#thank you fallout press run for all the gifts you have given me

[tabithatwo]

#thank you fallout press run for all the gifts you have given me #ella purnell woman that you are #ella purnell #lucy fallout #yellowjackets cast

[vagrantblvrd]

I’ve seen posts where people think Sebastian Stan should be cast as Luke for future space adventures? Which believe me, are amazing and I would 100% watch the hell out of?

But also please to consider this:

Din comes across this character played by Sebastian Stan who gives Din what is obviously a fake name. Because Antilles, right? One of the most common names around and he might as well have not given Din a name at all, but it’s not like he’s going to call the guy on it or anything, right?

Din’s out hunting down Imperial remnants that have anything to do with the experiments on Grogu and finds this Antilles guy in a cell at one of the bases. He’s clearly had a rough time of it if the look he gives Din when he opens the door to his cell is any indication.

Just this...shock and surprise and something like grief before he tucks it all way behind this oddly familiar smile.

Antilles has clearly been treated to Imperial “kindness”, in that he’s bruised all to hell and can’t walk on his own - almost falls when he insists he’s fine, no really - so Din gets to play human crutch. (Might have been there a while, because he’s all scruffy too, unkempt beard and hair, and anyway, he’s not had an easy time of things.)

Which is fine because Din dealt with most of the Imperials by the time he found Antilles, but! They hit an intersection while looking for the labs and a couple of stormtroopers coming from the opposite direction.

This moment where they all stare at one another in that uh, situation? kind of way but haven’t had the time to react just yet.

Thing is, Din and Antilles happened to trip over their feet just before the troopers walked up, are untangling themselves but Din’s not in a good position to draw his blasters or any of his other weapons. Is like of course this would happen now and resigned to using himself as a human shield, because Antilles is in rough shape and Din’s armor, and anyway.

Doesn’t matter in the end because he feels this tug at his hip and Antilles ducking under his arm and pew-pew-pew, down go the stormtroopers, felled by incredible aim and Din’s blaster and Antilles who gives him this little smirk that is also oddly familiar.

Antilles shrugs, says something about his dad teaching him to shoot or whatever and when Din gets them both back on their feet apologizes for grabbing his blaster. But since doing so just saved their lives, Din’s not all that bothered by it.

Anyway, they get to the labs and Din parks Antilles in a chair while he digs for anything helpful. Scrounges up some datasticks and destroys the rest and when he turns to collect Antilles on the way out - 

The guy’s got this look on his face. Complicated, because angry and wistful and a whole bunch of other things Din doesn’t have the time or luxury to unpack.

They get back to Din’s ship, and Din catches the - he doesn’t even know - expression on Antilles’ face when he sees it.

Some of the grief is back, and the wistful nostalgia and weirdly enough, Antilles pats the hull of the ship as Din gets them up the ramp and he swears he hears him say something like long time no see, old girl, and anyway. Din has stuff he needs to get back to Lu - to Skywalker to see if he or his New Republic friends can make sense of it.

He gets Antilles patched up and there’s clothes for him to wear - old bounties who didn’t need it anymore or gifts from people Din helped in the past an he didn’t know what to do with them and anyway.

Antilles looks better after he’s patched up and cleaned up, wearing this mishmash of clothes but he’s not complaining. Seems more grounded, settled, too, than he had earlier, like he’s had time to sort things out for himself.

Shaved his beard, but kept the mustache and just shrugs when Din notices it, just an observation on his part and doesn’t ask because it’s not like matters and anyway.

They run into some trouble getting back to Skywalker’s school, but Antilles isn’t useless. Knows how to fly, is a damn good shot - impressive, really - and knows his way around both jungle and desert in survival situations.

Because that trouble they run into and crashing and continuing to not die after the crashing is done because Imperials or other baddies, and anyway.

Antilles is far from useless and also snarky as hell and Din actually starts to like him.

Wonders a little at how sad he seems sometimes, the two of them sitting at the fire they’re cooking that night’s dinner over and Din looks over when Antilles isn’t expecting it.

Staring at the flames and sad, the kind that runs deep.

Din doesn’t ask, though, doesn’t think it would be appreciated because there’s something...brittle about Antilles in the right conditions and anyway, he doesn’t ask.

Antilles gives him little pieces of himself here and there, though. Mentions his parents, the one who taught him how to shoot, the one who taught him how to fight. Both of them arguing about who was going to teach him to fly until his aunt and uncle had enough of the pointlessness of it and taught him themselves.

(”I learned to fly on a freighter,” he tells Din, cutting through an asteroid field to avoid Imperial TIES after them like it’s nothing. “Corellian make, fastest thing around.”)

Apparently Antilles knows a whole lot of things besides all that, knows how to cheat at sabacc well enough Din almost doesn’t catch him at it. And when he does, the man gives him this wide-eyed look of innocence like who, him? cheat? he would never that is so painfully familiar Din has to look away because there’s a reason he’s out here on his own, isn’t there.

(All these inconvenient Feelings and no chance that Skywalker would ever return them, because Jedi and also look at Din, okay, kind of a mess of a human being and Luke is Luke.)

Anyway.

Eventually they make it to Luke’s school and Din can’t help but notice how quiet Antilles gets as they come in for the landing approach. Hands whit-knuckled in his lap, and he’s trying to look like everything’s fine but his jaw in clenched and he’s got that look in his eyes again and anyway.

Luke comes out to greet them with Grogu running ahead, and both of them stop short at the sight of Antilles.

“Din,” Skywalker says slowly, in such a way that Din realizes something is going on, “who’s your friend?”

Din explains meeting Antilles in the cell of an Imperial remnant base and their many adventures getting back to the school and so on.

The entire time Skywalker (and Grogu) are staring at Antilles, and Antilles is staring back at them, and Din is just like this is Force nonsense again, isn’t it.

And then Antilles is like, So I Have Something To Tell You.

At which point he tells them that he’s from the future - because of course - thanks to some doohickey in the ruins of a Jedi temple he was investigating - because of course it’s to do with Force nonsense - and also he’s here to set the timeline right after a sith or whoever got their first and meddled with the original timeline.

Because of course he is.

There’s a whole Thing in which Antilles and Skywalker go off to talk Jedi stuff.

(Oh, yeah, apparently Antilles is Force-sensitive, probably actually a Jedi himself and Din is like, of course he is because that’s his luck, isn’t it?)

Anyway, Din goes off to check on Luke’s students with Grogu and everyone’s happy to see him, pepper him with questions about what he did while he was gone and he tells them the parts that don’t involve killing people, because wow, no.

And then later on when everyone’s asleep or supposed to be asleep Skywalker finds him and they just kind of enjoy a moment of quiet, peace, while they can.

Comfortable the way things are around one another, and Din’s traitorous heart goes all soft and squishy when Skywalker gives him this warm smile as he catches Din up on happenings at the school while he was gone.

(How many frogs Grogu’s eaten - too many to count, honestly, I’m starting to worry - and so on.)

Din feels guilty at how much he enjoys these moments with Skywalker because they’re not something he gets to have, and anyway, yes.

Shenanigans in which Antilles is clearly in league with Skywalkers students and just about everyone in shoving Din and Skywalker together until finally one of them breaks and confessions concerning Feelings are had and convenient that they’re locked in a storage area because no one else to see when Din presses his forehead against Luke’s and they both do that breathy little laugh that’s all soft and surprised and only for them, and anyway!

Then the Serious Shenanigans happen in which the sith (or whtatever) Antilles was after pops up and does an Evil Monologue in which it’s revealed they were responsible for killing Antilles’ family in that original timeline and also ushering in a new era for the Empire and oethr bad stuff.

Oh, and also, Luke and Din are his parents because those experiments on Grogu and that time both Din and Luke got caught and had blood samples and the whatnot taken and anyway.

He’s cloned from them or something equally dramatic, idk how science works, and they rescued him and raised him as their own and the mustache of his should have been a bigger clue, really, it’s been staring them all in the face (literally) the whole time, what fools they’ve been not to realize!!1!

Emotional fallout and sacrifice plays with one of them being no, bad, don’t try that again or I’ll be Disappointed and the good guys winning the day as the timeline is set right, and all that good stuff.

Din, Luke, Grogu, and Antilles go to where the Jedi ruins are with the time travel doohickey to send Antilles - he still won’t tell them what his name is.

There’s emotional goodbyes all around and then poof, off he goes back to the future where he belongs Din and Luke and Grogu like wow, that was a thing, huh?

But also.

The thing where they’ve both been captured - together and separately - by Imperial remnants and had blood samples and the whatnot taken and Antilles could exist in their timeline right now.

Realize he never told them where they found him or how, and are like oh, no, because what if they don’t find him now? What if they never find him???

So of course Artoo trundles over and plays this little holomessage of Antilles.

Looks nervous as hell and that sadness they knew the reason for all over him, must have recorded this before he told them who he was, and anyway.

He doesn’t know where they found him exactly, just the name of the system and his best guess at when it happened, and then he gets this look on his face like. It’s too much like the one Luke gets sometimes, like Din’s when he’s in a bad place, and anyway.

They go looking where he told them and they find this kid, tiny, adorable, scared kid who can tap into the Force and he’s got Luke’s eyes and Din’s hair and other little small things and he’s just.

“Would have been helpful if he told us what we named him,” Luke says, but he’s kind of an emotional mess the way Din is, and anyway, yes.

(Also, though. Grogu is the worst influence on their kid, but an awesome big brother.)

#star wars nonsense #dinluke #time travel shenanigans #because reasons #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[curiousconch]

Rose-colored Glass 

Chapter 11 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU)

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: As winter began its rein in Boston, Heather finds a way to cope with her trauma, discovering the truth while remembering her past. 

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 1.8k+ | Genre: Crime, Suspense/Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / emotional trauma, death

Author's Notes: This week has been hard for me, and writing this chapter was unimaginably difficult because of it. Thankfully, like Heather, I found a way to cope, and people to help me get through with it. So instead of moping around, I finished this, inspired by the hauntingly beautiful classic song La Vie En Rose (I listened to this particular version on repeat). So, this is for you Nina, rest well in heaven. 

Thank you so much for taking time to read this series. Please let me know if you want me to include/remove you in the tags list. Also, disclaimer: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song. I also do not claim ownership over the lyrics of La Vie en Rose embedded in this chapter.

