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artxyra · 4 years

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Wake Me When It’s Over

Note: I must really like you guys enough to create a sequel for something that was never supposed to get one. Also, I kind of lost my train of thought as to where this story will end towards the end, sorry about that.

The miraculous magic flies through the streets of Paris, France. Those that were turned into stone now gasping for air and looking around very confused. On a rooftop, a certain model stands naked hoping that no one would see him searching for clothes and a way home. Back at the venue where the dance took place, Alya whoops at the defeat of the Empress of Mean. She holds Nino closes to her before realizing that something had happened to Lila. Her attention immediately goes to her phone messaging the one person that started this all.

No one knew what to say about the latest akuma victim. It was Marinette, the one person they never thought would fall into the hands of Hawkmoth. Was it really due to her jealousy of Lila? When was she akumatized? So many questions ran to through the student’s minds, that faithful night.

It wasn’t until Monday morning when everything came undone.

Throughout the rest of the weekend, the LadyBlog was receiving various comments about the Empress of Mean. Some comments were harsher than others. Alya couldn’t find it in her to make a new blog post regarding the aftermath or of the lack of thereof to her viewers. She wasn’t able to reach Lila at all and neither could rest of her classmates.

Entering the classroom, Alya could see that majority of the class was there expect for Adrien, Lila, and Marinette. She quickly managed to get the class huddled together.

“It isn’t like Marinette to be akumatized, especially about something so trivial as the dance.” Rose pipes up with a pout resting in her lips. “She handles stress better than any of us.” She then adds on causing everyone to turn to her.

“She was jealous, and that’s final,” Alya states, slamming her hands down on the desk in front of her. Everyone could see the twitching in the blogger’s eyes and a slight shaking of her body. Nino wraps his arms around her. “There’s no other explanation.”

“It was rumored that she and Adrien were secretly dating.” It was Nathanial who speaks up next. Soon all eyes were on him.

“You lie…” Everyone suddenly begins to shout.

“No, I’m serious. Marinette hangs out with Marc every now and then and he tells me that they were probably dating. I may an artist, but a broken heart can cause anyone to be akumatized if done correctly.” He continues before pulling out his sketchbook and begins drawing as if he didn’t just pull a fast one on his peers.

The classroom is met with silence aside from the sounds of a pencil against paper.

The classroom’s door opens revealing a frustrated yet silent Adrien Agreste with the one and only Lila Rossi standing behind him. Expecting cheers and concerns, they were meet with the opposite.

“Adrien, did you ever date Marinette?” Juleka asks with her voice dangerously low for all that can hear her. Her response came with an awkward neck rub and wondering eyes from the man in question. Juleka turns to Lila as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Years of listening and believing the two people in front of her, denying everything her brother has ever said to her. Juleka didn’t know what to do at the moment. Emotions were not her strong suit even after all these years of being around the same people for years.

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” Adrien finally speaks up before walking over to his desk and pretend that last weekend did not just happen.

The room grows cold. No one knew how to respond.

“Oh my gosh guys, I’m so sorry for not responding to any of your text. After what Marinette had done to me, I really needed therapy. My mother was able to find someone at the last minute and I had no cell service.” Lila gushes about her latest problem hoping to grab some sympathy. Immediately it was meet by her “loyal” peers, all asking if she’s alright.

Those who weren’t as fooled by the Italian’s response, stood there wondering if she was lying or just pretending. Anyone with text receipts on knew that the girl had read their message and just didn’t respond.

“But you were dating Marinette?” Nathanial speaks setting his pencil down to give Adrien his full attention.

Adrien turns to the artist like a deer caught in the headlights. He could feel Lila’s glare on his back despite not looking at her. “Uh…We were never official. She knew that we were friends.”

“How long?” Juleka’s voice got softer.

“About a couple of months, why?”

With that, breathing became harder for those that knew Marinette well enough to know that the designer practically holds her heart on her sleeves. If Adrien thought they weren’t dating and Marinette did, that changes a whole lot of things.

Before anyone could tear Adrien a new one, Max mentions that class was about to start, and they should get into their seats. Only one seat stood noticeably out to everyone, and they knew she would be in much later.

Mild chatter about Lila’s therapy session broke the silence while everyone else waits nervously as more time past by. Their teacher has yet to enter the classroom nor has the class representative.

When Marinette finally did enter the classroom, everything goes silent. The loyalist of Lila’s group glares at the designer while the others couldn’t find the words to start something with Marinette without fearing the worst-case scenario.

Marinette had just sat in her chair when Mlle. Bustier entered the classroom in a panicking mess. Apparently, after the dance, a lot of parents were chewing out the school officials asking what caused the young designer to attack the school first and for the school not calling the parents. It was later found out that Marinette had no problems with the rest of school just her classmates and the partygoers were just so happened to be affected like everyone else which ends up causing more problems than less.

Caline couldn’t handle all this backlash. The school board officials decided that since Bustier’s class had the most akumatized victims out of all Dupont, Caline’s teaching habits must be reevaluated. They were sending someone in to review her class and teaching methods. All this being planned last minute which means that Caline was struggling to find the proper lesson plans and attitude before the official comes in.

“Today, we will be having a guest staying with us for the week. When this person enters please be on your best behaviors.” Mlle. Bustier stress to the class as she finally pulls out the last of her files from her briefcase.

Everyone, aside from Marinette, wonders who the guest will be. They receive their answer when the door opens once again to show an older-looking woman in a business suit with hair similar to Marinette’s overlooking the class before taking an empty desk in the back. The perfect view to oversee everything. Caline was seconds away from sweating bullets as she struggles to find the right word to begin the class period.

Lila, finding a new problem with this, tries to make Marinette look bad at every attempt she could get. However, all her attempts just made Caline’s teaching habits appear worse than what the school board could imagine. It was only a matter of time for Caline could kiss her job goodbye.

When the class finished, those that had a wake-up call rushed to meet with Marinette. Juleka was unsure how to feel when she saw her brother, Luka, and that fencer that was once an enemy talking to Marinette huddle close together.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to transfer?”

Juleka turns to Nathanial and Rose hoping that she heard wrong. Marinette could not transfer, it just felt so wrong.

“Luka?” The trio turns to the guitarist’s younger sister. They could see the fake smile placed upon Marinette’s face.

“I’m so, so sorry, Marinette.” Juleka followed by Nathanial and Rose immediately apologizes. Marinette stares at them with somewhat blank stares.

A moment past before Marinette whispers, “I forgive you. You’re not at fault here.”

The recently forgiven three runs to embrace Marinette. Tears of joys escape from their eyes.

Only a day later would the class of Mlle. Bustier finds out that their teacher has been suspended and will no longer be teaching the class. Their new teacher was strict and took no bullshit from the class. It was either hard facts or detention for the day.

Lila tried to lie her way out with the new teacher but was constantly shut down the moment she opened her mouth. As her web began to dwindle, she knew that it was only time before her super loyalist realizes the truth of their “best friend”.

It was a hard-felt battle to the end of the school year. Lila had tried everything to maintain her loyalist to her side. She even went so far to bully Marinette out of the classroom only to be defeated by a wave of Marinette protection squad from another classroom.

Alya still blogged about Lila’s so-called adventure with Ladybug, her following begin to dwindle with the announcement of a Ladybug sponsored blog called Miraculous Out. Alya had a hissing fit and tried everything in her power to control the damage.

For Nino, he was feeling the pressure to getting his big break. Lila had promised him so many opportunities and as the school went along realization began to sit. He tried his hardest to shake Alya out of her Lila induced daze as the time went by, but he had no luck. He wanted to apologize to Marinette for everything that he had done, but the fear of being unforgiven hold him back.

When the school year returned everything was different. Caline Bustier was no longer their teacher. Marinette had transferred out of the class and to a new school all together. Everyone that had a wake-up call suddenly felt sick to their stomach from believing in Lila’s lies and seeing the Italian native. Nothing would ever be the same for them, not after all of this.

Specific Tag List: @traveling-with-thedoctor | @nexitye | @blueberrinette | @seraphichana |

#queen of mean au #miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug #the empress of mean aftermath #slight class salt #eh I'd tried

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willowandfog · 4 years

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Chapter Three Is Here!

This new fic is the second part to my fic I wrote for InuKag Week, One Week Sooner. If you haven’t read it yet you can read it here.

I would like to dedicate this new fic to @ruddcatha, she was a huge supporter and a tremendous help to me when writing One Week Sooner, and when we were so choked up on the tragedy of the story she suggested I write a sequel. So a huge thank you @ruddcatha, I love you!

Summary: When you look at me, do you see what you lost or do you see all of me?

Read it:

FFN or AO3 or below the cut:

If you would like to be tagged for this fic, please let me know!

@superpixie42 @dangerouspompadour @smmahamazing @bluejay785 @lavendertwilight89 @mamabearcat

Chapter Three

Inuyasha had inquired about another date the next day and Kagome had explained that the next few days were packed with classes but that she was free on Friday. He had told her that he already had an idea of where they should go and she had agreed easily on letting him decide.

They had spent all of Friday afternoon go kart racing. They took turns trying to cut each other off, and even trying to run each other off the road. Even receiving a warning from the attendant that it wasn’t bumper cars. For lunch they stopped briefly to grab burgers from the cheap concession stand, sitting in the grass, and talking about how they should go pro. On the way back to Kagome’s apartment she had told him how much fun she’d had and jokingly suggested that next time they should try bungee jumping.

On Monday, Kagome almost choked on the latte he had brought her when he pulled up to a bridge, where a group of professional bungee jumpers were waiting. Kagome had to admit that she loved the adrenaline spike as she was standing there, on the lip of the bridge, arms wrapped tightly around Inuyasha as they pumped themselves up for their double jump.

“Ready?” He asked, his arms tight around her.

She let out a small squeal. “I’m kinda scared.” She admitted, looking up at him.

“I’ve got you.” He said quietly, pressing his lips to hers, and before Kagome could register anything else, he tipped them over the side.

She broke the kiss and screamed. The wind rushed past them, hair whipping around. Kagome made a point to take a mental picture of Inuyasha’s face as he grinned and whooped into the air. When they reached the end of their line, they bounced back up briefly, Kagome squealing and clutching Inuyasha tighter.

Even though it had been one of the most amazing experiences of Kagome’s life, on the way home all she could think about was Inuyasha’s lips on hers. It had just made the day a million times better than it already was. She looked over at him as he watched the road, she admired him and all the adventures he had been planning for her, and her heart swelled. She took his hand into hers and gave him a shy smile when he glanced at her. She thought she saw a hint of color on his cheeks when he adjusted in his seat slightly so he could hold her hand more easily while driving.

When they got to her apartment, she had kept holding his hand all the way to her door. Turning to face him she spoke. “So I’m staying in tomorrow, would you be interested in coming over and watching some old movies with me?”

He grinned at her. “Old movies huh? Is that a poke at me?”

Kagome fought her smile. “Of course not, grandpa. I happen to love black and white films. Well I will be starting movie time at six, with or without you.”

“I’ll be here.” He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He gave her hand a light squeeze before turning to leave.

At 5:45pm the next evening when there was a knock at the door, Kagome bolted from her room and ran to look through the peephole. She opened the door and was greeted by the pizza delivery guy. She handed over the money and took the pizzas from him. She kicked the door closed behind her and set the pizzas on the coffee table. She stared at the table, trying to think if she had forgotten anything, not that she would have enough time to do anything about it if she had.

She threw herself onto the couch, feeling unbelievably nervous for some reason. She wasn’t sure why, since she’d been out with Inuyasha on several dates already. Guess this one just feels different… More intimate? Ugh! What am I doing?

There was another knock and Kagome jerked her head up from the couch, wide eyed. Ok, ok, calm. He’s gonna notice the second you open that door that you’re nervous. She stood from the couch and looked over herself. Her hair was pulled up into a high messy bun, with some tendrils hanging loose. She was wearing her comfortable pink pajama bottoms that were covered in little peaches, and a plain black tank top, her tank top was low cut and she bit her lip at it. She nervously glanced around her living room and spotted a zip-up hoodie slung over the back of her accent chair. She grabbed it and tugged it on, zipping it up halfway, it didn’t help to hide her cleavage but at least it was something. Taking a hold of the doorknob with shaky fingers she took a deep breath.

She pulled the door open and splayed her arms out wide. “TA-DA!”

Inuyasha stood there in a baggy hoodie and jeans, his long silver hair pulled up into a loose bun, and he held two pizzas in his hand. She grinned at him, resisting the urge to bite her lip at how sexy he could still look in a hoodie. “Ta-da?” He asked.

She stood aside to let him in. “I decided that I like you enough that you can see me in my true form.” She gestured to herself and the outfit.

He came in and she closed the door, he gestured to the folded pair of sweats he was carrying tucked under one arm. “Me too.” He teased her. He set his pizzas on top of the ones she already had on the table. “Guess we should’ve planned a little better.” He thought about it for a moment. “Maybe not, could probably eat a good chunk of these myself.”

Kagome pointed out the bathroom to him so that he could change out of his jeans and into the sweats, and soon they were cuddled up on one end of the couch, munching down on pepperoni pizza.

“Ooo I love this part, when he sticks his hand in there and acts like he lost it. Totally something you would do.” Kagome said, pointing to the tv screen where Roman Holiday was playing.

“I probably would do that, he got her good, look she totally believed it was real.” He looked at her with a weird smile on his face. “Do you always talk this much during movies?”

“Yeah, I love talking during a movie, I know it’s distracting but I can’t help it. Most people hate it and I can’t get hardly anyone to watch them with me anymore.”

“You’re weird, but I guess that makes me weird too, cause I have a bad habit of talking during movies too. I think all my questions about what’s going on outloud.”

“Guess it’s safe to say that you’re a good movie watching buddy for me then.” She stuffed the last bite of her pizza into her mouth.

He was still looking at her when Kagome looked at him from the side of her eyes. “Can I help you?” She mumbled around her bite.

Inuyasha reached over and took hold of one of her escaped tendrils, he held it gently between his fingers. “Why do you color your hair like this?”

She swallowed her mouthful before swatting his hand away. “I don’t color it, I was born like that. It’s called poliosis circumscripta, but the doctors say it’s weird because it’s supposed to be white not silver. I used to color it to try to hide it but stopped when I realized that I kinda like it and didn’t care to show it anymore.”

They were part way through their third Audrey Hepburn movie when Kagome began to doze off, her head resting on Inuyasha’s chest, his arm around her. He shifted slightly and scooped her up into his arms, standing to carry her to her bedroom. He laid her on her bed and pulled a blanket up around her. He hesitated for a moment before leaning down and pressing a light kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight Kagome.” He whispered.

The next month continued in that fashion, Inuyasha would seek out and find amazingly fun things for them to do once a week. Then they would always find a day during the week where both were available to cuddle on the couch and watch movies at Kagome’s. They’d still only kissed the once and Kagome was beginning to wonder why. She had had the urge and temptation to kiss him but always hesitated or would talk herself out of it.

Maybe he’s waiting for something? Or waiting till he thinks I’m ready? Maybe I'm just being crazy but it’s been almost two months and we’ve only kissed once… Kagome spent the whole day dwelling on it and her relationship with Inuyasha. She knew that she was growing attached and when she was honest with herself she knew that her feelings ran deeper than that.

That night Kagome had dreams of things best left forgotten, and images of memories she wished she didn’t have. She woke in a panicked sweat early in the morning before the sunrise. She bolted up from her sleep, gasping for air. When she finally registered that she was in her apartment and everything had just been in her dream she dropped her head into her hands and cried. She spent the early morning hours sitting in the window seat in her bedroom, steaming cup of tea in hand, and tears on her cheeks. She had come to a decision that she didn’t like but knew she had to do.

#inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction #inukag #sequel #one week sooner sequel #all of me #willowandfog

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piratewithvigor · 4 years

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Love Break My Heart: Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Summary: A half-life relationship is disintegrating at the seams. Neither of them is good for the other, but after 14 years together, they don’t know how to be with each other anymore.

Word Count: 2179

A/N: This is a prize story written for @slashscowboyboots that is getting written super fast because I seem to be on a roll. Unless I get hit with a massive plot bunny, the next chapter will be the final one.

I’m running. It’s a distant memory from long ago, but I can feel the uneven gravel under my sneakers. Every little pebble getting stuck in the grooves of the sole. My lungs are aching for air, but I’m not slowing down. I can’t afford to slow down. The tree shows itself over the horizon and I exhale hard in relief. The tree is safety presenting itself to us, allowing us reprise.

