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courtlyharlequin · 3 years

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Dreamscape

Summary: [ Modern AU ] Cater, Vil, Epel, and Silver, Sebek take you on a date to Disneyland! It’s the happiest place in the world, right?

A/N: Happy birthday @poisonepel !!! Marzi, I love you so much. Thank you for all that you do for me and the twst fandom in general. You’re such a hard worker and I don’t think people say that enough. You’re one of my closest friends. I’m glad I’ve found someone who loves twst as much as I do. I’m so grateful to know you, to be able to rot with you, to be able to over share with you. You’re sweet and very down to earth. You’re so funny too! Your react pics always send me over the moon. I always have a blast when I talk to you and Taku. I hope you have an amazing day— one that’s on par with your own amazingness ehe~ (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡

Cater Diamond:

He thought it would be a cute and Magicam-able date idea

There wouldn’t be a single moment where he isn’t snapping a picture of you two

Or perhaps he might vlog the entire experience

Cater would wait for a good hour to get a picture with Mickey Mouse

He would also buy those Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream bars, take a bite for the Magicam post and then hand it off to you because, well, it’s a bit too sweet for him

Matching ears and outfits are a must for this date

Cater opts for the classical ears. You know, the black ones that are clean and simple

Once he’s done with the pictures, he’ll let his online persona drop

He’s still peppy and flirty, but he’s not faking a smile

He’s genuinely enjoying himself after all the staging. Quite frankly, the slower rides bore him but they’re much more viable for pictures

He prefers the faster paced rides. He likes the thrill, the rush of adrenaline albeit he can’t always snap a picture because of the fast pace

His favorite rides are the ones with long lines like Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, or Indiana Jones.

Not to worry though, Cater will hold your hand while you wait. He’s surprisingly very good at small talk~

Vil Schoenheit:

He is fond of the idea of going on a date to Disneyland. Read: the idea of

To be honest, amusement parks are not his ideal date. It leaves room for paparazzi and unwanted attention. Moreover, he’s never been to an amusement park before

Constantly being in the sun irks him, but he does eventually loosen up

Complaining all day would ruin the mood and that’s simply uncouth of him so it’s best to make the most out of the situation

Vil’s makeup is light for the day. He’s going for a more natural look today. He doesn’t want to constantly touch it up every few hours. He sports shoes similar to the ones in his PE card. They’re light, easy for walking yet still stylish

His whole ensemble is a functional yet fashionable piece. He puts his hair up into a ponytail too~

He’ll make sure your ensemble is just as comfortable as his too. He’ll even do your makeup if you wake up early enough

He carries a mini backpack with all of his essentials too. Maybe yours too if you don’t like carrying bags with you. He’s not going to carry everything as he’s not your servant, but an extra makeup pouch wouldn’t hurt

Vil is a total mom at Disneyland. He brings his own food as he won’t tolerate putting junk into his body. He’ll also do hydration checks while you wait in line

He unironically likes Fantasyland. It reminds him of the stories he read as a child. There’s a certain wonder and awe in his eyes when he rides the carousel or the Peter Pan ride. We can’t forget the Snow White ride either. They’re very “chill rides”. They won’t cause neck strain or get anyone wet. He honestly needs them after all the stress from work

You can bet that he finds himself in the gift shop for a good hour, browsing for the perfect ears for you both

Going on a date to Disneyland with Vil, seems like a handful, and it really is, but seeing him loosen up on a day off brings you both much joy. Albeit, his pride is a little wounded because he actually enjoyed himself after telling you he wouldn’t

Epel Felmier:

UWAHHH!!!

He’s also never been to an amusement park before, but not because he didn’t want to. No, the idea just never crossed his mind

His eyes light up. They sparkle. This place is huge and there’s horses too?

He’s honestly underpacked, but that’s fine with him! You don’t need a whole lot to have fun

Epel is a fast walker. If you aren’t then, he’ll make sure to hold your hand so as to not lose you in a crowd

He rushes to the first ride he sees

The attraction that caught his attention the most would be Autopia. Racing? Bring it on!

He also volunteers for the Jedi Training Academy, wielding his lightsaber with such prowess. Sure, he might be the oldest of the bunch, but he didn’t mind– especially with you cheering him on in the crowd

While those two attractions are in Tomorrowland, his favorite place is New Orleans Square and Critter Country

Epel is really fond of Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. He’s not afraid to get wet. Hell, he wants to

Although, he prefers the attractions where you explore more than sit down for a ride. He climbs up Tarzan’s Treehouse without a sweat and walks across those unstable wooden bridges like it’s nothing

If you’re scared, he’ll grab your wrist and run straight across ♡

He likes the Winnie the Pooh ride, but don’t mention it to him. Seeing him buy matching Winne the Pooh and Piglet Mickey ears for you in the gift shop next to the ride was enough to know

And yes, he likes Dole Whip

Silver:

This sleeping beauty is a little dazed, having to wake up early and all, but he’ll make do. He gathered all of his things the night before, laying out his clothes the night before on the hotel’s couch and setting his bags by the door

He’s dressed very comfortably. He’s most likely in sweats

He also prefers a cap instead of the standard Mickey Mouse ears. The headband makes the back of his own ears hurt if he wears them for so long so he’d rather not wear them altogether

Silver falls asleep on your shoulder during the bus ride to the park itself. His snores are barely audible. You can’t help but admire his long lashes

He’ll give you this perplexed look as he catches you staring. Your eyes meet his brilliant aurora orbs and he smiles at you

As for the date itself, you two find yourselves wandering around the park. Silver has no preference so he’s willing to go on any rides if it as you wish

But from how he dozes off in Small World’s, you could assume that’s his favorite ride

Honestly, Silver likes to hang around the pond near Sleep Beauty’s castle and feed the ducks. He has an affinity for the park’s animals and they adore him as well

While you two do linger around the castle and Fantasyland for most of your day, one of Silver’s favorite places is Main Street because there’s horse drawn carriages

He likes to nuzzle his head on your shoulder and watch others hustle about. There’s a certain tranquility that comes with watching others enjoy themselves. He may or may not doze off here

The day ends with you two settling down by the lake in New Orleans Square the fireworks from afar. There was already a crowd at the area but Silver made do. If you’re short, might offer to carry you on his back

He blushes when you mentioned that some of the fireworks remind you of his multicolored eyes

Sebek Zigvolt:

He did a lot of research when you suggested that you two should go on a date here. So when you reached the front gate, he rambled on about the history of the park

This continues for almost very ride which leads you to question how much he looked into Disneyland. When you compliment him, he beams with pride. Of course, he knows about the architecture of Sleeping Beauty’s castle!

That being said, Sebek is actually a good partner to take to an amusement park. He’s so prepared. He knows the best routes and got fast passes

He personally has no preferences for rides, but from how his eyes light up when he races you in Autopia and how much he laughs in Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, those are probably his favorites. Sebek likes the rides that are more hands-on and require some skill. Sure, rides where you just sit still and enjoy the scenery is nice, but he’d rather show off his talents to you

He’s a tad ashamed that he asked to go on another round of Autopia since that threw off his schedule, but he couldn’t help it. It’s so fun!

He has a certain plan for the day as he asked you what you liked a few weeks before so he also gets a little annoyed when you take detours to buy churros and ice cream. He didn’t really take snacks into account, just main meals. He sincerely apologizes for being underprepared, but is taken back when you giggle and wave it off as nothing

If he had puppy ears, then you could imagine them perking right up after you affirm that you aren’t disappointed in him, taking his hand and all

It all works out for the better because it turns out that Sebek likes the turkey legs! He would probably get into a fight for the last one. It wasn’t intentional; he just came off as vociferous to the other person which in turn led to some bickering. Needless to say, he got the last turkey leg

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland imagines #twst imagines #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #cater diamond x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #epel felmier x reader #silver x reader #sebek zigvolt x reader

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imagining-in-the-margins · 2 years

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Hey friends, I've got Some Anon Answers for you! Most of these are so late I'm so sorry lol

1. Awwwe, I'm honored that you're still here. Thank you so much for sharing your feelings with me. I know I say it a lot, but the fact so many people choose to go on the internet to be kind to strangers (anonymously, much less!) is one of my favorite displays of how wonderful people can be.

Thank you for sticking around and reading my stories. I hope I can provide entertainment for you as long as you need it, and I hope you are enjoying all of the new and wonderful things you find ❤️

2. Oh, gosh, you're very sweet! I'll try to answer all of these questions, but I have a tendency to ramble.

My favorite oneshot I've ever written would probably be a tie between Funny Thing Fate (SFW) and It's Too Cliche (NSFW). I love writing Autistic!Reader and the latter was based on multiple real-world events that happened to me. They both flowed so easily and were very cathartic.

Some hobbies are listed in my About Me! But they're pretty boring. I like to bake, cross stitch, play video games, and occasionally something weird like making jewelry or making my own plushes.

My favorite ships from Criminal Minds are pretty uneventful, and I don't feel that strongly about any of them. I really enjoy Temily, JJ/Will, and Ralvez. Beyond that, I feel pretty equally about the rest of them. I do not like Reidams, though, but mostly because I think Cat was written terribly. It had potential, but now it pisses me off. Hate Maxcer and Maeve/Spencer with a burning passion. Lila, Dr. Kimura, Austin, Loker, Tara (originally designed as a love interest for Spencer!) - all way better potential.

I'm not sure I really have any concrete writing goals. I mostly just do it for fun, but I would love to finish my original works I have planned and get them published.

My only general tips for new writers are to keep practicing, edit your own work no matter how cringey it feels, and get comfortable with constructive criticism if you want to improve. Oh, and have fun!

As for your adoration, it is always shocking but always appreciated. I hope this answered most of your questions! I love you, too, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

3. I certainly hope people will be more interested in Wes stories! I really do love him, but I know writing Spencer will give me more interaction. Since I'm relatively busy, I prefer doing whatever people want to see the most. If you have specific trends/characters you prefer, please let me know. I really do take it all into account, especially when rejecting requests.

4. Hey friend! Yeah, TB&TB is back! I'm also going to continue posting oneshots per usual, so if I take another extended break from TB&TB, you'll still have that content ☺️

5. [NSFW] Unfortunately, I'm not sure I could write a whole fic rec list on that trope because it's enormous and there are thousands of works with it. I can only really speak to my own work, which does have quite a bit of Jealous!Spencer, including, among others:

Femme Fatale: Unit Chief Reid is in over his head with the newest BAU member.

Jazz & Jealousy: On a visit from New Orleans, Ethan takes a liking to Spencer’s crush. Spencer is not thrilled by this.

I Like It Like That: Spencer is jealous after a rowdy party.

“Bro Code” Be Damned: Spencer decides that the Bro Code isn’t really a code to be taken seriously when Derek’s girlfriend is feeling neglected.

I also actually have one in my WIPs right now, based on "Piece of You" by Shawn Mendes.

6. [NSFW] You know, I'm not sure I do. The ones that come closest are probably:

Fuzzy Pants (Spencer receiving)

Post Coital Dysphoria (Reader receiving)

Handle With Care (Reader receiving)

It's also sporadically mentioned in Here to Misbehave. Truthfully, I don't write a lot of heavy aftercare because I either find it mind-numbingly dull, weirdly specific, or overdone.

Aftercare as a term is extremely diverse and will look different for everyone. You'd have to be a bit more specific for me to send you in the right direction, because typically what people mean when they say "aftercare" is the same scenario I've seen written hundreds of times over, which is someone giving someone ibuprofen and a Gatorade 😂 (which, funny enough, I have literally never experienced in real life).

7. [NSFW] [Dark Side] Wow! That's an old one alright. I barely remember writing it 😅 But I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, and I do love that line. Now that I am older and wiser (and have actually seen the arc), I find it even more interesting. Especially when you consider that the cast explained in a behind the scenes bit that Spencer learned in prison that he was bad at crime. So, the question remains if he would have become an unsub if he'd been a little bit better at it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work and say such kind thing. I'm so appreciative for everyone who provides feedback about my writing. You are the reason I'm still here writing!

#answer #answered

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dontasktheradiodemon · 3 years

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Coastal Waters (1/8/2021)

Click here if you’re like “What the heck is this about?”

Valera @autokrates and Madame @usedhearts meet underwater, talk about Madame’s history, eat an eel, and head to the library when Valera discovers to his horror that Madame, an octopus, doesn’t know shit about octopuses. octopodes. octopi.

Madame

The sea. She hadn't even seen the ocean since she was just a girl, let alone swam deep in her waters. The water was warm against her skin, and she flowed through it with an effortless grace that she honestly didn't know she had. It felt good. It felt right, to be among the waves of this alien planet. This was were a giant octopus of a lady should be.

Madame just sat there, under the water, watching curious fish and other creatures flit towards her. She was far larger than any of them, so they were either brave or foolish. A few of the more foolish ones found their way inside her mouth for their crimes. She intentionally kept her skin a pinkish red, wanting to stand out among the reef. A color that said 'Here I am, and I'm bigger than you, so watch out!' It was perfect really. She kept a look out for anyone else going for a swim-- she'd be sure they got a little kraken scare, just for fun.

Valera

Funny, how even on an alien planet, the ocean is still comforting to anyone who loved it. Colorful fish were abundant, the reddish light of the suns lending a faintly pink tinge to the rays coming down through the water.

And here comes Valera to torment innocent wildlife, a flash of silver followed by pink as he chases a mirror bright eel adjacent creature past Madame's resting place.

Madame

Madame's head snapped to the side as Valera passed, and quick as anything, she's off after him. That eel is the target, hm? Well, she wasn't about to let their host have an easy go of it. Tentacles opening and then thrusting back to get her speed, she closed in, trying to get it first-- or at least, make a little game of it for Valera.

Valera

It takes a few seconds for Valera to notice the appearance of a competitor, movement in the corner of his eyes nearly distracting him enough to lose track of the eel. But then the slippery menace turns on a dime, diving into a crevice in the rocks for all its worth. Valera's forced to brake, fins flaring out dramatically as he backpedals just to not smash into the rocks.

He perches on the coral, snorting out a few bubbles as he looks up at Madame. "Damn! Ah well, it'll have to come out eventually. Hello! What's an octopus like you doing in a place like this?"

Madame

Unfortunately, Madame doesn't catch herself quite as quickly as Valera, but she does slow herself enough to not smash hard against the rocks. She winced as she pulled away from them, rubbing her arm.

"Ouch. Them eels are slippery fuckers, ain't they?" She smirked at Val, swimming over to them and perching in a similar manner. "That it does. And thought I'd go for a swim, enjoy it while I can 'n all that. The closest I get to all this is my aquariums at home. This is...heaven, honestly."

Valera

Valera frowns, leaning in to sniff at Madame. Any blood? He can patch up a scrape no problem! The praise for his planet makes him purr, a soft buzz in the water that makes nearby fish start swimming closer to nibble at the pink fish's scales.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself! I was hoping my home would be a place of relaxation, but it seems like it's getting even more of a positive response than expected. If you really like it though, I'll see about inviting you back sometime!"

Madame

No blood, luckily, but she'd probably have a bruise or three later. Octopus skin is durable but not the best when it comes to impacts.

"Oh, I'd simply love that-- even give ya free drinks for life at the Cabaret if that'd sweeten the pot." She winked and laughed, before turning to look up at the surface, watching the sunlight glitter through. She was glad they were surrounded by salt water-- a few tears wouldn't be noticed down here.

"It truly is beautiful. Reminds me so much a home-- I ever tell ya, me 'n Alastor hail from the same place? Good ol' Nawlins, right there on the gulf. Gorgeous city, full of wonderful people 'n the best food 'n the south. When I went west with my husband, I knew I'd miss the ocean, but I didn't think I'd die without ever seein' it again." She smiled as she turned towards him.

"Ya really put some joy back in an ol' lady's heart, Valera, invitin' me here. Didn't think it'd mean as much as it does...but here we are." She laughed, and wiped at her eyes-- before remembering there was nothing to wipe. "Forgive me, gettin' all emotional. We supposed t' be lookin' for an eel, right?"

Valera

"Oh, that eel can go tie itself in knots for all I care, we're talking about this old lady here right now." Valera leans in, a clawed hand delicately patting at Madame's shoulder. "I didn't know you were from New Orleans! I've been there a few times. Lovely place. Very...." He pauses to think, plucking a wandering shrimp off the reef to gesture with. "Lively? Vibrant! You can really lose yourself in that city"

His tail winds around an outcrop, the fish settling down like he was lounging on the finest swooning couch. "So, you were married? Happily, I hope!"

Madame

She took a few breaths, the water filling her chest with warmth, and nodded.

"I was, born 'n raised. Got married a fresh faced youth 'n me 'n the husband decided to try 'n make our fortunes out west. We made it out there too, 'n then he caught ill 'n passed. Left me with a house built and some livestock bought 'n not much else. Started up doin' work on my back, 'n then collected some other girls, some a them like me, others on they own from the start. Home my husband built became my saloon 'n brothel, 'n a whole town sprung up around it. Lovely lil' place.

"But with people come folk what think they the law in a lawless patch a ground. Dumb fucks didn't like me much, and I ain't care for them neither. Startin' smugglin' for local outlaws, hidin' some. The quote-unquote 'law' got it in they heads to burn my place down, cause I was hidin' some poor boy they wanted-- surprised them when the whole thing blew to smithereens cause we was sittin' on a couple boxes a dynamite. Oh, if I coulda seen their faces...." She trailed off and then cleared her throat, laughing a little.

"But then I landed in Hell. And they did too. Strung 'em up by they own insides for I staked a claim on the land I landed on. That's where the Cabaret sits now. The asshole's skeletons're in the aquarium now, housin' crabs and whatnot. Serves 'em right."

Valera

Valera makes a sound more like a dolphin noise than a whistle, crossing one leg over the other as he listens to Madame tell her not especially tragic backstory. "It certainly does. Though I'm sure the short time they spent in Hell came as a rather nasty surprise, if they were going around calling themselves the *law*."

A snort. "It sounds like you've been a woman with a talent for business since day one, Madame. Can't say I'm surprised with the way you run things, but what a story. Sorry to hear about the husband though, losing someone is never easy."

Madame

She nodded, crossing her legs as daintily as someone who was fifteen feet tall could.

"Oh yeah, real nasty surprise for them-- shame I didn't keep 'em around longer, woulda been fun to have 'em strung up on the dart boards or somethin'."

Madame shrugged. "I did miss 'im but, after he died, I realized that I never _really_ loved him. Not like a woman 'n a man 'should' love each other. Dunno why, always been like that I suppose. But we was best friends since childhood 'n it made sense back then to marry someone y' at least liked, instead a some stranger."

Valera

"Hah! I can see it now! Are you a sadist? Five bucks a pop and you can throw your darts at the living dart boards! Ten points if you get them in the eyes, fifteen if you throw hard enough to knock a tooth out! Oh, Hell would have loved that." He cackles, popping the shrimp into his mouth for a quick snack. Mmm, crunchy!

"...Is there a 'should'?" His face twists in confusion. "Maybe it's an alien thing. I was set to bond with my own best friend before I cut that short in favor of running the Autocracy. Romance seems secondary in favor of... You know. Benefits."

Madame

"Dunno. With humans there's always a 'should', it seems. 'Ya _should_ love a man. Ya _should_ marry 'n have kids. Ya _should_ pick yerself up by yer bootstraps 'n get shit done. Ya _should_ know all the right things ta say'." She sighed and shrugged.

"Never much cared for the shoulds. Married because it seemed better'n bein' alone-- and I ended up alone anyways. So, what was the point 'n the first place? I sure as shit don't know. Just lost my best friend, that's all." Madame leaned her chin on her hand, elbow on her knee. "Think I woulda fared better with aliens then humans."

Valera

An eyebrow is raised as Valera turns what Madame said over in his mind. "I don't think marrying your best friend directly resulted in him dying, Madame. But I will admit, you wouldn't be the first human, former or otherwise, to say they would have likely been happier with an alien partner." He's absolutely talking about Pentious. And maybe a few others. He's a popular fish!

