#ours are starting to pop up again after the winter storm and i’m obsessed

[kkoraki]

young ferns are so poetic and so eldritch 🥰

#ours are starting to pop up again after the winter storm and i’m obsessed #the tendrils all unfurling... #self #plants

[annabethy]

“don’t lie to me” + percabeth if u are up to!!!

“Don’t lie to me.” Percabeth teacher au!! <3

Annabeth couldn’t think of a better way to spend her mornings than with Percy. He was always so sweet and warm when he first woke up, making him the perfect person to snuggle up to in the middle of a New York winter.

The ride to work was no less lovely with her sitting in the passenger seat, a steaming cup of coffee that Percy had made “with love” in her right hand, and her left hand intertwined with his. Watching the snow fall in a comfortable silence was so delicate and magical, and it’s truly the best way to start her day.

As she’s walking into the school with him, hand in hand, she leans closer to him, using his arm as a buffer from the biting wind. Percy just gives her a lopsided smile, something akin to adoration in his eyes, and pulled her into his side. There weren’t many students around this early in the morning, so she doesn’t bother trying to separate herself from him. She doesn’t even know if she could because he’s acting as her personal heater, and that may be too good to give up.

“You look adorable,” Percy comments as he holds open the door to the school. “The red nose really tops off your whole look.”

Annabeth sniffles, trying to subtly wipe her nose with the hand that’s still holding a travel cup of coffee. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m being serious,” he whispers playfully, bumping her arm with his elbow and prompting her to roll her eyes fondly. He guides her through the halls of the front office, reaching for her hand and lacing them back together. “You always look pretty, but right now you look so huggable.”

She can feel the flush still on her cheeks, but she doesn’t know if it was from the cold or his kind words. Almost a year of dating and he still made her feel just as giddy as she did on day one. “I love you.”

“Couldn’t possibly love me as much as I love you,” he quips, but he presses a kiss to her temple before changing the subject. “So, I was thinking. After work, cuddles and a movie?”

“Only if we can get snacks first,” she says, biting her lip in a smile. If there’s anything she loves more than waking up next to the love of her life, it’s getting to spend Friday night with just the two of them. There were no kids to bother them or tests to grade. It was a time for the two of them to just exist with one another, and she cherished every week when she got to go home with him.

“We can stop for snacks, but then we’re watching Finding Nemo.”

“What’s with your obsession with the ocean?”

“I think clownfish are cute,” he answers, because of course he thinks clownfish are cute. “All fish are cute. That’s why I teach marine.”

Annabeth expected nothing less of him, and she decides to humor him. “Did you know I once had two goldfish and I named them Ren and Nephr?”

“Unique names,” Percy says, sidestepping a kid frantically making their way down the hall.

“They both mean kidney.”

“You would, Chase.”

“I also had a fish named Ornith.”

“That means bird,” Percy states.

“I liked the irony,” she tells him, taking a sip of her coffee. It’s still steaming in the cup, and it burns her tongue slightly. “Regardless, I think your obsession with the ocean is alarming.”

“At least I don’t go around screaming law of cosines,” Percy says, pointedly looking at her. “I didn’t even know what that was until you started crying about how stupid they were last week when you were grading papers.”

“That’s because they are stupid, I swear to god. They were all I-don’t-know-when-to-use-law-of-sines-versus-law-of-cosines like it’s hard!”

“I’m sure it’s so easy,” he says, but his laugh gives his sarcasm away. “You just have to accept that you were a fluke in the system, and no one will ever be a smart as you.”

Annabeth smacks him upside the head with her cup of coffee lightly but she’s still smiling. It’s moments like this that really get to her. She could just be herself around him, and they could tease each other but know that they love those things about each other at the same time.

She loved him.

Annabeth bites at the inside of her cheek, loving the way he looks at her out of the corner of his eyes, before she slowly pops the lid of the coffee off to try and get it to cool down faster.

Percy’s arm is snug around her waist, so she doesn’t look up as she continues walking. She blows around the rim of the cup, the steam swirling up in the air. It smells mouthwateringly delicious and it’s starting to cool off, so she brings it to her lips just as they round a corner, and—

Someone slams into them, and suddenly the only thing Annabeth can register is pain.

“Shit.” The scalding coffee seeps through her shirt almost immediately, and her skin feels like it’s on fire. The cup falls from her hand, the rest of the contents splattering on the floor, but she can’t be bothered to care as she tries to break the shirt’s contact with her blistering torso.

“—you okay?”

Annabeth’s mind comes reeling back as Percy’s voice reach her ears, and she can pick up the frantic edge to it.

“Annabeth,” he prompts again, his hand sliding down her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Instead of answering him, she glances to the person cowering in front of her, and her skin is on fire for a completely different reason.

Octavian stares back at her, terror clear as day on his face, and she is about to explode. This kid was always the center of something, causing problems with every single breath he takes. He had no shame, and he always had the audacity to do whatever it is he wants to do, and now he’s ruined her favorite part of the day, and she can’t breathe.

“Octavian,” she says tightly, scrunching her nose in mock politeness. “Did you maybe think it would be a good idea to check where you’re going?”

The kid stammers.

“It would be smart not to go running around the halls and bumping into people carrying hot drinks,” she says, her voice dangerously steady. “God, you’re so—” There’s so much she wants to say, to scream, at him, but even in her heightened sense of rage, she knows she can’t, so she clenches her fist hard enough for her nails to indent her skin and she pauses for a second before she storms off in the direction of her room.

She doesn’t look to make sure Percy is behind her, too busy trying to hold back rising tears, and she really doesn’t know why she feels this way. All she knows is everything was perfect, and now it’s not.

As she unlocks her classroom door, Percy’s hand is settling over the dip in her waist. She steps inside the room, and she doesn’t know what exactly she was going to do except perhaps have a meltdown, but she never got the chance because Percy wastes no time before pulling his sweater over his head and holding it out towards her.

“What are you doing?” she asks miserably, still forcing back her frustrated tears.

“Take it,” he says, gazing at her earnestly.

Annabeth bites her lip, her eyes glossing over. He was too good for her. “I’m sorry,” she chokes out. She doesn’t know how to express what she was sorry for, but she has a feeling he knows.

“Don’t be sorry.” Percy’s arms seek out the bottom of the sweater so he can help her into it. He slides it over her and once it’s on, he reaches forward to tilt her head towards him so he can give her a forehead kiss. “It was an accident.”

“Octavian was an accident,” she whimpers, dropping her head against his chest.

She doesn’t understand why she feels so upset. She just knows that she doesn’t like the hole in the pit of her stomach or the tightness of her throat.

“Why are you so sad?” Percy asks, cupping her cheeks and pouting.

“Today was going so well,” she complains, wincing away from his fingers that go to wipe her tears.

And maybe she does know why she’s so upset. Mornings were her favorite time of day because she got to be with Percy. She got to see him in ways that no one else did and listen to his words that he doesn’t say when anyone else is around. When they’re at work five days a week surrounded by children, he didn’t get to show her affection in the ways he does outside of school. Morning was her chance to see that.

Never had something interrupted those perfect moments before. Not until now.

The moment had been so perfect, so private and loving, and it was destroyed.

“You told me I looked adorable,” she says, sniffling. It was the only way she knew how to explain the torrent of emotions she was feeling. “Now I have a big coffee stain on my shirt, and I look disgusting.”

“You still look adorable.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she chides.

“I’m not lying,” he says softly. “You always look adorable.”

She just drops her forehead back against him pitifully.

“You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen,” Percy says. “I tell you that all the time.”

“You’re a big fat liar.”

Percy’s lips tilt up in a smile. “I’m not. In fact, you actually look even better right now, all cute and warm in my hoodie.”

Annabeth looks down as though for the first time realizing she was wearing it. It was too big on her, but it smelled like him, the picture of a sunny day at the beach, warm on the sand.

“You’re so so so pretty, especially when you’re wearing my clothes.” Percy’s arms wrap around her squeezing tightly, and she feels secure in his embrace. “Don’t let this ruin your day. Octavian’s stupid. This isn’t new information.”

“But our morning is ruined.”

Percy squeezes her tighter, slightly swaying back and forth. “Lucky for you, it’s Friday. We can go home and pretend it’s morning again and take lots of naps.”

“And watch Finding Nemo?”

“Oh, yes. That part’s nonnegotiable.”

Annabeth’s lips pull up at that as she nestles deeper against him. “I love you.”

Percy’s response is an affirmative hum and a kiss on the top of her head.

So maybe her morning hadn’t gone quite as planned, and maybe she was overreacting just a bit, but there’s always tomorrow, and there’s always their Friday night snuggles.

As long as she has Percy, she figures everything would be alright.

#percy jackson #percabeth #annabeth chase #pjo #percy jackson and the olympians #my writing #anon #asks #teacher au

[mustangshelby04]

No

Pairings: Chris Evans / Charlotte Mackenzie (O/C)

Summary: Saying no leads Charlotte to a friendship she has never imagined.

A/N: I’m trying to force myself to write. Maybe this will light a fire under my ass.... Or my muse’s. She’s a bit flakey.

Chapter 1

Charlie stood in line with her boyfriend Sam as they waited for their photo-op with Chris Evans.  They were second to last in line for the last day of the Comic Con they were at.  From the excited giggles of the people in front of them, Chris was posing and having some fun.  

Sam was clearly excited.  He was Marvel obsessed and had spent more money than any sane person should to get photo-ops with every Marvel cast member.  Charlie was just along for the ride.  It had been a point of contention with Sam that she refused to dress up with him this weekend.  She wasn’t a big movie or TV lover outside of old school Disney stuff and she didn’t get into all the hype of celebrity gossip.  She was a book lover and you could usually find her curled up with a book in some corner. 

She looked over at Sam, dressed as the Winter Solider and bouncing on the balls of his feet.  They had been dating a little over six months and this was the first time she had joined him at one of these things.  She wasn’t a fan of crowds and it had been absolute hell for her.  The whole weekend she had been regretting saying yes.  

“Ok, you guys are next.” The attendant said, leading them into the makeshift photo studio.  She was grinning from ear to ear like a creepy Cheshire cat.

Sam rushed in first and started gushing at Chris about how excited he was and how much he loved him as Captain America.  Charlie patiently waited for him to finish and then shook Chris’ hand when he extended it to her. “It’s nice to meet you.” She said politely.

