody who you don’t knows house in your underwear.” He whispered harshly, his hands on the tops of my arms as he looked me in the eye

“I’m sorry do i know you? I’m pretty sure you’re just another stupid failed artist who painted me because he has nothing better to do in his life” i yelled back, his eyes grew cold as he scowled at me

“You and i both know i am an excellent artist. I have many thing i could be doing with my days but i chose this because it makes me happy. You’re the one that has to be naked for people to pay you” my eyes narrowed at his, my hands falling together

“You were literally begging to have me, you were walking around your classroom with a bunch of college students while your dick was hard and your perverted mind was picturing me bent over your desk”

“I thought you didn’t do private sessions”

“What?”

“Mark. You were there with just mark. One on one, why?”

I just stared at him like he was delirious

“You’re pathetic, if you want to fuck someone go to a club”

I turned away and began walking but his arm was wrapping around my waist pulling me back to him

“I don’t want to fuck someone. I want to fuck you” his lips hovered my ear and i closed my eyes momentarily taking in his rich scent. I bit my tongue to bring me back from my lustful state

“That’s nice and all but I don’t really do one time fucks with guys like you” I muttered and his hold tightened

“What guys do you fuck then?” He asked lowly

“Nicer ones” i mumbled and he hummed

“Do the nice ones satisfy you?”

“Yes…” i whispered but it was a lie and he knew that.

“They make you all wet hm? Do they even know what they’re doing to your pretty clit? Do they know how to curl their fingers inside your tight cunt? I bet they don’t show you how hot their mouths are on your little pussy. Have you had someones tongue lick your clit love?” I was breathing hard at his words and i could feel my underwear sticking to me.

“I’m- I don’t know- i need to leave” I wasn’t sure what i was saying but i had to go

“Tell me you don’t want me to touch you, I’ll let go just tell me you dont want to see my face between your thighs hm?” As if to drive his point a hand rubbed the skin of my upper thighs, keeping them apart as his fingers brushed my damp panties.

“We’re in public- there’s people” i stated alarmed by his lack of care

“So tell me you don’t want this” he uttered, his fingers moving the cotton material to the side and sliding his fingers through my folds making my mouth fall open

“Klaus-“

“Tell me” he whispered, his fingertips rubbed my clit in agonisingly slow circles

“I can’t” i breathed

“Why not?”

“Cuz- i want this” i moaned, his fingers sped up and i gasped quietly

“Yeah? You want my hand to fuck you? Have you spill all over the floor?” He questioned, his mouth was so close to my neck i could feel his hot breath

“There’s people” I muttered despite the ache between my legs begging me to ignore the by-passers.

“We’re tucked away, they can’t see you” he whispered, his fingers applied more pressure to my clit and arm moved out to hold onto the wall beside me. His front pressed right up against me, his hard on grinding against my ass while he pushed two fingers inside of me. I moaned louder pushing my hips back to meet his making him groan and pump his fingers faster, the pad of his thumb pressed down on my clit rubbing quickly

“Klaus” i huffed looking and seeing people walk by the ally we were in

“Im serious there are people” i whispered but moaned at the last word making him chuckle

“It’s dark here, they won’t be looking” he convinced while forcing another long finger inside, all three curling sensually

“B-but what if-“ his hand moved unbelievably fast having me cutting myself off with a moan

“No more talking love” he muttered, his head lowered to my shoulder, open mouthed kissed were spread up my neck and jaw. I could feel myself tightening around his hand repeatedly. Heat was rushing through me like wildfire as i felt that familiar burning desire to release approaching.

I threw my head back as he found the sweet spot of my neck adding to the already overwhelming pleasure

“Oh klaus” i breathed and he chuckled in response against my throat, his blunt teeth grazing the skin, another long moan leaving my lips. My hips rocked along his fingers as they rubbed at my g-spot.

“You close love?” He asked but his tone shone with amusement as i whined and panted as my high neared

“Please faster” i whispered and hummed

“You want me to move it faster or you want to fuck yourself on my fingers faster?” He questioned, i glanced down to see that his wrist was now unmoving, my hips riding his hand fast with his other hand furiously rubbing at my clit in all directions. I blushed crimson but couldn’t bring myself to slow even if i was flooded in embarrassment.

“Please help” I whimpered

“Of course sweetheart” he murmured, his fingers moving aswell as my hips,the combination had him hitting harder and deeper. My eyes squeezed shut, my back arched like a cat as my legs tensed and i slipped off the edge. Loud moans danced through the air as my orgasm flew through me.

I didn’t register the fact that his hand was over my mouth until i found myself wrapped in his arms, my soaked underwear clinging to me as he hushed me quietly and kissed the side of my head. My legs felt weak as i leant back into him tiredly

“Nobody heard did they?” I mumbled but he only continued to make a ‘shh’ sound swaying me softly

“Klaus? Tell me nobody heard” my eyes opened as i found myself further down the ally so nobody was near

“Oh thank god” I muttered sighing heavily. He laughed lightly and kissed my shoulder

Since that day he’s been showing up regularly. He almost always sent flowers to the college i worked at. He was adamant to have my pose for him at his house, to have me go out on a date with him.

Sometimes he showed up at my college which greatly pissed them off because of the educational rivalry. He brought lunch and would stay for as long as he could before I practically threw him out.

Whenever i had a small side job for modelling he turned up and payed me not to go

“They won’t appreciate your body the way i do” he explained while pulling me away from the art class

“They’re expecting me” i tried but he wasn’t having it

“I’m expecting a date and yet here we are” he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Eventually i agreed to date. Just one so that i could shut him up but one date turned to two which turned to a dozen and…so on.

He’s still very eager to paint me on full display, apparently it would make the perfect centrepiece for his bedroom. I am yet to let him.

#klaus mikaelson #the originals #klaus mikaelson x reader #klaus mikaleson imagine #klaus mikaelson one shot #klaus mikealson fanfiction #niklaus imagines #klaus michaelson #klaus m #klaus mikaelson x y/n #the vampire diaries #the vampire diares imagine #kol mikaelson #tvd klaus #rebekah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #niklaus mikaelson #tvd universe #hope mikaelson #klaus mikaelson fluff #klaus mikaelson headcanon #klaus mikaelson yandere #klaus mikealson smut #klaus mikaelson x yn #klaus mikealson x reader #tvdu x reader #artsy nik #klausy being an artist #tvd smut #tvdu fanfiction

[hainethehero]

Stucky headcanon of Steve & Bucky meeting in the 21st century...

(Bucky's POV)

"Wait- they're sending who-?"

Natasha sighs over the line, probably pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration at his antics. But Bucky could honestly care less. Because he wasn't feeling too charitable based on the news he'd just received.

"Look, SHIELD wants him, and he's a cool guy once you get to know him," Natasha tries.

"I don't care what SHIELD wants. They know I work alone!" Bucky spits, "I don't need some military mascot trailing after me and my team!"

"He's not a mascot, Barnes. Steve's a cool guy-"

"I don't care, Natalia."

"Look, you can be as pissy as you want, it's not gonna change anything. Fury's already gotten his file and he's probably being debriefed right now."

"The fuck he is," Bucky growls, cutting her off and stomping his way to the elevators. He jabs the button to Fury's floor, leaning against the glass wall with his arms crossed. His nose twitches, several sweet but not overpowering scents filling his senses. It's a soft, floral note that confounds the fuck out of him because none of the agents he works with smell like that.

It's all manly and clean with woody musks.

"Thirty-sixth floor. Fury, Nicholas J." the elevator announces, as if Bucky needed any introduction. He steps out onto the floor and frowns at the scent that seemingly grows stronger the closer he gets to Fury's main office.

He hears the man's voice and slows his stomp to an even pace, trying to make out the figure seated with his back turned to the outside. Fury is leaning against his desk, a finger pointing at something in the file the other man is holding.

"The mission is simple, get in, get out, minimum casualties."

That's Bucky's cue. "Thought this was a one-man job."

The blonde man sitting suddenly rises to his feet, an air of mystery around him and politely offers his hand.

"Hello, I'm Steve."

Bucky narrows his eyes at him, taking in his face which looks so perfect it's almost porcelaine. And his lips are the brightest shade of baby pink the assassin's ever seen. Not to mention how soft his hand looks as it awaits his own. Bucky subconsciously flexes his metal fist, glad it's still hidden under a glove. He does his best to show his utter disregard for the man, guessing he was probably used to being in the spotlight all the time.

"I work better alone. You know that."

Out the corner of his eyes, he can see the man quickly retrieve his stupid hand, sitting back down quietly as if he'd been dismissed.

Well, he had.

But the redness on his cheeks made his embarrassment clear. Barnes felt a little satisfaction in knocking down Captain America a peg or two.

"Well, Captain Rogers has been added to the scheme. He is at your disposal. And when I say disposal, I mean he's the reason why the mission is minimum-casualty- coded."

Bucky glares at Steve again, irritated at the fact that SHIELD thought it'd be a good idea to toss some random into his team, less than two weeks before their mission. He didn't like to be undermined. And this felt exactly like that.

"I don't need help-"

"These orders come from the top, so there's really nothing I can do, Barnes." Fury sighs. "Now, quit pestering me and help your newest teammate get acquainted with mission training. Goodbye."

Bucky rolls his eyes and stalks out of the room, stopping only briefly to address Rogers.

"You comin' or what, Spangles?"

Steve's face was a mirror of discomfort as both men step into the elevator. Bucky jabs the button to the training rooms and leans against the wall, arms folded again. He sniffs discreetly and realizes that the soft, floral scent hadn't left his nose at all. In fact, it had gotten stronger now that he thought about it. He sideglanced Rogers and realized with much surprise that it was him.

Some wretched part of him wanted to call Steve a grandma for smelling like that but even he had to admit, the scent was oddly beautiful and a welcome change to the usual stink of SHIELD and its hypermasculine environs. He takes in Steve's civilian fit and probably for the first time that day, let intrigue win.

As a science and history buff, it was pretty incredible to see a man who'd been plucked straight out of the forties. His sense of style was reflective of that. Soft khakis and a simple white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. His hair was neatly combed and styled in that church boy fashion, with some strands curling down about his forehead. Yeah, Captain America was the perfect polished soldier, if he'd ever seen one.

But Bucky was too annoyed to be inquisitive at the moment. Maybe he was overreacting and overly pissy with the new recruit. That didn't mean he couldn't appreciate how good-looking the guy really was. He was a total doll face, what with the blue eyes and long camel lashes and the pouty pink lips. In some other circumstance, he imagined he'd be asking Steve if he could order him a drink. He could see himself sitting at a bar, talking shit with Rogers all night. Though, he didn't think the great Captain America even frequented bars.

When the elevator announces their level, he steps off and quickly realizes he's not being followed. He turns and asks Steve again if he's coming, and pauses in his tracks.

He recognizes the look of pure disassociation on the man's face almost immediately. Blue eyes were shadowed by a deep frown and blank stare. His brows were set in a confused frown and he seemed to be holding his body tightly, as if he'd fall apart if he didn't.

Then, as quickly as Bucky noticed it, it quickly melts away. Rogers nods awkwardly and follows him to the training room.

"Holy shit."

Bucky watches as Rumlow approaches all sweaty and gleaming. He notices the way Steve's face lights up when he recognizes the man and his skin prickles a little. He chalks it up to Brock's natural tendency to raise his hackles.

"Rumlow," Rogers greets and it's bordering on robotic.

"Rogers, didn't expect them to bring you in already."

Bucky frowns at Brock. "You knew about this?"

"Heard a rumour a couple weeks ago, didn't think of it til now."

The team approach them and Bucky notes how Steve takes a little step back, probably feeling cornered or something. He imagines the dude's got mad stories to tell about the war. With passing interest, he wonders what kind of dreams the Captain has.

"Captain, this is my STRIKE team. I'm assuming you've met Rumlow, my second in command. After him, Rollins. Wilson is one of our newest recruits but we've worked with him before. He's pararescue. And our specialists, Lopez and Murdock."

Steve smiles and signs a greeting at Lopez when he realizes that she's deaf and- what the fuck, why was that so adorable? Bucky narrows his eyes, trying desperately to feign nonchalance when, in fact, he wanted to coo like he usually did when Alpine did some cute shit.

Then Steve's eyes meet his and his smile disappears as quickly as it came. He tries not to take it personally, after all, he had been a total bitch to the guy. But, whatever. Captain America was sort of adorable. So what?

He clears his throat and addresses the team, "We have roughly two weeks to prepare for this retrieval. And now, thanks to Fury, we also have to bring Spangles into the loop. Let's get to work."

He watches as Steve heads on over to the punching bags with Rumlow. He wasn't in the proper gear to train so Bucky assumed he was asking Rumlow for a quick run-down of their training schedule. He tries not to feel offended that Rogers had gone to his second in command, rather than him, the team leader.

#steve rogers #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes #stucky #stucky headcanon #marvel #mcu #steve rogers is a bottom #bottom steve rogers #sub steve rogers #pretty steve rogers

[ladylamrian]

- Chapter 3: The Unknown

[ Please read past chapters before this ]

-> Masterlist of this Mini Series <-

Female MainCharacter: Alexis Clarissa Fontaine

Pairing: F!MC×NikRyder

Other characters in this chapter: Katherine, Vera Reimonenq, Ivy, Garrus, Krom, Elijah,...

Summary: Nik doesn't remember Alex, instead... Elijah Ryder and the bloodwraith are back.

Word Count: 1.1K words

Rating: Teen (Mystery, Angst)

Warnings: Language, Talk about death

-> My complete Nightbound Masterlist <-

Taglist: @infactnoimmasitinthemiddle ; @peonierose ; @secretaryunpaid ; @jdstar88 ; @blackcatkita ; @lilyoffandoms ; @liviusofpella ; @mxdanni ; @mariemarieohcontrary ; @tessa-liam ; @choicesficwriterscreations ; @hopelessromantic1352 ; @rosepetals1 ; @stars-are-within-me ; @dutifullynuttywitch ; @artbyalz

Comments via Reblog wholeheartly welcome

GIF interpretation: Alex loses her lover, Nik Ryder. Again.

With an old enemy left and getting rescued by an old, familiar stranger from a past vision, Alex froze, slowly trying to progress. She's shocked, and so is the blond next to her. Nik Ryder, being an absolute stranger tried to calm down his pet. Never in his life has he seen that kind of creature, and now being saved by an old man who shoots glowing arrows in the modern 21st century?? Both face Elijah with open mouths. The legendary nighthunter, Elijah Ryder standing now in front of them.

"What are ya' both lookin' at me??", the old man muttered.

"I... Uh, Elijah? Is that you? No, it can't be. You're supposed to be dead.", Alex unsurely spoke.

"Oh, here I go to war and ya' already expect me to be dead?!! I may be old, but tougher than you think, child. Look at you, getting saved... and... Who's that pretty boy of your's anyway?", his strict gaze turned to Nik who was standing next to her. Nik who felt addressed, cleaned away the dust from his clothes and adjusted his glasses while his dog curiously started sniffing the surrounding area.

"Thank you for the rescue, sir. I don't know how you did this or what that was, but thanks. My name's Nik.", he reached his hand forward to shake Elijah's hand, but the old man avoided the friendly gesture and turned his strict gaze back towards Alex.

"How many times did I tell you to stay away from danger and not take things into your own hands when I'm not around?! You would have been dead now, child. Glad that I appeared on time, huh? And what are you even wearing? Where's ya' huntin' gear?"

"Uhhh, I'm wearing my regular clothes. My white shoulder-free top and blue jeans. Excuse me, what's going on? Who are you? You can't be alive, because you died years ago?!!"

"What non-sense are ya' muttering? Enough! Let's pay Garrus a visit, he'll have to explain. I told him to look out for ya' and...", he answered, grabbed her arm and pulled her to follow him until Nik intervened.

"Hey, back off!! Is this the way you treat a woman?"

"She's my student and my responsibility. Mind your own business, pretty boy.", he shooted a glare at him.

Exchanging another glance with Alex, Nik decided to turn his back and leave. His loyal dog follows him. Alex's heart sank seeing Nik go. Not after finally seeing him again. What's happening? What's going on? That man can't be her Nik. He doesn't even recognize her. Maybe a look-alike?

"Nik...", she sadly wispered while shedding another tear for him. She wanted him back, found him, and then she lost him.

"Child, I expected better from you. Remember what I once said, the closer you get to a person, the weaker you get. The more it will hurt you one day, so don't get too close. Don't trust anyone.", he explained in a harsh tone as she turned her attention towards him.

"Nik is the love of my life and I trust him from the bottom of my heart."

"A few months I was just gone and ya' already changed. Look how close the bloodwraith was about to kill ya'. Guess, I'll have to have a few strict words with Garrus for not looking after ya' while I was gone."

"Oh yes, lead me to Garrus. He'll explain what exactly is going on here.", she glared at Elijah.

The entrance doors of the Graveyard Shift shot open, as Elijah Ryder and Alex Clarissa Fontaine marched together inside. Both seeking answers. A friendly face with shimmering blue eyes greeted them.

"Elijah sir. Alex darling. Glad to..."

"I told ya' to look after her while I was gone. Just returning from NY and then I discover her beeing chased after the bloodwraith while holding hands with a guy."

"What??! My apologies, I didn't know. Alex, I thought you were at home?"

"Uhhhhh, Garrus. Explain first... Why is Elijah Ryder still alive and standing next to me? Nik said that he died when he was 17."

"What rubbish are y'a sayin', girl? Nothing ever happened to me and who's that Nik guy you're talking 'bout? Second thing, why were ya' runnin' away from the wraith, like a damn coward? I taught you to fight.", Elijah intervened when Alex was asking Garrus the question.

Before Alex could answer back, suddenly someone hugged her from behind which startled her at first. But then she calmed herself down after discovering who it was.

"Hey Alex, missed me?"

"Katherine?!! You're... You're back!!!"

Delighted to see her friend after so many months, she turned around to face her, returning her a warm welcoming hug. Again, tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Katherine, is that really you?! And the scars on your cheek... You're hurt. Did the war...?", she sniffed.

"I'm as hell as fine. Long time not seen, huh? Just returned with Elijah from the Vampire War. New York is safe now."

"I'm glad that you're alright, Katherine. I missed you. But... What is happening here and what happened to Nik? And Elijah??!!"

"Who's Nik, sweety?"

"Ooooh, is our Alex in love?! I want to know too. Who's Nik? Is he good-looking?", Ivy came from behind to tease her and giggled.

"Oh, not you all too!!", she begged and angrily dashed outside, leaving everyone behind in Graveyard Shift. Escaping those questions and everything. What should she do? What just happened? Of course, she's happy to finally have Katherine back, but Nik? Instead, she got Elijah??? No. No!! As Alex's mind tried to process everything, her eyes discovered a heartwarming, familiar face. It's... It's Vera who's lonely walking down the streets.

"Veraaaa!!!", she shouted, hoping that she knew at least what was happening. As she called her the second time, their eyes met each other's. Mysterious dark eyes. But before she could finally catch up to her, Vera frightened and ran away.

"What??!! Veraaaa, nooooo! Stop!!!"

Hearing Alex her screams, Katherine, Elijah, Garrus, Krom and Ivy dashed out from the Graveyard Shift to check on her.

"What's the matter, darling?"

"Everything okay? Why are you screaming Vera's name? Did she try to harm you?", Krom asked with concern as they all faced Alex and her tears.

"Wha... Wha... What? Why would Ve... Vera try to harm me? She's my friend."

"Because she's a Reimonenq. And a Reimonenq only wants power.", Elijah hissed.

"But Vera is different and not like her mother, Elijah."

"Why do ya' care for her? I thought I already convinced ya'? She's an enemy who can't be trusted. You two are no friends."

Nik beeing a total stranger? Elijah is alive? Not beeing friends with Vera? One night all friends were sitting together to comfort each other. But now everything and everyone has become unknown.

"I... I... I'll go for a walk. I want to be alone for a while, please.", Alex requested, turned away and left without turning back.

"What's wrong with this girl?!!", Elijah hissed.

*tap and zoom closer on pictures to see details

#nightbound #choices fanfics #bound by fate #mini series #choices #playchoices #choices nightbound #nik ryder

[andydrysdalerogers]

Attitude – Steve Rogers

Pairings: Steve Rogers x F! Reader

Word Count: 2.2K

Song: Birthday Sex - Jermih

Summary: Its your birthday and Steve... well Steve forgot....

A/N: This one I wrote just for me.  A little smutty action for my readers on my birthday (5/3)  You’re welcome. 😉 😏

It would be that he would forget today.  His mind is on the mission, concentrated on defeating the enemy and making sure his team is safe.  Its not like he would do it on purpose. You make it possible for him to do his job but sometimes a little acknowledgement would go a long way.  He pursued you, after all.  You were just an analysis at the compound.  Tony brought you in from your position at a Fortune 500 company because you were brilliant.  And a party for the employees one night brought you to the forefront of Steve Rogers’ world.

It was like a fairytale.  He courted you, (yes, his words, courted), asked your father for permission to ask you to marry him.  Tony had been so thrilled that Capsicle had found someone to thaw him out that he paid for a fairytale wedding as well.  It was everything you ever dreamed of. Steve cried when he saw you walking down the aisle on your father’s arm, causing you to cry.  It was perfect.

But now, two years into it, you were just upset. Steve had acclimated to the 21st century.  He had a phone to remind him of everything but this, this is the one day he forgot.  So, you just took it in stride.  What else could you do?  The keys hitting the lock brought you out of your thoughts, going back to working on dinner.  Dinner that was supposed to be special, not made by you.  You shook your head as your husband walked through the door.  “Hey sweetheart.”

“Hi.” You saw him drop his bag by the door.  You tried not to get irritated.  He supposed to put the bag in the laundry room and empty it.  Be helpful, like you had asked.  But you were so hurt from his forgetfulness already that you had no fight in you.

Steve comes and kisses your head.  “Whatcha making?”

“Pasta.” You drop the noodles in the pot to cook.  “Ready in 10.”

“Sounds good.  I’m just going to change.”  He leaves the kitchen, and you mutter under your breath. “Sure, just leave your clothes everywhere.”  You finish up dinner and serve.

It’s a quiet meal with Steve unable to talk about the mission just letting you know that it was successful, and no one was seriously injured.  You hummed in approval and got up to clear your plate.  “Something wrong sweetheart?”

“Nope.”

“YN, you’ve said maybe five words since I’ve been home.”

“Just tired Steve. Tony assigned me a project and it just took the life out of me.  I thought… never mind.” You turned back to the living room where Steve’s bag was still in the entry way. Goddammit.  You grabbed the bag and hauled it to the laundry room. “Guess I’m just the maid now,” you mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Steve was perplexed. You had never had attitude like this. You were sweet, loving, his princess.  He went to reach for his phone to call Nat to see if she had any insight when he realized his phone had been dead.  He remembered he hadn’t been able to charge it yesterday. He plugged it in and gave it a few minutes.  After it had enough charge, all of his messages and notifications came through.  And a bright red one was right on top.

TODAY: YN’S BIRTHDAY

Oh fuck.

Fuck, fuck.

He was completely and utterly fucked.  He forgot his wife’s birthday.  And then he remembered the bag he left at the door.  And the dinner you had made for him.  On your birthday.  

Ok, he is a dead man. 

Steve shot off a few texts, pleading with Nat to help him.  As soon as he had a plan, he went to get you. He got up and went to the laundry room.  He saw you there, swearing at him under your breath as you sorted his clothes for washing. He knew you were angry, but he had never seen you like this. One particular swear got his attention.

“He thinks I’m his fucking maid well he has another thing coming.”

“Want to run that by me again?”

You stopped and closed your eyes.  He had heard you. You turned around and glared at him. “I didn’t say anything.”

Steve’s eyes darkened.  “You might want to adjust the attitude princess.”

That set you off.  “And what the fuck are you going to do to make me?”

He stalked forward and you step back, fear now entering your eyes as you see the look on Steve’s face. “Say that again princess.  I dare you.” He wraps his thick fingers around your neck, applying just enough pressure to control you.

But it isn’t enough to stop the words from tumbling out of your mouth. “I said what the fuck are you going to do about it.”  A single tear falls from your eyes.  It was supposed to be your day.  Your birthday. And yet, here you were, fighting with your husband.

Steve doesn’t like to see you cry but at the same time he’s aroused with your attitude. He pulls you close. “I’ll fuck this attitude right outta ya, princess.” His Brooklyn accent comes out think and you feel yourself clench around nothing.  You move to close your legs but Steve blocks with his knee.  “Oh no, princess.” He spins you and bends you over the top of the washer machine. “Ya want ta be a brat, I’ll treat ya like one.”  He holds your back down as he unbuttons your jeans.

