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sunsents · 3 years

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Empty - F.W (1/2)

Gah daym this was a JOURNEY to write. I swore to myself to never write angst because, well I suck at it. But here we are, I swear this has a good ending because my heart can't bear that. I could've written this much better, so I promise to bring my A GAME for chapter 2. Enjoy, also Lee in this is a hate crime. This is very story telling-esk so I hope it flows well.

I wouldn't have written this chapter without the help of my good friend @mochiixjimin she helped me edit and spice up this whole thing so thank you so much to her! She's an amazing writer, go check out her work and show her some big love right now or else!! her wattpad

Chapter 1 out of 2 (Backstory)

Summary —> Life has always been a cruel joke to you, yet you simply play along. Overshadowed by Eva Burke your whole life, watching from the sidelines while everyone flooded each other with love, it would always feel like a joke.

Pairing: fredweasley x fem!reader

Word count: 6.1k

Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST (with a fluffy ending in the second part) / One mature scene (18+) and then it's angst again <3 / Some slander / Offensive language

Rating: 18+

DON’T REPOST MY WORK

You were a bright child.

Beaming bright enough to keep a tight lipped smile during flu-shots, and enough to put on a happy façade when your dad threw away the drawing you had done of your family dog, rather than hang it up on the fridge.

Children have foolish dreams, and that was yours. Your friends in preschool boasted about their pictures being hung like trophies on fridges, with decorative magnets and even bigger pink bow ties.

The fridge in the Y/L/N manor was empty. Always empty, just how Ms. Y/L/N liked it. Empty marble floors with empty rug designs, and empty rooms with even emptier people living in it. They were both empty people. Hollow and void of any emotion, at least towards you.

You were different though. You were filled to the brim with ambition and hope and so many positive emotions that your parents never seemed to reflect on you. You were like those Disney princesses. The princesses always had hope, and when you have hope good things happen.

Right?

Your dad never meant to give you false hope. He just wished you’d keep your mouth shut as he worked until late hours. Using big words and having big aspirations, you shouldn’t have.

Mr and Mrs Y/L/N weren't bad people per say, just busy. They didn't know how to raise a child, this was obvious, because the purpose of even having a child was to fix their marriage. But a temporary fix wouldn't do it, it never did. There was always that hole on the roof, leaking rain of despair into their falsely built home that no bucket big enough could hold back. Because it always found a way to overflow.

They didn't know how to show their love, so they did it with money, clothes, toys and crayons that you would later use to draw pictures of your family, only to have them end up in the dumpster once again.

They spoiled you rotten, bought you gifts you never even dreamed of asking. You just shut up and enjoyed it, what else could you do? Whine and demand attention? Risk losing their favor? There was no favor to lose.

You got yourself a fat A plus on your third grade math test. Star stickers on your chest, you entered through the glass double doors of your house with a crooked smile - two front teeth missing of course - making your joy all the more endearing. Your backpack strapped tightly over your narrow shoulders, hanging low with all the crammed books you pushed before leaving school because you were just so excited to show your parents.

You received a big sloppy kiss from your Nanny, who practically was like a second mom to you, and dashed right into your fathers office to show him your new accomplishment.

"Good job, I'm proud of you."

You froze. You found a way to actually get their attention. The attention you so craved, the recognition you would die for. This was revolutionary. Basically a new era for you.

Nanny made you a star shaped cake that night, and sat with you while gently stroking your hair and listening to you blabber about how easy the math questions were. It felt warm, motherly love. Even if it was false, it would never compare to the love of your own mother, a love you would never get.

You spent all your night studying, your eyes burning under the harsh light of your lamp in the early mornings and your pencil, ebbing away over sheets and sheets of blank paper. Writing away your little hands off until they ached, just to snatch another A and get a good job.

This was good, it worked out very well. You became that student who looked forward to class, just to get a good grade and have the validation of your parents. The sight of your father’s lips quirk up even in the slightest, and how your mother’s eyes shone briefly in appreciation of your hard work, even if it was for a quick second, it was worth it.

Until the new neighbors moved in.

Mr. Burke was a round, cheerful man with an even rounder belly, and a big fat pipe that always hung on his lips. Mrs Burke looked and acted like those fairy godmothers you adored. You couldn’t believe such people existed. Mr Y/L/N invited them over for dinner, for courtesy. He was not happy about said courtesy.

He ended up liking the couple, they had a little daughter called Eva, who was small and adorable with round red cheeks and big doe eyes. Not only Mr and Mrs Burke, but the Y/L/N’s adored Eva as well. She was happy, always smiling, and her teeth weren't nearly as crooked as yours, not to mention she had pretty long hair like a princess.

You liked her a lot, took her to pick flowers, showed her the drawings you had prepared for the empty fridge; in case Mr Y/L/N ever had a change of heart and hung them up, you had been trying for three years and weren't giving up any sooner.

Eva was nice, kind enough to share her M&M's and very used to compliments unlike you. She seemed to get a lot from her parents and yours. The adults were so kind to her, always smothering her with love and kisses. You were happy for Eva, happy that Eva somehow managed to gain the favor of your parents before you did.

Little girls tended to be jealous, you weren’t. You were just glad to have a friend so cool, she didn't blush and stutter under praise and apparently her drawings were pretty enough to go on a fridge.

It was a Thursday afternoon when your mom smiled at you for the first time since your last exam grade. "Look, Eva drew us a picture, isn't it pretty?"

The crayola stash under your bed was no longer needed, they appeared clumsily dumped in the neighborhood trash the next day, most of them stomped under the pressure of your little sneakers. And the bundle of drawings you hid under your pillow, wishing on fairy godmother that one day they would be hung up too, were ripped; clearly a struggle given. You had paper cuts on your hands, and your Nanny thankfully applied ointment before Ms and Mr Y/L/N noticed, or rather, stopped to care.

Though you knew that even if you paraded herself with bloody fingers dripping to your elbows, they wouldn't care.

Nanny did, she was there. There when you were haunted with nightmares when the moon was particularly dark, cooing at you and letting you sleep next to her in that small bed of hers. There when you tripped and fell, small scratch resulting in a screaming tantrum. She was gentle, sweet, paid well.

You decided to go and pick flowers with Eva, and make a pretty flower crown for yourself, months after your drawing incident. Of course, you didn't have such silly dreams anymore. You didn’t wish to have your pictures hung, to have your mother wear the flower crowns you made and frankly you didn’t care for the sight of the sparkle in your parents eyes. Nanny’s was enough.

Eva agreed, dressed in a pink tutu Mrs Y/L/N gifted. You didn't comment, though deep down you gazed at the skirt in sparkling envy. Your mother never bothered to get you such pretty things. The two of you gathered saturated petals and nice ribbons while giggling amongst yourselves. Until, you accidentally caused Eva’s flowers to levitate.

Eva ran home, crying and calling you a witch. Mr and Mrs Y/L/N’s dirty looks made her feel shameful, and even dirtier when a letter addressed to her was dropped by a pretty owl you insisted on petting. It was from a school called Hogwarts, in the faraway land of London, and it seemed, not only you but Eva got the same letter the next day.

Though the Y/L/N’s and Burke’s were proud of Eva’s letter. They weren’t with yours.

— — — —

The ride to Hogwarts was interesting to say the least. You had so many questions unanswered, were you a fairy godmother too? Was that your destiny? Was that the reason you never got any attention, because you were destined to give instead of receive?

Eva was cheerful as always, making fast friends in newly bought uniforms and holding a pretty, long and thin wand, with designs flowing across the premise. Your wand was...functional. You were sad you couldn't choose, and that the wand chose the owner. It didn't make sense, what if you didn't want this wand? What if you wanted something charming like Eva’s? It should have been mutual.

It was while trying to find your way to the bathroom that you met the Weasley twins. Quite handsome, a year older and absolute fucktards. A word you learned from the two. Though you always found yourself laughing more at Fred’s jokes, you liked them both equally.

“Hey George! Look.” Fred had exclaimed, clinging onto his brothers shoulder and dragging him across. “Who's that girl?”

You introduced yourself, happy façade on, gentle words slipping out of your mouth like nectar. They had to like you, you told yourself. Just this once, more than Eva.

When sorted into Gryffindor, Eva, you and the twins became inseparable. Your group grew in second year, when Katie, Lee and Alicia Spinnet joined the bunch. You would make fun of the ghastly Potions Professor Snape, and imitate Dumbledore in the hallways to mess with the older students.

You loved your time at Hogwarts, and the adventures that came every year. Especially when Harry Potter joined.

“Hey Fred.”

Fred, who was fiddling with his bracelet you had bought him hummed in response, not bothering to look up.

You sighed, “Do you think the flowers can feel it when we pluck them?”

Fred turned at that, his bracelet was now tightly secure after his struggles. “I hope not.” he smiled, a faraway look on his face whenever he gazed at you. “You know, some people like pain.” he winked.

You merely looked at him confused, clearly way too young for...whatever that is.

He started laughing loudly, slapping his knee and causing you to scoff and slap him on the shoulder.

Third year was when it bloomed. The slight girly attention you gave Fred grew. Fred was...Fred. A handsome ginger, beater for their house's Quidditch team, always charming and charismatic that somehow oozed out of him whenever he did anything really. It was not unusual, every girl in school had a crush on him. That wasn't the case, Fred was one of your best friends, and you refused to entertain the idea of a possible...relationship.

Yet sometimes, you'd find yourself thinking about hugging and kissing Fred like you’d seen couples in your favorite movies did and you’d fall asleep with reddened cheeks and a boy with even redder hair in your mind.

But feelings couldn’t be controlled, nor easily hidden. Eva found out in your fourth year after hearing you mumble his name in your dreams. Fred Weasley was getting more handsome as years passed, and you found it hard to contain your feelings. You were crushing, hard.

Eva was...Eva about it. Happy, but nothing changed. She didn't tease like George did when he found out, nor did she act any differently towards Fred.

“Hey ____!” Fred had sat next to you, shaking the entire couch because he grew that tall during summer. “Got a new girl after me.” he looked at you, almost expectantly, as if you wouldn’t react the way you always reacted.

“That’s great Fred.” you smiled, gulping whatever lump that was forming in your throat and struggling to come out as vulgar words you wished to yell.

“Yeah,” Fred sighed, “It’s...great.”

Fred Weasley was a ladies man, and he wasn't afraid to show it. It was okay, because you were happy enough to be one of his closest, and that was enough. He often boasted about getting girls, and how successful his jokes were, and you always loved snapping back to him cockily, even more cockily than him. Playful banter was easy, comforting between them and when he turned away you would love to shyly entertain the idea of being one of those girl’s Fred talked about.

Fifth year, you had a sudden growth spurt. That was also the year where you discovered Cosmopolitan, Vogue and of course Witch Weekly. Hair no longer in a ponytail, legs shaved and smooth, short skirts with no nylons, you were a new person. After getting your period in third year, your spurt came late, but sudden. Way too sudden in the time of three months. It was hard to handle the changes occurring to your body. It was all too much that you had to become a lady and the fact that you didn’t have your mother to help was a pain you hid deep within.

It was as if whichever god above decided to squeeze your entire life into a summer and call it a day, because it was simply too busy. How ironic. No one saw your growth except old Nanny Gladys. Not Eva, nor her parents considering they went on a getaway and the Burke's, who had gone to Brazil.

But you were over that, you discovered the great telephone, and the great Hermione Granger, package deal with Ginny Weasley. You guys would talk on the phone for hours upon hours, Ginny obscuring your personality and Hermione altering your view on your parents. And Hermione was right, they were assholes. You didn't give a flying fuck about empty praises anymore.

You had become almost too tall for your older clothes, and your breasts were way too big to fit in the training bra you bought not even a month ago. Your hips, now wide and swaying as you walk became graceful, were decorated with long gem bracelets.

You cursed like a sailor that summer, ran around fields with family - your family being your dog, Jambo - bare feet. You stomped on flowers you used to pick as a little girl, stomping on those silly fairytale dreams you used to nurse, and never felt freer. For the first time ever you felt that maybe being empty could be more freeing than having false hope weighing you down.

Returning to Hogwarts was a big deal to students. Who changed, who glowed up after what happened last year - nothing, it was all childish drama.

Before your parents could even see your new self, your escapade to the Granger household was successful. The Y/L/N's didn't care, nor did they write. You knew it should’ve hurt, but frankly, you didn’t think having the pain in your chest was worth it. Hermione was awestruck, of course, after laying her sights on you for the first time since May and insisted on walking into the Entrance Hall, arm in arm with her and Ginny to show you off like some sort of revelation.

It was a revelation all right, at least to the boys, and some girls. It seemed no one saw you as a girl before. George oogled, and Lee was so shocked to find out that you were actually a girl with a pretty figure and an even prettier smile that he stopped clapping you on the back like he always did. Not a girl, you have become a woman. It was far too sudden, new uniforms and a whole new wardrobe had to be bought.

"____? You were a girl?" Fred joked, ruffling your hair like nothing changed between you. And that's when you realized, no slutty skirt, how much pushup your bra, or no matter how pretty your hair looked, Fred would always see you as ____, the girl with crooked front teeth and who once ate a worm in second year. Your teeth weren't crooked at all anymore - thanks to a few years of braces - and finally clear of uncomfortable metals but you felt as if Fred would always see the ghost of them on your pearly whites when you smiled.

He had this view of you that blinded him, caused him to treat you as he treated Ginny while he flirted and played footsie with other girls, including Eva.

That did not stop Eva from giving you false hope, and you took the bait, naive like always. Hope, that's what ruined it all. "You're beautiful now, of course you have a chance!" she said, rubbing your shoulder reassuringly, as if she had warmth to begin with.

It was all false, yet you still believed. You always had. Like a fool.

Ginny didn't like Eva, and maybe that's why you gravitated towards her. She was the first person who had ever met Eva that wasn't charmed by her kind smile and attractive words. Eva was...displeased. She grew up having the attention of everyone around, so when Ginny Weasley told her straight to her face that she wasn't shit, Eva seethed. The attention of Ginny changed nothing though, because Eva was the main character. Everyone - except Ginny, and secretly Hermione (though she would never say it) - loved her, they followed her around like puppies and praised her on her wonky wand work.

The upcoming Yule Ball brought great upswing to Hogwarts.

You were far too busy with her classes to take interest in the tournament - even though the dragon race was the gnarliest sight you had ever seen. Your goal was set, become a badass Auror and move out as soon as possible, so you didn't have to face your parents (except Holidays, yuck.)

But the Yule Ball was your chance. A chance with Fred Weasley.

You could ask to go as friends and maybe, just maybe a little hope and the night would end much more romantic than you had anticipated.

Plucking up courage was the hardest part, you practiced with your bathroom mirror so long that Ginny had to blast through the door and drag you out of her dormitory.

Fred Weasley agreed, why wouldn't he? You, his closest friend, asking to go as a group and drink all night while gossiping? It was a win win. At least that's what you told herself.

That was a lie, it wasn't a win win.

You gave it your all getting ready, dress silk, makeup and expensive shoes. You took a long shower, scrubbing and shaving yourself to a smooth gliding porcelain, only for it all to be washed down with reddened eyes and a boy with even redder hair.

Fred greeted you the same, danced the same, and you chatted the same; you were reminded again, for the second time, that you stood no chance.

Fred told you that he was going to get drinks, a quick trip to the booth and mumbled I'll be back in a second. He was not back in a second. Several minutes passed, and your worries caused your feet to follow after Fred's footsteps.

You ran, trying to find him in the empty corridors of Hogwarts, tears welling in your eyes because he wouldn't. He wasn't that cruel, life wasn't that cruel.

But it was, and in a distant empty classroom you saw Fred Weasley, on his knees and between Eva's legs, groaning and praising her like a starved man. Worshipping her like everyone else had, burying himself in her and completely forgetting the drink he’d bring back in just a second. He’d left you thirsty and alone in the Great Hall and left you to drink from a cup he hadn’t known to be forbidden. Yet Eva did.

Eva's perfect dainty hands tangled in his ginger hair, thighs clamping shut while her high pitched moans flooded your mind and echoed around your head. They were so loud that she couldn’t even hear the loud echoes of your footsteps and the woeful cries that left your lips as you ran. It wouldn’t be the first time she had ignored your pain for her own selfish reasons.

Your heart shattered, and suddenly you were six again, watching your parents praise Eva, hang her drawing on the fridge. A soft breeze tickling your bare toes, dangling from the small cushioned seat you sat on while you watched Eva braid Mrs Y/L/N’s hair. Emotionless, silent, not asking for anything, knowing that you won't receive in return. Eva's small hands carefully placed the flower crown on Mrs Y/L/N’s pool of hair, and she smiled, heart warming and hopeful. Suddenly you remembered the feel of your own hands tangling in between your locks as you stood on your tiptoes, trying to imitate your mothers braid on yourself in the mirror you couldn't reach. You pretended, only for a moment before it twisted into knots.

What a cruel joke, you thought as you watched Eva receive the world from Fred, from your parents, from your friends and from every damn person you had met.

You cried on a big set of stairs that night, your wails echoing as you asked whoever, whatever what you had done. What you had done to deserve such treatment from the people around you. It was rather cliche - and maybe a bit too dramatic. It was an uncomfortable seat of course, and your body, as well as your heart, ached. Pain, misery, false hope and enough hair spray to melt the ozone.

The princesses always cried on big sets of stairs, uncomfortable stone floors causing them to shiver while they hid away their beautifully animated faces in their perfect hands. This was different, there was no fairy godmother to fix your makeup and clone a gentlemanly Fred Weasley, a perfect prince. You knew, because you cried, and prayed and cried and prayed until your throat was sore. There was no fairy godmother, it was all a lie. There was no happy ending. There would be none.

No one came to find you that night either, and you had to drag yourself back to the Gryffindor common room, feet bare, mascara, blush - anything else you put on in hopes of being able to become like Eva even only for one night - practically nonexistent from the way your tears washed them away.

You didn't sleep that night, and your head was unusually clear, pounding, but clear. You laid awake, eyes blood-shot and stinging while your dress shuffled uncomfortably between your sheets. You were too tired to change, and your dress was far too pretty to be worn so short.

Ginny's words replayed over and over again. "They're not worth it." her voice was so clear, and true. Mr and Mrs Burke weren't worth it. Your parents weren't worth it. Fred Weasley wasn't worth it. Eva wasn't worth it. The midnight chirping of bugs invited themselves in from your open window, and blue moonlight streaks beaming down in lines from the tulle curtain flowed with breeze, it was calming.

You felt calm, for the first time in sixteen years. You felt calm.

Fred and Eva started dating that week. Everyone acted like they expected it, and you realized just how blind you had been. Eva Burke and Fred Weasley, golden couple of Hogwarts.

You watched them, emotionless, as they embraced with love and so much passion that you felt embarrassed. Embarrassed at how you’d blushed and squeal over Fred in front of Eva and George and anyone who had found out because now you knew. Now you knew that their amused smiles were probably pitying grimaces because they knew that you two were never meant to be. It was always Fred and Eva.

Fred was an amazing boyfriend, making sure Eva was taken care of, lovingly staring at her whenever and wherever, arm looped around her waist at all times; you realized they were truly not worth it.

"You disgust me."

You didn't mean the words to escape so carelessly, but when you said them, you realized you didn't want to take them back. The growing pit in your stomach felt weightless. "Excuse me?" said Fred, stopping his nibbling on Eva's neck, who was just as shocked. You scoffed, Eva already had enough purple bruises to parade around so why did Fred have the need to add more?

"You heard me right," George, Lee, Ron, Harry, Katie and whoever sitting in their circle stared at you, wide-eyed, Ginny and Hermione, however, were grinning devilishly. Kind ____, wouldn't hurt a fly, quiet at times and didn't know how to stand up for herself. It was shocking, but you were done pretending. You didn't want to be like that anymore, you wanted to say whatever came to mind and not worry about the consequences. "You guys disgust me, I know I should be supportive but you don't match, at all."

You turned to George. "And you, no you can't talk about Katie like that." George went pink. "You're disgusting for sleeping around carelessly and telling girls you'd write, stop giving people false hope. Grow up. You’re nearly an adult and you can’t even treat a girl right."

"And you Lee," Lee went quiet. "What gives you the right to make fun of me like that. I'll wear whatever the fuck I want, just because you don't have the courage to wear a headband. If you can talk about my breasts, I'll talk about your shrimp."

"Ron, you take advantage of Hermione then lead her on. Open your eyes, asshole."

"Harry, you're not the main character. You're not always going to be the center of attention, nor do you have the right to yell at your friends."

"Alicia, god you're so stupid. I'm sorry, you're great but such an airhead. No, you can't ride a Thestral if you can't see them, and stop eating quill ink they're bad for you."

You stood up, grinning proudly, heart loud in your chest you feared someone might hear. "Frankly, I don't wanna be friends anymore. I'm done with this façade, except you two, 'Gin, Hermione. The rest of you are just so fake." she gestured to them. "Boys," she nodded again. "Don't talk to me anymore, and Lee, give me back the money, think it's about time don't you think? I've been paying for you since third year."

And with that, you left. You left Three Broomsticks, grin wide and chest heaving. Hermione and Ginny ran behind, whooping and cheering you on as they laughed.

The news of your outburst spread fast like wildfire caught in wind. That week was bliss, you no longer had to watch Fred and Eva, nor did you have to act sweet to anyone. You didn't have to laugh along Lee's sexist jokes and look away to wince, it was pure bliss. You realized that the feeling of being free didn’t have to be momentary.

Pansy Parkinson was surprisingly a good friend, she didn't have the same fakeness to her, the one Eva had where her smile was too kind. She spoke her mind, though every Slytherin did, and you liked that. Ginny wasn't happy with your new found friends, but she couldn't separate you. You made your own decisions from now on. It was refreshing.

You told your new friends everything, eager to get it off your chest and breathe, and they listened. For the first time, someone listened. You didn't have to get good grades, nor did you have to act like a sweet angel.

You teared up the first time Pansy said; "It's not your fault,". You knew it wasn't your fault, but hearing someone else say it with such genuine eyes made you believe. Actually believe.

It started off with you watching from the sidelines as Draco and Blaise pranked, insulted and shamed whatever your old friend group did. It wasn't unusual for Draco to act this way, but he got especially irritated after hearing what you told them. Blaise, someone usually quiet, had stepped up and decided to somehow release the pent up anger he had for the Gryffindor students.

The year ended, and you had started to sneak in an insult or two towards Fred and Eva. It felt nice, like finally, step by step you were clearing your years of hidden jealousy. But, there was no one to tell you that this simply wasn't the right way.

That summer, you stayed at the Burrow. Ginny had invited you and you were quick to say yes; obviously a fact forgotten. Fred, George and whoever you had insulted last year stayed in the same house. You simply didn't want to go home, and if this meant seeing Fred Weasley then you had to endure it.

Molly Weasley was the sweetest person you could ever meet, and it was genuine. It felt genuine, you feared your teeth might rot if the woman got another word in. Molly greeted you as if you were her own daughter she hadn't seen in years. You felt valued, seen.

Until Eva was there, Fred invited her. You had to watch the only person you were able to love, introduce the only person he was able to love to his mother. It wasn't you. It would never be you.

And you realized, even after everything, Eva had once again found a way to be more loved than you.

The grin Molly broke out was nothing short of beautiful, and you couldn't help but smile as well. The smile wasn't directed towards you of course, and you sat on that small kitchen chair, celebrating a relationship that caused your ruin.

Eva didn't care that your friendship was over, nothing budged in her life. She still got the same attention, still received the same love from Fred. The same affection, the same attention and the same everything. Or so it seemed.

Though unlike Eva, Fred merely watched you with sad eyes.

You stayed clear of the couple and the rest. You hung out with Ginny and Hermione only, ignoring the dirty looks Ron and Harry gave you. The secret, whispered insults Eva threw your way. George didn't say anything, but he didn't object either. This was enough to show how he felt. At this point you really didn't care. Why would you, when they didn’t either?

You held your head high just like Ginny and Hermione told you to, and you spoke in a loud and clear tone whenever asked something. Eva didn't, she stuttered when you spoke to her directly. Her words scrambled against each other when she tried to voice her insults in louder statements than a whisper. For the first time, you felt relief. You felt intimidating, protected by the barriers you had built around yourself.

Longest day of summer hit, and it boiled. Tanning became a distant dream, you would bake in this weather, and you were thankful to the big AC box you had brought from home. You couldn't sleep that night, sweat beads falling down your forehead that was already covered in a thin sheen. You had decided to get a cold glass of water, not sure how you ended up face to face with Fred Weasley. His wand tip shone with blue light, and his freckles were much darker because of the sun. It seemed the sun decided to be cruel to Fred Weasley back and wash Fred over with it's deathly heat. He was sunburnt, this was an understatement. He was burnt.

You couldn't help but start laughing when you met, ignoring the proximity, ignoring the sleeping house, dead silent and a big leap from the lively Burrow, ignoring Fred's soft breaths he let out every other second. You couldn't live off on false hope anymore.

Suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore, and your face quickly fell. You took a big step back and inhaled, ready to ignore him like you had been doing for the past year. But Fred Weasley was a persistent man, and he gripped your arm and looked at you with determined, doe-like eyes. "Tell me what I did wrong." he said, adamant on fixing this, whatever this was. You both didn't know.

You stood silent.

"Please flower,"

"Don't call me that." you said, stern and gaze sharp. Fred didn't react, he kept on insisting.

"Please, tell me how to fix this. I can fix it," he pleaded, a plethora of empty promises fell out of his lips like nothing. He lied like it was nothing, he was oblivious to everything he and everyone around them had put you through. It was infuriating.

You didn't say anything. You knew he would not fix anything but maybe staying silent would give him the false hope that spinned mockingly in your head for the past eighteen years.

"I'm sorry, just please. I can fix this, I promise, don't be like that." empty tears fell down from his eyes. He looked empty, tired. They lacked the charm they usually shined with and you wondered if it was only you that caused such dullness. Eye bags prominent that you never noticed before. It all felt like a lie, a cruel joke.

Fred Weasley was simply a cruel joke. His presence could only be compared to a shot of whiskey, especially when you down it like how Hagrid nurses a Firewhiskey filled pint glass. You never know how it will hit you. But in the end, you'd always find yourself curled next to the toilet, crying your eyes out because your headache was simply too much.

He was sobbing now, hanging onto your waist like you would simply vanish and you let him. The grip he had on was like steel vice - almost concerning - but you didn't touch him, didn't say anything. You just let him be, like he did to you. Allowed him to hopelessly hang off you before you would eventually leave him alone, like he did to you. "Where did I go wrong? How could we end up like this? What went wrong?"

‘You’, but your voice couldn’t be found.

Questions were useless when the answer was already right in front of his eyes. You didn’t let a single tear fall, you wouldn't forgive yourself if you cried in front of him.

You blinked, and that night was over. Summer continued on like nothing happened, like it didn't leave you heart broken and in such shame yet again. You continued on ignoring Fred as he looked at you with sorrowful eyes. Looked at you more, with more than he did his own girlfriend.

You blinked and the school year started again with another terror looming around the corner. There was simply no need to keep up anymore, because school was easy. You attended classes, got good grades, a few scar here and there from Umbridge's torture chamber, a woman who stood at a whopping five foot three yet still teriffied an entire school.

You blinked and you had already become a proud member of Draco's insult the Gryffindor's club. You didn't even feel bad, being horrible to the people you hated for years felt like a breath of fresh air. You didn't go as far as physically hurting any of your old friends, but coming up with damaging insults was such fun. A lot more fun than sitting around with a fake smile.

You blinked, and you were already moving out from your childhood house. Mr and Mrs Y/L/N were unusually happy, this was a given. They would have a new empty room and make another office, like they didn't have enough already. You feared they would start getting rid of bathrooms once too into their work, and they would have to do their business in bushes or buckets. Scratch that, you didn't fear that, it would be fucking hilarious.

You blinked, and when had time passed too quickly? Where did all those empty childhood years had gone? You were already graduating, on your way to become an Auror. You had lost contact with all your old friends now, regretfully Ginny and Hermione too.

The war had hit too quickly, luckily you survived, so did your friends. Unluckily, it left you with a nasty scar right across your left brow. It looked sick, but the hit wasn't worth it. It hurt like a bitch. You could see, it was a close call but vision wasn't an issue. The trauma though, god did Bellatrix's breath smell bad.

When it was all over, you had seen Fred hugging his family tightly. It seemed the Weasley's all survived, and you gave them each tight lipped smiles while holding a bunched up rag to your head to stop the blood gushing out. This wasn't the reunion you wanted to have with Ginny, but hey, you take what you can get after a revolutionary Wizarding war you barely made out alive.

Before a franticly running Fred could reach you though, you apparated to your flat in Diagon Alley, ignoring the thrumming of your heart, and how you practiced in front of a mirror to congratulate their successful joke shop that morning.

#angst #hp angst #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley fluff #fred weasley #fred weasley x y/n #weasley twins #fred weasley angst #fred weasley smut #fred weasley series #reader insert #harry potter fluff #harry potter fic #fred weasley imagine

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honeypirate · 3 years

Text

I’m glad it’s you (soulmate)

Tamaki Amakiji x fem reader

Warnings - has spoilers from season five episode 1. I don’t know if it’s accurate bc I don’t remember the episode all the way but I wanted to use that part of it

(I don’t know anything about Mirio’s parents and can’t find much on google)

Summary: Having the ability to see color since you were a toddler, you and your parents assume you just don’t have a soulmate and were spared the grey dull life without one. Tamaki, being in the same boat, thinks it’s too good to be true that his crush likes him back...

You felt lucky your whole life. Lucky to always have color when all your friends saw in grey. It was like pleasantville for them and you were blessed with color.

Sure, you’ve heard stories of people who find their soulmates as children who always had color, but your childhood friend was Mirio and he still saw in grey.

You head out of your room, your backpack bouncing along your back as you skipped down the stairs, humming a soft song stuck in your head as you make your way into the kitchen.

“Good morning Tamaki” you say softly, finding him at the table eating breakfast. “Good morning” he says down into his bowl. “How did you sleep?” You ask gently, he’s an introverted quiet guy and you always tried to make sure you weren’t doing anything that made him uncomfortable, the three years he’s known you at school he’s always appreciated that about your friendship.

He clears his throat, and you notice him shiver once “good.” He says and then surprises you by asking “You?” And looks up to your eyes for just a moment before he looked back to his breakfast.

“I slept well. Had crazy dreams though” you get your breakfast, just a pop tart, but you still want to sit with him “do you mind if I sit with you?” You ask, though the table had many chairs, all of which except his were empty.

“No” he says with a slight head shake and you smile, taking the chair one away from him. Close but not too close.

When your first pop tart was eaten, he speaks and it makes you smile “what.. uhh.. wh-what was your dream?” He asks his voice a little shaky

You swallow and smile, looking over to him as you spoke. “I was in space and you and mirio were there. We were shopping and then there were like colorful bubbles that I had to search though because one held the name of soulmate. But someone else found the bubble before I could and stole my soulmate. Then it turned out that person was a villain and we had to fight him and you and mirio died and I was alone in space. I don’t know what happened to the villain I just ended up alone.” You shrug, it wasn’t a nightmare just was strange.

You finish to it pop tart and roll up the paper towel you had so you can throw it away.

“Do - do you want to know m-my dream?” He asks and you smile, placing your elbow on the table and leaning your chin on your hand “yes. I do” you say with a small smile, making eye contact with him for just a moment, noticing his cheeks flush as he looks down again.

“I was on a mountain” he swallows hard and closes his eyes so he can speak without knowing you were looking at him. Which you weren’t, your gaze was shifted to the wall behind him, Mirio’s smiling face poking out from the wall.

“A-and you were there with me. You helped me learn how to fly” you smile warmly at him when he looks up to you. “That’s a lovely dream, Tamaki” you say “I wish I could fly with you, that would be amazing” you scoot from your chair to the one close to him and reach out “do you mind?” You ask, your hand beside his hair and he nods his head slowly once, his eyes looking into yours for the longest time he’s ever looked back at you.

Touching him wasn’t a new thing but you always asked before you did, just in case he didn’t like it.

You run your fingers through his hair and Mirio in the background cheers in silence, making your cheeks heat a little.

“Your hair is as soft as I hoped it would be. I love the color. I don’t think I’ve ever told you. this is actually my favorite color”

“Hey guys we’re gonna be late!” Nejire says as she comes into the the kitchen “no!” Mirio says and grabs his head making you and Tamaki jump and you pull back your hand. “No what?” She asks and Mirio tries to cover by laughing “just don’t want to be late!” He says awkwardly before he grabs an apple and tosses one at Nejire and pushes her outside of the dorm.

“They’re weird” you say with a laugh and get up, tossing your trash as he puts he rinses his bowl and puts it in the dishwasher. “Yeah” he says softly, his cheeks still flushed from you touching his hair.

***

“I love when we can be villains! If I didn’t have a quirk I’d want to be an actor” you say as you wait beside Tamaki in the training grounds. “I don’t like it” he says and you smile warmly “but you’re always so good at it” you say and he blushes “t-thanks” he mumbles and before you can talk anymore class 1A arrives on the scene.

“Tamaki!” You shouted from across the field, you were running as hard as you could trying to get to him when you saw Bakugou getting ready to blast him even after the training was called to an end.

You got there just as he released his grenade and you dropped to the ground, grabbing Tamaki’s hand and bracing yourself as you feel the heat burn your skin in a few places and rocks and dust hitting you as you close your eyes.

After the dust settles you pushed Bakugou off Tamaki and Kirishima drags him off

“Hey hey hey” you say softly and brush his hair from his face and dust off the rocks and “are you okay? That was completely out of line” he groans and you help him sit up “Tamaki?” You ask softly and he meets your eye “hi” you say softly and you run your fingers through his hair hoping to calm him down “hi” he says, his eyes were a little distant and you smile softly “let’s get you to Recovery Girl, okay? Is it okay if touch you and help you?” He nods and you help him to his feet, your arm wrapping around his middle as his arm wraps around your shoulder.