“I really like your shirt.” Chris said.

She looked down at her blue Little Mermaid T-shirt she was wearing with skinny jeans and black Converse sneakers. “Thanks.  It’s one of my favorites.”

“Mine too!”

“So, what are we doing today?” The photographer asked.

“How about this?” Sam asked.  Charlie and Chris both turned to look and Sam was down on one knee with a ring held up at Charlie.

“What the actual fuck?” Charlie gasped.

“Charlotte Grace Mackenzie, will you please marry me?”

“Are you crazy?  No!”

“Charlie….”

“Get up!”

“I love you.”

“Oh my god!” Charlie turned and stormed out of the photobooth, leaving Chris and Sam to stare after her.

Charlie sat in the hallway of her hotel next to the door of her hotel room a little while later staring straight ahead at the horrible wallpaper in front of her.  She couldn’t believe what had just happened.  Sam had rushed after her and the two of them had fought about what he had done.  He had then left her standing there.  When she had finally calmed down, she had gone after him only to find that he had actually taken the car and left her there.

Luckily, they were only three miles from their hotel and she had no problem walking that.  She had busted out her cell phone and turned on her GPS to make her way back.  When she had gotten there, Sam had left her a note on the door.  She looked at the note again, completely flabbergasted that he was such an asshole.

Find your own way home.

They had travelled from Omaha, Nebraska to Chicago, Illinois for this Comic Con in his car.  She was desperately trying to hold herself together and not panic, but she could feel it working hard to burst down her carefully placed walls.  It was why she had curled up in a tight little ball on the floor and hadn’t gone down to see if she could get a key made for her so she could get into the room.  If she spoke to anyone, she was sure she would start bawling her eyes out.

“Is everything ok?” A voice said to her left.  She looked up to see Chris Evans standing there and he clearly recognized her. “Oh!  Hey!”

“Fuck me.” Charlie sighed as the tears started to leak out.  This was so not what she needed.  She had completely forgotten that Sam had chosen this hotel because it was where some of the celebrities were supposedly staying.  Fuck him for being correct.

Chris shifted his weight and glanced around. “Are you ok?”

“Nope.”

“Are you lost?”

“Nope.”

“Can I offer you any help?”

Charlie closed her eyes tightly. “How about a rewind on the last couple of hours of my life?”

Chris chuckled. “Sorry.  That’s a little out of my wheelhouse.”

“Mine too.”

“Seriously, are you ok?”

“Not in the slightest.” Chris sat down next to her on the floor. “He fucking left me here.  I have absolutely no way of getting home now.” Charlie wiped angrily at her wet cheeks.

“Where’s home?” “Omaha, Nebraska.”

“Shit, that’s a bit of a hike.”

“Little bit.” Charlie shoved her messy, curly, dark copper hair back from her face as the dam cracked further. “Fuck!  What the fuck am I going to do now?  I can’t even get into the hotel room because that asshat had the key!”

“Come on.” Chris stood back up and held his hand out to her.

“What?”

“You can use my room to breakdown in and then we can call down to the front desk about that key.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t, but I am.  Come on.” Chris reached down again and grabbed her hand this time.  She allowed him to lift her to her feet and then lead her down the hallway.  He opened the door to his suite and Charlie promptly started sobbing.

“I’m sorry.” She wiped at her tears aggressively again with shaking hands as Chris ushered her to the couch and sat down. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Please don’t be embarrassed.  Your boyfriend should be the embarrassed one.”

“Ex-boyfriend!” She dropped her face in her hands and shook her head. “I’m not even sure what it is I’m crying about.  That fuckwad sure doesn’t deserve my tears.” Chris walked over to the minibar and grabbed two beers.  He popped the tops on them and offered her one. “Thank you.”

“Gotta say, I’ve seen a few proposals at those things, but never a reaction like that.”

Charlie looked over and Chris was grinning hopefully at her.  It actually made her laugh. “What is my life right now?”

“What do you mean?”

“My entire quiet little world has been on the precipice of exploding, I just got abandoned in an unfamiliar city by the guy I was seeing, and I’m sitting here being comforted by a celebrity who doesn’t even know my name.”

“Right now, I’m not a celebrity.  Right now, I’m a good Samaritan who stumbled across a person in need.  It would make my mom proud.  Well, except that I haven’t properly introduced myself.” Charlie snorted as he held his hand out to her. “I’m Chris.”

“Clearly.”

“And you are….” He wiggled his hand at her and she relented, shaking it.

“Charlotte.  Everyone calls me Charlie, though.”

“Pretty.  So, Charlie, your life is about to explode?  How so?”

“You’re really asking?  Like, you really wanna know?”

“I really wanna know.”

She started picking at the label on her beer bottle. “I’m leaving everything I’ve ever known behind and moving to the East Coast in a month.  I think that’s why Sam pulled that shit today.  He doesn’t want me to leave.”

“Where are you moving to?”

“Boston.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  I accepted a job at Little Brown up there.”

“What’s that?”

“A publishing company.  It’s been my dream to become a book editor and I’ve been working towards that goal for the last four years.  I finally found a company that’s willing to give me a shot at it, but it’s in Boston.”

“That’s pretty awesome.”

“I didn’t even want to come to this thing with him, but I figured I would give him one last good weekend before I broke up with him.”

“You weren’t even going to attempt a long-distance thing?”

“When do those ever work out?”

“I don’t know.  I’m a hopeless romantic, though.”

“I’m not.” Charlie set her beer down. “I need to get into my room.  See if he left my things or destroyed them.  Knowing my luck, he’s set everything on fire.”

“I don’t think he did that.  The fire alarms haven’t gone off.”

“Good point.” She pointed at the phone on the desk. “May I?”

“Of course.”

Charlie walked over and picked up the phone, dialing the front desk. “Hi, my name is Charlotte Mackenzie.  I got locked out and I need a key to get in.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t see you registered in our system.”

“No.  My boyfriend…. Ex-boyfriend made the reservation.  It’s under his name.  Sam Cooke.  Room 828.”

“Mr. Cooke checked out.”

“What?”

“Mr. Cooke checked out a little while ago.”

“But my things are in that room.”

“I’m so sorry about that.  Mr. Cooke didn’t mention that there was anything left in the room.  We can send a maintenance man up to let you in to get your things.”

“I kind of need a place to stay tonight.”

“We’re completely booked up, but you’re more than welcome to rent that room for yourself.”

“Ok.  Yeah.  I can do that, I guess.  How much is it?”

“For tonight, the room would be $238 plus tax.”

Charlie choked on air and started hacking.  Chris came over and patted her on the back, taking the phone from her. “Hi, this is Eric Prince in suite…. Yeah.  Look, can you just put that room on my bill?  I’m certain.  I would appreciate that.  Thank you.” He hung up and offered Charlie a bottle of water.

Once her breathing was back to normal, she shot a confused look at Chris. “Eric Prince?”

He shrugged sheepishly. “Prince Eric…. From The Little Mermaid.”

“Oh.” Charlie blinked for a minute. “Did you just pay for my hotel room?”

“I did, yeah.  Was that not ok?”

“I mean…. It’s your money, you can do whatever with it, but you don’t even know me.”

“I’m not someone who can just sit here and listen to someone in distress.  If I can help, I’m going to help.” There was a knock on the door and Chris went over to answer it.  Charlie stayed seated on the couch, sipping at her water.  When he came back, he presented her with a key card. “Your room key.”

“Oh.  Thank you.” Charlie took it. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”

“It’s no problem.  Let me know if you need any more help or someone to hang out with.”

Charlie laughed. “Yeah, like Mr. Big-Shot Needs-A-Fake-Moniker has no one better to hang out with.”

He frowned slightly. “Actually, I don’t have anyone to hang out with.  I ditched my team for a quiet night in.  Being around all those people all day long…. I need a recharge.”

She nodded. “I understand that.  I’m more of an introvert with some extroverted tendencies.  When I’ve reached my limit on people, I just need to stay in and hide.  Especially if there’s a crowd.”

“Same.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Would you like to hang out with me, Charlie?  We can recharge our batteries, maybe order a pizza, rent a movie….”

“If you’re sure, then ok.  I just want to run and make sure he didn’t destroy my stuff.”

“That makes sense.” Chris followed her down the hallway to her room.  When she opened the door, she let out an angry groan while he let out a shocked whistle.  Her suitcase had been hurled across the room and it’s contents were scattered everywhere.  In the bathroom, he had squirted out all of her toothpaste, broken her toothbrush in half, destroyed most of her makeup, ripped the rows of bristles out of her hairbrush, and dumped her expensive curly hair products down the drain.

“No, no, no, no!” Charlie ran over to the suitcase and lifted it up.  Her laptop made sounds like little metal pieces were moving around inside. “Fuck!”

“Shit!  He actually broke your laptop?”

“What the hell is wrong with that guy?” Charlie started crying again as she held her broken laptop.

“A broken heart is one thing, but this….”

“He can’t have a broken heart.  We weren’t together that long!”

“Wait, how long were you two together?”

“Six months.  Today was the first time he even said he loved me.”

“Had you said it to him?”

“No!” She looked over at him. “What are you doing?” Chris had started to move around the room and picking her clothes up off the floor.

“Helping.” He started to fold the shirt in his hands.

“You really don’t need to do that.”

“I know I don’t.  You really don’t need to be so difficult.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry.  This is just a really fucked up situation and I’m not even sure which emotion it is I’m feeling.  And I really don’t mean to take it out on you.  Thank you for helping me.  It’s very kind of you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They worked together to collect her belongings and pile them on the bed.  Once they finished, the two of them tackled the bathroom.  Chris took pictures of everything and sent them to his assistant with instructions to purchase them and bring them to his room.  Charlie stopped when she got to a beautifully ornate compact mirror.  It was antique silver with filigree designs carved into it and little jewels set to resemble a starry night sky.  A few of the jewels were missing and the glass inside had been broken.  She clutched the compact and started to sob.

“Hey….” Chris gently pulled her into a hug.

“This was my mom’s.  My dad gave it to her as a wedding present when they got married.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“They died when I was eleven.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t believe he broke this.  He knew it was one of the few things of hers I have left.”