I don’t slow down until I grab hold of the tree, the bark scraping the skin on my hand and wrist. Only then do my feet stop moving. Axl arrives moments after I do, tagging into pause in much the same way, but not drawing blood from his palm like I did.

His face is much the same as it is now. A jawline that could cut glass and lips appearing just as soft. His hair is a little shorter and not quite as straight, but he’s already well on his way to having it be too long for most of Indiana. The one thing that’s never changed are his eyes. Even as he’s gasping for air with his hands on his knees, he looks up at me and his eyes are the same. They remind me of the day I first noticed them: a stormy day with a grey sky shadowing over green fields. We’d snuck out of class to smoke under the bleachers of the football field and got caught in the storm. We stayed mostly dry there and got the best view of the downpour. Axl had said something that made me look into his eyes and notice them for the first time. His words exactly are lost to me.

Once Axl catches his breath, he straightens up and grins.

“So you beat me here; big whoop.”

“I don’t think that’s what the deal was,” I counter, crossing my arms as I lean against the tree.

“What deal? I don’t remember a deal.” He’s trying to look innocent and for a moment, it almost works on me. But no fourteen-year-old buys crap that obvious.

“C’mon, Bill. You gotta do it. I beat you fair and square.”

Axl sighs before taking a few steps back from me to give himself space. To his credit, he isn’t one to back down from a bet, no matter how stupid it was. And this was the epitome of stupid.

“Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go…” His voice sounds ridiculous when mentally compared to the original vocals of Dancing Queen, but his attitude towards it is perfect. With the front of his hair fluffed out to the sides, he looks just like a ginger version of Agnetha Fältskog.

I’m cracking up during the entire performance. Partly because of watching my best friend make a fool of himself to no one but me, but also because he’s putting so much effort into it. I didn’t even know he knew all the words to Dancing Queen, but life surprises you daily. The chorus is the moment he truly belts out into the open field. It’s the moment when I watch all of the cares leave his body. All the stress. Everything he has to suffer through at his house is forgotten and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was enjoying himself.

I’m almost sad to hear the song end, but it does. And with an almost regal bow that I’m sure caused Axl to brush the grass underneath with his elbow. Just to play along, I’m applauding. I’m sure he thinks it’s to make fun of him, which is what the whole ordeal was supposed to be about in the first place, but there’s a hint of sincerity in there that I hope he picks up on.

“Thank you, thank you, all,” he declares, speaking to an imaginary audience. “We’ve been ABBA and now we’re going to shut the fuck up so no one has to hear that goddamn song ever again.”

“Bold words coming from someone who knows every line.” I smirk, sitting down with my back against the tree.

“Everyone knows every line. When’s the last day you haven’t heard that fucking noise on the radio?” He gripes, sitting down across from me.

“Fair enough. Wish they’d play more of the good stuff. Like that new Aerosmith album.”

Axl covers his ears in a hurry.

“Don’t say anything about it! I’ve been saving my allowance for three weeks to get it, so don’t spoil it!” I chuckle and reach over to pull his hands away from his ears.

“I won’t say anything, but why don’t you just come to my place to listen to it?”

“I can’t listen to anything for the first time with someone else in the room. It ruins the experience.”

“That seems stupid.”

“It’s not stupid! It’s like… It’s like the movies, y’know?” I raise my eyebrow at him. He’s fumbling for an explanation hard enough that he looks like he might fall over. “Like, when you go to the movies, sometimes you can go with someone if you don’t really care about it, because half your attention is watching how the other person reacts the entire time and it doesn’t matter. But if you go alone, you can really pay attention to the details.”

“Guess that makes sense. You’ve really thought this through, huh?”

“You gotta. What’s the point in enjoying something unless it’s the best experience it can be?”

Axl’s eyes have lit up while he’s talking. If I’m being honest, my mind is in two places as I listen: half focused on what he’s saying and half watching him say it. Axl doesn’t talk with his hands too much like how some people do when they get passionate. He talks with his eyes. You can only see it if you’re truly looking for it. It might be the reason why none of the adults ever thought he cared about anything. But he truly does.

“Is being alone all you need to enjoy an album?” I eventually ask, on the realisation that I haven’t said anything in a few moments.

“Usually. Sometimes I smoke a little, but that’s only for, like, Pink Floyd or something. Speaking of which…” He gives me a look and I know he knows I know what he’s talking about. It’s still fun to dick around with him anyway.

“Speaking of what?”

“C’mon, Jeff…”

“You must have me confused with some kind of scoundrel,” I smirk, pulling my cap down over my eyes.

“I have you confused with no one, you pothead dipshit,” Axl laughs, flicking my cap off.

“Well, since you were so mean to me, I’m just going to smoke it all, then.”

“I’ll frisk you over it.” He says it like a threat, but my heart still skips a beat when he says it.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

I hadn’t noticed we were in a Mexican standoff until we were already knee-deep. He was on his knees, staring me down without a hint of joking in his expression. I was doing my best to keep the same stoicism on my face, but something in the air was making me want to giggle. It was probably only a minute or so before I cracked and reached into my shirt pocket to toss the little baggie of joints at him.

“Yeah, I’m the pothead,” I snickered as I watched him light one up eagerly.

“You’re baked more than a Dunkin Donuts,” he countered, exhaling happily.

“No shit, idiot. Donuts are fried.”

“Just like your brain from how much you smoke.”

The back-and-forth continues and only grows sillier as we smoke. We both consider ourselves experts on pot. Real hot shit because we know how to do it without coughing too much. Typical young teenager dumbassery.

The evening is growing later and our conversation is calmer. Less silly and more dreamy. Axl is no longer sitting across from me, but beside me with his back to the tree as well to make passing the joint back and forth easier. Our shoulders are brushing and sometimes hands as well. If I weren’t a little high, I never would have thought anything of it, but my mind keeps getting drawn back to every detail about the kid sitting beside me. Details like how he always smells like old books on Monday morning because he spent all of the day before at church. How his clothes never quite fit him right because they’re either from when he was a kid, or he’s lost weight. How soft his hair feels when a light breeze blows a few strands into my face.

“When we get out of here, we’re going to be huge,” he murmurs, finally accepting that we’ve smoked the joint down to the nub and puts it out.

“I mean, yeah, obviously. Who wouldn’t want to listen to you, Miss Disco Queen?” I tease. He punches me lightly in the arm.

“I’m serious. We could totally make it. We’ve got the stuff.”

“And when have you ever heard of someone from Indiana really making it big?”

“No one from Indiana, exactly, but tons of hick kids make it big. Like, Liverpool is the hick town of England, I think.”

“You serious?”

“I mean, probably. They sound like hick English guys when they talk.”

“And Buddy Holly was from a hick Texas town.”

“Jeff, he died when he was 23. Not the greatest role model.”

“He was 22, but think of it: that was almost 20 years ago and people still like him.”

“What’s your point?”

I shrug and cross my fingers behind my head to cushion it from the tree. “Dunno anymore. Guess that anyone can make it with the right stuff.”

Axl seems to agree with me because he doesn’t say anything else.

The moment is one that sticks with me long afterwards. In the 14 years since we’ve been 14, I still remember every detail. My back is aching against the rough back poking through my shirt and I know Axl’s back is hurting from the beating he’d gotten a few days ago. The bruises were finally turning away from the nasty black and blue, but now they were yellow, which was almost worse. He’s leaning on me a little bit. Not in a way that implied anything, just in a way that expressed his exhaustion from the evening. The sun is setting in front of us and I almost wish I had brought my sunglasses. I usually never go anywhere without them, but the race from my house to the tree was something I couldn’t risk losing them on. In a way, I’m glad. It means nothing is blocking the colours. The sky is the same orange as Axl’s hair. The setting sun over the horizon feels the same way the colour appears; warm, safe. I’m feeling the gold-laced orange on my face and against my fingers as I lower my hands from behind my head and tentatively wrap one around Axl’s shoulders. He doesn’t move beyond adjusting to allow me to place my arm comfortably and I take it to mean he’s okay with the change. Just in case I took his body language wrong, I turn to him to check and my body freezes. The glow of the dusk is still radiating from him, making his hair glow. It feels like I’m holding a small ball of fire under my arm. He turns to look up at me and I feel I should turn away, but I can’t bring myself to. The sight is too spectacular to have end.

Axl ends it for me.

Before I can apologise for my staring, his lips are on mine. They’re just as soft as I always guessed they were. Plush and yielding and unwilling to let me back away. He tastes like the weed we just smoked with a hint of the burgers my mom made for us only a few hours ago. He tastes like Axl. Feels like Axl. I could make all the comparisons I wanted to, but at the end of the day, he was more than the sum of the parts I love about him. He’s Axl. My Axl.

He pulls away hardly an inch and I find myself as breathless as I was after sprinting a mile. Breathing isn’t as important as it once was. Nothing seems to be. Everything that’s important to me is already here.

“I hope that was okay…” He whispers, the lasting sunlight illuminating the blush spotting his cheeks. “I’ve been wanting to do that for months.”

“You’re not the only one,” I respond, cupping his face in my free hand. I pull him close and kiss him again, dissipating all the fear I know he held during the first.

I go back to this memory often. Reminding myself of the love we held for each other once upon a time. I’m back in it again tonight as I sit alone at the kitchen table, holding an ice pack to my face to ease the swelling after my Fireball successfully got me with a lamp.

#Writing #Love Break My Heart #GNR #Classic Rock #Axl Rose #Izzy Stradlin #Izal #Fanfiction

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fanficimagery · 5 years

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Finding a Mate

#396 "You can't just hug me and think everything's okay."

Summary: When Hope moves to Forks with her aunts Freya and Keelin, and gets enrolled in public school, the last thing she expected was to find a coven of vegetarian vampires and a mate. Then again she was a Mikaelson and was used to dealing with crazy.

Author's Note: Only Jasper and Alice are mates. Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward are all unattached, but Rose and Edward have their own thing going on with one another.

With Keelin back in the States for good and Hope mentioning she wasn't content at the boarding school anymore, Freya decided it was time for a change. Hope had wanted to be far away from anything that reminded her of her parents or uncle Elijah, and Freya had randomly chosen Forks, Washington. The town was small, but had all the necessities for every day living, and her niece and wife had readily agreed after Keelin found out the local hospital was hiring.

Keelin wasn't promised a spot after submitting her résumé via email when she had called to inquire about the job, but the girls moved there anyway. Freya had found them the perfect two story, three bedroom house with enough attic space for her witchy supplies, and they packed up what they wanted from the abattoir before closing the Mikaelson home down until either Rebekah or Kol went back.

Now in Forks, Hope happily settles in and quickly finds the smallest bakery she's ever seen that also sells coffee and tea. She finds they make an excellent cup of peppermint tea and vows to herself that this will be her new to-go spot before school.

Keelin gets called in for an interview at the hospital, and Freya and Hope tag along in hopes of getting a feel for the locals while they wait at the hospital. It's there, nearly forty minutes later, that Freya realizes they're not the only supernatural beings in town. Keelin walks out of an office with a sheepish smile, she then quickly beckoning Freya and Hope to her. They enter the office and Keelin nervously introduces them to her new boss Doctor Carlisle Cullen- Doctor Cullen with the golden eyes and pale flawless skin that doesn't hold an ounce of body heat.

Introductions are quickly made, Freya immediately pegs Doctor Cullen as a vampire during their handshake, and Hope watches on in amusement as the adults go back and forth. He's surprised when Freya outs herself as a witch and Keelin a werewolf not even a minute afterwards, and Hope merely shrugs when his golden eyes land on her.

As they speak, it's obvious Doctor Cullen is wary of other supernatural beings. Freya and Keelin pick up on it and they promise that they aren't there to cause trouble; they really just want a fresh start after they'd lost several members of their family. They are used to keeping the supernatural a secret so Doctor Cullen has nothing to worry about, and after that it seems like the vampire can breathe a little easier. It's also during this meeting that Hope finds out Doctor Cullen has children attending the same school she's going to be attending, and to not be too offended if they don't automatically seek her out because they're used to being on their own. Hope laughs it off, telling him it's okay since she's usually a loner herself.

And since the three newcomers know about him and his family, Doctor Cullen asks if it's okay for him to tell his family about them. Freya, Keelin, and Hope agree that it's only fair.

After having collected her schedule and a map of the school over the weekend from the Principal and his secretary themselves, and having been taken on a tour to locate her classes, Hope feels comfortable enough showing up Monday morning. So with her peppermint tea in hand and backpack strapped to her back, Hope exits Keelin's vehicle with a smile.

"Bye! I love you. Make good choices!" The dark skinned, dark haired werewolf muses.

Hope quickly slams the door, but Keelin rolls down the passenger window. Laughing and disregarding every stare, Hope shakes her head in amusement. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome. You going to need a ride after school? I won't be out until five."

"Yes. Hopefully there'll be something to keep me occupied until then."

Keelin coos. "Aw. Look at you all grown up." Hope rolls her eyes and sips her tea to hide her smile. "Enjoy your last year, kid. Public school is a lot different than that boarding school of yours, so-"

"You forget we did nearly a month of public school for that.. exchange program Alaric put us through. I'll be fine, Keelin. Don't worry."

"Mhmm. Well if anything changes, text me or Freya. We'll come get you."

"Sure."

The window rolls back up as Keelin pulls away and Hope watches her drive off. She finally takes notice of the stares a moment later and plasters on a smile that she knows probably looks like a grimace. But not caring what anyone has to say, she turns on her heel and marches off towards the front office to retrieve the slip Ms. Cope told her she'd need every teacher of hers to sign before turning it in at the end of the day.

Kids come up to her left and right, and she tries her hardest to come off as friendly. But being who and what she is, it's easy for her to suss out just who is being real with her and who isn't.

Angela Weber is an immediate favorite of hers- the girl being mellow and just the right amount of curious about where she moved from and why. She likes Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton just fine, even though their flirtatious behavior is rather grating, but they're real personalities are on display for her to see upfront. Eric Yorkie is annoying, but tolerable, and Jessica Stanley could be a decent girl if she didn't try to compliment someone and then degrade them all in one breath. But Lauren Mallory? Lauren is a hard no. Hope does not like the mean spirited teen and the teen in question is why she doesn't sit with the apparent group of friends when at lunch when Tyler loudly beckons her to join them.

Instead Hope finds an empty table and sits, she hesitantly pushing around the food on her tray. If there was one thing she missed from the Salvatore Boarding School, it was their personal cook. Public school lunch food was, in one word, disgusting.

Several tables down, the Cullen and Hale teenagers push around the human food on their trays and make it seem as if they're eating. Alice has happily tucked herself under her mate Jasper's arm while Edward and Rosalie sit a little too close to one another, murmuring and just enjoying the close proximity. Emmett, the only unattached of the bunch, sits backwards in his chair while covertly watching the room.

"New girl, ten o'clock," he says. Edward and Rosalie chance a look her way since they're all ready facing that direction, but Jasper and Alice have to rely on everyone else's input. "Think she's special like those aunts of hers?"

Rosalie's golden eyes dart towards Hope and then away. With a shrug, she says, "She's cute. Figured she'd be sitting with the popular kids by now."

Jasper shakes his head, his blonde curls slightly tossing. "I've been watchin' her when I can. She's all smiles 'n giggles, but when whoever she's talkin' to walks away, her expression falls."

"Maybe she's tired of being hit on," Emmett muses, lips quirking at the corners. "Crowley and Newton have all ready laid claim, but they don't appear to be getting anywhere."

"Edward?" Alice suddenly chimes in. "What's wrong?" She was the only one to notice his creased brow and frown as he stared at Hope Mikaelson.

"I can't hear her."

And that- that causes his siblings to tense and really take notice of the new girl.

"What did Carlisle say her aunts were again?" Rosalie asks, frowning.

"A witch and a werewolf," Edward answers. "But he never got an answer on what Hope was."

"Well there's no time like the present." Emmett moves to stand and Rosalie's hand snaps out, wrapping around his wrist.

"Don't," she hisses.

"Chill, Rosie. Carlisle said it was okay to talk to her. In fact, he and Esme encouraged it."

"You don't show interest often," Jasper muses. "What's so different now, brother?"

Emmett's grin falters. "Call it boredom."

"Or call it what it really is," Edward says, slowly smiling and laying an arm on the back of Rosalie's chair to help soothe her. "You think she's pretty."

"Ohh. He thinks she's more than a little pretty," Jasper smirks. "I can feel just how pretty he thinks Hope Mikaelson is."

Alice giggles and the rest try their best to smother their smiles. Emmett glowers, but a smile of his own slowly breaks out. He chuckles. "Here goes nothing." The entire cafeteria seems to go quiet as they watch the largest Cullen leave his family and head for the new girl. She doesn't look up, so Emmett pulls out a chair directly across from the girl and turns it around before plopping himself down. "Hope Mikaelson," he muses.

