#( i know i'm late but december was Rough )

[noira-l]

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

⋆ ★ '𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞' - 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

chapter summary: You followed him into his darkness. You let him fall apart, like a human being, and made a promise to never let go, as long as he hold you too.

pairing: gojo satoru x f!sorcerer reader, geto suguru x f!sorcerer reader (mentioning)

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, lots of comfort, fluff at the end, after 'premature death', after suguru defection, swearing, outburst of anger and crying from Satoru, craked trees.

author's note: finally, here we are, with the one conversation that started it all. I hope you understand both characters better now and I hope you enjoy this emotional spiral. Heh.

5 months after Suguru defected

Midnight.

The bells in the school grounds were ringing signalling this late hour. Although they were quite far away, you were still able to hear them behind you.

Your footsteps, though gentle, made the silent sound of rustling leaves. Steam was rising from your nose, from the cold that prevailed outside on this December night. Barely able to see anything, you knew you were getting further and further away from the school building, yet you didn't stop for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" Satoru stood in that darkness, his light hair standing out. He stood as if in the middle of a circle, with his back to you, a few broken trees around, stacked in different directions beside him. You had been following him for some time, ever since you saw the light in his room go out, and his white hair flashed past your window.

"And to think I thought I was finally going to get a moment of peace and quiet." his tone was rough, but still surprisingly calm, which contrasted with the way his chest was rising in nervous breathing. He inhaled, as if he wanted to add something after the last sentence he said "I should have known better, right?"

You could see that something was wrong, that something was bothering him.

"Don't look at me like that." He turned his head to look at you from behind. His eyes were covered by his glasses, even though it was dark as if in some abyss, you knew he could see more than anyone else.

"What's with tha gaze, huh?" He turned to you fully "I told you somthing, right?" there was so much iritation in the last sentance.

You looked at his face, you were lucky that his blue eyes gave his face some, minimal light, that spilled over his features.

"Stop looking at me like that. I said, I'm fine." his voice was firm and hard.

"You don't look-" you took a few steps closer, your voice unsure.

"I said. I. AM. FINE." He growled, you could see the grimace appear on his face.

"Satoru, I can see you're no-" you heard his raspy breath. He clenched his fists tightly.

Suddenly a wave of smaller trees bent or broke from his one hand movement, in the opposite direction to yours. You shuddered.

"Fuck." he breathed heavily, trying to calm the racing thoughts. You didn't know what to do. "Can't you just listen to me, are you dumb or something?" the blue eyes stared at you, emanating anger and irritation. "I don't need your worry or your pity. So quit it and leave it alone!" he shouted the last words. His tone was spitful.

"But you're not okey." you stated, trying so hard to stand, but your legs kinda tremble.

"Oh really!? And since when are you so present to be able to tell that. Hm?!" his expression was mocking.

You couldn't get the words out.

You never feared him, you never felt you had reason to. But the sight of those irises, as cold as the weather outside when they always emanated joy, just overwhelmed you.

"Yeah." he swallowed "That's what I thought." Gojo's expression softened as he looked at your worried and slightly frightened face.

There was a moment of silence, filled only with the light sounds of the forest and the rustling of leaves bending under your weight.

"You don't understand." he stated "Of you course don't. How could you possibly-" he cut his sentance out.

"Oh, so I am so stupid for you, huh?" you said calmly.

"See?! That's what I said. You're treated like a fucking human being. And you know what?" he glanced at you, with a gaze full of despise "I'm so damned jealous of you for that." he was almost growling.

"When the situation changed and you locked yourself in your own world, no one fucking judged you. Everyone felt sorry for you, even me! Everyone just accepted it, like it was nothing." nervous, his fists still clenched tightly, almost painfully.

"But it's ironic, isn't it? You're the first person who really came looking for me. No one else, none of my friends from here, or even Sensei Yaga followed me here." he scoffed.

It was just getting to you, that all the trees that have fallen here are due to him. And there were really a lot of them. You also realised that he was also disappearing just like you, only in a different way. Because of his approach and character, you didn't make the connection. Yes, you were angry with him at first, because it seemed to you that nobody cared about his disappearance like you did.

You saw now that you were totally wrong.

You began to understand why he was helping you.

"They all always think I'm going to be okey, that I am the strongest, I could do antyhing." his voice faltered at the sound of the title being spoken. "They thought I can save anything." You have taken a few small steps forward. His breathing was ragged, nervous and shallow.

"He was … my best friend." his voice seems to quiet "And I didn't stop him. And no one, not even one fucking person, except you, knows what that's like."

"They're trying to understand." you said softly, remebering what Yaga and Nanami were trying to do.

"Come on." his voice was on the verge of crying. "You know damn well that's not true." his eyes still held the same image "Nobody cared." it was a venom-soaked statement. "Not after what he did."

"They didn't ask why, they just commissioned his executions like it was nothing, like all this years he spent here was nothing! Like he was nothing! Just.." he lifted his hands up slightly, loosening the grip he'd been holding for a long moment. "… just another curser who coused trouble."

Long silence ligered between you.

"I didn't wanted this to happend. I never wanted this. All I ever wanted was for things to go back to how they were before. Before that one stupid mission, before he lost himself, before... he burned eveything to the ground." he still was looking at you.

The sight of the burned village went over your head.

"Do you think I wanted it? You think I don't blame myself for all this? You think I didn't replay every fucking conversation in my head to find any detail I missed?" you said speeding your words. "Last months I spend repeting my whole life with him, over and over again, till it shattered me! I wanted everything to go back to normal. I wanted someone to tell me it's a fucking nightmare and I am gonna wake up, but guess what? I DIDN'T!" your voice ragged and on a verge of cry "He was my eveything; family, my best friend, my love-"

"He was my best friend too!! You forget that?!" he shouted, silencing you "I cared about him. I fucking loved him to my core!" He gripped his jacket tightly, right next to his heart. "And now he is fucking GONE!" he shouted the last word. "Gone because of me!"

He indeed silenced you for good. You didn't expect him to take a blame for that. Now everything made sense for you. Every action he took, every word he said.

"I was so blind, so stupid, I didn't see, because of me he gone wrong!!" you could see how angry he was "And everyone expect me to just fucking take it, like it is nothing!!" he clenched his hands into fists again, looking away "Like it didn't matter for me at all. Like he didn't matter to me!" he continue to shout, you were quite close, you reached out to him, trying to put your hand on his shoulder. He caught it, holding it in an iron grip.

"How the fuck he could not matter to me!? He was my best friend, one an only!" That was his storm, the beggining, that he wanted desperatly to control. A storm that unleashed aggression and sadness in him by turns. It flickered with his mood, unable to decide where it should erupt.

"Can't you see that this is all my fault? I was the one-" he stopped, you looked away, panicked, you didn't know what to do.

"ME! Don't you see?! I am the one responible for this damage. For your burned life, for his destruction." he growled, shaking your hand slightly "My blindness coused it. I coused it." his breathing accelerated and his head began to spin.

Satoru's head flooded in rapid thoughts

"I.." didn't see anything

"I.." didn't excepect this

"I.." let this to happend

"I.." let you all down.

His whole body fell to his knees, pulling you along with him. His cries rippled the area. Thick tears flew violently from his cheeks. His breathing could not calm down.

"I.. shi-... shit…" he stutter. "I'm sorry… I don't know what…" he tried to apologize, has just realised that he is painfully squeezing your hand.

You broke out of his embrace, tossed his glassed away, and put your arms around him quickly. Hugging his head to your shoulder and embracing him all over, in a warm embrace.

You are crying too, it hurts you too. Your crying was just quiet, you had your moments of anger and despair, this one was different.

"Shh.." you coo. You were trying to calm him down.

Satoru crumbled in your embrace. He cried, screamed, howled, growled, became hysterical. He was so vunreable, so weak to emotions that were going inside of him.

"I'm sorry, I am so so sorry." he cried.

"It's okey, I've got you." you reasure him, whispering.

You held him while his storm continued.

You were here. You, little simple you, in the face of the storm the most powerful being in the world. You weren't afraid, you sympathised with him. You treated him like a human being. You cared about him.

You felt your arm soaked from his tears, but you didn't give a damn. What mattered was that he gave this one a firm hug. It was as if you were his only anchor point, that he could grab onto, as the storm battered him in all directions.

You let him fall apart safely. Stroking his hair and back tenderly. Giving the comfort and relief he needed now.

"It was never your fault." you said, gathering your voice "It's nobody's fault." you said hugging him tighter, although you weren't sure if he could hear you, you continued. "You never burned my life. You saved it, you pull me every day out of the miserable hole I fell into after him. You gave me time and purpouse. You noticed m-me, you were there for me." you yourself barely spoke through the tears you shed "And I will be there for you, as long as you need me. As long as you are for me, I will be for you."

"Promise…?" he asked very quietly, between tears and ragged breathing.

"Yes. I promise." you said, you trembling hands pulling him so close.

"I promise too." he mubled, pressing him body even closer, even if it was impossible now.

You did not expect a promise from him, but you accepted it like the most precious thing in the world.

★ --

"You okey?" you asked shyly, wiping away the last remnants of your tears on the sleeve of your sweatshirt and sitting down on one of the broken trees.

"Yea.. no, but it get out of me for now." he said taking place next to you.

Silence filled the space between you again, the subtle sounds of the night returned to your ears.

"Thanks..." he said, you passed him a soft smile "You shouln't have to see that.." he continued.

"What? Your cry?" you asked. Althought is sounded somewhat mocking. Well, he kinda desrved it.

"Geeezz, rude~ You were so nice a moment before." he smiled a little, letting his breath out.

"Sorry." you mumble. "You kinda deserve it."

Silence again.

"You know.." he started "That was my first time crying in front of anybody." that statment took you by surprise. "I kinda hated it.. not gonna lie."

Now you remeber every time you cry next to him. The number is quite emberassing.

"Growing up, I was constantly told that I shouldn't cry. It was drilled into me repeatedly." He paused. "Eventually, I internalized it, accepting this rule as law. It became second nature to bottle everything up and push it all aside."

"Now in this situation." He bent down, spreading his legs. "It feels.. weird.. I never want to do that again." he looked down "In general I mean, but if it must happend.." he looked at you "..then it's okey, if it happend around you." you sighned.

"Now I feel embarrassed, when I remember how many times I cried in front of you." you smiled slightly.

He chuckled. "Don't count it."

"I'm not going to judge you for that." you reasure him.

"Yeah.. always so accepting and ressuring. It's kinda weird." his voice slowly came back to life. He continued.

"You've always been like this, haven't you?" he looked at you, placing his cheek on your hand and propping it against his knee. You glanced at him with a questioning look. "You never judged anyone, you always…. accepted it all…" his look was strange, he started to smile a little "That's quite impressive, in its sad and bitter sense."

"Maybe" you just said.

"You cold?" he asked seeing how you are trembling.

"Well, it's the middle of the winter night and I am in just my hoodie.. so.. yeah.." you were cold from the start, the dose of adrenaline and emotions just made you forget about it.

"Such a weakling.." he teased, you raised an eyebrow.

Now you're thinking how stupid of you to go outside in this time of the year in just that.

"Come here." said, opening his one arm.

You hestitated first, but eventually you move close to him. He embrace you with his long hand slowly. You wanted to say something, but he stopped you. His touch was still warm, even if he was here longer than you.

"Don’t worry about it. It’s the least I could do after you had to witness that," he said, with a hint of self-deprecation. Clearly he was frustrated with himself for breaking down like that. "I must've looked pathetic."

"You didn’t look pathetic…" you mumbled, glancing away, too shy to admit that his eyes were even more captivating when they were filled with tears.

"I didn't?"

"No." you replied softly, resisting the urge to reassure him further, afraid it might inflate his ego too much.

"Good to know." he looked at you.

You put your head on his shoulder. You felt confident enough to do so. Your own arms embraced your body, wanting to keep you warm inside.

Another long silence occured.

"You know what?" he started, looking ahead.

"Hm?"

"Tommorow is my birthday." he stated, but that wasn't a happy statement. "And also I go on a week long mision."

"I know." you moved a little in his arms. "I got you something."

"What?" he was suprised, but also curious.

"I've got you a gift." the smile on you face cought Gojo by suprise. It was so soft, so delicate.

You were planning to give him his present before he goes on a mission. That one digimon plushie was just waiting for him in your dorm, the last one from the new collection. You knew he didn't had this one, because he was yapping about how he didn't get time to get it.

But you did.

"How sweet, em.. Thank you." he said softly, being in his thoughts for a moment "I know this isn't a right time to celebrate.. but.." he got up with energy.

"What are you up to, Satoru?" you smirked, knowing he got some another crazy idea in his mind.

"Let's go somewhere." he said and stared walking in one dircetion.

"Wait! Where?" you asked going behind him. He was so back to his typical self.

"I don't know. Anywhere! Into the city, I bet we could get some convinient store cake.." he turend around "..get your present for me and celebrate my birthday.." you couldn't say no to him when he looked at you with such eyes. Especially when it came to his birthday.

That one event that changed everything.

The closer you got to the school, the brighter it was, as if you were coming out of some other dimension.

"And if everything would be closed, we can just.. dunno.. do something." you were close to the main gate.

"Okey, fine, lead the way." you said. "But, please can I at least get a jacket in a first place?" you asked looking at him with pleasing expression. You were really cold. He got this wide toothy grin on his face.

"That's the spirit."

You passed the main entrance when he asked.

"So what did you get me?" he was curious.

"That new digimon plushie." you passed him, when he stopped. He froze in place like a stone statue.

He suddenly stopped you, grabbing you by the shoulders.

"That one from the new limited collection." his eyes wide with joy and smile wide on his mouth.

"Mhm." you nodded, seeing his exciment.

"You're kidding right?" he wanted to make sure you're not teasing him.

"Nope, I got the last one from th- Hey!" you squealed when he lifted you up in tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" voice so happy like he was a little baby getting a gift. He turned with you, spinning in circles with ease, as if you weighed nothing.

"Then when could I get it?" he asked, when he finally stopped spinning, but didn't let you out of his embrace. For that, your head was still dizzy.

"It's in my room, I was going to give it to you-" you tried to catch your breath and calm your thoughts, he gave you no respite and this time pressed you closer to his chest.

“Well then, let's go get it.” you knew what he wanted to do. You wanted to protest. You hated when he do that.

"No, wait, Satoru no-!"

Only a few leaves moved as you both disappeared in thin air.

As he teleported you back to your room.

© noira-l 2024 | all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, modify, or redistirbute my work without permission

tl (open): @kalopsia-flaneur

[wings-of-ink]

Mini progress report, some ramblings and Patreon planning

Hello all! I just wanted to drop a note and check in. I haven't been around as much lately as I've had some busy things in my personal life going on (all good things, btw), and they've made me a bit sleepy. I have some asks baking in my inbox, but I will attend to them when I've got the energy saved up.

For now, I am still working on chapter 5 and she is a biggie. I do not know when the update will go through. I had hoped for October, but realistically it will probably be November. I'm giving myself some wiggle room since the season for me is shifting, and I often experience fatigue and some strong-sads when autumn/winter set in. I won't know for sure until it hits if I will be a sleepy mess or not, lol. Sometimes it doesn't hit until December.

Assuming I remain in good humor, I will be doing a lot of writing and testing in the coming days. Around this time last year is when I was finally writing the first chapter of GC. It really helped me get through the winter months, so I hope that this year will be much the same.

In fact, I found when I made the document for the outline and rough draft for the start of our story:

Between here and the very beginning of February 2024, I wrote the prologue and chapters 1 and 2 and then published them. This coming February, we should celebrate our 1 year anniversary, right?

Chapter 5 is coming along well. I've had a couple scenes that I want to go back over and refine since I either forgot something or they just didn't turn out the way I wanted. I have also written out an event that happens in chapter 7 which I am very (unreasonably) excited about. I could not help myself, it was burning a hole in my brain. It will, of course, develop a lot more after I have 5 & 6 actually done, but I can't wait until you get there.

