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choicesfanficanonymous · 5 years

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Kin (Estela x MC/Taylor (f), Estela/Aleister sibling stuff)

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Summary: Post-ending (Endless ending). The world beyond La Huerta is gone, Taylor’s family are nothing but a fabricated daydream, and Estela’s only living relative is a walking reminder of her connection with the figure that tore her life apart. What do love and kinship mean in this burned and scarred world?

Word Count: 5384 words (sorry, a long one!)

“Hear me out, dudes,” Raj urged, setting down steaming plates of food on the table. “this place has everything; everything we need… except for…”

“Waterslides!” Craig exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

“…waterslides!” Raj finished.

“And how,” Aleister sneered, “pray tell, do you intend to build such a thing? I suppose one of you is an engineer, equipped to build a theme park monstrosity up to health and safety regulations.”

Jake scoffed. “Malfoy, when has anything we’ve done met health and safety regulations? I dunno… maybe jumping into the path of the Loch Ness monster’s psycho cousin with nothing but a ripped-up hang-glider was a stretch, but a slide? That’s goin’ too far!”

“Fine, enjoy your death-trap. I can assure you I won’t be running around beneath it holding a net.” Aleister wrinkled his nose. “But there’s no escaping the fact that a waterslide would be an absolute eyesore. I swear, paradise is wasted on you people!”

“But who build’s a world-class tropical resort without a waterslide?”

Around the tables by the pool that had been brought together for breakfast, the Catalysts, save for Diego who had spent the night in Elyys’tel with Varyyn, chattered animatedly. Since Rourke’s demise, it had become routine, along with the nightly dinner gathering. Dealing, as they were, with a loss so huge, so devastating, holding together was the best they could do. Raj was in his element- on almost full-time hospitality duty- and he saw it as a way of honouring his grandmother. If he could do anything at all to keep his friends smiling as they moved through unspeakable grief, he’d be doing her proud. Taylor, wracked with guilt for her failure to sacrifice herself to end her friends’ suffering, had been reclusive, but she was trying… she was trying so hard to be the supportive shoulder they all needed. Beneath the table, her fingers were entwined with Estela’s, stroking them in a circular motion, and feeling a soft and reassuring pressure in return. As she took a sip of juice- what strange fruit it contained, a mystery- Taylor briefly made eye contact with her wife, and it was enough to make her heart flutter. She tuned back in to the familiar bickering and reached for a breakfast burrito.

“This is ridiculous!” Aleister was saying. “When you’ve all emerged from fantasy land, we can talk about creating something that’s actually worthwhile. The sheer knowledge we have access to- the possibilities are…”

“Waterslide! Waterslide! Waterslide!” chanted Craig, banging his fists on the table. To his great satisfaction, Aleister’s face began to colour with increasing frustration.

“I’m sorry- how old are you; eight?”

“And what are you, the fun police? Estela- he’s your brother, stick it to him!”

In an instant, the table went quiet. Estela’s expression turned cold and stony. A hard glare resting upon Craig, who withered back with an averted gaze, she got to her feet and, without a word, walked away.

Aleister looked pointedly in the opposing direction, discomfort showing clearly on his flushed, drawn face. Grace immediately placed her hand over his, looking over him with great concern.

Zahra rolled her eyes. “Nice one, dumbass, you really outdid yourself there.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed, worry all over her face. “Taylor, is she okay?”

“I- I’ll go after her.” Her gut twisting, Taylor rose from the table. The silently bubbling tension within the group had finally breached the surface, and she felt a personal responsibility to resolve it.

She strode out onto the sand, picking up the pace until she had almost reached her wife’s side. Without looking back, Estela reached her hand out behind her, inviting Taylor in.

“It’s a shame we can’t fix that faulty connection between Craig’s brain and his mouth.” Taylor took Estela’s hand and grasped it tight.

“Family means something,” Estela growled. “My family is gone. Aleister is not… is not…”

With a tug of her arm, Taylor pulled her into a hug. Estela was tense, but she returned the gesture, her movements stilted.

“Do you want to be on your own right now?”

Estela took a moment before answering. “No. Stay with me.” She held on tightly to Taylor’s hand. It anchored her, holding her from losing herself in grief and rage. Slowly, she calmed herself and gave Taylor an encouraging smile. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I don’t worry about you- pretty sure you are literally the biggest badass on earth. But I do care about you. And even the strongest people can use a hand to hold sometime.”

“You can do more than hold my hand, you know,” Estela said, a smirk on her face and a glint in her eye.

With a giggle, Taylor nuzzled her face close to Estela’s and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. “That’s a start, right?”

“I’m feeling better already.”

As she went in for another kiss, Taylor felt a gentle hand catch the side of her face, lovingly drawing her lips towards Estela’s. They met in a tender, lingering dance.

Estela came away, her cheeks glowing. She sighed. “Goddammit, I love you, Taylor.”

“Goddammit, Estela, I think I love you too,” Taylor said, a laugh in her voice. She playfully twiddled with Estela’s hair as she watched her expression become thoughtful.

“I do want to open up to everyone. I care about them,” Estela said. “Even Aleister, two-faced bastard,” she added with a snarl. “It’s just, some things I… can’t. He’s no brother of mine. Hearing it is a knife in my chest. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. Well, as much as anyone can. You know, I don’t think anyone’s expecting you to be a bubbly, outgoing life of the party all of a sudden. And everyone knows you care. It’s obvious. They like you for you. I think even Aleister does… in his snobby, terrified way.”

“He should be scared. Half the time I can’t stand to look at him. And the stupid thing is, I don’t even know if it’s the betrayal, or if I just don’t want a reminder of who I am.”

Taylor shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m getting the impression the ‘secret half-sibling’ thing is weirding him out too.” She kicked off her shoes and walked into the sea, enjoying the cooling feeling of the water lapping around her ankles. “Look, I know talking isn’t always your strong point, but it might do you both good to just put it all out there. Maybe that’d do something about that elephant in the room.”

“The last elephant on earth… maybe we should keep it, for now.” Estela sat down in the sand and rested her head on her hands. There was no hurry; they were together on this island for as long as they lived. Confronting Aleister, confronting whatever it was he meant to her, it could all wait.

“Just… just, don’t let it trample over you, all right? You deserve to be happy.”