Heather's discharge went smoothly, contrary to the time she spent in recovery. Her friends needed to stay behind to complete their shifts, and although Kyra offered to take her home, she refused. She needed to do something first. Heather did agree to let her bring her things back to the apartment, with one exception.

 Her slimmed fingers tightly gripped on the straps of the small bag she was carrying. The sunglasses she brought along tucked on the collar of her salmon sweater, not needing it anymore due to the cluster of clouds that blocked out the sun. Although it was almost noon, the chilly weather provided some semblance of shade as the heels of her boots thumped softly against the soft white snow-covered ground. 

Her gray coat was sprinkled small flakes of snow, as she navigated herself easily amongst the unmarked path, that if a spectator observed, they would readily know that she visited this place often. 

Heather's steps halted as she neared a willow tree, standing in front of a moss-colored headstone, aged by the almost seven years of Boston rain. 

Despite the gloom of her surroundings, Heather's lips curled into a smile, as she kneeled down to gently place the bouquet of pink roses she bought along the way. 

"Hi mom," she said, as the tips of her fingers skimmed the name carved in stone. "I'm sorry it took me so long to visit again. Things have been a little rough." 

She went still for a moment, relishing the poignant silence in remembrance. 

More than her ambition of being trained by America's top diagnostician, this was the reason why she chose Edenbrook. To be near her, to be in her mother's home city, it somehow filled the emptiness of missing her so much. To walk on the same pavements, to spend time in the same parks and places she's been to brought Heather nothing but the strength and determination to make something out of her once miserable life. Whenever she doubted herself, or when she was about to give up, the thought of her mom fighting a sickness no one should endure, gave Heather the much needed relief and energy to get back up again. 

And that's the reason she stood there that cold winter morning. She needed her mom to come through her once again. 

Heather closed her eyes momentarily, letting the rush of the nauseating trauma of the past few weeks resurface. Her whole being has run out dry, weakening her knees. She just felt so numb inside. 

So without inhibitions, she recalled the recent events that turned her life upside down. She told about the threats over her life, and how close she was to her own death. She spoke about Raf and their recent fallout, how heartbreaking it was but relieving at the same time. She brought up Bryce last. 

"This man, mom... I can't even begin to explain how I feel about him," Heather said as she rubbed a hand over her temple. "There's something about him that I just couldn't describe. It's been there since I've first met him, and it's still here until now..." 

Her head dropped low in between her shoulders, as she remembered with fondness the emotions that Bryce stirred within her the first time they met, leading up to their frustrating confrontation. Heather irked as the thought of her failure came. 

"But somehow, I messed it up. I picked someone else, because I was too afraid..." she revealed. She knew what she felt around him, but did her best to bury it. "Although I often wondered of what we could be, or what we could have been, the deep-seated fears of heartbreak, of what you and dad went through... I just couldn't act on it." she admitted. 

"Yet when I was faced with the choice between life or death, all I had was his words, no one else's," she paused, recalling how she soldiered on towards her own escape, empowered by the same declaration during their day out in the trampolines. 

"But now I'm afraid I'm too late, mom. I may have missed out on something great... Your daughter is a coward," she bit her lip, her eyes glistening. "Am I really too late?" 

The question felt like a cliffhanger, never to be answered. 

Sighing deeply, she collected her remaining energy to unzip the small bag she brought with her. She wrapped her hands around the neck of the instrument, pulling out a mahogany-stained ukelele. It was the last gift that she received from her mom, the very same she used to play her songs during their rare downtime.

She tucked its body between her arm and chest, as she tightened its strings with the tuners. With one satisfied strum, she began to sing the song that she and her mom always sang during the roughest period of their lives. 

Hold me close and hold me fast

The magic spell you cast

This is la vie en rose

When you kiss me heaven sighs, 

And though I close my eyes 

I see la vie en rose

In a rush, those simple words tingled her sensations in reminiscence from flashes of her adolescence - the late night talks, the bonding over ramen noodles, her alcoholic initiation by soju, those times that they saw a movie together, the smell of pancakes and eggs in the morning. 

In the few short years they were given, Heather treasured each memory more than anything in her life. Even the tragedy of watching her mom deteriorate because of her sickness, of those last months spent in a cramped hospital ward, she wouldn't trade it even for a pot of gold. Though in pain, her mother would whisper promises that she'll always be there for her, no matter what. Until her last breath, she held her daughter's hand. Those were priceless, shared souvenirs of a life well-lived. Of a life Heather hoped she could lead. 

When you press me to your heart

I'm in a world apart, a world where roses bloom

And when you speak, angels sing from above

Everyday words seem to turn into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me

And life will always be

La vie en rose

Within those short verses contained the life lesson her mom taught her over and over again - to see life through rose colored glasses. Singing it reminded her that even if she was long gone, the memory of her will be embedded within, whispering that no matter what, there's a reason to continue living. 

Smiling through her tears, her head tilted up to the heavens, praying that the divine could carry her thanks to her mom. For once again, in the most difficult time of her life, she did follow through. 

As a sense of peace weaved itself through her, she opened her eyes and felt the clouds dissipate. With it were the frayed edges of the shadows of fear, regret and anger. And although she knew that it will still haunt her, she was content that healing has at least begun. 

After a few more moments of silence, she placed the ukelele back into the bag and glanced endearingly upon the headstone. She skimmed her fingers over her mother's name, vowing to come back soon. 

She swiveled herself to the opposite direction and began the path back to the cemetery gates, when her hazel orbs fell upon a pair of familiar leather shoes and gray slacks, making her stop in her tracks.

When she titled her head to see the face she expected to see, a pair of amber eyes met hers that made her breath hitch. They were filled with warmth and affection that heated the cold air and melted her inside.

"You're not too late," Bryce finally said, breaking into the quiet. His mouth formed a lopsided smile, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black coat which edges reached to his knees. 

"Seems like it," Heather replied, snapping out of the daze that suddenly came over her, lips curving. "Wait, you heard everything?" 

Bryce couldn't stifle a chuckle as he nodded, the adrenaline that rushed through him earlier as he tried to track her down slowly draining from him. A new and overwhelming feeling took its place as he planted the soles of his shoes on the soft snow, bridging the gap between them. 

Once he was near enough, he gently wrapped an arm around Heather's waist, pulling her close. The knuckles of his other hand brushed her jawline until his thumb grazed her chin. His gaze lingered down on hers, completely magnetized by the depths of the windows of her soul, begging for her consent. 

Heather's palms settled onto the nape of his neck, her lips parting to grant him permission. 

In a heartbeat, Bryce tenderly pressed his lips upon hers, releasing the long-running yearning they buried so well. Unspoken words no longer need to be said aloud, clarity dawning in them both as their mouths crashed. Soft moans escaped from them as they deepened their passionate kiss, unrestrained in expressing their newfound freedom. 

When at last they stopped to catch their breaths, Bryce leaned his forehead on hers, understanding that his unrequited love was never unanswered, only delayed. That after a year of pining, here she was, standing in front of him, a realization of a dream that for so many times he willed to come true. After all the nights of hoping and hurting, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sight of her in his arms. A thought poked into his mind as he started to recall where they were. 

"Well this is awkward..." the young lawyer muttered,  with a sudden shift in his voice. 

"Hm?" Heather's eyes snapped open, dumbfounded. 

"I know I always wanted to kiss you," he grinned as he paused, before continuing, "but never in a million years did I think that the first time I did is in front of your mom."

At first her brows furrowed, but seeing Bryce's mischievous expression, Heather couldn't keep herself from laughing. 

Inspired by the music of her genuine laughter, Bryce joined in. The sound of their giggles echoing through the poignant space around them. 

Heather can't remember the last time when she laughed this hard. There were so many things that hung over her head that she almost forgot how to do it. But with Bryce, it came so easily. A sense of joy began to bloom in her, and when she saw the same glint in his eyes, she knew he felt exactly the same. 

With their fingers intertwined and arms around each other's, they walked the path that only earlier they trudged separately. And now with their hearts finally out in the open, their tracks carved into the thin sheet of snow, unveiling the lush greens of the grass hidden beneath, eager to leaving what's behind, together.

Tags: @eleanorbloom @ramsey-lahela @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#open heart #bryce lahela #open heart 2 #choices fanfiction #open heart fanfiction #bryce lahela x mc #fics of the week #choices fic writers creations #bryce x mc

[timeisacephalopod]

Belated

I thought hmm, lets write a little Tony/Eddie/Venom thing for Reasons. And yeah I know Tony’s bday was two days ago but still. I’ve decided that this is a thing I have written for a fictional character’s belated birthday!

*

Tony’s half buried in paper work ready to throw all caution to the wind and throw himself out a window when Eddie walks in looking pleased with himself. Probably means he sniffed out a good story and he’s found something compelling but he doesn’t look like an absolute human disaster so he’s not too deep into it yet. Once he is he kind of looks like he’s homeless and Rhodey doesn’t really get the charm but Tony once watched Eddie overheat to the point of just fucking losing it and sitting in a lobster tank at one of the fanciest restaurants in Manhattan so he thinks Eddie is the best. Venom being around doesn’t seem to help that except now maybe he’ll eat the lobsters instead of just bothering the hell out of them.

“Happy birthday,” he says, walking over to him and behind his desk, greeting him with a kiss.

Except Tony’s kind of confused. “Wasn’t my birthday last week?” he asks and Eddie frowns.

“No, honey its today. I... who forgets their birthday? And why would you assume everyone in your life also forgot your birthday?” he asks. He looks extra confused but that’s probably just the way Eddie’s expressions work. Rhodey finds his over expressing annoying but Tony thinks it's endearing.

“You all have lives, its fine,” Tony says. Pepper’s always busy running around doing things for him, Eddie seems to have found himself some new thing to rip apart for the next couple months, and Rhodey regularly gets shot at so he figures they all have more pressing concerns. 

Eddie sighs. “Sometimes I think you’re a prick and then you do something sad like make excuses for why everyone in your life would forget you were born. We didn’t forget, Tony, you got the date wrong. How did you forget when you were born?”

He shrugs, “I don’t memorize useless details. And in your defense I am a prick,” he says. They both know it, though Eddie is obviously a lot less hostile then when they met. He seems to have fallen for Tony’s charms, which he’s been reliably informed are pretty disarming.

Eddie leans in and gives him another kiss, “no you’re not, but you play one well,” pulling away and dropping his bag on Tony’s desk. Its disrupted his thread bare attempt at organizing his own life- not exactly his strong suit admittedly not that he’d tell Eddie he's managed to mess up what little organization he had. He pulls a stack of files out of his bag and drops them on top of Tony’s already too large pile of paper work. “Happy birthday, an organized list of all the moral and ethical problems I have with your company,” he says, grinning like its the best gift ever.