She glances up then, her eyes narrowing before a small huff of laughter escapes her. "You're one of Doctor Cullen's kids."

"Emmett," he smirks. "The others were too intimidated to approach you." Hope follows his pointed gesture before smiling and waving at the other vegetarian vampires.

"I hardly doubt that. I'm not even that scary."

"Says the new girl who we've no idea what she's capable of."

Hope's gaze darts back to Emmett, her shoulders losing some of their tension as she grins at him. "A girl's got to have some secrets."

"Yeah." His gaze scrutinizes her and Hope challenges his stare, popping a carrot stick into her mouth while not breaking eye contact. "Speaking of secrets, did your aunt do some magic hoodoo stuff to your head? Edward can't read your thoughts." That causes her to blink and Emmett suddenly whoops. The cafeteria falls silent and Hope groans, trying to sink into her chair as every astonished gaze falls on her table. "I win."

"Jesus. Okay. You win. Lower your voice," she grumbles. Emmett hunches in his seat and Hope suddenly starts twisting a ring on her right index finger. "So Edward.. reads minds?" She glances at Emmett's family's table and sees the bronze-haired individual nod. "Just surface or.."

"He can only read what's on the surface. My siblings and I just usually mentally sing a song or mentally scream if we wanna keep him out."

"Oh." She twists her ring some more. Sighing softly, she says, "The last thing I want is you or your family uncomfortable with me and my family's presence." She slips off the ring, nods at Edward, and then faces Emmett to ask, "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you move?"

Hope slightly tenses and fidgets in her seat. "New Orleans holds a lot of.. terrible memories." Her mom's death flashes in her mind and she gulps, knowing Edward saw it. "Both my parents and uncle Elijah sacrificed themselves there. And Mystic Falls, where I attended Boarding School, is where I was constantly fighting for my life against a monster every other week. I grew tired of it."

"Do you come in peace?" Emmett's lips twitch and Hope rolls her eyes.

Chuckling, she says, "Yes. I honestly just want to finish my first and last year of public high school. And make some friends. I had trouble with making friends growing up because of who my family is."

"And just who is your family?" Emmett wonders.

"The Mikaelson's. I'll.. I have a book on my family's legacy. I'll let you borrow it as soon as I find it, but I'm warning you right now. Their past is.. bloody."

"You just keep getting more interesting the longer we talk."

"Says the vampire."

Emmett smiles, but before he can get out his last question Hope is slipping her ring back on to shield her mind once more. The bell rings, startling Hope and signalling the end to the lunch period. As Hope stands to collect her tray, he asks, "What are you?"

That gives Hope pause and she blinks in surprise at Emmett. She slowly grins. "One of a kind. Literally."

"Don't tell me you're a unicorn." He laughs, but then quickly sobers when he sees Hope's expression of distaste.

"God no. Unicorns are pretty, but they're devious." She shivers and her expression suddenly appears far away. "Gross mind controlling slugs. Never again."

"..what!"

Hope refocuses on Emmett, she sheepishly laughing. "Yeaahhhh. See you around." And then she quickly takes her leave.

The rest of Emmett's family joins him as Hope disappears. "She was telling the truth," Edward says. "Every answer she gave was accompanied by a visual representation. She witnessed her mother's death."

"So a ring kept you out of her mind?" Rosalie then muses after the awkward tension of mentioning Hope's mother's death vanishes. "I might have to ask her for one of those."

Edward grins, but Emmett is still gobsmacked by what Hope last said. "Unicorns are real? You think she was telling the truth about that?"

Alice giggles and Jasper grabs his mate's hand to escort her to her next class. "Probably. She slipped that ring of hers back on and blinded Edward again."

"Damn."

"Don't worry." Alice smiles knowingly. "I get glimpses here and there of her. Hope will be sticking around."

"Oh?" Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie all grin. Emmett's eyes then narrow. "What do you know?"

"The same thing you do if you'd just open your eyes a little wider, brother." And with Jasper's parting words, the rest of their family follow him and Alice out.

A moment passes and then Emmett sighs. "What does that even mean?"

The next few days sees Hope avoiding questions her nosy peers have for her after Emmett Cullen so brazenly approached her at lunch, especially since he continues to do so days after. The only human Hope had found a moment of solace with was Angela, but even then the Cullen and Hale clan could see that Hope was still keeping her distance.

Her second week of school, however, finds Hope watching her aunts staring out the front window of their home in amusement one morning.

"What are you guys looking at?"

Keelin glances over her shoulder, grinning. "You didn't tell us you befriended Doctor Cullen's children."

Hope shrugs. "Well yeah. They're intrigued by the girl their mind reading brother can't read."

"Mhmm. So intrigued that they sent one of their own to give you a ride to school?" Freya wonders.

"..what?" Hope scurries to the window to see what her aunts are staring at and finds Emmett standing near the hood of a large jeep that's parked outside their home. "I'm gonna give him a brain aneurysm," she grumbles. "What is he playing at?" As Hope stomps off towards the front door, her aunts are quick to follow.

"He's cute," Keelin teases. "What's his name?"

Her hand freezes just before she can grab the door handle. "Freya? Please tell me you have a privacy spell up around the house and the vampire outside didn't just hear your wife call him cute?" Their silence is very telling and Hope chuckles through a groan. Finally opening the door, a beaming Emmett is standing there with a to-go cup of something steaming.

"Peppermint tea. Your apparent favorite." Keelin and Freya don't bother hiding their coos. "And a brain aneurysm? Really? That's kind of harsh, Hope. I've been nothing but nice."

Hope gives him a deadpan stare before taking the tea, she then making quick introductions. "Freya and Keelin, meet Emmett. Emmett, my aunt Freya and her wife Keelin."

"Hey." Emmett beams, a dimple in his right cheek forming. "Do either of you care to fill me in on what Hope is? She's not playing fair."

"She hasn't told you?" Freya asks.

"No. And Edward can't read her mind as long as her ring stays on."

Hope glances at her aunts. "What? It's not my fault they're terrible at guessing."

"But I bet you're not playing fair either." Keelin nudges her niece. Then looking at Emmett, she tells him, "You've probably all ready guessed what Hope is, but you're looking at her as if she's only one species. She's not."

"Wait, what?"

Hope sighs and then grumbles. "I'm a tribrid." Emmett gapes at her. "I told you I was one of a kind. Now come on, lets get to school so you can tell the others."

And after that fateful day, it becomes a regular occurrence that Emmett picks up and drops off Hope before and after school. Freya and Keelin can't help but adore the large vampire, and even Hope eventually gives in to his bashful smiles and playful behavior. Everyone at school is surprised to see the largest of the Cullen/Hale siblings behave so carefree, and even Emmett's family seem a bit surprised at his behavior, but in a good way.

Hope then becomes so used to Emmett's towering presence that when it comes time to give him her family's legacy book so he can know her history, she makes herself sick with anxiety. Her aunts do their best to soothe her worry, but she doesn't quite calm down until Emmett suddenly appears at her bedroom window one night.

Slowly opening the window after he gently knocks on the glass pane, Hope steps back on sits on the edge of her bed. Emmett enters her room, sitting on the sill.

"That was.. wow. Your family are the Firsts."

Hope nods, avoiding his gaze and twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Only Rebekah, Kol, and Freya remain."

"That was a lot to take in. Jasper's re-reading it." Hope flinches and Emmett moves to stand before her, he then crouching and settling his hands on her knees. "Hey. Hey," he says again, reaching up to make her look at him. "Your family's past is crazy, but it's their past. Their past does not define you. We all still think very highly of you and are still looking forward to the day you grace us with what your tribrid qualities are."

Hope huffs a laugh. "I'm a witch, werewolf, and vampire," she finally tells him after a week of the Cullen and his siblings trying to guess the right combination.

"No shit? I can't believe we never guessed it."

"Well after I mentioned the unicorn your imaginations took over and started throwing out every other mythical creature that you think is real too."

"They're not?"

Hope grins at his pout and flicks his ear. "Maybe. Maybe not. One can't be too sure unless you've seen it with your own two eyes."

"At least tell me dragons are real?" She then laughs at his hopeful expression, shoving his shoulder and then huffing when he doesn't even budge. Stupid Cold One strength. "There's the smile I was hoping for."

Since Emmett's started talking to her, he's thrown in a few flirty remarks here and there. Hope's grown to expect it from him, but what she hasn't grown used to yet is the way her heart skips a beat and the way she warms all over when he genuinely smiles at her. And given his senses, she knows that he knows exactly what his proximity and words do to her.

"So what are you doing here?" She finally asks. "Did you come all the way here just to soothe my worries?"

"Yes and no." Emmett finally backs off and takes a seat next to her on the bed. "Esme's been anxious to finally meet you. We talk about you a lot and Carlisle talks a lot about how good your aunt Keelin is at her job. She's a bit miffed she's the only one who hasn't met you or your aunts."

"Oh. Well we, um, can go right now if that's okay with you?"

"Yes."

Emmett immediately stands and sits halfway in, halfway out of her window, and Hope slides off her bed to make her way towards the bedroom door. Calling out, she yells, "I'm going out with Emmett!"

"WHAT?!"

Emmett snorts and Hope's eyes widen when she realizes what she's just said. "Heading out! I'm heading out with Emmett!"

They can hear Keelin cackling from somewhere downstairs.

"Okay!" Freya then calls back up. "Don't stay out too late."

Blushing, Hope then makes her way towards a smirking Emmett.

"No shoes?"

She shakes her head. "No. I'm assuming you ran here and we're running back, so I'll just have you drop me off halfway and I can shift."

"Awesome. Climb on my back and hold on."

Since Hope's window was situated over the side walkway overhang, Emmett crouches near the ledge and waits for Hope to join him. She climbs onto his back with a small laugh a moment later, and after a brief warning Emmett jumps. His hands grip around the backs of her thighs and her arms are wrapped around his neck. She grunts when he lands, but then she's laughing as he runs.

The world is blurring by her, but not as fast as she expected since her senses can keep up with vampire speed, and she relishes the feel of the air whooshing passed her. But all too soon, he's stopping and letting her down gently.

"All right, Mikaelson, lets see what you got."

"Yeah, yeah." Hope shifts nervously before lowering herself to the ground on her hands and knees. "Have a blanket ready for me when we get there. Clothes tend to disappear through the transformation and I'd hate to scar anyone with my nudity."

He waggles his eyebrows. "You're going to be naked?"

"Don't make it weird." Emmett's laugh booms and he startles several woodland creatures. He's still laughing when Hope says, "And whatever happens next, just let it take it's course. I've been through the transformation before. I know how much pain I can endure."

His laughter immediately ceases. "What?"

Instead of answering, the first of many bones in Hope's body cracks to rearrange itself for her new form. And if Emmett had any color in his features, the color would have drained at Hope's grunts and cries of pain, her bones snapping and bending at unnatural angles.

At one point he calls her name and he takes a step back when Hope throws her head back, her eyes blazing yellow. She cries out and her back arches with a snap, and Emmett watches in awe as an abnormally large gray wolf takes the place where Hope just was.

The wolf blinks and shakes her fur out as Emmett slowly crouches. "Hope?" He gulps. The wolf nods, her tail swaying from side to side. Slowly but surely, Emmett then smirks. "Hell yes. Race to you my house?"

The wolf barks and takes off after Emmett, she letting him stay ahead of her since she didn't actually know where the Cullen's lived.

Edward and Rosalie were the only two who hadn't seen Hope's wolf form since they were out the night she showed up to their house, but with Edward's mind reading abilities he was able to see everything from his family's point of view. Rosalie didn't care to see a werewolf, instead she was rather more intrigued by the magic side of Hope and Freya's lives.

As the weeks then slowly progress, it becomes the norm for Hope to spend time at the Cullen household. Keelin's been picking up a lot of hours at the hospital, and Freya's busy getting paperwork together and what not for the opening of her very own shop that she plans to sell home remedies at.

So, of course, Hope's at the Cullen house when things go to hell.

Emmett, Jasper, and Edward are wrestling- Emmett and Jasper wearing leather cuff bracelets to protect their minds from Edward's mental probing- while Rosalie and Alice toss out some friendly taunts. It was finally a fair fight and the brothers were ecstatic to test them out.

Hope's standing with Esme since Carlisle's currently at the hospital, and the two keep their distance as the boys get rowdier and rowdier. Suddenly Alice goes still, Edward's mind is no longer on the fight, and he stares in horror at Hope. The others quickly catch on, but before Alice can come out of her vision.. whatever it was comes to fruition.

"Hope!" Edward manages to shout before Esme is thrown from the girl's side by some unseen force.

Hope gasps just as Jasper catches their mother and before she can utter a single word, a stick or stake or something is forcefully embedding itself in her throat. She immediately gurgles on blood and falls on her butt, her eyes flooding with tears from the pain as she attempts to pull the wooden stake out. There's an almighty roar that sends a shiver up and down her spine, and through her tears she sees an enraged Emmett pounding against an invisible barrier of sorts. In fact, the entire Cullen family is pounding against an invisible barrier, Emmett's black eyes focused on her.

Hope whimpers and shakily raises one bloodied hand, she trying to concentrate and release the vampires. Before she can focus enough energy to fuel her spell, she's slammed on her back and arms magically pinned to the ground, two more stakes embedding themselves in her wrists. She cries out, struggling, but it's no use.

A woman is suddenly looming over Hope, which only prompts the young tribrid to struggle some more. The woman tuts, waggling a finger at her. "Don't, child. You'll only bleed out faster."

"W-Why?"

"What was that?" The woman crouches and pulls the stake out of Hope's throat, Hope then screaming out in pain. There's another roar and the woman crouching over Hope grins. "Well he's pissed. You really have the big one wrapped around your finger, don't you?"

Hope chances a look in Emmett's direction, her heart beating faster at the sight of other individuals surrounding the family. Their hands are held out at the sides and flames erupt around the Cullen's. "No."

The woman next to Hope shrugs, still glancing over her shoulder. "They're abominations. It's a shame really. The tiny one is kind of cute."

Alice hisses, as does Rosalie, but the family has stopped pounding and instead moved closer to one another and way from the flames. Hope sniffles. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because they made you happy." The woman then glances back down at Hope, her gaze hardening. "And no Mikaelson deserves the chance at happiness. Not after what your father did."

"My father is dead!" Hope grits out. "He had changed. It wasn't his fault you witches kept coming after his family. He only did what he had to do to protect us."

"Yes, well now we intend to end it once and for all. You're a threat to our way of life."

"Screw your way of life."

"Hope!" She glances towards the Cullen's once more, catching Alice's gaze. "You can do it. Concentrate."

Hope doesn't know what she's supposed to concentrate on, and all she knows is that she's hurt and royally pissed off. Her eyes slip shut and she focuses on breathing.

How dare these witches come after her and the Cullen's when they've done nothing wrong. How dare they call the vampires abominations when witches themselves were an anomaly and not what nature intended either. How dare they think that she, Hope Mikaelson, could be taken down so easily.

Eyes snapping open, Hope momentarily relishes in the gasp that leaves the witch's mouth. She knows her eyes are blazing yellow and she meets the gaze of the shocked witch. "Patere." The witch hovering over her is forcefully thrown away, and with a grunt Hope pulls on her wrists and dislodges the stakes from the ground. She quickly pulls them out, letting the wounds heal as she climbs to her feet.

Hope carefully makes her way towards the Cullen's where the witches are still chanting, she stopping and holding her own hands aloft at her side. Breathing deeply, she concentrates on every witch trying to harm her friends, and then jerks her wrist. There are audible snaps before the witches collapse.

"Adiuuatur." The flames dissolve, and then with a wave her hand the barrier vanishes. Emmett is immediately at her side against Edward and Jasper's warning, but he's gentle with her as he checks her neck and wrists. "It's fine. They healed as soon as the stakes were removed."

The rest of his family gather around and it's Jasper who voices what's on everyone's mind. "Your blood doesn't- it's not tempting us."

"Well I should hope not," Hope muses and then grunts when Emmett suddenly engulfs her in his arms. "I'm a hybrid. Vampire or werewolf blood should not be appetizing to you."

"Huh. Well that's good to know."

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Esme suddenly muses. "What they did was unbelievably violent."

Hope winces, she patting Emmett's sides so he'd let up. He does, but she ends up being tucked under his arm and against his side. She sighs. "I'm good, Esme. Doing magic under duress is just tiresome." The motherly vampire nods along in sympathy. "And I'm sorry about the mess. I don't usually.. kill, but they threatened you and your family. I couldn't let it slide. Where there's one wave, there's bound to be another."

