Blue Royalty | Miscellaneous Thread

[benitz786]

“HEY HEY HEY, have some respect. These guys in the 1900s were probably not too kind to anyone who didn’t look like a ghost… no offense,” he added to her teasing. Natural… yep… that’s exactly what this conversation was and Mason hated to admit it but he was… really enjoying it. What was it about this girl… fcking hell. As she continued her joking demeanor he shrugged, “Maybe a few axe wielding zombies. I always dreamed about being in a horror flick and being the one who lived until the very end only to get killed in the last 2 minutes of the movie with a to be continued because the zombie strain wasn’t actually eradicated, and then I come back as a zombie and am the star of the next movie,”

Okay maybe that was a little specific - let’s just say… he had thought about it a few times. Though when she mentioned that “Rebekah Azure” was related to VC - Mason’s eyes widened. That’s why the name was familiar… In any case, placing the book in his back pocket, he didn’t say anything more about it. But he was planning on figuring out more about the book at a later time - for now, getting out of this creepy abandoned ballroom. He didn’t, however, expect her to offer… well… .a dance and while a part of him wanted to push himself away from her, another part wanted to follow through. Let’s just say… the latter one. With a soft grin, he put his hand out for her and pulled her in close, starting a practiced slow dance. As he swayed his hips, her head laying against his shoulder - he couldn’t help the feelings bubbling up in his body and as she moved her head up at the end of the dance, he moved his head down and his lips found its way to hers. With his left hand, he navigated it to her head, tangling it up in her hair as he deepened the kiss.

@CerealKiller - Halloween continued

[benitz786]

“Mommmyyy?” Shay mumbled, knocking on the bathroom softly. Her mom was making lunch for her and then for some odd reason, ran to the bathroom and started throwing up the food she had made for all of them. Daddy, Zoe, and Aidan had gone to pick some dessert up but Shay had stayed meaning she was the only one there when this all started. Honestly, she didn’t think the food was bad at all. If anything it was reallllyyyyy good. Mommy always said her friend Hordan Mamsy taught her to cook but Shay didn’t know who that was. All she knew was her mom was the bessttt cook.

After a few minutes, her mom emerged from the bathroom, picking Shay up the moment she came out. “Are you okay momma?” Shay asked, wrapping her arms around her mom tightly. She felt her momma kissing her forehead before going to the kitchen and grabbing the keys. “I’m okay baby, but do you want to come to the store really quickly with me? Mommy needs to grab something,”

---

It was a quick trip - the two drove a few minutes away and mommy bought a weird little stick before going to the bathroom in the store. Shay waited outside the stall, knocking on her mom’s stall door periodically to ask if she was done yet. After a loooonnnnng time, her momma finally came out - stick in hand as she looked at it with a confused expression. For a few minutes, her mom didn’t say anything but then finalllyyy she looked down at Shay “Hey baby… you know how Zoe and Aidan are your siblings? How would you feel about being a big sister again?”

There was a smile on Shay’s face as she bounced up and down, excited by the question her mom had just asked her. She loved being a big sister and her mom just told her that she was going to have more siblings so of course she was excited. AND she was the first to knowww. Usually, her mom told dad first and then her. “Can I… can I tell daddy?” Shay whispered quietly, though quickly smiling as her mom nodded. And THEEENNN mom and her went shopping and bought Shay and her siblings’ cute little shirts that said “big sister” and “big brother” and a little cake with words that said Daddy X 4.

---

After getting home, Shay ran to her dad’s arms who was confused by why Jess had left. “Daddy daddy… momma and I went shopping can I show you what we bought?” With an innocent smile, Shay waited until her father nodded before going to the bags of clothes they bought and first pulling out a big sister shirt for herself. After that, she pulled out a big sister shirt for zoe who was excited about having a new shirt. She waited for her dad to compliment their clothes before pulling the last one out and handing it to her father - one that was for Aidan saying “Big Brother” instead of “Little Brother”. “Baby I think you bought the wrong shirt. Aidan’s not a Big Brother, he’s your little brother” She smiled at her dad’s words before shaking her head. “No daddy…” and that’s when her mom brought the cake out. “He’s going to be a big brother,”

@astxrism

[Littlefeets]

Malachi Azure

---

2030

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“Go. Get out of here. Now.” The woman snarled before the young girl with a head of curly, bold grey dyed hair dashed down the hall. Kai could hear her steps, and moved to the side just in time to not be bowled over by the petite girl. “Hey, careful there.” Kai spoke in a calm, neutral tone. She paused, and immediately looked up at the man in front of her. Not just any man, but the future king of Listaria, Prince Malachi Azure, having just returned from visiting his family. “Oh, your… your highness. My apologies for being in your way, I just…” she paused, biting her lip slightly before taking a breath. “Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. What’s your name?” She looked down, not sure how to act in the presence of a prince. “I… I’m…” she began, only for Kai to lightly lift her chin to meet her eyes. “Hey, don’t be nervous. I’m Kai. It’s a pleasure to meet you…” Kai trailed off, expecting the girl to finish the sentence with her name. “Skye. I’m Skye.”

---

2031

---

“Wine? Red wine? How did Ms Elieen not kill you? I swear that woman was picturing my death just for getting a drop of jam on my uniform. Am I like… looking at a corpse right now? Or are you a ghost or…” Skye trailed off into an exaggerated gasp. “No. Are you a vampire? Oh that makes so much more sense now. It wasn’t wine, it was blood, and that’s why you really bring so many girls into your bed. Not for the sex, but for a meal.” Skye stuck her tongue out at Kai as he shook his head with a laugh. “I know, I thought she was going to kill me for that. I’m still on thin ice for it.” Skye gave a smile, knowing how he felt about being on thin ice for a stain. “What’s the worst she could do though? You are The Prince Malachi. She’d do what, make you do your own laundry? Or at least your own bed sheets.” Skye said with a laugh. “You know, I don’t think she would even let me do my own laundry. It wouldn’t be up to her standards if I did it. I don’t know what she would do, but Ms Elieen still scares me in a way, even now.” Skye nodded. “Have you ever even seen that woman not scowling? She’s terrifying.”

---

“Damnnnnn Kai, how do you ever manage to wake up in the morning? This mattress is heavennnnnnn.” Skye said, having sat down and laid back onto Kai’s bed. “I… don’t really sleep all that much.” Kai shrugged. “What, too busy staying up all night with any lady who happens to look your way?” Skye responded, mostly jokingly. “I guess that’s part of it.” Kai agreed with a slight chuckle, knowing it was more than just that. With everything that had gone on in his life, when he was younger, even to more recently, sleep didn’t always come easily… Kai looked at Skye as she not only stood back up, but walked right up to Kai to grab his hand and pull him over towards the bed. “Come on, lay here and just relax” Kai slightly shrugged, just going along with what Skye was doing. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as Skye had intended, stepping backwards and tripping, landing on the bed. Though, with the way it happened, she pulled Kai right down with her, to where he was on top of her, their bodies right against each other, and faces mere inches apart. Perhaps it was that moment, or perhaps it had even been before, Malachi Azure could feel something, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since Jess. That banter, the light heartedness, the weight of the world off of his shoulders for just a moment when he was around her. Skye was someone who had come to matter a lot to him as a friend, someone he could be genuine with, but being that close to her only made it more clear to him. Even though they had become great friends, the attraction he felt towards her when they first met was still there. That being said, he didn’t expect to find her lips meeting his. She made it clear early on that she wasn’t going to just be another one of the girls he slept with because he wasn’t happy with his life or in his relationship with his wife, but there they were, her closing the gap to kiss him after they had simply looked at each other for a mere few seconds that felt like hours.

---

2032

---

“Kai…” Skye began, looking up at the man. Even before she gave a slight nod as an answer to the question he hadn’t even asked yet. Quickly checking that nobody was around watching, Kai grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind them and kissing her. First, on the lips, then neck, slowly trailing down. “Kai, this is not the time.” He paused the kissing for just a moment to look at her beautiful features, before continuing, stopping when his lips reached her stomach. He brought his hand to her stomach, feeling her soft, smooth skin and looking at her with a light smile. “We will figure this out.” Kai said, with no doubt in his mind. What they were going to do, he didn’t know. He didn’t have a plan, but they could figure it out together. “I love you, and this baby, even if it was an accident.” Kai could see the tears building in her eyes as he told her he loved her. He had felt it for a while, but hadn’t said it before that moment, because the last time he let someone hold his heart in their hands, he came out of it hurt. He had hurt Jess, and she had hurt him. They had both hurt each other so much. There would forever be that part of him that would love Jess in a way he couldn’t love anyone else, but now there was someone else that also had his heart like no other. Soulmates, true love, did any of that exist? Maybe not, probably not in Kai’s world, but Malachi Azure could say one thing without a doubt. He had experienced two great loves in his life, but… it also meant he experienced twice the loss…

---

“Your highness?” A butler who knew of the relationship between Kai and Skye, questioned as Kai had just returned. “I just got word, but, there has been… an accident… with Skye and the baby…”
“What do you mean, an accident? What happened, where is Skye?”
“It seems she was sent out on an errand, and she was hurt…”
“And the baby?”
“Alive. She’s fine… but Skye… she didn’t make it.” With those words, Kai first felt a slight relief knowing that the baby, his and Skye’s daughter, was fine, but then came the crushing feeling. Skye didn’t make it. Skye was gone, but their daughter was alive. The woman he was in love with was dead. He hadn’t been there, he hadn’t been able to protect her, when he knew she deserved to much better. Jess had been a passionate love that he felt with all of his heart, one that made him feel alive, then Skye, she was without a doubt, his best friend, his better half in a way. Both of them deserved so much better. Jess, she had found better, happiness, a family, as he had just seen not long ago, but Skye, she would never get that chance. Skye was gone, but her daughter, their daughter, was still here. It didn’t matter how broken Kai felt, he was all that baby girl had, and she was the only thing keeping him going.

---

@benitz786 - Jess mentioned

[astxrism]

{ Skipping school | 12th November }

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What an eventful day…Who would’ve thought Phoebe would have to chase her drvgged up sister around the school after taking the blame for something she did. Having those pictures of her making out with a guy was not something the both of them… what Phoebe needed right now. She really didn’t care what people would say about her, she never did, but sometimes it’s better to just stay out of drama… if only that was possible now.