He was a little out of it, but not too far out of it to not have any reaction to you helping him. His hands were clammy and his heart was racing. He was thinking about how nice it is to feel your fingers through his hair. How nice you smell from your hair being so close to his nose. He wanted to bury his face in your hair and tell you how he thinks your eyes are the prettiest shade he’s ever seen. But his anxiety and nerves and the pain in his body won’t let him do that right now.

You stay with him the entire time he gets looked after, talking to mr aizawa and the principle about what happened from your point of view. After that, you were allowed to change from your hero suit and head back to the dorms.

You walked beside Tamaki back to the dorm, his bag over your shoulder no matter what he said to try and get you to let him carry it himself.

You place his bag down beside his bed and then head to the door “text me. Okay? If you need anything” you say softly and turn to meet his eyes. His eyes widen for a moment but he makes himself stay meeting your eye as he nods. “thank you” he says and you smile, making his heart race “of course, Tama”

“You should text her man” Mirio said as he pulled himself from the wall. “I don’t know” Tamaki says as he sits on his bed. “You should. She even said you could” Tamaki nods but says nothing.

“How about we all go to my parents place for dinner this weekend! Then you can have more time to talk to her without it being a big thing” Tamaki’s eyes light up for a moment “can we-?” Mirio nods “of course! My moms been telling me to bring home my friends anyway. So I’ll talk to Nejire and Y/n and it’ll be great!”

~ Skip to that weekend ~

“I love your mom! I’m so excited to see her again!” You say and hold on to Mirio’s arm. Tamaki gives Mirio a look and he laughs “mine and y/n’s moms are best friends” he says and Tamaki nods “that’s nice” he says and you can see in his eyes he means it.

“Thank you ma’am” you say as she hands you a plate and she laughs “you don’t have to be so formal” she says and you shrug with a smile

“I know but old habits” you say

Tamaki watches this whole exchange from right across from you. Watches how you smile and how bright your eyes get as you look down at your plate, waiting for everyone else to have one before you dig in to the food that’s laid out on the table.

You look up and make eye contact with him and he gasps, a pink blush dusting his cheeks but again, he uses every strength he can muster to not look away and realizes how worth it it was when you smile softly at him with closed eyes as you lightly bump your foot into his.

He’s heard about footsie before from Mirio, knows it simple and you don’t even have to really look at each other. But he can’t muster up the guts to bump your foot back. He sits there, eating quietly, speaking when absolutely necessary, and peaking at you through his hair every once in a while.

‘Just do it’ he thinks to himself ‘it’ll be fine. She started it. You can do it too. Just get some guts and do it god damn it!’

He moves his foot out, a little too quickly but he realized it too late. Feeling immediate regret and panic when his foot hits yours with too much force.

He expects you to yell at him or send him a glare but you surprise him, silencing all his doubts and fears by looking up into his eyes and smiling again. Reaching out with your foot and sliding it along the side of foot.

His cheeks flush red as he looks down to his plate, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as you repeat the action.

This continued the rest of the meal and Tamaki felt like a blushing mess but every time he met your eye he realized that you weren’t looking at him like you thought he was a mess. Your eyes were sweet and he could see the flush on your cheeks and ears, a few patches on your neck and chest that truly showed that you were feeling similar to him.

Realizing that you were feeling similar made him feel a little more bolder and braver. Keeping eye contact with you for a little bit longer than normal and branching out to run the toe of his shoe up to your ankle and back.

You chuckle under your breath and tried to hide how warm your cheeks were.

“Y/n are you okay dear? You look a little flushed” Mirio’s mother says and you laugh awkwardly “I’m good! You know how I like spicy things!” You awkwardly laugh and hope she buys it’s from the spicy food. Tamaki loves the sound, your laugh showing that you were as awkward as he was and that brought you down from the pedestal he had you on.

He had thought you were so many levels higher than him. Thought you were confident and thought you’d only want someone as confident as you. He feels like an idiot. You’re just a human being. A sweet girl who feels as awkward as he does sometimes. And you see color just like he does so that means you’re both without a soulmate. It seemed too good to be true.

After dinner you walked back to the dorms talking and laughing with Mirio. You kept looking behind you at Tamaki and smiling, making his heart skip every time.

You finished your conversation with Mirio and Nejire and then quietly made your way to stand beside Tamaki. “Hi” you say softly and he smiles, watching the sidewalk as he walked “hi” he said back and you chuckle softly “do you want to hang out tonight?” you ask softly but then cover quickly just in case it stresses him out “Nothing stressful!... just like. We can hang out in my room and watch Jujutsu Kaisen or something.”

He feels like his whole body is trembling he’s desperate to say yes but his tongue feels so thick. You reach out and gently take a hold of his hand “hey” you say softly and he meets your eyes “it’s okay. How about you come over or you don’t and either way.. We’re still good friends” you smile softly and he tries to return it, knowing it must have looked a little wonky, but he nods, and does something that feels against his every fiber, he doesn’t let go of your hand.

You look at him when you reach the elevator and he nods once, answering the question in your eyes. You smile and squeeze his hand gently as you press your floor number. When you both exit together you look over your shoulder and watch the elevator doors close on Mirio grinning and holding his chest over his heart.

“Have you seen this?” You ask as you type the website in your computer

He nods “I’m on episode 16” he says softly and you beam at him “I am too! What a coincidence. Do you mind if we just watch from there?” He shakes his head and you smile, clicking the episode.

You watch episode sixteen and in the middle of seventeen he shifts a little closer to you, his pinky taking a hold of yours. You hum in approval and turn to smile at him, moving the rest of the way close to him and holding your hand out with a smile.

He gently placed his palm against yours and laced your fingers together, you could feel how his hand shakes but you didn’t let on to it.

by the end of episode eighteen your head was on his shoulder. He reaches out and presses the space bar to pause the show but doesn’t say anything, just sits back and shifts more to turn into you, resting his cheek against your head that was still on his shoulder.

“Tama?” You whisper softly, cuddling into him more. “Yes?” He asks

“I like you”

He tenses, just for a few seconds, before he squeezes your hand softly

“I- like you too” he confesses, a whisper that he was kind of embarrassed about how not confident it sounded, but it was perfect for you.

You moved slowly, turning your head to look up at him, surprised and impressed when he met your eye unwavering.

“We’ll take it slow okay? Whatever you’re comfortable with. You don’t have to worry. I’m not gonna be mad or sad or think bad about you if you’re not comfortable with something and you don’t have to feel uncomfortable with me and you can talk to me about everything”

he smiles, his face heating up and he leans down to press his forehead to yours, your eyes fluttering closed. He sighs softly “thank you. I- I hope I can give you what you need” you smile and rest your other hand on his chest “you already do” you whisper.

“- kiss you?” He whispers so soft you didn’t even hear the first words but you nod softly against him. Your heart fluttering and your breathing becoming quicker. He swallows, his hand squeezing yours a little tighter as he tries to talk himself into closing the small distance but he seems stuck, he feels like a fish out of water. He gasps softly, relaxing almost immediately when your hand moves up into his hair, softly running your fingers through it as you patiently wait for him.

You’re so sweet. So patient and caring, he felt so extremely lucky. He feels his body relax and he leans ever so slightly, connecting his lips to yours.

(One month later)

“Thanks for having us back so soon ma’am” you say and she smiles, her eyes saying what you’ve heard a hundred times but she just shakes her head. “Of course! I love you kids. It’s nice to see you two finally getting together too! You’d think soulmates would stay closer through the years but I guess I was wrong” you and Tama both choke, you on your water and him on the air.

“What was that mom?” Mirio says, wide eyes

“They’re soulmates!” She exclaims like it was obvious “... right? I mean all those times I babysat you guys as toddlers, they were thicker than thieves and talking about every color in the book I guess I just assumed. Are you not..?” She trails off but you’re just looking into Tamaki’s eyes.

“You were the little boy I knew.” You whisper with a smile

“You’re my soulmate.” he whispers back, immensely more relaxed around you than he was at the beginning.

“You didn’t know?” Mirio’s mom asks and you laugh and shake your head “I thought I didn’t have one and that’s why I saw colors. I didn’t know it was because I met him right away”

“I don’t even remember being babysat as a kid” Tamaki admits with a blush, his hand resting against your knee under the table, confident and not shaking.

“I’m glad it’s you” you whisper and smile when his blush deepens. “Me too” he says back, his hand squeezing your knee gently.

#bnha nejire #mirio togata #tamaki amakiji #bnha tamaki #tamaki x you #tamaki x y/n #tamaki x reader #tamaki amakiji x reader #bnha x you #bnha x fem!reader #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers

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bokutos-eyebrows · 4 years

Text

Reactions Pt. 1

Poly TsukkiYama x Reader fic is here ~ For all of us who want to be a throuple with this salty sweet duo. More notes at the end!

Poly Tsukkishima Kei x Fem! Reader x Yamaguchi Tadashi

Word Count: 1,817

Warnings: None yet, but there will be smut eventually

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀ “Kei, I know about your feelings for Tadashi.”

Tsukishima stiffened at your words. He was too taken aback to hide his shock.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tsukishima stated blankly, avoiding looking at you. You chuckled slightly, putting a hand on Tsukki’s back.

“Your reaction just told me everything I need to know.”

Tsukishima did love you. And you knew that. But you couldn’t turn a blind eye to the fact that he and Yamaguchi had a long history together.

The three of you had met while working at the history museum in your city. Tsukki and Yams had already been working at the museum since high school giving tours of the different exhibits. You worked the check in desk for the tour groups, organizing who took which groups out, and planning out tour schedules. Yamaguchi being the sweetheart he is, was always eager to help you out and show you the ropes of the job, dragging the reluctant Tsukishima with him.

Tsukki had an obvious soft spot for Yamaguchi. He would go along with whatever Tadashi said, or seek him out for a comforting hug after a long shift. The two boys just seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking. Yamaguchi always stayed by Tsukki’s side as well, going to him out throughout the day to chat, and bringing him snacks. They always seemed to be on their own, separate from everyone else. You had always noticed a tension between them, but you could never quite put your finger on the cause of it.

As time passed, the three of you became close friends, even hanging out on your days off. You became an addition to their little group, always separated from others. It was like you were all in your own little bubble. Before long you grew to have a deep love for both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. You thought for sure it was platonic, despite the occasional flirting.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t catch on to the lingering glances and touches Tsukishima and Yamaguchi shared. You weren’t blind. Sometimes you joked about how the two of them were dating. You were a little jealous of how close they were, not quite sure of which boy you were jealous of. But all thoughts of what could be going on between them were put on pause when Tsukishima asked you out on a date.

Yamaguchi was supportive, seeing as Kei had never really taken interest in someone before. Tsukki grew to like you quickly because like Yams, you could handle his banter and had jokes of your own. You and Tsukki clicked well, the transition from friends to lovers was almost seamless.

The three of you still went out often. You loved being around the two boys, and it never felt like anyone was a third wheel. More often than not, your dates with Kei included Tadashi. It just worked when all of you were together. You had fun alone with Tsukki too, nothing ever felt forced, but there was a pestering feeling that something was missing. You could tell that Tsukki felt it too. The two of you were in love, so why?

Then it hit you.

You were on a coffee run with Yamaguchi, wanting to surprise Kei who was already at work. The two of you had reached out to grab the third drink, your hands collided, fingers slightly intertwining. As you pulled away you noticed a blush creep onto Tadashi’s cheeks. Your heart was racing. You loved Kei, why were you feeling like this?

The two of you spent the walk to work in an awkward silence, neither wanting to address it. When you arrived, Tadashi called out to Kei. As the tall blonde turned around, you could practically see his heart swell when he looked at the two of you. He tried to hide it but you know him.

Was he smiling at me? Or Yams? Both of us? Why did Tadashi blush when our hands touched? Why did my heart beat so fast? You pondered.

If you were being completely honest, you had definitely fantasized about a threesome with them before. Who wouldn’t? The three of you had great chemistry. But this was a feeling beyond the simple pleasures of sex.

You glanced over at Kei and Tadashi, watching their facial expressions as they chatted. Thankfully, neither boy had noticed you had zoned out for the last couple minutes. You studied the two boys' interactions. Did they always stand this close together? Were their smiles always this warm when they looked at each other? Suddenly hyper aware of every small interaction between the boys, you snapped back to reality when they both turned to you and asked you something about the conversation you had not been listening to.

“U-Uh yeah!” You tried to act like you’d been paying attention. Tsukki shot you a look, immediately picking up on your hesitation. You pretended not to notice.

“Aah well it's time for me to go get ready to start the museum tours! I’ll see you guys later!” Yamaguchi pulled you and Tsukki in for a group hug and then ran off to get ready for the work day.

“It’s almost opening time I should go to the check in desk I nee-”

“Y/n.” Tsukki cut you off.

“Yes?”

Tsukishima grabbed your arm and gave you a knowing look. “You’re spacey today. Is something wrong?”

“No! I’m just a little tired!” You are touched that Tsukki knows you so well he can pick up on your moods, but also caught off guard that he was so direct about it.

“Okay.Sure.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes, “We’ll talk about it later when we get home.” He kissed your forehead and followed Yamaguchi.

Shit, he caught on. You wondered if you should bring up the weird tension you’ve been feeling. How would Kei react? How do I feel about Yams? How long has this been going on? You decide nothing good will come of spending the whole day pondering. You just have to face Tsukki when you get home and put an end to the questions that cloud your mind.

The work day flows normally. You check in the different elementary school classes that are coming in to take tours, get the kids excited to learn and then pass them off to Yamaguchi, Tsukki, or one of your other tour guides. Tsukishima takes a tour right before your lunch break starts and you’re partly sad you’ll be spending lunch alone, but also relieved you won’t be interrogated about your feelings yet.

“Y/n! I brought your favorite!” You look up and see Tadashi placing a pastry and drink on your desk. “Let's go eat outside!”

Your mind is racing as you find yourself sitting under a large jacaranda tree with Yams as your lunch companion. It wasn’t a rare occurrence, Tsukki couldn’t always take lunch breaks at the same time as you and you and Yamaguchi had been pals since you started working at the museum. But this time felt different. You couldn’t tell if Yamaguchi could feel the shift that started this morning in the coffee shop so you decided to prod him.

“Thank you again for bringing me lunch from the bakery Tadashi,” You smiled and placed a hand on his arm, “I really appreciate you! And I’m glad we could eat together! You leaned on him slightly, as a friendly gesture. As you looked up at him, you could see the faintest pink on his cheeks.

“I-It’s no problem! You seemed sad earlier and I thought you could use a nice surprise!” Yamaguchi stammered, fiddling with his hair.

Fuck, you mentally panicked, was he always this cute? You gazed over his freckles that were hiding under the rosy tint of his cheeks. Yamaguchi had always supported you and made sure you were having a good day at work. He had been there for you since you met, he had even introduced you to Tsukki, the man you adored. Your heart started pounding as you thought back on just how much Yamaguchi meant to you.

You loved Tsukishima wholeheartedly. Nothing about that had changed. He was someone you considered a soul mate. But, now you realized the missing link in your relationship was Yamaguchi. You loved him too. You had loved him from the start, never realizing it was more than platonic admiration. And now you had a hunch that he felt the same.

“Hey, the museum is closed tomorrow, did you have any plans for the day?” You asked with newfound boldness.

“Oh! No I’m free tomorrow.” Yamaguchi’s face lit up.

“Come over tomorrow then, okay?” Tadashi nodded and the two of you walked back to the museum to continue work for the day, making plans for tomorrow.

Tsukishima watched you and his best friend from a window on the second floor. He was annoyed. Not with you, and not with Yams either. Just annoyed. His chest tightened as he watched you both chat so happily. Was he jealous that you were with Yamaguchi? Or jealous that Yamaguchi was with you? Maybe both. He couldn’t tell. Not to mention you’d been acting weird this morning. He clenched his fists and prayed the rest of the shift would go by quickly.

The walk home with Tsukki was grueling. Neither of you were ready to talk about the lingering issue at hand. Tsukishima lightened the mood by telling you about the chaotic tour group he had, and how multiple children tried to climb up on the displays. You laughed as you imagined your usually composed boyfriend frantically trying to wrangle up rowdy kids.

“I’d say don’t laugh at me, y/n” Tsukki grabbed your hand, “But I love the sound of your laugh.” He muttered as if he didn’t want you to hear.

“And I love you!” You interlocked your fingers in his. This put him at ease and he hummed happily. Once you made it to your apartment, Tsukki went to take a shower as you cleaned up a bit, wondering when to bring up Yamaguchi. You planned and plotted how to talk to Tsukki, trying to hype yourself up.

“Hey, I’m thinking of making curry, is that good with you?” Tsukki called from the kitchen. You were sweating bullets, nervous, but ready to just get this over with. It had been on your mind all day, you had a lump in your throat as you headed to the kitchen.

“Hey..” you started. Tsukki looked up at you, sensing your nerves.

“Kei, I know about your feelings for Tadashi.”

Tsukishima stiffened at your words. He was too taken aback to hide his shock.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tsukishima stated blankly, avoiding looking at you. You chuckled slightly, putting a hand on Tsukki’s back.

“Your reaction just told me everything I need to know.”

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

Notes: I think this will have 3?? parts! With more feelings and smut to come uwu ask box is open if you want to be on the tag list or if you have any suggestions/ideas! Tumblr ate all my old asks so its currently empty :/

#tsukishima kei x reader #yamaguchi x reader #yamaguchi tadashi x reader #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima x yamaguchi #tsukishima kei x yamaguchi tadashi #haikyuu!!#haikyuu imagines #haikyuu x reader #poly tsukkiyama #tsukiyama #tsukkiyama #polyamorous tsukishima yamaguchi

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dreaminpeaches · 3 years

Text

“Ladies, Gentlemen, Enbies...HER--I mean Him? Or them?-- whatever, anyways here's the first part of my daydream paracosm, Humble Pie. I was really happy I was able to come up with the first part in a somewhat cohort manner. Part 2 is also going to follow this sometime soon, but after that its probably just gonna be short shorts, text exchanges, and or drabbles, but that first part’s finally a thing! And that’s cool”

“Also just reminder that this paracosm is set in a mix timeline, like people have flip phones, cassette tapes, but still also have stuff like gamer chairs, and slang like sus/lit exist, so I hope that doesn’t bother you..oof”

“Also I wrote this from my Remarkable, then convert it to text, and did some proof reading, but my handwriting is still can only be read by chickens and my dyslexia ninja has sneak 100 accuracy so..yeah

Word count: 6,115

TW: mention of Bullying, DeadBeat dad, Smoking, Drinking, Swearing (only for comedy’s sake tho’), Dissociation, Guilt (but don’t worry there’s still A LOT of fluff in this piece, tho)

Link to Alternate version on my off-site daydream blog: Humble pie part 1

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"Okay, here we go" Beau said, taking one last drag of his cigarette, and taking in one last look at the panoramic view of the town below, Newbury, his hometown, he was away for a year because of college which he dropped out of. Well, "dropout" made it seemed like he had a choice, more like he flunked out, there were' 'reasons that 'made college impossible for Beau, reasons that he couldn't get into or more like reasons he didn't want to get into, these were the some reasons that turned what was suppose to be a 5 hour drive into an 8 hour one, making him stop ever so often to the nearest park, overlook, or clearing to get out, smoke and or take a short walk. These stops were so frequent by the time he reached his hometown’s overlook he was on his last stick, hard to believe he started the trip w/ a full box.

He dropped the last of the remains of the cig on the ground and stomped out the glow ember with his dark brown rounded toed boot, watching the embers glow go out made him feel similar in a way.

Beau took one more last look at the small town below blanketed by the dark, light sky. He looked around. the overlook, bring back memories of. late night make outs, sneak outs and general teenaged shenanigans.

Beau remembers once on a night he was really buzzed, a rare event for him, drinking with his buddies, rather it was the buzz from the beer, or he was just 'riding the 'high off scoring the winning goal for the team, or general teen hormones. He felt invincible, so invincible he stood up on the ledge and proclaimed himself as king of the world

A moment Beau looks back at and shakes his head as if to try to erase the memory from his mind like an etch n’ sketch, suddenly he got a bad taste in his mouth or maybe that's just the cigarettes "King of world….yeah, right" Beau said pulling up the collar of his jacket and shrugging his hands into his pockets, and headed back into the car.

It was getting late and there was no use in stalling any longer, might as well continue to the inevitable. Stalling may be that’s the feeling that's been following him the whole time, stalling the fact that he would have to return to his hometown a failure after being touted and praised for being a star athlete , and getting into a ivy league school, a feat his mom was really proud since she herself couldn't go to college because of having Beau at such a young age, and having to deal with a bunch of other “BS” as Beau would put it.

Beau really wanted to make her proud by becoming a famous football player and make tons of money so she wouldn't ever have to worry about bills n 'stuff and live in the malibu dream house she dreamed of living in since she was a kid, a dream she would talk about to her children like it was fairytale during when time got real tough.Even though she sounded upbeat over the phone about the news, Beau knew his mom was an expert when it came to masking her disappointment and skill that was pretty integral with dealing Beau's birth father. He just hopes she's not too disappointed

As the twilight sky grew more dark the street lights flickered on. Familiar and nostalgic landmarks and structures rolled by as Beau drove by with one hand gripping the wheel while the other hand hung casually out of the rolled down window. the nighttime breeze gentle, tossing his cart dirty blond hair mullet. The 'murmur of punk music lighty playing from the car's speaker, that was playing louder earlier but the volume's quickly depleted because blasting punk 'music at night in a small town is pretty serious offensive a risk, a younger Beau would play around with, but now being older he knows better.

Driving into his old neighborhood, seemingly not much has changed, but what do you expect from a small town? The old neighborhood consisted of typical signatures of most middle upper class .. neighborhoods, Christmas ' decorations long over due to be taken down, manicured lawns, next to slightly less manicured lawns. Some lawns adored w/ gnomes and flamingos, a step up from the lawns of homes in his childhood neighborhood whose homes had what one could consider a lawn but just barely, Beau and his brother were lucky enough to have a sizable back yard and a tree house.

His family's lawn had a bunch of outdoor toys laid about on their lawn: a nerf gun, a pink tricycle, a tiled dyed color bouncy ball and an empty container of mega bubble wand. Beau drove up in the driveway being careful to not accidentally run over any of the toys in the yard.

He eject the mixtape from the player and put it into his jacket chest pocket. Beau leaned over and rummaged through the glove compartment fishing out a small travel can of axe's body spray and another small spray can of mouthwash, he used both to cover the scent of cigarette smoke, a smell his mother was highly sensitive to. He popped in a stick of spearmint for extra measure before getting out of the car and going to the trunk to retrieve his suitcase. Beau only had one suitcase since all the stuff really needed and cared about conveniently fitted in one suitcase.

Beau propped up his suitcase as he closed the trunk, the car beeped and blinked as he pressed the lock button. He headed up the pathway to the front door, his heart beating louder and louder with each step leading up to the front door.

Beau took a deep breath, Pulling himself together. "Okay" He said under his breath as his hand slowly reach for the knob but before he could even get a good grip, the door swung open, Beau's eyes raced up to see the thinning hair of a middle aged man, Beau eyes lowered a bit more to see the mustached clad face of the man the hair belonged to. "Hey, Big Boss! '' the mustache man said with a grin. The man was Beau's stepfather, David.

"Hello, David, I-I mean Dad." Beau awkwardly greeted his stepdad, trying his best not to show discomfort at his step dad's “nickname" for him.

"Ha, ha that's okay, son!”David laughed, giving Beau a hefty pat on the back.

"Here, let me get your bags." David said, reaching for Beau's suitcase, looking behind Beau expecting more bags

“You only brought one bag?" he questioned, looking curiously.

'--I like to be efficient" Beau muttered with a shrug and a side glance. "HAHA you and me both, Big B" David chuckled playful elbowing Beau, who gave a half-smile and a small chuckle--well, more like a slight nose huff

"Hey, honey Big B is home!" David shouted as Beau closed the front door.

His mother came rushing from the bedroom in her rose pink robe w/a barbie in insignia on the front with matching fuzzy slippers, her sandy blond hair still damp from the shower.

"My little boy, oh!" she said, warping Beau in a tight motherly embrace. "Welcome home!" Beau's mother pulled back for a second, cupping her son's face in her hands “you’re still so handsome"

"Wait..." Beau gently removed his mom's hands from his face "Are you okay, mom?" He asked his considerate brown eyes searching his mother's teal eyes for any sign of distress.

"Of course, sweetie," his mom beamed. "I have all of my loved ones under one roof. What's more to ask?"

it's just that I didn't- Y-you know." Beau said with downcast eyes

"Oh, that" his mom said wide eyes and then shaking her head in dismissed

"Don't worry about not finishing college, I mean just look at me"

“But You just seemed so proud that I got in, I just didn't want to let you down"

“Sweetie, it's fine," his mom said, gently guiding his head up with her hand to look at him "I was not proud that-You were becoming the smart, sweet kind young man, I always knew you were, but now. I'm just happy that you’re here and I get to see you go. on the journey myself!" Beau chuckled tightly and blushed at his mom's admiration.

"Plus, Your mom's not the only one who is happy to have You home!” David said, gesturing towards the hallway. Beau looked to see a small figure peeking from the corner, the figure quickly disappeared followed by an overflow of giggles.

A smile slowly creeped across Beau's face, he slowly kneeled down. " "Gasp * Is that my little care bear?"

From the shadows totted out, a little girl dressed in a blue care bear patterned nightgown, her blonde hair tied up in pigtails, she grasped a love-a-lot bear in one arm while her other arm was open as she raced towards Beau, also with arms wide open for a hug "Bo-Bo"

"Hey, care bear!" Beau cooed as he picked up his little sister "Wow, You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you!

"Carrie's been asking when you were coming since you told us you were coming home "David stated

"Really?"

"Yep!'' Carrie nodded proudly "You still have the love-a lot bear I won at grad night". Beau vividly remembers winning Love A Lot and his friends making fun of him, but Carrie really appreciated it more than he thought.

"Yeah, she takes it with her everywhere!" mom emphasized “Thank god, the kindergarten has a security blanket policy!

"Aww..." Beau said fondly looking at Carrie, who had her head resting on his shoulder, still grasping love a lot.

Beau thought for a moment and looked around "wait, where Dev?"

"Oh" mom said putting her hand on her head with a semi sigh "He's been going through... things"

"Teenager things: David specified "He's the big one three now.. "

“Don't worry, I can talk to him!”Beau said, confidently, slowly nodding his head

. Carrie lets out a small yawn "Aw, you sleepy, care bear?" Beau asked as Carrie rubbed her eyes

"It's past her bedtime, but she really wanted to see you," Mom said, stroking Carrie's hair. "Is someone ready for the sleep shuttle'?" Beau asked Carrie, looking at her in her sleepy hazel eyes, she nodded in response

"Alright, Here we go!" Beau held Carrie in both hands placing his arms out in front of him, he kneeled down and started counting down. "3…..2...1. Blast off!"

Beau shot Carrie in the as he stood back up. As he moved towards Carrie's bedroom, he moved all around side to side, up and down while making spaceship sounds, Carrie was giggling all the way through.

"Incoming! "Beau shouted as he swooshed Carrie round a few more times before landing her swiftly on the bed.

"Huston, the eagle. has landed!." Beau said, holding his ear as if he had an earpiece "Not eagle! Bear!" Carrie stated holding up her care bear "correction, the "BEAR" has landed!" Beau correcting himself, bringing a huge smile to her face as she nuzzled her care bear

"Okay, night, right, care bear" Beau said patting carries head

"Wait!" Carrie said holding on to her brother's arm "Is Bo-Bo still gonna be here in the Morning?""Of course, I'm not going anywhere at least for a while.." "Beau said, kneeling down to Carrie's eye level.

"Okay, I like having Bo-Bo around:'' Carrie said "and I like being around" Beau said, "see you in the morning, care bear" Beau gives Carrie a good night kiss on the forehead.

She settles into bed as Beau closes the door. Beau grinned to himself, feeling lucky to have such a cute sister. He remembers when Devin was that little, speaking of Dev. Beau apphoraced Dev's bedroom door. The door was caution tape, Don't enter signs, with a please knock before entering sign.

At first Beau did think about knocking but then thought "I could be a respectful older brother respect the sign or I could have fun and be a little shit. He pondered about it for a minute then-"yeah, I'm gonna be a little shit.”

Beau took a card out his wallet and wedged it in between the door to jimmied the lock. He peeked through the door to see Dev playing a video game on the tv. "you little..." Beau said under his breath, before bombastically opening the door "Hey there, squirt!" Beau said, shoving the door open

"Didn't you read the sign?!" Dev said as he turned around in his gamer chair in both shock-and annoyance

"Wow, that's a pretty warm welcome to give your older brother you haven't seen in a year!" Beau snarked, pretending to look hurt'' "Nice to see you too!"

"Oh my god!" Dev said, rolling his eyes and turning his chair back to tv, bringing his attention back to the game.

"and here I thought you were working on a project or homework or some school shit!" Beau continued "but no, you're just sitting here playing one of your little nerd games"

"Oh my god, can't you just leave!" Dev groaned as he hunching closer to the tv.

"You couldn't at least say "Hi" " Beau said now standing right behind Dev gamer chair

Dev raised and waved his hand half-heartedly and flatly said "hi"

"Well, damn I feel loved," Beau said sarcastically. "aren't you at least gonna look at me?" shaking the gaming chair a bit to gain an ounce of his little brother’s attention.

“ I saw you "Kool aid man" into my room. Is that enough?" Dev said still focusing on the game Beau sighed, then got an idea "Dev! Dev! I think there's something wrong with my heart I think I gonna-ugh!" He said staggering forward a bit before falling in Dev's lap, knocking out the game controller out of Dev's hands.

"Come on! I was in the middle of battle!" Dev whined looking at his brother playing dead

"Get off of me!" Dev go armed as he tried to push beau off with no luck

"Come on, Beau!" He gored in frustration “I know you're not dead! I can still feel your heartbeat..."

Get up!" Beau remained still, Dev rolled his eyes; he knew the exact words to get his brother off his back or in this case lap.

"Big brother, can you please get off of me n Dev utter begrudgingly "Aw, you haven't call me ‘Big brother’ in years" Beau chimed with a smile, finally getting up "I'm still kind of hurt, that you cared about your gaming progress than the well being for your one and only big brother"

"You were still breathing, I could literally see you inhaling and exhaling." Dev clarified rubbing his forehead

"Touche, I guess" Beau said he then directed Dev's chair in front his bed," now that I have your attention"

"Okay, I guess I should say sorry since you couldn't and say "hi" to me because you were too busy saving some elf princess, or some anime chick with huge melons"

"I-H-Hey I don't even play those types of games!" Dev argued blushing

" .-sure you "don't'." Beau taunted with a wink, Dev goanned "Anyways, Anyways you don't have to say "hi",; but you could at least not talk to me"

Beau suggested, shrugging. "I guess" Dev mumbled kind of sinking into his chair "cool, so how's life?" Beau started, trying to start a diagoul "okay"

"How's school?"

"Okay"

"How’re your friends?"

"Okay"

"Got a girlfriend?"'

"NO”

"Got a boyfriend?"

N-NO"

"Got any crushes"

“….NO…..."

"joined any clubs or any other after school junk?"

" ..... NO..."

"Are you just gonna answer all my questions in one word?"

Dev fell quiet, and shifted his gaze from his brother

“Okay, that's it!" Beau huffed, he picked up Dev and hoasted him over his shoulder "Hey! put me down!" Dev-shouted , beating his fists on Beau's back "Not until you talk to me like an actual person, and one worded answers aren't gonna cut it, squirt!"

"MOM! Dad!"

"Mom and Dav-Dad are fast asleep, and you know they both sleep like rocks!" Beau stated'' the only person you'll wake up is Carrie, and You don't want to wake little care bear, now do YOU?"

Dev fell Quiet again, "You know I can hold you like this for hours, you aren't really that heavy, or you can just end this and talk to me" Beau suggested ending the suggestion with a sigh and started to stomp his foot impatiently..

Dev continued the silent treatment for a bit until letting out a meek "Okay...I'll try" .

Hey, three words, that's a start!" Beau cheekly commented,He sat Dev back down in his green gamer chair.

"Okay, do over!" Beau said casually sitting across from Dev and his bed. "so, how's school going?" "F-fine” Beau gave Dev a intense look, reminding Dev of his word count “N-no, I mean it's just weird" Dev stuttered choosing his words carefully, Dev fiddled with his hoodie sleeves.

"and it's weird because..." Beau initiated, gesturing his hand toward encouraging Dev to continue "It's weird because.... I don't know, Middle school is way different than 'elementary school, I mean I knew that from tv, but middle school isn't like tv."

"It's okay, nothing like tv, that thing lies” Beau softly chuckled to himself and continued “I remember thinking Pogo sticks were the SHIT-cuz 'of people and cartoons on tv made it look so easy"

"I finally got enough money for one-- you were like little you probably don’t remember this-- but I was SO HYPED, I wanted mom to watch me. I took one hop, fell on my ass, and never hopped on that bitch again. I was pissed, I think mom was trying to her best not to laugh but I was so pissed I think I didn’t notice until now. I chucked the pogo stick in the garage, and I never looked at that bitch again”

Dev let out a stiff laugh, the defensive wall Dev put was slowly breaking

"Oh WAIT WAIT!” Beau said taking a moment to correct himself “ That WASN’T the last time the last time I looked that bitch, I fished it out of garage years later, only cuz’ I need some money for Madden. So, I did look at that bitch one more time, but only to sell that bitch.”