"Humans are silly creatures, and I do say that fondly! I've seen very few races as determined to bind themselves to strict social rules and roles that none of them seem to actually enjoy. It's baffling."

Madame

She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I know whatcha mean. Most people seem happier when they break social conventions. Makes ya wonder why we even got 'em."

Madame took a breath and smiled. "And I didn't mean it so much as an alien partner as, well, maybe I was just meant to not be a human-- alien in a human body or some such. Maybe it's why I adapted ta bein' a weird giant octopus demon so well!"

Valera

"Your guess is better than mine, I'm only a human when it suits me."

He grins, all teeth. "It wouldn't surprise me. You never struck me as especially *human*, tentacles nonwithstanding. A lovely person? Yes, absolutely. You take good care of all your girls. But human? Not really." Well that's cryptic. But good luck getting him to elaborate, he's already distracted by trying to shove his arm into the crevice where the eel is hiding.

Madame

Madame let out another laugh, smirking as she shrugged and waved a hand.

"I'll take the compliment, and y'know, that reminds me a one of my go-to numbers." She slid off the rock she sat on and floated down a bit, twirling as she went.

"_I admit that in the past I've been a nasty, they weren't kidding when they called me well, a witch_...." She trailed off, giggling. "One of my favorites. That and 'When You're Good To Mama', acourse."

Valera

"Mm, I had you pinned as a contralto day one, my dear Madame." Valera glances over, against the rock up to the shoulder as he scrabbled for the eel. "You run that routine at the cabaret, right? I'll have to swing by to see it sometime! Maybe with my beau, though I don't know his opinion on burlesque just yet."

Madame

"Oh yes! Just tell me when y'all are droppin' by and I'll be sure to add myself to the night's roster." She winked and swam closer, looking at Val's arm, stuck deep in the rock.

"Any luck findin' the squirmy bastard? Or do ya need something a little more dexterous?" She wiggled a tentacle at him.

Valera

He frowns, then pulls his arm back and gestures for Madame to take his place. "I think you may have better luck, my dear. And for more than just that dexterity of yours! Mind the teeth though, those eels aren't the sharpest around, but they bite and do NOT let go."

Madame

Her arms crossed as she slid the tentacle inside, and Madame's face screwed up in concentration. A few moments later she let out a shout.

"Ow! Fucker got me, but I got him too!" With a mighty yank, her tentacle pulled back out, the eel wrapped tight in it, even as it chomped down on her. "What now, Val?"

Valera

"Now you eat him!" He crows, clapping his hands together as the eel gives the most hateful look it can muster. Though, underwater, there wasn't actually any sound to the gesture. "It's your catch, just bite him behind the eyes, nice and clean kill!"

Madame

She arched a brow, but brought the eel closer, moving to get a good angle. Madame opened her mouth and snapped down on the eel's head-- and it released it's own bite on her. She took it in her hands and bit it in half, swallowing down the front half.

Madame offered the other half to Val, grinning. "Here. Only right a guest share with her host."

Valera

He affects a dainty gasp, accepting the eel with a coquettish fluttering of his lashes. "Why THANK you, my dear Madame. Such a gracious guest, my hearts are warmed by your consideration."

And that chunk of eel is gone in a flash, yam yam. "Gods, always a tasty little morsel. Those have a lot of interesting names in various languages here, but my personal favorite is the one that translates best to..." He taps his chin, trying to think of the closest words. "Something like Bastard Snake. Bastard as in abandoned son, not the insult."

Madame

"Nah, I think the insult worst better, cause he sure was a bastard ta get outta there." She gestured toward her bitten tentacle.

"Think he mighta torn a chunk outta me. Ouch..." She brought it closer to inspect and while the chunk wasn't _gone_, it was barely hanging out. "Oh, that's a doozy..."

Valera

He leans in, taking a closer look at the damage to Madame's tentacle with a sympathetic hiss. "Oooh, that looks painful. Want me to fix it?"

A waggle of his fingers, and he extends a glowing hand. That's probably not ominous, right?

Madame

"Can ya?" She asked, her head tilting. "I'd love ta not have to whip out the scar cream for somethin' so small."

Valera

"I can! Healing and barriers are actually my specialty." He trills, looking VERY pleased with himself about that fact. "No strings attached for you, of course."

Madame

"Well, then, thank ya kindly. Yer a lovely 'n gracious host." She beamed.

Valera

He takes her tentacle in hand, smoothing over the wound with a slow sweep of his palm. A brief flash of numbness, heat, and there, good as new. No dramatics necessary! But he's still going to deliver with some SPECTACULAR jazz hands and the cheeriest grin he can muster.

"There, how's that?"

Madame

Madame let out a little 'oh!' at the numbness and heat, and as soon as her tentacle was released, it flexed and wiggled of its own accord.

"Well, that was sure somethin'! Never had a healin' like that."

Valera

"Never? Is healing magic not common in Hell?" Well, either that or Madame just didn't get hurt often. Either seemed possible.

Madame

"Oh no, it's not that. Usually gettin' somethin' healed costs-- usually a soul, or a favor, but always somethin'." She shrugged. "Try not to get into too many fights, cause the healin' is usually worse than the damage."

Valera

He squints, planting his chin on his open palm as he stares at the fixed tentacle. "I mean, I guess it cost something? All I did was encourage your natural healing. A few cell divisions to smooth over the damage, replace the torn up cells. Something that small didn't require actually replacing any massive swaths of material. You'll be hungrier than usual later, but that's about it!"

A shrug. "It would have been worse if you'd actually lost a chunk, but even then, I could have just converted a pebble to matching flesh or something. No biggie!"

Madame

"A pebble? Huh!" She tapped her chin. "That is somethin'. Yer magic's a lot more powerful than anythin' I can channel. Usual I go to good ol' Al for any real punchy magics."

Valera

"You know, people keep saying that. I never thought of myself as especially powerful." He holds up a finger. "Well, no. I have plenty of RAW power. But as far as efficiency goes, I'm absolute garbage. My magic isn't nearly as finely tuned as it could be. I burn tons of it on even small spells. Like, embarrassing amounts. Horrendously sloppy."

A sigh. "What kind of magic do you usually need from good old Alastor?"

Madame

"If I need a costume on the fly, he can magic up some pretty good threads. He's fairly good at some basic healin'-- like if ona my acts sprains somethin'. And of course, the best magic of all-- his reputation. Ain't nobody gonna mess with the Cabaret none if I got the Radio Demon in my back pocket." She paused.

"Don't tell him I said that, he wouldn't take kindly to it."

Valera

He waves a hand, grin turning downright impish. "What, me? Tell an Alastor that his reputation is helping protect his friends? My dear, I would *never*."

Madame

Madame giggled, and winked at him. "Yer a peach, shug." She put her hands on her hips.

"Anythin' else ya wanna tag team, huntin' wise? I'm down for a lil explorin' 'n huntin', if you are."

Valera

Valera sticks his tongue out, slowly unwinding his tail from his anchor point. "No, I'm a fish! But I understand the confusion. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your mistake." A wink.

"We'll have to browse the local selection, Madame! If you're amenable to a bit of window shopping, that is."

Madame

"I dunno about that, ya ass is pretty peachy!" She cackled, swimming closer to take his arm.

"I'm a fan a any kinda shoppin', includin' the window kind!"

Valera

Oho! Quick on the sass with that one, was she? Good! Keeps things interesting. He politely flutters his fins, turning his head this way and that to scout out a meal.

"You're more of an ambush predator, no?"

Madame

"Think so! Don't know too much bout octopuses honestly? Only what I've been able to figure out, mostly. But it worked earlier!" She laughed.

Valera

... He turns his head back to look at Madame, eyebrows inching up slowly but surely.

"Pardon? You don't know about octopuses? The very animal your soul was moulded after for your eternal punishment?"

Madame

She laughed, oh that look on his face!

"Yup! Thinka how surprised I was when I dropped inta Hell lookin' like this!" She gestured to herself. "Knew things like fish 'n gators 'n the like, 'n even the tiny little octopuses, but never one as big as me!"

Valera

He squints, slowly turning them back towards the shore. Sounds like they're about to make a trip to the *library*.

"I'm sure. So you're not familiar with how octopus brains work? Or the semi-independent "minds" of their tentacles?"

Madame

"Oh, is that why they sometimes do shit on they own?" She giggled again, going along with Val's movements.

"And no, I ain't. Never thought to look it up, too busy buildin' my business 'n keepin' it."

Valera

He snorts. Yes, this library visit is sounding more and more necessary. But he's not above setting a sedate pace. A couple of friends on a relaxing swim, no need to flip.

"Yes, Madame. You'll also be pleased to know that were you an octopus of the male persuasion, one of your tentacles would also be your penis." A pause, and he amends. "Well, theoretically. It gets wibbly when you mix humans and other species. I doubt you'd lay four hundred thousand eggs and then die from a single mating."

Madame

Her eyes widened and she can't help but laugh again. "Oh fuck! Yeah, sure glad I don't do that! Woulda double died a long time ago!"

Valera

"If it makes you feel any better, the Earth fish I most resemble, the lionfish, can lay..." A tap at his lips, give him a moment to recall... Oh, yes, there we go. "Fifteen thousand eggs every four days?"

That's so many. He shudders at the very thought. "I'm not *quite* so prolific. But fret not, my dear. All those facts and more can be safely tucked into your noggin once we find you a book that doesn't read like watching paint dry. I know there's SOMETHING about octopuses being able to tamper with their own biology on the fly."

Madame

"Oh? That sounds interestin'. And yeah, glad we ain't out here layin' thousands of eggs, that's just too much." She laughed, giving his arm a squeeze in hers.

Valera

And off they go, back to shore and beyond, to educate an octopus woman on her own partial biology. How lovely.

#((Internet is still ASS but i managed to get this up yay))#extermination party palace #autokrates #usedhearts

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thorne93 · 4 years

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Unforeseen Chasm (Part 62)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:2392

Warnings: Language,self-isolation, fighting, attempted robbery, misery, keeping memories alive, hopeful new start. Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

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

Time seemed to pass… slowly as it were.

You’d begun a new chapter in your life. If you could call this your life. It was just sort of existing at this point. You didn’t want to hurt Shannon with an untimely death, but you didn’t see much point in going on. Shannon had her life. She had Tony, Bruce, Steve, Nat, Rhodey. She was surrounded by those that she loved. Sure, she lost Peter in the snap, but in the grand scheme of things she’d lost very little.

You on the other hand had lost your homeland. Your birth parents -- dead. Your semi-adoptive parents, Odin and Frigga -- dead. Your closest friends, Stephen, Vision, Wanda, Pietro -- gone. No one knew where Clint was. Thor didn’t even talk to you now. No one at the Avengers Compound would even miss you besides Shannon.

Although, at this point, you might as well be dead. You left no clue for Shannon to find you. You left behind your phone. You’d completely gone undercover.

The world was fragile, more so than it had been before. Governments were falling apart. There were societies crumbling. World leaders had disappeared. People that were heavily needed to run the world, were gone: doctors, nurses, engineers, politicians, police, mechanics, scientists, veterinarians, farmers… everyone. Every person in this world had a vital role and for the last two months it had been scrambling to make up for the gap.

The world started to function again, barely, but when push came to shove, cities had to keep things going. One of those cities was Paris.

You were walking back to your hotel from a night at the Louvre. This was what your life had been, one sight to see after another. On the way through an alley, you heard rustling up ahead, and just as you were about to hone in on it, three guys jumped out from behind a corner, armed with knives.

“Nous ne voulons pas vous faire mal mais nous le ferons. remettre la bourse,” the big one demanded and you frowned, trying to remember French. Although, you didn't need much context. Knives, alleyway, darkness, and the only thing you had valuable was a purse.

“Parlez vous anglais?” you asked, cocking your head.

The three men laughed, throwing their heads back. The confidence was unnerving, and displaced.

“Oui, uh, sweetheart?” he said with a thick accent. “Hand over the purse.”

“Oh… Oh you mean this purse?” you asked, holding it out. “Come and get it,” you challenged, your eyes narrowing as the rage bubbled up in you easily.

They charged at you but you dodged the first one, the largest one. He tripped behind you and turned to try to grab you in a headlock, but you flipped him over. The other two ran forward, their knives out.

You kicked one of them before punching the other one. The one you punched came up behind you and hit the back of your knees but you didn’t buckle. You turned to face him, your hand hitting his throat quickly. He grabbed it, gasping for breath as he backed up.

The third guy grabbed at your hair but you grabbed his wrist quicker, bending it and squeezing it until you heard a break in the bones. He looked at you with fear in his eyes before he cried out from pain.

The big one tried to wrap his arms around you, but you were tiring of this so you lit your hands, grabbing him with your power and launching him into some trash bins several feet away from you. The other two looked on in bewilderment and fear as they backed away. They started to run away, quickly.

“What’s the matter? Purse wasn’t worth it?” you called after them angrily, smirking.

“Trouble just seems to find you, doesn’t it, cher?” that all too familiar Cajun voice said from behind you.

“Go home, Remy,” was all you said in a cold voice as you picked up your purse and began to make your way back to the hotel, taking the streets this time. Remy walked beside you. “How did you find me?” you asked, nothing but contempt in your tone.

“Is this any way to greet your oldest friend?” he asked, feigning offense.

“I’m really not in the mood. I didn’t want to be found.”

“I’ll say! Do you have any idea how long I been lookin’?” he asked.

“Remy,” you groaned. “I left for a reason. I didn’t want to be around anyone.”

He stopped walking, grabbing your shoulders as he became serious. “I know, cheri. I know you lost him,” was all he said.

And that’s all it took for you to fall into his arms, a sobbing mess. It was embarrassing, breaking down like this in the middle of the street, but you couldn’t help it. Truth be told, you don’t think anyone could.

After the snap, it was almost second nature to see people randomly burst into tears. Every place you went someone was mourning someone else. This made the guilt of not finishing Thanos off that much worse.

Did these random citizens of France know that you were involved in this? Know that you were a great deal of the reason their loved ones were gone? You hoped not.

Several minutes later, you leaned away from him and he asked if you were alright. You nodded and began walking again back to your hotel. The two of you stopped into the bar in the lobby. It was rather full, and it made you wonder if more people were drowning their sorrows more than usual.

You two sat next to each other. You ordered a simple drink, as did Remy. Once you got the drink, you didn’t take one sip, you just played with the glass.

“So...how’d you find me?” you asked again.

“Well… when that… when the event happened, just about every one in the mansion disappeared. Only people left were about three students, Logan, Jean, and myself.”

“So Charles...Hank.. Scott...” you started listing off people you cared for. “They’re all…?”

He nodded solemnly while closing his eyes. The news slammed into you, hard. “Yeah. Well, after tying up loose ends there, I wanted to go find you. You’re the closest thing I got to family.”

All you did was nod.

“I went to the compound, but Shannon told me you ran away two months ago.”

You bobbed your head side to side. He wasn’t wrong.

“From there I started to think of places you might go. I checked New Orleans. I checked our hometown. Then I realized you once told me you and him planned on taking a trip over to Europe here. You said he wanted to go to Paris the most. Thought I’d give it a whirl.”

“Yeah,” you softly noted. “I thought I’d tour the places we wanted to go, you know? In honor of his memory.” You tried your best to swallow down the lump in your throat.

“Why’d you run away?” he suddenly asked. “You’ve never been the type.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Ever the charmer.”

“I’m not lyin’. So what is it? Shannon seemed pretty broken up that you were gone.”

You shrugged. “I’m sorry for that,” you started, “I just… After the snap, we thought we lost Tony, right? He was lost in space for over three weeks. We had no way to get in touch with him when he and Stephen and Peter all went up there. They were lost to us. Shannon and I were both facing grief. Her’s was worse, I think, because she didn’t know if he was dead, lost, or vanished.”

He nodded before you took a deep breath.

“Then just before Tony came back, I think I caught something between Bruce and her. I know both of them pretty well, and I think she loves Bruce. I think Bruce asked her to move on with him, when the time was right. The next thing I know, Tony’s home. Which was great. I was so relieved and thrilled… Then all this happiness was around me. Everyone gained Tony back. Bruce had Shannon and Tony, even Nat. Steve had everyone he cares about, except Bucky and Sam. Everyone was rallying together. Friendships were getting stronger. I just felt like I wasn’t needed. Shannon was so focused on Tony, focused on everything. Thor was my last connection to Loki and we haven’t spoken one word to each other since the snap. Asgard was destroyed a few days before Thanos came to Earth. So my home planet is destroyed. The love of my life is gone. My birth and adoptive parents are dead. We tracked down Thanos only for him to tell us he used the infinity stones to destroy them. So there’s no hope of any of them coming back…”

He reached over and placed his hand on yours, squeezing. “Y/N, cher, I am so sorry.”

You nodded, acknowledging his words. “I just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t be there for Shannon, who didn’t appear to need me anyway. I couldn’t pretend to be strong, or pretend like anyone wanted me there. Thor went to find a home for our Asgardian people who managed to escape with Valkyrie. I just was so… jealous of Shannon. She had her husband back. She had Bruce. She had Steve and the rest of them. All her friends, her family. She lost Peter but… I have nothing.”

“Hey, now, that’s not true. You got me, and you got her.”

A sad smile touched your face. “I know. I appreciate you coming to find me. But that’s why I left. When Tony came back, it reminded me that things always work out for her, and never for me. I just snapped, realized I couldn’t watch everyone be so happy. I was so bitter about it. I’m just in too much misery to watch that. I didn’t want to bring them down. Half of me was filled with bitterness, half of me didn’t want that bitterness to spill over into the small bubble of happiness they’d all found in all of this newfound Hell.” You shrugged, voicing your feelings for the first time, realizing them. It wasn’t so much that you left because you were jealous of Shannon. Of course you wanted her to be happy, she was your best friend. But you didn’t want to be an emotional burden on them, nor could you be there to pretend like you were fine, like everything was okay, when it was the furthest from okay you’d ever been.

“Sounds selfless, to me.”

You laughed without humor. “Ah, yes. Telling you I’m jealous my best friend is happy and that I can’t stand being around it. I’m a true saint.” You raised your glass and took a sip.

He shook his head. “No, that’s not what I’m sayin’ at all. I’m sayin’ that you recognized that you needed to be alone.”

“You don’t think it’s selfish to leave Shannon?”

“Not really. She’s got tons of people who care about her. She’s gonna be fine. She’ll worry about you, but we both know if she knew where you were at, she’d come lookin’ for you. She might even try to convince you to come back, that everything will be okay. You need time to grieve and you can’t have that if everyone around you is crowding you with hope and positivity. You gotta do what’s best for you, darlin’.”

You nodded, slightly grinning. “That’s, uh, exactly right.”

The two of you caught up some more on what you’d been up to since the snap, nursing your drinks until the bar closed. You failed to mention the proposal. It somehow felt hard to bring it up to anyone. Tony was an exception because you thought he should know why you were so miserable. The bartender all but kicked you out, forcing you to stand in the lobby making you awkwardly bid Remy goodbye.

“Where you stayin’ anyway, cajun?” you wondered, nudging him slightly.

“Just up the street,” he informed. “I’ve only been here two days.”

You nodded. “Well, I appreciate you finding me. It was nice to have a friend again, for a little while anyway.”

“I came all this way just to find ya, and you’re just gonna kick me out? That’s cold, Y/L/N.” He gave you a signature smirk. When you didn’t really respond, his tone lost all jest. “Cher, I can’t let you be alone. Not like this. Let me stick around, be a shoulder to lean on. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“You know as well as anyone that I can take care of myself,” you remarked seriously.

“I’m not talkin’ about getting into fights, which I know you’re gonna get into, given the state you’re in. I’m talkin’ about emotionally, mon cher. You’re hurting, and even though you don’t wanna be around the Merry band of the Avengers, maybe my company might make you feel a little less alone.”

“It would, Remy, but I don’t want to bring you down.”

He shook his head as he put both hands on your shoulders. “You could never do such a thing. I’m already pretty broken. You and I are just about all we got left in this world. I say we don’t waste that on feelin’ sorry for ourselves. We can grieve together, if you’ll have me.”

