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#she complained the whole time but she legitimately loved his cooking so much
yujateaandpi · 3 months
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Senshi and Parenthood
I’m obsessed with Senshi’s narrative role— or lack thereof actually. He’s not there to devote himself to a cause or further the plot, I actually don’t think he knows why he’s there for 90% of the story. He just. Saw a bunch of bumbling young looking people and went “well somebody’s got to feed them.”
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And meanwhile there’s. Eldritch chaos and a complex narrative centered around life death and rebirth being intrinsically tied into the concept of hunger and appetite— and Senshi is standing there with his wok like, “okay sure you’re under the thrall of your own desires puppeted by an interdimensional being how bout I make you a pie and you calm down.” And it WORKS.
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It works every time because surprise surprise people do need to be fed in order to work to their goals. It reminds me of how much we take our guardians for granted. How much it means to be a parent or caretaker making meal after meal for others. What it means to nurture people so they can get up each day and fulfill their dreams.
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We so often take these loved ones in our lives for granted. They’re not there to save the day. They’re there to save us. They’ll think about our needs and inclinations when no one else will.
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If you’re blessed enough to have a Senshi in your life, appreciate them!! They may not be slaying the demons, but they’re the ones who got you there.
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Love him. He’s Mother.
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symphonicmetal101 · 3 years
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After watching some anime, can I request the brothers and Side characters with an MC that makes really great bentos in their aesthetic with their favorite meals? MC could make Lucifer a fancy dish of steak done to his favorite temperature, side dishes are organized neatly, and the bento is red and black to match his design or she made pink/pastel treats for Asmo is a very cute bento that matches his style. I think it would make their day when they receive something so cute from the human
ABSOFRICKINGLUTELY! ANON! I LOVE YOU! THANK YOU! However, I write gn! Whenever possible, so I hope you don't mind. Also, I've only made bento once, so I did a tinny bit of research. Most of them stray from traditional bento, however I tried to make sure I had the four components, (protien, carbs, salad/veggies, and fruit) (except Asmo), and different cooking methods for each. Some of them I forgot to explicitly say what colour the box was, so I'm sorry about that. I didn't do Luke because he had a role in Simeon's, and I blanked. (Sorry) Also, some of them have links bc I started to lose inspiration and motivation to write the same thing over and over again bc brain juice went bye. Hopefully I did this justice, I may have gotten a little carried away...sorry for rambling.
MC Makes Bento For The Boys
Lucifer
Lucifer had been working non-stop for the past few weeks
You had barely seen him, as he was so busy going back and forth from the castle, meetings, and he had banned everyone from his office. It had gotten so bad that he would "postpone" his meals, but nobody had seen him eat in a while.
You had a lot of spare time, so you did meal prep for the whole week just for Lucifer.
It was a little past noon by the time you finished, (and made Beel swear he wouldn't touch the food because you would treat him at Madam Scream's later), so you decided to make a bento box for Lucifer's lunch today with some leftover beef and rice you had.
With your protein and carbs taken care of, you prepared some roasted asparagus to add some colour to the box as well as a couple of carrots. You also added an umeboshi plum on top of the rice to match the colour of the box. (A/N I personally don't mind umeboshi on it's own, but if anyone wants to try it, I highly suggest you eat it with rice or have water on hand 😂)(oh yeah, umeboshi is a small, sour, pickled plum.)
In the final box you arranged a couple of orange slices, strawberries and grapes.
Satisfied, you brought the box and a glass of water up to his study. You didn't even bother knocking, knowing he would just send you away anyways.
You were greeted by a low growl. "Get out."
You rolled your eyes. "No. You need to eat Lucifer, and I'm not leaving until I know you've finished this."
"I don't have time for this MC. I have to-" he was cut off by his stomach rumbling.
He blushed slightly, and continued to busy himself with work.
"Please? I hate seeing you overwork yourself like this. Have you looked in the mirror lately? When was the last time you slept? Eaten? Had something other than coffee? Have you even gone to the bathroom in the past 48 hours?"
He sighed, folded his hands under his chin and looked up at you through disheveled raven locks.
"...you really aren't going anywhere until I eat." It wasn't a question, rather a statement with a trace of relief in it.
You extended the bento box out to him once more, though this time he accepted it.
"....thank you MC.....this is quite delicious. Perhaps once I'm done my work I can take you out to Ristorante Six to show my appreciation."
You pushed his hair back and planted a kiss on his forehead.
"Once you're done your work, you're going to sleep. That's an order, sir."
He silently cursed himself as he felt himself blush again
You were planning to stay until he finished, but then you heard Mammon and Levi fighting.
"I'll take care of that love. Make sure you drink that water too. Also, I prepped meals for the rest of the week for you, so you have no excuse to not eat. I bribed Beel, so they should stay there, but as an extra precaution I got Satan to teach me a protection spell. I didn't tell him what it was for, so it should be fine."
He watched you close the door behind you and wondered what he did to deserve someone like you.
Mammon
He was complaining to you because his actions finally caught up with him, and tomorrow he had to go out and repay some witches with time and favours, (being a bagboy), instead of money
He started belly-aching even more when you told him you weren't interested in joining him.
Luckily you were on dinner duty tonight, so you had a legitimate excuse to leave his pity-party
However while you were making dinner, you decided to show Mammon a little bit of sympathy, and set some rice and pork cutlet aside that you could use later.
After dinner, Mammon followed Lucifer, trying to convince him to give him money.
So you had ample time to continue working on his bento.
He had a three compartment wooden box
You scooped the rice into the box, put the cutlet on top, and two thinly sliced pieces of lemon on top.
You cut up some yellow, red, and orange bell pepper to put in the top left corner of the box
In the last compartment, you cut up golden kiwi, pineapple chunks, and a couple blueberries
You were about to put it in the fridge, when Mammon came screaming into the kitchen.
"MC HELP ME LUCIFER'S MAD I DON'T WANNA GET STRUNG UP AGAIN AND- wait, what's that?"
You sighed. "It was supposed to be a surprise Mammon! I made lunch for you for tomorrow, because you're going to be doing some running around and who knows when you'll get a moment to yourself? I was going to cast a spell on it to keep Beel from eating it, so it would have lasted overnight too... I just want to make sure you have something healthy to eat and so you don't have to spend money on take out. If you don't want it though, I'll just give it to Beel..."
He blushed furiously. "Ya don't gotta worry bout me, silly human. The Great Mammon can take care of himself! But-uh, I'll probably end up taking it anyways, because it's umm, it's free food! And Mammon ain't about to pass that up!"
He tried to grab it, but you pulled it close to yourself and turned, blocking him.
"You only want it because it's free? Ok. Fine. You'll have to pay me if you want it." You teased
He whined a bit. "Aw come on, ya even said ya didn't want me spendin money tomorrow! And ya said it was for me! MC, this ain't fair!"
"I didn't say you had to use money."
The next day while Mammon was out and about, trying to carry multiple bags of stuff for the witches, he happily ate his food, a light blush on his cheeks as every bite reminded him of the way you felt against his lips yesterday.
Leviathan
Levi had lost out on another draw despite having spent copious amounts of money on the tickets
As such, he had locked himself in his room to temporarily drown in his sorrows
You decided to make Kyaraben, character bento, for him. (Kyaraben can also refer to animals, real life celebrities, or natural settings)
(I would do Ruri- Chan but I have no fricking clue, so here's a link to a recipe for Pikachu Kyaraben because that's what you did instead)
Hesitantly, you brought your creation to his room and lightly knocked on the door.
"...I don't wanna talk to anyone right now."
"Levi, it's me. I brought something to cheer you up! At least let me give it to you if you don't want me to stay."
You could hear some scuffling and mumbling from behind the door. "I highly doubt there's anything a normie like you can do to help."
You tried to brush that off, because, ouch, but you knew he was upset so you tried not to take it to heart.
He was pouty as he opened the door, his demon form on display.
His expression immediately changed when he saw the bento in your hands.
"WOOOOOAAAHHH!!! THIS IS FOR ME??!! YOU MADE ME BENTO??!! This is something straight out of anime!!! Uh...uhm...d-do you maybe w-want to share it?"
The last part of his sentence had him blushing furiously, and he refused to look you in the eye.
"Sure. Maybe we can watch that anime you texted me about a couple days ago too."
His eyes lit up with joy as he used his tail to gently grab your wrist and pull you excitedly to his couch.
Once he had arranged everything to his liking, he sat down and bashfully accepted the bento.
At some point, he asked if he could feed it to you, however, there was only one pair of chopsticks
Blushy otaku very much enjoyed the bento, not only because it was like his anime, but also because it was you who made it.
He also got a couple indirect kisses, and could not focus on anything but that for the next few days.
Satan
You and Satan had been spending a lot of time together lately because he was helping you study for a test
Thanks to Satan's tutoring, you had managed to get a much higher score on the test than you had imagined.
As thanks, you wanted to make a kitten Kyaraben
You found him in the library at a desk, hunched over a book, studying some foreign language.
He was so engrossed in his studies that he didn't notice you right away, so you tapped him gently on his shoulder.
"Ah, MC. I'm afraid I missed you coming in. Are you alright?"
You smiled and nodded. You brought the box out from behind your back with your test papers on top, the mark clearly visible.
"I couldn't have gotten that mark without your help, so I made you some bento as thanks. I hope you like it."
His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh MC, that wasn't necessary. Spending time with you was enough for me, but thank you."
He slid the lid off the bento and chuckled when he saw what you had done.
"That's quite clever kitten. Perhaps next time you can show me how to make it?"
His pet name made you blush a bit, but that didn't stop you from agreeing.
You two spent the next few hours discussing different meals you guys could learn to make together.
Asmodeus
Asmo had been taking you shopping lately, hyping you up and helping you destress with spa nights
In return, you decided to make a dessert bento box in a pretty pink container.
It was a square container split into nine compartments.
Across the top three compartments, you arranged a rainbow of mochi.
On the bottom three you arranged a rainbow of macaroons.
In the two outside compartments left, you put a mini Wicked cupcake in each
Finally in the middle, you arranged Hershey's kisses into a heart.
Satisfied, you made your way to his room and announced your presence at his door.
"Come in darling~ I'm just finishing up my nails!"
You let yourself in and settled across the table from Asmo.
"I brought you something. I just wanted to thank you for helping me out lately and show you how much I appreciate you!"
You placed the box next to him so he could see what you had done.
His squeal of excitement almost decimated your eardrums, however moments later you were enveloped in a very tight, heartfelt, "smooshy" hug, but his elated expression made up for your temporary loss of hearing.
"Ohh MC! You're so sweet!!!! These look delicious, let's share them!! Just let me take a picture first with my favourite snack!!"
You sat back and expected him to pick up a cupcake, but yelped as he pulled you into the frame.
"I said with my favourite snacc MC, and I meant it!!" (Yes, he still took a picture of the bento)
Beelzebub
You wanted to plan an outdoor date for the two of you that wouldn't require you to excersize.
So you decided to try and make Koraku Bento, or picnic bento, but even bigger in hopes you would be able to temporarily satiate Beel's hunger
Because you were making so much, you needed multiple boxes, and a couple days to prepare, so you asked Simeon if you could work at PH so Beel wouldn't get to it early.
Of course, he agreed
Day one, you prepared five different fillings for the Onigiri you were planning to make: sha-ke (salted salmon),umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum), okaka (bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce), kombu (simmered kombu seaweed), tuna mayo (canned tuna with Japanese mayonnaise)
Day two you prepared three large protiens, (chicken, beef, and pork), each enough to fill about two containers each. You cooked each of them differently. You also cut up/prepared vegetables you wanted to use for tempura.
Day three you woke up early in order to be ready to take Beel out after his game. You made rice and finished making the Onigiri, (which Luke was adamant you let him make with you).
And Simeon helped you make the tempura and a beautiful salad to accompany everything else.
However, now there was a lot of stuff to carry and you wanted to greet Beel out of his game.
So the angels took care of transporting the food to the roof while you went to get Beel
"Why are we going to Purgatory Hall? Are we having dinner with the angels?"
"Not quite. The date I wanted to take you on had a slight change of plans. We just need to get to the roof-"
"Do you want me to fly us up there?"
You considered it for a moment then agreed. If nothing else, you would be avoiding Solomon.
Once you landed, appreciation for the angels swelled as they had laid everything out so beautifully.
"...oh. It looks like someone else is doing something up here. It smells really good, so we should probably go. I don't want to eat someone else's food and ruin their night by accident....again." He tried to leave, but you pulled on him gently.
"I'm glad you think it smells good. This is for you! I made it for you, and the angels helped me bring it up here when I went to pick you up."
His eyes widened. "...All of that...you made it for me?"
You couldn't help but smile and nod at his bashful expression.
He hugged you gently. "Thank you MC. I know that took a lot."
"It was worth it! You haven't even tried it yet. Come on, I'm hungry!" You giggled.
Beel's stomach growled in response, causing a slight blush to light his cheeks. You're so good to him❤
Belphegor (this has a bit of crack energy, I'm sorry. So will Solomon's😅)
"MC....can you pass me my D.D.D?"
"MC....can you give me a massage?"
"MC....can you switch my laundry for me?"
"MC....can you pass me my pillow?"
"Belphie, I love you. I understand you're the Avatar of Sloth. But what the actual fuck? Your pillow is under your arm, just move it under your head. I've already gotten up, like six times to do stuff for you."
He groaned. "But it takes too much effort!" He smushed his cheek into his arm and attempted to give you puppy-dog eyes.
"Sorry, only Beel can pull that off. If you want your pillow moved less than a foot, you're going to do it yourself. You of all people should now how frustrating it is to get up as soon as you sit down."
He groaned again and grumbled as he moved his own damn pillow.
You tried to relax a bit. Normally your time with Belphie consisted of cuddles, movie nights, planeterium visits, or just plugging into some music and enjoying each other's company, like you were trying to do now.
Until you made eye contact with him again.
He was going to ask something-
"MC........... can you get me a snack?"
Dear God, he was not gonna like this.
"Of course Belphie. I'd love to."
You made your way to the kitchen with new found energy.
You were going to make Shikaeshi Bento (revenge lunchbox)
Basically, it's supposed to be inedible or embarrassing, and be used to convey anger or overall dissatisfaction
So you grabbed his bento box, dumped uncooked rice into it, cracked an egg and left the shell in the box. You used purple food colouring to make a heart.
You brought the box up to Belphie, who was surprisingly still awake
"That was quick."
You grunted in response and walked out
"Hey why are you leaving?!"
A few seconds later, you heard, "MC! ...WHAT DID I DO??!! I JUST WANTED A SNACK!!...MC PLEASE COME BACK I DON'T WANNA GET UP!!"
Diavolo
So, usually Barbatos is in charge of making sure the Demon Prince eats
However, you told Barbatos that you wanted to make something special for Dia
"My Lord would thoroughly enjoy anything you made for him. He's been very busy lately, so I'm sure he would appreciate the kind gesture."
Barbatos graciously gave you precedence over the kitchen, giving you full access to everything you could ever need or want.
You decided to make him bento with your favourite protein
One compartment you filled with rice, using sesame seeds and an umeboshi for garnish
You arranged pieces of your favourite fruits in one of the smaller compartments
Then you made your favourite type of tempura, and prepared the sauce to go in the last two compartments
You asked Barbatos where Diavolo would be, and he escorted you to his office.
"My Lord, MC has come to speak with you."
Diavolo's head shot up and his face lit up with delight as he watched you walk through the door.
"MC! A welcome surprise. How are you? Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine! I actually just wanted to give you something." You gave him the black box.
"I made bento with some of my favourite things...you mentioned wanting to get to know me a little bett-"
You were cut off by Diavolo crushing you in a hug
"...My Lord, MC needs to breathe."
"Ah, my apologies MC. This is the most wonderful, meaningful thing anyone has ever given me. How can I adequately express my gratitude? Simply name anything you want, and it shall be yours."
Once you had regained your breath, you gave him a small smile.
"Anything? Could I trouble you for your time?"
"MC, Lord Diavolo must finish his work in a timely matter. I can clear his schedule for afterwards."
"Barbatos, could they stay long enough for us to share the wonderful meal they've prepared?"
Usually Diavolo's begging and sad eyes™ would be powerless against him, however the soft spot he had for you and your much- less-seen sad expression were enough for him to bend this once.
"My Lord, I'll be back in an hour. I'm afraid that's all the time I can allow."
He stepped out, and allowed a small smile form on his face as he heard the two of you celebrate, also knowing that later on he would be listening to a very happy prince recount everything you two talked about and how much he loved you.
Barbatos
You, the brothers, and the other exchange students had been invited to the demon lord's castle for another event
It wasn't for another day, but you felt your chest tighten as you remembered Barbatos
Did he even get to eat those days when everyone was there?
You didn't want to take that chance, and decided to set up a small, filling bento box.
It only had three compartments, so you stuffed each one.
One had rice and meat.
You made some sushi and tamagoyaki to go on top.
For the last compartment, you made a simple chickpea salad.
The next day, Barbatos welcomed you all to the castle, as per usual.
However, this time he stuck around once the brothers and others had left.
"I...Well you already know, but this is for you!"
He nodded and graced you with a smile. "My knowing does not take away from my appreciation MC. Admittedly, nights like this are very demanding. I will repay you later. Thank you."
He tried to walk away, but you yelled after him, "You're not supposed to repay someone for a gift! Just take it!!"
He smiled to himself as he started to eat some food.
Perhaps this night would not be as taxing as he thought
Simeon
You had been experimenting new dinner recipes with Luke at Purgatory Hall; you were watching him while Simeon was away.
"If we leave these leftovers out, Solomon will get to them and ruin them."
"....why don't we make bento for Simeon? He's coming back tomorrow, isn't he?"
Luke beamed at you. "Okay!"
He went to get a small bento box divided into fifths (two large bottom compartments and three small top ones).
"Ok, so in one of the big ones, we can fit the rest of the rice."
Luke nodded. "Can I use this?" He held up a star-shaped cookie cutter.
"Of course!" You helped him mould the rice into a stable star shape.
He looked so happy designing stuff, you let him take the lead.
By the time you were finished, it was easily the most stunning dish you had seen.
"Wow MC! We should do this more often!" He was very proud of himself, and rightfully so. "I can't wait to give it to Simeon!....Is it ok if I give it to Simeon? It was your idea, so it's ok if you want to do it instead..."
You just smiled at him. "You can give it to him, you did most of the work anyways. For now though, you need to get to bed."
He pouted slightly, but complied.
The next morning you woke up to Luke speaking very animatedly to Simeon.
"Yeah! We tried a bunch of new things, and then MC suggested we make you a bento box with the leftovers, and it turned out really well so I can't wait for you to try it!!"
You leaned against the kitchen doorframe observing the interaction.
"Thank you Luke, it looks wonderful. Good morning MC. I hope you slept well. Thanks for ba- for helping Luke while I was away."
He smiled gently at you before Luke was trying to get him to try the bento again.
He took a bite and smiled at Luke.
"It's delicious. You guys must have put a lot of love into it, as always." He looked directly at you at that point, but Luke was too elated to notice the silent exchange between you too.
Solomon
"Don't get mad at me! You agreed to test spells with me!"
"You asked me when I was half asleep Solomon! I also meant later, not right away!"
"Well, you're not a frog anymore, so I don't see what the problem is."
.... No, you weren't a frog anymore
That didn't mean you were happy about being a frog in the first place.
You texted Simeon, 'Who's on lunch duty today?"
"Me. Why?"
"I'll make us bento. We can picnic, the exchange students, that is."
So you spent the next little bit making normal bento for the three of you.
"Simeon said we should probably leave in five minutes" you thanked Luke and started on Solomon's.
You made Shikaeshi bento; you cracked four eggs and aligned their yolks into a rather phallic shape, added way too much fish oil, and threw a few sesame seeds on top.
However, once you made it to the picnic grounds, Solomon opened his box and gasped.
"MC, you know me so well!" And proceeded to drink right out of the box, the rest of you looking on in horror.
"I thought you were mad at me and you were going to give me something disgusting like Mac and Cheese. I guess all is forgiven. Thank you!"
At that point you couldn't even stay mad, that was just disgusting.
Aye, I hope you liked it anon, not sure if this is quite what you meant but....yeah.
Love y'all!
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thebluenoteblog · 4 years
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Who I Am With You
Summary: You visit the Tkachuk’s for the first time and they are a bit surprised by Matthew’s new attitude.
Player: Matthew Tkachuk
Word Count: 2k
Requested: visitning Matty Tkachuk and his family and Matty being super soft and Keith and Chantal have to do a double take because he's being so sweet and puppy like
“Don’t be so nervous, babe.” Matthew said, wrapping his free arm arm around your waist and pressing a kiss to the side of your head. “Everything will be fine. They’ll love you.”
You frowned up at him then quickly looked back ahead of you to avoid running into anyone in the crowded airport. “I don’t know if I believe that,” you said. “I’m not a very loveable person.”
“That is such a lie and you know it,” he rolled his eyes at you and squeeze you against his side, you stumbled, and he steadied you then chuckled like he hadn’t been the reason that you’d almost fallen in the first place. “Besides, you’ve met Brady once and he thinks you’re great.”
“I’m still not too sure about this…” you said, trailing off as Matthew’s parents and sister came into view in the crowd of people waiting for passengers to exit the gates. “Show time.”
He snorted, “You’re ridiculous. If I had to handle meeting your family who thought I was a massive dick before they even knew me, then you can handle meeting my family who has only heard amazing things about you.”
“You don’t know what Brady has told them,” you said, pausing and looking up at him with wide eyes.
He looked down at you and for the first time realized that you were legitimately scared. He set the suitcase he was rolling up on its wheels and turned to face you. He put a hand under your chin and tilted your face up toward his. He pressed a soft kiss to your lips, nothing indecent, nothing that would make anyone stop and stare. It was comforting. It was sweet. He pulled away and stroked his thumb over your cheek, “I promise, everything will be okay.”
You smiled up at him and nodded, “Okay.”
He returned your smile and your nod and said, “Good, are you ready now?”
You intertwined your fingers with his and then said, “Now I am.”
He laughed and brought your hand to his lips before dropping it back between you. He grabbed the suitcase and started toward his family.
“Welcome home, Matthew!” Chantel exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him as soon as he was close enough for her to reach. You attempted to let go of his hand, so he had two arms to hug her back with, but he held onto you.
“Hi, mom.” He said, giving her a one-armed hug.
Chantel turned to you and said, “You must be (Y/N),” she was smiling, and you could tell that you were about to get a hug too. You were right. You gave her the same one-armed hug that Matthew had a moment before.
“That would be me,” you said as she pulled back. “It’s so nice to finally meet you guys.”
“I’m still amazed that he finally brought a girl home,” Taryn said, “I was beginning to think that it would never happen.”
Chantel hushed her, “Leave your brother alone.”
Taryn’s eyes widened, “Leave Matthew alone? He has a girl here and now he’s off limits? I need to try that.”
Keith laughed and rubbed his eyebrow, “Oh god, it’s already starting.”
Matthew held up your joined hands, “I’m innocent.”
Keith looked at him and opened his mouth to say something, then paused, thought about it and said, “You know what, I think that is the first time in your entire life that you’ve ever said that, and it wasn’t a lie.”
“Thank you?” Matthew asked, dropping your hands.
Keith shook his head, still looking a little confused and held out a hand for you to shake. You took it and he said, “It’s nice to meet you too. I’ll apologize in advance for the chaos.”
You laughed, “I’m second youngest of five. I’m used to chaos.”
Keith nodded, but there was something in the look on his face that made you think you might be in for a little more than you’d bargained for over the next two weeks. “We should get going. Brady’s waiting back at the house.”
“When did he get in?” Matthew asked, grabbing his bag and you moved to grab yours, but Keith got to it before you and was wheeling it ahead of you.
“Earlier this morning,” Chantel responded, “He didn’t want to go out again after just getting off a plane or he would have been here to meet you.”
“Better to save the big family reunion for at home anyway,” Keith said, “Don’t need anyone to get cross checked in an airport.”
Matthew rolled his eyes, “It was one time.”
Chantel sighed behind you and Taryn laughed, “I thought it was funny. I was hoping for a fight.”
“Taryn,” Chantel chastised, “don’t encourage that.”
“Why do you want us to fight?” Matthew asked her, “You grew up watching us beat each other up.”
“No,” She said, “I grew up watching you beat up Brady. Now Brady is big enough to beat you up.”
Matthew looked over his shoulder and frowned at her, “Jerk.”
Keith was laughing quietly at the front of the group and Chantel was rolling her eyes. Matthew turned back around, and his eyes landed on you beside him. He brought the back of your hand to his lips again and then dropped them between you just as he had before.
You could feel two sets of eyes on your back but thought nothing of it, assuming that they were just happy to have Matthew home and taking in the girl that he had brought with him.
<><><><><><><><><><>
“Matthew tells us that you’re a social worker?” Chantel asked while gathering roasted potatoes on her fork.
You nodded, “Yeah, I graduated last semester. I’m really enjoying it.”
“It must be a hard job,” she said.
You nodded again, “It isn’t easy, but I’ve wanted to do it most of my life, so I can’t complain.”
Matthew looked over at you, “She’s amazing at what she does too,” he said.
Brady and Taryn gave each other strange looks over the table which you caught but didn’t pay much attention to. Keith looked at Matthew and leaned forward, his elbows on the table and asked, “Matthew, what do you think of Brady’s new haircut?”
Matthew didn’t even look at Brady, he had an arm across the back of your chair and he was sitting at an angle in his seat, his knee touching yours under the table. He never looked up from his plate. “It’s cool.”
Keith stared blankly at his oldest son, then his eyes drifted between the two of you. He leaned back in his seat and piled potatoes onto his fork. “Interesting,” was all he said.
<><><><><><><><>
You were curled into Matthew’s side, his arm holding you close to him and he leaned down to whisper in your ear, “See, they love you almost as much as I do. You had nothing to be worried about.”
You looked up at him and smiled as Brady plopped onto the couch beside you with an exaggerated sigh and kicked his feet up on the ottoman. “What movie are we watching?” he asked.
Matthew shrugged, “Ask (Y/N), she picked it out. I have no idea what I’m watching right now.”
Brady turned slowly to face him, “You let someone else pick a movie?”
“Yeah, what’s the big deal?”
Brady just laughed and turned toward the TV shaking his head, “I don’t even know man. I don’t even know.”
You looked between the two brothers, but Matthew didn’t seem too concerned about it, he had a hand in your hair and an arm tossed across your lap and he had his eyes fixed back on the screen as though Brady had never said a thing.
<><><><><><><><>
You pulled back the covers and sat down on the bed, watching as Matthew hung up the last shirt from your suitcases in the closet. Finally, you couldn’t take the curiosity anymore. You sighed and asked, “Why does your whole family keep giving us the side eye?”
This time it was his turn to side eye you. “What are you talking about, babe?”
“All day. It seems like every time you say something everyone looks at you like you’ve lost your mind,” you said as you pulled your leg underneath you.
He paused, hand still on the hanger. He turned to look over his shoulder at you. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
You shook your head and pulled the sheets over your legs, “Never mind. It was a stupid question.”
