#<- in general she's hesitant to share information about herself with others bc of the fear they'll use it against her but projects an aura

[bumblingbabooshka]

Dr. Invar - Varith’s Betrothed

[simpingforthisonedeer]

Chapter 2: The War Room

Summary:  You'll learn more abt Aika and Julius gets some time in the spotlight and shows off his military genius :)))

Notes:  Like in BC canon, everyone's like omggg hes such an amazing wizard king who brings us so many victories!!! but we never actually see any of his ideas and plans? So i've decided to showcase that in this fic

A week later, Aika hummed a playful tune as she planted a few wisteria trees around the Magic Knights Headquarters. Lord Raymond, the current Wizard King, was planning a stressful military campaign against another imminent invasion from the Diamond Kingdom so Aika planted a few trees for him to enjoy whenever he relaxed in the gardens to get away from work.

Aika had helped Lord Raymond with foreign matters over the years and had grown to become good friends with the older man. It was only by accident that they found that his dead younger brother was Aika’s father. 

Years ago, she was selling paintings her father had painted before he died and in curiosity, Raymond came to the pseudo-art show. When he noticed the artist’s name and signature, he knew it was his brother. Needless to say, Aika was ecstatic. She had lost her entire family at sixteen and finding family again nearly two decades later was like a dream come true.

Though she was his niece, her experience and information from other kingdoms was something Lord Raymond highly valued and since Aika needed a cover for her work. So she worked as an unofficial consultant to him. She would rather not be paid by her own family.

She stood up as she dusted the dirt from her knees. Aika curled her toes to grip and grass and tightly clasped the plant stone in her right palm. She took a deep breath in, spread her arms out towards the little grove and pushed her magic into the seeds and willed them to grow.

She couldn’t grow plants quickly with Time Magic alone because she would have to accelerate the day-night cycle and provide the plants with constant water and nutrition, theoretically speaking. But Plant Magic, on the other hand, doesn’t have such limitations and plants could grow just with magic alone with extra magical properties. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

Aika had noted that Time and Plant magic shared similar properties because during her studies, she had found that magic wasn’t a catalyst in some Plant Mages cases but actually accelerated time while providing all that the plant needed to grow. In other Plant mages’ cases, most notably the ones who grew plants slower, the magic only acts as an accelerant with no time magic in play.

Aika dodged as a clump of hard dirt nearly hit her in the face when the trees sprouted and rose rapidly. She watched with a small smile as the vine-like branches grew and sprouted wisteria flowers that shone in the afternoon sun. She had no doubt that they would glow in the night as well.

“Miss Aika!” her guard’s voice yelled out.

“I’m fine!” she yelled back as she adjusted her sun hat.

“No, Miss Aika,” he ran to her side. “The Wizard King wants you in the Captain’s Conference room immediately.”

“Oh? Did he say what for, Evan?” Aika adjusted her plaid skirt.

“He said it’s time you were brought in,” Evan gave her a knowing look. Aika sighed. Today was going to be a long day. At least this meant that she didn’t have to wear that god-awful amulet that made people forget her.

“Alright, thank you. Take the rest of the day off. I’m sorry I can’t join you, Ellie and Jayce tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am and it’s alright. The trees look really beautiful by the way.”

“Thank you, Evan.”

She turned and looked up at the Headquarters Tower with a squint.

It’s time, huh? Is it really that serious, Uncle Ray? Aika thought as she slipped into her heels.

She slid her backpack on and waved ‘bye’ to her guard as she flew to the arched, slightly open, clover windows of the conference room. She hid her mana and flew a little to the side of the windows and peeked in. 

Her Uncle had his back to her as he faced seven captains. By the way he was gesticulating at Lord Silva, the Silver Eagles Captain, Aika could tell he was getting impatient for some reason. The walls and tables were strewn with papers blotted with inks of various colors. The rest of the Captains were in deep discussion in varying states of distress, no doubt about the upcoming confrontation with the Diamond kingdom.

She looked around at the Captains for one particular one. Her eyes met Julius’ and she grinned openly. She gave him a hesitant wave at the confused tilt of his head. Maybe he forgot her? A few Captains looked her way along with Julius, suspicious of the woman by the window.

Aika quickly sobered as she lightly touched the window. She wasn’t here for him. Maybe she’ll talk to him after whatever her Uncle needed her to do. He had been plaguing her mind for days , like who gave him permission to do that? Maybe another sit down with him will reveal something about him that will annoy her nitpicking self and she will completely stop idealizing him. Yeah, that’s a good idea.

She slipped between the windows and into the room, as quiet as a breeze. All the captains except Julius and Captain Vermillion stood and moved to attack but Lord Raymond whipped his head around and motioned the Captains to stop.

“Why use the window when there is a perfectly serviceable door, Aika?” her Uncle asked in a bored voice.

“Why use the door when there is a perfectly serviceable window, sir?” She retorted as she took off her hat with a flourish. He shook his head with a scoff.

“Enough with the cheek.”

“Yes, sir.”

Aika clasped her hands and clicked her heels together as she turned to the conference table where all the standing Captains sat down slowly, all eyes on her. They all might’ve seen her around the Magic Knights Headquarters, sitting on the floor in the hallways or in the gardens with a bunch of books and papers scattered haphazardly around her or running around with maids and guards but they would’ve all forgotten about her, thanks to her amulet. And she hasn’t been in the Clover Kingdom in a couple years so she doesn’t expect anyone except Captain Vermilion to remember her.

She had always worked behind the scenes on this continent, running her businesses, private clandestine services, professional development, etc, so she had to stay lowkey to protect her identity and her work. But when she needed to continue her work without arousing suspicion and provide information to the next Wizard King, she needed to step up into the spotlight once again, at least until some trust was established. A spy network was incredibly valuable to her Uncle and his agenda to clean up the criminal underworld from the worst of its traits like slavery, forced prostitution, anti-monarchist movements, and apocalyptic cults. 

But Aika herself had personal value for her strategies, diplomacy, connections, and experience in foreign warfare. And so, here she was, her position and identity exposed along with her physique too coincidentally, in the tight, black sweater and thigh length skirt she wore.

The price I pay for trying to feel sexy today.

She was pleased to note Julius’ eyes roving over her with a small smile. She winked when his eyes met hers. He looked away with a small blush. Aika wouldn’t mind working with such delicious eye candy.

“This is Aika Tolliver,” Raymond began as he faced the Captains. “She will help us pinpoint which General will be attacking us this time and where.”

“Who is she, exactly?” The Purple Orcas’ captain asked as she leaned forward, her gray eyes scrutinizing her.

“Her curriculum vitae is irrelevant,” Raymond sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh. “What she knows and what she can do for us is the only thing we’re going to discuss today.”

“Gosh, is he like this all the time?” Aika asked jokingly as she leaned on the table and crossed her arms. While she won’t outright tell them that she was his niece, if he was going to bring her in front of the captains, she was definitely going to have a lot of fun implicating all sorts of things that will leave the captains confused about who she is to the Wizard King. 

“Aika, not the time.”

“Alright, alright,” she set her hat down on his desk with an amused smile and took out a leather-bound notebook and a fountain pen. She looked up at the captains with a mild look.

“Long story short, I’m an off-the-record tactical strategist who helps Lord Raymond every now and then,” Aika looked down and flipped through the pages of her notebook as she continued. “I didn’t want my name to be known for my own privacy and the safety of my assets. That’s why I was never brought in but I assume the situation is dire if Master Raymond wanted to bring me in front of the captains.”

Said captains stayed silent as they processed the vague information. Aika looked apologetically at Julius. For all Julius knew, she lied to him but he shrugged and shook his head with a small smile.

“So what is the issue here?” She quickly skimmed the papers next to her. There were several different combinations of squads that could be dispatched but it was all useless if they didn’t know which general or generals they would be facing. In her opinion, they should bring down the hammer and send out all the squads and end this mess once and for all. “I’ve already told Master Raymond what generals and where and I’ve given him the maps of the location of the fortress their brigades have relocated to. I've also said when. They are going to execute their plan next Saturday.”

“Captain Silva here doesn’t believe me,” Raymond crossed his arms and glared at the silver-haired man.

“Well, now it’s even worse,” Silva slammed his fist on the table. “because your information comes from a dubious source we have never heard of!” he barked, spittle flying as he pointed an accusing finger at Aika. Raymond was about to retort but Aika only hummed thoughtfully at his outraged face. 

She knew Captain Silva and Uncle Raymond had a fierce rivalry because they both had Water Magic, but it should’ve ended when her Uncle became the Magic Emperor. But Captain Silva still seemed to hold a grudge and Aika also knew that he had become severely depressed and irritable after Lady Acier’s death and the stress of this war was really getting to him so she bit back a reflexively cutting remark. She took the diplomatic route instead.

“I definitely understand where you’re coming from but I can assure you that this information is from our spies in the Diamond Kingdom.”

“Lies! We don’t have any spies in the Diamond Kingdom!”

Julius quickly moved to interject when he noticed Aika’s cheek twiched in annoyance. A verbal smackdown like the one he got that night wouldn’t be received well by the proud captain. He saw how easily she shrugged off the pressure he put on her, so he wasn’t taking any chances with an actual confrontation.

“Well, let’s not get hasty,” he addressed the captains gently. He turned to Aika and quickly masked a smile when her face lit up. “Even if we did have spies, the information they’ve given us is wrong. We destroyed the South Fortress last month and Lord Raymond told us that two brigades have relocated to the South Fortress which I assume is the information from our ‘spies.’”

“You assumed correctly, Julius.” His lips twitched up at being addressed so familiarly in front of everyone. “And forgive Master Raymond for not clarifying, he’s just a little sleep-deprived,” she pursed her lips when the captains threw her confused looks at that causal comment. “They’ve moved their operations in the former South Fortress to a black site previously used for human experimentation and other R&D.”

Silence fell over them. Human experiments. While the captains were aware, being reminded of what they had read in the reports of said experiments sickened them. 

Aika quietly flipped through her notebook.

“Here it says that Generals Hennequin and Allard have mobilized their forces into the black site, now called the South Fortress.”

“And how can we know for sure,” Julius began mutely. “That what you are saying is true?”

“I’ve been working for the Wizard King for years, providing him with information regarding foreign matters—”

“And don’t forget about unsolicited advice on domestic ones,” Her Uncle’s muffled voice quipped, unaffected by the mention of human experiments. She threw a mocking glare at his head which was now buried in his arms.

“And most of the information I was given was accurate and useful. We take very good care of our assets so malicious betrayal and misinformation is incredibly rare. I can assure you that this information is accurate.”

Julius and the other briefly scrutinized her for any tells that she was lying and were satisfied that they didn’t find any. While they believed her, they were still wary. Aika sighed.

“Now, if we’re done discussing whether facts are actually facts, let’s get back to the planning. We can’t agree on what squads to send,” Raymond groused as he pushed maps of movements that a trio of squads will follow towards Aika. Each map was a different combination of 3 squads and movements and attack sequences. It was all on the surface. But Aika left her Uncle notes in his folder last night about new intel. The two Diamond generals purchased rights to build exclusive tunnels to the Main Channels from the black site which was underground, the Main Channels that lead directly into the Common Realm in the Clover Kingdom.

Aika suppressed the fear that struck her heart and turned to glare at her Uncle for real this time. He didn’t look at the notes she had left and now he was making completely wrong moves. The wrong moves that would cost many civilian lives.