It took you a second, staring at him, weighing the pros of having him around. Of course you wanted him around. It wasn’t so much that you wanted to be alone, you just didn’t want to make anyone more depressed than they already were. But if Remy was certain that you two wouldn’t do that to each other, then you didn’t see the harm. In fact, he was probably right. You two needed someone in the world. All the Avengers had their counterpart… you needed yours too.

A soft look touched your face. “Alright. Yeah. let’s do it.”

“Glad to hear it. We can go everywhere you two planned on goin’. Tell me all about him. We can keep his memory alive, you and me.”

You nodded, feeling a dash of hope for the first time in forever. “I think I’d like that, and I think he would too.”

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

Tag List: @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @missinstantgratification @thejemersoninferno @rda1989 @munlis @thefridgeismybestie @bubblyanarocks3 @igiveupicantthinkofausername @kaliforniacoastalteens @feelmyroarrrr @kaelingoat-blog @friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo @damalseer @heyitscam99 @yknott81 @sorryimacrapwriter @glitterquadricorn @xxqueenofisolationxx @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @bittersweetunicorm @alyssaj23 @sea040561 @princess76179 @thisismysecrethappyplace @sarahp879 @malfoysqueen14 @ellallheart @breezy1415 @marvelmayo @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @cocosierra94 @hardcollectionworldtrash @capsmuscles @marvelloushamilton @paintballkid711

Loki:

@lostinspace33 @ultrarebelheart @lenawiinchester @esoltis280 @tngrayson @wangdeasang @harrymewmew @jayfantasyatyourservice

UC: @lokis-high-priestess

#unforeseen chasm #loki x reader #loki fic #Loki Laufeyson #tony stark #tony stark fic #tony stark x ofc #endgame #remy #gambit

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booksneedcaffeinetoo · 4 years

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Book Review: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

This review is going to be LITTERED with SPOILERS because idk how to talk about this book without giving away the whole plot.

Consider yourself officially warned.

I’m still debating on my rating, but for now here is my review. Fair warning: it is rant-y and ramble-y and hasn't been edited yet. I'll clean it up when I come back for a rating.

As always, content warnings are listed at the bottom!

Overall Positives:

• SJM has actually included a few gay characters….now they are all very minor side characters (Isiah, Fury, Juniper, and Declan) who are only present for maybe 3% total of the novel, but at least they exist??? So she gets points for actually having gay characters who aren’t killed off. You can say that she’s making an effort.

• The banter between Bryce and Hunt was pretty funny

• That scene with the knock-off My Little Pony dolls was funny

• I think there might've been a reference in the book to First Aid Kit (the sister folk duo) and it made my heart squeal because I love that band SO MUCH!

• Bryce actually has a great relationship with her mom and her stepfather! And they are both alive! And stay alive! I’m actually struggling to recall a book I’ve read where the main character in the book has a). both parents alive and b). a great relationship with them both. So that was really refreshing!

• Hunt in a sunball cap.

• Bryce and Hunt taking photos together. Way too adorable.

• Ride or die friendship. I love books that emphasize the importance of friendship.

• That LIGHT IT UP DANIKA LIGHT IT UP LIGHT IT UP scene....like i felt that...her happiness. so sweet. i teared up at that scene ngl....

• Pretty good depiction of grief. How even after years the pain of losing your friend doesn’t go away. How some people cut themselves off to cope and others don’t. How some take out their anger on the closest target. How some people remember the dead one’s birthday and other don’t. etc. etc.

• It really was a slow burn because they like didn’t even kiss until 75% into the 3,000 page book.

• Rhun is my favorite character in this book. He’s a goth softie king. I also loved the Demon Cat. And Fury. And Declan. And Flynn. And Isaiah. And Hunt. And Lele. And the dog. And Jesiba. And Randall. And….well….that’s about it….

• I have recently been getting more and more into Urban Fantasy so I am excited and glad that this book is UF. I also like how it takes place in a different world with a different history (although for some reason I went into this book under the impression it takes place in New Orleans…)

Overall Negatives:

• If I ever have to see the word “alphahole” again it will still be too soon. I get that she was going for meta and trying to poke fun at how the trope in so many UF books includes an alphamale love interest….but it just doesn’t really work because none of the guys she was calling an alphahole was actually acting like one??? Okay so this is kind of ramble-y but whatever. When I think of an alphamale love interest acting like a…*shudders*…. alphahole I think of the stereotypical shifter romance/erotica novel where the guy likes wants to punch any guy who stands too close or talks to his mate. I think of him making outrageous claims, always posting a guard, never letting her leave the house, etc. all without any cause. Having a literal demon serial killer who (at this point in the book) you believe RIPPED APART AN ENTIRE PACK OF WEREWOLVES and is killing everyone who is close to working on the same case as you and you are a half-fae who NEVER carries a weapon with you, doesn’t have magic, and no one beside your mom, stepdad, and dead bestie know that you can turn into a flashlight at will…..yeah it makes sense that the people who care about you would like you to have a guard. But that’s not “alphahole” behavior. Nor is when you’re starving yourself from guilt him being concerned and wanting you to eat, or wanting you to try to take care of yourself….that’s not “alphahole” behavior, it’s being a good friend/sibling. If someone wanted a guard on her PRIOR to her investigating the murder than yeah….that would be “alphahole” 100%. But that’s not what happened…one of the highlights of the book was Hunt calling out Bryce by telling her that she is actually the “alphahole” here.

• Fucking sunball = baseball. WHYYYYYY I thought it was soccer for so long until Hunt tossed on a “sunball cap”

• I thought that Violet Hall from Pucked was the most infuriating main character I have read in a long time until I met Bryce fucking Quinnland. It is a pet peeve of mine when a character acts like someone (usually lazy or a partier) and then gets pissed because people think they are how they act??? Like, if you act like an asshole then don’t be shocked if people think you are an asshole. Also she was someone who was terribly selfish and stupidly reckless for no reason for 99% of the book. Yeah she’s ride or die for her friends which is supposed to be her best quality but she is just terribly rude to so many people. Like take Lele for example. Bryce treated her horribly until Hunt was sold again, then was friends with Lele for like a week which someone equated to Lele being willing to die for her???

• Part two of that bullet above^: Why was everyone willing to die for Bryce? Maybe I hate Bryce because she reminds me too much of Jane Salone from The Bold Type with her ‘I’m always right’ attitude. But yeah, everyone is willing to die for her. I don’t get why though. Also everyone wants to fuck her. She can’t walk down the street without like five dudes wanting to fuck her. It was so annoying. Also how the hell has she not died by age 25!?!? There is a different between being bitchy with your algebra teacher versus being bitchy with some guy who could smite you before you blink. And all of them are like ‘oooh she’s not afraid of me like everyone else how charming’ and I’m just like NO. That’s like if I intentionally pissed off some mafia dom and instead of making an example out of me for dissing him in front of his mafia bros, he’s like ‘oooh you’re sassy wanna fuck?’ MAKES NO SENSE!!!

•Part three of the above^: okay before someone comes at me and says ‘well would you be saying the same things if she was a guy doing an acting this way’ well probably. I love the KATE DANIELS (Magic Bites) series. And Kate is a no-nonsense, can come across rude, and gives zero fucks what anyone else thinks about her. Kind of like Bryce, but less bitchy and has the power and skills to back up her recklessness. (No one around Bryce learns of her secret lightbright gift or of her sharpshooting skills until the very end so I am maintaining my ‘she’s reckless’ viewpoint based on everyone around her not knowing of her abilities when she does all of this dumbshit). Kate also is a fucking martyr who runs towards danger even when the odds are against her. Just like Bryce. But I love Kate and hate Bryce. So…yeah I think it was just a Bryce issue. It took until about 41% with the whole phone-Sandriel thing for me to stop finding her insufferable….but I still never really liked her after that...I could stand her for the occasional paragraph or two

• Speaking of martyrs…why is everyone one in this book!?!? NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE A MARTYR!!!

• Another reason I hate Bryce (yes I’m back on that Bryce shit) is because after Hunt broke her heart he immediate thought upon learning who he was going to be sold (back to his old owner who is a sadistic fuck) her thought was good, he deserves it and all he did was break her heart and not want to be a slave anymore and kept something he knew would destroy you (which yeah, keeping that secret furthered his cause but still…) and I just????? Have???? No words???? Like girl you have a RIGHT to be PISSED but jfc that doesn’t equate to TORTURE.

• Ugh and then her whole ‘take me instead’ bullshit was so reminiscent of that Jules and Emma whipping scene from Lady Midnight I almost gagged for the level of cheese and martyr-syndrome

• Why is everyone described as “brown,” “golden brown,” or “tan”?! It’s like SJM is trying to not make everyone white but doesn’t want to fully commit…

• And was anyone uncomfortable/cringed at the ‘white angel wings are supreme to any wings with color’ bit....

• I hate books where the werewolves can talk outloud in human form. I cringed.

• Why was the calling people by their last name thing not consistent? I’ve read books before where characters flip between using another character’s first and last name, but there is context behind why they choose one or the other: the professional setting, if the person is happy or upset, who is being addressed, etc. But you’ll get Hunt calling Bryce “Bryce” and “Quinnland” within a sentence of each other? And literally every character did stuff like this. It was weird and not consistent at all.

Negatives About the Plot:

• This book really felt like three books in one: Part One (first 12ish%) being the day leading up to the Pack of Devil’s murder. And I do mean like every boring thing that happened. Part Two (the next 66ish%) being the murder investigation. Part Three (the last 22ish%) being where all the action occurred. The book felt like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. The summary promised a murder investigation so I was expecting it to be a KATE DANIELS-esque plot. But nothing of true importance really occurred during that investigation. We got some cool flashbacks with Danika, and some sweet moments between Hunt and Bryce…but that’s it. SJM isn’t Brandon with a Stormlight Archives (The Way of Kings) complicated interwoven plot. I think the book as whole would have been better if it was about 300 pages shorter.

• Nothing in the plot of true importance happened until the last 100 pages or so.

• I mean we literally got every single thing that happened during every single day of their investigation…it was….too much detail.

• When I got to 80% like every other chapter felt like the book should end. It could’ve ended on a cliffhanger. Like right after Hunt was found on that boat. But nope….

• Figures. SJM can’t have a main couple unless they both are super special. Did anyone else feel like she just recycled parts of ACOMAF in this book? Hunt: has wings and super special powers. Bryce: absorbs some super-fae juiced up power from a cauldron—er….I mean arch—to get extra powers and become the most super cool and super special fae in all existence because god forbid we have a heroine who isn’t the most physically powerful person ever. I mean, to hell with mental strength. Must be physically magically powerful or you’re no good!

• The only plot points that surprised me were the hunt being at the drug bust (because we got nothing from his povs that he was remotely interested in going back down that revolution road especially after his whole meeting with Briggs…still iffy with this one, because his thoughts in that cell sound like he actually was on board with it until he called it off because the drug is too dangerous but his call to the viper queen said she owed him a favor so…..) and Micah’s weird horn hard-on. Literally nothing else surprised me...

• I really though Reid would play a bigger role considering Bryce used to date him and is fam is responsible for that drug....but nope. The dude is like never even mentioned.

• Ugh...that villain speech. Maybe I'm just like...what's the point? Why not just zap the bitch why do you need to tell her your life story!?!?!

• Also let's be real, Danika's password never would have been allowed to be that simple nor remain unchanged for 2 years. But whatever.

• It’s also pretty cringe that Bryce freed Lele just for her to die…………..

• Why is Jesiba’s shop impenetrable (the building and cameras) until it’s convenient for it not to be…I mean it sounded like nothing could break into her building or the cameras but then… Micah just easily waltzed in there and Declan easily hacked into the security cameras….makes no sense but okayyyyyyy…..

• ....or about how the dog can teleport and undo locks until once again it's convenient for him not to be able to so she can dramatically save the day (look I also have issues with her valuing her pet's life over Lele's in that scene...also isn't the dog supposed to be like terrifying, it could've fought while her and Lele got out. not really sure how the water which delayed him like two seconds helped more than her dog would've....look, i love pets and i don't want him to die but i don't want Lele to die either!)

• Bryce and Hunt literally never have a talk about everything???? Like I get the world almost ended but neither of them had a thought like I know we need to talk about everything that happened on the boat. About if his love for Shahar trumps his love for me. But that can wait… Because those were all fears she had before but now vanished???? I get not wanted to have verbal talk but a thought from Bryce would’ve been nice.

• How can you run, carry a sword, and shoot a gun all at the same time? Still trying to figure out the logistics of that all....

• Why is SJM's adult book the least smutty thing she has written so far!?!?!?!?

• The love saves everyone and everything line is so fucking cheesy I can’t.

My Overall Feelings:

• The book couldn’t choose a plot. Did it want to be a crime book? Did it want to be ACOMAF? Who the fuck knows.

• This would have worked better as a TV series than a book. Especially that scene where Bryce is trying to save the city and everyone is just watching it happen on the jumbo screen at the summit. In book form it was just….weird….and felt disruptive...and someone could've started flying to help out. Plus I like watching shows with characters like Bryce but hate reading books with characters like her if that makes sense...

• Also if the summit is just between the leaders of CC then why did Sadriel have to be there? Why does it happen only every 10 years? Why does it have to take place outside of the city if no other leaders from other places are present?

• Why don’t we get a map of all of the other countries that were mentioned?

• This book was wayyyyyy too long. It would have been much better if it was reduced to 500ish pages instead.

• Also the character’s flip-flopped with their character development way too much. It wasn’t consistent.

• This is definitely one of the better SJM book’s I’ve read, but it won’t be one that I’ll reread. It is too long with too many boring bits in the middle.

• But hey! If you love SJM then you’ll probably love this book…

Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings: restricted eating, self-harm, drug use, alcohol consumption, implied rape, mentions of abusive relationships, suicidal thoughts, depression, emesis, slavery, terrorist attacks, grief, gun violence, death, murder, violence, torture

View all my reviews

#this review is so long it ran out of space on goodreads lol #book review #house of blood and earth spoilers #crescent city spoilers #crescent city #house of blood and earth #booksneedcaffeinetooblog

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

Text

910.

Do you have a significant other at the moment? Do you love him/her? >> I have several significant others. Sure, I suppose.

How many people do you live with? Are these people related to you? >> One. She is not, except legally.

Have you ever considered anyone or anything too personal for your liking? >> I don’t know what this means.

Are you a confident person, or do you keep to yourself usually? >> I am a sometimes-confident, sometimes-not person who generally keeps to itself.

Have you ever had to have surgery before? What was this for? >> No.

Are you listening to any music right now? What song is it? >> No.

Where was the last place you vacationed to? Did you enjoy this time? >> New Orleans. Yes.

When was the last time you ate pizza? Where from? Was it good? >> Hmm... a few weeks ago, maybe? I don’t remember.

Is there anyone right now that you are simply/overly infatuated with? >> No.

What is your orientation? Gay? Straight? Metrosexual? Anything other? >> As far as anyone I meet is concerned, I’m asexual. People who are more familiar with me might learn the details of what that actually means for me, but most people don’t need or warrant that information.

Is there anyone you know who is utterly repulsive? Who is this person? >> No one I currently know is repulsive to me.

Are you related to any elected officials? What is their position? >> No.

Do you have a certain standard you follow, when it comes to relationships? >> I’m not sure.

Who is your closest friend? Why are they so close to you? >> Hm.

Who did you last hug? When did this hug take place? Where? >> King Crimson. About an hour ago. Inworld.

Who was the last person to play with your hair? Are they cute? >> ---

Who was the last person close to you, that died? Did you cry? >> Tommy, my first partner. Yeah, eventually.

What was your favorite year of your life? Why is this your favorite? >> ---

Is there anyone out there who can make you smile at any time? >> Probably not.

What is your favorite television show? Why do you watch this show? >> I have many favourites. Shameless is one. I like it because it’s consistently entertaining and dramatic and I have grown fond of the characters.

If you're in school, do you like this school you attend? Or do you not? >> ---

Have you ever done anything really dangerous or illegal with friends? >> Yeah.

What is your favorite word to say out loud? Did you just say that word? >> I have no idea. “Deuteronomy” is fun to say. No, I didn’t say it out loud.

Who is the one person out there who makes you feel very special? >> ---

Is there a certain person out there who gives you butterflies? >> No.

Do people call you a low-life sometimes/always? Why do they call you that? >> I don’t know if I’ve ever been called that. If so, it was a long ass time ago and I don’t know why.

Do you want to tell anyone anything right now? Who is this person? >> No.

What is the fourteenth word of the song you're currently listening to? >> ---

Are there any foods out there you just cant refrain from eating every week? >> There’s a dish from a place that sets up at the farmer’s market some weeks that I am pretty much addicted to now. We go there weekly, so it’s my new Saturday breakfast as long as they’re there.

Do you like Mexican food? Whats your favorite meal under that genre of food? >> Yeah. I don’t know what my favourite meal would be. I like most of the things.

Do you enjoy shopping? Who do you usually go shopping with anyways? >> No. Grocery shopping is done with Sparrow.

When you see someone attractive, what's the first thing you look for? >> ---

How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Do you find this healthy? >> Once. I mean, why wouldn’t it be...?

Do you ever criticize people around you, that you know can't help it? >> Internally, sometimes. I try not to indulge that habit, but unfortunately my Inner Critic doesn’t just criticise me, it criticises every instance of the behaviours and traits that it hates.

How old were you when you lost your virginity? Who'd you lose it to anyways? >> Seventeen. Some dude.

Do you wash your own clothes? Or does someone else do that for you? >> Sparrow does the laundry, usually.

Are you afraid of thunderstorms? What exactly makes you afraid of them? >> I’m not.

What color are the shutters on your house by the windows, if there are any? >> I forget. Red? Some of the buildings in this complex have red shutters and some have blue, I just don’t remember which one my building has.

When was the last time you attended church? What is the name of this church? >> Uh... Christmas, I think? Did I go this past Christmas? The name of the church is Kentwood Community Church.

Do you enjoy talking smack to those annoying telemarketers? Is it funny? >> I don’t answer the phone.

Do you consider yourself a healthy person? Physically and mentally? >> Physically, mostly. As far as the rest is concerned... it’s a process, I guess.

Who was the last person you held hands with? Were they taller/shorter? >> ---

#surveys #survey #random survey

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pitubea1910 · 5 years

Text

Riddles

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x Reader

Words: 6k4

Warnings: -

Tags: -

MASTERLIST

The bar was empty, just like every single day around that hour, especially during the days where there was any kind of festivity out in the street. Event that happened almost every single day in New Orleans, especially within the borders of the French Quarter. When you got to the bar, five minutes before your schedule, you weren’t surprised to find it empty given the amount of people gathering in the streets, drinking and dancing to the sound of jazz music.

Your co-worker, Adam, said the place had been empty for an hour now so when he left you didn’t expect any change. Still, you washed and dried some glasses just in case and cleaned up the wooden bar. The whole process lasted less than fifteen minutes and you were already bored to death. If this was your bar you would just close and go out, join the party, but you were a normal girl in her late twenties trying to pay her bills. Which meant that sneaking out wasn’t exactly an option.

Another thirty minutes passed and the situation hadn’t changed. You had already used all your lives playing Candy Crush, cleaned the bar twice and you still had five hours of your shift left. The least you could do, was making the most out of it, you thought. You turned on the volume of the radio after finding your favourite radio station, poured yourself a glass of gin and lemon and started dancing to the beat of one of the newest pop rock songs as you drank from your drink.

If your boss saw you, you would probably get in trouble. Luckily for you, the man only showed up the first day of each month to pay the rent of the local. You were safe singing and dancing around the place, both to the sound of the radio and to the music coming from the outside. You were so focused on your entertainment that you never heard the door of the place opening and closing and of course you didn’t see the man that had just walked in and was staring at you with an amused smirk on his face.

***

Elijah Mikaelson was hard to surprise. He had seen enough of the human race along the centuries to be prepared for any kind of situation. Still, he found himself astonished when he saw the carefree girl dancing in the bar. He couldn’t fight the smirk that made its way to his mouth as he slowly and silently walked to take a seat on one of the stools after unbuttoning the jacket of his navy suit.