Dev let out a more audible laugh, but quickly caught himself and recollected, returned to his disillusioned teenage state.

"Anyway, The teacher's are kind of weird, like a lot of them hate my guts already, except for the coaches who are super nice to me." Dev explained, kind of looking away from his brother

"Weird, why do you think that is?" Beau asked whole hearty

"Because I'm related to you, Numb skull!" Dev blunted , groaning putting his hand on his forehead

"Oh damn, I guess that's my fault." Beau realized, rubbing the back of his neck "My bad. that my awesomeness is just lengardy"

Dev shook his head and rolled his eyes "It's not awesome to live in YOUR shadow!" Dev sulked, sinking back into his chair, his hands covering his face.

"You don't have to follow in my awesomeness, I know I'm a hard act to follow." Beau boasted teastingly so"You just gotta make your own awesomeness."

"What does that even mean?" Dev questioned, moving his hands down, allowing his eyes to peek through his fingers, trying not to given the urge to roll his eyes

"It's like my awesomeness comes from my boyish charm and good looks..." Beau claimed, striking an award winning smile, The urge not to roll his eyes was becoming even hard for Dev, but he still had to try and respect Beau "But your awesomeness could come from being good at games, or computers shit or math or robots or something--I don't know something real nerdy"

"I guess, you're right" Dev mumbled and shrugged,lifting himself up back into a sitting position rather than almost spilling out of his chair.

"Its not a guess, its science!" Beau declared proudly, tapping his temple with his index finger

"No,that's not science!" Dev arguing his brother's stupidity, flatly shaking his head in disagreement

"See, there you go using your nerd awesomeness" Beau pointed out with a wink "Keep that up and you'll go from Beau's lil bro, to just ‘Dev’ in no time." Beau playful tousled Devs mop dirty blonde hair

"I mean.." Dev continued batting his brother's hand away, "I was also thinking of joining the video game club or the robotics club at school."

"There you go another nerdy thing that to add to your own awesomeness" Beau said

"Yeah...." Dev continued ignoring his brother's comment' “Some of my friends are thinking about joining, and it would be a nice place to go away from mom and dad."

"I had sick memories of hanging out with the team, we got into some wild shit." Beau said laughing to himself, fondly reminiscing "But I'm sure you and you geek squad could have "wild" times too, like making an anime robot 'weify." or whatever those called or finding a new math formula or something"

Dev fell quiet for another moment, Beau always seems like he’s in between being supportive and subtly roasting him, Dev then uttered "um... I think I kind of have a crush... on a girl..."

"AYE, let's go! "Beau exclaimed, clapping and shaking Dev's chair for a bit before bouncing back on the bed'' Come on, don't leave me hanging, what's her name? "Have you talked to her vet? Have you asked her out? Have-"

"Calm down!" Dev demanded "I said I had a crush, I didn't say we’re going out.'"

"Oh, so you haven’t talked to her, huh?”

"No, I-I don't even know her name" Dev huffed, he let his arms slip into his oversize sleeves and covered his sleeves with his face in frustration.

"You know you could just ask, not the chick, like just ask around"

"I can't do that because if I do, people will find out I like her and if she finds out, I would just have to stop going to school!”

"Okay, let’s just pretend you DO have the balls to talk to this girl, what's the worst that could happen?" Beau suggested

"She finds out that I like her, thinks I'm weird and never wants to talk to me again or even look at me!” Dev muffled through his sleeved covered face

"You really think she can sus that out all in one go!" Beau said "I mean she is a middle Schooler unless she's like a young nancy drew, she is not going to chew you up and spit out like that." Beau explained "speaking of which''

Beau paused for a moment to spit out his gum into the trash can "Score!"

"Anyways, have you done anything weird to her or around her?"

"No, I mean I look at her in the hallways before and in between class, but I don't like-- stalk her or anything too weird." Dev mumbled, moving his sleeves from his face, but his head was still targeted down at his fingers fiddling with a tag on his black shorts

"So, then what's the fear?" Beau inquired, resting his chin on the heel of his palm

Dev thought for a moment, his eyes shifting looking for an answer." I-I guess I just don't know how to talk to her."

"Well, fuck, that's easy" Beau chuckled “Just talk about school shit, or just say "hi"

"Is it really that easy?"

"Yeah, if you have the balls for it" Beau reiterated "Think about it like this, the dudes you play in your little nerd games have to fight a dragon, a demon or some anime witch with huge melons to talk to the girl they like and they er brave enough to do all of that wacky shit. But you’re lucky, you don't have a dragon for real in your way to keep you talking from your crush. The dragon's just in your head! If those hero dudes can fight dragons they actually can see, doesn't that mean you can fight a dragon you don't even see."

"That was a really lame and kind of confusing metaphor" Dev sassed " But I guess understand what your trying to say"

"Exactly" Beau said nodding confidentiality

"Can we talk about mom and dad?" Dev asked sheepishly, looking up at his brother, (well as much as he could with his shaggy bangs in the way), his fingers now toying with his hoodie strings

"Did something happen?"

"No, I mean yeah, I mean it's just weird" Dev said "Mom and dad are starting to get more annoying but I don't know if they were always like that or they like charged"

"No, parents don't really change-usually” Beau explained “It's just that being a teenager makes you hypersensitive to a bunch of shit and makes you wanna be alone more. Parents, the good ones like spending time with their kids and they actually want quality time n' shit and that's where they start to get annoying".

“"Oh okay,” Dev nodded.'' It's just weird because sometimes I feel like I hate them, but I don't want to. I think I just really want to be alone more like you said but I don't want to shut them out, I just want them to get that." Dev-fiddles with the strings of his green hoodie

"Yeah, I think they do in a weird old people kind of way. Believe it or not they were teenagers to even if that was back in the stone age n' shit" Beau joke"

Dev let out an actual laugh, a sign to Beau that he's little bro was being less of a moody teenager

"Anyway, even with that said mom and david-I mean dad aren't mind readers, it would be cool if you give them a heads up, you don't have to tell them all about what's going on in your little teen nerd brain but at least something simple like something weird or funny that happened at school, or asking for help on homework or a project for class or some shit like that, I'm pretty sure Dav-dad would love that.."

"I guess I could try". Dev said slightly nodding his head "But Carrie is kind of weird too!

"How can Carrie be weird, she's 5.” Beau scoffed "she doesn't do anything weird really"

Dev added" it's just sometimes she's regular cute and other times she's annoyingly cute if that makes sense"

"I mean like kind of get what you're saying but "Beau shrugged gesturing his hand toward prompting Dev to continue

"Like I still look out for her because she little, but because she's little that means I have to do dumb stuff like look for monsters under her bed or do that sleep shuttle thing you do, but I can't really do it because my arms give out halfway through and she's heavier than she looks."

"Well, little brothers and sisters are annoying, it's kind of their job, trust me I know from experience" Beau: put his hand on Dev's knee, Dev tried to Swat at it but Beau quickly put his hand back with a smirk.

"But like with mom and da-David just cuz she's annoying doesn't mean You can’t look out for her n stuff"

"I guess, its because lately, it seems like'' Dev paused 'for a beat, his hands hard gripping the strings of his hoodie, before continuing" I don't know mom and dad have been paying more attention to her than me"

A mischievous smile creeps across his face. "AW does someone miss being the baby?"'

"Oh, fuck! I knew you 'er gonna say that!" Dev blurted out, feeling really exposed, he pulled his hoodie strings allowing his head to be consumed by his hoodie, all but his nose.

"Hey! language,” Beau said, surprised at his little brother's reaction those harsh words coming out of the mouth of small boy sporting a Yoshi hoodie

"You cuss' all the time!" Dev huffed pulling his hoodie back down, then crossing his arm definitely

"Yeah, but I'm older than you, and if mom and David--DAD hear you curse they’er gonna know you got it from me and won't get off my ass about it!"

Dev stared at his brother, simmering in frustration in failing to coming up w/a good come back or a flaw in his brother's logic, He let out a heavy sigh and resumed "Anyways, it's NOT like I miss being the baby, I just miss being able to hold their attention without Carrie coming in and stealing them anyway, I don't know its weird"

"Wait, did you just say that you wanted to be alone and away from mom and David-fuck. I'm not even gonna try more-he's asleep anyways." giving up any attempt to make the word "Dad" same with the name "David"

"Yeah, I know that's what makes it weird!" Dev admitted, he sulked back deeper into his chair and let out a groan.

"You know Carrie's not awake all the time, maybe you can talk to mom and David, when she goes down for her nap, hell, I could just take her to the park for a day." Beau offered

"You'd really do that for me?" Dev peeped, quickly lifting himself up in a sitting position, surprised at his brother kind offer

"Yeah, anything to make you less of a weird angsty shut in, with a bunch of cringy keep out signs and keep out tape!" Beau gestured towards the door

"Actually, I got that caution tape from a real crime scene" Dev clarified, with a smug smile

"Really?" Beau taking a longer closer look at the door

"No, thick head, I found it in a dumpster next to party city!"

"You go dumpster diving?" Beau said, raising an eyebrow

"I have a life outside of YOU!" Dev stated proudly

"Okay, and on that... Weird garbage goblin flex, sibling bonding time is over." Beau said getting up from the bed and heading for the door

"Actually, one more thing..." Beau said quickly, turning around, rushing towards Dev, putting him into a headlock.

"Did ya miss me? Come on, tell me that you missed me!" Beau taunted as he gave his brother a long and through noogie "Ouch, Ow, Ow, Okay, okay, I missed You. Geez:" Dev pleaded trying to struggle out of his brother's grip

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Beau said with a smirk, letting 'Dev go.

"Ugh! my hair" Dev fumed , gawking at his even more messy mop of hair.

"Like you care about appearances" Beau chuckled" mop top nerd!"

"Mullet-hair metal meathead!"

"Ouch, that was pretty good" Beau teased pretending to look hurt "Garbage Goblin"

"You already-"Dev started but was cut off by Beau closing the door

"Too late, the door is closed, I can't hear you, which means I win!" Beau said through the door, laughing at his brother's muffled fury of frustration.

Beau grinned relishing in the absolute confusion of his younger brother, but that good vibe quickly faded once he arrived at the door to his old bedroom. He just stood there and stared at the door for a bit, he could feel the icky stew of the emotions from bubbling back up again.

He flexed his hand a few times as if this was the first time he's ever pored a door, Beau's hand reached for the door handle before retracted as if the knob was red hot.

Beau sheepishly looked around as if somebody was watching him, no one was but it sure did feel like it. He considered sleeping on the couch, but that would be weird, since it seemed like his step dad put his luggage in his room. so, eventually he would have to go into his room anyway.

Beau took a deep breath. "Come on, it's just a door, dude!" He told himself Beau's hand rested on the door knob, he took another deep, his hand gained a stronger grip, and he slowly pushed the door open, Beau carefully entered the room as he closed the door behind him. Looking around the room was plaster with posters of football players and a few pinups of doe-eye, sensual women in swimsuits and other scantily clad outfits.

Athletic medals, trophies and awards displayed proudly on his bookshelf that lacked any actual books, those trophies stood next to pictures of Beau with his teammates, all illuminated by the moon's dull pale blue light. These relics of what felt like a bygone era used to fill Beau with so much pride and joy but looking at them now just leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

He could barely even recognize himself in those photos. This whole room felt like a shrine or more like a tomb to someone who no longer exists.

Looking at all this stuff just made the icky feelings from before rise up to the back of his throat making the bad taste linger even longer.

Beau couldn't really pin what-these feelings were, so he shifted his focus on just getting some sleep

As he thought, Beau's step dad put his luggage on his bed. He opened his bag and quickly changed into a white tank top and some grey sweatpants. He fished out the mix tape from his jean jacket and put into the gray clucky music player on his nightstand. Beau turns the music up loud enough for him to hear but not loud enough for disturb anyone else. Heavy metal music (ironally) helped him sleep on hard nights.

Beau laid in bed focusing on the one spot in his room that wasn't decorated with high school memorabilia. Focusing on that spot was way better than focusing on the icky feelings from earlier. All he needed to was focus on sleep just sleep, Beau closed his eyes and tried to focus on just sleep.

The next time Beau opened his eyes, he was back in the hallway of his highschool. Beau looked around confused why he was back here but before he could really sus out the situation, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud. He followed the sound of the thud that led to a scene of a bespectacled student being shoved up against the lockers. The student's face contorted by fear.

"P-please, d-don't hurt me. "the student uttered, the words quivering as it left his lips.

"Aww, look at him, guys." a familiar voice said, Beau couldn't see whom the voice belonged to. There was a strange mist in the hallway that obscured the person's face.-

"He's scared." the voice said mockly, the person nodded towards a group of people whose faces were also obscured by the mist, they laughed in response

“Don't worry, little buddy, I'm not gonna hurt ya:" the person taunted as he tightened his grip on the student and shoved his body up against the failing student. "As long as you don't squeal" .

"You squeal, and I'll fry you like the pig you are, got it. Swine?"

"I-I p-promise I W-won't. J-just please let me go!" the student begged

Beau was disturbed by scene happening before him, but along with the feel of disgust came a feeling of familiarity, like he's been there before

Just then the fog lift to reveal the face of a younger version of Beau dawned in his red “New Burny High school” letterman jacket. He was smirking relish in the fear he was inflicting on the poor student.

Older Beau slowly back up, almost stumbling as he was coming to the realization of the origin of all those icky feelings from before

"I don't know, do we trust him, guys?" Younger beau asked cocking his head back to his teammates, who shook their head in disagreement "The Boys and I don't seem very sure of that, I think I'm gonna have to test your loyalty !" Younger Beau winded up his arm for a punch, But before his fist could make an impact.

Beau found himself back in his room in a cold sweat, hyperventilating as quickly rose from his bed. His room, still illuminated by the moonlight, with the metal mix tape softly playing in the background. He looked at his hand as if they were lethal weapons. How could I do such a thing?

#daydream blog #daydream blogging #daydream dairy #paraportal #paracosm: humble pie #para: beau #para: devin #para: carrie #immersive daydreaming #paracosm

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cicici03 · 4 years

Text

Who You Goin To Choose- Chapter 1

What’s up guys! So if you can’t tell this is my first Florian series and I am so excited because that is a fine, fine, fine white man! If you haven’t read one of my stories before, I like some drama! With that, this one is going be full of it! I hope you enjoy the first chapter of, Who You Going To Choose , and can’t wait for y’all to comment your thoughts!

Please comment, reblog, and like!!

Characters:

Florian

Kia

Ernest

Dominique

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Wednesday, 11:50 p.m.

The five bedroom and six bathroom house belong to one of the top names in boxing as of 2020, Florian Munteau, and his wife, Kia Ford-Munteau. Kia was also well known due to her father, Ernest Ford, who made the first black owned grand hotel in Las Vegas: Black Wall Street. He name it that in honor of the massacre of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma to show that Black Wall Street is back better than ever.

In the master bedroom, you could here the bed frame hitting the back of the wall and the couple loud moans.

“ Big Nasty, right there baby!” Kia moan under her husband.

Florian was pounding in her and not giving her any breaks.

“ Fetiță , you better take it!” Florian stated with his thick, deep accent that was lower than usual.

As the couple started to get into it, Kia’s phone rang with the signature Kim Possible ringtone.

Florian and Kia both knew who was that calling her. That ringtone meant her boss.

“ Flo, you know I have to get that!” Kia moan out more with her eyes rolling in the back of her head.

Florain pound in her looking at his wife that was under him. With her eyes close and moaning, that help Florian drowned out the phone in the background.

With the phone stopping, Kia started to take control. As she start riding Florian, her phone started again making the same ringtone. Kia knew that was going to happen, so that why she made sure she was in control.

Kia hoped off Florian, who was a groaning mess, and picked up the phone.

“ Hi dad!” Kia answered the phone in a hush tone while looking at Florian in the eye.

Florian just looked at his wife of two years, and knew what was about to happen. Her father going to call her to come to his house and help him with something. With that, Kia would try and stay home, but her father talk her into to leaving the house.

Florian knew that Ernest didn’t like him when Kia and him started to first date. However, after they got married, Ernest made sure that he tried to keep Kia away from Florian by making her check up on him or do work things.

“ Daddy, why can’t you let your new wife do it?” Kia questioned her father, and avoiding eye contact with Florian as much as possible.

Since Florian knew what Kia was going to do, he got out of the couple’s bed and went into the bathroom to finish his manhood.

“ Well, Kia, I want my babygirl to do it! Plus, her name is Alexis!” Ernest asserted the last part in with his gruff voice. Ernest looked at Alexis, who heard what Kia said.

“ Daddy, I am not going to call that girl by her name! I can’t believe you would marry somebody that could possibly be my older sister!” Kia shouted back her father while putting on her leggings.

Kia’s mother died almost fifteen years ago due to a bad car accident. With that, Alexis came in the picture four years ago. She was three years older than Kia, 31, and was a showgirl for one of Black Wall Street musicals.

One day, Kia and Ernest came to see the performance and it went on from their. Alexis actually had true love for Ernest, but Kia just saw a young girl trying to get her daddy’s riches.

“ Well if we want to talk about people that we married. Why you married what his name, Flo Rida!” Ernest roared as he got up from bed. Alexis saw that and knew that he was going to raise his blood pressure.

“ You know who you should have married! Dominque Powers! Dominque is the best neurosurgeon in the United States! May I also say that he is black!” Ernest shouted even louder over the phone.

“ Dad!” Kia shouted backed while looking at the floor. She knew that Florian also heard from the sound of the door opening as he said that. Kia looked up to the bathroom door, and saw Florian face.

Florian shook his and went to his side of the bed.

“ Daddy, you know that you can’t talk about him like that!” Kia croaked out from the tears holding back in her eyes.

“ Well he can’t understand English no way!” Ernest threw back, with Alexis hitting him on his chest. Alexis truly cared for Kia and Florian’s relationship and it hurt that her husband was seemly trying to destroy his only daughter’s relationship.

When Florian heard that comment: he snapped. Florian got up from his side of the bed, and went over to Kia’s side. Kia saw as Florian walked over to her with anger bouncing off his muscles.

Florian tooked the phone out of her hands and spoked into the phone.

“ Well Mr.Ernest, I can speak English after all. With that, I find it very disrespectful to say that about your daughter’s husband! With that, Kia will not be coming over!” Florian angrily yelled in the phone and gave it back to Kia.

Kia looked at her husband like he is crazy. She loves when he is all hot and angry and it made her a little wet. However, she could hear her father cussing on the phone.

As Florian got back to his side of the bed and got under the covers, Kia put the phone back up to her ear.

“ Kia, you just going let that man speak that way to me! Kia, you better be here in the next hour!” Ernest screamed and hung up the phone.

Kia shook her head and put the phone down on her nightstand on her side. Kia looked at Florian, whom was just turning on the TV to watch ESPN talking about the fight that was this week that was involving him.

“ Florian, știi că nu poți vorbi cu tatăl meu așa!” Kia blurted out with anger and sadness in her voice due to her having to choose sides once again. (Florian, you know that you can't talk to my father like that!)

When Florian heard that, he turn and glared at Kia. He saw that Kia was putting on her shoes.

“ Kia, când voi fi prima dată în viața ta! El a fost așa de când ne-am reunit! atunci îți ridică fostul! Am fost departe de tine de două luni, pregătindu-mă pentru lupta vieții mele! Tot ce vreau să fac este să fac dragoste soției mele, în ziua în care ovulează și să rămână însărcinată! Cu toate acestea, știu că soția mea va pleca la fel cum a spus-o tatăl ei!” Florian hollered out with him looking at Kia the whole time.

(Kia, when will I be first in your life! He has been like that since we got together! Then he brings up your ex! I have been away from you for two months, training for the fight of my life! All I want to do is make love to my wife, on the day that she is ovulating, and get her pregnant! However, I know my wife is going to leave just like her dad said so!)

Florian huffed out and turn back to the TV and turn it up. Kia knew that he was angry due to him replying back in his native langue.

“ Florian, you know I love you! However, my dad relies on me! So, I am going to go over there, and I’m sorry that we couldn’t make love like I wanted us to do too!” Kia yelled while trying to be louder than the TV.

Florian laughed to himself thinking that Ernest have Alexis, who is a sweet and genuine person that cares for him. Out of three of Ernest children, Kia is the only one that doesn’t cares for Alexis and Ernest knows that. With that, he know that Kia will come over to make sure that everything is okay at the house even when Alexis know how to do it.

Kia huffed and went to the seats at the end of the bed and grabbed her purse. She looks back at Florian, who was staring at her, and went quickly out the door.

Florian already knew that she was going to choose her father over him.

She always did.

Florian looked back the TV and saw him and Brooks Jones on the screen. After the success of Creed II, a manager reach out to him about boxing due to them looking at some of his amateur tapes from Romania.

With that, Florian became a household legend after he KO, Tito Jones, a person who had a 49 winning streak, but was ended by Florian.

After that, Florian been having him a winning streak himself: 9-0. This next fight would be hard one due to Brooks Jones being a dominant fighter that had to move to Florian weight class due to being “ dangerous”.

He have KO ever last one of his opponents since the beginning of his career.

As Florian watch the ESPN special on his fight with Brooks, he looked over to the other side of the bed.

He has been use to Kia choosing her father over him. However, now it was really hard for Florian to cope with it due to him and Kia wanting to have a family. Florian shooked the tear from his eyes and turn off the TV.

With that, he turn off the lamp on his side of the bed.

All he could think of was how he was always second on Kia’s list to her father and she was always first on his.

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Thursday,7:30 a.m.

Ring

Kia woke up from her bed, to her phone ringing. She looks at the phone and see that Alexis is calling her. She put back on the nightstand and turn to look over and saw no Florian there.

She knew he wasn’t go to be there due to him having training at 4:15 in the morning to prepare for the fight in the next two days.

Kia layed back down on her side to go back to sleep. As she did that, Florian walked in their room. Florian walked over to bathroom without closing the french doors.

Kia turn that way to looked at her husband.

Florian, not knowing that his wife was looking, took off his shorts and briefs. With that, Florian turn the shower on and walked back to the sink to wash his face.

Kia looked at her husband’s manhood with her bottom lips moisten. Florian went back into the shower to clean himself up.

Ring

This time Kia knew that she had to answer that phone because that was her dad calling. Kia relucantly picked it up and answered it.

“ Kia, my only daughter, I want to thank you for coming over to make that pecan pie for me!” Ernest shouted with much joy while in his office at the hotel looking over that Vegas Strip.

“You welcome dad, however you can’t just call me to come over to make a pecan pie in the middle of the night.” Kia mumbled to last part to her dad. Ernest sighed and got up from his chair and looked out side.

“ Did Flo-Rida, put you up to this?” Ernest demanded for an answer. Kia sighed and shook her head.

“ Daddy, no he did not! I haven’t seen Florian for two months due to training and we haven’t had much alone time.” Kia said with much sadness behind her voice. As she turn her head back to the bathroom, she saw Florian walking out with his towel around his waist.

She then looks up to his face and saw him looking at her.

Kia was wearing a sports bra and sweatpants, one of Florian favorite outfits on her due to it being is accessible.

“ Well that is not my problem that he have to leave. One thing I know is Dominquie wouldn’t be gone for two months!” Ernest threw backed at Kia.

“ Daddy, we are not talking about that! I just see you later when I get to the office.” Kia said with annoyance from her father bringing up her ex. With that, she ended the called.

She looked back to the bathroom and saw no Florian there. She got up and put on her house shoes and went to the couple’s closet to see if he was in there.

She saw Florian’s towel on the floor, on his side of the closet, picking out an outfit to pick up his family from the airport.

Florian turned around and capture his wife’s eyes looking at him. He looks at her and then turned back around.

“ So we really are doing that Florian.” Kia snapped at Florian while going over to her side of the closet.

Silence.

With that, Kia turned around and looked to see her husband’s back and ass.

Kia knew that she going have to apologize and she knew the trick that always work.

Kia walked over to behind her husband and start tracing his back.

“I’m sorry Flo!” Kia mimicked to make her voice to go up a pitch. With that, she start rubbing down to his lower back.

She knew that he was tired and his muscles was aching due to his tough training.

“ Flo, I am truly sorry! I can show how much I am really sorry.” Kia purred out while starting to rub on Florian’s sides and then going down the front of his thigh.

With Florian still not budging, Kia had to move her plan to Level 3.

She start going for his manhood.

As she got to his manhood, she start rubbing his shaft in one hand and his balls in the other.

Florian stopped reaching for the shirt that he wanted due to his wife. Kia knew how much Florian loves handjobs. Even though Florian loves his manhood around Kia’s mound. He also loves her warm, small hands around his manhood.

“ I’m so sorry Big Nasty.” Kia whispered out while feeling Florian get hard. Kia then went back to kissing his back.

“ Kia.” Florian purred out with his hands wrap behind him holding onto Kia’s sweat pants. As Florian started to feel himself get harder, he went back to taking control.

He turn around and picked up his wife and put her on the counter in the middle of the closet. He went to kiss her lips fighting for dominance.

Florian of course won.

“ Are you still ovulating?” Florian ask in between kissing Kia. Kia hesitant and kept trying to fight for dominance.

Florian went down Kia’s neck and gave her love bits all over.

Kia looked at the clock that was on Florian’s side and saw the time, 8:30, which Florian was suppose to leave to pick up his family.

“ Florian you got to leave!” Kia moaned while enjoying the attack on her neck by her husband.

Florian stops and looked back the clock and realize that he should have been leaving ten minutes ago due to the Las Vegas traffic.

“ Shit!” Florian cussed while rushing to put on the clothes that he took out for himself. Kia sat on the chair and watch him.

Kia wanted to have a baby, but her dad was in her ear about Florian. Ernest told Kia that Florian could just want to have a baby with you and leave with the baby and some of her fourtne.

Kia didn’t believe that, but it was always in the back of her head. Florian finish putting on his clothes and rush up to put on his shoes. As he was putting on his shoes, he looked at Kia, whom was looking out at space.

“ Prinţesă , what you thinking about?” Florain said while rushing to putt on his cologone. Kia snapped out of her thoughts and smile at him.

“ Nothing, baby, just thinking about me and you!” Kia shouted with happiness in her voice while walking to Florian. Florian turn around and wrap his hands around Kia’s waist.

“ How much longer are you ovulating?” Florian question while looking at Kia. Kia looked in his eyes and stated, “ Four more days.”

Florian smiled and start kissing Kia on the lips.

“ Well that mean after the fight I win. My prinţesă and I will be making lots of love in this sound proof room.” Florian said in between kisses.

“ Florian you better leave before your bother and Tata kill you for being late!” Kia laughed to move to the topic away from the statement. Florian let go and looked at Kia.

“ Well you are right! I see ya later and love you!”Florian kissed Kia on the cheek and smack her butt. Kia waited for Florian to run downstairs and out the door. Kia ran to the window facing the driveway and saw Masias, Sandro, and Florian driving away the three Mercedes Vans to pick up Florian’s family.

Kia ran over to her purse to find her birth control. Throughout the time Kian and Florian been trying for a baby this pass year, Kia have been taking birth control to make sure nothing happens.

Kia knew that it would hurt Florian to know, but right now is not the best time for them to have a kid due to Kia not wanting to hear her dad. Kia knew she was not doing the right thing, but she didn’t know if she should believe her father or not.

After taking the pill, she went inside her closet to put on her clothes for work. With that, thirty minutes later, Kia was done with all of her hygiene she left with her purse and phone.

However, she left her birth control on one of the seats in her bedroom.

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Kia drive up to Black Wall Street into her assign parking spot. Kia got out of her Merecdes G- Wagon and made her way into the hotel.

As she walking to the elevator, she wave at every last one of the employees. Some of the employess at the hotel have seen Kia grown up in front of their eyes.

All the employees love Kia due to her fun and sweet personality and loves when she is at the hotel. Kia finally got to the elevator and went up to the office floor.

As she got to the floor, she was bombarded by her two oldest brothers, Sean and Ross.

Sean

Ross

“ Kia, what did dad’s favorite child do this morning to make him angry?” Ross snapped at his younger sister while walking towards her office.

Kia sighed and shook her head.

“Well you are the favorite. From me being the gay son, which he don’t accept when people bring it to his attention. To Ross, not wanting to own the family hotel!” Sean said in a matter of fact attiude.

As Kia got to her office, she went to her desk and sat down. She stared at her brothers as they walked over to her and sat in the two chairs in her office in front of her.

“ Well I hung up on him after he brought up Dominique.” Kia stated as she crossed to see her brothers’ reaction.

They were unreadable, which is rare because Kia could read them in a second.

As she was about to speak, Alexi walked into her office.

“ Hi you guys! Kia, ummm, you know your dad got diabetes,” Alexis stammered across her words, “ I think you should have not made that pecan pie for him last night.” Alexis finished with authority, like she practice this morning in the car.

Kia looked at Alexis and laughed.

Now, Alexis wasn’t expecting that and it made her angry that she laughed at her. Alexis looks towards the brother and saw that they shocked to by their sister’s reaction.

“ Well Miss. Thang, I am going to do whatever my father tells me to do and you can’t do nothing about that!” Kia bellowed with much anger against Alexis.

“ Well, will you let your father continue to ruin your marriage?” Alexis snapped back at Kia. That comment really got under Kia’s skin.

Kia got up from her desk, with Ross getting up with her to makes sure she don’t attack Alexis, she went to the door heading for her dad’s office.

Alexis was right after her, and all the employees watch the two women storm to the boss’s office.

“ I don’t think you want to go in there Kia!” Alexis shouted at Kia. Even though Alexis took the low blows from Kia, she didn’t want her to get hurt.

“ Why because my father is going to see your wrong!” Kia rebutted back Alexis while reaching for the door knob.

As she open it, she saw the person that was her first love, and first everything talking to her father.

“ Dominique!” Kia croak out with a look of surprise on her face.

Dominique turn around and got out his chair and walk to her.

“ Babygirl, still looking good!” Dominqiue replied back while for going in for the hug.

“ Ah shit, Florian is going to be piss!” Sean yelled out with Ross hitting him upside his head.

However, Kia was frozen, she didn’t know what to do.

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Welll then.....

Who is the villian in this? Kia? Ernest? Both?

Kia is still taking birth control behind Florian’s back!

What y’all think of Kia?

What y’all think about Alexis?

The big shocker, DOMINIQUE IS BACK

Why is he is back? Did Ernest brought him back? Enrest trying to ruin Florian and Kia’s marriage?

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

Hope y’all enjoyed the first chapter!!!! Please comment, reblog, and like!!!

Taglist: @l-auteuse @twistedcharismaaa @19jammmy @designerwriterchic @michelleteriney @munteanhore @ljstraightnochaser

#florian munteanu #florian big nasty munteanu #florian munteanu x black reader

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ashley-ghuleh · 3 years

Text

Chapter 1: A Friend

(Little note, this is waaaay longer then I thought it would be. But I’m pretty happy with it, here’s to just writing to have fun~<3)

In which a Phoenix befriends a Crow. And the roaring Fire is to meet the Icy Sea.

High school for the rich, some think it would be nicer than a middle class school. Nice kids from prestigious families with good standing reputations. Those people are wrong, rich schools are just as bad if not worse than those of anything lower than them.

Rude kids who were living either spoiled lives with parents who gave them everything they’ve ever wanted.

Or kids coming from homes where they feel smothered by the ‘charitable acts’ their family was known for, or how controlling their parents could be.

And then the kids who didn’t have it so rough who rebelled no matter, just wanting to cause trouble for fun, showing up for school properly dressed and disheveling themselves once in the building without a care if a teacher scolded them, though most teachers have given up on this type of student and their stubborness.

But not all students who acted or dressed this way came from a household that was normal or standard for a rich family. Some who did this came from a place like, The Kohle family.

When it came to higher power in a society of nothing but fake suits and dresses.

The Kohle’

A house made of a mother and father like most were, Elizabeth Grace Kohle Heiress to the original bloodline of Kohle, and James Kohle, formally James McKnight though when he married into the family he had taken the Kohle name in place for his given name as to gain further power from the title. This family on the outside looks picture perfect. Seven kids, six boys and one girl, blessed with many children to continue on the family name. Two loving parents to care for the kids and bring their family to greatness. But under the picture of a ‘perfect’ family portrait lies the full unedited truth. Seven kids, six boys and one girl, six prodigal children and one black sheep. It wasn’t easy being the disappointment, but it was a dirty job and somebody had to do it, and that somebody was Marcus Kohle, born fourth before the twins, his father’s only hated child and his mother’s favorite.

Being babied and spoiled by his mother and disregarded or shunned by his father and other siblings his father has turned against him, happened to be what shaped this tiny rebel.

Marcus looked like any normal teenager going into school, but these students wouldn’t know this was his fifth transfer for fighting and being an all around troublemaker.

He walked through the halls remembering the short tour, his school uniform tidy and neat, his hair nicely styled as his mother had done for him before he left that morning, everything in its place.

Until he stepped through the doors, heading right to the locker rooms. Changing into black beat up combat boots and then ruffling up his hair so it hung perfectly a mess, while undoing the buttons on his uniform dress shirt and loosening his tie to hang lazily around his neck. Walking out he strolled with his bag to his locker ready to cause some chaos.

Those feeling suffocated by the bosom of their parent’s cloaked public affection were like Ashley Carter.

The Carter’

This home was built on a steady arranged marriage of two high school sweethearts, David Carter and Adela Guilani now Adela Guilani-Carter. She kept her maiden name so if things got ugly she could easily drop the hyphenated last name of her husband. Two ‘loving’ parents of course, who were blessed with a single gifted daughter.

Being born with birth defects that stunned the two parents had been such a reputation concern, that they announced the birth of their daughter without showing her face. The doctor had said Ocular Albinism didn’t run in the family lineage as far as they could find, it just happened to be a rare occurrence.

