#while Dahlia being the only exception to this it would be funny if she wasn’t

[science-lings]

While I think it’s funny that Phoenix’s type is people that want to kill him or that hate him unreasonably, I think it’s far funnier for it to be kinda mutual. Like all the characters that hate Phoenix specifically are also infuriatingly attracted to him, they all want him carnally and they can’t handle it so they try to kill him.

#while Dahlia being the only exception to this it would be funny if she wasn’t #if she met him one more time she would’ve been obsessed with him #people who this applies to: Redd White Miles Edgeworth Gadot Kristoph maybe even Tigre #being so obsessed with someone that you kinda want to kill them is a little gay my dudes #I feel like every character that hates pheonix either ends up in prison for murder or eventually gains enough respect for him to be annoying #it would even be funny to include Blackquill #the only person exempt from this who has a personal vendetta against him is Franziska and even she begrudgingly respects him #pheonix wright #ace attorney

[sixtyfourk]

May I suggest an AU where Don Paolo finds the Golden Apple first and adopts Flora instead of Layton? :)

Absolutely!! Thank you so much for asking! This turned out to be... pretty long, actually, almost 2000 words :'D I'm going to post it here under a cut, but I also put it in Puzzles Left Unsolved if you'd rather read it on Ao3. Thank you again for the request; it was a great chance for me to write for Don Paolo for the first time!

...

“Welcome to the Future.”

Dr. Allen smiles broadly, throwing open the clock shop’s door with careless abandon. Flora can’t hold back a gasp at the sight before her. Yes, the scenery in front of her is Midland Road, but it’s unmistakably changed: worn down, and dirty with ten years’ worth of grime. The bus stop is gone, and tall poles mounted with loudspeakers tower above the ground.

Could they really have travelled through time? It seems impossible, but then again, the evidence seems too solid to brush aside. Flora’s still reeling from the trip through the “time machine.” Between the rocky ride down here, and the changed London that she sees before her now, she’s almost convinced that she truly is in the future.

Hesitantly, she looks toward Paul, hoping that she can take a cue from his reaction to what Dr. Allen referred to as “The Future.” Her mentor looks almost as dumbfounded as she does. Then, he seems to notice her gaze. He clears his throat, calming his expression, and turns toward Dr. Allen. “For ‘Future London,” it’s not all that futuristic, is it? Where are the jetpacks and the robots?” he asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m so sorry that the future isn’t completely what you’d hoped it would be.” Dr. Allen shrugs nonchalantly. “Now. If you’re done gawking, then we can begin discussing business. Follow me.”

As they follow Dr. Allen through the streets, Flora casts a questioning glance up towards Paul. “What do you think about this?” she whispers.

“Feh. It’s all a trick. Although I’ll admit it’s a good one.” Paul waves his hands dismissively, then brings his arm to his mouth, stifling a theatrical cough. “As bad as the air quality is in ‘present’ London, it’s nowhere near this horrendous. Coupled with the yellow sky, either the Apocalypse happened within the last ten years, or we’re underground.”

Flora’s half-disappointed, but half-not. An underground city, particularly one that so closely mirrors an existing city, is almost as fascinating as a future one—and, as Paul had said before, now that she thinks of it, she’s a little disappointed at the lack of futuristic technology. “So there’s still a chance for the jetpacks, then,” she says thoughtfully.

Paul chuckles. “If you get started on inventing them tomorrow, then there’s a slim chance that they’ll be around in ten years.”

“You could invent them too, you know,” Flora says mildly.

“Let’s stay focused on the present, my friends,” Dr. Allen says lightly. “Right this way.” Turning the corner, they enter a large tunnel, and Flora stares up in awe at the sloped roof above them, the beautiful stone-tiled road, and the pretty shops lining the walls.

“A pretty little arcade, isn’t it?” Dr. Allen says proudly, leading them toward a restaurant built into the wall of the arcade. “It’s a pity that it has no counterpart in the present. I hope this restaurant is to your liking. My partner is very fond of the place, although I don’t entirely trust his judgement.”

“You’re paying, right?” snorts Paul as the group steps through the door.

Dr. Allen raises an eyebrow. “Of course; you’re my guests. Paul, you wound me.”

“My name is Don Paolo, Allen.”

It’s strange to hear Paul reacting adversely to being called… well, Paul; Flora’s grown so used to calling him that over the last several months. Yes, he wanted to be called “Don Paolo” at first, but after the first ten times she’d called him so, he’d grunted that it was “too formal, and that she should call him “Paul” instead. Flora’s secretly glad of that; the name had always struck her as funny, but she’d hate to offend him by giggling by mistake.

Dr. Allen shrugs, and the three of them take a seat at the table, the cook coming to take their order. “Just coffee for me,” he says nonchalantly, “but give these two whatever they like. I’ll be paying.”

Paul gets a coffee as well—a smart move, Flora thinks; he wants to seem like an equal match to Dr. Allen. Flora would do the same, but upon further consideration, she just gets water; she’s not sure that she could handle anything more right now, with the amount of butterflies in her stomach. Her nerves are frayed, and being seated here, in the Future, in front of the man that summoned them here, is only exacerbating her anxiety.

“I supposed I was careless, Paul,” Dr. Allen finally says, as the coffee arrives at the table. Once again, he raises an eyebrow, glancing in Flora’s direction. “I never thought to tell you to come alone, simply because I never thought there’d be anyone who wanted to come with you.”

Flora blinks. What a rude thing to say! But now that she thinks about it, Paul really doesn’t seem to have any friends, except for her. He doesn’t often leave their flat, except when they both go to the lab to work on their engineering projects. Occasionally he’ll go off on his own, but he never talks about seeing anybody else.

Of course, there is his archnemesis, Hershel Layton, but they certainly aren’t friends, not with how Layton hurt Paul in the past! Paul never talks about what that man did, but Flora doesn’t want to force him to tell her, as curious as she is. Whatever it might be, it must’ve been traumatic, and she wouldn’t want to make him remember anything painful. But other than Layton, Flora can’t think about anybody else that Paul even knows.

Well, there is that framed picture of that pretty lady with glasses on his work desk, but Flora doesn’t even know her name, let alone if she and Paul are friends.

“If you want to know who she is, you can just ask,” Paul scowls.

“I’m his apprentice,” Flora chimes in eagerly. “I’m studying engineering, and disguises, and robotics, and… and lots of things.”

“Well, isn’t that interesting?” Dr. Allen chuckles. “I never thought you had it in you, Paul. I knew you were good with disguises, but masquerading as a mentor is a new one for you.”

“As far as you know.” Paul shrugs. “It’s not as if we were ever best friends or anything. There’s a lot of things that you don’t know about me.”

“True, true.” Dr. Allen leans forward, resting his chin on his hands. “But at least there was one thing that we had in common. And that’s what I’d like to talk about today.”

A shadow crosses Paul’s face. Is that… sadness in his eyes? “I’m not really in the mood to reminisce, Dimitri.”

“Maybe not. But perhaps you’re in the mood to help me make those precious memories reality once again?” There’s a feverish light in Dimitri’s eyes, despite his serene expression. “What if I told you that my time machine—”

A time machine?

Flora’s mind starts racing. A real time machine? Could it really exist? How does it work? What—

“That’s what killed her, Allen.” Paul’s harsh voice cuts through Flora’s daydream. “You’re delusional if you think that it’ll actually work, or that I’ll waste my time helping you.”

“I don’t think I’m delusional,” Dimitri says calmly, but Flora can see pain in his face. “But even if I am, at least I’ve got a plan. What are you going to do if you don’t help me? Continue living in your delusion of thinking Layton cares one iota about being your ‘archnemesis?’” He stands slowly. “I’m giving you a chance to help bring her back. It’s up to you if you’ll take it. I’ll give you five minutes to think it over.”

Before either of them can say anything, Dimitri exits the room.

Flora avoids looking at Paul, staring into her water glass. She feels like it isn’t her place to say anything, as curious as she is; she should wait for—

“I suppose you want to know what in the world is going on.” Paul grunts, crossing his arms, and stares into one of the paintings adorning the wall.

“If you want to tell me,” Flora says hesitantly. “I mean, it’s not really my business, is it?”

“Well, you are my apprentice, so it’s at least partly your business. Especially since you’ll be helping me make my final decision.” Paul sighs. “You’ve seen that picture on my desk, right?”

Flora blinks. “That pretty lady?”

A small smile colours Paul’s face. “Yes. She was… well, she was a friend. Well, she… she died almost ten years ago.”

Flora bites her lip. So that’s why he takes such good care of that picture. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly, not knowing what else to say.

Paul shrugs. “It was a long time ago,” he says dismissively, but Flora can hear the sadness behind the words. “She worked with him,” he says, gesturing dismissively toward the door, “building a time machine, and she died because it malfunctioned, exploding and killing her and nine other people. I… Well, I blamed him for a while, even though it wasn’t only his fault. I felt like, since he was lucky enough to work with her, he should’ve been there to save her. My only satisfaction was that he blamed himself too.” He chuckles wryly. “You probably think I’m awful now, don’t you?”

“N-no, not at all!” Flora hurries to assure him. “I… I understand why you reacted that way.” It’s all too easy to search for a scapegoat when there’s nobody else to blame. She remembers how much she hated and feared Dahlia for replacing Mama, when Dahlia really did nothing wrong… but it’s too late to mend that. She pushes the thought to the back of her mind. “But there’s a chance to bring her back, then isn’t there? If he’s got the time machine working, now.”

Paul snorts. “No way that he’ll ever actually get it to work. Not after it failed so spectacularly last time.”

Flora shouldn’t feel so disappointed at his words, but she does. She wants to find out more about this time machine. Before today, she’d hardly even thought of the concept, but now that she knows it’s something that could plausibly exist, she wants to find out more. But Paul so easily dismissed the idea. Maybe he’s right about that; after all, it did fail ten years ago. But that doesn’t mean it will fail today.

(What if she could bring her parents back?)

(What if she can bring Paul’s friend back to life?)

“Shouldn’t we give him a chance?” she asks tentatively. “Maybe he can tell us exactly how he plans to do it, and then we can make a more informed decision.”

“The only thing he’ll inform us with is more of his delusions.” But Paul looks at her curiously. “You’re really excited by this time machine thing, aren’t you?”

Is it really that obvious? Flora flushes, staring into her drinking glass once again. “Maybe a little bit. I just… I just think that if there’s a chance that it works, then we should consider all our options.”

She waits in silence for Paul’s reply. Finally, he sighs, chuckling. “Why is it always so hard to say no to you?” He stands, heading towards the door to let Dimitri back in. “Fine, fine. We’ll listen to him ramble for a few more minutes, and find out what he wants from us, and then we can decide what we’ll do.”

Flora smiles after him. “Thanks for listening to reason, Paul,” she says jokingly.

Paul grins back at her. “Don’t mention it.”

#professor layton #don paolo #flora reinhold #dimitri allen #layton AUs #my fanfiction #this is the first thing I've completed in more than a month so I'm kind of rusty haha... #but I'm really glad i managed to complete something finally

[birdlord]

Everything I Watched in 2020

We’ll start with movies. The number in parentheses is the year of release, asterisks denote a re-watch, and titles in bold are my favourite watches of the year. Here’s 2019’s list. 

01 Little Women (19)

02 The Post (17) 

03 Molly’s Game (17)

04 * Doctor No (62)

05 Groundhog Day (93)

06 *Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (86)

07 Knives Out (19) My last theatre experience (sob)

08 Professor Marston and his Wonder Women (17)

09 Les Miserables (98)

10 Midsommar (19) I’m not sure how *good* it is, but it does stick in the ol’ brain

11 *Manhattan Murder Mystery (93)

12 Marriage Story (19)

13 Kramer vs Kramer (79)

14 Jojo Rabbit (19)

15 J’ai perdu mon corps (19) a cute animated film about a hand detached from its body!

16 1917 (19)

17 Married to the Mob (88)

18 Klaus (19)

19 Portrait of a Lady on Fire (19) If Little Women made me want to wear a scarf criss-crossed around my torso, this one made me want to wear a cloak

20 The Last Black Man in San Francisco (19)

21 *Lawrence of Arabia (62)

22 Gone With the Wind (39)

23 Kiss Me Deadly (55)

24 Dredd (12)

25 Heartburn (86) heard a bunch about this one in the Blank Check series on Nora Ephron, sadly after I’d watched it

26 The Long Shot (19)

27 Out of Africa (85)

28 King Kong (46)

29 *Johnny Mnemonic (95)

30 Knocked Up (07)

31 Collateral (04)

32 Bird on a Wire (90)

33 The Black Dahlia (05)

34 Long Time Running (17)

35 *Magic Mike (12)

36 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (07)

37 Cold War (18)

38 *Kramer Vs Kramer (79) yes I watched this a few months before! This was a pandemic friend group co-watch.

39 *Burn After Reading (08)

40 Last Holiday (50)

41 Fly Away Home (96)

42 *Moneyball (11) I’m sure I watch this every two years, at most??

43 Last Holiday (06) the Queen Latifah version of the 1950 movie above, lacking, of course, the brutal “poor people don’t deserve anything good” ending

44 *Safe (95)

45 Gimme Shelter (70)

46 The Daytrippers (96)

47 Experiment in Terror (62)

48 Tucker: The Man and His Dream (88)

49 My Brilliant Career (79) one of the salvations of 2020 was watching movies “with” friends. Our usual method was to video chat before the movie, sync our streaming services, and text-chat while the movie was on. 

50 Divorce Italian Style (61)

51 *Gosford Park (01) another classic comfort watch, fuck I love a G. Park

52 Hopscotch (80)

53 Brief Encounter (45)

54 Hud (63)

55 Ocean’s 8 (18)

56 *Beverly Hills Cop (84)

57 Blow the Man Down (19)

58 Constantine (05)

59 The Report (19) maddening!! How are people so consistently terrible to one another!

60 Everyday People (04)

61 Anatomy of a Murder (58)

62 Spiderman: Homecoming (17)

63 *To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (95) Of the 90s drag road movies, Priscilla is more visually striking, but this has its moments.