Here is where Chapter 5 stands now:

This looks massive, but keep in mind there are two paths at the beginning of this chapter and each have unique events/consequences. Some of the text is shared here and there between them, and then they meet. This also includes code and such. I am at the mid-point of the chapter currently where there is a bit of downtime and the MC can get up to...a few things.

Such as this tease for a Duri-moment:

Just what are you two up to???

As for Patreon, if anyone is curious, I am still planning. The feedback I got from the poll along with messages and such have helped a lot. I am not sure when I will have things running since I am prioritizing the actual chapter writing while I've been busy with other things. Since my weekly schedule is going to be back to normal now, I can think about it more.

I have determined to take Patreon nice and slow. It will focus on just a few tiers to start (centered on only God-Cursed for the time being). From there, we'll grow things at a sustainable pace. Most were interested in extras (POVs & drabbles), so I will focus on those, early access, and spiciness. I had debated about starting this next year as opposed to, say, November or December. I may just shoot for whenever I have chapter 5 done. I feel like that's a good round place we can branch off from, and it will open up more flexibility in any bonus content I write.

I think that's all of what's been on my mind lately, and I've prattled too long as it is. I hope you are all safe and well!

Take care! ^_^

~ Lunan 🐦‍⬛

[yellowbunnydreams]

Footprints (Once Upon a December) ~William Afton/Steve Raglan x F! Reader~

~Hello! I decided that in the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to write a sort of Christmassy one shot for our favourite murder man. It might be a slightly long one, but I am pretty excited to do this one!~

@ruh--roh-raggy

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

CW: Slight angst, stalking, mentions of violence and blood, attempted sexual assault

"Alright everybody, I'm heading out. Have a good night!" You called to the office, hearing their cheery goodbyes in return as you pulled your coat tighter around you and shut the door to the office. The winter chill had certainly made a claim on the outside world whilst you were sorting paperwork and signing off on work-orders. You even missed running around everybody's coffee as you pushed your hands into your pockets.

Finding your headphones in your pocket, you carefully looked around before placing them on your head, partly to warm your ears whilst you walked home. Glancing up at the dark sky, you realised just how late in the year it really was, the nights long and cold with the faint yellowish tint in the clouds that hinted snow was coming. The thought made you smile, you had been hoping for a white Christmas that year.

As you scrolled through your playlist on your phone, selecting one of your favourite songs, you found yourself humming to it. Drowning out any other sound as your boots tapped against the concrete in a tune only you could hear. Though it meant you also couldn't hear the footsteps behind you, a slightly taller figure with their hood up and breath steaming in the cold as they kept their hands in their pockets. Focused on you as you remained oblivious to the world around you aside from what was in front of you. A grin spreading on his face as he licked his teeth, imagining what sounds you would make as they pressed a gun to your stomach.

His focus on you meant he didn't noticed that he too, was prey that evening.

The second figure was quieter, and larger than the first. A switch blade heavy in the pocket of his coat as he watched the one in front of his fidget with the obvious gun in his pocket. Trying to keep it warm to prevent the mechanisms from mis-firing.

A sickly grin crossed his face as he adjusted his glasses on his nose. Amateurs needed to learn, but not on somebody he cared about.

Your head bopped away silently, doing a little dance on the side-walk that made the second figure smile. He wished he could have seen how you danced properly, nothing to hold you back, how his large calloused hands would feel with yours in them. But he knew he could never have that, not if he wanted to keep you safe. That was what he was doing in the dark, making sure that you were safe from any harm that could potentially come your way.

His footsteps sped up as you began to approach an alley, the first figure speeding up too. Pulling out the gun from his pocket and holding it loosely in his hands, licking his teeth again as he thought of what he could get you to do at gunpoint.

Your stalker wasn't going to let any of that happen.

The man with a gun felt a large, rough hand gripping the back of his neck and throwing him down the alley before he could react. Yelling as he lost balance and toppled to the floor. The man who had grabbed him pulling out the knife from his pocket and kneeling against his guts, making the first man wince in pain. Head spinning as the blade caught the light.

"You'll never touch her. Nobody will ever touch her." The man with a knife growled, raising it slightly as he watched the man below him's eyes widen, opening his mouth and holding his hands up in defence.

"Hey man, I didn't know she was taken!" The one with a knife chuckled as he ran it against the pinned man's jaw. A dark glint in his grey eyes as he tipped his head to one side, leaning in before slipping the blade into the other's throat. Hearing his words choke and gurgle as his lungs began to fill with blood, feeling the warmth against his hands.

"They never do. And she will never know either." A touch of remorse to his voice as he slipped the knife back through flesh, raising it again and bringing it back down. A satisfying spray of blood against his cold cheek.

You took one headphone out and paused your walking, turning to listen at the quiet street. Straining to listen as you were convinced that somebody had just said something behind you, or that you had heard footsteps. Brow knitting together slightly as you only heard the wind picking up and howling through bare trees. The offices lining the road silent as the grave. Placing your headphone back in, you turned back and kept walking, headed for home and to be back into the warm.

Back to safety. Where your stalker could watch you and wish for something he could never have.

~~

You'd just finished loading up the coffee machine in the office when several of your co-workers came in. Whispering about something before spotting you and smiling at you.

"Hey! How're you doing today?" They asked, taking out various mugs from cupboards and some of them grabbing snacks. A woman with blonde hair and green eyes standing out to you as the little ringleader of the group. You couldn't really remember her name, but then again, you weren't sure that she knew yours either really.

"Not too bad, I can't wait for the snow we're supposed to get!" You laughed, tapping your fingers against the counter as you waited for coffee, thinking about the fact you wished you could be home making some sugar cookies to bring in for the office party that would be happening soon.

"Did you hear the gossip?" The woman asked, coming a little closer and acting a little conspiratorially as you shook your head. You weren't one for office politics, but it seemed to have caused a stir as even the other colleagues sat around the break-room seemed to be whispering about something in excited tones. "You know that creepy guy from Legal who always liked to bother the ladies?"

"Oh, Tim or something wasn't it?" You did recall the man. Larger, a penchant for wandering hands and a leering smile with hair that always looked greasy under the office lights. You steered clear of him after he'd cornered you against the fax machine and you'd felt his flabby hands moving over your hips when he thought he was being sneaky. Not that you'd told anybody about it, you needed the job too much to complain about somebody in his position.

"Yeah, well guess what? He didn't come in today, so they sent somebody around his house. Not there. Found his car smashed into a tree with him inside! Apparently he was pretty mangled, and they found empty bottles on the passenger seat. Drunk driving they reckon." The woman's eyes went wide and yours did too. It was a small town and news travelled fast, but you were sure gossips made it move all the more quickly than any media outlet could hope for.

You couldn't even say you were sorry to hear the news. In a strange way, you felt some relief that you wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. Thanking whatever power had made it happen, even if it was a terrible way to go. Some vicious part of you hoped that he had regrets he passed away with.

A light cough behind you stirred you from your macabre thoughts, making you jump and move out of the way as you turned to see who it was. Smiling warmly as you noticed the serious face of one of the counsellors behind you, eyeing the coffee that you'd forgotten you had started to brew.

"Sorry ladies, has this been here long?" He asked, voice gruff and gravelly, pointing to the coffee pot with a calloused finger. You shook your head, cheeks heating up slightly as you watched him reaching for a mug from the cupboard and pulling out a white one that looked tiny in his massive grip.

"How are you doing today Mr. Raglan?" You asked, smiling nervously as the older man glanced at you, raising a thick, greying eyebrow before he scratching his stubble. Humming in thought as he poured the coffee into the small cup and took a sip. Nose wrinkling and pushing up the gold framed aviators he wore slightly.

"Not too bad. I'm not a fan of the winter, Too many people being picky about their options for work." He grunted, nodding his head at you as he stepped away from the counter. "Yourself?"

"Not too bad. Stressed out really, there's just so much to do at home, I've forgotten to run to the store and get groceries again. Good thing I need to go on a diet before seeing family for the holidays!" You laughed, the woman besides you joining in. You didn't notice the frown on his face deepening as his steel eyes dragged over your figure and noticed that you had indeed gotten a little thinner.

"Well...Don't let your stress affect you. Sorry to hear you're having troubles." Raglan quietly consoled before heading back towards the offices. Sipping his coffee and nodding to anybody that passed by who called out to him.

"He's always got such a stick up his ass. But I suppose he does have stupidly low client return rates." The woman besides you muttered, grabbing her own coffee before returning to join the group she'd come in with. Loudly talking about the rumours and gory details about Tim's accidental demise.

You turned back to the coffee and grabbed yourself a mug, warming your hands on it as you slowly sipped and glanced at the growing dark outside.

~~

As you walked up your drive-way you paused. Blinking and cautiously approaching what looked like a dark shape on your porch. Blowing your breath through your fingers to try and warm them as you moved slowly. You didn't have neighbours that close to you, and you felt your heart pounding in your chest as you tried to peer at the object. Making out what appeared to be brown paper in the dark and cold.

Finally, you stood above it, frowning as you saw it was a collection of several paper bags. Reaching out cautiously, you gasped as you opened them. Eyes welling up with tears as you found the first one you opened contained plenty of tins of food. The second, some fresh veggies and the third some meats and meat substitutes as well as some cupboard staples. It was like somebody had done a shopping trip and left the bags on your door-step, and you looked around desperately. Trying to find who may have left them there.

"T-Thank you!" You cupped your hands around your mouth and called out into the night. Smiling brightly as you began to cry at the generosity. Not having a car had really limited you, and there was more food on your porch than you had kept in your house over the past month, donated by a random act of kindness. Unsure of who knew, or whether it was a mistake.

The only person you'd told were your parents and Mr. Raglan from work, but your boss had let you leave early in light of the growing dark and the fact that you had to walk home. Your parents hundreds of miles away. Mysterious benefactor it was, and your heart soared as you sniffled. Picking up the heavy bags one at a time and bringing them in from the cold.

Your stalker remained in the woods by your house, breathless as his heat steamed the air from his lips. He'd had to bolt from the side of your house, his car parked amongst foliage and mud to conceal it. It had been a risky move, to reveal that he knew where you lived. But the look of joy on your face after the understandable apprehension was worth it. And hearing your sweet voice thanking him made him shudder and groan lowly. You would never know it was him, he made sure of that.

But what he wouldn't have done to hear you say his name in that same sweet tone. The way your face lit up in a smile, he wished that you would do the same when he walked into the room. Whether you would laugh at his jokes, or cry in his arms. His calloused fingers dragged over his face and disturbed his glasses as he watched you through the kitchen window. Reaching up to put away things and organising them just so.

You hummed to yourself as you remained unaware of being watched through your window. Slowly taking your coat off and draping it across the back of your chair, hands on your hips as you stared at some of the ingredients you left out on the countertop, smiling to yourself as you wondered how you were supposed to pay back somebody who had clearly gone out of their way to not be known. But you decided you'd pay the kindness forwards instead, rolling up the sleeves on your blouse and taking out various bowls and utensils from the cupboards, turning on the radio and singing along like nobody was watching you.

~~

"Come on in." The deep voice behind the door made your heart thump in your chest as you carefully pushed the door open. Smiling brightly as Steve Raglan looked up from his paperwork and seemed taken aback that you were the one who had entered his office. Closing the file on his desk and throwing it into the out-going tray on his desk, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his salt and pepper hair as he regarded you coolly. Your name slipping from him after a moment's pause. "What do I owe this visit to?"

"I made cookies yesterday Mr. Raglan, and I wondered if you wanted some? I know you like to take late breaks and was worried you wouldn't get one if I didn't come to visit you with them now." You explained, feeling your cheeks flush in embarrassment, averting your eyes from his intense gaze as he wheeled himself closer in his office chair, humming softly as he regarded the plate.

"Cookies eh? Didn't you say yesterday that you were trying to lose weight?" He asked, brow furrowing as he peered over his glasses, eventually selecting a few cookies and raising an eyebrow sceptically as he noticed the shape one of them was cut into. "Is...Is this a bunny?"

"I um...I wasn't paying attention to which cutters I grabbed and it got mixed into my wintery ones. So I made it a snowy rabbit!" Feeling your cheeks burning hotter as he called out the one obvious thing you had hoped none of your co-workers would notice. Watching as he regarded them before biting the end off of the one shaped normally for the time of year. Chest fluttering as he made a noise of approval.

"It's okay, I like rabbits anyway. Cute little things, even though their hearts beat so fast, so flighty." Cracking a small smile at the corner of his mouth, making the fluttering in your chest more erratic as he set the cookies down the desk next to his cup of coffee.

"Have a good day Mr. Raglan, I'll see you around!" Smiling brighter as you headed out of the door, receiving a somewhat cheery wave from the older man as you departed. Feeling proud with yourself that you had plucked up the courage to go to his office and talk to him.

You felt sorry for Steve Raglan, he kept to himself, quiet and reserved. He never seemed to attend office parties either and you understood his reluctance to interact. You preferred your own company too at times, but there was something about the older, broad shouldered man that made you curious about him. Whether it was his unusually strong and rough hands from the few times he'd shaken yours, or perhaps the kind smile that he reserved only for when he seemed genuinely amused by something, you couldn't deny that Raglan was an attractive man for his age.

But you shook your head free of the thoughts, placing down the plate in the breakroom and smiling as you thought about your mysterious benefactor from the previous night. Your heart skipping slightly in your chest as you wondered who they were.

As the sky grew darker again, that yellowish hue haunting the clouds and threatening to open up against the night, you thought about how you could thank the kindness of a stranger you never realised you knew.

~~

Walking back from work for the past week had become eventful. And the point of your day where you looked outside and saw the dark winter sky closing in became both the highlight and the bane of your day.

Weird things has slowly begun occurring with more frequency since the groceries on your doorstep.

It started off as a feeling of being watched on the way back home. At first you were sure that your mind had been playing tricks on you, the cold wind howling past your ears like an ominous warning from the gothic horror novels you liked to read, the spaces between the streetlights casting long and distorted shadows. It was surely all a trick. A dream brought to consciousness by long hours and little daylight.

The second time it happened, the faintest powder of snow had settled across the side-walks. Not quite the coating you were hoping for, but you weren't going to complain that you could listen to the faint crunch of new-fallen snow under foot.

You'd taken to having your headphones on, but no music playing since you'd started to feel the eyes against your back. Turning your head around quickly as you reached the end of the street, you caught the glimpse of something moving at the corner of your vision. Pausing as your heart hammered in your chest, tracing back your steps for a few paces as you watched the dark spaces between the buildings.

Your heart sank as there were a second set of footprints beside your own, rapidly moving off into the darkness between the offices.

You'd turned tail and ran, the cold air burning your lungs as your muscles screamed. You'd never been athletic, but you could have ran a marathon in that moment if it meant getting away from the footprints.

Footprints in the snow.

The next morning you'd called in sick, waking up late and having struggled to fall asleep in case whoever had followed you was there. In case you were being watched. But eventually you dragged yourself in your warm pyjamas to the door, throwing it open and finding yourself somewhat disappointed that the snow hadn't stuck around. Your foot knocked against something and you looked down to see what it was.

A beautiful, full bouquet of flowers were laid on your step. Petals dewed up with the cold, an explosion of greens, whites and delicate blue forget-me-nots as well as some sunny yellow sunflowers. Carefully wrapped in cellophane and brown paper, tied with a purple ribbon. No note attached to them as you picked them up, and no sign of anybody approaching your door. You certainly hadn't heard any knocking.

Despite the alarm bells in your head ringing, you couldn't help the smile that had broken out on your face. Stroking the petals with gentle fingers and admiring them in the pale light of the winter sun. There was no note, but you could almost hear the message they sent amongst the faint floral scent.

'I'm sorry'

They lived in your kitchen after that, in full view of the window outside in case whoever had left them passed by. You reasoned with yourself that you just weren't going to let beautiful flowers go to waste but the small voice in the back of your head hoped that whoever had gifted you them would see them in the window. Know that you accepted their apology.

Whilst you napped in the evening, you were unaware of the smile that crossed the man's face when he saw them in the window. Feeling the rage and anger at himself for scaring you dissipate, as the petaled gift stood pride of place in your home.