Rare she was, Ashley Carter was an oddity in a world of normalcy that her parents tried to force upon her. Once she had hit 14 she didn’t care much anymore.

She was the family disappointment, a disgrace to the family name and she would never be what her parents wanted for an heir or a child.

This torn family dynamic wasn’t lost on most other families, some of them were sympathetic, giving the pale eyed girl a safe place to decompress and feel as though nothing or no one could do anything to her, they couldn’t touch her in these safe havens.

Walking into school, she was in her school uniform of course. Hair tied up in high ponytail and her uniform skirt pulled up some to show off her knees as well as her top two blouse buttons undone and her cherry red converse squeaked softly as she trudged to her locker, another day of torture was all she could think.

But she didn’t know that she was about to make the friend that would fight for her till the end.

Some of her friends met up with her to walk to the lockers, chatting softly as she would adjust her sunglasses, the indoor/outdoor lenses for these ones taking a little longer than usual to switch over.

Ashley looked the same as she did the year prior, but with this new year and being a year older, she had changed her looks a bit, having decided she was done hiding she no longer wore her colored contacts to hide her eyes and the most outrageous part of her new look was her new hair color.

Kids from other classes and her own watched her walk by, chest length hair that was now a bold fiery red, Ashley was tired of hiding, wanting to be seen for the girl she could and would be. This new color caused her ‘poor’ mother to faint and her father to demand her to “Wash it out! Now!” Only for the recently rebellious teen to reply with, “ It’s permanent. And no~”

The colors resembled the many hidden within a burning flame, reds, oranges and even some soft pinks, yellowy oranges, all laid out with the best strategies to make her unnatural hair color look.. Well natural. It made her skin seem paler but brought out the color of her freckles, her eyes though always milky crystal seemed to be brighter in a sense.

Closing in on their destination, Ashley and her friends slowed to see a new student being cornered by the lockers, the red haired girl’s happened to be the one this boy’s back was pressed to. “ Hey! I said to say something funny, you're the new foreign kid right? I bet you got a fucking hilarious voice and accent! Go on skinny, say something!” This teasing voice, that was oh so grating on Ashley’s ears made her groan, it belonged to a boy she hasn’t been able to stand since they met at the age of 10, “ Tommy. Fucking. Wilson.” She grumbled now standing before said boy, a born jock through and through. It was like in the dna for that family or something. He would’ve been handsome if he didn’t act so ugly.

“Ashley Carter~ Finally ready to submit to me and become my girlfriend.” The new student against the locker, snorted with a sharp inhale before snickering. “ She’s way out of your league.” His voice was soft, masculine for a 14 year old boy and oddly feminine in an angelic satisfying way.

The two girls that had been walking with Ashley giggled at the remark and not so much the strange European accent he had and tried to fight around.

Tommy and his two friends looked confused and then shrugged it off. “ I changed my mind, totally thought that you would sound funny but you don’t and honestly..” He narrowed his eyes at the new boy. “ The sound of your voice makes me wanna punch you.” He brought his fist up and Ashley stepped in, smacking Tommy on the back of the head, while he reacted she spoke, glaring down at him. “ If you lay a finger on him, I’ll remind you of what I did when you messed with Cecilia’s lunch and fed her meat. Knowing full well she went vegetarian.” The young jock’s eyes widened at the idea and he straightened himself out and dusted his shirt off. “ Well.. I guess-” “ You're just going to let a girl scare you?” Came the squeaky voice of another boy in Tommy’s little friend group.

Ashley stepped forward putting more heat into her gaze while taking her sunglasses off to show fully the anger in her murky eyes. “ Test your luck punk.” She hissed before the small gaggle of boys and Tommy became legitimately scared and ran off down the hall pushing passed students as they went.

The new boy stood up and sighed, running his hand through his messy hair, “ They didn’t hurt you did they?” Came a sweet soft voice belonging to a beautiful girl only describable as looking like a picture of a blond bombshell girl, the little accessories she wore and her vintage looking makeup were perfect replicas of most early war propaganda posters from the 50s. “ I’m fine thanks..” He said softly trying to not talk too loud, any louder than he was his accent would slip.

“I’m Cecilia, you can call me Cici~” She held out her hand, cocking a brow. He took it and shook it weirdly, clearly uncomfortable.

A tall raven haired girl on Ashley’s other side grinned and gave a tiny two finger wave. “ I’m Lilith. Call me Lili or Li'l.” He nodded at her before looking at Ashley whole nodded at him. “ I’m Ashley. Also the girl who just saved your little tush. What’s your name, new kid?” She asked while getting into her locker and arranging her things and grabbing what she’d need for her class.

He grumbled something under his breath and then sighed through his nose. “ Marcus.. Kohle..” Cecilia jumped and gasped. “ Holy shit! Like the Kohle family from Germany that owns and operates a huge oil rig branch?!?” Groaning the new kid, Marcus, nodded and rubbed his forehead.

“Don’t remind me please.” He sighed, Lilith and Ashley both nudged Cici who shrugged and flailed a bit, “ S-sorry sugar.. Didn’t mean to upset you. So! You guys just moved here right? You're gonna need some friends!” She giggled, smiling brightly. Ashley nodded, “ Yea, and it might as well be us if you're gonna survive in this jungle. Especially if you want to avoid conflict with Tommy.” Marcus grinned and laughed coldly. “ I was doing my best.. Not to hit him.” Lilith nodded.

“Steer clear of him if you can kid, he packs a punch..” Ashley snorted and shut her locker, “ When he can land one. My depth perception is clinically off by birth and can aim a hit better. Tommy couldn’t hit the broad side of a cow with a banjo.” She quipped while looking down slightly at Marcus. “ What class do you have first?” The german boy looked at his curriculum list. “ English li-....” He frowned at the word he was obviously having a hard time with. Cecilia peeked over his shoulder and saw it, “ English literature.. Not to be rude, hun, but I’m guessing your English reading is..” She raised a worried brow and Marcus frowned deeper and flapped his hand back and forth, the three girls looked at each other and nodded. “ It's okay, we’re all in that class with you, so we’ll help you. We’re friends now! So we’re gonna do what friends do best and help each other~” Cecilia giggled, her giggles were infectious and Marcus smiled softly, Ashley looked down at him taking him in for a moment, small and thin as a whip. His hair was messy and was a rich, dark black, it was so dark it had a soft tint of an iridescent shine like crow feathers. His face was sharp, feminine. His skin was almost sickly pale, but his eyes were what stood out to her.

Deep, blue oceanic eyes. They looked tired, obvious by the deep set circles under them, but she found herself feeling like she was falling into a dark blue void, swirling through an angry whirlpool in the temperamental sea. Even with how emotionally exhausted he looked, his eyes held this intense energy to them.

Ripped from her thoughts by her friends, she looked to see if they noticed she had spaced out, Marcus didn’t notice, neither did the girls, Lilith was running her fingers through Marcus’ messy tresses. “ Your hair is so cool.. It reminds me of a crow~” She grinned, the foreign boy nodded his thanks softly. “Oh! Oh! Our little friend group is complete! We’ve got the sassy Italian’s,” She giggled, waving at herself and Lilith, “ I’m Italian too..” Ashley pouted, “ Yes, but now we also have.” She sang that ‘a’ to draw it out while shoving Marcus and Ashley shoulder to shoulder, “ The phoenix and the crow~” The blond bubbled and grinned brightly.

The two looked at each other and then shrugged, “ Works for me. Just don’t be calling me that around others.” He grumbled though wasn’t actually grumpy about it, Ashley nodded, “ I mean I like it but it's a little… Stage name-y? How about something more subtle for general use?”

Marcus looked up at her and immediately spoke before anyone else could. “ Ash.” He stated plainly. “ Phoenix's rise from ashes, reborn into the world. Becoming greater with every rebirth.” He said with a bored tone almost like it was so obvious before adding on, “ Plus it's her name but shortened.. I am foreign but not dumb.”

The girls all laughed and smiled at the boy’s antics, he was going to be a lot of fun to get to know and hang out with. Already each girl held special places in their hearts for this precious kid and wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

“Well gang.. We better get to class before Professor Davidson comes searching for us.” Groaning at the idea they made sure they all had everything including Marcus and went onto class.

Walking down the hallway were four new best friends, and two who would stand up for the other no matter the scenario. Beautiful bonds were made between the Phoenix, and the Crow.

But the two thought, how would the intense Fire handle meeting the Freezing Sea, that’s been raging for centuries?

That’s something they’ll find out together. As they would do so, with many things to come.

#AshleyGhulehWriting #my original characters #Unedited writing I'm just going for it #writing for fun

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reddogf13 · 3 years

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Crossing fates web ch 2

Pennywise x Beverly

summery: Beverly's life had drastically changed since childhood. claws, sharp teeth, the urge to devour human meat. a aggressive clan of vampires trying to claim her forcing her to flee from LA back to Derry for a save haven. where something else has awakened to the sensation that a female deadlight had arrived. a web of coincidences from their pasts have the two questioning fate.

status: In progress

rated: M - fowl language and gore

previous chap: Crossing fates web ch 1

next chap: Crossing fates web ch 3

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~ch:2 A game of steps~

“fuck, fuck, fuck!” she repeated in her run back to the apartment. As if it weren't bad enough with a whole clan of vampires stalking her, she now had the clown after her. Beverly refused to stay here another moment and decided to flee southward out of north america. Planning to live smack on the equator line where the days were longest. Regretting she wasted so much money here.

“I'll have to beg for gas money... or rob my meals.” not particularly fond of that, even if her meals were scumbags.

Chucking her things back into her car to drive only to the town line. Stopping at the site of the whole vampire clan waiting for her. Red eyes blinking among the long black tree line of pines. That smug old man standing there to happily greet her.

“i told you, its not safe here!” he shouted from the towns edge. “Come join us and we'll put everything in the past!”

the fury burning inside her trumped her urge to flee Derry. “fuck you! I'll never leave if it means keeping you away!” she cursed to them all out the car window.

“you'll die in there if you don't! You'll see what really lives there! I'll wait for you to come crawling back!”

Beverly growled as she reversed her car and back to the hotel for another exhausting unpacking. “guess this is my home for a while.” dropping straight into bed while unable to do anything else.

The next morning she woke to an urgent call from her college. “hello?” she answered, wondering what they would deem so important to call about. Surely it wasn't some small stupid message of how sorry the school was that the massacre happened.

“hello, is this Beverly marsh?”

“yes.”

“i am the colleges new dean. I've been trying to reach you. Are you aware of the tragedy that happened on the campus? It happened a week ago in the night.”

“yes … I was there and got away. … I moved back to my home town in Maine to clear my thoughts.”

“we're very sorry to hear you went though it. The reason why were calling is to help you through it. The governor has worked with the survivors and the grieving families during this hard time. Giving out checks to cover therapy, hospital bills, or funeral costs. We have a check for you, but we never found you at your dorm to deliver it and we have no other address on file. All your school year costs plus new living arrangements will also be covered by the school to help you.”

“oh thank god. I need money so badly right now it'll go a long way.” a weight lifted off her shoulders.

She talked with the new dean to get a apartment arranged for her in Derry covered for the next 6 months. A direct deposit of $2,500 for immediate needs and another check of $12,000 will be mailed to her in a few days.

“alright miss marsh that covers mostly everything. Their is one last thing and that's your schooling. I understand if your not ready and there's no rush, but would you like us to transfer you into a new school where you live?”

“oh, yes! It would be really nice to have that back again.” setting up her paper work to be delivered to the Derry college nearby. Finding only one small snag in a class unable to be transferred over. Which was no big deal. It'd be a nice lone class to take for the year to get her readjusted with everything.

“this school year will be covered for you. We've loaded a student funds card for you to pick up from the school. A counselor will speak to you as well.”

“thank you so much.” passing good byes before hanging up. “now to load up the car, again.” only needing to shove the pre-loaded boxes into her car to drive to her new furnished apartment. Settling down fully into the place after the last box was unpacked. “i should go out and buy some much needed essentials.” looking over her tooth paste and pretty much empty shampoo bottles. Heading out to walk down to the mini market. The nice thing about Derry was almost everything was in walking range. Saving the need to buy gas all the time like back in LA.

Unknown to her the clown was keeping watch from a distance. A warm feeling filling his chest at knowing a female was in his territory. Even if it was the half human Beverly he fought with years ago. He couldn't waste such a rare chance to court her. To reject the possibly of having a close companion he'd been wanting for so long same as the chance at having children. He decided to start by bringing gifts as a peaceful gesture. “but what would she like?” with females it was normally food. “but Beverly may not appreciate a dead body at her door step.” thinking back to how she was eating one of her own yet left it hardly touched. “i should gather things a human would like.”

remembering back to that holiday with all the hearts. Humans giving each other plants, shiny metals, or … food. “guess in some small way females crossed in similarity's.” walking through the forest brush out toward the Neibolt house. The front yard filled with weeds and junk having tall colorful sunflowers strangely growing. No surprise to him that flowers were attracted to him, a being of energetic bright light. Plucking enough for a tight bouquet he stretched out his fingers long and black, as the legs of a spider would be, to create silk. Wrapping the bundle neatly together for presenting. Silk turning into a bright red to form a lovely bow for the final touches.

Returning to Beverlys apartment where he set the flowers at her door step. Off to hide someplace nearby in waiting for her to return. Excited when she did after a short time with bags in hand. The first reaction she gave to the gift not being too good. Beverly glaring down at the sudden gift she was tempted to stomp all over. Assuming it to be a gift dropped off by that creep stalking her from outside of Derry.

Thinking back to him seeming too afraid to enter the town she picked up the gift. The urge to stomp on it lifted by the sweet smell of the bouquet, not from the sunflowers themselves but the silk. A really exotic scent she assumed was extremely expensive for someone to spray. The ribbon itself a expensive silk unlike many bows someone snagged from a dollar store. She took them inside with the bags for a more thorough inspection. Catching a whiff of a earthy scent that didn't belong to the sunflowers. One of refreshing pine mixed with a comforting hot brewed dark coffee. She couldn't help but take a few more inhales as the scent helped relax her nerves. It wasn't like any mans calone or shampoo scent she had smelled before on any guy trying to snag her attention, nor a girl.

The gift had clearly caught her attention more then any others given to her. Aside from that postcard with the poem from so long ago, but that had been lost to the ages from her moves between homes. She'll try to find out the gifters identity later after she gets settled into her classes. Setting up a meeting with a college counselor over the phone before heading out. Taking her car on the small drive out to the campus. Nervous about passing through a small patch of forest. All that driving on the run past pine trees had really affected her.

Rushing inside the office building for her meeting as soon as she arrived. Talks with the counselor of the traumas she faced, for the most part. Couldn't give all the details without looking like some loon or a possible part of the massacre back in LA. During her meeting she slowly turned distracted by that aching feeling deep down.

her mind snapped at her body. “ugh, no! This isn't the time for this to happen!” That urging burn to bed someone was the worst, but not only symptom. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep in the upcoming days. School was going to be a chore to get through. EVERYone would be looking at her, it was as if she became a love magnet during this. It was already getting on her nerves and hardly started.

Having managed to focus long enough to get things set up she hurried to get home. A single class set for her this year to get back into schooling after everything. Deciding it best to take things easy as who knows what would hit her this year. Between the clown and the creep vampire stalking her, her hand could be forced to deal with one. Maybe she could handle the vampire alone, but the clown? Her and 6 friends had to deal with him, but at least he wasn't a sexual creep. Just incredibly annoying and cruel toward his food.

“I'll deal with whoever shows their face first.” sighing in entering her apartment. Starting up a small meal in the hopes it would somehow curb her aggressive appetite. Planning to take a cold shower before heading off to her class late in the night.

Meanwhile Pennywise was living off the high feeling of presenting something she liked enough to keep. While also dealing with an annoyance dipping in and out of Derry. A stupid leech of a vampire stepping his foot in like testing the temperature of a water pool. Usually he did not care for other odd little creatures passing through his territory. They were a meal all the same as the humans living in Derry. This one in particular wanted something, but was too scared to commit in grabbing it.

What ever it was, Pennywise didn't care. “grow a back bone already and get it and leave. Or step inside to become a meal.” he snarled in thought. “whatever, I have more important things to focus on.” wandering around to “shop” for what else she may like. “a meal would be best.” sensing her lights were so dim, they must not be doing well. He caught her scent faster then her energy, which was abnormal. He should have seen her coming across the galaxy if she was in good enough health.

Searching for a good meal was being more difficult then he thought. Going back and forth on various humans all day on what would taste best vs being more filling. He knew what he liked, children filled by fear making the meat taste perfectly. Like the most tender steak grilled in various fresh herbs that melted in the mouth on the first bite into it. That worked for him, but each of his kind had different tastes. Although one particular thing seemed to be an appropriate meal.

“finally jumped into the deep end?” grumbling at the stupid vampire waltzing into the territory. “desperate for a meal?” now that it was dark he was lurking around for something. Following the vampire now on if he would be a good meal. He was ancient, but vampires were a bit more … lively due to all the life force they sucked out of the blood they ate. “i don't think she'd appreciate eating a stale belt.” he huffed, tempted still just to kill the parasite annoying him all day.

“what poor sap is he hoping to hunt tonight?” following along from a distance across the roof tops.

The old leech strolling across the large parking lot of the Derry college campus. Locking onto someone exiting late into the night. What surprised Pennywise was who it was.

“Beverly?!” much more invested in what was going on now. Questioning if he should interfere or stand back. She could fight him, but she could also get hurt and he didn't want that. He watched the scene closely as the two crossed paths.

Beverly was tiredly walking back to her car when she saw him. Unlike the other times though, her body locked up at the sight of him in the large open parking lot. A few cars scattered here and there providing no possible blockage between the two. This had happened a rare few times in large open spaces when locking eyes with a male.

“you're quite a hard catch.” he lightly growled with a step forward.

her body convinced her to take a step forward as well. Not in approach, but for an event to begin. The old vampire couldn't tell, but Pennywise certainly noticed and he was revolted.

“shes dancing with him?!” snarling to himself. It was an important courting dance of steps and the goal was to eventually embrace at the middle. Each side would take a turn in a step and each would get closer if the other liked the move. Males took the first step and the females would usually join on compulsion. It was all up to if the male made the right moves from then on, otherwise the females would scratch them off the possibles list. Even if a dance was properly completed there were so many other errors afterwards that could get them black listed.

The male took another step with one more following to approach her, breaking the started dance. She snapped from her paused position to face the vampire with aggression and wanting to get far away.

Watching it come to an end perked the clown up massively. Yet some part still hurting that he wasn't the first to do courting steps with her. Switching over to aggression when that parasite didn't take the rejection well. Beverly bolted but didn't get far when the vampire tackled her. Snarling teeth bared at each other with claws thrown around in a viscous fight. All the roaring and aggressive snarling sounding like wild animals fighting over a carcass.

The noises echoed across the open air for a good while then died down. Beverly wheezing out what little air she managed to get for her exhausted body. She shred the old vampire into a bloody mess, but it wasn't enough to get him to back off. She didn't have the energy to keep up with his blows smacking her around the tarred pavement. She realized too late she didn't have the energy to fight, that she should have ran. Now she was beaten down into a limp mess on the ground with the creep straddling over her.

Her body couldn't move, only uncontrollably shiver from the various wounds her exhausted body couldn't take anymore. Beverlys eyes teared up in knowing what was about to happen. Fighting on passing out or accepting it as to not suffer as much. She tightly shut her eyes unable to do anything else with her mind not noticing the aggressive weight on her was suddenly lifted. Sounds in the background were muffled too badly to make out anything. Her body laying still on the floor even when she found the weight over her was gone. Perhaps playing dead as some part thought it best, or remaining still to recover some energy to run for it.

A pair of hands gently lifting her up jolting her to attack again. Slashing at whatever had her a few times until she was brought against something. Catching that soothing scent surrounding her against something soft and very warm. Held within the strange surroundings had her feeling safe enough to relax. Body passing out between the exhaustion and recovering from her injury.

Pennywise breathed out in glowing heated snarls at what he saw. That parasite beat Beverly down and was about to do something unspeakable. It took the clown a mere second to be on top of the bastard him self. All his teeth bared down as he shredded into his chest. Holding him down by claws gripping between the exposed rib bones. His blinding deadlights burning into the vampires flesh far worse then the sun would. Leaving the vampires head a pile of ash while the body collapsed in a pool of bloody meat shredded off from the clowns claws.

With the disgusting male left dead, his attention turned to Beverly laying limp on the ground. Stepping over he crouched near to gently lift her up into his lap. Flinching at her lashing out in a blind panic he tightly held her to his chest in soft restraining. Holding her there to keep her claws away while calming down. A smile crossing his face when she curled herself deeper into him in accepting him as something safe. Not wanting to move before she recuperated he kept holding her close. Cocooning his body around hers to warm her chilled body. Catching her sweet lovely scent while she took in his.

A refreshing scent of chilled strawberry's mixed with lavender. He purred happily in taking in the scent having missed such smells for so long. Females always had sweet scents while males had something more earthy. The scents on human females could never compare no matter what bottles they used. Focusing on her condition he carefully looked over her. Covered in bloody gashes that rotten pile left on her. They weren't healing as fast as they could with deadlights. Paying further attention to those made his concerns more urgent. He thought they would be dim, not flickering like they were. They were dying and wouldn't pull through the night unless he helped them.

“she needs to eat.” he thought, looking around for something to hunt. Eyes glaring back onto the body not too far. He rather not feed her any part of that leech but it was the best option for her. Shifting as little as he could to drag the body closer. Punching his fist through the ribs to rip out the heart. Thinking that she was too weak to fully eat he ripped a small bit of heart to thoughtfully chew up to a shredded pile. Feeding her the small bits she swallowed down on little chewing. When the whole heart was eaten down he could already see the deadlights in her improving. Dim, but a steady glow that would hold her for a little while until her next meal.

Stable enough he could move her someplace safer for the night. Shifting her around as little as possible in not wanting to disturb her as he did. Down back to his nest he fixed up the wagon to be more livable in. a bed over a large mass of spider webbing stretching wall to wall in a overall circular den. Her own personal cocoon den he made just for her to be safe and comfortable in. stuffed with blankets to various pillows she could hide in. females didn't like sleeping in open space, they preferred dens that were a little tight. Soft bedding materials filling what space they didn't fill inside them. Tucking her in to keep warm, another thing that both halves liked in their species. They could handle the cold fine, but preferred warm temperatures.

He sat outside the dens entrance, head resting on his crossed arms at the small round entry way. Watching her condition over the hours she slept. Partially fascinated by how the deadlights took charge in some ways while the rest appeared human. He saw she had claws and teeth like his, but were gone now. Body healing all the gashes shut through the night that no human could do. Yet, her blood fell unlike his and her body wasn't as tough in a fight. Those dull vampire claws mostly left annoying red marks across his skin. Her wounds fully healed he knew she would need to eat again.

Fighting his internal want to stay around her he left her alone to go hunt. Again taking careful consideration of what he would pick for her. While gone Beverly woke buried under warmth and comforting scents. Tempting her to go right back to sleep in catching up on all the time her body had gone without.

Shooting up at remembering what had happened hours ago. “where am I?!” fighting off the layers of blankets she was wrapped in. the nice soothing scent no longer calming her like it used to. Fighting her way out of the bundle to fall out of the small webbed up den. Groaning on the hard wagon floor she landed on. Body wracked with pain even with all the gashes gone. She got to her feet to give her surroundings a quick look around. Seeing the wooden insides covered in shelf's holding many trinkets. A pot belly stove in the corner with a orange small glow lighting up the place. Anxious about not recognizing the place she went right for the door to gently open it for a peek outside.

“no vampires.” she thought from her cautious look around. Stepping outside she gave a further look around. That she then recognized as the water drainage system along with the place being home to IT and his massive junk pile. Beverly didn't take the time to question why she was here. Making her escape from the pipes before IT could return and see her fleeing.

Beverly slammed and locked the door behind her after entering her apartment. Sore muscles causing her to wince with each movement. Difficulty walking to the couch a mere few feet away to collapse upon it. Laying still to catch her breath with as little pain created as possible. While sitting there the tugging in her chest escalated, similar to how it was before entering Derry.

“why?” she questioned the feeling. It didn't trigger until she left the clowns lair. “is he the reason? Is the tugging toward him and not Derry? But why?” the longer she sat in her apartment the worse she felt.

She was so comfortable in that bundle of blankets. it was the best sleep she had, had in a while. The relaxing smell filling that wagon made her feel safe. Connecting that she had smelled that scent before, on the flowers. Looking at the bouquet sitting on the table in a threading that looked exactly like that threaded bed she was in. ignoring the pain, she rose to grab the flowers to then mash them down into the trash. Not wanting anything to do with them if they came from IT. The scent wafting up when tossed down sending a wave of warmth through her.

That burning ache coming forth to annoy her again. She growled as she headed to take a cold shower to numb that enough to somehow sleep. Under the running water she thought back on what happened last night. Was that not really the vampire and IT in disguise? No, that didn't seem right to her. “why bother dressing up as that annoying vampire to mock her with. Seemed IT would favor mocking her directly as the clown or as her deceased father if anything. Then to only bring her home to be tucked away in bed. Last time he took her down there she woke on the cold moist stone floor.

“What happened to the vampire then?” trying to remember as much as she could, but it was all fuzzy. blocked by the painful exhaustion that hit her then. “IT didn't want to share his victim?” the idea making more sense then being simply saved. “guess I'll never really know. The clown wont tell me and hopefully that vampires long gone after the confrontation against IT.” doing her best to relax in the shower.

#It (2017)#pennywise #beverly marsh #pennywise x beverly marsh

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recurring-polynya · 4 years

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We finally finished Goblin! Another New Year’s Resolution in the bag!

So, how was it?

Overall, a very enjoyable project. There was a lot I liked about the show, and what I liked, I really, really liked. I would strongly recommend it to people who like shows about ghosts, folklore, and urban fantasy, especially if you have a lot of time for tv watching. I definitely don’t think this will be my last kdrama, although I think we’re gonna take some time to watch some other stuff (we started the Witcher and I have a couple of Bollywood films I want to watch) before I dive into another one.

The Good:

The worldbuilding was incredible. The Grim Reapers, the tea room, Ji Eun Tak’s ghost entourage, the Protector Goddess of Children, the emphasis on memory and names and reincarnation was 100% MY JAM.

The cast was charming, and I absolutely loved the group dynamics between the main group of characters. This is the #1 aspect of me liking any piece of media, and it was a home run for me. Even the side characters, like Deok Hwa and the class president and the CEO of the corporation whose name I have forgotten were just delights.

The Reaper. He is... my type. Sad about a girl. Loves paperwork. Is a Grim Reaper. Drinks yogurt constantly. Made tea for dead people. Gonzo sweaters. Shit upon constantly. Broke. I don’t even care that he was a bad king in a past life, he is my precious son and I love him so, so much.

The banter. They could have ignored the plot entirely and just had everyone hanging out and roasting each other and I still would have watched it.

The humor overall. Kim Shin walking around with books, trying to look erudite. The feud with the baseball teen. Deok Hwa bringing in dehumidifiers when Kim Shin got sad. I will never, ever get over the fact that the Reaper had Kim Shin and Ji Eun Tak as “Goblin” and “Goblin’s Bride” in his phone, and also the fact that he habitually referred to Ji Eun Tak as “Miscellaneous Omitted Person,” a truly blessed turn of phrase.

The production value, especially for the flashbacks, was incredible.

The knitwear. I cannot overstate how amazing the sweaters in this show were.

Every single scene where the Reaper helped a dead person pass ripped my heart out of my chest and jumped up and down on it

The Subway and Maserati product placement. We will get sponsors for this show, they said. We will get Subway. And also Maserati. And maybe also the Tourism Board of Quebec. But mostly Subway and Maserati.

The Less Good:

I am very sorry to say that the romance in this show did not do it for me. Part of it was maybe that it was too much? There was soooo much time spent on longing glances and crying and as a person who writes a lot of romance fanfic about a shounen manga that has no kissing, maybe it was just too much for me.

I didn’t like Kim Shin as a romantic lead. Ji Eun Tak was so good and pure and he was kind of a dick to her, and he never really redeemed himself to me. I liked him as roast material and he was good at rescues; I would have liked to see him learn something or evolve more as a character.

The Reaper/Sunny romance didn’t quite work either. Their romance was awkwardly cute, but there wasn’t really a reason why they couldn’t be together and I just couldn’t get excited about it. Their past life flashbacks were sweet and sad, but it wasn’t quite enough. [spoiler alert] THEN, the show ends with them dying and being reincarnated and getting together in their next life and even though there was only about 10 minutes of that, their chemistry was OFF THE CHARTS and they went to the hotel of perpetual only-one-bed, and WHY WASN’T THE WHOLE SHOW THIS???

The plot sort of lost it at the end. They pull the sword out of Kim Shin a few episodes from the end, and he dies, but because of the contract Ji Eun Tak made him sign, he wanders a snowy wasteland for 9 years and everyone forgets about him and then is able to come back. This was an A+++ idea, and I would have actually preferred if this had happened closer to the beginning so that more of the show was about Eun Tak as an adult, trying to reclaim her lost memories of being a teen Goblin Bride, that would have been metal as hell. But instead, it all got resolved in a very fast and hand-wavy way that was very disappointing to me. :/

Every episode is long, especially because Rakuten Viki has commercials, plus we would get a “malformed http headers” error around the 1hr mark every time. Don’t get me wrong-- it didn’t drag or feel long while we were watching it. It’s just that we usually only watch half an hour of tv in an evening, and it was hard to find time to watch a 90 minute show, which is why it took us 5mo to watch 16 episodes.

Oh, one more positive!

For exactly one episode, Viki decided to show us this commercial every single commercial break (it never showed it to us again), and I did not regret watching it even a single time. That was about two months ago, and now my husband and I are constantly doing “But is it creamy?”/“Stupid creamy!”/“NICE.” I have yet to purchase any Planet Oat Oat Milk.

Thank you very much to @gizkasparadise (who is on Tumblr hiatus, but I MISS HER) for recommending this show. Despite my minor complaints, I loved it. If anyone ever wants to talk Goblin, I am here for it.

#goblin #guardian: the lonely and great god #kdrama

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cilliansaccent · 4 years

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The Peaky Designer - Cillian Fanfic, Chapter 1

Hello everyone!! I’ve finally gotten around to posting a fanfic of Cillian, below you will find details of the first chapter. It is not a READER x CILLIAN fic, I am not a fan of writing those types and find it too tedious. So, you will be given a premade character. But you are most welcome to imagine yourself as the girl ;)

Please leave a like or any comments below on ways to improve, please be kind but you are welcome to be critical! I’m open to ideas and fixing up mistakes. Also, sharing would be amazing!!

Note, PLEASE READ:

I will not be including Cillian’s family as it’s kinda weird since he has children lmao. Just a mention of his parents and a previous lover.

I will indicate in a chapter if there is smut in the beginning and before the actual scene!!

I will add trigger warnings if there is any!!

There is a variety of levels of swearing during a chapter, I will not hold back, everyone swears.

The timestamp for the Fic is now 2016 and onwards!!

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Background: Gabrijela Babic is a Croatian girl from Sydney, Australia. She is born in the year 1991 on the 24th of December. She studies a Fashion degree in a University with a major in Game Design as well. Her teacher in the fashion designer class managed to nail an Internship on the set of Peaky Blinders with the shows very own Costume Designer, Allison McCosh. There, she travels to London for under a year to learn how to be one, working alongside the actors as well the man she admires, Cillian Murphy. But, her platonic feelings for the man begins to grow into something more, and she wonders whether she should pursue them or let him go for fear of her strict parents and her three older brothers…

Characters:

Swantje Paulina as Gabrijela Babic (swalina on Instagram)

Cillian Murphy

Word Count: 4,080

Warnings: None.

Date: March 2016

Chapter Name: The Internship of a Lifetime

Brief Chapter Outline: Gabrijela leaves her parents in Sydney after a big argument about her Internship. She arrives at Heathrow tired and restless, only to be approached by a man…

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The drive to the airport was long and quiet. Gabrijela watched out the window of the car, watching the houses and the cars drive by. Thinking of the trip ahead. She had worked quite hard the last couple of years, to prove herself to her teacher and to her family. Especially to her family who were the harshest critics of her very own life. But at least her teacher was proud, she loved the portfolio Gabrijela had pulled together in the final year of her studies. And she would bring it with her, to show to the new teacher she will have in London.

The last few weeks were the worst for her, constant arguing with her mother and father, over this trip. It hurt her the most, she thought she would have made them proud. But no, it seemed it made them angry. She shut her eyes, it didn’t matter now, she made it this far and she was going to enjoy the year on the set of a TV Show, learning how to be a fashion designer, how to create and tailor for actors and actresses. It made her giddy with excitement. It wasn’t long before the airport came into view, her father pulled into the multilevelled parking and parked. They were four hours early, so they killed time by walking around and eating. Chatter was light, anything to keep her parents distracted by the thought of their only daughter flying away. But, the time came around and they headed to the departures gate. “Please, be safe.” Her mother, Liljana, frowned, hugging her daughter tightly. Gabrijela held her close, she would miss them a lot, despite the rocky relationship that has sprung between them. “If anything happens, call us right away, no matter the time. Don’t do anything that will cause you harm--” “Dad, I’ll be fine. I swear. I’m twenty-five, I’m not a child anymore.” Gab cut her stern-looking father off. He sucked in a breath, “Don’t you--” “Nikola,” Her mother snapped, “Our daughter will be late.” Her father sighed, tears lining his eyes as he hugged her tightly. “Please, please take care. You know we love you.” He murmured. “I know. I love you, I love you both.” She pulled her mother into the hug and they held each other for a bit. Gabrijela pulled away, tears falling down her cheeks. She spoke in her language, Croatian, “I love you.” She had said and picked up her bags and headed to the gate, she turned to wave goodbye to her parents before she set off on the long flight.