He had come in looking for a quick drink before getting home to his brother, where a fight was probably waiting. However, he found himself not wanting to leave the bar. Instead of disrupting your dance, he waited patiently, observing how you moved your hips from side to side, how your hair floated around you with every jump, and listening to the low humming coming from you.

***

It couldn’t be said that you were having the time of your life, but you were definitely enjoying your shift more than before. Was that so that when you finished your drink you knew you wanted another one. Still dancing and quietly singing the songs on the radio, you turned around to face the empty bar. However, you found a pair of amused brown eyes looking at you from the other side of the wooden bar, startling you so much that you almost dropped the glass you were holding.

“Bloody hell!” You almost screamed placing a hand over your chest, breathing now way faster than before. “I’m so sorry” you quickly said, not even knowing how long your only client had been waiting.

“No need” he said in a calm but amused tone. “Proceed, it was rather delightful” he added.

You felt your cheeks burning at the statement, but you quickly turned down the volume of the radio and walked over him after placing the glass you had been using in the sink.

“What can I get you?” You asked trying to hide your embarrassment and sound professional.

Elijah looked at you, considering whether he should keep on torturing you a little more or just let it be. Given how mortified you already looked, he decided to order a glass of Bourbon. Neat.

“It looked like you were having fun” he couldn’t contain himself once you set the drink in front of him.

“It’s not like I had anything better to do” you replied once you had calmed yourself down. “I would much rather being outside, dancing and drinking there, instead of doing it here alone and looking like a maniac if someone came in”, the man let out a quiet chuckle at your statement but said nothing against it. Instead, he just took a short sip from his drink.

“Why aren’t you then? Outside” he asked.

“A girl’s got to live” you shrugged. “You know, I kinda need the money to pay the rent so I can keep on having a roof over my head. Oh, and don’t forget the tedious food issue” you said with irony. “It need to be paid, you know?”

“I’m familiar with the concept, thank you very much” he said still smiling. “It’s a shame, though” he added titling his head to the side, his kind eyes never leaving yours. “People seem to be enjoying the festivities”

“Then why are you here?” You asked crossing your arms, getting slightly annoyed now. Of course you knew it would be funnier to be outside, but you were stuck with this damn job that you didn’t even like.

“I didn’t mean to upset you” he quickly said, instead of answering your question.

“It’s okay” you sighed leaning against the bar. “I’m sorry” you shrugged. “It’s just frustrating, you know? I have to be working in an empty bar all afternoon while I could be out there having fun.”

“You seem to have covered the fun part” he teased with a small smile.

You rolled your eyes at him and turned around to put the bottle of Bourbon you had previously used in its place. When you turned around again, a reply ready in your lips, the place was empty again and a $20 bill was next to the empty glass as the only proof of the existence of that mysterious guy.

***

Even though you were quick to forget the man, Elijah found himself coming to the bar over and over again. Although he barely came in, he would just stay outside, observing you chatting with the clients, smiling politely at them and serving drinks. You were definitely the type of person who people just felt drawn to and Elijah had been a victim of your magnetism. He couldn’t explain it. He was over a thousand years old, it had been a while since he had a crush, and yet he found himself thinking about you every day.

“There you are”, Klaus’ voice said behind Elijah one of those time when the Original was observing you. “I’ve been calling you.”

“And I’ve been ignoring you”, Elijah quietly replied before turning his whole body towards his brother, clearly annoyed. “What is it that you require, Niklaus?”

“Aurora, Tristan and Lucian are in town and you’re creepily stalking some random waitress” Klaus pointed at the bar. “Your family needs you, brother.”

“What makes you think I will not be there for my family when I’m needed?” Elijah asked, slipping a hand into the pocket of his suit.

“It looks like you have others… concerns” his brother replied as a small smirk appeared on his face. “Maybe I should go inside and introduce myself. See who got the attention of the inscrutable Elijah Mikaelson.”

“You will remain away from that place, Niklaus” Elijah said calmly. “It is not a warning” he added looking at his brother straight in the eyes.

“Then let’s get to work, brother” Klaus said. “Before I get impatient” he added.

Klaus turned around and rushed away from there, probably to their house. Elijah took a deep breath and turned his head towards the bar once again, now seeing you outside getting some air as you put your phone against your ear. He narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering who you were talking to, and not being able to contain himself he made use of his vampire ear to listen to your conversation.

“I’m out of here at noon” you said. “When does it start?”

“Around 7 p,m. I think”, a female voice said on the other side of the phone.

“Great, drinks at Rousseau’s?” You suggested.

“I’ll pick you up at the 6 then” the girl on the other side of the phone said. “Oh and dress nicely. Louis will be there” she said before hanging up, leaving you laughing quietly before walking into the bar once again.

Elijah’s eyes narrowed even more as his mouth formed a thin line. Louis. He was more than willing to find out who that might be and why you had to dress nicely for him.

***

“Where are you going?” Klaus asked when he saw his brother quickly walking down the stairs of the compound, buttoning his suit jacket.

“Out” Elijah replied shortly. If your plans hadn’t been cancelled you should be at Rousseau’s at the moment and he had no time to waste.

“Oh please, tell me you’re not chasing after that waitress” Klaus said from the balcony. “She is way out of your league, brother.”

Elijah slowed down as a smirk appeared on his face. He turned around and looked up at his brother, who was mirroring the look on his face. He was mocking him, teasing him, and after centuries of co-existing he knew exactly how to talk back to him.

“Tell me, brother, are we talking about me or are you, by any chance, talking about sweet Camille?” Klaus narrowed his eyes at Elijah, who just smirked at his brother’s reaction. “I thought so” he added before making his way out of the compound.

***

“Shut up!” You exclaimed before pouring the third gin shot down your throat. “You’re the worst.”

“C’mon, he’s totally into you!” Sarah, one of your closest friends, said as she pointed at the bar where Louis stood with his friends.

The truth was that you and Louis had been flirting back and forth for a really long time now, you had even made out a couple of times, but you just didn’t feel like being anything else. Not with him at least. He was a great guy, caring, funny, witty, and much more, but you just weren’t interested.

“I’m not into him” you shrugged fiddling with the glass in your hands. “I don’t know, Sarah, he’s a great guy but…” you sighed. “He’s not what I look for” you simply shrugged as you crossed one leg over the other.

“And what are you exactly looking for, my friend?” Sarah asked as the bartender brought another round of shots.

You bite your lip, thinking about the question. You weren’t the kind of girl who was constantly looking for love. If it came, you embraced it and went with it, but that was all. Still, you didn’t know what you looked for in a partner.

“I don’t know…” you mumbled looking at the shot with a frown on your forehead. “I guess… I want someone who makes me feel…” you frowned a bit more, struggling to find the words.

“Horny?” Your friend said, making you laugh out loud.

“Alive, Sarah” you laughed. “Someone who makes me feel alive” you shrugged. “Someone adventurous, maybe a bit mysterious, unpredictable, someone that makes every day count” you almost mumbled.

“That’s deep…” Sarah nodded before drinking the shot. “And where do you plan to find this person?” you laughed at the question and looked at her.

“Where do you suggest?” you asked with a small smile.

“I don’t know…” she looked around. “Maybe the next guy that walks in?”

Both of you looked at the door just to see it opening and you gasped as you saw the mysterious guy from the other day walking in. This time wearing a black suit, as spotless as the one he was wearing the last time you saw him. He went straight to the bar and ordered a drink, probably the same one that you had poured him some days before.

“Well, he’s hot” Sarah said, also checking him out. He took the glass now filled with the brown liquor and took a sip from it before looking around, his eyes quickly meeting yours, causing you to look away as a blush creeped up on your cheeks. “And he’s totally checking you out” she added looking now at you.

“Then stop looking at him, alright?” You asked.

“You know him?” Sarah asked curious.

“No, he just came into the bar a few days ago” you shrugged. “We exchanged a few words, that’s all. He probably doesn’t even remember me.”

“I guess we’re about to find out” your friend commented. “He’s coming over.”

“What?!” You exclaimed.

“Good evening, ladies” his soft voice said just next to you.

You looked up to find those brown eyes looking straight at you, with that same small smile on his face that he wore when you saw him for the first and last time. Just like the other day, you found your breath stuck in your throat as your eyes met and your heart started beating faster.

“Hi” your friend said after a few seconds, when she saw that you were completely speechless. “Forgive my friend, she had a little bit much to drink” she excused your silence.

“I didn’t” you quickly defended yourself turning to look at Sarah with a killing glare.

“And there she is” Sarah winked before getting up. “I’m going to the bathroom” she announced before leaving the two of you alone.

You followed your friend with your eyes, trying to comprehend that she had actually abandoned you with a complete stranger. Not like you were afraid of him, but there was something about him that made you shiver, like he was hiding something, like he was…dangerous. And yet he kept on looking at you with such warmth and that smile that made you want to trust him.

“It appears that bars are our place to find each other” he commented, taking the seat Sarah had just left.

“You could say that…” you tried to say his name but you just realised he never said it.

“Elijah, my name is Elijah” he introduced himself.

“Elijah?” You chuckled. “Are you taken out from an encyclopaedia or something?” You smiled.

“It’s Nordic” he explained, his smile growing bigger with your teasing. “My mother had a, to put it somehow, rare taste for the Vikings”

“Oh…” you said surprised and then smiled again. “I like it” you shrugged.

“Now that I have shared such a personal piece of information I think the same in return is a must, don’t you think?” he said, his eyes piercing through yours.

“Mine is definitely not as fancy as yours, Elijah” you replied, emphasising his name. He had to fight back the urge to smile at the sound of your voice saying his name. “I’m (Y/N) and, as you can see, my parents didn’t have any rare tastes when it came to names.”

“I’d say it’s a rather lovely name, which fits you like a glove” you raised an eyebrow at the statement,

“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my name” you chuckled after a few moments before finishing off your drink.

“I’ll take that as a compliment” he nodded his head slightly. “Can I buy you another drink?”

You looked down at your glass considering his offer. You barely knew this man, but you were oddly drawn to him, to his charm and confidence. Before you could process it, you accepted his offer with a smile and looked around as he got up. Sarah was at the bar with the rest of the group, including Louis who didn’t stop looking at Elijah with a frown on his face. Sarah smiled widely at you and gave you a thumbs up, which you replied with a wink.

An hour later Elijah had bought another two rounds for the two of you and you were already feeling more than tipsy. It had been a while since you had that much to drink, which was funny given your work place, so the alcohol was affecting you way more than usual. Making you be flirtier, more opened and more willing to talk to this mysterious man.

“How aren’t you drunk?” You chuckled when you saw how he downed another glass of Bourbon without even flinching.

“My tolerance to alcohol is quite high” he said with that characteristic smirk.

“I would be on the floor if I were you” you informed him before taking a sip from your drink.

He just smiled and looked away from you, his body turned towards the bar and his elbow resting on the table as his index finger ran over his upper lip, while his bottom lip made a small pout, making you pay close attention to that particular part of his body as a sudden urge of taking his bottom lip in-between your teeth took over you. Trying to fight that desire you finished your drink and got up.

“Everything alright?” Elijah asked, surprised by your sudden move.

“Yeah, yeah” you quickly replied, already regretting having gotten up so fast. Now you were really feeling the alcohol going up to your head. “I just need to use the bathroom. Excuse me”, you said.

Elijah’s eyes followed you until you disappeared through the doors that led to the bathrooms. He was more than intrigued by you, he wanted to know more about you, and the sound of your heart beating faster whenever you two made eye contact let him know that you felt the same. However, he knew he had to be cautious. Specially during these times when they were under such a dangerous threat. If he was honest to himself, he knew it wasn’t the best moment to bring someone new into his life, but he also knew he couldn’t just let you go. Not now that he was getting to know you.

***

You took your time in the bathroom, trying to sober up a little before going back out again. After a while you finally went out and looked around, seeing Elijah on the very same spot as he was before, checking his phone with a frown this time. Taking a deep breath, you started making your way towards the table again when another male figure stood in your way. You looked up to meet Louis’ blue eyes.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah” you smiled.

“Is that guy bothering you?” He asked pointing at Elijah with his head. You laughed and looked at the man for a moment before looking back at Louis.

“Not at all, why would he?”

“I don’t know, he looks…” he shrugged. “I don’t think he’s the best for you.”

“And I think I’ll be the one to decide that” you replied patting his chest a couple of times before walking away from him, but before you could take two steps, he grabbed you by your arm and turned you around. “What are you doing?”

“We’re leaving” he simply said.

“Okay, you can go” you shrugged.

“You’re not coming?” he frowned.

“Louis, the fact that you and I made out a couple of times doesn’t mean you have any right over me” you said, pulling your arm away from his grip. “I’m staying” you stated.

“Any problem?” A shiver went down your back when Elijah’s voice, calmed and quiet, spoke behind you.

“Not at all” you said coldly, looking up at your friend.

Louis narrowed his eyes at you and then at Elijah, who would gladly snap his neck just by the way he had been holding your arm. With a sigh, you just turned around and took Elijah’s hand, pulling him away from Louis and, after taking your bag from the table where you were previously seated, you pulled him out of Rousseau’s.

“Was that your boyfriend?” Elijah asked once you were out of the establishment. You laughed bitterly at the question.

“He wishes” you replied. “No, we’re just friends who happened to make out a couple of times” you quickly explained while you kept walking down the street, trying to put as much distance as you could.

“Does he mean anything to you?” he questioned with a frown. With an eyebrow raised you looked at him, slowing down your peace.

“He’s just a friend. Nothing more” you said. “Why?” you asked.

Elijah looked down at you seriously, but soon that damn smirk appeared on his face again, weakening your knees and speeding up your heartbeat.

“I simply like to be aware of the competition” he simply said.

“Are you saying I’m some kind of trophy?” You asked with an eyebrow raised. Elijah laughed shortly and looked up for a brief moment, weighing his words, before taking a step closer and placing a hand over your cheek.

“You are far from that, dear (Y/N)”, he finally spoke. “But I truly intend to make you mine at some point and I’m not particularly fond of those who stand in the way of me…” he leaned in, his breath mixing with yours as the intoxicating smell of bourbon, along with his own fragrance, overwhelmed your senses, making you part your lips and close your eyes. “…And what I want” he finished his sentence in a whisper, his lips barely touching yours when a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere.

You opened your eyes with a frown, still feeling the ghost of his lips over yours, to find yourself alone. Elijah was gone.

***

To say that you were confused was the understatement of the year. Next day you went to work, kind of expecting to see Elijah but he never appeared. Neither he did all along the week. It confused the hell out of you. According to his last words, he ‘intended’ to make you his, but then he just disappeared. If that was his master flirty move then you had to say he still had a lot to learn. However, you couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“C’mon, get over it!” Sarah said while she waited for you to finish your shift.

“I can’t!” You exclaimed after putting a glass on its place. “I’ve tried, I’ve tried not to think about him, to focus on other things but… he got under my skin and I can’t seem to shake him off.”

“All that in just a couple of hours with him?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.

You shrugged not knowing what to tell her. That was exactly the case. You had just spent a couple of hours with him, shared a few stories, stole furtive glances from each other and so many smiles, but somehow it had been enough for him to stay in your head. It had no explanation, but you just wanted to see him again.

“Okay, you’ve fallen for a complete stranger in less than three hours, there you have your adventure” Sarah said after a few moments, making you laugh.

“I didn’t fall for him” you contradicted her. “I just… he intrigues me, okay? And I wish I could see him again to figure out why the hell he has this kind of power over me.”

“Fine by me, but meanwhile we have a huge party just on the other side of those doors, so can you finish cleaning up so we can go a get so drunk that you believe I am Elijah?” She said, making you smile warmly and throw the cloth at her. “You’re getting violent!”

“Shut up and wait” you laughed taking the cloth back to finish cleaning up.

Ten minutes later you and Sarah were finally walking out of the bar to meet the crowd. You smiled widely and looked around, already cheering up at the thought of enjoying a good New Orleans party in the French Quarter. In no time each of you had a cup of beer in your hands and were dancing at the sound of music in the middle of the street.

“Isn’t that Joseph?” You asked your friend as you spotted a tall red-haired guy on the other side of the street. Sarah gasped and turned around fast enough to spot him and then looked at you again.

“Oh my God, it’s him!” She exclaimed suddenly excited. “What should I do?” She asked.

“First, a bit more cleavage, please” you said fixing her blouse with a smirk. “And now go! Bewitch him with that Hansen charm I know you have” you added.

“Wish me luck!” She said before turning around and walking towards the guy she had been trying to sleep with for over a month now.

“Like you needed it” you sighed taking the cup to your lips with a smile.

“Quite the matchmaker, aren’t you?” A now familiar voice said behind you, causing you to tense up for a moment before turning around to be face to face with the pair of brown eyes that hunt you in your sleep.

“You’re alive” you commented casually. He twitched the corner of his mouth, keeping himself from smiling before sliding his hands in his pockets. “Why are you always wearing a suit? It’s quite hot today” you commented.

“One never knows when a good first impression will be needed” he replied calmly. “Plus, they make me look good”, he added with a smug expression.

“Indeed” you mumbled looking at him up and down. “Well, if you excuse me, Mister Vanishing Man, I’m going to check on my friend” you said, not really knowing what to tell him after the way in which he disappeared last week.

Elijah narrowed his eyes as he saw you walking away with confidence. He hated having someone turning his back on him and it didn’t matter how much he fancied you, he wasn’t going to take it. Taking a deep breath through his nostrils, he followed you.

“Are you upset?” He asked loud enough for you to hear it and stop. “Did I do something wrong?”

You closed your eyes for a moment, trying to control your temper. You knew he owed you nothing, but last week had been the second time he just vanished in front of you. No explanation, no excuses. And then he dared to show up like nothing, like he was the fucking king of the damn world. It didn’t matter how little you knew of him, you weren’t going to be played with by anyone.

“I don’t know, did you?” You snapped turning around to face him again.

“Be clear” he said in a demanding tone that actually infuriated you.

“Look, Elijah, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but let set one thing straight” you said taking a step closer to him. This time there was no smirk adorning his face. His face was entirely serious. “I’m no one’s play thing, are we clear? You can show up at my work place as much as you want and you’ll be just a client, but if you chose to appear when I’m with my friends and then stay with me, claiming that ‘you want to make me yours’ then you don’t get to just disappear for a whole week, leaving me confused as hell, and then show up like nothing happened”, you took a deep breath, your eyes never leaving his. “Because I won’t deny that I feel something between us, chemistry if you want to name it, but you can be damn sure that I will kick you out of my life as easily as you came in”

In his 1000 years of existence, Elijah had never met anyone who stood up against him like that. At least no one who was still alive to tell the tale. And yet, there he was, looking at you astonished and speechless for the first time in a long time. He was so used to getting his way, to doing things just like he wanted and liked, with no one to tell him no or call him out for his behaviour, that he had never imagined how it would actually feel to be scolded by anyone. Especially when he usually was the one scolding people.

“Now let me enjoy this damn party and go away” you finally added before turning around and walking over your friend.

***

Elijah was torn. It had been three days since he last saw you and there was nothing he wanted more than going into the bar where you worked and explain himself, but what he was going to say? That he was a thousand years old vampire who seemed to have develop an unprecedented affection towards you, a girl he met just two weeks ago and talked to twice?

The truth was that you had gotten under his skin and he couldn’t shake off the last words you had said to him. He had been honest when he had told you about his intentions towards you, but he never expected for you to be so upset about him not showing up for a week. He owed you an explanation, even when he never explained himself to anyone, and he didn’t know what to tell you.

“Just go”, Freya said. He looked away from the fire and to his sister. “I don’t know what’s on your mind, but you’re distracting me, so just go and do whatever you want to do.”

“I’m here to be of assistance” he replied.

“Doing what? Brooding? Just go, I got this” she smiled with honesty. Yet, Elijah didn’t move. “Okay, either you go or I kick you out, your choice.”