The next few days had been spent glancing into darkened windows as you walked home. Trying to catch a glimpse of whoever it was that stalked you. Though you supposed 'stalked' was such a harsh word, it conjured up such a negative idea in your mind, of violence and harm against you, but you saw it more as a protective way. The flowers on your step, making sure you got home safely despite the fact you were never sure when they stopped following you on your journey. Finding a new pair of headphones carefully posted through your door when you hadn't worn them due to your ones breaking.

Everybody at work noticed your happier demeanour too, and the words had slipped out that you were seeing somebody before you even meant them to. Hearing your co-workers cooing over the fact that they brought you flowers and gifts always made your cheeks flush. You knew you couldn't keep up the façade of the mysterious date for long, but every time you talked about the 'date' who remained unnamed, you failed to notice how Steve Raglan's jaw clenched and twitched.

You had even quietly danced and sung along to a song whilst walking, hoping that the wild and dramatic spins of a ballroom dance might allow you to catch a glimpse of your follower. 'Once Upon a December' from one of your favourite movies, almost imagining your own sparkling ballgown and sweeping dance with a prince as you did so.

You never saw the man behind you smiling at the sight, humming along quietly to the tune and his feet moving a little to match the way you danced.

~~

The office party had been a roaring success, although you had spent hours agonising over what to wear and checking the weather report to make sure you wouldn't be too col. Deciding to wear a knee length gold sequinned dress and some black kitten heels, your hair done up nicely with some loose strands framing your face. In the low light, you looked almost like a princess.

There had been dancing, nothing like the dancing you had performed on your walk home, but you had politely declined multiple times when some of your male colleagues insisted that you go back to their home because snow was predicted to start. Perhaps it was the slight alcoholic buzz, but you refused on the grounds that it wasn't meant to snow. Of course there was one ass-hat who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, leaving your arm hurting and potentially bruised from where his fingers had gripped you tightly, trying to drag you. You were grateful for Steve Raglan appearing, distracting the man enough for you to slip away and make the decision to go home. The cold biting at your skin as you stepped outside.

The snow had begun to fall as you walked home from the office, the fresh blanket of white crunching slightly under your feet. Muffling any other sounds and turning the street silent, shivering as you wished you had brought a jacket to wear over your gold sequined party dress. But to your credit, the weather hadn't predicted snow for the day of the office party and now your little black heels didn't offer much protection against the cold and wet.

You couldn't hear anything. There were eyes on your back and somehow, you were excited that they were there.

As you passed by a window, you glanced to one side. Seeing the goose bumps along your skin, the way your lips had turned blue with cold. And the tall figure following quickly behind.

He kept a pace similar to yours. Left step, right step. Always in strides that looked painfully out of place so that they wouldn't crush the snow outside of your footprints. He didn't want to scare you again. You shivered, turning your attention ahead so he wouldn't know you'd seen him.

Suddenly, you allowed yourself to stop, heart pounding in your chest as you swallowed softly. You daren't look at the reflection in the window again, in case it wasn't real. Wasn't what you wanted to see.

"I know you're there." You called out softly, letting the snow absorb your words and so it felt like only your ears could hear them. "I guess...I should call you my shadow at this point."

No reply. Not a whisper apart from the caress of the wind against the buildings and between the cracks. Rattling glass and shifting the sequins on your dress.

But not alone.

"Thank you for the flowers, they really were lovely. And I'm guessing you were the groceries too? And my new headphones?" Keeping your eyes forwards, you tipped your head back and felt the snow falling against your cheeks. Breath steaming the air as you felt yourself shivering. Walking had been cold but okay, but now that you had stopped, the cold suddenly settled into your body and you couldn't help the shaking.

Crunching came from behind you as you felt your shoulders tense instinctually. Only a few steps, seeming to move out of your footprints so that you could hear them approaching. You counted two steps, wondering how close your follower was, but fighting back the curiosity burning in your chest to make you turn and look.

"I promise I won't turn around. I....I just wanted to thank you, but I also wanted to know..why me?" You asked, feeling the chill biting at your lungs and inside your throat as you breathed.

"You were so beautiful when we first met." The voice made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, how deep and gravelly it was. A hint of an accent you couldn't place that made it all the more alluring as you closed your eyes. Keeping your promise to not turn around and look. "And then...when I saw you walking home, I just..began to follow."

"Why didn't you introduce yourself? You sound handsome. I'm sure I would have said yes to-"

"Because I'm a bad man. Bad men like me don't get to have happy chances with girls who dance along the side-walks and hum along to songs like something out of a fairy-tale." He interrupted, running a hand through his hair as he looked at you back. So tantalisingly close, yet so far away. Swallowing softly as his heart beat quickly in his chest, unsure how to approach now that you were the one who had challenged him. Broken the silent wall he was comfortable to hide behind.

"If you were bad, you would have hurt me." You whispered, your own heart pounding in your chest as you opened your eyes and stared down the dark street. Straining to hear anything. Wondering if you were experiencing fever dream brought on by hypothermia before you heard the quiet sound of the footprints being marked into snow again.

There was a moment of pause before the final step was taken, feeling a presence ghosting against your back and hearing deep, slow breathing above your head. Not daring to move a muscle, you watched from the corner of your eyes as a large hand moved to your arm where bruises had begun to form. Eyes widening as you realised that the fingers were coated in red, leaving tiny streaks down your arm as you shivered under the snowflake like touch. Silence between you not uncomfortable as his other hand reached around, moving with the one barely touching your arm as he held them out in front of you.

His hands were coated in blood. Sticky and wet in the low light of the streetlamp, the snow sticking to it for a moment before it melted from the heat of his hands. You could see even under the gore that they were rough, calloused fingers. Hands that had led a hard life, clearly having taken it before, the evidence dripping from his fingertips occasionally and turning the snow beneath pink.

Carefully, your own hands moved onto his, ignoring the slickness beneath your slender fingers. He flinched as you touched him, but allowed your hands on top of his and you could feel him tensing behind your back as you pulled them against you. Blood against the gold sequins as his large hands instinctually wrapped around your stomach in a hug. Pulling you against his unknown body and the feeling of his chin resting against your head securing it so that you couldn't break your promise. He was trembling, joining your shivers as you both stood still for a moment.

"Aren't you afraid?" The question came from a broken, hoarse voice that made your heart break slightly. Your hands squeezed him tighter to you, gently pulling one from your midriff and looking at his shaking fingers as you placed your palm against his.

"How could I be scared when your hands tremble when you hold me close like this?"

"You can see I've hurt people. There's blood all over me...and now you too."

"I assume you had a reason."

"What if that reason was because I wanted to?" He challenged, his pulse pounding in his ears as he closed his eyes, expecting you to wrestle yourself from his arms and disappear from his sight. Fade away into the snow and the winter like a scared rabbit, thinking about how he wasn't sure he could continue to live in the same place if you rejected him like that.

You gently held his hand, gentler than he would have ever hoped for but still somehow stronger than he would have imaged too. You brought his bloody knuckles to your lips, breath warming his hand before you kissed them, painting your lips red with a stranger's blood. You felt his shiver against you and the sharp intake of breath above your head told you that the gentle contact with your lips had rattled him.

"I never said it had to be a good reason." Chuckling slightly as you let his hand slip away from his grip and return to your mid-riff, hearing his satisfied hum and shaking breath as he squeezed you to him. As if he was afraid to let you go. His head moving and tilting down, kissing your head gently, leaving his lips against your hair and letting you feel your warmth breath against your body. "What can I call you, shadow?" Feeling him pause as he thought for a moment, clearing debating how to answer, whether he should answer even.

"William...You may call me William." Eventually came from his lips, making your heart beat faster as you whispered his name back. Almost able to feel how quickly his heart thumped in his chest as you spoke his name so gently. Planting another kiss on top of your head.

"Can I see you, William?"

"Not yet, bunny...I... This is more than I could have ever dreamed of already. I'm...I'm not an easily scared man, but I'm scared you won't like the person I am." He answered slowly, before his hands moved from around your waist, leaving distinct imprints across the now crimson sequins of your dress before he stepped back. Making you shiver as you didn't realise how warm he had been against your back.

There was a weight on your shoulders and a rustle of cloth as suddenly you were enveloped in warmth, hands moving to your shoulders and looking slightly as you realised he had placed his coat over your shoulders. Dark patches stained the dark fabric, but you could smell cheap cigarettes and spicy cologne, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Keep your eyes closed, please? Let me have one more dream tonight." He asked, voice wavering slightly as you nodded, squeezing your eyes shut and holding his coat closed over your shoulders. Feeling him turning your body so that you faced him.

"Don't...don't make this goodbye, William." You asked, feeling the man pause as he stepped closer again, his large, rough hand cupping your cheek and stroking it with his thumb. "I-I don't care if it takes a while.. I...I feel safe, knowing you're there."

"As if I could give you up, brave little bunny." He chuckled, the sound making you light up as he leaned in. His eyes scanned your face slowly, the way your lips trembled with cold, how you looked with crimson against your skin, the wind stirring your hair out of the neat place you had placed it in. Swallowing softly, he allowed his lips to brush against yours, and you felt what you assumed were glasses bumping against your face lightly. "I promise that my footsteps will match yours...and we'll meet again..once upon a December."

You were about to speak, but you were silenced as his lips captured yours. Moving soft and slowly, as if he was afraid he might break your much smaller frame. His lips were slightly chapped, but he relished in how soft and warm you were, keeping your cheek cupped in his hand for a moment before he broke the kiss. Leaving you whimpering slightly as his warmth was removed once again.

Your fingers danced across your lips for a moment, smiling brightly and you couldn't help as you opened your eyes. Parting your lips to speak only for the words to die on your tongue.

You were alone this time.

William had gone in an instant, leaving you shaking and desperate for another kiss. Instead only left with the ghost of it against your lips and his residual warmth from his coat against your body. The wind howling as if agreeing with your loss, eyes watering and stinging as you turned away from the dark street once again. Slowly trudging your way back home, stuffing your hands into the too-big pockets of the oversized coat, burying your face into the collar of it and breathing deeply, trying to cling onto the last of him.

Until the next time you found his footprints in the snow.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles December challenge.

Same Time, Same Place

Prompt Day 16: Modern AU | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: None | Tags: Modern AU, Rideshare Driver Eddie, Slightly Injured Steve, Meet-Cute, Eddie POV

Eddie pulls up to the curb of the nice-looking house, and waits. 

And waits, and waits.

He considers canceling. He looks at his app again, and his passenger is supposed to be a guy named Steve. Finally, the front door swings open, and a guy in a suit, on crutches, struggles to get himself out of his house and down the sidewalk. 

Well, that explains the delay, at least.

Reluctantly, Eddie gets out and opens the car door for him, "Hi, I'm Eddie."

"Sorry, I'm Steve, thank you," Steve says, sliding into the back of the SUV, and Eddie takes his crutches from his hands.

"Front seat okay for these?" Eddie asks.

"Yes, thank you," Steve says, smiling at him, pulling his seatbelt over his shoulder. Then Steve looks down at his phone, and starts tapping away.

"Just you?" Eddie asks, because this guy booked the SUV-XL option. 

"Just me," Steve says, "I just thought there might be more room for my crutches and cast."

"That's definitely true," Eddie answers, he will give him that. And this guy doesn't look like he probably cares about the extra cost. Fine by Eddie. He'll take the larger fare. The band bought this big boat to haul around the equipment, and Eddie's been using it to pick up rideshare passengers lately, just to make a little extra cash so they can pay it off quicker.

Eddie hauls Steve downtown, and fifteen minutes later, stops in front of an office building. He hops out to help Steve out of the car. 

"Thanks, Eddie," Steve says, and he hobbles away towards the wall of glass doors.

Eddie completes the trip, gives Steve his five stars, and pulls away. 

He gets his notification of his tip a few minutes later, and it's nearly the cost of the trip. He's definitely glad he didn't get impatient this morning.

At about six o'clock, he gets another fare, and he realizes it's for the same building, and sure enough, out comes Steve. Eddie gets out again, and does it all in reverse.

"Thanks, Eddie," Steve says, and Eddie isn't sure if he remembers him from this morning, or just checked his name before he got in. He's going to go with the former, because unless he got a head injury with that broken leg, surely Steve can remember what happened eight hours ago.

"You're welcome, Steve," Eddie says, and takes him back home.

Eddie winds up getting the same fare, three days in a row, both ways, and it's one of the best parts of his day. Steve's easygoing, and he tips like a motherfucker. But on Friday morning, there's no ride request for Steve. Eddie even put himself in range of Steve's neighborhood to maybe help the matching process along, but he knew it was never a guarantee. 

Well, it was good while it lasted. Steve might be a little slow moving on his crutches, but he was always polite, and his tips were above and beyond.

Eddie's never had that kind of streak of getting the same passenger before. Sure, he's driven a few familiar repeat passengers, but not for several days in a row. Eddie wonders if the pool of new SUVs is just lower in the area.

That evening, he gets the ride for Steve again, and he's really happy as he heads towards Steve's office building.

"I'm so happy it's you again," Steve says as Eddie meets him on the sidewalk, "This morning was rough."

"Sorry to hear that," Eddie answers.

"I favorited you and everything, but apparently that's not foolproof?" Steve questions out loud.

Eddie didn't even know favoriting a driver was a thing a passenger could do. 

"I requested the big SUV, but that's not what he showed up in, which didn't go great with my crutches."

"What happened to your leg, anyway?" Eddie asks, because he's definitely been curious.

Steve laughs, "Well, I went skiing with my best friend, and she's clumsy, and ran me over. She's fine, but my leg, not so much."

Eddie smiles at him, "That sucks."

"Definitely. I can't drive for six weeks."

"Well, I'm happy to be your chauffeur whenever we're paired up, man," Eddie says.

And they chat more than they had on the previous days, and it's fun. Some passengers are rude, others are just quiet, but Steve's talking to him like they're just hanging out.

When he pulls over at Steve's address, Eddie looks back at him.

"Feel free to say no," Eddie starts, "but if you're interested, I could just give you my card. Then you could just contact me directly when you want a ride." 

"Really?" Steve asks, his eyes lighting up. 

"Sure, if you want to. We can try to request the ride once I'm right there, or we can do it under the table for way cheaper."

"That sounds great, Eddie. Thank you. Monday morning? Same time, same place?" 

"Absolutely. I'll see you then, Steve." 

And it goes on for weeks, five more of them, until Steve comes out of the doctor's office Eddie had driven him to, and Eddie sees he's cast free. 

He's happy for him, he is, but he feels a little sad that this arrangement has come to an end. He's had fun. Really, truly, had fun. He's happy Steve's free of the cast, but Eddie still feels a twinge of sadness. He's enjoyed spending thirty minutes of his day with Steve Harrington. 

"Look at you!" Eddie says, acting more excited than he feels. 

"I know! All better," Steve says, sliding into the front seat next to Eddie. 

And Eddie drives Steve home, dropping him off for the last time. 

Eddie's waiting for another fare, when his phone dings. 

[4:15PM] How 'bout I pick you up in my car for a change. Dinner tonight? 

Eddie smiles, re-reading the words a second time, just to make sure he isn't dreaming this up. When he's sure he's not, he says yes, and sends Steve his address.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see more of my entries into this month-long challenge, you can check them out in my Steddie Holiday Drabbles tag, right here!

[usmsgutterson]

Okay, five hours ago I was like "tim gutterson timeline where?? me make one" and now. we have this. a timeline is in the post but it's rough, and this is more of a post that has a lot of information and headcanons in a rambled out format because whenever something gets stuck in my head, I write how I talk and I don't feel like editing this to make it shorter, so. yeah.

OKAY SO!! Going off of the assumption that's part canon and part headcanon that Tim would've joined the military at least within the year he graduated, you can't just join the army ranger snipers on a whim. You usually start in a differing unit (typically something like infantry, as far as what google said) and then you join the rangers and then you have to either volunteer or be recommended for sniper school, and it is a whole fuckin process that I have so much in my little head about. this is 20 gallons of information in a 10 gallon head and I feel like I'm going to explode.

