#he looses some street cred for that is is not pleased

[charlies-gillespie]

private relationship | charlie gillespie (part 1)

PART TWO

paring: fem!reader x charlie gillespie

summary: reader and Charlie have been in a very private relationship. none of their fans know that they’re together, until a slip up at a very public event changes everything for the pair

requested: no

length: long

rating: PG (borderline PG-13 tho for some nsfw jokes)

warnings: a dirty joke or two, a few sexual innuendos throughout, drinking

!! MY GIF - give creds if used !!

authors note: “mon amour” means “my love” in french. it’ll probably be used a lot throughout the imagine

another author’s note: would y’all want a part two, but with smut?

MASTERLIST

“Charlie!” you call. Your voice echoes through your apartment. “Can you come here for a second?”

You need help zipping your dress. Charlie was the first to get to your apartment. He’s been waiting for Owen, Madison, Jeremy, Jadah, and Savannah, and Sacha to get here so your group can go to the release party together. It’s a formal event so you had to wear a dress and heels. It wasn’t your first choice, especially the heels part.

Charlie appears in the doorway and says, “Yea- woah.” You see him in your mirror. His eyes are on you. He looks good in his suit that he’s wearing. His jacket and pants are black, his button-up beneath the jacket is white, but he wears a silver tie to compliment the color of your pale pink dress since he can’t match your dress.

A smile forms on your lips and you ask, “Can you come zip up my dress, please?” Charlie nods and walks into your bedroom. You watch him as he slowly zips up your dress.

The dress is a long, baby pink dress with satin fabric. The skirt is a little poofy from the waist down. The top hugs your chest, pushing your breasts up a little bit so they look a little bigger than they actually are. A sparkly silver belt sits on your waist to add some sparkle to the dress. The sleeves are off your shoulders, and there are hidden pockets in the skirt.

Your boyfriend admires you in the mirror. You’re fully dressed now. Your hair is loosely curled and you have a natural makeup look painted on your face. The light color of the dress compliments your tan skin.

“You look stunning, mon amour,” Charlie sighs. “Absolutely stunning.”

You lean your head back a bit, resting it against Charlie’s shoulder. “You clean up very nicely, Charlie,” you say. “I like that you matched me without actually matching me.”

He laughs and says, “I might’ve had Mads and Jadah help me with that little detail. I wanted to match you but it would draw suspicion to us.”

When you and Charlie started dating almost nine months ago, both of you agreed to keep it on the very low. No social media posts unless hanging out in a group setting, no tagging each other in stories if you were alone together, and only going as far as following each other on social media since you’ve worked on the same show together. The fans don’t even know that you’re friends with each other at this point. Only your closest friends that are going with you to the event tonight know that you and Charlie are together.

Kenny Ortega also knows since he’s technically your boss and you’re both co-workers. He also might have found you making out with Charlie after the two of you got carried away when cuddling on Julie’s bed after a few hours of shooting scenes. You couldn’t lie to him after that.

Tonight is a very public event. Pictures will be taken, journalists will be wanting every juicy detail, and fans have been invited to the event so if there’s even a little be of suspicion, it won’t take very long to go public. It’s the release night party for Julie and the Phantoms season two. Everyone’s been invited to watch the first few episodes of the new season.

You feel Charlie kiss your bare shoulder and you giggle softly. “I’m sure everyone will be getting here soon so we should go wait out in the living room,” you tell your boyfriend.

“I wish I was able to touch you tonight,” he says. “It’s your big Netflix debut, Y/N. I wish I was able to hug you and show you how proud I am of you.”

A little sigh leaves your body and you say, “You can hug me. I’m sure a friendly hug won’t hurt, as long as you hug other people too. As for showing me that you’re proud of me, you can do that later when we’re alone.” You send him a playful wink so he gets what you mean.

Charlie’s jaw drops and he blinks at you. “I-you, um,” your boyfriend stammers. “Okay, yeah. I’m going to show you just how proud I am of you later, baby.”

You turn and face Charlie. “I look forward to it, Charlie,” you tell him, leaning up. He smiles and lightly pecks your lips.

Someone knocks on the door and you click out of the room in your silver heels to answer the door. Owen and Jeremy stand at the door. Jer’s wife, Carolynn, stands beside him.

“Hi, Y/N,” Owen greets you. “You look very pretty. I saw Charlie’s car in the parking garage so where is that loser?”

You laugh and say, “Probably still in my bedroom. Go get him. I think I shocked him or something with my words.” Owen pushes past you. Jeremy follows him, leaving you and Carolynn alone.

Carolynn smiles and says, “I love that color on you, Y/N. It suits you.”

“Thank you,” you say, shooting her a little smile. You’ve grown close to Carolynn since she’s married to Jeremy and you’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys in a group.

You let Carolynn walk in before closing the door behind her. Faintly, you hear Owen say, “Bro, what’s going on with you? Your face is red.”

Charlie responds with, “I am so having sex tonight, dude.”

Both you and Carolynn laugh in the living room as Carolynn asks, “I don’t want to know what that’s about, do I?”

As you sit, you say, “Charlie said he wishes he could touch me tonight at the party so he could show me how proud he was of me. I told him he can show me how proud he is of me later when we’re alone.”

Carolynn says, “Ah, okay. That makes sense. Congratulations, by the way. Making your big Netflix debut tonight. How’s it feel?”

“I’m excited, but very nervous,” you admit. “The first season did so well and won so many awards that I’m scared that I’m going to come in and ruin the whole show and that people won’t like my character.”

She says, “You play the nice daughter of the villain of the show. Everyone will probably love you when they realize that your character wants to help the Phantoms instead of siding with Caleb. Don’t tell Jer and the guys but I think you have one of the best songs of the season so I think the fans will definitely love that.”

You smile as there is another knock on the door. Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy come into the living room as you answer the door.

Savannah stands in the doorway with Mads, Sacha, and Jadah. “I had to pick up the kiddos,” Sav says. “Ooh, Y/N. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you say, smiling. “We’re just waiting for the limo to get here. I think we have a half hour or so before it gets here.”

Kenny is sending a limo to your apartment for the nine of you. When you decided to go as a group so you and Charlie could go together, Kenny pitched in and helped like the wonderful human being he is.

Owen decides to go live with Jeremy on his Instagram account for a few minutes. Carolynn talks with Savannah, Sacha, and Jadah while you find yourself talking with Charlie and Madison.

Mads says, “Kenny is giving us the opportunity to sing on stage together tonight. He told me that we can pick whatever song from either season. He thinks the fans would want to hear Perfect Harmony or Stand Tall since those were massive after season one dropped.”

Charlie nods and says, “Stand Tall would be good since all of us can get in on that number. I can talk to Jeremy and Owen about it when they get off live.”

You smile at the two of them and say, “That’s exciting. The fans will be so excited for this little surprise.”

“We can thank Kenny when it goes really well,” Mads says with a laugh. “He’s always got these great ideas. I don’t know how he comes up with them.”

Both you and Charlie laugh as your phone rings. You answer it, speaking to the limo driver. After a moment, you hang up the phone and announce, “Limo is here. Let’s head on out.”

Everyone gets their things together, Owen gets off Instagram live, and you all head down two floors to pile into the limo.

The drive from your apartment to the Laglyan Complex on North Vine Street is close to forty minutes. It was close to six when you left and it’s almost seven when you arrive to the venue for tonight’s event.

There is a red carpet laid out across the front of the building to the door. There is a lot of press here and a lot of cameras flashing. Cheyenne Jackson and Booboo Stewart are together on the carpet. You spot Kenny with one of the assistant directors.

When the press spots the limo, they begin to mumble to each other as they try to figure out who is in the car. Owen and Jeremy get out first. The press begin to snap pictures of the guys. Madison gets out with Jadah. Carolynn, Sacha, and Savannah. Sacha pairs up with Savannah while Mads, Jadah and Carolynn walk the carpet together until Carolynn finds her way to her husband.

Charlie helps you out of the car. The journalists call Charlie’s name as you close the door behind you. “Go,” you order him. “I’ll be okay. You’re the star of the show.” He smiles and sends you a wink since his back is turned toward the cameras. He walks off and your eyes follow him. Cheyenne walks over.

“Look at you, Y/N,” he says. “You look wonderful.”

You smile and say, “Thank you, Cheyenne. You look nice tonight. I love the suit.” He wears a shirt similar to his Julie and the Phantoms character, Caleb Covington. You play his daughter on the show.

Cheyenne holds his arm out for you and you hook your elbow with his. The cameras snap away at you and Cheyenne since the two of you play a father-daughter duo. Booboo comes and joins you and Cheyenne as the ‘Hollywood Ghost Club Crew’, as Booboo dubbed the three of you. The band is getting pictures together. Savannah, Sacha, and Jadah are getting their pictures taken together. Carolynn is getting her pictures done.

The journalists call out questions to the cast. They ask Madi which season was her favorite, which she replies with, “Y’all really going to make me choose? I can’t do that.”

Owen is asked whether or not we’ll get a Willex kiss in the future, which Owen replies with, “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

All the journalists laugh. One of them calls out, “Y/N, what was it like joining a show that already had a pretty large fan base and a successful first season?”

“It was nerve wracking at first,” you admit. “But the cast welcomed me with open arms and I’ve made some very, very close friends.” You shoot a smile to the cameras.

A second journalist calls out to everyone, “Are there any secret romances on set that no one knows about?”

Most of the cast, including you and Charlie, laughs. Owen answers with, “Now it wouldn’t be a secret if we told everyone. But no, there aren’t any secret romances. That I know of at least.”

After a few more pictures and questions, we all head inside. The main room as a bunch of tables set up and a little stage with Madi’s piano, Charlie’s guitars, Jeremy’s bass, and Owen’s drums. There are a few fans that were exclusively invited that are scattered around. They start getting excited when they see you walk in with everyone.

You find your table. You’re sitting with Owen, Charlie, Jeremy, Carolynn, Cheyenne, Booboo, and Savannah. This is the “adult” table, you guess. Mads, Jadah, and Sacha sit with Kenny and a few of the younger cast members at another table.

You’re sitting between Charlie and Owen. Someone needs to sit between them or they’ll be at each other all night. That’s your argument if someone is suspicious of you and Charlie.

Suddenly, you feel someone’s fingers lace with yours under the cloth that’s on the table. You glance over at Charlie and he has a little smile on his face as he talks with Jeremy. You turn and say to Owen softly, “Did Charlie really say that he’s having sex tonight?”

Owen laughs a bit and nods. “He thinks he is anyway,” the blond says. “Is he?”

“If he can behave himself then yes,” you say. Owen chuckles.

You feel Charlie squeeze your hand. You know he heard so you smile.

After small conversation with everyone at the table, you get up and get a drink. You walk to the bar, asking for a martini. While you wait, you’re approached by a guy dressed in a nice button-up shirt and dress pants. His hair is in a neat bun behind his head. “Hi,” he says. “I’m Austin.”

“Y/N,” you say.

“I couldn’t notice you came over here alone,” he says.

The bartender gives you your drink and you say, “I just came over to grab a drink. I was going to go back to my table after I grabbed it.”

Austin pulls out his wallet and hands the bartender a twenty dollar bill. “Let me at least pay for it,” he says.

You smile a bit and say, “Thank you. I must be headed back to the table with my friends now. I appreciate the drink, though.”

He blocks your way and you look up at him. “How about a dance in return for the drink?” Austin suggests.

Feeling more and more uncomfortable, you say, “Maybe later. I need to get back to my friends.”

Austin asks, “What’s the rush? It’s not like you have a boyfriend or anything. I follow your social media accounts and you never post a guy.”

You begin to say, “Actually, I-” before Charlie walks up. You let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Everything okay here?” Charlie asks. “You were taking a while to come get a drink so I thought that I’d come check.”

The stranger says, “All good here. I was just offering Y/N a dance here since I paid for her drink.”

Charlie looks down at you and blinks before you say, “I didn’t ask him to pay for it. He took out a twenty and offered.” Austin looks between you and your secret boyfriend.

Then Charlie says, “If you offered yourself then Y/N isn’t obligated to dance with you just because you paid for her drink.”

Austin says, “Well, I’ll just ask again later.” The man walks away and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

Your boyfriend moves and stands in front of you. He asks, “Are you okay?”

You nod and say, “Yeah, thank you. It was just uncomfortable. I didn’t know how to get out of it.”

Charlie reaches up to cup your face in his hands but he stops before he can touch your face. You look up at him before you lean forward, putting your face in Charlie’s hands. Your eyes flutter closed and you smile.

“Y/N,” Charlie says. “People are looking.”

With a sigh, you say, “I just need you to touch me, Charlie. I want you.”

He runs his thumbs over your cheekbones and you can hear pictures being taken. You put your drink on the bar counter and step closer to Charlie.

Your eyes open and you find Charlie looking down at you. He says, “You know what this means for us, right?”

You nod and say, “Our on-the-low relationship isn’t as on the low now. I don’t mind that anymore because I’m tired of guys coming up and trying to flirt with me while I have a boyfriend.”

Charlie chuckles a bit as he says, “I hope that means I can kiss you now. It’s all I’ve wanted to do tonight.”

“Yeah,” you sigh.

With no hesitation, Charlie leans down and crashes his lips to yours. You press your body against his, grabbing his jacket and holding him close to you. You kiss Charlie back just as hard as he kissed you. Your eyes are closed again but you can see flashes behind your eyes. You pull back from the kiss and stare up at Charlie.

Both of you smile at each other as Charlie says, “You better be ready for what happens after this.”

You push Charlie’s hair away form his face and say, “What happens after this is you get on that stage tonight, you kill it, we go back to your place because it’s closer, and you get all the sex you want.”

Charlie’s face turns a little red and he says, “I will never get used to you saying something sexual to me. I hope you know that.”

“You better, Mr. Gillespie,” you tell him. “I’m not the innocent girl that you met a year and a half ago.”

He laughs and says, “Trust me. I know you’re not the innocent girl that I met last year. You’ve proven that several times at this point.”

With a smile on your face, you take Charlie’s hand in yours before grabbing your drink and walking back to the table with your friends. When you get back to the table, you scoot closer to Charlie and rest your head on his shoulder. Owen looks over and says, “Woah, being affectionate in public. This isn’t the best idea.”

You say, “It’s okay, Owen. Everything is okay.”

Owen looks confused as you look up at Charlie. Charlie looks at his best friend and says, “I kissed her. At the the bar when I went to check on her. Cameras saw so that’s going to be a huge thing in the morning.”

Jeremy says, “Well, congratulations on making your relationship public, I guess.”

The table laughs. Owen looks at you, Charlie, Jeremy, and Carolynn before he says, “I need a relationship. I feel so single right now.”

Charlie says, “You’d actually have to talk to people to get a girlfriend, Owen.”

“Haha,” Owen says, sticking his tongue out at Charlie. You laugh.

***

At nine, Madi, Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy all leave to get ready. They decided on Stand Tall for the number they’re going to perform. It’s almost 9:30 when Kenny gets on the mic on stage. “Hello, everyone,” he says. “Today, Netflix released season two of Julie and the Phantoms. To celebrate, I offered our band the chance to perform a song of their choice. So, let’s all welcome Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie, Jeremy Shada, and Owen Patrick Joyner to the stage for their performance of whatever song they chose.”

The crowd cheers as everyone walks onto the stage, taking their place. You and Carolynn get a front row seat while you both watch your guys perform. You notice Charlie took off his jacket and his tie. He also cut off the sleeves, but that doesn’t surprise you. The top few buttons of his white button-up are unbuttoned, showing off his chest a bit.

Mads begins to play the first few keys to the song.

Don't blink No, I don't want to miss it One thing, and it’s back to the beginning Cause everything is rushing in fast Keep going on, never look back

You smile and watch Madi sing. She’s insanely talented and you’re so glad that the world was able to hear her voice.

The guys nod their heads to the beat while they wait for their signal to begin playing. Once they get their cues, they begin to play one by one.

Right now, I'm loving every minute Hands down, can't let myself forgеt it, no Cause everything is rushing in fast Keep holding on, nеver look back

Charlie plays like he’s flickering on and off stage like he does on the show. You smile and admire your boyfriend. You know how talented he is, especially those fingers of his, but he never ceases to amaze you how talented he is.

And it’s one, two, three, four times That I'll try for one more night Light a fire in my eyes I'm going out of my mind

You smile wide when Charlie sings his line at the end of the pre-chorus. Then he begins to sing his part of the song and you dance with Carolynn. The crowd sings and dances behind you two.

The four of them finish the song and smile. The crowd cheers and you smile, looking at Charlie. He has the biggest smile on his face, which is covered in a layer of sweat. His hair is damp with sweat too. Charlie bows with his closest friends before putting his guitar on the stand. He jumps off the stage and comes over to you.

“I told you that you’d kill it,” you tell him when he gets to you.

Charlie laughs and says, “Oh, hush.” He pulls you into a soft kiss. You smile and kiss him back, making your relationship with him completely public. The people around you cheer a bit as Charlie pulls away.

You look up at him and say, “You’re going to have so much fun being able to hugs me and kiss me in public now, aren’t you?”

He smiles and stares down at you. Charlie says, “Maybe I’ll be having too much fun now.”

As you brush some of the hair away from Charlie’s eyes, you say, “Please try to keep the PDA to a minimum, Charlie. You do have a lot of younger fans. Save most of it for when we’re alone.”

“Like how we will be tonight?” Charlie asks, eyes hopeful.

You laugh and say, “Just like how we will be tonight.” Then an idea pops into your idea. “This dress is getting really hot. I might need to take it off soon.”

Charlie gets what you’re trying to say so he replies with, “Let’s go.”

He takes your hand and hops over the barricade. You smile as he leads you through the crowd of people. Charlie calls you an Uber so you can both go back to his place tonight.

#charlie gillespie imagine #charlie gillespie imagines #charlie gillespie x oc #charlie gillespie x reader #charlie gillespie x y/n #julie and the phantoms imagines #jatp imagines #jatp imagine #fluff imagines #imagines #imagine #fluff

[viking-raider]

The Immortal Sky - Part IV

Summary: Henry tracks down people that could help him find you, not realizing just how close to you he is. You make it outside the wall of London, entering the wild expanse between it and Bristol.

Pairing: Henry Cavill/You

Word Count: 8,000

Chapters: I II III

Warning: PG-13 - Future!AU, Dystopian!AU, Language, Abuse of Power, Angst, Mentions of Violence and Drugs

Inspiration: I’ve always wanted to write a futuristic fic!

A/N: I would love to thank @wondersofdreaming​ for being a lovely beta and brainstorm buddy! You’ve kept me sane so many times! Please, Tell Me What You Think!!

“What do you know about Michail Keagan, Mr. Parker?” Henry said, sitting across from your twin brother's Supervisor at his assigned place of work.

“He's a fucking loser.”

The Supervisor laughed, shaking his head at the table between them. “He might spend a whole hour here for his shifts, other than that he's missing in action. I've reported him to the Council of Daily Operations numerous times, but they don't care because he still clocks in, despite it only being for that one hour.”

“So, he knows how to cheat the system.” Henry nodded, chewing on his lip, frustrated.

“Him and that equal loser friend of his, who's supposed to be working for us, but got himself transferred to his family's hole-in-the-wall restaurant.” Parker huffed, rolling his eyes.

“What friend?” Henry frowned, leaning against the table on his elbows.

“Theodore 'Teddy' Wang.” Parker replied. “He's a dishwasher for Wang's Take-Away.”

“Thanks.” Henry said, standing up and extending his hand to Parker, then made his way to the Chinese restaurant.

“Hi, how can I help you?” Jinyu asked from behind the register, smiling as Henry stopped in front of her.

“I'm looking for your son, Teddy Wang.” Henry replied, glancing behind her.

The smile on Jinyu's face melted away, she could tell by the way Henry looked and held himself that he was part of the Marshals Council. “He's not here today.”

Henry sighed, pressing his palms to the nicked counter top and leaned all his weight on his arms, bringing his piercing blue gaze to hers. “Mrs. Wang,” He said softly. “I'm not here to arrest your son, even if he's doing something that warrants it. All I want from him is answers to my questions. It's that simple, unless you and your son want to make it complicated.” He explained to her.

Jinyu stared at Henry for a long time, before rolling her eyes and pointing to the beaded curtain behind her. She knew if she didn't comply, Henry could make a load of trouble for her back at the Council, and she, her family and their business didn't need that. Henry nodded his head to her and stepped around the counter, parting the rattling beads as he stepped into the back of the restaurant and found Teddy there, doing what he was always doing; washing dishes.

“Teddy Wang?” He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, who wants--” Teddy started, setting the plate in his hand down and turned towards Henry, drying his hands on his filthy apron. “Oh shit!” He yelped, seeing the imposing Henry, and spun around, tripping over his feet, before catching himself on the edge of the sink and bolting out the back door of the restaurant.

Sighing through his nose and dropping his arms, Henry went after Teddy, quickly catching up to the kid in the trash filled alley, trying to scale a chain-link fence. He easily reached up, grabbing the back of Teddy's shirt and yanked him off the fence, before slamming his back against the grimy wall of his parents' restaurant.

“Look, I ain't got nothin'!” He barked at Henry, squirming.

“Is that so?” Henry smirked, deciding to have a little fun on Teddy's expense. “That's not what I heard.” He shoved a hand into the front pocket of Teddy's faded jeans. “Oh, what's this?” He grinned, pulling out a small, dime-sized bag from the pocket, a sky-blue powder inside of it.

“That's just Naproxen tablets, they must have gotten crushed.” Teddy gulped, looking like a caught sheep.

“Right.” Henry laughed, opening the bag and dumping it out onto the wet ground, then rubbing it out with the sole of his boot.

“Oh, come on, man!” Teddy whined, slumping back against the wall. “That's expensive.”

“Really? I thought Naproxen was only five creds?” Henry replied, tilting his head at the boy.

“One cred is too expensive down here, you'd know that, if you lived in this hell hole too.” Teddy sneered at him. “Marshal.”

Henry smirked at Teddy. “I wanna talk about Mikey Keagan.” He said, cutting to the chase.

“Oh fuck that!” He snapped, shaking his head. “I am getting tired of being roped into their fucking issues.”

“Their?”

“Yeah, their!” Teddy spat. “Mikey tries to rope me into his Running operations and his sister, the last time I saw her, she held me up at knife point, until I told her where her brother went.”

“When was this? That she held you up?” Henry asked, not buying his story about you holding him at knife point.

If only he knew.

“Eight or nine months ago.” Teddy replied. “Mike got into a fight with his parents about becoming a Runner for Jaxon Quinn, over in Sector Three of Bristol, and went down to the Thirty Sectors to stay with a friend. Issy comes by, a week later, and holds me up, until I tell her what friend he's staying with. Gave her shortcuts around the gates and everything.”

“What's the friend's name?” Henry asked, narrowing his eyes as he processed the story.

“Fynn Penmark.”

Henry looked Teddy over. “I'll let you off for having the Sub-Blue. But, if I ever find out you're in possession of it again, I'll make sure you're banished so far outside the walls of London, you'll be on a different fucking continent.” He threatened, pressing Teddy to the wall with a palm to the chest.

“Got it?” He hissed.

“Got it.” Teddy gulped, licking his lips and nodding his head, like a bobble-head.

“Good.” Henry pushed off of him and headed through the back door of the restaurant again.

“Hey, mister!” A boy on the street corner called out to Henry as he was unlocking his car.

“What!” Henry barked back at him.

“You lookin' for a girl?” He asked, and described you to him.

“That's her.” Henry nodded at him, leaning back against his car door. “What do you know about her?”

“What's in it for me?” The boy asked.

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “What's your name, kid?”

“Oscar.”

“Well, Oscar.” Henry sighed, rubbing his forehead and carding his fingers through his hair. “What do you want for the information?”

Oscar looked around him and pointed back to Wang's Take-Away. “Lunch. She already got me breakfast to see if any of her family was home.” He confessed.

Henry half smirked at the little boy and finally recognized him, so you had been in the area within the last three hours. “Fair enough.” He agreed to Oscar's terms. “Information first, then lunch.”

“She's looking for her brother, says he's in some kind of trouble, didn't say what.” Oscar told him, fidgeting. “Then, she told the Chinese lady to give me some food, got some for herself, then left.” He pointed to the East, toward Sector Twenty-Nine's gate. “That way.”

“All right, kid.” Henry sighed, satisfied with the information and pushed off the car, going back into the restaurant and let Oscar get some food and a drink, before heading towards Sector Twenty-Nine's gate.

He figured you were going to go find this Fynn Penmark's flat, to see if your brother was there, or what Fynn knew about Mikey's whereabouts. Henry gave you credit, you would make a damn good Marshal with the level of forward-thinking and intuition you had going on, in the case of finding your brother. He was also relieved to know that his own intuition about your brother being in some kind of serious trouble was all so right.

Now, to find you and learn the rest of the facts on the matter.

It took some doing, but you finally found out where Fynn Penmark lived. But, as you approached the opening in the wall separating Sector Thirty and Thirty-One, your heart started to race and pound, hands shaking and palms sweating, it became hard to breathe. You stopped and pressed your hands to your face, trying to push back the terrified tears that streaked hotly down your cheeks. You felt like you were breaking loose.

“Are you okay?” A voice nearby asked.

You started, stumbling away from the concerned looking woman. “Stay away from me!” You barked at her, gasping for air.

The woman looked wildly at you, palms held out to show you she meant no harm, but stayed where she was standing. You stared at her, taking huge lungfuls of air, trying to fight off the dizziness clouding your brain and the bright, blinking spots in your eyes. Your tears finally stopped, but your hands still shook, and you could breathe a little bit easier.

“I'm sorry.” You apologized to the lady. “It's been a hard day.”