After Charlie had cried herself out, Chris helped her finish cleaning the bathroom and they went back to his room.  She curled up on the couch and he sat down on the opposite end.  They were quiet for a long moment before he finally broke the silence. “I don’t normally do this.”

“What?”

“Invite strange women to hang out with me.”

“I never said you did.”

“I know, but…. I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to get in your pants or anything.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why don’t you want me to think that?”

“I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me.”

“What do you think my impression of you is?”

“I’m not sure.  You’re not like most women I’ve met.”

“How so?” “Well for starters, you ask a lot of questions.” Charlie chuckled. “You’re also like this open book that I can’t read.”

“That’s the most interesting thing anyone has ever said about me.  What does that mean?”

“I…. Ok, so you drop these seemingly big clues about your life.  You were incredibly vulnerable when you told me that your parents died and you’ve cried in front of me while I get the feeling that you don’t do that in front of people very often if you can help it, but none of those clues lead me any closer to being able to figure you out.”

“Do you want to figure me out?”

“I kind of do.” “Why?”

Chris smirked. “I like to read.”

Charlie and Chris sat on the couch with a half-empty pizza box between them.  A pay-per-view movie was playing on the TV, but they weren’t paying attention to it.  The two of them had been talking for hours.  He found it a welcome relief that she didn’t care about him being a celebrity and that she didn’t know anything about him.  It felt great to actually get to know someone.

“I’m really impressed.” Chris said as he looked at the pictures on her phone. “You made out like a bandit on this.”

“I just hope there aren’t any crazy issues I’ll have to fix.” Charlie was showing him the house she had bought sight-unseen at an auction.  It was a two story Colonial house in Concord.

“You realize we’re practically neighbors?”

“Are we?”

“Yeah.  I just bought a house about two miles away from here.”

“That’s weird.”

“Are you sure you’re not stalking me?”

She laughed. “Trust me, I don’t give two shits about your celebrity status.  Unless you wrote a book.  Then watch out.”

Chris handed her back her phone. “The commute to Boston might be crazy.”

Charlie shrugged. “I don’t mind.  There’s a train station and all the research I’ve done says it’s about an hour commute.”

“It is.  You’re going to love Concord.”

“Where did you say you grew up again?” “Sudbury.”

“Gotcha.”

“So, Mac, what made you want to uproot your life like this?”

Charlie laughed at the nickname he’d chosen.  She usually hated it when people tried to call her that, but for some reason Chris made it sound endearing. “You really want to open that can of worms?”

“I really do.”

“Ok.” She took a deep breath. “So, you know mom and dad died in a car accident when I was eleven.  What you don’t know is that my twin sister was in the car with them.”

“Oh shit!”

“Yeah.  I went from having a full family to being alone.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“My aunt took me in and raised me.  Aunt Millie…. She was living with her second husband in Omaha when she got the call that her brother and sister-in-law had died.  She flew out to Maine and stayed with me.  My parents had just written their wills and hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her that they’d named her guardian of their kids.” “I bet that was a big shock.”

“For everyone.  My mom’s parents thought that they should get custody of me, but aunt Millie wanted to honor my parents’ wishes.  She ended up fighting them in court and the judge ruled in her favor.  When the school year ended, we moved to her house in Omaha.  About a year later, she found out her husband was cheating on her and plotting to take my inheritance.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.  It was a pretty significant amount.  My mom’s family was pretty well off.  She had a trust fund which became mine when she died and my parents had really good life insurance.  My grandparents added the money to that trust fund that they intended to put into mine and Max’s trust funds…. Max was my twin.  Her name was Maxine.”

“I couldn’t even imagine losing all of that.”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“Three.  One older sister, Carly; my younger brother, Scott; and my youngest sister, Shanna.”

“That’s a lot of siblings.”

“Yeah.” Chris took a sip of his beer. “So, back to you.  I didn’t need to pay for your room, did I?” Chris smirked at her to let her know he was joking.

“You really didn’t.  I just…. I don’t really like to touch that money.  After what happened with aunt Millie’s second husband and then her third and fourth husbands…. I figured money ruined people’s lives.”

“What happened with her husbands?”

“They basically used her to try to get to that money.  After what happened with her second husband, my grandparents made it very hard for her to touch my inheritance.  I didn’t even have access to it until I graduated college.  By then, I had learned the value of a dollar by watching aunt Millie work her ass off to keep me clothed, fed, a roof over my head, and in good schools.  I had part time jobs throughout high school and college to help her.  I used scholarships and grants and a couple of student loans to pay for my college education.  I’ve only used that money for three things.”

“What were they?”

“To take aunt Millie to Europe before she died and to pay for that house in Boston.”

“Your aunt is dead?”

“She died about two years ago.  Pancreatic cancer.  That’s the third thing I used that money on.  I paid for all of her medical bills.”

“I’m so sorry, Mac.  That’s a lot to go through in only thirty-three years of life.”

Charlie shrugged. “It is, but what can I do about it?”

“When was the last time you’ve been to the East Coast?”

“I visited my grandma in Maine last year when she died.”

“Did you have a good relationship with your grandparents?”

“It was ok.  They loved me in their own way.  Mom was an only child and I was their only grandkid.  They sent me money for my birthday and Christmas.  I got Easter baskets from them, too, and I would go out for a week in the summer when I was younger because the court’s said I had to.  Those weeks…. Makes me glad that I ended up with aunt Millie.  My grandparents weren’t home very much.  I hung out with their butler in the summers.  When I turned 18, I stopped going.  I let aunt Millie have the birthday and Christmas money after that.”

“Wow.  You should write a book.”

“Why?”

“Because your life has been…. Eventful and I would even call it inspiring.”

“Maybe one day I will.  For now, I prefer to give other people chances to get their voices heard.”

“Is that what appeals to you about being a book editor?”

“Yes.  I’ve read some amazing books in my life and I used to wonder what it would be like to be the editor that gets the copy across their desk.  To be the first person to read it outside of the author and their family and know that what I have is going to make a lot of other people happy.  Not to mention the author.  Plus, I’ve been known to be a stickler for grammar, so why not put that skill to use.”

Chris chuckled. “You haven’t corrected my grammar once.”

“You’re pretty eloquent, Evans, but I’ve been silently correcting you.”

That made him tip his head back and laugh loudly, his right hand slapping against his chest.  It sucked Charlie in and they both laughed freely.  After a few minutes, they finally calmed down and wiped their eyes. “I’m really glad I asked you to hang out with me, Mac.”

“I’m glad I said yes despite the shit circumstances.  I really wanted to stay in by myself and hide from the world.”

“Why did you say yes, then?”

“You said the right thing.”

He grinned. “Good.  I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

Please let me know if you want to be tagged in this story. The more people that want to read it, the better. I want my muse to feel the pressure!

Forever Taglist

@joannaliceevans-fanficblog​

@jamielea81

@southerngracela​

@shellbilee​

@jtargaryen18​

@lovinevans​

Story Taglist

@sweetlittlegingy​

#chris evans #OC Charlie McKenzie #OC Charlotte Mackenzie #no #chris evans fic #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fanfiction

[howlnikiforov]

Black Swan

Chapter Thirteen: Myself

Pairing: Hyungwon x Reader

Word Count: 2619

Summary:  Sequel to Trespass; Sometimes, some people can’t handle the idea of another’s happiness. Sometimes those people are those who were once close to you

“He did what?” your dad roared, causing you to jump.

“But I thought you two were soulmates?” your mother questioned, bewildered, “soulmates don’t cheat on each other.”

“Where is he?” your father demanded, “where can I find him? It’s about time I beat him to a pulp.”

You ignored their comments, trying to calm your crying. You really hated the thought of your bond with Hyungwon breaking. You felt like you might throw up. Hyungwon felt the same way. He felt horrible about you having to do this, and he desperately missed you.

“Y/n,” your father spoke in a demanding tone, “where is he?”

“I-I don’t know,” you lied, “he left before I did. There’s a billion places he could be.”

“Dammit. That’s not helpful.” he said angrily.

“Pay no mind to him. Let’s just get you to bed, okay? We can talk more in the morning.” your mom said, taking you by the shoulders and leading you up to what was once your room.

Your mom gave you one of her nightgowns since you had no clothes, and tucked you into bed as though you were a four year old again. She kissed your forehead and patted your head, being the loving mother she had always been. She wished you a goodnight and turned off the light, shutting the door as she left. Briefly you heard your mom scold your dad for trying to go into your room.

You sighed and got up, going over to your jeans and and grabbing your phone. You laid back in bed, unlocking the device and texting hyungwon.

(11:04pm) “I’m in”

(11:04pm) “How are you? Did your dad give you a hard time?” Hyungwon responded seconds later.

(11:04pm) “I’m as okay as I can be”

“He didn’t react well at all. Stay away from all CCTV. He’ll probably start a manhunt for you now” you texted.

(11:05pm) “What did you tell him?”

(11:05pm) “That you cheated on me and our bond broke”

(11:06pm) “You want me to get murdered”

(11:06pm) “You have no proof of that”

(11:07pm) “Damn. How’d you know?”

(11:07pm) “I know because I know you, Dork”

(11:08pm) “I love you”

“A lot”

(11:08pm) “I know”

“I love you too”

(11:09pm) “It’s lonely without you”

(11:10pm) “You have the boys to keep you company”

(11:10pm) “I am not cuddling Wonho”

(11:10pm) “I never said you had to” (11:10pm) “Okay let me clarify”

“The bed is lonely without you”

(11:11pm) “Oh”

“It’s 11:11. Make a wish”

(11:11pm) “I wish for you to come back”

(11:11pm) “I’ll be back” “I promise”

(11:12pm) “I know you will”

(11:12pm) “It’s going to be hard to sleep tonight”

(11:13pm) “Why?”

(11:14pm) “Because I’m not used to being away from you like this”

(11:14pm) “I’ll be with you the entire time”

(11:15pm) “I know you will”

(11:15pm) “Sweetheart”

“Try to make it out of there before tomorrow night”

(11:15pm) “Why?

(11:16pm) “They’ve forecasted a winter storm to come in at around nine”

(11:16pm) “It’s just snow...right?”

(11:17pm) “Snow and high winds. It’s possible to get sleet in some areas they say. Power companies are preparing for power outages”

(11:18pm) “High winds?”