“Steve,” your voice trembles.  “What are you doing?”  He’s never been aggressive with you, never wanted to hurt you.  He was always gentle, and this new Steve was scaring you a bit.

“I want my princess back, so I think I’ll punish the brat out of you.” He gets your jeans and panties down, and he stares at your bare ass. He sinks down to his knees to lick your pussy from behind, listening to you mewl from the sensation.  “At least this part of my princess tastes the same,” he smirks.

“Steve, Steve, please,” you beg.  This is new, it’s all new and you love it.  Steve keeps going, swirling his tongue on your clit, your entrance, even your ass.  He stops only to lift you onto the machine so he can watch your face as he continues his assault.  He slowly adds a finger, and then another, stretching you open. “Oh fuck baby.”  He can feel you starting to tighten, and he stops. “S-Steve?”

“Bratty girls don’t get to finish.  Only my good little princess gets to finish.”  He smirks as he starts up again.  Its faster this time to build and he knows it.  He wants to tease you to the brink and give you the best orgasm for your birthday.  Then she can enjoy while he makes love to her.  That’s his plan.  At least for now.  He feels you tighten again, and he stops.

You let out a frustrated growl.  It’s your birthday and he’s edging you.  What kind of husband does that?  But of course, he doesn’t remember it’s your birthday.  He starts for a third time, and you think you might die if you don’t release.  “Please Stevie, please, I don’t – I don’t know if I can handle this?” The tears are real, the fear of this new Steve coming through. 

Steve stops and starts to pull away. “Shit, baby, I’m sorry.”

“No! Please don’t stop! Please!”

Steve dives back in and thrusts his tongue back into you.  You grab at his hair, pulling him closer. “Fuck! I’m so close.”

“Cum for me my princess. Let me drink you in.” Steve darts his tongue in and out and you are lost, blinded by the power of the most intense orgasm of your life.  You don’t feel Steve riding out your high or picking you up and putting you in bed.  But you do feel when he climbs on top of you and slowly enters. “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to take it that far.” He kisses you softly as he thrusts gently.  He makes love to you slow, letting you enjoy every sensation.

He flips you so you are on top of him but doesn’t let you do the work.  He grasps your hips and slowly moves you up and down.  “You are so beautiful.”

One particular thrust has you seeing stars. “Oh Stevie,’ you moan, your head tossed back.

He rolls you back over so he can look into your eyes.  “I love you YN.  You are my whole world.” He reached down to pull your leg up and reached over to your clit.  “I want you to know how much I love you.”

“I do Steve I do,” you cried. You built up again closing your eyes.

“Open them princess. Please open them,” he begged. When they opened, he could see the desire for him, the love you had.  “Let go,” he whispered. With a long moan of his name, he watched as you cummed around his dick.  “That’s it, princess.  Squeeze me, use me. Oh fuck!” He released into you, riding it out until he could hear the squelching sounds slowed.

He kissed your forehead as he pulled out and went to grab a towel.  He cleaned you up as you were in your dazed state. He crawled back into bed with you and held you as you fell asleep. He kept his movements on your body soft as you slept.  A buzz from the nightstand made you stir but not wake.  Steve reached for his phone.  He smiled at the messages and decided it was time to wake you. He kissed you lightly on your lips. “Sweetheart?  Princess, it’s time to get up.”

“No.”

“C’mon princess. I wanna take you somewhere.”

“No.” You rolled onto your stomach and buried your head.

“Please?”

“No, its my day and I want to stay here.” Your muffled reply came with a quiet sob.

“Oh princess. I’m sorry.  I know I forgot.  Please let me make it up to you.”

You lifted your head. “Who reminded you?”

“My phone.  It died and when I charged it, I saw the reminder and…” he could see the tears forming, “I forgot. I shouldn’t forget but I did.” You rolled to your side, not wanting to look at him. “Baby, I’m so sorry.” He held you close as you cried. “You’re my princess and I want to treat you like one. Please, my love?” You turned to him, and he kisses your nose. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you mumble, burying your head into his chest.

“C’mon sweet girl, let’s get ready.”  He lifted you up and took you to the shower with him.  He washed you all over, taking his time but not letting you wash him. “I’m worshiping you today so out so I can wash up.” You pouted but went to your closet.  You pulled on your favorite red dress, the one that makes Steve drool.

Hair and makeup done, you walked out of the bathroom to see Steve’s mouth hang open.  “See something you like, soldier?”

“I, umm, Jesus, you are fucking beautiful,” he said, his eyes raking over you.  Now he just wanted to peel that dress off of you and keep you in bed.  But no, this was your birthday and he needed to make everything right. He placed his hands on your hips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”  You reach up for a kiss.

“Hmm, I want to keep kissing you but we have to go.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise princess.”

Steve guided you to the other side of the compound.  Everything was dark.  “Steve?”

“Hold on, let me find the switch.”  The lights came on.

SURPRISE!

The team was there, streamers hanging, champagne glasses raised in your honor.  You gasp, holding your hands to your face. You look at Steve who is smiling big.  He pulls you close. “I’m sorry I forgot and I’m sorry I forgot about the bag.”

“Stevie…”

“Hang on.”  Bucky brought him two glasses and gave you one.  He cleared his throat.  “Everyone, thank you for coming together on such short notice to celebrate this woman right here.  She is the most patient, forgiving, loving, extraordinary woman I have ever known.  And tonight, I just want to celebrate her.” He raised his glass.  “To YN. Happy birthday!”

“To YN! Happy birthday!” Everyone clinked their glass as you had to turn your head to wipe away the tears. Everyone comes up to give you their wishes and hugs.  Tony has a cake brought out for you to make a wish.  Some music is played, and Steve takes you in his arms and starts slow dancing with you.

You start to feel guilty about all the effort made. “Stevie, I…”

“Don’t princess.  You deserve this and more. I love you.  And I promise, I’ll be better at being a good husband.”

“I guess I can be better at talking to you. I’m sorry for swearing at you.”

Steve pulled you in closer and whispers, “It’s ok princess but if I hear ya swear again, I have no problem fucking that attitude right outta ya. Birthday or not.”

You look up at his eyes and see that they are blazing. You smirk.

“I’d like to see you fucking try.”

#andy's hea #andy's shenanigans #steve rogers smut #chris evans #chris evans smut #captain america #steve rogers #steve x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fanfiction

[spencer-reids-adventures]

ok computer

summary: where did spencer's anti-technology quirk come from?

characters: spencer reid, aaron hotchner, penelope garcia

warnings: mentions of violence

wordcount: 1.2k

ao3 link

He got knocked out in a cornfield.

That’s the first thing he remembers.

As his mind swims back into consciousness, he sees the little red light on the camera that’s focused on him from across the room, and, next to it, several laptops all set up in a row streaming different feeds. It’s horrifying, the way Hankel is using technology to spy and stalk and kill. It’s horrifying to know his friends are probably watching him right now. He feels violated and terrified and helpless.

Hours pass, bleeding into days, and he’s forced to choose a person on a screen, someone to save from their untimely death. Hankel plays Russian roulette with him, the camera picking up every click of the gun. He’s stuck in a technological hell, and despite the clues he’s left for his team, he doesn’t know how he’s going to get out of this. 

He does get out of it, eventually. And sure, the cameras helped—they let him get his messages to the team, which in turn let them figure out where he’s been taken. But more than that, the computers have caused relentless pain and suffering for everyone. If it weren’t for those computers, Hankel might not have killed all of those people. If it weren’t for those computers, the team wouldn’t have had to see Spencer die. If it weren’t for those computers… 

When he finally gets home, broken and bruised, Spencer stumbles into his living room to see his laptop open on the desk, practically glaring at him. He hobbles over to it and slams it shut, then puts it in a drawer for good measure. He wants nothing to do with it. Just seeing it gives him a sick feeling in his stomach. He doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want it.

At work, he puts a piece of tape over the webcam of the computer at his desk, and he ignores the entire monstrosity, leaving it turned off as he does all of his files meticulously by hand. No one questions it. They’re used to Spencer having his quirks, and for the most part, they don’t give him a hard time anymore. No one forces him to explain.

Years pass, and he continues to avoid the computer as much as possible, and one day, Penelope comes into the conference room with an armful of touchscreen tablets. 

“Welcome to the 21st century,” she says as she passes them out. “Behold. Everyone has a new tablet.”

Spencer can’t help himself. “We’ve gone paperless?” he laments, frowning.

“Fear not, Doctor of the Dark Ages,” Penelope says reassuringly. “I went old school for your anti-technology quirk. Paper files, hard copy photos. But the abacus is your responsibility.”

Spencer smiles at the file folders in front of him, grateful for Garcia’s consideration. He assumes everything’s fine, until Hotch comes to sit down next to him on the jet on the way to their next case.

“May I ask you a question, Reid?”

“Uh, sure,” says Spencer. “What’s up?”

“I’m curious why you choose to do all of your work by hand instead of using the technology that the bureau provides you. I know Garcia referred to your ‘anti-technology quirk’ but I guess I’m just wondering…where does that come from? You’re a scientist. Why are you so opposed to technology?”

A dozen answers run through Spencer’s mind. He could tell Hotch he worries computers are taking over the world, like that unsub they had years ago in Seattle. He could say it’s because he doesn’t understand how computers work. He could make up any number of reasons. 

But in the end, he decides to tell the truth.

“Tobias Hankel used technology to stalk and kill people, and then he kidnapped me and used that technology to show you what he was doing to me, and I—” He shrugs. “It’s never been the same, since then.”

“Is that why you have tape over your webcam?”

Spencer nods. “I don’t like the idea that someone could be watching me through the computer,” he mutters. “I don’t like looking at computers. I don’t like using them. It all just feels…tainted. I can’t help but associate it with him, with that entire ordeal. And I just don’t like to think about that, you know?”

“I understand,” Hotch says. “Thank you for being honest with me, Reid.”

“You’re welcome,” Spencer says quietly. “Is it…okay if I keep using the paper files?”

“That’s absolutely fine,” Hotch promises. “I won’t force you to use a tablet, as long as you promise to keep using your cell phone. We need to be able to send you information that way.”

“That’s fine. I don’t, uh, have any trauma associated with cell phones, luckily.”

Hotch flashes a rare smile. “I’m glad.”

The more time that passes, the more Spencer starts to recognize how convenient it would be to use one of the tablets the rest of his team have. He doesn’t have the ability to instantly email pictures or files or messages back and forth. He’s forced to take grainy photos with his phone. A lot of things would be a lot easier if he had a tablet of his own.

He considers that one evening as he drags his ancient and untouched laptop out of the drawer at home and opens it up. He has to plug it in before it turns on, but when it does, he forces himself to play around with it for a while. Exposure therapy, he thinks. Maybe he can get past this.

It takes almost a year. Almost a year of messing around with his laptop, of using the computer on his desk at work, of occasionally asking his coworkers to borrow their tablets for a minute to send something. And as time goes on, it gets easier and easier, until he’s finally ready to approach Garcia and ask for a tablet of his own. 

“Oh, boy wonder,” she gushes, with a huge smile on her face. She pulls a box containing a brand new tablet out of the bottom drawer of her desk and hands it to him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Would you teach me how to use it?” he asks shyly. “I’m trying to be better at technology, but…”

“It’s a huge learning curve,” she supplies. “Of course I’ll help you.”

She spends the next few days tutoring him, until he has everything down and knows what he’s doing.

On their next case, she winks at him as everyone pulls out their tablets at the round table and Spencer joins them, no longer forced to wait for Garcia to hand him a paper file. Emily glances at him and does a double-take.

“Since when do you use one of these bad boys?” she asks, holding up her tablet. “Are we in an alternate universe? A parallel dimension?”

“Nah,” says Spencer. “I just made a choice, that’s all.”

“And it’s the right choice,” Garcia chirps. “Wait ‘til you see how well our boy genius handles the technology!”

Spencer blushes. “Thank you, Garcia,” he murmurs, quickly turning the device on and opening the crime scene photos and case notes. “Now, what have we got?”

The attention turns away from him as Garcia presents the case, and Spencer’s shoulders slump with relief. He can do this.

And he can. The case goes smoothly, they catch the unsub quickly, and Spencer is convinced it’s in part because he can work that much faster and more efficiently. He tries not to beat himself up for all that time when he was stuck in his paper files.

You did what you had to do, he thinks. And look where you are now.

No longer Doctor of the Dark Ages.

#spencer reid #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid blurb #spencer reid gen fic #criminal minds gen fic #cm fanfic #cm fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds fluff #platonic spencer reid

[obaewankenope]

"WELCOME TO HELL."

A loud, booming voice bellows across the flaming planes of despair and misery that make up, well, Hell. Maybe if I'd been born a medieval peasant or, I don't know, suitably Christian, I'd probably have been more concerned with the literal reality of Hell but, honestly, I'm a millennial. I focus on weird shit to the exclusion of all else because hey, that's more sane than watching the news and seeing the 21st century being the end-of-humanity century via war, climate change, and ecological destruction the likes of which humanity has never before known! Cheery things to focus on, not.

Anyway; loud, booming voice bellowing a greeting to the newly dead and Judged™ (I guess) me.

"Who got the job to welcome new souls to Hell and didn't think to be original with it?" I asked out loud because sometimes internal thoughts become external sentences that my brain and I do not agree on and thus happen without my informed consent.

ADHD is... Something and even dead, I've still got it apparently. Kind of feels like a problem for everyone else really. I'm used to my brand of chaos. Double RIP to the souls that aren't.

"Or did they get the job like millenia ago and got real bored trying to be original every time a soul showed up? Or is the voice automated? It's probably automated. Everything is nowadays." I rolled my eyes. "Good luck finding an actual human to talk to before the automated voice lists twelve million options and gives you way more advice and 'warnings' than you need to hear with anxiety and a hyperactive mind."

I rant, I admit that. I've already ranted. Rambled. Digressed along a seventeen year path. Waxed lyrical about Parisian sewers, so to speak. It's just what I do. ADHD brain, as we say.

Now, I don't think I did anything wrong, personally, but apparently ranting when you get dropped off to Hell and let your inner thoughts become a slew of outer words is... Grounds for direct intervention.

No, I don't know why, and no, I'm also not going to ask why. I'm banned from having contact with The Devil™ for eternity. There's an actual court document stating it. Yeah, the afterlife has a court system, I know.

Anyway, direct intervention.

"CEASE YOUR PRATTLE!"

Big, booming voice on The Devil™. A mix between very loud choral music and a heavy metal rock band concert that's figured out how to make their entire set louder than human ears can safely hear. And they're pretty close to that limit normally.

"Uh, okay," I slowly said in response to the very loud demand from a literal Fallen Angel because, well, you kind of would, wouldn't you. Except I'm not normal. Like I said, I'm a millennial and we've never been known to stay quiet when we probably should.

I blame the internet.

"But seriously, it's a valid question," I continued after a moment where The Devil™ probably thought I was cowed or terrified or something. Jokes on them, I have no self-preservation instincts to speak of and have literally not reacted to almost being ran over before.

Which... Might be how I died, actually. Hmm. Something to think about!

"Just, this is meant to be the place for damned souls and all that jazz, you'd expect the initial experience to really set up the whole thing to be more... Well, more impressive than a loud voice shouting 'Welcome to Hell'," I kept going because, again, I have the self-preservation instincts of a mantaree.

I may have done a little dramatic voice change for the 'welcome to hell' bit of my sentence but that's not really important to this story .The Devil™ wasn't impressed by it though.

"YOU ARE TRAPPED IN HELL, CAST OUT AND JUDGED BY GOD—" a lot of vitriol on that word there "—AND WILL FOREVER BE DENIED PARADISE AND YOUR FOCUS IS NOT ON YOUR SUFFERING BUT ON THE GREETING YOU RECEIVE WHEN YOU ENTER THIS PLACE?"

Okay, so, I don't think The Devil™ can sound confused the way we humans do, honestly I don't, but at the moment The Devil™ definitely sounded pretty confused to me.

"Well, yeah," I replied. I'm still confused about how The Devil™ didn't seem to understand my perspective here but, well, I can rant like the best of them and I'm very good at it when I need to explain something. "It's the principle of the matter really. You've got the whole damned-ness going on; the fire and the brimstone and the vibes are very despair-y. That's all great! Top marks there. But," I pause to make that sound where you pull air in through your teeth to sort of hiss but not hiss. You know what I mean.

"The voice isn't intimidating, it doesn't really give you anything when you show up confused or whatever. It's just loud and not even demonic or anything. Honestly, it sounds like how a greetings sign to some random town feels. Kind of just... There. It's a bit underwhelming." I paused. "A lot underwhelming."

Maybe it was the way I talked or how fast I am when I speak aloud but The Devil™ seemed more bothered by my critique than by me actually not being scared of them. Which, well, I figure us millennials can't be the only ones who focus on weird shit when there's more 'reasonable' stuff to focus on at times. Kind of figures The Devil™ would do the same. Though, in The Devil's™ defense, I guess their entire getup inspires fear and terror so they just take it as their due, so to speak.

"YOU DARE INSULT MY DOMAIN!!"

Where The Devil™ got that from, I don't know but I was not there for it. At all.

"I AM THE RULER AND ABSOLUTE OF THIS DOMAIN AND I SHALL-"

"Woah, wait a minute, I'm not insulting your domain! I'm giving a critique that you asked for tacitly by asking me so don't forget about that!"

I cut The Devil™ off mid-sentence. I literally cut The Devil™ off because, honestly, listen, I've survived a lot of shit online in my life. I have had enough of being accused of insulting something or someone when I've been giving an actual critique or criticism that was constructive. If I didn't take it off BootLickerTrumpLover99 then I sure as hell wasn't going to take it off The Devil™.

Even if The Devil™ could reduce me to metaphysical mulch.

"Like, it feels superfluous to have that voice when, I don't know, a sign would work just as well. And even if you wanted to keep the voice greeting, which, yeah works for anyone with a visual impairment, it's not creepy or demon-y or even scary sounding. It's just generic." I looked up at The Devil™ then and maybe they realised I wasn't being an ass or something. Like, honestly I wasn't. I actually really was kind of invested in this now.

Mainly because they sort of offended me by thinking I was insulting their greeting voice without at least having some constructive criticism for them.

"AND WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?" The Devil™, the actual fucking Devil, asked me and they didn't even sound pissed.

I literally got asked my opinion by The OG Fallen Angel. This is probably why I ended up in Hell. For this reason alone. Or because I may have caused some uh… Questionable things to occur in my lifetime.

I hummed in thought, tapping my chin because I thought it'd look cool. It probably didn't. "Well, I guess you could change the pitch of the voice if you want to keep that particular greeting so it's less corporate American mall and more... The batteries have run down but the speakers are still working enough to transmit so enjoy the distortion and the accompanying nightmares it'll give you. That would work better," I said and the Devil™ actually nodded at me.

Nodded!

"You could change it to something more childish sounding complete with giggle or laughter or something equally disconcerting because of the dissonance of a child's voice announcing that you're in Hell; that'd get some people good, I think," I continued, really in the swing of it now because this, this is my jam really.

Belting out ideas whether they be for cursed fics, crack pairs or the kind of voice you could use to welcome people to Hell, it doesn't matter the context, I am very good at thinking things.

"I guess a really distorted, demonic sounding—like you hear in movies and stuff all the time because hey, being original is something Hollywood is allergic to I swear—that could work too. I don't know if it'd work for everyone or if they'd not be able to make out what was said." I blinked. "Though, that might scare some people more if it's on a loop and they have to listen to it over and over to figure out it's welcoming them to Hell. Oh, that'd be kind of evil actually." I looked at The Devil™ sort of delighted with myself for that little realisation.

"REPETITION DOES TEND TO TERRIFY MORTALS MORE THAN SINGULAR OCCURENCES, YES." The Devil™ actually agreed with me.

"Yeah, it's because our brains are wired for pattern recognition. When something is just not normal to our perception but we listen or watch it over and over, we notice the discrepancies more and more until they're all we can see and they freak us the fuck out," I explained because, well, this is also my wheelhouse.

I have a lot of jams and wheelhouses, okay.

"YOU HAVE GIVEN ME MUCH TO CONSIDER," The Devil™ said in what was probably the closest to a conversational tone they could manage. It still sounded like it'd obliterate my eardrums if I wasn't a metaphysical representation of my human form and was made of flesh and bone still.

"Oh, you're welcome then," I said because, well, what else are you meant to say to that? "If you ever want to throw some ideas or things to critique my way I'm—"

I got cut off then by a very, very loud sound that was sort of like a thousand echoes all sounding at the same time and also an orchestra and choir at full volume. It was really loud, okay, and I definitely blanked for a second or two on the metaphysical plane of existence because of it.

"RELEASE THE SOUL YOU TOOK BEFORE ITS TIME OR YOU SHALL BE CAST FURTHER FROM WHERE YOU ALREADY FELL!"

I don't know if you've ever seen The Devil™, you probably haven't, but they had that look a toddler does when they've been naughty and got caught at the last second. You know the look? Yeah, you know it. Well, that's the expression The Devil™ had on their huge form that was vaguely humanoid.

Actually, thinking about it, they probably only looked humanoid to me because I perceived them that way. Huh, that's something to think about again at 3am.

Back to that loud voice and what clearly seemed to be a kid caught being naughty.

Most people, most sane people, probably would have stayed silent there but well, we've already established I am not most people.

"Uh, what's happening right now and does it really require violence to resolve?" I asked because, well, you gotta ask that really. "Because I really don't think violence is the answer, unless it is the answer in which case can I please vacate the area before the fighting because I am definitely out-classed here?"

"COME AWAY MORTAL, YOU DO NOT BELONG IN THIS PLACE!" That very loud, clearly not The Devil™ voice said to me and, okay, I'm not stupid but I can be slow on the uptake sometimes.

Besides, no one is stupid. That's ableist as fuck and I'm not here for that.

"Wait, I thought I died? And got judged, or whatever it is that happens to assign souls where they belong or whatever," I said because I'd kind of assumed that. Though, I didn't actually remember any Judgement™ happening.

"YOU WERE STOLEN BEFORE YOU COULD BE JUDGED MORTALS FOR THE FALLEN ANGEL KNEW WELL YOU DID NOT BELONG IN THEIR REALM OF DESPAIR!"

"THEY BELONG HERE MORE THAN THEY DO IN HEAVEN!" The Devil™ argued back with the… Angel, I guess. "ALREADY THEY SPEAK OF THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS WITH GLEE!"

"Hey hey hey, we don't kinkshame okay!" I blurted out and definitely got Looks for that. Fair. "You can enjoy something just fine but if you actively use what you enjoy to hurt others without their consent, then you're an asshole. Having ideas is not the same as acting on those ideas!"

"THE MORTAL SPEAKS TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT FALLEN, LET THEM LEAVE!"

I never knew The Devil™ could look sad but, well, they kind of looked sad at that order. Rebellious but that's expected of the literal first rebel ever to rebel. Sad though…

"Hey, it's not like you can't still ask my opinion on stuff, or for some concrit, you know," I said to The Devil™ trying to literally cheer up The Devil™. Yeah, I actually did that.

"THE FALLEN WILL HAVE NO CONTACT WITH YOU MORTALS FOR THEY DO NOT BELONG IN ANY PLACE THAT HAS THE LIGHT OF THE CREATOR IN IT!"

"Isn't there a Skype or, I don't know, Spiritual MSN or something to at least send a message though?" You'd think there would be something like that in the afterlife.

Apparently not though.

"NO."

I looked at The Devil™ and, honestly, I felt pretty bad. I hadn't been judged yet so maybe I'd end up back in Hell anyway but just up and disappearing, possibly forever, when The Devil™ seemed to actually enjoy someone having some constructive criticism for them… I'll admit, I'm a sucker for that. Blame my Livejournal and Ff.net days for that.

"Well, what if I just don't go then?" I asked, "you said I'm not judged yet so why don't I just judge myself, say I belong in Hell and then we all just go on our way like nothing happened?"

"HELL IS FOR THOSE WHO DESERVE PUNISHMENT, MORTAL!" The Angel reminded me like I didn't know that already.

I might have been a shitty Catholic but I still got raised on that stuff, I know what Hell is for.

And purgatory.

"It's also for a variety of people who didn't really do anything wrong but got the short end of the religious diatribe anyway," I pointed out. The Devil™ looked strangely delighted with me. "Unless Dante was wrong about the structure of Hell in his Comedies."

"HE WAS NOT," The Devil™ helpfully added.