“Master Raymond,” she nearly growled. “I assume you haven’t looked at the new intel and notes I left last night?”

He glared back.

“What new intel?”

“New intel saying that the Diamond Generals bought rights to tunnel into the Main Channels from the black site.”

“What?!”

She sifted through his papers and found the thin folder and showed him the notes and explained the situation.

“So there would most likely be a fight on the surface for a distraction while they invade us through the tunnels, meaning more than two brigades will attack us.”

Aika nodded gravely.

“I’m sorry, what are these tunnels and channels you’re talking about?” The captain of the Praying Mantis, Marcus, asked. A few others nodded, confused as well.

Captain Vermillion cleared his throat to draw attention to him. He sat up straight and his deep voice rang clearly through the room,

“They are talking about The Innkeeper’s Tunnels. The Innkeeper is a neutral, underground organization that provides safe houses indiscriminately. And in order to get to the safe houses, the Innkeeper had built a tunnel system. This tunnel system was built centuries ago and today it’s also used for underground travel, trade, and the black market, across the continent. It is the only way we trade for magic gems with the Diamond Kingdom because of the current hostilities,” He turned to Aika. “I don’t believe The Innkeeper would allow them to send brigades through the tunnels.”

Aika masked her surprise that he even addressed her. He had completely and deliberately cut her off after she broke up with one of his children and now he was talking to her all of a sudden?

Despite his surprising behavior, Aika agreed with his explanation. She remembered when she tailed him on his frequent missions to the criminal underworld so he knew what he was talking about.

“I agree, The Innkeeper wouldn’t allow them, but they have no real means to stop them. They don’t have a private army and the magical barriers won’t hold against two whole brigades.”

“Then they will call in a favor.”

“From who?”

Captain Vermillion leveled his gaze at her.

“From you.”

“No,” Aika said with absolute finality. He raised an eyebrow as she bristled. 

“‘No, they won’t ask,’ or ‘No, you won’t do it?’” He knew she wouldn’t and did he really need to bring up her past here?

“No to both, Leonardo,” Raymond cut in with a scowl and changed the topic. “We need to be ready to face them under and over, and that means all squads need to roll out.”

“Actually,” Julius interjected. “We should leak the information that we know,” he suggested. The captains turned to Julius, not surprised by his unorthodox idea. He may be the youngest of the captains at the table at nearly thirty-six years old, but he was also the smartest and the strongest. His unexpectedly brilliant ideas and the strategic way he built his squad left no doubt that he would be a great military leader as The Magic Emperor.

“Why would we do that?” Captain Silva asked as he pressed his fingers to his temples, knowing full well that there was a good explanation coming.

“Because this plan to use the underground tunnels would only work if we are unaware. If they know that we know, and that we would come prepared to the tunnels, they will change their plans. They will think that their element of surprise and lack of resistance is gone, so their chances of winning decreased. And since they don’t know that we leaked it, they would think that we put our squads underground for their ‘attack.’ So they will put their troops on land or air to take us on.”

“But instead,” Aika began quietly as his idea became clear. “we will be prepared to attack with the full weight of our army above ground and overwhelm them completely, giving us a chance to negotiate a ceasefire.”

“No,” Julius laced his fingers together with a cool expression. “We demand a surrender.”

Notes:  Julius is lowkey scary in canon and i plan to show more of that in this fic. The end was just a lil taste, but in battle? oooooh I can't wait to write ruthless Julius ;))))

oh and yall should read the hashtags in the posts. There’s info abt next chap in them:)

[parkinsmary]

the anthomaniac { brianne tju, cis female, sexuality } ♛ 》AMARYLLIS PARKINSON, TWENTY-TWO, has been marked safe after the recent events. SHE is currently an HERBOLOGIST. to some, they are BENEVOLENT & DILIGENT. for others, GULLIBLE & SPOILED. to me, they remind me of hands covered in thorn scratches, strawberry milkshakes at 2am, flowers blooming through sidewalk cracks, messy buns secured with a dozen bobby pins, rose colored blush paired with heavy mascara, and the chirping of birds after a storm.

full name: amaryllis prue parkinson.

nicknames: mary.

date of birth: october 29th.

age: twenty-two.

i’ve got the magic in me

bloodstatus: unknown; either pureblood or halfblood.

hogwarts house: hufflepuff.

wand: pear wood, 10.5″ with dragon heartstring.

amortentia: lavender, hazelnut, and the smell of the air right after it rains..

if you met them, you’d understand — family.

father: unknown.

mother: pansy parkinson.

sibling(s): tba.

extended family: pierce parkinson ( first cousin; primary caregiver ).

take me by the hand — brief bits.

pansy’s daughter but not raised by her bc life is a mess

ray of hufflepuff sunshine

doesn’t officially have any pets, but a family of cats has moved in to her garden and she loves them

actually she loves most things

always wearing flowers in her hair (charmed to ward off any bugs that may try to make it their home, of course)

major proponent of the ‘save the bee’ movement

just a little bit more — bio points.

Amaryllis Parkinson is a child who was never meant to be. It’s not that Pansy intended to have a one-night stand and end up with a child born out of wedlock, but well... things happen. An encounter with a stranger at the Hog’s Head, and nine months later, Mary was born. It was clear that Pansy was ill-prepared to take care of a child, and Mary’s grandparents certainly weren’t looking to lose their golden years by taking her in, so Mary instead found herself being shuffled around from family member to family member for the first few years of her life. While she knew who her mother was, there was never much of a bond there. For Mary, the word ‘mother’ is simply another person, not any more emotionally connected than a neighbor or frequent shop owner.

At age five, she was taken in be one of her mother’s cousins — Mary’s “Uncle” Pierce. This would turn out to be one of the best things that could have happened. While many of her other relatives sent Mary off as soon as she became too much (although their threshold for “too much” was always low), Pierce encouraged her to grow. Normally, Mary would be with a relative for upwards of a year before she was moved around. But with Pierce, one year turned into two which turned into three and before anyone knew it, he was the one taking her to gather up all of her first year supplies.

Although a Parkinson in name, Pierce was somewhat of an outsider. He was always a member of the family, but he was someone that they didn’t talk to or about unless absolutely necessary, which is how Mary came into his care to begin with — it was absolutely necessary. He was a Slytherin thanks to his ambition and cunning, but he never bought in to the concept of pureblood supremacy that was often associated because jkr is trash and doesn’t value slytherin qualities as a whole and therefor needs to demonize them all based on a sorting ceremony when they are eleven . He raised Mary based on his own principles, which included the idea of always being a little bit kinder than necessary.

Mary often wonders if she’d have been sorted into Slytherin had she been raised by any other family member, including her mother. She wasn’t raised by any other family member though. She was raised by Pierce, who taught her to value patience and kindness above all else. When the sorting hat was placed atop her head, there was no hesitation before it put her in Hufflepuff.

The news of her sorting did not go over well with her extended family. Because of the familial distance between Pierce and the others, the information didn’t even reach most of them until Mary showed up to their annual Christmas party that year, donned in a yellow dress to honor her new home. Her family would have been happy if she’d been put in Slytherin. They would have been content, if not disappointed, with Ravenclaw. They may have even been able to overlook Gryffindor if Mary could utilize the traits in a way they deemed appropriate. But Hufflepuff? Absolutely not. What resulted was a heated argument, accusations that Pierce had brought Mary up to be too soft from numerous family members, and Pansy declaring that she would be taking Mary in that following summer to raise her properly. Mary returned to Hogwarts after break in tears.

The summer between first and second year was the worst time of Mary’s life. Despite Pansy’s best attempts to teach Mary the same lessons she’d been taught, Mary wouldn’t take. She was hurt and angry, and learned that Pierce had been the exception that proved the rule in the Parkinson family. She never disliked her family for their views. They’d all been raised in an echo chamber, what else could they have been given the ostracization often placed onto Slytherin house? But that didn’t make Mary happy with Pansy either. She’d been taken from the only consistent home she’d ever known and placed with someone who had not wanted her. The summer was filled with screaming matches (aided by teenage hormones on Mary’s part) and more than one occasion of Mary running away to Pierce’s house. 

Luckily, those summer months came ans passed, and before Mary knew it, she was back in the confines of Hogwarts, where she could write her uncle and live her life as she’d been raised. Her mother, to no one’s shock, kept limited communication with her over that year, with Mary even opting to stay at school rather than go home. The stress at the thought of returning impacted her heavily, making it difficult to focus on her studies for most of the year and resulting in many meetings with professors to keep her on track. Around April of that year though, a short letter arrived from her mother, simply stating that she would be returned to Pierce once school was out. Mary cried tears of joy, feeling like things were finally set right again. As promised, Pierce was the one to meet her at the train station come June.

Her remaining time at school was a tremendous improvement from her second year, although it was decided that her and Pierce were no longer welcome at Parkinson family functions. While not the best student, Mary was certainly capable, and found a particular penchant for herbology. She’d always loved nature and would often help tend to her uncle’s garden growing up; plants and flowered were simultaneously beautiful and resilient, two things she greatly admired. When she left Hogwarts, it was with a heart full of kindness and diligence.

One thing that she’s found hard to reconcile with as she’s gotten older is her feelings towards her mother. She doesn’t like Pansy, and she knows she would be a completey different person if she’d been raised by her. She also heavily resents that period in time where Pansy robbed her of her happiness for (what Mary views as) her own selfish gain. Still, Mary can’t bring herself to hate Pansy. Hate isn’t something Mary is capable of in general, let alone to her mother. The biggest thing for Mary, more so now than when she was younger, is the fact that she feels abandoned. She wouldn’t give up being raised by Pierce for anything, but was the way he raised her really so bad that it made her own mother not wanted? Logically, Mary knows how fault that is — Pansy hadn’t wanted her from the second she was born, as far as she knows. But it still hurts.

Howadays, Mary is working as an herbologist, hoping to one day open her own shop that specializes in rare finds. For a short while, she’d considered training to be a healer but decided she couldn’t put herself in that emotional of a situation on a daily basis. Her love, though, is for plants used in medical potions and magical remedies. She also considered opening a flower shape but has instead settled for growing her own garden and keeping fresh cut flowers on her windowsill always. All in all, Mary wants to make the world a better place, even if just be sharing a little bit of beauty.

inspo

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[deathspinner]

hello hello hello! it’s me, hanna. most of you already know me since i’m also responsible for the group’s resident disaster gay hero achilles. here, however, is my second child atropos of the moirai / sonya winchester and oh my, what a boss she is. hopefully this introduction makes all of you love & fear her as much as i do.

ATROPOS.

is she a daughter of nyx and erebus? is she a daughter of zeus and themis? is she a daughter of chronos and ananke? we just don’t know !

not that it even matters, honestly. what’s important is that she’s one of the moirai, also known as the fates.

she doesn’t rly care what you call her or her sisters because it won’t change the fact that she, clotho, and lachesis hold everyone’s lives in their hands. and everyone means literally everyone, so @gods don’t think ur excluded or safe.

while the trio operates as one, atropos has the dominion over the manner of the individual’s death. she takes her job very seriously and proudly embraces her title as the inexorable one. no one has evaded death under her watch and, as far as atropos is concerned, no one ever will. ( she’s a bit of a perfectionist like that ).

generally she doesn’t get involved with everyone’s messes bc, well, she kinda decided what will happen & she knows it will happen so. there’s been exceptions, but not too many.

when she shows up and when she speaks, she expects to be heard and obeyed. disobey or otherwise slight her / the sisters? she won’t hesitate to fuck you up. and do you really want to anger the goddess in charge of your death? yeah, me neither.