(11:18pm) “Yeah”

“Be careful Darling”

(11:19pm) “I don’t feel so good”

(11:19pm) “Try to sleep”

(11:19pm) “I don’t want to”

(11:20pm) “Sleep.”

(11:20pm) “Must I?”

(11:20pm) “Yes. Now go to sleep”

“I love you”

(11:21pm) “I love you too”

Sleeping was the last thing on your mind. The first thing was not throwing up. You had cried far too hard, and all your thoughts about your bond breaking made you sick. It was far too omnipotent to be broken. The only thing your bond could do at this point was grow. Hyungwon tried his best to send comfort to you, but it didn’t help as much as you’d have liked.

Truthfully, you were terrified about not being able to finish this by tomorrow. Snow didn’t bother you a whole lot as long as it wasn’t a white out, but wind on the other hand...wind terrified you as much as the rain. At least Hyungwon was sane enough to check the weather. You regretted not checking before you came over. It definitely would’ve been better to stay at home and wait for the storm to pass.

You tossed and turned all night, barely getting an ounce of peaceful slumber. Each time you entered your REM stage, you were gifted with a nightmare and promptly woke up. The nightmares continuously got worse and worse until you just gave up, fearing that they’d get so bad you’d start screaming.

Sometime around seven in the morning, someone knocked on the door then opened it three seconds later. In popped your mom’s head, “Breakfast is ready if you wanna come down.”

All you said in reply was “Okay.”

“How’re you feeling?” she asked, coming into your room a little more.

“I don’t know.” you tried to sound uninterested, like you didn’t want to talk about it.

“Come down and eat, it’ll help.” “Okay.”

You watched as she left, bringing forth the energy to get out of bed. You really did not feel like eating, but you knew Hyungwon would scold you for not doing so. You could hear his harsh words already. He’d say things like, “Why didn’t you eat?” “You need nutrients in your body and you can only get them by eating.” You tried to reassure yourself and the Hyungwon in your head that you would eat, and you’d be able to keep the food in your stomach.

You took off the nightgown and put on the clothes you were wearing yesterday. Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself for what you’d have to face the entire day.

Slowly making your way down stairs, you began to regret coming down to eat breakfast. You could hear Daniel talking with your dad about last night. You should’ve known Daniel would be there. This day was going to be harder than you thought.

“Yeah. Really she should’ve seen it coming. When I saw them at the club H.One couldn’t take his eyes off any girl that walked by.” Daniel told your father.

Your blood began to boil because you knew for a fact Hyungwon never did that. Ever. He was making random shit up.

“I never saw him do that.” you said, interrupting their conversation.

“That’s because you were too blind from your obsession with him. Outsiders could see it as plain as the nose on your face.” Daniel replied with a wave of his hand.

“Your nose is broken.” you pointed out, sitting in a chair as far away from him as you could.

“Yeah. No thanks to a certain someone.” he said frustrated.

“It’s not my fault.” you shrugged, looking down at the plate your mom put in front of you.

Your heart clenched at the sight of the food. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, all of this you often ate with the boys. For all you knew, they’d be eating that for breakfast today too. It made you all the more homesick for the people you really considered family.

“No, I never said it was you.” Daniel interrupted your thoughts.

You ignored him, not quite caring what he was saying to you. Instead of drinking orange juice, you got up and got yourself a bottle of water. As much as you appreciated your mother’s efforts, you weren’t sure how much you could eat. The orange juice would certainly trigger your acid reflux, and looking at the plate of food, you should probably stay away from the bacon too.

You really weren’t expecting this to be so difficult. This was supposed to be a mere acting job. Yet, you felt ready to throw up at any given second, and seeing Daniel made you uncomfortable. If this kept up, there was no way you’d be able to finish this today, and that meant you’d have to suffer the night alone.

You desperately wanted to talk to Hyungwon. You wanted him to reassure you and comfort you. You wanted to talk about random things and get lost in your own world like you so often do. You longed to be able to have your phone in hands and text him, or call him, but you couldn’t let on that you had a phone.

“Y/n,” your dad said, snapping you out of your internal misery, “do you have your phone? I’d like to use it to track H.One.”

You shook your head, “No, I was too much in a rush to even think about grabbing my phone. Good thing too, because he won’t be able to contact me.”

“Damn it.” he cursed, causing a jolt of fear to spike through you.

“Do you have anything we can use?” Daniel asked.

“The only thing I have is the clothes on my back.” you replied.

“But you also know where he lives.” your dad pointed out.

“Do you really think he’s stupid enough to go back there?” you raised your eyebrows.

“He’s not the smartest person on earth.” Daniel chuckled.

You wanted to throw your fork in his eye, or possibly stab your chopsticks in his hand, maybe even use a spoon to scoop out his insides. You could if you really wanted to, but you held yourself back. They were looking down on your husband, completely underestimating his skill. You could play that to your advantage.

It was like they totally forgot his was a mafia boss, the most respectable one at that. You were sure Daniel didn’t know, but your father definitely did. He’s been tracking him for the longest time. You found it quite amusing how he’s never once caught him. Save for that one time they bumped into each other as Hyungwon searched for you. Honestly, that showed who the better person was.

“I’ll start a manhunt for him the day after tomorrow.” your dad announced, preventing you from being able to swallow the pancake in your mouth.

“Why not start it now?” Daniel questioned, seemingly enthusiastic about Hyungwon being hunted down.

“Because there’s a storm coming in, and everyone’s off for today.” your dad replied.

You forced yourself to swallow the pancake, gulping your water to help it go down. “How many times have you tried to hunt him down with a manhunt?” you asked.

“I don’t know. Does it matter?” your dad answered.

“Yeah, because clearly it hasn’t worked in the past, so what makes you think it’ll work now?” you did your best to sound strong.

“Why? Do you have a better idea?” Daniel laughed.

“No. I don’t.” you admitted (though you could definitely name a few ways to find him).

“He’s vulnerable now. No matter what a lost bond will hurt, even if it’s hardly there.” your dad commented.

You definitely weren’t going to be able to finish eating after that comment. He completely undermined your relationship, undermined your bond. You felt ready to fight, ready to throw up everything you just put into your system, ready to cry. You closed your eyes and breathed in deeply to try and calm down.

Suddenly you were hit with waves of concern, love, and comfort. Hyungwon was doing his best to care for you despite the distance between you. His love helped to calm you and brought you back to a steady mind. The fact that he was even awake so early showed how much he cared.

“I have to run a few errands today. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I’ll probably be late though.” your dad announced.

“Okay. Text me and let me know when you’re coming home so I can have food for you.” your mom told him.

“I’ll stay here and watch over the girls.” Daniel proclaimed.

“We don’t need to be watched over,” you frowned, “hell, I think we can take care of ourselves better than you can take care of your own self.”

“Y/n,” your dad admonished, “that is no way to talk to your future soulmate.”

“My future soulmate?” you stared at him, “I don’t need another soulmate.”

“You say that now, but it’s only the heartbreak.” you rolled your eyes at Daniel’s comment.

“I’m gonna get going.” your dad stood and took care of his dishes. He left the house without saying another word.

You helped your mom with the dishes, apologizing for not eating so much. She understood why, knowing you needed time to get over things. The two of you ended up making beaded ornaments together all day while Daniel just sat and watched TV. You did your best to ignore him, not wanting to talk to him at all.

By the time 8pm rolled around, your dad still wasn’t home, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to finish your mission in time. Which sucked because that meant you wouldn’t be home for the storm. Maybe your dad was doing this to you on purpose. He had to be. He had to know that you were waiting for him, and that’s why he’s not back.

“I’m gonna go to bed.” You announced, putting down the half finished ornament in your hands.

“It’s only 8,” Daniel complained, “it’s too early to go to bed.”

“It’s the perfect time to go to bed.” you argued, standing and checking for any fallen beads.

“Please don’t come and check on me. I really do not want to be bothered tonight.” you said, looking between your mom and Daniel.

“Alright, try to get some sleep.” your mom smiled at you, watching you leave to go upstairs.

It was a relief to be away from them, Daniel especially. You knew your mom would keep Daniel away, your dad too when he got home, especially since she knew you didn’t do well with storms. Being bothered was the last thing you needed.

You took out your phone from under the mattress before crawling into bed.

(8:12pm) “My dad has been out all day. I won’t be able to come home tonight” you texted Hyungwon.

(8:12pm) “Dammit”

“Are you okay?”

(8:13pm) “I will be if I’m able to fall asleep before the storm hits”

(8:13pm) “Then go to sleep my love”

(8:14pm) “I’m trying”

“It’s just hard”

(8:14pm) “I know”

“But you can do it”

“You’ll get through this”

“I promise”

(8:16pm) “I hope so”

“I’m gonna try to sleep”

“Goodnight”

“I love you”

(8:17pm) “I love you too sweetheart”

You smiled and hid your phone in your pillowcase this time. You bundled the blankets around yourself and closed your eyes, thinking of all the times you and Hyungwon spent out in the snow. You really did love the snow, but hated the wind. The wind reminded you too much of thunderstorms, and when you were kidnapped. Since you were in your parents’ house, you had to deal with outdated windows, which meant you’d hear its screeches if you didn’t fall asleep soon.

You were on the brink of sleep when something started pounding on the window. It terrified you, thinking someone or something was there for you. You felt Hyungwon’s calmness wash over you as the pounding became softer, less urgent and more gentle. This prompted you to sit up and look out the window. You felt like your eyes were about to pop out as you realized what was causing that pounding sound. Hyungwon was right there, gesturing for you to quickly open the window.

#monbebe net #thekpopnetwork #kloversnet #kpopwonderlandtag #prettyboysnetwork #Monsta x #hyungwon #Chae hyungwon #hyungwon x reader #jooheon #changkyun #i.m #wonho #minhyuk #kihyun #shownu #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction #Monsta X fanfic #Monsta X fanfiction #Monsta X mafia au #Monsta X soulmate au #Monsta X fluff #Monsta X angst #hyungwon fluff #hyungwon angst

[missarcheron]

Under Dancing Stars I

I am still obsessed with Cassian and Nesta and also the Bed Sharing-/ Enemies to Lovers-/ Arranged Marriage AU, so I had to write this. It’s super angsty and the plot is basically just a Slow Burn and them drooling over each other or making out. Set in medieval times and everyone’s a knight. Enjoy.