64 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (92)

65 *The Truman Show (98)

66 Mona Lisa (86)

67 The Blob (58)

68 The Guard (11)

69 *Waiting for Guffman (96) RIP Fred Willard

70 Rocketman (19)

71 Outside In (18)

72 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (08) how strange to see a movie that you have known the premise for, but no details of, for over a decade

73 *Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (91)

74 The Reader (08)

75 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (19) This was fine until it VERY MUCH WAS NOT FINE

76 The End of the Affair (99) you try to watch a fun little romp about infidelity during the Blitz, and Graham Greene can’t help but shoehorn in a friggin crisis of religious faith

77 Must Love Dogs (05) barely any dog content, where are the dogs at

78 The Rainmaker (97)

79 *Batman & Robin (97)

80 National Lampoon’s Vacation (83) Never seen any of the non-xmas Vacations, didn’t realize the children are totally different, not just actors but ages! Also, this one is blatantly racist!

81 *Mystic Pizza (88)

82 Funny Girl (68)

83 The Sons of Katie Elder (65)

84 *Knives Out (19) another re-watch within the same year!! How does this keep happening??

85 *Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (10) a real I-just-moved-away-from-Toronto nostalgia watch

86 Canadian Bacon (92) vividly recall this VHS at the video store, but I never saw it til 2020

87 *Blood Simple (85)

88 Brittany Runs a Marathon (19)

89 The Accidental Tourist (88)

90 August Osage County (13) MELO-DRAMA!!

91 Appaloosa (08)

92 The Firm (93) Feeling good about how many iconic 80s/90s video store stalwarts I watched in 2020

93 *Almost Famous (00)

94 Whisper of the Heart (95)

95 Da 5 Bloods (20)

96 Rain Man (88)

97 True Stories (86)

98 *Risky Business (83) It’s not about what you think it’s about! It never was!

99 *The Big Chill (83)

100 The Way We Were (73)

101 Safety Last (23) It’s getting so that I might have to add the first two digits to my dates...not that I watch THAT many movies from the 1920s...

102 Phantasm (79)

103 The Burrowers (08)

104 New Jack City (91)

105 The Vanishing (88)

106 Sisters (72)

107 Puberty Blues (81) Little Aussie cinema theme, here

108 Elevator to the Gallows (58)

109 Les Diaboliques (55)

110 House (77) haha WHAT no really W H A T

111 Death Line (72)

112 Cranes are Flying (57)

113 Holes (03)

114 *Lady Vengeance (05)

115 Long Weekend (78)

116 Body Double (84)

117 The Crazies (73) I love that Romero shows the utter confusion that would no doubt reign in the case of any kind of disaster. Things fall apart.

118 Waterlilies (07)

119 *You’re Next (11)

120 Event Horizon (97)

121 Venom (18) I liked it, guys, way more than most superhero fare. Has a real sense of place and the place ISN’T New York!

122 Under the Silver Lake (18) RIP Night Call

123 *Blade Runner (82)

124 *The Birds (62) interesting to see now that I’ve read the story it came from

125 *28 Days Later (02) hits REAL FUCKIN’ DIFFERENT in a pandemic

126 Life is Sweet (90)

127 *So I Married an Axe Murderer (93) find me a more 90s movie, I dare you (it’s not possible)

128 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (67)

129 The Pelican Brief (93) 90s thrillers continue!

130 Dick Johnston is Dead (20)

131 The Bridges of Madison County (95)

132 Earth Girls are Easy (88) Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum are so hot in this movie, no wonder they got married 

133 Better Watch Out (16)

134 Drowning Mona (00) trying for something like the Coen bros and not getting there

135 Au Revoir Les Enfants (87)

136 *Chasing Amy (97) Affleck is the least alluring movie lead...ever? I also think I gave Joey Lauren Adams’ character short shrift in my memory of the movie. It’s not good, but she’s more complicated than I recalled. 

137 Blackkklansman (18)

138 Being Frank (19)

139 Kiki’s Delivery Service (89)

140 Uncle Frank (20) why so many FRANKS

141 *National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (89) watching with pals (virtually) made it so much more fun than the usual yearly watch!

142 Half Baked (98) another, more secret Toronto nostalgia pic - RC Harris water filtration plant as a prison!

143 We’re the Millers (13)

144 All is Bright (13)

145 Defending Your Life (91)

146 Christmas Chronicles (18) I maintain that most new xmas movies are terrible, particularly now that Netflix churns them out like eggnog every year. 

147 Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (18)

148 Reindeer Games (00) what did I say about Affleck??!? WHAT DID I SAY

149 Palm Springs (20)

150 Happiest Season (20)

151 *Metropolitan (90) it’s definitely a Christmas movie

152 Black Christmas (74)

THEATRE:HOME - 2:150 (thanks pandemic)

I usually separate out docs and fiction, but I watched almost no documentaries this year (with the exception of Dick Johnston). Reality is real enough. 

TV Series

01 - BoJack Horseman (final season) - Pretty damned poignant finish to the show, replete with actual consequences for our reformed bad boy protagonist (which is more than you can say for most antiheroes of Peak TV).

02 - *Hello Ladies - I enjoy the pure awkwardness of seeing Stephen Merchant try to perform being a Regular Person, but ultimately this show tips him too far towards a nasty, Ricky Gervais-lite sort of persona. Perhaps he was always best as a cameo appearance, or lip synching with wild eyes while Chrissy Teigen giggles?

03 - Olive Kittredge - a rough watch by times. I read the book as well, later in the year. Frances Mcdormand was the best, possibly the only, casting option for the flinty lead. One episode tips into thriller territory, which is a shock. 

04 - *The Wire S3, S4, S5 - lockdown culture! It was interesting to rewatch this, then a few months later go through an enormous, culture-level reappraisal of cop-centred narratives. 

05 - Forever - a Maya Rudolph/Fred Armisen joint that coasts on the charm of its leads. The premise is OK, but I wasn’t left wanting any more at the end. 

06 - *Catastrophe - a rewatch when my partner decided he wanted to see it, too!

07 - Red Oak - resolutely “OK” steaming dramedy, relied heavily on some pretty obvious cues to get across its 1980s setting. 

08 - Little Fires Everywhere - gulped this one down while in 14-day isolation, delicious! Every 90s suburban mom had that SUV, but not all of them had the requisite **secrets**

09 - The Great - fun historical comedy/drama! Costumes: lush. Actors: amusing. Race-blind casting: refreshing!

10 - The Crown S4 - this is the season everyone lost their everloving shit for, since it’s finally recent enough history that a fair chunk of the viewing audience is liable to recall it happening. 

11 - Ted Lasso - we resisted this one for a while (thought I did enjoy the ad campaign for NBC sports (!!) that it was based on). My view is that its best point was the comfort that the men on the show have (or develop, throughout the season) with the acknowledgement and sharing of their own feelings. Masculinity redux. 

12 - Moonbase 8 - Goodnatured in a way that makes you certain they will be crushed. 

13 - The Good Lord Bird - Ethan Hawke is really aging into the character actor we always hoped he would be! 

14 - Hollywood - frothy wish-fulfillment alternate history. I think the show would have been improved immeasurably by skipping the final episode.

[raleigh-ocean]

we built a home (should it get comfier?) | danielle bishop x tiffany belànger | TOMU

words: 2,985

AU: parents!BillieDara, non!AudreyDanielle.

summary: Danielle looked at Tiffany cuddling a sleepy baby Helena with one arm, caressing her belly absent-minded while typing with the other hand in her laptop, and felt a strong tug in her chest. She knew the screen was divided, half the case Fany was working on and half Finding Dory, and the whole scene put her back almost fifteen years. Damien wasn’t that different from Helena when she was a baby, after all, and now that she was growing up so much...Danielle started to think if maybe there was a possibility.

Really hot showers were one of Danielle’s favourite go-to stress relievers. 

It managed to help her melt all the cobwebs in her brain after a long day of dealing with people since she couldn’t get her other favourite one and, to be honest, Danielle wasn’t complaining much. Drying her hair with a towel, she hummed to herself while walking to the ensuite bathroom’s door and watched the view she had a whole while without seeing.

Her wife with a baby in her arms...well, arm, in singular. 

Tiffany, glasses and gown on, had her arm around the big baby girl and her hand caressing her belly absentmindedly while both were focused on the laptop’s screen. The baby was falling asleep, Danielle knew it by the way she was chewing slow on her pacifier, but her eyes were still battling to stay awake because whatever Tiffany was playing on her laptop had her absolute attention...and Tiffany, who was pretty focused as well, was mumbling something while typing with her free hand from time to time.

“When things get hard, there’s always another way,” Tiffany said in a bit of a baby voice, letting go an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, absolutely there is, and that’s going to be auntie’s problem tomorrow Leni,” without looking away from the screen, Tiffany moved enough to leave a kiss on top of the baby’s head, which made the baby raise her hand to touch her and gain another kiss on her tiny fist. “Yeah, it totally will.”

“Of which auntie is gonna be that problem?” Danielle said with a soft laugh, getting the attention of both like that.

“This one,” Tiffany pointed herself on the forehead and then her lips. “Can she also get a kiss?”

Danielle smiled big at that, getting closer to Tiffany and giving her what she wanted easily, and then she climbed over her legs to lie down on her side of bed, her hand going fast to tickle the baby’s belly.

“Ellie, I swear, if that makes her not sleepy you’re going to watch Finding Dory with her for another three hours,” Tiffany warned Danielle when she got the baby to chuckle sleepily and throw her tiny hands over Dani’s face when she kissed her tummy several times. “And you’re getting the pillow and bed wet, why are you so against blow-drying?” 

“We watched Hercules until the disk didn’t reproduce anymore, I’m trained already,” Danielle’s laugh was low, touching with the wet ending of a lock the baby’s nose. “Well, it won’t wet the way I wanted but I think it will do the trick,” that comment made Tiffany flicker her fingers against Danielle’s forehead, hitting her. “Auch!”

“Not in front of Lena,” Tiffany scowled and then her features softened when Helena cuddled against Danielle. 

“¿Qué pasa hija?” Danielle cooed that after rolling her eyes to Tiffany’s remark, taking Helena in her arms and getting her to get comfier in her chest. “Ya tienes sueño, ¿verdad?” She kissed her forehead with love, one of her hands caressing her tiny back and the other went to take Tiffany’s, giving her a kiss on her knuckles as well. “What are you working on so late?”

“I wanted to give the final touches to the case I’m working on, so tomorrow I don’t have so much load of work to do,” Tiffany closed her laptop and lied better in bed, getting closer to Danielle so she could watch Helena falling asleep to the beat of Danielle’s heart. “But I couldn’t come up with good solutions, so I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Tiffany traced Helena’s features with her finger, without touching her. “I thought she would be hungry at some point.”

“Ana breastfed her at my office,” Danielle chuckled and rested her head against Fany’s. “Thirty-five minutes must have given her enough to last a while,” she shrugged a bit. “I think I'm starting to understand why she is so chubby.”

For Tiffany it was crystal clear because she had been with Danielle for the last thirteen years, so except for one, she watched the next generation be born. Helena was a big baby at ten months old, like many of the children in Danielle’s family, so it wasn’t a big surprise and, as far as they knew, she was already eating real food so it only added up.

For Danielle, who still had her perception messed up by her own experience, she found it funny in a way. She knew Dara’s pregnancy hadn’t been the best but watching her baby girl grow in such a healthy way was a huge relief; it helped Danielle see the other side, because Damien had too many problems growing up after being in the same situation.

However, they both fell silent just to enjoy the moment. 

Even when they were babysitting Helena, they felt weirdly at rest from their busy schedules, a shot of fresh air. Danielle had tried to clean her schedule as much as possible during the week, she ever so worried about that, and Tiffany had tried to at least not have to do much at home for that day. Since Danielle was going to be till late at the office, Dara had dropped her baby daughter to her there and it gave Tiffany time to prepare at home for the occasion. 

Dara and Billie had to attend some sort of gala with dinner and Danielle, as one of the godmothers of Helena, offered herself since Audrey and Dahlia were out of town. Dani had to give it to Dara that it was pretty badass to watch her stroll in the office all dressed up to the nines, heels and make-up on, with Helena in her carrier in one hand and the bag with Helena’s stuff in the other along the car keys. 

Caressing with care Helena’s back and humming softly to a song, Dani felt a strong tug on her chest that called the roots of that messed up side of her, with the memory of watching Dara breastfeeding her daughter while telling Dani about her day as if this wasn’t something extraordinary.

“Fany?” Tiffany hummed in response, because Dani humming was lulling her to sleep as well. “Did you ever think about...well, us, having another?”

Dani and Fany made eye contact there and the latter just got closer to kiss Dani’s cheek big. She knew from where she was coming from, Damien was growing up so fast before their eyes and Dara having Helena had renewed and awakened many asleep feelings, mostly because Danielle absolutely adored her cousin and was seeing in her what it should have been for them. Tiffany couldn’t say she didn’t think about it, but she never saw herself being pregnant nor when she was younger nor now that she was forty; but most important, because going through Danielle’s pregnancy had been the most trying and hellish thing she ever did - even when she loved being there every step of the way to help - and she didn’t want to put her wife through it again.

All of that tied to the fact they were still building their careers and they barely had time to take care of one - as fine that it turned out. Imagining two or more, Tiffany shook her head a bit - even if they adopted, they would be in the same situation. However she knew that thought was a common one they shared.

“I did but, being honest with you Ellie, as much as I loved raising Damien with you and I think we would make a great job with another,” Tiffany moved her hand to cover Helena’s ear so she couldn’t hear in her sleep what she was about to say. “All I can think about is Damien not being at home so often, so you can fuck me around the house without interruption,” that made both giggle. “Which I hope your cousin is doing with her wife, with the night off they have.”

Neither of them knew Dara and Billie absolutely planned to, after the event, but would fall asleep in a burrito of blankets hours later without going further than making out.