Leaving school pretty early was something she had to do if she didn’t want people to figure out what happened and she shouldn’t be complaining… skipping school is great, let’s be real. Not something Phoebe has never done before. On her way home she was going over every potential excuse she could use when her mom sees that she’s back, what Phoebe didn’t know was that she wouldn’t even have to explain herself. It wasn’t important. Leaving her bag on the dining chair, the house seemed quiet. Empty. And that was a good thing. A sigh of relief left Phoebe’s lips thinking her mom went out with Lexie and she didn’t have to deal with her now. But she was terribly wrong.

Walking up the stairs was when she heard quiet sobs. When she found the door of her parents’ room open and her mother sitting on the edge of the bed, covering her face with her hands while crying. Crying? ”Mom?” Phoebe whispered, frozen in place as she looked at her mother with a mix of confusion and concern. And then panic… did something happen? Has someone died? That’s when her mother stopped but did not look up at Phoebe. ”Mom… Did something happen?” Elodie stood up, avoiding Phoebe’s gaze as she wiped the tears and finally managed to answer. ”Can you please go buy me something? My head hurts.” ”Mom-” ”You can find some money downstairs,” ignoring Phoebe, Elodie picked up her phone that was on the bed next to her and put it in her pocket, not noticing that her daughter was now standing right next to her. ”What ha-” ”Please, Phoebe?” Managing to put on a weak smile, Elodie once again ignored the question and gently cupped her daughter’s face, placing a kiss on her forehead before walking out of the room and heading to check on Lexie. Leaving Phoebe worried.

[CerealKiller]

---

”not to hard to find more ghost friends now consuming they’re probably all dead” she added with a shrug.

When she came to this… haunted house thing, she sure didn’t expect to find herself stuck in secret abandoned hallways with a guy, especially not mason, but if we’re being honest here… she was actually having the best time she had had in a while now. It was just natural, free, no problems and outside world drama. She liked it, it reminded her of days in her past, before she even came to Beryl, moments when life was just good. And dare I say, fshe was even… starting to feel happy again.

”Well that was oddly specific. Isee you had some time to plan this zombie apocalypse mister last man standing” she laughed lightly, raising her brow at the boy.

”come on, music is meant for dancing” she said, smiling as he came towards her in her offer of a dance. Why’d she offer that? She didn’t know, but it was fun and she was feeling comfortable around him, she didn’t think of things on the outside, not people, not his girlfriend (oops), anything. She was just there in the moment, with the music playing in the background as the two danced in an abandoned ballroom.

But as the dance ended, she raised her head up to look at him with a smile, though she didn’t expect him to kiss her. But as he did she kissed him back. and honestly, she felt happy, she felt high, she felt… just perfect. There was something about that boy, god knows what, but he was something. Something good.

”W- Mason… ” she mumbled after ”Sienna.” she added quietly, not saying anything else as she looked away from him. She may have been having the best time, but she had morals, and she knew he had a girlfriend even if it took her a little too long to remember.

---

@benitz786 Mason

[astxrism]

{ Castle | 2039 }

---

Dorian doesn’t like lying to his wife but sometimes, like now, that was necessary. If he wanted his not so little plan to work, he had to come up with a bunch of lies and hope Jessica would believe him. I mean… often going to the UK for some soccer event was not that suspicious, was it? At least that’s how the lies started.

There was a castle they got as a wedding gif and they never really done anything with it. It was just sitting, abandoned on a nice hill for ages and Dorian doesn’t remember if they ever visited it. And there was not a better time to do this - soon it will be Shay’s 10th birthday and Jess’ and Dorian’s anniversary. It would be an early gift but probably the best one so far. The whole process started last year before winter, while the team he found could still do some work on the exterior of that castle. And that castle…. needed a lot of fixing. Decorating the whole interior being included but if his family doesn’t end up liking how it looks don’t blame him…. he hired the best people so blame them, tho he was pretty sure they’d do the best job. For that part he could just stay at home and be with his family while their castle was getting new windows and doors, facade was redone, and the swamp surrounding it wasn’t a swamp anymore. It was never realllly a swamp to begin with but it was simply awful and Dorian wanted his kids to have the most beautiful garden and backyard.

Once that was done he had to go back and find a lame excuse to why he had to leave, only to meet up with a young interior designer again and talk more about the inside of that huge ass castle. She also had her own little team and they all better be thankful for this job because 172 rooms was a lot. 18 guests bedrooms, every kid gets 2 bedrooms, 2 kitchens on different sides of the castle but the main hall was going to be the most beautiful room. Making his little girls feel like real princesses with the spiral staircase and low chandeliers. There was also an indoor pool but let’s not talk about that now, that was Dori’s wish. It was all coming together, he just needed to think of a way to bring his whole family here and not look suspicious.

* * *

”Look,” Dorian was tightly holding baby Grayson in his arms, lifting him up so they could both look out of a small private jet window. Zoe was asleep on the seat next to him while Shay was watching something with Jess, Aidan and Ethan asleep next to them. They were all on a plane to somewhere. They all thought they’d be visiting Jess’ family and they will, for two days that’s all they’ll be doing but then Dorian will take them to a castle he spent so much time getting ready for them. ”You can see the ocean,” a smile on his lips as he looked at his son, his tiny hand on the window. ”It’s confusing, isn’t it?” At first the twins did everything at the same time and they were still good babies but now whenever Grayson was awake Ethan would be asleep and the other way around, making it slightly difficult for their parents. Bringing him closer to his chest and kissing the top of his head, Dorian looked to the side at his daughter waking up.

”Slept well, princess?” A playful smile on his lips, he opened his arm allowing Zoe to cuddle up next to him while still tightly holding Grayson on his other side. They still had 3 more hours to waste in that plane but 2 days before his kids became real princesses and princes.

* * *

”You can’t look, ok?” Laughing lightly, Dorian repeated to his kids and Jessica for the fifth time as he helped Aiden get in his seat that was now in a black car with tinted windows. What were the chances that the kids won’t be looking out of those windows as soon as they see they are in the middle of no where and are expecting some kind of a surprise? Very low, but one could only hope they knew how to listen. ”What did I say?” Looking at Zoe fidgeting in her seat, Dorian closed the door behind him and at that same moment the car started moving. ”Don’t look,” Zoe answered, looking at her dad with a lil mischievous smile. This will not go as he planned… You know what else would also really surprise him? Jess not figuring out what he was doing. But they haven’t talked about the castle in such a long time and even if she did know what he was doing… Dorian has been low key ignoring his wife, just in case. But they were taking all their stuff with them so that could literally mean anything… she doesn’t know.

Noticing they were almost there, Dorian looked up at his kids and spoke up. ”Do you want to play a little game now?” You have to be safe. Seeing that they nodded, he continued. ”You have to keep your eyes closed until I tell you otherwise. Whoever loses can’t get a speeecial prize… you too,” now looking at his wife, the corner of his lip curled in a slight smirk. Arriving, he was lucky enough to have them all listen to him as he helped them out of the car that was parked in front of a huge castle. Their castle. ”Here,” Dorian whispered taking Jess’ hand and gently kissing her cheek once she stepped out, then moving to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. ”Ok… you can look,” shifting his gaze to his daughters, there was a nervous smile on his lips, waiting for their reaction. ”Welcome home. This is all yours.”

---

@benitz786

[benitz786]

“Might not be hard to find ghost friends, but I don’t think any of those men in those paintings looked like they wanted more friends.” With those words, Mason scanned the room - his eyes sweeping slowly across the space they were in looking for… well… an exit and if there were any other old relics. Honestly… Mason loved this… finding a hidden room with hidden treasures. God… it was fcking great. Diego would have also probably loved this, but Mason would make a mental note to tell that man later on. Though he did find himself distracted with his zombie apocalypse banter with the girl which quickly brought his attention back onto her. “Are you saying you don’t have an idea of who you’d be in a zombie apocalypse. Please don’t tell me you’d be the one to die first because you did one of those lazy runs,” he added teasingly. “Nah… you know… I almost see you being the girl who went into a coma before the incident and then woke up when the world was infested,” he continued with a soft wink.

She knew how to keep the conversation light… especially when other people probably would be freaking out around now since they still hadn’t found an escape route. Either way, when he found her hand out to dance, could anyone blame him for taking it? Or for… enjoying it? Or… for getting lost in her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her and then finding himself intoxicated by her lips? And here’s the thing… she kissed him back. There was no initial hesitation by either of them until… of course… he found her mumbling “Sienna” and through his haze, he realized he had… majorly fcked up.

Pulling away, Mason immediately wiped his mouth, turning away from her almost in shame of his actions. “I… I’m so… sorry Olivia I don’t know what came… I was… I’m sorry,” after a few seconds of regaining his composure, he finally turned to face her again. “I’m… so sorry Olivia I didn’t mean to I must have… It’s no excuse I just… please… don’t say anything to Sienna,” It was a question that left his lips with… a look that hoped she’d agree. “I should… we should find a way out of here so we can go our… separate ways…um… how about I look over in that corridor and you look over there?” Splitting up… yes… that was the best way to go right now… honestly…

@CerealKiller

[CerealKiller]

---

”You do make a good point” she said at his comment on the not-so-friendly-looking-ghost-loving-men. They really didn’t seem like they were the most outgoing people who wanted more friends, but who knows, they do be party animals apparently so I won’t be surprised if some other stuff came up from the ashes.

”i think everyone thought about a zombie apocalypse at least one, it’s like a law of nature” she said ”but I never really managed to decide on a role. ” she told him, and raised her brow as he told her what he things would fit her ”hey! Why am I coma girl I want to be a badass. Zombie queen or something. Fearless leader in a hot outfit and some war colors on my face” she added, something which would find some people surprised because she didn’t really seem like the fearless leader type. A bit too… sweet. But a girl can dream right?

But that kiss… it was perfect and all she could hope for was that itd if not for her stupid brain who decided to wake up and remind her of Sienna… well, could have been better. Because now she kinda just felt bad for going along with something that was eventually cheating. Though it wasn’t just any something, it was… different. And although she felt bad in a way, she didn’t regret it, not even a single bit. Oops?

”i won’t tell her anything, I promise” she said, quietly looking down as he seemed to panic a bit, fair enough for a guy who just mistakingly cheated on his girlfriend. ”Mason-” she looked at him and tried talking to him though he didn’t seem to listen too much as he looked around and suggested they split and look for a way out ”Mason wait-” she tired again, but for nothing. Might as well quit. You can’t fix everything Liv, get on with the program. ”Sure, yeah okay…” she added and looked away, searching for a way out.