23 Hours Later…

It was 9am when she had landed at Heathrow Airport. The flight was long and exhausting, she couldn’t sleep the whole way, she never could sleep on aeroplanes anyway. She rubbed her eyes as she lugged her massive suitcase and a smaller one with a heavy handbag. Once out of customs, she stood in the middle, checking her paperwork. She was told someone would pick her up and take her to her apartment in London. She looked around, she hadn’t seen anyone holding a sign or… seemed to be the type to be picking up anyone. “Great.” She groaned, she had no way of contacting the number, she had to get herself a sim card of some sort and access to wifi. She rubbed her forehead, she was gross all over, sleep-deprived and annoyed. “Hello, are you Gabrijela?” An accented male voice got her to turn around. The man was absolutely stunning, sharp-angled jaw, piercing blue eyes, thousands of freckles… Cillian was handsome on TV but in person… She was blown away. She didn’t see he held out a hand, and she shook herself back to reality. “H-Hi, yes that’s me.” She took his hand, warm and strong. “I’m Cillian, I believe you were expecting someone else.” He said, his smile was literally breathtaking. “Uh, yeah. Allison, she was uh, supposed to pick me up.” She nodded, setting down her small carry on luggage. “Yeah, she’s been quite sick the last few days. So, I took up on the offer to pick you up.” He explained. Gabrijela felt her heart skip a beat, he offered? “Aw, thank you. That’s, that’s super sweet of you.” She flashed him a grin. “Always. Come on, let’s get you out of here. You look exhausted.” He grabbed the biggest luggage and her carry on. “Oh no, let me carry that.” She started to grab it. “Don’t worry, it’s no bother.” He said. Another smile made her blush. Together they walked towards the elevator. It was nice outside, a little on the cooler side but she liked the cold weather despite it being almost summer here. They squished into the elevator, moving as far back as possible as people crammed in. She was crushed against the body of the Irish man, a soft chuckle reverberated through him. Her heart was hammering in her chest, the ride up felt like forever. A ride she didn’t want to end, she thought. But, like all things, it came to an end and they stepped out. They came to his car, a BMW of some sort. She whistled, “Favourite car ever.” She said as she helped him stuff her bags into the back. “Yeah, I love it. Fast and comfortable and a touch of luxury.” Cillian said as he held open the door for her. “Thank you.” She hastily got in, the interior was leather and dark. And smelled like… the ocean and a hint of forest. Cillian got in and started up the car, it came alive with a low hum. “Do you have the address of where you are staying?” “Oh yes, here I’ll read it out,” Gab said and read out the address. “Huh, they found a nice place.” He punched in the address and pulled out of the parking place. Jazz music played softly, she never listened to this type of genre. “So, how was the flight?” He asked. “Long. Very long. Seven hours from Sydney to Singapore then had under an hour to hop on to the next flight. Thirteen hours.” She replied, “I didn’t sleep, can’t. Watched some movies, tried to read but failed. I had a pounding headache and the guy couldn’t stop going to the toilet.” “Shit sounds bad. But don’t worry, you are not expected in the studio in three days, so you have time to recover.” He said. “Oh really? Do you… know what I’ll be doing?” Gabrijela asked, but then thought it was a stupid question. “Ah, that was silly to ask. It states in my paperwork.” She laughed. “No question is stupid. You’ll be working with our designer, helping her out in organising what we are to wear, the styles, colours. All that fashion stuff. Allison is a wonderful woman, an expert. You’ll learn a lot from her.” Cillian said proudly, “She works with all of us actors, tailoring the suits and dresses to such perfection.” The way he spoke about Allison made Gabrijela nervous. He seemed fond of the woman, and by how he was dressed during the show… God, she was going to be greatly challenged. And she would work her ass off the coming months, no complaints. She would do it. “She seems like a lovely person, I can't wait to start.” She clasped her hands to her chest, looking over at the older man. “As we all, Allison seriously loved your portfolio, and she had shown us. You have a fantastic idea and creativity.” Cill said. Gabrijela blushed bright red. “She showed you… my portfolio? From University?” She whispered. Her nerves spiked, and worry set in. “Oh, she was very impressed. Couldn’t hold back. Hey.” His voice softened, she looked at him again, they had stopped at a set of lights. He faces her, “I can see that doubt in your eyes. Don't be fearful, you should be proud of your work. It’s yours to claim and your creative noggin here made. Don’t let others cloud your thoughts.” He said, his blue gaze intense yet caring. She sucked in a breath and they moved on, “I guess so. It’s just… you all are so talented and amazing and… Gah, it’s scary. I didn’t even think I’d get this. It’s been a dream long coming for me to work on an amazing set with equally amazing people.” Gabrijela admitted. “We are just regular people who must play an act. That’s all.” He let out a light chuckle. “Still, for me, it’s so cool. I thought I’d be good at acting and tried to do a play during school, uh yeah, nah. I messed up majorly on the first night of the play. Still remember it.” She laughed shyly. “Wardrobe malfunction and I forgot my lines. All of them. Worst stage fright ever.” “No.” He said in disbelief. “Yes! In front of eight hundred students and staff. I refused to continue on after that. Gave that shit up and went into a design class where I hid from the world, scribbling away my thoughts and feelings.” They both laughed. “Well, I think you picked the best path. You’re here, a bright, creative mind amongst us. Welcome aboard.” He exclaimed. His laugh was a blessing to hear, it made her skin prick with goosebumps. She admired this man beside her for a long while, she had seen him in every movie he played. She was fascinated by how he worked, how easily he stepped into his given role so perfectly… And here she was, in his car, laughing and talking. Still, right now, it felt like a dream. A comfortable silence fell between them, and she watched the scene outside. Old buildings began to turn to more flashier ones as they made their way into the heart of London. Cillian spoke up and pointed out interesting buildings and told some facts, she listened intently, she would come back to these areas to check them out. Especially the Tower of London castle. “The Tube here is good. Fast but can get very packed during peak times, and very stuffy.” He said as they came into a pretty neighbourhood. “I heard that the train line is good.” Gab nodded. It wasn't long when he pulled up beside a three levelled building. The whole street was lined with these white, pretty buildings. “Here we are.” He said and got out, she pulled herself out and groaned. Stretching, she said, “This is a really pretty area.” “Quiet, and safe. Close to the station and to the shops, five minutes down the road you’ll come to a food market.” He said, pulling out her luggage with a grunt. She grabbed her smaller ones, “That's good. I might need to go down to it after this to grab some, and I need to get a sim card for my phone.” She said as they trudged up the stairs to the large wooden door. “I’d love to help you out if you want?” He asked as they unlocked the door. “Oh, sure. I’d like that.” She smiled up at him. “This floor and the one above is occupied, but the top-level is yours.” He said they both looked at the stairs. “Oh god. Why don’t you let me help you? My bag is heavy, I don't want you to hurt yourself.” She said. “Ah, fine fine. Want me to go first or you?” He asked. “Maybe you.” She said. Together they fought with the luggage, huffing and puffing up three flights of narrow, steep stairs. Once at the top they both sat down, laughing. “What is in this thing?” He ran a hand through his hair, his smile lopsided. “Clothes, shoes, a bag, girly items.” Gabrijela giggled, moving beside him. “Uh-huh. Come on, let's get you settled in.” He said and got up, he held out a hand to her. She took it and was pulled to her feet. “You do the honours.” He handed her a set of keys. She took them and unlocked the door to her apartment. The first thing they were greeted was the open space, to the right was a two-seater dark grey couch and a small flat-screen TV mounted to the wall above a fireplace. Behind the couch was a double bed with a million cushions and dark tones for sheets. Further was the balcony that overlooked the street. To the left was a small modern kitchen with a wall separating the rooms, it was designed in a way where a square cut out of the wall was turned into like a breakfast bar with two stools. Beside the kitchen was a generously large bathroom with a bathtub build into the wall equipped with a showerhead. The colours were dark browns, greys and splashes of copper and silver and greens in the decor. “Wardrobe is under the bed and in the dresser here.” Cillian patted the dark wood piece that was set beside the bathroom door. “London apartments are quite small but small design aspects use space very effectively.” “This is… Wow, I didn't expect it to be so… Lovely.” She touched the fluffy throw on the bed. It felt like luxury. She sunk down on the bed, bouncing on it. She kept looking around. “You’ll be calling this your home in the coming months, so get as comfy as you like.” Gabrijela sucked in a breath, “Thank you.” She said, her emotions were all over the place, happiness, fear, excitement. “What for?” Cillian asked, sitting beside her. “For all of this. For this opportunity.” Her eyes shimmered with utter joy. “Don’t thank me. Thank the ones who got to make this happen.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I will, but to you especially. I’ve uh, I’ve always admired you in films you act in. And I absolutely love Peaky Blinders, it's a fantastic show and I am truly excited to work with you and everyone else.” She said in a single breath, her cheeks heating. He let out a soft laugh, “I could say the same, as I said before, we are delighted to have you on the team.” She felt so shy around him, his eyes, his smile, everything about him made her feel so giddy. He truly was one kind of a man, and her love and admiration only grew more for him. “Well, I had an idea. You give me a list of what you need, and you get yourself comfortable and shower or whatever.” Cillian stood up. “Oh no, no, no. I can’t do that. I’ve already taken up so much of your time today, I think it’s best if I just go myself.” She stood up quickly, shaking her head. “Please, it’s no bother, really. You’ve had a long trip,” he grabbed notepad on the dresser and a pen from his pocket and handed it to her. “List, please.” She sighed, “God, fine.” She huffed and scribbled down some things she’d like. “There you go, Mr Pushy.” Cillian tucked the paper into his jacket pocket, “I’ll see you soon.” He said and left. Gabrijela waited before she let out an excited cry. She did a little dance and laughed, “Oh thank you God for this opportunity!” She unpacked some stuff, mostly her… private items before she grabbed a clean pair of ripped jeans and an oversized sweatshirt before she went into the shower. It felt good to bathe, washing off all the crap and stress away. Once out, she resumed unpacking until Cillian rang the doorbell. She allowed him up and gasped when he came in with four bags. “I definitely did not write that much stuff down! Cillian!” She gave him a playful push once he set the bags down. “Well, I wanted to buy more than just lettuce and a pack of noodles.” He said. “Let me make lunch for you.” She snorted, “No. I refuse. Please.” She grabbed his hands, “Cillian, you really shouldn’t do this.” “Gabrijela.” He now held her hands between his, and his gaze was bright and caring. “I want to do this because I want to. Out of the goodness in my heart.” The look he had made her back down, he really wanted this. “Alright, Cillian. Make my lunch then.” She pulled back and helped him unpack the bags. She left him be as she finished up unpacking her stuff. She set up her laptop and portable music box before she sent out a facebook message to her mother to ease her worrisome mind. Cillian had even gotten her a sim card, and she was so paying him back for it. It wasn’t long when her father called up on Skype. She chatted with him in Croatian for a bit before she said her goodbye. “Your dad?” Cillian called from the kitchen, he was well into cooking, the air smelled a bit burnt. “Yeah, gotta check in with the family. They're the most worried, this is the first time I’ve ever gone overseas alone.” She replied, scrolling through Facebook. “Is this your first time overseas?” He asked. “Nah, the first two was with my parents and this one by myself.” She smiled, sitting back on the couch and watching him through the opening in the wall that looked into the kitchen. He was busy stirring something. “Where did you go in the first two?” He moved to grab what looked like salt. “Croatia visited family and the usual touristy stuff. Was an awesome experience.” She said. “Oh yeah? I’m guessing you’ve learned how to speak it since you spoke Croatian with your dad just then.” “Mhm. I took a course before I just practised at home with my parents, I’m able to hold a good conversation now.” She said with pride in her tone. “Incredible. I used to know French a while back, but I’ve forgotten it all.” He chuckled. “Oh yeah? How’d you get into that?” She got up and sat on one of the stools, watching him. “My mum is a French teacher, so as a boy I learned it through her. Once an adult, I kinda stopped as I really had no more use for it.” He explained. “Didn’t want to sing it either?” Gabrijela teased. He snorted, “Definitely not. You know about the band stuff?” He turned to her. “Kinda, a little. Did you enjoy it?” She asked. “Yeah, I did. Played the guitar, sang a little. It was a good time, but not something I wanted to pursue further.” He shrugged, “A good filler in my younger years.” “Awesome. You do seem like the band kinda guy.” She folded her arms on the table. “Yeah? My brother says that to me, asks me if I would ever pick it back up again.” He turned back to the pot boiling, stirring it. “I see, but I think acting suits you better.” She nodded. “Huh, thanks. I get that a lot.” Cillian mused as he stirred the pot before turning the electric stovetop off. She rolled her eyes, “So cocky.” She huffed. Cillian flashed her a grin before he set out two bowls and poured in the noodle soup. “Chicken soup with carrots chunks. Easy to make and really good in energising the body.” He said, pouring her a glass of strawberry cordial and one for himself. “You know, my mum makes the same thing. But more for if your sick, or whenever shes in the mood. Let's see how good Mr Murphy is.” She straightened her back, picking up the soup. “Oh, God.” He laughed nervously, “Be gentle on me.” She could see the playful glint in his eyes as she tasted the steaming soup. She took a couple of spoonfuls before she slowly set the spoon down, eyes narrowed and had a thoughtful look on her face. “Hm,” She hummed, rubbing her chin, “Salt… Good. Enough. Temperature… Just right… The taste…” She paused, eyes flicked up to his. He waited, head tilted to the side. His smile began to grow. “Delicious!” She cried happily, “It’s fantastic, Cillian. Almost like home, but very close.” “Oh!” He let out a sigh of relief, clearly playing along with her, “Good, good. I’m not really a fantastic cook, I’m most skilled in lasagna or some type of soup. Or a good ham and cheese toast.” Gab giggled, “Thanks, Cillian. It’s really good.” She said, continuing to eat the soup. “I made enough to last today and tomorrow. I’d like to take you out for dinner tomorrow night if you like.” He brought the spoon to his lips, taking a sip. “To dinner? Tomorrow?” She blinked, looking surprised. “I-I mean, only if you want, I don't want to--” He started. “No, I’d love to go to dinner with you. What time?” She asked. “Around seven? Will that be okay?” “Perfect. Gives me time to explore tomorrow, and maybe find an outfit.” She said, focusing on her soup. Her damn blush wouldn't go away. “Want me to tag along? I know good areas for shopping.” He offered, gazing at her once more. “I--” She shut her mouth, he was doing so much for her today. He picked her up, brought her here, bought food, cooked, and he was going to take her out tomorrow night… “Alright, but you are not allowed to pay for anything!” She said sternly, “Or I will make sure you rip your pants on set.” He held up his hands in a truce like fashion, “Fine, fine. I will agree to these terms.” “Good! But I may or may not wake up later, I’m running on zero hours of sleep.” She hissed, finishing her soup. “Oh yeah, gotta let you have your beauty sleep.” He said as he collected the empty bowls. She rolled her eyes, making a face, “Girls gotta sleep. It’s why we stay so pretty.” She flicked back her hair, letting out a huff. She got up and helped him dry up and clean up despite his demands to go rest. She didn’t like to sit around and let others do the work, she always wanted to help out no matter what. After that, Cillian wiped his hands and walked with her back to the small living space, “I should get going, but before I do…” He grabbed the notepad and scribbled something down, “My number and my address. I don’t live far from here, almost a twenty-minute walk. Just some information.” He gave her a cute smile. “Ah, thank you. I’ll make sure to save that. I’ll text you later so you have whatever new number I got.” Gabrijela said, taking the paper and tucking it into the front pocket of her hoodie she wore. “Also, thanks for getting the sim card. I’ll set it up in a moment.” “No worries. I’ll see you around midday, yeah?” He opened the door. “Yeah, see you then. Thank you for everything.” And she went towards him and hugged him. He let out a soft ‘Oh’ and his arms wrapped around her. “I love hugs,” His voice dropped to a soft murmur. “Same.” She said equally as quiet. They both chuckled and pulled away. “Rest well, Gabrijela.” He had this look in his eyes as if he didn’t want to go so soon. But he turned away, and she watched him walk down the stairs. She closed the door before she went to the balcony and peered over. Any moment, and he was out of the door. He paused and looked up, waving and giving her a wink before he got into his car. His head disappeared in the car and he drove off. Gabrijela let out a sigh, gripping the iron rails. She looked down the road, the forever trail of white apartments and the soft hum of traffic and the occasional cry of people calling to each other. Was this all real? She thought as she stared up at the grey sky. The air was cool, and it smelled like rain was going to fall soon. She loved the rain. She smiled to herself, a dream come true. She was here. Safe. Had a wonderful with a man she admired, and whom she will go shopping with. Her heart fluttered as she went back inside to lay down and set up her phone. But she didn't get a chance to text Cillian as sleep and exhaustion overtook her body and she was out like a light.

#cillian murphy #thomas shelby #peaky blinders #fanfiction

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snowstcrm · 5 years

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The Young Wolf and The Last Dragon

Summary: Daenerys spent her years growing up in the Water Gardens palace of Dorne, hidden away from Robert Baratheon's wrath and the world. The usurper is dead however, and kings have begun to rise across Westeros to partake in the game of thrones. One lord in particular has been sweeping every enemy in his path in order save his father in Kings Landing, something Doran Martell sees as an opportunity to finally place the Targaryen princess in his care on the Iron Throne. For the first time in her seventeen years of life, Daenerys sails away from her pools and lemon trees in order to marry the Young Wolf in the north and redeem her family's tarnished name.

Pairing: Robb Stark x Daenerys Targaryen (Robberys)

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Chapter 1 - Farewell to Lemon Trees

Daenerys passed the guards and entered the lush garden, steps slow and hesitant until her eyes found the man seated in a wheelchair. “Uncle, you called for me?” She asked as she approached him, placing her hand on top of his. He was her brother-in-law in truth, but he had taken her in since she was nigh a month old and raised her in the safety of the Dornish palace. Your mother named you Daenerys. He told her once when she was a child splashing in the pools of the Water Gardens. After the Targaryen princess this palace was built for. She gave you that name and and lost her life while trying to get you here safely. She loved you dearly.

She was well versed in Westerosi history, both in centuries old and new. It wasn’t easy to sneak out of the palace, so on most days Daenerys kept herself busy with reading. Reading, writing, reading some more, swimming in the pools, learning the harp, and spending many hours in classes with tutors. Valyrian. She had said as a girl nearing her sixth nameday. I want to learn Valyrian ‘cos the book said Targaryens are Valyrians. Then not a month later Doran had Valyrian texts delivered to her room. Indeed she was spoiled, but she also wasn’t naive enough to believe that this warm upbringing came without any expected duties of her. She knew what she was. She knew that she was an extremely valuable chess piece for the Martells in the game of thrones all the houses of Westeros played. They kept her safe and treated her so dearly that she couldn’t find it in her heart to resent them for that truth though. A few years ago she resolved that if the time ever came and they called on her to carry out duties, she would give them that. Who else in these lands would she place her loyalties in if not them?

“Yes, news has travelled from the north.” His voice ever calm and pensive, a calculative mind behind his words. “Lord Eddard Stark has been detained in Kings Landing and the Lannisters are preparing for his execution. His two daughters are trapped in the capital as well. His eldest son has rallied the north and is travelling south to save him.”

Her brows furrowed as she took in the information before she gave a slight shake of her head, “Joffrey Baratheon, you mean. Joffrey Baratheon will execute him.”

A small smile pulled at his lip, “No, sweetling.”

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Eddard Stark… She pondered as she packed some of her belongings for the long trip ahead. He was one of the men that helped overthrow her father. She knew many cruel stories about her father dubbed the Mad King, and though she acknowledged them, she still felt an obligation to defend the Targaryen name rather than denounce it. She was not Aerys or Rhaegar, but they were her blood, her kin. She was the last dragon and she would redeem the Targaryen name for the sake of her mother and even her sweet brother Viserys that were both killed before she could love them. She’d redeem it for any future children of her own, and their children.

She couldn’t take much with her, but she was warned that her airy Dornish dresses would do her no good anywhere else in Westeros anyway. Instead she took a few books of poetry and history along with other things that could help her pass the time. She picked out a few of her thicker dresses that might stand the chillier weather and some of her best leathers for comfort.

A glint of gold caught her eye and she paused, looking over to the vanity to find her jewelled dagger resting inside a sheath that was just as intricate and exquisite. Walking over to the table, Daenerys picked the weapon up and held it in her palms as she contemplated. She did not know much about the Young Wolf but perhaps they could start on good terms if she presented him with a gift… She did not use the dagger anyway as it was more of a piece to display someone’s wealth and tastes rather than combat prowess. She much more preferred a spear or whip for that matter, any way. The dagger was a gift that had been given to her by a distant lord in Essos that supported her claim years ago.

She wrapped the dagger in a cloth and stashed it in the leather chest she had been given for travel. I may never return. She realized, and the mere thought made her heart ache. The Water Gardens and the land around it were all she had ever known, nestled away in the safety of the palace to hide her from Robert Baratheon’s wrath. But now Robert was dead and kings were springing up across Westeros to claim the seven kingdoms for themselves, and she would marry one of them.

A warm breeze filled her room and she glanced out her window, watching as the leaves of her lemon tree rustled and danced with the wind. Would there be any warmth waiting for her in the north at all?

“Robb Stark is young but his conquests have proven successful. I believe he will take Westeros and swallow it whole-- Baratheons and Lannisters alike. Dorne can only avoid the brewing conflict for so long.” He looked from her back to the shimmering courtyard pools. “I want what’s best for the Dornish people and I know you love this kingdom as much as I. I raised you to be knowledgeable, strong, and wise, so you could one day take back your rightful throne and be a good ruler for Dorne and for all.”

She knew it had always been the truth, but it was different to finally hear it spoken. This had been her duty from the beginning. She had known. She had always known, and she was ready. “You raised me well uncle. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me.” The words were spoken softly, a gentle expression overtaking her features. “I will be a good queen, for all the men, women, and children.”

He nodded, a look of resolve in his eyes. “You will have advisers with you, but they and I can only do so much for you once you’re placed in the fray. The Young Wolf appears to have no desire for the Iron Throne. Who will he place on it once he kills the king and retreats back to the north with his father? Let him see you for what you are.”

Her heart thrummed in her ears at the prospect of sitting on the throne herself. She had assumed that she would be wife of the king, not the ruler herself. “But… I am a woman… The other kingdoms do not recognize Dornish succession laws.”

“Who will be left to stand against you once the Young Wolf tears his and your enemies limb from limb?”

Her hands ran through her once silver-gold tresses, now dyed dark as a raven’s feathers. It was merely for the travel north to White Harbor, one of her handmaidens reassured as the green powder she had mixed with water and other liquids became a mud in her hair. Though it worried Daenerys during the process, she quite liked the final result regardless of how bizarre it was to look at her reflection and not recognize herself right away.

“Ashara Dayne come again,” a voice commented and Daenerys let go of her hair as she looked up to meet the eyes of Oberyn who had arrived to the Water Gardens to travel with her. From her understanding he and his men would be dropped off to sneak into Kings Landing while she would stay on the ships that would keep travelling north to White Harbor.

“Uncle,” she grinned, a hop in her step as she went to hug him. “You haven’t visited Water Gardens for weeks. I was growing concerned.”

He placed a hand on top of her head in reassurance, “A lot has happened and far too quickly, but we’re ready now. I have waited many years for this time to come and now the heads of Elia and her children’s murderers will finally be mine. My family’s justice and yours.”

“I wish you good fortune uncle.” Was it wrong that a secret side of her wished him to slaughter every Lannister and Baratheon man in Kings Landing responsible for her family’s murders? Rhaenys and Aegon barely had a chance at life before their brutalized bodies were presented to Robert Baratheon. She did not care much for the Stark lord either, but she was sure that her new husband-to-be would not take kindly to her even thinking such things of his father. She’d be mindful of her words around him, as she always was.

They were near ready to set sail when Daenerys asked one last wish of Doran. She asked to bring her mare with her on her journey to the north. Daenerys could not bear to part with Silver who had been her companion for a better part of ten years and she had been brought to tears when she visited her in the stables to wish her farewell. She did not cry for many things, but leaving Silver behind was something she could not bring herself to do.

She leaned against the wooden railings of the ship, watching with tears stinging at her eyes as they sailed further and further away from the beautiful beaches and palace, the only home she had ever known. Growing up she had always wished to see the world beyond its ornate walls but now that it has come to pass, a fear seeded itself in the pit of her belly. Westeros was not safe for her. Even her future husband the Young Wolf was said to turn into a beast during battle and eat his enemies. How could she know that such a feral man wouldn’t kill the daughter of the Mad King once he laid his eyes on her? Surely Doran wouldn’t send her off to be killed. He wanted her to be queen. For the time being she could only trust in the man that had raised her and show her new allies that she was not defined by the sins of her family.

I am the blood of the dragon. She repeated in her mind again and again to gather her courage. I must have fire in my eyes when I face them all, not tears.

-->leave kudos or a comment on ao3

#my posts #my writing #daenerys targaryen #Robb Stark #robberys #game of thrones #WELPPPP starting another fic when i just started another one ooooohpsie

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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February 1st-February 7th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from February 1st, 2020 to February 7th, 2020. The chat focused on the following question:

What is the nicest thing someone has said about your story, whether its published or still a WIP?

Deo101 [Millennium]

Well, this is one I can answer right away. It's not a very straightforward answer, but I had someone reference me and my comic in an essay about reasons why they were able to love themself... It was for a creative writing class, and they just used me as an example of a greater thing (indie media)... and I only know about it because they asked me permission. but they let me read the essay, and it made me cry. I havent heard from them in a while and I really hope they're okay, but that really stuck with me in a way nothing else has. It's not really a quote, though, so the nicest comment I have recieved was "I can tell how much you love people by reading this story." It was really sweet in a way I can't quite articulate. People have been incredibly sweet to me, and I feel very blessed. I could make a long list detailing the kindness I have been shown.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Apparently Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/) has made more than one person cry already. Which, to me, is pretty darn high praise, given that I've barely begun the story

Having people find it and say "THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF STORY I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR" also hits a nerve. I know that feeling. You like certain themes/motifs and you wish someone would blend them together in just the right way. It can be magical.

And the last one is when I learned that children like it. A few have come forward so far - either in person or through their parents - and told me they loved it. It was around that age that I was building my own 'inner library' of inspirations for the comic. To know that I might be part of theirs, even in a small way, is just... the best?

Deo101 [Millennium]

that's all so incredibly nice <3

and now I wanna add to my list actually I don't want to interrupt, this is just a topic I wish I could sing from the rooftops about... I also had a student of mine (I am a teacher at a church) come out to me because he knew I would be okay with who he is. And, I have had people tell me it's inspiring to them, which kinda makes my heart melt. I'll stop now but, really I could go on and on about how open and loving people have been with me and my work, and how much it means to me.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Man... This is somewhat difficult for me to answer since I am so early into my comic creating journey. However, I will say that I recently got a comment on my comic Whispers of the Past (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/whispers-of-the-past/list?title_no=191366) that made me smile. A long time reader commented that they always read my new pages twice, once on Webtoon, and again on Tapas. This really made me realize that my work has meaning to somebody other than myself, which is definitely what I need to hear when I'm doubting myself.

Mei

It's so nice reading about nice comments people have gotten and honestly... y'all deserve it!! I need to be in a better habit of commenting myself because I will promote comics to my friends for days on end but I'm too shy to leave a comment, even though I love receiving comments myself. I think the nicest comments I've received have been in combination with the conventions I was at last year. People told me that they thought the comic was funny, which I am incredibly thankful for. And one person who bought the book at the convention took the time to find it on Tapas and then comment on the latest page, saying that they'd talked to me, read the book, and that they liked it. That meant so much to me it was crazy! And another time, I was showing my book to someone at a convention and she said that she actually read the comic online, which honestly... It's so strange and surreal to me to meet anyone in real life who reads things posted online. It made my heart do smiley emoji. I think what LadyLazuli said is really right, this idea that you're a small part of someone's life or inspirations or just general day is pretty amazing?! Also this one guy commented on every page week to week with the same 'vase' joke on several updates and honestly the commitment was truly astounding

kayotics

I think some of the nicest comments come from one specific reader, who has mentioned a couple times that going back and reading the comic has helped them through some tough times. There was also one person who went to the effort of contacting me after their books were damaged from flooding, and wanted to buy new books to replace the old ones. This was wild since they wanted to do something so inconvenient (paying with cash by mail, and I didn't even have an online storefront in the first place) to replace the books.

twothirty

really early on i had 1 reader that would leave in-depth analysis of some character interactions and they were were spot on and made me really feel like people cared about this story . The other interaction that really stands out was doing the convention circuit last year I had a reader come up to say hi, and usually that interaction is just "i love your comic!" (which is amazing) but he also then talked to me at length about the story and again it was this feeling of just knowing someone out there cares about what you're doing. Comics feels particularly isolating so interactions like that really keep me going.

Funari (Raison d’Etre)

I've had two different readers tell me our comic has brought them joy during bad days. Sadly one of them I haven't heard from in 2 years and they were going through some rough times. I hope they're okay

Nutty (Court of Roses)

The nicest thing I've heard was when my coworker told me him and his daughter were reading it, and he told me that she's "drawing like me" with panels and stuff and keeps asking him "how do i make the bubbles" So they're gonna work on that and then he's gonna show it to me.

keii4ii

Any time someone gets what I'm trying to do with the story. I have a great fear of getting good intentioned people trashing the most important parts of my story (without realizing their importance). So whenever someone gets what the story is all about, whether as a whole or just one scene, it's a huge weight off my chest. Legit brings tears to my eyes. Even if I manage to overcome that fear some day, comments like that would mean a lot to me. Being understood has always been very important to me.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Someone recently said they wanted to get a tattoo of something in the comic and that was cool. It also means a lot when people respond well to the jokes in the comic because I put a lot into the writing to make it funny. I hope it makes someone cry someday Joe Is Dead http://joeisdead.com/read

DanitheCarutor

Ffff all my readers have been so compassionate, it's jarring! In a nice way! Choosing one nice thing is hard, every comment has been nice. I guess the most flattering is when a someone takes the time to go back to the previous chapters to link little things up with the current events in the story, or when they manage to remember in spite of how webcomics update so slowly. There was a comment I saved a while back where someone remembered a small thing in chapter 3 and was doing some brainstorming with it relating to the current chapter at the time.

Every so often someone also leaves a paragraph with some of the most motivational gushing, it's so nice! Oh! Also, there have been a few people who've asked me to print my comic so they can have a physical copy (which I'm slowly starting to do), which is super motivating knowing a couple people like my depressing comic enough to want to own a copy of it.

keii4ii

Oh man, I too have saved screenshots of some of my favorite comments, but I don't wanna share them because 1) some of them are long and 2) maybe the commenters wouldn't want their names disclosed in a different context? They are great to save for a rainy day, though!

Tuyetnhi

Oh this is hard I remember one comment on tapas that they got their aunt and cousin reading it and I was flattered! Most comments I got were about the artstyle and progression of the story, which I hope to continue if school lets me. Still, I'm quite surprised that it drove someone to get their family to read a romance about someone's dream lover lmao

also same keii!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Honestly, I have far too many comments I should screenshot. But so many of them are praising the art, and I never know how to feel about it. Like, those types of comments make me happy, but I never know how to truly feel about them.

keii4ii

Art is admittedly easier to comment on. If I'm commenting on art on anyone's comic, I try to point out how it contributes to the storytelling, rather than "ooh pretty and shiny." Pretty and shiny is valid but I'd be just doing illustrations if that were my main goal!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

But if 9/10 comments are, "Wow, the art is so pretty!" I can't really react to it much, especially since my own self-doubt is constantly reminding me of my mistakes.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

I've been really excited to answer this question because it gives me an opportunity to thank any and all the fans and people who celebrate our work. I've been so humbled by all of the wonderful and amazing fanart we've received, music paired with scenes from our comic, and fans even imagining scenarios of the characters themselves-- I'm constantly blown away! I do have my most treasured moment however, and that was when we were tabling at TCAF a couple years back. We had been swamped with crowds, selling, and early mornings-- it was a long day! That was until we had one person who went through the trouble to see us in person, and handcraft a drawing to deliver to us, saying thank you, and in that moment I bawled!! They quickly left after us thanking them so much, and I'll never forget that and how much it gave us a fire to see this whole project through. We have it framed and it sits in front of our cpu

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I got one comment where someone said that one of my main characters "seems sweet," and it just left me confused because, a) he's only said about ten words total, and b) in those ten words, he has somehow managed to be rude.

So how is he sweet???