Danielle only tried not to laugh hard to not interrupt her baby niece’s sleep. Tiffany was the only one she felt comfortable enough to share her feelings with - even when Dara was the closests second one and Danna, her twin, the third - and having that out of her chest plus the simple answer was what helped her the most to register this sudden peak of ‘baby fever’ in order to understand it and overcome it.

“Maybe we should ask Ana if she can teenagesit Damien for a day in exchange, and do that,” Danielle whispered, turning her head enough to press a kiss on Tiffany’s cheek that led to Tiffany giving her another in her lips. “But I understand what you are saying.”

“I’m sorry, my love,” Tiffany mumbled that in french, swifting just because it was way easier for her to revert to her mother tongue to open up. That was also why they usually spoke more french than english at home now that they were in the States. “I know where it's coming from, but we already built a home for the three of us and it’s...I think it’s finally working out well,” Tiffany smiled sideways and Danielle mimicked her, bumping a bit their heads. “Being aunts it’s nice and, well, I know your cousin and I highly doubt they’ll only have one baby.”

“If it was for Billie, I’m sure they’d have like four or five already, they made a pretty cute baby so I can’t blame her at all,” Danielle always joked with Dara about it and Tiffany made a face that suggested that yeah, she thought about that too. “Do you think moving here was what we needed?”

“I do, I think we both were getting restless in Québec, as much as I still love it,” Tiffany said, pinching her lower lip with her index and thumb. “Damien is adapting fast, being here worked wonders with your depression,” to that, both smiled sadly, because that was a heavy topic in their lives even if it was common by now. “And, being honest, the new office has treated me better in almost a year than they’ve treated me in Québec in the last seven,” that was something that always enraged Danielle. “Maybe what we need now is some time, just us two.”

“So we can ha-”

Then someone knocked on their bedroom’s door, shyly but strong enough to be noticed. 

“Maman? Mami?” Damien’s voice sounded a bit muffled. “Can I come in?”

And Tiffany made a face to Danielle that she knew what meant, which made her chuckle again.

“Yeah,” Danielle said a bit stronger and Damien came into view, pajamas on and sleepy eyes. “Everything okay?”

Damien nodded while making her way to Tiffany’s side of the bed and she opened the quilt for her to come in, which the girl did as if she already knew the cue. Danielle moved enough so Damien was in between Fany and her as comfortable as she could, without disturbing Helena’s sleep, and then Damien looked at the sleepy baby, curious yet scared.

“Not sleepy today?” Tiffany asked after leaving a kiss in Damien’s head and passed her arm over her belly to cuddle her better. “Or just wanted some more cuddles?”

“I...wanted to be with Lena a bit more,” the confession made both Dani and Fany look at Damien, who got her hand closer to Helena’s tiny fist over Danielle’s chest. “I like her, aunt Dara isn’t like aunt Dilania nor uncle Daviel, she let me hold her sometimes and play with her.”

That was something new coming from Damien, because she never was one to be...closer with her actual cousins - Danielle’s nieces and nephews that were actually from her siblings. It was true that they living in Canada put things harder for all the parts and it made Damien grow up not being too attached to Danielle’s side of the family. However, Dara was always there in someway to remind Damien she was available for her as much as Danna, who was her closest aunt since she was Danielle’s twin; and, well, they moved to Los Angeles around the time Dara was eight months pregnant so that meant Damien got to spend too much time with her, taking in count Dara’s pregnancy turned to be one high-risk.

It was as if Damien had made a different bond with Helena than with the rest and Danielle, upon realizing this, felt her whole body warm up in a pleasing way.

Pleasing because maybe, probably, she was starting to see herself in her daughter. 

She remembered when they moved to the States from the Dominican Republic around seven and, in all the novelty of that, Danna, Daviel and her fell into the care of her aunt Carla for a great chunk of the day, since their parents were busy trying to find a job and a home of their own instead of living all with their grandparents. None of them knew about Dilania starting to be real, but they knew Dara was already in her way. Maybe that’s why Danielle - and Danna, for that matter as well - had such a deep connection with Dara, because they were there from the moment she was born onwards.

Damien fell into the same box, the only difference was that she was twelve instead of seven and understood many more things than Danielle could probably understand at the time.

“Is that so?” Danielle slipped into english, because Damien tended to slip in the familiarity of french. “And what does she do when you hold her?”

“She…” the girl blinked and looked at her mother. “She plays with my fingers and we watch videos on auntie’s phone,” Damien’s accent wasn’t as heavy as Tiffany’s, but since she was tired it got a bit rowdier. “And…”

Hearing Damien start talking more about what she did while both weren’t with her made Danielle and Tiffany think about the conversation they were having before Damien came into the bedroom. Of course if they would pursue Danielle’s sudden baby fever they thought Damien wouldn’t have any problem with it - as far they could see - but on the other hand...they thought that maybe this was also okay. If Damien wasn’t there, Helena would’ve been in the same situation as her because they were apart from the family - since they all lived in Sacramento - so maybe this way their special bond would grow to an unique one, because as they kept growing up, they’ll at least have each other.

Danielle and Dara - along Billie - highly doubted that Dahlia and Audrey would give them the surprise of having one as well.

Time passed by and eventually Danielle finally moved Helena to were they had fixed Damien’s old portable crib - which they actually sent to Dara and Billie when they still were in Canada - and watched how Damien was already trying to move to go back to her room with care of not waking Tiffany up in the process, who was already asleep with her glasses still on.

“Don’t you wanna stay, mimi?” Danielle said before yawning, getting in her side of the bed and taking Tiffany’s glasses off with the ease of someone who has done it too many times. “The bed is warm and yours is cold.”

Danielle didn’t have to say it twice.

That made her giggle to herself, kissing Damien’s forehead with love when she cuddled against her front, and Danielle felt completely at peace just with that. Tiffany moved in her sleep, getting closer to them and draping her arm over both as humanly could - her hand resting over Danielle’s ribs in an awkward angle.

“We barely fit anymore,” said Danielle with a laugh in her tone, mimicking Tiffany in a better way because she was physically bigger than her and could. “But I would do it even after you turn eighteen and until you want.”

“Maman?” Damien’s voice was a mere whisper and Danielle hummed to acknowledge she heard her. “Can I tell you something?”

“Go ahead,” Danielle gave her another kiss on the forehead. “We had a while without a secret between us.”

“I’m really happy we are here,” Damien cuddled better, hiding her face in Danielle’s crook of the neck. “I’m happy mami and you are happy,” that was like a punch in the stomach - weirdly good punch - for Danielle. “But...I’m happier because auntie Dara is the happiest since Helena is here,” Damien’s warmth was getting in her and letting her feel more at peace. “I’ve never seen her smile like now and...Helena is my favourite cousin just because of that.”

God, if she knew she would have another Damien for sure, same good heart and awkward manners that remind her so much of herself when she was a kid, Danielle would go right away for a second kid. 

What did she do to have such a sweet girl?

It only earned Damien more kisses and cuddles, but for Danielle the confession was enough to finally settle that restless weird feeling she was having and almost settled while talking to Tiffany. And it only made Danielle answer one last thing that would close the wild thought of getting a fuller house.

“I hope you remember that in ten years, mimi, because if your cousin turns out like your auntie around that age…” Danielle laughed, the memory of a younger version Dara and herself in her head. “Qué Dios nos ayude, si lo vamos a necesitar”

As a quick future vision, it would be way worse, but a twenty-three years old Damien would handle ten years old Helena not only like a champ, but as the only one able to control her at all.

#original character x original character #billie dean howard x original character #danielle bishop #tiffany belanger

[spiderman-homecomeme]

Something Old

Part 1 of “And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe”

AN: Hey guys! I’m back with another multi-chap, though a much shorter one! This was just an idea I had a few weeks ago and I thought it was too cute not to write. It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s FLUFFY. Get ready for a Spideychelle wedding everyone!!! This story follows the poem: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue :)

Read here or on AO3

-

Her nails are digging into her palm, one hand clenched while the other taps at her thigh in a hiccuping rhythm as she paces the short stretch of hallway just outside his room. 

This was a bad idea.

Wasn’t it?

No, it was fine. 

If he could do it, so could she. 

The thundering beat of her heart accompanied by the tightness in her chest tells her otherwise. She knows that it’s normal, her body’s own physiological reaction in response to a significant amount of acute stress, something perceived as a threat to her very survival. It was fight or flight, and in that moment, she was leaning more towards the latter. 

Yeah, flight was sounding pretty good right about now.

And though it wasn’t necessarily life and death, knocking on Peter’s door, asking him to hang out-- even after all the confessions and kisses on the bridge-- might as well have been. 

But damn it, they had one more (very much unplanned) night in London, and she wasn’t about to let it go to waste. Due to the terrifying nature of that day’s events, all flights out had been cancelled and rescheduled for the next day, the entire class being put up in some fancy hotel, once again, by someone whose name rhymes with Fick Nury. Although she desperately wanted to be home after the fiasco that was this “vacation,” she knew a night to cool off was probably for the best. After all, Peter had been dangerously, just all around, way too close to dying; getting on an eight hour flight right after with no rest in between would probably not be good for his overall well-being. 

Which was why she was second guessing her decision right now even more, if that was even possible, her hand toying with the silver chain around her neck, coming down to the broken glass pendant.

She’s just convinced herself that maybe this really was a terrible, no good idea, about to turn right on her heels, when the click of his door opening stops her. He startles slightly at the sight of her, his brows raised, mouth twisted into a cute little “o,” eyes blinking owlishly in surprise. “Hey.” A breathy chuckle escapes him, a shy grin breaking across his features. 

“Uh, hey,” MJ replies lamely, feeling as if all of the oxygen’s been taken out of the room. Her own lips fight back a dopey smile as she offers a weak wave. 

A beat passes.

Peter clears his throat, eyes falling on the piece of jewelry hanging quietly around her neck. He’s unable to hide the way his cheeks warm and redden, his lips twisting as he bites back a shy smile at the sight of the Black Dahlia necklace he’d given to her just hours before. 

It’s a look that Michelle can’t help but think looks ridiculously good on him. Almost unfairly so. 

He gestures to the necklace, opening his mouth to speak but finds that he’s unable to form coherent, human sentences.

She glances down, her voice soft. “Oh, uh, yeah. I… put it on.” 

“Yeah,” he breathes, not entirely sure why he felt that was an adequate response. “I, uh, was actually gonna come see if you wanted to, uh, hang out. For a bit.”

The smile on Michelle’s face threatens to grow, and she glances down. “Me, too. I mean, I was gonna see if you wanted to hang out. Not… Not me,” she laughs breathily. “That’s… that’s why I was in the hallway. To come see you. Uh, yeah…”

God, how did he do that?

How was he the only person that could possibly make her so damn nervous? Make her bumble and ramble on like some kind of lovesick puppy?

“Do you wanna…” He falters, glancing down at his hands. “Do you wanna maybe come in? We can like, watch a movie or something? It’s all on Nick Fury’s bill, so we could probably get whatever we want on pay-per-view…” He jokes, scratching the back of his neck as he rocks on his heels. 

MJ doesn’t even take more than a second to consider. “Yeah. Yeah, totally. That’d be… That’d be cool.”

Peter instantly relaxes, letting out a breath of what she can only assume is relief as he beams at her. 

“Awesome.”

And it was, if she could say so herself, awesome. 

Yes, it was awesome, even if they did spend a majority of the actual movie sitting approximately fifty feet away from each other on the bed, still only looking at each other when they thought the other couldn’t see.

(Spoiler alert: they both could.)

She’d catch herself playing with the necklace more than once, and she’s at least ninety percent sure Peter had too.

Not that she cared really. 

The way she’d see him from the corner of her eye, the tips of his ears turning an adorable shade of pink, the way he’d struggled to bite back the dumb little grin tugging at his lips. When she’d felt his pinky lightly, cautiously graze hers, his hand slowly intertwining with her own… It was enough to make the dozens of butterflies in her stomach start to spontaneously combust all at once. 

She’d gone back to her own room close to one in the morning, biting at the inside of her cheek to prevent her grin from growing any wider, feeling as if her body could’ve gone into cardiac arrest after Peter had landed a particularly sweet goodnight kiss right on her mouth. 

And she’d fallen asleep that night, the faint smile on her face never having left, her fingers smoothing over the glass pendant of the necklace. 

It’s almost the same that next morning, seeing him at the complimentary breakfast, sitting across from him at the small table as they both munch happily on some Fruity Pebbles. 

The same feeling’s there when they board the plane home, finally sitting together and using Peter’s dual headphone adapter to watch a plethora of both depressing and funny movies, per her request. His eyes light up, same as they had the night before, seeing the pretty, broken necklace around her neck. 

And of course, the giddy warmth MJ’s been experiencing only skyrockets when she feels Peter’s head fall onto her shoulder, the cutest, faintest snore coming out of his mouth as he naps. 

Her eyes pore over the book in her hand, absentmindedly touching her necklace, her fingers delicately toying with the shattered pendant. Peter had been so sad, so disappointed seeing it broken in her hands, the way he’d rambled on and on about his plan, how sorry he was, still making her stomach to backflips and somersaults. 

But it didn’t matter to her that the necklace wasn’t “perfect.” 

Not in the slightest.

Her lips press into a fond smile when she feels Peter shift, nestling even closer than before, and she leans her head down on top of his, eyes closing.

She really did like it better broken. 

--

She wears the necklace everyday. 

Absolutely never, under any circumstances, takes it off.

No exceptions. 

(Well, maybe to sleep. And shower. But those were the only times.)

And every time Peter sees her wearing it, he always has the same reaction, the same one as that one night in London, without fail; he looks down briefly, his lips pressing together in a valiant effort to keep the timid smile tugging at the corner of his mouth from getting any bigger. He does this, even as they reach their first anniversary. 

And their second.

And their third.

And so on.

She’s wearing it the day they actually define their relationship, Peter’s voice the faintest bit shaky as he sits on the opposite end of the couch, asking what if they were “boyfriend and girlfriend.”

And her answer had been surprisingly simple, disguising her own frayed nerves and churning stomach under thinly veiled nonchalance as her eyes meet his. 