(I also thought it would be fun to throw you right into the story without any explanations- have fun figuring stuff out as you go along!)

Check out my other writing here!

 UNDER DANCING STARS

 Chapter One: The Return

 “Beatrice: I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedick: nobody marks you. Benedick: What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?”  ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

 Here’s the story of how Cassian and Nesta fell in love.

Their grandchildren will request to hear it one day, when all the years have passed by and their hair has turned white. Winter has covered the lands outside the castle; and sitting in front of a crackling fire, Cassian will take his wife’s hand. They’ll share a smile that quietly asks, do you remember? And when they look at each other they will not see the wrinkles in each other’s faces or the cane Cassian has to use to walk by now- they will see each other as they once were when they first met, a willful girl and a boy with the promise of a storm in his eyes.  

It’s a messy story, Cassian will say. Full of prejudices and mistakes.

But a story worth telling, Nesta will add. And squeeze her husband’s hand. You’ll let some parts out, right?

He will raise her hand to his lips and press a kiss to her skin. Just the parts that belong only to us, my darling.

***

“I know you’re nervous about the race”, Elain said. “But you don’t need to get so worked up.”

“Worked up? Me?” Nesta threw her hands in the air and proceeded to pace back and forth in the small stable they were standing in. “I am perfectly fine! The very picture of calmness! There is nothing that could interrupt my current state of collection and serenity!” She stopped in front of Duren’s box, her mare dancing lightly on the spot. “You’re the one that’s nervous”, she murmured, and gently stroked the horse’s white fur. Duren lowered her head. She had been given to Nesta on her nineteenth birthday, and ever since then, Nesta had loved her with all her heart. Had spent hours and days on Duren’s back, riding through the endless woods and along the cold streams of the northlands.

“I understand”, Elain implored. “It’s stressful. All those people you haven’t seen for years- then there’s father- and Feyre, of course”-

“Feyre seems to handle herself very well.”

A stable boy entered the stables, visibly nervous. Nesta glared at him. “You again?”

“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation, my Lady!”, he blurted.  “I have been told to inform you that the races are about to begin, and I can fetch a servant for you- if you want me to, that is- to bring out your racer to the starting line.”

“Go, go!” Nesta waved her hand in impatience. “I will do that myself. How much time is left?”

“Fifteen minutes, my Lady!”, the boy stammered. “Are you sure you don’t need a servant?”

“Positive. Now off with you.” The boy ran out outside as if stung by a bee.

“Be nicer, Nesta”, Elain pleaded. “He was scared of you!”

Nesta opened the door to Duren’s box. She was already saddled up, ready to be led to the race ground. “The goal is that there are all scared of us, Elain.”

“Why are you like this?”, Elain asked, growing desperation in her voice. “That is a horrible thought! Why would you even say something like that?”

Nesta turned to lead Duren out of the stables. “So that we might not share Feyre’s fate.”

“Feyre is marrying Rhysand, a man she loves. The future High Lord of the Night Court.”

“Feyre is nineteen. She knows nothing of men, or love, or anything in life, concerning that matter.”

“And you do?”

Flashing images popped up in Nesta’s mind, a hand grabbing her wrists, a body pinning her down. A bloody knife. She shoved them all away. “I know enough.”

Elain hurried after her. They walked through the crisp morning air, the scent of wet leaves and fires carried over to them by the wind. The courtyard was almost empty except for some busy servants. Everyone had to be at the race grounds already.

“Nesta”, Elain panted when she had caught up with her. “Just talk to me. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong”, Nesta answered through clenched teeth. There the race grounds were; there the hundreds of noblemen stood, all elaborate dresses, adorned hats and dashing suits; drinking, laughing, betting on the winner.

“It is about father, isn’t it? It’s that thing you will not tell me about, that stupid thing that caused your fight years ago-“

“Yes!” Nesta halted, and whirled around to her sister. “Yes! Of course it is! I have not been to the royal court since I was nineteen because of that thing, and I was forced to live locked up in some cold mansion in the north! I did not get to see you share your first dance as an eligible woman, I did not see Feyre get engaged, I was the one blamed when I was not the one that started it”- Nesta stopped herself. That was too much. Elain could never know about Thomas.

She gathered herself, straightened. “I was isolated from your lives”, she said coolly. “And now that father has decided he wants to marry me off, I have suddenly become presentable again. You must see that’s hard to accept.”

Elain grabbed her hand. “Then tell me what it is that separated us”, she begged. “Tell me why you were sent north three years ago. I will not judge, I will not think badly of you, I simply want to understand!”

“No”, Nesta said and continued walking towards the starting line, where the other racers were already waiting with their horses. “All you need to know is that were it not for you and Feyre, I would not manage to be here.”

“You can always talk to me, you know that.”

Nesta breathed out. “I do.”

“And at least you love racing. This day can be fun for you.”

Nesta shook her head to clear her thoughts. “You’re right. It will be fun. Elain”- she squeezed her sister’s hand- “I truly am thankful for everything you do. I know I may seem harsh. I am trying. It’s all so much- my first day back in Velaris, my first day back at court…I am lucky I have you.”

Elain swallowed. “That’s good”, she said, but in her eyes lay all the worries in the world.

There was no time for them to talk anymore; Nesta was led to her own starting position by an organizer where she mounted her horse. She briefly greeted the girl next to her, Countess Amalia of the Autumn Court- she’d been invited to her birthday dinner once, Nesta recalled. The spot on her left was still empty. At least she had not been the last one to arrive.

“Lady Nesta”, Amalia whispered. “Is it true? Are you back from the north?”

Nesta smiled thinly. “Apparently.”

“Are you terribly excited for your sister? I would die! She must be in heaven!”

”Do not worry. Last I saw her, she was eating breakfast.”

Amalia laughed. “Oh, I can’t wait for you to join my tea parties again. You were always like a breeze of fresh air with all those uptight princesses and ladies. Are you cold? I am so cold; I hate horseback-riding, and I will surely finish last. My mother forced me to participate.” Amalia sighed. “But that is the way of life. Mother commands, and I do her bidding. I am much more looking forward to the real race later. The Noble’s races are not the same thing.”

What Amalia said was true: this race- called the Noble’s race- was simply in jest, something for the young Lords and Ladies to compete with each other. Nesta had loved taking part in it before she was sent north; it was the only thing she had really looked forward to when her father had told her she would come back. Aside from living with her sisters again.

“You were sorely missed, though”, Amalia continued. “You did win the Noble’s races almost each year, did you not? The only one to challenge Rhysand and Cassian.”

“Right”, Nesta said, a little uneasy. “Where is he, by the way? I have not seen him yet.”

“The Crown Prince?”

“No.” Nesta adjusted her gloves. “The other one. Cassian.”

“Oh, he must be here any minute. He’s won each race ever since you’ve been gone. He certainly won’t miss out on this one.”

“He has?” Nesta eyed Amalia doubtfully.

The Countess laughed again. “That’s right, I almost forgot about that little feud of yours! Are the two of you still enemies?”

Nesta’s felt a flush on her face. “We’re not enemies. I mean, I don’t know what he thinks about that subject.”

“Just ask him yourself”, Amalia said and nodded her head at someone behind Nesta’s shoulder. “He is riding our way.”

If Amalia had not pointed out that Cassian was nearing the starting line, Nesta would have figured it out by the sudden cheers and claps among the spectators. He had to be the clear favorite among the contesters.

Her heart beat faster, and not because of the High Lord and his family that took their places on the high balconies right now- no, because she hadn’t thought this through at all. What would she say to Cassian? Would he ignore her? Insult her? Should she insult him first, just to get a head start?

Nesta glanced over her shoulder. The sight of him hit her like a brick. He was taller, to begin with, and older: everything seemed broader, his chest, his arms- and his hair was longer, too, tied back behind his head. He seemed in thought; didn’t notice the cheers, the crowd, or her. Her stupid heart stuttered for a second.

“Cassian”, she said quickly when he had taken his position next to her. She’d meant to say something clever. All she could think of was his name.

His eyes flashed to her, still in thought. They widened in shock when he took her in. “Nesta?”, he asked hoarsely. “You’re here?”

His dagger was strapped to his right leg, as always. Three red stones embedded in the black hilt. She quickly looked away.

“I decided you’d won one too many times”, she said. Kept her voice light. “Someone ought to teach you a lesson in humbleness.”

“Elain told me you were coming back”, he said, “but I didn’t- I wasn’t sure.”

She held his stare for a few moments, and tried to remember all the times when she had imagined this meeting- but none of those daydreams had included her gaping at him like a fish. Where were all those words she had so carefully picked out and locked away deep inside her heart?

Cassian set his jaw. As if he had remembered something. “You’re staying, then?”

“Yes.” Behind her, Nesta could physically feel Amalia listening in. “I am.”

His eyes darted all over her face, her body. “And you’re here to challenge me?”

“I was informed you won the race all these past years. Clearly you had no real competition.”

He clicked his tongue. “Three years I don’t see you, and you still haven’t gotten any smarter.”

“Oh- it’s been that long?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t been counting the seconds until you see me again, Sweetheart”, he replied. And even though there was an edge to his voice, some tight knot inside Nesta’s gut loosened. This was normal. This was good. This was what she had expected: Cassian being rude, and both of them snippy as usual.

“The only thing I have been counting down to is the moment I am once again crowned as victor of this race”, she said haughtily and turned away from him. “I do not care for you at all.”

“Like a dagger to the heart, Nesta”, Cassian murmured. “That you’ve always been.”

Another set of memories rose, a different one this time- gentle hands on her waist, greedy lips at her neck, a silenced snarl on her tongue. She shut it down even more forcefully than the last one.

“Don’t bother, Cassian”, she murmured. “You’re about to lose.”

She didn’t hear his answer: the race had begun.

***

Two hours later, Cassian lounged in his chaise at the banquet table and watched Nesta Archeron being crowned victor of the Noble’s races. Where that girl had learned to ride like that, he had no idea; perhaps in that northern palace she had fled to, perhaps from some lover she had taken there, perhaps, perhaps…

He downed his drink. Who was he to waste time thinking about that woman? She’d brought him nothing but humiliation and misery, and for her to show up out of the blue, after those letters she hadn’t answered, that one note she had left him- to show up on the single day in the year that was supposed to be his, and then to beat him-

“More wine”, he growled and held his cup out to the servant behind him. “Just bring me the bottle.”