Tony snorts and starts laughing, shuffling closer to Eddie. He lays one hand on Eddie’s hip and pokes at the pile of folders with the other. “Well this is... intimidating.”

“Yeah, but you’ll look through it all because you do genuinely want to be a good person. You should be glad I didn’t go with V’s gift,” he says, wincing.

Fuck, Tony can only imagine when one of the first five things he did in Eddie’s body was eat several people’s heads. Sure, V turned out to be an overly sappy romantic ass goo alien but that’s a pretty rough start to things and now Eddie has to live with kind of eating people that one time several times. “Was it flowers?” he asks.

Eddie laughs, “that was suggestion like... fifty two. After I banned violence, drugs, sex- don’t give me that look it was a soft ban because that’s not a present, terrorist activities, harassing children, petty crimes of all varieties, eating heads, murder, grand theft auto, breaking and entering, space, possession, and about a half a dozen other things. He’s not too good with presents.”

“Well, he did alright with the cat,” Tony points out. V doesn’t really get Christmas, turns out his species wasn’t too cuddly and had no holidays, but he does have all Eddie’s memories of it. Conveniently, he tends to lean more towards Eddie’s view of Christmas as mostly a capitalist holiday that’s far more about big businesses making money, overworking retail employees, and present buying pressure that leads to suicide than the happy stuff. And that doesn’t even touch on Eddie’s view of religion. Though to be fair V probably gathered a lot more religious vitriol from Tony than Eddie.

“He’s threatened to eat that cat at least once a day since he decided to pick it out. Claims he’s a dog person,” Eddie says.

“Dogs are bigger, usually, so I’m not really surprised. More meat.” Given the look on Eddie’s face Tony’s going to assume V has agreed with that statement.

“We are not eating dogs,” Eddie hisses. Mostly he only does that around Tony, but its hilarious when he does it in public because most people don’t really recognize him anymore so he looks like a homeless loon being led around by a celebrity. Or at least he did before he became recognizable again through Tony’s fame and yeah, Tony knows all Eddie’s opinions on celebrity culture. None of them are positive and yeah, Tony can see why that is.

“Tell V to go hunt New York rats at night. He might have fun with that,” Tony says. “Wait, does Venom have a birthday? That a thing his species does?”

Eddie shakes his head. “Says he doesn’t have a proper earth date translation for his hatching day and I know he didn’t come from an egg so that’s a horrifying term to use. Do not enlighten me, V. I’m happy to stay in the dark.” He makes another face and Tony assumes V has let out some detail Eddie didn’t want to hear.

“That ever get annoying, the voice in your head?” he asks. Feels like it’d be exhausting. Tony doesn’t even like his own voice in his head let alone some random alien who decided pretty much on a whim to save the world strictly because he likes Eddie. Though to be fair Riot was an asshole and Tony was sick of being compared to Carlton Drake anyway. Guy was like cartoonishly evil. Though Tony will admit that he was good looking and damn smart, even if that didn’t really turn out to be a good thing later.

“Sometimes,” Eddie says, “but mostly  V offers some good entertainment on human customs. Turns out his species tended to eat each other to solve problems. He thinks our petty politics is fun to watch.”

Yeah, an alien would find that funny. Or everyone outside of America at least until America decides to invade for oil or some other resource. “So who did he want to possess?” Tony asks, grinning.

“No!” Eddie says, presumably to him and Venom.

*

Tony’s laying in bed pretending to have died when Eddie walks over and crawls over him, laying his entire weight on Tony’s back. He sighs because of course Eddie would find the most inconvenient way to get him to stop taking up the entire bed. “This is a king and you’re like three feet tall. How is it that you take up so much space?” Eddie asks as Tony starts wiggling around.

“Ask the cat, she’s a hell of a lot smaller than me and she always manages to take up at least half the bed.” Eddie rolls off and Tony props himself up. “Thanks for the present by the way, half the stuff you pointed out happens to be things I was already looking to fix.” But Eddie is a fuck of a lot picker than him and its nice to have someone trying to hold him to account. And Eddie has no problem doing so, he gives Tony his opinion on a lot of things all the time whether or not he wants to hear them.

“Yeah, I got you something else too but its taking eighty years in the mail so I had to improvise,” Eddie says.

“Let me guess, you refuse to use Amazon,” Tony says.

“Look, that fuckstick can’t even pay his workers and he’s the richest guy in the world, and what’s all that crazy shit about pissing in-” Eddie starts but Tony cuts him off before he really gets going.

“Jeff Bezos is a prick, I get it. Actually, might get stuck at the same charity event with him next week so I can bring you along if you want to punch him,” Tony says.

The bright look of unbridled glee in Eddie’s eyes makes him smile. Yeah, he’s maybe argued a lot about Tony’s wealth, but he at least appreciates that Tony does his best to spread it around a little. Its just that he has trust issues and he knows how corporate charity works- its all tax write offs and siphoning money out of most of the ‘donations.’ So he does his best to do his research and lucky him Eddie is probably a little too good at it so he’s got some more reputable charities to share with. And he thinks its fun to pay off random people’s debt. If he’s having a bad day he’ll pick a person and bam, debt free. He likes making people happy so Eddie only kind of side eyes his money.

Generally that means he only brings it up like twice a day instead of non-stop and if nothing else Tony can appreciate that he’s passionate about his views. Rhodey thinks he’s annoying but Rhodey isn’t dating him so he can deal with it.

“Yeah, alright,” Eddie says but the way he says it tells Tony that he’s not talking to him.

“Do not eat his head, V!” Tony says, panicked. “I do not want to deal with the fallout of that. Just ruin his life like a normal person. Get JARVIS to help, he’s been helpful in my long standing efforts to ruin Hammer.”

“Yeah, pretty sure all you two have managed to do is turn Hammer into the knockoff version of you, but he uh... seems to like that so I don’t know.”

Tony damn well knows he looks offended because that’s the fucking rudest shit he’s ever heard. “What did you just call Hammer?” he asks.

Eddie realizes his mistake right away and Tony fucking resents that he looks a little dead behind the eyes because he was the one who damn well decided Hammer was good enough to be the anything version of him. “I would sooner take Carlton Drake as the cheap version of me than Hammer,” Tony hisses. “At least Drake was actually smart and hot! What’s Hammer? He looks like he came out of the womb dressed as the class clown who decided to be an accountant!”

Honestly Tony resents that Eddie sighs at that. “No V, you can’t eat Hammer’s head,” Eddie mumbles.

“Yes you can,” Tony tells him.

*

Tony’s attempting to make coffee while also ignoring Eddie due to his previous transgressions. Compare him to Hammer on his birthday. The disrespect. Eddie walks out of their bedroom and Tony resolutely ignores him as he starts looking around the pent house for some reason. Tony side eyes him as he moves a bunch of papers around- Eddie’s, not his, knocks the pillows off the couch, and picks up the cat. He looks at Cotton for a moment, frowning before he shakes her a little. She meows in an annoyed, disgruntled way and Eddie sighs, releasing the cat.

“Uh, the fuck are you doing?” Tony asks eventually.

Looking for me says a voice in his head and Tony throws his coffee cup, startling so badly his entire body jerks and he slips, falling on his ass.

“Oh thank god I thought he went and possessed some random secretary so he could go eat heads!” Eddie says, rushing over to him.

“Oh no, you stay back there you don’t get to come near me or V after comparing Hammer to me!” he says, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Eddie sighs. “Tony-” he starts but Tony has already picked himself up and turned around with his arms crossed, ignoring him.

So rude. Venom agrees. We should eat Hammer V says, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.

Tony sighs and it pains him to do this, truly. “V, we can’t actually eat Hammer,” he says in perhaps the most dejected, upset tone he’s ever produced.

Eddie gives him, Venom technically, an offended look. “You decided to crawl into him in the middle of the night and risk killing him so you could eat someone?” he asks, hand pressed to his heart quite like an offended PTA mom. “V, you better get your ass back in here!” Eddie tells him, pointing at himself.

He compared you to Hammer. We should leave him, go sight seeing V says.

Tony rolls his eyes. “V you aren’t going to manipulate me into carrying your ass out of here because Eddie put you in the dog house.”

“Venom!” Eddie says, voice rising.

Tony swears to god he feels Venom extend from his body and that is some worrying fucking shit how’s Eddie put up with that? “Tony thinks you sound like an offended PTA mom,” Venom tells Eddie and Tony squints.

“Since when the hell are you a rat?” he asks.

Venom turns to face him, “you take that back! I am not vermin!”

“No, technically you’re a parasite now get back here,” Eddie tells him.

“Maybe I will find a new home with hosts who appreciate me,” Venom says, sinking back into Tony and he does not like that.

“How do you get these things out?” he asks.

Eddie walks over and leans in, squinting at Tony shrewdly except he’s actually looking at Venom and Tony’s not sure how he knows that. “If you don’t get back in me I will play Bohemian Rhapsody at top volumes with Tony pressed against the speaker!” he hisses.

“That kind of sounds like fun minus the speaker thing,” Tony says.

“They don’t do so well with loud noises and vibrations,” Eddie explains and oh, that makes sense. Tony watches as black goo extends from his hand to Eddie’s and it almost looks resentful for it. Or maybe Tony’s imagining that.

Tony gives Venom a sad look as the last of him disappears back into Eddie. “I’m so sad he won’t ever experience Freddy Mercury like the rest of us,” he says, hand pressed to his heart.

Eddie sighs. “V says your music taste is heinous and he would rather listen to my music.”

He listens to exclusively shitty electronica music. “I’m leaving you both,” Tony tells him, turning and walking away.

#tony x eddie brock #tony x eddie brock x venom #fanfiction #alternate universe

[poachedhazontoast]

Eleven Hours at Dover Crossing

Pairing: Tom HollandxReader

Word Count: 3,500

Warnings: A few swear words here and there, brief mentions of sex, not proofread yet since it’s like 2 a.m. here whoops.

Summary: Y/n gets trapped in the worst traffic ever, but it doesn’t seem so bad once she meets a certain curly-haired someone.