OKAY, SO!! I have this little thing in my brain that's telling me Tim would've worked for at least three or four years in infantry before completing the ranger assessment and selection program, then he'd spend at least another three or four years working in the rangers before getting himself into the army ranger sniper school in one way or the next. As for length of schooling I've seen anywhere from 4-8 weeks.

for deployments I've seen varying lengths, but commonly I've seen around 3-6 months with the max being twelve. Leave is also pretty short for army ranger snipers (2-4 weeks) for I'm assuming mental reasons--they're trained to keep sharp all the time and short amounts of time for leave before they're back in combat keep their minds as sharp as possible.

Doing the math on that so far, if Tim joined the military at 18-19 years old, he would've been working in infantry until he was 21-23, then went from infantry to working in the rangers and worked with them until he was 25-27 before going through the sniper training and becoming a sniper around the same age as he was when he would've been recommended for sniper school.

Say he leaves the military entirely after his three total tours as a sniper, he would've been discharged when he was around 26-29 and in the military for around a decade. My math might be wrong (I have a brain that likes to go weeeeeee every time something kicks my interest up so. often times my head moves faster than my fingers can type and math has never really been my strongest suit) but even then, even if it's wrong, I feel like the latest he would've left the military would've been around 30 years old.

Okay, so to put years and dates and shit to this timeline, here we have the roughened out timeline of Tim Gutterson:

1980: we'll say around 1980 for a birth year bc Jacob Pitts was born in late 1979 so 1980 isn't that far off. I feel in my chest that Tim was born somewhere between September and December because I know people born in between September and December (with the only exception being october, I do not know anyone with an october birthdate) and the ones born in September, particularly, are the same breed of sarcastic Tim turns into after he leaves the military, a.k.a the one we see in the show.

1998: tim graduates high school yay!! He takes the ASVAB and goes about the whole of the military recruitment process, joins infantry to start.

2002: okay so going with the four year thing, Tim would work in infantry until around 2002-ish, at which point he takes the RASP and joins the rangers.

2006: after working in the rangers for four years, he gets recommended to join the snipers yay!! yay for timothy!! he's around 26 at this point and after sniper school he joins the 75th ranger regiment.

also 2006: let's say his first deployment occurs in the same year as when he becomes a sniper. It lasts six months and he gets about a months worth of leave in the aftermath. for ease of purpose and also ease of math, let's say that this deployment begins in June of 2006, ends in December, and the leave takes him from december to january.

2007: he gets deployed again in late january, and the deployment lasts until around the middle to late middle of July. It's his second and final deployment to Afghanistan, and after two weeks of leave, he's deployed again in August.

2008: after being on deployment through his 27th birthday, he comes home in february of 2008.

The timeline for military stuff ends right there if you're following the loose canon that exists (I say loose because the wikipedia states that Art only indicated a t l e a s t three tours total as an army ranger sniper. At least is not an exact number but instead the absolute minimum number of tours he did as a sniper.) but for me?? personally, I don't. I feel like he'd have at least another tour or two under his belt because he seems the stubbornly dedicated type and he knows that leaving means going back home when there's not really a home to go back to I feel like he'd prolong it at least a little bit.

If you follow the shows canon, Tim kind of just fucks around a little bit until he goes to Glynco when he's around 33-34 years old. It's said in the show in the first season that Tim is the office newbie who's been there less than a year when Raylan comes in, but I subscribe to the headcanon that Tim would've worked for six or so months, if not a full year, in an office down in georgia before he was transfered to Kentucky.

OKAY, TIMELINE ASIDE, tim would've seen a lot of shit in the like, decade or so he worked in the military. I've been reading on reddit a little bit and the bond we see in season four during Tims scenes with Mark makes a lot of sense--it was a common theme in what I did read that the army ranger snipers had a lot of cameraderie with each other and from what the reading I did told me, a lot of them went on to miss it after they left.

I need to stop rambling now so I can focus on the fic i'm trying to write but like,, if anyone wants to blab at me about this, blabbing is encouraged because tim gutterson is not leaving my head until I go to sleep, and I'm not going to go to sleep for at least a little while yet.

[farfromstrange]

Lizzi’s Valentine’s Special & Follower Celebration

Dear Everyone,

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I thought, since this silly little blog hit over 1.1k followers yesterday, I want to give you something special.

First of all, though, I want to thank you. I’ve been on here since (and I checked with the archive) July 19, 2022. I can't believe that it has been almost two years. I started watching Daredevil after watching Spider-Man: No Way Home in December of 2021 and hearing Matt Murdock say, "I'm a really good lawyer," after catching a brick. So, I started watching the show, and that was during a time I was really miserable. Mentally and physically, I wasn't in a good place, but after watching Daredevil for the first time and falling in love with Charlie Cox as a genuine person and an actor, it felt like I found a reason to keep going.

I started writing fanfiction again, which I kind of neglected because I felt like this hobby of mine wasn't going anywhere. I wasn't inspired at all until I watched the show. If I hadn't, I probably would not have gotten back into writing and using it as an outlet for my feelings, and I probably wouldn't be where I am today. Thanks to Charlie's portrayal of Matt Murdock, and watching his interviews, I felt like I could do the things that I love again and follow my dreams. He's the reason I chose to major in English. And while I owe him that much, I owe you guys here on Tumblr and AO3 even more.

When I first posted here, I didn't think people would even be interested in what I had to say and write. But then more and more people started visiting my profile, you guys started following me, and it kept me motivated to keep writing, even when I'm miserable, and I sometimes only post once every blue moon.

I feel so honored that you guys chose to follow a silly little blog run by a silly little 20-something-year-old whose first language isn't even English (but made it her entire personality), and who chose to write about traumatized dark-haired characters portrayed by Charlie Cox. I'm overwhelmed by the love you continue to show me, and every time one of you chooses to reblog or comment on one of my works, saying that it resonated with you, I feel like I'm doing something right. I'm sharing my ideas, my own experiences, my wishes, and even my deepest, darkest dreams through my writing like it's a fucking diary, and you eat it up every single time.

I'm just so glad that this community exists, as chaotic as it sometimes is, and that you chose to stick around, even when I suck at keeping promises sometimes. You keep teaching me new things about who I am, my writing, and how important it is to put myself first. I don't know if you've heard it lately, but you guys are incredible and I appreciate the hell out of every single one of you.

Thanks to Tumblr, I made lifelong friends (especially looking at you, @blackshadowswriter) and found like-minded people that made me feel less alone. That alone was worth making this account and continuing to post on here.

You may think that I'm being dramatic, but for someone who has never really experienced the kind of validation this community gives me, I want to celebrate this milestone. It means more to me than I can even put into words. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I love you all so much! Please, don't ever forget how amazing you are.

That being said, I've got some exciting things planned.

The other day, I found a folder in my Docs titled "the vault". I completely forgot about it because I usually keep my WIPs in a different folder. As it turns out, I made that folder for fics that I originally never planned to post, or ones that I'd finished but wasn't happy with. It’s many, but it’s a few. Some are deeper than others. I also jotted down rough ideas and outlines last year that I stuffed in there, some of which I've actually shared with you but never started working on. Until now. And the contents of that vault are what I want to give to you now.

INTRODUCING: The Vault

6 stories from the vault. 1 bonus fic. 7 days.

I went through a myriad of emotions while I wrote these. For some, I actually bled my soul onto paper. For others, it was merely a brain fart that led to their existence. They're sad, horny, and at times angry, but some of those were originally written for me, and only me. Those that weren't started as a few sentences in a folder before I forgot they existed. Either way, I don't want them to catch dust. And I wouldn't want to share them with anyone else.

Starting February 14th, I will be posting one fic every day until February 20th. My “The Vault” works are Matt Murdock x Reader works, but I've made an exception for the bonus fic. I won't tell you what they are about, but I will give you a list of installments and what kind of fic they are so you know what to be excited about (and maybe which ones are not your cup of tea).

-> The number at the end tells you the date I will be posting it on, but I put it in chronological order as well.

INSTALLMENTS:

1. If You Need To Be Mean (angst, hurt/comfort) 14.

2. Mismatched Bridesmaid (fluff, smut) 15.

3. Weed Cookies (humor, fluff, cw: accidental drug use) 16.

4. the grudge (songfic, angst, hurt/comfort, cw: death of a parent) 17.

5. Halloween (Smut) 18.

6. I Want To Fuck A Priest (Smut, cw: priest!Matt) 19.

BONUS:

7. Now That We Don’t Talk (Part 2 of Is It Over Now?) -> Frank Castle x Reader (smut, angst) 20.

A few more words: You are free to send me an ask if you want to know more, but be prepared that I won't be answering in much detail. I don't want to spoil the fun. I would, however, not mind talking about them as vaguely as possible (if you’re interested).

Thank you all. For everything. And I hope you stick around to read these little gems.

With love from yours truly,

Lizzi <3

[to-thelakes]

built to fall (5)

pairing; luke alvez x fem!reader

series summary; after having a rough month, the feelings that you had been harbouring for your co-worker finally come to the surface

series warnings; fluff, hurt/comfort, smut (later on), mutual pining, discussions of mental health, reader gets drunk, vomiting, suggestive themes, sexual tension, cases that the bau work are also mentioned so the usual warnings for the show apply

warnings for this part; MDNI (minors do not interact) sexual content, fluff, tired reader, tired team, jj being nosy (we love her), smut, fingering, squirting, praise kink, soft!dom luke, self-indulgent smut, needy reader

notes; okay, hello my lovelies, i'm literally just dropping this and then crawling back into my hole because i woke up feeling atrociously tired and worse than i have since i got the flu in december, i will save you from the grim details but safe to say, i'm exhausted, but i gave this a little edit this morning and it's literally just self-indulgent smut and like just a little hint of what is gonna come for these two, we get a very very small smidge of luke worshipping reader hehe. like this is written entirely to my taste so whoops but anyway, i hope you enjoy <3

tags; @smurfenijsje12 @xoxomoonlightbabe

ao3 / masterlist

previous chapter

You were the last one to arriveto the jet after you had to stop off at your apartment to get a to-go bag together. You had rushed around like a headless chicken, regretting not being more prepared for this but it served as a good distraction from the wetness between your legs. 

By the time that you had clambered aboard the jet and dropped into the seat beside Emily, you had completely forgotten about the ache that Luke had left behind. Then when Emily began to talk you through the case, any arousal that still lingered was squashed. It was hard to think about how much you needed Luke when you were staring at pictures of mangled corpses. Really, your job was the biggest buzzkill.

Garcia popped up on the scene as the jet took off and the usual routine ensued. You discussed the case and came up with any preliminary theories before Emily told you where all of you needed to go when you landed. And you weren’t entirely sure if it was a curse or a blessing that she sent you and Luke to assess the latest crime scene.

Part of you was glad to spend the time with Luke but the other part of you didn’t want to have to try and keep your composure around him because you knew that would basically be impossible. 

However, you kept your mouth shut and the team then split off to do their own private theorizing and reading of the case file or just take a short nap before you landed. That meant that everyone was sufficiently distracted enough for JJ to quiz you about your late appearance and what Garcia had told her about you being at Luke’s.

“You got something you wanna tell me?” JJ asked, cocking an eyebrow with a wry grin on her face. You looked up from the casefile, furrowing your eyebrows as you ran through every possible scenario that she could be talking about. At first you assumed it was something about the case but then you caught how her eyes drifted to the mark on your neck.

The mark that you had forgotten Luke had left on you.

“I stayed at his place,” You shrugged, looking back down at your casefile. You wanted to talk to JJ about it but also you didn’t want the entire team knowing your business. You and Luke had just spent the weekend together and you hadn’t even discussed what the two of you were. For now, it was simply the two of you enjoying each other’s company in a less than conventional way.

“You just stayed over?” She asked. You glanced around and noticed how Luke’s gaze had lifted. He had clearly caught on to you and JJ’s whispering and you sent him a smile but that just made him lift an eyebrow.

“Yeah, stayed over, met Roxy, we went on a few walks and he cooked for me,” You forced your gaze away from the man in question to look at the blonde in front of you, “His cooking isn’t as bad as you’d think.” You had to bite back the smile that spread across your face. JJ narrowed her eyes before she nodded her head, “And we obviously kissed,” You said, lowering your voice even more. JJ grinned.

“Just kissed?” She asked and you nodded your head.

“We got… interrupted,” You mumbled as you stared down at the case file. JJ couldn’t help the choked laugh that escaped her lips.

“What? By Garcia?” She asked, baffled. You nodded your head.

“Duty calls,” You mumbled. JJ bit her lip, hiding her amusement as she glanced over at Luke. He had returned back to his work, reading through the file and pretending like he wasn’t listening to the two of you gossip.

“No wonder he seems so frustrated,” JJ commented. Your head snapped up and you stared at her. She was quick to throw her hands up defensively, “I’m just saying what I see.” You scoffed and looked back down at your case file.

“He at least got a release,” You muttered under your breath but JJ caught it. Her gaze flicked to Luke and then back to you before she felt herself internally cringe at the image that popped into her head. But she didn’t bother to say anything else, it was a conversation for another time when the two of you were alone and not looking at mangled corpses.

-

To put it simply, this case was exhausting. The team had been up for most of the night, investigating and setting up with the local PD. You and Luke had checked out the scene and gathered everything you could about the sadistic killer. But then you had returned back to the station where you settled in for the next few hours. It was a long night and your investigation dragged out long past the rise of the sun.

By the time that night fell again, the team was exhausted and had hit a brick wall in the profile. It was clear that nobody was really feeling their best so Emily ordered everyone to head back to the hotel and get some rest so they could take another crack at the case the next day. You were glad of the break. The exhaustion had made you feel brain-dead and you needed to switch your brain off for a few hours.

You, JJ, Luke and Emily took one of the cars back to the hotel and when the two women had taken off to their rooms, Luke walked you to yours. It was the gentleman thing to do - he had said - which just made you laugh. Both of you were exhausted and you couldn’t help giggle at him. You also knew that he wasn’t just being a gentleman.

He had dropped his bag into your room earlier so you didn’t even bother discussing whether Luke would stay with you. He was going to and he let you tug him inside once you had slipped into the room.

“I feel like my brain is melting out of my skull,” You muttered as you closed the door behind the two of you. Luke walked over to his to-go bag, an amused chuckle escaping his lip at your comment. You watched him from the bedroom door, a smile spreading across your face. He looked so cute. He was clearly just as tired as you were but he was keeping a brave face. You assumed that he was probably used to not sleeping amazing. 

But you wanted him to sleep well tonight. So you wandered over to him and leant up to press a kiss to his lips. He smiled down at you before he pecked your lips again. Then he told you to get ready for bed. So, the two of you switched into your pajamas and you curled up on the bed. Luke was still in the bathroom as you buried your face in the pillow.

Now that you were alone with Luke again, that familiar ache had reappeared between your legs. It was really not the time and you just wanted to sleep but seeing him shirtless and looking so domestic as you brushed your teeth together had you reminded of the weekend. The way he held you, kissed you and his moans and whines and the way that he had used you for his own release. It had all been so much in the best way and the memories were making you want him so bad but you were on a case, you couldn’t do it now. As much as you wanted to.

“Everything okay?” Luke’s voice brought you from your spiraling thoughts. You nodded, sending him a slightly fake smile before you shuffled to the side on the bed so that he could get in beside you. You hadn’t even realized that your thighs were squeezing together to get some sort of relief until you had to shuffle. The ache was worse now. 

Once he was comfortably under the covers, you moved towards him, ignoring the wetness in your panties in favor of snuggling up to him. His arm wrapped around your back, tugging you closer and you settled down, letting your eyes fall closed.

“Luke,” You muttered after a moment. He tilted his head down as you looked up, meeting your gaze, “I didn’t cross a line when we got called in, did I?” You asked softly. You would have asked him earlier but between the case and the rush to get to the jet, you hadn’t really got a chance to check in with him.

“No.” He said firmly. You nodded and rested your forehead back against his chest, “Just wish I could have repaid the favour,” He mumbled. You shrugged,

“You’ll just have to make up for it when we’re home,” You retorted. He let out a ‘mhm’ of agreement but his mind seemed distracted. You glanced up at him, feeling a sudden change in how he was holding onto you, “What’s wrong?” You asked quickly. He looked down at you, a devious look in his eyes.