Mor watched him from the side. He felt her stare drilling itself inside his skull. “You’re upset”, she said.

“Oh, he’s a wounded little pup that hasn’t yet learned how to lose”, Amren, lounged at the other end of the table, threw in. “Look at yourself, Cassian. Nesta was always a better horseback-rider than you, and you really should be able to accept that.”

“I don’t care about it”, Cassian murmured. “I only care about the fact that she’s suddenly back. Why now? Why today? And why has she been away for so long?”

They both sighed. “And here we go again”, Mor said gloomily. “The Nesta Archeron obsession. Cassian, I really thought you had gotten that under control.”

“I’m just interested in my surroundings”, Cassian grumbled. “Especially if they suddenly disappear without a reason or a warning or…anything. And come back three years later. Completely unannounced.”

Mor and Amren shared a look. “I get that, Cassian”, Mor said slowly. “But it’s not like the two of you were close, right? I never understood why you were so angry when she left, unless…”

“Unless you have some weird Nesta Archeron obsession that needs to be fixed”, Amren finished. “Honestly. Whenever the two of you were together, you got into some stupid argument. Didn’t you train her for a while? You were always fuming afterwards. You should have been happy when she went north. And mature enough today to put that animosity behind you now.”

“It’s not true”, Cassian murmured. “We were not always fighting. It was only…“ he trailed off, and somehow hoped that they would fill in that blank for him: because he didn’t know himself what he should call it, that relationship that had developed between him and Nesta over the years. “Our fathers have an ugly history, as you know. That’s why we were always pitted against each other- I didn’t have to win the race, but I had to beat Nesta Archeron…my grades did not have to be stellar, but my name had to appear higher in the list than hers…” He shook his head. Why was he even talking about this?

He watched Feyre stand up to congratulate her sister. Nesta only nodded slightly in reply, her face an iron mask. Cassian narrowed his eyes. Did she not care about seeing her family again? Did she not care about Feyre, one of the kindest, funniest women Cassian had ever met?

But perhaps she just had a heart made out of ice, as he had always suspected. Perhaps she enjoyed toying with other’s people’s feelings, to see them crumble under her touch. Perhaps she did not care about anyone but herself. A dagger to the heart.

“He’s having poetic thoughts, I can tell”, Amren said. “Are you composing an ode to Nesta’s beauty just now?”

“If so”, Mor grinned, “please do share.”

“She’s not beautiful”, Cassian said. “And I wasn’t thinking about her anymore. I was thinking about finding Az and challenging him to a game of cards.”

He watched Feyre step aside as Rhysand approached Nesta. She seemed to straighten even more, if that was possible. Rhys couldn’t know Nesta that well- he’d been away when they were all younger, serving at another court. Nesta said something to Rhys, sank into the smallest of curtsies and turned away from him. Judging by Feyre’s expression, that meeting had not gone the way she’d hoped.

Cassian didn’t understand her. Why was Nesta so judgmental? Why was she so dismissive, so unfriendly, even to people she didn’t know? To her own crown prince?

In the back of his mind, a faint voice asked other questions- questions he didn’t want to think about right now. Or ever.

Why did she leave? Why did she not say good-bye? Why does your heart still beat faster when you look at her?

Does she even remember?

***

“You hate him.”

“No, I don’t. I just don’t know him.”

“You will get to know him! You will see that he’s special, Nesta. You will see”-

“Do you?”

“What?”

“Do you know him? For how long have you been together? For how long have you been engaged? Do you know what he’s like when he’s angry or when he’s drunk?  Do you know what he does when he leaves the town?”

“Nesta, Feyre- please.” Elain put her fork down with force. They were sitting on a small balcony outside their living quarters in the West Wing of the palace and dined, watching the sun slowly set over Velaris. It could have been a peaceful moment. If Nesta had not been shooting icy glares at Feyre ever since they had sat down to eat.

“I will say this only once, Nesta.” Feyre put a flat hand on the table. “I love Rhys. What we have is special. I know it in my heart.”

Nesta drank a small sip of her water. “When I left Velaris, you were madly in love with that idiotic fool. I forgot his name.”

“Tamlin”, Feyre said gently, “was a mistake. A mistake which has taught me many things. I will not repeat it.”

Nesta remembered the gold-haired, muscular hulk of a man vividly; he was the son of the Spring Court’s High Lord, mostly hunting in the woods or keeping to himself. She had never liked him. He had tried to separate Feyre from everybody. As if she was a treasure he’d found and wanted to keep for himself. When she went north, they had been engaged- until a letter reached her one day, in which Feyre told her that the wedding was off. That she had met someone new.

“You seem to have a thing for Crown Princes, though”, Elain giggled. “First Tamlin, now Rhysand…”

Feyre rolled her eyes, but there was a faint blush that rose in her cheeks. “You know that I don’t care for that.”

“I could never be together with a Crown Prince, or any son of a High Lord”, Elain said. “Imagine the pressure! They are all intimidating, don’t you think? So well-spoken and intelligent, not to mention handsome…”

“Just you wait”, Feyre hummed. “High Lords and their sons are coming to the Night Court from all over the continent. Before you know, they will all be in love with you!”

Nesta focused on her food. She would not lash out at Feyre now. This was their first dinner together in months. She didn’t want to ruin that.

Even though the thought of Elain at the focus of one of those High Lords made her want to break something.

“Anyway- how was talking to Cassian?”, Elain asked. “I saw you exchanging some words before the race.”

Nesta swallowed her bite down. “It went as expected.” She resumed cutting her meat into tiny pieces.

“Well…do we get a little bit more than that?”, Feyre asked.

“He’s still a lousy horseback-rider.”

She saw Feyre glancing at Elain. Conversation with her is impossible. They went on to discuss other things, the upcoming balls, Feyre’s paintings…and Nesta raised her head to look at the endless city beneath them.

She should have never come back. Thomas would always haunt her here.

to be continued...

#nesta #cassian #nessian #fanfiction #slow burn #arranged marriage #au #bed sharing #trope #nesta archeron #feyre #rhysand #amren #mor #elain #medieval au #acotar #acomaf #acowar #under dancing stars #shakespeare #the actual OG of all OTPS: #benedick and beatrice! #much ado about nothing

[megsblackfirewrites]

My Golden Obsession: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jack smiled as Jesse excitedly told Gabriel about his music career. He was just doing small gigs at the local bars, but he was loving it. Hanzo’s job supported both of them easily and he encouraged Jesse to follow his dreams, whatever they were. They were an adorable couple and Jack could tell that Gabriel approved of Jesse’s fiancée.

From what Jack could glean from Gabriel’s teasing, Hanzo had been a real shithead of a teenager. Jesse had had a crush on him for years and Hanzo had led him around by the nose. Hanzo had left for the Midwest, wanting to put some distance between himself and his family legacy, and Jesse had followed. After a little fight and a lot of time to think, they started dating. And, from the looks of things, never looked back. It was touching and beautiful and Jack couldn’t think of a happier couple.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Jack teased.

“We’re still figurin’ out a date,” Jesse smiled as he kissed Hanzo’s cheek. “But we’re thinking a winter wedding.”

“Sounds enchanting,” Jack teased as Gabriel got to his feet. He watched his boyfriend walk away to get something and leaned forward. “You coming to visit really made his month,” he said.

“I kept meaning to,” Jesse sighed. “But, I mean, I sort of took off without warning and…yah, I was a very, very dumb kid.”

“Are you talking about me?” Gabriel smirked as he sat back down with a bowl of popcorn. “That’s not nice, mi amor.”

“Nothing bad, darling,” Jack smiled as he snuggled against Gabriel’s chest. “Scout’s honour.”

Gabriel’s thumb brushed gently over his cheek and Jack rested against the wide shoulder. His cellphone went off and he winced at the shrill ringtone. Gabriel frowned and went to reach for it, but Jack snatched it up and swiped the notification away.

“Jack, who the hell is that?” Gabriel asked. “They’ve texted you six times in the last hour. That ringtone really sets me on edge.”

“It’s nothing,” Jack lied as he set his phone back down. “Don’t worry about it.”

Gabriel frowned, but he didn’t push him. If he knew that Ana was bothering him, telling him how he didn’t deserve Gabriel’s attention, he would be pissed. Jack didn’t want to come between their friendship, so he just let Ana rail against him. He could ignore most of it. Some of it hit really close, but he chose to keep his mouth shut and not answer. He didn’t need to respond to any of her stupidity, not after Gabriel had reassured him that he wasn’t taking advantage of him.

They talked for another hour before Jack had to go get ready for his shift. Gabriel followed him up to his room and wrapped his arms around his waist as he pulled his shirt off. He nuzzled his face against Jack’s neck, drawing a soft giggle from him.

“Jack, is someone bothering you?” he asked. “You can tell me. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“It’s nothing, Gabe,” Jack smiled up at him. “Honest.”

Gabriel furrowed his eyebrows and kissed him. “Jack, I know you’re lying,” he whispered. “Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing,” Jack repeated as he stood on tiptoe to kiss Gabriel’s lips. “Don’t worry, please. I’m fine.”

Gabriel let out a low growl before he kissed Jack in return. “Alright,” he murmured. “Just…you know I’m here for you, right?”

“I know,” Jack soothed and kissed him again. “I love you, Gabriel. And thank you for worrying for me.”

Gabriel nuzzled him gently and let him get changed into his uniform. Gabriel insisted on clipping his belt into place, smiling as he cinched it tightly around his hips. Their next kiss was heated and needy.

“Always loved a man in uniform,” Gabriel purred into his ear. “There’s just something amazing about a man in a crisp, wonderfully formfitting attire.”

“You just love peeling me out of it,” Jack teased as he nuzzled him. “I’ll see you in the morning. Try to stay out of trouble.”

“When am I ever in trouble?” Gabriel teased as he squeezed Jack’s ass. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jack smiled and pressed himself against Gabriel’s chest.

He inhaled Gabriel’s spicy cologne before pulling himself away. Gabriel squeezed Jack’s hands as he drew away, purring deeply as his eyes lidded with lust. Jack was guaranteed a fun night when he got home if that look was anything to go by. Jesse and Hanzo waved as he left the house, promising to keep Gabriel in line for him. He thanked them, winking playfully at Gabriel as he close the door behind him.