“I mean, I’m wearing this, aren’t I?” She’d asked in return, hooking her thumb underneath the silver chain. At his unsure silence, her expression had broken, and she’d glanced down, laughing nervously at her own lame attempt at a joke. “I mean, if you… if you wanna be.”

“I do,” Peter breathes out, worried expression melting away into a smile. “Do… Do you… wanna be… my girlfriend?”

Just as before with his first question, her answer is quick and simple. 

“I do.”

There are other necklaces over the years, of course; ones that friends give her. Ones that her parents give her. Even ones that Peter gives her. 

But, no matter what, she always comes back to the shattered black dahlia. 

It’s weird, how something so small can mean and hold so much. She’s never considered herself an overly sentimental person, never being one to care much about physical objects, but for some reason (and she has a vague idea as to what that is), her entire worldview practically flips on its axis, just for this piece of fine Italian jewelry. 

There’s so much to that small necklace, the one he’d first given her all those years ago on the Tower Bridge, and with it comes all of the butterfly-inducing memories of that night and day. Their first kiss. Their first confessions. The beginning of their relationship. Watching movies in his hotel room late at night. 

Really, it means more to her than she could ever possibly even begin to admit. 

And Peter seems to know without her ever saying a word. After all, he feels the same way. 

There’s not a single important milestone or event that she’s not wearing it. 

She wears it with her near matching black prom dress. 

To any and all decathlon meets, especially nationals, because she has this faint inkling that, hey, it might bring them some good luck.

To her dad’s family reunion, hiding in the corner of the room with all of the other introvert Joneses.

To birthday parties.

To graduation.

Everywhere. 

Her mom had noticed, always smirking quietly to herself seeing the piece of jewelry hanging delicately around her daughter’s neck. “You’re gonna end up wearing that thing on your wedding day, aren’t you?” She had joked at one point, the warm, teasing glint in her eyes impossible to ignore as she’d helped a college Freshman MJ move into her dorm. 

Then, Michelle had rolled her eyes, stomach flip-flopping in embarrassment at being so called out. She hadn’t answered, instead ignoring her mom’s question as she unconsciously reached a hand up to fiddle with the necklace in question.

And now, nearly six years later, she smiles at the memory, holding the same necklace in her hands, thumb tenderly smoothing over the still shining black glass as she’s zipped into a simple, yet beautiful white gown. 

There was a past to this old necklace, one that was so precious to both MJ and to Peter. One that would be with them always, wherever they went. No matter what.

And her mom had been absolutely right. 

#spideychelle #petermj #peter parker #michelle jones #peter parker x michelle jones #fluff #fic #silver sixpence fic #rated: m #more tags to come in future chapters #:)))) #enjoy!!!

[clownsgobeepbeep]

“You trying to be scary?”

Hmmm, I’m not too sure of how I feel about this but...I hope it’s enjoyed uwu

@grotesquegabby because of Mr. Twinkles

It was a nice summer day, and to everyone’s relief, the sun wasn’t scorching hot and burning everything under its light. Instead, it was simply sunny and warm, a fresh breeze balancing things out.

The day was perfect for outdoor activities, such as a day at the park or the pool or the beach or the carnival. However, before any of those other places could be visited, there was an activity that had been planned for a week.

“You brought the snacks, right?”

“Yeah, I loaded them before putting Frankie and Dahlia in.”

“And the water bottles?”

“It’s not our turn for water bottles.”

“Right.”

On this fine Saturday morning, there was to be a baseball game in which Flora’s team would be playing against another who was easily considered their rivals. Everyone in her family was already in the van, Atlas driving while Ula sat in the co-passenger seat; the only ones missing were Schrader and Flora herself who had left earlier to prep things up.

In the back seats were the youngest, and then in the farthest were the eldest along with Willow who sat between them. On her lap sat the little doll named Mr. Twinkles.

“So what movie are we watching again?” Rowan turned to Basil who replied with a shrug, looking at pictures in his phone. “What are you looking at dude?”

Basil soon turned off the phone, looking over at Rowan with a blink of his eyes.

“Mommy said w-we’re watching whatever Flora wants.” Willow spoke as she continued to hold onto Mr. Twinkles, seeing as he now looked up at the three. “I think we’re here.”

“There’s gonna be a lot of kids, isn’t there?” Mr. Twinkles tapped his hands together quite nervously, glancing over to see Basil’s intimidating stare as he nodded in a similar manner.

“Well duh, it’s kids baseball. There’s gonna be a ton of people because today’s sort of the championship thing or whatever.” Rowan looked out the window, licking his lips at the sight of the various food stands. “Of course, we all know Flora’s team’s gonna win. Especially against those idiots.”

“Rowan.” Atlas called from the front, peering at Rowan through the mirror to see the latter give a bit of a laugh and shrug.

“Dad, I know they’re a bunch of kids but they’re little assholes.”

“Rowan Alphonse D’Vitt!” now Ula turned around with an angry look of disbelief. 

“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Rowan shrunk down a bit, doing this only to hide his snickering as he looked at Mr. Twinkles. “They are assholes. They really hate Flora’s team and are so full of themselves. Watch out for them specifically. Especially with that shirt.”

“W-what’s wrong with my shirt?” Mr. Twinkles looked down at the tiny shirt he had been gifted, on it was the logo for Flora’s team.

“Like I said, they hate Flora’s team.” Rowan finished speaking, doing this in a quite ominous way before he reached over to drink the soda he had been drinking.

With this, Mr. Twinkles was the slightest bit concerned.

_____________

“Where’s Flora?” Mr. Twinkles asked, examining the new area that was a large park containing at least three baseball fields.

He was currently inside a basket, one made just for him at Flora’s requests to get him around safer. The basket was held by Willow who hugged it against her chest, shrugging as she stuck close to her brothers that each carried boxes filled with snacks for Flora’s team. In front of them were Ula and Atlas, each holding onto the babies who were now quite awake.

“She’s getting r-ready with h-her team.” Willow answered, making it so that the basket faced the left where there was a fence. On the other side they could see a group of kids all warming up, their coach watching ahead before Twinkles recognized him.

“Is that Schrader?” he asked, Willow nodding before waving a hand at the mentioned man. Right behind him was Flora who poked her head out, smiling widely before running over to her sister.

“Yeah, he’s the coach. He’s so cool when he plays b-baseball.”

“I’m so glad you actually came!” she exclaimed once eyeing Mr. Twinkles

“Well, why wouldn’t I?” he smiled, feeling Flora pat his head with her fingers that she had poked through the fence. “I gotta see you play!”

“That makes me so happy.” Flora grinned before looking over at her sister. “Where are mom and dad and Basil and Rowan?”

“I was just with them. They went to go drop off the snacks where the carp is, also to take the babies out of the sun.” Willow turned to see the carp in the distance, but still not far for it was placed right next to the benches where everybody else would be at. “I’ll be going there in a bit.”

“Okay! We’re gonna start in a few more minutes,so make sure you get lots of snacks! But not too many, gotta save some space for the movie theater. “Flora giggled, Willow soon doing the same before they both turned to Mr. Twinkles. “What kind of movie do you feel like watching?”

“Me?”

“Yeah you!”

“I thought we were watching whatever you wanted, for when you kick butt and win.” Mr. Twinkles tapped his little hands on the basket, seeing as Flora gave him a shrug in response. 

“Since it’s my choice I’m gonna let you pick.” Flora stated with a warm smile. “Just tell me after the game, okay?”

“Sure thing kiddo.” the doll nodded, attempting to hide his delight.

“I’m gonna do a home run just for you Mr. Twinkles!” Flora finalized, soon running off and back to her team who was already done warming up.

_____________

Everybody was now seated, Flora’s family, with the exception of Flora herself and Schrader, sat peacefully under the carp.

Frankie was already fast asleep in his mother’s arms while his twin sat on Rowan’s lap, eyeing Mr. Twinkles every now and then. No doubt, she thought this was the perfect toy. Besides that, Basil and Willow were seated next to each other with Mr. Twinkles sitting on a tiny lawn chair between the two.

The game had started a while ago, and now that the rivaling team had three outs, it was time for Flora’s team to bat.

“When is Flora gonna hit?” Mr. Twinkles looking up, accidentally looking at Basil rather than Willow which made him give a nervous laugh. “Aha...sorry.”

“She’s number thirteen. So I think she'll be the fifth one to bat.” Willow answered as she watched the game, the first of Flora’s team making their first swing that failed. “I-if the other players d-don’t get caught first t-that is.”

“Huh.” Mr. Twinkles watched on, then yelping when he saw Basil’s hand in front of him. He looked at him again, Basil motioning to his hand where Mr. Twinkles saw a tiny bowl filled with...tiny popcorn.

“I-is that real?” Mr. Twinkles cleared his throat, Basil’s expression being alone to make him cough nervously before accepting the small bowl. “Thank y-you.”

“They’re bird seeds.” Willow whispered to him, making Twinkles smile in relief. “Mommy bought them for you.”

“Oh.” Mr. Twinkles looked down at his bowl for a moment, then turning around to look at Ula who noticed him, giving a smile.

He soon turned his attention back to the field, seeing a third player ready to bat while the other two stood at first and third base. The whole family was watching, each eating their own snacks before a scoff was heard from Rowan.

Mr. Twinkles looked over at him, not paying much attention to Dahlia who gave a devilish smile.

“There’s the stupid kid.”

“Rowan.” Ula sternly called his name.

“But mom! Flora’s up next and he’s on third base, don’t you think that’s a bit of a problem?” Rowan blinked at his mother who shook her head. “I mean, maybe I can-”

“Rowan, I am concerned for your sister after last time, but we don’t want to cause any problems.” Ula sighed while ruffling Frankie’s hair, his little hand grabbing a bunch of her dress. “Besides, his parents are scared of your dad so she’ll be fine.”

Even with this, it seemed like Ula was attempting to reassure herself besides Rowan.

“What happened last time?” Mr. Twinkles whispered to Willow who leaned down.

“That b-boy over there,” she pointed to one of the players who stood on third base, cackling to himself once he tagged one of the kids with the baseball he had caught. “He doesn’t like F-Flora, so he tried d-dropping a bat on her foot.”

“He hurt her!?”

“Oh...no. It actually landed on his feet.”

“He was limping for a few days.” now Rowan leaned in to whisper. “It was so funny, he cried because he couldn’t play baseball.”

Mr. Twinkles frowned before looking at the field, squinting his eyes at the boy who was ready to take someone out. But then, as if a light shined from the heavens, Mr. Twinkles gasped excitedly to the point of nearly dropping his bowl.

“Flora’s next!” Willow pointed, then turning red upon the realization that she exclaimed.

“Wooo!” Mr. Twinkles clapped his little hands, then reaching down to grab a tiny flag Willow had made for him, this containing the same logo as the one on his shirt. “Go, Flora!”

“Watch as she makes mommy proud.” Ula got the slightest bit giddy, even Frankie waking up for the moment as he watched the scene with drowsy eyes.

Flora set herself on the home plate, running her feet on the sand a few times before giving a nod. Soon enough, the ball was pitched and through the air sounded a large crack that even made Dahlia flinch.

“Hoooome run!” Rowan shouted before they all watched Flora make a run for it, dashing through first base so fast that it caught the player there completely off guard.

She soon went by second base, giggling to herself as she neared third base. She didn’t even care that somebody shouted that they caught the ball and attempted to throw it at the boy on third base, but then Flora made a mistake thinking that she didn’t need to swerve around the boy.

If she was right, the boy himself didn’t care about taking her out, because he instead focused on her before sticking his leg out. That combined with Flora’s speed was enough to make her trip before harshly falling on the ground, even sliding through the sand for a bit.

“Mom!” Willow gasped, not realizing that there were several gasps and murmurs from the benches.

She as well as the other kids turned around to look at Ula, seeing as Frankie was no longer in her arms but instead a concerned Atlas’.

Basil was already standing up, hands clenched before he was stopped by Rowan who shook his head.

“Not yet dude.” he watched as Ula stormed away, then looking back at Flora who lifted her head to reveal blood dripping from her nose. “Okay, maybe now.”

“Oh stars...t-that was bad!” Willow turned to look at Mr. Twinkles, eyes widening when she realized he was no longer sitting on his little chair, popcorn bowl on the picnic blankets with its contents spilled out. “Where’s M-Mr. Twinkles?”

_____________

“I don’t know about you, but she’s clearly out.”

“What!? That’s not the point here, the point is that your kid tripped her!” Ula clenched her fists as she talked to the couch of the rival team, the man being the father of the malicious child. “Look at her! She’s bleeding! She could have hurt her head, broken it in fact!”

“But she didn’t.” the man scoffed, never bothering to look at Flora who was being treated by Schrader. “Look, just go back to one of your husbands and keep your trap shut, would you sweetheart? Let the kids continue their game so your loser kid can suck up the loss.”

Right before Ula could blow up in his face, their attention was caught by the sound of yelling...that didn’t sound too much like yelling.

They looked to the side where the boy from before was, staring down at his foot where a doll kicked his shoe as hard as possible.

“ You wanna fight? Huh? You wanna fight me!?” he raised his little hands up, throwing a punch at the shoe while jumping around “Take me on! Come on you little brat! Pick on someone your own age! Or your own size!”

“Ew, what is that?” the kid smirked before reaching down, now feeling Twinkles punch his hand. “Holy crap. You trying to be scary? That’s so cute, maybe I’ll take you home for my brother.”

“I said fight me!” the doll shouted before he was picked up from the back, wriggling in the air with so much anger filling his little body. “You hurt Flora, you fight me!”

“Who’s Flora? Is that a dumb nickname Hazel uses?” the boy held Mr. Twinkles in front of his face. 

“Shut up, shut up! I’ll fight you!”

“Put him down!”

Soon enough, Mr. Twinkles was sent flying through the air. Oh dear, his life flashed before his eyes...until he landed in small hands.

While falling, he had shut his eyes, now opening them upon soft contact. He looked up to see his savior, a smile of relief forming on his expression when he saw Flora.