A/N: So this is VERY loosely based off of the time my family and I spent almost 12 hours stuck in traffic outside the Dover ferry port back in July 2016. Unfortunately there wasn’t actually any food on offer. Or toilets. It was horrendous. Also, I didn’t meet Tom Holland. But that’s a given. This is my first time ever writing anything so constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated! Let me know what you like, what you don’t like, and what you wish there was more of! I’m glad to hear anything about it, I’m taking everything on board. I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

-Sydney

~~~~

10:00 a.m.

“…across all lanes. Many callers have said that they have been sitting in their cars for over three hours at this point. Workers at the ferry port have said not to expect a change any time soon due to a lack of staff. If you’re listening from the Dover port, you may as well get comfortable!” Groans ring out simultaneously across the car at the bad news. There are many ways that I had thought this day could go wrong. The ferry could sink. There could have been some horrible terrorist attack leaving me and my family for dead. Hell, the hotel that we had booked could have burnt down. But of all the terrible things that could have happened today, being stuck in a car for hours on end with my family a mere three miles away from the ferry port was not the thing that topped that list.  

It only takes one glance around the car for me to know that this is going to be an extremely long day. My parents are already bickering up front, with my mother voicing her stress about missing our check-in time and my father reasserting that he “knew we should have left a day early! This is what we get for being so unprepared!” I sigh, knowing that no amount of intervention would stop their arguing at this point, and shove my earphones in my ears. After 21 years on this Earth I know better than to expect them to stop just because I’m around.

Looking out my window at the rest of the aggravated people in the cars around me, I decide it would be best for me to just close my eyes for a minute and pretend I’m not here. I’m not SUPPOSED to be here, after all. In fact, I’m not supposed to be with my family at all this week. For months my best friend Lana and I had been planning a trip to Morocco for this very week. We had it all planned out; the flights, the hotel, all the way down to the food that we were going to eat on a daily basis. But then her boyfriend Grayson was told that his mother had been diagnosed with cervical cancer, and I couldn’t bring myself to jet off on a week-long vacation with my best friend knowing that Grayson was at home alone struggling. So instead I offered him my ticket in the hopes that a week away would be a good distraction for him.

Why I decided it would be a good idea to come with my family to Paris for the week, I don’t know. Perhaps it was the fact that sitting at home watching Netflix all week while stuffing my face with popcorn could never lead to anything good. Maybe it was the puppy eyes that my 17-year-old sister Hailee was giving me while she begged me not to leave her alone with mum and dad for a week.  Looking at the position that I’m in now, however, I find myself cursing the existence of Grayson’s mum’s cancer for more reasons than one. I rest my forehead against the cool glass and slowly drift off to sleep, letting myself slip into my daydreams of sightseeing and eating chicken tagine.

Noon

A bead of sweat running off my nose and splashing onto my hand is what eventually wakes me up. I sit up and look around groggily, duly noting my dry throat before catching my parents’ attention.

“Why the hell is it so warm in here?” My mum briefly glances at me before reaching towards the button that would roll down the window I was just sleeping against.

“We didn’t want to leave on the engine seeing as we’ve only moved three meters in the past two hours,” my dad says, looking up from the game of sudoku that he was playing on his phone. He makes a sweeping gesture around the car before adding, “We’ve decided to roll the windows down in order to vent out the car a little bit but as you can tell it doesn’t seem to be working as well as we’d planned.” That would have been the end of the conversation if it weren’t for my mum muttering something just loudly enough that we could all hear her grumbling. My dad takes a deep breath before turning to her with a ticked off look on his face. “What was that, darling?”

“I said, if you had just brought the portable fans like we had discussed, we wouldn’t be in this pickle.” And then, silence. I sit and hold my breath to await the inevitable fallout, exchanging a look with Hailee, who’s sitting next to me. I make eye contact with her and raise my hand, sticking one finger in the air, then two, and then, as expected, it all kicks off the moment I point at dad in the front seat.

“I told you they would take up too much space-“

“Well I’d rather not have leg room than be sweating out of my eyes-“

“You’re six foot one; you never have any leg room-“

“Oh, real classy David, you just had to bring my height into this. You know I’m insecure-“

I lean my head against the head rest behind me and shut my eyes again, groaning quietly as they continue to speak over one another, moving from one grievance to the next. It was almost like a train wreck; catastrophic but damn near impossible to ignore. Hailee clears her throat to grab my attention and I give my head a slight nod to let her know I’m listening.

“You’re lucky you were asleep earlier,” she speaks quietly so as not to disturb the happy couple. “I had to listen to them argue about their sex life for a good twenty minutes. Apparently, dad is not too fond of anal play.” I almost choke on my own spit at this news as my eyes fly open, sending Hailee into a fit of laughter beside me. The images that cross my mind are enough to scar me forever.

“God, thanks for that. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when I’m buying Christmas gifts this year.” The sarcasm that laces my tone just makes her laugh even harder, making me roll my eyes while a tiny smile plays upon my lips. She slowly calms down, her face becoming far less red as her grin slowly transforms back into the grimace of a person that is slightly too warm for comfort. A few minutes pass between us in silence, with only the continuing squabbling of our parents as background noise, our phones keeping us occupied for the time being.

Hailee suddenly sits bolt upright as she reads through her newsfeed, a relieved look spreading across her face at whatever article she’s reading.

“Look!” She grabs my arm and drags me over to look at the picture on her phone. “They’ve set up stations along the road to give people food and water! I’m sure they have one set up not too far from here.” My stomach growls at the mention of food, and I suddenly realise that I haven’t eaten a bite since dinner the night before. I’m grabbing at the door handle before another word can leave Hailee’s mouth, and I step out of the car for the first time since we left the house this morning.

I turn on my heel and poke my head through the open car window. “I’m gonna go see what they have. I’ll let you know, just text me if you want something, okay?” I wait for Hailee’s nod of approval before setting off, not bothering to see if my parent’s have even noticed that I’d left the car yet. All around me is pandemonium. Looking both directions I notice that the cars are stopped bumper to bumper as far as the eye can see. Some people are sitting on their car bonnets, some are lounging on camper beds, and there is even a group of people that have gathered in an empty gathering with a football.

I’ve only been walking for five minutes before I find the station where they’re handing out the bottled water and sandwiches that Tesco was kind enough to send over. I take a picture of what’s on offer and send it to Hailee before grabbing my own and turning around to find a place to sit down and eat. When I turn around however, it is not open space that greets me. Instead I find myself face-planting the back of a man and falling to the ground, my sandwich landing by my feet and my water rolling away from me.

“Shit! M’sorry, I didn’t see you there, love.” I feel a strong hand wrap around my forearm before being hoisted up into the air and back onto my feet. I’m just about to respond with an apology of my own before my breath falters as I stare into the eyes of one of the most attractive people I’ve ever seen. His hair is slightly windswept, his dark curls falling into his eyes and covering the quirk in his eyebrow. The quirk that I know is there because I know exactly who this is. I’m staring into the face of Tom Holland. I’m staring into the face of Tom Holland—and I haven’t said anything for almost thirty seconds now.

He breaks his hold on my arm as he bends down to collect my water and my sandwich, and I take those few seconds to collect my thoughts. I try to remind myself that he’s just a normal person and that the last thing I want to do is freak him out by blurting out something stupid like-

“You’re Tom Holland.” I resist the urge to face-palm myself as he presses my stuff back into my hands lightly, reaching back to scratch his neck as he chuckles awkwardly. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out, I just. Well. I have a bit of a blabber-mouth is all. I promise I’m not some crazy stalker super-fan though. I just think that you pulled of Spider-Man perfectly. I mean, Tobey Maguire was great as Peter Parker and Andrew Garfield was an amazing spider-man but you really captured the energy of both sides perfectly. I realize now that I’m rambling and that I should probably shut up…” Tom’s demeanor becomes more relaxed with every nerve-induced word that leaves my mouth until eventually he’s watching me with an amused smile on his face.

“I’s’alright! Although it usually takes me a couple dates to get a girl falling for me.” He winks teasingly at me as I feel heat rush towards my cheeks, embarrassment taking over my body.

“Ah, I’m sorry about that. I’m such a klutz, I wasn’t looking where I was going at all.” I’m suddenly finding my feet very interesting as I try to avoid making eye contact with the man standing in front of me, trying to calm down my heart rate before chancing a look in his direction again.

“No worries, I wasn’t exactly being too observant myself. I’m actually glad I ran into you though, I was getting pretty bored out here with nobody to talk to.” I finally feel calm enough to look at him as he finishes his sentence, and he smiles slightly when I do. “You know, I think it’s a bit unfair that you know my name and I don’t know yours…” he trails off, looking at me expectantly.

I bite the inside of my cheek, contemplating my options before finally answering him. “I’ll tell you my name… if you sit and eat lunch with me.” A moment passes where I’m sure that the only sound between us is the pounding of my heartbeat in my eardrums. The silence goes long enough that I’m just about to laugh off my offer when suddenly, finally, a grin spreads across his face.

“Deal.”

03:00 p.m.

The sound of bubbling laughter spills across my lips as we sit across from each other on the grass, the wrappers of the long-finished sandwiches scattered between us.

“…a-and then, and this is the worst part, he su-sucked the water out of the phone like it was no b-big deal! I don’t th-think I’ve ever seen a man so ill in my entire l-life as he was after that day!” I clutch at my chest, wheezing with laughter as Tom finishes telling me yet another embarrassing story about his best friend Harrison. I feel like I know enough about his life now to write a book. He’s told me all about Harrison. All about Harry and Sam, all about Paddy and Tessa. I even know just from eating with him that he only eats the crusts on his sandwiches if there’s some filling left over on his plate that fell out of the sandwich from before.

I finally slow down my laughter and he looks at me quizzically for a moment or two before speaking again. “You don’t talk about yourself much, do you?” I look down at my hands, playing with my cuticles for a little while before looking back up at him. I know I’m not being fair to him; here I am, listening to him go on about himself, but every time he tries to ask about my life or my family I find a way to change the subject back to him.

“Trust me, I’m not all that interesting,” I chuckle lightly. I don’t really expect him to drop it, yet I still find myself to be surprised when he scoffs at my answer. “No, honestly, I’m not! My life is pretty boring.”

“I’m pretty sure I can be the judge of that myself,” he presses further, making me sigh.