In spite of everything, a smile tugged at Estela’s mouth. She watched Taylor wandering through the shallows, her face a picture of quiet contemplation. There had been a lot of that in the week or so since Rourke’s plans had been scuppered… introspection, coming to terms with new identities and adjusting to a future so different to what any of them had envisioned. Estela knew she was fortunate; grief for her tio and the earth aside, her future was far brighter than she’d have expected not so long ago. She just hoped her friends- friends… how long it had been since she’d had any of those- would in time find the same contentment. Perhaps more than anyone else, though, Taylor appeared lost. Estela looked over her wife protectively in the aftermath; with no quest for vengeance to occupy her, her purpose was now to support Taylor through a turbulent period of transition. And, of course, it worked both ways. Today felt like a bad day, but there would be tomorrow, and the tomorrow after that. Estela bit her lip, her eyes glazing over as troubled thoughts swirled through her mind. Perhaps Taylor was right. Perhaps she should stop skirting around Aleister, if nothing else but to avoid awkwardness for everyone else. She wondered, how did Aleister perceive her? The child of his father’s affair, he could quite easily resent her. Maybe he should. After all, at the end of the line, Rourke had acknowledged Estela as his truest heir, not Aleister. As much as she tried to shake the ridiculous thought from her head, Estela found herself coming back to a disturbing conclusion. Part of her was afraid that Aleister- not family, never family, but a genuine link to her mother- might turn away from her. She angrily pushed the notion from her thoughts. She didn’t need or want a half-brother, and certainly not a literal Rourke clone at that. It was just… part of letting go, and she’d grown enough to know that letting go was what she needed. Having been powered on anger for so very long, Estela wasn’t quite sure who she’d be once she had no living person to channel it towards. Would she simply implode? Perhaps… if she didn’t have Taylor.

The faint sound of sand beneath light feet made Estela alert. She glanced sideways to see Quinn approaching, a piled-up plate in her hands.

“I thought you might appreciate breakfast to go,” said Quinn shyly.

Surprised and touched, Estela sat back in the sand and offered Quinn a bashful smile. That girl really was too good.

“Thanks.”

Taylor came running back from the water and put her arms around Quinn. “You’re the best, you know that?”

Quinn beamed in response, and she carefully sat herself down beside Estela, making sure not to drop anything. “Well, I couldn’t let you miss out. I think we all know Raj’s heart would break just a little if you two didn’t get to enjoy his breakfast burritos.” Tentatively, she placed a hand on Estela’s arm. “And, if I’m honest, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Estela’s cheeks flushed, but she didn’t shy away. “I’m… fine. Is Aleister…?” She shook her head. “However I feel about him, I mean… I don’t like him… but we’re on the same side. When it comes down to it, it’s not him who’s really hurt me, it’s his father.” Still, she could not say ‘our’ father. Her tio was the only father figure she’d ever needed. Out of nowhere, she felt a stab of pity for Aleister. He’d never had that.

“I think he and Grace were gonna go down to the library together. That’s their happy place.”

Taylor plonked herself down in the sand and began tucking in. “Honestly? I think that Aleister’s pretty happy on the whole. He’s just adjusting to… a lot.” She gave a little sigh. Poor Aleister. With everything that had happened since the revelation of his origin, she hadn’t taken as much time as she should have to make sure he was okay. Responsible as she felt for caring for her gang of friends, she knew she’d dropped the ball there. “Like we all are. But we’ve all got each other’s backs.” Relieved to see Estela looking a little brighter- another win for Raj’s cooking- she put her free arm around her. “I’m gonna have to give my compliments to Raj- these are so good!”

“We’ve got to be getting low on meat that isn’t squirrel or… dinosaur. Is there anything left in the freezer?”

Quinn furrowed her brow thoughtfully. “I think we’re getting near the end of our supplies. I’ve been meaning to do some baking but… once everything’s gone, it’s gone. We should talk to Varyyn; if the Vaanti can throw lavish feasts, there’s no reason why we can’t make La Huerta work for us too.”

“I don’t need to ask Varyyn to know how to hunt,” said Estela. She was quiet for a moment. They needed to start doing something. The initial high of the fight for survival ending had waned, and what was left was reality. Everyone was in pain. With emotions running high, the group could easily splinter, devoid of a clear way forward. Chilling around The Celestial wasn’t enough anymore. “But you’re right. We have everything we need here. I’m going to go hunting- or fishing, it feels like it’s gonna be a hot one.”

“You’ll teach me, right?” Taylor asked.

Estela just smiled. Honestly, she couldn’t imagine much she’d rather do with herself. She met Taylor’s eyes and answered her silently.

Beaming, Taylor raised her burrito. “To bringing home the bacon- or whatever the screwy La Huerta equivalent might be!”

“Cheers!” laughed Quinn as she and Estela bumped their tortillas to Taylor’s.

Having gathered a few supplies, all the while managing to avoid any awkward encounters in the wake of the breakfast drama, Estela led Taylor along the coast to the west, Furball trotting eagerly at their heels.

“There,” Estela said, nodding her head in the direction of a strip of land rising out into the sea. “There’s a reef just beyond the cliffs.”

Carefully, Taylor lowered herself down the rocky side of the grass-covered headland, gripping tightly with her fingertips in a precarious hold. Beneath her, Estela climbed down with ease, barely slowed by fact that she had the added complication of holding a spear under her arm.

Taylor huffed, a little breathless. A pebble plinked off her forehead, and she looked up to see Furball skittering around the edge, watching them with great curiosity. “You be careful, little guy! You don’t want to sl-“ She bit her tongue as she lurched downward, her foot missing the next hold. Scrambling to regain her grip, Taylor felt something firm beneath the ball of her foot, and she glanced beneath her.

“I think the fox is fine. You might want to check your own footholds.” Estela held the blunt end of the spear beneath Taylor’s foot until she appeared to have steadied herself. She settled on a jutting out ledge just above the water and held out a hand to guide her partner down the last little way.

“And we couldn’t have just swam out from the shore?”

“Not unless you want to catch all the waves breaking. It’s better to go straight to where the fish are.”

Stripping down to her swimming costume, Estela slunk into the water, her movements smooth and stealthy. Taylor followed suit, ducking under the crystal-clear water. Together they swam out to a colourful reef, where they found themselves surrounded by silver-scaled fish that appeared to shimmer in the bright sunlight. It was beautiful.

Running out of breath, Taylor returned to the surface and treaded water, watching as Estela rounded onto a target and popped her head above the water, hair plastered to her face.

“Hey, you want me to try and herd them over to you?”

Estela nodded. “Push them toward the sandbar, if you can.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Taylor swam from side to side, sending the fish swimming away from her- and towards the sandbar, where Estela was waiting. After a few moments, Estela streaked forwards, and came up with a writhing fish on the end of her spear.

“Okay, that was impressive.”