The Cullen's glance around at the dead witches, some glaring that they'd gotten the drop on them and others shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"I'm sorry to have put you on their radar, but I need to speak with Freya. Just for being associated with us, our enemies have now become your enemies." Hope's shoulders droop and she hastily wipes the tears from her eyes. "I should just- I should go. I never should have gotten so comfortable here."

Emmett growls and holds tight as Hope tries to leave. Edward and Jasper both glance at him, realization dawning in their expressions several moments later as Hope frowns up at Emmett who can't quite meet her gaze.

"She's your mate. Isn't she?" Jasper says.

Hope gives Jasper a double take, her eyes narrowing as Edward slowly smirks. She then looks up at Emmett who appears momentarily panicked, his expression then smoothing out into something far too pleased at the knowledge. "Excuse me?"

"How did I not realize this sooner?" Emmett then gently cradles Hope's face in his hands, he staring down at her in awe. Her mouth opens to reply, but then Emmett's hugging her again and her face is pressed into his chest.

Turning so it's her cheek pressed against his solid frame instead of her face and nose, Hope sighs and rolls her eyes. "You can't just hug me and think everything's okay." The rest of his family adopt wary expressions and Hope huffs a laugh as she wraps her arms loosely around his waist. "We're so going to have to talk about this. Later though. I really need to talk to Freya and you guys have bodies to bury.. or burn. Whatever is good with you."

Rosalie breaks the awkward atmosphere by groaning, she then stomping over to the first body. "You owe me, Mikaelson. I wanna be the first to test out the sunlight ring if Freya ever figures out how to make it work for our kind."

"Deal." The squeezing Emmett, she asks, "Can you run me back home?"

"As if you even had to ask."

Emmett's quick to scoop Hope up in his arms, he then vanishing from sight within the blink of an eye.

"How did we not pick up on that sooner?" Jasper suddenly muses. "They've been practically joined at the hip since her first day here."

"I don't care." Alice beams, giggling as she skips over to pick up a dead witch. "I'm just happy to finally have another sister!"

Rosalie huffs. "At least we like this one. That one human who keeps staring at Edward is getting on my last nerve."

"You're just jealous because it's Edward she's set her sights on and the two of you have that weird thing going on," Jasper muses. "Just get married all ready."

Rosalie glares at her twin, she then grumbling as she picks up another body. Edward sighs, punching his brother in the arm. "Thanks for that. She's going to take her anger out on me now."

Jasper waggles his eyebrows. "You're welcome."

- X - X - X -

Emmett drops off Hope in her back yard, she then running up to the door and throwing it open. Freya startles, but taking in her bloodied niece and the simmering anger practically wafting off of Emmett puts her on alert. Not even their joined hands is enough to distract her. "What happened?"

"Witches."

"Dead witches," Emmett then grumbles.

Hope slowly exhales. Then looking up at Emmett, she squeezes his hand. "Hey. Go hunt," she tells him. "Take some time to calm down while I fill in Freya."

"But-"

"No buts." He frowns, but gives her a terse nod. Bending down he quickly presses a chaste kiss to her forehead and then disappears. Hope grins.

"That's new."

"Tell me about it. Apparently Cold Ones have mates and I'm his. We only just figured it out." Freya's oddly quiet, but when Hope glances at her aunt she sees that her aunt is fighting off a smile. "Don't. Me and him are going to talk about it later. Right now we have a bigger problem."

Slowly Freya collects herself, she then putting away the herbs she's been sorting on the table. "Right. Tell me everything."

- X - X - X -

Keelin had been given the rest of the day off after Carlisle had been filled in on what was going on, and Hope filled her aunts in on everything. They were a little worried about witches still targeting them after a year of peace, but they promised Hope not to worry about it and that they'd contact Rebekah, Marcel, Kol, and Davina to look into what was going on now.

Hope was still feeling a little wary, but Freya sent her up to shower the blood off and change. She did and then when she went back downstairs she figured she'd find her aunts still discussing the problem at hand. Instead they're discussing Hope.. and her apparent future with Emmett.

"So," Keelin grins from her seat at the table, stirring her hot chocolate, "Emmett, huh? Nice."

"Nope. No. We're not talking about this," she nervously laughs. Hope pulls open the fridge and pulls out a container of apple juice. Pouring herself a glass, she waves off both her aunt's knowing gazes. "Emmett will be stopping by in a bit. We're gonna talk and only talk. I might go on a run afterward so don't freak if my room is empty."

"Sure. Keep the door open!" Freya calls after her.

Choking on her juice, Hope glares over her shoulder at her giggling aunts.

Upstairs in her room, Hope shuts the door and then shoots off a quick text to Emmett. As she waits for him, she finds a stick of sage and lights it, blowing out the flame and smiling as the plumes of smoke waft upward. Sipping her juice she then sets it down in a bowl and turns around, a yelp escaping her mouth at the sight of Emmett casually leaning against the headboard of her bed.

"Dammit, Emmett. I'm gonna spell our yard to alert us when you're lurking if you don't start making noises." She glances down at the floor and then her shirt, making sure she didn't spill her drink. "Oh good. No spillage."

"So what's the verdict? Do I get to defend my mate's honor? And what's with the smoke?"

"No fighting. Yet," she says, making her way towards the bed and gingerly sitting next to him. "And the burning sage is for a privacy spell. Freya and Keelin are a little too invested in our new relationship status, and I have to ruin their fun somehow."

"Killjoy." Hope chuckles and settles against her own headboard, she sipping her juice one last time before setting the glass aside. Settling in, she faces Emmett and he grins. "So it's like this, huh? No weirdness? No crying? No denial?"

"Do you want me to reject you, Em?" She muses. "Playing hard to get seems exhausting. I rather just-" Her words are cut off as Emmett leans in, his lips capturing hers. She laughs against his mouth, trying to properly return his kiss, but not being able to do so as her laughter gets the best of her.

"Seriously?" Emmett pouts.

"I'm sorry." Hope giggles some more, biting the bottom corner of her lip. "You just.. surprised me with your enthusiasm."

If Emmett could blush, there was no doubt he'd be doing so now. "My bad. I've just been wanting to do that for a while."

"Yeah?" Hope's eyes sparkle as she smiles. "Well in that case.." She leans in, stopping just shy of pressing her lips to his. "Then you can wait just a little while longer." Emmett groans. "I need to run and burn off some energy. Run with me?"

"As if you even had to ask."

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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715

Whose wall did you post on last? I don’t post on walls but sometimes I’ll tag people on posts that makes it appear on their wall. I last did this for Angela when I shared a meme like an hour ago.

Are you a mostly blunt person? Only if I can sense that it’s appropriate to be blunt, or if I know that the person I’m talking to would be able to handle the bluntness. I prefer to be honest but I know not to be an asshole about it. Have you ever done hard drugs before? No, never. Has anyone ever been weirdly obsessed with you? I don’t think so? What is your favorite band of all time? Paramore, but y’all knew that already ;)

Would you consider getting a tattoo any time soon? It’s not even in my top 50 priorities but like I’m always open to having a tattoo tribute for my dog if the idea is raised. Are you afraid someone might steal your identity someday? It’s not something I actively worry about, but of course I’d rather this doesn’t happen at all to me. Are there any paintings on your wall? Yeah Gabie bought me a painting for my 18th birthday and she also made me one herself. Both are up on my wall. Speaking of which, what color are your walls painted? Just white. My mom gets the final say on everything home design/aesthetics-related, so we had little power over our wall color. Do you have any talents that come naturally? I’m more on the soft skills side, but sure. Do you have any piercings? Yeah, my mom had my ears pierced when I was like a month old.

What is your favorite piece of jewelry? I like necklaces and earrings. Is there a place you'd rather live right now? Sure, these days I’m definitely wishing I live somewhere with better government and healthcare. Do you change your bed sheets often? Not really. But I should. What movie did you last watch with someone? Hello, Love, Goodbye. Do you go out often? Before this crisis happened I sure did. Aside from being in school every weekday except Mondays, I’d also go out for lunch/dinner with friends a few times a week and I’d see my girlfriend once or twice a week. It’s one of my favorite things about knowing how to drive and having my own car. Have you ever had plastic surgery before? Never. Are you afraid of airplane rides? I’m like 40% terrified of them but I mostly try not to think of the possibility of plane crashes so that I don’t end up panicking. How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Once or twice. Do you consider yourself a sensitive person? In both senses that a) I can’t take a bunch of things seriously and I cry easily and b) I can interpret others’ emotions, body language, and discomfort, yeah. What's the best Valentine's Day gift you've gotten? Gab surprised me with an isaw bouquet THAT SHE MADE HERSELF for Valentine’s this year and it was both the sweetest and the most badass gift I’ve ever gotten. Beats out all other kinds of bouquets. She didn’t know her way around campus but she still painstakingly looked for and went to the one stall that sells street food and walked all the way back to my college to make the bouquet and surprise me at Skywalk once I got out of my class. Is there anyone who is overly nice to you? Laurice is overly nice to everyone, which I don’t say as a bad thing. She’s an angel. Not a single bad bone in her body. What do you think is the best smell in the world? Onions and garlic being sauteed or freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Ughhhh this reminds me that my dad has been teasing me about baking cookies for the last couple of days but he’s never actually done it yet. I’ll go nag him about it later, hahaha. If you're reading a book, what page are you currently on? Nope. Do you think people are intimidated by you? I put out a strong personality most of the time – and have the occasional fiery temper – so yes. I prefer being the scary one than have people talk to me like they’re walking all over me or underestimating me. Do you have a job you like? Whoops, can’t relate yet. Have you ever lived with a roommate before? Nah, never experienced this. I always go home to the family house since both the schools I’ve ever attended are close enough for me to travel back and forth. What song is your favorite right now? No favorite right now but I’ve had a song that had been on the tip of my tongue for a few days and had been frustrating me since I can only remember two things about it – one word from the entire song, and how it sounds. I ran to Angela, desperate, and just trying to describe the song as best as I can; the good thing about it is that I know the song is a staple at nightclubs/college bars so we’ve heard it a couple of times while drinking together so it was easy to describe it to her. Having never disappointed me throughout our entire friendship, she managed to find the song – Mo Bamba by Sheck Wes – in like 10 minutes. So now it’s what I’ve been listening to all today because I’m just so glad I don’t have to keep fucking guessing anymore lol. Have you ever had a surprise at your doorstep? Yeah I will never forget when Gab surprised me with Jollibee a few years ago. Do you like candles? They’re ok. I don’t use nor buy them so I’m not *obsessed*, but I’m sure they’re very calming and smell nice. Would you prefer internet or television? Internet. At this point I can live without television; I don’t actively look for it these days and for the past few years. What is something you lose often? My hairtie/ponytail andddd school ID. Do you have any classes with friends? Yes. Most of my classes this sem are (or were) college-based so I have a lot of classmates who are my friends in journ or my orgmates. Do you enter a lot of sweepstakes? I never join those. What is your favorite possession in your room? My dog. If he’s not hanging in my room, my next favorite thing is my relationship memory jar filled with old receipts, letters, tickets, etc. What will you be doing in the next ten minutes? I will probably stop taking surveys and watch Friends so I can feel sleepy and get ready for bed. How old is your oldest sibling? I am the oldest sibling and I’m turning 22 in six days. Which still feels so weird, because I’ve always felt stuck at age 19/20. Do you consider yourself physically active? Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. How many scarves do you own, if any at all? I don’t have scarves but I have a couple of shawls if that counts. Do you have any cuts or scratches as of now? Yep, around my chest. Where did you last sleep? I took a nap in my own bed this afternoon. Do you have Netflix? Yes, I’m part of the family account. Are you colorblind? I am not. Do you know anyone personally who is colorblind? Nope. Favorite salad dressing? Not really a big salad girl so I’m a little unfamiliar with the different dressings. Do you enjoy dancing? Only when I’ve had a lot to drink, heh. Have you ever considered writing a novel? As a kid it was one of my dreams, but it’s not anymore and it never crosses my mind these days.

#survey #surveys

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emulateharry · 5 years

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Valentine

I wrote this for the lovely Rested (@the-well-rested-one). I am posting here with her permission. A little Nick Grimshaw. M/M. Hope you like.

Bloody stupid holiday. Who came up with this anyway? The one day a year that single people were made to feel worse about their plight assuming, of course, that they were unhappy to be sans lover. Why do I even care? It’s purely a commercial day made up by the chocolatiers and florists and greeting card writers. Frivolous waste of money if you ask me.

Nick was so intent on his inner monologue that he didn’t hear the cute guy behind the counter ask for his order.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll have a venti Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino with extra whipped.”

He paid and then moved over to a table to wait for the 400 calories of caffeinated goodness. He had been so good, so good, when he and Meshach were together. He’d started every day with a smoothie and never missed a workout. But screw that. Mesh had gone on to greener pastures and Nick was drowning his sorrows with ‘coffee’. He should be over it by now, it had been months since Mesh had left. But Nick was recovering slowly from this one. Maybe he was meant to be alone after all. He had thought that he was in love with Mesh and vice-versa but when he had told Nick that he was leaving, it wasn’t as devastating as he had imagined it would be. They hadn’t fought but there was a glaring problem in their relationship: Harry Styles. Mesh was jealous of Harry. He had wanted Nick to stay away from him, said Harry was a threat to their relationship. It was a test and Nick had failed miserably. So Meshach had left to pursue someone other than an ‘Old Queen stuck on a guy who didn’t love him back.’ Okay, so that one had hurt. Mostly because it was true.

He heard the barista call his name and went to pick up his whipped cream topped calorie fest. He would have preferred mimosas but BBC1 frowned upon drinking alcohol on the job. Who knows? An intoxicated Nick might let something slip and then all hell would break loose. Nick headed out the door into the temperate air and down Great Portland Street to the BBC studios sipping his drink and looking about at the pedestrians. He saw several men carrying pink envelopes and packages in a hurry to get to their destinations.

Bollocks.

Pushing through the outer door and waving to George, the security guard, Nick made a beeline for the elevator. Yeah, he should probably have taken the stairs but he just didn’t want to. To hell with that. So he had gained a few pounds since the breakup. What of it? He had been too thin drinking all those juices and fasting and working out. Yeah, that was it. He was almost convincing himself. What happened to the men who wanted a normal guy instead of the impossibly hard-muscled exercise fanatics? A little pudge never hurt anyone. Look at Harry with those little love handles. Men and women adored them and professed the desire to just “nibble” them. Okay, bad topic. He didn’t want to think about nibbling Harry anywhere right now, his jeans were too tight to be sporting a boner in the office. The elevator door opened and he stepped out into the warren of cubicles. Slurping the remains of his drink while walking to his desk, every person who passed him smiled in a knowing way. Narrowing his gaze suspiciously at the tenth person to smirk at him, he rounded the corner to his office.

On his desk was an enormous vase with at least three dozen red roses. What was this? Rarely was Nick shocked into silence but he stood mouth agape while his mind raced. Who? He noticed a card on the arrangement and plucked it off.

To: Nick Grimshaw

From: Someone who loves you.

Oh that was helpful. It was even typed so no clues from the handwriting. Were they from a fan? His mum? Alexa? He sniffed. Their perfume was filling his office. He buried his face in them and inhaled deeply. God he loved roses. Standing up straight he could not remove the smile from his lips.

Someone coughed behind him and he turned to see Annie Mac smiling at him.

“Check you out, lover! Who’re they from?”

Nick hesitated, an embarrassed heat rising to his cheeks.

“Don’t know.”

“Well, what’s the card say?”

“Says they’re from ‘someone who loves’ me,” he answered quietly.

“A secret admirer! Oh that’s the ticket. You’ll just have to do some detective work.”

Annie backed out of the doorway and Nick was alone once again. Who would have sent these to him? The mystery would have to wait, he had a show to get ready for. He sat at the desk and logged in to the computer. He checked the latest headlines and made some notes. E-mail was next and he skimmed through the 30 or so he had received since yesterday, aware of the constant stream of people past his office stopping to have a look at his flowers. He made a growly sort of noise under his breath and opened another message. He was typing a reply when someone knocked at his door. Looking up he saw a young man wearing a DoorDash jacket holding a McDonald’s bag.

“Are you Mr. Grimshaw?”

Nick cringed at the ‘mister’ but acknowledged that he was.

“I have this delivery for you. I’m supposed to tell you to check the bag for a note.”