“I want to fuck you in my own bed but I can still repay the favour in a different way,” He said as he moved his hand to cup your jaw. Your eyes fell closed, the thought of him finally giving you the release that you desperately craved just making you wetter, “And it might help you sleep a little better. I can feel how tense you are, carina,” He whispered in your ear. You bit your lip before you forced your eyes back open, looking at him.

“Please,” You whispered softly. He grinned and then he moved to sit up, his back against the headboard. He tugged you between his legs, your back pressed against his front and your legs hooked over his, spread out for him. Your head moved to rest back but the tension in your shoulders was still present. He leant down and slowly began to kiss against your neck, hoping that the soft kisses would relax you a little.

“Where do you want me to touch you?” He asked, his voice low in your ear. His hands were resting against your thighs, open for you to take. You bit your lip before you shifted your hand to grab his, slipping it under your pajama shirt. His hand engulfed your tit and he gently squeezed it, “Just there?” He asked, teasing a little. You shook your head and took his other hand, slipping it under the waistband of your pajama pants and underwear. His finger nudged your clit as you guided him to your slit and you twitched against him, “Fuck,” He breathed out. Your hand slipped away from him as his fingers began to move of their own accord.

He ran his fingers through your wetness, collecting it between his fingers before he dragged the fingertips up to your clit. He circled the bud and you let out a breathy whine. Your head fell back against him, your shoulders relaxing.

“Good girl,” He whispered into your ear as he began to move his fingers into a steady circle over your clit. It was a little slower than what you usually did to get yourself off but the slow build up of pleasure was tantalizing. He then shifted his hand against your tit to gently pinch your nipple. You let out a shaky breath, eyes falling closed as he moved, “Tell me if it’s too much,” He said after a beat. You nodded your head vehemently.

“It’s good, it’s so good,” You whimpered as he continued his movements on your clit. His head moved down to press a kiss to your hair before he shifted. His hand that had been pinching and playing with your nipple, trailed across your stomach and down to the waistband of your pants.

“I wanna take these off,” He said as he fiddled with the waistband. His movements on your clit hadn’t let up and the build-up was making you squirm. Part of you wanted him to go faster though. You knew that if he just went a little faster, you’d get that release you’d been craving, “Carina,” He whispered against your ear and you groaned softly, tilting your head up. You forced your eyes back open but they were half-lidded as he looked at you.

“Go a little faster, please,” You begged. It quickly became clear to him that you hadn’t comprehended his request which only made him smirk.

“Okay, baby, I can do that.” He was quick to comply, moving his fingers a little faster. You bit your lip, throwing your head back against his chest. Your back arched against him and he grinned against your skin. He was going to have fun with this. You were breathing heavily as your hands fisted into the sheets. 

The pleasure was building in your gut and you could feel that familiar pull of release but you didn’t want this to end. A low moan of his name fell from your lips when he suddenly began to flick across your clit rather than circling it. His free hand shifting from the waistband of your pants up to your neck. 

“Is this okay?” He whispered as he gently squeezed on your neck. You were practically panting as you moved one hand from the sheets up into his hair. You did your best to nod your head, panting out ‘yes, yes, yes’. His lips were resting against the shell of your ear and you felt the breathy chuckle that escaped his lips at your whining and moaning.

“Oh God,” You whined as your back arched further, fingers tugging at the root of his hair. Your walls were contracting around nothing, clit throbbing with each flick of his fingertips.

“You’re being so good for me, baby. Cum for me, carina. Let me give you what you need,” He whispered against your ear as his fingers squeezed around your throat. You were panting, eyes falling closed and his mumbles of praise was the last straw. 

Your thighs were shaking as you threw your head back, moaning his name as you came. The slick gushed out of you and his fingers were quick to dip down to catch it. He smirked against your ear, letting his hand slip from your neck to your stomach. You felt completely boneless and relaxed for the first time in months. It barely took anything for him to have you whining and keening for him and he couldn’t deny that he was high on the power.

As you came down, he pressed soft kisses to the skin of your neck and his hand that had been on your clit settled to rest in your underwear  but away from your sensitive clit. You had sounded so pretty moaning his name and he wanted to hear it again. He wanted to truly repay you for what you’d done for him, “Do you want another one?” He asked softly. His lips brushing against the shell of your ear. You bit your lip, eyes still closed but you did. You really did.

“Please,” You whimpered. He chuckled and slipped his hands up to tug at the waist of your pants and underwear.

“Gotta take this off then,” He said. You nodded and lifted your hips up so that he could slip the fabric down your legs. He didn’t bother stripping them completely and instead let them settle just above your calves. It gave him enough room to work and he was quick to slip one hand to your cunt and the other to your clit.

When he pressed his fingers against it, you shivered. It was still sensitive from your first orgasm but the pleasure from the slow circles he ran around it made the overstimulation easy to ignore. His hand on your cunt ran two fingers through your slit. You were so wet for him and it made slipping a single finger into your weeping hole that much easier.

The feeling of his fingers inside you had you keening but you knew that you could take more than that. It seemed Luke quickly understood that too and slipped a second one inside. His thick fingers filled you up just right and he curled his fingers inside you. Your walls contracted around him and he smirked against your hair.

“Oh, carina, you're desperate for it, aren’t you?” He whispered. You nodded your head, biting your lip as you canted your hips forward slightly. His fingers buried deeper inside you and he smirked, “Want me to move my fingers?” He asked. You nodded, begging him with soft whimpers of ‘please’ and ‘yes’ and he slowly began to move them in and out. His other hand was still circling your clit and the combination of pleasure was making you melt into him. Whimpers and moans falling from your lips as one of your hands buried further into his hair. You were gripping at his curls, canting your hips in time with his thrusts.

“Do you need me to be faster, baby?” He asked. You nodded your head, letting out a needy whimper as you turned your head to look at him. His eyes were hooded, blown-wide with lust as he took in just how destroyed you look. Mussy hair, parted lips, half-lidded eyes and the squelching of his fingers as he shoved into you, you looked beautiful.

“I-” You tried to say something but then he changed pace on your clit again. He began to flick it, moving side-to-side and all that came from your lips was a moan of his name. Your head falling back against his shoulder, “I’ll- your fingers-” You wanted to tell him, you wanted to warn him but the quicker he moved, the harder it became to speak. 

Your mind was becoming a hazy mush as he slipped a third finger into you. Your walls tightened around him, thighs shaking as you lifted up slightly. Body pressed against him, “You’re gonna- make me- fuck your fingers will make me squirt,” You finally managed to get out between breathy whines and moans. Luke smirked and it just seemed to make him move faster. His fingers slipped in and out of you quickly. Your walls were squeezing him, hips meeting his every movement as he flicked your clit quicker.

You felt it. The tendril of pleasure that was about to snap and then it did. It was like everything shunted forward and you squirted. His hands were soaked with it and it dripped down to your ass, soaking the bed beneath you as you panted, whined and moaned his name. He was pretty sure he’d never seen such a pretty sight.

“Fuck,” He groaned as he slowly pulled his fingers from you. They were shining with slick and he couldn’t help grinning. He hadn’t expected to make you cum like that but he couldn’t say it wasn’t a beautiful sight.

“Should have- should have warned you,” You mumbled as you fell back against him. Your head was lolling to the side, rested against him as you panted against the skin of his neck. He leant forward and pressed a kiss to his temple, shifting you forward so that you curled up against him. 

Your legs were shaking still, your pussy throbbing as you turned to the side to rest your head against him. His hands were covered in your slick and he was mesmerized by it, “I’m sorry, it’s messy,” You muttered, clearly you were fucked out. Your eyes could barely stay open as you rested your cheek against his chest.

“Don’t apologize,” He suddenly said. His voice was low, stern and serious, “Nothing wrong with messy,” He mumbled before he leant down and pressed a kiss to your forehead. He wanted to hold your face and kiss you properly but he needed to clean up his hands first. You also needed to go to the bathroom.

“Thank you,” You muttered. He pressed another kiss to your forehead before he coaxed you out of your post-orgasm bliss. It wasn’t long before he had taken you into the bathroom and while he washed his hands of your slick, you sat on the toilet. You were so tired but you pissed, wiped yourself up and joined him at the sink. You washed and dried your hands before you trudged up to him. You wrapped your arms around his torso.

He wrapped his arms around you, tugging you against him before he connected your lips into a soft kiss. It was just a few pecks before you pulled back, eyes half-closed. The sleepiness was making its presence known and he knew that you both needed to get some sleep. Also, your post-orgasm bliss had only seemed to make you even sleepier. You seemed more relaxed than you had been all day. He felt bad for leaving you so worked up but it wasn’t going to do that again.

With a gentle tug, he took you back into the bedroom and he checked over the bed. There was only a small patch of wetness which he was quick to avoid as he tugged you under the covers. Part of him felt bad for making such a mess and not having the forethought to lay a couple of towels down before he fucked you with his fingers but he had seen you squirt tonight and so, he wasn’t really sorry at all.

When you both got back into the bed, Luke let you curl up on top of him. Your head rested against his peck, the soft thrum of his heart lulling you into serenity.

“Can’t wait to be back home. Wanna see what else you can do,” You mumbled softly against him. He chuckled, his chest vibrating with it as you smiled against his skin. He moved his hand to rest against your back, running patterns along your skin.

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” He responded. You hummed back before finally letting yourself succumb to sleep. Within seconds, you were conked out and he just watched you for a little bit. Your chest rose and fell steadily as you snuggled against him in your sleep. It was soothing to have someone after so long. He wanted you to fall asleep against his chest for the rest of his life and he loved you even if he wasn’t ready to tell you that yet.

<3

next chapter

[mrfrogz]

Mistletoe (Sova x Gender Neutral Reader)

Hey guys! Time to bless(or curse) everyone with my second oneshot on here :) I did write this a long time ago, but better late than never lol. Again, it was first posted on my Ao3 so if you're interested please click here! As a side note, I'm sorry if any of the Russian translations are wrong, I used Google Translate. This oneshot will have a part 2 (a very spicy one at that) but I'm not sure when I'll post it :( But I hope you guys enjoy the part one! ____________________

Sova recently gained an injury on a..less than successful mission with Kingdom. It was a minor one, there was no need to worry about his life. However, it left him out of the action for at least two weeks. You, being more of a "behind the scenes" person than a fighter, kept Sova company. So far one week had passed and you two became closer than before. You and Sova were always friends, but now with you occasionally tending to his injury and always keeping his spirits high, you two got even closer.

It was the start of his second week in recovery when you had decided to teach Sova all about the classic Nintendo video games. Considering he never got free time and whenever he did, he was busy tinkering with his bow, you thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to help him relax. You had gone over the classic Mario games and were about to start on the first Zelda game when you two decided to take a break for lunch. You had been cooking for the both of you but today Sova wanted to go out; he would pay, of course, he never let you or anyone else pay for that matter. You were zipping up your boots and Sova was putting on his jacket when he asked…

"любовь, where's your favorite place to dine?" Recently, he's adopted that nickname for you. You had no clue what it meant, and he wouldn't tell you. He did, however, reassure you that it was something very positive and he smiles each time he calls you that. So, that was good enough for you. For now.

"Sov, I've already told you that we can eat wherever you want. You're paying for it after all!" You smiled up at him before standing. He had asked you that multiple times already, clearly not backing down.

"I know that, but I want you to enjoy it as well." Sova opened the door for you, gesturing for you to walk through with his other hand. You did so, while shaking your head playfully.

"As long as I'm with you, I'll enjoy it." It was a bit more forward than you intended but you still meant it. You could've sworn you saw Sova's pale face go a bit pink, but you shrugged it off. After a few minutes of silence, with Sova realizing you truly didn't care where the two of you went, you had arrived in the busy downtown. It was cold out, as it was right in the middle of December. It wasn't snowing yet, however yesterday's snow was still all over the place: the ground, buildings, cars. Wherever it could get, the snow was there. You were shivering slightly, despite the hat, gloves, and jacket that Sova insisted you wore. You didn't do so well in the cold, Sova was the complete opposite. Sova glanced at you, frowning seeing your nose slightly red.

"Are you okay, любовь?" He inquired, taking off one of his gloves and cupping your cheek. He was feeling how cold your face was. You couldn't help but flush from the action, avoiding his piercing eyes. Sova just frowned more, rubbing your cheek gently with his warm fingers. "We should get you inside, Y/N. You're freezing."

You gently shook your head, not wanting the feeling of his rough skin on yours to go away. Instead you smiled unsurely. It was true; you were freezing, however you didn't want to go anywhere Sova didn't want. "I'll be alright, don't worry about me." He merely scoffed lightly and grabbed your hand, pulling you into the nearest restaurant. Which actually wasn't a restaurant at all. Instead, it was a small café. You relaxed at feeling the warmth from the heating system. You felt a lot better already. Sova smiled seeing you relax, gently letting go of your hand once more. You had to hold in a frown at that action, wanting his touch once more. You had a hard time admitting it to yourself, but you had grown a small crush on the Russian man standing next to you. You had tried to convince yourself that it wouldn't become anything more than a stupid heat-of-the-moment thing, but his caring and protective nature just made you fall deeper and deeper into his spell.

"Y/N!" Sova called, already sitting down at a table. You shook off your thoughts, making your way to your seat across from him. "Lean forward." He said, providing no other explanation. You were taken aback, raising your eyebrow.

"Excuse me? Why?" You replied, not moving. You took your gloves off and set them on the table, seeing Sova abandon his.

"I wanna feel you." Sova remarked, not seeing anything wrong with that sentence. You, however, having read many a fanfiction choked at that statement. Your mind immediately went to a different place, and your face flushed once more. However, this time it was bad enough that it spread to your ears. Sova, not realizing the implications he provided, tilted his head slightly. "любовь, why is your face red? Are you alright?"

After you calmed down your thoughts, you nodded your head a bit. "I-I'm fine Sov…here." You leaned forward a bit, not bothering to ask for more explanation. He smiled softly and gently stuck his hand out, feeling your forehead and then your cheeks. Without fail, you flushed once more. However this time, you managed to look Sova in the eyes. As he cupped your cheek, the two of you made eye-contact.

"You feel much warmer now, Y/N. I'm glad." After a quick second of you two staring at each other he brought his hand back down. Sova then looked around a bit before standing up. "милый, what do you want to drink and eat? Like I said before, I'm paying." You tilted your head slightly at the new nickname.

"That ones new…what does it mean?" You asked, ignoring his own question for a second. "And hot chocolate and a bagel please," Then you responded. You could see his blue eye gleam for a second before he smirked. That smirk that made your knees weak.

"Darling." He said blatantly before walking off to get in line, leaving your face red once again. You shook your head. He didn't just say that, right? Surely you must just be imagining things. Still, you couldn't get the way he said that out of your mind. Darling. And he was saying that to you! Unfortunately, this train of thought was interrupted.

"любовь! Whipped cream or no?" Sova asked, looking over at you from the line. You nodded your head shyly, embarrassed by your own thoughts. Sova also nodded in response and turned back to the cashier. You were easily brought back into your thoughts though. Why did he call you darling? Was it just a friendly term in Russia? Or…did he…No, he couldn't. You weren't brave enough or 'cool' enough for him to share the feelings you have for him. Or so you thought.

"He keeps making my head spin…" You mumbled, looking down at the table, running your hands through your hair. Unbeknownst to you, a certain tall Russian archer was staring at you, wishing he was the one running his hands through your hair. He cleared his throat once he made it to the table, setting your hot chocolate and already cream-cheese filled bagel down in front of you. This took you out of your thoughts and you looked up. Smiling, you said, "Thank you, Sov." He smiled back, with a slight nod of his head. He went back to his side of the table, setting down his cup of coffee.

"Of course Y/N, anything you want I shall get you." He laughed afterwards, but you couldn't help the faint blush that formed on your face. Sova took a long sip of his coffee, and you looked down at your bagel.