---

@benitz786 Mason

[astxrism]

{ Mark’s kiss | 2021 }

---

There were days when Elodie hated Friday nights because of parties Ally would invite her to and today was one of those days. It’s not that she didn’t like parties, she just didn’t like waking up super early for her classes, not being able to go to bed early and finally get a good sleep… But today she wasn’t allowed to complain since it was Ally’s birthday.

Everything would’ve been fine if she didn’t return to her apartment at 5pm. Taking naps is not something Elodie does but if she wanted to survive the night, wasting one hour on sleeping shouldn’t be a problem. Dropping her things on the couch next to her boyfriend who probably found a way to entertain himself while she was gone but she was too tired to ask, she grabbed his hand with a weak smile, leading him to their bedroom. Don’t get your hopes up… She just wanted him to be cuddled up with her and not let him move as she rests for a bit That’s what she does in these hard times. Taking off all of her clothes, only staying in pink lingerie, Elodie climbed into bed next to Riker. Before resting her head on his chest, she gently placed a kiss on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around him.

* * *

”Mmm," mumbling into Riker’s neck, Elodie moved her hand up, letting her fingers get tangled up in his hair. It was oddly quiet so opening her eyes and looking up was when she noticed that he was asleep. Oh no. Reaching for her phone to check the time, the panic she felt in that moment made her fully awake and aware of everything around her. A fear that it was late at nigh and they were missing the party. Yes, they. Elodie couldn’t go without him and Ally wouldn’t let her not drag him with her. It’s a good thing her new friends like him, right? Who wouldn’t? Yeah… it was good. She totally wasn’t… feeling threatened. Taking him to that party would just be… great. 7:30.
7:30 and they were supposed to be there at 8. That wasn’t possible but one could only hope. ”Heyyy…" whispering is not a way to wake someone up but straddling her boyfriend, that’s what she did. Letting her hands slide up his chest, she placed them on the sides of his face, gently kissing him. ”Wake up." And it worked. She soon found herself under him as he flipped them over, her hands wrapped around his neck. ”No, no… We have to get up or we’ll be late. We will be late but I really want to get there as soon as possible," with her voice still quiet, Elodie kissed his cheek trying to escape him but failing the first time. ”I’m seriouuuus. I have to take a shower… alone."

* * *

After some time of being there, Elodie was walking around alone with Riker outside talking on the phone. He has been a little busier with Jordan’s tour and it was difficult with him not being there since she was the one asking him to come back. Pregnancy and all of that… Crazy week. Really crazy week. He was still the only one who knew… well, not the only one, of course Jordan knew, he had to know the reason why his friend left so suddenly but Elodie couldn’t let Riker not go back. He was needed and she’d be fine on her own. ”Hey, you’re here," a familiar voice made Elodie turn around, a smile on her face seeing her good old friend Mark who was seemingly intoxicated. ”Hi," keeping that smile, her gaze shifted down to the glass he was holding, offering her a drink but she quickly shook her head, continuing, ”I was lookin-" ”You look lovely," a compliment, cutting her off. For a short second Mark looked around, trying to spot Elodie’s friends, his friends or her boyfriend… that she didn’t know, but his hand was soon on her lower back. Wait… no, he didn’t know that Riker was back. ”I was looking for Ally," Elodie finished what she wanted to say earlier, ignoring his compliment and his hand that was slowly starting to make her uncomfortable. To her luck he didn’t say anything, he just simply nodded and started leading her somewhere but his hand was still there.

Pretending she was looking for something in her bag was a bad attempt at getting his hand to move off her, it only made him stop in front of her, now with a grin on his face and his hand on her arm. ”Oh, I didn’t tell you… I’m going to be an uncle." ”Wha- Wow, congrats," It’s bad that she so quickly forgot about how uncomfortable he made her feel seconds ago and was now smiling the same way he did, isn’t it? Bad that she was excited for her friend and as a friend gave him a hug? It wouldn’t be bad if he didn’t do what he wasn’t supposed to do. Elodie didn’t even get to step back as he cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a… kiss. One might say he was too excited about the news and that mixed with some drinks led to him doing this so it was… fine. But no, it was not fine. It will never be fine. Pushing him back right away, there was a new look on her face. Mix of anger, confusion, sadness… Loss for words. What was she supposed to do? This was not a situation she’s ever been in nor did she think her friend would ever cross that line. ”No," was the only thing she managed to mumble before taking a few more steps back and turning around, only to find her boyfriend walking right by her to greet Mark.
That night was never supposed to end that way, but did she feel bad about the fight that little incident caused? Not really… If anything… it made her feel kind of flattered, in some twisted way.

[benitz786]

Mason honestly felt like he hadn’t laughed… really laughed in a long time but with the girl he was with, he couldn’t hide the smile on his lips as she spoke. Even something as idiotic as talking about a zombie apocalypse was fun with her - commentary that he hadn’t had in… a long time. “Who said you won’t be badass after you wake up, but you gotta get out of the coma first,” he added before the kiss. Could anyone really blame him… it really seemed as if this whole moment with their banter… proximity… everything was just leading up to that one kiss. And… and maybe that’s why it was perfect. Why he felt what some would call butterflies in his stomach… his entire body abuzz at her touch. It took him a second to regain his senses, to realize what the hell he had just done and when he did, clearly it was too late. “I… I trust you Olivia I just… let’s just look for a way out,” he added as he went off in his direction. Walking away, Mason found himself first going into a back room, finding what was playing the music: an old record player set to start when the lights - which clearly were more newly renovated - were turned on. Picking the needle off the record, the man sighed going deeper in the room - his mind still on the kiss. There was another portrait in the back, but this time, of a girl. Rebekah Azure was graved into the frame and he found his eyes meeting the girl in the frame. She was pretty, young… blonde… but there was more to it… she almost looked… sad. Though he wanted to explore more, he found a voice cutting through the room something that sounded like Mason, I found it,. After a second more of looking around, he finally exited - making a note that he’d have to come back here later.

Meeting up with the girl, he found her standing by a door way that if you pushed against, it led back to a similar hallway as they were in before and even better, they could hear the voices of their classmates nearby. “I… well… It was good… I’m glad we…” what the hell was he even supposed to say here. “Thank you Olivia… for… exploring this place with me and… for not… saying anything… I…really appreciate it,” And with that, he smiled opening the door for her allowing her out - though, with no intention of following. After all, Mason Mitchell had a mystery to solve, and all night to do it. There was enough light in the room that he could sit down and read about this girl with the sad eyes, and he had every intention to do so.

@CerealKiller

[CerealKiller]

---

”Ah right, the coma” she nodded, remembering she had to wake up from the coma to be a rad zombie queen. Honestly though, it was just fun. Their interactions, their conversations, body language, they all just flowed together in perfect sync. Natural chemistry with no barriers. Maybe it does make sense it led them to kiss, frankly it was just called for.

But life has its own ways, and they might have kissed but now they did nothing but worry and overthink. In that cast finding a way out might actually be the best idea. So the two split up to look for a way out, and as Olivia walked around the abandoned rooms, she found a door thing, similar to the one through which they originally came in through, and called out to mason in the other room ”Mason I found it!” she called, and after a few minutes she saw him come in her direction.

“I… well… It was good… I’m glad we… Thank you Olivia… for… exploring this place with me and… for not… saying anything… I…really appreciate it,” He said, uncertainty audible in his words as he mumbled things, what was he even supposed to say now? God knows. So as he opened the door lightly mumbling stuff, Olivia smiled lightly and stopped him from talking ”Mason-” she said, a light amused smile on her face at his loss of words.

”just… stay safe” she told him, genuinely worrying about his well-being as well as sensing he was about to stay in that room for a while longer, and being alone in old abandoned places isn’t exactly the safest idea. But at the same time she knew she had to go, this went a little more messy than they expected, and it was probably her cue to take a step back. ”see you around” she added with a soft smile and turned to walk away

---

@benitz786 mason

[astxrism]

{ Bad, bad (old) coach Hossler }

---

Part 1
{ 2021 }

Nine days have passed since Dorian’s breakup with Jessica. Nine days and whatever he was feeling was only getting worse. Breakups are not fun, especially when you’re not expecting them, when you were ready to take another step and propose. That really leaves you feeling a certain kind of way. It’s not a nice feeling, Dorian could tell you that. When you look at it on the bright side, he had more time to focus on himself and soccer so that’s good? No, he was not doing that. He skipped every practice he had after that day, sometimes simply not picking up anyone’s call and as of recently, he pretended he was sick so no one would bother him. He just didn’t feel like doing anything and that’s okay. Everyone needs a little time away from everyone and everything they love… too bad that had to come to an end and he had to focus on his job. At first there was this unbearable sadness but now… Now he was angry with everyone around him. With everything someone would do. That took a toll on his performance.

Today was his first day back on the field, training again after a long time (nine days is a long time for someone like Dorian) and he has never been more annoyed with his coach and teammates, never been clumsier. Sprinting across the field, Dorian didn’t care that he was so behind until he heard coach Hossler’s voice for the hundredth time telling him not to slack off. ”Oh, FCK OFF,” that’s when Dori noticed everyone in front of him stopped and looked back at him, entertained look on their faces, some “ooooh”s. ”What did you say?” Taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes for a second, Dorian stopped running, repeating something he knew he shouldn’t. ”I told you to fck off,” he raised his voice again that time, turning towards his coach who was on the very end of the field, looking at him with crossed arms. And that was the part when he really scr3wed up. Or….

”Come here. Right now,” see? I told you. ”What did you say?” Making his way to his coach as slowly as possible, Dorian was already prepared to go pack his things and leave. Not play the next game as some kind of punishment. It was too late to take it back so he repeated his words for the second time, now standing face to face with the man. ”I said, Fck off,” there was an eerie calmness in Dorian’s voice, his arms behind his back, just staring at Hossler. ”Go, run,” or was the calmness in Hossler’s voice scarier? ”What?” ”You’re here to train so go, I don’t want to see you behind everyone,” Uhmmm, what? Well, you reader know what. While Dorian is here confused, his coach could guess why he was acting such a way. He was responsible for it after all so he couldn’t let himself lose such a good player when he did something he knew would only help him. He sacrificed Dorian’s relationship for his own good and it meant he had to deal with his, now angry and rude player no matter what.