Jack’s phone went off and Gabriel picked it up. “I’ll be a minute,” he called after Hanzo and Jesse as they headed back for his house.

It wasn’t often that Jack left his phone behind, but it was usually when he knew he was going to be doing a lot of paperwork and didn’t want the obvious distraction sitting in arm’s reach. He wasn’t one to snoop, but the fact that this person had been texting Jack and had the most unnerving ringtone had him worried. Was someone harassing Jack and he was taking it without a word of protest?

He glared at the number on the phone; he knew that number. It had started showing up more and more on his phone the last few weeks and he had taken to ignoring it. He swiped over to see what had been texted, wondering why Ana was bothering Jack so much. Fury shot through him and he almost crushed Jack’s phone in his hand as he stared at the list of texts Ana had sent Jack.

‘I can’t believe a little shit like you is still trying to play him,’ she had written. The phone vibrated again before another message popped up. ‘You’re too scared to even talk to me.’

Anger burned red hot through him before he unlocked Jack’s phone. Jack had given him the password in case he needed something while he was at Jack’s house. He’d never had a reason to invade his privacy until now. He always believed in letting Jack have his secrets; heavens knew he had his own dark secrets. Now, though, he need to set someone straight.

‘My place. Now.’

‘Finally got the balls to talk to me, sweetheart?’

‘It’s Gabriel. My house. Now.’

‘Oh.’

Gabriel stuck Jack’s phone in his pocket and stormed over to his house after he made sure to lock Jack’s up. Hanzo and Jesse were leaving for their movie and he managed to force a smile to his face as Hanzo waved. Jesse knew something was up, but he knew that Gabriel liked to figure things out on his own; there was no point in harassing him over something. The kids left and Gabriel prepared for the confrontation with Ana.

“You have no right to be harassing Jack,” he snarled as soon as Ana walked through the front door.

“Gabriel, please, I’m just looking out for you,” Ana sighed.

“I don’t need you to look out for me, Ana,” he snapped. “I’m a grown man! You’re wrong about Jack and I want you to stop harassing him. He’s never done anything to warrant this behaviour.”

“Oh please,” Ana snorted. “I can see right through his innocent act.”

“You saw him for a few hours,” Gabriel rolled his eyes. “You don’t know him, Ana. I do.”

“He’s playing you,” Ana shook her head. “You just wait. Once he’s bored of you, he’ll kick you to the curb.”

“I would like to see that happen,” Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. “You tread dangerous waters, Ana. You’re not only attacking Jack, but you’re insulting me as well.”

Ana let out a long sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. “Gabriel, we have been friends for a very long time,” she said. “Are you really ready to throw that away over this…pretty boy?”

Gabriel shook his head and looked away from her. “Are you listening to yourself?” he asked. “You’re ready to throw our friendship away because you don’t approve of my boyfriend. Really, Ana, I swear you don’t want me to be with anyone.”

“Your wife was murdered!” Ana snapped.

“And?” Gabriel demanded. “I have to be alone for the rest of my life? You weren’t here all the time, Ana. You didn’t see what was going on in our house. Catherine’s death was a fucking blessing.”

“How can you say that about your wife?” she gasped.

“She stopped being my wife a long time ago,” Gabriel growled. “So you can either learn to get along with Jack or you can stop contacting me. There’s no room for anything else. Not anymore.”

Ana narrowed her eyes. “Jack has you wrapped around his finger, Gabriel,” she said. “He will ruin you.”

“No, he won’t,” Gabriel looked away. If anything, it was Gabriel that would ruin Jack. Jack was sunlight and Gabriel was the cloud that would blot out his brilliance and horde it all of himself. “Leave, Ana.”

“You are a fool for loving that man,” Ana snapped. “Don’t come crying to me when he tears you apart. He is useless and worthless and….”

Gabriel grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her into the air. Her eyes widened and she clawed at his wrist. He gave her a rough shake and dropped her back to her feet.

“Don’t you ever insult him in front of me again,” he snapped. “You can have whatever negative opinions that you want, but don’t you dare voice them in front of me.”

“You have lost your mind, Gabriel,’ Ana whispered as she rubbed her throat. “You would never have grabbed me before.”

Gabriel snorted before he pointed at the door. “Get going.”

She left quickly and Gabriel pulled Jack’s phone out of his pocket. He dropped onto his couch and started scrolling through Ana’s texts. The more he read, the more his fury spiked. Ana had been harassing him for weeks, telling him how little he deserved to be with Gabriel. Jack had replied once at the start asking her to leave him alone, but she hadn’t listened. He’d just let her continue insulting him and shouting at him. He set Jack’s phone down on the table and glared at his feet.

Ana would pay for this. Perhaps it was time for her to meet The Reaper personally. Maybe then she would understand just how much Catherine deserved to die and how very alike they were. All his victims from Jesse’s time as his muse were alike; self-righteous, petty, and always that certain something that made his blood boil. Yes, Ana would get to see why he killed Catherine and why the two of them got along so well.

“You look worried,” Hanzo said as they shared a big bowl of spaghetti like the love-sick dorks they were.

Jesse shook his head, twirling the noodles around his fork. He wasn’t sure how to explain it to Hanzo. He’d always been a little worried about his dad, but this was something different. Jack was a sweetheart and he adored the man, but Gabriel’s behaviour was…unsettling.

“Does Papa seem weird to you?” he asked softly.

“He is very focused on Jack,” Hanzo said. “But that is a normal reaction in new couples. Obsession happens quite naturally and then peters off to something much more manageable.”

Jesse licked his lips as he swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti. He wasn’t surprised by Hanzo’s answer; that was the logical response to seeing how his father acted. But it still made his skin prickle with unease. Gabriel didn’t get obsessed with anyone; when Jesse was growing up, Gabriel still made time for himself, even if it was just a glass of wine in the tub.

“It…doesn’t feel natural or safe,” Jesse said. “I’ve never seen him act like that with anyone.”

“Did he date while you were growing up, after your mother passed away?” Hanzo asked.

He reached across the table to hold Jesse’s hand, his eyes asking if he had stepped too far. Jesse smiled and lifted Hanzo’s hand up to kiss over his knuckles. He never felt like Hanzo was pushing too far with his questions. The man might have majored in business, but he had taken more than a few psychology courses, just in case. If there was anyone he trusted with his problems and fears, it was his beautiful dragon.

“A few times, but they weren’t serious,” Jesse said. “I don’t think he wanted to try to bring someone new into my life. He was very protective of me.”

“Does that bother you?” Hanzo asked.

“A little,” Jesse admitted. “I want him to be happy, but I’m afraid that he’s latched onto Jack and is puttin’ unrealistic standards on him. What happens when they have a real fight? Is he still goin’ to look at Jack like he’s wonderful?”

“Did you still see me as wonderful the first time we fought?” Hanzo asked.

“I did,” Jesse smiled. “Sure, I was mad, but when I saw you scrubbin’ at a pot to take your anger out on somethin’ inanimate, I knew that you were just as flawed and human as I was.”

“And then you walked over and buried your face in my hair and apologized,” Hanzo smiled. “And then I did.”

“And we had wonderful make-up sex,” Jesse teased.

Hanzo blushed and looked away, huffing softly as he pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. “How uncouth,” he murmured.

“You love it when I’m a heathen,” Jesse teased. “Makes you feel like the most important man alive for havin’ someone like me snuggle up to you at night.”

“Like taming a wild animal,” Hanzo stuck his tongue out at him. “That bathes only marginally better than a wolf.”

“Hey,” Jesse pouted. “I bathe plenty!”

“And yet you still smell like a wet dog,” Hanzo teased.

Jesse put a hand over his chest and made a broken noise. Hanso smiled at him before leaning forward to lightly kiss his nose. Jesse let out a soft chuckle and settled down. He put another bite into his mouth and chewed slowly.

“If you are worried about Jack, perhaps we should mention something to him?” Hanzo asked. “Just tell him to keep an eye on Gabriel since he is acting a little possessive?”

“We could,” Jesse said. “That would certain put my mind at ease. Thanks, Hanzo, for not dismissin’ my worry.”

“It is legitimate,” Hanzo smiled. “Whether it is justified has yet to be determined. Do not worry, Jesse. I’m here for you.”

Jesse let out a content sigh before he scooted around in the booth to kiss his fiancée’s lips. He was so lucky to have Hanzo in his life. He didn’t know what he’d do without him. Was this how Gabriel felt with Jack or was it something a lot less healthy? He hoped that he was just looking too far into it.

#Reaper76 #McHanzo #serial killer AU

[mikemortgage]

Column: Fires, floods, quakes are part of California living

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the winter of 2009, my wife and I found a house that looked like a great place to start our family, a three-bedroom in a hilly subdivision surrounded by dry brush just outside the Redding city limits.

By that point, I’d covered wildfires for the Record Searchlight newspaper for three years. I’d seen fire after fire ignite during Shasta County’s blast-furnace summers in the brushy chaparral that dominates the landscape.

In 2008, a freak early summer lightning storm ignited more than 86,500 acres in the area, prompting the evacuation of dozens of families. I stood in that very subdivision where we now wanted to live as residents watched a churning smoke plume on the other side the Sacramento River canyon. The fire didn’t jump the river that day.

But as my wife, Cara, and I toured that same subdivision, I told her, “This neighbourhood is going to burn to the ground some day.”

We bought the house anyway.

The quiet streets, the running trails and the fishing opportunities minutes away in Lake Shasta outweighed the risk.

How very Californian of me.

If there’s one consistent thread in California’s history, it’s that we often ignore the profound risks that come with living in this big beautiful state — the earthquakes, the mudslides, the wildfires, the floods, the droughts and, yes, even the volcanoes.

It’s been like that since our founding.

Gov. Leland Stanford took a rowboat to his inauguration in January 1862 because Sacramento was swallowed by the same floodwaters that would turn the Central Valley into a vast inland sea stretching from Red Bluff to Bakersfield.

Despite the billions we’ve spent on dams and levees, it’s only a matter of time before it happens again.

“It’s still going to flood some day,” Jeffrey Mount, a watershed expert with the Public Policy Institute of California, told me a couple of wet winters ago after Hurricane Harvey. “There’s still going to be that rare large event, which will overwhelm us.”