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t tell you so.” I launch into my mediocre account of my life, not leaving out many details. A large part of me expects Tom to cut me off in boredom, but I’m pleasantly surprised to notice that not only is he listening to every single word that comes out of my mouth, but that he actually seems to be… enjoying it. When I’m finally done talking he has a small smile gracing his face. “I told you it wasn’t anything to be excited about,” I say to him while twiddling my thumbs. A small laugh escapes his lips as he shakes his head.

“Where abouts in London d’you live?” He takes a long sip of his water, looking at me out the corner of his eyes.

“Kingston, born and bred.” He splutters at my answer, pulling the bottle away and wiping his mouth on his sleeve before bending over in a coughing fit. I laugh slightly and reach over, hesitating only slightly before patting him gently on the back. “What is it?” I question him, wondering why he reacted so suddenly.

“I live in Kingston as well! I just can’t believe I haven’t seen you before. Your face is definitely one I would remember.” I blush profusely before registering the entirety of his sentence, letting a grin slowly take over my face when I realize that I’ve been living just blocks away from Tom for my whole life without knowing it. I can’t help but let myself hope that maybe this won’t be the only time I see Tom after all.

I’m torn out of my thoughts by my phone chiming in my back pocket. I send Tom an apologetic look as I take out my phone and swipe open my messages.

Hailee: Oh! Chicken and mayo looks good!

Hailee: Hello???

Hailee: Where r u???

Hailee: Nvrmind, I got one myself -_-

Shit.

“Ah, I’m sorry Tom, Hailee is kind of pissed at me for leaving her in the dust. I should probably go apologize to her.” I stand up and brush any dirt off of my bum that was left behind from the ground. My heart skips a beat as I watch Tom’s face fall in disappointment. I watch him for a second before speaking up again. “You can come with me? If you want to.” His face lights up again and I giggle as he’s on his feet in record-time. I look down at his hand, wanting nothing more than to reach out and grab it. Thankfully he’s one step ahead of me, tentatively intertwining his fingers with mine before looking down at me.

“Lead the way.”

9:00 p.m.

Nine hours probably doesn’t seem like a very long time to know a person. But when you’ve been talking to that person non-stop for nine hours, you begin to feel like you’ve known them for months. Tom and I are sitting on the roof of my parents’ car now. The sun set hours ago, and while the people around us are still miffed about the horrendous delays, I can’t help but find myself feeling grateful for them. Of course, as soon as I begin to appreciate it, I can see lights turning on in the distance and the sound of engines starting reaches my ears; traffic is moving once again.

I turn to Tom, knowing by the look on his face that he saw and heard everything that I did. He looks down at me and hesitates slightly before he brings his hand to my cheek, causing my breath to catch in my throat. “I’ll see you again, right?” He asks me. “Because honestly, today was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. Traffic and all.” I nod at him in answer to his question, leaning my forehead against his. All I can focus on is how close his lips are to mine; I can feel his breath dance across my face and I look him in the eye, trying to make sure that he wants to close the distance just as much as I do. He pulls away, but only for a second before he brings his lips to my cheek, leaving feathery kisses all the way up until he reaches my ear. “I really want to kiss you right now,” he whispers gently, and I almost feel my heart jump out of my throat.

“Do it, then.”

And with that, he crashes his lips against mine, holding onto me for dear life. I thread my fingers through his curls, tugging on them lightly as our lips move together, slowing down until eventually we’re just holding one another again, breathing heavily, not wanting to let go just yet.

“I should probably go to my car now…” Tom trails off, not wanting to leave but knowing that he has to. I give him a small nod and a final peck on the lips before I pull away from him, immediately feeling the cold air that was blowing down the street. I take his phone from him, ignoring his questioning look while I go into his contacts.

“This,” I tell him as I enter my name into his phone, “is my number. You don’t have to call me when you get back to London, but I’d really really like it if you would.” He takes the phone out of my hands and hops off the roof of the car, pulling me down after him.

“Trust me, there’s no way I’m waiting until I get back to London. You better be prepared for me to blow up your phone over the next couple of days. There’s no way I’m letting you forget about me.” He winks at me, making me blush one final time before I pull him towards me for a parting kiss.

“That’s impossible,” I whisper against his lips.

Once we’ve said our goodbyes and I’m back in the car, I realize that I have a missed call from my best friend. I call her back, thinking about how amazing my day was as I listen to the dial tone. Eventually I hear her voice fill my ears.

“Hello? Y/n?” She greets, sounding relieved that I’ve finally called back. “I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for you for doing this for Grayson. He really needed this. You really are the best.” I can hear her getting choked up on the other end and immediately feel for her.

“Hey, it really wasn’t a big deal. You’ll just have to pay me back with a trip to Tokyo or something.” I joke, and am glad when I hear the familiar sound of her laughter.

“Deal. Oh, I saw the news about the Dover traffic by the way! Is everything alright?” I take a second to think over her question, and when I look out the window I make eye contact with none other than Tom a few cars over.

“Yeah,” I finally respond, a grin taking over my face.

“Everything’s wonderful.”

#tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #tom holland oneshot #tom holland smut #tom holland x reader #harrison osterfield #harrison osterfield fanfiction #harrison osterfield imagine #harrison osterfield oneshot #harrison osterfield smut #harrison osterfield x reader #harry holland #harry holland fanfiction #harry holland imagine #harry holland oneshot #harry holland smut #harry holland x reader #sam holland #sam holland fanfiction #sam holland imagine #sam holland oneshot #sam holland smut #sam holland x reader #peter parker #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker imagine #peter parker oneshot #peter parker smut #peter parker x reader

[mveloc]

Days of Why and How

Chapter 9

Author’s Note: Yes, I’m still alive. What can I say? Life’s been busy, as per usual. That being said, rest assured that I will be finishing this fic and have not abandoned Cophine. As always, feedback is much appreciated and I thank everyone for the support. Now that the show’s over, looks like we’ll have to entertain ourselves, huh?

She inhales a shaky breath with the hope that it will steady her and help her find her center, though the second she feels the air fill the chamber of her lungs, she’s more unstable than ever before; it’s as if she’s made of glass—both brittle and exposed at the same time, on the verge of breaking beneath the pressure on her chest that increases with each picture that flashes before her eyes as she scrolls through on her laptop.

It’s a violation.

She knows this.

She knows if Cosima ever finds out that she’s been monitoring her, any hope she has of maintaining even a speaking relationship with the cheeky brunette will immediately be crushed. Despite this fact, she doesn’t regret her decision; even as she brings the glass to her lips, taking a long gulp of bourbon and grimacing as it burns all the way down to torment her stomach, she knows now that every step she's taken has been absolutely necessary. She clears her throat, shifting in her seat as she switches back and forth between two pictures in particular: one of Cosima entering a low-rise in the middle of the night following their argument at Bobby’s and the other of her leaving that same building hours later in broad daylight, hand-in-hand with a perky-looking blonde that’s even smaller than she is. They both climbed into a vintage beetle—the most obnoxious car she’s ever seen—and drove off to a gathering at one of the largest mansions she’s ever laid eyes on.

She instantly knew something was off.

With the resources available to her, it wasn’t hard to identify the owner of the mansion and the moment Dmitri Davydov’s name flashed across her screen, she felt her blood freeze in her veins. She had tasked one of her more discreet lackeys with keeping tabs on her ex-girlfriend for the next few days until she could figure out just what was going on and what she could do with the information she found herself bombarded with. Now that she’s certain of the plot currently in the works, she knows she has to bring this to Aldous.

She slams her laptop screen shut, finishing her drink quickly before rising and throwing her coat on. He isn’t going to like this at all, but what choice does she have? Dmitri Davydov is a disaster waiting to happen and if Cosima’s involved with him, she’ll have to start making quick and decisive moves to free her before it’s too late.

She storms through the back entrance of Neolution and aside from some of the staff who are just arriving for their shifts, the club is completely empty. It’s still too early in the evening for the loud, illicit activity that usually takes place in the darkest hours of the night but she knows that Aldous will be in his office, so she seeks him out.

“We have a problem,” she announces with her presence, commanding the attention of the older man the second she pushes through the door.

He looks up from his desk, pausing to acknowledge her with a furrowed brow.

“Do we now?”

There’s a glint in his eye that indicates he’s more intrigued and amused rather than concerned by her proclamation.

“It’s Cosima.”

Aldous smirks.

“You were the one who convinced me it was worth bringing her back into the fold,” he reminds her. “Has she slipped up again already?”

“No, it’s not that. She doesn’t want anything to do with us.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he counters with a head cocked in curiosity.

“The problem is the Bratva.”

His face contorts instantly and she can tell by the pitted frown he wears that she now has his full attention. He drops his pen, folding his hands on his desk and peering up at her intensely through the narrow slits of his eyes.

“What have you heard?”

“I haven’t really heard anything so far, but I’ve been following her these past few days and…”

She stops herself.

She knows she has to tell Aldous, but she wonders just how much she has to reveal—wonders if there’s a way to seize his full attention and get him to acknowledge the threat while still somehow protecting Cosima from the fallout.

“What is it?” he presses, sensing her hesitancy.

She takes a deep breath.

“I… I found her associating with known Bratva members—with Dmitri Davydov himself.”

His folded hands ball into fists and his jaw locks so tightly she swears she can hear his teeth begin to crack. He breathes a greedy breath of his own before choosing his words carefully, his tone low and pointed.

“Is she in bed with them?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Delphine immediately replies.

“You don’t think so?” he repeats.

She shakes her head, stepping nearer and placing both hands on the desk to brace herself as she leans in closer to the storm to get her point across.

“I know Cosima. She’d never align herself with the Bratva.”

“She would if she were trying to get back at me.”

He scrubs at his face with an anxious hand and Delphine becomes awash with confusion.

“Why would she want to get back at you? It’s me she’s pissed at,” she chimes in. “She doesn’t have much love for you either, but I really don’t think she’d run to the Bratva out of spite.”

Cosima is rash and petulant, but she isn’t vindictive and she certainly isn’t stupid; involving herself with the Bratva as part of some sort of master plan to enact revenge is much farther than she knows the ex-con is willing to go. She knows this has something to do with that woman—the blonde Cosima had fled to after their argument—the one who’d taken her to meet with Dmitri. She ran the plates on the obnoxious car and discovered that the woman was also Bratva and that she had served time in the same prison as Cosima. She won’t deny the role her jealousy plays in this unfolding scenario, but she knows that whatever is going on with Cosima has far more to do with this woman than it does Dmitri Davydov.