A little smile on her face, Estela beckoned Taylor over to the shallows surrounding the sandbar. She pulled her close against her chest and lowered into the water. “Here,” she said, taking hold of the fish with one hand and giving Taylor the spear with the other. “Don’t flail around so much. Be still… keep your eyes open… focus.”

Feeling her pulse quicken at the sensation of her partner wrapped around her, Taylor took a moment to redirect her attention to the task at hand. She held her breath and put her face under, trying to avoid sending ripples out into the water as Estela gently guided her spear arm backwards in preparation to strike. She didn’t move a muscle, and soon the fishes swam by them, oblivious. Seeing her chance and taking it, she thrust her arm forward, but the resistance from the water was greater than anticipated and she came short.

“Dammit!”

“Try again… you were close.”

Estela swam away, taking her catch back to the rocks, where Furball spun around in excited circles. Determined to catch something, Taylor slipped back beneath the surface and tried again… and again… and again… until finally…

“I got one!” she hollered, taking in a mouthful of water and spluttering.

“You’re a fast learner. Throw it here.”

The sun rose high into the sky, beating down hard on the La Huerta coastline. The pile of fish Furball had been diligently guarding had grown satisfyingly, and he proudly perched himself on top, watching as the women splashed about in the sea. At one point, Taylor had sat him on her shoulder, egging him on as he shot ice out into the waves, catching fish that got in the way of his short, powerful blasts. He only accidentally iced Estela one time. Leaving fishing to the pro, Taylor built up a small fire on the edge of the headland and managed to tackle the cliff face with just enough finesse to bring up a large fish to cook.

“Shit, it’s hot,” Taylor grumbled, very quickly realising that the water was very much the place to be.

Mrrrrp? Furball chirruped, and he sent out a small wave of snow. He bounced to the side and looked up at Taylor quizzically.

Taylor scooted over and sat in the newly frosted-over grass. “Thanks, little guy!” She pulled off a little piece of meat for him and tickled his back as he dug in. That little fox was totally unique, one of a kind. Had he ever had a family? Thinking about Estela and Aleister, about the families her friends had all lost, Taylor felt a bizarre loneliness. She could reach into her mind all she wanted, but there was nothing beyond sitting beside Diego on the plane. In fact, the more she tried, the less that came to her. Even knowing it was all fabricated, a lie, she wished the false memories of a childhood were still there. So she could at least pretend. Next to the lives of everyone she cared about, her existence seemed so… shallow… empty. You could scratch beneath her surface and you’d find nothing, no history at all.

“Something on your mind?”

Taylor jumped, looking behind her to see Estela hauling up the fruits of her efforts up onto the grassy outcrop. “God, you nearly made me jump outta my skin! You know you don’t have to sneak up behind me like a ninja, right?”

Estela crawled over, sitting down beside her wife with a little grin. “It’s fun making you squeal.”

“One of these days, I’m gonna get you so- “

“You can try, if you like. But you should know I don’t scare easily.”

“We’ll see…”

Brushing a wet strand of hair from Taylor’s face, Estela looked at her imploringly. “So, what has you so distracted? You looked… sad.”

Taylor shook her head. “It’s nothing. I…” And then she stopped. There was no point to hiding what she felt, not from Estela. “I’ve just been finding it harder and harder to recall anything I thought I knew before we came here. The fake memories Vaanu gave me. I know how crazy it sounds trying to hold onto something that was never really there, but… it’s all I’ve got.”

A thoughtful frown on Estela’s face, she considered Taylor quietly. “Maybe your true memories are taking their place, pushing them down. Is any of it left at all?”

“I can sort of recall things related to Diego. I guess those feel more real because he’s here, I’ve got something solid to build from. But anything else… no. It used to be like a blur, but now there’s nothing there. Blank. Of course, it was going to be like this- it’s not as if the memories I thought I had were ever real. I just feel hollow, like I’m missing something that should be there.”

Estela pulled her close, so they sat shoulder to shoulder. “I can’t imagine it,” she said softly.

Taylor winced. “This is going to sound insanely self-absorbed with, well, everything, but I wish I’d had a family. People to remember from my childhood. Hell, even to have had a childhood at all.”

“That’s not selfish. All those things; it’s part of being human. How could you not want that?” Estela gave a heavy sigh. “Memories, a past… family. Losing it all, it feels like you’re being ripped… torn to pieces. It’s the worst pain there is. But it hurts because what’s been taken away meant something. My mom, my tio… I would go through losing them again, over and over, if it meant we could have one more day together. Or an hour.” She leant her head against Taylor’s and closed her eyes. Hearing the gentle crashing of the waves, she could imagine they were sitting together on a San Trobidan beach. “I wish I could give you those memories… those hours.”

Grasping her lover’s hand tight, Taylor exhaled shakily. She slowly relaxed into a comfortable silence, closing her eyes to appreciate the feel of Estela next to her, giving unflinching support. Her stupid hurts and worries didn’t feel so shameful while she had that love surrounding her.

“Tell me,” Taylor whispered, after a long while. “Tell me about all the little things. The memories that make it worth the hurt.”

A small but warm smile came to Estela’s face. “For a long time I couldn’t look back. Looking back made me weak, and I couldn’t afford to be weak. Even when I was small, I couldn’t stand it. Mom wanted to protect me, and I never wanted her to feel like she’d failed. When I was eight, I broke my arm- or had it broken for me. Kids in San Trobida, they don’t know anything but fighting. That’s all we see all around us, on the news, it’s just normal… you learn to pull a punch young. It was after that, Tio Nicolas started to teach me to defend myself. I knew I would do whatever it took to follow after him; I was too young to understand, but I knew he was fighting so Mom didn’t have to worry anymore. When the riots kept me awake at night, I would crawl into bed with her. I wasn’t afraid… I didn’t know any different, but I knew she slept better if I was in her arms. I would go to sleep with her singing to me, stroking my hair, holding me like I was her whole world. I’d get up before sunrise, make her a coffee. Spill it everywhere ‘cause, you know, broken arm. And she didn’t care that I made a mess, she just knew I loved her.” Her voice became hushed. “I loved her so much, Taylor.”

“I know.” Taylor gently rubbed Estela’s arm, hoping that she could give even a little comfort. All she really knew of Olivia Montoya was from her virtual reality message, and from the haunting hotel room recording. “I- I wish I could have met her. She seemed so intelligent… brave.”

“She was. She was so determined. Whatever it took for her to get the future she wanted for us, she faced it. But she always found time for us. Just for us.”

“Like going on your lunch hikes?”