Matthew closed the closet door, walked across the room, and crawled into bed beside you. He pulled his side of the sheets over the lower half of his body and wrapped his arms around you, “None of your questions are stupid, baby.”
You curled up into his chest and closed your eyes, attempting to forget about the odd looks and Matthews avoidance of your questions.
<><><><><><><><>
Matthew always woke up before you, and this morning he could smell his mother cooking breakfast downstairs, so he wasted no time in pressing a kiss to your forehead and crawling out of bed, pulling on a shirt then heading down the stairs to hopefully steal some bacon off the plate.
The second he walked into the kitchen, four sets of eyes focused on him. He raised an eyebrow at them, “Morning,” he stretched the word, overexaggerating every syllable.
“Morning lover boy,” Brady said just lowly enough that their mother wouldn’t hear from across the kitchen where she was standing at the stove.
Matthew narrowed his eyes at his brother, “At least I can land a girl, asshole.”
Taryn snorted from across the table, “The spell only works when she’s around. We have to keep her.”
Keith was leaning back in his chair, coffee mug in his hand, “It’s weird. I don’t know how I feel about it.”
“What are you talking about?” Matthew asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
“You,” Taryn waved a hand at him, “not being an asshole for the first time in your life.”
Matthew blinked at her a few times, shocked by her words. “I take pride in being an asshole, thank you.”
“But you weren’t a dick all day yesterday,” Brady said, but he forgot to keep his voice down and Chantel heard him.
She glanced up from the bacon she was frying and narrowed her eyes at him, “Language.”
“Sorry, mom,” Brady said. “You weren’t a jerk all day yesterday,” he amended.
Matthew thought back through the day. He couldn’t think of one moment where he had said or done anything rude or crude. He didn’t even have to think about why. He knew the answer already. It was the same reason that he hadn’t answered you when you had asked him why his family was giving him weird looks even though he’d had a pretty good idea.
You were so good. You helped kids for a living and you loved spending time with them. You loved feeling like you were making a difference in the world. You were so strong. You were so beautiful. You were so much better than him.
He hit people for a living. Not really. He played hockey, and he played it well, but sometimes it felt like that’s all that people knew him for. He was terrified that if you ever saw the pesky, snarky, asshole side of him off the ice, that’s all that you would see to.
But there was more to him.
You were the first person to ever see more than that.
“No,” Matthew said, shrugging his shoulders as he headed over to the island to grab a piece of bacon, effectively ending the conversation, “I guess I wasn’t.”
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brideofcthulhu10 · 4 years
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More headcanons to help me work through the dreaded writer's block! Hope you guys don't mind it's a bit slow right now, I plan on posting another tonight and hopefully I'll be able to get to some asks once my brain is no longer fried
Dwayne Headcanons
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When he was responsible for Laddie, Dwayne would often take him out to the boardwalk whenever Star was busy. Sometimes he’d even choose to take him along even if they were with Star just to hang with the munchkin
If anyone told him he was too short Dwayne would hypnotize them into letting him one. He wasn't exactly worried about the kid being flung from the roller coaster, he could easily catch him if it happened. It felt awesome impressing him at the strength test, just watching him jump up and down as the attendant handed him a giant blue monkey which of course he'd give to Laddie. The boy was such a hyper, sunny child it was hard not to laugh when this spritely eight year old would play a water gun game and yell “this is a load of bullshit” when he lost. Well, he did grow up around four teenage guys, two having the worst language you could imagine. David used the word "fuck" like it was going out of style. At one point some lady in her thirties tried to lecture Laddie about watching his language, to which Dwayne had immediately stepped in after he said “piss off lady”. Again he had to choke back a laugh, pushing the kid behind him before this lady throttled him. To save face Dwayne feigned some half assed “shame on you” to Laddie just so she would piss off, and then ushered him away- for an ice cream sundae. Granted while he couldn’t condone a kid cussing up a storm, he did find it utterly hilarious watching this uppity chick squawk like a hen in outrage.
“Seriously though I don’t know where the hell you learned all that from-”
“Paul taught me.”
“Yeah, well, Paul probably isn’t the best guy to copy, kiddo. "
Chinese food isn’t his favorite, but he knows it’s Markos so he doesn’t complain when they have it at least once a week. Actually, his favorite is probably Hispanic. Many forget much of California was once Mexico, and as such the culture still thrived even into the early 1900s. Santa Carla flourished, and between pick pocketing gigs and heavy labor on the docks, Dwayne could always count on there being fresh tortillas for a few dollars after a long day. Elotes with extra chili powder, huarache, freshly brewed horchata on ice? Utterly delicious! Nothing can compare to freshly made tamales by a sweet abuela in a tiny food truck cooing to you in Spanish. Even he can blush when they pinch his cheeks gushing about what a skinny man he is. Paul and Marko love it as well and will often tag along when Dwayne goes to Mama Rosa’s, although he often has to elbow Paul in the gut because he’ll flirt with the cooks in the back into getting a free taco.
“Ay, Paul, mi angelito querido cielito, you’re skin and bones!”
“Well, I always skip a meal before coming here, abuela. Your cooking is too epic to have anything else in my stomach!”
“Dude, will you stop flirting with that poor woman before you give her a heart attack, you ass?”
Dwayne had a brother many years ago who was lost after being caught in direct sunlight during the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Since then on April 18th he holds a small memorial for his brother Jasper, who died pulling the curtains shut to shield them from the sun. Some years David, Paul and Marko will join him, silently drinking to their fallen friend. It's a rare moment of seriousness for these wild boys, sitting beside an altar crudely constructed atop a wooden crate, draped over with the jacket once worn by Jasper that survived the flames. Decorated in worn candles melted by decades of use, a bottle of rum from over eighty years ago still untouched with an empty shot glass beside it caked in dust and cobwebs, worn flowers shriveled into darkened husks, a glass of blood they keep freshly filled with each visit, feathers of birds to help carry him to the sky. Every time he adds something new, a gift from every era. Recently he brought Jasper a Def Leppard vinyl record, propped against a sketch of his brother drawn before his passing by an admirer who had died long ago. Paul left a little toy motorcycle for him, Marko brought an old pocket watch he found at an antique store that bore a striking resemblance to one he had admired long ago, and David brought him a hunting knife
“You would’ve loved hair bands, Jas. Everything’s changed now, its crazy. It sucks you never got a bike of your own,” Dwayne would say, sitting in the dark with only the tender flicker of candles brushing away the dark. Never again would he let the sun take him. It was the darkest, deepest cave in the hotel. And there, Dwayne spoke more than he ever does outside “Horses were cool, but it’s better to have something that doesn’t stop every time it takes a shit, you know?”
Unfortunately Dwayne sucks at video games. It’s not that he doesn’t get it, but he has the worst gamer rage. Now, Dwayne doesn’t often get legitimately mad, but when he’s been playing the same god damn stupid water level for the past hour and a half just to be killed by a squid-! Well, lets just say Paul practically dove to catch the controller before it was chucked at the tv, and cue a dirty look towards Dwayne for nearly smashing his “baby”. He wasn’t about to have him break ANOTHER controller. Yeah that wasn’t the first. At this point he’s content just watching from afar and sometimes back seat gaming when Marko is going the wrong way. He’s not nearly as bad as David who will openly call someone stupid after dying. 
Dwayne is definitely the type to nap after a long night. Truthfully he misses when he could just lay out in the sun like a lizard on a hot rock after a long day, it’d feel incredible. Instead he’s resorted to a hot water bottle or a heating pad. Yeah, he loves hot weather. Summertime is his favorite time, just savoring the toasted air blowing in his face on rides over the beaches. Sometimes he’ll try to wake up early to watch the sunset from within the cave, although it’s burnt him on more than one occasion he will still try to get a glimpse. Winter is the worst for him, he hates, absolutely despises the cold. Even though he doesn't technically get cold anymore, everything seems to die away in the winter leaving only twisted branches and grey skies. David may enjoy all that gloomy melancholy but not him.
One wouldn’t assume Dwayne to have much of a sweet tooth. That’s because they’re wrong. While he isn’t into the marshmallow caramel double candy bars deep fried and dipped in chocolate like Marko or Laddie, he has a serious weakness for chocolate. Like, a major weakness. Paul is still searching for his stash, tucked away somewhere secret in the hotel. Any time he thinks he’s close to finding it, Dwayne moves it again.
“Dude, sharing is fucking caring you greedy bastard”
“Get your own candy asshole, why do you think I keep my stash hidden from you guys?”
Now the whole hoity toity fancy chocolate isn’t what appeals to him. He can certainly appreciate a well made chunk of dark chocolate sprinkled with chili powder, but he’ll settle for a cheap bar snatched from a gas station. Most sweets weigh heavy on him, but chocolate is such a unique medium that can be changed into almost anything, appealing to every taste imaginable. Sweet, savory, spicy, bitter, semi-sweet, rich, dense, light. Chocolate cake, chocolate doughnut, hot chocolate, fudge, and of course the traditional candy bar. You make him a mug of Mexican hot chocolate and he is putty in your hands. You couldn’t necessarily bribe him with food. But you could certainly butter him up to suggestions when he’s crunching down on a candy bar. Paul knows this, and at this point Dwayne knows this guy has royally fucked up if he comes up to him with a stack of chocolate bars.
“Heeeeey, Dwayne, buddy, old pal, chum, lookie what I found, all for you man how cool is that?”
“....,” Dwayne glances up from his book at the handful of chocolate and slowly lowers it with a firm sigh. “What the hell did you do now?”
“Wha-Whaaa-? Oh! Okay, wow. Woooow. Offend much? I go out of my way- I mean, can’t a guy just, you know, do something nice for his best friend-?”
“Paul. What. did. you. do?”  
“Okay okay, well you see David made me go fill up his stupid bike, and there was this hot chick at the gas station, I mean perfect fuckin ten man, she had the biggest frickin tits- okay anyway! Well, next thing I know the keys are gone, the chick's gone, the fuckin bike- You gotta help me man he’s gonna fucking kill me and dance on my grave!”
Of course Dwayne will help… in exchange for twice the chocolate. Like I said, it won’t always work as a bribe, but it’ll certainly help your cause if you go in with some incentive.
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shelvedsaints · 3 years
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ABOUT TARYN || A crimson headache, an aching blush━ you’ll surrender to the touch and you’ll know.
CHARACTER BASICS
NAME: Taryn Aldous Lynch
AGE: Twenty-Six
GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis-female, She/Her
FACE CLAIM: Sophie Cookson
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Brown
HEIGHT: 5′8″
DATE OF BIRTH: December 28th
ZODIAC SIGN: Aries
LEVEL OF EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in Finance & Art with a Minor in Accounting, Business, and Marketing 
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: N/A
OCCUPATION: Tattoo Artist and Owner of Salt & Ink, Drug Dealer
HOMETOWN: Key West, FL
NEIGHBORHOOD: Newtown
CHARACTER HISTORY [TW: DRUGS]
The Lynch Family has been in the pharmaceutical business for generations but it wasn’t until Kristoff Lynch took charge that the business became less than legitimate. BetterCorp of Salem, Maine was the front to a business dealing drugs illegally, and with major success.
This lead to a life of ease for Taryn and her sister, Taylor. The girls attended private school until their graduation, and had even been accepted to other prestigious colleges for their postsecondary education.
Their father was very concerned about having a legacy, and therefore after his first born son from a previous marriage being less than adequate and not entirely stable, he pressured his wife into having more children. However, he knew that the wait between having another child came from the trauma of their first son’s upbringing and that she felt inadequate as a mother.
He took care of the twins their first two years of life, stressing the importance of balance, math, and science from a young age. He was always very reserved, but did take the twins surfing quite often even if he had to yell at them to stop complaining about the cold. He wanted his children resilient and ruthless, and he would mold them as such. 
If you ever asked Taryn to draw her mother, a glass of wine and golden bangles would surely be included. Her mother didn’t drink much, but she always used hid behind a glass of wine to ease herself even though she sipped on it for hours. She was beautiful and cunning, a terrible cook but full of effort, and just as much of a snake in her husband’s ears as she collected secrets from others at parties as she was a trophy on his side.
However, she wasn’t a great mother. She was pressured by her husband to have another child for his legacy, and after the twins were born, she developed postpartum depression. She did not want to hold them, touch them, barely even feed them herself. The twins, in fact, spent more time with their father their first two years of life. Taylor needed her mother and easily won her favor while Taryn never truly developed a relationship with her as she was independent from a young age. It was easy to see that Taylor was her favorite. 
Taylor, in particular, had been more inclined to join their father’s business than Taryn. But alas, Taryn and her sister have always been inseparable and she has always been her sister’s keeper. Taylor was always the more outspoken of the twins, but it was her mouth that got her into just as much trouble as it did success. She had just as many enemies as she has had friends. Taryn spent most of her life not in her shadow, but BEING it in order to protect her from not only others, but from herself. Even if enemies came with the territory of dealing drugs, Taylor was testing her limits since the day she was born.
The girls were cut off from their parents fortune and told that they had to earn their way back into the will. When the girls attended a private college, the only thing that would be paid for them, the struggled slightly to acclimate to being in charge of their own fortunes. Taryn transitioned better than Taylor. Taylor immediately turned to selling drugs to get more money to satisfy her heavy spending habits. Taryn followed suit to keep an eye on her and they found that they were quite good at it. The girls then agreed to drop out to attend a local college and used the leftover money from their expensive tuitions to buy a building where they would launder the money.
They returned to their hometown, not far from their former school so they kept their clientele, and worked directly for their father and BetterCorp.
Taylor at first began dealing marijuana and shrooms in an attempt to show her father she knew the business well and was careful, and eventually upgraded to higher drugs. At first she threatened to go on her own, but his father eventually gave in.
Taryn, on the other hand, wasn’t too keen on the idea but involved herself solely to keep an eye on her sister. While Taylor was eager and excited to make enemies just as much as friends, Taron was reserved and skeptical of everyone. Taryn eventually combed through her sister’s methods to perfect it and gain their father’s trust together.
Like many identical twins, the Lynch girls had more differences than similarities. Taylor’s first impression was usually that she was a force to be reckoned with, fully aware of her influence and the taste it left in someone’s mouth. She thrived in a social setting and looked for friends with the same intention she did as looking for enemies. Taryn, on the other hand, was always reserved and lived as her shadow in order to protect her from her own antics and their consequences. However, Taryn never really minded. He had his own troubles that Taylor had to take into his own hands to make up for it. If the twins were trouble on their own, they had a whole different breed of power together. From their own hybrid of sign language to similar traumas, they were a force of nature.
PRESENT DAY [TW: DRUGS, CAR ACCIDENT]
Two years ago, business took a south turn. In an attack against competitors, a few dealers were killed. The crime rolled over into a major case. It was revealed that it was done in a retaliation against the movement of the company into the hands of the twins. In order to ease the strife, and avoid further scandal, Kristoff sent the girls down the coast but after Taryn suspected more strife, she made a more permanent move down the coast.
In the Keys, she bought the local tattoo shop on Duval Street and cleaned up its reputation. She put her few years of tattoo apprenticeship, her hobby, into use and eventually the store became a front for the drug dealer she failed to turn away from. She had kept a secret since she knew better than to get into the very business that had driven not only a wedge between the life they knew, but had gotten them into trouble. It didn’t last long though, even more so when it came to secrets against her sister, and eventually the Lynch twins were reunited.
While Taryn seems much quieter than her sister, she reserves her outbursts for different forms of aggravation. Most girls tend to internalize it, but she unleashes it in illegal underground fighting that leaves her tainted in black and blue more often than not, but also winnings that add to more finances she has to cover up. It is suspected that he was never the same after their brother’s girlfriend perrished in a car accident that seemed rigged by the enemies of BetterCorp, a hit meant to take out the next generation of the heads of the company. It was a hit that would have been more useful against the twins, and Taryn holds some guilt because of it. The crash took his girlfriend’s life, and scarred Taryn in the explosion as she had sent him off. She has some of the scars tattooed over but it is the primary detail that sets the girls apart from the tattoos.
HEAD CANONS
In elementary school, Taylor was diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) which is a behavioral disorder. It took some time for Taryn to be diagnosed with it as it presented itself differently in both girls. While Taylor was constantly snapping and raising her voice as well as getting into physical altercations with his own friends, Taron seemed to solely take it out on his brother and it was easily written off as retaliation for many years. 
They dabbled in drug dealing in high school and used their different positions in their social settings to do it. They dealt schedule III drugs as well as coke. Taryn had the private school social scene, while Taylor reigned the public school setting.
 As for their disorder, the girls loved each other very much but they were each other’s weakness. One small comment set the other off, one on the floor in a choke hold and the other slamming them against the nearest piece of furniture. For Taryn in particular, she bottled up her feelings and her outbursts resulted in episodes so extreme that it became Taylor’s job to hold her sister back. Taron would go into full on fits and Taylor had taken responsibility of protecting her even from herself. Eventually the violence that satisfied this rage was fed into by illegal fighting.
Taylor’s vices, though, took a different form. When they began dealing, she started digging into their own supply. Taryn had been the one to revive her from an accidental overdose.
Due to another altercation in their youth, Taryn lost most of the hearing in her left ear. This was Taylor’s fault as in one fight she punched Taryn’s ear hard enough to shatter the small bones. Taron got her back, though, and ended up breaking Taylor’s wrist to the point that she needed surgery for the scaphoid fracture.
The older Lynch brother was never fit for BetterCorp and therefore the twins, youngest and girls, were viewed as the heirs but treated as henchmen for the company first and foremost. However, it didn’t mean that he was forgotten by the girls. They each take care of him and keep an eye on him and his erratic schedule, and always have even when they were encouraged to keep him at arm’s length. There is something off, but with their own poor self management skills, they have yet to identify what. 
WANTED CONNECTIONS
Clients (Salt & Ink and Dealing)
Co-workers
Sparring partners
Those who bet on her in underground fighting
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nosferatyou · 4 years
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New Tune: Part 2 (Jake Kiszka x Reader)
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WC: 1.8k 
Warnings: Cursing, mentions of drugs and alcohol.
 Summary: Two guitarists meet at a Rock Festival, only having a week with each other before they have to return to their own lives. The bond they create is unfeigned and resolute.
I wake up in my bunk to pounding headache. That's what I get for drinking everything away last night. The sun brightly shining through the windows caused me groan and grab the pair of sunglasses next to me. Always there just for that reason. A voice from the other side of the bus suddenly spoke, startling me.
“Jesus!”
I look up to see Eli, the bassist for our band, giving me a smug grin, and carefully cradling a cup of coffee in his hands.
“What did you say?” I get up from my bunk and stretch, and grab a seat across from him on the couch.
“I said. Have a fun night?” He asked again with the same grin.
“Oh fuck off, Eli. For what it's worth that was one of my tamer nights.”
“You could be heard from across from the park, quite the tame night you had.”
You lightly kick his leg and crossed your arms, a smile crossing your lips. Remembering the two boys you'd met the previous night. “Hey you know what I’m like when I make new friends, but enough about me we always talk about the crazy shit I get into. What’d you do last night?”
He relaxes more into his spot, taking a quick sip of coffee. “Went hiking and found this really cool spot that overlooks the desert. It's also a bit hidden away. If you know what I mean.” He says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
“Eli please don’t tell me about your fuck spot.”
He gave a quick laugh, seeming pleased with himself. “I’m kidding, it's just a good smoke spot. No need to fret.”
I perked up when I heard “Smoke spot.” It had been a bit since I last smoked weed and honestly waking up hungover everyday consistently is starting to get old. I mean i'm not gonna stop, but a different poison could be fun for a night.
“Wait hold on you have weed? Could I buy from you? I really only need enough for tonight.” He looked hesitant, which frankly I understand. You don't want to give it away.
He looked me up and down then squinted his eyes. Really considering his options. “Mmmm” He hummed, hesitance in his tone.
“Come on please? I wont be as annoying and rowdy.”
“Fuck, fine. Just give me cash tonight.”
He got up from the couch and started walking to the back of the bus. “I’m not rolling it for you, though! That's all you.”
I let out a long groan and dramatically flopped down on the couch. “But I’m shit at that.”
“Find a buddy.”
That wasn't a half bad idea. It couldn’t be Matt though, hes strictly an alcohol man, he gets anxious when he smells weed. Maybe one of those guys from last night would be fun. He came back into the room wielding a little Doggy bag, throwing it over to me. Heading to the back of the bus again yelling, “Have fun. And there's no more coffee, but there is coffee in the break room in the venue. Gotta fuel up before Practice!” I groaned again, Sitting up and grabbing some random clothes strewn about. I'm sure boots are fine for the desert.
Even with the sunglasses, I could barely stand the bright light, and the heat for that matter. I don't know why I thought jeans would work for this weather. The camp was jumping with life, artists were quietly playing guitar outside and everyone seemed to have the same idea about coffee. The heat was unbearable, it was dry and unwavering. I was dressed in what seemed to be one of my band mates button up shirts, black jeans, and a pair of black leather Chelsea boots. Which was the general consensus for clothes here, which meant we were all suffering. After what felt like a painfully long walk, I finally made it to the venue and spotted the coffee line. Which in hindsight wasn't that long, but in this moment it was miles long. I quickly spotted a familiar face at the end of the line, and poked his back. He turned around, sporting a very confused look on his face, before he recognized me. A smile adorned his face, and he turned around to face me.
“I think know why you're here.” He said with a smirk.
“Oh?”
He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
“You had too much to drink this morning and your brother broke the coffee machine attempting to cook food in it.” the smirk disappearing, being replaced by a goofy smile.
“How’d you know? He broke it three weeks ago trying to make brownies.” You laughed and then continued, “No we just ran out of coffee beans like two days ago and have not attempted to restock.”
“Well, I currently have no machine because of… mysterious circumstances.” He winked and moved up in line. “Anyways how are you feeling after last night? Because I'm pretty sure we are in the same boat.”
“Bold question, my friend. I'll give you the answer I give everyone. I feel exactly like I do yesterday morning, extremely hungover.”
“Does that answer ever change?” He asked, moving a little closer.
“Ask again tomorrow and maybe you'll see.” I say with a smug grin on my face, unconsciously moving closer to Jake.
Despite his hangover his skin seemed to glow, all of his features did. His hair slightly unkempt, yet it works out perfectly. The highlights of his face accentuated his nose and cheekbones. I looked down to see that we were essentially matching, clothing wise. The only exception was the three buttons keeping his shirt closed. I mean I can’t say I’m any different, but my navel isn’t showing. I looked back up to catch his gaze staring back at me. “You’re staring.”
Fuck. I straighten up and adjust my shirt slightly, “We’re matching.”
He let out a small laugh, “What?”
“I mean I could wear my shirt and actually say I'm wearing it, but our clothes. We’re matching.”
He looked at himself up and down, then me. “Well so we are.” He looked scanning over my body again, not hiding that he's fully checking me out.
“It’s a universally good look.” I winked, then pointed behind him, insinuating it was his turn. While he started making two cups of coffee I started to ask, “Have any plans tonight, Rockstar?”
“I don’t have anything planned, Rockstar.” That smile from before returning back to his face.
“Well I have practice until like 5? Anyways I feel as though we should jam before the week is up. Its required, were guitarists.”
Jake with his back turned to me, still preparing the drinks questions, “Required?”
“I’m requiring it. Bring an acoustic and meet at my bus at 5.”
He turned around handing me a paper cup of coffee. “Well if ‘required I guess you'll just see me then.” His eyes soften and a small smile tugged at his lips.
“See you later, Rockstar.”
We somehow had created a space for the whole band on the bus, practice is hard enough to schedule in as is, but fitting the whole drum kit in there is a nightmare. There was practically no standing room, because of all the amps and rigs. Me and Eli were stuck sitting on our amps while Matt tried to prance around the space. Finally Asa’s kit was tucked in by the kitchen area, clustered together to save space. We have definitely had worse conditions so no one was complaining. Our playing stopped because Matt wasn’t happy about something in the song, but honestly my mind wasn’t all there. Though this was one of the first times in awhile I had showed up sober, but I was distracted for completely different reasons. My phone next to me was vibrating every 30 seconds, I kind of had it shut off for a day or two because of it. My boyfriend gets to be a bit paranoid and overprotective whenever we tour. I know its pretty fucking rude to ignore him, but its just so constant. I couldn’t handle it sometimes.
Y/N its been 24 hours are you alive?? Seriously what the fuck I'm legitimately worried I don’t know why i am this isn't new behavior When you want to fucking act like an adult feel free to reach out.
“Y/N!” Matt suddenly yelled, pulling me away from my phone. I pulled my eyes away to look back at him, annoyance visible. “Shes finally back.” He grabbed the microphone and looked away, “Lets go from the bridge.”
I grabbed my phone and went into our tiny bathroom to find some privacy. My finger hovered over his contact for a few seconds before finally pressing call. He just about instantly picked up, sounding disheveled.
“Y/N?”
“Hi.” I said meekly.
“That's all you have to say? Hi?” Anger more present in his tone.
“I.. No. Listen I've been a shitty girlfriend-” He suddenly cut me off.
“You bet you fucking have. You ignore me for two fucking days and when you do talk its so sparse i could barely call it a conversation.” He said basically spitting every word.
“I've been busy..”
“Like hell you have been. We all know you’ve just been getting fucked up and messing around.” His tone sounding more condescending.
“Sam I'm sorry! I’m just going through some stuff, you know I love you.” I practically had to yell to get anything in.
“Sure you do.” You could practically hear him rolling his eyes through the phone.
“Sam I do!”
“Oh don’t waste your fucking breath lying to me.” He paused for a moment, the line going quiet.
“You know I only stay with you because we both know i’m the best you’ve got and the best you’re ever going to do.” His voice quiet but laced with poison.
“Go have fun, Y/N. Doing whatever you’ve been fucking doing for these past few days. Maybe you’ve started shooting up, bound to happen with the crowd you hang out with.” He paused for a beat. “I'll see you at home, Y/N.”
Chapter 3
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imaginationlane · 5 years
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The Assistant [Part 7 of ? // Bill Skarsgard x Reader Imagine]
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Warnings: Adult Language / Themes, Angst, Sexually Suggestive References & Minimal Gore References (in relation to a dream / nightmare sequence).
Author’s Notes:  Because I know that a lot of you have been waiting forever for this, I am back and I am so sorry for the wait. This chapter was supposed to be posted a little while ago, but I wanted to tweak it as this chapter will be important, and has major plot developments -- that will have an effect on future chapters. Plus, the wonderful, talented and amazing @andthereisawoman just recently created a new cover for this fic for me -- that I can’t stop marveling at! How wonderful is this new cover, guys? I’m in love, and I’ve officially found my forever cover lol. 
As for this chapter: I will say this, it opens up with a dream / nightmare sequence in Bill's POV -- and the nightmare sequence alone has given me the most hell with this chapter. You guys have no earthly idea how much of a fight that this one scene gave me, for an entire year lol. 
Also, the nightmare sequence sort of plays into the fact that Bill admitted shortly after the first IT movie came out, that he had nightmares for a few weeks after filming. While this nightmare will not be centric to the IT film in any way, I can say that the stress of playing such a complex character, and well... an affair, are heavily contributing factors in this scene in the story. 
Finally, I’d like to give a big “thank you” to @theswedishblonde for her time in translating several of these dialog lines into Swedish for me. I really and truly, couldn’t do this without their help, and I sincerely appreciate the time they afford to me, whenever I need their help! 