“It happens.” She replied, lowering her hands. “Do you need to get somewhere?”

“I know where I'm going, thank you though.” You assured her, even if it was possible she didn't mean you any harm, you weren't going to risk it, like you had the last time you were in these Sectors.

“I hope you find what you're looking for.” She told you, honestly.

“So, do I.” You nodded to her, politely.

You waited for her to go back about her business, before finding the opening and slipping through it, careful not to cut yourself again. Eric gave you point by point directions to the shabby building that Penmark lived in. You weren't surprised to find the lift in his building was broken, so you found the stairwell entrance and started mounting them to the twelfth floor.

“Flat 1283-A, Ms.” Eric's voice said through your headphones.

You found the dented and scuffed up door of Fynn Penmark and pounded on it, until he finally opened it. It took everything you had not to just burst out laughing. “Are you Fynn Penmark?” You asked, biting the inside of your cheek.

“Who wants to know?”

He was gangly, face pockmarked from severe acne, that he was still clearly suffering from, his greasy black hair fell to his shoulders, his filthy clothes might have fit properly, if he weighed more than a kilogram, and with the slightest intake of air, you could tell he hadn't showered in a while, he smelled ripe.

“I'm looking for Mike.” You told him, breathing through your mouth.

“I don't know any Mike.” He said, then slammed the door in your face.

Rolling your jaw, you started pounding on his door again.

“Look, bitch.”

“Call me a bitch, and I'll crack your head open with your own door.” You growled at him, heated. “I'm looking for Mikey, he's my brother. My twin brother.”

Fynn looked you over, then cracked a smile. “Oh, I see it now.” He chuckled, leaning against his door. “I haven't seen Mike in a week.”

“Do you know where the idiot's gone?” You asked him, folding your arms over your chest.

“His new handler, Knox Monroe, picked him up from here, as I said, a week ago, to take him to Bristol.”

“How long does it take to get to Bristol?”

“Depending on your transportation, anywhere from three hours to two days.”

“How do you take the three hour trip?” You asked, lifting a brow at him.

“Have someone with a car pick you up and take you there.” He laughed, still smirking at you. “And I'm sure you don't. So, you'll be walking, and that's the two day option.”

“Doesn't seem so bad.” You sighed, frowning at the thought of walking that far.

“Are you stupid?” Fynn snapped, suddenly agitated. “Have you ever been outside the wall? Have you ever seen outside the wall? It's not rainbows and puppies out there. It's a barren fucking wasteland with pocket groups, that are more like feral wolves than humans, that would jump you, rob you and leave you for dead; if they didn't kill you in the process.”

“Have you been out there?” You asked him, chewing on your lip.

“Countless times.” Fynn nodded. “I make the run to Bristol, at least, once a month.”

“Can you take me?” You asked him, hopefully.

“No.” Fynn shook his head at you. “I've already made my run for the month and I don't take tag-alongs.”

“Can you tell me how to get there?” You tried to persuade him.

“Why is it so vital for you to go after him? He'll be back in a couple months.”

“Because, something bad is going to happen to him, and I have to warn him, before it happens.” You told him, desperate.

“Like, what?”

“Can you help me or not?” You snapped at him.

“All right, fine.” Fynn huffed back, rolling his eyes at you. “Come in.” He sighed, pushing the door open for you.

You hesitated for a moment, but stepped into the trashed flat. Fynn pushed some stuff aside until he found an electronic pad and pulled up a map he used to get from London to Bristol, the most efficient and safest way he could, when he did have to walk there. You watched him fuss over it for a few seconds, before holding his hand out to you.

“Mobile.” He grunted, rolling his eyes again and snatched it from your hand. “I'm giving you my best directions there, with a couple of notes, should you need to stay somewhere. Whatever you do, and I mean whatever you do, do not travel at night. I marked several places along the way you can stay at safely or get supplies from, just show them this.” He pulled up a logo on your mobile, his interlocking initials.

“They'll know I sent you and accommodate you, for free, and know you can be trusted.”

“Thank you.” You sighed, taking your mobile back.

“Hey, Mike is a good friend, and he's saved my ass more than once. So, I'm just returning the favor.” Fynn sighed, rubbing his face. “I wouldn't want Mike bashing my head in for getting his sister killed, that's for sure.”

There was a strong knock on the door and Fynn got up to check the peephole.

“Fuck, it's the Marshals.” He snapped.

“Big fellow, shoulders wider than the door, curls and beard?” You asked, your adrenaline pumping.

“You know him?” Fynn asked, shocked.

“You can say that.” You gulped, glancing around. “Please, you have to hide me. If he finds me here, he'll stop me from saving Mikey.” You pleaded with him, clutching at his cold hand. “Please, Fynn.”

“Fucking Christ, you Keagans are a wily bunch.” He huffed, then directed you into his bedroom. “Be quiet and don't touch anything.” He said, pointing a finger at you, before closing the door and rushing to answer Henry's incessant pounding.

“What the fuck do you want?” Fynn barked at Henry, almost able to look Henry in the eye, glaringly.

“High Marshal Cavill.” Henry said, flashing his badge in Fynn's face.

“And?” Fynn huffed, unperturbed, he had dealt with far scarier people, both High Marshals and Crime Bosses before, and wasn't afraid of Henry.

Henry could see that Fynn wasn't frightened by him and his tired blue eyes darkened, before he grabbed Fynn by the shirt and launched him backwards into his flat, then stepped inside himself, kicking the door closed behind him. While Henry didn't usually employ rough tactics and overly abuse his power as a Marshal, he wasn't wholly immune to it either, he still had his flaws and prejudice from his status as a high born and position in London.

“Fynnch Oliver Penmark.” He growled at the Runner and looked around the utterly trashed flat, a scowl of disgust on his face. “Rumor has it, that you're a Runner.” He said, settling his eyes back on Fynn, who was using the cluttered coffee table to pull himself up.

“Vicious rumors.” Fynn huffed, brushing himself off. “That dumb brain at my work place has it out for me, so he keeps trying to report me to the Council of Daily Operations.”

“You certainly don't spend much time at work.” Henry countered. “What were you again? A floor licker?”

“A Janitor.” Fynn barked, scowling. “I don't want to spend all my time in a hostile environment. So, I do enough hours to appease those blood thirsty bastards at the Council, and get paid.”

“We'll see how long that'll last.” Henry replied, folding his arms. “All I have to do is give them one word and they'll cut you off and you won't have this hell hole to keep you cozy in anymore.”

“What do you want, mate?” Fynn sighed with a growl, he was starting to think you weren't worth the trouble Henry wanted to make for him.

“I had a visit with a friend of yours, Teddy Wang, up in Sector Twenty-Eight.” Henry said, pushing aside some trash by his foot. “He told me that you might know something about Mikey Keagan and his sister.”

“I haven't seen Mike, in a week, and I've never met his sister.” Fynn replied, taking a seat on a clear spot on his couch.

“Funny.” Henry hummed, frowning at him. “I had a little informant tell me that she was seen coming this direction, to see you.”

“Well, either that informant lied to you or she's lost her way. Because she's not here or has she been.”

“I doubt you would tell me, if she was.”

“Look, if giving you information on her would get you out of my place and my business, then I'd give it and her to you. But, I don't know where she is and I haven't seen her.” Fynn told him, annoyed. “You can look around, if you want.” He said, motioning around his pig sty.

Henry glanced around with a dirty look, then looked back to Fynn. “I know you're lying to me.” He hissed, his gut was screaming. “So, you either tell me, or I'll make that call right now and arrest you on top of it.” He warned Fynn, taking out his mobile.

“Jesus!” Fynn barked, jumping to his feet. “Fine! She came by an hour ago, looking for her brother, and said she was afraid something bad was going to happen to him, if she didn't find him and warn him about it. She wanted to know when I saw him last and I told her, just like I told you, it's been a week since I saw Mike.”

“What did she do with that information?” Henry asked, lowering his phone.

“She asked if I knew where her brother went.”

“And, where is Mikey?”

“Bristol.” Fynn said, deflating.

“Bristol.” Henry repeated, sighing. “What is Mikey doing in Bristol?”

“I don't-”

Henry grabbed Fynn by the shirt and yanked him against him, narrowing his glowing blue eyes. “Out with it, Slum.” He growled, harshly.

“He's a Runner.” Fynn yelped, now he was frightened of Henry. “He's been a Runner for the last two years, and he's going to Bristol so he can be trained as an Adjutant Runner for one of the top Crime Bosses of Bristol, Jaxon Quinn.” He babbled out, his eyes huge. “I gave her directions on how to find him there and she left soon after, to start that way.” He added without Henry prompting or threatening him.

“Fuck.” Henry barked, pushing away from Fynn and storming out of his flat, cursing all the way down the hall.

“You can come out now.” Fynn huffed, opening his bedroom door a few minutes later.

“How could you tell him all that!” You snapped at him, punching him on the arm.

“Oh, chill your heels.” He growled, rubbing his arm. “He thinks you're already gone and doesn't know the route you'll be taking. Besides, he's a High Marshal, he's not going to leave the wall for some girl. The Councils wouldn't allow it and even the craziest and most determined Marshals have enough sense not to chance it.”

“I could have just given you away, after all the trouble the asshole gave me.” He added, sourly.

“Thanks.” You grumbled under your breath.

“Hey, when you see your brother again, tell him he owes me for a change.” He called after you.

“Tell him yourself.” You snapped over your shoulder and slammed his door shut.

“She's fucking stupid.”

Henry growled, every muscle in his body was wound up and tight as he thought of you crossing the desolate waste outside the London Wall to Bristol. The danger that laid between there and London, and the even worse danger that lived and functioned inside the city of Bristol itself.

“She's out of her mind!” He kept mumbling, all the way back down to the car. “She's going to get herself killed!” He sighed, running both hands through his hair and making a bigger mess of his wild curls.

“What!” He hissed at his mobile rang through his car's AI.

“Is that how you address your Supreme?” Reyes asked, stiffly.

Henry groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No. I'm sorry, sir. It's been a horrible morning.” He apologized.

“That Slave of yours keeping you up at night, Cavill.” Reyes laughed, his voice suggestive.

“Not exactly.” He huffed, spent.

“Well, either way.” Reyes sighed, sounding just as tired. “I need you to bring her in for her formal interview. The Council of Clerics have finally started the trials for the Trafficking.”

“Ugh.” Henry groaned, slumping in his seat. “Mother fucker.”

“Henry?” Reyes said slowly, hearing the sound of his voice.

“She's gone.” Henry admitted, regretfully. “I woke up this morning to her, gone. I've been trying to find her all day.”

“You lost her!”

“If you want to put it that way.” He mumbled, picking at his nails and feeling like he was getting scolded by his mother.

“Where is she?”

“Well, if I knew that, I would have her, wouldn't I?” He snapped back, forgetting himself for a moment.

“What have you been doing all day!?”

“Following every lead to find her that I could, Dylon.” Henry defended himself, exasperated. “I've been to her family home, her work place and even her twin brother's workplace, along with every one of their friends'.”

“And?” Reyes screamed, veins bulging from his forehead and neck.

“My latest Intel says, she's on her way to Bristol, to find her brother, Michail.” Henry sighed, his temples throbbing. “She believes he's in trouble, since he's an Adjutant Runner for Jaxon Quinn.”

“Are you telling me, your Slave, has a twin brother, that's a member of a top Crime Boss's business? The same Jaxon Quinn, that funds Twist's Trafficking?”

Henry swallowed, thickly. “Yes.”

“You realize, she's not only a top witness to Twist's operations, but Quinn's as well. She could help us bring him down, Henry! And you let her get away! How did you not know this to start with? Don't, don't fucking answer that. You know, if she gets there and Quinn realizes who she is-”

“He'll kill her.” Henry replied, his voice weakening.

“Has she left for Bristol yet?”

“As far as I know.” Henry replied, depressed on the matter. “I plan on going after her, Dylon.” He added, he had already made the choice to go after you, he didn't care what Dylon or the Councils said on the matter.

“You know, I can't officially back you in your decision to chase after a Slummer, Henry.” Reyes sighed, leaning against his desk and rubbing his own throbbing head. “But, as your friend and someone that wants to take down Twist and Quinn, you have my full backing.”

“What are we going to say when I don't come in for work, for however long it takes me to find and bring her back?”

“I want both of them, Henry. I want her and her brother. She's a witness and he's a conspirator in Quinn's business.” Dylon told him, bluntly. “I'll tell them that you are quite deeply undercover, trying to gain more info.”

“I'll need to go home and take Kal to Charlie's. I'll just tell him, I'm going undercover for a long while and will be back, when I crack the case.”

“That sounds fine.” Reyes nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. “Don't fuck this up, Henry.” He said, then hung up.

“Thanks.” Henry sighed, rolling his eyes.

You were careful as you made your way to the wall, knowing Henry was probably still lurking somewhere nearby, looking for you. You tried to stay in as well populated areas as you dared, hoping to dodge anyone working for Traffickers or getting spotted by Henry.

“Hey, do-”

“Fuck off.” You snapped as a guy approached you, not wanting anything he had to say or wanted from you, and picked up the pace of your walking.

It was starting to get late, after it taking all day to piece your way through the Sectors and follow your brother's footsteps. You probably would have been out of the city by now, if Henry hadn't showed up at Fynn's flat and took vital time interrogating him about you. You wondered how furious he would be to know how close to you he was in Fynn's place, and still didn't manage to catch you.

“We'd have to see each other again.” You mumbled to yourself.

The chances of seeing Henry again were probably pretty slim. After being gone for a little while, he would give up on trying to find you and go back to work for the Marshals and his life. A deep part of you throbbed though, you felt bad for leaving him like that, especially after everything he had done for you. He could have been an absolute monster and treated you like the Slummer that you are, forcing you to wear a Ownership bracelet and making you his proper Slave. But, Henry had been a complete gentleman to you, taking care of your every need and whim, it was almost like he had become your Slave. Then, the charging of several hundred credits to his account for the backpack and mobile, and the dress and jewelry for the party.

“He'll get over it.” You said, shaking your head. “He's a High Marshal, for fuck sake! He probably makes all that in a single case.” You huffed, rolling your eyes.

But, it didn't stop you from feeling bad for leaving him, without a single word.

“Take a right.” Eric's voice said, cutting into your train of thought.

Grunting, you took the quick right at his instruction. As you rounded the corner, you saw, several meters in front of you, the opening in the massive wall that encompassed the city and its citizens. The opening was one-third the size of the meter wide metal and rusted panel, a strip of dying light filtering through the four meter thick wall. Just a kilometer beyond that, was the first place you would be able to find shelter in for the night, then come first light, you would be on your way towards Bristol and your brother.

“Hey!” A harsh call barked behind you as you approached the gap.

You slowly turned and felt a hard lump form in your throat. It was a Beta Marshal, and he looked pissed. “Me?” You squeaked, pointing to yourself, sheepishly.

“Yes, you!” He hissed, face starting to go red with his anger. “Get away from the wall!”

“Why?” You asked, narrowing your eyes at him, heart pounding.

“Because, I said so!”

You took a deep breath in and out, turned on your heels and dashed for it. The Beta Marshal screamed for you to stop and come back, but you ignored him. You dove into the opening and shimmed along it, going as quickly as you could, having to turn sideways in a couple of places to get through. The Marshal was still yelling at you, wedging himself into the gap to chase after you.

The light got bright and brighter, despite the sun setting lower and lower, as you struggled through the opening to the outside world, until you finally popped out on the other side, a cool breeze rushing passed you, fresh and clean. You turned back to the hole and saw the Beta Marshal panting about halfway, then made a dismissive motion with his hand and started back inside London.

You were home free now.

“Eric, where's the first safe house?” You asked, grinning and feeling victorious, despite the hundred and eighty-five kilometers between you and Bristol.

“Head straight for an hour, Ms.” Eric replied a moment later.

With Kal taken care of by his family, Henry returned to the Marshal Headquarters, intent on following after you, but knowing he needed better information on how to navigate the world outside London to do so.

“Henry.” Martin grinned as Henry entered his floor in the headquarters. “How are you?”

“Not in the mood.” Henry growled, folding his arms over his chest. “I know you have a Runner in your lock up, Lukas Hadwin.”

“Um,” Martin blinked up at Henry, then turned towards his computer and typed the name into his computer. “I do! He was arrested two months ago and is awaiting trial with the Council of Clerics.” He confirmed, turning back towards Henry.

“I want him brought to a private interrogation room on my floor, in the next five minutes.” Henry told the Alpha Marshall, then turned on his heels and marched back up the three floors to his office, needing the walk to calm down some of his anger.

Four minutes later, Martin shoved Lukas Hadwin into the private interrogation room on the High Marshall's floor, and handcuffed him to the table.

“Get out.” Henry barked at Martin, throwing the door open, startling both Martin and the Runner.

“But, Hen-” He started to protest, but his blood froze in his veins seeing the look on Henry's face. “High Marshall, he's my arrest, so he's my responsibility.”

“I outrank you, Sidwell.” Henry growled back at him, the anger he had managed to walk off started boiling again. “So, when I tell you to get out of my fucking interrogation room, I mean, get out.” He hissed.

Martin licked his lips, sheepishly, his mouth drying up. “Of course, High Marshall.” He croaked, edging around Henry, for the door.

“Mr. Hadwin.” Henry said, reaching up to the camera in the corner of the room and turning it off. “According to your extensive file, you're a high ranking Runner for a Bristol Crime Boss.”

“Total bullshit.” Lukas barked, trying hard to keep the angry and outraged expression on his face, despite shaking in his jail issued trainers. “My bitch of an ex-girlfriend reported me to the Council of Marshals, telling you corrupt pricks that I was a Runner, because I broke up with her and refused to pay her flat fees.”

“Is that so?” Henry replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Then, what's this?” He asked, dropping an open file on the table and pointed to a section of it. “Says you and another known Runner were arrested in 2864, for possession of a large cache of Sub-Blue. Your little partner in crime blabbed about how you both worked for a lucrative Crime Boss, running the drugs between Bristol and London.”

“Was he lying?”

Lukas glowered at the report, but didn't answer Henry's question; which only increased Henry's blood pressure. Grabbing the back of Lukas's neck, Henry slammed his face onto the metal table, cracking the screen on the file, and rested an uncomfortable amount of his weight on Lukas's neck.

“Was he lying?!” He yelled, directly into his ear.

“No!” Lukas cried out, squirming, fruitlessly.

“What Crime Boss?” Henry continued to yell.

“Benji Hernandez!” He squealed, whimpering.

Henry pushed off of Lukas's neck with a huff, he had heard about Hernandez, he had heard about all of the big time Crime Bosses that ruled Bristol like the Council of Clerics and Royals ruled London. But, Hernandez was the cream of the crop. His family was credited with establishing Bristol and bringing it to the level, almost on par, with London through deep waves of crime, selling every drug they could get their hands on or manufacture themselves, their number one seller was unsurprisingly, Sub-Blue.

Many Crime Bosses and groups had tried dethroning the Hernandez Family, and all had failed. They had too much money, too much power and their followers, all across England, were loyal, to the death. A massive turf war had broken out several years back, the first conflict of the sort since the end of the fourth war. It had mainly broken out and was confined in Bristol, with pockets of skirmishes in London and the other major city of England, Chester, before finally being squashed. Dozens of people were killed and maimed in the four month long battle, and the Hernandez's kept their throne and were still stronger than ever.

The Hernandez's family, friends and their most distinguished workers were the only ones that lived in Sector One and Two of Bristol, everyone else lived in Sector Three to Sector Fifteen.

“How do you get to Bristol?” Henry asked, pacing around the table.

“It depends.” Lukas panted, rubbing the back of his sore neck.

“On?” Henry pressed.

“The size of the load.” He replied, groaning. “If it's a small load, I'll walk there. If it's a large load, then we'll be driven from a checkpoint outside London to Bristol and back.”

Henry quietly paced around the room, brooding on his next course of action. He knew, for a fact, you wouldn't be driving to Bristol, or knew someone, other than your brother, who was already gone, that could drive you there. So, you had to be heading for Bristol on foot. He debated how he would follow after you, he could take his car to find you, sure he could reach you faster that way, but the moment he managed to get out of the wall with it, his car's on board locator would alert the appropriate channels and they'd go after him.

Especially since going after you wasn't authorized and being done quietly. Leaving Henry with the same option you had been saddled with.

Walking

“How do you get from London to Bristol?” He asked and leaned against the table, across from Lukas.

“There's two routes to Bristol.” Lukas sighed, knowing if he didn't tell Henry the information he wanted, the High Marshal would no doubt beat it out of him. “One is only used if you have a car, because pit stops are few and far between, and you don't want to be caught out there alone, especially at night. So, staying in the moving protection of a car is the best way for that path, since it's longer.”

“The other?”

“The other, is the one that's usually used by Runners that are walking between the two. It's shorter, by several kilometers, but slightly more dangerous than the car route, since it runs through several mini-towns that people, who were either banished or choose to live out there, populate. Some of them and the mini-towns are friendly and benevolent, but most are not. So, if you don't know what ones to stop in, chances are, you'll end up dead and stripped clean of any valuables they can take back into the cities and trade for goods.”

Henry gulped thickly, and felt a cold sweat break out on his skin as he battled the anxiety of you being out there, alone, for so long. He knew it was critically dangerous out there, but hearing Hadwin talking about it and the things between the two cities made it abundantly clear it was even more dangerous than he thought.

“Are you all right?” Lukas asked, seeing Henry's scruffy face steadily grow pale.

“I'm fine.” Henry growled, getting a handle on himself. “How do you know this other route, you used to walk there?”

“It's been used by thousands of Runners, for years.” Lukas laughed, shaking his head. “But, it was recently refined by another Runner.” He added, tugging on his cuffs. “Fynn Penmark recently compiled a map of safe places that Runners can stay for the nights and buy supplies.”

What were the chances? Henry thought.

“You'll be giving me that map.” He told him.

“I can't!”

Lukas squeaked, frightened at the thought of a High Marshal having the map showing him where Runners were coming and going from, the places they stayed and people that aided their operations.

“They'll kill me, if they find out I gave it to you!” He protested.

Henry leaned across the table, bringing his face close to Lukas's. “Look in my eyes and ask yourself, if you think I give a fuck?” He whispered, his tone cold and calculated.

“Now, give me the directions.”

Lukas gulped and nearly peed himself from the energy brewing off of Henry, who didn't pull back as he gave him the directions for the route. Henry looked over the map, making a legend of the symbols Lukas had made along the way, marking places to sleep and get supplies, as well as places that should be avoided at all costs. Once he was satisfied and sure the Runner wasn't lying to him and had told him all he knew, Henry stepped out into the hall and by Martin, not exchanging a single word with him.

Returning to his flat, Henry felt the quiet throughout it, without Kal's barked greeting and you either watching tv or listening to music. He missed those noises and being greeted by the both of you as he got home from work or wherever he had gone. Sighing, he grabbed a bag and stuffed a few items into it, a change of clothes, a small medical kit and a few other things he felt he might need, then checked to make sure his service weapon was still secure to his hip. Knowing it was getting cold out, Henry took off his coat and shirt, and pulled on his base layer HAMR, long sleeve shirt to wear under his black, knit sweater, before pulling his lightweight down jacket back over that.

Slinging his backpack over his back, situating his beanie on his head and zipping up his coat, Henry went back out the door, locking it up and rode the lift down to the ground floor. He knew a place in Sector Four with a large enough hole in the wall that he could squeeze through and start his journey to finding you.

Taking his best guess and trusting his gut feeling, Henry made his way to one of the first safe houses on the map, that you would likely stop in for the night. He just hoped he could get there before you left. But, you had an almost five hour head start on him already. Since, he had to spend so much time pulling information out of Hadwin, plus the nearly a two hour walk around the wall to get to the closest point to the house, and where you nearly had a straight shot to it, then the hour to the mini-town.

Within an hour of you both leaving Fynn's flat, Henry had entered the Marshal's Headquarters to interrogate the known Runner, Lukas Hadwin, on how to get to Bristol, and you had reached the opening in the wall. While you finally reached the safe town and your room, Henry had been grilling Hadwin for a tense hour. For the next two, you took a much needed rest, and Henry finally finished juicing Hadwin for every bit of info he had, including the map Fynn had given you for the trip. He then rushed home, taking Kal to Charlie's and packing a bag to follow after you.

Henry wasn't afraid of the nearly three hour walk to the house, in the middle of the night. He could easily protect himself, both with his weapon and his hands, it was you that consumed all of his worry and fear. You had nothing to protect you, other than your wits, but those would only get someone so far, before running out and getting you severely injured, or killed.

“Please, just keep her safe until I can reach her.” He said out loud, looking up at the inky black sky and twinkling stars.

“That's all I ask.” He sighed, walking faster.

You were exhausted after running around London all day, running from Henry and a Beta Marshall, then walking non-stop for a solid hour to reach the first safe place on Fynn's map, just as the last rays of sunlight died behind the horizon.

“Who are you and what do you want?” A hard looking woman behind a makeshift counter asked as you entered the decrepit building that was marked as a safe place.

“I'm a friend of Fynn's.” You told her, approaching the counter and showed her Fynn's logo off his map.

“I guess you want a room then?” She asked, turning her back to you and grabbed a key off the wall behind her.

“I do.” You replied, sheepishly.

“This way.” She rasped, disappearing through a doorway.

You gulped and followed after her, following her down a long dimly lit hallway with rows of doors on either side. She stopped by a door in the middle of the hallway and jammed the key in the lock and opened it. Pushing it open, she handed you the key and went back down the hall, leaving you alone. You leaned into the room, flicking on the light and finding it bare, only furnished with a bed, a single chair and nothing else, not even a window.