Nick looked at the kid with confusion, but accepted the food. He rooted his wallet out and tipped the guy. Opening the bag he felt the heat from the fries. The kid must have hustled if the food was still hot. Next to the fries was a quarter pounder with cheese. He freaking loved quarter pounders. He hadn’t ordered this. Who had? Remembering the kid saying there was a note he looked deep into the bag. At the bottom there was a child’s t-rex skeleton valentine signed “Someone who loves you.” What the hell was going on? He smiled and munched on a few fries before digging into the burger. While eating he went down a mental list of who the mysterious person might be. The alarm on his mobile dinged and he clicked it off then began cleaning up the detritus from his meal. He picked up his daily file and his phone and headed to the studio. Fifteen minutes later he began “Hello everybody! Grimmy here. Happy Valentine’s day!”

At 5:45 when the afternoon Newsbeat began, Nick took a quick break. Heading to his office to get another bottle of water out of the small fridge there he found a wrapped package on his desk. The card said “From Someone who loves you.” He didn’t have time to open it but just shook his head in wonder and headed back to the studio. He had only a couple of minutes until he was back on the air for another hour.

“And that’s it for me everybody. See you on MONDAY!”

Nick hit the outro and took off his headphones as Annie Mac suited up for her show. They chatted for a few minutes and then Nick headed to his office to finish up and head out. Well, head home. He wasn’t going out. Biggest date night of the year and he didn’t have one. What he did have was three more wrapped gifts on his desk. He just stared at them as if they might explode. Oh Cripes. What if they were bombs? He edged toward the desk and took a closer look. Each was tagged with a typed “From Someone who Loves You.” He only debated for a moment before sitting down and pulling one over. Gently tearing the paper he unwrapped it to find a bottle of his favorite cologne. He smiled. He was almost out at home. This was perfect.

He was a little less timid opening the next one which contained a small package of Charbonnel et Walker truffles. Oh god they smelled good. He would wait until he got home to eat them, and he would eat them all. The next gift was a hammered copper tea kettle from the mid-1900s along with a sampling of teas from TWG. He heard himself coo over it. It was polished to a high sheen and he could not stop the smile that spread over his face. He opened the last package and let out a small whoop of delight. A gift certificate to the hot new restaurant HIDE was nestled in some glittery tissue paper.

He sat back and looked at his haul. All the gifts had to have been chosen just for him; his favorite tea, his favorite chocolate, an antique kettle for his collection. Someone took a great deal of time to make this day special for him. But who the hell? He finished his ruminating and packed up his gifts then headed out of the office. Harry was coming over for pizza and a movie and he didn’t want to be late.

Nick had just finished dressing after his shower when he heard the door buzzer. Harry must have forgotten his key again. He opened the door to see his friend carrying a bottle of wine, a pizza box and a bouquet of bright flowers. Nick took the wine and flowers and Harry kissed his cheek as he passed on his way to the kitchen. After greeting Pig and Stinky properly, he noticed the roses.

“Nice flowers. Who are they from?” Harry asked.

“Don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“The card says from ‘someone who loves you’.”

“That’s strange. You have no idea?”

“No and that’s not the half of it. There were gifts and even a quarter pounder.”

“Woah. You must have a fan,” Harry said with his dimples making an appearance.

“Yeah. Proof that there’s at least one,” Nick smiled ruefully.

They moved to the lounge and put the pizza on the table before loading the DVD in the player.

“Oh not this one again. Seriously, we’ve seen this at least a dozen times.”

“Nicholas, you cannot see “The Notebook” too many times. Besides, it’s perfect for the day—a lifelong love affair.”

“God, you are such a romantic.”

Harry gave him a grin. “Shut up and pour the wine.”

Nick’s mind began to wander about halfway through the movie. Harry was stretched out next to him watching with rapt attention, his lips moving along with the words. Nick rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to his mysterious gift giver. He ran down the list of possible people, dismissing each one. He was so engrossed in his mystery, he didn’t realize that the movie had been paused. Harry had sat up and was looking at him.

“What?”

“You aren’t watching. Again.”

“I’m trying to figure out who sent all this stuff to me.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No, not to me.”

“So you have spent the day thinking of all the people who love you.”

“I guess…I guess I have. Yes,” Nick answered thoughtfully.

Harry was staring at him with those intense green eyes. Nick almost got lost in the depths.

“Well then good. Though I am a bit disappointed that you didn’t immediately know it was me.”

Nick felt a rush of adrenaline and, what was that? Hope. Oh god it was hope. He just stared at Harry, mouth agape. Harry reached his hand up and Nick expected him to push his chin up and close his lips but instead he caressed his cheek. Before Nick could react, Harry kissed him. It was a sweet, slow kiss. He pulled back and looked at Nick’s surprised expression. With a smile, he leaned in again and kissed him more thoroughly. Nick reveled in the taste of him, it was addictive. Nick leaned back as Harry continued his conquest of his mouth. Harry began kissing along his jaw, soft and tender.

Nick groaned as Harry paused to unbutton his shirt.

“Who else knows about you and the tea kettles? Hmm?” Harry asked as he opened the silk exposing his skin. Harry’s tongue found the pulse in his neck and sucked lightly before moving down to his nipples. Nick felt an almost electric shock run through his body and coalesce in his cock. He was light headed, probably from the blood rushing to his genitals. Harry kept toying with his nips until Nick was squirming with desire.

“You should have guessed me first. Because I love you.”

Harry ran his tongue around Nick’s navel and headed lower. Nick wrapped his fingers in those chocolate curls as the delicious arousal turned his bones to jelly. His happy trail provided a path that Harry obligingly followed, skin and muscles clenching as he moved.

Harry paused to unbutton Nick’s jeans, sliding his finger along the waistline on his now hypersensitive skin.

“I love you Nick Grimshaw. I always have,” Harry said, making eye contact. “I am not quite ready to settle down. Not just yet. But when I am, it’s you.”

Nick blinked in surprise. He almost pinched himself. Harry. He had loved him from the first. The vivacious teen with his sweet and naughty demeanor. The beautiful boy who was now the beautiful man in front of him. His hands were shaking.

“I plan to marry you. To adopt 4 or 5 kids with you. To grow old with you.”

Harry wiped a tear from Nick’s cheek and kissed him again.

“Now, let me love you silly goose.”

Harry had Nick’s jeans unzipped and he lifted his hips so that Harry could pull them down. Harry smiled and licked his lips at the bulge in Nick’s boxers. Nick shivered in anticipation. Harry, the tease that he was, took his time licking and running his fingers over the fabric barely containing Nick’s erection. Hooking his index fingers under the elastic, Harry lifted it over and pulled it down. Nick’s cock sprang free and slapped lightly against his abdomen. That was all the encouragement Harry needed. He went to work, sucking and licking and fingering until Nick was panting. The sight of those soft pink lips wrapped around him again…it had been so long. Harry slid his tongue under the foreskin and circled the head, collecting all the salty liquid oozing from the tip. When Harry took him all into his mouth and swallowed around him Nick began to babble and buck his hips.

Harry popped off and grinned at him as his fingers swirled Nick’s balls on their way lower, to massage the opening. Nick clenched and groaned. Harry intensified his massaging and resumed his oral attack. Pushing a finger slowly inside caused Nick to groan and close his eyes. Two fingers and a deep throat and Nick shouted as he came. Harry swallowed the evidence and eased his fingers out as Nick flinched at the feeling on his sensitive flesh.

Harry slid back up Nick’s body and kissed him.

Nick whispered “I love you so much.”

Harry grinned and kissed him again. “As I love you.”

A/N: It’s never too late for romance.

#gryles #valentine #my writing

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femslashy · 5 years

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weekend writing goals

but katie it isn’t the weekend!

well my weekend starts today so i say it counts 😂 (even if @fullonlarrie tagged me to do hump-day-but-not-really goals ahahaha)

i posted weekly writing goals one monday and then proceeded to just... not complete them so here we go again ig ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (p.s. if anyone wants to bully me into getting these done i wouldn’t complain 👀👀👀) so here’s the same exact goals except i WILL get them done this time 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

1. i finally have a plan/outline for my @larryabroad fic but i have yet to actually write any words for it WHOOPS

2. i have to return “a road trip journal” to the library on march 2nd and since it’s an ILL the chances of being able to renew it are p non-existent so i ABSOLUTELY NEED to both use it to plan louis’ route in abhib and probably take pictures of the pages i need (which is maybe possibly all of them 🙈)

are we supposed to tag as many people as goals? idk i feel like tags turn into a game of telephone sometimes :p but i’ll go ahead and tag @polkadotsvstripes , @cosyblack , @lululawrence , @allwaswell16 , @1diamondinthesun , @homosociallyyours , and i’m probably forgetting someone because it’s early and i haven’t plugged my brain in yet but if i didn’t tag you and you need incentive to finish anything this weekend (doesn’t just have to be fic) then i’m tagging you !!

#i originally called this ‘every day is hump day if u try hard and believe in urself’ but then i remembered i’m not funny lmao

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shireness-says · 5 years

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Playing the Part ch. 18: Song of Love

Summary: As a stage manager who’s clawed her way up from the bottom, Emma Swan can handle just about anything thrown her way. But does that include handsome lead actor Killian Jones? A CS Broadway AU. Rated T. Also on AO3. Prologue Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16 Ch. 17

A/N: Thanks for your patience, waiting for this one! I ran out of my stash of already-prepared chapters. I think this one is worth the wait though! After this, there’s just an epilogue and we’re finished.

Chapter title from “Once Upon a Mattress”. My beta, @snidgetsafan, and I would both like you to know this was almost named “A Night We’ll Never Forget” after “Carrie: the Musical”, but thought that might be a joke too far. We’re trying to keep you guys from questioning our sanity.

Tags: @kmomof4, @winterbaby89, @thejollyroger-writer, @mythologicalmango, @onceuponaprincessworld, @idristardis, @teamhook, @courtorderedcake, @aerica13, @revanmeetra87, @snowbellewells, @searchingwardrobes, @mystrangedarkson

Let me know what you think - I promise next week will be up much more promptly!

Somehow, Emma’s hand doesn’t leave Killian’s for the rest of the night. Well, that’s not strictly true; they separate their palms to clap, as is required by an awards show, but their hands keep wandering back together afterwards. It’s becoming an unconscious gesture, but truthfully, Emma doesn’t really have a problem with that. It’s… comfortable isn’t quite the word - that’s somehow too small to describe it. It’s natural, she supposes, like something they were always meant to do. Maybe they were; maybe her resistance was the only thing holding them back. Regardless, she appreciates the comfort and support the gentle pressure of his hand provides.

She needs the support, too, as the surprises keep on coming. Somehow, in all the emotions involved with Killian’s win, she’d forgotten that the production was up for Best Musical until there’s a call for everyone to return to their seats for that award after a break for commercials. Emma’s already seated; that’s not the problem. The problem is a sudden flash of awareness that with two acting wins and a series of technical awards, they’ve really got a chance. And God only knows what will happen then.

“Buck up, Swan,” Killian whispers in her ear as the announcer begins speaking. That phrase has always kind of grated on Emma’s nerves, truth be told, but when she turns to glare at him, Killian’s already grinning and waggling his eyebrows in that way she knows means he’s teasing. Maybe he already knows that about her too; the things he remembers about her always surprise Emma. Regardless, though she rolls her eyes at his antics, some of the tension eases out of her shoulders while the corners of her mouth tease at a smile. That last part wasn’t intentional, but that seems to just be the effect Killian has on her lately.

(She’s already half in love with him, Emma knows, and that might be part of it too. God, there’s so much she needs to say to him once this is over, so much she wants to do to him.)

Still, it’s a good thing she’s got a good grip on Killian, because she needs that grounding when Pride & Prejudice is announced as the winner. She hears the words, knows what they mean, but that doesn’t help her brain process the declaration at all. The applause is so loud and this means - well this means everything to Emma: professionally, emotionally, possibly spiritually if the actualizing of all of Mary Margaret’s hope speeches can be counted as Emma’s religion. It’s hard in the moment for her mind to wrap itself around the fact that they’ve won, that she’s part of the team responsible for a Tony Award winning show.

Emma’s on autopilot when she stands up to let Mary Margaret and David through to reach the stage, but Killian tugs her out into the aisle instead.

“Aren’t you coming, Swan?” he grins, his intent obvious.

“Oh, I don’t know —” Emma demurs, but Killian is already tugging her up the aisle.

“It’s your baby too,” he whispers as they reach the stairs up to the stage, carefully handing her onto the first steps so she doesn’t trip. He has a point. After his lovely speech, too, it seems stupid not to just get up there and bask in the applause for a few moments.

Merlin gives the acceptance speech, but honestly, Emma doesn’t hear most of it. The lights are so bright and the ambient noise of the crowd so much louder than she anticipated that it’s overwhelming. Emma’s never been more glad that her job is in the shadows and the corners of the theater most people will never see, if only to avoid the hundreds of intense stares in her direction. It feels that way, at least, even if Emma consciously knows they’re just looking at the stage in general, and most likely at Merlin at the microphone. Still, it’s mildly terrifying, and Emma’s grateful for the gentle pressure of Killian’s hand on her back.

The real benefit of winning the last award of the night - besides the obvious perk of, you know, winning - is that all those gathered on stage for the acceptance speech get ushered off into the wings and towards the press, avoiding the masses all trying to file out down Radio City’s aisles. Merlin’s speech may have been one of the shortest of the night or one of the longest - Emma doesn’t really know for sure, far too preoccupied with trying to process the significance of the moment - but the crowd roars its applause again as the play-off music swells and Killian starts to gently steer her offstage. Emma doesn’t mind, she’s fine to go; there’s so much going on that it’s kind of nice to have someone else to direct her.

They’re barely clear of exiting cast, crew and producers before Killian’s excitement bubbles over and he sweeps Emma off her feet, whooping and twirling around in a circle. It must look very dramatic, well suited to the venue. His Best Actor trophy digs a little into her back, and Emma knows he’d be deeply apologetic if she complained, but truthfully, she’s too caught up in the joy of the moment to care overly much.

“Can you believe it, Swan?” he asks with a smile stretching from ear to ear, before continuing without waiting for an answer. “God, this is all just… Gods.”

“I know!” Emma laughs. Maybe to anyone else his sentence wouldn’t have made sense, but she hears enough of the surprise and pride and pure elation to know that she shares the sentiment, even if neither one of them can quite put it into words.

“We couldn’t have done it without you, you know,” he says, purposefully making eye contact to drive home his point, though he still smiles like a happy maniac. “I wasn’t kidding, this is your baby too. No one deserved to be on that stage more than you.”

Emma’s stomach suddenly flips. She’s wanted to talk to Killian since his touching speech, but now she’s struck with nerves. This is the moment though, even if there are still people milling about. Looking at his joy, however, restores some of her calm. It’s miraculous how much his smile can achieve.

“Speaking of,” she starts, “I just wanted to say — ”

Before she can get any further, her phone starts buzzing insistently in her handbag. It’s undoubtedly Henry; God, she loves her kid, but his timing really needs work. Groaning, she retrieves the device from her purse, noting that it is indeed her son. “Sorry, I’ve just got — ” she starts to explain.

“Not to worry, love,” Killian replies genially, his face settling into a fond expression. Emma’s not sure whether it’s affection for herself or for Henry or for both, but she loves that expression regardless, and all that it signifies.

She’s barely connected the call before Henry begins shrieking on the other end, so loud that she has to keep the phone pulled back from her ear and Killian laughs. “You won! You won, you won, you won!” Henry cheers. Emma can practically picture him in her mind’s eye, bouncing around Elsa’s living room in his excitement.

“Yeah, we did, kid,” Emma laughs right back once she can finally get the phone safely near her ear. “How do you feel about that? I can’t tell,” she teases. Killian’s being directed towards where the press awaits by an insistent theater employee as she talks, the moment she thought she’d grasped slipping even further away. I’ll be back, he mouths, quickly tossing up a hand in a little wave.

Meanwhile, Henry continues on the other end of the phone call. “This is so cool!” he gushes. “Did you touch the statue? Can you bring it home so I can show all my friends? Is there, like, a certificate too or something?”

“Slow down, kid,” Emma says, but it’s probably a lost cause. Emma doesn’t blame him; this is a big moment, and she’d probably be doing the same thing in his shoes. “Killian let me hold his earlier, but I haven’t touched the show award yet. I don’t know what will happen with the show statue, but I bet it will be at the theater for your friends to come see. Otherwise maybe Robin or Killian will let us borrow theirs. I don’t actually know if there’s a certificate, but I can probably find out.”

“Is Killian there? Can I talk to him? Liam wants to talk to him too.” Emma can’t help but smile fondly as she remembers Henry’s starstruck reaction to Liam Jones only a few months ago; now, you’d never know. That’s her son, though, ready and determined to make friends with everyone that crosses his path.