“Yes, like that. And when I was little, we used to walk along the beach and collect shells. We’d go swimming and look at the fishes; there would be tropical fishes in all colours. She showed me how to appreciate small things… beautiful things. Sometimes, it felt like the world was blowing up all around us; you need to find beauty in the little things when that’s your life. And she made it easy. Just being near her. She would sit and read on one side of the room, and I would sit on the other side. We didn’t have to say anything, I could just feel that she was there. After she was gone, I don’t remember being happy. Not until I met you.”

Taylor wrapped her arms around Estela’s waist and nuzzled her face against her neck. She suddenly started giggling.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“Estela, my love, my soulmate, my heart’s desire, my dearest friend, my starlight… you stink of fish. Like, bad.”

Estela laughed and put her hands to Taylor’s face, pulling her in. She caught her mouth in her own, kissing her fiercely. Taylor’s hands travelled up Estela’s back and into her hair, holding her close as she reciprocated, the momentum pushing them down into the grass. After a moment, they both doubled over, collapsing into giggles.

“You’re not smelling like a basket of flowers yourself.”

“How about we finish this once we’re cleaned up a bit?”

Propping herself back up, Estela gazed over her wife, her cheeks hot. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart.” Taylor looked into those dark eyes, which were brimming with warmth, and felt herself melt. A promise like that? Not even a question.

“I’ll give these to Raj,” Taylor said happily, swinging the bucket of fish. “We are gonna be his absolute favourite people. At least until everyone’s sick of seafood.”

Estela gave her a quick kiss. “I hope so. He’s been on my back about the knives disappearing from the kitchen.”

“Yeah… I’m pretty sure there was a note pinned to the drawer. Something about ‘these knives are for cutting food, not people’. You may have been mentioned by name. In bold block capitals.”

“That’s our next job, then. Make some practical weaponry. We should get a hold of some of that amber the Vaanti use.”

“Sounds good. The cutlery is spared, and you can put your dagger-envy to rest. Everyone’s happy.” Taylor gave Estela a playful shove and headed inside.

Estela made to follow, but her eye was caught by a movement from the side of the hotel. It was Aleister. Her walls leapt up, her gaze hardened, and she turned away.

“Wait! I wanted to…” Aleister faltered, singed by the hostility that radiated off her. “I have something for you.” He wished he’d thought to just give what he’d found to Taylor, who was rather less the human equivalent of a bomb that could go off at any moment. “You needn’t think of it as a gift or anything sentimental. But it belongs to you.”

He thrust his hand forward, ignoring the clear mistrust in Estela’s eyes. She took from him several crumpled photographs.

Estela’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes grew wide, then scrunched tight shut, wet with tears before she could properly comprehend what she held in her hand. She turned herself away from Aleister and messily wiped her eyes.

Mirroring her actions, Aleister awkwardly turned to the opposing side, completely at a loss for what to say. Dealing with emotions was not his strong point. Words of comfort, sympathy? Simply callous coming from him. “I, uh, that is my mother and I… and Grace… we found these in a hidden safe in the library,” he said finally, still avoiding eye contact. “I had wondered… he said he’d truly loved your mother… perhaps something might have been kept.”

Her fingers running tenderly over a photograph; a small child, arm in a sling, walking hand in hand with her mother along a beach, a rough but almost pretty town in the backdrop, Estela could barely hear Aleister’s words.

“My mother,” he continued, “knew that he’d put away some items from her room. Obviously, somewhere private… hidden. It’s not much, but it seems he couldn’t bring himself to destroy everything.”

A flicker of rage licked through Estela’s heart, but it was extinguished by a bittersweet wave of aching sadness and love.

“It’s the fish… the smell; it’s making my eyes water,” Estela lied, sniffling still.

Aleister snickered appreciatively. “Given the sensitive nature of our exchange, I decided it best not to comment on the… aroma. I am glad that you are at least aware of it.”

“A small price for dinner. I hope you’re hungry.” Frowning, Estela looked down at the ground and then pointedly into Aleister’s face. Well, shit, better get this over with. “We almost died because of you. You were so stupid, so arrogant, you almost killed the only people who gave a damn about you- “

“-Can we not do this now?” Aleister scowled and rolled his eyes. It had been too much to expect to get through to someone so blinded by hate. Estela was just like their father… never satisfied… out of reach. It was small wonder he’d seen something in her that he never had in Aleister. “Is it really so difficult for you to let the past be the past for five minu-“

“No.” Estela’s gaze became steely, and Aleister was momentarily forced into silence. “No; listen.”

“To your well-prepared character assassination? I would rather not.”

“You put your trust in the wrong person. Even the best people…” she felt her voice waver as she thought of her mother, of Lila. “Even the best of us can trust the wrong person… the worst person. In the end… you made your choice. You saved us. He… he told you he could bring your mother back to life. You were an idiot to believe it but… I understand. You’re a better man than Rourke ever was. And I can’t keep holding a grudge against you. I don’t want to.”

Aleister’s face registered surprise, but he quickly collected himself. “Uh, thank you. I know how personal this has been to you; how personal it has always been. You and I have been at odds so much of the time… but I would not have wished my father upon you. I’m sorry.”

Estela winced, her face clouded over. Her eyes flickered back to the photo. To her mother. The last person she imagined would keep her in the dark. Tears rolled down her cheeks and once again she had to look away. She felt a hand placed awkwardly on her shoulder, then hastily removed.

“Ah, I…” Aleister stammered. Where was Grace when he needed her? She’d have wrapped Estela in a hug and been done with it. Certainly, she could have done so without the fear of having her lights punched out. But yet Estela didn’t bristle at the bumbling attempt at physical contact. If anything, she looked… amused. “Is something funny?”

“You’re about as good at opening up as I am,” Estela said, smirking through her tears.

“A side effect of a life shaped by a treacherous snake,” Aleister said with a wry smile. He paused for a moment, trying to read her. “We have a certain kinship. A regrettable one, I’ll admit, but… I’m grateful to have it. He was never much of a father… my mother died when I was small… it has been lonely, I’ll admit. Perhaps, in time…?”

Estela’s mouth was dry. “…maybe we could have a couple of drinks, stew over how he screwed us both over?”

“That sounds appropriate. I don’t expect you to ever see me as family… kin… but…” Unsure, he held out his hand.

“Friends I could do.” With a deep breath, Estela grasped Aleister’s outstretched hand firmly. “I’ll leave the hugging to Taylor, though.” She glanced down to the precious photos held tightly in her other hand. “And, uh, thanks. Thank you… more than I can say.”

He gave her a nod of understanding, and they parted ways. Her photographs clutched to her chest, Estela realised she was trembling.