"ENOUGH!" The Angel bellowed. "YOU WILL COME WITH ME MORTAL, NOW!"

Okay, so, bit of advice for you. Never, I repeat, never tell someone with ADHD to do something. If you're lucky, they'll grumble and do it but, usually, you're not lucky. Because most people with ADHD also have this thing where they get really oppositional to commands. It's called Oppositional Defiance Disorder. And, well, guess what I have?

"No."

"NO!"

"NO?"

"No." I repeated. "You don't get to tell me what to do just because you're all big and Angelic and stuff."

Now, I never knew this but The Devil™ is actually capable of the exact same shit-eating-grin you read about in stories and see on TV that is absolutely the grin someone has when chaos is happening and they are here for it.

"YOU CANNOT REFUSE!"

"I just did," I retorted. "And since Free Will is a thing, you can't make me."

Now, apparently a single Angel can't, so I'm right there. And Free Will is also a thing, so another right there. But…

Well, Free Will can be superseded by The Creator if and when they feel like it. And, apparently, death can be overruled too by The Creator when you're being stubborn.

"THEN THE CREATOR SHALL TAKE YOU MORTAL, FOR YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE!"

"Consent is sexy and I am not okay with this!" I exclaimed.

"GOODBYE MORTAL," The Devil™ said to me and in the next moment, I was here.

So yeah, that's how I've ended up alive again, and yeah, I'll take a straw with my drink, thanks.

#Writing #Satan #Devil #Fiction #Fic #Fanfic #Kat writes #Idk #I saw a writing prompts and thought of this... #Doesn't fit any I've seen so yeah

[how-masterful]

Remastered

Dhawan!Master X Reader

Chapter 8: The Snowmen

Summary: Christmas. 1892. You decided long ago that you and the Master were finished. Broken up. Done . But dark forces are brewing, and winter is on its way. Can saving the world from evil snowmen be the thing that finally gets you and the Master back together?

Notes: Good gods, I make a promise to not rewrite an entire episode again, and guess what I go and do! Many apologies that this didn’t go up in December, somehow I managed to forget just how busy things could get during the holidays. But better late than never! This fic is a biggie, clocking in at just under 16.5k words. So, grab a snack, a hot drink perhaps, but definitely get comfy. I hope you all enjoy, and i look forward to all the new fic’s i’ll be posting this year. Stay tuned! (ps, I hope this is a suitable bed time story @plethora-of-imagines​!)

Warnings: Cannon Typical Violence, Mild Language

The Rose and Crown was bustling with life. The merriment, and fervent drunkenness, was palpable within the London tavern, the regulars happily knocking back tankard after tankard. It always was this time of year, the bitter cold being drowned by the warmth of alcohol, a saving grace for those who had to work a hard day's graft. Sweeping through the days end crowd you slid the empty mugs onto the metal serving platter, patting the back of a familiar friend, and saving a drink from being knocked to the floor from an exuberant mid-storytelling gesture. You smiled, giving a small wave of ‘you’re welcome’, before disappearing out the back door. 

The pot wash was a small trek away now, considering the landlord had yet to find somebody to fix the broken side door- which you presumed to mean he couldn’t find anybody cheap enough to finish the job. He was a nice man, probably, when wasn’t underpaying you, staring at your chest, or getting drunk off his own stock. You could tell he was meant for better things, things not involving women or alcohol. That was the Victorian way. Not much different to the 21st century.

As you let the door latch shut, you turned to head across the back courtyard, when the sudden rush of wind bristled behind your back. Spinning around, you raised an eyebrow at the far corner. Where once had stood a propped up broom and an empty barrel, now stood a large snowman. A bulbous head sat upon a tall, wide body, its eyes a deep and narrowed black, its mouth a small slit in the snow- filled with razor sharp teeth, much like fangs. Instantly, you dropped the serving platter, sitting it down upon the pile of crates behind the back door. 

The courtyard had seemed to become chillier, your fingers grappling to pull the red shawl across your front, tucking the ends into the ribbon of your dirtied apron. The snowman seemed normal, upon inspection, your arms folding across your chest as you leaned in to take a look. You studied the creation carefully- any normal person would say it was the handiwork of an excited child, happy to receive the first snow of the season. But this felt… different. The way the eyes seemed to watch you, the way the teeth seemed to multiply the deeper you looked into its snarling grin. 

Something about this snowman felt… off. Otherworldly. Evil.

“I doubt he pays his barmaids to make snowmen on the job.”

A familiar voice called from the alleyway, leading back towards the street. At the sound you rolled your eyes, taking a deep sigh, your shoulders pushing back instinctively as the figure emerged from the shadows and into the courtyard.

“Not in this economy, anyway.”

“Ah, no wonder I had a gut feeling of otherworldly evil. It was just you.”

The Master smirked, his boots leaving heavy footprints in the snow.

“Aw, bless. You’re still so kind to me.”

“It wasn’t a compliment. Any reason why you’re skulking about and making snowmen outside my pub?”

You gestured towards the strange snowman, and the Master sent you a strange expression, stepping deeper into the courtyard.

“Am I not allowed to take a walk in my own city? And I've got much better things to do with my time than sit around building stupid snowmen.”

You rolled your eyes once more, giving a small, huffing sigh.

“Well, it wasn’t here earlier. And nobody else is strange enough to be wandering around in this cold.”

The time lord gave a similar sigh, before pulling a pair of glasses out of his top pocket and perching them on the bridge of his nose. The Master narrowed his eyes towards you, looking you up and down, as if inspecting you. In return, you did the same. He’d abandoned the creepers and cuffed pants for a pair of chelsea boots and long trousers, marrying his costume of gentlemanly standing with a woollen waistcoat and a familiar long, deep purple coat- this time lined with a woollen lining, a matching scarf slung around his neck, paired with a top hat perched atop his hair, now curled and refined instead of flailing madly. He’d even taken a razor to his jaw, his face now smooth and beardless. You hated to admit it, but he looked incredibly handsome. You shook the thought away- you shouldn’t be thinking that anymore.

The Master stepped closer to the snowman, and you followed suit, inspecting the mound of sculpted snow closely. He reached out and snatched a lump out of the side, crushing the small snowball within his grasp.

“Maybe the snow got bored of sitting on the floor, and turned itself into something more remarkable. Maybe, the snow remembered how to make a snowman. Maybe, it remembered how to have fun once in a while.”

You scoffed quietly by his side.

“There’s no need to be so condescending,” you said sharply, copying his gesture with the snow. You inspected the ice crystals closely.

“It was never your best quality.”

The Master turned to face you, one hand falling to his hip.

“If I recall, you were quite fond of it.” He jabbed, pulling away from the snowman.

“Not when it’s directed at me, it’s not.”

“And why is that?”

“Because i’m-” You stopped yourself in your tracks, biting your lip at the words that almost fell from your tongue. The Master waited expectantly, the familiar look of superiority plastered across his face when you couldn’t finish your argument. With a satisfied hum he removed the glasses from his face before sliding them back into his breast pocket. He shoved his hands in his pockets before turning on his heels, the Master heading back towards the shadows.

“Pretty girls that can carry trays are easy to come by, so I suggest you get back to work unless you want to end up even further below the poverty line.”

He called over his shoulder. You scowled, pressing your lips tightly together before following him out of the courtyard and into the alleyway.

“You looked better with a beard.” You lied, your anger searching for any insult that could dig at his vanity. The Master gave no reaction, a growl emerging from your throat.

“I’d say don’t catch your death, but that’d be preferable. Bare faces don’t do well in the cold.”

The Master paused and turned around once more, the twinkle in his eye still infuriatingly beautiful.

“Very cute, but I'm not the one who has to rely on candles and gropey factory workers tipping well to keep warm.” He replied, turning back to face you before he reached the corner.

“I’ve got a TARDIS for that. Thanks for the tip though, the sentiment’s touching- but you know you don’t have to follow the whole ‘In sickness and in health’ thing anymore, don’t you?”

You grit your teeth together, a small tug building in your stomach as you saw him walk away, whistling a small tune to himself as he disappeared into the night.

You pondered for a second, the cogs within your head turning rapidly within the machinery of your mind. The Master didn’t do anything for no reason, especially since he’d taken to staying on earth, which you still didn’t understand why. No, there had to be another reason why he’d decided to step out into the night. The first full snow, beyond the light dustings of powder that had covered certain parts of the city. This was a full blown, stereotypical, Victorian Christmas. And something about it was troubling the Master. You had to find out why.

With a forceful tug, your apron slipped down the front of your dress, soon trampled into the melting mush of snow at the edge of the courtyard. You made haste in traversing the alleyway and sprinting out into the open, the roads covered in the sludge left by the traffic of carriage wheels and horse hooves. A dark carriage was rolling down the main street, its driver hooded and cloaked, the windows hidden by the roller curtain, the damask a deep shade of maroon. Nobody else in London town would be so macabre without being in mourning- that had to be the Masters carriage. 

Breaking into a further sprint, you dodged past couples on clandestine strolls, drunkards stumbling through the street, and established gentlemen who could risk a nightly stroll without the risk of murder or societal impropriety. No doubt your mad dash would become gossip, the girl with the red dress chasing after a vehicle and doing something rather reprehensible- but you couldn’t care less. 

The carriage turned, its momentum slowing to allow the weight, and you took that moment to leap. Your boot hooked onto the metal latch of the back of the carriage, the ornate metalwork acting as handlebars as you yanked yourself upwards. There you lay on the roof, on your belly, fingers grappling to reach the small latch that opened the roof compartment. You lay for a while, listening in to the conversation inside. From the metal scratching you could tell he was communicating with somebody from a distance away, most likely a hypnotised nobody to do his dirty work. They were much easier to come by these days.

“The snow’s evolving fast, that snowman built itself in a single second. They’re also spreading closer to the river. I want more eyes out there. Especially around Blanc street.”

Blanc street? You raised an eyebrow. That was the street the Rose and Crown was on.

“Yes Master. Did you find what you were looking for?”

Ah, so this drone wasn’t exactly mindless. Maybe the Master had gotten lonely. Good. 

Inside the cabin, the Master paused.

“Yes,” he said after a while. “I did. She’s still alive. Still the same as ever. Still…”

There was a long silence. The goon on the other side coughed quietly.

“Still what, Master?”

The timelord course corrected, huffing dramatically. He always did that when he didn’t want to admit the truth.

“Still so nosy.” He replied. “She was all over that snowman, she could sense something was off about it too. Presumptuous, if you ask me. Personally I think she’s just looking for trouble. Sometimes I question why I even married her.”

That was it. With a powerful push, you shoved the pin from the top of the latch, the square gap opening wide as the lid swung downwards on its hinges. You followed suit, rocking forwards and allowing your head to fall through the gap, your upside down face meeting with the Master's shocked expression. You furrowed your brow, tone exasperated and curt.

“Because I said yes!” You snapped, and the Master's face immediately soured.

Slamming his knuckles against the front of the carriage, he scrunched his nose in annoyance.

“Pull over! Right, get in here-” He barked at the driver, a quiet ‘yes, Master’ echoing through the roof. The Master's hands suddenly reached forward, latching hold of your shoulders.

“Oi!” You shouted in reply, the momentum sending you tumbling down into the carriage. You felt your tailbone collide with the bottom of the carriage, your legs flying to land on the opposing bench, your dress ruffles falling to expose your lower thighs, your head ending up sat in the Masters lap. You both paused, staring at each other, the tangible pull of memory freezing you both in place. Any other time, any other you, his hands would begin to cart through your hair. But now was not one of those times. You shuffled awkwardly out of his lap, trying to manoeuvre yourself away from his clutches, and also trying to salvage any dignity you could muster. You brushed down your dress, sitting uncomfortably across from the Master and folding your arms indignantly. The time lord frowned, tapping his fingers upon his knees.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The Master snapped.

“What on earth possessed you to jump on the top of my carriage?”

“Because I missed you SO much.” You mocked, smiling sarcastically.

“And because you stormed off without telling me what you know about the snow.”

“Oh, really-” The Master scoffed, rubbing his hands over his face. The carriage pulled over into a small precinct, no unlike the courtyard flanking the Rose and Crown. The horses rode to a stop, kicking at the snow with a snuffle, fresh snowflakes landing upon their noses. The driver sat, almost frozen, small layers of snow building upon his shoulders before melting from his body heat.

“I knew the only reason you came snooping around the pub was because you were curious about something.” You said, pointing towards the ceiling, and the small metallic speaker that poked through the top of the cab. “And your little chat with whoever, confirmed that.”

Leaning forward, you mimicked the Master's pose.

“Something is going on with the snow, and you think it's alien. And, considering you’re keeping a low profile instead of trying to form a rocky alliance with the culprit I KNOW you already have in mind-”

The Master scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“You think it’s dangerous. And not in a good way.”

The Master threw his hands up in the air, reaching towards the cabin door with a scowl.

“I’m not doing this. I’m not getting into this with you-”

Storming out of the cabin and into the cold, the Master's feet split the fresh layer of snow. He charged forwards, standing in the middle of the empty street and letting out a low groan, his hands falling to his hips.

“Hey-” You called after him, almost jumping out of the carriage.

“I have a right to know-”

“No, you don’t!”

The Master spun around, practically launching himself across the snow in your direction, his finger pointed towards your chest.

“I don’t owe you anything! You don’t get anything from me anymore! You gave up the right to know anything the moment you left the TARDIS-”

“Because you wouldn’t tell me anything in the first place!”

You replied, the heat of anger warming your cheeks.

“You, Master, it was you that shut me out first. You dropped the ball, with your whole ‘time lord superiority’ and your secrets. Do you think it was an easy decision for me?”

“Well, it certainly seemed like it!” He argued back, teeth bared like an animal.

“And, Y/N, if I recall, I wasn’t the one that said I didn’t want to be married anymore-”

“I wasn’t the one that made it impossible to be married!”

The pair of you stood eye to eye, faces almost touching, shoulders shaking with rage. This palpable divide, the pain of yearning, it felt like a pair of handcuffs around your necks- keeping you tethered together through an inescapable pain. The Master yanked away his stare first, slamming the door of the cab shut before returning to your confrontational exterior.

“Right. Here’s what's going to happen. I’m going to take away the last hour of your memory-”

“You what-”

“Just shut up and listen!” He ordered. “I’m going to take it away. You, me, the snow, it’s all going to go away. You’re going to go back to your job, and everything that's happened between us tonight will feel like just a dream. That way you don’t have to worry about anything. And you’ll stay out of all of this.”

You instinctively pulled away from the timelord, looking him up and down with disbelief. He had no reason to do that, no reason to take it all away from you. But why only an hour? This was a man capable of using hypnosis to reset a person's brain completely, his ability so advanced he could practically erase them from the minds of everybody they’d ever known. He’d built an entire satellite system designed to paint himself as an angel in every single human's mind- so why would he be so merciful?

“Then you can tell me now, can’t you?”

The Master raised his eyebrow in confusion.

“What?”

“You can tell me everything you know now, and I'll forget it all. You always worked better after you rambled your whole plan. That way we’re both happy.”

You looked at him hopefully, your curiosity desperate to know what he knew. The Master thought for a moment, before letting his whole body sink into a defeated sigh.

“Is that the only thing keeping you from running?”

“Why would I run away?”

“I just told you I'm going to wipe your memory.”

“And I've just discovered evil snow exists. If you’re desperate for a chase, I'll run after you tell me. I bet I'll get at least five streets down before I get a stitch and you catch me. Never any good at sprinting and all.”

For the first time that night, the Master truly smiled. A real smile, not one of sarcastic superiority.

“Fine.” He relented, bending down to inspect the snow between his fingers once more.

“From what I can gather, the snow emits a low level telepathic field, basically a fishing net for thought-”

A sudden chill crossed over the back of your neck, the same distant whooshing of winter air emerging from the end of the back alley. You stepped away from the Master to inspect the cobbled alleyway, your eyes widening at the sight of the same snowman looming ominously at the end of the street.

“The snowman…” You said to yourself, watching the mouth of the creature begin to widen, more and more teeth emerging in the gap.

“-catching the thoughts and reflecting it back at the people stuck inside. But this stuff is acting strangely, carrying over a previous shape-”

“Master!” You yelled, grabbing hold of his shoulder and yanking him to your side, pointing towards the snowman.

“The snowman!”

The Master rubbed his hands together at the sight, instantly stepping forwards to inspect the new arrival. Your hand on his arm kept him from getting closer, his curiosity reaching its absolute peak.

“Ah! How grand.” He called excitedly, looking the grinning snowman up and down.

“Were you thinking about the snowman?”

“Yes!” You replied hastily. A second snowman suddenly shot up from the ground, the loud whoosh sending the pair of you stepping backwards in shock.

“Then I suggest you stop!” The Master finished, before grabbing hold of your arm and yanking you away.

 The pair of you turned to run, hoping to make a grand escape in the Masters carriage, when a further two snowmen appeared at the other end of the alleyway. You were boxed in, more and more snow creatures shooting like rockets out of the earth, their grins opening wide as a blizzard of snow emerged from their mouths. The snow was blinding, knocking the pair of you back into the middle of the alleyway, your arms flying upwards to shield your faces from the onslaught.

“Y/N, stop thinking about the snowmen!”

“I can’t!” You cried.

 The thought was stuck at the forefront of your brain, their deep black eyes and piercing grins plastered across the inside of your mind's eye. At this, the snowmen seemed to grow taller, their rumbling growls increasing the ferocity of the snow. The Master grabbed hold of your arms, pulling you down to the floor of the alleyway, your fingers grasping his jacket material as his hands reached to grasp hold of your face.

“Y/N, the snowmen are feeding off your thoughts, you’re trapped in their telepathic field, their fishing net-”

“I don’t understand!” You shouted, something primal in your gut screaming for help. You’d faced down daleks and cybermen and not even blinked, but now you were admitting your fear at the hands of demonic snowmen. The Master leaned in closer, his forehead almost meeting your own.

“The more you think of them, the more they appear, but you can change them-”

“How?!”

“Think of them melting. C’mon, Love, picture them melted!”

You scrunched your eyes shut, and began to visualise. You forced every part of your brain into action, fighting hard to imagine the snowmen around you as nothing more than sad little puddles. You pictures the scene in your mind- the Master and you crouched in the middle of the alley, the snowmen around you disappearing into a mound of sludge and cold water. The Master closed his eyes too, picturing a similar thought, and the frozen growls around you were squozen into a pathetic roar. You gasped as a powerful burst of rain crashed onto you from both sides, your hair and clothes now sopping wet as the snowmen disintegrated into nothingness, melting into the cobbles. The Master laughed, his hands automatically pulling you towards his chest, his fingers stroking down the back of your hair as you launched yourself into his arms.

“Well done, good girl, well done.” He said comfortingly into your hair, your nose breathing the scent of his aftershave in deep. It took a few seconds for him to realise what he was doing, the Master pushing your shoulders away to arms length, his face looking as if he was performing a million mental calculations at once. 

“Ehem,” he attempted, nodding curtly. “Good job. You got rid of the problem you created.”

“Is that going to happen again?” You asked as he moved to stand, brushing off his knees and taking the top hat from his head, pulling a face at the wet patch on its side.

“Maybe, the snow is spreading.” The Master explained, placing it back on his head.

“If it does, now you know what to do about it.”

You leant against the brick wall, shivering from the bite of cold that clung to the cold water, sending goosebumps across your skin. Crossing your arms over your chest, you looked up at the Master with a disappointed frown.

“Unless I forget.” You said, the Master's face falling in reply.

Soon he’d dragged you to your feet and bustled you into the carriage, pushing you to sit on the leather seat, his hands braced on each side of the door.

“Go home, get warm, go to bed. Don’t go investigating the snow, stay out of trouble.”

He said, or more likely commanded. You nodded at his words, knowing full well you weren't going to follow them.

“Thank you.” You said softly. “For saving me… and for not scrubbing my brain.”

The Master smiled slightly, glancing down at the floor.

“Don’t get used to it. I think it's better for both our sanities if we stay out of each others lives, all things considered. If I can't wipe your mind, try your best to do it yourself.”

Before he managed to pull away, you placed your own hand on the frame of the door.

“What are you going to do? Shouldn’t people be warned about the snow?” You asked. The Master smirked, the villainous bravado returning to his face once again.

“You and I both know that's not how I work. I suggest buying a raincoat”

“How am I supposed to do that on the barmaids wage you so detest?”

The Master scrunched his nose challengingly, before gesturing to the falling snow.

“Put it on your Christmas list.”

The door slammed with a metallic crunch, the Master's hand pressing itself against the glass. You looked closely at his hand as he muttered something to the driver about taking you home, your eyes falling upon his ring finger, pressed against the surface. You felt your heart lurch at the indentation on his finger, the small area of skin that used to hold his wedding band now exposed to the cold air. With two knocks to the side of the carriage the horses began to move, the Master walking away from the cabin and heading down the same alleyway the snowmen had appeared on, merging with the shadows as easily as the snow merged with the earth.

No. You couldn't let him escape so easily. Not after all that. You leant against the far wall of the carriage, giving the door a harsh push. The door swung open on its hinges, a small victory, and with a graceful leap you landed in a pile of wet sludge. Ignoring the wet that had started to soak into your boots, you made haste in catching up with the Master. His purposeful strides had struck deep into previously undisturbed snow, the journey winding through side streets and alleyways as you followed him towards the park. Hiding behind a tree, you watched the Master shove his hands into his pockets and casually stroll through the park gate. He was whistling to himself, pursing his lips and whistling out the chorus of Last Christmas. The Master had always seemingly been a fan of the 80’s, you thought. Not that anybody in the 19th century, beyond yourself of course, would be able to share in his enthusiasm. 

Dashing over to another tree, you watched him turn his head from side to side, inspecting his surroundings for any onlookers. Once he’d decided the coast was clear, you watched in surprise as he leapt into the air, his hands clasping onto something metallic, sending a small clang into the wind. With a seasoned pull he yanked downwards, his feet dangling above the snow as he leant upon what seemed to be the bottom rung of a ladder. You blinked in surprise, watching the feet of the ladder sink into the snow. The Timelord took one last look over each shoulder, and after he was satisfied, the Masters shoes began to easily climb their way up. It took only a few steps before the Master had somehow disappeared from view, and with the sound of two ringing taps, the ladder began to ascend once more into invisibility, still to the unbroken tune of Last Christmas.

 Without hesitation you raced towards the ascending ladder. You had to grasp hold of it now that he’d engaged with it. Surely he’d booby trapped it, attached some sort of safety mechanism. No doubt if some stranger had decided to climb up, they’d receive an electric shock, or searing burns across their palms, or possibly something much more macabre. You had no clue what the Master's mind had been able to create in his spiteful isolation. A part of you, as crazy as it was, deeply yearned to find out. You took a running leap towards the continuously rising ladder, hand outstretched. If you could just grasp hold of the bottom rung, you could yank down the ladder and follow him. 

It was getting closer and closer, you were within a jump's reach. With gusto you leapt straight into the air, practically an olympian- and proceeded to skim the bottom rung with your fingertips, before crashing back to the ground with an embarrassing puff of snow.

 You groaned, the impact cold against your back, your pride bruised as much as your behind was. From here you could see into the sky, the clouds sprinkling a dusting of snow into the atmosphere, the moon shining through the naked branches of dormant trees. Despite being right under where it had descended, there was no ladder above you. You cocked your head to the side, narrowing your eyes. The Master had seemingly ascended and disappeared from any sort of view. You couldn’t allow yourself to be defeated so easily, not after he’d gone to all that unneeded effort to save you earlier. The Master had the power to travel anywhere he wanted, anywhere he could possibly desire- yet he’d decided to stay in the same city he’d abandoned you in. If you couldn’t pick his brain and figure out why, you at least deserved to know where he’d set up shop.

Picking yourself up from the ground, you dusted off your skirt, which had only just begun to dry from the onslaught of melting snowmen. You focused your approach, stepping back from the spot and turning over your shoulder, just as the Master had. You bent your knees, preparing a run up, breathing the icy air into your lungs. You pushed off, kicking up a cloud of snow behind you, and swiftly leapt into the skies. 

Clang. Your fingers connected with a bar of cold metal, your hands wrapping tightly around the bottom of the ladder. No shock, no poison, no searing burns. The Master hadn’t trapped the ladder at all. You smiled, victorious at last. 

You glanced up towards the sky, your eyes widening as you saw the rest of the ladder appear against the darkness, your core sufficiently engaging as you yanked the ladder back down towards the earth. You climbed up each rung as fast as you could, eyes unbroken from the heavens, and as you ascended the ladder you smiled in disbelief. Below you, Londoners were once again roaming the streets. You called out to them, waving down at the man and woman who were walking their dog down the street. The dog began to yap, tugging on its lead, yet the owners paid no mind. Beside you, a stray cat lounged and mewed within the spindling branches of the tree, unbothered by your rapid ascent. 