“Have a seat,” Aldous instructs her.

She can tell by the look on his face and the weariness in his voice that he’s in no mood to argue with her so she obeys, lowering herself into the chair across from him.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

He sighs, meeting her gaze.

“I’ve been keeping an eye their movements for some time. I suspected they might try to settle in here—to make this city their next conquest,” he explains.

“It makes sense,” she concurs. “There’s definitely money to be made.”

“Yes. Dmitri must have smelled it.”

Delphine frowns.

“When I first began my business venture in this city, it was a wasteland—full of thugs and thieves who’s greatest accomplishments were robbing ATMs. Nobody believed in the potential I saw,” Aldous speaks. “This city was ripe for the picking.”

For years, Aldous Leekie has been the paramount figure in the criminal underworld; most other career criminals were small, petty men and women who lacked the scope and the resources. She remembers back to when she was younger, when she ran carelessly through the streets taking whatever she wanted in the moment, succumbing to each and every impulse the instant they struck her. There was no room for consequence in that world—if she saw something she wanted, she simply reached out and grabbed it. She had learned it all from her father when she was still too young to truly grasp what it meant; if she wanted to get ahead, she had to reach out and grab that future for herself—no one was going to hand it to her wrapped neatly in a bow.

So she did.

She ran wild through the city, reaching for everything in her grasp and even some things just outside of it; if she was close enough to graze it with the tips of her fingers, she knew it was only a matter of time before it became a reality—before she made it a reality.

That’s how she met Cosima.

What had started as her typical weekend conquest of bleeding some beefcake she met in a bar completely dry before tossing him to the wind had quickly transformed into a conquest of a different nature the second she laid eyes upon the dreadlocked girl with a smile much too bright for that grungy bar. She had watched Cosima dominate that pool table with a quiet confidence and she immediately forgot about her plans for world domination; all she could think of was claiming that smile for her own—of stealing the most valuable thing she’d come across thus far. And when she was rewarded with a tiny glimpse of it after handing Cosima her first defeat—as she felt the tips of her fingers graze against it—she knew it was hers—that she had found her great prize.

She was satisfied for a while.

It wasn’t until she realized such a state was unsustainable that she sought out Aldous Leekie for guidance. Even if she was gifted with a cleverness that set her miles above many others and kept her out trouble for the most part, that cleverness alone and all of her ambition meant nothing if she had no way to apply it.

Aldous Leekie had given her that path.

He had given her a way forward—a way to distinguish herself from the masses and rise through the ranks—to become truly great; he had given her a way build an actual future with Cosima—a way to protect and support her.

“Now that others have seen my success, there’s no doubt they’ll try to capitalize on it. We’ve been the only shark in this ocean for too long.”

Delphine nods along.

“So you’re saying it’s about to turn into a war zone.”

She knew this was always a possibility, that power attracts more power, but she had hoped she’d be long gone before things spiralled out of control. For all her ambition, getting caught up in a turf war was never high on her list of goals.

“I’m not about to let that happen,” he tells her.

“If the Bratva are here, they’ve already declared war,” she argues. “I don’t know how you plan on stopping it.”

“With a few swift and brutal strokes.”

His words catch her off guard, though she knows she shouldn’t be surprised.

“We need to move quickly. I don’t want to allow them the opportunity to entrench themselves—everything will become more difficult if they do,” he begins. “We need to come down on them hard and fast—send a message that their presence here won’t be tolerated.”

“I agree.”

If there’s anything she’s learned from the men in the life, it’s that the only way to deal with a man like Dmitri Davydov is to crush him completely with one powerful, well-timed stomp; when the rest of his people realize just who they’re dealing with, when they witness one of their own put down like a sick dog, they’ll tuck tail and go running back to wherever they came from.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Aldous grins.

He rises from his seat and she follows his example, her eyes on him as he walks around the desk and places both hands on her shoulders like he’s done so many times before, like a doting father offering words of support in a time of conflict.

“Go retrieve Cosima.”

She tenses.

“Pardon?”

She’s used to his commands, though for some reason, this one is unexpected.

“You said it yourself—if she becomes entangled with the Bratva, we’ll have an even bigger problem on our hands. Not to mention she’ll be stepping into the line of fire—something I’m sure you’d like to prevent,” he justifies his order.

“I know that, but… she’s stubborn,” she resists. “I already told you—she doesn’t want anything to do with us.”

He removes his hands from her shoulders, his face hardening. It sends a shiver down her spine.

“I don’t care what she wants. Her childish whims have no weight in this.”

“They’re not childish!” Delphine protests. “Cosima lost everything gambling on us! Now you’re asking her to do it again? How do you expect her to respond?”

As infuriating as her ex-girlfriend’s current behaviour is, she won’t pretend like she doesn’t understand it. Cosima’s wrath is justified—is expected—and as much as she hates being the focus of it, she hates the tone in his voice even more.

“I don’t think I have to remind you of her intellect,” Aldous snaps back at her with just as much aggression. “Not only is she a skilled resource that could prove troublesome in our enemy’s hands, but she has an intimate knowledge of our inner workings.”

“How? You never included her in any of your larger jobs! She’s been out of the picture for five years, Aldous! What could she possibly know from back then that would endanger us now?”

They don’t clash often but when they do, it’s usually hard and tumultuous; Aldous is a man who’s used to absolute authority, to never being questioned and crushing any potential opposition. While Delphine is not as harsh or unforgiving, she’s equally as ambitious and even more stubborn than her mentor. She’s seen what’s happened to those who’ve challenged Aldous and while she should be frightened based on that knowledge alone, she also knows that she occupies an advantageous position within his inner circle; he’s never once come down on her before, never punished her for speaking out or pushing back. In fact, she thinks there’s a part of him that even finds it amusing.

Aldous doesn't have any children of his own.

He’s told her numerous times that he never wanted any children, but that he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride every time he looked at her knowing he had a hand in helping her recognize her full potential. He bears a softness for her and she suspects that this softness is the one thing that’s kept her alive and in his good graces for so long; she suspects that this softness grants her the ability to maneuver freely, to question him freely, to push back with just as much fire when she feels she’s in the right.

“She has an intimate knowledge of you,” he corrects himself.

His eyes quickly scan her and she freezes beneath his scrutiny.

“So that’s what this is about.”

She laughs incredulously at his presumptuousness, his words like a slap in the face; her relationship with Cosima has never been a secret and neither are her feelings, though she can’t help but feel insulted at his insinuation that their relationship is somehow toxic—that it will somehow be her downfall.

“If the Bratva snatch her up before we do, this ends one of two ways—with her dead, or with the two of us,” he replies, softening his tone in a bid to get through to her. “Quite frankly, I’d like to avoid both outcomes. Wouldn’t you?”

She draws her lower lip between her teeth, chewing anxiously out of habit. She doesn't want to believe him, but she knows that his assessment is fair.

“And what am I supposed to say to her? How am I supposed to convince her to come back?” she counters.

If Cosima wasn’t willing to listen to a word she had to say before, she doubts there’s any way she’ll come around now, especially if she tries to force herself back into her life so quickly after their last argument. She simply doesn’t know what she can do to regain her former lover’s trust at this point.

“That’s up to you,” he shrugs. “You know her better than anyone. You know which buttons to push.”

Pushing buttons is what got her here in this position in the first place.

She’s done playing games.

+ + + + +

She exhales a cloud of smoke out the window and into the evening air, flicking the butt of her cigarette onto the pavement below, adding to the half-a-pack that’s already gathered just outside her car door. She’s never considered herself a chain smoker and she can’t even remember the last time she’s smoked this much, but her stomach is a ball of tightly knotted nerves and the only thing she can think to do is reach into her pack for one more, hoping the slight nicotine rush will ease her anxiety. She’s been camped out front of Bobby’s for the past two hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cosima; she knows the brunette is working tonight and judging by the time, she should be in the process of closing the bar.

So she waits.

She still hasn’t thought of anything to say to sway Cosima. She plays out a multitude of potential conversations in her mind and each and every one of them ends with Cosima snapping at her and marching away angrily. She thinks that maybe she should be completely honest with her—tell her the reason why she disappeared so suddenly, why she hadn’t bothered to reach out afterwards. She doubts Cosima will believe her at all, but at least then she’ll be able to shake this ghost that’s been following her around for too long. The thought is put on the back burner the second she sees movement coming from the entrance and she flicks her half-smoked cigarette away, her eyes trained on Cosima as she locks the bar and then tucks her keys into her bag. Delphine opens her car door and steps out, cautiously approaching Cosima and waiting for her to notice. The second Cosima does, she freezes.

“Do I have to get a fucking restraining order or something?” she calls out, her tone sharp and eyes glaring.

There’s more animosity in her voice than usual as Delphine approaches and the blonde immediately knows that something is up—something has happened between now and their last meeting. There’s no doubt in her mind that it has something to do with the Bratva.

“Cosima, please—”

“No.”

Instantly shut down, Delphine sighs in frustration and tries again.

“Just listen—”

“I’m done listening, Delphine!”

Cosima’s voice is carried through the empty night, ricocheting off every building and echoing for miles in her mind. Delphine is stunned by the intensity of it and she falters, staring wide-eyed at the smaller girl with a startled look upon her face.

“I’m done with whatever the hell this is!” Cosima adds, gesturing to the space between them. “I don’t wanna take your stupid job, I don’t wanna be partners again, and I certainly don’t wanna be friends with you—never mind anything else!”

“I didn’t come here for work!” Delphine shouts, attempting to match Cosima’s intensity. “I came here because you’re making a huge mistake!”

Cosima pauses for a moment, considering her words.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

Delphine regains her composure, swallowing hard.

“Your friend. She’s Bratva.”

She wasn’t sure before if Cosima knew the truth about the woman she sought refuge in, but judging by the lack of a reaction, she’s certain now that Cosima is aware of her affiliation with the Russian mob.

“Are you stalking me now?”

She knows she’s exposed in the moment, but she can’t bring herself to care. This is more important than her violation of Cosima’s privacy—this is about Cosima’s safety. She’s willing to accept whatever consequences Cosima dishes out if it means she can keep her safe from everything that’s about to happen.