“Hey?” called Taylor, walking over, her brow furrowed in concern. “Hey, is everything all right?” She put her arm around Estela’s shoulder and inhaled sharply as she saw what was in her hand. “Wait- are those?”

Estela wiped her eyes and nuzzled close to Taylor. “Everything is… good. Uh, better than… uh…” Another deep breath. “It’s family… family stuff.” She put a hand to Taylor’s cheek and almost laughed at the stunned look on her face. “Let’s go up to the room, okay? We’ll get cleaned up and… I’ve got some things to share with you.”

#playchoices fanfic #endless summer #estela x mc #estela montoya #aleister rourke

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imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch · 6 years

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What’s So Great About Dewey?

A Dewey Duck Character Analysis and Appreciation Post

Part 2 (there’s so much to say about this duck) - Dewey and Louie.

(Part 1 here)

In the last post we looked a little at Dewey’s perceptions of Huey and their relationship with particular reference to Dewey’s A+ talkshow in Day of the Only Child. Now let’s have a little look at how he plays Louie.

When Dewey introduced Robot “Huey” it was as his “former bro” but he has “Louie” introduce himself. This is probably pretty accurate to how Louie would act: it's difficult to imagine the quick talker of the group not introducing himself. In fact the whole thing is fairly accurate, and while Robot “Huey” is mocking, Dewey's treatment of Louie is far less mean.

After introducing "Louie", Dewey quickly has Robot “Huey" threatening “Louie”. Dewey stops the robot prompting this:

Dewey as Louie: "Thanks Dewey, you're my hero."

Dewey as himself: “Stop!”

Dewey as Louie: “You’re no anonymous middle child, you’re the unique glue that holds us brothers together.”

“Comedy, action and heart. Who wouldn’t want to watch this show?” Well said Dewey.

Dewey is adventurous, we see that from him getting mad at Scrooge for putting him in the backseat right through to him becoming the Pirate Captain. But as well as a general love for adventure and the spotlight, Dewey also really wants Louie to look up to him. He wants to be Louie’s hero.

A lot of younger siblings look up to and idolise their older siblings but while Louie clearly loves his family he is often not especially forthcoming in showing this. Dewey might be insecure about what Louie thinks of him, especially in comparison to Huey. It was Huey who hugged a scared Louie, Huey who a scared Louie hid behind. Huey, Dewey might therefore extrapolate, who is currently Louie’s hero.

Here is one of Dewey's plans which involved bashing the door handle with a bag of marbles to get out of the room they've been locked in. Compare and contrast the first image where Dewey announces he knows "just how to do it" in response to Louie asking if they'll be ditching the room, and second image where it worked.

In the first image both Huey and Louie look pleased/excited at Dewey taking the lead and getting them out, which is Dewey's ideal for how he wants them to see him. In the second, they both look bored, unimpressed even, though Dewey has just gotten them out. Louie says (dryly):

"Can't believe that was your best plan."

To be fair to the two of them, they'd probably been sitting there watching Dewey whack the door handle for a fair while, and they cheer up pretty quickly at the prospect of "touch[ing] some expensive stuff". But incidents like this may further push Dewey's desire to be the hero, be the one with the plan, to show Huey he is self-reliant and give Louie someone to look up to.

Not only that but, in comparison to Dewey and Louie, Huey and Louie, spend a fair amount of time together on screen and off. This is particularly noticeable in the first episode. They are introduced together:

Fight Glomgold's employees/assassins together:

Are seen playing with Scrooge and Webby at the end of the first episode together, while Dewey watches on:

This trend continues into later episodes. The Spear of Selene! is an obvious one that might spring to mind but they also get time together in other episodes, for instant chatting on the plane and in the town in The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!.

Compare this to the time Dewey spends with his brothers, particularly on screen moments. He has many moments with Huey, but it is far rarer that Dewey and Louie interact without the eldest triplet.

One notable moment they do spend together is when Louie is conning Dewey into doing laundry at the beginning of The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!. Look at Dewey's face when Louie says "Winning the world record in literally anything is your dream, and I will always be there to support that dream with piles of dirty clothes."

Now if Dewey had stopped to think for even a fraction of second he would have figured out what Louie is up because, well, Louie. But Louie has tapped into to Dewey's desire for fame, glory and recognition (probably knowing our little con artist with full awareness of what he was doing).

But what Louie is also tapping into is Dewey's desire to have Louie's attention. That face isn't a face of someone contemplating piles of dirty clothing, but the face of someone reacting to their usually cool and slightly aloof younger sibling offering unending support.

Dewey probably doesn't think he has Huey's support: Dewey's the "the crazy, irresponsible, fun guy" in Huey's eyes. No wonder having the kid brother he wants to look up to him offer to help out with Dewey's crazy scheme to get a world record switches off Dewey’s common sense.

And no wonder Dewey is so cold towards Louie after he realises what Louie did. Yeah he's probably also mad about the fact he had to do a ton of washing for no real reason, but the more hurtful thing is that he then realises Louie's offer of support wasn't particularly genuine.

The image below is just after Dewey tells Louie he knows about the laundry. His posture and expression show anger but it's also reminiscent of someone is upset as well as angry, and trying to hide it.

On a meta level the differences between the amount of interaction between Huey and Dewey, and Huey and Louie vs Dewey and Louie may just be a result of having to balance Dewey being the audience POV for the mystery of the disappearance of Della, with having the triplets interact with each other and the other members of the family.

On a non-meta level, a lot of the time Huey and Louie spend together, on-screen or off, is often a result of Dewey taking himself away from them either through impulsiveness or spotlight stealing (running ahead in Woo-oo!/being the one to dive into the money bin in Jaw$! Etc.) or because he is trying to look into the disappearance of his mom. In other words the times Dewey is trying to stand out, be heroic or feel special.

Dewey is conflicted: he wants to prove himself to his brothers and to do that he tries to stand out and do daring things. But in doing that he is pulling away from them: sometimes only in a minor way such as running off ahead, and sometimes in a major way where the consequences can be more damaging.

And we're back at the scene from Castle McDuck when Huey and Louie finally find out the truth.

We’ll cover that in part three as well as (depending on how long that post takes) some of the best things about Dewey.