“Killian is actually doing press stuff right now, but I’ll make sure he calls his brother later. Now in the meantime… don’t you have your last Monday of school tomorrow? I think it’s time for bed.”

“Mom,” Henry whines, but Emma won’t be swayed. It is approaching 11:30 pm after all; he’s only been allowed to stay up this long because it’s a special occasion.

“Nope, none of that,” she chides back. “Go get ready for bed, we’ll do the full recap tomorrow. I bet you’ll realize how tired you are when you crawl under the covers.”

“Fine,” he huffs. “But you’d better tell me everything.”

“I promise. Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too, Mom. I’m happy you won.”

“Thanks, Henry. I am too.”

———

Killian’s probably less chatty in his interviews than the red carpet reporters would prefer - not to mention the show’s publicity department - but he’s too anxious to find Emma again to bother with more. She’d had a look on her face right before Henry called, one that said she was about to say something significant, and he’s itching to know what it was. He’d bet money it was about his speech, but he’s got less of a guess about what she’d have to say on the subject. He hopes it would be a thank you - not because he did it for the gratitude, but because that would mean she has accepted that her own role deserves thanking and attention and recognition, accepted that she plays an integral role not just anyone could fill. If her initial reluctance to join everyone onstage to accept the award for Best New Musical is any indication, though, he’s afraid that might not be the case.

By the time he makes it through press, she’s already waiting for the cars with the rest of their group except Belle, who must still be making her way through the crowds herself. It seems slightly ridiculous to Killian that they’re driving the few blocks instead of just walking ten minutes to the Plaza for the official afterparty, but then again, he’s not the one wearing high heels. They would have looked a little absurd walking down the messy streets of New York in their formal wear anyways.

“Hey, you survived the masses,” Emma teases. He wants to know what she was going to say, demand she continue right now, but Killian knows it’s not the right moment; not here, in front of all their friends.

“I did,” he replies instead, smiling at Emma. With those lovely heels she’s got on, it’s less of a downwards motion tonight; they’re almost level in height, though he’s still got an inch or two on her. “Not to jinx myself, but I think I may actually be getting the hang of this public speaking thing.”

Emma snorts at that. “Yeah, that’s what the statue says,” she replies dryly, though the smile creases around her eyes and mouth say that she knew he meant the interviews, not the acting. “You should call your brother, by the way.”

“I will once we get into the car,” he promises. “Less noise that way.”

As if summoned by magic, the first of the SUVs appears just then, pulling up to the curb. The idea of getting out of this mass of people - or at least getting to the next mass of people who will inevitably be waiting in front of the Plaza for pictures before they enter the afterparty - is appealing, but Killian also doesn’t want to leave the rest of their party behind. Belle’s still working her way through the press line, the bright flowers of her yellow dress only just visible when Killian turns back to look, and God only knows how long it will take for her to break free. It feels rude to abandon Will, Mary Margaret, and David, just because his own ride is here and waiting.

He should have counted on Mary Margaret having other ideas though. “Go,” she smiles, “I can tell you’re ready to get out of here.”

“We’re fine waiting, it’s really not a big deal,” Killian tries to protest - albeit weakly - but Mary Margaret just waves him off in a little shooing motion.

“We’ll be fine, I promise,” she assures him.

“It’s really best not to argue with her,” Emma sighs, though there’s obvious affection in her voice. “Mary Margaret may look sweet, but she gets her way in the end.”

And really, who is he to argue with that? Especially if it would be pointless anyways.

Killian gladly hands Emma up into the interior of the SUV, clambering up after her and trying not to step on her dress as they squeeze into the very back row, Regina and Robin climbing in right after. Emma slips out of those lovely heels as soon as she’s seated, letting out a borderline inappropriate groan of relief as her toes and arches are freed from the contortions they’ve been forced into. Killian doesn’t blame her for that - even if they’ll be in the car for less than ten minutes, he’s sure every one of them feels heavenly.

(It’s a little hard to concentrate when she makes those noises, though.)

“God, that feels good,” she sighs. It doesn’t help matters in the least. His face must make quite the picture, as Emma huffs a little laugh in the back of her throat when she looks in his direction, her mouth quirking up at the corners in a poorly-suppressed smile. “Are you going to call Liam?”

It takes an embarrassing moment for the words to process, and Killian has to actually shake his head to settle his thoughts back into order. Well done, Killian. “Yes, yes, of course. Thank you. I’ll do that now.”

Liam picks up on the first ring, which makes Killian think he was just waiting for the call. “Congratulations, brother!”

“Thanks, Liam,” he replies bashfully. It’ll take some getting used to, hearing all the congratulations for his work, but it’s something Killian thinks that he could get used to. Not that there’s much of a choice there - as long as he’s got this statue, there will now be people applauding his having received it. “Were you able to see everything on TV?” It’s admittedly a stupid question, but it will hopefully turn the conversation back away from him. In the adjacent seat, Emma rolls her eyes like she knows exactly what he’s doing. She probably does, frankly.

So does Liam, unfortunately. “Yes we were, but this isn’t about me, Killy,” his older brother reminds him. “Now tell me, how does it feel to have won?”

“It feels pretty damn fantastic,” Killian admits. It’s the first time he’s said that and really meant it; with the press, it was just convenient words to say, and the ones they wanted to hear anyways. No one wants to hear a celebrity try to work through their muddled feelings on the red carpet when anyone else would be immediately thrilled.

“It’s well deserved, Brother, I promise. How’d Emma react to that speech?”

Killian has to force himself not to look in Emma’s direction at the question, needlessly paranoid it would give something away. “Don’t know.”

“She’s sitting right there, isn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“Well get back to her, get back to her!” Liam urges. “If that speech didn’t impress her, she’s crazy, and Emma Swan doesn’t strike me as crazy.”

“Oh my God, shut up, Liam,” Killian hisses into the phone. Emma’s quietly chuckling next to him; at least someone is enjoying this. “Go back to your date or whatever, I’ll talk to you later.”

“It is not a date — ” his brother starts to protest, but Killian disconnects the call before Liam can take the excuse any further.

“Liam pulling your pigtails?” Emma asks.

“He’s a piece of work,” Killian grumbles right back, much to Emma’s amusement as she lets out another peal of laughter. That gets him to smile at least; she’s always been able to do it, like a special superpower.

“He loves you,” she points out, and well, that’s true too.

“Yeah. I know he does.”

As if on cue, Killian’s phone buzzes inside his jacket’s breast pocket.

I’m proud of you, Kil. Have a great time with your girl.

Any lingering annoyance with Liam melts away immediately. That’s all he’s ever wanted, after all, ever since he was a little kid: to make his brother proud. Liam’s always been his hero, so that’s the highest compliment that can be paid to him.

Killian tucks his phone away with a new sense of peace and happiness about him, conveniently just as the car pulls up to the hotel.

“You ready for more?” Emma asks, bending nearly in half to secure her stilettos once again.

He’d rather have that conversation with Emma, but it’s still not the moment for that, not with a crowd of people waiting for him to make an appearance. For now, they’re just here for a celebration. As such, there’s really only one answer to her question.

“Lead on, Swan.”

———

She probably should have figured that the afterparty would be boring. After all, the executives aren’t exactly known for being a rolicking good time. That’s the actors.

It’s not awful, it’s just kind of… bland. The music is perfectly acceptable, but no one wants to dance. The food is fine, but not exceptional. It honestly seems like most of the money has been spent on decorations, and whatever trendy vibe they were going for manages to clash spectacularly with the staid, old money aesthetic that exemplifies the Plaza Hotel.

There are highlights too, of course - namely the way Killian sticks by her side like glue all night, one hand always tangled in her fingers or wrapped around her waist. Whenever their eyes meet, Killian seems on guard, like he’s waiting for her to tell him to stop, but Emma never does. She never wants to. So instead, she just smiles, and turns back to the party.

The people make up for it, somewhat. Her own little crew keeps her smiling and laughing, and at a party like this, there’s plenty of famous faces around who all seem to want to congratulate Killian. It starts feeling like a bizarre fever dream, meeting all these celebrities she usually only sees in magazines. Everyone is perfectly nice, of course - Emma’s particularly happy to discover that Lin-Manuel Miranda really is the friendliest man alive, and tries not to geek out too much when Matthew Broderick comes up to graciously congratulate the man who beat him and ends up shaking her hand like it’s a totally normal thing to do and not one of the highlights of Emma’s life.

Killian’s off getting them drinks when Merlin sidles up beside Emma. “Hey, congratulations!” she says as soon as she notices him; in addition to accepting the award for Best Musical on their behalf, he’d also been recognized for his directing.

“And you as well!” he wishes her in return with a wide smile on his face. This just might be the happiest Emma has ever seen him. It’s a little odd to see her director in such a celebratory mood - though Merlin is certainly enthusiastic and generally happy, this is something else altogether.

Still, Emma’s not sure she deserves his congratulations. “I don’t know about that,” she hedges with a smile on her face, not outright rejecting the sentiment but not fully embracing it either.

That visibly perturbs Merlin, a little serious frown etching itself onto his mouth. “I’m not sure you’re aware of exactly how indispensable a role you’ve played, Emma. It takes a certain kind of person to not just do your job, but do it well. And with the way you anticipate problems, you’re possibly the best I’ve worked with,” he states confidently, heedless of the blush spreading across her cheeks. “Anyhow, what’s the saying? It takes a village? I think that could be applied to a show as well. And you’ve done a lot to keep the villagers from running around in circles like madmen,” Merlin confides, chuckling a little at his own joke.

Emma’s never been good at accepting praise, probably due to lack of opportunity in her youth, but it still means something to hear that from her director, her boss. “Thanks. That, uh… that means a lot,” she finally settles on.

“I speak only the truth,” Merlin replies. “Now, I know this is a ways out - several years, most likely - but a friend of mine is working on a new musical, a madcap murder caper. I don’t suppose you’d be interested? Availability permitting, of course, and we’d discuss it further once things became definite, but I think we’ve made a good team.”

Emma remembers Robin’s words from all those months ago, about how directors like to work with an established team. Now that it seems like that may actually be developing, she’ll have to thank him for his wisdom and encouragement. “I’d love that. Keep me in the loop.”

“Excellent. I’ll let you get back to your date,” he excuses as Killian returns with a pair of champagne flutes, “but really, congratulations. It’s been such a pleasure working together.”

Emma flushes an even deeper pink as Merlin walks away, but there’s a grin there too.

“Good news?” Killian asks as he hands her a drink.

Emma laughs a little, mostly to herself, before quipping, “I think I might have made it, kid.”

“I never had a doubt.”

———

They somehow end up in Granny’s diner at the end of the night. It’d probably been inevitable, really; it seems like so many of his and Emma’s milestones along the way to where they are now - wherever they are - have happened in that restaurant. It doesn’t hurt either that the food at the official afterparty is boring buffet fare, and Granny’s is open 24 hours. The lady herself has long since gone to bed - it is one in the morning - but the kitchen is more than happy to send out a variety of burgers and fries and grilled cheeses with onion rings. Emma has seemed slightly on edge all night, though happy; Killian is eternally grateful that she was able to accompany him and witness their win herself, but he knows the awards weren’t quite her scene. Here, in Granny’s corner booth with a dollop of whipped cream on her nose from her oreo shake, she’s more in her element, laughing with their friends and sticking her tongue out at him when he swipes the whipped cream off.

(God, he loves her.)

His heart does a happy little jig when Emma rests her head on his shoulder as hot drinks and slices of pie are distributed, though he does his best to play it cool. Still, Killian can’t resist the urge to wrap his arm around her waist, both to support her and to tug her just a little bit closer. If the little sigh Emma exhales onto his shoulder is any indication, she’s not opposed either.

She wasn’t supposed to fall asleep, though; that was never something Killian had anticipated happening. Part of him doesn’t want to wake her back up. Emma looks so peaceful in sleep, her features fully relaxed and serene, and it seems like such a shame to disturb that. They’re closing in on three in the morning, however, and as much joy as Killian takes from having Emma Swan nestled against him, her own bed must be so much more comfortable than this booth and his bony shoulder.

“Swan,” he whispers at first. That’s not particularly successful; Emma hums a little half-asleep sound, but makes no attempt to make her way back to wakefulness. Indeed, she tries to burrow her face further into his flesh. It’s endearing, certainly, and cute beyond words, but not particularly helpful. “Swan,” he repeats, “you’ve got to wake up.” A little nudgey shrug is more successful, causing Emma to finally lift her head with bleary eyes and her brows furrowed in confusion.

“What time is it?” she slurs, stretching in a way that does not accentuate her bust in the least.

“Nearly 3 am. Can I walk you home?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” she yawns.

“I think it’s about time we were all heading home,” Mary Margaret cuts in, sliding out of the vinyl booth seat. Will and Belle already departed almost an hour ago, off to their own celebrations that Killian would rather not know more about, and Robin had left immediate after they were done eating to pick Roland up, but Ruby, Regina, Mary Margaret, and David had all stuck it out - though David looks like he’s about to fall asleep on the tabletop as well. There’s hugs all around as everyone piles into various cabs, but finally, it’s just Killian and Emma - just the way he’s wanted all night. They’ve both got things to say, Emma especially, and Killian’s ready to listen to all of it.

———

The night is peaceful, just the two of them - at least as far as that’s possible in a busy city of millions. The more Emma thinks about it, the more she thinks that the peace she feels is less due to the time or location, and more due to some inner serenity. It sounds ridiculous to think of it like that, but that seems to make the most sense. She’s happy; that’s what matters.

Her apartment is only a few blocks away, so without any verbal agreement or further discussion, Killian and Emma both set out walking in that direction instead of hailing a cab. She doesn’t need escorting home, not really, but she’d happily accepted all the same for the chance to spend a little more time in Killian’s company. It will give them a chance to talk uninterruptedly, anyways, if Emma can bring herself to upset their current harmony. She’s not nervous about it anymore, far from it; still, in the midst of such a perfect moment, it’s hard to bring herself to interrupt it with something so silly as talking.

Emma’s just preparing to break the silence herself when Killian jumps in first. “It’s a lovely night, isn’t it?” he asks softly, a gentle smile playing across his lips as he looks towards the skyline.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Emma’s not talking about the weather. She thinks Killian might not be either. Quickly, she plows ahead with her intended speech before they both get lost in another moment again. “Listen, I just wanted to thank you, Killian. For tonight, and the speech - God, especially that speech - and… everything. Thank you.”

“Oh, Swan, that’s nothing you need to thank me for,” he replies, blushing red and letting his hand steal away to that nervous spot on his neck again.

“Yeah, there is,” she insists right back. “You didn’t have to do that.”

That catches Killian’s attention, his body suddenly snapping back upright from the bashful position it had curled into. “Of course I did,” he says. There’s a fire in his gaze that wasn’t there before, that Emma usually only sees at the theater when he’s passionate about what he’s doing. “I know you don’t do this for the thanks, but I see all the work you put in every day. Hell, some days you hold this entire thing together through sheer force of will. All without any thanks.” He pauses to take a deep breath. “I didn’t do it for your thanks. I did it because you deserve to be thanked. I think we all know I’m not exactly an unbiased source,” he chuckles wryly, “but what you do, day in and day out, is amazing. You’re amazing, and brilliant, and… I just wanted everyone to know that. Yourself included.”

It amazes Emma, most days, the fierceness of what Killian feels for her. To hear him speak, you’d think she was an angel sent to earth, a powerful goddess walking amongst mortals, the most amazing thing he’s ever encountered. It’s even more awe-inspiring to realize that that’s exactly how he sees her.

The thing is, the way Emma sees Killian isn’t much different. Maybe she wouldn’t get so melodramatic in her descriptions the way he might - she’s never been one to use the word “angel” anyways - but she’d readily call him one of the kindest, most thoughtful men she knows, and more than deserving of all the good things that have come his way.

“Now, I don’t mean - please don’t take what I’m about to say as a demand for thanks, because it’s not, I didn’t say all those things for the thanks,” he continues, fully babbling now, “but I was just wondering - well, you see, I like you, Emma, really like you, rather halfway in love if I’m placing all my cards on the table - and I know I’ve asked before, but so much has changed, and… well, to borrow the quote, my affections and wishes are unchanged,” he grins a little at his joke, albeit somewhat nervously. The silly man. “I suppose what I’m getting at, what I’m wondering — ”

Emma doesn’t wait to find out what he’s wondering, however, even if she’s pretty sure she knows what’s coming. Too impatient to wait any longer for him to collect his thoughts - can that boy ever ramble - she surges up suddenly to pull his face down to hers and mash their lips together, one hand sliding into his hair to tug and caress the strands the way she’s wanted to for longer than she’s willing to admit. Weeks, for sure; probably months. Whatever the case, the moment is now, and she’s going to revel in every bit of it.