“Oh, hello lovely.” You mused, fingers softly scratching between the cats ears, the small creature mewing in delight before slinking further up the branch. 

You followed its trail as it nimbly manoeuvred the thinning branches, your eyes falling upon the sudden appearance of a looming staircase, spiralling up high into the layer of clouds above, connected to the metal platform beneath your feet. Your hand connected with the hand rail, curved and coiled in intricate fashion, and your foot moved to step upon the first stair. The cat yowled, your attention once more pulled back to the ladder. It was still dangling downwards, feet piercing the snow. You put your hand on your hip, squinting your eyes as you questioned why it had not shot up like it had for the Master. He’d pulled down the ladder, climbed up, then you heard- oh! You ran towards the ladder and tapped it twice with your foot, watching as it disturbed the blanket of snow and began to rise back to where it belonged.

“Thanks.” You said to the cat, that licked its paw in reply. You never forgot to speak to the stray cats you encountered, the stories of the Cheetah Planet instilling a respect inside you for any possible kittlings you could encounter.

 Once more, you crossed invisibly towards the grand staircase, clapping hold of the bannister and placing your foot upon the bottom step. The whole structure felt like it was brimming with energy, the towering spiral almost buzzing under your feet as you carefully made your way into the skies. No matter how many steps you ascended, the usual stitch or lack of breath never reached your body. You didn’t even struggle with the change in atmosphere, it was as if you were clambering up in your own pocket of oxygen. 

The stairs took little effort, and soon you found yourself heading straight through the cloud layer. The air was cool, the soft water vapour tickling your nose as the end of the bannister came into sight. You paused, feet lodged upon the last step, and you eyed the floor curiously. Or, what you presumed to be the floor. Instead of a platform, you saw the vapour continued to sprawl across the ground, a blanket of cloud waiting at your feet. Perhaps this was where the Master would play his last trick, letting you believe you’d made it to the top, and send you plummeting back down to the earth. The most effective way to deal with intruders. And door to door salesmen.

Dubiously, you placed the toe of your boot onto the layer of cloud. Instinctively, you pulled back when your foot connected with something hard. Taking a breath, you stepped once more, this time allowing your whole foot to connect with the somehow solid cloud. First one foot, then another, and when you were finally satisfied, you allowed your hand to let go of the curved end of the handrail.

 Suddenly, all around you, the world began to glimmer. It was like a switch had been flipped, one by one the black night began to twinkle with stars, the horizon shimming with shapes and constellations, unblemished by any sort of light pollution. A small laugh escaped your throat as you stepped further onto the cloud, your arms reaching out as you span in a circle. You felt like a princess, albeit in your pauper gown, spinning around atop of a cloud. Like something out of a fairy tale.

 It was mid spin that you suddenly noticed the looming structure, and you stopped dead in your tracks. Your stomach began to flip and knot, your hands falling to your sides as you stared at the building with a yearning ache in your chest. There it was, standing proudly out of place atop of the cloud, atop of Victorian London. That Outback shack, that hut with its overhanging porch and boarded up walls, The Master's TARDIS. It hummed and shimmered in the low light, staring back at you with all its disguised majesty.

 Hesitantly, you stepped closer, each step bridging you closer to the front door. Part of you wondered if he’d be able to see you through the windows- maybe he’d turned them function, rather than decorational. Perhaps you’d see him, sitting inside by the console like a Scrooge, nursing a cup of tea and sitting with a book. Maybe he was angrily messing with the console, or the TCE, or any other piece of tech he could rip apart and put back together again. Part of you hoped he had a giant investigation board, completed with red string and shoddy camera pictures of blurry snowmen. While another part of you hoped he’d popped out to the shop via the back door. But you knew there was no back door to the TARDIS. That was what made your proximity feel so darn painful.

 Soon you found yourself stood at the front door, staring down at the wood and fighting the anxiety fuelled breaths your body was yearning you take. All it would take was one knock. Maybe two, possibly three, never four. Just some sort of sign. Some sort of attempt to get his attention. 

You shuffled your feet awkwardly, considering all the dreadful possibilities. He could make good of his promise to wipe your mind, maybe this time for good. He could stick an arm out and shrink you, like he’d done once with a poor bunch of carol singers. Hell, he could even kick you off the cloud himself for bothering him. Or… he could invite you in. Maybe make you a cup of tea, show you his string board of the investigation, let you warm up by the fire. Maybe he’d let you back in again. Maybe you’d never have to leave again. It took every ounce of will in your body to raise your hand, to simply press it against the door of that beloved Time and Space machine. Just to feel the familiar, comforting hum of its walls. 

You let your hand rest against the wood, working up the courage to make that fateful knock- but the TARDIS herself had seemingly decided you were taking far too long. At the touch of your hand, the TARDIS began to buzz and whirr with excitement, like a dog barking the moment it heard the postman approach the drive. 

“Shit!” You whispered to yourself, yanking your hand away and turning on your heels.

 You jumped down off the porch and ran across the cloud as fast as you could, charging towards the bannister and fleeing towards the spiral staircase once again. You felt your shawl fall from your shoulders, but the anxiety in your chest was too pervasive to care. You plunged through the cloud layer, racing down the staircase as fast as your boots would allow. The TARDIS door swung open behind you, and the Master stepped out onto the porch, his jacket and hat abandoned and glasses once more perched upon the end of his nose. 

“Who’s there?” He called into the night, narrowing his eyes and scoping out the surroundings, TCE gripped in his grasp.

“Show yourself.” He called louder this time. No reply came from the cloud. 

The Master sighed, staring over at the horizon, when a shock of red against the perfect white ground caught his attention. He stepped closer to the start of the staircase, crouching down to the ground and grasping at the red cloth. The Master peered at the fabric, humming in thought, when the memory suddenly appeared at the forefront of his mind. You had been wearing the exact same shawl when he’d seen you earlier. Poking his head through the cloud, the Master stared at the small figure in a red dress sprinting through the park gates. A smile had unknowingly found its way to the Master's mouth, the time lord pushing himself up from the ground. He huffed out of his nose, before turning back and retreating back through the TARDIS doors, the red shawl still clutched tightly between his fingers.

The next morning the sun dared to gleam through the windows of the Rose and Crown guest room, the rays of sun dancing across your face and pulling you from slumber. Your vision settled on the brown leather bag upon the chair at the end of your bed, your whole body filled with a new sense of purpose. You clambered out of bed, eagerly throwing on your dress from the night before, your brows furrowing as you searched your small wardrobe for the red shawl you were sure you’d thrown off the night earlier. You sighed, opting for a brown woollen one instead, shoving the last of your things into the brown bag and practically skipping down the stairs.

“What’s all this about?” The landlord called, wiping down the surface of the bar and watching you, puzzled. 

“It’s Christmas Eve,” you replied. “ I'm off. Elsie gets back this afternoon, I’m sure you’ll survive.”

Before the landlord could protest, or leer, or do anything at all, you blew a kiss and headed out the front door to the waiting cab. You slipped a small bag of coins to the cab driver, who took hold of your bag and opened the door to the cabin. You hiked up your dress, your eyes falling to the bare cobble street. Just the night before, the streets had been bathed in a blanket of snow. Now… nothing. It was as if the city itself was following the Masters instructions, trying to make you forget of the night's events. But you were determined otherwise.

“Funny,” you muttered to yourself as you stepped into the cabin, taking your bag back and pulling down the roller blinds.

“Must have all thawed in the night.”

Later that afternoon, the Master was once more disturbed. This time not by the TARDIS herself, but by the small sound of scratching against the wooden door. The Master growled to himself, placing the book that had been open on his lap firmly on the table beside his chair. He pulled the glasses from the end of his nose, abandoning them atop of the book, and headed towards the front door of the TARDIS with annoyance. How hard was it to get through one stupid book without any intrusion? The Master sighed as he yanked open the front door, staring down at the porch to see a cat staring back up at him. 

“What do you want now?”

The Master grumbled, the kittlings eyes glowing a golden yellow as it slinked into the TARDIS between his feet. The Master lent against the doorframe, the small black cat purring as it trotted over the carpet towards the Masters living quarters.

“You know, you’re supposed to be out hunting. You can’t keep coming here for your food. It’s Victorian London, Shadow. Mice are everywhere. ”

The cat gave a muffled purr of protest. The Master sighed.

“I suppose it is payment, you’re right. Fine,” He ran his hand through his hair. 

“Don’t make yourself too comfy.”

Trotting her way across the faded floral rug, the kittling leapt up onto the Masters chair, turning in a circle before sitting down like a mimicry of the Sphinx. The Master headed towards the small kitchenette, setting the kettle to boil once more and pulling a mug from the cupboard. It had chipped upon the golden rim, the comical slogan ‘I went to the Catrigan Nova and all I got was this stupid mug’ faded from several turns in the dishwasher. His hand paused as he looked at the mug right beside it. A black and white UNIT office mug, likely slipped into a bag on a previous arrest. That was your mug. It hadn’t been used in some time.

“Although, after that little stunt you pulled last night, I should be planning on skinning you. Why did you let her up here?”

The kittling gave what could be a shrug, licking at her paws idly. The Master pulled a bag of treats out of the lower cabinet, the kettle whistling as it finished its boil.

“And don’t play coy, I found her shawl at the top of the steps. I know you let her up the staircase. What’s the point of having a guard cat that doesn’t guard?”

The Master carried both his fresh tea and the bag of treats towards the living area, rolling his eyes at the display.

“Oi, no, get lost. That's my chair.”

His rantings were cut short by the sight of the envelope tied to the kittlings back with a ribbon. A perfect, white, crisp envelope, with the Masters name scrawled across in deep black cursive ink. 

“What’s that?” He asked. The kittling purred, stretching once more upon the soft armchair as the Master untied the ribbon around the envelope, letting the square of white paper fall from its back.

“When did she give you this?”

Yet another purr. The Master swallowed. 

“Thanks. Here, take some of these and get lost.” 

The kittling happily snatched the entire bag of treats from the Master's grasp, the Time lord shouting in protest as the small cat hopped down from the chair and scarpered its way back out of the door. The TARDIS shut the door behind the small cat, and the Master placed his tea on the side, trading the mug for his glasses. He placed them back on the end of his nose before ripping open the envelope and unfolding the letter within.

“Master,

I hope you’re not surprised by me completely ignoring what you told me to do. I promise I did consider leaving things be. Consider being the word of the day. But the trouble with the snow has reached a point where I can’t risk it getting any worse. Francesca Latimer has been having bad dreams. Specifically about her old governess. She drowned in the pond in front of the house nearly a year ago, only to be found days later after the ice thawed. While I'm sure this is gossip you probably heard but didn’t care about- Frannie’s been dreaming about her. She dreams she’ll appear on Christmas eve to punish her, dragging herself out of the pond. I wanted to chalk this up to childhood theatrics, but I think she’s right. The pond is still frozen, even after last night's thaw. And I felt something. I swear, when I touched that pond, something felt strange. It’s the same feeling I had when we saw that snowman outside the pub last night. Like you said- the snow can feed off of thoughts. The more you think, the more it appears. I can’t explain it, but my gut knows something isn’t right. Please, Master. I know we aren't on the best of terms, but this is important to me. Something is going to happen tonight. And I need your help. 

I hope this letter gets to you. Kittling mail is never fully reliable. Please come to the Latimer’s house as fast as you can. After this, I promise you’ll never have to deal with me again.

Y/N 

(Ps, when you get here, ask for the Governess Miss Montague. I’ll explain later.)”

The Master looked up from the letter, staring over at the corner of the room. Your shawl was thrown over your untouched chair, the pillow still plumped just how you liked it, your unfinished pile of books still sat upon the side table. The Master walked over to the chair, delicately placing the letter upon the stack of books, brushing the thin layer of dust from the top of the chair with his finger.

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” He murmured, glancing over his shoulder at the large investigation board he’d assembled on the wall, all about the snow. He walked back over to his chair, picking up the abandoned book and looking down at the cover. He looked back to the board, then back down to the book. At that moment, an idea built in his head.

“Always dressing for the occasion, aren't I?” He said, a smile on his face as he headed towards the TARDIS wardrobe, his unfinished copy of the Hound of the Baskervilles thrown idly back onto the chair.

“Come now, you two!” You called, clapping your hands as the Latimer children raced past each other towards the bathroom.

“I want shiny bright teeth and squeaky clean faces. And what do we never forget to clean?”

“Behind our ears!” They called in reply, giggling as they fought over the space in the sink.

“Indeed, and do we remember why?”

“Because secrets get hidden behind there.” Digby replied, rolling his eyes. 

“But that’s not true, is it Miss Montague?”

You gasped dramatically at the young boy, folding your arms.

“It very much is, Digby. Secrets have a nasty habit of catching themselves on all the dirt behind your ears. I clean behind mine morning and night. That's why I know you missed me twice every Saturday since I’ve been gone.”

Frannie giggled at her brother's blush, your smile stately yet smug as you clapped your hands once more.

“Two minutes precisely while brushing those teeth, you two. Then off we pop to bed.”

You headed out of the bathroom, expertly scooping up an abandoned teddy bear, likely Frannies, and placing him upon the lid of the toy chest at the end of her bed. You reached for the windows, fluffing the drapes and getting ready to close them for the night. You glanced at the clock, pressing your lips together in disappointment. It was almost nine. The Master had yet to show up. You supposed you shouldn’t have hoped he would. After all, you weren’t exactly together anymore. But after the events of last night, you weren't as confident in your decision as you were when you initially made it. 

Returning to the drapes, you stared out of the window and gasped. The Master was there, down in the courtyard, crouched over the pond and inspecting it curiously. He was wearing his top hat once again- you hated to admit just how much you liked that look on him. Tapping against the glass, the Master glanced up from the pond at the sound, the TCE in hand. You could see his furrowed brow ease into a much gentler expression through the spotlight of the window lamp, the timelord standing up fully and stepping onto the lip of the pond. You waved gently, your heart racing. Miraculously, the Master waved back, the same level of awkwardness in his fingertips as your own. 

You gestured with your head towards the house, and when his furrowed brow returned, you signalled for him to come in with your hands. You nibbled on your bottom lip nervously as he turned around, likely muttering an excuse to himself that he could use to leave. You expected a cross, or a line across the throat, or a simple shake of the head. Any reason for him to not come in and help, simply satiating his own morbid curiosity. But when he turned around and gestured five with his hand, you felt your stomach flip and spin with joy. You smiled, closing the curtains and turning back to the children as they clambered into bed, dusting down your dress as you sat down.

“Am I going to have the nightmare again tonight?” Frannie asked softly. You smiled, shaking your head as you grasped hold of her rescued teddy bear, placing it in her lap.

“Absolutely not. Because I’m going to tell you a story.”

“Is this another ‘absolutely true’ story?” Digby questioned, grinning cheekily.

“Like the fact you travelled through time?”

“Of course,” You replied. “Accounting for my excellent time keeping and knowledge of the world.”

“And that you’ve been to space?” Frannie continued.

“Because I’d already been everywhere on earth.” You grinned, tucking the children into their beds.

“No, this story is about a man called the Master. He lives on a cloud, in the sky, and he’s my very special friend.”

“What’s he the Master of?” Digby asked. You chuckled to yourself.

“If you ask him, he’s the Master of everything. And he has this special power where if you look into his eyes, he can make you do whatever he says. He could make you tidy your room, or do your homework-”

“Or cluck like a chicken?” Frannie smiled. “I’ve seen somebody do that before. He was a hypnotist on stage.”

“Exactly.” You continued. “But he made a promise to me, long ago, that if I needed any help from monsters, he would come.”

“But monsters aren’t real.” Digby argued. You raised an eyebrow.

“What did I say about my stories, Digby? They are all very, very true.”

“But what about my nightmares?” Frannie asked sadly. You took her hand and nodded.

“Like I said, he made me a promise. And I think a little girl having nightmares on Christmas eve is very monstrous indeed. So, I asked him to help.”

Your eye was suddenly caught by the bellowing of the candle flame, the floorboards in the hallway squeaking as if under the strain of footsteps.

“In fact I think he’s right here. Come meet my young friends, Master!” You called, the door to the bedroom creaking open.

You waited with a hopeful smile, your heart fluttering, when all of a sudden a shrieking voice came into the room.

“THE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN VERY NAUGHTY!”

The Ice Governess screamed, her face cracking, teeth of ice bared. 

“Oh, shit!” You screamed, the children squealing in fear as you instinctively pulled them behind you, spreading your arms wide.

“Get back, get away from her!” You yelled, Frannie desperately shoving her face into your arm.

“NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY CHILDREN!”

She shrieked, Digby clinging onto your dress for dear life.

“What are we going to do?!” He cried in fear. You turned your eye towards the door, the Ice Governess creeping closer and closer.

“RUN! NOW!” you ordered, the children dropping their teddy bears in fear as you pulled them across the landing and into the children's play room, the floor full of toys and tables full of drawings. You locked the door behind you, rushing over to Frannie’s side and grasping her face in your hands.

“Frannie, listen to me, you have to picture her melting!”

“What?”

“In your head! Picture her melting into water, think it in your head!”

“Miss Montague!” Digby cried, just as the Governess slammed through the locked door and came slinking into the room.

“NAUGHTY CHILDREN MUST BE PUNISHED!” she hissed, swiping at the children with her claws as you pushed them further behind your back.

“What about your friend! The hypnotist man!”

Digby asked, clutching your arm in terror as you backed away from the Ice woman.

“I don’t know!”

“The man on the cloud! Your special friend!”

“Where’s the Master?!” Frannie joined in, shrinking behind your back and sobbing.

All of a sudden, thunderous footsteps came up the stairs, the blur of a figure in the doorway clouded by the Ice Governesses towering stature. There came a familiar, violent ZAP sound, and before your eyes the now cracking Ice Governess gave an agonised roar before exploding into a mass of powdered ice. You shielded your face as best you could, the children cowering in shock. Blinking away the shattered ice, you turned your head to stare in awe. 

Standing in the doorway in all his glory was the Master, TCE raised with pride in his hand, a familiar smug smile on his face.

Even though he was now top hatless- it was very good to see him.

“Miss me?” He asked charmingly, and you rolled your eyes.

“Always just in the nick of time, never before.” You teased, brushing the shards of ice from your dress.

“Where’s the fun in that? And I did say five minutes, technically I'm early.”

“Are you Miss Montague's special friend?” Digby asked hesitantly. 

“Are you the Master?”

“Special friend?” The Master asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Your face flushed a deep red.

“Oh, Miss Montague, what have you been telling these dear children?”

“Are you really able to look into people's eyes and tell them what to do?” Digby continued, staring at the TCE in the Master's hands. The Master was truly smirking now, turning to look in Digby's eyes. 

“Oh yes, I could. I could make you do anything I’d like if you look too close.”

Digby gasped and turned away, all while Frannie stepped closer to the Master.

“Is she really gone?” She asked timidly. “Where is she? Is she going to come back?”

The Master shrugged, reading the TCE as it whirred quietly. You peered over her shoulder, trying to see the readings yourself.

“Not likely, she’s currently draining through your carpet. I’d get it checked for mould after.”

“Why did she explode?” You asked, your hand on Frannie’s shoulder.

“New setting I need to worry about? Tissue expansion?”

The Master smirked, standing to meet your gaze.

“It just doesn’t do water. I still can’t figure out why. That’s a good idea, though, but I really wouldn’t Google it. Oh, and you’re welcome, by the way.”

You shuffled awkwardly, nodding at the Master's words.

“I wanted to get all my questions out before I thanked you. But I am really grateful, y’know. Even though I did know you’d help.”

Suddenly, the Master's face fell. He leant in closer, glaring at you with a forced fury.

“No, you didn’t. In case you’re forgetting, love, I'm not the Doctor. I don’t go around helping children and saving Christmas and granting bloody wishes. That’s not what I do. And, need I remind you, I was already investigating the snow. So you just got lucky that I happened to be here, TCE at the ready-”

The Master glanced downwards, ready to slide the device into his pocket, when he suddenly caught a shimmer of gold. Upon his ring finger once more sat his wedding band, just where it used to be. 

He twisted the ring gently, the rage instantly melting from his face.

“Oh…” He whispered to himself. 

You followed his eyes, your attention pulled from the children who’d begun to stare out of the window, the edges of the glass beginning to seal with frost. Outside, a dusting of snow began to fall, the green grass disappearing under a blanket of white. They gasped as tall snowmen began to slowly grow out of the freshly fallen snow, all the while you’d stepped even closer to the Master.

“Is everything ok?” You asked quietly, looking down at his ring. You took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in your throat.

“Oh…” You also said. The Master nodded strangely, tilting his head.

“I um, didn’t know I’d put it on.” He said, looking up and truly meeting your eyes for the first time that evening, all bravado set aside.

“Oh… ok…” You replied.

“I think my mind just went… y’know.”

“Yeah.”

“Force of habit.”

“Absolutely.”

“Miss Montague! Master!”

The children cried in unison, pulling themselves from the window and tugging at both of your arms.

“She’s coming back!” Digby yelled.

“She’s going to punish me!” Frannie sobbed.

“Master, what do we do?!” You asked, all the while the Master was frantically trying to mess around with the settings on the TCE. Slowly, the mass beneath the carpet began to grow larger, the painful crunch of ice echoing through the dark and chilly room, the figure shifting and twitching as the Ice Governess began to build herself back up.

“Well, she’s learned to resist melting, so that’s interesting.”

“How’s she done that?!”

“It’s not really a she, more of a thing, really.” The Master corrected, clapping a hand on the shoulder of each child.

“She’s not going to punish you, Frannie, that’s ridiculous. She’s not a Governess, she’s a monster. So really, she’s going to eat you.”

You gaped at the creature, the governess shrugging off the remains of the carpet and swiping violently towards your face.

“Run!” You yelled, grasping the hands of Frannie and Digby’s hands and pulling them down the stairs. The Master followed, slamming the playroom door behind him and heading behind you down the stairs. On the bottom floor of the house, the maid was running in a frenzy, screaming about snowmen in the garden and a strange man at the door. Captain Latimer had stormed out of his study, eyebrows furrowed and furious as he waited at the bottom of the stairs.

“Miss Montague, what on earth do you think you’re doing? Would you care to explain why the children are out of bed at such an hour- who the devil are you?!”

You turned around to see the Master stomping down the steps, sliding past you and bracing hold of the bannister. He stared deep into Captain Latimer's eyes, his gaze piercing deep into the man's mind, his voice loud and clear. Captain Later froze in place, transfixed at the Masters gaze. He couldn't pull away even if he wanted to.

“I am the Master, and you will obey me. Take your screaming maid and your children into the parlour, lock the doors and keep an eye on the snowmen outside. Under no circumstances are any of you to leave that room until I say so. Oh, and you’ll stop relying on my wife to parent your children when you can’t be bothered to, and you’ll put more effort into your children. Understood?”

The blush returned to your face once more as the Captain followed his orders, the Master's hypnotic suggestion the only thing he now knew. Digby clapped his hands together as you ushered the children into the room, staring at the Master with mesmerised eyes.

“Did you use your hypnosis powers on my father?”

“Yes, Digby, he did.” You answered, not trusting the answer the Master was about to give.

“And did he call you his wife?” Frannie asked, causing your blush to further deepen and your heart to race at lightning speed.

“Yes, he did that too. But you need to listen to what he said. Don’t leave that room, not even for a second. Those snowmen outside are very dangerous, and I don’t want either of you to be hurt by them or the Ice lady. Promise me?”

The Latimer children nodded quickly, Digby turning to look at the Master once again, who was anticipating the return of the distantly screaming Ice Governess.

“Can you make him cluck like a chicken too?”

“Not the time!” You interjected, Once again not trusting the Master’s answer, even with his confused expression. Once everybody was inside, the Master gripped the top of your arm.

“Stay here with them.”

He ordered, before letting go once more. The Master headed back into the hallway, and you were hot on his heels. You watched as the Master pressed a button on the TCE, aiming it at the top of the stairs as the Ice Governess came thundering down them. A shuddering wall of red energy blasted into existence, creating a barrier between the Ice Governess and the bottom of the staircase, the frozen creature slamming itself against the wall and hissing.

“MISS ME!?” It shrieked, staring down at the Master.

“How long will that hold?” You asked, and the Master turned around in shock.

“Oi, do I have to hypnotise you too? I told you to stay inside.”

“Oh, well I didn’t listen.”