I’d also like to publicly thank @poeedamerons & @greenofallshades for literally putting up with my incessant back and forth on this nightmare sequence -- for the past year on Whatsapp lol. Also not tagged (because she’s not here on Tumblr), but no less important, Tav!
Musical Inspiration: I Still Wait For You by: XYLO
Missed the previous chapters and need to catch up? Please check out The Assistant -- Masterlist, here.
Summary:
A night out on the town for a few drinks, was all I had signed up for. But in reality… I got way more than I had ever bargained for when my boss and close personal friend, Bill Skarsgard, asked me to join him during a wrap party that the crew was hosting that night. In hindsight, I should have seen this coming. After all, we were both having issues in our own respective relationships and for some reason, we had found it easier to just confide in each other – rather than in our own significant others. Yet in the end, do the reasons ever truly matter when you begin an affair with your friend who also happens to be your boss? I often ask myself just how selfish could we be; he and I? The answer is: we’re completely selfish and neither of us really cares if this secret burns us alive – because it’s within each other, that we have finally found the things we had been looking for the whole time…
___
Stockholm, Sweden --
Feather-light kisses sprinkled themselves carelessly, all over Bill's shoulders and chest, as he began to stir out of his sleep. Gently luring him out of his serene slumber, a pressing weight could be felt on top of him, as he shifted his body to stretch out on the mattress slightly. Soon enough though, those sweet innocent kisses that he felt tickling against his skin, turned into open-mouthed pecks; leaving a small trail of saliva exposed to the open air. Closer and closer, the affectionate kisses drifted towards his mouth before finally -- Bill opened one eye and peeked at the woman who was adorning his body so tenderly with affection, this morning. Y/N's hair was marginally messy, but in spite of that minuscule detail, she was still a vision of absolute beauty to him. A content sigh filtered through his nose, while a peaceful smile inched its way across his face.
"Good morning to you too," he mumbled gingerly, as she peered up at him and returned his smile with one of her own.
"Mmmm... Good morning baby."
He could tell by her voice that she was perfectly happy, and had probably been awake a little longer than he had. In this perfect moment, there were no worries and absolutely no stress; it was just tranquil bliss. Everything with her was so easy. It always had been, and he was legitimately sorry that it had taken him so long to see it; yet, it was undeniable to him that he was happy that he had finally gotten out of his own way -- and made her his.
Streams of golden sunlight poured through the flimsy and airy curtains, while a gentle breeze blew into the room from the cracked bedroom window. Their home was one he didn't completely recognize, but instinctively, he knew it was theirs. It was a perfect late spring morning, and he could almost smell the scent of freshly cut grass lingering in the air. The tranquilizing sound from the wind chimes outside, meandered throughout the room, as he took a deep breath in from his nostrils; feeling the air expand in his chest. He could smell her faint perfume from the night before; and it instantly made him want her in the worst way -- all over again. Judging from her actions, however, he deduced that he wasn't the only one in the mood again this morning.
Grabbing her face with both hands, he pulled Y/N up towards him -- closing the gap between them and kissed her ever so affectionately. Bill could feel her relax into his warm embrace; coxing out a renewed spark of passion from him. Her breathy little moan, virtually undid him right then and there as his tongue intertwined with hers. Before he knew it, he pushed her down on the bed and hovered over her perfect body that he couldn't get nearly enough of. Y/N broke the kiss just long enough to pull her tank top over her, and Bill was more than pleased to assess that she wasn't wearing a bra. For a moment, he closely contemplated telling her that there was a new rule between them: She was no longer allowed to wear any bras. It had to be considered a crime against nature to keep something as magnificent as her breasts, hidden under such an annoying and burdensome garment.
Returning his attention to the task at hand, Bill's lust-filled eyes wandered back to the gorgeous woman in his arms; a woman he simply couldn't function without -- no matter how hard he tried. Her breath came out as ragged pants and gasps, as he continued kissing her neck and working his way down to her perfectly shaped peaks.
"As much as I'm enjoying this attention, and trust me Bill, I'm enjoying the hell out of this -- I did leave our breakfast on the stove," she hummed softly, hoping to divert his attention away from his task.
Begrudgingly, he pulled away; not wanting to actually stop just yet -- but willing to do so if she insisted.
"Is it still cooking or is it already made, and just waiting on us? Because if it's already done, I don't see why we just can't keep going," he chuckled lightly, causing her to giggle as well. Gingerly, she pushed him back once more.
"It's still cooking, babe. I just came in here to wake you up. But I'll make you a deal... I'll go finish preparing the rest of our breakfast, without my top on -- and you can even watch. Deal?"
He had to admit, the promise of watching her prepare breakfast topless, was a tempting prospect indeed.
"Fine," he sighed tiredly, moving off towards the side and allowing her to get up. Y/N slid off of the bed, leaving her shirt abandoned on the floor; just as she had previously promised with a wicked little glint in her eyes.
"Get up slowpoke, you don't want to miss out on this..." She teased back, hoping to coax him out of bed faster.
Bill smirked at her; stretching his long limbs across the bed as he watched her tiptoe out of the bedroom. The muscles in her back flexed elegantly, while she made her way out the door and into the hallway -- closing the bedroom door behind her. Running a hand over his face, he laid there for a moment trying to collect himself before heading out to join her. After all, she did leave him in a semi-hard state, and he was tempted to follow her out there and bend her over the kitchen counter to take care of this pesky problem. Smirking to himself, he couldn't get over how lucky he felt in that moment. She was here, with him, and there was nothing in this world that could kill this joyous feeling he felt. Everything felt whole and right within the world.
Y/N was perfect in every single way, and she was finally his. He had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity for this; and If the rest of his life would play out this way, then Bill found himself hard-pressed to find anything to complain about...
Throwing the covers off of his slender, yet muscular body, he sat straight up and tossed his legs off the side of his bed -- running his right hand through his messy bed hair. The moment his bare feet touched the floor, it was only then that he noticed the entire floor was soaked through with murky water. Finding himself absolutely perplexed by this, he leaned his head off to the side -- trying to discern what exactly was going on.
"Y/N? Why is the floor all wet?" He curiously called out to his lover.
However a moment or two went by, and there was no response at all; which was highly unusual.
"Y/N?" He hollered out once more, hoping to grab her attention. And yet again, there was no reply.
Now, Bill was finding himself feeling apprehensive at the situation.
Where the hell was she?
Soon thereafter, he gave up hope that she would even return to their room; so he stood up and proceeded to walk over towards the bedroom door; all the while, dirty water sloshed around his feet -- causing him to grimace. But it wasn't until the very second, once he opened that wooden bedroom door, that he knew something was inherently and terribly wrong.
It took more than a moment for the sights, sounds and smells to genuinely register within his mind; regardless, once they did – there was truly no mistaking the atrociously horrifying scene that laid before him. Everything that had once resembled the hallway in their shared home, was gone. Instead, it looked as if either a bomb had gone off, or a storm had come through and ripped their home to shreds. Large parts of the wall were either cracked, knocked over and completely blackened. Broken picture frames were either smashed on the floor, with glass shattered like intricate spider webs in the frames or hanging lopsided on the only parts of the walls that were left standing. Wires that were once hidden away, out of sight and out of mind, were now exposed and dangling carelessly from the ceiling; and randomly placed holes seemed to have appeared in different parts of that very same roof -- from out of nowhere. Electrical sparks shot freely from the exposed wires and flew only a few precious feet ahead; their loud pops and bright flashes caused him to jump back violently and turn his face away momentarily.
For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what had happened or even how he had even missed it happening. He should have heard the unmistakable sounds of his house being ripped apart, shouldn’t he? None of it made any sense, and he was left second-guessing himself on if he was actually seeing all of this.
"What the f..."
He couldn't even finish his sentence before the shock finally began to set in, and the bone-crushing chill in the air made the hairs on his arms stand at attention. Something wasn't right about this, and now, he was beginning to feel afraid for both himself and Y/N. Eventually, he took a hesitant step forward, causing the water that swished around his bare feet to echo slightly in the darkened and damaged corridor. Once he took another step ahead though, the bedroom door that he had just walked out of slammed shut behind him with a resounding and thunderous bang -- causing him to leap back into the nearest wall. With his heart hammering wildly within his chest, his eyes glanced back at the door in wide-eyed surprise. After he managed to take a brief moment to calm his nerves, he rushed back over to the door trying to open it, only to discover that it wouldn't budge. It was well and truly stuck; almost as if someone had sealed it shut -- from the inside.
No matter how hard he tugged, pushed, pulled or rammed his shoulder against the door -- it refused to give. Bill soon found himself surrendering hope on the idea of trying to get the door to open for him again, and instead, he turned his attention back to the eerily dark and smelly hallway before him. The odors that hit him were rancid and offensive; practically singeing off his nose hairs, and if he had to take a guess, he wouldn't be surprised if the wastewater from the sewer had managed to get backed up into the house -- thanks to whatever had caused all of the damage that he saw all around him. Treading lightly and thoughtfully, he decided to press on and try to locate Y/N and find out what exactly happened here.
"Alright, pull your shit together," his quiet words, served as the only other sound around him with the obvious exception of the electrical pops being thrown off from the nearby wires. Without a shadow of a doubt, he swiftly figured out that he needed to get his bearings in order if he had any hope of making it out of here alive. "You're going to find Y/N, and you're going to get the hell out of here." Yet, in the grand scheme of it all, he wasn't entirely sure if his words were meant to convince himself that things weren't as bad as they looked -- or if they were meant to be a source of self-comfort instead.
Large chunks of knocked over drywall, littered and blocked his path; meaning he would have to crawl over certain spots in order to make it to the other parts of the house. To make matters worse, a haze of smoke filled the small area, making it increasingly more difficult to breathe or see. Nor was that even mentioning the fact that he carefully needed to navigate around the loosing and hanging wires, that were in his way. One wrong move and he could either get a cut on his foot from something hidden in the water, accidentally electrocute himself, or potentially fall over something laying across the walkway. Nevertheless, with his mind made up, he gently prodded his foot forward in order to feel around before taking his next step; hoping that nothing would nic or cut himself in the process.
More statically charged, popping noises exploded from the looming and threatening wires nearby. Just when he thought the situation couldn't get any worse, he noticed how low one of the wires on his left, was hanging dangerously close to the wet floor. Refusing to take any chances at becoming electrocuted, he hastened his efforts to make it past the first piece of wall that was blocking his path. Luckily for him, it was only slanted against the other wall that sat on the opposite side. And as it turned out, this piece would be a lot easier to get by, because all he had to do was duck down and crawl underneath it.
He felt his stomach grow queasy at the idea of crawling through potential wastewater, but the fear of potential death was an excellent motivator in getting Bill to tough it out and complete the simple task that laid before him.
Once his hands hit the water, he had to stop for a minute to give his shaky limbs time to adjust to the temperature. The water felt frigid to the touch, and it was a miracle that his feet hadn't gone numb already. Determination propelled him forward, and steadily, he slid his hands onward under the water; mindfully looking out for any objects that could likely injure him. As soon as he emerged out from under the large piece of drywall, he stood back up and attempted to wipe the gunk from his hands and on his soaked, flannel pajama pants. Of course, it had been in vain, but he couldn't think about that at the moment; there other more pressing matters to worry about.
Coincidentally, there weren't as many exposed wires the further he drifted down the hall, but there were more fragments of burnt cream-colored drywall and wood, that was obstructing the pathway. The next two pieces were large, cracked and sitting side by side, and they required him to meticulously crawl over them -- without possibly falling through and hurting himself on whatever lied underneath. Parts of the insulation were strewn about all over the place, and the smoke was making it harder to breathe. It was a painstakingly slow process, but he managed to lay his body flat against the piece of plaster and wood; pulling himself across the planks with ease.
After he made it over the obstacles and back on his feet, the film of unforgiving smoke started to miraculously dissipate; thankfully allowing him to see a boldly, extravagant tree -- standing right in front of him. Bill stood there with his mouth gaping, feeling dumbfounded and transfixed at the mighty and wondrous sign of life before him; all the while trying to specifically figure out how a fully grown tree -- managed to grow in the middle of his fucking house. It stood there vibrantly, with its dark green leaves standing out brilliantly in a perfect juxtaposition to the wasted wreckage that laid all around him. Instantly giving in to his more inquisitive nature, he seemingly forgot the need to be conscious of where he stepped, as he made his way over towards the tree. It was only after he stepped closer to it, that he realized that it was actually an apple tree.
The magnificent apple tree had have been just over 30 feet tall, with ripe fruit good for the taking. In a moment of all-encompassing awe, he reached out with his right hand and plucked down the first captivating apple that caught his eye. The fruit was a beautiful scarlet red in color, and heavy to the touch. Without even thinking, he was overwhelmed with the urge to take a bite; but before he could -- another apple also snagged his wayward attention. Suddenly, he extended his left hand up and picked off the fruit from the branch as well. This particular one may have been smaller in size, but it was no less pretty or appealing to him.
He stared in fascination, at the apples in both of his hands, utterly blown away by the fact that something so amazing could survive whatever happened here.
It was only after he let out a sigh, that he finally heard it. A noise so uncharacteristic and out of place, that he had to wonder if he had only imagined it.
Quietly, he listened to the sounds that were taking place all around him -- noticing that something was off in the atmosphere. It took a few seconds, but he finally heard that peculiar noise again. It sounded as if something was weakly tapping against a hallowed surface. Curiosity got the better of him, effectively causing him to turn his head to look over his right shoulder. Sure enough, sitting behind the dark, overcast shadows of the room, there was a closed-door that appeared to slightly jolt forward against the frame -- every time the knocking was heard. Inching closer to it, he tried to remain as silent as possible while straining to hear the sound once more. He couldn't be certain if there was a person in there or not. Just as he arrived in front of the door, a loud whisper broke through the intense silence of the room; forcing him to halt in his tracks.
"Don't look back."
The whispered command startled him; causing him to turn his gaze downward in an attempt to subtly peek back over his shoulder. The energy in the room had changed ominously, whilst the air began cackling all around him; practically demanding him to fight against the urge to shut his own eyes. However, the millisecond his glossy eyes drifted down, it was then that he saw the haunting sight that he never expected to encounter. There, in his own hands were no longer two lovely apples he had picked earlier, but instead -- were two warm, slimy and crimson-stained human hearts. A terrified scream tore from his lips; causing him to drop the bloodied hearts into the murky water below -- and turn back around to find the most horrific display he had ever seen in his life...
The once pristine apple tree he was staring at not only one minute ago, was now dead. The leaves and apples had fallen off and onto the greywater saturated floor; instead, what was hanging on two strongest branches in their place -- were the deceased bodies of Y/N and Natalia. Both women looked to be hanging by their necks. Their chests appeared to be hacked open and exposed, with blood still dripping down the front of their white-colored dresses. Horrified by what was happening, Bill quickly stepped back; unable to comprehend the ghastly situation that was playing out in front of his very eyes. His left foot, caught on one of the hearts that was laying behind him, causing him to lose his footing and topple backward; landing harshly on his backside in the filthy water. The confusion and despair that shot through his mind, was raw and unparalleled.
This felt real, too real; and he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack as he realized that when he took what he thought to be apples from this tree -- he was actually ripping their hearts directly from their chests.
Thanks to the horrendous vision in front of him, he couldn't breathe -- much less process what was happening. His eyes filled with tears, as the numbness silently crept in. The skin on both ladies was pale and void of any signs of life, plus their hair was matted to their heads. If he had to take a guess at how long they had been displayed in that tree, Bill would have assumed they had been dead for hours. Blood was splattered haphazardly across their faces, as their toes were tipped and pointed to the ground. He felt his own stomach bile beginning to rise up to his mouth; leaving an unpleasant burning sensation, scratching at the back of his throat -- yearning for an impromptu escape. The tragically twisted view before him had robbed him of all rational, and sensible thought, as he peered up at their lifeless bodies -- and screamed out once more. 
Abruptly, and with next to no warning whatsoever, Natalia's eyes snapped open; causing Bill to jump back and let out another scared and confused yelp. Her light grey, cataracted eyes, drew his attention away from the gaping hole in her chest where her heart used to be.
"Come back to me, Bill."
Her voice was strained, while she struggled to call out to him.
He inched closer to her bruised and battered body, whilst wondering how just how on Earth she could even be alive. Those few precious steps, though, were all it took; allowing Natalia to finally reach out and grab his shoulder in her vice-like, death grip -- causing him to cry out in pain, as her nails embedded themselves deep within his tender flesh.
"Come back!"
___
Sitting in her living room, Natalia was calmly smoking a cigarette and watching the smoke waft around, silently drifting deftly out of the window -- and into the cool and dampened, pre-dawn air. She rarely smoked inside her home, but at the moment she didn't particularly care about abiding by her day to day rules. If anything, she needed the preferred release that only nicotine could provide for her nerves. While she snuggled further down comfortably in her favorite chair, she watched the glowing purple and pink hues, light up the early morning skies above her.
A huge part of her plan, would be going into effect today; and depending upon Bill's reaction to what she had coming -- it would also determine if she managed to adequately see the rest of her plan through or not. There was a relatively sizeable chance, that after she enacted this crucial part of her plan -- he could end up splitting up with her. However, it didn't matter because this was a risk she had to take. Admittedly, some part of her, sincerely wondered if he would even do such a thing. He had been home for well over a week and a half now, and he hadn't bothered to end things with her yet. She couldn't help but wonder why.
Why was he dragging ass on this?
It was a question that had been burning in the back of her mind lately. In her view, it was obvious to her from the start, that he had always had long-buried feelings for Y/N. The fact that he hadn't mentioned one measly thing to her about taking a break, being unfaithful, or splitting up for good since he had been back home -- had made her insanely curious into his reasons on why he was staying quiet about this. 
Was there a part of him that had legitimately grown to love her? Was he having trouble coming to grips with what he had done to their relationship? Was he feeling guilty about what had happened, and was it eating him alive? She pettily hoped so. More importantly, did he have hidden doubts about Y/N? There had to be a reason, some semblance of an explanation there, and he was doing a great job at leaving her in the dark -- which was not something Natalia appreciated in the slightest.
These days, she had elected to sleep on the couch; pretending to be catching up with her work and wanting to get things done while she had the chance to do so. Thus, in the process, giving herself ample time and space away from Bill -- in order to sort herself out. Actually attaining any sleep though, was practically impossible; and these days, it was beginning to show. However, she was talented enough at masking the dark circles under eyes with concealer and other makeup products, all the while maintaining her regular schedule of activities and appearances. Ever since the first night he arrived back to her shared apartment, and she had attempted to lightly seduce him into bed and he shot the idea down, only for her to discover the reasons why in Ace's email to her after he left their apartment -- she had decided to distance herself from the idea of being intimate with him anyway. It would only put both of them in an awkward position; one that not even she was ready to face herself. Natalia knew he would possibly rebuff her advances if she made any further attempts, making them both feel uncomfortable and embarrassed; plus, she was no longer in a frame of mind to allow him to touch her. He had betrayed her trust, and while she wasn't entirely innocent over the course of their relationship and she acknowledged that to herself privately -- she didn't exactly feel right about rewarding his shitty behavior with sex either.
Not to mention, he wasn't even fucking smart enough to not get himself caught.
The thought alone, caused her to roll her eyes in annoyance. 
Over the past several days, her mentally exhausting anguish was beginning to morph into silent fury and anger. If she could get through the rest of this day, with their relationship still intact, then she stood a chance of making sure that she could end this bullshit affair of his -- once and for all. By the time she would be done, Bill's choice would be made for him. And if she were lucky, she would be getting Y/N out of the picture for good.
From across the hall, it was the sound of strained moaning coming from the bedroom, startled her out of her perpetual trance-like state. Remarkably, the noises had sounded as though Bill were distressed. Natalia quickly stubbed out her half-smoked cigarette, tossing it outside and closing her window, as she silently tip-toed over to their shared bedroom door. Leaning her head against the door, her eyes fluttered shut as she concentrated on listening to what was going on inside the bedroom. The moans were becoming progressively more distressed. Going against her better judgment, she slowly clasped the brass handle within her small hand and opened the door -- taking in the scene before her. Bill was laying on their bed, tossing and thrashing about, almost as if he were trapped inside of another hellish nightmare. He had been having them a lot more frequently over the past week. For a second, she wondered just how much his role of playing a psychopathic, child-eating clown in a horror movie -- had potentially messed with his head.
If that were the case, it could certainly explain some of the changes in his behavior recently...
Thinking quickly on her feet, she briskly walked over to his side of the bed and snapped on the bedside lamp sitting neatly on top of her black nightstand. She reached out timidly and slowly began to rub his shoulder; calling out his name.
"Baby, wake up. You're having a bad dream," she mumbled quietly, trying not to startle him out of his dream. It took a few moments, but it finally worked.
Bill shot straight up in the bed, gasping for much-needed air and clawing at his chest. His heart thundered wildly against the breastplate of his chest, and he felt beads of sweat pouring down his face. Off to his left, he saw her... Natalia. And thankfully, she was alive and well.
"Hey, it's me! Calm down! Du har bara haft en mardröm, du kommer bli bra," Natalia tenderly assured him as she pulled herself closer to him, if only in order to help him realize that he wasn't dreaming anymore. Noticing that he was squinting while he attempted to look over at her, she reached back over to the lamp -- quickly snapping it back off as to not hurt his delicate, sleep-ridden eyes.
As furious as Natalia had been with Bill over the past few days, since she found out about his affair with his assistant, she did feel some slight remorse that he was having recurring nightmares over the past several nights. It was obvious to her that his role, of playing Pennywise, had taken a lot out of him -- both mentally and physically.
A part of her, felt a tad bit silly for even caring about his comfort at the moment; particularly given what she had just found out only a week or so prior. But the other half of her, even through the indescribable anger she felt churning away below the surface, did still care about him. At the moment, however, she had to push those warring feelings to the side, because it was imperative that she keep up the appearance -- at all costs.
"Baby, it's okay. Du är säker," she cooed faintly, pulling him into her embrace.
Bill, on the other hand, didn't catch onto her conflicting temperament. His mind was still racing, from the awful things he had experienced, and his breathing was still erratic. He felt her rubbing relaxing circles against his back, as his head rested against her shoulder; graciously taking a free moment of the peaceful serenity she offered to him.
"I'm sorry, Nat."
If she weren't paying attention at the time, she would have nearly missed his softly whispered apology. It was so faint that for a second -- she began to second guess her own hearing. His apology startled her; capturing her completely off guard and totally unaware. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise, causing her hand that was continuously rubbing soothing circles on his back -- to falter for a moment.
"Allt är bra, kom tillbaka till mig."
Almost as if on cue, a sweeping feeling of guilt started to creep into the deepest recesses of his very mind. As much as he cared for her, she wasn't Y/N. And it began to feel wrong to even take comfort in Natalia's reassuring arms. Taking solace in her embrace, wouldn't make what he needed to do, any easier -- in fact, it would be much harder on them both. In spite of that though, he couldn't deny that they did have a complex history together too.
Natalia had surprised him at a time when he least suspected it was possible. She had conveniently arrived in a disastrously messy period in his life, when he had all but given up on the idea of being able to find someone to take his mind off of the one woman he couldn't seem to have. Back then Y/N had John, who was an utter fool that couldn't even appreciate how good he genuinely had it with her, and even though that bastard didn't deserve her for a number of reasons, some that she wasn't even aware of yet, she appeared to be happy with him at that point in her life. It wasn't until shortly after he had gotten with Natalia, that he figured out just how wrong he was in that assessment on Y/N and John's relationship. Even with that knowledge, however, he couldn't bring himself to be selfish with her back then because her happiness actually meant something to him. But somehow, that managed to change for him recently. Now that things had changed and he had Y/N's affections, he knew it wouldn't be able to give it up. She was like a drink of fresh water, on a hot summer's day. There was no way in hell, he was passing up this opportunity to make her his.
When Natalia had shown up at that holiday party he was reluctantly attending, it had seemed like fate had opened up a new door full of opportunities and possibilities. Slowly, but ever so surely -- Bill found himself captivated by her charm and opening himself up to her. It was remarkable in the wonderfully unpredictable way that she managed to weave herself into his life. He couldn't lie, in the beginning, it felt as easy as breathing and he felt as if maybe he could finally get over the fact that he would never have Y/N. Admittedly, he would pull back at times, in the beginning, owing to the fact that it kind of freaked him out just how easy it was to turn to her in his moments of weakness. It was a feeling he wasn't quite used to with anyone else, outside of Y/N. But Natalia wasn't deterred by his reluctance, and she knew exactly how to push him out of his more elusive shell. It was something he had found himself respecting about her... At first.
As time went on though, certain things began to shift between them and it took a while for him to notice the things he had either never observed before -- or had simply overlooked during the time. While it was no secret that Natalia had an unrelenting Type-A personality, and it worked to her favor because she was smart enough to hone in on her emotions, it was also something that Bill really wasn't about on his own individual level. He gravitated more towards being a little more laid back, but also kept himself astonishingly well-organized. He went with the flow of the situations around him, whilst respecting the fluidity that life naturally offered; plus he liked to rationalize his decisions prior to making them, while quickly improvising and thinking on his feet when things changed -- much like Y/N did. It was a major reason why they worked together on both a professional and personal level. Their temperaments and approaches in life, were synced up and matched on a staggering level. Natalia, on the other hand, was incredibly analytical and tactical in her thinking, so when plans changed, she didn't like it as she generally strived to have control over a situation. Surprises tended to make her quite moody. In fact, just about two weeks ago, he had to talk her out of taking him on an impromptu trip to Greece -- when he had gotten back home.
She wanted a take him on a romantic getaway, just for the two of them with no distractions, within a day of him flying back home. It should have been obvious that it may have been cutting it a little close, however, the thought of that flew right over Natalia's head -- or she didn't care. On the other side of this proverbial two-headed coin, while he acknowledged that it was a sweet gesture, Bill had also wanted to spend time with his friends and family at home; catching up with the people he had missed for the past few months, due to his filming schedule. When he told her he was unsure about her idea to travel so far away from home, she didn't exactly take it too well. Of course, it should have gone without saying that the conversation had broken down into another strenuously heated argument between them. It was commonplace at this point. Natalia needed to have control over every situation; and it was something that, more often than not -- had rubbed Bill the wrong way over the past year. At times, he felt her incessant need to have total control over every minuscule aspect of their daily lives and activities, became downright disrespectful; made him feel kind of like his voice shouldn't fundamentally matter. Moreover, it was getting especially annoying since their disagreements almost always were dissolving into screaming matches; matches that left him feeling drained and where he would have to be the first one to apologize -- even when it wasn't his fault. It felt as if she couldn't accept any faults in the issues at hand, and it had been taking its toll on him.
His problem though, was that he hadn't properly communicated any of this. The only time he had said anything to her, was in the middle of their epic meltdowns. Bill was now realizing just how badly he fucked up, and it wasn't a smooth pill to swallow or digest.
This wasn't even counting the times she tried to ask him to get rid of Y/N as an assistant, or to essentially break their ties of friendship altogether. Those requests alone, back in the beginning when Natalia sincerely didn't have anything to worry about back then seeing as Y/N was wrapped up in a committed relationship, damn near drove him up a wall.