Though Killian is initially caught off guard, emitting a little shocked grunt (Emma would kill for photographic evidence of it, imagining cartoonish popped eyes and pinwheeling arms), he relaxes into the kiss almost immediately. Maybe if Killian was initiating, their kiss would be a gentle, deliberate thing; that’s the way she’s always imagined it, at least. Emma’s the one in charge though, so this kiss is fierce, hungry, almost desperate. She wants to learn all of it, all at once - the way he sounds when she nips at his lip or sucks at his tongue, whether he likes it when she pulls on the hair at the nape of his neck (and oh, if those groans and moans are indication, he does, he absolutely does), all of it. Killian seems much of the same mind as his hands settle possessively at her hips, thumbs tracing along the sheer panel at her midriff as his head tilts and readjusts in a quest for the perfect angle at which to explore her mouth. It’s the realization of months and months of longing and repressed feelings and they slam together, pressed tight against each other’s fronts as their mouths practically meld into one, and it’s perfect.

They finally break apart when more than the quickest gulps of air become necessary, but Emma’s hand slips down to grip Killian’s lapel - for stability or comfort or whatever else she doesn’t know, but it somehow feels necessary for her continued existence. “That was…”

“Yeah, it was,” he replies, before letting out a laugh - a joyful, winded sound. “God, what was that? You didn’t even let me get out the question,” he teases gently.

Even his ribbing can’t wipe the smile off her face, though. “You were taking too long,” she shrugs, mindlessly nosing at his neck. It’s a new frontier, one she looks forward to kissing and nibbling once she gets a second wind.

“Ah, well, forgive me. This seems a little redundant now, but I don’t suppose you’d want to get a cup of coffee sometime?” He’s obviously aware of the sense of deja vu from his first attempt at this, grinning madly with a twinkle in his eye.

“What do you think?” Emma whispers in reply, drawing him back down for another round of kissing.

As if there was any other answer now, after all they’ve done and all they’ve been through, but the most enthusiastic yes.

#cs ff #captain swan #my writing #Playing the Part #Song of Love #Broadway AU #stage manager!Emma #actor!Killian #and some kissing #fine: and a very serious make-out

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riverdale-daydreams · 6 years

Text

End Game // Sweet Pea (Part Four)

Pairing: Sweet Pea x reader

Warnings: slight smut, light language

A/N: Some people have expressed interest in being put into a tag list. I’d be more than happy to include anyone that wants to be on it! (: Just let me know.

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Five) (Part Six)

Betty nudged you after you got into your places on the field, both of your eyes locked on Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs in the stands. They all looked out of place and uninterested until they all saw you looking at them. They gave their own stiff nods before you had to get to your places on the field. You all started your routine, led by Cheryl, and right as it ended the football players ran past you all while you lead the crowd into cheering them onto the field.

You noticed Reggie and Archie exchange looks when they saw the serpents in the stands. Reggie nudged you with his shoulder, as if asking what was up and you just shrugged, not once losing your smile for the crowd, but you locked eyes with Sweet Pea. He looked annoyed as soon as he saw Reggie close to you.

The game went well, the Bulldogs stayed ahead the whole time and you could feel the high energy from the crowd as the end came closer.

Once the game was over and some fans came on the field to celebrate you went into the stands with Betty and Toni to find the guys. When you found them it was just Jug and Fangs, who pointed you towards the concession stands to find Sweet Pea.

You looked around a little, not seeing the tall serpent you were looking for, then you felt hands on your waist from behind. You jumped and turned to see him smirking down at you.

“Hi.” You squeaked out.

He lightly tugged at the ribbon in your hair in amusement, “Hey there.”

“You came.”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” He smirked.

“What’d you think of your first Bulldogs game?”

“It was pretty boring.” He shrugged, then, “But there was a cute little cheerleader keeping me entertained all night, so it wasn’t too bad.”

“Oh?” You giggled, feeling his hands squeeze your waist tighter. You felt high from his touch.

“[Your Name]!” You turned your head to see who had been calling you and saw Reggie and Moose walking towards you, but their eyes were glued to Sweet Pea’s hands on your waist.

You wiggled out of his grip, but he stayed close, “What’s up?”

“We’re heading out, you coming?” He asked you the question but his eyes were locked onto Sweet Pea.

“I think I might pass tonight.”

His gaze shifted to you, “Why’s that? Trying to charm a snake tonight instead?”

You felt Sweet Pea tense up, taking a step forward, but you grabbed his jacket sleeve, “Chill out, Reggie.”

“You got some nerve making a move on one of ours, snake.” Reggie sneered.

Sweet Pea scoffed, “Better a snake than a filthy dog, right?”

“Guys.” You stepped between them, “Relax, okay?”

They made no move to stand down, “Come on Sweets, let’s go.”

He didn’t stop looking at Reggie, but let you pull him by the hand away from them. Reggie yelled, “Think about the choice you’re making, [Your name].”

“I am.” You yelled back, “And I’m making the right one.”

After you said it you didn’t look back until you were out of the stadium and in the parking lot. Sweet Pea hadn’t said a word until you were stopped in front of his bike.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He kept his fingers laced with yours.

You smiled, “I gotta support my boy, don’t I?”

He looked surprised that you copied his words, but before he could reply he heard whoops and hollers from more people coming to the parking lot, mostly the football players in their jackets. Luckily Reggie wasn’t with them but their eyes were still glued on the both of you and your interlaced fingers. You could only imagine what they thought right now with you in your Vixens uniform and him in his Serpents jacket.

He must have felt your anxiety because he cupped your cheek, making you look at him instead of them, “Let’s give them something to stare at.”

He leaned down and kissed you, it was softer than you expected, and sweeter. He kissed you like you were made of glass, as if any wrong move and you would shatter under his fingers. The hand that had been holding yours pulled you closer to him so that you could feel the warmth of his body.

When you parted the Bulldogs were long gone, but you could hear their murmuring. The rumor mill was already starting to work and you were sure there would be a shitstorm come Monday but right now you just wanted to live in this moment, with him.

“Did you still want to get Pop’s?” You said it softly, since you were both still so close.

His chest rumbled from his laugh, “Nah, how about we go back to my place instead?”

Your body tingled, instead of answering you just brushed your lips against his again, teasing him and he groaned. He all but yanked you onto his bike and sped out of the parking lot. The last thing you saw was the Bulldogs and Vixens watching you leave, their faces turned in disgust and confusion.

When you got to his trailer he helped you off the bike gently, leading you inside. Before you could even look around he pushed your back against the door, kissing you harder than before but still lightly enough he wasn’t hurting you. You had expected him to be different and rougher, not as sweet as he had been.

You wanted to tease him, pulling him closer to your body by his belt loops, your mouth traveling down to his neck, nibbling softly at the soft flesh there. He groaned, grabbing your thighs and pulling them around his waist so he held you against the wall. His fingers undid your ribbon, letting your hair fall and shoved his tongue in your mouth.

He carried you into what you figured was his bedroom, throwing you onto a bed and peeling off his leather jacket and his shirt. You marveled at what he looked like shirtless, the way his muscles rippled with puckered scars everywhere. He crawled onto the bed, hovering over you with a smirk.

“I told you I’d get you one day, Princess.”

You rolled your eyes, pulling him down, “Shut up, Sweets.”

~*~

Tag List: @dontaskshhhhh @sweetpeasdrug @monidossan14

#riverdale #riverdale imagines #riverdale fanfics #riverdale fanfiction #reader x sweet pea #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea

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thecreativeangel · 6 years

Text

S.O.U.L.M.A.T.E.

Richie Tozier x Fem!Reader

*Please don’t plagiarize my work, thank you :3*

Summary: Because soulmates are linked in weird ways, you are hungover from a party you didn't attend and just happened to be in the same condition as the school douchebag. Your soulmate could be anyone. At all. In the world. So please, please don’t let it be him.

Warnings: Cussing, hangovers, mention of bullying (bordering abuse). Pt. 1 of 2 or (maybe) 3. This a request, by the way. (I know. I’m slowly getting through my requests. It’s a miracle.)

Word Count: 1,221

Next Chapter

School at Derry could easily be described in one word (the word being hell), but you preferred to think of it in your own way; sarcastically. Gretta Keene for instance, was the epitome of class and dignity, always being nice to everyone and never shoving you aside while you were on your way to science. See? Sarcasm.

Henry Bowers never threatened you into kissing his cheek (It was okay honestly. He originally wanted the kiss in a less innocent place. You had to bargain), Patrick Hockstetter never cornered you in the girls bathroom. He had this revolting idea that sex was only sex if the receiver was yelling for help, and he definitely didn’t almost get his way, and you definitely didn’t feel like crying, even though you managed to get away. Definitely not.

Victor Criss and Belch Huggins were…actually half decent. Victor liked to call you a wide range of names. Belch just burped in your face and was generally gross. So in order of psychopath to normal it was Henry, then Patrick, then Victor and Gretta. Belch was last. The hate you felt towards the Bowers gang was out of fear and anxiety for what they do to you, but you felt different kinds of hatred. “You shoved me aside and now I want to stab you with a pencil” was for Gretta. “I nearly bled to death when you cut a dick into my ribcage. Go to hell” was for Patrick and Henry. But there was a special sort of hate you had, deep in the darkest pit of your heart, a special type of “almost-hate-but-not-quite-but-still-extreme-anger”. It was never used. You never thought you’d use it.

Until you found out who your soulmate was.

Que montage of “soulmate moments”.

The first time you knew you even had a soulmate. It was terrible. The night before was fine; studying for Mr. Bittner’s class, quick dinner, shower then sleep. In the morning thought…

“Oh my god,” You groaned, rubbing your temples. “Why does it feel like I chugged vodka last night?”

See, you certainly had not chugged anything last night, except for a glass of milk. And maybe a few chocolate bars. Studying requires motivation, okay? You rolled off the bed and onto the carpet, releasing a soft ‘oof’ when your back hit the ground. The headache got worse. Stumbling to the bathroom, the most horrible sensation bubbles in your throat. You could taste the sour and bitter throw up in the back of your throat as your stomach convulsed. A flashback of being kicked in the stomach in P.E. is what you described it as, and that imagine only makes the process quicken. You lunged for the toilet bowl and clung to it, vomiting out everything.

You retched and couched until everything flew out, until only thick clear liquid was coming out in small shudders. When stomach fluid began to dribble out, you chose to forcefully snap your mouth shut, your throat still retching against the rest of your body’s will. The convulsions stopped after a few minutes of sitting on the bathroom floor but the acid like taste of vomit remained stuck to your tongue. You turned the tap and lapped at the flowing water, wishing it to dull the raw ache and disgusting taste in your mouth. Wiping at your mouth with the back of your hand, you squeezed the edges of the sink until your knuckles turned white.

Visible through the mirror, all over your neck, were little maroon bruises. They littered your skin and now, for the first time, you felt all the effects. The soreness of your feet and legs, the not so faint throbbing of the hickeys, the ache in your throat, the lead ball in your head that was bashing into your skull with every small move you made. Hungover. You were hungover as shit.

But how? Last night was a perfectly regular night studying for that stupid soulmates test-

“SONOVABITCH!” You screamed, rubbing your temples again as your brain rattled in your skull. Okay. No screaming. Screaming equals bad.

You lifted your head to look at the painful image in your mirror. Bags under your eyes, angry red blotches on your cheeks, sweaty skin. Your skin was paler than usual, becoming a sickly color. You put your head in your hands and groaned.

Fuck my soulmate. Murder isn’t a strong enough word for what I’m gonna do if I find them.

“Hey loser.” Beverly said in a singsong voice, plopping down in her seat. “Why d’you look like you crawled out of hell?”

“Shut-shut up Bev,” You whined, laying your head on your desk. “I look like hell ‘cause I’ve-I’ve been through hell.”

“Are you hungover?” She asked, critical and slightly amused. “How? You didn’t even come to the party last night. Christ, if you have a stash of booze under your bed I call dibs.”

“Shut up.” You whined again, covering your ears.

“You are hungover,” Beverly marveled. She stood up and moved in front of you, poking your cheek. You’re too tired to respond, instead choosing to close your eyes. She poked you again, then lifted your eyelid with her finger.

“You still alive there?”

Lazily, you swatted her hand away. “No.”

“Well since you didn’t go to the party, why’re you all dead looking?”

You blinked slowly, craning your neck on the hard desk, trying to get into a more comfortable sleeping position. “I think my s-”

“Is that a fucking hickey?” Beverly shrieked. Everyone who was in the classroom stopped talking and looked at you like an animal in a zoo. You groaned loudly as your ears heated up and moved your head so your nose was squished against the wooden desk.

“Bev for god’s sake shut the fuck up.”

“You- you got laid?” She whisper yelled. It was still loud enough that two or three people heard.

“No you idiot! It’s my asshole soulmate!”

She settled down, visibly relieved. “Oh. Thank shit.”

“Get off my ass,” You murmured, wincing when the classroom door banged open. Richie Tozier walked in, with his stupid black bomber jacket and skinny jeans and glasses indoors. On cue, a bunch of guys and a few girls started whooping and cheering. Beverly and you both rolled your eyes.

“Y’know, Tozier could be your soulmate,” Beverly said airly, sitting back down beside you. “He’s got a hangover and everything.”

“How’d you know he’s got a hangover?” You asked sleepily, still somewhat interested.

“No one wears sunglasses indoors,” Beverly answered, chuckling. “Even a pretentious asshole like him.”

“He better not be my soulmate,” You growled hoarsely. Great. My voice is gone. My soulmate must’ve been at a rave or something. “What’re the chances of that? Of all the people on Earth who have soulmates… If Tozier is my soulmate I give you permission to feed me rat poison.”

“Bitch if you get to die before final exams then so do I.” Beverly grumbled, taking a swig of a Red Bull.

She always carried at least five cans in her backpack. She also had bags under her eyes, probably from the party and staying up to study. Behind you, Richie and his friends were talking loudly and laughing frequently like complete idiots.

Just another typical Monday.

Forever Tozier Tags List: @exoticeggos, @mikoalabearwrites

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huangels · 6 years

Text

eleven questions tag ☼

tagged by: @lstkpopflsgood ty babe !

rules: answer the eleven questions if you’re tagged, and then list another set of eleven questions for the people you tag to answer!

⇢ What do you think it could win on a battle: Water or Fire?

ever since i was little, i’ve ALWAYS wanted to touch fire…and i have once (well almost). i stuck my hands into a fire place when i was like 5 y/o ? but my mom saved me before my hand can touch the fire. anyway, weird ass story aside, i love fire but i guess it depends on the amount. like if there was an equal amount of both elements, then maybe water would win but it all comes down to the science of it because if the amount of fire is vast and of high enough temperature enough, it can evaporate the water quickly into steam which means it wins. but if there’s a small fire and a whole firetruck (wHOOP WHOOP) hose then of course the water wins. i would call it a draw, both elements are super powerful.

⇢ What do you love and hate the most? and why?

love — ok you’d think i’m exaggerating but i’m gonna say renjun. he’s my bias for a reason, he’s my ult of all ults foR A REASON. of course i mean he’s maybe not the thing i love MOST in the world but there’s just so much to love and appreciate i have for renjun. he’s beautiful and ethereal, he has so many cute features about him, like his snaggletooth (rip), and his dimple, and the two front teeth that kinda stick out, and his birthmark/mole on his hand. he’s also amazingly talented and caring (even when putting members in chokeholds). i just love him so much :’)

hate — hate is a strong word and i like to live my life without using the word hate too much so there isn’t really anything that i hate but for the sake of this question and this tag, i would say that i dislike slow walkers (maybe not the most but) they’re really annoying, especially if they’re walking in the middle of the sidewalk or hallway like hELLO people (me) have places to go.

⇢ Do you thing it’s really necessary for us to live with another person? To have a couple life?

honestly, there are many people that live their life without a significant other (wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend), so no i don’t think it’s necessary. a person can find love within other people and things without having to date or marry anyone. for example, love shared by friendship or families or pets or hobbies even. i mean it’s different for everyone too, some want the love shared in a romantic relationship. but it’s definitely not necessary to have a significant other. it’s whatever makes one happy that they should pursue it.

⇢ Are animals better than humans?

i don’t know if they are any better but they aren’t any worse than humans. of course, some might think that yes, animals are better and have more morals or something but that’s mostly because we have yet to discover or invent technology to understand animals. so it seems as if they are portrayed to be pure and innocent though it is nature and predators feed on prey and prey feed on plants that are needed for oxygen. so i don’t really know the answer but i do know that humans are corrupt in a way that animals are not.