“You really enjoy disobeying me, don’t you dear?”

You smiled fondly, the gap between the pair of you closing faster and faster.

“Yeah, I do. It’s one of the things that make you love me.”

“Oh, is it really?”

“Afraid so, Master.”

“Who said I love you?”

The gap between you both was non existent. You met each others eyes, your own heart pounding at lightning speed, your breath caught in your throat as stared the Master down, each of you daring the other to move first. The Masters lips parted, and you instantly took your chance, colliding your lips together as your hands reached to grasp hold of his face. The Master sank into the kiss with no restraint, quickly taking charge as his hands reached to grasp hold of your corseted waist. He pushed his lips against your own, your noses slotting next to each other to close the distance even further. All the while, the Ice Governess shrieked and slammed her face into the wall, the breath escaping from your lungs as you poured every part of your soul into the Master's touch. But soon you needed air, your lips breaking from one another but your touch remaining strong. You stared at the Master, and the Timelord returned the gaze, the silence between you thick and unbearable as your foreheads stayed pushed together.

“I keep my ring on a chain and wear it everyday.” You blurted, your cheeks burning hot. The Master smiled, chuckling softly as he brushed the hair from your face. He always did that. You loved him doing that.

“Of course you did.” He teased, “You always were so sentimental, love.”

“I just couldn’t, I don’t know why-”

“I know.” The Master said, rather softly. “I-”

Suddenly, the front door bell rang once again, the ringing invasive and persistent. The Master scowled, his hands pulling themselves from your waist as he clenched his hands into fists, his fingers still curled around the TCE in his grasp. He always hated being interrupted. This time was no different. He stormed towards the doorway, shoulders pushing back, his chin raised high. This time you hung back, watching from a distance, the Ice lady still screaming from her spot at the top of the stairs. 

The Master swung the door open, his glare palpable as a stranger stood in the doorway. A stranger to you, perhaps, but the Master seemed to know him well. Well enough for the tension to feel worthy of cutting with a sword, let alone a knife.

“Release the Ice woman to us.” The stranger said, his face solemn and eyes full of determination.

“You have five minutes.”

The stranger turned away with no further word, and the Master slammed the door shut with a furious heave.

“Who was that?” You asked hurriedly, following the Master as he headed towards the bottom of the stairs.

“Doctor Simeon. A very old enemy of the Doctor. And now, a very new enemy of mine. I don’t think he’s keen to be business partners anymore.”

“Why, what did you do?”

The Master smiled weakly, scratching at the back of his neck.

“I may have, possibly… turned up at his house, killed all his staff, and ransacked his personal files while insulting him to his face.”

“Wonderful.”

“All while dressed up as Sherlock Holmes.”

“I’m sure- what? Why?”

“What?”

“Why did you dress up as Sherlock Holmes?”

“Because I was investigating! We’d already had a bit of a disagreement earlier, I needed a suitable disguise.”

“But Sherlock Holmes? Really?”

The Master threw his hands in the air, exasperated. You could hardly contain your smirk.

“Who else? It’s the nineteenth century, for god’s sake. I couldn’t exactly go as Batman or Scooby bloody Doo, could I?”

The Master turned back to the bottom of the staircase, glancing up at the Ice Governess. She was still shrieking, slamming herself into the energy wall, hissing and baring her fangs. You blinked away all previous confusion, following the Master’s gaze.

“Right. All that aside, explain him to me- he wants the ice woman?”

“No, the snow wants the ice woman. He’s just the one working with the snow. And we need to keep her away from them or else.”

“I’m hoping you have a plan.”

The Master rolled his eyes, snatching an umbrella from the umbrella stand and lightly hitting you on the head with it. You gaped with confusion, your hands instinctively reaching out to take the umbrella from the Master's hands, turning your attention back to the Ice Governess.

“If the snow gets ahold of her, it’s goodbye to you lot. She’s the perfect blueprint for the snow in human form, human DNA mixed with Ice. You can’t exactly take over the earth with hunks of wet mush, can you? Imagine the carnage during a heat wave. But a humanoid figure, made of ice, that won’t melt? Oh, you could work such magic.`”

“She can’t stay here, then.” You argued. “Not with the children in the house, we’ll all be massacred.”

“As long as she’s out, but away from the snow, nobody’s getting massacred. I need you to stay in the parlour, watch the snow and for once, do as you’re told.”

The Master said, raising the TCE to the shimmering red wall. The wall disappeared into nothingness, shuddering out of existence. You stepped up to join the Masters side just as he pointed the TCE behind him once more, the shimmering wall reappearing at the very bottom of the stairs. The Masters double take was almost comical, his eyes rolling deeply into his head as he stared at you expectantly.

“Seriously?!” He asked, but you didn’t have time to reply. The ice lady swung at your head, causing you to duck beneath her arm, and the Master's hand clasped hold of your own in an ironclad grip.

“MISS ME?!” The Ice Governess screamed, the Master charging up the stairs and dragging you along with him.

“Why don’t you ever listen?” He yelled, almost tripping over the top step.

“Because you always tell me to do stuff I don’t want to do!” You replied, almost tripping over the same step right afterwards.  The Master stopped on the landing, staring at you incredulously as he dropped your hand.

“Oh great, we’re back together two seconds and there’s already a row.”

“We’re what?!” You asked, startled, the Ice Governess close behind.

“MISS ME?!” She hissed again, swiping up the stairs.

“Ok, why does she keep doing that?”

“Mirroring, it’s random mimicry- we need to get on the roof!”

“THIS WAY!”

You grasped the Master's hand once again, dragging him up a second flight of stairs towards the third floor, the Master flailing behind as he resisted the tug of your arm. You pivoted on the landing, pointing wildly at the distant reading nook beneath the large stained glass window.

“That window!”

“Give!” He gestured to the umbrella, which you had no idea you were still holding onto. You threw it in his direction and the Master grabbed it with ease. He headed straight towards the window, clunkily clambering his way through the open glass and planting his feet on the small area of flat roofing between the two gables. You attempted to follow, climbing onto the bench and leaning through the open pane of glass, when you felt your dress bunch up at the side and snag upon the hinges. You tried to pull yourself free, yanking against the resistance, all to no avail. You let out a panicked whine, and the Master spun around in confusion.

“Oi, c’mon, what are you doing?”

“My bustle is stuck!” You replied, yanking harder on the side of the window and sending the Master a panicked expression. 

“Oh, for crying out loud!” The Master rolled his eyes, running over to the window and throwing his arms around your waist and yanking backwards. With two yanks you were pulled free, gravity snatching command of your body as you tumbled forwards on top of the Masters chest, the Timelord ending up flat on his back on top of the snow coated roof.

You gaped down at him, the familiar heat of your blush returning.

“Y’know, things would go so much smoother if you took that dress off.” The Master suggested, his hand resting on the small of your back. You gasped, pulling away and sending him a curious expression.

“And risk me catching my death for your amusement?”

“I’d find it more attractive than amusing, honestly.”

“Right, hold on, I'm so confused.” Raising yourself to stand, you pushed off from the Masters chest. The Timelord stood up, watching as you brushed down your dress and snatched the umbrella from his grasp.

“First you tell me the only reason you’re here is because I got lucky, then you call me your wife again, then you tell me to stay away, then you kiss me and start flirting again.”

“Now?!” The Master yelled, eyes wide.

“You want to discuss all this right now?!”

“Because this is another test, I can feel it! You’re testing me!” You yelled back, gesturing wildly with the umbrella.

“Am I really!?”

“Yes! You’re always playing mind games. This is a test!”

“MISS ME?!” The Ice Governess was once more at the window, growling and snarling with her razor sharp icicle teeth.

“Master, now would be a great time for that plan!”

“Why would I tell you if it’s a test?”

You stared at him in disbelief, eyes widening.

“What?!”

The Master shrugged, folding his arms across his chest.

“If you think this is a test, it’s a test. You think I've got a plan, tell me what it is.”

“What’ll happen if I fail?”

“Well, it’ll kill you, and I'll end up wasting another body.”

“Not good then.”

“Understatement of the century, love. C’mon, do I have a plan?”

The Ice Governess had begun to disappear through the window into a cloud of ice shards, rematerializing herself from the ground up on the roof top, rebuilding herself shard by shard. You looked back towards the Master who was waiting expectantly. You put your mind into action. There had to be clues, you could figure out exactly what he was testing you on. Your chest was pounding as you thought hard, the Masters watching eyes heavy as you slowly began to piece everything together.

“Less than thirty seconds, love. I suggest you hurry or we’ll be dead where we stand.”

Stand. That was it! Where you stand! The lightbulb had officially gone off in your brain.

“If we wanted to escape we’d have gone either down the building or through the back door.”

“Interesting-”

“And if we wanted to hide, we’d be on the other side of the roof.”

“Keep going-”

“But we decided to climb here. Small space, not much room for a run up. But we brought THIS!”

You gestured with the umbrella once again, the Master grinning with devious pride as you swung the umbrella into the sky, the handle hooking itself firmly onto the bottom rung of the ladder. With a grunt you yanked the ladder down to plant its feet on the top of the building, the metal legs sinking into the snow as you brandished the ladder with pride. The Ice Governess had almost completely reassembled herself, the gust of frozen wind floating dangerously through the air.

“Call for a TARDIS?”

The Master hummed triumphantly. 

“Never doubted you for a second.”

“After you.”

“No, after you, I insist.”

You grasped hold of the ladder, laughing at the Master's ever growing grin.

“After you, I’m wearing a dress!”

“Why do you think I’m insisting you first?”

“Master, get up that ladder before I hit you with this umbrella.”

The Master chuckled, grasping hold of the rungs of the ladder and beginning the ascending climb. You watched him creep up higher and higher, tilting your head and smiling as you watched from beneath.

“Those pants do wonders for your ass, Master.”

The Masters ascent paused upon the ladder, his head turning over his shoulder to face you with a scandalised expression.

“Miss Montague, a little professionalism!”

“Never.” You stuck out your tongue in return. The Ice Governess had assumed her full form once again, letting out a beastly howl as she began to shuffle across the roof. With an elegant hop you stood upon the bottom rung of the ladder, clearing your throat and smiling sweetly.

“Termination of life comes with termination of employment, I'm afraid. Check your contract.” You mused, the Ice Governess snarling.

“In other words, get your own job. Cheerio!”

The umbrella tapped twice against the ladder, and you began to ascend up into the skies, the feet of the ladder disturbing the snow once again. The Ice Governess swiped furiously at your feet, growling into the air as you followed the ladder to the very top of the metal platform. The Master's hands were there to catch you, yanking you from the top of the top of the ladder and dragging you towards the base of the grand, spiralling staircase.

“Wait, you can move the cloud?” 

You asked, peering over the railing and watching the Ice Governess squirm. The Master shook his head, pulling you further towards the stairs and hooking the umbrella upon the closest railing.

“Don’t be ridiculous, nobody can move clouds. Anyone who says they can is a liar.”

“But what about the Cyber rain? Missy did it.”

The Master turned his head, visible debate on his face.

“They were Cyber clouds. Totally different. Real clouds? Not a chance. But the wind? Ever so slightly.”

The metal platform suddenly began to jolt, and you grabbed hold of the railing to steady yourself. In the few moments you’d taken your eyes off the Ice Governess, she’d managed to climb onto the ladder and begin scaling each rung. You looked at the Master in fear, the timelord nodding in agreement with something totally unknown.

“Good, she’s following us! Up we go!”

“Why is that a good thing?!” You called after him, the Master already scaling the steps like a madman.

“There’s no snow where we’re going!”

The two of you launched into a full sprint, keeping a tight grip on the bannister to stop yourself from tripping up on either the steps, your dress, or the Masters feet ahead of you. The Ice Governess was almost to the top of her own ladder, the view of London below becoming more and more incredible with each step you took. It was like the city was alive, glowing under the light of street lamps and fires, the denizens keeping as warm as they could on such a cold Christmas eve. You could see the pub from this high, not like anyone below would be able to see you.

“So, how long have you been a governess?” The Master asked, pulling you from your thoughts.

“Oh, not long. A few months?” You replied.

“But you moonlight as a barmaid in a shitty pub?”

“You want to have this chat now?” You asked, mirroring the Master's early sentiment. The Master paused on the stairs, turning his body to face you.

“We can’t chat if we’ve been massacred, can we?”

“You said there’d be no massacre!”

“It was a rare bit of positive optimism on my part, hope you don’t mind.”

You swiftly returned to your ascent, suddenly noticing you’d scaled about 100 steps in a few seconds. You gaped at the skyline, everything around you looking like a miniature model, something the Master would happily display upon one of his many shelves. How could you have possibly gotten so high so quickly?

“I’m barely out of breath!” You called.

“Good, glad to know you’re keeping fit.”

“But how are we so high? We were barely off the ground!”

“Magic staircase.” The Master replied, making you groan.

“Hey, I could’ve said it’s taller on the inside, count your blessings.”

“What exactly is it we’re standing on?” You asked, stepping onto the cloud with far more ease than you did the first time.

 The Master crouched down, sticking his head through the layer of cloud before pulling himself back up again. He pulled the TCE from his pocket with ease, aiming it at the mouth of the staircase. You peered over his shoulder as the layer of cloud began to converge, collecting itself over the beginning of the staircase, forming a protective layer and sealing the entrance to the stairs shut.

“The same technology that kept her on the stairs. Super dense water vapour, that’ll keep her out for a while.”

The Master stood, slipping the TCE back inside his pocket and cracking his knuckles. The TARDIS loomed in the distance, gleaming even with her dirty exterior, a monument on the top of the cloud layer. The Master shoved his hands in his pockets, stepping up the porch steps and pushing open the door to the shack, wandering inside the TARDIS without a care in the world. But you held back, looking through the open doorway, the red glow of the central console looming through the dark of the porch.

 You waited, standing in conflict, your heart pounding a hole in your chest as your gut attempted to dig itself into the centre of the earth. After all this time, a part of you didn’t want to see the inside of the old girl. You didn’t want to know if he’d erased all signs of you. You didn’t want to know if he’d tried to move on.

The Master reemerged from the inside, staring at you curiously. He stood in the doorway, a barrier to the internal glow of the ship. He studied your expression carefully, watching the internal conflict play out with every single microexpression upon the face he’d memorised so well.

“You said if I walked out that door I'd never step foot inside again.” 

Your words broke the silence. The Master nodded, swallowing the lump that had attempted to take refuge within his throat.

“I did. If I recall, I was pretty angry at the time.”

“So was I. You were a bit of a-”

“Short fuse, yeah.” The Master finished. 

You gave a small laugh, a faint sound that bled into the wind. You stood in a deafening silence for what felt like eternity, until the Master softly jutted his head to the side.

“C’mon.” He said quietly. He was inviting you inside. Finally.

You took no time in crossing over towards the porch, the Master stepping inside the TARDIS, allowing you to follow. You stepped over the threshold, feeling the wave of warmth hit your skin, like the heat when you step off an aeroplane. It was tropical compared to outside, the console room still as eclectically cluttered as ever. The piles of previous interests, the posters, the mementos, the projects, the plans. The TARDIS was exactly the same as the day you’d left it. The walls of the ship began to hum, the engines whining and whirring, chirping a welcome. She was obviously glad you were back. She was proclaiming you were home.

“You should’ve heard her last night.” The Master said, leaning against the hexagonal console unit, the square time rotor buzzing with lights.

“I thought she’d blown an engine.”

“You haven’t changed a thing.” You replied. The Master nodded, following your gaze as you admired the walls around you. You spotted a large investigation board in the corner, a small smile crossing your lips. You knew he’d have one of those. Even if it didn’t have-

“I thought the red thread would be a bit much.” The Master said, finishing your thought. You turned to face the Time lord. He’d pushed himself from the console and was now standing in front of you, studying your eyes once more.

“It would’ve been fun.” You replied.

“I would’ve insisted. If I'd been here when you’d put it up.”

“You can be here now, if you want.”

The Master's reply caught you off guard. You felt your lips part, your tongue trying to find the words your brain was currently mixing into an incomprehensible soup. You fought to string together a sentence that could encompass everything you felt, every question you had, every thought that was crossing your mind. Something that would explain everything.

“Why did you stay?” Was the sentence that won.

“You had the TARDIS. You could have left me here, gone off back into the universe, gone back to harassing the Doctor and causing chaos. But you didn’t. You built yourself a magic staircase and a movable cloud, and you stayed. Why?”

The Master pressed his lips into a thin line, and you could tell his mind was attempting the same brew. You could always tell when the Master was thinking and masking his thoughts at the same time, his eyes would squint ever so slightly, his lips would part like he was waiting to announce whatever plan he’d concocted. Instead of a grand plan, a small, earnest smile spread itself across the Master's face. 

“Because I couldn’t leave.” He said in return.

“But you could.”

“No, I couldn’t. I really tried. I left for a day. Right after you’d left, I tried to take myself away. I went and watched a planet burn, some insignificant micro nation. I tried to enjoy their armageddon, I really did. But I couldn’t.”

“Why?” You asked softly. The Master tilted his head, his look practically begging you to figure out the obvious, his mouth unwilling to articulate the thought he was so desperate not to share. You stepped closer, realisation washing over you.

“Because… I wasn’t there?”

“What fun is performing with no audience? Spreading chaos, with nobody there to help?” The Master asked. You already knew the answer.

“I came back, hoping you’d see the error of your judgement and want to come back here, work it all out. But… I might have underestimated your stubbornness.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“Or, maybe I was a little too… cruel. Then, things started happening. Alien, evil things and you know me, never one to let a good bit of chaos go. It was pretty tempting, ending the world at the turn of the twentieth century. But once again, I couldn’t enjoy myself.”

“And because you were bored, you decided to… try and save Earth?”

The Master shook his head awkwardly.

“I like to call it… preserving certain important timelines. I am a Timelord, after all.”

“Hold on.” You said, the small smile upon your face slowly growing into a full grin.

“Preserving timelines? You’ve never cared about the laws of time, that’s your whole thing. Who’s timeline could you possibly care that much about?”

The Masters' all knowing gaze returned, and you felt the knot in your stomach explode into a colony of butterflies. You stepped even closer, your hand reaching to cup the Masters cheek. His skin was warm against your palm. The touch sent a surge of electricity though your skin.

“Master?..” You asked softly. 

“Did you turn down destroying the Earth because It would mean I didn’t exist anymore?”

The Master's lips pressed into a thin line, his stare able to see a thousand yards in front. You could feel the heat burning in his cheeks, every ounce of him squirming with uncomfortable realisation, his shoulders almost reaching his ears.

“That… may or may not have been a factor.” He lied through his teeth.

“You old romantic.”

You laughed softly, reaching to grasp the other side of his face and pull him into a kiss. This kiss was much softer, every word the pair of you had been desperate to say spreading across your lips. The Masters tension disappeared with every second, your foreheads pushing together as you felt your heart finally steady into an easy rhythm. His hands had snaked around your waist, pulling you closer, refusing to let you go. You could sense the warmth he held within his body pass into your own, everything slotting into place exactly where it should be. Everybody slotting into place exactly where they should. When he finally pulled away from your lips, the Master refused to stop. Pressing small, chaste kisses to the side of your mouth, your eyes fluttering shut. Everything felt right again, like the itch you’d been struggling to scratch had been satiated. Like you were home again.

“Travel with me.” The Master whispered between pecks.

“Run away with me. Stay with me.”

Softly, you nodded against his touch, returning his soft kisses with one of your own.

“Yes.” You replied. The Master sighed in content, pulling his face from your own and pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“I still have your shawl, by the way.” He admitted. You gave a short giggle.

“Thankyou for keeping it safe for me. Next time I have to sneak around, I’ll make sure not to lose any of my disguise.”

“Don’t worry, I think I left my Deerstalker in Doctor Simeon’s office.”

You smiled, watching him excitedly pull away from your person, circling around to the console and fiddling with the buttons and levers, the TARDIS chirping and lighting up with jubilation. 

“Oh love, we’re going to have so much fun. You’ll see. So many places to go!”

You felt yourself fiddling with the chain under your dress, your fingers scratching at the chain that hung loosely around your neck. You pulled it from under your collar, the ring shimmering in the TARDIS light, your heart feeling like it could burst with joy out of your chest. You’d kept it with you for so long, unwilling to part with the most beautiful piece of jewellery you’d ever seen. Reaching for the lobster clasp, you pulled the chain from your neck, the Masters exuberant ramblings a distant sound as you admired the glittering wedding ring. You needed to ask him to put it back on. You needed to do it correctly.

Suddenly, you felt yourself jolting backwards, the ring flying from your grasp and clattering onto the floor. You let out a shocked yelp, the freezing touch of clawed hands wrapped under your shoulders, dragging you back towards the door and out of the TARDIS.

“MISS ME?!” the voice behind you squawked, your eyes widening with fear.

The Master's head shot up from the console, his eyes equally widening in horror as he saw the Ice Governess begin to drag you back towards the edge of the cloud.

“NO!” he shouted, launching himself towards the door, his TCE raised and aimed at the snarling creature of ice.

“Master!” You cried, hand reaching towards the Timelord.

“Get off of me!”

“Let her go!”

The Ice Governess hissed, yanking you harder, your fingers desperately trying to pry her claws from their spot digging into your shoulder.

“The snow learns, I should have realised-” The Master hurriedly uttered. “She’d learnt to resist water vapour after being trapped on the stairs. Let her go!”

“Get off!” You pleaded, your face contorted in fear as you saw the Ice Governess teetering near the edge of the cloud.

“Let her go. Let her go now! NOW!”

“Master!” You cried, mouth parting in a terrified scream.

“NO, Y/N-” the Master yelled, his hand outstretched. If he could just grab hold of you, if he could just pull you back- but the ground disappeared from beneath your feet before he could reach. You felt the wind rushing past your ears as you tumbled to the ground, the distant call of the Master screaming your name. Everything seemed to slow down, the London skyline consuming you as you fell faster and faster, your life flashing before your eyes. Every happy thought, every fear, every nightmare, every dream- every part of you flickered across the forefront of your mind, arm still stretched to the heavens as you collided with the snow covered earth, the world around you disappearing with the wheeze of the TARDIS as the abyss swallowed you whole.

It was a low light that surrounded you the first time you woke again. The soft touch of a palm on your forehead, the gentle caress of a thumb on the back of your hands. Your eyes blinked open, the pain in your head a throbbing percussion, your sense of time thrown to the wayside. But the Master was there, waiting for you, smiling gently as you slowly became acclimated to the familiar sight of the Latimer parlour.

“How’s your head?” The Master asked. 

You turned your head to see Frannie and Digby hugging the maid with a tight grip. You shook your head with a smile.

“Not in front of the children, Master.” You replied, every word as painful as they were cathartic.

“Am I going to die?” You asked. The Master laughed softly.

“Such a mood killer. I was going to keep it light with innuendo and small talk.”

“You never talk small.” You wheezed. The Master grinned.

“See, you still have all your memories. I think you’ll be just fine.”

“How do you know?”

Reaching into his top pocket, the Master produced something shimmering, even in the dark of the parlour. On close inspection you could see it was your ring, having slipped off of the chain after hitting the floor.

“Because I haven’t put this back on your finger. And I'm very persistent when I want things to be done.”

The Master took hold of your hand, ready to slip the ring onto your finger, when your other hand stopped him from doing so.

“You haven’t asked me.” You whispered. “You need to ask me before you put that on.”

The Master huffed lightly out of his nose, leaning in closer and holding up the ring.

“Y/N, will you marry me… again?”

You blinked softly, staring longingly at the ring.

“Are you going to stop the world from ending?” You replied, the Master raising an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that response.

“Preserving the timelines… and all that?”

The Master nodded, finally understanding.

“Maybe. If I do, will you say yes?”

You took the ring from the Masters fingers, clutching the small band between your trembling fingers and holding it longingly within your palm.

“Go save the world, help children, grant Christmas wishes.” You ordered, the Master chuckling at his own words from earlier.

“If you win, I’ll still be here to give you an answer when you get back.”

The Master leaned in closer still, your noses almost touching.

“Is that a promise?”

He asked. You smiled, lifting your finger to draw two crosses over the Masters chest.

“Cross your hearts.”

“You’re supposed to cross your own, Love.” The Master said. You shook your head the best you could.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Master.” You replied, before your eyes fluttered shut once again, the feeling of the Masters lips on your forehead the last sensation in your mind.

The Master returned once more that evening. The cuts and bruises upon his body had managed to heal, leaving behind traces of crimson and memories intangible. He’d worked as fast as he could, defeating the evil with everything he had. He’d returned to the Latimer household just before midnight. But by then you were almost gone. Whatever he’d done to keep you stable had done all it could, and now you were in your final moments.