"Did you spread the cream cheese for me?" You asked, looking back up at Sova. It seemed his pale skin went faintly pink, just like earlier. You were surprised by this, because you really thought he didn't share any feelings. Maybe it was just a fluke…

Sova finished sipping his coffee and shyly nodded his head. "I did, милый. I hope you don't mind." He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes. You felt your body heat up. There that word was again. Darling. You avoided looking at Sova as much as he did looking at you.

"I-It's fine, I really appreciate it." Still, you smiled as some form of thanks. The two of you finished your drinks, laughing occasionally at some joke one of you made. It was nice, escaping the cold and enjoying some quality time. It almost, felt like a date? No, you were just making things up. After you finished and put your gloves on, Sova stood up. He extended his arm for you to take, smiling.

"Shall we?" He asked and you took his arm, nodding your head.

"We shall." You two started walking out of the café like some Victorian couple, until Sova suddenly stopped. He looked up and a smirk slowly made its way to his lips. You tilted your head and looked up as well, raising an eyebrow.

Sova spoke up after a minute. "омела…Mistletoe." He looked back to you, smirking and gently cupping your cheek in his gloved hand. "May I kiss you, любовь?" He asked in a soft voice, looking into your eyes.

Needless to say, you were in shock. The moment you've been dreaming of is finally happening and you stared at the other's lips. "W-Why?" You asked, biting your lip.

Sova tilted his head and chuckled nervously. "Why? What do you mean, why? I want to kiss you, and we're under mistletoe. I thought..that's what happens?" He asked, seemingly just as confused as you.

You avoided looking at Sova, afraid he was just doing this because of some tradition. "I-If you don't wanna kiss someone, you don't have to even when under mistletoe." You explained, a little disappointed that he might not actually want to kiss you.

Sova chuckled softly and shook his head. "I do, I do want to kiss you." He gently stroked his thumb against the softness of your cheek. "I have, for a while I must confess. But I was afraid of coming on too strong."

You raised an eyebrow, a bit amused that he was afraid of coming on too strong. "And calling me darling isn't too strong?"

That earned another chuckle out of the Russian man standing before you. Luckily, nobody came in or out while the two of you were having this moment. Talk about buzz kill. He shrugged, "Friends can do that, right? I hear people say it all the time, I figured it was subtle."

You shook your head with a smile and gently flicked Sova's forehead. "Sov, no. It makes me flustered every time, you think I took it as something friendly?" You asked. "But then you just treat me as a friend so.." You trailed off.

"I suppose so..But I don't see you as just a friend. You're someone who I want to love. When the Earth turns into a frozen wasteland, I want it to be you who's by my side." He smiled. "So, let me ask you again. May I kiss you, любовь?"

You just nodded your head, going on your tip-toes in order to reach Sova's lips. He gently connected your lips to his, being so gentle and soft with his motions. All of the butterflies in your stomach exploded and you melted into Sova's hands. One arm of his moved to the top part of your waist and you could tell he was smiling in the kiss. It was truly a magical moment between the two of you. After what felt like a glorious eternity, Sova pulled away.

"You're a very good kisser, милый." He smirked softly. "I should've asked sooner, if I was to experience heaven without ever dying." He flirted, followed by a soft chuckle.

Your face, naturally, flushed and you avoided eye contact. You let out a nervous chuckle, and your heart was beating a million miles an hour. "Let's just leave before we block someone's way out, okay?" You said, opening the door and walking out with Sova following you, snickering under his breath. He grabbed your hand and held it, smiling.

"Does this mean you'll be my date to the Christmas party?" He asked, squeezing your hand gently. "If so, what color do you want to show up in? Brimstone told me that all the couples are gonna show up in matching colors."

You pretended to think about it, tapping your finger against your chin comically before breaking cover and laughing. "Yes of course I'll go with you! And what about green? It's my favorite color." You smiled.

Sova nodded his head. "Green..okay, I'll have to remember that. But thank you for going with me." He brought the back of your hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it even if you were wearing gloves.

"Of course, who else would I go with? After all, you're the first one to make out with me in a café. Yoru was a close second." You joked, shrugging nonchalantly.

Sova rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by your joke. "Yoru? What did the 'oh-so-great shadow walker' try on you? Makes sense he didn't have the balls to kiss you though, he's nothing more than a трусливый." He scoffed, mumbling what you assumed were curses in Russian.

You playfully ruffled Sova's hair, standing on your tip-toes as you did so. "Oh hush, he didn't do anything. I was just messing with you. You're the only one to have kissed me out of the group." You reassured him. "And I hope it stays that way." You smiled.

Sova seemed to regain his confidence with your reassurance. "Of course it will! I've just caught the prized prey, I'm not letting you go until I take my last breath." He smiled back, giving your hand another gentle squeeze.

You raised an eyebrow. "I'm your prey, huh? I always knew you had a primal kink." You joked, laughing softly.

Sova merely smirked and hummed softly. "Oh, you have no idea little one."

[positivelybeastly]

I'm just curious what the Beast and Abigail Brand relationship is like? (I haven't really read any of the x men comics until now.)

Ouaghhhhh . . . okay, so.

Full disclosure, I am a late comer to the truth of Wonderbeast, and, in fairness, I have an excuse! My trajectory for getting into Beast was reading him in X-Treme X-Men and New X-Men in the early 00s, then falling out of comics for a good long while until X-Men: First Class got me back in. When I got back home from watching the movie, the very first thing I did was go on Amazon, and type in 'X-Men comics.'

This was the very first result I got.

That is my legit Amazon purchase history right there, by the way. December 2011, verified, right there for you.

I bought the first volume, consumed it voraciously, then bought the other three volumes rapid fire. I still have them.

And this is how the Beast/Brand pipeline begins.

When we meet Hank in Astonishing X-Men, he's at a very rough place in his life, still. His best friend, Jean Grey, has recently died, he's still struggling with his anxieties and insecurities over his secondary mutation, still reeling from the psychic attack by Cassandra Nova, and, as if to rub salt in the wound, he's presented with the simplest solution to at least most of his problems.

A cure.

Because let's be real here - we can call it a mutant gift all we want, but some people have it worse than others. Beak, Glob Herman, Maggott, Dummy, Forget-Me-Not, Beast - these people have powers that suck exponentially more than Storm or Cyclops or Emma Frost. They just do. And I am well aware of the fact that this is a nuanced discussion, that Scott has to wear his glasses/visor, and that Ororo has to maintain control over her emotions so that she doesn't wreck the weather systems, I get that. I know that.

But.

It always hits me, the fact that Logan cannot respond to Hank's point specifically. He cannot argue that Hank's X-gene specifically makes him dangerous, because to do so would be fucking insulting - all he can do is blow it out to a macro level, and make it about Hank's status as an X-Man, about the fact that an X-Man admitting that some mutants just want to be cured and all that implies would be a massive blow to everything they represent.

And that is a point, one that has to be weighed up, but you can't act like this isn't literally dehumanising for Hank. Logan literally says he's not a human being, he's an X-Man - his duty outweighs his right to peace of mind and humanity.

Also, no, I don't care that Hank 'did this to himself.' Hank turned himself blue and furry, yes, and he made his peace with that.

But he did NOT choose to mutate into a feline monster with less fingers, new predatory instincts, less humanity. This is a nuance that is almost always lost in this conversation - Sage made this choice for him, and that will always colour this stage of Hank's life. It's very well likely that he might've chosen to go ahead with the mutation anyway, to save his life, but it doesn't matter because he never got the chance.

Treating Hank's different mutations as broadly the same, despite the fact that they are eminently different and they make him feel differently, is one of the many nuances that is often lost by both writers and the fandom at large, and it makes him a less complex character as a result. It is important that classic Hank would not have chosen to cure himself, but feline Hank would. That is important.

This probably seems like I'm getting off track, but I promise you I'm not. This is all vital context for this relationship.

So, the cure is destroyed, although Hank has one sample of it sitting in his lab by the end of the story.

Now, by this point, Abigail Brand has entered the story. She is, to put it bluntly, an asshole - Nick Fury with less warmth.

It's also vitally important that you know that Hank and Abigail's literal first interaction is him making fun of her. I'm not kidding.

So, we fast forward a little bit, and Cassandra Nova comes back, and. Well.

Hank's literal stated worse fear. Thanks for the second dose of trauma, Nova! Really love that!

This is also very important to their relationship. Swear down. Hank is, unfortunately, an unwilling cannibal, and it's all continuing his increasing alienation and isolation and dehumanisation. For someone who is, I would say, best characterised as a humanist, to become, if you'll forgive the ghoulish joke, a humanitarian, is ego shattering.

Anyway, Hank and Abigail begin to interact more and more as S.W.O.R.D forcibly recruits the X-Men to help them with their problems.

And thus, a. Tension, begins to develop.

Anyway, remember how I said cannibalism would be important?

And things continue to roll along . . .

Oh my . . .

Ouuaughhhhh . . . I love heart on his sleeve Hank . . .

So, what is this all building to? Well . . .

And there it is.

Abigail Brand is a massive monsterfucker, confirmed. Love her for that.

Now, this exchange kinda reads differently now, after all the mud that Hank's been dragged through since the mid-00s, especially with X-Force and everything, but at this point in continuity, Hank was still very much one of the most moral, ethical, well regarded heroes in the entire Marvel Universe. He would often be given maxed out stats for conscience and wisdom in expanded material, people would repeatedly state that he didn't have it in him to kill, that he could be trusted to do the right thing - he was a moral counterweight.

And the fact that Abigail wants him on her side because of that? To be her professional bullshit caller? To bring her up to snuff? That speaks a lot about her, honestly. She is not just a thug. She feels. She cares. She has a sense of right and wrong, it's just distorted sometimes by the wider scale of dealing with intergalactic politics and all the attendant bullshit that goes along with them - and Hank gives her perspective. He grounds her.

And to Hank, this is a fucking brand new epoch. He's just coming off a relationship with Trish Tilby where she explicitly rejected him because his form repulsed and scared and unsettled her - and now, this woman wants him because his form is familiar to her. Because it conforms to her sense of attractive. It gives him an all new perspective. He looks like her people. What must that feel like to Hank?

Suddenly, it isn't, I'm a monster to my fellow humans, it's, to the right people, I look beautiful.

(Well, Abigail would likely not use the word beautiful, but.)

That is immensely attractive! And let's be real here - this is all kinda mercenary, to begin with. Abigail wants to fuck Hank because he's hot, and she wants to work with him because she's trying to be a better person but can't trust herself to do it properly; Hank wants to fuck Abigail because he's lonely and isolated and wants to feel wanted, and he wants to work with her because it's a chance to be a contrarian full time!!! What more could he goddamn want?! Feelings have not yet begun to enter the equation.

But that's fine, because this is fun.

And we can let things cook . . .

And it's clear that it takes a little bit. Feelings are entering the equation, but it's not impossible for things to take a backslide here and there. They don't quite completely trust each other yet. They're cute together! But they're still brittle at this stage.

Things could still break apart - except, Abigail does have a heart.

Look at that smug motherfucker.

What really seals it for me is this, though, from a later arc of Astonishing X-Men.

For someone like Abigail Brand, for whom work is everything, there is no clearer way to say 'I love you' than this. She wanted to protect Hank from the consequences of his actions. She wanted to protect him from the perversion of his work, done with good intentions but perverted for ill. She worked, for months, off the books, on things that weren't her jurisdiction, because of Hank.

There's so much that she's not saying here, but this is the EXACT SAME WOMAN who, if you scroll up, just panels ago, was saying there was NO-ONE she would not sacrifice, no enemy she would not sleep with, if it meant that Earth was safe.

The Earth . . . and Hank, apparently.

That is huge.

Also, they kinda have a kid together? Sort of?

That's Broo, Hank's protege. He happens to be around because of a whole adventure where Hank pulled the X-Men into a Brood related nightmare that ended up producing a mutant Brood with compassion and emotions and empathy.

A Brood related nightmare where Abigail was in danger. And why was she in danger?

Because she was being heroic, huh?

And then there's this . . .

Now, this is from Siege (2015), part of Battleworld, so it isn't quite 616 canon, but it's the exact same writer as S.W.O.R.D, so I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that this is exactly how Abby feels about Hank in 616 as well.

"After McCoy, she will never let herself love anything."

Ouauuhhghhhhh . . . they complete each other, quite frankly. He's the moral counterweight to her pragmatic solutions. She's the realist that reminds the optimist that the world isn't sunshine and daisies all the time. He's the bright, colourful, bounding genius, she's the insanely deadly workaholic who hates you. Enemies to lovers.

This is crack to me, friends. This is crack cocaine.

Also, I reject the idea that they're on-again, off-again. These two were locked in from S.W.O.R.D onward, and I refuse to hear otherwise.

It's incredibly clear to me that the X-Men never understood this relationship, just like how they never really understood what makes Hank tick in general, and so they just make assumptions based on what they think they know, because we're literally never shown these two in the middle of one of their supposed arguments. Every time they're on panel together, they're flirting and backing each other up, consistently, every time. Even during X-Force, Abigail is pretty much the only person that Beast treats with respect, and love, and care. They hug, which is unheard of for that version of the character.

Well. There is one other character evil Beast treats with care.

Man, X-Force #50 was all kinds of gay . . .

Anyway. If it weren't for Simon, Beast/Brand would absolutely be Hank's One True Pairing. As it is?

Hank has two paws. He can hold two hands.

[tragicallyuncreative]

can we get a new ATEOTR sneak peek 😩 i’ll pay you

I'm a little late responding to this. I'm so sorry this break between chapters has been dragging, guys. It has been a ROUGH few weeks with 36 - 45 hours of clinicals per week, plus lectures, labs, and tests every Monday. Not to mention I commute over an hour to get to class and between 45 minutes - an hour and a half to get to the different hospitals I'm assigned to. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though- Thanksgiving break coming up and end of the semester the second week of December- I can promise lots of writing/ updates then. No promises, but am very close to being done with Chapter 4 and would love to get it out within the next week. But y'all have been very patient and it's only fair to give another sneak peek. This will be the last one before the update! BTW- this chapter is a long one so will be split POV between Ponyboy and Darrel.

At The End Of The Road: Chapter 4 Excerpt

Darrel “I-” my voice broke and I cleared my throat, continued in a husky voice, “we gotta go to the hospital, Ponyboy.”

He just looked at me. “Huh?”

“That was Dr. Thompson. He wants us to go to the emergency room and they gonna admit you from there. You need to pack a bag.”

“Why? What’s wrong with me?”

“It’s- um, there’s people at the hospital who are gonna talk to you ‘bout that when we get there, okay? They can, uh, explain better than I can.” There was movement to my left, and Soda sidled in and stood beside me, eyes still red and swollen but clearly trying to appear calm for Pony’s sake. He nodded encouragingly at my words, and I felt reassured, knowing Pony would likely be satisfied with this plan if Soda was.

“No.”

I was taken aback. I was expecting some tears or anger with pushback maybe, but not this flat-out denial. He wasn’t getting worked up or showing any signs of emotion, just looking at me as if this was a simple explanation that summed it all up.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no.” His voice was getting louder, but he still had an air of deadly calmness about him. “I am so sick of all this. Y’all actin’ like everything’s some big secret that I’m too much of a kid to know about. Well, I’m the one it’s happening to. I’m the one who’s sick all the time, not you. I’m the one who can’t run track anymore. I’m the one who’s too damn tired to get through a day of school. I’m the one who feels like I’m dyin’!” His lip quivered then, and I saw tears gathering in his eyes. His next question came out as a whisper. “Am I dying, Darrel?”

[vamp-ress]

Writing Check-In

Active WIPs (as in: I'm actively working on those)

Broken Wings (working title) This Viggorli bunny is still taking up all my brain power. I'm now at 47.000 words and about 2/3 done. At the moment I'm stuck writing a pivotal dialogue scene and my usual tactic of simply powering through a first draft to get it over with isn't working overly well. We'll see ... Since I started writing this story within two or there weeks of "conceiving" it, I'm changing quite a few things as I go along. This is not usually my MO - usually I ponder a story for a long, long while in my head and when I start writing I have all the details detailed out. Here though, the first draft is pretty rough. I've already made a bullet point list of things I need to change in editing.