* * *

With his hair dripping, Dorian was sitting on a bench in the locker room in his shorts, scrolling through his phone when he heard some whispers. Don’t do that. Don’t be a jerk. Maybe they didn’t- Yeah, they did. Brian, stop- ”DeLoughrey… nice to have you back,” one of his mates, Brian, approached him with a cheesy smile, a short towel wrapped around his waist. But he only got ignored. Not like he cared… there was really one thing he wanted to ask. ”So… We heard some rumors… Jessica is free now? Does that mean I-” That poor boy didn’t even get to finish what he started before Dorian stood up and slammed him against the locker, grabbing him by the throat. He’s not that violent usually but what else was he supposed to do? That guy had no clothes on that Dori could grab. At that same moment everyone stopped what they were doing and shifted their attention to the two. Dorian could notice one of them walking up to him, but lifting his hand up he stopped him, looking Brian straight in the eyes with a serious yet p!ssed expression. ”Don’t even think about it.”

”DeLoughrey. With me. Now,” wasn’t it great that their coach had such a perfect timing? ”Chill-” Brian tried to say, breathing heavily once Dorian stepped away from him, but he was cut off. ”Go to hell,” last words Dori said before picking up his t-shirt and following his coach. With what happened earlier, this shouldn’t be a problem, right? He just physically attacked someone, not a big deal… Though he was still confused with how his coach just ignored his insults while they were out. It was… strange, but not something he thought much about. He must really like him… we’ll go with that. ”Can you now tell me what’s wrong with you and why you haven’t been coming to our practices?” Staying silent, Dorian subtly rolled his eyes, taking a seat across from him. His hands in his pockets now, Dorian looked everyone but at the coach. This was the last place he wanted to be at, the last thing he wanted to talk about. Would he tell him the real reason why he wasn’t coming? Fck no. Will he lie? No, he’ll simply stay quiet and hope Hossler would get annoyed and tell him to go home. ”Is everything okay?” Dorian could feel his eyes on him but he kept ignoring him, now staring at the clock on the wall, focusing on it ticking. ”Dorian-” ”For fcks sake,” mumbling to himself, Dori somehow brought himself to look at the man, not hiding how bored and frustrated he was. ”I’m fine, can I please go now? Or are we going to talk about how I was more than happy to strangle Brian? I think that’s a better topic, what do you think?” ”Slow down, I’m here to help you-” ”With what exactly?” A mocking chuckle escaped Dorian’s lips, leaning back in his seat and now crossing his arms across his chest. ”Is this about that girl of yours-” ”Don’t-” ”I see…” Really not a conversation he wants to have, not with him. His expression for a short second softening, Dorian got up from his seat, whispering. ”I have to go.”

Part 2
{ 2039 }

Coming soon…

[CerealKiller]

Location: London • Time: present time

— Part 1 —

---

It was just another day for Andy, though he wasn’t at home, he was on a work related trip in london, but specifically this day he took a day off to enjoy the city with no plans. Kaya was left home alone for a few days, not that it was bad or something, she was practically an adult at this point.

So day was ahead of him as Andy walked through the streets of London, when a little boy bumped into him and tripped while dropping his ice cream ”Hey there big guy. Need some help?” he said as bending down to help the little blue eyed boy stand again. The boy looked sad as looking at his fallen ice cream, and Andy felt sorry for him, so he smiled lightly at him, ”I’ll get you a new one okay? Where are your parents?” he asked, the little boy nodded, wiping his eyes from his little tears as Andy offered him an ice cream to replace the one he dropped as turning his gaze to look up for one of the boy’s parents.

”Kalie-“ his eyes opened in surprise as he looks up at the boy’s mother, A woman he honestly never thought he’d see again. ”Josiah why don’t we leave the nice man alone - I’ll get you a new ice cream” she told the boy after a few moments in which she seemed a bit speechless. Fair enough, he himself didn’t think he’d bump into her on the street. ”Hey, what do you say I get him a new ice cream we could sit…” he said, glancing at the boy and back at his mother ”catch up?” seems like there’s… things to catch up about

“No it’s really fine, you can go now darling. It was nice seeing you again but we’re in a hurry anyhow.” The woman told Andy in response, ”Mommy I want my ice cream” Josiah added with a pleading face looking at his mother who wanted them to walk away. bish where my new ice cream
”Josiah right?” Andy asked, bending over to the boy who nodded ”how old are you big guy?” he asked, though his mother didn’t seem too satisfied with the conversation. Josiah sweetie let’s go she told the boy who answered Andy’s question ”i will be three in one month” he said, as if memorising something he was told, while putting up three fingers in the air before she took her son’s raised hand and turned to walk away.

Andy stood there watching them go. And while they walked away, he saw the boy turn his head back and wave him bye bye. Andy smiled lightly and waved bye as well. But something was bothering him. Something was damn well bothering him. But… I mean, look at him. And looking in a bit to some calculations… three years old in a month, that means… that was just the right time. But it couldn’t be- was Josiah his son?

---

to be continued…

---

@benitz786 Kalie

[astxrism]

{ tune in: Stacy’s mom | 2039 }

---

With Lexie sleeping and her other kids God knows where, Elodie was in the kitchen in her yoga gear, baking. Or to be more precise, waiting for her cookies to be done. That afternoon Lexie was helping her with preparing everything, and by helping I mean just sitting there, being cute with her chubby cheeks and big blue eyes. Things have… gotten a bit easier for Elodie. Not the being alone without her husband part, but her relationship with this adorable little girl. It was almost like it was supposed to be from the very first day she was born and that got Elodie hopefully that things will be perfect again, eventually. They… have to be. It’s been three days since her daughter caught her crying and luckily she hasn’t asked more questions, or she did but Elodie ignored them all, just like she did that day. Three days since the Montoya birthday special post where she was described as a free woman. Of course, she didn’t know that and you can’t blame her for what was about to happen.

”They are not home,“ no, Phoebe and Amelia were not home and Ryan knew that. It was important for his little plan, important that only Elodie May ex Taylor-DeLoughrey was alone. You thought no one would take that BR post seriously and there actually won’t be a line of guys taking their chances on this woman? If you did, you were terribly wrong because there were already bets going around and Ryan was not wasting time. ”I checked… Hey, I’ll see you all when I end up winning her over,“ today will be the day he gets Elodie. And his friends on the phone hoped that wouldn’t be the case. Standing in front of the door in his half unbuttoned shirt, Ryan fixed his hair before ringing the bell.

Whenever Elodie hears the bell her heart skips a beat, only one thing on her mind. Opening the door she’d see Riker, he was coming back home and everything was finally alright. That one possibility that never ended up happening and today was also not that day, but don’t judge her for hoping. Nervously approaching the door, for a second she stopped with her hand on the handle, trying to put on a sweet smile - she didn’t want her unexpected visitor to see her disappointment in case what she actually wanted wasn’t on the other side of that door. ”Hello,“ and of course it wasn’t. There was a boy she’s never before, around Amie and Phoebe’s age. ”Can I help you?“ A friendlier smile appeared on her lips, not noticing his eyes wandering all over her body. ”Is Amelia home?“ Returning the smile, the boy finally looked her in the eyes, his hands casually placed in his pockets. Now that was his plan… he was going to pretend Amelia was his tutor since he heard she tutors some students and with her not actually being home he could say: ”She told me she’d be home soon and I wouldn’t have to wait for her.“ ”N-no. She is not here and she…“ She didn’t tell me anyone would be coming over? No. She, for some reason, wasn’t speaking to her so how could Elodie know this boy was supposed to be here? Opening the door and stepping to the side, she continued. ”You can- I guess you have to wait for her now. I’m sure she’d be here soon,“ a light chuckle, letting the boy step in before closing the door behind them.

”I don’t mind it. At least I have a lovely company,“ he was quick to reply, a playful smile on his lips Elodie did not see. And that compliment, she didn’t think much about it, he was just her daughter’s friend and he was being nice. It only made her smile sweetly as she was walking toward the kitchen again to check on her cookies, glancing back at the boy. ”Not as lovely as the company of my daughter. Do you want to drink something?“ ”She never told me she has such a beautiful mother,“ following her, he continued with sweet words. ”Do you maybe have wine? It helps me… work,“ or it was just a romantic drink every woman likes. It’s been a while since someone compliment her. And once again she just let him say whatever he wanted, thinking he was just this charming young guy who maybe wanted to impress her because he had a crush on her daughter? I don’t know… ”Wine?“ Turning to face Ryan who was now resting his elbows on the kitchen island, his eyes not leaving her, Elo raised her brow but there was still a smile on her face. ”How old are you…“ ”Ryan.“ Did it matter? No. She was already picking up the glass and pouring him some wine she had that morning. Not like she wasn’t drinking at that age… can’t be a hypocrite now. ”Ryan. I guess that doesn’t matter, does it? Here you go,“ handing him the glass, there was a long moment when his hand rested on hers, a weird vibe she couldn’t ignore. His gaze was on her, a weird smile on his lips… Okay, there was something wrong about this. ”Thank you, ms DeLoughrey.“ ”Taylor-DeLoughrey,“ there was not a single time she didn’t correct someone. Even now when she had no idea what was happening with that… If… It will stay like that. Clearing her throat, she turned away from the boy and awkwardly continued the conversation, ”What do you need help wi-“ And Lexie saves the day. Hearing her crying, with an apologetic smile she looked at the boy again. ”Sorry, I have to leave you here. I’ll give Amie a call now and see if she’s near,“ with that she left the kitchen and rushed upstairs.

Uhm… baby? Ryan had no idea there was a baby in the house. Since when does she have more kids? And she’ll call Amie? Yeah… that doesn’t work. He’s not dealing with kids and he’s not waiting for that call and that awkward moment when she finds out he was not there because of Amie… He quickly left the house, losing.

[Littlefeets]

Kasper Drake

Wedding Day Chaos

---

Ah weddings. Don’t you just love them? Love, happiness, cake, a male maid of honor, a female best man, rock music, ok… maybe that last one is just because of the groom being a rockstar and the bride certainly isn’t a traditional girl either. But who can really blame them when the couple in question is Ketziah Drake and Andy McAllister? Let’s be clear, neither of the pair is known for doing things in a way most would consider normal. That being said, there were a few ways in which Ketziah wanted to keep with tradition. It had been years since the loss of her father, the man who would never get to be there to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, but that didn’t matter. There was someone else just as deserving of the role. Kasper Drake, her older brother, the man who put his life on hold to step in to finish raising her. Ketziah may not have had her father, but she had Kasper there to fill the job.

Hold on… let’s back it up a minute… Oh, Kasper… such a big day. After all, it’s not everyday your baby sister gets married. Though, even for someone who keeps things more low key like dear Ketziah, that day may as well have been pure chaos in Kasper’s eyes. Not that he would let his sister have any idea. After all, he didn’t want to send the bride into a complete panic just before her wedding. Let’s just say, if it could go wrong, it seemed it would go wrong for Kasper that day.