SONYA WINCHESTER.

is she an orphan? was she abandoned? does she have a loving family somewhere? was she raised by a large number of nannies? sonya knows, but don’t even dream of her sharing that information with you. 

even if there was somebody to care and love her, no one stayed long enough to leave a permanent mark on the young girl. that forced / encouraged sonya to make the most important decision of her life: instead of letting others dictate her life, she would make herself into whatever she wanted to be.

so what did she want to be? ask her and she’ll tell you immediately that she will be the first female chief justice of the united states. to achieve that, she’s currently a law student @ nyu where she has quite the reputation. she’s a perfectionist whose talents and skills everyone can’t help acknowledge. if there’s a debate in class or a mock trial, no one wants to go up against her because they know she will win.

her intimidating reputation is further strengthened by her tendency to keep to herself. she would much rather work toward her goal than do something unproductive. she does not meddle in the affairs of others; she will not engage in activities she deems ridiculous. cross her, though, so just like atropos, she won’t hesitate to fuck you up.

is sonya aware of her reputation? yes, she is. will she do anything about it? no, because why should she? sonya winchester knows who she really is and she wouldn’t want to be anyone else. 

a sidenote:

in the event that your character regains their memories, do not have your character instantly recognize who atropos is ( unless it really makes sense for them ). 

the fates have traditionally presented as older women, but to adapt to modern times, they have modified their appearances drastically. so if your character has met atropos, she’s most likely worn the old lady face, not her current one. 

[simone-garnett]

title: strawberry kisses word count: 9.2k information: high school au. dedicated to @thatkillervibe bc i promised them i’d finish my high school au when they posted theirs and you should read it bc it’s incredible guys. it’s just unfair. also bc their reviews make me wanna cry.

          ao3  //  ffn

Caitlin isn’t quite sure how Iris convinced her to help out in the kissing booth of her school fair, Caitlin didn’t even attend that school. But Iris with a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts and a way with words that could convince an army general to turn on their country had turned up her charm, sweet talking Caitlin into agreeing, the girl helpless to refuse the pleas of her close friend, the squeal of joy from Iris and the hug almost make it seem worth it.

It helps that she would likely never have to see any of these people again, Caitlin’s own school over two hours away, a selective school that her mother swears has the best science department in the state. 

Iris goes on a million miles an hour, thanking her for the assistance, promising that nothing would happen that could hurt Caitlin, swearing the customers would wear blindfolds if it made her feel more comfortable doing it, the people not able to recognise her if they don’t know what she looks like.

Caitlin had already agreed, but it was sweet of Iris to try and protect her, the girl going on about how it would add an extra level of mystique around it. Caitlin nods, smiling as Iris gives her the date and details.

And then it is too late to change her mind, Caitlin unaware of the impact this one day would have on her life.

Nerves like butterflies in her stomach erupt as the day draws near, the mere thought of it enough to distract her from her studies, chemistry and biology playing second fiddle to the maelstrom of emotions inside her, playing havoc with her brain and heart. It is difficult to squash them down, but even at a young age she has mastered the skill, allowing herself a minute to wallow in its intensity before squashing it down, drowning out the noise with chemical equations and precipitation reactions and science. Because science was easy, it was comfortable, it wasn’t scary in the slightest. It becomes a struggle to ignore the feelings when it is only a few days, a few hours away, Caitlin giving up on trying, throwing herself on her bed, praying for sleep she knows won’t come.

And then it is here.

It is a nice, summer day, the school grounds of Central City High an eruption of colour and energy, the atmosphere buzzing from the excitement of students and parents and teachers alike, families and friends and couples walking through the grounds, smiles and laughter filling up the air, lifting up the spirits of everyone there.

Caitlin arrives early - she arrives everywhere early. She walks around, smiling softly to herself as she glances around. She walks around alone. It isn’t really anybody’s fault; Iris was running around, making sure everything was operating like a well-oiled machine, and Barry was trailing along. She knew no one else. And it showed. Showed to others, and to herself. Because everyone had someone, everyone but her. There was loneliness scratching at her heart, the small tickle enough to remind her that there was no one to enjoy it with.

It feels strange enjoying the carnival with no one else to share it with, so she relaxes, people watches until it is time for her to take her shift in the kissing booth. It brings a smile to her lips, imaginary lives created in an instant, the happiness of other - even imaginary - something that Caitlin enjoys. She is silly and out-there with the fictional lives of the students she’s never met before, and she can’t help but laugh at it all. There are some odd looks thrown her way, strangers confused as to why she was laughing by herself, and she doesn’t blame them. But she doesn’t care.

She catches sight of someone, a crowd of someone’s really, but he stands out, wide smile, soulful eyes and long hair that blows freely in the wind. It causes her to stop in her spot, Caitlin struck by his presence, breath catching in that moment. She feels like a cheesy cliche, the way she can’t look away, a flow of electricity through her veins, but it’s real and true and she can’t tear herself away.

Not once did she think he’d notice her standing, staring.

He does.

His was mid sentence, mouth moving a million miles an hour, hands gesticulating everywhere. It is an animated discussion at best, an argument at worst. But his attention flickers away from the guy with the glasses he was talking to, looks around. And he stops, mouth agape. The thought of ducking, of averting her gaze and ignoring him entirely floats through her mind, but she can’t find the strength to, not when he is watching her the way he is. It is indescribable, the feeling fluttering inside her, the spark the crackles between them. She feels is, is surprised by it, and the temptation of crossing the distance between them, of introducing herself to the cute boy and a smile with enough power to run a generator, passes through her mind. And judging from his reaction, she thinks - she hopes - he is thinking the same thing.

But her phone rings.

It breaks her trance, Caitlin ducking her head on embarrassment, red tinting her cheeks. And how she maintains a steady voice when speaking to Iris she has no idea, her friend calling to plead with her to start fifteen minutes early. The fear returns then, a rock in her stomach, slowing down her mind and movements. And she forgets about the cute boy, Caitlin forcing herself to move toward the tent where the booth was, time speeding up around her.

Iris is waiting outside, pacing around, her face lighting up as she sees Caitlin. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squeals, arms thrown around Caitlin’s neck in a hug. “You’re a lifesaver, you know that? I owe you girl, big time.” Relief was coming out of her pores, Iris slipping her hand into Caitlin’s, tugging her into the back of the tent and pushing her into a seat.

“Wait -” And Caitlin’s heart is beating hard, the girl unable to deny reality for any longer. “What are you doing? What’s - what’s happening?”

“Lippie.” It is a simple answer, Iris leaning over to the table beside Caitlin which the girl hadn’t even noticed, rouge lipgloss in her hand. “Okay and pout.” Iris holds her face still, Caitlin sticking out her lips as bright red lipgloss is placed on her lips. It only takes a few moments for her to complete the job and Iris caps the product, placing it in Caitlin’s hand. “Strawberry flavoured, to give them something to crave later. Just remember to refresh regularly,” Iris reminds her, eyes sparkling like diamonds as she smiles at her friend. “And have fun girl. Who knows who you’ll meet in there.” The wink is a bit much, Caitlin thinks, as Iris spins her around and pushes her to where Lisa is standing, Caitlin stumbling before she finds her stride, unsure and hesitant.

The older girl is oblivious to her entrance, Caitlin having to tap her on the shoulder in order to get her attention. She spins around, lipstick smudged slightly, hair like a Maybelline commercial. “You’re replacing me?” At Caitlin’s meek nod, Lisa sighs in relief, shoulders falling. “Thank god. Damn Len owed a favour to her boyfriend. Can’t wait to ditch this place.” She pauses, gaze flickering up and down Caitlin before smirking. “Might come back on the other side though.” The words are smooth and red colours her cheeks and she stammers for words even after Lisa flounces out of the tent.

Wait, isn't Iris with Eddie? How is Barry her boyf-

Her thoughts are interrupted by the first person, a boy her age shuffling in, holding on to the rope that lead him from the entrance of the tent to the exit. He stops when he finds the knot to indicate he was beside her, the guy turning to his left where he was told she would be. It is a small peck on the lips, chaste, but not quick enough for him to feel cheated out of his money. It takes a few attempts for her to get the timing of it right, and she internally sighs in relief, the process not as nerve wracking as she imagined it to be.

There is a throng of people, both guys and girls, that line up in front of her tent, Iris bouncing as she sees the crowd of people waiting for a moment with Caitlin Snow, this mysterious beauty no one had yet to catch eyes upon. Curiosity and hormones can be a dangerous mix, but in this instance, it is only a profitable one.

One by one they come in, receive their kiss, and then slip out, the clock’s hand slowing down for her, the afternoon taking forever. She checks her watch frequently, quietly counting down the hours and minutes until it is all over and she can resume her life outside these fabric walls.

She glances at the time, relief filling her as she realises there is just five minutes left of her shift, five more minutes until she can leave the tent and not look back. She figures that there is either five more customers, or that she can attempt to hold the first one for as long as possible to avoid the line. The school funds wouldn’t miss out on the money and the other’s wouldn’t miss out on their kiss, another lad or lady waiting to take her place while she relaxes and enjoys the fair.

She calls for the gatekeeper-slash-money collector to send in another person.

And they do, a guy slowly feeling his way into the tent, stopping at the knot in the centre.

It’s the boy from before.

Her heartbeat picks up at the sight of him, a blush colouring her cheeks and she hides her face before realising that they couldn’t actually see her. He didn’t know who she was.

... It leaves her a little disappointed.

Words get caught in her throat, Caitlin opening her mouth to say something, anything, but she can’t. It would be difficult dragging this on when she can’t form words around him.

But he beats her to the task. “I’m sorry,” the guy rambles, standing there awkwardly, the blindfold over his eyes. The shirt is unique, Caitlin muffling a laugh as she reads the science pun on it, smiling brightly at the joke.“I’m not usually like this. It’s just that I lost a bet and this is the result and I’m so sorry.” He stresses the last words and she isn’t sure how to respond to it.

“I like your shirt,” she offers sweetly instead.

He pulls a face. “Really?” It is followed quickly by a wince, as though he realises how it sounds out loud and regrets it immediately. “I’m not saying you don’t understand it, because I’m sure you do. But everyone in our Science Club thinks it’s the corniest thing ever. And, I mean, they are so wrong, but I figure consensus there would be reflected in the real world, so....” He drifts off, hand lifting from the rope to rub the back of his neck in nervousness, Caitlin watching as the bottom locks of his hair got caught up in the action.

“It’s cute.” She sounds a little different and gosh, she hopes he can hear the subtle changes in her voice.

He doesn’t seem to, a smile stretching across his lips. “Okay, but would you wear it?” He is joking, but it doesn’t stop the image flashing through her mind. Couples stole each others clothing, she thinks. Or at least, she stole Ronnie’s jumpers when they were dating. She wouldn’t mind taking his shirts.

“Yeah,” she says eventually, realising he couldn’t see her nod in the affirmative. “I would.” The tops of his eyebrows come out from the blindfold and he is definitely sceptical. “Okay, not all the time,” she amends, “but I would wear it.”

He chuckles weakly, rubbing his exposed bicep as the silence between them draws on. “Sooo.... we’re doing this aren’t we?”

“You did pay for it.”

He nods at her words, but he doesn’t make a move. But then quietly, “I’m not sure what I should be doing.”