 The children were crying, the same tears that had melted the snow minutes before. The Master walked towards the Captain, meeting his eyes and taking control.

“You’re going to stand up, and you’re going to comfort your children. You’ll be the father they need right now. When you go to bed, you’ll wake tomorrow and not remember a thing. But you’ll be there when they need you.” He commanded, the Captain blinking as if waking up from the strangest of dreams. 

The Master stepped over the old carpet to stand by your bedside, crouching down to rest his chin on his arms, looking over at the Latimer children who were tearfully looking right back.

“Is she?...” Digby daren’t finish his question. The Master sighed.

“Almost.” 

Frannie let out a small sob, her fathers arms surrounding her as best they could. Which, thanks to the Master, was the best they’d ever been. In their eyes, he saw utter heartbreak. Two children, who’s cries had unknowingly saved the day, sobbing over the one human the Master could bring himself to care for. Pushing aside every piece of hatred he had for humans, and crying, he knew what he had to do.

“Tell me about her.” The Master said. “Tell me about Miss Montague.”

Digby wiped his eyes with his sleeve, looking at the Master with a sniffle.

“She was kind. She always told us stories… totally true ones.”

“What stories did she tell you?” He replied. Digby smiled weakly.

“That she’d been to space.” Frannie mumbled against her fathers chest.

“She said she’d been to every country in the world.”

“And that she lived in a time machine that could take her anywhere she liked, and that she’d fought monsters and robots and met aliens. But I know that it wasn’t true.”

The Master chuckled, smiling at the young boy. How foolish. How human. How wonderfully presumptuous.

“Oh, but it is.” He replied. “Every story’s true. Your governess is really a time traveller. She’s really my wife, and we live in a ship called the TARDIS. And guess what?”

“What?” The two children asked. The Master's smile widened.

“I’m an alien.”

“No way.” Digby whispered in disbelief. The Master nodded, chuckling.

“Yes way, Digby. I’m from a distant planet in the stars. I have two hearts, and I'm nearly 2000 years old.”

“But you don’t look old.” Frannie said. The Master smirked.

“I’ve got a good Doctor.” He said, a joke only he would understand.

“She told you about my ability to hypnotise people, but I also have a power that keeps me alive. It’s a power that means every time I get hurt, I can fix it. See?” The master pointed to the ghost of a cut on his forehead. All that was left was a dribble of dried blood. The wound was completely healed.

“But sometimes, I get hurt pretty badly. Or I get really, really old. Then I have to change my entire body. I may act a little differently, but I’m still me. It’s called regeneration.”

“Is Miss Montague an alien?” Digby asked softly. The Master chuckled, shaking his head.

“No, Digby. Just me.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Frannie asked, sitting up in the Captain's arms.

The Master stood over your bedside, your chest rising and falling in only the faintest rhythm. He pushed the hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear and brushing down the side of your face. He turned once more to look at the Latimer children, raising his right hand lightly in the air.

“Because, humans, I'm about to do something incredible. And nobody will ever believe you.”

Ever so slowly, the Master began to wiggle his fingertips, his eyes fluttering shut as he concentrated hard. The children watched in wonder as the Master's hand began to be engulfed in a glittering, golden glow, the ethereal shimmer floating into the air and travelling down the Timelords arm. He gave a small grunt as the regeneration energy began to shimmer through his other hand, the energy coursing through his body like the warm kiss of the sun, the heat touching every part of his body as he focused desperately on what he needed to do. The Master leant down towards your face, his glowing hands taking soft purchase of your cheeks, the once silent room alight with the hum of regeneration. 

“You better have a good answer for me after this.”

Gently, the Masters lips connected with your own, his nose slotting beside your own as he focussed on what he wanted. He felt the beat of your heart within his mind, his desire stitching you back together, his will making you whole. He was the Master, and even if you weren't going to obey him, the powers of regeneration certainly were.

 He couldn’t remember what number body he was on. He’d been through that many, stealing some and mutilating others.  He’d abused his regenerative capabilities to a degree that would make even Rassilon impressed. But now, he needed them to be accurate more than ever. He kissed until he had no air left in his lungs, pulling away from your body with hope etched across his expression.

 He waited, the single moment feeling like a lifetime, his gaze not turning away from you for a second.

The clock in the parlour struck the final knell of 12. It was Christmas morning.

Your eyes flew open with a start.

You gasped for air, the world knitting itself back together through your eyelashes, the exhale of relief that escaped the Master enough to blow over the strongest of structures. Your fingers reached to clutch the Master's hands, the ring laying perfectly upon your chest.

“I saved the world. It’s a bloody Christmas miracle” The Master whispered above you.

“It felt pretty strange, though. After Missy and tonight, I don’t think I want to do it again.”

You laughed quietly, your sense of self returning once more, the sensation of the Masters lips still lingering on your own. Lingering with the sensation of hope. Of life. Something the Master didn’t usually excel in. But he often worked in mysterious ways.

“And I saved you. Not to rush your reincarnation, but I still don’t have an answer…”

The Master lifted the ring from your chest, holding it between his fingers. You chuckled softly, raising your hand to meet it.

“Yes.” You replied. “Yes, yes, yes.”

The Master grinned victoriously, sliding the ring upon your finger. Back where it belonged.

“I feel like I could run a marathon.”

You admitted, smirking deviously as the Master leaned in closer.

“Or, do something else.”

The Master gave a side glance to Frannie and Digby, who were still staring at the Master in amazement. The maid had fainted once more, and Captain Latimer was still under the Master's spell, whether he knew it or not. The Master turned back towards you with a raised eyebrow.

“Miss Montague, not in front of the children.” He chastised. 

You gave a small giggle. It was music to the Masters ears.

#dhawan!master x reader #sacha dhawan #dhawan!master #bbc doctor who #bbc #doctor who #the master #reader #reader insert #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #doctor who fanfic #doctor who fanfiction #the master x reader #master x reader #the snowmen #remastered

[marmixedwithabitofintellect]

Chapter Three: Understanding

Chapter 3 is finally here!! I have enjoyed writing this chapter so much especially because of all the topics it covers! I have loved it so much and it definitely is my favorite in this story so far 🥹✨ Come talk to me after you read and tell me what you think! All the love 🤍 Mar

Disclaimer: In no way do I wish to spread hate or negative opinions about any of the characters here depicted, this is just fiction and with the purpose of entertaining you guys

February 14, 2022 – March 13, 2022: Month Three

October 16, 2014

Boston, Massachusetts. 7:35 AM.

The smell of coffee was welcome on this fall day, for once I had made it on time to Professor Jameson’s class and was able to buy my coffee. The class started filling up with students from all over campus since “Political Analysis of the 21st Century” was a common core subject for a lot of majors and minors, including mine.

After a series of arguments with my parents they agreed to let me get my bachelor’s degree with a major in Communications and a minor in Graphic Design, and so far, I have loved every single moment. Upon the recommendation of juniors and seniors I decided to get done with the common core subjects first, hence the reason I was here sitting at one of the biggest halls at Boston University waiting for my professor.

While I was reviewing my notes someone cleared their throat, I turned to look at him and I had to hold my breath, he was tall and lean, head full of loose curls, brown eyes full of kindness hidden behind a delicate frame and a smile to die for, “Hi, are you Y/N?” I stared for a few before I cleared my throat and nodded

“Yeah, that’s me”, his smile grew bigger if that was possible, “We got partnered up for the midterm project, I tried to catch you last class but had no luck”, I chuckled, “Yeah, I tend to get out as soon as I can, but thank you for reaching out”, he nodded and took the empty seat next to mine, “No problem, hey why don’t you give me your phone so we can work a schedule or something”

I nodded and reached into my bag for a post-it, scribbled down my phone number and handed it to him, he smiled before speaking up in a half whisper since Professor Jameson had arrived, “Thank you, I’m Matthew by the way”, I smiled, “Nice to meet you Matthew”

February 13, 2022

London, England. 12:30 PM.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt someone squeeze my arm, I opened and closed my eyes wanting to make sure I was not dreaming, however when I opened them, I came across the smile that a few years ago had me weak on my knees, Matthew chuckled before speaking up, “I’m sorry, I guess old habits die hard”

I chuckled, “How are you? It’s been a few years”, he nodded before asking, “About four or five I reckon?”, I nodded. Harry then cleared his throat and I turned to see him, he had a strained smile on his face and was silently asking who the man standing in front of us was, “Oh! Where are my manners? Matthew this is Harry”, he smiled before offering his hand to shake, “Harry it is a pleasure to meet you”

He nodded and curtly answered, “Yeah you too”, they both pulled back before I cleared my throat, “So, do you live here now?”, he nodded, “Well not really, I’m in the process of moving”, a ding from his phone had him checking the message before sighing, “I’m sorry, I have to go, but I hope to see you soon yeah? Maybe catch up?”, I nodded, “Yes of course”, he nodded before turning to look at Harry, “Nice to meet you Harry”, Harry gave him a tight-lipped smile, “You too”

And as he pulled back, I felt myself get lost on memories before Harry squeezed my hand, “Hey, everything okay?”, I smiled at him and nodded, “Yes baby, just surprised I guess”, I cleared my throat before squeezing his hand back, “Shall we?”, he nodded and reached to kiss my temple while we made our way to the museum.

February 20, 2015

Boston, Massachusetts. 9:30 PM

The party was in full swing when the girls and I got there, Chelsea went to look for her boyfriend while Cassie and I searched for Otto and Davie, the four of us were studying communication and had become a very close group of friends. A few minutes later we could see Otto’s blonde man bun and standing next to him was Davie with his favorite Red Sox cap and beside him was another tall man.

When Otto saw us, he smiled and waved to us, and as we were making our way to where he was standing Davie and the mysterious guy turned, and when he did, I stopped in my tracks, it was Matthew. I could see a flash of recognition and a smile on his face before he smirked, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite partner”, I laughed before saying hello to them and pulling each of them into a hug and stopping to stand next to him.

“It’s good to see you! How have you been? How is junior life treating you?”, he smiled and nodded, “Good, good, working on my dissertation and final credits, and you? How is freshman life?”, I sighed, “It’s interesting, but I cannot wait for it to be over”, he laughed, “Oh you’ll regret saying that soon”, I smirked, “Speaking from experience?” he nodded.

I did not realize but soon enough we were left alone, and we decided to go sit to the back patio next to the bonfire where we delved into a conversation about anything and everything. And as we were sitting there, I realized I could get used to this, conversation on never-ending topics, a feeling of ease and well, looking at his handsome face. I was pulled back from my thoughts when Cassie made her way to me, an apologetic look all over her face

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have to wake up in about four hours so we should sleep”, I stood up and nodded before turning to look at Matthew, before I could speak up he blurted, “Go on a date with me”, my heart started beating faster after he said this, I pretended to ponder for a few before giving him a small smile and nodding, “I would love to”, he smiled

“I’ll text you the details, yes?”, I nodded and reached in to place a kiss on the corner of his lips before making my way to where Cassie was waiting for me, after we linked our arms, I turned to see Matthew standing there and waving, I gave him a wink and turned back to see where I was walking to.

February 13, 2022

Harry. London, England. 5:00 PM.

Our date at the museum had been everything I expected and more; I had forgotten how much I enjoyed visiting museums and especially with her and being able to share our passion for art with Pippa was everything I ever dreamed of. After we finished visiting the exhibitions, we went to the gift store and bought Pippa a few books and puppets so we could play with her.

We stopped at the café so we could grab a drink and let Pippa feed, and while we waited for her to be done, we discussed what we wanted to do while we were still here and what we would need to get done before leaving for Coachella. About forty minutes later Pip finished feeding and after we made sure we had everything, and she was buckled back in her carrier we made our way to the car and headed home.

Tonight, was bath night and it was Y/N’s turn, while she was busy bathing the baby, I handled the laundry we had definitely been neglected these last few days. I had just finished putting away the last of my t-shirts and changed into some sweats when the bathroom door opened and out came my girls, I smiled and went to grab Pippa from her arms and kissing her cheek multiple times, “Hi little bug, oh you smell so nice! Did you thank mumma for your bath?”

Y/N smiled and went to the closet to change into some cozy loungewear, when she came out, we headed downstairs for our evening routine. Rain had started to fall since we got home which had us cooking some Minestrone soup and garlic bread for dinner and while everything was ready, we sat down in the living room, Pippa was laying on my knees and Y/N cuddled to my side and started playing with her tiny hand.

There was a question that had been nagging me since we ran into Matthew a few hours ago, and truly I did not want to ruin our day, but I knew that if I kept quiet it would not be good, so I took a deep breath, kissed her forehead and half whispered to her, “It was him, wasn’t he?”, after a few moments of silence I felt her nod her head.

I swallowed the lump of anxiety I could feel was stuck in my throat before speaking, “Do you… do you want to talk about him?”, she nodded again before whispering, “Let’s eat and put her to sleep and then we’ll talk okay?”, now it was my turn to nod and kiss her head in reassurance while she cooed at the baby who was enthralled with the attention that she was getting from her mumma.

August 20, 2015

Boston, Massachusetts. 2:45 PM

My plane had just landed and the only thing I really wanted to do was run to Matthew’s apartment. He had been in Washington for the whole summer working, we had been able to see each other a few times but truly it had not been enough.

After that first date back in February we had continued to see each other until he asked me to be his girlfriend in April. May brought the end of the semester and a few tears with a promise to see each other during summer and a much-awaited reunion in August. Once I got out of the plane I ran across the airport and picked up my bags in baggage claim, ordered an Uber and made my way to the dorms.

I dropped my bags and decided to take a shower before leaving to see him; however, a knock on my door had me furrowing my brows and quickly running to open it, when I did, I found Matthew standing there, a bouquet of daffodils in his hand and a smile adorning his face.

I smiled before letting him in and pulling him into a hug, “What are you doing here?”, he kissed the top of my head multiple times before muttering, “It’s been too long Birdie, I missed you and couldn’t wait”, I smiled and nuzzled into his arms before kissing his pec and pulling back a little, “I missed you too hot stuff”

February 13, 2022

London, England. 7:30 PM.

After we finished eating dinner and cleaning the kitchen Harry said good night to Pippa and I headed upstairs, I sat down in the loveseat in our room and started feeding her; as I did, I took the time to grasp the fact that she now was two months old, her personality was definitely showing through, and she is starting to look like a complete mix between Harry and me.

After a feeding, a diaper change and a little sway and kisses she was fast asleep, I settled her into the cot, turned on the monitor and headed downstairs to meet Harry, I smiled when the smell of apple and cinnamon filled my nostrils, and my suspicions were confirmed when I entered the kitchen and found him brewing some apple cinnamon tea.

When he saw me come in, he smiled and handed me the big cup we had made a few years back during a pottery class, it was definitely well loved and held a lot of memories. We turned off the lights in the kitchen and settled in the T.V. room, the fire was on, and soft music played throughout the speakers.

And as we sipped our tea, I took my sweet time studying Harry’s look; there was something bothering him, and he was conflicted about it too. I could bet it had to do with Matthew and the run-in we had today, but as I had learned with Cece my therapist, I would need to let him speak and not pressure him to do so.

We sat there in silence for a few before he spoke up, “Were you shocked?”, I turned to look at him, “Hmm?”, he gave me a small smile, “Matthew, were you shocked you ran into him?”, I sighed and nodded, “Very”, he nodded too before taking a sip of his tea.

March 25, 2016

Boston, Massachusetts. 9:00 PM

After unlocking the door, I was met with the pleasant smell of Bolognese pasta and my favorite chocolate cake. Soft music was heard through the whole apartment and Matthew’s humming made me smile. After dropping my bag and keys, I removed my shoes and made my way to the kitchen.

I smiled when I saw him finishing plating our dinner, “Hi darling”, he turned and gave me a smile before dropping the plates on the table, “Hi Birdie! Happy birthday!”, he walked to where I was standing and pulled me into a hug, “Thank you babe”, once we pulled back, we made our way to the kitchen where I was welcomed by the smell of Italian food, a personal favorite at the moment.

I was distracted with dinner before Matthew cleared his throat; when I turned, I smiled at him, he was standing there with a big bouquet of daffodils and a gift bag in hand, we both started walking and met halfway, after he handed me my gifts, he kissed my temple before I pulled him into a hug.

Once we pulled back, he started cooking again and I went in search of a vase to put my flowers, while fixing them I spoke up, “Thank you for the daffodils, they’re so beautiful Momo”, I turned and gave him small smile which he returned and continued to serve dinner. I helped him bring the salad and bread to the table while he carried our pasta plates.

And as the soft music played, we started eating and catching up on everything we had missed about each other since the last time we had seen each other two days ago. Being a junior and trying to finish getting all credits while working on projects was very tiring, but I knew at the end it would be worth it.

After we finished dinner Matthew picked up our dinner plates, I was pulling out the dessert plates while he went into the fridge, when he turned, he had a small chocolate cake in his hands; and after he placed it on the table and lit up the candle, we both sang ‘Happy Birthday’, and just before I blew out the candle, he told me to make a wish.

So, I closed my eyes, placed my hands over my heart and made my wish, I wish for a life of adventures, love, and happiness, I opened my eyes again and blew out the candle while he clapped for me.

February 13, 2022

Harry. London, England. 7:30 PM.

A million thoughts ran through my head; was the surprise good or bad? Either way why was she so quiet? Did she miss him? Did she love him still? No, please no, I wouldn’t be able to handle that. Alice had told me that I shouldn’t keep quiet my fears and doubts, but the question is, am I willing to learn the truth and live with it?

She squeezed my hand before asking, “Hey, what’s in your head? Talk to me, yeah?”, I nodded, sat up straighter and turned to look at her, “I know you have told me about your story with Matthew, but I have always felt like there was a part of it that you kept quiet, and I never tried to peak into it”, she nodded, and I took a deep breath.

“But I want you to trust me, to share it with me; I want to know you, what lead to your breakup and what I can learn from it to make our relationship, if you want us to have one, better”, she smiled, “You got me physically naked already and now you’re getting me emotionally naked huh?”, we both laughed at her comment because technically, it was true.

She reached in for my hand and squeezed it before pulling it up to her lips and kissing it and then lowering to her lap, “I agree with you, and you are right, I didn’t give you the whole story, but I need you to know that it had nothing to do with me not trusting you, but with the fact that I was hurt and grieving still”

I nodded before asking her, “Did you ever stop grieving?”, she smiled a little and nodded, “I did, actually”, I smiled, “When?”, “The day I flew to LA to meet a certain singer who had been busy traveling the world, I think you know him?”, a mischievous smile on my face when I answered her, “I may know who you are referring to”, we both laughed before she cleared her throat.

“I’m not going to lie , Matthew was someone really special in my life; you already know how we met and how we started dating”, I nodded, a melancholic faraway look took over her face, “He was my first in so many ways; first love, first kiss, first time, he was the first one to help me pull out of my comfort zone”, there was a feeling at the pit of my stomach I couldn’t identify but I hoped it would disappear soon while she continued to talk.

“Everyone loved him; for my parents he was the perfect future husband: a young handsome guy with a nine to five job, that was a philanthropist on his free time and played tennis at the club and who never missed Sunday Service and Brunch. For me, a guy who didn’t undermine me for our age difference, even if it wasn’t that much and who always said that if I wanted to work I could, or if I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, he would support it too”

Okay now I understood why she had kept so much private about her relationship to him, and God I wished I would’ve stayed quiet, but if we wanted to learn and be better, I would have to. As if she could read my mind she quietly said, “This is why I was so reserved on talking about it, because you are probably overthinking the situation”

I laughed while nodding my head before clearing my throat, “I really don’t want to be cross or rude, but I really don’t find other way to ask a question”, she nodded and I continued, “If he was so perfect, what happened?”, I saw her lip quiver and tears start to line up her lash line, my heart started beating too fast before I reached to pull her into a hug.

Once she was safely in my arms I kissed her neck before whispering, “Baby no, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry”, she shook her head and sniffled, “No, don’t apologize”, she pulled back a little and I grabbed her hand and started running my finger down her knuckles, “Harry, before I continue I need you to know that you are the first person I have ever told this to, not even my siblings know”

My mind started running with the worst-case scenarios, but I had an inkling on what she would say, she blew her nose before continuing to speak, “Matthew and I, we never labelled our relationship; yes when people asked if we were dating we said yes and I referred to him as my boyfriend and him to me as his girlfriend, but there was never a lot of fuss around what we were, the only thing we knew for sure was that we loved each other”

I nodded and continued to run my finger over her knuckles while she continued talking, “Once I graduated college we moved to New York together, we were renting this little apartment in the West Village and life was good, I started working for Vogue while he was working at one of the top financial companies” I nodded.

“We had started discussing what were our common goals, we both agreed we wanted to get married, have babies and maybe move to the Upper Side of Manhattan and raise them there, but the answer was always ‘in a few years down the line’, until one day I found myself with a missed period for two weeks and anxiety crawling out of my throat waiting for the test to finish loading”

What? I was not expecting that, and I bet my face could tell how shocked I was because she let out a half chuckle before continuing, “I think it is safe to understand the result the test showed given the situation we are currently in, but that result lead us to a conversation on how ‘a few years down the line’ could be kept for moving and babies, but not for marriage”

She let out a laugh at the shock I bet was displayed all over my face, this was all too much too soon but I was glad we were talking about it, I cleared my throat and spoke up, “He proposed?”, she shrugged her shoulders before answering, “I mean he did not get down on one knee and said the words ‘Will you marry me’, but there was love; we decided we loved each other enough to share a forever together and then he gave me a ring”

I nodded in understanding still processing what I was hearing, “ However the words ‘we really don’t have to make a big deal of this’, and ‘maybe we should keep it to ourselves for a while’ were involved, which at the time seemed to be a comfort, when in reality it should have been a sign”, I gave her a half chuckle and cleared my throat, “How… how long were you two engaged for?”

“Three months, first month and a half was as if nothing had changed, then came the letter to Edinburgh”, I furrowed my brows, “Edinburgh?”, she nodded, “He applied to study a master’s at the University of Edinburgh, when he first told me about it, I even started looking onto programs for me, but I never found one that fulfilled me”

 “I still remember the day the letter came, we had just returned from visiting my parents and there it was, sitting in between bills; I still remember how happy he was and how proud he felt of himself, and I did too, I knew how much he had worked for it, but as the excitement of acceptance washed off and reality of what this move meant crashed, I knew deep down what would eventually come”

June 26, 2017

New York City, New York. 8;45 PM

Thunder, rain, and lightning had overtaken the city over the last few hours, the only source of lights coming from the candles I had lit up a while ago. Boxes were staring to line the hallway, and it seemed they were mocking me, knowing what was about to happen.

A key turning inside the lock pulled me out of my thoughts and made the dread wake up again, he went into his routine, closing the door, dropping his keys in the bowl, removing his shoes, and walking to the kitchen where he leaves his work bag.

A few seconds later he appeared at the living room entrance giving me a smile, “Hi Birdie, how was your day huh?”, the nickname was enough for me to start tearing up again, he started making his way to sit next to me, I answered quietly, “Hi Momo, it was good”

He furrowed his brows, “Birdie? What’s going on huh?”, a small sob left my mouth before I covered my eyes and let the tears fall, he placed his hand in my back and started rubbing it, “Birdie… come on”

After I cried for what felt like an eternity and clearing my tears, we sat there in silence, Matthew’s hand not stopped running down my back, I took a deep breath and prayed to the heavens that the correct words would leave my mouth, “I have been thinking a lot in the last few days, about us, the pregnancy scare, the engagement, Edinburgh”, he nodded.

“And I have found myself feeling conflicted every time the reality of what this all means”, he cleared his throat, “Conflicted?”, I nodded and sniffled, “Matthew, I’m not ready”, he squeezed my hand, “We still have a few months Birdie, everything will be okay yeah?”

Silence. An uncomfortable silence I have never experienced, I started toying with the ring that had been sitting on my finger, but instead of feeling joy I felt dread, I dropped my hands before turning to the window and started talking again.

“I know I was the one who said we shouldn’t make a big deal and we should also keep it quiet; I really thought it had to do with us enjoying the moment, but there was always something there, at first I thought it was because of all the newness this would entitle, but truthfully as the weeks have gone by, the uneasiness has grown”

I sniffled, “And I’ve come to realize that… that I’m not ready for it all”, he whispered, “What?”, I sniffled again, “I’m so sorry Matthew, but I’m not ready; this is all coming too soon too fast, and… and I don’t feel the same excitement or dreaminess I felt a few months ago when we talked about it”

Matthew nodded, a solemn look in his face, “And us?”, oh God, a sob left my mouth while I reached to squeeze his hand, “Matthew, you are so special, so unique, you have brought me so much joy, happiness; you showed me a world I didn’t know and for that I love you, and I’m so thankful for you”

A sad smile started adorning his face, a squeeze returned to my hand, “But you’re not in love with me anymore huh?”, I couldn’t look him in the eye while I nodded, a sob leaving my mouth while he pulled me into a hug swaying and shushing while I cried whispering how things were okay.