WIPs on hiatus (as in: on the backburner, but they will most probably come back)

The Way North (working title) Yepp, still on hiatus. Aragorn and his female OC (don't worry, this won't be a romance) are still sitting quietly on my harddrive awaiting further inspiration.

First Meeting (working title) This is also still on hiatus. This is actually really depressing, but I can't really write A/L when I write V/O. The tone of my Aralas stories doesn't really gel with Viggorli and it's so very jarring to switch between both.

Dol Guldur (working title) Yes, I actually managed to start a story in August to then promptly put it on hiatus. This was meant to be a Teitho entry and I've written three pages so far, but then the aforementioned Viggorli AU took up all my brain-space and all other inspiration has flown out the window since then. It's most annoying. I know found out the sakurashakedown wrote a story for that particular Teitho challenge - what a missed chance. We could have "competed"!

Finished Stories (as in, will post eventually)

Live and Let Die This A/L darkfic AU is still on the horizon. It is finished and is just waiting for the days to grow shorter and darker. I should probably post this now, shouldn't I? It's getting cold, dark and depressing. Just like this story. Are you in the mood for some major character death? Let me know - I can provide.

With Silver This next installment in my With-Verse is finished. I'm going to repost the whole series to DW's Vigorli comm and once I've done that the new story will follow. This will hit your dashboard in November. That means you'll have 12000 words of yummy Viggorli to look forward to. You are welcome ;-)

Labour of Love This Viggorli ficlet will be posted sometime after "With Silver" - so probably late November or early December. This is an AU where I took the characters to a strange place. I'm not really sure what possessed me to write this, but I love them both dearly in this story.

Blood Moon This little ficlet was written for @flashfictionfridayofficial. I mean, I have a werewolf!AU. I absolutely have to write something for a prompt like full moon frenzy. So this is Aralas, even if they both are never mentioned by name and they're not doing anything slashy in this story. The wolfverse is my Middle Earth playground. The fact that I write all of these stories in first person seems limiting, but it gives me the chance to explore something like this.

Waylaid I developped the plot for this while on a walk with my two ponies (and yes, it was evening and fog was creeping in). When I came back to the barn, the story was done and I wrote it down in two days. It was a little short notice for Halloween, but who cares. It's not meant to be more than a quick fun romp for Viggorli. So all's good.

[sparkagrace]

Hi! Happy New Year! ✨🎉

I've been on/off Tumblr (mostly off) lately due to a pretty rough and stressful couple of months. It's been really hard to be active and do things that I enjoy like reading and writing. My inbox is bursting with fics that I am so excited to read but when I have a little more headspace to really enjoy them.

Some personal stuff under the cut.

In August my department was told we were being laid off and gone by mid-December. It wasn't a surprise (we had two rounds of redundancies last year) and I was relieved to be going. I had been at my job for 12 years and I had enjoyed the first decade, but the last few years really started weighing on me. UK law stipulates that we have a long consultation period and then we work our notice period, which for me was three months. That's a long time to know that you're leaving a place.

But the lead up to leaving my job was stressful and - at the same time - I was finishing up my long fic, which was two years in the making. They both ended on the same day in December. I think I just didn't realize how ending two big things in my life was going to impact me.

The last three weeks in particular have been a huge struggle. I'm thankful that I have had some amazing friends and family pulling me through it (thanks especially to @cable-knit-sweater @dreamsinthewitchouse @teenytabris and @circaclementine).

The holiday period has been a blessing! I spent time with my family and was taken care of for a while. I feel a huge fog lifting, finally. I'm looking forward to finally reading and enjoying being in the fandom space.

I am taking all of January and some of February off from the job search, and I'm hopeful that my head will be in a much clearer and healthier space.

Wishing you all a wonderful and happy 2024 ✨

[the-bar-sinister]

In Justice We Trust (88252 words) by thesavagesabretooth

catch up here

With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed.

All the while, Edgeworth and Wright find their relationship tested as they walk the narrow path between pursuing real justice, and the dark age of the law.

-

December 25, 6:45 am

Miles had requested one of the hotel conference rooms so that he could bring Phoenix up to speed on the case– given the lack of time or appropriate space to do so any earlier. He'd sent Kay to go fetch some bagels and coffee for the meeting, and he flipped through the paperwork from his briefcase, adjusting his reading glasses.

There was a knock on the door, and the man behind it didn't wait for a 'come in' before he invited himself.

Phoenix Wright swaggered in, in his shirt sleeves and suspenders, with his signature blue coat tossed over one shoulder. His hair wasn't gelled back yet, hanging instead in untidy damp locks around his face and over his eyes.

He yawned, clicking the door closed behind him. "Morning, Edgeworth."

"Good morning, Wright." Miles looked up at him rather appreciatively, leaning on his hand and taking in the view. "I see my request caught you just out of the shower."

"Hey, you jump, I ask how high, eh?" Wright walked over and put his arms around Miles' shoulders, leaning over him from behind the chair.

Miles laughed and nuzzled his face against Phoenix's warm, freshly shaved cheek, the gentle scent of his aftershave and shampoo mingling. "You most emphatically do not do that, Phoenix. But you smell nice, so that's something."

"Well, as long as I've got something going for me, huh?" He smiled that big, stupid smile of his, and Miles grabbed his chin and pulled him into a rough, insistent kiss. It was the first one he'd managed to steal in days, and he was determined to enjoy it. Phoenix's tongue tasted of peppermint, and he made a soft noise as Miles bit and sucked at his lips.

When he finally released him, Phoenix took a deep breath, and batted his eyelashes. "Why, Mr. Edgeworth, how terribly scandalous!" he cooed in a falsetto.

Miles rolled his eyes. "Every time, Mr.Wright. And worth the potential scandal every time."

Phoenix leaned on him. "You spoil me, Miles."

"After the way you've behaved lately? I absolutely think I spoil you. You'd better be ready to really earn that badge I got back for you." He traced his fingers over Phoenix's jaw softly. He'd been hurt– terribly hurt– when Phoenix had said he wouldn't go to bat with him on this case, after everything Miles had done for him. But he could never stay angry at Phoenix long. It was that puppy dog look of his.

Phoenix leaned into Miles' touch and nodded, closing his eyes. "Consider me ready, Miles. But you already have the others here, what exactly is the plan?"

"For starters, I'm keeping you on a leash this time. You're going to help me investigate some of the more behind the scenes elements here."

"Oooh, investigating is my favorite part," Phoenix grinned.

"Don't think I don't know it," Miles chuckled. "Really, you would have made a better detective than a lawyer, Phoenix."

"And what about you, Miles? I'd say the same."

Miles adjusted his glasses, and smiled, bashfully. "Yes, well, we all have our roles to play, don't we? What use is playing detective if it's for a corrupt system?"

They'd talked about it before. About washing their hands of the whole thing and doing something like joining interpol, or opening a detective agency. But Miles couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to give up trying to piece back together the broken shards of their legal system.

One day. One day he could retire and leave the politics behind, and just do the fun part. Maybe he could even get Phoenix to come with him.

"So you say, Miles," Phoenix murmured. He nuzzled him like a cat– and they both froze when there was another knock at the door.

The door swung open, and in walked Kay Faraday, her arms laden down with a few paper bags and a balanced tray of three coffees in cheap, but sizable, paper cups.

“Gotcha the coffee, boss! And bagels. Hope you like onion, it’s all they had le–” The young woman paused, before flashing a grin. “Knew you’d probably show up, Mr. Phoenix. Got you a coffee too!” 

Miles flushed, and pulled away from Phoenix, who did the same, straightening his tie. Kay knew about him and Wright of course, but that was no excuse for such unprofessional behavior.

Miles cleared his throat and smoothed his hair. "Ah, yes, thank you, Kay. I appreciate the effort. We're just about to go over the facts of the case."

Phoenix grinned, tugging at his cuffs. "Hey, Kay. Been a while."

“Been a long time, Phoenix. How’s the office? Still run in the tyrannical grip of your daughter?” Kay asked with a snicker as she dropped the bags on the table along with the coffee.

She’d changed over the years…even if she was still ever the playful thief, she’d still grown up in a lot of ways. She had her hair in a loose bun today, pinned down with a pair of ornate sticks..

“I didn’t miss the brief?” 

"Not at all," Miles said, spreading his hands. "It was just… smalltalk. Have a seat."

"The smallest," Phoenix chuckled. He pulled out a chair for Kay on Miles' right side before sitting down at his left.

Kay Faraday took a seat, leaning onto her hands as some of her dark hair fell across her eye “Guess it’s time to get down to business, eh? So you can have some more time for smalltalk later~..” 

December 25, 7:00 am

Miles coughed as Kay teased him.. "Yes, ah, anyway… the best place to start is with the dead agents."

She watched as he pulled a folder out of his briefcase.

Kay Faraday glanced at the folder with a low sigh. She’d gotten long used to bodies, they’d always seemed to crop up wherever she and Miles had gone together. They never got any easier to deal with, or any less sad to see…but she was used to them.

“Got any names for us, boss? Or is Lang keeping them hush?” 

"That'd be pretty inconvenient if so," Phoenix mused, leaning on his hand.

"Hardly," Miles rolled his eyes and presented to glossy photos– one of a tan skinned man with glossy ringlets of black hair, the other blond, blue eyed and clean cut. "Agent Angelo St. John, and Agent Layton Fish. They were the closest agents here in Cauli when Lang sent word to watch the airport."

“Bad luck. Guys are sleeping with the fishes and running with the angels at the same time. One bad job, ” Kay murmured. She leaned over to look at the pictures thoughtfully. “what’s the scene look like?” 

"Not good." Miles set his jaw and showed another picture. Two vehicles, both burned and twisted almost to unrecognizability. 

Phoenix whistled. "I'll say. Did they find any bodies?"

"Two. Interpol has their forensics working on dental records. I'm planning to have Ema lend us her expertise at the scene."

"So we don't even know if these are our guys," Phoenix said.

"Not one hundred percent, no. But Agent Kelso has confirmed that one of the vehicles matches– well, matched– the car that the agents left in."

Kay’s eyes lingered on the damage from the fire. “So it’s pretty likely, unless someone’s playing one heck of a trick on us. “

Phoenix weaved his fingers together. "We've seen some pretty good tricks. But there's always evidence."

"There's always evidence," Miles agreed. "I'm sending most of our people to the scene to look in person today, while some of us take a different tactic. I'd like to do some investigating at the airport itself and see if we can get anything from the security people."

Kay nodded seriously, leaning on her hands with a grin. “Might turn up something. Might turn up more if you let me slip in there and dig around their security files.” 

"Kay, don't even suggest anything illegal to me today," Miles said firmly. "We're here by the grace of interpol. We do things by the book– that goes double for you, Phoenix."

He held his hands up and grinned. "What, me? Do something unethical? Never."

“And who from Interpol’s here?” Kay puffed out her cheeks. “I mean…Agent Lang always let me do my thing. And it’s not like either of his subordinates are gonna give me crap for unconventional tactics.” 

Miles crossed his arms. "if you clear it with Lang you can do whatever you want, Kay. If you clear it with Lang. His favorite agents are with him too, if you'd like to give wheedling them a shot. Meanwhile, Phoenix and I are also going to be following up on our main target."

“Ooof.” Kay grimaced. “I mean, Badd’s a pushover when it comes to me, but…” the other one…she had some complicated history with. Besides, she’d probably just laugh the request off.

“Yessir. “ She sighed, and grabbed a bagel “sounds like you got a day chock full of adventure.” 

"Adventure is one way to put it," Miles murmured. He pulled out another picture. It was a wide shot of the airport's baggage claim, the same one they'd been in last night. "This is the picture that Agent Kelso sent back before the disappearance of her fellow agents. It was just enough to make a positive ID."

"A positive ID, huh?" Phoenix rubbed his chin, and squinted at the picture. There was a pair of figures circled in red marker. A blond, bespectacled older man meeting with a slim, dark haired figure in large sunglasses. The older man's face was turned toward the camera, and his features were visible.

“So that’s the guy, huh?” Kay whistled low under her breath “...and the person in the shades, that’s the one Kelso had been tailing?” 

Miles nodded. "The one in the shades is the one Kelso followed from LA to Cauli, yes. The bomber at Fulbright's apartment. And the other– the blond– we think that's the one that the Phantom referred to as 'specs' during questioning."

"Specs, huh?" Phoenix asked. "You said you got a positive ID from this picture?"

"Interpol ran the data for hours," Miles nodded. "It came up with a man named Gaius Lovelace. Dual British and Zheng-Fa citizenship. He runs a consultancy business and manages a hedge fund."

“Bet he’s hedging his bets that we aren’t going to find him and kick his ass six ways from Sunday.” Kay grumbled, before quickly adding. “with the law, I mean!” 

"With the law," Miles agreed. "We're going to see if we can pick up his trail here in Cauli somehow, while Interpol is investigating his residence in England."

"Sounds like a hell of a case, Edgeworth," Phoenix said with a little smile.

Edgeworth smirked back. "I knew I could get you interested, Wright."

Kay stretched as she stuffed her bagel into her mouth. A moment later, she dared to ask the question. “So what should I do, boss? Given it’s date night for you two.” 

The noise Edgeworth made was hilarious.

December 25, 7:30 am

Halblicht caught his breath as he watched Apollo's receding figure leave the cafeteria. Everyone was staring at them. The staff were staring at them.

That was a disaster.

Simon's hands were on his shoulders, and he looked up to see the prosecutor's gaze following Apollo as well. And Athena was still interposed between himself, and the world.

It could have gone worse, I suppose.

"Still with us, Half Bright?" Simon demanded, glancing down at him.

"For the moment." He fixed his sunglasses. "Ms. Cykes, you didn't need to do that."

“No, Robert.” Athena’s voice carried a tremor that was hard to identify the root of, but she stayed standing between him and the retreating Apollo.

“I did. You’re my patient. I promised to help you, right? Part of that’s not letting my friend beat you to a pulp because he’s lost control of his emotions.” her voice dropped into a quiet murmur “...it wouldn’t be right.” 

Bobby reached out, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ms. Cykes, I accept your commitment as a staunch fellow ally of justice– but he could have hurt you."

Their eyes watered and Robert almost staggered under the weight of Bobby's wave of concern and gratitude.

When Athena turned towards him, there were tears in her eyes and a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach them.

“He already did, Bobby. Didn’t even have to land a punch.” She shook her head, and her shoulder shook under his hand “...it was a risk I was ready to take. I’m stronger than I look, I could have taken it. I didn’t want him to hurt you anymore…or to hurt himself doing something he’d regret..” 

They rubbed their chest. It ached. Apollo had hit them right in the same place that the bullet had.

"I appreciate it, Athena, but…"

Simon scoffed. "What's done is done. Athena threw herself into harm's way for, perhaps no good reason. But who among us can say we've never done the same."

"I suppose," Bobby murmured. 

Is he including us in that?

I have no idea.

They glanced across the table. Investigator Skye had been there when this began– was she still?

Ema had shot up in the confusion, and was halfway across the cafeteria as Apollo vanished. The last sounds of her calling out to him died in a low growl as she ran her hands through her hair.

“Great, fan fucking tastic. Great. Awesome.”

Simon frowned deeply, as he followed Halblicht's gaze."Well. I suppose we have the table to ourselves now. And Mr. Justice is aware of the situation. So whatever else may be the case– mission accomplished."

“Yeah..” Athena’s voice was hollow as she pressed her hand to her face. “Mission accomplished.”

“...” Ema tugged at her hair just a little bit ahead, hissing under her breath. Eventually she stormed off to a table, where she grabbed a bag of complimentary chips “I’m getting ready for the damned investigation.” 

"I guess we all should…" Bobby sighed heavily and finally seated himself as well– noticing that only now did Simon take his hands off him. The prosecutor didn't acknowledge it, merely sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry about the scene…"

It was inevitable, really.

Maybe, but I'm still sorry. I hope Mr. Justice can… calm down, at least.Ema vanished out the door, and Athena dropped into a chair. 