Nor, was he even mentioning the fact that over the past few months, she had been putting an astronomical amount of pressure on him to start house hunting with her; as if he didn't already have a jam-packed schedule as it was -- this new issue began to spark off new arguments too. Since their engagement, which was quickly becoming the biggest regret he had in all of this, getting him to commit to buying a new home with her had become her top priority recently and her reasoning was solid on the surface: If they would be getting married, it made perfect sense for them to buy a house together.
Bill understood that, on the surface level. It was the logical next step after all. And he would also be lying if he didn't admit that something was holding him back. He wasn't committing to it, even before things with Y/N started evolving to where they were right now.
Had they really both inherently doomed their relationship, from the start? Bill was beginning to suspect they had. His role, however, was entirely on him. His reluctance to pull the trigger, put his foot down and be more open with his himself, his emotions and face every single little thing he was thinking, feeling and experiencing in between -- that was all on him. That part, would never be on Natalia or Y/N. He needed to own up to that, or else he was doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
He knew what he had to do, but as he thought back to his hellish nightmare -- he felt afraid. He didn't want to hurt Natalia, even though he had quickly been noticing that they wanted two very different things out of life. They may have had contradictory viewpoints with how they each carried themselves within their personal lives, or within their own personal goals and aspirations, but he didn't want to hurt her either.
As soon as Natalia pulled back from his embrace, Bill looked in deep into her pale blueish-grey eyes and noticed for the very first time -- just how tired she looked. There were bags and dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn't gotten a proper nights sleep in days. Remorse filled his soul, whilst he absorbed her rough appearance. Could she not see that she was miserable too? In a stunning moment of pure clarity, he sadly knew that if they continued down this road that they would end up resentful and potentially even hateful towards one another; and it was in realizing that agonizing fact, that he knew what had to be done. It was time to end this with her. And he would do it tonight, after their joint annual family dinner. Once they arrived back here, in the privacy of her apartment, he would sit her down and talk to her about everything.
He just prayed that she wouldn't hate him forever because of this...
_____
Laughter, merriment and mumbled sounds of social chatter could be heard, floating throughout the air of the Holm's country house -- as Bill and Natalia's family members conversed smoothly with one another in the light and airy dining room. Natalia knew that Bill had always appreciated this little ritual that both of their families came together for. Since he was gone quite a bit to North America, filming for projects, auditioning for others, or even doing press junkets -- Natalia enjoyed being able to pull their families together so they could catch up once Bill was back in town.
Candles were set up all around the dining room, bathing the room in a mild ethereal glow. The wine was flowing generously, and the ostentatious table was covered with a luscious satin white table cloth; proudly displaying a bountiful amount of culinary dishes that made her mouth water. The delicious aroma's caused her stomach to rumble; forcing her to acknowledge the fact that she hadn't eaten properly in days. She was surviving off coffee, water, cigarettes, and the occasional snack. Soon though, that would potentially be behind her -- if, of course, everything went accordingly to her plan. Being seated in front of such a feast, finally got her in the mood to fill up her plate and actually eat a decent meal for the first time in a week and a half.
Natalia's older sister, Agnes, was located across the table from her; holding her six-month-old daughter in her arms -- while her husband William sat to her left. Their younger brother Max, was seated off to the other side of William; thankfully engaging in a conversation with Bill's younger brother Valter. Both young men were in their prime, and not looking to settle down anytime soon; which meant they had more in common with each other -- than they did with anyone else at the table. Bill's younger sister Eija, sat off to Valter's right, with her long-time boyfriend. Both of them were enjoying a tender conversation together, and paying no attention to anyone else at the moment. Natalia smiled at them, as they looked so happy and in love with one another. And beside Eija’s boyfriend, was her own mother -- Monica Holm. Bill's mother, My, was seated to the right side of her father, Viktor Holm who sat at the head of the table. Gustaf and his new girlfriend were both seated on the left side of Bill, and right beside Gustaf's lovely lady, was Bill's eldest brother Alexander -- who also took his place beside their mother.
Opportunities to get everyone together like this, were exceptionally rare. And for a nervous Natalia, it all came down to this. The festivities were beginning to wind down, and soon, her father would begin the round of toasts to congratulate everyone on their newest accomplishments. Her parents were sticklers for positive reinforcement as they were growing up, so it was only natural that they not only continued their tradition after their children had all flown the nest -- but that they also brought the partners of their children on it as well.
Like clockwork, Natalia had just taken her third bite of the jordgubbstårta, that her mother had prepared as a dessert, before she heard the light tapping of a polished silver fork, knocking on a dazzling crystal wine glass -- coming from the head of the table. She smiled adoringly up at her father, as he stood up and locked eyes with her; giving her a wink to let her know he wouldn't mind if she wanted to continue eating. She had truly been the apple of his eye, and he always made sure that his children knew how much he loved them.
"I would like to propose a toast," Viktor began confidently. "For some time now, our two families have gotten together to catch up, enjoy delicious food and to spend quality time with the people we hold most dear to us. Monica and I, always enjoy when it’s our turn to host these dinners and we’re grateful for having you all here." He paused, taking a quick moment to glance adoringly towards his wife of over thirty years. "Bill, son, thank you for introducing all of us to your beautiful family who we have grown to care for as an extension of our own. To my wife, thank you for putting up with me as I destroy our kitchen trying to help you prepare for these gatherings," he gently lamented, as everyone else began to chuckle. "And to my children, you continue to make me proud with each passing day. Skål!"
Everyone raised their glasses, echoing his hospitable sentiments and clinking them together lightly with their neighbors -- before taking a sip at the contents within each of their cups. Time passed, and a few more toasts were given around the table. It turned out, that Max had come prepared to this specific gathering -- as he announced to their parents that he had been accepted into law school. Witnessing their father beam with pride, and their mother's jaw drop -- had been worth the wait on telling them. It was an astonishment, that their mother didn't scream after he told them. It was a universally known fact, that their parents had been worried about what Max would decide to do with his future. Being bestowed with the knowledge that he had an overall direction now, had possibly put them at ease. It was a moment, that had made her immensely proud of her younger brother.
Once everyone had settled back down, however, the moment she had been waiting and psyching herself up for -- had arrived. Natalia cautiously looked around, scanning the room and watching everyone sharing their support for Max as they set glasses back on the table. Now, all she needed was to fester up her courage and get this show on the road. It was time to put those acting chops to good use, and appear more confident than she actually felt at the moment. One wrong move, and she was convinced she would lose her nerve. So she reached for her glass, gulped down a rather large swallow of wine, before taking a deep breath and steeling her frayed nerves...
"Well, I hope you all don't mind but I wanted to share some news with everyone -- since we're all together and it feels like we never get together enough these days," Natalia declared shyly, as she pushed back her chair and decided to begin her speech.
It's now or never. May God have mercy on me, if this shit goes sideways...
"I'd like to propose a toast of my own." She spoke more confidently this time, as she pushed her chin forward in a show of conviction. Bill, however, briefly looked confused by this sudden development, as he caught his brother Valter's eyes from across the table. Turning his focus back to Natalia, he noticed that she was looking down at him with her hand held out for his. Graciously, he smiled back at her and laced his larger hand through hers.
"For a while, I often wondered when I would find someone who would be special enough to love me for who I am; at the same time, I also questioned if I would ever be in a place that would allow me to recognize and accept that person for everything that they were -- once they managed to appear in my life. Alla vet redan att jag kan vara ganska jobbig ibland," her confession caused her siblings to chuckle and nod vigorously in a show of silent agreement. "Yet, when that special someone comes into your life, så vet du bara. With Bill," she paused momentarily, as she stared back at him. "I always knew he was special and unique. He's kind, caring, and compassionate; but he's also devoted, hard-working and best of all -- he's incredibly loyal." Bill felt his heart skip a beat, as he gulped. If there was ever a moment in his life, where he felt like the shittiest person on the planet -- this was quite possibly it. He didn't miss it as Gustaf choked on his wine, causing the elder Skarsgard to apologize and make an excuse about it 'going down the wrong pipe,' before Natalia methodically continued.
"I am so proud of each and every one of his new milestones, and while the road may get bumpy sometimes, I know that he will always be there -- no matter how difficult things may get."
Bill could hear her sister and mother, murmuring their agreements with Natalia comments in the background. The battle within him though was only just beginning; he could feel the pressure beginning to rise, whilst his anxiety stirred to life deep in the pit of his gut. Something didn't feel quite right about this, but nevertheless, he felt like shit as he listened to her sing his praises to everyone in the room. She had absolutely no idea what was coming later tonight, and she was inadvertently making him feel even worse without even meaning to.
"Therefore, I would like to privately announce to our families,"
Without warning, a foreboding feeling slammed into him at full force. The wheels in his head worked overtime, as he tried to piece together her end game here, when abruptly -- it all snapped into place.
Oh no...
Time slowed down to snail's pace. Seconds felt like several agonizing minutes, causing him to hear every beat of his own heart pounding away furiously in his ears. He wasn't an idiot, and he figured out exactly what she was about to do. His stomach felt like it was doing somersaults in his throat, and before he could think of a way to stop her...
"Bill and I are now engaged!" she gushed excitedly, as she pulled out the Ruby and Diamond engagement ring from her pocket, that he had previously given her -- leaving Bill sitting there in stunned silence. Gasps filled the air, as both families happiness caused them to erupt with celebratory rounds of "congratulations," being showered on the couple. The rest of her family stood up to give them hugs while Bill sat there in barely concealed shock; his composure, sloppily falling away momentarily as he absorbed the reality of what had just happened.
Suddenly, he felt the impact of a stiff kick on his shin from underneath the table, as his older brother Gustaf watched him intently. His lip curled up, signaling to Bill to smile. Once more, his mask of indifference slipped it's way back onto his face, as he stood up and accepted hugs and handshakes from her family members that began to surround them.
It was not as if he had any choice in the matter; what the hell else could he do? Just stand up and say, "I’m sorry everyone, but there seems to be some sort of mistake. I actually planned to break up with Natalia later tonight," and believe that it wouldn't cause a massive scene? Unfortunately, he knew that wouldn't go over well. Moreover, he didn't want to subject his mother to the needless drama either. He had too much respect for her, and even for Natalia's own parents, to legitimately consider doing that to them. Besides, when it boiled down to it -- Natalia didn't deserve to be humiliated like that either. Bill was well and truly stuck, with no other choice but to pretend that he was the happy and doting fiance.
In the end, he gracefully acted the role of dutiful fiance and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. It was a brazen move, Natalia would give him that. Deep in her heart, she knew that the real test would be the one that took place later on tonight -- when they were both away from the prying eyes of their families and finally by themselves. 
Tactically, Bill took a subtle peek around the table and noticed his own siblings watching the interaction intently. Each of them knew that this wasn't what their brother had wanted anymore. It seemed that even his own sister was giving him the side-eye. Her stern look, conveying a simple message: We're going to talk about this later, you fucking idiot.
Briefly, he wondered if his brothers had told her about his time with Y/N because she certainly didn't seem to be too impressed with him at all; and neither were his brothers. Regrettably, while Bill didn't want to make their judgments any worse, he knew it was coming when he felt his mother wrap her arms around him -- telling him just how proud of him she was. His green eyes glazed over and shut, as he hugged her back. Even though his eyes were shut, he could still feel the piercing stares of his siblings; harshly and silently criticizing him for not standing up and putting a stop to this.
His hands were tied, and there was very obviously nothing he could do, presently, to stop or curb the situation. So with that in mind, he sat back down in his seat and waited for the festivities to come to the inevitable end.
Natalia had well and truly fucked him and his plans up tonight, and there was a part of him that was a little bit angry about it; more so with himself for getting himself into this mess. His plan to end their relationship tonight, was effectively shot to hell. He literally could not leave her right now -- not after this grand little display of hers.
Fuck.
Bill shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing that his older brothers Alexander and Gustaf were probably waiting on what their younger brother's next move would be. They were already well aware of what had happened, between Y/N and Bill, since he had already told them about it -- once he made back home.
On his first night back in town, he had gone to meet up with his younger brother Valter at the local pub -- only to realize that his two older brothers, Alexander and Gustaf, were joining him as a surprise. It was a welcomed reprieve to just be able to sit down and catch up with each of them individually. A few hours and several drinks later, he ended up confessing about the affair to his brothers. None of the men were even remotely surprised by the turn of events; even going as far as to tell him as they all had seen it coming. Valter and Gustaf both cherished Y/N already, and while Alex also thought she was perfect for his younger brother -- he also didn't exactly like the situation they had both gotten themselves into. He was leary of the fact that Natalia would just accept Bill breaking up with her. Of course, Alex was simply speaking from personal experience with that particular subject. It was no secret that he wasn't exactly considered any kind of saint in some of his former relationships. But it was those relationships alone, that had taught him how to spot the signs of trouble yet to come. It was because of that, that Bill tried to take Alex's advice to tread carefully, to heart.
Now, Natalia had him by the balls and if Y/N found out -- any potential future they may have together could be ruined. He had to think, and fast. Because if the looks on his siblings' faces were something to go by, they weren’t going to let this go; if anything -- there was going to be severe consequences for this.
------
Headlights flashed ahead, as the dark grey Audi A3 sedan pulled into the small parking spot located just underneath the decently sized and sturdy white apartment building. The silence in the air was thick and palpable, with anticipation and suspense. Natalia was unsure of what to expect next, as Bill hadn't said a word to her since they both left the dinner party.
If she were lucky, Bill would simply go inside and simply feign sleepiness in order to get out of the discussion with her; but somehow -- she highly doubted that was about to happen. She was far from stupid, and she didn't miss the look of complete shock on his face when she told everyone of their engagement tonight. Of course, he straightened up and smiled; even going as far as thanking people for their well-wishes that they showered upon them -- yet his hesitation was certainly not missed by her clever and observant eyes.
Nervousness seemed to be settling deep within her spirit, at an almost rapid pace. In her defense, this felt like a good idea in her head at the time; back when she had gotten Ace's email, and learned about Bill's affair with Y/N. Hindsight was fifty-fifty though, and she was wondering if her impromptu announcement at the dinner party would push him over the edge -- causing him to leave her for good. If it did, she could conclusively kiss her revenge plan goodbye. To be fair, she knew there was a high likelihood of her getting an adverse reaction from him when she went into it; but when you're wrapped so tightly within the welcoming embrace of pure, uninhibited fury -- you tend to lose sight of the things are that should be undeniable. And although she wouldn't admit her fears so openly, due to her own anger and pride, she was particularly petrified of the possibility of him leaving her for doing this. Of course, when she sat back and thought about it, in the middle of those lonely nights recently, it was definitely considered downright pathetic to be worried about something like that. After all, without a shadow of a doubt, she should be the one leaving him. Yet, when it came down to it, she couldn't seem to pull the proverbial trigger. The love she felt for him, while wounded in the worst possible way -- was still there for him. How it was surviving, was beyond her own comprehension.
It was too late now though. Once her decision was acted upon, she knew she needed to see it all the way through; regardless of the repercussions. Ironically, it was the image of Bill kissing Y/N, which felt permanently seared into her mind -- that propelled her forward with her plan. 
Neither of them said a word after she killed the engine to the car. She sat back in her leather seat, anxiously fiddling with her keys as she trained her eyes down towards her lap. A feeling of restlessness surged through her veins and Natalia had no idea why she was so nervous. In her opinion, it should be Bill who should be over there sweating bullets. There was no way he could get out of this, without having to come clean. Yet, even knowing that, didn't calm her down at all. If anything, it just put her on edge even more.
Why wasn't he saying anything?
The longer he sat there quietly, the more jittery she became. Realizing that she didn't plan to spend all night simply sitting in the car waiting for him to finally address her -- she lifted her hand to the silver door handle and propped open the driver's side door. They had some leftovers, in a couple of wrapped up dishes which sitting on the back floorboards, so she went ahead and opened the back door to grab them and bring them inside.
Bill exhaled deeply, as he too, finally opened his door and decided to help her get the food inside.
His mind was in a much different place than Natalia's, and it was consistently swimming between anger and fear. Luckily for Natalia, it was predominately aimed at himself at the moment; well, with the notable exception of his anger at her for once again -- going off and doing something, without consulting with him beforehand. This seemed to be an ever-repeating pattern among them, and quite frankly, it felt as if they could never find themselves sitting on the same page. It was annoying, and bothersome, to say the least.
Upon opening the front door to her apartment, Natalia quietly thanked him for his help as she pushed her way inside and Bill flipped the kitchen light switch on for them. He never said a word, as he took off his jacket, brushed a hand through his thick brown hair, and watched her put the leftover food on the stove in order to pull out her Tupperware dishes. He simply watched her work her way around the kitchen, just as he had always seen her do over the past year and a half -- and thought about how to approach the rather big elephant in the room. As he stood on the other side of the counter, he pulled out a stool and continued to watch her work.
"Nat, can you stop doing that and come here, please? We need to talk."
He noticed the way her back froze, the moment he uttered those words. Setting aside the aluminum foil package, she turned around and took off her own jacket; hanging it on the coat hanger she had next to the door. For the first time, since they left her parents house, he observed that her engagement ring was still sitting on her ring finger. She hadn't taken it off, since leaving the dinner party. The way the bright light in the kitchen hit the diamonds, causing them to sparkle and shine -- had caught his eye.
Instantly, he lost focus and remembered back to the night when he had asked her to marry him. Oddly enough, he proposed to her right here, in this very room of her apartment -- right after they had made dinner together. At the time, he was focused on doing anything that made her feel happy. And he knew, without a shadow of a doubt from their numerous pillow talks, that an engagement was something she certainly looked forward to having in their future. Natalia didn't know it, but he had purchased the ring a few weeks prior. Bill knew she adored rubies and thought they were stunning. It had taken him a little bit of time, but he was able to track down the ring that appeared to be perfect for her. A single teardrop-shaped, two and a half-carat Ruby, surrounded by a halo of diamonds -- with a plentiful amount of diamonds adorning the white gold, crisscrossed double band.
In retrospect, even he had to admit that was quite foolish of him to do that simply to keep her happy. It was dawning on him now, that it was a mistake because he wasn't actually ready to commit himself to a marriage; yet -- that didn't stop the fact that he still felt bad about causing this dysfunction in the first place.
"You're upset."
It wasn't a question, it was merely an observation and it hung in the air like a knife, causing him to momentarily flinch at her accusation. Was she wrong? No. He just didn't want this to turn into another row between them either. Enough damage had already been accomplished for one night.
Carefully selecting his next words would be imperative, and he knew it.
"I'm simply wondering why you chose to tell our families about the engagement; jag trodde att vi hade en överenskommelse."
Natalia slid into the barstool, just on the other side of Bill and folded her hands neatly in front of her. Her quiet demeanor only enhanced his sense of dismay, even further. And strangely, the sigh that exited her chest, sounded like one of defeat; leaving him wondering about what was to come next.
It wasn't that long ago, when she used to bring him happiness and a ray of hope to his future. When he thought about it, it was just after he had agreed to start seeing Natalia exclusively, that he began to start seeing a chance of happiness outside of Y/N and Natalia had a lot do with that. She made him feel comfortable, at least during that brief period in time; yet he couldn't lie to himself -- because the idea of fully giving up on his feelings for Y/N never fully resonated in his heart either. Those feelings only sat idly by, like the embers of once raging fire, threatening to reignite once again at the sign of any change in the environment. 
And that was exactly what they did; those emotions reignited in a big, fiery and all-consuming way. It was something, he wouldn't let go off.
This was his fault, and he knew it.
"Since you're asking for my honesty, here it is; I'm tired of hiding something like this from our families. I agreed to be your wife the moment you asked me. I'm in this for the long haul. But asking me to keep it quiet, hasn't really settled well with me either. I want to be able to share this with our mothers, my mother -- even my own sister." She exclaimed wistfully; her ice-blue eyes bore into his, imploring him to see reason and understand her valid emotions.
"I have been so incredibly excited just to tell my own mother about this. And you..." She paused briefly, before looking down at the bar; unable to maintain eye contact any longer. "You asked me not to tell anybody about it. Do you realize how hard that is? Or even how unfair it is? To make me keep this news all to myself, that I just truly want to be happy about? And recently, I've been thinking about that; you do know that it feels a little silly to be hiding something this major from our own friends and family -- right? I'm not asking to announce it to the whole world yet Bill, I just wanted to privately tell our families."
Bill exhaled calmly, trying not to let his grip on his patience slip from him. Of course, he understood why she wanted to tell them all; he certainly wasn't impractical or uncaring in that sense. However, there were other underlying issues at the center of why they had both agreed to keep it quiet.
"I get that, I truly do. But Nat, we talked about this and you even agreed to it. You said that you understood the reasons we needed to keep it quiet. I told you, that with IT coming out -- things are going to change. If everything goes the way I hope they do, my career could be taking off. That means more offers, more auditions, more projects, more locations and with that comes more attention. Not all of that attention is going to be good either. If news about the engagement gets out, even through an accidental post on social media from one of our friends or family members, you could be dealing with a hoard of female fans talking massive shit about you, stalking you online, or following you around in real life -- and making your life absolutely miserable. And all of it, would be because you're with me! That's not even including the fact that we've been fighting more over the past almost several months. If I'm being perfectly honest here," he sighed, before turning back to her and grabbing her left hand in his right one. "I'm not sure if that would be something we would survive, because we have more than enough issues without that being added on top of our plates."
Natalia sat back in stunned silence, unable to fathom that he genuinely said that out loud to her. Her act of telling their families, couldn't have happened at a better time, as it became increasingly more evident that he really was planning on ending things with her. All she knew in that instant, was that she had to turn the tide of this conversation, back in her favor and quickly -- or entire plan would only dissolve from here.
"Are you --" her eyes filled with tears, threatening to spill over and down her lightly blushed cheeks, while she sniffled. "Are you ashamed of me?"  Quickly, she pulled her hand back from his and stood up from her seat. Anger surged throughout her body, causing her cheeks to heat up in embarrassment and tears began to shine through her eyes, as Bill was left with emotional whiplash at what was happening.
"What? Natalia, no! That's not what I'm saying," he swiftly attempted to explain, but he knew it would be no use.
"That's what it feels like you're saying! It feels like you're saying that you don't think I know what lies ahead, or that I'm even strong enough to handle it! Do you really think so little of me?" Turning on her heel, she briskly walked back into the kitchen area and picked up the aluminum foil again -- trying her hardest to hold it together and finish her task of re-wrapping their leftovers.
"Where the hell did you even get the idea that I was ashamed of you? I never said that at all," Bill's frustrations were growing by the millisecond, as he stood up from his own spot at the bar. "I explain to you that I'm afraid of something, and suddenly that somehow means I'm ashamed of you? You always manage to do this! Every single fucking time, Natalia! You run off and do something on your own, never ask me how I may feel about it before you do it -- and then you get pissed off when I don't react the way you think I should. You did it right before I came back home too!" He finished accusingly, as he pointed a finger at her.
Just like that, the fuse was ignited and neither of them was prepared to back down from this long-overdue fight.
Propriety could be damned, he didn't care if his voice was starting to elevate anymore, because this thing right here -- was exactly what the main problem was between them. And honestly, Bill was at his wit's end with the drama she brought to the table in this relationship.
"So that's what this is about! You're still mad at the fact that I tried to book a private getaway for us, for when you got back home from Toronto? Jesus Christ, Bill!" She slammed the plastic see-through dish on the stove, as she shook her head and began to laugh sarcastically. "Excuse the fuck out of me, for trying to spend time with my fiance after not being able to see him for three fucking months!"
"Actually, I wasn't upset about that incident anymore and was more or less using that as an example; but yes -- you go off and do things, all the while, you don't even bother to include me in the equation at all! It's like I've become an afterthought to you! Did it ever occur to you, that I wanted to come home, see my family and actually spend some time with my mother? She's getting older, Natalia! I won't have her around forever!" He leaned across the bar carefully, both arms stretched out with his palms braced across the surface; narrowing his eyes at her.
Natalia pressed her lips together, as she pulled out a sheet of aluminum foil from the pack and set it off to the side.
"You’ve been acting like a jackass, since you've been away." The moment that allegation left her lips, Bill scoffed.
"Me being gone for work has nothing to do with this. We’ve been at each other’s throats even before I left. Have you ever tried considering the fact, that I may be annoyed by the continuous fighting we do all of the time? We fight over the most ridiculous bullshit! And if we’re not fighting, we’re fucking. I told you over the phone a few weeks ago, this shit needed to stop and here we are -- right back at it again!”
The sound of a wooden spoon scraping against the ceramic plate filled the room, as she finally set it down and wiped her hands on the hand towel that was hanging off the oven door.
"Let me ask you a question, do you even love me anymore? Because I love you, Bill! But Jesus fucking Christ, I really feel like you don't love me at all."
That one question managed to hit him dead center in his chest, almost knocking the wind right out of him. Just then, it was as if he were transported back to that nightmare with Natalia and Y/N both hanging in the tree, with their chests cut open and their hearts were laid out his hands. He was fearful of answering that question, because he didn't want to essentially rip the proverbial heart out of her chest and destroy her like this.
Now, it was Bill's turn to sound defeated. Without another word, he didn't wait for her reaction as he turned around and began walking down the hallway. Taking a couple of minutes to clear her own head, she finished wrapping the plastic bowl and stuck it on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator; wondering if she finally pushed everything too far.
Finally, she pushed herself away from the large appliance and decided to follow him down the hallway. If she were expecting to see him feeling defeated, she was in for a rude awakening; instead -- she found him packing his bags again.
"Bill, what are you doing?" The hesitation caused her voice to slightly crack, as she watched him continue to put more clothes into his suitcase.
He never spoke a word, as he ignored and pushed past her. Instead, he moved into their shared bathroom. Once he collected what he needed, he snapped the light back off and made his way back to the bedroom -- packing his toiletries away. After he was finished a few moments later, he belatedly glanced over at her. For the first time since this argument began, he noticed her silently crying as she watched him.
"I fell for you before I ever put that ring on your finger," he stated carefully. "I didn't think I could ever find someone who could potentially make me happy, and for a while -- you did. But we're changing Natalia, and I don't like the people we're changing into."
"So you want to run away, instead of facing our problems? Vad är det som du inte berättar för mig?" Her lips trembled, as she stood there -- waiting for an answer.
"Natalia," there was a delay, as he tried to take a step towards her. Natalia, on the other hand, took a quick step back. Her eyeliner and mascara were running carelessly down her cheeks, creating dark streaks which made him feel even worse.
"I'm saying we should use the time while I'm away in California working, to think about what we both want. Because we cannot keep going like this. It’s not fair to either of us. I’m not saying it’s over right now, I’m saying let’s take this time apart while I’m gone, to think and once I come back -- we can sit down and decide once and for all where we go from here.” 
With that, he grabbed the handle of his large rolling suitcase and walked out of their shared apartment. Leaving a shocked and struggling Natalia behind. 
He hadn’t ended it with her, but he did let her know that they needed time apart. And that was the opening a reeling and emotional Natalia needed, to enact the next step in her plan. 
____
[Extended Author's Notes: Trust me, I'm shaking my head at Bill too! Bonehead! You should have just ended it with her while you had the chance!