“Just stand there.” She wraps her arms around his shoulders. She caves to her feelings and plays with his hair, twirling the soft locks around her finger. Caitlin may be in love with the way it feels. “Is this okay?”

He gulps, voice strained. “Yep.”

And she is definitely affected by her little crush, voice soft as she leans in close, her eyelids fluttering closed. She stops when they are only an inch apart, hot puffs of air against her lips. “And is this okay?”

He nods, apparently losing his voice. His hand flexes beside his side and he itches to hold her.

Caitlin closes those scant centimetres between them, capturing his lips in a kiss.

The kiss is soft and gentle, Caitlin leaning into the guy in front of her more firmly as she feels warmth flood her being. The electricity from before shoots through her, and she likes the sensation, smiling against his lips as she lingers in the embrace.

The kiss is soft and gentle, until it’s not.

He lets go of the rope, choosing instead to hold her, hands on her waist as he tugs her closer, the boy deepening the kiss. It takes her by surprise, but she leans into it easily, hands moving from his shoulders, one cupping the back of his neck to hold him to her, the other carding through his locks. And she would feel embarrassed at her moan if he didn’t growl in response, the vibrations shooting through her, his fingers digging into her skin, the rope uncomfortable between them.

They pull away breathless and she considers pulling off his blindfold, wonders how he’ll react to seeing her. “That... was unexpected,” he chokes out.

“You’re telling me,” she sighs, slightly in love with the rasp in his voice, with the effect she had on him with just one kiss. And Caitlin is a hopeless romantic, already imagining the sound whispered in her ear as he tells her how perfect the kiss was, how he can’t wait until he gets to do it again. And she imagines the hands on her waist, strong and tight, imagines them holding her hand, holding her close, imagines those lips on her neck, lightly peppering kisses as he tells her how he missed her, how he wants her. It sends a hot flush through her and she has to force a cough out to disguise the whimper that leaves her at the thought.

His face freezes at her words, the smile falling fractionally. “Wait - unexpected in a good way or a bad way?”

“Unexpected in a I-wouldn’t-mind-doing-that-again way.” She rushes out the words before she could second guess herself, Caitlin’s eyes widening as she realises that yes, she actually said them out loud.

He looks surprised at the words, but it fades away, face lighting up with a grin. “You have a nice voice, you know that?”

She bites back her own smile, looking at him through her lashes. “That... that’s a new one. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” he beams, pausing only to lick his lips. “Is that... strawberry?” A snort of laughter escapes her, Caitlin covering her mouth to muffle the sound, but he catches it, a smile, sweet and genuine, stretching on his face. “So I was wondering, do you wanna, I don’t know, grab some Big Belly Burger sometime?” He sounds nervous. She thinks it’s cute.

“Are you asking me out?” she asks coyly, a teasing smile on her lips. “But you don’t even know what I look like.”

“I don’t need to.” He says the words so confidently, so sure he wouldn’t care, and she feels the butterflies returning, a swarm of them inside her stomach, fluttering around and leaving her feeling dizzy with a feeling she couldn’t identify.

There is a disturbance at the back of the tent and Caitlin can hear voices coming from the direction. She thinks she hears Iris, thinks she hears her name. Caitlin turns to the mysterious guy, a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

He nods at her request and is only then that she rushes off, slipping out of the tent to answer questions for Iris. The girl relaxes at the sight of her, the young guy that was with Iris pushed inside. ”I’m so sorry,” Iris apologises, taking her hand. “Brad was late and I couldn’t find anyone to take over. Oh gosh, girl, you’re a lifesaver, thank you so much.” A smile stretches across Iris’ expression, more relaxed than she had been most of the day. “And now you’re finished.” She loops her arm in with Caitlin’s, “so lets go have some fun!”

The reluctance from Caitlin to leave is obvious, the girl looking back to the tent. And she eventually breaks away from Iris, the girl turning her head to look at Caitlin quizzically. ”I - I left something inside there,” she says. It’s not exactly a lie, a boy was left inside there. “You go ahead and I’ll catch up.” Iris nods slowly, a look in her eyes that tells Caitlin she hadn’t quite sold herself. But she does go and Caitlin rushes back in the tent, an apology ready on her tongue.

But when she goes back, the guy is gone.

Caitlin can’t stop thinking about the guy from the kissing booth, thinking of his smile and laugh and the way he kissed her so thoroughly, urgent and insistent as though she were the best thing his lips had ever touched, the way his hands were on her hips, the way they slid to her back, he made her feel like a goddess. And late at night she fantasises about him, those biceps where she could feel the strength underneath her fingertips, the hair that was longer than her school would allow him, the urge to run her fingers and touch it one she couldn’t resist.

He is a distraction she never anticipated, never thought she’d have to fight. But he pops into her head when she revises her AP Physics, her mind drifting from the formula to the pun on his shirt to his face, his mouth, his smile. It isn’t good and she’d been caught more than once in class daydreaming, the blush a permanent fixture on her face as Professor Wells calls her out.

He ruins her for other guys,

and she never even got his name.

It isn’t good, just how much time she accidentally devotes into thinking about the boy, and she wonders if she could make up another excuse to visit Iris at her school, to attend Science Club meetings and carnivals until she bumps into him and gets his name. And number. And maybe another kiss. She shakes her head, laughing at herself, as she refocusses on her work. It would be obvious and desperate on her part, and there was no way that he would still be single, not for this long. Not him.

It isn’t healthy Caitlin tells herself eventually, isn’t good for her to daydream over a boy she’s likely to never meet again, isn’t good for her to get so distracted from her school work, not when she needs the scholarship for college. And so she tries to forget him, forces herself to. Her energy is directed to the state science competition approaching in a few weeks, Caitlin a core part of her school’s team. Succeeding would be an incredible achievement and a highlight on her application forms.

It would be just what she needs to get out from under her mother’s shadow and show the world that she, Caitlin Snow, was a scientific genius in her own right.

And she succeeds in forgetting him.

Mostly.

The next time she really gets to spend time with Iris is at the State Science Competition finals. Not that Iris was competing; she was involved in the school newspaper and student council, but science bored her more than anything else. She however, was a wonderfully supportive friend... for Barry.

The boy was a part of the Central City Stars and as Iris’ official best friend she had gone to support him.

The sight of the competition shouldn’t have relaxed Caitlin, she knew how intelligent Barry was, the guy able to read at superhuman speeds and absorb the information just as quickly. He was the enemy, but he was also her friend. So she approaches them, Barry yelping as Caitlin bumps his hip with hers, surprising him. He glares at both her and Iris as the other girl start laughing, Barry crossing his arms in mock annoyance. “That’s it Cait, no more Mr Nice-Guy.”

“Barry I don’t think you can change. That’s definitely a part of your molecular structure.” There is confusion as to whether she was teasing him or complimenting him and he chooses to bite his tongue. She smiles widely at him, sliding her arm around his shoulder, giving him a one-armed hug. It is enough to crack his mood, Barry pulling her close, a whisper of good luck against the side of her head. “Glad to see you’ve come to support me Iris.”

Iris hesitates and Barry’s face falls at the sight. It is enough to have Iris cave, a smile on her face as she loops her arm with Barry. “Sorry girl, here for my school.”

“So what do I need to bribe you with to have you switching sides Iris?” she teases, Barry looking put-out as Iris pretends to ponder it over.

“A cute guy would be enough.”

Caitlin grins at her, turning her head to search the crowd. “Hey Oliver!” And they watch as a boy lifts his head, turning to her, a quizzical look upon his face. And Iris hums in approval, gaze flicking over the man before smirking at Caitlin. The other girl shakes her head, and he goes back to whispering with the blonde beside him.

“You thought about that?” Iris whispers, eyes dancing in mirth.

She laughs. “Of course, I’ve got eyes.”

“I’m right here you guys,” Barry complains, crossing his arms and pouting at the pair.

The synchronised ‘we know’ is enough to have them erupting into giggles.

it is also enough to steal the attention of the blonde beside Oliver, the girl squealing and dragging him along with her to the group.

“Caitlin!” Felicity almost stumbles into her, letting go of Oliver to pull her into a hug.

“Guys this is Felicity and Oliver, Felicity, Oliver this is Barry and Iris.” They all wave (most wave, not Oliver, he just watches, teases of a smile on his lips) and she hopes they get along, her best friends from school and her best friends from her childhood some of the closest people Caitlin had in her life. They exchange pleasantries and Barry looks at Oliver in awe, the boy so much bigger up close, questions on his diet and exercise regime rolling off his tongue. Caitlin and Iris try and muffle their laughter, to varying degrees of success, and Barry glares at them before turning back to Oliver.

The boys go off on their own, and Caitlin is almost positive that, despite Oliver’s apparent reluctance, they would be fast friends.

It leaves the girls together, Felicity rambling on about her revision on the developments of superconductors and microchips. It worries Caitlin, isolating Iris by talking science when she wouldn’t be able to keep up.

“You’re -”Iris starts and Caitlin holds her breath, unsure how Iris will react. Because while she teases Barry and Caitlin about their nerdiness, they grew up together, Felicity - she wouldn’t understand, not when she was teased incessantly in Vegas, no one able to understand her genius. “- Incredible,” Iris finishes, breathing out in awe. Her words have Felicity lighting up in pride and Caitlin could kiss Iris for that reaction, for the way it has Felicity stumbling over her words, denying the impressiveness of her knowledge.

“It’s not too late to jump ship,” Caitlin teases and Felicity laughs and this, she thinks, this is perfect.

But then she sees him. The boy from the the kissing booth. With his long, soft hair and wonderful smile and shirt with another ridiculous pun, it can’t be anyone else.

And of course he is, she thinks. He was a part of his own science club, he had told her that before. So of course he would come to the competition to represent his school. But she hadn’t thought that she’d meet him again, hadn’t thought it would be in this environment, surrounded by these people, this pressure on her to not get distracted. He catches her staring at him, his brows furrowing at he stares back.

And her shift in behaviour is slight, but its obvious, Felicity stopping mid sentence, mouth pulled into an ‘o’ and frowning in concentration  as she watches Caitlin, gaze sliding across to where the other girl was focussing. “Is that him?”

The question has Caitlin jumping, eyes owlish as her gaze darts between the pair of them, Felicity smirking and Iris almost vibrating in excitement. “No. What? Who?”

“Okay girl, if you plan on lying to us, you really need to work on that. So -” Iris strains her neck, looking side to side to catch a glimpse of the mysterious guy. “Who is it and how did you meet?”

“The cute guy she made out with at the kissing booth ages ago.” Felicity adjusts her glasses, swaying to the side to bump shoulders with Caitlin, the girl now stiff. “And the main star of all her fantasies.”

Iris turns to her quickly, eyes sparkling like diamonds, the smile on her face enough to weaken most people. “You never told me you met someone at the kissing booth Cait! You know I would have tracked them down for you.”

“Felicity, remind me never to tell you anything again. Ever.” The words lack much bite, Felicity looking too proud of herself to show any remorse for revealing that information to Iris.

“You should go over there, say hi, grab his number.” Iris nods like it is the obvious thing to do, like approaching the person you’ve been fantasising over and saying hello is an easy and simple thing to do. Which, maybe for her it is. But she was the hottest girl at Central City High and was dating the hottest (and sweetest) guy there so Caitlin takes her advice with a grain of salt.

“Are you insane?!” she hisses, Caitlin blushing at the mere thought of it. “I could never do that.”