Part 3 here

#ducktales #ducktales 2017 #dewey #dewey duck #what's so great about...#character analysis #some spoilers #fandom

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andthest0ryg0es · 7 years

Text

This Isn’t Happening- Chapter 1

She was absolutely certain that Jared freaking Leto was staring at her. Then she shook her head and pinched herself because of course he wasn’t. Was he? No. That’s ridiculous. Just stop. Was he pointing in her direction? She turned her head slowly, trying to see what he was pointing towards, but there was nothing behind her but empty space. The guy he was talking to laughed and Jared lightly punched his arm. Jennifer kept walking down the path, eyes down, focusing on the packed dirt beneath her feet. The fangirl side of her brain was obviously giving her delusions.

Except now she could swear she was being followed. This part of camp was nearly deserted at this hour because there was so much going on elsewhere. Tomo was in the kitchen judging Cupcake Wars and Shannon had added an impromptu meditation session to the schedule this morning and several dozen people had jumped at the opportunity. When all of Jen’s cabin mates had announced that’s where they were headed she decided to take the opportunity for a little quiet alone time and wandered off. This place was so beautiful, just walking the paths was a meditation of sorts, especially to an introvert like her. After wandering the less traveled paths around the camp, Jen was now headed back to civilization, as it were, to meet up with her friends. Shannon’s class should be wrapping up any time now, she figured.

Except now she was sure she was being followed because she could hear footsteps close behind her. Its not that she was scared, the entire camp had this safe feeling that was palpable. But the introvert inside her was screaming that she wasn’t ready to end her solitude and silence just yet. Jen sped up her steps a bit, seeing the field of seated campers engaged in quiet meditation just over the hill.

Noticing a shady spot off to the side of the field, Jen speed-walked her way over and dropped her bag and water bottle gently to the ground. As she did, she could see who was following her out of the corner of her eye. Jared. Trying to keep the butterflies in her stomach from escaping, Jen less than gracefully dropped to the ground on her knees and closed her eyes, trying to blend in with the others meditating just a few feet away. Her palms rested on her knees and she found herself slipping into the meditation easily as the sound of gentle music played nearby. She had already been so relaxed on her walk, it was easy to slip back into that contemplative state.

Only now her butterflies were acting up again and her senses were on high alert as the thought of Jared drifted through her mind. An involuntary smile graced her lips and she heard a man chuckle from in front of her. Jen took a deep breath and opened her eyes, expecting that her mind was playing tricks on her and she would see nothing. Instead, standing not three feet from her was Jared freaking Leto. She gulped.

“Interesting meditation pose,” Jared noted, taking a small step closer and keeping his voice down so as not to disturb the others. Everyone else in the field was sitting crosslegged, a few had laid back, but no one else was positioned like her. On her knees, legs spread, palms resting on her knees facing up, eyes down. The submissive pose felt natural to her, and she hadn’t realized what she’d done when she dropped to the ground earlier in an attempt to avoid interaction with her mystery stalker. Her mouth dropped open a little but no words came out. Her mind was blank. What does one to say to Jared Leto while kneeling at his feet? “I’m Jared,” he introduced himself.

You’re Jared. No shit. Jen rolled her eyes. “I know who you are,” she managed to form words. Okay butterflies, calm down! “I’m Jennifer,” and that’s all the words she could manage right now.

“Nice to meet you.” Part of her wanted to wipe the amused smirk off his face, the other part wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground and never come back. “Is that position comfortable?” Jared asked with a raised eyebrow. Jen hadn’t moved a muscle since he approached her and wasn’t certain she could gather the brain capacity necessary to do so now and speak at the same time.

“Its a fairly natural position to me, so yes,” she answered, dropping her eyes to the ground as she blushed. She took a deep breath, possibly her first since she opened her eyes to find Jared standing there, and let it out slowly.

Jared took another step closer and crouched down in front of her. Jen’s posture stiffened and her eyes darted all around. Literally ten feet away were nearly 50 meditating campers, including all her friends. How was no one else seeing this?! “Do you do a lot of meditating at home, Jennifer?” he asked, his voice nearly a whisper so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. Her name coming out of his mouth would be seared into her brain forever.

“No, I think walking is more meditative for me,” Jen responded honestly, trying not to lose her cool at this point. Another deep breath in, “but before I broke up with my last boyfriend I used to find myself in this position a lot,” she said with a teasing lilt, much to her own astonishment. Are you flirting with Jared Leto?! The butterflies worked overtime to escape her chest now.

“Really?” Jared asked, that smirk back on his face. He leaned forward, resting his right hand to the side of her neck, his thumb almost brushing across her windpipe, and whispered in her ear, “You look good like that, Jennifer.” And then he stood up and walked away.

Jen’s brain short circuited. She was suddenly aware of a lot of movement going on around her, and jumped when a hand came down on her shoulder from behind. “Jen, I didn’t think you’d be joining us!” Heather, one of Jen’s cabin mates, said holding out a hand to help Jen to her feet. Jen took it and stood, eyes once again darting around, searching.

“Yeah, I just caught the very end,” she replied, her mind still reeling. Heather threw an arm around her.

“Lets get going, we have enough time for a dip in the pool before we go change for COM tonight. I’m so excited!” Jen grabbed up her bag and water bottle and let Heather guide her towards the pool. Maybe submerging herself in cold water would help clear her head.

A few hours later they were all dressed in their concert outfits, makeup flawless and not a hair out of place. Normally Jen wouldn’t bother with all this but she let Heather help her perfect her eyeliner and put her hair up just this once. She told herself it was just for fun and ignored the voice in her head that said she hoped Jared noticed her effort.

The concert was amazing, of course, and everyone had an amazing time singing along and dancing and screaming. Their group was far enough towards the back of the crowd that Jen was able to relax, certain that Jared couldn’t pick her out of the crowd from back here even if he was trying. Which he wasn’t, of course he wasn’t, right? She shook off the fangirl delusions in her head for the umpteenth time this weekend and lost herself to the music.

Jen was having a blast right up until they started playing The Kill, and Jared jumped off the stage and started wandering through the crowd. Jared did this at nearly every show, it wasn’t anything special, except that the way he was moving was a direct path towards Jen and her friends. Heather and the others kept dancing and signing along, completely oblivious. Jen froze, her eyes tracking his movement as he got closer and closer, parting the crowd, singing, “Come, break me down, bury me, bury me I am finished with you, you, you” as he touched outstretched hands and brushed shoulders with elated echelon throughout the audience. Jen was just trying not to panic as her heart raced and her knees went weak.

Suddenly Jared was standing right in front of her. People all around them had their hands in the air and were reaching for him and screaming, but Jen felt like everything had slowed to a crawl as her eyes met his and he definitely held her gaze.

“Look in my eyes, you're killing me, killing me,” he sang, reaching out for her hand, which was by her side as she stood there paralyzed. He squeezed her hand in his, brushing his thumb across her palm.