I get why he didn't, because that's got to be a mind fuck where you're feeling your back against the wall, flashing back to a nightmare where you think you've ripped out her heart already and you don't want to hurt someone...
But man, I have to hand it to Natalia, the girl knows how to manipulate a situation when things are going off the rails. She saw what was coming, and threw a massive roadblock in Bill's path. She is not the one to play with, and Bill may have bitten off more than he can chew with her. He's obviously figured out, that he's backed into a wall; so it'll be interesting to see how if he's able to keep up the facade and find a way out of the mess he created -- or if things are going to blow up in his face.
One small part of me, feels a tiny bit bad that Bill is in this conundrum. After all, he started dating Natalia, because he was attempting to get over his feelings for Y/N in the first place; which he felt were always going to remain unrequited on the readers end. He and Natalia have had a bumpy road, but overall he did care about her and even asked her to marry him -- only for everything to finally come together with Y/N (who doesn't know about his engagement)... And now, it's all a big mess.
Now, our boy finally has the woman he's wanted all along and had finally mustered up the courage to tell Natalia it was over -- and she blew his plans all to hell!
Speaking of Bill though, I wonder where he's running off to after failing to completely break it off with Nattie... Guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out lol.
____
And finally: If you've enjoyed this chapter, please don't forget to (kindly) leave a vote and/or comment! Each vote and comment helps more people see this story; so please be kind and submit a vote/comment before you leave.
And if you don't want to leave a vote on this particular chapter, just go back and leave on the chapters you liked the most.
I hope you're having a wonderful day/evening/night.
Take care lovelies, see you in two weeks (or less) with the next chapter! --ImaginationLane xoxo]
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omgjasminesimone · 5 years
Text
Tequila Sunrise Epilogue
Previous Part: Part IV
Bonus Part: Soap Box Derby
Logan x MC
Author’s Note: Couldn’t stop myself from writing an epilogue. I just can’t let go of Ride or Die. And we all know Logan would do the most as a Dad. Like, just completely over the top.
Summary: Logan and Ellie have a baby.
Word Count:  1900
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“Un pez” Logan turns the page,  “dos peces…”, turns another, “pez rojo….pez azul…..”
Ellie rolls her eyes and tries to tune him out,  grabbing the remote from the nightstand and turning up the volume on the Real Housewives of Orange County. She shifts a little, trying to find a comfortable position in bed. Logan continues to read the Spanish children’s book quietly to her full-term baby bump as she turns onto her side. He hopes this early exposure will make their son bilingual.
Logan has really taken to this whole fatherhood thing. He’s read every parenting book available from the LA library system, refusing to buy the books since he’s also really into saving money for the college fund he’s already started for their son. He cooks for her daily, making sure she gets all the nutrients necessary for the baby. He won’t let her have caffeine, since he read somewhere it’s bad for the baby. She thinks this is overkill, and drinks caffeine at her dad’s house while Logan is at work.
After taking the plea deal and arriving in Los Angeles three months ago. it had been difficult for Logan to get a job. Disclosing his felon status on job applications resulted in almost no calls for interviews. He settled for construction work at first so they wouldn’t be completely dependent on their savings, but Logan knew he needed something with health insurance benefits for his very pregnant wife. A month ago, he had finally landed a full-time position as a used car salesman. He works for commission, but the job comes with health insurance. And with his charm and knowledge about cars, he’s doing very well commission wise.
Now with more time on his hands without having to job search, he’s thrown himself even more so into the baby. And honestly, it’s starting to get on Ellie’s nerves. She especially hates when he reads to her stomach. Ellie loathes being pregnant. She constantly feels sick, she has to pee all the time, and she despises how every time she goes anywhere everyone wants to rub her belly. She feels like an incubator. Sometimes, Ellie just wants to be alone. But Logan is constantly all over her, well not her really, all over the baby which just so happens to be inside of her. She can’t help but think all the attention he lavishes on the baby is part of the reason he refuses to come out. She’s two weeks past her due date and she wants this baby out more than she’s ever wanted anything.
She’s hormonal and irritated, and that makes her want to snap at Logan when he’s being annoying, like right now. She takes a deep breath, reining in her irritation and reminding herself where all this is coming from with Logan. He had a really shitty childhood. Mom in jail, unknown father, bouncing from foster home to foster home before he ran away at twelve. Forced to turn to crime just to get by. His life was the opposite of the kind of perfect he’s trying to build for their child. No one would have even thought to read to him while he was in his mother’s belly. No one loved him, wanted him, like he loves and wants this child.
“…en cualquier lugar.” Logan finishes the story, kissing her bump after setting the book aside. His stubble tickles, but she stops herself from complaining. “Te quiero.” He promises, kissing her belly again. He reaches for the pregnancy belly headphones, one of his only financial splurges over the last couple of months, turning on classical music and placing them on.
“And you…” He scoots up to the bed until they are face to face. “Te quiero.” A kiss to her neck. “Te adoro.” A kiss to her forehead. “Te amo.” He captures her lips, deepening the kiss after a moment and tugging at her sleep shorts.
She pulls away, rolling onto her back. “I don’t understand how you could possibly want to have sex with me right now. I look like a beached whale.”
“I think you’re glowing. You’re so beautiful Ellie.” Logan insists.
Ellie rolls her eyes. “Liar.”
“Hey.” He grips her hand, gently tugging her back onto her side so they’re facing each other. “I told you in that underground casino, no more lies.”
Ellie smiles, kissing him softly before pulling away again. “Sorry, I know it’s been a while…but I’m just not in the mood. I’m so ready to not be pregnant.”
“No worries, I can wait. But sex can induce labor, you know.”
Ellie contemplates that. She’s tried basically everything else at this point. Spicy food, exercising, acupuncture, the list goes on. “Well, trying can’t hurt.” She admits. Logan grins, slipping a hand into her panties.
“You’re so wet babe.” Logan observes. His brow furrows. “Like….really wet.”
Ellie sits up, shifting over in bed. A dark puddle is revealed where she had been lying. “I think my water broke.” She sounds calmer than she feels.
Logan immediately springs into action, leaping from the bed and changing from his pajamas into jeans and a t-shirt.  “Okay, time to follow our birth plan. Babe, where’s the birth plan? I gave you the binder, right?”
He had written up a 100-page document, even going as far as laminating the pages. Ellie had promised to read it, but had accidentally left it at Riya’s house 2 months ago and forgot to pick it back up. She had wanted to show Riya how out of control Logan was, but her best friend just thought it was cute.
“Oh that, I think I left that at Riya’s.” She confesses.
Logan frowns, “You read it though, right?” Her guilty look must answer his question, because he looks very disappointed. “That’s fine.” He mutters, going to the closet for the hospital bag he packed a month ago.
“Logan.” Ellie calls after him.
He returns with the bag. “What?”
She takes his face in her hands, stretching up on her tip toes to kiss him. “Calm down. Everything is going to be fine.” She assures when she pulls away.
Logan pulls her into a soft hug, kissing the top of her head. “Let’s go have a baby.”
..
.
“Logan, you’re driving so slow.” Ellie complains, sitting in the backseat with their newborn. She gently traces a finger over Gage’s soft cheek as the baby continues to slumber peacefully in his car seat. Logan had spent a full hour strapping him in before being convinced that the straps were comfortable, but tight enough.
“These maniacs are driving way too fast. I’m in the slow lane.” Logan counters, ignoring the car honking behind them.
“You’re going 30 miles per hour. On the freeway. I think it’s actually illegal to drive this slow. You’re disrupting the flow of traffic.” Ellie explains. This is quite the 180 degree change from how he drove her to the hospital, dangerously weaving through traffic at speeds averaging 90 miles per hour in his familiar Devore GT.
Logan speeds up to 50 miles per hour. “Happy?” He asks.
Ellie smiles at Gage as he gurgles. “Very.”
Eventually, they pull up to their apartment complex. Ellie spots her dad’s car in the parking lot. He had met them at the hospital, excited to witness his baby having a baby. Detective Wheeler insists on staying with them for the first week of Gage’s life, helping the helpless first-time parents. Logan isn’t thrilled about it. The relationship between the two is still awkward, with too much bad history. They tolerate each other for Ellie’s sake, and now for Gage’s sake too.
The Wheelers (Logan took Ellie’s last name when they eloped in Las Vegas three months ago. It’s untraditional, but his own last name didn’t mean much to him. This feels like a fresh start. Like a new family, a real family. Plus, Detective Wheeler seems to be happy that the baby will carry on the Wheeler name and Logan needs every point he can get with his father-in-law.) enter their apartment for the first time as a family of three.
“Dad?” Ellie calls out, knowing her dad knows where the spare key is hidden and likely let himself in. He appears from the kitchen, tossing an apron off as he immediately reaches for his grandson. Logan hands their son over, and Detective Wheeler beams as he coos at the small bundle of joy. Ellie smiles at the sight, her heart so full of joy. She turns to kiss her husband, but Logan turns his head, causing her kiss to land on his cheek. She frowns. He’s always super weird about being affectionate with her in front of her dad. Maybe it’s because the last time Detective Wheeler saw them kissing, he pulled a gun on Logan.
“I made the Ellie special honey. I figured you might be hungry for real food after all those hours of labor.”
Ellie’s mouth immediately begins watering, rushing into the kitchen for the waffles she craves. That leaves the Wheeler men, all three of them now, alone.
Logan shifts uncomfortably, itching to follow Ellie out of the room. “He looks like you.” Detective Wheeler comments, examining his grandson before looking at his son-in-law.
“Really? I see Ellie.” Logan replies, looking at Gage’s features.
“He’s got Ellie’s eyes, but the rest of him is all you.” Detective Wheeler insists. There’s a moment of silence before Detective Wheeler continues. “You know Logan, you’ve proven me wrong.”
“Huh?” Logan asks.
“When Ellie told me that she was pregnant, and that you were the father, I told her she’d be better off without you. That you couldn’t take care of her, or the baby. That a criminal can’t really go straight. That it would never work.” Detective Wheeler had been looking at Gage, but now he looks at Logan. “But you’ve got a good, legitimate job. You were so attentive during the pregnancy. I can tell how much you love my daughter, and now my grandson. You’re a good man Logan, and I’m proud to call you my son-in-law.”
Logan stands, stunned. Completely unused to any type of paternal praise. He clears his throat, and when he finally speaks it is full of emotion. “Thank you. I hope to never let you down, to never let Ellie or Gage down.”
Detective Wheeler smirks. “You won’t.” He pauses for a second before continuing, bouncing his grandson lightly in his arms.  “But if you ever do, you’ll have a lot harder time hiding from me than you did from the FBI.”  
..
.
Gage’s crying comes through the baby monitor, waking Ellie from the light slumber she has just managed to fall into. She groans. She feels like she has gotten maybe 5 hours of sleep in the two weeks since Gage was born. She nudges Logan roughly. “It’s your turn.” She informs him.
Logan groans, slowly forcing himself out of bed. He sleepily searches for his slippers, dragging his feet down the hall to the nursery.
The crying quiets, and Ellie can hear Logan speaking quietly to their son through the baby monitor.
“I didn’t know I could love somebody this much…this fatherly love is really something else. It makes Mommy’s dad pulling a gun on me make so much sense.” Ellie chuckles a little at that, starting to drift back to sleep. “Makes me wonder how any parent could let their kid go into the foster care system.” Logan pauses, as if composing his thoughts. “I wouldn’t give you up for anything Gage. I’ll always be here for you. And for your mother. I promise.”
..
.
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stories-forthe-void · 5 years
Text
Summer Nights and Pool Fights~ Lee Minho
This is the town that I based the landscape off. It’s kind of important to the descriptions. Also, I, ’m sorry for writing so many stories about the beach but it’s where I’ve grown up so my mind kind of goes there when I need a quick setting. Anyways enjoy the fic ^^. Also I promise to make this all look nicer when I get back from hiatus. Only 9 days this time!
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My fingers felt like they were going to fall off and my brain was being fried within my skull from the hours I had spent trying to sight read a 17/8 time signature. Join the state orchestra, they said. It'll be fun. Fun my foot. I'd spent all day sitting in one of my college’s music rooms practising for a massive concert next month and I still couldn't get the last few bars of the flute solo down.
 It’s not that hard Y/N.
I know OK just go away I need to concentrate.
She’ll kick you out if you don’t get it down by next week Y/N.
I get it Ok! I’m trying just-
 “Y/N?” Then the door rattled. Dammit, Minho. You always pick the perfect time to make an entrance. I tried to ignore the banging on the door. “Y/N, I know you’re in there. Open the door.” He rattled the door again. “Please, your mom gave me some of her lasagnas to bring you!” I was at the door in seconds and unlocking it before he could say anything more.
 You lost to pasta again Y/N.
 “Y/N-”
 “Shh, no speaking, now where’s the pasta?” I held out my hand.
 “I knew that would work. Here,” he handed me a Tupperware full of my mom’s famous lasagna. I swear they should make like a black market where children can sell their mother’s cooking. I could make millions!
 “Now would you like to explain why you haven’t come out of this room the whole weekend? Seriously you know there are better places to practice than on campus, right? Like why would you willingly come back here?” He gave me a typical Minho face that said: really Y/N? You could be spending your weekends with your amazing best friend, but no you prioritize your metal tube over me. Oh, the horror!
 “I have my reasons!” I exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder.
 “Name three decent ones.”
 “Alright, reason one: they have aircon in here and my fan messes with the sound waves.” He shot me another typical Minho look. ”I'm serious! It's a legitimate problem in the flautist community!”
 “Alright, alright, kind of I believe you. Now, two more reasons. Come on.”
 “I, um, yeah, um, ok! Stop looking at me like that. The concert is next month Minho! Did expect me to just sit and do nothing?” I exclaimed
 “No, I don't, but I do expect you to instil some basic self-care! You can't just lock yourself in a music room all long weekend from dusk till dawn and then every afternoon after class. You need a break. Believe me, I need one too. We have a competition next week but I don’t lock myself in the practice room! So, please let me take you out of this horribly decorated room and do something fun with your best friend.” It's not that I didn't want to it was just that I couldn't. I was new in the orchestra. I still wasn't technically an official member, which meant Mrs Walsh could kick me out whenever she wished.
 “Minho I can’t -”
 “Y/N I get it. You're scared. I mean I would be too with a conductor like Mrs Walsh, but you are one of the best flautists I know.”
 “I'm the only flautist you know” I deadpanned.
 “That's beside the point. You need a break.”
 “Okay let's say I agree to this madness. What are we going to do? It's not like we can just take a drive to some magical island in the middle of nowhere.”
 “Oh Y/N, you severely underestimate my connections.” There it was. That was the Minho smile. The very reason I walked up to him on the first day of high school, right after the English teacher found at least 15 paper aeroplanes stuck to the ceiling with increasingly cringy quotes from fanfic.
 “Don’t look at me like that. It makes me nervous!”
“Minho where are we going?!” He had dragged me back to my dorm, made me pack a bag and on top of that insist I leave my flute behind. “Ok no. I’m being serious where are we going. My room mate will kill me if I just run off to some random mountain reserve with a boy.”
 “Calm your farm Y/N. I talked to Yasmin and she said it was fine. We’re going on an adolescent adventure. You’ll look back on this weekend and think ‘wow how did I manage a whole weekend without hooking up with my drop-dead gorgeous best friend’” I punched him in the shoulder.
“Excuse me young one! That is the second time in the past two hours! Ugh, the disrespect for elders in today’s society. Honestly its horrendous” He said it in the most ridiculous British grandmother voice and I honestly would’ve loved to have laughed, but he didn’t need that sort of ego boost right now.
 “You are two months older than me! Come on let’s get going I don’t want to get to wherever we’re going at like midnight.” I picked up my backpack and a duffel bag full of clothes for the weekend and pushed him through the door.
 “Alright, alright, I’m going.” And then we were through the door and in his car. He started the engine and so began the two-hour road trip filled with musical classics such as Gee, Ring Ding Dong and of course Wolf.
“Minho, oh my god this place is amazing! What millionaire cousin are you hiding from me?” I walked through the front door right into the lounge which opened up onto a massive deck with the most beautiful infinity pool I had ever seen. The deck looked out onto the main beach down below. It was decorated in that classic beach house décor that was probably way older than both of us, but it was still gorgeous. The kitchen was small but had a coffee machine. Perfect, I can drag Minho out to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning and he won’t complain.
 The garden and downstairs were pretty spacious but upstairs was much smaller. The house was probably designed with an “all day at the beach then entertain all night and only use the bedrooms for sleep” kind of vibe. The first bedroom was obviously for kids, bunk bed, no aircon, barely any shelving space and was basically being used as a surfboard storeroom. Not. An. Option.
 Please let there be two more bedrooms, please.
 It’s not like I haven’t slept in friends beds before, but Minho was a different story. That smile wasn’t the only thing that drew me towards him on that fateful first day of high school. Can you judge me though? He was an attractive new guy who had just transferred from a school in South Korea. He was an amazing dancer and he could sing. He was any band nerd’s dream. So I may or may not have a massive crush on my best friend...
 I pushed back the thought and continued through the house. I had no idea where Mino was but he could manage ten minutes without burning a house down… hopefully.
 The next room was just a bathroom and the next a storeroom. Who needs that many beach balls? Then at the end of the hall was the main bedroom. Dammit looks like I’m sleeping on the floor.
“Y/N where are you?” Minho shouted from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs.
 “I’m up here,” and a few seconds later he was by your side throwing you a smirk. “Oh, fluff of. I bet Yasmin didn’t agree with this part of the trip.”
 “No, no she didn’t. I didn’t think it was important. Besides, I’ll just sleep on the floor it's fine.” He went to go pull a mattress off one of the bunk bed, but I caught the back of his shirt.
 “Nope, no way. There is no way I am letting you sleep on the floor.” He began to object “Uh uh, no buts, this one’s not negotiable.” And that was that. He knew by now that there was no arguing with me, not unless he wanted to be left to walk to class alone for a week. So he agreed but sulked about it the whole time we were unpacking the car.
 “So, what are going to do for food tonight?” I asked as we sat down on the grass next to the pool.
 “I don’t know. We could go down to the restaurant by the beach. The service is terrible but the food and the view make up for it. Unless you want to go down to the store to buy food and actually make dinner?” The house was on top of a hill that overlooked the beach below. The view was amazing. The lagoon mouth was open and although it was getting late there were still children playing in the granny pool beside it.
 “You know Minho, I’ve been coming here my whole life and I’ve never noticed this house before. We usually stay right down there near the main beach. The house has been in my family for ages.” The question at hand had drifted from my mind as I sat in awe of the small town’s beauty in the fading sunlight.
 “Well, this is actually my elder cousin’s house. He said I could use it whenever I want when I got to college, so last year I got a spare set of keys made and I come here with Jisung and Felix sometimes. But I did ask you about food.” He let out a soft chuckle. I pulled myself out of my trance and looked at him.
 “Oh, right. Sorry I completely forgot. It’s just so beautiful here.” We both started out at the ocean again.
 “Ok stop distracting me from the question! Are you trying to starve me Y/N?”
 “Ok yes. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Um, I don’t really feel like cooking if that’s OK with you? Plus I haven’t seen this place in a while and the beach is calling me.” It really was and I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to get there.
 “Ok, that’s fine. We can go now then!’’
We got to the restaurant and ate a casual dinner, nothing too fancy, and then we got some drinks and headed to the rocks on the side of the lagoon mouth. It was pretty cold at night during this time of year so we sat close to keep warm. It wasn’t unusual for us, but the dark and the beach and everything just made it feel weird.
We sat like that, in the dark, arms touching, looking out at the inky water and the reflection of the moon in it, for a while. We didn’t say anything and yet thousands of words were spoken in silence; without as much as a glance at each other.
It was weird to pull ourselves out of that silence, but we did it and were now walking down the, or rather up the hill to get back to the house.
You know Y/N you really are that idiot. The one thing we promised ourselves we wouldn’t do was to fall in love with the best friend. Now, look. You are completely and utterly whipped. No going back now. So what’s the plan? Are you going to confess in some stuttering mess of a sentence in some dark, ding music room or are you going to keep this from him for forever and die an old crazy cat lady with sixteen cats named Gerrald, Richard Parker, Isabelle-
 “So Y/N what’s the plan for tomorrow?” He nudged my shoulder lightly and pulled me from my thoughts.
 “Um, I don’t know. What do you feel like doing? I mean there’s not much else to do than go to the beach is there?” We got to the top of the hill and stopped to catch our breath.
 “Well there’s a waterpark like half an hour away or an amazing waffle place in the next town, but beach sounds good for the first day. The waterpark will be packed anyways.” We started walking again as it started to get colder.
 “Yeah, that sounds great.” I thought about it for a second and then added in my best Disney villain voice: “On one condition.” He almost looked nervous for a second but then slapped on a cocky grin before I could even remember what his face had looked like before.
 “Name anything; this weekend is for you.” Two could play at that game.
 “Ok then, I’m waking you up at six thirty tomorrow to go watch the sunrise.” Now he looked nervous again.
 “I mean um well. Come on Y/N we’ve been best friends for years is this really a necessity?”
 “Yes, Minho it very much is and I will drag you down this hill tomorrow morning if I have to. Thank you for a nice evening but I will now shower and then retire to the floor.” I let out a laugh and then started walking up the stairs.
 “You know you’ll have to deal with me the minute you get out the shower right.” He laughed with me as he started following me up the stairs.
 “Yes Minho, I do in fact realise that, but the fact that I have to see you does not mean I have to listen to you complain about a six thirty wake up call. Honestly, it’s not that bad you lazy ass.” I closed the bathroom door and locked it behind me. I wasn’t trying to be mean; I was just trying to have fun, but I’m bad at working out the difference so…
It was midnight and the floor was cold.
Why he thought that coming to the beach in the middle of autumn was a good idea, I might never know.
At least we haven’t said anything stupid in at least an hour Y/N.
I’ve been asleep!
Yes but we can say stupid things in our sleep Y/N.
Ok no, not listening to you anymore. Goodnight.
It was now half past one. The floor was still cold.
Unless we plan on getting a cold Y/N, we have one option.
What can a cold do to me, come on?
It can turn into a chest infection and then a lung infection and then wow look Y/N can’t play the flute anymore and oh look again we’ve been kicked out the orchestra.
Shut up.
One option Y/N, one option…
 I went to go shake Minho awake. Giving in to the voice in my head was something I was trying to get better at but it still didn’t work that well… most of the time.
 “Come on Minho please wake up!” He was usually a light sleeper, but he was probably doing this just to spit me. “Lee Minho I know you’re awake.” I waited a minute and then gave in to his plan that I knew was most definitely churning in that stupid, amazing brain of his. “Fine, ok, the floor is cold. Please, can I sleep with you?” He smirked but kept his eyes closed. “Not like that you pervert!”
 He stirred, opened his eyes and then sat up and said: “Ya sure. I knew you’d give in eventually. No one can resist this face.” He smirked at me again and batted his eyelashes.
 “Oh, would you shut up and move over.” I wanted it to come out a bit sterner, but I ended up laughing as he pouted at me and scooted so he wasn’t hogging the entire bed to himself. I turned to look at him and, in the most loving tone I could muster for one am, said: “Goodnight idiot.”
 “Goodnight my bestest most loving friend forever.” We both burst out laughing (even though it was a pretty terrible joke) and fell asleep just like that, heads nearly touching but not. Toes tangled by instinct to keep warm. My heart wouldn’t calm down. I thought I might have a heart attack in my sleep. To anyone else (including me) it would have looked romantic. I secretly hoped Minho thought so too.
 My internal clock woke me up at six. I had gotten used to waking up to practice and then going straight to lectures and then going straight back to practice.
 I was about to sit up when I noticed it. Minho’s arm slung over my waist and his head ever so slightly snuggled into my side. I got such a shock when I saw it that I jolted. He started to wake up and I started to panic.
 Oh we’ve really done it now haven’t we Y/N.
You’re not helping!
Hwta are we going to do about this Y/N.
I don’t know! You’re meant to be the logical one.
I’m just a voice in your head. How am I meant to be logical Y/N?
You’re the one always shouting at me!
No, we’re always the ones shouting at us.
What the hell is that supposed to mean!
To late Y/N
“Mm Y/N?” Oh god.
We spent the day at the beach, eating chips and drinking whatever was cheapest. We messed around in the water and read on the sand, but something was always a bit off.
 “I’m sorry about this morning Y/N. I don’t know what happened.” We were walking down to a different beach to go watch the sunset. I had compromised with Minho after this morning’s antics.
 “It’s fine Minho, it was cold. Body heat you know?” I let out a nervous laugh and looked over at him. It was fairly light out, as the sun was just starting to disappear under the horizon. I didn’t know if it was a trick of the early morning sun or if that was actually a blush I saw dusted on his cheeks. “Minho seriously, we’re friends it doesn’t matter. Come on stop looking so embarrassed. If anything it should be me blushing I mean I was the one-”
 “I am not blushing!” He whipped his head towards me and glared.
 “Ok sure mister ladies man.” It was like a whole different person. Minho was never like this. He was always the loud cocky one at the college parties, flirting with all the girls and then passing out on my couch after one to many jager bombs.
 Today he was like a teenage boy going through puberty who had a crush on his older sister’s best friend.
 He likes us back Y/N
Not with you in my head he doesn’t.
Stop denying that you wouldn’t be a functioning human without me Y/N.
Fuck off I’m trying to enjoy the sunset!
Don’t screw it up Y/N.
 We both froze the minute we got out the dune forest and onto the sand.
 “Omg Y/N! It’s beautiful.” He was right. The sun was halfway under the horizon and had turned the few clouds in the sky the most breathtaking shade of pink.
 “Ok who are you and what have you done with my best friend.” It was both weird and strangely endearing to see Minho so excited about a sunrise.
 “What’s so wrong with a guy liking the sky.” I chuckled.
 You’re whipped Y/N.
Since when did you use stan language?
Since when did we start using stan language Y/N?
Oh, shut up!
 “There’s nothing wrong with a guy liking the sky. I just never pinned you for a sky guy.”
 “Y/N I am shocked, I am such a sky guy.”
 “Ok, no more sky guying. Come on let’s sit down” We both laughed together and as we sat laughing on the sand I realised that this had been the most constantly happy I had been all year.
 Don’t screw it up Y/N
 “Oh, would you shut up!” I immediately clasped my hand over my mouth. Minho looked at me with a look that was somewhere between completely shocked and hurt. “Minho I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to say it out loud. Oh, wait no that’s not what I meant. Um… I’m sorry I was just. I um, I-”
 I told you not to screw it up Y/N
 I could feel tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes. Minho was still looking at me with that face. I couldn’t speak.
 Why now! It was going well! You ruin everything.
Not me, us. It’s not my voice Y/N
 I broke down. I was so sick of this stupid voice in my head and now look what it had done. Why couldn’t I just turn it off? Why did it have to-
 I felt arms wrapping around me and pulling me into someone’s chest.
 “Shh, it’s ok Y/N. You’re ok.” I didn’t understand why he was always so selfless. Behind that stupid ego of his, he was just my best friend.
 I don’t know how long we sat on the beach like that. The sun ha set and it was dark outside by the time I lifted my head from his chest and tried to speak but he stopped me.