“Cait, babe, you need to go for it.” And she thinks Iris is far too perceptive, her gaze softening as she takes Caitlin’s hands between her own. “You’re an incredible girl and he’d be crazy to reject you. Don’t - don’t do this to yourself.”

It is sweet, but strikes too close to home, the walls around her heart struck with the vibrations from the words. Because he already had. He left. She asked him to wait and he left, left her.

“He’s still competition Iris.” The girl nods, but Caitlin can see the cogs turning in her head. And she finds herself watching Iris as the competition nears its start and the groups congregate, Iris sidling to the Central City Stars, pulling Barry to the side. Caitlin knows she should be paying attention to her own group, but Iris’ face is lighting up and Barry’s is even worse. Her stomach swoops when they both turn and meet her gaze, the twinkle in their eyes unnerving her. Last time Iris had looked at her like that Caitlin had been roped into the Kissing Booth.

It is Ronnie who gets her attention, a hand on her shoulder and a concerned look on his face. She offers him a smile, forcing herself to forget about the conspiratorial look between her two friends. She turns back to Professor Wells, the man finishing his talk, the team walking to their table. Felicity sits at the head of the table, the leader of their team, Caitlin in between Lily Stein and Ronnie Raymond.

She turns her head, Barry at the top of his own table, Wally - Iris’ younger brother beside him, the pair discussing something. And then she sees him, the boy from the kissing booth having a much more heated discussion with the guy in glasses beside him. She thinks they might be arguing but it stops suddenly, the guy looking up and catching her watching them.

It has her ducking her head, Caitlin letting herself get caught up in Ronnie and his easy going demeanour, lets its wash over her, lets it help her forget the pressure of the competition, the nerves over a guy who had no idea who she is. He is relaxing, Lily and Felicity joining the conversation easily. And, when the adjudicator signifies the beginning of the competition, Caitlin feels as though she can take on the world.

The first round is general science questions, each team given a set of questions, the four allowed to discuss before the team captain answered. The timer for each question does heighten her nerves, but Caitlin is surrounded by her best friends and it is easy to forget that this isn’t a mock challenge set by Professor Wells.

They don’t miss a single question, but then, neither does Barry’s team.

The second round commences after a slight break, the rules changing. A buzzer is before each of them, the questions addressed to both teams, the points going to whichever school had the student answer it correctly. The questions were more specialised, choosing different branches of science and also mathematics. The initial questions were physics related and, while she was exceptional at the subject, Ronnie... he was a class above. He was doing spectacularly, though the other team had multiple individuals who also seemed to specialise in that area.

But then the boy hits the button and time all but stops for Caitlin.

Her heart rate picks up, the organ beating hard and fast, trying to escape from its confines in her chest. And it’s him, she knows it when he speaks, the same warm timbre, same softness and joy, even in this scenario. And she can’t tear her gaze away from him, can’t muster the strength to. He catches her, he always seems to catch her, but it isn’t enough.

He looks confused, but meets her gaze all the same. She doesn’t know what’s going through his head, assumes he thinks it is a method to throw him off. But she can feel the electricity, even if he can’t. And she’s crazy, she must be, to feel an intensity between them when he doesn’t recognise her. But she had spent months dreaming about this moment, and now it is happening, it doesn’t seem real. So she stares,

and he stares back.

Physics questions exhausted, they move on to biology, her speciality.

Caitlin moves without conscious thought, hitting the buzzer, her lightbulb flashing, indicating that she had reacted fastest. Her voice is crisp as she answers that it is mitochondria which is the powerhouse of the cell, gaze still locked with the mystery boy as the words roll off of her tongue. And she can see it, can pinpoint the very moment realisation hits him. It isn’t immediate, his brows furrowing as he struggles to place why the voice is so familiar, but then his eyebrows rise and his jaw drops, lips forming an ‘o’.

Only then does she have the strength to break the connection between them, Caitlin staunchly avoiding his gaze throughout the rest of the round. She can feel it, feel the intensity of it burning against her skin, his gaze unwavering. It licks at her skin, and she can feel it across all of her, Caitlin biting back her feelings, her need to look at him. Because if it is disgust in his gaze, if it is disappointment... she wouldn’t be able to handle that.

The Lily and Caitlin duo answering the majority of questions in chemistry and biology, though Barry does pose a challenge. Mathematics is Wally’s strong suit, and Felicity has a challenge facing the other two members of Barry’s team when it turns to technology. The race is too close to call, the weighting of questions varying depending on difficulty.

It is then that there is a break called, the teams disbanding to wait for the reveal of the final, the members jittery with excitement. Ronnie pulls them all into a group hug, the boy so sure they won against the other team. Caitlin isn’t quite so confident, but he had always been the voice of optimism when they were dating, it was one of the endearing things about him, even if it was the cause for more than one argument, and she remembers why he is universally liked.

Lily spots her parents in the audience and rushes off to him, Ronnie and Felicity lingering with Caitlin in the sidelines of the stage, discussing how they thought they went and ways they could improve. They are joined by Lily and Mr Stein, the small girl dragging her father to the group, the rest of them soaking up his advice and commendations. But there is a lull in the conversation, something distracting Felicity, and it wasn’t Oliver.

“So kissing booth cutie is staring at you,” Felicity says with a delighted smile, looking over Caitlin’s shoulder before waving at him. It has her stiffening, Caitlin determined to not cave in and check whether that was true.

“What?” Ronnie doesn’t sound sad or disappointed, merely curious at the descriptor and, for the millionth time, Caitlin is pleased that their breakup went as smoothly as it did. Mr Stein however, he looks sharply at the other team, a discerning eye on them as he scrutinises the boy.

“Nothing,” Caitlin says in response to Ronnie, burying her head in her hands. “And we are not calling him that!” It is a harsh whisper to Felicity, but she brushes it off. Professor Wells congratulates them on their effort in his own way, stiff and formal, with an undercurrent of genuine care and fondness for them all that has them beaming anyway. Mr Stein, he is more affectionate, pulling the girls into a hug, tells them that he was proud of them whether they win or lose, tells them they all have bright futures ahead of them. To Ronnie he offers a brisk handshake, the boy rolling his eyes, even as he smiles and accepts the handshake.

The bell rings indicating the break is over and a winner had been determined. So she turns to walk back to their table, Caitlin catching Barry watching her and smirking, while conversing with the boy from the kissing booth. She hates that she blushes as the look Barry gave her, plans her revenge, as he keeps on looking at her, wavering between the two. He gives up all pretence of having a conversation with the guy, especially as the kissing booth cutie (and damn it Felicity, she will get revenge for that) wasn’t wavering - he was most definitely staring at her.

They win, and she can’t help the smile and laughter that escape her when they pull aside and it finally hits her. They all walk off with a cheer, Ronnie pulling Caitlin into a hug and spinning her around. She laughs, her heart light and smile easy, the pair of them joined by Felicity and Lily, the group basking in the glory of their success. But then Ronnie goes off with his family, Felicity with Oliver. Caitlin looks around, almost hoping that the win would summon her mother, with arms open and words of support and pride spilling forth.

It is a fruitless dream, but she’s content. She has Mr Stein pull her into a hug, tears in his eyes as he tells her and Lily that he is proud of his two girls and he knew they would be special. It is nice, and Lily ribs him about Caitlin being his favourite daughter that has wet laughter coming from Mr Stein and half-hearted denials. He’s not her dad, but he is just as much her parent as her mother, Mr Stein there for her since her early childhood, the man a rock when her dad was sick and passed, Lily the sister she never had.

They offer her a ride home, but she shakes her head, Caitlin already having organised a ride with Barry and Iris. She leaves the Stein family in search for her friends, searching the crowd for the opposing team’s student support group. She finds Iris easily, the girl throwing her arms around Caitlin’s neck in a strong hug. “I knew you could do it girl!”

Barry huffs from her side, crossed arms and mock anger. “And here I was thinking you had my back Iris.” He breaks easily, pulling Caitlin into a hug of his own. “Congrats Cait, you guys were really incredible.” He whispers it against the side of her head, and there is no disappointment or envy in his tone.

Her smile almost splits her face as she squeezes him just that bit more before letting go. “Thanks Barry, you did pretty spectacularly yourself.”

“Yeah well,” and he beams at her words, hand rubbing the back of his neck as he becomes shy at the praise. “We’ll get you next year.”

It is enough to elicit a scoff from Caitlin, a rebuttal on her tongue. But it dies immediately, Barry and Iris exchanging looks, the pair communicating without words, the girl’s eyes widening. “What is it?” Caitlin sounds suspicious, she is suspicious, but it isn’t going to go well, she knows it.

“Well,” Iris starts, dragging the vowel along. “Remember how I promised to take you home for the weekend, well, I promised Barry I’d take him out for dinner to celebrate so I organised another ride for you.” She rushes the words out, the pair preparing to run.

“Well I can come along for a celebratory dinner, especially since I won.” Her voice has an edge, her arms crossed and Iris winces at her choice of words.

“Did I say celebratory? I meant conciliatory. To make up for the fact he lost - you being there, it would be like salt in the wounds. Don’t worry, you’ll like Cisco.” And they make a run for it, leaving Caitlin confused and alone.

She uncrosses her arms, pouting at where her friends used to be standing, muttering to herself. “Who the hell is Cisc -”

She turns around and there he is, the mystery boy from the kissing booth. Right in front of her. “Oh.”

He offers her a wave, a shy smile on his face. “That would be me.” And she’s left speechless. Because he’s right in front of her. Talking to her. She hadn’t prepared for this, there were no binders on this scenario.  “So you’re Caitlin?” She can only nod mutely, wide eyed as she tries to process it all. He seems to be handling it better than her. “Well, congrats on the win. You guys were the better team, though Hartley would object to that.” He barks out a laugh and Caitlin finds herself falling that little bit more with him.

“I like your shirt.” It is a direct callback to their conversation from before, Caitlin more shy now open and vulnerable. “It’s cute.”

He sucks in a breath, and yeah, he definitely remembers her, remembers their last encounter. The butterflies return, fluttering away in her stomach, each flap of their wings forming tornadoes inside her.

“Okay,” and his voice is hoarse, Cisco taking a step closer to her. “But would you wear it?” They are closer now, so much closer. She can see the shine of his hair, the slight stubble across his jawline. She can hear the inflection in his tone, the fear of her response.

And Caitlin is almost breathless. “Yeah.”

He’s staring at her like she is a vision, a masterpiece that he is trying to memorise what she looks like, like she’s a mirage that would disappear if he were to reach over and touch her. It sends her heart into overdrive, the awe shining in his eyes. “What?” she asks, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, a small smile on her lips.

“I knew you’d be beautiful.” His voice is warm and she melts at the words, at the sincerity infused in his tone.

But still she rolls her eyes, determined to keep this light. “And you could tell by listening to my voice?”

“Your voice, your personality, your laugh. You were so beautiful and sweet and I knew, no matter what you looked like, it would be beautiful.” And well, crap. Because she was determined to keep it light and he went there, baring his heart out to her, Caitlin drowning easily in the emotion of those few words.

“Then why did you disappear?” She sounds so small asking the question that had haunted her for so long. “I said I’d be right back and when I returned you were gone.” There is a vulnerability in her tone, and his smile flickers and falls.

“The other dude showed up and your lipstick was all over my mouth, so I couldn’t really lie and say I was waiting for a kiss. I had to go.” He sounds so sad, voice low and soft and she’d drop it if she didn’t need answers so desperately, these thoughts plaguing her during the darkest nights, when her memories of their kiss morphed into nightmares of ‘what-ifs’ and ‘why’s’.