Her nose was still a little blood and her chin rasped, but that didn’t stop her from glaring at the boy who’s shin she had just kicked with such force it had him curled up on the ground.

“Pick on someone your own size.” she wiped her nose on her glove, then turning to leave while hugging Mr. Twinkles. “Are you okay?”

“I...yeah.” the doll nodded before looking at her with concern. “Are you?”

“Yeah, just a few cuts and bruises I’ll have tomorrow.” Flora slightly shrugged, not bothering to turn and see her father going out on the other coach who was no doubt terrified at this point. “Won’t have any photoshoots in a while, but that’s okay.”

“Does that kid always hurt you? I’ll beat him up if he does!”

“He’s tried a lot, this is the first time he’s actually been successful. “Flora quietly giggled before finally reaching the tent where her family was, all her siblings and Atlas standing up.

“A-are you okay!?” Willow looked at her in pure worry, fingers fiddling together as Flora nodded. “W-Where’s mom and-”

“Over there.”

“Merciless killer.” Rowan nodded as he and Basil watched Schrader yell at the coach, Ula right next to him while also adding her own points. “That man will be dead by the end of today.”

“Rowan.” Atlas called out to him. “Remember what your mom said.”

“I’m not planning anything!” Rowan held his hands up in defense, Dahlia having been up in Basil’s arms, before snickering to himself. “But Basil is.~”

“What are you guys gonna do?” Mr. Twinkles blinked at them, Basil and Rowan sharing a glance before Rowan whispered.

“If you promise not to tell, we’ll both tell you and let you come along. You’d be perfect for it. In fact, we should invite uncle Davey and his friends for it.”

“P-perfect?” Mr. Twinkles now grew slightly worried, feeling Flora hold him a bit more protectively.

Rowan nodded with a smirk before whispering a question to Mr. Twinkles.

“Have you ever watched Poltergeist?”

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

the thinker

A Fae AU side story. Phoenix and Larry, and an ever-present absence: reminiscing, and looking ahead.

[ao3]

“—and I mean, some of my old temp jobs I didn’t even get fired from, so I can totally hit up those guys and throw you their way.”

Phoenix draws a new card from the deck and frowns at it. Larry won’t play him in poker, not since high school, so all the card games they played through their early 20s didn’t involve acting. (Larry has the worst poker face.) And even then, Phoenix still won most of them, which he knows now is Luck, but lately Luck has been tangling with Misfortune and doesn’t have time to let Phoenix have a good hand of cards in games that don’t mean anything. He’s lost most of tonight’s games and wants to blame it on the fact that he’s drinking, but Larry is also drinking, and in fact has had more beers than Phoenix, so he’s just lying to himself now. Midnight is one of the best times for lying to himself, though he’s usually alone when he does it.

“Yeah,” he says, discarding his new card, “but they’re still gonna throw out the application when they see my name on it.” The Gramaryes were local celebrities, and the forgery scandal much bigger than that. Phoenix’s name is a black mark. Larry wouldn’t know how that is; Larry has a second name now, granting him Fortune, and maybe Butz is an unfortunate surname but it’s not Phoenix Wright, the corrupt attorney too clumsy to get away with it. “The poker thing is going fine, really.”

“Yeah but you’ve got a daughter now, Nick! You can’t just put her on the bachelor ramen diet too! Your savings are gonna run out sooner or later!” Larry, flighty, irresponsible Larry, is now the voice of reason, god forbid. He only now seems to realize that Phoenix has taken his turn and he draws a card, his eyes lighting up in further proof of the way he can’t play poker. “Very fortuitous,” he says, leaning over the cards played on the table and planning his move.

Phoenix sighs and flops back into the couch. He’ll be waiting a while. “Look at you and your vocab of the day calendar,” he says.

“Hey!” Larry points an objecting finger at him. “I am a writer, Nick! Words are my specialty!”

“A writer of children’s books—!”

Loud as they are, Phoenix only hears half of the sound from the next room over, the tail-end of the time: “—is twelve o’clock.”

Larry’s head jerks up. “What was that?” he asks.

“Mia,” Phoenix says. He told Larry all about Mia and her presence in the office not long after Elise died; he hasn’t told Edgeworth, because he thinks of Edgeworth as separate from all of the fae aspects of his life. Trucy and Larry jump the line, now, but even though Edgeworth has met Maya, Pearl, and Iris, been wrapped up nearly as much as Larry (except for Larry being a witch, briefly), Phoenix still keeps more of it from him. He’s sure Edgeworth wouldn’t appreciate it, if he knew, but that’s another day’s problem. “You gonna finish your turn?”

-

It’s a lull in the conversation the next time it happens; Phoenix is pondering over the least bad move he can make when the voice rings out, “I think the time is twelve-fifteen.”

“Wait,” Larry says, folding his cards together and setting them face-down on the coffee table. “Wait wait, that’s—”

“Your clock,” Phoenix says. “Yeah.” The dumbfounded expression on Larry’s face doesn’t go away and he turns the stare from the room the sound emanated from to Phoenix. He’s going to have to explain this one the full way, as much as he knows to explain. “Here, c’mon.” He puts his cards down and stands, going to the doorway to the back room. The lights are off but some of the city lights filter through the slats of blinds. (There’s about as much light as there was the night Mia died.) It’s enough to make out, on his desk, the shape of the foot-tall gray clock. He gives Larry a few seconds to take in the sight and then flips on the light switch. The room brightens immediately, and there is nothing on Phoenix’s desk.

“Okay that’s fucked,” Larry says. “What’s that about?”

“Mia harasses me with it if she thinks I’m staying too late,” Phoenix explains. “She’ll start at fifteen-minute intervals and then drop to ten or five if I really don’t take the hint.”

“Yeah,” Larry says, “but the clock’s kinda not there, Nick.”

“It should be solved case evidence buried in the seventh circle of the police department now,” Phoenix agrees. He turns the light off. It now sits in the strips of light cast through the window, and he could swear he sees blood on it and immediately flicks the lights back on. “But this is Mia, and fae magic, so it’s here enough to torment me. And, by the way, Mia,” he adds, raising his voice, even though he knows she can hear anything said in the office anyway, “Trucy’s at a friend’s sleepover right now, so it’s not like I’m leaving her at home alone. You can relax.”

Or maybe she wants him to get a healthy amount of sleep but he’s far past the point of no return on that for the rest of his life.

“But why…” Larry gestures helplessly into the room. “Why that?” he asks after a few more moments of sputtering for words. “Like, she could do anything to hassle you, like make the mirror bleed or throw books at you or break the lightbulbs or make the walls ooze—”

“—green slime,” Phoenix finishes in unison with him, and they both laugh. But Larry’s face quickly falls and he looks back in at Phoenix’s desk. He hasn’t asked the full question: why the clock I made, why the clock I gave her?

“And wasn’t that…” Larry’s hand twitches, its trajectory going towards his head, as though to mimic the location of the wound, the blood on Mia’s head as her body grew colder. He pulls his hand down before it gets there. “Y’know?”

The murder weapon?

Funny, for her to be so powerful, taken down so easily. She shouldn’t have been. (Maybe if not for Phoenix, she wouldn’t have been. Did she have to give up part of her own life to save him from Dahlia? Did Phoenix kill her? Godot eventually acquiesced that he’d made that accusation in pain and anger but Phoenix had asked himself the same long before then. Phoenix still asks himself that.)

“Yeah,” Phoenix says again. “It was. But she really liked it, you know?” Larry shakes his head. “It meant something, I think, especially to the fae. Since they so rarely give gifts – which I guess that wasn’t quite a gift because we defended you and you didn’t pay me – and they love artists a little too much sometimes…” He shrugs. He’s thought about it a lot over the years and the late nights.

“You’re still mad about that?” Larry asks, starting back for the couch.

Phoenix turns the lights out and doesn’t look back. “You paid Edgeworth back for stealing his lunch money! What, do I have to wait fifteen years for you to pay your legal fees?”

Larry snaps his fingers together. “Now you do!”

Phoenix snorts.

The grin falls from Larry’s face. “That just kinda makes me feel worse,” he says. “If she liked it so much, and then…” His hand twitches again, reaching for a wound never present on his own head.

Phoenix isn’t sure how to respond to that. He just keeps talking anyway, hoping his words won’t cut at his own heart. “She wouldn’t harass me with it if she was soured on it from that,” he says. Her death. From her death. “She really did appreciate it. That… that someone would give her something made with their own hands, all the work and time put into it – I mean, the fae go both ways, the deadly grudges for petty things, but little favors end up meaning the world. And she…” He closes his eyes, now regretting saying this much. “Even if you just gave it to her because she’s pretty—”

“Hey!”

“—it really did mean a lot to her.”

Larry stares down at his hands. “Back – back with Elise,” he says quietly, uncomfortably quietly for Larry, “I gave her some of my paintings. Like Christmas, the only Christmas of course, just the one, and then she had me do portfolio pieces and hung onto some of those, and a couple others I just gave her and…”

He trails off.

“But those were – I mean, she was teaching me how to paint, so of course I’d – she’d expect of course—”

It wasn’t even been half a year that Larry was her student (and a witch). When Phoenix had asked him, after, after the dust had settled as much as it could yet, Larry said it was part of his attempts to turn his life back around after being fired as a security guard. October to February. Four months. (He said it felt longer and sometimes Phoenix wonders if he wasn’t just saying that but slipped into the Twilight Realm for parts of it. It could be either. They’ll never know.)

But he’d loved her as a mentor enough that when he mentions her, the smile still cracks off his face.

“No, I’m sure it meant that much to her, too,” Phoenix says softly.

Larry’s shoulders slump. He picks up his beer. “I think sometimes I don’t even know what she looked like,” he says. “What she really did, beneath the glamour. Or that – I mean, how little did I know her that I didn’t realize she wasn’t human until you told me? Been a year and I just—” He takes a long draught and then stares sadly at the empty bottle in his hand.

Somehow they just end up here, even when not meaning to, once the sun goes down and the city lights are all they have against the endless black sky. “Sometimes, with the stupid clock,” Phoenix says, looking not at Larry but at their abandoned game, “I’m busy working and then I swear it’s Mia’s voice telling me the time. That it’s not just her hitting the thing and it’s weird voice going, but it’s her. She’s talking to me.” He’s out of beer, too. He shouldn’t have another. “And then I sit there attentively waiting and waiting and then the next time it goes off, it’s just the clock’s voice.”

Larry’s bottle taps against the coffee table. “This is why you won’t take Edgy up on his offer for you to come live in Europe, huh?”

Phoenix looks up. “You know about that?”

“Don’t sound surprised! He and I talk sometimes! And sometimes we worry about you, because you’re an idiot!”

Being called an idiot by Larry, god forbid. Two fae, Elise and Kristoph, Fortune and Misfortune, one to Larry, one to Phoenix, and the world turned on its head.

“Not to uh, insult you too much, and definitely no offense to Miss Mia Fey” – Larry holds up his empty bottle like he’s toasting the office – “who’s a wonderful lady who has saved our asses many a time, but Nick, you’re like, married – figuratively, like Edgy’s married to his work – married to a ghost.”

“This is the last time I try to empathize with you about grief,” Phoenix grumbles.

“Dude, I said no offense!”

“To Mia. You wanted to insult me a little.” Phoenix shakes his head. “I mean, bold words about living for the dead from Laurice Deauxnim.”

“Nick,” Larry says bitterly. They’re getting close to yelling at each other again, a way they’ve only done a few times. “That’s different. A name I get to carry with me is different than burying myself in an office I can’t use because I’m not a lawyer anymore and have no talents other than winning poker games, and you do that at a place that isn’t your office!”

“Right,” Phoenix says. “So I’m just supposed to leave Mia behind, that’s it?”

“You think she can’t go with you?”

“I don’t know.” There’s so much he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even know how she’s stayed here. It doesn’t make sense with any kind of magic Maya knows, just like the way their mother allegedly spoke to the dead Gregory Edgeworth also doesn’t make any sense. And magic doesn’t have the strictest rules, especially not for the royals, but it has limitations and they thought death was it. None of it makes sense and Phoenix is afraid if he questions it the spell will break. “I’d think she would have given me a sign if she could. She can probably move on, but…”

But then she’d be gone. She’d be gone and would the blessing blanketing the office go with her? Phoenix has watched, over the past year, a pale green mist slowly affix itself to Trucy and darken, looking like the way Maya described the blessing that surrounds Phoenix. Could that blessing, could Mia’s remaining presence, move with him, if he went to Europe with Edgeworth? He can’t take the chance, not with Death written on his chest, not when he could be forsaking the best chance Trucy has to survive him. He can’t gamble on Trucy’s life. She doesn’t deserve to have been caught up in this. The very least she deserves is the assurance of Mia’s protection.

Larry sighs and shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I know Mia meant – means – a lot to you – like I keep comparing her in my head to me and Elise but I know it’s way more than that – but also, dude, I hate seeing you like this. I feel like I’m watching you become a ghost.”

He can’t muster up anger anymore, not if Larry’s saying that, not when he’s thought the same, not when he less and less feels like picking up a razor and more and more feels surprised by how tired the face in the mirror looks. “I might take Edgeworth up on the offer for short trips, at some point,” he says, knowing that he’s avoiding Larry’s main point because he has no evidence to refute it. “Once Trucy’s more settled in here so that she’s not totally thrown when I drag her off to Europe for a couple weeks.” And once he’s in a more secure place with Kristoph, that he can figure out what excuse to make for disappear. “I know I’m not gonna be able to show her the world, so hey, if Edgeworth’s buying the plane tickets…”

Larry laughs hollowly. “Guess that’s a start.” He glances to his beer bottle and again appears surprised that it’s already empty. “Like I’m worried about your finances for the kid’s sake but shit, dude, I’d be worried as hell about your sake if you didn’t have her around.”

“She’s a good kid,” Phoenix says.

“And she’s someone you can’t push away.” Larry raises an eyebrow at Phoenix’s surprised look. “What, you think I don’t notice you do that? Like in cycles, after Edgy, uh, disappeared, and then after you lost your badge, and I think some times in between but those are the big ones, you just try and like, be more of a dick and stop talking so we’ll hate you and stop checking in on you. It’s not gonna work by the way, I’ve figured you out.”