When we pulled back, he started clearing my tears, while I apologized, “I’m so sorry Matthew”, a smile adorned his face, “Why Birdie? You were honest and your feelings are so valid; I will not lie, it hurts, and I will probably be sad for a while, but everything will be okay, yes?”

I shook my head, “How can you forgive me so easily?”, he kissed my cheek, “Because I love you, and you are special to me, and I’m so grateful we got to share so much and before you start thinking I hate you I don’t, Birdie you’re young, you deserve to live your life, not the life I want or your parents want”

“And if that is not next to me, it is perfectly fine, I just hope that one day we can run into each other again I hope you tell me that your life was everything you wanted it to be, okay?”, I nodded and sniffled, “Thank you Matthew”, he smiled, “Thank you Birdie”

February 13, 2022

London, England. 7:45 PM.

“I moved out the next week into the apartment we now live in, we didn’t keep in touch after that, but it took me a few months to be other the heartache”, Harry sat there a serious look on his face, “And then?”, I smiled.

“And then, I fell in love with my life again, continued to work in free-lance projects, until I landed a very picky client, he’s a pretty famous singer”, he smirked and pretended to think, “I think so, care to tell me more about him?”, I laughed before continuing.

“Well, he hired me to help him with his album, and somewhere along the way we fell in love; but sadly, one day we broke up, and heck was I felt with a broken heart. I had started to learn about living without him, until one day a little tiny plus sign changed our lives forever, and now we are trying to raise a baby and getting to know each other again; after all I never fell out of love with him”

The smile on his face made everything worth it, he reached and pulled me in for a kiss, a kiss that was everything I needed at the moment, I hear you, I love you, thank you for trusting me, when we pulled back, he smiled at me before whispering, “Thank you for sharing this with me, I feel honored that you trust me enough”

“I do Harry, and I want for this to work for us to be together; frankly we both know that if we were to co-parent, we would do It awesome, but I love you and I want to have a relationship with you”, he ran his knuckles down my cheek, “I do too baby, more than anything I want you”

February 14, 2022

Harry. London, England. 4:30 PM.

I had just finished burping Pippa while Y/N was getting ready, my mum was finishing setting up in the guest room; she had agreed to come stay with us for a few days because she missed her granddaughter and future daughter-in-law, a comment that had me laughing every time she told me.

When I heard someone come down the stairs I smiled when I saw it was my mum, she smiled as she started walking to where I was standing with Pippa in the kitchen, “Hi mum, everything okay?”, she nodded and reached for Pippa, after I handed her the baby, she started kissing her forehead.

“Pippa you need to ask your daddy when will he ask your mumma to be his girlfriend again huh? Say ‘Daddy Nana wants to call her daughter in law”, I laughed before turning to the door to check if she was near before leaning in to whisper, “Baby tell your Nana it will be soon, like soon next week” I winked before pulling back while my mum danced a little.

I laughed and turned when I heard footsteps come down the stairs, I walked out of the kitchen to meet her, she looked so beautiful, once she reached the main floor, I pulled her in for a kiss and whispered against her lips, “Well it seems I’m the luckiest man this Valentine’s Day” she laughed before giving me an eskimo kiss before whispering, “Hi handsome”

We started making our way to the kitchen where my mum was finishing her tea, she smiled and walked to Y/N and handed her the baby so she could give her a cuddle before we left, my mum took a sip of her tea before speaking up, “So, what are your plans today loves?”

I smiled before answering, “We have an appointment for a painting class with a friend of Gemma’s and then we have dinner plans; is Darren still planning on coming over?”, she nodded and smiled, I was happy to see my mum falling in love again, Y/N made her way to stand next to me while my mum gave us a questioning look.

“Are you two sure you have no issue if he comes?”, we both shook our heads before Y/N spoke up, “Anne you deserve to have your date, it is the least we could do after you agreed to babysit”, my mum smiled, “I missed my girl, so this makes me happy. I’m just glad he can be here with us too”, I smiled, “Mum dinner is on me and don’t even try to fight it okay?”

She rolled her eyes and nodded while making her to where we were standing saying goodbye to Pippa, “Bye baby, be good for Nana yes? We’ll see you in a few hours”, after we kissed her forehead once more, we gave her back to my mum and grabbed our coats and masks before making my way to the van.

The drive to the little art studio took about twenty minutes, we got out of the car and walked to the white door before ringing the bell, and while we waited for, I pulled my girl into my arms and started cuddling her and kissing her forehead, and in return she kissed my pecks, we pulled back a little when we heard the lock turn.

When the door opened, I smiled, the brunette had not changed through the years, she smiled before excitedly saying hello, “Harry! It’s so good to see you!”, I smiled and moved from Y/N so I could pull the brunette girl into a hug, “Sadie! It’s been so long”, once we pulled back, she turned to look at Y/N and smiled, “Hi! You must be Y/N, I have heard so many good things about you from Gemma”

Y/N smiled and pulled Sadie into a hug before telling her, “It’s so nice to meet you Sadie, I have also heard so many good things from Gemma”, she smiled and motioned for us to come in, we removed our coats, but she told us to leave our shoes on to prevent accidents and we started following her when she spoke over her shoulder

“By the way, congratulations on Pippa’s birth, Gemma showed me a picture and I died, she’s gorgeous”, we both smiled and thanked her before she stopped in her kitchen and turned to smile at us, “I might have a little surprise for you two from a little birdie”, from the distance you could see the fairy lights inside the greenroom.

I laughed while shaking my head as we followed her to the backyard where I could see a little greenhouse, “I’ll thank Gemma later”, she grinned and nodded before opening the door to the greenhouse, inside the first thing you could see was a long table full of little remnants of arts and crafts, in the back corner there were big racks where different clay figures were sitting, two cabinets full of material were hidden in the back wall and along the right side you could see painting hung up to dry.

When we got in, we noticed that Sadie had set up two canvases opposite of each other and an array of paint colors I bet there were colors I didn’t even knew existed. On the ither side there was an ice bucket with a bottle of sparkling apple juice chilling and a picnic basket with some paninis, chips, fruit, and chocolate.

I smiled as I watched Y/N take in everything before giving Sadie a smile, “This is so beautiful Sadie!”, Sadie smiled and cleared her throat, “So, there is a speaker on the table so you can play your music, and I will go inside. I left a little book with some pictures so you can get ideas on what to paint or you can leave it to your imagination; if you need me you can click on that doorbell and I’ll come, otherwise I will see you two in a few hours”

We both thanked her and waved as she left the room before settling down and getting ready to paint, while I was looking at the book for inspiration she cleared her throat, which had me looking up to her, she smiled before speaking up, “I have an idea for our paintings”, I nodded and placed the book in the table to give her my whole attention.

“Let’s paint something that represents a happy memory for us”, I smiled, “Just one?”, she laughed, “But it cannot be around Pippa, let’s think, like really think about everything”, I smiled and nodded, and while I opened the bottle of wine, and she unpacked the food I raked through my mind on what I wanted to paint.

And as we sat down, I got the perfect inspiration, I cleared my throat before asking her, “Know what you will paint?”, she nodded and grabbed her brush to start painting, I pressed play in my phone, and we started painting.

It had been about fifteen minutes before Y/N called my name, “Yes baby?”, she let out a shuddering breath, “Can I… can I ask you something?”, I nodded, “Did you and Olivia, uhm, ever discuss the future?”, I dropped my brush before turning to look at her, “What do you mean?”, she shrugged, “Like, did you two ever discuss marriage, having your own children? Like it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it”

“No, no, it’s okay darling, I understand, and we did promise we were going to be honest with each other”, she nodded, and I sighed, “I made it clear since the beginning that before we ever thought of the future, things regarding Otis and Daisy would have to be settled with Jason, she wasn’t too happy about it but agreed”

“When Jason and her were able to work something out for the time being we started discussing moving in, truth I wasn’t too sure, Otis and Daisy were getting used to this new arrangement, I still remember one day Daisy asked me to call her dad because she missed him and it broke my heart, funnily enough, the day I found you in L.A. we were discussing the fact that she wanted to move in but I didn’t want to”

She nodded and squeezed my hand, which I took as a sign to continue, “Marriage was not on the table, I was busy touring and she still had to settle with Jason, and kids were ever only brought up when she had that scare last year, and we know how that ended”, she cringed at the memory and I kissed her knuckles before speaking up, “So yes, there was some talk, but nothing too serious”

She nodded and I cleared my throat, “Baby everything okay? Where is this coming from’”, she nodded, “Well… no, I guess I have been thinking a lot about my relationship with Matthew and your relationship with her, and… I don’t know”, I squeezed her hand once more before kissing her knuckles, she sighed before talking, “I cannot help but compare myself to the Y/N that broke up with Matthew all those years ago, and how karma did reach me when I broke up with you over falling in love with Olivia”

I nodded solemnly letting her know I was listening, “If I told the Y/N that was sitting in her first NYC flat that things would improve after her break up, then go to shit again and then shift so much, she would laugh; because truly my life has been so unexpected and what I needed but wasn’t sure I did, and I know that it sounds like a complaint but it isn’t, I’m still trying to understand everything, and well truth is that every time things come up in therapy I stir the pot”

I smiled a little, but there was something in her eyes that told me she wanted to say more, “Darling, what’s bothering you still?”, she laughed before speaking up, “You’ve always known me too well… I guess I have a confession to make, and I’m scared of how you will react and the floodgates it will open”, I furrowed my brows, but she beat me before I could speak up, “I saw the ring H”

My heart stilled and I whispered, “What?”, she smiled a little, “I was putting away your laundry from set, from the two weeks you were away due to the Covid case, and all of your underwear were not fitting perfectly, so I reached in to see what was going on and found the box”, I gave her a nervous laugh and she cleared her throat, “I thought you were acting the way you were because you were going to propose, and God how different it turned out to be huh?”

I nodded and she squeezed my hand before taking a sip of her wine and clearing her throat, “Wow okay this feels loaded now and I do want to continue talking about it, so why don’t we finish our paintings and once we do, we’ll show each other and continue yes?”, I nodded and reached in to pull her for a kiss, okay maybe two and then we continued painting.

February 14, 2022

London, England. 6:00 PM.

I knew what i wanted to paint since we arrived at the studio, and I was very excited Harry was so onboard with it. As we were painting, and conversation started flowing I realized we still had a lot to discuss but we needed to decompress a little before we could continue talking. I had just finished putting on the finishing touches to my painting when H cleared his throat and let me know he was done too.

I smiled before speaking up, “What if we showed our painting at the same time?”, he nodded and grabbed his canvas before clearing his throat, “On the count of three yes?” I nodded, “One… two… three!”, we both turned our canvases, and we started laughing. Because right in front of our eyes I found that we had both painted something related to the same memory.

Harry had painted the landscape of the hill where the house we stayed during our visit to Sorrento, while I had painted the hill and the ocean because we both knew we weren’t professional, his eyes lit up when he came to the realization and he let out a laugh, “Really? Same memory?”

I nodded and grinned, “Guess we really loved it huh?”, he nodded before reaching for my hand and squeezed it, “It was a very special trip and time baby, it was magic and bliss”, I reached from across the table and pulled him into a kiss before whispering against his lips, “It really was”, he smiled before pulling me into another kiss.

While the painting dried, we started munching on the contents of the basket and continued to talk, I was finishing my panini before he cleared his throat, “Should we… uhm should we continue the conversation we left off?”, I nodded and swallowed before speaking up, “Just promise me, that this won’t cause a fight between us”, he reached in for my hand and kissed it before speaking up, “Uncomfortable topics will make us have a better communication okay?”

I nodded and cleared my throat, “I have trouble understanding why would you buy an engagement ring if you weren’t sure”, he sighed, “I bought the ring a year into our relationship”, my heart stopped, “What?”, he smiled, “Funnily enough, during the Sorrento trip, while you were busy baking and cooking and learning Italian with Giuseppina, I was visiting jewelry stores”

 I nodded and he continued talking, “I wanted to propose right then and there, but I knew it would be too soon, so I decided to wait, and wait, a year later we were both in our projects and on top of our careers that I thought 2021 would be a better year to get married, but… yeah”

I chuckled, “We both know what happened”, he nodded, I sniffled and cleared my throat, “If you were so set on us… on us getting married, why Harry? Why break my heart like that?”, he reached in and pulled me in for a hug, where he let me cry for a few moments before he pulled back started caressing my cheek and speaking up.

“Everything was good, yes we had our fights and we made up, we shared our dreams, goals and aspirations, and for the first time, ever, I felt complete peace, I was truly happy, because I had found my better half and yes I know it sounds cheesy but is the truth, you balance out my perfection and I do my best to uplift your confidence, you help me see the good in everything and I help you remember how beautiful and charming and incredible you are”

I smiled while he continued to speak, “It was finally starting to feel real, it was sinking that sooner rather than later I was going to ask my best friend to marry me, that we would start a new chapter of life together, have some babies, and live until we were old together, and as exciting as that was, the realization was also hitting; how could I, a child of divorced parents keep a healthy relationship and marriage together?”

I squeezed his hand before whispering, “You are not your parents H”, he nodded, “I know that now, but at the time I didn’t, and my insecurities got the best of me”, I squeezed his hand, “Baby how long had you been feeling that way?”, he shrugged, “A few months, I was planning to propose on the anniversary of you moving in with me”

I nodded while he continued, “But then filming started, and I formally met Olivia and Chris and met again with Florence and Gemma, and you were here and everything was great, until one day the compliments started flowing, ‘Great job H, better than last time but we will roll it again’, ‘Harry the dancing? Impressive I’m so glad you agreed to it’, and we then moved to ask for my imput on shots, what emotions should we convey”

He sighed, “Then after we came back from our break from the Covid case she seemed even more excited than before to see me, and there were subtle details like a coffee just how I ordered it in my trailer, some lunch a few days and when the cast and crew got together she always made sure I was there for the important discussions and the thoughts and opinions got back to my higher up management which was a win-win”

I bit my lip and nodded a little before he continued, “I guess at the time I was loving getting that attention, and slowly I was expecting those details, because I started to see that this was not because of my acting but for me; I would be a hypocrite if I said that I didn’t love the attention I was getting, and after breaking up I used it as an excuse”

He squeezed my hands, “A few months later I realized that I had confused being needed by someone to being wanted by someone; because unconsciously I needed her attention and her love to heal up the pain I was feeling from our breakup, but truly I wanted all of you, your heart, your best and worst, your thoughts, and above all your love”

I sniffled before speaking up, “I really thought you had feelings for her”, he nodded, “I cared for her, and I was appreciative of her helping me deal with what I was feeling, but I didn’t love her”, I nodded, “You didn’t come for me”, he gave me a sad smile, “I did”, I furrowed my brows, and he ran a hand down my cheek

“I flew to New York after Jeff and Glenne’s wedding, I was determined to get you back, and I remember standing outside your door about to knock until I let my fears get the worst of me, like how on Earth would I explain to you what I was feeling without hurting you even more? And if you did forgive me, how would I be able to make it work? like I said, I realized I didn’t have the best examples; so, I didn’t knock and left”

I gave him a sympathetic look, “Harry…”, he smiled, “I am better, therapy has done wonders and I know I am not them and I am only responsible for my actions and not theirs; and I do get to choose and learn from them”, I nodded and smiled in agreement, “but there is one thing that will never change: the fact that I am choosing you; I am choosing Pippa and I am choosing the life we will build together” I gave me a timid smile and nodded, “I am choosing you and Pippa and our future life too”

February 25, 2022

Harry. London, England. 8:30 PM.

We had finished eating the past we spent all afternoon making, and while Y/N went and settled Pippa for the night I was cleaning up the kitchen and moved to the living room, I could hear some steps behind me before she spoke up, “She went out like a light” I smiled and patted the space next to me in the couch.

She gave me a smile and started cuddling her and kissing her forehead while she sighed in contentment, we pressed play in the movie and ate our sweet treat my mum had left for us. There has bene something on my mind for the last few days and especially since her and Pippa would fly back to the US pretty soon.

That had caused a fight between us, but I understood that it would be the best for Pippa, and in turn I would definitely push to be back soon with them. Once the movie finished, we sat up and stretched she turned to look at me and tapped my nose before asking me “What is on your head baby?”

I smiled, “I have been thinking about a lot of things, but above all about how much we have both grown and above all, how much I love you”, she smiled and squeezed my hand, “I love you too”, after a few seconds in silence before I blurted out, “Be mine”, she sat up straighter, “Sorry?”, I smiled and squeezed her hand, “Will you be my girlfriend?”, she smiled and gave me an apprehensive look.

“Harry, how can I be sure you won't pull a freak out again? Because I must remind you, now it isn't just me but her too”, I nodded and understood where she was coming from, that is why I had something planned, I reached into my jacket and pulled out a box, handed it to her and asked for her to open it, when she did tears were filling the corners of her eyes before she let out a wet chuckle and whispered, “My necklace”

I cleared my throat, “Turn it around”, she furrowed her brows but followed my instruction, a choked sob left her mouth once she did, because the inscription had changed from To a promise of forever to read, To a promise of forever; cross my heart

She grabbed my cheek and pulled me in for a kiss, we pulled back and pressed our foreheads together before I whispered, “I know it’s not promise ring, but I need you to know, I held onto this until last month when I had to send it to add the new engraving”, she pulled back and sniffled before speaking up “What do you mean?”

I smiled, “Had Lamby add a small pocket in my concert and in normal outfits i always had it in my pocket, I couldn't part with it; like I told you last time, I screwed up, but I’m done thinking about the what ifs, I’m not wasting this second chance and as soon as you let me, I’ll marry you and we will think of when's”

She let out a wet chuckle, “You’re so sure I will say yes that you’re thinking about marriage huh?” I laughed and nodded, before she pulled in for a kiss before whispering against my lips, “Yes”, I pulled back and gave her a small smile, “Yes?”, she nodded before kissing me again, when we pulled back, she kissed my cheeks before saying “Let’s write the story of us”

March 4, 2022

Harry. London, England. 12:30 PM.

The tarmac was buzzing with planes getting ready to leave, Harry, Tommy and Jeff were finishing talking with the stewardess about our flight information; we had agreed that Tommy would fly with us and make sure we got home safe.

The last few days here had been spent visiting family, house hunting and above all enjoying the bliss of being able to tell people we were together again; I will always remember the happiness in Anne’s face when we told her, and Gemma was on her way to celebrating a party.

We had to tell my family and our friends back home through the phone, but the excitement was the same. Yesterday we had spent it packing and crying, Harry would be staying here for the next two or three weeks while I would return home and settle back into our routine. We both weren’t so happy about this but knew it was for the best, and that was enough to keep us both going.

The mood had significantly dampened since we left Harry’s house and made our way to the airport, the private terminal was empty which allowed for us to be a little more at ease. I had just hung up with Anne and Gemma and said goodbye again, Pippa was in her stroller sleeping, when she started stirring up a little, I placed her cover over the stroller, and I swayed it a little hoping to help her settle.

As I was putting my phone away, I saw Harry make his way to us, I gave him a smile and he gave me back a very small one, “Hi mister”, he sat down next to me and kissed my temple, “Hi sweetheart, everything is set”, the knot in my belly tightened, we waited for a few minutes before Jeff came to get us before he stopped in front of us and asked us, “Shall we?”

We both nodded, we stood up and Harry grabbed the stroller’s handle, while Jeff grabbed our bags and I grabbed my backpack, security helped us get to the plane and waited until Harry and Jeff were ready to leave, after storing the bags we wouldn’t need for the flight along with the stroller and car seat, Jeff and Tommy let us know they would confirm some things with the crew.

Jeff hugged me and he caressed Pippa’s head before wishing us a safe flight and walking away with Tommy, when I turned to see Harry my heart broke, he was sitting and cuddling Pippa to his chest while tears clouded his eyes, I kneeled in front of him and squeezed his knees, he closed his eyes and sniffled

“Baby…”, he shook his head before sniffling and speaking up, “I know we agreed to do what’s best for her, but that doesn’t mean I’m not devastated”, I kissed his knee before speaking up, “We always knew this would be hard my love, but we will always make things work okay? you’ll be back with us before you know it”, he nodded and then leaned to kiss her forehead multiple times before whispering to her temple.

“Please don’t grow up too fast Pip, daddy won’t be able to handle it”, Pippa let out a squeak which made us laugh, I hadn’t noticed I was crying until I tasted the salt on my lips, “She won’t, but I promise we will talk every single day yes?”, he nodded and then pulled me into a kiss, “I’ll miss you my love”, I smiled, “I’ll miss you too handsome”

He disembarked the plane but not before sending us a kiss, and once the doors closed and the plane started sliding around the tarmac, I started to breastfeed Pippa while whispering to her, “Everything will be okay baby, it’s just you and me for a while, yes? And then daddy will come home, and we will be very happy together”

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#harry styles x reader #harry styles imagines #dad harry styles imagine #the story of us #harry styles imagine #harry imagine #dad!harry #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles story #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fic #harry styles fluff

[olreid]

would you perhaps be willing to post a syllabus of sorts for your tag "a long wish to be elsewhere"? i'm curious what sorts of things you consider essential to it!

hi! that one's fairly new as far as tags go so i don't have anything resembling essential readings compiled yet, but i can tell you what's on my list so far!

i guess the first thing to say is that the phrase itself comes from louise glück's poem unpainted door, which includes the line "i remember my childhood as a long wish to be elsewhere." i started thinking about childhood while watching paper girls and - what else? - shameless tv, and thus the tag was born. as i've done more research it has sort of morphed into family abolition research storage, which i'm not mad about tbh!

things i've read/watched/listened to so far that have been helpful:

everything for everyone: an oral history of the new york commune, 2052-2072 by m. e. o'brien and eman abdelhadi

histories of the transgender child by jules gill-peterson

jgp's gender reveal podcast episode

the queer child, or growing sideways in the 20th century by kathryn bond stockton

raised in captivity: why does america fail its children? by lucia hodgson

the idea of children by madeline lane-mckinley

recorded sessions from this psychosocial foundation course on the family, particularly the sessions with m. e. o'brien, sophie lewis, and fred moten

reliving childhood? the temporality of childhood and narratives of reincarnation by akhil gupta

abolish the family: a manifesto for care and liberation by sophie lewis (this was not actually incredibly helpful but the bibliography was so. whatev)

things i haven't gotten to yet but that are on my list to check out:

full surrogacy now: feminism against family by sophie lewis

children's liberation: autonomy and control course taught by sophie lewis

heroes of their own lives: the politics and history of family violence by linda gordon

family abolition: capitalism and the communizing of care (forthcoming june 2023) by m. e. o'brien

the children's rights movement by beatrice and ronald gross

the case for children's liberation by john mcmurtry

kinderkommunismus: a feminist analysis of the 21st century family and a communist proposal for its abolition by k.d. griffiths and j.j. gleeson

alexandra kollontai's writing on communism and the family

the anti-social family by michele barrett and mary mcintosh

unthinking the family by madeline lane-mckinley

the child to come: life after the human catastrophe by rebekah sheldon

family values: between neoliberalism and the new social conservatism by melinda cooper

its all in the family: intersections of gender, race, and nation by patricia hill collins

imperial leather: race, gender, and sexuality in the colonial contest by anne mcclintock

black 'feminisms' and pessimism: abolishing moynihan's negro family by tiffany lethabo king

that's it so far! others are welcome to add topical recommendations if they have any. this was fun to compile, i didn't really realize i'd read so much relevant stuff already : ) hope this answers your question !

#asks #anon #a long wish to be elsewhere #ETA didnt think i would have 2 say this but obv i cannot vouch for anything i havent read yet do NOT @ me. #wanting to read about something does not equal an endorsement of said thing. thank you and goodnight

[the-empress-7]

Here is the Raynor article: https://archive.ph/Jex86

Both anons are right- it is pretty laudatory to WK AND it says that having to obey is a thing....

Thank you for the article, I have mixed feeling about this. There is a lot to unpack in this article.

Personally I think this is Palace PR. It's basically an intellectualized version of Lazy Waleses with just enough flattery to throw people off the scent.