“You could have waited at the exit, I went around the tent three times hoping I’d just missed you.” There is an embarrassment which tints her confession, a secret she had cradled to her chest, not even admitting it to Felicity.

“I guess I was scared. There was a beautiful, smart, funny girl who is, by the way, an incredible kisser. I didn’t get why she’d be interested in me.” His head drops and she misses it already, misses how his eyes shine and how his laugh makes her heart skip a beat. The self deprecation kills her, Caitlin reaching out for him, her hand on his cheek, lifting his head back up. 

She thinks he sees her emotion, her acceptance, in her eyes, Cisco covering her hand with his own. “She was.” It is a croak, Caitlin choked up by her feelings. At the way his eyes dim, she amends herself, “She is.”

There is a spark of hope and she wants to stoke it, wants to see it grow, see it consume them both. “I mean, you have complete permission to slap me or stop me, I won’t fight you or be upset, but I’ve been dreaming about this since I first got to kiss you and I’d really like to do it again.” And again, he is able to render her speechless, his eyes, so dark and beautiful, darting between her own, looking for any sign of reluctance on her part. She can only nod, lips separating in anticipation. And it is her which makes the first move, leaning forward, nose skimming the skin of his cheek, but it is Cisco who closes the distance, a gentle hand on her chin, tilting it closer to him as he takes a breath before pressing their mouths together.

And it is just as glorious as she remembered.

It is different than before, the kiss gentle and soft this time, no urgency, no fear of the other person disappearing. It is almost fragile, the soft brush of lips together, once, twice, thrice. It is then that Caitlin can’t stand the teasing, lifting herself on her toes to press the kiss more firmly. It has him smiling against her, his hands settling on her hips and she can only hope that the rest of their kisses leave her like this. They break it slowly, Caitlin opening her eyes, sight blurry, until it focusses on him. Giggling isn’t something that she would accompany first kisses, but it isn’t their first, even if it feels like it.

“I’m pretty sure I owe you Big Belly Burger. Remember?” He sounds so unsure, as though she hadn’t replayed his voice for months, hadn’t stared at him all afternoon because she wanted him to recognise her, to mean what he had said. As though he hadn’t stolen her breath with a simple kiss. But still, it is enough to bring out a blush, Caitlin suddenly fascinated with the ground below, the toe of her shoe swiping lightly over the floor underneath it.

“Yeah, I remember.” She steals a glance through her lashes, confidence growing along with his smile.

He offers her his hand, a shy smile on his face. “Well come on then, I gotta make this the best first date ever, and we can’t waste daylight.”

Her heart skips a beat at the words ‘first date’, and she cannot believe this is real life. Her hand slides into his perfectly and she feels like it was made to hold her own, Cisco running his thumb over her knuckles. It is calloused and she knows there are stories she doesn’t know, stories she’ll enjoy learning about.

And she follows him without resistance as he leads her to his car, as he drives down to Central City where the best Big Belly Burger was located.

She follows him without resistance as they both fall deeper in love with each other.

Seven years, two PhDs, two Masters and a doctorate between the pair of them, Caitlin and Cisco were still going strong. It had been difficult, with different universities and streams of studies, but they had survived the distance, had thrived in their new environment and grown stronger as a pair. But they had been brought back together, and by Professor Wells of all people. When he had started STAR Labs he had wanted experience, but he also had wanted passion and innovation and youth. He had convinced Caitlin to come back to Central City and she convinced him to hire Cisco.

(There was no convincing needed, he was already on the list).

It was exciting, finally being in the same city, in the same apartment, in the same bed. The flutter of butterflies hadn’t disappeared, not in all the years of dating him. All she needed was a smile from him early morning when the sun bathed him in a golden glow, all she needed was a hand on her shoulder at work when she was struggling through the chemical composition required to trigger a chemical reaction. All she needed was a look, a touch, a smile, and she was right back to being a teenager on her first date, to the girl manning the kissing booth, unaware of the impact it would have on her life.

He means everything to her and so, when she hears from Professor Wells that Cisco had taken a half day without telling her, she grows concerned, Caitlin counting down the minutes before rushing out the door, heading immediately to their apartment.

It is with shaky fingers she tries to out the key in the door, Cisco having not responded to any of her texts. A sigh of relief leaves her as it finally, finally, slips into the hole, the door swinging open.

And she’s left standing at the entrance, shocked still at the sight before.

There is a booth at the entrance of their apartment, red fabric forming a tent, blocking off everything else except for the neon sign in front of her.

Fiancee booth. Entrance fee: your heart.

Caitlin fails to stifle the gasp that escapes her, hands moving belatedly to cover her mouth, breath hitching as the magnitude of what is about to happen hits her. It has her heart thundering in her chest, and she can’t get it under control, can barely make herself inhale oxygen.

She drops her stuff by the door, trembling fingers pulling the curtain aside so she could enter the tent. There are tears before she ever sees him, electronic candles around the structure, setting the atmosphere. And there he is, kneeling in the middle, Cisco dressed up in a tuxedo, an open velvet box outstretched in his hands, an anxious smile on his face as her gaze falls to the diamond ring in the box.

“Cisco.” It’s all she can manage, Caitlin left a blubbering mess at the sight before her. She drops to her knees before him immediately and so easily, the need to be closer to him, to be right by his side one she had accepted long ago. And he drops the box to his side, hands lifting up to cup her face, thumbs swiping across her cheekbones, calloused finger pads sending shivers through her. He’s shaking, thumb stuttering in its movements, even as she leans into his touch, Caitlin soaking everything about the moment in. He only stops to wipe his thumb against the thighs of his pants, Caitlin catching the glitter of water on his skin from the glow of the candles.

And oh, she thinks. I’m crying.

“Welcome to your fiance booth Cait, you enter alone and leave with a fiance.” His voice trembles and his eyes are shining.  

“Should I be worried about the line that was behind me,” she jokes, a weak smile on her face.

But it is enough, Cisco relaxing, a chuckle leaving him as he shakes his head at her words. “It’s only for you Cait, my heart is only for you.” His voice is more steady and she can’t help herself, Caitlin tilting her head, a lingering kiss pressed against the inside of his wrist. She holds her lips there, the feeling of his pulse underneath her skin sending chills through her. The tears start to well up once more, the sight of Cisco blurring before her, and she whispers her confession of love against his skin.

His other hand strokes the other side of her face, Cisco tucking the hair behind her ear so that he could continue. And she wants to pause moment, wishes it were possible just spend her life as happy as she was in this singular moment of time, her heart threatening to burst from joy. 

She mourns the loss of contact, Cisco eventually letting go of her face, Caitlin no longer crying. And he picks up the box. There isn’t a question of her response, she had known it for years now, had only waited for the right time. The temptation is there to nod, to say ‘yes’ and slide the ring on her finger in that moment, the seconds going by without her being his fiancee almost agonising. But she knows Cisco, knows he prepared this night for so long, and she can’t fathom interrupting him in it. 

"I love you,” he breathes, and crap, crap, crap, that’s all he needs to say for the tears to restart, the adoration evident in his voice. She wipes the tears away desperately, paws at her cheeks, cursing her emotion. Because he pauses and she just wants him, wants him to ask the question, wants to tell him yes, wants it all now.

“I love you too Cisco,” she sniffles, a smile on her lips and the tears finally stop, her vision to Cisco, just Cisco. She can see his nervous grin and she wants to kiss it all away.

“I’ve loved you for so long Cait, ever since I kissed this incredible girl at a kissing booth and she thought I had a cool shirt. I knew then there wouldn’t be any one else who would come close to you.” She whimpers at his words and she knew it too, knew her life wouldn’t be anywhere as incredible if she didn’t have him to share it with. Her heart aches for him, for the tremble in his voice as he tells her these words. “I never thought it’d be possible for you to like me back, to love me back. But by some miracle you did, you do, and I thank God for that every single day, thank Him that you’re the first thing I can see in the morning, the last thing I see at night. I thank Him because you’re my soulmate Cait, there isn’t any one in the world I could love like I love you. You make me happy Caitlin Snow, so very, incredibly happy and you have my heart, my soul, you have all of me.” It hurts, physically hurts, to stay still and listen as Cisco talks, Caitlin itching to hug him, to pepper his face with kisses, to show him just how happy he makes her. He had always been more eloquent with matters of the heart. But she doesn’t, forces herself to wait for him to ask that question with bated breath, her heartbeat stuttering as he opens himself up to her. “I’m yours, I always have, always will be. I’m just hoping that you’re mine -” She’s already nodding at his words, the smile spreading across her lips, “ - and that you’ll be okay making it official.” He proffers up the ring to her, Cisco offering her a smile that makes her fall in love with him all over again. “Will you marry me Cait?”

She nods, laughs in glee as he slides the ring on her finger, Caitlin pouncing on him, pinning him to the ground as she hovers above him. She takes the moment to pause, to absorb this and him and she hadn’t seen it coming all those years ago when she agreed to help Iris with her fundraiser. He looks so beautiful she thinks, memorising the sight of Cisco on his back, hands by his head, fingers interlocked with her own. He looks up at her, smile splitting his face in half, and she can’t contain her sigh. “Do you think that we would have got together if we didn’t do the kissing booth?”

The words slip out absentmindedly, Caitlin unaware she was even thinking it until she hears the words come from her mouth. Cisco tilts his head, the hair splayed against the floor underneath him. “I dunno Cait, I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t. There’s no point in torturing myself like that because I have you. God, I still can’t believe you said yes,” he chuckles, awe and adoration in his gaze. “I don’t think there is a universe out there that doesn’t have you and me together.” He says the words so simply, but the force of it against her heart, it is overpowering.

He’s beautiful and he’s smart and he’s sweet and he’s kind. And he’s mine.

It is a fiance booth, but they still got their kisses.

No blindfold necessary.

[pistolkilled]

[ Have an updated gem AU bc I’m still in the mood to write out these monster HC posts. ]

Wilford is a corrupted rhodochrosite, as pictured (left) here in his Earth/post-corruption form, previously under Pink Diamond’s court.

While having no particular significance to her entourage, he did spend a lot of time up close and personal with PD. They do share a special relationship, and she means the world to him. 

Rhodo has been gifted three pearls by PD to act as his sort of camera/tech crew. His main pearl is Rosaline, with his two additional ones, Coral and Pink, who you can read more about over here.

Rosaline is his next in line confidant, they know just about everything about Rhodo and everything he could possibly tell them. Though there’s still no one he trusts more than Jasper.

The flowers in his hair aren’t just aesthetic, they’re permanent and they’re living, complete with brambles and dead leaves that need to be trimmed and taken care of regularly, otherwise they will continue to grow wild.

The spikes that adorn the rest of him are sharp, more akin to rose thorns.

Before his corruption, he was a public personality, somewhere akin to a news anchor. Well known among his court.

Very loyal to his Diamond - he never would’ve thought about rebelling to any extent, even once corrupted.

It isn’t until PD’s shattered that Rhodo’s corruption even began. All the events happened over the course of one to two thousand years.

Rhodo is absolutely devastated by the news of PD's shattering, being as close to her as he was.

Being the reporter he is, combined with his overwhelming grief, he does as much reading into the shattering as he possibly can to try and make some sense of it, possibly get some justice for his Diamond and some semblance of peace of mind.