 “Before you make some bullshit excuse and say you’re fine, you’re not and you are going to tell me what’s going on in that brain of yours because I am tired of seeing the person I love suffer.”
 See look it’s-
 “Please just be quiet,” I whispered into Minho’s chest once again.
 “Y/N please tell me what’s going on. You’re really starting to scare me.” I looked back up at him and the worry in his eyes had my heart crumbling into dust.
 “I just- I don’t know Minho. I just can’t get it to be quiet and it ruins everything.” He looked scared. I hated it, but I didn’t know how to explain it.
 “What won’t be quite Y/N?” I pointed to my head. Realization washed over his face, then understanding and lastly sadness.
 “What does it say” It was barely a whisper. I shook my head. I didn’t want to say it aloud. It made it seem too real. It already at too much power over me, it didn’t need this.
 “Please, can we just go home Minho? I’m fine. I dealt with this since like Grade 8 and I’ll deal with it some more. Just please can we go home.” I hated sounding this needy, but I didn’t want to talk about this now or ever. It was something I dealt with by myself or not at all. Minho did not need to be dragged into this.
 “Y/N I can’t just-”
 “Yes you can Minho and you will. We’re not talking about this. Not in the dark on a beach. Maybe somewhere else and in the far future but please, please can we just go home.” He slumped and gave in. He stood up and bent is legs and gestured with his head as if to say hurry up and get on. I’d didn’t I just looked at him, confused.
 “What? Come on I have to be a good friend in some way tonight. Get on.” And so I did. It was weird but not in a bad way. I felt like a kid. It was…nice?
He somehow carried me all the way home, even up that godforsaken hill. We got inside the house, after fumbling with the keys and giggling for a good five minutes, but he didn’t stop there. He ran through the lounge, me still on his back, and opened the sliding door. He headed towards the pool.
 “Minho what are you doing!” He liked back at me and smirked. He put me down and I made to run but he caught the belt loops on my shorts. “Minho seriously what are you- ah!” He had picked me up in his arms and was carrying me towards the pool. “Lee Minho I swear on my flute’s well being if you dare!” He dangled me over the pool.
 “Are you going to talk yet?” I didn’t say anything. I just glared at him and in return, he loosened his grip on me.
 “Minho stop!” I clung on to him.
 “Talk or swim Y/N, the choice is yours.” He shook me as if he was trying to emphasise his point.
 “Minho, you can’t be serious!” He didn’t look at me only at the pool which was dangerously close to my legs. I realised how he was holding me and a blush crawled up my cheeks.
 Just admit it to him already Y/N.
Not now!
He knows about me now; no point in hiding it Y/N.
Oh, shut up.
 “I am being dead serious Y/N. Talk or swim!” I tried to splutter out anything to try to change my mind but all that came out was an incoherent babble.
 “You chose…wrong!” And with that, he threw me in the pool. The perfectly heated water enveloped me as I felt all my clothes get wet. Thank God for beach holidays where the taking off your costume isn’t an option. I took off my wet top and pants and threw them on the side of the pool.
 I came up to take a breath and saw Minho take off his shirt and bolt towards the pool. He canon-balled into the pool; nearly landing on me in the process.  He disappeared in the inky dark of the water, none of the pool lights were on, I mean we didn’t exactly plan on using the pool other than to wash off the sand.
 “Minho, where did you go?” I couldn’t tell if my laugh was out of nervousness or joy. It was so weird. Maybe half an hour ago I was sobbing into his chest trying to keep this stupid thing out my head and now here we were, just stupid kids again. The same Minho who would contemplate the art teachers seeming immortality is the same Minho who had gathered me in his arms and just been there. The same Minho who convinced me to flirt with the lunch lady was the same Minho-
 “Ahhh!” He had come up underneath me, grabbed my legs and launched me in the air. “What the hell was that for!?” I tried to stare him down but he just laughed.
 “Because I think you needed to smile.” He grinned at me, so I splashed him. He splashed back. And so began a five-minute wrestling match. I won, but I think he would have disagreed.
 “Ok, ok,” He puffed out, he looked out of breath, “Now tell me what was going on with you back at the beach.” He had swum right up close to me.
 “Minho do we have to talk about this right now? Can’t we just be two friends in a pool on a spur of the moment holiday?” His face contorted.
 Ughhhhhh, what have I said this time.
 “Is that all I am to you Y/N, a friend?” I had no idea what he was asking. Was he implying something? Or was he just being Minho?
 “I don’t know what you mean Minho.”
 “I mean what I said. Is that all I am to you and am I really that bad at trying to show you that I might want more?” Ok, so he was impling something. Oh my god, he was implying something.
 “WH-what?” I spluttered out.
 “I like you OK Y/N? And I hate seeing you like this; beating yourself down when you’re the most talented, most amazing, most beautiful human I know!”
 “Minho, I, um, I- I just don’t know what. Oh screw it!” It was now or never. I knew I’d never get a chanc like that again so I just, kissed him. And it felt freaking amazing.
  Let’s just say Mrs Walsh was very surprised at how well I played at the concert.
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jbuffyangel · 5 years
Text
A Better Future: Arrow 7x15 Review (Training Day)
Look out for Episode 7x15!!! She came out dancing like, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” 
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There are so many goodies I don’t know where to start. Well, obviously I know where to start. We’re going to obsess over every detail.  But first, I must ask if anyone survived the 7x16 promo? Cause I didn’t. This is Ghost Jen.
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Let’s dig in….
Olicity
This pregnancy is waaaaaaay more fun now that Oliver knows. Seriously this episode is straight out of fanfiction.
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Oliver mostly just wants to feed Felicity things I can’t even pronounce. 
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What the heck is a tartine and who sautés broccolini? You know what? I don’t even care. Oliver can cook whatever he wants as long as he’s naked. Yes, those are the marital provisions. You may turn to page 21 in the marriage contract if you need proof. It’s in bold.
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Source:   olicitygifs
See guys? We’re not the only ones quietly unnerved by fully-realized-Jesus-like-superhero Oliver. He’s giving Felicity the wiggins too. 
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When was the last time Oliver took orders from anyone? Nope. You can’t say Felicity. She’s the wifey and pregnant. I feel extremely confident if she asked Oliver to nuke a country he’d do it and then roast her a turkey over the fires of destruction.
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Oliver is going the extra mile with the SCPD because he wants the partnership to be legitimate for “our baby.”  
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Is there anything sexier than Oliver talking about the incubating human he put in his wife? NOPE THERE IS NOT. 
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First time I died. Yes, we’re numbering it.
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Immediately, Oliver mentions William and his reasoning for listening to the SCPD’s buffoon orders is understandable. 
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Oliver missed out on ten years of William’s life and being a vigilante hasn’t made their present day relationship any easier. Re: William got the hell out of dodge and is living with the most evil grandparents in the world. Come on. We know they are kinda evil. WHO ERASES A FATHER’S PHONE MESSAGE? At the very least they are hyper helicopter grandparents, which is a hop, skip and a jump away from Evil Town.
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Oliver is extremely glass half full right now. 
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I guess this is what happens when THE PRINCESS THAT WAS PROMISED is about to arrive. I love Felicity’s mildly exasperated expression as Oliver’s waxes poetically about this partnership. Listen girl, you turned him into this big pile of mushy rainbows. Not us.
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Source: olicitygifs
Does anyone else scream, “SPOILER ALERT: EVERYTHING IS AWFUL IN THE FUTURE!!!” every time Oliver talks about making the city safe for their children, so they can live in Star City and be happy? No? Just me? The dude deserves a heads up. The writers sure aren’t giving him one. It’s like salt in an open wound whenever Oliver dreams of Star City becoming Disney World 2.0. WRONG SHOW OLIVER. 
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This is the show where the writers bludgeon us with misery and only give us joyful moments as a brief respite from our pain and sorrow.  
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Too bitter?
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Felicity gets on board with the glass half full approach because ain’t nothing cuter than her man being all sunshine and rainbows.
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  Source: olicitygifs 
After all, they are a team within and team. Then comes all the smooching and we’re only in the first 5 minutes. Second time I died.
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Oliver totally looked at Felicity’s stomach when she said she didn’t want anyone knowing about what’s happening “in here” and his little amused smile was so much I cannot.
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Felicity’s right about mum’s the word and not because they are vigilantes, although that is a thing. It’s best to wait until the first trimester is over before making any big announcements.  
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Source:  oliverxfelicity
Oliver agrees, Felicity actually says, “Yay,” and then asks him to make her a tartine.
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Source: smoakmonster
Starving and nausea sum up my first trimester too, girl. Third time I died.
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Felicity pregnant ratchets up her adorable factor by at least 80%. 
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Source:  felicitysmoakgifs
This woman breathes and I’m like
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I also love how Oliver is the only person who knows why her rambling is so extra and reels her in. Team within a team is damn right.  
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The SCPD pours out Oliver’s half full glass because they are annoying and stupid. The team needs to adhere to protocol or else. Ugh why do we have to listen to the cops? They don’t have cool toys.
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Felicity convinces Oliver they simply need to show the SCPD the Team Arrow way and they’ll stop with all the red-tape-need-actual-evidence-court-of-law nonsense.
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It sounds good, particularly coming from Felicity. I’m at the same point as Oliver. I think this woman could tell me the sky is purple and I’d rock some “Purple Rain.”
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If Arrow wants do a show where Oliver cooks for Felicity while she shares all her pregnancy symptoms as they smooch and be adorable in their little incubating love nest I would be completely fine with that because it's Emmy award winning television.
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Source: oliverxfelicity
Why does the show have to be over? It’s perfect. Fourth time I died.
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Olicity continues with their team within a team approach and decide to bring James Midas in on their own. They do it the old fashioned way. (HAHAHA that sounds dirty. Sorry. I’m a 10 year old trapped in a 37 year old body.) Oliver goes full on growly, burly man in leather and threatens to melt Midas’ face off in a tub of hydrofluoric acid. Stephen Amell’s facial reactions are hysterical. Oliver is almost bored like, “Come on, come on, I have tartines to make and a baby to name.” 
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Source: @smoacs
Felicity records the confession while complaining about people like me who don’t click update. I’m perfectly fine with bae owning my ass. Fifth time I died.
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But the mayor cuts Midas loose because his confession was coerced. Is that a thing we care about on Arrow now? I guess we’re doing the whole Miranda rights, due process, warrants, evidence, chain of custody thing. Huh. So… how’d they prosecute all the other criminals for the last seven years? 
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I’m also willing to venture the mayor is slightly evil if she’s big buddies with a guy like Midas. WHO FUNDED HER CAMPAIGN?
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Uncle Diggle is wondering why his OTP is going rogue, so he swings by for a little chat. His Yoda senses are on high alert. 
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This is why they had to make Diggle normal again. Pod Diggle would never suss out an Olicity pregnancy. I love how Oliver and Felicity are all, “WE AREN’T TELLING ANYONE,” and then Diggle shows up, asks one question, and they fold. 
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You can’t lie to Yoda. Thems the rules.
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Diggle ships this ship harder than anybody else. He practically willed this child into existence. 
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Source: oliverxfelicity
It’s possible he’s more excited than Oliver when Felicity tells him the news. The “we’re having a baby” absolutely includes John Thomas Diggle too.  Sixth time I died.
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We have to go over this moment in particular because @lyricalarrow​ mentioned it in a tweet and I cracked up because it is so true.
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Where is the lie? Oliver looks at the ground, crosses his arms, and shuffles his feet whenever he feels shy or bashful.  It’s like he’s a little embarrassed Diggle knows they have sex.
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Meanwhile, the hot little mama over there with her hip wiggle is more than comfortable letting Diggle know his boy knocked her up. Hilarious perfection.
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Honestly, I understand Oliver’s reaction here because I felt the same telling my parents I was pregnant. They high fived, but I was a little embarrassed there was physical evidence of my sexual activity with my husband. It’s cool. I feel confident they decided my daughter was the Immaculate Conception. Everyone is very comfortable with that story.
This announcement also leads to Diggle’s rapid understanding of why Oliver and Felicity are acting like they are on a clock, because THEY ARE ON A CLOCK. Their child will be born into Disney World come hell or high water. THY NAME IS OLICITY AND THY WILL BE DONE!
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Like I said, it sounds good on paper, but Diggle comes prepared with logic. Oliver and Felicity understandably have baby on the brain, but they aren’t thinking their rogue plan through. It’ll work for a little while, but then Oliver will land in Slabside again. Yeah, I don’t want to go back to Slabside. I want to keep doing all the baby stuff. Whatever keeps us doing the baby stuff is the plan I favor.
The truth is if the Team Arrow way worked 100% then Star City would be saved. Same goes for the SCPD. Yes, let us casually ignore the writers will not allow the city to be saved until the final episode because that’s just details. What needs to happen is a combo approach. Ya know like an actual partnership.
Diggle: You have to find a way to make it work. Comprise. Do whatever you have to do because if you want a new future for this baby of yours it won’t come by doing the same thing we used to do. We have to be something else. Something better.
Is this the first time Diggle has said the, “Be something else” line?” I feel like it is. If so, it’s a momentous occasion. Every part of the OTA trio has officially given a “Be Something Else” speech. Jeez, this show really is ending isn’t it?
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After saving the day while working in partnership with the SCPD, Team Arrow reconvenes in their home away from home. BUNKER IS BACK BABY!!!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness. I am so sick of the police department. It lacks flair. 
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The team wants to grab a beer to celebrate, which feels like the first time this suggestion has ever happened other than Diggle and Oliver tossing back some vodka or scotch. What’s with all the alcohol? Cause Felicity is pregnant, and these writers want to create as many situations as possible where it can be referenced. 
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I honestly think Oliver just went to the bar to keep the cover. Cue super sweet winking. 
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Source: lucyyh
Seventh time I died.
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Diggle isn’t done being amazing. I MISSED HIM SO MUCH Y’ALL.  He brings Felicity ginger candies to help with the morning sickness. In my fic “Broken Pieces” it was saltine crackers. Seriously, how many of us have written fics where A) Diggle figures out Felicity is pregnant and B) he helps her with the morning sickness because he learned a few things while Lyla was pregnant?
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Yeah that’s what I thought. Nobody gets to tell me this episode isn’t straight out Olicity Ficville. I. LOVE. IT. Eighth time I died.
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He also stokes the Smoak Tech fires by complimenting Felicity on her technology and generally being a total bad ass while pregnant. 
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SEE? SHE CAN DO BOTH PEOPLE. 
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Hold up. Rewind. Is that my girl shading Curtis Holt?
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HAHAHA! YES IT IS!!!!!!!!!!! THIS EPISODE IS AMAZING!!!!!
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We know this DNA security program she’s developed is what eventually becomes the Archer program, so I am very curious to see how it gets up and running. 
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Source:  felicitysmoakgifs
I think one word from Diggle is all it’s going to take.
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FELICITY ASKED OLIVER IF SHE’S SHOWING. THE WRITERS HAVE KILLED ME DEAD EIGHT TIMES ALREADY? WHAT IF I ONLY HAVE NINE LIVES? MAYBE I’M REALLY A CAT!!!!! 
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Source: olicitygifs
Honestly, they’ve nailed the first trimester: nausea, starvation, exhaustion, and wondering if you’re showing when you are absolutely nowhere near showing. Ninth time I died.
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And then… Felicity wants to talk baby names. Cue hyperventilation. 
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Yeah yeah yeah I know we know the baby’s name BUT THEY ARE GONNA TALK ABOUT IT GUYS. That’s a whole other thing. 
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Oliver had names picked out pretty much since this moment. 
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This is the face of man naming his babies while staring at his future baby mama.
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So, I’m really excited Felicity broached the subject first. She’s been dreaming about little Olivers and Felicities too. She’s just been a little calmer about it instead of My Face Is My Feelings over here. 
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I am still a firm believer in triplets because it gives us more name permutations, but whatever the writers didn’t listen to me and I won’t get greedy. So here we go. It isn’t going to be a boy so Felicity can name the boy whatever she wants.
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LUCAS? SHE PICKED LUCAS? 
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Why not Tommy or Robert or the plethora of other dead male characters on this show? Lucas is a fine name I guess. Makes me think of Lucas from One Tree Hill, which is equally awful and wonderful. (His character was a mess. Don’t blame me for Lucas Scott being a mess.) Or Luke Skywalker who is also equally a mess. My husband’s cousin is named Luke. He’s an awesome guy. Lucas works. Okay. Lucas. Do we call him Luke? I like Luke.
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What say you Twitter?
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OH MY GOSH I LOVE LUCAS SO MUCH.  Tenth time I died.
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P.S.: This is why you don’t tell people your names until after the kid is born and you slapped it on the birth certificate.
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Source: olicitygifs
Oliver immediately signs off on Lucas (re: see nuclear bomb analogy). Hell, if Felicity wanted to name the kid Malcolm, Slade, The Demon’s Head, Damien, Adrian or Ricardo I think he’d still sign off.  He might even go for Al Sah-him Jr. The boy is gone okay? Oliver made a baby with his woman and life is amazing. Eleventh time I died.
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I love how Oliver tries to pretend like he just thought of a name for a baby girl.
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Boy, you’ve been spinning out names in that brain of yours every night while you sharpen your arrows. You fool no one sir.
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There’s a significant pause before Oliver says the name. He has given this a lot of thought. When he speaks again it’s in the same sweet, gentle and quiet tone he uses for Felicity. Since the beginning, Oliver has instinctively softened his voice around Felicity. It was a way to reassure her; to show she is always safe with him. 
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But his rage and pain are tempered now. The edges have been softened after seven years of loving this one woman.  
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Yet, this voice remains almost like a whisper because of how much Oliver feels and the depth he loves. It’s almost overwhelming. 
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This voice is Oliver at his most earnest and vulnerable. 
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This is the Oliver only Felicity gets to see. 
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He’s better at talking about his emotions now. It’s taking a lot of practice and learning, but the voice remains the same. This is how Oliver Queen speaks when the words matter the most.  
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His special Felicity’s voice is also his special Mia voice.  Twelfth time I died.
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DID I SAY HER NAME WAS MOIRA? .
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YES I DID. Thirteenth time I died.
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Felicity’s reaction is perfection because Moira is a slightly controversial choice given her relationship with Oliver’s mother and he knows that.  
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Sweet and fiery describes all the important women in Oliver’s life- the ones he’s loved the most. These women love deeply and fight fiercely. 
Moira
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Thea
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Felicity
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Mia
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It describes Oliver as well. There is a gentle bear 
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underneath the raging bull. 
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This girl is Smoak, Kuttler, Dearden and Queen. And she’s amazing. 
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Oliver and Felicity’s baby girl seems destined to become a hero in her own right. Someday Oliver and Felicity will make a better and safer Star City for their children. Maybe they’ll save the city with their children.
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Source: olicitygifs
Fifteenth time I died. We haven’t even gotten to the promo yet. Probably not a cat, so I’m totally screwed.
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Flash Forward
QUEEN SIBLING TEAM UP!!! Did anyone get major Bratva vibes during these scenes? I sure did. It’s in the blood kids! 
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Mia and William make the perfect team because they are (seemingly) opposites, but underneath the surface have a lot in common. RING ANY BELLS?
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It doesn’t hurt they are basically the familial and platonic reverse of Oliver (Mia) and Felicity (William). Mia is the bad ass from the streets and William is the computer wizard with a whole lotta money. But William is a fighter as well and Mia is extremely smart. Time for some sibling bonding.
They are in search of the mini cassette player, so they can listen to Felicity’s messages. Mia tells William to stay put, but of course he doesn’t listen. Pro tip Mia: The elder sibling will never listen to you even when they should listen to you. Curse of being the youngest. Get used to it.
William procures a mini cassette player after haggling over price. Five hundred dollars??? I’m seriously going to look in the garage for one of those things. In twenty years it might make some bank. Unfortunately, William is scammed like Mia warned and he loses the tape. His plan for getting the tape back, however, works and Mia knocks the lights out of the guy who scammed her brother. I love these two so much. They are sibling perfection.
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There’s a lot of mutual appreciation. Mia realizes her brother is a genius aka Mini Felicity and William realizes his sister is Mini Oliver. 
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It’s a really beautiful moment as William stares at her because it’s been about twenty years since he’s seen his father. She is the closest William has been to Oliver and vice versus.  
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But Mia thinking “You have failed this city” is a dumb will never not be funny.
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Source:  oliverxfelicity
It’s difficult for William to hit play on the cassette because it’s been 20 years since he’s heard Felicity’s voice and there’s a fair amount of apprehension about what she’s going to say. 
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Source:  feilcityqueen
Mia gives William the strength to hit play.  It reminded so much of all the times Oliver and Felicity gently and lovingly supported each other simply by touching hands, particularly in the beginning of the burgeoning partnership and friendship.
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Oliver refused to show any feeling while Felicity wore her heart on her sleeve. They took all the best parts of this beloved couple and put them in their children.
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Hearing Felicity’s voice in the flash forwards made me cry and I just need her in this timeline already. She spent twenty years avoiding ever saying William and Mia’s names in the same sentence. 
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You don’t keep your two precious jewels in the same location. I think it’s safe to say this is the strategy Oliver and Felicity were using.
Are there plot holes with the whole William side of things? Sure. It wasn’t a secret he was Oliver’s son. The kid was photographed. You can easily find out his last name is Clayton and his grandparents aren’t exactly living off the radar. Arrow is either going to have an answer for all these little factoids or they’re gonna blow right past them and leave them in Plot Hole Land.  
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Source: felicitysmoakgifs
But the bigger picture is Oliver and Felicity kept their children apart for a reason. I found it very interesting Felicity said this was a decision they made together. So whatever separation is coming, it was as much Oliver’s choice as it was Felicity’s.
She reads off some coordinates and orders the children not to look for her, which they promptly ignore. I loved Oliver and Thea’s relationship, but I am enjoying Mia and William’s even more. There’s a humor and banter that was missing between Oliver and Thea. Sure, there was the occasional teasing, but it was mostly fighting or crying with the original Queen siblings. It’s fine. It’s what the situations called for and Stephen and Willa acted the hell out of those scenes. It feels like the writers are trying to have more fun with William and Thea. They banter really showcases each actors’ comedic talent too, particularly Ben Lewis.  
Mia recognizes the coordinates because it’s inside The Glades. Katherine McNamara tweeted out the perfect reaction because Mia’s tone is very “The North Remembers.”  So winter is here friends and we’re going over the wall!
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The mere existence of these children is a promise for a better future.  I am choosing to remain optimistic about what Oliver and Felicity said. A hero’s journey has to start somewhere. William and Mia’s first act of heroism may very well be saving their parents.
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Source: olicitygifs
Team Arrow
Team Arrow being bored to tears and wiping the floor with the SCPD is the realest this show has ever been. 
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Oliver body slams a fellow officer as a way of “defusing the situation.” Rene puts a gun together at lightning speed and Felicity looks so bored with the tech she’s about to smash her head into a computer.
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A significant reason Star City is a crappy place to live is because the police aren’t putting up a strong line of defense. The SCPD’s antiquated procedures hindering the capturing of criminals shocks no one. If things worked at the police department the city wouldn’t need Oliver Queen, his team of bandits, and all their amazing toys. I’ve put up with this Oliver as a police officer for several episodes now, but I draw the line at no suit and no arrows. Screw that. 
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Dinah is full speed ahead on being captain and draws a hard line in the sand with the team, which of course proves to be disastrous. The reason she is all in on Captain Drake is because she lost her cry and doesn’t feel she can be Bl*ck C*nary anymore. When did the C*nary Cry become a prerequisite? 
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Sara never had one and we were well into Season 3 before Cisco put that choker around L*urel’s neck. Relax Dinah.
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Rene gets in Dinah’s face and defends Oliver because she’s being a b-i-t-c-h. 
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DID Y’ALL HEAR THAT? RENE DEFENDED OLIVER!!!!! Rene being tolerable, logical and borderline likable is almost as shocking as Zen Oliver.
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Oliver apologizes for going rogue. He always apologizes first. We’re taking baby steps with the Newbies. Not everything can get better all at once. Patience. But then DINAH ALSO APOLOGIZES and she acknowledges she was way too hard on Oliver. Umm… hooray! But for real what is happening to this show right now? Everything is amazing.
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Oliver FINALLY tells the team to “suit up” and I realized how long it’s been since he’s been the one to say it. The joy of Curtis Holt being gone will never abate. Speaking of Curtis, it feels like a massive difference now that the team is back to four in the field and Felicity in the bunker as Overwatch. God, I missed Overwatch. The trimming of Team Arrow was a smart move for many reasons and I think a five member team is the max capacity this show can handle. Dropping Curtis like the dead weight he is was a fantastic move.
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Since Team Arrow is all about the legal now, Felicity hacks whatever SCPD has access to (they aren’t completely in the Stone Age) and it’s all admissible in court. The rest of the team secures evidence and arrests in partnership with the police, which mostly looks like the SCPD rolling in after Team Arrow has done all the work. I don’t really understand how the criminals Team Arrow captured were prosecuted before all this, but whatever. 
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I’m just happy the team is back in the bunker with their suits, they are the official black ops of the police department, and the mayor is repealing that stupid anti vigilante law. HELLO MY SHOW I HAVE MISSED YOU.
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Bl*ck S*ren and Emiko
The “Training Day” writers didn’t check off everything on my wish list. They were close, but unfortunately BS did not kill Diaz. I still think it would’ve been awesome, but it’s okay. You win some and you lose some. I think it’s safe to say our fandom is winning just plenty.
Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger witnessed Diaz’s murder while he was in solitary and it was someone wearing the Green Arrow suit, which means Emiko. In exchange for this information BS allows Turner to see his son – Connor, his “little hawk.” 
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I already love this backstory so much more than the one Connor had on the Legends of Tomorrow episode. Connor being Lyla and Diggle’s adopted son makes more sense to me than JJ taking on the random name of Connor Hawke. 
BS confronts Emiko and the whole conversation is hysterical hypocrisy.
Bl*ck S*ren:  You’re lying about who you really are. You’re not a hero.  
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STEAL ANYONE’S IDENTITY LATELY L*UREL? I can never decide if the writers are blatantly obtuse in regards to L*urel’s character (any version) or if this is somehow a tongue and cheek/wink wink kind of thing. 
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It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is I’m fairly certain BS just got Ben Turner killed. 
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It’s not going to take Emiko and Dante very long to figure out how L*urel came upon this information. 
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Holy hell lady. Keep your trap shut while you investigate someone. Didn’t you learn anything in law school? OH WAIT THAT’S RIGHT YOU DIDN’T GO!
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Since Turner saved Lyla’s life once I believe they’ll adopt Connor as a way of paying it forward. They also can’t let a kid that adorable go. I just want to smush his face.
This also makes Felicity pickle in the middle. Oliver will of course believe Emiko over Bl*ck S*ren and Felicity will have to choose between the two. I’m actually way more interested in seeing how Felicity reacts than I am anything else, so once again BS services her storyline. Suits me just fine.
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THE PROMO
I was sick on Monday (hence the delayed review), so my husband didn’t wake me up for Arrow. The nerve of him, I know. So, when I started watching I was about 40 minutes behind and @callistawolf​ told me to call her after because she was hyperventilating. I was very careful while tweeting not to read any other  tweets. So, when Mia said they were going over the wall I thought, “Calm down Cal. It’s not that big of a deal – HOLY SHIT IS THAT A LOVE CABIN?”