“What is so important that you had to call me today? It’s my sister’s wedding today.” Kasper said over the phone to one of the employees at the restaurant. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad.” Sorry Kasper, but it can be that bad. “Fine. Fine. I’ll be there in 10.” There Kasper was, all ready for the wedding, and having to take time out of his already stressful day to deal with work. Luckily, Kasper was able to get the situation at the restaurant back under control without too much difficulty, but… let’s just say unexpectedly stepping on a wet floor while there are literally too many cooks in the kitchen is not a good thing… a fact made all the more clear when Kasper hit the floor in such a way that, had the room been silent, one could’ve heard a snap in addition to the breaking of a plate that hit the ground with him. Kasper knew he was short on time, even the blood dripping down his arm wasn’t going to stop him, but… when he tried to stand up, he didn’t get far, ending up right back in the same spot he was, where he would remain, much to his dismay.

Despite his protest, it was insisted that an ambulance be called. Though he didn’t know it, that was the best thing that could have happened to him. On the way to the hospital, he looked to the paramedic bandaging the cut on his arm. “I’m fine really, just drop me off on the side of the road somewhere.” The redhead gave him a “you’ve gotta be kidding me” look before looking over and lightly touching his leg as well as slightly moving his wrist, to which he clearly winced in pain. “You’re sure? I’m sure you’re not fine.” Kasper gave the girl a pleading look. “I… fine. It’s just that I have a wedding to get to.” The girl paused for a second, looking him over. “I’m sure your… fiancé? would understand you being late because of this.” It was a guess that made Kasper immediately shake his head in response. “My little sister. I’m supposed to be there to walk her down the aisle in less than two hours, and she will freak out if I’m not there. I have to be there.” Kasper watched as the girl simply nodded, remaining silent as he looked to his phone to send Riker a text saying Call Me Though, then a thought came to Kasper’s mind, he was barely going to be able to walk. How was he supposed to get there? “Damn it…and now I can’t even drive either.” He muttered. For what reason, he had no idea. Perhaps she didn’t know what made her think of it either, but she still gave the offer as they arrived at the ER. “This is my last call for the day, and I don’t have anywhere to be, so I can get you to your sister’s wedding. That’s not something you want to miss.” Kasper didn’t even know what to say, or even if he should take it as an actual offer, and even he could see that she wasn’t sure either. Though the chance to respond was soon gone as his phone rang. Riker.

Kasper had just gotten to the ER, and he knew he was going to be late, so who better to keep Ketziah from asking questions than Riker. “Promise me you won’t tell my sister any of this.” Kasper began. No matter what, he knew she couldn’t know that he was in the ER, even for something minor. He didn’t want it to ruin her day, or worry her. “I’m fine, but I’m in the ER right now. I don’t know how long I’m going to be, but I need you to stall for me, and don’t tell my sister what’s going on. I’ll let you know when I’m on the way, but just make sure Ketziah doesn’t think something is wrong.”

Kasper may have said he was fine before, but a couple hours, a walking boot, and a cast on his arm later, he was actually considered fine to go. Though, how was he going to actually get there? He didn’t have his car, not that he could even drive it with the boot. Stepping out the ER doors, he came face to face with the answer, one which he didn’t expect. “I told you, you weren’t fine.” The paramedic from the ambulance. For whatever reason, something even she didn’t know, she decided to make that offer real. “If you still need it, I can help you get to your sister’s wedding.” Kasper paused, stunned somewhat by it, before nodding. “Thank you.” He answered before extending his non-broken hand towards her. “I’m Kasper.” The girl shook his hand with a smile, unaware that she had just made the best decision of her life. “Mia.”

---

@benitz786 - Riker
@CerealKiller - Andy mentioned too

[benitz786]

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘴,

𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘒𝘺𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 12𝘵𝘩, 2021 𝘢𝘵 9 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦,
𝘋𝘢𝘥

Did Jordan Williams write a damn letter? He damn well did. Could you blame him? For about the past month… well… really ever since bailing his daughter out, she had been avoiding him at all cost. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had blocked his phone number by now because every time he called it went straight to voicemail… which… yes, it upset him. He sent texts, asking what was wrong… asking her to just call him back… and so… yes, he sent a formal ass letter hoping it would somehow catch her attention enough so she would just… come to brunch. He missed her… he missed his little girl and it was hurting every single part of him that she was treating him like… this. A moment, that’s all he needed - to talk… to catch up with a girl he hadn’t talked to in weeks.

That very morning, his entire house was abuzz. Jordan had gotten caterers to come, and a Michelin star chef to cook brunch. Suffice to say, everything was perfect… at least… well… currently everything was perfect. He didn’t know how his… kids would react to the news… and… well… Sadie…didn’t react… you know what, this isn’t a brunch about that. Rather, it’s a brunch about her. Sitting in the middle of the living room playing with the dogs was his fiancé, a smile on her lips as she pet their dog, Michael Jackson. Walking over to her, Jordan wrapped his arms around her, taking a seat behind her as he kissed her cheek and laid his head against her shoulder. “How are you feeling Tink?” he whispered. There was an ease in his body the instant he found himself near her - something that he realized Jez simply had the power to do… from a look, a touch, a kiss - it was a trait she possessed far before they were even friends. Maybe that was why he had a crush on her when they were children, there was just always… something about her that drew her in.

She didn’t have a chance to respond to his question when he heard the doorbell ring - indicating that his kids had arrived. Or… well… a kid meaning it was Daniel Parker… with popcorn soon followed by Laurel who had arrived with him. “Dan… what are…” he didn’t really get the chance to get that question out when he saw his kids also walking up behind Daniel and Laurel, distracting him from what would have been the kindest “please get out” from Jordan. Though, it seemed that wasn’t the case as they all settled into their seats. Jezebel was seated across from him at the end of the table and next to her was Laurel. Dan had situated himself across from Laurel, clearly making sure he was in the middle of the table. His daughter, Kyra, was sitting next to him - asking Jez more than a few questions about being CEO. Let’s just say the kid had aspirations. And Justin was on the other side of Daniel. The only person missing was…

Before he could even have that thought, he heard the doorbell ringing. It was… more than a few minutes late but a sense of relief filled his body when he saw his daughter coming through the door - soon sitting next to Justin, but as… far away from him as possible. Jordan didn’t usually feel nervous, but in this case he did. As the food was brought out, Jordan’s hand was on top of Jezebel’s - a smile on his lips as he looked towards her ever now and again.

“Well… before we eat… why don’t we all say grace?” Jordan asked - a tradition that he passed on to his kids in an attempt to make them grateful for something that… well… he didn’t have access to when he was a child. Kyra immediately started, saying grace for the food on the table, followed by Justin who added that he was grateful that college was going well. Amen to that. Dan said he was “grateful” that they didn’t run out of butter popcorn at the store, which caused everyone to give him the look and it went around - though Annie stayed quiet. “And there is something I’m grateful for… I’m grateful for this beautiful woman right here who… is going to be a part of our family very soon,” with that, Jordan picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, whispering I love you before looking back at his kids. “What I mean by that is… Jezebel and I… we’re getting married and I really want all of you to be involved with everything because I lov-”

Jordan didn’t get to finish his words, because before he did - Annie stood up from the end of the table and begin cursing. “Mariana sit… down,” he started, but before he could even mention how inconsiderate she was being, she continued - mentioning that Jezebel was pregnant. The shock on his face was instant - he didn’t… how did she know that. He knew that Jezebel had told her family but… he didn’t think his daughter would find out that way. He couldn’t even say anything in his defense as Annie continued. Dan was sitting casually in the middle, eating his popcorn, and Kyra and Justin looked just as surprised as he did at their sister’s outburst. “Annie… that’s not… this isn’t a replacement family. This is our family, including you. I just… I don’t know what’s gotten into you recently,” he sighed - the only thing keeping him together being Jezebel’s hand still on his.

Seating Chart

@novella @Littlefeets

[raviola]

Cherry Chapstick

.,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,. 2036 ,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…

Hera pulled loose baby hair strands out of her ponytail, kneeling on her ottoman. Was it a weird way to sit? undoubtedly. At this point though, it had gotten too comfortable for them to stop. The last house she was in didn't have chairs, Mr Walsh sold practically everything inside the house so he could get beer. Was it bad that she missed it?

To be honest, anything was better than their current home. It would be perfect if Killian and Megara weren’t here. You might think Hera would give them the benefit of the doubt because of #gayrights, but no, she hates everyone the same <3. If anything, they hated these people a little bit more. In fact, she was currently getting pretty to sneak out. Her bedroom window netting was already way torn, she carved a big, gaping hole in it the night she got there with their pocket knife. Don’t ask.

Okay, maybe there’s one valid question that stems from that. Hera, is that imprint not a little too obvious? Yes, yes it was. And the fair maiden did not give a damn. Their mothers had security cameras installed when Hera got there. They didn’t even try to hide it that they thought she was no good. If they didn’t expect anything good from Hera, what was the point in hiding her flaws? If anything, she’s giving them what they want. A challenge. That was all she probably was to them. They imported a child from africa because it made them look nice, and when that got old, they took her in. The poor child, desperate for their salvation. How insufferable do you have to be to think like that? The girl rolled her eyes at the thought of it.

It was whatever, really. Hera just needed to escape this pretty prison. So they uncapped their Cherry Chapstick and rubbed it all over their lips for when the ice cold wind rippled through the crisp air, fanning at her roughly. It was wintertime in Beryl Heights, but Hera didn’t need a jacket after all of the winters she spent without conditioned air, without warmth. The Montgomeries decided to take her in around the holiday season, so she wouldn’t spend another winter out in the cold. To Hera though, they only made the holidays worse.

Every year, on christmas eve, and the morning after, she sat in a crowded room. Surrounded by peoople, yet still so alone. Every few months or so, they were placed with new people. She didn’t have the chance to get close to any of them. The kids at school always described the holidays with their families as annoying, everyone finally had to confront their problems when they were united by the fireplace. I mean, at least they didn’t have to deal with that. But in a way, it made them jealous. Yes, Hera threw hands with basically every other kid she had lived with, and they always had reasons to hate eachother, but at the end of the fighting, there was no love to reunite them. No bond built from years upon years.