Sighing and figuring it was better than nothing, you stepped inside, closed and locked the door behind you, even shoving the chair up against it, for added security, before sitting down on the squeaky and dingy bed. Shrugging off your backpack, you unzipped it and pulled out a package of food you'd brought with you, slowly munching on it, before making sure Eric woke you up as soon as it was light out, and laid back on the bed; using your pack as a pillow. But, it took you a long time to fall asleep, the room was cold and there were scratching noises happening all around you, making you paranoid. But, eventually your exhaustion won out and you fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of your brother dying and Henry's voice calling out to you.

The time seemed so short, when Eric's voice sounded in your ears, and in reality, it had only been a mere two hours. Now, unknowingly, three hours ahead of Henry, you woke groggily and sat up, rubbing at your face, as you got up and pulled your backpack on. You removed the chair from your door and went down the hall to the front desk, finding the same lady there.

“Do you have a bathroom?” You asked her through a yawn and handed her the room key back, your bladder screaming.

She pointed to a door on the other side of the room and you went inside, grimacing at the filthy condition of it, but you really needed to pee, so you made do with it. Emptying your bladder, you looked at your map and found a supply store a mile up from you and headed that way, hoping for something decently hot, and was overjoyed to find a brewing coffee pot. You showed the supplier Fynn's mark, then filled a reusable cup with the hot brown liquid and roamed around as you sipped at it. Taking a couple more things of food, refilled your water bottle and pieced together something for breakfast.

“Thanks.” You smiled at the supplier as you finished your breakfast and refilled the coffee cup, before getting back on your way.

You made sure to follow Fynn's advice and the map, keeping your eyes to yourself and walking as quickly as you could to avoid trouble or attracting any unwanted attention. Everyone else around you did the same, there were very few people just standing around, those that were, begged for credits to buy things or trying to sell something else.

But, you ignored their harks and kept walking.

Once you were clear of the mini-town, you dared to have Eric put on some low music, the eerie quiet of the area playing on your anxious nerves as you headed for the next safe place, four hours to the north of your location. You decided to walk there as quickly as you could, then decide whether or not you could risk walking the extra two hours to the next one after that, without risking your own safety. Even though the sun had only just risen, you didn't want to play it risky or get cocky. If you did, and got yourself in trouble, you wouldn't make it to Bristol, hopefully in time to warn Mikey about potentially being in trouble, as Quinn's Runner.

“I'll make it, I know I will.” You assured yourself, pushing down the fearful anxiety. “I will.” You repeated, stubbornly, clenching your hands into fists. “I have too.” You added even softer, weakening to some of that concern.

“Have you seen this girl?” Henry asked, approaching a hard looking woman and showing her a photo he had taken of you and Kal, not that long ago.

“No.” The woman replied, shaking her head.

Henry narrowed his eyes at her, knowing she was lying through her missing teeth. Had he been in London, he would have simply slapped his badge on the counter and she would have sang like an Opera singer on opening night. But, he wasn't and that move would have sealed her lips up tighter than a crab's shell, and probably gotten him into a heap of trouble, wasting more of his time.

“Fine.” He sighed, turning away from her and heading back outside.

Glancing around, he spotted an elderly man standing at the corner, hands held out to every person that walked by him.

“Hey, old timer.” He said, walking up to him.

“Credit for a sandwich?” The old man asked, reaching his hands out to Henry.

“How about a sandwich for some information?” Henry asked, pulling a sandwich out of his pack. “Have you seen this girl?” He inquired, showing him your photo.

“Yeah, saw her super early this morning.” the old man replied, scratching his scraggly beard. “Just as I was setting up here, after first light, maybe three hours ago.”

“Looked in a mighty rush to be somewhere.” He added, nodding to himself.

“Thank you.” Henry thanked him and let him have the sandwich, plus an extra sandwich, just to be nice to the poor man, then started power walking away, knowing he was on the right path to find you and that the gap between you was steadily closing.

“I've got you now.” Henry smirked to himself.

#Henry Cavill #HenryCavill #viking-raider fics #The Immortal Sky *Fic* #The Immortal Sky #Dystopian #futuristic #Dystopian!AU #Futuristic!AU #Angst #Crime #Walter Marshall #Marshall #Nomis #Night Hunter #Henry Cavill/You #Henry Cavill/Reader #Henry Cavill x You #Henry Cavill x Reader #Future!London #London #Bristol #Geralt #Geralt of Rivia

[hortensemitchell]

Just Us

 In the quiet of the night James finally has the time to reflect on his very first night in Hollywood. Under the pressure of his own thoughts, he'll find that he is never alone.

Rating: G

Pairing: N/A.

Words: 1868

The bedroom was dimly lit by the street lights peeking through the cracked and broken pieces of the blinds, illuminating the dingy carpet and dull paint of the walls. Virtually every space of the room was lined with miscellaneous boxes with messy scrawl, ‘summer clothes’, ‘electronics’, ‘hair products’. James made a mental note to dig into that box first when morning finally hit.

Whether the boys realized it or not, his regimen was more crucial now than ever. He thought back to the events earlier today and the impossibly beautiful up and coming stars that lounged around the Palm Woods. What made him special back home, his dazzling smile, piercing eyes and washboard abs, it was all part of the everyday here in California.

And if everything he worked so hard for was mundane here, what did that make him? He rolled over in his bed, tugging the comforter tighter around his shoulders almost as if the blanket would protect him from the frantic thoughts plaguing him.

Nothing about him was average, he refused to believe that. He can remember as far back as when he and the other boys were just starting as members of the junior hockey league, that he had also had his mind set on performing. Back then he had to beg and plead his mother for permission for singing and dance lessons. She argued that his schedule was already too full and his education would fall to the wayside, but after countless carefully constructed presentations on the benefits of these lessons and promises that Logan would tutor him, she relented.

He remembered how the boys used to tease him about the lessons when they were younger, jokes and jabs at their regular Friday night sleepovers at Carlos’. James knew they never meant any of it though because on the evening of his very first talent show, he peeped out of the curtain to see them sitting in the front row with the widest grins imaginable.

It was that night that he had finally decided this was his calling. Just seven years old, singing John Mayer and dazzling the crowd like he was born to. He lived off the high long after the song was finished and the curtains had fallen shut.

When he finally made his way back to everyone, the boys descended on him, each talking over the other in so much excitement about how cool he was and how he should have won over the unicycling juggler. His mother hadn’t been able to make the performance, a last minute work emergency she claimed. He didn’t let that get to him though, enjoying the good natured hair ruffling of Papi Garcia, the boys' unabating chattering, and Mama Knight’s promises of pizza. Even then he knew there would be other performances, and he would be so good that she couldn’t miss them.

And he did get better, way better. But was it enough? He could carry a tune, dance any routine that was thrown his way, but could he gain the type of fire that Gustavo was looking for? Failing wasn’t an option, if he turned back to Minnesota his mother would have him on the fast track to business school and this dream would be gone. Failure wasn’t an option, he couldn’t fail, he had to-.

His thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of cold air against his back as the comforter was pulled up and over someone slipping into the bed beside him. Carlos. James didn’t make any move to turn around and face him in the cramped twin bed and chose to stare at the light of the hallway creeping in from under the doorway. He had almost drifted to sleep from listening to the soft breathing from the other boy when Carlos broke the silence.

“I could hear you thinking from over there.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Did you wanna talk about it?”

The last thing he wanted to do was bring all of this worry onto someone else, so James did what he did best, deflected. Rolling over in the bed careful not to knock Carlos to the floor, James sat up and faced the other boy.

“So we might have striked out against the Jennifers, but I doubt they can resist my charms for long. I’ve already come up with a three step plan that will have them dying for a chance to date any member of our band.”

“James-”

“Though side note, we really need to come up with a name and soon. It seriously hurts your cred to say you’re in a band without a name and-”

“Look I-”

James just continued to press on hoping Carlos would get the hint to drop it, “Maybe if we learn some instruments, we could get in on that gig that that guitar dude seems to have going on at the pool, I mean chicks dig musicians.”

Carlos pulled himself into a sitting position beside James, raising his hand up to signal him to stop.

“It’s okay James, I’m scared too.”

And that was not exactly what James expected to hear.

“You don’t get scared. Just last week I watched you ride your mountain bike off of the top of Kendall’s house into their above ground pool. And let’s not forget the time you took one for the team and took Jenny Tinkler to homecoming.” He shuddered at the memory of her knocking over the snack table and somehow setting the DJ equipment on fire. “It’s hard to believe you’d get scared about anything.”

There’s a moment of silence between them before Carlos replies, “This is kinda different, ya know? Reckless behavior and wacky shenanigans? I can handle that no problem, but this is serious. And I’ve never been that great at serious.” He scratches his neck nervously, and looks off to the side. “I don’t want to ruin your dream dude.”

“You wouldn’t and you can’t.” He stretched his arm around the other boy’s shoulders, pulling him gently to his side. “It’s because of you guys that I even got the opportunity to be here, my dream wouldn’t work without everyone.”

He felt Carlos shake with laughter slightly before he replied, “Well technically we’re here because of Kendall, but I’ll take the sentiment cause it's a weirdly emotional night.”

James just rolled his eyes, though thankful that Carlos pulled them back from all the emotion talk. He wasn’t wrong, Kendall was the driving force of all this. He had the ‘fire’ as Gustavo called it. He would just describe it as stubbornness and a sheer lack of respect for authority, but somehow Kendall made those qualities seem endearing.

The door to the room creaked open bathing Carlos and James in the hallway light, the pair both shielding their eyes to adjust to the change in brightness. Just as quickly as it was opened, it shut again, quietly as to not wake up the other people in the apartment. Even after being partially blinded James knew that Kendall and Logan were approaching the bed, he’d know them anywhere.

“Any chance you have room for two more?” Kendall asked, already pulling himself onto the bed. The springs under it groaned as he and Logan shifted to get comfortable facing James and Carlos at the foot of the bed. For a moment James wondered just how much the weight limit was for this rickety bed frame.

“You guys couldn’t sleep either?” James questioned as he and Carlos pulled the comforter over the other two boys' legs.

“It isn’t actually that weird that we all can’t sleep. Scientists believe that this is just our brains natural instinct to protect itself in a new environment full of unforeseen threats. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it.” He glanced around at the other boys on the bed taking note of the way James was holding one of his pillows tightly to his chest, and Carlos was picking at a loose thread on the comforter. “Something tells me though, that we are all awake because of more than first night jitters.”

There was something a little comforting to James, that all of them were nervous about the future. Sometimes he forgot that even though Kendall was their fearless leader, Carlos was their wrecking ball with a heart of gold, and Logan was their resident genius, they were all still four hockey heads from Minnesota and completely out of their comfort zone.

From across the bed James saw Kendall straighten his posture and he knew immediately that they were in for one of his famous pep talks.

“So what if everyone here is a better singer or dancer than we are. And who cares if every person we come across is more attractive and talented. And who-”

James quickly introjected, “Is this going to get positive anytime soon?”

“I was getting to that.” Kendall replied with a roll of his eyes, “My point is there are always going to be people who are better than we are. It’s a given, but we all have something that everyone here doesn’t.”

“Lightning Fever Barracuda hair gel.”, “Mama Knight’s signature corn dog recipe.” “A death wish.”

“No. What I was getting at is look around. Even out of our depth, we still have each other. The stakes might be higher for sure, but we are still together setting out our game plans dog piled into one bed just like when we were kids. And I don’t know about you, but I think that is a hell of an advantage over anyone in Hollywood.”

And that is why he’s the leader James concluded. Some heartfelt words and an earnest smile, and Kendall could convince them they could do anything. It seemed silly to him that he had been so worried earlier in the night. Looking around at the other boys in the dim moonlight, he realized that he wasn’t in this alone. And even if this didn’t work out, he knows there are three people who would never let him feel like a failure.

“Well since I doubt any of us will feel like sleeping anytime soon, does anyone have some band name ideas? I’m thinking something like James and the Diamonds.”

He saw the good natured eye rolls from across the bed and felt Carlos groan from his spot under James arm. It felt good to get back to normal and he eagerly slipped into their own routine, bickering about what really qualified as a solid band name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Please, please can I wake them up? One smack of the pot that’s all.”

In the morning light, Mama Knight stood in the doorway observing the scene before her. She had gone to Logan and Kendall’s room first, but when the room was empty she had a feeling this is where they would be.

All four boys were tucked under the comforter of the twin sized bed, practically asleep sitting up. She smiled softly to herself, noting that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

She shook her head, gently leading Katie from the room, “Let them sleep a little while longer, they have a long road ahead of them.”

#my writing #James Diamond #Carlos Garcia #Kendall Knight #Logan Mitchell

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Home - Part 2

To say the girls loved their matching PJ's and the idea of movie night was an understatement, they loved it even more when they saw me wearing the same....It was the cutest thing ever.

We had already watched Frozen and now they wanted to watch The Little Mermaid, god this used to be my favourite as a kid! So now i was snuggled on the sofa under a chunky blanket with Brook and Allie singing along with the movie, Rosie had been fast asleep in the arm chair since halfway through Frozen.

"Knock knock!" Came the now familiar sound of Steve's voice, it made me jump at first but once i realised it was him i turned and smiled.

"Hey Steve, what you doing here?"

"Well i came to see James but I'm guessing his working late?"

"Yeah, he asked me to stay with the girls tonight. He doesn't know what time he'll be back"

"Right.... and hey! Am i getting no hugs from my girls?"

"We're comfy uncle Steve" Brooke moaned as she cuddled up to me more under the blanket.

"We watching The Little Mermaid!" Allie said not taking her eyes of the TV.

"What? The Little Mermaid?? Thats my favourite! Can i stay and watch too?"

"Yeah! You can sit next to me" Brook lifted the edge of the blanket for him and he quickly settled in next to her.

"Are you guys wearing matching PJs?? Thats so cool!! I want some!" Steve laughed looking over at me.

"I dont think they do them in your size Steve" i laughed shaking my head at this huge man wanting to wear pink unicorn pj's!

"Well thats not fair!"

"Shhhh watch the movie uncle Steve!" Allie suddenly said leaning forward to look at him.

"Sorry sweetheart I'm gonna shut up now" he sniggered settling in to watch the movie.

After the movie finished, to which Steve sang along with us! The girls wanted to make a fort!

"Girls you should be going to bed its getting late"

"Please Y/N" they both said jumping up and down infront of me.

"Come on Y/N" Steve added leaning against the door frame "how can you say no to that?"

"Fine! But uncle Steve can help because I'm terrible at making forts"

"Well its a good job I'm great at making forts!"

"Fine, you make the fort and i'll make the hot chocolate"

"Deal" he beamed before leaving the room in search for what he needed.

When i came back in Steve had thrown some blankets over the back of the sofa and a couple of dining room chairs, cushions scattered on the floor.

"Tada!" He held his arms out looking pleased with his work.'

"Cute, gotta be honest uncle Steve i was expecting a little more from you" i teased placing the hot chocolate down on the table.

"Ouch you hurt me!"

"Sorry" i laughed at him trying to look like he was hurt by my comment.

"Come on!!" Allie said excitedly grabbing my hand and pulling me with her into the fort.

"Okay okay I'm coming"

"You come too Uncle Stevie!"

Steve cleared his throat and made his way over as well, i could have sworn i saw a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Well this is pretty great Steve i have to admit" i turned to him and smiled.

"Thank you, i worked with what i had"

"You know they wont wanna take this down right? Im sure James wont be too happy with a fort in his living room full time"

"He'll love it dont worry, as long as his girls are happy he wont mind"

"Im blaming you if he gets mad" i nudged him playfully.

"Oh i see how it is, throw me to the wolves huh?"

"His your best friend, I'm sure you can get away with it"

"Y/N?" Allie asked suddenly looking up at me with big blue eyes that were exactly like her dads.

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Do you live with us now?"

"No, i just look after you while your daddy works"

"Oh. So where do you live?"

"I live in a farm house not far from here"

"A farm?? Are there animals there??"

"Erm, well i dont have any but the field at the back of my house has some horses"

"Wow! Can i see them?"

"I'll have to check with your dad first"

"If he says yes we can see them though?" Brooke asked looking excited.

"Sure, but only if your dad says its okay"

"Like he could say no to you" Steve teased earning himself another nudge to his side.

"Ow!"

"As if that hurt you big baby" i chuckled before crawling out if the fort to get the hot chocolate. As i turned to hand out the mugs i saw James standing in the doorway looking amused.

"Hi" he smiled as he dropped his briefcase and jacket on the chair.

"Hi.... sorry about the mess the girls wanted to build a fort"

"Its fine, you did good"

"Actually i didnt" i nodded towards the opening and James looked in laughing when he saw Steve inside with the girls.

"I thought no boys were allowed?"

"Im not sure Steve counts..... he wanted matching unicorn pjs too"

"Y/N that was supposed to be a secret! Im gonna loose all my street cred now"

"Like you had any to start with punk" James replied grinning at his friend.

"Would you like some hot chocolate James?"

"Id love some"

"Here you have this one and i'll go make another batch real quick" i handed him the mug that was meant to be mine.

"Are you sure...."

"Yeah its no problem, you should check out the fort too" i laughed before heading to kitchen.

Not long after the hot chocolate the girls were fast asleep. James carried Allie up to bed while Steve took Brook leaving me with Rosie. I was the first one back downstairs and thought id start cleaning up the living room before heading to bed.

"Hey leave that, i'll sort it out in the morning" James said from behind.

"Its fine i dont mind"

"Just leave it, have a beer with us" he held out a bottle to me as he and Steve came in "you deserve it".

"Okay, thanks" i accepted the beer and went to sit on the sofa under the blanket again.

"So you and the girls have a good night?" James asked sitting on the opposite end of the sofa, Steve had already taken the arm chair.

"It was great Buck, you really missed out" Steve answered before i could making us laugh.

"Why are you even here?"

"I was bored so i thought id come see my oldest friend, but you were working so i stayed for movie night"

"Couldn't turn down The Little Mermaid could ya Steve" i chuckled taking a swig of beer.

"The Little Mermaid? Again Steve really?"

"Hey Ariel's hot!"

"Rightttt" James rolled his eyes at Steve before looking over at me shaking his head "how about you Y/N? You have a good night looking after four kids?"

"They were good as gold"

"The matching PJ's are cute, bet the girls loved that"

"Yeah they were a little excited, i just thought it'd be nice"

"It was" he nodded and smiling "thank you, for everything"

I shrugged feeling myself blush a little at his praise "its not a problem"

"What am i missing?" Steve asked suddenly looking between James and me.

"Y/N had a run in with Ms Harper at the school about what Allie was wearing"

"Urghh that woman is the devil I'm telling you! Your lucky you turned her down man"

"Wait....." i sat up turning to look at James better "Ms Harper asked you out?"

"God Steve! Why did you have to bring that up?" He moaned "yeah she asked a few times and i said no"

"Well that kinda makes a bit more sense" i muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Ms Harper is being a jealous bitch and taking it out on Allie" both of them just looked at me with confusion clear on their faces "She kept calling me Mrs Barnes...."

"Oh!" James said wide eyed getting what i meant.

“Haha! thats brilliant Buck! Ms Harper is being a complete bitch because she thinks you run off and got married and she’s lost her shot at you!” Steve roared with laughter.

Home taglist: @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @lumar014

@bbmommy0902 @past-perfect-future-tense

@heathens-takeitsl0w @captainchrisstan

@ladymelissastark @93generation

@sebastianstansqueen @oceansxpurple

@Imjstaghoststory @rainbowkisses31

A/N - I think i got everyone who wanted to be tagged! If ive missed you drop me a message or an ask 💕

#sebastian stan #bucky barnes #steve rogers #chris evans #bucky x reader #reader insert #home

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Convince Me To Go {3}

AU Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: Mild Cursing, Slow Burn

Words: 1.9k

Summary: When we run away, we’re usually running from something. This time you may have run toward it instead.

Note: Welp. 🤷🏾‍♀️  I hope you enjoy this.

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

“This is your first stop?” A body bumped into you sending you into him. His arms held your shoulders steadying you then he leaned to your ear.

 “What do you have something against clubs?”

 “No, but hello I don’t particularly look my best.” You motioned to your ripped stockings. He nodded and smirked.

 “Don’t worry, it looks like the style, grunge and distressed.”

 You narrowed your eyes at him, and he smiled an adorable dork like smile. Rolling your eyes, you looked around the packed club.

 “Do you come here a lot?” you were shouting but you still weren’t louder than the music. He understood you though because he was watching your lips.

 “Not really. It’s new. Come on, let’s get a drink.” He motioned for you to go first and followed behind you.

On your way through the throngs of people toward the bar, he noticed more than a few guys check you out. He wasn’t surprised, you were a beautiful woman of course they’d take notice. He had. One of the admirers took his shot and approached you grabbing you around your wrist as he leaned to your ear to whisper something. He held back allowing you to dictate the situation. If he’d read you right you’d pull away anyway. After about ten seconds you pulled your hand free and shook your head. The guy gave her an incredulous look as if to say, “you’re kidding”. Still, you held your ground, shook your head and even continued to push through the crowd. The next two men who approached you got the same response. By the time you’d reached the bar, he had a smile on his face. you looked to him once you got a good spot.

 “What’re you smiling at?”

 He held up his hand for the bartender and shook his head. “Nothing.”

 “What’ll it be?” He motioned to you for you to order first although he knew what you were going to order.

“Coconut rum.” Again, he smiled.

 “Gin, with a splash of that coconut rum.”

 You looked at him with a mix of amusement and shock. “Coming over to the wild side huh.”

 He laughed and shook his head then turned to look out over the club at everyone searching for a good time either through music and dance, drink and conversation or flirtation and the prospect of sex. You sat there and looked with him. Another guy approached you and you kissed your teeth and gave him an exasperated look. Before he spoke he turned and walked right back where he came from. You heard him laughing loudly beside you.

 “My god, you’re good at attracting men.”

 “Ha, remember I said beauty is my thing?” You gave him a “put two and two together” look. He nodded but rolled his eyes.

 “Either you’re picky or just not on the market.” You looked at him and had a contemplative look on your face.

 “Order up,” the bartender shouted. You turned back around and took the glass up and took a hefty sip. He did the same. The contrasting flavors of the Gin and the coconut made it an interesting combination, one he didn’t entirely hate.

 “Not bad?”

 “Try it.” he held the glass to you, and you turned it, so you had a spot where his lips hadn’t touched and took a sip. You moaned.

 “I like that.”

 “You’re welcome,” he said. You smiled and he caught glimpse of a slight dimple on your face. it was in one of those unconventional spots, not your cheek, or the corner of your mouth but just above your cheekbone. It was unique and endearing.

 “So? Picky or not on the market?”

 “Picky I guess,” you responded before taking another sip of your drink.

 “Ah, every rich girl is picky. Let me guess he has to be over six-two, muscular build, dresses like he’s going places, blonde or jet-black hair, blue eyes, chiseled jaw, and fat pockets to match.”

 You were watching him with a masked expression, you didn’t speak. You took another sip of your drink and shrugged. You turned back to watch the crowd and it threw him. From the short time he’d been around you, you always responded when he read you.

 “What about you, prince puppy?”

 “What about me, fancy?” you smirked and nodded just to his right. He looked and saw two blondes looking him over with flirtatious smiles. In the seconds it took for him to acknowledge them he went back to his drink and the crowd.

 “Ah, picky too I see, or are you off the market?”

 “Definitely picky.” You snorted and laughed aloud.

 “Come on, enough talking. Let’s see if dancing is your forte.” He put down his empty glass and pulled you with him to the dancefloor. Once in a good enough spot, he began moving to the beat. You didn’t move, you just stood there watching him.

 “Come on, I’ve never met a woman who didn’t want to dance. It’s Beyoncé.”

 You laughed and shook your head and began moving your body along to the beat. Soon the endorphins kicked in and you were shimmying, wining, and twerking with everyone else in the club. Every song that came on he surprised you by staying with the beat. He was proving the stereotype wrong, white boys could dance. He took your hand and spun you out and back into him, you squealed with giddy energy and danced with him.

 An hour later the two of you were still going. You’d made countless trips to the bar and then back to the dancefloor. You laughed together and acted silly together. It was all so comfortable and fun. You hadn’t had fun like this in a long time. He walked around you at the song change and an old school Ice cube song came on, one of your favorites. You turned to him and threw your hips to the beat and walked around him until the lyrics began. When they did you did just as the song said—put your back into it. once Ice Cube came on you lost your mind and threw your ass onto him. When you felt his hand grip your hip you were surprised. You were even more surprised when he didn’t stagger back when threw it back at him, all he did was catch it and kept on beat.

 Soon you heard him singing along to the song and looked back to him. His eyes were glued to your ass, then he looked to you and smirked. You turned and danced on him. He wrapped his hand around your waist and rested it at the crest of your ass. You sang along to the song and he did as well. When he said put your ass into it you almost said okay let’s go, but the song changed and with it the mood.

 By the time the two of you staggered out the club you were laughing your heads off.

 “Oh my god, how do you know that song?”

 “Look, I may be white, but I have some street cred.”

 You snorted and shook your head. “Stop.” His smile was a nice one and he smiled like he knew it. slowly his smile faded, and he looked to you and looked over your neon light illuminated face. You were beautiful and you could dance, he thought.

 “Come on, I know the perfect place.” He took your hand and you looked down at it and allowed him to keep a hold of it for a little while before you pulled away.

 After another ten minutes, you walked into a diner.

 “A diner?”

 “Yes, I haven’t eaten in hours and we can’t sustain with just liquor. Plus, you might be good at eating.” He walked ahead and grabbed a table. You followed and sat before him.

 “Feet hurt yet?”

 “Please, I’ve been wearing heels since I was ten years old. I’m fine.”

 He nodded and skimmed the menu.

 “Pancakes or waffles?”