Half a million Sacramentans go about their lives largely oblivious to the threat.

I grew up in Mt. Shasta, a small alpine community near the Oregon border. The city is named after the massive active volcano that looms above it. When Shasta inevitably erupts, lava, debris, ash and boiling steam and gases could wipe my hometown off the map.

But, man, what a great place to grow up.

When I was a boy, I would bike out to the meadows by my house. I’d spend hours fishing, barefooted up to my knees in creeks frigid from the melting snow pouring off my mountain’s glaciers.

I’d like to live under Shasta’s shadow again some day. Never mind that my home would stand on ashy soil flecked with pumice and obsidian, reminders of the eruptions of centuries past. Never mind the charred marks on the big cedars and pines, scars from wildfires that burned through Siskiyou County decades ago. Never mind that my great aunt’s home was one of the few left standing in her neighbourhood after the Boles Fire burned through the Siskiyou County city of Weed in 2014, torching 157 homes.

I get why more than 2.7 million Californians are living in places that could erupt in a catastrophic inferno any summer, or those who move to California even though we could build as many as 1.2 million new homes over the next 30 years in the areas with state’s highest fire risk .

I get why they’re rebuilding Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighbourhood, which first burned by the Hanly Fire in 1964 before it burned again in 2017’s Tubbs Fire. And why they rebuilt Harbison Canyon in San Diego County after it was levelled by the Laguna Fire in 1970 and again by the Cedar Fire in 2003.

I get why Cheri Skipper, whose Harbison Canyon home burned in the Cedar Fire, wanted nothing more than to move back in while it was being rebuilt, despite the trauma she endured and the anxiety that still has her obsessively looking for smoke and checking local fire-watcher websites.

“All I wanted to do was to go home, put my head on my pillow and look out the patio and see my view,” she told me as she gazed out at the green hills festooned with wildflowers after recent rains. We both knew this summer the vegetation will be brittle and dry , her canyon a wind tunnel for the Santa Anas.

What I don’t get is how surprised people are that these big, destructive fires keep happening.

The “new normal” is what officials keep calling it, but last year’s “record breaking” 1.9 millions of acres burned wasn’t really a record at all. If anything, we’re approaching something closer to an “old normal.”

UC Berkeley researchers estimate that prior to 1800, about 4.5 million acres of California burned in a typical year. That was before we started monkeying with our climate and infesting our wild places with non-native, fire-prone vegetation. We spent a century trying to put out every fire that popped up to protect the state’s lucrative timber stocks and the ever-expanding sprawl.

Some environmentalists argue we should stop moving to these places and rebuilding them when they burn down. They tell cities to focus on infill and building up urban centres in a sustainable way. Stop encroaching on nature. Fair enough. That certainly is the safest alternative.

But that’s not going to happen if California’s history is any guide. Plus, what do you do about the folks who already live in dangerous communities? Tell them they should move? Tell them firefighters aren’t going to try to save their homes?

Californians aren’t totally oblivious to the dangers. There is an active debate over how much new development we should allow and where we should allow it. There’s common ground in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s and President Donald Trump’s executive orders to thin the forests after the Camp Fire. Of course, the devil is in the details. It remains unsettled how much logging, intentionally-set “prescribed” fires and other wildland management strategies California and the federal government will undertake.

The reality, though, is there’s only so much that can be done when you live in a state that wants to burn.

Before too long, before it’s too late, we’ve all got to have a clear-eyed understanding of the risks of living in the hundreds of lovely communities like Redding, Paradise, Malibu and Santa Rosa that have encroached into the forests and chaparral. The price you pay to live there is that in any fire season, you and your family could burn.

Prepare accordingly.

Adopt the mindset of J. Lopez, one of two firefighters I spoke to recently whose homes survived major wildfires burning in adjacent wildlands. They still chose to live there knowing they’ll almost certainly go through another one. That’s why they’re zealots about evacuation planning and minimizing the risk to their properties by clearing the vegetation around their homes.

“On Sunday, I got up in the morning, and two minutes later I’m walking in the forest. How cool is that?” said Lopez, an assistant chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “But it’s understanding what you’re moving into and embracing it. You’re not going to change it. Nature is always going to win.”

It did in Redding.

Last summer, I found myself driving through the neighbourhood where my wife and I had bought our first house. I was on assignment for The Sacramento Bee the morning after the Carr Fire and its infamous “firenado” roared through western Redding, burning 1,079 homes.

Home after home was burned to wood skeletons along the streets where I once walked our puppy and pushed our girls in strollers. Just outside the subdivision, a woman and her two grandchildren burned to death.

Out of sheer luck, our former home, which we had since sold after I changed newspaper jobs, was still standing.

Despite the heartbreak and the terror and the loss, my old neighbourhood will rebuild, and the region will be a fire trap again as soon as the chaparral grows back. Yet, if I still lived in that neighbourhood, I’d almost certainly want to stay there. Those trails. That fishing. The peace and quiet. I miss them still.

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2ZeHEzg via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

#IFTTT #Financial Post

[themanuelruello]

Preparing Our Raised Beds for Spring Planting

I FEEL SO BEHIND.

Except I’m not. At least not yet.

Wyoming is horribly deceiving this time of year. We’ve been getting lots of 70+ degree days the last week or two, and I’ve been spending all day outside piddling out in the garden and getting sunburns, which is quite heavenly after a long winter.

My perennials are slowly awakening. The lilacs and ash trees are budding. And the prairie land all around is gradually turning a brilliant shade of green, which is a welcome sight after months of nothing but brown.

And I’m getting all ancy because it feels like I should be planting ALL THE THINGS in the garden.

P.S. I’m totally obsessed with currant bushes at the moment

But I can’t. Because getting a full-on blizzard on Mother’s Day (or beyond) is entirely common around here.

And so I wait. And I water my tomato and pepper starts in the house. And I lurk in the garden like some sort of creepy stalker staring at the beds and making plans in my head.

It helps that our entire yard is completely torn up and in a state of utter chaos (we’re redoing the grass and adding irrigation). Well, maybe “helps” is a weird word choice, but at least the work to be done in the yard is distracting me from obsessing over my garden… Sorta.

No, my front yard typically doesn’t look like a freshly plowed field, in case you were wondering.

This is our second spring with our raised bed set up, although last year we were still in construction-mode. Since we’re not tilling or heavy-mulching like years past, I had to really think about exactly how I needed and wanted to prepare my raised beds for the upcoming season.

(If you want the nitty-gritty on how we built our beds, here’s a guide I put together with all the details!)

Because I might not be able to plant right now, but I can at least get as ready as humanly possible.

So, here’s what I’ve been doing to prepare our raised beds for planting– in a couple weeks it’ll be GO TIME, baby!

How We’re Preparing Our Raised Beds for Spring Planting

Making Repairs as Needed

Thankfully, Christian built my raised beds to last until Armageddon, so there aren’t any repairs we need to do on the beds themselves.

However, if you have more traditional wooden beds, you may need to replace boards or reinforce the corners, as the wood will begin to decompose over time.

I stabbed one of our sprinkler lines with a pitchfork last fall when I was harvesting potatoes (yay Jill), so we  need to fix that before we turn on the water this year, but that’s really our only repair.

And, we are adding landscape fabric and mulch to the walkways to cut down on the weeds there and make it prettier.

Hello kale!

Removing Leftovers from Last Year

I know some experts say you aren’t supposed to leave dead plants in the garden over the winter, but I did.

My decision was mostly made out of laziness, but I also figured leaving some of the root structures in place would help to aerate the soil and provide some organic matter that could decompose and add nutrients over the winter.

Well, at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

(Bonus– the remaining tomato and cabbage roots were WAY easier to pull out after several months of decomposition.)

If you had plant diseases the year prior, I would make a point to remove and dispose of any remnants, but we had no issues of that sort last year, so I just didn’t worry about it.

Another cool bonus– my kale is actually coming back to life! I’m going to leave it and see what happens.

An un-hoed bed

Testing the Soil

You don’t *have* to do this, but I highly recommend it. We did our first soil test this year and the info was super helpful and pretty much saved me from ruining my garden with too much composted manure. (Whew.)

Get all the details on soil testing here, as well as several mail-in lab recommendations. 

Amending as Needed

Thanks to my soil test, I know my soil is deficient in iron, so I found some chelated iron at the local garden store. I’m going to apply that to all of my beds in the recommend dosage (which isn’t very much…)

The soil in raised beds often settles and sinks, so you may find yourself needing to add more in the spring. We didn’t need to do that this year, but I suspect we might next year.

I did add a wheelbarrow full of composted manure to each bed in the fall, so that helped add some nutrients, and increased the volume of soil in each bed.

Here are a few other ideas for improving your garden soil (whether you have raised beds or not!). 

Planted with early chard and spinach!

Hoeing & Removing Weeds

We don’t have nearly as many weeds as we used to when we did our in-ground gardening (probably because it was easier to weed last year so I stayed on top of it), but there are still a few popping up.

Since the soil in our beds is never stepped on, it’s not compacted and it makes it very simple to hoe. I’ve been hoeing each bed to mix in the compost I added last fall, and also chop up any weeds that have popped up. (Hello lambs quarters.)

Cute helpers = added bonus

You’ll want to find the right time to hoe– the soil shouldn’t be waterlogged, but you also don’t want it to be super dry, as that will make the job much more sweat-inducing.

I waited a day after a nice rain storm. The soil was damp enough to easily hoe, but not sopping wet.

After hoeing, I like to smooth out the top of the beds with my hands and remove any clumps or rocks.

Another weed removal option is covering each bed with black plastic for several weeks to kill the weed seeds. I didn’t do this this year, but it might be a good idea if your beds are overcome with weeds.

I’m ready for it to look like this again!

And that’s pretty much it. It almost feels too easy– is that possible? (I probably won’t be saying that once I’m in the thick of planting and weeding…) Fingers crossed we’ll have another stellar growing season this year!

Other Gardening Posts You’ll Love:

Homemade Gardener’s Hand Cream

How We Built Our Raised Beds

Garden Tour 2017

How Much to Plant Per Person

What are your best tips for prepping your raised beds each spring?

The post Preparing Our Raised Beds for Spring Planting appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

from Gardening http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/05/prepare-raised-beds-spring.html via http://www.rssmix.com/