The only person that they were beginning to feel like that with was a girl by the name of Daiane Meyer. She was unlike anyone she had ever met before. She was kind, and cute? It was strange, Hera is usually percieved as unemotional and lusty. However, this woman had them under some sort of spell that made her soft. Hera didn’t realize it though. Not even a little bit. In fact, in their mind, she was just going to visit out of boredom. They’d hung out a few times and she only memorized Daiane’s schedule (physics, geometry, eglish, lunch, fashion design, theatre, us history, physical education), favorite color (baby blue), mother’s maiden name (ribeiro), school email (M7694@students.cerulean./org), favorite movie (moonlight), book she’s reading right now (the space between), address (5059 redfruit lane) and many other random things that are perfectly normal to remember about a friend. Totally.

Speaking of the girl’s address, Hera had to go before her little angel went to bed. They found it astonishing that anyone could go to sleep that early when there’s so much to read, sm0ke, and worry about. That was her night routine, at least, when they get home at like 1am. It’s almost impossible for Hera to just let herself relax, that’s the way it’s always been. She’s always needed to be on high alert. The one time she fell asleep before everyone else out of exhaustion, her roommates shaved her head. But we’ll cover that later.

At last, Hera stood up and dusted herself off. Then, ripped another bit of the netting in the fishnets she wore under her denim shorts before poking through the window into the frosty weather that probably should have fazed her but didn’t, heavy boots dangling as they reached for the tree branch to climb onto. When Hera was latched onto the tree, she slowly climbed down before letting go when it was safe to drop (and by that i mean she squirmed down the tree like two steps and then stopped caring.) Her feet hit the slow with a thump, her legs bending slightly for her to let out a short breath of belief that formed a cloud in front of her mouth, bringing back memories of pretending to sm0ke with the other kids when she was a small child. Oh, to go back to when the clouds in front of her mouth were fake and the ones in the sky felt real.

Quickly, the tall child ran off, into the more open part of the neighborhood. Her adoptive mothers’ house was a bit secluded by the forest, so this place seemed much brighter. They had streetlamps, and wide sidewalks. It was everything Hera pictured her life could be one day. She didn’t even have to think twice anymore about walking around alone at night, that was how safe it was. She still did it, habitually carrying pepper spray in her bag, but one day it would fade. Hopefully.

Eventually, the girl knew she found Daiane’s street when the green board read “Redfruit lane.” Don’t worry, Daiane knows that Hera can find it. However, Daiane’s parents did not. Hmmm Hera thought, questioning how to work with this. Oh!! It finally occurred to Hera that she could text her. This phone was Hera’s first, now that they had someone to pay the bill, so they often forgot they could use it as a resource. Most of the other orphans were covered by their grandparents, Hera never knew hers though. They had virtually no apps downloaded, only ever really using it to talk to Dai.

To: Ane
Hey.
Look outside your window

Ane. That was what they’ve called the girl from day one when they met at the party and she said to call her whatever they like. Ane called out to Hera. Apparently no one else called her that, which made Hera sad. To everyone else, she was Dai. Fitting name for a girl who was born right after her sister’s death. According to her family, that’s who she is. A symbol of grief. Hera felt like the first person to see her for something other than that. To Hera, Ane’s smile was brighter than the intricate christmas lights outside of her house, and her eyes were much deeper than the grave people think of when they see her.

They rushed to back up to a place where Ane could see her, up against the brick wall of her next door neighbors’ house, looking up in pure admiration as the girl presented herself at the window in her pajamas. She had no make up on, with bags under her eyes, hair in a messy ponytail like theirs. She’d never looked more beautiful. Hera was in pure awe, that was until she saw the reaction to her arrival, that made her laugh way more than it should have. Everything Dai did brought them so much joy. “Let me in, loser” She joked.

.,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…, @unsungcheerio…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,…,.

[benitz786]

December 23rd, 1998

Play This Side of Paradise

Love. How does someone truly know when they have it? Adelaide Parker was only 17-years-old… well… for a little while longer at least. In a few hours, she would be 18… one year older… one year closer to graduating and being an adult and… trying to figure out how to navigate her family life with her true passion of enacting change in policy… if her parents would ever allow her to do it. Anyways, back to the whole point of this… 17-years-old… could anyone really know what love was at 17? Maybe… maybe not. Either way… this thing that Addie had with Leo… if it wasn’t love, she didn’t know what it was. Adelaide had loved before, but only towards her siblings and family. She had never… had this. Even with her ex-boyfriends… she had… never felt like this… like her day was brighter simply by his presence in it. She had never felt like she had a need to be around someone, but with Leo she wanted to be around him whenever she had the chance… she felt butterflies when he touched her… when he looked at her. She found an endless smile on her lips when he was with her and she… really loved that feeling. He made her want to be better… he challenged her… and she loved that part the most. Adelaide was quick-witted, but he didn’t hold back either, and it worked.

It was currently 10:51 PM and Addie was alone in Leo’s apartment, a book in her hand as she laid on his couch in a fully decorated condo. There was a tree in the corner right next to a window overlooking the entire city - and honestly, it was probably her favorite view in Beryl. She couldn’t count the number of times she and Leo just sat on the patio, enjoying the night sky together with their arms around one another… which usually ended with her falling asleep and somehow ending up in the bedroom. 7 months together and… god… she just wanted more - so, yes, Adelaide Parker considered this to be love. On the topic of her boyfriend, Leonardo hadn’t been home for the day - having some work to complete for his dad’s business leaving Addie alone to finish decorating. Most of the decoration had been put up together over the last few days. Her mind went back to the laughter that left both of their lips as they went tree shopping, the way he had let her jump on his back to put the angel on the tree, the way she had to argue and win against him that real trees were better than that fake stuff that just reached the market. So what if it left a little mess? Nothing could beat the smell of a fresh Christmas tree. And… Christmas: It honestly was her favorite holiday and… maybe it had something to do with the fact that her birthday fell the day before. Though, if anyone asked Adelaide, it was just… all of it. She loved decorating, she loved the cold, and especially the snow - which is why the window was currently open letting the freezing cold into the condo as Addie snuggled under a blanket in one of Leo’s shirts - and, she bloody loved desserts.

Currently Gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate sat on the counter, cooling from when Addie had finished baking just minutes earlier. The smell was divine and it just brought memories of happy days. Maybe the worst part of Christmas in Beryl, however, was that it had yet to snow. Usually, by now, London was filled with the fluffy white substance. Beryl, however, was a harsh cold with no snow in sight, and honestly, Addie was just waiting… hoping for some snow before her birthday… though the weather forecast wasn’t too optimistic.

Addie was lost her train of thought, however, when she heard a short buzz from her Nokia. Her eyes moving up from the book that she had supposedly been reading for the past hour (though honestly at this point she had just reread the same three paragraphs over and over again, retaining none of what was written). Looking at the device, she found a small message from Blue Royalty, and the instant she had received the notice, Addie heard a doorbell. With a sigh, she walked over to the door knowing exactly what to expect: outside the door was a letter from the famed game that she was regretting joining. Why Addie had joined… well… for the fun of it but she didn’t realize how bloody manipulative it was. Thankfully her tasks hadn’t been too bad, but the ones she didn’t like she just opted out of. Unlike most other students, Addie had actually read the 100-page waiver the school made her sign to participate in the game. What did she learn about the game?

1. You have to bloody sign most of your rights away at the beginning, whether you’re playing or not. Either way, non-participants can still be involved and participants are not allowed to utilize any help during said “tasks”. Any reveal of the game to outside sources can result in the game suing you for breach of contract charges. Oops… Addie had already broken that rule. Honestly, she wasn’t too keen on hiding things from her boyfriend and usually ended up telling him about the game and she had even told her brother in the past.
2. Even if you’re participating in the game, you have the choice to not finish the task - something Addie used more than once. If there was one thing Adelaide would never do, it was hurt people she cared about. So, she often avoided tasks involving her friends. The one she did partake in involved bringing these two kids in her Chemistry class together - but they already had an obvious crush on each other and Addie thought that was adorable.
3. Five winners of the game would receive the title of “blue royalty” and have the ability to gain connections that would allow them any path of life they wanted. And… maybe this was the only part that interested her. Maybe… maybe this game could possibly help Addie connect with a female politician… get help on how to change the Monarchial system in England to allow girls the chance to join the house of lords.

Oh… and the note… Right… what was on the note?

Merry (early) Christmas and Happy (early) Birthday Adelaide,
We hope you didn’t think you could have a break from us. Blue Royalty is just getting started. This is your notice to keep an eye out for our next message over the next few days for your tasks. Completion of these tasks will be time-sensitive, and we hope you don’t dally when you get them. Reminder, you’re currently sitting at 6th place. Maybe with your cooperation, you’ll be in the top five. Good luck.
-Yours Truly, Blue Royalty

Time-sensitive? That was… well… mostly a new one. Usually, they’d give Addie the span of a party or event to complete the task so she couldn’t help but wonder how this was different. Either way, Addie didn’t have time to contemplate this question when she heard the door unlocking. There was an instant grin on her lips when she heard the door open, and without a second thought about the letter, Addie dropped it before going over to the door and wrapping her arms around her boyfriend before he could even fully get in. “You really bloody had to be gone all day?” she whispered, finding his lips on her own soon and easing into his touch. It was a while before he pulled away, though keeping her body near his as he looked into her eyes “I’m sorry Addie,” he whispered, bringing goosebumps on her skin, “but…” he added, finally letting her go to walk back outside and pick up a gift box. “I needed time to get your gift.”

Addie gave him a skeptical look, shaking her head with a soft laugh before pointing under the tree which was surrounded by gifts the two had bought each other and those her friends had bought for her and Leo. “Love, I think we bought enough presents you didn’t need to buy another Christmas gif…”

“This one isn’t for Christmas though, Addie… it’s actually for your birthday which according to my watch is… right about…”

Addie found her eyes widening at his words. Adelaide hadn’t told the man it was her birthday… part just didn’t want to make it a big deal about the day. She just wanted to spend it with those she loved which included him and her brother. Though, she found him looking at his watch and then smiling after a few seconds, “…now” . Addie looked back up at him before turning to the clock in his condo and finding that it was midnight. In her distraction of decorating, reading, and thinking - an hour had passed by and her birthday had arrived.

There was a feeling of warmth that overcame her as she wrapped her arms around him for the second time. Yes, love. No one could tell her differently that that was what she felt for the man. Adelaide hadn’t even looked in the box when she heard a little yelp from it - causing her to pull away and give the man a surprised look. He simply nodded towards the gift, and after a second, Addie pulled the top off to find the cutest little furry animal looking back at her. “Oh my…” she whispered, pulling the puppy out and holding the girl in her hands as she immediately started licking Addie. “Well hello to you too,” Addie whispered at the precious little puppy in her hands.

“What are you going to name her?”