“Surprisingly perceptive,” Phoenix says. It’s probably harsher than he meant it.

“I’m a writer,” Larry says. “I’ve gotta figure out empathizing with people if I want to write good characters!”

“You write children’s books.”

“And you’ve only been reading bad children’s literature with your daughter, apparently. I’ll get you my list of recommendations.”

“Will that consist solely of yours and Elise’s books?”

“Not solely.” Larry does not have the audacity to look ashamed. “But in large part.”

Phoenix snorts.

“You can stop doing that, y’know,” Larry adds. “You could like, talk to people. I’m sure Edgy can help with this badge thing. He’s already been looking into the littler Gavin.”

Larry apparently really does talk to Edgeworth, if he knows that. Phoenix frowns. “I told him to stop doing that.”

“He’s worries about you, dude, what can I say? And you’re not giving any hints on what you think happened with that evidence.”

“That’s the idea,” Phoenix says.

“Yeah, see, the pushing thing, like this, you do.” Larry sinks back into the couch. “Could you not?”

“No,” Phoenix says.

“I am gonna hit you with this bottle.”

“You try that.”

Larry pantomimes swinging it like a baseball bat. Phoenix wonders if that’s the most effective way to use a beer bottle as a weapon. “I’m gonna. Try and push me away now, motherfucker, I’ve got a – isn’t there a word for when you break off the bottom of the bottle and make it sharp? Like a shiv but a bottle, or wait, a shank is the makeshift one—?”

“That’s not children’s book vocabulary,” Phoenix says. Larry is still looking at him, somewhere between smug and determined, and Phoenix adds bitterly, “You want to know what’s nice about Mia compared to the rest of you?” He fan watch Larry’s expression collapse from mock anger to real pain. “At least her, I can’t get her killed again.”

“Yo, Nick, seriously, this is why we worry about you.” And it’s concern settled firmly now across Larry’s features. “‘Cause you say things like you don’t realize how fucked up they are.”

Phoenix rubs his hand across his eyes. Spoken stupid in exhaustion and frustration, and now he’s paying for it. “And forget I said that.”

“I will not.”

“I think the time is twelve-thirty.”

It’s still the clock’s voice.

“I guess Mia does really want us to have good sleeping habits,” Phoenix says.

“Probably mostly you,” Larry says. “Like once you’re saying things like this, the existential guilt and dread o’clock, that’s when I like to sleep for about a year.”

“We’ve still got a game to finish, at least,” Phoenix says. He glances over the cards. A game for him to lose, more like.

“Yo, yeah,” Larry says. “I was kicking your ass, right, because I’m also right in our arguments and I’m winning overall and that means that you need to talk to people more.” He picks up his hand of cards and surveys the table again.

“Then I’m gonna say right now we’re doing best seven out of nine,” Phoenix says. He’s been kicking the number up all night. Larry laughs.

“I think the time is twelve-thirty-one.”

“Duly noted, Chief.”

#i wrote this from 11:30 pm to 2 am last night and it was worth the loss of sleep time #fae au extras #roddy fanfics #fic: the seelie of kurain #fae au tag #me posting this story is just me staring Wolf directly in the eyes for the last few chapters of the Warriors fic

[get-something-to-write]

an endeavor with flowers

Maria goes off to buy flowers for Eliza, realizing she’s allergic to flowers and has to find a solution in order to not sneeze all over them until she reaches Eliza’s place. Lots of awkward contact ensues

Credit to @cresiendo for giving me the prompt idea and motivation to write! This also got super out of hand, so expect... the unexpected. The characters have a 6-year age difference. ( i really don’t know what happened during the writing process )

( ft. Marliza after the affair in modern au )

Warnings: as usual, it falls between pg 13 and r-rated, also I barely edit expect a shit ton of mistakes

What a whore

Back off my boy, bitch

Evil seductress, broke up such a nice healthy relationship

Burn in hell, succubus

Maria passed under the doorway of the Home Depot, determined to get in and out without fleeing to the nearest bathroom to sob out her issues. It had been a almost a fortnight since the Reynolds Pamphlet had been published on Facebook by stupid fucking asshole named Alexander Hamilton.

Gritting her teeth as she got nasty stares from people like old women to teenage boys, her heels slapped the messy cement floor. Honestly, she should have just gone to some fancy bouquet store to by it but she was low on money anyway.

Being poor had so many frickin setbacks for her, like maybe forcing herself to have the worse sex ever with Hamilton in order to get the cash in for her former abusive husband.

Maria Lewis muttered all sorts of old sayings her da taught her when she was old enough to speak. They usually calmed her down whenever she was having a flurry of emotions hit her mind at once. It was too hard for her to walk anywhere in public without the scornful remarks or horrendous catcalls. But she guessed it was her fault for bringing a married man to bed with his “dubious consent”.

At times like these, Maria wished she had a phone on her so she could google the meanings of flowers that would spell forgiveness for causing quite an astonishing affair at her own expense.

Regardless of exactly who borne the affair, she still felt heavily guilty about it. After all, she ruined the relationship of a very beautiful woman with an extremely adorable child. Maria shut yo gay ass and get some randomass flowers that prolly mean “ go die with a bra on your head “.

Loathing the looks the store clerks gave Maria as she wandered the aisles, she gave the flower section a series of violent sneezes. Also itching herself a little. Not exactly the best public image if you want to redeem yourself after ruining a marriage.

“ That bitch needs to shut it. Like she’s here to ruin my day too.” Maria heard this about a few aisles down from her standpoint. That was completely unecessary to say, giving that he didn’t suffer from allergies and was overall being immature. Maria decided to cover her nose with the top of her shirt.

Snatching an armful of flowers that were labeled as “Dahlia” and “ Ambrosia” and all sorts of nice looking ones, she briskly walked toward the checkout counter with an old lady manning it.

“Who’s the lucky one, young lass?” The elderly woman questioned with a funny expression. Maria sputtered, trying to say they were for forgiveness but being the socially awkward bean she was, it just looked like she was highly embarrassed for being called out.

“Ah, young love. I hope your boyfriend is a grateful man!” Okay not only does her and everyone else grumbling impatiently behind me think that is I am buying love flowers, but also think I’m straight. Oh god.

Fleeing the garden center, Maria slowed down when she spotted a roll of duct tape as well as large pieces of cloth. As a terrible idea flooded her thoughts, she let out a pelting of sneezes, nearly dropping the wrapped flowers on the ground. Gripping the supplies, she quietly sneaked into an empty corner of the store and proceeded through her horrible idea.

About 15 minutes later, the short girl was stumbling down the street, occasionally sniffing in a sliver of pollen and attempting to hold back a dozen sneezes. 

People gave her odd and generally confused looks, but this was New York so weird things happened all the time. Maria hardly had the time to regret her actions anytime soon, as her eyes reddened from constant contact with the flowers. At least the tape contraption was holding up fairly well, perhaps because of the heavy duty duct tape. 

Maria hoped she could get it out, otherwise life just got worse for her. (somehow)

The good thing is that everyone bustling around didn’t recognize her and if they did, were in too much of a rush to mock her. She yelped as a biker nearly ran her over. Maria was aware of the fact that the Hamiltons lived somewhere in Harlem and wasn’t too far away from where she lived.

A taxi driver yelled something at her, possibly in a different language though. She finally reached a quieter area where Maria saw the prettiest woman ever gardening in the front.

She started shaking a little, the memories of where Alexander Hamilton fucked her over and over again coming back to her. Seeing a cheery face coming up to the door through  window as she fled the cursed bathroom in a hurry as to not be caught.

Be brave Maria, just ring the doorbell once she gets inside and finishes her stuff and immediately burst into an apology and hope she forgives you. Simple as that.

Swallowing a bundle of nerves, Maria struggled to tear off her mask while scrunching up her face as she sneezed voraciously.

She neve thought flower allergies could be so goddammed annoying. Bundling up her nerves, Maria stepped up to the entrance of the house. She was extremely jittery, having to wait 10 minutes before even trying to walk up to the house. 

 Maria took in a breath to rap her hand on the door. It was opened instantanously, a shocked looked on the taller woman that turned to confusion as her gaze fell upon the handful of flowers that rested on her arms. Maria looked down a little, embarrassed by Hamilton’s wife examining her physique. Don’t get distracted Maria, don’t do it. 

 “Why are you here? And have you gotten the wrong address, because I know you are not here to give me love flowers." Maria was even more flustered now. Shit part one of brilliant apologetic plan, nononono, why can't I do anything simple. If this were a different occasion, then maybe Maria would have loved giving Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton flowers, but she was too busy making an oh shit face and attempting to speak English .

 " Oh. Oh, uh, um, oh my goodness, I-I-I am so sorry, I'm not a flower expert, I just wanted , uh, give you these flowers because I'm sorry???" Poor Maria was standing there, sneezing and wiping her sleeve over her nose, looking quite helpless indeed. 

" I'm really sorry, I, er, didn't know that these flowers meant anything, I just-" she stopped saying anything, for fear of sounding ridiculously stupid. Eliza's mildy aggressive expression turned soft and amused and held out her hand. Is she expecting me to hold it or something? 

 " It's alright! Here, I'll take the flowers and you can come inside and get comfy on the couch while I make tea, 'kay? If you'd like some of courrse." Maria, a little stunned by her statement, nodded rapidly.

Sniffing profusely as she shuffled into Eliza’s house, she could barely stop herself from gaping at everything. It was just so nicely decorated. The wall had floral designs on it, the couches and futons were a nice beige color. On the wall hung some glass flower arrangement. The smell of tea from the kitchen wafted into the living room. This house was definitely nicer than her dinky apartment.

There was also a mahogany shelf on the wall, presenting a series of photo frames with what seemed to be Eliza’s friends and son. There wasn’t any if Alexander’s face on there, but considering what just happened it made sense.

Maria fiddled with the hem of her shirt, acting fairly skittish. Her eyes bounced around the living room as Eliza Hamilton marched into the room with two cups of green tea. Maria also noticed how she had put the flowers in a pretty vase on the kitchen counter.

“ I’m letting you in because I’m actually quite curious as to why you decided to show up on my doorstep uninvited. And the fact that I know that Alexander forced you into this. I know him too well to think that you’re some ‘evil seductress’ that lures men into their beds.”Eliza looked at her with inquis  eyes, Maria stared at the ground, her hand shaking and found the carpet to be very interesting.

“ Well, I-I, my husband was doing me wrong. He would- he would beat me until I complied with his orders, and so when James heard that, uh, Alexander Hamilton would be alone for the week-” she suddenly broke off, choking on her words. Eliza stood up from her place and sat next to Maria, clasping her hands with one of the other girl’s. Eliza only guessed she paused was because she was gazing intently at Eliza’s face. The younger girl noticed this, and her face blushed furiously.

“ You don’t have to tell everything. Just know that I’ve forgiven you and you’re welcome to come here anytime.”

“ W-wait really? You can’t possibly forgive me that easily. No man or woman has ever showed me much kindness before.”

“ How can a handsome lady like you never have? Does any show you any of their sympathies? Eliza asked, looking a little confused but her brain wandered into some dirtier thoughts. Maria reddened at the compliment.

“ Since he published the article, I’ve filed a divorce with my husband and no one really cares for me except to mock me. Maybe staying with James had not been, well, the greater thing ever but at least i lived somewhat comfortably.”

“ Men who treat their wives like your to-be ex-husband does to you should be cut out of your life immediately. And if your really struggling, you can room at my place. I kicked Alex out and we share Philip. You can have the guest room.”

Why is she so generous? What if there’s a catch with this? What if she’s only doing this to pity me, make her image look better? Eliza might be moving fast with these things, but Maria wouldn’t mind sleeping in the same house with her. At least she wasn’t giving her Hamilton’s room. She is so kind, so nice, so pretty.

Eliza had moved closer to Maria now. They were touching and her arm had snaked around her waist. The latter was a red, blushing mess, being so close to someone who seemed to genuinely care for her, It was a thankful change to James Reynolds.

“ I know you’re being so amazingly kind, but, how much do you really care about me?” Maria asked in a small voice. She was usually suspicious about these types of situations now the she had experience. She stared deep into Eliza’s big eyes.

Eliza was grappling with the problem that the girl she was currently ogling at was quite a nice soul to be with. Also very attractive. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a while. Maria continued to toy with her shirt. Eliza’s eyes slid down to her chest. Realizing what she was doing, she finally admitted to turning crimson. Both of them had their hearts racing, breaths become heavier.

“ Well, I can show you how much I care, if that’s fine with you?” she nodded and Eliza cupped her hands on either side of Maria’s face.

“ Aren’t you technically-” her sentence was cut off with soft lips pressing against her own lips. Her eyes shot up in surprise, and then slowly closed them to melt into the kiss. Maria wrapped her arms around Eliza’s waist, feeling even more heat rising inside of her.

They eventually broke apart, unwilling to stare at the other in their eyes. Not being able to handle the sexual tension between them, Eliza moved forward again and smashed her mouth into Maria’s. The other woman gasped into Eliza lips, encouraging the latter to nip at Maria’s bottom lip. The kiss became much more passionate than the first one, Eliza creeping a hand up her shirt, making circles with her thumb as it reached further. Maria trembled at the touch, whimpering at it.

“ Is this fine with you?” Eliza removed her lips to speak into Maria’s ear. Shaking a ‘yes’, Eliza took the opportunity to push her back into the couch. She kissed Maria again, but Maria turned the tables on her by prodding her tongue around the entrance of her lips. Granting permission, Maria swirled her tongue around Eliza’s mouth, listening to the quiet moaning.

Eliza suddenly got up and and hopped off the couch. She had a confused look on her face.

“ Do you, uh, really want to do it here?”

“ Bedroom then?” Eliza was not expecting that answer, but she shouldn’t have been shocked considering how turned on and aroused they both were.