“Alright, alright” Elijah finally nodded. “Are you completely sure?”

“Go!” Freya exclaimed. “I’ll call you if I need you, I promise, but go” she insisted and, this time, Elijah obeyed.

***

This shift was being exhausting. Ever since you got through the door you had been handed dozens of tasks to do besides attending the bar. Of course you weren’t alone, but it was still tiring as fuck and the headache you had from the lack of sleeping wasn’t helping at all. You were moody, ready to snap at anyone who just looked at you the wrong way. Your co-worker asked you a couple of times if you were okay and you just nodded at him, even though you knew exactly what was wrong you.

For some reason, some stupid reason that was pushing every single one of your buttons, you couldn’t take Elijah out of your head. It had been three days since you last saw him and it was like he haunted you everywhere. Every time you tried to sleep he was there, making you spend sleepless nights just rolling around in bed. What the fuck was wrong with you? You had just seen the man three times in your life, it was impossible to be so attached to someone you barely knew.

“Why don’t you take five?” Adam, your co-worker, said after he saw you looking at a man like you wanted to break a glass over his head.

“No, it’s okay” you sighed taking the bottle of whiskey from the bar before you lost your temper.

“Sure?” He asked and you nodded, smiling a little at him. “Okay, I’m going to talk to the supplier for a moment, do you think everyone will be alive when I come back?”

“I make no promises” you half joked. He chuckled and disappeared in the back room to make his phone call after patting your shoulder.

You put the whiskey bottle in its place after cleaning it up and then walked out of the bar with the tray, taking the empty glasses and cups from the already empty tables and carrying them to the dishwasher, loading it as fast as possible since you were already hearing the door being opened again. Soon you recognised the sound of a stool being moved, signalling someone had just sat down.

“Just a second and I’ll be with you” you said, not even looking up.

“It’s just okay, take your time” you froze when you heard that voice and looked up.

“Elijah” you mumbled.

“Good afternoon” he smiled politely. You blinked a few times, trying to assimilate that he was there. “Please, continue your task. I can wait” he insisted.

Feeling like a robot, you kept on loading the dishwasher, actually taking your time while your brain tried to find a way to carry out the upcoming conversation. When you finished you just took another glass from under the bar and the Bourbon bottle, not even needing to ask what he wanted.

“Very intuitive” he commented when you poured him the drink.

“I know my public” you tried to joke, feeling a lump in your throat that kept you from talking out loud.

Once again you put the bottle back in place and you were about to turn around to talk to him when you were called by another client. Truly appreciating the existence of customers, you kept on doing your job for another ten minutes until you were able to catch a break. You wished you could just keep on working so you didn’t have to face him, but it was useless. He was obviously there for you.

“Busy day, I see” he said when you finally stood in front of him.

“You could say that” you nodded cleaning up an already spotless part of the wooden bar. You took a deep breath and finally looked up, meeting those chocolate eyes that made you shiver. “What do you want, Elijah?”

“A word?” He said.

You closed your eyes for a moment, feeling how the tension took over your entire body before opening them again and looking around. You actually hadn’t taken your break just yet so maybe it was a good moment. With a sigh, you told Elijah to wait while you told Adam you were going to take your lunch break, even though the last thing you were thinking about was food.

“C’mon” you said getting out from behind the bar.

“Don’t you want a drink?” He suggested, still sitting on the stool.

“I’ve been behind that bar for three hours, Elijah”, you replied. “The last thing I want is spend my break on the other side of it.”

“Fair enough” he mumbled quietly as he followed your lead out of the local.

Elijah thought you would walk into a restaurant, a bar, any establishment. However, as usual, you surprised him by walking towards the riverside. He walked by your side silently, still looking for the right words to start a conversation, especially since it didn’t look like you were going to start it.

After a few minutes of walking, when Elijah was starting to wonder how many time you had left from your break, you stopped to buy a Coke from a street vendor and made your way into Jackson Square, quickly finding an empty bench where you sat before opening the can and taking a long sip from it. Elijah observed you silently for a while and took a seat next to you.

“You said you wanted a word” you simply said, not looking away from the statue in front of you.

“There’s so many reasons why you should stay away from me” Elijah said under his breath, making it look like he had been holding those words for so long.

“Excuse me? You’re the one who’s been appearing and disappearing” you said now looking at him with a frown on your face.

“You said it yourself: there’s something between us” he sighed looking up at the sky for a moment. “And I should be rational enough to stay clear from you, instead of dragging you into the mess my life is”, you sighed and ran a hand through your hair.

“Look, if you want to part ways, that’s okay. We don’t even know each other and-“ he interrupted you half speech.

“I said I should be rational, not that I intend to be” he said now looking at you. “I know I should stay away from you in order to keep you safe, but the most honest truth is that I am tired of putting everyone’s else desires before my own.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You asked, getting more and more confused with every word he said.

“There’s so many things you can’t just know yet” he said looking away again. “For now, knowing my intentions with you should be enough.”

“Yeah well” you said, sick of this riddle, and got up. “The thing is that it looks like it’s impossible to know your intentions, Elijah” you said looking down at him while he remained seated. “Because every time you open your damn mouth you are incapable of saying one thing clear, you talk in riddles and I’m not having that” you stated. “If you want something from me, you better be clear, because I’m sick of this back and forth with someone I don’t even know.”

That being said, you threw the can in the closest trash and started making your way back out of the park. This had been stupid. You shouldn’t have agreed on talking to him when, deep down, you kind of knew it would lead to nowhere. And the worst part was that it hurt. You didn’t even know why but walking away from him was making your heart ache.

Suddenly, someone tugged your arm, making you turn around and you found yourself against Elijah’s strong chest and you felt his hand on the back of your neck. You met his eyes for a moment before his lips crashed against yours in a demanding and passionate kiss. Your hands went to both sides of his body, holding onto his shirt like your life depended on it, feeling his muscles underneath your fingers while his fingers were intertwined with your hair, making it impossible for you to pull away until he was the one to do it. Both of your breathing were fast, erratic as you pressed your foreheads together with your eyes still closed.

“Was that clear enough for you?” He whispered after a few moments.

#elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson imagine #the originals imagine #elijah mikaelson x reader #pitubea #imagine

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astxriism · 4 years

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Blood Moon Rising

Title: Pup

Featuring: Rowan & Luna, Rowan & Angelica, Rowan & Leo (flashback)

Summary: Not a man, nor a beast but something more. When Rowan awakens to find himself thrust into a world hidden from him for years. Finding himself a part of a pack, and to uncover the mystery of his heritage and the two people that seemingly know him better then he knows himself. A prophecy on the verge of fullfilment; will Rowan be able to face this new life and the people in it? Or will his destiny be to much for him to bear?

A/N: So I made an outline ( a very messy outline) and I have a clear idea on where I want this to go. Since I had a couple of memes from saturdays meme day that went unanswered (from Elly and Di) This is me blending them together for this part and adding on to it. Hopefully, it works lol. Also, I’ve sprinkled in some of my other npcs that I now have to add to my growing list of thought babies on my character page. So, I’ll be updating that as well. Did I mention I love AU! Okay, on with the show. @storybot post

Cure, Uptown New Orleans

There were a couple of places in Nola that offered good food and drink. Rowan had preferred to stay away from the hussle of high tourist areas. Drunken frat boys, wild hen nights and boob flashing wasn’t really his scene anymore; if it had been ever. Cure offered him the good drink and food he craved without all the hoopla of what New Orleans was known for; party city of the western world.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Rowan turned in his chair at the bar, looking at the man who took the seat next to him. Most people gave him a wide berth; tourist that happened upon him in the bar oftern didn’t stick around long because it was too ‘boring’. Locals, gave him a nod but mostly went about their business. Dark eyes ran over the man as he ordered a drink and asked for a menu.

He didn’t give off the appearance of someone unfamiliar to the area. But Rowan was sure he’d never seen him in the bar before. Six months, he lived in a small apartment near the french quarter. Six months he’d been coming to this bar. Seen many attractive men and women walk through the door, went home with a few of them too.

This man, was different.

“ My thoughts aren’t that intresting,” Rowan said.

The dark-haired man chuckled, turning his body towards Rowan. He liked his laugh, his was deep, resonating in his chest; a slight huskyness to it.

“ I don’t know. Those frown lines on your forhead would say you have lots of ‘em.”

“Or I’m a natural brooder and I wake up like this.” he grinned.

The man shook his head, pointing a finger towards his own chest. “ That would be me. I came out of my mother's womb with this scowl.”

Now Rowan laughed. He liked talking with him. Not just because he had the balls to approach him - because most didn’t. No, it went deeper than that. He had something, something that naturally drew him in. Tugging at the middle of his chest, leaving him feeling warm and safe in his presence. It should have been a warning sign, there was all sorts of strange and unexplainable things happening in this city. Happening around him, the reason why his memory was fractured and he couldn’t recall much— if any of his childhood. The people he came from, his family.

Solitude was all he knew, with the occasional dalliance here and there. He had no family, no friends, no home. A tumble weed in a world that seemingly wanted nothing to do with him and always seemed to cut him off at the knees.

It should have been a warning sign, when he streched out his hand towards the stranger. He should have gotten up and left when he felt the jolt of electricity that ran up his arm when their hands met. He should have been nervous as a warmth spread through him, calming and alluring. Making him think of words like home. Instead, Rowan stayed seated, eyes on the other and spoke.

“Rowan Polat.”

The butterflies in his stomach took off, as a knowing smile appeared on the other man’s face.

“ Leo Ronan, it’s very nice to meet you Rowan.”

The Bayou, New Orleans (present)

“Watch out!”

The warning call was enough to pull Rowan out of his thoughts. His hand reaching out to catch the flying object just before it hit him in the face. A group of boys looking back at him wearily. Giving the closest, and seemingly younger boy a wink. Rowan tossed it over to him. Who smiled waving in thanks as he took off running ball firmly in hand as the others followed.

The party was still going, though now it was late afternoon. Apparently, they would stay here until night fall. Before making their way back towards the 7th ward. From what he could gather- and that wasn’t much-considering people were either intrested in drinking, eating, or they were busy trying to figure him out. Which left him confused and looking for the solitude he had lost.

Once he had his fill of ‘meeting the pack’. Rowan had found a tree and took refuge beneath it. Watched as Leo and Jude walked away arm in arm and that left him in even more of a sour mood. So, he nursed a botle of mead someone had made and sat down and people watched.

“ What crawled up your ass pup?”

Craning his head, at the woman that stopped a few feet ahead of him. Rowan decided to ignore her less then steller greeting and focused on one word.

“Pup?”

“Yeah, it’s what we call first-timers. You did shift for the frist time last night right?” she said, arms crossed over her chest.

“ I did, i just didn’t think everyone would be calling me pup. You, Leo, that group of dick heads over there.”

The woman’s eyes followed where Rowan gestured. Burly looking men, a few feet away. Loud, obnoxious, and giving other people a hard time when ever they passed them.

“Ah yes, the goon squad.” she mused shaking her head.

“ Ignore Dale and is acolytes. Between the five of them, they can’t even fire off one brain cell. Let alone oporate 10% of their own.”

Rowan eyed her a moment before he started to laugh. She was funny, moody but funny.

“Guess I won’t go to them for a philosophical debate?”

She shook her head, “ Not unless that debate involves using your fist or teeth.”

Looking away from Dale and company, their eyes met. A simliar a quizzical look in her dark eyes. He was about to call her on it, before she took on a neutral expression almost bored look.

“Come on, I’ve got to take you to Angelica.”

“Who?”

Letting out an annoyed sigh she glared at him, “ Does it matter, Leo told me to take you to her so that’s what I’m doing.” she quipped “- don’t be difficult. I’m not in the mood .”

Turning she began to walk away from him. The petty side of him wanted to stay right were he was under his tree. But the need to do as he’s alpha said took over and he, reluctantly, jogging up next to her.

“You aren’t going to tell me your name?”

She raised a brow, “ Is that a line? Cause it needs work.”

“ I just meant everyone has introduced themselves in some way. Even your buddy Dale.” he chuckled at the look of disgust on her face. “ So no name then. Should I call you grumpy? You look like a Grumpy or maybe bit-”

“Geez, Luna alright. My name is Luna.”

Rowan grinned bumbing her with his shoulder, “See, that wasn’t so hard was it?”

“It was, and you’re annoying.” she huffed increasing her pace

Rowan was able to keep up easily enough, chuckling to himself. Was it to early to say that he liked Luna? He didn’t think so, it was a welcome change. While she might give off the vibe of ‘ leave me be or I'll cut you’. Rowan found he liked her energy. It didn’t take long before they were infront of a large tent closer to the woods. Luna turned back towards the other, jutting her chin towards the tent.

“ Go on pup, she’s waiting for you.”

Rolling his eyes - because the whole pup thing was going to get old real quick. He moved towards the opening.

“And Rowan...”

His footsteps haulted; turning to face her once more. As she ran a hand through her dark hair she gave him a little shrug and smirked, “ Welcome to the pack.”

For his part, Rowan mimicked her smirked giving a nod of thanks before entering the tent. The inside was darker then he would have expected. Considering they were now in the hight of the afternoon. A few candles were ablaze on a table. A wooden bowl in the center surrounded by the candles. Rowan frowned as he entered. His eyes landing of the figure in the far corner. She wore a long flowy dress, bracelets clinking together as she worked on something. Dark curly hair sat high on her head as her caramel- mocha skin glisten in the candle light.

“ Angelica I take it.” he called .

His eyes continued to take in his surrounding. The collection of plants and bottles strewn around the diffrent surfaces. When she finally turned around, he was met with the grey -blue eyes he had seen earlier with Leo, albeit briefly.

“ I am,” smiling softly; extending her arm towards the table and the pillow chair in the center. Rowan took the cue ,and made his way towards the table. It took him a minute to get comfortable. Sitting with his legs crossed and pulled under him. Resting his elbows on his knees as he watch her, effortlessly, take the seat opposite of him.

Angelica placed a knife next to the bowl in the center of the table. Her eyes never leaving his. A part of him, was wondering what was different about her. She was different, not like the others in the pack, more like him. Not that he could pinpoint how. Something akin to outer worldly in her eyes. For the first time, he felt a little on edge under her watchful gaze.

A knowing smile graced her lips, and Rowan was sure that she could feel his apperhension.

“May I have your hand please?”

He raised a brow, eyes drifting towards the knife, “ Why?”

She giggled, “You have a lot of questions Rowan, and not all of them will be answered in a day. All I ask is for you to trust me, can you do that?”

No. He didn’t want to trust her. He shouldn’t trust her. Look where trusting a beautiful face got him. Rowan trusted Leo, a man he hadn’t known only spending a couple of hours with him. Now he was a werewolf, surrounded by people he didn’t know but did. His life turned upside down and he had the sickening feeling that his life was only going to become more topsyturvy as time went on.

Even with everything in him crying for Rowan to get up and run, run and never look back. Damn it if he didn’t feel some kind of security with this woman. So, he stretched out his hand towards her. Shivering as soft, gentle hands took hold of his.

Rowan watched as she looked over his palm. Her digits dancing across the lines indented in them. Whispering words underher breath that even with his improved hearing he couldn’t quite make out. It was a diffrent language though. French, Creole?

“Latin,” she supplied her eyes still on his hand.

Okay, that wasn’t creepy.

“Isn’t that a dead language?”

“It’s only dead to the people who no longer use it.” she giggled again reaching for the knife. The wolf inside him was stirring and Rowan couldn’t help but fidget a little in his seat. When her steel eyes met his, he calmed his wolf ready to attack if need be.

“Trust me.” was all she said before she dragged her knife along his palm. His blood filling the bowl in front of them. The pain wasn’t so bad, but his hand did sting. When Angelica released him, he snatched his hand away, looking down to see how bad the damage was. But there was no damage, the cut was gone. All that remaind was slightly pink new flesh.

“How did yo-”

“You’re a werewolf now, we heal faster then most.” she grinned. “Ignis.”

Brown eyes widen as the bowl that held his blood became inblazed with the reddish, orange flame in the center. He was in awe as he leaned closer towards the flame. Passing a hand through it, he didn’t know what he was expecting. A hologram, some sort of trick of the eye? But as he felt the heat against his flesh he knew it was real. Eyes widen in wonder, he looked up at a very amused face of Angelica.

“Who are you?”

Giving a rueful shake of her head, she flicked her wrist as the flap of the entrance opened up, casting in the afternoon light once more.

“You’ll find out soon enough, mon cher.”

#[BLOOD MOON RISING]#[werewolf AU]#fiction writing #can yaman #C.Rowan

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igoturbackkid · 5 years

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Gods & Monsters Part 1 (Michael Langdon x reader)

Note: This is part 1 in a new series I’m starting. Feel free to let me know if you enjoy it. I’m not sure how long this will be, and I’m not sure if I’ll up date this coming week cause I’ll be slammed at work everyday for the holidays. This one’s gonna be a bit more of a slow burn than my other fics, so lemme know how you like it!

Warnings: fire?(briefly), season 8 spoilers

Miss Robichaux's Academy for exceptional young ladies was home to many young witches, many just finding out about their powers, and also veteran witches, most of whom were the teachers at the academy. You had been attending the school for several months now. When you saw Miss Cordelia on TV you heard her talk about women who had exceptional abilities. Some barely enough to even be noticeable, others accidentally causing chaos with their unknown magic. Her words struck a nerve. You always knew you were different, that you could do things that you couldn’t explain, but you never wanted to hurt anyone because of it.

The first inkling of your powers was a bit of a shock to you. You were in your room, dead asleep in the middle of the worst nightmare, when you heard screaming. You were startled awake and when you opened your eyes you realized your room was on fire. Your mother was at your door, screaming, when you decided to close your eyes, almost willing it away, hoping it was all a dream. When your eyes opened the fire was out but your mother was still there, promptly freaking the fuck out. Your mother kicked you out after that, not wanting something so evil in her Christian household. You managed to crash at a friend’s place for a while before you decided to fly to New Orleans. After you arrived at Robichaux’s, your teachers helped you to become stronger. You quickly adopted other abilities including Telekinesis, Clairvoyance, just to name a few. But what Cordelia was most intrigued about was your Pyrokinesis. Cordelia taught you how to keep it under control and how to harness enough power for it to be useful at just the right time. Cordelia helped you realize you weren’t a freak, or a demon, or even possessed, as your parents had thought.

Cordelia always said you were an exceptional young witch. Very bright, smart, and possibly even Supreme one day. You hated to think about it, to be honest. You hated the idea of Cordelia having to die for you to truly rise. You loved her like a mother and didn’t want to think about losing her. You were currently in your room, practicing some spells when there was a knock on your door.

“Come in!” you yelled. Zoe popped her head in, making eye contact with you.

��Hey, Cordelia wants everyone downstairs, she has an announcement to make.” she said.

“Announcement? What kind of announcement?” you asked as you rose from your bed and made your way to the door.

“I don’t know, she didn’t say anything to me other than it’s big and she wants to tell everyone at once.” Zoe shrugged.

“Weird.” you replied as you both made your way downstairs.

“Tell me about it.” Zoe said. When you both made it into the lounge room, you gathered with the rest of your coven, waiting for Cordelia to make her announcement. Once Cordelia took a head count, she started.

“Well girls, as you know I have some news that might surprise some of you. Some of you won’t like it, most of you might love it. But as your Supreme, I need you all to promise me right now that you’ll all behave yourselves. Okay, girls?” she asked into the room. You all simultaneously replied, “Yes!”.

“Some of you might know about the Hawthorne School for Warlocks. Their Grand Chancellor, Ariel, and I have had some discussions and came to an agreement. In order to bring peace between the warlocks and our coven, we will be combining our academies. The boys will attend class here, and they will be staying here. I know what bringing you all together means, but like I said, you all must behave yourselves. No funny business. I mean it, ok?” everyone shook their heads yes. Some girls were already whispering, talking about how hot they hoped the guys were.