It was a question Leo asked her after a few minutes of simply playing on the ground with the puppy. “She… looks like a Holly,” Addie grinned, picking the puppy up again and walking over to where Leo was standing - currently munching on a gingerbread. “You know I love you right? Merry Christmas Eve, my love,”

While this was only the start of the day for the two of them, it was a good start in Addie’s mind. Putting the puppy down, she grabbed Leo’s hand and led him out to the patio and as they often did. Laying her head on his shoulder, Addie found herself whispering “I wish this moment would never end,” though it was one that simply became better as a snowflake fell. “Leo…” Addie added with a sense of excitement. She didn’t say anything else, rather, immediately pulled him back inside - picking her puppy up as she ran to the elevator with him. The moment they were back to the lobby, she raced outside, standing under the night sky with her tongue out. Could this day… get any better?

Little did she know that nothing could stay perfect for too long, even if it was the perfect start to her birthday.

@Littlefeets - Part 1 of 2

[astxrism]

{ Long flight with Zoe | 2048 }

---

”Nooo. You have to start from the very beginning,” his sixteen-year-old daughter laughing and shaking her head was on a flight to Los Angeles and her first big audition. Who would’ve thought this girl would want to be an actress? Many people probably… yes. She made that pretty clear. And would you be surprised if I told you Dorian was right there next to, slouched in the seat? You wouldn’t, but no, he wasn’t there just because of that, he was going to visit his old teammate… That didn’t mean Zoe was not that same old little daddy’s girl she used to be. She was, and she loved this very moment they were sharing on that long flight. A movie was playing in front of them, one of those old rom coms Zoe adores but they were both ignoring it. ”You know that part, your mom loved to tell you stories and you all loved them. I’m sure how we met was one of them,” and it was. Zoe does remember stories her mom used to tell her and her siblings and she always loved hearing about her parents’ adventures when they were younger but Dorian was never good with that. Stories were not his thing. ”Fiiiine, fine, but then tell me about mom aaaand everything she never told me,” and now that they were alone and had so much time to waste, Zoe wanted to hear more about the relationship of her parents she always adored. All the details of ending up with five siblings… Just a result of being surrounded with so much love growing up. ”I’m sure she told you everything you need to know,” Dorian looked at his daughter, trying to hide his playful smile. She was resting on her side, with her old teddy she got from her dad in her hands, staring up at him with a forced frown. That teddy was still one of her favorite belongings especially on days like this - flights that made her nervous, audition that will soon make her more nervous. A little piece of childhood that would always comfort her. ”Come on daddy, I’m not little anymore. I want your side of those stories and I’m sure she hasn’t told me everyyything.”

”Then ask me whatever you want to know,” Dorian answered after some time of simply looking at Zoe, crossing his arms and making himself more comfortable. It was a matter of time before she demanded to know everything and with three hours of their flight left, what else were they supposed to do? It’s not like Dorian never wanted to talk about this with his kids. ”How did you fall in love with her?” ”How did I-” a loud chuckle escaped his lips, seeing his daughter rolling her eyes at that. But really…. how, when did that happen? ”I always loved your mom, and you can’t tell her this - I thought she was the prettiest girl I know. But she didn’t deserve to find that out after everything she put me through like that time she dyed my hair… You know how she was so proud of that, plus she was my best friend.” ”You can be in love with your best friend,” Zoe’s statement made Dorian look back at her with a raised, questioning brow. A moment of silence between them. ”Do you-” ”This is not about me!! You didn’t answer my question!” The look Dorian had was replaced with a smile that said fine. ”I didn’t really understand what I was feeling then…” ”Mom said you had a girlfriend then,” ”Did she also tell you how she kissed me while we were both in different relationships?” ”Wh-NO.” Zoe shocked expression mixed with entertainment discovering this little piece of her parents’ past made Dorian start laughing, shaking his head as he thought back to that day.

Flashback

A simple day Dorian thought would never end with him going to a college party and ending up making out with his best friend. How could they just say no to that invitation? How could Dorian ever say no to doing something with Jessica? It was not possible, no matter how much he hated some of her ideas and things she would make him do… there was really nothing else he’d rather be doing, nothing that would make him happier. So here they were, finishing their game of strip poker when someone mentioned 7 minutes in heaven. ”We are not doing that,” leaning in closer to Jess, he whispered with his hand casually placed on her back. Strip poker was one thing but this… it was a fun game, that he couldn’t deny and since they were both a bit tipsy it shouldn’t really be that big of a problem, but he knew they were both in relationships and they shouldn’t be doing this. Before he could add anything else, and drag her away from this group of people or let’s call them their new friends, they were already dragged into the game. This was a moment when Dorian wished Lyonrad would show up… he said he might drop by later and if he did, that would probably get them both out of this situation… But why was it so important to Dorian for this not to happen? A bad feeling maybe? Not wanting to be stuck with a random girl while he had a girlfriend. Not wanting to watch hi-… Not wanting to watch his best friend spend 7 minutes with some stranger… when he had to watch her every day with Lyonrad. No… it was not that, that was silly. He respected her relationship and was… happy for her?

But nothing was stopping them and soon he found himself in a closet with Jessica. His friend he had absolutely no feelings for. He couldn’t. It was just not possible, right? Silly thoughts. Unlike Jessica, Dorian was too sober for this situation so the only thing he could say was, ”We’re not doing this.” He even laughed at how ridiculous this was until he heard her say that rules are rules. Unaware that what was about to happen will be all he’ll crave in her future. His best friend’s arms around him, her lips on his. At first he froze, feeling her arms around his neck, pulling him down but then he let that innocent kiss turn into something more. He let himself enjoy that moment, confused with how that was making him feel. Not knowing that this was what had to happen for him to realize that he was in love with his best friend. That he always was. That same confusion making him let her believe that those marks she had on her neck the next day came from her boyfriend, and not him.

End of flashback

”Why didn’t you tell her what happened?” Looking as if she heard the juiciest secret, Zoe almost yelled at her dad. She enjoyed this story, enjoyed this conversation she was having with him and now there was nothing that could draw her attention away from that, Dorian was well aware of that. ”I didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t really the best situation and seeing she was pretending not to rem-” ”She was pretending? And you knew that?” ”No… I found out four years later,” that was the moment when his smile faltered, remember everything that happened in those four years. That… wasn’t something he was willing to speak about with his kids. It meant he’d have to talk about his actions and the way he was towards their mom but that… that was something he was ashamed of. He didn’t want his kids to look at him a different way but it was a big part of their lives. His relationship with his wife. So at least he had to mention it. ”After that your mom left town without saying anything to anyone… I haven’t seen her in four years after that and it’s not a secret I wasn’t mad at her. I guess just felt betrayed and hurt… she was the only person making me happy and she left me like that. But she had her reasons. She had good reasons and you can’t blame her for that. You know your mom loves family more than anything and she needed to help your aunt. That’s one of many things I love about her. She would do anything for them and you, all of us. You know… you’re lucky to have such a wonderful mom,” a soft smile appeared on his lips, shifting his gaze to the tiny window and letting the silence take over for a moment.

”Before I realized I was a complete assh0le there were a few times I was stuck with her against my will. We almost spent the night in a cell because of your mom, she also jumped out of my car when I wanted to take her home one night… no, she actually crawled out of the window and it was pouring outside-” ”SLOW down. You two went to jail together? When- how did that happen?” Back then, he hated that day… hated thinking about it and remembering how he was feeling in that cell with his cousin and Mikel. A mole in that happy group. But now… when everything was perfectly fine, that only made him laugh. ”We had a family dinner and of course Jess had to be there because, as you know, she was family… Your grandma made me drive her home but we ended up being pulled over because I was driving too fast and your mom got into a fight with that cop… That’s the story.” ”Should I be surprised mom did that?” Laughing with her dad, Zoe was now resting her head on his shoulder. ”We both know an answer to that question… That other thing I mentioned- your mom was unfortunately drunk and I ended up getting the call to pick her up from a bar. And… no matter how mad I was I could never let anything happen to her. You don’t do that to people you love and I never stopped loving her. It’s hard dealing with that emotion when you still feel so hurt… but I once again ended up driving her home when she decided to crawl out of the window of my moving car and just lay on the grass.” ”What did you do?” ”I joined her. That was the night we kissed for the second time and once again pretended like it never happened- no,noo, I think she was actually ignoring me.” ”Was mom mean to you then?” ”No, she never was. She tried her best but… you would’ve hated me if you knew me back then.” It’s a funny thing but he was the type of a guy he didn’t want his daughters being around. He didn’t like his daughters being around guys in general but that’s not something he could control… The only thing he could do is act as if he was this overprotective, tough guy whenever they would bring someone home. ”I haven’t talked to her at all before our camping trip. That’s when we-” Clearing his throat, Dorian shifted in his seat trying to avoid that conversation even if Zoe would’ve loved to hear all about their time in the lake. She wouldn’t care that it was weird hearing her parents’ sex story. It’s a normal thing… ”We forgave each other and were slowly going back to the place we were once at.” ”But you weren’t dating?” Zoe straightened up, noticing her dad was not saying something but she was too busy trying to grasp this mess of a story to ask him what he wasn’t telling her.

”No. That happened when we were about to finish high school.” Now smiling again, the memories of those first times he could let himself feel love for her again came back to him. There was a whole part of their relationship he skipped - Kai, Jess getting stabbed after disappearing again… After that man treated her so badly. If you were still confused with why Dorian hated Kai - that was why. That night Jessica came to him crying and then disappearing. Getting stabbed when she came back. Everything could’ve been avoided but that’s not a story for their kids. At least Dorian would never give them that “satisfaction” of knowing the name of a man who hurt their mom. ”She was in the hospital because she got hurt-” ”What happe-” ”She just broke her leg, nothing bad. And I finally asked her on our very first, official date and… It was the worst date of my life,” just like everything else, it wasn’t funny back then but now it is. And seeing his daughter looking at him with eyes full of curiosity, he continued. ”The whole universe was working against me that day, I swear. Everything that could’ve gone wrong, gone wrong. And the fact that your mom couldn’t walk only made it worse.” ”What did you do?”