 “You tell me prince puppy. You seem to love reading me—very badly might I add.”

 He studied you for a few moments then nodded. “Waffles.” You smiled.

 “Lucky guess,” you flatly replied.

 “If you say so.”

 The waiter came over and the two of you took turns ordering more than enough food for two people. He listed off item after item. When the waiter finally walked off her notepad was filled and she had a shocked look on her face.

 “What?”

 “That’s a lot of food.”

 “I’m a big growing boy, plus I’m good for it. What about you, don’t like to eat?”

 “I eat, just—not as much as you.”

 “All right, so when it gets here don’t try to sneak any of it. I won’t share.”

 You smiled and leaned back.

 “So, we’ve established you didn’t come to Boston for the sights. So, why Boston?”

 You sighed and shrugged. “Because, why not?”

 “What do you mean why not?”

 “It seemed a good a place as any, so I came.” He studied you some more, you could tell he didn’t believe you. He didn’t call you out on it though.

 “Why’d you leave New York?”

 He clenched his jaw and averted your eyes then shrugged. “Why not?”

 “Using my answers won’t work. For one, that doesn’t make any sense here,” you informed.

 “All right, I uh—I didn’t like who it was making me.”

 Silence rose between you. You had so many questions but also didn’t want to pry. That was also his predicament.

 “So, you just left.”

 “Yep,” he matter of factly replied.

 “Just like that?”

 He nodded again. “Just like that.” You were shocked and impressed. He made it seem so easy to just walk away from something. Part of you envied him just a little. You’d wanted to walk away from so many things in your life but never could. The ties that bind us are strong, especially your ties.

 You didn’t know how long you were lost in your own thoughts but before you knew it the waiter came back with several plates of food. She set them down one by one until the whole table was filled. Across from you, he rubbed his hands together excitedly and you watched as he dug in. Before you was your plate of two waffles, a smaller plate of home fries, and an even smaller plate that had two turkey sausages. Compared to the feast before him, yours looked like an appetizer. You began eating taking care to not rush or over stuff your face even though you were hungry. You could hear your mother’s voice in your head coaching you about how a proper woman eats and what a proper woman doesn’t do. It was exhausting growing up.

 “You okay over there?” He was watching you daintily eat your food with a concerned and confused look on his face.

 “Fine.”

 “Aren’t you hungry?”

 “Yeah, starving.” You took a small bite of your waffles and slowly chewed it. once you swallowed you cut a small piece of your sausage and repeated the action.

 “You don’t look it. what’s up?”

 “Nothing, just—I’ve never been one to--,” you began and bobbed your head from side to side trying to find the word.

 “Eat?”

 “Shut up. No.” you sighed then kissed your teeth.

 “Does this have something to do with your mother?”

 “Maybe.”

 “Oh boy, did she drill into you that women aren’t supposed to eat or take big bites or chew more than one thing at a time?”

 You wondered if you were that transparent. “She just taught me to be ladylike. She said no man wanted a sloppy woman.”

 He couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey.”

 He held his hand up as an apology. “I’m sorry, it’s just, your mother sounds like a piece of work.”

 You couldn’t debate with him there. She was.

 “Fancy, if I have to watch you eat one bite at a time I’m going to lose my mind. I don’t care if you eat sloppy, I couldn’t care less if you mixed your waffles and sausage in the same bite. I don’t give two shits or fucks if you dip your potatoes in that ramekin of syrup, because guess what, I’m gonna do the same thing.” For emphasis, he did everything he just spoke of and chewed. He really didn’t care, and a reassuring feeling washed over you.

 You’d run because you always felt stifled, controlled, and like you were living a life as someone you really weren’t. you were away, here and you were still living by her rules, her expectations and you didn’t have to. This was the first time you were actually free, and you were still holding yourself prisoner. Chewing your bottom lip, you watched him eat some more and the grumble in your stomach gave you the push you needed. You cut a hearty slice of your waffles dipped it into the maple syrup and put it into your mouth. While you chewed it, you took up a sausage, dipped it and bit a piece off instead of using your fork and knife. Across from you Chris smiled and held up his fork full of waffle, sausage, egg, and potato. You clinked his fork and focused on your food not caring how you ate, or what image you were giving off.

 As he watched you actually eat he couldn’t help but smile. You looked happy, or what he imagined you to look like if you were happy. You also looked adorable as you tried not to put too much thought into whatever mess you were making on the table or yourself. He realized then that maybe there was a lot more to you than your fancy clothes, shoes, and bag, maybe there was something hidden behind the mask of luxury.

 “Oh my god, I’ve never eaten so much in my life,” you groaned out once you stepped outside. He smiled.

 “I honestly believe that. Was it good?”

 “So good.”

 “I couldn’t tell, the moans didn’t give you away and the mask of syrup on your cheeks was not a dead giveaway.” You laughed loudly and it was a laugh he was beginning to really like.

 “Where to now?” Your question shook him out of whatever state he was in. He checked his watch and saw it was four in the morning.

 “Huh, so dancing, food, drinks. Ah, my favorite spot as a kid. Come on.”

 He stepped to the curb and waved a cab down and allowed you to slide in first. He smiled when he saw the bare skin of your knees thanks to your badly ripped stockings. He liked this disheveled look better. It suit you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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TagList:

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#convince me to go fic #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans au #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #Chris Evans X black reader

[supremeuppityone]

One-shot written for Klaroline AU Week 2019

Please review here.

You can read the sequel here.

Day One: Mythological Creatures

Shrieky Clean

             The familiar sizzle and hiss of the solvent normally would perk Caroline right up, but as she watched the toxic fumes rise from the wide, greasy stain where viscera had spilled on the concrete, her bad mood only got worse. Only a clueless hybrid asshat would think this was an appropriate form of flirting. When she arrived at the crime scene, she couldn’t help but wonder if Klaus’ volatile temper was the cause of the carnage, and when she saw the disgusting room, she knew for sure. He’d arranged the victim’s intestines into the shape of a heart.

           Caroline ran the foremost supernatural crime scene cleanup service in New Orleans, and had enjoyed a symbiotic (and lucrative) relationship with Marcel for decades. However, in the aftermath of the power struggle with the Originals, Marcel was a pariah and Klaus had declared himself king. While she’d assumed her business would be affected by the hostile takeover, she never would’ve predicted this.  

           One month ago  

           The high-pitched, bordering-on-terrified voice of a young vampire named Josh roused her fifteen minutes into her first decent nap after a grueling 12-hour shift. “The hybrid king requests your agency to sanitize Rousseau’s on Esplanade Avenue.”

           “I’m booked until next Tuesday. Rougarou got loose and shredded through most of the residents in a two-block radius bordering Jackson Square.”

           “Klaus expects you there within the hour.”

           She let out a bark of laughter, not bothering to keep a civil tongue when she was this sleep-deprived. “And I expect Klaus to pull his head out of his ass and have some of his spineless minions do it instead. If this bullshit hybrid king can’t properly delegate menial tasks, I suspect his reign will last about as long as a werewolf in a silver mine.” With an irritated huff, she disconnected the call and quickly blocked the number, tossing her phone back on the nightstand as she settled more comfortably against her pillows.  

           She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when her doorbell woke her, refusing to glance at the clock as she irritably started shuffling toward the door. She fuzzily recalled her monthly delivery of hypothalami was set to arrive today, and suddenly there was a skip in her step as she eagerly opened her door. If her delivery had been late, all that was left in her fridge was ingredients for a pineal gland smoothie. She’d rather chow down on frontal lobes. Ick. She just didn’t get fad diets.

           Her excited grin turned into a grimace as she realized there was a hybrid asshat holding her delivery. “Mail theft carries a mandatory fine and a potential prison sentence of up to five years,” she flatly told him, snatching the box from his hands. That he let her take from him. Stupid Original strength.

           “You’re Caroline Forbes,” he asked, his gaze sliding up and down in a manner that she absolutely did not find appealing. Of course, if she did, it easily could be explained as misplaced hunger pains. Her kind weren’t known for subtlety once hunger set in.

           “Yes,” she answered defensively. She refused to be embarrassed by her Pinky and the Brain pajamas and glared at him, daring him to say something when he was dressed like a figure skater who desperately wanted to be a biker but didn’t have the street cred. Although, he was wearing the hell out of those skinny jeans.

           “The Caroline Forbes whose company performs supernatural cleanup services; the one that Marcel won’t stop blathering on about and insisted your continued employment be a cornerstone of our negotiations?”

           Caroline was taken aback; Marcel hadn’t mentioned what he’d done for her business before he’d retired to the old Algiers neighborhood to avoid further political fallout. She’d foolishly assumed that word-of-mouth had kept her business afloat since the regime change. She owed him a beer. Or possibly a bar.

           Klaus seemed to take her silence as agreement, his eyebrow raised as he sputtered, “But the Caroline Forbes I’m speaking of is a zombie.” Cocking his head, he frowned slightly, adding, “You can’t possibly be a zombie, sweetheart.”

           “Seriously?!” She shrieked, “So, zombies are just decaying corpses who are mindless eating machines, right? Well, hybrid asshat, you and your ignorant prejudices can get the hell off my porch, and if you think for a minute I’d ever work for you, you’ve lost your goddamn mind!”

           She stormed back into her house, slamming the box on the kitchen counter, and whirled around in shock when she realized Klaus had followed her. His gray eyes darkened, tone turning menacing as he told her, “I can count on one hand the number of times someone was foolish enough to raise their voice to me. I suggest you don’t do it again, love.”

           As a scary supernatural creature, it had been ages since Caroline had been afraid, and she’d be damned if she’d let Klaus make her afraid in her own home. Organized to a fault, she knew the location of every item she owned. Especially her industrial-strength cleaning products. Typically, she used less-abrasive solvents for sanitation and disinfection of supernatural crime scenes — blood, brain matter and other tissues were surprisingly easy to remove when she used her specially formulated products.  

           However, sometimes crime scenes presented unique cleanup challenges and required halogenated solvents that were so toxic it was fortunate she no longer used her lungs for breathing because even with her biohazard suit, it felt like her bones were on fire. It was that spray bottle she reached for, inwardly hoping the nozzle wasn’t clogged as she rapidly pulled the trigger and liberally sprayed down the furious Original until his skin began to blister and boil off of his face. Hissing and emitting guttural noises, he flashed out of her home, leaving her shaken but feeling immensely pleased that she’d managed to surprise the overconfident hybrid king.

           After that, she’d enlisted the help of a friendly bokor to set up the right protection spells around her house, and thoroughly researched her jobs to ensure they weren’t connected to any of Klaus’ kills, but she knew sooner or later she’d have to face him.

           And that’s when life got weird. It started with little things at first — a client who tipped a little too generously, extra bookings that finally allowed her to hire more employees — and then flowers started appearing at the crime scenes. They were stunningly beautiful, rare Himalayan blue poppies that perfectly matched her eyes, presented in exquisitely cut crystal vases that were lovingly displayed so that she’d notice them the minute she crossed a threshold.

           After that, rumors spread throughout the Quarter about how the hybrid king was wooing Caroline, the perky little zombie who helped their community keep their supernatural secrets from the humans. Apparently, he was enamored with the fearless blonde who’d been the first adversary in centuries to leave her mark. Literally — neighborhood gossips swore he had a wavy line near his temple where the brunt of her cleaning solvent had landed.

           Caroline did her best to ignore these things, having no inclination to cater to the psychotic whims of the hybrid king. However, she couldn’t deny that it was the first time someone had tried to woo her in such a unique manner. Plus, he apparently had started stalking her food deliveries and learned her snacking preferences and now she received triple shipments of hypothalami that were several grades above the cuts she used to order. The way to a zombie’s heart was definitely through her stomach.

           She was still glaring at the heart-shaped intestine stain when Klaus entered the warehouse. “If this is your A-game, I’m going to assume you normally just let your dimples do all the work,” she told him with an angry huff, checking to ensure her trusty spray bottle of halogenated solvent was within reach just in case.

           He chuckled lightly, absently running a finger across a thin scar at his temple. The scar she gave him. “You caught my fancy the moment your lovely, grumpy face greeted me on your doorstep. No one has left their mark upon me before.” His expression turned almost shy as he confessed, “I’m a bit out of practice when it comes to courting practices, sweetheart, but I believe this is the moment when I ask you to dinner.”

           “You displayed your victim’s viscera as a heart for me to find,” she said, rolling her eyes at the hopeful hybrid. How was this her life?

           He looked at her from under his lashes, his dimples on display as he offered, “I could spell out your name if you prefer.”

           “Fine, we can go to dinner. But I’m bringing my spray bottle.”

#kcauweek2019 #klaroline fanfic #uppity bitch fanfic #klaroline #zombie caroline was fun to write #and clueless klaus is always a good time #klaroline aesthetic #aestehtic

[noradarhkpalmer]

go elf yourself

Title: go elf yourself

Rating: PG

Pairing: Nora Darhk/Ray Palmer aka Darhkatom

Warnings: None

Summary/Notes: Nora Darhk pulls out her elf costume every year to get her through the holidays, this Christmas though, she meets a special person who could help change her life for the better. (Modern AU)

Day one of the 2019 edition of 25 days of Darhkatom! Feel free to click the through the tag to see last year’s! Basically, like last year, I will be posting all loosely related (unless stated otherwise) fics for 25 days straight!

ao3 link: here

Nora was starting to feel like her ‘starving artist’ motif was getting old. This realization would’ve been much to her parents chagrin, god rest their souls. She’d done a lot of odd jobs to pick up extra cash: dog walker, Swyft driver, and now that the Christmas season was upon them: she was pulling out that damn elf costume. Sure she’d broken it in enough that it was no longer itchy and she loved seeing the kids light up at meeting Santa, yeah, but she didn’t like when the parents would force their kids for a dumb picture they wouldn’t remember, and pay, honestly in her opinion, far too much for one stupid picture.

But it would pay her bills until the new year, combined with watching her friends John and Gary’s cat, Cleo, while they honeymooned in the Swiss Alps, and that’s all that mattered.

Nora shuffled into the mall and listened to her boss debrief yeah yeah yeah there’d be two Santas this year because of pay cuts it was cheaper to pay two at less hours than one for all. Nora stopped listening and re-familiarized herself with the camera, she wished she had enough money to spare for even a basic model of one of those, her hands itching to get back into photography full time.

Finally after redundant training, the workshop was open. Kids and parents lined up to see Santa, an older gentleman who’d done the job for years. She went through the motions for a full two hours until she heard her name.

“NORA! You’re back again this year!”

Nora smiled cordially at her friend Mona who did this job every winter she had. “I am!”

“I’m so excited!” Mona bounced up and down, the jingle bells on her outfit bouncing with her.

“Could you go excitedly redirect the line?”

Mona nodded and sets off getting the line in order.

There’s a full week of this routine before Nora’s life completely changed.

“UNCLE RAY!!! Cmon!!! Santa’s gonna leave before we get to the front!” Nora heard a boy’s voice whine. She looked up to see through the crowd, a boy no older than six tugging on the arm of a man she couldn’t see.

“Yeah uncle Ray! Mom and dad always get here waaaaayyyy earlier!” Another whined.

Nora rolled her eyes and got back to work, at least when the boys get to the front they won’t be pitching a fit about seeing Santa.

It’s about a half hour later when she spotted them and looked up at the face of their Uncle Ray.

And holy mother of baby Jesus, this Uncle Ray is what she’d like to unwrap come Christmas morning.

“Can they get pictures individually and together? Their parents usually do that.”

Nora nodded, vaguely recognizing the boys from years past. “Sure thing.”

The boys scurried up to Santa as Mona animatedly explained the packages to Uncle Ray. Nora instructed the boys accordingly to get individual and then a shot with the two of them.

“This job seems like fun.” Ray said, and Nora realizes, to her.

“Umm yeah I guess! Lines can get a little nuts but Mona is super helpful.”

“Are you always behind the camera.”

“Most of the shift but sometimes Mona is.”

“So they allow you to take breaks? Have lunch?”

“Yeah what do you think we aren’t allowed to sit down our whole shift?”

“No…”

“This job is a lot harder when the pictures don’t sync, when the camera malfunctions, I have to exhaust all options before calling IT or else I’m in hot water. This is a complex job. It’s hard wrangling kids, making them look at the camera, and parents aren’t always nice and neither are the kids.”

“Lady I’m sorry I didn’t…”

“You didn’t think yeah, please take your nephews if you’re not gonna get a package and go elf yourself alright?”

Ray tried to hide a laugh.

“What?” Nora asked with the threat level of an angry bunny.

“An elf is telling me to go elf myself. It’s just funny.”

“Funny?”

Ray can’t stop laughing and Nora realized how ridiculous this whole thing is. She’s burned out from snapping pictures and asks Mona to switch out so she can go on a break. She shuffled with her tinsel between her legs over to Ray once the boys have their photos.

“I’m sorry I snapped.”

“It’s okay. Even elves have their limits.”

Nora glared.

“Sorry last elf joke!”

“Did your nephews enjoy themselves?”

The boys flanking Ray nodded. “Yeah especially when you yelled at Uncle Ray it was really funny!”

Nora’s cheeks flushed red. “Oh umm well.”

“Do it again!”

Nora shook her head. “Sorry boys I try to not lose my temper.”

“Awwwww.” They whined.

“Do elves take hot cocoa breaks?”

Nora looked up at him and Ray retracts.

“Okay that was the last one, sorry it was my lame attempt at asking you out.”

The boys next to them gasped and cover their mouth in scandal and Nora smiled. “As long as you don’t mind that I put caramel drizzle on top.”

“Not at all.”

xxxx

It’s a few days later that Nora finally works a shift with the new Santa. She eyed him, he’s clearly wearing a fake beard, so he’s not old enough to sport the natural face hair of a Santa. She nudged Mona.

“What’s this Santa’s deal?”

“Oh he’s super nice! I haven’t talked to him much but he’s really nice.”

“Why did they hire a young Santa?”

“Most of the kids can’t tell and the ones that do we tell Santa shaved his beard but didn’t want to scare the kiddos.”

Nora eyed her in suspicion. When there’s a break in the day she shuffled over to Santa. She checked her phone, noting no text from Ray. After she’d formally introduced herself over cocoa with him and his nephews, they had exchanged numbers. They’d been texting non stop but today? Silence.

Nora sighed and Santa patted the space next to him. She slumped down.

“Ho ho ho, my elf, what’s got you so blue this Christmas? Is it something a wish to Santa can fix?”

Nora smiled and stared down at her lap. “I don’t know if you can fix this one, Santa, I’m just missing someone which is silly because I haven’t known them for very long.”

“A person can mean everything to you in a matter of days. And that’s quite alright.”

“I think he’s some big tech higher up, I’m just a loser artist, I don’t have a shot in…” she looked around at the passing children, “heck.”

Santa belly laughs again and pats her leg. “I think I can work some of my Santa magic for you, my dear, just you wait.”

She only had to wait a few more hours, after the mall closed. She cashed out the drawers when she heard someone behind her.

“We just closed for the night Santa will be back tomorrow.”

“I’m actually looking for the cutest elf in Santa’s workshop.”

Nora smiled wide, hearing Ray’s voice, she turned around and her breath left her. There he stood, half dressed in a Santa suit, holding his hat and beard in his hand. “You’re the other Santa? Why? Aren’t you like stupid rich?”

“I’m doing this for free so the other Santa who is getting up there in age, can have days off so it’s better on his joints. He gets all my pay though.”

Nora gasped. “Ray… so wait that means you heard…”

“You talking about missing me? Sorry I ran late this morning and well I was doing this all day.”

Nora nodded. “Right yeah… gosh I feel like such an idiot.”

“Don’t.” Ray takes her hand. “Don’t feel like an idiot because I’ve been missing you.”

“Well I’ve been right here all day.”

“But I haven’t been able to do this.” Ray cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her softly.

Nora smiled after the kiss breaks. “Is Santa allowed to kiss one of his elves?”

Ray rolled his eyes playfully. “I can stop.”

“Don’t you dare.” Nora poked him in the chest.

“I’m gonna make this the best Christmas you’ve ever had.”

“So does that mean you’re like one-up yourself every Christmas?”

Ray playfully dipped her. “You bet your ass I will.”

Two Years Later

“Did you set the timer?”

“Of course I did what kind of photographer do you think I am?” Nora rushed back over to her family and pulled Tori into her lap so she’s sitting between her and Ray. The baby clapped happily as Nora gently bounced her, counting down until the very last second and stopping so they get a good picture. Nora went to the camera and played back the pictures, they finally got a good one! Nora waved Ray over with Tori in his arms and smiles.

“Looks great, babe.” Ray kissed the top of her head. Nora took their one year old in her arms and kissed Ray properly.

“Thanks, think it’s good enough to use for the website?”

“Absolutely. Have I told you how proud I am of you?”

“Mmmm not today.”

“Well I’m so incredibly proud of you. You’ve come so far.”

“And managed to grow two humans while running a photography business!”

“Nora, we only have one… wait… are you saying…” Ray’s eyes grew wide.

Nora grinned and nodded. “I know you like to one up on Christmas but I couldn’t help myself. Apparently neither could you.” She elbowed him playfully.

“I love you. So much.” Ray kissed her and Tori fussed between them.

“Aww don’t like mama kissing Santa Claus, baby girl?” Nora kissed all over Tori’s face instead, making the girl giggle. “Gonna be a big sister!”

“Does this mean we can do family photos next year with us as Santa and Mrs. Claus and them as tiny elves?”

Nora let out a small laugh. “Sure babe. Why not.”

“Good cause they can’t know Santa fell in love with an elf. Might ruin his street cred.” Ray grinned cheekily.

Nora elbowed him again. “Oh go elf yourself.”

#darhkatom #ray palmer #nora darhk #legends of tomorrow #fanfic #mine #25 days of darhkatom

[courtneyyharper]

Top 10 Netflix TV Shows to Binge during Quarantine & Chill

To help out my fellow friends in lockdown and so you don’t have to put up the standard Instagram story asking, I’ll be doing a quick countdown of my top 10 tv shows available on Netflix that will hopefully help you all pass this monotonous time.

This goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyways: all opinions are my own and as admittedly these are all very popular shows please feel free to shoot me suggestions to broaden my own horizons!

I’m going to try and create some semblance of order and countdown from 10! So, without further ado…

10. American Horror Story

Okays, so maybe not one if you scare easily although it’s definitely verging more towards the creepy and uncomfortable side than horror. The good thing about this show is if you don’t like the plot, not to worry because the next season is a completely different ball game with a new story, new characters and probably even a different time period, making the show more of an anthology than a series. A nice little link is the use of the same actors each season and if you look closely, you’ll see the Easter eggs and links between!

It remains popular amongst it’s fanbase and although the initial hype that made me jump on the bandwagon in 2011 has eventually died down it’s still one to check out, if at least just for the first three seasons, if you want something a little strange and peculiar.

https://www.netflix.com/title/70210884?s=i&trkid=13747225

9. Gilmore Girls

Set in the little dreamy American town of Stars Hollow with fast-talking sarcastic humour and a coffee-loving mother and daughter bond at the centre. This is one for those of us who appreciate many a cultural reference and enjoys many a love triangle. An easy watch with truly engaging characters you’ll be sad when this show comes to an end… but not to worry they do one more season, A Year in the Life, to wrap everything up with a bow.

Perfect for an easy watch about college, boys, and most complicated of all… family!

https://www.netflix.com/title/70155618?s=i&trkid=13747225

8. Prison Break

A true classic! You’d be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t consider this show one of the greats. It’s the one your mum’s boyfriend will continue to talk about and recommend time and time again, right? Just me? Well I finally gave in and was caught into the binge that is Wentworth Miller.

We see him play Michael Scofield, a structural engineer who gets himself purposefully incarcerated in order to save his innocent brother Lincoln from death row, with a classic prison escape. If nothing else this show has you on the edge of your seat for the first season and impressed at the continual twists and turns the character relations and plot takes. This is a show you want to see before it is eventually spoiled for you…

https://www.netflix.com/title/70140425?s=i&trkid=13747225

7. You

Although by show of hands Joe Goldberg is decidedly just Dan Humphreys on steroids, I can’t deny that each Boxing Day that the new season was released it was binged in one day. See Joe fall in love and do anything to keep it. Character driven; monologue driven. Binging this show may have you questioning who’s side you’re on once you’re rooting for the murderer and it’ll make you gasp out loud while doing it.

Just don’t get too attached to any of the characters…

https://www.netflix.com/title/80211991?s=i&trkid=13747225

6. Stranger Things

With an entrancing 80s vibe aesthetic we centre around the small town of Hawkins and a group of best friends during the disappearance of their friend Will and the appearance of a young mute girl with a shaved head and some peculiar abilities. As the story unravels, we’re brought into the world of the supernatural and government conspiracies based loosely on some very real and very spooky Soviet Union experiments. You may also be thinking ‘hey, these kids look familiar’ and that’s right they’re in every other show with a similar 80s theme (see: IT and I Am Not Okay With This). Oh, and Winona Ryder.

I can see this show climbing the list when I finally get round to watching that last season…

https://www.netflix.com/title/80057281?s=i&trkid=13747225

5. Peaky Blinders

I’m just going to say it, it’s cool. What gang movie or show isn’t? We see the Shelby family conduct some dodgy business in 1919 Birmingham as part of the gang, the Peaky Blinders (based however loosely on the real Peaky Blinders street gang in Birmingham). Perfect for fans of DiCaprio’s Gangs of New York. Run ins with the law, underhand criminal happenings in the back room of a bar, gang wars. Have I said enough? Cillian Murphy in a suit perhaps?

The only thing that stops this show being further up the list is despite the overall plot being capturing, each individual episode runs slightly slow, although that won’t affect the awe-feeling at the end of each one.