Eventually he comes to similar (false) conclusions that Zircon had in Steven's trial. Being Rhodo's sole confidant (even more so than his pearls), he confides all this in Jasper, who does his part and begs him not to go through with the report. Still grief-stricken and borderline driven mad by the information he's acquired and her initial shattering, obviously he doesn't listen.

The story airs briefly, and the Diamonds catch wind of it pretty quickly. Being that he's such a well known personality, they can't just get rid of him without raising suspicions and having other gems bat an eye, the solution is a forced corruption. 

Under all the grief, stress, his corruption spreads quickly, and the loyal following he's accumulated declines, which only serves to exacerbate both problems. Viewers see a corrupt gem spouting nonsense and decide it's not worth their time, and this only furthers Rhodo's corruption to some extent.

It isn't until he's written off by the vast majority of his following that the Diamonds decide it's time to deal with him - or rather, it's time for Jasper to deal with him. (Story will be continued under Will's section.)

Rhodo's personality is significantly changed from before he was corrupted until after. His before personality is similar to the Warfstache personality you see in canon and on this blog. His after personality is much more... reserved and a little more cautious. It's been hard to recover from the years and years of torment he'd been through before making it to Earth. He's a bit of an anxious mess, trying hard to keep it together to stop his corruption from worsening.

It’s not uncommon after one of his big freak-outs for you to notice another splotch or two along his skin, or a couple extra spikes where there didn’t used to be spikes.

Very emotionally expressive even still, probably to an excessive extent. He feels very deeply, and he makes it very obvious (at least when concerning emotions outside of his anxieties). 

After-Rhodo doesn't trust easily, though he's not hostile about his distrust. He still craves/loves attention, you just need to be slow and careful with him, although less so after he comes to trust you.

There was also a minor healing ability to be spoken of before his corruption, though it's completely gone afterwards, as are plenty of his other abilities. He can't quite shapeshift like a normal gem can, and summoning his weapon isn't easy (though it hadn't been easy to begin with, given that he wasn't a combat-made gem). 

Though if he could, his weapon would and still is a spiked bat. 

Has always been a less combat prone gem, though it wasn’t uncommon for him to bring his bat out during his various field work expeditions for various reasons. Not violent if he can help it, but if the opportunity does arise (usually in defense of his friends), he won't hesitate to take up arms to the best of his abilities.

William takes on the role of a bumblebee jasper in this verse, as pictured (right) here in his Earth outfita, under Yellow Diamond’s court specifically, though it wasn’t uncommon for him to move between the courts for various reasons.

More of a rare type of jasper, sort of an upper level commander akin to someone like Holly Blue Agate.

This section of jaspers are something like a secret police type, dealing with defective/corrupted/abnormal gems so the diamonds don't have to get their hands dirty.

It's not common knowledge that bumblebee jaspers do what they do; it's just generally known that they're higher ups and not a gem to be messed with.

His personality before making it to Earth is that which a commanding officer should have. He’s fairly reserved, stoic, and professional outwardly, though he eventually takes to relaxing around certain gems, namely Rhodochrosite, his Champagne Pearl, and nacremade’s Mother of Pearl.

Similar to how he’s Rhodo’s sole confidant, Rhodo is someone he trusts highly to vent to, despite him being a public reporter. It’s also probably a lot of Jasper’s stories that fueled Rhodochrosite to go on with the report that earned him corruption. He already knew too much.

Nacre, the Mother of Pearl, is partly where he is when he’s not out on one of his missions. He and the other jaspers are also assigned to keeping watch over this important gem. Of course, our Jasper naturally took things much further than just guarding. 

When possible, he does slip into her enclosure to talk to her and be with her, finding it unusually cruel to just lock her away with nobody but herself and the unformed pearls she spawns. He regards her highly, similar to how Rhodochrosite regards his diamond.

Champagne Pearl is the pearl chosen (most likely by him) to be his assistant in his career. She’s also the direct result of all these up close and personal meetings between Nacre and Jasper.

(It’s worth mentioning that this is also a universe where gemlings are possible.)

His weapon (still subject to change), is probably something along the line of respawning grenades. A long distance, quickly respawning weapon is helpful in the long run.

More prone to using his hand to hand combat skills than he is his weapon, however. It tends to be more practical in his line of work.

His natural ability is psychometry, meaning he can read the history of an inanimate object simply by making contact with it. Useful in the even that he's dealing with a gem on the run, provided they weren't already privy to this information and very careful with their escape.

Given Jasper’s line of work, after Rhodochrosite’s corruption was to the point where it would make for an easy disposal, he was the one assigned to get rid of him, like all the other broken gems.

At this point, he’s already too involved with Rhodo to do this easily and is deeply conflicted. He struggles with carrying out his given duty and dealing with the connection he’s formed with Rhodo. 

In the end, it’s the connection that wins out, and he and Champagne think up a plan as quickly as they can manage without the amount of time being suspicious. There had already been at least one documented case of gems (toriskii’s pyrope twins) escaping Homeworld, and they decide to follow suit, given how much easier it would be for someone like Jasper to commandeer a ship. 

Rhodochrosite was more than likely under the impression that Jasper was wanting to take him on one of his missions in the beginning, just to show him this exciting new planet that he knew he’d just love.

(Having seen a few other planets while traveling along with PD, Rhodo already has an innate fascination with off-world territories and was immediately excited for it. Though this effect wears off the more and more he thinks about it, and the closer they get to actually leaving.)

Under the guise of a prisoner transfer-esque situation, Jasper gets hold of a ship and escapes Homeworld with his pearl, Rhodochrosite’s main pearl, and Rhodochrosite himself.

Having had sneaking suspicions for a fair amount of time now, Rhodo finally confronts Jasper about where they were actually going after a long bout of tense silence, and Jasper breaks down and tells him everything. They’re headed to Earth and can never go back to Homeworld.

(Jasper was already not too broken up about the idea of leaving, between having to deal with all these broken gems and seeing how they were treating Nacre, he’d thought about leaving plenty. His problem was that he was fearful of being caught in the process of escaping, and what would happen to all of them in the event of that.)

 (The more Rhodo thought about it, in light of all this new information, he decided he wasn’t too broken up about it, either. Part of him was even excited to see what was so great about this planet that PD effectively gave herself up for it.)

Similar to Rhodo’s change in personality, once reaching Earth, Jasper starts to act more like you see the Colonel acting in canon. He seems to enjoy life much more now that he gets to decide what he does with it all on his own.

Jasper is incredibly protective over Rhodo once they reach Earth. He’s made it his main mission to keep him calm, happy, and safe.

The two of them utilize the thought-space between one another (like Garnet and Stev/onnie’s encounter) quite frequently in light of this.

It’s likely that part of Jasper blames himself for Rhodo’s corruption, having fed him knowledge he definitely wasn’t supposed to have over their years of being together, which only fuels his desire to keep Rhodo functional and sane.

They live a more nomadic life on Earth, never being able to stay in one place for too long. Between shared paranoia and a general fascination with the world around them, they don’t have the strength to root themselves into one place for too long.

Jasper is more wary of humans, though Rhodo finds himself with an odd fascination for them, too. Over time he slowly begins to see why it was that PD loved this place so much.

It’s because of their shared paranoia though that they don’t make a habit of staying in contact with him. They may interact with them from time to time, but they don’t make a habit of it.

There are very few people they trust on Earth, but eventually they do run into toriskii’s pyrope, and group up with her and her twin. There’s nobody that they trust more in the world than Tori!Pyrope, and it’s a bond that’s formed very quickly.

[ I’m sure I’ll have more to add here at some point, but for now, I really needed to revamp the verse and get more stuff down on paper. It’s been a long time since I bothered with the canon for this verse.]

[ EDIT: this is also a scenario I didn’t think was important to add, but I like it so I’m gonna add it anyway. ]

[bimbinis]

Ooh Tillow for 002 if you’re still doing it

oh YEAH BABY

when or if I started shipping it: Okay, look, as y’all might imagine, I’m not from the first generation of the Buffy fandom. Meaning that when I watched it, I already knew not only that Tara would show up, but I know that she would be Willow’s girlfriend, show up in season 4, die in season 6, and be later replaced by Kennedy, all before it happened. So, really, we could say that I started shipping them since before I watched the show, but I think I didn’t hardcore ship them until Family.

my thoughts: Oh, so many. I mean like, so many that I still didn’t cover all of it in the like, 5 fanfics I wrote so far. I think they deserved way more time in the series. I think not a single relationship Willow had after that has managed to satisfy me. I think they’re literally the most interesting and adorable relationship from the series and no snake goddesses or wannabe slayers are ever gonna be able to patch it up.

What makes me happy about them: HMM THAT’S HARD there are so many things… I like how they’re like so different from most ships I liked so far like they don’t have any mutual roasting dynamics but that doesn’t make them boring. And like, they communicate on their problems and when they don’t its explicitly shown how it was a bad call not to.

What makes me sad about them: I know a lotta hardcore shippers would be hesitant in agreeing with me but I’m one of the people who do think that what Willow did to Tara in season 6 was rape. And that’s like,,, not the kinda thing you forget you know. I love their relationship but that’s really something that’s on the back of my mind all the time. Also their dynamic when Tara is… not quite herself during season 5, is creepy as hell. It was both cute and creepy. I don’t know man.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I don’t think there’s really any recurring trope in fanfics that I don’t like. Like, really only things that I wouldn’t like under any other circumstances (OOC characterization, NOT BEING THE MAIN SHIP, etc.). Something I do see constantly in Tillow fanfiction that I actually really dig is the fact they always say “make love” instead of “have sex” even though no one under like, 60 - yes, even counting from the 2000s - actually says that anymore. It’s kinda cute.

Things I look for in fanfic: I just want fluff. Any fluff. I want overused tropes. Give me all the Coffee Shop AUs and Bed Sharing tropes and Unrequited Mutual Pining that you want but just give me fluff. If it’s not about Tara being already dead and Willow dealing with it or any other angsty thing at all, I want it. I’m so tired of angst. My crops are dying.

My kinks: I absolutely refuse to answer this question even though I regularly discuss what both these characters’ kinks would be with @zeezeepearl​

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I said this before and I’ll say it again, the fact that a relationship didn’t spark between Willow and Fred is one of the biggest injustices of this franchise ever. I would have been very happy with that because not only would I have to see Willow enduring that bullshit relationship with Kennedy, I wouldn’t have to see one of my favorite characters from Angel Investigations get together with Wesley Whiny-Price. As for Tara… well, that’s about when she died, but I gueeeess Mehane wouldn’t be bad? Highly unlikely bordering impossible, but maybe (or even better, get her together with Dawn in season 8 instead of Xander. The whole relationship was a joke, why not at least make it a gay joke?)

My happily ever after for them: I really just wish Tara was like, y’know, alive, and around season 9 Willow did the same thing for her that Xander did for Dawn, which is be willing to let go of the monster-fighting life to start a normal life (and tbh? I think that would be a kickass storyline, bc at this point in the story the magic in the world has vanished and Willow goes search for it, and somehow I feel like she would care a bit more about informing Tara than she cared about what’s-her-name, who she was dating then. Chaos ensues).

WOW THIS GOT SO RIDICULOUSLY LONG anyway that was it

[reclhoods]

Voltron - You need to go

put under a read more bc it takes place right after the end of s2

warnings for my poor attempts at angst & hurt/comfort

also i tried to make it gen since you didn’t give a pairing but i ended up with mentions of shallura and implied one-sided sheith oops

thank you for giving me my first excuse to write voltron ♥

read on AO3 if you prefer

Allura was the first to speak, and her soft words shocked the group.