“All I wanted was you” Did he just wink? He fucking winked. Someone else had to have seen that, right? Jared broke eye contact and disappeared into the crowd before Jen had a chance to take a full breath. Heather grabbed Jen’s arm, pulling her attention from the god-like man making his way back to the stage.

“Oh my god, he’s so gorgeous,” Heather gushed. Jen blinked. Heather hugged her and she felt just a little more grounded.

“He really is,” Jen agreed, finally remembering how to breath and move. She watched the rest of the concert in a euphoric glow.

When it was over people scattered surprisingly quickly. Jared had a late night hike planned so some people were rushing to change before that. Others were running to get a good spot at Drum Circle with Shannon. Some were just exhausted and heading to bed so they could get a good nights sleep and do it all again tomorrow. Their group had made it nearly halfway back to the cabin when Jen realized she didn’t have her sweatshirt with her. She assured the group she’d be fine on her own and ran back to get it, hoping no one else had snatched it up in the meantime.

“Fuck,” she cursed at the empty ground around where they had been standing. Her favorite sweatshirt was nowhere to be seen.

“Everything okay?” His voice made her jump and clutch her chest. “Sorry, i didn’t mean to scare you,” Jared ran his hand down her arm in a calming gesture that had the exact opposite effect.

“I forgot my sweatshirt earlier and its gone now. Its my own damn fault, I should have been paying more attention,” Jen rushed out her explanation. “Are you...?” In the adrenaline rush of being scared by Jared and pissed about her missing sweatshirt she’d almost lost her filter and asked if he was fucking with her on purpose. She thanked ever deity available she’d found the sense to shut up mid-sentence.

Mercifully, Jared ignored her half-formed sentence. “I’ll grab you a new one from the merch booth. You’re going on the hike tonight and we can’t have you freezing the whole time,” Jared said.

“Oh, I’m not planning on going. I have two left feet, I’ll trip and wipeout before we’ve made it ten yards, and you really don't have to do that. I should keep better track of my things,” Jen responded, relieved she was starting to be able to form actual complete sentences around this man.

“I wasn’t asking if you were going, Jennifer, I was telling you,” Jared gave her an admonishing look, his voice getting quiet. “I’ll see you there in half an hour and I’ll have a sweatshirt for you.” Then he was walking back towards the stage, giving instructions to one of the techs like he hadn’t just dumbfounded her as completely as he had.

Jen turned and headed back towards her cabin, feeling like every movement was slow motion. Did Jared Leto just order her to go on the night hike with him? Who did he think he was? Right, Jen, like you’re not gonna do exactly as he says when he says it like that. That tone of voice should be 100% illegal in all 50 states. And she’s got to remember to tell him to call her Jen, no one calls her by her full name. She had just been so nervous when she’d introduced herself it slipped out. Get it together Jen. Only in your fangirl dreams are you having another conversation with Jared freaking Leto that you’ll have the chance to tell him to just call you Jen, like he’d need to keep using your name. What is happening?

At that moment Jen was exceedingly grateful for her subconscious mind because it apparently knew what was going on and had told her legs to head over to the trailhead where a few echelon were already gathering in anticipation of the hike. A staffer handed out a few flashlights, but announced there weren’t enough for everyone, so people needed to share. Jen stood off to the edge of the group. She was uncertain about doing the hike already, but in the dark without a flashlight, her anxiety increased.

“Alright, everybody buddy up and lets go have some fun!” Jared’s booming voice sounded from behind her as he approached the group and she flinched, slightly startled. What was it with this man and sneaking up behind her? She turned towards him, noticing the bright blue sweatshirt in his hand, and smiled. “For you,” he said quietly, holding out the sweatshirt rolled up in his hands for her to put her arms and head into. As she slid into he he pulled the fabric down, caressing her sides, his hands resting on her hips for just a moment. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Thanks,” she managed to croak out. Once again the little bubble around them burst as the group seemed to surround them, waiting for instructions from Jared.

“We’re gonna head out this way, and I don’t know, we’ll just see where we end up, okay?” He raised his voice a bit so he could be sure everyone heard him. Jared started walking and the gaggle of echelon followed him onto the trail. “Be nice and share the flashlights. We’ll plan this better next time and have more, sorry guys.”

Jen’s brain seemed to have short circuited, and as everyone headed off she stayed routed to the spot. It had really been a long, sort of confusing day. Maybe she should just count her blessings and end it here, go get some sleep and clear her obviously deranged head. Then she felt a hand at the base of her back, nudging, and she jumped back to her senses.

“Lets all try to keep up. We don’t want to lose anyone in the woods. Keep an eye on your flashlight buddies, guys,” Jared teased, having circled back when he noticed her absence. Jared pushed Jen along the trail until her brain and feet finally connected and she started moving of her own accord. “You okay there?” Jared asked, smiling but sounding worried. Jen shook her head.

“Fine. Long day. Kind of a brain melting sort of day. And I don’t have a flashlight buddy so...” Jen started responding.

“I will be your flashlight buddy,” Jared assured her in that quiet tone again, bumping his hip against hers as they walked. “Come on, there is this great rock face a few minutes in that I’ve been dying to try and climb!” Jared spoke loudly, turning his head over his shoulder at the line of campers trailing behind them. Jared’s strides were long and he walked so fast hardly anyone could keep up. Jen was only managing out of determination not to lose the light and make a fool of herself tripping or falling in front of Jared. A few times she’d almost stumbled and threw her arms out for balance. Jared had caught her arm once or twice to steady her, each time sending a fresh jolt of excitement through her.

Jared waited a moment at the base of the rock wall he’d wanted to reach while the rest of the hikers caught up to them. The few who had managed to keep up were asking questions about camp and hiking and climbing, which he answered politely. When most everyone had caught up, Jared turned and faced the wall with a look of determination. He handed Jen the flashlight, aiming it at the wall. “Hold this right here for me,” he instructed, and she did as asked. Jared found hand holds and footholds along the wall Jen couldn’t even see and scaled to the top in no time. It was really incredible to watch. He stood at the top for a few minutes, looking up at the stars and out over the landscape, taking it all in. The whole group was in a calm, almost meditative state as they took in the beauty around them.

Jared somehow managed to scurry down from the back side of the cliff face and popped up behind Jen once again as she stood craning her neck, looking at the stars. Jared wrapped his hand around hers, holding the flashlight, and lingered for several moments before taking it from her. “Its getting late, I guess we should head back, huh guys?” Jared addressed the group, shining the flashlight at his feet and gesturing for Jen to follow.