Flashback

Do you know when was the last time Dorian actually planned a date? Actually cared about it? That never happened until now. And he has never felt so nervous… It shouldn’t really be a big deal, Jess was his friend and they’ve done a lot of things together and this shouldn’t be any different… But it was. It was a date. A fcking date. ”Hi,” leaning against the door frame, a smile appeared on his lips the moment he met her eyes. “So I see you have no food in your hand which is an automatic strike in the bad dates column,” But that smile for a second faltered as he rolled his eyes and walked over to the bed to give his friend a hug. ”Since when do you care about food?” An attempt to joke hoping that their little banters would make him less nervous, but there was another thing that distracted him from that - them bumping their heads. That happens… it’s nothing. It’s funny. Haha. If nothing, it gave them something to joke about. ”Wait, you… still can’t walk,” trying to hide his cheeky smile, Dorian pointed at the wheelchair. ”That changes my plans….” Her reaction, throwing her tongue out at him made him finally chuckle to himself as he stood up, holding his hands out for her. ”Come on now, before I change my mind about this,” his stupid smile softened the moment Jessica was up on her feet and so close to him, a second of him just looking down at her. After so many years, things were finally going back to the way they were. And were even getting better. He wanted this to be perfect. This had to be perfect.

This was not perfect.
He just had to get het wheelchairs stuck and struggle with it for a couple of minutes, refusing to ask for help literally anyone around him. Got mad when someone helped them because that was supposed to be him and was now standing in front of his car, trying to fix it because it. Wouldn’t. Start. Why was that happening? Fck if he knew that. Was this the universe trying to tell him “nah, you were awful, you don’t deserve her”? Probably. All signs were pointing to that. “Everything okay?” Dorian heard Jess’s voice, taking in a deep breath before answering. ”Yeah… Kind of. Don’t worry,” don’t worry… Nothing was fine. He cursed to himself so many times while trying to figure out what was wrong with his car but in the end he couldn’t. The only thing he could really do is call someone for help and that resulting in the waiting for an hour for someone to show up. So now that he could finally drive again everything was supposed to be good again…. No. It was only getting worse and worse. And Jessica talking about anything that came to her mind surely didn’t help because Dorian was p!ssed. He had this cute plan of getting food from different place and taking her to their spot but either the restaurants didn’t have that or Dori and Jess would get the wrong order. If the next place they go to doesn’t have the food they want he’ll- “Hey… it’s okay love,” a simple touch of her hand calming him down just a little bit. An attempt to smile at her and believe in her words. How can this be okay? It was a disaster.

Remember the universe hating him thought? Yeah, now he was 100% sure of it. Once they finally arrived to their spot at the lake, Dorian was in the middle of carrying Jess to the blanket he set before it flew away. His attempt of catching it was a big failure so the two of them ended up sitting on the grass once he got the food out of the car. It was not that bad… it was just a blanket. Sure, he was annoyed but after his car not working and the mess with the food, this was nothing… Deep down he was stressed because of this whole situation and as much as he wanted to just let it go and enjoy this very moment, it was hard. He couldn’t lie. And he knew his bad mood was only making it worse because once again Jessica was the only one talking, trying to save this date. Which… helped. As a kid he’d get annoyed every time she’d open her mouth because it meant he was in for stupid, irrelevant comments but now, now he could listen to her talking about anything. It did calm him down - her little jokes, stories of her life in London followed by a slap when he’d try to steal her fries. And that was it… This is what their date was supposed to be like. He’d lean back, plopping himself up on his elbows and with a sweet smile just look at her. Listen. Let those old, pushed-down feelings free. ”I’m happy we’re here,” Dorian quietly started, his features soft. There were so many things he could’ve said, wanted to say but before he got a chance out of nowhere it started to rain. No. It started to pour… once again there was something ruining this day. Ruining their food. The whole mood. And being the last straw.

Dorian immediately straighten up, his hands now covering his face as if that was somehow supposed to help with the anger he was feeling. Like that would stop him from exploding… It did not. Almost yelling, ”You have to be fcking kidding me,” Dorian got up kicking the ground. Walking away from Jess and cursing to himself. Why did everything have to go this way? Wasn’t one thing enough? Could he not do something nice for once and be a sweet guy? Could he not be happy for one day? Felling Jess’s arms around him, he let out a breath, closing his eyes. ”This was supposed to be perfect… it just,” felling her hands on the sides of his face, he opened his eyes to look at her, a mix of sadness and frustration visible in them. Up until now he didn’t even think about how she got there to him, possibly struggled since she still had trouble walking, so he immediately wrapped his arms around her for support while listening to her talking about how it didn’t have to be perfect and other excuses. ”This was awf-” But before he could finish what he started, Jess asked for his phone and once she got it, she played a song and asked him to dance. At this point he was tired of everything… too tired to protest or question what she was doing so he simply held her tightly against him. They simply moved in the rain and he just listened to her like he’s been doing this whole day. A comment that he got better at this finally making him weakly smile. ”I worked hard, thank you,” jokingly adding, his voice quiet, Dorian gently kissed her cheek before the blanket that betrayed him brushed against his leg. It was soaked but so were they, so he laid it out and that’s how their date ended. With them sitting again next to each other and this time doing something more than just talking.

End of flashback

* * *

Standing outside waiting for Dorian’s old friend to pick them up and drive them to a hotel, Zoe now knew almost the whole story of her parents. After telling her about the date, Dorian told her about everything that happened after - their breakup, his lost chance to propose, different partners, and then their first baby, Shay. ”What if she ended up marrying that guy?” Confusion washed over his face, looking at his daughter and at first not understanding what she was trying to ask. It’s been an hour of them not talking about it but here she was, starting the conversation again. ”Trevor? Well, then you wouldn’t be here now, would you?” Laughing, Dorian shook his head, taking out his phone to check the time or see if he had a missed call from his friend only to be met with Zoe’s serious expression once he looked up again. ”That’s not what I’m asking… Would you-” ”Would I try to ruin her marriage?” Zoe stayed silent, just looking at her father. Yes, that was her question but she meant to ask him in a nicer way. ”I made a lot of mistakes, and letting your mom walk away from me that first time was the biggest one.” Holding onto the suitcase as he turned to face Zoe, now he was the serious one. ”But if I saw that she was happy with him… I would never take that away from her… Would I be selfish enough to hope that it doesn’t work out between them? Yes, I believe I would always only want her.” ”You better. I quite like being alive,” a little mischievous smile appeared on her lips and following her gaze, Dorian noticed a car stopping right next to them and his friend coming out of it.

[Littlefeets]

Jezebel Mallory Parker

It had honestly been a whirlwind couple of months, and Jezebel had found a happiness unlike she had felt in so many years, all because of one person. Jordan Williams, her first love, and really her only love. What she felt for Jordan was nothing like she had ever felt for anyone else. Nobody else had ever been able to compare to the man who had her heart since their first date, the man who could always make her feel at ease. So much had happened and changed over the years, but one thing that had stayed the same was how Jordan made her feel. They both grew up, lived their own lives apart from each other, raised children, even spent years not talking to each other, but he still was the person who could make her feel like the worries of the world didn’t matter, with only a simple smile. He was still the person who she always wanted to be her forever. Even since they were just young teens, Jezebel knew she wanted to spend her life with him, to marry him, and have a family with him. Now it seemed that after so many years that dream she had long thought was lost, was finally coming true. Jordan, the man she loved, father of her child, her fiancé.

19 years, for half of her life now, Jezebel had been a mother. A mother to a daughter that truly meant the world to her, and in some ways it was them against the world. Mother and daughter, they had each other. Of course, there was the rest of the Parker family, but since that day a 19 year old Jezebel found out she was pregnant, her daughter had been her entire world. There were so many things Jezebel knew she could have, or even should have done differently in raising Laurel. So many things Jezebel wished she would have known then. Now, now things were different. Everything was different. Jezebel wasn’t that kid she was in high school with no idea where she fit in life. She was a grown woman with a close support system, a career, experience, and someone she loved so, so much. So what had been the concern Jezebel had on her mind, oh yes, how to tell her 19 year old daughter that she was going to be a sister. Jezebel was pregnant, so she would be having another child, almost 20 years apart, which was terrifying in itself, but there’s only so much time to tell people before they start to figure out what’s going on. Of course, the first person she told was the person who most deserved to know, Jordan. She wasn’t going to make the mistake of not telling him right away like she had once, a lifetime it seemed earlier. Then came the reveal to most of her own family, and telling Laurel herself. Since the day she told her, Laurel had been… distant. Jezebel understood that it was a lot to ask of her to handle and process, even without the news that she was getting married, but if there was ever a time Jezebel wished for the closeness that had been between them when Laurel was just a young child, it was now.

Despite the distance between her and Laurel, Jezebel was happy. There was a side of her that was terrified and worried about all the ways things could go wrong, but there was that other side that was just happy, hopeful, that side that Jordan brought out more of in her. So when Jordan came walking over towards her while she was with the dog, she couldn’t help but smile, simply feeling so much more at ease with his presence. Even since they were young, from the moment she started to first get to know him, all it took was a look from him to feel like everything would be alright. Although he asked her how she was feeling, she didn’t even get the chance to answer him when the doorbell rang. Though, at the door, was someone who had not been invited. More like the opposite, as Jezebel explicitly told her brother not to come, but there was Daniel Parker, uninvited and bringing popcorn. Not cool Daniel, even if Jezebel couldn’t deny that she wanted some of said popcorn. Was it the time and place for it, no, but the small human inside of her said otherwise, so what could she really do? Delicious popcorn aside, Dan being there certainly wasn’t a help, but he wasn’t going anywhere as Laurel came with him and Jordan’s kids were right behind them.

Despite one of Jordan’s kids, Annie, not being there yet, they sat at the table and it was actually going well for the most part. Laurel sat next to her, but stayed focused on her phone, doing who knows what, hacking, texting, simply playing a game, Jezebel wasn’t sure. Then there was Jordan’s daughter, Kyra, sitting across from Jezebel, asking questions about being CEO, which were questions Jezebel was happy to answer. Jezebel was glad to be having a conversation, a normal conversation with one of Jordan’s kids. Before long, Annie did arrive, which also brought a clear shift in the mood, but that was only the beginning. With her hand with Jordan’s, he began to make the announcement of that they were getting married, an announcement which not everyone took well… Laurel clicked her phone off, looking up from it for the first time since she got there, surprised by the announcement. Then there was Annie, with an outburst, much like Dan must have been hoping for, including bringing up how Jezebel was pregnant, having found out not even from Jordan. There was a part of Jezebel that wanted to say something to Annie, tell her how she wasn’t trying to cause more problems and be part of replacing anyone, but what could she even say. She was Jordan’s daughter, and the most she could do was keep ahold of Jordan’s hand, looking at him before looking to her own daughter, who was about to get up from the table herself. “Laurel…”

@benitz786 - Jordan & Dan
@novella - Annie