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THE. PROMO. KILLED. ME. The other fifteen times brought me to the edge and the promo shoved me off the cliff.  Don’t mourn for me my friends. I had a good life and it was a good death.
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This promo is proof the CW can actually put together great marketing for this show. They just choose not to 99.99% of the time, but at least 7x16 can join the truly great promos of 3x01, 3x20, 4x01 and 5x20.
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We hear Felicity screaming as the camera pushes in on the cabin and down the hallway into the bedroom where she is delivering their child. The first image we see of Oliver and Felicity is their hands. Oliver is holding on tight as his wife struggles through labor.
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Source: olicitygifs
I remember when I used to hyperventilate over a mere shoulder or hand touch.
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Oliver and Felicity’s romance started in the quiet moments. 
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Their love was in the details. 
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This image of them holding hands, Felicity’s wedding ring brightly shining in the sun, as she brings Mia into this world is a powerful symbol of where their story began and what their love created.
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The reason we wear wedding rings is because they are an endless circles. The commitment we are making with our spouse is forever.  We wear our ring on our fourth finger of our left hand because the Romans believed the vein in this finger lead directly to a person’s heart. Love is eternal. The focus on Felicity’s ring, her hand gripping tightly in Oliver’s, symbolizes Mia entering this endless loop of love where she will always be wanted, adored and safe.
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Source: sansasnw 
Of course, Oliver and Felicity’s child is born in the bright sunshine of morning. We would expect nothing less. It’s always the light. This child is a new beginning for Oliver and Felicity.  A new life who can harness her parent’s light and shine her own upon all she loves.  I get emotional when I think about where Oliver’s story began. He was a lost soul who believed life was merely about survival and he didn't deserve one worth living for. And now…
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Source:  olicitygifs
I’m sobbing at the promo y’all. I won’t make it through the episode. 
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As for this moment...
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This is my head canon until the show tells me different.
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Source: olicitygifs
Stray Thoughts
Why does Bl*ck S*ren think Oliver and Felicity will be mad Emiko killed Diaz? Nobody is crying over that guy cutie. Oliver and Felicity came to my smore party. They brought the chocolate.
Mia couldn’t put the tape in. I’m still laughing. Katherine McNamara’s comedic timing is gold.
“This is private. Loophole.” Felicity being the most irritated she can’t do things illegally is so on brand.
Mini cassettes were around in the nineties too. Can we stop with the super aging of things, show?
I love Face/Off. Classic Travolta vs. Cage.
We haven't done a good old fashion gang war. After 7 years in a crime fighting show that feels a little odd.
Oliver and Felicity have their baby in a love cabin and many believe it is Ravenspure, which is the cabin Felicity was conceived in. I truly do not remember this detail from Season 4, but I know better than to question my peeps.
Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 7x15 gifs credited.
If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!
138 notes · View notes
amnachil · 5 years
Note
Hi, I like your stories very much! Could you think about writing a church/cleric related wg story? 🐷
So since you didn’t give any specifics, I just wrote what went through my mind uwu I hope you like it :)
Devil's food cake
Canter was a little town in the middle of nowhere. It had one grocery store, one garage, one school... one of everything needed. The inhabitants knew little about the outside world, and the outside world knew nothing about them. Not that they cared anyway. Canter was and would always be a godforsaken hole. But the people were very united and they were happy all together. At least until that fateful day when Father Phil got sick. The priest was a local celebrity. For years, he had been their guide. The elders loved him. The youngsters respected him. Thus, his health condition worried all Canter. Mary, the young nun, was especially concerned. She knew it was impossible for her to manage the church on her own. The community needed a priest. She needed one. After one week of worries and failed cures, the sister contacted the bishop. Thinking more efficiently and logically, this latter understood Father Phil was slowly joining the Lord. After all, the man was 84 ! The people of Canter wouldn't admit it, but his time had come. And for the bishop, it meant he had to send someone to stand in for Father Phil. Also, he sent to Canter a young cleric that was very eager to prove his worth. And that is how this story began.
The newcomer (Sister Mary pov)
Sister Mary wasn't her usual self this morning. During the Mass, they all noticed how stressed she was. It was kind of obvious when she almost spilt the Host. What was wrong you wonder ?
"The bishop sent us a new cleric." she explained to answer their questions. "He said Father Phil and I have to train him in order to make him the new priest of Canter."
Now that was quite a stunning new. The people paniced all at once. What did that mean ? Was Father Phil going to leave for an hospital ? Or worse ? And this new cleric, who was he ? Can he be as good as his predecessor ? They doubted it.
"Please my dear friends listen !" hailed Sister Mary. "Don't be agitated. I'm sure the new cleric will be a very nice person. Beside, it is our duty to welcome him as best as we can."
She barely finished her sentence when suddenly, the doors opened. They all turned to stare at the newcomer. He was a very fit young man with blond hair and blue eyes. He was kind of handsome. But well, that wasn't the point. He wore a cassock which named him as the cleric. I'm glad he's finally here. Sister Mary approached with her brighest smile.
"Welcome to Canter." she said warmly. "It's nice to meet yo..."
"This town kind of sucks." cut off the guy.
He sounded... pissed ?
"The bishop told me I would work in one of the greatest church of history and this is what I get ? Lord, this old man must be kiddin' me."
"Actually, our church is one of the most ancient in the territory and..."
"Oi you, the nun." he interrupted her again. "Lead me to... hum... I think the old man called him Father Phil ?"
Sister Mary gulped. He's not how I imagined him. And he looks very disappointed. Around them, the people weren't glad with this turn of events. Well, she wasn't eiher. But they did not have a choice.
"Follow me." she mumbled.
Meet Father Paul (Father Phil pov)
To everyone in Canter, Father Phil was sick. But this one knew better. At 84 years old and with a full life, he knew what was waiting for him. He had been glad when Sister Mary finally asked the bishop for help. The Church would send someone to take his responsabilities. A knock at the door attracted his attention.
"Come in."
The nun and a man entered in his room. Young, fit and seemingly smart. The bishop sent a good one. Father Phil sighed, relieved. His last days would be easier now.
"You're the old dying priest ?" asked the newcomer. "Dude you smell."
The called old dying priest gawked. What was wrong with this lad ?
"I'm here to stand for you." continued the other. "But I don't like the place nor the people. They're all starin' at me weirdly. Anyway, I will start my work tomorow but I'm not stayin'. Just so you know."
I vowed to God I would never swear but it's pretty hard to resist. This kid is a brat ! Father Phil didn't know what to say. He was supposed to train this young man but to be honest, he wasn't even able to get off bed.
"Father Paul, you're supposed to become the new priest of Canter !" complained Sister Mary.
Thanks Lord she's saying what I wanted to say. The cleric snorted.
"You want me to be the priest of this town ?! We're lost in the middle of nowhere ! Look, Imma work just fine but I will not stay around here. As soon as I can, I'm out. Dying Father or not."
The truth about Father Paul (general pov)
Let's face it, the encounter between Canter's population and Father Paul didn't go well. The elders knew he was disrespectful. The youngster knew he was arrogant. And they all decided they didn't like him. It lasted for two weeks. Sister Mary noticed it first. The truth about Father Paul. Each morning, he woke up early to plan his day. He came at school every two days to speak with the children about tolerance. He was visiting the farms around daily. He always took the time to see the grannies in the late afternoon. The young cleric was harsh but more than willing to help. During the third week, the youngster finally admitted he was fine. During fourth week, the elders agreed. During fifth week, they all accepted Father Paul as the best substitute for Father Phil they could ever have. But here was the problem : The cleric didn't intend to stay. He had been adamant about that : he would leave as soon as possible. Of course, he liked the kids. Sure, the grandpas were nice. But Father Paul wanted something else. Sister Mary tried to convince him many times. She even asked Father Phil for help, in vain.
The plan (Sister Mary pov)
Sister Mary was desesperate. Father Phil was weaker with each passing week, and Father Paul didn't intend to stay. She thought the cause lost, until one fateful evening. She and the cleric were having diner together. The nun wasn't focused on anything, worrying too much about the future. But she heard perfectly the young man sigh with pleasure. She looked towards him, and saw how satisfied he looked.
"You know what Sister ?" he said. "Imma be honest with ya. What I will miss the most when gone are those delicious devil's food cake. The name say it all but woah, it taste so... perfect."
Sister Mary smiled timidly. It was true their town had a special way to make devil's food cake with a heavy load of chocolate. Yeah, even more than in regular devil's food cake. That was why they kept the pastry for very special occasion. But Father Paul liked them a lot. Loved them even. Sister Mary suddenly realised it. The solution of her problem was right under her nose !
The next day, Sister Mary gathered all the community of Canter while Father Paul was busy planning his day.
"My dear friends." she said. "I know how we can make our beloved Father stay a little longer. I can  tell he loves our devil's food cakes very much. You people should offer him these every time you see him, as much as possible. We must make him realise he'll never find any other place with such delicious delicacies and people able to make them."
"But Sister, don't you think he will grow tired of cakes ?" asked the elders.
"And Sister, don't you think he will take it as a bribe ?" asked the youngsters.
She knew it was legitimate doubts. She had thought about it too.
"My dear friends, we don't have much of a choice." she recalled. "But these pastries are named from the devil for a reason. I'm pretty sure Father Paul will never dislike them. Besides, think about it as gift to thank him for his continuous effort. Please my dear friends, bear in mind that we need him."
The inhabitant agreed. After all, she was right. They needed Father Paul.
The first day of the plan (Father Paul pov)
"Here's a little devil's food cake for you to enjoy." said the teacher. "The whole class made it for you."
The cleric looked at the children, and then focused back on the cake. Smells amazing. He gadly took it of course. Who was he to decline free food ? Especially such a succulent dessert.
"Your blessings are always welcome." complimented the farmers. "As a acknowlegment, let us give you these devil's food cakes. We hope they'll fit your taste."
Father Paul grunted. What are they up to today ? They're unusually sympathic. Not that he cared. He accepted their present. After all, these cakes were delectable.
"We're so thankful for your kindness Father." smiled the grannies. "You're always so nice with us old biddies. Here, take those devil's food cakes. We insist."
Yeah well, they didn't have to insist. The young priest loved them so much. They were so mouthwatering, it was unbelievable.
"How was the day Father ?" asked Sister Mary. "I made diner, and I cooked some devil's food cakes, since you said you liked them."
Father Paul glanced at the table. He felt a tight pressure around his midsection, because he ate with the youngsters not that long ago. I don't why, but they had prepared devil's food cakes too. The lad was someone rational. He knew what a feeling of fullness was. But god be his witness, these pastries were just so... right.
Taking a liking to the town and others (Father Paul pov)
Gluttony was one of the seven deadly sins. Father Paul was a sinner. What can I say ? The people of Canter had taken an habit of offering him devil's food cakes. Youngsters as well as elders. Even Sister Mary. It was like if they had spread the words among themselves. Sure, Father Paul could have declined the gift. He could have explain he wasn't here to stuff himself but to work. Feeble argument when he could work AND stuff himself at the same time. And let's face it : the devil's food cakes are just too good.
This very morning, Father Paul woke up earlier than usual. He had a meeting with the still-not-dead Father Phil. Indeed, it had been exactly three months since his arrival in town. At first, he intented to stay only two, which was the minimum time the bishop demanded from his clerics. But for a reason or another, Father Paul was still here. The young man entered his bathroom. He peed, showered, shaved. He had almost finished when his belly let out a loud rumble. Well he was starving. The cleric rubbed unconsciously his stomach. Wait a second. He felt a softness he wasn't used to feel. Father Paul looked down only to notice a slight roll of fat that he had never noticed before. A bit mortified but mostly curious, he patted this added stoutness gently. His belly jiggled. Of course this is not bloat. With all the cakes he wolfed down daily, he got used to sport a swollen midsection. The cakes. Of course this is the devil's food cakes fault. I'm stuffing my face for a month or so. Father Paul went to his mirror for a more general observation of himself. He wasn't that different... just... well softer around the edge. The young cleric had often taken pride in his body but he wasn't displeased with his new self. He looked kind of... stronger this way. His tummy stand out with a small but noticeable curve. His ass was rounder and strangely, he liked it. He had gained weight so what ? Guess it's no big deal in the end. He loved the devil's food cake too much to cut anyway.
Father Paul arrived late at his meeting. Thankfully, Father Phil hadn't many things to ask. In fact, they came to his main worry very fast.
"You told me you were leavin' but I see you're still here." the old priest stated. "Should I believe you're taking a liking to our town ?"
"Maybe." replied Father Paul. "I havn't decided anything yet."
I don't know about the town but I'm sure I took a liking to your devil's food cakes.
A decision is taken (Father Paul pov)
Father Phil died three month later. The funeral was pompus and warm at the same time. Canter was in grief. During a week, the town was awfully quiet. Sister Mary was inconsolable. And then, the question began. Nobody asked Father Paul directly, but he could hear them whisper behind his back. Was he staying or leaving ?
Father Paul was not the kind to lie. The inhabitant of Canter were nice. Elders and youngsters. But he had always dreamed of a big church with thousands of followers. He had always thought he was promised to a great destiny by the Lord himself. However he had met the devil in his way. Well, the devil's food cakes at least. He was still perfectly doing his job. He was still very good. Nothing really changed. But at the same time, a lot of things had changed. He had changed. He couldn't resist these pastries. If he left, he knew he would miss them way too much. Of course, Father Paul had managed to keep his gluttony under control. His weight had increased steadily but slowly. He could deal with the whole "chubby priest". Sure, his thights were rounder than he remembered. Sure, his rear had widened. Of course he got a belly. A round, soft and nice gut. But he liked that.
"Are you gonna stay ?" wondered Sister Mary one evening.
Finally someone dare ask me the damn question.
"Yes." he replied. "I think so."
The end
6 notes · View notes
twotwinks · 5 years
Note
benthan for 001, and benji for 002
I hope you realize what you’ve unleashed here- It’s so ungodly long that I’m adding a cut to save your dashes.
001 | Benthan
When I Started Shipping Them
So I went back through my posts because I very vividly remember when I realized I’d fallen for this ship. I first mentioned that I might have started shipping them in the tags of a post on September 15, 2018, and after I acknowledged it, I was sold on it. So I’ve shipped these precious soft boys for just a little shy of two months!
My Thoughts
This is so vague and mean, I don’t even know where to begin… I just… I love them a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever really felt this strongly for a ship before. I mean, I’ve had OTPs before, but never an OTP that actively made me want to rip my heart out because I just can’t handle the emotions it causes, positive or negative. It’s also the first ship I’ve ever written fic for, and it honestly just feels so natural, it’s so easy to write romantic stuff for them and virtually impossible to write something platonic. Plus, without this ship, I never would’ve made any tumblr friends. I’d still just be sitting on the outskirts, randomly reblogging stuff and trying desperately to come up with decent content for my fandom blog. Now I know Ruth and Cassidy and Stanislas and everybody else, and I have so much fun seeing everyone’s posts and participating when I’m brave enough (even though I still sometimes wonder if I fit in, and even if I don’t, I’m just grateful everyone still plays along with me) and honestly it’s one of the brightest parts of my life right now. I see a note or a message or someone tags me in something and sometimes it makes me want to cry because people are thinking about me. So I love this ship even more for that.
What Makes Me Happy About Them
There’s just so much. There’s so much to be happy about them. I love the way they smile at each other. I love how loyal they are to each other. I feel like they fit the “I’d follow you to the ends of the earth with only mild complaining” better than anyone else, because they would, they’d do anything for each other. And even if you look at their relationship as platonic, that’s an incredibly strong friendship, and it just warms my heart.
What Makes Me Sad About Them
The fact that one day one of them is probably going to end up dying trying to save the other one. I’d really like for them to leave fieldwork so they can live happy and safe together for the rest of their days, but I know that Ethan would never be able to live like that. Fallout told us that much. And you can bet that as long as Ethan is in the field, Benji’s going to be right by his side.
Things Done in Fanfic that Annoy Me
I dunno, really. Most of the Benthan fic we’ve got is pretty solid. Some of the smut’s a little weak, but I only occasionally venture there, so it’s not too big of a deal. One thing that does sometimes bug me, even though it’s literally the most nonsensical and ridiculous thing to be bothered by, is when they’re referred to as boyfriends or use terms of endearment on each other. I have no idea why it bothers me, it’s such a perfectly reasonable thing!!! I guess maybe I feel like they’ve just been friends with each other for so long and they know each other so well that they wouldn’t bother labeling it. At the end of the day, they’re still just Ethan and Benji, just like they’ve always been. I don’t know. I know it’s stupid, but it can still sometimes throw off the whole vibe of the fic for me. Which is ridiculous. I’m ridiculous.
Things I Look for in Fanfic
Good characterization. That’s such a big thing for me, especially now that Ethan and Benji have been my daydreaming muses for so long now. Their voices are so strong in my head, especially Benji’s. So a fic has to have really good characterization for me to love it. I also really like reading (and writing!) anything that deals with Benji’s trauma and hurt/comfort with Benji as the victim. He just deserves to be taken care of. Poor guy’s earned a hug or ten.
Who I’d be Comfortable Them Ending Up With, If Not Each Other
I suppose I’d be okay if Ethan and Ilsa ended up together. I really don’t want Ilsa to be demoted to the love interest, though. She’s such a good character, and Fallout already did her so dirty. But she’s the only other person I could see Ethan having a chance of being happy with. As for Benji, well… I think I’d just prefer him to stay a Single Pringle. If Ethan (or I!) can’t have him, no one can! I know Benji/Brandt is also a pretty popular ship, but it’s honestly just not my cup of tea. I can’t see it (or maybe I’m just too blinded by shipping Benthan so strongly).
My Happily Ever After for Them
Preferably for them to never ever set foot in the field again and buy a little house together where they host cozy holiday dinners and snuggle together on the couch after long days of training new agents and teaching them about the importance of the team dynamic. But, as I explained earlier, that’s unrealistic for these two. So, if they must remain in fieldwork, I pray that either they both manage to last long enough that they’re forced to retire (and then Benji will have to help Ethan cope with not being able to prevent bad things, so not exactly ideal) or that they both die together in the field, at the same time, so that neither of them will have to live with the guilt of losing the other (again, not ideal because then they’ll be DEAD).
Who is the Big Spoon/Little Spoon
Benji is the little spoon I don’t care if he’s taller I WILL FIGHT YOU ON THIS. Benji likes being held. It makes him feel safe after all he’s been through. Grounds him, you know? Gives him a sense of security. And Ethan likes holding Benji, because he knows that no one can hurt Benji when he’s there in Ethan’s arms, and even if Benji has nightmares, Ethan’s already right there to help him.
What is Their Favorite Non-sexual Activity
They are cuddlebugs. They snuggle everywhere, every chance they get. I don’t know if cuddling counts as an activity, though. I think they also like reading to each other. While cuddling. Because I can’t imagine a scenario where they could reasonably be in physical contact and yet wouldn’t be. So yeah. They like to cuddle.
002 | Benji
How I Feel About This Character
I… I love him. So much. Probably more than I should. Rogue Nation was the first M:I movie I saw, and I’d been kinda passively watching it until the high speed chase scene. I’d looked up from my crochet enough to notice Simon Pegg (who, at the time, was still just Scotty to me – can you believe that???), but then he started screaming during the chase, and I started paying attention, because hey, that’s exactly what I’d probably do in that situation, I like this guy. And then by the end of it Benji owned my heart, because Simon Pegg is a phenomenal actor and made me feel all of the emotions when Benji was strapped to the bomb. Mostly because Simon’s eyes are incredibly expressive, something I first noticed towards the end of Star Trek Into Darkness and still notice in most of his films. Then I went back and watched all the films, and I made small involuntary happy noises when he showed up in M:I:III. And he was so cute in Ghost Protocol. I nearly had a breakdown in the theater towards the end of Fallout (you know when I mean!) because I’m so attached to him. I actually legitimately said “Oh thank god” in the theater when it all worked out. I might have even cried a little. I was so worked up that I didn’t even fall for the bait-and-switch at the end. I didn’t have the emotional capacity to even process it as a possibility. So yeah, I think I’m unhealthily obsessed with Benji Dunn.
All the People I Ship Romantically with This Character
Ethan. It’s literally just Ethan. Ethan or bust.
My Non-romantic OTP for This Character
Benji and Ilsa are bros. Fire-forged friends. They’ve both gone against each other once or twice, but now they know where their loyalties lie, and they’ll help each other out when they need it. Total bros.
My Unpopular Opinion About This Character
I don’t know if I have one, really. Although I always kinda imagined Benji as a really good baker, or that he at least enjoys baking in his free time, but then I discovered that apparently a lot of people headcanon him as an awful cook? So maybe that’s one.
One Thing I Wish Would Happen/Had Happened with This Character in Canon
I just want his trauma to be addressed. He tries to talk about it in Ghost Protocol, and Jane and Ethan both look kinda worried, but then Brandt just jumps in and SHUTS HIM DOWN, and nothing more is said about it. And he’s been through much worse since then. Even if it’s just a simple, “Hey, you okay?” from LITERALLY ANYBODY. I’d take it. (I’d prefer it even more if Benji got a hug out of the deal. He needs a hug, poor baby.)
My OTP
Benthan. In case you haven’t figured it out by now.
My Crossover Ship
I have never actually considered this. And I’m not sure I will. I’m just so invested in Benthan, I don’t think I have the capacity to ship Benji with anybody else. I can’t even think of anyone he’d click so well with. (I’ve always been bad at the crackship thing anyway.) Maybe a lone Nick Frost character somewhere. Those always make for good ships, right?
A Headcanon Fact
Hmm… I’m really bad at this stuff, aren’t I? I either give away my answers way ahead of time or can’t come up with anything. Well, outside of Benji being a baker and my fun-to-think-about idea that all Simon Pegg characters are actually related to each other, I usually headcanon Benji as a pretty panicky sort. When I write his internal monologues, I usually get going with these long, looping, drawn-out sentences that all circle back and compound on each other and just make everything so much worse for him. He’s a worst-case-scenario kind of person. Even when things work out, he drives himself mad constantly running through the what-ifs. That’s probably me just projecting onto him a little, but I feel like it’s worked out okay in the few fics I’ve written. I also headcanon that he’s a big-time stargazer, especially when he feels overwhelmed, something that I originally chucked into a fic because I needed something for Benji to do (and also as a I’m-probably-the-only-one-who-got-it nod to Star Trek) but now I firmly stand by it as something he does.
There. That’s that. I started this two hours ago. I probably should’ve been in bed an hour and a half ago. This is ridiculously long. I hope someone finds my obsessive ramblings enjoyable instead of just irritating.
Thank you for giving me the chance to gush like this, Ruth! It feels like I never get to talk about the things I love often enough. At least not to people who actually want to hear me gush about them!
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attackofthezee · 6 years
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OHOHOHO Restaurant AU + It's Not You, It's My Enemies (Obviously Steve/Bucky)
OHOHOHO I HAVE NOT ONE, BUT TWO IDEAS FOR HOW I’D DO THIS. 
1. Steve Rogers owns and runs his Ma’s restaurant after she passes. It’s his pride and joy, the apple of his eye, and is, as far as google and yelp reviews will tell people, a damn good spot. Bucky Barnes is fresh out of being the Winter Soldier and has a lot of enemies. They meet. Bucky works his way through the entire menu at Steve’s restaurant. They fall in love. Bucky tries to bail because it’s not safe and HYDRA and Blah blah blah, a whole lot of nonsense that Steve barely listens to. Bucky leaving, predictably, does not go as he plans because Steve is the immovable object in a perpetual unstoppable force meet immovable object analogy. 
The whole fic would have a lot of food references, a lot of Steve and Bucky falling in love over cheap formica tables, and just like, in general, a whole lot of fluffy goodness and Steve Rogers Sass. 
AND IDEA 2, OR THE IDEA THAT I WILL SPEND THE MOST TIME ON HERE.  
Steve Rogers, is a skinny bastard who has made a goddamn career out of being a server through and after college. He’s worked his way up to serving in some of the FINEST ESTABLISHMENTS, the kinds with Michelin stars and celebrity chefs where you can walk out the door after a night of work with a truly obscene amount of money. It’s a good gig, it’s helping Steve pay off the mountains of debt he has from his art degree, and more importantly, Steve’s genuinely good at it and genuinely enjoys it.  
James “Call me Bucky” Barnes is a hot mess of a human being who has somehow managed to stumble his way into becoming a more or less famous, professional food critic. He’d channeled a love food into a tiny blog years ago, gained a following and then started receiving offers from legitimate publications. He’s still baffled as to how any of this occurred, how he became some sort of voice when it came to food, but also he gets paid to eat and then write what he thinks about it so he can’t actually complain. 
Cue the two of them meeting. It doesn’t happen at a restaurant, but instead at the local Trader Joe’s when Steve and Bucky both attempt to get a tiny sample cup of coffee at the same time. 
There’s a silent stand off over who will get the first tiny paper cup full of low acid french roast and Steve wins. 
Bucky leaves the meeting weirdly charmed. 
And then suddenly it’s like they’re seeing each other EVERYWHERE. The grocery store, random restaurants and cafes, the subway, the goddamn dmv. 
Eventually they exchange numbers and it takes like .5 seconds after that to end up dating. No one in the entire universe is even remotely surprised. 
And everything’s good after that. Everything’s REALLY good. Everything is almost TOO good. Steve’s happy, Bucky’s happy, their friends are happy because they’re happy. Things are going great. 
And then Bucky gets the sort of assignment he’s dreading. Steve’s restaurant. Steve’s restaurant that Bucky has eaten at before because of course he has, Steve works there and brings that shit home to the apartment they absolutely aren’t living in together but that Bucky sleeps at every night anyway. (They somehow even adopted the stray cat that kept hanging around the fire escape.) Bucky secretly kind of sort of thinks the food is overrated and not quite as good as the place three blocks over that charges about half as much because it doesn’t have a minor celebrity chef attached to it. 
What follows is the MOST DRAMATIC week of Steve and Bucky’s relationship.  Steve’s more or less like “Do the review, I don’t give a fuck.” Bucky’s more or less like “I have to do the review, it’s my career, but you dating me could ruin your career.” and Steve says some highkey unflattering things about Bucky and his face and his “overly inflated sense of goddamn importance.”
There’s a whole scene where they stomp to their respective sides of the bed and Bucky doesn’t even contemplate going to his own apartment. 
(Bucky’s mother always says never go to bed angry. Bucky’s mother has never been dating Steve Rogers.) 
There is no breakup to be had, because again, Steve is the immovable object in an unstoppable force meets an immovable object analogy. 
Also because at this point Bucky Barnes is definitely in love with Steve Rogers and like, there’s no getting around that kind of shit. 
It ends with Bucky writing the review and it being a SCATHING little piece on overrated food in the city and celebrity chefs who couldn’t cook a good confit if it hit them in the face. The chef is weirdly good humored about the whole thing. Steve wears an ‘I told you so face’ for days. 
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consulaaris · 5 years
Note
6, 9, 20 for katyan/atton; and 6, 8, 22 for mirali/ailyssa?