But I mean, I should be happy that he seems likeable despite his attitude and reticence

Tuyetnhi

nice lmao

I do agree about the comments about the artwork being pretty and idk how to repond other than thanks lmao(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yep

That's pretty much all I can say

Because I would HOPE my art looks pretty good after a decade drawing haha

Tuyetnhi

tho tbh because of the nature of my comic, I do get the occasional thirst comment and I'm just sitting there bawling

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh yeah, I get those

Tuyetnhi

"Wow he's buff"

"yea bc I made him like that lmao"

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

People drooling about my male MC mainly

It's so awkward, but I knew it would happen

Tuyetnhi

same, but for the male love interest and i'm like "this is expected lmao"

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING

keii4ii

I get like 0 thirsty comment despite one of the MCs being an athletic cat dude with literal secret tentacles (I'm okay with not getting a lot of thirsty comments, but I do find it interesting)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I've gotten thirsty comments and my comic is not meant to be romantic or sexy at all

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh, I can leave you some thirsty comments

I love Lu

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I was going to say they are inevitable(edited)

but kei proved that wrong

Tuyetnhi

same I love Lu too lmao

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

And will gladly praise his hotness

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

if your comic goes on for long enough, i think you will get some eventually. it is a rule of the internet

keii4ii

It's been ongoing since Nov 2014 XD But I guess it takes longer for some than others!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@keii4ii I don't think you quite understand

I have never been attracted to animal-people before

I have always found anthros and such weird

And yet

Lu is totally my thing

Tuyetnhi

Strangely attractive for a cat guy lol

points for those who get the ref

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

how do you guys know what their comic is?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

He is way too attractive

keii4ii

Mine? Cronaj and Tuyetnhi came across it outside this Discord, I believe!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yep

I have been reading it for a few years now

Although I can't say exactly when, because HoK has been a part of my life for so long

Tuyetnhi

I think I started reading it a year or 2 ago lol

DanitheCarutor

@keii4ii The only nice thing about Webtoons is that there aren't any profiles to check, so you can't look up fans via their comments. Also if you did Google their username there isn't a guarantee whoever you find would be that Webtoons user without them telling you. Lmao! About the thirsty comments, I used to get them a lot of Webtoons. There was this one scene where my smaller MC pulled the taller one to their face to say "Your friend is dead", before shoving him away and walking off. Some of my readers went wild! They wanted the two MCs to make-out so bad, even though the scene clearly had no romantic chemistry... or even the entire comic for that matter. My thirsty bunch came off really desperate and reaching at times.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Omg, that's just precious

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I really have never gotten thirsty comments, with the exception of one or two very mild 'Oh, that character is attractive' comments. But I think my comics just don't really attract thirsty readers. Of course, I rarely get any reader feedback, so that's probably part of it.

keii4ii

@DanitheCarutor Yeah, that's a plus about the semi-anonymity! My screenshots are from less anonymous places, so yeah. Some are also from like... Discord, where the person may not even have expected the comment to be archived in any way. (Sometimes I actually asked if I could screenshot, but I don't know if I asked every time...)

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

No one has ever reported finding my characters attractive

Deo101 [Millennium]

People thinking my characters are hot is a pretty common thing, and usually I don't mind but... sometimes it's the bane of my existence.

It's always a little bit weird, though

every time someone is like "dat ass " I'm like alright bud keep it to urself

it's part of why I made all of my characters adults, actually

people even before I started making it, just when I was talking to them about it or showing my art would STILL be overly sexual about my characters so I aged them up where it felt less weird for me.

kayotics

I’ll get thirst comments every once in a while, usually on tapas. I don’t mind it too much, especially since I’m usually making characters that I’m also attracted to? I usually think thirst comments are funny

DanitheCarutor

Pfff I'm in a similar boat to Deo's. Usually I don't mind, but there are moments where it sucks. Like there will be a really serious, or heavy scene and someone will pop up with "Make them kiss!!", "Don't be mean to your future hubby, X! Kiss him and make up!!". It totally feels they don't actually care about the story and just want something to jack it off to. xD I don't get a whole lot of thirst anymore, which is nice. I think the vocal group lost interest after being blue-balled for 3-4 chapters. Weirdest thing, I have yet to get anyone saying my characters are attractive... well, some readers used to say Julian (my questionable looking non-binary character) was pretty but they weren't really thirsty, just observations. At least they came off like that. My style makes characters look kind of ugly, so comments about any of my cast being attractive is non-existent. @keii4ii Ooh yeah, I can see how that would be an issue. Although, if you really want to show off some super nice comments, you can also just cover or blur out their username and icon image. A lot of people do that, it's really good for keeping up the user's anonymity, and I don't think they would mind since you're not using their words slanderously.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Can I admit I sort of wish I got some thirsty and shipping comments? I also draw characters I think are hawt so I kinda wish my readers felt the same way. XD I don’t really want them in Ashes were my characters are teens, but in Eryl where 95% of the cast is legal age, I kinda wish some people wanted to be a little bit thirsty about it. XD

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah, i just wish it wasnt... Idk sometimes it seems like thats ALL people see and it makes me sad

Like theres other stuff going on...

eli [a winged tale]

I feel you too Cap’n! I sort of expected shipping comments for AWT https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/keyspace-a-winged-tale/list?title_no=322364 but yeah they’re still kids discovering themselves! When I start my adult fantasy comic (tentatively planned), then I’m all on board for sure. For the question, I love and screenshot every comment to peruse whenever I feel down. I treasure all of them but one that particularly stood out for me was a writer reimagining all their stories with my art and characters and that just about made me cry happy tears

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

So far the only 'thirst comments' I've gotten are when the comic gets even the slightest bit... gay I can't say my story revolves around major LGBTQ+ themes, but people have picked up on random bits of subtext between characters (which is mostly intentional on my part, not gonna lie) and specifically take time to comment on them. It makes me happy to see people reading between the lines. And it also helps me know what the readers like or are really looking for. So... yeah, I'm gonna keep on that path

eli [a winged tale]

Did I miss that in phantomarine?? Howww

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

The subtlest of subtle subtext... which will become far less subtle over time

Nutty (Court of Roses)

i am deliberately pushing my main ship to get ppl into it lmao

YOU WANT THESE TWO TO KISS, I PROMISE

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

GOSH I know this feeling too well I feel like I don't want to overwhelm the readers, but I want them to still realize "...Hmmmmmm, yeah I kinda want this."

eli [a winged tale]

I’m so intrigued now

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

good

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

wait i can't think of anything remotely gay/romantic in phantomarine

besides maybe

phaedra and... cheth?

eli [a winged tale]

The shipping comments in AWT are currently on point at exactly where I want them to be

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i don't believe you would go for that, but shipping enemies is a very common fandom thing

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I wish I had more people shipping my characters because I'm all alone in it right now

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

@Nutty (Court of Roses) I'm doing the same in Ashes. I'm being super obvious about Anor x Rava being a future couple. XD

So far I haven't really gotten any comments about it. Idk if my readers care about romance at all.

Which is okay, because I don't really write much romance into my comics.

Even though I secretly wish for a bit of shipping from readers.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I have to find out how visibly and obviously gay the characters have to act before people pick up on it

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

sssfrs, your comic just doesn't feel like the kind of comic people would ship characters in, though. Even the relationship between the captain and the guy that left, though lovely, feels, i don't know, too mature to really ship?

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

It's not the focus of the plot though so it's not essential just would be fun

Deo101 [Millennium]

people were shipping page 2 for me so idk

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

That's a fair way to look at it

Deo101 [Millennium]

apparently they need to be next to eachother , in my experience

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i think the art style plays a part, too

people were shipping my characters also from page two. But I have a "prettier" style than sssfrs

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Yeah, I think the only way readers even know my characters are queer is from the extra art I make of them for Pride month each year. On panel the gay isn't incredibly obvious.

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah, and I do WANT people to ship them so its not like I mind. I like shippers (when they are in line with my plans)

eli [a winged tale]

Yes Deo!! Exactly

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Some characters I think have a great dynamic but I just haven't published enough of the material that shows their chemistry yet so I can't blame anyone for not seeing it

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

^same for me

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

looking forward to seeing that in both your comics!

i follow both

eli [a winged tale]

That’s fair ssfrs I’m all for the slow burn

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

It's true that my goal isn't to make the characters visually attractive and appealing in that way as much as in personality and interactions

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I do keep seeing people leave 1* ratings for Eryl on WT and I can't help but wonder if it's homophobes angry about a character sheet I shared that mentioned the character was lovingly raised by two dads. Bc there has been nothing really controversial on-panel in the comic, and I have such a small audience it has no other reason to keep attracting hate.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yeah, that's what i was trying to say. couldn't think of a good way to say that though. but i like your art and feel like it fits your story well

( at sssfrs)

i don't think there are a large number of homophobes on WT. If anything, there's an overabundance of the opposite- fetishists

people leave 1 star on WT for random reasons like you not updating enough

don't worry about it

eli [a winged tale]

Link your webcomics? With <> . Love to check them out

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/puppeteer/list?title_no=290620

Deo101 [Millennium]

I get a lot of fetishists, yeah....

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/dark-wings-eryl/list?title_no=287293

Deo101 [Millennium]

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/millennium/list?title_no=110866

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Idk, maybe they don't like that I update in traditional pages, then, Who knows

All I know is every time my ratings start crawling back up, suddenly they'll take a big hit.(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

idk, some people just seem to do that kinda thing

I have thought it could be other creators before, too...

trying to make less competition or something. but that would be cruel and I dont like to think someone would do that

so I prefer to think its just someone who didnt like my stuff

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

eh i prefer to think the best of people

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

It's not like I'm super successful or anything. The algorithms haven't been kind to either of my comics so I'm hardly competition.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i'm not going to think it's other creators

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah that's what Im saying

like its popped in my head and then I was like literally who would do that

thatd be reaaaaal messed up

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

hey, how to i add my comic name in paren to my name on this server?

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Unfortunately I know a lot of creators who would. They just don't hang out in spaces like these.

Deo101 [Millennium]

just edit your nickname in the options

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Mine is called Joe Is Dead, on here http://joeisdead.com/ and on tapas https://tapas.io/series/JoeIsDead

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh right I actually have another comic. It was on hiatus over a year so I havent gotten into the habit of sharing it...

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Yeah, go to the ... next to the server name and it opens up a menu with the 'change nickname' option.

Deo101 [Millennium]

https://tapas.io/series/Time-and-Time-again

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I put the title in my name

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

My other comic is here on WT: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/children-of-shadow-ashes/list?title_no=145048&page=1

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i just don't like dismissing negative feedback. I don't want to get negative reviews and just brush them off as jealous people because i know my comic definitely has room to improve and would rather negative feedback motivate me to look for ways how

got it, thanks!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I love negative feedback. I want to put out the best work I can & hearing what people don't like or don't think is working helps me do that

Deo101 [Millennium]

theres constructive feedback, and then theres people telling me my characters are stupid and I think I can brush the latter off

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Unfortunately, I have been the victim of vicious jealous reviews. I've seen a lot of ugly in the webcomic world over the many years I've been doing this. Some creators be petty.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD) hm if i were to give negative feedback about your comic I'd say the biggest things are that you have a lot of characters that in my mind are kind of hard to differentiate, and also it can be really hard to tell where your characters are in space. But those don't matter too much, as they both will probably get better with time. Your biggest strength imo in your dialogue anyways

keii4ii

Not every negative feedback is relevant to my goals, is key for me. It's the whole "you can't please everyone" principle. My target audience does not include every person out there. If my target audience falls in love with what I make, then that's success for me. I don't need to impress the rest of the world.

keii4ii

(Thanks Tatsu.)

Deo101 [Millennium]

You have a different definition of "negative feedback" than I do.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

who are you referring to?(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

You

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

in what way?

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I can usually tell the difference between 'This person has a different idea of what this story should be than I do' and 'This person has it out for me because of jealousy or spite'

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Yeah I've found it really hard to juggle the consistency with where characters are standing all the time. I write out lists of the order they're spatially located in an effort to keep track of them. Hopefully I'll get better with practice

Deo101 [Millennium]

the negative feedback I am talking about is basically straight up hate. Constructive criticism, pointing out the flaws of a work, isnt "negative feedback" by my definition.

so saying "I want negative feedback" means something different for you than it does for me.

i WILL dismiss people being straight up rude to me

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

hm, I feel like a lot of people define negative feedback the same way i do, constructive criticism about what you could do better. If you say you dont want negative feedback you might get people thinking you don't want critique at all. imo what you are referring to might be more clearly just called "hate"

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'll consider it if someone is trying to help, even if most of the time I ignore it

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I also get the random 1 star ratings on Webtoon, so I think some people are just easy to hate stuff(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yo sssfrs, you keep track of where characters are in space by writing lists??

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

These are probably also the same people who dislike videos habitually on Youtube

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i can't imagine working with that

Deo101 [Millennium]

I actually dont want critique at all.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

it seems so hard

Deo101 [Millennium]

not if I dont ask for it.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Con crit and hate aren't the same thing, though

One is genuinely trying to help you improve, the other is just trying to bring you down.(edited)

And it's okay to not want the former

Deo101 [Millennium]

and I would say "negative feedback" doesnt include con crit

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Just because you make something doesn't mean you have to want people to give crit on it.(edited)

Yeah

I agree, because GOOD con crit is usually polite because if the person knows what they're talking about, they were where you are now and will be nice about it.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

From my experience the best critiques come from other artists doing similar work to you

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i don't think all negative con crit is helpful, either. people also need to know what their strengths are so they know what to keep instead of just what to remove

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

They might not even be trying specifically to be nice about it

But their words feel less hurtful

eli [a winged tale]

I feel like there are comments which are reviews (fair enough, everyone has subjective opinions) but I feel like constructive criticisms should be more private and take place in specific settings (most importantly where the creators are in a position of wanting them)

Nutty (Court of Roses)

@eli [a winged tale] https://courtofroses.spiderforest.com/

eli [a winged tale]

What I think most readers don’t understand or know is that the comic that does make its way to the public quite often has already been through rigorous critique and feedback

Nutty (Court of Roses)

(sorry, was late to that haha, i agree on your feelings about crits)

Deo101 [Millennium]

see, I dont know what you mean by "negative con crit" In my experience, a critique that is negative is not a critique and is more an opportunity for someone to flex.

helpful critiques may FEEL negative, because they are pointing out your flaws, but they arent negative

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i think you're defining "negative" and "hateful" the same way, but other people are not(edited)

eli [a winged tale]

I call them constructive feedback. Then on the other hand, yeah there are negative comments that are there to serve the OP’s sentiments(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

I use constructive if it is helpful, and negative if it is harmful

eli [a winged tale]

But I just don’t think the comment platform supports the constructive feedback part. The comments currently represent the OP’s views which are very much subjective. It’s hard to know if they are providing feedback from a place of knowing story structure/art competency

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

critique does mean a lot more when I ask for it from an artist I respect

eli [a winged tale]

Indeed. It’s quite an intimate process

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

but i can still take casual comments into consideration when trying to improve

things like, it's confusing, or i don't understand what's happening

eli [a winged tale]

I think trust in the critiquer’s background and intention for you to improve are imperative(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

speaking of comments that say the comic is confusing, god i hate getting those comments the most. Because they come from people genuinely trying to read and like my comic and represent a failure of my storytelling skills

eli [a winged tale]

Plus there is a skill/art (no pun intended haha) to giving feedback. That’s a whole nother can of worms

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

but better to hear that and know it than not

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

It's not always a failure of storytelling skills, though. Some people's brains work along a certain line, and when a story is told that doesn't gel with that, it seems confusing to the person. That doesn't mean the writing was bad, it just means that the author communicates differently than the reader.(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

^ thats what I was gonna say

I have a small group of people who I trust who are editors, writers, or artists. I go to them to see if I'm doing the best I can for my goals.

if people get confused then there isnt too much more that I can do...

not saying my work is perfect, of course...

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i can't just brush it off by saying I communicate differently than the reader when I'm trying to communicate to the reader

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

But not every reader is your audience, though

Nutty (Court of Roses)

^^^^

your message sometimes can't reach certain people, and that's not your fault

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

If all the readers are confused, that's one thing. If only a few are, well, your writing style just wasn't for them.

eli [a winged tale]

For sure. Agree Capn and Deo. There’s a lot of work that goes behind the scenes that readers are unaware

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

true true. But there are a few people who have said the same things, so I've taken those to heart and added dialogue that made it more clear. I don't regret that

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Your comic is public, and it's going to be seen by a very wide variety of people with all different kinds of reading comprehension and tastes. You're never going to appeal to all of hem, and plenty won't understand what you're trying to do. But that doesn't mean what you're making is bad. It just means it, like every story, is for a particular audience.

Yeah, if it's a repeated crit, it is something to keep in mind, but just remember that incorporating a crit shouldn't change what you're trying to do, only refine it.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Ive had a couple people say "I'm confused but Im enjoying whats going on" and I dont even know what I would begin to do about that

eli [a winged tale]

I usually trust my beta readers for that. If there are confusing parts then I would ask them how to clarify that best

I think these creator based forums are best to seek feedback and see what could potentially be remedied

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Of course. And I don't think my comic is bad. But one example was when I realized some confusion stemmed from me having a speech bubble that read, "without her," and didn't realize "her" could refer to two different characters which would make what was being said have two very different meanings. It's easy to overestimate how understandable your story is as an author that already knows everything that's going on. I think confusion is a good thing to pay attention to- I've definitely read comics before and dropped them because the author didn't pay enough attention to introducing things to the audience

(also dropped comics because they paid too much attention to introducig things but)

Deo101 [Millennium]

yes, like I said I have a small group of friends who are all writers, editors, and artists who can give me a pretty dang good beta read.

eli [a winged tale]

They are so great. Don’t know what I’d do without them

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

At that point I'd honestly keep going with what you have - there are several stories I've gone into with confusion, but also greatly enjoyed them, or even got less confused over time. Some readers need time to put the pieces together. So long as someone enjoys it on some level, I think that makes the comic successful. Maybe not completely - but not every comic will be everything to all people.

eli [a winged tale]

Indeed. Sometimes as well you gotta trust your story writing/art skills.

Deo101 [Millennium]

yup!

and like I'm not doing too bad for my first comic so I think I got something going for me at least.

I understand I have room to grow...

but I would like to keep that to people who I trust wont steer me wrong

eli [a winged tale]

Always room to grow for sure!

Deo101 [Millennium]

and arent just pushing what they want from me on me

eli [a winged tale]

Indeed. Feedback/ beta reading has its own set of skills. There’s always places to improve but the key is to determine specifically where that can be and how feasible(edited)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I remember the first time I read Unsounded, I had absolutely no idea what was going on because of how Ashley structures her world-building. But there were aspects of it that were very engaging, so I stuck with it. After finishing the archives, I went back and reread. Now that I understood what all the terms meant, it made perfect sense on the second go-round. It's now one of my favourite webcomics. Some stories are just told differently, and that's okay.(edited)

eli [a winged tale]

There’s certainly an element of trust you must put to the creators that it’ll all make sense at the end

Deo101 [Millennium]

someone got very mad at me for how I have shown my trans characters so far.. I had to explain that the story isnt done yet, and they have to trust I'll bring it up

it's a WIP and there is some trust that NEEDS to be had

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

lol I have only one artist/writer friend (struggles of working in a non-art career), and she understands everything I write exactly as I intended it and I love it. But she's my friend for a reason- we tend to think the same way and read similar things. Don't think it's wrong to try to cater to a wider audience as well

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

@Deo101 [Millennium] I wonder if anyone will react once I reveal that Anor is intersex/trans on panel. I'm really hoping I don't find out if any of my readers are transphobes -or- angry that he isn't ostentatiously trans.

Deo101 [Millennium]

someone was mad I didnt show my cyborg transitioning cause it could be so cool of a concept to see his original robot body and I was like literally none of what you said applies to him also thats kinda gross

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Wut

Deo101 [Millennium]

YEAH

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

There might be some transphobes. But it's worth dealing with them for the people who your comic will resonate with more for having a trans character in it

Deo101 [Millennium]

alsooooo some people might be upset, but then they will leave and you will be left with better people.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

I feel like me having a non-binary character and insisting on correcting everyone who misgenders them deters transphobes away p quickly.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

^^^ some people will dislike, but those who like will really like

and a smaller, better fanbase is better than a larger one that cares less(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

hear hear

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) I'm hoping some will resonate with him! I don't think I've ever seen any intersex rep in any story, so I really want people to know they can have a hero like them.(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I'm trying to think of stories with intersex rep

I feel like there must be some, but I can't bring any up : /

Sazed from Mistborn is written as though he's intersex, but he clearly identifies as male and the story treating him as intersex actually feels a bit disrespectful

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Me neither. The only thing I've seen in stories is gross 'hermaphrodite' jokes when mocking a cis character.

I really want to give positive representation.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

webcomics have so much lgbt representation. I feel as though I must have seen an intersex character somewhere in there, but I'm not sure I have.(edited)

it feels kind of weird(edited)

I've seen characters that don't have genders because they're gods or whatnot but I feel like that's different

Deo101 [Millennium]

I mean, I have intersex characters I supposed but theyre alien genders so I also think that's different and wouldnt call them intersex

DanitheCarutor

I don't know the whole conversation, but @Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios), you'll be fine! Most transphobic people quietly leave, only the really sad, pitiful ones make a stink and their opinions are pretty laughable. If you get crap laugh in their faces like they're morons. I would also say my character Julian is intersex, but I'm not sure how much it counts since it was a recent decision I made (after doing a lot of research) due to readers headcanoning them as an intersex character.

I think I know of a couple other comics with intersex characters if you want to check out some, lemme go look through my lists.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

@DanitheCarutor I'd love to see other comics with intersex representation! And I think Julian totally counts? I don't see a problem with reconsidering a character's sex, gender, or orientation as we become more aware of issues in the world, or even just more aware of our own characters. Webcomics are always a work-in-progress and things change as we go.

eli [a winged tale]

@DanitheCarutor I’d love to know them too!

keii4ii

Re: clarity and confusion, sometimes a small change in wording or such can improve the clarity greatly, and that's great! But I agree that reader confusion doesn't necessarily = failure in storytelling. I've published my comic first in Korean, and a much improved version in English. The cultural difference in the audience has shown to be a huge factor in terms of what's clear and what isn't, or how certain things come across. And that's just one factor.

DanitheCarutor

So I only know of one comic personally, Drop-Out! Sure the characters are anthros, and the bubbles can be hard to read, but it is one of my favorite comics! Of course it's kinda heavy so be aware of that. http://drop-out.thecomicseries.com/ Although I checked out the Webcomic Library tagpacker and found a few. (including Drop-Out) https://tagpacker.com/user/webcomic.library?t=Intersex LGBT Webcomics also has a few that aren't listed in the above list. https://tagpacker.com/user/lgbtwebcomics?t=intersex @Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) Lol yeah, I guess so. My readers made me put a lot of thought into it, and after the research being intersex actually fits a lot better with Julian's type of gender dysphoria and confusion than when they were AAB male. It also make some small, more intimate parts of the story feel more natural? It's hard to explain, it just feels better.(edited)

keii4ii

Like, making my work as accessible as possible has never been a goal for me with this story. So to me, it's not a failure that a large number of people can't see parts of the story that aren't being spelled out. I can totally respect "I want my work to be more accessible, so if all these people are not Getting It, then I need to do a better job" as a valid stance. Just not one I'm taking. It's all about individual goals and priorities.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh boy, writing a fantasy story with a very developed culture is kinda scary, because NOBODY is going to pick up on cultural nuances except for me(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

I DO want my work to be more accessible/reach a wider audience, but that still doesnt mean it will be for everyone, too.(edited)

keii4ii

Not gonna lie, I get a little salty when I see someone claiming their story is "for everyone." I feel like such a claim is disrespectful to different cultures and tastes.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i just started drop out and damn, that's one hell of an opening

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah I genuinely don't think it's possible to make a story for everyone lol

like... idk literally just by making it "sci fi" that excludes many people who just don't like sci-fi

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i've never seen anyone claiming their story is for everyone

Deo101 [Millennium]

I feel like just to get to your premise, not even your personal execution you're already super narrowing the people down who will be interested

which is fine!!! and is necessary to accept imo

keii4ii

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) I've seen it. Not often but I've definitely seen it.

I've even seen a creator accuse another person of being heartless because the person was not interested in their Very Emotional And Universally Heartfelt comic, so uhhh yeah

Deo101 [Millennium]

Ope

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Well then

That just sounds like an illusioned creator

Deo101 [Millennium]

I kinda like to think of it like music

I dont like a lot of songs that other people love, it's not that they're bad songs just... not for me(edited)

keii4ii

Yeah! I also think the word "taste" is very fitting

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah for sure

keii4ii

Some of us can eat ghost peppers like popcorns. Others would even avoid like... crackled black pepper

Deo101 [Millennium]

ahahhahaha

mac n cheese has a very wide audience, but some people aren't into it

DanitheCarutor

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) Lmao! Drop-Out is quite a unique piece of fiction. I have also seen creators who say their comic is for everyone, then get made when someone isn't interested.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'm gonna start saying millennium is like mac n cheese now

keii4ii

@Deo101 [Millennium] That reminds me of "what drink would your comic be" !!

Deo101 [Millennium]

ahahahahah

someone: my comic is WATER EVERYONE NEEDS IT

keii4ii

I answered: "I want HoK to be liquid bacon fat, so that it'll stay in your heart forever."

Deo101 [Millennium]

ew LMAO

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

even if your comic is water, some people don't drink water

Deo101 [Millennium]

but cute? I gues????

DanitheCarutor

That sounds like a fun game, "If your comic were food what would it be?"

Mine would be sardine pizza, only weirdos like it.

Deo101 [Millennium]

next weeks creator babble question

LMSLDJGLASJGK

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@DanitheCarutor its got such good art. The characters are so unique and expressive. Don't think I've seen anyone not use anti-aliasing on such detailed art before, but it works here

almost all webcomics are some weird food. We're niche just by nature

DanitheCarutor

It DOES have great art! And it gets better as you go too, by the time I reached the end then looked back on the first pages for nostalgia it was almost like night and day with the quality.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

fuck, really? but it's so polished already

DanitheCarutor

I mean, I guess that's not something to get excited about, most webcomics get better artwise as they go. Lmao! But still!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i love how the about page makes this sound like a fun roadtrip adventure

Deo101 [Millennium]

this feels mayble like the wrong chat for this discussion?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

My comic would be a latte: A lot of people like it, but some people will never like coffee.

keii4ii

I can imagine HoK being like Chung Gook Jang soup? It's 1) Korean, 2) it warms you up, 3) it is very polarizing even among Koreans. It's kinda like... imagine miso soup on ultra mega steroid. Like a vegan version of supersharp stinky cheese. And 4) I love it.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

im alphabet soup because i have a fuckton of dialogue

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'm actually gonna stick with mac n cheese. a bit childish, but it's nice! you can do some fun things with it to shake things up, but it's still cheese and noodles.

keii4ii

Mac n cheese is amazing.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I love mac n cheese.

another reason why it's my comic! I love it, and it's something I can actually make

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

As for food, WotP would definitely something like authentic Mexican tacos. Again, generally well-received, but can be a bit intense for a lot of people

keii4ii

I really like food analogies. Sometimes it's not Gordon Ramsey you're trying to impress. Sometimes you want to make something you and/or your loved ones will enjoy, and if that's "WAY too much [ingredient]!!!!" for everyone else out there, that's not a flaw!

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah! :D

keii4ii

That's actually good food for thought (no pun intended): what niche aspects does your comic contain? How/why are they niche?

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) How do you do it?

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think I once described mine as a corrupted tropical cocktail. On the surface: sweet, pretty, very colorful - but all the ingredients used to make it are rotten

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I thought of Cricket as intersex for a long time and I still don't know exactly where I stand on that.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I draw a diagram of where characters/ furniture are from above. Niche things: Most conflicts are resolved through anticlimactic conversation. Also there's this huge bit about consensual mind control. I wrote the comic I'd want to read, and somehow found a few people like me to follow along

I also usually don't have more than 2 characters interacting

so it's easier for me

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I have so many busy group scenes with people moving around. The most recent chapter was kind of a mess also because I wasn't really sure about the dimensions of the space they were all in

This scene was also pretty rushed in general

Re: intersex characters I feel like I've been shying away from that because I don't feel like I know enough about the topic to adequately represent intersex people

Joe Is Dead has a really specific aesthetic to it but I don't know how to define that niche. It's definitely something

Deo101 [Millennium]

I honestly could not answer that question about what niche things my comic contains. I don't know what about my comic is mainstream or not, I'm just making what I want to see and not really worrying about stuff like that.

keii4ii

For me, having an idea of what's niche about my comic actually lessens my worries!

It's a "okay, so I know these things are niche, which means people not liking or even getting those things =/= my failure!" kinda thing for me!

But I can also see how not thinking about what's niche or not can lessen the worries for others, too.

Deo101 [Millennium]

mhm, for me it means I can just go "well I like it anyways sooooooooo"

keii4ii

Yeah, that's the destination! We're just taking different routes to get there

Deo101 [Millennium]

I also genuinely just have a hard time determining whether or not something is niche

even if I thought about it for a while (I've been thinking about it since you asked, and I have thought about it before" I genuinely couldnt pinpoint it for you...

keii4ii

I used to beat myself up very badly every time someone didn't like a thing about my comic

Deo101 [Millennium]

keii4ii

and "oh, 1) this is subjective, 2) I like it like this, and 3) my liking of it is valid" was how I crawled out of that hole

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I don't know if my comic is specifically niche, unless you count "low fantasy" (or essentially fantasy with less magic and such) as niche

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

My comic has a lot of specific nautical and history content that you could call niche

Also surrealism

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i would call Joe Is Dead "niche," but not WoTP

I've read both

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I... used to think my comics weren't niche. Ohohohohoho how wrong I was!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Id say millennium isnt niche then it's basically just gay sci fi it's p straightforward

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

My comics are very, incredibly, undeniably niche.

DanitheCarutor

@sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD) It is difficult to understand if you're not intersex yourself, even though I studied a lot before making the decision about my character I still don't know if I'll represent the topic properly. The best you can really do is get into researching all the medical stuff, talk to people willing to share their experiences with being intersex, and watch videos of people talking about it from a professional and personal perspective. The hardest thing to get right about something so subjective and personal is that everyone's experiences are different, so no matter how much you research you just gotta do your best with the info you have, then figure out how your character would experience it personally.(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I don't think anything magical happens until Chapter 11 of WotP, now that I think about it

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Also @DanitheCarutor thank you for the links!! I'll have to give those comics a look!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I’m still backreading and I just saw the food question, that is great

JID would be saltcod

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Ooooh

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Or like pickled herring maybe

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Bacalao

Noice

(Bacalao = Puerto Rican salted cod)

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

They have it in spain too iirc

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Ashes would be very bitter black coffee someone forgot to drink and it's just been sitting there for two days. Eryl would be well-aged wine spiked with tabasco sauce.

DanitheCarutor

Sorry for derailing. Anyways, I feel like my entire comic is just a ball of niche? The subject matters are uncommon and the main characters are awful and unreliable, but that's my aesthetic so I'm sticking to it. I've never particularly cared about people liking my comic due growing up not being liked myself (you kinda get over it after a while), but I do like finding people like me. @Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) No problem! I hoard stuff like that, so I probably have a link for everything.

Urm, I don't mean I like finding unlikable people like me, I mean people who like the same types of stories as me.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Honestly, Dani, I connect to your comic quite a lot, for what it's worth!

DanitheCarutor

Thank you! ;v; In a way it's kind of nice having a comic that doesn't fit in. It tends to stand out, especially with my choice of medium. Although at the same times it's really hard to get feedback that applies to what you're doing! Arg!

keii4ii

It is such a Struggle, for sure -- getting relevant feedback

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I feel you! I'm in the same boat with Ashes. It's also incredibly niche and there just aren't that many pencil comics out there- coloured or graphite.

DanitheCarutor

Being a creator who likes feedback, but also likes making niche content, is so hard! Why can't everyone like niche content??

Lmao!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

As niche as the setting and tone of Joe Is Dead are, the main story arc is a very generic hero adventure thing that I hope will appeal to wide audiences

eli [a winged tale]

Niche content

I’d love to know more! What niches are you exploring?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

The nicest thing anyone's said about Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/ is that they really became invested in the characters. Like, that's the kind of story I want to make - the kind where the characters really stick with you.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

As for what food my comic would be... I'd say squid ink pasta. It's the kind of food that makes you go "what the heck is going on here" if you're new to it, but once you actually eat it you'll (hopefully) go "oh, that made way more sense than i expected and was actually pretty tasty"

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I don't know if you're talking to me directly but I'm using a lot of maritime history and literature stuff that I've been obsessed with for a long time as the setting of the story, and then the whole thing has a really morbid and nihilistic tone, while also somehow being funny because I have a background in comedy/satire writing

And then heavy biblical themes

It's essentially a Renaissance period retelling of the Joseph story from the bible

With pirates instead of shepherds

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

For me, I’m not even sure what niche Ashes belongs to. (https://www.flowerlarkstudios.com/cos/) It’s dark, it’s weird, it has a twisty plot that slowly trickles information, and it’s an odd mash-up of genres. I often try to describe it as Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children meets Farthing Wood. It’s mostly urban fantasy with some horror elements and talking animals. Basically it’s about a bunch of unaging teenagers with supernatural, angel-gifted powers and a bunch of woodland critters fighting (although so far it’s more running from) eldritch monsters. But it’s main focus is on each character battling either mental illness or some other kind of inner demon.

keii4ii

There's also the aspect of: what's niche in one culture may not be niche in another. In Korean media, Fantastical Old Korea is a very common setting for all sorts of genres: gag a day, romance, all-ages adventure, gritty crime drama, zombie apocalypse, you name it. If the work spends a lot of visuals showing mundane everyday moments, often that's a shorthand for "sit down and stay a while; this is a heartfelt tale that takes its time." My comic uses such a setting. When I began to publish it in English, I was surprised that people were expecting it to be one of these AND NOTHING ELSE: a) exciting magical action adventure b) mythology-driven, all about gods and spirits My comic is neither of those. It definitely contains elements of adventure, but that's the plate the meat is served on, not the meat itself. So I guess the usage of the setting is niche.

Like, imagine a civilian life drama set in WWII time. The civilian MC may have a family member or a close friend in the military, but the story focuses on the MC's experience. Imagine presenting that story and people expect it to be... military action? Not a perfect analogy, but hopefully a good enough one.

Kelsey (Kurio)

To be fair, Korea would find fantastical old Korea less exotic than those outside of Korea heh

keii4ii

That is definitely a factor. Even today, you can find semi-Old Days-like places IRL within like... 3 hours of drive.