“Did you just hear what I—”

“I know what she is,” Cosima interrupts. “My friend in prison I told you about? That’s her.”

Once again, Cosima is out for blood and she manages to strike another artery. Delphine can only blink in response to keep her eyes from watering, nodding slightly in understanding. She had suspected as much; she knew from her digging that Shay had served time in the same prison as Cosima, though she didn’t want to believe that something more substantial had developed between the two.

“Then you know how stupid it is getting involved with her,” Delphine finds her voice again. “Even more stupid than getting involved with Leekie.”

She doesn’t mean to sound spiteful, but she can’t help herself. Cosima laughs meekly in response, bringing a hand to cover her mouth as she shakes her head in disbelief.

“Incredible,” she mutters.

Delphine steps forward, pushing in even closer.

“Cosima, she’s dangerous!”

“You’re going to lecture me on getting involved with dangerous people? You?”

Cosima counters with her own step forward, the space between them so small now and rapidly heating up. There was a time when mere inches between them seemed like an entire ocean—deep and wide and entirely unacceptable to either of them—but now the closeness is painful and even though they both curse this burning pyre between them, neither of them are able to step away from the blisters—from the light.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Shay isn’t involved in any of that shit anymore,” Cosima tells her.

“Is that what she told you?”

Cosima may be the smartest person she’s ever known, but she’s also the most naive. She’s always seen the best in people even when there’s no good to be found. As much as she adores this aspect of her personality (God knows it’s probably the only reason they got together in the first place), she can’t help but find it frustrating in this situation.

“The Bratva isn’t something you just walk away from,” she tries to convince her.

She’s heard stories about their ruthlessness and even though she hasn’t experienced it first hand, she has witnessed it through Aldous who enforces a similar policy; she’s watched him crush all those who would turn against him, who would try to turn their back and walk away from what he’s spent so long building. While she’s never condoned his brutality herself, she can’t say she doesn’t understand it.

Cosima scoffs, then tries to push by her. Sensing that physical contact is definitely unwelcome, Delphine doesn’t try to reach out for her this time. Instead she uses her words and hopes that it will be enough to reel her back in before it’s too late.

“Cosima, things are going to get… complicated,” she tries. “Now that the Bratva are in town, Leekie isn’t happy. Things are going to get bloody very soon and if you keep hanging around this girl, you’re going to get caught in the middle.”

Cosima stops, then turns around to rekindle the conversation.

“Is that a threat?”

Delphine expels yet another exasperated sigh, running a hand through her hair to keep it from reaching out and grabbing the stubborn brunette to aggressively shake some sort of sense into her.

“No, I’m not threatening you! I’m trying to help you!”

Her voice wavers and cracks, thick with her emotions. Cosima catches it easily, her rage dissolving briefly as she carefully considers the woman before her—the woman she has no reason to trust, who is nearly on her knees before her and begging for her ear.

“And this has nothing to do with the fact that you’re jealous?” Cosima questions her, arms folded over her chest.

“Cosima… if you don’t want to be with me, I understand.”

It isn’t the reaction the ex-con is expecting and it shakes her. Delphine approaches quickly and closes the wedge Cosima had managed to create just seconds ago. The last time they were this close together, their lips had instinctively found each other before subsequently falling into bed. Even now, Cosima’s eyes drop to the blonde’s lips and she regards them cautiously for a moment before meeting Delphine’s gaze again, completely ensnared/

“You were right before. You’re too smart to waste your life away like this,” Delphine tells her, voice soft and accent seemingly thicker than usual. “You should start over—you deserve to start over—but you’ll never be able to do that with her and you know it.”

What happens next is unexpected on both their parts.

Cosima reaches out, placing an unsteady hand upon Delphine’s chest. Neither of them know exactly what it means—if it’s meant to reestablish a connection or to keep some distance between them—to draw them closer together or push them further apart at a moment’s notice.

“You… you have no right to come here and tell me how to live my life,” Cosima tells her, voice quaking.

She clutches the blonde’s dark blouse with her trembling hand Delphine lifts her own hand to cover Cosima’s balled fist, to gently brush her thumb across the angry knuckles.

“You’re right,” she concedes. “But as someone who cares about you, I still had to say it.”

Cosima drops her gaze, her head dipping lower as she tries to hide her face and gather her thoughts.

“Yeah, right.”

She silently lets go, reclaiming her hand. She tries to turn and leave again but is instantly entrapped by Delphine’s voice as soon as she starts speaking again.

“I thought about you every day, you know. I should have been there.”

Cosima’s breath catches in her chest and Delphine offers her a small, hopeless smile as some sort of comfort.

“If I could turn back time, I’d do things differently… but I can’t. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but that doesn’t change the way I feel, Cosima. I don't think it ever will.”

The look in Cosima’s eyes immediately changes the second the confession slips out. Her nostrils flare, her eyes flickering with the rage she had suspended earlier. Delphine can feel her wrath long before the brunette even speaks and it rattles her.

“Yeah? Did you feel all lovey-dovey when you were selling me out to Leekie?”

She’s not sure she understands the questions—nor the venom laced within in—so she blinks, allowing a few seconds to pass. When she’s still unable to process the words, she cocks her head oh-so-slightly to the left and flashes Cosima a quizzical glance.

“What are you talking about?”

Cosima’s chest puffs out, full of her own self-righteousness.

“I know he fucked me over,” she accuses. “I took the fall for you and he was supposed to get me out. Instead he dropped me newborn giraffe.”

Delphine passively shakes her head, Cosima’s words failing to make any sort of sense.

“Aldous… he said the case against you was too strong, that he couldn’t—”

“Oh, come on. You know he has half the police force and most of the judges in this city in his back pocket.”

She stops herself, racking her brain for a possible answer. She thinks back to five years ago, back to when her fuck up landed Cosima in trouble; she had never intended for Cosima to take the heat—never intended to pin her mistakes on the brunette and leave her to deal with the consequences. Cosima had interjected before she even had a chance slither her way out of danger, leaving her with no choice but to roll with the story her stubborn girlfriend had concocted.

Delphine did what she could.

She went running to Aldous, begging him to make it right. He had promised her that he would do everything in his power to ensure that Cosima was safe and she had trusted him. In the end, he had told her that the evidence against Cosima was just too overwhelming and that it would be impossible for her to avoid jail time—that he couldn’t intervene without exposing himself and everything they’d worked for.

“Why would he do something like that?” she asks, more for herself than Cosima.

“You tell me.”

With arms folded across her chest and a scowl carved across her face, Cosima awaits her answer.

Delphine doesn’t have one for her.

“You… you seriously don’t know?”

She feels her heart catch in her chest as she rewinds through her memories, trying to find something that might lead her to whatever answer Cosima’s already discovered. Why would Aldous want Cosima in prison? What did he possibly have to gain from her incarceration? Cosima was far more valuable to him under his employment than sitting in a jail cell, so why would he willingly forfeit her expertise unless the return was more beneficial? What could that return be?

“He’s been fucking with the both of us from the beginning, Delphine!” Cosima cries out, answering for her. “He used us—you and me both! He’s still using us! The only difference is that you’re more than happy to just sit there and take it while I’m smart enough to walk away!”

+ + + + +

She smiles against the warm, damp skin of Cosima’s inner thigh, her lover releasing a contented sigh. She gazes upward with eyes as wide as saucers, watching as the arch in Cosima’s back finally relents and the strain in her muscles ceases, her body slowly sinking into the mattress beneath her. She presses another kiss (or two) (or five) against the flesh she finds and she’s so enveloped in the heady scent Cosima’s arousal that she doesn’t register the words which quietly slip out from beyond her delicate lips.

“Hm?”

She halts for a moment, gauging the brunette’s reaction. Cosima’s smile only grows wider as she slides her hand lower to tangle her fingers in wild blonde tresses.

“Come up here,” she repeats herself.

She’s tempted to oblige her love, her voice too sweet and full of promise. She’s tempted to press her own swollen lips against the heat of Cosima’s mouth and fall in. It would be so easy to answer her siren’s call, but instead she resists.

“I’m not finished yet,” Delphine purrs.

With heavy lashes, she lowers her head again and continues pressing kisses, this time migrating from Cosima’s inner thigh directly to her sex. She can feel the smaller girl squirm beneath her ministrations and Cosima’s easy laughter quickly transforms into an elongated groan.

“Don’t make me beg.”

Now it’s Delphine’s turn to laugh, the shockwaves from her soft chuckling teasing at Cosima’s core.

“I like it when you beg,” she says, her breath hot. “You like it when you beg.”

Cosima is laughing again—groaning again—but her tugging at Delphine’s head remains persistent.

“Don’t you want me to finish?” Delphine asks.

“I want you here.”

When her eyes find Cosima’s again, she’s completely ensnared by the tenderness she finds staring back at her. She glides up Cosima’s body without hesitating for another second, pressing her lips to Cosima’s which are eagerly waiting to receive her.

“Je t’aime,” she whispers against them, the words sliding out of her mouth so naturally that she’s unaware they’ve even escaped until she feels Cosima pause beneath her.

She drinks in Cosima’s expression—the glimmer in her eyes, the slight part of her lips (the lower one quivering ever-so-slightly), the flush in her cheeks that gives her a youthful glow—and finds herself caught off guard by how intensely the brunette is focused on her.

She smiles.

“What?” she asks with a slight laugh, brushing her knuckles over Cosima’s cheekbone.

“Do you? Really?”

She lowers her head, pressing her forehead against Cosima’s.

“Of course I do,” she says softly.

Cosima smiles, her eyes drifting shut as she releases a gentle sigh and nuzzles Delphine.

“Good. Cause I love you, too.”

Delphine can’t remember the last time she’s spoken those words or heard them deflected back at her. She had never ached for them before, but hearing them in Cosima’s voice has her reconsider everything she thought she wanted.

Those words had not saved her mother.

They had not mended her relationship with her father.

She considered them worthless, but strangely enough, whenever she found herself alone with Cosima, they were the only words that came to mind.

Not worthless, she realizes now—

Priceless.

Her father has his price. So does death, in its own strange way with its own strange currency.

But this?

Being here with Cosima like this?

She could never put a price on it and Cosima has never once asked her to. She was the first—the only—to never ask her price or offer her own.

“Maybe we should take that vacation.”

Cosima’s suggestion rouses her from her thoughts and she props herself up so she can stare down at her lover, head slightly cocked as she recalls the conversation they had weeks ago about running away together.

“St. Barts?”

Cosima nods.

“But… what about school?” Delphine asks.