“How can we form Voltron now?”

The paladins turned to her, expressions disbelieving. “Are you serious?” Keith demanded, voice distraught. “Shiro is gone, he disappeared right out of his lion, and all you care about is that we can’t form Voltron now?”

“I never said I don’t care about Shiro!” Allura retaliated, holding a hand to her chest in an offended manner. “But there is little we can do for him without our most powerful weapon!”

“The way you worded it was kind of harsh, princess,” Hunk added gently. Allura crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

“Clearly, that wasn’t how I meant it.”

“Clearly, Shiro was taken by the Galra,” said Pidge, their tone just shy of mocking. “We went after you when you were captured. What’s going to stop us from going after Shiro?”

“Perhaps the lack of Voltron? Are you forgetting how you rescued me?” Allura’s temper was rising, the general hostility level in the black lion’s cockpit rising with it. Everyone was on edge, distressed by the disappearance of their leader, their friend.

“Are you suggesting we just sit around and let the Galra have their way with him?” Lance asked, hands gesturing vaguely as he spoke.

“Again?” Keith added, taking a step toward the princess. “You remember how Shiro got that robotic arm of his, don’t you? He’s already been held prisoner by them before!” Keith’s voice was rising with every word, echoing in the small space of the lion’s head; his hands balled into fists. “Do you expect us to just sit here and let them torture him all over again?”

Allura advanced toward Keith, posture and tone equally menacing. “I expect you to take a step back and calm down.”

Keith raised his chin defiantly, his voice low and threatening. “Shiro told me he wanted me to lead Voltron, should anything happen to him. And I say we’re going to find him.”

“Wait, you?” Lance asked. “Why would he pick you to lead? And why would he even say that?”

“And why didn’t he inform anyone else of this decision?” Allura added, her tone suspicious.

“You aren’t exactly level-headed,” said Hunk.

“Wait a minute,” Pidge interrupted, holding up their hands. “Shiro told you, in private, that he wanted you to lead Voltron if anything should happen to him… and then he mysteriously vanishes?”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “What are you implying?”

“How could the Galra have taken Shiro right from under our noses?” Allura demanded, taking another step toward Keith. “How could they do that without any of us knowing?”

Keith stared at her, uncomprehending. “Are you saying you think I knew?”

“I’m saying I think you helped.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Hunk interrupted, stepping between Allura and Keith. “That’s going a little far, isn’t it?”

“Is it?” Allura asked, before turning her attention back to Keith. “You weaken Voltron by removing its leader and then you try to usurp it by claiming he named you his successor,” she accused, hands on her hips. “That sounds like standard Galra war tactics to me.”

“I would never hurt Shiro!” Keith shouted, pain from the accusation showing clearly on his features. “You don’t understand how much Shiro means to me!”

“Nor do you understand how much he means to me!” Allura countered.

“Allura, stop it!” shouted Pidge, joining Hunk between the two. “Just because you were sleeping with him doesn’t mean you get to accuse Keith of helping the Galra kidnap him!”

“What?” Lance and Hunk gasped in unison, while Keith gaped at Allura’s reddened face.

“T-that-! My relationship with Shiro has nothing to do with this!” Allura sputtered.

“I don’t know about naming him the leader,” Lance started, joining the others between Allura and Keith, “but I do know that Shiro never questioned Keith’s loyalty after finding out he was part Galra. Not even once.”

“And for all we know, that trust was the death of him.” Allura’s voice cracked toward the end, her eyes watery, though she refused to let the tears fall. She glared down Keith, whose grief was written equally legibly on his face. She took a deep breath, steadied her tone, and said to him, “You need to go.”

Keith’s eyes widened, betrayal reflected in them. Before he got a chance to react, the other paladins were reacting for him.

“Absolutely not!” Hunk was the first to speak, holding his arms out to his sides as if to shield Keith from Allura.

“Yeah!” Lance agreed quickly, right at Hunk’s side. “Keith is a paladin of Voltron, just like the rest of us! We can’t do this without him, any more than we can do this without Shiro!”

“Regardless of what you all may believe,” Allura paused, turned her eyes back to Keith, “or what Shiro may or may not have told you, I’m the one who’s in charge here. My father built Voltron. This is my castle. If I say that Keith is no longer the red paladin, then he no longer is.”

“Try telling that to the red lion,” Pidge reasoned. “How many times has it left the hangar on its own to find Keith when he needed it? It attacked the Blade of Marmora’s base because Keith was distressed! If you throw Keith out, the red lion will follow him.”

“If you throw Keith out,” Lance added, voice low and steady, “we’ll all follow him.”

Pidge and Hunk nodded their agreement, the three of them standing in solidarity, a human barricade between Keith and Allura. Allura stared down at the paladins, and the paladins stared back, unwavering.

Keith set his hands on Lance and Hunk’s shoulders, gently pushing them apart. The two made room for their friend, who slowly walked past them to approach Allura. Keith’s eyes were downcast when he spoke. “Allura, I understand where you’re coming from. We’re all upset about what happened to Shiro. You and I, especially.” Allura’s jaw clenched beneath her skin. Keith swallowed around the lump that was rising in his throat, took a deep breath, and started again. “If you still want me to leave, I will, but I need to say one thing first.”

The other three paladins watched in silent wonder. Keith finally raised his head, holding Allura’s gaze with his own as he said, “If you make me leave, Shiro will never forgive you.”

And those were the words that broke the spell. Allura’s eyes widened, and then her head fell in shame. “I fear it is already too late for that,” she murmured. The princess wrapped her arms around herself, taking a step back from the team. The four paladins looked at each other in question before slowly approaching.

“Allura?” Pidge asked gently, reaching out their hand to lay it on Allura’s forearm. “What are you talking about?” When Allura was silent, Hunk and Lance joined the questioning.

“What happened, princess?”

“Why wouldn’t Shiro forgive you?”

Keith, to his credit, was the only one who understood, the only one who had already figured it out. “Allura…” He tried his best to soften his voice, make it reassuring. “This isn’t your fault.”

“And how isn’t it?” Allura snapped, looking up with fierce eyes, but more pain in her voice than anger. “The castle is supposed to cover you. It- I am supposed to protect you!” She shook her head, sorrow filling her words. “I wanted so desperately to make it your fault, and I’m so sorry. I’m the one who was supposed to be protecting you and Shiro was taken from us without me even noticing!” Her eyes softened then, losing their ferocity and finally reflecting her mourning. Her voice was low when she spoke again. “Whose fault could this possibly be, if not my own?”

To everyone’s surprise, Keith stepped forward without hesitation, wrapping Allura in a tight embrace. Allura’s eyes widened. “This is no one’s fault but Zarkon’s,” Keith said against her ear, nothing but certainty in his voice. “We will find Shiro.”

It took a moment for Allura to relax into Keith and return the embrace, but once she did, the rest of the paladins joined in on the hug as well. “Thank you, Keith,” Allura mumbled into his neck, and the hug tightened evenly from all sides.

The five of them stood like that, sharing in their grief for a long moment, and when they all finally parted, there was determination in their eyes.

“Now then, let’s go find Shiro,” Allura announced.

“Yeah!” the paladins chorused, and followed their princess out of the black lion.

On the way out, Lance nudged Keith in the side with his elbow. Keith turned to him with agitated eyes.

“You sounded like Shiro back there,” Lance said with a grin, catching Keith off guard. Keith stopped in his tracks, blinking at the blue paladin. Lance kept walking as he spoke again.

“Maybe you won’t make such a bad leader after all.”

[pinkpons-blog1]

hey i love ur ocs go off on these fools !

o fuck… thank you very much ; ^ ; i try my best w/ them, i hope i can make them fit in at least a lil for ahit

i do have quite a lot of facts abt them i wanted to share too! lemme see…

- cerise and sketch actually met when they were young (around 13 and 11, respectively), and cerise was really different before he met his future best friend, being more selfish and pompous. sketch definitely changed him for the better and he’s a genuinely good friend now

- rosalind is about 3 years older than sketch, being 27, and sketch doesn’t know of her currently. since she had been without a family ever since she was a pre-teen, she had to do her best to take care of herself and be self-sufficient

- she actually used to go into her werecat form quite a lot as a child, due to having trouble suppressing her emotions like sketch did… the more she grew, though, the more she was able to control when and where she transformed

(more under the cut!)

- sketch has a big affinity for animals! and despite being scared of a lot of things, he’s surprisingly chill with animals deemed scary and dangerous, including giant monsters. cerise has some trouble with bugs, though

- rosa does her best to come off as stoic and cold, not wanting to show any emotions to be all Lone Wolf-like… but she’s really not emotionless, she just kinda bottles all her grief up and claims it’s all fine

- despite her withdrawn behavior, she’s actually polite, just talks short and to the point… however, she has a soft spot for cute things (like the seals), and makes sure to be a lil more approachable towards sad or scared people, as well as kids. she actually relates to mustache girl pretty well

- the kinds of things i think hat kid/bow kid could commission would depend on who is painting the commission? they would go from being pretty generic, focusing on the scenery of the area, then go onto special characters, the more expensive ones being of mu, conductor, grooves, snatcher, and hk or bk themselves

- besides painting, cerise likes the performance arts and dancing, sketch is into reading and baking. sketch also has a pretty good singing voice as well. rosalind says she doesn’t have much time for hobbies besides training herself for fighting… BUT she collects miniature animal figures from time to time

- cerise and sketch like both hat kid and bow kid a lot, and cerise’s energy matches hk’s pretty well, though sketch has a harder time talking with most kids due to being low-energy

- rosa is empathetic to hk’s situation, being someone who is looking for what’s important to her as well, but rosa is actually the only oc of mine who will fight hk for the time piece; she thinks that it may help her find her brother. however, she is VERY hesitant about fighting a small child (unlike certain others), and she holds back a LOT

- cerise’s favorite place to go is subcon forest, sketch’s is alpine skyline. cerise isn’t afraid of most anything in the forest, and genuinely likes snatcher and finds him and the forest unique. sketch loves the calm and open air of alpine skyline, and has a lot of places to climb and jump without many people being around

- cerise stays near the forest mostly, but also wants to check out the cave, and yes, even the manor. he hasn’t gotten to it yet, though, fortunately. snatcher’s minions try to divert his attention from it

- sketch has the patience of a saint and can be around conductor for more than 10 minutes (*cough*crush*cough*), which is amazing to cerise, who absolutely HATES the dude. cerise and sketch both like grooves bc of his friendly personality, cerise wants to punch the hell out of the mafia of cooks + mafia boss due to them picking on defenseless people, and sketch likes talking with cooking cat and wants to start learning baking from them. Fellow Kitty Person

- rosalind, despite working with c.a.w, doesn’t really enjoy being a part of the organization due to their… bizarre methods of staying incognito and gaining information. she doesn’t HATE them by any means, but it gets a little exhausting for her to keep up the “fellow (insert thing here)” charade. at least the other agents seem to like her

- the express owls are afraid of rosa due to perceiving her staring at them through her mask as an Icy Glare (a lot of “has death finally come for us??”)… but really, she just thinks they’re adorable

- sketch was actually recruited to be a part of conductor and grooves’ movies after they heard him sing (because i’m super unoriginal shfsg), but he has a huge problem with stage fright… helps conductor be a little more understanding to his actors, at least

WOW THIS GOT REALLY LONG… i just had so much i wanted to share and i hope that’s okay??? it was definitely fun to talk about them in length aaaa