I'm weirded out that my culture is considered exotic, but it is what it is

(To clarify, weirded out =/= offended.)

Kelsey (Kurio)

Well any culture can be exotic to people outside of that culture

As an outsider looking in, it can be fascinating to learn about a culture I don't know much about

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Anything unfamiliar is usually considered exotic. I know in both England and America, I never really learned anything about any Asian country growing up. I had to seek out the info myself, and as it was very unfamiliar to me, it seemed exotic!

Kelsey (Kurio)

Especially their myths and stories

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Oops, exactly what Kelsey said, I typed too slow.

keii4ii

Yeah, the thing is I've been told I should not be using this setting to tell this story because it's a doomed combination. But ehh, I decided not to listen to that. This story with this setting and all of its elements is what I wanted to read.

carcarchu

slice of life set in a historical setting sounds really refreshing actually(edited)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

But I know I’d probably feel strange if someone told me New York was exotic!

carcarchu

sometimes historical settings can get really bogged down by politics and whatever other drama, having a quiet slow paced story set in the same kind of world is something i'd be interested in reading

Kelsey (Kurio)

Nothing wrong with trying the approach you want to

Who knows, you might end up with a unique combo that helps your work stand out

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Yup. I’m a firm believer in writing the kind of story you’d want to read. No matter how niche.

Tuyetnhi

Totes agreed on this. For me, when I had to drop my dark drama series for my romance story, folks were like "Dang, I thought you like writing dark things!"

I do, but romance comics.... [clenches chest]. I also want to write a story that I want to read so lmao. Dream lover elements along with some dark horror influences is something I want to try doing lol

carcarchu

this is not a webcomic but try reading coelacanth if you're interested in the combination of horror with romance @Tuyetnhi

Tuyetnhi

ooo I'll keep that in mind

carcarchu

it's really so unique i love coelacanth so much

Tuyetnhi

is it a novel? :0

carcarchu

it's a manga

Tuyetnhi

aaa

Yeah I probably check it out sometime lmao

back on the idea tho, I also wanted to add some Vietnamese influences in the mix since there's not a lot of stories about Vietnamese disapora, so that's included in the cauldron lol

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@keii4ii what's your comic? I wanna check it out(edited)

keii4ii

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) It's https://heartofkeol.com/

(I get extremely nervous whenever I know someone is checking out my comic for the first time )

DanitheCarutor

To answer @eli [a winged tale] question. I'm delving into stuff like mental illnesses and disorders, medical illnesses, abuse, trauma and later on, self-care. The comic itself is slow and character centric, I guess you can say it's like a character study. The story can be really depressing depending on who is reading, and it has some softcore horror bits sprinkled in. I'm kind of a nerd for mental health, sad stuff and everything medical so I figured I may as well make a story embellishing those interests. In short it's a sad, character driven, psychological drama about two extremely flawed individuals. Not particularly exciting compared to all the other webcomics out there, but somebody has to make that one pretentious, psychological slice of life piece.

keii4ii

What compounds my issues is that my comic does have enough adventure elements for someone to mistake it for an underwhelming adventure story. "This is an adventure story but there's not enough adventure in it?" kinda thing.

@DanitheCarutor Character studies FTW!!! Yours has been on my 'gotta check this out' list for a long time now!

Tuyetnhi

Oooo

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I also am a fan of psychological stories

Especially if they're sad(edited)

Tuyetnhi

Kei idk why but I was reminded of .hack SIGN when u said that

"there's so much talking! where's the action?!?"

keii4ii

@Tuyetnhi That's actually not a terrible comparison -- though .hack//SIGN has other issues that my comic hopefully doesn't have XD

Tuyetnhi

I'm pretty sure it's miles better than that old anime lmao

DanitheCarutor

@keii4ii Pff I need to check out your comic too! I remember reading it at one point, but I don't remember what happened to make me lose track. From what little I remember I really liked it.

keii4ii

The thing with .hack//SIGN was it had a lot of promises of mystery that never went anywhere, within SIGN. I've heard those mysteries do go somewhere within the franchise, but you had to watch/read the entire franchise, which I wasn't going to do. I hope my comic will be a good read on its own, when finished.

Tuyetnhi

sadly, I was one of those suckers that went to consume the .hack games and mangas to get some context from SIGN in the late 2000's lmao

I hope the same as mine, despite being mostly saccharine and self-indulgent nature lmao

keii4ii

Self-indulgence is a strength of indie comics.

eli [a winged tale]

I love all the themes y’all explore! They’re so important

Tuyetnhi

I feel like I have a reason for everything when working on that comic but if that's what it boils down to, I'll take it lol

keii4ii

TBH I produce my best writing and art when I focus on pleasing myself.

Because if I'm trying to please others, I don't even know what they want, so I waste my energy panicking.

But when I'm creating for my inner reader, I can be self-critical in a productive manner!

Tuyetnhi

so true ya

RebelVampire

Hey guys. I kind of feel as this has deviated a smidgen too far from the topic, so maybe reel it in just a smidgen. XD(edited)

Desnik

so the nicest thing anyone's ever said about my comic is that they wanna read more :3

I kinda dread reader dropoffs so the will to see the whole story through fills me with joy

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #comic tea party #ctp #creator interview #comic creator interview #creator babble

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nerdybubblebee · 6 years

Text

First Lines Meme

RULES: List the openings of the last ten stories you published. Look to see if there are any patterns that you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any! Then tag some friends.

This is really interesting! Thanks for tagging me you wonderful peeps @callmedewitt @smoldany @thescarletgarden1990

Going to keep this solely Jonerys despite not all my last ten fics published were Jonerys hehe.

1) I Love You More Than Ice Cream

“Here you go!” Leaning over the counter, Dany handed a vanilla baby cone over to the outstretched hands of a little girl in a pink tutu.

“Thank you!” The child about three exclaimed, her cherubic face lit up in glee. Her green eyes darted all over her ice cream looking for a right place to attack. Her mother lifted her child up, perching her on her hip before taking a cup of cookies and cream from Dany.

“Thank you so much.” The slightly frazzled mother said. Yet, despite being tired, she couldn’t help gush about her baby: “This rascal did so well for her first ballet class so we agreed she could get a treat.”

“That’s so wonderful! Well done, little one.” Dany said, tapping the girl on her nose which prompted a shy grin from a pair of vanilla ice cream stained lips.

Waving at the mother and child as they left through the front door, the little girl now spotting an ice cream moustache and a dollop of ice cream on the very tip of her nose, Dany smiled. She loved her job so very much.

2) Their First Time

The heavy wooden door swung shut with a resounding slam that went unnoticed to the ears of the two individuals enclosed within the cabin. The day he stepped into her throne room, she would have never envisioned this happening. This stubborn man irked her so much and frustrated her for days, refusing to do as she asked. Oh, how he perplexed her so. He was a man she just couldn’t figure out and that only made her want to know him more. The urge to uncover every mystery that shrouded this king from the north grew stronger with time. He was the first man who wanted to know the woman beneath the crown. He wanted to know Dany. He was the first man who gave her his loyalty for who she was, not because of her dragons or her titles and her armies. He pledged himself to her because he saw her heart. Jon Snow was different with that he intrigued her. When he took her hand that very day on this very same boat, a gesture of comfort that she didn’t know she desired, things started to change between them. They were growing closer to one another. The stolen glances from across the room that lingered and all those unspoken words of longing had been culminating to this moment.

No one knew who bridged the gap first, all they knew was they needed to get closer to the person in front of them, whose eyes reflected an image of themselves. In his eyes she saw absolute desire, a hunger that she was eager to appease and a softness that she yearned to drown in. In her eyes he saw a vulnerability that he wished to cherish and a longing that he craved so much to satiate.

3) Splish Splash

“Mama.”

The child cocked her head to a side, curls as black as night bobbed gently by her cherubic cheeks as she moved. Her mama wasn’t acknowledging her, so busy absorbed in her documents. Demolishing her block tower and pushing aside her toys, one palm and a knee in front of the other, the determined little one started her expedition to reach her mother.

“Mama.”

A sweet insistent voice pulled Dany’s focus away from her work. She looked away from her parchment only to see that her baby girl had crawled over from her pile of toys and plopped her little bum onto the ground by her outstretched legs. Her baby’s chubby little hand lay splayed open on her knee.

“What is it, Ellie?” Dany cooed tapping the baby on her button nose.

“Play, mama.” Little chubby fingers reached towards her, stretching up in the air, flexing and curling, beckoning Dany to join her fun in her own childish, endearing manner.

4) Heroic Idiocy

Outside, the cicadas buzzed and chirped as the Queen of Westeros stood by one of the numerous open windows of her chamber, looking out at nothing in particular. She sighed again, losing count of how many times she had done it that day. Her emotions were a tangle, struggling between telling herself that she should just wait for him to come to her and throwing all restraint to the wind and running to him instead. To apologize, leap into his arms and never let go because she’d been missing him all day. There was also some precious news that she needed to share with him. But was today the right day to disclose it?

The doors to their bed chambers swung open and slammed shut, startling the queen from her thoughts, so hard she could almost feel the floor vibrating under her feet. Her husband had returned.

Great.

From her position by the window, she could hear him banging around behind her, letting out his frustration on the innocent furniture with every item of clothing that he shed, until all that was left were his simple under shirt and linen pants.

“How’s your wound?” Dany spoke up, her voice cutting through the tense atmosphere like a hot knife through lard.

“So now you decide to talk to me.” Jon said rolling his eyes with his back turned to her still. After the incident, Dany had all but refused to look at him, talk to him, giving him the silent treatment. Why couldn’t she understand that he had to do it?

5) Flowers For Papa

It was yet another peaceful day in Kings Landing. The sun was shining with nought a cloud in the sky. In the nursery of the Red Keep, the three Targaryen children were enjoying a quiet afternoon of play with their babysitter for the day while their mother took some time to plan a welcome home surprise for her husband’s return from his trip to the North. It was the first time he’s left his family since the twins were born and to be away for two whole weeks, his family missed him dearly.

“This is a lion.” Aedon’s chubby hands held up a wooden lion figurine, one of ten hand whittled wooden animals by their father’s advisor and friend, Ser Davos, for the twins’ second birthday. Grinning, Aedon offered it to their uncle who lounged upon the chaise by the window of the nursery, his usual goblet of wine in hand.

Patting the child on the cheek, the queen’s trusted hand nodded, his voice a bit slurry from his drink. “Yes. You are quite right. That is a lion.”

6) Paper Planes

Everyone said she was a romantic, ever since she was a small child, a romantic with her mind in the clouds, a dreamer. The very moment her soul mark manifested on her collarbone one morning, she had all but ran around her house shouting in glee, telling each member of her household that she had a soul mate and she was going to meet them one day, just like her mummy and daddy did. She was ecstatic. She couldn’t wait to meet whoever they were that bore a mark that was a pair with hers.

“How will I know if I’ve met the right person? How will I know that they’re mine, mama?” The little girl asked, rubbing at her mark with a finger, her eyes bright with anticipation, with hope.

Her mother gave her button nose a playful pinch. “You’ll know when your mark starts to grow warm.” Giving the girl’s chest a tap, she continued, “That warmth will then spread to your heart.” Her finger moved down further, the woman then gave her daughter’s belly a poke. “And make you feel all fuzzy in here, like butterflies taking to the sky.” The little girl giggled and dove into her mother’s arms. “When you lay eyes on them, you just know.” She couldn’t wait for that day to come.

7) Love Thought Lost

Swimming through the layers of sleep towards the surface of consciousness, Dany couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well, so deep and dreamless. Lying on her side, she cracked open blurry eyes slightly and wooden panelled windows of her cabin came into view. The sky outside was still not too bright, the early dawn crepuscular sun rays cut through the dimness of the room providing a little bit of light. The candles that were lit from the night before and the fire in her hearth had long gone out but she didn’t feel cold. In fact she felt so very cosy and warm, combined with the rocking motions of the ship, could very well lull her back to sleep in this comfortable nest of sheets.

Stretching the stiffness out of her sleep idled limbs, her feet bumped into something firm. That something let out a groan from behind her, a very manly groan. That something proceeded to snake an arm around her waist and pulled her to it. Her back came in contact with a muscular bare chest.

There was someone in bed with her. Her eyes widened slightly as awareness flooded her mind once more, along with the memories of the night before. That someone was a very naked Jon Snow.

8) Fun in the Snow

Snowflakes fleeted down to join the collection on the ground as Dany stood by the gates waiting for Jon. The grounds of Winterfell were blanketed in white, fluffy snow after the storm that blustered through the night before. His words telling her to meet him by the castle gates once they were done with their duties came in quiet mutterings as they lay bundled up under the furs of her bed, watching the flurrying white snow fall down from above outside the window with the sun in the background creeping up upon the land. He told her that he wanted to bring her to a place only he knew about. Probably a guise to spend some time alone amongst the mess that was their lives. The time they got alone was finite these days. This tender intimacy was new territory to be explored and any chance they got together was precious. They didn’t know how long they could keep their romance under wraps, maybe everyone around them already had an inkling about what their rulers were up to, sneaking into each other’s chambers every night. But no one seemed to be aware; at least they didn’t seem to be. Dany dared to think they were all right for the moment. So there she was, waiting for him, feeling a little giddy, like a young lady waiting on her beau. Not that she was a lady she was a queen. Jon however, was most definitely beau material. Their nightly romantic dalliances were venturing outside the confines of their chambers. Would this be akin to the days on her ship, under the sun with the eyes of their friends on them, where they couldn’t be as free in their displays of affection?

9) Flowers for Mama

The echoes of his wife’s shrill screams reverberated through his skull. His ears were ringing; his hands were numb under the herculean grip of her smaller clammy ones. Her grip was so hard that they were beginning to cut off the circulation to his fingers, but he held on with his jaws clenched, keeping his fingers closed tightly around hers, giving her all the support he could. The pain appeared to be worsening, judging from the shorter increment of her screams and the tremors running through her petite frame. He wished futilely, willing the waves of pain wracking through her body, as she lay cradled between his arms against the front of his body to lessen even just a fraction. Alas, this was an endeavour that only his queen could overcome, only a woman could overcome. The endeavour of childbirth.

10) Flowers of Jealousy & Apology

Dany and Jon have been married for about a month now, to be returning to Essos as a married woman was interesting to say the least and for her honeymoon no less. Since the war ended, they hadn’t had the time to just relax and be themselves. They were quickly caught up in the task of ruling all seven kingdoms of Westeros. So, they decided it was time for them to finally take a break from living in a stuffy castle to travel and enjoy their marriage, away from responsibilities for a while. It was also the perfect chance for Jon to experience the sight and smells of some of the places Dany grew up in, where she left her foot prints; where she first rose to power; where she did so much good.

Observations:

I like to use descriptions a lot hehe. Sometimes I might mix it up with dialogues :).

I seem to write a lot of fics in Dany’s POV haha

My openings are sometimes long af cos idk how long to go on for lol.

These fics remind me of the good old days when I first started my journey into the world of fan fiction hehe~~ I think I've grown a bit? Although I feel like my writing can still evolve hmm... I have much, much more to learn.

Tagging: @adecila @tomakeitbeautifultolive @ktwrites @lawonderlandwriter @xxthewolvenstormxx @fierypen37 @drakhus

#fanfic writing

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alwaysmychoices · 6 years

Text

Abdication

Pairing: Liam x MC (Georgina Daniels)

Rating: Teen

Words: 3843

Part 1 of the Heir and the Spare series (I)

Sunlight poured through our apartment windows, encouraging Liam to carry on his morning routine but beckoning me to return to the comfort of sleep. I’d never been a morning person, but for Liam, I would force myself to wake up at ungodly hours just to kiss him goodbye. And sometimes convincing him to stay a bit longer…

“I’m off, Love,” Liam’s affectionate tone was tinged with regret. He hated leaving me on mornings like this, and in all honesty, I didn’t like it either. A fresh law school grad, I was free from waking up early to race across time for class, and with months between me and my bar exam, I lacked any responsibilities that would require early rising. The first week of sleep was blissful, but now, I longed for our morning routine.

“I’ll see you tonight?” I asked, smiling softly as my kiss sleepily brushed across his lips. Normally, I wouldn’t have to doubt my boyfriend getting home before I fell asleep, but with his new workload changed things. His brother’s increasingly rash behavior forced the Cordonian monarchy to use Liam as the perfect prince to distract the media, often requiring late nights in the Cordonian embassy. As much as I loved a night spent texting my boyfriend pictures of our dog and asking him if he missed me as much as I missed him, tonight was different.

“Whatever for?” Liam questioned with a playful glint in his eyes, and I swatted at his shoulder.

“Liam Rys, if you weren’t the most romantic man on the planet, I might actually believe you forgot,” I laughed, earning a kiss on the cheek, and I used our new proximity to whisper, “And then you wouldn’t get to see the lingerie for tonight…”

I loved watching Liam’s blush spread across his cheeks. We’d been together for two years and couldn’t keep our hands off of each other the whole time, yet I still got him to blush at the thought of lacy, complicated lingerie just for him.

“How could I forget the best two years of my life?’ Liam smirked, “Or the lingerie from our first anniversary.”

“I’m glad you liked it since you completely tore it to shreds that night,” I teased him, looping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer to me.

“We can carry on the tradition if you wish,” Liam complied, moving closer to me by sitting on the edge of the bed, and he smiled as I began to play with his hair. Losing myself in his eyes, I was amazed by the reality of it all.

The handsome man that waltzed into my bar two years ago was my Liam now. He came back to New York for me- a European prince coming back for the waitress that made his dreams come true at the Statue of Liberty. It was something out of a fairytale, but somehow, the truth was better than fiction. I loved him deeply and completely, and if it was possible, he loved me even more than I loved him.

“How about we start with a morning celebration?” I murmured, “You didn’t even make me coffee on our anniversary. You basically have to stay now,” my breath was hot against his skin as my lips brushed along his neck, knowing perfectly well it was his sweet spot.

“You were going back to bed!” Liam’s chuckles were silenced by my kiss on his neck, and he took a long, ragged breath.

I didn’t relent, leaning out of the comfort of our king size bed to press myself against him.

“I have work, Georgie,” Liam’s words were slow and careful as if the slightest misstep could lure him into staying in bed with me and neglecting his responsibilities. Hmm, I really hoped he was right.

“You have work every day. You’ll only have one second anniversary with your girlfriend,” I whined, my pouting lips against his jaw, “And you know your girlfriend loves this suit…” I tugged on his sports coat, earning a laugh as he kissed my hair.

Liam tilted my head, forcing my gaze to meet his, “You are very convincing, Miss Daniels,” his lips brushed across mine, “But I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until tonight.”

I groaned in disappointment, falling into the plush pillows beneath me, “Why do you have to be so damn responsible?”

Liam started to laugh, his chuckle drenched in affection as he straightened his suit and resumed the cup of coffee he’d started earlier. Groaning, I forced myself out of bed and mumbled something about wishing I had caffeine to make this moment less frustrating. Liam pressed a kiss to my cheek as I passed him to get to our closet, replacing my oversized tee shirt with enough of a show that Liam knew what he was giving up to go to work.

I noted his sigh with smug satisfaction, and I happily slipped into the leggings that made it impossible for him not to stare.

“Is this completely necessary?” Liam’s arms snaked around my waist, pulling me back into him, and I melted into his embrace.

“Very…” I tilted my head to kiss his cheek, “If you don’t like the pants, you can always stay and take them off.”

Liam’s chuckle rumbled his chest, and it warmed my heart to hear. I was overwhelmed by how much I loved him, and despite my exhaustion, I began to giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Liam poked my side, snuggling into my shoulder blade.

“I just really love you…” I admitted as blood began to rush to my face, staining my cheeks a bright berry shade.

Liam kissed each blushing cheek, his lips finally landing on mine before starting to pull away. As he reached for my briefcase, my stomach started to sink, and I fell into the comforts of our king size bed. Our corgi, Sir Chance Wigglesworth, was rustled from sleep by my complaints and waddled to my bedside. His whines urged Liam to break his usual rules and help him to bed.

“I love you, Georgie,” Liam brushed the hair out of my face, and jealous of the attention, Chance nuzzled into Liam’s hand, “You, too, Chance.”

I watched Liam leave for work with disappointment, though I didn’t have to well in my discontent for long. With a puppy snuggled against me, I drifted back to sleep with ease, and I dreamed sappy, romantic dreams about my boyfriend.

—-

“Georgie! Nico, what are you doing? Help Georgie!” Maria called out through the crowded deli, interrupting her busy son with her new interest in me. Several patrons turned to me, some out of curiosity and some out of annoyance for this disruption during their lunch break. I awkwardly smiled my apologies as I navigated the packed store to meet Maria at the counter.

“Good morning, Maria,” I greeted her, avoiding the stares from the increasingly annoyed customers.

“It’s noon, Georgie. That’s hardly morning, young lady,” Maria held out her hands for my shopping bag, making a beckoning motion for me to hand them to her.

“I followed all of your instructions and went to that market on the west side to get the right things,” I nervously presented the bag, watching with bated breath as she investigated my choice of ingredients.

Liam was the one who introduced me to this deli. New to New York, he went in search of a piece of home in the unfamiliar metropolis. Cordonian cuisine was hard to come by, but his Greek cravings were quickly sated by this deli. He fell in love with the owner, Maria, almost as quickly as he fell for her baklava, and we were such regulars that she practically adopted us.

She was the only one I trusted for my anniversary surprise, but even under Maria’s guidance, I feared my lack of qualifications. I could run a mile with Liam, prepare a brief, and navigate Manhattan with ease. But as soon as I entered the kitchen, I was a walking disaster.

“The ingredients are téleios, Georgina. I have a small gift for you. The secret of my baklava is my dough, and since you were so nervous, I prepared some extra,” Maria waved over to Nico, who begrudgingly left his customers to get something out of the back. He returned with a bag of dough, muttering a string of curse words beneath his breath as he presented the bag to his mother.

Despite Liam’s best attempts, my Greek was still lacking, and I could only understand every other word of Maria’s reply to her son. Still, I knew Maria enough to get the idea. Once done, she waved him off and presented the bag to me with a wide smile.

“ χρυσή μου, happy anniversary, and good luck,” Maria squeezed my hand.

“Thank you so much,” I felt tears start to well in my eyes, and I wiped them away before they could fall, “This really means a lot to me.”

“You’re like the children I never had, Georgie-“Maria’s heartfelt speech was interrupted by Nico.

“You have children!” Nico insisted, and I stifled my laugh as she urged him to shut up.

“I’ll let you get back to work, but I promise to bring you a piece tomorrow morning so you can show me how to improve,” I assured Maria, earning her beaming approval as she paused from yelling at her son.

Putting the bag of dough further in my grocery bags, I walked through the New York streets with Maria’s baklava recipe close to my heart. I knew Liam enjoyed his life here in Manhattan with me. He loved that we could wander this urban jungle for the rest of our lives and still find new experiences around every corner, but he longed for home, for a small island nation in Europe that New York could never replace. Leaving Cordonia was the noble decision for the young prince to make, but the virtue and self-sacrifice of the decision didn’t lessen the difficulty of making it.

I don’t think he ever anticipated his move to America would be permanent. Upon arrival, he assumed a dignitary position and acted as a Cordonian figure in international politics. As the ‘spare’ to the Cordonian monarchy, he was raised with strong civil duty but was denied the crown by order of birth. While he supported his brother, I could see the disappointment in his eyes every time a new story came out about the crown prince’s latest antics. It was Leo’s behavior that drove him away from Cordonia in the first place. With such a model prince lying around the country, much of the nobility and the populace voiced concerns for their future leader and frequently compared the two brothers, Liam always the “better” son despite his inferior ranking. Liam’s departure meant that Leo could be spared from the comparisons, but it also freed Liam from the pain of watching his brother fail at what he could succeed in.

And then he ran into me.

Liam met me months before he moved here when he and his friends stumbled into my bar during Leo’s bachelor party. I was their waitress and spent the night showing the group around New York City just to spend more time with Liam. That night, I took him to the Statue of Liberty and fell in love with him, but the next morning, he flew back to Europe and seemingly out of my life.

Four months later, my handsome prince walked back into my life, and the rest was history. I changed his life, accidentally chaining him to New York. Meeting his parents showed me that I would never be the acceptable wife to bring around court, but we found a niche for ourselves here.

Life with me changed everything. Any idea of returning to Cordonia for a proper, noble marriage was derailed by this relationship. Being with me likely meant being right here in New York, thousands of miles from home. I wanted to show him that he could have a part of Cordonia in Manhattan, that we were home when we were together.

So, even if I burned down the apartment in the process, I was determined to make this baklava.

I intended to talk to my doorman on my way home and trade future baklava for updates on Liam’s arrival to keep surprise a secret, but there was too much commotion in the building. Someone important must have arrived because security filled the lobby, but I brushed it off. Our apartment was nestled in an upscale building Central Park, and it wouldn’t be the first time someone worthy of this security detail stopped by.

Weaving my way past guards, I entered the elevator and fished out my keys as I traveled to my floor. Once I got inside, I took out the dog treat I’d bought at the market and called out for Chance.

“Sweetie, I got you a treat!” I waved the bacon as I waited for my dog to come running, but instead, I got an unexpected smirk from the hallway.

“Well, that wasn’t necessary, but I’ll take it anyways.”

I nearly dropped my groceries in shock as I stared at Leo, Crown Prince to Cordonia and mischievous brother to my boyfriend, standing in my apartment.

“Leo? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be off galivanting or something?”

I put down my bags before I dropped them, closing the door behind me as Chance sprinted to collect his reward.

“Just stopping by for a brotherly chat,” Leo stepped closer for his typical hug, and as he did, I spotted Liam over his shoulder. Unlike his brother, Liam didn’t sport a happy smile. His typical friendly demeanor shifted into that of controlled frustration and anger, his balled fists shoved into the pockets of his slacks.

As I looked between the two of them, I waited for them to soften their stance, but I was surprised to see that they weren’t consoled to see me. Normally, I was the key to peace during their arguments. Even the night we met, I kept the peace during the bachelor party and prevented them from yelling at each other in the middle of Park Avenue. Tariq said they were distracted by my presence or wanted to keep me happy, but Maxwell had romantic notions of me being a reminder of how much they actually loved each other. Either way, they’d get along when I was there.

The truth was that I always liked Leo. Sure, he wasn’t the most responsible man or the best Crown Prince for Cordonia, but he was kind. Even when squabbling with his brother, he supported Liam and his decision to be with me when no one else did, and I would always thank him for that. During my horrific introduction to Liam’s family over Christmas, Leo eased the tension and welcomed me when Regina would have gladly sent me away I saw him as the brother I’d never had and thought I knew him pretty well.

Which is why I knew there was something different about today.

This wasn’t a typical fight. But I never could have imagined the enormity of what it really was.

“Liam didn’t mention you were coming to town,” I cautiously glanced to my boyfriend, silently asking to be clued in.

“That’s because he didn’t mention it to me either,” Liam’s voice was soaked in disdain for his brother.

“Oh?” I swallowed, unsure how to ease the tension.

“You know me, Georgie. Spontaneity is the spice of life,” Leo beamed, ruffling his blonde hair as he looked over his shoulder at his brother, “Isn’t that right, Liam?”

“Life is perfectly fine unspiced,” Liam countered, “In fact, spice can ruin a dish if used too liberally.”

“Always the wise one, eh?” Leo’s cool was beginning to slip as he struggled to maintain his pearly white smile, “That’s why dad always liked you best.”

My eyes widened, and I interjected before Liam could quip back. “So, Leo, are you staying the night? I can set up the guest room if you want.”

My distraction seemed to work initially. Leo turned his attention back to me, thanking me for my hospitality while Liam steamed from the other room. As Liam started to walk to me, I was startled. I’d never seen him like this. Even when Leo was a selfish asshole, Liam always preserved his composure, but now he was unraveling. What the fuck happened when I was shopping?

“Yes, Leo, to an extent do you intend to ruin our anniversary?” Liam’s arm wrapped around my waist, but the movement was that of dominance and not love. He was claiming me. He was protecting me.

“Liam, I didn’t come here to ruin anything, especially not your anniversary. I came here out of respect for you,” Leo’s eyes were trained on his brother, sincerity oozing out of every word he said, “I wanted to talk to you- just the two of us- before the news broke. I owe you that.”

“You owe me?” Liam’s laugh was incredulous, “Even now, you don’t understand the gravity of the situation.”

“Listen,” Leo snapped, “You always knew this would happen. Everyone did. I know you wanted more time, but Dad’s sick. We don’t have time. I’m not the king.”

Leo paused, sighing with resignation as he added, “You are, Liam.”

Holy fuck.

My heart stopped as I struggled to comprehend the fight I’d walked into. This wasn’t about Leo’s latest party in Ibiza or his not-so-secret affair with the woman he’d met on that cruise, and this was more than rival siblings with conflicting personalities.

“What’s going on?” I squeaked, terrified of the answer as I looked between the two men in front of me. Deep down, I already knew the answer.

I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for the earth-shattering consequence of one sentence, of an answer to a question that was always lurking in Liam’s life. It lingered in every aspect of his identity, and it was all about to change.

“Leo’s abdicating, and I’m next in line,” Liam’s firm expression softened as he looked down to me, the weight of what he said hanging in the air between us. The words outstretched their arms to me and waited to be welcomed, but I fought against their demands for acceptance.

This couldn’t be…

Liam was the spare. He was never supposed to be king.

“W-What? That’s ridiculous. You’re the second son, you’re not…” I trailed off and turned to Leo for answers. Surely, he would explain the miscommunication and assure us that nothing had changed, but he never did.

“You were always meant to be king, Liam,” Leo smiled regretfully, “I’m not the right son. I’m impatient and impulsive. I would ruin Cordonia, and you could never let that happen.”

“Do you even understand what you’re taking from me?” Liam snapped, emotion threatening to spill from his stone-cold expression.

“Don’t lie and say you haven’t secretly always wished for this moment, little brother,” Leo chuckled, “My entire life, you’ve tried to prove you’re better than me, and you succeeded. You’re the better son and better heir. Hell, you’re probably the better man, too. This was always the path, Liam. I just didn’t think…”

Leo trailed off, his eyes trained on me thoughtfully, and he paused before saying, “I’ve imposed on the two of you long enough. I’ll show myself out.”

I stood in silence, paralyzed by shock as I watched Leo gather his leather jacket and shrug it on as he stepped to the front door. I watched him go wordlessly through tears gathering in my eyes.

When Leo stepped through that doorway, he wasn’t just leaving an awkward scene in our apartment. He was taking a life. He took the life Liam and I were supposed to have here. He took the future of a quiet, happy marriage away from nobility. He took away sleepless nights wandering the streets of New York and sharing Chinese food at two in the morning. He took lazy mornings and school recitals. He took away my happily ever after and didn’t even flinch.

I turned to Liam, waiting for an explanation. This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t…

“Liam, what’s he talking about?” my voice shook, “I mean, it’s not like this is the first time he’s threatened to leave Cordonia. He’s not serious this time, right?”

Liam’s expression answered my question for me, and it felt like a gut punch.

“But you always say you’re the spare, not the heir…” I faltered, “I don’t understand.”

Liam’s mouth opened to explain, but the words never came.

“It’s real this time, Georgina. He’s meeting with the council on Monday morning, and I’m expected to join him,” Liam’s eyes searched mine for something I didn’t know how to give him. I didn’t know what reaction he wanted let alone how to show it. Was I supposed to be happy for his new position or devastated for what it meant for the two of us? What did it mean for the two of us?

Regina’s critiques during the holidays rang in my ears. I never did anything right. I was too clumsy in heels and lacked grace without them. I was too nonchalant but somehow too serious. My jokes were inappropriate but rang hollow when I changed them for my audience. I didn’t know enough about Cordonia but was an unwanted guest who couldn’t learn more.

I was an embarrassing girlfriend for a second son of the Cordonian monarchy. What kind of partner was I for a king?

“I have to find Leo and talk to him. I’m… I’m so sorry, Georgie,” Liam’s voice softened at my nickname, but it felt strange coming from a future king’s lips. His hand rested on my cheek, his ocean blue eyes searching in mine, but I didn’t know what to give him.

“I love you, Liam,” I said it frantically, worried it may be the last time I ever really got to say it to him.

“I love you, too,” Liam’s kiss was chaste and quick before he followed his brother out of our front door, and I had the terrifying fear that this was the last time he would really be mine.

Panic settled over me as I was left alone in our apartment. Only a few hours, I would have been overjoyed to have the kitchen to myself to work on my special surprise for our anniversary, but now the gesture was tainted. Did I need him to give him a piece of home or show him that I belonged there? Did I belong there? Did the former waitress at his brother’s bachelor party really have a place in a palace, or had I been kidding myself this whole time?

Our apartment, once a place of solace and happiness, was closing in on me, and desperate for air, I abandoned my surprise baklava and wandered into the Upper East Side streets. I just wanted to get lost…

TAG LIST: @theroyalweisme , @hopefulmoonobject , @youwontlikewherewewillgo , @xxrainbowprincessxx , @mfackenthal , @pens-girl-87 , @lizeboredom , @pbchoicesobsessed , @boneandfur & @decisso

#tRR #THE ROYAL ROMANCE #ROYAL ROMANCE #Liam x mc #mc x liam #king liam x mc #king liam #cordonia #choices #choices fanfiction #choices stories you play #liam x mc fanfiction #mc x liam fanfiction #fanfiction #story #the heir and the spare

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tenthdoctor-allonsy · 6 years

Text

In case of emergency, have a birthday party

Summary: On her 11th birthday, Jessica had a lot of moments she will certainly not forget. From her first crush to a nice gift from Uncle Rhodes, she is reminded that her family will always be there for her. This is set Pre-Iron Man 1. Word Count: 4248 Notes: This text is part of a series about a character called Jessica Stark who is the daughter of Tony Stark with a deceased journalist. It's the first time I post something about her and this is pretty much a thermometer to me on what do you think of her. My plans are to post her main story which is set during the first Avengers movie later on. I've been putting her from my head onto words since 2012, so right now I'm writing a series of different events on her life to settle her as an actual person and not just a character that exists in one single story. Hope you like her as much as I do and all thoughts about her are appreciated.