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Thank you for this ask! 💕 Sorry it took so long to get to, but I super enjoyed being able to rant about my children.
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Mirali / Ailyssa
6- What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?
Mirali is so completely, head-over-heels in love with Ailyssa that given the chance she legitimately probably could not pick a favorite physical feature. But while I can’t go into detail without giving away aspects of what happens in the story, she certainly appreciates Lyss’s clearheadedness and compassionate nature as a personality trait. (And also, she’s just objectively hot.)
Ailyssa is just as in love, but she’s a little more pragmatic about the whole thing, and is rather amused by Mira’s reactions to everything. Her favorite physical feature of Mira’s are her eyes- they’re extremely pale green, almost unsettlingly so, because she finds them fascinating and beautiful. 
8-Nicknames? And if so, how did they originate? 
As a general rule either of them will go by Lyss or Mira on a regular basis, but between them Mirali calls Lyss “my heart”, because Ailyssa means everything to her. It didn’t really originate in any particular way, but Lyss tries to pretend like it makes her a lot less soft than it actually does. 
In turn Lyss calls Mira doll. It began largely in retaliation to her brother Luka making snide comments about how Mirali was like Ailyssa’s “little toy” (a particularly hurtful jab, as she was a sex worker for some time and struggled to form genuine romantic attachments, and she is well aware of how manipulative she is by nature). Mira was way too dense to know what was going on, so she just thought it was cute and the nickname stuck. 
22- Who cooks more/ who is better at cooking? 
... to be perfectly honest, both of them could probably burn water given half a chance, but Mira can cook eggs occasionally, provided that you can get her to focus for more than 60 seconds straight. But since they’re often traveling with Ailyssa’s twin Luka, usually he’s the one who does the cooking. 
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Katyan / Atton
6-What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?
Katyan loves Atton’s hands. They’re big and rough and calloused, and though they’ve done things he’s not proud of she loves how gentle and soft they are with her. If they’re cuddling she’ll often intertwine their fingers, because Katyan loves holding hands and it’s the first way she showed physical affection for him. 
Atton just loves watching Katyan’s facial expressions. Although she’s generally pretty serene, he adores watching the way her eyes flit across the board as they’re playing pazaak, how her nose scrunches up when she’s frustrated, how her lips purse when she’s deep in thought. It’s these little moments that show her vulnerability, just how much she trusts him- and he treasures them. 
9- Who worries the most? 
They’re both massive worrywarts when it comes to each other, but I think that particular title would have to go to Katyan. Besides being haunted by the trauma of Malachor V and the fact that she worries she’s leading Atton and the rest of her crew to the same fate, she blames herself for Revan’s fall- fearing that by loving Atoon she’ll lead him down the same path. 
(On a lighter note, Atton is definitely the one going after Katyan with a medpac after a difficult mission- the girl just can’t seem to take care of herself.)
20- What do their family/friend’s think of their relationship? 
The Ebon Hawk crew- with the obvious exception of Kreia- pretty much all thought that their getting together was a long time in coming. 
Bao-Dur often likes to joke that now they’ve both stopped complaining about their pining to him, for which he’s eternally grateful, and Mira just likes to make fun of the pair. 
Mical is... perhaps marginally disappointed, but his relationship to Katyan was always more of a sibling-type one, and Atton is certainly nicer to him now that he’s not as insecure about he affections. 
Mandalore pretends he doesn’t care, but honestly thinks that they deserve some happiness after what they’ve all been through, while Kreia most definitely complains about it being a “distraction” at any chance she gets. 
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Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing
Hey there!  I’m back!  I know, I know... It’s been forever!  I’m sorry!!!! :(
Anyhow, here is the request for Dog Tags... we all know that Antonio wore them for a long time, but stopped... so they’re back and it’s a touching story for Antonio and Sylvie.  My own creative liberties are being taken as always.  Please let me know what you think... and yes, I will be getting to the other requests you sent in.  I haven’t forgotten about you!  
It should be noted that Antonio hasn’t left PD yet for Justice in this story.
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Antonio sighed.  It had been a long day and he couldn’t wait to get out of the District.  He was about to make a clean getaway when Voight’s gruff voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Antonio.”
“Shit.”  Antonio hissed under his breath.  “Yeah?”  He turned around.
“We need you.”
“I punched out.”
Voight stared at him.  “Antonio.”
“Voight, come on... it’s been a shitty shift as is.”
Voight sighed.  “You think I’d be asking you if I had another choice?  I know you’ve got Brett now, and you’re starting over with her...”
“I’m sensing a but.”
“We need you to go undercover.”
Antonio felt his blood pressure begin to skyrocket.  Undercover meant long hours, days, even weeks of being someone else.  It means being away from everyone you care about with no real means of communication.  “Really?”
“You’re the best UC we’ve got other than Olinsky... and he’s already under.”
“What’s the case?”  Antonio leaned against his desk.
Voight handed him a folder.  “Here.”
Antonio thumbed through it.  This was more a Vice case than Intelligence.  That was until he got to the last page.  “Wait... they’re targeting paramedics?”
Voight nodded.  “Yeah.  That’s why I need you in there.  You’ve got a lot on the line... especially since your sister and your girl are both medics... and they’re in the hot zone.”
“Do they know that they’re at risk?”
“The Ivory Tower handed down information today.  They’re to be on high alert... they don’t want any ambos going on calls alone.”
“So... what am I supposed to be doing?”
“Either you try and get in the gang like Olinsky did... or you go undercover with the medics.”
Antonio knew he’d be better off in the gang but having two cops in one gang was a recipe for disaster.  “I’ll go under with the medics... what’s my story?”
“We’re working on it... are you in?”
Antonio nodded.  “Yeah.”
“Good.  You go on shift in two days at 51.”  Voight said.  “You’ll be with Gaby and Sylvie... so, head in the game.”
“Yeah... yeah.”
“Go home, ‘Tonio... we’ll call ya when the cover’s ready.”
“Just... don’t over complicate it, okay?”
Voight nodded and headed back into his office, closing the door behind him.
Antonio jogged down the stairs to the parking lot.  He had a lot to process.  He had no idea how to explain this to Sylvie or his sister.
Sylvie was pacing around Antonio’s apartment.  She had no idea of what to make of his last text.  She looked at her phone again.
‘Meet me at my place... we gotta talk.’
Last time a guy said they had to talk, it ended badly.  She was panicking.  She was wondering if she shouldn’t call Gaby and ask her advice.  That train of thought came to a dead stop, considering Gaby wasn’t 100% okay with their relationship yet.
She was pacing more and she wanted to puke.  She was so anxious.  She cared a lot about Antonio.  She didn’t want this to be it.  She wanted so much more with him.
“Sylvie?  What are you doing?”  Antonio’s soft, husky voice caused her to stop pacing.
“Um...”
“Wearing a hole in my living room floor?”  He hung his leather jacket in the closet.  He went over to her and put his hands on her arms.
All her anxiety and fear fled her body the instant his skin touched hers.
“Babe, what’s wrong?”
She showed him the text.  “Gotta talk usually means bad things, Antonio.”
Antonio sighed.  “No... if you think I’m wanting what we have to end, you’re crazy... I just... I didn’t want to have to try and explain what’s happening over a text.”
“Okay?”  Sylvie arched an eyebrow.  “What’s going on?”
“You guys know about the attacks on paramedics... stealing narcotics and the such?”
“Yeah, Chief filled us in at the end of shift.  We’re not going on calls unless Truck or Squad is with us... it’s that way at all houses in the red zones.”
Antonio nodded.  “Yeah, well... you won’t be alone on ambo next shift either.”
“Huh?”
“Intelligence has people undercover in all this.  Olinsky infiltrated the gang already... and some of us will be going UC in firehouses to cover the medics.”
“51 is one of those houses isn’t it?”  Sylvie deduced.
“Yeah... and your house has had two attacks already... so you’re getting one of us on the rig.”
“Who?”
Antonio said nothing.
“Antonio, who’s riding with us?”  Sylvie could see it in his eyes.  “You?  Voight’s letting you ride with us?”
“He knows I’m the best one for the job.”  He said at last.
“Isn’t a conflict of interest?”
“Probably, but you know as well as I do that Voight doesn’t really play by the rules.”
“Won’t the Ivory Tower have a say in this?”
“Ya think Voight’ll listen?”
Sylvie sighed.  “I guess not.”
“Did you want someone else?”  He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Nope... nope, I’m good.”
“So, now that that’s out of the way... will you stop worrying?”  He kissed her.
“No... because now all of us will be in danger.”  She whispered.
“Hey,”  He lifted her chin.  “I’ll be there... I won’t let anything happen to you or to Gaby.”
Sylvie knew he was right.  Antonio wouldn’t let anything happen to her or Gaby.  She shivered.  “I know.  Just, have a bad feeling about this whole thing.”
“Okay, uh... stay here... I’ll be right back.”  He quickly went to his room and opened the small wall safe he had there.  He pulled out a small black box and locked the safe.  He went back to her side.  “Here.”
Sylvie took the box and stared at it.  “Uh... what’s this for?”
“Open it.  You’ll see.”  He smiled.
Sylvie opened the box and saw a pair of dog tags lying in the box.  They weren’t traditional military dog tags.  She gently pulled them from the box.  She looked at them closely.  One tag had something in Spanish written on it, while the other had an inscription.  ‘We are so proud of you, Antonio.  May you be protected as you protect Chicago. Much love, your parents’  She looked to Antonio.  “I don’t understand.”
He took the dog tags from her and put the chain around her neck.  “It’s the Lord’s Prayer.  Ma got them for me the day I graduated from the Academy.  She’s a devout woman... there used to be a St. Christopher medallion on it, but I lost it on a case... I stopped wearing them a while ago... out of guilt, I think, but... they kept me safe when I was a beat cop, in Vice and when I started out in Intelligence... I figure, I need to keep you safe... so I want you to wear them.”
Sylvie’s eyes began to tear up.  “Antonio.”
“Sylvie, I love you... and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you.”
Sylvie was in shock.  It was the first time that he told her he loved her.  
“Sylvie?”  Antonio took her hands.  “You okay?”
“You said ‘I love you’...”
“I know... I mean it.  Sylvie, I love you... I’ve been blind to see it.  I need you in my life.”
Sylvie threw her arms around him.  “I love you, Antonio.”
“So you’ll wear them?”  He asked.
She nodded.  “Of course.”
“Good.”  He leaned in and kissed her before sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to his bedroom.
Two days later, Antonio showed up at Firehouse 51 in a paramedic’s uniform.  He now understood why both Sylvie and Gaby complained about them.  They were a torture suit.  He tugged at the collar.  He hoped this case wouldn’t drag on forever because he’d probably go rogue and shoot the manufacturer of these uniforms.  
“You must be Tony.”  Chief Boden greeted him at the door.
“Yes, sir.”  Antonio had made sure his cover was going to be easy for everyone to work with.  All of 51 knew him.  
“Chief Boden.  Let me introduce you to the rest of the house.”  Boden smiled.
While this may have seemed pointless, they had new intel that said the houses were being watched, so they had to start the shift out as realistically as possible.
Boden introduced him as Tony Dawes, a new paramedic in training who was to shadow Brett and Dawson for a few shifts.  Everyone played along and after a quick briefing about new policies in place, Brett and Gaby led him over to Ambo 61.
“So, ready to get hands on training?”  Sylvie asked nervously.
Antonio nodded.  “Sure...”
Gaby filled him in on how things were run on Ambo.  Once they made sure everything was ready for shift, they headed to the kitchen.  
“Hey, new guy!”  Joe Cruz exclaimed.  “How are your kitchen skills?”
Antonio chuckled.  “Decent.”
“Good, you cook.”  Otis handed him an apron and walked off.
Antonio looked to his sister and Sylvie.  “Are they serious?”
Gaby nodded, chuckled and walked off.  Sylvie patted his shoulder.  “Part of the job.  I can stay and keep you company if you want.”
“I guess I’m cooking then.”  Antonio slid the apron over his head and did up the back ties.  “Let’s see what we’ve got to work with.”
The chili was just about ready to eat when the alarm sounded.  “Ambulance 61, man down from unknown causes...”
The paramedics looked to each other and nodded.  They made their way to the Ambo.
Gaby looked to Antonio.  “Hey, Tony... you coming?”
“Oh, right.”  Antonio took off the apron and ran after them.  He sat up front with Gaby, who was driving.  He needed to keep an eye out for anything that was suspicious.
They arrived to a small park close to the waterfront.  Squad was right behind them in case that they were needed.  This particular was nothing suspicious.  A little old lady had called 9-1-1 because her husband had lost consciousness.  They loaded him up and headed off to Med.  Squad followed them there because they’d been informed that the gang was starting to attack ambos en route to the hospitals.
After dropping the patient and his wife off at Med and restocking on some basic supplies, they all headed back to 51.  
They had a few other small calls that were legitimate calls.  Antonio took some of his down time to call Voight to check in.  He took what Voight told him and reported back to Boden, Casey, Severide and both paramedics.  After that little meeting, he sighed and headed to lie down on the couch.
“Hey.”  Sylvie said.  “You look beat.”
Antonio nodded.  “Not used to this, that’s for sure.”  He smiled.  “How do you go 24 hours on and not die?”
“I’ll show you.”  She led him to the bunk room.  “When the others are busy, I come have cat naps here.  It’s not often you get more than 30 or so minutes of uninterrupted sleep around here.”
Once they were alone, he took her hands.  “Hey, you doing okay?”
Sylvie nodded.  “Yeah, just... every time that alarm goes off...”
“I know.”
She pulled his dog tags from under her uniform.  “I’m not taking these off.”
“Good.”  He kissed her.  “So, cat nap?”
She giggled.  “Cat nap.”
They laid down on bunks that were next to each to rest before the next call.
30 minutes later...
The alarm blared, causing Antonio to bolt out of bed.  
Sylvie sat up and giggled.  “I wasn’t kidding when I said that you’re lucky to get 30 minutes.”
Antonio shook his head.  “I don’t think I could do this every day like you do.”
‘Ambo 61, Squad 3, Truck 81, Engine 51, Batallion 25... multi-vehicle pile up.  South of the Loop.’
Sylvie groaned.  She hated these ones.  “Let’s go... it’s gonna be nuts.”
They had a 7 vehicle collision.  Boden implemented a Plan 1.  Sylvie was running point, which meant that Ambo 61 wasn’t going to be transporting patients anywhere.  Squad and Truck were busy pulling victims from the wreckage, so that left Antonio alone to protect two of the most important people in his life, and he didn’t have a gun.  He was, for all intents and purposes, a paramedic in training.  He would take vitals on patients as they were brought to the triage area.  It was all he was legally allowed to do.  He would occasionally hand supplies to Gaby or Sylvie if they asked for it.
Boden walked over to them.  “Gaby... we need a medic to pronounce on scene.  We’ve got Dr. Halstead on the line...”
Gaby looked to Sylvie.  “You gonna be okay?”
Sylvie nodded.  “Yeah... this last one is headed off to Med, Tony and I can clean up here and start the report.”
Gaby nodded and jogged off to where Squad was waiting for her.  The last victim had been a cyclist who’d gotten caught in the mix, and was definitely gone.
“So, are all these scenes this insane?”  Antonio asked.
“Just be happy it wasn’t a plan II or a plan III... those... those are bad.”  She started collecting and noting the amount of supplies they used.  
Gaby came back to join them.  “Hey, so, we all good here?”
Sylvie nodded.  “Yeah, let’s get out of here.  I’m starving.”
The trucks were pulling away from the scene as they got into the ambo.  Gaby went to turn the engine over and it wouldn’t start.  “What the hell?”  
“What’s wrong?”  Sylvie asked from the back of the ambo.
“Uh... it won’t turn over.”  Gaby said.
“Didn’t we fill up?”
“Yeah, after the last call before this one.”  Antonio said.  He was getting suspicious of this.  “Pop the hood.”
Gaby knew that tone.  She popped the hood and after he was out of the ambo, she locked the doors.
“Gaby, what’s going on?”  Sylvie whispered.
“Uh... I’m starting to think we’re screwed.”  Gaby grabbed the radio to call one of the trucks back, but got nothing back but static.  “Shit.”
“Gaby.”  Sylvie knew that Antonio was there, but she was terrified.  “What’s An... Tony doing?”
“Checking under the hood.”  Gaby was getting really anxious.
Antonio looked and wasn’t able to see a specific cause right away, but looked closer.  That was when he spotted a bunch of yanked cables and tubing.  There was no way they’d be getting out of here unless a tow truck was involved.  He went to close the hood to break the news to the girls but froze as he felt cold steel against the back of his neck.
“Don’t move, buddy.”  A gruff voice said.
Antonio put his hands up in the air.  “I don’t want any trouble.”
“A little late for that, isn’t it?”  Another male voice said, younger than the first.  “Turn around.”
Antonio did as he was told.  They were in trouble.  There were 12 men surrounding the ambulance, but none were near the windows to allow Gaby or Sylvie see them.
“Now, you’re not going anywhere... you’re gonna get us what we want... or those pretty medics you’re working with are going to be having a really bad day.”  The gruff one said.  
Antonio suspected he was the leader.  He also cringed at the thought of these buffoons even getting close to Sylvie or Gaby.  “Whatever you want.”
The younger one thrust the gun in his face.  “Move!”
Antonio did was he was told.  They led him to the back of the ambulance.  He saw that Sylvie was looking towards the front.  She was saying something to Gaby, but he could see the fear on her face.
“Open it!”
Antonio didn’t want to but he knew if he didn’t things would just get that much worse.  
As soon as the door was open, he was hit outside the head and shoved to the side.  Sylvie screamed as two of the goons got into the back with her.  Antonio’s world was spinning from the blow to the head.  He tried to get up to help her but got a kick to the gut for his efforts.
“Don’t move, bitch!”  One of them screeched at her.
“Tony!”  Sylvie screamed.
Gaby was unable to move as one of them had moved in and was holding a gun to the window of her side of the ambulance.
“Give us what we want, or else...”  Gruffy growled.  He motioned to the goon that was over Antonio.  “I start shooting... and he looks like mighty good target practice.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong.”  Sylvie was trying to reason with them.
“Just... give ‘em what they want.”  Antonio was able to say.  He was trying to regain his bearings so that he do something.
“But...”
“Just do... do it.”  He pleaded her.  He didn’t want her getting hurt because she didn’t want to give in to these guys.
She sighed.  She got up to move but was grabbed by the younger goon.  “Ah!”
“No... you tell us... where it is.”  He was getting too close to Sylvie.  “Mmmm... you smell good.”
“Leave her alone!”  Antonio yelled.  
“She your girl... Tony?”  The kid snickered.  “Mind if I have a taste.”  His hand slid to Sylvie’s chest.
Antonio wanted to kill him.  He couldn’t move though.  He had a gun jabbed between his shoulders. 
That’s when things got wild real fast.  Sirens filled the evening air as PD and CFD vehicles approached from all sides.  Some of them tried to get away, but were stopped in their tracks by K9 units.  The scene in the ambo seemed to happen in slow motion.  Sylvie kicked her leg back and made contact with the shin of her hostage taker.  He cried out in pain and started to fall backwards.  Sylvie spun around and flung him on to the gurney.  
Antonio took this time to try and disarm his attacker.  He managed but not before getting grazed by a round that was discharged from the gun.  Antonio cried out as the bullet grazed his arm. 
Sylvie turned at the sound of her lover crying out in pain.  It was enough to give her attacker an upper hand.  He grabbed Sylvie and a glint of metal flashed.  A gunshot echoed.  Her attacker fell out of the ambulance, knife still in hand.  Sylvie was shaking.  She looked over and saw that Antonio had a gun in hand.  She also saw he was bleeding.  She jumped out of the ambulance and ran to him.  “Antonio!”  She didn’t care about the case anymore.
“I’m fine.”  He grimaced.  “Just a flesh wound.”
“Uh huh.”  Sylvie wasn’t buying it.  She ripped the sleeve to expose the wound.
What Antonio had thought was a graze was actually a two separate wounds.  One was a graze but the other was a bullet lodged in his shoulder.
“There were two bullets, Antonio.”  She snipped.  “One’s still in there.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“No, you’re not.”  Sylvie reached into her pockets where she always kept a spare pair of gloves and extra supplies.  She gloved up and applied a gauze to his arm.
“Ow!”
“Oh don’t be a baby.”  She chastised him.  “This one won’t even require stitches.”
They were soon joined by Gaby, Chief Boden, Casey, Severide and Voight.
“We got ‘em all, Antonio.”  Voight assured him.  “Every last one.”
“Thank God.”  Gaby sighed.  “Uh, what happened?”
“Our hero here decided to take two bullets... the arm is just a graze, but the shoulder... round’s still lodged in there.”
“Antonio!”  His sister chastised him.  “You promised not to get shot anymore!”
“Hey!  I had to save both of you!”  He reminded her.
“Okay, okay... let’s get the three of you checked out at Med.”  Chief Boden said.  “Just to be safe.  Severide, Casey, arrange to have 61 towed to the shop... get it fixed.”
The two Lieutenants nodded and took off.  Boden turned to Voight.  “It’s really over?”
“Yeah, Chief.  Got all of them.  Paramedics in Chicago are safe again.”
Boden smiled.  “We shoulda got Intelligence involved a lot sooner.”
“Well, Ivory Tower...”  Voight shrugged.
“Yeah.”  Boden shook Voight’s hand.  “Thanks.”
“You got it.”  Voight looked to Antonio.  “You take a couple weeks off, heal up... and that’s an order.”
Antonio was going to protest, but Sylvie quickly covered his mouth.  “Thanks, Sergeant Voight.”  She flashed him a smile and quickly pushed Antonio towards a waiting ambulance.
After Dr. Rhodes removed the bullet from Antonio’s shoulder, dressed and prescribed him antibiotics as a safety net, Antonio and Sylvie were cleared to leave.  She called a cab and gave directions to his apartment.
“What about my truck?”
“Halstead had it brought there already.”  She patted his knee.  “Don’t worry so much...”
“Do you not remember what we just went through?”
“Oh, I remember quite well.”  She kissed him.  She pulled the dog tags from under her shirt.  “These kept me safe.”
He smiled.  “I’m so glad they did.”
“Now, you’re going to let me pamper you and take care of you for the next two weeks, and you’re gonna like it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”  He winked at her.  He wrapped his good arm around her and thanked God for having her in his life.
A/N: There you have it.  Not exactly what I originally had in mind, but things changed.  I hope you still enjoyed it.  And with renewed hope in Brettonio, especially that Antonio will be back on PD... I hope to be able to write more and have better inspiration!  Cheers!
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shewholovestoread · 7 years
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Game of Thrones Season 7 - Starkbowl
Greetings anxious fans (moreso if you’re a Sansa fan) things seem to be heating up in anticipation for the final episode of season 7 and episode 6 was nothing if not a real clusterfuck which made little sense and further destroyed characters we’ve fallen in love with.
Let’s start with Arya. Arya is a veritable badass and has been through her own fair share of torture and trauma. But her sheer level of antipathy towards Sansa is out of character. Now, there are some fans who are saying that well, they never liked each other, you only have to watch season 1 to figure this out. But they were both CHILDREN! They’ve both grown and their entire world has been upended. If that doesn’t get you to change and change your outlook, then there’s something wrong with you. They’ve both gone through horrible things but over the last few seasons, their outlook towards each other changed, where Sansa grew to fondly remember Arya and not complain about Arya’s sense of dressing, similarly, even Arya holds a somewhat more sympathetic view of Sansa, saying that she would like to see her sister as well. Arya is the character who killed Walder Frey in his home surrounded by his men and that was after she killed and cooked his sons into a pie. You can’t do that unless you’re stealthy as fuck, to the extent that no one sees you coming. But at Winterfell, she feels sloppy. I still think that she’s being way too obvious, lurking in the corridors. She’s smarter than this. Plus, I think the Starks have a real problem with communicating with each other and they seriously need to work on that, but that’s a post for another day.
Now, moving on to the whole "Sansa will betray her home and her family”. To this too, I say, where is the proof? There is none. The Northern Lords preferring her over Jon is fickle and Sansa says as much, she doesn’t lay much importance in their allegiance because it changes as the winds do. The other reason I think it’s a red herring is just because of just how plugged it is.
Literally every interview with D&D and the main cast points to Starkbowl and Sansa’s betrayal. They’ve brought it up in every interview and played it up. Now, if this were legitimate, why plug it so hard, where’s the excitement and the shock that GoT loves to spring on its fans? It’s absurd. Let me illustrate with an example, you make a murder mystery but throughout the marketing, you start giving away the culprit and the motive for the murder. Why would you do that? But here’s an alternative theory, what if you want to misdirect the audience? How would you that? Well, in the same fashion as the GoT makers, you lay a false trail, you get the actors to go along with you. You get them to say some really stupid stuff and keep on laying the red herrings. If Sansa was really going to betray her family, I bet everyone would have been saying that she’s a true daughter of the North and that she loves her family, that way, when the betrayal did come, it would catch us completely by surprise.
Game of Thrones is hugely popular and the people behind the show knows this. Before every season, we are met with leaks ranging from set-photos to the actual plot. Now the first few times it happened, it may have been legitimate but you can’t tell me that the writers and the producers are going to let the leaks keep happening. GoT is a very expensive show and is a huge cash-cow for HBO, you mean to tell me that they’re just going to sit back and not put a cap on the leaks? I think they did just that with season 7. They knew that the leaks have played a huge part in ramping up the interest for the upcoming season, so the leaks were controlled. They told us what a lot of the marketing machinery was telling us, making us even more apprehensive. Think about it, the leaks told us nothing new, a lot of “what was revealed” were things that a lot of us had seen coming and therefore were not surprised. I’m not saying that all the leaks were false, they can’t be, not if they’re meant to be effective. There’s some truth mixed in with a lot of horse-shit. There were instances where we had the bullet points but no context and context is everything. But I digress.
The reason I think Starkbowl is false is because of how hard the marketing pushed it, you simply don’t start giving out integral plot points and Sansa’s betrayal should have been that. Unless, she’s truly committed to protecting her family and the North. Well, then the fans get complacent, they know they can trust this character, that she’s good. That doesn’t make for very interesting television ( at least in producers’ and writers’ minds) So if Sansa is indeed fighting for the Starks and the North, how do you create discord to keep the fans on their toes? By creating it. By putting LF by her side and reuniting her with her family but making their reunion one that is fraught with suspicion and thinly veiled threats. But I’m not convinced and perhaps I am giving too much credit to the makers of the show. Also, where is Bran in all of this? You can’t mean to tell me that he’s not involved in someway or another. He’s the Three-Eyed Raven, he sees the past, the present and the future. He’s seen the web that LF weaves and the way he plays people against each other. Just because we haven’t seen him interact with Sansa and Arya doesn’t mean it’s not happening off camera. What’s even more obvious is that Sansa knows this too as does Arya, though she didn’t spend as much time around him as Sansa did. You mean to tell me that you set-up a Stark reunion after Winterfell is back in Stark hands only for the House to implode? The Starks are the good guys in the GoT universe and this is their time. They’ve taken their home back and are slowly but surely making their enemies pay. The Freys and the Boltons are gone, LF is next on the agenda, he just doesn’t know it yet.
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