If nothing else you’ll really get off on the fun of saying ‘By order, of the Peaky focking Blinders!’ again and again until you drive even yourself crazy.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80002479?s=i&trkid=13747225

4. Suits

This one nearly made me change my whole career path and choose law for a degree.

With this show you’ve really got to binge to keep up with the legal jargon but it’s oh so worth it. Mike Ross, an extremely smart college dropout is questionably hired by Harvey Specter, high flying lawyer for a prestigious New York law firm, all while hiding Mike’s secret. And wearing lots and lots of very nice suits.

You’ll be surprised how fast you get sucked into the daily going-on of the law office. Plus, you get to see Meghan Markle (fun fact: who’s real name is Rachel!) pre-royalty vibes. Sleek, sexy, sophisticated, sharp-dialogue and by episode three you’ll be singing the Greenback Boogie and buying your own ‘You Just Got Litt Up!’ mug by the end of the week.

https://www.netflix.com/title/70195800?s=i&trkid=13747225

3. Atypical

A truly honest coming of age story as Sam Gardner, a teenager on the autism spectrum, attempts to navigate high school, family, friends, love and… penguins? This is one where you’ll just have to trust me and watch to understand.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80117540?s=i&trkid=13747225

2. The Vampire Diaries

Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. Okays, yes, if you’re a regular binger then chances are you’ve already saw this show. This show has been on my favourites list since the day it aired in 2008. The first adaptation ever (it’s the English student in me, sorry) that was better than the book and with 171 episodes it’s the ultimate binge.

Vampires (not the sparkly kind), witches, werewolves and love triangles all clash in the small town of Mystic Falls. Granted it sounds like a chick-flick, but I know just as many boy friends as girls that have got sucked (ha, get it?) into this rollercoaster. This is my number one recommendation to anyone who asks for a new show and I’ll say now what I always say: give this show a go and once you get over the cheesiness of the angsty story-telling from the beginning of Season One, then it’ll be worth every moment.

https://www.netflix.com/title/70143860?s=i&trkid=13747225

1. Friends

Oh… my… god!

The one where it’s controversial.

You probably love it, hate it or if you’re a culchie then you’re most likely discovering it for the first time (which still baffles me). If you didn’t grow up with this show on E4 nine times a day before Comedy Central stole it then I do feel sorry for you. A truly iconic show and if you truly believe that loving it is not a personality trait then I beg to differ.

Six friends learn about life, family, careers and relationships in New York city.

With 10 seasons it’s the ultimate binge and will always place my number one!

https://www.netflix.com/title/70153404?s=i&trkid=13747225

Netflix Honourable mentions:

Money Heist (Season 1 and maybe season 2, we didn’t really need more after that)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Because obviously: nine nine!)

South Park (yeah I know, I was against this show for years but recently just caved and #noregrats)

Lucifer (sexy devil, need I say more?)

Rick and Morty (which was originally on the list but got bumped because I’m just watching the same episodes again and again until they’ve lost all meaning now)

I hope this has helped a few people out and cut down the endless hours of scrolling before just watching something you’ve saw time and time again!

Well that’s all folks! Stay safe and happy binging! ✌🏼

#netflix #lifestyle guide #blogging #social distancing #the vampire diaries #prison break #ahs #american horror story #gilmore girls #suits #atypical #netflix top 10 #binge #quarantine and chill

[zuka-themed-username]

z-t-r: Phantom 2018

Phinally! (sorry - but I spiced it up with some stage photos this time, creds to eternalyjun/searching the tags)

I had the absolute supreme pleasure of seeing Snow Troupe’s Phantom twice during my trip to Japan in November. I had arrived with a ticket for an opening day s-seki seat in Takarazuka, but during my travels a wonderful fan club was able to provide me a b-seki seat the following morning, and holy smokes am I glad I saw it twice. I don’t know why I thought I could handle an s-seki seat - the sheer force that is Nozomi Fuuto is completely overwhelming that close up - but it was nice to not have to use my opera glasses!

For all that Thunderbolt Fantasy/Killer Rouge was my favorite show I’ve seen live, Phantom was the best I’ve seen in Japan. In terms of technical execution and emotional power this show takes the cake. While I was a bit surprised they would have Phantom near Elisabeth as they can be seen as tonally similar from a distance, I see now why they were not concerned. 

Quick spoiler-free plot summary: Christine Daaé (Maaya Kiho) is an aspiring opera singer out on the streets of Paris selling her new hit single ‘Melodie de Paris’ when she is discovered by Philippe (cast A - Ayanagi Shou) who tells her to go to the Paris Opera House to meet the general manager Gérard (Ayakaze Sakina). When she arrives she finds that he has been ousted by Alain (Asami Jun), though circumstances allow for her to stay and meet the new prima donna/Alain’s wife Carlotta (Maisaki Rin). Carlotta allows her to stay, where the Phantom (Nozomi Fuuto) hears her beautiful voice. He hides part of his face behind a mask (and has a Black Angel-esque cohort) because of Tragic Reasons but still becomes her singing teacher, and she eventually gets the starring role in the upcoming production of “The Fairy Queen”. Due to Shady Circumstances something happens to her voice and The Phantom is Not Pleased. All hell breaks loose, and yes, a chandelier falls in a really neat way. There’s a whole lot of drama, and then a startlingly peppy finale as with all two-act zuka shows. 

As with my other reviews this will be a total scattershot of notes and impressions. Spoilers will be indicated with a “[s]”. However as this is a show that’s been performed many times, feel free to ask me more detailed questions if they’re not answered here! And yes, you’ll want to buy the DVD/Blu-Ray. If not I might finally figure out streaming and show it.

[s] Right off the bat: in comparison to the 2004 version, Daimon (Nozomi) does not kill the gentleman (Joseph - thanks @daimongumi!) in the beginning. He instead does the tasteful tumble. The moment the set rolls out you see that there is not space for him to stumble down a set of stairs and be stabbed. The Phantom is instead shocked and horrified.

- The start of the show has an elaborate video projection during the overture (including the show curtain shown above). It does a nice job of establishing the extensive catacomb system under the Paris Opera House. I do wonder though if it was used to shorten what I call the “visual overture”, where the Top Star does a dance or some sort of interpretive performance to music at the top of a show as otherwise the plot does not require them on stage for quite some time. While Daimon is a triple threat I’d definitely put dance at #3 - and frankly I’m all for shortening the extensive moody Phantom & co. dances if it allowed her to conserve lung power for the real focus - her kick ass voice! A bit more on this later.

The Phantom pushes away the haters (I’m all three musumeyaku)

- There were amazing / borderline excessive projections whenever the Phantom was onstage, and I guarantee they will not show up well on the recording. I can only hope they do not wash out costuming and lighting. I feel like they were supposed to be tendrils of darkness, though as they were projected light it looked instead a bit like vines. When Daimon was wearing the sage green lounge wear later it was especially noticeable. Again the image doesn’t do it justice (but can we appreciate this shocking apple green color?) 

Another set of Incredibly Insightful and Deep Notes directly from my intermission scribbles:

      - “Carlotta is hilarious”

      - “Maaya Kiho is perfect”

      - “Nozomi Fuuto is perfect”

      - “tiny organ”

      - “hella candles”

      and lastly,

      - “shady swag Willy Wonka” 

which works better with a crossing the silver bridge gif but for now: 

Anyway back to more fleshed out thoughts:

- To the clown and the jester in the far back of the stage during Melodie de Paris: thank you. 

- More specifically, there are about five “rows” of Parisians on stage during Maaya Kiho’s introduction, and there was one performer in the far back right dressed like a jester. They started out juggling. Kind of. There was another civilian with them pretending to be entertained. They juggled for about five tosses, then headed offstage. “Ok,” I thought, “let’s see what else is happening.” I looked to the far left and there was a terrifying old-school clown clowning around. I was impressed with the costume and the commitment but quickly looked back to the right. The jester had returned. With a pillow. And was spinning it like a basketball. Just like a regular couch pillow with tassels. Spinning it on her finger until it started to wobble, then she’d reset and try again. It was riveting.

I have so many questions. Did jesters do this? Are you supposed to be juggling the whole scene? Why did you exit the stage and not just bring the pillow with you at the start? Did this change every night? Whose pillow is this? Are they ok with you spinning it like that? Where did this come from?? How - 

(By then the scene was ending, and thank goodness I knew the plot otherwise I would have been completely lost. Also thank goodness for seeing the show twice, as Maaya’s voice is a golden treasure and if I had been too distracted to listen to it I would have been quite upset with myself.)

- Asami Jun as the new, slightly skeevy general manager of the Opera House is a joy. I had so much fun watching her be so into Carlotta, shooing people away or making a path for her wherever she went. He showers her with compliments and is utterly distraught when he misspeaks. I can’t imagine what Ayanagi’s interpretation would be like, as she was so fantastically sincere as Philippe, but I’m glad they will have a chance to stretch themselves as actors, since there’s really only one solo song between the two roles if I am remembering correctly. 

- There were two musumeyaku Phantom followers and it was nice way to break up the choreography. While I am still not 100% convinced that the followers as a whole are incorporated effectively (I would like to see more interaction between the Phantom and his followers outside of setting them up to make mischief), they executed some interesting choreo well. 

- One thing that really struck me throughout this production is how well Takarazuka as a whole is able to create worlds on their stage, through the simplicity / complexity of having a ton of background people onstage telling silent side stories. Sometimes sheer volume works, as with large city scenes (here Paris, also Guys & Dolls’ New York City), but also in any number of smaller cafe or club scenes. While painstaking measures are taken to ensure it does not interfere with the Top Star or Top Musumeyaku, it is still motion on stage that can draw the eye away (*ahem* jester). I would like to highlight my second favorite set of background characters, the prop guys in “Home”, as an example of how tricky this balance is. Plot Happens and Christine finds herself with some laundry and some music backstage in the opera house and begins the setup for her big solo turned duet, “Home”. Maaya is near the front of the stage, to the right in a light spotlight. Behind her are 4-5 sets of 2-3 people representing different segments of the opera company. There are dancers, some folks around a piano (I think), costume folks, and two guys on the far left checking props - our Spear Guys. They are all doing some light tasks amongst themselves. When Maaya begins singing, they all stop, except for the Spear Guys who are still joking around. As the song continues, they freeze and another group begins moving. This repeats until each group has had a silent solo, moving about behind Maaya until the huge Phantom set piece rises from the stage. The first time I saw the show I was seated on the far right - prime Maaya placement (thank you!!), but also lined up to have the Spear Guys right behind her. The second time up in b-seki it was not nearly as distracting as I could see the 15-20 feet between them and Maaya, but they still didn’t stop at the start like the other groups. I don’t think for a second they missed their cue two days in a row, but I do find it interesting that the direction does not have the entire stage freeze for Maaya’s intro. I wonder if that would be more distracting - to have 10-15 people suddenly stop moving and then have small groups begin moving, so they instead try to smooth out the transition with our Spear Guys. Or perhaps they wanted to highlight that she’s not a big deal yet as a laundry girl, despite this being a big song, so they don’t emphasis it as much with total stage isolation. 

I don’t know why this specific thing stuck with me, perhaps I just wasn’t used to “Home” being staged instead of just an audio recording. But I won’t let this more intensive thought on direction make me forget to mention that: I sincerely hope no one gave Daimon any direction after opening night in regards to her facial expressions whenever the Phantom hears Christine’s voice. Idk if new tumblr will allow the gifs, if y’all pick up what I’m putting down. 

- A quick side note: the sets and costumes feel refreshed and much more intricate. I’m somewhat surprised they were able to load the huge set pieces just four days after Castle of the White Heron. Huge shout out to the Takarazuka Theater Stage Crew/Staff.

- This goes without saying but Daimon and Maaya’s voices were flawless. I have a note that “Nozomi actually out-sung the ensemble”, which, duh? Her voice + microphones? I wish I could remember what I was going for there.

- There’s a song contest in act one, and frankly I think they should make the song the ensemble has to sing the actual contest. Boy does that song not translate well. It’s incredibly fast and while Snow Troupe does their best it’s legitimately impossible to follow. I need to see rehearsal footage to see ensemble folks just be like, “whelp this is fastest I can go, how are you doing?” and the shrugs in response. And then Daimon being like, “well I had a to practice a bunch but when I did it over a decade ago-” *nails it*

[s] When Christine faints from, idk, finally having a chance to follow her dreams and then promptly being poisoned, and the Phantom ‘sweeps her off her feet’ to his underground dungeon palace (with way too many candles - I assume candle maintenance is what the followers do most of the time), it was more of a ‘1 - 2 - hngh” on the Phantom’s part. I heard that it was very quickly taken out and I can attest that it didn’t need to happen if Daimon was going to hurt herself. Also I like that it gives Christine the tiniest bit more agency if she has to stumble through the mirror with him instead of being completely unconscious. 

[s] Speaking of which, Maaya’s approach to Christine. This is another tricky thing that I could write a short essay about. In this version of Phantom, (compared to Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera where Raul, a Philippe-type, is immediately there to try and help with the creepy Phantom situation) Christine is much more isolated, and greater attempts are made to humanize the Phantom. We get the sad details of his birth, upbringing, and current situation, including the weird twist that Christine looks just like his mother. Another essay could be (and no doubt has) been written on that topic, however what I would like to focus on is that Christine is aware of all of this information. She’s aware of how he ended up with a “horrendously” disfigured face and why he is deeply ashamed to the point of violence if discovered. So when she uses her beautiful, angelic voice to convince him to take off his mask, sees his face, then runs off screaming, it’s truly heartbreaking. There are a million ways to play this scene and the character up to this point, but the unfortunate reality is that Christine has to run out of the grotto/garden in order to make it back up to the opera house (somehow, which brings up more questions) for the plot to proceed and for last 40-50 minutes to happen. Therefore the actress is a bit stuck. With that eventuality in mind, I think Maaya makes Christine as ‘modern/realistic’ as possible, in that she screams without too much fear, and her face is a bit.. flat? I don’t mean that in a negative way. I wouldn’t be surprised if she received a few notes along the lines of, “be sure to be really scared by his face” but wanted to treat Christine as a woman that could understand - or simply wanted to have the chance to understand - the man under the mask/scars, so her reaction both times almost looked like, “ok I’m screaming and running because the plot requires it but I’m here for you-” *and gone*. This is reinforced by the much stronger reaction she has when she realized she made a mistake and struggles to go back behind the mirror to him, and her polite but not very enthused duet with Philippe (side note: the Phantom walking up with flowers after that scene - a punch to my stomach). I don’t even think it’s out of true romantic love, but out of a desire to truly understand. For all that they come from different backgrounds, they do have the same goal of making beautiful music, and with this much less murderous interpretation of the Phantom I could root for them. This is in stark contrast to the 2004 version, where I was much more ok with the Phantom’s demise in the end.

[s] That all being said, Maaya’s voice in the song that convinces the Phantom to remove his mask is f*ing beautiful. I am legitimately tearing up just hearing the echoes of it in my memory. When the Phantom is alone and breaks down crying after tearing down the world around him (quite literally), he is perfectly centered on the stage and just so small. It’s an amazing bit of staging that tore out my heart. The use of religious-style themes as well is just crushing. 

[s] Speaking of which, I can’t forget to mention the incredibly long but intense story of the Phantom’s upbringing with this gorgeous stained glass in the background: 

[s] The suggestion of questionable morality by tilting it is clear and fantastic, the dancing and anguish throughout is just flawless. For all that it does not make me sympathetic for the weirdly young dad (yes yes struggs of being nibante and not senka), I could still get behind the raw emotion of it all, which is rare for me. The “Ave Mariiiiiiia” is now ringing clearly in my head as well and I’ll just say good luck buying the soundtrack because I already ordered every copy. 

[~s] Not quite a spoiler but at one point the Phantom is in a boat with Christine and is wearing a standard suit with tails. Intermission hits and when we come back to to our seats the plot has not progressed and yet they went and Top Star’ed the suit to make it the intricate blue one shown in most of the promos. I chuckled a bit. 

- This happens much earlier in the show but Carlotta’s song introducing the frenzied world of opera is so fun and amazing - I remembered it just now as if my brain was trying to lighten the mood for me. You could tell they really reveled in the lighthearted scenes and nailed all of the comedic shenanigans. 

- Come to think of it there’s a lot of tossed paper, envelopes, letters, music, etc. that is wild yet contained, though there is a letter dropped from the ceiling that juuuust barely made it on stage on the second day. It fell in the slot between the lights and the orchestra pit and I hope there’s a day where a musician has to hand it to them XD.

- Despite the age of the show it felt quite fresh, and the staging did not feel nearly as stiff as say, Elisabeth. That being said, all of the Phantom’s emotional struggles had the same setup of powerful song into a moody dance (except the big rehearsal scene, which is still all dance, though modified). This makes sense given the previous set of Phantoms (Wao Youka, Haruno Sumire, and Ranju Tomu), but I think for Daimon flipping the song and dance would have been beneficial. It would have been a bit hassle in terms of structure and orchestration, for sure, but continuing to shorten the Phantom-centric dance segments in exchange for a smoother and higher emotional peak, along with extended glorious singing by Daimon (also because the Phantom is a composer, not a choreographer) would have been neat. 

[s for a bit] And here I was about to go into the auxiliary musings without detailing Daimon’s approach to the character! It was, in short, exactly how Daimon would approach the role. A total cop-out description, but I still think the most apt, despite me being unsure of how she would approach it before I saw it. Daimon has a way of blending vulnerability and ferocity that is quite unique to her and on full display here. The Phantom as a character is emotionally stunted and traumatized. He has the full strength and rage of an adult that has been wronged, the anguish of an artistic teen trying to find his voice, and the naivety of a boy that has only been loved by a woman that was scorned by everyone else. It is quite messed up when you lay it all out, and yet it does not allow for violent acts such as physical/emotional possession of another person and straight-up murder. As I mentioned before, when I saw the much more intentional murder in the 2004 version I was engaged and impressed by the gutsy-ness of it. “A Top Star is a villain, wow!” The emotional appeal in the second half of the show for me fell flat, until the very end when Hanafusa Mari is cradling Wao because of the sheer power of their Golden Combi. Hence I always saw the role as one or the other. A Phantom that is a villain with selfish desires (2004) or a misunderstood artist that gets swept up in emotion and acts out (2006). Here I can see both existing simultaneously. When Daimon is sad and aching, she is sad. Make no mistake, she was crying, many people in the audience were sniffing - two people on the second day had like racking sobs they were trying to control. No doubt a result of having seen it live, it is difficult for me to look at the character as a whole and cast one final opinion - I’m thinking of core scenes and moments where the emotion - sadness or rage - is just so strong. That’s something I think, whether or not you’ll like it when you see it, you can’t deny. Daimon’s expressive face is conveying every emotion quite strongly. When she goes to kill Carlotta, (RIP, you suck for sabotaging Christine but damn do I love your attitude) the intention is quite clear. Carlotta messed with Christine, so she’s gotta go. It’s terrifying, the calm appearance and slow, methodical style at first. The only thing that makes it mellow out for me is the absurdity of the red outfit and mask. It’s clear he raided the costume department and/or worked on the outfit for sometime despite being so incensed the moment he discovers who is at fault. Regardless of that flash of comedy, the cold intent is classic evil scary Daimon that I wanted to see. 

What then I like about this is that we have three different situations with three different outcomes instead of just “too much emotion = murder”.

In 2004 we have:

someone saw the facial scarring -> murder

Phantom is not a fan of the new way the opera is being run -> murder

someone messed with Christine -> murder

In 2018 we have: 

someone saw the facial scarring -> an accident/fall out of fright (This sets up better how “genuinely scary” his face is when Christine sees it. As an aside, his body still shows up in the glass case later on so I guess someone had to go find his body? I figure the followers had to draw straws, but that the Phantom would capitalize on it regardless is problematic.)

Phantom’s not a fan of the new way the opera is being run -> someone passes out from fright or overexertion during the Phantom panic?

someone messed with Christine -> oh shit, murder

This makes the murder all the more shocking, to the point of nearly being out of place, but the murderous intention comes not out of habit but because of love/infatuation with finding the voice of an angel/their mom. Which is a sentence I never thought I would type but here we are. 

While it’s not as shocking on the meta level and can definitely be seen as making the character more tame, it also makes the incredibly long appeal to his tragic background less out of left field and a bit more of a situation to struggle with as an audience member. This does not excuse the dramatic trope of being shot and then having a solid 1-2 more hours of emotional appeals on the silver bridge, running about the opera house with the most incompetent guards, and entire song reprises before then being shot again, Andre on the Bridge-style. It’s a bit too long, and I wouldn’t mind switching the getting grazed on the side scene with the Phantom/dad reunion scene, if only so we could have a moment where not only does Gerard see his son get shot but is also seen by guards having talked to him, so there is more tension in the final moments. Not to re-write the script, but throwing in a bit of smugness from the guards to be like, “Nah, he won’t shoot his kid,” - then, “Father!”, then - *bang* adds perhaps a deeper shock to the bystanders? Or perhaps it’s 1 AM and I need to finish pontificating on something I saw just long enough ago to forget more interesting details.

Regardless, that aaallllll being said, Daimon’s Phantom is one that seeks to cover every base as strongly as possible. He is the saddest, the most anguished, the most angry, the most vulnerable and the most capable of cold and calculated revenge. Thus it could read as a bit overwrought or youthful, but I think it works with this greater shift in narrative that the Phantom lacks the emotional training one would get from having been raised in a more... conventional mask-free non-catacombs environment. 

[end of s]

- On the finale: y’all, I was so exhausted. This show is so much. I’m never prepared for a mini revue after a two act show and this was no exception. It was fast. I want the script-lettered “phantom” sign in my house. The songs were upbeat and it was jarring. This scene happened:

and there’s a hip move (?) that was real sassy. My face was stiff from trying not to cry and still an eyebrow twitched in surprise. When the gif hits tumblr it’s gonna blow up. Get ready for Music Revolution is all I can say. It’s already better than Super Voyager. 

A few auxiliary notes:

- People were cryyyying. A lot of sniffles. Two people actively sobbing on day two. 

[s] On opening day during one of the final scenes Christine plays, if I remember correctly, a few notes of the “oh you are music” line on the piano and “revives” the Phantom for a final moment. Except kinda? It went up correctly but on the way down she didn’t hit the right note and ended up with a nice jazz remix. You better believe she had it right the next day but I loved the *note, note, wrong note. tasteful pause. a note that sounds like a venturing guess. a pause. another note aaaaand the scene continued* I love knowing that she’s actually playing those notes. 

- I’m not surprised if they didn’t release the opening day curtain call speeches - Rika Masumi could not remember Gaston Leroux’s name (original author of The Phantom of the Opera - and fair, this show is so far from the book I’m surprised it has to be mentioned at all) and Daimon was trying to explain the cast split but got caught up in “ums” (which sounds like “eh”), which led to a funny bit where she was like, “you know, cast... eh... eh... ah, A!” (’A’ also sounding more like “eh”). Then there were two more curtain calls at which point Daimon was literally like, “buy the CD, buy some sandwiches and drinks... go home please” and then was like, “ok let’s do a phantom mask sign-off, everyone put your hand up like this” *hand up like the phantom mask* “ok with me, ‘Phantom...’” *audience repeats* Then Daimon pulled her hand away and said “maerou!” which literally is just like, “Phantom... is over!” I’m sure there’s a more elegant way to phrase it but people chuckled and starting packing up so I followed suit. I really wanted Maaya to speak but alas that’s not how things roll. If anyone has any insight on how she said she was going to approach the role (beyond, “I’m going to support otokoyaku”) please let me know! 

I’m no doubt missing a whole bunch, probably will edit in the morning, and might add some comments if I remember, but otherwise this sums up my trip! So glad to finally have it all out there and finished. Can’t wait to hear people’s impressions of the Tokyo run! 

#takarazuka #snow troupe #phantom #yukigumi #nozomi fuuto #daimon #maaya kiho #murder #i was dead #but in the good way not like *spoiler* #:o

[bedtimestories89]

Partners in Crime Chapter 1                 Meeting Her

A/N: So.... I decided to make this a full blown story. I hope you like it. It’s basically about these 2 women who meet each other and are each other’s half but they don’t realize it. Yeah so.... Feedback is welcomed. 

WARNINGS: Mentions of attempted rape, IF THIS TRIGGERS YOU PLS IGNORE. thank you 

(creds to owner)

I felt my breath hitch, seeing the owner of one of the biggest mansions I’ve seen thus far. The tall, seemingly young man walk into the Lamborghini and drove away. Let me introduce myself; I’m Violet Michaelson; small time robber. Hey, don’t think like I’m evil. I’m not doing this for greed, I’m stealing from the rich so I can survive. I know I’m going to stop at some point and actually make some legit money, but as of right now… This is what I have to do. I was wearing all black, hiding within the shadows. I started to look around, carefully looking through the windows and I noticed that no one was home. Carefully unlocking the window, I stealthy broke into the home. I try to not break anything; one because the more I break, the more clumsier I get, two might trigger an alarm, three I’m only here for money, nothing more, nothing less. I found the safe pretty easily, but the safe was a little complicated to open. I sighed.

“Well… Nothing more to do than try to break it,” I checked the plan I made; where I gathered data,  watching the millionaire for days prior.

“Okay, I still have 3 hours before he comes back,” I thought as I went back into the safe. A sweat drop dripped from my face, from being so frustrated. 2 hours went by and I still didn’t crack it. I soon heard a break of the window. A small gasp left my lips. Quickly hiding behind a desk, I took out my gun and slowed my breathing, listening to the light footsteps that entered the room.

“Ah ha! Found ya,” A girl’s voice was let out.

“This should be easy to open,” She said before bending down to the safe. Under 10 minutes later, she cracked the safe, seeing the 1.2 million dollars.