Maria grabbed her hand, led her to the bedroom (of course she knew where it was) and closed the door. Instead of nudging them to Eliza’s bed, Maria shoved her against the wall and stood a little taller to kiss her. Eliza was barely able to register the impact of it all, and curled her arms underneath the shorter one’s arms. She moved her mouth to Eliza’s neck, pecking soft kisses around it.

Her nose breathed on a spot right beneath her ear and Eliza tense up very noticeably. Eliza could feel her grinning as she sucked on it, high-pitched gasps escaping her mouth. Her grip on Maria tightened, most likely to leave bruises on her. Maria continued to minister her kisses until she was completely breathless.

“ So did the super allergic to flowers person really bring me love flowers as an apology or for this?” Maria turned scarlet and buried her face into the crook of Eliza’s neck. Eliza sighed, knowing how Maria seemed especially skeptical of people but apparently was quite comfy with Eliza now. 

“ I told you, I don’t know anything about flowers. Uh, can we go to your sheets now?”

Eliza snickered at the question. They leaped into bed, and when Maria tried to take off her clothes, Eliza used her hands to press her against her own body, which was below Maria’s. She looked quite bewildered.

“ Sorry, but not today. I think we should take it slow, y’know. Just, maybe a little touching and kissing here and there.” Eliza felt ashamed to say that, but it just made a lot of sense to her. Take it easy.

“ O-oh, I’m sorry! I came here to apologize and then, well, this happened. I can leave if you want.”

“ No, please, just, stay? Cuddle, maybe?” Maria nodded, liking that idea very much. She tried to roll of onto Eliza’s side, but her hands were firmly attached to her. She sighed, resting her face onto her chest. They weren’t very large, but it was nice at the same time. 

Eliza lifted Maria’s face up, kissing her slowly. They ended up just cuddling and pecking each other, occasionally fondling the other’s chest. Honestly, things were just moving pretty fast, but Maria wouldn’t wanted any other way.

OK I WAS FEELING SUPER GAY WRITING THIS! 

Also, my inbox is open to all Hamilton ships, Reader inserts with any characters and Hamilcast as well as just writing prompts. No smut y’all! All stories can be found under the ‘crimson-writer’ tag

#marliza #eliza x maria #hamilton modern au #eliza schuyler #maria reynolds #alexander hamilton #hamilton #hamilton the musical #make out #slight mentions of abuse #fast-paced #crimson-writer

[rtexlibris]

3/1/2017

I had never seen a casserole until i was an adult. A legal one. I mean, i don’t know if 18 is really an adult, but when the casserole came around, that’s when i started acting as one. The first one was a chicken casserole, but mom was too sick to touch anything solid, so I ate the stuff. It felt slimy in my stomach, i remember. Cold, like a fat worm, if there is such a thing. If i think about it too hard I can still feel it sliding down my throat. After the first casserole, i stopped eating anything at all. The ones that followed piled up in the new refrigerator in the basement, the refrigerator mom paid for to store all the food she couldn’t eat. Something amazing; sometimes i eat orange peels in the shower so i forget i’m wet. She can’t hug either. You can’t touch her. I tried to do it once but her skin was cold and hard, and she has a hole in her chest. Her skin turned plastic last month, I saw it happen. That’s when i tried to hug her. A casual implosion of the bones, marrow to cellophane before I could blink. She came home on a sunday and said her head hurt, and that her fingers were falling off but i only saw the tufts of hair left on her pillow, in the shower. She shrank two inches probably, around the same time I grew five. I think maybe i stole her inches and fixed them to the soles of my own feet. It’s always been like that. The next morning she was bald. I wondered if it just fell off all at once, like a hibernation for the head, except instead a slumber the hair just died at once. Sort of like a tree. She asked me if i liked it and i said that her skull was so smooth, i had always thought i had a lumpy skull but maybe because hers was so round and smooth, mine would be too. Genetics is a funny thing to consider. That make me speculate about something else, too, but i decided not to think about that. The night she turned plastic, i started a fire. I didn’t mean to. It was unusually warm for february, and i went and smoked a joint on the playground next to my best friends house. I put out the flame with the rubber sole of my canvas shoe, but I always liked the watch the embers dance. We left the playground and went to Cambridge for a while, but the city felt too cavernous so we came home. Cities can feel like that sometimes, I’m learning. It was damp and hot and I wore too many clothes. When we got back the whole place was ablaze. I thought my stomach would explode, from the smoke and the french fries, and now I had ruined the swings. My clothes got a little burned too, i found the holes in my shirt when i got home. I know it meant something but i don’t know what. i thought about the times i’d caught fire. I lost track after a handful. * I found cracks in the ceiling of the darkroom. My photography class was early in the morning, and I went hardly once a week, but when I did I occupied the dark closet. I had to stand up on the countertops to find the cracks. I heard chairs scraping when I did that, presumably from the floor above, and I felt dizzy so I had to step down. There are fractures on the floor, too, but I couldn’t see them so clearly. I thought about turning on the lights. It was just me, after all. I failed photography, even though I had the best pictures in my class. The crossing guard and I are on good terms now. We weren’t always. When I walk home in the snow, he runs out into the road and waves at me. I’m out of breath but I smile anyway. There’s something about 3pm, and the halfway house at the end of the street. There are no cars, but my crossing guard runs out anyway. Sometimes I catch a ride, and I notice him looking at me through the windshield. I feel ashamed. I’m running home because she’s got the flu again, and I have to take her temperature every 15 minutes. Its at 100.1 now but if rises I’m in trouble. She’s in trouble. I don’t know what trouble means exactly, but i almost wished for it then. I’m wearing a hospital mask in my living room because I can’t stay here without it, my breath is toxic. * I went to the hospital in the afternoon, she wasn’t supposed to be there that day but she couldn’t shit. It’s true. Isn’t it funny? I had to wear this huge mask to see her even though no one else did, because I guess i’m dirty for being young. They didn’t know that I’m an adult though, I’m eighteen. I can eat all the casseroles I want, but I still had to wear the mask. I couldn’t breathe with it on, so I snuck tiny breaths from underneath the mask. We didn’t really say much while I was there. There was a hawk outside who had found a place to eat his lunch; we wondered what his lunch was. He thought he was alone. There aren’t any flowers allowed in her unit, so I brought her socks because she asked for them. Green tie dye, brand new. I wish there were flowers, but they aren’t allowed. I bought some on the way home anyway. Dahlias. I thought I saw God when I stood up too fast, but I was just dizzy, like the other times. I’m supposed to be in school, but I don’t think it matters much anymore. I’m a big adult now, no one can tell me what to do. I can eat so much chicken casserole if I wanted to.

[raleigh-ocean]

a surprise that comes squared | medium gang

after four years from the aftermath of Roanoke, in which Audrey and Shelby managed to survive, everything started to go to better as the years went by

obviously there were things that put all upside down, mostly because people grow as time pass by and at times some surprises come along the way

by the time the end of the summer of 2020 arrived, a lot of things had happened already

Billie Dean Howard eloped to her long time partner, Dara Ann Lynch, and before that they both kept a relationship with Audrey Tindall that ended after the two of them married but having them three as the closest friends as result; and Dahlia Deen and Shelby Miller started to finally date a year prior, moving together and trying to live their life.

and then Dahlia, one good morning, woke up to a message of one of her favourite cousins, telling her she was back home for a few days and wanted her to meet someone special for her

a cousin that wasn’t Dara, which lived two hours away and Dahlia already knew how very much she loved her wife

but talking about the devil, Dara messaged Dahlia about their cousin that was coming home a second later and then Dahlia, sleepy eyes and all, managed to type an unsure plan 

one that revolved around a little gathering in Dahlia and Shelby’s new home, the latter still very much asleep and very much unaware of what her girlfriend was doing

after two light coffees and a too long phone call with Dara, which Dahlia adored a lot but damn that woman and her planning skills, Dahlia got herself on kitchen duty for the special day and also as hostess and it’s not even nine in the morning and Dahlia is really sure Shelby is gonna freak out

spoiler: Shelby did freak out

spoiler: Billie, in Dara’s side, laughed her ass off when her wife told her Shelby freaked out

but now everything was settled and, with their cousin, Dara and Dahlia started to plan how things would work and who’s gonna pick up their cousin from the airport (that was quickly adverted by said cousin, telling them not to worry about it because she will rent a car) and where they were going to sleep (another don’t worry because their cousin were getting a room in a hotel in Santa Monica but would gladly take the offer to sleep in Dahlia’s apartment the first night which Dara responded she also wanted her to come to her apartment, so their cousin agreed to it too)

spoiler: Billie freaked out to that last one bit, because their apartment was very much tinier than Dahlia and Shelby’s

spoiler: Shelby laughed her ass off because ‘HAHA take that bitch’

and then THEN, in between all the planning and the hows, whens, wheres, Shelby trying to see how they were going to fit 6 people in their tiny living room table, Billie planning how to fucking fit another couple in their FUCKING LIVING ROOM DARA ANN LYNCH WHAT THE FUCK

away of the mayhem

Audrey was living her life, going here and there, resting most of the time, going to therapy when she was appointed, talking with her agent to see if they could try again and find maybe a bigger role? she was even trying to read some theater in case the spark was still there in her heart

and in between her calm daily life, she got a call from one of her favourite persons in the world so far: Dahlia Deen.

“Drey? Ahm...I was calling you because we are having a small dinner party at home because one of my oldest cousins is coming to visit us, Dal and Billie Dean are coming and I know you three are close...and maybe you want to come? I’m going to cook my vegan lasagna and all.”

Dahlia always trying to not push Audrey into anything she didn’t want was one of the sweetest things her best friend did for her

and f u c k that Dahlia’s vegan lasagna was to die for

“Of course sweetheart, tell me more about it.”

when the phone call ends, Audrey has already Billie on speed dial to ask her if they are going together in the same car and other banal stuff as ‘do we have to bring something more?’ or ‘i’m pretty sure Shelby won’t like a bit that, Bills’ or ‘oh god ARE YOU TWO FOR REAL IM CALLIng tOMorroW’ 

for Audrey the days until the dinner passed ever so slow, to be honest, because for some reason she’s excited and at the same time a bit scared

that one last part because her nor Billie nor Dara had told Dahlia about them being a thing till not long ago, long as in until the couple eloped, but they three wanted to tell Dahlia eventually and maybe Billie thought this was a good time? since they were all gonna be together

but mostly she’s excited because she’s gonna see her best friend after months of only messages and the casual video call here and there

(and maybe she has missed Shelby a bit too, a tiny bit, really tiny tiny bit, a bit she wasn’t going to admit ever in her life)

for a second Audrey wondered which cousin was, because she knew for a fact in Dara and Dahlia’s family they were a fkn bazillion (after four years, she got also adopted by their family as if she was one more of them), but she kept that question to herself

the day finally arrived and Billie and Dara went to pick her up in order to start the 2h trip a) she knew they were gonna make it in 1h30 as soon as she was buckled up in the back seat, and b) any worry about the new cousin or what was she gonna eat at Dahlia’s banished in order to pray Dara made them arrive safe 

(Audrey won’t ever admit it but she much preferred Billie being the driver, as much as she recognize the other woman has the skills of a professional)

when Shelby opened the door, she almost fall backwards because Audrey hugged her like ‘god bless we are safe and here’ and then Shelby passed her to Dahlia’s more welcoming arms

after a few minutes they were all settled in the apartment, waiting for the oh so expected cousin and their someone special, Dara telling the rest they were almost there

while at it, Audrey decided to stick with Billie and talk about whatever crossed their minds, wine glasses in hand and Dara’s chatter with Dahlia and Shelby in the background

“Annie didn’t even want to tell me how she looked like” these days is more Annie than Dara for Billie and it’s a really sweet change that makes Audrey feel their love “I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet her in any other family gathering or yes and my mind can’t put a finger which one is”

“I’m sure she’s nice, I mean, everyone in their family is quite nice” is the only thing Audrey can say, pushing her shoulder a bit “but yeah, I wonder how she looks like too”

and they were at it, trying to guess blindly how this person looked like while Dara joined them to talk, when the doorbell finally ringed and all eyes were on that

the first thing they saw was this...giant woman crossing the door with a short haired brunette by her side when Shelby opened the door

and when Audrey’s mind catch up with her eyes, something clicked upon seeing the face of this tall stranger

“Billie Dean Howard, bathroom, parlor, n o w”

was the only thing she was capable of saying before dragging poor confused Billie to the bathroom, Dara laughing openly and Dahlia panicking for a second because what the fu-

however, whatever chaos started in the living room, wasn’t affecting the mood in the bathroom, that was another little chaos of its own

“Pumpkin, I’m pretty sure this is not very polite of us n-”

“Bills, I know her.”

“You know who”

“The tall woman, I know her”

“From a family gathering? I mean she’s the only one I can see being the cousin, the short one didn’t look much alike”

and then is when Billie notice how fucking anxious Audrey is and what the fuck is happening

“No, from when I came to the States” 

let me tell you that made Billie even more confused and made Audrey sit in the nearest place while she took her hands

“what are you even talking about Drey? what’s going on”

“I’m trying to tell you that I FUCKED THAT WOMAn NEARLY 8 yeARS ago BILLIE DEAN HOWARD”

and Audrey’s voice was so tiny and panicked that for a second Billie think she didn’t hear her well but her friend is squeezing her hands to death

“you...did what again?”

“the cousin, Dahlia and Dara’s cousin, bloody hell, is her, I know her” Audrey is stressing herself a lot in barely a few minutes “oh good lord”

and in her nervous state, Audrey didn’t notice how Billie’s own mind has clicked upon that information and she’s trying really hard to come up with something to calm Audrey down but at the same time she wants to laugh

which is what Billie did

and Audrey stared at her in disbelief and at the same time starting to hit her with her hands because ‘it’s not funny, Howard!!!’

until Billie manage to stop and hug Audrey by her shoulders to try and give her some kind of speech to help her calm down

‘it’s okay Drey, don’t fret over this, I mean, it was once and....waIT NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT YOU FUCKED WITH FIVE oUT of SIX PEOPLE IN THIS HOUSE I CANNoT-oh no pumpkin DON’T CRY NO NO NO NO IT’S OKAY HEAR ME OUT it was just once right? I bet she doesn’t remember okay? Let’s try to keep quiet and if it’s too much we can have a ciggie break outside here and there, alright?’