“They will arrive tomorrow morning, so I suggest you all get as much studying in as you can tonight. God knows you’ll all be distracted tomorrow.” she mostly whispered that last part to herself, but everyone could still hear. With that, everyone was dismissed and you made your way back to your room. You weren’t sure how you felt about this new adjustment. It’d be nice to have other people to talk to, but you knew it would just become high school all over again. You went to bed that night, feeling reluctant over the changes to come in the morning.

***

When you awoke it was still fairly early. You decided to get a head start on the day seeing as a big distraction was on it’s way to the school. You quickly showered, dressed, did your hair and makeup. You had about a half hour before your first lesson when you heard some commotion outside your door. When you peaked out, you saw all the girls making their way downstairs, all dressed up and makeup done to perfection. The warlocks must have just arrived you thought. You didn’t wanna go downstairs, you just wanted to study but Cordelia was probably downstairs, preparing to address the masses that now populated the academy. When you made it downstairs into the lounge, you noticed your coven all standing together on one side and the warlocks stood on the other. The girls were whispering and gossiping and the guys were checking out the girls. You stood in the corner, a few feet away from the group, not wanting to be associated with them in this particular moment.

You couldn’t help your eyes scanning across the other side of the room. There was quite a lot of them, almost as many as there were witches. Some of them were cute but not enough to distract you from becoming a powerful witch one day. You suddenly spotted one of the warlocks also standing somewhat in the corner, he didn’t seem necessarily shy. You could tell he was confident in the way he held himself. He was cute with his blonde, curly hair, and he had the prettiest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. He had a great jawline and cheek bones as well. He was also very tall, taller than most of the other boys. It was almost as if he could hear your thoughts when he suddenly met your gaze. You were immediately embarrassed, having been caught staring. You blushed deeply and averted your eyes to the ground.

That was the moment Cordelia and what you assumed to be their Grand Chancellor, Ariel, walked into the room.

“Thank you for all gathering so quickly.” Cordelia started, “Today marks a time of unity. It’s no longer us and them. We are one. One coven. Girls, all standard rules still apply. Nothing changes just because our coven has grown. And gentlemen, Ariel has already briefed you on all our rules here. I expect you to respect them, and respect me as you would your Grand Chancellor. Now if there aren’t any questions, I do believe it’s time for your first lesson. You are dismissed.”

You all dispersed as you each went to your respective first lesson. You made your way into the dining room and had a seat, waiting for Zoe to start her class. You were surprised when you saw the same blonde hair boy from earlier walk into the room. He took a seat at the table, directly across from you. You could notice him inspecting you but you kept your gaze on the table, afraid to meet his gaze. Once everyone was seated Zoe made everyone introduce themselves. When it was his turn, he stood and addressed the room.

“My name is Michael Langdon. And I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you.” he said. After he spoke, he took a seat again, and looked your way. When it was your turn, you stood as well and addressed the newcomers.

“I’m Y/n L/n.” was all you had to say before taking a seat. When you looked across from you, you could see Michael smirking at you. You really wanted to wipe that smug look from his face. Who did he think he was? After that, the lesson went on without a hitch.

***

Later that day, you were enjoying lunch with Zoe, Mallory, and some of the other girls when one of them brought up the boys.

“So, girls, let’s gossip. Which one is the hottest?” she asked, you were unsure of her name, Coco maybe?

You all looked around, seeing who would answer first. Zoe averted her gaze since she had Kyle. Suddenly, Danielle, a newbie witch who always cracked you up and was becoming one of your closest friends spoke, “I don’t know about you guys, but that Michael Langdon can have me any hole, anytime, anywhere.” she confessed.

“Oh my god Dani, you’re so bad.” you laughed at her.

“I don’t care, he’s so hot.” she said, “What about you, Y/n? Do you think he’s hot? I caught him staring you down in class this morning.”

“What? No he wasn’t. You’re crazy. Anyway I guess he’s cute.” you shrugged.

You heard scoffs from several of the girls when Danielle spoke up again, “Just cute? Are you blind? He looks like a Greek God carved from marble!” she yelled at you.

“Jesus! Keep it down! What if he heard you?” you shushed her.

“Oh he won’t, I gotta go anyways, I gotta practice my Concilium. I’ll see if I can go practice on Michael.” Danielle winked at you as she walked away.

“Bet you any money she’s a hoe bag.” Coco smirked to Danielle’s retreating backside.

As she was walking out of the room, Dani held up her middle finger back at Coco on one hand, carrying her spell books in another.

“Alright, I think that’s enough excitement for one day.” Mallory quietly stood up, ready to leave.

“I’m with you on that one.” you told her.

You and Mallory made your way upstairs back to your rooms when you passed Michael. He was coming down the stairs, presumably going to the kitchen. As you passed each other, time seemed to slow down, almost stand still. You noticed every little detail about his undeniably beautiful face, hair, and eyes. As you finally passed him, you turned your head to look back at him, Michael doing the same. Through the eye contact you felt goosebumps appear on your skin, and shiver went down your spine. You finally faced forward and Mallory pulled you aside at the top of the landing.

“Y/n, I know we were all joking down there, but I get a bad vibe from Michael. Like really bad. He feels dark.” she said.

“Dark? Like what kind of darkness?” you asked her seriously. Mallory was an exceptionally gifted witch. If she said she felt something, you believed her.

“I can’t describe it exactly. I just know it’s not good. I know what the light feels like, I know from people like you, like Cordelia. I don’t get the same from him. I feel darkness and it scares me if I think about it for too long.” she explained.

“Alright...ok....should we tell Cordelia?” you asked.

“I don’t know. She wants to bring the peace between our people and I don’t wanna be the one that ruins it. It’s probably nothing, just forget about it. Let’s go.” she shook you off, leaving without you.

You continued to stand there, puzzled. What exactly did she mean and how would this effect your coven? If he was bad, if he was evil, what would that truly mean for all of you? You still couldn’t help the pull you felt to him. You got goosebumps thinking about him and you honestly agreed with Danielle on how attractive he was. But Mallory seemed so shaken that you were torn. Did you listen to the angel on your shoulder, or the devil?

#michael langdon #michael langdon x reader #cody fern #cody fern x reader #ahs #ahs apocalypse #American horror story #american horror story apocalypse

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shotaaizawasimp · 6 years

Text

always & forever

Always & Forever

Klaus x reader

Y/N’s bare feet met the cold wood of the bedroom floor . It sent a chilling shock up her spine , causing her to dash into the closet to grab a pair of blue and orange slides .

Oh the memories . . .