“Beautiful-,” She started before I sneakily pointed the gun to the back of her head.

“This is my hit,” I said, my voice threatening low. She only chuckled, “I did the work,”

“I was here first. Get out, and I won’t have to kill you,” I threatened. She stood, shrugging her shoulders and she turned. Fuck, she was beautiful. She had a short comb over hairstyle, beautiful brown eyes like honey. She was a little on the chubbier side, but still absolutely gorgeous. She had a smirk on her face.

“Oh trust me, you wouldn’t want to,” She walked slowly towards me, swaying her hips from side to side. She had an innocent smile on her face. I started to get a looser grip and I glared at her.

“Or what?” I asked and she got close enough to take the gun away, gently grazing her hand on my cheek.

“I’d have to break that cute face of yours,” Her innocent face soon changed into a smirk as she then pointed the gun to me.

“This is my hit. Now if you leave me right now, you’d leave with everything in tact,” She threatened and I grunted in frustration.

“You see sweetheart, I can’t do that,” I said, quickly dodging the gun that was in front of me and kicked her legs, making her fall and loose grip of the gun in her hand. She yelped before I got control of my gun once more, pointing to the now fallen girl on the ground. The girl looked scared at first but she then breaks a smile, getting up with a cute smile.

“I like you, what’s your name?” She suddenly asked me and this took me back. The barrel of the gun was pointed at her; I could have killed her right now, but she smiles at me.

“Heeello? Can you hear me?” She said, jokingly placing her hands on her hips.

“I could kill you right now, how are you so calm?” I asked, and her smile grew.

“If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it already,” She said shrugging. My eyes widened slightly but a smirk grew on my lips.

“True-,” I started but a door was heard opening and closing. I looked back and I pushed her to the side, grabbing all the money I could and bailed. She called behind me.

“HOLD ON!” She ran after me just in time the alarms sounded off. I got into my car that was two blocks away.

“Girl, be happy I didn’t murder you for messing with my hit,” I said and she pouted at me. Jesus Christ, she is so cute.

“At least give me your name!” She said and I heard the sirens and I groaned.

“Jump in before you become the reason I go to jail and I’ll kill you for real,” I said and she quickly jumped into my car, a small yay erupting from her as I quickly drove off.

“So, are you going to tell me your name?” She asked as we got into a backroad. I sighed, contemplating if I should tell her my real name.

“Abby,” I lied, she’d become a liability if she stays.

“Bullshit,” She called me out and my eyes widen, scoffing.

“What so if there’s a name you don’t like it’s bullshit?”  I asked and she shook her head.

“No, but I’ve seen you before, Violet,” She said, her voice dropping low. I slammed on the breaks, making her jerk into the seat.

“How do you know my name?” I asked as I pulled the gun on her again and she raised her hands up.

“Woah woah chill! You’re around town in wanted papers. I just wanted to know if you were going to lie to me or not,” She said and my breath hitched once again.

“If you are going to kill me, at least let me tell you my name,” She said, this time rather quickly. She’s nervous.

“Fine, what’s your name?” I asked and she looked at me.

“Ariel, people call me Ari for short,” Ariel responded and I looked at her as she looked at me. Her eyes were pleading to me and I groaned, placing the gun down.

“I can’t kill someone. I can’t bring myself to it,” I said.

“So get out. This is as far as I’m letting you go with me,” I finished and she looked at me. She stayed for a moment and Ariel grabbed the handle and stepped outside of the car.

“Goodbye, Ariel,” I said and suddenly stopped me.

“Wait wait, we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Can you at least drop me off at the nearest town? Please it’s really cold,” She pleaded and I sighed.

“Alright, but that’s it. After the drop off we’re never seeing each other again,” I said coldly and she nodded. We drove in silence. The next town was 2 hours away from my GPS location.

She looked at me multiple times during our ride, causing me to smirk.

“Listen I know I’m hot okay,” I said, chuckling and she chuckled.

“Well duh. You are way hotter than I thought you’d be,” Ariel said and I chuckled.

“Kiss ass,” I muttered as she faked offence.

“How dare you! I’m just trying not to die here!” She said overly dramatic, making the both of us laugh. It soon went silent once more until we hit the town.

“Well… Thanks for the ride. Also,” She started, taking out her wallet, “This ain’t much but this is gas money cause we went far,” She finished and it made me take back a little.

“Damn, my first ever stripper money, mother would be so proud,” I said dramatically and she laughed softly. I saw her leave the car and I don’t know why, but I felt oddly empty. I hesitated before I started to drive away slowly. Ariel raised her hand slowly, waving before walking away. I looked at the clock, 2 am, it read. I parked at an alleyway, turning the car off and trying to fall asleep inside of the car. I ended up not falling asleep that night, and I sighed, tossing and turning in my car. I sat up and turned the car back on. Placing on a hat and a scarf, I thank God for it being cold. I drove to a 7-11 shop, parking my car away from the cameras. I walked in for a coffee and the lady at the counter was sweet.

“That would be $2.11 ma’am,” She said, a sweet smile on her face.

“Okay,” I said, taking out 5 dollars, “Keep the change,” I left the store, walking down the street to my car till I heard a familiar voice.

“Get off of me!” The voice yelled and I shrugged it off.

“Someone! Please help me!” I just got into my car and started to drive, ironically to the source of the yell. My eyes widened to what I saw. A taller, buffer man was pinning a girl to the wall, grabbing different areas from her body. My mind brought me back two years ago, my heart racing fast and I couldn’t have control of my body. I saw my legs get out of the car, running fast. My fist was tight, knuckles white as I screamed.

“Get the fuck off of her!” I yelled, his face connecting with my fist. He got pushed back, his grip dropping the girl as she was crying. I grabbed his collar, kneeing his stomach as he grunted, falling to the ground. I went on top, punching him countless times, feeling the blood trickle on my fists as the girl pulled me back.

“Okay, okay! He’s done!” She said, crying softly. I breathed heavy as I looked back. As my anger subdued I looked at her for the first time.

“Ariel?”

#SUPERNATURAL AU #marvel #random #sorry #iknowthisisntnoneofthesefandoms #Ijustwantmystorytobeheard #dc

[emoboijk]

Jeon Jeongguk—To Know a Person (05)

You’ve been calling, texting, emailing for years. But is that really enough to know a person? You’re about to find out. —fluff and angst

01 :: 02 :: 03 :: 04 :: 05 :: 06 :: 07 :: 08 :: 09 :: 10 :: 11 :: epilogue

3,356 words

gif cred

You were supposed to meet at the Cheonggyecheon Stream at 11:00 AM.

You arrived at 9:45 AM, Mark scowling the entire time. “I told you,” he said, hands shoved into his pockets, “it wouldn’t take an hour and a half to get here.”

“I didn’t want to risk it.” You chewed on your bottom lip absently, eyes scanning the visible length of the stream on both sides. Maybe he had shown up early too?

“He’s not here early,” Mark scowled again, “No one in their right mind would arrive over an hour early for plans.”

You turned away from the stream, forgetting your predicament for a moment and smirking at him, “Are you trying to tell me I’m not in my right mind?”

Mark forgot to be irritated and smirked, “Yeah, basically.” You slapped him lightly on the chest and sank onto a bench. Mark settled next to you and sighed.

You watched a fountain burst to life in the stream below you, splattering a couple of children playing on its concrete banks. They giggled loudly, a harsh sound on your ears which were so determined to be pessimistic. You pulled out your phone and opened his messages.

Okay, tomorrow

Jungkook—고맙습니다 고맙습니다 고맙습니다! 청계천? 11?

You had typed back, confused:

청계천?

Jungkook—It’s like a river? You’ll love it, I promise!

You hadn’t responded after that. Sitting in front of it now, you knew Jungkook had messed up his translation. And Mark explained that it was a stream, not a river. Much more accurate.

You hated yourself for feeling as if this were proof that you couldn’t trust Jungkook. But the thought sat comfortably in your mind, despite your trying to shake it loose.

“Do you think I’ll ever trust him again?” you wondered, not taking your eyes from the gentle, calming flow of the water.

“I don’t know,” Mark sighed, “Do you want to trust him again?”

You turned to look at him, Mark’s expression serious as you responded, “I don’t know.”

He nodded, “All I know is that it’s your choice. Either you trust him again or you don’t. You just have to make the decision and commit.” His words hung in the air for a long moment, before he finally got to his feet, “I’m going to get some food. You staying here?”

“You guessed it,” you joked. Mark chuckled and made his way to a vendor a few yards away. Your stomach growled loudly and you winced. You hadn’t eaten anything today, you were so nervous. But you weren’t about to get up from this bench and possibly miss Jungkook, an hour early or not.

I’m here really early

Jungkook—You too?

You couldn’t help but smile nervously: 

You’re here?

Jungkook—Maybe…;)

You were smiling despite yourself. Sitting here, texting him...it was almost as if nothing had changed. And, in a way, you realized, nothing really had. He just...wasn’t who you thought he was. The memory of the airport was like a bucket of ice water, bringing you back to reality.

Jungkook—Where are you?

You looked around, twisting your neck back and forth as if you’d spot him right behind you. When that failed, you looked for some kind of marker. You didn’t know the streets and the buildings were unfamiliar.

I’m by a bridge?

Jungkook—There are twenty-two bridges ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What shops are nearby?

You listed off a couple, typing their names carefully, your hands shaking as your heart raced with anticipation. When you were on the plane you thought there would never be a moment when you were that nervous, but you were wrong. Meeting him here, knowing who he actually was...you felt like you were going to puke.

Mark returned with a giant plate of something fried and your stomach churned. You scrunched up your nose and said, “Get away from me with that stuff.”

“What?” Mark said, looking offended, “This is delicious!”

“I’m going to throw up,” you said, covering your mouth with your hand. Mark rolled his eyes but took a step back nonetheless.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he said, sitting next to you when it was clear that you weren’t actually going to vomit. He used his chopsticks to take a giant bite of his food, and you leaned against his arm hopelessly, feeling limp and boneless.

“Hey,” a voice said, and you opened your eyes, sitting up from your position on Mark. Mark paused with his chopsticks raised to his mouth, stuffed with food. Jungkook stood in front of you, his phone in his hand. He wore a thick, insulated jacket and a hurt expression, still clearly visible despite the mask covering his face. His eyes were open and innocent, like that day in the airport, his emotions clearly visible within them. You wondered, in the back of your mind, if there was an ounce of steel in his body.

“Hi,” you almost barked, leaping up from your position on the bench. Your cheeks were pink from the cold and the embarrassment, “This is...this is Mark.”

“We’ve met,” Jungkook said, glancing very quickly from you to him and back again, “Once or twice.”

Mark swallowed his food with a loud gulp.

You saw the jealousy take root in his expression and the vain part of you was slightly pleased. You hid your smile and tried to make your face unreadable. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

Jungkook nodded, “More than anything,” he said honestly. He turned around and you noticed his companion for the first time, someone you instantly recognized as Min Yoongi. “You don’t have to wait, hyung.”

Yoongi shrugged and said in soft Korean, “I’m getting some food. See ya later.” And he walked over to the stand Mark had just gone to, making it clear that he would be waiting. You saw in his expression as he passed you that he didn’t trust you very much. You didn’t blame him, after the way things had gone at the airport.

You turned to Mark and spoke in English, “Would you mind hanging out for a bit?” If things didn’t go well, like a big part of you hoped they would, you would need Mark to be here. He shrugged and kept eating. You rolled your eyes and laughed, “Thanks.”

You turned to Jungkook and asked quietly in Korean, “Ready?”

He nodded and there was a long pause that you filled in with a soft laugh, “I don’t know where to go.”

Jungkook laughed loudly and awkwardly, “Right! Okay, right, yes, this way,” he was muttering rapidly in anxious Korean. You liked the sound—he was cute when flustered, and he spoke so fluidly in Korean that it pleased your ear in an entirely different way then the pleasantness brought on by his sometimes choppy, accented English.

He led you down the stairs so that you were directly in front of the stream, on the concrete sidewalks that lined it. And when there you set a slow and even pace, footsteps matched perfectly without any effort from either of you. All of your efforts were expended in trying to make conversation.

“You...wanted to explain?” you whispered, looking first at your feet and then at the bridge you were approaching.

Jungkook exhaled sharply, all of his nerves sizzling with the intensity of his anxiety. He’d stood in front of his mirror at home, trying to prepare his words in the right order to convince you, to make you understand. All of that was gone now, his mind a blank page.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered because that’s what it all boiled down to. He was sorry. “I was...protecting myself.” He had switched to Korean because everything he had rehearsed was gone, and he felt exposed and vulnerable. He didn’t have the mental capacity to translate his thoughts right now.

“I know,” you whispered, and the words stopped him dead in his tracks. The innocent-bunny expression had returned.

“Do you?”

You nodded, feeling tears born of anxiety and stress and the cold pricking your eyes, “I do get it. But...it’s been five years, Jungkook. Didn’t you start to trust me...even a little?”

“Of course!” he said, ducking his head after his sudden exclamation, avoiding the gazes of people who had turned in surprise. “I was afraid things would change if I told you who I was. And then I had sent those pictures…”

You shook your head, smiling slightly as you forgot once again the predicament you were in, “Where did you find those anyway?”

Jungkook forgot too for a moment, laughing at himself and tousling his hair, “Actually my hyungs helped me find them online.”

“Oh my god,” you chuckled, “Stupid,” you whispered in English. He furrowed his brow, not having heard you. You grinned and spoke up, in Korean, “Babo.”

“Oh,” Jungkook blushed. And another long silence settled between you both. Another bucket of ice water on your emotions. “I was stupid,” he agreed, “I should’ve told you.”

“Yes,” you said, punching his arm playfully, “You should have. It’s not like things weren’t eventually going to change. I mean, it’s not like things are the same right now anyway, even with the stupid pictures.”

Jungkook frowned, “You’re right.”

You smirked at him and squeezed his bicep, “I’m always right.” He looked up from the ground and smiled at you, feeling hopeful for the first time since the airport. You were lost in his expression for a moment, a warm feeling spreading from your chest to the tips of your toes and fingers.

“What does this mean?” Jungkook whispered. And at the same time, he knew but didn’t know, what he was referring to. Yet, you knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I think it means...we should try.”

“Try?” Jungkook’s face lit up like a paper lantern, a glow just beneath the surface that suffused and illuminated his surroundings.

“We can,” you paused, eyes searching his face, relishing in the happiness you found there, “We can rebuild trust.”

“Try,” Jungkook smiled, a permanent mark of happiness alight in his eyes. He held out his hand for you and you slipped your fingers into his grasp. His fingers wove through yours and you felt...at home. You pulled him towards you in a sudden moment of impulsivity, your arms circling him and squeezing. He stood shocked for a moment, his body tense, before his arms lowered, tired from not having touched you, and he settled into the moment.

“Jeongguk,” you whispered into his chest, feeling as if you recognized him for the first time.

When you walked back up, Mark and Yoongi were sitting on a bench together with empty plates, barely speaking. They both stood when you and Jungkook arrived, hand in hand. They both smirked at that. You blushed and looked at the ground when you said, “So, I guess I’m moving out.”

Mark smiled, “Well finally,” he joked, ruffling your hair.

“Hey,” you whined.

“Oh,” Jungkook said, tugging on your hand to get your attention. “This is Yoongi-hyung, Yoongi this is…”

Yoongi rolled his eyes and smiled, “I know, kid. You only talk about her every waking moment.”

“Oh my god,” Jungkook said, hiding his face behind his hand, but not letting go of yours with the other. Yoongi bowed to you respectfully and you repeated the action.

“It’s nice to meet you,” you said quietly, stumbling over the pronunciation of the Korean words that still felt boxy in your mouth.

Yoongi returned the sentiment and let his eyes drift between the two of you, recognizing the energy that existed there. You both kept glancing self-consciously at one another, meeting each other’s eyes, laughing awkwardly and repeating the cycle. All the while, holding hands.

“What’s the plan?” Yoongi said, breaking the puppy-love bubble that caged you both.

You furrowed your brows and glanced at Mark, “I have to get my stuff, huh?”

Mark chuckled and nodded, “That would probably be best.”

“Why don’t you guys go back to the apartment and get her things, and then you can drop her off at our place?” Yoongi offered. Jungkook’s grip on your hand tightened and his expression was troubled. He was tensing at the idea of being separated from you—he’d only had half an hour, and already you were supposed to say goodbye. That didn’t sound like a good idea at all.

You weren’t overly fond of it either. You were afraid that with even the smallest distance, doubtful, negative thoughts might creep back into your mind. Thoughts that couldn’t be sustained in the presence of Jungkook’s wide, soft eyes, and warm hands. Because right now you couldn’t imagine being with any other person in the world, you couldn’t imagine your best friend Jeongguk being anybody else. But what about when you were alone? Would this feeling last?

You didn’t know. And you weren’t eager to find out.

“Makes sense,” Mark agreed, turning to the two of you, the now inseparable pair. Logically, when he thought about it, Mark thought it ridiculous that the two of you had created such a serious attachment after such a short period of time (even after considering the five-year foundation it was built on). But being with you two, Mark wondered how you’d ever been apart.

“Okay,” you said hesitantly, stuttering a little bit. Jungkook squeezed your hand so tightly that you looked up at him, his eyes wide. You frowned and tried to plead with him silently. He frowned and sighed, wanting desperately to kiss you as a way of saying ‘goodbye’ but knowing that you barely trusted him in the first place, he couldn’t just start...putting the moves on you.

Not to mention, he didn’t particularly want his first kiss with you to be in front of any of his hyungs (let alone Yoongi) and some relative stranger.

Instead, he pulled you into a brief, hopefully casual hug before stepping back and giving you space. Yoongi almost laughed at the forced air of casualness the interchange had. Especially because, while he had backed away from you, Jungkook had still not let go of your hand.

You smiled at him and said, “I’ll see you in an hour.”

“An hour,” Jungkook confirmed, omitting the fact that he would literally be counting the minutes. As cliché as that was. You nodded, chewing on your lip absently, before turning, slipping your hand from his and following Mark back to where he’d parked the car.

“An hour,” Jungkook repeated as he watched you leave, and then he said it three more times in Korean as if to calm himself down.

“So it went well?” Yoongi smirked, overjoyed that things were working out for his dongsaeng but also thrilled to have a little bit of leverage on him. The maknae was good at basically everything so things to tease him about were often hard to come by. But the thick layers of puppy-love coating him now would work just fine.

“She wants to try,” Jungkook said, smiling as he remembered the playful interchange, so familiar in its intimacy, but frowning as he realized how vague ‘trying’ was. “It’s not a lot. But it is something.”

“You love her,” Yoongi said, “Give it time. She’ll realize it.”

Jungkook didn’t deny it, only silently hoped that his hyung was right.

Back at the GOT7 apartment, Jinyoung was pleased to hear that everything had gone well with you and Jungkook. He was also pleased because he’d be able to relax in the apartment again, without any new female presence.

You hadn’t stayed there long so it didn’t take long for you to gather your things, less than fifteen minutes. But you did take a moment, standing in their living room, Jinyoung reading something on the couch, to recognize that you were in GOT7’s apartment. Millions of people would love to be standing here right now, and you were here because of random chance and heartbreak.

“Ready to go?” Mark said, keys dangling from his finger. He twirled them around his pointer finger and said, “Y’know I think you should reimburse me for all this gas I’m using on you.”

“Shut up,” you laughed, following him out the door, shouldering your bag and rolling your luggage behind you, “If anything I’ll pay you in tears.”

“Aish,” he said, showing his colors as a true K-Pop idol, “Fine, you were sad, I’ll let it go.”

“You are making me carry all of my own bags,” you grinned, “If that makes you feel better.”

“You know,” he said, “it kind of does.” He moved to take the duffle from you, carrying it easily out of the complex.

You texted Jungkook for the address and arrived in twenty minutes flat. He and Yoongi met you outside. Yoongi was shivering in just pajama pants, slippers and sweatshirt, his hands shoved into his pockets. Jungkook was dressed just as lightly but was bouncing up and down on his feet excitedly.

He’d been preparing for weeks for your arrival, somehow not anticipating your negative reaction at all. Jungkook had not wanted you to sleep on the couch, so he gave up his bed (unbeknownst to you) and would be taking the sofa himself. He’d cleaned every inch of his room for you, put out all of his best pictures with the guys, moved books that he thought would make him seem intelligent to the forefront of his dresser space. He even perfectly arranged the files on his desktop computer so that, should you decide to browse, you’d see impressive videos of him singing or dancing.

Jungkook had literally done everything he could think of to make a good first impression on you. It seemed even more important now than ever.

Mark pulled up in front of them and you slipped out of the passenger side happily. Without thinking about it Jungkook engulfed you in a bear hug, whispering honestly, “I missed you.” You thought he might’ve been talking about more than just the past hour. But you returned the sentiment sincerely. You’d missed him in the twelve hours you’d gone without talking.

Sitting back and hearing your own thoughts, you thought absently about how dramatic this whole situation was. A little bit too much, really.

Yoongi met Mark at the car and helped him get the stuff out. As Yoongi shouldered your duffle and started rolling your bag upstairs, Mark slammed the car door loudly as a way of interrupting your quiet scene with Jungkook.

You turned away from Jungkook and walked towards Mark. He met you with open arms and you hugged him tightly, “Thank you for everything,” you whispered, tears coming to your eyes.

Mark ignored them and ruffled your hair again, feeling somewhat sad himself, “Keep in touch, okay?” You nodded that you would and Mark walked back to the car, waved and drove away. It dawned on him, as he drove, that he’d only known you for two days. It didn’t feel like it.

You watched the car drive away before walking slowly back to Jungkook. He had his hand extended and you skipped happily to take it. Jungkook led you inside and lasted another two minutes before saying, “Do you want to go on a date?”

“A...date?”

Jungkook held the door open for you, his cheeks pinking as you passed him. He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, “Like a...friend date?”

“A friend date?”

“Yeah, just so, you know, I can show you around Seoul.” Jungkook felt more and more awkward by the second, hands shaking slightly. Was he even convincing at all? You’d seemed so apprehensive at the proposition of a date, and he remembered Seokjin’s warning not to go too hard too fast, so he’d tried to amend the statement to have less romantic overtones.

You felt somewhat disappointed. A date implied feelings and more hand-holding and kissing...kissing. You’d been thinking about kissing him for years, and now he was in front of you with a different face, but somehow even more kissable than before.

You remembered your conversation with Mark on the airplane. Best friends, you’d told him adamantly. He had not looked convinced. Apparently, neither were you.

“That sounds fun,” you grinned, “I’d love to.”

author’s note— oooooh, a long-awaited date next chapter !