At first, she didn’t understand Cosima’s preoccupation with finishing her schooling; if they were going to run away together, what did it matter if she completed her degree or not? Then again, Delphine had ambitions of her own that Cosima could never quite understand either. Just as she had her own drive to succeed, Cosima was driven to achieve scholastically and so she learned to accept her girlfriend’s decision and had even come to admire it.

“I can always come back to it later. Or I could study abroad,” Cosima shrugs.

Delphine can’t bring herself to accept her usually stubborn girlfriend’s dismissiveness.

“I don’t want to make you give it up,” she frowns.

Cosima shakes her head, lifting her hand to gently tuck a lock of hair behind Delphine’s ear, making her face more visible. She smiles again, the pad of her thumb tracing the plump line of Delphine’s bottom lip.

“You’re not making me do anything,” Cosima insists. “I love you. I want to run away with you.”

Delphine’s smile slowly creeps across her face and then takes her all at once. She surges forward, planting a hard kiss on Cosima’s lips.

“Yes,” she breathes.

Cosima giggles.

“Are we really doing this?” she asks, a burst of excitement propelling her until she’s sitting up straight, level with Delphine.

The blonde nods slowly, a barrage of thoughts slamming into her head she she holds Cosima’s gaze.

“We will.”

She springs up from the bed, sashaying across the room to her closet and grabbing a thin silk robe. She throws it over her shoulders and ties it loosely at her waist.

If this is really going to happen, there’s still so much she has to do.

As it stands now, the two of them wouldn’t get very far on the money she’s managed to stow away—enough to float for a few months before they’d be forced to return, which is unacceptable. She could always ask her father for more; she’s certain he’d oblige her, that he’d transfer the funds into her account that very same day. She could take his money and all of their worries would disappear.

“Wait… we will?” Cosima pauses. “You were the one who brought it up in the first place. You were the one who wanted to drop everything and just go.”

Delphine can tell by the tone in her voice that she’s confused and displeased by her implication.

She could take her father’s money and all of their worries would disappear… except his ghost would follow her around like a storm cloud, the threat of rain constant. How could she build a home with Cosima knowing that his money paid for it? How could they have a real future together knowing that it’s entirely dependent upon that man?

No.

She had told Cosima before and she’s even more determined than ever. If this is really going to happen, she’s going to do it on her own terms. If this is really going to happen, she’s going to have to start making much bigger moves and quickly.

She knows just the place to start.

“I know,” Delphine acknowledges, backtracking towards Cosima. “But if we’re serious about this, then there are a few things I have to take care of first.”

“Like what?” Cosima counters with an arched brow.

Like securing their future.

Delphine leans forward, cupping Cosima’s face in her hands. Their foreheads meet again. Their breathing syncs.

“Do you trust me?” Delphine asks her.

Cosima’s response is instantaneous.

“Of course.”

#cophine #cophine fanfic #fanfiction #days of why and how #my writing

[thephotopitmagazine]

I always found summer concerts to be some of the most memorable and fun events. Tours that have tons of bands stacked on the bill, early start times that drag the shows into the evening hours, and each band given a pretty decent set time to play at the show. And this is what we had when the Rage Fest tour came to Orlando, FL at The Plaza Live. Five bands, lots of metal, and all the time to sit back and enjoy on a Saturday night. It was a large crowd that night with people packed in as close as they could get to the stage and with the back area opened for the “designated” mosh pit.

Hawk, formerly known as This Or The Apocalypse, opened up the show. Rick Armellino (vocals), who also performs with Ice Nine Kills (guitar), and Jack Ebenshade (guitar) are the only two original founding members. Joining them under Hawk is Bernard Stabley (bass) and Adam Reed (drums). The band kicked into gear right away when Rick jumped over the barrier and into the mosh pit singing from within the crowd. The crowd was loving it and the band rocked on through their set. Their energy poured through the venue getting those in the mosh pit moving hard. They thanked the crowd after their set and Ricky said he would meet fans out by their merch table. You find Hawk’s music on their website HERE and see a full gallery of photos from their performance HERE.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Gideon, the metalcore band from Alabama was next to the stage. Founded in 2008 and with 4 albums under their belts, Daniel McWhorter (vocals), Tyler Riley (guitar), Caleb DeRusha (bass), and Jake Smelley (bass) turned it up a notch. The band rained down the heavy with red lighting pouring down on them. The crowd definitely reacted to the heavier style of music and the mosh pit grew larger as they played on. Daniel encouraged the crowd to keep moving and moshing. I was extremely impressed with their music, stage presence, and Daniel’s vocals were truly headbanging worthy. Gideon appeased the metal gods that night and the crowd threw up horns in appreciation. Daniel thanked the crowd and also asked the crowd to visit them at the merch table. You can find Gideon’s music on their website HERE. The band will be releasing their next album Out of Control on October 11th. You can see a full gallery of photos from their performance HERE.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Next to the stage was Veil of Maya. The metalcore band formed in 2004 out of Chicago, IL. After self-releasing and self-producing their first album, All Things Set Aside, the band signed with Sumerian Records. The band went from a five-person lineup to a four-person lineup. But, their biggest change was the departure of their original vocalist after their third album Eclipse. In 2014, they brought in Lukas Magyar from Arms of Empire as their vocalist. Along with original members, Marc Okubo (guitar) and Sam Applebaum (drums), and Danny Hauser (bass), they would release two additional albums with their most recent False Idol releasing in 2017.

The band came out to tremendous cheers from the crowd. Veil of Maya’s metal has some great transitions in the vocals from guttural screams to crystal clear singing. Lukas has some gifted vocals that compliment the band’s heavier metal sound. Marc passionately played all over the stage, bouncing, jumping, and dancing. One thing that surprised me was Danny’s bass which was smaller than most bass guitars I’m used to seeing on stage. Yet, he made the bass vibrate sounds through your body that night as I could literally feel it coming off the speakers. Sam ripped out thunderous beats to keep the crowd energized. The mosh pit was going even heavier now and at one point Lukas separated out the crowd to the left and right and had them run at each other to continue the mosh pit. Veil of Maya put on a great performance and was thanked with booming applause and screams. You can find more info on Veil of Maya HERE and see more photos of their performance that night HERE.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

And then the crowd went insane as hometown heroes Attila hit the stage. Formed out of Atlanta, GA in 2005, has always called Orlando, FL home. With their carefree attitude, hardcore metal music, and true love for their fans, Attila instantly became crowd favorites wherever they went. The band released 8 studio albums with Villain as their most recent released in February 2019. The band was recently in Orlando on April 7th touring with All That Remains (read that review HERE) and now returned to continue their partying ways. With Chris “Fronz” Fronzak (vocals), Chris Linck (guitar), Kalan Blehm (bass), and Bryan McClure (drums) raring to go the crowd was screaming for them to perform.

Attila’s greatest strength has always been their stage presence and how they engage their fans. Their song selection has always been crowd pleasers to get them amped up and moving around. And Fronz knows how to get that crowd moving. Yet, the band is humbled by the love the fans give them and Fronz always calls out how much they appreciate their support. Outside of that, Attila’s music gets right in your face, rattles you around, and throws you down metal. You can’t help but smile watching and hearing the band perform on stage because they love their music, they love their fans, and of course, love to party. Fronz described that night as “being at a house party with the best band ever playing”. And he constantly referred to the crowd as family. When he asked who had never seen Attila before he told them, “Welcome to the family.”

As usual for an Attila show, Fronz asked the ladies to throw their bras up on the stage so they can hang them on the mic stand. Halfway through the show, he noticed there weren’t many bras thrown onto the stage. He started to ask why and then said, “Oh, it’s because you ladies aren’t wearing bras”, which raised cheers from the crowd. Before performing “Pizza” Fronz called up a woman on stage. She was topless and had pizza stickers over her nipples. She stayed on stage to dance and sing with Fronz which led to huge cheers from the crowd. And right before they wrapped up with “Toxic”, Fronz separated out the moshers to the left and right and had them run at each other. It was the largest mosh pit of the evening and it was utter chaos. Fronz thanked the crowd and the band said goodnight throwing out guitar picks and drumsticks. Also, I learned there were multiple injuries from the mosh pit during their set. You can find more on Attila at their website HERE and see a full gallery of photos from their performance HERE.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Finally, the headliners Crown The Empire were ready to take the stage. The metal band from Dallas, TX formed back in 2010 and released their EP Limitless in 2011. It didn’t take long for the band to be signed to Rise Records and release their first studio album The Fallout in 2012. The band won the Alternative Press Best Breakthrough Band award in 2014. The band released 3 more studio albums, including Sudden Sky, which released on July 19, 2019. Andy Leo (vocals), Brandon Hoover (guitar), Hayden Tree (bass), and Brent Taddie (drums) came to the stage with a huge roar from the crowd. Andy moving around the stage as he sang invigorated the crowd. Brandon and Hayden were also moving around as they played getting the crowd pumped up.

At one point Andy noticed a bar in the back left of The Plaza Live and asked if that was a bar. He then asked if they carried White Claw Hard Seltzer. He said someone gave him a thumbs up and he would be eternally gracious if someone brought him one. As they continued to played someone had indeed brought Andy a White Claw, which he proceeded to chug on stage and finished it. He said if people brought him another he would happily finish it, and so they did. He was having fun and Andy looked very happy. Andy mentioned the band was celebrating their 9 year anniversary as a band and he thanked the crowd for supporting them.

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Photo by Talon Kane Photography

Crown The Empire played some of the singles off Sudden Sky including “(X)”, “Sudden Sky”, “20/20”, “What I Am”, “Red Pills”, “BLURRY (Out of Place)”, and “MZRY”. One of the best things they did that evening was their performance of “Millennia” from their 2014 album The Resistance: Rise of The Runaways. Those who purchased the Deluxe Edition of the album got an acoustic version of “Millennia”. Brandon was handed an acoustic guitar and Andy sat down on the stage. Brandon sat down next to him as they played through that acoustic version of “Millennia”. It was heartfelt and powerful. When they finished their set, the crowd gave then a tremendous round of applause. You can find more on Crown The Empire HERE and see a full gallery of photos HERE.

The Rage Fest tour was a solid night of talented metal artists. Everyone put on a memorable performance and it was an absolutely fun time.

From The Pit To The Crowd: Crown The Empire with Attila, Veil of Maya, Gideon, and Hawk – The Plaza Live – Orlando, FL – August 17, 2019 I always found summer concerts to be some of the most memorable and fun events. Tours that have tons of bands stacked on the bill, early start times that drag the shows into the evening hours, and each band given a pretty decent set time to play at the show.

#Attila #concert review #Crown the Empire #FL #Gideon #Hawk #Orlando #Rage Fest #review #The Plaza Live #Veil of Maya