It was Jessica's 11th birthday. The girl didn't have many friends since she was homeschooled from an early age. Her friends were from some classes she attended, her neighbors and some children of her father's friends. There was also Pepper's family which she constantly visited, so the party had some of Pepper's cousins running around. Oh, yeah, the party, let’s talk about that. It was a restaurant with the view of the Santa Monica beach. This was an early night and the restaurant led to a private portion of the beach reserved only for them. It had a few light poles made of wood and the whole party followed a sea theme. There were live music and magicians at one corner, the first ones playing tunes and songs requested by the guests. The waiters and waitresses were dressed as Hawaiians and the sand was covered with flowers petals. And finally, the cake sitting on the big table placed right in the middle of the environment they were in, it had the format of a shell - specially made for this event. Even though the party had a lot of people working on it to make it work, it didn't have many guests. And those were divided by small groups, sitting in specific tables.

These groups were, as the young birthday girl would classify them: Cool adults, which consisted of Pepper Potts (her father's P.A. and the woman she considered to be her mother after the passing of her real mom), Happy Hogan (the family's security guard and chauffeur, also family to her), Uncle Rhodes (Colonel James Rhodes, her father's best friend who was very funny and she really liked him), Ms. Connolly (her tutor and her French teacher), Ms. Riverdale (she worked at Stark and was usually at her house discussing work things with her father), Mr. Porter (her piano teacher) and, finally, Tony Stark, her father and CEO of Stark Industries. There was also a woman she didn't know very well, but her dad said she was family and important, so she was coming. Her name was Peggy Carter, an old British lady who was surprisingly very sweet. It appears she worked with her grandfather, and Jessie actually liked her because sometimes it seemed that everything related to her Grandpa and Grandma was dead, but Peggy wasn't. Therefore, she was cool - so she belonged in this table. Next in the list, the children's table. And that wasn't really a table, there were a lot of cushions over a free-sand area, so the little ones could sit and be comfortable. It was close to the cake and it had a lot of toys and gadgets to play with. Apart from Jessica Stark, the birthday girl, there were a few children. Well, specifically, eight. Two of them were Andrew and Angela, Pepper's cousins with whom Jessie would spend some time when she visited Pepper's family. The other two were her neighbours, Catherine and Rachel, who played with her frequently at her place. And the last four were children of her father's friends. Investors, people who they visited in many of their trips abroad and who she ended up playing with and talking eventually. But among those last four, there was was someone special. That person was named Erik Gillespie, a tall handsome boy with blue eyes and black hair in which she had a big crush on. Erik was the son of Mr. Gillespie, head of Gillespie Inc. located in Italy. Jessie visited their mansions several times when her father traveled there to talk business. He used to bring her around to get to know the city and the house. He spoke Italian, French, English, Spanish and played the guitar gorgeously. Every time that boy was near her, her heart pounded faster. She was too shy to talk to Pepper about him, but she was sure when she pulled Rachel and Cath by the side, whispering.

“D'you guys remember that boy I talked about once? Erik?” She quickly said.

“Italian Prince Erik?” Cath answered with a low voice. “Is he here?”

“Oh my God, Prince Erik is here and the party is sea themed. I'm so jealous and freaking out right now.” Rachel unfortunately, didn't know how to keep it quiet.

“Shhh, Rachel! He's gonna hear you!” The Stark one exasperated, looking over her shoulder to check on any unwanted attention to the three of them. “What do I do?”

“What do you mean?” Cathy frowned.

“Do I tell him I like him?” Jessica asked.

“No! I mean, I don't know.” Rachel shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn't.” The girl looked down at her phone.

“You should ask him out. Or... I don't know. Show him the city like he does to you when you’re there.” Catherine suggested sitting down on a yellow cushion.

Jessie nodded, surprised. “You always have good advice, Cathy. Different than other people.”

“Oi!” The blonde one, Rachel, complained, throwing an empty soda can on the girl.

“Jessie, dear, it's time to cut the cake.” Pepper approached them instantly put an end to their conversation.

So Jessica followed the red-headed woman while she walked around the room, passing by the table we didn't talk about yet: boring adults. Basically Tony Stark's investors and partners, parents of the children we talked before. Including, Mr. Gillespie - you know who. Tony was sitting at that table right now with Monica Riverdale, both of them laughing at some joke the girl didn't hear. Her father had a glass of whiskey in one hand and the other arm was wrapped around Riverdale’s shoulders. The entire table was noisy and happy - a little too happy that concerned both Pepper and Jessie. The girls knew Tony and those type of people too well to know when they started to get drunk. And Mr. Stark had been holding a glass since he arrived.

Pepper led the girl close to the 'seashell cake' and tapped a glass with a spoon so the chinking noise would get the attention of everybody. “Listen, everybody, it is time to wish this big girl a Happy Birthday!”

“Hey!” Tony spoke out load and got up, tumbling toward both women. “Happy Birthday to you…” He chanted as he approached them and everybody followed. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday…” Her father, now in front of her, kneeled on one knee and grabbed a flower from inside his jacket - the same flower that was decorating the tables - with a smirk and then a grimace that made the girl laugh. “dear Jessie…” And as she took the flower, he kissed her on the forehead. “Happy Birthday to you.”

The girl looked around and smiled, taking the scene in. She usually complained that she didn't go to school and didn't have many friends like a normal child would. She would daily complain about how much pressure she had just because her father was who he was, and that he was always busy doing something else. But the girl actually liked her little unusual life. It was in moments like this where she realized she complained too much. Well, she wouldn’t stop, but at least right now she felt everything was alright and she had a small family that loved her. Pepper, Happy and Rhodes, all of them were so nice and always there. Even her father - who was always little drunk and sometimes a pain in the ass, she loved him too.

Tony stood by her side and Pepper stepped up to cut the cake. As the woman sliced the knife into the seashell, a surprise. Inside it, just like an oyster, something shiny waited for her. The woman took it and handed it to Jessie, who was so excited that quickly opened the tiny box to see what was lying inside.

A necklace, a silver necklace with a round pendant and a small button on it. She pressed the button and one side of the pendant lighted up with an image - a hologram of three people: Herself, her father and her mother. The holographic woman looked older to what Jessie last remembered of her, but she knew the warmth of those hazel eyes. And, oh boy... she did miss them.

“She’d look like this if she were here today,” Tony said in a low voice with a small smile. The three of them looked so happy in that hologram that she felt like crying. And the girl knew she would hold that thing close to her heart forever. But she wouldn't cry in front of everyone. And certainly not in front of Erik. “She’d be proud.” “Thank you, Dad.” Jessica hugged him as he ducked and she buried her little face in the man’s chest. Tony stood up and lifted up her daughter in the air, kissing her head. She let out a few tears that were absorbed by his navy blue blazer. “I really loved it.”

Pepper stood by their side waiting with a plate in her hand, handling it to Jessie once she was back on the ground and out of her father’s grip. “Now the first piece of cake.”

The little one cleared her throat, making up her mind and taking a deep breath. “The first piece of cake goes to..”, she turned to the side and looked at the tall young boy with black hair and blue eyes but her plan was interrupted by another man with black hair and the slight smell of alcohol at her side.

“Her father, the man who paid for this party and hopefully the only important man of your life until you're 30.” All adults in the room laughed and the girl let Tony take the cake of her hand with a sigh of disappointment.

“Now the second piece,” She raised her voice above the laughs, “goes to Erik Gillespie.”

The laughter quickly stopped, like a wave. Actually, another sort of laughter grew. “Because he is really... nice.” Jessica added, trying to conceive her embarrassment while Erik stood up, walking to her and taking the plate from her hands with a smile that made her legs weaken. Tony cleared his throat and walked back to the table he was before. “I've got my eyes on you, buddy. ‘m having a chat with your father right now, so you better keep it in your pants.”

With that, Jessica really wanted to shout at her father, and the familiar emotional moment passed. So the party went on. Everybody went to the conversations they were before, yet Jessie couldn't seem to relax. She wanted to go down and talk to Erik, but she was strangely afraid. But well, the first step had been hers, after all. So she was going to wait a bit more before doing anything. And the minutes went by as the girl played with other children and spoke to some of the adults. Erik was more reserved but very observant of his surroundings. He spent a long time talking to another kid a bit older than the others there, Ezekiel Stane. Zeke was the son of Obadiah Stane, the man who ran the company alongside Tony and someone Jessie never really actually liked. He was always cold and he seemed… fake. It was like he was always pretending to be nice and like her when he actually wasn’t. Pepper usually said it was something of her head and that Obie was really nice and he took care of Tony when Grampa died but, well. There are some things we can’t explain.

Lastly, a few people had already left and the part was getting to the boring part. Jessie found her way to the “cool adults” table, sitting next to her teachers and Aunt Peggy. She really liked that last woman but didn’t actually know why. Sometimes it seemed like she looked at her and her father with the sort of look she’d seen only in other grandmas to their grandchildren. It felt like Peggy was the only thing there was left of her grandparents, so the girl usually tried to ask her things about them since it was a matter they never talked at home. And after a few minutes of conversation, someone came by the table, interrupting them.

“I’m sorry, Jessica and Mrs…”

“Carter.” The woman answered the good-looking boy with a smile, her eyes going to Jessie with a bit of amusement on them. Then, she let out a smirk. “I think the two of you have a lot to talk about.” She got up after some effort and caressed Jessie’s hand. “I’ll go check on your father.”

“I just wanted to.. thank you for the cake.” Erik cleared out his throat, hands in his pockets.

And as the elder woman stepped away, the girl’s eyes went to the person in front of her. “You’re welcome.” She shrugged, trying to hide away the butterflies in her stomach.

He smiled back. And… That was it.

Silence from both parts. She was staring at his shirt and his eyes were fixed on her necklace.

“I just wanted to give something to you in return. Cause you’re always so nice when we go visit you.” The words of the last sentence were laid out quickly like it was a hot potato. Her eyes rose up for a few seconds just to check if he was looking at her, and Erik tilted his head with a smile in return.

“I’m just polite. It’s the least I can do for our guests.” He shrugged.

Ouch. Was he being indifferent? She started to wonder if Erik even felt the same for her as she did for him. But then why was he here talking to her? What was it for? And what would her father do in such case? He was so good at making people like him. Well, women mostly - but most people in general. “Maybe I can show you around the city? This is my place after all.” She looked up to him with an attempt to replicate her father’s confidence. “Then you could go to my house afterwards.”

The boy let out a small laugh passing his fingers on his hair. Jessie held her instant reaction to not sigh at that beauty in front of her. “I’d have to check with my parents when we’re leaving. But if there is time, I’d love to let you take me out for a ride.”

“Erik!” Mr. Gillespie called out from the table he was sitting. “We’re leaving.”

“Gotta dash. I’ll let my PA tell yours know if your date is up. Tomorrow max.” His eyes went from his father back to her.

“No prob.” Jessie shrugged, wanting to sound just as indifferent as he did before.

“See ya, Jess.” He kissed her on the cheek and ran towards his father.

Thing is - she wasn’t expecting the kiss. So she just froze there for almost a minute with her hand over where his lips touched until Pepper showed up.

“Jessica, your father just left.” The woman was clearly furious. “Yes. He left you behind in the day your birthday. Listen, uh...the kids are basically all gone and I promised my mom I’d take the cousins back home before midnight. We can go home and then do something fun there, what’d you think?”

“Is Happy going with you?” Jessie asked with a disappointed voice. Her father promised they would have an amazing afterparty. She was going to be up super late and having fun with her dad, maybe they’d watch a movie or go somewhere she didn’t know yet. The only thing now was that they weren’t. Oh, super.

“Yep.” The red-headed nodded in an affirmative response.

They would’ve gone bowling, or to the movies, or maybe golf. Or none of those, cause he just left with Ms. Riverdale. And the worst of all is that this situation was so common that she wasn’t even mad. She was just... disappointed. Not surprised at all. “I don’t wanna go home now,” Jessie complained. “I’ll stay behind.”

“Yeah, alone? Not gonna happen.” Pepper had her purse in one her hand, not looking like she wanted to discuss the subject.

“Yeah, it is happening. It’s my birthday.” The girl stated, convicted.

“The party is over, Jessica.”

“But the after party didn’t even start yet.” Somehow it became a dispute? Yeah, in Jessica’s mind, it was now a matter of ego.

“Hey girls, excuse me. I can take care of the birthday lady and then take her home afterwards.” James Rhodes put himself into the conversation, hands up and a smile as he was trying not to be yelled at.

“You don’t have to, Rhodey.” Pepper calmly answered. Her eyes were stiff and they glared at Jessie like she was ready to fight if necessary.

“Tony left with Amanda, right?” Rhodes got closer and put his hand on Pepper’s arm, calling the woman’s attention to him. “Go get some rest. It’s no big deal, really.”

“Rhodey-” Pepper started to complain, yet visibly tired.

“Pep.” He interrupted her. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

The redhead finally nodded and raised her eyebrows to the girl who was just watching them talk. “We’ll have a chat about that attitude later. Take care.”

Jessica smiled at her until she was far away from them, so the smile automatically faded. “No, we won’t.”

Rhodes laughed. “I can easily hear a young Tony saying those words.”

“Nah ah, I’m not like him. I wouldn’t leave my daughter behind in her own birthday just to get laid.”

“Oi, language! Where did you learn that?” Rhodes raised a brow.

“Guess who.” She shot back.

“For God’s sake, Tony better what his mouth around kids.” He rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I’m not a kid anymore.” Jessie crossed her arms and pouted.

“Jessica, you are eleven. Don’t even start.” He raised his hand as a ‘stop sign’ to her and then made a gesture for her to follow him. “Now come, let��s go somewhere fun.”

She got up the chair with a little jump. “The after party train is departing, everyone!”

He let out a grin and hugged her by her shoulders as they walked to Rhodey’s car. Uncle James was always around the house and events, and she knew that he had been friends with her father for a long time now. “Uncle Rhodey, when did you and my dad meet?” Jessie asked as she entered the car and closed the door.

“MIT, 1986.” He answered. “But you knew that already.”

“Yeah, but I’m not talking about dates, I’m talking about a moment. Like, a class or someone in common or... I dunno.”

“Well, we met in class.” He stated and the car engine’s answered with a soft humming. “We had a few classes together and he was a real pain in the ass, a smart 16 years-old kid who acted like he knew better than all of us.”

Jessie smiled as she pictured the scene. Even though that trait was something really annoying about her dad, she secretly liked when people said that “she had too much of Stark in her”. She didn't even have to have known her grandfather to assume he was just like that too.

“Then, there was this competition within the whole Institute. The William Barton Rogers’ Race. We had to come up with a functional machine to solve any problem MIT students went through daily.”

“Hm, so you did a project together.” The girl affirmed.

“We? I wanted nothing but distance from that smartass. But I was having problems with my project though, and I was too damn stubborn to ask anyone for help. I knew your father was doing better on his idea so I spent day and night on it, missed classes and stuff. One night before the competition's due date, there was this knock on my door and a note slipped under.” He let out a grin as he pulled over the parking lot of a place called Ice Cream Paradise. That place always meant heaven on Earth for Jessica. She smiled from cheek to cheek. “I knew you'd like coming here.” He turned off the car and jumped out of it, followed by the brown haired girl as they walked through the parking lot.

“What did the note say?” She was curious about the story.

“It said: 'We both know Imma win the Barton Rogers’, but you deserve to finish your project. Remember that Carnot was wrong, Qh is greater than Qc.’.” He answered and opened the door to let the girl in.

“And pretending I get what that means, was he right?” The doorbell announced their entrance.

“Unfortunately,” he continued with a chuckle. “to my ego, he was, yes. He also ended up winning the race afterwards.” They both sat at a table close to the balcony. “But I never forgot what he did, cause I managed to finish my project after that. Next day in class I sat close to him and we started taking. And-”

“You’re here today.” She finished.

“I’m here today.” Rhodes smiled and patted her nose with his finger, making the girl let out a grimace. As the waitress - blonde, strangely well humored for this time of the day, wearing a white short dress and a royal blue apron - approached them, Rhodey still had a smile upon his face when he answered her. “I’m having a strawberry milkshake with a tad of rum and the birthday lady here is having the house’s special.”

“Oh, is it your birthday?” She looked surprised, and Jessie nodded affirmatively. “Then it’s gonna be on the house. You’re having very sweet night, I promise.” She picked up the menus that were over the table and turned away but stopped in the middle of the movement. “Hang on, do I know you from somewhere? I think I’ve seen you before.”

“Well, she comes here a lot, gotta tell ya that.” Rhodey answered before the girl could open her mouth.

Jessie shrugged. “I do love Ice Cream Paradise.”

“Well then.” The woman, who had a badge with ‘Eliza’ written on it, waltzed away from them and they just waited.

To get things short, the rest of the night went on in an amazing course of events. Even better than the party before where she had all those people to talk and her father was all loud and sipping as many glasses as he would have laid eyes upon. This moment here with Rhodes was so nice and calm. It was something she was sure it’d be in her memories for a very long time. Eliza came back with a huge bowl of a banana split with small party hats in the top, and two bigger hats - one for Jessie and the other for Rhodey. Everybody on the ice cream - the three of them, the cashier and two people in the kitchen and a young couple of customers - sang happy birthday to her.

And then, it was over as fast as the snap of their fingers. Pepper was already calling both of them worried because it was late in the night and she wanted Jessie to be home by now. They were actually planning on going to amusement parks if JARVIS could find any of it open at that time of the night. But Rhodes decided that it was best to listen to Pepper this time, and he drove Jessica back home.

She was silent for the most part of the ride back because she didn’t want to go home, not just yet. But Rhodey knew how to get under her skin and make her laugh, pulling her back to a conversation just like she’d seen him do it before with her dad when he was angry. The lights were all up when they arrived, and Rhodey told Jessica to wait after she got out of the car and before she made her way towards the door.

“I almost forgot.” He came back for something in the car, a small box wrapped in red paper. James Rhodes approached the little girl and crouched close to Jessica, handling her the gift. “Happy Birthday, Jessie.”

She tore the paper quickly and held the box with a frown. The object was made of metal, and in the top, it read: 'In case of emergency: open the box'. Jessica followed the instructions - even though the emergency here was purely her curiosity - and inside the metal container, there was a small phone with a note that said: ‘If you dad isn’t around and you’re feeling lonely, give me a call. Happy B-Day, big girl.’

“Thank you, Uncle Rhodey.” The girl shyly said, holding the box closer to her chest, smiling from cheek to cheek.

“C’mon, give me a big hug.” He opened his arms and the girl went running to his hug, squeezing him with all the strength she had. While wrapped up in his arms, she felt just like when her dad gave her his gift, she knew for absolute certainty that she was loved and she had someone else to count in. Even if (or when) her father let her down, Rhodes would be there.

This was family meant and she knew, at that moment, that everything was going to be fine. And if it wasn’t - that was alright too.

“Now get in before Pepper kills us both.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and the girl ran back home with a new spot of safety held dear in her little hands.

#tony stark x daughter #tony stark one shot #tony stark's daughter #iron man x daughter #tony stark #iron man #pepper potts #james rhodes #marvel one shot #avengers one shot #iron man one shot #Jessica Stark #Jessie Stark #Tony Stark x Jessie Stark #texts #Jessie Stark series #tony stark x daughter!reader

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takemedancingmaine · 6 years

Text

I blame my older brother. For all of it. If he’d just hired a proper babysitter, I wouldn’t have had to pick Charlie up from primary school in the first place.

I can’t really blame Liam though. Despite how much I want to. His wife did just die. It’s not like he’s been slacking off or anything, he’s been handling becoming a single dad best he can. I know that. I respect that. But still, it’s nice to place blame on someone, not myself.

“There’s a policy at the school that the parents have to go into the classroom to pick up their kid,” Liam is saying through the phone now as I step off the bus only two blocks away from Charlie’s school building.

“It’s so that the school knows everyone went home safely with the proper adult,” he adds. “Charlie’s in classroom number five.”

“Sound reasoning,” I acknowledge. Five-year-olds aren’t always the most careful of creatures. You can never be too prepared to counteract this character flaw of theirs. “Five. Got it. I will bring him home and stuff him with copious amounts of sweets before teaching him how to properly slide down a banister.”

“Wren,” my brother groans. He loves my humour, I presume.

“Feed him, get him to take a nap, and then see if he has any assignments,” I roll my eyes despite my brother not being around to see. “I know how to handle my own nephew,” I tell him.

“Thanks for doing this,” Liam sighs into the phone. “I’m not even taking lunch today. I’m eating a granola bar at my desk and working straight through,” he says.

“You wanted to be a lawyer,” I tease. “This was the life you chose.”

“I was gifted with a little sister for a reason,” he fires back. “So that she could do favors for me.”

“Shove off,” I lower my voice as I enter the school gates, not wanting to offend any young ears with my language choices. “I’ll see you tonight, bruv. I’ve gotta go now, though. I’m walking into the school,” I halt my steps right outside the door as I wait for him to respond.

“See you then,” he barely gets his words all out before the line goes dead. He’s been busier than usual recently and I can’t fight the gnawing feeling in my stomach that something is off about that.

A cacophony of happy sounds of children—shouting, laughter, toys, etc.—rails against my ears the moment I step inside, a particularly frazzled looking mum stepping in behind me as I hold the door open for her.

“Thanks,” she mumbles and buzzes past me as I make my way slowly, trying to find the proper classroom so I don’t look like a fool.

“Wren!” Right as I spot classroom number five, I hear my name being called. Lowering my glance from the number beside the door to one of the faces inside the frame, I spot Charlie, his smile wide as he waves me over toward him.

“Hey, munchkin,” I pick him up and kiss his cheek. “Did you have a good day?”

“I did,” he nods. “I’m learning my letters,” he’s very proud of himself. I can tell. I smile and place him back on the floor.

“Wow,” I gasp. “Soon you’ll be out-writing me!” I feign being upset. “You’ll run me out of a job.”

“I don’t want to be a writer!” He rolls his eyes. Wow. He is his father’s son. I give a little snort. “I want to be a lawyer like daddy!”

“Oh,” I bite my lip and nod. “Okay then,” I try to smile but I’m sure my discontent is visible. “How about you go get your things so that we can leave and make lunch?” I ask.

“Can we make pizza?” He asks.

“I don’t see why not,” I shrug with a smile.

Charlie turns to grab his things but stops and gives me a glance. “You have to check-in with Mr. Lowden before we can leave.”

“Right,” I nod, and as he rushes to his cubby I turn and see his teacher, Mr. Lowden, talking with another parent but as I approach he excuses himself to chat with me.

“Wren Kearney?” He asks.

He’s Scottish, tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed with a scruffy beard and dimples. He’s more than likely my own age, and he’s well fit. He seems unassuming, but I think he knows he’s quite fit from the way he’s smirking at me.

I blush and nod.

“M’Jack Lowden. Your brother called earlier and said you’d be picking Charlie up today,” he explains. “I just need you to sign the open space next to his name,” he points toward a binder filled with sheets for each student in the class, each day signed by their guardian picking them up.

I smile at my brother’s signature under Monday and Tuesday’s column. He really does try.

“Right,” I breathe out and reach for the pen to sign on Wednesday’s line.

“You and your brother don’t look alike,” Mr. Lowden says now, my hand hesitating a moment before moving to sign my last name with a flourish.

“I take after our mum and he takes after our dad. Although, his hair was much darker when we were children,” I mumble as I stand back up fully beside him.

“To be fair though, If I didn’t know Charlie was your brother's son, I’d never have guessed at that relation either,” he smiles.

I bite my lip to try and hide my smile, my cheeks flaming. Why I’m this embarrassed I have no idea, but I am. I manage a nod through my embarrassment.

“Charlie looks exactly like his mum,” I say now, watching as Mr. Lowden crosses his arms across his chest.

“Aye,” he nods, his own eyes and smile lowering for a moment. “I heard what happened. How’s your brother been managing?”

“He’s trying his best,” I watch as Charlie hugs one of his friends before attempting to put his jacket on.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on Charlie and he seems to be managing quite well,” he says, his eyes following mine and glancing at Charlie as well, watching as he does his buttons on his jacket up. “I’m rather surprised,” he adds quietly as we watch him together.

“From what I can tell, he’s not really noticed other than asking for her at night,” I watch as he slips his backpack straps on. “Thanks for watching out for him, though. It’s nice to know he has people in his corner.”

“Of course,” Mr. Lowden nods, his gaze returning to me and I feel my cheeks flame again as I look down to my shoes before glancing up at him. “Y’ready to go with your aunt, kiddo?” He bends down to talk to Charlie as he comes up to the two of us.

He nods vigorously. “She’s a lot of fun,” Charlie grabs my hand. “She also said we can have pizza for lunch!”

“That sounds amazing,” he gives a smile before he nods and stands to full height. “I have to get ready for my afternoon class, but I’ll see you tomorrow, alright, Charlie?”

“Goodbye, Mr. Lowden,” he waves his free hand to his teacher before we make our way toward the classroom door.

I feel eyes on me as we leave and glancing over my shoulder I notice Charlie’s teacher watching us leave, a dimpled smirk on his face, as he bites his bottom lip. Quickly I turn away and feel my cheeks flush as Charlie and I make our way toward home.

“Is the pizza done yet?” Charlie asks for what, I swear, has to be the seventeenth time.

The whole process of making it had happened pretty smoothly. Together we’d made the pizza, Charlie spreading the tomato paste and cheese while I chopped peppers and spinach—much to his dismay—to put on top.

I do have to give my brother credit, even though I hate to do so. His home is quite modern, his appliances state of the art, even his aircon system was digital and could be controlled from his phone. Being a lawyer did pay off a bit for him. Quite literally.

I check the timer on my phone and look in at the pizza quickly. “A few minutes, bud.” I tell him and he groans. “How about you go wash your hands and I’ll get our drinks ready. Milk or juice?” I ask.

“Juice!” He cheers triumphantly and turns to run toward the bathroom to wash up.

“Use soap!” I yell after him. “And count to ten twice!” I add as I grab the apple juice from the fridge and pour him a glass. I can hear the sink running, so I take that as a win while I pour myself a glass of juice as well.

Right as he’s coming back into the room the timer for the pizza goes off.

“Yes!” Charlie cheers as I pull the pan out of the oven. “Thank you, Wren,” he adds as he jumps up into his chair at the table while I cut slices.

“It’s very hot,” I warn him as I slide a plate with two small slices across to him. “Be careful.”

“Okay,” he nods and immediately picks up the pizza. I groan, thinking of the talking to I’d get from my brother if Charlie burns his hand. It turns out that he doesn’t—thankfully—, and he at least blows a bit on the pizza before he begins to eat it. It’s minor things you have to take victories from.

He doesn’t even complain about the spinach and peppers, instead just eats happily as I clean up the kitchen a bit before joining him to each a slice myself. I make a mental note to later brag to Liam about how I got his son to eat vegetables. He’ll be so jealous.

Liam has always been fun to tease. Three years older than me, my brother turned thirty in January—nine months ago—and I’ve not let him forget that fact. Always teasing him about his age, amongst many, many other things.

The only time I relented was two months ago when April, his wife of seven years, died suddenly.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. A long medical phrase that basically means the heart cells in the right ventricle don't connect very well, meaning they don't contract very well. April, with her unknown congenital heart disease, would simply become a statistic the moment she died. Up to 80 percent of individuals with this disease suffer sudden cardiac death because they have no idea they even have it.

She was just another number in an upsetting medical statistic. That’s what Liam looked at it as. My brother was quite bitter regarding the whole thing, but in the past two months, he’d still managed to function on a somewhat normal and regular level, so that’s something.

Charlie noticed his mothers absence. Missed her, asked for her—mostly at bedtime—, but it wasn’t as catastrophic for him as people thought it would be.

Charlie was the reason my brother was still pushing forward after what had happened. Our parents tried to rally around him, but both still had jobs in Birmingham that they couldn’t entirely skip out on. I tried to stay around when I noticed he needed someone, but Liam tended to grieve on his own. Choosing to isolate himself in his worst moments.

Charlie was keeping him in the world, forcing him to engage with people who weren’t his employees at the law firm, or, you know, me. Sometimes I think my brother is starting to toe the line between coming back to us fully or avoiding us entirely by delving deeper into his work.

Today I think he’s leaning towards work, tomorrow could be another story though. He’s constantly swaying back and forth. I try to keep him smiling with my humour. That’s what I have to offer him.

“Wren?”

“Hmm?” I ask.

“I’m finished,” Charlie yawns at me and gestures toward his plate.

“Oh,” I shake myself and realize I’d gotten lost in my mind, my own pizza slice was forgotten, cold upon my plate. “Right,” I give him a look. “Okay, rinse your plate and put it in the dishwasher,” I tell him.

I finish my own slice while I supervise Charlie from my place at the table. For a five-year-old, he’s very good at taking care of cleaning up after himself.

“Alright,” I nod once he’s done. “Let’s get you up to bed for your nap.”

After a story and a lullaby, Charlie is fast asleep in his bed and I’m not far behind, falling asleep as I sit on the couch scrolling through news alerts on my laptop.

There’s nothing new since I started chasing my story early this morning, my source not yet having gotten back to me. The only good news to come from that is when I fall asleep, and inevitably I do, I don’t miss out on anything important.

“I ordered Thai takeaway for us,” Piper comes out of her room in jammies (read: an old t-shirt and joggers) and pops the kettle on.

“Bless you,” I sink deeper into the old couch in our living room. “After taking care of Charlie all afternoon, and with Liam working late I just really didn’t want to cook.”

“It’ll be here in about fifteen minutes,” she nods, fluffing my hair on her way past me to grab her phone. I dodge her as she walks by again back into the kitchen.

I’d only gotten home around half-eight. I was quite cross with Liam when he’d finally gotten home from work. Charlie was already asleep for the night by the time Liam had gotten home.

He didn’t bother to keep in mind that I have to be at work early tomorrow or that I live half an hour across London on the tube.

After a shower and a face mask, I was ready to just relax for the rest of the night before I passed out in bed. The only solace I’d gotten all day was the twenty-minute nap I’d managed right after I’d gotten Charlie down for his own nap.

The rest of my afternoon was spent answering emails, entertaining my nephew, cooking for my nephew, and getting him ready for bed.

Now, Piper is steeping us some brews and I’m watching a rerun of GBBO.

“I didn’t even tell you,” I say as Piper slips into the spot beside me on our sofa. She’s placed both our mugs on the table in front of us.

“What?” She asks, kicking her slipper-covered feet up onto the table, careful of the mugs.

Piper and I have been living together going on two years now. We’d become friends back in uni and when we graduated I stayed in London and she went to Liverpool, but we managed to stay in touch.

When she moved back to London a couple of years after we’d graduated, we figured living together would be the best situation for both of us. For Piper, because it helped her pay rent when she only had to worry about half of it, and for me because Piper tends to bring out the best of me.

Being shy and having depression are two conditions that I’ve understood my whole life to go hand-in-hand, and even on my bad days, Piper is around for me, always. I still have bad days obviously, but having someone like Piper around makes things just a fraction easier when they do get hard. She gets me to go out and do things and enjoy the world even when I want to wallow in the emptiness I feel.

She’s good for me.

“Charlie’s teacher is fit as fuck,” I say now as I lean my head against her shoulder and feel her vibrate under me as she laughs.

“Hot for teacher?” She giggles at her own joke.

“I’m serious!” I try not to laugh along with her, in vain. My own giggles coming not a moment later.

“Wait, really?” She stops and asks seriously.

“Not at all kidding,” I tell her, my cheeks flaming as I remember our brief encounter earlier in the day.

“Wren Elizabeth Kearney! You have a crush on your nephew’s teacher, don’t you?” Piper shoves me off of her so that she can look me over.

I blush even deeper and unable to speak, I nod. She gasps. “Oh, my god,” she reaches out to pinch my cheek. “You are so adorable. Tell me everything. What’s he like?”

“Well I only talked to him for a minute, didn’t I?” I ask, but she narrows her eyes and points a finger at me. “He’s just classically attractive,” I shrug. “He’s tall and got this strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. He’s even got a beard to complete the look.”

“You’re being unbelievably vague,” she rolls her eyes. “You haven’t even given me a name yet.”

“Well, he’s Scottish. And I think he said his name was Jack?” She raises an eyebrow at me. “All I know that he’s Mr. Lowden,” I shrug again.

Piper breaks into another fit of giggles at that. “Mr. Lowden,” she teases. “How very school girl of you, Wren.”

I feel like a hole needs to open up in the floor and pull me in, saving me from the situation. Sadly, no such hole appears.

“C’mon,” she wraps an arm around my shoulder. “M’only joking, love,” she says. “I just think it’s cute that you find him attractive. Let me have some fun.”

“You always have fun,” I grumble.

“Well,” she shrugs. “You got me there.” She releases me and picks up her brew before taking a sip. I follow suit and almost moan at how good tea is after the long day I had today.

“Right,” Piper says now. “Let’s rewatch Matt make his fire truck cake and fawn over how adorable he is before we have to eat, go to bed, and do this all over again.”

#I DID SOMETHING BIG #I'M DOING SOMETHING BIG #PLEASE #PLEASE GIVE FEEDBACK #I WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS #PLEASE TELL ME EVERYTHING #jack lowden fanfiction #jack lowden #ofc #hand me down #hmd

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