Translations— 고맙습니다 = thank you 청계천 = Cheonggyecheon Stream

for more of my works, check out my m.list

#rosynamjoon #bts #bts series #bts fluff #bts angst #bts x reader #jeon jungkook #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook series #jeon jungkook fluff #jeon jungkook angst #jungkook #jungkook x reader #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook series #jeongguk

[ispyblu]

Rubies Are Red, Azurite Is Blue

A super long oneshot based on @parfaitperi's super wonderful art of the Voltron lions as humans and @a-little-hot-mess's post that contributed to some details and a couple personality traits I can't explain how grateful I am to them to inspire me to write this oneshot thank you both of you! ----------------------- “Lance! Mijito, c’mon baby, we're going to be late!” Azura said as she tried not to yank on her nephew’s arm too hard. “But tía! I don't want to go see your friends, I want ice cream!” His exaggerated pouty lip and and the crocodile tears threatening to come out were trying Azura’s patience. “Hey hey hey hey hey, none of that now. C’mere.” She picked up the 5 year old and bounced him on her hip. “I promise you, as soon as we're done catching up we will go get ice cream, but you have to promise me you will be a good little munchkin, ok?” Lance kept his head down while his face kept a scrunched up look. “Hmm? I can't hear you…” she said playfully before attacking his little belly with tickles and raspberries. “Ahh! No! Stop Tía ‘Zura!” The little boy said between giggles. “Ok! Ok! I promise!” Azura stopped and readjusted Lance back on her hip. “Thank you. I promise you won't be too bored, Hunk is going to be there and the girls said they'd bring some kids your age too! Maybe you'll make some new friends!" Her little nephew gasped happily and proceeded to explain in great detail what games they would play and how excited he was. Azura just listened and answered any of Lance's questions. She loved her nephew dearly and even though she loved and cared for each of her sister's children, Lance was a kindred spirit . They were so much alike, always smiling and adapting well to bad situations, of course Lance was a child, but Azura was sure that once he was older he'd be just as attentive to those situations as she was. They walked for ten more minutes before finally reaching a sweet looking cottage like house, it was surrounded by a short white fence and different flowers surrounding the yard, rose bushes, hydrangeas some huge pink and white flowers that looked like they'd topple over with their own weight, different shrubs and baby trees were seen here and there scattered around the yard. Lance was amazed. "Wow! Tía, are your friends fairies? It's so pretty!!" Azura just laughed and pushed open the gate following the little cobblestone path to the front porch. When they reached the front door she placed Lance down in the floor, straightened his shirt, and took his hand before knocking. There was loud shuffling coming from inside and a muted "Katie Holt! You get your little naked ass over here!" More loud crashes and screams were heard until suddenly the door opened by a small little girl probably half Lance's age, in nothing but a huge fluffy green towel swallowing her slight frame. "Hello! My name's Katie! But auntie Esme calls me Pidge!" "Gotcha! You little gremlin! Hey Zura, how's the husband hunting going?" Esmeralda stood there with a wriggling little girl in her arms acting nonchalantly as if it happened everyday. Overcome with a sudden shyness, Lance stood behind his tía. "Esme watch your language there are children present!" Azura said with mock offense but shortly pulled a brilliant smile. Esme leaned against the door jamb returning the playful smile. "Aw, don't worry Pidgeon here has heard much much worse." The little girl stopped her escape attempts to smile and nod at their guests. Esme laughed and spotted Lance peek out behind Azura's leg. "Hey little guy, oh my gosh don't tell me this is Lance! What a handsome little man!" Azura saw Lance's chest puff out and he came out of hiding. "Thank you very much ma'am." He said with a wide grin. "Ooh and polite too! Maybe you could learn a thing or too from him Pidgey, but first let's get you some clothes. Come in you guys, sorry you had too see my little streaker, but she really needed the bath. Little stinker decided it would be nice to have a dirt war with herself before guests came." "Oh no, go ahead I remember babysitting Lance at that age, he hated wearing his diaper." She laughed while Lance tried to defend his honor. "And as for the husband hunting, god Esme! I haven't been any luckier than when we graduated! This is a total blow for my street cred! I was voted Most Likely to Date Her Whole Life, and since then I've been cursed to die alone!" Azura sat on the bar stool at the counter with Lance on her lap, hiding her face in her nephew's loose curls. "Damn, sounds like a bummer. Wish I was more help, but hard to give advice about relationships when you aren't into those kinds of things. You'd probably be better off when Amber or even Ebony comes." Esme said as she came out of a side door with dear little Pidge in green short overalls and little orange Crocs. Azura set down Lance so the two of them could play, they walked off to the next room where a chest of toys awaited them. The two older women talked a bit until the doorbell rang again. Esme quickly launched herself around the counter just in time to catch Pidge from opening the door again herself. "Nuh uh, my little sapling. Not this time." Together they both went to the door and Azura heard and smelled Amber before she saw her. The lovely heavyset woman peeked her head in before nearly dropping her huge bag of cupcakes and cookies on the counter to crush Azura in a hug. "Girl, I missed you so much!" Azura laughed as she returned the hug. "Honeydew I just saw you last week for Lance and Hunk's play date." Amber grabbed her by the shoulders. "And do you know how long I've suffered by not being in your presence?!" The girls were interrupted by a sudden cry of "Hunk!!!" And watched as little Lance launched himself in the stockier boy's arms causing them to fall over. Esme put down Pidge at that moment just in time for her to run over and join in on the pile of twisted limbs. The little kids were giggling and the older girls chuckled at their antics. "I'm so sorry I'm a bit late, I was waiting on the cupcakes to cool off long enough to frost them, and by the time they were good I realized I only had a few minutes to decorate them, pack them, and get Hunky and myself into the car!" She said as she took the said pastries out of the bag and onto a cute little display Esme had purchased just for the occasion. "It's worth it if it means I get cupcakes!" Esme said excitedly trying to snatch one, but unfortunately Amber slapped her hand away. "Wait until Ruby and Ebony come at the very least." Esme grumbled and clutched her 'injured' hand to her chest, perking up when the door sounded again. "Please tell me they carpooled, please tell me they carpooled.." she mumbled under her breath. Azura and Amber stayed in the kitchen to unpack the rest of the treats when the heard a loud groan come from the front. Esme came back a little later with her shoulders slumped and Ebony behind her with an older boy in tow. "I have never felt so loved before." Ebony deadpanned before cracking a grin a ruffling the shorter girl's hair. The other two joined them and more hugs were exchanged. Then Ebony introduced the boy with her. "This is Shiro, he's part of the Big Brother Big Sister thing I started with Alfor, you guys remember Alfor, right?" "You mean the adorable little twink from high school?" Azura asked. "How is he now?" "Take a look for yourself." Ebony then took out her phone that showed a picture of group of people and their 'little brothers and sisters'. Ebony stood with Shiro in front and at her side stood a broad shouldered, mocha skinned man with a goatee and light blue eyes. "Holy shit! When the heck did that happen?!" Azura took the phone from Ebony's hand and zoomed in on Alfor's face. "How did- when did- huh??" The girls merely laughed and Ebony told Shiro to go keep an eye on the younger kids for a bit. Azura snapped out of her stupor. "So, is Mr. Hotbod looking for a missus?" She waggled her sculpted brows. Ebony shook her head good naturally. "No after we left school, he actually found himself a nice girl to settle down with and they have a sweet little girl a year younger than Shiro." "Aww man! Why is fate so cruel to me! Please diosito, I'm sorry for anything I've done to deserve this!" She slumped into Amber's cushy shoulder while she patted her friend's head. “Aww come on Zura don't be like that. You know you'll always have us.” Amber said trying to comfort her. “Well come back to this soon, but for now have you guys heard from Ruby? She told me she was going to be late but I expected her to be here by now…” Ebony looked concern, which wasn't a surprise considering the two were friends long before meeting the rest of their group. "I'm sure she's- Ding dong! "-already here!" Amber said positively. "I'll get it this time!" Azura called out as she made her way quickly to the front door. While the other four gave knowing looks to each other. Azura paid no mind to them as she subconsciously combed back a loose curl from her face and opened the door. “Hey carrot-top, long time no see.” She said with a sly grin, leaning dramatically against the door frame. Ruby did not seem amused. “It's not my fault you grabbed the wrong hair dye! When are you going to put that lame nickname to rest?” “Never. I still have pictures if it makes you feel better!” Ruby just pushed her way into the house, a little boy in tow. “Oh! Is this-?” “Huh? Oh. Yeah. Zura, this is Keith, my new son.” Azura knelt down in front of the little boy, who had yet to look up from the ground. “Hey Keith. My names Azura, I used to know your momma.” Azura used the quiet voice she used when she was dealing with her sister’s youngest kids. Keith looked up for only a bit before returning his gaze to his little white sneakers. “Hullo.” He mumbled. Azura looked up at Ruby who momentarily had a pained look on her face before taking a breath and hardened her eyes. Azura knew that look. Knew that the pain Ruby felt was still fresh from the accident that happened almost a year ago that took away her sister and her brother-in-law. But Ruby was stupidly dutiful like that, and she would not let herself grieve terribly when she had her sister's child to look after, Azura admired her for that. She acted before thinking and stood with her arms open letting Ruby know she wouldn't judge and she definitely wouldn't say anything if that's what she wanted. Ruby merely leaned her head against Azura’s shoulder and wrapped her free arm around Azura’s. They paused for a moment so Azura could pick up Keith and let him hug his aunt turned mother. The other girls came trickling in, causing Azura and Ruby to separate quickly. But Azura kept a hand on the small of Ruby’s back as they traveled further into the house, to give that little bit of reassurance to her. Keith was dropped off with the other kids perking up a bit when he saw Shiro, whom he had taken a strong liking to. The group of women told each of their charges to be good, gave them each a cookie that Amber said Hunk had made especially for them, and left them in Shiro’s care before going back to the kitchen to catch up. Being a good three years older, Shiro felt good that his new aunties trusted him enough to keep an eye on their babies. Pidge was the youngest at the age of three, and Shiro had already taken to carrying her almost everywhere. Esme warned him he was going to spoil her, but Shiro didn't mind, she was an angel with him. Maybe it was playing favorites, but Shiro had already invested too much attention to Pidge in the short time he'd known her. The only one he'd probably put over Pidge was Keith. Thanks to Ebony and Aunt Ruby's tight bond, Shiro and Keith spent a lot of time with each other. Ebony would tell him that everyone needed someone to look up to, like he looked up to her, and Keith seemed to have imprinted on him like a baby duckling. The little boy wanted to be just like Shiro. He would follow him around the house and share all his stories about what he did in school. Shiro liked having Keith around, and when Keith and Aunt Ruby stayed over Ebony's home after the accident, Shiro had made it his personal mission to help his 'little brother' out. It wasn't easy at first, considering Keith didn't know what had actually happened, and even after he was told in the most gentle of ways instead of flat out throwing tantrums to see his parents again, he just became sad and quiet. Acting as if he accepted never seeing his parents again. It was a few months before the two were well off enough for Aunt Ruby to get them a little apartment and a few more to obtain and sign the papers needed for Aunt Ruby to adopt Keith. In the meantime Shiro had tried being the best brother he could be, but Keith still would clam up and didn't speak unless it was necessary, but Shiro wouldn't give up. It wasn't until one rainy day when Shiro went to visit that he found out what was going on in Keith's head. He and Aunt Ruby were trying to get Keith to do a puzzle with them, but the little boy just sat and watched them instead. When Aunt Ruby left to get snacks from the kitchen Keith spoke. "Shiro, do you think Aunt Ruby will leeb me too? Like mommy and daddy?" Shiro just stared at him. "What? Why do you think that?" Keith just played with his socked feet, curling himself up into a tiny ball. "Mommy and daddy didn't want me anymore right? Ts'why they leff me." "Oh, baby..." Aunt Ruby had entered the room and Shiro watched as Keith tried to hide from her gaze. Aunt Ruby sat next to him and pulled him into her lap. His little shoulders were shaking with the force of his unshed tears. "They didn't want to go baby, they would never have wanted to leave you if they had a choice." Aunt Ruby was strong, Ebony always called her a great and terrible force of nature, and it brought tears to Shiro's eyes when he heard the crack in her voice and her own shoulders quake with wracking sobs. She saw him and lifted her arm waiting for him to crash into her lap and the three of them just cried and cried after almost a year of pretending they'd cried enough. After they all calmed down some Aunt Ruby had put her hands on either side of Keith's face. "Now you listen to me little man," She said gently. "You were always wanted, life just knew how good your parents were that it wanted them for itself. And it's not fair. But just because the world did a bad thing does not mean they loved you or me any less! You were always wanted and you are wanted now, that's why we signed all those papers, so you would never be alone and I will always stay with you and love and take care of you forever." She wiped away the moisture from his cheeks and Keith's big indigo eyes met hers. "So...does that mean you're my new mommy now?" Aunt Ruby hugged both of the boys to her chest. "If that's what you want me to be firecracker, then that's what I'll do." Keith just pushed his tear streaked face and runny nose further into the softness of her shirt and just kept saying "Mommy! Mommy!" over and over again. After that Shiro saw a gradual change in his little brother, there were still times when Keith would get sad for his first parents. But then when Shiro visited he would bounce back a bit and let himself smile. Shiro knew it would take time to have Keith fully recover from this experience, but he was willing to help as much as he could. Which is why he was so confused with Keith's sudden change of attitude when he met the other kids at Aunt Esme's house. Shiro was fully prepared to have two little kids at his side while the other two played together. Instead he found the little blue eyed boy named Lance challenge Keith to a Lego building contest. "C'mon! It'll be fun!" Keith just stood there staring defiantly at the boy, probably not planning on leaving Shiro's side. "Ohhh, I get it. You're just escared of losing aren't you?” Lance had his hands on his hips and a cheeky smirk on his face. Keith pushed his face up and creased his brows. “No I'm not!" Shiro watched as the anger shined through Keith's eyes, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "Yeah right! Prove it then!" "I will!" With that the two boys raced quickly to the big bucket of Legos that sat in the middle of the floor. Lance and Keith split the Legos evenly amongst them and had Hunk be the referee. "Ok, whoever makes the biggest tower wins! Ready?" The two boys stared down the other, each already holding onto a brick to start. "Set?...GO!" Shiro sat Pidge on his lap and watched as the two boys aggressively started clasping bricks together. Keith had already started stacking his into a singular line already having to stand on his knees. Lance's wasn't very high yet, but Shiro saw he had made a base of sorts to balance the weight of his tower. Which would've been helpful to Keith, whose tower leaned to much to one side and came down with a crash, breaking into different pieces when it came in contact with the floor. "No!" Keith moaned as he started gathering his pieces and tried to refit them again before Lance finished his tower. He had to keep a hand on his tower at all times, until he realized the last piece was out of reach. He vainly tried to stretch his small little arms to it but moved to much and sent his tower tumbling once again. Just as Lance placed the last brick on top of his still-standing tower. "Ha! I beat you! Whoo!" Lance started running around the room with his arms stretched out like a little airplane, while he hummed a familiar little song out loud. "Lance? Is that the Space Ranger Buddies' theme song?" Shiro asked. Lance nodded his head super fast. "Uh huh! It's my favorite! Mama says I might get the Ranger Red toy for my birthday if I'm good!" His little blue eyes sparkled as he showed how excited he was by running in place. "That's Keith's favorite show too! And he really wants the Ranger Blue toy, don't you Keith?" Keith, who was pouting up until he too recognized the catchy little song escape Lance's mouth, uncrossed his arms and nodded equally as excited. "The Rangers are so cool! Beating up the bad guys like whoosh! And wham! And blak-chika-bla!" Keith made little finger guns and pretended to shoot. “I think it's more like pow pow pow!” Lance interjected pulling out his own ‘weapon’. “No it's like this! It's like this! Ka-chow ka-chow ka-chow!” Hunk joined into, practically vibrating in excitement. “Pew pewpew pew!” Pidge was the loudest obviously trying to voice her own opinion and join in the fun. "Shiro! Shiro! Do the thing! Do the voice!" Keith screamed, a happy sparkle coming into his eyes. Shiro sighed, but smiled, and in the best evil alien voice he could, said "I'm coming for you Rangers! I will have the Black Lion, and the ultimate weapon will be mine! Mwahahahaha!” The little kids laughed and chased after Shiro when he ‘took hostage’ of Pidge and ran around the house. “Lookie what I brought!” Azura said excitedly. Ruby glanced up from her plate (Amber had outdone herself once again, dammit, she was going to gain another 10 lbs...oh well!), and saw Azura holding up a bag of herbs. She groaned. “Zura, no! When are you going to get it through your head that you are not psychic?” Azura pouted. “I very well could be! My grandmother was a fortune teller! I just...haven't unlocked my true potential, that's all!” Ruby rolled her eyes, she would never tell Azura, but she found it quite adorable the way she tried relentlessly to predict their future. Everyone's future. She corrected herself. Everyone's. "Regardless of some people's lack of faith. This time will be different, I can feel it!" "I'm pretty sure what your feeling is just an ominous cloud ready to rain acid through your happy daydreaming." Ruby went back to attempting to steal treats from Esme's plate but would get smacked instead, fully intending to avoid Azura's pouting look. "I'll go first Zura!" Amber raised her hand as if they were back in high school. Azura's sad face magically slipped off her face a she squealed and grabbed Esme's tea kettle. "Ok, I think I figured out what went wrong the last time," she said over the running of the faucet. "Obviously, working with just any tea lying around won't work. I need to use one that represents me on an astral level, so obviously I need to align myself with my Pomegranate Green tea and focus our energies together to actually be able to read all you guys’ futures!” She put the kettle on the stove then ran back to the table before launching herself into Ruby's lap and stealing a bite of the cookie she was about to put in her mouth. “Azura!! You don't steal another woman's cookie! We have rules for a reason!” "Aw come on Ru-ru, I know you're not really mad at me." Azura fluttered her lashes and wrapped her long arms around Ruby's neck. Ruby had two options; become flustered and show everyone and their respective child how much Azura could get to her or...not. I think we all know which one she chose. With an impassive face, she merely hooked her arm underneath Azura's knees and lifted her up. She ignored the shrill squawk that exited from the other girl's throat and chucked her over the sofa in the front room. "Don't eat my cookies again, savage." Azura just giggled until the kettle started whistling, at which point she raced back to the kitchen and mixed the dry mix and water into cups. "Ok! Everybody drink at your own pace, whenever you're done Amber, I'll start with you." The girls smiled fondly at their friend and through a variety of blows and sips and gulps they steadily finished their cups. Amber sat in front of Azura holding out her cup in anticipation. Azura took out her ‘scrying saucer’ (it was just a plate with cool painted pictures, let's be real here) and made a big show of lifting the cup over her head and called forth the spirits of her dead ancestors to help her see the events yet to come. It was actually really fantastic to watch, what Azura lacked in actual prophetic skill, she made up for in wonderful showmanship. She then carefully turned the cup over and placed it upside down on her saucer, giving it a couple of pats to its bottom. "Ok here we go!" She lifted the the cup with a flourish, the dregs of tea scattered along its surface in random places. "Now Amber, according to the leaves...you will be taken someplace new, ooh lucky, oh! Never mind." "What? What is it?" Amber asked. Leaning over the saucer as if she too could see something more than soggy tea leaves. “It looks like trouble will follow you, a fight of some kind takes place, oh! But look, you come out victorious!” “Yes! So all in all seems like a good day, whoo hoo!” Azura laughed at her best friend's antics. Ruby was grateful that Amber would do anything to make Azura feel more confident in herself, she just wished she could be more like that, be the one Azura could go to as well, be her shoulder to cry on, she knew Azura was the most self-sacrificing person to ever live, she does so much for others she forgets about herself...ugh, maybe she should face the facts, her and Azura's relationship was nothing like what Amber and Azura had. “Ok! Who's next?” Azura read that Ebony would travel somewhere far, most likely job-related, she assured her she will have enough money so souvenirs were greatly accepted, insert her smirky wink-face. Esme needed to watch herself or she would carelessly break another bone, again. (“I have done no such thing before!” “Lies, blasphemous lies.”) “Ru-ru~ It's your turn~” Ruby let out an expected groan and pretended to drag her feet as she switched seats with Esme. “Fine. Here.” She plunked her cup on the table and waited with her arms crossed. Azura tipped the cup and patted its sides like before. “Alrighty, let's see what the world has planned for you carrot-top.” Azura said with a sweet smile. Ruby just huffed and glared at her to hurry up. Azura took a look at the tea leaves, the grin slipping off her face. “Huh.” “What?” Ruby said looking much more interested than she seemed. “You- you're- the leaves say there's a promise of love in your future…” Azura's voice had lowered exceptionally. “Oooh, Ruby! Who are you crushing on? You planning on asking them out soon?” Esme egged on her, giving knowing smirks and glances. “I don't know what you're talking about…” Ruby grumbled, obviously lying as a blush formed across her nose. Azura looked her in the eye. “Who-?” She was interrupted by loud squeals of delight from their charges. The older kids had found toy guns to help better act out their adventures, while Pidge toddled after them with a paper crown that was falling over her forehead and an old apron tied up as a cape, indignant cries to ‘slow down guys!’ coming from her mouth. The little girl seemed tired, her steps a bit unbalanced. Esme scooped her up, letting her lean against her chest. “Hey stinker, I think it's time for a nap.” She said gently while bouncing on the balls of her feet.: “Noooo, I'm na sleepy…” Pidge said with a large yawn. Esme just giggled at her goddaughter. “Close your eyes little sapling, dream of talking flowers.” The little girl curled up in her embrace and slowly complied. Hushed coos came from everybody else. “Well I think that's our cue to be on our way.” Ebony said. Amber agreed stating that her mother told her to go with Hunk to his kid-safe cooking class. And Esme went to quickly put Pidge to bed before saying good bye. “Tía! Tía! Can Keith come get ice cream with us? Please please please?” Azura picked up lance and nuzzled his nose with hers. “You don't forget anything do you?” “Nope!” He wriggled out of her arms to go and grab Keith's hand. Azura looked over to Ruby. “Do you guys have any plans for today?” Ruby smiled and shook her head. “Keith baby? You wanna go get ice cream?” The boys nearly screamed in joy. The women said their goodbyes, promising to catch up with each other a lot sooner and left their separate ways. Keith and Lance held each other's hands to Ruby's car, who had offered to drive them home as well. Luckily she had two car seats for when Shiro would come visit. The four climbed in and rode off to the cute little creamery in the center of town. All the while the boys play fought, and talked about other shows and toys they have. They each got an ice cream cone and walked over to park across the street, the boys eating on the swings while their guardians watched from a park bench. “So…” Azura started airily. “So…?” Ruby responded focused on getting the drops of strawberry threatening to spill over. Azura cleared her throat. “So, do I know this person you have a crush on?” Ruby almost choked on the bit of ice cream she was savoring. She coughed while Azura rubbed her back. “Why are we talking about this now?” Azura shrugged. “I don't know, I've just been wondering. Who in this entire world could've caught the great Ruby Kwang’s eye? How wonderful must they be to achieve that kind of honor?” Azura said this with an easy smile but couldn't help the plummeting feeling in her stomach. Someone caught Ruby's attention, someone Ruby deemed worthy enough to be considered an equivalent. Azura couldn't help but feel bitterness for whoever they were, they were going to get one of the greatest people to ever grace the earth with their presence. She looked back to her friend who looked a bit red in the face, but that could've just been from the coughing fit she had. “You really think that? That I'm wonderful?” Azura hid her face and nibbled on her waffle cone. “Of course I do,” Ruby looked down at her own partially melted cone. Azura thought she was wonderful. She couldn't even comprehend how that was possible. Azura was like all the stars in the sky, she outshines the sun, her smile alone could cause wars like that of Helen of Troy. If Ruby was wonderful, Azura was 10 times that amount, how could she not see that? The two stayed silent and watched the boys climb onto the jungle gym pretending they were space pirates or something, until Azura spoke again. “They must be smokin’ hot, huh? The person you like?” Ruby felt her cheeks burn. “Why are so adamant about this?! Just let it go, Zura!” “I need to know! It's killing me from the inside! Tell me!” “No.” “Ru-ru come on! How am I supposed to know if they're a good match for you? You gotta tell me! Are they from work? Did you bump into each other in the supermarket? Did-?” “I have liked the same person since high school!!” The confession had just burst from her mouth with no warning, both parties were shocked, by the volume and bluntness of her response. “Wait, what? Seriously? How could you have been crushing on the same person for almost 7 years and I didn't know about it!? We were together everyday! We were roommates in college!” “Well, that just goes to show you the person I like is completely obtuse…” Ruby mumbled under her breath. But Azura caught it. “What does that have to do with anything? We were talking about….me….” Ruby wouldn't look back at her, she kept her arms tensed and crossed, her posture, defensive. “Me?” Azura said again. “You liked...me? All this- all this time?” Ruby lifted her knees and held them to her chest, hiding her burning face even more. “You're telling me you've had a crush on me since high school?” Ruby nodded. “For seven years?!” Another nod. “You're telling me I could have been macking on your fine ass for years now and you were keeping it a secret!!!” Ruby nodded only to stop halfway and slowly turn her head. “Wait, wha-?” Azura reached over and took Ruby's hand in hers. “You beautiful idiot, why wouldn't you tell me?” She whispered gently, fondly. “I- I didn't-” she swallowed. “I didn't think you felt the same…” Azura exhaled and raised their joined hands to her lips, kissing each pale knuckle. “Stupid carrot-top…” she mumbled against her skin. “Will you go out with me sometime?” Azura asked, lips never leaving her hand. Ruby nodded and Azura smiled slowly and widely. She pulled them up to their feet and corralled the boys back to the car, all the while never letting go of Ruby's hand. When the boys were seated and Ruby started the ignition, Azura took hold of her hand again. “Hey?” Ruby looked to her. Azura looked at her happily. “Told you I was psychic.” Ruby snorted out a laugh while Azura placed one more kiss on her hand. It was the start of beautiful relationship.

#parfaitperi #a-little-hot-mess #you guys are an inspiration #thank you... #i love you both #even tho you don't know me

[shehzada-ali-archived]

(( ✈ ON THE ROAD AGAIN~))

((LORD THIS TOOK A WHILE BUT I’M FINALLY HAPPY W/IT))

It was amazing given the sheer number of airports they had departed and arrived upon with nearly the same frequency of New Yorkers taking the subway to their daily routine, that the little things never failed to annoyed him to close to the point of no return.

Missing bags were one thing��he could implode later on after the flight when they had disembarked from the metal tube flying at 12'000 feet in the air and he could do his best impression of Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder without attracting the attention of security, but this time, his patience was being tested even before they approached the departure gates.

“He’s with me.”Ariya stated gruffly as he picked up his hand luggage from the scanners and watched as one of the TAS officers produced two handheld metal detectors; he didn’t even have to turn around to know who among the line of weary travellers behind him had been singled out.

“At ease sir, it’s just a random check—”

“Bullshit.” He could see a few of the agents flinching at his choice of word and heard the scandalised gasps from behind him but it was 4:30am of a red eye flight and he was scrapping the bottom of his reserves of patience. “That’s what they say about him at three out of four airports we’ve been through and that’s a whole lot of airports agreeing on the same thing so if his name is the reason you keep calling his ass up, slot the patdowns a little earlier down the line so he doesn’t have to run for the fucking gates five minutes past boarding time.”|

“Sir, you’re making a scene–”

“Adeel Alam. That’s his name on the passport. That’s why you keep pulling him aside, right? You think he’s going to blow a plane or something? You know where he’s from?”His snapped back, voice rising as quickly as his pulse did.

“Ari.”

“Fucking Bolingbrook Illinois, the most mystical oasis this side of Agrabah for sure!”

“Ariya.”

“Five years on the force and the whole lot of you still insist on treating him like a goddamn criminal?!”

“ARIYA!”

The Iranian whipped his head around to the sound of his name, the way his features had been savagely twisted up in mounting rage softening immediately as he saw the concern in his co-worker’s eyes.

“It’s okay.”He heard the two words that made him want to punch a hole in the wall and his hands instinctively began flexing in a way that made two security guards from behind the conveyor belt reach for their batons.

“It is not fucking okay, Bhai. You know it’s not.”Ariya shot back even as he felt the tenseness in his shoulders dissipating when his travelling partner gripped them reassuringly. It was maddening, the weird calming effect that the Adeel, better known as Mustafa Ali in the ring had upon him when he wanted to rage, wanted to vent, wanted to sling back the mud the world had heaped upon them.

“It’s not the perfect situation, I know that, I agree; I hate the frequency of this routine where I’m concerned as much as you hate seeing me go through it but it’s 4:30am and these people are as tired as we are, same to the people behind me.”He listened as Ali reasoned with him with the same dead calm the man was well-known for.“It’s an injustice, Sher, and it needs to be fixed, but there’s a place and a time that can be better addressed. For now, let them do this.”