As much as I love royal tours, we need to accept that we live in modern times. Back when Charles was William's age, there was no 24/7 news cycle, there was no internet, there was no social media. Overseas tours were necessary as a means of communication and engagement, but times have changed. Yes I know that representing the BRF is a primary responsibility of the working royals, but that model of representation needs to be adapted for the 21st century. Updated, not eliminated.

If there is one thing I could impress upon these commentators and royal watchers it's this: Activity does not equal results. It did not pass my notice that instead of using a graph for the most popular royals, the article went with the hardest working royals. Which btw is a misnomer, most engagements that are undertaken do not equal hard work. Am I happy to see the Waleses at garden party today? Yes. But I am not going to sit here and praise them for working so hard simply because they are at a garden party.

Not only is Anne's level of activity impractical, it's also unsustainable. If they really want to force the Waleses to go out on two tours a year just because that's what Charles used to do, it's going to fail. For a myriad of reasons, the biggest of them being that it will take away from the strategic work that the Waleses do, the kind of work that we don't see. Raynor praises their social media efforts over the coronation weekend. Guess what? That didn't just happen without any forethought and planning on their part. Same goes for how the family does practically everything. They make it look easy, but anyone who is paying any attention can see that there is TON of work that goes into the final product aka the public engagement.

Also who wants to remind Charles that when the late Queen was his age, she and Prince Philip still went on overseas tours to far off places like Australia. Charles is more than welcome to take on more overseas tours with his Queen and follow in his mother and father's footsteps, just like he expects William to follow in his.

Lastly, it's really weird to end the article on the note that the author did. It almost sounds like a threat.

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Q&A With Mayor Bill Peduto

Featuring former Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto

I must have interviewed mayor Bill Peduto dozens of times over his eight years in office and for good reason. I was a chief news correspondent for the local TV affiliate and mayor Peduto was recently bested in a bid for a nearly unprecedented third term in office. Over the years, I’ve blogged about him because of his involvement in LGBTQ affairs and his major achievements. But this is the first time I get to interview him personally in his office.  

When I arrived at his office, his receptionist greeted me and told me to have a seat while she inform the mayor I was here. When his door opened, mayor Peduto quickly did a once over on me before saying "Welcome Mr. Dawson, come on in."

I do believe the good mayor likes what he sees I thought as followed him. He shut the door behind me and asked me to take a seat. I studied mayor Peduto for the first time when he sat down. Your typical older white male in his late 50s, brilliant build, big ole tits, belly, big feet and that beard. I just love the beard, I think it adds to his appeal. Plus he's dapper as fuck, close to his mom, isn’t married or have a girl friend. So that only fuels my fantasy that he Bill is closeted. I decided that I might just have some fun with him. I always had a thing for older guys.

"I don't intend to run for office again," The stout old man responded 15 minutes in to our interview.

“Really for 2023, I’ll be more than likely setting up shop as a consultant and taking on about four to six clients. Take some time off, travel, maybe write a book about 21st-century urban economics." Peduto confessed.

He'd taken a slow deep breathe when I said it. A feral smile arose internally. My cock hardened as I wonder how many times he’s had to wipe a man's semen off that beard. Or maybe he swallows. I’d love to find out. His eyes locked onto the slight bulge of my pants.

“I’d like to teach.” He added, his eyes still on my crotch. Knowing that mayor Peduto was watching me as I played with my dick, thrilled me more and more. My huge pecker grew harder and even began to throb and jerk.  

“As for Peduto personally? Are you married?” I asked, his voice suddenly almost breathless from sexual excitement, knowing the answer.

“No. Never been married.” Mayor Peduto answered.

"Well, I'm gay," I said proudly. “And fucked the hell out of each one until they didn’t want sex any more and I would tell them to hit the road. No use having a wife if you can’t fuck her.”

Mayor Peduto's face turned red and just nodded his head as to agree with me. But I knew what was going on in his head. He's debating if he should propose an exchange for sex or not. We sat there for an awkward minute as he had his internal struggle so I chose to take things further. I got up and walked over to a wall with his accolades. He turned slightly in his chair and I saw his bulge. I had him right where I wanted him. He sat there, not knowing what to do next. I guess it was up to me to do most of the heavy lifting in this "deal." I turned, grabbed in an effort to show the old doctor just how damn big his pecker was and asked, "What do you do for sex?”

“Don’t you ever jack off?” I asked as

Mayor Peduto shook his head no as he leaned even closer to me as though my crotch was a magnet drawing him to it. So I took a small step towards him. He didn't budge, but his lower lip seem to quiver a bit. As if words were trying to be formed but my now sexual presence was suffocating them.

“You want to come over and get a closer look at it?” I asked with my voice shaking with sexual excitement at the thought of Mayor Peduto touching my cock. Suddenly I wanted it to be touched by Mayor Peduto more than anything else in the world.

Mayor Peduto hesitated before settling into his leather chair. I could almost see the gears in his head. Was I being facetious, he was thinking.  

“Come on and take a close look at it. I don’t mind.” I called out excitedly.

He looked right at me, but instead of feeling embarrassed or angry, he simply pulled his cock out of his slacks. I could see the precum glistening on the tip. My cock was as expected stretching my shorts, he kept his eyes fixed on me, my mouth was drying up, I licked my lips desperately just as Mayor Peduto stood up, his shorts fell to the floor and he stepped out of them. His cock must have been 7" thick. He lowered his hand onto his cock, stroking the full length, his loose hanging balls moved back and forth, and dropped to his knees in front of me.

“It’s beautiful.” He whispered as he stared loving at my cock.

Mayor Peduto quickly reached his hand out, closed his fingers round my cock and slowly began to manipulate his hand back and forth over my cock. Suddenly I felt his wet tongue slide over it, my cock poked against his throat as his hands cupped my butt cheeks.

“Yes!” I moaned softly. I looked down at him and the view was hot. I saw past his broad shoulders down his back, his hairy ass was sticking out, with his equally hairy calves spread out beneath.

Mayor Peduto slid his tongue up the underside of my shaft and wrapped it around the head, sucking vigorously. Fuck! For a 57 yr. old, he sure could suck! He must have been thinking about this for years. He swallowed more and more of my cock, deeper into his hungry mouth. I was finding it hard to hold back as his hand grabbed my nuts, squeezing them tight while his head bobbed up and down my prick. I grabbed his head firmly in my hands and began fucking his face furiously.

Suddenly I took delight in forcing my dick slowly down Mayor Peduto’s throat. I expected at any moment that the mayor would gag, but he didn't. He kept swallowing my big cock inch by inch. And the deeper his dick reached down the mayor’s throat the better it felt. I felt myself tense up and with one final thrust against his face, my cock spewing deep down his throat and he was swallowing it!

Mayor Peduto just looked up and smiled lovely as my cum began to run down his face and drip off his beard. Then with me watching, mayor Peduto leaned back against his desk spread his legs wide and began to masturbate it madly. I quickly dropped to my knees between his legs, my hands stroked their way up his inner thighs as I kissed the tip of his leaking cock. It throbbed and grew as I held it firm at the base and began sucking it. The mixed scent of his sweat and my saliva was making me hard again as he spread his legs wider. I knew then that I would be inside him. This urged me to suck him faster, I played with his nuts as my mouth swallowed his cock.

"I'm gonna... cu..um!" Mayor Peduto whispered as I slid his cock out of my mouth and began jerking it furiously. He groaned loudly and began to shoot, his cock exploded in my hand and the cum landed all over.

When he stopped shooting, I licked his cock clean as he was breathing like a maniac. He seemed exhausted, but Bill had got me hard again. Pushing him back on to his desk, I lifted his legs over my shoulder and moved my face closer to his ass. I stuck out my tongue and slid it through the sweaty hairy crack. The scent drove me wild as I continued licking him for what seemed like ages. Bill wasn't even moving, it was like he was totally gone.

I reached for the lube I kept in case such occasion should arise and lubed my cock. I then started lubing his hole, putting first one finger, and then two in him. He moaned and shuddered. I brushed my tongue against his hole a few times before I pressed my cock against his hole and slowly pushed in.

"Easy, easy..." Bill moaned as I slid in further. I ignored his cries until I was completely inside him, my sweaty nuts pressing hard against his ass. I looked at the sweat glistening on his forehead as he was slowly adjusting to me.  

After a few moments, I began fucking him nice and slow, my cock sliding in and out of his manhole. It was time to give him the fucking of his life as I pulled him in close and started to pick up the pace, hearing him gasp. I braced myself against him and really got into it. Instantly hit the right spot as he was suddenly moaning in delight with his cock coming to life. I was more excited than I had ever been as I eagerly thrust into him. It was heaven. I had wanted this for so long and now it was reality. He was really gasping and moaning in pure pleasure.

"Fuck me, yes...fuck me, fuck me harder." Bill moaned.  

This was all the invitation I needed. I wrapped my arms around his legs tighter while fucking him at an increasingly harder pace. It was so erotic, feeling his large solid body tremble with the force of each thrust. He was moaning and babbling incoherently with pleasure. I was getting closer, my balls were tight in my sac and my body was trembling as I fucked his hairy old ass raw. I was consumed with lust when I suddenly my cock exploded inside him. I could feel each stream of cum shoot deep inside him. As my cock softened, I pulled out and a whole load of cum spilled with it.

We lay there breathing hard and totally spent, but satisfied. We became lovers, and he and I managed to find time throughout my visit to fuck like wild rabbits.

#Q&A With Mayor Bill Peduto #Bill Peduto #fan fiction #american politician #politician

[dailyaudiobible]

9/21/2023 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 37:1-38:22, Galatians 6:1-18, Psalm 65:1-13, Proverbs 23:24

Today is the 21st day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, wonderful to be here every day, wonderful that this place exists for us to be. So glad that we can be together as we take another step forward and our next step forward leads us to the book of Isaiah. And today we will read chapters 37 and 38.

Commentary:

Okay, so, we concluded the letter to the Galatians today and in Paul's last chapter of this letter, his final exhortations he gives us a pretty straightforward look at the postures of life that we’re supposed to be cultivating. These aren’t really like Paul's Christian life packs for the first century because the things that he suggests that we’re supposed to live into, the things that we’re supposed to be doing. And so, if we’re supposed to be doing them, we can outwardly just force ourselves to try to do these things. Or we can understand that the Gospel is from within, the transformation happens from within and the without, the exterior follows that and to cultivate these things are like shortcuts to an easier life. They’re the posture of life itself as a believer and follower of Jesus. So, let's just consider the things that Paul is laying out. First, carry one another's burdens, in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Okay so, like that's something to consider, do we fulfill the law of Christ by carrying one another's burdens? Do we have a desire for…for helping each other carry our loads so that we are not all being crushed, so that we all have this together? Or are we looking out for ourselves thinking that we’re something that we’re not, just deceiving ourselves. There’s a lot to be considered and that's the first one. Next, let each person examine his own work and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load. Right, right, keep your eyes on your own life. Examine your own self first. Or how about this one, let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher. Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. Right, so take care of the ones who help you grow, who become your teachers. Don't…don't withhold from them. Don't be deceived. That they're showing you the way and understand the way, because if you’re gonna sew from the exterior, from the flesh, if you’re gonna navigate yourself from that perspective, then you will reap what you sow, which will be that your flesh will ultimately destroy you. If you sew from within to the Spirit, eternal life is what wells up from within and overflows. Or this one, let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. I guess on the one hand, we can imagine a world like that and that's a different world than the world that we live in, and that is the invitation of the Gospel. There's a better way. There’s a better way for people to be and that is to take care of each other, knowing that we’re in this together. So, this is great advice that has to be cultivated from within where the change actually happens, and the desires actually grow to take care of each other and then that overflows into our lives. It changes us dramatically. If we look at what Paul is describing, we would say that would be a different world. That's the world we’re invited to build in collaboration with God. We are being transformed, according to the Scriptures, into new creations, and that's gonna change the way we look at things altogether. And Paul's giving us a glimpse of what that looks like, as we close the letter to the Galatians.

Prayer:

So, Holy Spirit, these glimpses, like they set something off in us. They ignite something in us like yeah, that…that's where we’re going, that's where this is supposed to be all headed. And sometimes we get lost in the fact that it won't head in that direction, if we don't go in that direction. And we all have to go in that direction for the world to find transformation, but it does kind of boil down to us. Are we gonna walk the path? Are we gonna live from the heart? Are we going to cultivate from within a relationship with You that spills out and affects those around us. Paul's given us a glimpse of some of what that looks like, help us live into it from within. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, this is Loriann from South Carolina. And I just wanna thank all of you, my family, my fellow DAB family and church for praying for me the way that you have since I’ve lost Steven. And there’s so many days that I do good. But then there are so many days that I just want my husband back. And right now, I feel like, and I don’t know if this is true, but I feel like God just wants me to belong to Him. And He be my husband. And He teach me His ways. And He teaches me how to love and how to live and to minister for Him. And all I wanna do is ask you guys to please pray for me because this grief is killing me. And I know that’s from Satan, but I loved my husband Steven, with all my heart. And I miss him so much. Please pray for me, my sisters and brothers and I know you will because you always do. And thank you Brian Hardin and family. I love you so much. You mean everything to me. I hope you guys have a good night and I love you.

You always keep your word, and your word is true. Thank you for all you have done for us in the past. We thank you for the things we’re, You are doing now for us and we thank You for all that You will do for us in the future. We want to please You with our faith. Give us the strength to have faith and pray, even when we don’t feel like we can believe. For we know that nothing is impossible with You. Help us to remember that our faith relies on believing in Your son, Jesus Christ and Your word. Not in what we see or feel. Help us to resist the devil through Your word. Help us to resist his lies of doubt, fear, negative thoughts and temptations. We want all things to be possible for us. We want blessings to be unlocked for us by faith. And we want to have testimonies in our lives to share with others to build their faith. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for praying along with me my brothers and sisters. I love each and every one of you. Have a good night.

Hi everyone, it’s Lisa the Encourager. I wanted to call, like many others, and just tell Liza I’m praying for you and how much I really admire your courage with everything that you’re going through. So, God laid on my heart the Bible verse James 4: 14 and it talks about what, how are lives are so short. And it is a good reminder that all of us have an opportunity to really look at what we’re gonna do with our time, no matter where we are in life. And the Bible verse says, you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life, it is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. And I just think that Liza has given us a beautiful picture of her walking through her vapor and doing it so beautifully, with so much courage and so much humbleness. And it helps us all see how life; we don’t know when our lives will end. So, this is the challenge to me. What am I going to do with my vapor? What am I gonna do with my time. And I just think, I just wanna thank you Liza for helping us all look at you and be so encouraged by your love and your grace and your humbleness and your courage. And we’re all so happy to pray for you as you’re going through your illness and we’re praying that you are healed. But it also challenges us to look at our own lives and see what we can do in this time that we are staring at and what we can do to please God.

Hi, my name’s Clint, calling for my son, Vincent Blankenship. He, he’s had a mental break and we need prayer. He’s in the clinic right now getting help. And I’m just so thankful people are praying with me here in my community and thankful for this Daily Audio Bible. Thanks to Brian for reading the Bible for all these years for us. My son’s doing better but we believe that God can heal and we’re asking for complete healing of his mind. Thanks so much for your prayers. I’m just so thankful to know the Lord and know His family. Thanks guys.

[softlyfiercely]

im sorry i couldn't let this go, i've seen this come across my dashboard THREE TIMES NOW and you all need to grow some critical thinking skills, please, i am begging you...anyway i just screenshotted this cause i really don't wanna get into it with anyone but this is the stupidest most ignorant thing i've read regarding religion in a long ass time.

placing this under a cut to be polite and save everyone's dashboards - I'm a Jew who converted to Christianity, so i guess my Jewish desire to be polite and considerate managed to override my christian religious mandate to be an asshole on this day...you're welcome everyone

first of all, judaism is a culture and faith that is six thousand years old, and christianity is two thousand years old, and both have spanned entire continents, so it is impossible for any quick rambly tumblr post to be able to remotely capture the reality and nuances of either one.

for example! claiming that in "judaism," divorce is totally accepted and acknowledged and women are free to just up and leave their man and it's some kind of feminist utopia is laughably bullshit! structures of patriarchal oppression use Jewish divorce law to control women - there's even a word, agunah, which means "chained woman." there are currently, as you read this, Jewish women in America who are trapped in this system, and it often leads to all sorts of violence and other nonsense!

also...the story of Leah and Rachel and Jacob is part of Jewish scripture and it isn't exactly a "rah rah women aren't men's property" moment, is it? it's almost like this is a complex subject with lots of nuance!

what about christianity? this brilliant theological scholar claims that divorce is a sin in christianity, just, flat out, period, end of sentence. it's good and allowed in judaism but bad and forbidden in christianity. is that true? of course not!!! most contemporary branches of christianity currently recognize divorce and accept divorced members in their congregation. Jesus is cited multiple times in the Gospels making statements about marriage and divorce that are, let's say...open to interpretation (see Matthew 5, Matthew 19, John 4). hell, we have an entire branch of christianity that partly started because some dude really, really wanted to divorce his wife.

so it makes no sense to say that judaism is totes cool with divorce but christianity is super mean about it. in reality, both religions have believers who use their laws/traditions to oppress women and uphold patriarchal structures, and followers of both religions have found their way to more progressive understandings of marriage and divorce.

also, love the citation of "puritans" as an example of what "christianity" is. puritanism was a small, radical offshoot of christianity - they were run out of entire countries, as you may remember, for being weird and extra about stuff. plus puritanism only appeared in the 1500s, so christianity had been bopping around developing some other theology for a while until then. and while much of american christianity can be traced back to puritan roots, you won't exactly find many practicing "puritans" running around in the 21st century.

so using "puritans" as the platonic example of What Christianity Is just makes no historical sense. if you want to talk about puritan ideas, go ahead. if you want to compare puritan thought to a specific era or sect of Jewish thought, that would be interesting! but you can't just say "some dudes in the 1600s did stuff, and that's what all christians do and believe"

it is also absurd to claim that christian faith makes no room for questioning. again, this person seems to be either citing very specific contemporary evangelical attitudes, or ahistorical caricatures, as a broad strokes representation of a 2000 year old, global religion. in fact, there's been a LOT of excellent christian thought and writing about wrestling with God, struggling with doubt, and asking questions. don't believe me? check out this overview in a popular contemporary christian publication.

also, it's silly to say that asking questions or challenging one's faith is 100% encouraged and accepted at all times "in judaism." google "off the derech" or check out some of these sources. Neither christianity or judaism, as a whole, is a pure perfect innocent cinnamon roll uwu of a religion.

the thing is that people use religion and religious institutions for their own purposes. power, wealth, control, etc. they will use the one most convenient and relevant to their purposes. it is not a feature unique to christianity.

and i can't even TOUCH that last bit. the notion that everything we find yucky about various historical iterations of christianity were nowhere until a bunch of jesus freaks just thought them up? what??? the idea that the entirety of christian thought and belief came about because some Very Nasty People just woke up one day and decided to be cruel and destructive? are you for real???

that's not...how things work. that's not how anything works. you are not "stating the obvious" because you are making such an absurdly false statement that it just...have you ever read, like, a book?

the history of western christianity is thousands of years long, and it includes hundreds of different influences, from plague epidemics to corrupt rulers, and there have always been a ton of people writing, thinking, talking, and arguing about what it means to follow Jesus.

there is a LOT of christian thought and history that does exactly what this person claims never happens in christianity - celebrates the body, honors the dignity of every person, upholds joy and pleasure as sacred, etc. OP i think is referring to the ideas of thomas aquinas who was JUST ONE DUDE in the 1200s and does not represent everything that every christian has ever believed, done, or taught. check out the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, Gerard Manley Hopkins, or Julian of Norwich.

there are some christian practices and beliefs that arose from people's good faith efforts to follow a loving God. there are some that arose from people in power trying to cling to their own privilege. and most of them come from a combination of both! guess what - this is also true of judaism! turns out, both christianity AND judaism have really messy, complicated, nuanced backgrounds! one is not just a bunch of people saying Let's All Be Cool And Make The World Nice And Good vs. a competing bunch of people going Let's All Be Dicks And Ruin Everything. that makes no sense! think about the things that you are saying!!!

if you're curious about this, or if you want to be able to have a more nuanced opinion about whatever you think "christianity" is, i'd recommend a book called Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality. It's a great place to start for an in depth, heavily sourced study of exactly how christian thought about a specific issue changed, developed, and solidified. there, you'll see that there is no way to summarize what "christianity" does, believes, or says, because it's wide ranging and ever changing. you'll also see that certain problematic attitudes or beliefs don't just spring up because Christians Are Assholes, but because of competing pressures and influences from inside and outside the church.

if you want a free copy of that book, PM me and I will send you one. seriously. even if you hate christianity, had terrible personal experiences with a contemporary church, etc. it's a great read. there are sexy love letters between gay monks. im serious.

#christianity #religion #judaism #stop being so ignorant i am begging you

[lorenzobane]

Okay, live thoughts watching the first episode of Strange New Worlds. LOTS of spoilers so I'll put it under the cut.

Obsessed with the fact that Pike is a horse girl, also Pike is SO funny trying to outrun a space shuttle on a horse

UGH I know they’re doing it on purpose but the opening really is hitting me right in the nostalgia

Spock and T’Pring are so funny. I’m crying. But also fascinated by the implication that they had many courtship events. I think that’s a good idea actually- it always felt creepy that Vulcans basically allow arranged marriages that are set up for people as actual children without giving them a chance to see if they’re compatible so I’m fine with this retcon

SHE ASKS HIM TO MARRY HER???? Also screaming at the implication that Vulcan women are the ones who ask for marriage. I guess they’re also retconning out that it’s an arranged marriage…?

They fucked??? Excuse me? I mean, fine- Ethan Peck is hot so I’m fine seeing him be shirtless for no reason but this is wild bc TOS! Spock always seemed like a turbo virgin. Then again- in s3 of TOS Spock was in his manwhore era so.

Also Vulcan pillow talk is funny funny funny. I have so much to say about this scene

SPOCK ANSWERED A VIDEO CALL WITH HIS BOSS NAKED!!! No wonder he didn’t really comment when Kirk took his first video call shirtless

Okay, this actually makes the Spock/T’Pring relationship in Amok Time make more sense. No wonder she was willing to let him die- she asked him to marry her and repeatedly said she wasn’t going to chase him around the galaxy/that she wanted him to stay on planet and he’s very ambivalent about her feelings on the matter

Also a more general note, it seems like they're softening the Vulcan emotions a little bit. T'Pring seems fairly openly affectionate with Spock and makes her irritations with him very known.

Aww pike is so awkward about having a new Number 1, he really wanted it to be Spock or Una

Jesus this Pike trauma re: his tragic accident and radiation poisoning is a really interesting angle.

Lmao Spock’s “girl what the fuck” face during Pike’s welcome speech to the enterprise is killing me

“Captain I do not wish to overstep.” A long wry pause, “overstep”

Also, this conversation makes Spock’s mutiny in TOS make more sense. Like, it always made sense but I really like the way Pike and Spock’s relationship is being developed. There is going to be so much slash fic about Spock and Pike. I can sense it.

YAY!! I love a good old-fashioned trek plot. There are warring factions on the planet! Some main characters are stuck there! It’s up to the enterprise to Save The Day! Honestly love it

I love Star Trek doctors. They’re always wonderful. Looks like M'Benga is no exception. I like nurse chapel… though I think it’s because I find her voice really really hot.

LOL Spock and La’an are great, they have a fun dynamic. He’s like “we should be ethical and follow Star Fleet protocols” and she’s like “we should commit crimes”

Aww, this poor dude got beamed up- he got alien abducted by the enterprise! Hilarious!

YES! Uhura uses empathy and kindness to calm down the random dude that the command team kidnapped

“Captain, the pain is unbearable” *SCREAMS* “ah. That’s better.” I see clearly now that Spock is going to be the comic relief on this show.

This really is so much fun, like legitimately just a fun show

Love the classic trek premise where they are able to heal a fighting world through negotiation and debate and one lovely monologue from a charismatic captain.

A classic trek monologue about optimism!! “Reach for the stars” but high key terrifying that they used actual footage from the Capitol riots to discuss the destruction of the earth in the 21st century…

This is the biggest fuck you I have ever seen of the prime directive but I do love it

LMAO Samuel Kirk!! Rip dude, I remember your dead body. They even kept the stupid mustache. Love that. But obsessed with the implication that Spock worked with Jim’s brother and didn’t say anything. Love it. Such a bitch all the time.

I’m such a sap, Pike says the “boldly go” lines at the end and I’m beaming.

#St: SNW #Strange New Worlds #S1E1 #snw spoilers