She remembered the day that he brought them for her . Y/N searched for them but could not find a pair in New Orleans . So , Niklaus compelled all of the city to find a pair that would meet her expectations . The closest pair was located in Wisconsin & he made it his #1 priority to purchase them for her . A small grin formed on Y/N’s soft, pink lips as she reminisced about her time with him . Love as deep as theirs was possibly one of the rarest occurrences in the world . Scanning the room , she pondered the possibility of calling him after all these years .

~~~

His incandescent smile lit up the room as he held the surprise gift behind his back .

“C’mon Klaus ! I wanna see what it is !” She attempted to speed past him , in hopes of swiping the gift from his hands .

“Sorry , sweetheart . You’re going to have to wait until tonight .” He knew he had caught her undivided attention when she perked up instantly with a spark in her eyes .

“What’s tonight ?” Y/N asked .

“We’ve got a date , love .”

Come 6 o’ clock , Klaus awaited his girlfriend’s arrival . He held her gift in his left hand & exotic white roses in his right . Floating down the stairs, Y/N stunned him. He saw her as nothing less than an angel ascending from the heavens above.

“You look absolutely stunning .” He whispered , offering her the roses. She wrapped her delicate fingers around them, her heart skipping a beat . Being with Klaus made Y/N feel more alive than being human could ever .

“My love … the phrase rolls of your tongue beautifully ,” Klaus smiled for a quick moment before shifting his gaze to his boots. She watched his expression take a turn for the worst, “What is it, Nik ?”

With a sigh, Niklaus mustered up all the strength he had. After tonight, nothing would ever be the same.

“I’m not worthy of being loved by someone like you . You and Elijah have always swooped in to save me whenever my rage got the best of me ! Truth is , I’ve grown to depend on you both. You’re my greatest allies . & my best friends . But I love you too much to destroy you.” His pleading eyes almost got her . Stunned, Y/N unsuccessfully fought back tears.

“Look , I’m not Hayley & I’m not Camille . Klaus, I won’t die on you.” Y/N whispered.

“I’ve loved you for centuries ! How many times have I nearly gotten you killed?” He attempted to reason with her but Y/N was not known for her cooperation in times like these. Their voices rose , it wouldn’t be of surprise to either of them if all of New Orleans could hear.

“Does it matter , Nik ? I may not be a Mikaelson but I’m as good as family ! Always and forever ? I cannot count how many times that you’ve told me we would be always and forever ! Don’t break your promise to me!” The words came rushing out of her mouth uncontrollably. As much as they wanted to stop , they couldn’t .

“Enough! I ... There are far worse ways that I can destroy you , love. But if you die … that’s on me.”

“Have you gone mad? My whole life , I’ve longed for a love like ours! Do you not see the empire we’ve built ? You are a king, Niklaus! What’s a king without his queen?”

“Ruthless. Feared. Powerful.” His voice deepened as he broke eye contact with Y/N .

“Is that all you care for? Being feared? What about being loved by a beautiful woman ? Can you not see past your fantasies of being an enemy to the world?” Niklaus stopped for a moment . She traced his dirty blond curls with her eyes, she knew today would be the last time she saw Nik for a while. Turning around , he cupped her face in his hands .

“I’m sorry , Y/N .” She shook her head as tears streamed down her face , “You are to forget me , forget about the time we spent together ,”

“Klaus … don’t . Please .” Y/N begged .

“Forget that … that I’ve loved you for centuries & that you loved me just the same . Forget about the Mikaelsons and always & forever . But know that somewhere out there, someone is waiting for you to return to them . & when you remember , come back to me .” He lingered in the moment for just a while longer before turning to leave .

“I love you …” Her voice was soft as if she’d forgotten what that meant .

“I love you too .” He whispered without turning to face her . She stood alone on the balcony , for reasons she could not remember . & before long , Y/N sped off to build a whole new life for herself.

The thought of calling him was absurd . Surely he’d forgotten about her by know … or so she thought . Whilst Elijah agreed to return her memories , it did not come without a price . She promised not to follow after the life she’d left behind . Elijah was a man of very few words . He left her with a smile and a , “Welcome back ,” before disappearing off to New Orleans again . Niklaus visited her often at the bar she worked in Italy . He’d chat her up with stories of a woman whom he loved but could not have . Y/N found him charming and incredibly good looking . She remembered falling in love with his stories for they were like books that she could read everyday and never get tired of. & to think , she had no clue that she’d loved this man for centuries . Y/N wanted to see him again but Elijah would never approve . Surely he remembered the fun they had … right? He had to remember all the laughs she and him shared , the inside jokes , the secrets . Elijah was her best friend , she convinced herself that he would understand .

“Elijah!” She smiled. Niklaus & Hayley had no idea what awaited them … or so Elijah thought .

“Shhh … I saw this online . Just wait , they’ll never suspect anything .” His smile grew bigger as he tightened the tripwire. Upon trigger, a bucket of water would tip over and soak both Niklaus and Hayley with water . Y/N shook her head as a slight giggle slipped from her lips .

“I’ve tried this hundreds of times , E. It’s really no use .” She warned as Elijah stepped back with a satisfied look on his face.

“But Y/N , it’s me. They’ll never suspect anything . Would you?”

“I … I guess not .” She left him to finish his trap whilst she went to check on Hope. When she looked in , Hope was asleep in her crib. The jazz outside her window put her right to bed without any fussing . Stepping in , Nik grabbed Leonie by her waist. She let out a small shriek before turning to face him. He wore a grin on his face as he laughed at her jumpiness.

“That’s not funny, “ Klaus put his hand up to his mouth as he continued to giggle quietly , “Stop it , I’m serious ! I could’ve woke her.”

“Okay ,” He looked at the ceiling , trying to stop himself from smiling , “but you and Elijah had to know that your little prank wouldn’t work .”

“I tried to tell him but he was SO confident in himself , I couldn’t wipe the smile off his face !” She wrapped her arms around him , as he did the same, “I love you. Never leave me.”

He put his chin over her head as his hand stroked her hair . She let out a sigh of comfort , this was where she belonged.

“I love you too , sweetheart . Always and forever.”

New Orleans was beautiful during this time of year. The jazz, food, culture, and of course, Mardi Gras. Y/N strolled right in , her Louis Vuitton sunglasses covering her Y/E/C eyes. She compelled herself a cozy, little apartment far from the compound as well as a job at Rousseau's as a bartender . Elijah hardly ever step foot in Rousseau’s, therefore, he wouldn’t have to learn of Y/N’s return to her hometown. Not to mention , she would have the chance to speak to Klaus again .

Nearly a week after her arrival in New Orleans , Y/N prepared herself for her first day at work and the possibility of seeing Klaus again. After hours of bartending , Niklaus walked in & sat in front of her. When she looked up from cleaning the bar, he’d caught her attention.

“I remember you.” Y/N said with a smile. His eyes eventually met hers, rendering him speechless .

“You do?”

“From the bar I worked in Italy. You were my favorite customer. Tell me, did you ever get the woman you longed for?” A forced smile grew on his lips before he frowned once again. Nik fixed his gaze on his daylight ring. Y/N noticed blood on his knuckles.

“No,” He replied with a slight wince, “She’s been … away. I’m sure she doesn’t remember me. I’ve only just realized how far she’s gone.”

“You’re not an easy man to forget, Klaus. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your hand?”

“Klaus … you know , she used to call me Nik. The way it rolled off of her tongue was truly magnificent. But this,” He inspected the blood on his hand, “it’s just some Mikaelson family drama.”

“I see. I never met my family. I guess they decided I wasn’t what they wanted.” Klaus’s expression hardened before he slid a $100 across the bar and left. Y/N watched in disappointment as the love of her life left her standing alone … once again.

For the next few weeks , she hardly ever saw Klaus . They’d cross paths on the street but he would never speak to her , often leaving her frustrated . Anyone who knew Y/N , knew that once she wanted something … she would stop at nothing to get it . After downing shot after shot of vervain , she readied herself to take a little trip to the compound.

“Nik!” She yelled , walking into the building , the heels of her leather boots clicking on the concrete . “Niklaus! I remember everything!” Y/N could hear his footsteps stop at the stairs. With a sigh , she sped to him.

“What do you remember?” He asked with a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes. Klaus had been awaiting her arrival since the day she left.

“You. Us. Always & forever … Oh and how you left me standing alone on the balcony with no memory of who I was and what I stood for!” He stared at her a moment. Stepping forward , Nik reached out his hand. She looked at his hand and back at him. With a smile , she shook her head.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you.” He started to grin, “How are you, my love?”

“Just as you’d expect. I have to come to terms with every bad decision I’ve made in the past 15 years that I couldn’t remember who I was.” She hesitated for a second before continuing , “How could you do that to me?”

“I put you in danger. You could’ve died because of me.” He broke eye contact with her but his voice remained steady.

“Yes. Well, I would be grateful for your concern but you robbed me of my identity without asking for my vote . Oh & I’ll have you know that vervain is quite … refreshing … gives me a little rush. ” Y/N’s sarcasm was evident , but Niklaus couldn’t help but grin. He’d missed this feeling. He missed admiring her every move. He missed loving her.

“You always were quite the joker.” He hung his head and smiled to himself, “I only wished to keep you safe. You wouldn’t have come back if you really hated me.”

“You’re right , Nik. I could never hate you . In fact, I still love you with every bone in my body ,” She reached her hands out and grabbed ahold of his. He had craved feeling her hands in his , “but I’m sick and tired of fighting a losing battle. Stop pushing me away ! If you love me as you say you do then prove it !” Without hesitation , he kissed her. It was long and passionate , full of all the “I love you.”s and “I’ve missed you”s that they couldn’t say in the past 15 years. When they pulled away , Y/N lingered in the moment for a few seconds longer.

“I never stopped loving you , & I never will.” He whispered before speeding off , leaving her alone atop the stairs.

With a long sigh she replied , “I love you too .”

The sun shone brightly through the balcony doors. Y/N lay entangled in Niks arms. Looking to her right, the time read 9:15 . With a long sigh, she tried to reason with him.

“Nik, I’ve really got to go. Rebekah and Freya are waiting for me at Rousseau's and you know how I am about being la-” He grabbed ahold of her arm and interrupted her with a kiss.

“You’re babbling , sweetheart.” She watched in delight as a genuine smile grew on Klaus’s face. Running her fingers atop his scruff , Y/N managed to convince herself that Rebekah and Freya could wait a few minutes or so.

“How did I get so lucky?” Her lips locked onto his once again. Before long, they found themselves smiling like idiots. After all they’d been through , moments like these made every everything worth it. Y/N admired the smell of firewood & cinnamon in the air . Whilst, she was beaming, Niklaus marveled at her beauty and grace.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you more,” After one last kiss, Y/N got up to leave, “See you tonight?”

“Of course … last one to Rousseau’s owes the other a drink.” With a devilish grin , Niklaus sped out the door.

“Oh my god !” Y/N left behind him . With smiles on their faces and stars in their eyes, they laughed together all the way to Rousseau’s.

“Y/N?” A familiar voice stopped her in her tracks , she turned to face Hope. To her surprise, Hope raced over to give Y/N a hug.

“Hope … h-how are you? You look no older than 18.” Y/N hugged her back , admiring how beautiful she grew up to be.

“I did the transition when I turned 18 to beat the hollow,” She couldn’t help but wince , “but uh, are you staying?” Her eyes lit up at the thought of being reunited with her old best friend. Y/N did her best to smile , but she knew she couldn’t stay.

“I don’t know , I mean I’ll have to ask Kl-”

“Nonsense!” Niklaus met his daughter’s side , “Stay as long as you’d like, love.”

“Well … if you insist.” Y/N never broke eye contact with Klaus. His whole demeanor changed when Hope was around. He would do anything to please Y/N & Hope.

“Take any room you’d like sweetheart.” Another smile spread across his face, “I’m sure you remember how to navigate our compound.”

“How about yours?” A devilish grin formed on Y/N’s lips. She watched as she took Niklaus by surprise and hung her head whilst she chuckled to herself. Hope watched in astonishment as they fell right back in sync as though they were never apart.

“Well , as much as I’d love to sit around and watch you two fall in love all over again ,” Nik and Y/N both blushed and smiled to themselves , “I’ve got homework to catch up on.” Hope looked back at Y/N and gave her a thumbs up as she made her way up the stairs.

“She’s so grown up. You did a great job.”

“Yes. well , don’t give me all the credit. She took notes from you & Hayley the first 15 years of her life.” Niklaus held his hand out and Y/N grabbed ahold of it. She was thrilled to be reunited with the Mikaelsons again & everyone else was just as happy to have her back … even Vincent.

“I love you , Niklaus.”

“I love you too , sweetheart. Always and forever.”

“You mean it , this time?”

“I couldn’t stop loving you even if I tried.”

Feedback would be greatly appreciated ! I’m kinda new to this & i’d like to know what I could improve on . Thanksss ! :))

#the originals #klaus mikealson imagine #niklaus x reader #klaus x reader #tvd #the vampire diaries #to #klaus mikealson #its mikaelson not mikealson

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nataliademarquis · 5 years

Text

hshqtask 005: get to know the mun !

001. name / age / pronouns

ashley, 17, she/her

002. which character(s) do you play?

natalia de marquis, lily liu, leo de bragança

003. nationality / ethnicity / timezone

american, vietnamese (a little chinese too, it’s in there somewhere apparently), cst

004. tell us a bit about your ( home / current country / city / etc. your pick)

you know the drake in my feelings music video ?? yeahhh that’s where i’m from. born and raised. i went to a new years party in the house that “kiki” lives in. also, my friend’s sister was an extra in one of the clubbing scenes and when drake came back to nola to perform he invited her to his afterparty and apparently he’s really weird. anyways on to new orleans

my favorite thing about it is it’s history/architecture/culture actually. i can prob talk about it for ages. the architecture is v interesting bc it’s french buildings but a lot of spanish influence. (there was a fire when it was under spanish rule so they rebuilt off the french let me stop before i get to the louisiana purchase) and the history of the city is really cool.

i can’t forget about the best part- mardi gras!!! well partying in general... very proud to say u can drink in public here. and there’s no such thing as last call bc u can serve alcohol 24 hrs technically. god bless us. even tho i wanna leave i have to say there is no place like new orleans

005. favourite color / fruit / season

pink and (emerald) green, dragon fruit, summer

006. favourite books + writer whose writing style you admire the most

ummm i honestly never have time to read books anymore, i used to love reading tho. i really love the catcher in the rye, it’s a basic ass book i know but i really like the lessons and story it tells.

007. what kinda music do you listen to + any fave bands / musicians

i literally listen to a little bit everything, mainly like pop rock, rap, and r&b... sometimes classical when i’m feeling it. my fave artists are like childish gambino, brockhampton, haim, jorja smith, kanye, travis scott.

008. what are you doing for a living / what are you studying?

i’m probably gonna go into biology/pre-med but i’m seriously considering changing to business (like entrepreneurship/marketing). idk yet i’ll see

009. what’s your dream occupation?

ideally i’d want to be kim kardashian- like just have random businesses and be super hot as my job. but for real, i want to be an anesthesiologist if i go the pre-med track. if i go business then i would want a business/idea of mine to be successful- or make a company and sell it for $$$

010. relationship status

siiinngggllleeee

011. coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

coffee

012. dream holiday destination?

i’d really like to go to japan... i’ve been to their airport but i want to actually visit

013. the thing you’re most proud about yourself

i love to help people. i went on a service trip to belize and built a house for a family and nothing made me happier- prob best and proudest moment of my life was handing over the keys.

014. tell us a bit about your family!

i have an older sister and a younger brother. i have a gazillion cousins but we have a close circle of like 15 of us and we’re super fun... we just reunited at a family member’s wedding the other day it was a grand old time

015. how long have you known your closest friend?

13 years and counting ;)

016. superpower you’d like to have?

teleportation. the amount of money i’d save

017. celebrity you’d like to meet?

kim kardashian pls don’t judge me i love her

018. guilty pleasures

i’m addicted to starbucks and that’s why i never have money

019. pet peeves

idk i’m a pretty forgiving person- but i hate when people are rude to waitstaff like servers and stuff esp when it’s obvious they have no control on what’s happening

020. do you have any hobbies?

umm i play the violin. i like to go to the gym (most of the time) and i like makeup and painting.

021. where would you like to live in the future?

austin, texas. i don’t think i can ever leave the south or go away from the equator. i wasn’t cut out for winter PERIODT

022. tell us a story about a thing that recently happened to you! it can be a funny, scary, sad story, your pick!

so i went to this music festival and my friends and i are in the crowd of this random dj’s set. my friend spots this guy and his friends and she’s like “i just know he’s british we have to go talk to them.” so she drags us over and we strike up conversation. turns out they’re australian, and super cool. we danced with them and stuff and we’re asking about their accents and they made fun of ours... and i’m dancing with one in particular, and he gives me his number and tells me what hotel he’s staying in. and i was like ummmmm. then they asked us to meet them at another set but we never made it and we never bothered to hit them up again, so rip to my australian lover LOL.

umm and we met some italian soccer players last week (they play for some college team) after getting pizza and we went out with them to a bar the next day. what country will we hit next? guess in the comments below

#hshqtask005 #i just got home from running errands and i NEED a nap and need to do some college stuff #be on later #enjoy this from my drafts #long post

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maevefiction · 5 years

Text

Your Light in the Mist - Chapter 46

A little over an hour later, pleased I’d remembered that Tom and I needed to remove our rings before opening the room door, I was being escorted to the Hokulea Suite by Simon the Loud and Annoying, my hair still dripping wet, dressed in cut off sweat-shorts and my X-files T-shirt. He was gifting me the details of all the fun he’d had last night with Anne, gushing over her wit and demanding that we all head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2017 because he needed her to show him her favorite haunts IN PERSON or he’d never forgive himself or me until my stomach rumbled and I felt a rush of saliva in my mouth, wrinkling my nose at the queasiness that followed.

“We need to detour, dude. Bridezilla requires nourishment prior to prettification.”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “Really? Really? It’s already after one, and…”

I crossed my arms. “And…what? And you want me to dry heave my way through the vows?”

“Ewwww…Maude. So gross.”

“Whatever. Stress plus hunger is not a good combo for me, apparently. Not going to make the same mistake as yesterday. We’ll still have three hours or something, and if that’s not enough, you can just find me a veil somewhere and I’ll wear it all evening long. Problem solved, am I right?”

“Well, since I am, frankly, rather fearful of what will become of me if I dissent, oh yes, right you are.”

“Mmm hmm. And about that whole Mardi Gras business…have you forgotten that you’ll have two screaming, squalling, pooping machines in your midst by then? Sounds like a less than Ideal experience to me, especially the trans-Atlantic flight part.”

His hands flew up to cover his mouth briefly, then extended open, palms out, to either side of his face. “OH MY GOD YOU’RE RIGHT BABIIIEEEESSSSSS…” He inhaled, then exhaled deeply. “So you really don’t think we can just, you know, bring them with us?”

Shrugging, I took him by the arm and began walking toward the lounge. “Truthfully, I have no fucking idea, and though you obviously have vastly more experience in this department than I do, I’m reasonably sure that’s listed under ‘Super Mega Dumbass Scenarios’ in the parenting handbook.”

He stopped short, and when I turned to him the expression on his face was a mixture of jubilation and pure terror. “When Roland was a baby, I was working so much that Lisa handled…well, everything, essentially. Now I’m going to, like, BE LISA, and the question is, CAN I be Lisa? And with double the poop machines?”

I wrapped my arms around him, kissing each cheek in turn. “You don’t need to be anyone but you, Simon. Because you’re amazing, and you know what? If anyone can pull off bringing two infants across the ocean to do Mardi Gras with Anne Rice, it’s you.”

He squeezed me tightly. “Thank you, Nice Maude.”

“You’re welcome. But if we do end up going, you should know that I am absolutely, positively taking a different flight.”

Snorting, he let go of me and took two steps backward, waving. “Au revoir, Nice Maude.”

I was still snickering as we entered the lounge, wherein I voraciously inhaled two waffles laden with raspberry syrup and whipped cream, two scrambled eggs, four pieces of bacon, a toasted everything bagel with butter, half a melon, a tall glass of orange juice and two cups of Kona coffee, which, after trying it the very first time, I knew I never wanted to live without. A giant blech escaped me as I rose from the table, which struck Simon as so hilariously funny that I wound up sitting back down to wait for him to get a grip, and just as he was able to quasi-communicate it happened again, and then we both completely lost our shit. Those moments are some of life’s best, when the most ordinary thing suddenly becomes a source of incapacitating amusement, and when it turns infectious…even better.

It was going on two-thirty when we finally arrived at the Hokulea Suite, and I could hear the faint thumping bass of what I immediately recognized as Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ through the door. Veronica was a huge fan, attending every show she could manage, occasionally discussing her dream to somehow find herself as the Lady’s stylist, even if only for a single day. And in this particular instance, ‘occasionally’ meant every time one of Gaga’s songs came on. I couldn’t see Veronica when we first entered, but I could hear her singing, so as Simon headed one way toward his dressing area I followed the sonic trail and discovered her behind one of the far screens working on Anne’s makeup. The sight of Anne high up in the director’s chair, hair hidden beneath a shower cap, body wrapped in a black plastic cape and her bare feet tapping on the tiny rest made me smile widely. She’d been through so much in her own life, yet here she was, still going, still enjoying, still loving, still…living. I felt a pang of regret that I’d shut her out for so long…despite all our differences and disagreements, she was the closest thing to an actual mother I’d ever had. If it weren’t for her encouragement and support, I might have never started my own business, and if that hadn’t happened, my path and Tom’s might never have crossed. I blinked, noticing that both Anne and Veronica were staring at me. Anne reached out to pat my upper arm.

“Love ya, kiddo. Thanks for letting me be a part of all this…I always prayed you’d find someone who’d lift you up and…”

I interrupted her sentence with an embrace so strong I was afraid I might crush her. “Thank you for that. I did. He does. I love you too.”

She chuckled, and as I pulled back the smirk on her face alerted me to what was coming next. “Maude Gallagher, has my sense of hearing failed me or did you just thank me for praying?’

I pointed my index finger first at her, then at Veronica. “Never speak of this again, either of you.” I paused for dramatic effect. “So, anyway…where would you have me go, fine friend and Chief Beautification Enforcer?”

Veronica snorted. “To your designated private but not really private at all temporary staging area. I’ll be done with this one’s makeup in a few minutes, then I’ll come get to work on you. Everyone else is done…well, not me, but that won’t take long.”

“Because you’re naturally gorgeous.”

She smiled. “Born This Way.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’d quote a meaningful Gaga lyric back at you but the only thing that comes to mind right now is p-p-p-p poker face and that always makes me think of poke HER face and…yeah. I’m gonna walk away now. Bye.”

The director’s chair taunted me, all tall and spindly, begging me to climb in so it could tip itself over and dump my ass out onto the ground. If I were a director, I’d demand something leather and cushy with wheels so my personal assistant could push me around the set. Sighing, I checked the mechanisms responsible for holding it open, making sure they were on the up-and-up before I slipped off my Birkis and clambered aboard. It wasn’t as bad as I expected, though I forced myself to remain as still as possible, just in case. A few minutes later Veronica arrived, Telephone now cranking at an unreasonable volume. I removed my T-shirt so she could cape-drape me, and while she worked on my eyelids I nodded off for a few seconds. The short spell was broken by her sternly warning me that if she had to start the process all over again because I’d been up late doing god knows what she’d make me look like one of the Kardashian sisters and that was the end of Maude’s Naptime Session. After makeup came hair, which was going to be all drawn up in a large bun that rested just above the nape of my neck, enclosed in a silver wire cage that was fastened in place with six large silver bobby pins. I couldn’t actually see anything other than the components as they came together, though, because Veronica insisted that I wait until I was fully dressed before looking at myself in the mirror. I managed to remove myself from the chair without incident after Veronica took off my cape, and then followed her instructions to strip down the rest of the way. We’d discussed underwear previously, deciding that a thong would be best, so I’d put a white silk one on this morning, not giving a single thought to the fact that my ass might bear bruises that were unmistakably the marks left by grabbing hands. I let my shorts fall to the floor, hoping there was nothing to see, but her snort as she looked my way after hanging the cape on its hook caused me to instantaneously abandon said hope.

“Well, well, well…you WERE up late doing god knows what, weren’t you?” She drew closer for a better look, emitted a low whistle, and I could feel my cheeks flush. “Honey, your man has some huge hands on him. Oy, I feel like I should cross myself or something for where my mind went next. Anyway. Let’s hope they don’t show through the fabric.”

“Oh my GOD do you really think…” I craned my neck in order to see her face, saw a wide smirk upon it, and realized that she was totally fucking with me. “Dude. Not cool. NOT. COOL.”

She grinned. “I know. I also know I should be sorry, but I’m not. Take that bra off while I get your gown out of its bag, please and thank you.”

My phone chirped, and I bent down to fish it out of the left front pocket of my shorts. It chirped three more times before I stood up and unlocked it, and for a moment my heart fluttered, wondering if another bout of ugliness awaited me. Thankfully, what I found were four messages from Melanie.

The Big Day is finally here! – Melanie

Everything is in place and just as it should be. Two videos to follow. See you soon! – Melanie

The first was of the ceremony site, white chairs on either side of the purple carpet facing the ocean and the arbor. We didn’t want an arch so we’d chosen a more minimalist, almost Oriental-style construct. It was rectangular, four thick, squared poles forming the bottom, connected at the top by two flush pieces at the sides, two extended beams across the front and the back. All had been painted white, the front and back beams wrapped with alternating purple and green fabric that draped down the sides. Large square glass containers had been fastened to the front poles using three strips of burnished silver sheet metal and filled with purple orchids, lady’s mantle, and flowering comfrey. More purple carpet lined the bottom of the structure, and she’d started filming at the far end and walked up the aisle and, of course, waterworks once again loomed. I closed my eyes, breathed in, then out, then again and again until I calmed down because, makeup. The second video was of the Paddle Room, and it was…perfect. Exactly as I’d specified, right down to the books specifically chosen for each table. Another message came through, and I exited the file to view it.

PS - don’t be concerned if you notice the cake isn’t included. That needs to be a surprise. – Melanie

I typed out a reply, my shaky hands making it extra challenging.

It’s all perfect. Totally perfect. Thank you so much for doing this. Amazing. Surreal. Everything. – Maude

Another chirp.

You are very, very welcome. So happy you’re happy! – Melanie

I put my phone away, bra still in place when Veronica returned. She rolled her eyes at me, and I undid the hooks and tossed it onto the chair. The mini-dress came first, followed by the silver gladiator sandals, then the maxi-skirt. Veronica sighed heavily, smiling.

“Maude, you are…breathtaking.”

My left eyebrow rose. “In a good way, or in a Seinfeld you’ve-got-to-see-the-baaaaaaaby way?”

“Come see for yourself, why don’t you?” She held out her left hand. “You have to close your eyes until we’re there so you get the full effect. I’ll lead you.”

“M’kay.” I reached for her, closing my eyes once I’d established a firm grip, silently hoping that this was indeed a simple walk to the mirror and not an instance of ‘surprise the bride’ because I was in no condition to handle that sort of fuckery.

After navigating what I assumed was the center area of the room Veronica stopped me, let go of my hand and turned me around, speaking only a single word.