(Billie is the only one in the world right now that knows every detail (except this one) about Audrey, per example, that she had an affair with Dahlia 5 years ago and, while both Audrey and Shelby were healing in Dahlia’s house after Roanoke, that she and Shelby had angry sex because they couldn’t stand each others guts) 

after a few minutes Billie managed to calm Audrey down enough to get them out of the bathroom, going back to the cheerful chatter in spanish of the three cousins, more like Dara and the cousin while Dahlia was trying to escape the bear hug she was getting from said cousin

and then the rest finally notice they’re back and this tall woman (even taller than both Dara and Dahlia and anyone in that room for a matter of fact) gets a mischievous grin all over her lips and reaching her eyes

“So you are the one that have our Dal wrapped around her fingers, I saw you on television a few times when she told me you invited her to your program,” the woman leans to kiss Billie’s cheeks, making Billie laugh “Danna Bishop, finally a pleasure to meet you.”

Danna is all smiles and pure warmth and then her light brown eyes finally met Audrey...

...and she waits for someone to say something, a glint in her eyes as if she was recognizing her, but Audrey is not really sure because she’s still really anxious and Dahlia is actually the one that says something

“She’s Audrey Tindall, Drey this is our oldest cousin.”

when Danna shakes Audrey’s hand, her free hand enveloping their both, some of the memories together came to her head but also the simplicity of the gesture is capable of bringing her back to Earth

“Danna, a pleasure,” then the short haired brunette comes in view after Billie has greet her and Danna looks at her like she’s the brightest star “This is Ally, my girlfriend.”

and from that? everything seemed to go smoothly

they did manage to fit 7 adults in the tiny living room table, Shelby even decided to sit across her for once while Audrey is in a sandwich between Billie and Dara and Dahlia is one of the heads of the table along Ally in the other, so that makes Danna take the seat by Shelby and almost across Audrey too

they share food (Dahlia’s vegan lasagna, Shelby’s salad and Dara has made salty small pasties and for dessert Ally bought chocolate cake and that’s why they arrived a bit late) and also they share a couple bottles of wine so far (the only one that isn’t drinking at all is Dara, and Shelby after one glass stopped) and soon everything feels homie

and it melts the anxiety in Audrey’s body and she’s enjoying the anecdotes around the table (how Danna and Ally met, Dara’s last craziness in her job (which Audrey didn’t know which was at this point), Billie telling them about this spooky house that was just: spooky in the end, Shelby finally recognizing why Ally felt so familiar and getting everyone :0 when they knew she was a fkn Senator) and she’s mostly okay, because Billie has her arm draped in the back of her chair, telling her she’s there for her at the same time she’s drunkenly teasing and making some heavy remarks and sweet nothings to Dara, using her as a shield from the rest of the table; and Dara’s chair is touching Audrey’s chair so she can be closer

and then, when there’s a moment of drunk silence in the table, Audrey makes eye contact with Danna again and she knows she’s happier and comfier because she got four glasses of wine and

“it’s really good to see you Audrey, eight years passed well for you”

the silence deepens then and Audrey feels like a deer caught in traffic lights

until a wasted Billie starts to laugh her ass off so so hard it confuses everyone in the table more while Audrey’s soul is already leaving her body

because Danna did recognized her but it seemed she felt how nervous and worried the other woman was and decided to play it safe, play it dumb because she remembers how bad Audrey’s nerves are, since they did NOT fuck only once and got involved a bit longer and then Billie wheezes hard

“I WAS TRYING TO FORGET THAT AUDREY TOLD ME IN THE BATHROOM YOU TWO FUCKED AND NOW THIS”

Shelby is trying to fucking drill holes in Audrey’s skull like ‘what the fuck is going on’ and Ally is confused and Dahlia and Dara’s are gaping really hard and Danna is contently indulging in nice memories, hands over her belly

“RAISE YOUR HAND THOSE WHO GOT WITH DREY”

Billie can’t get more annoying because she’d probably pass out and go into coma if she’s keeps drinking

but everyone in the table is way too in shock and the cake, not the one in the middle of the table half eaten but all the secrets, is out when all the table except obviously Audrey AND Ally don’t have the hand up

Dahlia looks at Shelby “SHELBY!?”

and Shelby is coughing hard because she was trying to hide by drinking water but it went down the wrong pipe but she wants to give a immediate response “IT WAS JUST HATE SEX, WE WEREN’T TOGETHER AT THE TIME AND YOU PASSED OUT IN THE COUCH AFTER WORK AND-”

and then the mayhem begins

everyone is talking at the same time, facts being thrown here and there (”POR EL AMOR DE DIOS DAHLIA, WE ARE ADULTS WHAT’S WEIRD ABOUT A THREESOME FROM TIME TO TIME”, “I DON’T KNOW!? MAYBE THAT YOU WERE FUCKING MY BEST FRIEND??? I JUST THOUGHT YOU THREE WERE JUST FRIENDS”, “hate sex, Miller? you truly are that type?”, “Howard, I’m about to fucking punch in the face”) and at some point Dahlia snatched the half bottle of wine from the table and start chug on it until it’s empty, and Ally is looking at the mess like ówò while holding her glass in case someone take it away

Dara is like ‘I think I need more wine’ because the shock is too much

and Danna, who’s now trying to keep quiet so everyone forgets about her, is like “I think Lia drank it all” and Billie is wiping her tears of laughter “now you’re missing out Ally, Drey” and Dara is like “Billie Dean shut up oh fucking lord” and Shelby is just “i’m leaving’ and escape to the bathroom and suddenly yells “WHY IS THIS TOWEL IN THE FLOOR!? HOWARD!?” and Billie is so fkn smug bc she left it there weirdly prompted as a joke

Ally is having the time of her life even while confused tbh, because she’s used to the calmness of her home and her daily life with Oz and since Danna came into her life it’s like a spark of happiness she found herself missing, and well, this is a good craziness and an absolute coincidence

and Dahlia is in hysterics because “when did YOU and her happen” trying to point between Dara and Audrey and Dara is ówò because well what did her expect of her when Billie was getting down on Audrey in that way? and it makes her go like “i’m about to yeet myself out of the window, we’re in a fifth”

but everything starts to get overwhelming for Audrey and the first one to notice is Billie because she’s deadly silent and has a face that tells that it’s not funny at all and she takes her hand to get her to the balcony, trying to not think about the mess in the living room, making Audrey to settle in her lap and sharing a cigarette so Audrey can calm down and feel better, caressing her back with care

Audrey knows Billie is barely holding herself together, but she’s pushing the drunk haze away to make her feel good, and she thanks her for that a lot because it was supposed to be fun and not mayhem she couldn’t handle

and then a soft voice comes from the balcony door and “i’m sorry i made you have a breakdown...I was just...Audrey, I was glad to see you well, because I heard about what happened to you but I didn’t have any way to contact you...and well, didn’t expect you knowing my family, I-well, I’m saying a lot well, but I’m not the one that’s around often...”

Audrey looks up to Danna as if she was the answer of all her problems and yeah, she’s pretty used to Billie or Dahlia being the ones that handle her the best, but getting that softness and real concern from someone is always more overwhelming

“can I do something for you? I don’t think you want vodka, they forgot about the wine, and well Dara and Dahlia seem russians like right now and maybe there isn’t much vodka left”

“can I get a hug?”

Danna just smiles like she’s the sun, “that i can do for sure” and then Audrey is off Billie’s lap and wrapped in a big mama bear hug that leaves her sobbing like a child, her breakdown starting to melt away while a drunk Billie goes inside to check on everything

“i’m happy you found yourself comfortable with these two, and their chosen ones,” Danna doesn’t let go of Audrey, caressing her back with care, and Danna is chuckling because she’s hearing them fist fight drunkenly while Billie and Shelby try to stop them “Life, mhm? who would think we’ll find each other again.”

it’s the most heartwarming thing Audrey felt in a while, being completely honest, so she just gives in and starts to forget what makes her anxious, and then she hears a new voice in the balcony and Ally is there, looking at them with shyness 

“ahm i think we are all going to sleep here,” Danna still doesn’t let go enterely of Audrey, just resting her arm around her shoulders, when Ally catch their attention and she smiles at them “Your cousins are totally hammered and miss Howard ahm i think she just has the bathroom all by herself and Shelby is...I think she’s stress cleaning? I don’t know,” Ally laughs lightly and it only makes Danna to beam up even more, squeezing Audrey by her shoulders. “everything okay here?”

“I think so, sweetheart, just needed some fresh air...oh wait, why don’t we go get some ice cream to the 24h? wine always makes me crave for chocolate ice cream,” then she finally walks towards Ally, kissing her ever so sweetly in the cheek, and turn around to look at Audrey “what do you say? wanna come with us?”

and the invitation is so alluring? stepping out of the apartment and the chaos but then there’s this...something in her chest, that says to her that she better decline the offer to let the couple be by themselves for a while

“I think i’m gonna check on Billie and maybe help Shelby, if she doesn’t end up throwing a plate at me”

“okay, okay, then we’ll bring you some ice cream...strawberry, right?”

Audrey nods (how could she remember that?) and then the couple is off to the store, living her to whatever she has to do and she feels a kind of closure? like, she doesn’t feel bad now that they talked, she feels pretty calm, so she decides to hurry and check on Billie before Shelby forbid them all to ever coming to the house again

and when Ally and Danna are walking without knowing where is the nearest store, but they are walking arm in arm contently and Ally just says “I’m glad I came along, this is the most fun I had in two years” and Danna laughs too openly, warming her heart, and pulls her into a kiss because Ally gets too cute when she’s sincere “well, since i don’t plan to let you go, you better prepare for more fun because I won’t be missing Christmas this year, so what about we three comes to my family gathering?” and then Ally just says ‘okay’ with a tiny excited smile before pulling her into a new kiss that she has to get by tip toeing a bit

after the sweet mess this was, all of them end up getting a group chat and as months pass by none is a stranger anymore

and of course Audrey is invited again in Christmas, because she didn’t get plane tickets in time to go visit her parents and well, she feels welcome in the Danna, Dara and Dahlia’s big family

so now they all are in Dara’s parents home along with the whole family and Ally is having a blast there, because she start to feels like she belongs somewhere and everyone is so cheerful and happy and Oz is playing with nieces and nephews and she doesn’t have to worry because everyone has thousand eyes on them in case the younger ones of the house need something and she can finally breathe in peace

BUT OF COURSE Billie is there and well, Billie and Ally eventually get tipsy and they try to get Shelby to engage in their conversation (which she doesn’t want because she’s pretty much content eating something her father-in-law gave her and ‘please last time you pulled a too big bullshit Howard, I don’t want to get dragged)

spoiler: Shelby got dragged by drunk!BillieAlly into whatever they think was a good idea, which was playing extreme Uno

and Audrey is trying so hard to avoid drunk!Billie, just hanging out by the wine and the spaguettis and watching Shelby get dragged like ‘get rekt is your turn’ until Billie realize that

and soon she’s walking towards her friend, and Audrey gets her glass closer to her chest because she doesn’t want to take part for once of whatever Billie is thinking

“are you trying to get yourself another cousin?” and Billie shots her that teasing grin that makes her so beautiful for some stupid reason but now Audrey was drinking when she said that and now she’s spitting all the wine back to the glass

“BILLIE DEAN HOWARD”

but the argument dies before it starts because suddenly the front door opens and someone is able to talk over all the voices

“sorry we’re so late, our flight got delayed and damned the time I decided to get a taxi.”

and Billie and Audrey are now watching this new tall woman enter the house, a teenager behind her, and they can fucking swear Danna was a second ago goofing around with one of her baby nieces and not in the door?????

“Nani, about fucking time!”

well it was absolutely not Danna, because she passed Billie and Audrey by their left and now is hugging the look alike woman like her life depends on it

“Nana put me fucking down, I’ve been on a plane ten hours and I don’t exactly feel my legs.”

“Oh shut the fuck up and let me hug you,” the hug resumed and now Danna has her arms around the teenager “You rascal, come here!”

everyone is so excited about this ‘Nani’ that suddenly, Shelby and Ally are close to Billie and Audrey, a bit confused because fuck damn it they are seeing doubles??? however Ally is only there as a support because she kinda gets an idea of who she is but she only heard her voice over the phone

and as if their partners heard them, Dahlia, Dara and Danna looked at them all excited and Dahlia is happier than they ever have seen her? which makes her the first one to say something to them

“Come here you four, don’t be shy!” bold thing to say when you’re always the most shy one. “Danielle, Damien, I want you to meet Shelby, she’s my girlfriend.”

“Hey no, I’m the twin, Ally comes first in presentations!” 

Twin

Danna has a twin 

Audrey is froze on the spot and Billie is turning her head to look at her, with all the stars in the universe in her eyes and her mouth agape like ‘i don’t know if karma is pulling your leg or giving you a chance, either way what bliss’

“Billie Dean, N O”

but Billie is already taking her by her wrist

“BILLIE DEAN, Y E S”

(after that Audrey finally meets Danielle, which is the most serious woman she ever met but at the same time has that playfulness that the cousins have in their own weird ways)

(maybe maybe she admits Danielle is quite nice to look at, okay? but Billie is trying too hard and is a bit off putting yet at the same time Audrey wants to give it a chance to the fact that Danna’s twin is trying to be nice with her when the ‘sisters-in-law’ ball try to drag her to play extreme Uno)

(and at the end of the gathering that last the two Christmas days, when everyone is in their homes cozy and warm, there’s a new blip from the group chat)

(a blip that announces that ‘[Danielle has joined the chat]’)

#billie dean howard x original character #audrey tindall x original character x billie dean howard #audrey tindall x original character #shelby miller x original character #ally mayfair richards x original character #danielle bishop #danna bishop #dara ann lynch #dahlia deen