“...it’s my fault," Athena sighed,"I should have explained it better…or just bitten the bullet and dealt with Miles being angry with me and told him sooner.” 

Robert pushed their glasses up. "Frankly, Ms. Athena, we probably should have gone to Mr. Edgeworth and let him handle it. but what's done is done."

“What’s done is done,” she echoed, looking at the door. “But I think I’m out an investigation partner for the day.” 

"Well, it's irregular," Simon said, leaning on one hand and starting to pick at his breakfast again. "But this is an irregular situation. Why don't you just investigate with us?"

Athena looked up at them with a blink “...the defense and the prosecution working together, huh? Not a bad idea…”

Bobby smiles. "You two do make quite the impressive team. And anyway, we don't even know who you'll be representing yet, Ms. Athena. I'm sure there's no harm in it."

“That’s true.” Athena finally smiled again, rubbing the back of her neck. “no harm at all…and anyway, the prosecution needs to start learning to share anyway.” 

"True enough," Simon agreed with a smirk. "Much as I enjoy mysterious ways, now that the dark age of the law has started to crack, things might change."

Bobby stood to get himself some coffee. It already felt like things were changing.

Charging in had definitely been the right thing to do.

"Where are you going, Half Bright?"

They stopped frozen and turned toward Simon.

We should probably have asked permission…

"Ah, just to get some coffee, sir."

They waited for the rebuke.

"Good, get me another cup."

Bobby wasn't the only one who felt a small sting of relief.

December 25, 7:30 am

Trucy and Pearl had slept in a bit compared to everyone else. Trucy had woken up to a message on her phone from her Daddy to go and have breakfast without him, because he was in a meeting with Mr. Edgeworth.

“Looks like we’ve gotta go it alone this morning, Pearl.” she’d said as she tied her hair into its usual low ponytail. “Daddy’s busy with Mr. Edgeworth, so we’re gonna have to scrounge for ourselves.” 

Pearl had put her own hair back up in it's complicated coiffure the night before after it had dried, and she was sitting on the end of the bed, kicking her feet, and watching as Trucy finished getting ready. 

"You say scrounge as if there isn't a whole hotel restaurant, Trucy," she giggled.

Trucy fluffed her hair, letting the cluster of locks fall down to frame her face in a curl on one side, before she turned with a sweep of her cape as she fastened it over her shoulders.

“A whole hotel restaurant for us to scrounge and forage in…only us, our wits, and daddy’s hotel tab between us and a good balanced breakfast.” 

Pearl giggled and hopped up to her feet. "I think it might actually be Mr. Miles' hotel tab in this case. Or maybe even Klavier's!"

“You know what that means, Pearl.” Trucy offered her hand with a grin “...we don’t have to worry about going ham. Daddy’s broke, but Mr. Edgeworth is loaded.” 

Pearl giggled and took her hand. "Let's go ham then! Or at least get ham. I don't want to be stuffed to the gills when we go meet Klavier, after all!"

She giggled and tugged her toward the door.

Trucy followed her with a laugh. “That's true, that’s true. Alright, we’ll make sure to at least get ham and maybe something sweet on the go, and then get going to see Klavier. I’d like to be able to dance, at the very least.” 

"Dance huh?" Pearl asked as they hurried down the hall. "You think he'll invite us to?"

Trucy squeezed her hand. “I mean he’s a musician, I think he’d be offended if we didn’t wanna!” 

"Truuue, but I didn't know if he was gonna do anything actually musical in this commercial," she mused. She paused waiting for the elevator. "You said it was for a brand of soft drink, right?"

“You…” Trucy rubbed her chin. “you think he’d agree to do it if he wasn’t gonna get to rock out? What? Is he gonna prosecute someone in it?”

Pearl stepped into the elevator. She mirrored Trucy's gesture, rubbing her own chin. "Well I mean I kind of just thought he was going to open a soft drink 80 different times in 80 different takes and go 'ahhh, so refreshing!' or something."

Trucy stuck out her tongue. "Blehhh… First of all, he’d get a stomachache. Second of all, that’d be lame. There’s no pizzazz in that. Where’s the magic? Where’s the light and sound? Nobody’s gonna wanna drink their stupid soda if it’s just a guy opening it, looking sick because it’s his hundredth soda and going ‘yum, it’s good, buy it, dummy’, you know?” 

Pearl rubbed her neck as the elevator descended. "Um, I super agree with you Trucy, but I'm not sure that's how commercials work. I'm also not sure why I know more about commercials than you…"

Trucy flushed a brilliant red, huffing. “I…I…every commercial I’ve ever been in’s been exciting! That’s all! Geeze!” 

The elevator stopped at the first floor.

"Have you been in a bunch?"

“I’ve been in one.” Trucy waved her hand back and forth in the air, still holding Pearl’s. “It was for the Wright Anything Agency!” 

"Ooooooh. Well, then it's no surprise it was exciting!"

The door opened and she tugged Trucy out and toward the dining hall.

Trucy followed close behind, grinning as she went .

“We didn't have food, either, but if we did I wouldn’t have wanted to waste it, you know? So obviously someone’s gotta drink the sodas that Klavier doesn’t….maybe he actually gives them to the crew so he doesn’t get sick? I dunno.” 

"Ooooh, maybe. That'd be nice, right?" She pushed the door to the dining room open. "After you!"

Trucy dipped into a curtsy with a grin. 

“why thank you, Pearl.” she winked “you know how to make a girl feel special…” With that and tip of her hat, she slipped into the dining hall. 

Slipping into the dining room, Trucy realized there was almost nobody in there. A couple of people off to one side Trucy didn't recognize, and Athena sitting with Simon Blackquill and some other guy.

And that was basically it. No Kay, no Gumshoe. No Apollo.

“Uh…..” Trucy stopped short with a raise of her eyebrow under the brim of her hat. “...where the heck is everyone? Polly shoulda been here by now. He never misses breakfast.” 

Pearl rubbed her neck. "More breakfast for us I guess? Maybe he already ate and got going?"

Trucy watched her look around the dining hall, and her gaze come to rest on the mystery man sitting with Athena and Simon.

She leaned on Pearl’s shoulder, staring along with her with a puzzled tilt of her head. “Who's that guy?” 

Pearl chewed on her thumb, and looked distracted. "Gosh, um… that's a good question..."

“He kinda looks familiar…like I saw him somewhere recently.” Trucy mused with her chin against Pearl’s shoulder. “..what’s up, Pearl? Do you recognize him?” 

"Um…." Pearl chewed on her thumb again. "Why don't we get some breakfast."

Trucy glanced between Pearl’s expression and the mystery man tugging at the edge of her memory. 

“...Yeah uh.” She eased Pearl towards the breakfast buffet tables, “let’s maybe do that and we’ll sort it out together.” 

December 25, 7:45 am

As they were finishing up with breakfast, Athena noticed Trucy and Pearl pause in the doorway, before they headed over to the buffet area.

“Hmmm,” Athena’s brow knit as she nibbled down a piece of bacon. “Why…are Trucy and Pearl here?” 

Simon looked up. "I'm sorry, what?"

Athena pointed to them at the buffet table with her slice of bacon. “...Trucy and Pearl. They’re over there. They were staring right at us for like….3 minutes before they wandered over there. Why…why are they here in Cauli?”

Halblicht looked over his shoulder curiously as well. "Trucy Wright, yes? And the other girl… wasn't she involved in the orca case?"

“Yeah, that’s right! She was the penguin whisperer…because she fell down in a bunch of fish.” She laughed into her hand. “She’s a spirit medium from Kurain , I’m pretty sure. She’s really great.” 

"A… spirit medium?" Halblicht's expression was unreadable, but Athena felt a brief flicker of odd, twisted emotions from him anyway. "How unusual."

“Yeah…her cousin was part of that whole case back in the day that proved the existence of ghosts, you know.” Athena mused , leaning on her hand. “She was possessed by the vengeful spirit of a multiple murderer..”

The restaurant’s door slammed open, carrying with it a cheerful, if very sleepy sounding, salutation.

“G’morning, fellas!” Agent Kelso called out, as she adjusted her sunglasses in her hair. “Can the Edgeworth party come with me?” 

[angelosearch]

Little life/fic/project update...

I absolutely love my grad program and learning all this art therapy stuff but sometimes the spoon drawer just gets empty even when all you're eating is ice cream, you know?? Definitely hit a bit of a wall yesterday, especially with how stressful/unpredictable my internship has been. I took a mental health night (still had to intern for 5 hours and sit in an hour of traffic) and skipped class this evening... hoping that recharges me at least a little.

I fell behind with Inktober and it doesn't seem like I'm going to catch up. I have two sketches that I might ink and post but if it's between that and writing... I'm going to write.

The next chapter of "Chaos Theory" is in progress. I might finish it this week, but I'll have to see if it feels "complete" after I finish the current scene or if I want to add more. After that there is just two more chapters and the epilogue and two out of three of those I already have extremely strong drafts for!!

The one thing keep asking myself is have I answered all the questions? From watching the numbers I am guessing I have between 60-80 consistent readers (WHICH IS INSANE. And a huge honor!! so happy to share my story!!!!) and I don't want to let anyone down!! If you read CT, please let me know any outstanding questions you have in the story (like 'what's going on with x character?' or 'what's the explanation for this?' etc.). I have room to answer some things I might not have considered, but I need to know what I haven't considered!

Because I am so close to the end of CT, I haven't really touched anything else lately! Here are my rough writing goals looking toward the end of the year:

Finish posting CT before December. If I can, finish writing this month!

Finish writing CT "Rewind." I am about 60% of the way through overall and 50% through the next chapter.

Post at least one more FFVIII The Musical song by Halloween since that's when I started writing it last year.

Finish my Bingo card!

Write and post for my Yuletide exchange.

Write and post "Angelo: Search" (the next installment in the Angelo Combine series)

After that, I will probably try REALLY HARD not to start anything new (at least in the FFVIII fandom) until I finish some of my current multichapters. Update priority as I see it is:

Minute Hand

The Sorceress Awakens (and the rest of the New Beginning Series)

Vessel of Hyne's Grace

FFVIII The Musical

Of course, I have other non-fanfiction things I want to do before the end of the year/January, too. I have some people I want to visit, outstanding art projects, my new year's journal, holiday gifts to make (watch out my friends 👀), AMVs, class/finals... Yeah, so who knows how much of that is possible! Also I have SO MUCH reading to do!!

As always, these posts are more for my planning purposes than anything else!! I love a prioritized list, haha. Please continue your regularly scheduled scroll.

[readingismyhobby24]

haaiiii hello faith !!!!! how have u been doing today? anything interesting happen?

ive been trying to finish whumptober day 1 :( i wish i didnt procrastinate but ill probably just finish and upload stuff across this month, november, and december i guess since apparently i can upload stuff late atleast

im getting the sebastian solace plush btw!!!!! hes so cutie i love him i cant wait dudeeeee omg

me and my irl friend hung out today :D we had so much fun, we went to a skating rink and even if i didnt actually skate we talked a bunch :3 me and him see eachother like once a month irl so its nice to see him

heres a few pictures from when me and my friend hung out :D !!!

he drew the cat on my hand :3 i drew the triforce on his lol

i drew a few stars on myself, the will wood icimi album cover, the will wood tapeworm, the triforce, then the karma 1 and the karma 10 symbols from rainworld!

HIIIIIIII NOAH!!!! I'm doing pretty good! I've done a lot of work today, but nothing fun or interesting 😔 I am going to do a TON of drawing soon because I'm going to draw all my mutuals their favorite animals. So, I do need to know what your favorite animal is :D

YOU GOT THIS!!! Can I ask what your whumptober day 1 fic is about? 👀

YAYYYYYY!!!! YOURE GETTING THE SEBASTIAN SOLACE PLUSHIEEEEEE!!!!!! THAT'S SO EXCITING!!!!!

That sounds like you two had a lot of fun! The plushies look like they're having a blast as well.

I'm sorry I never have anything interesting to talk about 😔 My life just hasn't had a ton of fun things to talk about lately. It's honestly been a rough few weeks. But maybe it will get better soon! I have some exciting things to look forward to this month!!! So hopefully I'll have some adventures to talk about!

Thanks for dropping by!!!

[comfortlesshurt]

October 2024 Plans!

Now feels like a great time to say wow, I really didn't plan for this burst of inspiration from back in... June? to go on this long. Anyway, I'm here to say it is still here. Still Voltron, still primarily Keith. Still really stuck on that series idea.

I thought editing was going to go well last month, but I got started and was not feeling it. So now it's more of a "when it gets done" goal. To hold myself accountable, I'm still gonna include the remaining list of fics to be edited on these monthly goal posts. At least I'll have to look the work I'm avoiding directly in the eye on a regular basis as I procrastinate by writing.

General goals:

Newly published WC: 11,928/3,000

Have VLD WC surpass Spider-Man: 63,314/100,258

2024 total published WC: 54,677/50,000

LTS(LTFH):

If you didn't see my quick lil post about it, I'm getting burned out on this! So I'm giving myself a month off. I'm allowed to add to these fics if I feel like it, but there is no daily or monthly word count goal for October.

Fic 4: work on figuring out the timeline

All fics: use the downtime this month to work on chapter titles & flesh out outlines

Change the whole damn series name this late into drafting

Oneshots:

Bingo fic (I promised this AGES AGO, so this has GOT to be the month I finally deliver istg)

Oneshots or ficlets, whatever this month's inspiration tells me to do

Editing:

Flu: title change, style update

on the run: deadass don't remember this one, so we'll see

5 Times Lance Doesn't Matter +1 Time He Finally Does

Smiling 'cause you're used to it (a house that's always haunted)

Chemicals, chemicals in my brain (where'd you go, where'd you go anyway?)

Nowhere to call home (so I'll pack and run away)

5 Times Peter Struggled with Spider Metabolism, +1 Time Tony Helped: possible style update

Whump Bingo: major edit--these were barely edited in the first place, oops

Anywhere but Here: style update

Sick Days

Take the worst situation (make a worse situation)

We are the reckless (we are the wild youth)

Cocktails and Consequences: content edit since I barely drank before I wrote this and didn't research alcohol at all

Sickdays 5.0 Day 7: Temperature: title

See me here (meet me here)

And it hits between the eyes on this side

Sickdays 2.0 Day 2 & 5: Sick at a Party & Gently Tinged with Red: title, brainstorm for a closing chapter

Sickdays Day 5: Rapid Onset: title

Impressions

Sickdays 4.0 Day 1: The Oblivious Partner: title

Sickdays 4.0 Day 7: Chain Reaction: title

Sickdays 5.0 Day 6: Public Illness: title

I've got you stuck on my mind (and it's driving me crazy)

Days locked in a haze (trying to forget you)

Sickdays Day 6: Public Illness: title

I want to know who you are (I want to know who you were)

Will you stay with me for another day? (I don't want to be alone in this state)

I'm keeping you at bay (and I'm lonely)

Sickdays 5.0 Day 3: Caretaking Focus: title

Weightless (only wait for a fall)

Hiding It

I feel strange

Bullies and Bailing: possible content edit because I just don't like this one at all

Made a Mess

Season Three

Oh god

I'm not saying I told you so...

Sickdays 5.0 Day 4: Not the Norm: title and possible content edit because I HATE this fic with a burning passion

Accident

Don't ruin this

Rapid Onset

No Right Side: content edit because I don't like how this came out

Frostbite

Happily Ever After

Wes

Touch of the skin brings trembles and shivers

Favorite Outfit

Sleepless folks watching light grow (through their early morning windows)

Origins

Ember

Peace

Road Trip

+2 anon works

Longer term:

October 2024 - light month! doing whatever I feel like, but probably some oneshots or ficlets.

November 2024 - unofficial NaNoWriMo (fuck AI).

December 2024 - finish rough draft for LTS(LTFH) fics 1 & 2.

January 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 1 & 2 major content/continuity edit. Technical edit for fic 1 & begin posting depending on how long edits take.

February 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 3 (drafting) & 4 (outline and early drafting).

March 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 3 & 4 drafting.