“Open.”

I tilted my head downward and let my eyelids slowly lift until I was staring down into my own cleavage. Exhaling, I began to raise my head, higher and higher, and then…there I was. Maude Gallagher on her wedding day in her wedding dress ready for her wedding ceremony and wedding reception. She was me, but…not me. The woman in the mirror appeared to have just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine spread, and I found myself reaching out to touch her because that woman couldn’t be me, wearer of ancient T-shirts who sniffed items of clothing found on the floor to judge by scent if they were acceptable to wear just one more time before washing them. My fingers connected with the surface of the mirror and I gasped.

“It IS me. Holy. Fucking. Shit.” I heard laughter, but I was too busy studying my reflection to acknowledge it. Veronica had dressed me for my dinner at Daniel with Tom, and there had been some serious wow factor then for sure but this…she’d coordinated my eye shadow with the bridesmaid dresses, a gradient from purple to green starting at eyebrow level with a faint overlay of silver. The liner was black, and my lashes were darkened with black mascara, impossibly long and thick, yet somehow still appearing natural. On my lips was a shade of deep maroon-purple, again matching a component of the bridesmaid dresses, thinly lined with a dark green which should have looked awful but…didn’t. It worked, and worked well. Paired with the style dress I’d chosen and the silver-crowned bun, the overall effect made me feel like I could absolutely, positively land a role in the next Star Wars film as Leia’s progeny and that was right off the fucking charts, man. Right. Off. I turned to the woman with limitless talent next to me, shaking my head back and forth slowly.

“Veronica. VERONICA. VER. ON. ICA. You’re like…you’re a fucking SORCERESS. For real. Really. I can’t…I just…thank you. Thank you.”

She grinned, pointing her index finger at me. “You’re very welcome, dear darling Maude. Now don’t fuck it up before we go out there, okay?”

I snorted. “Listen, I’ll do my best, but you know the face probably won’t last through the ceremony and the dress is doomed to be destroyed at cake time, if not before. Better get some pics for your portfolio while you can, my friend.”

“I will. But first I have to make myself presentable.” She turned to Emma, Sarah, Trudy and Anne, all of whom had gathered behind me. “Ladies, please keep the bride out of trouble while I’m gone.” They laughed, nodding, and Veronica disappeared behind one of the screens just as Simon emerged from behind his own. He screeched at the sight of me, hands raised to shoulder height, palms facing me, fingers spread widely.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! OH MY GOD LOOK AT YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! MAAAUUUUUUUUUUUDEEEEEEE! SPACE PRINCESSSSSSSSSSS!”

I screeched in return. “I KNOOWWWWWWWWWW! AND LOOK AT YOUUUUUUUU!”

He smirked as he spun in a circle. “I. AM. FABULOUS.”

“YOU ARE! SHOULD WE STOP SHOUTING?”

“PROBABLY!”

He air-kissed my cheek. “Poor Tom. I don’t think he’s prepared for this level of gorgeousis spectacularity.”

The thought that I’d soon be walking down the aisle with Simon at my side, seeing for myself just how prepared Tom was, took its place front and center in my mind, and as I assessed whether or not I’d be able to cope with such a thing, the realization that my father was absent in all of this slammed into me, and hard. My gaze turned toward the floor, and I closed my eyes tightly to shut out everything around me. He’d been gone for so long, and while I thought of him often, it was always briefly, the moment tinged with fondness for a memory, a touch of sadness, and a wish that he’d found peace. This time, it was fury, and a longing so intense it was physically painful. He’d left me alone in this world with a mother who had no love for me whatsoever, and he’d never know me as I was now, the woman I’d become, the things I’d accomplished, and on this day when I was celebrating the love I’d found, he was a corpse in a crypt in New Orleans when he should have been here, giving me away, sharing a father-daughter dance. He’d never know Tom, never know our children…and they’d never know him. I understood the why of what he’d done, but the fact that it, to me, his child, his ONLY child, felt like such a wasteful, selfish act was inescapable. He’d chosen himself over all else, including me, and here I was on my wedding day, with his death on my mind and threatening to override my happiness. Which I was NOT going to permit…too many moments had been stolen from me already. This was MY time now. And my life. And my god, what an amazing, beautiful life it had become. I swallowed, inhaled, exhaled, and then swallowed again, beating the sorrow and rage into submission. I felt hands grasp my forearms and I opened my eyes to find Simon staring at me, his own eyes full of worry, and when I smiled his face changed and he breathed a sigh of relief, his voice soft and low as he spoke.

“Want to talk about it?”

My head shook back and forth slowly. “Ghosts. I’m over it. Thank you.” I twisted my wrists so my hands could clutch his forearms, linking us like a snake eating its own tail. “Thank you for being willing to walk me down the aisle, Simon. It means so much to me, more than words can say. I love you. Like, a whole lot.”

He nodded, acknowledging that he understood, knowing me so well that what I’d been thinking about was perfectly clear to him. “You’re very welcome. I love you too. And bitch, if I cry and get droplet marks all over this very fine suit and ruin your wedding photos, that’s all on YOU.”

We both giggled, and just as I opened my mouth to explain to the women standing around me Melanie walked through the door and announced that we were fifteen minutes from go time.

****************************************

A row of white screens had been set up to one side of the ceremony site in order to block any possible viewing of me prior to my grand entrance. No one had seen the bridesmaid dresses yet either, but apparently no one was concerned about ruining that surprise because they were all allowed to peek around the barrier and comment on how incredibly handsome Tom looked, and also how he was fidgeting more than a kindergartener who needed to use the bathroom but didn’t want to miss story time. As part of his sound system, Sammy had set up a microphone at the far end of the site and outdoor speakers throughout, and I could hear strains of native Hawaiian music, though it was muted by the pounding of my own heart in my ears. Instead of using the traditional walk-in song, I’d decided to go with a version of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ that I’d seen on YouTube…any version moved me to tears, but this one made me sob like a baby. Which, in hindsight, might not have been the wisest choice…but it was so beautiful, and the timing was perfect. It was an orchestral performance in a town square, starting with one lone bass player, with additional groupings being added as the piece progressed. The faces of the crowd were full of enchantment and wonder in the video, experiencing the sound of notes put together by someone long ago in the present and amongst other humans, all feeling…well, just FEELING. That was the point. In the moment, in harmony, so ALIVE. As Melanie signaled for everyone to line up, the Hawaiian music stopped, and in the silence that followed I tried to imprint the moment, the quiet, the before…and then the sound of the bass began to resonate, and it was really, truly go time. The wedding party would have the duration of the instrumental portion to reach their places, and Simon and I would start our walk when the soft chorus began, hopefully reaching Tom and Luke, whom we’d decided should remain at Tom’s side since Simon would be with me, just in time for the pause point before the escalating chorus and finale began. Ken and Anne were first, followed by Ben and Veronica, Chris and Trudy, Guillermo and Sarah, then Hugh and Emma. Simon proffered his right arm for me to hold, and I shifted the bouquet of purple orchids and lady’s mantle to my right hand in order to take his arm with my left. We rounded the corner just as the singing began, and all of our guests rose from their seats as I took my first step forward, then froze in place as I witnessed Tom’s knees buckle at the sight of me, Luke grabbing him by the elbow in an attempt to steady him. Simon tilted his head sideways in order to whisper in my ear.

“Don’t freak out, honey. You can do this. Keep. Moving.”

And I did. I don’t know HOW, but I did. Everything and everyone other than Tom was a blur, our guests, the wedding party lined up, Tom’s chosen people on the left, mine on the right, the judge, all of it…except for my husband, who was already my husband, but not yet my husband as far as anyone else was concerned. There he was, in his black suit and white dress shirt with a purple waistcoat I knew I’d see more of later when he ditched the jacket to dance, his silver pocket square jutting out in a perfect triangular point, black patent shoes practically glowing in the sun. I watched him shake his head and mouth the words ‘oh my god’ over and over before he smiled at me, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill over, followed by a hand across his mouth, then a silent ‘I love you’ and a grin that grew ever wider as I drew nearer. And then there I was, with Simon releasing my arm and Tom taking my hand in his, not even noticing that my bouquet had somehow gone missing when I raised my right hand to wave like a child at my beautiful man and managed to squeak out a single word.

“Hi.”

He waved back, voice cracking as he returned the greeting. “Hi.”

I heard a whooshing sound and briefly thought I was dying, then realized the noise had been everyone sitting back down in their chairs. The judge cleared his throat, and we turned to face him, backs to our guests. Today he was wearing a proper suit, which startled me because my addled brain had been expecting the tuxedo T-shirt. It was dark green linen, with a white shirt and bow-tie, and I wondered if it was a coincidence that he coordinated with our color scheme or if Melanie had requested that he do so. He smiled at us, then began speaking.

“We gather today in this place of sea and sky and sand and sun to join the couple who stand before me in matrimony. That word, it’s a significant word, an important word, but what it represents is most meaningful…two individuals who feel a profound connection between them, both physically and spiritually, a connection from which stems a deep and abiding love so powerful that the two seek to become one. To become… a family, not to which they’re born, but one which they choose to create.” He paused briefly, then continued. “Thomas William Hiddleston and Maude Gallagher, is it your wish to marry each other on this day, June 29th, 2016?”

We nodded, speaking in unison. “Yes.” The urge to say ‘absofuckingloutely’ had been overwhelming, and I was super proud of myself for exercising some self-control.

“Then let us proceed. It is my understanding that you’ve prepared your own vows?” Another nod from both of us. “Please turn and face each other. May I have the rings?”

After panicking for several very long seconds because I had no idea how we were handling that bit for this ceremony, I spotted Luke stepping forward and passing them to the judge, who in turn gave Tom’s to me. I sighed in relief, having hoped that’s how it would play out this time around as well. I reached for Tom’s left hand, which I’d released as we’d turned, and grasped it with my own, pretending to wipe sweat from my brow with my right hand.

“Well thank the universe for small favors…I SO didn’t want to have to try and come up with something after this one had a chance to speak. “ I hooked my right thumb in his direction, noting the soft chuckles that emanated from our friends and family as I met Tom’s gaze. “One year ago, I drove out to Talk Story because I, book nerd that I am, couldn’t resist the prospect of maybe, just maybe, finding that long-sought first edition of The Gunslinger. I didn’t…not that time, anyway…but I did find One Hundred Years of Solitude. Which, looking back, is so over the top ridiculous, because…that’s what the life I’d lived before that day feels like since you appeared in those stacks, trying to go all incognito and using a certain bullwhip-toting archeology professor’s name as your alias. Up until then, to me, you were that incredibly talented actor whose social media accounts I used as an example of what NOT to do in my lectures. But in your presence, seeing you, then and there…gotta be honest, I kinda lost the plot for a few seconds.” A round of laughter from our guests ensued. “Which was, you know, totally unacceptable. No thank you, hard pass, Maude is better off alone. But then you followed me outside, and then you KNELT on the sidewalk in front of me…deep down, I knew I was a goner when I let you have one of my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup peanut butter cookies, but my jadedness persisted. For like, a few hours. And that night, in my hotel room…which is now OUR hotel room…when you tucked me into bed and spent the night…when you stayed…that was that. There you were, the other half of my soul, and finally, I’d been made whole.” I’d managed to not cry, but tears were running freely down his cheeks. “So, Dr. Jones…are you ready for the life-long adventure of being my husband? I don’t have an Ark or a Holy Grail, but I’m pretty good in bed, and I promise to love you with all that I am and all that I’ll ever be.”

He nodded, wiping away tears with his free hand. “I do love a grand adventure…and I’ve never been more ready for something in all my days.”

I turned his left hand over, opened my right one, then slipped the band onto his left ring finger. “Well then, with this ring, I thee wed. Off we go!”

Tom let go of my hand in order to hold his up high, grinning proudly as he moved it slowly back and forth to show off his new accessory to the crowd before turning his attention back to me, taking hold of my left hand, then bringing it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on my knuckles. The judge placed my ring in Tom’s open right palm, his fingers closing tightly around it as he stared into my eyes, and I knew the vows he’d planned on using had gone right out the window, because he was re-writing them right then, crafting with his heart and soul words that would likely echo my sentiments. Following a slight nod that indicated he was satisfied, he began to speak.

“One year ago, I drove out to Talk Story to pick up a book I hoped would assist me in playing a role. I was in a rush, as Luke had scheduled a meeting I wasn’t expecting. In an attempt to avoid being recognized, which would have slowed me down and made me late for, as I’m sure Luke will confirm, the millionth time, I donned a baseball cap and Hawaiian print shirt as a rather crude disguise. When I walked through the door and saw the staff wearing Loki shirts, I panicked…and then, I saw you. And, like you, I lost the plot. It was as if the heavens had opened up and the sun shone on you and you alone, lighting my way. I followed the path, finding myself standing behind you, thoroughly unable to form words as I watched you choose your books so very carefully. When you spun around I thought you might slap me, but instead, you recognized me, understood my plight, and solved my problem. When you called me Indy…well, how could I NOT follow you outside and beg for your number?” I snorted. “I was completely bent out of shape that I had to leave in order to make that damn meeting, which I had no desire to attend in the first place, because all I wanted to do was be near you, to talk to you, to get to know you. The entire ride back to this side of the island all I thought about was you, and I was telling Luke that this was it, you were THAT woman, MY woman, as we walked into Kauai Pasta and…there you were. You were the person Luke had set up the meeting with. Of all the people in this world, it was you. Over the next few hours, I fell in love with you at least a hundred times, each instance pulling me deeper and deeper until we parted company and…I couldn’t bear it, so I turned up at your door practically in the middle of the night with tea and truffles. And later, when I stayed…I knew I never, ever wanted to leave. In seeking out something to help me play a make-believe role I’d already been cast in, through some miraculous alignment within the universe, here I am stepping into the real-world role of a lifetime, the one I was born for…that of being husband to you.” I’d managed to swallow back my sobs, but hot tears were dripping down and off my nose. “So, Ms. Gallagher…are you ready for the life-long adventure of being my wife? I’ve no Sankara stones or crystal skull, but I’ll always have truffles at the ready, and I promise to love you with all that I am and all that I’ll ever be.”

I nodded. “You had me at truffles. Plus, you’re really good in bed. Sign me up and let’s roll, baby.”

He turned my left hand over, opened his right one, then slipped the band onto my left ring finger, absent of my engagement ring, which was currently residing on my right hand. “Well then, with this ring, I thee wed. Off we go!”

We looked to the judge, who had placed both hands in front of his chest, palms together. “By the power vested in me by the state of Hawaii, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

There was no waiting for permission…our lips were locked before he even finished his sentence, and if it weren’t for Simon poking me in the ribs we would have missed our exit cue. Ode to Joy’s divinely loud chorale had begun, and Tom and I started upon our first official walk as husband and wife, our guests all on their feet, applauding, cheering, and whistling as we worked our way to the white screen, where we waited for the rest of the wedding party to join us. When the tempo sped up, they ran towards us, and Tom picked me up by my waist and spun me around…it was such an incredible moment, a happy moment, the kind you want to freeze frame and go back to again and again, one you wouldn’t mind having as your very final thought on this earth. And then, it was over in a flash as I desperately signaled for him to put me down, making my way behind the screen just in time to barf on the impeccably groomed green grass.

Just as it had the day before, my stomach purged itself until it was empty, and afterward I felt perfectly fine. Tom surrendered his pocket square so I could wipe my mouth, and while I dabbed at my lips I noticed no one else was around. He placed a hand on my bare back, smiling softly.

“I shooed them back around the screen. Figured you wouldn’t want an audience.”

“Thank you. That was…bizarre. Have I reached that age where spinning makes you puke? But I wasn’t spinning yesterday, that was stress…so, is EVERYTHING going to make me puke now? Or is it a stomach virus? Because I was really queasy earlier before I ate.” I looked down at my dress, and the mess I’d left on the ground. “Well that’s disgusting. Sheese. But, the dress appears to be unscathed so, commence picture time. Though I’d kinda like to bush my teeth or at least rinse, and I guess I could use some more lipstick…”

“Why don’t we go back to your dressing area so you can freshen up?” His smile was still the same, which struck me as odd, and I felt my mind wander into ‘oh my god is there something really wrong with me and I’m the only one who doesn’t know it’ territory. I nodded, and he kissed my cheek. “I’ll go let everyone know we’ll be back in a bit – they can head in to the Paddle Room with the guests, then come back out when we’re ready to do group shots before our session with the media.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

When he returned from around the screen I could discern from his expression that something was absolutely up, which made me freak out even more. He took my hand and we walked the short distance to the Hokulea suite in silence. After we were inside, he went into the kitchen, grabbed a Coke from the fridge, then sat on the sofa to our left and motioned for me to sit down next to him. I did so, as carefully as possible, suddenly dying of thirst and wanting what was in that can more than anything else I could think of. He popped the top and passed it to me, and I drank three-quarters of it a few long, loud gulps then wiped my lips with the back of my hand.

“This is so COLD and so GOOD. Mmmmm.”

Tom’s hand came to rest on my knee, his eyes first staring downward, then lifting to meet mine. “Maude, I’ve…over the past month or so…I...I’ve observed some…changes…in your behavior, and now, over the past two days, there’s been a physical manifestation…” The world started to dim around me, and I could feel my internal temperature rising as panic washed over me. “I just…I didn’t know how to broach the subject, so I haven’t and I still don’t know but…I think need to ask you a question and…well…have you been…are you…you know…late?”

My brow crinkled as my head tilted to the left. “Late? I don’t…what does that…late with, like, what? Or do you mean slow on the uptake or something, to which I’d respond with a resounding yes but I thought it was all the pressure but do you think I have dementia or a brain tumor or something? It’s okay, just say it…”

“Oh no. No, no, no.” He slid closer to me so our legs were touching. “Your period. Have you been late with your period. I know you’ve been expecting it, and it hasn’t arrived, and when I thought back, I don’t recall you having it for quite some time, so…”

Shaking my head, I put my Coke down on the floor. “By a few days, maybe. But my cycle’s been wacky since I went off the pill. Christ, you scared the SHIT out of me.”

He swallowed, wondering, I imagined, how to proceed because he obviously thought differently. I counted to ten silently, because for some reason I was fast on my way to becoming pissed off, then put my hand over his.

“Tom, I know, I can’t stand waiting for it to happen either, but it’s on my calendar and everything. I’ll go get my phone.” I stood, then walked back to where my shorts were bunched up on the floor and dug the device out of my left front pocket. As I sat back down on the couch, I pulled up my calendar and swiped back to May. “Yep, there it is. May 27th. So yeah, I’m technically late but I went 21 days in March and then 32 in April or something, so…” And then I swiped back to April. And then I swiped back to March, then back to April. Then to May, then back to April. And then, my jaw dropped open and I REALLY started to freak the fuck out. He just sat there, expressionless, while I tried to wrap my head around what I was seeing.

“I…I…I can’t believe this. April. There’s nothing there. No data. Not. There. I think…I think I…now that I’m like, really THINKING about it, it does seem like it’s been a while since I bought pads and I think maybe I put April’s dates on the May grid and that means May was period-less and that means…I’m late. Like late…enough. Wow. WOW. This is CRAZY. Tom. TOM. I thought you were hallucinating or whatever and here I am trying to prove you wrong but you’re like, not wrong, I don’t think. Okay. We can’t be sure until I take a test, right? And I don’t think I can wait until after the reception to know. I need to know. Oh my god. CRAZY. Can I sneak out of here in this outfit and go to the drug store around the corner without anyone recognizing me, do you think?”

He shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up just slightly. “No, I don’t think that’s possible. Honestly, I don’t know how we’re even going to send Luke or Simon or someone else we’re comfortable discussing this with to purchase a pregnancy test what with the media lurking all over. Even if they’re dressed in casual clothing.”

We were interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by Melanie Hale’s voice, inquiring softly.

“Maude? Tom? Is everything all right?”

Tom and I looked at each other, and I gave him a double thumbs up. She was a local, not as overly-adorned as the rest of us, and the press had no clue who she was yet since we hadn’t mentioned her on social media as part of our effort to keep the wedding details under wraps. And, since she’d not mentioned a blessed thing either, I had complete faith in her ability to keep a secret. I shouted for her to come in, and when she saw us sitting down she placed one hand over her heart and said some seriously magic words.

“If there’s something I can do to help, anything…please, feel free to ask.”

My face scrunched up as I spoke. “Weeellll…now that you’ve mentioned it, there is this one thing…”

****************************************

After hunting down the lipstick shade Veronica had applied earlier and giving myself a fresh coat, I texted Simon and told him we were ready to have the bridesmaids and groomsmen join us back at the ceremony site for photos. Focusing on the task at hand was nearly impossible, my mind preoccupied with images of Melanie walking into a store, choosing a pregnancy test, paying for it, driving back to the hotel, then sneaking up to our room, using the key we’d given her to enter, and leaving it behind along with what she’d purchased as we’d planned. I attempted to estimate how many more shots the photographer would likely require before this session was declared complete and we were permitted to move on to the next one, all the while attempting to portray myself as a woman who’d just wed the love of her life, which I was…but now I was ALSO a woman who might be carrying his child, and trying to disguise the fact that the anticipation of confirming such a thing was driving me insane turned out to be a wickedly difficult challenge. Finally, it was over, and Tom and I headed to the same room the press conference had been held in yesterday to pose for the media outlets, all of whom had complied with our requests. A large backdrop had been positioned at the front of the room, a medium-grey gradient that was typically the first choice whenever someone specified ‘not the blue one’. They’d structured their positioning and rotation on their own, so all Tom and I had to do was smile and shift around to add some variety. One photog yelled ‘dip her!’ and I held my breath during the act, hoping I wouldn’t throw up at such an inopportune time. I didn’t, and even managed to spin around a little in order to make my skirt flare out without any repercussions. Tom had set his phone alarm, and when it went off, we thanked the group for respecting our wishes, then exited via the side door, closed it behind us, and held hands as we walked to the stairwell and up to our room. He released me to slide the keycard, and I followed him inside, then pushed past him to get to the gift bag on the bed. There was a card attached, written in Melanie’s overly-rounded cursive.

“Got you a few different kinds – that’s what I’ve always done. Fingers crossed for you!”

Melanie’s definition of ‘a few’ was six, apparently, because that’s how many there were, along with three plastic shot-glass sized cups. That she’d thought to use a gift bag to bring it all into the hotel was a testament to her thoroughness, and I stopped to seriously consider offering to pay the entirety of their college tuition for her kids, then decided that if Tom and I got and kept her name out there she wouldn’t need any help with that. At all. Tom’s arms slipped around my waist from behind, and I leaned back into him.

“Maude, I hope you won’t be upset with me if…”

“I won’t be. I’ll be disappointed…BEYOND disappointed…but I’m glad you brought it up. I had no clue. None. It might have been another month or two before I noticed, and this way, if I’m not pregnant and something else is going on, we can address it sooner as opposed to later. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway. Let’s do this. I hope I can use those cups to pee in, because the odds of me landing any on the actual sticks are slim to none.”

Four of the tests were supposed to show results in three minutes, the other two in five minutes. And yes, cup dipping was an acceptable substitute for stream-to-stick. Even still, I took off the maxi-skirt and hiked up my dress as far as possible before I went into the bathroom in order to avoid any unpleasantries…as any woman who’s ever endured a urine specimen collection will attest to, at best, you’ll wind up with a little on your hands. At worst, there will be none in the cup when you’re done and you’re back at square one. I was really grateful for that Coke and the length of time that had gone by since I chugged it, because I filled those cups like a fucking champ, handing them one by one to Tom, who placed them ever-so-gently on the counter. I finished my business, washed my hands, and we each dipped three tests, one in each cup, placed them on the other side of the counter in a tidy little row, then went out into the main area to wait. Neither of us spoke as we stood watching the countdown timer on Tom’s phone he’d set for five minutes click off the seconds, and when it reached the two minute marker I reached for his hand, my own shaking so badly I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold on to him. He grabbed, then squeezed as he exhaled heavily.

“Are you ready?”

“HA – no, dude. No I am not. But I think they can give false results if you wait too long so…”

He nodded, and since we couldn’t fit through the door side by side, we closed our eyes until we were both inside the bathroom. His voice echoed off the walls as he spoke.

“All right, open on the count of three, then…one, two…THREE.”

I counted two sets of pink vertical lines, two sets of blue vertical lines, one grey plus sign, and one ‘pregnant’ that I’d later insist blazed in neon purple showing through the little plastic window. Six tests, six positives. I counted once more to be sure, blurting out the very first thing that came to mind.

“Oh my fucking god, Hiddleston. You did it. You knocked me UP.” I turned to take stock of his reaction, but his face wasn’t where it was supposed to be so I tipped my head downward and discovered that he’d sunk to his knees and was white as a sheet. My jaw dropped, and I put my hands on his shoulders. “Babe, are you okay? You don’t look okay. Talk to me.” His head lifted slowly, eyes blinking rapidly as he started at me, his mouth hanging halfway open, still silent. “Tom?”

He reached out and wrapped his arms around my hips, then pulled me close, resting his head on my lower belly. In which I was growing a tiny human. I felt my body go cold, and as I began to shudder Tom rose, shifted the tests to the side, then picked me up and plopped me on the counter top. He placed his hands on the sides of my face, leaning in so his forehead touched mine.

“You’re pregnant.”

I nodded, his head moving with the motion as well. “I’m…pregnant. Pregnant. Is this real? How can this be real? Who finds out they’re pregnant in the middle of their wedding? Seriously. I mean…I’m pregnant. I…I can’t believe it. I really didn’t think it would happen, you know? And it happened and it’s like one miracle on top of another and I just…” I began to sob, full-body, noisy, grateful sobs. Tom leaned back and gently pressed my head to his chest, smoothing my hair, and I could feel his body heaving as he sobbed right along with me. As much as I needed to be as close as possible to him right then, the desire to see him was greater, so I leaned back and grabbed his lapels, still weeping as I spoke. “We’re having a BABY.”

“Yes. Yes we are.” He smiled through his tears and began to sing. “You’re havin’ my baby…what a lovely way…”

I screeched and covered my ears. “NO OH MY GOD NO TOM NO I HATE THAT SONG…”

He laughed, which made me laugh as well…at least until I remembered we had a reception to attend, and pondered if we should keep this news to ourselves, and, if we went that route, precisely how we were going to do such a thing while surrounded by all the people we’d be dying to tell.

#your light in the mist #chapter 46

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