⇢ Do you have a favorite something? If yes, what is it and why?

this is so broad my three brain cells are working hard to try to find an answer but i’ve got nothing so i’m gonna be boring and say my favorite animal is a dog bc they are precious and pure and deserve the world

⇢ What is your favorite music? Why?

i don’t particularly have a favorite genre of music, i mostly listen to what sounds pleasing to my ears ? but i do have a ‘style’ of music that i lean towards more and that is more pumped up/groovy/funky/unique/etc songs (ex: romance - shinee, fallin - mx, get it - tbz, monday blues - cbx, pretty boy - taemin, thunder - exo, etc.) it might seem like a weird description but basically songs that aren’t too slow or too fast, songs that have unique beats or melodies or lyrics. i don’t particularly like slow sad songs because it makes me kinda…sad ? like if i listen to sad or slow music, i just get emotional and think too much idk anyway. i prefer more upbeat songs because it’s like a dance party everywhere i go. (i still listen to sad music anyway bc [REAL EMO HOURS] also listen to baby by the rose thnx)

⇢ If you read, what is your favorite book?

i’m gonna be quite honest here…i haven’t read a book that i wanted to read (like picked out at the library or bought) in like years… i’ve just haven’t had the time to read books lately and the books i do read are for my classes or for reports that i didn’t particularly pick out for myself. but from the books i’ve read through my life, i really enjoy reading mysteries, thrillers, and sci-fi books. a good favorite of mine is ‘american pyscho’ (i love really fucked up shit i’m weird don’t judge) but i also like the book ‘the bell jar’ (also kinda fucked up story). i guess that’s what prompted me in my interest in writing mysteries or thrillers but i don’t have much experience in it so i’ll stick with fluffy short fics for now

⇢ Where do you would like to visit/live in?

i really looooove traveling !! though i haven’t traveled to that many places, i’d love to visit literally everywhere, doesn’t matter if there’s barely anything to do. living wise, if we’re being realistic, probably texas because real estate is cheaper and basically everything is cheaper, but if we’re pushing money and bills aside, probably back to china, up north somewhere idk lol ?

⇢ What is your zodiac sign? Talk a little about it and say if it fits you or not.

my zodiac is scorpio, and honestly i don’t know much about astrology except for the sprinkles of zodiac posts i see on instagram or tumblr sometimes. but from what i’ve seen around, scorpios are supposed to be sex driven, mysterious, cold, and bitchy, and i don’t think i fit into any of those traits lol. but my friend, who’s a big astrology nerd, says that my appearance is the LITERAL definition of a scorpio (idk what he meant so i just went along with it). i mean i guess i get it kinda ? bc my outer appearance is kinda cold and i’ve been told i have a resting bitch face so if i don’t smile then i look angry or mean (so i try to smile more now heh). but if there’s any other traits you guys know about scorpios, feel free to tell me bc i’d like to know !

⇢ What you think it’s your funniest moment til now?

my life is just a big fat boring so this took a while to think of (idk if this is the funniest bc i have the memory of a goldfish) but recently about a few weeks ago, i went to this cafe to have lunch with my friend and as we were eating my fucking statistics professor came in and my friend points it out to me. i didn’t know if i should say hi or not bc i didn’t know if she knows who i even am (bc i rarely attended that class since attendance wasn’t mandatory and math is my good subject) so i just ignored her. then she sat down at the table RIGHT NEXT TO MINE and then the fucking TA’s for the stats lab joined her and it was just hella awkward bc i think the TA’s remember me (long story short i was late for my final bc a bitch slept in and i basically begged while knocking continuously on the window for the TA to let me into the lab to take the final and they did eventually) so anyway i think they remembered me but i still didn’t want to say hi. my professor got up later and i thought they were gonna leave and i can finally breathe but then SHE FUCKING WALKS UP TO OUR TABLE AND ASKS MY FRIEND IF SHE CAN TAKE A PHOTO OF HER AND THE TA’S and at that point, i was about to scream. so my friend took the photo and i STILL didn’t say hi even though i SHOULD’VE then. and the whole thing was a mess and it wasn’t funny then but looking back at it now, i’m laughing my damn ass off at myself

⇢ Milk before cereals or cereals before milk?

if you pour your milk before your cereal, i’m gonna push you down a well and leave you there to rot

questions for you:

what is the first memory you remember? like from birth or when you were young?

what is the line between art and not art?

what job would you be terrible at? why?

what is your zodiac sign? talk a little about it and say if it fits you or not.

when people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

what age do you wish you could permanently be? why?

who is you ideal boy/girl? describe him/her if you can’t think of a person (list physical traits and characteristic traits).

what’s the most annoying question people ask you? why do you find it annoying? how do you usually answer them?

can money = happiness?

as the only human left on earth, what would you do?

what is your guilty pleasure? why is it your guilty pleasure and what sparked it to be your guilty pleasure?

tagging: @ohdaddy-nct @jaeehyuns @hyucko @jencto @jeno-screaming (only if you guys want to !! ) + anyone else who wants to do it :^]

#tags #personal #this is honestly a mess hfdfhsh #i should be watching my lectures and taking notes for my next class #i should also be writing a request so i can post it #but guess what im lazy and a mess #im tired let me be im gonna sleep now

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placetobenation · 4 years

Link

The biggest news from the WWE doesn’t come in the ring this week, it’s where that ring will be come SummerSlam.

After calling the Performance Center its home for the past five months, the WWE will venture outside to a new venue starting this upcoming week for SmackDown and SummerSlam. Starting Friday night, the WWE returns to LIVE shows at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida to kick-off SummerSlam weekend. Moving forward, not only will PPV’s be LIVE and in Orlando, but RAW and SmackDown will do the same. It should bring some new energy and creativity to the shows with a bigger venue and being LIVE each week. That’s a good thing. Plus, there’s rumors that there will be virtual fans on hand until the point and time where the WWE can bring back fans to the arena. I’m looking forward to it. I think we all are. It would be very cool to see yourself up on the big screens on Monday Night RAW or Friday Night SmackDown right from your very own home, just like the NBA games from the Bubble.

Star of the Week: Asuka

Beating Bayley on Monday night to win a SummerSlam title match for Sasha Banks’ RAW title was the start. Beating the NXT, RAW and SmackDown ladies in the Tri-Branded Battle Royale to gain a SmackDown title match against Bayley the very same night at SummerSlam now gives Asuka the chance to be a double-strap diva and rid Bayley and Banks of half their gold. That’s one helluva week!

SummerSlam PPV – Updated Card:

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

Universal Championship Match: Braun Strowman vs. The FIend

United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Hair vs. Hair Match: Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville

RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio (Mysterio can bring weapons)

RAW

RESULTS

Seth Rollins defeated Humberto Carrillo

Angelo Dawkins defeated Andrade

Bianca Belair defeated Zelina Vega

Non-title US Championship Match: Shelton Benjamin defeated Apollo Crews

Cedric Alexander, Ricochet and The Vikings Raiders defeated Akira Tozawa and the Ninjas

24/7 Championship: R-Truth defeated Akira Tozawa to win title

Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan

Asuka defeated Bayley by submission – Asuka wins shot at Sasha Banks RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam

Randy Orton defeated Kevin Owens

We told you it was coming…

Maybe not.#WWERaw @RandyOrton @RicFlairNatrBoy pic.twitter.com/6zLFS4ZBCD

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 11, 2020

Damn you Randy – Even though we’ve been telling for weeks that Randy Orton would take out his mentor Ric Flair, it still stings to see it go down at the end of the show. Sure, they spared us watching The Legend Killer punt The Nature Boy in the head with the lights going out (presumably by Retribution), but it still was one helluva a way to put some added heat into Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. This one could have tentacles for weeks to come as we could see Flair align himself with the new young studs and his returning daughter Charlotte to get revenge on Randy or maybe Nach just says attaboy to Randy and helps him beat Drew. Either way, it’s a great angle being played out.

Damn!

Damage to Dominik – That certainly is no way to celebrate signing a WWE contract! Mysterio’s son gets a kendo stickn whooping from Seth Rollins and Murphy in a beating that brings back memories of Tommy Dreamer in the ECW Arena. Give the kid credit, he took it like a champ!

Asuka does it again! – Bayley submits and we get Asuka vs. Sasha Banks in a SummerSlam rematch. Always good stuff and now we get more on a bigger stage!

Intrigued:

"How are you going to lead the Women's locker room if you don't even have a @tiktok_us?" – @LanaWWE to @MickieJames #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/ERwCUPjIw4

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 11, 2020

Lana & Nattie & Mickie – I do like the pairing of new besties Lana and Natalya and now you add in a returning aMickie James and you have me interested in next week’s match. Looking forward to some good veteran work there!

Underwhelmed:

.@QoSBaszler + #RawUnderground = all-out chaos.

#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/RUw2eHTYqO

— WWE (@WWE) August 11, 2020

RAW Underground – It’s not that I don’t like RAW Underground, because I do. I like the look and the idea of it. I just don’t think it’s been explained very well for two weeks. Why are they fighting? What do they get for winning? What’s the pay off? So many questions and yet, so few answers so far. BTW: I’m with Liv Morgan: bring back the dancers! Shayna Baszler was a nice addition, but it seems toned down. Let her loose!

More carnage at the hands of RETRIBUTION.#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/DhNDmErbKv

— WWE (@WWE) August 11, 2020

Retribution – Again, I like the idea of a rogue faction, I really do. But after destroying the ring on SmackDown last week, we get very little out of the group on RAW other than to break some glass. By week two, we should get a tease as to who they are and why they are there. Plus, the damage should be a bit more don’t you think! Time to ramp it up ladies and gents! Seems like a perfect fit for Tommaso Ciampa since no one in NXT can figure out a role for him these days.

Lots to like:

Short but sweet – Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega, Angelo Dawkins vs. Andrade, Liv Morgan vs. Peyton Royce – they all paid off in brief but fun matches. We’d all like to see things go a bit more than five minutes, but at least they’re getting airtime, right?! The same can’t be said of the 8-man match between the The Viking Raiders, Ricochet & Cedric Alexander vs. Akira Tozawa and The Ninjas which did little but to set up R-Truth’s latest 24/7 Title win.

Still don’t get it:

Crews loses again – I just don’t understand the constant jobbing out of the United States Champion. Win one week, lose the next two. It’s no way to make him look strong. If you want the belt on MVP or Bobby Lashley or Shelton Benjamin, just do it already and make them stronger for more than a night. 50-50 booking doesn’t help anyone.

NXT

RESULTS

Karrion Kross defeated Danny Burch

Non-title NXT Cruiserweight Championship Match: Santos Escobar defeated Tyler Breeze

Mia Yim defeated Indie Hartwell

Bronson Reed defeated Damian Priest

Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah defeated Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter

NXT North American Championship Qualifying Match: Cameron Grimes defeated KUSHIDA & The Velveteen Dream

This week’s NXT was like breakfast for dinner. Everyone likes it, it tastes really good but it’s never something that stands out in what you remember for the week, right? Well, that’s how I feel about this week’s show. Nothing tremendously outstanding but everything was really good. It lacked that “can’t miss” match like it’s been having week-to-week. Some of that is due to giving those that haven’t had a chance fight it out for the Keith Lee opportunity for the NXT North American Championship, but when Cameron Grimes is beating KUSHIDA and The Velveteen Dream, I lose a little faith. Here’s hoping the heel turn for TVD and a match next week vs. Finn Balor makes up for it.

We've seen a lot of, um, interesting contract signings in @WWE over the years, but never something like this. #WWENXT

pic.twitter.com/pCbE9S5lCT

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) August 13, 2020

There was plenty of set-up to the night as the best thing on NXT these days – Karrion Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux toss a fireball Keith Lee’s way en route to their NXT Championship contract signing. When I mentioned liking the slow burn to this feud, I had no idea we’d have this just happening. But it makes it more personal, that’s for sure!

Offer accepted, @AdamColePro. @PatMcAfeeShow will see you next week! #WWENXT #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/YdgeJCse4T

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 13, 2020

Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era took out Drake Maverick and Killian Dain for no reason other than to call out Pat McAfee for a face-to-face week, which of course, McAfee agreed to.

Next week. #WWENXT @FinnBalor @DreamWWE pic.twitter.com/BrGRIGb1Z7

— WWE (@WWE) August 13, 2020

In a bit of a surprise, especially considering the rumors of sexual misconduct swirling regarding The Velveteen Dream, we get a TVD return and a heel turn to boot Wednesday night. It wasn’t that good of a match with Cameron Grimes and KUSHIDA but at least we had the payoff of the Finn Balor vs. TVD match which should more than make up for it. I do like the idea of more sinister TVD too. After a lackluster run at Adam Cole and the NXT Championship, the Dream needs a little lift in his character.

Now THAT was en fuego! And if you 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 know what that means, it means on

! #WWENXT @RobertStoneWWE @KacyCatanzaro @wwekayden @RealMMartinez @WWE_Aliyah pic.twitter.com/m8hb5buEFG

— WWE (@WWE) August 13, 2020

Finally, count me in on more Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter. They don’t win much, but they sure do entertain when they’re out there and it’s good to see them put into the Robert Stone Brand angle to provide a little depth. Give me more! Athleticism and personality persona fide!

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Tri-Branded Battle Royale – Asuka wins to claim title match vs. Bayley for SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam

Sheamus defeated Shorty G

Gran Metalik defeated Shinsuke Nakamura

Big E defeated John Morrison

Loved it:

The winner of the Triple Brand Battle Royal and challenging @itsBayleyWWE for the #SmackDown Women's Championship at @SummerSlam: @WWEAsuka! pic.twitter.com/YWtcNVnkTd

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) August 15, 2020

Battle Royale – Setting up Asuka to win two title matches at SummerSlam as she now faces both Bayley and Sasha Banks for their SmackDown and RAW Championships is fabulous. There’s a lot that can happen. Do Bayley and Sasha trip each other up? Can Asuka run the gauntlet? Does Shayna Baszler get involved? Lots of intrigue!

Hair vs. Hair – Sure, we all saw it coming but now that they actually want to go through with it, I can wait to see former best friends Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville beat the holy hell out of each other to protect their golden (and not so golden) locks!

They're back! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/PZgPKJEXEm

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) August 15, 2020

Retribution gets some teeth to it – Attacks to start and end the show give some grit to Retribution. First, they beat up Big E and John Morrison to begin the night. Then, as the full SmackDown roster comes out to protect Big E and Morrison, Retribution takes apart the entire locker-room.

Did anyone else find it odd though that Braun Strowman and Sheamus both come out from the back right after the Retribution attack but neither either didn’t know it was happening or do anything about it? Hmmmmmmmm……. I do think we need to hear from them on what the anti-WWE message they keep spray-painting everywhere really means. Plus, we need to find out some teases as to just who some of these rebels are. We need some depth and next week could be a huge week in that development.

Welcome back:

Kalisto – Kalisto is back to help Gran Metalik get a win over Shinsuke Nakamura in a very lackluster match. But, it was funny to see Lucha House Party steal the Tag Team Titles from Nakamura and Cesaro to start a little feud there.

Huh?

Sheamus vs. everyone? – It seems like Sheamus is taking on everyone these days. Last week, Jeff Hardy and King Corbin were in his crosshairs and this week, it’s Shorty G and Big E. Not sure where they’re going with Sheamus.

No. We're not creeped out at all. ps. send help. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/QeaFTVTdOu

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) August 15, 2020

Alexa Bliss – Why is everyone beating up Miss Bliss? Maybe only The Fiend can save her? It would be a pretty cool double-turn! Strowman is definitely better as a badass than a one-trick babyface pony.

Parting Shots:

ICYMI – Former longtime referee Mike Chioda showed up on All Elite Wrestling this week to officiate the TNT Championship Match between Cody Rhodes and Scorpio Sky. Good to see Mike back at it after being let go earlier this year by the WWE after nearly three decades. Good luck ahead Mike!

NXT TakeOver: 30 – Updated Card:

NXT Championship Match: Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross

Pat McAfee vs. Adam Cole

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai

NXT North American Championship Match: Bronson Reed vs. Damien Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. 2 TBD

Coming up next week:

RAW: Shawn Michaels confronts Randy Orton for his attack on Ric Flair

NXT: Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee Face-to-Face NXT North American Championship Qualifying Match: Finn Balor vs. The Velveteen Dream NXT North American Championship Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Ridge Holland 6-Man Tag Team Match: Legado Del Fantasma vs. Breezango & Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

SMACKDOWN: Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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