The fire in his belly died down a little and his nostrils flared bullishly as he looked at the stragglers behind Ali and took a deep breath before waving dismissively.

“Yeah yeah. Fine.”Came the relenting rumble as Ariya rubbed a side of his face wearily and moved aside from the line. He didn’t budge however despite the glares of consternation shot his way by the agents. “What’re you looking at? You want me to leave? ‘Cause I ain’t going nowhere until you’re done with him.”

“I-if you’d just wait here for a sec–”One of meeker ones willed themselves to speak and he wasted no time tossing his luggage down and sinking into the single seat the TSA agent had pointed out, arms crossed mutinously as he watched them escort firmly Ali to the private room and the line behind them began to move again.Every now and then he dropped his gaze upon the face of the wristwatch on his left hand before leaning back in the chair and taking his passport out from his pocket to riffle through the pages. The stamps there detailed a sprawling map all across the United States, the only home the both of them had known yet the same home that seemed determined these days to make a stranger out of the one who had traded five years of their life to keep it safe. Many a time he scoffed at Ali’s straight-laced past as a cop in Chicago, but he was the first to raise his dukes to anyone who dismissed it because of the the man’s background for sake of race, religion, a myriad of things which in a perfect world had no bearing on a man’s character. Theirs was one far from it however, and as he saw the door to the examination room crack open after fifteen minutes, he immediately rushed over to the side of the Illinois native who was visibly uncomfortable and not a word was passed between them as they gathered up their belongings and left.

“How bad?”Came Ariya’s inquiry when they were out off the TSA’s earshot and steadily making their way through the halls in search of their gate. The place was eerily desolate this early in the morning, the stores that lined the corridors dark and cafes he could swear still echoed with the laughter from its previous patrons empty.

“The pants came off. Boxers too.”Ali stated in a matter-of-factly tone though the way his sombre expression slowly lifted up in one of those ill-contained grins made the gears in Ariya’s head work at double speed and he groaned at what was coming next.

“Don’t say it. Don’t you s—”He grumbled under his breath, burying his face in his free hand for a moment as he heard the stifled snickering from his long-suffering travel mate who dropped the zinger;

“They thought I was packing.”

“I hate you.”Said Ariya with a snort as he lightly slapped the back of Ali’s head.“Arrest yourself for that double-entendre, Officer McCheesy. No fucking bail.”

“Come on Ari, at least this wasn’t like the time I played a game of hot and cold with them when they got the paddles out.”The smaller man offered with a wry grin and this time it was Ariya who let loose a bark of a laugh as he rolled his eyes at the memory.

“You were delayed for what, six hours?”He counted on the fingers of one hand, brow knotting as he attempted to recall the details. It had gotten Ali into hot water with the agents for a while but at the end of the day outside of a moment of humor it was nothing of the man’s actual fault.

“Seven. Missed my flight, rescheduled. The dinner vouchers would have made up for it if at least one restaurant in service there hadn’t been serving pork.” Said the Illinois native with a resigned shrug as they finally spotted the signs pointing out the gates.

“How the hell are you so….calm about this?”The question that had been playing at the tip of his tongue finally rolled off it as he turned to look at the former cop who raised both eyebrows quizzically.“About this goddamn system and how it’s set up to fail you from the moment it hears your name and sees your skin no matter what you do?”

“Oh don’t get me wrong about ‘calm’, how did that phrase go? 'I’m always angry’? I just happen to find arguing with congressmen during town hall meetings about pressing issues a lot more satisfying and productive. I mean, I’ve worked with the system, man; Different avenues for your righteous fury, some work better than others.”Came Ali’s reply, followed by a toothy grin which softened into something warmer that had the man dropping his gaze to the floor for several seconds. “Having travel partner willing to get his ass chewed out with me by Brisco for being delayed again though, that helps a lot with you know. Coping. Not being alone through all this.”

Ali turned his head and raised his gaze so they shared a glance and Ariya stopped in his tracks at the thought. No doubt the others they worked with sympathised with the situation, voiced their discontent every time the well-mannered optimist was pulled aside like the black sheep of a flock, but they had their own business to handle and goodbyes would be exchanged while Ali being Ali would assure them that he would be alright. A statement people like them had to tell themselves over and over again from one violation of liberty to another, all the while hoping that their angry neighbour back home or the lone white male staring holes in their back from across the street had enough self-restraint to keep their malcontent verbal. Alright as they could be, the weight of a country’s social upheaval shouldn’t have been something either of them had to bear alone.

“You’re killing my street cred here.” He complained gruffly, bumping his shoulder into Ali who reciprocated the gesture in brotherly fashion. “Don’t mention it alright. Ever.”Ali made a gesture of zipping his lips just as static began to crackle to life from somewhere above them.

“Last boarding call for Delta Airlines flight 5761, Orlando to Chicago.”The culture though somewhat mechanical voice of a woman drifted out from the speakers in the hall and the two men looked at each other once more. “Please proceed to gate 25.”

“Race you there, Ari.”Came the dare from the lithe man with a wink as he hitched his bagpack a little higher on his shoulders. “Last one to the gate pays for gas!”

Ariya watched as Ali shot off like a bullet, a crooked grin quirking up the side of his mouth as he charged along, hot at the man’s heels.

“Get ready to pay up bunny boy, 'cause I’m about to Usain Bolt your entire Terminal Dash record!”

The world wasn’t perfect and he didn’t know if Ali’s hopes for it would ever be something they could achieve in this lifetime. Didn’t mean they couldn’t find the light in the darkness from moments like these however, and for as long as he could help keep it burning, so he would.

[c-rankin93]

Welcome to Stamford Pt 4

Okay so how long has it been of sever writers block, crossed with an earthquake and to many hours at work? Weeks, months? I don’t know but all I know is im back, and this ladies and dudettes is what I call- ‘you know when you have written like 3 chapters and you think they are all shit so you re-write them and you spew corny shit all over the pages’! But I needed to give you guys something, you were begging me and I felt bad. So please don’t kill me for this.

Now the way I see Finn in this, is different. He’s more loveable, cheerful and what I think FUNNY??

Just think of the way Nico acts in real life. I always see moody Finn and grumpy Finn… what about happy Finn. But hey if you don’t like it, then pass this on as a flake.

Now my writing is meh? I haven’t written in so long and this was a spur of the moment thing where I had to write this down before it disappeared.

Enough with my rambles, READ. READ. READ. And P.s I might be on Wattpad now? So im not just writing fan fic anymore!

I LOVE YOU ALL MY PATIENT FOLLOWERS! MWAH!!!

&&&&& NOT EDITED 

PART 3 GUYS! HAVE A RE-CAP 

 FINN POV

 Sweat baby Jesus.

I could see the blush invade her ivory skin, her plump cheeks turning a glorious shade of crimson red. Her eyes avoiding mine as I tried in vain to see those deep chocolate irises of hers.

Stubborn girl

I knew she was embarrassed. The all mighty Rae with a mouth as lethal as a gun was stunned in silence.

I could hear Archie briefly chuckle under his breath before my eyes flicked to his. It was a moment of gratitude when he cleared his throat and straightened his posture, not muttering a single word more. I didn't need to give this girl a reason to run.

I couldn't help the broad smirk stretch across my face, not that she would even notice. No she was too busy playing with the loose threat of her shirt. Dazed by her own lyrical words, and most likely regretting the last five minutes of her life.

"Oh really" I couldn't help but question with a little pep to my words. I won't lie, I was enjoying this. Watching her body squirm under my gaze like I was her weakness, I felt powerful but also very amused.

I straightened to my full height but kept my arms crossed across my chest, my smile never fading. This girl was really something.

"Go on..." I asked as I lifted an eyebrow, my gaze never wavers from hers.

Her head shot up, I could see her brain ticking away. Most likely over thinking the situation she got herself into.

“I... ugh- I only just read that part" she stuttered barely above a whisper.

Before I had the chance to reply to the vixen my view was obstructed. Blue eyes pierced into mine, it wasn't a foreign experience looking into them but it was an experience I unfortunately discovered one too many times.

"Hiya Finn" Her slightly squeaky voice made me shutter. I learnt a few months back that Chloe wasn't going to give up, yes I might have led her on at the start, body first, mind second. I am a guy, and nobody in their right mind can say they have never done or won’t ever do something like that. By the time I learnt other aspects about Chloe, the way she coolly spoke about other females, her slightly flirtatious fingers that wondered a bit too much along the planes of my body I realised we had nothing in common. She likes attention, I hated it. That was more than enough reason to keep away. I hadn't even kissed the girl and I have to fend her off with a spatula.

Her finger nails slide alone my shirt, whilst her other hand tangled through her hair, twirling her locks into a tight knot. Ha! Hope her fingers get fucking stuck.

"Chloe" I nodded, removing her hand and backing up slightly. I noticed her smile drop before her fake facade crept its way back onto her face.

"I was thinking that maybe we could hang out again tomorrow night" her sickly sweet voice was drumming through my head. I noticed her eyes flick back towards Rae who still looked like a deer in headlights. A smug smirk etched its way onto her slim face, and I knew exactly what was going on.

I knew at that moment she was marking her territory. Fuck, she might as well just cock her leg and piss on me instead. I've had numerous girls attempt this, and all of them failed. I was not some object, I liked my space and I liked to make my own decisions. And right now my own monologue sounded like a pre-teen-fucking-girl.

"Actually chlo" I spoke coolly, fuck I hope this worked. "Rae and I already had plans".

Four mouths dropped in unison, but only two mouths spoke- or yelled.

"What" Chloe and Rae were in sync, both tones slightly pitchy but I gave it a C+ for effort.

"Maybe all that erotic smut has seeped too far into that head of yours Rae" I wiggled my eyebrows to emphasize what I meant; "If you don't remember us having plans tonight, then maybe I should just drag you away now".

I hoped to God Rae played along with this one, my eyes were pleading to her. I could see the sparkle of mischief in those doe eyes, it manifested in self into a full blown grin and I was nearly knocked of my feet.

Two rows of while teeth, cute little dimples that sat on the edge of her beautiful smile, and I even noticed the wrinkle she got near her eye.

God, this sad sap of and man could just reach out and pinch the roundness of her cheeks like an overbearing Grandma. I have officially lost my balls.

"Oh that. Sorry totally forgot, ugh. Well all I really remember is that you- you promised me pizza all expenses paid for and I can't really turn that down" Rae was a natural liar, I wasn't sure to be scared or amazed.

"You sure you need the pizza" Chloe mumbled under her breath, but I know that Rae and the others had heard her snide comment.

Just as I was about to say something in return, I heard Rae speak up. To say I was shocked was an understatement, to say I was now stiff as a board down stairs was completely accurate. Oh the bite in her words was beyond erotic.

"Well Chlo, yeah I do. An ass like this doesn't stay this round by only eating salad. Maybe you should try it one day; I mean it might give them something to look at from behind".

SHE HAD ME. HOOK. LINE. SINKER.

My arm was then suddenly torn from my body, blood spraying the weak as zombies raided the school demolishing those who couldn’t run fast enough. Poor Chloe dead, her jugular spraying warm blood one the walls… is what I wanted to narrate but really it was Rae pulling me along towards the library exit whilst I threw I peace sign over my shoulder to gayer, red and blow –up Barbie. Oh I could so be a writer.

She let me go from her clutches as soon as we were far enough away and stopped awkwardly. She smelled like coconut, her face flushed red, and her tacky bag just hung limp from her hand.

“Okay well this was fun- ugh… See ya!” have you ever watched a girl speed walk away from you like you just announced that you had leprosy? Well that was what Rae was currently doing and I must say my ego wasn’t too impressed.

“HEY!” I yelled, which caused her to walk a little faster. I swear she could win Olympic gold with that stride.

“Rae Stop! I mean it…” shit this was not working. She had managed to cross the quad and head towards the front of the school. I knew once she made it out of the gate I would lose her. So many possible ways she could turn and with a walk like that I wouldn’t be surprised if she walked all the way to London by the time I made it to the chippy.

It was time to officially lose any street cred that I had.

Operation embarrass-the-shit-out-of-rae-until-she-stops comenses.

“Rae Earl! How could you do that to me! Kiss me then leave me for another!” I yelled, fake sobs raked my body and any student between her and I gawked. Including Rae herself, excellent.

“You told me it was only me!” I continued, falling to my knees in a dramatic fashion.

I looked at the ground as she started to cuss in my direction. I didn’t need to see her to know she was currently heading my way.

“Get the fuck up Finn”.

“Why don’t you love me anymore?” I wailed waving my hands in the air like a mother giving birth. I really shouldn’t have dropped drama class. I was just imagining my name in flashing lights- Finn ‘the knicker dropper’ Nelson, God of the theatre. Ultra sexy alter ego named ‘Nico mirallegro’ king of the Italian mafia. (Always had a thing for Italian names, sue me!)

“If I wanted to listen to an asshole Finn, I’d fart. Now get the fuck up!” Rae’s face was just a whisper from my ear and I couldn’t help but crack a large grin as I got back to my knees.

“You had me at hello” I spoke lustfully giving her a good ol’ wink.

“You’re a pervert! Why the fuck did you just do that to me… and you? Aren’t you worried about your reputation! God you are so stupid” she smacked her palm on her forehead and huffed.

I sighed. “Why would I care what any of these people think?” twisting my brows together as I saw the shock on her face. “… and plus the way you were walking you’ve be in Australia before I knew it. I wanted you to stop”.

She gave me a look as to say ‘why?’ and I breathed heavily… well ive already gone this far.

“I thought we had plans… you know-pizza?”

“You meant that?” I nodded.

“Oh well I thought you were just saying that to get away from Chloe” I rubbed my face with my hands and then looked straight into her chocolate eyes.

“You intrigue me Rae. You act different, you look different. I need a change in my life. So what do you say? Pizza…?”

Ohkay who the fuck am i, and what have i just done to grumpy Finn. i took me years to perfect that grunt, and in a matter of 10 minutes she just managed to turn me into a completely different person. Ohkay maybe i need to rethink my acting career, im not good at staying in character.

----

Its short i know, but its up. SO TEll ME HOW IT WAS YO! 

TAG LIST THUS FAR…

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I just copied my old tag list, so im sorry if i missed anyone. feel free to remind this old girl if i did :D

#mmfd #mmfdfanfic #mmfdfic #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fandom #finn #finn x rae #Rae+Finn #fiction #my mad fat diary #mymadfatdiary #myfatdiary #my+mad+fat+diary #my mad fat diary fan fiction #honest comments

[gleekhq]

Congratulations, A! You have been accepted as Santana Lopez! Please send in your account within 24 hours! If you need more time, please ensure to reach out to us otherwise your role will be reopened! Don’t forget to take a look at our Checklist!

Out of Character Information

Name/Alias: A

Age: 30+

Timezone: GMT -3

Pronouns: She/Her

Anything Else?: RFP

In Character Information

Full Name: Santana Angelica Lopez

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Faceclaim: Bianca A. Santos

Sexual Orientation: Lesbian

School & Grade: McKinley (Sophomore)

Major(s): Arts Management & Entrepreneurship

Minor(s): Music production

Extracurriculars: Glee Club, Cheer Team, Student Radio

Traits: Passionate, resourceful and loyal. Hot-tempered, meddlesome and casually cruel.

Head Canons

Santana likes to tell people that she is from the wrong side of the tracks, but her father’s job as a doctor let the family afford a house and live rather comfortably in The Manors at Cross Creeks, a gated community in Pickerington, a budding suburb of Columbus, OH. She claims that she comes from a rough neighborhood for street cred.

When she was little, she used to think that her middle name was “Diabla” because her grandmother would call her “Mi Pequeña Diabla” whenever she got into trouble. Her abuela thought it was funny because Santana’s real middle name, Angelica, means exactly the opposite, so the nickname stuck.

She spent most of her high school days so far in the closet she could have been having tea with Mr. Tumnus. During her senior year, her then best friend, Lily, gave her mono and Santana passed it to her boyfriend and captain of the football team. When her boyfriend put two and two together, he outed them at a football after party. Lily promptly denied being gay and instead told everyone that it had been Santana who came onto her. It caused Santana to lose popularity points and the only reason why she didn’t fall all the way down the social ladder was because her status as a cheerleader protected her. The whole school dubbed the episode monogate.

Her parents accepted Santana’s sexuality and took it well when she told them, but her grandmother hasn’t spoken to her since. Family dinners are quite awkward these days, especially when they start taking jabs at each other but have to use a third party to deliver them.

Following the train wreck that was her coming out story and wanting to put monogate behind, she accepted the cheerleading scholarship that her former coach helped her get and enrolled at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. She dropped out after a few months, but continued to enjoy the partying aspects of college life until her parents intervened and threatened to cut her off. She came back to Ohio and the following year, she enrolled at McKinley where she’s studying Arts Management & Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Music Production.  

She enjoys the business side of the arts as much as she enjoys letting her inner Amy Winehouse loose at an open mic night, if not more. Despite often joking about wanting to be the next Paula Abdul, Santana is actually smart and, more importantly, realistic; she knows the likelihood of her making it big as a performer is slim, so a career that blends the artistic and business elements of the arts is the path she’s decided to take.

She’s prone to embellishing, exaggerating and sometimes even downright making shit up - no matter how ridiculous the stories she comes up with end up sounding. Perhaps you’ve heard her tell the tale of how when she came out of her mother she told the nurse she was fat.

Twice a week, she hosts “Aural Pleasure” from ten to midnight @ AROUSE MCC, an internet radio station run by McKinley students. On air, she goes by the name “Rosario Cruz,” and besides playing some of her favorite tunes, she is known for offering unsolicited advice to her insomniac audience and making politically incorrect remarks about the comments listeners leave on the station’s social media.

IC Questions

What do you think about Glee Club? Are you a member? If not, how come?

Glee Club is like a family, Red. A dysfunctional family where all the cousins are constantly whining, crying or fighting each other, and there’s that one member who’s an unhinged drama queen with a misplaced sense of entitlement that everyone else only pretends to like just ‘cause they don’t wanna be subjected to yet another tantrum. Having said that, you might be surprised to know that I’m in Glee Club, even though on most days, I’d rather be caught smuggling bread sticks outta the nearest restaurant… again, than on board the sinking ship known as SS Loser. Coach has a rule about the Cheerios doing one good deed at the beginning of the school year to balance everything that may happen afterwards, so, being a member is basically my way of filling the good deed quota. It’s kinda like doing community service.

If you could be any superhero, who would you be? Why?

Does Buffy cou- Can’t say I know that much about superheroes because I’m not an irredeemable dork. ‘sides, I already have the only superpower I need and it’s called having boobs. But, if I really had to choose, I’d probably go with Wonder Woman. I’d rock the hell out of that outfit.

What is your greatest fear? What made this your greatest fear?

Oh, wow. That question doesn’t sound suspect at all. What are you, collecting blackmail material? This is why nobody trusts a ginger, y’know. My greatest fear is being trapped in an elevator with motormouth Berry. I mean, how the hell am I supposed to breathe with her schnoz hogging all the oxygen?

Which would you rather be? Popular Unpopular? What made you choose this?

The only people who say that they prefer to be unpopular are the ones who don’t have what it takes to be popular. You think they enjoying being the bottom feeders of the social aquarium? Sip on this truth tea, honey, nobody chooses to be unpopular.

#GHQAccepted #submission

[ausaplenty]

Running from the nightmares

Kiara Scuro. Ryan Cooper. Jake Williams. Captain America AU.

Kiara broke into an ear-splitting grin as she saw Alexa enter the room. The brunette rolled her eyes in fond exasperation as Kiara bounded over and enveloped her in a hug, inhaling the scent of her jasmine perfume.

“You don’t know how much I’ve missed you,” the blonde murmured, burrowing her head into the crook of Lexie’s neck.

“Then why did you let me go?” The words were harsh, accusing and Alexa’s breath was warm on her ear.

Kiara recoiled, stricken “Lexie - I didn’t. I tried, so hard. I couldn’t-”

“Please,” the telepath scoffed. “You barely tried, Kiara. If you had, you would have been at the bottom of the ravine with me. Instead, you’re hailed as a hero. Instead of the failure you are.”

“No, that’s not what happened,” Kiara insisted as Alexa pushed her away.

She reached out, desperate to hold the woman. To ascertain that she was real. But the woman danced out of her grasp.

“You can’t lie to me, Captain,” the brunette snapped. “We both know the truth. You. Let. Me. Go.”

The ground cracked beneath Alexa’s feet and the blonde lunged forward as the room crumbled. Her scream matched the telepath’s as the older woman plunged into the snowy chasm below.

Kiara bolted upright, her tee shirt soaked with sweat. Frantic, she rolled out of her bed and started pacing.

She’d had dreams like this since she’d come out of the ice, trapped in a place where the world worshipped her for her ‘sacrifice’ when she alone knew the truth. She had deserved the fate she’d chosen, had ignored any other alternative. Because she saw no other option.

Hydra was destroyed. The war would soon end. And she would be the one who let Alexa die.

Frustrated and unwilling to return to her dream, Kiara shed her night clothes and threw on exercising clothes.

She still had an hour before the sun came up and she didn’t feel like being trapped in the apartment.

The brisk, pre-dawn air bit at her face as she slipped outside and started running away from the nightmares. Her feet pounded against the pavement, creating a steady rhythm she could get lost in, instead of the music people played on their tiny Epods or whatever they were called.

She ran for almost half an hour before she saw another jogger.

“On your left,” she warned as she sprinted past him.

Kiara was being useful. It wasn’t the same county that she’d left over 70 years ago, but there was alway some threat to be dealt with. And if she was busy, then the nightmares had less of a chance to gnaw at her conscious.

The sun was just beginning to rise as she started her second lap around the National Mall, her breath fogging the air each time she exhaled.

She missed New York. She missed the way the city never slept and it’s streets were never as empty, even when morning had yet to break. But it wasn’t home.

Her home was buried in the cemetery, where Reed and her parents were laid to rest. She’d visited once. Stared at a grave that bore her name and was right next to Alexa’s. Her will had been one of the last things she’d done before riding into the Hydra base, right after she’d arranged her best friend’s service.

Her tombstone was strewn with flowers and flags and propaganda pieces. A few of the memorials spilled onto Alexa’s and the thought of it filled her with ire. Alexa was the hero.

She squinted, recognizing the runner she’d passed earlier. Kiara sped up slightly.

“On your left,” she called, looking over her shoulder at the man.

“Uh huh Okay. On my left,” he retorted, slightly exasperated. She could see the perspiration that soaked his sweatshirt. There was a small smile on his face. “Got it.”

She shook her head, finding his attitude amusing, and sprinted faster.

Maybe Washington DC wasn’t as sleepy in the morning as she first thought.

He was at the reflection pool when she neared him on her third.

Kiara couldn’t stop her smile as she raced behind him.

“Don’t you do it. Don’t you even -” he warned.

“On your left,” she responded, smiling wider as she heard him speed up.

“Oh, come on, man,” he called, shifting from a jog to a full run as he raced after her.

The wind and her speed kept trying to force her hood back as she made her fourth lap and she slowed when she saw him sitting beneath a tree.

“Need a medic?” she asked teasingly.

“I need a new set of lung,” he shot back, puffing slightly. “You just ran like, 13 miles in 30 minutes.”

“Huh,” Kiara commented, stepping under the tree’s shade. The sun was rising fast and she wanted to get out of its light before she stained her hoodie with sweat. “Guess I got a late start.”

She like the banter.

“Oh, is that it? You should be ashamed of yourself,” the man quipped, wiping the sweat off his brow. He glanced away and rolled his eyes when he looked back to see her there. “Did you just take it? I assume you did. Geeze.”

She pointed to his sweatshirt, at the Air Force insignia on it. “What unit are you with?”

“Fifty-eighth para-rescue, but now I’m working at the VA,” he wheezed, offering up his hand. “Jake Williams.”

“Kiara Scuro,” she replied, clasping it and helping him to his feet.

“I figured that out after the second lap. It helps my ego to know that I didn’t get lapped three times by some random jogger.” Jake told her, straightening. “Must have been weird for you, coming out of that defrost.”

“I’m getting used to it,” the blonde said with a slight shrug as she walked away. “Nice meeting you, Jake.”

“It’s your bed, right?” he called. “Feels too soft?”

It did. But that wasn’t the only problem she had.

“Like a marshmellow,” she confided. “I don’t know if it changed from World War II, but the first time I laid on something other than a straw pallet, I barely slept a wink.”

The nightmares of Alexa had only added to the sleep deprivation.

“I slept on a cave floor more often than not,” Jake said, crossing his arms loosely. “You must miss the good old days, huh?”

“There’s some improvement. The food is good, even if it taste like everything is full of sugar. The no polio is a huge deal. There’s even a way to deal with asthma - I would have killed for that as a kid,” Kiara rattled off. “The internet is so great. I’ve been trying to catch up on everything that happened in the 70 years that I missed.”

“Have you heard about Marvin Gaye’s soundtrack for the Trouble Man?” He asked. “That’s really all you need to know about music since the 40s.”

“Even better than Queen? Because I’ve heard ‘Bohemian Rhapsody, and I’m going to be honest - it might be hard to top that.”Her phone chirped, and she pulled it out to read a message from Ryan.“It was good meeting you, Jake.”

“You know, if you ever want to talk about the war, there’s a group at the VA. It’s not the same as yours, but survivors need to stick together,” Jake informed her as she headed to the curb. “Plus, it’d give me a lot of cred from the receptionist.”

“Anything to help a soldier,” she replied as Ryan pulled up.

She might have to go running more often.

#Kiara Scuro #Ryan Cooper #Jake Williams #Captain America AU #NaNo Drabble