It was strange, Jen noticed, he didn’t shine the light directly in front of himself. Jared kept the light steady pointing down at his feet, casting a wide circle of light around him. It was then that Jen realized she had naturally fallen into step just behind him, to his right. He was aiming the light so that she could follow him easily. The thought made her smile widely.

Jen was exhausted, probably the whole group was. Jared didn’t set a slow pace and it was well after midnight by the time the trailhead came back into view. But everyone had had fun, getting to talk to Jared a little and watch his monkey self in action. Jen was relieved her clumsy self had managed the entire hike without any major missteps. Of course as soon as the thought went through her head, she had jinxed herself. They were close enough to camp that light was beginning to filter onto the trail, and Jared turned the flashlight off. He turned and was walking backwards, saying goodbyes to the group when Jen’s foot caught on a tree root that crossed the path and down she went. Jared threw his arms out and tried to stop her from falling, but he was too far ahead to grab her in time.

She winced and cursed, “Fuck,” loudly. She’d landed on a rock with her left hand and it was bleeding. Both knees were scraped up pretty badly. And once again, Jen found herself on her knees at Jared Leto’s feet. He knelt down to help her up, motioning away the other helpful hands of the group that had reached out for her as well.

“Are you okay?” Jared asked, helping her to her feet. She winced in pain again as her knees ached from the movement. Blood dripped from the cut on her hand. “Okay, I’m going to take you to the medical building,” Jared said a hasty goodbye to the group and ushered Jen away, holding the sleeve of her sweatshirt against the cut on her hand. “You’ve ruined your new sweatshirt already, I’ll have to get you another one” Jared commented, trying to distract her from the pain of her injuries.

“I can’t take a second sweatshirt from you, that’s just greedy,” Jen replied, trying to smile, her voice laced with pain.

“Cut hand, scraped knees, any other injuries?” Jared asked, assessing her condition as he took a set of keys out of his fanny pack and unlocked the door to a building. He held the door open for her and shut and locked it behind them.

“Pretty sure I twisted my ankle. Jarred my back a little. I’m gonna be sore in the morning, and not in a good way,” the words were out of Jen’s mouth before she thought it through and she blushed as she heard what she said.

Jared led her down the hallway and unlocked another room, flipped on the lights and stood aside letting her enter before closing and locking the door again. “Sit on the bed, Jennifer” he instructed, letting go of her and rummaging in a cabinet behind her. Jen did as instructed, wincing as he knees bent. Jared pulled a first aid kit out of the closet and set it on the nightstand, opening it up. He reached for her sweatshirt, the bottom half of her sleeve covered in blood and the rest covered in dirt, and pulled it over her head gently.

“Its Jen, actually,” she told him, starting to look around the room for something to focus on to distract from the pain. That’s when she realized they were not in a nurses office. “Where are we?”

Jared swept his hand under her knees gently turner her gently to lay along the bed, having noticed that bending the scraped flesh was hurting her. “My room. This late at night there won’t be anyone in the nurses office and I knew I had this kit in here, so...” Jared trailed off as he dabbed at the cut on her hand with a wipe from the kit. “Sorry, its gonna sting, and not in a good way,” he teased, parroting her words from before.

“This is not happening,” Jen thought out loud, causing him to smirk. “Ow!” She tried to pull her hand away but he held her wrist in an iron grip, finishing cleaning the cut. “Fuck!” she cursed again.

“You really like that word, Jen” Jared noted, wrapping a bandage around her hand.

“Sorry, its been one of those days,” she exhaled hard, wincing again.

“Don’t apologize, I like hearing that word come out of your sweet, innocent looking mouth.” Jared cracked the seal on an ice pack and placed it on her ankle before moving on to cleaning her knees. She’d ripped holes through both legs of her yoga pants. Jared rolled them up, his hands skimming along her legs as he worked. She silently thanked the universe that it was summer so she’d shaved recently. He worked in silence for a few moments because Jen couldn’t think of any decent way to respond to that. “Color?” Jared broke the silence.

“Green,” Jen had responded immediately without thinking, before realizing the exchange they’d just had. “Wait, what?”

Jared chuckled. “Just checking in. I had a feeling you’d respond correctly based on our conversation earlier today... There. All cleaned up. Here,” He handed her two Tylenol from the kit and helped her to sit up, leaning back against the headboard. “Can you have Tylenol?” he asked, handing her a water bottle. She nodded and took the pills while he put the kit away.

“Thanks,” she muttered, moving awkwardly given her pain, to stand, but he put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

“Stay. Rest. I’ll go crash in Shannon’s room tonight. You need to stay off that ankle. We’ll get a golf cart to take you back in the morning, which is only,” he looked at his watch, “five hours from now. So get some sleep.”

Jen sat there speechless. Does one turn down Jared Leto when he tell you to sleep in his bed? No, no way. But now what? While she was processing mentally a shiver ran through her body. It really did get cold here at night and she only now realized that she wasn’t wearing her sweatshirt anymore. She really had to start paying attention around this man. Jared, of course, was paying complete attention and noticed her shiver. He pulled the thick blanket up from the foot of the bed and tucked her in.

“Thanks,” she mumbled again, unable to think of anything else to say. Jared leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

“Sweet Dreams, Jen,” he said and then turned and plopped down on the couch across the room, closing his eyes and looking utterly at peace.

“I thought you were gonna go to Shannon’s room?” she asked.

“I don’t want to wake him. That man is one grumpy son of a bitch when he hasn’t slept,” Jared responded, laughing. “Besides, I’d worry about you in here all alone all night. I’m fine on the couch.”

“I didn’t mean to kick you out of your bed. Switch with me, at least,” she pleaded. Jared stood from the couch and crossed the room, towering over her as she lay in his bed.

“Are you questioning my decision, sweetheart?” He asked, that deep tone back in his voice. Jen gulped.

“No,” she replied, but it sounded more like a question.

He placed his hands on the bed on either side of her, leaning in. “No?”

Jen inhaled and damn he smelled good. How was that even possible for a man to smell that good? Her head swam and then she lost her filter again and maybe got just a little brave when she responded, “No, sir.”

Jared’s jaw ticked. “Good girl,” he told her, kissing her forehead again, lingering longer this time. He hovered above her a little longer and then tore himself away back to the couch. “Sleep now. Big day tomorrow,” he said, closing his eyes again and returning to looking like a peaceful angel reclined on the couch.

Somehow, Jen managed to close her eyes and sleep. It really had been a long, weird day.

#Jared Leto #fanfiction #fanfic #jared leto fanfiction #Eventual Smut #This Isn't Happening Fic #Jared Leto Imagine

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